Bullpen Woes Continue As Ports Fall 16-11
STOCKTON, Calif. - For just the second time this season, the Stockton Ports lost a game when leading after the eighth inning. Stockton's bullpen surrendered 11 runs on Wednesday night, including five in the 10th inning as they fell to the San Jose Giants by a final of 16-11 in 10 innings at Banner Island Ballpark.
Stockton built an early lead with runs over the first two innings. Addison Russell led off the bottom of the first with a home run off Giants starter Clayton Blackburn to give the Ports a 1-0 lead. In the second, Stockton got a two-run double from Rashun Dixon to stretch it to 3-0.
San Jose's first runs came in the third inning. With two outs, Ports starter Raul Alcantara walked Brock Bond and then surrendered a two-run homer to Mac Williamson that cut the Ports lead to 3-2.
The Ports got a run back in the third inning on a solo blast by Tony Thompson, extending his on-base streak to 32 games. Stockton got its final run off Blackburn in the fifth inning on a leadoff home run hit by Antonio Lamas to make it a 5-2 game.
Blackburn would receive a no-decision, going five innings and allowing five runs on five this while striking out seven.
The Giants took advantage of a Ports error in the sixth as Williamson reached on a throwing error committed by third baseman B.A. Vollmuth to open the frame. With two outs, Devin Harris singled to left to make it 5-3.
Bryce Bandilla took over for the Giants in the sixth and gave up a single and a walk before leaving due to injury. Jason Forjet took over and gave up a one-out RBI single to Russell that increased the Ports lead to 6-3. The run was charged to Bandilla who went a third of an inning.
The Giants plated a pair of runs in the seventh as Alcantara gave up a leadoff single to Eric Sim who scored on an ensuing triple by Myles Schroder. Schroder scored as the throw into third went off the glove of Vollmuth and into foul territory, making it a 6-5 game.
Alcantara went six-plus innings for Stockton and received a no-decision, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits while striking out five.
The Ports appeared to have pulled away in the bottom of the seventh inning. Forjet gave up a leadoff double to Bobby Crocker and then a single to Thompson to make it 7-5. After Vollmuth singled to put runners at the corners, Bruce Maxwell drove in another run with a sac-fly to center. After Dusty Robinson singled, Dixon came up and hit a three-run homer to left to put the Ports lead at 11-5. All five runs were allowed by Forjet, who pitched an inning in relief for San Jose.
Omar Duran, who recorded all three outs in the seventh inning, started the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Ryan Cavan, who scored on an ensuing double by Harris. After Duran issued back-to-back walks to load the bases, Schroder came up and hit a two-run single to right to make it 11-8 and knock Duran from the contest. Jonathan Joseph came on from the bullpen and, after getting Chris Lofton to fly to center, Joseph gave up a sac-fly to Bond and then an RBI single to Williamson that put the Giants within a run at 11-10.
Joseph came back out for the ninth in a save situation and retired the first two batters of the frame. San Jose, however, came up with three straight singles from Bobby Haney, Sim, and Schroder, with Schroder's single knocking in the tying run. It was the only run allowed by Joseph in two innings of work.
The Giants exploded for five runs in the 10th inning facing Ports reliever T.J. Walz (4-2). Bond reached on a fielding error committed by Vollmuth to start the inning, his third error of the night. After Bond went to second on a wild pitch, Williamson struck out but reached on a wild pitch, putting runners at the corners. With the infield in, Ricky Oropesa singled back of the shortstop to drive in two runs and put the Giants in front. With two on and two out, Jeff Arnold, who entered the game defensively in the ninth, hit a three-run homer in his only at-bat of the night to make it a 16-11 Giants lead.
Walz suffered the loss, going one inning and allowing five runs (one earned) on two hits.
Derek Law (3-0), who pitched the eighth and ninth innings for the Giants, picked up the win on the night.
The Ports will try and salvage the finale game of their three-game set with the Giants on Thursday. Brett Anderson (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make the start for Stockton on a Major League rehab assignment, opposed by San Jose left-hander Ty Blach (11-3, 2.95 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.