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Gac helps lift Blaze 11-4 over Giants to even series

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:54:50 PDT

By Matthew Martz / Photo by Frank Domingo Photography

The Blaze scored nine runs in the first four innings and cruised to an 11-4 victory over the San Jose Giants, winning game four of the Cal League division finals on Tuesday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

Ian Gac homered and tied a career high with six RBIs helping the Blaze even the series at two games apiece, and forcing a decisive Game 5 in San Jose on Wednesday.

San Jose struck first scoring a single run in the first, before the Blaze took a 2-1 lead in the home half of the inning on a two RBI single from Ian Gac. In his next at-bat, Gac clubbed a three-run long ball in the bottom of the third extending Bakersfield’s lead, 5-1.

The Giants made a modest comeback in the fourth, scoring three runs to narrow Bakersfield’s lead to 5-4. But the Blaze got a bit of help from the San Jose bullpen in the home half of the frame as they picked up four runs on two singles, two walks, three wild pitches and a fielding error.

A solid performance by Bakersfield starter Tanner Roark held the Giants in check for the next three innings. Roark (W, 1-0) surrendered three earned runs on seven hits, while striking out six and walking three.

Leading 9-4, the Blaze added a single run in the fifth when Jacob Kasse stole home in a double steal attempt, and one more in the sixth on an RBI sac fly to center from Ian Gac, his sixth RBI of the ballgame.

Bakersfield reliever Michael Main relieved Roark to start the eighth and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three of the six batters he faced.

Aside from Ian Gac’s three run homer and 6 RBIs. David Paisano went 2-for-4 with a single and a double, Davis Stoneburner was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, a walk and an RBI, and Joey Butler singled and doubled in five at-bats.

The series continues with a decisive game five on Wednesday at Municipal Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Blaze force game four with 7-3 win over Giants

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:51:38 PDT

By Matthew Martz / Photo by Frank Domingo Photography

Facing elimination, the Blaze took an early 4-1 lead in the first and hung on to win game three of the Cal League division finals 7-3 on Monday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

After surrendering a lone run in the first, the Blaze put on a hitting clinic in the home half of the inning, beginning with a two out Joey Butler double, followed by an RBI double from Mauro Gomez, and two run homer to left center by Michael Bianucci. The Blaze weren’t finished as Tommy Mendonca drove in a run on soft fly to left, giving the Blaze a 4-1 lead.

In his next at-bat, Gomez helped add to the Blaze lead with a two-run round tripper in the bottom of the second extending Bakersfield’s lead, 6-1.

Solid pitching from Blaze starter Kennil Gomez held the Giants out of the run column for 6.2 innings. Gomez (W, 1-0) surrendered just one run on six hits, while striking out five and walking six.

In a flashback to game two, the Giants launched a comeback in the top of the eighth that began with a pair of doubles to lead off the inning, off reliever Ryan Falcon, cutting the Blaze lead 6-2.

After a quick mound visit, Tyler Tufts would replace Falcon on rubber. Tufts gave up an additional run before forcing a ground out and a double play to end the inning, preserving Bakersfield’s 6-3 lead.

The Blaze added one more in the home half of the frame when Ian Gac scored on a passed ball.

Bakersfield closer Evan Reed loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth, and with the tying run at first, sat down the Giant’s Conor Gillaspie on strikes to end the ballgame.

The series continues with game four on Tuesday at San Lynn Ballpark. The Blaze will look to even the series a two games apiece. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

San Jose explodes in the eighth to take a 2-0 series lead

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:53:49 PDT

By Matthew Martz / Photo by Frank Domingo Photography

The San Jose Giants exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning beating the Blaze 8-3 and taking a two game lead in the division finals on Sunday at Municipal Stadium.

The Blaze had only allowed the Giants two hits in seven complete and looked to be heading back to Bakersfield with the series tied at one when Johnny Monell’s lead off homer to left off reliever Justin Miller started an eight run rally for San Jose.

Bakersfield starter Tim Murphy pitched seven strong innings on the hill, striking out five, issuing three free passes, and allowing just two hits and no earned runs.

The Blaze took 1-0 lead in the third when Michael Bianucci hit a sac fly to left scoring Matthew Lawson who singled in a previous at-bat.

Bakersfield added to their lead in the top half of the eighth on an RBI double from Joey Butler and another sac fly RBI from Bianucci, his second of the night.

The Blaze’s Justin Miller (L, 0-1) was summoned from the bullpen to start the eighth and surrendered a solo home run to the first batter he faced. After forcing a ground out in the next at-bat, Miller gave up a single and walk. He sat down the Giants Thomas Neal on strikes and was near working his way out of the inning, preserving a Blaze 3-1 lead, when suddenly it all imploded as Miller unleashed a wild pitch in the following at-bat that allowed San Jose to score a run and load the bases.

Miller would get the hook and Glenn Swanson would be called upon to stop the bleeding.

Swanson walked the first batter he faced allowing the Giants to tie the game 3-3, and then surrendered a three run double to give the Giants a 6-3 lead. Swanson surrendered one more before exiting the mound. Dustin Brader came into the ballgame with bases loaded and gave up one inherited run before striking out Thomas Neal to end the eighth.

Giants’ reliever Daniel Turpen had a 1-2-3 ninth, retiring the side and ending the ballgame 8-3.

The series continues with game three on Monday at San Lynn Ballpark. It is a must win situation for Bakersfield. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

Giants shut out Blaze in game one of division finals

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:48:37 PDT

By Matthew Martz / Photo by Frank Domingo Photography

The Blaze were held to just seven hits losing 1-0 in game one of the best-of-five division finals against the San Jose Giants on Saturday afternoon at Municipal Stadium.

Bakersfield put runners in scoring position nine times, but could not push a single run across the plate.

Blaze starter Ryan Tatusko (L, 0-1) gave on of his best performances this season striking out nine, walking one, and allowing five hits in six innings on the mound.

The games lone run came with one out in the bottom of the third when San Jose RF Francisco Peguero doubled to left. Peguero advanced to third on a wild pitch from Tatusko and then scored on an RBI single from Nick Noonan.

Giants’ starter Clayton Tanner (W, 1-0) was solid for San Jose striking out four, walking none, surrendering no runs on seven hits in seven innings. Rafael Cova closed out the ballgame in the ninth; preserving the Giants slim margin over the Blaze and notching his first save.

Mike Bianucci, who has been on a bit of a cold streak, was 3-for-4 with a double, and Matthew Lawson singled twice and stole a base.

