AAA: Sacramento 12, El Paso 4

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Sacramento Notes:

  • Sacramento’s offense woke up in a 12-4 win, highlighted by a 7-run third inning.  With RBI doubles by Michael Gigliotti and Clint Coulter, and RBI singles by Joey Bart and Gary Sanchez.  The supported a sparking start by Ryan Walker, who didn’t allow a baserunner in 3.0 innings while striking out.
  • Starter Ryan Walker had his second strong start, and remains unscored upon after three games and 6.2 innings, allowing just one hit and two walks with six strikeouts.
  • Cole Waites had a tough one, working the fourth inning, giving up a run on three hits, with one strikeout.  It’s Waites’ first run allowed of the season, but also his first game without a walk.  He’s given up four hits and three walks to two strikeouts in 3.0 innings.
  • R.J. Dabovich had a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.  It’s his first scoreless appearance, nuding his ERA down to 11.57.  In 3.1 innings, he’s allowed three runs, but on just one hit and five walks.
  • Joey Bart had a strong batting line in his first rehab game of the season, going 2-for-3 with a walk, and even stole a base.  He can’t return fast enough with the Giants hurting for healthy catchers.
  • Speaking of, Gary Sanchez was at DH in his first game in the Giants organization, and went 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.  Sanchez hit .205/.282/.377 in his 2022 season with the Minnesota Twins.
  • Right fielder Clint Coulter went 3-for-5 with his first double of the year, also picking up three RBI.  Coulter is 10-for-24 (.417) with a double and a home run in seven games this season.
  • Original right fielder Heliot Ramos was scratched late in the game, and it’s reported that he’s headed to join the Giants as they are about to face a number of left-handed pitchers in the next few games, and the team has almost only one outfielder who can hit right-handed, switch-hitter Bryce Johnson.  Ramos is 2-for-8 against left-handed pitchers, with a walk and a double.

AA: DOUBLEHEADER

Game 1: Richmond 4, Reading 3

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Game 2: Richmond 3, Reading 2

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Richmond Notes:

  • Luis Matos finally got started on his new season after his struggles last season, and it started the right way.  He went 3-for-4 in Game 1, and combined to go 3-for-5 with a home run and two walks in the doubleheader.  Matos hit .215/.280/.356 in High-A in 2022.
  • Left fielder Ismael Munguia went 3-for-6 overall in his first game day since 2021, with two walks to no strikeouts.  Munguia hit .336/.366/.502 in 2021 at High-A Eugene, but missed all of 2022 with a wrist injury.  He also took the most Munguia bases-loaded walk ever (quick reactions, Ismael!).
  • Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald went 2-for-4 with two walks and one strikeout between the two games.  Fitzgerald returned to Double-A after batting .229/.310/.424 there in 2022 with 21 home runs, the third-highest single season total in Richmond Flying Squirrels franchise history.
  • Game 2 starter Nick Zwack had an outstanding 2023 debut, striking out nine in 4.0 innings, with just one hit allowed.  Zwack had a 2.81 ERA overall last season, but had just a 3.99 ERA in six games with Eugene after he was traded to the Giants organization.
  • Game 1 starter Carson Seymour was bit by some bad luck with a pair of errors behind him, giving up three runs but just one earned, on three hits and two walks, with three strikeouts.  Just like Zwack, Seymour had a 3.99 ERA in six games with Eugene after he was traded to the Giants.
  • Ryan Muphy got started on what he hopes will be a healthy 2023 with two scoreless relief innings in Game 1.  Murphy struck out five in the two innings, on two hits and a walk.  Murphy got a late start in 2022, with a 4.68 ERA in 11 games from Arizona to Double-A. 

High-A: Eugene 4, Everett 3

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Eugene Notes:

  • The Emeralds won a back-and-forth game which saw the leads change and ties break four times in the last three innings.  After Everett took a 7th inning lead, a 2-run Jimmy Glowenke home run gave Eugene the lead in the top of the 8th.  Everett came back to tie it at 3 apiece in the bottom of the 8th, but once again, it was Jimmy Glowenke, coming up clutch with a bases-loaded single to give the Ems the winning run.
  • It was obviously a big game for Jimmy Glowenke, who made his season debut, and went 3-for-3 with a home run and a walk.  Glowenke is returning to Eugene for a second season, after he hit .212/.301/.412 through 75 games there in 2022.
  • Center fielder Grant McCray followed up his big opening day with a 2-for-5 game with his second double of the season, although he also added an error.  McCray has gone 5-for-10 through the first two games with two doubles and a triple, with one steal.
  • Starter Eric Silva made his season debut, giving up a run in 4.0 innings, on three hits and two walks with one strikeout.  Silva had a 5.88 ERA in 22 starts at San Jose in 2022, but was ranked by many rankings in the Top 15 prospects.
  • Ty Weber took the save in his season debut, striking out two without allowing a baserunner.  Weber had a 3.71 ERA in 2022, playing mostly in Eugene but with short stints in Richmond and Sacramento.

Low-A: San Jose 5, Fresno 4

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San Jose Notes:

  • San Jose won off of the two shutout performances of two pitchers.  Will Kempner started the game with 3.0 shutout innings, while Dylan Cumming finished the game off with 4.0 shutout innings.
  • Center fielder Carter Howell went 2-for-5 with his first double and two strikeouts.  The 24-year old undrafted signee is now 3-for-14 (.214) with a double to start his season after three games.  Howell went 9-for-29 in nine games in his pro debut in 2022, hitting two doubles.
  • Second baseman Diego Velasquez also had a 2-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout.  Velasquez is 3-for-10 with three walks and two strikeouts with one steal in three games to start the season.    Velasquez hit .251/.338/.315 in 62 games in 2022, mostly in the Arizona Complex League.
  • William Kempner made his season debut, going three scoreless innings, with two hits and three walks allowed, with three strikeouts.  The 3rd round pick had a 5.00 ERA in his pro debut in 2022, in five appearances.
  • Dylan Cumming threw 4.0 shutout innings, giving up seven hits and striking out three in his pro debut.  The 23-year old Cumming was an undrafted free agent signed in February, and had a 5.05 ERA with Liberty University in 2022.

Random Notes Elsewhere in Baseball

To be filed under things you don’t see very often, look at this win by Chattanooga over Rocket City on Saturday.  Don’t just look at the number of innings (it’s part of a minor league doubleheader, so it just went 7 innings).  Don’t just look at the score.  Don’t just look at the inning the runs came in.  Look closer.

If you’re wonder how that works, it goes Walk-Walk-Pop Out-Walk-Strikeout-Walk (Run 1)-Error (Runs 2,3,4)-New Pitcher-HBP-HBP-HBP (Run 5)-Walk (Run 6)-Wild Pitch (Run 7)-HBP-Strikeout.  Most of those walks were off of Ben Joyce, who averages 101 mph and touches 105, and was drafted in the 3rd round of 2022, but they pushed him to Double-A.

But hey, it was the second no-hitter in Rocket City Trash Pandas history.  Yay!