Inside The Shell -- Stealing a playoff win

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.

MACHINE HITS THE WALL -- Jhoulys Chacin was limited to five innings in his last eight regular-season starts, but the Rockies’ developmental bass unfastened that noose for the playoffs. Chacin breezed through five innings on Wednesday, allowing a run on three hits with four strikeouts while throwing only 68 pitches.

He took the mound for the sixth with a 5-1 lead, and had to be rescued.

Chacin gave up a leadoff single, then a home run to Chris Carter, who had 39 bombs this season to lead the California League. One out later, he give up a single and his only walk, got a fly ball for the second out and then gave up an RBI single to Jermaine Mitchell.

That was enough, and Chris Malone entered to get the Nuts out of further danger.

“Two months of throwing five innings is tough when the adrenaline is flowing in the playoffs,” said catcher Michael McKenry. “I think he got tired. He’s a great pitcher, but he can be effective even tired. We needed to get him out of there because we’re hoping to need him a couple more times.”

Should the Nuts advance past Stockton, Chacin would be in line to pitch on five days of rest in Game 3 of the best-of-five North Division championship series against San Jose next Monday in Modesto.

Modesto manager Jerry Weinstein said he didn’t see the wall coming for Chacin, and didn’t think the psychological barrier of being on the mound in the sixth inning was the reason for Chacin’s faltering.

“He was drained, but maybe that was the playoff atmosphere,” Weinstein said. “You tend to get over-adrenalized and over-excited and that drains energy.

“You’d think he’d be able to cruise with a 5-1 lead. I was thinking we were getting eight innings out of him, but all of the sudden he hit a wall.”

THE PLAYOFF APPROACH -- The players got to John Thurman Field at the usual time, and went through a routine batting practice and infield before retreating to the clubhouse about two hours before the first pitch.

And inside the clubhouse, the normal music was playing, with the usual players in their usual places around the poker table.

It was very much the same feel and pregame atmosphere as the 139 regular-season games the Modesto Nuts had played prior to Wednesday night’s playoff opener, and that’s exactly how Weinstein wanted it.

“You have to approach these as regular games, and there’s no question about that,” Weinstein said. “The only thing that is different once you reach the playoffs is that only one stat matters _ the final score.

“All the stats for the season are in and over with. There’s nothing in the back of your mind about batting average or power and things like that do tend to creep in from time to time.”

Getting here, according to Weinstein, is an important step in the developmental process.

“It’s just about becoming a winning player and you do that by building a history of winning, by putting yourself in a position to get into the playoffs and then winning once you’re here,” he said.

All of the above comes to light because only two players in Modesto’s starting lineup _ infielder Nick Haley and outfielder Lino Garcia _ had played postseason baseball prior to Wednesday. Both Haley and Garcia played with Modesto in 2007.

And for Weinstein, this is a second trip to the playoffs in as many seasons as Nuts’ manager. Since he asks his players to approach this as a regular season battle, does he do the same as the skipper?

“I manage to try to win every night,” Weinstein said.

TONIGHT: Modesto at Stockton, 7:05 p.m. Righty Esmil Rogers (9-7, 3.95) will go for the Nuts against Stockton righty Jason Glushon (1-1, 3.67.)

FRIDAY: If a Game 3 is needed, it would be played Friday in Stockton at 7:05 p.m. Aneury Rodriguez (9-10, 3.74) would start for Modesto against Ports’ righty Graham Godfrey (5-8, 5.10.)