Down on the Farm: 4/21/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged past the Salt Lake City Bees 3-2:

Abiatal Avelino SS- 3 for 4.  BA= .233.
Tyler Beede RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.04.

Avelino was the only River Cat to have multiple hits.  The Cats did not have any XBH's.  Tyler Beede continues to look like a future call up.

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Richmond Flying Squirrels, San Jose Giants and Augusta Greenjackets were all idle on Easter Sunday.

Game Wrap 4/21/2019: Giants 3 Pirates 2

The Giants needed a stopper today.  With help from Buster Posey, Dereck Rodriguez played the role and the Giants avoided a sweep in Pittsburgh.  Key Lines;

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .227.  This might be the best game Buster has had in a couple of years.  His 3-run jack in the 5'th inning produced all of the Giants runs but it was just enough to squeak out the W.  It was a vintage Buster Blast to straightaway CF and here's to hoping we see some more of those this season!

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 5. 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 9/4.  ERA= 3.54.  DRod came within 1 out of a Quality Start but was replaced by Reyes Moronta after issuing a 2-out walk to Colin Moran in the 6'th inning.  He faced the minimum number of batters through 3 IP, but gave up a double to Cole Tucker and a 2-run bomb to Josh Bell in the 4'th.

Reyes Moronta RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.70.  Moronta issued a walk to the first batter he faced but got out of the 6'th and pitched a scoreless 7'th.

Will Smith LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(5).  ERA= 1.17.  Smith gave Giants fans a scare when he gave up a double to Bryan Reynolds into the RF corner that looked like it might score Francisco Cervelli from first, but Steven Duggar and Joe Panik completed and perfect relay play to nail Cervelli by a comfortable margin for the final out.  And wouldn't that have been just ducky if Bryan Reynolds drove in the run that blew the Save?  The Comments section of this blog might have melted down!

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With the Win, the Giants remain 5.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and 4 games off the NL Wild Card pace.

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The Giants have a travel day tomorrow before taking on the Blue Jays in Toronto.  Jeff Samardzija gets the ball for game 1 against RHP Trent Thornton.

Down on the Farm: 4/20/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outslugged the Salt Lake City Bees 9-6:

Henry Ramos RF- 2 for 4, 2 HR(4).  BA= .288.
Mike Gerber DH- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(3).  BA= .347.
Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .341.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .231.
Zach Green 3B- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .313.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.89.
Sam Selman LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Williams Jerez LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.00.

Are the River Cats hitters hot, or did they just face bad pitching? 9 of the Cats' hits went for XBH's.  Mac hit is second HR in 2 games and 4'th XBH in 3 games.  I STILL think Mac is the one guy currently in the organization who has a chance to hit 30 dingers for the Giants THIS YEAR.  It's not too late!  If Mac is still in Bochy's and Zaidi's doghouse for some indiscernible reason, OK, bring up Henry Ramos or Mike Gerber already.  They couldn't keep Conner Joe in the organization because they want to compete now.  Why doesn't the same hold true for Tyler Austin?   Sam Selman gets the promo from AA Richmond and has a successful debut for the River Cats.  Ray Black paid a visit to orthopedist and was diagnosed with a pronator strain.  He's on the IL.

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AA  Altoona Curve blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-0(7 Innings, 1'st Game of DH):

Garrett Williams LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 3.46.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 12.86.

Squirrels managed just 1 hit in the 7-inning game.

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AA  Altoona Curve blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0(8 innings, 2'nd Game of DH):

Yoanis Quiala RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/3.  ERA= 1.13.
Sam Wolff RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.80.
Melvin Adon RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.57.

Squirrels managed just 1 hit in this game too which adds up to 2 hits in 15 innings on the day.

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A+  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes pounded the San Jose Giants 11-4:

Bryce Johnson RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .224.
Heliot Ramos CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .241.

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A  Charleston River Dogs came from behind to top the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:

Ismael Munguia CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .314.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .238.
Sean Hjelle RHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 11/0.  ERA= 2.75.
Solomon Bates RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.27.

Dominant Start for Hjelle.  He needs a couple more of these for an early promo to SJ.

Game Wrap 4/20/2019: Pirates 3 Giants 1(5 innings)

Just when you think the Giants can't find more new ways to lose, they find another way to lose.  This time they gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 5'th inning to break a 1-1 tie.  The 6'th inning never happened as the game was eventually called due to rain and lightening.  Key Lines:

Steven Duggar RF- 1 for 3.  BA= .244.  Duggar's single in the top of the 5'th temporarily tied the game.  It was the first an only hit by the top 5 batters in the lineup who went a combined 1 for 12.

Kevin Pillar CF- 2 for 2.  BA= .189.  Pillar scored the Giants only run ahead of Duggar's single.  Pillar continues to do good things but can't seem to get his BA above the Mendoza Line.

