CalL1 San Jose Giants

Giants Drop Second Straight to Stockton, Wild Card Lead Shrinks

Published on September 1, 2019 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


The Giants suffered their second straight loss to Stockton with a 12-5 defeat on Saturday night at Excite Ballpark. The Ports pounded out 14 hits, drew eight walks and scored in six different innings en route to the convincing win. San Jose's loss combined with Modesto's win on Saturday reduced the Giants' wild card lead over the Nuts to a half-game with only two games remaining in the regular season.

San Jose jumped out early with a two-run bottom of the first as Manuel Geraldo came through with a two-out, two-RBI single for a 2-0 advantage. The lead though would be short-lived as a Geraldo error at shortstop the next half-inning allowed two Ports runs to come across. Stockton loaded the bases with none out in the top of the second against Giants starter Jose Marte on a Payton Squier single, a Nico Giarratano double and a walk to Rafael Rincones. Marte recovered to strikeout Yhoelnys Gonzalez, induced Ryan Gridley to pop out and looked as if he had gotten out of the inning when Austin Beck hit a grounder to shortstop. However on the play, Geraldo's flip to second in an effort to force out Rincones sailed wide of second baseman Kyle McPherson. As the ball rolled towards the right field line, both Squier and Giarratano came home to tie the game 2-2.

Stockton then went in front with a three-run top of the third. A single from Lazaro Armenteros started the inning before Robert Mullen worked a walk. Then with two outs, Giarratano stepped to the plate and blasted a double off the fence down the right field line plating both runners for a 4-2 Ports lead. The two-RBI hit knocked Marte out of the game, but Stockton would add another run in the frame as reliever Peter Lannoo walked Rincones before surrendering an RBI single to Gonzalez to make the score 5-2.

The Ports kept the pressure on with single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings against Lannoo. In the top of the fourth, Armenteros walked with one out and scored on a Jeremy Eierman two-out double to deep center. An inning later, Squier led off with a double, stole third and came home on a Rincones one-out single for a 7-2 cushion. Mullen then launched a two-run home run to deep left off of John Gavin in the top of the sixth to stretch the Stockton lead to 9-2.

The Giants attempted to get back into the game with a two-run bottom of the sixth before plating another run in the seventh, but would get no closer. In the sixth, Hamlet Marte drilled a two-out, two-run double off the center field wall bringing San Jose to within 9-4. Then in the seventh, Shane Matheny led off with a double and later scored on a David Villar sacrifice fly to trim the Ports lead to 9-5.

San Jose though was unable to add anything further in the seventh, were set down quietly in the eighth before Stockton pushed across three more runs in the top of the ninth. Two singles and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one down for the Ports in the ninth before Gridley produced a sacrifice fly, Austin Beck came through with an RBI single and Armenteros reached on an error to plate Stockton's 12th and final run of the game.

GIANTS NOTES

Playoff Race

Modesto posted a 3-2, 10-inning win over Visalia on Saturday night. The Giants (64-73) are now 1/2 game ahead of the Nuts (64-74) in the wild card race with two to play. San Jose's magic number (combination of Giants wins & Nuts losses) to clinch a playoff spot remains at two.

Hitting Leaders

Manuel Geraldo (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Diego Rincones (2-for-3) had multi-hit games for the Giants on Saturday while Hamlet Marte (1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) also drove in a pair of runs. Stockton out-hit San Jose 14-8.

Versus The Ports

The Giants fell to 3-9 against Stockton at Excite Ballpark this season.

On The Mound

Jose Marte (3-9) suffered the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) over 2 2/3 innings. Marte gave up four hits, walked four and struck out two.

On Deck

The Giants and Ports continue their series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch at Excite Ballpark slated for 1:00 PM. Casey Meisner is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher.

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California League Stories from September 1, 2019


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