SF Giants Minor Lines, 6/19

SENSATIONAL!

Phil Bickford came to San Jose yesterday and delivered up what I would say, i hope without hyperbole, was the most exciting Cal League debut the Giants had seen since Tim Lincecum a decade ago.

Featuring his characteristic late life fastball and mixing in breaking balls and, as you heard there even a change, Bickford made an electric first impression for the second time this year! (remember him striking out 10 of his first 14 batters in Augusta?)

HIGHLIGHTS: Phil Bickford struck out 13 in 6 innings of work. Chris Shaw has reached base in 8 straight PA.

Sacramento lost to El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), 7-1

	Name	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
CF	Ryan Lollis	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	2	.259	.319	.371
RF	Austin Slater	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.219	.286	.313

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	HB	WP	ERA
Joan Gregorio L 1-4	1.2	4	6	6	2	4	3	0	0	6.54
Jean machi	2.0	2	1	1	1	2	0	0	0	3.73

One third of all Sacramento's hits in this game came from reliever Jake Dunning, who went 1 for 1. That's not good! Joan Gregorio continued his rough PCL campaign, getting chased from this start in a six-run 2nd inning during which he served up three HRs. Also not good!

Hey, so how's about we talk about Saturday's game instead? Excellent idea!

Sacramento beat El Paso Chihuahuas, 6-1 Saturday night:

	Name	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
RF	Austin Slater	3	1	2	0	1	0	0	1	1	.217	.288	.317
LF	Mac Williamson	4	1	1	3	0	0	1	0	1	.278	.304	.513

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	HB	WP	ERA
Adalberto Mejia W 1-0	7.0	4	0	0	0	8	0	0	0	0.00

Adalberto Mejia's AAA debut looked an awful lot like most of his AA starts this year: a lot of 0s on the board. He had the second best ERA in the EL at 1.94, and kept that rolling into the PCL. Since a May 11 start against Hartford, Mejia has allowed a total of 5 runs over 49.2 IP in 7 starts. He's gone 7 innings or more in all but one of those starts and his K:BB in that stretch has been 43 to 7. In his PCL debut, he used the slider to great effect, particularly against LHH, who accounted for 6 of his 8 Ks.

Mejia's always been a guy whose stats and scouting reports didn't always match up, but the scouting reports definitely look like they're starting to show up in 2016. He looks a lot like a guy who could be a contributor before the year is out. Hopefully the PCL won't swallow him up over the next month the way it seems to have done with Gregorio.

Mejia got all the support he needed in the bottom of the first, as Mac Williamson homered for the second consecutive game, and in fact, the second consecutive at bat. This one was a liner to the opposite field, a 3-run homer that gave Sacramento a lead it would never relinquish.

But hey! just because he didn't need any more support, it doesn't mean I'm going to pass up the opportunity to show a Pitcher RBI! Do it all, big man!

* * *

Richmond lost to the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox), 9-5
getting swept in their three game series, 0-3

	Name	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
3b	Ryder Jones	3	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	.252	.279	.415
RF	Hunter Cole	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	.250	.316	.377
DH	Carlos Moncrief	4	1	2	1	2	0	0	0	1	.244	.350	.395

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	HB	WP	ERA
Andrew Suarez L 2-4	4.2	8	5	5	2	3	0	0	0	5.95
Tyler Mizenko	0.2	4	3	3	2	1	0	0	0	2.81
Ray Black	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	6.35
Tyler Rogers	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0.00

Over the last two weekends, Richmond has lost 5 of 6 games to the 25-43 Sea Dogs which has put the Squirrels within half a game of having the Eastern League's worst record.  Taking a 3-1 lead into the 5th inning, Andrew Suarez fell apart, surrendering four hits and a walk. Most of the damage came after two were out (and no runs scored), when Suarez allowed three consecutive hits including his second double of the inning which chased him from the game. Mizenko allowed one of his inherited runners to score before finally ending the inning, but he immediately allowed another 3-run rally in the 6th.

