After Anthony Gose opened the game with a double to left field off Trey McNutt, Garcia hit a grounder up the middle that eluded diving second baseman Ryan Flaherty for an RBI single. “It wasn’t hit that hard, so I was running as hard as I could,” Garcia said through teammate Jesus Sanchez, who served as his translator. “One the ball made it up the middle, I was worried if it was a hit or an error.”

It was ruled a hit and Garcia was presented with the ball. “It felt great to get it off my back and let my emotions go,” he said. “After every game, they keep telling me, ‘You’ve got the streak, you’ve got the streak.’ It was great to finally get it over with.” Garcia broke the record he shared with Joe Altobelli, who hit in 36 consecutive games for the Daytona Beach Islanders in 1951. “It’s been up there for a long time and I’ve had my day in the sun,” Altobelli told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “I’ve enjoyed the run.”

Altobelli went on to manage the Rochester Red Wings and Columbus Clippers to three International League championships and the Baltimore Orioles to the 1983 World Series title.

Garcia collected a hit in his first at-bat for the fifth straight game. He homered in the opening inning of Saturday’s 4-3 win over Lakeland to tie the record. “Early in the game, I know I’m going to see a lot of fastballs,” Garcia said. “I’ve been able to take advantage of that in the beginning of the game.”

Garcia is 52-for-147 (.354) during the streak, which began on May 24 and has raised his average 65 points to .341. He’s been held hitless only twice in 45 games since joining the Threshers on May 16. “I’m going to be more relaxed. I’m going to play baseball the way I know how to play,” he said. “I will continue to pay hard and see how far I can keep it going.”

Last season, Jamie McOwen of the Class A Advanced High Desert Mavericks set a California League record by hitting in 45 consecutive games. That’s the longest streak in the Minor Leagues over the past two decades. Wichita’s Joe Wilhoit holds the record with a 69-game streak in 1919.

A year ago, Garcia batted .291 with 55 RBIs and 42 stolen bases in 118 games at Class-A Lakewood, where he had a career-best 11-game hitting streak from April 23-May 7. The 5-foot-11, 164-pound Venezuela native signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a non-drafted free agent in 2008.

Riddoch said his return this summer even was in doubt after he injured his back throwing batting practice during spring training. “I threw every day in the major league camp and everything was good, so they even had me throw extra,” said Riddoch, who will turn 65 on July 17th. He is the most winning manager in Emeralds history with a record of 335-324. He led the Ems to the Northwest League title in 1975 and a co-championship in 1980, the last two titles in franchise history.

Riddoch gained his greatest fame when he compiled a 200-192 record as manager of the Padres from 1990-92 after earlier serving as bench coach and first-base coach for San Diego. He has also been a third-base coach for Tampa Bay and the director of player development for the Milwaukee Brewers during a baseball career that started in 1967 when he began a five-year playing career in the minors with Cincinnati.

Riddoch said he is not necessarily planning to retire from baseball, but he wants to spend more time with his four grandchildren who range in age from 2 to 11 and travel with his wife, Linda.

In addition to his job managing the Emeralds San Diego’s short-season Class A affiliate, Riddoch is also listed as a mental skills coach for the organization, and he has spoken to the Padres about continuing that work next year.

Riddoch said San Diego manager Bud Black liked his ideas regarding mental skills, so he has submitted a proposal about working in that role on a limited basis next year for the Padres. “I do visualization, dealing with failure, distraction techniques, goal-setting, breathing techniques, pre-pitch and pre-hit routines, things to think about, and how to relax your muscles,” Riddoch said. Riddoch has spent many summers at Civic Stadium but ran his team through their first workout at PK Park. “It’s beautiful,” he said. “Fans will like it, kids will like it. It’s nice and clean.

Riddoch said he thinks his new hitting coach, Shawn Wooten, could be his successor, and he plans to let him take some of the managerial duties this season. The 37-year old Wooten played for Anaheim, Philadelphia and Boston during a six-year major-league career from 2000-05 and won a World Series with the Angels in 2002.

Bumgarner, pictured here, a first-round draft pick in 2007 and rated San Francisco’s No. 2 prospect before the start of the season, has gone at least seven innings in each game since being recalled from Triple-A Fresno on June 26. “It hasn’t really settled in yet, “a beer-soaked Bumgarner said in front of his locker, which contained a ball and scorecard from the game as mementos. “I’m just glad to be pitching up here.”

So are his Giants’ teammates who showed their appreciation by dousing Bumgarner with beer after teammate Barry Zito summoned him to the shower.

“To me, it’s his third quality start in a row,” catcher Buster Posey said. “He threw the ball in and out really well, had that cutter working, was able to throw the changeup for a strike when he needed it, and then later in the game he started flipping curveballs in. He did a great job.”

