Once again, the highlights from the Giants' farm seem to be taking a holiday, but I'll mention these three: (a) Brett Pill homered and doubled; (b) Bustery Posey had two hits, including a double, while playing his first game behind the plate in over a week; and (c) Rafael Rodriguez reached base three times while having his first multi-hit game.
AAA: Fresno lost to Las Vegas 14-5
(after giving up six runs in 1st inning)
Fresno: CF Eugenio Velez: 3 for 5
Las Vegas: 2B Joe Inglett: 5 for 6, HR, 2B
Las Vegas: LF Randy Ruiz: 3 for 6, HR, 2B, SO
Las Vegas: 1B Brett Harper: 2 for 5, HR, SF
Fresno: RHP Matt Kinney: 0.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--2 HR
Fresno: LHP Alex Hinshaw: 1.0 IP, 2 K
Fresno: RHP Osiris Matos: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER--1 WP
Las Begas: LHP Brian Burres: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K--2 HB
With three hits, Velez has had at least one hit in each of his last ten games, which has raised his AVG to .293. The Blue Jay's Inglett, who spent most of last year in the majors but has spent most of this year in the minors, had a big game with five hits, raising his AVG to .351. The five hits included his 1st HR and 6th double. Ruiz and Harper, who both spent a bit of time in the Giants' organization, also homered, Ruiz for his 16th HR and Harper for his 12th HR.
After the nine-inning complete-game in his previous start, Kinney was unable to get out of the 1st inning of this start, retiring just two of the ten batters he faced. Hishaw pitched a perfect 6th inning, with 7 of 10 pitches for strikes. In the 7th inning, Matos allowed the 51's their only run over the last four innings, which raised his ERA to 3.60. Burres, the former Giants farmhand, got the win to even his W-L record at 6-6 in fourteen starts. He actually has a better ERA at home than on the road this year, so maybe his 4.91 ERA is a decent reflection on his abilities despite the difficult pitching environment in Las Vegas.
AA: Connecticut lost to Reading 7-5
Connecticut: CF Mike McBryde: 2 for 4, 2B
Connecticut: 1B Brett Pill: 2 for 4, HR, 2B
Connecticut: C Jackson Williams: 1 for 2, BB
Connecticut: RHP Daryl Maday: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Reading: LHP Joe Savery: 7.0+ IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K--1 HR
Pill had a big game with his 9th HR and organization-leading 27th double. After slugging better than .600 in June, he has raised his season SLG to over .500. McBryde was one of two other Defenders with two hits, including his 3rd double. His SLG remains below .400. Williams reached base in two of three plate appearances, but his OBP remains just .314.
Maday allowed a season-high 10 H and matched a season high with 6 ER, raising his BAA to .275 and his ERA to 4.09. Savery, whom the Phillies' drafted out of Rice a couple years ago, also allowed a season-high 10 H and 5 ER, but he improved his W-L record to 11-1 through seventeen starts with a 3.34 ERA as he attempts to reclaim a spot being considered among the Phillies' top ten prospects after failing to impress scouts a year ago.
A+: San Jose lost to Modesto 5-4
(after allowing four runs in the 1st inning)
San Jose: DH Tyler Graham: 0 for 5, 3 SO
San Jose: SS Brian Bocock: 2 for 4, E
San Jose: LF Thomas Neal: 1 for 2, 2 BB
San Jose: C Buster Posey: 2 for 4, 2B, SO
San Jose: RF Roger Kieschnick: 1 for 3, 3B, BB
Modesto: CF Charlie Blackmon: 3 for 4, BB
San Jose: LHP Clayton Tanner: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K--1 HR
Posey, who played his first game behind the plate in over a week, and Bocock each had two of the Giants eight hits. Neal reached base three times. The Giants' only XBHs were Posey's 21st double and Kieschnick's 6th triple. Graham had the oh-fer with the hat trick, raising his SO/AB ratio over 22%. Blackmon, whom BA rated as the Rockies' #10 prospect to begin the season, reached base four times, which improved his season line to .303/.372/.397 through 310 AB.
Tanner, who has faced Modesto in five of his last eight starts, had the rough 1st inning but then didn't allow another run until the 6th inning. He finished the day with his ERA at 3.57. The 5 ER was the most he had allowed in his last seven starts.
A-: Augusta at Bowling Green was postponed by rain
(A makeup doubleheader is scheduled for today.)
ssA: Salem-Keizer defeated Tri-City 4-3
(scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning)
Salem-Keizer: SS Ryan Cavan: 0 for 1, 3 BB, CS
Salem-Keizer: 1B C.J. Ziegler: 2 for 3, 2 2B, HBP
Salem-Keizer: 3B Andrew Biery: 2 for 4, 2B
Tri-City: CF Tim Wheeler: 1 for 3, BB, SB
Salem-Keizer: RHP Jose Valdez: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K--1 HR, 1 BK
Salem-Keizer: LHP David Quinowski: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K
Ziegler and Biery combined for four of the Volcanoes' six hits and all three of their XBHs. Batting leadoff, Cavan reached base three times via the walk. For the Rockies' affiliate, Wheeler, their first round draft pick this year out of Sacramento State, reaching base twice while batting leadoff.
Valdez didn't seem to have the control issues that he had in his previos start. He more than surpassed his strikeout total from this previous two starts. Pitching for the first time in a week, Quinowski struck out three of the eight batters he faced in his fourth appearance this year.
R: Giants defeated Royals 9-2
Scottsdale: 1B Chris Dominguez: 2 for 3, 2B, BB
Scottsdale: DH Rafael Rodriguez: 2 for 3, BB
Scottsdale: RHP Aaron Davidson: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Scottsdale: RHP Craig Westcott: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K--1 WP
Dominguez and Rodrigurez, probably the two best prospects currently on the Scottsdale roster, each had two of the rookie Giants' nine hits. Playing in his fourth pro game, Dominguez had his first pro XBH. Rodriguez, playing in his fifth pro game, had his first multi-hit line but is still looking for his first pro XBH.
Davidson bounced back from his last start (6 ER in 2.0 IP) with this solid effort in his third pro start, getting his ERA back to 9.00. Westcott (30th rounder) pitched the longest of the five relievers used, and he had 4 K in his pro debut.
DSL: Giants defeated Rays 9-7
Dominican: 2B Carlos Willoughby: 2 for 4, BB, 2 SB
Dominican: RHP Armando Paniagua: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K--1 HR, 2 HB, 1 WP
Willoughby (20.8 y.o.) had his fourth straight game of reaching base at least three times, raising his OBP to .475. He also now has a 21/4 SB/CS line. Through six starts this year Paniagua (19.6 y.o.) has yet to allowed more than 2 ER. He has a 5.00 K/BB ratio too as this was his first start alloing more than one walk.