Next season, the 'Topes will open up their eighth year of existence with another event sure to garner national attention as the Rockies and Seattle Mariners will play back-to-back exhibition games on April 2-3, 2010 at Isotopes Park.
Both teams will have just broken Spring Training in Arizona and will be heading north to start the season (Rox will start in Milwaukee, Seattle at Oakland) meaning there is a very good chance Albuquerque will get to see the two Major League squads in an almost completed form.
If you look at both rosters, big names abound. Ken Griffey, Jr., Ichiro, Todd Helton, and Troy Tulowitzki all could possibly be taking the field at Isotopes Park next April. Tickets are on sale now for 'Topes season ticket and mini-plan holders and ducats will go on sale to the general public on Feburary 20. For more information, click here.
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It's also gratifying for Isotopes fans that two of the three wins were secured by pitchers who played in Albuquerque this season. Jeff Weaver won game one in a relief appearance and Vicente Padilla, who made one start for the 'Topes before joining the Dodgers, helped Los Angeles clinch with seven shutout innings.
The Dodgers will now get some well-deserved time off before facing the Phillies or the Rockies in the NLCS.
]]>Last night, Jeff Weaver, the only player on the Dodgers' post-season roster to have logged significant time with Albuquerque last year, earned a HUGE victory in the first game of the National League Division Series in LA. Weaver entered the game in relief of starter Randy Wolf in fourth with two outs and the bases loaded and promptly coaxed Ryan Ludwick into an inning-ending groundout. Weaver kept the potent Cards at bay again in a scoreless fifth before handing the ball to Ronald Belsario, one of five Dodgers relievers to stymie St. Louis in the 5-3 win.
In five appearances for the Isotopes last year (one start), Weaver went 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA.
While watching the Dodgers' playoff run, we here at Isotopes Park have settled into off-season mode. While the pace is obviously different than during the season, there certainly is still a lot to do. If you are a season ticket holder, you will receive notification on renewing shortly (if you haven't already). If you're not a season ticket holder and would like to become one, give us a shout at info@albuquerquebaseball.com or (505) 924-2255. It's never too early to get your seat for the 2010 campaign!
]]>Just last week, the 'Topes and 'Birds tussled at Isotopes Park, with Albuquerque taking three of five games. This season, the Isotopes are 10-6 against Memphis, with a mark of 6-2 at home.
Every playoff series is predicated on pitching, however, and the Isotopes have had a week to align their starters and rest their bullpen. The probable pitchers for the series will be:
Games to be played at Isotopes Park
Game 1: LHP Eric Stults (5-4, 5.20 ERA) vs. LHP Jaime Garcia (2-0, 3.86)
Game 2: RHP Giancarlo Alvarado (13-10, 3.49) vs. RHP P.J. Walters (8-10, 4.54)
Games to be played in Memphis
Game 3: RHP Tim Corcoran (2-0, 4.71) vs. LHP Evan MacLane (8-11, 4.02)
Game 4*: TBA vs. RHP Adam Ottavino (7-12, 4.74)
Game 5*: TBA vs. RHP Oneli Perez (4-3, 2.82)
* If Necessary
Needless to say the park is abuzz with playoff fever. Be sure to get your tickets today so that you don't miss all the fun!
]]>Oh, and there's that little thing about the Isotopes clinching their first playoff berth since 2003. What made last Sunday's celebration so special was the fact that it was shared with the fans. Indelible images from that wonderful night include Mitch Jones spraying champagne into the crowd, the embrace of closer Scott Strickland and catcher A.J. Ellis after the final out, and of course, Will Ohman making a cameo as the Taco.
What's amazing about this team, however, is that it's far from satisfied with a mere playoff berth. Manager Tim Wallach and his squad are out to win the PCL championship and the way it's shaping up, the Isotopes just may enter the playoffs with the most impressive lineup they've had all season.
After what seemed like an interminable three days in limbo, Tony Abreu is not with Diamondbacks (as was widely reported) but back in the 'Topes lineup, where he went 3-for-5 with a home run last night. Sensational outfield prospect Xavier Paul is back with the team on a Major League Rehab Assignment, ably filling the shoes of departed outfielder Jason Repko, who, after helping the 'Topes realize their dream of post-season play, is now doing the same for the Dodgers in L.A. When you add in the nucleus of Jones, Dee Brown, Blake DeWitt, Hector Luna, Chin-Lung Hu, and J.D. Closser, the 'Topes will without a doubt have the most fearsome lineup in the post-season this year.
The question now is if the planets will align as they did in 1981, the only year the Dodgers and their Triple-A affiliate won championships. Of course, that season Los Angeles lost the first two games only to rally for four straight wins and beat the New York Yankees for the World Series Championship. Meanwhile, the Albuquerque Dukes, who finished the year a remarkable 94-38 swept through two rounds of the PCL post-season (going 5-0 through two series) to claim their second of three straight league titles with manager Del Crandall.
On their way to World Series superiority in '81, the Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos in the National League Championship Series, a vanquished team that included a young player named Tim Wallach, who, in just his second professional year, was making his very first post-season appearance. Now, Wallach makes his first appearance in the post-season as a manager as the skipper of the Dodgers' top affiliate.
The symmetry doesn't stop there, either. Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda is scheduled to throw out the first pitch at the Isotopes' playoff opener on Wednesday, September 9, which is perfect in that Lasorda led the 1972 Dukes to their first PCL Championship. If there's a better good-luck charm as the 'Topes finish off their first year with the Dodgers, I'd be shocked.
All of it means good things this September at The Lab. Make sure you're there for all the fun!!
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