CalL1 San Jose Giants

San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Begin Second Half at Visalia Tonight

Published on June 21, 2012 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


San Jose Giants (38-32) at Visalia Rawhide (31-39)

At Recreation Park Thursday, June 21, 7:00 PM Friday, June 22, 7:00 PM Saturday, June 23, 7:00 PM Sunday, June 24, 2:00 PM

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups Thursday - Taylor Rogers (3-6, 4.63) vs. Ray Hernandez (5-3, 4.20) Friday - Jack Snodgrass (6-2, 3.50) vs. Taylor Siemens (0-1, 2.45) Saturday - Justin Schumer (4-3, 4.66) vs. Conrad Flynn (1-0, 5.40) Sunday - Ryan Bradley (3-3, 3.87) vs. Anthony Meo (2-4, 4.12)

Giants Begin Four-Game Series At Visalia Tonight... The San Jose Giants begin the second half tonight with the opener of a four-game series against the Visalia Rawhide at Recreation Park. San Jose concluded the first half last Saturday before enjoying a four-day All-Star break. Prior to the break, the Giants had won four out of their last five games. In their final series of the first half, San Jose took two out of three from the visiting Modesto Nuts. In the series rubber game last Saturday, Shawn Sanford tossed a season-high 6 2/3 innings with just two runs allowed to pick-up the win while Luke Anders and Ryan Lollis had a pair of hits apiece to lead the offensive attack in a 3-2 Giants victory.

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

Record-Setting First Half Championship Streak Ends... San Jose concluded the first half with a 38-32 record and in second place in the North Division. It marked the first time since 2004 that the Giants didn't win the first half North Division crown. San Jose finished three games behind the Bakersfield Blaze (41-29) for the top spot. The Giants had won a California League record seven straight first half North Division titles (2005-2011). The previous league record for consecutive first half championships was three (Visalia Oaks, 1981-83). After sweeping Bakersfield in a series that ended on May 26, San Jose owned a 5 1/2 game lead in the standings over the Blaze with 21 games remaining. However, the Giants went just 6-15 to finish the half, including a 10-game losing streak from May 27-June 5. San Jose now needs to win either the second half North Division title or secure the wild card to extend their streak of consecutive playoff appearances to nine seasons (2004-2011).

All-Star Review... Pitcher Jack Snodgrass was San Jose's lone representative in the California-Carolina League All-Star game last Tuesday in Winston-Salem. Snodgrass pitched the bottom of the seventh inning for the California League yielding two runs (both earned) on three hits with no walks and no strikeouts. The Carolina League won the game by a 9-1 score.

One-Run Success... The Giants possess an outstanding 16-6 record in one- run games this season. San Jose has the most one-run victories and highest winning percentage (.727) in one-run games of any team in the California League.

Oropesa Third In The League In RBI's... First baseman Ricky Oropesa is currently third in the California League with 53 RBI's this season - seven off the lead. Oropesa has collected 39 RBI's over his last 38 games dating back to May 7 while he's also batting .341 with runners in scoring position this year. Oropesa is in his debut professional season after he was drafted in the third round last year out of USC.

Tough Match-Up... The Giants have posted just a 3-9 record against the Visalia Rawhide this season. Visalia is the only North Division team with a winning record against San Jose this year. The Giants have also won just once in six games at Recreation Park. San Jose is hitting only .222 as a team against Rawhide pitching. This series marks the Giants' last trip to Visalia this season. The Rawhide will play seven games at Municipal Stadium in the second half.

Runners In Scoring Position... The Giants boast the second-best batting average in the California League with runners in scoring position at . 286 (High Desert leads at .319). However, San Jose is hitting just . 215 this season with runners in scoring position and two outs (second worst in the league). The Giants have left a league-high 526 runners on base this year.

Pitching Struggles... In 16 games this month, the Giants own a 5.79 team ERA - eighth in the California League. At the start of their season- long nine-game road trip on May 17, San Jose was leading the California League in ERA at 3.42. Entering tonight's game, the Giants are sixth in the league with a 4.44 ERA.

Panik's Hitting Streak At Nine Games... Shortstop Joe Panik brings a nine-game hit streak into this evening's contest. During the hit streak, Panik is batting at a .378 clip (14-for-37) with two doubles, a triple and a home run. Prior to the current hot streak, Panik was hitless in his last 21 at-bats. The former first round draft pick is batting .257 this season with two home runs and 30 RBI's. His 17 doubles lead the team and are 10th in the league. Panik was the Northwest League Most Valuable Player last year with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Short-Season).

Opponent Notes: Visalia Rawhide... The Visalia Rawhide, an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, finished the first half with a 31-39 record and in fourth place in the North Division - 10 games out of the top spot. Visalia has lost 14 out of their last 18 games. The Rawhide are ninth in the California League in batting average (.261), ninth in runs scored (4.6) and seventh in ERA (4.75). Visalia is looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Right-hander Ray Hernandez (5-3, 4.20 ERA) is slated to make the start on the mound tonight. In two starts against the Giants this season, Hernandez is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA (6 ER/10.0 IP).

Check out the San Jose Giants Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



California League Stories from June 21, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central