Where they stand:  Mesa finished second in the AFL East with a record of 16-17, 4.5 games behind Salt River.

The good:  Brian Dozier hit .296/.358/.454 in 108 at-bats.  Aaron Hicks hit .294/.400/.559 in 102 at-bats.  Chris Herrmann hit .380/.456/.620 in 50 at-bats.  Cole DeVries was 2-1, 3.12, 0.92 WHIP with 3 walks and 19 strikeouts in 26 innings.

The bad:  Brett Jacobson was 1-2, 6.94, 1.71 WHIP with 8 walks and 12 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.  Bruce Pugh was 0-1, 12.21, 2.93 WHIP with 15 walks and 13 strikeouts in 14 innings.  Dakota Watts was 0-1, 5.65, 1.74 WHIP with 10 walks and 9 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

What it means:  Probably not much.  I'm sure you'd rather do well than do poorly, but it's all small sample sizes.  Still, I enjoyed following the AFL again this year, and I hope you did, too.  After all, that's really what it's all for.

Mesa scored six runs in the fifth to defeat Scottsdale 6-2 in seven innings.  For some reason, all games in the AFL yesterday were seven-inning games.

Brian Dozier went 2-for-3 with a double, scoring once.  Junior Lake (Cubs) also singled and doubled.  Josh Vitters (Cubs) had two hits.  Aaron Hicks was 1-for-3 with a triple, scoring once and driving in two.  Chris Herrmann was 1-for-3 and scored once.  The win went to Cole McCurry (Baltimore), who struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Scottsdale was led by Cody Overbeck (Philadelphia), who had two doubles, and Bryce Harper (Washington), who singled and tripled.  The loss went to Ryan Bradley (San Francisco), who gave up six runs on six hits while retiring no one.

The AFL regular season is over.  We'll have a season-ending report sometime at the beginning of next week. 

The championship game is between Salt River and Surprise.  Surprise is considered the home team, but the game will be played in Scottsdale Stadium.  It begins Saturday at 1:00 mountain time, and I think will be available on MLB network.

Surprise scored two in the sixth to overcome a 2-1 deficit and defeat Mesa 3-2 in Surprise.

Anthony Seratelli hit a home run for the Saguaros.  Adam Liberatore (Tampa Bay) retired all five batters he faced, striking out two of them, to get the win.  Johan Yan (Texas) pitched a perfect ninth to get the save.

D. J. LeMahieu had two hits to lead the Solar Sox.  Aaron Hicks was 1-for-2 with a walk.  Nevin Griffith (White Sox) took the loss, surrendering two runs on three hits and a walk in one inning.

Mesa closes out its season by hosting Scottsdale this afternoon.

Mesa scored eight runs in the ninth, but it still wasn't enough as the Solar Sox fell to Peoria 11-9.

Peoria was led by Scooter Gennett (Milwaukee), who had two doubles and a single.  Logan Schafer (Milwaukee) and Jason Hagerty (San Diego) each had two singles and a double.  Wilfredo Tovar (Mets) had two doubles.  Collin McHugh (Mets) got the win, going five innings and giving up a run on five hits and two walks while striking out five.  Miles Mikolas (San Diego) gave up a hit in a third of an inning, but got the save.

Aaron Hicks led the Mesa attack, going 4-for-5 and scoring once.  Josh Vitters (Cubs) had three hits.  Chris Herrmann was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk, scoring three times.  Joe Mahoney (Baltimore) singled and homered, driving in three.  D. J. LeMahieu (Cubs) also singled and homered.  Brian Dozier was 0-for-4 with a walk, scoring once.  The loss went to Cole DeVries, who allowed two runs on four hits while striking out three in three innings.  Bruce Pugh surrendered three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings.

Mesa plays its next-to-last game this afternoon in Surprise.

Peoria scored in the second and led the rest of the way as the Javelinas defeated Mesa 4-2 in Mesa.

Scooter Gennett (Milwaukee) had a pair of doubles to lead Peoria.  Tyler Lyons (St. Louis) got the win, giving up a run on four hits and a walk in five innings.  The save went to David Kopp (Peoria), who gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth.

For the Solar Sox, Aaron Hicks was 2-for-2 with two doubles and a walk, scoring once.  Brian Dozier was 0-for-4.  Trey McNutt (Cubs) took the loss, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in four innings.  Dakota Watts worked two scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits.

Mesa travels to Peoria tomorrow afternoon.