The series continues with game 2 on Sunday at Municipal Stadium. Tim Murphy (7.60 RA, 6.80 ERA) faces Paul Osguera (3.94 RA, 3.77 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

Blaze win first playoff series in 8 seasons

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:09:38 PDT

By Matthew Martz / Photo by Frank Domingo Photography

The Bakersfield Blaze posted their first playoff series win since 2001 with a 6-1 decisive game three win over the Modesto Nuts on Friday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

Starting pitcher Richard Bleier went eight strong innings on the mound holding the Nuts to just one run on seven hits, while the Blaze offense out hit Modesto 12-7.

The win sends the Blaze to San Jose to face the first place Giants for game one of the best of five division finals on Saturday.

After falling behind 1-0 early in the first inning, the Blaze answered back scoring two in the second to take a 2-1 advantage on an RBI triple from David Paisano, followed by an RBI double by Matthew Lawson.

Lawson added one more for Bakersfield in the fourth on an RBI, before The Blaze broke out adding three more runs in the seventh to take a commanding 6-1 lead.

Bleier (W, 1-0) faced 32 Modesto hitters, striking out eight without a single walk.

Blaze reliever and former Ridgeview High standout Justin Miller, came on in the top of the ninth and struck out the side in order, to end the ballgame.

The series with San Jose begins on Saturday at Municipal Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

Blaze even series with Modesto

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:26:54 PDT

By Matthew Martz / Photo Courtesy of Frank Domingo Photography

The Blaze scored seven runs in the sixth including a pair of home runs on their way to a 13-6 win over the Modesto Nuts in game two Thursday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

The win evens the series at one game apiece, with a deciding game three to be played Friday night at Sam Lynn Ballpark. The winner will move on to face the first place San Jose Giants in the division finals on Saturday.

After falling behind 4-1, the Blaze climbed back into the ballgame in the third narrowing the deficit to one on a two run home run from David Paisano, followed by a solo homer from second baseman Matthew Lawson.

Modesto got one back in the top half of the sixth before the Blaze erupted for seven runs in the home half of the inning to pull ahead 10-5.

The Blaze led off the inning with two consecutive home runs from Ian Gac and Tommy Mendonca. After a pair of singles and an RBI double from Matthew Lawson, David Paisano came home on a walk. Michael Bianucci grounded out to second scoring Matthew Lawson, and Ian Gac followed with a two RBI single on a ground ball to left.

The Nuts inched closer on a home run from Jeffrey Cunningham in the seventh, before the Blaze answered back with an RBI single from Davis Stoneburner in the bottom half of the frame, adding to Bakersfield’s lead, 11-6.

Bakersfield’s Tommy Mendoca gave the Blaze a commanding 13-6 when he clubbed a two-run blast to deep left in the bottom of the eighth. His second of the game.

Blaze reliever Glenn Swanson was called upon in the ninth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to end the ballgame.

Blaze starter Tanner Roark went just three innings on the mound surrendering four earned runs on seven hits including three home runs. Tyler Tufts who replaced Roark in the fourth earned his first win of the season.

Blaze LHP Richard Bleier (7-11) is expected to start game three tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Blaze fall to Modesto in Game One

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:23:52 PDT

By Tim Wheeler

MODESTO -Exactly five months after the Bakersfield Blaze opened the 2009 Cal League regular season in Modesto, the team returned to John Thurman Field to begin the second season, otherwise known as the California League North Division mini-series playoffs.

Making its first post season appearance since the events of 9/11 canceled its division playoff series eight years ago, the Blaze dropped the opener of the best-of-three series to the Nuts 5-3. The series resumes 7:05 p.m. tonight at Sam Lynn Ball Park.

With game tied at 3, Modesto lead off the seventh inning with back-to-back doubles off Blaze reliever Ryan Falcon to take a 4-3 lead. The Nuts added an insurance run in the eighth.

The Blaze took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Mauro Gomez's two-out single to center scored Joey Butler, who reached on a fielder's choice.

In the bottom half of the inning, Nuts leadoff man Charlie Blackmon singled off of Blaze starter Kennil Gomez. Hector Gomez then crushed a two-run homer over the left field wall giving Modesto a 2-1 lead.

In the third, the Blaze capitalized on two Nuts errors and a triple by Jacob Kaase to retake the lead, 3-2. Modesto then tied the game in the fourth when Jason VanKooten drew a walk, was balked to second, and scored on Matt Repec's double.

The Blaze offense, limited to just two singles by Nuts starter Corey Riordan after the third inning, finally got the right-hander out of the game after consecutive two out singles by Gomez and Mike Bianucci in the eighth.

Joey Williamson took over and struck out Tommy Mendonca, stranding the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base.

Playoff notes

If the Blaze-Nuts series goes three games, the winner will be forced to play Game 1 of the North Division Championship Series without a normal night's rest as the winner faces an almost immediate minimum five-hour drive to San Jose. The Giants announced that Saturday's game has been moved up to 2 p.m. because San Jose State is hosting Utah in a NCAA football game.

High-A Quarterfinals – Bakersfield versus Modesto (best of three)

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:19:12 PDT

By Scott Lucas

Irrespective of affiliation, talent, or decade, the Blaze rarely win. They’re the St. Louis Browns of minor-league baseball, 378 games under .500 since their inaugural season in 1941. From 1993-2008, following an atypical five-year stretch of dominance, the Blaze never finished more than two games over .500 and posted an average record of 61-79. Even under a playoff system that resembles a college basketball conference tournament, Bakersfield hasn’t played beyond the regular season since 2001.

This year began no differently. Despite a prospect-laden roster, the Blaze lost eight of 11 to begin the season and were 51-60 on August 6th. Then, minus its most famous names, Bakersfield closed the year on a 24-5 run. They also wrested home-field advantage from fellow wild-card Modesto in the season’s waning days. The Nuts will host the Blaze today, followed by one or two games in Bakersfield.

Season series: Bakersfield won 15-14 (8-4 at home, 7-10 at Modesto)

Modesto plays at John Thurman Field, a pitcher-friendly locale ferociously tough on power hitters. Its 391’ left-center alley is 37 feet beyond the deepest part of Bakersfield’s Sam Lynn Ballpark, and a 15’-high wall rings the outfield. Modesto and its opponents hit only 49 homers at John Thurman versus 122 on the road. Bakersfield is one of the few teams that didn’t struggle there. The Blaze averaged 5.1 runs per game in Modesto compared to 3.7 for other teams.

Though Sam Lynn does promote homers, courtesy of a miniscule 354 feet to dead-center field, it actually plays fairly neutral overall. Blaze pitchers posted a 3.97 ERA there and limited Modesto to a reasonable 4.8 runs per game.

