Monday, August 31, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/30/2015

AAA  Iowa Cubs cuffed the Sacramento River Cats 9-1:

Jake Dunning(RHP)- 3.1 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.75.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.65.
Clay Rapada(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.02.
Cory Gearrin(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.79.

Giants need to pack as many arms onto the 40 man roster they can squeeze.  Gonna need 'em down the stretch.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels pounded the Akron Rubber Ducks 12-2:

Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .281.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 5, 2 HR(17), BB.  BA= .260.
Devin Harris(LF)- 3 for 4, HR(11), BB, SB(3).  BA= .231.
Engel Beltre(CF)- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .258.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 6 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/3.  ERA= 2.46.
Matt Gage(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

Second 2-homer game in a row for Ricky.  He hit 5 in the 4 game series.  He is also 13 for 25 in his last 7 games.  He had been slumping before that.

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

High A  Ranch Cucamonga Quakes defeated the San Jose Giants 8-3:

Angel Pagan(CF)- 0 for 2, BB.  BA- .143.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .266.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .209.
Jordan Johnson(RHP)- 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 0 K, GO/AO- 6/1.  ERA= 3.71.
Tyler Rogers(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.47.

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Savannah Sand Gnats PPD.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 4-2:

Ronnie Jebavy(CF)- 3 for 3, HBP, 3 SB(23).  BA= .264.
Steven Duggar(RF)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .284.
Nolan Riggs(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 6/2.  ERA= 2.93.
Caleb Smith(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, Save(7).  ERA= 2.92.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants season is finished.

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

DSL  Giants crushed the Rangers 9-3:

Manuel Geraldo(SS, 18 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .286.
Beicker Mendoza(LF, 17 yo)- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .316.
Hengerber Medina(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

All numbers are for the postseason only.  Is Mendoza's postseason performance enough to earn him a promo to the States next season?  I would thing Hengerber should be in Arizona next year.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Game Wrap 8/30/2015: Cardinals 7 Giants 5

The middle of the Giants batting order made a game of it, but was not enough to overcome an awful performance by SP Chris Heston as the Giants dropped the rubber game of the series against the team with the best record in baseball.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt- 4 for 4, SB(9).  BA= .283.  Belt served as a quasi leadoff hitter for Buster Posey and Marlon Byrd and scored 3 of the Giants 5 runs.  Belt scored 5 runs in the series, 7 over his last 4 games, 15 over his last 8.  He is slashing .314/.402/.569 for the month of August with 21 runs and 17 RBI's.

Buster Posey- 3 for 4.  BA= .317.  Buster is hitting just .211 over his last 15 games, but has picked it up for a .296 pace over his last 7.

Marlon Byrd- 3 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .241.  Byrd had a huge game with 2 XBH's down the RF line. One hit the foul pole and the other came within inches.  Not sure he was trying to do that.  He is 10 for 39 in 9 games since joining the Giants with 14 RBI's.

Chris Heston- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.56.  The narrative coming in was that Heston had figured out that he had dropped his arm slot and had rested his shoulder so he could keep it up and get that whipsaw 2-seamer back to work.  It didn't work out that way.  The reason why sinker ball pitchers don't necessarily give up fewer HR's than 4 seam pitchers is that sinkers that don't sink get hammered.  Heston had a lot of sinkers not sink today and the results speak for themselves.  The Giants now have a problem going forward with just 3 SP's they can count on for QS's.  I think that carries over into next year where I don't think they can go into the season counting on Peavy, Cain and Heston for 3/5's of their rotation and it's long past time to cut ties with Timmy and Vogey, sad as that is.

The Loss drops the Giants to 4 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West pending the outcome of the Dodgers game against the Cubs who lead the Giants by 5 games for the Wild Card also pending the outcome of the Dodgers-Cubs game.

The Giants now start a 10 game road trip with 3 games against the the Dodgers in a series that could go a long way towards determining the winner of the NL West.  Jake Peavy starts game 1 tomorrow evening facing Brett Anderson who has a mixed record against the Giants.

Down on the Farm: 8/29/2015

AAA  Game 1  Iowa Cubs defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-1:

Mac Williamson(LF)- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .271.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.21.

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

AAA  Game 2  Iowa Cubs outlasted the Sacramento River Cats 2-1 in 12 innings:

Jarrett Parker(RF)- 1 for 5, HR(20).  BA= .285.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.01.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.46.
Steven Okert(LHP)-  2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.70.

Parker reaches the 20 HR milestone.  River Cats played a total of 19 innings yesterday.  They got just 2 hits and 4 baserunners the entire 12 inning game.

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

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

Hunter Cole(DH)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .298.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 HR(15).  BA= .258.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.34.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.47.
Derek Law(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(10).  ERA= 5.16.

Is Ricky's late power surge enough to earn him an assignment to Sacramento next year?  This was Mejia's first appearance since 7/24.

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

High A  San Jose Giants outscored the Ranch Cucamonga Quakes 7-6 in 11 innings:

Angel Pagan(CF)- 1 for 5.  BA= .200.
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .313.
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 3 for 5.  BA= .270.
Angel Villalona(1B)- 2 for 5, HR(13).  BA= .248.
Christian Jones(LHP)- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.59.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.72.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.00.
Jake Smith(RHP)-  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(15).  ERA= 2.38.

Are the Giants sending a message to Pagan by keeping him in rehab until 9/1?  I am really impressed by what Jake Smith has done this year.  Another potential relief arm in the system.  Will Carbonell be ready to conquer AA next year?

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

Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 2-0 in a rain-shortened 5 inning game:

Michael Santos(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.21.

Hopefully Santos can stay healthy next season and get some traction on his career.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 2-0:

Miguel Gomez(Catcher)- 1 for 3, HR(6).  BA= .328.
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(5).  BA= .253.
Andrew Leenhouts(LHP)- 7.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.57.
Ryan Halstead(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(6).  ERA= 2.52.

Gomez has shown enough power to make the .328 BA even more legit going forward.  Love that he's still playing catcher part time.  The switch-hitting just adds to the versatility.  Riley has had a huge second half.  Is it enough to move him up into the top 50 Giants prospects?  If so, how far up?  Gotta temper the enthusiasm for Leenhouts who is in his 3'rd rodeo with S-K.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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

DSL  Giants pounded the Rangers 9-2:

Manuel Geraldo(SS, 18 yo)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .250.
Sandro Fabian(RF, 17 yo)- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .313.
Beicker Mendoza(LF, 17 yo)- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .357.
Norwith Gudino(RHP, 19 yo)- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.18.
Reymi Rodriguez(RHP, 21 yo)- 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

All numbers listed are for the postseason only.  The DSL Giants have quite a few older players on the team, but it's the 17 year olds who are leading the way in the postseason.

Game Wrap 8/29/2015: Cardinals 6 Giants 0

A series of bad bounces and questionable decisions produced a 4-run 5'th inning for the Cardinals which pretty much put this game out of reach.  Key Lines:

Ryan Vogelsong- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.19.  Vogelsong pitched out of the stretch almost the entire time he was pitching, so it was probably inevitable that something like the 5'th inning would happen, so he did not pitch better than the score would indicate.  Still, the 5'th inning was not entirely his fault either.  Brandon Moss led off with a drive off the bricks in R-CF.  A RF more experienced at AT&T than Marlon Byrd probably would have hung back away from the wall a bit more which may or may not have given him a chance to field the hard ricochet that came back past him allowing Moss to run out a triple.

With a makeshift lineup and Lance Lynn throwing well, Bochy wanted to keep the game at 0-0 so brought the IF in which allowed Matt Carpenter to ground a hit through the right side scoring that run Bochy was trying to prevent.  After a single by Piscotty, who is not playing like a Stanford hitter, put runners at first and second, Jhonny Peralta hit a slow grounder that Adrianza had to take to first base to get an out, advancing the runners to 2'n'd and 3'rd with 1 out.  Bochy then had Vogelsong pitch around Jason Heyward to set up Yadier Molina to face George Kontos.  Kontos did not bring his LOB magic with him in this game.  A WP brought in 1 run and a single by Molina drove in 2 more and the game was all but over.

Yusmeiro Petit- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.69.  Unfortunately, Petit has had to do most of his work in lost cause situations which may contribute to the general dissatisfaction of the fan base with him.   After a rough start to the season, he's actually pitched quite well.  His ERA is 2.19 over his last 7 appearances, 1.99 over his last 15 and 3.32 over his last 30.  I don't think Clayton Blackburn, just to name one, is a lock to be better than that as a replacement.

The Loss dropped the Giants to 3.5 games behind the Dodgers, who topped the Cubs 5-2, in the NL West.  They remain 4.5 games behind the Cubbies for the final Wild Card playoff spot.

