Nuts pitcher finally gets a win at home

The magic number is 3 for Nuts

By BRIAN VanderBEEK
bvanderbeek@modbee.com

last updated: August 29, 2008 07:00:40 AM

Barring a deep run into the California League playoffs, Thursday was the final chance for Modesto pitcher Esmil Rogers to win a home game in the season's second half.

More than that, should the unthinkable slide happen and the Nuts fail to reach the playoffs, it may have been Rogers' final appearance of the season.

So on all fronts, Rogers' performance in Modesto's 9-1 thrashing of San Jose was impressive. He stifled the best team in the league on one run and seven hits over seven innings and gave Modesto a much-needed win heading into the weekend.

Rogers (9-7) also gave his brother in the Dominican Republic a birthday present.

"I got calls from everybody in my family today, even my brother, and it was his birthday," Rogers said. "He asked me to give him a win for his present, and all I could tell him was to let me do my part of the work. So I'm thankful that my teammates gave all these runs today for me and my brother's present. I thanked them for my brother and for my family."

But no such presents were to be headed Modesto's way from the Bakersfield Blaze, which dropped a second consecutive game to Visalia 4-3 in 10 innings. Still, the Nuts' victory shaved their magic number to three as they edge toward clinching the No. 3 seed in the North Division playoffs.

The crowd of 2,786 allowed Modesto to set a franchise record for attendance in a season, and the large crowd expected for tonight's final regular-season home game will push the Nuts over 160,000 at home.

Mike Paulk, Michael McKenry and Anthony Jackson had two hits apiece for Modesto, which scored four runs in each of the first and sixth innings. Paulk, who homered and scored three runs, saw his average rise to .307. Jackson, who scored the game's first run, is hitting .297.

Rogers, a converted shortstop who's in his third season as a pitcher, has pitched well since the All-Star break but has only a 2-3 record to show for his effort. He's allowed more than four runs in a home start once since his last home win June 6.

"I have thought about that," Rogers said. "I thought about how I hadn't won here since June and how this was my last shot before the playoffs. I knew that, so when (manager Jerry Weinstein) walked up to me in the bullpen before the game tonight, I told him I was ready."

It helped Rogers' cause that the Giants played uncharacteristically sloppy in the opening inning. The Nuts got hits from Jackson, Lino Garcia, McKenry and Victor Ferrante in the first, but three errors made all but one of the runs unearned and sealed the fate of starter Clayton Tanner (10-8). San Jose scored its only run in the second, but Modesto put the game on ice in the sixth, scoring four runs on only two hits off reliever Craig Whitaker.

Paulk's eighth homer of the season capped the scoring in the seventh, giving Rogers an eight-run cushion.

"The last time I pitched, I also gave up only one run in seven innings and we lost the lead in the eighth, but we still won," Rogers said. "This team needs to win, so I can't worry about myself."

Bee staff writer Brian VanderBeek can be reached at bvanderbeek@modbee.com or 578-2300.

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