CalL San Jose Giants

Giants Cruise Past Inland Empire, 8-3

Published on July 31, 2021 under California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release


Carter Williams drove in four runs, Marco Luciano hit a two-RBI triple and Prelander Berroa struck out 10 in another dominant start to lead the Giants to an 8-3 victory over the Inland Empire 66ers on Friday night at Excite Ballpark. Berroa and relievers Juan Sanchez and Brooks Crawford combined to record 16 strikeouts without issuing a walk as San Jose (49-27) won for the fifth time in their last six games overall.

Berroa set the tone early with a sizzling start to his outing as the right-hander retired the first six batters he faced, including five via the strikeout. The Giants then received a clutch two-out hit from Williams in the bottom of the second to take the early lead. Jairo Pomares started the rally when he was hit by a pitch with one out before consecutive two-out walks to Jimmy Glowenke and Harrison Freed loaded the bases. Williams then hammered an 0-2 pitch from Sixers starter Jack Kochanowicz to deep right center for a double. The hit cleared the bases as Pomares, Glowenke and Freed all came home giving San Jose a 3-0 lead.

Pitching with the lead, Berroa continued his dominance as he fanned two more in the third while working around a leadoff infield single. He then struck out another - his eighth punchout of the game - in a scoreless fourth inning.

The Giants added to their lead with a single tally in the bottom of the fourth. Glowenke singled with one out and then stole second. After Freed's single to left put runners on the corners, Williams hit a sacrifice fly to center for his fourth RBI of the night and a 4-0 San Jose advantage.

Inland Empire's only run against Berroa came in the top of the fifth as Gabe Matthews was hit by a pitch with one out, took second on a wild pitch and scored when Elijah Greene grounded a two-out double down the left field line. Berroa though came back to strikeout Jeremy Arocho - his 10th and final strikeout of the night - to finish the inning.

The Giants then responded with a four-run bottom of the fifth to stretch their lead to 8-1. Casey Schmitt laced a double down the left field line to start the inning before Luis Matos singled. Luciano then stepped to the plate and drove a high fly ball that one-hopped the fence in deep left center for a two-run triple and a 6-1 cushion. Pomares followed with a sharp grounder to second that was mishandled by Arocho for an error. Pomares was credited with an RBI on the play as Luciano scored the third run of the inning. Two batters later, Glowenke blasted an RBI double off the left center field wall to make it 8-1.

Sanchez relieved Berroa to begin the top of the sixth and delivered an effective three-inning performance out of the bullpen. Sanchez, who retired the first seven batters he faced, struck out five and did not issue a walk during his outing. The only run he allowed came in the top of the eighth when Arocho hit an RBI double on a fly ball that was lost in the lights in left field.

Crawford pitched the top of the ninth and surrendered a leadoff home run to Cade Cabbiness to bring the margin to 8-3. Crawford though settled down after the long ball and retired the next three hitters to seal the victory.

GIANTS NOTES

Series Update

The Giants have now won three of the first four games in the series against Inland Empire. San Jose owns a 6-4 record on their homestand with two games remaining.

Berroa's Start

Prelander Berroa (4-3) earned the win after limiting the Sixers to a single run over his five innings. He gave up only three hits, did not issue a walk while his 10 strikeouts were a season-high. Berroa had a streak of 22 consecutive batters retired spanning his last start (July 24 vs. Stockton) and the beginning of Friday's outing. He struck out 12 of those 22 hitters. Berroa now leads Low-A West with a 2.42 ERA this season.

Inside The Box Score

The Giants out-hit the 66ers by a 10-6 margin. San Jose was 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position compared to only 1-for-3 for Inland Empire. 66ers starter Jack Kochanowicz, the #6 prospect in the Angels system according to MLB.com, surrendered eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Hitting Leaders

Casey Schmitt (3-for-5, 2B), Luis Matos (2-for-4, SB) and Jimmy Glowenke (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, SB) all had multi-hit games for the Giants. Carter Williams (1-for-3, 2B, 4 RBI, SB) and Marco Luciano (1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI) both drove in multiple runs.

Trade Deadline

Outfielder Alex Canario and relief pitcher Ivan Armstrong were both traded by the San Francisco Giants before the game on Friday. Canario was sent to the Chicago Cubs as part of the Kris Bryant deal while Armstrong was acquired by the Los Angeles Angels in a trade that brought Tony Watson back to San Francisco. Canario hit .235 with 14 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 29 RBI's and 15 stolen bases in 65 games for San Jose this season. Armstrong made 20 relief appearances for the Giants and fashioned a 1.88 ERA with two saves. He allowed only 24 hits in 38 1/3 innings while collecting 43 strikeouts.

On Deck

The Giants and 66ers continue their series on Saturday evening with first pitch at Excite Ballpark set for 6:00 PM. Carson Ragsdale is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher.

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