The best pitching lines of the game came at the end. Tyler Rogers extended his scoreless streak to 32 IP on the year with a pristine 0.00 ERA. And Ray Black had his second consecutive perfect contact-free inning. Since returning from the DL for back spasms Black has struck out all six batters he's faced.

The pitching melt down obscured a decent offensive effort from the Squirrels, who played without Christian Arroyo who was getting a day of rest. Richmond had just eight hits, but supplemented with four walks, and half of their hits went for XB, including Ryder Jones'  8 HR of the year, which came at the end of a tremendous at bat:

In Saturday night's game, Sam Coonrod made his AA debut and it wasn't quite the sparkling success that Mejia's was. His final line:

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	HB	WP	ERA
Sam Coonrod L 0-1	6.2	7	5	5	3	3	0	1	0	6.75

Had he ended his night after the 6th it would have looked better. In the 7th he allowed a leadoff double that turned into an out when the batter tried to stretch it to a triple. Then he K'd his 3rd and final batter. But another double and a walk ended his night, and Christian Jones allowed both to score in relief. So, three hits, a walk and two runs to his record in that final inning. Like some of his teammates, Coonrod found the entry to AA a little bumpy and a time of adjustments to come.

* * *

San Jose beat Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers), 5-3
splitting their four game series, 2-2

	Name	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
3b	Jonah Areando	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	.263	.291	.407
1b	Chris Shaw	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	.284	.358	.539
C	Ty Ross	3	0	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	.236	.301	.325

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	HB	WP	ERA
Phil Bickford W 1-0	6.0	2	2	2	0	13	0	1	0	3.00
Sergio Romo	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0.00
Reyes Moronta	1.0	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	2.40
Rodolfo Martinez S 20	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0.91

Phil Bickford's day is done: 13 strikeouts in 6 innings. 2 runs, 2 hits, no walks. Retired 18 of 21 hitters. Remarkable Cal League debut.

— Joe Ritzo (@JoeRitzo) June 19, 2016

If Mejia's level debut was a triumph, Bickford's was a sensation. In a performance that bore echoes of his season debut in Augusta, Bickford came out the gates smoking, striking out 9 of the first 10 batters he faced on his way to a 13 K performance. All but one of his strikeouts in the game were swinging and he mixed in a very effective slider quite a bit along with his fastball. The combination was electric.

His one bobble came in the 4th inning, and as with his Augusta debut it began with a HB. After retiring the first 10 batters of the game, a HB put him in a stretch for the first time and he immediately allowed back to back singles. But though he allowed a second run on a Sac Fly, Bickford retired the next 8 batters in order, half of them via the strikeout, before ending his night.

The 13 Ks were a career high, as you might have guessed, and made for an electric debut. Let's watch him K his 5th, 6th, and 7th consecutive batters in the 3rd inning.

Also worth noting, Chris Shaw has now reached based in 8 consecutive plate appearances as of the end of yesterday's game. In each of the last two games he went 2 for 2 with 2 walks, a stretch that included his 14th HR of the season. He'll carry that streak until next Thursday, as San Jose has hit the All Star break.  In the interim, he'll be trying to hit balls off a Aircraft Carrier into the Pacific Ocean.

Not a bad way to hit the break.

Oh, and final note: Sergio Romo had a few A ball kids really shaking their heads. "Toto, I don't think we're in the Cal Leauge anymore." That slider was really moving.

