With one home series left to go, California was running out of hope. The Roadrunners sat a full game behind Plaza in the AL Wild Card standings, but had played eight more games than the Lions. There wasn't much we could do about that, but we could try to win our final home series. Florence came into town on a hot, musty September afternoon to try and knock off the Roadrunners for good in 2011.
Game 1: Florence 7, California 4
The first game of the series matched up Bruce Chen (2-4, 3.10 in only two games started) against September call-up Bud Norris (2-7, 4.76). The two threw like aces through three, despite three warning track blasts by the home team. In the top of the fourth, the bad luck continued as Jack Cust hit a seemingly routine fly ball that Jose Bautista lost. This allowed Cust to advance to second, and he later scored on a single by Daric Barton to give the River Bats a 1-0 lead. Taking advantage of a frustrated starting pitcher, Will Venable then smashed a two-run home run to deep center field to extend the lead to 3-0.
In the sixth, Bautista's troubles in left field continued as he just missed a line drive by Barton. It was ruled a double, and the inning continued. Norris struggled to gain his composure yet again, and walked Venable putting runners at first and second. Bautista, clearly distracted then allowed a bloop single to Xavier Paul that scored Barton to make it 4-0. Ryan Perry then relieved Norris, but couldn't change the bad luck California was having. Paul stole second despite several pick-off attempts, opening up first base for Pedro Feliz. Opting to pitch to Feliz, he countered with a swinging bunt back to Perry. Surprised, Perry took forever getting off the mound to field the ball, and Feliz was safe at first on an infield hit. This scored Venable to put Florence up 5-0.
The Roadrunners finally solved Chen in the bottom half of the sixth. Chris Valaika led off with a single, and shortstop Paul Janish took Chen deep to left-center for his fourth home run of the year. With the score now 5-2, Carlos Lee singled and advanced to second after Aramis Ramirez grounded out. With two outs, Julio Borbon rocked Chen for a double that scored Lee from second cutting the lead back down to two runs at 5-3. Sam Lecure was then called in from the bullpen to relieve a tired Bruce Chen. Lecure struck out pinch-hitter Casper Wells to end the inning.
Now sensing a comeback, the Roadrunners called on Will Ohman to face Martin Prado with a runner on first (and a slew of lefties to follow). Prado took the first pitch he saw and planted it securely in the rocks in left-center. Florence now held a 7-3 lead in the seventh inning. Ohman was left in and took the Roadrunners to the ninth without allowing a run. Lecure shut down the California offense until the bottom of the ninth when Rod Barajas hit his 20th homer of the season. But it was too little, too late as Lecure got Rafael Furcal to ground out to short to end the game.
Game 2: California 5, Florence 4
The pressure was now on for California. The current standings had them a game and a half behind Plaza, which meant they would have to win out in order to have any kind of chance at making the post-season. On paper, the second game of the series was going to be a tough match up for California as Florence sent 11-8 Gio Gonzalez and his 3.46 ERA to the hill. Seven-game winner (and 12-game loser) John Lackey took the ball to represent California.
All was quiet until the bottom of the third inning. Gonzalez was cruising along until Kosuke Fukudome launched his 12th home run of the year deep into right field to give the Roadrunners an early 1-0 lead. California was clinging to that one-run lead until the top of the sixth. Starlin Castro lead off the inning with a double, and Jack Cust followed with a laser beam single into right to tie the game at one. The River Bats ended up loading the bases, but reliever Matt Guerrier was able to get Pedro Feliz to ground out to third to end the inning with the score tied 1-1.
In the bottom of the seventh, lefty September call-up Jarrod Dyson was called on to pinch hit against Plaza's Todd Wellemeyer. It looked like the perfect time for a pitching change, but Dyson was pitched to instead, and promptly launched a bomb into deep center to give the home team a 2-1 lead. David Hernandez was then called in to pitch (one batter too late, maybe). Hernandez was out of control, throwing three walks and two wild pitches (one of which scored Bengie Molina from third).
With the score 3-1 in the ninth, the Roadrunners called on their closer, Brandon Lyon, to end the game. He ended up loading the bases with two outs, and was faced with Martin Prado, arguably Florence's best hitter (.304-22-89 entering the at-bat). The Roadrunners' pitching coach, Kenny Powers, visited Lyon on the mound to see if he could talk Lyon into getting Prado out. We don't know what Powers said to Lyon, but Lyon was visibly shaken. Prado singled, and Coco Crisp walked, and the game was tied at 3. Powers then stormed the mound and started taking swings at Lyon. Powers needed to be restrained by the coaching staff, and Lyon was removed from the game. Jeff Suppan needed to be woken up from his season-long nap to replace Lyon, still with the bases loaded. Suppan was able to get Will Venable to ground out to end the inning, and the Roadrunners came to bat.
