You know, I was having trouble trying to think of what would be the top story for tonight.  How about this?

AAA: Sacramento 5, Oklahoma City 2

Top Lines

RF Joe McCarthy: 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (1), 1 SO
3B Mitchell Tolman: 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB
CF Bryce Johnson: 0-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO
C Joey Bart: 1-5, 4 SO, 1 E (3)

SP Nick Tropeano: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 1 HBP
RP James Sherfy: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO
RP Francisco Leone: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO

Sacramento opened their side of the scoring in the fourth inning as Jason Vosler led off the inning with a walk, and Jason Krizan hit a one-out single and Joe McCarthy was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Justin Bour grounded out to knock in the first run, and then Mitchell Tolman hit a 2-run single to put Sacramento up 3-1.  They held that up until the 8th, when McCarthy hit a solo home run.  That started a rally that loaded the bases, and Bryce Johnson walked to knock in the 5th run.

Other Notes:

  • The home run was McCarthy’s first of the season.  McCarthy had 7 in 67 games in 2019, during which he was traded to the Giants organization.
  • Tropeano had a nice bounce-back after being limited to 2.2 innings and giving up six hits in his first game.  He still gave up six baserunners in five innings, though.
  • Thursday was Sherfy’s best day yet in 2021, striking out the side.  He now has six strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work so far.
  • Bryce Johnson bounced back from the first game in which he didn’t get a hit by getting a couple of walks, including a bases-loaded one for an RBI.  He did go hitless, which dropped his batting average down to an even .500 (13-for-26).
  • Joey Bart got a single, but had a rough one otherwise with the golden sombrero.  On the year, he has nine strikeouts to one walk in 24 plate appearances.

AA: Richmond 2, Harrisburg 0

Top Lines

RF Vince Fernandez: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (1), 1 BB
1B Frankie Tostado: 1-4
CF Heliot Ramos: 0-4, 3 SO

SP Matt Frisbee: 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO
RP Joey Marciano: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
RP Matt Seelinger: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
RP Patrick Ruotolo: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 HBP

Well, that’s leading with the ending, but what else is there?  Richmond threw the first every 9-inning no-hitter in Flying Squirrel history (dating back to the 2010 season).  Oh, and the Flying Squirrels set a new winning streak at 8 games.

The starter was Matt Frisbee, who was obviously sensational.  Frisbee was perfect through six innings, striking out six batters, and he’s just continuing what’s been an excellent run through the system.  He now has a 2.90 career ERA, and while his strikeout rate is down early to start the year (he’s got 11 in 11.0 innings), he’s obviously doing amazing at keeping the other team from getting on.  He has allowed just two hits, and no walks.

Joey Marciano came in for the 7th, and while he walked the first batter he faced, he was strong otherwise.  In the 8th, he struck out the first two batters he faced before being lifted.  That gives him seven this season in 4.2 innings.  He was lifted for Matt Seelinger, who faced just one batter, but dispatched him with a strikeout so the team combined to strike out the side.  That led to the closer Patrick Ruotolo, who earned his third save of the year.  He did hit a batter with two out, but otherwise got three ground outs to seal the victory.

Other Notes:

  • Vince Fernandez’s first home run of the season was the first score of the game, and would’ve been all Richmond needed.  Fernandez, a Livermore native, came to the Giants as a free agent from the Rockies system.  He hit .257/.346/.543 over 74 games in Hartford of the Double-A then-Eastern League in 2019.
  • On an otherwise quiet night offensively, Heliot Ramos took a sombrero.  With his three strikeouts on a hitless night, he now has 10 against five walks in 35 plate appearances.
  • Richmond had another no-hit game, a 7-inning no-hitter on April 6, 2013 in the first game of a double-hitter.  It was a combination of starter Jack Snodgrass (who went six innings) and reliever Daryl Maday.  But as Madison Bumgarner will tell you, it doesn’t count officially.  In that game, current Major Leaguer Adam Duvall was playing third for the Squirrels, and current Giants first base coach Antoan Richardson was batting leadoff for the New Britain Rock Cats.

High-A: Eugene 8, Hillsboro 2

Top Lines

SS Will Wilson: 1-3, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 HR (2), 2 SO, 1 HBP
2B Tyler Fitzgerald: 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B (3), 1 SO, 1 SB (1), 1 HBP
DH Franklin Labour: 1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SO

SP Seth Corry: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 RBI, 8 SO, 1 HR
RP Solomon Bates: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO

The Emeralds were in a tight game in their home opener, and had just blown a lead, but things got grand.  The Emeralds loaded the bases with one out in part thanks to a hit batter and a walk, and got runs in thanks to a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.  Another hit batter, and the bases were loaded again.  That brought up Will Wilson with two out, and he hit a grand slam to seal the deal for the Emeralds and get them their first win at home (official and actual).

Other Notes:

  • Seth Corry was looking more like that late 2019 version of Seth Corry after a rough first outing.  The eight strikeouts in four innings belied his top prospect status.  The three walks are still tough, but now his (very) early ratio is 11K to 8 BB in 6.1 IP.
  • A scary moment as the Emeralds took the lead by wild pitch.  Diego Rincones came up limping after scoring.  As of yet, no report on his health, but he did stay in the game to play defense for the final half-inning.
  • Tyler Fitzgerald had a bit of a breakout game following what had been a cool start.  He came within feet of a home run, which instead turned into a double.  He still has a .351 on-base percentage above a .233 batting average through nine games.
  • Solomon Bates had just one strikeouts in his first two innings before this game, but struck out the side in his inning of work.
  • Diego Rincones and Caleb Kilian won Player and Pitcher of the Week honors for the Northwest High-A West League.

Low-A: Stockton 5, San Jose 4

Top Lines

C Rob Emery: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (2)
RF Alexander Canario: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (1), 3 SO
CF Luis Matos: 2-4
3B Luis Toribio: 2-4, 1 SO

SP Wil Jensen: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 2 HR
RP Austin Reich: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 SO
RP Brooks Crawford: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO

Thursday’s game was the Rob Emery show as he had a breakout game, although it wasn’t enough for San Jose.  The Giants fell behind 3-0 after two innings, and were down 4-1 after six.  But Emery hit his first home run of the season in the seventh to make it 4-2.  After Alexander Canario hit a home run in the 8th, Emery hit his second home run in the 9th to make it a tie game.  Unfortunately, the Giants gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to let the Ports take the walk-off win.

Other Notes:

  • Wil Jensen made his first start of the season on a last minute notice, after Nick Swiney was put on the injured list.  San Jose broadcaster Joe Ritzo tweeted that it was due to a concussion, though the cause of the concussion was not revealed.
  • Jensen had not given up a run in two 2-inning outings out of the bullpen, but a pair of home runs changed that.  After today’s game, he’s given up four hits in seven innings, but half have been home runs.
  • Emery was an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of San Francisco after the 2020 draft.
  • Luis Matos had a 2-hit game.  It’s his fourth 2-hit game over the last five games played, and it’s risen his batting average from .077 to .324 over that streak.
  • Luis Toribio got his first multi-hit game of the season, and is still just 3-for-20 on the season.