For the Record

After Vancouver split a Monday night double-header, and lost a rain-shortened game in Everett on Tuesday, it's become obvious this team will go down as the least winning team in short-season C's history. With 28 wins with 8 games remaining, Vancouver needs to win 7 of those last 8 in order to tie their 2003 season season, when Dennis Rogers' Canadians had 35 wins.

But, there are some reasons to come out to the ballpark this upcoming week, for the remaining three home games. Records. Here are some records that may or not be broken by September 3rd.

OF David Thomas currently has 17 doubles, good enough for a tie for fourth with three past Canadians. Dan Hamblin holds the record of 21, with Matt Sulentic following with 19, and Corey Brown with 18. Teammate Jeremy Barfield has 16, which puts him in a tie for 8th all-time.

Jeremy Barfield needs 7 hits to be put in a three-way tie for 9th for short-season hits. Barfield has 63, while Dan Johnson and Greg Dowling each had 70. The record was set by Javier Herrera, who had 84 in 2004.

Barfield is also one RBI away from tying Matt Allegra and two other C's alum for 8th place on the all-time RBI list. 2007 Canadian Dan Hamblin holds the record of 62.

OF Jareck West is one triple away from tying four former Canadians for the season record, of 4. Corey Brown is the most recent Canadian to reach 4 triples in a season. West has 3, through 56 games.

DH Mike Lissman needs a home-run to be tied for 6th all-time. Lissman has 6 on the year, good enough for a tie of 8th, but another one will put him tied with Casey Myers and Jorge Soto, who both had 7 in 2001.

SS Jason Christian finishes the year with 39 walks, which puts him in a tie for 8th place all-time. 1B Dusty Napoleon has 38, and is currently in a tie for 10th all-time. JD Pruitt set the record of 50 last season, and has 35 this year.

Christian will also hold the mark for the 8th most Stolen Bases in a single season, with 13.

Depending on how many more times he comes to the plate this year, JD Pruitt could set a record for On-base percentage. The current record is .487, set by Jeremy Brown, and Pruitt's is .500. I don't believe he qualifies yet though, with only 93 at-bats.

deaza_inoel.jpgRHP Ronny Morla has two more starts in him this season, and unfortunately for him, he's only one loss away from the short-season record, of 7 set by Inoel Deaza (left) and Christian Gonzalez. Morla has 6 losses on the campaign, which puts him in a tie with Brad Hertzler and Edwin Minaya.

If Morla surrenders 12 hits in his final two starts, he'll hold the short-season record. Currently it's 90, set in 2001. Ronny needs to give up only three more earned runs to break the record of ER in a season as well.

Jose Guzman needs to appear in two more games this year, to break the record of most appearances in a season. The current number was created when Dan Fyvie made 26 appearances in 2003. Guzman has 25.

Guzman needs one more save to tie Brad Kilby's record of 14, and two more to break it. I have a good feeling, that he will indeed smash the record.

Manager Rick Magnante has 104 wins as a Canadians manager, tops for a short-season boss, but is still more than a hundred wins from the C's all-time lead. Magnante needs 7 more wins to be tied with Tony Muser for 7th place. Right now, Magnante is in sole position of 8th place.

Left-Handed Reliever promoted to Kane County

One day after Nat Notes reported that SS Jason Christian was on his way up to Kane County, we have learned he will have a familiar face with him as he makes the trip to Beloit, Wisconsin this week, for the Cougars road trip. LHP Ben Hornbeck, a reliable southpaw out of the pen has been taken off the C's roster, and will immediately head to the Cougars.

Ben was 2-2, in 18 relief appearances for the Canadians. His ERA was at 4.88, and struck out 40 batters in 31 innings. The 6'5 intimidated the batters he faced, and will now be a key lefty in the Cougars bullpen, in their push to the championship.

Vancouver now only has a pair of left-handed relievers, in Fabian 'Pick Me' Gomez and Brad 'Perfect' Hertzler.

Hornbeck will be the third southpaw in the Cougars 'pen, joining 2007 Canadians Lance Sewell and Nick Walters. LHP Anthony Capra and 2008 ex-Canadian Carlos Hernandez are the two lefties in the starting rotation.

The C's return to the field tonight, without Hornbeck and Christian, for a double-header, against the Everett Aquasox. RHP Ronny Morla takes the hill for Game 1, and Pedro Figueroa gets the ball for game 2.

Roster Moves, Rainouts, Robbing Runs, C's eight back of Volcanoes

After being swept by the Eugene Emeralds, the Vancouver Canadians were virtually eliminated from NWL Post-season contention. Even after a series opening victory against the Everett Aquasox, the C's fate is still gloomy. Heading into Sunday's NWL action, the C's are tied with the Aquasox for last place in the West Division, 8 games back of both the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and Eugene Emeralds, who are both tied for first in the division. The two are currently playing each other down in the Pacific Northwest.

Last night, a 3-run bomb from Juan Nunez, plus a solo shot by JD Pruitt (who has now hit dingers in back-to-back games), gave the C's an 8-3 victory in front of 4200 fans. Nunez also caught a high throw from JD Pruitt to rob a runner at home plate, with Nunez leaping in the air, and swooping down on the runner to get him out at the dish. It was an excellent defensive snag, to say the least.

David Thomas was 3-4, and Jeremy Barfield was 2-4. Dusty Napoleon was walked three times, and Jason Christian was 1-4 with a double in his last game as a Vancouver Canadian.

Christian, last game? What? The C's SS has been moved up to the Kane County Cougars today, as the Cougars desperately need a middle infielder for their playoffs, which begin next week. Congrats to Jason, who will look to help lead the Cougars into the league championship.

Thanks to the Jason Christian Facebook Fan Club for the 'inside scoop'.

Christian will join the Cougars in Beloit tomorrow, and hopefully for him, he can draw into the lineup as soon as possible. The Cougars hold the Midwest League wild-card playoff spot from the First Half and their regular season ends on September 1st.

Today's scheduled, 'Nooner' between the C's and Aquasox has been postponed due to heavy rain in the area. There will now be a double-header on Monday, starting with Game 1 at 5:00 PM. Both games will be 7 innings long. Ronny Morla takes the ball for Game 1, and Pedro 'Figgy' Figueroa will mend the ship for Game 2.

