ORGANIZATIONAL REPORT Saturday, April 15, 2017 TEAM LEVEL RECORD LAST GAME STREAK/ LAST 10 Sacramento River Cats Triple-A 5-3; -- GB 1st Place W, 12-10 @ Salt Lake W1, 5-3 Richmond Flying Squirrels Double-A 4-5; 2.0 GB 5th Place W, 5-3 @ Reading W1, 4-5 San Jose Giants High-A 6-3; -- GB 1st Place W, 3-2 VS. Stockton W2, 6-3 Augusta Greenjackets Low-A 2-7; 5.0 GB 7th Place W, 7-0 VS. Columbia W1, 2-7
Tomlinson comes up clutch in a wild River Cats win Back and forth affair in Salt Lake highlighted by season-high 17 hits The Sacramento River Cats (5-3) won a wild one in Salt Lake, taking the series finale 12-10 on Friday to split the series with the Salt Lake Bees (3-6). Tyler Beede got the start for the River Cats, but struggled to get going on Friday. After a brilliant Triple-A debut in Sacramento on Sunday, Beede made it through just four innings before giving way to the bullpen. There was plenty of offense in the finale, as the River Cats and Bees combined for 22 runs on 28 hits. Multiple Sacramento hitters had notable performances, with Austin Slater hitting his first home run of the season and Jae-Gyun Hwang hitting a two-run double. Christian Arroyo came in as a substitute for injured Orlando Calixte, and got a hit in each of his three at bats. In a back and forth game, there were a number of lead changes that lead to the River Cats trailing 10-9 in the top of the 9th with one out and the bases loaded. With the game in the balance, second basemen Kelby Tomlinson stepped up and drilled a bases clearing double in the gap to bring home three runs and give the River Cats a 12-10 lead. Right-hander Kyle Crick would come in for the 9th to earn his first Triple-A save. The River Cats head to Sin City tomorrow to face the Las Vegas 51s for the first time this season. For Sacramento, it will be right-hander Joan Gregorio (0-0, 2.08) to face the 51s righty Wilfredo Boscan (0-0, 0.00). First pitch is set for 7:05 pm (PT) and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com. Postgame Notes See-saw game: The finale in Salt Lake saw a total of seven lead changes the Bees took the lead in first inning on a home run by Eric Young Jr., and the River Cats took the lead for good with the Tomlinson double in the 9th Beede struggles through four: Tyler Beede, the Giants number one ranked prospect, struggled with his command on Friday night, lasting just four innings while throwing 78 pitches (41 strikes) and walking four batters the right-hander finished the game with a no decision, allowing 6 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 3. Ruggiano Run: Justin Ruggiano was ejected in the middle of his first inning at-bat, for arguing a called strike call by home plate umpire John Libka this was the first River Cats ejection of the 2017 season.
Shaw Lifts Squirrels Over Reading; Drives In Four Runs Sam Coonrod Adds Nine Strikeouts To Even Series Reading, PA - Chris Shaw smacked a majestic two-run homer over the right field wall to snap a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning and lead Richmond (4-5) to a 5-3 win over Reading (3-5) on Friday night at FirstEnergy Stadium. Shaw collected four RBI's and had three hits to lead the charge and even the series. Squirrels starting pitcher Sam Coonrod received a no-decision despite nine strikeouts over six innings of work. Coonrod allowed just three runs (two earned) and walked one. First pitch for the final game of the three game set is Saturday at 2:05 p.m. Chris Shaw began his productive night by giving the Squirrels a 1-0 lead in the first inning. With two outs, Miguel Gomez drilled a double into right center field and Shaw followed with a line drive base hit to left. Coonrod countered by making quick work of the Fightin Phils in the first inning. The righty picked up a double play to face the minimum in the second, but ran into trouble in the third. Ryan Lollis dropped a fly ball to open the third and Angelo Mora lined a single to put runners on the corners. Second baseman Scott Kingery then blasted a three-run homer over the right center field wall for a 3-1 Reading advantage. Reading starting pitcher Drew Anderson picked up steam after the first inning snafu. The righty worked around a base hit in the second and punched out a pair of hitters to bookend the third inning. He evaded a walk to start the fourth and threw 67 pitches in the first four innings of work. Coonrod shook off the homer and came back with a vengeance, striking out the side in the fourth