San Jose Giants on Deck: Surging Giants Begin Road Trip in Bakersfield
July 23, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
At Sam Lynn Ballpark (Bakersfield, CA) * Thursday, July 23, 7:45 PM * Friday, July 24, 7:45 PM * Saturday, July 25, 7:45 PM * Sunday, July 26, 7:45 PM
Records San Jose: 47-48 (17-8 Second Half) Bakersfield: 34-61 (8-17 Second Half)
Probable Starting Pitchers Thursday San Jose - Keury Mella (5-2, 3.09) Bakersfield - Scott DeCecco (0-0, 1.80)
Friday San Jose - Martin Agosta (4-6, 4.52) Bakersfield - Dan Altavilla (4-7, 3.30)
Saturday San Jose - Jason Forjet (3-2, 2.73) Bakersfield - Tyler Pike (2-4, 3.77)
Sunday San Jose - Chase Johnson (6-3, 2.87) Bakersfield - Brett Ash (4-6, 3.15)
Broadcast Information The entire series can be heard live on sjgiants.com with Joe Ritzo calling all of 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.
Giants Begin Four-Game Series At Bakersfield Tonight The San Jose Giants began a seven-game road trip this evening with first of four straight contests against the Bakersfield Blaze at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Keury Mella is slated to make the start on the mound for San Jose tonight. Mella took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning in his most recent start (July 16 vs. Stockton). He picked-up the win against the Ports after tossing a career-high tying seven innings with one run and one hit allowed. Mella has surrendered one or no earned runs in seven out of his 14 starts this season. After the current series versus Bakersfield, the Giants continue their road trip with a three-game set at Visalia.
Won Six In A Row, 13 Of 14 The Giants enter tonight's contest having won six straight games and 13 out of their last 14. Beginning on July 7, San Jose won seven in a row earning back-to-back series sweeps of Bakersfield (four games) and Modesto (three games). Stockton then snapped the Giants' seven-game winning streak on July 15 to open San Jose's last homestand. The Giants though recovered to take the next two from the Ports before sweeping a four-game series against Lancaster to complete a 6-1 homestand. San Jose's longest win streak of the season is eight games (May 19-27).
Stellar Pitching The Giants pitching staff has enjoyed tremendous success during the club's recent surge. Over the last 14 games (13-1 record), San Jose owns a team ERA of 1.65 (25 ER/136.0 IP). The Giants have allowed a total of just 11 runs over the course of their current six-game winning streak. San Jose has also surrendered two runs or fewer in 11 out of their last 13 games. The Giants now rank second in the league in ERA (3.66).
Tough Road Ahead Tonight begins a stretch for the Giants playing 14 out of their next 18 games on the road. San Jose is just 17-25 away from Municipal Stadium this season - the second-worst road record in the league (Bakersfield 17-33). In their most recent road series, the Giants swept three games at Modesto (July 11-13) for their first road series win of the season. San Jose is 10-7 in their last 17 road games dating back to May 31 (after starting the year 7-18).
Arroyo's Hitting Streak At Eight Games Shortstop Christian Arroyo brings a season-high eight-game hitting streak into tonight's action. Arroyo is batting at a .375 clip (12-for-32) during the streak. He's batting .375 in the second half with 11 multi-hit contests in 24 games since the All-Star break. Arroyo's overall batting average of .333 leads the team.
In July The Giants are 15-5 in July to clinch their first winning month of the season (April 7-14, May 14-15, June 11-14). San Jose boasts the best record in the league this month. The Giants' 2.59 team ERA in July also leads the league while their 20 home runs this month are tied for third (Lake Elsinore tops with 23).
Horan Wins Weekly Award Outfielder Tyler Horan was named California League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. In six games last week, Horan went 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles, three home runs and six RBI's. He homered in three straight games last Thursday-Saturday. Horan homered again in San Jose's most recent game on Tuesday versus Lancaster. He has four homers in his last six games overall. Horan's 11 home runs this season lead the Giants. He's batting .316 in the second half (5 HR) after hitting at just a .214 clip (6 HR) before the All-Star break.
Extra, Extra San Jose's 11-inning victory on Monday marked the club's eighth extra-inning win of the season - tops in the California League. The Giants are 8-6 overall in extra-inning games this year. Their 14 extra-inning contests are second-most in the league (Bakersfield leads with 17).
Quest For .500 A victory tonight would get the Giants (47-48) back to .500 overall for the first time since the opening week of the season (2-2 record on April 12).
Opponent Notes: Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, are in last place in the second half North Division standings with an 8-17 record. Their overall mark of 34-61 is the worst record in the league. Since May 7, Bakersfield is 20-48. The Blaze are third in the league in ERA (3.72), but last in batting average (.224) and runs scored (3.6 per game). Bakersfield owns a slight edge over the Giants in the season series (8-7), but San Jose has won the last five meetings.
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California League Stories from July 23, 2015
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- Homestand Preview: July 23-29 - Bakersfield Blaze
- San Jose Giants on Deck: Surging Giants Begin Road Trip in Bakersfield - San Jose Giants
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