Bilingual Coach making home in Vancouver..sort of

Suzanna Ahearne of the Vancouver Sun profiled C's pitching coach Jimmy Escalante in yesterday's 'Westcoast' section of the Vancouver Sun. You can read the full article, here.

Young pitchers working with Escalante don't just get the opportunity for intensive coaching in their mother tongue, a great leg-up in itself, but also have in Escalante a cultural interpreter, guide and big brother.

"I do everything with these kids," says 31-year-old Escalante following a coaching session before an evening game.

The players on the field at Nat Bailey are loud and boisterous. English and Spanish are spoken in clusters. Escalante slips in and out of his two languages with ease.

"They definitely need a shoulder to lean on. They're away from home. Many have never done this before. ... They can come up to me in any situation. I'm basically their voice."

Escalante's primary goal is to help the young people develop their play but in order to move up the ranks, they have to improve their English skills with mandatory lessons. He knows that the young Latinos' year with him is vital. "If someone isn't there teaching them in Spanish, they don't get the information....I tell these guys a lot of what they have to do [to get to the majors] happens here."

This is Escalante's second year here, after being scheduled both times to coach the Arizona A's, where most latino prospects start their careers.

Giants just weeks away from start of pre-season

The Vancouver Giants will have a different opening day lineup than last season, that is for sure. Gone are enforcer Garet Hunt, Mario Bliznak and RJ Larochelle. On their way out, to NHL clubs and their affiliates, are Spencer Machacek and Michal Repik. After a tough loss to the Spokane Chiefs in last year's playoffs, the G-Men are looking to repeat as Memorial Cup Champions, as they won the trophy two years ago.

Watch this space in the coming days leading up to the pre-season opener on August 29th, with schedules, rosters and training camp info.

C's remain six back heading into home stretch

A week ago, the Canadians were closer to 10 games back of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, but now, they're just six away from the first-place powerhouse. Would it take a miracle for Vancouver to get into the playoffs? Yes, but they're still not out of the picture entirely.

Vancouver is on the bus heading to Eugene at the moment, before coming home to face the third-place Everett Aquasox. They'll then finish the home-and-home with the Flipper Kids before the Emeralds come to visit to close out the home portion of the schedule. Vancouver finishes the year on the road in Salem-Keizer.

That's 15 games left, and the most important three are the last trio of games. Even if Vancouver makes up three games on the Volcanoes in their next 12 games, they'll only be three back heading into the series with the Volcanoes. That means a sweep would tie the teams. Not impossible.

Salem is coming off a series when the Spokane Indians absolutely demolished them, with the Injuns taking four out of the five games. Spokane out-scored Salem-Keizer 38-15. Yikes. Now the Volcanoes are heading to Everett, where they play a three-game series with the Aquasox. After that, they have six games in a row against the Emeralds, another three-game series with Everett, before hosting the C's to end the year.

Salem is 2-4 vs Everett this season, and 3-3 against the Emeralds. They play six of their last fifteen at home, and the other nine on the road. Unfortunately, they're much better as visitors, going 18-11 compared to the 14-18 record at home. Vancouver's in the same boat, with three less losses on the road, they have, however, also played three less games on the road.

Everett is absolutely pitiful on the road, with an 11-21 record, good news for C's fans who want Everett to beat Salem, because the Flippers are 16-13 at home.

The standings look like this:
Salem is up one game on Eugene. Everett is four back of Eugene, and five back of Keizer. And the C's are one back of Everett, five back of Eugene and half-a-dozen games behind Salem.

It will sure be an interesting next two weeks.

boise_hawks_2004.gifBack to baseball now, Vancouver lost two of three to the Volcanoes to open this last homestand, but took three out of five from the Boise Hawks. The first game of the series saw Pedro Figueroa pick up his first win of the season, with his only blunder happening when he gave up a solo blast to Andrew Rundle. Figgy two-hit the Hawks through six, striking out 7. The three relievers, Mathieu Leblanc Poirier, Ken Smalley and Jose Guzman all pitched hit-less innings on the mound. It was Guzman's 12th save of the campaign.

Offensively, Julio Rivera was 2-4 with a double and a run scored, while Mitch LeVier was 1-3 with an RBI and a run. Dave Thomas led the offence, going 2-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI, to go along with his 5th stolen base of the season.

Vancouver took the game 3-1.

The next night was a hitters battle, with Boise leading 7-3 going into the bottom of the ninth. Jeremy Barfield hit a game-tying Grand Slam, but the Hawks pulled away in the 10th, scoring twice to win it, 9-7. Boise doubled the Canadians in hits, 20-9.

On the hill, Mike Hart surrendered two runs, one earned, through four innings, while Matt Fitts gave up a pair of hits and walks while striking out five in his two innings. Dan Thomas gave up two runs in the 7th and 8th, and Ben Hornbeck allowed three runs in the 9th.

Jose Guzman took the loss as the winning two runs scored in the 10th on his account. Brad Hertzler pitched a perfect inning of relief, after Jose gave up the runs.

barfield-jeremy.jpgAs I said, Barfield hit a grand slam in the 9th, his third home-run of the season, and Mitch LeVier was 2-5 with a double. JD Pruitt picked up his first hit since being injured in July, he was 1-5 with two runs scored. Dusty Coleman's NWL debut wasn't so hot, 0-5 with three strikeouts.

Sunday afternoon's game featured a C's comeback after leading the game through the 7th. Boise scored three times in the 8th and 9th to tie the game, but a Dusty Coleman walk-off hit brought in the winning run.

Dave Thomas had a double, RBI and run, while Marcos Luis was 2-3 with a triple and an RBI. Jeremy Barfield was 0-3 with a trio of strikeouts, but was the winning run after getting on base via a hit-by-pitch. It extended his on-base streak to 24 games, which is what it ended up being, after failing to get on base Monday night.

Dusty Coleman had the wakoff knock, for his first hit in the NWL.

It was for sure a pitchers duel, with Boise's Aaron Shafer one-hitting the C's through 5 when his day was done, he struck out six. Trey Barham was much of the same for Vancouver, 5 hits, six strikeouts, 6 innings. Mathieu LeBlanc Poirier pitched a scoreless 7th, before Edgar Tejeda gave up two unearned runs in the 8th. Ken Smalley took the Blown Save and the Win, as he surrendered a run.

