Down on the Farm: 8/13/2025

AAA:  Round Rock Express shut down the Sacramento River Cats 1-0.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 3.  BA= .220.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.60.

AA: Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Altoona Curve 10-6.

Bo Davidson DH- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .229.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .257.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 or 4, BB.  BA= .234.

Scott Bandura LF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .243.

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .218.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .205.

Ian Villers RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.52.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.25.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

A+:  Tri-Cities Dust Devils outlasted the Eugene Emeralds 19-18(11 innings).

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .244.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 3 for 7, 3B.  BA= .255.

Parks Harber 3B- 1 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .364.

Jean Carlos Sio SS- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .286.

Zane Zielinski DH- 2 for 6.  BA= .237.

Luke Shliger C- 1 for 3, 3 BB, SB(9).  BA= .256.

Damian Bravo LF- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .345.

Wild Game.  Game time weather was 93 F with a 10 MPH wind blowing out to CF.

A:  Lake Elsinore Storm skunked the San Jose Giants 7-0.

Gavin Kilen 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .206.

Niko Mazza RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.31.

Storm SP was Kash Mayfield LHP the Padres 2025 first round draft pick.

Giants DSL affiliates were idle.

Game Wrap 8/13/2025: Padres 11 Giants 1

The Giants reached a new low point for the season in a game of everything that can go wrong did go wrong to reach blowout proportions by the middle of the second inning.  Key Lines:

The Giants lineup managed just 5 hits and a walk off Nick Pivetta RHP with Jung Hoo Lee's triple being the only XBH.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 1.2 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 9.90.  Teng dug himself a hole in the second inning loading the bases with one out on a single and two walks.  A GIDP helped him get through a scoreless first inning and it appeared he had another one when Jake Cronenworth's ground ball that was headed straight for a waiting Willy Adames SS, it hit the 2B bag and caromed over Adames' head into shallow L-CF.  What would have been an inning-ending play scored two runs and there was still just one out.  Another walk, single and Sac Fly made it 4-0 with 2 outs.  Manny Machado then hit a line drive to the LF wall which Heliot Ramos LF fielded cleanly, whirled and inexplicably yanked it into the ground and it rolled slowly toward 2B while another run scored.  At this point Spencer Bivens RHP was once again brought in and thrown to the wolves.  Jackson Merrill CF singled and with Xander Bogaerts at the plate, Patrick Bailey C whiffed on a shoulder high fastball that went to the backstop and a 7'th run scored.  Of course, everybody knew the game as over when Cronenworth's ball popped up over Adames' head and the rest of the inning just emphasized the point.  One of the most disastrous innings I've witnessed and we seem to be saying things like that a lot these days.

I think I sort of said this yesterday but I witnessed the open player revolt that got Gabe Kapler fired in 2023 and last year's collapse that led to FZ's firing.  I have not seen a more moribund team in recent memory.  I think you have to go back to the days when Tom Haller was the GM and Jim Davenport was the Manager to find anything comparable.  Even Kruk and Kuip were openly talking about how part of being a MLB ballplayer is keeping your head up and continuing to make adjustments in these situations.  One of them said "something has to change".  When Kruk and Kuip say something like that, best to take it seriously.

The Giants get a day off to lick their wounds, look at themselves in the mirror and meditate what they can do as individuals to get better before the Tampa Bay Rays arrive for a weekend series with Landen Roupp RHP facing Joe Boyle RHP who is 6' 8", 250 lbs and comes in with a 3.82 ERA.  That does not sound particularly hopeful for the Giants.

Down on the Farm: 8/12/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Round Rock Express 3-1.

Jesus Rodriguez DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .241.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .217.

Sam Huff C- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .348.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's, 6/6 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.29.

Trent Harris RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's, 3/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.29.

Miguel Diaz RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(5).  ERA= 4.57.

Positive spin:  GO/AO of 1.00 means McDonald has added a 4-seamer to force batters to cover a taller strike zone.  Negative Spin:  McDonald is lucky some of those AO's didn't leave the yard.

AA:  Altoona Curve caught and passed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-5.

Turner Hill LF- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .271.

Scott Bandura DH- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(5). BA= .243.

Dayson Croes 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .353.

Trystan Vrieling RHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.26.

Chris Wright LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.29.

Curve scored 4 in top of 9'th for a comeback win.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds subdued the Tri-Cities Dust Devils 5-2.

Drew Cavanaugh C- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .319.

Nate Furman 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .250.

Jose Ramos RF- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB, SB(5).  BA= .295.

Josh Bostick RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 14 K's.  ERA= 3.98.

Tyler Switalski LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.25.

Austin Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.50.

Cavanaugh keeps hitting.  Dominating performance by Josh Bostick.  Since reaching a peak of 5.29 on June 19, Bostick's ERA is 2.72 over 8 starts, 46.1 IP. 

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Lake Elsinore Storm 13-2.

Gavin Kilen 2B- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .167.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .273.

Trevor Cohen CF- 4 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .409.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 3 for 5, 2B, SF.  BA= .268.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= 258.

Hunter Dryden RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.33.

Melvin Pineda RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 10.13.

Cade Vernon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.47.

Third round draft pick Trevor Cohen reached base 6 times.

DSL:  Blue Jay Red edged out Giants Black 2-1.

Evan Estevez 1B(17 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .274.

Albert Jimenez DH(18 yo)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .257.

Vinicius Dos Santos LF(18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .218.

Miguel Blanco CF(19 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .196.

Carlos De La Rosa LHP(17 yo)- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.34.

Mario Gonzalez RHP(18 yo)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.75.

DSL:  Pirates Gold topped Giants Orange 5-4.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .258.

Miguel Caraballo DH(16 yo)- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .273.

Yulian Barreto 2B(17 yo)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .321.

Kendry Castro RHP(18 yo)- 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.66.

DSL(8/11/2025):  Angels squeaked past Giants Black 2-1.

Leandro Rodriguez LHP(19 yo)- 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.19.

Carlos Toro RHP(18 yo)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.30.

DSL(8/11/2025):  Tigers1 vs Giants Orange cancelled(rain).

Game Wrap 8/12/2025: Padres 5 Giants 1

Whoo boy!  These are getting mighty hard to write up.  The Giants put on another show of futility against a pitcher who came in with an ERA of 7.11 while Robbie Ray put up a valiant effort but gave up one too many runs for a Quality Start.   Key Lines:

Casey Schmitt 2B- 4 for 5, 2B. BA= .254.  Since we are down to looking for rays of hope for next season, it's a pleasure to watch how much Casey Schmitt has matured at the plate since he first came up as a wild, swing-at-everything rookie.  He AB's tonight were all high quality and he used the whole field.  He should be the presumptive starting 2B on Opening Day next season.

Wilmer Flores DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .249.  Wilmer was part of a sequence that was a microcosm of the season.  He led off the 6'th inning with a single.  Chapman walked and Jung Hoo Lee lined out sharply to Fernando Tatis RF.  Dominic Smith singled through the right-side hole.  Wilmer stopped at 3B because he is slow and Tatis has a cannon.  He would have been out by a mile at home but you knew it didn't matter because he wasn't going to score.  Patrick Bailey C and Heliot Ramos LF both popped out to end the threat.

Robbie Ray LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.98.  Ray threw 60 pitches in the first two innings and ended up with 113.  It was an heroic effort against one of the better lineups in MLB but was in vain.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP tries to build on the success of his last bulk-inning appearance tomorrow afternoon facing Nick Pivetta RHP who sports a 2.94 ERA.