FRIDAY

Salt River 7, Mesa 5 in Salt River.  Chris Herrmann was 2-for-4 with a single and a double.  Aaron Hicks was 0-for-1 with three walks, scoring once.  Brian Dozier was 0-for-3 with two walks, scoring twice and driving in one.  Bruce Pugh worked a perfect inning, striking out one.  Brett Jacobson surrendered four runs on four hits in a third of an inning.

SATURDAY

Phoenix 8, Mesa 2 in Phoenix.  Aaron Hicks was 2-for-4 with a single and a double.  No other Twins appeared in the game.

Sunday was an off day.  The regular season ends Thursday, with the championship game to be played Saturday.  Mesa's loss Saturday eliminated them from the championship, which will be between Salt River and Surprise.

Mesa built a 7-0 lead after three, lost it all, then scored two in the eighth to defeat Phoenix 10-8 in Mesa.

Xavier Avery (Baltimore) led the way with two singles, a double, and a triple, scoring three times.  Brian Dozier  was not far behind him, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, and a walk, scoring twice and driving in three.  Brandon Short (White Sox) and Brian Ward (Baltimore) each singled and doubled.  Aaron Hicks was 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk, driving in a run.  The win went to Sean Gleason (Baltimore), who earned it by surrendering three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings.  Mike Colla (Pittsburgh) worked a perfect ninth for the save.

Grant Green (Oakland) singled and hit a grand slam for the Desert Dogs.  Michael Choice (Oakland) and Rob Segedin (Yankees) each singled and doubled.  Roberto Perez (Cleveland) had two hits.  Anthony Capra (Oakland) allowed the two eighth-inning runs on three hits to take the loss.

There is only a week to go in the regular season.  Mesa travels to Salt River this evening.

Mesa scored four in the seventh to put away an 8-4 victory over Salt River in Mesa.

Josh Vitters (Cubs) led the Solar Sox with two singles and a home run.  Brandon Short (White Sox) had two singles and a double, scoring three times.  Chris Herrmann was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, scoring once and driving in two.  Brock Holt (Pittsburgh) had two hits.  Aaron Hicks was o-for-4.  Starter Cole DeVries pitched three innings, giving up a run on a hit while striking out three.  Andrew Cashner (Cubs) got the win with a perfect inning, striking out two.

Salt River was led by Nolan Arenado (Colorado), who singled and homered.  Casey Weathers (Colorado) took the loss, surrendering two runs on two hits and two walks in a third of an inning.

Mesa hosts Phoenix this afternoon.

Peoria scored four in the third and six in the fourth on the way to an easy 13-3 victory over Mesa in Peoria.

Jefry Marte (Mets) led Peoria with three hits.  Logan Schafer (Milwaukee) had two triples, scored four times, and drove in three.  Jedd Gyorko (San Diego) singled and homered, driving in three.  Scooter Gennett (Milwaukee), Adam Moore (Seattle), and Oscar Taveras (St. Louis) each had two hits.  Tyler Lyons (St. Louis) struck out five in five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits to get the win.

Mesa was led by Robbie Grossman (Pittsburgh) and D. J. LaMahieu (Cubs), who each had two hits.  Brian Dozier was 1-for-4 and scored once.  The loss went to Trey McNutt (Cubs) who gave up an unearned run on three hits in two innings.  Dakota Watts surrendered four unearned runs on four hits in one inning, and Bruce Pugh yielded six runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two in two-thirds of an inning.  Brett Jacobson struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing just a walk.

The Solar Sox host Salt River this afternoon.

Where they stand:  Mesa is 14-14, second in the AFL East, three games behind Salt River.

Who's hot:  Brian Dozier is hitting .302/.351/.442 in 86 at-bats.  Aaron Hicks is hitting .244/.344/.500 in 78 at-bats.  Chris Herrmann is hitting .343/.439/.514 in 35 at-bats.  Cole DeVries is 2-0, 2.70, 0.95 WHIP with 3 walks and 13 strikeouts in 20 innings (6 starts).

Who's in the middle:  Brett Jacobson  is 1-2, 4.50, 1.50 WHIP in 10 innings (9 appearances).

Who's cold:  Bruce Pugh  is 0-1, 8.18, 2.73 WHIP in 11 innings (9 appearances).  Dakota Watts is 0-1, 7.15, 1.68 WHIP in 11.1 innings (9 appearances).

The season ends November 17.  Mesa hosts Peoria this afternoon.