Monday night was a good comeback, with all but two C's starters pick up a hit. JD Pruitt was 2-3 with a double and the winning run scored, and both Jason Christian and Dusty Coleman were 2-4, Coleman with a double as well. Dusty Napoleon was 1-2 with a two-run home-run in the 6th.

Shawn Haviland was spectacular on the mound, 4 innings, 10 strikeouts. Yes, all but two of his outs were K's. He gave up three runs, before Ben Hornbeck and Brad Hertzler each gave up one as well. Jose Guzman picked up his 13th save of the year, and is now one back of Brad Kilby for the single-season record of 14 set in 2005. Vancouver won 6-5 after a comeback.

Tuesday was a nightmare, with three Boise Hawks picking up four hits, and another pair each getting three. All Boise batters had at least one hit, even the guy who had one at-bat. For Vancouver, Rodney Rutherford was 4-5 with a double, 2 RBI and two runs scored. Dave Thomas was much of the same, 3-5, 2 doubles and 4 RBI. JD Pruitt was hit for the first time since being injured, and he was beaned twice, but seemed to be OK.

Starter Ronny Morla surrendered 7 runs in 3.2 innings, before Ryne Tacker, Fabian Gomez, Edgar Tejeda and Julio Rivera all gave up 9 more runs. To Julio's defence, only one run was earned and he hasn't looked that bad on the hill in both of his outings.

Pair of positioin players have arrived

Two new players have flown into Vancouver, and were in uniform for game time last night. The one player, is a 2008 returnee. He started the year with the C's, got promoted to Kane County, hit .333 and then got injured on July 14th. He's back now, in Vancouver, and is a catcher named Juan Nunez. He should split time with Julio Rivera behind the dish, but I don't know if he's (Nunez) still injured or not.

An update on Dante Love, per the Canadians, is that he's out day-to-day. He isn't probable to return for this series.

INF Dusty Coleman, a 28th round pick out of Wichita State who signed for 675k a few weeks ago has finally joined the Canadians. Coleman was rumoured to be heading north when he first signed, according to his agent, but batted just above the mendoza line in Arizona and has found himself wearing the Red and White colours of the C's. He was the team's first-base coach last night for the first few innings.

Coleman is primarily a shortstop, but with Jason Christian eating up most of the time at the 6 hole, he might find himself DH'ing and Pinch-Hitting for the first little while.

Coleman was a teammate of 2007 Canadian Travis Banwart, and was drafted by Oakland, as a sophomore.

None-the-less both of the newcomers will be welcomed additions to the C's as they make their push to the playoffs. With both OF's JD Pruitt and Mitch LeVier completely healthy, once Dante Love is back the whole roster will be active.

Stellar pitching and David Thomas gives Canadians a series-opening win

When you're 8 games back going into the final 5-game series of the season, you might ask yourself, "Why am I doing this,"? Well, the 2008 Canadians didn't and picked up a 3-1 victory over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Thanks to the stellar pitching of Pedro Figueroa, and the amazing bat David Thomas had on the night, as well as Julio Rivera, the C's pulled off the victory.

JD Pruitt made his return from a concussion he suffered in July against Tri-City, starting in LF. Mitch LeVier anchored Center, and Jeremy Barfield patrolled right. Leo Gil was at third, Jason Christian at short, Luis at 2nd and David Thomas at first, taking over for Dusty Napoleon, just for the night. Rivera was the other half of the battery with Figgy and Jareck West was the Designated Hitter.

In the top of the first, a single opened the game for Boise. Then, a very questionable walk call to Andrew Rundle put a runner in scoring position with none out. Former First-Rounder Josh Vitters popped up, before Figgy ended the inning with a strikeout to the cleanup hitter, and a pop up from Sean Hoorelbeke.

The bottom half saw Vancouver get a few runners on base, and one was one heck of a hit. Lead-off man JD Pruitt, in his first at-bat since July, was called out on strikes. Not just any strike, a very low strike. David Thomas cranked a pitch to left field, bouncing off the top of the left field wall. It literally could've gone either way, over the fence, or back into the park, which it did, good enough for a double.

Jeremy Barfield walked before two strikeouts ended the threat.

In the bottom of the 2nd, a pair of walks opened the inning, before a flyout advanced the runners. Marcos Luis singled-in Mitch LeVier, before JD Pruitt was caught swinging. Luis, at first, looked like he was trying to score the runner before being tagged out himself, and while the runner was running home, Luis was tagged out halfway between first and second. Mind-boggling to say the least. 1-0 C's.

Boise answered in the top of 5 with a run of their own, over the right-field fence. It was Andrew Rundle's 6th home-run of the season.

Vancouver re-gained the lead in the bottom half as Mitch Levier singled home Jason Christian.

The bottom of the 6th featured the other run of the game, and it came on David Thomas' second double of the game, which scored Julio Rivera. With the bases loaded and two out, after an intentional walk, pinch-hitter Dusty Napoleon struck out swinging. 3-1 for the C's.

Mathieu Leblanc Poirier came into pitch for the C's in the 7th, making his Canadians debut. He walked his first hitter, before striking out the next. A ground out picked up the second out of the inning, before Julio Rivera gunned down runner David Macias. Not a bad half-inning for his NWL debut.

Kenny Smalley pitched a hit-less 8th, before Jose Guzman closed the game with three outs in 4 batters.

Game Notes:

The Boise Hawks had 5 hits on the night, and walked 6 times as well. Josh Vitters was 2-4 with a double in his Nat Bailey debut, and teammate Andrew Rundle was 1-3 with a home-run. The team leader in Average was 1-2 with a pair of walks.

JD Pruitt was 0-4 in his return from injury, but walked once. David Thomas was 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI, raising his average to .262.

Jeremy Barfield was 1-4 with a walk, extending his on-base streak to 22 games. Yes, 22 games straight he's made it on base.

Mitch LeVier was 1-3 with an RBI, run and a walk.

Julio Rivera was excellent, going 2-4 with a ground rule double and a run.

