Highlights from the Giants' farm: (a) Scott Barnes had a fairly dominant start, including a season-high 9 K; (b) Charlie Culberson homered and singled; and (c) Buster Posey had three singles to reach base safely three times for the fifth straight game.  High honorable mention goes to (d,e) Brett Pill and Brian Bocock who each had a double among their three hits.  Lowlight?  Let's just say that Clay Timpner made a pitching appearance.

AAA: Fresno lost to Sacramento 19-3
(allowing fifteen runs in the middle three innings)

Fresno: 2B Manny Burriss: 2 for 5, SB
Fresno: LF John Bowker: 2 for 4, 2B
Fresno: CF Ben Copeland: 2 for 4
Sacramento: 2B Eric Patterson: 5 for 6, 2 HR
Sacramento: LF Aaron Cunningham: 3 for 5, 2 HR, BB
Sacramento: 1B Tommy Everidge: 4 for 5, HR, 2 2B

Fresno: LHP Steve Hammond: 4.0+ IP, 12 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 3 BB, 2 K--5 HR, 1 WP
Fresno: RHP Ronnie Ray: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--2 HR
Fresno: RHP Osiris Matos: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K--1 HR
Fresno: LHP Geno Espinelli: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K
Fresno: LHP Clay Timpner: 1.0 IP, 1 BB
Sacramento: LHP Dana Eveland: 6.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Bowker led the Grizzlies' offense with two hits, including his 15th double which was the Grizzlies' only XBH in the game.  Burriss and Copeland also had two hits.  For the A's' affiliate, both Patterson and Cunningham had 2 HRs.  Everidge is having a strong series against the Grizzlies.  After reaching base three times in both previous games, he had three XBH, including his 1st PCL HR after 8 HRs in the Texas League earlier this season.

Hammond allowed just one run through the first three innings but then allowed 4 ER in the 4th inning and failed to retire any of the eight batters he faced in the 5th inning.  He threw 97 pitches (58 strikes).  He added over a full run to his ERA, which rose from 5.06 to 6.35.  He allowed 5 HRs after having allowed 6 HRs in his previous dozen starts.  Ray allowed just one of two inherited runners to score but then allowed 4 ER in the 6th inning, raising his ERA to 4.36.  Matos also allowed an earned run in the 7th inning.  After Espineli allowed 2 ER in the 8th inning, Timpner made his pro pitching debut with a scoreless 9th inning.  The A's' Eveland improved his W-L record to 5-0 through nine starts with a 3.74 ERA.

AA: Connecticut defeated Trenton 7-4
(after the score was 6-4 in the middle of the 3rd inning)

Connecticut: 2B Brock Bond: 2 for 4, BB, CS, E
Connecticut: 1B Brett Pill: 3 for 5, 2B
Connecticut: LF-RF Mike Mooney: 1 for 4, HR, SB

Connecticut: RHP Henry Sosa: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Connecticut: LHP Joe Paterson: 1.0 IP, 1 K

Pill had his second straight three-hit game, with one of the hits being his team-leading 20th double.  He raised his AVG above .300.  Bond was the other Defender with two hits.  Mooney connected for his 4th HR.

Sosa allowed more than 2 ER for the just time in his dozen starts but still improved his W-L record to 6-0.  The sample size is small, but he does have a 0.79 ERA in six starts at home but a 4.82 ERA in six road starts.  With just 2 K in each of his last two starts, his K/IP ratio is now just 0.61.  Paterson pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 7th save.

A+: San Jose defeated Visalia 6-1

San Jose: SS Brian Bocock: 3 for 5, 2B, SO, SB
San Jose: LF Thomas Neal: 1 for 4, HR, GiDP
San Jose: C Buster Posey: 3 for 4
San Jose: RF Roger Kieschnick: 3 for 4

San Jose: LHP Scott Barnes: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K--1 HR, 1 HB
San Jose: LHP Dan Runzler: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K

With three hits each, Bocock, Posey and Kieschnick accounted for nearly three quarters of the Giants' thirteen hits.  For Posey, it was his fifth straight game reaching base three times, and he is now hitting .469/.603/.714 in 49 AB in June.  Kieschnick had his second three-hit game in the three-game series.  Bocock raised his AVG to .219 with his three hits.  Neal had his streak of four straight multi-hit games snapped, but he did connected for his organization-leading 13th HR.

Since Memorial Day, Barnes has had four very good starts, combining for 12 H, 8 BB, 7 ER, and 30 K in 22.2 IP.  With 9 K and 2 H today, he now has more strikeouts than hits this year as he has limited his opponents to a .225 AVG.  Runzler allowed his first Cal League hit, which did raise his BAA this year to .087.

A-: Augusta defeated Charleston 7-2
(after scoring five runs in the 3rd inning)

Augusta: 2B Charlie Culberson: 2 for 5, HR, SO
Augusta: CF Dom Duggan: 1 for 5, HR, 2 SO
Augusta: RF Josh Mazzola: 1 for 4, HR, BB, SO
Augusta: DH Andy D'Allesio: 2 for 4, BB, SO

Augusta: LHP Eric Surkamp: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Charleston: RHP Andrew Brackman: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K--2 HR

The first three hitters in the GreenJackets' line each homered, Mazzola for his 5th HR, Culberson for his 2nd HR, and Duggan for his 1st HR.  Batting cleanup, D'Alessio didn't homer, but he did reach base three times.  However, his OBP this year remains below .310.

In his four starts since Memorial Day, Surkamp has been improving his statistical profile.  He has 21 H, 6 BB, 7 ER, and 26 K in 23.0 IP over those four starts.  Brackman, the Yankees' first round pick two years ago, had his worst line among his last ten starts, at least in terms of it being his shortest start with 3.0 IP and the most earned runs with 6 ER.  On a more positive note, he did have just 3 BB after issuing 19 BB in his previous three starts.

DSL: Giants lost to Blue Jays 5-1

Dominican: 2B Cesar Osuna: 3 for 4
Dominican: RHP Armando Paniagua: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Osuna (19.4 y.o.) had three of the Gigantes' four hits, raising his AVG to .296.  Paniagua (19.5 y.o.) made his third start of the season and his first start in nearly two weeks after pitching just 1.1 scoreless IP in his previous start.