Giants Cruise To 6-1 Win Over Bakersfield
BAKERSFIELD - Ty Blach allowed just one run over five innings and Myles Schroder homered to lead the San Jose Giants to a 6-1 victory over the Bakersfield Blaze on Wednesday evening at Sam Lynn Ballpark. San Jose has claimed the first two games of the series to extend their road winning streak to seven.
Blach (4-1) scattered seven hits, walked none and struck out a season-high six during his stint on the mound to pick-up the win. Cody Hall (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO), Bryce Bandilla (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO) and Hunter Strickland (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO) then combined for four scoreless innings of relief to seal the Giants victory.
Elliott Blair (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Chris Lofton (2-for-4, 2 2B) and Mac Williamson (2-for-5, 2B) had two hits apiece for San Jose offensively while Schroder (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) added his third home run of the season.
The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning as Lofton doubled with one out before Schroder stepped to the plate and crushed a two-run homer to deep right field. It was San Jose's fifth home run of the series.
Blach began his start with five strikeouts over the first two innings before running into trouble in the bottom of the third. Juan Perez began the third-inning rally with a one-out double to left center. After Juan Silverio singled to put runners on the corners, Dominic D'Anna bounced a single into right field to plate Perez and cut the Giants lead to 2-1. However, with Marquez Smith at the plate, Silverio was thrown out at third attempting to advance on a pitch in the dirt. Smith then flied out to right to end the inning.
The score remained 2-1 until the Giants pushed across a single run in the top of the sixth. With one out, Jeff Arnold drew a walk before Blair smashed an RBI double off the fence in straightaway center field.
San Jose added two runs in the seventh to extend their lead to 5-1. Lofton led off with a double down the right field line and then took third on a passed ball. After Schroder walked, Shawn Payne delivered a sacrifice fly to right. Then with two outs, Williamson doubled to deep left center putting runners at second and third before a walk to Arnold loaded the bases. Blair then walked on a 3-2 pitch to force home Schroder with the second run of the frame.
The Giants completed the scoring in the top of the ninth when Devin Harris led off with a triple to the fence in deep right and scored when the relay throw into third bounced into the San Jose dugout.
Meanwhile, Blach pitched around a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth and a one-out single in the fifth to finish his outing. Bakersfield wouldn't manage another baserunner until the ninth inning as Hall retired all six batters he faced before Bandilla tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth. In the ninth, Strickland issued a leadoff walk and allowed a two-out single, but retired Ryan Wright on a pop out to second to end the game. Prior to the leadoff walk, Giants pitchers had combined to set down 11 Bakersfield hitters in a row.
Blaze starter James Allen (1-4) suffered the loss after surrendering two runs (both earned) on four hits in five innings. Allen walked four and struck out four.
Notes: San Jose has won three consecutive games while Bakersfield has lost seven in a row … The Giants out-hit the Blaze by a 9-8 margin … Six of the nine San Jose hits went for extra-bases (four doubles, one triple and one home run) … Blach leads the team and is tied for second in the California League in wins … He lowered his ERA to 1.87 … Over the last three games, Giants relievers have combined for 15 1/3 scoreless innings … Allen has allowed a league-high 10 home runs this season … San Jose (22-11) maintained their half-game lead over the Visalia Rawhide (21-11) in the first half North Division race.
On Deck: The Giants will look for a sweep of Bakersfield when the teams conclude their three-game set on Thursday evening. First pitch at Sam Lynn Ballpark is scheduled for 7:30 PM. Chris Marlowe (1-0, 1.73 ERA) is slated to start on the mound for San Jose while the Blaze are expected to counter with Carlos Contreras (1-3, 3.23 ERA). The game can be heard live on sjgiants.com with coverage beginning at 7:00 PM.