Game Wrap 6/17/2025: Guardians 3 Giants 2

The Dawn of the Devers Era saw it's protagonist deliver 2 hits including a RBI double and a Quality Start by Robbie Ray, but the final scene did not play out as hoped for.  Key Lines:

Rafael Devers DH- 2 for 5, 2B, RBI.  BA= .274.  Devers smoked one up Triples Alley to drive in Willy Adames from first base for the Giants second run of the game in the third inning.  That was the end of their scoring on another frustrating night for the lineup.  The top 4 batters reached base 10 times in 20 PA's.  Overall the team reached base 16 times yet produced just 2 runs.  The underperformance was a combination of poor sequencing, bad BABIP luck and baserunning blunders.

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .257.  YtY had 4 total bases out of the 6'th spot in the lineup yet did not figure into the scoring just to add to the general frustration of the night.

Robbie Ray LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.68.  Ray pitched the first two innings like he was going to pitch a perfect game but then got nicked for single runs in the 3'rd, 4'th and 6'th innings.  The game-winning home run was off the bat of someone named Gabriel Arias with a career BA of .220.

Justin Verlander RHP returns to the mound tomorrow evening against L. T. Allen LHP.

Down on the Farm: 6/16/2025

 Full season leagues had their standard Monday off day.

Rookie ACL:  Rockies crushed the Giants 13-2(7 innings).

Jhonny Level SS(18 yo)- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .293.

Dario Reynoso 2B(20 yo)- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB(9).  BA= .341.

Andy Polanco CF(20 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B, SB(10).  BA= .292.

Jhonny Level is batting .366/422/.537 in June so far.  He's batting .344 since his BA reached a nadir of .236 on May 23.  I am starting to be intrigued by Andy Polanco who has great size, plays CF and is showing some tools.

DSL:  Giants Black smashed the Angels 9-2.

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 3 for 5, BB, SB(7).  BA= .351.

Yosneiker Rivas 2B(19 yo)- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .333.

Yohendry Sanchez C(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .219.

Yoxander Benitez LF(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .313.

Alberto LaRoche RHP(19 yo)- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 11/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.04.

Lender Bracho RHP(20 yo)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 0.00.

Giants prized bonus baby, Josuar Gonzalez, is 8 for 16 over his last 4 games after his BA hit a nadir of .238 on 6/10.

DSL:  Giants Orange leads the Blue Jays Blue 6-0(suspended, 3 innings).

Carlos Concepcion RF(19 yo)- 2 for 2, 2B.  BA= .270.

Miguel Caraballo C(16 yo)- 1 for 2, HR(1).  BA= .333.

Iverson Paulino RHP(18 yo)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.12.

Down on the Farm: 6/15/2025

 AAA:  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 6-1.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(17).  BA= .266.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .221.

Brett Wisely SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .229.

Drew Ellis 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .286.

Zach Morgan C- 2 for 4.  BA= .571.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.25.

Scott Alexander LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

River Cats had 12 hits and scored just one run.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels battled the Binghampton Rumble Ponies to a 4-4 tie(10 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4, BB, SB(9).  BA= .284.

John Bertrand LHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.82.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.08.

Roxby looks ready to move up to AAA and get ready to be a future MLB bullpen arm.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops topped the Eugene Emeralds 4-2.

James Tibbs III- 1 for 3, BB, SB(3).  BA= .246.

The book closes on Tibbs Giants career.  He was lifted for pinch runner in the 9'th inning.

A:  San Jose Giants edged out the Stockton Ports 3-2.

Maui Ahuna SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .231.

Robert Hipwell 1B- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .231.

Drake George RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.59.

Tyler Switalski LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, 6/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.84.

Evan Gray RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.59.

So who moves up to A+ Eugene to replace James Tibbs III?  Carlos Gutierrez?  Dakota Jordan?  

The complex leagues had their usual Sunday off.

Game Wrap 6/15/2025: Dodgers 5 Giants 4

The Giants and Dodgers played a game today and nobody cares.  The game is almost certainly not what you checked in to read about.  So a few minutes after game time I opened Gameday and was shocked to see that Sean Hjelle was pitching.  I texted my friend questioning why Kyle Harrison LHP was a late scratch.  He replied "big trade".  I thought he was joking for a second but then it sunk in.  Wow!  What a block....ahem....Buster!  OK, we'll get to the trade but let's get the Game Wrap out of the way first.  

A bullpen game wasn't quite enough to hold back the Dodgers enough to take the weekend series.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 5, 3B, 2 RBI.  BA= .265.  Lee's 5'th triple of the season drove in two runs to cap a 3-run rally in the 4'th inning.  

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 2 for 3, BB, R.  BA= .248.  YtY stared the Giants 4'th inning rally with a 2-out single.  

Christian Koss 2B/3B- 1 for 4, R, RBI.  BA= .217.  Christian Koss followed Logan Porter's walk with an RBI single to drive in YtY with the Giants first run.  He then scored on Lee's triple.

Daniel Johnson PH- 1 for 1, HR(1), R, RBI.  BA= .235. Johnson's PH HR in the 8'th closed the gap to 5-4.  Alas, it was too little, too late.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.70.  Not a terrible start considering the late notice(Harrison had already gone down to the bullpen to warm up) and the craziness of the trade.  He got touched for a run in each of the first two innings then settled down to get through 3.2 IP and leave with the lead.

Joey Lucchesi LHP- 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 27.00.  Lucchesi was a late add to the roster, got roughed up and took the loss.

So, the Giants lose the series but it's way better than a sweep and the win Friday night sure still feels good.    I am sure by the end of the season nobody will remember this game....at least for the game.  

So....how about that trade? 

Literally minutes before game time, the Buster Posey swung a blockBuster trade with the Red Sox for disgruntled slugger Rafael Devers 3B/DH.  In return the Giants give up Kyle Harrison LHP who was scratched from the game he was supposed to start, Jordan Hicks RHP, James Tibbs III OF and Jose Bello RHP.  Tibbs and Bello are minor leaguers but Tibbs was last year's first round draft pick so he's not a trivial part of the trade package.  

There is a lot to unpack here.  Rafael Devers is an elite hitter in MLB.  Until this season he looked like the player the Red Sox would build their future around after they signed him to a 10-year/$315 M contract before the 2024 season.  Then they went out and signed Alex Bregman to a free agent contract this offseason and asked Devers to move to first base.  Devers felt like he was the top dawg on the team and had not done anything to lose his primary position and refused to play first base stating he did not feel comfortable there.  Devers became the full time DH but was clearly still not happy and the Red Sox were not happy with him.  Buster Posey sensed an opportunity and did not wait around.  At worst, Devers will be what I have said all along is the Giants biggest need:  A lefty hitting power bat who could play DH, 1B or RF.  So I am fine if at least for the rest of this season Devers is the DH.  Here is the profile on Devers: 

Rafael Devers 3B/DH.  DOB:  10/24/1996.  B-L, T-R.  6' 0", 235 lbs.  

2025:  .271/.400/.494, 14 HR, 16.7 BB%, 23.0 K%, 330 PA. 

Which is pretty close to being on pace for his career average season.

I think we are all pretty familiar with what the Giants gave up:

Kyle Harrison LHP.  DOB:  8/12/2001.  6' 2", 209 lbs.  

