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Saturday, Jun. 20, 2009

Nuts 2 games back with 2 to play

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Help for the Modesto Nuts' first-half pennant chase is coming from every conceivable corner of the California League.

It's coming from Stockton, where the Ports continue to play tough with San Jose, and it's coming from Bakersfield, where the Blaze is branding Visalia's Rawhide.

It's even coming from the league office, which made a huge ruling in Modesto's favor Friday.

Yes, it's flowing in from everywhere except the most important source — the Nuts' dugout.

Modesto, which for the second straight evening could have substantially improved its position in the North Division race, dropped another game to the lowly Lancaster Jethawks on Friday, losing 5-2 before a sellout crowd of 4,395 at John Thurman Field.

Because San Jose pulled out a victory at Stockton and Visalia lost, the Nuts remained in third place, two games behind San Jose and one behind Visalia, with two games remaining in the first half.

Yes, the Nuts still have hope. But with losses in six of their last eight games, their sprint to the finish has become a clumsy stumble.

"We've had very favorable situations in terms of what other teams have done," said manager Jerry Weinstein. "We've had a lot of opportunities. It has nothing to do with us playing tight in a pennant race."

Case in point was Friday's sixth inning. Modesto had just tied the game 1-1 in the fifth when Brian Rike tripled and scored on Wilin Rosario's sacrifice fly, setting up a big close-down inning for starter Bruce Billings (5-7.) But Billings allowed a clean single and a bunt single to open the inning, then got a strikeout.

Needing a double play to end the inning or a strikeout to put the pressure on the JetHawks, he left a fastball up to T.J. Steele, who drilled it into right-center for a two-run triple.

Jonathan Fixler followed with a double to left for a sudden 4-1 lead, from which the Nuts never recovered.

"I don't think we've changed anything," Rike said. "We're pitching well, and it seems like when we're hitting, we're hitting balls right at people.

"We're getting runners on but not getting the big hit, while the teams we're playing are getting the big run-scoring hits with two outs." Lancaster starter Leandro Cospedes (2-6) kept the Nuts off-balance for eight innings, scattering six hits.

During Friday's game, the California League issued a statement with a clear interpretation of the three-way tie-breaker rule — a decision that still could benefit the Nuts. The rule reads that in case three teams finish a half tied for the lead, the two teams with the top three-way head-to-head records will decide the title in their first meeting of the second half of the season.

Modesto has the worst three-way head-to-head win-loss record, but has a winning record against Visalia.

The league has ruled this creates no clear head-to-head advantage, so they have decided to go with the next tie-breaker, which is each team's record within the division.

In this tie-breaker, San Jose is first, Modesto is second and cannot be caught by Visalia this weekend. So if a three-way tie occurs or if the Nuts and Giants finish in a tie for first, San Jose's game at Modesto on Sunday, June 28, will decide the first-half champion.

If Modesto and Visalia tie, the decisive game will be next Thursday when the teams open second-half play at Recreation Park in Visalia.