Giants Top Ports, Earn First Second Half Win
June 26, 2016 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
STOCKTON, CA - The San Jose Giants used a four-run top of the fifth to take the lead for good before receiving dominant late-inning relief work from their bullpen in a 7-4 victory over the Stockton Ports on Saturday evening at Banner Island Ballpark. The win was San Jose's (40-32) first of the second half after dropping the opening two games of the series to Stockton.
Chris Shaw (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) hit a go-ahead two-run home run as part of the decisive fifth-inning rally to lead the way offensively. Jose Vizcaino, Jr. (2-for-3, RBI), Daniel Carbonell (2-for-5) and Ty Ross (2-for-4, RBI) also finished with multi-hit games for the Giants.
Jason Forjet (7-5) notched his team-leading seventh win of the season after pitching the first five innings for San Jose. Forjet surrendered four runs (all earned) on three hits. The right-hander walked four and struck out two. Tyler Cyr (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO), Reyes Moronta (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO) and Rodolfo Martinez (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) then combined for four scoreless innings of relief. The bullpen trio allowed a total of just one hit.
The Giants jumped out early with a three-run top of the first inning against Ports starter Matt Stalcup. Steven Duggar started the rally with a one-out single before consecutive walks to C.J Hinojosa and Shaw loaded the bases. Jonah Arenado then hammered a double into the right center field gap plating both Duggar and Hinojosa with the first runs of the contest. Vizcaino, Jr. followed with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left center scoring Shaw to make it 3-0.
Forjet allowed just one baserunner over the first three innings - a solo home run from Joe Bennie in the bottom of the second. The homer, Bennie's seventh of the season, trimmed the San Jose lead to 3-1. Forjet had retired six consecutive Stockton batters until running into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. A nine-pitch walk to Ritchie Martin started the frame. Forjet then issued walks to the next two hitters as well, B.J Boyd and Bennie, to load the bases with none out. A four-pitch walk to Sandber Pimentel followed - the fourth consecutive walk to begin the inning - forcing home a run. Seth Brown then drove a deep fly ball to right center that was caught by Ronnie Jebavy on the warning track for the first out. The sacrifice fly brought home Boyd to tie the game 3-3. Mikey White followed with a bunt up the first base line that the first baseman Arenado barehanded and threw home, but was late in an effort to retire Bennie. The play gave the Ports a 4-3 lead. Stockton scored three runs in the inning without the benefit of a hit.
The Giants though immediately answered with a four-run top of the fifth. Facing Ports reliever Casey Meisner, the inning began with a walk to Hinojosa. Shaw then stepped to the plate and crushed an 0-1 pitch over the fence in left center field for a two-run homer. The home run was Shaw's team-leading 15th of the season and it put San Jose in front by a 5-4 margin.
The fifth-inning rally continued with consecutive walks to Arenado and Vizcaino. After Carbonell lined out to shortstop, Ross grounded a single into right to score Arenado with the third run of the frame. Cristian Paulino followed with a bunt single bringing home Vizcaino to make it 7-4 Giants.
Forjet finished his night with a scoreless bottom of the fifth. Back-to-back singles from James Harris and Martin started the inning, but Boyd flied out and Bennie grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
Cyr then entered from the bullpen to begin the bottom of the sixth and tossed a quick 1-2-3 inning. In the seventh, Cyr issued a leadoff walk to Lolana Akau, but Melvin Mercedes followed by grounding into a 3-6-3 double play. Harris then bounced out to shortstop to retire the side.
With the score still 7-4, Moronta pitched the bottom of the eighth and breezed through a perfect inning. Then in the ninth, Martinez pitched around an error and a single to finish the game. The bottom of the ninth began with Pimental reaching on an error charged to Martinez. Brown followed with a single into right putting runners on the corners with none out. However with the potential tying run at the plate, Pimental attempted to score on a pitch in the dirt and was tagged out at the plate for the first out of the inning. Martinez then registered back-to-back swinging strikeouts of White and Akau to end the contest.
Martinez was credited with his league-leading 21st save of the season.
Meisner (0-12) suffered the loss after surrendering four runs (all earned) on three hits over 1 1/3 innings of relief.
California League Stories from June 26, 2016
- Giants Fall to Ports in Series Finale, 7-4 - San Jose Giants
- Ports Earn Series Win with 7-4 Victory - Stockton Ports
- Quakes Drop Series-Finale to Mavs - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Giants Top Ports, Earn First Second Half Win - San Jose Giants
- Moyer Mashes Rawhide in Sixers' 8-1 Win - Inland Empire 66ers
- Giant Innings Sink Stockton in 7-4 Loss - Stockton Ports
- Nuts' Bats Silenced Again in 7-0 Loss - Modesto Nuts
- Not a No-No, But Not Bad; - Bakersfield Blaze
- Rancho Rebounds on Saturday, Beats Mavs - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Lake Elsinore uses six long balls to power 20-hit attack - Lancaster JetHawks
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