Giants Earn Key Series Win over Stockton
May 20, 2018 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
STOCKTON, CA - The San Jose Giants scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning Sunday afternoon on their way to a 5-1 victory over the Stockton Ports at Banner Island Ballpark. Frandy De La Rosa drew a bases loaded walk in the ninth to give the Giants the lead before Gio Brusa's three-run triple broke the game open. With the win, San Jose (25-19) takes two out of three in the series and moves to within one game of Stockton (26-18) for first place in the first half North Division race.
Caleb Baragar (1-2) earned the win out of the bullpen for the Giants after pitching a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Baragar escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam in his lone inning of work to keep the game tied.
Sunday's contest was scoreless until San Jose pushed across a run in the top of the fourth. With one out, Jalen Miller doubled to the fence in deep left and took third on the play when Luis Barrera bobbled the ball for an error. Wander Franco then lifted a sacrifice fly to left bringing home Miller with the first run of the day.
Conner Menez started on the mound for the Giants and began his afternoon with four scoreless innings. The only hit allowed by Menez over the first four frames was a bloop double off the bat of Edwin Diaz in the bottom of the second on a ball lost in the sun by center fielder Bryce Johnson. The Ports though would tie the game with a run against Menez in the bottom of the fifth. Diaz led off by drawing a walk before taking second on a wild pitch. Kevin Merrell then grounded a single through the hole on the right side to plate Diaz tying the game 1-1. Menez, however, settled down to prevent further damage as the left-hander retired the next three hitters to end the inning.
Menez allowed just two hits and one run over his five innings pitched. He walked three and struck out six during his 84-pitch outing.
Orleny Quiroz (2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO) relieved Menez to begin the bottom of the sixth and worked around a one-out single from Jonah Heim and a Barrera two-out single to keep the game tied. Quiroz, who was making his California League debut after joining the Giants from Extended Spring Training on Saturday, then breezed through a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.
With the score still at 1-1, Baragar (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO) entered from the bullpen in the bottom of the eighth. Luke Persico led off by drawing a walk before Skye Bolt singled to put runners on first and second. Heim was up next and he popped out to second for the first out of the inning. Dairon Blanco then hit a grounder towards the middle that Miller fielded at second base, but his flip to the shortstop John Polonius, in an effort to force out Bolt, sailed high for an error. The miscue allowed Stockton to load the bases with still just one out. Baragar though induced the next batter, pinch-hitter Jason Goldstein, to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning as the score remained deadlocked.
The Giants managed only two hits over the first eight innings, but would breakthrough in the top of the ninth facing Ports reliever Will Gilbert. An eight-pitch walk to Johnson started the inning before Miller reached on a bunt single. Franco followed with a sacrifice bunt advancing the runners to second and third before Jacob Heyward was intentionally walked to load the bases. De La Rosa was up next and he worked a full count before also drawing a walk to force home Johnson with the go-ahead tally. Following a strikeout of Matt Winn, Brusa stepped to the plate and ripped a line drive hit to left that skipped past left fielder Melvin Mercedes. As the ball rolled to the fence, all three runners scored with Brusa sliding in safely at third base with a triple. San Jose scored four runs in the top of the ninth on two hits to take a 5-1 lead.
Nolan Riggs (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO) worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for the Giants to seal the victory.
Gilbert (3-1) was saddled with the loss after surrendering all four runs in the top of the ninth.
Notes
* The Giants won their third consecutive road series. San Jose won two of three games at Lancaster from May 4-6, took two of three at Modesto from May 8-10 before the series win this weekend in Stockton. It marked the first time since August 2015 that the Giants have won three straight road series'.
* San Jose improved to 5-2 against Stockton this season.
* Brusa's triple was his second of the year.
* The Ports out-hit the Giants 5-4.
* Miller (2-for-4, 2B) was the only San Jose player to finish with a multi-hit game. He extended his hitting streak to seven games.
* Menez ranks third in the California League in strikeouts (58 SO in 39 2/3 IP) and eighth in ERA (3.40).
* Gilbert entered Sunday with a perfect 0.00 ERA this season over 13 2/3 innings.
* Stockton starter Brian Howard pitched 7 2/3 innings with two hits and one unearned run allowed. He walked one and struck out nine.
* The Giants allowed only five runs during the three-game series against the Ports.
On Deck
Following an off day, the Giants continue their road trip on Tuesday evening with the opener of a three-game series in Modesto. First pitch at John Thurman Field is scheduled for 7:05 PM. Raffi Vizcaino (3-2, 3.72 ERA) is slated to start on the mound for San Jose while the Nuts are expected to counter with Darren McCaughan (2-3, 2.51 ERA). The game can be heard live on sjgiants.com with coverage beginning at 6:45 PM.
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