Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/30/2017

AAA  Reno Aces doubled up the Sacramento River Cats 10-5:

Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .277.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .333.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .292.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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AA  Hartford Yard Goats trampled the Richmond Flying Squirrels 12-2:

Brandon Bednar 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .284.
Dylan Davis LF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .200.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.24.

The Squirrels ran out of pitchers so Ryan Lollis and Rando Moreno threw an inning each.  Lollis walked 2 but did not allow a run.  Moreno was not so fortunate.

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High A  San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A Columbia fireflies lit up the Augusta Greenjackets 8-2:

Jose Vizcaino Jr 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .200.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .238.
Michael Bernal 2B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .357.
Greg Brody RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Caleb Smith RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Game Wrap 5/30/2017: Nationals 6 Giants 3

Orlando Calixte brought some spark to the Giants offense but failed to light a fire under it as the Nationals cruised to another easy win.  Key LInes:

Orlando Calixte LF/CF/RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .400.  Calixte had hits in his first 2 MLB AB's, the second a double to drive in 2.  He also played all 3 OF positions.  I think C and P are the only 2 positions he has not played in the minor leagues.

Buster Posey C- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .351.  2 months in, Buster Posey is on pace for a 6 fWAR season, which would be his best since his MVP season in 2012.  For what it's worth, by Fangraphs valuations, Buster has produced a total of $170.4 M in WAR value since his signed his $167 M extension prior to the 2013 season.

Jeff Samaedzija RHP- 4 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.63.  Shark had his moments such as 2 beautiful called 3'rd strikes on Bryce Harper, and he saw more than his share of groundballs find holes in the IF, but he also threw over 60 pitches in the first 2 innings which limited how deep he could go in the game.

Josh Osich LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.46.  Osich looked really good getting out of a jam in his previous appearance and was dominant for 2 innings here.  If he could find some consistency, he would be a big piece of the puzzle for 2018.

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The Giants dropped 11.5 games behind the Dodgers who took over the lead in the NL West and dropped 10 games off the Wild Card pace.  We'll stop reporting games behind in the standings until/unless they become more competitive at some point in the future.

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Matt Cain tries to stave off a series sweep tonight facing Nationals co-ace Max Scherzer.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/29/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the Reno Aces 11-3:

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .290.
Austin Slater CF- 3 for 6.  BA= .324.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .286.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 3 for 5.  BA= .326.
Juniel Querecuto SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .238.
Joan Gregorio RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K.  BA= 3.18.
Matt Reynolds LHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.29.
Kyle Crick RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.00.

The Kelby/Slater show rolls on and now Chris Shaw is joining the party.  Seems like Fedex would be just fine as a backup catcher in case some team out there wants to acquire Nick Hundley for a lottery ticket type prospect.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0:

Jose Flores RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.01.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.63.

Flores has been kicking around the minors for a long time, so unless he's found a new pitch, don't expect this to continue.  Martinez seems to have found whatever left him at mid-season last year.

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High A  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 6-4:

Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .295.
Aramis Garcia C - 3 for 5.  BA= .270.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .258.
Carlos Diaz LHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.03.

Garcia is back behind the plate.

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Low A  Columbia Fireflies crushed the Augusta Greenjackets 14-2:

Game was shortened to 7 innings due to weather.  Nothing to see here.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Game Wrap 5/29/2017: Nationals 3 Giants 0

It's pretty sad when the most exciting play of the game, make that season so far, is a ridiculous brawl that had its origens in, get this, 2014.  Key Lines:

Giants Offense- Belt(.243), Posey(.340) and Ruggiano(.228) had 2 hits each.  Arroyo had the only XBH, a double that kicked off the 3B bag.  None of the were strung together to create any type of serious run scoring threat.

Matt Moore LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.98.  Kruk was gushing about Moore's stuff in the first inning and it did seem to be good.  He made a mistake pitch to Ryan Zimmerman and allowed another run late in the game but was mostly very good and gave the Giants a QS. This game was lost by the offense.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.53.  OK, Strickland dispatched the first 2 batters of the 8'th inning with ease which brought Bryce Harper to the plate with 2 outs.  The last time Strickland faced Harper was in the 2014 NLDS.  That's right, over 2 years ago!  In case you don't remember, Harper got a splash hit HR and admired it for awhile.  Strickland barked at him as he round the bases and Harper was shown on TV yelling and gesturing in the dugout.  Nevermind that was over 2 years ago and the Giants actually won that series and went on to win the World Series leading Bryce Harper to become an outspoken admirer of the Giants organization.  Strickland held his grudge until today when he nailed Harper on the right hip with one of the most purposeful of purpose pitches I've seen.  Harper knew immediately what the deal was pointed his bat at Strickland and started for the mound.  He first flung his helmet wildly then charged Strickland who had dropped his glove.  It looked like Harper landed one clean blow to the face while Strickland landed 2 clean and one glancing shot followed by a scrum.  Harper was pulled away by one of his teammates.  It took 3 big Giants teammates to subdue Strickland enough to carry him into the Clubhouse, fighting all the way.  At one point he was pushing and punching at Hunter Pence's face and head!  Wow!  Hunter Strickland was MAD and he is not a small guy!

Of course, after the game, Strickland denied throwing at Harper on purpose.   I hope when he looks at video of the incident, he will realize he owes several of his teammates an apology.  Sure was fun to watch, though!

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The Giants remain 11 games behind the NL West leading Rockies and 9 games out in the Wild Card race.

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Jeff Samardzija faces Gio Gonzalez in game two tomorrow evening.

Scouting the 2017 Draft: Nate Pearson; Drew Waters; Tanner Burns; Stuart Fairchild; Jeter Downs

I present 5 draft prospects who have made their way into late first round discussion:

Nate Pearson RHP, JC(Florida).  6'6", 245 lbs.

2017:  5-2, 1.56, 81 IP, 23 BB, 118 K.

Tall and big, Pearson has attracted national attention for a big FB that reaches 97 MPH and more.  At one point he was rumored to be touching 100.  He has excellent command of the pitch and pounds the strike zone with it.  His secondary offerings lag behind and will need development after he turns pro.  A bit of a project but a tremendous base of raw talent for work from.

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Drew Waters OF, HS.  B-S, T-R.  6'2", 190 lbs.

Toolsy HS OF.  PG metrics:  6.69 60 yd dash.  Time to Impact .100(the best I've seen).  Exit Velocity 103 MPH.

Waters holds his bat high but brings it into a comfortable hitting position as the pitch is delivered.  The swing itself is short and quick with some power behind it.  He's got a pretty big leg kick for timing.  Nice prospect but probably more of a second round talent.

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Tanner Burns RHP, HS.  6'0", 205 lbs.

Stocky, muscular pitcher who hits 95 MPH not the radar guns.  Secondary stuff needs development.  Comp for body type is Grant Holmes.  I would worry about the body as he matures.   Second round talent on my board.

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Stuart Fairchild OF, College(Wake Forest).  B-R, T-R.  6'0", 205 lbs.

2017:  .353/.430/.621, 16 2B, 15 HR, 17 SB, 26 BB, 47 K, 235 AB.

Nice combination of speed and power and a chance to stick in CF.  College hitters are starting to move up in this draft as they tend to.  Fairchild in discussion for late first-early 2nd round.

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Jeter Downs SS, HS.  B-R, T-R.  6'0", 180 lbs.

Great baseball name!  Yup, he was named after Derek Jeter.  Toolsy kid who can probably stick at SS or move to CF.  Excellent speed and arm.  PG metrics:  6.45 60 yd dash.  93 MPH IF throw.  Time to impact= .104 sec. which is excellent.  Seems to have moved ahead of other HS SS prospects who I like such as Brady McConnell, Mark Vientos and Ricardo De La Torre.

Down on the Farm: 5/28/2017

AAA  Reno Aces held off the Sacramento River Cats 6-5:

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 1 for 4, BB, 2 SB(8).  BA= .287.
Austin Slater CF/LF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(4), BB.  BA= .317.
Tyler Beede RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K, GO/AO= 10/1.  ERA= 3.93.
DJ Snelton LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 9.00.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.05.

Kelby keeps on doing good things.  Slater keeps on hitting while playing multiple OF positions.  He LOVES hitting in Reno!  Not sure what to make of Beede's start.  I will say Reno is an extremely hitter-friendly ballpark.  I missed Snelton's promotion during the Memphis series.  He got roughed up there.  Hopefully this appearance gives him some traction.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Harrisburg Senators 3-2:

Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 4, 2 HR(5).  BA= .337.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .262.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 3.04.

Gomez just keeps hitting!  Maybe the best all-around hitter in the Giants system.

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High A San Jose Giants blanked the Modesto Nuts 1-0 in 10 innings after being no-hit for 9:

Conner Menez LHP- 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 6 K.  ERA= 3.24.
Will LaMarche RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.86.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.99.

