Saturday, June 30, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/29/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats blanked the Fresno Grizzlies 4-0:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .278
Miguel Gomez 2B- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .200.
Chase d'Arnaud 1B- 1 for 3, HR(12). BA= .297.
Johnny Cueto RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Manny Parra LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 4/0.  ERA= 1.77.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.70.

Miguel Gomez gets the callup to AAA.  Johnny Cueto looks like he's about ready to return to the Giants rotation.  Tyler Rogers' GO/AO on the season is 2.37 which is a dominant groundball tendency.  Derek Law's ERA over his last 10 appearances is 2.25 with 13 K's and 3 BB in 12 IP.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels swarmed over the Harrisburg Senators 15-6:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 2 for 6, HR(10).  BA= .344.
Ryan Howard SS= 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .287.
Caleb Gindl CF- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .270.
Dylan Davis LF- 3 for 6, 2B. BA= .248.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .187.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(8), BB.  BA= .221.
Jake McCasland RHP- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .286.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.96.
Sam Wolff RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Free Luigi!  Sam Wolff gets the promo after a short rehab assignment in Arizona.

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A+  San Jose Giants defeated the Visalia Rawhide 3-1:

Bryce Johnson CF- 3 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .252.
Logan Webb RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.94.
Domenic Mazza LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.25.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.36.

If you want to read an effusive scouting report about a Giants prospect, go check out the new one for Logan Webb on Baseball Census linked to the left.  Domenic Mazza returns to the SJ Giants after rehabbing a back injury.

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Low A  Greenville Drive dominated the Augusta Greenjackets 7-0:

Nothing to see here.

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Short Season  Vancouver Canadians buried the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 11-1:

Diego Rincones LF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .444.

Diego Rincones was the lone bright spot here.  He continues to rake for the Volcanoes.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Black topped the Athletics 7-3:

Malique Ziegler RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .444.
Alexander Canario CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .133.
Braden Frankfort C- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .313.
Marcos Campos SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .200.
Luis Moreno RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.10.
Abel Adames RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.86.
Trevor Horn RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.69.

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Rookie AZL  AZL D'Backs topped the Giants Orange 3-1:

Ismael Munguia LF- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .389.
George Bell RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .333.
Seth Corry LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.42.
Clay Helvey RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 21.00.

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DSL  Giants outscored Colorado 13-8:

Ghordy Santos SS- 1 for 2, SB(9).  BA= .200.
Jean Pena 2B/SS- 2 for 6, 3B, HR(5).  BA= .286.
Luis Toribio DH- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB, HBP.  BA= .300.
Richgelon Juliana CF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .266.
Keyberth Mejias C- 3 for 4, 3B, BB.   BA= .306.
Ivan Armstrong RHP- 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.61.
Willian Suarez RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.38.
Jose Cruz RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.77.

This was the 2'nd 3-hit game in a row for Keyberth Mejias.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Game Wrap 6/29/2018: Giants 2 D'Backs 1

Austin Slater drove in both Giants runs with a pair of doubles while Andrew Suarez led a terrific pitching effort to grab the opening game of a potentially pivotal midseason series against the NL West leading D'Backs.  Key Lines:

Austin Slater LF- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .368.  Slater drove in Buster Posey from 2B when he punched a liner down the RF line against Patrick Corbin who otherwise pretty much stifled the Giants lineup.  He drove in the game-winner with a drive up the R-CF alley that scored Brandon Crawford all the way from 1B.  Slater added a broken bat single in the top of the 9'th just for good measure.  We should note that Slater was a doubles machine for Sacramento with 24 in 216 PA's.

Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 4.18.  Suarez had to fight through traffic for this one including working his way out of a bases-loaded situation, but he finishes with the W and finishes June with a 2.62 ERA for the month. 5 of the 7 hits he gave up were infield hits, mostly because they were hit too softly for the infielders to get to in time.

Will Smith LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 1.13.  Bruce Bochy announced before the game that Sam Dyson was not available.  He had mentioned Tony Watson as being in the mix for Save Opportunities, but Boch took my suggestion and sent Watson out to pitch the 8'th and turned to Will Smith in the 9'th. Smith responded with about as dominant a Save as you will see.  I am not sure where this is going to shake out or if the Giants want Smith being the official Closer coming off TJ surgery, but if they have a 1 run lead in the 9'th with the season on the line, Smith is the guy I would choose, at least right now.

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With the Win, the Giants gained a game on both the NL West leading D'Backs and the 2'nd place Dodgers who lost to the Rockies 3-1.  Go Rockies!  The D'Backs lead the Dodgers by 3.5 games and the Giants by 4.5.  The Rockies trail by 7 games and the Padres by 11.5 pending the outcome of their game with the Pirates.

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Young Dereck Rodriguez tries to keep the momentum going tomorrow evening against RHP Shelby Miller.

Scouting the 2018 International Signing Period

Fangraphs and MLB released their lists of to international prospects who are eligible to be signed after July 2 which is the start of the 2018-2019 signing period.  Unlike the last 2 periods when the Giants were limited to bonuses of $300 K or less, Giants fans have something to get excited about this year.  One big underlying reasons for the excitement is that there is now a hard cap to the bonus pools with relatively small differences between teams.  This prevents teams from blowing way over their limit for a 1 year haul because they are willing to accept the penalties which were relatively light.  The new system all but ensures that the top international prospects will be more evenly distributed throughout MLB and not concentrated in 2 or 3 teams who have chosen this year to blow past their limit.

The Giants are among the teams who have a bonus pool of $4.9 M which will buy you some serious international talent.  They traded away several hundred $ K of that in the offseason but still have close to $4 M to spend.   The really great news is they are closely linked to and expected to sign 2 of Fangraphs Top 35 International Prospects, Marco Luciano, #2 overall, and Jairo Pomares #31 overall.    Luciano is also #2 on MLB's board and the Giants are also believed to be in on MLB's #27 Luis Matos.  Luciano is listed as a SS by Fangraphs and OF by MLB.  Pomares and Matos are both OF's.

People who know a lot more about international prospects than I are saying there are no expected surprises and players who are linked to specific teams are all but assured to sign with them.  While I do hope that is true and am cautiously optimistic that these 3 players will be Giants prospects in a few days, we've been burned by the international process more than once in the past, so I am not yet ready to declare a time to celebrate.  It is time, though, to take a look at these prospects and see what scouting reports say.

Marco Luciano, DR, SS/OF, B-R, T-R, 6'2", 180 lbs.  Luciano has a very similar physical structure to former Giants international prospect, Gustavo Cabrera, and to last year's first round draft pick, Heliot Ramos.  So much so that we may be seeing a pattern that Giants scouts are looking for in teenage prospects.   Luciano's legs are longer and leaner than either Cabrera or Ramos, but he has the same massive shoulders and upper chest.  Scouting reports all comment on the muscularity of his shoulders.  Here are some more comments from Fangraphs:  "...explosive hands...", "...natural uppercut swing...", ".....feet and actions are workable on the infield...", ".....struggles with throwing velocity and accuracy when forced to throw from a lower arm angle...", "....power separates him from most of the rest of the class...", ".... potential star if he can stay at short."  MLB adds "....not the typical swing and miss power hitter and projects to be a solid middle-of-the-lineup hitter."  "....is athletic enough to play shortstop or center field."  Fangraphs gives him a + for Athletic and + for Frame.  On video I'll just say I see a lot to get excited about with the combination of athleticism, legs built for speed and upper body muscular strength.  If our dreams come true and the Giants get him signed, he would immediately be one of my top 3 Giants prospects.

Luis Matos, Venezuela, OF, B-R, T-R, 5'11", 160 lbs.  Matos is significantly smaller physically than Marco Luciano which seems to be the biggest rap against him.  According to the MLB scouting report, he comes from a family of professional ballplayers and has "plus-plus makeup."  Other comments in MLB's scouting report include "....medium frame.", "...ability to hit is his most dominant tool...", "....plus arm.", ".....good tools and the type of player scouts grow to love after watching him work out and compete in games."

