Giants Edge Sixers to Win Fourth Straight
July 28, 2021 - California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
Marco Luciano and Jimmy Glowenke both homered in a 4-3 Giants victory over the Inland Empire 66ers on Wednesday afternoon at Excite Ballpark. Wil Jensen also delivered a solid five-inning start on the mound for San Jose before relievers Ivan Armstrong and Clay Helvey held off the Sixers to secure the win. The Giants (48-26) have now claimed the first two games in the series and have won four in a row overall.
Wednesday's matinee was a back-and-forth affair before the two solo homers put San Jose ahead for good. Jensen began his start with two scoreless innings facing the minimum number of Inland Empire batters. The 66ers then pushed across a single run in the top of the third to take a 1-0 lead. Elijah Greene hit a one-out double to deep right center before a Carlos Reina single put runners on the corners. Jeremy Arocho then drove in the run when he grounded into a force play as Greene scored to put Inland Empire in front.
The Giants though immediately answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take their first lead of the day. A bunt single from Carter Williams started the rally before Luis Toribio doubled into the right field corner to put runners on second and third. After Casey Schmitt popped out, Luis Matos lined a game-tying RBI single into center. Then with two down, Jairo Pomares' double down the right field line plated Toribio giving San Jose a 2-1 lead.
The 66ers then came back with a run in the top of the fourth as three singles produced the tying tally. Braxton Martinez led off with a single before Jose Guzman singled with one out. Then with two down, Paxton Wallace lined a single into left center to score Martinez tying the game 2-2.
The Giants see-sawed back in front in the bottom of the fourth as Glowenke led off with a deep home run to left. The solo shot was Glowenke's fifth round-tripper of the season.
Jensen then escaped a jam in the top of the fifth to keep San Jose ahead by a 3-2 margin. Reina led off by drawing a walk before Arocho singled. D'Shawn Knowles then flied out to right advancing Reina, the potential tying run, to third. Martinez was up next and he hit a grounder to third that Schmitt fielded, and threw home to easily cut down Reina for the second out. Edwin Yon then flied out to right ending the frame and completing Jensen's outing.
In the bottom of the fifth, Luciano stepped to the plate with one out and launched a towering 418-foot solo home run to left center. It was Luciano's league-leading 17th homer of the year and it extended the Giants advantage to 4-2.
Armstrong relieved Jensen to begin the top of the sixth and struck out two in a perfect inning of work. The Sixers though would plate a run in the seventh against Armstrong to pull within 4-3. Reina doubled with one out and scored when Knowles lined a two-out single into center. Knowles, the possible tying run, took second on the throw home, but was stranded there when Armstrong struck out Martinez, the leading hitter in Low-A West, to end the inning.
Helvey then took over in the top of the eighth with a one-run lead and slammed the door as he notched a six-out save to seal the victory. Helvey struck out the side in a dominant eighth inning. In the ninth, Greene singled with one out, but Helvey induced the following hitter, Reina, to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
GIANTS NOTES
Four In A Row
The Giants have outscored the opposition by a 32-9 margin during their current four-game winning streak.
Luciano's Blast
Marco Luciano (1-for-4, HR, RBI) returned to the lineup on Wednesday after missing the previous three games with a shoulder injury. Luciano is batting .405 (17-for-42) over his last 11 games.
Other Hitting Standouts
Luis Toribio (2-for-4, 2B) and Jairo Pomares (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) finished with multi-hit games for the Giants. Jimmy Glowenke (1-for-3, HR, RBI) has hit all five of his home runs this season in the month of July. San Jose won despite being out-hit by a 10-8 margin.
On The Mound
Wil Jensen (5-1) earned his fifth win of the season after limiting the Sixers to a pair of runs over five innings. Jensen scattered seven hits, walked one and struck out one during his 74-pitch outing. Clay Helvey (2 IP, 1 H, 3 SO) collected his eighth save of the year - tied for the league lead.
On Deck
The Giants and 66ers continue their series on Thursday evening with first pitch at Excite Ballpark set for 6:30 PM. Kyle Harrison is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher.
California League Stories from July 28, 2021
- Giants Edge Sixers to Win Fourth Straight - San Jose Giants
- Giants Open Series by Clubbing Sixers 9-0 - Inland Empire 66ers
- Ports Erase Nine Run Deficit in Series Opening Win - Stockton Ports
- Murphy Masterful in 9-0 Shutout of 66ers - San Jose Giants
- Controversial Double Sends Nuts to 3-2 Loss - Modesto Nuts
- Rancho Rallies for Seventh Straight Win - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Storm Beat Grizzlies with Strong Relief Pitching - Lake Elsinore Storm
- Amarista, Fresno Fall 3-2 to Lake Elsinore in First-Ever Meeting - Fresno Grizzlies
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