Sunday, July 31, 2016

Game Wrap 7/31/2016: Giants 3 Nationals 1

Matt Cain pitched 5 inning of no-hit ball and the Giants offense took advantage of poor fielding by the Nationals.  The bullpen hung on for W.  Key Lines:

Angel Pagan- 1 for 5.  BA= .282.  Pagan had the only 2 RBI's on the day for the Giants.  I guess he gets credit for the RBI on a muffed force play at 2B when Trea Turner's backhand shovel toss went awry.  Had it been on target, Pagan would likely have been doubled up, ending the inning, so the RBI is charitable.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .290.  Buster did not figure in the scoring, but looked good at the plate driving balls to every part of the park.

Conor Gillaspie- Gillaspie hit one about as far from a defensive player as it is possible to hit it, a drive that just kept going and rolling to the base of the R-CF wall.  Conor cruised into 3B standing up.  He later scored the first run on the Turner muff at 2B.

Madison Bumgarner- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .179.  Everybody had a laugh then Boch used Bummy as a PH for Matt Cain in the bottom of the 5'th inning.  Bumgarner responded by blasting one off the bricks in RF for a double.  Boch then sent Shark in to PR for Bummy and he later scored on a throwing error by Anthony Rendon.

Denard Span- 1 for 1, 3B.  BA= .257.  Span has been sitting with a contusion on his leg.  Bochy sent him up as a PH to lead off the 7'th inning.  Span hit a sharp grounder up the middle that just kept rolling to the CF wall and he strolled into 3B, then scored on a soft flyball single by Pagan.

Matt Cain- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.53.  Cain had great looking stuff.  He struggled with command of the FB, especially in the first 2 innings, but he was his old unhittable self up in the zone.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(24).  ERA= 3.18.  Casilla was overpowering in this Save Op.

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The Dodgers crushed the D'Backs 14-3 so the Giants remain 2 games ahead of the Bad Guys in the NL West.

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The Giants have a travel day before taking on the Phillies in the first leg of a 3-series roadie to Philly, Washington and Miami.

Down on the Farm: 7/30/2016

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees swarmed over the Sacramento River Cats 7-0:

Matt Duffy 3B- 1 for 2.  BA= .500.
Ty Blach LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.54.

This was Blach's 6'th QS in a row.  In that span he has an ERA of 1.26 with 34 K's against just 2 BB's in 43 IP.

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AA  New Hampshire Fisher Cats outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-1 in 10 innings:

Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.56.

Suarez has quietly settled in at AA as this was his 5'th QS in a row.  In that span he has an ERA of 2.11 with 31 K's against 6 BB's in 33.2 IP.

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High A  Modesto Nuts defeated the San Jose Giants 4-1:

Miguel Gomez 3B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .245.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Lakewood Blueclaws 3-2:

Jean Angomas LF- 3 for 4.  BA= .233.
Seth Harrison RF- 3 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .264.
Grant Watson LHP- 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.27.
Luis Pino RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.91.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

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Short Season  Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-3:

Manuel Geraldo 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .275.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .298.
Heath Quinn RF- 1 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .333.
Gio Brusa LF- 0 for 2, 2 SF.  BA= .288.
Hengerber Medina RHP- 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.12.

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Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL  Giants beat the D'Backs 2-1:

Jose Patino CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .279.
Jose Rivero SS- 1 for 3, BB, SB(6).  BA= .262.
Orleny Quiroz RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 10/4.  ERA= 2.20.

Game Wrap 7/30/2016: Giants 5 Nationals 3

The Giants got an immediate boost from newcomer Eduardo Nunez and 5 shutout innings from the bullpen to salvage a shaky start by Jake Peavy.  Key Lines:

Eduardo Nunez- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(28).  BA= .297.  Brandon Crawford was unavailable with a sore hand(although he did come in to play SS in the 9'th inning), so Nunez stepped in and batted leadoff despite a minuscule walk rate.  Of course, he came up with the bases loaded 3 times.  He did deliver a 2-run double in the 4'th to drive in the Giants first two runs.  He left 7 others on base, but hey, that's better than what the Giants have been doing with the bases loaded!

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .287.  Maybe with Pence in the lineup, Buster won't be going up there as often needing to hit a HR to get the Giants back in the game.

Hunter Pence- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .299.  Giants needed a good hitting OF a the trade deadline.  Maybe Pence is that guy.

Brandon Belt- 1 for 1, 3 BB.  BA= .282.  With Pence back in the lineup, maybe Belt can walk his way out of his slump?

Joe Panik- 1 for 3, SF.  BA= .251.  Panik got the Giants an insurance run with a bases-loaded sac fly.  Hey again!  That's better than what the Giants have been doing with the bases loaded!

Jake Peavy- 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.47.  From the K's and BB's, Peavy was dealing but he'd thrown 78 pitches through 4 IP, and with with runners on base, Bochy lifted him for PH Mac Williamson who drew a walk to load the bases and set up Nunez' double.  Mad eventually scored on a groundout.

Bullpen- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  This bullpen is still capable of games like this where they win the game by shutting down the opposing team, not just for 3 or 3 innings, but 4 or 5.  New lefty Matt Reynolds started the 5'th inning buy walking Ben Revere, but he struck out Bryce Harper.  Hunter Strickland pitched 1.2 shutout innings.  Javier Lopez walked his 8'th LH batter this season(he's also hit one with a pitch).  Casilla got the 2-run Save(23).

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The Dodgers lost to the D'Backs 4-1, so the Giants were able to extend their lead in the NL West to 2 games.

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Matt Cain tries to salvage a series tie today facing Gio Gonzalez.

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Around the League:

Indians acquire Andrew Miller from the Yankees for prospects Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield.  Apparently the Yanks like those two better than anything the Giants could have given them.  The Indians may also be close to acquiring Jonathan Lucroy, although Sheffield was rumored to be part of that trade too.

The Padres were able to get a net savings of about $25 M on Matt Kemp's contract by shipping him to the Braves for Hector Olivera, another guy with a bad contract.  The Padres immediately released the troubled Olivera.  So, why didn't the Braves just release Olivera themselves?  They get a net gain of about $3.5 M in the deal, although now they have to figure out what to do with Kemp.  My guess is Kemp is immediately on the trading block for another bad contract.

The Pirates waived a white flag on the season by shipping closer Mark Melancon to the Nationals for a couple of low level prospects.  Seems like the Giants could use Melancon and could afford a better trade package, but what do I know?

The A's shipped out Billy Burns to the Royals for aging prospect Brett Eibner in a head scratching move from the A's standpoint.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/29/2016

AAA  Reno Aces downed the Sacramento River Cats 5-4:

Joan Gregorio RHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 5.43
Cory Gearrin RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Interesting line from Gregorio.  How does a guy who strikes out 10 batters in 5 innings give up 8 hits to the other 13 batters he faces?  Gearrin starts his rehab assignment.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels squeaked past the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .320.
Brandon Bednar 2B- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .317.
Tyler Beede RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 3.26.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Chase Johnson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(3).  ERA= 3.49.

Beede seems to still have something left in the tank as we head into the final month of the minor league season.

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High A  Modesto Nuts outscored the San Jose Giants 7-6:

Robbie Garvey LF- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .255.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 1 for 4, HR(12).  BA= .263.
Daniel Carbonell LF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(7).  BA= .264.
Rene Melendez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .214.
Jose Reyes RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.14.
Pat Young RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.58.

Reyes has an ERA of 3.42 over his last 7 starts covering 39.1 IP.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Lakewood Blueclaws 4-1:

Dillon Dobson 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .266.
Matt Winn C- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .225.
Matt Solter RHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.73.
Heath Slatton RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(4).  ERA= 4.00.

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Short Season  Hillsboro Hops pounded the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 10-4:

Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(4), BB, SB(1).  BA= .333.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .307.

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Rookie AZL  Giants vs A's suspended after 2 innings with the A's leading 1-0.

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DSL  Giants crushed the D'Backs 11-3(Game called after 5 innings due to rain):

Jose Rivero SS- 4 for 4.  BA= .260.
Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .283.
Jose Patino CF- 2 for 3.  BA= .273.
Aneudy Acosta RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.71.

