Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#346 Post by Sandgnats »

I also agree with you Mike. I felt some extra pressure to spend this year and take a risk that I did not originally plan on at the end of last season. ;-D
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#347 Post by Borealis »

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Spring Provides Glimpses of Dilemma, Future for Borealis
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

March 10, 2025: Grand Junction, Colorado - While a brutally cold front has descended upon the Front Range, dumping 2 feet of snow on the Greater Denver area, on the 'Back Range' the Rockies provide their rain shadow that is keeping temperatures mild for the start of Baseball's annual Rite of Spring: spring training.

And for the first time in four years Aurora will enter the spring lacking the expectation of repeating - or as was the case in 2024, four-peating. This spring the burden of defending the title falls on rival Crystal Lake, who finally broke through with their first title.

Spring 2025 already promises to be an interesting one, with the arrival of former-Codger Theron Boswell promising to create quite the shake-up in the infield. Boswell will be the only established veteran who will be taking the field for the first time in Aurora Blue this spring, but plenty of other youngsters will be looking to make a difference and push some of Aurora's aging - or ineffective, vets.

So let's take a look at those on the hot seat, those looking to make a splash, and what the prospects are for the Borealis as we head into 2025.

#1. Power Ball
As Will Topham stated at the Boswell meet-and-greet, the power bats wanted power money, and Aurora's Power Money is located with their Power Arms (mostly). The addition of Theron doesn't look like it'll make much of a difference. If there is any difference it might be the addition of Harley Schneider late last season as a free agent signee at the end of August. He did hit 3 HR in 30 games down the stretch - not earth shattering, but Pablo Medrano hit 6 all season (131 GS), Nick Giles 6 (108 GS), Teddy Loetzsch had 4 (130 GS) - so aside from Mike Britt's 21 HR's before he went down for the season with a concussion on August 21, Schneider's pace of 14-15 last year feels Ruthian.

A healthy full season from 'Big Whiskey' will certainly help. but another step upward from RF Paul Carlisle will also assist. Carlisle has had 24 HR the past two seasons and the power-thirsty Borealis need at minimum a repeat because the only other true threat is C Jesus Negrete, who was off to a fine start in 2023 (12 in 62 GS) before injury ended his campaign, and last season was a follow-up disappointment as he managed just 14 in 101 GS. So if Aurora is to move from their near-dead last in the League in power numbers, that's gonna to have to happen with the hand they were dealt awhile ago.

#2. Speaking of Negrete
Expectations were through the roof for Jesus and most would say the only thing that has gone through the roof has been his salary. 2025 presents Aurora with an interesting dilemma. Negrete is in the last year of his contract and will be a free agent at season's end. One would hope, offensively, that becomes a great motivator that will help propel the Borealis. Then again, such a season would certainly spell the end for his days in Aurora, as he'd certainly be unaffordable. Rumor is Aurora would welcome - and has had some discussions regarding, a trade.

But for Aurora, they have options that are not just knocking on the door, but they are posing at the door in imitation of the ol' Two-Headed Catcher of yesteryear - when Bob Keller and Scott Vinson roamed the roster. Today it's former #1 pick Manny Castro and contraction pick Domingo Gutierrez who looked polished and drooling at the mouth. Last season at AAA Thornton the two emulated the Keller-Vinson model, alternating between catcher and DH with Castro hitting .285 with 10 HR and 49 RBI, while Domingo hit .271 with 5/47. Both are about as outstanding as you can be behind the plate - Gutierrez spending time this winter working on his throwing ability and base running skills - both of which the coaching staff are quite pleased with.

This spring they will alternate days behind the plate or at DH with Negrete and Pedro Ferringo. One would not have thought a couple of season's ago as Ferringo was finishing ABs shy of possible batting crowns that his spot on the team - and in the line-up, could be in jeopardy, but his defensive skills are so horrendous that he ties the defensive-minded Borealis hands, playing him as a full-time as a powerless DH. The emergence of the Two-Headed Catcher v2.0 could suddenly make the defensively limits Ferringo a commodity the team no longer could afford. Left out in all this is back-up Rusty Butler, whose day's have seem numbered for awhile now.

#3. Who's on First or What's on Second?
Do the math for a second. 5 starting pitchers, 6 relievers and a closer equals 12 pitchers. Of the 13 position players, 2 are catchers - that leaves 11, and of that 5 are OF - and this includes Ferringo, leaving a total of 6 spots on the diamond. Aurora has 9 infielders on the 40-man roster this spring, and this doesn't include non-roster invitee Bill Jones, whom the scouts adore and the coaches rave about. If you've done your math properly, that leaves 4 bodies looking for a home that doesn't include a 80014 ZIP code.

2024 began with Medrano, Gabe McIntyre, Giles and Britt around the horn and by season's end it as Loetzsch, Giles, Schneider and Medrano as Britt's injury led to the signing of Schneider and McIntyre's ineffectiveness led to Loetzsch getting something closer to a full-time gig. How is 2025 shaping up and how has the Aurora infield begun to conjure up Abbott and Costello? Flexibility meets The Hot Hand.

Let's begin with Theron Boswell and Nick Giles. With the signing of Boswell to the largest free-agent deal to a non-Auroran, it was immediately assumed that Nick Giles was headed to the bench. Not so fast, Grasshopper. Although Giles is an excellent SS - and Boswell slightly better, coaches believe Boswell's best position is 2B - Harley Schneider's best position. Schneider and Giles both could play an adequate 3B.

Shouting 'Hey' is Teddy Loetzsch, who is possibly the best defender at any position not called 1B.

And What, you may ask, of incumbent 3B Mike Britt? Well, the Big Tennesseean begins his 10th season at Aurora - shockingly, and for those who have been following the team know, he's played SS and 1B in the past - back in the 'Ice Cold', 'El Bebe', Al Edwards and Steve McDonald days of the mid-20-teens.

'Wait', you high-end mathematicians cry - Theron, Nick, Harley, Teddy and 'Whiskey'? That's 5 guys right there? What of Medrano? McIntyre? and long-standing back-up infielder Juan Toro and perennial on-the-cusp-sitter Cristobal Crespo. Like we've said - Peeps will be looking for a new ZIP.

Working backwards... Crespo will, baring the unthinkable, no doubt see the DFA once again and charge up his FasTrax card. Jones will head back to Thornton, with Crespo, with little difficulty as he has his full complement of options. Out of options is Juan Toro, the nephew of one-time Aurora manager of the same name and at nearly 32, the one of two remaining members of the original Topham draft class ('Stork' Holbrook the other), may finally have seen the addition pass him by. The career .260 hitter has been there when needed and never really hurt himself. Best known for displacing 'Gypsy' John Foster (also from that 2011 draft class, the top Aurora selection) in the stretch drive of 2021 as he hit .326 - by far his career best, Toro has never really had the chance to play every day and prove himself. Today he finds himself at best #8 on the list where the top 6 will call Northern Lights Park home.

Perhaps a late career boom here in Grand Junction will translate in a job saving move for Toro, but it's fully expected that Pablo Medrano and Gabe McIntyre will battle it out for the last roster spot - and both with options still... or perhaps a trade is in their future.

#4. Running of the Bulls (pen)
Just for clarities sake, pencil them in: Provost, 'Tugboat', 'Massacre', Romano and Perkins will be your starting rotation and 'Javelin' will be your closer. So just as 6 was the Magic Number for the infield, so, too, will it be for the pitching staff - 6 middle relief spots. Some seem easy. Holbrook, in. John Gray, in. Bryant Burris, in... for now, looking for those elusive last few saves. And when he returns from injury - he'll begin 2025 at Thornton on a rehab assignment, Felix Pena will be in. Also in, seemingly, is Ron Latour. Of the serious options for the last spot, two find themselves out of options: Manuel Galloca and Lando Lagerveld, and a third possessing options, but shooting for the number 5 rotation spot - 'Terror' Diaz; a spot he won't even get a reasonable shot at to begin with.