Bumgarner was 7-1 with a 3.12 ERA while at Fresno. The southpaw, pictured here while with Fresno, hadn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since April 14. Not only did he pitch well enough to win Tuesday, but he picked up an RBi with a fourth-inning single. “I love hitting as much as anything,” Bumgarner said. “I don’t get to do it a whole lot here, but I enjoy it.” He was hitting .385 with a home run and three RBIs in 13 at-bats.

While he did have a 1.80 ERA in four appearances with San Francisco last year, Bumgarner is learning another valuable lesson – focus on the challenge at hand.

“They don’t play as much baseball in Italy as they do over here,” said West Tenn manager Tim Laker, “but Alex has good instincts and a good feel for the game. He definitely has the tools to play in the Major Leagues. Like most young players, he just has to be more consistent.”

Liddi has shown just how good he can be in June, going 16-for-31 with five doubles, two homers and 15 RBIs over a nine-game stretch while lifting his average to .296. In 61 games, he has 47 RBIs, tied for second in the league. These stats still don’t compare to the ones he put up in the hitter-friendly California League last year, when he batted .345 with 23 homers and 104 RBIs for High Desert. But he has begun to make the transition at the plate.

“The pitchers are better, and it isn’t as easy to hit,” said Liddi, who has six homers among his 26 extra-base hits this season. “But the more I play here, the more comfortable I get.”

Liddi’s passion for baseball began at an early age, even though the sport ranks well behind soccer, basketball and even volleyball in Italy. His father fell in love with the game while living in the United States as a kid, and he passed it on his son.

Liddi, signed by Seattle at age 17, has also reached a comfort level off the field. It was a struggle at first. “It was a big adjustment,” Liddi said. “Everything was different – the culture, the food, the language. But my passion for the game helped me get through it.”

Liddi came to the U.S. in 2007 speaking only a small amount of English, but he now converses with teammates in English as well as Spanish and has become one of the Mariners’ top prospects. Last year was his breakthrough, starting with the World Baseball Classic for Italy, which had an upset victory over Canada. “It was a big experience for me,” Liddi said. “It really helped my career. It gave me more confidence. It showed me what I could do.”

Liddi, a slender 6-foot-4, also played in the All-Star Futures Game last year at St. Louis, raising his profile further. He still may not get a lot of attention back home, but that could soon change. The Major Leagues are no longer that far away. Laker calls Liddi a “work in progress,” which is underscored by the 16 errors he’s committed this season, despite being considered a promising defensive player. “He’s made some great plays,” the manager said.

It is at the plate where Liddi has shown the most progress, his strikeouts declining each month and his walks increasing for West Tenn. “I’m trying to keep getting better,” he said. “That’s what I need to do each day.”

Pacheco is the latest in a line of budding homegrown superstars for Colorado. Big names such as Troy Tulowitzki, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jhoulys Chacin passed through Modesto on their way to the Rockies. Pacheco says he was honored to play with those guys this spring, and listening to them and watching them go about their business was a great experience for him.

Like the big names in the organization ahead of him, Pacheco starred in the South Atlantic League prior to producing in the Cal League. The catcher hit .322 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs for Ashville in 2009, winning the Sally League MVP and league’s Topps Player of the Year award. The 2009 Tourists, however, weren’t always as good as their catcher.

“Our team started out as the worst team in the league, and then we had the best record in the second half,” Pacheco said. “It was cool to be a part of that turnaround. Most of these guys (in Modesto) were from that team. It’s a good group.”

Pacheco started 2010 hit with 19 RBIs in both April and May while hitting well over .300 in that span. However, he’s fallen into a 9-for-42 slump since June 3. “It’s just how this game goes,” he said. “It’s a long season. You’re going to get tired and things aren’t going to go your way.”

He says he’s able to lean on second baseman James Cesario and shortstop Thomas Field when he falls on tough times at the plate. The trio makes up three of the four top hitters on the Nuts. “Those guys are good players,” Pacheco said. “It’s good to be part of a team like that.”

Pacheco might be on an upswing, though, with three multi-hit performances in his last six games. And he can still take a walk with the best of them. Pacheco’s 31 walks put him 11th among Cal League batters, contrasted with his 23 strikeouts on the year. “It’s just the approach I have,” he said. “Any time I get a good pitch I want to put it into play, regardless of how well I hit it.”

He attributes some of his slump to getting away from that aggressive mind-set and says he needs to get back to being more aggressive at the plate. Pacheco is doing all this while still learning how to catch in professional baseball. He made the conversion from middle infield in the 2008 season with Tri-City in the Class A Short-Season Northwest League.

“I won’t say it’s been easy and fun,” said Pacheco. “It’s been an experience, and it has opened some doors for me. I think down the road it will continue to open more doors as long as I stay with it.” He credits the Modesto pitching staff with being patient with him while he continues to the transformation to backstop. “They know I’m learning a new position. I know they get frustrated with me sometimes back there (behind the plate). I’m trying to get better every day.”

Pacheco knows he has a lot to learn but doesn’t put pressure on himself to get it together by a certain time. “Hopefully they’ll give me enough time to do what I need to do,” he said.