Game Wrap 7/29/2016: Nationals 4 Giants 1

Aside from a first-in-history 3-3-5 Triple Play by the Nationals(of course), the most interesting aspect of this game was the fognado that blew through AT&T Park in about the 4'th inning or so.  I think Nationals TV commentator FP Santangelo was actually a little scared of it from the way he was talking.   Beyond all that, it was another game where the Giants just laid down and died for the other team.  We just aren't seeing a lot of fight in these guys since the All-Star Break.  Key Lines:

Denard Span- 2 for 4. BA= .256.  Span got on base.  He came home on the line drive that was caught by 1B Ryan Zimmerman and was tripled up at 3B, though.

Angel Pagan- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .289.  Pagan has been one of the few Giants hitters not slumping during this current faceplant.  He and Span combined to reach base 5 out of 8 PA's only to have the 3, 4 and 5 batters go a combined 0 for 11.

Conor Gillaspie- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .268.  It's not clear how all this is going to sort when everybody comes off the DL, but Gillaspie is 5 for 10 in his last 3 games and hitting .338 in his last 30.

Gregor Blanco-  2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .242.  I was annoyed to see Blanco in the lineup for this game, but it turns out he was previously 4 for 7 against Max Scherzer.  As Krukow would say, ownage is ownage!

Jeff Samardzija- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.30.  Samardzija came out pumping fastballs at the knees.  He just does not have secondary pitches to get hitters off balance the second time through a batting order.

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The Loss was the Giants 11'th in 13 games since the All-Star Break.  The Dodgers outscored the D'Backs 9-7 and the Giants lead in the NL West is down to 1 game.

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Jake Peavy looks for a Win today against rookie RHP Reynaldo Lopez with Eduardo Nunez making his Giants debut and Hunter Pence returning to the lineup from his rehab stint.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/29/2016

AAA  Reno Aces downed the Sacramento River Cats 5-1:

Ehire Adrianza 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .391.
Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 4.  BA= .417.
Chris Stratton RHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.05.

Aces scored 5 runs in 5'th inning with what appears to be some BABIP luck.  One hit was a sac bunt attempt that the batter beat out and 2 of the other hits were labelled as flyballs in the Game Log.  All told, 5 of the 8 Aces hits came in that inning.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .314.
Brandon Bednar 2B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .320.
Ryder Jones 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .243.
Chris Shaw 1B- 3 for 4, 3B.  BA= .206.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.30.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(3).  ERA= 8.64.

Maybe this game will get Shaw going?  Martinez seems to be settling down, but it will take awhile to whittle down the ERA.

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High A  San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 5-3:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 2 for 5, SB(21).  BA= .265.
Cristian Paulino 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .267.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 5.79.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(7).  ERA= 2.08.

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Low A  Lakewood Blueclaws edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 3-2 in 10 innings:

Lucius Fox SS- 2 for 5, SB(25).  BA= .209.
Jalen Miller 2B- 3 for 3, SB(5).  BA= .230.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.31.
Connor Kaden RHP- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.22.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Eugene Emeralds 5-4:

Manuel Geraldo 3B- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .283.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .278.
Victor Concepcion RHP- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.93.

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Rookie AZL A's beat the Giants 2-1:

Mikey Edie CF- 2 for 4, SB(3).  BA= .205.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .227.
DJ Myers RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.60.
Nick Deeg LHP- 2.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

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DSL  Giants doubled up the Twins 8-4:

Ismael Munguia CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .296.
Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .276.
Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .318.
Francisco Medina 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .268.
Francisco Labour LF- 3 for 4.   BA= .235.
Wascar De Leon DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .256.
Johan Herrera RHP- 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.22.
Jesus Reyes RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 1.46.

GAme Wrap 7/28/2016: Nationals 4 Giants 2

The Giants fell behind early in this one and were never really in it.  Key Lines:

Conor Gillaspie- 2 for 3.  BA= .261.   So, what becomes of Gillaspie now that the Giants have traded for Nunez?  I mean, I assume they did not give up Adalberto Mejia so Nunez could sit on the bench!  Gillaspie is hitting .316 over his last 7 games and .309 over his last 30.  Gillaspie and Nunez have similar power but Nunez is clearly faster and is likely a much better fielder.

Johnny Cueto- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.63.  Not a terrible line, but when when your lineup depends on moving the line and the line doesn't move, 3 runs is awfully tough to overcome.

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The Loss cut the Giants lead in the NL West to 2 games over the idle Dodgers.

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Jeff Samardzija goes against Max Scherzer tonight in what is a mismatch on paper, not in the Giants favor.

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In addition to the Nunez trade, Josh Osich was placed on the DL with a forearm strain after undergoing an MRI which reportedly showed no structural damage.  Osich seemed to be taken by surprise by the move.  As I have been predicting, LHP Matt Reynolds got the promo from Sacramento to take Osich's place.  Reynolds has been lights out in the minors.  You may remember him from his days with the D'Backs in Arizona.

Joe Panik came off the DL before the game and started at 2B.  Grant Green was sent out to make room.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Scouting the Trade Deadline: Giants Acquire Eduardo Nunez

I have maintained all along that the Giants #1 priority as the 2016 Trade Deadline approached was a hitter who could play either LF or 3B.  They landed the 3B today in Eduardo Nunez.  If that name sounds vaguely familiar, he was once upon a time the replacement at SS for ARod with the Yankees, as unenviable position as their is in baseball.  If you go back and look at Nunez' numbers with the Yankees, he actually played very well.  He just wasn't ARod and the Yankees eventually gave up on him and traded for Didi Gregorius.  Nunez landed in Minnesota, played last year as a reserve IF and found a starting job this year splitting time between SS and 3B.

Nunez can step right in and play 3B for the Giants and give them an upgrade in both power and speed. His batting line so far this season:  .300/.326/.444, 12 HR, 26 SB, 3.6 BB%, 14.2 K% in 391 PA.  He is one of just 3 MLB players to have more than 20 SB's and more than 10 HR's this year.  As you can see he fits perfectly into the Giants hitting model in that he does not walk a lot but he also does not strike out a lot.

Lest you think Nunez is just a flash in the pan, his numbers from last year are .282/.327/.431, 4 HR, 8 SB, 5.9 BB%, 14.2 K% in 204 PA.  His career slash line is .275/.313/.413 in 1635 PA with an average of 11 HR and 33 SB per 600 PA's.   Nunez has 1 year of team control left on his contract although he is arbitration eligible.

The Giants give up Adalberto Mejia.  Who pitched very well early in the season for Richmond and earned a promo to AAA Sacramento where he had a couple of dominant starts and several not so dominant starts.  He was the Giants representative to the international squad for the Futures Game.  I like Mejia as a pitcher.  I hate to see him go, but the Giants are dealing from incredible depth in their minor league pitching which greatly softens the blow and makes this a solid trade for the Giants.

Now, I'm going to start some trouble here.  What do Edwin Escobar, Kendry Flores, Keury Mella and Adalberto Mejia have in common?

Down on the Farm: 7/27/2016

AAA  Reno Aces downed the Sacramento River Cats 7-3:

Ehire Adrianza 3B- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .368.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .231.
Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .450.
Kelby Tomlinson SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .300.
Clayton Blackburn RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.86.

Pence sure seems ready, but the Giants plan is for him to get 30 AB's before he is activated from the DL which will not happen until after the 4 game series with the Nationals.  Just have to say it sure seems like the Giants could use Pence in the lineup whether his timing is completely down or not.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Akron Rubber Ducks 6-5:

CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .289.
Chris Shaw 1B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .183.
Brandon Bednar 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .304.
Tyler Horan LF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .251.
Kyle Crick RHP- 6.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 5.27.
Chase Johnson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 3.56.

In his last 3 starts, Cricky has allowed 7 ER in 18.2 IP with 21 K's against 7 BB's for a 3/1 K/BB.  Progress!  Looks like Chase Johnson has moved into the Closer role for Richmond.

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High A  Bakersfield Blaze edged out the San Jose Giants 2-1:

Dylan Davis RF- 4 for 4, 2B.  BA= .303.
Phil Bickford RHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.73.
Pat Young RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.72.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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Short Season  Eugene Emeralds topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-1:

Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .324.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.
Conner Menez RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 7.20.
Rayan Hernandez RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.50.

Menez makes his first start for S-K after a promo from the AZL.  He allowed 4 runs in his first 2 innings then settled down to shut out Eugene over the next 3 innings.  Hernandez, one of my favorite sleepers in the system, continues to pitch well.

