SJ Giants Series Preview April 29-May 4 at Modesto
April 29, 2025 - California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
San Jose Giants (13-8) at Modesto Nuts (15-6)
Tuesday, April 29 - Sunday, May 4
John Thurman Field (Modesto, CA)
Radio: sjgiants.com
GIANTS IN MODESTO THIS WEEK: The San Jose Giants are back on the road this week for a six-game series against the Modesto Nuts (Mariners affiliate) at John Thurman Field. The Giants enter the week with a 13-8 record and sit two games behind Modesto (15-6) for the top spot in the first half North Division standings. Following this series, the Giants have only three games remaining against the Nuts in the first half (June 17-19 in Modesto - the final three days of the half).
HOME COOKING: San Jose's strong play at home continued last week when the Giants won five of six games against the visiting Fresno Grizzlies at Excite Ballpark. Included in the series win were a pair of shutouts, one of which was a 17-0 blowout of the Grizzlies last Friday. The 17 runs and 18 hits in the contest were both season-high totals. The Giants fell one run shy of matching the largest margin of victory in a game in franchise history (18 runs). San Jose hit .311 as a team and outscored Fresno 46-17 during the six-game set. The series concluded last Sunday with the Giants' first walk-off victory of the year when Zander Darby hit a two-run home run in bottom of the 10th inning to lift San Jose to an 8-6 win. It was the Giants' first walk-off homer in nearly three years (Vaun Brown, 5/14/22 vs. Lake Elsinore). The Giants are now 11-1 at home this season.
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Giants begin the week leading the California League in run differential (+53), home runs (16) and ERA (2.68).
ROAD WOES: The Giants will be looking to get on track away from home with this week's series in Modesto. San Jose is only 2-7 on the road this year with all nine games coming against first-place teams. The Giants were swept by Modesto in a three-game series to open the season before dropping four of six at South Division-leading Rancho Cucamonga on their last road trip. Of note, five of the seven road losses have come by either one or two runs. The Giants are averaging only 4.4 runs per game on the road compared to a whopping 7.8 runs per contest at home. Beginning with Tuesday's series opener, the Giants will play 18 out of their next 24 games on the road through May 25.
STARTING STRONG: The Giants' scheduled starting pitchers in the first four games of this week's series - Hunter Dryden, Niko Mazza, Drake George and Greg Farone - have pitched a combined 57 1/3 innings with only five earned runs allowed this season (0.78 ERA). Farone will enter his start on Friday having thrown 15 consecutive shutout innings spanning his last four appearances. During the 15-inning streak, Farone has allowed 10 hits with five walks and 21 strikeouts. Farone's overall ERA of 0.51 leads the California League. The Giants' entire starting rotation has a combined ERA of 2.36 - lowest in the California League. San Jose starters have surrendered only one home run in 80 innings pitched this season.
DIAZ WINS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lisbel Diaz was named California League Player of the Week on Monday. In six games against Fresno last week, Diaz had 12 hits in 27 at-bats (.444 AVG) with two doubles, one triple, one home run and eight RBI's. He had multi-hits in four of the six contests, including a four-hit game last Friday. Diaz, who is the youngest player on the Giants roster (19 years old), has hit safely in 17 of his 20 games played this season and boasts a .306 batting average overall. His 26 hits rank third in the California League.
BEST VS. BEST: This series features a matchup between a Nuts team that leads the California League in runs scored (7.2 per game) against a Giants team that leads the league in ERA (2.68).
CATCH US IF YOU CAN: The Giants have been remarkably successful in stealing bases early in the season. Entering this week, San Jose is 43-for-46 in stolen base attempts through their first 21 games. The 93 percent success rate leads the league and the club's 43 overall steals rank third. Individually, Dakota Jordan is tops on the club with nine stolen bases (in nine attempts) while Carlos Gutierrez and Jose Ramos have seven steals each. The Giants stole a season-high seven bases in last Sunday's series finale against Fresno.
SAN FRANCISCO AFFILIATION: This year marks San Jose's 37th season as an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants - the longest current partnership in the California League. Since their inception in 1988, the San Jose Giants have won seven league championships (1998, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2021) and graduated 247 players to the major leagues.
ON DECK: Following the current series in Modesto, the Giants return to Excite Ballpark for a six-game set against the Lake Elsinore Storm beginning on Tuesday, May 6.
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