While Connecticut dropped the third game of its playoff series, San Jose won its playoff opener. Individual highlights from those two Giants' affiliates last night: (a) Clayton Tanner had 7.0 shutout IP, and (b) Nick Noonan reached base three times.
AAA: Fresno ended its season on Labor Day
AA: Connecticut lost to New Britain 6-1
(but still lead the best-of-five series 2-1)
Connecticut: 1B Brett Pill: 1 for 3, BB, SO
Connecticut: 3B Ramon Castro: 1 for 3, 2B, HBP
Connecticut: RF Mike Mooney: 1 for 3, 3B
New Britain: C Wilson Ramon: 2 for 4, GiDP
New Britain: LF Brian Dinkelman: 3 for 4, 2 HR
Connecticut: LHP Craig Clark: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K--2 HR, 1 HB
Connecticut: LHP Wilmin Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB--1 HR
Connecticut: RHP Dan Griffin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K--2 IBB
New Britain: RHP Alex Burnett: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 5 K--1 HB
Pill and Castro each reached base twice. Mooney had a triple in his three at bats before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the 9th inning. Dinkelman, the Twins' eighth round pick in 2006, homered twice. Ramos had the game's only other multi-hit line to keep his post-season AVG above .500.
Clark, the Cal League's pitcher of the year, gave up a couple big flies but just three runs overall in his upper minors debut. Rodriguez, also promoted from San Jose to Connecticut for the playoffs, allowed three insurance runs in the 6th inning. Griffin finished with a couple scoreless innings. Burnett, who had just a .183 BAA this year, struck out five of the eight Defenders he faced in the final two innings of the game.
A+: San Jose defeated Bakersfield 1-0
(winning game 1 in the best-of-five series)
San Jose: CF Darren Ford: 0 for 4, SO, SB
San Jose: 2B Nick Noonan: 2 for 3, BB, SO
San Jose: LF Thomas Neal: 0 for 4, 2 SO
San Jose: 1B Josh Mazzola: 1 for 3, SO
San Jose: RF Francisco Peguero: 1 for 3, 2B, SO
Bakersfield: LF Michael Bianucci: 3 for 4, 2B
San Jose: LHP Clayton Tanner: 7.0+ IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
San Jose: RHP Dan Turpen: 1.0 IP
San Jose: RHP Rafael Cova: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Bakersfield: RHP Ryan Tatusko: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K--1 WP
Noonan had the Giants' only multi-hit line and also drew their only walk. He also had the game's only RBI with a 3rd inning, two-out single. Mazzola and Peguero, the two hitters in the lineup promoted from Augusta for the playoffs, each contributed one of the Giants' six hits, with Peguero getting a one-one double in the 3rd inning to score the game's only run. Neal and Ford, the Giants top two hitters this year, both had oh-fers in their playoff opener. The Rangers' 23-year-old Bianucci, who had an OPS over 1.000 in 72 Sally League games before being promoted to the Cal League in early July and finished the year with 15 HRs in each, had three hits, including the Blaze's only XBH.
Tanner had one of his best starts of the season, scatting seven hits. He had allowed at least one earned run in each of his past nine starts, and had worked more than just 6.1 IP in only of his past ten starts, but he came through with 7.0 shutout IP in this start. Turpen and Cova each faced the minimum three batters to complete the shutout. The 24-year-old Tatsuko, who had an ERA just over 4.50 in sixteen starts this year had one of better starts of the year. Interestingly enough, when he faced the Giants on August 13, he allowed just 1 ER in 7.2 IP that evening.
A-: Augusta ended its season on Labor Day
ssA: Salem-Keizer won the NWL championship series on September 10
R: Giants lost AZL championship game on August 31
DSL: The Gigantes finished their DSL championship series sweep on August 31