Dust Devil Alumni Update

Although the Tri-City Dust Devils have a respectable number of current players on the Colorado Rockies’ roster, the team has its fair share of prospects continuing to climb through the organization’s farm system as well. Among the “Top 20 Prospects”, formed by Major League Baseball for each team’s website, seven on the Rockies’ list are former Dust Devils.

Edwar Cabrera- LHP – #19 Prospect:

Cabrera spent all of 2010 with the Dust Devils and has continued a steady progression to the double-A Tulsa Drillers, where he started this season and has done well enough to be named to the Rockies’ 40-man roster. In 2011 Cabrera led the Minor Leagues in strikeouts, 217, across two levels of single-A baseball, splitting time in Asheville and Modesto. So far in 2012, Cabrera is 4-3 in eight starts with a 3.20 earned run average.

Hector Gomez – IF – #17

Spending two stints in Tri-City, four years apart, talented infielder Hector Gomez has shown all the right stuff to make it to the top, apart from being able to stay on the field. Troubled with injuries, Gomez has long been projected to become an everyday infielder for the Rockies. He made his MLB debut at the end of last season, playing two games, showing enough to be named to the Rockies’ 40-man roster coming into the season. But injuries once again are taking their toll as Gomez has spent the entirety of 2012 on the sidelines.

Josh Rutledge- IF – #16

After beginning his career with the Dust Devils in 2010 and struggling, tallying only 5 hits in 11 games, Rutledge has turned on the offense and burst onto the Rockies’ infield radar. Looking for infielders to pair on each side of franchise shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Rutledge, although still a couple years away, has as good a shot as any to stake his claim. This season he’s batting .288 with a .310 on-base percentage in double-A Tulsa through 38 games.

Christian Friedrich – LHP – #14

Making his MLB debut last week and following that up with another great performance may help Friedrich stick into a rotation that has struggled this season, where he found himself after injuries forced him into a spot start.

Charlie Blackmon – OF – #13

After making his MLB debut last summer and impressing in his time in the outfield for the Rockies, Blackmon broke his foot, ending his season early. Playing for the Dust Devils in his rookie season in 2008, Blackmon broke into the Dust Devil record books, setting the single-season hits record with 98, and was on the fast-track through the minors. Currently battling a toe-injury that has had him on and off the disabled list this season, Blackmon is getting back to full health in triple-A Colorado Springs. So far this season the Georgia Tech alum is batting .203 in 17 games.

Tim Wheeler – OF – #7

Drafted in the first round of 2009 and helping the Dust Devils earn their second division title in team history in that same year, Wheeler, like Blackmon, is a player that will likely get a good look by the Rockies when he gets his shot at the major league level.  Wheeler emerged last season, blasting a Rockies’ double-A and Tulsa Drillers’ record 33 home runs while also stealing 21 bases. Yet the injury bug bit Wheeler as well this season, as he broke his hamate bone in his right hand in April. In his shortened 2012 season, Wheeler is batting .200 in just eight games.

Chad Bettis – RHP – #4

Taken in the second round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2010, Bettis began his professional career strong and hasn’t stopped improving. Going 4-1 in nine starts with a 1.12 earned run average in his time with the Dust Devils, Bettis was quickly promoted and is currently on the double-A Tulsa Drillers roster. However, he began the year on the disabled list with a triceps issue that has sidelined him all season. The Rockies will hope to sort his injuries out quickly to help their struggling pitching staff. In high-A Modesto last season Bettis was 12-5 in 27 starts and through his solid minor league career has been listed as the 61^st best prospect in all of Minor League Baseball.

Friedrich on Fire

Although listed as the #14 prospect for the Rockies, Christian Friedrich is putting his name at the top of every Rockies fan’s list after his first two starts. In those two starts, spanning six and seven innings respectively, the 2008 draft pick has struck out 17, walked two and earned a 1-0 record thanks to a sterling 1.38 earned run average. A large part of Friedrich’s success has been because he’s throwing strikes, a lot of them. This piece in the Denver Post yesterday shows just how accurate the rookie has been. Here’s an excerpt from the piece:

“Christian Friedrich’s precision is the most accurate way to explain his success. The left-hander has pitched the best back-to-back games of any Rockies starter this season, his emergence as startling as his statistics. Friedrich has thrown 197 pitches, 130 of them strikes.

“He’s made quite a statement for himself,” manager Jim Tracy said.

The numbers become even more impressive when broken down. Fastball: 127 pitches, 86 strikes; curveball: 30, 17; slider: 22, 15; changeup: 18, 12. “

He’s scheduled to make his home debut for Colorado, at well-known hitter’s park Coors Field, on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have the 27^th ranked batting average in the MLB, but he’ll be facing off against Jason Vargas, the #2 pitcher on the Mariners’ staff.

Opening Night- Coming Soon!

There is now less than a month until the Dust Devils’ 2012 season begins on June 15th against the Everett AquaSox! Ticket packages are on sale now and start at just $49, with full-season tickets available for as low as $259. Special ticket rates are available for groups of 20 or more. Season tickets, mini-plans, and group tickets can be purchased by contacting the Dust Devils front office at (509) 544-8789 or at the Gesa Stadium box office.

With almost a quarter of the 2012 MLB season finished, rosters are taking shape and teams are looking to make adjustments for the rest of the year. The Colorado Rockies’ current 40-man roster includes eight former Dust Devils, five of which are active on the 25-man roster.

Relief pitchers Rex Brothers and Matt Reynolds have become staples of the Rockies’ bullpen, ranking first and third in appearances through the first 33 games of the season. Brothers, who spent time in Tri-City in 2009, is 1-1 in 18 appearances and 12 2/3 innings pitched on the year, with a 3.55 earned run average. Reynolds, who was a part of the 2007 Dust Devils East Division title winning team, is 3-0 this season in 15 appearances. The left-hander has a 4.15 earned run average in 13 innings pitched on the year.

In the rotation former Dust Devil starters Juan Nicasio and Christian Friedrich are each trying to establish themselves as fixtures in a pitching staff that has the second highest earned run average in Major League Baseball, 5.10, only ahead of the early-season candidate for worst team of the year in the Minnesota Twins.

Nicasio spent the 2008 season with the Dust Devils and made the jump to the MLB in 2011, before a line drive hit him and broke his neck, ending his season prematurely. He has rebounded as well as anyone could hope in 2012, going 2-1 in his first seven starts of the year after beginning the campaign in the Rockies’ rotation. In those starts the Dominican Republic native has thrown 40 2/3 total innings and tallied an earned run average of 4.65.

Friedrich, a first-round selection in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Rockies, spent time with the Dust Devils in that same year and has worked his way up the team’s farm system and has made the most of his opportunities. Last week the lefty made his MLB debut, after injuries and a disappointing start to the season opened up a slot in the Rockies’ starting rotation. In his debut, on the road against the San Diego Padres, Friedrich looked the part of a first-round draft pick, earning the win while striking out seven, walking one and allowing one earned run over six innings. The start was good enough for the Eastern Kentucky alum to earn a second start, which is tonight on the road against the San Francisco Giants.

Offensively there’s only one current active player on the Rockies’ roster who played for the Dust Devils, catcher turned infielder Jordan Pacheco. Pacheco spent portions of the 2007 and 2008 seasons in Tri-City, playing a combination of infield positions as well as catcher. This season Pacheco has played 11 games with the Rockies, batting .200 (5-for-25) with a triple and two walks. He’s played primarily due to the absence of Eric Young Jr., who has left the team to be with his grandfather who suffered a stroke earlier this month. Pacheco earned the call-up in large part due to his bat, batting .433 in 17 games thus far this season in Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Former Dust Devils on the Rockies’ 40-man roster, who are inactive for various reasons, include left-handed pitcher Edwar Cabrera, outfielder Charlie Blackmon and infielder Hector Gomez. None of the trio has made an appearance for the Rockies this season, with Charlie Blackmon as the only one with significant previous time playing for the Major League club. Last season Blackmon played 27 games for the Rockies after being called up mid-season, batting .255 in 102 plate appearances. Gomez is currently on the 15-day disabled list while Cabrera is doing well in double-A with the Tulsa Drillers, where he is 4-2 in seven starts with a 3.09 earned run average.

