Down on the Farm: 8/20/2017

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes edged out the Sacramento River Cats 2-1:

Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 4, HR(16).  BA= .286.

Roberto Gomez RHP- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.33.

DJ Snelton LHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.96. 

Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.05.

-Gomez is a 28 yo, 6'5", 180 lb drink of water.  His ERA over his last 10 appearances is 2.33 with 38.2 IP in that span with 34 K and 10 BB.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels sank the Akron Rubber Ducks 3-2:

Caleb Gindl CF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .322.

Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .250.

Brandon Bednar 3B- 2 for 2, BB, Sac.  BA= .272.

Matt Lujan LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.30.

Sam Coonrod RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.69.

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High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 4-2:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 3, HR(3).  BA= .257.

Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, SB(5).  BA= .223.

Michael Cederoth RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.83.

-Stay healthy, Michael Cederoth!

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Charleston River Dogs 3-1:

Carlos Garcia SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .229.

Jean Angomas CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(10).  BA= .276.

Skyler Ewing 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(10).  BA= .241.

Michael Bernal 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .251.

Yordy Cabrera RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 3.60.

Nolan Riggs RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, Save(16).  BA= 1.91.

-This was Yordy Cabrera's 4'th Start of the season and his longest appearance.

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

Short Season  Hillsboro Hops blanked the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 2-0: 

Julio Benitez RHP- 9 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.31.

-Benitez threw 92 pitches in the 9-inning CG.

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

AZL  Giants pounded the A's 8-3:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 2, HBP.  BA= .339.

Ismael Munguia LF- 3 for 5, 2 SB(7).  BA= .346.

Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .351.

Nathanael Javier 1B- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .322.

Nico Giarratano SS- 2 for 2, BB, HBP, SB(7).  BA= .259.

Joey Marciano LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.39.

Reagan Bazar RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.63.

John Gavin LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

-Looks like Ramos was lifted for a PR after the HBP.  Hope it as just precautionary.

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

DSL  Giants were idle.

Game Wrap 8/20/2017: Phillies 5 Giants 2

It was Hunter Strickland's turn to have a bullpen meltdown to ruin another QS by Madison Bumgarner.  Key Lines:

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 1 for 3, BB, SB(9).  BA= .261.  Kelby scored 1 of the Giants 2 runs and ran his hit streak to 7 games.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .321.  Buster wasn't happy with Hector Neris who apparently decided to mimic Hunter Strickland, except Strickland was holding a grudge from 4 years ago.  Nobody could remember any reason for Neris to hold a grudge at all.  Buster's take was Neris must have thought he couldn't get Buster out.  When told of Buster's comments, Neris said something to the effect of "any idiot could see I wasn't trying to hit him," except it sure looked like a purpose pitch to everybody but him.  Since he's a reliever, he probably doesn't have to worry about standing in the batters box against a Giants pitcher, but some Giants hitters might decide to work on hitting the ball up the middle when they are facing him the next few times.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.87.  That's a nice looking line except for the 111 pitches in 6 innings part.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.65.  I would say Melancon is not quite ready to move back into the Closer role.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA- 2.79.  Overall, Strickland has pitched well. It's just that when he doesn't, he tends to do it in dramatic fashion.  The fans were not diggin' it either.  Wonder if Strick will be back next year?  The Giants tend to listen to their fans, for better or worse.

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

The Giants go right into another series tomorrow with Chris Stratton trying to build on his last terrific start facing Zach Davies and the BrewCrew.

Down on the Farm: 8/19/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats cooled of the Albuquerque Isotopes 8-0:

Melvin Upton Jr CF- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .268.
Conor Gillaspie 1B- 3 for 5.  BA= .299.
Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .243.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .286.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .291.
Trevor Brown C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .169.
Casey Kelly RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.47.
Dusten Knight RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.98.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.48.

-Kelly has been hot and cold but the talent and tools are still there.
-Do the Giants try to keep Hwang around for next year?  It's unclear to me if they control his contract or if he is a FA at the end of the season.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Akron Rubber Ducks 9-7(completion of suspended game from 8/18):

NTSH

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Akron Rubber Ducks 2-0(7 innings):

Dan Slania RHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.54.

