CalL1 San Jose Giants

Key Extra Base Hits, Solid Pitching Lead Giants To Victory

Published on June 6, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


Tyler Graham hit an inside-the-park home run and Clayton Tanner took a no-hitter into the sixth inning to lead the San Jose Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Bakersfield Blaze on Saturday evening at Municipal Stadium. Roger Kieschnick also delivered a key three-run triple as San Jose claimed their second straight victory in the series. With the win, the Giants improve their overall record to 31-25.

Graham's seventh-inning home run was a deep fly ball to center field that bounced off of the fence and rolled away from Blaze outfielder Engel Beltre as the San Jose speedster raced around the bases and beat the throw home with a slide bringing the Municipal Stadium crowd to its feet. The home run was Graham's first of the season with the Giants.

Tanner (4-1) earned the win on the mound after limiting the Blaze to a pair of hits and two runs (both earned) over six-plus innings of work. Tanner walked two and matched a season-high with seven strikeouts. The left-hander did not allow his first hit of the game until Matthew Lawson's broken bat bloop single into shallow left center field with one out in the top of the sixth.

San Jose took the early lead with a single run in the bottom of the first inning on back-to-back doubles off of Bakersfield starter Richard Bleier. After two outs in the inning, Thomas Neal grounded a sharp double down the right field line before Buster Posey lined an RBI double into the left center field gap.

In the bottom of the third, Aaron Lowenstein led off with a single before Neal doubled again with two outs to put runners on second and third. After Posey was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Kieschnick ripped a triple to the fence in deep right center field. The hit scored all three Giants runners and extended the San Jose lead to 4-0.

Tanner dominated the Blaze lineup through the first six innings. After issuing a two-out walk to Joey Butler in the first inning, the Giants starter set down 12 consecutive Bakersfield hitters, including five via the strikeout. Aja Tai Barto finally gave the Blaze another baserunner when he was hit by a pitch with two outs in the fifth, but Tanner quickly recovered inducing the next hitter, Jose Felix, to ground out.

In the sixth, Tanner retired Davis Stoneburner on a fly out to begin the frame before Lawson's single. Beltre though followed by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

The Blaze broke through against Tanner in the seventh inning as Butler led off by drawing a walk before Ian Gac stepped to the plate and lofted a fly ball to left center field that carried over the fence for a two-run homer. The home run, Gac's third of the series, brought Bakersfield back to within 4-2.

San Jose scored their final run of the night in the bottom of the seventh on Graham's inside-the-park homer off of Blaze reliever Glenn Swanson.

Edwin Quirarte, who relieved Tanner immediately after Gac's home run, tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the Giants. Quirarte allowed one hit with no walks and three strikeouts. Wilmin Rodriguez was credited with his first save of the year after not allowing a run in the top of the ninth. Rodriguez surrendered a one-out single to Gac, but retired the next two hitters on a fly out and a strike out respectively to seal the victory.

Neal (2-for-4, 2 2B) was the lone San Jose player to finish with a multiple-hit game. The Giants out-hit Bakersfield by a 7-4 margin.

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California League Stories from June 6, 2009


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