Ryan Falla
The Minor League season is back in full swing after a year-long hiatus that saw an innumerable amount of prospects left out in the cold throughout the 2020 season. That story is over now and we’re finally back in action with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes starting the season right where they left off. A road opener against the Angels Inland Empire 66ers saw a number of highly talented prospects getting back into the groove of professional baseball as well as a few prospects making their first-ever professional appearances.
Game Overview
The Dodgers saw RHP Gavin Stone, OFer Jake Vogel, and RHP Cameron Gibbens making their pro debuts in a record-breaking win for the franchise. The four Quake pitchers that appeared in the game amassed a total 21 strikeouts throughout the night with Gavin Stone and Jeisson Cabrera at the top of the leaderboard with 6 Ks each. Cameron Gibbens finished the night with 4 Ks across 2 IP while Franklin De La Paz pulled in 3 Ks alongside Aldry Acostas game saving 2 Ks.
Hitting was thin on the night for both the Quakes and the 66ers as pitching on both sides showed tremendous force. 66ers starting pitcher Andrew Blake threw 5 innings while collecting a total of 8 Ks with just one run allowed. Across the night we saw three different Quake hitters pull in an RBI en route to the 3-1 win with Wladimir Chalo, Edwin Mateo, and Jorbit Vivas each collecting an RBI on the night.
Quakes manager John Shoemaker noted his thoughts on the long-overdue season opener; “We’re excited to see the fans, the coaches, the umpires. We just hope that the 2021 season can continue on 120 games and everybody stays safe and healthy. It’s an exciting time.”
The Quakes kept the Angels’ top prospects Kyren Paris and Jeremiah Jackson from finding even the slightest bit of success at the plate with each member of this duo striking out four times each for a total of eight Ks between the two men leading off the lineup. Kyren Paris was taken by the Angels in the 2nd round of the 2019 draft while Jackson was taken in round two. Keeping these two locked down will be key to the Quakes taking the season-opening series.
Game 2 Tonight
The Quakes will continue the 6 game series tonight at 7:05 pm with Quakes RHP Robbie Peto slated to battle the 66ers John Swanda. Robbie Peto signed with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 after a 2020 season with the NCAA Stetson Hatters that saw Peto throw 25.1 innings of 1.78 ERA baseball alongside 41 total strikeouts. His opponent John Swanda will be making his 66ers debut.
