AAA: Fresno lost to Portland 2-0

Fresno: SS Kevin Frandsen: 0 for 1, 2 BB, HBP
Fresno: 3B Ryan Rohlinger: 2 for 4
Portland: 1B Kyle Blanks: 1 for 3, HR, BB, SO
Portland: RF Emil Brown: 2 for 4, HR, SO, GiDP

Fresno: LHP Steve Hammond: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K--2 HR
Fresno: RHP Osiris Matos: 1.0 IP, 1 K

Rohlinger had two of the Grizzlies' four hits.  Without a hit, Frandsen reached base three times.  Top Padres' hitting prospect Blanks and major league veteran Brown led off the 2nd inning with back-to-back HRs, their first HRs of the year.

Other than the two long balls, Hammond pitched effectively in his first start of the season.  He threw 45 of 77 pitches for strikes.  Matos threw 6 of 11 pitches for strikes in a perfect 8th inning.

AA: Connecticut defeated Portalnd 10-4

Connecticut: RF Eddy Martinez-Esteve: 1 for 5, HR
Connecticut: C Adam Witter: 3 for 5, 2B, SO, PB
Connecticut: LF Bobby Felmy: 3 for 5
Portland: CF Josh Reddick: 2 for 5, HR, 2B

Connecticut: RHP Nick Pereira: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Connecticut: LHP Joe Paterson: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K--1 BK

Witter and Felmy each had three of the Defenders' fourteen hits.  EME followed up his two doubles the previous day with a HR.  He and Witter went back-to-back with their HRs in the 5th inning.  The Red Sox' Reddick homered for the second consecutive day.

Pereira faced just fifteen batters in his first start of the year, retiring barely half of them.  Paterson was the only one of three Defenders relievers not to allow a run.

A+: San Jose defeated Stockton 5-0

San Jose: SS Brendan Crawford: 2 for 3, HBP, SO
San Jose: 3B Conor Gillaspie: 0 for 2, 2 BB, SO, SB

San Jose: LHP Scott Barnes: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K--1 PO
San Jose: LHP Wilmin Rodriguez: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 3 K
San Jose: RHP Edwin Quirarte: 1.0 IP

Crawford had the Giants' lone multi-hit line.  With two walks, Gillaspie was one of four other Giants to reach base twice.

Barnes, the mid-round draft pick last summer who now looks like one of the Giants top prospects, had a strong start to his season, facing just three batters over the minimum in five innings.  He had a 3/8 GO/FO line.  Rodriguez pitched three shutout innings, preserving the shutout.  Finishing the shutout was Quirarte, who pitched a perfect 9th inning with three flyouts in his season debut.

A-: Augusta lost to Savannah 2-1 (11 innings)

Augusta: 2B Juan Perez: 2 for 5, E
Augusta: DH C.J. Ziegler: 0 for 5, 3 SO
Augusta: 3B Charlie Culberson: 2 for 5, E
Augusta: 1B Josh Mazzola: 0 for 4, 3 SO
Savannah: 3B Jefry Marte: 3 for 5, SO, E
Savannah: SS Wilmer Flores: 2 for 5

Augusta: RHP Kelvin Martie: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Augusta: RHP Justin Fitzgerald: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Augusta: RHP Shane Kaufman: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 K

Perez and Culberson each had two of the GreenJackets' six hits.  Ziegler and Mazzola each suffered a hat trick, accounting for six of the team's eight strikeouts.  One would generally hope for more offense from a team's first baseman and DH.  The Mets' top two teenage prospects provided the Sand Gnats' only two multi-hit lines.  Marte also committed his third error of the young season.

Marte, who had a 1.78 ERA in the AZL last summer, had an effective 2009 season debut.  Fitzgerald, the 11th rounder last summer, stranded two inherited runners, continuing the shutout.    Kaufman received the blown save when he allowed two singles following Perez's error with two outs in the 7th inning.