Making a little history

Remember Jamie McOwen? Played 56 games for the Timber Rattlers in 2007? Ringing a bell?

How about now?

McOwen ties Cal League record
Mariners prospect extends hitting streak to 35 games

The worst thing that could happen to a hot hitter is a few days off.

After a three-day break for the Carolina/California League All-Star game, High Desert's James McOwen felt the rust start to creep in. Even though he slapped three hits in his first game back, he didn't feel right. Then, on Friday, he didn't get a hit until his final at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning.

McOwen found his swing Saturday during batting practice and quickly extended his hitting streak to 35 games, tying the California League record in the Mavericks' 16-8 victory over the Bakersfield Blaze.

The Florida native joins Bakersfield's Chris Davis (2007) and Modesto's Brent Gates (1992) as the only Cal Leaguers to hit in 35 straight games.

"It's going to be something that's tough to duplicate," McOwen said. "Anything over 15, 20 games is tough to get. At 35, that's a quarter of the season, exactly. It's a good feeling to be able to do something like that on your way up."

How about now?

McOwen ties record
High Desert OF runs hit streak to 35 games; Liddi and Scott also shine

“It felt great. ... I’ve been helping the team out a lot over the last 35 games,” McOwen said. “You always want to be helping the team, especially a winning team like we have. ... (The Mavs players) were all happy for me. Some of the guys on the other team congratulated me as well, a few of them.”

The Mavericks also got standout performances from Cal League all-stars Alex Liddi and Travis Scott. Liddi hit a grand slam in the third after hitting a solo home run in the second, finishing 3-for-4 with five RBIs. Scott also had five RBIs, hitting a two-run homer and a two-run triple in addition to driving in a run with a groundout.

Oh, and to answer a uestion you may have....

The streak ties McOwen with Modesto’s Brent Gates (1992) and Bakersfield’s Chris Davis (2007) for the Cal League mark and ties him for the fourth-longest streak in minor league baseball in the last 20 years. The longest minor league hitting streak over that span was 43 games, set in 2007 by Brandon Watson of Triple-A Columbus in the International League.

The Mavs host Lake Elsinore today at 5:05pm CDT.