There were limited highlight-worthy lines from the Giants' farm yesterday: (a) Nick Noonan had his 6th HR while reaching base three times; (b) Andy D'Alessio had a couple XBH among his three hits; (c) Dom Duggan reached base four times; and (d) Kyle Woodruff had 5.2 scoreless IP in long relief.
AAA: Fresno lost to New Orleans 14-9
(after trailing 13-0 in the middle of the 5th inning and rallying for eight runs in the 9th inning to make the score appear semi-respectable)
Fresno: 1B Jesus Guzman: 1 for 4, HR
Fresno: 2B Matt Downs: 1 for 4, HR
New Orleans: RF Brett Carroll: 4 for 5, 2 HR, 3B
Fresno: RHP Ronnie Ray: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--2 HR
Fresno: RHP Steven Palazzolo: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K--1 HR, 1 WP
Fresno: RHP Shingo Takatsu: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 K--2 HR
Fresno: RHP Waldis Joaquins: 2.0 IP, 3 K
Fresno: RHP Osiris Matos: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER 2 K--1 HB
While no one had two hits for the Grizzlies, Guzman and Downs both homered, although both shots came in the 9th inning when the Grizzlies trailed by a large margin. It was Guzman's 13th HR and Downs' 12th HR in the PCL this year. The Marlins' Carroll had another big game, but this one was even bigger with three hits going for extra bases.
Ray had a poor start with 5 ER in 3.0 IP, but he was better than the next two relievers, who combined to allow 8 ER in the next two innings. In his PCL debut, Joaquin restored order in dominating fashion with 3 K in 2.0 IP. Matos allowed another run in the final two innings, keeping his ERA just above 3.00.
AA: Connecticut lost to Erie 11-7
Connecticut: 3B Brad Boyer: 3 for 5
Connecticut: 1B Brett Pill: 1 for 5, HR
Connecticut: RHP Garrett Broshuis: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K--1 HB, 1 E
Connecticut: RHP Dan Griffin: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 K
Connecticut: RHP Craig Whitaker: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB--1 HR, 1 HB
Every Defender in the lineup had at least one hit in the Defenders' fourteen-hit attack. Pacing the pack was Boyer, whose three singles raised his AVG to .275. Pill had his 14th HR.
Broshuis was ineffective in this start with no strikeouts and more than two batters per inning reaching base. His ERA rose above 5.00. Griffin's struggles continue, and his ERA rose above 6.00. In his second game in the upper minors, Whitaker allowed 2 ER in the 8th inning.
A+: San Jose lost to Rancho Cucamonga 9-2
(allowing six runs in the 6th inning)
San Jose: 2B Nick Noonan: 2 for 3, HR, BB
San Jose: RF Roger Kieschnick: 2 for 4, GiDP
San Jose: RHP Oliver Odle: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K--1 HR
San Jose: RHP Mike Musgrave: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--1 HB, 2 WP
San Jose: RHP Dan Turpen: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 K
Rancho Cucamonga: RHP Taylor Wilding: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K
Noonan and Kiechnick each had two hits for the Giants. Getting his AVG back above .250, Noonan is now hitting .252/.325/.389 through 365 AB. By comparison, he hit .279/.315./.415 in 499 AB a year ago.
Odle has not exactly been hard to hit, yielding 8+ H in seven of his last nine starts. He now has a .328 BAA and 5.34 ERA. Musgrave retired just one of the five batters he faced. After striking out three of four batters, Turpen now has 41 K in 52.1 IP for San Jose this year. Wilding, the ex-Giants farmhand now with the Angels and facing his former team, threw a scoreless 8th inning. His stats are now 41 H, 13 BB, and 34 K in 41.1 IP with a 3.48 ERA. Last year, spedning the entire season with San Jose, he had 72 H, 19 BB, and 74 K with a 3.39 ERA.
A-: Augusta defeated Charleston 10-7
(despite allowing six runs in the 2nd inning)
Augusta: LF Dom Duggan: 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB
Augusta: RF-1B Josh Mazzola: 3 for 5, 2B
Augusta: 1B Dany D'Alessio: 3 for 4, 2 2B
Augusta: LHP Aaron King: 1.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K--1 HR
Augusta: RHP Kyle Woodruff: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 4 K
Augusta: LHP Ryan Verdugo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 K
Mazzola and D'Alessio each had three hits, with three of the combined six hits going for extra bases. D'Alessio's three hits, which included his 19th and 20th doubles, raised his AVG to an even .300. Duggan reached base four times, although his OPS remains below .650.
King has seemed to be pitching better and better as the season progressed. But after a perfect 1st inning, that came to an abrupt halt when King did not retire any of the seven batters he faced in the 2nd inning. His ERA ballooned to 4.17. Woodruff, who had pitched more than two innings just once in his previous nine appearances, provided great long relief, retiring all but two of eighteen batters in two trips through the lineup. Verdugo continues to pile up the strikeouts, this time striking out three of the six batters he faced.
ssA: Salem-Keizer lost to Vancouver 3-2
Salem-Keizer: SS Ryan Canvan: 1 for 3, HR
Salem-Keizer: RF Ryan Mantle: 1 for 3, HR
Vancouver: LF Rashun Dixon: 2 for 3, BB, CS
Salem-Keizer: RHP Jeremy Toole: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Salem-Keizer: LHP David Quinowski: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 5 K--1 PO
Cavan and Mantle connected for back-to-back solo HRs to lead off the bottom of the 6th inning, but those were two of the Volcanoes' only three batters to reach base safely. The Athletics' toolsy Dixon reached base three times, but he has had a disappointing year with a .219/.310/.308 line through 146 AB.
Toole had a career-high 6 K, but he also set a career high with 6 H and matched a career high with 3 ER in just 4.0 IP. After allowing just 3 ER in his first five starts and eight appearances overall, he has allowed 3 ER in each of his last two starts to raise his ERA just above 3.00. Quinowski struck out five of eleven batters that he faced.
R: Giants lost to Cubs 13-5
Scottsdale: RF Rafael Rodriguez: 1 for 2, BB
Scottsdale: RHP Jason Jarvis: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K--1 HB
Scottsdale: RHP Addison Proszek: 2.0 IP, 3 K
Scottsdale: RHP Shawn Sanford: 1.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 K--1 WP
Raf-Rod was the only rookie Giant to reach base twice.
After four relief appearances last year and eight relief appearances this year, Jarvis made his first pro start. It got off to a rough start with 6 ER in the 1st inning, but he came back with 3.0 scoreless IP after that. Proszek had 3 K in 2.0 perfect IP. In the 9th inning, Sanford allowed five insurance runs while retiring just three of ten batters. He had allowed just 2 ER in his previous twelve appearances, and his ERA ballooned to 4.73.
DSL: Giants defeated Marlins 10-4
Dominican: 3B Gilberto Almonte: 3 for 4, PO
Dominican: RHP Ariel Hernandez: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Almonte (21.0 y.o.) had three hits to get AVG above the Mendoza line after 167 AB. Hernandez (17.5 y.o.) had the longest start of his young pro career, but his season ERA remains above 4.00, including a 5.22 ERA in his six starts.