Down on the Farm: 7/31/2022

AAA:  Round Rock Express rolled over the Sacramento River Cats 9-4.

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .283.

Andrew Knapp 1B- 1 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .250.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 5.22. 

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AA:  Somerset Patriots vs Richmond Flying Squirrels Cancelled.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds crushed the Hillsboro Hops 9-1.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .203.

Jimmy Glowenke 2B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .188.

Simon Whiteman SS- 2 for 4, 2 SB910).  BA= .180.

Nick Swiney LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.  ERA= 3.41.

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A: San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7-3.

Carter Williams LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .399.

Hayden Cantrelle DH- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .269.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .228.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.20.

Game Wrap 7/31/2022: Giants 4 Cubs 0

 The Giants mounted a 2-out rally that netted 4 runs in the 4'th inning.  That was more than enough for Carlos Rodon LHP, John Brebbia RHP and Camilo Doval RHP to bring it home and a series win for the first time since the All-Star Break. 

Carlos Rodon LHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K.  ERA= 3.00.  If the Giants are selling, this game should give buyers a tad more confidence after an odd last start in Arizona.  Dominant performance, the type that will win you a postseason game or three.  If they are not selling, maybe it gives FZ a reason to think adding a piece or two might make a difference.

Dixon Machado SS- 1 for 3, HBP.  BA= .333.  In desperate need of a SS who can field the position, the Giants traded Raynel Espinal RHP to the Cubs for Machado in a swap of AAA players, except Machado stepped into the Giants starting lineup immediately.  He ended up playing an important role in the 4-run rally with an HBP to keep the line moving.  Machado was once a somewhat highly regarded prospect for the Tigers who never quite found traction at the MLB level.  This was his first MLB game since 2018.  He spent 2 years in the KBO.  Here is his AAA line for 2022:  .312/.402/.394, 2 HR, 10 SB, 11.8 BB%, 10.5 K%, 391 PA.  He gets a healthy percentage of walks for a guy with little to no power.  If he can field the position at the MLB level, the power is not essential.  And yes, I like Raynel Espinal but the season seemed to be wearing him down and his future with the Giants seemed to be fading.  

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So the big bad Dodgers come to town for another 4-gamer.  Can the Giants pay them back for that shellacking in LA last weekend?  Logan Webb RHP gets the start tomorrow night against Andrew Heaney LHP.

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Churn Watch:

In addition to trading Espinal to the Cubs for Machado, the Giants designated Tobias Myers RHP for assignment.  Show of hands for all who knew Tobias Myers was on the Giants 40-man roster.

Down on the Farm: 7/30/2022

AAA:  Round Rock Express rolled over the Sacramento River Cats 10-7.

Jason Knapp C- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .248.

Isan Diaz 2B- 2 for 4, HR(20), BB.  BA= .276.

Ka'ai Tom LF- 1 for 5, HR(10).  BA= .247.

Shane Matheny SS- 1 for 5.  BA= .200.

Bryce Johnson CF- 0 for 2, 3 BB, SB(24).  BA= .279.

Diaz has played 11 games at SS this season and 133 in his pro career.  He seems to be the consensus choice for a callup to replace Thairo Estrada who seems destined for the concussion IL.  Diaz has an intriguing bat but to my understanding not a great defensive reputation.  His full batting line since joining the River Cats:  .276/.372/.596, 20 HR, 6 SB, 12.6 BB%, 26.8 K%, 261 PA.  So far, the bat has not translated in the major leagues as he has a MLB career slash line of .185/.275/.287 but his BB and K numbers are similar at 10.6% and 27.8% respectively.  He seems like as good a candidate as any to breakout if he's given another shot.  Matheny has played 18 games at SS this season and 72 in his career.  This was his first AAA game after a promotion from AA Richmond.

 

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AA:  Somerset Patriots defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-3.

Brett Auerbach 2B- 1 for 4, HR(11), BB.  BA= .194.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 5.27.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.40.

Rodriguez entered the game in the 4'th inning with the bases loaded and no outs.  He proceeded to strike out the side stranding all 3 runners.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 10-4.

Vaun Brown RF- 2 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .320.

Luis Toribio 3B- 1 for 3, HR(17), BB, HBP.  BA= .211.

Simon Whiteman 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .168.

Mat Olsen RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.33.

Nick Morreale RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.70.

I am not thinking of any reason to not give Vaun Brown a head start on his 2023 AA season with an August promotion.

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A:  San Jose Giants edged out the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3-2.

Yorlis Rodriguez 3B- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .266.

Eric Silva RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.17.

Joe Kemlage RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.27.

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Complex Watch:

Patrick Hilson CF(ACL, 21 yo)- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .273.

Tanner Andrews RHP(ACL, 26 yo)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Miguel Ramos RHP(DSL, 17 yo)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Hilson is batting .342 in July.  Andrews is a former 10'th round draft pick by the Marlins.  He is on a rehab assignment.

Game Wrap 7/30/2022: Giants 5 Cubs 4

A late rally by the Cubs fell just short as the Giants held on for a Win on Will Clark's number retirement day.  

Jakob Junis RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.78.  Junis seemed to be pitching out of the stretch al evening and threw 74 pitches in 4 IP but held the Cubs scoreless through 4 while the Giants built a 5-0 lead.

Austin Slater CF doubled into the gap in left-CF in the 3'rd inning and Darin Ruf LF who was on 1B after a walk was on the move and scored easily.  Yermin Mercedes DH followed with a sharp single to LF to drive in Slater.  

Mercedes has become quite the offensive force since joining the Giants, particularly against LHP's.  He's hitting .375 over his last 7 games and .315 over his last 15.

Luis Gonzalez RF/LF hit a 2-run HR with David Villar 3B on board.  Villar also had a fine defensive play laying out to grab a hot shot, getting up and gunning down the runner.

Joey Bart C followed Gonzalez' HR with a monster shot of his own.  Exit velocity was over 114 MPH, the Giants hardest hit ball of the season.  Gotta say, when Joey hits em, they leave the park quickly.

Thairo Estrada SS was hit on the head by pitch and appeared to temporarily lose consciousness.  He walked off the field but seemed to be a bit dazed and wobbly.  Tough to see how he avoids the concussion IL.  Villar and Jason Vosler might be able to cover for a few games until Crawford can get back.  Other than that, the Giants do not have anyone on the 40-man roster with any significant experience playing SS.  Donovan Walton is listed on the 40-man roster but he has not appeared in a game since July 17 and he was a near-disaster at the position when he tried to play it earlier this season. Archimedes Gamboa can probably handle the position defensively but would have to be added to the 40-man roster.  Shane Matheny, who just got promoted to AAA, started tonight's Sacramento River Cats game at SS although I believe he is mostly a 2B.  Tough situation for a team trying to make a case for adding help at the trade deadline.  

Tyler Rogers RHP seems to do better when he enters the game to start an earlier inning and goes more than one inning.  He has allowed just 1 run in 15 IP in those situations.  His line tonight:  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 2/0.  

Jarlin Garcia LHP who has also tended to do well in multi-inning situations did not do so well tonight as Yunior Marte RHP had to bail him out of the 7'th inning.  Marte then pitched a scoreless 8'th inning but ran into trouble in the 9'th putting 2 runners on.  Dominic Leone RHP came in and gave up a hit to load the bases.  Leone hung tough and pitched very well to get out of the inning with just 3 runs scored and the Save(3).  

It was great to get a win on Will Clark day but this is still quite obviously a deeply flawed team that 1 or 2 additions can turn into a serious contender.  That situation is likely now compounded by Estrada's injury.  I still think if they can get a serious prospect or two for Rodon they need to say yes.

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Speaking of Carlos Rodon LHP, he tries for the series win tomorrow afternoon facing Adrian Sampson RHP.

Down on the Farm: 7/29/2022

AAA:  Round Rock Express topped the Sacramento River Cats 4-3.