With California failing to get the winning run home in the ninth, the River Bats capitalized on the second chance. With two outs in the tenth, Nick Hundley singled, and Carlos Guillen knocked him in with a double to take the lead 4-3. Ivan Nova was called in to get the final out of the inning, and things were looking very bleak. Now, down to their final out in the bottom of the tenth, Wilson Valdez scooted a single past Castro, keeping hope alive. With everything on the line, the Roadrunners sent up Manny Ramirez against Derek Holland. Ramirez took a chance and hit one deep to center off the wall, scoring Valdez all the way from first, tying the game up 4-4. Holland got out of the inning by pitching around Rod Barajas, and getting Fukudome to ground out.
Both clubs made it another inning, and we were on to the twelfth. Tenth-inning heroes Valdez and MAN-RAM were at it again. Valdez led the inning off with a double, and Ramirez followed up with a double to score Valdez and win it for California, 5-4. While it was a disappointing season for Manny Ramirez, he may have kept the Roadrunner playoff hopes alive, and brought momentum back for California.
Game 3: California 9, Florence 8
Game three looked like another mismatch on paper as Florence was set with hard-luck starter Fausto Carmona (9-14, 3.61). California had its own underachiever ready to go in Livan Hernandez (12-15, 4.85). The River Bats' best players showed up with something to prove and got things going early. Starlin Castro lead off the game with a double, and Martin Prado doubled him in to take a 1-0 lead in the first. Xavier Paul then hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that scored Prado. Pedro Feliz kept things moving along with a single that scored Daric Barton, but the rally ended there, as Reggie Willits flew out to right with the bases loaded. Hernandez spotted the River Bats three runs before Mike Aviles stepped up to lead things off for California.
In the second inning, Jose Bautista decided to start chipping away at the three-run lead and hit a solo home run (his 41st) out to left field. That was all the home offense could muster, but the visiting team tacked on three more runs in the top of the third, knocking starter Hernandez out of the game. Hernandez was met with boos as he walked off the mound for what is most likely his last start for California, and possibly in BRASSball forever. The River Bats added two more runs in the top of the fourth to put the game out of reach at 8-1.
Things got interesting in the bottom of the eighth. With the score 8-2, the Roadrunners managed to score five thanks in part to Carlos Lee and his three-run home run. Then with one out, Mark Ellis walked against Matt Reynolds. Todd Wellemeyer was called in to face the pinch-hitter, Chris Valaika. The Roadrunners countered, however, with Kosuke Fukudome instead. Fukudome then hit one squarely over the right-field wall for a two-run home run, and a 9-8 lead.
Brandon Lyon was called on to finish this one, and finish it he did. California was victorious, 9-8, with a seven-run eighth inning! For Lyon, he picked up his 35th save of the year. Nate Robertson (4-0, 2.41) was the winner in relief. Todd Wellemeyer took the loss (even though Gil Meche surrendered 4 earned runs without allowing a hit, and Matt Reynolds gave up two runs in 1/3 of an inning). It was on to game four to see if California could keep up their magic.
Game 4: Florence 4, California 0
The two teams were now set for the final game of the regular season at California. Florence readied Wade LeBlanc (5-10, 5.33) for the showdown, while California called up Trevor Bell (1-2, 7.63) to see if he could prove to the club that he is worth of a spot on the team in 2012.
The River Bats jumped on top 1-0 in the third as the Roadrunners traded two outs with a double play for a run. They struck again in the top of the fifth when Will Venable singled, stole second and third, and scored when Osvaldo Martinez doubled. Florence extended their lead to 3-0 when Daric Barton singled off of Bell to score Martinez. Not wanting the game to get too far out of hand, Bell was replaced by the veteran Will Ohman, and Ohman got the team out of the jam.
LeBlanc was cruising along and pitched very well through six-plus innings. David Hernandez relieved LeBlanc in the seventh to extinguish a Roadrunner rally. In the top of the eighth, the River Bats added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly by Xavier Paul.
The River Bats closed things out as the California put on a lackluster performance in their season-ending home game. The series was split two-two, which was a disappointment for the home team. Needing every win they could possibly get to catch Plaza for the playoffs, California fell to 9-10 for the month of September. With all the excitement of this series, a lull of frustration and disappointment fell over the entire franchise as they sat a full game back of Plaza, with three games left to play (and Plaza with fifteen games left).
