Saturday highlights from the Giants' farm: Ryan Rohlinger had four hits, and James Simmons homered among three hits. Also notable, Mike MacDonald had 5.0 scoreless IP, and Ryan Cavan had two doubles among three hits.
AAA: Fresno lost to Sacramento 12-4
(allowing six runs in the 1st inning and falling into a first place tie with Sacramento)
Fresno: RF Brandon Belt: 0 for 2, 3 BB
Fresno: DH Jesus Guzman: 3 for 4
Fresno: 3B Ryan Rohlinger: 4 for 5, SO
Fresno: LF Joe Borchard: 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB
Sacramento: C Anthony Recker: 3 for 4, 2 HR
Fresno: SP Matt Yourkin: 6.0 IP, 11 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 1 BB, 4 K--2 HR
Fresno: RP Craig Whitaker: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Rohlinger and Guzman had big games, but the rest of the Grizzlies' lineup had just two hits. With seven of the Grizzlies' nine hits, they raised their respective AVGs to .311 and .309. Also reaching base three times were Borchard, whose 23rd double was the Grizzlies' only XBH, and Belt, the Giants top hitting prospect who has just one hit through his first four PCL games, although he has shown plenty of seconardy average with that one hit being a home run and also with a half dozen walks mixed in. The Athletics' Recker had been red-hot this series. He now has 9 HRs this year, with four of them coming in this series.
Yourkin had perhaps his worst start of the year, with 10 ER inflating his ERA to 4.36. Whitaker pitched a perfect 7th inning.
AA: Richmond lost to Altoona 3-2 (10 innings)
Richmond: CF Thomas Neal: 2 for 4, CS
Richmond: C Tyler LaTorre: 2 for 4, SO
Richmond: SP Mike MacDonald: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Richmond: RP Rafael Cova: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Altoona: SP Jeff Locke: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Altoona: RP Dan Moskos: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Among the three Flying Squirrels with two hits each, were Neal, who played in CF for perhaps the first time in his pro career, and LaTorre, the backup catcher who got his AVG above the Mendoza line.
Making his seventh start since returning to the rotation, MacDonald pitched five scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 4.05. The 28-year-old Cova seems to be faltering down the stretch a bit. After his 1.64 ERA before the all-star break, his ERA is 3.98 since. The lack of change in his peripheral stats suggest that just more of the hits have come in clutch situations, though. Last night, he allowed both the tying run in the 9th inning and the go-ahead run in the 10th inning. Locke, whom Jim Callis now rates among the Pirates' top ten prospects, had a vvery solid start. Moskos, whom the Pirates selected fourth overall three years ago, pitched a perfect 10th inning.
A+: San Jose lost to Stockton 7-5
(falling behind 7-0 through two innings)
San Jose: 2B Charlie Culberson: 0 for 4, 3 SO
San Jose: LF James Simmons: 3 for 4, HR
Stockton: SS Grant Green: 3 for 4
San Jose: SP Oliver Odle: 2.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--2 HR, 1 WP
San Jose: RP Danny Otero: 2.0 IP, 1 K
Simmons had the Giants' only multi-hit line, which included his 11th HR. Culberson had the oh-fer with the hat trick. He has struggled in August with more strikeouts than hits (21 H vs 25 SO in 91 AB, .231 AVG). Green, the Athletics' first rounder a year ago, had three hits to raise his AVG to .315.
Odle's previous start had been his best start in nearly two months. This was certainly his lest effective start in that time. With a 5.85 ERA, I wonder how long he remains in the San Jose rotation. Otero had 2.0 perfect IP to keep the game close after the Giants' offense had trimmed the Ports' lead to three runs.
A-: Augusta defeated West Virginia 7-4
Augusta: LF Nick Liles: 2 for 4, 2B, HBP
Augusta: CF Skyler Stromsmoe: 2 for 4, 3B, BB
Augusta: 2B Ryan Cavan: 3 for 4, 2 2B, SB
Augusta: SP Zach Wheeler: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K--1 HB, 4 WP
Augusta: RP Jeremy Toole: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Augusta: RP Jose Casilla: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Three of the first four hitters in the GreenJackets' lineup--Liles, Stromsmoe, and Cavan--each reached base three times. With his 31st and 32nd doubles plus a single, Cavan improved his season line to .278/.348/.440 through 511 AB. After a sub-.700 OPS in the first half, his OPS in the second half is nearly .900. Has he passed teammate Chris Dominguez as the better prospect?
Wheeler struck out seven of his eighteen batters but apparently still needs to work on his control a great deal. All three runs he allowed came in the 2nd inning. FWIW, his stats with no runners on base and with runners on look very similar, so that does not suggest that he struggles disproportionately out of the stretch. Toole matched Wheeler's 7 K, striking out better than half of the dozen batters he faced. Casilla pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 13th save.
ssA: Salem-Keizer defeated Vancouver 5-4
(scoring the go-ahead run in the 9th inning)
Salem-Keizer: DH Dan Burkhart: 2 for 4, SO
Salem-Keizer: RF Jose Medina: 2 for 4
Salem-Keizer: SP Justin Schumer: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 K--1 BK
Salem-Keizer: RP Stephen Shackleford: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 4 K
Two of four Volcanoes with two hits each, Burkhart and Medina accounted for four of the Volcanoes' ten hits (all singles). Burkhart has his .347 in fifteen NWL games.
Schumer's third NWL start was his least effective start after he had not allowed a run in his previous two starts. Shackleford, who previously had just 3 K in 6.2 IP over six NWL appearances, struck out four of his ten batters.
R: Giants defeated Angels 3-0
Scottsdale: RF Rafael Rodriguez: 1 for 3, 2B, SO
Scottsdale: 1B Sundrendy Windster: 1 for 4, HR, SO
Scottsdale: LF Chuckie Jones: 1 for 3, BB, SO
Scottsdale: SP Lorenzo Mendoza: 3.0 IP, 2 K
Scottsdale: RP Brennan Flick: 1.1 IP, 3 K--1 WP
Scottsdale: RP Matt Graham: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 4 K--2 WP
Scottsdale: RP Raymundo Montero: 1.0 IP, 2 K
Windster had his 5th HR. The only two rookie Giants to reach base twice were the two 18-year-old corner outfielders Raf-Rod and Jones, the latter of whom has apparently moved out of centerfield in deference to this year's first rounder Gary Brown.
After 3.0 scoreless IP in his twelfth start, Mendoza now has a 3.50 ERA. Flick, Graham, and Montero--three of the five rookie Giants relievers to appear in this game--combined to strike out nine of their fifteen batters.
DSL: Giants defeated Mariners 5-2
(scoring all five runs in the last two innings to sweep the best-of-three series)
Dominican: SS Shurendell Mujica: 2 for 4, 2B, SO, CS
Dominican: SP Luis Angeles: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Mujica (?? y.o.), who had just 5 XBH (but 4 triples) during the regular season, had the Gigantes' only XBH. Angeles (20.8 y.o.), who had a sub-2.00 ERA during the regular season, delivered a quality start to keep the Gigantes close until their offense kicked in over the final couple innings.