CalL San Jose Giants

Giants Roll to 9-3 Victory over 66ers

Published on May 20, 2022 under California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release


The San Jose Giants knocked out 15 hits and broke open a close game late with seven runs over the seventh and eighth innings in a 9-3 victory against the Inland Empire 66ers on Thursday night at San Manuel Stadium. Four Giants pitchers, led by starter Keaton Winn, combined to record 14 strikeouts as San Jose (23-13) won for the seventh time in their last eight games.

Vaun Brown (4-for-5, 2 RBI) singled four times and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Giants offensive attack. Najee Gaskins (3-for-4, SB), Victor Bericoto (2-for-5, RBI) and Yorlis Rodriguez (2-for-5, RBI) also produced multi-hit games at the plate. San Jose won despite their home run streak coming to an end as the Giants went homer-less for the first time in 16 games - a stretch dating back to May 1.

The Giants jumped out early on Thursday pushing across a run only two batters into the game. Grant McCray started the contest by hammering a double off the fence in deep center. Brown then came up and singled sharply up the middle to bring home McCray with the first run of the evening. On the play, 66ers center fielder David Calabrese also misplayed the ball for an error allowing Brown to move all the way to third. Two batters later, Inland Empire starter Jose Salvador threw a wild pitch allowing Brown to score for a 2-0 advantage.

Meanwhile, Winn was excellent on the mound in his start for San Jose. The right-hander tossed four strong innings allowing only one run and two hits. Winn walked none and struck out eight during his 65-pitch performance. Inland Empire's only run against Winn came in the bottom of the second when D'Shawn Knowles led off with a single, stole second, moved to third on a fly out and scored on Myles Emmerson's groundout. Winn then came back with two strikeouts in a perfect bottom of the third before two more punchouts in a 1-2-3 fourth. Winn finished his outing by setting down the final seven Sixers batters that he faced.

The game would remain a 2-1 Giants lead all the way until the seventh inning. Julio Rodriguez relieved Winn to begin the bottom of the fifth and worked around a leadoff single in his lone inning of work. Nick Sinacola was then summoned in the sixth and promptly threw a scoreless inning to maintain the one-run advantage.

San Jose then erupted for four runs in the top of the seventh to push their lead to 6-1. Back-to-back singles from Max Wright and Gaskins started the inning before Brown produced a one-out RBI single. After Adrian Sugastey walked to load the bases, Bericoto's single brought home Gaskins to make it 4-1. Then with two outs, an Inland Empire error plated the third run of the inning before Dilan Rosario's RBI infield single extended the lead to 6-1.

The Sixers got one run back in the bottom of the seventh, but the Giants kept the pressure on with three more tallies in the eighth. Gaskins led off with a single, stole second and was at third base with two outs when Inland Empire reliever Kelvin Careres uncorked a wild pitch allowing the run to score. Consecutive singles from Sugastey and Bericoto then put runners on first and second for Rodriguez, who delivered an RBI single into left. Then on the play, a throwing error committed by the left fielder Carson Matthews allowed another run to score for a 9-2 San Jose cushion.

The 66ers scored once in the bottom of the eighth on a Knowles RBI double to make it 9-3, but would get no closer.

Rodriguez (2-0) was credited with the win out of the Giants bullpen after his scoreless inning of work. Sinacola pitched the next three innings and allowed two runs (both earned) while registering four strikeouts. Spencer Bivens then pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth in his San Jose debut.

With the victory, the Giants are a season-high 10 games over .500 and remained tied with Fresno for first place in the first half North Division race.

San Jose has now won two out of the first three games in the series against Inland Empire. The teams will play game four on Friday night with first pitch at San Manuel Stadium set for 7:05 PM. Will Bednar is the Giants' scheduled starting pitcher.

Keaton Winn struck out a season-high eight over four innings of one-run ball in Thursday's win

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California League Stories from May 20, 2022


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