Jairo Pomares, Cuba, CF, B-L, T-R, 6'1", 185 lbs.  Pomares is a full year+ older than either Luciano or Matos.  Scouting report consists of 1 video and a few brief comments by MLB who listed him under "Best of the Rest."  Pomares muscular and athletic looking.  He has a solid base at the plate with a quick, fluid swing with some power behind it.  He keeps his elbows bent and appears to have strong wrists.  MLB says he "....shows a good feel for hitting and has a balanced approach at the plate."

Keep your fingers crossed, team!  If the rumored connections of the Giants to these 3 prospects prove to be true, the Giants farm system is about to get a whole lot better in a hurry!

Down on the Farm: 6/28/2018

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes defeated the Sacramento River Cats 3-1:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .277.
Myles Schroder 1B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .283.
Daniel Camarena LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.48.
Tyler Beede RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.63.

This was Tyler Beede's 3'rd scoreless appearance in a row.  Baby steps.

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AA  Hartford Yard Goats downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-1:

Chase Johnson RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.52.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.30.

Chase Johnson is working on a string of 17 consecutive scoreless innings.  Patrick Ruotolo used 14 pitches to strike out all 3 batters he faced.

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A+  San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 6-1:

Bryce Johnson CF- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .245.
Jalen Miller 2B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .293.
Heath Quinn DH- 3 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .338.
Kelvin Beltre SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .211.
Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.35.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.20.

Heath Quinn has hit 4 dingers in his last 8 games.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Greenville Drive 6-5(completion of suspended game from 6/27):

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .245.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .292.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 3 for 3, BB.  BA= .243.
Jeffry Parra C- 2 for 4.  BA= .191.
Garrett Cave RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.05.
Olbis Parra RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.32.

Heliot Ramos' 2-run HR in the bottom of the 8'th inning was the game winner.

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Low A  Greenville Drive bested the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4(7 innings, regularly scheduled game):

Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .295.
Jacob Gonzalez DH- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .252.
Nick Hill LF- 1 for 1, 2 BB.  BA= .284.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Eugene Emeralds 7-3:

Kyle McPherson SS- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .319.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .375.
Robinson Medrano DH- 1 for 3, HR(4), HBP.  BA= .311.
Wander Franco "The Younger"- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .225.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .323.
Keaton Winn RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.50.
Greg Jacknewitz LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 8.49.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange and Giants Black both had the day off.

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DSL Colorado outscored the Giants 8-6:

Ghordy Santos DH- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(8).  BA= .184.
Richgelon Juliana CF- 3 for 4, 2 HR(2).  BA= .250.
Robinson Batista RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .279.
Keyberth Mejias C- 3 for 3.  BA= .250.
Freddery Paulino RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 2.91.

Richgelon Juliana is the first DSL Giants player not named Jean Pena or Luis Toribio to homer this season and he hits 2 in one game!

Game Wrap 6/28/2018: Rockies 9 Giants 8

This game pretty much proves that in baseball, what happened yesterday has little or no bearing on what happens today.  The day after a 1-0 walkoff win, the Giants offense unleashed a torrent of runs.....and the pitching unleashed a torrent of runs allowed.  It all added up to a game the Rockies are built to win which they did.  Key Lines:

Alen Hanson LF- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .302.  For a few minutes, it looked like Hanson won the game with a bases-loaded, 2-run double in the 8'th inning to give the Giants a very temporary 8-7 lead.  This game should cement Hanson's starting status in LF, at least against RHP's.   He is hitting .342 against them while hitting just .185 against lefties.

Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 4, HR(13), BB.  BA= .295.  Belt extends his team lead in HR's over Gorkys Hernandez and Evan Longoria who have 10 each.  He had been in a 1 for 13 slump over the past 3 games.

Andrew McCutchen RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .265.  Cutch leads the team in doubles with 22 over Brandon Crawford who has 20.  The difference between Cutch and Craw's offensive seasons is 8 singles.  Cutch has drawn 15 more walks and hit 1 fewer HR.  The big difference is Crawford gives great D at SS while Cutch has been a liability in RF.

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .249.  Joe is hitting .318 over his last 7 games.

Chris Stratton RHP- 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.45.  Stratton runs hot and cold.  This was the bad Stratton after a string of 4 QS out of 5.

Ty Blach LHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.15.  Blach held the Rockies at bay in the 5'th and 6'th innings, but couldn't get out of the 7'th and gave up a 2-spot to break what was a 5-5 tie.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.61.  Melancon has not had a clean inning since June 5.  Ordinarily that should not win him back the Closer role, but given the current options, he might be the best available, at least if you limit the choices to RHP's.  Will Smith probably should get the next shot.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K, BS(4).  ERA= 3.35.  Some guys just aren't made to be closers.  Dyson seems to be one of those.  Next!

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The Loss dropped the 3'rd place Giants 5.5 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs who blanked the Marlins 4-0.  The Dodgers lost to the Cubs 11-5 to drop 3.5 games back in 2'nd place.  The 4'th place Rockies are 8 games off the pace.  The Padres lost again to the Rangers and are 12 games back in the cellar.

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The Giants and D'Backs start what could be a make-or-break series with the D'Backs with Andrew Suarez facing Patrick Corbin tonight.

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/27/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Albuquerque Isotopes 4-3:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .278.
Chase d'Arnaud 2B/SS- 1 for 3, HR(11), HBP.  BA= .300.
Myles Schroder 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .274.
Matt Gage LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.54.
Derek Law RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.14.
Ray Black RHP-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 3.38.

Ray Black is unscored upon in his last 8 appearances, 1 inning each.  He has 10 K's and 0 BB's in that span.  Derek Law has a 2.45 ERA over his last 10 appearances.  This was Matt Gage's 2'nd QS in a row.  I am not sure if I consider 1 for 5 with a HR a good game from Steven Duggar.  It's an OPS of 1.000 for the 1 game, but I feel like 3 for 5 with 3 singles would be a better predictor of future success.  Not sure if that is right though.  Chase d'Arnaud is hitting .354 in June.  He has to be wondering what he has to do for a callup!

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels corralled the Hartford Yard Goats 5-4:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 2 for 4, SB(13).  BA= .345.
Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 3, 2 HR(6), BB.  BA= .220.
Conner Menez LHP- 5.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.52.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.53.

Aramis Garcia is hitting .314 with 3 dingers over his last 10 games.   Speaking of wondering what he has to do for a promotion....Luigi!

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A+. Stockton Ports outscored the San Jose Giants 8-6:

Heath Quinn LF- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .327.
Gio Brusa 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .258.
Jacob Heyward DH- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .249.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Greenville Drive suspended after 3.5 innings with the Greenjackets leading 1-0.  This game will be summarized when completed.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Eugene Emeralds 9-4:

Diego Rincones LF- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .478.
Robinson Medrano 1B- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .310.
Mikey Edie RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .368.
Nico Giarratano SS- 3 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .300.
Ricardo Genoves C- 0 for 2, 3 BB. BA= .147.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.81.

Someone asked Kiley McDaniel in his last chat about Diego Rincones.  He replied that Rincones does not have any standout tools that wow the scouts, but he had talked to a couple who think the bat is legit for something to that effect.

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Rookie AZL  Cubs1 edged out the Giants Black 2-1:

Johan Herrera RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Jerson Severino RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Giants Black drew 7 walks in the game but managed just 1 hit.

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Rookie AZL  Dodgers defeated the Giants Orange 4-1:

Marco Gonzalez LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.27.
Sam Wolff RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
JJ Santa Cruz LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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DSL Giants blanked the Royals2 9-0:

Robinson Batista RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .263.
Jean Pena SS- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .299.
Jose Peralta 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .235.
Juan Sanchez LHP- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.48.

