Chris Marrero hit another bomb to give the Giants a walkoff win over a very good Team Puerto Rico that featured the likes of Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan. This was not a Cactus League game, so the stats do not count toward Cactus League totals. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 3, 3B. Pence seems to be slowly coming around after a slow start that may have been affected by a barking oblique.
Michael Morse DH- 1 for 3, HR. Morse sez "Hey! Don't forget about me!"
Chris Marrero 1B- 1 for 2, HR. If there is a place on the Opening Day roster for a defensively challenged RH power hitter off the bench, it seems it will come down to Morse vs Marrero. Marrero immediately answered Morse's challenge with another bomb of his own and his second walkoff dinger of the spring.
Jeff Samardzija RHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 5/1. Nice start for Shark against a tough lineup.
Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K. Melancon has not allowed a run this spring. He is not known as a strikeout pitcher but set down the side with 3 K's. here.
Josh Osich LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. Osich seems to be settling down after a very shaky early spring.
David Hernandez RHP- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 K. Uh-oh! Competition for bullpen spots is fierce and Hernandez cannot afford many appearances like this.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. Okert's number look terrific in the early spring. Gotta think he has the advantage over Osich is they are competing for the same spot.
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Giants get the day off tomorrow.
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Johnny Cueto threw 65 pitches of live batting practice including quick pitches to prospects and at least 1 shoulder shimmy according to the beats. He reportedly looked to be in midseason shape and form. He will make his first spring appearance in a game over the upcoming weekend. He will make 2 Cactus League starts before deciding whether to pitch for the DR if they make it to the latter rounds of the WBC.
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Got to see this game yesterday.
ReplyDeleteSamardzija: Got himself in trouble quite a few times. He hit 3 batters (I think they were all on 0-2 counts, making it even worse). Had at least one bases-loaded situation. But except for the safety-squeeze bunt that Belt had no play-to-home on he worked himself out of multiple jams. And that run might have been avoided but the PR team managed to break up a potential 3-4-1 double-play with a hard (but legal) slide at 2B which allowed the scoring runner advance to 3rd a play earlier. (BTW, I think it was Rollins who was at SS on that play. But the box says Hill was pivot while the announcer said Rollins. So I'm left wondering if I confused some plays or they were wrong...)
So his pitching, in many respects, was really, really good and he showed mental toughness. But he sure made it tough on himself with the hit batsmen.
Belt: Made good defensive plays yesterday. Was so close to having a play at home on that safety bunt. If the situation would have let him creep up, I think he makes the play. Still, he made the best of it and picked off the advancing runner going to second.
Parker: You didn't mention him, but he hit a scorcher to LF for a single and two-base error when it took a bad, but fieldable, hop that bounced higher than the LFer expected and bounced off the top of his glove for a two-base error as he had to chase it down. I'm okay with the scoring on it, but I thought it was a reasonably close call on error or legit triple.
9th Inning Come-from-behind: I think this is the second one of Spring Training. Which I think means it's two more than all of last year. So it was kind of nice, despite it only being Spring Training.
Come from behind 9th inning win? Wow, how novel.
ReplyDeleteDavid Hernandez problems! How 2016 was that?
Don't know how they'll do it, but, if things don't change, it will be hard to leave Hill, Hwang, Morrero, Williamson, and Parker off the roster.
Certainly they'll keep 6 incumbents plus Núñez, Gillaspie, and G Hernandez (someone has to play CF well).
Poor Kelby. And one of the aforementioned.
Which is why Cain will BE (although not necessarily WIN) the #5 starter, so that they only take 12 pitchers. If Cain is "long relief" they'll have 13, eating up a slot for a position player. Matt will have to be "injured" or seriously FAIL not to be #5.
Until Parker pulls one of his long term slumps, he'll start against most RHP to be relieved defensively by Williamson and be a LHB to pinch hit (along with Gillaspie).
Williamson will start against LHP and be a defensive sub for Parker as well as a RHB to pinch hit. He'll play and bat in most games -- if not all.
If Rollins makes it, the fix is in.
Is Calixte ability to play both CF and IF positions starting to make the less versatile Hernandez expendable?
DeleteDidn't someone in a reply in your blog some time ago poo-poo Calixte as an OFer? Might have been some one else.
DeleteGorkys stays under control safely in Sacramento. He could still win the job -- 23 games left. He can keep Kelby company.
Morse could catch on somewhere in the AL if he hits a few more, maybe.
Didn't someone in a reply in your blog some time ago poo-poo Calixte as an OFer? Might have been Núñez...
DeleteI think it was Nunez. Nunez has actually only played a few innings in the OF in his career and it did not go well. I think Grant Brisbee over at MCC gave a full rundown.
DeleteWho is the more salvageable fielder, Morse or Marrero?
ReplyDeleteMarrero is a good bit younger, but Morse has "done it" in MLB and Marrero hasn't.
My guess, if it comes to one of those two, Giants would take Morse.
I'm not so sure. Even Bochy gave up on Morse playing LF about halfway through the 2014 season. Giants scouts reportedly think Marrero can play an adequate LF, so I think the bias is that Marrero is a better defensive LF than Morse.
Delete