2025:  1-1, 4.56, 23.2 IP, 9.51 K/9, 3.42 BB/9.  Promising young pitcher.  Third round draft pick out of HS in 2020 but got late first round money in his bonus.  Stuff can be electric but with inconsistent command.  Unorthodox low-slot delivery.

Jordan Hicks RHP.  DOB:  9/6/1996.  6' 2", 217 lbs.  

2025:  1-5, 6.47, 7.95 K/9, 3.70 BB/9.  Signed to be starter for a modest 4 yr/$44 M contract.  Although he pitched well in a few starts, he seemed to wear down quickly and not have the stamina for the role.  His reliance on a high-velocity sinker probably results in too much contact for today's game.  The Giants are able to offload the remainder of his contract which is about $30 M and what role he's going to fill is someone else's problem.

James Tibbs III OF.  DOB:  10/1/2002.  B-L, T-R.  6' 0", 201 lbs.  

2025(A+):  .245/.377/.480, 12 HR, 16.3 BB%, 17.9 K%, 252 PA.  

Tremendous plate discipline with power but with borderline BA.  I always worry guys with that profile in the lower minors won't maintain an adequate BA at higher levels.  If you ask me to pick one name as comp I would say Michael Conforto whose career is worthy of a first round draft pick but if that's his ceiling, it's probalby a risk worth taking for an established hitter like Devers. 

Jose Bello RHP.  DOB:  5/29/2005.  6' 1", 164 lbs.  

2025(ACL):  1-0, 2.00, 18 IP, 14 K/9, 1.50 BB/9.  

Fangraphs scouting report:  "Advanced righty who commands a backend starter's mix.  He's very young but isn't an overtly projectable, high-upside prospect.  Instead he's more of a high-floored, backend starter type."  In other words, he's probably not going to turn into Luis Castillo down the road.

So who wins this trade?  Only time will tell but I agree with the McCovey Chronicles Bluesky feed:  "My sadness and concerns notwithstanding, the team in the Giants position wins this trade going away 9 times out of 10."  And that's even if Devers never takes the field on defense again.  Look, young pitchers are young pitchers.  Prospects are prospects.  Most of even the most promising ones end up with less than average MLB careers.  Devers is an established elite hitter who gives the Giants lineup exactly what it desperately needs, a legitimate lefthanded-hitting cleanup hitter whether it's at DH or if they find a position he can and will play.  A great bold trade for Buster Posey and I love that he didn't wait around for the trade deadline to make his move.

Down on the Farm: 6/14/2025

 AAA:  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-1.

Wade Meckler 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .315.

Trent Harris RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 18.00.

River Cats had 6 hits, all singles.  Meckler had the only multi-hit game.

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-2.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .280.

Jairo Pomares DH- 2 for 4, BB, SB(7).  BA= .224.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.39.

Will Bednar RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 8.20.

The Squirrels had just 6 hits, all singles.  This might be Will Bednar's strongest appearance in several years. So far in June he's improved his K/BB from 13/13 in April and 8/7 in May to 10/2.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops outscored the Eugene Emeralds 7-5.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .300.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, 3B, 2 SB(29).  BA= .237.

James Tibbs III- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .245.

Marques Johnson RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.08.

A:  San Jose Giants sank the Stockton Ports 6-1.

Lisbel Diaz RF- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B. BA= .233.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.58.

Cole Hillier RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.64.

Ryan Slater RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.73.

Rookie ACL:  Giants edged out the Brewers 2-1.

Nick Zwack LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's, 6/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.78.

Giants managed just 2 hits in the game.  They scored  their 2 runs in the bottom of the 9'th inning on a walk, SB, error, ground out, single, error, passed ball.  Nick Zwack should wrap up his rehab assignment soon.

DSL:  Giants Black blanked the Tigers 2 3-0(7 innings).

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 2 for 3, SB(6).  BA= .313.

Luis Frias RF- 2 for 2, SB(3)(20 yo).  BA= .348.

DSL:  Mariners topped the Giants Orange 3-2.

Randry De Leon RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.70.

Brayan Cabello RHP(21 yo)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.59.

Game Wrap 6/14/2025: Dodgers 11 Giants 5

Casey Schmitt hit his second grand slam home run in as many days albeit against a position player doing the mop-up pitcher impersonation.  Unfortunately it was way too little too late to overcome 11 runs and a vintage Clayton Kershaw performance.  Key Lines:  

That's pretty much it.  Jerar Encarnacion had two hits including a double off Kershaw and had another lineout against The Great One.  Better AB's and more hard hits from Jerar most welcome.

You had to have a feeling about this game coming in.  Coming off a huge win in a battle of pitching aces, Kershaw's aura, Kershaw pitching lefthanded, Landen Roupp overdue for a subpar start.  And that's pretty much how it played out.

Young Kyle Harrison LHP tries for a series win tomorrow afternoon against Dustin May RHP.  Word to the wise:  Do not think about going to a day game in Dodger Stadium after June 1 unless you are sure your seats are out of the sun.

Down on the Farm: 6/13/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Tacoma Rainiers 3-2.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .263.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(5).  BA= .216.

Zach Morgan C- 2 for 3.  BA= .667.

Carson Seymour RHP- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K's, 6/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.24.

Antonio Jimenez LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.63.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 5.34.

 

Grant McCray is batting .348/.388/.761 with 5 HR in June so far.  Since May 9 when his BA hit a nadir of .214, he has batted .322.  Carson Seymour fell one out short of a Quality Start but he threw 102 pitches.

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5.

Victor Bericoto DH- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .244.

Thomas Gavello 2B- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .297.

Justin Wishkoski 1B- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .258.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.25.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops defeated the Eugene Emeralds 7-4.

James Tibbs III- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .235.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .232.

Tibbs has a 6-game hit streak in which he is batting .280, but overall his production has remained remarkably stable with a line of .235/.368/.470.  

A:  San Jose Giants smashed the Stockton Ports 10-3.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .360.

Dakota Jordan DH- 3 for 4, 3B, HR(5), BB.  BA= .300.

Jakob Christian LF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .278.

Walker Martin 3B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .213.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1 for 5.  BA= .200.

Greg Farone LHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.74.

Cade Vernon RHP- 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 7/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.67.

Evan Gray RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.65.

Carlos Gutierrez just keeps going!  Jeremiah Jenkins is finally back in A ball after a cameo appearance last season and a long rehab assignment in Arizona this year.

Rookie ACL:  White Sox topped the Giants 3-2(7 innings).

Jhonny Level SS- 3 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .294.

Luis De La Torre LHP- 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.15.

Jhonny Level is batting .382 in June so far.

DSL:  Giants Black blanked the Tigers1 9-0(7 innings).

Evan Estevez LF(17 yo)- 2 for 3, BB, SB(2).  BA= .310.

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 1 for 4, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .275.

Dennys Riera 1B(20 yo)- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B.  BA= .571.

Carlos Martinez C(17 yo)- 2 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .357.

Luis Frias CF(20 yo)- 3 for 3, 2B.  BA= .286.

Brayan Narvaez RHP(20 yo)- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.68.

Leandro Rodriguez LHP(19 yo)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

DSL:  Arizona Black beat the Giants Orange 7-6.