Don’t miss your chance to watch future Major Leaguers as the Dust Devils’ 2012 season begins on June 15th against the Everett AquaSox. Ticket packages are on sale now and start at just $49, with full-season tickets available for as low as $259. Special ticket rates are available for groups of 20 or more. Season tickets, mini-plans, and group tickets can be purchased by contacting the Dust Devils front office at (509) 544-8789 or at the Gesa Stadium box office.

The second annual Cougar Diamond classic at Gesa Stadium gave the 2,500+ fans in attendance an early glimpse of summer baseball in the Tri-Cities. A beautiful day with the sun beaming throughout set up a great day for baseball as the Washington State Cougars defeated the Portland Pilots 4-2. Not quite the sellout of the previous year, the 2012 Cougar Diamond Classic crowd still had an impressive showing, making Cougars’ baseball head Coach Donnie Marbut take note.

“The best thing about tonight was being in the Tri-Cities,” said Marbut in a story in the Tri-City Herald. “I just love the Tri-Cities Cougars, and we won that game tonight because of this crowd. We wish we could have this crowd in Pullman.”

Although none of the three Tri-City natives, pitching brothers Bryce and Ty Jackson of Kennewick, or outfielder Brett Jacobs of Richland, played in the game, the obvious Tri-City support of the Cougars was shown throughout Gesa Stadium, with crimson and gray taking over the stands.

The win gives the Cougs a 1-1 record in the Cougar Diamond Classic, following their 4-2 loss to the University of Washington last year.

Following the Cougar Diamond Classic, Tri-City baseball fans can look forward to the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The draft will provide a preview of potential Dust Devil players for the upcoming season, with much of the roster supplemented by rookies each season. This year the draft takes place from June 4^th through the 6^th, with the Colorado Rockies, the Dust Devils’ Major League affiliate, owning the 10^th pick in the first round and the 46^th pick in the “sandwich round” between the first and second round of the draft.

With around a month until the draft, various publications are coming out with their mock drafts of who they think teams will pick in the first round. Past Rockies’ first round picks that have spent time with the Dust Devils in recent years include pitchers Casey Weathers (2007), Christian Friedrich (2008), Rex Brothers (2009) and outfielder Tim Wheeler (2009).

 In these mock drafts there are a few names most often associated with the Rockies’ picks for the upcoming season.

 Deven Marrero – SS – Arizona State

Marrero is a six-foot-one-inch 194-pound junior infielder who most mock drafts have going in the top 10 of the draft. Named 2011 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Marrero was drafted previously in 2009 in the 17^th round (509^th Overall) by the Cincinnati Reds, before choosing to attend Arizona State rather than go pro. Coming into his junior year with the Sun Devils, Marrero had a .349 batting average in 96 appearances (91 starts) with a .390 on-base percentage and 64 runs scored and 62 runs batted in. His numbers have dropped off this year, as he’s batting .276 in his 44 appearances, all starts, with an on-base percentage of .335. He’s also tallied 30 runs scored and 26 runs batted in while helping lead ASU to a 29-17 record thus far.

 Addison Russell – SS – HS (Fla.)   David Dahl – OF – HS (Ala.)

 The other prospects mentioned in some mock drafts are a couple of Auburn University commits, infielder Addison Russell and outfielder David Dahl. Russell, a six-foot-one-inch right-handed shortstop from Florida, was named a 2012 Rawlings 1^st-Team All-American and was ranked by ESPN as the third best high school middle infielder this year. An excerpt from the rankings described Russell this way: “Russell looks more like a third baseman than a shortstop, and his power follows suit. But he moves his feet well and has terrific hands, so there’s a chance for him to stick at short in pro ball as long as he remains in top condition. Auburn will miss out on a premium recruit if Russell signs a pro deal this summer.”

