Game 24 Recap: 23 and Wheeeeeeeee!
“Runs. Lots of runs.” - Neo Wick watching baseball, probably
By Roberto Santiago
So you think you’re over Gen X pop culture references? Well I certainly hope not. I was chatting with a friend recently who said, “I don’t know who this team is, but they sure are fun.” He’s right. For 24 games the Ballers have seemed like some version of Two Face, or Jekyll and Hyde, or the Captain & Tennille. On the season, the Ballers are 3rd in hits, 2nd in home runs, 3rd in extra base hits, and 4th in slugging. These guys can rake. However, it was their league-leading pitching that carried Oakland to a title in 2025 and that’s the side of the ball that’s been trickier so far this year. Sunday highlighted the divide between offense and defense for the 2026 squad with the Ballers (11-13) putting up 23 runs and giving up 11 in a rout of Missoula to take their first road series of the year.
It’s not often that giving up 11 runs can be seen as progress—even against a juggernaut lineup like Missoula—but it absolutely feels like progress for these Ballers. With only four true starters on the roster, Oakland went with a bullpen game in the series finale against the PaddleHeads. This time, unlike some of their early season games, it was on purpose. Staked to a 4-0 lead, Campbell Spradling was mmm-mmm good, allowing 2 runs in 2 innings as an opener. Spradling was followed by three relievers who combined for 5.2 innings, giving up 3 runs each. Liam Rocha pitched the final inning-and-a-third without giving up a run to close out the win. The pitchers had the luxury of a big lead which they did not come close to relinquishing. All three—Matthew Maloney (6/4), Matt Lozovoy (5/29), and Derek Murphy (5/23)—have been with the club for a month or less but made their presence felt on Sunday.
“I feel good pitching with a lead,” wrote Murphy. “I attack every hitter the same no matter what the situation. I trust my defense. Even if my stuff isn’t perfect that day, I know they’ll pick me up.”
Added Lozovoy, “You definitely have to consider the scoreboard when you’re pitching. The last thing you want to do is give the other team free passes to first base via walk. You have to meet the hitter over the plate and if they string together some hits, you simply tip your cap. With a lead like we had today it would be nearly impossible for them to hit their way back into the game.”
And Rocha: “It definitely makes it a lot easier to pitch with a lead and the way the offense is rolling. Coming into a game with an 11 run lead, I just want to attack hitters and pitch to contact and not waste any pitches.”
And rolling the offense is. I don’t think either you or I have time to recount how the Ballers scored a season-high and second-highest-ever 23 runs. Nine of the ten batters had at least one hit. Tremayne Cobb, Esai Santos and Jake Allgeyer combined to go 12 for 18 (.666) with 8 RBI. That doesn’t include Damian Stone going 1 for 2 with a run scored in place of Santos late in the game. Cam Bufford (5/6, 4 RBI) and Jeter Ybarra also starred (4/6 with a walk, 5 RBI and 5 runs scored). “We have a stacked lineup,” wrote Cobb, “Pitchers can’t really pitch around anybody, which makes it fun for everyone.”`
So: one month, six series, 24 games, and one long road trip in, who is this team?
They seem to be the baseball version of the early 90’s Atlanta Falcons deploying the Run-N-Shoot under Jerry Glanville; score as much as you can and see what happens. RedPocket Mobiles series aside, they only have one win while scoring less than 10 runs. They have won four of their past five while putting up a 9.37 ERA that is higher than the 8.33 ERA they had while going 7-12 to start the year. But they are a more seasoned team than the one that landed in Montana. The vibe is better. The hitting, pitching, and defense is timelier. Closer Braydon Nelson told Dispatches on Saturday that it helps that guys are starting to be able to settle into their roles. That’s good: there is no longer road trip left all year. Whatever adversity they faced and resilience they found will need to last the season.
The Ballers return home to Raimondi on Tuesday where they have 7.33 ERA facing a tough slate that opens with a return 3-game visit from the league-leading Long Beach Coast. The Coast (19-5) have only lost five times all season; two were to the Ballers. Over the weekend, B’s fans get their first regular season look at the Modesto Roadsters (13-11).
Odds and Ends:
Tremayne Cobb is on pace for 64 steals this season, which would tie the Pioneer League record. He has yet to be caught stealing at a perfect 16-0. Cobb—with a modesty recently noted here from B’s pitching—says he has been unaware of his record-setting pace.
Other league leaders on the Ballers include Jeter Ybarra tied for 1st in home runs (9), and Ybarra and Esai Santos tied for 3rd in extra base hits (17).
The Ballers return home on Tuesday, 6/16 for the 6:35 PM game against the first place Long Beach Coast is Cal Day, featuring a Scrappy-Oski backpack giveaway and a Cal inspired B’s cap drop. Mayor Mike is pleased.
Video recap from Ben Verhoek for the Ballers.
Roberto Santiago is a third generation Berkeley boy currently raising the fourth generation. Roberto’s writing has appeared in Latina, Parents, and various online outlets. A lifelong baseball fan, Roberto worked briefly with the Boston Red Sox and once hit an RBI single off Spaceman Lee on a 2-2 changeup. It was his only at bat ever in a real baseball game. Find him on Instagram.