Pedro 'Figgy' Figueroa went six strong innings, giving up just 5 hits, and only an earned run. He struck out 7, and I may add the run came on a home-run. His ERA now stands at 4.21, and he is 1-4 on the season, picking up his first win of the year.

Jose Guzman picked up his 12th save, and is now two saves away from tying the Canadians record of 14, set by Brad Kilby in 2005.

magnante-rick2.jpgAnd this next congratulations is much overdue, as Rick Magnante, with the C's win, now has 100 wins as a NWL manager. 'Skip' has worked tirelessly for this team, and since the club switch to short-season baseball, Magnante has held the job for the longest. Never given a superstar like Travis Buck in 2005 or Javier Herrera in 2004, Magnante has done wonders for the Canadians, and in the last three seasons I have never heard one player say anything bad about him. So to you, Rick, congrats!

Rick is the 8th most winning manager in C's history, and if Vancouver can win 11 more games this season, he'll be 7th. Some names he is ahead of, are 1999 Manager Mike Quade, Salem-Keizer manager Tom Trebelhorn, Jack McKeon, former manager of the World Series champion Florida Marlins, Bob Lemon and Lefty O'Doul.

The C's get back at it Saturday night, with RHP Mike Hart taking the hill.

Series notes: Hawks vs C's

After a very promising series victory against the NWL First-Place Spokane Indians, things were beginning to look very promising for Vancouver Canadians fans. However, a series loss to Salem-Keizer now has Vancouver 8 games back of the Volcanoes. The C's still have 20 games remaining in the short NWL season, and if they pull of a late-season push, they could end up finding themselves in a playoff position, that is if they sweep Salem, crush Eugene, beat Everett and have a good series against Boise.

Two new pitchers who are very capable of pitching well, mixed in with the tremendous starting pitching Vancouver's had this season makes it seem like Vancouver isn't out of it, just yet. Vancouver is 4-2 in their last six games, and in their last 11 games at home (11 of their last 20 games are at Nat Bailey Stadium), the C's are 5-6.

Boise Hawks:

The Eastern Division's second place team, just 5 games back of the Spokane Indians, are coming off a 12-5 victory over those Indians two nights ago, and fortunately for the Canadians, are in the middle of a 'slump'. In their last 9 games, they're 3-6. Boise is 19-16 against Western Division opponents this season, including sweeping the Everett Aquasox in 5 games back in July. When Vancouver visited Idaho, Boise took the series, 3-2.

Who's Hot:

1B Ryan Keedy, who is hitting .361 on the season, is batting .333 in his last 10 games. In his last game on Wednesday, he was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI. His OPS for the season is .934.

3B Josh Vitters, brother of 2006 Canadian Christian, a former first round pick, is hitting .343 all season, and .341 in his last 10 games, with one home-run and 8 RBI. In his last 5 games, Vitters has 9 hits in 22 at-bats. He should be the one guy standing out on the field.

INF Ryan Flaherty has been tearing it up in the NWL this season, with 6 home-runs in 37 games. To top it off, he's batting .319 and in his last 10 games, is batting .409 with 4 home-runs. Last week he was 4-5 with two doubles and a triple in a game against Yakima. He was a HR away from the cycle.

RHP Dan McDaniel, the team's relief pitcher/closer has been excellent for the Hawks. In 23.1 innings, he's given up just one run, for an ERA of .39. He's generally been used for 1-2 innings every three games or so. He has 12 more strikeouts on the year than he does innings!

Vancouver Canadians:

Who's Hot:

RF Jeremy Barfield has been dominant in his last two weeks. After hitting his first homerun against Tri-City Barfield has been hard to stop at the dish. Barfield was 5-12 against Salem-Keizer, which included a 3-4 night on Wednesday. Barfield has two home-runs all season, and is batting .293 for the year. It's safe to say, he's doing pretty well as a NWL rookie.

SS Jason Christian, a Loveland Ohio native, is batting .292 for the season, just .001 back of Jeremy Barfield for the team lead. Christian has had just two games in his last 10 without a hit, and was 2-4 with a double on Thursday afternoon. Christian has hit three home-runs all season, with two of the three coming against Boise.

2B Marcos Luis has been hampered by injuries this season, but when's he's played, both offensively and defensively he's been very good. Marcos has played just 8 times since July 20th when he hurt his ankle in the field, but is hitting .286 for the season. Luis has just three errors, and was 3-7 in a series against Everett earlier in August.

OF JD Pruitt, who has been sidelined since July 27th with a concussion, was 4-6 in his last two games before coming out after being hit-by-a-pitch. Pruitt demolished the NWL HBP record last season, and this year has two home-runs, both at Nat Bailey, including a grand slam. Pruitt may be in the C's lineup by the end of the series. If he is, Vancouver will certainly appreciate his baseball smarts at the dish.

3B Rodney Rutherford has easily been one of the best hitters on the Canadians team in the last week. Since August 6th, Rutherford is 9-23, with two walks, 8 RBI, a triple and three doubles. He has a 6-game hitting streak, and 8-game on base streak.

RHP Mike Hart is 0-0 with an ERA of 1.08 in 12 games, 3 of which were starts. He's given up just 3 earned runs all season, and in 25 innings has 34 strikeouts. He's given up no runs in his last 7 appearances, and in those 7 games, has 23 strikeouts in 16.1 innings.

LHP Brad Hertzler hasn't given up any runs or hits in his lone appearance of the NWL season, and Right-handed fireballer Daniel Thomas has an ERA of 1.86 since joining the Canadians.

Friday is a 7:05 start, Saturday as well, before a Nooner on Sunday. Monday is at 7:05 and the series concludes at 1:05 on Tuesday.

C's welcome a pair of new arms to Bullpen

With the NWL season coming to a close, the Oakland A's decided to bring up RHP Mathieu LeBlanc-Poirier to the Vancouver Canadians, making the Quebec native the first Canadian-born player to play for the C's since Steven Ryder-Carter in 2005. LeBlanc-Poirier is expected to make his C's debut later on this homestand, as the Canadians play Josh Vitters and the Boise Hawks.

(Nat Bailey Stadium – Vancouver, BC) – The Vancouver Canadians are proud to announce the arrival of two players in time for the opening of a five game series vs. the Boise Hawks. Both RHP Mathieu-Leblanc-Poirier and LHP Brad Hertzler will round out the Canadians pitching staff.

