Thursday highlights from the Giants' farm: Joe Panik and Chris Lofton both homered among three hits. Also notable, Michael Kickham and Taylor Rogers each allowed just 1 ER in their starts.
AAA: Fresno lost to Sacramento 6-0
Fresno: CF Skyler Stromsmoe: 3 for 4, SO, 2 SB
Fresno: RF Todd Linden: 1 for 2, 2 BB, SO
Sacramento: 2B Brandon Hicks: 2 for 3, HR, 2B, BB, SO
Fresno: SP Matt Yourkin: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K--2 HR
Sacramento: SP Daniel Strailey: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
Stromsmoe had three of the Grizzlies' six hits, raising his AVG to .267. Linden also reached base time, although as the K-man batter he obliged the home crowd fans by striking out in his other plate appearance. Hicks, whom the Athletics claimed off waivers from the Braves during spring training, has been on a tear. With his grand slam HR in the 1st inning, he has homered in six of his last seven games. He is now hitting .275/.374/.555 through 236 AB.
Yourkin continues to surrender runs at an alarming rate. It's been six weeks now since he had a start with more IP than ER. Strailey did not enter the year considered among Athletics' top 30 prospects after having ERAs close to 4.00 his first two seasons in the minors, but he begun this year with a 3.38 ERA and 108 K in 85.1 IP in double-A, and tonight he had 7.0 shutout IP in his PCL debut.
AA: Richmond lost to Trenton 7-2
Richmond: CF Gary Brown: 3 for 6, 2B, SB
Richmond: RF Jaun Perez: 3 for 5
Richmond: 1B Mark Minicozzi: 3 for 4, SF, GiDP
Richmond: SP Michael Kickham: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 5 K
With three hits each, Brown, Perez and Minicozzi accounted for just over half of the Flying Squirrels' seventeen hits. Brown's 11th double was their only XBH, though. Brown also had his 19th SB.
Kickham continues to pitch quite well, with 1 ER or less in five of his last six starts. With 6 BB tonight, he found himself removed from the game after 101 pitches (58 strikes) before he had completed the 6th inning. His ERA has improved to 2.82.
A+: San Jose defeated Visalia 11-1
San Jose: SS Joe Panik: 3 for 5, HR, SO
San Jose: LF Jarrett Parker: 1 for 4, HR, BB
San Jose: CF Chris Lofton: 3 for 5, HR, 2B, SO
San Jose: SP Taylor Rogers: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K--1 HR
Panik and Lofton each had three of the Giants' sixteen hits. They also each had the 3rd HR, while Parker added his 7th HR.
Rogers had his second straight quality start, bouncing back from a stretch where he had 5+ ER in three of four starts. His ERA is back down to 4.38 after fourteen starts this year.
A-: Augusta defeated Savannah 9-8
Augusta: 3B Jose Flores: 3 for 5, 2 2B, SO
Augusta: C Jeff Arnold: 3 for 4
Augusta: SP Clayton Blackburn: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Flores and Arnold were two of three GreenJackets with three hits each, raising their respective AVGs to .308 and .273.
After five straight quality starts, during which he allowed just 4 R in 34.1 IP, Blackburn began tonight's game with five scoreless innings before yielding 4 ER in the 6th inning. After 8 K and 0 BB tonight, his K/BB is nearly 7.00 over his last ten starts.
ssA: Salem-Keizer defeated Yakima 6-4
Salem-Keizer: CF Charles Jones: 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, SO
Salem-Keizer: RF Andrew Cain: 2 for 5, HR, SO
Salem-Keizer: SP Joan Gregorio: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K--1 HR
Cain led off the 2nd inning with his 1st pro HR. Jones reached base four times, improving upon the .400 OBP with which he entered the game.
Gregorio has delivered quality starts in both of his starts this year.
R: Giants lost to Diamondbacks 4-2
Scottsdale: CF Randy Ortiz: 2 for 4, 2 SB
Scottsdale: SP Luis Angeles: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Ortiz was the lone rookie Giant to reach base twice.
Angeles, who had an ERA close to 7.50 last year in the AZL, began his 2012 season with 4.0 scoreless IP.
DSL: Giants defeated Diamondbacks/Reds 9-7
Dominican: RF-LF Carlos Valdez: 2 for 3, BB, CS
Dominican: SP Juan Nova: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Valdez (17.11 y.o.) reached base three times, although his OBP remains below .300 through his first sixteen pro games. Nova (20.8 y.o.) finally allowed his first earned run this year in his fourth start.