minor lines, 6/5/10

Saturday highlights from the Giants' farm: Brandon Belt, Jesus Guzman, Tyler Graham, and Skyler Stromsmoe each reached base four times; Chris Dominguez homered among his three hits; and Craig Westcott allowed 1 ER (2 R) in 7.0 IP.

AAA: Fresno defeated Sacramento 4-3

Fresno: 1B Brett Pill: 1 for 3, HR, SF
Fresno: RF Tyler Graham: 3 for 3, BB
Fresno: 3B Jesus Guzman: 2 for 2, 2 BB, SB
Sacramento: C Josh Donaldson: 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB, SF

Fresno: SP Matt Yourkin: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K--1 HR
Fresno: RP Henry Sosa: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Graham and Guzman both reached base in all four plate appearances.  Graham has hit .385/.437/.474 through 78 AB with the Grizzlies this year.  Pill's third HR in his last eight games was his 7th HR this year.  Donaldson, who made his MLB debut with the Athletics this year, reached base three times.  He has hit .296/.370/.536 through his first 125 AB in the PCL.

Making his seventh start among a dozen appearances, Yourkin allowed a season-high 6 H.  His BAA is .272, and his ERA is 4.21.  Sosa had one of his longest relief appearances of the year, although he has twice pitched three full innings.  His ERA is now 3.06.

AA: Richmond lost to Trenton 5-4
(allowing two runs in bottom of 9th inning)

Richmond: RF Skyler Stromsmoe: 1 for 2, 3 BB, SO, SB

Richmond: SP Mike MacDonald: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K--1 WP
Richmond: RP Rafael Cova: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB--1 HR

Batting leadoff, Stromsmoe reached base four times.  The bench player who missed nearly all of May has been limited to 22 AB over ten games in his first year in the upper minors.

MacDonald allowed eight hit but just two runs, keeping his ERA below 4.00.  Cova had allowed just 1 ER previously this year but allowed 2 ER in this appearance for his first blown save of the year.

A+: San Jose defeated Bakersfield 8-2
(rallying for six runs over the last three innings)

San Jose: 1B Brandon Belt: 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, SO
San Jose: 2B Charlie Culberson: 2 for 5, HR, 2B, SO
San Jose: 3B Drew Biery: 3 for 5, SO

San Jose: SP Craig Westcott: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K--2 WP

Belt reached base four times as he continues to be an OBP machine for the Giants' offense.  Culberson had his 7th HR and 17th double.  Biery's three singles accounted for a quarter of the Giants' dozen hits.

Westcott, the Giants' 30th rounder a year ago, had his longest start of the year as he had completed six innings just one previously this year.  Through ten starts this year he has an impressive 1.38 ERA despite a BB/IP just shy of 0.50.

A-: Augusta lost to Greenville 14-4
(allowing ten runs in the Drive's final two innings)

Augusta: 3B Chris Dominguez: 3 for 5, HR
Augusta: 1B Luke Anders: 3 for 5, E
Greenville: DH Vladimir Frias: 3 for 5, SB

Augusta: SP Chris Heston: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Augusta: RP Chris Gloor: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K--1 WP
Augusta: RP Jose Valdez: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K--1 HB, 1 WP, 1 BK
Augusta: RP Juan Martinez: 0.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K

Dominguez and Anders each had three of the GreenJackets' sixteen hits, including Dominguez's 10th HR which led off the 2nd inning.  They raised their respective AVGs to .280 and .287.  Frias, who was the Giants' 30th rounder two years ago but is now in the Red Sox organization after being released by the Giants, had a big three-hit, four-RBI night against his former team.  He also had one of their six stolen bases, with each being by a different player.

After allowing just three hits over his first two starts, Heston has since allowed at least seven hits in eight of his nine subsequent starts, giving him a BAA of .329 for the season.  His ERA remains above 6.00.  Gloor and Valdez were both ineffective in relief, raising both of their ERAs above 3.00, and leading to Martinez, who started the game at shortstop, making his pro pitching debut.

DSL: Giants defeated Orioles2 11-1
(after scoring ten insurance runs in the 8th inning)

Dominican: LF Leonardo Fuentes: 3 for 4, HR, 2B
Dominican: RP Luis Utria: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Playing in his fifth pro game after going 1 for 11 in his previous four games, the young Fuentes (17.6 y.o.) had his 1st pro HR and 2nd double.  After the Gigantes' starter pitched just three innings, Utria (17.9 y.o.) made his pro debut with 4.0 scoreless IP.