Down on the Farm: 9/10/2025

AAA:  Oklahoma City Comets defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-1.

Wade Meckler CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .277.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .241.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.31.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.60.

Technically a Quality Start for McDonald but no nearly as dominant as his last.  The first 4.2 innings for the Comets were pitched by rehabbing MLB pitchers, Andrew Heaney LHP and Ben Casparius RHP.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Hartford Yard Goats 2-1.

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .236.

Nate Furman DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .375.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .269.

Trystan Vrieling RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.74.

R. J. Dabovich RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.34.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(6).  ERA= 1.26.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Everett Aquasox 4-2(Game 2 of NWL Championship Series).

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 3, BB.

Parks Harber 3B- 2 for 3, HBP. 

Luke Shliger C- 2 for 4, HR.

Zane Zielinski SS- 1 for 4, 3B.  

Josh Bostick RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  

Dominant start by Bostick, his second in a row.

A:  Cal League playoffs had an off day.

Game Wrap 9/10/2025: D'Backs 5 Giants 3

A disaster start by Carson Seymour put the Giants in a hole they weren't able to climb out of.   Key Lines:

Rafael Devers DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI.  BA= .260.   A 2-run double in the 8'th produced the first runs for the Giants on the day but along with the additional run in the 9'th proved to be too little, too late.

 

Carson Seymour RHP- 1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.23.   The HR leading off the game was the 9'th Seymour allowed in 31 IP.  Interestingly he gave up 7 in 77 IP in the homer-happy PCL before his call up.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 3.2 IP, 1 H 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.91.  Bivens answers the call again.  I've seen online speculation that Dom Smith might be the frontrunner for the Wille Mac Award.   He's a worthy candidate and I would also nominate Bivens who pitched with heart all season and in mostly difficult and thankless situations.

J. T. Brubaker RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, 4/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.98.  Switch roles with Seymour in 5 games?  He's a free agent after the end of the season.  I'm guessing it wouldn't take much for the Giant to re-sign him.   They need 2-3 vets with SP experience for depth coming into 2026 spring training.

Despite the Loss, the Giants remain 2 games behind the Mets in the Wild Card race.

The Giants have tomorrow off at home before starting a weekend series against the Hated Ones with near-perfect Yoshinobu Yamamoto RHP facing Justin Verlander RHP Friday evening.

*Note:  I will not have access to my desktop computer for an extended period.  I think I figured out how to log in and post from my phone so will try to continue making (almost) daily posts.  Posts may be shorter with fewer stat lines.  Feel free to add your key lines or highlights in the comments sections.

Down on the Farm: 9/9/2025

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

Wade Meckler CF- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .277.

Jesus Rodriguez C- 1 for 3, BB, SF.  BA= .353.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .236.

Hunter Bishop RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .255.

Osleivis Basabe 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .247.

Trent Harris RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.02.

Ryan Watson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.34.

Fun Fact:  Trent Harris is the son of Greg A. Harris who was a successful MLB reliever and the first switch-pitcher in modern MLB history.

AA: Hartford Yard Goats downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-2.

Bo Davidson DH- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .236.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .269.

Justin Wishkoski 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .232.

Ryan Murphy RHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.82.

Cole Hillier RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

A+:  Everett Aquasox outlasted the Eugene Emeralds 9-6(11 innings; Game 1 of NWL Championship Series)

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 4, BB, 3 SB.  

Parks Harber 3B- 2 for 5, HR(1).  

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB. 

Zane Zielinski SS- 2 for 4, BB.  

Darien Smith RHP- 5 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's, 6/2 GO/AO.

A:  San Jose Giants shut out the Fresno Grizzlies 2-0(Game 2 of California League Division Series).

Lisbel Diaz LF- 2 for 4.

Walker Martin 3B- 1 for 4, 2B. 

Cam Maldonado RF- 1 for 3, 3B.

Luis De La Torre LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, 6/2 GO/AO.

Hunter Dryden RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K's.  

Great pitching from two promising young hurlers.  Several of the SJ better pitchers moved up to A+.