Jason Knapp C- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .230.

Isan Diaz 2B- 1 for 2, HR(19), 2 BB.  BA= .271.

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AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels pounded the Somerset Patriots 8-1.

Michael Gigliotti CF-  0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(23).  BA= .213.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 1 for 3, HR(16), HBP, SB(9).  BA= .198.

Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 3, HR(7).  BA= .187.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.79.

Taylor Rashi RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.48.

Chris Wright LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.75.

Giants obviously being cautious with Kyle Harrison.  He threw 60 pitches in his 3 innings of work.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds defeated the Hillsboro Hops 5-4.

Casey Schmitt SS- 1 for 4, HR(17).  BA= .276.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 2, BB, SF.  BA= .203.

Keaton Winn RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 2.67.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 3.86.

Is Keaton Winn finally finding some traction on his pro career?  He has 84 K's in 67.2 IP at two levels this season.

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A:  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes beat the San Jose Giants 4-1.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, SB(29).  BA= .295.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .267.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.00.

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

McCray stretches his multi-hit game streak to 5.  He is 15 for 24 in that span.  Zack Littell starts a rehab assignment.

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Complex Watch:

Miguel Mora RHP(ACL, 20 yo)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.79.  51 K's in 35.2 IP, for Mora.

Kanoa Pagan RHP(ACL, 23 yo)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.56.

Melvin Pineda RHP(DSL, 18 yo)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.94.  46 K's in 29.2 IP for Pineda.

Alessandro Duran C(DSL, 17 yo)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .173.

Mauricio Estrella RHP(DSL, 18 yo)- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.74.

Game Wrap 7/29/2022: Cubs 4 Giants 2

 Offensive futility and fielding and relief pitching failures came back with a vengeance to doom the Giants in their quest to find traction leading up to the trade deadline.  

The Giants had 14 baserunners in the first 8 innings, including 4 doubles, with 0 runs to show for it.  I mean I think that's almost mathematically impossible!  

Alex Cobb RHP continued to pitch in some of the worst luck I recall seeing.  This time it was lack of run support as he pitched 6 dominant innings:  6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 11 K, GO/AO= 7/0.  His only blemish was a HR ball to Patrick Wisdom 3B, the guy from St Mary's who has become quite the Giants killer.  

Wilmer Flores 2B- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(15).  BA= .248.  Flores had a big game including the 2-run HR in the bottom of the 9'th inning that was too little, too late.  Flores is still hitting just .222 over his last 7 games but has hit 2 HR in that span.

Jason Vosler 3B who replaced Joc Pederson OF due to to concussion IL had 2 doubles but did not figure in any scoring.  Brandon Belt 1B reached base 3 times and did not figure in any scoring.  Every member of the starting lineup except Luis Gonzalez RF/LF had a hit, 4 had multiple hits and 5 reached base more than once.  Yet they came to the 9'th inning trailing 1-0.

Perhaps the key play of the game was a ground rule double by the aforementioned Giants nemesis, Patrick Wisdom.  The Giants challenged the call but it was upheld despite a lack of chalk kicking up.  There is still a lot of sentiment on Twitter that it was foul.  I personally think it caught the outside edge of the line.  The reason for the lack of a chalk kick is it was a misty night, the chalk was wet and the ball landed square enought it didn't kick anything up, including dirt.   That put runners on 2'nd and 3'rd with 1 out and the floodgates opened.  The first run scored on a high chopper that Camilo Doval RHP had to wait to field and could not get to Austin Wynns C in time to catch Nico Hoerner SS at the plate.  The final run, fittingly scored when a routine shallow flyball clanked off Mike Yastrzemski RF's glove for an error.

As mentioned above, Joc Pederson was placed on the 7 day concussion IL after crashing into the wall on Thursday with Jason Vosler getting the replacement call.  That probably eliminates any possibility of trading Joc even in the unlikely event FZ decides to sell.

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Speaking of selling, the Loss left the Giants 4 games behind in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot.  Jake Junis RHP gets the start tonight at 6:05 facing former Giant Drew Smyly LHP.

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I continue to believe FZ should sell at the trade deadline and there really isn't any scenario I can think of that would change my mind before August 2.  The problem is now with Joc Pederson all but off the table due to the concussion, Carlos Rodon LHP is the only trade piece with significant value.  This is where the calculation gets dicey.  What can FZ get in return for Rodon and is it more valuable than a compensation draft pick?  Don't forget compensation picks gave him enough extra bonus pool money to draft and sign Kyle Harrison LHP in 2020.  On the other hand, if Rodon brought back half of what the Reds got for Luis Castillo RHP, it's hard to see the draft pick as more valuable.

My take is the odds of FZ simply standing pat and not making any moves are going up, or he may end up just trading some lower level guys who would not bring back draft pick compensation like Wilmer Flores.

Down on the Farm: 7/28/2022

AAA:  Round Rock Express outscored the Giants 7-6.

Andrew Knapp C- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .229.

Archimedes Gamboa SS- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .247.

Raynel Espinal RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.29.

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AA:  Somerset Patriots beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-1(Game 1 of doubleheader, 7 innings).

Shane Matheny 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .257.

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AA:  Somerset Patriots downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-3(Game 2 of doubleheader, 7 innings).

Shane Matheny 2B- 1 for 3, HR(10), BB.  BA= .258.

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A+:  Hillsboro Hops doubled up the Eugene Emeralds 8-4.

Casey Schmitt 3B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .276.

Riley Mahan 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.

Max Wright DH- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .207.

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A:  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes edged out the San Jose Giants 3-2.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(28).  BA= .293.

Carter Williams LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .414.

Alexander Suarez DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .244.

Hayden Cantrelle 2B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .261.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.62.

Jose Cruz RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.03.

McCray extends his multi-hit game streak to 4.  He is 13 for 20 in that span.  Trevor McDonald RHP has lowered his ERA from a peak of 4.15 on May 22.  His pitching line since that game:  2-1, 1.60, 39.1 IP, 17 BB, 37 K.  

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Complex Watch:

Patrick Hilson CF(ACL, 21 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .256.

Anthony Rodriguez SS(ACL, 19 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .244.

Nomar Medina RHP(ACL, 19 yo)- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.05.

Game Wrap 7/28/2022: Giants 4 Cubs 2

 The Giants built a 4-0 lead as Alex Wood LHP took a no-hitter into the 7'th inning and hung on for their first win after the All-Star Break.  

Wood's line:  6.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 10/4.  ERA= 4.11.  The Cubs two runs scored on a 2-run HR by Patrick Wisdom 3B who played college ball at St Mary's and seems to thrive on hitting against the Giants.

Almost all no-hit bid require great fielding.  YtY made a nice running catch to keep Wood's no-no alive although it looked like he had to change up his route at the last second.  I also saw Wilmer Flores 2B make a nice diving stop going away from 1B, get up and throw out the runner that looked like he put extra effort into it.

Austin Slater CF, Yermin Mercedes DH and Thairo Estrada SS had two hits each with a 2B by Slater. Estrada added a SB(15).  Estrada seems to be thriving on the regular playing time hitting .320 over his last 7 games and .308 over his last 15.  Slater is 3 for 6 over his last two games after running into a bit of a slump.

Camilo Doval RHP looked confident closing it out:  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, Save(13).  ERA= 2.81.

Luis Gonzalez OF missed the game due to back issues and Joc Pederson OF came out with a headache after banging the LF wall on Wisdom's HR.

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The Giants try to keep it going tonight with Alex Cobb RHP facing Marcus Stroman RHP.  

Thoughts on BABIP and Luck

This comes from a discussion in the Comments section from yesterday's post.  I think it deserves a post of it's own.   I also think it puts some of our current despair over the state of the Giants into perspective.