Yulian Barreto 3B/2B(17 yo)- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .400.

Carlos Concepcion RF(19 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .258.

Jose D. Gonzalez RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.29.

Game Wrap 6/13/2025: Giants 6 Dodgers 2

 In a battle of aces, a grand slam home run by Casey Schmitt enabled Logan Webb to come out the winner over Yoshinobu Yamamoto.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 5, HR(8), R, RBI.  BA= .204.  Adames got the Giants on top in the first inning with his 3'rd HR in 4 games.  It as an oppo field blast that had Yamamoto shaking his head.

Dominic Smith 1B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .367.  Smith didn't figure in the scoring but doubled in the 5'th inning with Heliot on first base and Heliot got throw out at home on the play.

Wilmer Flores DH- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, R.  BA= .263.  Wilmer drew a walk in the third inning to load the bases for Casey Schmitt.

Casey Schmitt 3B- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB, R, 4 RBI.  BA= .231.  Mighty Casey came up after the Giants loaded the bases on 3 walks and got all of a middle-in sinker that was just above the bottom of the strike zone and sent it half way up the LF pavilion seats.  You are never completely secure against this Dodgers lineup but with Logan Webb pitching well, you had to feel pretty good about the Giants chances at this point.

Andrew Knizner C- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .067.  Knizner added an insurance run with a HR of his own in the 8'th inning.  How about that?

Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, 7/4 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.58.  The numbers suggest Webb did not have his best stuff going but once he had the 4-run lead he cruised through 7 innings and earned another Quality Start.  

Tyler Rogers RHP and Ryan Walker RHP pitched scoreless frames in the 8'th and 9'th innings to finish up.  Rogers got 3 ground ball outs. Walker was not as crisp as yesterday against the Rockies but he pitched through a walk in a non-save situation.

The Giants are tied with the Dodgers(there, I wrote the name) for first place in the NL West.  I'm pretty sure none of us predicted that they would be tied for first place this late in the season.  The Padres are 2 games behind in third place and the D'Backs are 5.5 games behind.  

Landen Roupp RHP takes on an aging legend in Clayton Kershaw LHP tomorrow evening tying to clinch a series win in The Hated Ones' crib.

Down on the Farm: 6/12/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats got the best of the Tacoma Rainiers 6-2.

Wade Meckler 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .304.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .138.

Marco Luciano LF- 3 for 4, HR(11).  BA= .215.

Hunter Bishop DH- 3 for 4, 2 3B.  BA= .239.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.36.

We keep hoping games like this are the start of something good for Marco Luciano and Hunter Bishop.  

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies crushed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 11-0.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .275.

Adrian Sugastey C- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .211.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds edged out the Hillsboro Hops 1-0.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 SB(22).  BA= .300.

James Tibbs III RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .234.

Dylan Carmouche LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, 10/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.93.

Dylan Hecht RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 1.59.

Dylan Carmouche had a 2.74 ERA in 92 IP for San Jose last season then struggled after a promotion to Eugene.  He got a late start this season but seems to be back on track.  15'th round draft pick out of Tulane.

A:  San Jose Giants bombed the Stockton Ports 9-1.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(25).  BA= .357.

Zander Darby DH- 3 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(8).  BA= .305.

Walker Martin SS- 1 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .211.

Robert Hipwell 3B- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .224.

Jose Ramos 2B- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(12).  BA= .215.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP-  5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.73.

Nice article about Carlos Gutierrez on Around the Foghorn.  Check it out.

Rookie ACL- Giants ouscored the Royals 7-6(7 innings).

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .274.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 1 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .347.

Vaun Brown LF- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .400.

Ramon Peralta 2B- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .308.

Andy Polanco CF- 0 for 1, 2 BB, SB(9).  BA= .288.

Argenis Cayama RHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 1.27.

Argenis Cayama is starting to get some national attention as a serious pitching prospect.

DSL:  Giants Black shut out Phillies White 8-0.

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 2 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .280.

Yohendry Sanchez C(18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .231.

Miguel Blanco CF- 2 for 4(19 yo).  BA= .200.

Jose De La Rosa RHP(17 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA- 0.00.

Josuar Gonzalez remains the prospect to watch on Giants Black although Yohendry Sanchez got the Giants largest international bonus last year.

DSL:  Giants Orange topped the Phillies Red 4-3.

Jose Astudillo 1B(21 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .360.

Yulian Barreto DH(17 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .409.

Miguel Carabello C(16 yo)- 2 for 4, SB(3).  BA= .333.

Elkyns Villareal RHP(18 yo)- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Kendry Castro RHP(18 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 4/1 GO/AO, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Game Wrap 6/12/2025: Rockies 8 Giants 7

Coors Field giveth and Coors Field taketh.  The Giants lost a Coors Field Special with a 3-run meltdown in the 9'th inning to lose out on what a few innings earlier looked like a sure sweep of the series.  Key Lines:

Wilmer Flores DH- 2 for 5, 2B, R.  BA= .259.  Wilmer was one of just two Giants with multiple hits or an XBH.   The lineup strung together 5 singles while putting up a 4-spot in the second inning.  

Dominic Smith 1B- 3 for 5, HR(1), BB, 3 R, 3 RBI.  BA= .320.  Smith must have read what steveVA said about him yesterday and said, "we'll fix THAT!".   Huge game for and yes, we'll take a few more of those against LA this weekend.  His 3-run HR in the 5'th inning gave the Giants a 7-2 lead which in any other park is an almost sure win but it's nothing in Coors Field.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.79.  A Quality Start for Birdsong who got to 104 pitches.  Considering the environment a big league start.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.50.  Hjelle got the first batter on a fly out to CF but then went soft GB single, walk, double to Thairo Estrada.  That was enough for Bob Melvin who brought in Erik Miller for the last two outs.  I got to thinking, even though Hjelle lives on ground ball outs, he shouldn't be that affected by Coors Field.  Standing at 6' 11", on a mound with an upright, over-the-top delivery he's basically spiking the ball into the strike zone more than depending on sinking action which is more dependent on air resistance and gravity.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.56.  A dominant, clean 8'th inning for Walker.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.90.  OK, putting two runners on by walks is not good pitching but Rodriguez should have been out of the inning with a Save were it not for a throwing error by Casey Schmitt.  And yes, Matt Chapman sometimes makes throwing errors too.  Rough day for Randy Rodriguez and for Casey Schmitt.

The Giants were fortunate to get wins in the first two games of the series and a series win, so hard to complain too loudly over a Coors Field special.

They move on to Los Angeles to take on the Hated Ones with Logan Webb RHP facing Yoshinobu Yamamoto RHP in game 1 in a battle of aces.  And it's still OK to hate the Dodgers but take it easy on Los Angeles. We're traumatized down here right now and baseball might not be the #1 thing on our minds.

Down on the Farm: 6/11/2025

 AAA:  Tacoma Rainiers crushed the Sacramento River Cats 10-0.

Luis Matos DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .333.

Scott Alexander LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Scott Alexander has had his travels.  He's back in the Giants organization on a minor league deal now.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Binghampton Rumble Ponies 5-2.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .209.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, 6/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 7.94.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 1.17.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds buried the Hillsboro Hops 7-2. 

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .318.

James Tibbs III- 2 for 5.  BA= .233.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .226.

