San Jose Giants on Deck: Six-Game Road Trip Begins Tonight in Bakersfield
Published on July 24, 2012 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
San Jose Giants (51-50) at Bakersfield Blaze (55-46)
At Sam Lynn Ballpark Tuesday, July 24, 7:30 PM Wednesday, July 25, 7:30 PM Thursday, July 26, 7:30 PM
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups Tuesday - Jack Snodgrass (7-4, 4.68) vs. Chad Rogers (5-3, 2.96) Wednesday - Seth Rosin (2-1, 4.56) vs. Josh Smith (7-6, 3.91) Thursday - Ryan Bradley (5-6, 4.86) vs. Daniel Renken (4-6, 5.06)
Giants Begin Three-Game Series At Bakersfield Tonight... The San Jose Giants begin a six-game road trip this evening with the first of three straight contests against the Bakersfield Blaze at Sam Lynn Ballpark. San Jose dropped two out of three games to the visiting Inland Empire 66ers in their most recent series. Inland Empire won the series opener on Friday by a 9-5 score before the Giants bounced back with an 11-2 blowout victory on Saturday. In Sunday's rubber game, the 66ers scored eight runs over the first two innings and then cruised to a 12-0 shutout win. San Jose starter Taylor Rogers was roughed for a career-high eight runs (seven earned) on six hits over just 1 1/3 innings to take the loss. Carter Jurica and Bobby Haney has two hits apiece to lead the Giants offensively. Inland Empire's Nick Maronde fired six scoreless innings with three hits allowed, two walks and six strikeouts to pick-up the win.
Media Coverage... The entire series can be heard live on sjgiants.com with Joe Ritzo calling all of the action. All 140 games this season will be aired on the club's official website.
Road Warriors... Tonight begins a stretch for the Giants where they'll play 12 out of their next 15 games away from Municipal Stadium. San Jose is 9-6 in their last 15 road games dating back to June 12. The Giants have hit considerably better on the road this season (.274 AVG, 6.2 runs per game) compared to at home (.246 AVG, 3.9 runs per game).
Offense Shutout Again... Sunday's 12-0 loss to Inland Empire marked the fourth time in the last 13 games that San Jose has been shutout. The Giants have now have been shutout seven times this season - second- most in the California League (Rancho Cucamonga - 8). However, San Jose has also scored in double figures twice in their last four games (15-8 at Lancaster last Thursday; 11-2 victory versus Inland Empire on Saturday).
Jurica Excels In Leadoff Spot... Over the last 11 games since moving into the leadoff spot in the batting order, second baseman Carter Jurica is 18-for-50 (.360) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and five RBI's. Prior to this stretch, Jurica had hit leadoff in just one game this season. He's batting .287 overall with three homers and 35 RBI's in 71 games. Jurica, who has hit safely in seven straight games, owns a .354 batting average in July (19 games).
Wild Card Update... The Giants (51-50) enter tonight's action with a 3 1/2 game lead over the Visalia Rawhide (47-53) for the wild card playoff spot in the North Division. San Jose's 13-18 second half record is six games behind the first-place Modesto Nuts (19-12) in the North Division.
First Nine-Inning Complete Game... Last Saturday's stellar starting pitching performance from Justin Schumer (9 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO) was San Jose's first nine-inning complete-game of the season. The Giants' only other complete-game this year was on April 12 (home opener) when Ryan Bradley tossed six shutout innings in a rain- shortened 1-0 victory over the Bakersfield Blaze. Schumer's effort was San Jose's first nine-inning complete-game since May 16, 2010 when Eric Surkamp shutout Bakersfield at Municipal Stadium.
Burg's Second Half Surge... After hitting just .212 during the first half (35 games), outfielder Alex Burg possesses a .333 batting average in the second half (29 games). Burg has also hit four out of his eight home runs since the All-Star break. He enters tonight's contest riding a seven-game hit streak (.346, 9-for-26).
Odds And Ends... The Giants are a league-best 18-11 (.621) in one-run games this season ... San Jose has lost only one game this year when holding a lead after the seventh inning (42-1) ... The Giants are 34-12 (.739) when scoring first in a game, but just 17-38 (.309) when their opponent scores first.
Record-Setting First Half Championship Streak Ends... San Jose concluded the first half with a 38-32 record and in second place in the North Division. It marked the first time since 2004 that the Giants didn't win the first half North Division crown. San Jose finished three games behind the Bakersfield Blaze (41-29) for the top spot. The Giants had won a California League record seven straight first half North Division titles (2005-2011). The previous league record for consecutive first half championships was three (Visalia Oaks, 1981-83). After sweeping Bakersfield in a series that ended on May 26, San Jose owned a 5 1/2 game lead in the standings over the Blaze with 21 games remaining. However, the Giants went just 6-15 to finish the half, including a 10-game losing streak from May 27-June 5. San Jose now needs to win either the second half North Division title or secure the wild card to extend their streak of consecutive playoff appearances to nine seasons (2004-2011).
Opponent Notes: Bakersfield Blaze... The Bakersfield Blaze, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, own the top overall record in the North Division at 55-46. Bakersfield has already clinched a playoff berth after winning the first half North Division title. The Blaze are 7-7 against the Giants this season, including an even 4-4 mark at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Bakersfield is eighth in the California League in batting average (.264) and second in ERA (4.09).
California League Stories from July 24, 2012
- Errors Prove Costly in Lake Elsinore - Lancaster JetHawks
- 66ers Crush Quakes 10-3 - Inland Empire 66ers
- Rancho Opens Road Trip with Loss to 66ers - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- 66ers Retool Roster for Rivalry Series - Inland Empire 66ers
- San Jose Giants on Deck: Six-Game Road Trip Begins Tonight in Bakersfield - San Jose Giants
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