San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Begin Seven-Game Road Trip Tonight in Visalia
Published on July 24, 2014 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
San Jose Giants (54-48) at Visalia Rawhide (51-51)
At Recreation Park
- Thursday, July 24, 7:00 PM
- Friday, July 25, 7:00 PM
- Saturday, July 26, 7:00 PM
- Sunday, July 27, 6:00 PM
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
Thursday
San Jose - Chris Stratton (7-8, 5.01)
Visalia - Andrew Barbosa (3-1, 3.18)
Friday
San Jose - Kendry Flores (4-6, 4.34)
Visalia - Braden Shipley (1-4, 4.86)
Saturday
San Jose - Joe Kurrasch (7-3, 2.87)
Visalia - Blayne Weller (0-0, 9.00)
Sunday
San Jose - Matt Lujan (4-1, 3.09)
Visalia - Brandon Sinnery (9-6, 4.50)
Broadcast Information
The entire series can be heard live on sjgiants.com with Joe Ritzo calling all of the action. Radio broadcasts begin 30 minutes prior to first pitch with The Giants Pregame Show. All 140 games this season will be aired on the club's official website and the San Jose Giants Mobile App.
Giants Begin Seven-Game Road Trip Tonight In Visalia
The San Jose Giants begin a seven-game road trip this evening with the first of four straight contests against the Visalia Rawhide at Recreation Park. Chris Stratton (7-8, 5.01) is slated to make the start on the mound for San Jose tonight. After the current series versus the Rawhide, San Jose travels to Modesto for a three-game set beginning on Monday.
Homestand Review
The Giants completed a 6-1 homestand against South Division opponents Rancho Cucamonga and Lake Elsinore last Tuesday. San Jose swept a three-game set from the Quakes before taking three out of four against the Storm. The Giants had a pair of walk-off extra-inning victories during the homestand (9-8 win in 10 innings vs. Rancho Cucamonga on July 16 and a 4-3 win in 11 innings vs. Lake Elsinore on July 19). San Jose's season-high eight-game home winning streak was snapped with an 8-1 loss to the Storm on Monday night. The Giants though rebounded on Tuesday in the homestand finale to earn an 8-3 victory and take the series.
Winning Ways
The Giants are 18-6 in their last 24 games dating back to June 27. Five out of the six losses have come against Stockton (3-5 vs. the Ports, 15-1 vs. the rest of the league). During the stretch, San Jose has rattled off winning streaks of six games (June 27-July 3), five games (July 16-20) and four games (July 8-11). The Giants haven't lost more than two games in a row since dropping four straight from June 20-23.
Tied For First
The Giants are 20-12 in the second half and currently tied for first place with the Stockton Ports (20-12) in the North Division standings. Including tonight, there are 38 games remaining in the regular season. San Jose has not held sole possession of first place in the North Division in either half yet this season. The Giants have reached the playoffs in a California League record 10 consecutive years (2004-2013). San Jose's 54-48 overall record is three games ahead of Visalia (51-51) in the North Division wild card race.
In July
San Jose's 15-6 mark this month is the best July record in the California League. The Giants are batting .285 and averaging 5.3 runs per game in July - both team-high totals for a month this season.
Blair's Offensive Surge
Over his last 20 games, outfielder Elliott Blair is batting .461 (35-for-76) with nine doubles, one home run and 14 RBI's. He's raised his season batting average from .272 to a team-leading .317 during the stretch. Blair has had multi-hits in 11 out of his last 20 games. He enjoyed a season-high 10-game hitting streak from July 2-11 and has hit safely in his last five games entering tonight's contest (.529, 9-for-17, 3 2B, 5 RBI).
Versus The Rawhide
The Giants are 10-10 against the Visalia Rawhide this season, including a 3-5 mark at Recreation Park. After starting the year 2-5 versus the Rawhide, San Jose has won eight out of the last 13 games. Outfielder Jesus Galindo (.389, 2 HR, 8 RBI) has been the Giants' top hitter against Visalia pitching this season.
Delfino's Hitting Streak At Eight Games
Third baseman Mitch Delfino brings an eight-game hitting streak into tonight's action. During the hit streak, Delfino is batting at a .400 clip (14-for-35) with three doubles and eight RBI's. His longest hitting streak this season is nine games (April 21-29). Delfino is second on the Giants with nine home runs, but hasn't gone deep since June 4 (37 games).
On The Road
Tonight marks the beginning of a stretch for the Giants playing 10 out of their next 14 games on the road. San Jose's 23-23 road record this season is second-best in the North Division (Bakersfield 26-23).
Lacking The Long Ball
San Jose is last in the California League with 63 home runs this season. The Giants have hit 11 homers in July after just nine home runs the entire month of June (24 HR in April, 19 HR in May). First baseman Brian Ragira (11) is the only San Jose player with a double-digit home run total this season. Conversely, the Giants pitching staff has allowed a league-low 75 home runs this year.
Opponent Notes: Visalia Rawhide
The Visalia Rawhide, an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, are 15-17 in the second half and enter this series riding a seven-game winning streak. Visalia is fourth in the league in batting average (.272) and sixth in ERA (4.59). The Rawhide are 27-22 at home this season (24-29 on the road).
California League Stories from July 24, 2014
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.
