Giants spoil Roe's return to Nuts

By BRIAN VanderBEEK
bvanderbeek@modbee.com

last updated: May 23, 2008 05:29:49 AM

Chaz Roe supplied his own scouting report prior to Thursday night's game, saying that he planned to throw strikes and see what happened. He was true to his word, but there was one problem: San Jose didn't miss.

The first seven Giants' batters hit safely and scored six runs before Roe recorded an out, then San Jose ran away to a 17-7 victory at John Thurman Field.

"The fastball was flat in the first inning and I left a few of them up," said Roe, who started 29 games for Modesto in 2007. "They didn't hit it that hard, and after that first inning I settled down and started getting the ball down."

It was a Thirsty Thursday, meaning $1 beer for the fans who braved the multiple traffic problems on Highway 99 to reach the park. And Beer Night provided a game worthy of a local beer league, with the 24 runs scoring on 30 hits and seven errors.

Before the game was over, the Nuts' defense would suffer a complete meltdown, committing six errors that led to eight unearned runs.

Roe was making his first start of the season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee while running in Tucson, Ariz., just before spring training. He had surgery and wasn't able to return to live action until April.

So instead of starting this season in Double-A, as was the plan, he is in Modesto for two starts (Thursday and Tuesday) before reporting to Tulsa. When asked Wednesday what kind of approach he planned to take in his first outing of the season, he said "I'm going to throw a lot of strikes."

He came at the Giants with an assortment of fastballs to start the first inning, and within the game's first 16 pitches San Jose belted Roe for seven hits and six runs. He allowed another run in the second inning, then faced the minimum over the next three innings.

"I probably should have switched up a little more in the first inning and thrown a changeup in there," Roe said. "But they told me in the dugout after the first inning to mix my pitches better and that really helped me out."

That gave the Nuts time to rally against San Jose starter Kevin Pucetas (6-0). Michael McKenry lined a two-out RBI double in the fourth and the Nuts got two more in the fifth when Daniel Mayora drilled a two-run, two-out single to center.

Suddenly back in the game at 7-3, Modesto gave it all back and then some in the sixth. Mayora made two errors at shortstop and Geoff Strickland added two bobbles at second base to allow the Giants to score five unearned runs and extend their lead to 12-3.

Strickland's second home run of the season highlighted Modesto's three-run sixth inning, and the Nuts added one more in the seventh on a single by Jay Cox -- his third hit of the game -- briefly pulling the Nuts within 12-7.

But two more errors -- one on Matt Repec at third base and another on Anthony Jackson in center -- greased the path for five San Jose runs (two earned) in the eighth off Brandon Durden.

"We were pretty good offensively and terrible defensively," said Nuts manager Jerry Weinstein. "Our focus was unfocused after the sixth inning."

Bee staff writer Brian VanderBeek can be reached at bvanderbeek@modbee.com or 578-2300.

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