Chris Heston comes back to replace Matt Cain in the rotation today and tries for a series win against Jaime Garcia who pitches great when he is healthy, which he currently seems to be.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/28/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats vs Iowa Cubs postponed due to rain.  DH today.

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

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

Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 5.  BA= .280.
Myles Schroder(3B)- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .243.
Hunter Cole(DH)- 2 for 5.  BA= .298.
Jesus Galindo(RF)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .230.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.23.
Derek Law(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(9).  ERA= 5.40.

I'm going to say the grind of his first full pro season finally got to Beede.  I'll be looking for some great starts next spring.

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

High A  San Jose Giants blanked the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5-0:

Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .262.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .265.
Brian Ragira(DH)- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .260.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 7 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.50.
Ray Black(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.13.

Very nice way to end the season for Martin Agosta.  He finished with a 2.87 ERA over his last 10 starts.  His peripheral numbers were strong all season with 116 K's against just 24 BB in 100 IP.  His most glaring problem is the 15 dingers he allowed.  I'm calling a breakout season next year in AA.

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

Low A  West Virginia Power beat the Augusta Greenjackets 5-1:

Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .265.
DJ Snelton(LHP)- 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.76.

Huge strides for Martinez this year.  He will definitely be in my Giants Top 50 Prospects next season and maybe in the top half of that list.

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

Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-0:

Miguel Gomez(3B)- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .328.
Luis Pino(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.38.
EJ Encinosa(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.71.

Gomez is another guy with serious helium in the Giants prospect rankings.  Not sure where he plays but gotta find a place for that bat!

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

Rookie AZL  Dodgers smothered the Giants 2-0:

Mikey Edie(CF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .290.
Nick Gonzalez(LHP)- 5.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.57.
Jose Morel(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.91.

Edie has had the best season of all the young 5 tool studs not named Johneshwy.  Again, I have no idea what Nick Gonzalez is doing in the AZL.  Morel should get an opportunity at a higher level next year.

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

DSL  Giants edged out the Yankees1 3-2 in an 8-inning rain shortened game:

Sandro Fabian(RF, 17 yo)- 3 for 4, 2B, HR.
Beicker Mendoza(LF, 17 yo)- 1 for 3, HR.
Victor Concepcion(RHP, 18 yo)- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.

Man!  The rubber game of a 3 game playoff series ends up being rain-shortened!  I would not feel good about that if the Giants had lost.  Oh well, any team named Yankees1 deserves that kind of fate!  Great to see the 17 year olds step up with the season on the line.  I expect to see Concepcion in the States next year.  Giants start the final DSL playoff series against the Rangers today.

Game Wrap 8/28/2015: Giants 5 Cardinals 4

The legend of Kelby Tomlinson continues to grow as he lined a single through a 5 man infield to give the Giants a walk-off win against the team with the best record in baseball.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt- 2 for 5.  BA= .276.  Belt has been an OBP machine since moving into the 3-hole and that is creating RBI opportunities for the hitters behind him.  His OBP over his last 15 games is .419.  The top 4 Giants hitters in this game were on base 8 times in 20 PA's.  If your top 4 batters are getting on base at a .400 clip, your team is going to score some runs even if the top 4 aren't hitting for any power.

Marlon Byrd- 1 for 4, HR(22).  BA= .238.  The 4 and 5 holes are where I think OBP becomes less important, especially 5.  5 and 6 you are just looking for hits and dingers to drive in runs.  Byrd is a prototype 5 or 6 hole hitter.  He must feel like he died and went to heaven finding all these runners on base for him.  He is 7 for 28 since joining the Giants for a .250 BA, but 3 of those 7 hits have been dingers and have driven in a total of 9 runs and have directly contributed to 3 of the Giants 4 wins in that span.  Oh, and the Grand Slam was the Giants 8'th of the season setting a franchise record.

Kelby Tomlinson- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .364.  How many big hits has Tomlinson had since being called up?  This one was huge!  The Giants got a bit of a break with Trevor Rosenthal out of paternity leave.  Kevin Seigrist, who has always been very tough on the Giants pitched the 9'th inning of a tie game, which is an interesting place to use your closer on the road.  Anyway, Seigrist had trouble finding the plate and Tomlinson came up with the bases loaded and 1 out.  This is a situation where you absolutely do not want to leave it up to the next batter, especially when you are batting 7'th in the lineup.  The Cardinals brought Brandon Moss in from the OF for a 5 man IF.  BTW, if you are going to do that, why not just bring in all 3 OF's and play a 7 man IF?  Anyway,  I had a feeling about Kelby in this situation.  Of all the Giants current hitters, I think he and Duffman are the two I would have the most confidence in to get it done. Those two just never, ever give up on an AB.  Kelby did not disappoint.  He lined a shot up the middle just to the left of 2B, right where Moss had been standing before the Cardinals repositioned him to the right of 2B.  Peralta was playing a fairly neutral SS so there was just a wee bit of a hole between him and where Moss moved to and Kelby put it right in the exact middle of that hole.  Amazing!

Mike Leake- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 3.53.  I thought Leake pitched better than his line looks.  He gave up some hits, but in the 3-run 4'th inning, the Giants failed to convert 2 GIDP opportunities and it cost them at least 2 runs.  The 4'th run scored when Tommy Pham singled, took 2B on a flyball out, took 3B on another flyout and scored on a WP.  Again, if Leake stays healthy and continues to pitch like he has so far, he's going to win some games down the stretch.

Josh Osich- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 1.80.  It doesn't look like much of a line, but Osich was brought in to face Jason Heyward and Matt Carpenter with runners on base and the game on the line in the 7'th inning.  Pretty significant that Bochy went to Osich and not Lopez in that situation.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.32.   Bochy seems to have found the right role for Romo and it's what he used to do before he became a closer.  Romo is pitching as well as he's ever pitched right now.  0.61 ERA over his last 15 appearances.  34 K's against just 3 BB's in his last 26 IP over 30 appearances.

The Win kept the Giants 2.5 games ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West as the Bad Guys handed the Cubs their 3'rd straight loss.  The Giants have made up 3 games in 3 days on the Cubs in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot.  They now trail the baby bruins by 4.5 games.

Ryan Vogelsong faces Lance Lynn today in an afternoon game at AT&T Park.  In case you are interested, the Cubs have Jon Lester going against the Dodgers.

Matt Cain was placed on the DL with nerve irritation in his right elbow.  Chris Heston will get the start in his place on Sunday.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/27/2015

AAA  Iowa Cubs defeated the Sacramento River Cats 3-1:

Trevor Brown(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .275.
Carlos Triunfel(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .271.
Nik Turley(LHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.63.
Cory Gearrin(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.87.

Is Carlos Triunfel next in line for 3B if Matt Duffy ever had to go in the DL?  Could Cory Gearrin be a Sept callup?

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

AA  Akron Rubber Ducks beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5:

Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 5.  BA= .278.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .256.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(13).  BA= .253.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 7.27.
Matt Gage(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.94.

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

High A  San Jose Giants pounded the Inland Empire 66'ers 7-3:

Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .263.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .241.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .209.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.27.

Strong start for Reyes in what is probably his last appearance of the season.

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged out the West Virginia Power 2-1:

Dylan Davis(RF)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .276.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.15.

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

Short Season  Everett Aquasox topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-3:

Steven Duggar(RF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .284.
Chris Shaw(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .289.

Shaw's 9 HR's is tied for second in the NWL.  He also has a nice 10.8 BB% with a manageable K rate of 21%.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants downed the Dodgers 4-2:

Mikey Edie(CF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .284.
Deiyerbert Bolivar(LHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.08.
Kendry Melo(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.15.
Heath Slatton(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(8).  ERA= 0.79.


As someone commented yesterday, Mikey Edie has quietly had a pretty good AZL season.  I'll be looking for Bolivar in the Augusta rotation next spring.

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

DSL  Yankees1 turned the tables on the Giants 9-1:

Sandro Cabrera(LHP, 20 yo)- 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.

Playoff series now even at 1 game each.  Scores of both games 9-1.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Game Wrap 8/27/2015: Giants 9 Cubs 1

The Giants got stellar pitching from Madison Bumgarner and an unexpected power attack from the offense to route the Cubs in the rubber game of their 3 game series.  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 1 for 3, BB, SB(14).  BA= .296.  Aoki started the 4 run rally in the 3'rd inning with a walk followed by a SB and advancing to 3B on a throwing error.  He then scored on Matt Duffy's single which created more scoring opportunities to follow.

Brandon Belt- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .275.  I have always maintained the the 3 hole is primarily an OBP spot in the lineup with the real RBI spots coming in the cleanup, 5 and 6 holes.  As you would imagine, I really like Belt in the 3 spot.  He has plenty of power, but his biggest asset there, his OBP skill, helps set the table for Posey, Byrd and LOL Kelby Tomlinson or whoever is manning those slots.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .315.  Buster has 4 hits in his last 3 games with 2 doubles.  Hopefully this means the slump is over.

Marlon Byrd- 1 for 3, HR(21), BB.  BA= .238.   Byrd has 2 dingers as a Giants and both have ignited the offense to wins.  Giants are close to dead last in MLB in 3 run dingers, but lead the league in Grand Slams.  As Vin Scully would say, "go figure!"

Kelby Tomlinson- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .346.  Kelby Tomlinson!  I mean, who needs Joe Panik?  Not that I don't want Panik back, but my goodness!  I don't even know where to start!  When Tomlinson went out to his 2B position after the grand slam, he got an extended standing O from the great fans at AT&T Park.  How great is that?  Kelbysdadchris, if you are out there, congratulations from all of us in the WTGCTT community.  Oh, and let's not forget that Kelby also scored the first Giants run of the game after singling and then scoring on Juan Perez' double.

Juan Perez- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .375.  It's been a tough season for Lil Juan P spending most of it in Sacramento which has to be tough after being part of a World Series Championship team.  He's back up and getting it done though.  First that great catch on the road trip and now sporting a .375 BA on top of his defensive heroics.

Madison Bumgarner- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 12 K's.  ERA= 2.97.  Best part is he only threw 98 pitches which should leave him fresh for his next start against….the Dodgers?

The Win kept the Giants 2.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West as the bad guys topped the Reds 1-0.  The Dodgers won't have Greinke against the Cubs this weekend now.  The Giants gained a game on the Cubs in the Wild Card race and now trail for the final spot by 5.5 games.

Mike Leake takes on the Cardinals and Michael Wacha tomorrow evening in the first game of a weekend series against the top team in MLB by W-L.

Down on the Farm: 8/26/2015

AAA Omaha Stormchasers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-1:

Angel Pagan(CF)- 1 for 4.  BA= .429.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 2 for 4.  BA= .300.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 6.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/3.  ERA= 3.23.

Pagan seems like he's about ready and if Blanco is hurting, the Giants may have to rush him back.  Blackburn ran into bad luck in the 7'th inning so in that sense he pitched a better game than the final line looks like.  His line was helped out by 3 GIDP's, one of the benefits of being a groundball pitcher.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Harrisburg Senators 3-0:

Matt Lujan(LHP)- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.20.

Lujan just kind of keeps hanging around.  Back from an injury and pitching well.  He is sporting an ERA of 1.69 over his last 10 appearances and has a 21.2 inning streak without allowing an ER over his last 4 appearances. A sleeper in the system.

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

High A  San Jose Giants pounded the Inland Empire 66'ers 8-1:

Angel Villalona(1B)- 3 for 5, 2 HR(12).  BA= .250.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 2 for 5.  BA= .222.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .205.
Seth Harrison(CF)- 3 for 4.  BA= .221.
Andrew Suarez(LHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.90.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.08.

If only Villalona could get himself into better shape!  I'm thinking Suarez might start next season in Richmond.

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

Low A  West Virginia Power beat the Augusta Greenjackets 4-2:

Will Callaway(3B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .272.
Chuckie Jones(CF)- 1 for 3, HR(4), HBP.  BA= .269.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 3 for 4.  BA= .215.
Chris Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/1.  ERA= 5.17.
Carlos Diaz(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.78.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Everett Aquasox 3-2 in 10 innings:

Ronnie Jebavy(CF)- 2 for 5, 2 2B, SB(20).  BA= .268.
Steven Duggar(RF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .280.
Chris Shaw(1B)- 2 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .283.
Richard Amion(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .239.
Grant Watson(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.86.
David Owen(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.84.

Can't wait to see how many dingers Chris Shaw hits in a full season.

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

Rookie AZL  Reds outscored the Giants 6-4:

Jalen Miller(SS)- 2 for 5.  BA= .229.
Phil Bickford(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.01.

Bickford has 18 K's in 8.1 IP over his last 3 appearances.  Overall, he has 32 K's against 6 BB's in 22.1 IP.  Another prospect who I can't wait to see next year.

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

DSL  Giants crushed the Yankees1 7-0:

Juan Rodriguez(CF, 20 yo)- 2 for 4.
Manuel Geraldo(SS, 18 yo)- 2 for 5, 3B.
Mecky Coronado(DH, 18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.
Robinson Medrano(1B, 19 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.
Melvin Adon(RHP, 21 yo)- 6.1 IP, 3 H 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.
Hengerber Medina(RHP, 20 yo)- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.

Giants take game 1 of their semifinal playoff series.

Game Wrap 8/26/2015: Giants 4 Cubs 2

The Giants got a stopper performance from Jake Peavy and their makeshift offense scratched out 4 runs for their first win against the Cubs this year in 6 tries.  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .296.  Aoki's HR to lead off the bottom of the first was a no doubter into the RF arcade.  It got the Giants going after they fell behind in the first inning by 2 runs.

Matt Duffy- 0 for 3, BB, SB(7).  BA= .306.  Duffy drew a walk in the first inning, then twisted his ankle on a pickoff attempt when his right foot got tangled with Rizzo's left foot.  Duff grabbed his ankle and appeared to be in a lot of pain.  He managed to walk it off, then incredibly stole 2B, took 3B after tagging up on a fly ball and scored when Kelby Tomlinson beat out a fielder's choice play at 2B.  Duffy remained in the game, but got X-rays afterward and is now listed as D2D.

Brandon Belt- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .296.  Not sure what Chris Denorfia was doing playing CF, but he whiffed on an attempt at a diving catch in left-CF and the ball went all the way to the fence while Belt cruised around the bases for a triple.  I'll say this, Brandon Belt sliding headfirst into 3B is a awesome sight!

Buster Posey- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .314.  Buster followed Belt's triple with a drive up Triples Alley of his own, but he settled for a double.  It was the type of hit that would make you think he might be about to bust out of his slump.

Kelby Tomlinson- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .333.  You look at Tomlinson and say to yourself, man, I wish Panik would hurry up and get well, but Tomlinson  has not been a problem in the lineup.  He just keeps doing good things like beating out a force play at 2B with 2 outs to allow a run to score or shooting a double down the 1B line to drive in an insurance run.  And Kelby and Duffy must have spent a lot of time talking to each other about hitting because the way they both use every inch of the field for their hits is so similar.  Love what he's doing!

Jake Peavy- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 4.21.  Kyle Schwarber led off the game with an IF pop up that both Peavy and Buster bailed on at the last second and if fell for a double. Had one of them made that catch, Peavy would most likely have taken a shutout into the 7'th inning instead of starting the game with a 2 run deficit.  I guess all's well that ends well, though.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(31).  ERA= 3.53.  Wow! Casilla had the best looking stuff I can remember this year!  He just blew away Kris Bryant and Dexter Fowler on nasty looking pitches and got Montero to ground to to 1B in between.  Hope this is what we'll see from him down the stretch.

The Win enabled the Giants to keep pace with the Dodgers at 2.5 games behind in the NL West.
they gained a game on the Cubs in the Wild Card race, but not sure it matters as they trail the baby bruins by 6.5 games.

Madison Bumgarner tries for a series win this afternoon facing Dan Haren.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/25/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Omaha Stormchasers 5-4:

Angel Pagan(CF)- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .667.
Everth Cabrera(SS)- 3 for 5, SB(7).  BA= .263.
Hector Sanchez(Catcher)- 3 for 5.  BA= .290.
Ben Turner(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .286.
Tommy Hanson(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.63.

Pagan seems like he's ready to come back.  A platelet-rich plasma injection in the knee seemed to do the trick for him.  Hanson seems to be back on track after a string of disastrous starts.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Harrisburg Senators 2-1:

Hunter Cole(RF)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .303.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.38.

Marte outpitched Lucas Giolito in this one.

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

High A  San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'er's 1-0:

Brian Ragira(DH)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .258.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.92
Tyler Rogers(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.53.

Second scoreless start in a row for Forjet who also has 6 QS's in his last 8 starts.  Someone to watch next season.

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

Low A  West Virginia Power overpowered the Augusta Greenjackets 7-3:

Richard Rodriguez(SS)- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .333.
Dylan Davis(RF)- 1 for 2, 2B, 3 BB.  BA= .274.
Matt Pare(DH)- 3 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .216.
Jake McCasland(RHP)- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.60.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.90.
Eury Sanchez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.21.

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

Short Season  Everett Aquasox topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-1:

Michael Connolly(RHP)- 5 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.33.

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

Rookie AZL  Game 1  Giants beat the Padres 6-1:

Dillon Dobson(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .305.
Byron Murray(LF)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .272.
Tyler Brown(2B)- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .417.
Dominic Mazza(LHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.27.
Kendry Melo(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.45.

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

Rookie AZL  Game 2  Padres outscored the Giants 4-2:

Byron Murray(DH)- 1 for 2, SF.  BA= .275.
Mac Marshall(LHP)- 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.57.
Jose Morel(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.05.