-Was this Slania's best appearance of the season?

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

High A  San Jose Giants outlasted the Visalia Rawhide 8-7(10 innings):

Jonah Arenado 3B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .271.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .236.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 3 for 4, HR(2), BB, SB(11).  BA= .256.
Drew Muren RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.45.

-Jonah Arenado is so hot, he might be the cause of Global Warming!

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

Low A  Charleston River Dogs shut out the Augusta Greenjackets 5-0:

NTSH.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Hillsboro Hops 6-0:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(24).  BA= .272.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .295.
Rob Calabrese C- 2 for 3, 3B.  BA= .278.
Stetson Woods RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.26.
Alejandro De La Rosa RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.57.
Aaron Phillips 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.35.
John Russell RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.00.

-Not sure why Woods came out after just 3 IP.

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

AZL  Giants pounded the A's 10-5:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, SB(10).  BA= .346.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .349.
Diego Rincones RF- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .315.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .261.
Francisco Medina SS- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .216.
Miguel Figueroa RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.68.

-Before you dump all over the Giants farm system, John Barr and Bobby Evans, ask yourself if you can remember a time when they had so many promising teenagers in Arizona.

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DSL  Orioles topped the Giants 5-4:

Luigi Pichardo RF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .286.
Francis Pena RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.02.
Oliver Pinto RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.81.

Game Wrap 8/19/2017: Phillies 12 Giants 9

A 7-run rally in the 6'th inning by the Phillies overwhelmed a pretty good night for the Giants offense which put together its own 5-run rally in the 9'th inning that fell short.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 2 for 4, HR(9), BB.  BA= .275.  Span's HR was in inside-the-park job that hit high off the bricks in Triples Alley and was literally kicked by the OF.  He scored standing up and did not look to be having problems running the bases.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .224.  Pabs also committed a throwing error that did not result in any unearned runs.

Ryder Jones 1B- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .181. Jones continues to show flashes.  He's hitting .235 with a .431 SLG% since his callup on August 2 after going 1 for 21 in his first MLB stint in June/July.

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 1 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .260.  Kelby is hitting .381, 8 for 21, in 6 games since starting at 2B for the injured Joe Panik.

Ty Blach LHP- 5.1 IP,  8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.89.  Blach's success this season was fueled by suppressing HR's that figured to regress over time.  Rhys Hoskins 3-run dinger was the big blow, and the bullpen fail added 2 ER to the line in the 6'th.

Josh Osich LHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.14.  Part of a lefty reliever's job, if they are going to face more than 1 batter at a time, is to force switch-hitters to hit RH which is their more unfamiliar side.  Osich faced 3 of those in a row and gave up a double and a single.  He then walked the LH hitting Nick Williams.  Then Boch did not have Gearrin ready in time to face Rhys Hoskins who also walked.  Gearrin then came in to face a LH hitting PH with a sub-.200 BA who launched a grand slam into the arcade that was a no-doubter off the bat.

Albert Suarez RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.48.  Suarez runs hot and cold.  He was dominant here after 2 ugly appearances.

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

Madison Bumgarner tries for a series win today facing Ben Lively.

Down on the Farm: 8/18/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated he Reno Aces 7-3:

Conor Gillespie 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .278.
Mac Williamson RF- 4 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .242.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4, SF.   BA= .287.
Matt Gage LHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.33.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.83.

-Mac has 3 multi-hit games in his last 4.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Akron Rubber Ducks suspended after 1 inning with the Squirrels leading 7-0.

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

High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 11-1:

Steven Duggar DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .268.
Matt Krook LHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.44.

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Charleston River Dogs 5-4:

Caleb Baragar LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.36.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(15).  ERA= 1.96.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 4-3:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .340.
Greg Jacknewitz LHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.32.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.79.
Logan Webb RHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.05.

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

AZL Giants were idle.

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

DSL  Giants blanked the Orioles 8-0:

Raiber Gutierrez RF- 3 for 5, SB(16).  BA= .275.
Ghordy Santos SS- 2 for 3, 3B, 2 BB, SB(15).  BA= .228.
Franklin Labour LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .317.
Samuel Jorge 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .235.
Omar Medina 1B- 2 for 4, 2 SB(9).  BA= .218.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.00.
Abel Adames RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.32.

