Giants Pitching Shines in Shutout Win
Published on August 9, 2023 under California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
Four San Jose pitchers - Mikell Manzano, Luis Moreno, Cody Tucker and Julio Rodriguez - combined to shutout the Fresno Grizzlies on Wednesday afternoon in a 2-0 Giants victory at Excite Ballpark. Alexander Suarez keyed a two-run sixth-inning rally with an RBI double as San Jose (58-46 overall, 18-20 second half) won their second straight game over Fresno to open the series.
Manzano was making his 2023 San Jose Giants debut after joining the team earlier in the week from the Arizona Complex League (Rookie-level). The right-hander pitched four scoreless innings in his start on Wednesday working around four singles and one walk. Manzano did not record a strikeout, but needed only 44 pitches to get through his four innings.
The Grizzlies managed only one single over the first three innings of the contest and then ran themselves out of the top of the fourth. With Manzano still on the mound, Bryant Betancourt led off the fourth with a single. Skyler Messinger followed with a single to right, however Betancourt was thrown out at third on the play by Giants right fielder Tanner O'Tremba. Andy Perez then singled down the left field line, but another out on the basepaths was recorded as the left fielder Suarez threw out Messinger at third on the hit. Moments later, Perez attempted to steal third, but was thrown out by the catcher Luke Shliger to end the inning. All three outs of the top of the fourth came at third base.
Meanwhile, Fresno starter Michael Prosecky, the ERA leader in the California League, began his outing with five shutout innings yielding only two singles. With the game still scoreless, San Jose would finally breakthrough against Prosecky in the bottom of the sixth. Consecutive full-count walks to Dilan Rosario and P.J. Hilson put runners on first and second with one out. Suarez was up next and he blasted the first pitch of his at-bat off the fence in left for a double. The hit scored Rosario with the first run of the game while Hilson advanced to third.
The next hitter was Diego Velasquez, who lifted a sacrifice fly to center plating Hilson for a 2-0 Giants advantage.
Luis Moreno (4-1) earned the win for San Jose after firing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Moreno, who entered the game in relief of Manzano to begin the top of the fifth, set down the side in order in each of his first two innings. After the Giants took the lead, Moreno returned to the mound in the top of the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Dyan Jorge, but promptly picked-off the runner at first base. Moreno then quickly set down the next two Grizzlies hitters to end the inning.
Tucker then pitched a scoreless top of the eighth in his San Jose Giants debut. Jesus Bugarin led off the inning with a double to the fence in deep right center, but was thrown out at third on the play as he attempted to stretch the hit into a triple. Tucker then retired the next two hitters before Rodriguez breezed through a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to complete the shutout. Rodriguez, who struck out Fresno's Luis Mendez to end the game, collected his second save of the year.
Both teams finished with six hits. Suarez (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) and Scott Bandura (2-for-3, 2B) had multi-hit games for the Giants. Bandura now has five hits in six at-bats over his first two games with San Jose. The shutout was the Giants' fourth of the season. Wednesday's game was played in a brisk one hour and 50 minutes.
The Giants play game three of their series against Fresno on Thursday evening with first pitch at Excite Ballpark set for 6:30 PM. Mauricio Estrella is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher. Visit sjgiants.com for tickets.
California League Stories from August 9, 2023
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