Thursday, May 31, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/30/2018

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas nipped the Sacramento River Cats 4-3:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(8).  BA= .259.
Austin Slater RF- 2 for 4, HR(4), SB(5).  BA= .366.
Hunter Pence LF- 1 for 5.  BA= .316.
Daniel Camarena RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= .075.
Josh Osich LHP- 0.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.35.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.00.

Austin Slater seems ready for MLB work anytime he is needed.  Do the Giants drop someone to make room for Hunter Pence or do they eat the remainder of his contract?  Is Josh Osich done?

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AA  Bowie Baysox vs Richmond Flying Squirrels postponed due to Wet Grounds.

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A+  Visalia Rawhide outlasted the San Jose Giants 3-2:

Alen Hanson SS- 1 for 3.  BA= .333.
Joe Panik 2B- 0 for 3, BB.  BA= .000.
Jalen Miller DH- 2 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .312.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.12.

Alen Hanson begins a rehab assignment and Joe Panik moves his rehab to San Jose to stay close to home.  Sandro Cabrera has had a nice season so far, but the K/BB needs some work.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Greenville Drive 9-6(completion of suspended game from 5/20):

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .218.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .245.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 3 for 4, HR(5), SB(12).  BA= .313.
Nick Hill LF- 4 for 5, 2 SB(4).  BA= .341.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.96.
John Russell RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.54.

This game goes in the record books under 5/20/2018 so the stats reflect the player's performances up to that point.

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Low A  Greenville Drive topped the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4(7 innings):

Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .253.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB(14).  BA= 323.
John Riley 1B- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .333.
Jeffry Parra C- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .205.

Game Wrap 5/30/2018: Giants 7 Rockies 4

Derek Holland gave up a 3-run jack to Nolan Arenado in the first inning, but settled down to complete 5 and the Giants offense and bullpen picked him up for the W.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 0 for 4, BB.  BA= .300.  After a string of 5 multi-hit games, Gorkys is 0 for 8 in his last 2.  He did draw a bases-loaded walk to drive in a run and made a nice diving catch in CF to preserve the Giants lead in Holland's last inning, the 5'th.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .299.  Buster hit .329 for the month of May.  He had just 3 hitless games in the month, but this was his first must-hit game since May 19.

Andrew McCutchen RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .246.  Cutch was 5 for 13 in the 3 game series.

Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .262.  Longoria is hitting .323 over his last 7 games and .317 over his last 15.  He went 6 for 14 in the 3 game series.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .307.  At the 1/3 mark of the season, Crawford has an fWAR of 1.4.

Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.  Mac had a bit of an adjustment coming off the DL but seems more comfortable his last 2 games with 3 doubles out of 4 hits in 8 AB's.  A productive Mac makes this a lineup to be reckoned with.

Pablo Sandoval 2B- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .263.  Pabs got the start at 2B after Kelby's horrific game.  I don't see any errors in the boxscore.  Ironically, Kelby came in as a defensive replacement and got a hit of his own.

Derek Holland LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 4.94.  The offense and bullpen picked him up for the W, but you're not going to win many game spotting the opposing team 3 runs in the first inning, which seems to happen with Holland and several Giants SP's a lot.

Bullpen- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  Reyes Moronta, Tony Watson, Sam Dyson and Hunter Strickland pitched 1 scoreless inning each with Strick getting his 11'th Save.  Have to say, Bochy has found a way to nurse his bullpen through a long stretch of short starts from the rotation.  How long can he keep that going?  Hopefully Bumgarner's return will take some heat off the pen.

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With the Win, the Giants gain a game on the NL West leading Rockies but remain in 4'th place, 4 games behind in the standings.  The D'Backs lost and remain 1.5 games behind in 2'nd place.  The Dodgers pounded the Phillies 8-2 and are 3.5 games behind in 3'rd place.  The Last Place Padres won and are 6.5 games off the pace.

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The Giants get a day off at home to recuperate from the road trip before starting a homestand Friday with Chris Stratton facing Nick Pivetta of the Phillies.

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The Giants got good news on Jeff Samardzija as his MRI showed no structural damage in the shoulder.  His DL stay is expected to be short.  Tyler Beede was called up for this game, but immediately optioned back to Sacramento.  Mark Melancon will be evaluated and possibly come off the DL for the weekend series.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/29/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats cooled off the Albuquerque Isotopes 8-1:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .255.
Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 4.  BA= .333.
Ryder Jones 3B- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .298.
Orlando Calixte RF- 2 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .278.
Casey Kelly RHP- 2 for 3.   BA= .182.
Casey Kelly RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 5.55.
Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 9.00.

Casey Kelly has 5 QS out of his last 6.  His 9/0 K/BB was his best of the season by far.

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AA  Bowie Baysox outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-5:

Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .314.
Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .195.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.09.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.

Miguel Gomez can hit.

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A+  San Jose Giants outlasted the Visalia Rawhide 2-1 in 11 innings:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5, 2 SB(10).  BA= .261.
Logan Webb RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.59.
Carlos Sano RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 7.50.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.03.
Orleny Quiroz LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Logan Webb has gone 4 IP his last 2 starts.  Interesting how the Giants are using him coming off TJ surgery. I'm guessing his innings target for the season is 90-100 increasing to 130 in 2019 and 150 in 2020.  He's still just 21 yo so no reason to rush him.  Carlos Sano has a strong appearance after getting roughed up in his SJ debut.  He's 25 yo but I cannot find any record of prior experience in affiliated ball.   His size and initial pro performances are intriguing.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Greenville Drive postponed by rain.

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Covechatter makes a compelling case for the Giants to draft a college hitter with their #2 overall pick in the upcoming draft.  Check it out.  It's linked to the left.  Gotta say I've kind of got my heart set on Joey Bart.  I might even be disappointed if the Tigers grab him and the Giants end up with Casey Mize!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Game Wrap 5/29/2018: Rockies 11 Giants 4

The Giants hit 3 dingers and Dereck Rodriguez pitched well in his MLB debut.  In every other respect this game was an embarrassing for the Giants.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .294.  It's been a long time between dingers but Buster finally connected with one in the 6'th inning.  Buster's last HR?  April 11 against the D'Backs in AT&T Park.

Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 4, 2 HR(10).  BA= .263.  Longoria's 10 HR's tie him with Nolan Arenado for #6 among 3B in MLB.

Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .263.  Mac showed why the Giants need to keep him in the lineup and let him get comfortable at the MLB level.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .500.  Pudge's kid was drafted as a hitter, but struggled in the lower minors and switched to pitching a couple of years ago.  His experience as a hitter showed as he drilled a double over the head of the RF to drive in Mac with the Giants first run of the night.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.56.  Shark was pulled from the game after the first inning with shoulder tightness.  He then grabbed a bat off the bat rack and broke it over his knee.  Hope he didn't strain the shoulder even more with that move!  Another DL stint seems like a strong possibility no matter what the MRI shows.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.70.  Rodriguez showed excellent command of a FB that got up to 95 MPH and a breaking ball.  He was painting the corners until a series of terrible defensive plays behind him in the 4'th inning.  First, Kelby Tomlinson whiffed on a hard grounder that went under his glove.  Then Andrew McCutchen took an awkward looking jump for a ball that went just over the top of his glove for a double off the wall in R-CF.  Brandon Belt cut off the throw on the same play then threw it into LF while trying to catch the runner off 2B.  Credit to Young Dereck for getting out of the inning.  Then, in the 6'th inning, Dereck took a 108 MPH liner off his shin and had to leave the game.  X-rays are reportedly negative.   All in all, Dereck Rodriguez showed he deserves to hang around for a few more games.  Oh, not to pile on Kelby, but he made 2 other errors in the game.  A rough night for Kelby.

Will Smith LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.50.  Another bright spot in the game.  Will Smith gives some hope that the Giants bullpen will eventually be a reliable unit.

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The Loss drops the Giant 5 games behind the Rockies in the NL West.  The D'Backs are 1.5 game behind in 2'nd place.  The Dodgers are 4 games back pending the outcome of their game with the Phillies which they trail 4-1 in the 8'th inning.  The Padres lost and are 8 games off the pace in last place.

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Derek Holland tries to salvage a win out of the series tomorrow facing Jon Gray.

