Saturday, May 25, 2013

Game Wrap 5/25/2013: Giants 6 Rockies 5

Angel Pagan ended an exciting, frustrating see-saw game with a "walk-off" inside-the-park 2 run HR in what might be the most unusual finish to a game I can remember.  Key Lines:

Angel Pagan- 2 for 6, 2B, HR(3).  BA= .262.  The Giants have some really fast guys on this team, but I'm not sure any are faster than Pagan.  Yes, the ball bounced away from Cuddyer off the base of the wall, but it caromed right to Fowler, yet Pagan was already rounding 3B when he got it and the throw home from the relay man never had a chance.  The Giants need Pagan to get going and maybe this is the game to get that started.

Buster Posey- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .312.  A multihit game from Buster who is hitting .312 despite seeming like he has never really gotten going yet this year.

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SF.  BA= .290.  Crawford continues his solid hitting out of the 8 hole.  Once again, the bottom of the order produces runs for the Giants.

Barry Zito- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.13.  A near QS for Zito, but can someone send a memo to the starters that the games starts in the top of the first inning?  That's not a warmup inning!

Chad Gaudin- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K'.  ERA= 2.00.  I think this still leaves the door open for Gaudin to start next Tuesday.  More than one inning and I would say no.

Angel Marquez- The home plate umpire had a very bad game with a very wishy washy strike zone and 2 completly blown calls, one on a play at the plate that Brandon Belt should have scored on and another at 3B that effectively took the Giants out of a winning rally.  Thankfully those calls did not cost the Giants the game, but they could well have.

The Win puts the Giants into a tie with the Rockies.  Whether that will be for second place or a 3 way tie for the NL West divison lead depends on the outcome of the D'Backs game against the Padres tonight.  The Dodgers-Cards game is in progress as I am writing this.

Matt Cain faces Jon Garland tomorrow afternoon for the series win.

Down on the Farm: 5/24/2013

AAA  Colorado Springs Sky Sox outslugged the Fresno Grizzlies 13-8:

Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .211.
Cole Gillespie(LF)- 2 for 4, HR(5), BB.  BA= .288.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .309.
Juan Perez(SS-3B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .309.
Chris Dominguez(1B)- 4 for 5.  BA= .286.
Boof Bonser(RHP)- 3.1 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 4 BB, 1 K'.  ERA= 6.20.

If you are looking for a ray of hope with Gary Brown, he's drawn 5 walks out of 45 PA's over his last 10 games.  Bonser follows up his best start with possibly his worst.

AA  Altoona Curve flattened the Richmond Flying Squirrels 14-4:

Jarrett Parker(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(6), BB.  BA= .247.
Mark Minicozzi(1B)- 2 for 3, HR(4), 2 BB.  BA= .322.
Andrew Susac(C)- 2 for 3, 2 2B.  BA= .264.

High A  High Desert Mavericks out hit the San Jose Giants 8-6:

Chris Lofton(CF-LF)- 2 for 4, 3B, BB, 2 SB(10).  BA= .274.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 10/4.  ERA= 3.24.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.45.

Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats stung the Augusta Greenjackets 6-5:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .314.
Matt Duffy(SS)- 2 for 5.  BA= .301.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .253.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 1 for 3, HR(2), SF.  BA= .206.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.32.
Mason McVay(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.11.

Game Wrap 5/24/2013: Rockies 5 Giants 0

The Giants managed just 5 scattered hits off Colorado pitchers while the BABIP gods were not kind to Tim Lincecum.  Oh, and I don't think it's fair that opposing teams get to start their games against the Giants with a 2 run lead....wait, you mean they don't?  Key Lines:

Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.75.  Timmy's stuff looked good and his command was not bad.  Luck was not on his side in this one.  In first inning, CarGo's ground ball is a foot to the right and it's an easy DP.  Instead, it set up the 2 run double that Cuddyer poked to the RF.  The point of contact of that ball with Cuddyer's bat looked a bit random to me too.  The run in the 4'th inning was caused by Cuddyer striking out on a wild pitch and reaching first base.  So, Cuddyer's dinger in the 6'th was really the only non-lucky run Timmy allowed.  It's not like he didn't strike out enough batters or that walks hurt him! Of course, with the way the Giants were hitting, Cuddyer's blast would have been enough to sink Timmy anyway.

