STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports and San Jose Giants have now played six games head-to-head on the season and four of the six have been decided by one run. Saturday night's contest at Banner Island Ballpark was the most recent. The Ports went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports and San Jose Giants have now played six games head-to-head on the season and four of the six have been decided by one run. Saturday night's contest at Banner Island Ballpark was the most recent. The Ports went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and fell to the Giants 2-1 despite collecting four more hits than San Jose on the night.
After the Ports had a runner at third base with one out and failed to score in the third, the Giants grinded out a run in the top of the fourth facing Ports starter Parker Dunshee (2-2). Jalen Miller opened the inning with a single to left. Two batters later, Jacob Heyward doubled to the left field wall and Melvin Mercedes' throw in towards third base went down the third base dugout stairs, allowing Miller to score and Heyward to reach third base. Dunshee would go on to issue back-to-back two-out walks but escape the bases-loaded jam by getting Tanner Murphy to fly out to right field.
Dunshee would suffer the loss after going four innings and allowing one run on two hits while walking a career-high four and striking out four.
Brendan Butler took over in the fifth for Stockton and gave up a leadoff home run to Brandon Van Horn that pushed the Giants lead to 2-0. Butler, though, would settle in after allowing the homer and go on to pitch four strong innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven.
Giants starter Sandro Cabrera (6-0) induced an inning-ending double-play with two on and one out in the fourth and pitched around a one-out single in the fifth. In the sixth, Cabrera saw Nate Mondou reach on an error to open the inning. After a Skye Bolt single, Jonah Heim reached on a fielder's choice force play to put runners at the corners with one out. Dairon Blanco came up and delivered a single to right field that scored Mondou. Sandro Fabian, the Giants right fielder, bobbled the ball as he was fielding it which allowed Heim to advance to third. Blanco on the same play tried to take second and was thrown out by Fabian for the second out of the inning. After Luke Persico walked to put runners at the corners, Cabrera was lifted for Peter Lannoo, who got Kevin Merrell to strike out to end the inning.
Cabrera would pick up his league-leading sixth victory for San Jose, going 5.2 innings and allowing an unearned run on five hits while walking four and striking out five.
Stockton's best chance to tie or take the lead fell by the wayside in the seventh. After Brallan Perez singled to open the inning, Jason Goldstein hit a deep fly ball to right field that looked as if it may have gone over the fence. It was ruled that the ball hit off the railing above the fence and came back into play, resulting in runners at second and third with nobody out. Lannoo would bear down and get back-to-back strikeouts of Melvin Mercedes and Mondou and then get Bolt to ground out to second to end the inning.
Lannoo would pitch into the eighth inning and give up a two-out double to Persico, but Merrell followed and flew out to left field to end the threat. Lannoo went 2.1 scoreless innings and allowed three hits while striking out two.
Patrick Ruotolo (SV, 6) pitched around a one-out single by Goldstein in the ninth inning to notch his sixth save of the season.
Mondou, who went 0-for-5 on the night, saw his hit streak come to an end at 10 games.
The Ports and Giants play the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark. Brian Howard (4-2, 3.08 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by San Jose southpaw Conner Menez (2-2, 3.63 ERA). First pitch is set for 2:09 p.m. PDT.
