CalL San Jose Giants

Giants Shutout For First Time This Season, Lose 5-0 To Ports

Published on May 18, 2023 under California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release


The San Jose Giants were shutout for the first time this season in a 5-0 loss to the Stockton Ports on Wednesday evening at Banner Island Ballpark. Ports pitchers Jake Pfennigs, Garrett Irvin and Dallas Woolfolk combined on a two-hitter with no walks and eight strikeouts as Stockton earned their second straight victory to open the series. The loss for the Giants (22-13) was only their third defeat in the last 11 games overall.

San Jose mustered just two hits in the contest - a one-out single from Tanner O'Tremba in the top of the seventh and a one-out single off the bat of Garrett Frechette in the eighth inning. The two hits recorded were a season-low for the Giants. Wednesday also snapped an impressive streak for San Jose of scoring at least five runs in 14 consecutive games dating back to April 29.

Manuel Mercedes took the loss for the Giants despite a solid five-inning start. Mercedes surrendered two runs (both earned) on eight hits - all singles - during his outing. He walked one and struck out two. Mercedes became the first San Jose starting pitcher to complete five innings in a game this season.

Stockton scored single runs in the first and fifth innings against Mercedes to take a 2-0 lead with rehabbing Oakland A's slugger Seth Brown starting both rallies. Brown, who led the A's with 25 home runs last season, began the bottom of the first with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Brennan Milone's one-out single. Then in the fifth, Brown singled with two outs to end a streak of six straight batters retired by Mercedes. Following another wild pitch and a walk, Milone stepped to the plate and once again came through with an RBI single as the Ports extended their lead to 2-0.

Stockton then plated single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings against Giants piggyback reliever Nomar Medina to push their advantage to 5-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Tommy Stevenson launched a solo home run to deep left center. An inning later, Cooper Uhl led off with an infield single and took second on the play when third baseman Thomas Gavello threw wildly to first for an error. Two batters, Brayan Buelvas delivered an RBI double to make it 4-0. Then in the eighth, T.J. Schofield-Sam hit a one-out double and scored on Jose Escorche's two-out single to bring the game to its final margin of 5-0.

Pfennigs pitched four hitless innings in his start before leaving the game with an apparent injury at the start of the top of the fifth. He walked none, struck out three and retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced. San Jose's lone baserunner against Pfennigs came in the top of the fourth when Alexander Suarez was hit by a pitch with one out. Suarez then stole both second and third, but was stranded there when O'Tremba struck out.

Irvin relieved Pfennigs to begin the top of the fifth and quickly set down the side in his first two innings. Stockton's no-hit bid finally ended in the seventh on O'Tremba's single, but the runner was eventually stranded. Woolfolk then pitched the final two innings and worked around Frechette's single in the top of the eighth before tossing a 1-2-3 ninth to complete the Ports' first shutout of the year.

Stockton out-hit the Giants 14-2.

The Giants and Ports continue their series on Thursday evening with first pitch at Banner Island Ballpark set for 7:05 PM. The game can be heard live on sjgiants.com.

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California League Stories from May 18, 2023


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