Everett vs Vancouver, Part II

Everett Series, July 15-17, 2013

From July 4 through July 14, Vancouver won six of 10 contests, going 3-2 in Hillsboro and 3-2 against Boise at home, improving its season record to 18-12 after 30 games. In that same stretch, the Everett AquaSox went 5-5 (including back-to-back 8-0 losses in Eugene July 12-13) and through 30 games had a 20-10 mark. 

The Canadians and AquaSox met for their second series beginning July 15, with Vancouver only two games back of Everett entering this three-game set. With the first half ending the following week (in Short-Season Single-A ball, each half has only 38 games), the Canadians still had a shot at overtaking the AquaSox. In fact, with a three-game sweep, Vancouver would move into sole possession of first place in the North Division. 

Things started well for the Canadians in the series opener, when they spanked Everett 13-1 with RHP Eric Brown improving to 5-0 and 2B David Harris going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. For Brown, it was another gem, as he tossed seven innings of three-hit ball with no walks and nine strikeouts, lowing his ERA to 1.33. 

With the first-half division title on the line, Vancouver struck for a five-run second inning to break the game open, with Harris' second double of the season driving in DH Jordan Leyland for the first run. CF Chaz Frank then singled home two more runs. SS Dickie Thon followed with a run-scoring single, and the C's added a fifth run on an Everett error, and it was 5-0. Vancouver wouldn't let up, scoring six more runs over the next three innings and the AquaSox never recovered. The division lead for Everett was down to one game.

The Canadians' offense came alive in each of the next two games, as they scored six runs in the second and third contests of the series. However, the pitching didn't show up, and the AquaSox came away with 11-6 and 7-6 victories to put a dagger into the C's first-half pennant hopes.

In the second game of the series on July 16, it initially appeared as though the Canadians would win in a romp, as they plated three runs in the top of the first inning--with L.B. Dantzler hitting his third home run of the season--and chased starter RHP Stephen Pryor. The C's had a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the second inning but the AquaSox exploded against LHP Scott Silverstein for five runs, knocking the Vancouver left-hander out of the game. The big blow was 1B Reggie Lawson's three-run home run off Silverstein, a blast which gave Everett a 7-4 advantage. The AquaSox never looked back, and went on to finish off the 11-6 win.

In the series finale, LHP Kyle Anderson did his job, handing a 2-1 lead to the Canadians bullpen. On the night, Anderson gave up just three hits with no walks in his five innings of work, striking out three batters. The only run the left-hander allowed was a home run off the bat of 1B Justin Seager. Alas, the AquaSox rallied against the Canadians bullpen, scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 3-2 lead. Everett added four runs in the bottom of the seventh for a commanding 7-2 cushion, before the C's four-run ninth-inning rally fell just short with their leading hitter, LF Jordan Leyland (.347), flying out to right field with the potential tying run aboard to end the game. The hero offensively for the C's was 3B Andy Fermin, who went 4-for-4 to raise his batting average to .296, as he also hit his first home run of the season in the ninth inning. Unfortunately for the C's, it was the duo of RHP Garrett Pickens and RHP Matt Johnson (six runs on four hits and three walks over two innings) failing in relief that doomed Vancouver. 

The series loss to the AquaSox dropped the Canadians to 19-14. Everett, meanwhile, improved to 22-11, and increased its lead over Vancouver to three games for the first-half pennant in the North Division with only five games remaining in the half. 

Following the Everett series, the Canadians took on the Eugene Emeralds for a five-game set from July 18-22 at Scotiabank Field as they battled to overtake the AquaSox for the first-half pennant. Despite 10-2 and 4-0 victories over Eugene to open the series, though, Vancouver was officially eliminated on July 20 following its 2-1 defeat and Everett's 8-7 win in Boise.*

The Canadians would finish the first half with a 22-16 record, one game back of the AquaSox. All four teams in the North Division finished .500 or above in the first half, which should make for an intriguing race in the second half.