Bakersfield Blaze:
Record: 75-65
Last 30 games: 24-6 (including 5-2 against Modesto)

Typical Lineup:
C Doug Hogan / Jose Felix
1B Ian Gac
2B Matt Lawson
3B Tommy Mendonca
SS Davis Stoneburner
LF Mike Bianucci
CF David Paisano
RF Joey Butler
DH Mauro Gomez

Bench:
IF Jake Kaase, UT Erik Morrison, OF Tim Rodriguez

Probable starters:
Kennil Gomez, Tanner Roark, and (if needed) Richard Bleier

Relievers:
Evan Reed, Ryan Falcon, Michael Main, Adalberto Flores, Glenn Swanson, Dustin Brader, Justin Miller

At the plate, the Blaze are powerful, slow, and impatient. They rank second of ten teams in doubles and homers, dead last in walks and on-base percentage, and next-to-last in strikeouts. Bakersfield attempted 98 stolen bases, 31 fewer than any other team and 106 fewer than Modesto. Davis Stoneburner leads the active roster with nine successes.

Ably representing the Blaze are Mauro Gomez (.285/.333/.525) and Ian Gac (.238/.295/.468), who shared first base duties and combined for 50 homers and 269 strikeouts. OF Mike Bianucci (.232/.289/.510) compiled the team’s fourth-highest homer total with 15 in barely one-third of a season, but his batting eye was occluded (14 walks, 69 strikeouts). OF Joey Butler (.280/.343/.416, 12 homers, 146 SO) and 2B Matt Lawson (.293/.350/.418, 10 homers, 127 SO) counteracted their whiffing with some ability to draw walks and HBPs. Recently promoted all-or-nothing slugger 3B Tommy Mendonca was born to play on this team. I’ve listed Erik Morrison and Jake Kaase on the bench, but they played often down the stretch, and seeing one or both in a starting lineup wouldn’t surprise.

Stupendous bullpen work saved the Blaze from total collapse early in the season. It’s still a strength despite the loss of two of its best practitioners, Zach Phillips and Corey Young. College reliever-turned-starter-turned-reliever Evan Reed fanned 65 in 48.2 innings and saved 25 games. Lefty slo-mo specialist Ryan Falcon led the team with 66 relief innings and a 2.44 ERA. Adalberto Flores (3.40 ERA) matched Reed’s 31% strikeout rate. Finally, a rejuvenated Michael Main tossed seven scoreless innings between Bakersfield and rookie league.

Since early August, the rotation has been solid after nearly capsizing the team with 12 “disaster starts” (runs allowed >= innings pitched) in 13 games. Game 1 starter Kennil Gomez led the league in walks (67) and hit batters (21) but pitched effectively in his last six appearances (2.53 ERA, 28 SO in 32 IP). Better still was probable Game 2 starter Tanner Roark, who punched out 51 in 52.2 innings as a starter with a 2.91 ERA. Control freak Richard Bleier (4.51 ERA) will likely start Game 3 if needed. Bleier (4.51) is a formidable inning-eater but also prone to the big inning. In a win-or-die setting, manager Steve Buechele will have to employ a shorter leash.

Defensively, the Blaze are error-prone but still pretty good at turning batted balls into outs. Both Doug Hogan and Jose Felix are among the worst in the league at gunning down basestealers, and Modesto loves to run.

Modesto Nuts:
Record: 75-65
Last 30 games: 15-15

Modesto hit only 88 homers compared to Bakersfield’s 144 and scored 26 fewer runs, but their offense is similar after adjusting for home climate. The Nuts have five hitters – OFs Scott Beerer, Charles Blackmon and Jay Cox, 2B Jason Von Kooten, and 1B Matt Repec – with higher batting averages than Bakersfield team leader Matt Lawson (.293). Conversely, the bottom third of its order is an out factory.

The best human-interest story of the first round belongs to Beerer. The 27-year-old Texas A&M alum was drafted 47th overall by Colorado in 2003, but after four injury-plagued seasons on the mound, the former two-way player wanted to become a hitter. The Rockies refused, and he didn’t play in affiliated baseball for two years. Colorado eventually accepted Beerer back as an outfielder, and he’s batted .385/.443/.594 between short-season Tri-City and Modesto.

Modesto hasn’t announced its rotation. Lefty Christian Friedrich (2.54 ERA) is the best starter on either team. In three August outings against the Blaze, he pitched 17.2 innings, allowed just four earned runs, and struck out 24. Based on results, the other starters (as needed) should be righties Cory Riordan (3.93 ERA in a league-high 169.2 IP) and Bruce Billings (4.17 ERA, 122 SO in 99 IP). The Nuts have an outstanding closer in Craig Baker (36 saves, 2.30 ERA, 75 SO in 62 IP) but less bullpen depth.

Modesto is superior to Bakersfield in terms of errors, turning batted balls into outs and cutting down basestealers. However, as mentioned, the Blaze don’t run much.

Blaze top Quakes 3-2; secure home field advantage

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:17:55 PDT

Bt Matt Martz

Davis Stoneburner’s two run homer in the first and a solo home run from Ian Gac to lead off the second, lifted the Blaze 3-2, over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in a Labor Day matinee at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

Monday’s game concluded the 2009 regular season and the win secured home field advantage for Bakersfield’s first postseason appearance in eight years.

After finishing the first half of the season two games under .500, the Blaze (75-65) is 25-5 since Aug 6.

“The team has taken it upon themselves to play the game the right way everyday,” said Blaze Manager Steve Buechele, “ Somewhere around the end of July it just clicked with them and now we are in the playoffs.”

The Blaze will square off against the Modesto Nuts in round one. The two teams have met 29 times this season with Bakersfield leading the season series 15-14.

“We have seen them a lot and know their hitters pretty well,” said Blaze starting pitcher Tanner Roark, “They are a tough team to beat in Modesto. We have to win our spots, load the bases, make the right pitches and limit the walks.”

Roark, who is 2-0 against the Nuts this season, has an ERA of 2.70, and leads the team with 10 wins, is expected to get the start when the team returns to Bakersfield for game two.

“It all begins with the starting rotation, our bullpen has been solid. The guys have been swinging the bat well and we have been better offensively,” stated Buechele.

A big part of the Blaze offense has been proverbial powerhouse DH Mauro Gomez. Gomez leads the Blaze with 28 home runs, third best in Cal League, a vast improvement from the eight home runs he posted in 2008.

