Giants blank Ports, win 12th straight

According to San Jose pitching coach Brian Cooper, the Giants are unlike any other team he's ever seen. Now they've got a record to prove it.

The Giants won their team-record 12th consecutive game Tuesday, blanking the Stockton Ports, 2-0, for their Minor League-leading 10th shutout of the season.

"It's pretty special," said Cooper, who pitched for three Major League teams from 1999-2005. "This is such a great group of guys. They pull for each other more than any other team I've seen. Guys are always picking each other up. If we don't pitch, we hit. If we don't hit, we pitch.

"These guys really believe they're gonna win the game. Whenever they don't, they're surprised. They're never out of a game. They just go out there and battle."

San Jose starter David Mixon (3-0) struck out seven over seven innings, allowing only two hits and two walks. He lowered his ERA to 1.88 in four California League appearances.

"He was keeping the ball down very well, throwing the sinker, and when he got ahead, he put guys away with the slider-curveball combo," Cooper said.

Mitch Lively and Heath Hembree followed Mixon and combined to fan five over two innings, with Hembree earning a share of the Minor League lead with his 18th save.

The Giants improved to 37-15 and remained nine games in front of second-place Bakersfield in the North Division. Their 3.18 team ERA leads the League by more than a run -- the next-closest club is Lake Elsinore with a 4.54 mark.

"Guys are just attacking hitters. That's the whole game plan," Cooper said. "And we've got some pretty darn good defense backing them up. Things are just working."

The Giants' roster boasts three of the league's top four pitchers in terms of ERA: Craig Westcott (2.72), Kelvin Marte (2.75) and Chris Heston (2.88). Cooper, who previously served as the pitching coach for the Rookie-level Arizona League Giants, said he preaches aggressiveness and command.

"Fastball command over anything," he said. "I want guys to attack guys with the fastball and pitch to both sides of plate, which they're doing a very good job of. Whenever we go over hitters before the game, guys are sticking with it. They're not trying to do anything spectacular, they're just staying in and letting the defense work."

Cooper also credited his players for understanding the nuances of pitching.

"We do have a few guys whose stuff is plus," he said. "[Zack] Wheeler and Hembree, their stuff is just off the charts. But for the most part as a staff, we have pitchers. For a pitching coach, that's what's really important, that guys can go out there and change speeds and read swings and understand different situations. That's what these guys are excelling at."