2013 Northwest League First-Half Standings

North Division
Team            W-L    Pct    GB
Everett         23-15   .605    -
Vancouver    22-16   .579    1
Spokane      20-18   .526    3
Tri-City         19-19   .500    4

*For me, the Eugene series brought back memories of the Derrick Chung walk-off sacrifice fly game back on July 26, 2012, when the Canadians beat the Emeralds 1-0 at Scotiabank Field. Here's a trip down memory lane to one year ago...
 

Canadians go 4-2 on homestand June 28-July 3; inch closer to first-place AquaSox

Tri-City Series, June 28-30, 2013

Following their eight-game road trip, the Canadians returned home to Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium and took two of three from the Tri-City Dust Devils, winning the final two contests by 5-2 and 7-3 scores on June 29 and 30.

The series victory over Tri-City improved the Canadians' season record to 10-7 after 17 games, within striking distance of the first-place Everett AquaSox (14-3) for the North Division's first-half pennant. It also set up an intriguing Canada Day series at Scotiabank Field against the AquaSox as the C's try to inch close to Everett.

But first things first; Vancouver first had to deal with Tri-City. In the opener of the three-game set versus the Dust Devils on June 28, Canadians starter LHP Colton Turner was outstanding through the first six innings as the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie entering the seventh. Alas, the Dust Devils banged out two singles, a double, and a triple in the top of the seventh, plating three runs, and Tri-City came out on top with a 4-1 victory. LF Michael Tauchman's two-run three-base hit proved to be the decisive blow, as the hard-luck Turner--who had a two-hitter through the first six innings--dropped to 0-2 on the summer. The C's Jordan Leyland went 2-for-4 in the loss, improving his batting average to a team-best .340.

The Canadians bounced back with back-to-back wins to close out the Tri-City series, with staff ace Eric Brown pitching Vancouver to a 5-2 victory on June 29. The C's scored five runs early, and Brown (3-0, 0.76) tossed five shutout innings allowing just five hits for his third win of the season. RHP Matt Johnson, meanwhile, continued to shine for the C's. Johnson, who began the 2012 season as the Canadians' Opening Day shortstop before converting to a relief pitcher mid-summer, struck out two Dust Devils in two hitless innings of work and through 9.2 innings in 2013 still had a 0.00 ERA. Offensively, it was a collective team effort; Vancouver banged out 11 hits in the game--all singles--and every C's position player except 2B Jorge Vega-Rosado had at least one hit.

The following afternoon on June 30, the C's defeated the Dust Devils 7-3, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit. Tri-City had scored three runs in the third inning and the game moved along into the fifth when C Daniel Klein smacked his first home run of the summer to put the C's on the scoreboard. Down 3-2 in the seventh, the C's erupted for five big runs, with SS Dickie Thon's two-run double the big blow. RHP Justin James was the hero on the mound, tossing four shutout innings of one-hit ball in relief of Scott Silverstein (who gave up three runs over three innings in his Canadians debut).

But the biggest comeback of the day didn't happen until hours after the C's contest was completed. In Everett, the first-place AquaSox led the Spokane Indians 6-0 after four innings and seemed destined to improve to 15-2 on the summer. Instead, Spokane struck for seven runs in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh to stun the AquaSox. Down 9-6 entering the bottom of the seventh, Everett managed to score three runs to tie it, before CF Ryan Cordell (who finished the night 3-for-5 with three runs scored) homered in the ninth inning to win it 10-9 for the Indians.

The loss dropped Everett to 14-3, with Vancouver only four games back at 10-7 entering a crucial series against those AquaSox from July 1-3. Though the AquaSox seemed certain to win the first-half pennant in the North Division (with 21 games remaining in the 38-game half), the C's could make things interesting if they could sweep Everett or take two of three in their upcoming series.