Quick Review:  BABIP stands for Batting Average on Balls In Play.  It's a statistic that lies at the foundation of Sabermetrics, the study of baseball statistics.  It was discovered by a fellow name Voros McCracken who noticed that if you removed strikeouts and home runs from the equation, batting averages on balls put in play eventually regress to a mean and are largely out of the control of either the pitcher or the batter.  The corollary is that player Batting Averages which are BABIP dependent and are unusually high or low will eventually regress to this mean.  So it becomes a fast easy, and admittedly oversimplified, way of predicting future performance.  If a batter has a high BABIP, his BA is likely to fade going forward.  If it's low, he's likely to show improved numbers going forward.  With pitchers, obviously, it's the opposite.  The more a batter's production depends on "true outcomes" that are not part of BABIP(Strikeouts, Walks, HR's) the more likely their production to remain stable in the future.

Does it seem to you that an unusually high number of Giants hard-hit balls are turning into outs this season and an unusual number of opponents soft-hit balls are resulting in hits?  Well, based on team BABIP's listed in Fangraphs, you are not imagining it and they have not regressed to a mean 2/3's into the season.  Did it seem like last season they had an unusually high number of bloop hits and like they caught an unusually high number of opponents line drives?  Well, you were not imagining that either.

On an educated hunch, I looked up Team stats on Fangraphs and ranked them by BABIP.  After yesterday's games, the Giants rank #25 out of 30 in offensive BABIP at .279.  Median for MLB is .291-.292.  On the pitching side, they have the #3 highest BABIP at at .306 with a league Median of .287-.289(gotta admit, I don't understand why the batting and pitching median would be different.  I understand Median is different than Mean but in a large enough sample they should be very close to the same).  In simpler terms, Giants batters and pitchers have both been significantly unlucky this season.

What about last season when their results on the field were much better.  Yes, they hit an historic number of HR's which are BABIP independent, but they were also incredibly BABIP lucky.   Their offensive BABIP was 11'th highest at .295. OK, that is not so far from the mean but it's a whole lot better than .279!  The pitching last year was much luckier ranking #26 at .279.

Now, there are things that influence BABIP that players do have control over.  Flyballs tend to have a lower BABIP than groundballs.  Fast players can beat out more IF hits so they tend to have higher BABIPs.  The whole purpose of shifts and defensive positioning is to suppress BABIP.  On the defensive side, lack of range and misplays cause higher BABIPs.  On the other hand, we know from a mountain of historical statistics that BABIP almost always regresses to the mean with a large enough sample size.

Conclusion:  While the bad defense we have witnessed on a daily basis likely contributes to their poor record, BABIP data strongly suggests that the Giants were unusually lucky last year and unusually unlucky so far this year.

Down on the Farm: 7/26/2022

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Round Rock Express 10-8.

Bryce Johnson CF- 1 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .291.

Willie Calhoun LF- 1 for 3, HR(8).  BA= .259.

Isan Diaz SS/2B- 2 for 4, BB, SB(6).  BA= .270.

Austin Dean RF- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .256.

Wyatt Mathisen 3B- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .179.

Shelby Miller RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, Save(1).  ERA= 4.74.

Bryce Johnson is a guy I would like see get a look with the Giants if they end up selling.

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AA:  Somerset Patriots blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-0.

Nothing to see here.  Squirrels had just 2 hits in the game.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Hillsboro Hops 5-4.

Jairo Pomares DH- 1 for 2, HR(10), BB.  BA= .227.

Luis Toribio 3B- 1 for 2, HR(16), 2 BB.  BA= .216.

Landon Roupp RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.96.

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A:  San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-0.

Grant McCray CF- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(27).  BA= .290.

Hayden Cantrelle 2B- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(7).  BA= .408.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.56.

Matt Mikulski LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.88.

John Gavin LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.24.

Grant McCray is on fire:  11 for 16 over his last 3 games.

Game Wrap 7/26/2022: D'Backs 5 Giants 3

 This game went to the bottom of the 7'th inning tied at 2 then this sequence happened:  Bunt single(challenge, call on field overturned), GB single, Sac Bunt/error(2 runs score), Pitching Change(Sam Long LHP replaces Logan Webb RHP), HR(Jose Rojas 3B), GO, K.  That is a microcosm of the Giants season right there.

Logan Webb RHP- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 10/1.  ERA= 2.91.  Once again, if you are going to live by the groundball you better be ready to field those GB's. 

Bright Spot:  Thairo Estrada SS- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(14).  Estrada is hitting .292 over his last 7 games and .302 over his last 15.  Probably more valuable to the team as a utility guy than a full-time position player but love his tools and enthusiasm.  Hope he sticks around awhile. 

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With the loss the Giants completed a reverse sweep of not just this 3-game series but the entire 7 game road trip.  They now come home to face the Cubs in a 4-game series with Alex Wood LHP getting the first game facing Justin Steele LHP who has an overall 4.02 ERA but 3.12 over his last 7 starts.

Down on the Farm: 7/26/2022

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Round Rock Express 5-1.

Jason Krizan 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .294.

Andrew Knapp C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .217.

Isan Diaz 2B- 1 for 4, HR(18), BB.  BA= .265.

Tristan Beck RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA=. 6.27.

Alex Young LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Joey Marciano LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.56. 

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

AA:  Somerset Patriots vs Richmond Flying Squirrels Postponed.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Hillsboro Hops 5-4.

Vaun Brown RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .337.

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 4, HR(15).  BA= .214.

Robert Emery C- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .333.

Ty Weber RHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.06.

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A: San Jose Giants crushed the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 18-4.

Grant McCray CF- 5 for 7, HR(15), SB(26).  BA= .285.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 4, HR(9), 2 BB.  BA= .272.

Carter Williams DH- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .410.

Yorlis Rodriguez 3B- 4 for 6, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .273.

Garrett Freshette 1B- 2 for 6.  BA= .270.

Alexander Suarez LF- 2 for 4, HR(9), BB, HBP.  BA= .244.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.15.

Anyone else ready to see what Grant McCray can do at a higher level? After hitting .122 in April and .244 in May, Alexander Suarez hit .267 in June and .318 so far in July.  

Game Wrap 7/26/2022: D'Backs 7 Giants 3

Carlos Rodon LHP allowed just 5 baserunners while striking out 10 over 6 IP......except 2 of those baserunners were home-run trotters and all 5 of those runners scored. 

Wilmer Flores 2B hit his 14'th HR to drive in 2 runs.  Luis Gonzalez RF and Brandon Belt 1B had two hits each. That's about it for this game.

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With the loss, the Giants clinched a loss of the 3-game series against a team with a worse record.....at least for now.  Logan Webb RHP tries to salvage a win in the series finale tomorrow afternoon facing Zac Gallen RHP.

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Churn Watch:

Tommy La Stella IF was reinstated from the COVID-19 IL.  In corresponding moves, Gregory Santos RHP was optioned back to AAA Sacramento and Angel Rondon RHP was DFA'd off the 40 man roster.  You remember Rondon, right?  He was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on July 13.

Game Wrap 7/25/2022: D'Backs 7 Giants 0

 Jakob Junis RHP was a gamer for 4 innings but go zero, and I mean zero, support from his teammates after reaching the end of his pitch count in a loss that was even more embarrassing than getting swept in a 4-game series by the Dodgers.  

Other than Junis, the one bright spot might have been Luis Gonzalez RF who got 2 of the Giants 3 hits....except he got picked off 1B after the single and doubled off the bag after the double.

Beyond that, utter and complete futility.  No need to go into more details.

If this game does not convince FZ to put potential buyers for Carlos Rodon LHP and Joc Pederson OF on speed dial, I am not sure what would.

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Speaking of Rodon, he gets a chance to showcase for potential buying teams tomorrow evening facing Tyler Gilbert LHP who was originally scheduled to start tonight but was replaced by Merrill Kelly RHP.

Down on the Farm: 7/24/2022

AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodgers pounded the Sacramento River Cats 12-3.  

Isan Diaz 2B- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB, BA= .266.