 Meanwhile, Dahl is a six-foot-two-inch outfielder from Birmingham, Alabama. He too was named a 2012 Rawlings 1^st-Team All-American while being named the second best high school outfield prospect in the country by ESPN. His skillset was described by ESPN in this way: “Dahl is a multi-talented athlete, but his best asset may be his eye for the strike zone. He can throw and run, projects to hit for average and power and should get on base with regularity. He’s likely to end up in right field but could play some center early in his career. Dahl is an Auburn commit, but is a good bet for the first round and is a possible top-10 pick.”

The versatile infield prospects all seem to fit into the future Rockies’ plans, with Marco Scutaro, Chris Nelson and Jonathan Herrera as the preferred trio of players filling in at third and second base around franchise-shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The thought of taking outfielder David Dahl makes sense as well, with a lack of outfield depth becoming an issue for the club.

The Dust Devils’ 2012 season begins on June 15th against the Everett AquaSox. Ticket packages are on sale now and start at just $49, with full-season tickets available for as low as $259. Special ticket rates are available for groups of 20 or more. Season tickets, mini-plans, and group tickets can be purchased by contacting the Dust Devils front office at (509) 544-8789 or at the Gesa Stadium box office.

The Dust Devils are one of the top teams in the Northwest League, one season after having the worst record (30-46) in franchise history. Generally, it’s pitching that leads the way for Tri-City, playing in a spacious Gesa Stadium. This year is no different, except that the hitting and fielding have done their part as well. After going 11-13 in their first 24 games this season, the Dust Devils have caught fire and are now near the top of the NWL with a 27-18 record. Here are some numbers showing how the Dust Devils turned their season around, going 16-5 in their last 21 games.

-Since going 8-6 in June, Tri-City went on a tear in the month of July, going 19-11. Tri-City played 16 games at home and 14 on the road, including their longest road trip (eight games) and home stand (eight games) of the season. The positive play came at just the right time, with the first half ending on July 25, as the Dust Devils rode their hot play to the playoffs.

-When scoring first, the Dust Devils are 19-10 this season, with those 19 wins being the most in the league. Being able to score first and hold on to win is not only good for the team’s record, but good for their mentality as well. When the 2011 NWL playoffs come around in September, being able to get on the board first and know that you can keep that lead becomes a big advantage in a best-of-5 or best-of-3 series. Also, the fact that the Dust Devils have scored first in 29 of their 45 games is a good sign that when the game starts the team is ready, rather than coming out slow or unprepared.

-When leading after six innings this season, Tri-City is 25-1. That is the most wins in the league when leading after six and is a good reflection of how solid the Dust Devils’ bullpen is as well as their ability to close out games. Sometimes good teams aren’t able to capitalize on their talent because they can’t put teams away and win games without a struggle in the later innings, which leads to surprise losses. Being able to lose one out of 26 games in which they’ve led after the sixth inning is yet another good sign that come September the Dust Devils can close games out and secure a few playoff wins. 

-On defense, a place that is often forgotten when looking at a team’s rise or fall from success, the Dust Devils are at the top of the NWL. Tri-City has a .973 team fielding percentage, .002 points higher than second place Eugene. The Dust Devils have made the second fewest errors (49) in their 45 games thus far and made just one error over their final 10 games in July. During that stretch the team went 9-1. Individually, Tri-City has a few players yet to make an error this season, with outfielders Leo Reyes and Jared Simon as well as first baseman Jordan Ribera all perfect in the field this year.  

-The well-rounded offensive attack of the Dust Devils has put up impressive numbers as well. As a team Tri-City is third in batting average (.264), runs batted in (221), runs (249) as well as fourth in on-base percentage (.341) and has not been shut out once this season. With a pitching staff throwing as well as theirs is, being in the top half of most major batting statistics is more than enough support for a solid season. Different players have stepped up at different times, with first baseman Jordan Ribera getting off to a spectacular start in his first professional season, before going down with an injury. After Ribera went on the disabled list, Jared Simon and Tyler Massey took the torch and took over the cleanup spot in the Dust Devils’ order. In the month of July, Simon hit two home runs and drove in 19 runs while Massey hit four home runs and drove in 27 runs. Infielders Tim Smalling and David Hernandez have done well at the plate as well, batting .304 and .322 respectively.

