CalL1 San Jose Giants

Giants Suffer 4-2 Loss in Regular Season Finale

September 7, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


BAKERSFIELD, CA - The San Jose Giants closed out the 2015 regular season with a 4-2 loss to the Bakersfield Blaze on Monday afternoon at Sam Lynn Ballpark. After entering the series having won 10 out of 11, the Giants dropped all four games to the Blaze and finished the regular season with a 72-68 overall record.

San Jose begins the postseason on Wednesday night at Municipal Stadium with Game 1 of the best-of-three North Mini-Series against the Stockton Ports. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Stockton hosts Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) on Thursday and Friday at Banner Island Ballpark. The winner advances to the North Division Series against the Visalia Rawhide beginning on Saturday.

With Monday's loss, the Giants conclude the second half with a 42-28 record and finish tied with the Visalia Rawhide (42-28) for first place in the North Division. The Rawhide have been crowned second half champions due to their head-to-head advantage over San Jose. The Giants qualify for the playoffs as the second Wild Card team out of the North.

John Polonius (2-for-4, 2B, HR, RBI) doubled and homered to lead San Jose offensively in the regular season finale.

The Giants jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a single run in the top of the first. Brandon Bednar started the game with a single into center before a two-out walk to Angel Villalona put runners on first and second. Brian Ragira then stepped to the plate and lined a single into left plating Bednar with the first run of the contest.

Jarret Leverett made the spot start on the mound for San Jose and worked the first two innings surrendering two runs (both earned) and three hits. Leverett walked one and struck out one. The left-hander kept the Blaze off the scoreboard in the bottom of the first before running into trouble in the second as Bakersfield scored twice to take a 2-1 lead. With one out, Rayder Ascanio singled before Jay Baum drew a walk. Justin Seager then blasted a double off the fence in deep right center to score Ascanio with the tying run. Baum moved to third on the hit and scored the go-ahead tally when the next batter, Carlton Tanabe, grounded out.

The Giants threatened in the top of the third as Daniel Carbonell tripled with two outs, but was stranded when Villalona popped out. Tyler Rogers (2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) relieved Leverett to start the bottom of the third and retired six out of the seven batters he faced over his two innings of work. The Blaze's only baserunner against Rogers came in the bottom of the fourth when Ascanio launched a solo home run to right for a 3-1 Bakersfield advantage.

Ray Black (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO) worked around a leadoff double and a one-one walk in the bottom of the fifth to keep the score at 3-1. In the top of the sixth, Polonius doubled off the wall in left to start the inning before a one-out single from Villalona put runners on the corners. However, Blaze starter Scott DeCecco induced the next hitter, Ragira, to ground into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.

Chantz Mack then greeted new San Jose pitcher Jose Reyes (1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO) with a towering home run to right in the bottom of the sixth to make it 4-1.

In the seventh, Tyler Horan drew a leadoff walk, but Seth Harrison struck out and Ty Ross bounced into an inning-ending double play as the Giants continued to trail by three runs. Polonius then smacked an opposite field solo homer to right with two outs in the top of the eighth bringing San Jose to within 4-2. The home run was Polonius' third of the season. The Giants though wouldn't manage another baserunner for the remainder of the game. Carbonell struck out after the Polonius round-tripper and then Blaze reliever Will Mathis struck out Villalona, Ragira and Horan in a perfect top of the ninth to finish the game.

DeCecco (3-3) earned the win after limiting San Jose to a single run over seven innings. He surrendered five hits, walked three, struck out seven and induced three double plays. Mathis pitched the ninth for his first save of the year.

Leverett (0-1) was saddled with the loss for the Giants.

Notes:

* The Giants finish the regular season on a four-game losing streak. It marks the first time since May 4-7 that San Jose dropped four games in a row.

* The Blaze out-hit the Giants 8-6 on Monday.

* San Jose ends the year with a league-best 3.46 team ERA. The 1,345 strikeouts by the Giants pitching staff led all of Minor League Baseball.

* Ian Gardeck worked a scoreless bottom of the eighth on Monday - his 61st appearance of the year to tie the San Jose Giants single-season record (Phil McCormick, 2012).

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