Down on the Farm: 5/29/2018

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-2:

Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .500.
Austin Slater RF/CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .362.
Chase d'Arnaud CF/2B- 3 for 4, 3B, HR(8).  BA= .290.
Ronnie Freeman C- 3 for 4.  BA= .260.
Jose Flores RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.86.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.16.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.87.

Joe Panik begins his rehab assignment after surgery on his thumb.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Akron Rubber Ducks 5-3:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(10).  BA= .415.
Ryan Howard SS- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(7).  BA= .280.
Tyler Brown 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .300.
Cory Taylor RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.99.

Luigi!  Ryan Howard flashes the speed.

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A+  San Jose Giants outscored the Visalia Rawhide 9-6:

Jalen Miller 2B- 3 for 4, 2 HR(6), BB.  BA= .311.
Matt Winn C- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .267.
Frandy De La Rosa 1B- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .250.
Melvin Adon RHP- 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.85.

Wow!  After 1200+ pro AB's, it seems to be all coming together for Jalen Miller who has always had the tools.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets swarmed over the Rome Braves 12-5:

Logan Baldwin CF- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .278.
Shane Matheny 3B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .253.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .306.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 1 for 3, BB, SB(4).  BA= .245.
Nick Hill LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .276.
Jose Marte RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.62.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.38.
Frank Rubio RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.23.

Manuel Geraldo is hitting .324 over his last 10 games and seems to be finally over the Augusta hurdle.  I've always loved the tools.

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Covechatter's site seems to have disappeared, so I'm removing if from the links to the left.  RIP Covechatter's blog!

Game Wrap 5/29/2018: Rockies 6 Giants 5

The Giants failed to capitalize on a total of 5 baserunners in the 9'th and 10'th innings allowing the Rockies to win in a walk-off in the bottom of the 10'th.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 4, HR(6), BB, SB(3).  BA= .321.  Gorkys stays hot.  He appears to be having a breakout season.  The 6 dingers doubles his previous season high.

Evan Longoria 3B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .259.  Longoria is 6 for 14 over his last 3 games raising his 7-game BA to .286.   He's hitting .297 over his last 15 games and .283 over his last 30.

Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 5.65.  Suarez settled down after giving up a 3-run dinger in the first inning.  He was actually dominant for the next 4 innings.  He looked like he could have pitched at least 1 more inning, but got lifted for a PH which resulted in the Giants go-ahead run in the top of the 6'th.

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The Loss dropped the Giants 4 games behind the NL West leading Rockies and into 4'th place behind the Dodgers who topped the Phillies 5-4.  The D'Backs beat the Reds 12-5 and are 1.5 games behind the Rockies while the Dodgers remained 3.5 games back.  The Padres lost to the Marlins and are 7.5 games off the pace.

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Jeff Samardzija tries to even the series tonight facing LHP Kyle Freeland.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/27/2018

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes exploded over the Sacramento River Cats 11-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .255.
Austin Slater RF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .358.
Hunter Pence LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .326.
DJ Snelton LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.08.

Giants have a tough one bearing down on them.  They can't credibly break up the current starting OF trio, so once Hunter Pence has to come off the DL, they have to drop either him, Gregor Blanco or Austin Jackson.  Whoever stays is not likely to see much playing time until someone gets injured or cools off.

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AA  Akron Rubber Ducks defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-3:

Luigi Rodriguez LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .412.
Dylan Davis DH- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .262.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .181.
Taylor Hill RHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.79.

Taylor Hill is a minor league veteran and appears to have been signed out of the Nationals organization.  He has a few innings of MLB experience.

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A+  Lake Elsinore Storm beat the San Jose Giants 5-3:

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .302.
Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .244.
Dylan Manwaring C- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .500.
Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.37.
Jeff Burke RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 10.24.

Jalen Miller continues to enjoy a strong season.  Sandro Fabian has hit 4 dingers in his last 7 games  and 3 in his last 4, and is batting .297 over his last 10.

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Low A  Rome Braves blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 3-0:

Nick Hill LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .259.
John Gavin LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.43.
Camilo Doval RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.19.

Camilo Doval's ERA is 2.19 over his last 10 appearances.  He has 15 K's against 3 BB's over 12.1 IP in that span.  He's still whittling down his ERA from 3 disaster appearances to start the season.

Game Wrap 5/27/2018: Cubs 8 Giants 3

The 2 starting pitchers struggled in this one as the Cubs and Giants traded 3-spots in the first inning and neither starter was around by the end of the 4'th inning.  Javier Baez' 3-run dinger in the 4'th inning effectively put the game away.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .315.  Gorkys continued his hot hitting.  The first 3 batters in the Giants lineup reached base 7 of 15 PA's but only scored a collective 1 run.

Mac Williamson LF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .267.  Mac showed a nice piece of hitting in the first inning.  Hitting with the bases loaded and 2 outs, he took the ball the other way, lining a single to RF that drove in 2 runs to give the Giants an early 3-0 lead that would not hold up for very long.

Pablo Sandoval 2B- 1 for 3.  BA= .237.  Pablo has been working out at 2B in an effort to increase his playing opportunities.  He finally got the start there, which I think was the first of his career.  The pre-game chatter on ESPN was about how he probably would not get many chances on defense with the Cubs RH heavy lineup.  Not only did Pabs get a bunch of balls hit at him out of the gate, 3 of them were caroms off  Ty Blach, the mound or both.  Poor Pabs had no way of knowing where the ball would go next.  He did make one very nifty play on a deflected ball.  The other 2 carom balls were essentially unplayable.  Pabs also got down the line very quickly on an infield single to keep the first inning alive much to the surprise and enjoyment of the ESPN announcing crew.

Ty Blach LHP- 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.90.  Blach was awful.  You could say he was a victim of BABIP with all the caroms off the mound and off him, but according to the ESPN crew, the average exit velocity off him in the first innings was well over 100 MPH.  There is a reason those balls were caroming around.  Blach has now had 4 consecutive starts in which he has failed to get out of the 4'th inning.  He might be the #1 candidate to go to the bullpen when Bummy comes off the DL, which should be Bum's next scheduled start.  I mean 70 Bummy pitches should be a whole lot more valuable than 70 pitches from any of the Giants current SP's.

Pierce Johnson RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.26.  Pierce Johnson was summoned in the 4'th inning after Blach allowed a leadoff walk and a double.  Johnson's first batter was Javier Baez who hit it out of the park.  That was pretty much the ballgame. Johnson stayed in to eat 3 innings and spare the pen.  Johnson has allowed multiple runs in 4 of his last 8 appearances and 3 of his last 4.

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The Loss dropped the Giants to 3 games behind the NL West leading Rockies who topped the Reds 8-2.  The D'Backs lost to drop 1.5 games back of the Rockies. The Dodgers beat the Padres 6-1 and are just 3.5 games out of the NL West lead, 0.5 games behind the Giants.  The Padres bring up the rear of the division at a 6.5 game deficit.

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The Giants get a chance to gain ground on the Rockies but have to face them in Coor's Field with Andrew Suarez getting the first start of the series facing RHP Chad Bettis.

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RHP Dereck Rodriguez will be called up today and added to the 40 man roster.  The corresponding drop from the 40 man has not been announced.  I don't think there are any more candidates for the 60-day DL.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/26/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats blanked the Albuquerque Isotopes 2-0:

Orlando Calixte SS- 1 for 3, HR(7).  BA= .271.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 1 for 1.  BA= 1.000.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Beede RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.23.

8 of 11 outs Madison Bumgarner recorded were by strikeout.  He allowed 1 BB and no hits.  Dominance!  Since the Giants SP's have trouble going more than 4 innings anyway, why not let him ramp up his pitch count with the Giants?  Mark Melancon's rehab seems to be going better this time.  Tyler Beede still has the walks, but better results in his 4 IP.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Akron Rubber Ducks 7-4:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .286.
Dylan Davis LF- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .248.
Chase Johnson RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.72.
Mike Connolly RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.03.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Chase Johnson is rehabbing.  Patrick Ruotolo seems to be making a seamless transition to AA.

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A+  Lake Elsinore Storm washed away the San Jose Giants 6-3:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .265.
Conner Menez LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.83.
Orleny Quiroz LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Conner Menez secondary numbers were dominant.  Bryce Johnson has a 10 BB% for an OBP of .359.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets shut down the Rome Braves 3-0:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .234.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .242.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 3, HR(6).  BA= .217.
Rob Calabrese C- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .231.
Garrett Cave RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.44.
Olbis Parra RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.49.
John Russell RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(3).  ERA= 1.69.