and two more in the fifth. The righty collected eight strikeouts on 70 pitches through the first five innings. Anderson returned to pitch the sixth but yielded a base hit to Brandon Bednar and an RBI double to Chris Shaw, ending his outing. Right-hander Yacksel Rios replaced Anderson and relinquished a gametying flare single off the bat of Ryan Lollis. Anderson finished with 5 1/3 innings worked and allowed three runs on five hits in a no-decision. He struck out three and walked one. Coonrod finished off the sixth inning and D.J. Snelton entered from the bullpen for a scoreless seventh and eighth. Snelten (2-0) picked up the win as Shaw provided the go-ahead runs with his second home run of the season in the top of the eighth inning. Reyes Moronta earned his second save of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. The Flying Squirrels continue their first road trip of the season on Saturday afternoon in Reading, PA. Right-hander Cory Taylor (0-1,9.64) is scheduled to throw against Reading RHP Shane Watson (1-0, 7.20) in the final game of the three game series. The flying Squirrels return to The Diamond on Friday, April 21st against Reading. Season tickets, mini plans and group outings are available by contacting the Flying Squirrels box office at 804-359-3866 or online at www.squirrelsbaseball.com
Giants Escape With 3-2 Victory Over Ports Menez delivers quality start, Garcia and Brusa homer in win SAN JOSE, CA - Conner Menez tossed six effective innings with just one run allowed and closer Dylan Rheault escaped a jam in the top of the ninth to lift the San Jose Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Stockton Ports on Friday evening at Municipal Stadium. Stockton had the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with none out in the ninth before Rheault retired three straight hitters to slam the door. The Giants (6-3) have now won the first two games of the series versus the Ports. Menez (1-0) became the first San Jose starting pitcher to complete the sixth inning this season. The lefthander scattered six hits, struck out six and did not issue a walk during his masterful performance. Rheault notched his first save of the year. Aramis Garcia (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Gio Brusa (1-for-3, HR, RBI) each homered for the Giants to lead the offensive attack. San Jose jumped out early against Stockton starting pitcher Dustin Hurlbutt scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Daniel Carbonell led off the frame by drawing a walk before Garcia stepped to the plate with one out and launched the first pitch of his at-bat over the fence in left for a two-run homer. The home run, Garcia's third of the season, gave the Giants a 2-0 lead. The Ports' only run against Menez came in the top of the third. Branden Cogswell led off with a single before Josh Vidales dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Eli White followed with an infield hit to put runners on the corners before Seth Brown's potential inning-ending double play grounder was mishandled by Dillon Dobson at second base. The error allowed Cogswell to score trimming the San Jose lead to 2-1. Menez though prevented further damage in the inning as he struck out Sean Murphy and retired Skye Bolt on a fly out to right. In the fourth, Menez pitched around a one-out double from Tyler Ramirez to preserve the one-run lead lead. An inning later, Eli White singled with one out, but Brown's deep fly ball to center was caught by a leaping Johneshwy Fargas in front of the warning track before Murphy struck out. Menez then breezed through a 1-2-3 top of the sixth - his only perfect inning of the night. With the score still 2-1, David Owen (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO) relieved Menez to begin the top of the seventh and needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in order. In the eighth, Eli White led off with a single, but Owen promptly set down the next three hitters to keep the Giants ahead. Meanwhile, Stockton reliever A.J. Puk dominated the San Jose lineup from the fifth through the seventh innings to keep the Ports within striking distance. The former first round pick stuck out two batters in a perfect bottom of the fifth before fanning four Giants in the sixth (Jalen Miller reached first safely on a wild pitch during the inning). Puk then struck out another San Jose batter - his seventh punchout - as part of a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.
