Today's Giants Highlights: Eric Hacker threw seven shutout innings, while Justin Fitzgerald gave up one run while striking out 11 in six innings.  Also, Joan Gregorio shines in the DSL, and Clay Timpner hits a pair of home runs for Richmond.  Also, guess who's back in the minor league batting average race....despite not getting a hit?

Fresno Grizzlies (AAA): Fresno 4, Omaha 2

RF Eugenio Velez - 2-4, 1 3B, 2 RBI

C Jackson Williams - 1-2, 1 R, 1 BB

SP Eric Hacker - 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO

Velez and Williams were the only two Grizzlies to reach base twice.  Velez had his second consecutive multi-hit game.  Interesting note: Velez is batting .366 against left-handed pitchers in the PCL, but just .282 against right-handers.  However, all five of his triples have come against right-handers.  Williams definitely wasn’t voted the PCL’s Best Defensive Catcher for his hitting.  But, he has six walks against six strikeouts in his last ten games.

Eric Hacker: Fresno Ace.  That was a big game for a Fresno starter.  The three hits allowed were his lowest total allowed since July 21st.  He is 8-0 in his last ten starts.  Sacramento lost to the Iowa Cubs, 7-6, and Fresno has a two game lead in the division again.  Fresno is about to hit the road to Colorado Springs for four games.  Then, on Wednesday?  A four-game showdown with the Rivercats.

Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA): Bowie 5, Richmond 3

RF Clay Timpner - 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 E

CF Darren Ford - 2-5, 2 SO, 2 SB

Bonus: 1B Brandon Belt - 0-2, 2 BB

SP David Mixon - 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, L (10-7)

Clay Timpner has definitely become a good Richmond player.  The pair of home runs gives him....three on the season.  The other came in June.  Timpner slumped strong in June and July, but is batting .345 in August.  Darren Ford picked up two stolen bases, his first two since collecting a pair on August 13th.  Ford has hits in six straight games, but this was his first with multiple hits.

David Mixon has been pedestrian since the All-Star Break.  He has a 4.91 ERA in seven starts since the break, after a 3.21 ERA before the break.

BTW, why throw up Brandon Belt?  Despite going 0-for-2, Belt moved back into the minor league batting average lead.  His .360 is a hair above Albuquerque’s John Lindsey’s .359.  Lindsey went 0-for-5, and has 15 strikeouts in his last ten games.  Belt’s .459 OBP is second best in the minors, behind Omaha’s Kila Ka’aihue.

San Jose Giants (High-A): San Jose 7, Visalia 4

1B-3B Drew Biery - 1-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO

DH Jose Flores - 2-4, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 SO

SP Justin Fitzgerald - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO, W (9-5)

Biery’s hit today was his first since August 14th, but it was his 14th home run.  It was his first home run of the month.  Flores, meanwhile, hit his third consecutive multi-hit game, but the first with an extra-base hit.

Fitzgerald had a season-high eleven strikeouts, while matching a season-low in hits allowed with two.  Fitzgerald has only had a 3.80 ERA in August, not coming close to matching his performance to start the season.

Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A): CANCELLED

That’s right.  Cancelled.  No postponement.  No checks.  No baseball for you!  It’s a sign the season is winding down.  It’s good, though.  Joseph needed a night off, anyway.

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Short-A): Yakima 6, Salem-Keizer 2

CF Chris Lofton - 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SO

SP Taylor Rogers - 5.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Lofton’s two hits were his first multi-hit game since August 13th.  He has just five doubles this season, three of them coming in the last nine games.

Taylor Rogers has given up 12 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings over his last three starts, with 7 strikeouts and five walks.

AZL Giants (Rookie): No Game Scheduled

Top 10 League Leaders-Hitting:

BA: None

OBP: None

SLG: Chuckie Jones (.483, 5th); Brice Cutspec (.459, 8th); Carlos Willoughby (.454, 10th)

HR: Jones (5, T-5th)

SB: Willoughby (23, 1st)

Pitching:

ERA: Austin Fleet (2.63, 4th)

WHIP: Fleet (0.96, 1st); Kendry Flores (1.12, 5th)

SO: Fleet (63, 2nd)

DSL Giants (Dominican): Giants 4, Cubs Pt. Deux 1

C Gabriel Cornier - 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB

RF Hector Mercedes - 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SO

1B Jose Cedeno - 1-2, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO

SP Joan Gregorio - 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, W (6-3)

Cornier’s day broke a pretty bad slump, where he’d gone 3-for-21 over eight games.  The triple was his first this season.  Mercedes has four multi-hit games in his last six games, raising his average to .211 on the year.  Cedeno hit his first professional home run in two seasons of ball.

Gregorio....ah, reminds me of Gregorio Martinez.  This was Gregorio’s second scoreless start in five games, but it was also his longest and with a career high in strikeouts.