Game Wrap 5/26/2018: Giants 5 Cubs 4

The Giants played a close, see-saw game with the Cubs in Chicago and held on to win.   Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .311.  Gorkys has just gone unconscious!  Sure, what he is doing now is unsustainable, but he's actually been quite good for a full year now.  Yes, his BABIP will regress, but if you look back at last season and his minor league career, he is capable of sustaining BABIP's in the mid-.300's.   At least for the time being, he seems to have wrested the full-time CF and leadoff spots from Austin Jackson and Gregor Blanco.  Jackson has not appeared since 5/22 in Houston.  I have not heard he was hurt.  Stay hot, Gorkys!

Andrew McCutchen RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .239.  Cutch has been slumping pretty badly over the past 15 games with a BA of .226.  Hopefully this game is a breakout from that.

Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .250.  First 3 batters in the lineup reached base 8 of 15 PA's.

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .269.  No XBH's today, but Belt drives in 2 of the 5 runs from the cleanup spot in the order.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .312.  Crawford is hitting .455 over his last 7 games, .469 over his last 15 and .381 over his last 30.  He also made a scintillating play on a cross-body throw from so far deep in the hole he was out in shallow LF.  Crawford's best tool has always been his arm.  That's essentially the same throw I saw him make in Adelanto way back in 2009.  I was sitting with Tacklebox.  We just looked at each other and said, "yeah, that was a big league throw!"  Crawford's fWAR is up to 1.5 on the season approximately 1/3 of the way in.

Christ Stratton RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.97.  Not quite a QS, but he hung in there long enough to get credit for the W.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(10).  ERA= 2.38.  I have Strick on my fantasy team.  He's been OK.

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The Rockies, D'Backs and Dodgers all lost so the Giants are now 2 games behind the first place Rockies who lead the D'Backs by 0.5 games.  The 4'th place Dodgers are 3.5 games behind and the Padres are 5.5 games back, but still in last place after beating the Dodgers 7-5.

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Ty Blach tries for a series win in the ESPN Sunday Night Game facing Giants nemesis Tyler Chatwood who has had trouble controlling the strike zone this season.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Scouting the 2018 Draft: Prospects for Giants Second Round Selection

We've spend a lot of time discussing potential prospects for the Giants first round, #2 overall, pick in the upcoming 2018 draft.  Judging from expert analysis and multiple recent mock drafts, it seems they will take Georgia Tech C Joey Bart, unless he Tigers get cold feet on Auburn RHP Casey Mize in which case they will take Mize, unless they are spooked by Mize's medicals in which case they may be looking to cut a below-slot deal with HS RHP Cole Winn.  Got that?  Good, because I'm not sure I'm fully wrapping my head around it!

With that out of the way, lets focus on some players they might pick with their 2'nd round pick, #45 overall.  The Giants historically draft up-the-middle players in round 1.  In rounds 2 and 3, they have tended to go after corner power hitters and pitchers, both college and HS.  Although you should never, ever draft for need at the MLB level(it just takes too long to develop a drafted player and the odds are low anyway), and you should always take the best player available in the first round, it does make sense to start considering organizational needs after round 1.  IMO, the Giants farm system is thinnest at the pitching position.  If they think Joey Bart is the BPA at #2, I'm OK with them drafting him.  They aren't exactly overflowing with catching talent either.  But after Bart, I would be A-OK with them loading up on pitchers in the next 5 or 6 rounds.

The Giants have the added luxury of a very large draft bonus pool.  They can make make an offer their first rounder would be foolish to turn down and still have extra money to add to later picks to sign high ceiling HS prospects who otherwise might be tempted to go to school.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at some players who might be available and signable at their #45 pick in round 2 based on MLB Pipeline's Top 200:

Adam Kloffenstein RHP HS, 6'5", 220 lbs, MLB #44.  Typical physical Texas RHP with a mid-upper 90's FB and a 4 pitch mix.  He is just 17 yo and won't turn 18 until 8/25/2000, so he's got an extra year of physical development on the average HS draft prospect, although he's already huge and may not have much physical projection left.  He's kind of a poor man's Kumar Rocker in terms of present physicality.  Teams may be looking at him in the first round but might be scared off by bonus demands as he is committed to TCU.  This is where the Giants large bonus pool money could come into play.  I would be ecstatic if Kloffenstein was the Giants second round selection.

Sean Hjelle, RHP, College(Kentucky), 6'11", 215 lbs, MLB #45.  Pitchers this tall tend to run afoul of command demons, but Hjelle may be the exception.  He is remarkably athletic for his height and repeats his delivery well.  He has added velocity as his long frame has matured and has hit 96 MPH.  At age 21, there is still a ton of room for added strength and velocity.  He has extreme downhill plane on both his FB and knuckle-curve which is his top pitch.  He's been linked to the Giants at #45 by multiple analyists but a strong junior season may have boosted him into the first round with a recent mock draft placing him with the Dodgers at #30.  He would be a solid, high ceiling pick for the Giants at #45.

Griffin Roberts, RHP, College(Wake Forest), 6'3", 210 lbs, MLB #54.  Griffin's slider has been called the best breaking ball in the draft.  His FB is not too shabby either.  He usually works in the low-mid 90's but has topped out at 97 MPH.  A strong Cape Cod League performance in 2017 and a strong junior season has boosted his stock into the top 2 rounds.  CCL performance is almost a fetish for the Giants, so it would be no surprise if they popped him at #45.  He could be more of a reliever than a starter as a pro.

Seth Beer, 1B, College(Clemson), 6'2", 195 lbs, B-L, T-R, MLB #46.  The Giants like to draft prospects who were previously highly ranked whose stock drops for whatever reason.  As we previously mentioned, they also tend to take corner power hitters in rounds 2 and 3.  Beer burst onto the college scene his freshman season and was once projected to be the #1 overall pick in this draft.  His stock has dropped due to disappointing performances in both his sophomore and junior seasons.   Through it all, he has maintained an almost unbelievably reversed K/BB of 1/2.  Most scouts think he is defensively limited to 1B and DH, but he has played OF in college and the Giants have gone against the grain with a similar player in Chris Shaw in the recent past.

Griffin Conine, OF, College(Duke), 6'1", 195 lbs, B-L, T-R.  MLB #51.  Conine's stock dropped from mid-first round due to a slow start to his junior campaign, but he's a solid hitter with enough athleticism to play corner OF.  His arm is strong enough to profile in RF, but he might have to settle for LF in AT&T Park.  Son of Jeff Conine who was a Giants tormenter during his playing days with the Marlins.  Doubt that would be a factor in whether the Giants would consider him.

Luken Baker, 1B, College(TCU).  6'4, 265 lbs.  B-R, T-R.  MLB #57.  Surprisingly athletic for his massive size.  Make no mistake, this kid can hit and hit for power.   Unfortunately, his sheer size limits him to 1B and he has had trouble staying healthy.  Was a 2-way player in HS and could conceivably return to the mound if the bat is not enough to play given his very limited defensive profile.

Nander De Sedas, SS, HS.  6'1", 190 lbs.  B-S, T-R.  MLB #56.  De Sedas has reportedly had a rough HS senior season which has seen his stock drop dramatically.  While he still has the tools to stick at SS, more scouts are now saying he will likely end up at 3B.  His ceiling is still sky high, but he was always going to be a project and more so now.  IMO, the odds of a second round pick having a significant MLB career are low enough that his ceiling would be well worth the risk, but I highly doubt the Giants would see it that way.

Joe Gray, OF, HS.  6'3", 195 lbs.  B-R, T-R.  MLB #62.  This would be the ultimate upside play, IMO.   Maybe even more than De Sedas.  Gray's ceiling may be higher than De Sedas with possibly less risk.  Gray has power to all fields, a cannon for an arm and is probably fast enough to cover RF in AT&T Park.  Love the combination of size and athleticism.  Much as I think the Giants need pitching in the organization, it would be hard to argue against Gray as the BPA in round 2, if he isn't drafted higher.

In addition to all these names, there are any number of high ceiling HS pitchers who could drop out of the first round due to signability concerns or just because they are HS pitchers.  Giants could use their bonus pool war chest to pop one of them with this pick.