Austin Dean RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .249.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K, GO/AO= 7/0.  ERA= 5.27.  

If you are going to succeed by putting the ball on the ground, you better have good fielders with range behind you and you better not be walking a batter an inning.

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AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Bowie Baysox 7-6.

Diego Rincones DH- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .267.

Brett Auerbach 2B- 1 for 3, HR(10), BB.  BA= .195.

Ricardo Genoves C- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .260.

Jason Heyward LF- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .190.

Cole Waites RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.57.

Blake Rivera RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.82.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett Aquasox 12-7.

Vaun Brown RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, HBP, SB(11).  BA= .337.

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 6, HR(6), SB(5).  BA= .181.

Riley Mahan 3B- 3 for 6, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .286.

Luis Matos is 4 for 10 over his last two games but only batting .194 for month of July.  4 of his 5 HR's have come in July.  OK, time to give Vaun Brown a head start on AA next season.

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A:  San Jose Giants buried the Modesto Nuts 8-2.

Grant McCray CF- 3 for 5, 2 SB(25).  BA= .276.

Carter Williams LF- 1 for 5, HR(7).  BA= .402.

Jared Dupere RF- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .462.

Eric Silva RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 5.43.

Ben Madison RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.53.

Game Wrap 7/24/2022: Dodgers 7 Giants 4

I attended this game with a small group of friends who are Dodger fans.  They were happier on the drive home than I.  

The Giants managed to run up Clayton Kershaw LHP's pitch count and knocked him out of the game in the 5'th inning, but a familiar combination of poor fielding and relief pitching gave the win to the Dodgers in the late innings.

Thairo Estrada SS's 2-run single in the third inning got the Giants on the scoreboard against Kershaw.  Darin Ruf's 2-run HR in the 5'th knocked him out of the game.  All that was set up by the second inning when the Giants loaded the bases and ran Kershaw's pitch count to 46.  It was frustrating to see the bases left loaded but the extra pitches almost certainly contributed to Kershaw's subsequent ineffectiveness and early exit. 

Unfortunately, Alex Cobb RHP also struggled with early runs and high pitch counts and didn't make it out of the 6'th inning.  The umps made Cobb towel off his arms after a 2-out double by Jake Lamb DH in the 3'rd inning.  Immediately after that, he gave up single, double, single, all on hard hit line drives for a 3 spot and a 4-2 deficit.  Twitter seemed to think the umps thought he was mixing sweat with rosin.  Is that illegal?  Madison Bumgarner LHP is famous for rubbing his forearms to get moisture to rub up the baseball with.  Maybe it whatever he was doing wasn't illegal since they didn't eject him from the game?  But then why did they make him towel off his arms?   Was it because the Dodgers complained?  If so that bit of gamesmanship paid off big time!  

Dominic Leone RHP got the last out of the 6'th inning and came out for the 7'th.  He got Trea Turner to fly out, but stayed in the game with Freddie Freeman 1B and 3 more LH batters coming up.  Freeman hit a ball down the LF line that was misplayed by Yermin Mercedes LF who initially lost it in the sky.  It fell for a double.  That brought in Tyler Rogers RHP who went double, single, GO, double, walk before finally getting out of the inning now trailing 7-4.  Note the Giants are down to just 2 LHP's in the bullpen and both are overworked which is why Kap used RHP's to fact that string of lefty hitters in the 7'th inning.  

Yermin giveth and Yermin taketh:  Yermin Mercedes had a nice game at the plate with 2 doubles down the LF line.  He is starting to look like a legitimated RH bat.  Kap insists he is athletic and fast enough to handle LF, but he never played LF before coming to the Giants so there's a learning curve.

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The Giants don't have time to lick their wounds from the 4-game sweep in LA as they head to Phoenix to start a 3-gamer against the D'Backs tomorrow evening with Jakob Junis RHP facing Tyler Gilbert LHP.

Down on the Farm: 7/23/2022

AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodgers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 8-4.

Tommy La Stella DH- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .314.

Jason Krizan 1B- 2 for 4, 2 HR(5).  BA= .293.

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 4, SB(23).  BA= .295.

Alex Young LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

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AA:  Bowe Baysox edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2.

Diego Rincones DH- 4 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .262.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.98.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.00.

Taylor Rashi RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.64.

Kyle Harrison faced 10 batters and retired 9, all by strikeout.  Pitch count/innings limit due to long layoff for Futures Game.  Wow!

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds buried the Everett Aquasox 8-1.

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .177.

Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SF.  BA= .273.

Keaton Winn RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Mat Olsen RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.88.

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A:  Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 12-3.  

Nothing to see here.

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Complex Watch:

Miguel Mora RHP(ACL, 20 yo)- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.40.

Game Wrap 7/23/2022: Dodgers 4 Giants 2

 Two runs in the 9'th inning made the final score closer than the game actually was.  Austin Slater CF reached base 3 times but aside from that, the Giants offense laid down and died in front of Julio Urias LHP.  

The game was basically over then Alex Wood LHP allowed B2B HR's to Mookie Betts RF and Trea Turner SS in the third inning.  Wood faced one batter in the 5'th inning and threw 97 pitches in 4 official IP.

The Dodgers got solo HR's from Betts, Turner and Freddie Freeman 1B, three of the best players in all of MLB and who were aggressively acquired through trades and signings at considerable cost.  Are you reading this FZ?

Evan Longoria 3B left the game in the 4'th inning clutching his hammy after running to 1B on a GIDP.  Longoria has appeared in just 49 out of 94 games this season.  It looks like it will be awhile until he appears in #50.

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Alex Cobb RHP tries to stave off the embarrassment of a 4-game sweep tomorrow afternoon facing Clayton Kershaw LHP in a game I plan to attend with some friends who are Dodger fans.  That should be fun!

Down on the Farm: 7/22/2022

AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodger pounded the Sacramento River Cats 10-4.

Jason Vosler 1B/3B- 2 for 5, HR(12).  BA= .230.

Isan Diaz 3B/2B- 3 for 5, HR(17).  BA= .269.

Bullpen game for the Cats which.....well.....lets just say bullpen help for the Giants was nowhere to be seen.

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AA:  Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2.

Armani Smith LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .245.

Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .260.

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A+: Eugene Emeralds buried the Everett Aquasox 16-9.

Casey Schmitt SS- 1 for 3, HR(16), 3 BB.  BA= .269.

Jairo Pomares LF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .219.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 6, HR(8).  BA= .193.

Carter Aldrete 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, 3 BB.  BA= .289.

Riley Mahan DH- 1 for 4, 3B, 2 BB, BA= .200.

Vaun Brown RF- 0 for 3, BB, HBP, SF, SB(10), Assist(2B).  BA= .338.

Bailey's HR was a grand slam.

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A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Modesto Nuts 6-5.

Grant McCray CF- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB(23).  BA= .274.

Hayden Cantrelle 2B- 3 for 5.  BA= .267.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .277.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .238.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 2.83.

Melvin Adon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Hunter Dula RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.48.

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Complex Watch:

Mauricio Pierre LF(ACL, 18 yo)- 2 for 3, BB, SB(4).  BA= .279. Pierre might be my favorite complex prospect.

Nomar Medina RHP(ACL, 19 yo)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.31. 45 K in 39 IP.

Ramon Peralta SS(DSL, 18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .277.

Saul Bautista RF(DSL, 18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(13).  BA= .263.

Guillermo Williamson 1B(DSL,18 yo)- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .275.

Fabio Villadiego CF(DSL, 18 yo)- 2 for 5, HR(1), SB(3).  BA= .244.

Estanlin Cassiani RF(DSL, 19 yo)- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .410.

Jhosward Camacho 3B(DSL, 18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .280.

Jorge Martinez RHP(DSL, 20 yo)- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.58.

Game Wrap 7/22/2022: Dodgers 5 Giants 1

 Logan Webb RHP gutted out 6 innings to stay even with Cy.....er.....Tyler Anderson LHP only to see the Giants lose when Sam Long LHP gave up a grand slam HR to Cody Bellinger CF in the 8'th inning for another bitter loss to the Dodgers.  