Juan Sanchez has pitched like a future ace early in the DSL season while Jean Pena has hit and hit with power in his pro debut.  Both are just 17 yo.  Sanchez has 26 K's against 4 BB's in 24.1 IP.  Reports about the upcoming July 2 international signing period continue to be very promising.  Keep your fingers crossed for a bumper international crop.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Game Wrap 6/27/2018: Giants 1 Rockies 0

Brandon Crawford hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 9'th inning to break up a scoreless pitching duel started by Madison Bumgarner and Kyle Freeland.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .319.  Crawford had a single earlier in the game.  When he came up with 1 out in the bottom of the 9'th inning facing a lefty brought in just to face him, I thought he had a look in his eye.  Kruk and Kuip did to and said he was looking for something middle-in.  He got it on the 3'rd pitch, a breaking ball that had just a tad too much hang time and he drove it into the arcade for the game winner.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.51.  Bummy was throwing some sick stuff and was perfect through 4.2 IP.  CarGo then hit a broken bat flare down the 3B line for a double and the first Rockies' baserunner.  Bummy wasn't kind of lost his command out of the stretch and walked the next 2 batters to load the bases.  Bum struck out Freeland and that was the only serious Rockies threat of the game.

Will Smith LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.17.  Smith just abused the 4 hitters he faced including LH hitter Charlie Blackmon in the 9'th inning.  Q:  Are Will Smith and Tony Watson a better lefty bullpen duo than Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez?

Reyes Moronta RHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.02.  Moronta gave up two hard hit balls to Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, but both were hit right at Giants fielders to complete the 9-inning shutout.

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With the Win, the Giants remained 5 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs who edged out the Marlins 2-1.  The Dodgers are leading the Cubs 7-5 in the 9'th inning and sit 3 games behind in 2'nd place.  The Rockies fall 7.5 games back in 4'th place while the Padres lose to the Rangers and fall 11.5 games off the pace.

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Chris Stratton tries for a series sweep tomorrow afternoon facing Jon Gray.

Down on the Farm: 6/26/2018

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes bombarded the Sacramento River Cats 13-8:

Ryder Jones 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .297.
Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 3, HR(10), BB.  BA= .422.
Chase d'Arnaud 1B- 2 for 3, HR(10), SF.  BA= .300.
Jeff Samardzija RHP- 4 IP, 7 H,  6 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.55.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.85.
Steven Okert LHP- 0.1 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 7.82.

Ryder Jones stays hot.  Mac hits his second dinger in 2 games since being sent down.  Same old pattern from Shark.  Good peripheral stats but gives up 2 dingers.  Steven Okert had 7 scoreless innings in 7 appearances since coming off the DL on 6/5.  He had gone on the DL after giving up 5 runs in 1 IP on 4/15.

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AA  Hartford Yard Goats pounded the Richmond Flying Squirrels 11-5:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 1 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .342.
Ryan Howard SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .288.
Jerry Sands 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .241.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.63.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.14.

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A+ Stockton Ports blanked the San Jose Giants 5-0:

Melvin Adon RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.87.
Carlos Sano RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.91.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.63.

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Low A  Hickory Crawdads outlasted the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4 in 11 innings:

Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .290.
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 5, SB(17).  BA= .257.
Jose Marte RHP- 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.65.
John Timmins RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.93.
Ryan Koziol RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.91.

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Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Eugene Emeralds 10-5:

Jose Layer CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .371.
Trevor Abrams 3B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .366.
Robinson Medrano 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .282.
Dalton Combs RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Christopher Burks LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .231.
Gregory Santos RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Great night for the Layer boys.  We'll get to Abdiel's line later.  Trevor Abrams is an undrafted FA who is tearing it up.  Gregory Santos puts up another strong line.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange defeated Cubs1 8-5:

George Bell CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .308.
Joey Bart C- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .333.
Beicker Mendoza 1B- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .500.
Austin Edgette RF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .333.
Jasier Herrera RHP 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.64.
Chris Heston RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Probably about time for Joey Bart to move up to S-K.  Beicker Mendoza's HR was a Grand Slam.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Black outscored the D'Backs 7-5:

Abdiel Layer 3B- 2 for 3, HR(1), 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .368.
Israel Cruz RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 9.82.
Luis Amaya LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 7.71.
Trevor Horn RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.45.

....and here is Abdiel's line!  In case you are wondering who Trevor Horn is, he was the Giants 39'th round draft pick this year.

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DSL  Giants destroyed the Royals2 12-4:

Ghordy Santos SS- 0 for 4, 2 BB, 2 SB(7).  BA= .171.
Luis Toribio 3B- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .308.
Jean Pena DH- 2 for 6.  BA= .274.
Ismael Alcantara LF- 2 for 2, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .279.
Andrew Carabello 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .212.
Samuel Jorge 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .308.
Richgelon Juliana CF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, SB(4). BA= .231.
Cristian Acosta RHP- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.70.
Jesus Gomez LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.72.

Ghordy Santos seemed to start hitting toward the end of last season, but that has not carried over this year.  He seems to have the athleticism, but will he ever hit?  Luis Toribio seems to be the class of this year's international hitting crop.  Ismael Alcantara got the maximum bonus of $300 K the Giants were allowed in the 2016 signing period.  He played in just 2 games before apparently getting hurt last year.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Game Wrap 6/26/2018: Giants 3 Rockies 2

Gorkys Hernandez had a sensational At Bat to draw a bases-loaded walk and drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 8'th inning.  The Giants survived a shaky 9'th inning to hold on for the Win.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 3, HR(10), BB.  BA= .284.  Gorkys actually played a role in all 3 Giants runs.  He muscled up in the 3'rd inning for his 10'th HR, a drive over the CF wall.  In the 7'th inning with runners on first and second and no outs, he tried for a bunt base hit down the 3B line but settled for a Sac, moving up both runners.  The lead runner, Austin Slater, scored on Andrew McCutchen's SF.  To me, the highlight of Gorkys' night came when he drew a 2-out, bases loaded walk off Adam Ottavino to drive in the winning run.  Neither of the last two takes that were called balls were easy.  Great, great AB in a clutch situation!

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 3, BB. BA= .316.  Crawford started the winning rally with his 3'rd single of the game with 1 out in the 8'th inning.  He stole 2B when Lemahieu could not hang onto the ball which caused Ottavino to walk Joe Panik intentionally.  Ottavino then intentionally unintentionally walked the lefty hitting Alen Hanson to face Gorkys.

Austin Slater LF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .267.  Slater drew an intentional walk and had a nice basehit grounder through the left side of he infield.  He looked lost on to other AB's that ended in K's.

Hunter Pence PH- 1 for 1.  BA= .204.  As Kuip said, Pence had his Magic Wandu going on the PH AB with a chopper down the 3B line that Arenado tried to let go foul but it hit the 3B bag with about 3 inches to spare and Pence had another basehit.

Derek Holland LHP- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.24.  Holland allowed a 2'nd inning HR to  Ian Desmond but was otherwise nails with strong peripheral numbers.  Holland has an ERA of 3.35 over his last 7 starts.  He has allowed 6 ER in 18.2 IP over his last 3 Starts for a 2.88 ERA.

Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.89.  After retiring Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado on groundouts, Melancon gave up a single to Trevor Story and a double to Ian Desmond to allow the tying run.  The double by Desmond could have been caught by Cutch in RF but it would have been a good catch of a sinking liner.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.95.  Things did not look good when Dyson gave up a leadoff double to catcher Tom Murphy.  It was a Texas Leaguer to CF that Gorkys could not quite get to and it kicked off his glove allowing Murph to get to 2B.  Murph had to reach to get a bat on it, so it was a BABIP hit.  Dyson got a K but then walked PH Chris Iannetta.  Dyson then got the groundball to 2B and Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford worked their magic for a game-ending GIDP.

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The D'Backs topped the Marlins 5-3 while the Dodgers dropped one to the Cubs 9-4 so the Giants are 4.5 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs.  The Dodgers are 2.5 games back in 2'nd place.  The Rockies drop 7 games off the pace while the Pesky Padres won to remain 10.5 games behind in last place.

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Madison Bumgarner tries to keep the winning going against Kyle Freeland tomorrow evening in AT&T Park.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/25/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats pounded the Albuquerque Isotopes 9-4:

Steven Duggar CF- 3 for 6, 2B.  BA= .279.
Ryder Jones 3B- 3 for 5, HR(7).  BA= .290.
Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .426.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 5, 2 HR(14).  BA= .260.
Casey Kelly RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.09.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.57.
Tyler Beede RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.75.