“I’ve made big adjustments in my hitting this year,” said Gomez. “Last year I always tried to hit home runs, this year I am swinging easier and I am seeing the ball better.”

The Nuts (75-65) are 5-5 in their last 10, wrapping up their season with two straight wins against the first place High Desert Mavericks. They team has five solid starters including Cory Riordan (12-7 / 3.93 ERA) and are lead offensively by CF Charles Blackmon who is second in the league with 169 hits and .307 AVG.

“When you play against Modesto you have to be aware in certain situations, they play a different style of baseball,” said Buechele, “They know our style and we know theirs, they are a good team and tough to beat on the road. This will be a great series.”

Blaze RHP Kennil Gomez is expected to start game one on Wednesday at Modesto, with game two and three if necessary on Thursday and Friday at Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Bakersfield wins two on final road trip of the season

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:13:16 PDT

By Matthew Martz

The Bakersfield Blaze finished their last road trip of the 2009 season with two wins against the Stockton Ports earlier this week at Banner Island Ballpark. The Blaze (71-65) has won 20 of their last 24 games and has secured their first playoff appearance in eight years.
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Game one of the series against the Ports on Monday proved to be Tim Murphy’s best start on the mound for Bakersfield this season as he surrendered just one run in the first inning and then settled in pitching four more as the Blaze came away with a 3-1 win.

Murphy walked four, hit one batter and threw two wild pitches, striking out four of the 23 batters he faced.

Stockton took a 1-0 lead on their first three at-bats and then was held to just two more hits for the remaining eight innings.

Ian Gac’s solo home run in the third tied the game at 1-1 and a solo blast from Mauro Gomez in the seventh gave the Blaze a 2-1 advantage. An RBI double from Gac in the top of the ninth padded Bakersfield’s lead 3-1.

Glenn Swanson (W, 1-1) notched his first win of the season pitching a scoreless sixth and seventh and Evan Reed earned his 23rd save, inducing a bases loaded two out, pop up to end the ballgame.

The teams were locked in a scoreless tie until the Blaze broke through in the fifth, wining game two and shutting out the Ports 2-0 on Wednesday.

Blaze starter Kennil Gomez (W, 8-10) shut down the Ports on four hits, a walk and four strikeouts in five innings while Stockton starter Hector Garcia (L, 0-1) suffered the loss in his first appearance for the Ports.

For the second night in a row Ian Gac opened the scoring in the top of the fifth, with a two-out solo home run, his 20th, giving the Blaze a 1-0 lead. Bakersfield added to their lead in the sixth, scoring one run on a Joey Butler sacrifice fly.

Reliever Michael Main issued a walk and a strikeout in two scoreless innings, in his first appearance in a Blaze uniform since early June. Evan Reed earned his 24th save of the season retiring three of the four batters he faced.

After trailing 3-0, the Stockton Ports (59-77) scored six runs in the fifth to beat the Blaze 7-5 in game three on Thursday, avoiding the series sweep.

The Blaze jumped on the board with an early 1-0 lead in the first when SS Davis Stoneburner scored on an Ian Gac double to left.

Bakersfield added to their lead in the fourth when Tommy Mendonca singled in Mauro Gomez, who led of the inning with a double, and later came across scoring on a fielder’s choice, increasing the Blaze lead 3-0.

Blaze starter Richard Bleier (L, 7-11) allowed no runs on just two hits through the first four innings but imploded in the home half of the fifth surrendering six runs on three hits and a walk, assisted by a pair of throwing errors and fielding errors by the Blaze defense.

Bakersfield climbed back into the contest in the seventh, narrowing the deficit 6-5 with RBI singles from Matthew Lawson and Mauro Gomez.

The Ports capped the scoring in the eighth scoring a lone run on a Grant Green RBI single to left.

Stockton starting pitcher Pedro Figueroa (W, 3-4) struck out nine in 6.1IP, on his way to a win.

The Blaze concludes the 2009 regular season with a four game home stand against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes starting on Friday at Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

What’s Burning: DH Mauro Gomez leads the team with 25 home runs, third best in the Cal League.

Blaze secure first playoff bid in eight years with help from Nuts

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:04:44 PDT

By Matthew Martz

It’s not hard to do the math. The Blaze rolled into Modesto on Thursday with a six game lead over the Visalia Rawhide for the final wild-card spot in the North Division and after taking three of the four games against the Nuts, left with a nine game lead with just seven games remaining in the 2009 season.

The Blaze (69-64) have secured their first playoff spot since 2001, when they finished the season tied for fifth with an overall record of 71-69, but were eliminated in the second round.

The first game of the series against the Nuts on Thursday proved to be a pitcher's duel between Blaze starter Kennil Gomez and the heralded Christian Fredfrich (L, 3-2), with Gomez coming away with the 3-1 win.

Bakersfield scored first in the third when Joey Butler, who drove in two of the Blaze’s three runs, doubled in 2B Matthew Lawson who singled earlier in the inning, giving the Blaze a 1-0 advantage.

The Nuts (71-62) tied it in the top half of the fourth before the Blaze scored one in the fifth and sixth to extend their lead 3-1.

Gomez (W, 7-10) surrendered just one run in six innings on three hits, three walks, three hit batters and two strikeouts. Glenn Swanson tossed a pair scoreless innings and closer Evan Reed picked up his 21st save with a one-hit ninth.

The Nuts led off game two with four consecutive hits leading to a 4-0 lead in their first at-bat and held the Blaze to just two runs in the eighth, winning Friday’s contest 6-2.

Trailing 5-0, the Blaze began a modest comeback in the eighth that started when Doug Hogan led of the inning by reaching safely with a walk and then advanced to second on steal. With one out David Paisano singled to right moving Hogan to third. With runners at the corners Jake Kasse swatted a double into right, allowing Hogan to cross the plate. The inning ended with the next two Blaze batters being retired in order, stranding two.

Bakersfield starter Richard Bleier (L, 7-10) left the contest allowing five runs in six innings, with no walks and four strikeouts.

Game three took extra innings to decide with the Blaze scoring three runs in the twelfth, beating the Nuts 8-5.

Blaze starter Ryan Tatusko pitched six innings, giving up eight hits and five earned runs with four strikeouts. Reliever Ryan Falcon fanned six in 3.1 scoreless innings, and Bakersfield born Justin Miller (W, 1-1) pitched just 1.2 innings, enough to earn a win.

Behind 5-3 the Blaze pushed across the tying run in the seventh on a pair of RBI singles from Joey Butler and Tommy Mendonca.

With the help of two errors, two HBPs and a balk the Blaze scored three in the top of the twelfth taking an 8-5 lead.