Webb walked 3 consecutive batters in the first inning for a run.  He threw something like 51 pitches in the first two innings.  He settled down after that but still ended up throwing 103 pitches with just 2 K's in 6 IP.  Not the kind of start we've gotten used to from Webb.

Meanwhile, when did Tyler Anderson turn into Cy Young?  Why didn't he do that when he was a Giant?  He shut down the Giants for just 1 unearned run over 6 innings but even before tonight he was sporting a 10-1 W-L record and finished the evening with a 2.79 ERA in 103 IP which leads the Dodgers.

A misplayed ball by Lamonte Wade Jr 1B contributed to loading the bases ahead of Bellinger's slam.   In fact, all 4 of those runs were counted as unearned, although Long has his share of the blame.  How can you hang a curveball on the inner half of the plate on an 0 and 2 count?  Similar scenarios seem to play out on almost a daily basis this season.  At some point it's not bad luck anymore.

Not much else to say about this one.

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Alex Wood LHP tries to be the stopper again tomorrow afternoon at 4:15 PM facing Giants nemesis Julio Urias LHP.  Word is if you want to beat Urias, you better get to him early.

Game Wrap 7/21/2022: Dodgers 9 Giants 6

A dramatic grand slam HR by Darin Ruf PH/DH in the 7'th inning fueled a late Giants comeback from a 5-0 deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the 8'th only to see it all go to naught in another bullpen failure.  

Poor OF play contributed to Carlos Rodon LHP giving up 5 runs in the first three innings but his pitching was also not his best work as an 0/7 GO/AO shows.

Even though he PH the previous AB, Ruf's HR brought back memories of Mike Ivie C/1B/3B, who were he playing today, I have no doubt would be a FZ/Kapler type player.  BTW, here's a hot tip if you are Giants fan looking for cheap thrills:  Google Mike Ivie Grand slam and watch the video and/or read the Chronicle game story.

You could see Ruf's slam coming from a mile away in a situation tailor made for him.  Bases loaded with a LHP with deer-in-headlights look and nowhere to put him.  So great!  

You could also see the bullpen meltdown looming from a long way off.  John Brebbia RHP faced 4 batters in the 7'th inning, gave up 4 hard hits and got 3 outs.  Dominic Leone RHP and Jarlin Garcia LHP were not so lucky and the hard-won 6-5 lead evaporated quickly.  It's got to be telling that Tyler Rogers RHP and Camilo Doval RHP were nowhere to be seen in the late innings.

With all of the talk about Juan Soto OF, he's not going to do the Giants much good if they don't also get at least 2 seasoned reliable veteran late-inning relievers.

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This game reminded me of the one and only game I attended in Candlestick Park May 16, 1971.  The Giants lost to the Dodger by the same score.  The Giants would go on to win the NL West by 1 game over the Dodgers only to have an aging and exhausted core of Willie Mays CF, Willie McCovey 1B, Juan Marichal RHP and Gaylord Perry RHP lose the championship series to the Pirates who would go on to beat the Orioles in the WS.  You can look up the boxscore in Baseball Reference linked to the left.  A young Bobby Bonds RF gave the Giants a lead in the 6'th inning on a dramatic 3-run HR but the Dodgers scored 9 runs due to sloppy fielding and a bullpen failure.

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Logan Webb RHP tries to tie the series tonight facing former Giant Tyler Anderson LHP.

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Churn Watch:  

The Giants traded with the Guardians on 7/18/2022 to acquire Alex Young LHP.  Young was once a highly regarded draft prospect out of TCU and then a pitching prospect for the D'Backs.  He moved fast through their system and  had some success as a rookie but has struggled since.

Yesterday, the Giants signed Trevor Rosenthal RHP to a guaranteed, prorated $4.5 M contract and immediately placed him on the 15-day IL.  To make room on the 40-man roster, they moved Mauricio Llovera RHP to the 60-day IL.  As I am sure you all remember, Rosenthal has been an elite Closer at times but has struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout his career.

The Giants currently have a total of 6 players on the 60-day IL.  Isn't there a limit to how many players you can have on the 60-day IL at one time?

Churn on!

Scouting the 2022 Draft: Rounds 11-20

 Round 11, #346.  Sam Bower RHP, St Marys(college).  DOB:  5/2/2001.  6'3", 220 lbs.  0-0, 3.48, 10.1 IP, 3 BB, 11 K.  Solid sophomore numbers at St Marys.  2022 season ended prematurely with a shoulder injury.  I was not able to find more details on nature of injury.  As we have noted numerous times, FZ is not afraid of pitcher injuries.

Round 12, #376.  Tyler Vogel RHP, Jacksonville(college).  DOB:  11/16/2000.  6'0", 175 lbs.  4-0, 1.78, 35.1 IP, 24 BB, 39 K, 10 Saves.  College Closer who went 3+ innings on multiple occasions.  That's all I have.

Round 13, #406.  Thomas Gavello C, Pacific(college).  DOB:  6/6/2001.  B-L, T-R.  5'10", 180 lbs.  .247/..393/.495, 11 HR, 4 SB, 33 BB, 58 K, 186 AB.  Listed as a C on MLB Draft Tracker so that must be what the Giants stated the pick as.  From UOP bio and fielding stats he is listed as an IF and it appears he mostly played 3B.  Kind of a true outcomes guy with double digit HR's to go with lots of walks and lots of K's.  

Round 14, #436.  Nomar Diaz C, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy(HS, Puerto Rico).  DOB:  4/15/2004.  B-R, T-R.  6'1", 180 lbs.  Per PG:  Defensive Catcher, athletic enough to play any position.  Simple swing with some pop in his bat with room for more power.  Developmental prospect.  Only HS player Giants take except for a couple of late flyers who probably won't sign.

Round 15, #466.  Tanner O'Tremba OF, Arizona(college).  DOB:  12/6/1999.  B-R, T-R.  6' 0", 212 lbs.  .351/.446/.591, 11 HR, 9 SB, 31 BB, 67 K, 259 AB.  Another guy who I'm trying desperately to figure out why he lasted this long.  PG's top prep prospect from Colorado in 2018.  Maintained performance in NCAA postseason.  Academic All-American.  No projection in body which is probably why he went this low.  80 grade baseball name.

Round 16, #496.  Andrew Kachel 2B, Fresno St(college).  DOB:  12/24/2000.  B-L, T-R.  6'0", 170 lbs.  .302/..395/.559, 11 HR, 6 SB, 29 BB, 45 K, 202 AB.  Second Bulldog drafted by the Giants.  Grew up rooting for the Giants so that's cool.  Smallish IF/overachiever type.  Decent college stats.  College Senior so likely way underslot bonus.  

Round 17, #526.  Justin Bench SS, Mississippi(college).  DOB:  8/28/1999.  B-R, T-R.  6'0", 185 lbs.  .316/.409/.438, 4 HR, 4 SB, 25 BB, 43 K, 256 AB.  Justin Bench is the son of John Bench and Johnny Bench bas a son named Justin but this Justin Bench is not related to the HOF catcher.  He is a pretty good baseball player who put up solid numbers for major college program in the toughest college conference. Another senior underslot guy.

Round 18, #556.  Tanner Thach 1B, HS.  DOB:  3/11/2004.  B- L, T-L.  6'3", 215 lbs.  Not much info.  PG lists him as a two-way player with an 88 MPH FB and ranks him #500 in country.  Committed to UNC Wilmington.  HS players drafted this late rarely sign but I'm thinking he just might be signable.

Round 19, #586.  Cade Perkins LHP, HS.  DOB:  4/15/2004.  6'2", 195 lbs.  From Manhattan......Kansas!  PG lists him as a two-way with 1B being his non-pitching position. #435 national ranking.  Committment is to JC ball so he may be signable too.  PG lists FB  velocity as 84 MPH.