Game Wrap 8/18/2017: Giants 10 Phillies 2

The Giants put more distance between themselves and the #1 overall draft pick in 2018.  They piled up 6 runs in the first 3 innings.  Matt Moore took a 1-hit shutout into the 8'th inning before faltering.  The Giants added 4 more runs in the bottom of the 8'th for the blowout win.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 3 for 5.  BA= .273.  Span should be in a strict CF platoon with Gorkys Hernandez or somebody was he is hitting just .230 against LHP's and .286 against RHP's.

Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(11).  BA= .260.  Pence shook off a terrible July and is hitting .351 in August.  He's slashing .277/.328/.454 with 5 dingers in 32 games since the All-Star Break.

Jarrett Parker LF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .267.  Parker drove in Span and Pence with a double for the second night in a row.  I have to say, watching Jarrett Parker in the batters box makes me want a Xanax really bad. Man, that dude is fidgety!  Does he drink from Hunter Pence's coffee jug during the game?

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .218.  Another guy who might be useful in a strict platoon with Pabs facing only RHP's.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(10), BB.  BA= .229.  Maybe his is Crawford's breakout game for a strong finish?  Anyone else vote that a different hairstyle might help?

Matt Moore LHP- 7.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.54.  This as actually a much better line than it looks.  Moore took a 1-hit shutout into the 8'th inning.  After allowing 2 runners to reach around an out, Cory Gearrin came in and gave up a seeing-eye single and a bloop for the 2 runs.  This was Moore's 2'nd QS in a row and 4'th in 7 starts.  In 2 other starts in that stretch, he had 14 K's against 1 BB in 13 IP.

Josh Osich LHP- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.20.  Osich came in to strike out the LH batting Nick Williams with 2 on, 1 out and 2 runs already scored in the 8'th, which is why he is on the roster. The score was 6-2 at that point.  Huge out there.

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

Ty Blach goes up against Jared Eickoff in game 3 of the 4 gamer today.

Down on the Farm: 8/17/2017

AAA Sacramento River Cats trumped(excuse the expression) the Reno Aces 7-4:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .293.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(15).  BA= .284.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .296.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 3.25.

-Will Heathcott ever get a shot at CF in SF?
-Shaw is the Giants premier power-hitting prospect.  Can he play LF in the majors?  Can he hit for enough average in the majors?
-Free Fedex!

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

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

Caleb Gindl CF- 1 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .302.
CJ Hinojosa 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .284.
Jerry Sands 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .282.
KC Hobson LF- 2 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .248.
Cody Hall RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.86.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.28.

-What a motley crew in Richmond!

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High A  Lancaster Jethawks bombed the San Jose Giants 8-2:

Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 3, HR(9).  BA= .237.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.53.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Drew Muren RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

-Muren is a new name.  He seems to have come over from the D'Backs organization.  6'6" RHP.

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

Low A Columbia Fireflies blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 5-0:

Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(10).  BA= .251.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.01.

-This is the first season Beltre has not missed most of in his career.
-I'm sure the Giants have their reasons for not promoting Mazza, but they are not apparent to me.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Boise Hawks 14-5:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(23).  BA= .272.
Bryce Johnson LF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .335.
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .388.
Michael Sexton DH- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .218.
Rob Calabrese C- 4 for 5.  BA= .263.
Kevin Rivera SS/2B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .255.

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

AZL  Giants outscored the Padres 10-9:

Ismael Munguia CF- 0 for 3, 3 BB.  BA= .340.
Mikey Edie LF- 5 for 6, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .455.
Rich Hill RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B, 2 BB, SB(6).  BA= .180.
Ricardo Genoves C- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .252.
Heliot Ramos PH/DH- 1 for 2. BA= .338.
Seth Corry LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.69.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.52.

-Is Mikey Edie finally finding some traction?
-Read a report about a pro scout raving about Genoves when asked who is a Giants prospect in the AZL nobody is talking about.
-A Ray Black sighting!

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DSL  Giants squeaked past the Padres 2-1(7 innings):

Marco Gonzalez LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

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DSL  Padres outlasted the Giants 3-2(10 innings):

NTSH.