Giants run JetHawks onto the Dean's list

But don't tell that to San Jose backstop Mike Dean, who batted leadoff for the Giants on Tuesday night against the Lancaster JetHawks. Dean filled the role perfectly, stealing three bases, including a key theft in the top of the ninth inning which allowed him to score the winning run in a 4-3 San Jose victory.

"We saw him in spring training," JetHawks manager Darrin Garner said. "He's got good speed, plus he's pretty aggressive. He got good jumps on our pitchers, even though they were pretty quick to the plate, and he had the speed to get there."

Juan Ramos (1-1) took the loss for the JetHawks, who fell three games under .500 (8-11) for the first time this season.

With the game knotted 3-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, Ramos allowed a leadoff walk to Dean, who then helped himself to second base.

That extra 90 feet allowed Dean, who stole 13 bases last year at Class A Salem-Keizer, to score on Tony Zuniga's shot down the first-base line. That despite a strong throw from Lancaster right fielder Alex Fernandez.

Dean also swiped second in the seventh, helping him score another run.

By comparison, Lancaster had two runners caught stealing and a third picked off.

"If you don't get a good jump, you're not going to steal the base," Garner said.

Lancaster grabbed an early 3-0 lead when outfielder Gerald Eady belted his first home run of the season into the Lancaster bullpen along the left-field fence. The blast scored Ramon Valera and Jermaine Clark.

But San Jose came back with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, 3-3. The key hit was Tim Flaherty's infield single off Ramos, which was . just out of the reach of Lancaster shortstop Valera, who managed to scoop up the ball in time to make a close play on Mike Glendenning at home plate.

The runs were charged to Tim McClaskey, who allowed a leadoff single to Mike Dean and walked Glendenning on four pitches.

JetHawks starter Brandon Parker allowed four hits and three walks and hit two batters. He also got touched for his first run of the season in the fourth inning, when Brett Cooper walked, stole second and scored on Mike Dean's two-out single up the middle.

Prior to that, Parker had not allowed a run in his first 22 1/3 innings of work. He could have allowed more if not for his seasonhigh 10 strikeouts, six of which came with at least one runner on base.