We trekked up the I-15 to watch the Storm host the San Jose Giants. Unfortunately, while the parent Padres club was getting shut down by Jeff Weaver and the Dodgers, The Elsinore contingent wasn’t faring much better. Thanks in large part to a 7-run fifth, the SJ Giants won the game, 14-5.

Dave Roberts made his final rehab appearance, going 0 for 4 with a walk. He drew the walk on four pitches to lead off the first. After that he didn’t hit the ball out of the infield. Roberts saw a lot of action in the field (13 extra base hits allowed will do that to an outfielder) and looked okay, although it was a little troubling to see Cal League baserunners taking liberties with his arm. He does get props for bumping fists with mascot Thunder en route to his position to open the game.

Fernando Valenzuela Jr. got the start at first base. He’s a big kid, built a lot like his dad. At the plate, he knows the strike zone and he has some power. Valenzuela provided one of the few bright spots for the home team Sunday, working the count full in the third before slamming one out just to the left of the 342 sign in right-center.

Drew Macias had an interesting first inning. In the top half, he positioned himself perfectly on a fly ball to left and, after making the catch, fired a strike home for an inning-ending double play. It was textbook. Then in the bottom half, he started walking off second base after a routine grounder to first. Presumably he’d lost track of the outs (although he was just the second batter of the game). I say “presumably” because I didn’t see what happened. Thinking the play was over, I had started scribbling notes in my scorecard before looking up to see Roberts being thrown out at the plate after a lengthy and quite baffling rundown. Such is the Cal League.

The starting pitcher for the Storm was Javier Martinez (BA #28). After missing all of last year due to shoulder surgery, Martinez is back at Elsinore, where he’d enjoyed some success in 2003. Before the injury, I liked him as a sleeper. Back then, his fastball checked in around 91-93 mph. Yesterday it was in the 86-88 mph range. His delivery looked free and easy, so maybe he just needs a little time to get the velocity back. Whatever the case, Martinez got pounded by San Jose: Half of the 20 batters he faced reached base, with 6 of the 9 hits allowed going for extra bases. Martinez was relieved by the enigmatic Edgar Huerta, who surrendered seven runs in an inning and two-thirds.

Despite the lopsided score, it was an enjoyable day at the park. (A bad day at the ball game is better than a good day at work, right?) They’ve installed a nice new video scoreboard in right-center at the Diamond, and the folks up at Elsinore really do run a good show. If you’re headed up for a Sunday afternoon contest and sitting behind home plate, be sure to bring sunscreen: the shade doesn’t arrive till the fifth or sixth inning. But sitting behind the dish is worth braving the sun and the young women who are less interested in the game than in the guys playing it; this is where the scouts and, frequently, the pitchers not working that day’s game sit, running the radar gun and tracking pitches. There is no better way to watch a game in my book.