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

DSL  Giants have a bye for the first round of the DSL playoffs.  They start their semifinal series against the Yankees1 team today.

Game Wrap 8/25/2015: Cubs 8 Giants 5

This one was not nearly as close as the final score would indicate as Matt Cain got pummeled for 6 runs in 5 innings of pitching including 5 scored off home runs.  The Giants mounted a nice rally in the 8'th inning, but it fell way short.  Key Lines:

Andrew Susac- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .236.  Susac came into the game to spell Buster Posey in a blowout loss.  He ended up making the final score respectable with a bases-loaded double that was absolutely crushed to straightaway CF.  The ball came off the bat in a low trajectory and was past Dexter Fowler before he could even get turned around to go back on it.  The ball eventually hit at the base of the fence as all 3 baserunners scored to make it 8-5.  That was the end of the heroics for the Giants on this night, though.

Matt Cain- 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/1.  ERA= 6.15.  Put a dinger prone pitcher up against a home run hitting team like the Cubs and this is what you get.  Ugly!  I was encouraged early by the ground ball outs, but then Cain fell victim once again to the location mistake and you cannot make location mistakes to Kyle Schwarber!  3-run dinger and you knew it was over right there.  I still have hope that Cainer will figure it out and help the Giants next year and the year after, but I'm quickly losing confidence that he's going to help them this season.

Brandon Crawford also came out of the game early with back and side stiffness.  The team already is struggling with Pence and Panik out.  Buster Posey is in a slump and may be feeling the pressure of carrying the team with the other killer P's out.  It will be a challenge to stay in contention over the next 8 games against the Cubs, Cardinals and Dodgers in LA with those key players missing.

The Loss dropped the Giants to 2.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and 7.5 games behind the Cubs in the final Wild Card race.

Jake Peavy tries to find some traction against Kyle Hendricks tonight at AT&T Park.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/24/2015

AAA  Omaha Stormchasers blanked the Sacramento River Cats 6-0:

Chris Stratton(RHP)- 5 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.19.

Another enigmatic season for an enigmatic pitcher.

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

AA  Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .280.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.51.

Moreno has been one of the big positive surprises of the season.  A fine season for Biagini who should get a shot at AAA next year, then who knows?

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

High A  San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire 66'ers 6-4:

Angel Villalona(1B)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(10).  BA= .246.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .272.
Brian Ragira(DH)- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .254.
Jordan Johnson(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.28.

I attended the first 6 innings of this game with about 94 other people in the Inland Empire.  Of course, you all want to know about Jordan Johnson which is the reason why I went.  He's got nice size for a pitcher at his listed height of 6'3".  I would estimate he is heavier than his listed 175 and well proportioned.  He is very deliberate in all of his movements, maybe to a fault.  He has loose, whippy, over-the-top arm action which generates a fastball with good life and downward plane.  The stadium gun had his FB ranging 91-95 MPH with the majority going 93-94.  He also has a hard breaking ball in the mid-80's and a nice slower breaking ball in the upper 70's with solid break and depth.  I didn't see too many pitches that I would call change ups, but I saw one off-speed pitch with nice sink and fade to a LH batter that probably was. His command seemed a bit spotty and he worked out of the stretch most of the time he was out there.  He seemed to tire in 5'th and 6'th innings, rarely topping 90 MPH in those frames, but he did reach back for a couple of 94 MPH'ers in the 6'th, but he seemed to have to put more effort into those and they were not close to being strikes.  A couple of the hits he gave up were not hit too well, but he did give up some hard-hit balls.  Not a dominant performance from a statistical line, but from a scouting perspective, he appears to have the stuff to be a serious prospect.

In two looks, I have now seen Ryder Jones have about 7 AB's and he's squared up at least 6 of them.  Kid has a serious hit tool and some power potential in that upper body.  Angel Villalona hit the ball hard, but looks to be in terrible shape.  I mean, Pablo Sandoval at his worst looks to be in the picture of health by comparison!

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Everett Aquasox 4-3:

Steven Duggar(RF)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .281.
Nolan Riggs(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.04.
Nathanael Santiago(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.63.
Ryan Halstead(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(5).  ERA= 2.66.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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

DSL  Giants have a bye in the first round of the DSL playoffs.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/23/2015

AAA  Omaha Storm Chasers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-3:

Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .292.
Mac Williamson(LF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.
Hector Sanchez(DH)- 2 for 4.  BA= .285.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.63.

Parker is this years .300 watch.  Can he finish the season with a .300 BA?  Brett Bochy has quietly had a really good season.

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

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

Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 4.  BA= .278.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.19.
Derek Law(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 4.43.

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

High A  San Jose Giants extinguished the Bakersfield Blaze 6-4:

Christian Arroyo(SS)- 2 for 3, HR(9), SF.  BA= .320.
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .270.
Ty Ross(Catcher)- 2 for 3.  BA= .239.

Covechatter posted a Joe Ritzo tweet saying Arroyo's dinger traveled an estimated 424 ft.

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

Low A  Charleston River Dogs mauled the Augusta Greenjackets 7-3:

Will Callaway(2B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .271.
Dylan Davis(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(9), BB.  BA= .272.
Chuckie Jones(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .279.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.31.

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

Short Season  Everett Aquasox topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-2:

Steven Duggar(RF)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .273.
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .252.

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

Rookie AZL  Cubs outlasted the Giants 1-0 in 11 innings:

Angel Pagan(CF)- 1 for 2.  BA= .500.
Mikey Edie(CF)- 1 for 3.  BA= .279.
Nick Gonzalez(LHP)- 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.49.
Dylan Brooks(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.05.

Does not sound like the Giants are anxious to get Pagan back.  He's slated to play some AAA games before he comes of the DL which is not expected before Sept 1.  Not sure what Nick Gonzalez is doing in Rookie ball.  Hopefully working on something.

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

DSL  Giants have a bye for the first round of the DSL playoffs.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Game Wrap 8/23/2015: Pirates 5 Giants 2

I don't know what the league average is for visiting teams on getaway days, but it sure seems like the Giants must be near the bottom of that list.  When Ryan Vogelsong allowed 5 of the first 6 batters he faced to reach base with 3 of them scoring, you knew the Giants chances of winning this one were very small.  I'll give them credit for making a game of it until late.  Key Lines:

Matt Duffy- 3 for 5.  BA= .308.  If I do a 2020 projected Giants roster, I'm thinking Matt Duffy is going to be the third baseman.  Dude just shows no signs of falling apart and as the ESPN announcers were saying, he has room to get better.

Ryan Vogelsong- 3.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.08.  After the way the first inning started, I would say Vogey did very well to keep it to 3 runs allowed in the 3.1 innings he pitched.  When you realize that he allowed 6 more baserunners over the next 2.1 IP, it's even more amazing that the game was not a blowout by the 3'rd inning.  With Tim Hudson and Chris Heston probably coming back at the end of the month, Vogey probably has 1 more start to have a bounce back start and hang onto his rotation spot.

The Dodgers lost again to the Astros 3-2 in extra innings as they couldn't even get a 1 inning out of their bullpen and it was closer Kenley Jansen who blew the Save to boot.  That left the Giants almost miraculously just 1.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers.  The bad news is the Cubs won yet again and stretched their lead over the Giants in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot to 6 games.

The Giants now get a travel and recuperation day before starting a homestand against the red hot Cubs with Matt Cain facing the fearsome Jake Arrietta on Tuesday, August 25 in AT&T Park.

Down on the Farm: 8/22/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the New Orleans Zephyrs 2-1 in 10 innings:

Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .289.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 15/2.  ERA= 4.05.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.93.

Blach has now pitched a total of 17 innings over his last 2 starts allowing just 1 run.

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

AA  Trenton Thunder pounded the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-2:

Tyler Beede(RHP)- 6.1 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO=9/1.  ERA= 5.35.

Beede was still getting GB outs, but obviously way too many batted balls were finding holes.  I'm going to attribute Beede's struggles in AA to adjusting to pitching every 5'th day over the course of a full pro season, but if he's still putting up lines like this in May next year, I'll be officially concerned.

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

High A  Bakersfield Blaze beat the San Jose Giants 6-3:

Brian Ragira(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .246.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.84.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.24.
Ray Black(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.57.

Agosta's peripheral stats are much better than his results, partly due to a strong tendency to give up dingers, but that does not entirely account for the disconnect.  Again, I'm going to predict a big breakout next year in Richmond.  Ysla has run hot and cold this season.

