RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA -Johan Mieses delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to a 5-4 victory over the Giants on Wednesday evening at LoanMart Field. The Quakes tied the game on Ibandel Isabel's two-run home run in the bottom of
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA -Johan Mieses delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to a 5-4 victory over the Giants on Wednesday evening at LoanMart Field. The Quakes tied the game on Ibandel Isabel's two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th before Mieses' single an inning later gave Rancho Cucamonga the walk-off win. The series-opening defeat for San Jose (38-52 overall, 8-12 second half) was their eighth loss in the last 11 games overall.
Aramis Garcia (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) had three hits, including a dramatic go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the 10th, to lead the Giants offensively. Bryan Reynolds (2-for-3, HR, RBI) also homered as part of a two-hit game at the plate.
San Jose trailed early by a 2-0 score before plating one run in the top of the fourth to cut the Quakes lead in half. Reynolds walked to start the frame before moving to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Ryan Howard singled into center advancing Reynolds to third before a Heath Quinn sacrifice fly to deep left brought home the first Giants run of the contest.
Reynolds then blasted a solo home run to right leading off the top of the sixth to tie the game 2-2. The home run was Reynolds' fifth of the season.
Albert Suárez made a second rehab start for San Jose and worked the first three innings yielding two runs (both earned) and three hits. Suarez struck out two and walked none during his 43-pitch outing. Grant Watson, the originally scheduled starter, then took over to begin the bottom of the fourth and kept Rancho Cucamonga off the scoreboard through the ninth.
Watson fired six scoreless innings during his impressive long relief stint yielding just one hit. The left-hander walked two and struck out four. Watson retired 17 out of the 20 batters he faced, including 12 in a row at one point from the fifth through the ninth innings.
The game was still tied 2-2 entering the top of the 10th when the Giants would take their first lead of the night. With two outs, Reynolds was hit by a pitch to put a runner on first. Garcia was up next and he crushed a two-run home run down the left field line for a 4-2 San Jose advantage. The home run was Garcia's team-leading 14th of the season.
The Quakes though would immediately answer with a two-run homer of their own in the bottom of the 10th to tie the game. Dylan Rheault was summoned from the bullpen to begin the frame and he promptly allowed a leadoff single to Omar Estevez. Isabel then stepped to the plate and sent a soaring fly ball over the fence down the right field line for a game-tying two-run home run. Isabel is second in the California League with 18 home runs this season.
Rheault recovered to set down the next three hitters after the home run, but the Giants were quickly retired in the top of the 11th. Carlos Diaz then entered for San Jose to begin the bottom of the 11th and quickly ran into trouble. Luke Raley led off and he beat out a high chopper to shortstop for an infield single. DJ Peters then walked to move the winning run to second before Mieses lined a 3-2 pitch from Diaz into left field center for the game-winning RBI single.
Andrew Istler (3-3) earned the win out of the Quakes bullpen after throwing a perfect top of the 11th. Istler struck out two batters in his only inning of work. Rancho starter Dennis Santana pitched a season-high eight innings with two runs (both earned) and seven hits allowed. Santana walked one and struck out six.
Diaz (2-2), who did not retire a hitter in the bottom of the 11th, was saddled with the loss.
Notes
* Wednesday was the opener of a seven-game road trip for San Jose.
* The Giants fell to 2-2 in extra-inning games this season.
* Garcia is third in the California League in home runs and fourth in RBI's (55). He's hit six home runs in his last 13 games.
* Over his last three appearances (two starts), Watson has pitched 18 2/3 innings with just two runs allowed (0.96 ERA).
* Both teams finished with eight hits. San Jose was 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position while Rancho Cucamonga finished 1-for-3.
* Rheault suffered his second blown save in 12 opportunities this season.
* The Giants are 8-16 in one-run games.
* San Francisco Giant Eduardo Núñez started at DH in the first game of his rehab assignment with San Jose. Nunez went 1-for-3 with a single before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.
* Suarez has pitched six innings with two runs allowed in his two starts with the SJ Giants.
* Catcher Matt Winn returned to San Jose from Sacramento (AAA) before the game on Wednesday. Catcher Connor Sabanosh was placed on the 7-day disabled list.
On Deck
The Giants and Quakes continue their four-game series on Thursday evening with first pitch at LoanMart Field scheduled for 7:05 PM. Matt Krook (3-8, 5.85 ERA) is slated to start on the mound for San Jose while Rancho Cucamonga is expected to counter with Adam Bray (3-2, 3.39 ERA). The game can be heard live on sjgiants.com with coverage beginning at 6:45 PM.
