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Far be it from us to be provincial in our appreciation of baseball here at Minor Lines. When an opponent's play makes us stop and stare in wide wonder, we highlight it. We know how to "tip our cap" with the best of them! And so on this day, a Minor Lines salute to Greenville Drive SS Jeremy Rivera for this stunner.
To set the scene: top of the 8th. No outs. Matt Winn's homer has just brought Augusta back to within a run. A possible comeback rally is in the offing. Miguel Gomez comes to the plate with two hits on the day already. And then this:
HIGHLIGHTS: Grant Green had five hits including HR, double. Jarrett Parker tripled, HR. Chris Shaw hit his 6th HR.
Sacramento won at Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies), 12-6
splitting their four game series, 2-2
|
Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
BA |
CF |
Gorkys Hernandez |
5 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.267 |
2b |
Juan Ciriaco |
5 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.271 |
1b |
Grant Green |
5 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.300 |
RF |
Jarrett Parker |
5 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.222 |
3b |
Mitch Delfino |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.242 |
Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
Pitches |
Strikes |
Ty Blach W 4-2 |
5.0 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4.18 |
95 |
61 |
Alex Torres |
1.0 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4.50 |
21 |
16 |
Mike Broadway |
2.0 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
6.14 |
46 |
34 |
The RiverCats recorded their second 9-run inning of the week in this game. I would say that's somewhat astonishing, but PCL gonna PCL I guess, especially on road trips that don't stray much from the Rocky Mountain states. Jarrett Parker got the hard half of a cycle down early, with a HR in the first and a triple in the 3rd, but alas he could go no further. Still that would be 6 HRs over the five days of May and now four of his last five games he hasn't recorded a K.
Grant Green ended up making the best cycle assault of the game by going 5 for 5 with a double, a HR, and three singles. This came just five days after Green came just a single shy of a cycle in a game in Salt Lake in which three different members of the lineup were a hit short of a cycle. Yeah, PCL gonna PCL. Green's HR was his second hit of the epic 3rd inning, a massive blow up and over the Tal's Hill replica they have in Albuquerque beyond the 428 sign:
Once Sacramento got a 12-1 lead after the top of the 3rd, the offense decided to take most of the rest of the day off and see if the pitching staff could hold onto it. And they did! Ty Blach, though uncharacteristically wild, pitched like a self-enclosed humidor in surrendering just 4 hits and 2 runs in his 5 innings of work and that was enough to set the bullpen up decently well, though both Alex Torres and Mike Broadway had 2-run innings in the latter stages. Broadway has been having a rough go of it of late, having already surrendered as many runs in the PCL (5) as he did in all of 2015 over 49 IP. In this game alone he surrendered two more HRs than he did all of last year in AAA, and one more than he did all of last year including his time in the majors.
Sacramento now heads home for Mothers' Day weekend to begin a four-game set with Las Vegas.
* * *
Richmond's game with Bowie BaySox was rained out
Winning their three game series, 2-1
Today's game has been postponed to June 1st for a 5:05PM double header. We hope everyone enjoys their day! pic.twitter.com/sVdgJJwcgc
— Squirrels Baseball (@GoSquirrels) May 5, 2016
No doubt disappointing a whole lot of kids who got to miss school to see a ball game.
The rain delay didn't stop Jake Smith and Ray Black from interacting with the kids on Education Day. #GoSquirrels pic.twitter.com/AtGxFdLtoB
— Squirrels Baseball (@GoSquirrels) May 5, 2016
* * *
San Jose beat Stockton Ports (A's), 2-1
sweeping their four game series 4-0
|
Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
BA |
Other |
SS |
CJ Hinojosa |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.382 |
.481 OBP |
1b |
Chris Shaw |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.351 |
.649 SLG |
Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
Pitches |
Strikes |
Sam Coonrod W 1-1 |
6.0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.77 |
90 |
49 |
Dusten Knight |
1.0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7.36 |
24 |
15 |
Reyes Moronta |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4.50 |
40 |
21 |
Rodolfo Martinez S 8 |
1.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.73 |
16 |
8 |
#SJGiants finish the road trip with a sweep against the Ports! See you tomorrow at #Muni for ⚾️ & #Fireworks #BVPB!! pic.twitter.com/RE1nNa7UEz
— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) May 6, 2016
San Jose managed just 3 hits in this game, but two of them were a first-inning single from CJ Hinojosa and a two-run HR from Chris Shaw and those two runs held up for the win and the four-game sweep. Hinojosa, who also had one of SJ's two walks in the game, was the only Giants to reach base twice. Shaw ended the four-game set in Stockton with 3 HRs, a double, and 9 RBIs.
