San Jose Giants on Deck: Surging Giants Continue Road Trip in Rancho Cucamonga
May 20, 2016 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
At LoanMart Field (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) * Friday, May 20, 7:05 PM * Saturday, May 21, 7:05 PM * Sunday, May 22, 2:05 PM * Monday, May 23, 7:05 PM
Records San Jose: 23-15 Rancho Cucamonga: 28-13
Probable Starting Pitchers Friday San Jose - Jordan Johnson (4-2, 3.09) Rancho Cucamonga - Hyun-Jin Ryu (ML Rehab)
Saturday San Jose - Mark Reyes (2-1, 4.78) Rancho Cucamonga - Yaisel Sierra (2-1, 5.14)
Sunday San Jose - Jason Forjet (4-2, 4.41) Rancho Cucamonga - Tommy Bergjans (2-3, 5.13)
Monday San Jose - Martin Agosta (2-0, 1.65) Rancho Cucamonga - Andrew Sopko (5-0, 3.22)
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 Series In Rancho Cucamonga Tonight The San Jose Giants continue their road trip this evening with the opener of a four-game series against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes at LoanMart Field. Jordan Johnson is slated to make the start on the mound for the Giants tonight. Johnson is ninth in the California League among qualifying pitchers in ERA (3.09), fifth in opponents batting average (.198) and third in WHIP (0.91). He's also tied for fourth in the league with four wins. Johnson, a former 23rd round draft pick, has allowed one or no runs in three out of his six starts this season.
14-Game Road Trip Tonight is the sixth game of San Jose's season-high 14-game road trip. The Giants are 3-2 thus far on the trip. San Jose suffered back-to-back losses in Modesto last Sunday and Monday to open the trip before sweeping three games from the Stockton Ports in a series that concluded yesterday afternoon. Following the current series against the Quakes, the Giants continue their road trip with three games in Visalia before returning to Modesto for two more games. The 14-game trip is the longest road trip for any team in the California League this season. The Giants are 10-2 in their last 12 road games overall.
Stockton Sweep The Giants scored 29 runs on 45 hits over the last three days en route to sweeping the host Stockton Ports. San Jose is now 10-0 against Stockton this season, including a 7-0 mark at Banner Island Ballpark. The Giants have outscored the Ports by a 71-27 margin in the 10 games.
Winning Ways The Giants enter tonight's contest having won 13 out of their last 17 games. San Jose's 13-5 mark in May is the best record in the California League this month. With yesterday's win, the Giants moved a season-high eight games above .500 (23-15).
Hinojosa, Shaw Among League Leaders After picking-up six hits during the three-game series in Stockton, shortstop C.J Hinojosa is currently second in the California League with a .351 batting average this season. Hinojosa's .435 on-base percentage is also second in the league. First baseman Chris Shaw ranks ninth in the league in batting average (.312), sixth in home runs (7), tied for fourth in RBI's (29), tied for first in doubles (13) and third in slugging (.553).
Championship Series Rematch Tonight marks the first game between San Jose and Rancho Cucamonga since last September's California League Championship Series. The South Division champion Quakes swept the North Division champion Giants three-games-to-none last year to win the title. Rancho Cucamonga posted victories of 12-3 and 4-3 in the first two games at home before a 5-0 shutout of San Jose at Municipal Stadium in Game 3 to win the championship. It was the first time since 1999 that the Championship Series featured a match-up between Giants and Dodgers affiliates.
Bednar's Hitting Streak At Nine Games Second baseman Brandon Bednar brings a nine-game hitting streak into tonight's contest. Bednar is batting at a .405 clip (15-for-37) with two home runs during the hit streak. Chris Shaw has the longest hit streak by a Giants player this season when he hit safely in 10 straight games from April 23-May 3.
First Half Race The Giants (23-15) are one game behind Visalia (25-15) in the first half North Division race. San Jose last had a share of first place after the first game of the season (April 7). The Giants were a season-high six games out on May 1.
Scoring Early San Jose's two highest scoring innings this season are the second (34 runs) and first (30 runs). The Giants have scored first in 27 out of their 38 games (71 percent). San Jose is 20-7 (.741) when scoring first compared to 3-8 (.273) when their opponent scores first.
Duggar's Power Surge Outfielder Steven Duggar homered in back-to-back games against Stockton on Tuesday and Wednesday. His six homers this season are tied for second on the team (one behind Chris Shaw). Prior to homering on Tuesday, Duggar hadn't gone deep since April 17. He hit four home runs in his first eight games this season. Duggar is batting .279 this season and ranks fifth in the league with a .405 on-base percentage.
San Francisco Affiliation This year is San Jose's 29th season as an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants - the longest current partnership of any team in the California League. Since their inception in 1988, the San Jose Giants have won six league championships (1998, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010), 11 North Division titles and qualified for the playoffs 21 times (in 28 seasons). The Giants enter this year having posted a league-record 12 consecutive winning seasons (2004-2015).
Opponent Notes: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, have the best record in the league at 28-13. The Quakes lead the league in batting average (.281), runs scored (5.9 per game) and ERA (3.42). Rancho Cucamonga is 13-8 at home this season (15-5 road). Tonight is the first 11 meetings this season between the Giants and the Quakes. This series is San Jose's only visit to LoanMart Field this year. Rancho Cucamonga outfielder Kyle Garlick leads the league with 35 RBI's and is also second in home runs (10) and fourth in batting average (.327). Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to make the start on the mound in this evening's series opener as part of a rehabilitation assignment.
California League Stories from May 20, 2016
- Ryu Works in Front of Sold-Out Crowd at LoanMart Field - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Catcher goes 0-for-4 as hitting streak and team's four-game win streak end - Lancaster JetHawks
- Castellani Deals in 4-2 Loss - Modesto Nuts
- JetHawks Comeback Win Earns Series Sweep - Inland Empire 66ers
- Fields Day Slams Wiper, Mavericks - Bakersfield Blaze
- San Jose Giants on Deck: Surging Giants Continue Road Trip in Rancho Cucamonga - San Jose Giants
- Ferguson Redeems Nuts in 5-4 Win - Modesto Nuts
- Stubbs Blast Caps 'Hawks Comeback - Lancaster JetHawks
- Quakes Complete 5-2 Road Trip, Home Friday with Ryu Scheduled to Pitch - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
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