Leblanc-Poirier was a 21st Round selection in this years MLB First-Year Player Draft selected by the Oakland Athletics. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Leblanc-Poirier attended Ahuntsic College and has spent time with the Academie du Baseball Canada. LeBlanc-Poirier has spent the past few weeks with the Arizona Athletics (Rookie) and will be added to the Canadians Roster effective Friday, August 15th, 2008.

Mathieu Leblanc-Poirier RHP 6’1” 175 Ahuntsic College

Year Club W-L ERA IP H ER SO BB
2008 Arizona (R) 0-1 7.89 21.2 34 19 18 6

Hertzler returns to the Vancouver Canadians after beginning this season in Kane County (A). A native of Orono, NE, Hertzler debuted in Vancouver on Wednesday night picking up the victory in a 7-6 come from behind win over Salem-Keizer.
Hertzler returns as Oakland tries to get the left-hander some additional innings while providing Vancouver with a much needed southpaw out of the bullpen.

Hertzler, Brad LHP 6’1” 195 Kane County Cougars

Year Club W-L ERA IP H ER SO BB
2008 Kane County (A) 2-5 5.26 63.1 70 37 49 13
Vancouver 1-0 0.00 1.0 1 0 0 3

The Vancouver Canadians are now carrying 30 players on the 2008 roster. 16 pitchers, 2 catchers, 6 infielders and 6 outfielders.


* NOTE: Catcher Dante Love left Nat Bailey Stadium prior to Thursday’s game after a bat accidentially struck Love in the cheek. No update will be available on Dante’s status until Friday, August 15th at 12 noon.

Hertzler was one of the C's top pitchers last season, pitching a 5-inning rain-shortened perfect game, and should have an immediate impact. Mathieu, on the other hand, will more than likely be a target for Vancouver media, seeing as how he's Canadian-born.

C's OF JD Pruitt hasn't played since being hit in the back of the head by a pitch in Tri-City last month, but I would assume he'll be back by the end of the week. JD had one of the hottest bats on the team before going down, going 4-6 in his last two games. Pruitt also had two home-runs at Nat Bailey Stadium, including the king of them all, a Grand Slam. He'll be a much appreciated addition back into the lineup when he has fully recovered.

And as for Dante Love, there's no word on how long he'll be out of the lineup. Depending on if he broke his nose or where the bat exactly hit him, it could be two or three weeks. I'm not a doctor, so I wouldn't know the exact dates of if you break your nose etc. but any length of time will be hard for the C's to deal with, having only Julio Rivera to catch.

The Canadians return to action tonight against the Boise Hawks, featuring last year's top pick by the Chicago Cubs, and brother of former Canadian Christian Vitters, Josh Vitters. Vancouver sends southpaw Pedro 'Figgy' Figueroa out to the mound tonight, on Back-to-school night, before another evening game tomorrow when Mike Hart takes the hill. Hart has been superb since converting to starting three games ago, and in 11 innings as a starter has struck out 16, and hasn't given up an earned run. Opponents are hitting just .143 against him all year.

Sunday afternoon will feature LHP Trey Barham, who in one appearance in a Day Game this year has an ERA of 0.00. At home, his ERA is 2.00 and opponents are hitting a mere .212.

Monday night will have RHP Shawn Haviland throwing for Vancouver, and the Harvard grad has been one of the top pitchers of the C's staff. Haviland's season ERA is 3.60 and averages almost a strikeout an inning.

And finally to conclude the homestand, RHP Ronny Morla and his array of pitchers will face Vitters' Hawks on Tuesday Afternoon. Morla is a 'Day Game' pitcher, going 0-1 with an ERA of 3.43 in three starts during the afternoon.

Volcanoes steal series after 8-1 'Nooner' victory

Strong Salem-Keizer pitching, mixed with Vancouver having a so-so middle innings, saw the Volcanoes win the finale of a three-game set with the C's. Ronny Morla hurled for the C's, while the defence had Mitch LeVier, Jareck West, Jeremy Barfield, Rodney Rutherford, Jason Christian, Francisco Tirado and Dusty Napoleon. Julio Rivera completed the battery with magnante-rick3.jpgMorla. Mike Lissman was the DH.

The second inning saw Morla give up a run, in John Monell, after a bases loaded walk to Caleb Curry. He did get 'Vlad' Frias to line out, however, to end the threat.

The bottom half of said-inning had Vancouver on the scoreboard, thanks to a Jason Christian single to start the hit parade in the inning, before Rodney Rutherford brought him in with a single.

Ronny Morla lasted 5 innings, giving up three hits, a pair of earned runs, 5 walks and striking out three.

He was replaced by Fabian Gomez in the 6th, after Morla had pitched to a pair of batters in the inning before Manager Rick Magnante took him out. Gomez, who had to come in with runners on the corners, and none out, picked up two quick outs, but on the last one, a sac bunt, John Monell scored. A ground out did, however, end the inning.

Jeremy Barfield looked like he wanted to do something about the C's trailing, and he did. A lead-off double off of Eric Stolp. Only problem was, the C's couldn't bring him home. 3-1 after 6.

The 7th saw the Volcanoes break out. With one out, they scored a run after a triple, before a double scored the second run of the inning. A single put runners on the corner, and also ended Gomez' day on the mound. I must say, Fabian wasn't getting some calls he should've, and that was why the Volcanoes were hitting.

Edgar Tejeda came in, and gave up a double scoring two runs, before picking up two outs. 7-1 visitors.

The top of the 9th described the Canadians game, with Francisco Peguero hitting a lead-off dinger over the left field fence.

Bottom of the 9th, new pitcher, with Jason Christian batting. What does he do? Crank a pitch to center field, good enough for a double. Lissman now up, strike out. Rutherford steps in, passed ball advances Christian. Then, catcher Eliezer Zambrano got hit by Rutherford's bat, or the ball he hit, and he was on the ground. He would be OK.

Rutherford struck out, as did Julio Rivera and the game ended, final score of 8-1 for the bad guys.

C's are now hoping Eugene loses tonight to Tri-City, so they can remain 8 games back.

