San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Host Stockton in Pivotal Four-Game Series
July 31, 2014 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
Stockton Ports (62-47) at San Jose Giants (57-52)
At Municipal Stadium
- Thursday, July 31, 7:00 PM
- Friday, August 1, 7:00 PM
- Saturday, August 2, 6:00 PM
- Sunday, August 3, 5:00 PM
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
Thursday
Stockton - Tim Alderson (1-0, 2.70)
San Jose - Kendry Flores (4-6, 4.19)
Friday
Stockton - Dylan Covey (0-1, 9.82)
San Jose - Nick Vander Tuig (0-0, ---)
Saturday
Stockton - Josh Bowman (3-7, 5.55)
San Jose - Matt Lujan (4-1, 3.55)
Sunday
Stockton - Chris Lamb (3-2, 3.41)
San Jose - Joe Biagini (7-7, 4.39)
Broadcast Information
The games on Friday and Saturday will be televised on Comcast Hometown Network, Channel 104 with Joe Ritzo handing the play-by-play and Joe Castellano providing color commentary. The entire series can also be heard live on sjgiants.com and inside Municipal Stadium on 92.9 FM. All 140 games this season will be aired on the club's official website and the San Jose Giants Mobile App. Additionally, every home game is streamed live and available on demand through MiLB.TV.
Giants Begin Four-Game Series Against Stockton Tonight
The San Jose Giants return home this evening to begin a four-game series against the Stockton Ports at Municipal Stadium. Kendry Flores (4-6, 4.19) is slated to make the start on the mound for San Jose tonight. The Giants are 8-13 against the Ports this season, including a 3-8 mark at Municipal Stadium. San Jose is 9-1 in their last 10 home games overall.
Road Trip Review
San Jose posted a 3-4 record during their seven-game road trip that concluded last night. The Giants were swept in a four-game series by the Visalia Rawhide (10-9, 4-2 in 12 innings, 13-5 and 6-4) to begin the trip. It marked the first time that San Jose had been swept in a series since the opening week of the season (April 7-9 at Lancaster). The Giants then bounced back with a three-game sweep of the host Modesto Nuts. San Jose earned victories over the Nuts of 2-1 on Monday, 3-2 on Tuesday and 8-4 last night. It was the Giants' second road series sweep of the year (July 1-3 at Modesto).
Strong Pitching
The Giants allowed a total of just seven runs during their three-game series in Modesto (all wins). By contrast, San Jose gave up 33 runs during their four-game set in Visalia (all Giants losses) to open the road trip.
Playoff Race
San Jose's 23-16 second half record is two games behind the Stockton Ports (25-14) for the top spot in the North Division standings. Including tonight, there are 31 games remaining in the regular season. The Giants have not held sole possession of first place in the North Division in either half this season. San Jose has reached the playoffs in a California League record 10 consecutive years (2004-2013). The Giants' 57-52 overall record is tied with Visalia (57-52) for the North Division wild card lead. San Jose has eight games remaining against Stockton this season and three games left versus the Rawhide.
In July
San Jose's 18-10 mark in July is the best record in the California League this month (Stockton next at 17-11). The Giants are batting .284 and averaging 5.1 runs per game in July - both team-high totals for a month this season. San Jose went 11-16 in April, 15-15 in May and then 13-11 during June.
Roster Moves
The Giants have made a flurry of roster moves this week. Starting pitcher Joe Kurrasch (7-4, 3.20 ERA) and reliever Tyler Mizenko (3-3, 3.68 ERA, 9 SV) were placed on the disabled list on Monday. The next day, starting pitcher Chris Stratton (7-8, 5.07 ERA) was transferred to Double-A Richmond while catcher Trevor Brown (.215, 2 HR, 22 RBI) was sent to Triple-A Fresno. Stratton, a 2012 first round draft pick, ranks tied for sixth in the California League with 102 strikeouts. In other moves on Tuesday, relief pitcher Jorge Bucardo rejoined the Giants from Fresno while catcher Jared Deacon was added to the San Jose roster from Salem-Keizer (Short-Season). Deacon, a 33rd round draft pick last month, was batting .219 with no home runs and five RBI's in 21 games for the Volcanoes this season. Finally, pitcher Martin Agosta was activated from the disabled list yesterday and started last night's game in Modesto. San Jose has 24 players currently on their active roster.
Blair's Offensive Surge
Over his last 26 games, outfielder Elliott Blair is batting .408 (40-for-98) with nine doubles, one home run and 14 RBI's. He's raised his season batting average from .272 to a team-high .311 during the stretch. Blair has had multi-hits in 11 out of his last 26 games.
Delfino Delivers
Third baseman Mitch Delfino has multi-hits in seven out of his last ten games. During the 10-game stretch, Delfino is batting at a .405 clip (17-for-42) with a home run and nine RBI's. Delfino's home run last Saturday in Visalia was his first since June 4 - snapping a string of 39 consecutive games without a homer. His 10 home runs overall this season rank tied for second on the team. Last season, Delfino led Augusta (A) with 13 home runs.
Bednar's Hitting Streak At Nine Games
Infielder Brandon Bednar brings a nine-game hitting streak into tonight's action. Bednar is batting .325 (13-for-40) with one double, one home run and five RBI's during the streak.
Opponent Notes: Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports, an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, enter this series with an overall record of 62-47. Stockton is fifth in the league in batting average (.271), tied for first in home runs (139) and second in ERA (4.22). Former San Jose Giant Tim Alderson is expected to get the ball for the Ports tonight. Alderson was a combined 14-5 with a 2.99 ERA in 31 starts for San Jose during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
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California League Stories from July 31, 2014
- Wicked Bounces Bounce Blaze, 3-1 - Bakersfield Blaze
- San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Host Stockton in Pivotal Four-Game Series - San Jose Giants
- Homestand Preview - Lancaster JetHawks
- Stockton Scores Second Straight 7-6 Win - Stockton Ports
- Healy's Slam Helps Ports to Series Sweep - Stockton Ports
- Giants Complete Sweep of Nuts with 8-4 Victory - San Jose Giants
- Rawhide Pick on Pen, Blaze - Bakersfield Blaze
- Quality Westwood Leads to Sweep of Mavs - Lancaster JetHawks
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