Steven Duggar was just 5 for his last 32 coming into this game.  Ryder Jones is putting together a nice season.  He is hitting .325 over his last 10 games, .284 for the month of June after hitting .330 in May.  Chris Shaw is 6 for 14 over his last 3 games.  Tyler Beede has pitched a scoreless inning in each of his last 2 appearances.  Baby steps!

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AA Hartford Yard Goats blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-0:

CJ Hinojosa 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .333.
Dylan Davis LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .245.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.54.

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High A  San Jose Giants defeated the Stockton Ports 5-2:

Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 3.  BA= .232.
Matt Winn C- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .254.
Johneshwy Fargas LF- 1 for 3, HR(3).   BA= .275.
Jason Bahr RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Frank Rubio RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 0.00.

Jason Bahr has a successful debut for the SJ Giants.

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Low A  Hickory Crawdads outlasted the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3 in 11 innings:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .251.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(18).  BA= .287.
Joey Marciano LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.29.

Heliot Ramos is hitting .375 over his last 10 games and .309 for the month of June.

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Short Season  Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-5:

Mikey Edie CF- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(2).  BA= .333.
Nico Giarratano SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .227.
Trevor Abrams 3B- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .333.
Robinson Medrano 1B/LF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .257.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .143.

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Rookie AZL  Royals outscored the Giants Black 11-9:

Malique Ziegler LF- 3 for 4, 2 BB, SB(1).  BA= .750.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .316.
Frankie Tostado DH- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .389.
Francisco Medina 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .267.
Abdiel Layer SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .313.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange defeated the Athletics 7-5:

Joey Bart DH- 1 for 4.  BA= .167.
Beicker Mendoza 1B- 4 for 5, 3 2B.  BA= .556.
Tyler Flores LF- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .500.
Anyesber Sivira SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .250.
Wascar De Leon 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .231.


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DSL  Pirates2 beat the Giants 9-3:

Luis Toribio DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .283.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/24/2018

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas mauled the Sacramento River Cats 12-6:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .274.
Kelby Tomlinson SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .231.
Trevor Brown C- 2 for 4.  BA= .260.

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Bowie Baysox 4-3:

Aramis Garcia C- 3 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .212.
Jake McCasland RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.65.
Dan Slania RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.95.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 1.63.

Aramis Garcia is batting .308 over his last 10 games.

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A+  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes defeated the San Jose Giants 6-2:

Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .331.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .251.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .226.
Logan Webb RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.11.

This was Logan Webb's most dominating start of the season.  He is obviously still on an innings or pitch limit due to this being his first year back from TJ surgery.

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Low A Hickory Crawdads doubled up the Augusta Greenjackets 12-6:

Heliot Ramos CF- 3 for 5, SB(5).  BA= .247.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 4 for 5, SB(17).  BA= .287.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(7), BB.  BA= .256.
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .255.

Heliot Ramos has hit in 9 of his last 10 game and is batting .341 over that span and .299 for the month of June.  He also has 4 of his 5 SB's in his last 10 games.  Jacob Gonzalez is hitting .316 with 3 dingers over his last 10 games.

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Short Season  Hillsboro Hops crushed the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 12-2:

Jose Layer CF- 2 for 4, 2B,  BA= .367.
Trevor Abrams 1B- 3 for 4, 3B.  BA= .313.
Robinson Medrano DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .258.

I am really excited to see Jose Layer off to a great start. Again, if he can stay healthy and hit, he's a prospect with a lot of tools.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange beat the Athletics 4-2:

Sean Roby DH- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .667.
Joey Bart C- 0 for 2.  BA= .000.
George Bell RF- 2 for 4. BA= .313.
Beicker Mendoza 1B- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .462.
Aynesber Sivira 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .200.
Seth Corry LHP- 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Sam Wolff RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Joey Bart makes his pro debut.  Seth Corry with a dominant start(limited in length due to early season)

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Rookie AZL  D'Backs outscored the Giants Black 8-6:

Frankie Tostado LF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .385.
Jose Rivero 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .400.

Frankie Tostado has at least a grade 70 name.

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DSL Giants were idle as usual on Sundays.

Game Wrap 6/24/2018: Giants 3 Padres 2 in 11 innings

Dereck Rodriguez turned in the strongest start of his young MLB career, but the Giants needed extra innings to finish off the Pesky Padres to win the 4-game series.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .284.  Were it not for Gorkys' dinger in the 6'th inning, the Giants would have lost this game 1-0.

Andrew McCutchen RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .263.  Cutch started the winning rally with a double in the 11'th after the Giants fell behind 2-1 in the top of the inning.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .289.  Buster drew an intentional walk from Brad Hand after Cutch's 1-out double in the 11'th.

Hunter Pence 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .196.  Pence looked out of whack as usual all game until the 11'th.  After Brandon Crawford was HBP to load the bases, Pence walked it off with a double to drive in the tying and winning runs.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K'S.  ERA= 3.82.  Manuel Margot homered off DRod to lead off the game and 2 more batters reached base in the inning.  Then Young Dereck settled right down and cruised through the next 6 innings hardly breaking a sweat while allowing just 2 more baserunners.  Wow!  It looks like the Giants have a couple of young keeper pitchers in Andrew Suarez and Young Dereck. Going to be awfully tough to send them down when Cueto and Shark are ready, but what else can the Giants do?

Bullpen- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  Mark Melancon, Will Smith and Sam Dyson pitched scoreless innings.  Reyes Moronota allowed a walk in 0.2 IP and Ty Blach allowed the inherited runner to score from 3'rd base with 2 outs when he allowed a single to LH batter Cory Spangenberg before getting the RH batting Carlos Villanueva.

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The Win kept the Giants 5 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs in 3'rd place.  The Dodgers outscored the Mess 8-7 to remain in 2'nd place, 2.5 games behind the leaders.  The Rockies lost the the Marlins and are now 6.5 games behind in 4'th place while the Padres bring up the rear in the division, 10.5 games behind.

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The Giants get a day off at home before starting a series against the Rockies with Derek Holland facing Chad Bettis on Tuesday, June 26.

Down on the Farm: 6/23/2018

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas defeated the Sacramento River Cats 3-1:

Steven Duggar CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .274.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .254.
Chase d'Arnaud 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(14).   BA= .294.
Johnny Cueto RHP- 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Beede RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.88.

Encouraging rehab start for Johnny Cueto.   Baby step for Tyler Beede.

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AA  Bowie Baysox pounded the Richmond Flying Squirrels 9-4(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings):

Jerry Sands DH- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(11), BB.  BA= .239.
Luigi Rodriguez RF- 1 for 3, HR(8).  BA= .353.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.32.
Luis Ysla LHP(Baysox)- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.66.

Free Luigi!  Actually, not sure where he would play in Sacramento as they have Shaw, Duggar and Mac in the OF now.  If the name Luis Ysla seems familiar, he pitched in the Giants organization from 2013-2015.  Highest level reached for the Giants was San Jose.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox 5-1(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

CJ Hinojosa SS- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .323.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .322.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 3.  BA= .208.
Connor Overton RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.53.
Dillon McNamara RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.47.

Miguel Gomez can hit.

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A+  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes topped the San Jose Giants 5-2:

Johneshwy Fargas RF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(20).   BA= .275.
Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.55.
Jeff Burke RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 7.40.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets squeaked past the Rome Braves 1-0(10 innings):

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .240.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .277.
John Gavin LHP- 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 1.72.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.75.

The big news here is John Gavin's 7 inning no-hitter.  Seems like a midseason promotion might be in order for him.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outscored the Hillsboro Hops 9-5:

Jose Layer CF- 1 for 3, 2B, SF, HBP.  BA= .348.
Diego Rincones LF- 4 for 5, 2 2B, HR(2).  BA= .529.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 5, 3B, SB(2).  BA= .316.
Orleny Quiroz LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

I've always been high on Jose Layer's athleticism.  If he continues to hit, he's a prospect.  Diego Rincones just turned 19 on June 4.  He looks like he has a legit bat.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange and Giants Black were both idle.