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Rookie AZL  Giants blanked the D'Backs 2-0:

Brandon Van Horn SS- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .202.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.76.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.38.
David Owen RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

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DSL  Giants whitewashed the Twins 3-0:

Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .318.
Francisco Medina 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .262.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.33.
Alejandro De La Rosa RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.35.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Game Wrap 7/27/2016: Reds 2 Giants 1

Throughout the first half of the season, the Giants found ways to win with different heroes almost every  game.  So far in the second half, they are finding ways to lose with different goats almost every game.  Today they got a great start from Madison Bumgarner, but were sunk by some sloppy fielding and an almost complete lack of offense.  Key Lines:

Conor Gillaspie- 1 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .250.   You just aren't going to score a lot of runs when your #2, 3 and 4 hitters go a combined 0 for 12.  Add in the 0 for 4 from the leadoff guy and yeah, you get the picture!

Madison Bumgarner- 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.09.  I think it's time to retire the cained meme and find a new one.  Madison Bumgarner got bummed today!  Bumgarner has a 2.59 ERA over his last 7 starts and has a 2-3 record to show for it. Yup, bumming has replaced caining!

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Dodgers lost to the Rays 3-1 so the Giants lead in the NL West remains at 2.5 games.

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Johnny Cueto tries to get the 4 game series against the Nationals off to a great start tomorrow facing Tanner Roark.

Down on the Farm: 7/25/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the Reno Aces 12-4:

Ehire Adrianza 3B- 2 for 6.  BA= .429.
Joe Panik 2B- 0 for 3.  BA= .111.
Hunter Pence, RF- 3 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .500.
Kelby Tomlinson SS- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .288.
Adalberto Mejia LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.20.
Matt Reynolds LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

An all Giants rehab lineup here.  Pence looks like he's ready. What's his timetable?  Giants need a lefty reliever?  Reynolds has MLB experience.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels soared over the Akron Rubber Ducks 10-4:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .312.
Christian Arroyo 3B- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .285.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 3 for 6, 3B.  BA= .282.
Ryder Jones 1B-3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .240.
Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .274.
Steven Lerud C- 3 for 5.  BA= .221.
Matt Gage LHP- 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.84.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 9.82.

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High A  San Jose Giants cooled off the Bakersfield Blaze 2-1:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 0 for 1, 3 BB, SB(20).  BA= .263.
Dylan Davis RF- 2 for 2, 2B, HR(9), 2 BB.  BA= .276.
Cristian Paulino 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .267.
Jason Forjet RHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.57.

Forjet has games like this that make you think he could be a #4 or 5 MLB starter, but he has not been able to find consistency this year.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets smothered the Greensboro Grasshoppers 3-1:

Matt Winn C- 1 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .223.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .287.
Cory Taylor RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 9/0.  ERA= 2.40.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.59.
Ryan Koziol RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 1.99.

I see 3 unexpected breakout SP's for the Giants this year, Slania, Connolly and Taylor.  Last year it was the Johnsons and Coonrod.  The Johnson's have disappointed this year, but Coonrod has kept it going.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Eugene Emeralds 5-1:

Manuel Geraldo 3B- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .273.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .296.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 5, 2B.   BA= .319.
Mac Marshall LHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.67.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Geraldo is hitting .333 over his last 10 games.

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Rookie AZL  D'Backs outscored the Giants 8-3:

Mikey Edie CF- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .190.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 1 for 3, 3B, SF.  BA= .198.
Robinson Medrano 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .196.

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DSL  Giants defeated the Rojos 6-2(game called due to rain after the top of the 9'th inning):

Ismael Munguia CF- 2 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .301.
Jose Rivero SS- 2 for 3, SF.  BA= .253.
Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .313.
Manuel Figueroa RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.95.
Eduin Villa RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 7.84.

Munguia is looking like the real deal and Almanzar seems to have some serious power potential.

Game Wrap 7/26/2016: Giants 9 Reds 7

It was 65 degrees with the wind blowing out to CF at gametime, which counts as the annual Cincinnati Heatwave in SF, and balls were once again flying out of the yard.  The Giants were able to keep the line moving enough to build a 9-4 lead and held on for the win.  Key Lines:

Denard Span- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .257.  Span is hitting .344 over his last 7 games and .273 over his last 15.

Mac Williamson- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .267.  Bochy had enough confidence in Mac to bat him 3'rd in the lineup against the LHP and Mac produced.  He's hitting .427 over his last 7 games, .316 over his last 15 and .284 over his last 30.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .289.  Buster is 5 for 9 in his last 3 games.

Brandon Crawford- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .275.  Crawford scuffled on the road trip, but seems to have found his stroke again.

Ramiro Pena- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .306.  Not sure the Giants want to send Pena anywhere when Tomlinson and Adrianza are done with rehab games.

Conor Gillaspie- 1 for 1.  BA= .248.  Gillaspie might be on the bubble as he has hit just .152 over his last 15 games.

Matt Cain- 1 for 2, HR(1).  BA= .100.  Cainer's blast was a 3 run dinger.  Giants don't win the game without it!

Matt Cain- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.95.  Still some goferitis, but better than his last start.  Remember Cain was pitching pretty well after a slow start to the season before he pulled the hammy.  I could see him pitching well down the stretch if he can just stay healthy.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.00.  These were the first runs Romo has allowed since coming off the DL on July 4.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(22).  ERA= 3.35.  Good thing Casilla was working with a 3 run lead.  Giants need a shutdown closer.  Not sure who fits that bill.  Jeffress and Will Smith from Milwaukee might be the best bet.

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The Dodgers topped the Rays 3-2 so the Giants remain 2.5 games ahead in the NL West.

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Madison Bumgarner tries for a series win today facing Dan Straily in an afternoon game.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/25/2016

AAA Sacramento River Cats were idle.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Akron Rubber Ducks 2-1:

Duggar(.301), Arroyo(.281), Hinojosa(.266), Moncrief(.257), Cole(.271)- 2 hits each.
Dan Slania RHP- 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.50.
Tyler Mizenko RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.32.
Chase Johnson RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 3.64.

First 5 batters in the lineup had 2 hits each but they were all singles.  Big Dan Slania has emerged as a serious SP prospect this season.  Stock is way up!

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High A San Jose Giants extinguished the Bakersfield Blaze 4-1:

Dylan Davis RF- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .262.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .269.
Mark Reyes LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.26.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.25.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(6).  ERA= 2.13.

Davis has a total of 16 dingers this season between Augusta and SJ.  If he can keep his BA above .240 or so, I see him as a potential Mark Trumbo or Mike Napoli type hitter.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets beat the Greensboro Grasshoppers 5-1:

Lucius Fox SS- 1 for 3, BB, Sac, SB(24).  BA= .209
Skyler Ewing 1B- 3 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .239.
Michael Connolly RHP- 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 14/2.  ERA= 2.66.
Cesar Yanez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Ewing has 4 dingers in his last 6 games.  Connolly is having a breakout season!  My man, Cesar Yanez moves from S-K to Augusta.  Kind of a sideways move, but we'll count it as a promo.

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Short Season  Everett Aquasox topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 12-9 in 12 innings:

Manuel Geraldo 3B- 2 for 7.  BA= .261.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 7, 2B, 3B.  BA= .286.
Heath Quinn RF- 1 for 6, HR(3), BB.  BA= .320.
Ashford Fulmer DH- 2 for 4, 2 HBP.  BA= .330.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 3 for 6, HR(2).  BA= .278.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 1 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .317.
Matt Krook LHP- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.88.

Ryan Kirby is a sleeper out of the 2016 draft.

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Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL  Giants outscored the Rojos 7-6:

Wascar De Leon DH- 1 for 4, BB, SB(2).  BA= .257.
Diego Rincones RF- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .270.
Francisco Medina 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .263.
Orleny Quiroz RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= .236.

Love the name Wascar for a ballplayer!

Game Wrap 7/25/2016: Reds 7 Giants 5

In certain types of weather, AT&T Park plays like a bandbox and it always seems to happen the week the Reds are in town.  Last night's game time temperature was 61 degrees, which I believe is about 5 degrees warmer than usual, and the wind was blowing out to CF at 14 MPH.  The Giants hit 2 2-run HR's in the game, but the Red hit 3.  Key Lines:

Denard Span- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .254.  After going 1 for 11 in NY, Span comes home, gets on base twice and scores twice.

Angel Pagan- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .291.  Pagan has a shot at beating his previous high in HR's which was 11 in 2010 with the Mets.  He hit 8 in 2012, his first season with the Giants.  He has also been consistent at the plate hitting .310 over his last 7 games, .313 over his last 15 and .303 over his last 30.