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DrB's Updated 2018 Draft Board:

1.  Casey Mize RHP, College(Auburn).
2.  Joey Bart C, College(Georgia Tech).
3.  Alec Bohm, 3B, College(Wichita St)
4.  Matthew Liberatore LHP, HS.
5.  Kumar Rocker, RHP, HS.
6.  Jared Kelenic, OF, HS.
7.  Brady Singer RHP, College(Florida).

Unless there is something bad in Casey Mize's medicals or unless someone is looking for a seriously under-slot deal, it seems like a lock that he and Bart will go 1-2 with Mize most likely going 1-1.  I've really come around on Joey Bart.  You don't get a chance to draft an all-star catcher every year.  He would be ready about the time Buster Posey's career is winding down.  He seems to have the defensive chops to stick behind the plate in the majors and I love his stance and swing which seems to be very similar to the "Justin Turner" that is all the rage in baseball now.

I would be fine with any of 3-7.  Alec Bohm probably has he highest floor of that group and still has a high ceiling.  Sorry, but I'm still infatuated with Kumar Rocker's sheer physicality.  I'm still not in love with Brady Singer's delivery, but not as down on it as I once was.  He may be the fastest mover in the entire draft.

Fantasy Focus: Hanley DFA'd; Mariners Acquire Alex Colome

There were a couple of moves made yesterday that shook up the fantasy baseball world.  The Red Sox DFA'd Hanley Ramirez and the Mariners acquired Alex Colome from the Rays.  Let's break them down:

With 2B Dustin Pedroia coming back from the DL, almost everybody expected the Red Sox to DFA or trade C/1B/DH Blake Swihart to make room on the roster.  Apparently that is exactly what Dave Dombrowski was planning to do until he got a call from Manager Joey Cora who said he wanted to play Mitch Moreland more at 1B and didn't think Hanley would accept sitting on the bench that much.  So, Dombrowski went with it and DFA'd Hanley who hit .341 in April but under .200 in May. The Red Sox likely have to eat Hanley's salary for this season, but will not be responsible for his vesting option for 2019.  Whether that played into the decision is known only to Dave Dombrowski and possibly Joey Cora.  For fantasy baseball owners, Hanley Ramirez stock just crashed, while Mitch Moreland's soared.  I actually picked up Moreland myself after reading the news.

Trader Jerry DiPoto acquired RHP Alex Colome and OF Denard Span from the Rays for RHP Andrew Moore and a pitching prospect in the lower minors.  The move bolsters the Mariners bullpen, but is likely disastrous for Alex Colome fantasy baseball owners.  Colome was the closer for the Rays and will now likely be the setup guy for RHP Edwin Diaz for the Mariners.  Span is not really fantasy relevant. He was having a pretty good season at the plate for the Rays, but was a negative defender by UZR despite playing only LF.  This appears to be mainly a salary dump for the Rays.  Andrew Moore's ceiling is #5 SP but he may find a role as a multi-inning reliever in the Rays crazy pitching scheme.

Down on the Farm: 5/25/2018

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes exploded for 10 runs in the 9'th inning to destroy the Sacramento River Cats 12-2:

Hunter Pence LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .321.
Chase d'Arnaud 2B- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .286.
Daniel Camarena 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.50.

Giants have to make a decision on Hunter Pence pretty soon, no?  That should be interesting given that Bochy just declared Mac Williamson his starting LF and Gorkys Hernandez is the hottest hitter in the Giants lineup.  That leaves Gregor Blanco and Austin Jackson as the options for dropping if Pence rejoins the MLB team.  Daniel Camarena is a 25 yo lefty signed as a minor league FA after being released by the Yankees after posting a 5.08 ERA in 8 starts for Scranton-Wilkes Barre, their AAA team.  Overall,  his career minor league ERA is 3.74 in 577.2 IP.

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AA  Akron Aeros outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 14-6:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 3 for 4, SB(9).  BA= .409.
Jerry Sands 1B- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .197.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(8).  BA= .177.

Luigi!

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A+  Lake Elsinore Storm edged out the San Jose Giants 3-2:

Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 3, HR(5), HBP.  BA= .243.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.20.

Nice night for the Sandros.  Sandro Fabian hits his second HR in as many days.  This was the first game Sandro Cabrera did not walk a batter this season. It was also his longest appearance of the season.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets doubled up the Rome Braves 8-4(4.5 innings, rain shortened):

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .233.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 2.  BA= .311.
Jason Bahr RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.31.

Game Wrap 5/25/2018: Cubs 6 Giants 2

The Giants offense sputtered and the bullpen faltered to spoil a Quality Start by Derek Holland who tried valiantly to be the Stopper, but came up short.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF-2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .296.  Gorkys is currently the hottest hitter on the team.  He won't hit .385 as he has done over his last 7 games, or .347 as he has done over his last 15, but he is hitting .292 since May 31 of last season.  Even more remarkable is the newfound power.  Each HR since his 3'rd of the season sets a new personal season best for him.  He absolutely needs to be the starting full-time starting CF until he cools off.

Mac Williamson LF- 0 for 4, 3 K's, Assist(home).  Mac had a rough day at the plate has he seemed have trouble with Kyle Hendricks' soft tossing assortment of pitches.  He showed off his arm in LF though.  In the first inning, with runners at 2'nd and 3'rd and 1 out, Anthony Rizzo hit a soft liner to LF driving in the lead run.  Albert Almora Jr, who is a pretty fast runner, tried to score from 2B,  Mac's throw was a laser beam that hit Buster Posey's mitt on the fly with Almora at least 6 feet from home plate.  Almora did not bother to slide or try to evade the tag.  He was that out!

Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.73.  Holland pitched much better than his final line looks.   The hits in the first inning were all very BABIPy, a groundball single to LF and 2 very soft liners and the run was unearned due to Buster's passed ball(although it appeared Buster was crossed up on the pitch).  Holland made that hold up for 6 innings.  He started the 7'th with a HBP and Walk.  Will Smith and Cory Gearrin allowed those 2 runners plus 2 more to score, and the ballgame was effectively over.  Whether Holland should have started the 7'th inning is debatable.  He was already through the toughest part of the order for the 3'rd time and his pitch count was still on the low side, so I think it's defensible.

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The Rockies, D'Backs and Dodgers all won so the Rockies lead the D'Backs by 0.5 games, the Giants by 3 games, the Dodgers by 3.5 game and the Padres by 6.5 games in the NL West.

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Chris Stratton becomes the next Stopper hope facing Jose Quintana this evening.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/24/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the Las Vegas 51's 1-0 in 10 innings:

Steven Duggar CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .256.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .275.
Kyle Jensen 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .213.
Casey Kelly RHP- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.26.
Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Ray Black RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.75.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.31.

This was Casey Kelly's 4'th QS out of 5, but the peripherals here are not encouraging.  Mark Melancon starts his rehab assignment.  4'th scoreless appearance in a row for Ray Black who has 9 K's against 1 BB in 4.1 IP in that span.  Free Ray Black!

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AA  Binghampton Rumble Ponies downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-4:

Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .283.
Dillon Dobson 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(5), BB.  BA= .203.
Ali Castillo 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .267.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Patrick Ruotolo has a successful AA debut.

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A+ Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 5-4:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .264.
Johneshwy Fargas LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .303.
Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 5, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .301.
Wander Franco DH- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .298.
Sandro Fabian RF- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(4).  BA= .241.
Frandy De La Rosa 1B- 3 for 4.  BA= .262.
Logan Webb RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 1.80.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.42.

Sandro Fabian's 8 Total Bases has to be the highlight of the night, down on the farm.  He's hit in 8 of his last 9 games, but this was the first multi-hit game in that stretch.  We'll see if this is a breakout game.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Charleston RiverDogs postponed by rain.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/23/2018

AAA  Las Vegas 51's edged out the Sacramento River Cats 4-3:

Mac Williamson LF- 1 for 2, 3B, BB, SF.  BA= .446.
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .329.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.40.
DJ Snelton LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.   ERA= 4.60.
Manny Parra LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB,  1 K.  ERA= 2.55.

The Giants continue to troll their "Lunatic Fringe" by keeping Mac, Slater and Pence in AAA.  At least 1 of those guys could almost certainly help the Giants right now.  If the Giants need SP help before Bum is ready, Dereck Rodriguez looks like the guy.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Binghampton Rumble Ponies 3-1(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

Cory Taylor RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.12.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 0.56.

