Granier Helps Ports To First Shutout Victory

STOCKTON, Calif. - Stockton Ports starter Drew Granier (4-2) is quickly making a name for himself in the California League. Granier tossed seven scoreless innings on Monday night as he helped the Boys of Banner Island to their first shutout win, 6-0, over the Visalia Rawhide. With the win, the Ports earn a split of their four-game set with Visalia and go 4-3 on their seven-game homestand.

Stockton took advantage of an early miscue to get on the board in the first inning. With two outs and the bases empty, Max Muncy hit a grounder to second. Raul Navarro's throw to first was dropped by first baseman Matt Helm to keep the inning alive. Josh Whitaker came up next and drew a walk, and Dusty Robinson followed with an RBI single past Helm at first to give the Ports a 1-0 lead. With runners at the corners, catcher Michael Perez was charged with a passed ball as Rawhide starter Conrad Flynn (2-1) was working to Ryan Delgado, allowing Whitaker to score and making it a 2-0 game. Beginning with Delgado popping out to end the first, Flynn would retire the next 12 batters in a row.

Granier ran into a jam in the third as Visalia loaded the bases with one out on a walk and back-to-back singles. Granier, though, would get Jake Lamb to hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double-play to escape the jam unscathed.

The Ports added a run in the fifth when Bobby Crocker hit a two-out solo homer to right off Flynn to make it a 3-0 contest.

Flynn started the bottom of the sixth and gave up back-to-back singles to Muncy and Whitaker, at which time he was lifted for Blake Cooper. After Cooper recorded the first out, Delgado came up and hit a two-run double to right-center to increase the Ports lead to 5-0.

Flynn took his first loss of the season, going five-plus innings and allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out three.

Granier allowed two singles in the sixth inning but recorded a pair of strikeouts in the frame and kept the Rawhide out of the run column. He allowed a leadoff single in the seventh, but retired the next three batters in a row to end his outing.

Granier earned the win, going seven shutout innings and allowing five hits while matching a season high with 10 strikeouts.

Stockton added their last run in the eighth when Whitaker came to the plate and hit a solo home run with one out off of Rawhide reliever Kaleb Fleck to make it 6-0. Whitaker went 2-for-3 on the night with three runs scored.

Pedro Vidal tossed two scoreless innings down the stretch for the Ports to preserve the shutout.

After going 4-3 on their seven-game homestand, the Ports begin a seven game road trip on Tuesday as they start a three-game series in Modesto. Left-hander Jake Brown (1-1, 5.31 ERA) toes the rubber for Stockton, opposed by Nuts right-hander Chris Jensen (0-3, 4.78 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT at John Thurman Field.