beek's blog

Blog updates have been scarce this season, but I had to pass along this story:

Joe Martinez, who pitched a rehab assignment for the San Jose Giants on Tuesday, made sure his temporary teammates ate well following Monday’s game at John Thurman Field by paying for the post-game spread.

It’s not just a nice gesture, but it’s one of the great traditions of minor league baseball. Whenever a major league player comes down to play in the minors for any reason, the player buys the post-game spread. It’s both appreciated and expected.

Martinez, a big league pitcher for the first time this season for all of three days before getting hit by a line drive, makes the major league minimum of $400,000 and didn’t think twice about reaching into his own pocket.

The above story is significant only because Manny Ramirez, in five minor league games split between Albuquerque and Inland Empire (San Bernardino) chose not to buy the spread for either his Isotopes or 66ers teammates.

The opening of the season was a day late and a couple thousand short at the gate for the Modesto Nuts, but a complete success on the field as they swept the Bakersfield Blaze 7-5 and 6-5 Friday night before 2,612 at John Thurman Field.
Connor Graham was sharp in the opener, allowing one run on four hits over five innings. He left with a 7-1 lead thanks to a four-run third inning highlighted by Jason Van Kooten's two-run double and a three-run fourth with Charlie Blackmon, Matt Repec and Lars Davis driving in runs.
Austin Chambless ran into trouble in the seventh, allowing the first four Blaze runners to reach, and Edgmer Escalona recorded two outs before being pulled due to a blister. Craig Baker entered and gave up a two-run single before striking out Joey Butler to end the game with the tying runs in scoring position.

Brian VanderBeek taking over for Rich Estrada for the MC boys after the MC girls cruised over Argonaut.

Here we go...

Stockton 12, Modesto 3. Game Three of North Division mini-series.

GAME IN A GRAF – The Ports scored four runs in the third after the Nuts failed to turn a double play and added five more in the fourth to take control early, finishing with 17 hits to end Modesto’s season. Jason Van Kooten tripled and homered and scored two of the three runs, but this game was over when Aneury Rodriguez got only eight outs and reliever Chris Malone was roughed up for five runs on six hits in the fourth.

Stockton 7, Modesto 6. Game Two of North Division mini-series.

GAME IN A GRAF – The Nuts led 6-2 in the fifth with a strong Esmil Rogers on the mound, but let the Ports back tie the game with poor infield execution in a three-run sixth inning, then lost on Chris Carter’s solo homer in the seventh. A series of questionable calls from the usual umpiring suspects _ including the creatively horrible Masaki Nonaka _ helped to seal Modesto’s fate, but in the end the Nuts cost themselves this one. For a complete recap of the meltdown, see the game story at www.modbee.com/sports.

Modesto 6, Stockton 5, 10 innings. Game One of North Division mini-series.

GAME IN A GRAF – Daniel Mayora strolled home from third base on a wild and unnecessary two-out throw as the Nuts used three Ports errors to steal the first win in this best-of-three mini-series. Mayora was hit by a pitch to lead off the 10th and was sacrificed to second. The Ports walked Lino Garcia to set up the double play and Nick Haley obliged by hitting a routine ground ball to shortstop. Garcia was forced at second, but the relay pulled Matt Spencer off the base at first. Spencer looked up, thought he saw Mayora taking liberties at third base and tried to throw behind the runner. But Mayora was only five feet from third base, and in getting back to the base he blocked the path of Chris Carter, who couldn’t reach Spencer’s wild throw. The ball caromed off the front of the grandstand and Mayora scored without a play. For more details (and there are plenty, including a fake intentional walk, circa 1972 World Series) read the game story at www.modbee.com/sports.

Modesto 4, San Jose 1. Game 136 of 140.

GAME IN A GRAF – Aneury Rodriguez allowed four baserunners over eight innings on three singles and a hit batsman as the Nuts lowered their magic number to clinch a playoff berth over Visalia to 2 with four games remaining. Rodriguez fanned eight and completed a three-game streak of starts against the Giants (beginning with Jhoulys Chacin and continuing through Esmil Rogers) that saw San Jose collect three runs on 15 hits (12 singles and three doubles) with 20 strikeouts over 20 innings. The Nuts broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the sixth on a single by Mike Paulk, doubles by Lino Garcia and Michael McKenry and a two-out RBI single by Jason Van Kooten.