Galloca, drafted out of West Virginia in 2017, has bounced through the Aurora system, defying the critics and skeptics along the way who criticize his stuff - a flattish fastball and a wonky knuckle-curve, and yet in brief stints the past two seasons he's posted a 1.87 ERA in 14 appearances. He does have a career 204 saves in the minors - 174 at AAA, so you've gotta figure he deserves a chance.

If not for Lando Lagerveld - the victim of the vagrancies of the roster rules, losing options, gaining ML roster time and managing just 34 minor league starts due to injuries - for a guy Aurora drafted as a cornerstone for future rotations. Aurora's options here are very limited - keep him on the roster or try to pass him through waivers; something that won't happen. So for now, Aurora has slated the Big Dutchman in the 6th spring rotation slot to get him innings, with the likely final outcome being his earning the 6th reliever spot. Try not to look at his 2024 numbers with Aurora in September - they'll hurt your eyes. Best to treat them as a mirage.

Which leaves us with poor Edgardo Diaz. The #1 Contraction Draft selection for Aurora, he was expected to plop into the rotation for a number of years - and yet, summarizing the dysfunction that was Aurora's 2024 season, he split time between the rotation and the 'pen. He still managed a 12-5 record and 3.86 ERA leaving him scratching his head in wonderment. Aside from Lagerveld, his other chief competition comes from Eric Perkins, Aurora's 2016 2nd round draftee. Perkins got his chance when 'Tugboat' went down for a bit, grabbed the job and forced Diaz to the 'pen (Perkins was 7-4, with a 3.40 ERA in 20 GS).

So in reality, Perkins (out of options), Lagerveld (out of options), and Diaz (with options) are battling for a rotation and a 'pen spot. Quoth the Infield, 'do the math'.

#5. Land of Milk and Honey
Or so it seems the outfield be.

Then you look closer and Hale is a free agent after the season and Pope and Carlisle will be after 2026, suggesting whatever moves the team makes in the spring of 2025 might (must) have an eye on the inevitable reality that their starting outfield can be toast after the next two seasons. And don't lose perspective on the fact that Pedro Ferringo fits into the outfield equation, numerically.

It would seem a no-brainer that the 5th outfield spot is Lawrence Justice's to lose - his ML/AAA splits the past two years are just too good to ignore; OK, his lack of power can be. Which is where Wilson Mercado comes into play. He has the power - or he's shown hints of it, and the coaches believe it's there, but Aurora has been waiting 9 years since signing the abundantly talented 17-year old Cuban. His lack of options may give him the advantage over the seemingly more talented Justice.

Making his first appearance own Aurora Blue - and hoping to make an impression is 2021 3rd round draftee Joe Harris, a distant cousin of sorts of Aurora's GM. He hit .284 at Gatineau with 5 HR and 26 RBI last year and is fully expected to play at Thornton this year, where he'll compete with other spring training hopefuls Federico Olivas, Chandler Wright and Augusto Hernandez - all with previous spring experience, each with a smattering of coffee to their resume - albeit with a mixed bag of success. All expected to begin the year at Thornton.

So one of the more complex springs begins today as Aurora sends 'Train Arollin'' to the mound to face the Codgers. With Aurora's hands tied in some cases we may see the end of some longstanding relationships here on the Front Range; or Back Range, as it may be. How may the year play out? Hard to predict, of course, other than it would seem that the Borealis will be in the thick of things in the Desert Hills as none of Aurora's immediate rivals seem to have improved themselves significantly.

The Bears signing of CF Jesus Lopez (Kentucky) should improve an offense that struggled in 2024, but they've a rotation that may be beginning to show it's age. Palm Springs, off their surprising playoff run, lost some talent - Miguel Cantu, Pepe Espinosa and of course, Boswell, but they've added Sato to replace Boswell, resigned O'Neal and signed closer Larry Taylor. Reno dealt Webb to Shin Seiki - the busiest and most improved team in all of PEBA; some would say, early odds on favorite, but with Carmona retiring being a little case of addition by subtraction, added Iwane Sato and picked up former-Boreas farm hand Orlando Alarcon to bolster their rotation. It shall be fun to see how Orlando does for the Zephyrs as Aurora was loathe to leave him exposed to the Rule 5 draft. The Yumans lost three starting position players to free agency - including 'Gypsy' John, and have made no additions.

Well, it's time to Play Ball and let the cards fall into place - it shan't be a boring spring!
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#348 Post by Borealis »

Aurora Leaves Hills For Desert, Opens 2025 in Reno
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 7, 2025: Reno, Nevada - When teams do poorly in Spring, we are told that Spring Training means nothing. When a team does well, we are told that it bodes well for a club.

Here's hoping for a whole lotta boding!

The Borealis head off to The Biggest Little City fresh off a 16-win, bodes well, Spring that tied for tops in the SL (Toyama) and was a win shy of New Orleans (speaking of hoping it bodes well) 17. There may not have been a whole lot of surprises to come out of the spring - as we know, performances may vary, but here are some of the storylines and the Opening Day roster as we prepare for former-Ghost/Ocelot/Frog Iwane Sato to make his Reno debut against 'Train Arollin''.

Catcher:
Showing that he's ready for that Free Agent Salary Drive, Jesus Negrete had a PEBA-leading .490 average with 3 HR. Manny Castro and Domingo Gutierrez hit .280 and .294 respectively - just shy of Rusty Butler's .300. Butler's number in all likelihood mattered little - short of Manny or Dommy hitting lights out. Management felt that another full season of AB's at AAA was more valuable for their young catching duo, and thus they'll open at Thornton - but do not be fooled - they will open 2026 on the 25-man roster as the starting catcher and... DH? I guarantee this will be both Negrete's and Butler's last seasons on The Front Range.

Infield:
The big news here was the positive feel the $23M Man brought to the plate by way of a Hot Spring .395 average. Theron Boswell, the richest Free Agent in Aurora history, came out swinging and making the Boy Wonder GM look like a genius. Also having stellar springs were Pablo Medrano (.344) and 'Big Whiskey' (.333), each matching Boswell's 2 HRs. Not to be outdone - coming in at .333 and 2 HR was Harley Schneider. The foursome was targeted as the likely starting foursome and they will be that, as Nick Giles,who was 5-9 in two games before he fractured his thumb,is expected to be out another 2-weeks, plus rehab. That made a difficult job just slightly easier.

Sadly, Odd Man Out for Aurora is longtime utility man, Juan Toro who was DFA and will spend the next two weeks contemplating his future. Truth is, we expect that he will ultimately be released as there seems to be no room in the organization for the soon-to-be 32-year old. Toro became Odd Man due to the presence of Gabe McIntyre and Teddy Loetzsch, both of whom are more versatile than Toro, with what the coaching staff believes to be a higher upside at the plate - even if their .264 and .254 averages don't necessarily illustrate that. Each of these will need to show their value in the expected limited play during the season's first month. Both have options left and both are the vulnerable ones with Giles looming return.

Outfield:
Like the infield, the outfield will begin the season missing a leader - though River Pope's sprained pinkie should cost him just the opening week - which is good news for Wilson Mercado... for now. Mercado had a solid spring (.333, 2 HR), but Mike Hale's .278 and even Paul Carlisle's hideous .188 is enough to keep them out of the line-up, but he'll get that first week's worth of games to prove his value - a value Aurora has been waiting on for quite a while without it materializing. Meanwhile, a cup of joe will be handed to Chandler Wright as Pope's replacement, by virtue of his prowess in CF. Wright had a solid spring of his own (.300 in 30 AB), but barring a strong start (not expected, as he'll likely get but a few AB), he's got his FasTrax ticket in his back pocket with Destination: AAA printed at the top. Getting his ticket punched - he had options, Mercado being out, was Lawrence Justice, who surprisingly didn't get much playing time for someone who's contributed to the major league club. His inability to cover CF effectively certainly has cost him a full-time roster spot.

Oh, and BTW... Pedro Ferringo hit .333 with 15 RBI and 14 R, and looks like he's ready for a bounce-back season.

Pitching Staff:
Let's just loop these all together here as it's the 'cross-over' guys who were the bigger stories, with once more, options really dictating things.

In: Eric Perkins will be the 5th starter more on his body of work in 2024, than his 2025 spring numbers (5.87). Manuel Galloca had a solid spring, despite a poor finish (3.57, 14 K, 1 BB). Lando Lagerveld, despite still working on his control, posted a 3.00 ERA and will open the season in the bullpen. All three out of options.

Out: Most notably Edgar Diaz. 'Terror' didn't help himself with his own 5.40 ERA, and the 26-year old still possessing options allowed Aurora the benefit of playing Roster Roulette. After two solid seasons in Tempe and Aurora, the popular right-hander can't be too excited about the prospects of heading back to AAA. You can thank the vagrancies of the CBA that stole an option from Lagerveld for this one.

Real trouble will come when Felix Pena is ready to return after his minor league rehab stint.

Meanwhile, the rotation sets up pretty much as expected: Provost (2.87), Smith (2.25), Jimenez (2.87), Romano (a nightmarish 9.20 with 5 HRA) and Perkins. 'Javelin' (2.70, 5 saves) will close, though expect the club to give Bryant Burris some opportunities to earn those 9 saves he needs to break the all-time save mark. Aurora's longest tenured player earned his contract last season and thus far looks ok - 3.95 in 13.2 IP. Like Negrete, we feel confident in saying the will be his last year in Aurora Blue - if he even makes it to the season's end.

Filling out the pitching staff, John Gray and 'Stork' Holbrook will begin the year as set-up men, along with Burris, after satisfactory springs that, if nothing else, saw them get their work in. Ron Latour joining Galloca and Lagerveld in middle relief. Latour was by far the top pitcher in camp: 14.2 IP, 6 H, 17 K, 1 BB and a 0.00 ERA.

Aurora has reached a tipping point, as you can see, with their roster, with a number of valuable pieces reaching their contractual 'life span' and must be kept, at the expense of others, or be jettisoned. It won't get any easier in 2026. But that is then and this is now, and the Borealis awake today with one focus - the Reno Zephyrs. As Aurora manage Octavio Rios put it at the Play Ball Luncheon, 'We have to realize that this is a team game and a game of sacrifices. Our goal as a team is to bring home another Cup, but that goal is achieved only through personal sacrifice for the global good. None of us want to be demoted, waived or anything else, but in a long season, things happen and we all have to be ready to contribute.'

Easily said for a manager. Not so easy for a 26-year old to swallow.

Either way, today is the start of the 18th season of Aurora Baseball and if nothing else, it promises to be yet another exciting one!
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#349 Post by Borealis »

Erratic Start for Aurora, Rivera
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 21, 2025: Crystal Lake, Illinois - The season looks so good when it started off with the Borealis overpowering the Zephyrs with a 4-game sweep in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada, but upon arriving home and welcoming the Bears, things began to unravel - that a follow-up series with the Evil Evas didn't change and a trip to the cozy Dino Dome only slightly felt better.

And up next? The Champs.

Things to know from the Reno series:
- of the four starters, only Provost gave up runs - a pair, including a HR, as the starters struck out 18 and walk 4...
- the only other pitchers to give up runs were Lando Lagerveld (2 in 2/3 IP - looking a lot like last year) and Ron Latour (3 in 3.1 IP). The rest of the 'pen went 10.2 scoreless innings.
- Newcomer Theron Boswell was 7-15 with a 2B, 3B and 4 RBI.
- Mike Hale, in a salary drive year, was 7-16, but was caught stealing in all three SB attempts. Paul Carlisle, who had a horrid spring, was 5-12, with a team leading 6 RBI.
- looking poor was Schneider (3-13) and Negrete (2-10)

Things to know from the Bakersfield series:
- the home Opener was about as ugly a game you'll see all year. Former-Akira Yoichibei Sakai held Aurora to 4 hits in a complete game shut-out, while Eric Perkins was shaky at best, giving up 7 R on 9 H over 6.2 IP - 3 HR doing the bulk of the damage. Provost was shaky, giving up 4 runs in Game 2, but Neil Maes wasn't much better, surrendering 15 H and 6 R over 7 IP. 'Tugboat' surrendered a 3-run homer to start Game 3 and that really was the key in a 5-3 loss for the Borealis. Lagerveld pitched 2.2 innings of 1-hit ball to improve on his first appearance of the year.
- Schneider and Negrete were both, again, poor as they were a combined 3-20.
- Boswell was 4-8 with another 2B and 3B. Gabe McIntyre was 5-8 and after a solid spring, he's pushing for a chance to get more starts.
- in the 'pen, Manuel Galloca continued to look sharp - though his stay with Aurora was about to end. John Gray - thanks to a HRA, was the only 'penner to allow any runs in the series.

Things to know from the Shin Seiki series:
- things were not destined to start well, as the trade of 'Massacre' left a hole in the rotation that minor leaguer Sam Gordon filled - poorly as 6 H - 3 of which were HRs, and 7 R over 2.1 IP, coupled with a fine outing by the Evil Evas Hideyori Tanaka, spelled doom in an 8-3 loss.
- poor starting pitching was a theme, as Romano gave up 8 H (2-HR) and 6 runs over 4 IP in Game 2, while a sharp 'Black Jack' mugged Aurora - well, except from River Pope, who managed 3 hits.
- Perkins bounced back and looked sharp over 6.2 IP and this time it was SS starter Yoshimura who struggled as Aurora pumped out 15 H - with Paul Carlisle hitting his 3rd HR and gaining RBI #12 on the year.
- The series finale was a pitching classic: Provost (who pitched pretty well - 2 R, 9 K in 6.1 IP) and Suitani (7.1 IP, 5 H, no runs). Lagerveld pitched another 2.1 scoreless innings - beginning to show the promise the team had hoped for, but Latour - looking very different from the spring pitcher they saw, and 'Javelin' surrendered a useless pair of runs - Suitani was 'on' this day.

Things to know from the Fargo series:
- beating 'Fireworks' has not been an unknown occurrence for Aurora, but they jumped all over the former-Bear ace for 8 H and 7 R over 2.2 IP - including Mike Britt's 3rd HR of the season. 'Tugboat' was decent (8 H, 3 R over 5 IP), and Sam Gordon surrendered another HR (and 2 R on 3 H in 1.2 IP), but the runs against Hancock were more than enough for Aurora.
- Eduardo Romano was much sharper in game 3, allowing just 4 H and a run in 7.2 IP. Theron Boswell continued his hot start for the year with a 4-5, his 6th 2B and 5 RBI (#13).

The biggest news of the first month of the season is likely to be the trade of Arturo Jimenez (and Manuel Galloca) to Amsterdam for Carlos Rivera. It was a deal that was motivated by the eminent loss of 'Massacre' to free agency and Rivera's contract lasting another 3-years at what some might call a 'team-friendly' $14M average salary. Rivera's first start for Aurora was anything but friendly, as a first inning run (a walk and double) erased the early lead a leadoff Mike Hale homer gave him, and a pair of HR surrendered in the third - a 3-R and a 2-R homer added up to 5 unearned runs (thanks 'Big Whiskey') - and not to be outdone, Lagerveld took a major step backwards with his own pair of HRA, that added up to 4 runs. Bryant Burris allowed his own HR - the Dinos torched Aurora for 5 homers on this day and an ugly 13-6 loss.

The Borealis finish the first four series of the year at 8-6, which sits them 2 GB of the hot starting Bears and just a game up of the Codgers, who Aurora will face after a much needed 4-day break after the 'Gnats series. River Pope - who missed the first week, is 11-23 with 4-2B, and Theron Boswell is hitting .429 in his first 12 games - an SL leading .429 with an SL leading 21 hits and 13 RBI - with Britt and Carlisle sitting an RBI back at 12.

Schneider (8-49) and Negrete (6-39) are the barrel-bottom of the team - where the next lowest average of the starting 9 is Pablo Medrano's .274. Overall, the offense if doing the job, with a league leading .289 average and a mighty nice power surge - 13 HR are 6th best in the SL.

Not So Neat is the pitching staff's 19 HR allowed that has Aurora pitchers at the second worst runs allowed in the League and an uncharacteristic 10th best ERA. Visiting Crystal Lake isn't likely to make it any better. Perkins, Provost and Smith will take the mound for Aurora, and then one of those extended breaks and the possibility of some reshuffling of the rotation for the Codgers.