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Binghampton Rumble Ponies 4-1(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

Dillon Dobson 3B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .184.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .207.
Jeff Arnold C- 2 for 4.  BA= .333.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.70.
Dillon McNamara RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Shaun Anderson......is a horse!

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A+  San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 4-1:

Bryce Johnson CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .259.
Jalen Miller DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .303.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .667.
Melvin Adon RHP- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.56.
Orleny Quiroz LHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(3).  ERA= 3.72.

Inneresting that Kevin Rivera shows up at 2B and Jalen Miller DH's.  Wonder how that's going to sort out going forward.  Melvin Adon reportedly hit triple digits several times.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Charleston River Dogs 4-0(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings):

Logan Baldwin RF- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .278.
Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 3.  BA= .222.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .302.
Joey Marciano LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.61.
Ryan Koziol RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

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Low A  Charleston River Dogs topped the Augusta Greenjackets 3-2(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

Logan Baldwin CF- 1 for 3, HBP.  BA= .279.
Heliot Ramos DH- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .231.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.20.
Rayan Hernandez RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Heliot Ramos went 3 for 6 on the day. He's hitting .297 over his last 10 games and has a 4 game hit streak.  Rayan Hernandez reappears!

Game Wrap 5/23/2018: Astros 4 Giants 1

The Astros and Justin Verlander dominated the Giants and Jeff Samardzija in a game that was not nearly as close as the score looks.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .287.  Gorkys may be having something of a breakout season offensively.  He's slashed .326/.360/.587 over his last 15 games.  He's mostly platooned with Gregor Blanco in LF but played CF against a dominant RHP in this game and did just fine.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.23.  This was the third game in a row the Giants SP failed to complete 5 innings and Shark is the current rotation member who seems most likely to get deep into games.

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With the Loss, the Giants remained 2 games behind the NL West leading Rockies, who lost to the Dodgers, and in 3'rd place in the NL West.  The D'Backs also lost and remain 0.5 games behind the Rocks in 2'nd place.  Here come the Dodgers who are now just 3.5 games out of first place.  The Pesky Padres topped the Nationals 3-1 and are just 5.5 games off the pace, but in last place.

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The Giants get another day off in the middle of the road trip before starting a weekend series in Chicago with a day game Friday against the Cub.  Derek Holland will try to play Stopper against Kyle Hendricks in the series opener.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/22/2018

AAA  Las Vegas 51's outscored the Sacramento River Cats 10-7:

Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .444.
Austin Slater CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .396.
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .319.
Ryder Jones 3B- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= 276.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 8.44.

Can Austin Slater play CF?  He can't be any worse defensively than what the Giants have out there now, right?  Hunter Pence's first dinger on his rehab/retool assignment was a grand slam in the 3'rd inning.  Dylan Rheault has a successful AAA debut.  Free Ray Black!

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Binghampton Mets postponed by rain.

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A+  Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 12-1:

Wander Franco 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .306.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .273.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.87.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Charleston RiverDogs postponed by rain.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Game Wrap 5/22/2018: Astros 11 Giants 2

The Giants took on arguably the best team in baseball.  It did not go well.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 3, HR(5).  BA= .309.  There might not be a hotter hitter in all of baseball right now, except for maybe Brandon Belt.  Crawford got some family bragging rights by taking his bro-in-law deep, but Gerrit Cole and the Astros got the last laugh in this one.

Andrew Suarez LHP- 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 5.68.  Let's see, what do George Springer, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel have in common?  They all are darn good RH batters and they are all in the Astros starting lineup.  Andrew Suarez is a lefty making his 6'th MLB start.  Gotta say, the results here were not unexpected.

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The D'Backs lost again, this time 1-0 to the BrewCrew and now trail the Rockies by 1 game in the NL West pending the outcome of the Rockies-Dodgers game which the Dodgers currently lead 5-3 in the 6'th inning.  The Giants trail the Rocks by 2.5 games.  The 4th place Dodgers trail the Rockies by 5.5 games and the Padres bring up the rear, 7 games back after losing to the Nationals 2-1.

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Jeff Samardzija will try to fare better tomorrow and gain a split in the 2-game series facing Justin Verlander which is almost comical.  Hey!  There's a reason why they play the game!

Down on the Farm: 5/21/2018

AAA  Las Vegas 51's crushed the Sacramento River Cats 9-1:

Tyler Beede RHP- 4.1 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 5 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.94.

Another really bad start for Tyler Beede.  Not sure what the answers are here.  I still believe the potential is there, but he's kind of turning into the pitching version of Gary Brown.  Austin Slater not in the lineup after being pulled mid-game on Sunday.  Rumors have him joining the Giants in Houston where they will need a DH(although isn't Pablo Sandoval the obvious DH?).

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

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A+  San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Charleston RiverDogs 2-0:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .220.
Orlando Garcia DH- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .254.
Jose Marte RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 2.27.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Frank Rubio RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(9).  ERA= 1.31.

I'm cautiously bullish on Jose Marte's future, although he seems to be infected with the same walking disease as several other Giants pitching prospects.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/20/2018

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees swarmed over the Sacramento River Cats 12-5:

Steven Duggar CF- 0 for 5.  BA= .245.
Hunter Pence DH- 1 for 5.  BA= .311.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .285.
Myles Schroder 2B- 4 for 5, 2 2B, 3B.  BA= .316.
Caleb Gindl RF- 4 for 5.  BA= .304.
Orlando Calixte SS- 2 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .282.

I think Myles Schroder makes an ideal utility prospect because he can be a 3'rd string catcher, which gives the manager multiple additional in-game options off the bench.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-2:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 1 for 2, BB, SF.  BA= .421.
Chase Johnson RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.40.

Good to see Chase Johnson back on the mound after lasting just 0.2 IP in his last start.  Luigi!

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A+  San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 5-1:

Bryce Johnson CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(8).  BA= .260.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .302.
Gio Brusa DH- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .248.
Conner Menez LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.40.
Orleny Quiroz LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Jalen Miller continues to have a terrific season.  An Orleny Quiroz sighting!  This was his stateside debut after languishing in the DSL for 3 seasons.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets vs Greenville Drive Suspended after 1.5 innings with the score tied 1-1:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 1.  BA= .217.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 1 for 1, HR(5).  BA= .306.

Game Wrap 5/20/2018: Giants 9 Rockies 5

The Giants lineup brought their hitting shoes again and teamed up with the bullpen to once again pick up a less than quality start, this time by Ty Blach, to gain a split in the 4-game series with the Rockies.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez RF- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .279.  Speaking of hitting shoes, Gorkys just set a personal season HR record for himself and we're barely over 1/4 of the way through the season.  Shows what a difference a healthy wrist can make and getting the ball in the air can make.  Here's an interesting case study in launch angles:

2012:  SLG%- .301, GO/AO= 1.90.
2016:  SLG%- .463, GO/AO= 0.81.
2017:  SLG%- .326, GO/Ao= 1.15.
2018:  SLG%- .430, GO/AO= 0.84.

Gorkys has 4 HR's in 92 PA this season.  He had 8 in 583 PA for his prior MLB career.  He's been a defensive liablility in CF and RF but has a + UZR on LF.  Giants needs a better hitter than that in LF, so Gorkys is still a nice bench option, but not starting OF material just yet.

Buster Posey 1B/C- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .306.  Buster moved up to 2'nd in the lineup where he belongs.  Now, all Bochy needs to put Cutch right where he put his replacement, Gorkys Hernandez, in the leadoff spot and we have a legit MLB lineup.

Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 43 BB, SF.  BA= .256.  It seems like Longoria hasn't done much lately, but he's quietly hit .345 over his last 7 games.

Brandon Belt LF/1B- 2 for 4, HR(11), HBP.  BA= .313.  5 dingers in last 7 games.  I believe this is the hottest Belt has been at any time in his MLB career.  Remember when he tore through 3 levels in the minors in 2010?  This is what all of us envisioned he could be.  He's been very good in between, just not THAT good.  Maybe he's finally gotten there?  Again, his big challenge is to stay healthy for a full season.

