Modesto Nuts will try to trim Visalia’s big lead in Cal League’s North Division

John Thurman Field, home of the Modesto Nuts, is growing into a comfort zone for the home team.

The Nuts, who slogged out of the gate this season at 6-11, stabilized until they absorbed painful losses the last three days at San Jose. Before then, a 6-1 homestand, ignited by three walkoff wins, provided hope for a team featuring 17 players from the 2014 South Atlantic League champion Asheville (N.C.) Tourists.

“We have been better defensively. We’re playing clean games,” Nuts manager Fred Ocasio said earlier this week. “The mistakes we were making at the start of the season are not so bad now. We’re giving our pitching and our offense a chance.”

Modesto opens a four-game series at home Friday night against Visalia, which sits in first place with room to spare in the California League’s North Division. The Rawhide swept a three-game series over the Nuts in Modesto last month, so the home team needs to make a statement with a long summer ahead. More important, the teams will meet eight times over the next 12 days.

The difficult days in San Jose, capped by a 3-2 loss in 10 innings Thursday afternoon, marked Modesto’s first loss of a series in the last five.

“To me, every game is important. But to stay in the race, we need to win these games,” Ocasio said.

Opportunities also beckon after Visalia leaves town. Modesto hits the road after the series for three games at Rancho Cucamonga and four more at Visalia. But after that, the Nuts will be at home for 14 of the next 18 games leading to the All-Star Break.

Updates on several of the Nuts:

Jordan Patterson – The Nuts outfielder, third in the Cal League with his .333 average, works as a designated hitter after he missed about a week due to an arm injury. Ocasio said he could be back in the outfield soon

Raimel Tapia – The quick leadoff man, one of the top prospects in the Colorado system, has not disappointed. He’s batting .323, seventh-best in the league. “He’s been swinging the bat since the beginning of the season and has been very aggressive,” Ocasio said.

Correlle Prime – Prime, a 6-foot-5 220-pound first baseman, arrived here with credentials on offense after slugging 21 home runs with 102 RBIs last season at Asheville. He’s delivered some game-winning hits but, so far, he’s batting .241 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. He’s also struck out 49 times, an issue after he fanned 131 times last year. “Little by little, he’s getting there,” Ocasio said. “He’s getting more comfortable at the plate at this level.”

Zach Osborne – The Nuts shortstop (.282) was off to a fast start until he suffered a hamstring injury. He returned to the lineup about a week ago.

Carlos Estevez – The numbers – 5-0 with five saves and a 1.37 ERA – illustrate his effectiveness. He has struck out 25 in 192/3 innings.

Antonio Senzatela – The Venezuelan with the live fastball made an impression on the Rockies late last season at Asheville. So far this season, no complaints (2-2, 2.22 ERA).

The Nuts sit in the middle of the Cal League pack in team stats – fifth in hitting (.257) and fifth in pitching (3.97).

Elsewhere, San Jose Giants right-handed pitcher Nick Vander Tuig (Oakdale) is 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA but hasn’t yet pitched against Modesto.

The promotional schedule for the Visalia series is as follows: Friday is Super Heroes Night (postgame fireworks); Saturday is Breast Cancer Awareness Night and Pink Jersey Auction (postgame fireworks); Sunday, kids can play catch on the field before the game and run the bases after; and Monday is Make Mondays Matter, where fans can bring two items of lightly used clothing, two books or two canned food items and receive a ticket to that night’s game.

This story was originally published May 21, 2015 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Modesto Nuts will try to trim Visalia’s big lead in Cal League’s North Division."