No video feed from Stockton, so this will have to be the best we can do. Just close your eyes and imagine this is a HR. I mean... don't literally close your eyes... you have to see the dang thing. Just kind of figuratively close your eyes when the OF is catching it:
@rog61 Here's the best Shaw swing I could get after missing his first inning hr. pic.twitter.com/bxIMS1ULCQ
— Julie (@phibear35) May 6, 2016
Sam Coonrod wasn't exactly filling up the zone with strikes but he effectively kept Stockton off the scoreboard and his relievers were on point. Julie put up footage of nearly all of them so let's let the video tell the sotry.
Sam Coonrod a fav of mine to watch, 6 scoreless innings, 3 hits, 3 BB, 3 K's to sweep the Ports! #sjgiants pic.twitter.com/enpVZNitcl
— Julie (@phibear35) May 6, 2016
Dusten Knight came in & although he gave up a run he got out of the inning with this. pic.twitter.com/ha0hgoECpz
— Julie (@phibear35) May 6, 2016
Also, Reyes Moronta came in throwing 94-96 and you could hear it! #sjgiants pic.twitter.com/uqjRrEbzRJ
— Julie (@phibear35) May 6, 2016
The win gave the Giants a winning road trip, having been swept in Visalia in three games and then sweeping Stockton in four. They come back home for a very brief three game set this weekend vs. Lake Elsinore and then hit the road again, pretty much for the rest of the month. Starting next Tuesday they play 17 of their next 19 games on the road. Good luck with that!
* * *
Augusta lost at Greenville Drive (Red Sox), 7-4
|
Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
BA |
Other |
SS |
Lucius Fox |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
.239 |
2 CS (4) |
2b |
Jalen Miller |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.233 |
|
C |
Matt Winn |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
.227 |
Pickoff |
DH |
Miguel Gomez |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.348 |
|
LF |
Jean Angomas |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.236 |
|
Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
Pitches |
Strikes |
Logan Webb L 1-1 |
2.1 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4.57 |
56 |
33 |
Connor Kaden |
3.2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.54 |
43 |
28 |
Tyler Cyr |
2.0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3.38 |
40 |
21 |
Anderson Espinoza (Greenville) |
5.0 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4.00 |
78 |
50 |
So I'm guessing Anderson Espinoza's effort here is going to be on a few of the prospect site's "star of the day" lists. And he certainly did have it going against an overmatched bunch of Greenjackets.
Anderson Espinoza struck out 11 of 20 batters faced tonight. Combo of stuff and feel is incredible for 18 years old. pic.twitter.com/anHANaHmpK
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) May 6, 2016
Yeah. I thought so. Well to be fair, he was pretty danged awesome. He faced 20 batters; struck out 11 of them. Here Lucius Fox putting up a battle before becoming the 11th victim.
Fox' two hits, by the by, were both of the infield variey, beating out a grounder up the middle and then laying down an excellent bunt. Unfortunately, following each of them he was caught stealing for his 3rd and 4th CS of the year.
Logan Webb had a tough time living up to his portion of the pitcher's duel as he just couldn't get out of a nightmare 3rd inning in which he allowed 7 straight base runners to reach base, including a barely fair opposite field HR that nearly clanged off the pole.
Still, there was drama down to the bitter end of this game as Augusta kept working to come back. Coming to bat as the tying run (and last hope) Dylan Davis had a heart-breaker of a final out.
What the! Why in the world is that 420' cut-out there? Rabble rabble. (Greenville, by the way, is constructed as a more or less exact replica of Fenway Park.)
* * *
Ok. Funtime Friday. Everybody wins on Friday. And then we shoot off fireworks. Let's do this!
Pitching Matchups:
Sacramento: Chris Stratton vs. Duane Below
Richmond: Chase Johnson vs. Tyler Eppler
San Jose: DJ Snelten vs. Chris Huffman
Augusta: Grant Watson vs. Roniel Raudes