LAKE ELSINORE — In a much better contest than other games in the series, the Storm had a chance to break their five-game losing streak until the San Jose Giants put three on the board in the seventh and cruised to their ninth straight victory on Saturday night, 6-3.
San Jose, led by two of the top position prospects in the game in Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernandez, has been the best team in the league in the second half with a 32-21 record.
The Storm started the game on a positive note with a Joe Tiroly home run down the left field line to open the scoring. The Giants answered back in the top of the second, sending eight men to the plate and putting three across the plate.
Tyler Schmitt battled on Saturday. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Lake Elsinore starter Tyler Schmitt started to settle down after that and held the Giants scoreless for the next three innings.
“He didn’t have his best stuff and missed some spots, but I really like the way that Tyler competed,” said Storm manager Brallan Perez.
“The biggest word of the week for us was to compete. Things haven’t been going our way, but we are going to compete at all times.”
In the bottom of the second inning, Alex Conover, who had missed the past few days with a sore lower back, walked and stole second and then advanced to third base on a ball-four wild pitch to Qrey Lott.
That set the Storm up for a double-steal as Conover came home easily when the Giants tried unsuccessfully to get Lott at second base.
Joe Tiroly got the Storm off to a good start. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Conover, the Padres’ fourth-round selection from Oklahoma State University this year, was 2-for-3 on the day with a walk and a pair of stolen bases. Defensively, he had an impressive throw from left field to gun down a Giants runner in the fifth innings.
“Having him in the lineup is going to give us a lot of value,” said Perez. “He plays the game very hard on both sides of the ball and, like [Elliot] Lascelles, he has a good idea of what he wants to do at the plate.”
After Schmitt left, the Giants got to his replacement, Yoesmerli Beltre, in his second inning of work when they put up three runs in the seventh to make the score 6-3.
Elliot Lascelles’ plate discipline has been impressive. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Elliot Lascelles got the start at shortstop and looked more comfortable there than he did on Thursday at second. At the plate, he actually did swing and miss once, but was 1-for-3 on the night and drew two walks.
“He is a guy that wants a lot of information from his hitting coach,” smiled Perez. “He wants to know how he is going to be attacked, what the strengths of a pitcher are to build into his approach.
“He also has a really good feel for the strike zone, and if you throw something he likes early, he is going to attack. He is one of the rare players that is not only a patient hitter, but an aggressive one.
“It’s hard to believe he is just 18.”
Storm Notes: Lake Elsinore will attempt to avoid being swept on Sunday when Luis Maracara takes the mound. … In addition to his home run, Tiroly, a seventh-round selection in this year’s draft from the University of Virginia, made several nice plays at third, despite primarily being a second baseman in college.
