Torres, Missions Clinch Second-Half Title; Bloomquist Moves to AA

Happy Friday, everyone, from the world-wide headquarters (WWHQ) of the Corvallis Knights, your 2016-2017 West Coast League champions!

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Alum Nick Torres (pictured, above left) and the San Antonio Missions clinched the Texas League’s South Division second-half title on Wednesday with a 5-3 win over Midland. The Missions, San Diego’s double-A affiliate, also won the first-half title. They will open the playoffs next week.

Nick played for us in 2012 following his freshman year at Cal Poly. He hit .296 (55-186) in 50 total games, with a homer and 29 RBIs. He signed with the Padres in 2014 and has moved as high as triple-A El Paso in their organization.

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The Chicago Cubs promoted another Cal Poly product, right-handed pitcher Casey Bloomquist, to Tennessee of the double-A Southern League last week. He was at Myrtle Beach in the high-A Carolina League, where he went 4-5, 6.14 in 27 games, with two saves and 56 strikeouts in 73.1 innings.

Casey won his double-A debut on Aug. 27 and allowed two runs in five innings, with four strikeouts, in a 4-2 victory at Birmingham. He was Chicago’s 17^th-round selection in the 2015 MLB draft.

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Time to update the stats of our minor-league Knights. We’ll do the pitchers today; we did the position players on Thursday.

CAMERON BISHOP (A Aberdeen, New York-Penn): The lefty from UC Irvine (2015-16) is 1-1, 0.85 in seven games, with 34 strikeouts in 31.2 innings.

CASEY BLOOMQUIST (AA Tennessee, Cubs): The righty from Cal Poly (2013) is 1-0, 3.60 in one game, with four strikeouts in five innings.

JUSTIN CALOMENI (A Boise, Cubs): The righty from Cal Poly (2014) is 0-0, 0.00 in one game, with no strikeouts in one inning.

NICK DURON (A Lowell, Red Sox): The righty from Clark CC (2014) is 3-4, 3.47 in 11 games, with 28 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.

TREVOR FRANK (A Lake Elsinore, Padres): The righty from UC Riverside (2012) is 3-4, 4.39 in 41 games, with seven saves and 63 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.

JACE FRY (AA Birmingham, White Sox): The lefty from Oregon State (2011) is 1-1, 2.89 in 32 games, with three saves and 50 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.

SAM GAVIGLIO (AAA Tacoma, Mariners): The righty from Oregon State (2009) is 3-6, 3.88 in 13 games, with 57 strikeouts in 72 innings.

TED HAMMOND (A Everett, Mariners): The righty from Seattle U (2015) is 1-1, 4.25 in 19 games, with 18 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.

BEN (Wetzler) HOLMES (A Jupiter, Marlins): The lefty from Oregon State (2011) is 1-6, 4.11 in 34 games, with 61 strikeouts in 72.1 innings.

CHASE JOHNSON (AAA Sacramento, Giants): The righty from Cal Poly (2011) is 0-2, 4.35 in six games, with nine strikeouts in 10.1 innings. He is on the 7-day disabled list.

DJ JOHNSON (AA Hartford, Rockies): The lefty from Mt. Hood CC (2008-09) is 1-1, 2.70 in 42 games, with four saves and 51 strikeouts in 63.1 innings.

SLATER LEE (ARL ATHLETICS): The righty from Cal Poly (2015) is 2-0, 3.92 in 16 games, with three saves and 20 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.

GREG MAHLE (AA Mobile, Angels): The lefty from UC Santa Barbara (2012) is 6-0, 2.66 in 30 games, with four saves and 39 strikeouts in 44 innings.

STEPHEN NOGOSEK (A St. Lucie, Mets): The righty from Oregon (2013) is 1-0, 6.08 in eight games, with 14 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.

JIMMIE SHERFY (AAA Reno, Diamondbacks): The righty from Oregon (2011) is 2-1, 3.12 in 44 games, with 20 saves and 61 strikeouts in 49 innings.

AUSTIN SODDERS (A Lakeland, Tigers): The lefty from Riverside CC (2014) is 4-4, 1.94 in 11 games, with 55 strikeouts in 69.2 innings.

RYLEY WIDELL (R Elizabethton, Twins): The lefty from Washington State (2016) is 0-2, 2.43 in eight games, with 41 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.

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Aberdeen (A New York-Penn, Orioles) pitcher Cameron Bishop (2015-16) allowed one hit and no runs in six innings in a 7-0 win over Tri-City on Thursday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. He struck out five, did not issue a walk and lowered his ERA to 0.85. He played at UC-Irvine.

Honorable mention goes to:

• Tacoma (AAA Pacific Coast, Mariners) pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) allowed one run over four innings and had three strikeouts in a 3-2 win over Salt Lake. He got a non-decision. He played at Oregon State.
• Lancaster (A California, Rockies) catcher Chris Rabago (2012-13) was 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in a 7-6 win over Rancho Cucamonga. He also played at UC Irvine.
• Jupiter (A Florida State, Marlins) pitcher Ben (Wetzler) Holmes (2011) allowed no earned runs in three innings and struck out one in a 3-2 win over Ft. Myers. He played at Oregon State.

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That’s all for today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you on Tuesday.