Round 20, #616.  Ethan Long 1B, Arizona St(college).  DOB:  5/10/2001.  B-R, T-R.  6'2", 215 lbs.  .294/.377/.524, 7 HR, 5 SB, 18 BB, 38 K, 143 AB.  Ethan Long his his name and power is his game.  Draft eligible soph.  Long hit 16 HR's his freshman year which is more than Barry Bonds hit as a freshman at ASU and ranks second to Spencer Torkelson.  Stats regressed as a sophomore.  I am skeptical that he's signable. Seems like going back and trying to light it up as a junior and move way up draft boards is the smart move for him.

So, there you have it.  Tanner O'Tremba is my guy from Day 3 of the draft.

Scouting the 2022 Draft: Rounds 3-10

 The Giants continued their 2-year run on pitchers on Day 2 of the 2022 draft.  

First, some additional thoughts on Day 1:  

I know ceiling and upside are the buzzwords of the Giants Day 1 efforts but let's curb that enthusiasm just a bit by considering that between college and summer leagues, Reggie Crawford LHP/1B has a grand total of 418 PA's and 16.1 IP since HS.  Scouting reports say on the offensive side, he hits FB's well but struggles against breaking stuff and a lot of swing and miss in his game.  On the pitching side, he has elite velocity but his only secondary pitch is a slider which he struggles to command.  The Giants baseball educators have their work cut out for them and it's not likely to be a quick study.  The 2-way thing won't speed that up.  I am as excited by the ceiling as anyone but we should think about Crawford's timeline as more like a HS draftee's and a long term project at that.

On the other hand, Carson Whisenhunt LHP seems to be a much more polished product despite missing his junior season of college due to a PED suspension.  His ceiling is clearly not in the same class as Crawford's but he's much more likely to be a fast mover and a guy who can become a long term mid-rotation SP.  I am particularly encourage by the rave reviews of his changeup I've seen.  IMO you can be a MLB SP without a breaking ball(If you don't count a cut fastball as a breaking ball), but you can't without a changeup.  It's like Kruk says, "major league hitters aren't impressed if you throw 100 MPH.  They want to know if you have a changeup."  It sounds like Young Carson already has a good one.

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OK, let's get to the Day 2 draft profiles and some snap judgments.

Round 3, #106.  William Kempner RHP, Gonzaga(college).  DOB:  6/18/2001.  6'0", 222 lbs.  2-1, 3.00, 36 IP, 21 BB, 48 K.  Gonzaga must have had a heckuva pitching staff this season as Kempner kind of got lost behind Gabriel Hughes RHP and Trystan Vrieling RHP who got a lot more pre-draft ink.  Per MLB scouting report Kempner started the season as the Zags Saturday SP but missed time with a finger injury and came back as the Sunday SP where he performed well.  A bit on the short side for a SP, Kempner has high 90's velocity and a couple of secondary pitches.  MLB mentioned he may have suffered the finger injury from throwing his change up.  A preseason scouting video from Giants Prospective showed a nice fading changeup at 89 MPH off a 94 MPH FB.  On the surface, Kempner has the feel of a bullpen arm but he may have the stuff to be a SP and could even be a fast mover.  Nice pick in third round!  BTW, he's from San Jose so good chance he is a Giants fan.

Round 4, #136.  Spencer Miles RHP, Missouri(college).  DOB:  7/26/2000.  6'3", 180 lbs.  5-5, 6.20, 69.2 IP, 23 BB, 67 K.  College numbers are not impressive but remember the SEC is the toughest college conference.  Much better results in the 2021 Cape Cod League.  Prospects Live has an optimistic scouting report from the Cape reporting a low-mid-90's FB, a "bendy" curveball and changeup with "late drop".  That all sounds like something the Giants pitching wizards can work with and a potential SP arsenal.

Round 5, #166.  Liam Simon RHP, Notre Dame(college).  DOB:  7/26/2000.  6'4", 220 lbs.  2-1, 4.99, 30.2 IP, 28 BB, 56 K.  Obvious control/command issues but a big kid who throws hard.  MLB scouting report has him hitting triple digits although he seems to sit more in the upper-mid 90's.  Another Prospects Live scouting report from the Cape notes both a slider and changeup as secondary pitches with a plea to give him a chance to develop as a SP.  

Round 6, #196.  Hayden Birdsong RHP, Eastern Illinois(college).  DOB:  8/30/2001.  6'4", 215 lbs.  5-4, 3.35, 45.2 IP, 21 BB, 66 K's, 1 Save.  Can't find a scouting report.  Found a local news article where Birdsong was quoted as crediting his improved 2022 season on mixing in secondary pitches with his fastball.  Although used mostly as a reliever, he seems to be a bulk innings guy whether he starts or relieves.  There was an account of one game where he entered in the second inning with his team trailing 5-0 and held the opponent scoreless on two hits over the next 5 innings to enable a come-from-behind win.

Round 7, #226.  Zach Morgan C, Fresno St(college).  DOB:  3/30/2000.  B-R, T-R.   6'0", 180 lbs.  .381/.454/.592, 8 HR, 2 SB, 25 BB, 17 K, 218 AB.  The Giants made their first position player drafted a catcher because..... well, of course they did!  OK, what I want to know is why on Earth was this guy still around in Round 7?  Maybe a bit shy on power but my goodness!  Everything else checks out. Just check out those K/BB ratios!  Scouting reports have him better D than as a hitter to boot!  Grew up watching the Giants and a finalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award.  I can envision him moving to the top of the Giants catching depth charts in a hurry.

Round 8, #256.  Wade Meckler OF, Oregon St(College).  DOB:  4/21/2000.  B-S, T-R.  5' 10", 178 lbs.  .347/.456/.478, 23 2B, 2 HR, 12 SB,  53 BB, 49 K, 268 AB.  Another guy who probably falls this low because he's shy on power but love the rest of the profile.  I found a newspaper article about him overcoming a lot of adversity but it was behind a paywall.  Prospects Live calls him an "energetic sparkplug."  Excellent bat-to-ball skills with some speed and defensive flexibility.  

Round 9, #286.  Jack Choate LHP, Assumption College(college).  DOB:  4/8/2001.  6'6", 249 lbs.  6-2, 2.43, 70.1 IP, 35 BB, 127 K's.  Big lefty with big strikeout numbers from a college I've never heard of.  That's all I have. 

Round 10, #316.  John Bertrand LHP, Notre Dame(college).  DOB:  2/8/1998.  6'3", 205 lbs.  10-3, 2.81, 109 IP, 21 BB, 111 K.  Pitched 3 seasons for Furman U.  Got to Notre Dame as a graduate student and was their Friday SP leading them into the college postseason.  Prospects Live calls him a "pitchability" lefty whose FB ranges from high 80's to low 90's, peak at 94 MPH.  Has the ability to change up and pitch backwards if the standard sequences aren't working.

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So, the Giants go pitching-heavy for the second straight year.  Interesting they take no HS players.  We'll see if they nab one for an overslot bonus at #11 tomorrow.  To sum up, they grabbed a lottery ticket with a huge payoff but long odds in Round 1.  Round 2 pick, Carson Whisenhunt would have been a first rounder were it not for the PED suspension and he probably has the best chance of being an impact MLB'er with a mid-rotation SP ceiling.  Besides a  couple of undervalued hitters, they loaded up on arms that have potential for development.

Down on the Farm: 7/17/2022

 AAA:  Albuquerque Isotopes outscored the Sacramento River Cats 7-5.

Isan Diaz 2B- 4 for 5, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .260.

Tristan Beck RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.85.

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AA:  Altoona Curve beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-3.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 1 for 4, HR(15).  BA= .204.

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A+:  Spokane Indians topped the Eugene Emeralds 5-4.

Vaun Brown LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .351.

