minor lines, 9/3/09

Well, everyone knows the Giants are a pitching system.  And they can find fine pitching performances from almost anywhere.  Like 50th round pick Mike Loree throwing the equivalent of a perfect game last year.  But I mean, seriously, at some point, isn't it just showing off?  Tonight's highlight?  (a) David Mixon, 20th round pick and career reliever, making just his third pro start of his career trying to help rest a San Jose rotation before the playoffs, pitches the first six innings of the California League's first no-hitter since 2007.  Say what you will about his age, that's still impressive; (b) Aaron King goes six shutout innings himself, giving up three hits and two walks highlighting an Augusta 1-0 pitching duel win; (c) Brett Pill has a three-hit day with a double and a home run; (d) Freddy Sanchez starts his rehab in Fresno.

Fresno Grizzlies (Triple-A): Las Vegas 12, Fresno 8

1B-2B Kevin Frandsen - 2-4, 3 R, 1 SO, 1 HBP, .299

DH Joe Borchard - 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B (20), 2 RBI, 1 SO, .257

2B Freddy Sanchez - 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B (1), .333

CF Clay Timpner - 2-4, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB (6), .249

Game Notes: The Grizzlies were unable to catch up to a rough start.  Pucetas got one quick out, but then gave up a double and a single to get behind 1-0.  After a strikeout, three straight walks scored another run, a hit batter scored a third, and a single scored a fourth.  Pucetas was lifted, but reliever Palazzolo gave up a grand slam to the very next batter.  The '51's ended the first inning up 9-0.

Team Notes: Frandsen, left behind in Fresno, has hit .341 over his last ten games.  He's also drawn five walks against three strikeouts...Sanchez made his first rehab appearance on his way back to the majors.  Sanchez played until the middle of the fifth, when he was replaced defensively after hitting a double in the top of the inning...Timpner has five RBI in his last three games; he had 35 in the 112 games before that...Pucetas has been on a downward spiral at the end of the season.  He's allowed 42 earned runs over his last 32 innings of work.  He allowed 47 runs over his previous 127 innings of work...Edlefsen has given up three earned runs in his last two appearances.  His ERA has gone up from 1.78 to 2.48 over those two games.

Connecticut Defenders (Double-A): Connecticut 6, New Hampshire 5 (13 Innings)

1B Brett Pill - 3-6, 2 R, 1 2B (37), 1 HR (17), 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO< .296

PH-CF-RF - Mike Mooney - 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR (6), 1 RBI, 1 SO, .251

RF Josh Phelps - 2-4, 1 RBI, 2 SO, .179

2B Brock Bond - 3-7, 1 R, 2 SO, .330

SP Geivy Garcia - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 4.95

RP Craig Whitaker - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 WP, 2.08 ERA

RP Joe Paterson - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.02 ERA

RP Mitch Lively - 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB< 5 SO, 0.78 ERA, W (3-0)

Game Notes: Connecticut showed some resilience in this one.  New Hampshire jumped out to a 5-0 lead after five innings.  The comeback started in the sixth inning, as Pill hit a leadoff home run to get Connecticut on the board.  However, the seventh inning was the big one.  Mooney hit a leadoff home run in the seventh to make it 5-2, but the rest of the rally didn't start until there were two outs.  Boyer singled, and scored on a Pill RBI single.  After an Eddy Martinez-Esteve single, Phelps and Brandon Crawford each hit RBI singles to tie the game.  The game stayed tied until the 13th, when Bond hit a one-out single.  After two outs, Pill hit an RBI double to win the game.

Team Notes: Pill is going into the playoff stretch hot, now batting .361 over his last ten games...Mooney's home run is just his third since the start of June.  He had three in April alone...Phelps is just 5-for-28 in nine games in Double-A...Bond has his first multi-hit game since August 20th.  He's batting an unusual .214 over his last ten games...Garcia had his first tough start in a while.  He allowed more than three earned runs in a start for the first time since early July...Whitaker has nine strikeouts and eight walks allowed in his last eight innings of work...Lively has a 0.78 ERA in 13 games in Connecticut after posting a 4.58 ERA in Augusta, and a 5.23 ERA in 16 games in San Jose.

