clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Minor Lines, 9/15/15

Every game of the playoff series between the Visalia Rawhide and San Jose Giants has been a game decided by one run, so how do you one-up that?

By Kevin J. Cunningham

Highlights: Angel Villalona hit a game-winning, 13th inning, walkoff home run.  Also, you are still not reading your last Minor Lines of the season.

San Jose defeated Visalia (Diamondbacks) 5-4 in 13 innings; The Best-of-5 Series is tied, 2-2.

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO
1B Angel Villalona 4 1 1 2 0 0 1 2 0
C Aramis Garcia 4 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0
RF-CF Chuckie Jones 6 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
Name IP H R ER BB SO HR WP HB
Andrew Suarez 6.0 7 3 2 1 6 1 0 0
Ian Gardeck, H 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Jake Smith, BS 2.0 1 1 1 0 4 1 0 0
Tyler Rogers 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Carlos Diaz, W 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

Perhaps the purest power hitter in the San Francisco Giants' system is Angel Villalona.  Through all his troubles, all his poor conditioning, the power has remained.  On Tuesday night, it came through in a gigantic way, a two-out walkoff home run in the 13th inning to send the Giants to a winner-take-all Game 5 on Wednesday.

The game started with the Rawhide getting to Andrew Suarez in his first ever start with San Jose.  A leadoff single followed by an error put two runners on with nobody out, and then Jamie Westbrook homered off of him to put Visalia up 3-0 before an out was even recorded.  From there, however, Suarez calmed down.  He got out of the inning without allowing another baserunner, and scattered five hits and a walk through the remaining four innings he stayed in.

Meanwhile, San Jose quickly took the lead themselves.  Brian Ragira walked with one out, and Aramis Garcia hit a home run to put San jose on the board, 3-2.  It was Garcia's second home run of the playoffs, his first coming in the deciding Game 3 against Stockton.  In the third, Seth Harrison led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch.  After Chuckie Jones singled, Christian Arroyo also singled to score Harrison and tie the game.  Angel Villalona would ground out later in the inning to score Jones and put San Jose on top, 4-3.

The bullpen did a good job holding onto that lead, at lest until the ninth inning.  Jake Smith came in to pitch, and Kevin Cron was the first batter he faced.  Cron homered to tie the game.  Smith would strike out four of the next six batters he would face, but the game was now tied and going to extra innings.  That, of course, would eventually lead to the 13th inning heroics by Villalona.

Game 5 will return to Visalia.  Making his first start at High-A will be Sam Coonrod in the series-deciding game.  Ryan Doran is expected to be the starter for Visalia.

More From McCovey Chronicles