Of note, 2021 3rd round pick Julio Martinez, of Washington State, has been called up and will be making his major league debut in the bullpen while Felix Pena continues his minor league rehab. Sam Gordon was demoted to make room for Martinez. Julio had 4 scoreless innings with 3 saves, 2 H and 8 K (no walks) thus far for the FasTrax. It is expected that Pena will be recalled in time for the Codger series.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#350 Post by Borealis »

Borealis End Opening Stretch With Wins Over 'Gnats
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 21, 2025: Aurora, Colorado - The Borealis opened the 2025 season with a 17-game stretch that concluded this week with a three game series at the Sandgnats. With an 8-6 mark heading to The Lake, Aurora has been a mixture of decent hitting and poor pitching - not necessarily a good mix to be facing the 'Gnats, holding an 11-6 mark heading into the early season showdown.

Game 1 was not much of a match as Eric Perkins continues to struggle to find some consistency, giving up 4-runs in the second, en route to a 4 inning, 10 hit, 5 run outing that doomed Aurora against Crystal lakes young phenom - 'Nitro' MacCowan. Aurora managed just four hits - Mike Britt's 4th HR of the year being the only blemish on his mark. Aurora's 'pen was holding the fort until a pair of errors allowed three unearned runs in Julio Martinez' debut for an 8-2 final score.

Mike Provost squared off with Miguel Cantu, and this time it was the Sandgnats starter who was chased after 4 IP, with 5 runs allowed. Provost would go 8 innings, allowing 5 H and 3 R and 5 K - giving him 25 K and no walks after 4 GS. The 'Gnats 'pen surrendered 4 runs on 5 hits, while Crystal Lake managed just one more run - a Jarrod Ricks leadoff HR in the 9th off Bryant Burris. The big bat of the game was a previously sleeping Jesus Negrete, who was 3-4, with 4 R and a pair of solo HRs (#'3 4 & 5).

'Tugboat' paired up with Tatsui Kouno in the rubber match of the series and the game was scoreless until 2-out in the 4th when Mike Britt homered to give the Borealis the lead. It was a near repeat in the 5th as Hale's 2-out triple plated Aurora's second run and a pair of singles and a double (Boswell) in the 6th plated two more and 'Tugboat' had a 4-0 lead. He'd last until he walked former-Borealis farmhand Jack Speed to lead-off the 8th. John Gray would relieve Smith and his lone batter would single (Miguel Rincon), bringing in The 'Stork'. Holbrook got his lone batter before Aurora manager once more made a pitching change - this time Ron Latour, who let a 1-1 pitch get too much plate to Ken Tuttle who hit the ball a mile for a 3-run HR and cut Aurora's lead to one. 'Javelin' came on in the 9th, allowing a single to make things a bit hairy, but he still managed his 3rd save.

The series win leave the Borealis at 10-7 and 2 games back of Bakersfield and 1/2 a game behind the early season surprise: Neo-Tokyo in the wild card race.

So, thus far, what do we know as after a 4-day break Aurora ends the month of April with a 4-game series with Palm Springs. Provost seems a little shaky, but his strikeout to walk ratio and .213 OAVG suggests he's had a bit of bad luck. Eric Perkins has looked very poor in two starts, and very good in the third - against Shin Seiki no less. We've only seen one start out of Carlos Rivera and as poor as it was, it's expected he'll pitch as he did in his first starts with Amsterdam. In the 'pen, young Lando Lagerveld is going to be given every chance to make the mistakes one needs to grow, as the team believes in his ability. For now he's looked very bad and very good - which the 'glass half full' coaching staff will view as a positive.

Theron Boswell has started very well - .379, 7-2B, 2-3B and a HR, coupled with 13 RBI and 11 R, has him firmly fix in the line-up. Teddy Loetzsch (1-20) and Harley Schneider (.143) have looked very shaky, while Nick Giles has a week of rehab under his belt and is 9-20 at AAA. Giles (and RP Felix Pena) will stay one more week in AAA, before heading back to the major league club and a long flight for 7-games in the Land of the Rising Sun. Should Giles continue to hit, we may see Boswell move over to 2B - his better position. Negrete - who started abysmally, was 7-12 against the 'Gnats and looks to be getting hot at the right time. River Pope, missing the first week with injury, has his own hot streak at hand - 14-37, with 5-2B.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#351 Post by Borealis »

Borealis Slow Out of Break, Reel Off 5 in a Row to Start May
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 5, 2025: Somewhere over the Pacific - Aurora began the season with a 17-game stretch that challenged the team's early season stamina - but when a break came, it was in the form of the post-contraction 4-day variety that can create havoc on a team looking for consistency

First up for Aurora was a trip to the California desert for a four game series with the Codgers. Aurora's new toy - Carlos Rivera, struggled in his second start for the Borealis, allowing 9 H and 4 R over 6.1 IP, enough to suffer his second loss in as many SL starts. Jose Campos held Aurora to 5 H and a pair of runs - a Rusty Butler 2-run HR, before turning the game over to the bullpen for the final 4.1 innings. Four Codger relievers surrendered just 2 hits to preserve Palm Springs 5-2 series opening win. Game 2 was just as difficult as Eduardo Romano continued his own struggles as he managed just 4 innings, giving up 6 hits and 5 runs. Former-Star Closer-turned-Codger Starter Jim Ratzlaff continues to shine in the rotation for the Codgers, his 7.1 inning, 4-run outing upping his record to 3-1. For the Borealis, the highlight was Theron Boswell's 2nd homer of the season.

Borealis fates began to shift in Game 3 as two pitchers who've struggled thus far - Eric Perkins and Oliver Gonzalez squared off. Perkins, supported by a 3-5 day by Boswell and Jesus Negrete's 2-3 with a 2-run HR, chased Gonzalez in the 5th. Perkins was also a tad shaky, despite picking his second win on the year, as three Codgers - Segura, Blackwell and Woods, each had three hits - Segura having a pair of doubles and a homer. Aurora was able to earn a tough split in the 4-game series with Mike Provost tossing his first complete game of the season - a 4-hitter, with 8 K and 0 BB - for those of you counting, that's 33 K and 0 BB for 'Train Rollin''. Meanwhile, Jorge Jimenez was pounded over 4 innings, surrendering 6-runs as the heart of Aurora's line-up (Hale, Britt, Negrete, and Carlisle) was 10-18, with 6 RBI that a pair of Negrete doubles and Carlisle's 4th homer became main contributors to the win.

Yuma arrived at Northern Lights for the next series and the struggling Yumans - currently 8-15, third worse record in the PEBA, struggled mightily. They would score a grand total of 2-runs on 17 hits. 'Tugboat threw 8, shut-out innings, allowing just 3 hits (3 BB, 8 K). Aurora greeted former teammate Anastasio Lopez rudely - 8 H, 6 R over 2.1 IP, while Carlos Rivera showed the promise Aurora was looking from him with 5 innings, 6 H and a single run in Aurora's 11-1 shellacking of the 'Dozers. Pablo Medrano was 4-5, while Gabe McIntyre was 3-5 with 4 RBI and Theron Boswell was 3-4 quirk his own pair of RBIs.

Also getting healthy at the expense of the Bulldozers was Romano, who out dueled 'Raptor' by going 8 innings and allowing 4 hits - one of which was a solo HR for the Yuman's lone run on the day. Rodriguez allowed a pair of solo HRs to saddle-up with the loss - Boswell continuing his hot start and Carlisle hitting his 5th to give Aurora a sweep of their series with Yuma and a sudden 5-game win streak.

As we approach the 1/6 point of the season, the offense seems to be finally clicking on all cylinders. Boswell (.398) and Carlisle (.373) are the early season 1-2 leaders in the SL, with Aurora's $23M Man leading the SL in OPS, WAR, and RBIs. Aurora's 3-4-5-6 hitters line-up as such: Boswell (.398, 3 HR, 20 RBI), Britt (.280, 6 HR, 19 RBI), Negrete (.271, 6 HR, 13 RBI) and Carlisle (.373, 5 HR, 18 RBI) - quite the shift from a year ago when the offense seemed to stagnate as the year progressed. The rest of Aurora's starting outfield - River Pope and Mike Hale (.323 and .321, respectively) are also hitting well.

