San Jose Giants at Modesto Nuts, May 8-10
May 8, 2009 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
San Jose Giants (17-11) at Modesto Nuts (18-9)
At John Thurman Field
- Friday, May 8th at 7:05 PM
- Saturday, May 9th at 7:05 PM
- Sunday, May 10th at 1:05 PM
Pitching Match Ups
- Friday - Oliver Odle (1-2, 6.30) at Cory Riordan (0-3, 6.26)
- Saturday - Garrett Broshuis (1-0, 1.74) at Connor Graham (2-1, 3.24)
- Sunday - Scott Barnes (2-1, 4.84) at Brandon Durden (2-0, 2.15)
THE SAN JOSE GIANTS... open a three-game series with the host Modesto Nuts Friday evening at John Thurman Field. San Jose won two out of three games in their most recent series at Bakersfield earning 6-5 and 10-4 victories in the first two contests before suffering a 12-3 loss last night. The Giants pitching staff allowed a season-high in runs yesterday while San Jose also endured their largest margin of defeat this year. The Blaze connected for a three-run homer in the first inning and a grand slam in the third to take an early 7-0 lead before cruising to the win. San Jose enters tonight's game in third place in the North Division with a 17-11 record - four games behind the Visalia Rawhide (21-7) for the top spot.
Marathon Road Trip Continues... San Jose is currently in the midst of a season-long 13-game road trip over a 14-day period. The Giants began the trip last Tuesday in Bakersfield and managed two wins during the three-game set against the Blaze. After the current series versus Modesto, San Jose will enjoy an off day back in the Bay Area on Monday. The Giants then continue their road trip with a three-game series at first-place Visalia beginning on Tuesday before returning to Modesto to play four more games. San Jose's next home game is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19 against the Inland Empire 66ers.
Alderson, Bumgarner, Crawford Promoted... Pitchers Tim Alderson and Madison Bumgarner along with shortstop Brandon Crawford were promoted to Double-A Connecticut yesterday. Alderson, who led the California League in ERA last season (2.79), was 1-1 with a 4.15 earned run average through five starts this year. The 20-year old right-hander had struck out 20 and walked only three over 26 innings. Bumgarner, who like Alderson was drafted in the first round two years ago, was 3-1 with a 1.48 ERA in five starts. The 19-year old is second in the California League in ERA while he amassed 23 strikeouts compared to just four walks over 24 1/3 innings while holding the opposition to a .217 batting average. Crawford, who started 25 of San Jose's first 27 games at shortstop, possessed a .371 batting average, six home runs and 17 RBI this season. The Pleasanton native is fifth in the league in hitting, tied for sixth in hits and tied for seventh in home runs. Crawford hit safely in all but three games with the Giants.
San Jose Boasts Five .300 Hitters... Entering play Friday, there are five regulars in the San Jose lineup that possess batting averages of over .300. Left fielder Thomas Neal leads the way with a .352 average - eighth in the California League. First baseman Angel Villalona (.320), catcher Buster Posey (.314), right fielder Roger Kieschnick (.308) and DH Michael Ambort (.302) are also currently batting over the .300 mark. San Jose is second in the California League in batting average (.294) and third in runs scored (5.7 per game) and home runs (28).
Bocock, Edlefsen Return To The Cal League... The Giants added shortstop Brian Bocock and relief pitcher Steve Edlefsen to their roster yesterday and both players will join the team in Modesto tonight. Bocock played a key role on San Jose's 2007 championship squad when he hit .220 with four homers, 37 RBI's and 15 stolen bases in 87 games. The 24-year old was the opening day shortstop in San Francisco last season, but struggled with a .143 average in 32 games at the major league level. This season, Bocock was batting just .171 with one double, no home runs and three RBI's in 70 at-bats with Connecticut (AA). Edlefsen, 23, was 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA (4 ER/11.1 IP) in six relief appearances this season for the Defenders. Last year, Edlefsen pitched in 40 games out of the San Jose bullpen and possessed a 3.36 ERA and an 8-5 record.
Neal Continues Impressive Run... Left fielder Thomas Neal brings a nine-game hitting streak into tonight's action. Neal is batting .441 (15-for-34) during the streak while the 21-year old boasts a .443 average (27-for-61) over his last 17 games.
Prospect Bonanza... According to Baseball America, nine of the top 25 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization are on San Jose's roster. Catcher Buster Posey (#2), first baseman Angel Villalona (#3), second baseman Nick Noonan (#5), third baseman Conor Gillaspie (#7) and starting pitcher Scott Barnes (#9) all reside in the top 10 while right fielder Roger Kieschnick (#14), starting pitcher Clayton Tanner (#20), left fielder Thomas Neal (#23) and reliever Edwin Quirarte (#25) have also received recognition.
Odle Gets The Ball In The Series Opener... Right-hander Oliver Odle is slated to make the start on the mound for the Giants in the series opener on Friday. Odle will be looking to bounce back after one of the worst starts of his career in his last appearance (May 2 vs. Modesto) when he was tagged for six runs and three homers over 3 1/3 innings. The 23-year old earned his first victory of the season on April 25 at High Desert when he silenced the top rated Mavericks offense. In that start, Odle surrendered just one earned run over six innings and struck out eight batters - the most for any Giants pitcher in a game this year.
Media Coverage... The entire series from Modesto can be heard live on www.sjgiants.com with Joe Ritzo calling all of the action.
Modesto Nuts... The Nuts, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, enter Friday's game in second place in the North Division with an 18-9 record - 2 1/2 games behind Visalia. Modesto is second in the league in ERA (3.29), but is just ninth in batting average (.242) and runs scored (4.5) and last in home runs (9). The Nuts and Giants split a four-game series from May 1-4 at Municipal Stadium. The clubs are scheduled to play each other 15 times during May.
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