minor lines, 6/19/08

AAA: Fresno lost to Sacramento 6-1

Fresno: DH Scott McClain: 1 for 2, 2 BB
Fresno: C Guillermo Rodriguez: 2 for 4, 2B, PB
Sacramento: SS Cliff Pennington: 2 for 4, BB, SO

Fresno: RHP Matt Palmer: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K--1 HB
Fresno: LHP Geno Espineli: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Fresno: RHP Jesse Foppert: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K--1 HR, 1
WP
Sacramento: LHP Dallas Braden: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K--1
PO, 1 E

G-Rod was the lone Grizzly with two hits, but his AVG remains below .
250. His first XBH of the season was also the Grizzlies' only XBH for
the game. McClain reached base three times, raising his OBP above .
360. Pennington, the A's first round pick three years ago, was the
lone RiverCat with multiple hits, helping to raise his line to .
312/.404/.455 in 77 AB since he was promoted to the PCL in late May.

Palmer, who had been leading the league in both strikeouts and walks,
had a rather atypical line with 2 BB and 3 K. While once again
throwing more than 100 pitches in six innings, he improved his ERA to
4.45, but his W-L record slipped to 2-8. Espineli and Foppert, who
allowed a long HR on the first pitch he threw, struggled to find the
strike zone, particularly Foppert, as they combined to throw 27 of 63
pitches for strikes in less than two innings of work. Braden made his
eighth PCL appearance (six starts), also mixed among seven relief
appearances with the A's. He threw just 65 pitches (44 strikes) in
five relatively short innings of work.

AA: Connecticut lost to New Hampshire 6-1

Connecticut: LF-CF Ben Copeland: 2 for 4, 2B
Connecticut: DH Eliezer Alfonzo: 2 for 4, SO
New Hampshire: RF Travis Snider: 2 for 4, 2 2B

Connecticut: RHP Adam Cowart: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K--1 HR
Connecticut: RHP Kelvim Pichardo: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K--1
HR

Copeland and Alfonzo were two of three Defenders with two hits each.
Copeland's 7th double of the season helped to raise his SLG above .
360. Alfonzo played in his third game for the Defenders after five
games with Augusta since returning from his suspension. With two
doubles, Snider, the Blue Jays' top prospect, improved his Eastern
League line to .285/.371/.490 in 200 AB. After a slow start, he has
hit .379/.429/.586 in June.

Cowart allowed a HR for the first time this year. He allowed 4 HRs a
year ago. With eight hits, half of which went for extra bases, his
BAA rose to .306. Pichardo allowed an earned run for the first time
in three weeks. His ERA remains below 2.50.

A+: San Jose lost to Visalia 3-2

San Jose: RF Tyler Graham: 1 for 3, 2B, SH
San Jose: C Pablo Sandoval: 1 for 4, 2B, SO
Visalia: LF Eric Byrnes: 1 for 4, SO

San Jose: LHP Ben Snyder: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K--1 WP
San Jose: RHP Taylor Wilding: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Sandoval's 24th double and Graham's 4th double accounted for half of
the Giants four hits. The D'backs' Byrnes got to play his first rehab
game near his Bay Area home.

Byrnes, the first batter Snyder faced, led off the game by reaching on
an error, and that eventually led to three unearned runs in the
inning, which were the only runs the Oaks scored. Snyder otherwise
improved his league-leading ERA to 2.00. Wilding, who had allowed
earned runs in each of his last three appearances, pitched scoreless
relief in perhaps his longest appearance of the year.

A-: Augusta defeated Asheville 5-2

Augusta: 2B Nick Noonan: 2 for 4, 2B, SO
Augusta: 1B Angel Villalona: 2 for 3, 2B

Augusta: RHP Oliver Odle: 7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K--1 HR, 1
WP
Augusta: LHP Andy De La Garza: 1.1 IP, 2 K

Villalona and Noonan, the two teenagers on the right side of the
GreenJackets' infield, each had two hits, including their 14th and
15th doubles of the season, respectively, accounting for two thirds of
the GreenJackets' six hits, as they raised their respective AVGs to .
241 and .296.

Odle had a career high 10 K in his second longest start of the year
(8.0 IP on May 23). Over his last eight starts, he has 44 H, 0 BB and
37 K in 45.2 IP with a 3.15 ERA. De La Garza struck out two of the
four batters he faced for his first pro save.

ssA: Salem-Keizer defeated Yakima 3-2

Salem-Keizer: RF Damon Wright: 2 for 4, 2B
Salem-Keizer: 1B Mike Loberg: 2 for 2, 2 2B, BB, SF

Salem-Keizer: RHP Chris Begg: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K--1 HR
Salem-Keizer: RHP Bryan Irving: 2.0 IP, 5 K

Loberg, the Giants' 33rd rounder a year ago, had a big game to lead
the Volcanoes offensively in his third game as a pro. Wright, the
Giants' 25th rounder this year, also had two, including a double in
his third game as a pro.

The 28-year-old Begg, on a rehab assignment after a 4.01 ERA in 27
starts a year ago, made his season debut, which included a 10/1 GO/FO
line. Irving, the Giants 17th rounder this year, had an impressive
pro debut striking out five of the six batters he faced. He was
quoted in the Statesman Journal, "I was probably too jacked up. I
think people could see it in my face because I had guys come up to me
and tell me to calm down before I went out to the mound."

R: Scottsdale begins its season on Sunday

DSL: Giants defeated White Sox #2 12-1

Dominican: 2B Julio Izturis: 2 for 4, BB, HBP, SB, E
Dominican: RF Jose De La Cruz: 3 2 for 3, 2B, BB
Dominican: LHP Franklin Noel: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K--1 PO

De La Cruz, who is less than two months past his 17th birthday,
improved his line to .326/.375/.419 through 43 AB. The 18-year-old
Izturis reached base four times to raise his OBP to an even .500. The
19-year-old Noel had a line that included four walks in his first
start of the year, a striking contrast to the 11 K and 1 BB he had in
four relief appearances previously this year. Still, his ERA of 1.59
represents a solid start to the season. The lefty also picked off a
runner at third base, which seems very unusual.