Blaze Closer Evan Reed earned his 22nd save of the season, with a 1-2-3 bottom of the twelfth.

Bakersfield closed out the series with an 8-4 win on Sunday, clinching their first playoff bid in eight years.

The Blaze never trailed in the game taking a 4-1 into the top of the sixth when SS Davis Stoneburner clubbed a two run homer to deep left extending Bakersfield’s lead 6-1.

Blaze starter Tanner Roark (W, 9-0) pitched seven strong innings, allowing just two runs on three hits, a walk and five strikeouts.

The Blaze have Monday off before starting a three game series against the Stockton Ports on Tuesday at beautiful Banner Island Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

What’s Burning: Blaze CF Engel Beltre and LF Timothy Smith have been rehabbing with the rookies Rangers of the Arizona League. Beltre tripled in five at-bats in his last appearance and Smith went 1-for-5. Pitcher Michael Main gave up three hits, no walks, and no runs while fanning two in two innings in his last outing on the mound with the rookie Rangers.

Blaze win 15 of last 18; take two straight from Ports

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:37:46 PDT

By Matthew Martz

After losing to the Stockton Ports in game one of a three game series, scoring just one run in 14 innings the Blaze rebounded scoring 18 runs in the final two games increasing their lead to six over the Visalia Rawhide for the final wild-card spot in the North Division with just 11 games remaining in the 2009 season.

The Blaze (66-63) jumped out to a quick start in game one on Monday putting runners on the corners in the first two at-bats. David Paisano led of the inning with a double and moved over to third on a sac bunt from Jake Kasse. Kasse’s bunt landed him on first on a fielding error by Ports catcher Yusuf Carter. Joey Butler grounded into a double in the next at-bat, but was enough for the speedy Paisano to cross the dish, giving Bakersfield a 1-0 advantage.

Blaze starter Ryan Tatusko sat down the first 14 batters he faced before surrendering the tying run to score on Kala Ka'aihue solo shot to left to lead off the fifth inning.

From there it was a pitchers duel throughout the next nine innings as the two team combined for 46 strikeouts.

Stockton scored the game-winning run in the top of inning number 14 when having lost their DH in an earlier double switch, the Ports sent pitcher Derrick Gordon to the plate to bat for only the second time in his four-year career. With two outs and the wining run on second, Gordon swiftly knocked a double into centerfield, off reliever Ryan Falcon (L, 2-2). Ryan came into the contest in the tenth inning and stuck out six through five innings on the mound.

Tatusko struck out a career-high 11 in six innings, walked two, and allowed one. Dustin Brader worked through three innings striking out five.

The Blaze pounded the Ports (57-72) in game two, 10-2 on Tuesday evening the series at one game apiece.

Trailing 1-0, Bakersfield erupted pushing four runs across in the home half of the fourth with offensive production from Jose Felix, Jake Kasse, and Matthew Lawson.

Blaze starter Tanner Roark (W, 8-0) struggled early on issuing four free passes in six innings but surrendered only a single run on three hits while fanning three of the 25 batters he faced.

The Blaze padded their lead scoring a single run in the fifth when David Paisano swatted a lead off solo homer to left, his third of the season. Paisano followed with an RBI single in the sixth increasing Bakersfield’s lead 6-1.

SS Davis Stoneburner led off the seventh with a triple on a line drive to right and came in to score the Blaze’s seventh run of the contest on Mike Bianucci’s sac bunt.

With runners on first and second and two away, Blaze powerhouse Joey Butler stepped into the box in the bottom of the eighth and clubbed his 11th long ball of the season, increasing the Blaze lead, 10-1.

Adalberto Flores posted a couple of scoreless frames before surrendering his mound duties in the top of the ninth to Bakersfield native Justin Miller

Miller induced a pop out to the first batter he faced then promptly surrendered a solo home run to the Ports Christian Vitters before striking out one, walking one and inducing a pop up to end the ballgame.

With the help of Mike Bianucci’s 11th home run of the season and a three-run homer from Joey Butler in the fourth, the Blaze came from behind to win game three by a final score of 8-5 on Wednesday night

Starter Tim Murphy was off to a typical start giving up a pair of two-run homers in the first inning, including one to former Stockdale baseball standout Grant Deseme.

Murphy (W, 9-10) settled things down over the next five innings issuing no walks, nine hits and total of five earned runs in six innings on the hill.

Trailing 4-0, Bakersfield’s Matthew Lawson led off the home half of the fourth reaching base on a walk, followed by a single from David Paisano. With runners at first and second, RF Joey Butler stepped into the batter’s box and for the second time in as many games, clubbed a monster hit that carried to deep center clearing the green monster and narrowing Stockton’s lead 4-3.

Bakersfield took a 6-4 lead in the sixth on a Mauro Gomez RBI single and Mike Bianucci’s two-run homer to left.

Stockton climbed back in it scoring a lone run in the top of the seventh.

The Blaze capped the scoring, 8-5 in the eighth when Doug Hogan scored on a wild pitch by Ports reliever Leonardo Espinal.

Adalberto Flores, Justin Miller and Evan Reed tossed scoreless relief innings, with Reed notching his 20th save of the season.

The Blaze will begin a four game series against the Modesto Nuts tonight at John Thurman Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

What’s Burning: The Blaze will play eight road games in nine days before returning home to close out the season with a three game series against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Blaze increase wild card advantage to five

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:30:50 PDT

By Matthew Martz

The Bakersfield Blaze has won 12 of their last 14 games including two wins this past weekend against the second place Modesto Nuts at Sam Lynn Ballpark. The back-to-back wins increase their lead to five games over the Visalia Rawhide for the final wild-card spot in the North Division with just 14 games remaining in the 2009 season.

The Nuts (69-57) took and early 3-1 lead in game one on Friday night and despite a modest ninth inning rally from the Blaze, hung on to win 6-3.

Modesto scored six runs against Blaze starter Tim Murphy in just 5.1 innings on the mound. Murphy (L, 8-10) allowed ten hits, walked two and struck out two.

Trailing 6-1, the Blaze (64-62) offense finally sprung into action when Michael Bainucci led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo blast to center, his 25th of the season and 10th in a Blaze uniform, followed by an Erik Morrison double.

After SS Davis Stoneburner was sat down on strikes Matthew Lawson stepped into the batter’s box and tapped in Morrison with a double, closing the gap 6-3. The Nuts would summon reliever Craig Baker from the pen. Baker (SV, 32) retired the next two batters in order, ending the ballgame.

