Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2021 notes Sunday, July 4th, 2021 6:35 PM Contact: Mike Lindskog Chukchansi Park Game #53, Road Game #29 [email protected] Fresno, CA Rancho Cucamonga QuakeS (25-27) AT Fresno Grizzlies (34-19) RHP Jimmy Lewis (0-2, 7.84 ERA) vs. LHP Sam Weatherly (2-4 4.43 ERA) TODAY’S GAME: The Quakes complete their longest road trip of the year today, with the last game of a 12-game, 14-day swing DIVISION STANDINGS up north, as they take on the Fresno Grizzlies in game six of a six-game set. Rancho is now just 2-9 on the road trip, as they’ve had a five-game losing streak and now a current four-game skid. Last night’s loss ensures that Fresno wins the series and gives them the NORTH W L PCT GB San Jose 36 17 .679 - -long -breaker, should the two teams finish in a tie for the final playoff spot in the newly-revamped 2021 . Fresno 34 19 .642 2 LAST GAME: The Grizzlies pulled off a stunner, as the Quakes blew a 9-2 lead in the eighth inning, with Fresno getting a 10-9 Modesto 31 22 .585 5 walk-off win in front of more than 9,000 fans at Chukchansi Park on Saturday night. The Grizzlies slugged five homers on the night, Stockton 22 31 .415 14 including four over the final two innings. Grant Lavigne’s third homer of the series was the game-winner, as he belted a two-run homer to right-center off Carlos Alejo (2-1) to end it with one out in the ninth. Jorbit Vivas had four hits and a solo home run, while SOUTH W L PCT GB Robbie Peto dazzled over 5.2 innings in the longest outing of his career. Peto allowed two runs on five hits in the no-decision. Lake Elsinore 26 27 .491 - OFFENSE AWAKENS FROM HIBERNATION”: The Quakes had managed just three runs on ten hits over the course of their Rancho Cucamonga 25 27 .481 .5 three previous coming into last night. That turned around quickly, as Rancho opened Saturday’s game with a run in the first, Inland Empire 24 28 .462 1.5 three in the second and two more in the third, as they built a 6-0 lead. Rancho posted their best numbers of the road trip with nine Visalia 13 40 .245 13 runs on 16 hits, four more knocks than the victorious Grizzlies. Every Quake in the lineup recorded at least one hit. 2021 PLAYOFF STANDINGS HITTING THE SKIDS: This road trip has been nothing short of brutal for Rancho Cucamonga, but it’s not totally out of left field. NORTH W L PCT GB The Quakes matched their longest losing streak of the year earlier this road trip, dropping the first five games of the San Jose series. San Jose 36 17 .679 - The Quakes are now one loss away from their second five-game losing streak against their second team from the North Division on Fresno 34 19 .642 2 the current trip. Prior to dropping five against San Jose, Rancho had one other five-game losing streak; also against a North Division Modesto 31 22 .585 5 team, the Modesto Nuts. The Quakes went 4-2 against Stockton this year, but are now a combined 3-14 against Modesto, San Jose and Lake Elsinore 26 27 .491 10 Fresno, which are the top three teams in the entire league. Against the South Division, Ranch is 18-11 this year. The good news is the Rancho Cucamonga 25 27 .481 10.5 Quakes have just 12 games remaining against the North Division this year; six at Modesto and six at home against San Jose. ** Top two teams qualify for 2021 , regardless of division PLAYOFFS? YES, PLAYOFFS!: At the beginning of the 2021 season, it was understood that there would be no playoffs across YESTERDAY’S SCORES the country for all of Minor League , due to the ongoing global pandemic. In an article released by Baseball America earlier Fresno 10 Rancho Cucamonga 9 today, they confirmed that will implement a “revised” playoff plan, allowing each league to crown a cham- Lake Elsinore 8 Inland Empire 5 pion with a playoff series. The playoffs will be shortened to a single series, that features the top two teams (by record), regardless of Modesto 9 Visalia 5 division. The Quakes currently sit fifth in the league, now a half-game back of Lake Elsinore. The top three teams in all of Low-A Stockton 9 San Jose 0 