Cole Foster 3B- 1 for 3, HR(3), SF.  BA= .147.

Dayson Croes 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .345.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K', 10/6 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.94.

A:  Stockton Ports defeated the San Jose Giants 6-3.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 3, Sac.  BA= .357.

Niko Mazza RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K's, 5/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.01.

Rookie ACL:  Giants outscored the Guardians 14-6.

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 4, BB, 2 SB(9).  BA= .275.

Dario Reynoso 2B- 1 for 2, HR(3), 3 BB.  BA= .347.

Vaun Brown CF- 1 for 3.  BA= .333.

Oliver Tejada LF- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .222.

Rayner Arias RF- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .256.

Jesus Alexander C- 4 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .293.

Angel Guzman DH- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .200.

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

A Vaun Brown sighting!  Brown and Chris Wright begin Rehab assignments.  Wright last pitched in 2023.

DSL was idle yesterday.

Game Wrap 6/11/2025: Giants 10 Rockies 7

 For the second game in a row, the Giants overcame a 3-run deficit with a 4-run rally but this time it was in the 8'th inning and they kept it going with 3 more add-on runs in the 9'th which made Camilo Doval's Torture Chamber a little easier to get through.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 3 R.  BA= .275.  Lee tripled for the second game in a row, added 2 walks and scored 3 runs.  That's pretty much how you draw it up for a leadoff hitter.  Triples are always fun but watching Lee run one out is special.

Willy Adames SS- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(7), SF, 3 R, 3 RBI.  BA= .203.  Big game for Adames who has now homered two games in a row.  Hopefully between the two days off and the friendly confines of Coors Field are the reset he needed and we'll see the extended hot streak we know he's capable of.

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 R.  BA= .295.  Heliot just keeps it going.  The top three batters in the lineup reached base 9 times in 15 PA's plus the productive out by Adames.  

Casey Schmitt 3B- 2 for 4, BB, R, 2 RBI.  BA= .224.  Another good night at the plate for Casey plus a very MLB worthy play at 3B to prevent a hit.  I highly recommend looking up the video.  

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 2 for 5, 2B, 3 RBI.  BA= .239.  Another good night at the plate for YtY who seems to have his mojo back after a long, brutal slump.

Robbie Ray LHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.55.  Coors Field may be therapeutic for hitters but it can ruin pitchers.  Ray had a tough night that wasn't helped by a brutal 2-run fielding error by Jerar Encarnacion at first base who whiffed on an easy throw from Tyler Fitzgerald 2B.  

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.69.  Non-Save situaton for Doval who was warmed up by the time the Giants extended their lead to 4 runs.  Doval's velocity, command and body language were all way down and by the time he got the last out, the tying run was on base and Randy Rodriguez was heating up in the bullpen.  

With the Win, the Giants remain in second place in the NL West 0.5 games out of the lead.

Hayden Birdsong RHP goes for the sweeeeep today facing Antonio Senzatela RHP.

Down on the Farm: 6/10/2025

AAA:  Tacoma Rainiers edged out the Sacramento River Cats 2-1.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .260.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.34.

Juan Mercedes RHP- 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.82.

AA:  Binghamptom Rumble Ponies topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1.

Turner Hill LF- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .174.

John Michael Bertrand LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Ian Villers RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 11.57.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.73.

Squirrels had no multi-hit games.  Jairo Pomares and Carter Howell each hit a double.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds buried the Hillsboro Hops 9-6.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 5, BB, SB(20).  BA= .299.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, 3B, BB, SB(27).  BA= .237.

Bo Davidson DH- 2 for 3, 2 BB, SF.  BA= .317.

James Tibbs III- 1 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .229.

Drew Cavanaugh C- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .400.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .220.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .232.

Marques Johnson RHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.19.

Drew Cavanaugh gets the official promotion to A+.

A:  Stockton Ports defeated the San Jose Giants 8-3.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .353.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .240.

Hunter Dryden RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.17.

Hunter Dryden has emerged as the most consistently effective SP on the SJ roster.  He's small for a pitcher with wiry strength and loose arm action.

Rookie ACL:  Giants outscored the Reds 7-6.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .276.

Ramon Peralta 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .307.

Jeremiah Jenkins DH- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .392.

Rayner Arias RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .256.

Andy Polanco CF- 2 for 4, 3B, SB(8).  BA= .298.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, 5/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.21.

Mauricio Estrella RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.35.

2'nd multi-hit game in a row for Rayner Arias.  He's 5 for 12 with 2 2B, HR over his last 3 games.  Andy Polanco is emerging as an interesting prospect to watch.  11'th round draft pick in 2024 out of Florida HS ranks.  Terrific size at 6' 4", 195 lbs.  Did not play pro ball after the draft last season.  So far his line is .298/.379/.421, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 8 SB 67 PA.  He is 6 for 14 over his last 3 games.

DSL:  Giants Black beat Giants Orange 4-2.

Jose Astudillo 1B- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .333.

Luis Hernandez RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

Jose G. Gonzalez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Josuar Gonzalez SS- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .238.

Yosneiker Rivas 2B- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .360.

Albert Jimenez 1B- 2 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .333.

Keiberg Camacaro 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .333.

Yoxander Benitez LF- 2 for 3, 2 SB(3).  BA= .333.

Jeremiah Jones RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.60.

Fernando Vasquez RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Last night I discovered the Giants have a Jeremiah Jenkins 1B in Rookie ACL ball and Jeremiah Jones RHP, who hails from St Maarten, in the DSL.

Game Wrap 6/10/2025: Wilmers 6 Rockies 5

This game had disaster written all over it for the Giants. They were facing a struggling rookie lefthander which is usually enough to sink them right there, but add in Coors Field and what sounds like a serious injury to their best position player and it looked ominous.  Things were not looking any better going to the 9'th inning trailing 5-2, then things took a weird turn, but in a good way.  Casey Schmitt led off with a home run to make it 5-3.  Two walks, a force-out, a wild pitch and another walk loaded the bases with one out.  Heliot Ramos got a run in with a Sac Fly and Dave Fleming announced that it's all up to Wilmer Flores.   I texted my friend and said, "it's alway up to Wilmer!"  When it got down to 2-strikes, as always with Wilmer, you had a feeling it was too soon to count him out.  When he beat out a swinging bunt to tie the game I burst out laughing even though nobody else was watching with me.  And how fitting that YtY lined a single to R to drive in the winning run?  We all survived another inning in Doval's Torture Chamber and turned off the TV happy.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 5, 3B, 2 R.  BA= .274.  Lee led off the game with a triple and scored on Willy Adames' sac fly.  The Giants would manage just one more run until the 9'th inning.

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 3, HR(6), BB, SF, 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .194.  Just when we hoped Adames would shed some of the pressure he's putting on himself, his infield partner, Matt Chapman, goes on the IL.  Adames did have a good game after a 2-day reset.

Wilmer Flores DH- 2 for 4, HBP, RBI.  BA= .255.  How many ways has Wilmer found to win games?  In honor of His Clutchness, for one day I am renaming the Giants in his honor.

Mike Yastrzemski PH/RF- 1 for 2, RBI.  BA= .235.  Good to see YtY with another game-winning hit.

