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CalL1 San Jose Giants

Lancaster JetHawks at San Jose Giants, August 27-30

August 27, 2009 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


Lancaster JetHawks (53-76) at San Jose Giants (83-46)

At Municipal Stadium

- Thursday, August 27th at 7:00 PM

- Friday, August 28th at 7:00 PM

- Saturday, August 29th at 6:00 PM

- Sunday, August 30th at 5:00 PM

Pitching Match Ups

- Thursday - Chris Hicks (9-10, 5.96) at Paul Oseguera (4-7, 4.55)

- Friday - Leandro Cespedes (8-8, 4.86) at TBA

- Saturday - Tip Fairchild (2-2, 5.86) at Kyle Nicholson (3-0, 2.89)

- Sunday - Chris Salamida (4-1, 7.20) at Oliver Odle (7-11, 5.64)

THE SAN JOSE GIANTS... continue their final homestand of the regular season Thursday evening with the opener of a four-game series against the Lancaster JetHawks at Municipal Stadium. San Jose won two out of three from the Visalia Rawhide in their most recent series taking the rubber game last night by a 4-2 score. Clayton Tanner limited the Rawhide to three hits and one run over seven innings to earn the victory on the mound while Thomas Neal led the offensive charge with a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.

San Jose Secures Top Overall Record In Division, Homefield Advantage In Playoffs... Last night's victory guaranteed San Jose (83-46) will finish with the best overall record in the North Division thereby securing homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. The Giants will host Games One, Two and Five (if necessary) of the North Division Series. Should San Jose advance to the Championship Series, they would host Games Three, Four and Five as the North Division winner receives homefield advantage this season. The Giants have a six-game lead over the High Desert Mavericks (77-52) for the top overall record in the entire league. San Jose is attempting to finish with the best record in the California League for the second consecutive season and the fourth time in the last five years.

Magic Number At 3 To Clinch Second Half Title... San Jose is attempting to win both halves in the North Division for the second consecutive season. Entering tonight, the Giants (41-18) own a nine-game lead over the Bakersfield Blaze (32-27) and the Stockton Ports (32-27) for the top spot in the North Division with 11 games remaining in the regular season. San Jose's magic number (combination of Giants wins and/or Stockton/Bakersfield losses) to clinch the division crown is three. San Jose needs at least an 8-3 mark to end the year to break the team record for most wins in a half (1988, 48-24 record in second half).

Giants About To Reach 200,000 Fans For First Time... The San Jose Giants are expecting to reach the 200,000 mark in total attendance for the 2009 season in Thursday's series opener against Lancaster. The Giants have already broken their single-season attendance record for the fourth consecutive year. Overall through 66 home dates, San Jose has logged a total attendance figure of 198,168 (3,003 per game). The lucky 200,000th fan will receive a special San Jose Giants prize package.

Muni Success... The Giants own a remarkable 32-8 record in their last 40 home games dating back to June 5. San Jose has not lost a series at Municipal Stadium since dropping two out of three games to the Inland Empire 66ers from May 19-21. Overall, the Giants boast a league-best 47-19 home record. The pitching staff possesses a 2.69 ERA in games at home (as opposed to 4.09 on the road).

Kieschnick In The Record Book... Right fielder Roger Kieschnick continues to climb the charts in the single-season San Jose Giants record book. Kieschnick's 23 home runs this year is tied with Mike Glendenning (1999) for the third-most in Giants history. Tim Flaherty holds the top two spots with 26 homers in 2001 and 25 during the 1999 campaign. Additionally, Kieschnick has collected 101 RBI's this season - the fourth-highest mark in team history. The only other players that have amassed 100 RBI's in a single-season in San Jose Giants history: Mark Leonard (118, 1988), Rich Aldrete (108, 1988) and Sean McGowan (106, 2000).

Team Awards... The Giants will continue their end-of-season individual awards tonight when they honor their Relief Pitcher of the Year. San Jose has already recognized shortstop Brian Bocock as their Defensive Player of the Year and infielder Skyler Stromsmoe as the Nette Rappe Good Guy Award winner during the homestand. The rest of the awards are as follows: Offensive Player of the Year (Friday), Pitcher of the Year (Saturday), Most Valuable Player (Sunday).

Neal To Play In Arizona Fall League... Rosters for the upcoming Arizona Fall League season were announced earlier this week with left fielder Thomas Neal the only current San Jose player selected by the organization to participate in the prestigious league. Neal is currently fifth in the California League with a .333 batting average to go with 39 doubles, 21 home runs and 83 RBI's. The other five players from the San Francisco organization chosen to play in the Arizona Fall League are all former San Jose Giants: catcher Buster Posey, shortstop Brandon Crawford and pitchers Steve Edlefsen, Joe Martinez and Dan Runzler. All six players will be suiting up for the Scottsdale Scorpions.

Third-Best Record In Minor League Baseball... San Jose (83-46, .643) currently owns the third-best overall record among full-season teams in all of minor league baseball. The Giants trail only the Low-A Fort Wayne TinCaps (87-42, .674) and the Double-A Birmingham Barons (84-45, .651).

Clark Puts Win Streak On Hold... Craig Clark will put his 14-game win streak on hold as the left-hander will have his next start skipped in an effort to rest the ace pitcher before the playoffs begin. Clark's scheduled turn in the rotation on Friday is expected to be filled by a pitcher from the Giants bullpen. Clark has shattered the San Jose Giants record for longest win streak while he's second in the California League in wins (15-2), second in ERA (3.01) and fourth in strikeouts (132). He hasn't suffered a loss since May 7 and is two wins away from tying the California League record for longest win streak (16). Clark is expected to pitch next week when the Giants travel to Southern California for the final week of the regular season.

Media Coverage... Friday's game will be televised live on Comcast Hometown Network, Channel 104 throughout most Northern California regions. Joe Ritzo and Dan Dibley will handle the play-by-play and color commentary duties respectively. Additionally, the entire series can be heard live on www.sjgiants.com.

Lancaster JetHawks... The Lancaster JetHawks, an affiliate of the Houston Astros, enter tonight's match-up with a 53-76 overall record and a 27-32 mark in the second half. Lancaster trails the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (57-72) by four games for the final wild card spot in the South Division. The JetHawks won two out of three games against the Giants in Lancaster from April 27-29 in the only previous meeting between the teams. Lancaster is second in the league in batting average (.284), third in home runs (120) and last in ERA (5.89). Catcher Koby Clemens leads the California League with 115 RBI's and is second in batting average (.349) to go along with 20 home runs. Outfielder Jon Gaston is tops in the league with 30 homers.

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