West currently reside up North, where San Jose has a two-game lead over Fresno and a five-game lead over Modesto. The Quakes are currently 8.5 games back of Fresno in that setting, with 68 games remaining in the 120-game season. The 2022 season will see the TODAY league move to a 132-game schedule and the first-half and second-half winners of each respective division meet in the playoffs. Modesto at Visalia, 1:00 PM GOODBYE LANCASTER, HELLO FRESNO: This six-game set marks the first time that the Quakes and Fresno Grizzlies are Inland Empire at Lake Elsinore, 2:05 PM meeting in history, as this is the one and only series between the two teams in 2021. With Major League Baseball’s initiative to reduce San Jose at Stockton, 6:30 PM the minor leagues to 120 teams before the start of the 2021 season, the Lancaster JetHawks were eliminated from the then-California Rancho Cucamonga at Fresno, 6:35 PM League. Taking their spot in the newly-renamed Low-A West League are the Fresno Grizzlies, who join the league from the former Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where they were members since 1998. The home of the Grizzlies is Chukchansi Park, which seats a TUESDAY more Triple-A appropriate crowd of 10,000-plus fans. The Lancaster JetHawks were affiliated with the Colorado Rockies for the final Visalia at Inland Empire, 12:00 PM four years in the Cal League. This made Colorado the only affiliate left in Low-A West and they ended up being the only choice for Fresno at San Jose, 6:30 PM Fresno. The Grizzlies were a Giants’ affiliate from 1998-2014 and then won their only PCL title as a Houston Astros’ affiliate in 2015. Lake Elsinore at Rancho Cucamonga, 6:30 PM They spent their final two years in the PCL as a Washington Nationals’ affiliate, prior to dropping three levels in 2021. Stockton at Modesto, 7:05 PM JIMMY LEWIS: The Quakes will go with Jimmy Lewis in the series-finale, as he makes his 11th appearance and eighth start, his second against Fresno. His last outing was game one of this series, where he went 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball in a no-decision on 2021 QUAKES AT A GLANCE 6/29. Lewis was a second round pick by the Dodgers back in 2019 out of Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. 1st Half Record: 25-27 SAM WEATHERLY: The Grizzlies will close the series with lefty Sam Weatherly, who makes his 11th start of the year and his 2nd Half Record: 0-0 second against Rancho. In his last outing, Weatherly faced off against Lewis on 6/29 and allowed four runs (three earned) on five vs Fresno: 1-4 hits over 5.2 innings in a loss to Rancho. The left-hander has piled up 66 strikeouts in just 42.2 innings of work this year (third in the vs Fresno Home: 0-0 league). Weatherly was a third-round pick in the Covid-shortened 2020 draft out of Clemson. vs Fresno Road: 1-4 NEW RADIO HOME: Throughout the 2021 season, you can catch all the action from the ease of your phone or computer. Listen online at rcquakes.com and the iHeartRadio app (Keyword: Quakes) with the “Voice of the Quakes” Mike Lindskog and Davis Elling- Home Record: 13-11 ton. To listen LIVE at LoanMart Field, tune your portable FM radio to 91.3 FM. Road Record: 12-16 HOME GAMES: The Quakes will be returning to LoanMart Field to play host to the Lake Elsinore Storm on July 6th, as the Storm Current Streak: L4 will be making their first trip to Rancho Cucamonga this season. Tickets are available at rcquakes.com. Probable Quakes Lineup UPCOMING GAMES AND PROBABLES 1. #11 J. Vogel DH Date Opp Pitching Probables Time Radio 2. #3 S. McWilliams 2B 3. #10 E. Leonard SS 7/6 vs Lake Elsinore RHP Jesus Lugo vs. RHP Kendall Williams 6:30 PM RCQuakes.com 4. #15 J. DeLuca LF 5. #14 7/7 vs Lake Elsinore RHP Nick Thwaits vs. RHP Carlos Duran 6:30 PM RCQuakes.com J. Vivas 3B 6. #18 I. Vargas 1B 7. #7 E. Mateo CF 7/8 vs Lake Elsinore RHP Dwayne Matos vs. RHP Gavin Stone 6:30 PM RCQuakes.com 8. #33 W. Chalo C 7/9 vs Lake Elsinore RHP Levi Thomas vs. RHP Robbie Peto 6:30 PM RCQuakes.com 9. #8 I. Alcantara RF P. #19 J. Lewis RHP