Highlights from the Giants' farm: (a) Buster Posey homered for the second straight day; (b) Ryan Rohlinger had four hits, including his 32nd double; (c,d) Matt Kinney and Ari Ronick both had 7.0 shutout IP; (e) Paul Oseguera allowed just 1 ER in 8.0 IP; (f) Brett Pill had three hits, including his 30th double; and (g) Hector Sanchez reached base in all four plate appearances.
AAA: Fresno defeated New Orleans 9-0
Fresno: SS Kevin Frandsen: 3 for 5
Fresno: RF Nate Schierholtz: 2 for 3, SO
Fresno: C Buster Posey: 2 for 5, HR, SO
Fresno: 3B Ryan Rohlinger: 4 for 5, 2B
Fresno: RHP Matt Kinney: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K--1 HB, 2 WP
Fresno: RHP Osiris Matos: 1.0 IP
With a 1st inning HR, Posey got his 2nd PCL HR in his first plate appearance after the first HR. Rohlinger and Frandsen combined for nearly half of the Grizzlies' sixteen hits, raising their respective AVGs to .292 and an even .300. Schierholtz had a couple singles in his first rehab appearance.
Kinney is not exactly the model of consistency. In his last eight starts, he has four starts with 1 ER or less and three starts with 5 ER or more. Tonight, he got his overall season ERA back below 5.50. Matos pitched a perfect 8th inning.
AA: Connecticut lost to Akron 4-3 (10 innings)
Connecticut: LF Brad Boyer: 2 for 4, BB, SO
Connecticut: 1B Brett Pill: 3 for 5, 2B, SO
Connecticut: LHP Jesse English: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Connecticut: RHP Matt Yourkin: 1.0 IP, 2 K
Pill and Boyer combined for five of the Defenders' nine hits. Pill's three hits, including his 30th double, raised his AVG to .297.
English had less than a quality start. He's scuffled a bit since the all-star break with 21 H, 10 BB, 10 ER, and 11 K in 20.1 IP over four starts. Yourkin had 2 K in a perfect 8th inning.
A+: San Jose lost to Visalia 1-0
San Jose: 3B Conor Gillaspie: 1 for 4
San Jose: SS Brian Bocock: 1 for 3, BB, 2 SO
San Jose: LHP Paul Oseguera: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K--1 HB
The only Giant to reach base twice, Bocock had one of the Giants' two hits and one of their four walks. He has been playing better since the all-star break. After a .298 OBP in 70 AB in the Eastern League, he had just a .260 in 164 AB in the Cal League before their all-star break. He entered this evening's game with a .331 OBP in 132 AB since the all-star break. Gillaspie had the Giants' other hit.
Oseguera had his second consecutive outstanding start, but he was the hard-luck loser in this one. In ten starts for San Jose, his K/BB ratio is better than 5.00.
A-: Augusta defeated Charleston 1-0
Augusta: 3B Charlie Culberson: 0 for 4, 3 SO, E
Augusta: CF Francisco Peguero: 2 for 4
Augusta: SS Vladimir Frias: 1 for 2, BB, SO
Augusta: LHP Ari Ronick: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K--1 HB
Augusta: LHP Ryan Verdugo: 2.0 IP, 1 BB, 4 K
Even in a pitcher's duel in which both sides combined for eight hits, Peguero still managed to have another multi-hit line, his fourth straight game with at least two hits. Drawing the GreenJackets' only walk, Frias also reached base twice. Batting leadoff, Culberson had a rough game. He had an oh-fer with a hat trick and also committed his 36th error. After he had as many hits as strikeouts before the all-star break (59 H and 59 SO in 246 AB, .240 AVG), he has had more hit than strikeouts since (39 H and 30 SO in 147 AB, .265 AVG).
Ronick had perhaps his best start of the year, with 7.0 scoreless IP getting his ERA back below 3.00. He surpassed the 100 IP mark tonight. Verdugo had 4+ K for the fourth time in his last six appearances. In those six appearances, his tats line has been 4 H, 5 BB, 0 R, and 22 K in 12.0 IP.
ssA: Salem-Keizer lost to Spokane 6-2
Salem-Keizer: 1B Luke Anders: 2 for 4, SO
Salem-Keizer: 2B Juna Martinez: 2 for 4, 2B, E
Salem-Keizer: RHP Javier Hernandez: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K--3 HR, 1 WP
Salem-Keizer: RHP Andrew Bowlin: 1.0 IP, 3 K
Anders (32nd rounder) and Martinez (46th rounder) had the Volcanoes' two multi-hit lines, raising their respective AVGs to .298 and .290. Martinez's 6th double was the Volcanoes' only XBH, but he also committed his 4th error.
Hernandez matched a season-high with 5 ER, raising his ERA above 5.75. Bowlin struck out all three batters in the top of the 9th inning.
R: Giants defeated Rangers 3-2
Scottsdale: C Hector Sanchez: 2 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP
Scottsdale: RHP Cameron Lamb: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Scottsdale: RHP Shawn Sanford: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Sanchez reached base in all four plate appearances, improving his season line to .323/.450/.431 through 65 AB.
After a couple rough outings in his last two starts, in which he issued 9 BB and was limited to just 5.2 IP combined, Lamb bounced back with a solid start like he had been posting previously this year. After missing all of last year on the DL, he has a line of 22 H, 18 BB, and 40 K in 33.2 IP with a 1.86 ERA through eight starts. Sanford (13th rounder) pick up his 3rd save with a scoreless 9th inning.
DSL: Giants defeated Red Sox 6-1
Dominican: RF Jose De La Cruz: 2 for 4, HBP, 2 SO
Dominican: RHP Lorenzo Mendoza: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K--2 WP, 1 BK
De La Cruz (18.3 y.o.) raised his AVG to .287 with the Gigantes' only multi-hit line. A day before his 18th birthday, Mendoza matched his longest start of the year. Not usually a ground ball pitcher, he had a 13/7 GO/FO and just 1 K today. He improved his ERA to 2.49.