San Jose Giants (A-Advanced): San Jose 3, Inland Empire 0

CF Darren Ford - 2-3, 1 3B (9), 1 BB, 2 SB (34), .306

SS Brian Bocock - 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR (3), 2 RBI, 1 SO, .241

C Nestor Rojas - 1-3, 1 2B (7), 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, .284

1B C.J. Ziegler - 1-3, 1 R< 1 BB, .257

SP David Mixon - 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 SO, 2 WP, 3.29 ERA, W (3-1)

RP Ryan Shaver - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 HBP, 0.00 ERA, H (2)

RP Rafael Cova - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, S (8)

Game Notes: It's one thing to roll into the playoffs.  It's another to head into it with a no-hitter under the belt.  Started by a regular reliever.  David Mixon was dominating to start this game.  He struck out the side in the first inning.  After striking out two in each the fourth and fifth innings, he got two groundouts in the sixth before a walk ended the perfect game bid.  Mixon threw two wild pitches to let that runner to get third, but his tenth strikeout ended the inning and the trouble.  Meanwhile, Bocock's home run gave San Jose a 2-0 lead in the fifth, and in the sixth, Rojas doubled home Thomas Neal for the icing on the no-hit cake.

Team Notes: The no-hitter was the eighth in San Jose team history, and first in the California League since May 9, 2007...Mixon made just his third start of the season (one in Fresno).  He has given up 52 hits in 63 innings pitched at San Jose...Shaver stretched his uncored upon streak in San Jose to ten outings (15 2/3 innings)...Cova also made it to ten appearances, but just nine innings of work...Ford may be the MVP of the final month of the season.  His batting average in the last ten games?  .538.  And one of those games was an 0-for-4...Bocock's only other home runs this season came back in May and June...Ziegler is batting 10-for-21 over his last six games.

Augusta GreenJackets (A): Augusta 1, Rome 0

LF Juan Perez - 1-4, 1 R, 1 SO, .244, 1 SB (18)

SS Ehire Adrianza - 1-2, 1 BB< 1 SO, .261

SP Aaron King - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1 WP, 2 HBP, 3.70 ERA, W (7-6)

RP Eric Stolp - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.99 ERA, H (2)

RP Edwin Quirarte - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.25 ERA, H (3)

RP Chris Wilson - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.96 ERA, S (9)

Game Notes: The GreenJackets took a tight pitching duel, thanks to some help.  The game was a scoreless tie until the seventh inning.  Juan Perez reached base thanks to an error.  With one out, Perez was able to steal third.  With two out, Ehire Adrianza drew a walk on a wild pitch, and Perez took home for the game's only run.  King got the win after holding the Braves to just three hits (seven baserunners) over six innings.

Team Notes: King had his first game without allowing an earned run since July 13th...Stolp Got his first strikeout since August 13th, a span of five outings (5 2/3 innings)...Perez has been batting just .200 since the start of August.  His stolen base gives him 18 on 22 attempts.

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Short Season-A): Salem-Keizer 5, Eugene 3

2B Joel Weeks - 1-3, 2 R, 1 HR (4), 1 RBI, 1 BB, .299

1B Luke Anders - 1-4, 2 SO, 1 E (2), .279

SS Ydwin Villegas - 2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SO ,.500

SP Craig Westcott - 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 1 WP, 3.26 ERA

RP Chris Gloor - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.61 ERA, W (7-1)

RP Mario Rodriguez - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.44 ERA, H (8)

RP Jason Stoffel - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA, S (2)

Game Notes: Eugene jumped out to a three-run lead in the first innin with a pair of RBI doubles and a run scoring on a wild pitch.  The Volcanoes came back in the fourth, with an RBI groundout by Christopher Dominguez, and a bases-loaded single by Villegas to score two more runs to tie the game up.  Weeks gave Salem-Keizer the lead with a home run in the sixth to make it 4-3, and a sacrifice fly in the seventh by Biery gave the Volcanoes the insurance run they wouldn't need.

Team Notes: Weeks has two home runs in his last eight games after hitting two in 35 previous games between the Volcanoes and GreenJackets...Villegas made his S-K debut after a successful run in the AZL.  He hit .302/.345/.352 in 40 games there...Westcott had his least effective start of the season.  He gave up the most earned runs in any start, while having his shortest outing since August 6th...Gloor has a 0.49 ERA as a reliever in ten appearances, but a 3.90 ERA as a starter in seven starts...In 16 combined innings of work in the AZL and the NWL, Stoffel has 19 strikeouts and one walk.