Highlights from the Giants' farm: (a) It's still June, so John Bowker's name appears here again, this time with a homer and a double while reaching base in all four plate appearances. Other highlights include (b) Jake Wald also homering while reaching base three times, (c) Matt Kinney allowing just one run in a complete-game victory, and (d) Eddy Martinez-Esteve reaching base four times. Also notable is Tim Alderson making a start, although it was one of his less effective starts of the season.
AAA: Fresno defeated Salt Lake 7-1
(after scoring five runs in first two innings)
Fresno: LF John Bowker: 3 for 3, HR, 2B, BB
Fresno: SS Jake Wald: 2 for 3, HR, BB, SO
Fresno: RHP Matt Kinney: 9.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Bowker had another big game, hitting his 15th HR, legging out his 18th double, and reaching base in all four plate appearances. He has had 20 XBH this moth. Wald also homered, his 3rd HR, while reaching base three times.
Making his sixteenth start, Kinney had his best appearance of the year, pitching his first complete game of the year. He had not pitched more than 6.1 IP in any of his previous nine starts. He got hs ERA below 5.50. With no walks in his last two starts, he has raised K/BB ratio to an even 3.00.
AA: Connecticut defeated New Britain 6-3
Connecticut: 2B Brock Bond: 3 for 5, CS, E
Connecticut: RF Eddy Martinez-Esteve: 3 for 4, BB, GiDP
Connecticut: LF Ramon Castro: 2 for 4, 2B
Connecticut: RHP Tim Alderson: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Connecticut: RHP Waldis Joaquin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K
New Britain: RHP Carlos Gutierrez: 4.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
With three hits each, Bond and EME raised their team-leading AVGs to .323 and .316. Bond may be one of the leading hitters in the Eastern League, but he is not among its better basestealers with his 10/11 SB/CS line. Last year he had a 15/6 SB/CS line. Playing his third game of the season, the 29-year-old Castro contributed the Defenders' only XBH.
Alderson had perhaps his least impressive start of the season, allowing his opposing hitters a .375 OBP and striking out none. Still, he improved his W-L record to 4-0 and kept his K/BB ratio above 4.00. Joaquin allowed a couple hits, but his BAA remains below .200. Gutierrez, whom the Twins selected 27th overall a year ago, made his fifth start in the upper minors, allowing a season-high 10 H. After a 1.32 ERA in the Florida State League, his ERA is over 6.00 since his promotion.
A+: San Jose lost to Modesto 5-1
San Jose: DH Tyler Graham: 1 for 3, BB
San Jose: RF Roger Kieschnick: 0 for 3, HBP, 2 SO
San Jose: 2B Nick Noonan: 0 for 4, 3 SO
San Jose: LHP Paul Oseguera: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K--1 WP
Batting leadoff, Graham was the only Giant to reach base twice. Kieschnick had his hit streak snapped. After the oh-fer with the hat trick, Noonan now has more strikeouts than hits (60 H and 62 SO in 247 AB, .243 AVG). Buster Posey did not play again.
Oseguera's fourth start for San Jose was his shortest yet. His W-L record dropped to 0-3 as his ERA rose to 5.32.
A-: Augusta lost to Rome 2-1
Augusta: C Matt Klimas: 1 for 2, BB, SO
Augusta: LHP Aaron King: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K--1 HR, 1 HB, 1 PO
Klimas, whose bat has cooled in June with a sub-.600 OPS, was the only GreenJacket to reach base twice.
King had his longest start of the year, pitching not just six full innings for the first time this year but seven full innings. However, he still suffered the loss, dropping his W-L record to 3-5 through a dozen starts. In terms of BAA, June was his best month of the season. After allowing BAAs over .300 in both April and May, his June BAA was just .237.
ssA: Salem-Keizer lost to Vancouver 14-0
Salem-Keizer: 1B C.J. Ziegler: 0 for 2, 2 BB, E
Vancouver: RF Rashun Dixon: 2 for 4, 2B, BB
Salem-Keizer: RHP Jose Valdez: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K--2 WP
The Volcanoes managed just four hits, all singles; and Ziegler was their only hitter to reach base twice. Dixon, whom the Athletics gave a big over-slot bonus as their 10th round pick a year ago, reached base three times.
The box score would suggest that Valdez suffered some control issues in his second NWL start.
R: Giants defeated Athletics 10-9
(scoring seven runs in final two innings)
Scottsdale: 2B Julio Izturis: 3 for 6, SB
Scottsdale: 3B Chris Dominguez: 2 for 5, BB, SO
Scottsdale: CF Evan Crawford: 3 for 5
Scottsdale: RHP Aaron Davidson: 2.0+ IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Scottsdale: RHP Audy Santana: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Among the five Giants who reached base three times each were Izturis, who raised his AVG to .462; Dominguez, the Giants' 3rd round pick playing in his second game; and Crawford, the Giants' 9th round pick playing in his first pro game.
In his second pro start, Davidson, signed as an undrafted free agent, was hit hard. He retired just six of the fifteen batters he faced. He was reliever by Santana, who played in the Cubs' organizaton a year ago. In his third game with the Giants he struck out five of the eleven batters he faced.
DSL: Giants lost to Royals 5-1
Dominican: DH Rey Duran: 1 for 3, SO
Dominican: LHP Luis Azocar: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K--1 HB, 1 WP, 1 PO
Duran (19.11 y.o.) managed to be just one of two Gigantes to reach base safely today. Azocar (22.9 y.o.) had perhaps his least effective relief appearance of the season, issuing four walks. His ERA is 2.76 after seven appearances.