SAN JOSE -- Richie Daigle will take the mound for the Storm against San Jose in today's decisive Game 5 of the California League Championship Series as Lake Elsinore tries to rebound from losing two straight after taking a 2-0 series lead.

Daigle will be opposed by San Jose right-hander Henry Sosa.

"I'm excited," Daigle said. "(Starting a deciding game) is something you look forward to and you dream about. I've looked forward to this all year. The fact that it's come up is exciting."

Daigle, a right-hander who went 5-8 with a 5.95 ERA in 29 appearances (22 starts) during the regular season, earned the start with his work out of the bullpen in the postseason.

The 25-year-old is 2-0 with a 4.66 ERA in three playoff appearances. Twice he entered games with the Storm trailing 6-0 and held the opposition at bay long enough for the Storm to rally for the win.

The latest was in Game 1 against San Jose at The Diamond on Thursday. After starter Steve Garrison gave up six runs in four-plus innings, Daigle threw three shutout frames, and the Storm rallied for a 7-6, 10-inning win.

"He has only three days rest," Storm manager Carlos Lezcano said. "We'll see how far he can go and go from there. Everyone else that is able to pitch will be available."

During the regular season, Daigle faced the Giants three times (two starts), posting an 0-1 record and a 7.59 ERA.

"I feel really prepared to get it done," Daigle said. "All year long, whenever we've had our backs to the wall, we've come out fighting, and every time we've come out fighting, we've come out on top."

Sosa went 5-5 with a 4.38 ERA in the regular season, including a 1-0 mark against Lake Elsinore. In two starts against the Storm, the right-hander struck out 11 in 10 innings. The 22-year-old has not yet pitched in the playoffs.

Great glove

Storm first baseman Kyle Blanks made three excellent defensive plays during Sunday's Game 4 loss.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound first sacker twice dove to his left and once he dove to his right to take hits away from Giants batters. Two of the plays saved runs as the first came with two outs and a runner on second and two outs and the third came just before a two-out double by Kyle Haines.

Et cetera

Josh Alley's fifth-inning single Sunday gave him at least one hit in all 11 Storm playoff games this season. ... San Jose LF Fred Lewis, who played 51 games in the major leagues this season, was hit in the foot by a Corey Kluber pitch in the seventh inning. Lewis initially stayed in the game, but after hobbling from first to third on a Mark Minicozzi single, he came out for a pinch-runner.