minor lines, 7/25/11

Monday highlights from the Giants' farm: both Wes Hodges and Sharlon Schoop homered for Richmond.

AAA: Fresno defeated Colorado Springs 8-3

Fresno: CF-LF Justin Christian: 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB
Fresno: 3B Mark DeRosa: 2 for 4, 2B
Fresno: RF Brad Eldred: 1 for 3, HR, HBP, SO, SB

Fresno: SP Matt Yourkin: 6.0 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Batting leadoff, Christian reached base four times, improving the 31-year-old's PCL OBP to .418 through 90 AB.  Eldred had his 18th HR.  Playing the seventh game of his current rehab assignment, DeRosa had a couple hits, including a double.

Despite allowing 11 H, which was easily the most he has allowed over his last ten starts, Yourkin had a quality start.  He has been fairly consistent with exactly 6.0 IP in eight of his last nine starts.

AA: Richmond defeated Erie 3-2

Richmond: 1B Wes Hodges: 2 for 4, HR, SO
Richmond: SS Shalron Schoop: 1 for 2, HR, BB

Richmond: SP Ryan Verdugo: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K--1 WP
Richmond: RP Mitch Lively: 1.1 IP, 2 K
Erie: SP Jacob Turner: 8.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K--2 HR, 1 WP

Hodges and Schoop had their 6th and 2nd HRs, respectively.

Verdugo had one of his better starts.  After six straight starts with multiple walks, including 5 BB in his last start, he issued just one free pass in this start.  In fifteen starts since the beginning of May, he has 63 H, 38 BB and 86 K in 72.0 IP.  Lively had 1.1 perfect IP in his fourth appearance for the Flying Squirrels this year.  The Tigers' Turner, one of the very prospects in the minors, had a solid start but took the loss.  His peripheral stats in a season which he began as a 19-year-old in double-A are 102 H, 32 BB, and 90 K in 113.2 IP.

A+: San Jose defeated Visalia 8-6
(scoring five runs in the 2nd inning and allowing five runs runs in the 9th inning)

San Jose: CF Gary Brown: 2 for 5
San Jose: RF James Simmons: 1 for 4, HR, SO
Visalia: SS Chris Owings: 2 for 4, 2B, BB

San Jose: SP Kelvin Marte: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K--1 WP
San Jose: RP Stephen Harrold: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K--1 HR

The 25-year-old Simmons had his 10th HR this year (7 HRs with San Jose).  Brown was one of three Giants with two hits.  The Diamondbacks' Owings had a good game reaching base three times.  After entering the year as a borderline top 100 prospect, he has managed just a .256/.289/.401 performance this year (in 367 AB).

Despite an uncharacteristically high 4 BB, Marte allowed just one run.  His ERA is now 3.40.  Making his third Cal League appearance, Harrold retire just two of his seven batters.

A-: Augusta lost to Lakewood 3-1

Augusta: LF Rafael Rodriguez: 2 for 4, 2 SO, CS

Augusta: SP Mike Kickham: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Rodriguez managed two of the GreenJackets' six hits (all singles), including an RBI single in the 9th inning to avoid the shutout.  He also threw out a runner at the plate.

Kickham had a season-high 6.1 IP but still saw his W-L record drop to 2-6.

ssA: Salem-Keizer defeated Vancouver 10-6
(scoring nine runs over the 6th and 7th innings)

Salem-Keizer: RF Brett Krill: 4 for 5, 2B
Salem-Keizer: 1B Brice Cutspec: 2 for 5, HR, SO

Salem-Keizer: SP Stephen Shackleford: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K

Krill continues to swing a very hot bat.  Hitting 18 for 29 in his last seven games as lifted his AVG to .407 through 86 AB.  Cutspec had his 6th HR--a two-out grand slam in the 7th inning.

After 21 relief appearances last year and and 11 relief appearances this year, Shackleford made the first start of his pro career.  He will presumably need to issue fewer than 5 BB in his future starts to keep a starting job.

R: Giants defeated Brewers 3-1

Scottsdale: C Eric Sim: 1 for 1, 3 BB

Scottsdale: SP Clayton Blackburn: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K--1 WP
Scottsdale: RP Brian Maloney: 3.0 IP, 5 K

Sim reached base four times as he drew all three of the rookie Giants' walks and raised his OBP to .404.

Making his first start after six relief appearances, the 18-year-old Blackburn faced just three batters over the minimum.  He had a 7/1 GO/FO line.  Maloney had 5 K in 3.0 perfect IP in his best appearance (at least statistically) as a pro.

DSL: Giants lost to Rangers 10-8

Dominican: DH Royel Astacio: 1 for 2, 2 B, 3 BB
Dominican: RP Renzo Freite: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K--1 BK

Astacio (17.9 y.o.) reached base four times.  He has frequently worked deep into the count with 27 BB and 35 SO among his 115 AB.  Entering in long relief in the 1st inning, Freite (18.6 y.o.) allowed just an unearned run in 6.1 IP, which brought his ERA below 2.50.