Major League Baseball’s postseason action remains one month away but it’s already full swing throughout the Minor League ranks. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a quartet of affiliates vying for their respective rings.
Let’s take a look at where each team stands in its quest for the championship, and quickly recap the affiliates that failed to reach the playoffs.
Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers
OKC clinched its playoff berth on Aug. 28 behind another gem from Jose De Leon. However, the team has lost several key players to big league call-ups.
De Leon and Brock Stewart could have headlined the Oklahoma City’s playoff rotation but both are with the Dodgers. Rob Segedin and Austin Barnes are also in the Majors.
Trevor Oaks, who would have been the team’s ace, went down with an injury in late August and may not pitch again this year. Still, the club is resilient.
Oklahoma City played its first postseason game on Wednesday, started by the rehabbing Scott Kazmir.
However, Kazmir surrendered a first-inning home run and had to leave the game due to injury before he could finish the inning. The Dodgers battled back but came up short in a 10-7 loss.
They need to win Thursday night to avoid a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series against Nashville Sounds (Oakland Athletics affiliate).
Double-A Tulsa Drillers
Tulsa came up just short of the division crown in the first half and ended the second half last in its division.
It was one of the more entertaining teams to watch during the season, with Cody Bellinger, Alex Verdugo and Willie Calhoun playing almost the entire year there. Hopefully the Drillers can find their footing next season.
High-A Rancho Cucamonga
Thanks to the odd mechanics of the Minor League postseason system, the Quakes clinched a Wild Card spot in the California League playoffs after finishing tied for third in the second half of the season.
They got a late-season start from Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier has been in the lineup for the past two weeks. Oh, and the Quakes won the Cal League championship last year thanks to the trio of Bellinger, Calhoun and Verdugo.
The opening game of the Quakes’ postseason was nothing short of amazing. Rancho and Lancaster traded runs through the first eight innings, leading to a 3-3 tie after nine. The Quakes had opportunities for a walk-off win, but couldn’t cash in until the 16th inning.
Ethier, who started as the designated hitter and played all 16 innings, led off with a single. Yusniel Diaz then doubled with one out, sending Matty Beaty to third base.
After an intentional walk, Noah Perio drove in the game-winning run on a base hit to give the Quakes a 1-0 series advantage.
Low-A Great Lakes
Speaking of walk-offs, the Loons earned their playoff berth with a game-winner in the ninth inning on the second-to-last day of the season. The Loons boast some of the organization’s most promising arms, including Yadier Alvarez and Walker Buehler.
Alvarez started the opener and went four strong innings but the game was suspended due to rain. The Loons took a 3-0 lead and later blew the game open, scoring five runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
A 15-1 route of Bowling Green has the Loons one win away from advancing.
Rookie-level Ogden
Ogden’s season lasted a little longer than the rest of the organization as their final regular season game is played Thursday. The Raptors captured the division title on their manager’s birthday with a dramatic 10th-inning win on Wednesday.
Ogden fell behind early, trailing by four runs after the third inning. They came back with six runs to take the lead in the top of the fourth, but allowed half a dozen in the bottom of the inning to fall behind.
The Raptors scraped back, cutting the deficit late, and Brandon Montgomery clubbed a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning. Keibert Ruiz then drove in Moises Perez in the top of the 10th.
In the bottom of the inning, with two outs and the tying run in scoring position, a long fly ball was caught on the warning track by Mitchell Hansen to secure the win and the postseason berth.
The Raptors’ quest for a championship begins Friday.
Arizona League Dodgers
Despite finishing with the best record in the league, the AZL Dodgers failed to make the playoffs because they placed second in the first and second halves. The strange Minor League postseason system giveth, the strange Minor League postseason system taketh away.
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