* * *

Augusta lost to Lexington Legends (Royals), 2-1 in 10 inn.
splitting their four game series 2-2

	Name	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
SS	Lucius Fox	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	.210	.303	.301
RF	Dylan Davis	4	0	2	1	1	0	0	0	1	.285	.371	.491

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	HB	WP	ERA
Jake McCasland	6.0	5	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	1.31
Heath Slatton BS 2 L 1-2	1.1	4	2	2	1	3	0	0	0	3.60

Augusta had just five hits in this game, but two of them were doubles from Lucius Fox and Dylan Davis in the bottom of the 1st that gave them a 1-0 lead they clung to for 8 innings. And then, they ended their first half with a familiar site: a blown save.  Heath Slatton was given the task of preserving the 1-0 win and immediately gave up a walk, a single and a double. It was frankly a miracle that the game made it to the 10th, but when it did Slatton allowed two more singles and Connor Kaden, in relief, surrendered a third consecutive single that brought in the game winner. The bullpen woes that have plagued the Greenjackets for much of this year aren't likely to get better with Jake McCasland moving into the rotation, as he and Tyler Cyr had been the two most reliable arms in the pen in the first half. But as we've discussed much the last couple of weeks, the Augusta staff is struggling to make up for all the arms it's lost lately. I'm not sure how they're going to hold up until Santos and Webb can return to the field.

Lucius Fox had a nice little weekend to end his first half, reaching base 7 times in 18 PA over his last four games. That stretch includes two of his three doubles on the year, and four walks against just two Ks. Baby steps, Lucius!

Augusta will take the next three days off for the Sally league All Star Game.

Beautiful evening for minor league baseball here in #Augusta! @GreenJackets #FathersDay pic.twitter.com/1lc2TRbo2p

— tom patterson (@tomtalks) June 19, 2016

* * *

Salem-Keizer beat the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks), 11-2
winning their three game series, 2-1

	Name	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
C	Zack Bowers	3	2	1	0	1	0	0	1	2	.364	.500	.636
LF	Jean Angomas	4	2	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	.444	.444	.667
RF	Ashford Fulmer	3	1	2	2	0	0	0	1	1	.500	.667	.667
2b	Kevin Rivera	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500	.538	.583
3b	Chase Compton	4	2	1	3	1	0	0	0	2	.167	.214	.333

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	HB	WP	ERA
Raffi Vizcaino	3.0	4	1	1	2	4	0	0	1	3.00
Cesar Yaznez W 1-0	2.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0.00

Last two games combined: Volcanoes 25, Hops 5 #GoSKV

A photo posted by Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (@skvolcanoes) on Jun 19, 2016 at 9:48pm PDT

Salem-Keizer's pitching staff has the early season buzz, but it's their bats that have gotten the team off to a hot start. The Volcanoes outscored the Hops 25-5 over the last two games of this series and at the end of the opening weekend, they had a lineup full of .400 and .500 batting averages. Kevin Riveria, the young 2b drafted out of Puerto Rico in 2014, had two hits in each of the first three games.  Augusta refugees Manuel Geraldo and Jean Angomas collected ten hits between them in 25 ABs with four doubles, while Gustavo Cabrera ended the series 4 for 12 with a HR.

Meanwhile Raffi Vizcaino, one of the mainstays of last year's DSL Giants rotation, made his stateside debut and was highly effective in  a short, three inning starting stint. Vizcaino, who was signed for $200,000 back in the 2013 July 2nd class (the same class that produced Kelvin Beltre, Manuel Geraldo, and Rodolfo Martinez) struck out 4 and allowed 1 run in his start.

* * *

DSL Giants had their weekly Sunday day of rest

In Saturday's game, the DSL team lost 10-6 as young Jorge Labradour had yet another difficult outing in which he failed to make it past the first inning. On the positive side, Ricardo Genoves continued his hot start with another double. The 17 year old Catcher is slashing better than a .950 OPS early on, and five of his 13 hits have gone for XB.

* * *

We'll be focused on short season teams for the next few days as both San Jose and Augusta have hit the break and Richmond has an off day today.  Clayton Blackburn takes the hill for Sacramento and up in Salem Keizer we'll see the somewhat anticipated 2016 debut of Melvin Adon, who has been touching 100 MPH in XST, according to the buzz. And the final short season club gets going as the AZL Giants began their season today, so we should get a final roster up today and see who's missing. I'm very curious about Mikey Edie not showing up in SK.