SF Giants Minor Lines 7/22/18: Ian Gardeck returns

Sunday’s level of play summed up in an image...

HIGHLIGHTS: Ryan Howard hit a Grand Slam among two hits; Gio Brusa doubled and homered twice; Jeffry Parra doubled and homered; Joey Bart doubled twice.

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Sacramento lost at El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), 10-3
losing their series 1-2

Jordan Johnson headed to the mound in the first with no feel for his pitches and things headed south very quickly (which I suppose starting from El Paso put them in Mexico). Johnson walked three of the first four batters he faced, and surrendered a double to the fourth. Myles Schroder contributed to the calamity with an error. When all was said and done the RiverCats were trailing 5-0 after a single inning of play and the competitive portion of the day was over.

Later in the game, Derek Law gave up his first earned runs since June 19, a stretch of 12.1 innings.

Like their parent club, Sacramento is struggling to produce much of anything against LHP. El Paso southpaw Jerry Keel kept the RiverCats quiet all day, allowing just four hits in seven innings. Myles Schroder’s 5th HR was the club’s only extra base hit. Amazingly, this was the team’s first game without a double since July 3rd and the five hits were their fewest since July 4th.

In other news,

Longoria likely will be back tomorrow.

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Richmond lost at Akron Rubber Ducks (Indians), 9-8 in 10 inn
losing their series, 0-4

Oh bullpens! We are in a Groundhog’s Day of blown saves that just won’t end! Sitting on an 8-3 lead following a big 5-run 6th inning, the Squirrels looked poised to avoid a four-game sweep. But it wasn’t to be.

Sam Wolff’s troubles continued as he threw just 4 of his 15 pitches for strikes and failed to retire any of the three batters he faced. Wolff has now allowed nine runs in his past three games (2 IP). In those three appearances 13 of the 19 batters he’s faced have reached base against him. The club still went to the bottom of the 9th holding a two run lead but Dan Slania coughed up the lead, allowing four hits and two, two-out walks in the 9th. Matt Lipka momentarily saved the game when he threw out the winning run at the plate to send things to the 10th.

Slania’s day got even worse in the 10th however, we he threw away a Sac Bunt attempt allowing the winning run to come home.

Prior to all that ugliness, the Squirrels middle infield tandem had themselves a fine day. CJ Hinojosa (playing SS) picked up three hits. His keystone partner, Ryan Howard, had two hits himself including his second HR of the series — a Grand Slam that gave Richmond a seemingly comfortable lead.

Howard, in addition to his other virtues, is showing a bit more pop this year. He has his Iso up to .118 now in the difficult hitting environment of the Eastern League (it was just .091 last year in the Cal). He’s also doubled his walk rate from last year from 4.1% to 8.5% and cut into his K rate which is down to 11.7%. Excellent year all in all for the former 5th rounder out of Missouri. One of the system’s unambiguous good years I’d say.

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San Jose lost at Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres), 8-5

Well, Gio Brusa had a good day!

Not much could be said for the rest of the Giants though. Brusa had half of the team’s hits, three of their four extra base hits, and either drove in or scored all but one of their runs.

Starter Carlos Sano ran out of steam in the 5th inning, and as seems to be happening with regularity for the system lately, when things went bad they went really bad. Sano allowed 5 runs in the 5th. And though Franklin Van Gurp was able to strand the two runners he inherited from Sano in the 5th, he then gave up three runs himself in the 6th.

Van Gurp, like several of his teammates up from Augusta, is finding the Cal League a much greater challenge than the Sally. After allowing just 8 earned runs in 40.2 IP in Augusta, he’s already surrendered 7 in 11 IP with San Jose. He’s given up 2 HRs with San Jose after just 1 in Augusta. And his K/BB ratio, which was a scintillating 48/16 in Augusta, is a tad less impressive in San Jose with 15 Ks and 10 BBs.

That’s now 5 losses in 6 games on this road trip for San Jose. System-wide you really have to ask whether anybody’s really competing at this point as the losing streaks pile up (I feel like I had to ask that question last year, too).

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Augusta lost at Columbia Fireflies (Mets), 2-1
splitting their series, 2-2

Getaway day didn’t produce a lot of offense, as the two teams combined for just 11 hits and 3 runs. The Greenjackets piled up 16 strikeouts in a pretty desultory affair — 14 of them to Columbia starter Luc Rennie, a 24 year old just signed out of Indy ball. The only Greenjacket really swinging the bat yesterday was Catcher Jeffry Parra, who had both of the team’s extra base hits, including his 6th HR of the season.

After Caleb Baragar allowed just one hit over the first six innings, relievers Doug Still and John Timmins surrendered solo runs in each of their two innings, which was good enough to send the team to defeat.

Ismael Munguia picked up two clean singles, giving him five hits over the last two days and eight in his first 22 PA with Augusta.

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Salem-Keizer beat Spokane Indians (Rangers), 6-4

Joey Bart keeps on bashing. He doubled in each of his first two at bats last night, giving him a robust .406 Iso! Fourteen of Bart’s 26 professional hits have gone for extra bases so far, as the plus power in his scouting reports have certainly come to play. Were he to qualify his .719 SLG would lead the NWL by over a 100 points. So far he’s not showing a lot of discrimination at the plate, with just 1 walk but let’s assume that will come and enjoy the power display!

Bart was part of a 10-hit effort by the Volcanoes, that included last year’s 35th rounder Dalton Combs 2nd HR of the season. That helped overcome a huge night from Spokane’s Curtis Terry who had 4 hits including his 10th HR. That was Terry’s second consecutive 4-hit night in this series! Terry leads the league in HRs and (since he does qualify), SLG.

Blake Rivera coughed up Terry’s HR — his first surrendered as a pro. In his third appearance, Rivera went 2 innings and allowed 2 hits and a run. Rivera’s command has been a little shaky so far this summer, as he has 5 BBs and 2 HB in his 5.1 innings of work (also 5 Ks).

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AZL Giants Orange beat AZL Giants Black, 3-2

Hot on the heels of Ray Black’s ascension to the majors we have, hopefully, the beginning of yet another comeback tale:

Ian Gardeck took the mound in a regulation game for the first time since he was placed on the Giants 40 man roster in November of 2015. The results weren’t pretty, but it had to feel pretty sweet regardless for Ian. CONGRATULATIONS, MAN! MANY MORE TO COME WE HOPE.

Gardeck wasn’t the only rehabber in the game. Roberto Gomez made his second appearance in the AZL and Victor Concepcion saw action for the third time. Which reminds me of this note:

The two Giants teams combined for just 11 hits in a decidedly low-scoring affair for the AZL. Speedy Anyesber Sivira collected two doubles, which was half of the extra base hits for the game.

Frankie Tostado picked up his 7th double of the year. His .511 SLG is 8th in the league. Among the players he’s trailing is Beicker Mendoza, who is second in the league with a .565 SLG. Mendoza drove in two runs yesterday with Sac Flies to help guide the Orange squad to the win.

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Today’s Scheduled Starters:
Sacramento: OFF DAY
Richmond: Jake McCasland vs. TBD
San Jose: Mac Marshall vs. TBD
Augusta: TBD vs. Reiver Sanmartin
Salem-Keizer: Sean Hjelle (?) vs. Jake Latz
AZL: Israel Cruz (Black), Jasier Herrera (Orange) vs. TBD
DSL: Juan Sanchez and Freddery Paulino vs. TBD, TBD

And one more time, let’s give a Minor Lines tip of the cap to Spokane’s Curtis Terry: