Game 5 Recap: Heartbreaker at Raimondi
Offense Lights it Up, Pitching Woes Continue
“We’ve got good pieces. We need to figure the pitching out.”
By Roberto Santiago
WEST OAKLAND — It was a familiar start and an unfamiliar end on Saturday night as the Ballers lost a heartbreaker. Oakland entered the game with a combined starter’s ERA of 17.81. Starting pitcher C.J. Blowers gave the team their best start of the young season, throwing the most innings by a starter (4.2) so far and allowing only 6 runs. In real time, Blowers’s performance was better than the box score with most of the damage coming with two outs in the form of a three run homer in the first and an RBI single in the fifth. In between, Blowers threw scoreless frames in the second and third, before giving up back-to-back jacks to lead off the fourth inning. It was another rough start for a Ballers team that rode the league’s best pitching to a championship in 2025.
However, thanks to their offense, this Ballers team is never out of a game. “We know we can come back,” said Ballers left fielder Damian Stone. “One through thirteen, guys can bang. We believe in each other.” The Ballers again showed that they can score in multiple fashions. They got one back in the bottom of the first using a small ball approach. Tremayne Cobb led off, reaching on an error and advancing to second on the play. He advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, then home on another one. The Ballers got another run in the second thanks to a solo shot by the red-hot T.J. McKenzie, who’s hitting .368 with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs over the first five games. On continuing to bat McKenzie ninth, manager Aaron Miles said he likes having McKenzie in front of Cobb when the lineup turns over. “TJ provides a dynamic. He runs well, and Cobb’s the best fastball hitter in the league. He’s going to get more fastballs if TJ’s on first.”
The Ballers continued to put up runs, exploding for five in the third inning. “We’ve got a lot of guys swinging the bat pretty good.” said Miles. The barrage was led by a bases-loaded triple from Stone, who’s starting to show why the Ballers made him a priority this offseason after hitting .382 last year for Ogden. After a slow start, Stone has a homer and triple to show for his first two hits of 2025. Stone attributes his early struggles and current turnaround to being too amped up at the start of the season, trying to do too much and getting away from who he is as a hitter. After film and cage work with coach James Harris, Stone is “trying to calm down and get back to my roots. I appreciate the coach’s trust in letting me work through this.”
Oakland gave up a lead of 9-6 in the seventh inning, which saw Long Beach put up five runs of their own. The big blow was a Jacob Jablonski grand slam off of relief pitcher Liam Rocha. That lead was also short-lived. Justin Trimble led off with a solo bomb, and then the Coast started kicking the ball around. Two errors and a passed ball gave Oakland two more unearned runs in the frame.
Unfortunately, pitching would be the story of the game. David Clarke (0-1) came in with a one-run lead and a chance at his first professional save. It looked like the Ballers were going to pull off another comeback win as Clarke retired the first two batters on a groundout and a popup. The 2,098 fans in attendance were at full throat, anticipating the final out and a chance to celebrate. The dugout was buzzing, ready to rush the field and congratulate the rookie pitcher from Palo Alto. The next four batters went single, walk, homer (3 runs), homer to put Long Beach up 15-12. Oakland was unable to respond in the bottom half and the game ended, leaving a stunned team and fanbase to shuffle out with a promise that they’d get ‘em tomorrow.
Asked about the pitching woes, Miles offered that it’s still early, again noting that the team only had a week of spring training as opposed to the month or so clubs get in affiliated leagues. He also factored in that the wind at Raimondi has been blowing out and that along with the starter’s struggles, “the bullpen’s taxed and tired because of the compounding tough starts.” which may have contributed to the Ballers late game woes. The relievers have thrown 27.2 of the team’s 45 innings pitched so far. The Ballers will turn to their stopper, ace Gabe Tanner (0-1), to go deeper into Sunday’s game to give the bullpen some rest and get the team back on track.
Photos courtesy of Roberto Santiago and Maximum Effort Photos.
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.
