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CalL1 San Jose Giants

Giants clinch top overall record in North Division

September 1, 2005 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


The San Jose Giants clinched the top overall record in the North Division with a 5-4 victory over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Thursday evening. In front of a large crowd of 5,069 fans at The Epicenter, Jesse Floyd recorded the win on the mound with six quality innings of work before Jon Coutlangus slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth for the save. Offensively, John Bowker blasted his 11th home run of the season while Brian Buscher contributed three hits. With the victory, the Giants won the series from Rancho Cucamonga and improved to 5-2 on their current ten-game road trip.

San Jose's record on the year now stands at 82-54 as the Giants moved to a season-high 28 games over .500. The Giants will finish the regular season with the top overall record in the North Division (and the entire California League). San Jose earns homefield advantage - the right to host Game Five of the best-of-five North Division series, if needed - by virtue of ending the year with the top overall mark. San Jose (38-28) though remains three games behind the Stockton Ports (41-25) for first place in the Second Half North Division race. Stockton crushed Modesto 10-0 on Thursday to complete a four-game sweep. The Giants and Ports will open a four-game series tomorrow in Stockton to conclude the 2005 regular season with San Jose needing a sweep to win the division title.

In Thursday's action, Floyd had a strong outing allowing just one run on five hits over six innings. The right-hander, who suffered through a month of August in which his ERA sat at 11.05 (five starts), walked just two batters and struck out four. The victory for Floyd was his 12th of the season tying him for third in the California League (two-way tie at 13 wins).

The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning as Clay Timpner singled with two outs. Bowker was up next and the San Jose DH stepped to the plate and crushed a home run over the wall in right field for the two-run lead. For Bowker, it was his second home run of the series.

Then in the fourth, the Giants added two more runs to move in front by a 4-0 score. With two outs, Todd Jennings started the rally with a double to deep left field. Travis Ishikawa followed with a single to score Jennings as Ishikawa took second base when the throw came all the way to home plate. The Giants first baseman immediately scored as Guillermo Rodriguez followed with an RBI single of his own.

Rancho Cucamonga's lone tally against Floyd came in the bottom of the sixth inning. San Jose moved back in front by four runs in the eighth when Eddy Martinez-Esteve led off with a single and scored three batters later on a Jennings fielder's choice ground out.

Ben Cox made his San Jose debut to begin the seventh and worked a total of two innings out of the bullpen with one run and one hit allowed. Cox, who was acquired via trade from the Washington Nationals two days ago, allowed a solo home run to California League MVP Brandon Wood with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was Wood's minor league leading 43rd round-tripper of the season. Cox finished his outing with three strike outs and no walks. Cox had been pitching for the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Low-A South Atlantic League compiling a 3.00 ERA with six saves in 42 games out of the bullpen.

Coutlangus worked the ninth inning for the Giants and allowed a leadoff double to Matt Brown. Then with one out, Ben Johnson homered down the right field line to cut the San Jose lead down to 5-4. But Coutlangus recovered as he struck out Cody Fuller and retired Jason Sugden on a fly out to the warning track in center field to preserve the Giants victory. It was Coutlangus' second save of the season.

Multi-hit games for the Giants came from Buscher (3-for-4) and Jennings (2-for-3, 2B, RBI). San Jose out-hit Rancho Cucamonga by a 10-8 margin.

The Giants have now won five consecutive series' away from home and are a sparkling 12-4 (.750) in their last 16 road games.

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