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

Low A  Charleston River Dogs outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 10-5:

Richard Rodriquez(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .333.
Chuckie Jones(CF)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .271.
Michael Santos(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.03.
Carlos Diaz(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.82.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Eugene Emeralds 6-5 in 10 innings:

Ronnie Jebavy(CF)- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .272.
Miguel Gomez(3B)- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .346.
Chris Shaw(1B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .291.
Christian Lichtenthaler(SS)- 3 for 5.  BA= .246.
Luis Pino(RHP)- 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.09.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants beat the D'Backs 6-2:

Mikey Edie(CF)- 2 for 5, SB(10).  BA= .277.
Byron Murray(LF)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .272.
Kleiber Rivas(Catcher)- 2 for 4.  BA= .400.
Deiyerbert Bolivar(LHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.13.
Matt Pope(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.00.

Edie is hitting .318 over his last 10 games.

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

DSL  Giants downed the Red Sox1 3-2:

Sandro Fabian(RF, 17 yo)- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .269.
Sandro Cabrera(LHP, 20 yo)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.32.

The Giants win their division by 1 game over Yankees1 with the best record in the entire DSL.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Game Wrap 8/22/2015: Pirates 3 Giants 2

There was just a hint of fall in the air in Pittsburgh and the shadows were already lengthening at the 4 PM local start time.  There was also more than a hint of playoff atmosphere in the game as the Pirates used 3 solo home runs to overcome the speed and hustle of the Giants and win a nail biting pitcher's duel.  Key Lines:

Mike Leake- 6 IP, 1 H 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 3.44.  If this is the Leake the Giants get the rest of the way, they are in good shape.  He actually outpitched Gerrit Cole except for 1 pitch to Jung Ho Kang(pronounced "Gong" for all of you who did not watch the broadcast).  Leake ultimately left the game in a 1-1 tie and did not get a decision, but he looked very good.

Gerrit Cole- 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.49.  Don't mean to cause any trouble, but the TV camera kept showing Brandon Crawford's sister, Amy, in the stands whenever he batted against Gerrit Cole who happens to be her fiancé.  Have to say, she did not look too happy when Brandon struck out.  She is a pretty girl, though.

The Loss drops the Giants a full 2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West pending the outcome of the Dodgers-Astros game.  They dropped further behind the Cubs in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot, now 5 games off that pace.

Ryan Vogelsong takes the mound in the series finale tomorrow evening facing Francisco Liriano.

Down on the Farm: 8/21/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the New Orleans Zephyrs 14-3:

Kevin Frandsen(1B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .292.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 4, 3B, HR(19), BB.  BA= .287.
Mac Williamson(LF)- 4 for 4, 2B, HR(5), BB.  BA= .274.
Trevor Brown(Catcher)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .282.
Nik Turley(LHP)- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.64.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 4/0, Save(2).  ERA= 3.60.

Okert is unscored upon in his last 9 appearances covering 12 IP with 16 K's against 3 BB's.  Does Mac Williamson have a chance to start next season on the 25 man active roster out of spring training?   Well, Pence Pagan and Blanco are all under contract for next season.  Aoki has a $4+ M team option that will almost certainly not vest into a mutual option.  That will be picked up by the team.  Marlon Byrd has an $8 M team option for next year that will almost certainly not vest into a guaranteed contract.  That might not be picked up.  Williamson won't be playing CF and he won't be kept up to sit on the bench, so unless there is an injury to Pence or Aoki, or a major trade, Williamson will start next season in Sacramento.

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

AA  Trenton Thunder blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-0:

Chase Johnson(RHP)- 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 11.25.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.02.

Rough AA debut for Chase Johnson.  The K's look great, but 5 SB's allowed contributed to his downfall.

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

High A  Bakersfield Blaze defeated the San Jose Giants 5-3:

Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .270.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .220.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.93.

Add Jose Reyes name to the list of current minor league starters who could have a future as a MLB bullpen arm.

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

Low A  Charleston River Dogs beat the Augusta Greenjackets 9-3:

Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.05.
Carlos Diaz(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.90.

If I was going to project a future closer for the Giants, Martinez would be on the short list.

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

Short Season  Eugene Emeralds topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-6:

John Riley(1B)- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .244.
Logan Webb(RHP)- 5 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 4.61.
Cory Taylor(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.32.

Riley his hitting .354 since July 28, 22 hits in 62 AB.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants outscored the Angels 7-6:

Jalen Miller(SS)- 2 for 4, BB, SB(11).  BA= .231.
Mikey Edie(PH-RF)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(9).  BA= .272.
Dillon Dobson(1B)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .313.
Kleiber Rivas(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .375.
Jean Angomas(LF)- 3 for 4, 3B.  BA= .281.
Phil Bickford(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.33.

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

DSL  Giants downed the Red Sox1 4-1:

Robert Antunez(DH, 19 yo)- 1 for 4, BB, 3 SB(27).  BA= .319.
Prebito Reyes(LHP, 19 yo)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.22.
Luis Amaya(LHP, 16 yo)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(6).  ERA= 1.77.

Final game of the DSL regular season today with the Giants maintaining their 1 game division lead over Yankees1.  Whoever finishes second has clinched a wild card playoff spot.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Game Wrap 8/21/2015: Giants 6 Pirates 4

Marlon Byrd paid immediate dividends on his trade to the Giants with a 2-run HR in his first Giants AB in the first inning.  Madison Bumgarner was uncharacteristically shaky on the mound, but helped his own cause with a 2-run dinger of his own to lead the Giants to a much needed win on the road.  Key Lines:

Nori Aoki- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .307.  Aoki seems most comfortable leading off and he is the most reliable on-base guy among the potential leadoff guys on the team.  He should be the leadoff hitter.

Brandon Belt- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .275.  Belt's double was too much of a line drive to get over the porch in RF.  Would have been out of most ballparks, but probably not AT&T for the same reason.

Marlon Byrd- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(20).  BA= .242.  Byrd kills LHP's, so Jeff Locke was a perfect opposing pitcher for his first game as a Giant.  He did not disappoint as he launched a 2 run dinger in his very first AB and added a single and double later.  Giants don't win this game without him.

Gregor Blanco- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .293.  Blanco was 0 for 5 in game 1 of the series against Charlie Morton, but bounced back nicely in this game against a LHP.

Madison Bumgarner- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .254.  Bummy is starting to set all kinds of records for his hitting.  Moving way up the all-time pitcher hitting rankings.  This blast surpasses his previous season high of 4.  He was already the holder of the Giants single season record.

Madison Bumgarner- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.02.  Bummy threw 50 pitches in the first 2 innings but still got into the 7'th inning before running out of gas.  The Giants offense including his own hitting picked him up.

The Dodgers got no-hit by Mike Fiers and the Astros in a 3-0 loss so the Giants are now 1.5 games behind them in the NL West.  The Cubs won again over the Braves, this time by a score of 5-3, so the Giants remain 4 games behind in the race for the 2'nd Wild Card playoff spot.

Mike Leake comes off the DL tomorrow to face Gerrit Cole in a tough matchup tomorrow afternoon.

Chris Heston got sent down to Sacramento to make room on the 25 man roster for Byrd.  There will be another move tomorrow to make room for Mike Leake.  I'll guess Ryan Lollis.

Down on the Farm: 8/20/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the New Orleans Zephyrs 4-3 in 14 innings:

Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 10/1.  ERA= 3.26.

Blackburn is 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA over his last 10 starts.  5 of those have been QS's and he has not allowed more than 2 ER in any single start over that span.  His K rate is pedestrian, but he keeps the BB's down and he has a strong GO/AO.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Binghampton Mets rained out.

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

High A  San Jose Giants edged out the Bakerfield Blaze 3-2:

Christian Arroyo(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .322.
Andrew Suarez(LHP)- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

What a wonderful season Christian Arroyo has had!  Suarez has a successful high A debut.

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

Low A  Charleston River Dogs defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 5-1:

Mark Reyes(LHP)- 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.27.

Reyes has had a fine season but will it play at higher levels?

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

Short Season  Eugene Emeralds pounded the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 12-5:

Steven Duggar- 2 for 4.  BA= .276.
Miguel Gomez(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .347.
Chris Shaw(1B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .285.
Jose Vizcaino, Jr(DH)- 2 for 4.  BA= .309.
Grant Watson(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.36.
EJ Encinosa(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.74.

Rough NWL debut for Watson.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants outscored the Angels 7-5:

Jalen Miller(SS)- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SF.  BA= .224.
Mikey Edie(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .264.
Tyler Brown(2B)- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .450.
Zach Bowers(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .185.
Dominic Mazza(LHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.10.
Dylan Brooks(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.25.

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

DSL  Giants beat the Mets1 2-1:

Sandro Fabian(RF, 17 yo)- 2 for 3, SB(2).  BA= .269.
Victor Concepcion(RHP, 18 yo)- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.42.
Norwich Gudino(RHP, 19 yo)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.52.

