Highlights from the Giants' farm: It was a good night for starting pitchers with each of the four full-season affiliates: (a) Madison Bumgarner allowed 1 ER in 8.0 IP; (b) Kevin Pucetas allowed 1 ER in 7.0+ IP; (c) Craig Clark allowed 1 ER in 6.0 IP; and (d) Kyle Nicholson allowed 2 ER in 7.1 IP. There were several highlight-worthy hitting performances too: (e) Eugenio Velez had 3 XBH; (f) Roger Kieschnich had his 13th HR while reaching base three times; and (g) Josh Mazzola homered twice.
AAA: Fresno defeated Salt Lake 5-2
Fresno: 2B Emmanuel Burriss: 2 for 4, SF, SB
Fresno: LF John Bowker: 0 for 2, 3 BB, SO
Fresno: DH Joe Borchard: 2 for 5, 2B, SO
Fresno: CF Eugenio Velez: 3 for 4, 3B, 2 2B
Fresno: RHP Kevin Pucetas: 7.0+ IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Frenso: LHP Alex Hinshaw: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB
Velez had three XBH, improving upon the .364 SLG with which he entered the game. Burriss and Borchard also had multi-hit lines, while Bowker walked three times. Bowker is now hitting .354/.453/.613 through 240 AB.
Pucetas had seven shutout inning before allowing a run in the 8th inning. He now has a 3.41 ERA after fifteen starts. He threw 65 of 97 pitches for strikes, while Hinshaw threw just 6 of 13 pitches for strikes.
AA: Connecticut defeated Portland 7-2
Connecticut: LF Bobby Felmy: 2 for 4, 2B, BB
Connecticut: 1B Brett Pill: 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB
Connecticut: SS Brandon Crawford: 2 for 4, 2B, SO
Connecticut: LHP Madison Bumgarner: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K--1 PO
Felmy, Pill, and Crawford each had two hits, and they combined for four of the Defenders' seven doubles in this game. Pill now has 23 doubles this season.
Bumgarner's thirteenth start of the year was his longest start so far. In eight innings, he faced just three batters over the minimum. He allowed a run in the 1st inning, but then never more than one baserunner in an inning after that. For the season, his peripheral stats are now 55 H, 16 BB, and 61 K in 70.1 IP.
A+: San Jose defeated Stockton 3-2
San Jose: DH Roger Kieshnick: 2 for 3, HR, BB, IBB, SB
San Jose: 1B Angel Villalona: 0 for 4, 3 SO
San Jose: 3B Conor Gillaspie: 2 for 4, 2 2B, SO
Stockton: 2B Jemile Weeks: 1 for 4, HR, 2 SO
Stoctkon: CF Grant Desme: 1 for 3, HR, SO
San Jose: RHP Joe Martinez: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K--1 HR
San Jose: LHP Craig Clark: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K--1 HR
Stoctkon: RHP Tyson Ross: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K--1 HR
Kieschnick and and Gillaspie each had two of the Giants' five hits, including Kieschnick's 13th HR and Gillaspie's 12th and 13th doubles. Gillaspie entered the night hitting .295/.436/.377 this month in 61 AB. Villalona has been overly prone to striking out recently. In his last ten games, he has struck out in nearly half his plate appearances with 10 H, 0 BB, and 18 SO in 41 AB. For the A's' affiliate, Weeks, the 12th overall pick a year ago, had his 7th HR; and Desme, the A's' second round pick two years ago, homered in his Cal League debut.
Facing just one batter over the minimum in three innings, Martinez struck out five of the ten batters he faced in his second rehab appearance. Clark picked up with the "start" in the 4th inning. With 8 K in 6.0 IP, he kept his K/IP ratio comfortably above 1.00. Ross entered the season considered the top prospect on the Stockton roster, but he has an ERA over 4.50 after thirteen starts.
A-: Augusta defeated Rome 7-6 (11 innings)
Augusta: 3B Charlie Culberson: 3 for 5, HBP, SO, CS, E
Augusta: 1B Josh Mazzola: 2 for 5, 2 HR, SO
Augusta: C Johnny Monell: 2 for 4, HR
Augusta: RHP Kyle Nicholson: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Augusta: RHP Edwin Quirarte: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--1 IBB, 1 HB
Augusta: RHP Shane Kaufman: 1.0 IP, 2 K
Culberson paced the GreenJackets with three of their dozen hits, but his AVG remains just below .250. He also committed his 23rd error. Mazzola had his 6th and 7 HRs, while Monell had his 2nd HR--all three of them two-run homers.
Nicholson allowed just two runs through seven innings, before he and Quirarte combined to allowed four runs in the 8th inning. An innings-eater, Nicholson has pitched at least seven innings in nine of his last ten starts. Quirarte retired just two of the seven batters he faced. After striking out two batters in a perfect 11th inning, Kaufman, the Giants' 28th round pick a year ago, has pitched very well this month with 7 H, 2 BB, 2 R, and 12 K in 11.0 IP. His season ERA is now below 5.00.
ssA: Salem-Keizer lost to Boise 5-4
(allowing two runs in both the 8th and 9th innings)
Salem-Keizer: SS John Eshelman: 2 for 3, 2B, BB
Salem-Keizer: RHP Orlando Yntema: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Eshelman, the 20-year-old whom the Giants selected in the 11th round this year out of a junior college, reached base three times in his second pro game.
Yntema, who started the season-opener for the Volcanoes five days ago, made his second start of the season, pitching six solid innings.
R: Giants lost to Angels 5-3
Scottsdale: C Jesus Navarro: 2 for 3, SO
Scottsdale: RHP Andrew Romo: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Scottsdale: LHP Steven Calicutt: 1.2 IP, 2 K
Navarro, who hit .303 in 76 AB a year ago in the AZL, had two of the rookie Giants' five hits.
Romo, the 20-year-old younger brother of Sergio, got the start in his pro debut. The Giants signed him earlier this month after he was playing in the independent Golden Baseball League. Calicutt, who missed a year following injury (Tommy John?) made his second appearance, striking out two in 1.2 perfect IP.
DSL: Giants lost to Yankees1 15-6
Dominican: CF Robedluis Fuentes: 3 for 5, 2B, CS
Dominican: LHP Keurin Feliz: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 3 K--3 HR, 1 WP
After three hits today, Fuentes (20.9 y.o.) is hitting .254/.373/.317 through his first 63 AB this year. Feliz (18.10 y.o.) has now allowed 15 ER in his past two starts to balloon his ERA over 8.00.