Casey Schmitt 3B- 2 for 4, HR(1), R, RBI.  BA= .204.  With Chapman apparently out for awhile, Schmitt is going to get his big chance to prove he's an MLB hitter.  He's off to a good start.  

Kyle Harrison LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.56.  After 54 pitches in two innings, it didn't look like Young Kyle would last more than 4 innings.  He got through 5 and kept it close enough to give his team a chance to win.  

Spencer Bivens RHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.38.  Bivens was terrific for 2 innings then got touched for 2 runs and had to be bailed out by Erik Miller LHP. As things stood at that point, Kyle Harrison was on the hook for the loss.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(10).  ERA= 1.45.  Doval had his torture chamber in action as he gave up a leadoff hit, erased that with a GIDP but then put runners first and third with a walk and bloop single before getting Forever Giant Thairo Estrada to fly out to Jung Hoo Lee for the final out.

The Win is the Wilmers 6'th in a row, all by one run, and puts the them 0.5 games out of first place.  

Robbie Ray LHP tries to keep the magic going tomorrow evening facing Kyle Freeland LHP.

As mentioned above, Matt Chapman was placed on the IL with what was initially described as hand inflammation but was updated to a ligament sprain and bone bruise suffered while sliding into a base.  Let's just say that sounds like potentially more than a 10-14 day stay on the IL.  He is scheduled to see a specialist in Los Angeles.

Down on the Farm: 6/9/2025

 Full season leagues had their standard Monday off.

Rookie ACL:  Giants blasted the Padres 12-5.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 4 for 4, 2B, HR(2), BB.  BA= .404.

Rayner Arias RF- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .247.

Santiago Camacho C- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .237.

Andy Polanco CF- 2 for 4, 2 SB(7).  BA= .283

Nick Zwack LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB,  5 K's.  ERA= 2.13.

Giants need to find a place for Jeremiah Jenkins at a higher level. He's too good for this level.  Rayner Arias started the month with an 0 for 8 but is 3 for 7 in his last 2 games with a double and HR.  Santiago Camacho's HR was a grand slam in the 9'th inning.

DSL:  Giants Black edged out Tigers1 2-1(7 innings).

Dennys Riera DH(20 yo)- 2 for 2, BB, SB(1).  BA= .500.

Alberto LaRoche RHP(19 yo)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, 6/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.80.

Frainer Mejias RHP(19 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.93.

DSL:  Giants Orange defeated the Twins 8-3(7 innings).

Djean Macares CF(17 yo)- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .208.

Yulian Barreto 2B(17 yo)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .500.

Jorge Ramirez C(19 yo)- 2 for 3.  BA= .333.

Diego Villegas 1B(21 yo)- 2 for 3.  BA= .429.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 0 for 3, BB, 2 SB(5).  BA= .389.

Down on the Farm: 6/8/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats shut out the Sugarland Space Cowboys 4-0.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, 2 HR(6), 2 R, 4 RBI.  BA= .256.

Osleivis Basabe DH- 2 for 3, 2 R.  BA= .246.

Hunter Bishop RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .232.

Mason Black RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.12.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.74.

Grant McCray produced all 4 of the River Cats runs with some help from Osleivis Basabe who was on base for both of McCray's HR's.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Erie Seawolves 11-9.

Cal Mitchell RF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .190.

Turner Hill CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .163.

Jairo Pomares LF- 3 for 4, HR(7), SF, SB(6).  BA= .219.

Adrian Sugastey C- 3 for 5, 2 2B, HR(5).  BA= .199.

The Squirrels have position players who are capable of putting up nice lines but over the long haul that league grinds a log of hitters down.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds sank the Everett Aquasox 8-0.

Scott Bandura DH- 2 for 5, SB(19).  BA= .296.

Jonah Cox LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .233.

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(9).  BA= .312.

James Tibbs III- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .228.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .314.

Dayson Croes 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .333.

Jack Payton 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(2), BB.  BA= .252.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.88.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

After struggling for a year and a month, Onil Perez has come on like gangbusters over the past month and is putting up numbers like he did for San Jose in 2023.

A: San Jose Giants topped the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7-6.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .350.

Dakota Jordan CF- 2 for 5, 3B, SB(19).  BA= .297.

Maui Ahuna SS- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .219.

Walker Martin 3B- 1 for 3, BB, SB(5).  BA= .213.

Drake George RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.59.

Evan Gray RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.71.

Carlos Gutierrez comes back from a day off and keeps on raking.  Dakota Jordan should be considered for a promotion to his age-appropriate level, A+, by no later than right after the draft.  Good to see Maui Ahuna finally playing regularly. Hopefully he starts to find some traction at the plate.

Game Wrap 6/8/2025: Giants 4 Braves 3

Mike Yastrzemski drove in three of the Giants 4 runs while Landen Roupp pitched juuust well enough to record a Quality Start and get it to the bullpen to hang on for the Win.  Key Lines:

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, SB(7), 2 R.  BA= .243.  Chapman scored both times he got on base.  Don't underestimate the steal of 3B which enabled him to score on YtY's sac fly.

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 2, 2B, SF, R, 3 RBI.  BA= .232.  YtY has been mired in a brutal slump.  The double was his first hit in 7 games.  He is batting .071 over his last 7, .091 over his last 15 and .188 over his last 30.  Hopefully this is the beginning of a hot streak.  The Giants need his overall skill and veteran savvy but the bat was starting to become too much of a liability.

Landen Roupp RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, 9/7 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.29.  Roupp pitched to contact.  I'll guess that his GO/AO reflects that he was getting outs from both his 4-seam FB(AO) and from his curve and changeup(GO).  Roupp has 4 Quality Starts out of his last 5 and has a 1.88 ERA over his last 7 starts.  I think we are past having to worry about getting a competitive start on Roupp days.

Ryan Walker RHP(4.74), Randy Rodriguez RHP(0.61) and Camilo Doval RHP(1.50) each pitched a scoreless frame with 2 K's.  Doval recorded his 9'th Save.

Giants sweep the series and record their 5'th win in a row.  Shows how quickly fortunes can turn around in MLB and by such small margins.  All 5 wins have been by a one run margin.

The Giants have a travel day tomorrow before starting a 3-game series against the Rockies in Colorado then on to face the Hated Ones in LA next weekend to complete a 6-game road trip.

Kyle Harrison LHP is the scheduled starter Tuesday evening against Carson Palmquist LHP a 2022 third round draft pick who comes in with a 8.50 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 6/7/2025

AAA:  Sugarland Space Cowboys shut out the Sacramento River Cats 3-0.

Wade Meckler RF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .343.

Carson Seymour RHP- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K's, 7/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.33.

River Cats managed just 5 hits in the game.  Grant McCray and Christian Koss each had a double.

AA:  Erie Seawolves downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .279.

Thomas Gavello LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .346.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.42.

A+:  Everett Aquasox topped the Eugene Emeralds 6-4.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(7), 2 BB, SB(8).  BA= .313.

James Tibbs III RF-  1 for 5, HR(12).  BA= .228.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .306.

I would like to see Bo Davidson promoted to AA no later than after the draft.

A:  San Jose Giants outlasted the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10-4.

Jakob Christian LF- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .298.

Zander Darby 2B- 3 for 5, 2 3B.  BA= .284.

Elian Rayo 3B- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .214.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .210.