Game two on Saturday turned out to be a pitchers duel featuring Nuts star starter Christian Friedrich, and Blaze starter Kennil Gomez going head to head with the Blaze coning out on top with a narrow 4-1 victory.

The game remained scoreless through five innings before the Nuts broke through with a single run in the top of the sixth inning.

Bakersfield answered back tying the game at 1-1 in the home half of the frame when Davis Stoneburner lead off the inning with a double and came around to score on a Matthew Lawson line drive double to center in the next at-bat.

Gomez (W, 6-10) had a dominating outing, striking out seven, walking only one, and limiting Modesto to a run on four hits in 7.2 innings.

The Blaze took the lead 2-1 in the seventh on a Tim Rodriquez RBI single before scoring a pair of runs in the eighth off a wild pitch by Nuts reliever Sean Jarrett.

Closer Evan Reed notched his 18th save with a hitless, two-K 9th.

Erik Morrison’s two run single in the seventh gave Bakersfield a 4-2 lead as the Blaze edged out the Nuts 5-4 in Sunday’s game three match up.

Modesto opened the scoring when Mark Repec started the second inning with a solo home run to center followed by a solo home run in the top of the fourth from Jason Van Kooten, giving the Nuts a 2-0 advantage.

Bakersfield got their first runner on board in the bottom half of the fourth when Joey Butler reached base safely with two away on a fielding error. It proved to be a costly mistake for the Nuts as Mauro Gomez hit a two run rocket to left in the next at-bat, tying the game at 2-2.

The Blaze got a break in the seventh getting runners on the bases thanks to a couple of fielding and throwing errors from Modesto. Tim Rodriguez knocked in the go-ahead runs and Doug Hogan added one more, scoring on a passed ball.

Blaze starter Richard Bleier (W, 7-9) stuck out a career-high ten in seven innings, walked one, and surrendered two runs, both on solo homers.

Trailing 5-2, the Nuts made it interesting scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh to narrow Bakersfield’s lead 5-4.

Closer Evan Reed (SV, 19) protected a one-run lead for his second save in as many nights.

The Blaze will begin a three game series against the Stockton Ports tonight at Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

What’s Burning: Mauro Gomez leads the Blaze with 24 home runs, 4th in the Cal League. C Elio Sarmiento was assigned to Frisco RoughRiders from Bakersfield Blaze on Aug. 19.

Road trip a success as Blaze sweep Inland Empire

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:06:36 PDT

By Matthew Martz

The Blaze completed a sweep the Inland Empire 66ers pushing their winning streak to 10 and increasing their lead to four games over the Visalia Rawhide for the final wild-card spot in the North Division with just 17 games remaining in the season.

The Blaze (62-61) out hit the Sixers 15-6 allowing their opponents to push just a single run across in the home half of the eighth, winning game one 8-1.

Bakersfield drew first blood by scoring when David Paisano lead off the first with a double and later came around to score on a sac fly to right by Jake Kasse, giving the Blaze a 1-0 advantage.

From there it was all pitching as Blaze starter Richard Bleier (W, 6-9) pitched seven scoreless innings giving up just five hits through 26 batters, before surrendering the only Sixers run in the bottom of the eighth.

The Blaze tacked on four runs in the sixth off Sixers’ starter Mario Alverez (L, 4-5) including a two-run single by Davis Stoneburner, and an RBI ground-rule double by Joey Butler. Bakersfield padded their lead with three more in the top of the eighth.

The 66ers (53-70) took and early 2-1 lead in the second inning of game two but never recovered from giving up four in the fourth losing to Bakersfield, 9-6.

Trailing 2-1, Bakersfield scored two run in the third and then added four runs in the fourth inning, off Sixers’ starter Josh Wall (L, 2-8), giving the Blaze a 7-2 lead.

Ian Gac's solo home run in the fifth extended the lead 8-2. It was Gac’s 18th of the season.

Blaze starter Ryan Tatusko (W, 6-6) went four scoreless innings on the mound before surrendering three runs in the bottom of the fifth on three singles, a walk and a wild pitch.

Leading 8-5 with two outs and bases loaded, Bakersfield got a free run in the seventh when Sixers’ reliever Eric Krebs walked home a run.

Blaze Reliever Evan Reed came into the contest in the ninth and served up a two out one run single before inducing a ground out to end the ballgame.

Game three of the series proved to be a pitchers duel between Blaze starter Tanner Roark (W, 7-0) and Sixers’ starter Kyle Smit (L, 0-4) as Bakersfield edged out Inland Empire 3-2 to sweep the series.

Bakersfield jumped out to 1-0 lead in the first and then extended it to two on a home run from newcomer Eric Morrison in the second, his first of the season.

Andres Perez hit a two out solo home run to right in the home half of the fourth to cut Bakersfield’s lead 2-1.

The Sixers turned to the pen in the top of the sixth bringing in left-handed reliever Will Ohman.

Erik Morrison led off the inning driving a double to left, advanced to third on a bunt from Matt Lawson and then scored on a double form Jose Felix, extending Bakersfield’s lead to 3-1.

The Sixers weren’t done as they made things interesting by scoring one in the bottom half of the frame, narrowing the Blaze lead 3-2.

The game remained scoreless in the final three innings with Bakersfield native Justin Miller earning his second save of the year, going two complete on the mound giving up just a single hit while walking and striking out one of the eight batters he faced.

The Blaze will begin a three game series against the Modesto Nuts tonight at Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

What’s Burning: RHP Jorge Quintero has been assigned to the Hickory Crawdads on Aug 18 and Erik Morrison was assigned to Bakersfield on Aug 19 from the Hickory Crawdads. Elio Sarmiento leads the team with a Batting Avg. of .344.

Blaze rocket past JetHawks before losing finale

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:05:08 PDT

By Matthew Martz

With just 20 games remaining in the season, the Blaze (59-61) pushed their winning streak to eight before dropping the final game of a three game series, and increasing their lead to two games over the Visalia Rawhide for the final wild card playoff spot.

After trailing 5-0, the Blaze scored six runs in the third to take the lead and go on to win game one, 14-5 against the Lancaster JetHawks on Friday at Clear Channel Stadium.

The JetHawks (49-71) opened the scoring posting three runs in the first and adding two more in the second off Blaze starter Tanner Roark.

Roark (W, 6-0) struggled early on in the contest giving up five hits, including a two-run homer in the first, and issuing two free passes to the first 13 batters he faced. Roark continued through six innings allowing a total of five runs on seven hits, walking and striking out three.

Bakersfield posted six runs in the third taking the lead and then padding it with three in the fourth including a Jonathan Greene two run blast to left, followed by four more in the sixth including Greene’s second two run home run of the ballgame.