There was a new player for the C's, not in uniform, but at the park none-the-less. More on him, when the C's put something in print.

With three weeks left in the NWL regular season, Vancouver isn't totally out of it, but it would take some timely hitting and pitching to keep them in the playoff race. Stranger things have happened. And as for the team on the field, their bats are finally starting to get hot, in the last 10 or so games, and the starting pitching has been amazing. With 5 games against Boise, three versus Salem-Keizer, six against Eugene and half-a-dozen against Everett as well, Vancouver has a shot. And as we found out with Rick Magnante's South African team back in the World Baseball Classic against Canada, it ain't over 'til it's over.

Canadians edge out Volcanoes after late-inning comeback

After a tough losshornbeck-ben.jpg Tuesday night to Salem-Keizer, the Vancouver Canadians were looking to rebound in Game Two of a three-game set. The C's sent Shawn Haviland out to the mound, as the Harvard Grad looked to pick up his second win of the short Northwest League season.

The Canadians lineup had David Thomas, Mitch LeVier and Jeremy Barfield from Left to Right in the Outfield, and Rodney Rutherford, Jason Christian, Francisco Tirado and Dusty Napoleon in the Infield. Julio Rivera caught for Haviland, and Mike Lissman was the DH.

Shawn Haviland didn't get off to his greatest start, giving up a hit-by-pitch, a single and a RBI double, with two out. Michael 'Amunition' Ambort drilled a single to right field, and Mike 'Lowly' Loberg scored on the play to right field, before Jeremy 'Gun' Barfield threw Jose Flores out at home, on an incredible throw from shallow right. 2-0 after one.

Mike Loree, Salem's pitcher, struck out the side in the first, and did much of the same for the rest of the time he was in the game.

The C's defence remained 'OK' after giving up three runs in the 2nd. With two outs, again, a hit-by-pitch erupted the Volcanoes offence. Back-to-back singles loaded the bases, with both hits coming to Shawn Haviland, before a Francisco Peguero single drove in two Salem runners. 4-0, and a Shawn Haviland wild pitch scored Vlad 'Thrill' Frias, 5-0 Volcanoes.

Ben Hornbeck (left) replaced Haviland in the 3rd, and with two out, gave up a double to John Monell, before a fly out ended the inning.

The Canadians finally got on the board in the 3rd, with a lead-off triple from Rodney Rutherford headlining the inning. The LF Casey Bond couldn't find the ball within the C's bullpen which allowed Rutherford to chug to third base. Julio Rivera singled him in, before a wild pitch with one out advanced Rivera to 2nd. A Mitch 'Two-Beer' LeVier single advanced Julio to 3rd, and with two outs, Jeremy Barfield singled his catcher teammate home. 5-2 after three innings.

The Canadians offence came alive again in the 5th, after a HBP and single put David Thomas on third and Mitch LeVier on first with none out. A new pitcher couldn't do much, with Joseph Edens giving up a sac fly to his first batter, scoring Thomas. 5-3. A Jeremy Barfield single put runners on first and second, before a Dusty Napoleon walk loaded the bases.

With one out, and bases loaded, Mike Lissman flew into a sacrifice fly. Mitch LeVier scored but a questionable baserunning move by otherwise game hero Jeremy Barfield, ended the inning as the youngest Barfield was gunned out heading for third.

Ben Hornbeck's day was done after 3 innings on the hill, giving up two hits, two walks, while striking out four. His ERA stands at 3.67 as his hot streak on the mound continues.

For the rest of the game, Kenny Smalley pitched two hit-less innings, before newcomer/2007 Canadian ace Brad Hertzler pitched an inning, albeit the winning inning, just hours after arriving from the Kane County Cougars. He walked three to load the bases, but didn't give up a run after getting out of the inning.

In the bottom of the 8th, with Vancouver down by two, a new pitcher named Brian Irving came in, to face the C's heart of the order.

Jeremy Barfield led off the inning with a single, before pinch runner Jareck West advanced to 3rd on a Dusty Napoleon single. West could've gone home on the play, thanks to a bobble by Francisco Peguero, but Rick Magnante held him at third. With runners on the corner, Mike Lissman popped out before Francisco 'Tornado' Tirado doubled to center, scoring West and advancing Dusty to third. Then, Rodney Rutherford walked to load the bases.

How many times have we seen the C's leave the inning with bases loaded? Well today wasn't one of them, as pinch-hitter Marcos Luis grounded out, but scored Dusty Napoleon. 6-5 Canadians. David Thomas struck out swinging with two runners in scoring position.

Jose 'Goozey' Guzman came into close for the Canadians, and with two outs, and one ball and two strikes to Jose Flores, the King of Floors doubled to left field. A pinch runner, that would've been the tying run was stranded, as Amunition Ambort struck out to end the game.

Now I know what Minor League ball is all about

So in Spokane I had one of the funnest times you could have watching baseball on the road, with a baseball team that really does know how to come up with clutch hits (Hey Jareck!), timely pitching (Hector+Mike), and good intentional walking skills, even though the at-bat ends with a wild pitch that scores the winning run (David Thomas). To say it simply, I love this team.

I've gone on the road before, watching the C's, in both Everett and Spokane.

The first time we went to Spokane it was for a day game, where less than 1,000 people showed up, for the Indians only afternoon game all year. It was a not-so-pleasant experience to say the least. I don't even remember how we did.

The Everett trips, on the other hand, have been a blast. Other C's fans have come out, and it has always been a fun experience.

This year, we chose four games in Spokane to go to, and each one was worth it, in their own ways.

The first game we saw there was Jareck West grand slam. Game 2 had another Jareck home-run, before a lightning delay. Game 3 had a 9th inning comeback, due in part to Rodney Rutherford and West. Game 4, had awesome pitching from Mike Hart, and two great dingers from Jeremy Barfield and Leo Gil.

The C's were 3-1 when we were in Spokane, losing the game before we got there. But I must say, now I know more about the grind of minor league ball than ever before. No, I didn't head to the stadium early, and no I didn't go to Hooters after the games, but seeing up close, not behind the friendly confines of Nat Bailey, how emotional players can get, whether it be good or bad, I have a new respect for every player who has ever come through the doors of 'The Nat'.