So far, so good for Henry, who exits the Carolina League as its leader in on-base percentage (.438). What if Henry’s 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame isn’t built for power? “That doesn’t concern me,” said K-Tribe manager Aaron Holbert prior to Henry’s promotion. “I see him getting on base, creating havoc, taking pitches. He’s doing his job. It’s a shame people are so focused on the power because some guys are never going to have that.”

Henry, a seventh-round pick by the Cleveland Indians in the 2009 Draft, hit .333 with 13 RBIs and 14 steals in 42 games for Kinston after batting .287 with 27 stolen bases in the New York-Penn League last year.

“Jordan rarely swings at the first pitch in an at-bat, unless there’s someone in scoring position,” Holbert said. “At 2-0 and 3-1, he’s usually taking. He’s not scared to swing, but he’s got a job to do, and that’s to get on base.” Henry follows the leadoff hitters’ mantra of seeing pitches and getting on base, an approach that serve him well at the next level.

“You want to hit, but I take pride in drawing walks,” said Henry, who earned 30 walks for the K-Tribe. “They want me to get on base, and that’s my job. There are times you need to be aggressive, especially early in the count, because you might not get another good pitch to hit.”

Baseball runs in the Henry family – his 25-year-old brother and former Ole Miss teammate, Justin, is a second baseman for Detroit’s Double-A Erie club. Jordan Henry picked up his first baseball at age 3 but excelled at tennis as a youth. “I think tennis has helped me more than it’s hurt me,” he said. “Both (tennis and baseball) take a lot of hand-eye coordination and concentration.”

H picked up his first baseball at age 3 but excelled at tennis as a youth. “I think tennis has helped me more than it’s hurt me,” he said. “Both (tennis and baseball) take a lot of hand-eye coordination and concentration.”

Henry was an All-State tennis player in Mississippi in high school and was ranked in the top 25 nationally by the United States Tennis Association. These days, Henry only plays for recreation – and rarely during the baseball season.

“His baseball swing can remind you of a smooth backhand in tennis,” Holbert said. “He puts the ball in play and he’s got a quick first step, just like you’d need in tennis. On defense, he’s quick to balls. You can see how athletic he is. Maybe all that training in tennis has translated over to baseball.”

Jon Jay’s line drive single to center field leading off the game was the only hit the Redbirds managed against the 27-year-old southpaw. “I’m just doing everything. I’m mentally and physically preparing in between starts,” Wright said. “When I’m able to get the ball and go out and be effective, that’s where I had us tonight and that’s what you hope might get you back to the big leagues.”

Wright, who last went the distance in a four-hitter for Double-A Trenton on August 25, 2007, hopes he can climb his way back to the Majors. After going 12-3 with a 1.88 ERA in the Florida State League in 2006, he earned a promotion to New York, where he won two of three appearances in between an infamous night in Boston. He hasn’t pitched in the Majors since.

Has he thought much about getting to Milwaukee? “Absolutely,” Wright said. “But when you’re here, you take it start by start and work, and that’s all you can do. You hope you get hot at the right time, when they need someone up there. You got to keep working.”

Wright had everything working Wednesday, walking four and striking out four in his third career complete game. He threw 67 of 111 pitches for strikes, using his sinker-slider combo to induce 10 groundouts. “I felt pretty good, especially since we have two doubleheaders with these guys, so it’s good to get out here and be efficient, work fast, let them put it in play,” he said. “We didn’t have to eat into the bullpen so that’ll keep them fresh.”

Wright, who erased Jay with a double play in the first, walked fellow Major League veteran Joe Mather to open the second. He also issued free passes to Tyler Greene and Allen Craig in the fourth and allowed one more base runner when James Rapoport worked a one-out walk in the eighth.

Wright was that close to a no-hitter, although it was never on his mind. “After the game, I was just talking to the strength coach and he said, ‘You realize the one was just the one hit.’ But that’s the way it goes. I used my sinkerball and slider and was just able to work first-pitch strikes. Keep everything down in the zone.”

Wright improved to 5-3 and lowered his ERA to 3.73 in his first win since June 5. His success this season has been interrupted occasionally by forgettable outings – he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven of his last 10 outings but has surrendered 18 earned runs in the other three starts.

“I’d like to get away from that,” he said. “I’d like to roll out 10-12 good ones in a row, keep that bad one out of there. You’ve just got to prepare in between, and when you get the ball be able to go at it.”

Wright is hoping to get the chance to join a Brewers team that is 10 games under .500 and near the bottom in the National League with a 5.12 ERA.

Of course, it’s difficult to avoid Wright’s previous Major League history. He surrendered four consecutive home runs in a nationally televised game at Fenway in 2007. He made one appearance for the Yankees later that season but never returned, eventually getting traded to Milwaukee in 2009. The Brewers re-signed him in February and he’s been at Nashville ever since.

“You just go out tomorrow and get ready for the next one,” Wright said.