Giants Begin Seven-Game Homestand Monday Against Bakersfield
Bakersfield Blaze (17–32) at San Jose Giants (32–17)
At Municipal Stadium
• Monday, May 27, 2:00 PM
• Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 PM
• Wednesday, May 29, 11:35 AM
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
Monday
Bakersfield — Jacob Johnson (3–2, 6.97)
San Jose — Ty Blach (6–1, 1.89)
Tuesday
Bakersfield — Jonathan Moscot (1–6, 5.55)
San Jose — Austin Fleet (4–1, 3.55)
Wednesday
Bakersfield — James Allen (2–5, 4.70)
San Jose — Kelvin Marte (2–0, 2.55)
Broadcast Information
The entire series can be heard live on sjgiants.com and inside Municipal Stadium on 92.9 FM with Joe Ritzo calling all of the action. Broadcasts begin 30 minutes prior to first pitch with The Giants Pregame Show. All 140 games this season will be aired on the club’s official website and through the San Jose Giants Mobile App. Additionally, every home game will be streamed live and available on demand through MiLB.TV.
Giants Begin Three-Game Series Against Bakersfield Monday Afternoon
The San Jose Giants begin a seven-game homestand Monday afternoon with the first of three straight contests against the Bakersfield Blaze at Municipal Stadium. San Jose has posted a 4–2 record against the Blaze this season dropping two out of three at Municipal Stadium from April 30-May 2 before sweeping a three-game series a week later in Bakersfield (May 7–9). The Giants last played on Saturday evening when they concluded their road trip with a come-from-behind 6–3 victory over the High Desert Mavericks. San Jose scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game before taking the lead with a three-run eighth inning. Angel Villalona (3-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) had a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the eighth, and also homered earlier in the contest, to lead the Giants offensively.
Road Trip Review
San Jose posted a 7–4 record on their season-long 11-game road trip that ended on Saturday. The trip began with the Giants taking three out of four games in Rancho Cucamonga. San Jose then won two out of three from Inland Empire before splitting a four-game set against High Desert. The Giants have still yet to lose a road series this season (seven series wins and one series split). San Jose’s 21–7 record away from Municipal Stadium is the top road mark in the California League.
League-Leading Pitching Staff
The Giants pitching staff has compiled a stellar 3.31 ERA this season to lead the California League. San Jose starting pitchers have been particularly impressive allowing three earned runs or fewer in 45 out of the first 49 games this season. The Giants boast two out of the top five individual ERA’s in the league with Ty Blach (#1, 1.89) and Edwin Escobar (#5, 3.24). Blach is also tied for second in wins with six. As a staff, San Jose is first in the league in strikeouts (470) and fewest home runs allowed (27).
San Jose Leads North Division By Two Games
San Jose (32–17) is two games ahead of the Visalia Rawhide (30–19) for the top spot in the first half North Division race. The Giants have won the first half North Division title in seven out of the last eight years. San Jose has also qualified for the playoffs in a league-record tying nine consecutive seasons (2004–2012). The Giants have 21 games remaining in the first half. San Jose has been in first place in the division for all but five days this season.
Power Hitters
Three of the top home run hitters in the California League reside in the Giants lineup. Outfielder Devin Harris is third in the league in homers (10), while first baseman Angel Villalona is tied for fourth (9) and catcher Jeff Arnold is tied for tenth (8). San Jose’s 42 total home runs this season are sixth in the league.
Brock Bond Returns
Infielder Brock Bond has returned to San Jose as he joined the Giants on May 17 from the Fresno (AAA) disabled list. Bond is recovering from a strained oblique sustained during spring training. Bond hit .332 with one home run and 31 RBI’s in 106 games with Fresno last season. His .422 on-base percentage was third in the Pacific Coast League. The former 24th round draft pick previously played for San Jose in 2008 when he batted .297 with no homers and 19 RBI’s in 45 games. Bond is batting .237 (9-for-38) with two doubles, a triple and two RBI’s in his first nine games this season with the Giants.
Home Cooking On Deck
Monday marks the beginning of a stretch where the Giants will play 14 out of their next 17 games at home. San Jose has lost seven out of their last 11 at home and are 11–10 overall this season at Municipal Stadium. The Giants have hit .247 as a team at home (.260 on the road) and posted a 4.06 ERA (2.74 road).
Bullpen Excellence
Josh Osich picked-up his fifth save of the season in San Jose’s last game on Saturday at High Desert. Osich is 5-for-5 in save opportunities this year and owns a spectacular 0.74 ERA (2 ER/24.1 IP) this year. The left-hander has not allowed a run in 13 consecutive relief appearances (14 innings) dating back to April 26. Fellow left-handed reliever Bryce Bandilla is tied for second on the team with 51 strikeouts in just 28 innings. His strikeout rate (15.9 per nine innings) is tops among all relievers in the California League this season.
Opponent Notes: Bakersfield Blaze
The Bakersfield Blaze, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, are in last place in the North Division with a 17–32 record — 15 games behind the Giants. Bakersfield has lost three in a row. Prior to their current losing streak, the Blaze had won a season-high six straight games. Bakersfield is tied for eighth in the league in batting average (.240) and seventh in ERA (4.65).
