by Ethan Kassel / A’s Farm Stockton Correspondent
(photo: Meghan Camino)
STOCKTON — Stockton’s 5-4 win over San Jose on Monday, combined with Visalia’s loss to Modesto, clinched the first-half California League North Division championship for the Ports. It’s the team’s first first-half title since 2003, and the Ports became the first minor league team to clinch a first-half title this season.
Rehabbing A’s reliever Ryan Buchter pitched the first inning for the Ports on Monday. While he struggled a bit with his command and a small strike zone, his mechanics looked solid and he was able to cleanly repeat his pickoff move, which was good to see as he returns from a shoulder injury.
With Oakland off on Monday, A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson was on hand to watch Buchter, who allowed a hit and a walk but got out of the first inning by inducing a grounder from San Jose left fielder Jacob Heyward that Stockton shortstop Kevin Merrell turned into a 6-to-3 double play. Buchter threw 16 pitches in the game, just seven of them for strikes. Emerson wasn’t the only notable personality in the building. Dusty Baker, who now works in the Giants front office as a special advisor, was also in attendance on Monday.
The Ports immediately struck in the bottom half on the first frame. A’s center fielder Boog Powell, who’s also on a rehab assignment, drew a walk, advanced to second on second baseman Nate Mondou’s groundout, stole third and then scored on left fielder Skye Bolt’s sacrifice fly. Powell played seven innings and also singled in the game to finish 1 for 3 on the night.
San Jose took the lead briefly in the top of the second on catcher Matt Winn’s two-run shot off righty Parker Dunshee, who took over for Buchter in the second, but the Ports struck back in the home half of the inning. Right fielder Dairon Blanco tripled into the right field corner, evaded a rundown on a fielder’s choice ground ball by first baseman Luke Persico and came in to score on shortstop Kevin Merrell’s single. Persico then scored on Powell’s two-out single to put Stockton back on top by a run.
Stockton held on to a slim, one-run lead until the bottom of the sixth. San Jose starter Conner Menez, who failed to make it out of the first inning against the Ports five days earlier, allowed just three hits, all in the second inning, walked three and surrendered three runs over five innings of work before reliever Connor Overton came on to take over in the sixth.
Overton immediately issued a leadoff walk to catcher Jonah Heim, who scored on Blanco’s second triple of the night, which sailed over the head of San Jose center fielder Bryce Johnson, who initially broke in on the play. Persico’s sacrifice fly two batters later stretched Stockton’s lead to 5-2.
Dunshee rolled through the seventh, picking up his sixth and seventh strikeouts on the night, but he ran into trouble in the eighth. Shortstop Brandon Van Horn singled and, after Johnson became Dunshee’s eighth strikeout victim, second baseman Jalen Miller singled to bring up first baseman Gio Brusa as the potential tying run. Dunshee struck out the Stockton area native to notch his ninth strikeout of the night, but Heyward then singled to get the visitors back within two and chase Dunshee from the game.
Reliever Sam Sheehan took over for Dunshee and got designated hitter Heath Quinn to ground into an inning-ending force out, but Sheehan hit some bumps in the ninth. He walked right fielder Sandro Fabian to lead off the innng and, after getting Winn to fly out, gave up a single to pinch-hitter Wander Franco, then hit Van Horn with a pitch to load the bases.
Lefty Andrew Tomasovich came on to try to escape the bases-loaded jam, but he immediately allowed a single to Johnson to bring the Giants back within a run. He then got Miller to pop out to shallow right and induced a popout to short from Brusa to secure Stockton’s 40th victory of the year, notch his second save of the season and clinch the first-half division title for the Ports.
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