CalL1 San Jose Giants

San Jose Giants Game Notes

Published on July 31, 2011 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


San Jose Giants (70-35) @ Inland Empire 66ers (50-54)

At Arrowhead Credit Union Park Sunday, July 31, 6:05 PM Monday, August 1, 7:05 PM Tuesday, August 2, 11:00 AM

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups Sunday - Kelvin Marte (8-6, 3.40) vs. Ariel Pena (9-3, 4.05) Monday - Craig Westcott (11-3, 3.36) vs. Max Russell (0-0, 0.00) Tuesday - Andy Reichard (6-1, 3.07) vs. Manuel Flores (10-7, 5.58)

Giants Begin Seven-Game Road Trip Tonight At Inland Empire... The two- time defending California League champion San Jose Giants embark on a seven-game road trip this evening with the first of three straight contests against the Inland Empire 66ers at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. San Jose concluded their homestand last night with a 4-3 victory over the Lancaster JetHawks. Chris Heston allowed just one earned run over a career-high tying eight innings to pick-up the win. Heston allowed six hits, issued only one walk and struck out eight before Jake Dunning recorded the last three outs for the save. Gary Brown hit a key two-out, two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead the Giants offensively. Brown, who also singled and scored two runs, had two of San Jose's five hits.

Media Coverage... The entire series can be heard live on www.sjgiants.com with Joe Ritzo calling all of the action. All 140 games this season will be aired on the club's official website.

Homestand Review... Last night marked the end of San Jose's longest homestand of the second half. The Giants finished the homestand with a 6-2 record as they swept a four-game series from the Visalia Rawhide before splitting four games with the Lancaster JetHawks. San Jose will play only three home games over the next 19 days through August 18.

Versus The South... The Giants are in the midst of a stretch where they're playing 11 consecutive games versus the South Division (July 27-August 6). San Jose is 15-10 versus South Division teams this season. Tonight marks the Giants' first road game against a Southern opponent since April 13 - the first week of the regular season. San Jose began the season with a 4-3 road trip at Lake Elsinore and Lancaster. Their next 18 road games will be played against South Division clubs.

Brown Extends Hitting Streak To 11 Games... Center fielder Gary Brown brings an 11-game hitting streak into tonight's action. Brown has hit at a .405 (17-for-42) clip during the current streak. He owns the longest hitting streak for a Giants player this season when he hit safely in 15 consecutive games from May 5-20. Brown leads the Giants in runs scored (80), hits (134 - league-leader), triples (7) and stolen bases (40) while he's second in doubles (25), third in RBI's (60) and fourth in home runs (8). His .321 batting average is ninth in the California League.

Tied For The Best Record In Minor League Baseball... San Jose (70-35) is currently tied with the Double-A San Antonio Missions (70-35) of the Texas League for the best record in all of Minor League Baseball among full-season teams.

Fun Facts... A victory tonight would move the Giants to a season-high tying 36 games over .500 ... San Jose was 36 games over .500 after their win on July 16 (64-28) ... The Giants are a perfect 16-0 in day games this season ... There are two day games remaining in the regular season (Tuesday at Inland Empire and September 5 vs. Rancho Cucamonga) ... San Jose has a winning record on each day of the week with Sunday (13-3) their best day and Wednesday (8-7) their worst ... The Giants have had three winning streaks of 11 games or more this season ... In the first 23 years (1988-2010) of San Jose Giants baseball, the club had a total of three 11+ game win streaks ... San Jose is 18-10 in July to mark their fourth straight winning month to begin the season (15-8 April, 22-7 May, 15-10 June).

Giants-66ers Season Series... The Giants are 3-4 against Inland Empire this year with this series marking San Jose's only regular season visit to Arrowhead Credit Union Park. The 66ers are the only team that the Giants have a losing record against. The clubs split a four- game set from April 17-20 before Inland Empire won two out of three from July 16-18.

Pitching Leaders... The Giants enter tonight's game with a league-best 3.53 team ERA - well ahead of the next-closest team (Stockton - 4.31). San Jose has also thrown 13 shutouts as a pitching staff to lead the California League (Modesto is second with four shutouts). Individually, three Giants pitchers rank among the top eight in the league in ERA: Craig Westcott (4th, 3.36), Kelvin Marte (5th, 3.40) and Chris Heston (8th, 3.75).

Seventh Consecutive First Half North Division Title... The Giants won their California League record seventh consecutive first half North Division title (2005-2011) earlier this year. San Jose posted a 51-19 first half record - 13 games ahead of the second-place Stockton Ports (38-32). By virtue of winning the division crown, the Giants clinch a spot in the playoffs and earn a first round bye. San Jose will open the postseason on Saturday, September 10 with Game One of the best-of- five North Division Series at Municipal Stadium. The Giants will also host Game Two of the series on Sunday, September 11. Prior to San Jose's current run, the California League record for consecutive first half division titles was three (Visalia). The 51 victories tied a team record for most wins in a half. The 2009 team, also under Andy Skeels, won 51 games during the second half.

Opponent Notes: Inland Empire 66ers... The Inland Empire 66ers, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, enter tonight's game with an overall record of 50-54 - six games ahead of High Desert for the wild card lead in the South Division. Inland Empire has won five games in a row. The 66ers are sixth in the league in hitting (.280) and eighth in ERA (5.26).

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California League Stories from July 31, 2011


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