Game Wrap 8/20/2015: Pirates 4 Giants 0

The Giants bats were quiet against an old nemesis in a game they were never really a threat to win.  Key Lines:

Charlie Morton(Pirates)- 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's,  GO/AO)= 7/2.  ERA= 4.06.  It just seemed to me that Charlie Morton's historical success agains the Giants is significantly out of proportion to his career averages, so I looked up is splits on B-R.  He's played his whole career in the NL, so I did not count starts against AL teams which he has faced just 1 or 2 times each.  In 12 career starts against the Giants he has an ERA of 2.59.  In 7 career starts, he has an ERA of 2.70 against the Padres.  His performance against all other teams ranges from mediocre to bad with the Rockies and Braves being the only other teams his ERA is under 4.00 against and those are in the high 3's.  I don't think it was just Giants hitters being bad against him last night.  His stuff looked fantastic, at least when I was watching.  I guess as Kruk and Kuip like to say, "ownage is ownage."

The Giants best chance to score came in the 7'th inning when 2 HBP's helped them load the bases with 2 outs.  Gregor Blanco hit a hard liner to RF that held up for Polanco to catch and the runners were left stranded.

The Loss dropped the Giants to 2.5 games behind the idle Dodgers in the NL West.  The Cubs smacked the Braves around 7-1 so they now lead the Giants by 4 games in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot.

Madison Bumgarner tries to even the 4 game series tonight facing lefty Jeff Locke.

The Giants organization has one less Johnson today as they sent minor league RHP and reliever Stephen Johnson to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Marlon Byrd.  Byrd gives the Giants some badly needed RH pop in the lineup with Hunter Pence on the DL.  Johnson hit triple digits with his velocity in college but has settled into the mid-90's in the pros.  He has battled control issues which have gradually improved throughout his pro career.  His ceiling is likely middle relief/setup.  A very reasonable price to pay for a 6 week rental of Byrd.  Byrd does have a team option for $8 M next year which becomes a vesting option if he get's 550 PA's on the season.  He has 388 so far.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/19/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats blanked the New Orleans Zephyrs 2-0:

Jarrett Parker(RF)- 3 for 4, SB(17).  BA= .290.
Tommy Hanson(RHP)- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.43.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(13).   ERA= 0.97.

Tommy Hanson's best start since being called up to AAA, by far!  Could he be in the mix for a September callup and then for a rotation spot next year?  Probably unlikely, but stranger things have happened.  Broadway would seem to be a no-brainer for Sept.

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

AA  Game 1  Binghampton Mets defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-4:

Austin Slater(2B)- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .308.
Devin Harris(LF)- 2 for 3, HR(10).  BA= .235.
Matthew Gage(LHP)- 1.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.10.
Edwin Quirarte(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.68.
Pedro Rodriguez(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.50.

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

AA  Game 2  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Binghampton Mets 2-1:

Matt Lujan(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.45.

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

High A  San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 3-1:

Christian Arroyo(SS)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .319.
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 3, SF, SB(9).  BA= .276.
Brian Ragira(DH)- 3 for 4.  BA= .245.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.14.
Ray Black(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.70.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(12). ERA= 2.50.

Jake Smith has been a bit of a throwback to the multi-inning closer.  He has thrown 79.1 IP, in 51 appearances with 111 K's against 21 BB's.  Covechatter posted a Twitter scouting report on his site that had Smith throwing 93-95 MPH FB's with a "darting" cutter/slider piece.

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

Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats vs Augusta Greenjackets rained out.

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

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outslugged the Hillsboro Hops 10-7:

Ronnie Jebavy(CF)- 3 for 4, 3B, 2 HR(7).  BA= .275.
Chris Shaw(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(7), BB.  BA= .283.
Jose Vizcaino Jr(3B)- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(4).  BA= .304.
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .242.

Jebavy is hitting .348 over his last 10 games and .322 in his last 20.  Vizcaino Jr. has stayed hot all season.  Really like what the Giants 2015 hitting draftees are doing so far as Duggar and Hinojosa have also hit well in their pro debuts.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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

DSL  Giants outscored the Mets1 10-8:

Juan Rodriguez(DH, 20 yo)- 4 for 4, BB, SB(19).  BA= .366.
Manuel Geraldo(2B-SS, 18 yo)- 4 for 5.  BA= .336.
Sandro Fabian(RF, 17 yo)- 1 for 3, BB, SF.  BA= .264.
Jose Rivero(SS, 17 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .259.
Jose Patino(CF, 17 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .259.
Raffi Vizcaino(RHP, 19 yo)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.50.

I would hope that Geraldo gets a chance at a higher level next year.  I kind of expect Fabian, Rivero and Patino to repeat the DSL next year.

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

First time starts at new levels for Chase Johnson, Andrew Suarez and Grant Watson today.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Game Wrap 8/19/2015: Cardinals 4 Giants 3

The Giants played another tight one against the Cardinals but came up short in the end when Hunter Strickland gave up a game winning HR to Yadier Molina.  Key Lines:

Kelby Tomlinson- 2 for 4.  BA= .355.  Kelby got the first hit in the game for the Giants, and drove in the 3'rd run which gave the Giants a temporary lead in what I think was a fantastic AB against Steve Cishek.  Kelby may occasionally show his inexperience on defense at 2B, but offensively he's been everything you would expect out of Joe Panik and then some.

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .272.  Not much more to say about Crawford.  He's having a great season.

Juan Perez- 1 for 3, BB.   BA= .286.  Perez had some good AB's and made what might be the catch of the year, a running, leaping basket catch up over the CF wall to take away a HR from Stephen Piscotty.  Perez dedicated the catch to Willie Mays, which might be a bit presumptuous on Lil Juan's part, but from reading this social media postings, I think he means well.

Matt Cain- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.66.  This is more like the kind of start you would hope for from Cainer.   Bochy is going to have a tough decision when Leake comes back.

Josh Osich- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.50.  Osich actually pitched better than this line makes it look like.  The leadoff single was legit, but then Brandon Moss hit a swinging bunt that trickled past Osich for a hit.  A sacrifice put runners at 2'nd and 3'rd with 1 out.  Then, with the IF playing in, he got a groundball to 2B that just wasn't hit quite hard enough and Tomlinson didn't quite get his throw off quick enough and the throw was just not quite where it needed to be to get a tag on the runner at the plate.  Just a tough luck inning for Osich.

The Loss kept the Giants 2 games behind the Dodgers who lost again to the Oakland A's in Oakland.  The Giants also remain 3 games behind the Cubs in the Wild Card race after the Cubbies dropped another game to the Detroit Tigers.

The Giants now move on to Pittsburgh for a 4 game set against the Pirates with Jake Peavy facing Charlie Morton in game 1 tomorrow evening.

Down on the Farm: 8/18/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the Round Rock Express 9-4:

Jarrett Parker(RF)- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(18).  BA= .285.
Mac Williamson(LF)- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .260.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.78.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.15.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.76.

This is an impulsive thought and probably ill-advised, but fun anyway:  If Hunter Pence goes on the DL, might the Giants try to catch lightning in a bottle with Mac Williamson?  I'm having flashbacks of the weekend series Dave Kingman had in his pro debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Now, the Giants are playing the Pirates….oh….look here!  They are playing them this weekend!  Bring him up, Bobby!

Steven Okert seems to have gotten his train back on the track.  He has a 0.73 ERA over his last 10 appearances with 15 K's against just 3 BB's in 12.1 IP.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Binghampton Mets rained out.

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

High A  San Jose Giants blanked the Stockton Ports 3-0:

Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 1 for 2, HR(4), 2 HBP.  BA= .269.
Jordan Johnson(RHP)- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 3.00.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.69.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(11).  ERA= 2.44.

Woo hoo, Jordan Johnson!  Covechatter did a write up on this guy.  Make sure you go look that one up.  Late round draftee out of Pacific.  Now throwing mid-90's heat with sink.  Looks like another very legit pitching prospect.  Ian Gardeck has a 1.98 ERA over his last 10 appearances with 16 K's against just 3 BB's in 13.2 IP.  Chase Johnson was promoted to Richmond.  Andrew Suarez up to SJ from S-K.

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

Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 1-0 in a rain-shortened game to 6 innings:

Dylan Davis(RF)- 2 for 3.  BA= .269.
Chris Johnson(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.56.

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

Short Season  Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-4:

Miguel Gomez(Catcher)- 2 for 5.   BA= .344.
Jose Vizcaino Jr.(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(6), HBP.  BA= .292.
John Riley(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .253.
Richard Amion(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .253.
Michael Connolly(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.30.

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

Rookie AZL  White Sox blasted the Giants 10-4:

Jean Angomas(LF)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .268.
Dillon Dobson(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .307.
Tyler Brown(2B)- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .463.
Kleiber Rivas(DH)- 1 for 3, HR(1), SF.  BA= .333.
Dylan Brooks(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.42.

Hey look!  We found Kleiber Rivas!