Game Wrap 9/9/2025: Giants 5 D'Backs 3

Willy Adames 3-run bomb in the first inning was the difference in this game as the Giants held off a D'Backs comeback in the middle innings for a wire-to-wire win.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 4, HR(28), R, 3 RBI.  BA= .230.  Adames made Zac Gallen RHP pay for walking the first two Giants batters by punishing a hanging curveball deeeeep into the L-CF seats.  3-run HR's win ballgames.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 2, HR(5), BB, R, RBI.  BA= .218.  Bailey hits his second HR in as many games.  He admired this one a little almost like he expected it.  It gave the Giants a valuable insurance run in the 5'th.

Robbie Ray LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.32.  Ray fell short of a Quality Start but got credit for the W(11-6).  

Matt Gage LHP- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.08.  I wasn't sure why Melvin let Gabe face Ildemaro Vargas after giving up line drive singles to two of the first 3 batters he faced, but Vargas is a switch-hitter who bats much better from the left side, so it made sense.  Unfortunately he singled in a run and advanced to 2B on a bad throw to the plate.  

Joel Peguero RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  Peguero came in with runners at 2'nd and 3'rd and 1 out.  He struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam and then pitched to contact for 3 more outs in the 7'th inning.  All the while he was throwing easy triple digits and looking quite calm in the process.  His stuff and demeanor reminded me of Camilo Doval RHP, memba him?  I wonder if the Yankees would be willing to trade Doval back for one, just one, prospect?

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(15).  ERA= 3.86.  If you were thinking "here we go again" after Walker gave up a hit and walk to the first two batters he faced, you weren't alone.  He setttled down and got the Save but you have to wonder about a Closer who doesn't get a lot of K's.  

The Win cuts the Giants deficit in the Wild Card race to just 2 games as the Mets lost to the Phillies again, 9-3.

Carson Seymour RHP tries for the sweep tomorrow afternoon against Eduardo Rodriguez LHP who comes in with an ERA of 5.22.

Yesterday's Closer discussion got me to meditating on my man, Frank Linzy from way back in the day.  Linzy had a helluva rookie season for the Giants in 1965.  He appeared in 57 games, all in relief.

9-3, 1.43, 81.2 IP, 21 Saves.  He finished 13'th in the National League MVP voting(Willie Mays won) and 3'rd in ROY voting.  

Not so fun fact:  The Giants won 14 games in a row in early September 1965 to take a 4.5 game lead in the National League Pennant race.  The Dodgers answered back with a 13 win streak of their own and won 15 of 16 games down the stretch to win the NL Pennant by 2 games over the Giants.  The Dodgers went on to win the World Series 4 games to 3 over the Minnesota Twins.

Game Wrap 9/8/2025: Giants 11 D'Backs 5

The Giants brought their hitting shoes and picked up Logan Webb and the defense in what turned out to be a runaway Giants win with some help from Secret Agent Disco.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 5, HR(17), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .266.   The Giants hit 5 home runs on the night.  Ramos shot capped a 5-spot in the 6'th inning that put the game away.  It was just his 3'rd HR of the second half.

Dominic Smith 1B- 1 for 4, HR(5), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .291.  Smith's 2-run bomb tied the score in the third inning.  Reminder Smith was signed after he was released by his minor league club.  He is a free agent at the end of the season.  It will be interesting to see where he signs and for how much.  Quite a turnaround of fortunes.

Matt Chapman 3B- 2 for 4, HR(21), 2 R, RBI.  BA= .241.  Chapman's solo HR came in the 7'th off Secret Agent Disco, one of 3 Anthony DeSclafani RHP gave up in the game.

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 3 for 4, HR(8), 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .271.  Lee made up for his terrible AB in yesterday's game by driving in the Giants first two runs in the second inning to answer the 3 run, error-aided rally by the D'Backs in the top of the inning.  Lee had an interesting AB which contributed to the 5-run rally in the 6'th inning.  With runners on first and second with no outs, Lee bunted for a base-hit.  I missed seeing it on TV but I guess the primary goal was to advance the runners and if he reached base it was a bonus?  That's one way to make sure you don't strike out looking(sorry I couldn't help it).  Christian Koss made it pay off with a double followed by Ramos' HR.

Christian Koss 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, R, 2 RBI.  BA= .258.  Koss made an error in the second inning which led to 3 unearned runs on Jake McCarthy's bases loaded triple but Koss' double in the 6'th drove in the go-ahead runs.  He then scored on Ramos' HR.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 3, HR(4), SF, R, 2 RBI.  BA= .217.  Bailey is batting .333 over his last 7 games, .250 over his last 15 and .237 over his last 30.  

Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's, 7/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.12.  Webb threw 110 pitches through 6 innings but came away with a Quality Start and the W(14-9).  

The Mets lost to the Phillies 1-0( ouch!) and the Reds lost so the Giants are the first runner-up in the Wild-Card standings trailing the Mets by 3 games.

Robbie Ray LHP tries to keep the winning going tomorrow evening facing Zac Gallen RHP who comes in with a 4.77 ERA.

My friend, I think prompted by our discussion about who the Giants Closer of the Future might be, texted a question asking who I think is the Giants best Closer of all time.  Off the top of my head I replied for one season, Brian Wilson, in 2010 because not only did he have a great regular season he carried it through the postseason in the Giants first WS championship year in the SF era.  I also mentioned Robb Nen and Rod Beck.  Greg Minton saves a lot of games in the 1980's and Gary Lavelle and Randy Moffitt were co-closers in the 1970's.  The first Giants Closer I remember was Frank Linzy, the bespectacled one, in the 1960's.  That was before Closer's were a thing.  There were a lot more complete games then so fewer Save Opportunities and Closers were expected to go more than 1 inning to close out games.

So, how did I do off the top of my head?  Here is the list of Top 10 Giants Saves of all time:

1. Robb Nen 206.

2. Rod Beck 199

3. Brian Wilson 171

4. Gary Lavelle 127

5. Greg Minton 125

6. Santiago Casilla 123

7. Camilo Doval 105

8. Sergio Romo 84

9. Randy Moffitt 83

10. Frank Linzy 77.

I was surprised Casilla was so high and kind of surprised Wilson accumulated that many.  Turns out Brian Wilson does hold the record for Saves in one season with 48 in 2010.

Down on the Farm: 9/7/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas Aviators 3-1.

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .279.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, 8/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.55.

AA:  Altoona Curve downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .241.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .255.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .266.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds buried the Spokane Indians 9-1.

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 1 for 1, 3 BB, HBP, SB(3).  BA= .279.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(58).  BA= .257.

Jakob Christian RF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .304.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 5.77.

A:  Modesto Nuts outlasted the San Jose Giants 9-6(10 innings).

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .236.

Lisbel Diaz CF- 1 for 4, HR(10), BB.  BA= .269.

Walker Martin DH- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .234.

Robert Hipwell 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .241.

Cam Maldonado RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .237.

Jose Astudillo LF- 2 for 5, SB(5).  BA= .314.

Game Wrap 9/7/2025: Cardinals 4 Giants 3

Kai-Wei Teng pitched 4 innings of shutout ball then faltered and gave up a 4-spot in the 5'th inning.  Sonny Gray RHP has a no-hitter and faced just one batter over the minimum for 5 innings then gave up 3 runs in the 6'th inning.  That was the ballgame.  Key Lines:  

Not a key line but a key situation:  After the Cardinals scored 4 in the bottom of the 5'th inning, Sonny Gray walked the first two batters he face in the 6'th inning.  After Ramos struck out swinging the Giants got a base-hit from Devers, a walk to Adames and base hits from Dom Smith 1B and Matt Chapman 3B.  But each of the hits only advanced the runners by one base which brought Jung Hoo Lee CF to the plate with the bases-loaded and one out.  He was called out on strikes on a 1-2 count and never swung the bat.  That!  Can't! Happen!  Casey Schmitt lined out to CF.  Inning over.  The Giants never came close to scoring again.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 7.54.  Teng had it going for 4 innings matching goose eggs with the veteran Sonny Gray.  It all came apart in the 5'th inning after he walked the bases loaded to start the inning.  After a singled drove in one run, Teng was replaced by Jose Butto' RHP who is credited with a shut out inning but allowed 3 inherited runners to score on a single, walk and GIDP.

Joel Peguero RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  Peguero continues to dazzle with triple-digit heat.

The Giants end the road trip on a down note. They start a homestand tomorrow evening against the D'Backs with Logan Webb RHP facing Nabil Crismatt RHP.  What, he's an SP now?  He comes in with a 2.14 ERA in 21 IP over 4 appearances and 3 starts.