The Isotopes and Loons have completed their seasons, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the road for all the players on their rosters. As we all know a handful of AAA players will now be promoted to LA, but it should also be noted that Scott McGough and Juan Rodriguez will be joining to the Quakes to provide bullpen depth for the California League playoffs.
Minor League Player of the Day – Steve Smith - 3 IP, 0 base runners, 1 K. Smith threw 3 perfect innings on Monday to claim the player of the day award, and has been a valuable reliever for the Quakes all season. He's filled several roles, including closer, and ended the season with a 1.89 ERA over his final 10 appearances.
AAA – The Isotopes ended their 2011 campaign without a win in September as they fell again to the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 7 to 5. John Lindsey finished his 17th minor league season a high note as he singled and crushed his 13th bomb to raise his average to .309. Jamie Hoffmann and Ivan De Jesus each doubled, while Joe Becker's triple rounded out Albuquerque's extra base hits. Starter Randy Keisler threw a decent game as he allowed 5 hits and 3 runs over 6 frames, but David Pfeiffer had issues in the 7th and picked up the loss. Finally, as previously reported Jerry Sands and Tim Federowicz did not play in this game and will most likely be up with the big league club very soon.
AA – Rained out
HiA – The Quakes pulled off another stunning comeback on Monday with 6 runs in the 9th to shrink the Giants 7 to 5. The victory helped Rancho reach the 80 win mark, and was really the perfect ending to a outstanding regular season. Almost every player in the lineup helped contribute, but JT Wise did the most damage as he went 3 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI's. Nick Buss had a similar night as he also went 3 for 5 with a double to put his finishing touches on his Dodger minor league comeback player of the year award. Austin Gallagher and Jaime Pedroza connected on two-baggers as well, but Angelo Songco was denied in his quest for reaching 30 homers. Starter Andres Santiago probably pitched his way out of the playoff rotation as he allowed 10 hits and 5 runs over 4 innings. His relievers were sensational, however, as Geison Aguasviva allowed just 1 hit in 2 innings and Steve Smith was perfect over the final 3 frames.
LoA – Similar to the Quakes game, the Loons final game of 2011 summed up their season nicely as Great Lakes lost to South Bend (Dbacks). In a year that saw the Loons struggle offensively, the home team managed just 1 extra base hit and had just 5 base knocks in total. Steve Domecus' double was the lone offensive highlight, and he also picked up an outfield assist. Jonathan Garcia threw a runner out on the bases as well, but saw his average fall to .228 to end the season. Starter Tim Sexton allowed 9 hits and 4 runs over 6 frames to record the loss, but reliever Andrew Pevsner finished the year in style with 2 shutout innings.
Rookie Ogden – Ogden banged out 12 hits on Monday and defeated the Chukars (Royals) 8 to 3. Five different players had multi-hit games, led by Scott Schebler who took one deep and drove in 4 runs. Catcher Chris O'Brien also homered, his first as a member of the Raptors, and doubled to record 2 RBI's. Starter Brandon Martinez allowed just 2 hits over his 4 innings, but walked 4 and ended up allowing 3 runs. Joel Lima got the win in relief with 3 shutout innings, and Matt Shelton lowered his ERA to 2.13 with a scoreless frame of his own.
Rookie Arizona – Season over
DSL – Season over
Coming up - It's going to be a little slow over the next few days as the Lookouts don't start their playoff series until Thursday, and the Quakes have to wait all the way until Saturday before they start their quest for a championship. The Raptors will continue to play regular season games until Thursday before kicking off their first playoff series on Friday.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)