Nick Hundley C- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .267.  Hundley continues to fill in ably when called upon to relieve Buster Posey behind he plate.  He goes B2B with Belt in the 7'th. Both dingers came with 2 outs in the inning.

Austin Jackson CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .248.  AJax is hitting .308 over his last 15 games.  Unfortunately, he's been a liability in CF by UZR.

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .244.  Whenever I am ready to write Kelby off, he comes through with a game like this.

Miguel Gomez PH- 1 for 1.  BA= .333.   Miguel Gomez can hit.

Ty Blach LHP- 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.37.  The 4.1 IP ties Blach for his longest start out of his last 3.  Hats off to the bullpen, but right now, the Giants SP's are not going deep enough into games to prevent bullpen burnout.

Bullpen- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  They weren't quite perfect today. Cory Gearrin allowed 2 inherited runners to score.  Admittedly, getting the bases loaded with 1 out is a tough gig.  Sam Dyson allowed a run in the 7'th to tie the score before Brandon Belt untied it in the bottom of the inning with his 3-run blast.  Will Smith again struck out the side and has not allowed an ER in 8 IP.  The Giants have rebuilt their fearsome lefty reliever duo with him and Tony Watson, who also pitched a scoreless frame.  Hunter Strickland did not have a Save Opportunity but needed to get some work in.

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The NL West leading D'Backs lost again, 4-1 to the Mets, so by beating the Rockies, the Giants gained a game on the two teams in front of them.  They now trail the D'Backs by 2 games and the Rockies by 1.5 games.  Here come the Dodgers who are storming back after sweeping the Nationals in Washington over the weekend.  The Bad Guys are 5 games behind the D'Backs and 3 behind the Giants.  The Pesky Padres completed a sweep of the Pirates over the weekend in Pittsburgh and are just 6 games out of the NL West lead, but still in last place.

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The Giants get a day off before starting a 2 game series against the Astros in Houston with Andrew Suarez facing the fearsome Gerrit Cole.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/19/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Salt Lake City Bees 11-7:

Steven Duggar CF- 3 for 6, SB(7).  BA= .253.
Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(8).  BA= .468.
Austin Slater 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3).  BA= .390.
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .321.
Orlando Calixte 3B- 3 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .276.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 10.38.

Mac has 2 HR's in as many days since starting his rehab assignment.  Sure would be nice to see him starting in LF for the Giants tomorrow. Steven Duggar has a 5 game hit streak in which he is 8 for 24.  Austin Slater must be wondering what he has to do to get another shot with the bigly team.  Hunter Pence is 12 for 28 in 7 games since he debuted his new batting stance.  Just 2 of those 12 hits were XBH's, both doubles.   Free Ray Black!

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Harrisburg Senators 8-6(First game of DH, 7 innings):

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .192.
Jeff Arnold C- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .250.
Dillon Dobson 2B- 1 for 3, HR(4). BA= .167.
Ali Castillo 3B- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .253.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.96.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(7).  ERA= 0.59.

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AA   Harrisburg Senators edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .419.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .210.
Ryan Howard SS- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .284.
Garrett Williams LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 5.17.
Jake McCasland RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.18.
Will LaMarche RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.15.

Luigi!

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High A  San Jose Giants downed the Stockton Ports 2-1:

Brandon Van Horn SS- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .200.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.46.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.08.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(6).  ERA= 1.47.

Sandro Cabrera has 39 K's in 39 IP on the season but also 20 BB's.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets beat the Greenville Drive 5-2:

Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .301.
Rob Calabrese C- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .200.
Garrett Cave RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.98.
Olbis Parra RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.70.
John Russell RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.77.

I'm am cautiously bullish on Manuel Geraldo.  If he can sustain this early season success, and he generally is better later in the season, I think he will do quite well in San Jose next season.  Geraldo seems to have been around forever, but he's still just 21 yo.  Garrett Cave has 35 K's in 31.2 IP, but also 25 BB's.

Game Wrap 5/19/2018: Giants 9 Rockies 4

The Giants wore their hitting shoes today and overwhelmed Jon Gray and the Rockies on a clear, breezy afternoon at AT&T Park.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco LF/RF= 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .257.  Blanco tripled and scored a run but he also struck out 4 times.  I guess that gives him an OPS of .800 on the day, but the overall OBP of .300, .286 over his last 30 games is a problem out of the leadoff spot, or anywhere in the lineup for that matter!

Andrew McCutchen RF- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .248.  Cutch had been in a mini-slump going just 1 for his last 17 coming into the game, but he broke out bigly in this one.  He also made a fine throw from RF to nail a baserunner at 3B which helped keep the Rockies from getting back into the game.  He's hitting .303 for the month in spite of that 1 for 17 slump.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .307.  A typical day at the office for Buster.

Brandon Belt 1B/LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .308. Belt missed one game with a "sore knee".  I suspect that may have had more to do with meeting with Joe Torre and a tough lefty on the mound than with his knee, but whatevs.  He came back with a 3-on-base game today for a season OBP of .408.  Even if he wasn't crushing it in BA and power, he'd still be a fantasy asset in OBP leagues like mine.

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .302.  How hot is Brandon Crawford.....I mean at the plate?  .577 over his last 7 games, .446 over his last 15, .449 for the month of May.  His BA stood at .189 on April 30.  My goodness!

Miguel Gomez 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.  With Kelby Tomlinson hitting just .184 over his last 15 games and .222 over his last 30, this game should get Gomez another start or two, especially against RHP's.

Chris Stratton RHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.92.  This was a hang-with-em start for Stratton against a tough lineup.  Not a QS but just enough on a day for the offense.  Stratton has had his share of luck with that as evidenced by his 5-3 record.  Stratton had 3 consecutive fairly dominant starts and an ERA of 2.32 before going on paternity leave.  Since then, he's allowed 21 ER in 22 IP.  Parenthood!

Bullpen- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  Will Smith looked unhittable in his inning of work.  Pierce Johnson, Sam Dyson and Tony Watson chipped in scoreless frames of their own.  The Giants now have 4 solid bullpen arms in Strick, Watson, Dyson and Smith.  2 more that are fairly reliable in Johnson and Reyes Moronta.  Cory Gearrin and Jose Valdez need to step it up.  I'm not counting on anything from Mark Melancon yet, but if he came back close to normal, the Giants could have a formidable pen in the second half.

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The Giants sit 3.5 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs and 2.5 behind the Rockies pending the outcome of the D'Backs game later tonight.  The Dodgers are looking to sweep the Nationals in a DH in Washington.  The Padres are 4 games behind the Giants after topping the Pirates 6-2.

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Ty Blach tries for a series split tomorrow afternoon facing lefty Tyler Anderson.

Down on the Farm: 5/18/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Salt Lake City Bees 7-3:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .243.
Mac Williamson DH- 1 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .465.
Austin Slater RF- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .385.
Hunter Pence LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .314.
Kyle Jensen 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .201.
Chase d'Arnaud 2B- 3 for 5, HR(6), SB(9).  BA= .295.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.25.
Manny Parra LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.87.

Big Mac starts his rehab assignment, but will Hunter Pence beat him back to AT&T Park?  After last night, it is apparent the Giants could use Mac's toonder in the lineup.  Is it time to try Chase d'Arnaud at 2B in SF? This was Dereck Rodriguez' 5'th consecutive QS.  He got it in a very difficult environment for pitchers.  He has a 35/5 K/BB in 31.2 IP in that span.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Harrsburg Senators postponed due to inclement weather.

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A+  Stockton Ports outlasted the San Jose Giants 3-2 in 10 innings:

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 5, SB(4).  BA= .298.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .231.
Frandy De La Rosa 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .262.
Matt Winn C- 2 for 4.  BA= .287.
Logan Webb RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.08.
DJ Myers RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.36.

Jalen Miller is a nice template for Sandro Fabian's development.  Love how Fabian is in the lineup day in and day out piling up those AB's.  He can repeat SJ next season at age 21 and hopefully break out like Miller is doing this year.....if he doesn't do it in the second half this year.  Logan Webb still seems to be on the 3 inning plan.  He tried to stretch it out earlier in the season. It did not go well.  DJ Myers left this game after facing 4 batters with an arm injury.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Greenville Drive 2-1:

Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .257.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 3, HR(5).  BA= .228.
Jason Bahr RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 11 K's.  ERA= 1.73.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.43.