Everett Series, July 1-3, 2013

The Everett AquaSox ruined the Canada Day celebration at Scotiabank Field on July 1, as the sell-out crowd of 5,157 went home disappointed in the Canadians' 7-3 loss in the opening game of this three-game set.

Though LHP Kyle Anderson pitched five gutsy innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts, and though the C's built and early 3-1 lead, it ultimately wasn't enough as the AquaSox rallied and won it against the Vancouver bullpen. The decisive run came in the seventh inning, when with the score tied 3-3 and CF James Zamarripa on third base, SS Jack Reinheimer bunted him home for what proved to be the game-winning run. Everett put the game away in the top of the ninth, scoring three insurance runs on three singles, a walk, and an error, making the final margin 7-3. LHP Matt Dermody, who was making his C's debut, took the loss in relief. AquaSox ace Rigoberto Garcia (3-0, 2.35), meanwhile, allowed only five hits and a walk in seven innings, improving to 3-0.

The win improved Everett's record to 15-3 as the AquaSox bounced back from that ugly 10-9 loss to Spokane the night before, and Vancouver dropped to 10-8, five games back of the division lead.

Still, the Canadians showed some resiliency, rallying to beat the AquaSox in the next two games, 11-1 and 7-3. With the two victories, Vancouver (12-8) trailed ended the series just three games behind Everett (15-5).

In the second game of the series on July 2, RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski tossed six shutout innings of two-hit ball with no walks for the C's before they broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh. Ahead 3-1, Vancouver broke open a tense ballgame with three runs, highlighted by CF Ian Parmley's two-run double off AquaSox reliever LHP Nick Valenza. The Canadians added five more runs in the next inning on five singles, two walks, and a hit batsman, putting the game out of reach. Final score, 11-1. AquaSox RHP Lars Huijer, born in the Netherlands and signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Seattle Mariners in 2011, didn't pitch a bad game in going five innings while allowing only two runs. However, Huijer still suffered his first loss with Everett, dropping to 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA.

The AquaSox didn't receive good starting pitching in the finale of the series against the Canadians, though, as LHP Tyler Olson, drafted by the Mariners in the seventh round in 2013, was roughed up for six runs over the first two innings. The Canadians would pound Olson for seven runs total on 11 hits and four walks over his 4.2 innings en route to a 7-3 romp. 1B L.B. Dantzler clubbed a two-run double and Surrey BC's 3B Justin Atkinson added an RBI double, helping LHP Colton Turner (1-2) register his first victory of the 2013 season. LF Jordon Leyland, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored, and raised his batting average to .356.

With the victory, the Canadians wrapped up their homestand with a 4-2 mark and would embark on a five-game road trip to Hillsboro on July 4-8 to take on the Hops.

C's have successful eight-game road trip; go 5-3 in Salem-Keizer and Spokane

Salem-Keizer Series, June 20-24, 2013

I will always have fond memories of Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Oregon. Last August 20, I did a few innings of play-by-play in the visiting broadcast booth for RHP Taylor Cole's spectacular performance on his 23rd birthday and the Vancouver Canadians went on to take two of three against the Volcanoes.*

This year, with Salem-Keizer having moved to the South Division, the Canadians and Volcanoes are no longer division rivals. So, instead of playing four three-game series, the two teams will play only a pair of five-game sets, with the June 20-24 series taking place in Keizer.

Vancouver took the first three games of the series by scores of 6-4, 5-4, and 8-6, before losing the final two in heart-breaking fashion, 2-1 (called after five innings due to rain) and 1-0 (10 innings). 

The 6-4 victory on June 20 and the 8-6 thriller on June 22 remind me of why the Canadians are two-time defending Northwest League champions. Both wins featured amazing comebacks just when you thought the C's were out of it. 

In the first win, the Canadians trailed 4-1 after seven innings as they were unable to get anything against Volcanoes starter LHP Andrew Leenhouts (4.2 innings, 1 R) and reliever RHP Jake Shadle (2.1 innings, 0 hits, 0 R). In the top of the eighth inning, though, Vancouver struck against LHP Chris Fern. 