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

DSL  Giants defeated the Yankees1 4-3:

Robert Antunez(2B, 19 yo)- 2 for 5, SB(23).  BA= .333.
Robinson Medrano(PH-1B, 19 yo)- 2 for 2, 2B.  BA= .297.
Jose Patino(CF, 17 yo)- 2 for 3.  BA= .253.
Melvin Adon(RHP, 21 yo) 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.48.

Giants lead the Yankees1 in their division with 4 games left in the DSL regular season.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Game Wrap 8/18/2015: Giants 2 Cardinals 0

The Giants scratched out 2 runs on a bases loaded groundout and a bases loaded HBP to support the gritty pitching of Ryan Vogelsong and the bullpen.  Key Lines:

Madison Bumgarner- 1 for 1.  BA= .259.  With Hunter Pence unavailable to play, Bruce Bochy turned to Madison Bumgarner to pinch hit for Ryan Vogelsong with 2 outs in the 7'th inning.  All Bummy did was dump a single into LF to start a 2 out rally that ended with a HBP to Belt that drove in the second run of the game for the Giants.  As Bummy rounded first base on the hit, there were grins a mile wide in the Giants dugout and Matt Cain gave himself the longest hardest facial rubdown in history!  I'm tellin' ya, dude is going to be playing LF on days when he's not pitching pretty soon!

Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.93.  Vogey struggled through a long first inning, but then settled down and pretty much shut down the Cardinals for the next 5 innings.

Josh Osich- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.77.  Osich is making the next pitching roster move very tough.  I don't see how you can sent this guy back down the way he is pitching.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.38.  Romo struck out the side and made it look easy.  He seems to have kicked it into another gear in the last 2 weeks.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(29).  ERA= 3.70.  Javier Lopez was supposed to make it easy for Casilla by getting the lefty hitting Carpenter leading off the 9'th, but instead, Carpenter drew a walk and Casilla had to come in the game with a runner already on base.  He made it look easy too getting Piscotty and Peralta on strikes and then a weak flyout by the lefty hitting Brandon Moss.

The Win left the Giants 2.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers pending the outcome of their game with the Oakland A's which is currently tied 4-4 in the 9'th inning.  They also trail the Cubs in the  race for the final Wild Card playoff spot by 3.5 games pending the outcome of the Cubs rain-delayed game against the Detroit Tigers which they trail 9-6 in the 8'th inning.

Hunter Pence has an oblique strain and will likely go in the DL when Aoki gets back, tomorrow?  It was also announced that Mike Leake will miss another turn in the rotation with the hammy pull.

Matt Cain tries to the series win tomorrow facing Jaime Garcia.

Addendum:  The Dodgers lost to the A's 5-4 in 10 innings while the Cubs lost to Detroit 10-8.  The Giants are now trail the Dodgers by 2 games in the NL West and the Cubs by 3 games in he Wild Card race.

Down on the Farm: 8/17/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats blasted the Round Rock Express 11-0:

Darren Ford(CF)- 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .270.
Mac Williamson(LF)- 2 for 2, 2B, HR(3), 2 BB.  BA= .261.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.21.

6 RBI's for Mac including 4 on a grand slam HR.  He's hitting .324 over his last 10 games.  This was possibly the best game of Blach's pro career.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

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

High A  Stockton Ports pounded the San Jose Giants 13-2:

Christian Arroyo(SS)- 3 for 4.  BA= .322.
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .267.

Good to see Arroyo back so soon after a scary looking injury.  It was reportedly a hyperextended left elbow.

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

Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats stung the Augusta Greenjackets 6-1:

Dylan Davis(RF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .263.
Matt Winn(Catcher)- 2 for 4.  BA= .393.
Jake McCasland(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.40.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.22.

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

Short Season Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-3:

Ronnie Jebavy(CF)- 4 for 4.  BA= .267.
CJ Hinojosa(SS)- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .302.
EJ Encinosa(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.24.

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

Rookie AZL  Mariners defeated the Giants 5-1:

Tyler Brown(2B)- 3 for 3, 2B, 3B, BB.  BA= .451.
Deiyerbert Bolivar(LHP)- 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.66.

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

DSL  Yankees1 edged out the Giants 3-2:

Robert Antunez(2B, 19 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .331.
Manuel Geraldo(DH, 18 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .331.
Mecky Coronado(LF, 18 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .352.
Sandro Cabrera(LHP, 20 yo)- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.42.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Game Wrap 8/17/2015: Cardinals 2 Giants 1

The Giants were fortunate to have a chance to win at the end of a game dominated by Cardinals SP Michael Wacha, but a strange play be Brandon Crawford put them behind and Buster Posey's bid for a game winning HR fell just about 1 foot short.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .269.  Crawford drove in the Giants lone run of the night with a 2-out double to left-CF.  Then, in the bottom of the 8'th inning with runners at first and third with 1 out,  Mark Reynolds hit a slow chopper to Crawford who charge in from SS.  Tomlinson was on the 2B bag, but looking a bit wide-eyed.  Crawford appeared to have trouble getting a grip on the ball and decided to take it to the bag himself.  He then whirled and threw the ball out of Belt's reach on the home plate side of 1B as the winning run scored.  Had the throw been on line, it looked like it would have beaten Reynolds by a full step or two.  Not sure if Crawford was frozen by something he saw in Tomlinson or if he just couldn't get a grip on the ball.  I tend to favor the latter based on what I saw.

Chris Heston- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.34.  Heston struggled through the 4.2 IP, throwing 104 pitches.  Still, he left the game with his team having a chance to win.

Hunter Strickland- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.75.  Strickland was the victim of the weird play I described above, but he got himself into that position by giving up a 3 bagger to Stephen Piscotty  with just 1 out.

Buster Posey came up as a PH with 2 outs and a runner on first base after Andrew Susac drew a 2-out walk.  He hit a high pitch to R-CF.  I did not think he got all of it and didn't think it had a chance off the bat, but the ball carried to the top of the fence where it was caught to end the game.  Hearbreak!

The Loss dropped the Giants to 3 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers and 4 games behind the Cubs for the last Wild Card playoff spot.

Ryan Vogelsong tries to even the series tomorrow facing Lance Lynn.

Down on the Farm: 8/16/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Round Rock Express 3-2:

Andrew Susac(Catcher)- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .321.
Kevin Frandsen(1B)- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .284.
Nik Turley(LHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.69.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.79.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(12).  ERA= 0.99.

Susac should be just about ready for a return from the DL.

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

AA  Altoona Curve beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 12/2.  ERA= 2.48.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.30.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.91.

This was Johnson's 6'th scoreless appearance in a row.  In that span, he has 10 K's against just 2 BB's in 8.2 IP.  He has lowered his BB/9 every season as a pro from 5.59 in 2012 to 5.16, 4.70 and 4.39 this season.  Still a tad high, but he seems to still be improving.  Cricky has a 1.93 ERA over his last 10 appearances with 19 K's and 7 BB's in 9.1 IP.  Still a lot of walks, but had more than 1 in just 2 of those 10 appearances.

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

High A  San Jose Giants downed the Lancaster Jethawks 7-5:

Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .261.
Angel Villalona(1B)- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .254.
Brian Ragira(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .238.
Ray Black(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.84.

Angel Villalona has a .344 OBP since joining the SJ Giants this year.  Black reportedly hit 97-101 on the radar gun as per a Joe Ritzo tweet on Covechatter.

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Asheville Tourists 10-9:

Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .271.
Skyler Ewing(DH)- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .243.
Chase Compton(1B)- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .229.
Matt Winn(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .375.
Travious Relaford(SS)- 3 for 4, 2 2B, SF.  BA= .243.
Tyler Cyr(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.80.

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

Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-3:

Steven Duggar(RF)- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .282.
Fernando Pujadas(Catcher)- 2 for 4.  BA= .315.
Andrew Leenhouts(LHP)- 8 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.47.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants edged out the Brewers 4-3:

Dillon Dobson(1B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .314.
Tyler Brown(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .417.
Jean Angomas(RF)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .250.
Nathanael Javier(3B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .190.
Phil Bickford(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.76.
Dylan Brooks(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.52.

Angomas is hitting .351 in his last 10 games, but is still only playing sporadically with just 5 games in August so far.  He may be in some sort of platoon as he has had 57 AB against RHP's and just 19 against LHP's on the season.  All 7 of the outs Bickford recorded were K's.

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

DSL  Giants were idle.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Game Wrap 8/16/2015: Giants 5 Nationals 0

It was all Bumgarner all game with a little help from his friends, but oh my!  If you saw this game, you saw one of the great single game performances in Giants history, and that is saying something!  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .301.  Blanco continues to thrive in the leadoff spot.  His overall OBP for the season is .380.

Brandon Belt- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .278.  Belt is going to the opposite field more lately.  His double sailed right over the head of Jason Werth and banged off the LF wall.  He scored on Hunter Pence's double.