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Low A  Rome Braves crushes the Augusta Greenjackets 9-1:

Nothing to See Here!

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Game Wrap 5/28/2017: Giants 7 Braves 1

The Giants took advantage of walks and errant throws to build a 7-0 lead after 3 innings which was more than enough support for Johnny Cueto and the bullpen.  Key Lines:

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .283.  Nunez had a 12 game hit streak broken yesterday.  He came right back with 2 hits in this one.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4.  BA= .266.  Crawford drove in 1 run in the first inning on a groundout and 2 more in the second inning on a bases-loaded 2-out single.

Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .244.  Panik had the only XBH for the Giants. His triple to lead off the 2'nd inning started a 4-run rally.

Johnny Cueto RHP- 0 for 0, SF, Sac.  BA= .050.  As you can see, Johnny is not much of a hitter, but he can handle the bat.  He helped himself with great situational hitting in this one.

Johnny Cueto RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.37.  Johnny was able to cruise in this one, although 106 pitches in 6 innings is a lot.  He has 7 Quality Starts out of 11 although his prior 2 had been non-QS.

Bullpen:  3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  This was Morris' 9'th consecutive appearance without allowing a run.  Osich looked a bit shaky after giving up a broken bat single and walking the next batter to lead off the 8'th but he struck out the next batter and got a crisp GIDP to end the inning.  Gearrin worked an uneventful 9'th and has been solid all season.

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If you are looking for a ray of hope, this was the Giants 4'th series win out of their last 5.  The Giants remain 11 games behind the NL West leading Rockies and 9.5 games behind in the Wild Card race.

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The Giants go right into their next series against the Nationals with Matt Moore facing Tanner Roark.

Down on the Farm: 5/27/2017

AAA  Reno Aces outslugged the Sacramento River Cats 7-6 in 11 innings:

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .289.
Orlando Calixte CF/SS- 4 for 6, 3B, HR(8), SB(11).  BA= .293.
Ryder Jones 3B- 1 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .269.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 1B- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .282.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .308.
Austin Slater RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .311.
Dan Slania RHP- 6 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 8.54.

Cats hit 4 HR's and scored all 6 of their runs in the 8'th and 9'th innings to send the game into extras.  Calixte is on a pace to hit 30 HR's and steal 40 bases projected to 600 PA's.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels soared over the Harrisburg Senators 8-4:

Slade Heathcott CF- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .276.
Myles Schroder C- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .333.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.43.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.16.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.61.

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

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B, Sac.  BA= .236.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .323.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .293.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .255.
Jake McCasland RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.13.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.32.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(8).  ERA= 0.77.

McCasland gave up all 3 runs in the first inning.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Rome Braves 1-0:

Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .268.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.21.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.62.

Game Wrap 5/27/2017: Giants 6 Braves 3

Ty Blach was sensational for 7 innings of shutout ball before faltering in the 8'th.  Fortunately, and unlike for Matt Cain the night before, the Giants offense gave him a 5 run cushion and they held on for the Win.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 4, HR(10), BB, SB(2).  BA= .242.  I've been thinking about writing a post on what drives me crazy about Belt's swing.  Maybe I better not.  He's on a pace to hit 30 HR's on the season.

Nick Hundley C- 3 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .253.  After hitting just .192 in April, Hundley is hitting .355 in May.  I wonder if any contenders are looking for catching help?

Ty Blach LHP- 2 for 3.  BA= .214.  Blach has shown a consistent ability to help himself at the plate.

Ty Blach LHP- 7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/3.  ERA= 3.83.  Blach has 4 QS in a row and 5 QS out of his last 6 starts.  He's gone at least 7 IP in each of those 5 QS's.  As a reader commented, if you take out his 1 Disaster Start and 1 Disaster Relief Appearance, he has allowed 10 ER in 45.1 IP,  for a 1.99 ERA.

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With the Win, the Giants cut their deficit in the NL West to 11 games behind the leading Rockies but they also remain 9.5 games out in the Wild Card race.

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Johhny Cueto tries for a series Win today facing knuckleballer RA Dickey.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/26/2017

AAA  Memphis Redbirds crushed the Sacramento River Cats 13-3:

Kelby Tomlinson SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .286.
Orlando Calixte CF- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .277.
Chris Stratton RHP- 5 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.88.
Dusten Knight RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.40.

Kelby is hitting .385 over his last 10 games with 4 SB's.  Calixte is hitting .333 with 3 dingers and 2 SB's over his last 10 games.  It looks like Kelby and Calixte are on the same utility track.  Can anyone think of a reason why one or both of them are not up instead of Aaron Hill, Ruggiano or Gorkys?  Maybe a little more seasoning in CF?  I really don't like to label prospects as busts, but I think we are close to that point with Chris Stratton.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-2:

Ali Castillo 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .317.
Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .219.
Matt Gage LHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.97.

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High A  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 7-3:

Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .290.

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Low A Rome Braves defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:

Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .262.
Jacob Heyward LF-  2 for 4.  BA= .233.
Garrett Williams LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.38.
Greg Brody RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Heyward is hitting .286 with 3 dingers over his last 10 games.  Williams seems to be coming along nicely.  He's one of several high-ceiling pitchers with command/control issues.  Brody was an 11'th round draft pick in 2014 who missed all of the next two seasons.

Game Wrap 5/26/2017: Braves 2 Giants 0

The Giants offense stopped sputtering and went silent reviving the practice of Caining when a certain Giants starting pitcher is on the mound.  Key Lines:

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 2 for 4, SB(13).  BA= .282.  Nunez had 2 of the Giants 4 hits, but go no help from his teammates.  The closest the Giants came to scoring a run was in the 6'th inning when the Braves intentionally walked Buster Posey to load the bases with 2 outs and Justin Ruggiano grounded out weakly to 3B.

Matt Cain RHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K, GO/AO- 13/3.  ERA= 4.45.  Cain was solid.  He's become a groundball pitcher.  Unfortunately in the 7'th, a few of those GB's found holes including a single through the left side by opposing pitcher, Garcia.  That drove in 1 run.  The second scored because Brandon Belt's throw from LF hit the lead runner in the legs.  The ball kicked far enough away for Dansby Swanson to score too with Garcia ending up on 2B.  You knew the game was over at that point.  That's how bad the Giants offense looked.

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The Giants fell 12 games off the pace in the NL West and 9.5 games behind in the Wild Card race.  I think the Giants can safely start prepping for next season.

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Ty Blach takes the mound today facing Mike Foltenewicz.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/25/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Memphis Redbirds 5-3:

Kelby Tomlinson CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .276.
Orlando Calixte SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .270.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .291.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Juniel Querecuto 2B- 2 for 3, SB(3).  BA= .261.
Michael Roth LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.14.
Kyle Crick RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(5).  ERA= 3.20.

Kelby keeps after it in CF.  How valuable is a guy who can play SS, 2B and CF on an MLB bench?  It seems like the Giants are going to have to find out what Hwang can do at the MLB level at some point.  Roth's ERA is 2.66 over his last 4 Starts.

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AA  Binghampton Rumble Ponies downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-3:

Myles Schroder SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .333.
Slade Heathcott CF- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .286.
CJ Hinojosa 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .255.

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High A  San Jose Giants topped the Lancaster Jethawks 4-2:

Heath Quinn RF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .350.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .242.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .236.
TJ Bennett 2B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .150.
Matt Krook LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 13/3.  ERA= 7.45.
Carlos Diaz LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.30.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(7).  ERA= 0.81.

Arenado has raised his BA from .197 to .236 over his last 6 games in which he has gone 11 for 26 with 5 2B and last night's HR.  Matt Krook pitching to contact and getting results.  Is this a breakthrough game for him?

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Low A  Rome Braves outlasted the Augusta Greenjackets 6-2 in 10 innings:

Jacob Heyward LF- 1 for 3, HR(6), BB.  BA= .224.
Melvin Adon RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.98.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.22.

Game Wrap 5/25/2017: Cubs 5 Giants 1

The Giants offense continued to sputter as they failed to build on a first inning run and Jeff Samardzija was once again vulnerable to the longball.  Key Lines:

Giants Lineup:  With Nunez a late scratch due to a sore hammy, the 6,7,8 spots in the lineup  are hitting .222, .160 and .191 respectively.  That's not an MLB caliber lineup and definitely not a lineup that can compete with a team like the Cubs.  They went a combined 0 for 10.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.50.  Again, Shark had fantastic K and BB ratios.  The K's would indicate he had excellent stuff.  It's those darn dingers!  3 solo shots out of 6 hits were the difference in this game as I am sure Bochy's bullpen use would have been different with a 1-0 lead.

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With the Loss, the Giants remained 11 games behind the NL West leading Rockies and dropped 8.5 games off the Wild Card pace.

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The Giants return home with Matt Cain facing the Braves and lefty Jaime Garcia in tonight's opener.

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Nunez is listed as DTD, but hammy's are notoriously unpredictable.  With Aaron Hill nearing a return, Nunez injury may influence the Giants to send down Arroyo rather than Williamson, or they could send down one of the struggling lefties, Okert or Osich.  They could also place Nunez on the DL, but he's been their best hitter of late and if they think he won't be out a full 10 days, they might keep him DTD.

As for sending down Arroyo and/or Williamson, if it is a developmental decision with issues they need to work on, no problem, but development can occur at the MLB level too and it may be better to let them keep grinding with an eye for next season as this season is about done.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/24/2017

AAA  Memphis Redbirds outscored the Sacramenton River Cats 9-5:

Kelby Tomlinson CF- 3 for 5, SB(6).  BA= .274.
Ryder Jones 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .273.
Austin Slater RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .318.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .280.
Joan Gregorio RHP- 7 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.02.

Is Kelby a super-utility player or the Giants CF of the future?  Apparently Boch is high on his CF potential.  Anybody else wonder what's going to become of Jae-Gyun Hwang?  Gregorio eats some innings.

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AA Game 1  Binghampton Rumble Ponies(Rumble Ponies?) edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0:

Sam Coonrod RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.76.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.11.

I mean Flying Squirrels are an actual species of animals, but Rumble Ponies?

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AA  Game 2  Binghampton Rumble Ponies blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-0:

Jose Flores RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.25.

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High A  San Jose Giants outslugged the Lancaster Jethawks 11-7:

Ryan Howard SS- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .326.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .284.
Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .361.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 2 for 5, HR(7).  BA= .263.
Gio Brusa DH- 2 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .234.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .229.
Daniel Carbonell LF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .298.

Lancaster is always a good place to pad the old stat line.  Howard makes headlines with his 4-hit game. Arenado has a 5 game hit streak in which he is 9 for 22.  Brusa stays hot.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets vs West Virginia Power cancelled X 2 due to rain.  I think that is 3 consecutive idle days due to rain for the GJ's.

Game Wrap 5/24/2017: Giants 5 Cubs 4

Mac Williamson's 2-run dinger off Wade Davis was too little, too late to salvage a game that left the Giants asking a lot of what if questions.  What if Mac had charged a ball harder and prevented a runner from going first to 3'rd who eventually scored?  What if George Kontos had not thrown away a sac bunt attempt for an unearned run?  What if the bullpen had not allowed an add-on Cubs run in the 8'th? Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .255.  Span scored and drove in the Giants second run with his 3'rd dinger.  He did not reach base in his other 4 AB's.

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .244.  The Giants failed to bring Belt home after reaching base 3 times.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .266.  Crawford got the Giants on the scoreboard in the 2'nd inning with a leadoff double, took 3'rd on Nunez' bunt single and scored on a FC by Christian Arroyo.

Eduardo Nunez LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .277.  Nunez and Belt both had 2 hits, but Nunez' bunt single advanced Crawford to 3B to set up one score and later singled to set up Mac's 2 run dinger in the 9'th.

Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .182.  Mac battled one of the better closers in the game for 12 pitches including 7 fouled 2-strike pitches before depositing the ball in the RF basket.  He was second guessing himself on an earlier OF play in which he thought he could have prevented a runner from reaching 3B had he charged the ball more aggressively.  I'll give Mac props just for bringing it up.  It shows he's thinking about his whole game and not just trying to hit dingers.

Matt Moore LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.28.  The K's and BB's tell you he was not at his best, but gotta be frustrated that most of the damage was off the bat of Anthony Rizzo, a LH batter who hit 2 solo dingers.

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The Loss dropped the Giants 11 games off the pace in the NL West and 7.5 games out of the Wild Card race.

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Jeff Samardzija tries to salvage a series tie against his old team facing RHP Eddie Butler this afternoon.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/23/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Memphis Redbirds 6-2:

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .253.
Aaron Hill 3B- 2 for 5, 3B, HR(1).  BA= .286.
Austin Slater CF/LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .313.
Tyler Beede RHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.31.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.55.
Kyle Crick RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 3.38.

After 3 straight starts in CF, Tomlinson moves back to 2B.  What happens when Aaron Hill gets to the end of his rehab assignment?

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Binghampton Rumble Ponies Posponed due to inclement weather.

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High A  Lancaster Jethawks edged out the San Jose Giants 5-4:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .313.
Heath Quinn RF= 2 for 4.  BA= .355.
Gio Brusa LF- 1 for 3, HR(7), BB.  BA= .229.
Daniel Carbonell CF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .284.

Brusa is hitting .341 over his last 10 games and .282 for the month of May so far and 3 dingers in his last 5 games.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs West Virginia Power cancelled due to rain.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Game Wrap 5/23/2017: Cubs 4 Giants 1

Johnny Cueto gave up 3 dingers that drove in all 4 of the Cubs runs and the Giants offense failed to sustain an attack against Jon Lester as the Cubs cruised to an easy win.  Key Lines:

Johnny Cueto RHP-  6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 8 K's, 3 HR.  ERA= 4.64.  Well, you can't blame it on BABIP, because dingers are BIPs!  If there are 3 true outcomes in baseball, Cueto did great with 2 of them and terrible with the other.  What does that mean?  I don't know, I don't know!

Jon Lester LHP(Cubs)- 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 3.19.  Where to start?  The top 3 batters in the Giants lineup went a combined 0 for 11.  Nope, not gonna score a lot of runs with that!  Not with Gorkys Hernandez and Justin Ruggiano in the same lineup.  Lester is tough against any lineup.  Against this Giants lineup, he's Cy Young.

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With the Loss, the 4'th place Giants fell 10 games behind the NL West leading Rockies.

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Matt Moore tries to give the Giants a chance for a series win tomorrow facing Kyle Hendricks.

Scouting the 2017 Draft: Evan White; Luis Campusano

Evan White, 1B, College(Kentucky).  B-R, T-L.  6'3", 205 lbs.

2017:  .385/.460/.661, 22 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 18 BB, 28 K, 174 AB.
2016:  .376/.419/.535, 15 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 14 BB, 42 K, 226 AB.
2015:  .318/.369/.410, 12 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 15 BB, 33 K, 217 AB.

White is a 3 year starter for Kentucky.  Very athletic.  Recorded a 4.2 time to 1B from the RH batters box.  Everybody agrees he could play OF, either corner or even CF.  Has been a 1B in college.  Unusual B-R, T-L profile is a red flag for some scouts.  Despite his size is more of a hitter for average with gap power due to a level swing.  Still has room to fill out and more power should come.  Has moved up into the late first round in many mock drafts.  Would the Giants be interested?

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Luis Campusano, C, HS.  B-R, T-R.  6'0" 190 lbs.

HS catching prospect from Augusta, Georgia.  In an interview posted online, he comes out as a huge Giants fan, he says because of the Augusta Greenjackets, but the Giants are rumored to be in on him in a big way.  In videos, he looks bigger than his listed size.  Physically looks like a Molina which was mentioned in his PG profile.  Plus tools are power and arm strength.  The swing can get long.  Most analysts rank him as a second round prospect and that is where I would put him too.  Giants have been known to reach in these situations if they really like a player and aren't sure he'll be there in the projected round.

Down on the Farm: 5/22/2017

AAA  Nashville Sounds pounded the Sacramento River Cats 9-3:

Kelby Tomllinson CF- 2 for 4.   BA= .230.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 1 for 4, HR(3), SB(3).  BA= .277.

Thanks to a reader/commenter for pointing out that Kelby seems to have found at least a temporary home in CF for the River Cats giving him a quantum leap in his versatility.

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AA  Binghampton Mets edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4:

Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .301.
Myles Schroder C- 0 for 5.  BA= .357.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.09.

OK, Schroder is just showing off now!  3 games in 2917, SS, CF, C.  Up the middle talent!

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High A  San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 9-4:

Jalen Miller SS- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .242.
Ryan Howard 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .310.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .226.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .215.
Jose Vizcaino Jr DH- 3 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .214.
Conner Menez LHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.74.
Will LaMarch RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

LaMarche is a local kid from Pleasanton, CA who attended Chabot college before transferring to LSU. He was a hard throwing(up to 97 MPH) college reliever.  He was drafted in the 9'th round by the Tigers in 2013.  In 2 pro seasons, 2013-14, he struck out 81 batters in 70.2 IP.  He missed the 2015 season and was released in Sept.  He pitched indy ball in 2016.  I think the Giants signed him out of the Australian winter league before this season.  Assuming the reason he missed 2015 was for TJ surgery, that would have been his second which it is always tougher to come back from.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs West Virginia Power postponed due to rain.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Game Wrap 5/22/2017: Giants 6 Cubs 4

The Giants offense scored 6 runs to support Ty Blach's 7 shutout innings before he faltered in the 8'th.  With echoes of the final game of 2016 ringing in the distance after a 4-run Cubs 8'th, Mark Melancon saved the game in the 9'th inning.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(2), HBP.  BA= .268.  Panik breaks out the power bat with 3 XBH's out of the leadoff spot in the lineup.

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .241.  Belt Panik and Ruggiano had solo HR's to run the Giants streak of consecutive solo HR's to 18, 3 short of the team record.  Anybody know what the MLB record is?

Justin Ruggiano RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .237.  Ruggy is good for occasional pop in his bat.

Ty Blach LHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 9/3.  ERA= 4.10.  How about Ty Blach?  7 innings of shutout ball.  3 of the hits and all 3 of the runs he gave up came in the 8'th inning when he was probably out of gas and failed to record an out.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(9).  ERA= 2.63.  This time the Giants had a real closer who Saved the game.

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The Win kept the Giants 9 games behind the NL West leading Rockies in 4'th place.  They trail in the Wild Card race by 6.5 games.

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Johnny Cueto faces a familiar foe tomorrow with Jon Lester on the mound for the Cubs.

Down on the Farm: 5/21/2017

AAA  Nashville Sounds blanked the Sacramento River Cats 4-0:

Chris Stratton RHP- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/3.  ERA= 5.59.
Jharel Cotton RHP(Sounds)- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

I drafted Cotton for my fantasy baseball team and thought this would be his breakout season in the majors.  He had 3 QS and 3 Disaster Starts and 1 somewhere in between.  The A's sent him down after he gave up 7 runs in 5 IP on May 9.  It would appear he is close to being ready for another try at MLB level.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators routed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-1:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .301.

Heathcott seems to keep hitting when everybody else in the lineup gets shut down.

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High A  San Jose Giants outscored the Modesto Nuts 12-8:

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 6.  BA= .237.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 5 for 6, 2B, 3B.  BA= .281.
Heath Quinn RF- 3 for 3, HR(2), 2 BB.  BA= .364.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .220.
Jose Vizcaino Jr- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .189.
Yordy Cabrera RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.23.

Big games for Reynolds and Quinn the Giants top 2 picks in last year's draft, rounds 2 and 3 respectively.  Reynolds, whose BA hit a nadir of .244 on 5/13, has 4 multi-hit games in his last 7, 13 for 30 in that span.  The 5 hits in this game all came batting left-handed which evened out his L-R split considerably.  Quinn has just raked since coming off the DL with a wrist injury.  Gio Brusa is hitting .308 over his last games.

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Low A  Charleston River Dogs defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 4-2:

Ashford Fulmer CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.
Jacob Heyward LF- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .221.
Stephen Woods RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 10 K.  ERA= 2.97.

Woods has 43 K's and 21 BB's in 39.1 IP overall but 17 K's against just 3 BB's in 13.1 IP over his last 2 starts.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Game Wrap 5/21/2017: Cardinals 8 Giants 3

The Giants were never in this one as Matt Cain gave up a 4-spot in the 2'nd inning and more later in his start.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .274.
Eduardo Nunez LF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .272.  Crawford and Nunez hit B2B dingers in the 8'th inning to make the final score closer than it should have been.

Matt Cain RHP- 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.91.  Gone are the days when Cain can get by without his best stuff.  He just doesn't have the velocity to muscle hitters into submission like he used to.

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The Loss dropped the Giants 9 games off the pace set by the NL West leading Rockies.

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The Giants start a 4 game series against the Cubs in Wrigley Field tomorrow evening with Ty Blach facing John Lackey.

Down on the Farm: 5/20/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Nashville Sounds 8-5:

Ryder Jones 1B/LF- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .284.
Austin Slater RF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(3).  BA= .314.
Juniel Querecuto SS- 3 for 4.  BA= .294.
Micheal Roth LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.54.
Kyle Crick RHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, Save(4).  ERA= 3.87.

Slater just keeps raking. Doesn't have the raw power of Mac, but I think the bat is more reliable.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3:

Myles Schroder CF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .556.
DJ Snelton LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.43.

Schroder gets out of bed, plays SS one night and CF then next.  I guess that's what you call up-the-middle talent!  Snelton is having a fantastic season as a multi-inning lefty reliever.  Hmm….those seem to be in some demand these days!

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High A Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 14-4:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4.   BA= .304.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .259.
Aramis Garcia DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .275.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .206.
Matt Winn C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.41.

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Low A  Charleston River Dogs destroyed the Augusta Greenjackets 18-4:

Cristian Paulino CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .194.
FDLR 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .220.

Game Wrap 5/20/2017: Giants 3 Cardinals 1

The Giants and Cardinals matched goose eggs for 12 innings.  Then Christian Arroyo broke it up with a bases loaded, 2-run double in the 13'th to propel the Giants to an epic extra-inning win.  Key Lines:

Eduardo Nunez LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .272.  Nunez was the only Giant with 2 hits in the game.  He also made an adventurous play in LF when he misplayed a Matt Carpenter drive off the wall, then hustled to chase it down as it rolled back toward the IF and threw out Carp trying to stretch it into a triple.  Whatever else you think about Nunez, the guy hustles and plays like he's having fun out there.

Christian Arroyo 3B- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .221.  Arroyo has his challenges at the plate, but he already seems to be showing a knack for getting the big hit.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.57.  Shark has given up 19 ER in 3 Disaster Starts, and 12 ER in 43.1 IP in 6 other starts for a 2.48 ERA.

Derek Law RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.53.  Osich faced 2 batters and got 1 out.  Law came in and shut things down for the next 5 batters.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.10.  2 huge innings for Strickland who is quietly having a great season.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(8).  ERA= 2.84.  Well, it's not exactly how you would draw it up, but hey!  He had a 3 run lead to work with!

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The Win helped the Giants gain a game on the NL West leading Rockies. They now trail the leaders by 8 games.  They are 6 games behind the Dodgers for the 2'nd Wild Card playoff spot.

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Matt Cain goes for the sweeeeep agains another veteran RHP, Adam Wainwright.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/19/2017

AAA  Nashville Sounds blanked the Sacramento River Cats 6-0:

Kyle Crick RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.31.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Harrisburg Senators 10-7:

Miguel Gomez 2B- 4 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .338.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .306.
Brandon Bednar 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .300.
Myles Schroder SS- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .500.
Cory Taylor RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.29.

Gomez just keeps hitting.  Shaw continues to hit for both power and average.  Schroder is back, probably in his super-utility role.

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High A  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 9-4:

Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5).  BA= .220.
Matt Winn C- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .246.
Matt Krook LHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 8.61.

Brusa is hitting .289 over his last 10 games.

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Low A Charleston River Dogs defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:

Melvin Adon RHP- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.56.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.08.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Game Wrap 5/19/2017: Giants 6 Cardinals 5

The Giants offense woke up in the 7'th inning and stayed awake through the end  of the game as they came from behind twice to take an exciting win on the road.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF= 2 for 5.   BA= .274.  Span is swinging a hot bat hitting .382 in his 7 games since coming off the DL.

Brandon Belt 1B- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .243.  Belt got away from his 3-true outcomes tendencies in this game to score 3 singles.

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .276.  Crawford had 1 of 2 XBH's for the Giants.

Eduardo Nunez LF- 2 for 4, 2B, Sac.  BA= .268.  OK, I was wrong.  I said that Nunez needed to go to the bench because he can't play LF.  After he hit just .250 in April Nunez is hitting .295 in May, and is 9 for 24(.375) over his last 6 games.  Oh, and Nunez drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a double off the CF wall in the top of the 9'th inning.

Christian Arroyo 3B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .222.  Arroyo has been scuffling at the plate, but got it going tonight.

Matt Moore LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.37.  Not a great line but a QS.  He gave the Giants a chance to win.

Steven Okert LHP- 0.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.00.  Okert has allowed 0 runs in 12 appearances and multiple runs in 3 appearances.  He's allowed 1 run in just 1 appearance.  This was not  entirely his fault as the 2 runners he put on base scored in Dexter Fowler's 3-run dinger off George Kontos, but if you are a reliever, you can't come into a game and put the first two batters you see on base.

Bryan Morris RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.66.  Morris seems to be a stabilizing influence on the bullpen.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(7).  ERA= 2.31.  Melancon put a runner on base but ended the game on a GIDP.

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With the Win, the Giants put some more distance between themselves and the last place Padres, but remain 9 games behind the NL West leading Rockies and 6.5 games out of the Wild Card race.

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Jeff Samardzija faces Carlos Martinez in the second game of the series tomorrow.

Scouting the Draft: BA's Mock Draft 3.0

BA has a new Mock Draft out with some interesting movement.  We'll review here with commentary then post Minor League Ball's new Mock just for comparison sake.

1.  Twins:  Kyle Wright, RHP, College(Vanderbilt).  Keith Law has insisted all along that Kyle Wright is likely to go 1-1.  That wasn't looking so good early in the season.  It's not that Wright was pitching badly.  He just wasn't having the results you would expect for a 1-1.  That has changed in his last 5 starts as he has put up a 1.14 ERA in 39.1 IP, with 7 BB's and 51 K's.  I've never been sold on Brendan McKay being what the Twins need and I don't think they can afford to take the risk on a HS pitcher, no matter how talented Hunter Greene is.  If I was the Twins GM, I would take Wright, who has a chance to be an ace starter and should be in the majors within 2 years, barring something unforeseen between now and the draft.

2. Reds:  Brendan McKay, LHP/1B, College(Louisville).  The Reds have long been rumored to want McKay at #2.  With Wright moving up to the Twins, they get their man.  McKay is an unusual talent in that he may have a better bat than arm, but I don't see him has having high first round talent in either role.  He'll most likely be a pitcher in the pros with a ceiling of #3 starter.

3.  Padres:  Hunter Greene, RHP/SS, HS.  Greene wants to go to the Padres, but do the Padres want him?  He may be the best athlete in the draft and could be a significant SS prospect, but the 100 MPH FB will keep him on the mound.  He has ace potential, but with the standard TINSTAAP warnings that come with hard throwing HS pitchers.

4.  Rays:  Royce Lewis, SS/OF, HS.  Lewis has oodles of athleticism but will he hit?  The Rays have suffered a huge talent drain from drafting players like him over the years.  North Carolina RHP JB Bakauskas would be a better pick here.

5.  Braves:  Shane Baz, RHP, HS.  Baz has taken on serious helium as the draft approaches.  The Braves love to draft HS pitching.  There is also talk of Trevor Rogers going to the Braves as well as HS OF Austin Beck.  I don't think they can go too wrong with any of those 3 names.

6.  A's:  Mackenzie Gore, LHP, HS.  Bakauskas has been going here in most mock drafts, but BA changes it up here.  I'm not sure why everybody seems to be in love with Gore who has good command of 4 pitches but whose FB is low 90's.  The A's should draft Bakauskas if he is still on the board.

7.  D'Backs:  Adam Haseley, OF, College(Virginia).  If you are an Andrew Benintendi fan, you should like Haseley too.  He would be a great pick for the D'Backs.

8.  Phillies:  Pavin Smith, 1B, College(Virginia).  Good hitter, but strictly a 1B.  Phillies have tended to draft toolsy HS players, but may now want the relative safety of Smith.

9.  Brewers:  Austin Beck, OF, HS.  Beck has caught serious helium this year and hit 3 bombs a couple of nights ago in his HS game.  Brewers like toolsy OF's, but I could see Beck going to the Rays at #4 or Braves at #5.  If he does would they role the dice on Jordan Adell?  Jeren Kendall would not be a bad bet here.

10.  Angels:  JB Bakauskas, RHP, College(North Carolina).  Great pick if he falls this far.  Has at least #2 SP potential and could be in the majors within 2 years.

11.  White Sox:  Alex Faedo, RHP, College(Florida).  Faedo has the physical tools to be an ace but has never been completely dominant in college.  I see him as more of an innings eater #3/4.

12.  Pirates:  Keston Hiura, 2B, College(UC Irvine).  Hiura has a bum elbow and may need TJ surgery.  He has great success at the plate with an unorthodox swing.  I would not take him this high.

13.  Marlins:  DL Hall, LHP, HS.  Top HS lefty.  A bit undersized but hits the upper 90's on the gun.

14.  Royals:  Trevor Rogers, LHP, HS.  Rogers seems to be moving up in recent mock drafts.  I love his physical projectability.

15.  Astros:  Jeren Kendall, OF, College(Vanderbilt).  Kendall's stock has taken a hit due to persistently high K rates.  That does not seem to fit the Astros rep as a very stats based organization.

16.  Yankees:  Bubba Thompson, OF, HS.  Another HS OF with serious helium.  Yanks can afford to take a risk here.  Thompson's ceiling is worth that risk.

17.  Mariners:  David Peterson, LHP, College(Oregon).  Pretty much everybody seems to think the Mariners will not pass on Peterson.  That's too bad because I want the Giants to draft him.

18.  Tigers:  Jake Burger, 3B, College(Missouri St.).  Great bat.  Bad body.  Won't cry if the Tigers take him 1 spot ahead of the Giants pick.

19.  Giants:  Clarke Schmidt, RHP, College(South Carolina).  Well, this is a buzzkill!  Not that Schmidt would be a terrible choice if healthy, but he went under the knife mid-season.  I suppose he could emerge next year better than ever, but not everybody makes a full recovery from TJ.  He'd be a better choice for a team with multiple supplemental picks.

20.  Mets:  Nick Pratto, 1B/LHP, HS.  Pratto has a sweet swing but is tied to 1B where he is underpowered.  He's a nice HS lefty pitcher but does not have pro-caliber velocity.  Classic tweener IMO.

21.  Orioles: Logan Warmoth, SS, College(North Carolina).  College SS with gap power who will likely move to 2B in the pros.  Giants pick, right?  I'd be happier with Schmidt.

22.  Blue Jays:  Evan White, 1B, College(Kentucky).  I have not profiled him yet.  Apparently a great college hitter, but first base.  I guess AL teams can better afford to draft those types.

23.  Dodgers:  Griffin Canning, RHP, College(UCLA).  Polished college pitcher.  Not a fan.  I'd be happy if the Dodgers took him.

24.  Red Sox:  Tanner Houck, RHP, College(Missouri).  Big, hard throwing RHP whose stats have not lived up to scouting reports.

25.  Nationals:  Seth Romero, LHP, College(Houston).  Talented but troubled lefty.  I would not draft him at all, but he's represented by Scott Boras who seems to have a special relationship with the Nationals.

26.  Rangers:  Sam Carlson, RHP, HS.  Classic size for a pitcher.  Has kind of a Matt Cain feel.  I'd prefer him over Schmidt for the Giants at #19.

27.  Cubs:  Blayne Enlow, RHP, HS.  There are several HS RHP's who all seem to come from the same cookie cutter.  Enlow is one of them.

28.  Blue Jays:  Alex Lange, RHP, College(LSU).  Throws hard with high effort.  Inconsistent results this year.  Seems like a reliever in the pros.

29.  Rangers:  Matt Sauer, RHP, HS.  Another HS RHP from the cookie cutter.  I'd be OK with any of these guys for the Giants at #19.

30.  Cubs:  Quentin Holmes, OF, HS.  Cubs can afford to take some chances. Holmes might be the fastest player in the draft.  Some questions about the bat.

31.  Rays: Stuart Fairchild, OF, College, Wake Forest.  I have not profiled him yet.

32.  Reds:  Jordan Adell, OF, HS.  Reds can afford to take a risk here.  IMO, Adell has the highest ceiling in the draft but is also the highest bust risk. It all comes down to the hit tool.  Gotta think some teams with multiple higher picks would be salivating for him.

33.  A's: Brian Miller, OF, College(North Carolina).  Solid college OF who can play CF and who the Giants are thought to be interested in.

34.  Brewers:  Corbin Martin, RHP, College(Texas A&M).  Hard throwing college pitcher who has been better since moving into A&M's rotation.

35.  Twins:  Nate Pearson, RHP, JC.  Very hard thrower.  Twins need to get away from drafting innings eating contact pitchers.  Wright at #1 and Pearson here would be a great place to get started on that.

36.  Marlins:  Heliot Ramos, OF, HS(Puerto Rico).  Toolsy OF who also looks like he can play.  Huge ceiling.  Great pick here.  I would not mind seeing him go to the Giants 17 picks earlier.

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OK, just for comparison sake and without comment, here is John Sickels' Mock from Minor League Ball:

1.  Twins- McKay
2.  Reds- Wright
3.  Padres- Greene
4.  Rays- Gore
5.  Braves- Beck
6.  A's- Haseley
7.  D'Backs- Lewis
8.  Phillies- Bakauskas
9.  Brewers- Kendall
10. Angels- Pavin Smith
11. White Sox- Adell
12.  Pirates- DL Hall
13.  Marlins- Faedo
14.  Royals- Rogers
15.  Astros- Romero
16.  Yankees- Pratto
17.  Mariners- Peterson
18.  Tigers- Houck
19.  Giants-Warmoth(another buzzkill).
20.  Mets- Carlson
21.  Orioles- Burger
22.  Blue Jays- Canning
23.  Dodgers- Hans Crouse, RHP, HS.
24.  Red Sox- Lange
25.  Nationals- Hiura
26.  Rangers- Ramos
27.  Cubs- Wil Crowe, RHP, College(South Carolina).
28.  Blue Jays- Brendon Little, LHP, JC.
29.  Rangers- Baz
30.  Cubs- Nate Pearson
31.  Rays- Drew Waters, OF, HS.
32.  Reds- Bubba Thompson
33.  A's- Evan White
34.  Brewers- Nick Allen, SS, HS.
35.  Twins- Daniel Tillo, LHP, JC.
36.  Marlins- Mark Vientos, SS, HS.

Down on the Farm: 5/18/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats vs Oklahoma City Dodgers Cancelled due to Inclement Weather.

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

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High A  San Jose Giants defeated the Visalia Rawhide 5-2:

Aaron Hill DH- 0 for 1, 2 BB, HBP.  BA= .250.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .266.
Dillon Dobson 2B- 1 for 3, HR(6), SF.  BA= .286.
Matt Solter RHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.29.

Solter gets the promotion from Augusta and has a successful SJ Giants debut.  Reynolds has mashed batting RH but struggled from the left side of the plate.  He's hitting .286 for the month of May, but .250 over his last 10 games.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Charleston River Dogs 9-4:

Ashford Fulmer CF- 1 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .250.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .270.
Manuel Geraldo 3B- 3 for 3, HBP, SB(5).  BA= .179.
Will Albertson C- 2 for 4.  BA= .204.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .203.
Garrett Williams LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/1.  ERA= 0.00.
Jose Morel RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.70.

Williams is a high ceiling guy who could move fast if he and the Giants have solved his command issues.  Geraldo is historically a slow starter who comes on strong late in the season.  We'll see if he an build on this game and gain some traction.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/17/2017

AAA  Oklahoma City Dodgers edged out the Sacramento River Cats 3-2:

Ryder Jones LF- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .295.
Carlos Moncrief RF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .300.
Tyler Beede RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 11/2.  ERA= 3.30.

Jones continues to show versatility and power.  Will Tyler Beede be ready to move up if the Giants decide to trade Cueto midseason?

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AA  Akron Rubber Ducks defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-5:

CJ Hinojosa 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .212.
Miguel Gomez DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .321.
Dylan Davis LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .203.

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High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 6-4:

Jalen Miller SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .241.
Aaron Hill DH- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .286.
Dillon Dobson 2B- 1 for 4, HR(5), BB.  BA= .284.
Heath Quinn RF- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .364.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .210.
Yordy Cabrera RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.56.

Much as I hate to say it, we may see Christian Arroyo sent back down as soon as Aaron Hill is deemed ready to play at the MLB level.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Game Wrap 5/17/2017: Dodgers 6 Giants 1

This will be short.  This game was not as close as the final score would lead you to believe.  Eduardo Nunez hit a HR in the 9'th inning to account for the Giants offense.  Clayton Kershaw was at the top of his game.  Johhny Cueto was not.  This game was over before it got out of the top of the first inning when the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead that might as well have been 12-0.

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The Rockies were rained out in Minnesota so the Loss left the Giants 9 games behind the NL West leaders.

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The Giants get a travel day and start a weekend series in St Louis Friday night with Matt Moore facing Michael Wacha.

Scouting the 2017 Draft: Luke Heimlich and Zac Lowther

Luke Heimlich, LHP, College(Oregon St).  6'0", 190 lbs.

2017:  8-1, 0.76, 94.1 IP, 20 BB, 106 K.
2016:  7-4, 3.53, 86.2 IP, 25 BB, 63 K.

A terrific junior season has propelled Heimlich into late first round consideration in some draft rankings.  He's a pitchability guy with a FB that sits 89-91 but has reached 93 on occasion this season.  He commends a 3 pitch mix well.  I see him as more of a 2'nd or 3'rd round talent.

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Zac Lowther, LHP, College(Xavier).  6'2", 235 lbs.

2017:  3-4, 3.38, 64 IP, 28 BB, 99 K's.

Lowther is a big, burly lefty who made a name for himself in the 2016 Cape Cod League where he led the league in K's.  Command/control issues have held him back from being dominant in college ball.  He throws hard with a FB that goes 92-93 MPH.  His size, left-handedness and CCL pedigree makes him a classic Giants pick and they historically don't mind drafting guys with command issues.  If he is still on the board when the Giants make their second pick at #58, I'll call it for Lowther right now.

Down on the Farm: 5/16/2017

AAA  Oklahoma City Dodgers beat the Sacramento River Cats 5-2:

Austin Slater LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .312.
Dusten Knight RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

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AA Akron Rubber Ducks downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-1:

Dylan Davis DH- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .185.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.19.

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High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 5-1:

Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .375.
Conner Menez LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.62.

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Low A  Lexington Legends defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 6-4:

Skyler Ewing C- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .220.
FDLR DH- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .241.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .217.

Game Wrap 5/16/2017: Giants 2 Dodgers 1

Ty Blach continued his mastery of the Dodgers lineup with a 7-inning QS and Brandon Belt carried the offense to just enough runs in support.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .229.  Belt homered to leadoff the 4'th inning for the Giants first run on a disputed call.  The Dodgers claimed fan interference but the HR call was upheld on review.  He singled to open the 6'th inning on an IF hit.  He took 2B on a WP.  With no outs, Buster Posey gave himself up with a grounder to the right side to advance Belt to 3B.  He scored on Crawford's bloop hit.  After the game, Dave Roberts was left talking about how great the Giants situational hitting is.

Christian Arroyo 2B- 1 for 4.  BA= .220.  Arroyo moved over to 2B with Panik sitting against LHP Rich Hill.  He made a key play as the Dodgers had runners at 2'nd and 3'rd with 1 out in the 4'th inning.  Austin Barnes hit a chopper to Arroyo who fielded it at medium depth.  Justin Turner hesitated for an instant at 3B then came home.  Arroyo threw a seed to Buster who made the swipe tag for the out and Blach escaped the inning without allowing a run.

Ty Blach LHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/4.  ERA= 4.15.  Dominating the Dodgers is one way to endear yourself to Giants management and Blach has done that.  He now sports an ERA of 1.17 in 4 career starts against the Bad Guys.  He's actually been good against almost everybody.  Take out the one Disaster start in Cincinnati  and his season ERA would be 2.07.  His K/BB would suggest his success is not sustainable, but that's how he rolled in the minors too.  He seems to be a guy capable of constantly inducing weak contact.

This was the Giants 6'th QS in a row with Blach bookending that string, at least for now.

Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 2.15.  Law is the Closer, at least until Melancon gets back from the DL, which should be soon.  Melancon's return will give the Giants a Closer quality setup man in Law.

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With their 5'th Win in a row, the Giants remain in 4'th place in the NL West, 8.5 games behind the first place Rockies to topped the Twins 7-3.  They gained a game on the Dodgers second Wild Card spot and now trail them by 5.5 games.

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Johnny Cueto tries for the sweeeeep against Dodgers ace, Clayton Kershaw in an afternoon game today.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/15/2017

AAA  Oklahoma City Dodgers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 6-4:

Kyle Blanks PH- 1 for 1, HR(3).  BA= .239.
Wilmer Font RHP(Dodgers)- 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 15 K's.  ERA= 4.29.

Blanks PH HR was a 3-run dinger in the 9'th inning.  Font made national headlines with his 15 K effort.

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Akron Rubber Ducks 3-1:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .314.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.12.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(3).  ERA= 2.03.

Reyes Maronta pitched the 9'th so it looks like Cyr is the Closer for the Squirrels.

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High A  Inland Empire 66'ers edged out the San Jose Giants 5-4:

Daniel Carbonell DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .269.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, SF.  BA= .310.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .258.
Dillon Dobson 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .284.
Heath Quinn RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .200.

Heath Quinn makes his long-awaited 2017 season debut with an RBI double.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets smothered the Lexington Legends 2-1:

Dominic Mazza LHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.95.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 1.98.

Game Wrap 5/15/2017: Giants 8 Dodgers 4

The Giants jumped on Dodgers SP, Brandon McCarthy, for 4 runs in the 4'th inning to back a QS by Matt Cain and cruised to a win despite a near meltdown by the bullpen in the 9'th inning.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .375.  Buster's power surge continues.  He is up to a 1.7 fWAR which ties him for 10'th in MLB and 6'th in the NL.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .253.  Crawford's double in the 4'th inning after singles by Brandon Belt and Buster Posey set up the big inning.  Nunez followed with a single to drive in 2 more runs and the Giants kept adding on from there.

Eduardo Nunez LF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(10).  BA= .261.  Nunez drove in 2 key runs with a single in the 4'th inning, took 2B on the throw home.  He then stole 3B to set up a SF by Arroyo which made the score 5-1.

Christian Arroyo 3B- 0 for 2, BB, SF, SB(1).  Arroyo drove in the 5'th Giants run with a SF in the 4-run 4'th inning and later drew a 2-out walk, stole 2B and came home on Mac's single in the 6'th to make it 6-1.

Mac Williamson RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .500.  Finally!  Mac has a successful 2017 season debut.  Batting in the 8-hole, Mac made his hits count, scoring the Giants first run and driving in an add-on run in the 6'th with a 2-out hit.

Matt Cain RHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.04.  The Giants have now gotten QS's from a complete turn of the rotation starting with Ty Blach on 5/11.

Josh Osich LHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.05.  Osich pitched a scoreless 8'th inning, but ran into trouble in the 9'th.  Cory Gearrin poured gasoline on the fire and Derek Law had to get the final 2 outs, but only after he WP'd in a run.

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The Win got the Giants 0.5 games closer to the top of the NL West and they now trail the division leading Rockies, who were idle, by 8.5 games.  The Giants are 6 games behind the 3'rd place D'Backs and 6 games out in the Wild Card race.

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Ty Blach tries to extend the Giants win streak to 5 games and their QS streak to 6 tonight facing Dodgers LHP Rich Hill.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/14/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Colorado Springs Skysox 4-2:

Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .305.
Mac Willliamson RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .274.
Kyle Blanks 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .227.
Michael Roth LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.54.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 146.
Matt Reynolds LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.13.
Kyle Crick RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 3.52.

Hwang seems to have found his longball in Colorado Springs.  Let's see if he can take it with him.  Cricky seems to be settling into the closer role for Sacramento.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Bowie Baysox 4-1:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 5, SB(4).  BA= .307.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .227.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .328.
Hunter Cole RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .225.
Brandon Bednar 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .306.
Ali Castillo 3B-  3 for 4.  BA= .275.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.62.
DJ Snelton LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.50.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 1.17.

Squirrels had 16 hits in this game with 4 doubles and only scored 4 runs.  Gomez has 5 of his 8 doubles over his last 9 games in which he is hitting .371(13 for 35).  Jordan Johnson has allowed 2 ER in 12.2 IP over his last 2 starts.

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High A  Inland Empire 66'ers beat the San Jose Giants 5-2:

Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= 252.
David Owen RHP- 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's  ERA= 5.16.

Reynolds breaks an 0 for 17 skid with a couple of XBH's.

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Low A  Lexington Legends trampled the Augusta Greenjackets 7-1:

Skyler Ewing C- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .185.
Stephen Woods RHP- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.51.

Fine start by Woods marred by 4 GJ's errors.  He's allowed 2 ER over 11.1 IP, with 15 K's and 4 BB's. He's got 33 K's in 32.1 IP on the season.

Game Wrap 5/14/2017: Giants 8 Reds 3

The Giants offense scored early and often to back a QS from Jeff Samardzija.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .278.

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .221.  Don't think Belt is becoming a 3-true outcomes hitter?  48% of his PA's have resulted in either a walk, K or HR.  Remember Adam Dunn?  He was the quintessential 3-true outcomes guy and he averaged 50% over the course of his career.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 2, BB, HBP.  BA= .370.  For comparison, Buster's W+K+HR is 25% of his PA's.  Not a 3-true outcomes player.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.  Crawford has scuffled a bit at the plate since coming off the DL. Hopefully he's getting his timing back.

Eduardo Nunez LF- 2 for 4, 2 SB(9).  BA= .254.  Good game here, but Nunez needs to head to the bench as soon as the Giants get a real LF.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 5.26.  Once again, Shark's K/BB looks much more dominant than the rest of his line.  Giants pitchers have a 2.31 ERA over their past 8 games starting with Sunday, May 7 against the Reds.

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With the Win, the Giants remain 9 games behind the Rockies in the NL West, but climb out of last place as the Padres slip to 10 games off the pace.

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The Dodgers come to town for a 3 game series with Matt Cain facing off against Brandon McCarthy in Game 1 tomorrow evening.

Down on the Farm: 5/13/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the Colorado Springs Skysox 11-2:

Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 3 for 6, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .298.
Austin Slater CF- 4 for 4, 2B, HR(2), BB, HBP.  BA= .310.
Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .261.
Carlos Moncrief RF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .294.
Joan Gregorio RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.04.
Roberto Gomez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.88.

Hard to believe this was Hwang's first dinger of the season.  Mac is hitting .310 over his last 10 games. Slater is hitting .368 in May.  Gregorio has been effectively wild.  Will need to tone down the BB's to make it to the next level.

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AA(Game 1)  Bowie Baysox edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1(7 innings):

Cory Taylor RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 4.55.

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AA(Game 2)  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 4-1(8 innings):

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .303.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .325.
Tyler Horan RF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .245.
Jeff Arnold C- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .108.
Matt Gage LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.48.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.19.

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High A Inland Empire 66'ers topped the San Jose Giants 3-2:

Matt Winn C- 3 for 3.  BA= .318.
Matt Krook LHP- 4.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 10.19.
Conner Kaden RHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.15.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.76.

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Low A Lexington Legends nosed out the Augusta Greenjackets 3-2:

Ashford Fulmer CF- 0 for 2, BB, 2 HBP.  BA= .250.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.64.
Garrett Williams LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

I believe this was Williams' first appearance of the season.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Game Wrap 7/13/2017: Giants 3 Reds 1

The Giants gots a Quality Start and then some out of Matt Moore while Brandon Belt and Justin Ruggiano supplied just enough power for their second consecutive Win, the first back-to-back wins for the Giants since April 9-10.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt LF/1B- 1 for 3, HR(6), BB.  BA= .220.  Belt's dinger in the first inning was a Splash Hit, the 6'th of his Giants career.   Barry Bonds had 35 and Pablo Sandoval 7.  Belt seems to be morphing into a classic 3-true outcomes hitter. As most of his recent PA's have resulted in BB's, K's or HR's.

Justin Ruggiano RF- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .294.  Ruggy might be working his way into more playing time

Kelby Tomlinson 3B= 1 for 3, SB(2).  BA= .261.  Tomlinson started at 3B after Christian Arroyo took a Jeff Samardzija to the face in the scrum after the extra-inning walk-off win Friday night…er, Saturday morning.  Arroyo PH in this game, so he's apparently not seriously hurt

Matt Moore LHP- 7.1 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.67.  Moore notched his first win since 4/10/2017 and went deep into the game after the 17 inning marathon Friday night.

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The Win drew the Giants into a 4'th place tie with the Padres in the NL West trailing the Rockies by 9 games.

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Jeff Samardzija tries for his first Win of the season and a series Win at the same time tomorrow facing RHP Tim Adleman.

Down on the Farm: 5/12/2017

AAA  Colorado Springs Skysox defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-1:

Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .250.
Tyler Beede RHP- 4.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 7/0.  ERA= 3.68.
Dusten Knight RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.45.
Kyle Crick RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.77.

Cherry picking stats- Mac his hitting .297 over his last 9 games.  Beede appears to have been on the wrong end of some bad BABIP luck in this one.

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

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High A  Inland Empire 66'ers topped the San Jose Giants 5-4:

Jalen Miller SS-  1 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .250.
Aramis Garcia- 2 for 5.  BA= .307.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .194.
Daniel Carbonell RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .260.
Yordy Cabrera RHP- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K. ERA= 5.16.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.14.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Kannapolis Intimidators cancelled due to power outage.

Game Wrap 5/12/2017: Giants 3 Reds 2

The Giants bullpen won a war of attrition when Buster Posey hit a walk off HR in the bottom of the 17'th inning to break a 2-2 tie that had stood since the 5'th inning.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 3 for 7, HR(2).  BA= .274.  A healthy and rested Denard Span is still a pretty good player.  He is 7 for 12 with a double and 2 HR's since his return from the DL.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 7, HR(6).  BA= .358.  Buster hits his 5'th dinger of the month and 4'th in 5 games.  The only game he did not homer in was a PH appearance 5/10.

Johnny Cueto RHP- 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.15.  This was Cueto's 6'th QS in 8 starts and 4'th in a row.  In his 6 QS's his ERA is 2.14.

Bullpen- 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 7 K's.  I don't think anyone would have blamed the bullpen if the Giants had lost this one. You can't pitch shutout ball forever, or maybe you can.  Kontos(1.2), Bryan Morris(3.0) and Cory Gearrin(2.0) deserve special mention for pitching multiple innings.

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Despite the Win, the Giants remain in last place in the NL West, 10 games behind the Rockies.

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Matt Moore tries to put the Giants in position to win the 4 game series facing RHP Lisalverto Bonilla in a day game.

Friday, May 12, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/11/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats clobbered the Colorado Springs Skysox 17-7:

Orlando Calixte 2B- 5 for 6, 2B, 2 HR(6).  BA= .282.
Austin Slater RF- 3 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .283.
Chris Marrero 1B- 2 for 5, HR(2), BB.  BA= .233.
Mac Williamson LF- 1 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .233.
Tim Fedorowicz C-  3 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .400.
Juniel Querecuto SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .429.

Wind was blowing out to RF at 17 MPH.

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AA  Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3:

Hunter Cole RF- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .214.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .328.
Ali Castillo 3B- 2 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .195.
Matt Lujan LHP- 6 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.93.
Jose Flores RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.72.

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High A  San Jose Giants edged out the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3-2:

Jalen Miller DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.
Daniel Carbonell RF- 1 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .250.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 1 for 2, HR(2), BB.  BA= .204.
Michael Connolly RHP- 8 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.78.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(6).  ERA= 0.50.

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Low A  Kannapolis Intimidators topped the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3:

Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .261.
Skyler Ewing C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .160.
Jacob Heyward LF- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .216.
Matt Solter RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.  BA= 3.98.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Game Wrap 5/11/2017: Reds 3 Giants 2

We've reached a point in the season where a close game is a moral victory.  The Giants got a QS from Ty Blach and solo HR's from Brandon Belt and Denard Span, but the rest of the offense continued to sputter and the bullpen failed to hold off the Reds in another Loss.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .255.  Span returns from the DL with a big game.

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 4, HR(5), BB.  BA= .221.  Belt's dinger gave the Giants an early lead and broke an 0 for 18 skid since May 4.  Belt had 3 walks over that time.

Ty Blach LHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 11/4.  ERA= 4.88.  Nice recovery from a Disaster start in Cincinnati.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.50. Although his overall ERA is excellent, Strick has given up 6 hits and 3 BB's in 2.1 IP in 3 appearances in May.

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The Loss dropped the Giants record to 12-24, 11 games behind the NL West leading Rockies.

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Johnny Cueto faces Scott "Cy" Feldman in Game 2 of the 4 game series tonight.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/10/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats were idle.

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AA  Altoona Curve wiped out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 10-3:

Slade Heathcott CF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .294.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .323.

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High A  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes destroyed the San Jose Giants 8-2:

Denard Span CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .333.
Ryan Howard 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .315.
Carlos Diaz LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.86.

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Low A  Kannapolis Intimidators edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 2-1 in 10 innings:

Shawon Dunston, Jr.- 2 for 3, 2 2B.  BA= .500.
DJ Myers RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 11/3.  ERA= 3.34.

Game Wrap 5/10/2017: Giants 6 Mets 5

Christian Arroyo broke open a 3-3 tie with a bases loaded double in the 9'th inning and the Giants hung on for the win.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey 1B/C- 2 for 4, HR(5), BB.  BA= .367.  Buster hits his 3'rd dinger in 3 games.  At this point, it looks like he could be headed for this best season yet.  He is currently tied for 8'th in fWAR in the NL at 1.6.

Christian Arroyo SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .242.  Arroyo's reputation as a clutch performer continues to grow with his game-winning hit today.  With Crawford coming back, Arroyo will move over to 3B and has to be the full time starter there.  If the Giants do not get anything more out of this season than 500 MLB PA's for Arroyo, it will not be a lost season.

Justin Ruggiano LF/CF- 2 for 4, SF.  BA= .250.  OK, here's the deal.  Ruggiano may not be the greatest hitter in the world, but neither is Eduardo Nunez.  Ruggiano can field the LF position and Nunez cannot.  Since the IF is covered by Panik, Crawford and Arroyo, Nunez has to go to the bench.  Now, if the Giants could get Mac up and get him at least 450 PA on the season to go with Arroyo's 500, it would be a double positive from a down season.

Matt Cain RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.54.  Not a great start, but a whole lot better than his last one and something to build on.  He won't be facing the Reds again.

Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 3.38.  Whew!  Fortunately Law was handed a 3-run lead and made it stand up....barely.  Do you trust him with a 1-run lead?  Do the Giants have any choice?

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With the Win, the Giants remained in last place 10 games behind the Rockies who topped the Cubs 3-0.

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The Giants will fly home with a sense of relief.  They get a 4 game shot at their tormentors from Cincinnati with Ty Blach getting the first chance at revenge facing long time Giants tormentor, Bronson Arroyo.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/9/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Reno Aces 4-3:

Juniel Querecuto SS- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .333.
Mac Williamson LF- 1 for 3, HR(3), 2 BB.  BA= .236.
Chris Stratton RHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.12.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 5/1.  ERA= 1.66.
Kyle Crick RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.05.
Dusten Knight RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.00.

Mac's second dinger in 2 days.  After watching Eduardo Nunez misplay a ball into a triple yesterday, you have to believe Mac could get called up anytime.  Gotta think we'll see Cricky in SF sometime this year and Dusten Knight my be a darkhorse for a MLB callup.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Altoona Curve 14-6:

Slade Heathcott CF- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .290.
Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .500.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .333.
Brandon Bednar 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .309.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 3, BB, SF.  BA= .315.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.48.
DJ Snelton LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.54.

Crawford played a second rehab game.  He seems ready to go.  Could we see Heathcott in SF before the season is over? 

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

Game Wrap 5/9/2017: Mets 6 Giants 1

The Giants started the evening by announcing that Closer Mark Melancon was being placed on the 10-day DL with a pronator muscle strain.  They finished it on the wrong end of another lopsided loss.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 1 for 4, HR, BB.  BA= .362.  Second HR in as many games for Buster.  If the power maintains, he may be on the way to a MVP caliber campaign despite the Giants abysmal record.

Christian Arroyo SS- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .228.  Arroyo's learning curve continues with 2 BB's.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 7 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 5.44.  Take out the first inning in which he got torched, Samardzija had a dominant start.  The problem with Shark is that scenario happens way too often.

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The Giants 5'th consecutive loss dropped them 10 games behind the Rockies in the NL West. When you look at the Wild Card situation it is not much better as they trail by 7.5 games.

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Matt Cain will try to bounce back from his disastrous start in Cincinnati and break the Giants 5 game losing streak.

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The Giants did not fill Melancon's roster spot today.  Chris Haft says they will make a move to fill it tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Down on the Farm: 5/8/2017

AAA  Reno Aces outscored the Sacramento River Cats 7-6:

Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .306.
Ryder Jones LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .312.
Mac Williamson RF/LF- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .231.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .378.
Michael Roth LHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.88.
Dusten Knight RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.57.

Hopefully Mac can build off this game and gain some traction toward a return to the majors.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Altoona Curve 3-1:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 4, 2 SB(3).  BA= .274.
Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .333.
Chris Shaw 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .315.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.93.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K, Save(5).  ERA= 3.18.

I think the plan is for Crawford to play in just this one rehab game and be activated for tonight's MLB game in New York.

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High A  San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A Greenville Drive defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3:

Ashford Fulmer CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .273.
Frandy De La Rosa 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .254.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 5.73.
Cesar Yanez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 8.00.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Game Wrap 5/8/2017: Mets 4 Giants 3

The Giants had an early lead in this game, but could not hold it and the Mets bullpen outpitched the the Giants bullpen. Key Lines:

Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .254.  Pence got the Giants on the board in the first inning as he followed a walk by Brandon Belt with a 2-run dinger.  Pence will have to provide some power if the Giants have any hope of breaking out of their funk.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .363.  You can't blame Buster Posey for the Giants skid with that BA, but a few more dingers would be welcome.

Christian Arroyo SS- 0 for 4, 4 K's.  ERA= .236.  Jake DeGrom had double digit K's.  Arroyo will have his struggles against pitchers like that.

Matt Moore LHP- 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  Moore was shaky in the first inning and threw a ton of pitches, but worked his way out of the jam and then settled down and pitched a decent game falling 2 outs short of a QS.

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The Rockies were rained out, so the Giants lose 0.5 games and are 9.5 games out of first place in the NL West cellar.

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Jeff Samardzija tries to stop the losing streak tomorrow evening with former Giants farmhand Zach Wheeler on the mound for the Mets.

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For the second time this season, a promising young pitcher was diagnosed with testicular cancer, this time Jameson Taillon of the Pirates who underwent surgery today.  Best wishes to Taillon for a full recovery.  Once again, testicular cancer is relatively rare, but it is the most common type of cancer found in young men, so heads up guys!  Be aware of what's going on down there and don't be in denial!  If something doesn't seem, go ask a doctor about it and don't apologize if everything checks out OK.  Just be happy for it.