With one out, 2B Andy Fermin reached base when Volcanoes 2B Cristian Otero booted his ground ball, and DH Jordan Leyland singled him to second. After a groundout by RF Brenden Kalfus, Surrey B.C.'s 1B Justin Atkinson singled home Fermin, cutting the deficit to 4-2. A wild pitch by Fern put runners on second and third, before C Michael Reeves delivered a two-run double to tie the game at 4-4. 

Stunned by the Canadians' rally, Salem-Keizer went down quietly in the bottom half of the eighth inning before Vancouver erupted for the winning runs in the top of the ninth. And it was a pair of Canadians who had been struggling who made it happen.

CF Ronnie Melendez, who came into this game batting .077, led off with a single off RHP Raymundo Montero. With Guelph Ontario's 3B Shaun Valeriote batting, Melendez took off for second base. However, Salem-Keizer C Gabriel Cornier threw the ball into center field, allowing Melendez to reach third base. After Valeriote walked, Andy Fermin doubled home both runners to give the C's a 6-4 advantage. For Fermin, who came into the night batting .188, it was his first double of the season and his first hit of the contest, and it proved to be the game-winner. 

Though the Volcanoes loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth on a pair of walks and a single, RHP Jonathan Kountis struck out the side, including Salem-Keizer's best hitter SS Jeremy Sy (who was batting .450 going into the contest) swinging, to end the thriller. 

Though C's starter LHP Kyle Anderson gave up four runs, he still pitched effectively in his 5.2 innings of work, striking out six Volcanoes without issuing a walk. But it was the C's comeback--as well as the 3.1 innings of two-hit, shutout ball with seven strikeouts provided by the bullpen--that got him off the hook.

If that opening-game victory was exciting, then the C's certainly gave an encore performance two nights later. 

Down 6-1 after five innings, Vancouver came storming back with seven runs over the next three innings to pull out an incredible 8-6 victory. While the Canadians showed a lot of grit by coming back, they were actually helped out by a porous Volcanoes defense that committed seven errors (which led to three unearned runs). 

In the top of the sixth, C Daniel Klein reached base on a throwing error by Volcanoes counterpart Eugene Escalante, and 1B Justin Atkinson (who would finish the evening 2-for-4) made him pay by drilling an RBI double to make it 6-2. An inning later, SS Dickie Thon also delivered a run-scoring two-base hit as part of a three-run outburst which cut the deficit to 6-5.

The C's then put the dagger into the Volcanoes' hearts in the top of the eighth inning, scoring three runs to complete the comeback. After LF Ronnie Melendez and CF Ian Parmley both walked to open the inning, RF Brenden Kalfus stroke a one-out double to cash in both runners to give the C's their first lead all evening. One out later, Kalfus would score on a single by Daniel Klein for Vancouver's eighth run, and the Canadians would hang on to the 8-6 victory.

It was Vancouver's fifth straight win and the club improved to 6-3 after nine games. But that victory, as well as the 6-4 game that opened the Salem-Keizer series, served as a reminder as to why the Canadians have won the last two NWL Championships. They never seem to give up, and just when you think they're done, they show you otherwise.

The C's winning streak would be snapped the following afternoon on June 23, when Salem-Keizer won 2-1 in a game which was called after five innings. LHP Colton Turner (0-1) was the hard-luck loser in that contest, allowing only three hits (and three walks) in his four innings of work. SS Dickie Thon drove in the only run for Vancouver, slugging a fifth-inning double that cashed in CF Ian Parmley. 

Vancouver would close out the Salem-Keizer series by losing 1-0 in 10 innings, wasting a stellar performance by ace RHP Eric Brown. Brown, the native of Thunder Bay, ON, tossed seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts (and no walks), lowering his ERA to a minuscule 0.96. 

