Modesto’s Balog is pounded by San Jose; Nuts are swept by Giants

Alex Balog was consistent through five starts for the Modesto Nuts, building an impressive 2.43 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, including just three walks in 292/3 innings pitched.

But the fickleness of baseball found the right-hander Monday night at John Thurman Field. Balog allowed seven earned runs (eight total), 10 hits and even beaned two hitters in the Nuts’ 8-2 California League loss to the San Jose Giants. His ERA climbed to a still-respectable 3.82 as Modesto was swept in the three-game series in front of an announced crowd of 1,022.

Balog was coming off his best performance of the season, seven innings of one-hit ball in a win over Inland Empire last Wednesday. But San Jose peppered him immediately, as Jeff Kobernus and Juan Perez started the game with back-to-back singles and Angel Villalona continued his torrid hitting in the series with a two-run double. Three of Villalona’s four hits in the series were doubles.

Brian Ragira’s two-run single in the fourth gave the Giants a 4-0 lead, and they pounded Balog for four more runs in the sixth – on three consecutive doubles and four total – until he was pulled after 52/3 innings. Six of San Jose’s 12 hits were doubles.

Meanwhile, the Nuts reached double figures in hits (10) for the second night in a row but also failed to hit with runners in scoring position again. Modesto was 1 for 12 on Monday and a combined 1 for 21 over its past two games.

Rosell Herrera went 4 for 4 for the Nuts, but all four hits came with the bases empty.

Ryan McMahon scored both runs for Modesto – in the fourth on Ashley Graeter’s groundout and in the sixth on Michael Benjamin’s double.

The Nuts are off Tuesday and begin a three-game series at Bakersfield on Wednesday. All three games are scheduled for 7:45 p.m.

This story was originally published July 13, 2015 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Modesto’s Balog is pounded by San Jose; Nuts are swept by Giants."