-Although all of these numbers are good, it is the pitching staff of the Dust Devils which has been great. Tri-City has four pitchers (Nelson Gonzalez, Vianney Mayo, Tyler Gagnon and Christian Bergman) in the NWL League Leaders pitching top 10, all of which, except Gonzalez, have been regular starters in the Tri-City rotation all season.  As a team the pitching staff has the lowest earned run average (3.19) in the league and the fewest runs (180), earned runs (144) and second fewest walks (142) allowed. Also, after shutting out the talented Vancouver Canadians three times in their five game series, the Dust Devils have the most shutouts in the NWL with five. The pitching staff is the anchor of the Dust Devils and the team will go as far as the staff takes them, which could be quite a ways this season.

All of these statistics make the Dust Devils turnaround from last season and even earlier this season that much more impressive. They show that the secret to their success is that they have no secret. Good pitching, solid and timely hitting as well as good defense all creates an obvious recipe for success at any level and the 2011 Dust Devils seem to have all of the right ingredients.

Now that the Dust Devils have won the first half title and know they will be in the 2011 Northwest League playoffs, deciding how the first round will be formatted is the next big decision for the club. The winner of the first half each season decides, in the first round of the playoffs, whether they will play the first game of the first series at home, or the final two games of the series at home. Each round of the NWL playoffs are a best-of-three format and gaining the right home-field advantage could decide the series.

The past two times the Dust Devils have made the playoffs, in 2007 and 2009, the format was different, with the two division winners of the full season facing off in a one round best-of-five championship series.  In those series the format was predetermined and the strategy of choosing your own path was non-existent.

So, here are some stats on the Dust Devils performances against East Division opponents, one of which they will face in the first round of the NWL playoffs this season.

Yakima Bears

Tri-City has had more success against the Bears than any other division opponent this season, going 6-2 in their first eight games with four of those wins coming on the road. At Gesa Stadium Tri-City has faced Yakima in one three game series, winning two of three. However, it is unlikely the Bears will make the playoffs, considering they finished the first half with the Northwest League’s worst record at 13-25 and the league’s lowest team batting average (.229). The final regular season series between the Bears and Dust Devils is August 18-20 as Tri-City looks to make it a 4-0 series season sweep of Yakima.

Boise Hawks

The Dust Devils have faced the Hawks the least of any of their East Division rivals this season, playing them six times while they’ve played Spokane nine times and Yakima eight, with the ninth game against the Bears coming tonight. In those six games, a home and away series, the Dust Devils are even at 3-3 as each team won their home series two games to one.

The Hawks, along with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, are the only teams that, so far this season, the Dust Devils don’t have a winning record against. But, the stats against Boise may be the least valuable, because all six of the games between the two took place in the month of June. At that time Tri-City and Boise were 8-6 and since that time, the landscape of the division and the two teams have changed drastically. They will face each other six times in 11 days in August between the 7^th and 17^th to end their regular season scheduled games.

Spokane Indians

Spokane and Tri-City battled to the end of the first half in close contention for much of the 38 games, each team interchanging atop the division multiple times in June and July. They’ve played each other nine times with the Dust Devils winning five games and going 3-3 on the road at Avista Stadium. At home Tri-City is 2-1 against Spokane, winning their series from July 1-3 earlier this season.

The Dust Devils’ two biggest wins over the Indians came in their last series, with the first half division crown and a playoff appearance on the line. Spokane took the series opener at home, giving them a one game lead over the Dust Devils with four games to play, but Tri-City won the last two and went on to win the first half title. Winning those two games under those circumstances would give any team confidence to play there again this season and should do so if Spokane ends up being the other East Division team in the playoffs this season. The two Highway 395 rivals will face each other three more times this year, August 21-23 at Gesa Stadium.