Alas, the C's couldn't get any runs off RHP Chris Johnson (6 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 SO), RHP Jake Shadle (2 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 SO), and RHP Raymundo Montero (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 SO), either. 

The game wasn't decided until the bottom of the 10th, when Volcanoes 1B Jonathan Jones singled off RHP Markus Brisker with the bases loaded, allowing Salem-Keizer to salvage the series finale. 

The Canadians managed only five hits in the 1-0 loss, with 1B Jordan Leyland (2-for-4) collecting two of them, including a double. The two-hit game raised Leyland's average to .324, tops among all regular C's hitters.


Spokane Series, June 25-27, 2013

Following the Canadians' 3-2 series win in Salem-Keizer, they travelled to Avista Stadium in Spokane, Washington, for their second matchup of the 2013 summer with the Spokane Indians.

Vancouver had won two of three against the Indians back in its season-opening homestand at Scotiabank Field (June 17-19), and it was no different this time around in Spokane.

In the series opener on June 25, LHP Kyle Anderson was spectacular, tossing six innings of two-hit ball with no walks and three strikeouts, as the Canadians won 4-0. Anderson had to pitch a shutout, as the C's gave him just one run of support through the first six innings, with 2B David Harris' RBI single in the top of the second off Indians starter RHP Alex Gonzalez (driving in DH Jordan Leyland) the only run of the ballgame up to that point.

The C's would salt the game away in the final innings, with an Andy Fermin run-scoring double and Jordan Leyland RBI single cashing in two more runs.

The Canadians pitching staff did not issue a walk in the entire game, allowing only four hits to Spokane, as the right-handed trio of Alvido Jimenez, Tim Brechbuehler, and Chuck Ghysels shut down the Indians over the final three innings while allowing just two hits with four strikeouts.

Indians reliever RHP Eric Brooks gave up just one run on two hits over five innings in a losing effort for Spokane.

Despite 1B Justin Atkinson's game-tying home run in the ninth inning the following night on June 26, along with six innings of four-hit, one-run ball by RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski, the C's still lost 3-2 in 10 innings as the Indians earned a split in the series after the first two contests.

Atkinson, from Surrey, B.C., slugged a one-out homer to deep leftfield off reliever RHP Josh McElwee to tie the game 2-2 in the ninth, but the Canadians lost it in the bottom of the 10th inning on a throwing error by SS Dickie Thon with runners on second and third with two outs.

In the loss for the C's, there were still several standouts who came through on this night.

• Gabryszwski, who walked one batter and recorded three strikeouts, lowered his ERA to 1.59 on the summer. In each of his first three starts this year, he has gone at least five innings and given up no more than one earned run. He is 1-0 for the C's and has issued just one walk in his 17 innings of work. 
• Atkinson, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 26th round in 2011, went 2-for-4. His ninth-inning home run was his first of the summer for Vancouver, and the second of his professional career. The 19-year-old first baseman's other home run came in 2012 in the Gulf Coast League.
• CF Ian Parmley went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .261.

The Canadians would bounce back the series finale on June 27, beating the Indians 5-2 to complete a successful eight-game road trip where they went 5-3.

In the finale, 2B Andy Fermin banged out three hits in five at-bats and drove in a pair of runs, 3B L.B. Dantzler went 2-for-4 in his second game in a Canadians uniform, and C Michael Reeves was 3-for-4 with a run scored.

Reeves' three-hit game raised his batting average to .440 for the summer.

On the mound, LHP Bobby Brosnahan picked up his first win of the season with five shutout innings of three-hit ball. Brosnahan (1-1) did not allow a walk and recorded seven strikeouts.

With the win, the C's improved their record to 8-6 and return home for a six-game homestand beginning on June 28 against the Tri-City Dust Devils (three games) and the North Division-leading Everett AquaSox (three games).

*I began this post by reminiscing about the Taylor Cole/Salem-Keizer game from August 20, 2012. Here is the play-by-play of that memorable night: