Monday, July 31, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/29/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the New Orleans Baby Cakes 6-2:

Wynton Bernard CF- 3 for 4, BB, 2 SB(10).  BA= .254.
Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 2, BB, SF.  BA= .263.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .281.
Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Roberto Gomez RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.71.

- Pabs keep plodding along in his rehab.  You KNOW he's going to get a shot at playing 3B for the Giants this season.
-Not a particularly encouraging appearance by Melancon, but it's just the first in a series of rehab stints.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels escaped the Erie Seawolves 3-2:

Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .235.
Caleb Gindl LF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .255.
Dan Slania RHP- 7.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.12.
Jarret Martin RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 3.04.

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High A  San Jose Giants outscored the Lancaster Jethawks 9-8:

Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 4, HR(17), BB.  BA= .273.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 4 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .247.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 2 for 4, HR(12), SF.  BA= .238.
Carlos Diaz LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.57.
Will LaMarch RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.74.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(15).  ERA= 2.66.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets smothered the Columbia Fireflies 6-0:

Jose Vizcaino Jr. 1B- 0 for 2, BB, HBP, SB(8).  BA= .243.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Stephen "Not Stetson" Woods RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.39.
DJ Myers RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.11.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

-Fabian's double came with the bases loaded and drove in 3 runs.  He was thrown to trying to stretch it into a triple.

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Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer 10-4:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 3, BB, SF, SB(20).  BA= .298.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .292.
Dalton Combs RF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1).  BA= .231.
Jason Bahr RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.17.

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AZL  Angels outlasted the Giants 11-10 in 11 innings:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 6, 3B.  BA= .386.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .351.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 5.  BA= .256.
Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .279.
Jose Rivero 2B- 2 for 5, SB(1).  BA= .310.
Ismael Munguia LF- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3).  BA= .304.
Nico Giarratano SS- 1 for 4, BB, SB(5).  BA= .189.
Frank Rubio RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.61.

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DSL  Giants were idle.

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Game Wrap 7/30/2017: Dodgers 3 Giants 2

If ever there was a microcosm of the season in one game, this was it:  An outstanding start from Madison Bumgarner, an impotent offense that got 2 leads in spite of itself, not one but 2 Blown Saves.  In the end, the Giants simply ran out of bullets against an army with more firepower.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 3 for 5.  BA= .267.  In his first two seasons, Joe Panik's BABIPs were .330 and .345.  He slumped to an unsustainably low .245 last season.  His 3 singles tonight raised his 2017 BABIP to .281 which is still lower than his needs to be to be a successful MLB hitter.  At what point do the Giants stop waiting for his BABIP to normalize to a mean?

Conor Gillaspie PH/3B- 1 for 2, HR(2).  BA= .171.  Gillaspie appeared to put the Giants into a position to win the game with his PH HR in the 7'th, but it was his double clutch on a bouncer by leadoff batter Chase Utley in the top of the 9'th that led to the Dodgers tying it up and sending it to extra innings.

Kelby Tomlinson PH- 1 for 1, SB(6).  BA= .250.  Pinch-hitting is a tough gig but Kelby seems to be comfortable with it and came through again.  His base hit and SB set up the go-ahead run that was unfortunately erased in the bottom of the inning.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.92.  Remember that nothing that happens this year is going to make any difference at all except for where the Giants draft in 2018.  What's important from this start is Bummy is apparently 100%+ recovered from his shoulder sprain which is essential for the Giants to have a chance to turn this around next season.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.32.  The run was not entirely Dyson's fault as a good defensive 3B would have thrown out Utley leading off the 9'th inning.  Once Utley was on base, though, Dyson did a terrible job of holding him at 1B and the SB set up the tying run.  That SB forced Dyson out of his rhythm which nearly caused him to lose the game right there in the 9'th inning.

Albert Suarez RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.15.  Suarez is not a closer and never will be.  He's an innings eater and it showed.  Bochy did not have great alternatives.  Kontos and Osich are gas cans right now.  Personally I would like to have seen Cricky get the call here, but I can understand why the Giants might not think he is ready for a Save situation in Dodger Stadium.

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The Giants come back to the Bay Area for a cross-bay interleague series against the A's with Matt Cain taking on Sonny Gray, if Gray is still wearing an Athletics uniform by game time.

Down on the Farm: 7/29/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the New Orleans Baby Cakes 4-3:

Jarrett Parker CF/RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .236.
Ryder Jones RF/SS- 3 for 4, 2 HR(13).  BA= .313.
Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .235.
Casey Kelly RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.57.
Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(5).  ERA= 4.08.

-Ryder Jones is showing he is ready for another crack at an MLB gig.
-Giants sign Casey Kelly to a minor league FA contract and start him the same day.  He was once a top ranked pitching prospect who has been oft traded and injured.  Not sure what he has left in the tank.  He was released by the Cubs about 10 days ago.

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AA  Game 1  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Erie Seawolves 3-0(7 innings):

Myles Schroder 2B- 2 for 3, 2 2B.  BA= .272.
Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .229.
Cory Taylor RHP- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 11/5.  ERA= 4.20.

-Taylor has allowed just 1 ER in 17 IP over his last 3 starts with 15 K's against 5 BB's.  His GO/AO on the season is 1.40.

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AA  Game 2  Richmond Flying Squirrels shut out the Erie Seawolves 2-0(7 innings):

Matt Lujan LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.05.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(13).  ERA= 2.58.

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High A  Lancaster Jethawks roared over the San Jose Giants 10-2:

Ryan Howard SS- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .324.
Bryan Reynolds RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .314.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .235.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 2 for 4, HR(1), SB(10).  BA= .268.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 8.10.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.73.

-Shaun Anderson's Giants organizational debut is underwhelming.

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Low A  Columbia Fireflies beat the Augusta Greenjackets 3-0:

Dominic Mazza LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 3.25.
Yordy Cabrera RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-3:

Bryce Johnson CF/LF- 2 for 4, SB(13).  BA= .333.
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 3, 3B, HBP.  BA= .351.
Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .333.
Jose Marte RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 9/4.  ERA= 4.83.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.97.

-Who is Logan Baldwin?  21's round draft pick out of Georgia Southern.  B-L, T-L.  6'0", 180 lbs.  Hit .308 with 4 HR and 13 SB in college this year.  Off to a great start to his pro career but ceiling appears to be limited.

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AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL  Giants outscored the White Sox 7-6:

Franklin Labour 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .293.
Victor Cairo C- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .118.
Jose Patino CF- 2 for 3, 2B, SB(11).  BA= .238.
Aneudy Acosta RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 4.65.

Game Wrap 7/29/2017: Dodgers 2 Giants 1

This game was not as close as the score looks as Dodger pitchers dominated an impotent Giants lineup to ruin a fine start by Ty Blach.  Key Lines:

Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .241.  Pence still shows flashes of power but has not gotten traction at the plate all season.  Pence is another Giant having disastrous BABIP luck. Here are his BABIP's starting in 2013, his first full season with the Giants:  .308, .318, .320, .348, .283.

Ty Blach LHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 4.38.  Blach had to pitch out of trouble several times in the early innings before finishing strong.  He was helped by 3 lineouts and 2 very bad bunts by Rich Hill who popped up both attempts which were caught by Blach.  Blach's athleticism came into play in both bunt outs and again on a comebacker from Yasiel Puig with the bases loaded which ended the second inning with a GIDP which went from Blach to Posey to Hwang at 1B.

Blach has a 3.67 ERA in July.  He has 11 QS out of 17 on the season and 4 out of his last 5 starts.  He has a low K rate but succeeds by limiting BB's to 1.99/9 and keeping the ball on the ground(GO/AO= 1.21) and in the ballpark(HR/FB= 7.8, consistent with his minor league track record).  His BABIP against is an average .303, so this all looks very sustainable.

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Madison Bumgarner moves up a day in the rotation to face Hyun-Jin Ryu in the series finale instead of Matt Cain.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/28/2017

AAA  Round Rock Express outpaced the Sacramento River Cats 7-2:

Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, HR(11).  BA= .305.
Reyes Maronita RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.75.

-Ryder Jones is hitting .370 over his last 7 games since coming back from his hand injury.  Time to bring him back up and put him out there every day.  He won't learn to hit MLB pitching in Sacramento.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Erie Seawolves 9-7:

Myles Schroder  - 3 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .266.
Hunter Cole RF- 3 for 3, SF.  BA= .221.
Dylan Davis DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .232.
Daniel Carbonell LF- 2 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .223.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(12).  ERA= 2.65.

-The Richmond positional roster is a wasteland.

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High A  Lancaster Jethawks defeated the San Jose Giants 6-5:

Steven Duggar RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .256.
Bryan Reynolds DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .312.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .239.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .244.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .222.

-If anyone is down on Jalen Miller, remember he is just 20 yo.  He is hitting .278 over his last 10 games.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets beat the Columbia Fireflies 6-5:

Jose Vizcaino Jr- 3 for 4, 3B.  BA= .246.
Cristian Paulino 3B- 2 for 3, Sac, 3 SB(25).  BA= .295.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.57.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 4-1:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, SB(18).  BA= .299.
Logan Baldwin RF- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(6).  BA= .338.
Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .326.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4, SB(15).  BA= .294.
Robinson Medrano DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .317.
Stetson Woods RHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.75.
John Russell RHP- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 2.92.

-8 K's in 3.1 IP, will catch my eye in a boxscore.

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AZL  Giants blanked the D'Backs 3-0:

Jose Layer CF- 1 for 2, BB, Sac, SB(2).  BA= .421.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .353.
Diego Rincones RF- 3 for 4.  BA= .360.
Seth Corry LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.93.
Weilly Yan RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.99.
Olbis Parra RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, Save(4).  ERA= 2.61.

-Giants need to consider creating a second AZL team like the Padres.  A kid like Jose Layer needs to be playing everyday and there just is not room.
-Hmm....maybe I should have made Diego Rincones my #21 prospect instead of Canario?  Rincones is having an AZL season that reminds me of Sandro Fabian last year.
-3 nice pitching lines from Corry, Yan and Parra.

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DSL  White Sox outlasted the Giants 4-3 in 11 innings:

Luis Moreno RHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.26.

-Moreno is the youngest SP prospect on the DSL squad at age 18.

Game Wrap 7/28/2017: Dodgers 6 Giants 4

A strong start by Matt Moore and a 3 run rally in the top of the 7'th inning created a moment when you might have thought the Giants were going to continue their odd dominance over the Dodgers in H2H play.  That did not last long as the bullpen lost the lead and then the game in a 4-run Dodger rally in the bottom of the inning.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .232.  Crawford is on a pace to hit about 15 HR's this year which is about what you would project for him.  What's different?  Here are Crawford's BABIP's starting in 2012:  .307, .290, .307, .294, .322, .263.  

Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 1 for 4.  BA= .175.  If you are Bobby Evans, do you call up Ryder Jones and put him at 3B after the Giants get through the 3 LHP starters in LA or do you give Hwang a month to see if he can get some traction on a MLB career?

Nick Hundley C- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .258.  Brandon Belt's sore wrist and the 3 lefty starters for LA give the Giants an excuse to put Buster at 1B and showcase Hundley for a deadline trade.  Catchers are in demand.

Gorkys Hernandez LF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .255.  Gorkys has had a heckuva 2 months for sure. I just find it frustrating that the Giants are not using this time to audition someone, anyone, who might have the kind of power they need out of the LF position next season.

Matt Moore LHP- 6.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.74.  A nice start by Moore that was ruined by bad relief pitching.  Look, you can argue that Moore should not have come out for the 7'th inning, but do you really think that would have made a difference?  If the Giants want to compete next year, they need better relief pitching, period.

George Kontos RHP- 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.83.  Kontos has hit a wall.  Whether it's fatigue, mechanics, worry about the trade deadline, it's still a wall.  ERA= 9.00 over his last 10 appearances, at least 1 run allowed in 7 of those 10, and that does not include inherited runners scored.

Josh Osich LHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.06.  Osich is the only lefty in the pen right now and the Dodgers are a heavily lefty leaning lineup.  In the Great Years, Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt got hitters like Corey Seager out.

Kyle Crick RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.88.  Cricky looks like the best pitcher in the bullpen right now, but has not appeared in many high-leverage situations.

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Ty Blach tries to continue his mastery over the Dodgers facing Rich Hill.

Friday, July 28, 2017

DrB's Midseason Giants Top 20 Prospects +1

Several commenters have asked for a midseason update on my Top 50 Giants Prospects.  50 is very tough to do, but jotted down some names for a top 20 and ended up with 21.  I may be missing someone but it seems like there is a fairly clear drop-off after #21.  I won't post full demographic information and stat lines but will offer some brief comments:

1.  Heliot Ramos, CF, Rookie-  The most tooled up player in the organization who has not suffered a disabling off field injury in my recent memory.  Just 17 yo, he seems to already have a clue of how to put those tools to use and is off to a great start to his pro career.  Let's all just pray for this kid to stay healthy and far away from glass tables.  I know he has a long way to go, but his ceiling is at least a full order of magnitude above any other prospect in the system.

2.  Christian Arroyo, IF, AAA/MLB- Arroyo is just 5 AB's away from "graduating" and losing his prospect status, something that will almost certainly happen in September when he should be fully recovered from a fractured hand suffered in a HBP.  Raked the PCL early in the season.  While he struggled in his MLB debut, he did show flashes of intriguing talent and he's just 21 yo.  Odds on favorite to be the Giants starting 3B in 2018.

3.  Bryan Reynolds, OF, High A- Top Giants draftee in 2016 selected in the second round.  Got an aggressive placement in San Jose for his first full pro season.  Got off to a slow start in April but has hit well over .300 since.  Has not shown as much power or speed as hoped for.  The speed is unlikely to show up later, but there is probably still upside to his power.

4.  Chris Shaw, 1B/LF, AAA- 2015 draftee who is already in AAA and mashing HR's there.  The top power hitting prospect in the system, by far.  Positionally he's limited to either 1B or LF with lingering questions about whether he can adequately play either position.  If he can, the bat is good enough to play.

5.  Tyler Beede, RHP, AAA- 2014 Draftee.  Has steadily worked his way up the organizational ladder.   Still has the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the system by a large margin.  He still tends to lose command of the strike zone when he unleashes his full arsenal and has to go back to a 2-seam/cutter approach to get back in the zone.  Some inconsistency this season has caused his stock to slip just a little.  Currently on the DL with a groin strain.

6.  Austin Slater, OF, AAA/MLB- Another guy who will likely lose his prospect status by the end of the season.  Slater mostly flew under the radar as he worked his way up the system but hit at every level.  Continued to hit in the majors and showed enough D to be a plus defender at either corner OF. Probably the odds on favorite to be the Giants starting LF in 2018.

7.  Steven Duggar, OF, High A(Rehab Assignment)-  Duggar missed the entire first half of the season and just recently started a rehab program and is now in San Jose.  Were it not for the injury, it might have been him getting the shot in LF instead of Slater.  Candidate for RF when Hunter Pence is done.

8.  Ryder Jones, 3B/1B/OF, AAA- Jones has stepped it up in AAA hitting for average and power and even stealing a few bags.  He has a great arm and has shown enough speed to play OF.  Struggled at the plate in a SSS MLB callup, but is still just 22 yo.  Not sure where he fits in a future Giants roster but has an intriguing tool set.

9.  Aramis Garcia, C, High A- lost most of last season to a freak injury(fractured orbit due to collision with fielder's knee while sliding to break up a DP.  He was reassigned to San Jose and has split time between C and 1B while hitting about .270 with power.  Garcia is a big kid with tremendous power potential.  Question is whether he will make enough contact at higher levels.

10.  Miguel Gomez, 2B, AA/MLB- The kid can hit.  Question is whether he will ever find a position. Mostly used as a PH since his callup.  Looked pretty good at 2B in a rare MLB start.  Has also played C and 3B in the minor leagues.

11.  CJ Hinojosa, SS, AA- Hinojosa has hit well in a tough environment in Richmond this year while splitting time between SS, 2B, 3B.

12.  Ryan Howard, SS, High A- Has hit and hit and hit for San Jose this year while playing mostly SS but also 3B.  Has not shown a lot of power which he will probably need if he does not stick at SS.  Will need to prove he can maintain BA at higher levels.

13.  Andrew Suarez, LHP, AAA- A finesse lefty.  Those types often struggle in the PCL. Suarez has been somewhat inconsistent but at his best looks like a future mid-rotation SP at the MLB level.

14.  Sandro Fabian, OF, Low A- Fabian has held his own and then some at age 19 while playing in what might be the toughest hitting environment in baseball.  In his last 10 games looks like he might put on a late season surge.  If he does, he could end up higher on my 2018 Top 50 list.

15.  Kelvin Beltre, 2B, Low A- Toolsy kid who has missed a lot of time early in his pro career to injury.  Has stayed healthy while holding down a steady starting 2B gig in Augusta.  A .270 BA might not seem impressive, but you have to remember the environment and how much development time he's missed.

16.  Jacob Gonzalez, 3B, Rookie- Luis Gonzalez' kid and the Giants second round draft pick this year.  Off to a strong start with plus power potential down the road.  Already seems to have a good feel for the strike zone.

17.  Garrett Williams, LHP, Low A- High ceiling LHP with control/command problems.  Those have improved a lot this season.  If he can maintain that, is a potential MLB mid-rotation SP or better.

18.  Melvin Adon, RHP, Low A- Hard throwing RHP who got a late start to his pro career, especially for an international prospect.  Still, the ceiling is there and he is showing progress in his first crack at full season ball.

19.  Seth Corry, LHP, Rookie- Giants 3'rd round draft pick out of Utah HS.  Solidly built with a low-mid 90's FB and seems to have more in the tank.  Has pitched well in limited opportunities so far.

20.  Malique Ziegler, OF, Short Season- My current favorite prospect in the system.  My nickname for him is "5-tool".  I have not seen him play but might have the #2 ranked "toolsiest" player in the organization behind Heliot Ramos.  Has played great for Salem-Keizer and should get a nice promotion next season.

21.  Alexander Canario, OF, DSL- This is my "+1".  I just did not want to cut off my list without including him, but did not think he quite deserved top 20 status.  Has been the regular RF for the DSL Giants and his stat lines suggest he is a true 5-tool talent.  Keep the name in mind.

Down on the Farm: 7/27/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Round Rock Express 2-1:

Chris Shaw DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .281.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.18.

-Strong line for Suarez who has been up and down in the very tough PCL.

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AA  Erie Seawolves downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3:

Slade Heathcott CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(8).  BA= .262.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 0 for 2, 2 SF.  BA= .298.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.49.

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High A  San Jose Giants grounded the Lancaster Jethawks 7-3:

Steven Duggar RF- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .237.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .237.
Gio Brusa DH- 3 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .241.
Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .218.
Jake McCasland RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.67.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.72.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outslugged the Columbia Fireflies 10-4:

Jean Angomas LF- 4 for 5, SB(8).  BA= .261.
Skyler Ewing 1B- 1 for 4, HR(9), BB.  BA= .254.
Jose Vizcaino Jr DH- 2 for 4, HR(2), SF.  BA= .235.
Sandro Fabian RF- 3 for 5, 2 HR(8).  BA= .256.
Melvin Adon RHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 11/1.  ERA= 3.71.

-10 days ago, Sandro Fabian looked like he might do a late season fade, but he has now hit .316 over his last 10 games with 3 dingers.

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Short Season  Eugene Emeralds topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-5:

Ryan Calabrese C- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .212.

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

AZL  Giants blanked the D'Backs 5-0:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 4, SB(7).  BA= .403.
Nathanael Javier 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .302.
Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .333.
Mikey Edie LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .615.
Jeffrey Parra C- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.
Jake Greenwalt RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 4.75.

-A Mikey Edie sighting.

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

DSL  Blue Jays defeated the Giants 6-4:

Raiber Gutierrez CF- 3 for 4, SB(10).  BA= .291.
Aynesber Sivira DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .234.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/26/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Round Rock Express 6-5:

Jarrett Parker CF/RF- 1 for 3, HR(3), 2 BB.  BA= .232.
Ryder Jones RF/3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .301.
Pablo Sandoval DH- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .333.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4, HR(10), BB.  BA= .280.
Jose Flores RHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.03.

-Second HR in as many days for Parker who is hitting .279 over his last 10 games.  Wasn't he the guy who started the season in LF?  Does he maybe deserve another chance now that he is apparently fully healed from his injury?

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

AA  Harrisburg Senators downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-3:

Brandon Bednar 3B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .278.
Tyler Herb RHP- 6.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.18.

-Bednar has been around seemingly forever, but is still only 25 yo which means he might still have a window to be a utility prospect.  Most likely just an organizational player though.  Seemed like there was some upside when he was drafted but the frame never filled out and the power never came.

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

High A  San Jose Giants outlasted the Modesto Nuts 4-3 in 13 innings:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .322.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 6.  BA= .234.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .232.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .235.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 3 for 6, 2B, SB(9).  BA= .270.
Matt Krook LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.11.
Matt Solter RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.13.

-With the wasteland of a roster in Richmond, I would think maybe Howard and Reynolds at least should get a month in August to tune up for their 2018 AA seasons.

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Eugene Emeralds 6-1:

Logan Baldwin RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .314.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 3, HR(5), 2 BB.  BA= .310.
Julio Benitez RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.62.
Garrett Cave RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.27.
Logan Webb RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.08.

- I still have pretty high hopes for Logan Webb who the Giants are bringing along slowly after TJ surgery.

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

AZL  Giants outscored the Brewers 7-6:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .397.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .339.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .261.
Nathanael Javier 1B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .286.
Camilo Doval RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.38.
Keenan Bartlett RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.96.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

-How exciting is it to have a tooled up kid like Ramos who seems to have a clue how to play the game in the Giants organization?

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

DSL  Giants beat the Blue Jays 4-2:

Raiber Gutierrez LF- 2 for 4, BB, HBP,  3 SB(9).  BA= .267.
Alex Canario RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .303.
Franklin Labour DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .297.
Andrew Carabello 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .245.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.26.

-Alex Canario seems like another tooled up kid who is sustaining his BA deep into the DSL season.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Game Wrap 7/26/2017: Giants 2 Pirates 1

A terrific pitching performance by Jeff Samardzija and the Giants bullpen was enough to pick up a still struggling Giants offense.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .265.  Panik's double led to the first Giants run in the first inning.

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .328.

Buster Posey C- 1 for 1, 3 BB.  BA= .328.  Looks like Buster is starting to get the Barry Bonds treatment.

Conor Gillespie 3B- 0 for 4.  BA= .164.  Why oh why is Conor Gillespie still on the team, let alone starting at 3B?  Do the Giants think they can gin up some trade value by playing him?  Just baffling!

Gorkys Hernandez LF- 2 for 4, SB(8).  BA= .249.  Hernandez is having a nice season, but he's never going to give the power the Giants need out of LF.  Everyday he starts out there, is one less day the Giants have to identify their LF for next season.  It can't be Gorkys Hernandez!

Miguel Gomez PH- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .294.  Not sure what Gomez has to do to get a trial as a starter at some position.  The rest of this season needs to be about getting a good look at players like him and see if they can be part of the future.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K.  ERA= 4.85.  Lots of trade rumors.  Samardzija says he would veto a trade if he could.  There are 8 teams he does not have veto power over.  Houston is not one of them.  IMO, the Giants should not trade Shark unless the return is huge.  He is well worth his salary and it would be extremely difficult to find a better replacement.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(6).  ERA= 6.25.  Sell high on Dyson or keep him for next season?  Again, depends on the return.  It would have to be big for me to want him traded.

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

The Giants get tomorrow off, then try to cool off the Dodgers in LA this weekend with Matt Moore facing Alex Wood in the opener on Friday night.

Down on the Farm: 7/25/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Round Rock Express 4-3:

Jarrett Parker CF- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .228.
Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Ryder Jones RF- 2 for 3, BB, SB(7).  BA= .299.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 1B/3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .293.
Roberto Gomez RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.10.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.94.

-Sandoval starts the AAA phase of his rehab.  Anyone holding their breath until he gets called up?  Yeah, I didn't think so.

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AA. Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Harrisburg Senators 6-0:

Dan Slania RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.25.

-Sorry, but I just can't get excited about posting game lines for non-prospects which is the majority of the Richmond lineup right now.

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

High A San Jose Giants edged out the Modesto Nuts 3-2:

Bryan Reynolds RF- 3 for 4.  BA= .314.
Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .218.
Grant Watson LHP- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 3.48.
Will LaMarche RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.86.

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

Low A Hagerstown Suns topped the Augusta Greenjackets 6-4:

Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .251.
Michael Bernal 2B- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .265.
Garrett Williams LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 2.25.

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

Short Season  Eugene Emeralds outscored the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-6:

Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP, 2 SB(11).  BA= .329.
Robinson Medrano DH- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .293.

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

AZL  Giants beat the Cubs 6-2:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 5, SB(6).  BA= .397.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .351.
Ricardo Genoves DH- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .246.
Aaron Bond LF- 3 for 4.  BA= .370.
Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .263.
Jose Rivero 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .311.
Andres Angulo C- 2 for 2.  BA= .280.
Sidney Duprey LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.57.
Michael Figueroa RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.74.

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

DSL  Giants pounded the Reds 9-7:

Andrew Carabello 2B- 2 for 2, 2 2B, 2 BB, HBP.  BA= .233.
Alex Canario DH- 1 for 3, BB, HBP, 2 SB(15).  BA= .297.
Marco Gonzalez LHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 2.11.

Game Wrap 7/25/2017: Giants 11 Pirates 3

The Giants scored early and often with the sustained gap power approach the team was designed for.  Improvement or SSS BABIP luck?  Oh, and Eduardo Nunez was traded in the middle of the game.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 2 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .285.  Span is making a case for himself if there are any contenders who need an OF for the stretch run who comes with an extra year at a reasonable cost.  Or the Giants may decide they need him for a re-tooled team next year.

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 1 for 2, 2B, HBP, SB(18).  BA= .308.  The shiny BA must have been too much for Boston to resist.  They traded 2 high ceiling pitching prospects for Nunez in the middle of the game.  More on that later.

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .237.  Despite his anemic BA, Belt's OBP is .351 and he's OPSing .804.  He's the #14 MLB 1B by fWAR which is not that easy to replace.

Buster Posey C- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .326.  Buster just keeps grinding out another great season.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .235.  Crawford is hitting .308 since July 7 when his BA reached a nadir of .221.

Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(2).  BA= .248.  Pence is hitting just .188 for the month of July.

Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .265.  Panik's bases-loaded triple in the 3'rd inning was the big blow that broke this one open.  Overall, Panik is hitting just .211 in July.  Q:  Is Joe Panik the Giants 2B of the future?

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.38. No indication that Bummy left the game after 5 innings for any other reason than to spare his arm in a blowout win.

Chris Stratton RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 4/1.  ERA= 7.71.  Stratton was called up before the game to give the bullpen another arm with Orlando Calixte getting sent back to Sacramento.  This was a strong 4 inning effort.  Stratton and Suarez give the Giants 2 bullpen arms who can eat a lot of innings.

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Jeff Samardzija tries for a series win today facing Trevor Williams.

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

The Giants did what they had to do and pulled the trigger on a Eduardo Nunez trade.  Nunez is an impending free agent who won't get a QO, so he had to be traded for the Giants to get anything for him.  The return from Boston is a couple of interesting pitching prospects:

Shaun Anderson RHP.  Anderson was Boston's 3'rd round draft pick last year.  College reliever from Florida with a starter's mix of pitches.  He's been pitching successfully as a starter for Boston's High A team.  Anderson is big at 6'4", 225 lbs.  Scouting report says he has a FB that runs low-mid 90's with a cutter, slider and seldom used changeup.

Gregory Santos is a 17 yo RHP in his second DSL season.  He's still obviously very young but is reported to have a live arm and a lot of upside.

The Giants desperately need more pitching depth in the farm system.  They got that out of this trade.  Nice job, Bobby Evans.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/24/2017

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-3:

Justin Ruggiano RF- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .280.

-The big news here is Tyler Beede getting scratched late due to a groin strain suffered in warmups.  Injuries have decimated the Giants upper level prospects this season.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Harrisburg Senators 5-4:

NTSH.

-Squirrels current roster is an embarrassment.

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High A  Modesto Nuts pounded the San Jose Giants 7-1:

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .222.

-Pretty pathetic when the only highlight is a rehab start for Pabs.  So far, he's not exactly knocking down the door to the Giants clubhouse.

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

Low A Hagerstown Suns outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 7-6:

Cristian Paulino 3B- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(21).  BA= .292.
Jean Angomas 2B- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .242.
Skyler Ewing C- 1 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .254.
Jose Vizcaino Jr. 1B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .235.
Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .248.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes beat the Vancouver Canadians 4-3:

Jose Marte RHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 5.06.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.82.
Andy Rohloff RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 9.00.

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AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL Reds smacked down the Giants 12-4:

NTSH.

Game Wrap 7/24/2017: Pirates 10 Giants 3

A key throwing fielding error by Eduardo Nunez led to a 4-run second inning by the Pirates and the Giants offense was never able to catch up despite getting 15 batters on base.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 0 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .282.  Span's career BB% is 8.5.  It's 6.5 this year.

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .307.  The BA keeps climbing, but the other parts of Nunez' game remain shaky at best.  He could not get a handle on a 2-out groundball that should have ended the second inning.  A couple of batters later, Andrew McCutchen took Matt Cain deep to cap a 4-run inning with a 3-run dinger.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 5.  BA= .321.  Posey's great season continues.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .232.  Arbitrary Starting Point:  Crawford is hitting .292 since July 7.

Matt Cain RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 9/0.  ERA= 5.45.  Cainer probably deserved better than giving up 6 runs and probably not as much credit as 2 ER would indicate.  In addition to Nunez' error, Manager Bruce Bochy got the thumb for arguing that the ump was squeezing Cain.  Kruk and Kuip seemed to agree.

Albert Suarez RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  2 more strong innings from Suarez who has spared an exhausted bullpen.

Josh Osich LHP- 0.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.83.  Just when you think Osich is getting on a roll, he lets out a stinker like this.

Kyle Crick RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.03.  Crick seems to be establishing himself as a guy who can reliably go more than 1 inning out of the bullpen.  Those guys are becoming user-valuable in today's game.

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Madison Bumgarner tries to get the Giants back in the Win column tonight facing Jameson Taillon.

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The Padres shipped their bullpen off to the Royals.  Mighty neighborly of them to wait until after the Giants series....not.  Gotta say, the return the Padres received seems a bit light to me.

Monday, July 24, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/23/2017

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-4:

Tim Federowicz C- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .305.

-Giants should trade Nick Hundley, not because Fedex is better, but Hundley will be a FA, could contribute to a pennant run and Fedex is a more than adequate replacement.

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels downed the Akron Rubber Ducks 4-2:

Slade Heathcott CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .263.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 4 for 5.  BA= .305.
Jerry Sands DH- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .295.
Brandon Bednar 3B- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .272.
Cory Taylor RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.53.

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

High A  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes leveled the San Jose Giants 5-0:

Michael Connolly RHP- 7 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.47
Will LaMarche RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.98.

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

Low A  Hagerstown Suns scorched the Augusta Greenjackets 9-1:

Jean Angomas CF/2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .232.
Michael Bernal SS- 2 for 2, 2B, HBP.  BA= .256.

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

Short Season  Vancouver Canadians outscored the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-3:

Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 3, HR(4), HBP.  BA= .319.
Stetson Woods RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 11/1.  ERA= 1.97.

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AZL  Giants vs Royals PPD.

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

DSL  Giants were idle.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Game Wrap 7/23/2017: Padres 5 Giants 2

Another game, another loss.  Ty Blach pitched a really good game....except for those 5 batters in the 4'th inning.  Giants offense was not up to pick him up.  Key Lines:

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .305.  Hopefully that shiny BA will attract some deadline shoppers who won't notice the baserunning miscue.

Miguel Gomez 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.  I only watched the first 3 innings but I saw Gomez make a couple of nice plays at 2B.

Brandon Crawford SS- 0 for 4.  BA= .228
Hunter Pence RF- 0 for 4.  BA= .247.  Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford should be batting 7'th and 8'th until they prove they are worthy of a higher spot.  2 black holes in the lineup right now.

Ty Blach LHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.50.  4 of the 8 hits and the BB were given up to 5 consecutive batters in the 4'th inning.  With 1 out, Blach walked a batter, then double, double, double, single, all line drives.  I cannot blame that on BABIP luck because line drives.  Was Blach distracted by thinking about the walk?  Was he upset with the ump?  Did he temporarily lose his mechanics because of having to go to the stretch?  Many Sabers would say it's just a string of bad sequencing luck but we've seen it from multiple Giants pitchers over and over this year.  If 3 of the 4 hits were grounders or bloopers, I'd would say BABIP luck without hesitation, but 4 consecutive line drives is tough to reconcile.

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The Pirates come to town tomorrow with Matt Cain facing Gerrit Cole.

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Food for Thought:  League average R/G has risen from 4.07 in 2014 to 4.67 in 2017. If the Giants were to score exactly 4 runs every game, they would be a sub-.500 team by a pretty big margin.

Down on the Farm: 7/22/2017

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-1:

Ryder Jones 3B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .301.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.69.

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

AA  Akron Rubber Ducks downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 3, 2 BB, SB(7).  BA= .263.
Jerry Sands 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .296.
Dylan Davis LF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .233.

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

High A  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes beat the San Jose Giants 5-4:

Steven Duggar RF- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .276.
Bryan Reynolds LF- 4 for 5.  BA= .313.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 9.62.

-After hitting .253 in April, Reynolds has gone .340 in May, .322 on June and .339 in July.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets cooled off the Hagerstown Suns 8-3:

Cristian Paulino 3B- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(19).  BA= .293.
Jean Angomas RF- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .223.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 3 for 4.  BA= .264.
Jose Vizcaino Jr - 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .230.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.36.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.61.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.67.

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

Short Season  Vancouver Canadians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-6:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(15).  BA= .321.
Shane Matheny 3B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .346.
Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .339.
Michael Sexton DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .241.
Dalton Combs RF- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .217.

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

AZL  Giants outscored the Royals 11-7:

Heliot Ramos DH- 4 for 6, 2B, 3B. BA= .397.
Jose Layer CF- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .538.
Beicker Mendoza 1B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .371.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 5.  BA= .286.

-Heliot Ramos continues to impress.
-Jose Layer had hit very well in very limited opportunities.

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

DSL  Giants vs D'Backs PPD.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Game Wrap 7/22/2017: Giants 5. Padres 4

The Giants overcame one bad inning by Matt Moore to survive long enough for Nick Hundley's walkoff hit in the 12'th inning.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF/LF- 1 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .246.  Gorkys gets on base 3 times from the leadoff position in the batting order.

Eduardo Nunez SS/3B- 3 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .299.  Whatever Nunez' maximum trade value is, the Giants should be able to get it with the way he is playing since coming off the DL.

Nick Hundley C- 2 for 5, Sac.  BA= .261.  Hundley is a FA after the season, so the Giants should be trying to trade him too.  Seems like he could be a starting C for more than 1 team.

Matt Moore LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.82.  One bad inning.  Otherwise a very strong start.  He may have been thinking about Wil Myers' leadoff HR in the 4'th inning when he allowed the other 3 runs to score.

Albert Suarez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Suarez went 2 strong innings to give an exhausted bullpen a break.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.   ERA= 2.45.  Not sure if the Giants are looking to trade Strick but he should have recouped some of his trade value in this appearance after getting roughed up yesterday.

Josh Osich LHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.77.  Osich has pitched 7 scoreless innings over 7 appearances with 7 K's and 1 BB, in July.

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

Ty Blach tries to gain a split in the 4 game series tomorrow facing Dinelson Lamet.

Down on the Farm: 7/21/2017

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers outlasted the Sacramento River Cats 4-3 in 10 innings:

Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .300.
Tim Federowicz C- 2 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .296.
Jose Flores RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.68.

-Welcome back Ryder Jones from the hand injury.

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AA Akron Rubber Ducks defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2:

Jeff Arnold C- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .185.
Dando Moreno SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .194.
Sam Conrad RHP- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.39.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. ERA= 2.41.

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

High A  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes shook the San Jose Giants 6-1:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .329.
Bryan Reynolds RF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .305.
Jake McCasland RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 5.04.

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

Low A  Delmarva Shorebirds edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3:

Ashford Fulmer CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .239.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .258.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.75.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outscored the Vancouver Canadians 12-6:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .323.
Bryce Johnson LF- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(9).  BA= .333.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(6).  BA= .326.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SF.  BA= .344.
Alejandro De La Rosa RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 5.28.

-The 8 K's tell me there is some upside to De La Rosa.

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AZL  Brewers beat the Giants 8-2:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .368.
Jose Layer DH- 1 for 3, 2B, SB(1). BA= .500.
Francisco Medina SS- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .222.
Camilo Doval RHP- 3.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.35.
John Gavin LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

-There is a nice scouting report on Camilo Doval on Giant Potential.  Look it up.
-John Gavin has a successful pro debut.

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DSL  Giants vs D'Backs suspended after the D'Backs took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 6'th inning.

Game Wrap 7/21/2017: Padres 12 Giants 9

The Giants rode a roller coaster in this game blowing a 6-2 lead built in the first 4 innings, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 9'th inning to tie it only to lose it by giving up a 3-spot in the 11'th.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .229.  Crawford is hitting .217 in July.

Hunter Pence RF= 3 for 5, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .252.  Pence also had an assist from the OF in this game.  He is hitting just .190 in July.

Conor Gillespie PH- 1 for 1, HR(1).  BA= .190.  Gillespie is 5 for 12 in July with 2 2B, and a dinger.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.05.  Samardzija seemed to be in good shape with a 6-2 lead going to the 5'th inning, then the roof caved in.  He could not get out off the inning and a parade of Giants relievers kept pouring gasoline on the fire over the next 3 innings until the Padres had scored 7 unanswered runs.

Hector Sanchez C(Padres)- 3 for 6, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .242.  Hector is 7 for 18 against the Giants this year.  He has 15 total hits on the season.   He is 8 for 44 agains the rest of the league.  4 of his 7 dingers have come against the Giants.  SSS randomness or "ownage"?

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Matt Moore tries to break the Padres spell today against Luis Perdomo.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/20/2017

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-3:

Jarrett Parker RF/LF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .257.
Chris Stratton RHP- 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K, GO/AO= 9/3.  ERA= 5.11.

-Parker is 9 for 22 over his last 5 games.
-Stratton has 4 QS out of his last 5 with an ERA of 3.60 and 36 K against just 7 BB's in 33 IP over that span.

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AA  Akron Rubber Ducks downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Jerry Sands 1B- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .287.
Brandon Bednar 3B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .275.
Tyler Herb RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 11/4.  BA= 5.29.

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High A  San Jose Giants outscored the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 12-7:

Steven Duggar RF- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB, SB(1).  BA= .273.
Bryan Reynolds LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .300.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 2 for 5, HR(16). BA= .283.
Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .261.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .238.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .220
Will LaMarche RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.05.
Heath Slatton RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 10.54.

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Low A  Delmarva Shorebirds beat the Augusta Greenjackets 7-3:

Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .247.
Will Albertson C- 2 for 4.  BA= .228.
Melvin Adon RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 3.53.

-Will Albertson is hitting .313 over his last 10 games.
-Adon has allowed just 3 ER in 22.2 IP over his last 4 Starts.

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Short Season  Vancouver Canadians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-3:

Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .327.
Robinson Medrano 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .326.
Gustavo Cabrera DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .304.

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AZL Reds pounded the Giants 9-5:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .377.
Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .229.
Francisco Medina SS- 2 for 2.  BA= .212.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Reagan Bazar RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 9.45.

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DSL Giants edged out the Mariners 2-1 in 10 innings:

Francis Pena RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.97.
Yoel Veras RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.08.

Game Wrap 7/20/2017: Padres 5 Giants 2

This game is Exhibit A for DrB's First Theory of Relativity which states, "in an environment that favors home run power, contact and gap power won't compete."  If this were 2014, the Padres probably would not have hit those 2 dingers off Madison Bumgarner and the final score might have been 2-1 Giants.  In 2017, those 2 dingers meant the Giants had no chance to win this game.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .289.  Span continues his offensive surge.

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .300.  Hopefully Nunez is convincing trade deadline scouts that he's healthy and can help one of their teams.

Brandon Belt 1B- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .239.  The first 3 batters in the lineup got on base 6 times in 12 PA.  The next 3 batters reached 1 in 12 times.

Gorkys Hernandez LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .242.  I suppose the Giants feel they don't have anyone else to put out there, but as good as Hernandez has been, the Giants need power out of the LF position and Gorkys will never give them that.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.57.  2 mistake pitches cost Bummy and that's been the story of the season for this pitching staff.  It's a league-wide trend but the Giants offense has not kept pace.

Kyle Crick RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.61.  Cricky did an impressive job coming in with runners on base in the 8'th inning and getting the last 2 outs.  He then hung tough in the 9'th inning for a scoreless appearance.  He just kept pumping fastballs that went 95-97 MPH and beating hitters who knew they were coming.   One thing I noticed in the 9'th is he stayed calm through 2 high pitch count AB's.  When I saw him pitch a few years ago in San Jose in a similar situation as the pitch count went up, he got more and more visibly frustrated and more and more wild.

One more thing:  How much does Kyle Crick look like a young Matt Cain?

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Jeff Samardzija tries to break the Padres spell over the Giants tonight facing Trevor Cahill.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/19/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the El Paso Chihuahuas 3-1:

Wynton Bernard CF- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .244.
Tyler Beede RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 11/2.  ERA= 4.79.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(5).  ERA= 2.02.

-This was Beede's 3'rd QS out of his last 5.  He has an ERA of 3.22 over that span.

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AA  Erie Seawolves outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-6:

CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .308.
Myles Schroder 2B- 2 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .282.
KC Hobson 1B- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .220.
Caleb Gindl RF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .182.
Dan Slania RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.82.

-Kind of a motley crew the Flying Squirrels are throwing out on the field these days.  Caleb Gindl? Pabs should fit right in.

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High A San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A  Delmarva Shorebirds beat the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:

Garrett Williams LHP- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 10/3.  ERA= 2.21.
Jose Morel RHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.71.

-Garrett Willams continues to impress in his first full season.

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Short Season  Salem- Keizer Volcanoes topped the Spokane Indians 3-2:

Malique Ziegler- 1 for 4, SF.  BA= .333.
Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 5, 3 SB(8).  BA= .314.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 3.  BA= .351.
Jose Marte RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 5.32.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 1 IP, 0 H 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.50.
Conner Kaden RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Garrett Cave RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, Save(3).  ERA= 2.25.

-A reader asked about Orlando Garcia.  MI who hit for both average and power at Kelby Tomlinson's old college.  Probably more of a 2B or 3B than a SS, but the bat could play.  Will have to prove out somewhere besides S-K, though.

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AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL  Mariners edged out the Giants 4-3:

Wascar DeLeon 2B- 2 for 3.  BA= .278.
Alex Canario RF- 2 for 2, BB, HBP.  BA= .304.
Franklin Labour LF- 1 for 2, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .315.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

-The Alex Canario legend continues to grow.

Game Wrap 7/19/2017: Giants 5 Indians 4

The Giants took a trip down memory lane as Matt Cain turned in a QS and Buster Posey drove in the winning run with a PH double.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .286.  Giants are in a good position with Span.  They can trade him if they get a great offer or they can hang onto him for another season at a reasonable cost.  He's not what he once was defensively, although better than last year, but he's having a strong offensive season.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .229.  Crawford has hit in 7 of his last 8 games with a .310 BA in that span.

Buster Posey PH- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .329.  Buster drove in the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the 8'th with a ringing double to CF.  How great is that?

Matt Cain RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.49.  When the Indians put up a 3-spot in the 3'rd inning, you had to have a bad feeling about the rest of the game, but Cainer hung in there and ended up with a QS and gave his team a chance to win.

George Kontos RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.09.  Let's see, looking up on Cot's Contracts it appears that Kontos has another year of arbitration left, so the Giants are in a great position with him at the trade deadline too.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(5).  ERA= 6.82.  So should the Giants take a profit on Dyson or keep him to shoot for a super-bullpen next year with him, Melancon and Will Smith forming a 3 headed monster?

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Madison Bumgarner tries to break the Padres spell over the Giants facing a tough customer in Jhoulys Chacin tonight.

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Ahem!  Welp, I guess everybody knows Panda is coming back to the organization.  It's a minor league deal and the BoSox are stuck with his bloated salary, but I'm not sure I'm OK with this.  Panda had some wonderful seasons and moments in SF and some that were not so wonderful.  To me this just feels like looking back for an organization that needs to be looking ahead.  I guess it's OK as long as he is not pushing aside a legit prospect who needs development time.

Blogger's Note

I have an early meeting this morning so will post yesterday's Game Wrap and Down on the Farm later.  In the meantime feel free to discuss those or Trade Deadline rumors or anything else related to baseball.

Highlights:  Did Matt Cain's QS and Buster Posey's game winning double make you think it was 2010 again for a second?

Tyler Beede turned in his 3'rd QS in 5 starts allowing just 1 unearned run.  His ERA is 3.22 over that 5 start span.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/18/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the El Paso Chihuahuas 7-6 in 12 innings:

Jarrett Parker CF- 3 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .239.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .302.
Mac Williamson RF- 0 for 6.  BA= .224.
Albert Suarez RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.09.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 3.46.
DJ Snelton LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.10.

-Parker has a 4 game hit streak and is 5 for 10 in his last 2 games.
-Mac is in a deep funk.
-If the Giants are inclined to trade a reliever or 2 before the deadline, there is no shortage of replacements here.

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AA  Erie Seawolves downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

CJ Hinojosa 2B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .306.
Seth Rosin RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

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High A  San Jose Giants outscored the Lake Elsinore Storm 6-5:

Steven Duggar RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .278.
Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 4.  BA= .281.
Grant Watson LHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.82.
Will LaMarch RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.22.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(13).  ERA= 2.81.

-Duggar breaks through in his rehab.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 2-1:

Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .340.
Stetson Woods RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.82.
John Russell RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.57.

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AZL Giants vs White Sox postponed.

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DSL  Orioles defeated the Giants 6-3:

Alex Canario RF- 3 for 4, 2 2B, 3B.  BA= .292.
Franklin Labour LF- 2 for 4, 2 SB(8).  BA= .326.
Aneudy Acosta RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.24.

-Alex Canario continues to look like a future star.

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DSL  Orioles beat the Giants 8-7(Game called after 8 innings):

Ghordy Santos SS- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .153.
Alex Canario DH- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .293.
Marco Gonzalez LHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.52.

Game Wrap 7/18/2017: Giants 2 Indians 1

The Giants offense continued to sputter but a terrific start from Ty Blach and shutdown bullpen work by Hunter Strickland and Sam Dyson held the Indians at bay until the Giants could push across a walkoff run in the 10'th inning.  Key Line:

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .295.  Nunez scored the first run and drove in the winning run.  I really like Nunez but he is the one guy the Giants absolutely have to get something for in a trade because he is a free agent at the end of the season and is not the caliber of player they would make a Qualifying Offer to.

Conor Gillaspie PH- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .172.  Gillaspie's double started the winning rally.  Kelby Tomlinson was brought in to PR for him.

Ty Blach LHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 10/3.  ERA= 4.36.  Very solid start for Blach who kept the Indians off balance all night command of 3 pitches.  It looked like he might go even deeper into the game until the final batter ran up a 10 pitch AB.

Sam Dyson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 4/1.  ERA= 7.03.  Dyson's ERA since joining the Giants is 2.94.  He has gone more than 1 inning in 4 of his 14 appearances.  Not sure if the Giants are looking to trade him before he deadline or not.  Since they control his contract for multiple years, they may want to hang onto him if they are looking to compete in 2018.  I suppose it might depend on what the return in a trade would look like.

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Matt Cain tries for a series win today facing Carlos Carrasco.

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Around the League:  The ChiSox stockpiled more young talent as they traded Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yanks for Tyler Clippard and 3 prospects including former first round draft pick Blake Rutherford.  The Yoan Moncada era dawns!

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/17/2017

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

Juniel Querecuto SS- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .253.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Erie Seawolves 4-0:

Slade Heathcott CF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .272.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .307.
Cory Taylor RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 9/2.  ERA= 4.70.
Cody Hall RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.16.

-This was Cory Taylor's strongest start of the season by a healthy margin.  It comes after a string of mediocre outings.

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High A  Lake Elsinore Storm beat the San Jose Giants 4-2:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .327.
Bryan Reynolds DH- 2 for 3, 3B, BB, SB(2).  BA= .299.

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Low A  Asheville Tourists overran the Augusta Greenjackets 12-3:

Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .246.

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

Short Season  Spokane Indians edged out the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 2-1:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 5, 2B, SB(14).  BA= .339.
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .320.
Orlando Garcia SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .320.
Robinson Medrano DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .342.
Matt Lujan LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.80.
Logan Webb RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.80.
Jason Bahr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.40.

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AZL Giants outscored the Cubs 12-7:

Ismael Munguia CF- 2 for 5, Sac.  BA= .273.
Diego Rincones RF- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .392.
Beicker Mendoza 1B- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .329.
Andres Angulo C- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .217.
Sidney Duprey LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.87.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.15.

-Q:  Who is the hottest Giants prospect right now?  A:  Diego Rincones!  Barely 18 yo(6/14).  He's doing what Sandro Fabian did last year in the AZL.

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DSL  Giants vs Orioles suspended after 4 innings with the O's leading 2-1.

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The Giants essentially bought themselves an extra 4'th round draft pick by signing Jack Conlon to a free agent contract.  It's complicated but Conlon submitted to a pre-draft MRI and made the results available to all MLB teams.  The Orioles, who are notoriously picky about their player physicals, drafted him in the 4'th round then pulled their contract offer after his physical.  According to the new rules, if a player submits to the pre-draft physical and the drafting team fails to offer a contract, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent and is not subject to draft bonus pool limitations.

I don't think any numbers are out there as to how much the Giants signed him for, but speculation was that he would command around $1 M.  Conlon has a FB that goes low-mid 90's.  It sounds like his secondary pitches need a lot of work.  Since we don't know what the Orioles did not like about his physical, it's hard to predict injury risk but players who have failed post-draft physicals in the past have had a high rate of TJ surgery.  Hey!  Its not my money and since the Giants did not have to bump another player from his draft slot, it's a great risk, IMO.  Christmas in July!

Game Wrap 7/17/2017: Indians 5 Giants 3

The Giants dugout was visibly energized.   They finally got a big replay call to go their way when, after he was initially called out at home plate while trying to score from first on a double to LF by Gorkys Hernandez, replays clearly showed that Joe Panik got his foot around the tag and touched home plate before the tag was applied.  The Giants tacked on another run in the 3'rd inning and another in the 4'th to take a 3-1 lead.  That's when things got weird again.

Matt Moore was dealing.  With 2 outs and a runner at 2B, Brad Zimmer hit a comebacker which Moore quickly corralled.  As is standard practice nowadays, Moore took two steps toward first base and underhanded the ball.....except it looked like a softball slow pitch and sailed a full foot over the glove of a leaping Jae-Gyun Hwang.  The runner on 2B scored, Zimmer took 2B and scored on a subsequent single.  The buzz was killed.  You knew the Giants were not going to win the game right there.

Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez LF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .246.  I guess I've grudgingly accepted the Giants probably have no choice but to play Hernandez in LF for now.  Parker and Mac are struggling in Sacramento.  Chris Shaw probably needs more AAA AB's.  Hernandez is playing well and gives the Giants the best chance to win today's game.  Maybe he draws some trade interest at the deadline?  Maybe he takes over CF if Denard Span gets traded?

Matt Moore LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.81.  Moore reportedly told reporters before the game that he had identified and fixed his mechanical issues.  He pitched well, only to have it spoiled by the inexplicable play described above.  That's the way this season has gone for the Giants.

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Ty Blach faced Mike Clevinger in game 2 of the series tonight.

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I suppose we should mention that the Giants 580 game sellout streak came to an end when they only drew 39+ K for this game.  I only caught the end of Larry Baer's comments in the broadcast booth.  Did he say anything about plans to improve on-field performance?

Monday, July 17, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/16/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outslugged the Salt Lake City Bees 14-11:

Wynton Bernard CF- 3 for 5, 2 2B, BB, SB(8).  BA= .235.
Jarrett Parker LF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .212.
Orlando Calixte SS- 2 for 6, 2 HR(13).  BA= .275.
Chris Shaw 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .302.
Carlos Moncrief RF- 3 for 6, 2 2B, HR(2).  BA= .292.
Juniel Querecuto 2B- 4 for 6, 2B.  BA= .253.
Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(4).  ERA= 4.09.

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

Nate Reed RHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 13/0.  ERA= 7.36.
Seth Rosin RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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High A San Jose Giants came from behind to edge out the Lake Elsinore Storm 5-4:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .325.
Heath Quinn LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .258.
Matt Winn C- 2 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .244.
Michael Cederoth RHP- 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.20.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 10.94.
Will LaMarche RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.31.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(12).  ERA= 2.66.

-Did Cederoth argue with the ump after the walk and get kicked out or did he come out for an injury?

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Asheville Tourists 10-9:

Ashford Fulmer CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .233.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .257.
Jacob Heyward DH- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(10).  BA= .223.
Cristian Paulino 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(16).  BA= .279.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .263.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Spokane Indians 10-9:

Malique Zeigler CF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(13).  BA= .345.
Robinson Medrano DH- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .324.
Gustavo Cabrera LF- 2 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .282.
Kevin Rivera 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .214.
Garrett Cave RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 1.29.

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AZL Giants Beat the Cubs 6-2(Game called after 8 innings due to weather):

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .396.
Jose Layer RF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .500.
Nathanael Javier 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .295.
Aaron Bond LF- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .444.
Beicker Mendoza DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .333.
Jeffrey Parra C- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .333.
Andy Rohloff RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 1.50.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Weilly Yan RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.30.

-Seems like Bond should be promoted somewhere.
-Maronta is obviously on a rehab assignment after a long DL stint.

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DSL NL All-Stars edged the AL All-Stars 3-2:

Alex Canario went 1 for 1 with a SB.

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Game Wrap 7/16/2017

OMG!  Just when you thought this horrible season could not get any worse, the Giants serve up a game like this. I turned on the game just in time to see Cory Spangenberg swing out of his shoes on an 0-2 pitch in the middle of the strike zone and send it over the CF fence driving in the 5'th, 6'th and 7'th runs of the game for the Padres.  I quickly decided I had more important things to do with my time than watch the rest of the game.  Key Lines:

Lineup- 9 for 35, 5 2B, BB.   How does a lineup hit 5 doubles and come away with just 1 run to show for it?

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.86.  So, how does a successful MLB pitcher throw one down the pipe on an 0 and 2 pitch with 2 runners on base?  How does the hitter on said pitch know to be coming out of his shoes on the pitch?  Shark has a history of rumored pitch tipping, so there's that, but regardless, the location of the pitch makes you wonder about the thought process behind it.  Pitchers who strike out 8 batters and walk 0 in 6 innings should not give up 7 runs, they just should not!

Hector Sanchez C(Padres)- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .191.  Look at the BA.  Just look at it!  So, is it even possible for a hitter to spike his performance against a former team on motivation alone?  The there-is -no-such-thing-as-clutch crowd would have you believe it is not.  That it is no harder to pitch the 9'th inning than the 6'th or 7'th.  That postseason heroes and goats are the beneficiaries and victims of SSS luck.  But if it is possible to motivate yourself to an exceptional hitting performance, what does that say about all the AB's agains all the other teams in the league?  You can't get yourself up for any of those AB's?

Lots of questions.  No answers.  It's all very frustrating!

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The Giants return home to begin a 10 game homestand tomorrow night by sending out another enigma, Matt Moore to face Josh Tomlin of the Cleveland Indians in an interleague game.

Down on the Farm: 7/15/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats escaped the Salt Lake City Bees 4-3:

Orlando Calixte SS- 1 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .274.
Justin Ruggiano CF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .275.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .299.
Chris Stratton RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, GO/AO= 9/3.  ERA= 5.33.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(4).  ERA= 2.13.

-Anyone else rooting for a Nick Hundley trade just to give Fedex a shot at a sustained backup catcher gig?
-Another strong start for Stratton.  His line for his last 6 starts is 4-2, 3.85, 39.2 IP, 7 BB, 35 K.

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

Myles Schroder 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .280.
Brandon Bender 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .270.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.29.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.48.

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High A San Jose Giants outscored the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7-5:

Steven Duggar RF- 0 for 3, BB.  BA= .200.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .324.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 2 for 4, HR(15), BB.  BA= .278/
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 3 for 4, BB, SB(7).  BA= .277.
Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .219.
David Owen RHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.26.

-A Steven Duggar sighting!

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Low A. Asheville Tourists slipped by the Augusta Greenjackets 2-1:

Kelvin Beltre 2B- 1 for 2, BB, Sac.  BA= .255.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.41.
DJ Myers RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.17.

-When is Mazza going to get a promo?
-The last time we say Myers' name in a boxscore was June 3.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-4:

Malique Zeigler CF- 1 for 3, BB, SF.  BA= .343.
Logan Baldwin RF/LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .317.
Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 2, BB, HBP.  BA= .350.

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AZL  Angels shut down the Giants 1-0:

Jake Greenwalt RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.50.
Greg Jacknewitz LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Olbis Parra RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.50.

-Giants had just 2 hits, 1 each by their top 2 draft picks Ramos and Gonzalez.

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DSL  Giants were idle.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Game Wrap 7/15/2017: Padres 5. Giants 3

Hector Sanchez hit a walkoff 2-run dinger in the bottom of the 9'th inning to spoil a strong comeback start by Madison Bumgarner.  Key Lines:

Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 4.  BA= .248.  Pence came through with a bases-loaded 2-RBI single in the top of the first inning to give the Giants an early lead.

Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .277.  After the Padres took a 1 run lead on HR's by Matt Szczur and Jabari Blash, Panik tied it with a solo shot down the RF line to the shallowest part of Petco Park, a small short porch that extends about 30 ft into the RF corner.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA=.  3.18.  Not Bumgarner's best performance but a solid QS that proved he is fully recovered from his shoulder injury suffered in the fateful dirt biking accident.  Whew!  That could have been a whole lot worse!

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Jeff Samardzija tries for a series win tomorrow afternoon facing Trevor Cahill.

Down on the Farm: 7/14/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Salt Lake City Bees 6-4:

Tyler Beede RHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 6/2.  ERA= 5.12.
DJ Snelton LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.93.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.17.
Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 4.50.

-Derek Law seems to have gotten himself straightened out.

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Harrisburg Senators 4-3:

CJ Hinojosa 2B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .307.
Myles Schroder 3B- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .274.
Tyler Herb RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.55.
Seth Rosin RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Jarrett Martin LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 2.95.

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High A  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes blasted the San Jose Giants 7-2:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .322.
Bryan Reynolds RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .298.
Matt Winn C- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .239.
Jake McCasland RHP- 5.2 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.18.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.81.
Michael Cederoth RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.20.

- I attended this game.  Quakes lineup is stacked with big beefy power hitters.
-Giants lineup looked bigger, stronger and more athletic than any prior SJ Giants team I can recall.
-There was no radar gun readings in the stadium but Caleb Simpson looked like he was throwing hard.
-Michael Cederoth has high hips and a long stride.  Looks like he's releasing the ball from the front edge of the mound.  He gave up 1 hit but otherwise looked dominant on 2 K's and a comebacker.

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Low A West Virginia Power outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 7-6:

Cristian Paulino CF- 2 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .275.
Skyler Ewing C- 1 for 2, HR(7).  BA= .256.
Michael Bernal 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .262.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 3 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .261.

-Van Horn had been slumping badly.  This game brought his July BA up to just .225 after hitting .393 in June.

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Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 3-2:

Jose Marte RHP- 4.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.35.

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AZL Giants were idle.

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DSL  Giants crushed the Padres 14-1:

Aynesber Sivira SS- 2 for 6.  BA= .261.
Ghordy Santos DH- 1 for 3, BB, Sac.  BA= .145.
Alex Canario RF- 3 for 4, 2B, 3B, BB.  BA= .276.
Franklin Labour LF- 2 for 3, HR(3), BB, SB(6).  BA= .317.
Omar Medina 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .238.
Yovanny Medina RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.18.

-Sivira has played multiple positions.  I don't recall if this is his first start at SS.
-Canario looks like the top prospect on this team right now.  He has a .388 OBP, .491 SLG% for an OPS of .880.  To top that off he also has 12 SB's!

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Around the Minors:  The Burdi brothers, Zack and Nick, are both paying the price for their ability to throw baseballs 100 MPH as they both have torn UCL's and will undergo Tommy John Surgery.

Game Wrap 7/14/2017: Giants 5 Padres 4

Johnny Cueto lasted just 4 innings but the bullpen picked him up and staved off another attack from the BABIP gods in the 9'th inning to start the second half with a win.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .245.  Belt is hitting .351 in July as his number regress positively to his mean. Combine that with his increase in dingers and he may be putting together his best season.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, HR(11), BB.  BA= .326.  Buster's magnificent seasons extends into the second half.

Gorkys Hernandez LF- 4 for 4.  BA= .248.  Gorkys hit .359 in June and is hitting .421 so far in July, helped a lot, of course, by this game.

Miguel Gomez PH- 0 for 0, SF.  BA= .333.  Gomez sticks around to start the second half and delivers a PH SF.

Johnny Cueto RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.59.  Cueto struggled again and left early with "hot spots" on his fingers.  After the game he said he might have to take some time off.

Bullpen- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  Cory Gearrin and George Kontos enhanced their trade value with 1 and 2 innings of shutout ball respectively.  Then Steve Okert and Hunter Strickland combined to strike out the side in the 8'th.

Sam Dyson came in throwing 97 MPH with sink in the 9'th.  He got a quick K on Hector Sanchez.  A groundball single by Manuel Margot seemed harmless enough after Asuaje lined out to Hunter Pence, but then Wil Myers hit another groundball single up the middle to put runners at first third.  That's when things started getting weird as they have so often this season.  Jose Pirela chopped one straight down onto the plate with a high bounce over Dyson's head that Brandon Crawford could not get to in time driving in Margot and putting runners at first and second.  Dyson then hit Cory Spangenberg with a pitch to load the bases bringing up Jabari Blash who already had 2 hits and a walk on the night.  Dyson ran the count to 3-2 to bring the drama to a crescendo.  Blash gave the next pitch a ride to RF but did not quite get all of it. Hunter Pence made the catch for the final out and the Giants were able to stave off another crushing blown save defeat.

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Madison Bumgarner makes his much anticipated return from his dirt biking accident today facing Jhoulys Chacin who has been the Padres top SP and has some serious trade value of his own.

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Around the League:  In developments that may impact the Giants as the trade deadline approaches, the Nationals placed Joe Ross on the DL and the Yankees announced the Michael Pineda has a torn UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery ending his season and putting him out until at least the middle of 2018.

Friday, July 14, 2017

Down on the Farm: 7/13/2017

AAA. Sacramento River Cats edged out the Salt Lake City Bees 5-4:

Justin Ruggiamo CF/LF- 3 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .269.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .304.
Ali Castillo 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .255.
Matt Gage LHP- 4 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.70.
Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.00.

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Harrisburg Senators outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-6:

KC Hobson 1B- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .275.
Daniel Carbonell LF- 1 for 3, 3B, SF.  BA= .237.
Dan Slania RHP- 6 IP, 10 BB, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.13.

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High A. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes defeated the San Jose Giants 8-5:

Bryan Reynolds RF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .296.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 1 for 2, HR(8), BB.  BA= .242.
Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .217.
Matt Krook LHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 6 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.19.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 11.84.

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Low A. Augusta Greenjackets shut down the West Virginia Power 6-4:

Skyler Ewing 1B- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .253.
Sandro Fabian RF- 4 for 4.  BA= .251.
Michael Bernal 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Melvin Adon RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K.  ERA= 3.71.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(10).  ERA= 1.48.

-Fabian's 4 for 4 broke out of a slump in which he hit just .189 in his prior 10 games.  He is now hitting .297 over his last 10.
-Adon has allowed just 2 runs in 16.2 IP over his last 3 starts with 19 K's and 5 BB's.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Boise Hawks 8-3:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(12).  BA= .347.
Juan Rodriquez RF- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .282.
Stetson Woods RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.87.
Jason Bahr RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.35.
Garrett Cave RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.50.

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AZL Giants pounded the Padres 11-3:

Heliot Ramos CF- 3 for 4, 3B, HBP.  BA= .425.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .462.
Ricardo Genoves DH- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .267.
Nathanael Javier 1B- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .275.
Diego Rincones RF- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(1).  BA= .405.
Jose Rivero 2B- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .290.
Deiyerbert Bolivar LHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 3.18.
Joey Marciano LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Keenan Bartlett RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.42.

-The Giants top 2 draft picks continue to shine.
-Diego Rincones may be breaking out.  He is an 18 yo graduate of the DSL from Venezuela. He hit .244 last season, but with a .346 OBP.  He had 29 BB against 32 K in 201 AB.  Over his last for 4 games in the AZL, he's gone 12 for 17 and raised his BA from a low of .190 on 7/4 to his current .405.
-Looks like they are stretching Marciano out.  Look for him to move up to S-K before the season is over.

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DSL. Giants beat the Padres 5-3:

Alex Canario RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .259.