Tyler Chatwood(Rockies)-  6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 11/1.  ERA= 1.90.  Chatwood is a former 2'nd round draft pick by the Angels out of Redlands East Valley HS, so I have followed his career with some interest since he's a hometown boy.  He developed quickly in the minors but then struggled to gain a foothold in the majors for several seasons.  Man, it sure looks like he's finally figured it out.  He showed a hard, sinking fastball that sat 92-94 MPH with just enough offspeed stuff to keep the Giants hitters off balance.  He had the Giants killing worms all night.  He has maintained a GO/AO>2 at every stop, so that sinker is for real.  He'll have some BABIP games here and there, but that stuff and those numbers portend a long MLB career. He will end up earning a lot of money in this game.

With the Loss, the Giants fell out of a 3 way first place tie with the Rockies and D'Backs.  The D'Backs held onto their share of first place with a 5-2 win over the Padres who dropped to 5.5 games off the pace.  The Dodgers were dominated by the Cardinals 7-0 to fall 7 games behind in last place in the NL West.

Barry Zito takes the mound for game 2 on Saturday afternoon facing Juan Nicasio.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Down on the Farm: 5/23/2013

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Redhawks 4-1:

Juan Perez(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B, Sac,  SB(10).  BA= .307.
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .204.
Johnny Monell(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .250.
Mike Kickham(LHP)- 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 9/2.  ERA= 4.33.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(13).  ERA= 2.57.

Was this a tuneup for Kickham's first MLB start?

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels out hit the Trenton Thunder 9-4:

Joe Panik(SS)- 3 for 4, 2 BB, SB(5).  BA= .298.
Mark Minicozzi(2B)- 1 for 4, HR(3), 2 BB.  BA= .315.
Javier Herrera(LF)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .288.
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 3 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .268.
Chris Gloor(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.89.

Panik's OBP stands at .392.  That is higher than his SLG%, though.

High A  San Jose Giants topped the High Desert Mavericks 2-1:

Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .259.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .276.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.55.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.77.
Bryce Bandilla(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.54.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(9).  ERA= 0.86.

What an impressive slash line for Arnold!  .276/.391/.569.

Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats downed stung the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:

Joe Biagini(RHP)- 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Down on the Farm: 5/22/2013

AAA  Oklahoma City Redhawks defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 7-3:

Francisco Peguero(LF)- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .355.
Carter Jurica(SS)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .293.
Shane Loux(RHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 4.75.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.23.

2 walks in one game for Pegs?  Stop the presses!  If the Giants are currently evaluating potential replacements for Vogie, I'd say Loux failed his audition here.

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels squeaked past the Trenton Thunder 5-4:

Joe Panik(2B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .287.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .356.
Andrew Susac(C)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.
Brett Krill(RF)- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .265.
Fabio Castillo(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.21.
Fred Lewis(RHP, Thunder)- 2.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.57.

Duvall comes back from the DL and keeps hitting, but makes 2 errors.  Very nice 4 innings from Castillo.  I really liked this minor league Rule 5 pickup.  I think it's great that they are stretching him out.  Very intriguing prospect.  No, not THAT Fred Lewis!  Had you going there for a minute, didn't I?

High A  High Desert Mavericks gored the San Jose Giants 11-6:

Angel Villalona(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .220.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 1 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .268.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets out hit the Rome Braves 12-6:

Andrew Cain(CF-LF)- 2 for 5, 2 HR(3), BB, SB(6).  BA= .234.
Matt Duffy(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(13).  BA= .299.
Mitch Delfino(DH)- 2 for 5.  BA= .253.
Trevor Brown(2B)- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB, SF.  BA= .234.
Eric Sim(C)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(2).  BA= .250.
Chuckie Jones(RF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .199.

