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CalL1 San Jose Giants

San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Host Inland Empire in Three-Game Weekend Series

May 9, 2014 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


Inland Empire 66ers (13-22) at San Jose Giants (15-20)

At Municipal Stadium

- Friday, May 9, 7:00 PM

- Saturday, May 10, 5:00 PM

- Sunday, May 11, 1:00 PM

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

Friday

Inland Empire - Nate Smith (4-3, 3.28)

San Jose - Chris Stratton (2-3, 4.83)

Saturday

Inland Empire - Kyle McGowin (1-3, 2.29)

San Jose - Kendry Flores (2-3, 4.02)

Sunday

Inland Empire - Alex Keudell (1-5, 10.08)

San Jose - Joe Kurrasch (0-0, 2.45)

Broadcast Information

The games on Friday and Saturday will be televised live on Comcast Hometown Network, Channel 104. Joe Ritzo handles the play-by-play while color commentary duties will be provided by Joe Castellano on Friday and Rocky Koplik on Saturday. The entire series can also be heard live on sjgiants.com and inside Municipal Stadium on 92.9 FM. All 140 games this season will be aired on the club's official website and the San Jose Giants Mobile App. Additionally, every home game is streamed live and available on demand through MiLB.TV.

Giants Continue Homestand Against Inland Empire

The San Jose Giants continue their homestand this evening with the opener of a three-game series against the Inland Empire 66ers at Municipal Stadium. Chris Stratton (2-3, 4.83) is slated to make the start on the mound for the Giants tonight. Stratton picked-up the win in his most recent start on May 3 at Lancaster after working a season-high 6 2/3 innings with three runs allowed and three strikeouts.

Last Series

The Giants won three out of four games against the visiting Modesto Nuts to begin the homestand. After the Nuts earned a 6-1 victory in the opener on Monday, San Jose posted three straight wins by the scores of 6-4 on Tuesday, 6-5 on Wednesday and 4-1 last night to take the series. Tuesday's triumph was the Giants' first win this year when trailing after seven innings. In yesterday's finale, San Jose starter Joe Biagini struck out a season-high seven and allowed just one run on five hits over six innings to pick-up the win. Mason McVay followed with two scoreless innings of relief before Tyler Rogers pitched the ninth for his first save of the year. Offensively, Brian Ragira delivered a two-RBI double in the bottom of the fourth and Blake Miller connected for a two-RBI double in the eighth inning to account for all of the Giants' runs.

Three Straight Wins

San Jose enters tonight's contest riding a three-game winning streak. Prior to the three straight wins, the Giants had gone 4-12 in their last 16. San Jose had also lost their last four series' before taking three out of four from Modesto to begin the current homestand. It marked the Giants' first series win since they took two out of three games in Bakersfield from April 17-19. A victory tonight would match San Jose's longest win streak of the season (four games, April 15-18).

Close Calls

Six out of San Jose last eight wins, including two victories in their most recent series, have been by one or two runs. The Giants are 6-4 in one-run games this season.

Hitting Leaders

Center fielder Jesus Galindo (.326) and third baseman Mitch Delfino (.321) rank sixth and eleventh respectively in the California League in batting average. Delfino is also tied for third in home runs (7) and sixth in RBI's (26) while ranking as the fourth-toughest player in the league to strikeout (one strikeout every 9.4 at-bats). Galindo's 10 stolen bases this year are tied for fifth in the league and his 44 hits are tied for third.

Bullpen Struggles

Despite three scoreless innings from relievers last night, over the last 16 games, the San Jose bullpen has posted a 6.99 ERA (52 ER/67.0 IP). The Giants lead the league with nine blown saves this season. San Jose has lost six games this year when leading after six innings - twice as many defeats as the next-closest team in the league.

Okert Closes It Out

While the Giants bullpen has struggled overall this season, Steven Okert has excelled in closing games. The left-hander is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities this year to go with a 1.08 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. Okert is limiting the opposition to a .153 batting average. Prior to this year, Okert had collected just two career saves in two professional seasons. Okert's eight saves this year rank tied for second in the league.

First Half Midpoint

After last night's game, the Giants (15-20) reached the midpoint of the first half. San Jose had a 24-11 record after 35 games last season en route to winning the first half North Division title.

Miller's Offensive Surge

Shortstop Blake Miller is batting .375 (30-for-80) with three home runs and 17 RBI's in his last 20 games. Miller hit safely in 15 straight games from April 16-May 3 - tied for the longest hitting streak in the California League this season.

Excelling With Runners In Scoring Position

Blake Miller (.364), Jesus Galindo (.364), Mitch Delfino (.354), Shawn Payne (.333) and Elliott Blair (.308) all boast batting averages over .300 this season with runners in scoring position.

Opponent Notes: Inland Empire 66ers

The Inland Empire 66ers, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, are in last place in the South Division with a 13-22 record. Inland Empire is ninth in the league in batting average (.239), last in runs scored (3.7 per game) and fourth in ERA (3.86). The 66ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a win in Bakersfield last night. San Jose won two out of three from Inland Empire in their only previous meeting (April 14-16 at Municipal Stadium).

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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.

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