Down on the Farm: 9/6/2025

AAA:  Las Vegas Aviators strafed the Sacramento River Cats 12-0.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .233.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.64.

Helcris Olivarez LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.13. 

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outlasted the Altoona Curve 7-6(10 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .257.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 4, HR(12), BB.  BA= .263.

Turner Hill RF- 2 for 3, SF.  BA= .259.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .183.

John Bertrand LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.87.

Marques Johnson RHP- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.14.

A+:  I am not seeing a game listed for the Eugene Emeralds.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Modesto Nuts 10-9.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .230.

Trevor Cohen CF- 2 for 4, HR(1), HBP.  BA= .327.

Diego Cartaya C- 2 for 5, 2B, BA= .236.

Walker Martin 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .231.

Game Wrap 9/6/2025: Cardinals 3 Giants 2

The Giants showed why they might be more pretenders than contenders as Ryan Walker blew a 2-run save without recording an out.  Brutal!  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .269.  Lee batted leadoff and continued his hot hitting but did not figure into the scoring.

Dominic Smith DH- 2 for 4, R.  BA= .292.  Smith started the 2-run rally in the 4'th inning with a single.

Matt Chapman 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, R.  BA= .238.  Chapman's double in the 4'th put runners at 2'nd and 3'rd with no outs.

Drew Gilbert RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .263.  After Casey Schmitt's sac fly, Gilbert got the second run home with a 1-out double but was left stranded at 2B.

Justin Verlander RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, 6/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.09.  One of Verlander's sharper starts and he only needed 88 pitches to get through 6 innings.  In the process he passed Forever Giant Gaylord Perry for 8'th on the all time MLB strikeout list.

Ryan Walker RHP- 0.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.93.  Not sure what was going on with Walker.  It looked like he was throwing sliders early in the count and missing the strike zone by several inches producing easy takes for the hitters and putting him behind in the counts.  And you just knew what was coming after the leadoff single.  Brutal appearance and a brutal way to lose the game.

So, how far behind are the Giants in the Wild Card race?  In the immortal words of Jim Mora, "Playoffs?  Playoffs?  You want to talk about playoffs?  We're just trying to wind a game here!"  

The Giants try to regroup tomorrow behind Kai-Wei Teng RHP who is facing.....Sonny Gray RHP who comes in with a 4.43 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 9/5/2025

 AAA:  Las Vegas Aviators outlasted the Sacramento River Cats 2-1(10 innings).

Jesus Rodriguez C- 2 for 5.  BA= .355.

Brett Wisely SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .259.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .230.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 11 K, 7/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.35. 

Braxton Roxby RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 4/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.94.

Dominant start by McDonald.  He's had several of these.  Can he find consistency?

AA:  Altoona Curve downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-4.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .255.

Victor Bericoto LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .260.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .233.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .224.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 3 for 4.  BA= .183.

R J Dabovich RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Cole Hillier RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

I saw Cole Hillier pitch when he was with San Jose earlier this season. He is on the shorter side for a pitcher but has a live fastball and a sharp slider.  He could be a bullpen arm at the MLB level.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds defeated the Spokane Indians 5-1.

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .272.

Zane Zielinski SS- 1 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .241.

Parks Harber DH- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .329.

Jack Payton RF= 1 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .252.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's, 7/3 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.96.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.33.

Ben Peterson RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(3).  ERA= 4.50.

Perdomo is another SP who has had some good games but has been inconsistent.

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Modesto Nuts 7-1.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 4, SB(4).  BA= .220.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .274.

Lisbel Diaz 2 for 4, SB(26).  BA= .270.

Robert Hipwell 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .238.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.61.

Ryan Slater RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.54.

Game Wrap 9/5/2025: Giants 8 Cardinals 2

Rafael Devers and Willy Adames hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and the Giants never looked back in an easy win against a Cardinals team which either by choice or circumstance appears to be rebuilding.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 6, R.  BA= .269.  Ramos batted .313 with an OBP of .371 over his last 7 games.  All 10 of his hits were singles.  8 runs is a lot, and the game was never close, but maybe closer than it should have been after the Giants peppered the field with 18 hits and drew 3 walks?

Rafael Devers DH- 2 for 4, HR(31), BB, R, 2 RBI.  BA= .264.  When Devers hit his bomb in the first inning, I mused that it sure seems like a lot of his home runs come in the first inning.  Turns out Devers homered in 4 of his last 5 games and all 4 of those home runs came in first innings.  Looking up his overall splits, he has 7 in first innings, 6 in third innings, 5 in fifth innings and 8 in 6'th innings which is fairly evenly distributed per PA given his place in the lineup(seldom bats in the 2'nd or 4'th innings).

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 5, HR(27), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .230.  Adames is on a tear of his own with 3 HR in his last 7 games and 8 in his last 15.  Before that, he was mired in a brutal slump.

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 4 for 5, 3B, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .267.  Lee's second half split is .307/.361/.438. He is 7 for 11 over his last 3 games.

Casey Schmitt 2B- 2 for 5, 2B, R, RBI.  BA= .241.  It's great to see Casey Schmitt come to bat in a key situation and not feel like he's an automatic out.