Andrew Cain is hitting .367/.441/.733 over his last 10 games and .320/.404/.580 in the month of May.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Game Wrap 5/22/2013: Nationals 2 Giants 1

Madison Bumgarner and Gio Gonzalez hooked up in another pitcher's duel that ended in a draw, but this time it was the Nationals who won the bullpen game in extra innings.  Key Lines:

Marco Scutaro- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .331.  Scutaro gets on base twice but ends his hit streak at 19.  For the second game in a row, came close to hitting one out late in the game.

Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.89.  Bumgarner's line was identical to Gio's except Gio retired 1 more batter.  Nice matchup.

Rafael Soriano(Nationals)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's, Save(13).  ERA= 3.00.  Soriano got the Save in this one.  He called out Bryce Harper for not playing deep enough on Blanco's triple last night.  Alex Pavlovic commented over on Giants Extra that Harper should have made the catch implying that Harper gave up on the ball too early.  I disagree with both Soriano and Pavs.  Harper was playing plenty deep.  What does Soriano want, for him to play on the warning track?  That ball was scorched and just went over his head before any player could have reasonably reacted.  As for giving up on it, it was not catchable, IMO after seeing multiple replays.  Even if Soriano was right, it is bush league for him to call out Harper publicly like that:  1. Harper is a 20 year old kid who is learning the game at the MLB level because he is so talented, he's still better than any savvy vet you could put out there.  2.  Harper already publicly took responsibility for the play.  3.  If it wasn't for Bryce Harper, the Nationals would have lost today's game 1-0 and Soriano wouldn't have gotten a chance to save this game.  Talk about picking yourself up!  

The Loss put the Giants in a 3 way tie for first place in the NL West with the D'Backs and Rockies after the Rockies topped the D'Backs 4-1.  The Padres lost to the Cardinals 5-3 to remain 4.5 games behind in 4'th place. The Dodgers responded to Donnie Baseball's callout with a 9-2 drubbing of the BrewCrew.  Things are getting mighty inneresting down in Dodgerland with Donnie not only calling out his players but upper management at the same time.  It was so pointed that there is some speculation out there that Donnie might be trying to get himself fired, which is actually the first thing I thought of when I read the comments.  Ironically, the player who got sat down was with the team before the new ownership took over.  Gotta say while I don't think much of Donnie as a manager, I agree with his assessment of the team.  As for Ethier, I've thought for a long time that Ethier was more interested in posing for GQ photo shoots and preening for the TV cameras than he was in actually, you know, playing baseball!

The Giants get tomorrow off then get a chance at payback of the Rockies in AT&T Park with a weekend series.  First matchup is Tim Lincecum vs Tyler Chatwood.

Great series with the Nats.  An NLCS matchup of these two teams would be a real treat to watch!

Down on the Farm: 5/21/2013

AAA  Oklahoma City Redhawks crushed the Fresno Grizzlies 15-2:

Chris Dominguez(1B)- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .271.
Hector Sanchez(DH)- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .308.
Chris Heston(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.59.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.63.
Dan Runzler(LHP)- 0 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.80.

The Hector is reportedly still being bothered by shoulder soreness.  Heston gave up all 5 runs in the first inning.

AA  Trenton Thunder blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-0:

Carlos Teller(LHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

So far, Teller has been an organizational guy playing wherever he is needed.  He's had stops in SJ, Fresno and now Richmond.  He is 26 yo and last played affiliated ball in 2008.

High A  San Jose Giants dominated the Inland Empire 66'ers 8-0:

Brock Bond(2B)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .286.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .258.
Angel Villalona(1B)- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .213.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .266.
Chris Lofton(LF)- 3 for 4.  BA= .270.
Elliott Blair(CF)- 1 for 1, 2 BB, HBP.  BA= .236.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K's!  ERA= 1.89.
Bryce Bandilla(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.67.

Wow!  Ty Blach has taken on some serious helium!  His numbers just get more dominating with each start.

Low A Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Rome Braves 7-4:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(25).  BA= .309.
Shayne Houck(DH)- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .312.
Joseph Rapp(1B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .190.
Trevor Brown(2B)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .232.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 3 for 4, 2B. 2 SB(5).  BA= .225.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.59.
Derek Law(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.61.
Tyler Mizenko(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(12).  ERA= 0.00.

Disappointing numbers from Stratton.  Mizenko keeps his scoreless innings streak alive.