Other Notes

Overall at home this year Tri-City is 13-6 at home and 9-10 on the road. Although, considering that the Dust Devils will face only an East Division opponent in the first round of the playoffs, their home record against East Division teams this season may be more important. So far they are 6-3 at home against East teams, winning a series against each other team two games to one. On the road against East Division teams Tri-City is a surprising 8-6, with Boise being the only team they have a losing record against.

In series against division opponents this year the Dust Devils are 5-2, going 3-0 in home series and 1-2 in road series with the two losses coming to Boise and Spokane in late June and early July respectively.

So far this season Tri-City is 15-14 in games in which they face a right-handed starter and are 7-2 in games in which they face a left-handed starter. The Yakima Bears lead the Dust Devils’ division opponents with the most left-handed starts this season with 13. Spokane comes in a close second with 12 and Boise is third with just seven left-handed starts this season. The Dust Devils have not started a lefty all season.

You can catch the 2011 Northwest League East Division first-half champion Dust Devils return to Gesa Stadium Wednesday night July 27 as they take on the Vancouver Candadians. The Canadians battled back against the Eugene Emeralds in the West Division to take it to the final day yesterday, but lost the tie-breaker between the two as each team finished at 24-14. The visit will be the lone home series against Vancouver this season for Tri-City as they look to rebound from going 1-9 against the Canadians last season.

It is a new feeling for the Dust Devils and their fans, but before the month of August you can plan on playoff baseball in the Tri-Cities this September. Tri-City is ending the first-half of the season on an impressive run, winning 10 of their last 13 and clinched the Northwest League East Division first-half crown with a game to spare. The race for the first-half title, and a guaranteed playoff spot, was close for much of the season, with Boise and Spokane interchanging in the top spot with the Dust Devils. But the late run of wins propelled Tri-City to their third playoff appearance in five seasons.

The system that has given the Dust Devils the division championship and a playoff spot already was new in 2010, and here is how it works.

-          First half winners will have 7 days (Monday, August 1) to decide if they would like to host game 1 or games 2 and 3.

-          If one team wins both the first and second half of the season then the team with the next best winning percentage for the entire season will get into the playoffs. If there is a tie for the next best winning percentage then the second half tiebreakers come into play.

-          First Round in East and West

-          Game 1: Monday, September 5
Game 2: Tuesday, September 6
Game 3: Wednesday, September 7

-          Championship Round – Starting in the East (depending on stadium availability this schedule may change)

-          Game 1: East hosting on Friday, September 9
Game 2: West hosting on Saturday, September 10
Game 3: West hosting on Sunday, September 11

This format means that, regardless of how the second half plays out, the Dust Devils will be in the playoffs come September. The Spokane Indians would be the early favorite to be the second team from the East to make the playoffs in the second half, as they will finish in second place in the East after battling the Dust Devils for the top spot. The Boise Hawks were in the hunt as well, but struggled down the stretch and will finish a few games back of first place. Also, should the Dust Devils win the second half East Division title as well, overall winning percentage throughout the entire season is the tie-breaker, giving the Indians an advantage over Boise and Yakima.

As of now, Tri-City is the only team in the 2011 NWL Playoffs. The Eugene Emeralds, who broke the NWL record for consecutive wins and looked assured of a playoff spot weeks ago, is now in a tie with the red-hot Vancouver Canadians atop the West Division.  Tonight Eugene will take on the Everett AquaSox at home while the Canadians will host the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

Also, today Dust Devils outfielder Jared Simon was named Northwest League Offensive Player of the Week by MiLB for the week of July 18-24. During that stretch, during which Dust Devils offensive leader Jordan Ribera went on the disabled list, Simon stepped up his play at the plate and gave the team much-needed momentum. He went 10-for-26 with one home run, seven runs batted in, three doubles and had an on-base percentage of .538.