Jareck West is where I'll start off. He hits a grand slam in the 9th inning, before hitting a home-run in his next at-bat, in the following game. You'd think he'd be happy with his series performance, after yet another great game the next night. Well, in the final game of the series he was still angry when he struck out, and was mad when he couldn't get on base another time. I've seen players before who have had a good first couple games of a series, and then act like they don't care at the end. 'Wild' West really showed the true meaning of minor league ball.

Jeremy Barfield is going to be one heck of a ballplayer when he's older. He's just 20 years old, and yet is 6'5. Barfield hit his second home-run of the year last night, and it was a shot. A few nights earlier, he'd made the nicest attempt for a foul ball, diving into the stands, reminiscent of something you'd see on SportsCentre. He didn't come up with the ball, but his determination was amazing, and he is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourite C's. It helps too, that he's batting over .280, weeks after his BA was under .250.

Mike Hart, the C's starter last night, was remarkable through 4 innings, but hurt his foot in the 4th. This was earlier in the inning, and instead of taking himself out of the game, he stayed in there, and proceeded to strike out the batter he was facing. That wouldn't happen in the Majors. In the MLB if a guy gets a paper cut he's out for two weeks. 'Iron' Mike? Nope, he stayed in and finished the inning, failing to give up a run.

Ryne Tacker, has had a tough season. His command has been lost on a few occasions, and his ERA shows that. Last night, he was throwing ball after ball in the dirt. Most pitchers would've come into the dugout after being pulled, and still high-fived their teammates after just three batters, trust me it's happened. Or, if not, they'd slam their glove down, and toss everything in sight. Tacker didn't. He shrugged off teammates, refusing to pump fists or anything in that nature, but also didn't get upset, at least physically. Of course he had to be upset with how he pitched, but honestly keeping your composure physically can be tough, but he held it together.

And in regards to Manager Rick Magnante, he couldn't be doing a finer job in my opinion. His third year at the helm of the C's, the players love him, and more importantly he's the kind of guy you want managing a short-season club. He doesn't throw bases in the air (Hello, Wichita Wingnuts of Independent Baseball), he doesn't scream at an umpire unless it's to fire his team up, and he most importantly doesn't get in the face of a 20 something year old ballplayer, whose made a mistake.

Instead, he explains what they did, and in my view, that's all you can do at short-season baseball. I mean, at the same time, you can't say "Great play," when a guy bobbles the heck out of a ball, but you can tell him what he did and hope he improves it.

That is to me, what short-season baseball is all about. A rally in the 9th inning, a home-run hot streak, a guy who even if he gets hurt wants to finish the inning. The guy who doesn't want to make a scene and throw stuff in the dugout, instead keeping to himself, when he has a bad night. And a manager who explains mistakes, but not in an arrogant or explosive way.

At Nat Bailey, you tend to shrug off a guy's error in the field for the C's, and think if someone dives for a ball it's amazing even if it's 5 feet in front of him. On the road, that's different. Every player dreams of playing for sell-out crowds, and if they make a mistake they'll get mad, trust me, but they won't let it get to them, as much as on the road when all the fans dis-like them anyways.

No Nat Bailey fan unless they're drunk is gonna yell at their own player and say "You suck, learn how to pitch." They're going to applaud the guy anyways, and hope he improves. And I'm not trying to single this pitcher out, but you can tell after a game on the road whether he really does know how to control himself after leaving to a crowd who thinks it's hilarious at how many 'dirt-balls' a guy throws. It's not his fault he has a bad night. I mean he can try to improve but if he doesn't, we all have bad days don't we?

I am more and more convinced after seeing all of these events, the C's are destined for post-season glory. They're 7 games back, but hey, the C's play both Eugene and Salem-Keizer a combined 12 times. They play Everett half-a-dozen times as well. And maybe it will take a miracle for them to make the playoffs, but Miracles happen, just ask the US Olympic Hockey team from the Early-80s or the 1988 New York Mets, or even the Colorado Rockies of 2007. And if they play with as much determination as I saw on the road, they will make it.

Minor League Baseball isn't about the hefty pay-checks, or the endorsements that come from Nike or Reebok, it's about the smell of Peanuts and Cracker Jacks, and more importantly the love of the game. That is what Minor League Baseball is all about.

C's win series vs Indians at Avista

Two words describe why there were no post-game reports from Spokane: Slow. Internet. My goodness, it was terrible. Loading a single web page took as long as 5 minutes, before I gave up hope.

So you get a batch of 4 post-game reports today. Lucky readers. :)

Game 1 we missed, but I posted the report from Rob Fai for that game, but Game 2 saw RHP Shawn Haviland (top left) pitch against Spokane's 18-year old phenom Wilfredo Boscan. Actually Boscan was scheduled to start, but relieved Neil Ramirez who lasted two innings throwing a no-hitter before Boscan got the call.

On the Spokane pitching front, Boscan picked up his 7th win of the year, and lowered his ERA to 2.23, giving up just three hits in 5 innings, striking out 5.

The 8th inning was also scoreless, by another reliever, and I'll get to the 9th in a second.

Shawn Haviland lasted 3 and two-thirds as the Canadians starter, and gave up a pair of hits, one earned run, and 4 walks. His ERA now stands at 2.45. Ryne Tacker relieved him and had a rough time, giving up 5 hits and three earned runs in just one-and-a-third innings on the hill.

Edgar Tejeda gave up two earned runs in 0.2 innings, before Kenny Smalley took over, giving up just a hit and a pair of walks.

Then, Fabian Gomez didn't have his beset stuff, and gave up two earned runs in the 8th.

Matt West, Spokane's 3rd baseman, who was hit by Hector Garcia the night before creating a bench-clearing non-physical altercation, was 2-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, 3 RBI and a walk. Eric Fry had a similiar night, bringing his average to .338. He was 2-3 with a double, a pair of runs and a pair of walks.

Vancouver had two stars, in Julio Rivera, and Jareck West. West knocked his first home-run of the year out of the park, for a grand slam in the 9th inning, but the comeback was still short, as the C's fell 8-5 to the Indians. Cliff Springston was the Indians pitcher go gave up the 'slam, but still managed to pick up the last two outs of the game.

