minor lines, 4/27/09

AAA: Fresno defeated Reno 6-0

Fresno: SS Kevin Frandsen: 3 for 4
Fresno: RF John Bowker: 1 for 3, HR, BB
Fresno: 1B Jesus Guzman: 2 for 3, HR, SF, SO

Fresno: RHP Billy Sadler: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Fresno: LHP Alex Hinshaw: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Fresno: LHP Geno Espineli: 2.0 IP, 4 K
Reno: LHP Jon Coutlangus: 2.0 IP, 5 H

Eight of the Grizzlies' ten hits came from the first four slots in their lineup.  Frandsen led the way with three hits, boosting his AVG to .288.  Guzman had his 3rd HR, while Bowker had his 1st HR.  The latter seemed surprising to me given that Bowker had been swinging a hot bat, but the production had been limited to mostly singles as he entered the night with an IsoP below .100.

Sadler threw 53 of 83 pitches for strikes in his fourth start of the season.  His peripheral stats are now 17 H, 10 BB and 18 K in 16.0 IP.  Hinshaw allowed a couple baserunners while working a scoreless 6th inning in which he threw just half his pitches (12 of 24) for strikes.  Espineli's 4 K in 2.0 perfect IP stand out since he had just 2 K in eight previous appearances this year.  It was his first appearance longer than an inning.  Coutlangus, the former Giants farmhand who made it the majors with the Reds, allowed hits to half of the ten batters he faced.  He entered the night with a .375 BAA.

AA: Connecticut had a scheduled off-day
(Their next scheduled off-day is May 18.)

A+: San Jose lost to Lancaster 8-4

San Jose: C Buster Posey: 0 for 5
San Jose: RF Roger Kieschnick: 2 for 4, HR, 3B, SO
San Jose: LF Thomas Neal: 3 for 4, SO

San Jose: RHP Tim Alderson: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K--2 HR

With three of the Giants' dozen hits, Neal raised his AVG to .328.  Kieschnick's 3rd HR and 1st triple raised his AVG to .301, giving San Jose five hitters in its lineup with an AVG currently above .300.  Posey had the rare oh-fer, but his AVG remains above .360.

Through four starts Alderson had alternated good and poor starts.  Last year's Cal League ERA leader now has an ERA of 4.74.  This was his first start of the year away from San Jose's pitcher-friendly Municipal Stadium.

A-: Augusta defeated Rome 9-5

Augusta: 2B Juan Perez: 0 for 6
Augusta: DH C.J. Ziegler: 3 for 5, 2B
Augusta: 3B Charlie Culberson: 2 for 4, BB, SO
Augusta: 1B Mike Loberg: 3 for 5, CS
Augusta: LF-RF James Simmons: 2 for 3, 3B, 2 BB, SB

Augusta: LHP Aaron King: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K--1 HR, 1 HB

With three hits each, Ziegler and Loberg accounted for half of the GreenJackets' dozen hits, improving their respective AVGs to .279 and .200.  Culberson and Simmons also had multi-hit lines, while reaching base at least three times.  With the oh-fer, Perez saw his AVG drop to .186.

King, the Giants' seventh round pick last summer, made his third start of the season and received his first pro win outside of the AZL.  So far his peripherals stats are not impressive with 16 H, 4 BB and 8 K in 12.2 IP, but he has a solid sub-3.00 ERA.