Former Dust Devils pitcher Josh Slaats also took home honors for his play last week, being named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week by MiLB. Slaats went 2-0 in two starts and 13 innings pitched in which he allowed one run while striking out 13. He is now 6-1 on the year with Colorado Rockies single-A affiliate Asheville Tourists.

The Tri-City Dust Devils are the Northwest League East Division first-half champions and have secured a playoff spot in the 2011 NWL playoffs. The Dust Devils have gone on a tear to end the second half, winning 10 of their last 13 and three consecutive series. Tri-City looked to be fading out of the first-half division title picture after losing four of five on the road to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, but turned their fortunes around quickly and will be in the playoffs for the third time in the last five seasons.

The Dust Devils needed to take advantage of their longest home stand of the season, following the series lost to Salem-Keizer, to get back on the winning track and that is exactly what they did. Tri-City defeated the Eugene Emeralds, who at the time were 21-4 and running away with the NWL West Division title, four of five games then took two of three games against the Yakima Bears at Gesa Stadium. The 6-2 stretch put the Dust Devils into a tie atop the East Division with the Spokane Indians as Tri-City headed to Spokane for a crucial three game series. In that series the Dust Devils won two of three, including an immensely important rubber match 3-1 on Saturday evening at Avista Stadium to give Tri-City the upper hand with two games remaining.

In order to clinch the division in those final two games the Dust Devils had to win just one of the two on the road against the Yakima Bears, which they did in comfortable fashion Sunday night, 10-4. Tri-City now has seven days, until Monday August 1, to decide whether they would like to host game one, or games two and three in the first round of the Northwest League Playoffs, which take place September 5-7. The Dust Devils will face the winner of the NWL East Division second half in the first round of the playoffs, unless they win it, in which case the team with the next best winning percentage over the entirety of the season in the division will face Tri-City.

After closing out the first half of the season Tri-City will start the second half with a road game against the Yakima Bears followed by a five-game home stand versus the Vancouver Canadians which starts on Wednesday, July 27.

The Dust Devils have their first off-day of the season today. Overall they, as well as each Northwest League (NWL) team, get three off-days all season throughout their 76 game schedules.  Now that we’ve hit break number one of the 2011 NWL schedule, let’s take a look at how the Dust Devils and their division rivals have performed so far.

Yakima Bears (7-18, Fourth Place):

This season is shaping up to be one to forget for the Yakima Bears, whose play on the field hasn’t helped the rumors of the team’s proposed move away from their home for the last 22 years. Apart from the play of relievers Kable Hogben and Evan Marshall, the numbers don’t paint a pretty picture of the 2011 Bears.

Yakima didn’t win a series in the month of June and have won just one series, July 1-3 when they took two of three at home against the Boise Hawks, while losing six series. Offensive production has been the biggest struggle for the Bears. They have the lowest team batting average (.212) and on-base percentage (.279) as well as the least amount of team runs scored (78) and runs batted in (68) in the Northwest League.

Currently sitting at 7-18 on the year at the bottom of the NWL East Division, the Bears have struggled in most circumstances. Yakima is 5-10 against the East Division, 2-8 against the West Division, 4-5 at home and 3-13 on the road. Although they’ve played the least amount of home games of any team in their division, being seven games back of division leader Boise with 13 games remaining in the first half of play this season will likely be too big of a hill to climb for the Bears.

Spokane Indians (13-12, Second Place):

Sitting in second place and just one game back of the division lead is a scenario the Indians would likely have taken at the beginning of the season and is where they are at now. After an up and down start to the year, Spokane, like much of the East Division, has leveled out of late and is in contention for the first half East Division title.

As opposed to Yakima, Spokane is one of the top hitting teams in the league, with the second highest NWL team average (.276). With five regular players each batting .321 or higher, the Indians have one of the tougher lineups in the league. The offense is led by catcher and first baseman Brett Nicholas, who leads the team in average (.361), home runs (4), runs batted in (22) and doubles (9).