So it wasn't a great effort, but the C's managed 5 runs in the 9th, so at least the Indians didn't shut them out.

Game 3:

barfield-jeremy.jpgThis game was interrupted for more than an hour due to a lightning storm in the area, but the C's pulled out a win, scoring the winning run in the 9th inning after 4 innings of scoreless baseball. The game was 2-0 after the first, and then 3-0 after one and a half, after Jareck West smacked his second consecutive home-run. Spokane scored one run in each of the next three innings, leaving the score at 3-3 at the lightning delay.

The C's top performers on the night were West, who was 1-3 with the solo dinger, Dusty Napoleon who was 2-3 with a pair of doubles and RBI, and Jeremy Barfield (left), who had a double and a run scored.

David Paisano, Spokane's CF was 3-5 on the night, but couldn't manage an RBI or run scored.

Francisco Tirado wasn't too hot defensively, committing two errors.

The C's pitching was hot, with starter Ronny Morla going 4 innings giving up six hits, three runs (two earned) and striking out 5.

Ben Hornbeck was very good relieving, giving up just two hits in 1.1 innings, while Edgar Tejeda and Hector Garcia both pitched no-hit stuff in the next 2.2 innings.

Jose Guzman picked up his 10th save with a scoreless 9th. C's won 4-3.

Game 4:

Vancouver really didn't play well until the 7th inning, nor did the pitching, who gave up three dingers, two of which were to Jared Bolden of the Indians.

Jeremy Barfield did well, going 0-1 with three walks and two runs scored. Rodney Rutherford was the reason Vancouver scored three times in the 7th, starting a come-from-behind victory. Jareck West was also 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Here's what happened in the 9th. Vancouver was down 6-3, and a pair of walks opened the inning. A strikeout gave the Indians one out, but Dante Love singled to load the bases. Rodney Rutherford walked in a run, before a new pitcher, Justin Gutsie gave up a two-run double to Jareck West. A wild pitch on - get this - a intentional walk scored Rodney Rutherford, to give Vancouver the lead.

On the hill, Pedro Figueroa went 5 strong, giving up 5 hits, 4 runs (3 earned) and striking out 6, while giving up a pair of home-runs.

Matt Fitts was good in relief, giving up two runs, before Dan Thomas pitched no-hit stuff for the 8th and 9th, securing the victory, his first as a professional.

Game 5:

The C's opened the game with a bang, with homers from both Leo Gil (his 1st) and Jeremy Barfield (#2). Gil finished the night 2-4 with two RBI, the homer and a double, with two runs scored, while Barfield was 2-4 with a home-run, 2 RBI and a run. Rodney Rutherford also had a good game, going 1-5 with a double and 2 RBI.

Needless to say, Vancouver won 7-2, thanks to a stellar pitching performance from 'Iron' Mike Hart. Hart went 4 innings, giving up just two hits, and a walk, striking out EIGHT. His ERA is a team-best 1.08.

tacker-ryne.jpgKenny Smalley picked up the victory pitching two no-hit innings, before Ryne Tacker had a mediocre performance. Tacker pitched to just three batters, walking the first two, before throwing a wild pitch, and another pitch in the dirt before getting the heave-ho from Rick Magnante. Tacker just didn't have his best stuff, and the dirt was his enemy Sunday night.

Hector Garcia went two strong innings, before closer Jose Guzman, in a non-close situation, gave up a home-run, but still secured the win in the 9th inning.

C's won the series 3-2.

See my next post, either later tonight, or tomorrow morning, about the whole experience in Spokane, aside from the baseball. But I can say, it was an awesome time.

C's fall to 1-5 in August with loss to Spokane

I'm in Everett right now, and tomorrow will be going to Spokane to watch the remaining 4 games of the series with the Indians. So, this is the press release from the C's website, but expect Nat Notes recaps starting tomorrow.

(Avista Stadium - Spokane, WA) - The Vancouver Canadians continued their struggles on the diamond falling 8-3 to the Spokane Indians Wednesday night. The loss drops Vancouver to 19-30 on the Northwest League season.

The Indians were off and running in the bottom of the 1st inning when with two outs DH Joey Butler hit a double off the center field wall scoring CF David Paisano giving Spokane a 1-0 lead.

C's starter LHP Trey Barham was touched up again in the bottom of the 2nd inning when LF Mike Biasucci hit a home run over the left field wall extending the Spokane lead to 2-0.

In the bottom of the 3rd inning, the Indians exploded for three more runs as RF Eric Fry doubled home CF David Paisano, followed by a two-run single from 3B Matt West scoring both Fry and DH Joey Butler to give Spokane a 5-0 lead.

Tempers flaired in the bottom of the 5th inning when Canadians reliever RHP Hector Garcia threw a pair of pitches behind 3B Matt West and then hit him with a 93 MPH fastball in the back. Both benches cleared without a punch thrown as both Managers (Magnante and Hulett Sr.) kept their respective players from each other.

Moments later, both Spokane pitcher RHP Tim Murphy and Manager Tim Hulett Sr. were ejected in the top of the 6th inning as the first pitch thrown by Murphy buzzed Canadians SS Jason Christian up near his head. The umpire immediately tossed Murphy followed by Hullet Sr. who had a lengthly argument before leaving the field. The C's responded to the pressure with a trio of runs that included a RBI double from C Julio Rivera scoring 3B Rodney Rutherford cutting the lead to 5-3 Spokane.

The Indians got two of those runs back in the bottom of the 6th ining when 2B Jason Ogata hit a two-run double scoring both C Doug Hogan and 1B Jared Bolden to extend Spokane's lead to 7-3.

Canadians LHP Ben Hornbeck got touched for a run in the bottom of the 8th inning as C Doug Hogan hit his 2nd home run of the season to make it 8-3 Spokane.

With the loss, the Canadians drop their third straight and are 1-5 in the month of August. Vancouver will play game two of this five game road series at Avista Stadium Thursday evening with first pitch set for 6:35pm. Canadians RHP Shawn Haviland will get the start against Spokane Indians ace RHP Wilfredo Boscan.

Let's hope the boys can get it together tomorrow night, as they are now trailing first place by 7 games, good, or bad enough for last place in the Western Division.