The offense may also be getting even healthier, as starting SS Nick Giles is set to come off his rehab assignment at AAA, where he hit .478. Giles will take his customary spot at short and Boswell will slide to the other side of the keynote and play his best position - second. Odd-man out, is 25-year old Teddy Loetzsch, who's 3-27 wasn't cutting it, and thus was optioned back to Thornton.

With an offense that is, at the moment, clicking - tops in the SL in AVE, OBP, 2nd in runs and SB, and a surprising 6th in HR, it's the pitching that has surprisingly had it's poor moments. Provost and Smith have mostly looked like themselves, but Romano and Perkins have struggled - especially Eric Perkins whose 6.85 ERA has coaches taking note of what 'Terror' is doing at AAA ( 1-2, but over 37 IP his ERA is 1.70, with 30 K and 5 BB).

With Manual Galloca jettisoned to The Netherlands (along with 'Massacre'), more expectations fall on the shoulders of Ron Latour and the unproven Lando Lagerveld. Lando, ironically a Dutchman, has pitched a bit better than his early season numbers, where a single 2-HR, 4-run outing has skewed his stat line. Otherwise, the 'pen has been pretty solid - 'Javelin' has 6 saves, 'Stork' has just a solo HR in his 9.1 IP to mar his record, and John Gray has 15 K in 14 IP.

Like the offense, the pitching staff has their own addition from the rehab ranks as Felix Pena joins the club after an 8 appearance, 7.2 IP stint that saw him allow but a single run, striking out 11 and walking 4.

May presents the Borealis with an interesting schedule. They begin a 4-game series with Okinawa, then travel to Toyama for a week's play in the Land of the Rising Sun, then it'll be another 'contraction' break before playing Great Lakes contenders Duluth and the Champs at home, before taking on Desert Hills leading Bakersfield at YUM! and then traveling to Japan, again, to take on the Evil Evas, before ending May at Neo-Tokyo.

For now, as the Borealis seem to be finding their groove, they sit 2 games back of the Bears and 3.5 back of the Evas in the top seed race - an Eva's team that has won 9 of their last 10. Aurora's 15-9 mark is good for a 2 game lead in the Wild Card.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#352 Post by Borealis »

Aurora Treads Water Into a Tough May
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 18, 2025: Tokyo, Japan - April came to an end with Aurora posting a meh 11-9 record that had them 2-games back of Bakersfield in the division and after a somewhat more impressive first half of May, the team all but treads water, dropping a game and a half further back in the Desert-Hills.

May began for the Borealis with a complete turn through the rotation in which Aurora gave up only 4-runs in 5-games - and no more than a run a game, completing a split of 4-games with Palm Springs where Mike Provost held the Codgers to 4 H in a complete game 7-1 win. Not to be out done, 'Tugboat' held the Yumans to 8, 3 H shut out innings for a 3-0 to begin a set with the 'Dozers. Aurora greeted former teammate Anastasio Lopez rudely - pounding 8 H and 6 R over 2.1 innings, while Carlos Rivera (5 IP, 1 R), Lando Lagerveld (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB), and Bryant Burris (1.2 IP, 1 H) stymied Yuma. Eduardo Romano stifled Yuma over 8, 4 H, 1 R innings, with 'Javelin' picking up his second save of the series sweep. Eric Perkins completed the stretch with 6 innings of 1-hit ball - deep counts raising his pitch count against Okinawa. Burris and Peterson closed the game out as Aurora had the five game streak mentioned previously.

The streak wasn't over as Aurora pounded out 17 hits in game 2 of the Okinawa series - and they really needed the 9-runs as Provost and Lagerveld in relief weren't sharp - Provost walking two!! while Lando walked 4, to complement the 6 combined hits allowed that contributed to the Shisa's 5 runs. Everyone in the Aurora line-up had at least two hits save McIntyre and Ferringo - who had one each. Negrete was 3-4, with a triple and 2 RBI for PoG honors, upping his average to .303 - which unbeknownst to all, would be his season's high point as a slump was about to begin.

Okinawa would get a pair in the first off 'Tugboat' in game 3, but that would be all they managed against Aurora's tough lefty, who's line of 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R left him with a 4-1 record and a 2.48 ERA. Mike Britt would hit the game winning shot - a 2-run HR in the 6th - his third HR of the series, giving him 9 on the season, along with 25 RBI. Okinawa would put an end to Aurora's 7-game streak as the Shisa's Bothwell, O, and Carpenter would each touch Carlos Rivera with 2-run HRs - Bothwell's and O's with 2-outs, as Rivera's inconsistencies since leaving the Continent continue. The bright spot was the work of Felix Pena, in relief of Rivera. Pena, making his season debut as he returned from his rehab assignment at Thornton, three 3-scoreless innings, with 4 K.

As the road trip shifted to Toyama, Aurora's sudden shift of luck didn't change as the Win-D's took 2 of 3 from the Borealis with a pair of 1-run wins. Romano was brilliant over 8 innings - only a solo homer in the 8th blemishing his performance, but 'Javelin' couldn't preserve the 2-1 lead - Clifford Green's double on a 3-2 pitch, followed by Roberto Cisneros' single that moved him to third. Reynaldo Garcia singled on the next pitch and when Cisneros tried to go first to third, Carlisle's throw sailed over Britt's head and into the stands, allowing the winning run to score.

Game 2 came down to a pair of things: River Pope led the game off with a single and Jesus Negrete would later hit a 3-run shot for a first inning 4-spot, that Eric Perkins held into the 7th (he did allow a pair of runs), where Ron Latour and Bryant Burris would hold. Nick Giles, who like Pena, having just joined the club after a rehab stint, hit his first homer of the season as Aurora would even the series at a game. The rubber match of the series would have 'Train Arollin'' on the mound - and when Provost goes the distance, you'd bet Aurora won, but over 8 innings Provost allowed 4 runs, while Francois Gosselin and the Toyama bullpen scattered 11 hits to hold Aurora to just 3, with Raul Cruz picking up his 13th save.

So Aurora took an 8-3 May record into one of those funky 4-game breaks as they traveled home to face the Duluth Warriors and the defending champion Sandgnats.

The Borealis would get back on the winning track behind 'Tugboat', Jumping on Duluth's workhorse Ricardo Aguilar, who was making his 17th!! start of the season. Aguilar made a staggering 44 starts in 2024, throwing a mind-boggling 260 innings. Duluth's D and Aguilar himself, put the Warriors in a hole early as 1B Cole Middleton dropped a throw to start the game, to which Aguilar walked the next two batters so that a Carlisle groundout and a Giles sac fly could plate a pair. Pedro Ferringo would be the hitting hero of the day with a pair of solo HRs - nearly matching 2024's season total (3) in one game. 'Tugboat' would mow through the Warriors over 7 innings, giving up 4 hits, and 2 runs while notching 13 K. 'Javelin' would surrender, worrisomely, another 9th inning runs to make the final score a tad closer - 6-3.

Carlos Rivera and Paul Norris engaged in a classic pitchers duel in game 2, with Norris limiting Aurora to just 2 hits and 2 BB in his 8 IP, while Rivera, in clearly his best start on The Front Range, held Duluth to 4 hits and 2 BB (and 7 K). All the scoring came on the long ball - Hitoshi Sugahara with a lead-off HR in the 6th staking Norris with the lead, and Pablo Medrano taking advantage of Norris dropping a throw for the third out in the 8th, while covering first on an apparent out on Gabe McIntyre, by blasting his second homer of the year to foil Norris' otherwise fine effort and give Rivera a much needed win.

Eduardo Romano and Aurora's 'pen were battered in game 3 - allowing 7 XBH, as game 3 went the way of Duluth.

Up next for the Borealis as they continue to march towards a post-season berth is a tough stretch against their top rivals - three with Crystal Lake before heading to Bakersfield for three and then heading to Japan for 4 at the Evil Evas.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#353 Post by Borealis »

Borealis Tough Losses Down Stretch Cede #2 to Duluth
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

(To my avid readers, I must apologize for seeming to fall off the face of the earth. Truth be told, a gnarly spill off my Harley resulted in 6-weeks of arm in a sling pain and a broken collar bone that is yet to have healed. My heart has been here with you, and I try to hit the high points - or low points, of where the season went. - Ray)

October 14, 2025: Kalamazoo, Michigan - As rosters across the PEBA were expanded on September 1, the hunt for the top two spots in the SL was a taut one - Shin Seiki led both the Borealis and the Duluth Warriors by three games and although Duluth would catch those Evil Evas on multiple occasions, the Borealis never was able to get closer than a single game. As game number 162 appeared on the schedule on a cool, breezy evening in Michigan, Aurora knew they had to win - and sweep, the surprisingly competitive Badgers, to guarantee Aurora the #2 spot. They went into the last game of the season a game up on Duluth, but the Warriors played their last game the next day, and had the tie-breaker over Aurora - thanks to a season series win over the Borealis (who lost 7 of 12 games to the Warriors).

Carlos Rivera, the arm imported from Amsterdam as the season broke it's seal back in early April, struggled for consistency all season, and that inconsistency reared it's ugly head right off the bat. A 1-out single and a 2-out, 2-strike HBP put Austin McKee in position to be the hero. His swing on a 0-1 pitch may not have traveled far, but it traveled far enough to put the Badgers up 3-0 in the bottom of the first. Paul Carlisle (int he 2nd) and Jesus Negrete (in the 5th) would hit lead-off homers to move Aurora closer, and when Mike Hale drove in Pablo Medrano with a double, Aurora found themselves tied heading to the bottom of the 5th.

Rivera had looked to settle down, allowing just a pair of singles over innings 2-3-4, but a pair of singles in the 5th - sandwiched around a nice bunt by Ruben Jimenez, put K-zoo back on top, 4-3. After a quiet 6th, the Badgers struck yet again as a Tony Baez double and a Hector Garcia sac fly tagged Rivera with a 5th run and a 5-3 deficit.

Aurora would threaten in the 8th, loading the bases - thanks to a pair of singles and an error by McKee, and Medrano driving in a 4th run for the Borealis, but Gabe McIntyre and Harley Schneider (in for Hale, who had to come out with a slight oblique strain) would strikeout and end any chance of Aurora busting out with a big number. Austin McKee would homer off the 'Stork', but the outcome was decided - and the Borealis' hold on the #2 seed now needed help.

But help was not to be on the way, as Toyama failed to hold a lead at home, and Manuel Cuevas' 3-run homer in the 10th gave Duluth their 100th win, and a tie with Aurora (the two finishing 2-games back of Shin Seiki) - and the #2 seed.

For the Borealis, so many games blown by their 'pen or the teams unfortunate penchant for giving up the long ball has them in this spot - go no further back than their October 8th game with Bakersfield, in which Rivera blew a 4-0 lead in the 6th - a pair of doubles and a homer equally a 5-spot in a 5-4 loss.

Regardless of these outcomes, the one clear thing was this: Aurora was going to play Duluth - it was simply a matter of where. And that answer is Minnesota.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#354 Post by Borealis »

Aurora Takes the War Out of Duluth, 'Champs On-Deck
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

October 31, 2025: Aurora, Colorado - Sometimes playoff experience is meaningless, but for at least one post-season series, experience may have been just enough. For the Aurora Borealis, a team who struggled against Duluth in 2025, they'll take what they can get.

In losing 7 of 12 games in the 2025 season, pitching dominated play for both teams. Aurora's pitching was it's typical stellar self: Duluth hitting just .227 as a team Paul Dillworth and Tomas Flores the only starters hitting over .290), but Duluth pitchers were equally tough, holding Aurora to a .212 average - despite the efforts of River Pope - who hit .366; Pedro Ferrigno's .231 was the next best effort by a starter. Duluth starter Paul Norris was particularly tough on Aurora, giving up zero runs over his three starts. No Aurora starter can make that claim.

And when Duluth jumped on Mike Provost in Game 1, as former-Aurora farmhand Miguel Galvez (shipped to the Warriors in the 'Zoom' deal) launched a 1-1 pitch 407' for a 2-0 lead in the first. McGuire and Uribes doubles in the 4th upped the lead to 3-0 as 'Rainmaker' had shut Aurora down on 5-hits and a walk over the first 5 innings. But in the 6th Boswell's 1-out single and a Negrete double to get Aurora a run, chased Julian Thomas, then McIntyre greeted Matt Nielson with a run scoring single and suddenly it was a 1-run game. Aurora would continue their comeback in the 7th as a leadoff double by Mike Hale and a walk set the stage for Jesus Negrete to power a 3-run homer and a 6-3 Borealis lead. Provost would face trouble in the 5th, but a perfect 6th and 7th, followed by perfect 8th and 9th from 'Stork' and John Gray would give Aurora the opener, 6-3.

'Tugboat' and Norris would square off in Game 2 and solo homers by Carlisle in the 4th and Britt in the 6th contributed to a 3-0 lead for the presumptive Golden Arm winner. Smith would be tough, pitching around 3 hits, 2 walks and his own error over 6 innings before a 2-out single by Jason Owens in 7th chased him and brought on Felix Pena. Pena would face two batters and he'd surrender a single and a massive 3-run homer by Jeff Prat to tie the game at 3, denying Smith of his 12th career post-season win. Eric Perkins (and not Burris or Latour) would come in and surrender another pair of runs over the 7th and 8th, as Duluth would comeback and take Game 2, 5-3.

The series turn to The Front Range for Game 3, and there isn't much to say, for the term 'bloodbath' would be too kind. Here are the pertinent pieces: Carlos Rivera went 6.2 innings and gave up 5 hits and struck out 6, while Eric Perkins finished it out retiring the final 7 hitters. Ricardo Aguilar, the starter for Duluth with 84 starts over the past two seasons, looked tired as he managed only 1 inning, 7 hits and 6 runs. Mike Hale was 5-6 with 4 runs - the hits and runs tieing the SL playoff records. He also had a homer and a triple. Jesus Negrete was 3-5 with 4 RBI. As Aurora took the series lead at 2-1, with a 17-0 shellacking. It was a game that Duluth desperately wanted to look past, but instead was a game that set the tone for the remainder of the series.

Game 4 looked as if it would pick up where Game 3 left off as Aurora dropped a 2-spot on Arinori Mochizuki. Pope led off with a single and Ferringo doubled him home. Mochi didn't help himself any as after a groundout moved Pedro to third, he was balked home. In the 4th, Carlisle would leadoff with a walk - after fouling off 6 2-strike pitches, and he came all the way around to make it 3-0 on a Negrete double. The much-maligned Eduardo Romano would cruise into the 5th surrendering just a single and a walk before a pair of singles in the 5th would lead to a run. Aurora would manage just one more hit off of Mochi and the Warrior 'pen - Bryan Bedell with 3 K in 2 innings, but Pena, Perkins and Gray would pitch the final three innings allowing just 2 hits (and 4 K) as Aurora took a commanding lead in the series, 3-1 with a 3-1 win - and more importantly, the chance to close the series out at home.

Game 5 was a rematch that did not portend well for Duluth. Provost, who was solid in Game 1, was even more so in Game 5. Juan Hernandez and Prat hit back-to-back doubles in the first to get Duluth the lead, but it was a short lived one. And more to the point, Provost would allow only 4 more hits over his 7.1 innings. McIntyre would greet 'Rainmaker' with a double in the 3rd, followed by singles by Ferringo, Pope and Hale for 2-runs, with Hale scoring on a Britt groundball DP. Boswell would lead off the 4th with a single and with 2-out, Ferringo would walk in front of River Pope's deep 3-run homer to make the score 6-1. Pope would finish the day 4-4 with 4 RBI, and Pena would pitch the final 1.2 inning with just a hit allowed, as Aurora would win Game 5 6-1 and take the series, 4-1.

