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.
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