Finally in the bottom of the eighth, the Giants broke through against Puk. With one out, Brusa belted a 1-2 offering over the wall in deep left for a solo home run. The round-tripper was Brusa's third of the year and it extended the San Jose lead to 3-1. Rheault (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO) was then summoned out of the Giants bullpen to begin the top of the ninth and immediately the right-hander ran into trouble. Chris Iriart led off with a single through the hole on the left side before Tyler Ramirez worked a full-count walk. Mikey White then lined an 0-2 pitch into right center for a single to load the bases with none out. Cogswell was up next and during his at-bat, Rheault uncorked a wild pitch allowing Iriart to score cutting the San Jose lead to 3-2. Ramirez, the potential tying run, also advanced to third while White, the go-ahead run, took second. Rheault though settled down as he eventually struck out Cogswell on a 3-2 pitch. Vidales was up next, but he struck out on three pitches for the second out of the inning. Eli White then grounded out weakly to second base ending the game and sending the Giants to the narrow win. Hurlbutt (1-1) was saddled with the loss after yielding two runs (both earned) on four hits over 3 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five. Notes * Garcia and Brusa are tied with Rancho Cucamonga's Ibandel Isabel for the league lead in home runs. Garcia extended his hitting streak to seven games. * Stockton out-hit San Jose 9-6 on Friday. * The Ports were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position (3-for-23 in the series). * Menez's six strikeouts were also the most by a Giants pitcher this season. * San Jose has started 2-0 at home for the first time since the 2012 season. * Puk (4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO) is rated the #2 overall prospect in the A's organization according to Baseball America. * Ryan Howard (0-for-4) saw his hitting streak snapped at seven games. * Fargas (2-for-3) was the only Giants player to finish with a multi-hit game. * Friday marked Rheault's first save opportunity of the season. On Deck The Giants will look for a three-game sweep of the Ports when the teams conclude their series on Saturday evening. First pitch at Municipal Stadium is scheduled for 5:00 PM. Mike Connolly (1-0, 1.69 ERA) is slated to start on the mound for San Jose while Stockton is expected to counter with Brett Graves (0-0, 1.23 ERA). Saturday is the 6th annual Salute to the Military Night presented by Operation: Care and Comfort. The Giants will wear special camouflage uniforms and the entire evening will be dedicated towards the military. Active military members and their family members will receive
complimentary general admission tickets for the evening. The first 1,000 fans will also receive the highly anticipated 2017 Military Trading Card Set, presented by Operation: Care and Comfort. The 40-card set is complete with incredibly heroic and decorated military personnel including Gus Bochy, the father of San Francisco Giants Manager, Bruce Bochy and several Purple Heart recipients. For tickets to the game, call (408) 297-1435 or visit sjgiants.com.
GreenJackets Put up a Pair of Tracers in Shutout Win Great Pitching, Defense, and Offense Lead to First Home Win of 2017 The Augusta GreenJackets scored three runs in the fourth, three more in the sixth, and one in the eighth on their way to a 7-0 victory over the Columbia Fireflies Friday night at Lake Olmstead Stadium. It was the first home win of the season for the GreenJackets and their second overall. "When you win it feels great," said Manager Carlos Valderrama. "It does not matter if it is at home or away. It always feels good." GreenJackets starter Matt Solter pitched five innings of shutout ball and struck out six. Jeff Burke came on in relief to begin the sixth and pitched two scoreless frames. Matt Pope came on and pitched a scoreless eighth and Patrick Ruotolo followed with a scoreless ninth to complete the shutout. "He did an amazing job," said Valderrama on Solter's performance. "And the relievers were able to follow him and do the same. It was a great performance by the pitching tonight." Skyler Ewing and Ryan Kirby hit back to back singles to start the bottom of the fourth. Shawon Dunston followed with a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Brandon Van Horn singled home Ewing to break the scoreless tie. Will Albertson then singled home Kirby to make it 2-0 GreenJackets. Dunston scored the third run of the inning on an RBI groundout by Anthony Marks. "Today, the team finally put things together," said Valderrama. "We were able to execute with runners in scoring position. Early in the game, we had an opportunity to score with a runner on third but we got kind of excited. Later on we made adjustments and had good situational hitting." The GreenJackets will be back in action Saturday night for game three of the four game series against the Fireflies at Lake Olmstead Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM with gates opening at 5:00. It is the second reading program night of the season. Kids 12 and under will be able to run the bases after the game. There will also be postgame fireworks. Melvin Adon (0-1, 16.20) will start on the mound for the GreenJackets and Merandy Gonzalez (1-0, 0.00) will start for the Fireflies. The 29th consecutive season of professional baseball in Augusta is underway.