Aurora will host the defending Champion Sandgnats on Wednesday, who, after losing the first two games to Shin Seiki 8-7 and 4-3, put on one of the most amazing pitching performances this reporter has ever seen. Miguel Cantu would give up a run to the Evas in the 5th inning of Game 3 - and that would be the last run the Evas would score in 2025 as the 'Gnats shut them out for 31 consecutive innings - what must be a PEBA playoff record and possibly an All-Time mark as well, to win their series 4-2 and set up another Aurora-Crystal Lake spot-season series.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#355 Post by Sandgnats »

Mike you're on fire bud!
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#356 Post by Borealis »

Thanks RJ - Ray's parenthetical commentary two posts up was actually based on some truth - though not involving a Harley, just a Trek... just trying to somewhat catch up...

!+)
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#357 Post by Borealis »

'Gnats Edge Borealis in Memorable SLCS
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 13, 2025: Aurora, Colorado - The Aurora Borealis and the Crystal Lake Sandgnats have combined for 33 playoff appearances over the history of the PEBA (only 2017 has seen a post-season without one of these two teams) - but only 5 times over the 19 year history of the League have they met in the playoffs, with Aurora leading the 'series' 3-2: Aurora winning the SLCS in 2023, 2011 and 2009, with Crystal Lake winning the 2010 SLCS. The teams have met once in the Division Series, with Crystal Lake winning in 2016. Thus it was not too surprising (outside of Japan; the Evas might disagree with that assessment) that these two long rivals met once again for Sovereign League supremacy.

Game 1 would set the tone for the series - one the Borealis may be considered a slight favorite after taking the season series 8-4 - this was to be a series that was to be mostly dominated by strong pitching. Randy Smith took the mound for Aurora, facing off with Dean McNeill, and The 'Gnats struck first as Orlando Barron lead the game off with a double and would ultimately score on a Jerry Long sac fly. In the third, Ruben Memde would double followed by singles by Barron and Long and quickly the Sandgnats would have a 3-0 lead over Aurora's longtime post-season Ace. Paul Carlisle would hit a 2-out homer in the 4th and then he'd single in the 6th to score River Pope (who was on second following a Mike Britt 2-out walk). 'Tugboat's day would be a short one, as he left after 5 IP, and Eric Perkins would follow him with 3 perfect innings, with John Gray throwing a perfect 9th, but that would all be to no avail. Six Crystal Lake relievers would pitch the final three innings in there own perfect manner, and the Champs had stepped up in Northern Lights to take the series opener, 3-2.

Mike Provost went for Aurora in Game 2 and he was his usual dominant self - 3 hits over 8 innings, two of which were in the 4th inning, with John Gray earning the save in a 2-0 win for Aurora to even the series. Miguel Cantu was pretty dominant in his own right as he went the distance and surrendered just 7 hits. Theron Boswell and Mike Britt had back-to-back doubles in the first for a run, and Carlisle had a second homer of the series in the 4th for Aurora's two runs.

The series moved on to Crystal Lake with Carlos Rivera and Tony Cuellar squaring off. Rivera, who gave up a mind-wrenching 30 homers during the regular season was bit immediately by the gopher ball and Barron lead off the bottom of the first with a homer to give the 'Gnats the early lead. Aurora would grab the lead for themselves in the third as they made Cuellar work: Pope singled, Hale doubled, then Carlisle walked to load the basses and then Britt walked to tie the score. Then with 2-outs, Boswell would single home a pair to make the score 3-1, Borealis. Crystal Lake fought right back against Rivera as Jarrod Ricks and Memde hit solo homers in the 4th to tie the game at 3. By the time the got to the 7th, Cuellar was relieved by David Lopez, who would quickly let Aurora back on top - Hale and Carlisle singled, and as Hale tried to steal third, 'Gnat catcher Tony Parker threw the ball into left, allowing Hale to score, with Carlisle scoring on a Medrano sac fly. Rivera stroll to the mound for the bottom of the 7th and promptly gave up a leadoff HR to Memde - Rivera's 4th of the game, and Memde's 2nd. Rivera would allow two more singles before Pena relieved him and allowed a 2nd run to score on a sac fly by Barron to tie the game once more. This one would head to the 10th, tied at 5, but the thrills were not quite done. Medrano would lead the 10th off with a walk and Boswell would reach on an error by Crystal Lake 3B Ed Brown, as the 'Gnats handed Aurora a rally. A groundout and a Pedro Ferringo single would bring both runners home - Boswell beating the throw home with what would be a vital run. Vital because Long, Ricks and Uribe would link singles for a run, but Holbrook would strike out Parker for the final out, and Aurora would take the game 7-6, and take a series lead at 2-1.

Eduardo Romano would struggle for Aurora in Game 4, and his failures over 4.1 IP would be the difference in allowing Crystal Lake to tie the series at 2. Jim Klein would homer in the first and Memde (again!) would homer in the second and Barron, Long and Uribe would string together a pair of singles and a double for two more in the 3rd for a 4-1 lead after three - a Gabe McIntyre walk and singles from Pope and Boswell in the top of the third would net Aurora a run. A single, a walk and a pair of errors Romano and Pope) in the 5th would aid the 'Gnats cause to up the score to 6-1, making Medrano's 7th inning solo homer and Britt's solo shot in the 9th kind of irrelevant.

With the series already designed for a return to The Front Range, Game 5 was a Game 1 rematch of 'Tugboat' and McNeill, and this time Randy Smith got the better end of the offensive support and Aurora borrowed Crystal Lakes Game 4 script - score early and often. A two-out single by Boswell and a walk to Britt proceeded Paul Carlisle's massive homer in the first. A walk (Medrano), a walk (Pope), a double steal and singles by Ferringo and Boswell gave Aurora another 3-runs and a 6-0 lead after two. With McNeill's night over, Enrique Fonseca came on and he surrendered a 2-out homer to Pablo Medrano, and the rout was on. 'Tugboat' would go 6 innings, and give up just one more run, with Ron Latour giving up a solo homer to Tony Parker to finish the scoring for the 'Gnats'. Ferringo would homer in the 9th to finalize the score at 8-3 and send the series back to Aurora with the Borealis needing just one more win.

Provost and Cantu, 2.0, was the agenda for Game 6, and pitching was once again the order of the day between these two. Lawrence Justice would double off Cantu in the first and after a wild pitch, would score on a Boswell ground out. That would be all Aurora would get off of Cantu this night. Meanwhile, Crystal Lake would manage just 2-hits off Provost as the teams headed into the 7th of a 1-0 game. That's when the 'Gnats got to Provost. Klein would lead off with a single, move up on a grounder and score on a Ricks single to tie the game. Uribe would single and Memde (yet again) would double and the 'Gnats would take a 2-1 lead. Aurora would have runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1-out in the bottom of the 7th, but McIntyre and Hale couldn't get them in. John Gray came on in the 9th, trying to keep the score at a 1-run deficit, but Raul Uribe would hit a solo homer, which would end up the game winner. The 'Doberman' would come on for the save and instantly get in trouble. Carlisle walked, Negrete singled, and Medrano singled to score Carlisle to make it a 1-run game once more - but after McIntyre bunted the runners over, Hale struck out and Ferringo flied out and for the second tie in the game Aurora was not able to get the big hit with runners in scoring position as they lost Game 6, 3-2, and set-up a winner-take-all Game 7.