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DSL  Giants edged out the Pirates2 1-0(5 innings, rain shortened):

Ghordy Santos SS- 0 for 1, 2 BB.  BA= .194.
Ismael Alcantara LF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .256.
Ivan Armstrong RHP- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.60.

5 no-hit innings for Ivan Armstrong.  He is 17 yo.  He is listed at 6'5", 247 lbs.  A big boy!

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Game Wrap 6/23/2018: Giants 5 Padres 3

Brandon Crawford was a one man offense for the Giants today and gave them a big enough lead to overcome a shaky 9'th inning from Sam Dyson.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 3, 2 2B, 3B, BB.  BA= .313.  Crawford had been in an 0 for 18 and 3 for 34 slump prior to today's breakout.  His throwing error on a slow grounder in the 9'th led to 1 extra run for the Padres.  He also whiffed on a pop-up to not-so-short CF that maybe should have been caught by the CF.

Austin Slater PH- 0 for 0, SF.  BA= .273.  Slater was called up before the game to replace the struggling Mac Williamson, but in true Bruce Bochy fashion will be a bat off the bench.  He had a productive PA in this game.  In Boch's defense, apparently the plan is to start Alen Hanson in LF.  Seeing if he can sustain what he's done this season is a worthy goal.

Andrew Suarez LHP- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/1.  ERA= 4.43.  Suarez has been getting better with experience.  His ERA is 2.86 for the month of June.  His peripheral stats are stronger than his season ERA:  61 K with 13 BB in 65 IP with a strong GO/AO= 1.57.  His FIP and xFIP remain more than 1 run lower than his ERA.  I'm guessing he and Dereck Rodriguez will get sent down when Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto come off the DL, but they certainly give the Giants depth in the rotation if further injuries or meltdowns occur.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.12.  Mark Melancon may have taken a step closer to regaining his Closer role with this performance by Dyson.  In Dyson's defense, only one of the hits was hard hit.  The other 2 were the pop up that fell in CF and the dribbler that Crawford should have eaten.  Those are pure BABIP luck specials and were likely a result of Dyson making good pitches which induced the soft contact.  I'll give him a pass on this appearance.

Matt Strahm LHP(Padres)- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA- 2.28.  Jordan Lyles was a very late scratch with "forearm tightness".  Strahm has been used as an "opener" for several games, so there was some speculation by Kruk and Kuip that this may have been some gamesmanship by Padres Manager Andy Green, who...shall we say.....seems to really enjoy managing!  Lyles is listed in the boxscore so he apparently was not eligible to re-enter the game, which would tend to go against the gamesmanship theory.  It will be worth watching whether Lyles hits the DL or at least misses a start.  If Lyles does go on the DL, Strahm may be worth a look by fantasy baseball players.

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The Win allowed the Giants to reclaim 3'rd place in the NL West from the Rockies who lost to the Marlins.  The D'Backs and Dodgers both won.  The D'Backs remain in first place with the Dodgers trailing by 3, the Giants by 5, Rockies by 5.5 and the Padres by 9.5.

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Dereck Rodriguez tries for a win of the 4 game series tomorrow afternoon facing lefty Eric Lauer.

Down on the Farm: 6/22/2018

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas blanked the Sacramento River Cats 3-0:

Austin Slater 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .344.
Chase d'Arnaud SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .289.
Matt Gage LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.89.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.78.

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AA  Bowie Baysox outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5(Rain shortened, 6 innings):

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .354.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .310.
Miguel Gomez DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .316.
Aramis Garcia 2 for 4, 2B.   BA= .203.

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A+  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes edged out the San Jose Giants 5-4:

Heath Quinn LF- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .336.
Gio Brusa DH- 1 for 4, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .254.
Mac Marshall LHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.66.
DJ Myers RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.02.
Peter Lanoo RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.80.

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Low A  Rome Braves smothered the Augusta Greenjackets 5-0:

Nothing to see here.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Boise Hawks 7-1:

Mikey Edie CF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .280.
Ricardo Genoves C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .091.
Diego Rincones LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .483.
Robinson Medrano 1B- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .261.
Wander Franco "The Younger" 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .286.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.50.
Mack Meyer RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Orleny Quiroz LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.75.

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Rookie AZL  Cubs1 cuffed the Giants Black 7-2:

Angeddy Almanzar 1B- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .176.
Aneudy Acosta RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.80.
Luis Amaya LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 10.13.

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Rookie AZL  Angels topped the Giants Orange 7-6:

Patrick Hilson CF- 0 for 5, 5 K's.  BA= .083.
Edison Mora SS- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .286.
Tyler Flores 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .364.
Beicker Mendoza 1B- 2 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .400.
Austin Edgette RF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .444.
JJ Santa Cruz LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

JJ Santa Cruz has at least a grade 70 name.  5 K's for Patrick Hilson. Ouch!

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DSL  Giants beat the Mariners 4-1:

Ghordy Santos SS- 2 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .200.
Ismael Alcantara LF- 2 for 2, BB.  BA= .222.
Freddery Paulino RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.70.
Samuel Quintana LHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.68.

Quintana is 17 yo and 6/5", 215 lbs.

Game Wrap 6/22/2018: Padres 6 Giants 2

The Giants offense sputtered against lefty Clayton Richard and the Giants failed to take advantage of a Quality Start by Chris Stratton.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .286.  Gorkys led off the Giants first inning with a drive up Triples Alley that Margot was just able to cut off at the warning track to hold him to a double.  He came around to score on a Wild Pitch to get the Giants the first lead of the game.  Gorkys doubled again later in the 6'th inning but with 2 outs and was stranded when Buster Posey's liner was caught by Wil Myers in LF.

Chris Stratton RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.14.  Even though he did not walk anyone, I thought Stratton's command was off, especially early in the game.  All of his pitches were up in the strike zone.  I felt like he was fortunate to not give up more runs than he did.  He did seem to settle down a bit until the 6'th inning.  Once the Padres got that lead, you kind of knew the game was over.

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All other NL West teams won, so the Giants fell into 4'th place, 5 games behind the division leading D'Backs.  The Dodgers are 2.5 games behind the leaders, the Rockies are 4.5 games back and the Padres remain 8.5 games behind in last place.

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Andrew Suarez tries to get the Giants back to .500 today facing Jordan Lyles.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/21/2018

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas mauled the Sacramento River Cats 10-1:

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.57.
Tyler Beede RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 7.01.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.02.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.02.
Manny Parra LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.29.

Same old issues here.  Shark has a terrific K/BB, but give up 2 runs on a homer, single, double sequence in the 2'nd inning.  Tyler Beede's runs were unearned but he's obviously still not right.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Altoona Curve 2-1(4.5 innings, shortened by rain):

CJ Hinojosa SS- 1 for 2, HR(1).  BA= .280.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 3.63.

Jordan Johnson has allowed just 1 run with 14 K's and 3 BB's in 11 IP over his last 2 starts.

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A+  San Jose Giants defeated the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-5:

Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .303.
Wander Franco 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .296.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .226.
Melvin Adon RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.58.
Frank Rubio RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Brandon Van Horn is hitting .324 over his last 10 games.  Frank Rubio gets the promo from Augusta and has a 2-inning Save in his first appearance.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets beat the Rome Braves 6-1:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA- .245.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .252.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 3, HR(11), BB.  BA= .228.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 3 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .247.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.65.
Olbis Parra RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.61.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.26.

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

Jose Layer CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .348.
Kyle McPherson 2B- 0 for 2, BB, 2 Sac, SB(2).  BA= .450.
Gregory Santos RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.00.
Keenan Bartlett RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.60.
Doug Still RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Jose Layer performed well in limited playing time over 2 seasons in the AZL.  He looks to be the regular CF for S-K this season.  Gregory Santos is just 18 yrs old but already has 2 DSL seasons under his belt so skips the AZL.  Looks like he is ready for the challenge.

