Jacobs hits sixth homer in six games

Mike Jacobs' philosophy on home runs is well supported by his recent statistics.

"Homers come in bunches. I've always been a big believer in that," he said.

Jacobs homered twice on Tuesday, giving him six longballs in his last six games, as Triple-A Reno beat Fresno, 14-10, in a game that clocked in at 4:16, the longest nine-inning tilt in Aces history.

The lead changed hands five times and Reno won in the ninth frame on a walk-off grand slam by pinch-hitter Ed Easley.

"It was a long game. It was windy. It was cold. I'm definitely glad it didn't go to extra innings," Jacobs said. "Easley came through with that big hit, and it was a great team win."

A veteran of the Mets, Marlins, Royals and D-backs, Jacobs signed a Minor League deal with Seattle this January but was released during Spring Training. He hit .275 with 10 homers through 36 games for the Mexican League's Guerreros de Oaxaca before being welcomed back to the Arizona system, where he played 13 games with the D-backs and 101 with Reno last year.

"I didn't really have very many opportunities after Spring Training, and an opportunity to play in Mexico presented itself. I was swinging the bat well down there and staying in contact with teams, keeping up on who needed what," he said. "Obviously, to be familiar with not only Reno, but with the organization ... when this opportunity opened up, I knew it was a good fit."

He believes his service with Oaxaca is contributing to his current success.

"When I was down in Mexico, I was already playing hard. It's not like I was sitting at home," said Jacobs. "I already had 37 games, so it's not like I'm just jumping straight into the fire. It's a great atmosphere here too, and I'm glad to be back. It's been about being able to go out there and feel comfortable and not feeling like I have to try to do anything more than I'm capable of."

Since his June 4 return, Jacobs has posted a .429 average with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 14 games. He homered Thursday through Sunday. After an 0-for-4 Monday, he was 3-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs in Tuesday's two-homer affair.

"It's one of those hot streaks that comes every now and then. You might go a month with not hitting any [home runs], but then all of a sudden, you'll hit five in a week," Jacobs said. "Not a lot of guys hit two a week for the whole season. You get them within two weeks or a few days for your month full. But I'm off to a good start and it's been fun."

He plated three runs with his first roundtripper of the day in the first inning and followed it with another to start off the Aces in the third.

"After I hit the second one, I started thinking, 'Man, maybe I've got a chance for another one today,' but you don't go up there [into the batter's box] thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to hit a home run,'" he said. "You just focus on staying up the middle and putting a good swing on the ball, and if you do that, good things are going to happen."

He walked in the fifth, singled in the seventh and grounded out in the eighth.

"When you feel good, you feel good. It can go the other way real quick too, and when it goes bad, it can go bad," Jacobs said, "You just try to ride these hot streaks as long as you can."

Jacobs has other simple goals too.

"Obviously, I want to contribute. I just want to play good baseball. That's all you can do," he said. "If an opportunity with the big club opens up, hopefully I'm playing well and I get the opportunity. If not, well, I'm going to be playing hard down here."

Chris Owings, Arizona's No. 5 prospect, was 2-for-5 with a double and four RBIs.

Gary Brown, the second-ranked Giants prospect was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two walks.