Game 7 summed up the series and the season for Aurora - homers surrendered and just shaky enough relief work - and in the end, that wasn't a good thing. Carlos Rivera was behind the 8-ball right off the bat: a lead-off walk to Barron, a single by Klein and a Ricks double had the score 1-0 before Aurora saw a pitch. But in the second, Aurora strung together 5 singles and a walk to score three. Somewhat quiet 3rd and 4th innings gave way to a busy 5th as Jerry Long hit a 2-run HR off of Rivera and a Negrete single, Klein error and Ferringo double gave Aurora a run, turning the game into a 4-3 game, Aurora with the lead. Aurora would extend the lead as Negrete homered off Bustamante to up the lead to 5-3. John Gray came on to save the game in the 9th, and after striking out Parker on three pitches, it looked like Aurora was heading to the PEC for a 5th time in 7 years. Then, the wheels fell off the wagon. Ed Brown singled, and another former-Borealis - this time Jack Speed, the man who was shipped back to San Antonio for Randy Smith, turned on a 1-strike pitch for a 2-run homer that tied the game. The steam was rapidly taken out of the crowd and the game headed to the 10th. The 'Stork' came on to try and hold the fort, but after getting the first two outs easily, Uribe singled and Memde (YET AGAIN) hit a 2-0 pitch just enough to sneak over the fence and give the 'Gnats a 7-5 lead. Feeling down and beaten, Aurora came to the plate against Edgar Merrian, who was promptly greeted by Gabe McIntyre with a single. After a FC, Hale singled, Boswell singled to get Aurora a run, and then Carlisle got the unintentional-intentional walk to load the bases, with one out, for Mike Britt. The crowd on it's feet, feeling the moment with 'Big Whiskey' primed to lead them to a comeback win. Britt lashed an outside pitch that was destined for the right field corner - but that man, Ruben Memde, dove, snagged the vicious liner at the bag, and quickly scrambled to the bag to double off Paul Carlisle, who was halfway to second - and the game, and series was over, as the 'Gnats rushed to the field and dog piled Memde at the bag.

For Aurora, they sat stunned in the dugout - a sure win turned into a devastating loss, and a chance at a fourth meeting with the F-heads in the PEC dashed by the efforts of seemingly one man.

As the Sandgnats head south in an attempt to defend their title, the Borealis head to the off-season that will see change in an organization that has been mostly stable over the past few years, but one that recognizes the need to change - only 4 position players and 3 pitchers remain from the 2019 title team. How the team will evolve as we move into 2026 - and how that effects their efforts for another Rodriguez Cup chase, will unfold over the coming months. No doubt we will hear more in the coming weeks.
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#358 Post by Borealis »

Rios Says Adios Aurora, Rest of Coaching Staff Signed
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 25, 2025: Aurora, Colorado - Aurora's Boy Wonder GM wanted the job for just the one year - the team left holding an empty hand before the 2022 season as Koki Kojima opted to seek a huge pay day the Borealis never intended to satisfy. So after guiding the Borealis to a title in 2022, Topham stepped down and picked unheralded Octavio Rios, out of the Mexican League, to manage the squad in 2023.

During his three seasons at the helm of the Desperados Rios led them to playoff berths - as he did in his three year stay in Aurora - including the 2023 Rodriguez Cup - Aurora's third in a row, under three different managers. But today, the 62-year old Columbian is unemployed as he walked out of the Aurora offices at Northern Lights Park, refusing to sign a contract and becoming a free agent.

"We are sad to say that Octavio has decided he will move elsewhere," Topham said at the brief press conference this morning "We do wish him the best. As an organization, we will not be held hostage by the monetary demands of the coaching staff."

Those are an interesting choice of words from the Borealis GM, as the rumor was that Rios was looking for something just south of $1M/year. For those keeping score, his salary with Aurora the past three seasons has been $600K. Not a significant jump - compared to his coaching predecessor, Kojima, who was asking for a major increase.

"Octavio was asking a reasonable wage," his agent has reportedly said "and the team was trying to low ball him with offers in the $700K range - low ball a manager who has won over 300 games these past three years? Strange."

Meanwhile, who will fill the sudden void is up in the air. It was expected last time that the hire would come from within, only to have the surprise Rios hiring. Once again the thought is it will be an internal hire - but who. Amongst those expected to be considered within are Shizue Komatsu, the long time Organization Man, who was with Gatineau as manager for 12 years, and with the Borealis the past 6 year as the Bench coach. He's been often expected to get his turn manning the SS Borealis. The drawback to Shizue's hire is his age - 60 years. Topham has intimated that they'd prefer a 'younger' coach that we can guide us for a longer time period. That may mean Hitting coach Kata Hayagawa, who was the manager at Thornton for 6-years and has held the Hitting coach spot at Aurora for the past 10 seasons.

Six minor league coaches were on expiring contracts and all were signed to extensions - the most interesting (and notable) name in the bunch is Gatineau manager Ryuichi Suzuki, the former West Virginia and Palm Springs manager - and also an internal candidate for the Aurora job.
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#359 Post by Sandgnats »

Very interesting Mike. I like the background stories on the staff. It's easy to forget to blog about them. Thanks!
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#360 Post by Borealis »

Arbitration Equals First Steps Towards 2026
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 25, 2025: Aurora, Colorado - With the PEC and Aurora's Alliance Tournament loss to Crystal Lake in the rear-view mirror, the Organizations Front Office has begun the arduous process of building the roster for 2026 and, hopefully, yet another run at the Rodriguez Cup. For GM Will Topham, that begins with the arbitration process. "We hate this whole system, but you work with what you have."

In past years, Aurora has had sizable Arby Classes, full of players the club plans on keeping. This year, that's not quite the case.

Ask Juan Toro. The long-time organizational soldier - a member of Topham's first draft class (2011, 5th round), spent the entire season at AAA Thornton - with not a single major league AB. At 32, Toro is looking for a raise over his $1M salary, and, frankly, tie seems to have come that his roster spot is needed. When told during a private meeting with the GM that the team was going to let him go, he wept, but shuck his head in understanding. The nephew of the long-time Aurora manager of the same name, Toro played in 388 games over his 8 major league seasons, primarily as a back-up in the infield, hitting .260 with 24 HR and 153 RBI. His biggest contribution to the club came in late 2023 and in the playoffs, where he hit .429, with a pair of doubles and a homer. Always thought to have the talent, but always behind someone more talented - that's how Toro will be remembered on The Front Range.

Another long-term back-up is catcher Rusty Butler. A 1st-round selection in 2015, Butler has spent the better part of the past 7 years backing up the 'name catcher' - specifically Scott Vinson and Jesus Negrete. With Negrete likely to leave in free agency (more on that later) and The Two-Headed Monster Catcher v2.0 chomping at the bit at AAA - and Aurora dead-set on promoting them in 2026, come hell or high water, Butler's days are numbered. "That's business," Rusty said after he was told the team was cutting ties, "but I feel confident I'll surface somewhere. 2025 was my best season (Butler hit .324, with 4 HR and 26 RBI in 37 games - by far his best average), and I'm sure I'll land on my feet." Butler was drafted with the expectation he'd inherit the job from Vinson, but his inability to hit with consistency led the team to trade for Negrete. Rusty has hit .244 for his career, with 17 HR and 115 RBI in 322 games.

A third player has been told he was not going to be tendered an offer, and it's a somewhat surprising one - 26-year old outfielder Wilson Mercado. Aurora signed the young Cuban to a contract in 2017 at the age of 17, with a world of expectation - expectation that never panned out. He's spent parts of the past 5 seasons with Aurora - 2025 being the only one he spent the whole season in the Big Leagues. His early minor league days showed flashes of power, but in his 228 games with the Borealis he only managed 19 and 79 RBI. His .243 career average didn't help. Mercado's departure may have to do with the departure of Mike Hale to free agency than his own poor play - Aurora is going to look desperately for a CF to either fill the role as starter or back-up to River Pope. Mercado was not available for a comment.

Two other players are eligible for arbitration for Aurora, and one - 'Terror' Diaz, is a no brainer, and the other is a head scratcher - Gabe McIntyre. Diaz spent virtually all season at AAA and was awarded with their Outstanding Pitcher Award as he was 14-4, with a 1.47 ERA, striking out 161 while walking only 20. It is believed that Aurora is attempting to negotiate a longer term deal. McIntyre has been an enigma, hitting poorly despite all the praise from scouts and coaches about his ability. No official word has come out of Aurora stating that they will offer him arbitration (likely to be a small number), but one thing he has going for him is his very good defense on the infield.

Lastly, The Boy Wonder GM announced this afternoon that the team has made a qualifying offer to catcher Jesus Negrete (the $15.1M will be below his 2025 salary, so good luck with that). It is plain that the team hopes to garner a compensation pick, as Topham has described the parties as being 'worlds apart' on the salary front. Do not be shocked if he turns the offer down.
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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