Derek Holland LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K's GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 4.33.   Terrific secondary stats, but the gofers hurt.  Jung-Ho Kang hit a solo shot in the 4'th.  He is hitting .154, but absolutely kills the Giants.  The game winner was hit by Cole Tucker making his MLB debut.  He's a former first round pick that many considered a gross overdraft at the time.  He's taken his time getting to the bigs, but has filled out his frame nicely and could be a star for years to come.

Bryan Reynolds CF(Pirates)- 1 for 2.  BA= .500.  Former Giants farmhand, Bryan Reynolds, made his MLB debut along with Cole Tucker today.  Reynolds got off to a hot start in AAA this season.  His minor league career has been been pretty consistent hitting for a .300+ average with gap power.  Yeah, Giants could use that now, but but I'd rather have Duggar in CF and they shouid be able to do better in the corners in the future.

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Dodgers lost to the BrewCrew today, so the Giants remain 5.5 games behind in last place in the NL West and 4 games off the Wild Card pace.

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Dereck Rodriguez tries to stave off a sweep tomorrow facing Chris Archer.

Down on the Farm: 4/19/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the Salt Lake City Bees 11-5:

Donovan Solano 2B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .318.
Steven Vogt C- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .250.
Austin Slater 3B/1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Mac Williamson LF- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .324.
Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB, SB(1).  BA= .267.

Yay Mac!  First dinger of the season one game after his first XBH.  Nice BA.  Hopefully Mac has his groove back and will find his way back to another shot at the Giants LF job.  I STILL think he's the best bet in the organization for 30 HR's out of LF.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Altoona Curve Postponed.

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A+  San Jose Giants defeated the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-3:

John Riley C- 1 for 3, HR(2), Sac.  BA= .229.
DJ Myers RHP- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.00.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 10.29.
Frank Rubio RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Joey Bart's absence is an opportunity for John Riley to get some traction on his pro career.

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A  Augusta Greenjackets outlasted the Charleston River Dogs 5-4 on 10 innings:

Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .298.
Frankie Tostado 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .356.
Seth Corry LHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Keaton Winn RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.77.

Game Wrap 4/19/2019: Pirates 4 Giants 1

Giants Manager Bruce Bochy has been criticized for leaving ace starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner in games too long.  Last night he might have started him too soon as Bummy gave up a 4-spot in the first inning.  The Giants never came close to overcoming that lead.  Key Lines:

Steven Duggar RF/CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .241.   Duggar has an OBP of .353 over his last 7 games.  The first 3 batters in the lineup reached base 4 times out of 12 PA's for a .333 OBP, not great but better than any other combination on the team would have done.

Joe Panik 2B- 0 for 4, 3 K.  BA= .193.  Wow! What has happened to Joe Panik?  This has become consistent futility at the plate dating back to most of last season.  .194 over his past 7 games, .183 over his last 15 and .193 overall.  He's in his final season before free agency.  At what point do the Giants just move on and start looking for their next 2B?

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 3.66.  The secondary stats still look good but one awful stretch starting with a 2-out walk to Jung-Ho Kang in the first inning, followed by 4 consecutive hits doomed this game almost before it started.

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The Giants started this road trip with a bit of a spring in their step and looked great in the first game in Washington.  It's turned into a typical East Coast baseball equivalent of a death march which we have see over and over the past 2-3 seasons. This Loss drops the Giants into last place in the NL West, 5.5 games behind the Dodgers and 4 games off the Wild Card pace.

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Derek Holland tries to pull out of the power dive today facing fireballing RHP Jameson Taillon.

Down on the Farm: 4/18/2019

AAA  Las Vegas Aviators downed the Sacramento River Cats 9-6:

Abiatal Avelino SS- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB, SB(2).  BA= .212.
Donovan Solano 2B- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .308.
Mac Williamson RF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .313.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .229.
Henry Ramos CF- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .271.
Steven Okert LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.63.

Mac Williamson gets his BA above .300 and his first XBH of the season.  This is the type of line we thought Steven Okert would produce more often this spring.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels doubled up the Altoona Curve 8-4:

Ryan Howard 3B- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .257.
Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .333.
Jonah Arenado 1B- 4 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .361.
Conner Menez LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.61.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 9.00.

Ryan Howard has moved all over the Richmond infield.  Jalen Miller stays hot.  This is a critical season for Jonah Arenado.  He's crushing it so far.

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A+   Rancho Cucamonga Quakes defeated the San Jose Giants 7-3:

Logan Baldwin RF- 1 for 3, HR(1), SF.  BA= .171.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(1).  BA= .196.
Kyle McPherson 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .293.
Chris Corbett C- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .600.
Chase Johnson RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Chase Johnson gets sent down to pull his game together.  This is a good way to start.

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A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Charleston River Dogs 7-5:

Jose Layer CF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .233.
Shane Matheny SS- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .216.
Andres Angulo C- 2 for 4.  BA= .240.
Ismael Munguia DH- 3 for 4.  BA= .286.
Nico Giarratano 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .154.
Jake Wong RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.   ERA= 4.22.
Jesus Tona RHP-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 0.00.