Remarkable season for Vaun Brown.  Might be getting close to needing to see what he can do in AA, if nothing else to give him a head-start on next season.

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A:  San Jose Giants pounded the Visalia Rawhide 14-4.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 2 for 4, SB(7).  BA= .272.

Victor Bericoto RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .259.

Yorlis Rodriguez 3B- 2 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .264.

Ronaldo Flores C- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .260.

Jared Dupere LF- 3 for 4, HR(2), SB(1).  BA= .533.

Matt Mikulski LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.12.

Game Wrap 7/17/2022: Giants 9 Brewers 5

 The Giants built a 9-1 lead behind another solid start from Logan Webb RHP and coasted to a win in a game that was not as close as the final score would indicate.

A mammoth splash hit 3-run HR from Lamonte Wade Jr 1B in the third inning was the big blow that put this one away.

Brandon Belt PH/DH added 2-run shot in the 6'th that landed in the RF arcade to an earlier RBI single.  I saw a report that Belt went to have his knee drained immediately after the game and his hoping to heal over the All-Star Break so we may be seeing a lot more of Wade Jr at 1B.  And yeah, the knee thing does not sound good.

Austin Slater CF stayed hot going 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB out of the leadoff spot to raise his BA to .303.  

Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 2.83.  Webb gave up a first inning run then a leadoff walk to Andrew McCutchen LF in the 7'th.  'Cutch scored on a HR given up by Jake Junis RHP.  Seems a little ridiculous that Webb is not an All-Star but probably better for everybody to get some R&R over the break.  This was Junis' first appearance after an IL layoff and he clearly did not have hit best slider going.  The Giants expect him to step into Anthony DeSclafani RHP's rotation slot after the break.

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The Giants finish the official first half of the season on a high note.  The start the second half Thursday with a big 4-game series in LA.  Woo Hoo!  Go Giants!

Scouting the 2022 Draft: Rounds 1 and 2

 Kumar Rocker RHP was drafted #3 overall by the Rangers but all of the college hitters I listed as potential targets at #30 were still available.  Kudos to Prospects Live, linked to the left for nailing the Giants first round pick, Reggie Crawford LHP/1B who was announced as a 2-way player by Rob Manfred.  Part of my analysis came true in that Crawford missed all of the 2022 season with Tommy John surgery which is likely the only reason he was still available at #30.  They also grabbed a highly rated college pitcher who fell due to a PED suspension.  So the Giants cut across the grain of a college hitter heavy draft to take pitchers and they continue a run on pitching that started with last year's draft.  Here is what I have on the top 2 picks.

Round 1:  Reggie Crawford LHP/1B.  DOB:  12/4/2000.  B-L, T-L.  6'4", 235lbs.

2021(hitting):  .295/.349/.543, 13 HR, 2 SB, 17 BB, 58 K, 210 AB. 

2021(pitching):  1-1, 2.35, 7.2 IP, 3 BB, 17 K.  

Despite more college experience as a hitter, Crawford scouts better as a pitcher.  Reportedly hit 100 MPH in a summer league game in 2021 before injuring his UCL in the fall.  LHP's who can hit triple digits don't grow on trees, so it seems like that's what the Giants will and should try to develop first with 1B and hitting as the fallback plan.  This is a case of the Giants philosophy of thumbing their nose at pitcher injury risk and going for upside/ceiling and it's real for Crawford.

Round 2:  Carson Whisenhunt LHP.  DOB:  10/20/2000.  6'3", 209 lbs.  

2021:  6-2, 3.77, 62 IP, 22 BB, 79 K.  

One of the higher rated college pitching prospects preseason but got slapped with a full year PED suspension.  Scouting reports have him with a mid-90's FB, exceptional changeup and a curveball.  Pitched this summer in the Cape Cod League and showed same stuff despite layoff.

Scouting the 2022 Draft

 I haven't posted anything about this year's MLB draft partly due to time constraints and partly because it's so hard to project who might drafted at #30 which is where the Giants are selecting after compiling the best regular season record in MLB last year.  I have been following several draft-oriented sites and let them do the heavy lifting of initial scouting reports and rankings.  Having said that, aside from Druw Jones OF(son of Andruw) being the consensus top draft prospect and fairly stable top 10, the rest of the rankings are highly variable from site-to-site.

This draft shapes up as far stronger on the position side and one of the weakest pitching crops in years.  The usual high ceiling prep positional talent dominated the top of the rankings but this draft is incredibly deep in college hitters, particularly OF's.  College hitters tend to be selected higher than their pre-draft rankings but the Giants should have their choice of several players worthy of a late first round pick at #30 and even with their second pick at #66.  

After balancing the organization with a pitching-heavy draft last year the Giants can afford to just go with the flow and take the best players available which would seem to lean more toward college hitting.  Here some quick profiles of several college hitters with a good chance of being on the board at #30.

Peyton Graham SS, Oklahoma.  DOB:  1/26/2001.  B-R, T-R.  6'3", 185 lbs.  .335/.414/.658, 20 HR, 32 SB, 24 BB, 62 K, 260 AB.  Nice power/speed combo.  Handled SS this year but probably projects more as 3B.  Improved approach to breaking balls as season progressed.  Could go pretty high if an organization thinks he can handle SS defensively as a pro.

Dylan Beavers OF, California.  DOB:  8/11/2001.  B-L, T-R.  6'4", 206 lbs.  .291/.426/.634, 17 HR, 7 SB, 51 BB, 54 K, 213 AB.  Local kid who does not turn 21 until next month.  Has tools with speed to cover CF and arm to play RF....or he could be a tweener and not be great at either.  Long levers project for power but also contribute to holes in swing.  Most mock drafts have him going to the A's earlier in the first round.

Sterlin Thompson OF, Florida.  DOB:  6/26/2001.  B-L, T-R.  6'4", 200 lbs.  .354/.443/.563, 11 HR, 10 SB, 37 BB, 47 K, 254 AB.  Highly rated prep prospect in 2020.  Has performed well in college in the toughest conference in the country.  Currently has more gap than HR power but frame projects for more in the future.  Most scouts project him as a corner OF but the bat may play there.

Cayden Wallace 3B, Arkansas.  DOB 8/7/2001.  B-R, T-R.  6'1", 205 lbs.  .298/.387/.553, 16 HR, 12 SB, 275 AB.  Another highly rated prep prospect in 2020 who excelled in college.  Performances in summer leagues a plus.  Projects as 3B or RF in pros.

Drew Gilbert OF, Tennessee.  DOB:  9/27/2000.  B-L, T-L.  5'9", 185 lbs.  .362/.455/.673, 11 HR, 4 SB, 33 BB, 32 K, 199 AB.  Two way player whose FB hits 93 on the mound.  Shorter stature favors him as a hitter.  Can play CF.  Adequate power but size may limit him to more gap power.  High intensity performer.

Brock Jones OF, Stanford.  DOB:  3/28/2001.  B-L, T-L.  6'0", 197 lbs.  .324/.451/.664, 21 HR, 16 SB, 55 BB, 78 K, 253 AB.  Tremendous athlete who played safety on the Stanford football team his freshman year before opting to concentrate on baseball.  Has speed to play CF but arm is reported as fringy.  Near maxed out physically but good current power.

Jacob Melton OF, Oregon St.  DOB:  9/7/2000.  B-L, T-L.  6'3", 208 lbs.  .360/.424/.670, 17 HR, 21 SB, 26 BB, 51 K, 261 AB.  Excellent athlete, ideal size.  Speed to play CF and power to play in corner.  

My personal rankings in order of preference, obviously depending on if they are still on the board at #30: Graham, Melton, Gilbert.  I see the Jones boys, Brock and Spencer of Vanderbilt as possible options in Round 2 if they fall to #66.

There are quite a few pitchers, both college and prep, who underwent TJ surgery this season.  I could see FZ and staff not being afraid of the injury history and thinking they can take advantage of a buy-low opportunity.  One intriguing name that probably won't be available but at least one mock draft has going to the Giants is Kumar Rocker RHP.  The ceiling is sky-high, but comes with a frightful injury risk.  That might be a smart chance to take at #30.