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Rookie AZL  D'Backs pounded the Giants Orange 12-7:

Austin Edgette RF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .500.
Ismael Munguia DH- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .500.
Yorlis Rodriguez 3B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .625.
Tyler Flores 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .286.
Jasier Herrera RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Black outscored the Indians1 8-7:

Alexander Canario CF- 0 for 2, 3 BB, 3 SB(3).  BA= .100.
Abdiel Layer 3B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .375.
Franklin Labour RF- 2 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .286.
Cody Brickhouse C- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .625.
Oliver Pinto RHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Travis Perry RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Great night for the Layer boys.

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DSL  Mariners sank the Giants 9-2:

Nothing to see here.

Game Wrap 6/21/2018: Giants 3 Padres 0

Madison Bumgarner woke up the echoes with a dominating 8 shutout inning performance to lead the Giants to a Win over Tyson Ross and the Pesky Padres in AT&T Park.  Key Lines:

Alen Hanson LF- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .311.  Was Hanson just protecting Mac Williamson and Hunter Pence a very tough RHP or is he the Giants new LF?  His leadoff triple in the 8'th led to a couple of insurance runs for Mark Melancon.

Buster Posey C- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .290.  Buster singled up the middle to drive in Hanson in the top of the 9'th.  He also made an athletic play at the plate to tag Jose Pirela trying to score from 1B on a double.  More on that later.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 4.  BA= .281.  Pablo scored the first run of the game in the 5'th inning after leading off with a single up the middle.  He also fielded a bunch of hot shots at 3B and made it look easy.

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 3, 2 2B.  BA= .247.  The Boxscore doesn't show that Panik scored or drove in a run nor does it credit him with an assist, but he had as much to do with winning this game as anyone. His double sent Pablo Sandoval to 3B with no outs to set up Bummy's sac fly for the first run of the game, he then made an almost perfect relay throw to nail Jose Pirela at home.  More on that later.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 0 for 1, SF.  BA= .000.  For awhile it looked like Bummy might drive in the only run of the game with a SF at the end of a great PA in the 5'th inning.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.20.  Vintage game from Bummy who was throwing darts out there and mixing in all of his pitches including an increasingly lethal changeup.  Gotta say I was a little surprised he did not come out to start the 9'th inning after throwing 100 pitches.

Bummy was helped by a terrific piece of team defense in the 5'th inning.  With the score still tied at 0 and Jose Pirela, a fast runner at 1B, Manuel Margot lined one up against the RF wall.   Andrew McCutchen got himself in a great position, barehanded the ball and threw a seed to the cutoff man, Joe Panik who turned and in one motion threw a strike to Buster.  Pirela ran through his 3B coach's stop sign and was out by 10 ft, but Buster had to make an athletic, diving tag to prevent the run from scoring.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP,  1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 2.35.  Melancon gave up a leadoff single on a hanging curveball but settled down to easily retire the next 3 batters.  I saw at least a couple more hanging curves in the process, though.  Gotta think if Melancon is finally fully healthy, it's only a matter of time until he takes over the sole Closer role, sooner than later.

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The Win allowed the 3'rd place Giants to keep pace with the NL West leading D'Backs who beat the Pirates 9-3.  The Giants trail the Snakes by 4 games.  The 2nd place Dodgers were idle to slip to 2 games behind the D'Backs.  The Rockies topped the Mets 6-4 to remain 4.5 games behind the leaders.  The fading Padres fell to 8.5 games off the pace in last place. The Giants also again reached the .500 mark at 38-38

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Chris Stratton tries to extent the Giants win streak to 4 games tonight facing another Giants nemesis in lefty Clayton Richard.

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/20/2018

AAA  Sacramento River Cats were idle.

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AA  Altoona Curve downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-1(First Game of DH, 7 Innings):

Miguel Gomez 2B- 2 for 3.  BA= .310.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.45.
Will LaMarche RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.88.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Altoona Curve 5-1(2'nd Game of DH, 7 Innings):

CJ Hinojosa SS- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .261.
Dylan Davis LF- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .240.
Caleb Gindl RF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .250.
Dan Slania RHP- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.11.
Dillon McNamara RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.65.

Dillon McNamara has 21 K's and just 2 BB's in 14.1 IP over his last 10 appearances.

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A+  San Jose Giants were idle for Day 3 of the Cal League All-Star Break.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle for Day 3 of the SAL All-Star Break.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 6-4:

Kyle McPherson SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .500.
Diego Rincones LF- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1), 2 Assists(Home, 2B).  BA= .500.
Trevor Abrams 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .263.
Mikey Edie RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .222.
Stetson Woods RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.06.
Jesus Tona RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Diego Rincones does not get national attention so qualifies as a sleeper in the system.  He slashed .308/.372/.428 last year as an 18 yo in Arizona.  He is now 19 yo in the NWL and off to a hot start.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange held off Giants Black 6-4:

Alexander Canario CF(Black)- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .125.
Jose Rivero 2B(Black)- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1).  BA= .333.
Conner Nurse RHP(Black)- 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.20.
Ben Strahm RHP(Black)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
JJ Santa Cruz RHP(Black)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

George Bell DH(Orange)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.
Austin Edgette RF(Orange)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .667.
Beicker Mendoza 1B(Orange)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.
Yorlis Rodriguez 3B(Orange)- 3 for 4.  BA= .750.
Chris Heston RHP(Orange)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Sam Wolff RHP(Orange)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Francis Pena RHP(Orange)- 4 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.25.
Chris Roberts RHP(Orange)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

A Chris Heston sighting!  Sam Wolff was obtained in the Matt Moore trade.  He and Heston should move up to AAA after their rehab assignments. Yorlis Rodriguez is 18 yo and from Cuba.

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DSL  Giants vs Tigers2 Postponed due to Rain.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Game Wrap 6/20/2010

The Giants offense broke through for a 5-run rally in the 6'th inning to back a Quality Start by Derek Holland and the Giants held on through a nail biter 9'th inning for the Win.  Key Lines:

Alen Hanson SS- 0 for 0.  BA= .314.  I nearly had a stroke when I saw that Kelby Tomlinson PH for Hanson to lead off the Giants half of the first inning.  Turns out Hanson fouled a ball off his knee and left the game but x-rays are negative and he should be fine in a day or two.  Whew!

Brandon Belt 1B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .305.  Belt really just picked up where he left off before the appy.  He's slashing .278/.381/.500 since his return.

Hunter Pence LF- 2 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .195.  Pence got the Start in LF with Mac moving over the RF and Cutch getting the day off.

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 4.  BA= .285.  1 for 4 doesn't look like much, but Gorkys capped the 5-run rally with a 2-run single to RF that culminated a 14 pitch AB.  He started the AB going into a 0-2 hole then fouled off 8 pitches while working the count back to 3-2.  OK, I know Gorkys is 30 years old but he seems to be growing as a hitter right in front of our eyes.  Here's my take:  He is biologically 30 years old but is much younger than that as a hitter.  He still has just 780 PAs in his MLB career which is barely over 1 season's worth.  Prior to last year he had just 235 PA.  So last year and this year is the the first he has gotten semi-regular PA's at the MLB level.  He was once a highly rated prospect whose talent the Giants are finally unlocking.  And, he's had multiple minor league seasons with SLG% over .400 so the apparent newfound power is not totally out of nowhere.

Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.48.  This line underestimates the strength of Holland's performance.  He allowed just 1 run through 6 innings, but then allowed the first 2 batters to reach base in the 7'th.  Tony Watson came in and allowed both of those inherited runners to score.  Holland's ERA for the month of June is 3.15 with 23 K's and 7 BB's in 20 IP over 4 starts.

Sam Dyson RHP- 0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.94.  Dyson got the Save last night and had an easy opportunity for another with a 3-run lead.  It wasn't a Blown Save, but it was a blown Save Opportunity.  Reyes Moronta had to come in and get the last out with a K to earn his first Save of the season.  Stay tuned!