Not sure what Jason Bahr has left to prove in Augusta.  He needs stronger competition!

Game Wrap 5/18/2018: Rockies 6 Giants 1

This game reached it's high water mark for the Giants when Gorkys Hernandez led off the bottom of the first inning with a long HR to left of CF.  After that, the Giants offense went into hibernation and Ian Desmond's 3-run  dinger in the 4'th inning all but ended it.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez LF/CF- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .273.  Gorkys has muscled up for 2 HR's within his last 7 games, but he's hitting just .188 in that span.  Some fun facts about Gorkys:  He did not have any HR's in 310 AB's last season when he was reportedly battling a persistent wrist injury.  He's hit 3 in 77 AB's so far this season.  Last season he had 20 doubles in the 310 AB's.  Amazingly, he has yet to hit a double this season.

Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.94.  Holland actually pitched quite well except for one horrible pitch to Ian Desmond, who Jeff Sullivan said was hopelessly washed up in his Fangraphs chat yesterday.  Desmond came into the game hitting .167, but maybe he read that chat and got fired up?  Despite the anemic BA, this was Desmond's 7'th HR of the season and it was a back-breaker for Holland and the Giants who never recovered.  It was essentially the difference in the game as the Rockies score their final 2 runs in the 9'th against Jose Valdez who would not have been in there if the game was close.

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The NL West leading D'Backs lost to the Mets 3-1, so the Giants remain 4 games behind them in 3'rd place.  The 2'nd place Rockies gain a game and are not just 0.5 games out of the lead.  The 4'th place Dodgers were rained out in Washington so gain 0.5 games for a 7.5 game deficit.  The Padres topped the Pirates 3-2 and are 8 games off the pace in last place just 0.5 games behind the Dodgers.

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Chris Stratton tries to play the Stopper today facing another good young RHP in Jon Gray.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/17/2018

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees outscored the Sacramento River Cats 12-11:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .245.
Chase d'Arnaud 2B-2 for 5, 3B, HR(5).  BA= .282.
Austin Slater RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .391.
Hunter Pence LF- 1 for 5.  BA= .298.
Ryder Jones 3B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .284.
Eury Perez DH- 2 for 5, 3B, BA= .324.
Josh Osich LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Jordan Schafer LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 13.50.

Nice day for the lineup to pad their stat lines.  Hunter Pence might be unrecognizable at the plate when and if he gets back to the Giants.  He has adopted the Mac Stance. Plenty of videos online. Inneresting to see how that works out.  Have to say, the stance is different but the swing looks he same, at least to me.  Bochy says he needs more AB's in AAA to get it perfected.  Yup, it's THAT Jordan Schafer, now 31 yo and trying to get back to MLB as a LHP.  Can we PLEASE have at least an inning or two of Ray Black pitching for the Giants this year?  This may be his last, best chance to make the majors.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Harrisburg Senators Postponed due to rain.

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A+  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 6-3:

Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .295.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .272.
Melvin Adon RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.89.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.10.

This was statistically Melvin Adon's best start of the season although 3 others came close.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Greenville Drive 2-1:

Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .300.
Orlando Garcia SS- 2 for 4, SB(3).  BA= .250.
TJ Bennett LF- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .357.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 5 IP,  5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 3.15.
Carlos Sano RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.62.
Frank Rubio RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 1.37.

Camilo Doval has a 2.31 ERA over his last 10 appearances.  He has a 16/3 K/BB in 11.2 IP in that span.  The difference between that and his season ERA is in his first 3 appearances of the season.

Game Wrap 5/17/2018: Rockies 5 Giants 3 in 12 innings

Brandon Belt tied the game in the 6'th inning with his 4'th HR in as many days, but the Giants bullpen ran out of magic in the 12'th inning.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(10).  BA= .305.  Brandon Belt is having himself a season and is suddenly on a pace to hit 40 HR's.  His challenge is to remain healthy for a full season.  He was on a pace to hit 30 dingers last year when he went out for the rest of the season with his concussion.

He's beating the shifts by getting the ball in the air more and more of those balls are going out of the park.  Belt has always been a flyball hitter, but this year is GO/AO= .36 compared to his career average of .73.

Austin Jackson CF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .236.  AJax is hitting .300 over his last 7 games and his last 15 with an OBP of .429 over his last 15.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.30.  This was Shark's first QS of the season.  He was shaky as usual early in the game and gave up a 3-spot in the 2'nd inning with a 2-run double and RBI single to the 8'th and 9'th batters respectively.  After that he was increasingly able to spot his running fastball on the corners.

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The Loss added a 0.5 game to the Giants deficit to the idle NL West leading D'Backs.  The 3'rd place Giants now trail by 4 games with the closing to 1.5 games in 2'nd place.  The Dodgers got out of last place with a 7-0 shellacking of the Marlins while the Padres lost to the Pirates.  The Dodgers are 8 games off the pace while the Padres are 9 games back.

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Derek Holland tries to be the stopper again tonight facing lefty Kyle Freeland.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/16/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats were idle.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Altoona Curve Postponed by rain.

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

Wander Franco 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .314.
Jacob Heyward DH- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .264.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .228.
Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.72.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 4.50.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.65.

Dominant 5 innings from Vizcaino.  In his last 2 Starts, he's allowed 1 ER in 11 IP with 17 K's.  The 8/1 K/BB today was an improvement over 9/4 his last Start.  Patrick Ruotolo has 24 K's in 16.1 IP over 12 Appearances.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Game Wrap 5/16/2018: Reds 6 Giants 3

Someone forgot to tell Andrew Suarez the first inning isn't batting practice.  He gave up a 4-spot to the Reds before most of the fans had found their seats.  After that, he settled down and pitched a pretty darn good game.  Too little, too late.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .269.  Blanco led off the Giants half of the first inning with a double and scored on McCutchen's double to help the Giants cut the Reds lead in half by the end of the first inning.  Bochy sent Gorkys Hernandez in to PH for Blanco in the 6'th inning with 2 runners on, 2 outs and lefty Wandy Peralta on the mound.

Andrew McCutchen RF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .252.  McCutchen doubled in the Giants first run and scored their second in the first inning.

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .301.  Belt went 6 for 13 in the series with 3 HR, one each game and he is probably the hottest hitter in the lineup right now.  Well, the other Brandon might have something to say about that!

Kelby Tomlinson SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .261.  Kelby is hitting .300 over his last 7 games.  He is 7 for 17 over his last 4 games as a starter.  Kelby is a plucky player!  Unfortunately, his hits did not translate into runs in this game.

Brandon Crawford PH- 1 for 1.  BA= .295.  Brandon Crawford can't stop, won't stop hitting!  10 for 13 over his last 4 games.

Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.88.  Suarez gave up 4 runs before recording 1 out.  Take out those first 4 batters and his line is 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 10/2 which is a darn good game!  Gotta start the game ready to pitch, Andrew!

Jose Valdez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 11.25.  Valdez has pretty much eaten innings in garbage time and gotten beat up pretty bad.  This line looks more promising and should get him at least another day in the big leagues.

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The NL West leading D'Backs lost to the BrewCrew 8-2 so the Giants remain 3.5 games behind them in 3'rd place.  The Rockies were were idle so gain 0.5 games to 2 behind in 2'nd place.  The big news in the division is the Dodgers lost their 6'th straight, 6-5 to the Marlins and fall into last place by percentage points under the Padres, both 8.5 games behind the leaders.  Ha ha!  Last Place Dodgers!  it sure feels good to write that!

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The Giants go right into a 4-game weekend series against the Rockies with Jeff Samardzija facing Chad Bettis who seems to have some ownage on the Giants.

Down on the Farm: 5/15/2018

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers outscored the Sacramento River Cats 8-5:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .246.
Chase d'Arnaud 2B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .277.
Tyler Beede RHP- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.58.
Manny Parra LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.29.

Beede allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk through 4 IP.  2 walks and an error loaded the bases with no outs in the 5'th but he got out of it with a pop-up, flyball out and another pop-up.  Another walk with 1 out in the 6'th followed by a double, ground-out and 2 more doubles resulted in a 3-spot for Tacoma.  The 7'th went double, single, GIDP before DJ Snelton was brought in to retire Dan Vogelbach.

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AA  Altoona Curve grounded the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-1:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .416.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .208.
Ryan Howard SS- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .283.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.86.
Dan Slania RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.33.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.63.