Down on the Farm: 7/16/2022

AAA:  Albuquerque Isotopes defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-1.

Raynel Espinal RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.90.

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AA:  Altoona Curve blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0.

Wil Jensen RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  BA= 0.00.

Jensen has a successful AA debut.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Spokane Indians 6-2.

Vaun Brown RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .343.

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5).   BA= .178.

Luis Toribio 1B- 2 for 4, HR(14).  BA= .215.

Landon Roupp RHP- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA- 2.51.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.29.

Luis Matos is hitting just .156 in July but has hit 3 HR's in his last 4 games. 

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A:  San Jose Giants outlasted the Visalia Rawhide 4-3(10 innings).

Jared Dupere DH- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .455.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.07.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.66.

Dupere was drafted last year in round 13.  Bivens is 28 yo but has never played affiliated ball before.  Giants signed him as a FA out of indy ball.

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Complex Watch:

Carson Ragsdale RHP(Rehab)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Mikell Manzano RHP(ACL, 19 yo)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Mauricio Estrella RHP(DSL, 18 yo)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.58.

Game Wrap 7/16/2022: Giants 2 Brewers 1

A solo HR by Darin Ruf 1B and a balked in run in the 8'th inning were enough to support a dominant start by Alex Cobb RHP. 

This was a true pitcher's duel between Cobb and Eric Lauer LHP with the first run of the game not scoring until Ruf went deep in the 6'th inning.

Cobb's line:  7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 12/2.  ERA= 4.09.  Cobb has had terrible BABIP luck all year but the gods went mostly his way in this one.  The one unearned run was due to a misplayed ball in CF by Austin Slater followed by a bobble by YtY which allowed the runner to advance to 3B.

Ruf's HR was his 9'th of the season and second in two games.  Ruf seems to be settling into doing what he does best:  crushing LHP's.  

The balk call was a bit unusual in that it came before Jandel Gustave RHP came although I can't say for sure if he was pitching out of the stretch with the bases loaded.  The explanation I am going with is he raised up before he stepped off which indicated he was starting his motion.  Kinda ticky-tack if you ask me but I am no expert in the fine points of balk rules.  It did not appear to me that Gustave was trying to trick anyone which I think is the spirit of the law.  As a Giants fan, I'll take it and be happy it wasn't a Giants pitcher on the receiving end of that call.

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The Win clinches at least a split in the 4-game series with Logan Webb RHP trying to end the official first half on an high note tomorrow afternoon facing Aaron Ashby LHP.

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Prior to the game, Brandon Crawford SS went back on the IL with knee soreness and Evan Longoria 3B was activated off the IL and started the game at 3B.  David Villar started the game at 2B, so apparently he is going to get a longer look.  Speaking of which, Villar drew 3 walks in 3 PA's today so in his last 4 games, he's 0 for 6 with 6 BB's, HBP and SF.

Down on the Farm: 7/15/2022

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Albuquerque Isotopes 7-6.

Heliot Ramos RF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .228.

Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .333.

Willie Calhoun LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .255.

Jason Krizan 1B- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .288.

Ka'ai Tom CF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .262.

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AA:  Altoona Curve defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 3, 2 HR(14).  BA= .202.

After struggling for the first 3 months of the AA season, Fitz is slashing .325/.413/.725 since the first of July.  He has a 5-game hit streak.

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A+: Eugene Emeralds beat the Spokane Indians 8-1.

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 4, HR(13).  BA= .210.

Riley Mahan 1B- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .143.

Jake Wong RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.81.

Brooks Crawford RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.29.

Luis Toribio is another guy who heated up with the July weather:  .256/.328/.558 with 3 HR's.

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A: Visalia Rawhide flogged the San Jose Giants 13-1.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 2, HR(14), 2 BB.  BA= .281.

Eric Silva RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, GO/AO= 5/1.  ERA= 5.58.

Melvin Adon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Adon reportedly hit 96 MPH on the radar gun.  He is on the comeback trail from a series of injuries including a shoulder surgery.

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Complex Watch:

Elian Rayo 3B(ACL, 19 yo)- 3 for 4, HR(5).  Slash= .253/.382/.473.  DSL graduate who flew under my radar last season.

Roberto Monegro RHP(ACL, 20 yo)- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.70.  Converted SS worth keeping an eye on.

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Former Giants farmhand, Garrett Broshuis RHP just became a superstar in the legal field by leading the team of lawyers in a class-action suit against MLB alleging labor law violations.  They just announced a $185 M settlement in the case as well as an agreement that MLB would no longer forbid organizations from paying players for off-season activities.  Congratulations to Garrett Broshuis on a well-conceived well-executed legal case.

Game Wrap 7/15/2022: Giants 8 Brewers 5

 Joey Bart C led off the bottom of the 9'th inning by turning on a Josh Hader LHP fastball and lining if over the left field wall to cut the BrewCrew's lead to 5-3.  Six batters later, Mike Yastrzemski RF hit a walk-off grand slam HR for a dramatic and crucial win.

This game looked like it was headed the same way as so many frustrating losses this season.  The Giants used bad fielding on top of terrible BAPIP luck to hand a 5-spot to the Brewers in the 5'th inning to squander an early 2-0 lead.  I'll spare you the painful details but it was BAD!  

In the end, though, there were a couple of very good things that happened in this game aside from the obvious come-from-behind heroics in the 9'th inning.

Joey Bart had a single and scored in front of Lamonte Wade Jr. 1B's triple in the second inning.  Don't look now but Bart is slashing .333/429/.722 with 2 HR's over his last 7 games, .318/.400/.682 in 9 games since he was recalled on July 6.  It's hard to know where to start with all of the good stuff here.  If the Giants are going to make a run for a postseason berth and go deep in the postseason, they must have better production from the catcher position.  If Bart can prove between now and the trading deadline he is the guy who can supply it, that frees up resources to concentrate on other trade deadline needs like a Closer.  On top of that, no matter what happens to the rest of this season, the Giants need Joey Bart to be a cornerstone of the rebuild, worthy of a 1-2 draft pick.  If he can establish himself as that guy, this season is a success.  No pressure, Joey!  Now just go out and do it!

The Giants also need YtY to step up if they are going to make a second half run.  He also had a hit in addition to the grand slam walk-off and he is hitting .320 over his last 7 games.  That the HR went to CF off a LHP is another really good sign.

David Villar 3B had a rough evening on D which is too bad because he has made a lot of really good defensive plays since getting called up including some in this game.  He also had another adventurous night at the plate with a line of 0 for 1, 2 BB, HBP.   In his last 3 games he's gone 0 for 6, but with 3 BB, HBP and SF for an OBP of .400 with a run and RBI.  He'll probably get sent back down when Longo comes off the IL but he's shown enough to get another shot down the road especially since this is likely Longo's last season with the team.

And what about Austin Slater CF?  He got the start against a tough RHP and delivered a 4-hit night as he continues somewhat of a breakout season.

Let's not forget Darin Ruf PH who also hit a HR in the 9'th inning to cut the Brewers' lead to 5-4.  Again, if the Giants are going to make a run, they need Ruf to be kryptonite for good LHP's like Hader( Hader came into the game with a 2.73 ERA and ended up at 4.50 after giving up 3 HR's and 6 ER in the 9'th).

Alex Wood LHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.20.  Wood pitched very well in this game and got badly BABIP'd in the 5'th inning with all of the damage coming after he started the inning with 2 K's.  

Kudos to Mauricio Llovera RHP, Yunior Marte RHP and Sam Long LHP for allowing 0 runs over the final 4 innings to set up the improbable 9'th inning comeback.

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Alex Cobb RHP tries to turn his BABIP luck around in a late-afternoon game tomorrow facing Eric Lauer LHP.