Darien Smith RHP- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.17.

Rookie ACL:  Giants were idle.

DSL:  Giants Orange edged out the Rangers Red 5-4(10 innings).

Yulian Barreto 2B(17 yo)- 3 for 5, SB(3).  BA= .500.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 2 for 5, SB(3).  BA= .467.

Boris Sarduy LF(18 yo)- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .333.

Jose Gonzalez RHP(19 yo)- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

Jose Trevizo RHP(16 yo)- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 7/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.

Jose Trevizo is from Mexico.  He turns 17 yo on June 11.  We seem to be seeing more international prospects out of Mexico in the Giants organization.

DSL:  Giants Black beat the Phillies Red 5-1(7 innings).

Ricardo Crespo LF(18 yo)- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .250.

Miguel Blanco RF((19 yo)- 1 for 2, SB(1).  BA= .154.

Dilan Fernandez RHP(20 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Game Wrap 6/7/2025: Giants 3 Braves 2

 The Giants were down to their last strike in another dismal hitting performance when Matt Chapman swung at a hanging curveball from former Giant Pierce Johnson and took it over the LF wall for a 2-out, 2-run, walk-off home run, the Giants second walk-off win in a row and 8'th of the season which leads MLB.  Key Lines:

Wilmer Flores DH- 1 for 4, HR(11), R, RBI.  BA= .254.  Wilmer went deep in the fourth inning to give Logan Webb a short-lived 1-0 lead.  

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 4, HR(12), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .241.  Heliot Ramos LF set it up with a one-out groundball single.  Wilmer Flores popped out. Chapman got a pitch to hit and that was the ballgame.

Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K's, 5/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.58.  Webb had 9 K's through 4 innings when he seemed to lose a little life on his pitches.  Michael Harris II who Kruk reported had ownage on Webb homered in the fourth.  BTW, I've learned to pay attention when Krukow says an opposing hitter has ownage.  Three ground ball singles and a force out, plated another run for the Braves in the 6'th inning which looked like the winning run until Chapman's blast.

Erik Miller LHP, Sean Hjelle RHP and Tyler Rogers RHP worked a scoreless inning each to give Chapman his chance.

Landen Roupp RHP goes for the sweeeeep tomorrow afternoon against Spencer Strider RHP.

Down on the Farm: 6/6/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Sugarland Space Cowboys 9-5.

Wade Meckler LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .313.

Luis Matos RF- 1 for 5, HR(1), 3 RBI.  BA= .333.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .300.

Marco Luciano DH- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(10).  BA= .211.

Joey Lucchesi LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.38.

Signs of life from Luciano's bat.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outlasted the Erie Seawolves 4-3(12 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .274.

Jairo Pomares DH- 2 for 5, SB(5).  BA= .213.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, SF.  BA= .277.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .197.

Jack Choate LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.67.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.27.

Tyler Myrick RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.19.

A+:  Everett Aquasox no-hit the Eugene Emeralds 1-0.

Dylan Carmouche LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

Cameron Pferrer RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.61.

Marques Johnson RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.45.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10-6.

Dakota Jordan CF- 2 for 6, 3B.  BA= .297.

Jakob Christian LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .292.

Drew Cavanaugh C- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .302.

Walker Martin SS- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .211.

Robert Hipwell 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .230.

Greg Farone LHP- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.51.

Cole Hillier RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.93.

Rookie ACL:  Giants blasted the A's 9-1.

Jhonny Level SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .281.

Dario Reynoso 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .377.

Ramon Peralta 3B- 3 for 5, SB(3).  BA= .303.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, 3B, HBP.  BA= .349.

Santiago Camacho C- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .236.

Argenis Cayama RHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.09.

Luis De La Torre LHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.22.

I could see Reynoso and Jenkins moving up to SJ after the draft.  Argenis Cayama really looks like a significant pitching prospect.

DSL:  Giants Orange beat Cubs Red 4-2(7 innings).

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 1 for 2, HBP.  BA= .500.

Carlos Concepcion RF(19 yo)- 2 for 3.  BA= .273.

Jose Meza RHP(19 yo)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

Jose Gonzalez RHP(22 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

DSL:  Giants Orange topped the Mets Orange 5-3.

Josuar Gonzalez DH(17 yo)- 0 for 3, BB, SB(3).  BA= .333.

Evan Estevez RF(17 yo)- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .375.

Albert Jimenez 3B(18 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .455.

Yeison Oviedo 2B(17 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.

Fernando Vasquez RHP(23 yo)- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Lender Bracho RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Evan Estevez played all last season at age 16 so is playing this year at age 17 with a year of pro experience, which is a good thing except it can come back to bite down the road with Rule 5 Draft rules.

Game Wrap 6/6/2025: Giants 5 Braves 4(10 Innings)

The Giants gave back leads of 3-0 and 4-2 but finally won on a walk-off wild pitch in extra-innings.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 3 for 5, R.  BA= .296.   Ramos erased one hit with a CS but otherwise played the leadoff role well reaching base 3 times on 3 singles.

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, R.  BA= .277.  Lee negated one on-base with a PO on a rough base-running night for the Giants.  Fitz also got picked off.

Wilmer Flores DH- 2 for 4, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .254.  The first 3 batters in the lineup reached base 8 of 14 PA's and scored 4 runs despite the poor baserunning.

Dominic Smith 1B- 0 for 1, 2 SF, 2 RBI.  BA= .333.  Dom says "you want situational hitting?  I'll give you situational hitting!"

Tyler Fitzgerald 2B- 1 for 4, R.  BA= .259.  Fitz got picked off to end the 9'th inning which made him the "ghost runner" in the 10'th.  After an unproductive ground-out by Heliot, Jung Hoo Lee advanced Fitz to 3B on a groundout.  Wilmer then came up and was down 1-2.  Former Giant Pierce Johnson RHP tried a little too hard for the strikeout and spiked a curveball that went to the backstop allowing Fitz to score on the walk-off WP. Got all that?  Good!  

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.55.  Birdsong was electric through 3 innings then lost control of the strike zone.  He managed to get out of the 4'th inning with a 3-2 lead but then allowed 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the 5'th to reach base. Tristan Beck RHP got a force-out and a fly out to end that threat.  

Ryan Walker RHP- 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.94.  I had a sinking feeling when Melvin brought in Walker to face Ronald Acuna Jr. with 2 on and 2 out in the 6'th inning but Walker struck out Acuna.  But then he started the 7'th inning by giving up a single to Austin Riley and game-tying 2-run HR to Matt Olson.  

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.55.  Doval was electric facing Riley, Olson and Ozuna in the 9'th and striking out the side.

Giants try to clinch a series win tomorrow afternoon with Logan Webb RHP facing Bryce Elder RHP.

Down on the Farm: 6/5/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Sugarland Space Cowboys 8-3.

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .500.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 4, HR(1), SF, 5 RBI.  BA= .333.

Grant McCray CF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .256.

Sergio Alcantara SS- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .241.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.61.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.20.

Ryan Watson RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.45.

AA:  Erie Seawolves mauled the Richmond Flying Squirrels 12-4.

Nothing to see here, really.  Squirrels somehow got 4 runs out of 4 hits and 2 walks with just one XBH, a double by Cal Mitchell.  