Shaun Anderson was not a horse in this game, but he is a horse!  Luigi!

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A+  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 7-5:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .274.
Jalen Miller 2B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .295.
Wander Franco 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .309.

Love what Jalen Miller is doing this season in his 2'nd chance at high A ball.  He's still just 21 years old.  Next hurdle is AA and the EL, but I would keep him in most of this season to try for some sustained success.  Maybe promote him for the last month to give him a bit of a headstart on the EL for 2019.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Greensboro Grasshoppers postponed by rain.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Game Wrap 5/15/2018: Giants 5 Reds 3

The Giants offense picked up Ty Blach with a 4-run 4'th inning and the bullpen shut it down the rest of the way.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .298.  Belt's second dinger in 2 games at AT&T Park was a splash hit, something we don't see very often since Barry Bonds career ended.

Brandon Crawford SS- 4 for 4, 2B.  BA= .290.  Crawford is 9 for 12 in his last 3 Games.  He is hitting .375 over his last 7 games and .375 over his last 15.  His BA was .189 on April 30.  He is hitting .412 in May so far.

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 1 for 4.   BA= .246.  For the second night in a row, Kelby drove in add-on runs by punching the ball up the middle with runners in scoring position.  This time it was a soft liner that fell in front of Billy Hamilton with Brandon Crawford streaking around 3'rd to score the Giants 5'th run of the game in the bottom of the 8'th inning to give Hunter Strickland an extra run to work with.

Pablo Sandoval PH- 1 for 1.  BA= .279.  Sandoval drove in the middle two runs of the 4-run rally in the 4'th inning with a bases-loaded single.  He seems to be happily contributing in a bench role and making the most of his opportunities.

Ty Blach LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 4.05.  Blach gave up a dinger to Eugenio Suarez after Jesse Winker reached on a 2-out error by Kelby.  He allowed 1 line drive hit but the other 3 hits he allowed were also groundballs.  12 groundballs in 4 IP and 19 batters faced.

Bullpen- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  Pierce Johnson, Will Smith, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson and Hunter Strickland were dominant with Strick earning his 9'th Save.  Johnson is the only one of the bunch with an ERA over 3.00

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The Giants remain in 3'rd place, 4 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs who topped the BrewCrew 2-1.  The Rockies lost to the Padres 4-0 to fall 2.5 games behind the D'Backs.  The Dodgers lost to the Marlins and are now 8.5 games behind in 4'th place, just 0.5 games ahead of the Padres.

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Andrew Suarez tries for the swwweeeeep tomorrow afternoon facing Matt Harvey, the erstwhile Met.

Down on the Farm: 5/14/2018

Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-3:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 5, SB(5).  BA= .246.
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .316.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .270.

Steven Duggar has been slumping.  Hopefully this is the start of an upswing.  Hunter Pence is 6 for 11 since taking a break from his rehab stint to let his thumb heal some more.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve 7-3:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 4 for 5, 3B.  BA= .407.
Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .207.
Ryan Howard SS- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .285.
Ali Castillo 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .247.
Cory Taylor RHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.54.
Will LaMarche RHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.91.

Is Luigi another successful Giants reclamation project?  The odds are against him, but he's sure lighting up the EL.

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A+  Lancaster Jethawks outlasted the San Jose Giants 8-7 in 10 innings:

Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .285.
Jacob Heyward LF- 1 for 3, HR(4), 2 BB.  BA= .265.
Matt Winn C- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5), BB.  BA= .300.
Frandy De La Rosa DH- 2 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .255.
Mac Marshall LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 1.45.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.05.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.11.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Matt Winn is having himself a nice season at the plate for the SJ Giants.  A tweet from Joe Ritzo had Mac Marshall walking off the field with the trainer after the first inning with an apparent injury.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets topped the Greensboro Grasshoppers 5-2:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .215.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .303.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .233.
Nick Hill LF- 3 for 4.  BA= .276.
Joey Marciano LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.86.
Olbis Parra RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.95.
Frank Rubio RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.45.

Game Wrap 5/14/2018: Giants 10 Reds 7

The Giants got production up and down their lineup and throughout the game then held on to outscore the Reds to win their series opener in AT&T Park.  Key Lines:

Andrew McCutchen RF- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .259.  Cutch recorded his 1500'th career hit in the game.     He's hitting .310 over his last 7 games and .365 over his last 15.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .312.  Buster's single in the 4'th inning was a bloop to LF and Kruk commented that he had his base taken out by the offspeed pitch and how he's hitting .300 despite that happening a lot this season.  Buster must have heard him say that because his next time up, he hit a booming double over Billy Hamilton's head in CF.

Brandon Belt 1B- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .297.  Huge game for Brandon Belt.  He's been stroking the ball well and one went out of the park in the 8'th for an add-on run.  Is it just me or has Belt been more aggressive at the plate lately swinging earlier in counts?

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .270.  Crawford is on a sustained hot streak hitting .360 over his last 7 games and .375 over his last 15.

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 1 for 5.  BA= .246.  He was just 1 for 5, but the hit was key.  With the Giants leading 4-1, Kelby came up in the 3'rd inning with 1 out and the bases loaded.  If he did not have a productive AB, the pitcher was due up next and the opportunity would be lost.  Kelby shortened up his swing and peppered the ball up the middle driving in 2 add-on runs which the Giants would need as the game went along.

Austin Slater LF- 1 for 1, BB, 2 SB(2).  BA= .273.  Slater is 3 for 11, but also has 4 BB's and an HBP.  He showed off his speed with the 2 SB's to boot.

Chris Stratton RHP- 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.88.  Not a great start by Stratton who has been scuffling.  At least he kept the Reds at bay for 5 innings on a night when the offense was hitting on all 8.

Jose Valdez RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 22.50.  Pierce Johnson and Cory Gearrin pitched shutout ball for 3 innings.  Valdez was sent in to mop up and made it closer than it should have been.  Not quite sure what this guy is doing on the 25 man roster.

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The D'Backs lost their 6'th straight game, so the Giants are now just 3.5 games behind the NL West leaders in 3'rd place.  The Rockies topped the Padres and are just 1.5 games behind the Snakes in 2'nd place.  The 4'th place Dodgers were idle and trail by 7.5 games while the Pathetic Padres remain 9 games out of the lead in last place.

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Ty Blach tries to keep the good times rolling tonight facing a statistically similar pitcher in Tyler Mahle, although Mahle throws harder.  Mahle has been going good, allowing just 4 ER in 17.1 IP over his last 3 Starts.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Down on the Farm: 5/13/2018

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers edged out the Sacramento River Cats 3-2(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings):

Austin Slater DH- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .386.
Hunter Pence LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .294.
Casey Kelly RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.81.

Pence is 4 for 7 in 2 games since re-starting his rehab assignment.  This was Casey Kelly's 3'rd QS in a row.

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AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 5-4(Game 2 of DH, 8 innings, 7 scheduled):

Eury Perez CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .323.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .271.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .262.
Hector Sanchez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .246.
Ray Black RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 19.29.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.70.

This was a bullpen game with Madison Younginer starting and going 2 IP, followed by Caleb Baragar who pitched 2.2 innings. Chris Shaw continues to be on a pace for 30-35 dingers.

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AA  Trenton Thunder grounded the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:

Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .297.
Chase Johnson RHP- 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 7.36.
Mike Connolly RHP- 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.23.
Jake McCasland RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.37.

Gotta be concerned about that line from Chase Johnson coming back from TJ surgery.

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A+  San Jose Giants blanked the Lancaster Jethawks 3-0:

Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .263.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .228.
Logan Webb RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.35.
DJ Myers RHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 4.18.

Logan Webb had a hiccup in his last start, so good to see him back on track.  DJ Myers may be putting himself back in the prospect picture. He's given up just 2 hits in his last 11 IP, over 2 appearances with 14 K's and 1 BB.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets pounded the Greensboro Grasshoppers 10-2:

Logan Baldwin RF- 4 for 5, 3 2B.  BA= .286.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .236.
Jeffry Parra C- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .213.
TJ Bennet DH- 2 for 3, HBP.   BA= .300.
Nick Hill LF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .231.
Jose Marte RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.86.
John Russell RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.96.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 8.25.

Logan Baldwin is on fire!  Jose Marte is a promising SP prospect.