The bulk of the Indians’ struggles have come on the road, where they are 3-6 and have won just one of their three series. At home, on the other hand, they have played well, going 10-6 and losing just one of their four series at Avista Stadium.  Should their strong offensive performances continue, nobody will be surprised to see Spokane return to the NWL playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Boise Hawks (14-11, First Place):

The Boise Hawks are alone atop the East Division despite, like Tri-City and Spokane, having some very inconsistent play this season. The fact that the Hawks are in first seems a bit strange when you look into the numbers a little bit deeper.

The Hawks have yet to win a series on the road, tallying a 4-7 record away from Boise, and have won just three of their seven series this season. You wouldn’t expect a team that has lost more series than it has won to be leading their division. But, it isn’t how many they’ve won, but who they’ve beat that has put the Hawks in prime position. Boise is 10-5 against the East Division, giving them the best intra-division record of any East Division team.

Statistically, Boise doesn’t jump off of the page when you look at their team as a whole. They are in the bottom half of the NWL in the majority of the team batting statistics and have just one player, Pin-Chieh Chen who is batting over .300 at .319. Although their pitching statistics are better, they are somewhat underwhelming. Boise has the third lowest team earned run average (4.08) and the second least runs allowed (118). But, they’ve also surrendered the second most walks (105) and have the league’s second highest WHIP (Walks-Hits per Inning Pitched) at 1.48.

The East Division first half crown race will likely stay tight until the July 26 end date, and one would think that if the Hawks are going to stay in the top spot that either their hitting or pitching will have to become more consistent. Although, if they continue to beat up on their division rivals as they have thus far this season, they may not need to be.

Tri-City Dust Devils (12-13, Third Place):

In third place and just two games back of the division lead, the Tri-City Dust Devils are in as good a spot they could hope for as they are 12-13 on the year.

On July 4, as they started an eight game road trip, Tri-City was in first place in the East with a 10-7 record. After the trip the Dust Devils slid down to third, going 2-6 away from home, losing two of three in Spokane and four of five against Salem-Keizer. Leading up to the road trip the Dust Devils hadn’t lost back-to-back games all season, but they had to win the series finale with the Volcanoes to end their longest losing streak of the season at four games.

Solid pitching and timely hitting have often been the Dust Devils’ recipe for success, playing half of their games at pitcher-friendly Gesa Stadium, but this season power offense has found its way to Pasco. The Dust Devils are third in the NWL in home runs (18) and lead the East Division in that category as well. They’re also second in the league in runs batted in (135) and third in the NWL in doubles (51).

Leading this power surge are first baseman Jordan Ribera and outfielder Tyler Massey.  The duo has combined for nine of the Dust Devils’ 18 home runs and 44 of their 135 runs batted in. They are each also batting over .300 on the year and are among the Northwest League’s top hitters in the majority of offensive statistics. Although these numbers are great, they don’t reflect the inconsistency with which the Dust Devils’ lineup performs. Tri-City has scored in double-digits an impressive four times this season, but has also scored two or less runs five times.

Pitching has also been somewhat of a guessing game for the Dust Devils. As a team they have the second lowest earned run average (3.60), tied for second lowest amount of runs allowed (118), second lowest walks allowed (82) and the third lowest WHIP (1.36).

Yet, despite having good numbers in these key pitching categories, Tri-City is under .500. Much like hitting, the inconsistency tells the story for the Dust Devils’ pitching staff. On the year they have allowed six or more runs seven times, while allowing three or less runs 13 times. In those 13 games in which they’ve allowed three runs or less Tri-City has a 10-3 record. Where they play also seems to be having an effect as well, as the Dust Devils have a team earned run average of 3.45 at home and a 5.71 team earned run average on the road.

Leading up to the end of the first half of the season Tri-City has 14 more games, eight at home and six on the road. While their ending stretch to the first half starts tough, with five games against the NWL leading Eugene Emeralds, who are 21-4 this season, the final nine games should give them a solid chance to take the division. In those nine games the Dust Devils take on the last place Bears for six games, three at home and three away, and the Indians for three games in Spokane as well.