A+:  Eugene Emeralds destroyed the Everett Aquasox 15-3.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 6, 2B, SB(18).  BA= .303.

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(26).  BA= .238.

Bo Davidson DH- 2 for 4, BB, HBP, SB(7).  BA= .311.

James Tibbs III- 1 for 4, HR(11), 2 SF.  BA= .233.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .220.

Onil Perez C- 4 for 5, 3B, SB(5).  BA= .298.

Zane Zielinski SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB, HBP, 2 SB(14).  BA= .245.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.14.

A game to pad the ol' stat line but Onil Perez is on fire.  He has 4 multi-hit games in a row and raised his BA from 70 points in that time.  

A:  San Jose Giants outlasted the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-4(10 innings).

Carlos Gutierrrez RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(22). BA= .347.

Dakota Jordan CF- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .296.

Jakob Christian 1B- 2 for 4, HR(8), BB.  BA= .289.

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 2 for 5, SB(8).  BA= .288.

Robert Hipwell 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .222.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.25.

Evan Gray RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

Cade Vernon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.18.

Rookie ACL:  Giants smashed the Cubs 17-4.

Dario Reynoso SS- 2 for 4, HR(2), 2 BB.  BA= .362.

Ramon Peralta 2B- 2 for 4, BB, HBP.  BA= .279.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 3 for 6, HR(3).  BA= .333.

Jesus Alexander DH- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .260.

Nomar Diaz C- 3 for 5, BB. BA= .250.

Andy Polanco CF- 2 for 6, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .265.

Marlon Franco RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.13.

Jose Rengel LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 8.74.

DSL:  Giants Orange beat Cubs Red 12-4.

Jose Astudillo 1B(21 yo)- 2 for 5, BB(SB(2).  BA= .571.

Yulian Barreto 2B(17 yo)- 1 for 2, 3 BB, HBP,  2 SB(2).  BA= .400.

Miguel Caraballo C(16 yo)- 1 for 5, 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .250.

Iverson Paulino RHP(18 yo)- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Abraham Utrera RHP(20 yo)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Brayan Cabello RHP(21 yo)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Giants Orange had just 1 XBH out of 8 hits.  They drew 10 walks and 6 HBP's.

DSL:  Giants Black outscored Tigers1 11-6(7 innings).

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .444.

Yosneiker Rivas 2B(19 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .417.

Evan Estevez RF(17 y)- 2 for 4.  BA= .308.

Yohendry Sanchez C(18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .273.

Albert Jimenez 1B(18 yo)- 2 for 3, HR(1). BA= .429.

Alfonso Perez RHP(19 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Overall a huge day on the farm at almost all levels.

Game Wrap 6/5/2025: Giants 3 Padres 2

Newcomer Dominic Smith's 2-run double in the third inning gave the Giants a 3-2 lead.  Robbie Ray and the bullpen hung on for the win.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB R.  BA= .276.  Lee's ground rule double in the first inning went for naught but he scored after drawing a walk in the third.

Matt Chapman 3B- 2 for 4, SB(6), R.  BA= .241.  Chapman struck out with runners on 2'nd and 3'rd and 1 out in the first inning.  He kept the line moving in the third with a bloop to load the bases and set up the winning rally in the 3'rd inning.  His SB enabled him to score from 2B on Smith's ground rule double.

Dominic Smith 1B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .375.  Smith followed Willy Adames SF and Chapman's SB with a ground rule double in the pivotal third ininng.  He had 2 other hits in the game.  He has a WAR of 1 for this game in my book.  So in their first two games, newcomers Daniel Johnson and Dominic Smith took turns giving the lineup a much needed boost.

Robbie Ray LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K's, Win(8-1).  ERA= 2.44.  Ray got touched early by a 2-run bomb by Manny Machado(no shame in that) but then buckled down and was sensational for the next 5 innings for another Quality Start and Win.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.64.  Not sure who was and wasn't available but Rodriguez pitched the 8'th inning after recording the 2-out Save last night.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 1.61.  Juuust a bit of torture for old times sake but no problem, Papi.  Doval got it closed out.  

The Win salvages a split of the 4-game series and a markedly improved outlook from Tuesday's crushing loss.

The Giants start a weekend series with the Braves tomorrow evening with Hayden Birdsong RHP facing Spencer Schwellenbach RHP who comes in with a 3.13 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 6/4/2025

AAA:  Sugarland Space Cowboys topped the Sacramento River Cats 4-2.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .500.

Juan Mercedes RHP- 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 7.71.

A successful AAA start for Bryce Eldridge.

AA:  Erie Seawolves outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-6.

Carter Howell CF- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .210.

Thomas Gavello PF/LF- 1 for 1, HR(2).  BA= .357.

Cal Mitchell DH- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .192.

Jairo Pomares RF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .213.

John Bertrand LHP- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 9/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.89.

A rare 4-HR outburst by the Squirrels lineup and without Bryce Eldridge.

A+:  Everett Aquasox buried the Eugene Emeralds 6-1.

Scott Bandura DH- 1 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .302.

Sadrac Franco RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.45.

A:  San Jose Giants defeated the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 8-3.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 4, 2 BB, SB(21).  BA= .344.  

Lisbel Diaz LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .239.

Jean Carlos Sio 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .284.

Niko Mazza RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.98.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.72.

Ryan Slater RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.46.

Reminder of the great season Carlos Gutierrez is having and he passes the eye test when seen in person.

All of the Giants rookie league teams were idle.

Game Wrap 6/4/2025: Giants 6 Padres 5

A retooled Giants lineup came back from a 5-0 deficit to take a late lead and the Giants may have a new Closer to boot as Randy Rodriguez came on to rescue the 9'th inning from another potential Blown Save.  Key Lines:  

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI.  BA= .292.  Heliot comes through again as his 2-run double tied the score in the 7'th inning.

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 2 for 3, 2 2B, SF, R, RBI.  BA= .274.  Lee has been slumping too so this line is a welcome sight.  The SF drove in the winning run.

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 4, HR(11), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .236.  Chapman is hitting .417 over his last 7 games.  His HR narrowed the gap to 5-3 and ties him with Heliot for the team lead.

Daniel Johnson RF- 2 for 4, SB(1), 2 R.  BA= .500.  The newcomer in RF provided a spark as he scored the Giants first run after a single and SB then scored the tying run in the 7'th on Heliot's double.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 3, 2B, RBI. BA= .194.  Bailey quietly has a 5-game hit streak going and his batting .333 over his last 7 games.  His 2-out double drove in Johnson with the Giants first run.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 4.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.34.  Not the best start for Young Kyle and it looked like a certain loss against Nick Pivetta RHP

Sean Hjelle RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 5/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.  Hjelle stops the bleeding in a long relief role.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 0.66.  Melvin finally summoned Rodriguez after Ryan Walker gave up singles to two of the first three batters he faced.  I think Melvin knew he absolutely couldn't leave Walker out there to blow yet another Save.  Maybe Doval wasn't available?  Randy struck out Merrill and got Sheets on a pop up to record his first MLB Save.  Do the Giants have a new Closer? 

Robbie Ray LHP tries for a split of the 4-game series today against Dylan Cease RHP.