The Blaze destroyed four Lancaster pitchers and added the final blow in the top of the ninth when Matthew Lawson singled in Jake Kasse, capping the scoring 14-5.

Blaze starter Tim Murphy was off to another rocky start in game two on Saturday night when he gave up a solo home run to just the third Lancaster batter he faced, giving the JetHawks a 1-0 lead early on.

Bakersfield knotted the game in the second before falling behind by one in the bottom half of the frame, 2-1.

The Blaze erupted in the third to take a commanding 7-1 lead scoring five runs including three homers by David Paisano, Mauro Gomez and Mike Bianucci.

Lancaster starter Christopher Salamida (L, 3-1) was ousted from the mound in the inning.

Murphy (W, 8-9) permitted three runs in 6.1 innings on five hits, two walks and six strikeouts, while, Bakersfield native Justin Miller fanned three in two scoreless frames on the way to a 9-3 victory in game two.

Carrying a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth the Blaze allowed seven runs to cross the plate in a late rally that awarded Lancaster an 8-2 win in game three on Sunday, avoiding the series sweep.

Michael Bianucci singled in a run in the fourth to break the deadlock and give the Blaze a 1-0 advantage.

The JetHawks tied it in the home half of the sixth on a two out solo blast to left from Brandon Barnes, his eleventh of the season, before Bakersfield regained a narrow 2-1 lead in the seventh on an Ian Gac solo home run over the left field wall.

Blaze starter Kennil Gomez (L, 5-10) cruised through the first seven innings surrendering just a single run on three hits. Then disaster struck. With one out in the eighth, Gomez (7.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 6 K) allowed two runs to come home. The Blaze summoned reliever Adelberto Flores from the bullpen to stop the bleeding with one out and bases loaded. Five more runs crossed the plate before the inning came to an end, two being credited to Flores.

The Blaze have Monday off before heading to San Bernardino to face off against the Inland Empire 66ers for the first time this season in a three game series at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

What’s Burning: Ian Gac hit his 17th homer, and 3B Jonathan Greene singled and doubled. Greene is the California League Player of the Week.

Blaze edge Giants 2-1 to sweep series

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:09:24 PDT

By Matthew Martz

Bakersfield’s Joey Butler drove in the winning run on an RBI single for the second time in as many games as the Blaze edged the Giants 2-1 to sweep a three game series on Thursday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

With just 23 games remaining in the season, the Blaze (57-60) extended their winning streak to six and swept the best team in the California League, holding on to a one game advantage over the Visalia Rawhide for the final wild card playoff spot.

The Giants (74-43) opened the scoring in the first but Bakersfield tied the game at 1-1 when Matthew Lawson hit a solo home run, his tenth of the season, to lead of the fifth inning.

Blaze starter Ryan Tatusko (W, 5-6) hurled 7.2 innings on the mound striking out three of the 29 batters he faced, surrendering a lone run on five hits and two walks.

San Jose reliever Daniel Turpen (L, 3-2) came into the contest in the sixth and would be saddled with the loss, allowing the eventual game winning run to cross the plate in the seventh on a Joey Butler two out RBI single to left.

The Giants made it interesting in the top of the ninth when David Maroul lead of the inning with a walk issued by Blaze reliever Justin Miller. Connor Gillaspie then popped out to Bakersfield third baseman Jacob Kaase who gunned it to first, throwing out the Giants’ Shane Jordan. San Jose argued the call that resulted in Jordan, Giants manager Andy Skeels, and hitting coach Gary Davenport to all be ejected from the contest. Miller (SV, 1) retired the next batter to end the ballgame.

Joey Butler went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and an RBI, Matthew Lawson had a home run and an RBI in four at-bats, and Elio Sarmiento went 2-for-4 with a single, a double and a walk.

The Blaze will travel to Lancaster on Friday to begin a three game series against the JetHawks at Clear Channel Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Blaze win on Butler’s walk-off single

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:57:02 PDT

By Matthew Martz

San Jose rallied for two runs in the ninth but fell short as the Blaze (56-60) nipped the Giants with a walk off single from Joey Butler, winning game two of a three game series, 7-6 on Wednesday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

The Blaze moved into the final wild card playoff spot one game up on the Visalia Rawhide with yesterday’s win, with just 24 games remaining in the season.

After scoring one run on a Mauro Gomez single in the first, Matthew Lawson’s two run double in the second, gave the Blaze an early 3-0 lead.

The Giants (74-42) answered back in the third when Darren Ford took a Richard Bleier fastball deep over the center field wall bringing the Giants within one.

Bakersfield extended their lead by two in the bottom half of the fifth when Jonathan Greene knocked in Jose Felix, who singled to lead of the inning, on a sacrifice fly to Giants left fielder Tyler Graham.

Trailing 4-2, with none out and runners at the corners, C. J. Ziegler bounced into a double play, scoring Thomas Neal from third, inching San Jose to within one in the fourth.

With two out, and one on Michael Bianucci blasted a two run homer to left giving Bakersfield a comfortable 6-3 lead heading into the eighth inning.

Blaze starter Richard Bleier tossed seven strong innings, issuing one free pass and fanning five, allowing one earned run on six hit, before reliever Ryan Falcon was summoned from the Blaze bullpen to start the eighth. Falcon struck out the first batter he faced then surrender a solo home run to Roger Kieschnick, allowing the Giants to get back to within two.

Blaze closer Evan Reed (W, 2-2) would be called upon in the ninth with Bakersfield leading 6-4, to preserve the win. Reed, who has 17 saves on the year, surrendered a single to the first batter he faced but then retired the next two in order. With one out and the tying run at first, Reed yielded a two run homer to Giants CF Darren Ford, knotting the game at six. Reed issued two back-to-back walks before forcing a pop up ending the inning.

Blaze RF Joey Butler stepped to the plate in the home half of the ninth and with one out and the winning run at second, tapped a single into left field allowing Davis Stoneburner to round third and head for home, ending the ballgame 7-6.

Giants’ reliever Wilmin Rodriguez (L, 3-1) would be tagged with the loss.

Joey Butler went 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI, Matthew Lawson had a single, a double and two RBIs in four at-bats, and Michael Bianucci went 1-for-3 with a home run, and two RBIs.

The Blaze will complete the three game series against the San Jose Giants on Thursday at Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

What’s Burning: Wednesday’s victory extends Bakersfield’s win streak to five. San Jose leads the season series against the Blaze 11-7.

