On Deck: Modesto at San Jose
 
5/22/2009
Modesto Nuts (25-16) at San Jose Giants (23-18)
View Game Notes in PDF Format At Municipal Stadium · Friday, May 22nd at 7:00 PM · Saturday, May 23rd at 6:00 PM · Sunday, May 24th at 2:00 PM · Monday, May 25th at 2:00 PM Pitching Match Ups · Friday – Brandon Durden (2-2, 3.20) at Scott Barnes (4-1, 4.41) · Saturday – Kenny Durst (1-2, 3.51) at T.J. Brewer (1-0, 2.38) · Sunday – Bruce Billings (3-3, 4.08) at Clayton Tanner (2-1, 3.71) · Monday – Cory Riordan (1-3, 6.05) at Craig Clark (2-2, 3.89) THE SAN JOSE GIANTS… continue their homestand Friday evening with the opener of a four-game series against the Modesto Nuts at Municipal Stadium. The Giants managed just one win over three games during their most recent series versus the Inland Empire 66ers. San Jose claimed a 6-3 victory over the 66ers on Tuesday before Inland Empire notched 2-1 and 8-4 wins over the last two days. The 66ers rapped out 14 hits yesterday afternoon in the rubber game of the series while Buster Posey led the San Jose offensive charge with a home run and three RBI’s. The Giants enter Friday’s action in third place in the first half North Division race with a 23-18 record – three games behind the Visalia Rawhide (26-15) for the top spot. Home Sweet Home… Last Tuesday marked the beginning of a stretch where the Giants will play 15 out of 19 games and 21 out of 28 at Municipal Stadium. San Jose has played the fewest home games of any team in the California League (17) and has posted a 10-7 record, .284 team batting average and a 2.65 ERA in their own yard this season. Posey Heating Up Again… Catcher Buster Posey has caught fire again as he brings a seven-game hitting streak into Friday’s series opener. Last Monday at Modesto, Posey hit his first home run of the month and finished with four RBI’s. Three nights ago, he rapped out a pair of doubles, including the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the eighth inning before driving home San Jose’s only run in Wednesday’s game. Yesterday, Posey blasted his team-leading seventh homer of the season while contributing three RBI’s. Posey has 10 RBI’s in his last four games and is batting .385 (10-for-26) during his current hitting streak. The former first round draft pick hit .366 with five homers and 20 RBI’s during April before undergoing a 6-for-42 (.143) slump from May 1-13. San Jose In The Cal League Rankings… The Giants enter Friday’s game fifth in the California League in batting average (.277) and third in ERA (3.70). Offensively, San Jose is sixth in the league in runs scored (5.1 per game), fourth in home runs (34) and last in stolen bases (23). On the mound, the Giants have issued the fewest walks in the California League (99) and have thrown the most shutouts (5). Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold… The Giants have essentially spent the entire regular season without a long winning streak or losing streak. San Jose began the campaign with four straight victories to mark their longest winning streak of the season, but have not claimed three straight victories since April 18-20. Conversely, the Giants have yet to lose three straight games at any point this year. San Jose needs a victory in Friday’s game to avoid their first three-game losing streak this season. One-Run Woes… Wednesday’s loss to Inland Empire dropped San Jose’s record in one-run games to 3-7 – worst in the California League. The Giants have lost their last four one-run games, including three walk-off defeats on their most recent road trip. Of note, San Jose owns a 6-2 record in two-run games – best in the league. Where Is The Offense?… After a tremendous month of April that saw the Giants post a team batting average of .301 (second in the league) to go with 6.0 runs per game and 26 home runs, San Jose has struggled to find consistency at the plate in May. The Giants currently possess a .250 average this month (second-worst in the league) and are tied with Stockton and Modesto for the fewest home runs (8). San Jose is averaging only 4.3 runs per game in May while the club has posted an even 10-10 record. Barnes To Start Series Opener… Left-hander Scott Barnes (4-1, 4.41 ERA) is slated to make the start on the mound for the Giants in Friday’s series opener. Barnes will be making his first start at home since April 11 tonight after six consecutive appearances on the road. He leads the Giants and is tied for fourth in the California League in wins while Friday marks his third straight start against Modesto (Brandon Durden will be the opposing pitcher in all three games). Barnes has recorded victories in his previous two starts combining for 10 1/3 innings with four runs allowed and four strikeouts. The 21-year old was an eighth round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants last June out of St. John’s University. Media Coverage… The San Jose Giants and Comcast have joined forces to bring fans 14 live television broadcasts during the 2009 season, including Friday’s game against Modesto. This evening’s game can be viewed live on Comcast Hometown Network Channel 104 throughout most Northern California regions and anytime through Comcast On Demand Channel 1. The entire series can also be heard live on www.sjgiants.com. Modesto Nuts… The Modesto Nuts, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, enter Friday’s contest in second place in the North Division with a 25-16 record – one game behind Visalia for the top spot. Modesto took two out of three games from the visiting Rawhide in their most recent series. The Giants and Nuts have already played each other 11 times this season (all in May) with Modesto owning a slim 6-5 advantage. The Nuts are tied for ninth in the league in hitting (.250), first in pitching (3.39) and have won a remarkable 15 games this season by one run – more than twice than any other team.