San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Return Home for Three Games against Visalia
April 28, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
At Municipal Stadium (San Jose, CA)
* Tuesday, April 28, 6:30 PM
* Wednesday, April 29, 6:30 PM
* Thursday, April 30, 7:00 PM
Records
Visalia: 14-4
San Jose: 7-11
Probable Starting Pitchers
Tuesday
Visalia - John Omahen (2-0, 5.65)
San Jose - Tyler Beede (1-1, 2.93)
Wednesday
Visalia - Ryan Doran (2-0, 4.50)
San Jose - Chase Johnson (2-0, 1.93)
Thursday
Visalia - Anthony Banda (3-0, 1.93)
San Jose - Keury Mella (0-1, 3.60)
Broadcast Information
All three games will be televised live on Comcast Hometown Network, Channel 104. Joe Ritzo handles the play-by-play while color commentary duties will be provided by Scott Armstrong. The entire series can also be heard live on sjgiants.com and inside Municipal Stadium on 92.9 FM with Justin Allegri calling the action. Radio broadcasts begin 30 minutes prior to first pitch with The Giants Pregame Show. 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 Three-Game Series Against Visalia Tonight
The San Jose Giants return home this evening to begin a three-game series against the Visalia Rawhide at Municipal Stadium. Tyler Beede (1-1, 2.93) is slated to make the start on the mound for the Giants tonight. Starting this evening, San Jose will play 10 out of their next 13 games at home.
Sweep Avoided In Bakersfield
San Jose avoided getting swept by host Bakersfield with a 5-2 victory over the Blaze on Sunday afternoon at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Bakersfield won the first three games of the series by the scores of 3-2, 5-0 and 3-0. The Giants were held to a total of just two runs and eight hits in the three losses to the Blaze. The defeats last Friday and Saturday marked the second time in the last nine days that San Jose was shutout in back-to-back games (both times by Bakersfield). Coming into this season, the Giants hadn't been shutout in consecutive games since July of 2012.
Stellar Pitching
While the offense has struggled of late, San Jose's pitching has excelled. The Giants boasts a 2.09 team ERA (14 ER/60.1 IP) over the last seven games (4-3 record). San Jose has recorded two shutouts during the stretch and allowed three runs or fewer in six out of the seven games. The Giants' overall ERA of 3.41 ranks third in the California League.
Rodriguez Leads League In Hitting
Outfielder Rafael Rodriguez brings a league-best .379 batting average into tonight's contest. Rodriguez is 4-for-6 with a double and a pair of RBI's in his last two games. He's recorded multi-hits in seven out of his 16 games played this season. Rodriguez also leads the Giants in doubles (5) and is second in RBI's (8).
Home Run Drought Ends
Tyler Horan's eighth-inning home run on Sunday in Bakersfield was the first homer hit by a San Jose player since April 16 (home opener). The Giants had gone nine consecutive games without a home run until Horan's blast. San Jose's 10 home runs overall this season rank tied for seventh in the California League. Individually, Horan leads the club with three homers.
Versus The Rawhide
San Jose is 0-3 against Visalia this season having been swept by the Rawhide at Recreation Park from April 13-15. Visalia outscored the Giants 28-9 during the three-game set. In the series finale, San Jose committed seven errors and allowed a season-high 15 runs in a 15-5 loss. The Giants and Rawhide will play 19 games against each other this season. This series marks Visalia's only visit to Municipal Stadium during the first half.
Versus The North
The Giants are only 2-9 against North Division teams this season. All 11 games have come against first-place Visalia and second-place Bakersfield. San Jose has posted a 5-2 record against the South Division.
Defensive Improvement
The Giants have committed only two errors in their last seven games after a seven-game stretch (April 13-19) in which they committed 20 errors.
San Francisco Affiliation
This year marks San Jose's 28th season as an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants - the longest partnership of any team in the California League. Since their inception in 1988, the San Jose Giants have won six league championships (1998, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010) and qualified for the playoffs 20 times (in 27 seasons). The Giants enter this year having posted 11 consecutive winning seasons (2004-2014) - the longest streak in league history.
Opponent Notes: Visalia Rawhide
The Visalia Rawhide, an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, possess the best record in the California League at 14-4. Visalia has won seven out of their last eight games. The Rawhide currently rank third in the league in batting average (.284), first in home runs (20) and first in ERA (2.32). Right-hander John Omahen (2-0, 5.65) is expected to get the ball in tonight's series opener. It will be Omahen's first appearance against San Jose this year.
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California League Stories from April 28, 2015
- Ports Pound out 21 Hits in 9-4 Win - Stockton Ports
- San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Return Home for Three Games against Visalia - San Jose Giants
- Ports Out-Slug Blaze, 9-4 - Bakersfield Blaze
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