Giants on Deck Preview, Versus Modesto May 15-18
Published on May 15, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
The San Jose Giants continue their road trip Friday evening with the opener of a four-game series against the Modesto Nuts at John Thurman Field. San Jose won two out of three games from the first-place Visalia Rawhide in their most recent series. After a 2-1 loss to the Rawhide on Tuesday, the Giants bounced back with a 2-0 shutout victory on Wednesday before an 8-4 win yesterday. Thomas Neal's home run highlighted a six-run top of the fifth inning for San Jose in the rubber match while Roger Kieschnick also homered earlier in the contest. On the mound, Oliver Odle earned the win after yielding just one earned run over six effective innings. The Giants enter Friday's series opener in second place in the first half North Division race with a 21-13 record - two games behind Visalia (23-11) for the top spot. After Friday's game, San Jose will have reached the midpoint of their first half schedule.
Marathon Road Trip Continues... San Jose is currently in the midst of a season-long 13-game road trip over a 14-day period. The Giants began the trip on May 5 in Bakersfield and managed two wins during the three-game set against the Blaze. San Jose then traveled to Modesto and took two out of three games in their series versus the Nuts. The Giants enjoyed an off day back in the Bay Area on Monday before claiming two out of three games in Visalia in a series that ended last night. San Jose concludes their road trip with the current series versus Modesto. The Giants are 6-3 thus far on the trip and will finally return home on Tuesday to take on the Inland Empire 66ers. San Jose is currently tied with the High Desert Mavericks for the fewest home games in the league (14), but will play 21 out of 28 at Municipal Stadium starting this Tuesday.
San Jose Looking For Third Consecutive Win... A victory on Friday would give the Giants their first three-game winning streak since April 18-20 and would also move San Jose a season-high nine games over the .500 mark. The Giants have won four out of their last five games overall. San Jose has yet to lose more than two games in a row at any point this year.
Andres Torres And Ben Copeland Begin Rehab Stints On Friday... San Francisco Giants outfielder Andres Torres and former San Jose Giant outfielder Ben Copeland are expected to begin rehabilitation assignments with San Jose this evening. Torres, 31, has played in nine games this season for San Francisco and is 2-for-9 (.222 AVG) with one home run and one RBI. He suffered a pulled left hamstring while running the bases in a game on April 27 with tonight marking his first game action since the injury. Torres has 98 games of major league experience having also played in Detroit (2002-04) and Texas (2005). Copeland, 25, was a San Jose Giant during their 2007 championship season when he hit .280 with 22 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 50 RBI's and 14 stolen bases over 106 games. Last season, Copeland played for both Connecticut (AA) and Fresno (AAA) before he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft in December. Copeland suffered a left shoulder injury during spring training and was designated for assignment on May 9 without having played in a major league game. Copeland was returned to the San Francisco organization earlier this week and is expected to play in the entire series against Modesto as he recovers from his injury before returning to Fresno. Additionally, San Francisco relief pitcher Sergio Romo is expected to make his second rehab stint for San Jose when he works out of the bullpen during Saturday's game.
San Jose In The Cal League Rankings... The Giants enter tonight's contest tied for second in the California League in batting average (.286) and third in ERA (3.74). Offensively, San Jose is fourth in the league in runs scored (5.4 per game), third in home runs (31) and last in stolen bases (19). On the mound, the Giants have issued the fewest walks in the California League (82) and have thrown the most shutouts (5).
Sizzling Pitching... The Giants pitching staff owns a 1.62 ERA (8 ER/44.1 IP) over the last five games (4-1 record).
Broshuis To Start Series Opener... Right-hander Garrett Broshuis is scheduled to make his first start of the season in Friday's series opener after six relief appearances to begin the year. Broshuis tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits allowed and four strikeouts in his last outing (May 9 at Modesto) to pick up the win. The 27-year old has surrendered only two earned runs over 14 2/3 innings this season (1.23 ERA). Broshuis spent three full seasons in Connecticut (AA) from 2006-2008 and was 23-32 in 81 starts. He compiled a 12-9 record with a 4.40 ERA in 26 starts for San Jose's championship team in 2005.
Giants And Nuts To Meet 15 Times This Month... This series marks the third consecutive weekend match-up between the clubs this month. San Jose and Modesto split a four-game series at Municipal Stadium from May 1-4 before the Giants took two out of three from May 8-10 at John Thurman Field. The Nuts will visit San Jose again next weekend for a four-game series beginning on May 22. First baseman Angel Villalona (.393 AVG, 11-for-28, 4 RBI) and left fielder Thomas Neal (.368 AVG, 7-for-19, 5 RBI) have been the Giants' top hitters versus Modesto this season while catcher Buster Posey (.107 AVG, 3-for-28, RBI) has struggled mightily.
Prospect Bonanza... According to Baseball America, nine of the top 25 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization are on San Jose's roster. Catcher Buster Posey (#2), first baseman Angel Villalona (#3), second baseman Nick Noonan (#5), third baseman Conor Gillaspie (#7) and starting pitcher Scott Barnes (#9) all reside in the top 10 while right fielder Roger Kieschnick (#14), starting pitcher Clayton Tanner (#20), left fielder Thomas Neal (#23) and reliever Edwin Quirarte (#25) have also received recognition.
Media Coverage... The entire series from Modesto can be heard live on www.sjgiants.com with Joe Ritzo calling all of the action.
Modesto Nuts... The Modesto Nuts, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, enter tonight's game in third place in the North Division with a 20-14 record - three games behind Visalia for the top spot. Modesto is ninth in the California League in batting average (.247) and runs scored (4.5) while they're last in home runs (13). The Nuts are second in the league with a 3.50 team ERA. Modesto had lost a season-high five games in a row until posting a 3-2 victory over the host Bakersfield Blaze yesterday. Connor Graham is slated to make the start on the mound Friday. Graham owns a 2-2 record and a 3.15 ERA this season and suffered loss to the Giants in his last start on May 9 (3 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO).
California League Stories from May 15, 2009
- Fireworks Tonight! - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Coughlin Promoted, Pimentel Added - Visalia Rawhide
- Giants on Deck Preview, Versus Modesto May 15-18 - San Jose Giants
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- Quakes "Walk Off" With Win Over Mavs - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
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