For the fourth series in a row, the Quakes have managed to win a series while dropping the last game to their opposition to prevent a sweep. It’s not exactly ideal that the last game of the series keeps getting away, but you also can’t complain about that many series wins either.

This time around, the Quakes took two of three from the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels), after splitting their last series against the 66ers in San Bernardino. 

Game-1 turned out to be one of the best pitcher’s duels I’ve seen in a long time. Inland Empire right-hander Oliver Ortega struck out six batters in the first three innings alone, while Quakes right-hander Edwin Uceta struck out five through three. 

All-in-all, Ortega ended up giving up just one hit, a double to Quakes third baseman Marcus Chiu, while walking four and striking out nine in his five innings of work.

Uceta went one more inning than Ortega, striking out eight. He walked one and allowed five hits but did not allow a run to score. After his superb start, it was time to give him some run support, which the team came through with in the bottom of the sixth. 

Chiu led off the sixth inning being hit by a pitch for the eighth time this season. With one out, right fielder Carlos Rincon reached on a fielding error which was followed by a base hit from catcher Connor Wong to load the bases. A strikeout later, first baseman Nick Yarnall drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Quakes up 1-0. 

Quakes left-hander Connor Mitchell came in to relieve Uceta in the seventh and got into a tough spot after recording two outs to start the inning. Two walks and an error by Chiu, his eighth, lead to a bases loaded jam. Left-hander Wes Helsabeck stepped in for Mitchell to get the final out, which he did. He then pitched a quick and quiet 1-2-3 eighth inning as well. 

For insurance purposes, Wong knocked a solo shot to left in the bottom of the inning to give Rancho a 2-0 lead. Left-hander Logan Salow came in to close things out in the ninth, quickly shutting down the 66ers offense, 1-2-3 for the 2-0 shutout, with Uceta earning the win while Salow earned the save, his first of the year. 

Game-2 was nearly the complete opposite of game-1. The Quakes got on the board early against 66ers right-hander Jake Lee as Chiu drilled a solo shot over the wall in right to put the Quakes up 1-0 in the first. Right fielder, Drew Avans took advantage next, reaching on an error and scoring on a wild pitch by Lee. 

Inland Empire got to Quake right-hander Gerardo Carrillo in the third, taking advantage of two walks and an error by shortstop Brandon Montgomery, cutting the Quakes lead in half. Rancho got the run back and then some in the bottom of the inning as Yarnall drove in a run with a single to center. Catcher Steve Berman drove in two more with a home run to left center to put the Quakes up 5-1. Carrillo threw a quiet fourth, as did Lee. 

To start the fifth, Carrillo was replaced by left-hander Austin Hamilton and promptly hit the first batter he faced. He then gave up a single before recording an out. A single and a double back-to-back drove in two before the final two outs of the inning were made in the now 5-3 ball game.

Lefty Justin Bruihl replaced Hamilton in the sixth and got into a little bit of a jam when Quakes left fielder Starling Heredia committed an error that put runners on the corners. A wild pitch from Bruihl allowed a run to score, cutting the Quakes lead to one. 

Aside from a couple pitching changes, not much happened again until the bottom of the eighth. Rincon knocked the very first pitch he saw from Nate Bertness over the wall in right-center for his sixth home run of the season. Jordan Sheffield, who came in for Bruihl with one out in the eighth, returned for the ninth, quickly shutting down the 66ers by inducing three straight fly balls to end the game and giving the Quakes the 6-4 win, with Bruihl notching the win and Sheffield collecting sixth save. 

Game-3 was also a pitcher’s duel of sorts, as neither team managed to score in regulation play. Quakes left-handed starter Leo Crawford went five innings, giving up just one hit while walking one and striking out four. He was able to work around an error and a double, but those were really the only hardships for him for the high-leg-kicking Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua native.

Inland Empire’s starter Kyle Bradish also went five, but gave up seven hits and one walk. He did, however, strike out nine, as compared to Crawford’s four. Both bullpens kept the other team’s offense quiet through the next four innings, sending the game to extras.

With MiLB’s new “runner on second” rule, the 66ers took advantage of an error by Quakes shortstop Jeter Downs in the tenth, scoring the one and only run of the game, as the Quakes were sat down quietly in the bottom of the inning. Unfortunately for the Quakes, all of their hits weren’t exactly at the right time to drive in runs. Overall, the team left nine on base and went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the 1-0 loss.

The Quakes continue their homestand with three games against the Cal League North first place Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks). Overall, the Rawhide lead the league in wins with 23 while the Quakes are right behind them with 21. 

A good weekend of head-to-head battle could tie the two teams for the league lead, while a great weekend could give the Quakes the outright league lead.

As they say: Minor Leagues – Major Fun!

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