Brandon Belt- 3 for 4, HR(11).  BA= .284.  Belt moves down in the lineup and breaks out of his slump.

Jake Peavy- 5 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, 3 HR's.  ERA= 5.42.  In case you are wondering, the Giants  have allowed a total of 100 HR's this season which ranks them #24 in MLB.  Of course, they play half their games in the park which suppresses HR's the most.  Samardzija has been the most generous batting practice pitcher giving up 19 which #25 in MLB in HR/9.  Peavy has given up 15 with a #28 ranking in HR/9.  Matt Cain has given up 11, but in just 59.2 IP which would rank him at #8 in all of MLB if he had enough IP to qualify.

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Dodgers were idle so the Giants lead in the NL West shrinks to 2.5 games.

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Matt Cain takes the mound tonight against rookie lefty Cody Reed who pitched 6 innings of shutout ball against the Braves his last start.  This could get ugly!

Monday, July 25, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/24/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the El Paso Chihuahuas 5-1(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings):

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 4, SB(20).  BA= .296.
Ehire Adrianza SS- 1 for 3, SB(1).  BA= .500.
Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 3.  BA= .455.
Andrew Susac C- 3 for 3, 3B.  BA= .268.
Travis Ishikawa 1B- 1 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .252.
Kelby Tomlinson 3B- 1 for 3, SB(3).  BA= .246.
Ty Blach LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.57.

In his last 6 Starts, Blach has allowed just 4 runs in 37 IP for a 0.97 ERA with 28 K's against just 1 BB.  Remarkable!

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AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas blanked the Sacramento River Cats 4-0(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.79.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 6-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(5).  BA= .301.
Carlos Moncrief LF- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .281.
Ryder Jones 1B-3B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .235.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.96.

Suarez has kicked it up a notch with 4 QS's in a row covering 27.2 IP, with an ERA of 2.61, 28 K's against 5 BB's.  How great of a season is Steven Duggar having?  He got an aggressive assignment to San Jose and conquered that by mid-season.  Got off to a slow start in AA, but has turned on the afterburners there.  In 11 games prior to the AA All-Star Break he hit just .191.  In the 10 games since, he's hit .444.  Christian Arroyo left the game after 1 AB.

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High A  San Jose Giants outscored the Inland Empire 66'ers 8-6:

Jonah Arenado 1B- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .269.
Miguel Gomez 3B- 1 for 4, HR2).  BA= .276.
Cristian Paulino 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .266.
Rene Melendez C- 1 for 4.  BA= .206.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.40.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(5).  ERA= 2.18.

Gomez has 2 3-run dingers in his last 2 games.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Greensboro Grasshoppers 4-3:

Dillon Dobson 3B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(12), BB.  BA= .267.
Seth Harrison RF- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .262.
Jean Angomas LF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .227.
Jake McCasland RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.64.
Conner Kaden RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.15.
Ryan Koziol RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 2.03.

Angomas is hitting .351 over his last 10 games.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Everett Aquasox 3-1:

Heath Quinn RF- 1 for 3, HR(2).  BA= .330.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .320.
Melvin Adon RHP- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.74.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 Bb, 1 K.  ERA= 5.40.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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Rookie AZL  Padres trounced the Giants 6-1:

Beicker Mendoza 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .275.
Nathanael Javier 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .350.
Jeffrey Parra C- 2 for 2.  BA= .500.
Nick Deeg LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00
Sidney Duprey RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Reagan Bazar LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.48.
Olbis Parra RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Deeg and Duprey make their pro debuts.  Parra makes his season and stateside debut after 2 seasons in the DSL.

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DSL Giants were idle.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Game Wrap 7/24/2016: Yankees 5 Giants 2

The Giants couldn't get anything going against the Yankees on getaway day, which did not come a day too soon!  Key Lines:

Angel Pagan- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .292.  Pagan set the table, but the rest of the lineup couldn't get the food served and alas, the triple came with 2 outs.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4.  BA= .287.  Buster drove in both runs on an emergency check swing that send a grounder down the RF line.

Mac Williamson- 2 for 4.  BA= .259.  Williamson missed a big RBI opportunity when he came to the plate with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 4'th inning.  I'll defend that AB though.  He laid off some very close, very nasty cutters to get the count to 3-1.  He fouled off the next pitch and the 3-2 pitch was a backup slider which would fool most good hitters and he hit a jam-shot pop-up to the first baseman.  Again, the result was not there, but the process was.  Once again, if Mac continues to work the count like that, good things are going to happen.

Jeff Samardzija- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.22.  In any other ballpark, Samardzija would have gotten to the 6'th inning with just 1 run allowed as Carlos Beltran hit a pop up HR into the RF Yankee Stadium porch.  Then in the 6'th he ran into some bad BABIP luck, or his slider flattened out.

Speaking of……….I don't have spray charts of Babe Ruth's HR's but am I the only one who considers his HR record tainted by that damn porch?  Ruth had that porch.  Aaron had Fulton County Stadium.  Barry Bonds and ARod had…. something.  Willie Mays had….Candlestick Park?  Mays missed his first 2 full MLB seasons that likely cost him a minimum of 60 HR's, probably closer to 70 or even 80.  He also had Candlestick Park.  He's my all-time HR champion!

George Kontos- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.64.  It was basically mop-up time, but still an impressive outing for Kontos as the Giants approach the trading deadline with relief pitching in their sites.

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The Loss cut the Giants lead over the Dodgers in the NL West to 3 games as the Bad Guys outscored the Cardinals 9-6.

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It will not be a happy flight home for the Giants, but at least they are finally coming home.  First series starts tomorrow against Cincinnati with Jake Peavy facing a red hot Anthony De Sclafini.  Hopefully we won't have the annual Cincinnati Heat Wave in SF this week.

Down on the Farm: 7/23/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats devoured the El Paso Chihuahuas 12-0:

Ehire Adrianza SS- 3 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .600.
Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.
Andrew Susac C- 2 for 4, HR(8), BB.  BA= .257.
Austin Slater LF- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB.  BA= .239.
Kelby Tomlinson 3B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .277.
Rando Moreno 2B- 2 for 5.  BA= .311.
Austin Fleet RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.72.
Matt Reynolds LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Oooohwhat was Adrianza doing while he was on the DL?  6 HR in 7 games going back to the Cal League.  This was his first AAA game in this rehab.  Giants have some serious depth here as Adrianza, Susac, Slater, Tomlinson, Moreno and Matt Reynolds look like they could help now and we all know Pence is going to be a huge addition soon(knocks furiously on wood).

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AA  Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-3:

Tyler Beede RHP- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.36.
Chase Johnson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.72.

It's getting late in the season.  Beede may be starting to wear down.

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High A  San Jose Giants pounded the Inland Empire 66'ers 8-1:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 3 for 5.  BA= .265.
Robbie Garvey LF- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .268.
Dylan Davis DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .263.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 1 for 4, HR(11), BB.  BA= .268.
Miguel Gomez 3B- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .280.
TJ Bennett 2B- 3 for 3, BB.  BA= .253.
Ty Ross C- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .234.
Jose Reyes RHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.25.

Jebavy is hitting .383 in his last 10 games and .348 in July.   Reyes' ERA is 3.51 over his last 6 starts covering 33.1 IP.

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Low A  Greensboro Grasshoppers edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 6-5:

Junior Arias RF- 2 for 4, 2 HR(4).  BA= .293.
Grant Watson LHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.35.

Arias drove in all 5 of the GJ's runs with his 2 dingers.

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Short Season  Everett Aquasox topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-5:

Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .333.
Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .330.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .299.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 5, SB(2).  BA= .319.
Julio Pena DH- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .320.
Chase Compton 3B- 2 for 2, 2B, HBP.  BA= .250.

The reason why Reynolds left the previous game was he was ejected in the first inning by the first base ump.  I'll deduce that it was over a disputed call at 1B in which Reynolds was called out.

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Rookie AZL  Giants outscored the Brewers 6-4:

Brandon Van Horn SS- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(2).  BA= .192.
Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .350.
Garrett Williams LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.57.

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DSL  Giants beat the Mariners1 5-1:

Ismael Munguia CF-LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SF.  BA= .301.
Aneudy Acosta RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.94.
Camilo Doval RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.15.
Weilly Yan RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Game Wrap 7/23/2016: Giants 2 Yankees 1

Johnny Cueto returned to form.  Mac Williamson drove in both the Giants runs.  The bullpen outlasted the Three-Headed Monster.  Giants win in 12 innings.  Key Lines:

Trevor Brown- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .270.  Brownie came into the game as  PH for Jarrett Parker to face LHP Aroldis Chapman in the 9'th inning.  That did not work out, but he led off the 12'th with a double off RHP Anthony Swarzak.  Brown is a hot hitter, 5 for 9 in his last 3 games, .364 in his last 7 and .341 in his last 15.

Mac Williamson- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .247.  Big Mac got the start in RF facing a RHP and ended up getting both of his hits, a no-doubt dinger and the game-winning RBI single in the 12'th.  Mac is now 6 for 14 with 3 HR's and 1 2B since the All-Star Break and is starting to gain some confidence from Bruce Bochy.  IMO, the Giants need a RH power bat in LF even after Pence gets back.  Is Mac that guy?

Johnny Cueto- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.53.  Cueto had scuffled in several recent starts.  This start quiets fears of another poor second half.

Bullpen- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  It wasn't always pretty, but the collective bullpen matched goose eggs with the Yankees Three-Headed Monster of Betances, Miller and Chapman and proved to be able to go deeper than the Yanks.  Special kudos to Santiago Casilla who came into the game in a non-save, but high-leverage situation after Osich walked the first two batters of the 10'th inning.  He shut the Yankees down and then came back out and shut them down again in the 11'th.  Also of note: Hunter Strickland had to close it out in the 12'th facing 3 LH batters and that short porch.  He did exactly what a RHP with a 98 MPH 2-seam FB should do:  He pounded the outside corner with hard stuff tailing away from the LH batters ensuring they would not beat him with a dinger.  He did throw a couple of breaking balls, but made sure they broke way off the plate down and in.  Very nice Save(2) for Strickland.''

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The Dodgers recovered better from last night's marathon agains the Cardinals and beat them 7-2 today, which leaves the Giants 4 games ahead of the Bad Guys in the NL West.

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Jeff Samardzija, working on an extra day of rest, tries to end the road trip with a series win over the Yanks facing Nate Eovaldi.

Down on the Farm: 7/22/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the El Paso Chihuahuas 7-3:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .296.
Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .208.
Austin Slater LF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .229.
Miguel Olivo C- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .262.
Rando Moreno SS- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .307.
Joan Gregorio RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 5.43.

The Giants have several pitching prospects, including Gregorio, who are capable of a dominant start on any given night, but who just can't quite do it consistently.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1:

Christian Arroyo 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .283.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K.  ERA= 3.68.

Don't forget that in addition to adjusting to the higher level of competition, Arroyo has played multiple positions in the field this season.

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High A  Inland Empire 66'ers rolled over the San Jose Giants 10-3:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .261.
Robbie Garvey LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .255.
Miguel Gomez 1B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.
Daniel Carbonell DH- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .278.

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Low A Asheville Tourists overran the Augusta Greenjackets 10-5:

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .227.
Jean Angomas LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .222.
Dillon Dobson 3B- 1 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .263.
Skyler Ewing 1B- 3 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .236.

Ewing has hit a dinger in 3 consecutive games.  He is 6 for 12 in that span.

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Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Everett Aquasox 10-9:

Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(4), BB.  BA= .329.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 0 for 1.  BA= .306.
Julio Pena RF- 3 for 4.  BA= 286.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 3 for 4, 2B,  HR(1), BB.  BA= .276.

No word on why Reynolds left the game after 1 AB.

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Rookie AZL  Giants destroyed the Royals 10-0:

Malique Zeigler CF- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .313.
Mikey Edie DH- 1 for 4, BB, 2 SB(7).  BA= .203.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 3, SF.  BA= .339.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .447.
Nick Hill 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .301.
Conner Sanabosh C- 2 for 5.  BA= .273.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.33.
Chris Falwell RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.52.

*********************************************************************************

DSL Giants beat the Mariners1 6-3 in 10 innings:

Wascar De Leon DH- 0 for 2, 3 BB, SB(1).  BA= .235.
Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 5, 3B, HR(1).  BA= .263.
Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 2, SB(7).  BA= .301.
Francisco Medina 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .254.
Johan Herrera RHP- 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 2.15.

Game Wrap 7/22/2016: Yankees 3 Giants 2

The Giants failed to take advantage of multiple early scoring opportunities and lost a close one to the Yanks.  Key Lines:

Denard Span- 2 for 5.  BA= .257.  Span is hitting .367 over his last 7 games.

Brandon Belt- 0 for 5.  BA= .281.  Belt is 1 for 26 since the All-Star Break.

Buster Posey- 1 for 1, BB.  BA= .288.  Buster fouled a ball off his back foot in his first AB and left the game later.  X-rays were negative and he was diagnosed with a foot contusion.

Jarrett Parker- 0 for 1, 2 BB.  BA= .252.  The out was a hard hit line drive to CF that carried too far and was caught.

Mac Williamson- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .237.  Mac is 4 for 9 with 2 HR and a double since the All-Star Break.  This ball was pounded off the LF wall about halfway up.  Giants seem to be strictly platooning him and Parker.

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4.  BA= .276.  Crawford made 3 throwing errors in the game.  The 3'rd one hurt as it allowed the winning run to score on the play.  Crawford was trying to turn an unassisted DP and had to make a 360 turn for the throw to first.  That caused the elevation of the throw.  It looked like the throw might have been catchable for Belt, but Belt said he did not see it well.  Crawford might have tried to do too much, but he's never been on to give up on a play and that attitude has held both him and the Giants in good stead more often than not.

Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.14.  Bumgarner was not sharp in the first two innings.  He gave up both runs in the first.  He settled down after that.  It should have been enough, but the Giants squandered at least 3 good scoring opps in the early innings against Tanaka.

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The Dodgers lost to the Cardinals 4-3 in 15 innings. Wow!  THAT must have been brutal in the midwest heatwave!  Giants remain 4 games up in the NL West.

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Johnny Cueto tries to be the stopper today against Ivan Nova.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/21/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the New Orleans Zephyrs 5-4:

Hunter Pence RF= 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .750.
Andrew Susac C- 2 for 5, HR(7).  BA= .251.
Rando Moreno 2B-  2 for 4.  BA= .301.
Chris Stratton RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.92.
Jake Dunning RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.57.

Yeah Hunter Pence!  I'm more impressed by the double than the HR as he had to run out the double.  Maybe Pence is closer to a MLB return than we thought yesterday?  Seems like if ATL is looking for a starting catcher for next year, they could do worse than trading for Andrew Susac.  Stratton follows up his dominant last start with a QS.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 4 for 4, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .286.
Christian Arroyo 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .284.
Kyle Crick RHP- 7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.59.

Steven Duggar has raised his BA by .100 over his last 8 games since 7/9/2016.  I like this line from Cricky.  I'd much rather have him give up 9 hits and 1 BB than 1 H and 9 BB's.

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San Jose Giants pounded the Inland Empire 66'ers 13-6:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 3 for 4, 2B, 3B, BB, SB(19).  BA= .259.
Ehire Adrianza 3B- 1 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .333.
Dylan Davis RF- 1 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .271.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.
Jose Vizcaino Jr DH- 3 for 3, 2 3B.  BA= .261.
Phil Bickford RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.77.

Can't attribute this HR for Adrianza to the high desert.  For those of you waiting with baited breath for a Miguel Gomez line, here it is!  Interesting that Gomez played 2B with Adrianza at 3B.  Viz Jr is hitting .417 over his last 10 games.

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Augusta Greenjackets beat the Asheville Tourists 6-3:

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .225.
Dillon Dobson 3B- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .264.
Skyler Ewing 1B- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .221.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.93.

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Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Everett Aquasox 12-5:

Manuel Geraldo 2B- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .266.
Matt Reynolds DH- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .311.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .283.
Gustavo Cabrera LF- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .264.
Victor Concepcion RHP- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.83.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.00.

Gustavo has just enough of this kind of game to keep you believing.

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Rookie AZL  Giants blasted the A's 11-3:

Malique Ziegler DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .296.
Jacob Heyward LF- 1 for 2, BB, SB(5).  BA= .442.
Nick Hill 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(9).  BA= .290.
Conner Menez RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K.  ERA= 2.57.

Pretty impressed by Nick Hill's tools so far, but needs to play at a higher level.