Hunter Pence- 1 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .281.   With 2 outs and Brandon Belt on 2B, Pence hit a 2 strike bomb more than halfway up the LF bleachers to make the score 3-0.  You knew it was over right there.

Madison Bumgarner- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .245.  Bumgarner used to just go up there, swing as hard as he could, and hope he ran into one.  Over the past 2 seasons, he has evolved into real hitter.  He still swings hard, but he also has a plan at the plate and gets his share of non-HR basehits.  Just a remarkable all around player.  I have no doubt if he devoted himself to hitting full time, he would still be a star.

Madison Bumgarner- 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 14 K's.  ERA= 2.98.  Let's see.  We'll start with this being his second CG win in a row, a remarkable feat in this day and age.  Then there was the 3 K's he hung on Bryce Harper.  Man, don't think there is not some mutual competitiveness going on between THOSE two!  Then there is the little trivia item that this was the first CG win, 10+ K's and a HR by a pitcher in one game since Juan Marichal did it way back in 1963,  Oh, and Juan Marichal was in attendance and sat in the broadcast booth for a half inning.  Wow! What a special game to get to see on TV.  One of those you won't forget for a long time, if ever.

With the Win, the Giants kept pace with the Dodgers who won again over the Cincinnati Reds 2-1.  The Giants remain 2.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.  The Cubs finally lost, so the Giants were able to gain a game on the final Wild Card playoff spot, now 3.5 games behind.

The Giants now embark on a road trip to St Louis and Pittsburgh, the teams with the top 2 records in the NL.  Chris Heston faces Michael Wacha tomorrow evening in St Louis for game 1.

Down on the Farm: 8/15/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the Round Rock Express 3-2 in 13 innings:

Darren Ford(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B, BB, 2 SB(27).  BA= .268.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 5,  2 2B.  BA= .281.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/3.  ERA= 3.28.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 B, 1 K.  ERA= 3.83.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.73.

Remember the 2010 season and the time Darren Ford essentially won a game all himself with his speed on the basepaths?  Don't be shocked if Ford is one of the September roster additions.

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

AA  Altoona Curve defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3:

Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .257.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.59.

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

High A  Lancaster Jethawks downed the San Jose Giants 3-1:

Jose Reyes(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.75.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H,  0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.86.

Third QS in a row for Reyes.

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Asheville Tourists 3-2:

Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 3, BB, SB(59).  BA= .283.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .268.
Skyler Ewing(1B)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .243.
Matt Winn(Catcher)- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .350.
Michael Santos(RHP)- 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.55.
Eury Sanchez(RHP)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.31.
Carlos Diaz(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(5).  ERA= 1.94.

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

Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-3 in 11 innings:

Ronnie Jebavy(CF)- 3 for 5, SB(18).  BA= .251.
Chris Shaw(1B)- 2 for 5, HR(6).  ERA= .281.
CJ Hinojosa(SS)- 2 for 5.  BA= .302.
Luis Pino(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.33.
Eric Sim(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.22.

I'm thinking Shaw is going to be the starting 1B for SJ next season and have a huge breakout.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants blanked the Cubs 5-0:

Tyler Brown(2B)- 3 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .409.
Grant Watson(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.68.
Kendry Melo(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.75.

Not sure why Watson is still pitching in Arizona.  Senior draftee out of UCLA.  I think he may be a sleeper in the system.

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

DSL  Rockies blasted the Giants 7-2:

Manuel Geraldo(SS-2B, 18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(17).  BA= .329.
Norwith Gudino(RHP, 19 yo)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 9/2.  ERA= 3.81.

I thought Geraldo should have been in the States this season.  I'll definitely be looking for him next year.  I like his size for a SS, speed, switch-hitting ability.  I think he also has some future power potential.

Game Wrap 8/15/2015: Giants 12 Nationals 6

For the third game in a row, the Giants faced a pitching matchup that heavily favored the opposing pitcher.  For the third game in a row, the Giants offense blew up that heavily favored opposing pitcher. This time it was Gio Gonzalez who gave up rocket after rocket up the alleys and down the lines as the Giants pounded out 6 hits for extra bases out of 13 total.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5, SB(11).  BA= .300.  No XBH's for Blanco, but continued his hot hitting at the top of the order setting the table for the rockets that followed.

Matt Duffy- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .310.  Duffy cleared the bases in the 6-run 6'th inning with a 3 run double down the line.  He later hit another double up the alley in left-CF.  He's also hit his share to the right side, so there is no one way to pitch to him and certainly no defensive shift.

Brandon Belt- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .278.  Baggs seems to think the Nationals thought the Giants in general, but Belt in particular, knew what pitches were coming from Gio.  Of course that does not explain what happened to Strasburg and Scherzer in the previous 2 games.

Buster Posey- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .330.  Buster played 1B in this one with Belt moving to LF and Hector Sanchez behind the plate.  Giants are hoping Susac gets back soon so they can do this more often and are really looking forward to Sept 1 when they can have 3 catchers on the active roster.

Kelby Tomlinson- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B.  BA= .333.  Kelby!  Oh man!  Kelby is doing his best impersonation of his friend, Matt Duffy, and I'm thinking Kelby is the starting 2B until the Giants get Joe Panik back.  Maybe there is no need to make a trade for Chase Utley either!  The Giants seem to have an veritable assembly line of skinny, light-hitting college shortstops who catch fire in AA and just keep going in the majors.  Wow!  Nice job, Kelby!

Jake Peavy- 5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.18.  Peavy seemed a bit off in this one.  Of course, the ball was carrying well at AT&T Park and that place is a bandbox in warm weather.  Good thing the Giants offense took it to Gio then kept adding on.

George Kontos- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 1.88.  Kontos came in and put out the fire in the 6'th inning relieving Peavy.  Then in the 7'th, he faced Bryce Harper leading off the inning.  He threw Harper a nasty slider down and in that Harper fouled off his back leg.  The slow mo looked like the leg bent sideways and you had to wonder if it was broken.  Harper appeared to be in severe pain, but nobody came out to check on him from the Nats dugout.  He then hit a liner to Blanco in CF that might have gone a lot farther if he had a back leg.  He limped off the field and into the clubhouse after Blanco caught the ball.  X-rays were reportedly negative.

The Win kept the Giants 2.5 games behind the Dodgers, who pounded the Reds 8-3.  The Cubs won again, so the Giants trail in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot by 4.5 games.  The Nationals are now at .500 and trail the Mets in the NL East by 4.5 games and trail the Cubs by 9.5 games.  Gotta think Matt Williams job is on the line if Washington, which has the best team on paper in the NL, fails to make the playoffs.

Madison Bumgarner goes for the 4 game sweep today facing Joe Ross, Tyson's bro.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Down on the Farm: 8/14/0215

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 7-5:

Mac Williamson(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .357.
Carlos Triunfel(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .278.
Tommy Hanson(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 7.71.

Third 2-hit game in a row for Mac.  Nice bounceback start for Hanson.  He needs several of these in a row.

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

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Altoona Curve 5-4:

Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .249.
Myles Schroder(RF)- 1 for 4, BB, 2 SB(9).  BA= .250.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.36.
Phil McCormick(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.36.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.97.

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

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

Andrew Susac(Catcher)- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .286.
Angel Villalona(1B)- 1 for 3, HR(9).  BA= .250.
Tim Hudson(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 14 Ks!  ERA= 2.43.

Johnson now has a 0.49 ERA in 9 appearances since the Cal League all star break.  On the season, he has 111 K's in 111 IP with 34 BB and a GO/AO of 1.61.  I am thinking that Johnson deserves to be in the top tier of Giants pitching prospects along with Beede and Bickford.  His numbers are actually better than Beede's!  Christian Arroyo left this game early.  No word as to why in the game write up on the SJ Giants website. Some tweets on Covechatter suggest it may be a left arm injury suffered on a contact play at 2B.  At least it's his left arm.

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

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets beat the Asheville Tourists 4-2:

Chuckie Jones(LF)- 3 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .276.
DJ Snelton(LHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.38.
Dusten Knight(RHP)- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.65.

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

Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-2:

Steven Duggar(RF)- 3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .291.
Miguel Gomez(3B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .359.
Logan Webb(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 4.53.
Cory Taylor(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.95.

I continue to be impressed by what Webb is accomplishing at age 18 in the NWL.

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

Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

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

DSL  Giants pounded the Rockies 8-2:

Robert Antunez(2B, 19 yo)- 2 for 3, BB, Sac.  BA= .329.
Manuel Geraldo(SS, 18 yo)- 3 for 5.  BA= .327.
Andres Angulo(Catcher, 17 yo)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .284.
Victor Concepcion(RHP, 18 yo)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.46.
Prebito Reyes(LHP, 19 yo)- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.51.

Apparent rehab start for Concepcion who has been out of the boxscores for awhile.