Game Wrap 8/11/2025: Padres 4 Giants 1

The Giants hitting production consisted of a solo home run by Rafael Devers and 4 scattered singles.  Logan Webb tried to hold the line but reinforcements never came and he ran out of gas in a 3-run 7'th inning.  Key Lines:

Rafael Devers DH- 1 for 4, HR(23).  BA= .256.  Devers is hitting just .217 over his last 7 games but 3 of his 5 hits in that span are home runs for a SLG% of .609 and he's walked 7 times for an OBP of .419.  So right now, at this point in time, Devers is not the problem.

Drew Gilbert RF- 1 for 3, SB(1).  BA= .077.  Gilbert finally gets his first MLB hit.  May he have many more.  It appears the newbie was not quite ready for the speed of the MLB game.  If Buster is convinced that contact skills trump power in Oracle Park, Gilbert deserves some time to see if he can slow the game down.  How that helps the rest of this lineup is a little hard to see at the moment.

Logan Webb RHP- 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, 14/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.34.  Webb had a classic Webb Gem going until he ran out of gas in the 7'th right after Devers tied the score with his HR.  The sequence was LD double, GB single, HR.  That made the score 4-1 and that's where it stayed.  

This team is as dead in the water as at any time I can remember and that includes the last two seasons.  I don't know why and I certainly don't know how they are going to break out of it but there needs to be  some soul searching at every level of the organization.  What kind of a team does Buster have right now and how does that compare to what kind of team he wants?  Unfortunately it's a little late for that assessment because he is committed to 4 big, long term contracts.  Bob Melvin has now managed 3 grossly underperforming teams in a row.  Is it time for a new voice in the clubhouse and different strategies in the dugout?  For the umpteenth time, I am no batting coach but it sure looks to me like Adames is letting his front shoulder fly open again.  If it's not that, something is clearly off as he is in another deep slump.  If I am right, can the batting coaches see it and if they do are they communicating that to him?  If they are communicating it, is he receiving it and acting on it?  I'm just asking questions here.

Tomorrow is a new day and Robbie Ray LHP tries to even the series facing Nestor Cortes LHP who comes in with a 7.11 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 8/10/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Sugarland Space Cowboys 4-3.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 4, HR(12).  BA= .252.

Jesus Rodriguez DH- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .200.

Osleivis Basabe SS- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .259.

Landen Roupp RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.00.

Blade Tidwell RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

Eldridge's home run came with 2 runners on base.  Another strong start for newcomer Blade Tidwell.  

AA:  Erie Seawolves downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-0.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .258.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .257.

Nick Zwack LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.86.

Jack Choate LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.38.

Jack Choate has pitched out of the bullpen his last two appearances.

A+:  Spokane Indians outlasted the Eugene Emeralds 8-7(10 innings).

Parks Harber 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .429.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .253.

Darien Smith RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

A:  San Jose Giants topped the Visalia Rawhide 6-5.

Gavin Kilen SS- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .125.

Tyler Cohen RF/CF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .278.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Argenis Cayama RHP- 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 12.27.

Evan Gray RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(4).  ERA= 3.51.

DSL had their Sunday off.

Game Wrap 8/10/2025: Nationals 8 Giants 0

Justin Verlander got pummeled and the Giants lineup was shut down by Mackenzie Gore and the Nationals bullpen in a lopsided loss that was not nearly as close as the score appears.  Key Lines:  

The Giants lineup managed just 3 hits with 1 walk and 15 K's.  Nothing more to see here except Willy Adames looks to me like his front shoulder is flying open again.  He is batting just .148 over his last 7 games and his season BA is back down to .229.

Justin Verlander RHP- 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.53.  Don't ask me to explain the good K/BB but when opposing batters are hitting one rocket after another, it's not bad BABIP luck.  This disaster start comes after 3 consecutive good 5-inning starts in which he gave up 1 run or less.  Nationals had a total of 17 hits in the game, most of them hard hit.

It doesn't get any easier as the Padres come to town with Logan Webb RHP facing TBD tomorrow evening.