Blaze extend streak to four with 5-3 win over Giants

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:16:46 PDT

By Matthew Martz

Two home runs in the bottom of the first propelled Bakersfield to a 5-3 win over the San Jose Giants in game one of a three game series on Tuesday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

The Blaze (55-60) extended their winning streak to four with Tuesday’s victory and have moved into a tie for the final wild card playoff position with the Visalia Rawhide.

Jonathan Greene’s three run homer in the first inning followed by a solo shot to left from Michael Bianucci, gave the Blaze an early 4-0 lead.

The first place San Jose Giants (74-41) managed a single run in the fourth when Tyler Graham singled in Brian Bocock who started the inning by reaching base safely on a walk.

Blaze starter Kennil Gomez (W, 5-9) managed to pitch himself out of trouble a couple of times leaving six Giants runners stranded on the base pads. Gomez surrendered one run while holding the Giants to one hit, walking seven and striking out seven in five innings.

Bakersfield added a run in the fifth, padding their lead 5-1, when Jonathan Greene singled in Jose Felix on a ground ball to left field.

The Giants started a modest rally in the top half of the eighth, pushing across two runs on a Roger Kieschnick homer to left center field, bringing San Jose within two at 5-3.

With two out, a runner at first and the tying run at the plate, reliever Dustin Brader retired Conor Gillaspie on a pop out, keeping Bakersfield in the lead.

Justin Miller (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) and Evan Reed (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO) pitched perfect eighth and ninth innings sealing the Blaze victory. Reed earned save number 17 in 18 opportunities this season.

Giants’ starter Paul Oseguera (L, 3-6) salvaged his outing after giving up four runs in the first, facing 21 Blaze batters, surrendering six hits and five earned runs, while walking two and striking out five in 4.1 innings on the mound.

Jonathan Greene went 3-for-4 with a home run, a pair of singles and an RBI, Jose Felix had a single and a double in three at-bats, and Michael Bianucci went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and an RBI.

The Blaze will continue the three game series against the San Jose Giants on Wednesday at Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Ryan Tatusko’s back field Diaries

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:04:49 PDT

Although we are playing baseball, there are aspects of this game that teach us things that we will be able to take with us long after we are done playing. One of the most important aspects I believe is the ability to adapt to your environment and to be able to get along with people and thrive with people that might not hold the same core values as you, or might have a completely different background. One way that this is addressed is the coming together of players from different countries and learning how to cope with their ways of life and customs and making sure that nothing you do offends anybody.

Having teammates from a different country can be an invaluable learning tool. Not only do you get to learn from these people and learn their background but it can make you learn something about yourself and bring out qualities in you that you might’ve not known you had. Having players from the Dominican Republic , Venezuela , Puerto Rico, and Mexico on your team help you break down cultural barriers.

The 2009 Bakersfield Blaze is a melting pot when it comes to the nations represented, because not only are the “Latins” wanting to soak up every ounce of American culture they can get, but you can learn things from them too. There are many times in the bullpen that we all sit and talk together and the Latins share stories about where they come from, the houses they lived in and how they got signed, and we in turn share our stories as well. In my first professional season, when I walked into that Spokane clubhouse and heard just as much Spanish being spoken as English, it was certainly a culture shock. But when you start to let yourself open up, you realize that these Latin players have it harder than we do. I couldn’t begin to imagine coming to a country where you can’t even order off the dollar menu at McDonald’s and yet they are expected to survive eight months out of the year in a country that they might know little about.

Predominantly I have seen the Latin players trying to learn as much English as they can, and this is reinforced by a Rangers policy of having English classes for them as well. Many times American and Latin players will talk together in a “Spanglish” type language, with each trying to learn the other’s language!

Not only is language a barrier, but simple things like diets, music, and customs are different as well. Latin players have a tendency to be a tad nosier than their American counterparts, and learning to deal with that can sometimes cause friction between ballplayers. Everyone has to learn to adapt to everyone’s customs and tendencies, and that can sometimes be frustrating.

Sometimes the language barrier can have an effect on trying to carry on conversations, but there are plenty of people on the team that speak both English and Spanish that help both sides get along. Some of the most fun that the American guys have is learning new Spanish words to expand their vocabulary, and if you happen to tune your ears to the bullpen it wouldn’t be uncommon to hear the American guys asking the Spanish how to say different words. The players get along for the most part. There are going to be your normal squabbles but that just comes from being around everyone all the time.

When it comes to dealing with the pressures of getting along with people of different backgrounds and cultures, I believe that minor league baseball prepares you in one of the best ways. There are many different things that baseball is teaching us that we will be able to carry with us in the future, but this I believe is one of the greatest lessons of all.

As always thank you for reading, and if you have questions, comments, concerns please feel free to email me at Ryan.Tatusko@gmail.com. Thanks!

– Ryan

Blaze get five in the eighth; sweep JetHawks

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:43:42 PDT

By Matthew Martz

After trailing twice, the Bakersfield scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth and hung on to win 9-6 over the Lancaster JetHawks, sweeping a three game series on Sunday at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

The Blaze (54-60) have rebounded winning three straight after losing five in a row to start the month, closing the gap to just one game for a wild card spot behind rivals, the Visalia Rawhide.

A Davis Stoneburner’s two run double to right field gave Bakersfield the first lead of the ballgame in the bottom of the third, 2-0.

The JetHawks scored three runs in the top of the fourth giving Lancaster a 3-2 advantage.

Bakersfield would knot the game at 3-3 in the bottom half of the frame before allowing the JetHawks to regain the advantage 4-3 in the sixth.

Michael Bianucci hit his fifth home run of the season, and his second in as many games in the seventh, tying the game at four.

The Blaze rallied in the home half of the eighth, pushing across five runs on three singles, a passed ball and a pair of home runs from Davis Stoneburner and Timothy Rodriguez, giving Bakersfield a 9-4 lead heading into the final inning.

The JetHawks (45-69) managed to punch across two in the top half of the ninth off reliever Adelberto Flores (W, 6-2), leaving the tying run at the plate.

Blaze starter Tim Murphy yielded three runs, walking three and striking out four in five innings, while Lancaster’s’ Fernando Abad (L, 2-6) was saddled with the loss.

Mauro Gomez went 2-for-4 with a single and a double, Davis Stoneburner had a home run, a doubles and 3 RBIs in four at-bats, Michael Bianucci went 2-for-4 with a home run, a single and 4 RBIs, and Timothy Rodriguez was 2-for4 with a home run, a single, and 2 RBIs.

The Blaze will have Monday off before starting a three game series against the San Jose Giants on Tuesday at Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.