minor lines, 4/10/14

Thursday highlights from the Giants' farm: both Javier Herrera and Matthew Chavez had four-hit games, and both Gary Brown and Adam Duvall homered while reaching base three times.

AAA: Fresno defeated Salt Lake 11-4
(scoring four runs in the both the 5th and 6th innings)

Fresno: CF Gary Brown: 1 for 4, HR, 2 BB
Fresno: 3B Adam Duvall: 2 for 5, HR, BB
Fresno: DH Javier Herrera: 4 for 5, 2 2B, CS
Fresno: 1B Tyler LaTorre: 3 for 4, 2B, BB

Fresno: SP Edwin Escobar: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Fresno: RP Erik Cordier: 1.0 IP, 3 K
Fresno: RP Brett Bochy: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Salt Lake: SP Joe Martinez: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K--2 HR, 1 WP

Duvall and Brown hit their 3rd and 1st HRs.  Herrera and LaTorre reached base four times each while combining for nearly half the Grizzlies' sixteen hits.

Escobar struck out over a third of his batters (7 of 19), but with 80 pitches (51 strikes) in 4.0 IP, he did not start the 5th inning.  Cordier and Beachy finished the game with a combined 4 K in 2.0 perfect IP.  Ex-Giant Martinez allowed just 1 R through 4.0 IP but then 4 ER in the 5th inning.

AA: Richmond lost to Altoona 6-1

Richmond: CF Tyler Graham: 2 for 4, 2 SB
Altoona: SS Alen Hanson: 3 for 5, SB

Richmond: SP Clayton Blackburn: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K--3 WP

Graham was the lone Flying Squirrel to reach base twice.  He has 6 SB in his last five games.  The Pirates' Hanson, one of the top 100 prospects in the minors, had three hits for his first multi-hit game this year.

In his first two starts in the upper minors, Blackburn has 11 H, 1 BB and 9 K in 9.0 IP.

A+: San Jose defeated Bakersfield 5-2

San Jose: CF Jesus Galindo: 2 for 3, BB, SO, CS, E
San Jose: DH Mac Williamson: 2 for 3, 2B, BB, CS

San Jose: SP Joan Gregorio: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
San Jose: RP Jeremy Affeldt: 1.0 IP, 2 K
San Jose: RP Ryan Bradley: 2.0 IP, 1 K

Williamson and Galindo each had two of the Giants' nine hits and one of their four walks.

Gregorio has allowed just 1 ER in 9.0 IP over his first two Cal League starts.  Affeldt pitched a perfect 6th inning in his third rehab appearance.  Bradley has allowed just one baserunner in 6.0 scoreless IP in his three appearances this year.

A-: Augusta defeated Charleston 5-1
(rallying for five runs over the 6th and 7th innings)

Augusta: 3B Brandon Bednar: 2 for 5, 2B
Augusta: DH Matthew Chavez: 4 for 5, 2 2B, SO

Augusta: SP Luis Ysla: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K--2 HB, 1 BK
Augusta: RP Carlos Alvarado: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 4 K
Augusta: RP Daniel Slania: 3.0 IP, 2 BB, 3 K

After just 2 H in his first five pro games (at least in "organized" baseball), tonight Chavez broke out with 4 H, raising his AVG to a healthy .333.  Bednar was one of two other GreenJackets with two hits.

Despite issuing free passes to nearly one third of his batters (5 of 17), Ysla kept the damage to 1 R.  Nor did he escape the jams with groundballs given his 1/6 GO/FO line.  Alvarado and Slania combined for 5.2 near-perfect IP in relief as they faced just 18 batters to record 17 outs.