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DSL  Giants blanked the Cubs2 2-0(7 innings):

Angeddy Almanzar DH- 3 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .323.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.67.

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DSL Giants also won a 10 inning game vs Cubs2 7-6. This was the completion of a previously suspended game.  I couldn't make head or tails out of where the game picked up from so am not posting highlights from the boxscore.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/20/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the New Orleans Zephyrs 10-4:

Kelby Tomlinson SS- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .178.
Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .167.
Austin Slater LF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .233.
Andrew Susac C- 3 for 4, HR(6), SF.  BA= .247.
Travis Ishikawa 1B- 3 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .256.
Adalberto Mejia LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.29.
Duke Welker RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's.  ERA- 3.19.
Matt Reynolds LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

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AA  Akron Rubber Ducks sank the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-3:

Christian Arroyo 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .281.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 3 for 4.  BA= .311.
Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .270.
Matt Gage LHP- 6.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.66.
Tyler Mizenko RHP- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.52.

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High A  San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Asheville Tourists 7-3:

Lucius Fox SS- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .218.
Matt Winn C- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .230.
Matt Pare DH- 1 for 4, HR(4), BB.  BA= .200.
Skyler Ewing 1B- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .213.
Seth Harrison RF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(13).  BA= .257.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .283.
Cory Taylor RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.46.

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Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-2:

Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .250.

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Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL  Giants beat the Cubs2 5-1:

Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .267.
Miguel Figueroa RHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.86.
Jasier Herrera RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.38.

Game Wrap 7/20/2016: Red Sox 11 Giants 7

You might have reasonably had some trepidation about Matt Cain making his return from the DL against the Red Sox in Boston.  If you did, you were right to be trepidated as he lasted just 2.1 innings and departed amidst a hail of dingers.  Albert Suarez was not much better and the Giants offense could not keep up.  Key Lines:

Denard Span- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .254.  After going 0 for 9 in his first 2 games after missing time with a neck strain, Span is 9 for 25 in his last 6 games.

Mac Williamson- 1 for 3, HR(5).  BA= .227.  Mac hits his 5'th HR in 84 PA's which projects to 36 dingers over 600 PA's.  He was lifted for PH Gregor Blanco after 3 AB.

Trevor Brown- 3 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .261.  Brownie hit his 5'th dinger in 116 PA which projects to about 29 HR in 600 PA's.  Can Brownie play 3B?  He's played 2B in the minors and has enough arm to play C in the majors, so you would think so.

Ramiro Pena- 2 for 5.  BA= .348.  Ruben Tejada got the DFA to make room for Matt Cain.  Pena sticks around for the time being.

Matt Cain- 2.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.88.  Rough return from the DL for Cainer.  Not sure what else to say.  He'll get his chances to get his feet back on the ground in the rotation.

Albert Suarez- 3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.19.  Suarez has pitched well in a swingman role this year, but hadn't pitched in about 2 weeks and has a tendency to give up the longball.  That combination gave Hanley Ramirez his 3'rd dinger of the night by the 6'th inning.  Ty Blach may be next in line if Cain and Suarez can't get back on track.

*********************************************************************************

The Dodgers lost to the Nationals 8-1 so the Giants lead in the NL West remains at 4.5 games.

*********************************************************************************

The Giants have now gone through 1 full turn of the rotation without a win out of the All-Star Break.  They get a day off before starting a weekend series against the Yankees in NY.  Madison Bumgarner tries to be the stopper but has to face the Yankee's ace, Masahiro Tanaka on Friday night.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/19/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the New Orleans Zephyrs 1-0(1'st game of DH, 7 innings):

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(19).  BA= .302.
Ty Blach LHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 9/3.  ERA= 3.70.

Blach might be the hottest pitcher in the organization.  Over his last 4 starts he's allowed just 3 ER in 30 IP with 22 K's against just 1 BB.

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AAA  New Orleans Zephyrs blanked the Sacramenton River Cats 3-0(2'nd game of DH, 7 innings):

Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.45.

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AA  Akron Rubber Ducks defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(2).  BA= .250.
Brandon Bednar 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .364.
Dan Slania RHP- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.65.

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High A  San Jose Giants corralled the High Desert Mavericks 4-3:

Jose Vizcaino Jr 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .253.
TJ Bennett 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .234.
Jason Forjet RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.82.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.29.

Viz Jr is hitting .361 over his last 10 games.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-3:

Manuel Geraldo 3B- 2 for 5, SB(5).  BA= .278.
Heath Quinn RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .321.
John Riley C- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .364.
Ryan Howard SS- 3 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .282.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .321.
Rayan Hernandez RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.53.

I saw a recent scouting report that had Hernandez throwing in the 92-94 MPH range.

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Rookie AZL  Mariners downed the Giants 6-4:

Malique Zeigler LF- 2 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .273.
Jacob Heyward DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(4).  BA= .439.
Michael Bernal 2B- 2 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .271.
Nathanael Javier 3B- 2 for 3.  BA= .290.
Stephen Woods RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.84.

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DSL  Orioles2 squeaked past the Giants 1-0:

Orleny Quiroz LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.49.

Quiroz is a big lefty at 6'3"in his first DSL season, but he's 22 yo.

Game Wrap 7/19/2016: Red Sox 4 Giants 0

Jake Peavy gave up a couple of longballs and Rick Porcello shut down the Giants offense as they remained winless in the official second half.  Key Lines:

Denard Span- 2 for 4.  BA= .252.  Span's bat seems to be warming up a bit.  4 for 12 over his last 3 games.

Angel Pagan- 2 for 4.  BA= .289.  Top of the order went a combined 4 for 8 while the rest of the lineup got just 1 hit.  Is it just me, or is the Giants biggest need at the trade deadline a middle-of-the-order bat? I mean, I love Brandon Crawford, but he's not a #5 hitter.  With Hunter Pence's rehab progressing in fits and starts, I don't know if they can count on him being healthy again this season.

Jake Peavy- 6 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.15.   4 baserunners, 4 Runs.  Now that's rough!  Those 3-run dingers will get you!  Especially when your offense is in the ditch.

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The Loss cut the Giants lead over the Dodgers in the NL West to 4.5 games as the Bad Guys outscored the Nationals 8-4.

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Matt Cain comes off the DL tonight to face…..Drew Pomeranz.  This could get ugly!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/18/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats vs New Orleans Zephyrs postponed.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Akron Rubber Ducks 6-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .231.
Brandon Bednar 2B- 1 for 3, BB, SF.  BA= .355.
Hunter Cole RF- 3 for 4, 3B.  BA= .270.
Darren Ford LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .243.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 5.14.

Cole hit .338 in June, .275 so far in July, but .342 over his last 10 games.  I think this may be Suarez' first double digit K start.

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High A  High Desert Mavericks outscored the San Jose Giants 7-6:

Ehire Adrianza SS- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .375.
Jose Vizcaino Jr 3B- 2 for 3, HR(7), BB.  BA= .247.
Cristian Paulino LF- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .271.

The high desert of SoCal is a great place to rehab for hitters, not so much for pitchers.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets beat the Delmarva Shorebirds 6-4:

Lucius Fox SS- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .221.
Matt Winn C- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .229.
Jean Angomas LF- 3 for 4, 3B.  BA= .217.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB(22).  BA= .277.
Michael Connolly RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.70
Caleb Smith RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.76.
Ryan Koziol RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.12.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(6).  ERA= 0.00.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 8-7:

Manuel Geraldo 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.
Ashford Fulmer CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(7).  BA= .330.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.75.
Kendry Melo RHP- 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.84.

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Rookie AZL  Giants pounded the D'Backs 12-2:

Mikey Edie CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .200.
Sandro Fabian RF- 3 for 4, 2 3B.  BA= .340.
Jacob Heyward LF- 11 for 3, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .447.
Beicker Mendoza DH- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .281.
Robinson Medrano 1B- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .205.
DJ Myers RHP- 4 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.25.
Garrett Williams LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs had some cautiously good things to say about Fabian and Heyward.  Said Fabian is a good looking prospect, but a long ways off.  Heyward has tools but is playing at too low a level.  I agree.

*********************************************************************************

DSL Giants outlasted the Orioles2 4-3 in 10 innings:

Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .322.
Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .319.
Franklin Labour DH- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .248.
Nishell Gutierrez 2B- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(4).  BA= .216.
Aneudy Acosta RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.49.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/17/2016

AAA  Round Rock Express rolled over the Sacramento River Cats 6-1:

Joan Gregorio RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.92.
Matt Reynolds LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Gregorio needed one more K to have 5 5's in his pitching line.  I'm tellin' ya, Matt Reynolds is going to be pitching in a Giants uniform before you know it!