We had some comments that bringing in Dom Smith, Johnson and Knizner was out of the FZ churn playbook.  Perhaps but I remind you once again that Brian Sabean was no slouch when it came to finding gems in the scrap heap.  I am sure Buster well remembers 2010 when Sabes kept bringing in guys like Pat Burrell and Cody Ross who played huge roles in the stretch run.  And yes, there were some like Jose Guillen who didn't work out. Those moves took what was supposed to be a transition year and turned it into the San Francisco version of the Giants first championship.

Black Wednesday

 The hammer dropped today in the Giants clubhouse.  This is not a total surprise as aside from the player revolt against Gabe Kapler in 2023, last night is as close to rock bottom as I've seen the Giants.  3 players get caught in the fallout with Lamonte Wade Jr 1B and Sam Huff C DFA'd and Christian Koss IF optioned to AAA Sacramento.  Incoming are recently signed Dominic Smith 1B/OF, Daniel Johnson OF and Andrew Knizner C.  The problem here is it's tough to see these moves making a significant, or even any, difference.  Let's break it down:

Outgoing:

Lamonte Wade Jr 1B- Much as I have defended LMWJ, his batting numbers cratered near midseason last year and never recovered for whatever reason.  A team can only wait so long to get production out of first base and the Giants were more than patient with him.  We all hope Bryce Eldridge is the long term solution but he's not ready so time to try something, anything else.  

Sam Huff C- I am not sure if the reason why Huff almost never played is because of defensive deficiency or because Bailey's defense is indispensable. If it's the latter, any change at the back up position is not going to help.  To my eye, Huff was doing about as well as you could expect from any back up catcher, especially one who played so seldom.

Christian Koss IF- Christian had a limited role on the team and mostly executed whatever plays he was asked to make.  It's not like it's his fault that Willy Adames is batting .203 or that the Giants are going to do anything other than hope their 7-year investment pulls it together.  Most likely the move is because he was getting so few opportunities, the team feels it doesn't really need a utility IF and Casey Schmitt can fill an emergency role.  If there is an injury, Christian can be recalled at any time.

Welcome to New Giants:

Dominic Smith OF/1B- Smith has never lived up to his perceived potential as a lefty power hitter, but he's put up better offensive numbers than LMWJ in limited MLB action and is no worse defensively at first base.  This is a "lightning in a bottle" signing while we wait for Eldridge to be ready.

Daniel Johnson OF- Lefty hitter with some tools and power who has settled into AAAA status since being drafted in 2015 by the Nationals.  Has hit well in AAA but not well in very limited MLB opportunities.  Another "lightning in a bottle" signing.  Is he a better option than Grant McCray?  Will Melvin really put him in the lineup instead of Mike Yastrzemski to try to catch that lightning?

Andrew Knizner C- Came up in the Cardinals organization and once seen as potentially a better prospect than Carson Kelly.  MLB batting numbers never improved and his MLB defensive numbers are not great either.  Is he really an upgrade over Huff?  Is he going to significantly eat into Bailey's playing time?

If these are the moves, I believe Johnson and Smith should play RF and 1B respectively against RHP's.  Schmitt plays 1B against LHP's and YtY moves to a 4'th or 5'th OF role.

Down on the Farm: 6/3/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats bombed the Sugarland Space Cowboys 11-3.

Wade Meckler RF- 2 for 5, 3B, BB.  BA= .333.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(4).  BA= .213.

Grant McCray CF- 4 for 5, HR(4), SB(14).  BA= .252.

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .232.

Max Stassi C- 2 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .265.

Joey Lucchesi LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.62.

Meckler and McCray are saying "hey!  Don't forget about us!"  

AA:  Erie Seawolves defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-3.

Carter Howell CF- 2 for 5, SB(3).  BA= .203.

Cal Mitchell RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .190.

Jairo Pomares DH- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(4).  BA= .206.

Adrian Sugastey C- 1 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .193.

Joe Whitman LHP- 3 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.47.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.93.

The entire Squirrels lineup has been in a brutal slump mirroring what's going on at the MLB level.  Case in point Adrian Sugastey who was batting .231 on May 23 then went 0 for 24 over his next 7 games.  And now their best hitter is promoted to AAA.

A+:  Everett Aquasox edged out the Eugene Emeralds 6-5.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .314.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .270.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .302.

Zane Zielinski SS- 1 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .238.

A:  San Jose Giants overcame the elements and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5-2.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 5, SB(20).  BA= .341.

Maui Ahuna SS- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .278.

Robert Hipwell 1B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .220.

Hunter Dryden RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K"s.  ERA= 1.32.

Cole Hillier RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.20.

We had intense thunderstorms(by California standards) in the IE yesterday evening.  I was driving down Orange St in Redlands at about 3:30 PM when I saw a flash overhead and an immediate boom that shook the car.

Rookie ACL:  Giants beat the Dodgers 8-3(7 ininngs).

Dario Reynoso 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(5).  BA= .352.

Santiago Camacho C- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .235.

Nick Zwack LHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

DSL:  Giants Black topped the Yankees 7-3.

Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(1).  BA= .571.

Keiberg Camacaro 3B(18 yo)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB, SB(1).  BA= .400.

Carlos Martinez C(17 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.

Luis Friaz RF(20 yo)- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .286.

Mario Gonzalez RHP(20 yo)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

DSL:  Giants Orange crushed the White Sox 21-5(7 innings).

Djean Macares DH(17 yo)- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .250.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .571.

Yulian Barreto 2B(17 yo)- 1 for 1, 3 BB.  BA= .333.

Juan Colorado 3B(18 yo)- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .667.

The Orange Giants had 11 singles out of 13 hits and 15 walks.  

Beat writers report Bryce Eldridge 1B and Trent Harris RHP are promoted to AAA Sacramento.  Given the Giants struggles at 1B this promotion for Eldridge appears to significantly raise his chances of a MLB debut this season.  Trent Harris is on the Closer fast track.

Gane Wrap 6/3/2025: Padres 3 Giants 2(10 innings)

Heliot Ramos' 2-run home run in the third inning failed to ignite the Giants dormant offense and only served to set up an even more frustrating loss than yesterday's spiral into fan despair.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 5, HR(11), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .293.  I'll give Ramos credit for keeping his head up and focused in the midst of one of the more epic lineup meltdowns in memory but one batter can only do so much.  

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .191.  Bailey scored ahead of Ramos' HR after leading off the third inning with a double.  Bailey's BA is quietly .300 over his last 7 games.

Landen Roupp RHP- 6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.18.  Another masterful start, this one from Roupp who baffled Padres batters with a curve and changeup that were equally effective and with just enough fastballs to keep them from waiting on the slow stuff.  Roupp has allowed just one earned run over his last 4 starts(he did allow 3 unearned runs against the Tigers his last time out).  3 of those 4 starts went at least 6 IP.  

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.67.  Doval reverted to the wildness that led to his downfall last season.  There is obviously something psychological about closing that causes analytics to undervalue it.  Might be getting close to time to see if Randy Rodriguez has the temperament for it.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.10.  Like Ryan Walker yesterday, Bivens is a contact pitcher not particularly well suited to start an inning with a runner at 2B when it is imperative to keep that runner from scoring.

Kyle Harrison LHP tries to break the losing spell tomorrow evening facing Nick Pivetta RHP who comes in with an ERA of 2.74.