Giants Power to Fourth Straight Win
April 14, 2022 - California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
Vaun Brown, Adrian Sugastey and Alexander Suarez each homered on Wednesday night to lead the San Jose Giants to a 7-3 win over the Fresno Grizzlies at Excite Ballpark. The Giants (4-1) scored four runs over the first two innings to take an early lead and never looked back on their way to a second straight victory against Fresno to open the series and a fourth consecutive win overall.
San Jose sent eight batters to the plate during a three-run bottom of the first inning to move in front by a 3-0 margin. Leadoff hitter Grant McCray started the frame with a single before Brown walked and Sugastey reached on an error to load the bases. After Yorlis Rodriguez struck out, Dilan Rosario worked a five-pitch walk to force home McCray with the first run of the game. Abdiel Layer was up next and he blasted a fly ball off the fence in straightaway center. The hit went for a long single as only Brown scored on the play to make it 2-0. Najee Gaskins then drew a walk to bring home another run for a 3-0 advantage.
Eric Silva started on the mound for the Giants and impressed over two scoreless innings yielding just one hit with one walk and four strikeouts. The 2021 fourth round pick fanned two in a perfect top of the first inning before working around a walk and a single in the second to keep the Grizzlies off the scoreboard.
Brown then extended the San Jose lead to 4-0 when he connected for an opposite field solo homer to right center in the bottom of the second. The home run was Brown's first of the season.
Manuel Mercedes relieved Silva to begin the top of the third and struggled with his control throughout his outing, but only allowed one hit and one run over 2 2/3 innings. Mercedes walked four batters in the third inning, but escaped with no runs scoring with the help of a double play grounder. A walk, a single and an HBP would load the bases with none out against Mercedes in the top of the fifth, but only one run scored in the frame after Mercedes induced another double play. The tally brought Fresno to within 4-1, but the Grizzlies would get no closer for the rest of the night.
In the bottom of the fifth, Sugastey led off with a home run to left - his first round-tripper of the season - to make it 5-1. An inning later, Suarez crushed a solo shot to straightaway center. The 424-foot home run, Suarez's first of the season, extended the lead to 6-1. A one-out single from Brown later in the inning restarted the rally for the Giants before Dilan Rosario's two-out RBI single put San Jose ahead 7-1.
Trevor McDonald, who relieved Mercedes with two outs in the top of the fifth, was excellent out of the bullpen for the Giants tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings. McDonald surrendered two hits, walked none and struck out four during his outing. McDonald, who was credited with the win, retired seven of the nine batters he faced.
Fresno scratched across two runs in the top of the eighth on four singles - three of which were infield hits - and an error with Julio Rodriguez on the mound to trim the San Jose lead to 7-3. Rodriguez though notched a key strikeout of Adael Amador with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle to end the inning.
Jose Cruz then pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the Giants working around a leadoff single and a two-out hit batter. Cruz sealed the victory when he struck out Braxton Fulford swinging with a 97 MPH fastball to end the game.
Vaun Brown hit one of San Jose's three home runs in Wednesday's victory over Fresno
GIANTS NOTES
At The Plate: San Jose's seven runs scored and 10 hits were both season-high totals. Vaun Brown (2-for-4, HR, RBI), Adrian Sugastey (2-for-4, 2B, HR, RBI) and Dilan Rosario (2-for-4, 2 RBI) had two hits apiece for the Giants.
Inside The Box Score: The teams were a combined 4-for-30 with runners in scoring position (San Jose 2-for-16, Fresno 2-for-14) ... Giants pitching collected 12 strikeouts.
On Deck: The Giants and Grizzlies continue their series on Thursday evening with first pitch at Excite Ballpark set for 6:30 PM. Keaton Winn is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher.
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- Early scoring dooms Grizzlies in 7-3 loss to Giants - Fresno Grizzlies
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