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AA  Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-2:

Tyler Beede RHP- 5 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

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High A  High Desert Mavericks gored the San Jose Giants 16-6:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .258.
Ehire Adrianza SS- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .381.
Dylan Davis RF- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA- .276.

More sillyball in the high deserts of SoCal.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Delmarva Shorebirds 6-0(First game of DH, 7 innings):

Lucius Fox SS- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(22).  BA= .218.
Seth Harrison RF- 3 for 4.  BA= .258.
Skyler Ewing 1B- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .224.
Grant Watson LHP- 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.33.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

*********************************************************************************

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Delmarva Shorebirds 1-0(2'nd game of DH, 7 innings):

Lucius Fox SS- 1 for 3, SB(23).  BA= .220.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 3.  BA= .221.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 1 for 2, 3B.  BA= .268.
Jake McCasland RHP- 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.49.

McCasland allowed 1 baserunner on a error, but got the 7-inning no-no.  McCasland is old for the level but seems to have finally found some traction on his career.

*********************************************************************************

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes were idle.

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Rookie AZL  Giants outscored the Dodgers 14-6:

Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4, 3B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .457.
Nick Hill 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .279.
Michael Bernal 2B- 4 for 4, 3 2B.  BA= .265.
Chris Falwell RHP- 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.00.
Calab Baragar LHP- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.19.

Heyward needs to move to a higher level, but he's making it a grand slam in the Giants 2016 draft for OF's:  Reynolds, Quinn, Brusa and Heyward.  I think Nick Hill was drafted as an OF too, but he played 3B in this game.  I like Malique Zeigler too, but he's more of a long term project.

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DSL  Giants were idle.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Game Wrap 7/17/2016: Padres 5 Giants 3

Johnny Cueto had a subpar start and Edwin Jackson(yes, THAT Edwin Jackson!) was up to his old tricks of effective wildness as the Giants completed a faceplant out of the All-Star Break getting swept in San Diego.  Key Lines:

Conor Gillaspie- 1 for 2, HR(3).  BA= .260.  Gillaspie's 3 run PH dinger was one of just 2 hits the Giants mustered against Jackson who walked 5 batters.

Johnny Cueto- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.63.  He only pitched 2 innings in the ASG, and he did not have to travel anywhere afterward, but Cueto appeared to be fatigued.  His side was apparently hurting before the game to the point where Jake Peavy thought he might end up starting instead of Cueto and got taped up early.  Cueto and Samardzija both had rough second halves last year, so we'll have to hope the Giants pitcher whisperers figure something out.  And if Cueto is fatigued and hurting, they might consider putting him on the DL as a preventative measure.  I think a 2 week DL stint should be built into almost every pitcher's schedule at some point in the season.

Edwin Jackson- 6.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.76.  Yup, it's THAT Edwin Jackson! I had a bad feeling about this game as soon as I saw his name as the scheduled starter.

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Silver lining:  The D'Backs held off a Dodgers comeback for a 6-5 win so the Giants maintain their 5.5 game lead over the bad guys in the NL West.

*********************************************************************************

The Giants get tomorrow off to travel to Boston for an interleague series against the BoSox in Fenway Park with Jake Peavy facing Rick Porcello in the opener on Tuesday, 7/19/2016.

Down on the Farm: 7/16/2016

AAA Sacramento River Cats edged to the Round Rock Express 3-2:

Kelby Tomlinson SS- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .176.
Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 1.  BA= 1.000.
Austin Slater LF- 3 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .242.
Myles Schroder 3B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .203.
Chris Stratton RHP- 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 12 K's.  ERA= 5.22.

Pence came out of the game after grabbing his hammy running down to 1B on the hit.  Yikes!  Giants say he felt fine after the game and it might have been some scar tissue breaking.  Hmm…..don't know about that.  Austin Slater is hitting .286 over his last 10 games and is 6 for 14 over his last 3.  This might be the most dominant start of Chris Stratton's pro career.  Brings back memories of his college junior season when double digit K's were routine for him.

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Bowie Baysox postponed due to rain.

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High A  High Desert Mavericks outscored the San Jose Giants 7-6.

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .253.
Dylan Davis RF- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .282.
Jose Vizcaino Jr 3B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .242.
Cristian Paulino 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(23).  BA= .268.
Ty Ross C- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .228.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Cristian Paulino may be breaking out.  He's hitting .371 in his last 10 games and .349 for the month of July after hitting .298 in June.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Delmarva Shorebirds postponed due to rain.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians defeated the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-1:

NTSH.

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Rookie AZL Angels topped the Giants 8-3:

Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .310.
Alex Bostic LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.06.
Conner Menez RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

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DSL on All Star Break.  Giants represented by Ricardo Genoves and RHP Jesus Reyes.

Game Wrap 7/16/2016: Padres 7 Giants 6 in 10 innings

Santiago Casilla turned a stirring Giants comeback win into a crushing defeat with what might have been the worst Blown Save of his career, and that is saying something.  Key Lines:

Denard Span- 2 for 5.  BA= .251.  Span got a couple of hits and scored a run.  Kuip, who was doing color commentary for this game, as much as said Span is not 100% physically.

Angel Pagan- 3 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .289.  Pagan's 2-run dinger got the Giants back into this game.  The carry on the ball to RF foreshadowed more HR's to come.  Have I said Pagan is a dynamic player when he's healthy?

Buster Posey- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(12).  BA= .293.  With Brandon Belt in a mini-slump, Buster picked up the slack.  I am not sure the HR pitch was even in the strike zone.  Buster reached out and took a high-outside pitch the other way and it carried into the second section of the RF bleachers for the first HR in extra innings of his career to give the Giants a 6-5 lead, much to the delirious delight of the young blonde woman sitting with her parents behind the Giants dugout.  They did not show her reaction to Casilla's Blown Save a few minutes later.

Mac Williamson- 1 for 1, HR(4).  BA= .225.  Mac has 4 dingers in 80 PA's which projects to 30 in 600.

Ramiro Pena- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .364.  I'm not that surprised Pena is hitting .364, but more that he's hitting with the authority he has shown.  The Iso is .181 with 7 XBH's in 20 hits.

Jeff Samardzija- 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.05.  Jeff Samardzija on the mound on a day there is carry to RF?  No bueno!

Albert Suarez- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.55.  Suarez ate up 5 outs and Josh Osich got him out of a jam in the 7'th with a soft groundout to 2B off a RH batter.

Hunter Strickland- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.94.  Is Strickland ready to take over the 8'th inning role?  He's had his moments himself this year.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.35.  Is Romo ready to take over the Closer role, or do the Giants need to make a trade?  Who would they trade for?

Santiago Casilla- 0.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K, BS(5).  ERA= 3.38.  Oh my!  It is hard to describe how bad this was.  Casilla, who in fairness had not pitched for a week, came out and threw 2 pitches to leadoff batter Chris Dickerson that were nowhere close to the strike zone.  He then threw a get-it-over pitch that Dickerson lined over Crawford's head for a single.  That brought up Derek Norris, who Kuip reminded us hit a HR off Casilla in 2012 when he was with the A's that knocked Casilla out of the Closer's role in favor of Sergio Romo and the rest is history.  Casilla couldn't find the strike zone against Norris either and he singled to right-center sending Dickerson to 3'rd.  Norris then stole 2B without a throw to put the winning run at 2B, still with 0 outs.  Casilla seemed to settle down against Adam Rosales and got to 0-2, but then couldn't get him to chase and then pitched to contact with Rosales hitting a seeing-eye single through the left side to drive in the tying run with Norris going to 3B.  By this time, the die was probably already cast, but on the first pitch to Alexei Ramirez, who I thought should have been given an intentional walk to load the bases and create a force at all bases, Casilla stumbled off the rubber and threw awkwardly to the plate on a bounce.  It was a balk and the winning run scored.

I've heard of games being won on a walk-off balk, but had never seen one.  Twitterverse is calling it a balk-off!  I will say this:  If what Carter Capps does is not a balk, then I'm not sure why Casilla's stumble was.

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The Loss did not hurt as much as it could have as Kenley Jansen, who is supposed to be an elite closer, blew his 4'th Save of the season and the Dodgers lost to he D'Backs in extra-innings 2-1.  The Giants remain 5.5 games ahead of he Bad Guys in the NL West.

