Not a good day for highlights. Recently it's been hitters, but this time a couple pitching lines stand out: (a) Erik Surkamp has a career-high 10 K in 7.0 scoreless IP, and (b) Henry Sosa makes another good start. For hitters, the most important line might be (c) Roger Kieschnick having three hits and reaching base four times.
AAA: Fresno lost to Round Rock 5-3
(allowing one run in each of the last four innings)
Fresno: RF John Bowker: 1 for 3, BB
Fresno: 2B Matt Downs: 1 for 4, HR, E
Round Rock: SS Tommy Manzella: 3 for 5, HR, 2 2B, SO
Fresno: LHP Steve Hammond: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K--1 BK
Round Rock: RHP Brandon Donnelly: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Downs led off the 6th inning with his 5th HR of the season. He also committed his 6th error. Bowker was the only Grizzly to reach base twice. Quite unlike last year, he continues this year to have more walks than strikeouts. With a walk in each of his last six games, he has a BB/AB ratio this year above 20%. After entering the night with a SLG below .400, Manzella, whom BA rated the Astros' #11 prospect, had three XBH, including his 2nd HR and 10th and 11th doubles.
Hammond allowed just 2 ER, but not particularly efficient with his pitch count (60 of 96 pitches for strikes) he was unable to complete six full innings. He has an ERA above 4.50 despite having only twice allowed more than 2 ER in his seven starts, in large part because he is averaging less than five full innings per start. The 37-year-old Donnelly picked up his first save with a perfect 9th inning.
AA: Connecticut lost to New Hampshire 6-2
Connecticut: 1B Brett Pill: 2 for 4, 2B, GiDP
Connecticut: RHP Henry Sosa: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K--1 WP, 1 E
Connecticut: RHP Waldis Joaquin: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB
With two of the Defenders' six hits, Pill was the only Defender to reach base twice. He finished April with a .243 AVG, but he has raised his AVG to .272 by hitting nearly .300 in the first half of May. His 12 doubles may lead the organization (if anyone wants to check that).
Sosa allowed only a couple unearned runs in the 1st inning, improving his ERA to 2.18. Joaquin's ERA rose to 4.82 as his K/BB ratio once again fell below 1.00.
A+: San Jose lost to Modesto 6-5 (12 innings)
San Jose: CF Andres Torres: 0 for 3, SO
San Jose: DH Ben Copeland: 1 for 4, 2B, 2 BB, IBB, 2 SO
San Jose: RF Roger Kieschnick: 3 for 5, BB, 2 SO, SB
San Jose: 1B Angel Villalona: 0 for 5, BB, 2 SO, GiDP
San Jose: 2B Nick Noonan: 1 for 6, 5 SO
San Jose: 3B Conor Gillaspie: 2 for 5, BB, SO
San Jose: C Trent Klinke: 3 for 5, 2B
Modesto: CF Charlie Blackmon: 4 for 6, 3B, CS
Modesto: SS Hector Gomez: 3 for 5, BB
San Jose: RHP Garrett Broshuis: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
San Jose: RHP Adam Cowart: 0.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB
San Jose: RHP Dan Turpen: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB--1 IBB
San Jose: RHP Edwin Quirarte: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 K--1 IBB
Modesto: RHP Ryan Speier: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K--1 IBB
With three hits each, Kieschnick and Kline, the backup catcher, accounted for half of the Giants' dozen hits, raising their respective AVGs to .328 and .258. Also reaching base three times were Gillaspie and Copeland, the latter who played his first game since rejoining the Giants organization after the A's returned their Rule 5 pick. (He had played two games in the Cal League earlier this year for Stockton on a rehab assignment.) Torres made his first rehab appearance, batting leadoff and playing the first five innings. He did not reach base in three plate appearances. Other than Torres, Villalona was the only Giants starter without a hit, although he did draw a walk. Noonan achieved the Olympic rings with five strikeouts. (Yes, I had to look that up to see what the name for that was.) His SO/AB ratio is now 25%; last year it was just below 20%. Gomez and Blackmon, the Rockies #5 and #10 prospects, combined for seven hits, and each reached base four times. They improved their respective AVGs to .333 and .323.
Broshuis made his first start of the year after six relief appearances. He issued his first walk of the year and allowed just a single run that raised his ERA to 1.80. His K/IP ratio fell further below 0.50. Cowart failed to retire any of the five batters he faced. Turpen and Quirarte, the latter who matched a season high with 3 H, combined for 5.0 scoreless IP to lower both of their ERAs below 0.80. Turpen was credited with his third blown save for allowing one of two inherited runners (with no outs) to score. The Rockies' Speier pitched a scoreless 9th inning his second rehab appearance.
A-: Augusta defeated Greenville 5-1
(after scoring three runs in 1st inning)
Augusta: 3B Charlie Culberson: 2 for 4, SH
Augusta: 2B Juan Perez: 1 for 4, HR, SO
Augusta: LHP Erik Surkamp: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K
Perez led off the 8th inning with his 4th HR of the season. Three of those four homers have come in his last eight games. Culberson was one of two GreenJackets with two hits, raising his AVG to .230.
Surkamp, the Giants' sixth round pick last year, had his best start of the season. Making his sixth start, he had his first start without allowing an earned run as he had a season-low 2 H and a career-high 10 K. The only fault one could find statistically was the season-high 3 BB, which stands out all the more since he had allowed just four walks previously this year and just one walk in his past three starts. But he had also allowed 11 ER in his previous two starts, so this was a great bounceback effort..