Awful August, after torrid July, sends Modesto Nuts home in 2015

Two hours before the next-to-last game of the season, the Modesto Nuts slowly pulled on their game uniforms while – above them – a small television beamed the Colorado Rockies game from Coors Field.

The Nuts scanned their cellphones and occasionally viewed the events from Denver. No words were exchanged and none were needed. Here they were, huddled in a California League clubhouse in Stockton while their dream destination teased them on the airwaves.

Seven members of the 2012 Nuts, among them Corey Dickerson and Tyler Matzek, beat the odds and made it to the Show. Most do not. The Class-A level of professional baseball is designed to be uncomfortable. Only the best survive to the next level, much less rise to the top.

The only absolute truth about the 2015 Nuts is that they’ve vanished to all points. They rode the bus together for five months, lost a few more than they won and slumped their way out of the playoffs.

Boring they were not.

One year after a franchise-worst 97 losses, the Nuts proved highly entertaining – if mercurial – in 2015. An indifferent first half blossomed into a torrid July, and on Aug. 3, the Nuts led the North Division by two games over San Jose and three games over Visalia. In the wild-card chase, they stood four games ahead of Stockton and five over the Giants.

All three of their rivals begin the Cal League playoffs this week while the Nuts book flight reservations and check out of apartments. In August, they lost 16 of 20 with losing streaks of six and eight games.

It all came undone when Modesto was swept in four games at Bakersfield and was pummeled all month by Stockton and San Jose. The Nuts were eliminated from playoff contention by San Jose last Thursday night, four games before the finish line.

“We had a hard time getting hot and staying hot,” catcher Troy Stein said. “It’s a fickle game. It can turn on you in a heartbeat.”

Seventeen members of the team were promoted this season from Asheville, N.C., where the Tourists parlayed a sizzling second half and playoff run into a 2014 South Atlantic League title. The Nuts seemed on the same schedule until their offense fizzled in the summer heat.

“We never could get on the same page and click like we did last year,” third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “If we could have gotten in the playoffs, we felt we could have won it.”

McMahon was right. The Nuts’ rotation, featuring Cal League Pitcher of the Year Antonio Senzatela, was the team’s strength. In a short series, they would have been formidable.

Five Nuts earned midseason call-ups to Double-A New Britain (Conn.), among them left-hander Harrison Musgrave, whose 10 wins still top the Cal League list. Others who advanced were outfielder Jordan Patterson, shortstop Zach Osborne and pitchers Carlos Esteves and Sam Moll.

“My goal is to get as many players as I can to move up,” said Jerry Weinstein, the longtime Nuts manager who was back in the Modesto clubhouse as the team’s developmental supervisor. “We try to win games, but that doesn’t override development. The season was good from the standpoint of player development.”

Senzatela, 20, of Venezuela, developed a slider and worked his fastball toward the inside corner more consistently. His 2.51 ERA is a Nuts record, bettering Brandon Hynick’s 2.52 in 2007. Senzatela, McMahon and outfielder Raimel Tapia were selected to the Cal League’s postseason all-star team.

Fatigue always is a topic for young pros who tail off late in a season. Weinstein thought the weary arms and legs were not factors in the Nuts’ tailspin.

“It’s Groundhog Day every day if you want to be a ballplayer,” he said. “If you want to be a big leaguer, you’ve got a month to go from now. And that’s before the playoffs. ‘Tired’ is not a consideration.”

Modesto drew 166,719 fans (2,382 average) to Thurman Field, about 5,000 down from last year. Executive Vice President Mike Gorrasi attributed the decline to having one fewer premium date (weekend or holiday) on this year’s schedule.

The Nuts, who signed a two-year extension with Colorado last year, expect to repeat the process in 2016. Modesto has been affiliated with the Rockies for 11 seasons, the second-longest affiliation in franchise history.

“They’ve been great partners,” Gorrasi said. “If we had to make a decision today, we would certainly extend.”

But that’s a process for next year. This year has been rendered past tense. Manager Fred Ocasio heads home to Tucson before he joins Weinstein in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the Arizona Fall League starting Sept. 22. McMahon, Tapia, outfielder Rosell Herrera, young shortstop Emerson Jimenez and pitchers Alex Balog, Matt Carasiti and Kyle Freeland will be there.

Catcher Wilfredo Rodriguez (Puerto Rico) and Senzatela will pitch in their native countries over the winter. Meanwhile, infielders Michael Benjamin Jr. and Correlle Prime plan to be teammates in the Australian Baseball League beginning in November.

Stein will be married in his hometown of Castroville, Texas. Batting coach Drew Saylor and his wife will welcome their third child, a daughter, next month. Pitching coach Brandon Emanuel, his Ford pickup filled, soon begins his three-day trip to Panama City Beach, Fla.

They probably will not overthink their late-season slide. That said, the final play of the season at Thurman Field, on Aug. 30, may stand as the perfect metaphor for the 2015 Nuts.

Drew Weeks’ infield roller twice was thrown away by Visalia for a run, and Ashley Graeter tried to score from first base for the tie. He appeared to avert the tag but eventually was called out while Ocasio vented. Game over. 2-1 Visalia.

The last five weeks mirrored that play.

This story was originally published September 7, 2015 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Awful August, after torrid July, sends Modesto Nuts home in 2015."