Late Lead Slips Away In 9-7 Loss To Ports

May 16, 2023 – California League (CalL) – San Jose Giants News Release

The San Jose Giants opened their 12-game road trip on Tuesday afternoon with a 9-7 loss to the host Stockton Ports at Banner Island Ballpark. Stockton scored six runs over the seventh and eighth innings to earn the comeback victory in the first of 30 contests between the division rivals this season. With the setback, San Jose (22-12) saw their season-high tying four-game win streak snapped.

Tanner O’Tremba (2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI) homered twice while Andrew Kachel (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) also went deep as part of a three-hit game to lead the Giants offensively in defeat. It was a sloppy game for San Jose as the Giants committed a season-high four errors, issued eight walks, hit two batters, threw six wild pitches and committed two balks.

The Ports knocked Giants starter Gerelmi Maldonado out of the game with a two-run bottom of the second to take an early 2-0 lead. Three straight walks issued by Maldonado to start the inning loaded the bases with none out. A Maldonado wild pitch then allowed the first run of the game to score. A two-out error later extended the inning for Stockton before a bases loaded walk forced home another run to make it 2-0 and end Maldonado’s day.

San Jose immediately got one run back in the top of the third as Kachel led off with a single before Zach Morgan laced a double down the left field line to put runners on second and third. P.J. Hilson then knocked in Kachel when he reached on a throwing error committed by Ports third baseman Jose Escorche.

The game remained at 2-1 until the top of the sixth as Giants relievers Luis Moreno (2 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) and Sam Delaplane (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) combined on 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. San Jose then scratched across a single run in the top of the sixth to tie the score. With one out, Carter Howell doubled to right and took third on the play when the throw from Stockton right fielder Henry Bolte skipped away for an error. Diego Velasquez followed with an RBI groundout as Howell came home for a 2-2 tie.

Miguel Mora was then summoned from the bullpen to begin the bottom of the sixth and surrendered a run in his first inning of work as the Ports quickly reclaimed the lead. With one out, Nelson Beltran bounced a double down the left field line, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Robert Puason’s two-out single as Stockton took a 3-2 lead.

A pair of two-run homers though hit in the…