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Johnny Cueto tries to stave of an embarrassing sweep today facing Edwin Jackson.  Yes, THAT Edwin Jackson!

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/15/2016

AAA  Sacramento River Cats derailed the Round Rock Express 11-4:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 4, 2 BB, 2 SB(17).  BA= .305.
Andrew Susac DH- 2 for 6, HR(5).  BA= .252.
Miguel Olivo C- 2 for 3, HR(7), 2 BB.  BA= .266.
Austin Slater LF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(2).  BA= .222.
Travis Ishikawa 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .243.
Chris Denorfia RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .184.
Adalberto Mejia LHP- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.94.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.84.

Susac is hitting .302 over his last 10 games.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Bowie Baysox 13-11:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 5, 3B, BB.  BA= .214.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 4 for 6, 2B.  BA= .333.
Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .264.
Ryder Jones 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .239.
Brandon Bednar 2B- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .382.
Steven Lerud C- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .200.
Carlos Moncrief LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .285.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.90.

Hinojosa continues to build his breakout season.

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High A Lancaster Jethawks outslugged the San Jose Giants 13-8:

Ehire Adrianza SS- 2 for 3, 2 HR(2).  BA= .417.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .275.
Matt Cain RHP- 4 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 20.25.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

I know they play sillyball up in Lancaster, but yikes, Matt Cain!  And LOL Craig Whitaker(our Roger Craig Whitaker?) off Baggs twitter feed via Joe Ritzo:  A rehab start in Lancaster is like driver's ed on the 405.  Nothing good is going to come of it."

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Low A  Delmarva Shorebirds blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 3-0(game shortened to 7.5 innings due to rain):

Conner Kaden RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.37.

I believe this is the 4'th consecutive game the GJ's have been shut out.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians edged out the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-3:

Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .318.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB, 2 SB(2).  BA= .390.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .274.
Hengerber Medina RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.97.
Nick Sabo LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.32.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Is Bryan Reynolds the 5 tool stud CF we've all been waiting for lo these many years?  He's sure looking like it so far, but the NWL.

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Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL  Dodgers beat the Giants 6-3:

Angeddy Almanzer 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .313.
Francisco Medina 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .243.
Johan Herrera RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.29.

Game Wrap 7/15/2016: Padres 4 Giants 1

The Padres took advantage of a few mistake pitches by Madison Bumgarner and the Giants offense could not get anything going against Andrew Cashner as the Giants stumbled to a loss out of the All-Star Break.  Key Lines:

Madison Bumgarner- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 9 K's, 2 HR.  ERA= 2.12.  As you can see from the K/BB, Bumgarner had good stuff.  His command did seem to be off just a tad and his pitches up in the zone more often than usual.  The ball seemed to have a bit extra carry in Petco last night too.  But the hits that did the damage, Solarte's double and the HR's by Rosales and Myers were definitely fat pitches that were hit hard.

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The Loss cut the Giants lead over the Dodgers in the NL West to 5.5 games over the Dodgers who outscored the D'Backs 13-7.

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Jeff Samardzija takes the mound tonight against Luis Perdomo.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/14/2016

AAA  Round Rock Express outlasted the Sacramento River Cats 6-5 in 12 innings:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 3, HR(6), BB, Sac.  BA= .302.
Rando Moreno SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .292.
Clayton Blackburn RHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.03.
Matt Reynolds LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.03.
Jean Machi RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.86.

Reynolds moves into position for a callup in case a lefty reliever is needed.

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AA Bowie Baysox edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Christian Arroyo 2B- 4 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .284.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .282.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .236.
Kyle Crick RHP- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.64.

Arroyo returns from the All-Star Break smoking'!  Hinojosa continues to hit in AA.  Anytime Kyle Crick has more K's than BB's it's a good game for him.

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High A  Lancaster Jethawks blanked the San Jose Giants 3-0(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings):

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .251.
Ehire Adrianza SS- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .333.
Daniel Carbonell DH- 2 for 2.  BA= .267.
Phil Bickford RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 9/2.  ERA= 2.35.

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High A  Lancaster Jethawks pounded the San Jose Giants 9-4(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

Dylan Davis RF- 1 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .279.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 2 for 3.  BA= .272.
Jose Morel RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.13.

Morel comes out of the pen after 2 starts.

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Low A West Virginia Power surged over the Augusta Greenjackets 7-0:

Miguel Gomez DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .371.

I think that is 3 shutout losses in a row to the Power.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes erupted over the Spokane Indians 12-4:

Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .347.
Gio Brusa LF- 3 for 6, HR(3).  BA= .379.
Heath Quinn RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .306.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 3 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .395.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .261.
Zack Bowers C- 3 for 5.  BA= .282.
Chase Compton 3B- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .241.
Victor Concepcion RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.47.
Rayan Hernandez RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.69.
Cesar Yanez RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.68.

…and a good time was had by all!  The 3 big OF's drafted by the Giants this year are killing it for S-K.

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Rookie AZL  A's defeated the Giants 6-4:

Sandro Cabrera LHP- 5.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.

Cabrera took over for starter Stephen Woods in the first inning.  He allowed 2 baserunners on errors, but was otherwise perfect.

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DSL  Dodgers beat the Giants 5-1 in a rain shortened game(7 innings):

Ismael Munguia LF-CF- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .330.
Angeddy Almanzer 1B- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .312.
Jose Patino CF- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .279.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Down on the Farm: 7/13/2016

AAA and AA were idle.

High A  Lancaster Jethawks outscored the San Jose Giants 10-9:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 2 for 5, 3B, SB(18).  BA= .251.
Ehire Adrianza DH- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 3 for 5.  BA= .271.
Jose Vizcaino Jr 3B- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .242.
Cristian Paulino 2B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, SB(22).  BA= .263.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.95.

Lancaster is a ridiculous hitting environment.  Elevation, hot, dry air, wind blowing out.  You name it!

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Low A  West Virginia Power blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 3-0:

Shawon Dunston Jr DH- 2 for 3, 2B, SB(6).  BA= .278.
Cory Taylor RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K's, GO/AO= 7/0.  ERA= 2.42.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Dunston Jr had the only 2 hits in the game for the Greenjackets.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 10-7:

Manuel Geraldo 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .264.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .364.
Heath Quinn RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .281.
John Riley C- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .364.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .348.

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Rookie AZL  Royals defeated the Giants 6-4 in 10 innings:

Brandon Van Horn SS- 2 for 5, SB(2).  BA= .220.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .550.
DJ Myers, RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.87.
Jacob Greenwalt RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.45.

Greenwalt is off to a nice start to his pro career after being drafted late out of a small HS in Colorado.  Heyward seems like he needs to move up.

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DSL  Giants beat the D'Backs2 6-3:

Jose Rivero SS- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(4).  BA= .281.
Labour, Almanzer, Medina- 2 hits each.
Miguel Figueroa RHP(18 yo)- 6.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 3.58.
Weilly Yan RHP(20 yo)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Midseason Q/A

We'll take advantage of the All-Star Break to to a midseason Q/A.  Fire away with any baseball related questions.  I'll post them during the day and respond this evening.  If readers want to comment in the meantime, that's OK.

Down on the Farm: 7/12/2016

AAA, AA, High A and Rookie AZL were all idle.

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Low A  West Virginia Power blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 1-0:

Matt Winn C- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .282.
Michael Connolly RHP- 8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.64.

Connolly did not even make my Honorable Mention list in my pre-season Giants prospect rankings.  He is having a tremendous breakout season for Augusta.

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Shor Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes exploded over the Spokane Indians 14-2:

Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .248.
Gio Brusa DH- 3 for 6, 2B.  BA= .404.
Gustavo Cabrera LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .273.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .341.
Zack Bowers C- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .258.
Chase Compton 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .208.
Julio Pena RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .176.
Matt Krook LHP- 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Brusa seems to be too advanced for this level.  Send him to San Jose!  Gustavo Cabrera seems to be gaining a bit of traction.

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DSL  D'Backs2 defeated the Giants 4-1:

Brayan De Pena DH- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .191.
Orleny Quiroz LHP(22 yo)- 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.06.
Jerson Severino RHP(17 yo)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 6.75.

Despite his advanced age, I think Quiroz might be a prospect as this is apparently his first pro experience and he is 6'3", 180 lbs, big for a lefty.  I also like Severino's size at 6'3", 190 lbs.