The final month of the regular season is here for the Dodgers’ minor league clubs, and man, is it a sprint! Two affiliates have already punched their tickets to the postseason, which is huge, but two more are right on the cusp, fighting tooth and nail for their shot. This isn’t just about ending the season, it’s about making a statement for these guys before the whole thing wraps up.
Ontario and Tulsa Are IN! Now the Real Work Begins
First off, huge props to the Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers! They clinched the second half of the California League South Division on Sunday. That’s a massive achievement, and they’re set to kick off the Cal League playoffs on September 8 with a best-of-3 series against first-half winner Lake Elsinore. This team is clearly dialed in. And shoutout to manager John Shoemaker, who celebrated his 70th birthday on August 18 and has been with the Dodgers organization for 50 years; they even named the clubhouse after him! Talk about a legend. Up in Double-A, Tulsa has also locked things down, winning the Texas League North Division back in June. They’ll face off against second-half winner Springfield in their own best-of-3 series, starting September 15. Two teams are in the dance, and that’s a testament to the talent in this system.
The High-A Scramble: Great Lakes Leads, But It’s Wild
Now, this is where it gets absolutely bonkers. High-A Great Lakes has just one week left in their season, and they are holding a slim lead in the Midwest League East Division’s second half. Check these standings: Great Lakes is 35-24, but West Michigan is breathing down their neck at 33-27, just 2.5 games back. Lake County isn’t totally out of it either at 30-28, 4.5 games behind. Great Lakes is headed to Lake County for a massive seven-game series this week, including a doubleheader on Thursday to make up a rainout. Get this: the first game of that doubleheader, Lake County is the home team, then Great Lakes gets to be the home team for game two! Austin Brubaker broke down the playoff matrix, and it’s a nail-biter. Great Lakes clinches in 36 scenarios (a 64.3% shot!), but West Michigan can still get in with 11 scenarios (19.6%), and Lake County has a slim 9 scenarios (16.1%). This is going down to the wire, for real.
Oklahoma City’s Triple-A Grind
Over in Triple-A, Oklahoma City has three weeks left and they’re still battling hard. They’re tied for second place in the Pacific Coast League second-half standings, sitting three games back of Sugar Land. Sugar Land is 36-21, while Oklahoma City and Round Rock are both 33-24. Sacramento is lurking at 32-25. Las Vegas already clinched the first half, so they’re just waiting to play the PCL championship from September 22-24. Oklahoma City has to go on a tear to try and catch Sugar Land and set up a showdown with Vegas.
This final stretch is going to be electric, period. Can Great Lakes hold onto their lead and make the postseason? Will Oklahoma City pull off a late-season surge and catch Sugar Land? Get ready, because these next few weeks are gonna be pure drama across the minor leagues.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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