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The Win enabled the 3'rd place Giants to gain 0.5 games on the NL West Leading D'Backs who were idle.  The Giants are now 4 games out of first place.  The Dodgers lost to the Cubs 4-0 to slip to 2 games behind in 2'nd place.  The Rockies sit 5 games behind in 4'th place pending the outcome of their game with the Mets while the Padres got smacked by the A's 12-4 to fall 7.5 games off the pace.

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The Giants open a 4-game weekend series with the Padres tomorrow with Madison Bumgarner still looking for his first Win of the season facing Giants nemesis Tyson Ross.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/19/2018

AAA  New Orleans Babycakes outscored the Sacramento River Cats 9-8:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .284.
Eury Perez LF- 2 for 4, Sac.  BA= .294.
Chase d'Arnaud RF- 2 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .283.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .293.
Orlando Calixte SS- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .286.
Austin Slater 1B- 1 for 1.  BA= .340.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Altoona Curve postponed by rain.

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A+  Cal League North All-Stars destroyed the South All-Stars 9-1:

Jalen Miller PH/2B- 1 for 5, 2B.
Johneshwy Fargas PH//CF- 2 for 2, 3 SB.
Logan Webb RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.

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Low A  SAL South All-Stars beat the North All-Stars 9-5:

Manuel Geraldo SS- 3 for 5, HR.
John Gavin LHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.
Joey Marciano LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes blanked the Trip-City Dust Devils 4-0:

Kyle McPherson 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .462.
Diego Rincones DH- 1 for 3, SF.  BA= .474.
Dalton Combs RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .364.
Keaton Winn RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Solomon Bates RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Alex DuBord RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Alejandro De La Rosa RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

3 top 10 round 2018 draft picks make successful pro debuts.

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Rookie AZL  Athletics defeated the Giants Black 8-3:

Kwan Adkins RF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .500.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .400.
Cody Brickhouse C- 3 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .750.
Jose Maita RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

David Villar should not hang around long in Arizona.

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DSL  Tigers2 edged out the Giants 5-4:

Luigi Pichardo LF- 2 for 4, SF.  BA= .171.
Andrew Caraballo 2B- 1 for 3, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .208.
Randy Rodriguez RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.75.

Game Wrap 6//19/2018: Giants 6 Marlins 3

Dereck Rodriguez navigated his way through a beanball war to give the Giants 5 solid innings while the offense and bullpen took care of their business for a Giants Win.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 1 for 4, HR(5), HBP.  BA= .289.  Buster went deep in the first inning to get the Giants on the board first.  Then things go weird in the 2'nd inning.  With 1 out and runners on 2'nd and 3'rd and the pitcher due up next, Dereck Rodriguez used the open base to hit Lewis Brinson with an obvious purpose pitch.  The ump immediately warned DRod and both benches.  Don Mattingly went nuts and stormed out to argue the warning.  As he was turning to go back to the dugout, he looked over at Buster Posey who appeared to be minding his own business just squatting behind the plate and pointed.  The lip readers finally figured out that Mattingly said "you're next!"  Sure enough, next time Buster came up Straily hit him up on the arm despite knowing that both he and Mattingly were going to be hitting the showers early.  That seemed to end the feud....at least for this game.

Alen Hanson SS- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .313.  Hanson played SS in place of Brandon Crawford who is on paternity leave and continued his hot hitting.  Where would this team be without Alen Hanson?

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(8).  BA= .286.  If I told you at the beginning of the season that Gorkys Hernandez would be tied for 3'rd on the team in HR's and have 3 more than Buster Posey by the middle of June, I don't think anyone here would have believed me.  Wow!  What a transformation!  Goes to show how much difference a nagging injury will make.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.56.  On his final batter of the game, Young Dereck just rated back and threw a 94 MPH FB right by him.  Nice job by the kid to work his way through the craziness an finish his start off with an emphatic statement.  Dereck Rodriguez and Andrew Suarez have taken some of the sting out of Tyler Beede's struggles.

Bullpen- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  Ty Blach seems to have found a home in the bullpen with 2 ER allowed in 14 IP since moving there on 5/29.  Mark Melancon still doesn't look quite right but got through his inning.  Will Smith was lights out again with 3 K's in 1.1 shutout innings.  Fantasy Alert:  Sam Dyson got the first Save opportunity with Hunter Strickland hitting the DL for good long time.

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The Giants gained a game on the NL West leading D'Backs, who lost to the Angels 5-4, and now trail the leaders by 4.5 games.  The 2'nd place Dodgers split a twin bill with the Cubs and are 1.5 games back.  The Rockies topped the Mets 10-8 and are 5 games behind in 4'th place.  The Padres lost to the A's 4-2 to remain 7 games behind in last place.

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Derek Holland tries for a series Win tomorrow afternoon facing Jose Urena.

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

As several people mentioned in the comments today, Hunter Strickland broke his hand punching a wall after last night's 9'th inning meltdown.  Frankly, the news was not slightly surprising to me.  Strickland has shown himself to be a hothead on multiple occasions.  Last year, his reckless HBP of Bryce Harper ended Mike Morse's season and possibly his career.  Now he has all but ended his own season with another demonstration of poor judgement.

Pierce Johnson gets called back up to replace Strick in the bullpen.  Bruce Bochy announced that Tony Watson and Sam Dyson would share Closer duties for now, but as mentioned above, Dyson got the first Save Opportunity.  Bochy has never gone without a set Closer for long.  Bet on Sam Dyson.

Down on the Farm: 6/18/2018

AAA  New Orleans Babycakes defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-4:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .282.
Gregor Blanco RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .276.
Austin Slater 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5).  BA= .337.
Chase d'Arnaud 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .280.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

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A+  San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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Short Season  Tri-City Dust Devils blew away the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-2:

Jose Layer CF- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .455.
Kyle McPherson 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .455.
Doug Still LHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Matt Frisbee RHP- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 5.40.
Sidney Duprey LHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Looking over the Volcanoes roster, things could be rough until the top draft picks start playing.  I believe Matt Frisbee is the first 2018 draft pick to make an appearance.

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DSL  Giants beat Colorado 5-3:

Robinson Batista CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .261.
Luis Toribio DH- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .318.
Ismael Alcantara 1B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .176.
Rodolfo Bone C- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .500.
Ivan Armstrong RHP- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.65.
Jose Cruz RHP-- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.17.

Rodolfo Bone indeed has a grade 80 name and is swinging a big stick at the plate so far.

Game Wrap 6/19/2018: Marlins 5 Giants 4

A 9'th inning meltdown by Closer Hunter Strickland ruined an otherwise terrific game by the Giants.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .290.  Buster's leadoff double started a 3-run rally in the second inning.  He scored on Joe Panik's single and Panik came home on Pablo Sandoval's HR.

Mac Williamson LF- 1 for 3, BB, Assist(2B).   BA= .238.  Mac hit an RBI single in the 3'rd inning and later drew a walk in what I thought was a nice AB.  I still think if Mac can avoid injury and the Giants give him the reps in LF, he'll turn into a major force in the lineup.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .271.  Pablo's shot was hit RH, a relative rarity for him.  TV said he had gone something like 41 RH AB's without a dinger.

Andrew Suarez LHP- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.70.  The big silver lining in this game was Suarez' performance. He had his strikeout pitch going and carried a QS into the 7'th inning.  This was just his 3'rd QS out of 11, yes, he's had 11 starts this season!  But he's pitched in some bad luck and has 57 K's against just 12 BB's in 59.1 IP.  That adds up to an FIP of 3.58 and xFIP 3.28.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.51.  With Hunter Strickland looking increasingly shaky, a strong case can be made for Dyson to move into the Closer role, at least until Mark Melancon proves he's healthy for good.  While closer by committee has never worked well, I don't think Closer should be a "sacred cow" position and should almost always come with a short leash.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.84.  This kind of turned ugly when Strick buzzed one up around Lewis Brinson's head.  Kruk did not think it was on purpose, but when Brinson hit a long single to RF to tie the game, Brinson was barking and gesturing as he ran down the 1B line leading to some serious stank-eye out of Strick.  After relinquishing the lead on the next batter, Strick got in some final words at Brinson on his way to the dugout.  We'll see if those two face each other again this series, but if not, Strick has proven he has a very long memory.

