Modesto Nuts at San Jose Giants, May 1-4
Published on May 1, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
Modesto Nuts (14-6) at San Jose Giants (13-8)
At Municipal Stadium
- Friday, May 1st at 7:00 PM
- Saturday, May 2nd at 6:00 PM
- Sunday, May 3rd at 2:00 PM
- Monday, May 4th at 7:00 PM
Pitching Match Ups
- Friday - Kenny Durst (0-0, 2.70) at Craig Clark (0-1, 3.86)
- Saturday - Bruce Billings (1-2, 1.17) at Oliver Odle (1-1, 4.32)
- Sunday - Cory Riordan (0-2, 5.50) at Tim Alderson (0-1, 4.74)
- Monday - TBA at Madison Bumgarner (3-0, 1.40)
THE SAN JOSE GIANTS... return to Municipal Stadium Friday evening to begin a four-game series against the Modesto Nuts. San Jose concluded their seven-game road trip last Wednesday with a 4-3 loss to Lancaster after the JetHawks scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Giants posted a 3-4 record on the road trip beginning with a series-split at first-place High Desert before claiming just one victory in three games versus Lancaster. San Jose is currently in third place in the North Division with a 13-8 record - two games behind the Visalia Rawhide (15-6) for the top spot.
San Jose To Face Contenders In May... The first half North Division race has quickly developed into a battle between three teams: Visalia, Modesto and San Jose. The Giants will become very familiar against the other two contenders this month with 22 out of their 29 games during May versus the Rawhide or the Nuts. San Jose will play a series against Modesto during four consecutive weekends this month while the Giants will also make two trips to Visalia totaling seven games.
Offensive Fireworks... San Jose is among the league leaders in several offensive categories entering tonight's action. The Giants are currently second in batting average (.301), runs scored (6.0 per game) and home runs (26) - trailing High Desert in each department. San Jose achieved league-high totals of 17 runs and 24 hits in their 17-7 victory at Lancaster last Tuesday. Individually, the Giants boast three of the top seven hitters in the California League: Brandon Crawford (5th, .385), Buster Posey (6th, .366) and Thomas Neal (7th, .362). Posey is also tied for fifth in home runs (5) and tied for second in RBI's (20).
Road Warriors... The Giants began a stretch on April 23 in which they'll play 20 out of 24 games on the road. San Jose recently completed a seven-game road trip through Southern California against High Desert and Lancaster before returning home for the current four-game series versus Modesto. However, it will be a short stay at Municipal Stadium as the Giants will embark on a season-long 13-game road trip from May 5-18. San Jose will play two series' against the Nuts and one series each versus Bakersfield and Visalia during the upcoming trip.
Crawford Among The League Leaders... Shortstop Brandon Crawford has enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2009 season. The Pleasanton native has hit safely in 17 out of his 19 games played, including four straight multiple-hit performances, and is currently fifth in the league in batting average (.385) and tied for fifth in home runs (5). Crawford is also tied for third in hits (30), first in on-base percentage (.473) and fourth in slugging percentage (.654). The 22-year old is in his first full professional season after San Francisco drafted him in the fourth round last year out of UCLA.
Thomas Neal Becomes Third Giant To Hit For The Cycle ... Left fielder Thomas Neal became the third player in the 22-history of the San Jose Giants to hit for the cycle when he accomplished the feat on Tuesday versus Lancaster. Neal homered in the second inning, tripled in the fourth, singled in the seventh and doubled in the ninth. The double came on the sixth 0-2 pitch of the at-bat as Neal finished the contest 4-for-5 with an RBI. Carlos Valderrama (August 19, 2002 vs. Stockton) and Kevin Frandsen (July 2, 2005 vs. Modesto) were the only players in San Jose Giants history to have previously hit for the cycle. Neal has 20 hits in his last 39 at-bats overall (.513 AVG) spanning the last 10 games and has homered three times on the recently completed road trip.
Media Coverage... The San Jose Giants and Comcast have joined forces to bring fans 14 live television broadcasts during the 2009 season, including Friday's game against Modesto. The series opener can be viewed live on Comcast Hometown Network Channel 104 throughout most Northern California regions and anytime through Comcast On Demand Channel 1. Joe Ritzo and Erik Alves will handle the play-by-play and color commentary duties respectively. The entire series can also be heard live on www.sjgiants.com.
Modesto Nuts... The Modesto Nuts, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, enter tonight's game in second place in the North Division with a 14-6 record - 1/2 game behind Visalia. Modesto is ninth in the league in batting average (.229) and last home runs (6), but the Nuts possess the second-lowest team ERA (3.51). Left-hander Kenny Durst is slated to make the start on the mound on Friday. Durst owns a 2.70 ERA and a .159 opponents average through four starts this year.
California League Stories from May 1, 2009
- Modesto Nuts at San Jose Giants, May 1-4 - San Jose Giants
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