Me?  I tend to believe the chin shaver was a purpose pitch by Strick, not necessarily to send a message so much as to back Brinson off the plate, which brings up pitch selection.  After the head buzzer, Strickland got strike one with a heater on the outside corner and another with a heater on the inside corner.  I thought Brinson was set up for bounced slider or two, but the next pitch was another heater on the outside that wasn't far enough outside which is right where Brinson likes them.  He reached out and poked it into R-CF for the game-tying single.

While Strick had not allowed an ER since May 28, he had allowed a couple of unearned runs and his K/BB is an unsightly 5/5 over his last 7 games and 9/8 over his last 15.  This was his 4'th Blown Save of the season.  Probably time to shuffle the Closer deck for Bochy.

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The Loss dropped the 3'rd place Giants to 5.5 games behind the D'Backs in the NL West after the Snakes beat the Angels 7-4.  The Dodgers were idle and are 2 games back.  The Rockies and Padres lost and are 6 and 7 games off the pace respectively.

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Dereck Rodriguez tries to even the series tonight facing Dan Straily who broke Evan Longoria's hand with an HBP in his last start.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/17/2018

AAA  New Orleans Baby Cakes blanked the Sacramento River Cats 3-0:

Mike Connolly RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 9/4.  ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Beede RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K, HBP, 2 WP.  ERA= 7.10.
Manny Parra LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.55.

Mike Connolly gets the promotion from AA.  His AA line was 3-2, 3.99, 38.1 IP, 14 BB, 38 K, GO/AO= 1.32.  He was the 27'th round draft pick out of Univ. of Maine in 2013.  It took him awhile to get out of short season ball but finally worked a full season for Augusta in 2016 with a 3.05 ERA over. 135.2 IP.  His results last year in the hitter-friendly Cal League were not as good with a 4.85 ERA in 94.2 IP.  I've never read a scouting report on Connolly, but from his minor league record, I would guess his stuff is similar to Chris Heston and he's a guy who an be effective when his command is on with a ceiling of 5'th starter in MLB.  Another rough game for Tyler Beede who made a relief appearance.

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AA  Harrisburg Senators outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .362.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .304.

Luigi! and Miguel Gomez were the only two players in the Squirrels starting lineup hitting over .250.

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A+  San Jose Giants defeated the Visalia Rawhide 7-1:

Wander Franco 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .294.
Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .344.
John Riley 1B- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .368.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .221.
Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.55.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.03.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outlasted the Asheville Tourists 5-4 in 10 innings:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(4).  BA= .243.
Shane Matheny 2B- 2 for 4, HR(4), BA= .230.
Tyler Brown LF- 3 for 3, 2 2B.  BA= .219.
Jason Bahr RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.75.

Heliot Ramos has a 6 game hit streak with an XBH in each of his last 5 games, all doubles.  He is 9 for 24(.375) in that span.  3 of his 4 SB's have come in his last 4 games.

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Short Season  Tri-Cities Dust Devils blew away the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 11-0:

Jesus Tona RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Looking at the S-K roster, things may be a bit rough until reinforcements from the draft start arriving.

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DSL  Giants were idle as usual on Sundays.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Game Wrap 6/17/2018: Giants 4 Dodgers 1

The Giants scored on a pair of 2-run HR's by Brandon Belt and Nick Hundley, and that was all Chris Stratton and the bullpen needed to salvage a Win out of the weekend series with the Bad Guys.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 3, HR(12), BB.  BA= .302.  The Big Guy needed 1 game to get warmed up and came out doing his thing:  Taking walks and hitting dingers.  Great to have him back in the lineup.

Nick Hundley C- 1 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .257.  Seems to me Nick Hundley could be a starting catcher for several teams.  Since his BA hit a nadir of .067 on April 12, he has hit .287 with 8 HR's and a SLG% of .602.

Chris Stratton RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.22.  Stratton seems to have found his groove again.  This was his 3'rd QS out of 4 in June.  He has a 2.35 ERA in that span.

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With the Win, the Giants pass the Rockies for 3'rd place in the NL West after the Rockies were outscored by the Rangers 13-12.  The leading D'Backs lost to the Mets 5-3 so the Dodgers remain 1.5 games behind the D'Backs while the Giants are 4.5 games back. The Rockies trail by 5 games and the Padres lost to the Braves 4-1 to remain 6.5 games back in last place.

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The Giants now return home to begin a return series with the Marlins tomorrow night with Andrew Suarez facing lefty Caleb Smith.

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Brandon Crawford is expected to take a paternity leave for the birth of his 4'th child this week.  Not sure which day that starts.

The Giants have signed Joey Bart with a signing bonus of slightly over $7 M.  It's the largest bonus ever for a position player draft pick.  Is that right?  The Giants have reportedly signed their top 16 draft picks and 23 of their top 25.  The highest unsigned pick is Ryan Olenek at #17.  Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs seems to be under the impression he is not likely to sign.  Overall, the Giants have signed 32 of their picks.

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Down on the Farm: 6/16/2018

AAA  New Orleans Baby Cakes defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-3:

Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .289.
Orlando Calixte SS- 2 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .276.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.57.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.61.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 5-1:

Luigi Rodriguez RF- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .367.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .293.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 1 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .267.
Conner Menez LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Dillon McNamara RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.88.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.82.

Luigi!  Conner Menez had a successful AA debut.  He had previously made 2 appearances for Sacramento River Cats.  I believe this is an official promotion and not just a spot start. He had 70 K's and 21 BB in 50 IP for San Jose prior to this promotion.

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A+  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 8-0:

Johneshwy Fargas LF- 2 for 3, SB(17).  BA= .265.
Mac Marshall LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.25.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.42.

This was Mac Marshall's first appearance since 5/14/2018.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Asheville Tourists 7-6:

Heliot Ramos CF- 4 for 5, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .243.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 5.  BA= .242.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .258.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .230.
Shane Matheny 3B- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .221.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.97.
Frank Rubio RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(10).  ERA= 1.55.

Strong games for last year's top 2 draft picks, Ramos and Gonzalez.  Heliot Ramos has a 5 game hit streak.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Tri-City Dust Devils 9-8:

Kyle McPherson SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .500.
Trevor Abrams 3B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .375.
Diego Rincones LF- 3 for 4.  BA= .750.
Gregory Santos RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.50.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 7.20.

In case you are wondering who Trevor Abrams is, he's listed as 6'4", 215 lbs. Signed as an undrafted FA last year out of Sonoma St.  He played 2 seasons in 2014 and 2015 for St Mary's then sat out 2016 before playing 2017 for Sonoma St.  He hit .293 for Sonoma St.  He also hit very well in collegiate summer leagues for the Santa Barbara Foresters and SD Force.  He could be a deep sleeper prospect with size to have some upside.

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DSL  Giants crushed Colorado 13-3:

Jean Pena SS- 3 for 6, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .324.
Enoc Watts 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .351.
Richgelon Juliana CF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .229.
Rodolfo Bone C- 1 for 2, 2 2B.  BA= .444.

Game Wrap 6/16/2018: Dodgers 3 Giants 1

A QS by Madison Bumgarner was not enough as the Giants offense continued to sputter, this time against Dodgers LHP Alex Wood.  Key Lines:

Mac Williamson LF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .247.  Mac's hard single through the left side to start the 5'th inning keyed the only scoring rally of the game for the Giants.  He scored on a SF by Alen Hanson.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.67.  Bummy is still searching for his groove since the long DL stint as evidenced by the K/BB.  

Reyes Moronta RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.93.  Moronta was hitting 98 MPH on the gun with some consistency.

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The D'backs trail the Mets 5-1 in the 9'th inning at the time of this writing so current standings will change by 0.5 games when that game is complete.  Dodgers are in 2'nd place, 2 games behind.  3'rd place Rockies are 5.5 games back. The 4'th place Giants trail by 6 games and the Padres lost to the Braves 1-0 to trail by 7 games.

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Chris Stratton tries to end the series and road trip on a winning note against rookie LHP Caleb Ferguson tomorrow afternoon.