Dominic Smith 1B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .287.  He did not figure into the scoring despite the two doubles as the Giants left a lot of runners on base.  He's a free agent at the end of this season.  I would think his projected payday is significantly more than it was when he signed with the Giants after finding himself released from his AAA team.

Drew Gilbert RF- 1 for 3, SF, R, RBI.  BA= .264.  Another nice boxscore for Gilbert marred by a CS.

Patrick Bailey C- 3 for 5, R, RBI.  BA= .219.  Bailey is 7 for 13 over his last 3 games.

Carson Seymour RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, 6/5 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.25.  A solid 5 innings from Seymour who maybe benefitted from some BABIP luck.  As Javy Lopez noted on the TV broadcast, his command was inconsistent and Cardinals hitters were getting some good swings but hitting the ball at fielders.  One AB that stood out to me was Masyn Winn appearing to get all of one and it ended up a can of corn in front of the warning track in LF.  That has to be concerning for the Cardinals.

Justin Verlander tries to clinch a series win in a Fox game of the week facing Andre Pallante RHP who comes in with an ERA of 5.38.

Down on the Farm: 9/4/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas Aviators 8-4.

Jesus Rodriguez C- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(4).  BA= .352.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 2, HR(17), BB, SF.  BA= .244.

Brett Wisely 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB, 2 SB(12).  BA= .255.

Tyler Fitzgerald RF- 1 for 3, HR(5).  BA= .256.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 1 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .294.

Mason Black RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, 9/3 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.84.

So, let me get this straight....Jesus Rodriguez steals bases too?  This was Mason Black's 6'th Quality Start of the season out of 24.

AA:  Altoona Curve wiped out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-2.

Nate Furman 2B- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .600.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 3 for 4.  BA= .258.

Carter Howell RF- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .222.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.48.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds shut out the Spokane Indians 3-0.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 4 for 4, 2B.  BA= .277.

Luke Shliger C- 1 for 3, BB, SB(11).  BA= .263.

Parks Harber 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .309.

Josh Bostick RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.71.

Brayan Palencia RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.34.

When Josh Bostick is dealing he sure looks like a potential MLB SP.  He needs to find more consistency in command, both within game and from game-to-game.  Charlie Szykowny continues to rake after a slow start to the season.

A:  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 8-6.

Trevor Cohen CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .323.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .268.

Cam Maldonado DH- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .234.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.63.

The double was #32 on the season for Lisbel Diaz.

Down on the Farm: 9/3/2025

 A flurry of late-season promotions so you may see some names at new levels.  I don't have time here to review all of them.

AAA:  Las Vegas Aviators edged out the Sacramento River Cats 3-2.

Jesus Rodriguez DH- 3 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .353

Nick Zwack LHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.40.

Trent Harris RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.25.

Ryan Watson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.63.

Is Jesus Rodriguez in the mix to be back up catcher/DH next season? Can he play the position defensively?

AA:  Altoona Curve outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-7.

Bo Davidson CF- 0 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .238.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 3 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .252.

Nate Furman DH- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .667.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .231.

Marques Johnson RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.33.

One of our commenters gets their wish and Nate Furman gets a promotion.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds defeated the Spokane Indians 4-1(Game 1 of doubleheader, 7 innings).

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .281.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .255.

Jakob Christian RF- 2 for 3, SB(3).  BA= .300.

Zane Zielinski SS- 1 for 1, Sac, SF, SB(32).  BA= .239.

Tyler Switalski LHP- 6.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.17.

Jean Carlos Sio's excellent season continues.  He is just 21 yo and has another year of development before Rule 5 Draft becomes a factor.  Tyler Switalski has had an excellent season across 2 levels.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds shut out the Spokane Indians 4-0(Game 2 of doubleheader, 7 innings).

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .257.

Charlie Szykowny DH- 2 for 3.  BA= .271.

Zane Zielinski SS- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .242.

Darien Smith RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.59.

Darien Smith has had an excellent season across 2 levels.  He was signed as an undrafted free agent late last summer.  

A:  Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 12-4.

Lorenzo Meola SS- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .264.

Cam Maldonado RF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .205.

Trevor Cohen CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .319.

Luis De La Torre LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.   ERA= 1.77.

Game Wrap 9/3/2025: Giants 10 Rockies 8

The Giants brought their hitting shoes and it was a good thing as the game degenerated into a Coors Field special with the Giants hanging on for the win.   Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 5, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .268.  Ramos is batting .333 over his last 7 games.  He's been the Giants most consistent hitter this season although his power numbers tailed off in the second half.  As long has he's leading off and getting on base, that's probably OK.

Matt Chapman 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 HR(20), BB, 2 R, 4 RBI.  BA= .234.  If getting kicked out of a game concentrates Chapman's mind and leads to games like this, might not be a bad thing every now and then.  He crushed the ball 3 times.

Drew Gilbert CF- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB, R, RBI.  BA= .260.  I'm still trying to figure out of Gilbert is for real.  He is a former first round draft pick.  His numbers were decent, not great, before the trade.  Maybe the Giants noticed something?  Maybe he finally figured something out?  Maybe his just in a rookie sweet spot and it will fall apart once pitchers have a book on him?

Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 4, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .213.  Bailey is 4 for 8 over his last two games.  Dave Fleming and Javy Lopez commented that he refused to come out of the lineup for tonight's game because he feels like he found a groove.

Robbie Ray LHP- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.31.  Ray has pitched a lot of innings this season and appeared to run out of gas in the 5'th inning when his pitch count ballooned to 99.  Up to that point he looked good with an unhittable 4-seam fastball up in the zone.

Joel Peguero RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Peguero gets credited with his first MLB Win.  

J. T. Brubaker RHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.42.  Brubaker looked good through 2 innings throwing mostly sliders.  It looked like he started hanging the sliders in the 9'th and probably got left in longer than he would have with a smaller lead.  Ryan Walker RHP allowed 2 inherited runners to score before closing it out for his 14'th Save.

The Win completes a sweep of the series and is the Giants 10'th in 11 games.  It also cuts their deficit in the Wild Card race to 4 games.

The Giants have a travel day to St Louis for a weekend series against their old postseason rivals.  Carson Seymour RHP gets the start Friday evening against Mike McGreevy RHP who has a W-L record of 6-2 but and ERA of 4.12.

Down on the Farm: 9/2/2025

 AAA:  Las Vegas Aviators edged out the Sacramento River Cats 3-2.

Jesus Rodriguez C- 3 for 5.  BA= .333.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .232.

Tyler Fitzgerald 2B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .250.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.00.

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

Braxton Roxby RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.33.

Miguel Diaz RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.73.

Jesus Rodriguez does seem to know how to keep the line moving.  He's been catching regularly for several days.  He had 2 PB in this game.  I completely forgot about Ethan Small.  

AA:  Altoona Curve wiped out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 9-3.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 3.  BA= .219.

Will Bednar RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.66.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds defeated the Spokane Indians 10-4.

Jean Carlos Sio 3B- 2 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .261.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .268.

Zane Zielinski SS- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .237.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .230.

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .253.

Greg Farone LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.25.

A:  San Jose Giants were idle after playing a Monday game on Labor Day.

Game Wrap 9/2/2025: Giants 7 Rockies 4

Rafael Devers 2-run home run in the first inning triggered a benches-clearing incident which got Willy Adames and Matt Chapman ejected forcing Devers to play third base for the first time this season and the Giants to play the rest of the game shorthanded.  All's well that ends well and the Giants ended up with a nice win.  Key Lines:

Rafael Devers 1B/3B- 1 for 5, HR(30), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .263.  OK, Devers' HR and the ensuing scuffle were the highlight of the game so in case you didn't see it on TV or find a video replay, here's my version of what I saw.  Devers hit it pretty good and it carried into the walkway behind the lower deck of the RF bleachers, a pretty good poke but probably not one justifying his theatrics which consisted of him watching it go out from his follow-through position, then stumbling backwards out of the box, walking about 30 feet down the line carrying his bat which he then flipped away.  At this point, Kyle Freeland LHP went all MadBum on Devers, walking toward him while yelling and waving his arms while lecturing him to "get off my.....er.....about home run etiquette, respecting the game and playing it the right way.  The umps did a good job of getting between Devers and Freeland and pushing them away from each other but then the benches arrived on the scene.  Matt Chapman ran up and gave Freeland a shove that was not needed then Adames arrived and started a ridiculous looking girlie slap fight(sorry if that offends someone but it's the only way I can think of to describe it).  After everybody got separated and back to the dugouts, the umps huddled for almost 10 minutes and finally decided to eject Freeland, Chapman and Adames with Devers finally rounding the bases.  As for Freeland, with the way his season has gone I suspect he was just as happy to be outa there.  If all that sounds ridiculous and totally unnecessary from beginning to end, it definitely was, but it was kind of fun to watch....and describe.

Devers did reach 30 home runs but 15 of those were with the Red Sox.  Nothing against Devers but I'm not counting that as breaking the Giants 30 HR drought.  

Casey Schmitt PH/2B- 2 for 5, HR(10), R, RBI.  BA= .241.  Schmitt was not in the starting lineup due to a sore elbow from the HBP yesterday and it wasn't clear that he was even available to play but he was pressed into service after the ejections and hit 4 balls hard with one carrying out of the park for a homer.  

Wilmer Flores DH- 1 for 5, HR(15), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .242.  Wilmer's HR came after Schmitt's in the 5'th inning and after Dom Smith reached base on a single.  Wilmer got in some pretty good shoves during the baseball version of a kabuki dance in the first inning.  The Giants would have been in a world of hurt if he got ejected too.

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 2 for 3, BB, R.  BA= .262.  Lee reached base 3 times and scored ahead of Patrick Bailey's home run in the 8'th inning.  Lee is batting .308 over his last 7 games, .293 over his last 15 and .292 over his last 30.  He has been quite consistent since adjusting his approach over the All-Star Break.

Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 4, HR(3), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .210.  All 7 of the Giants runs scored on home runs with Bailey's blow adding a couple of insurance runs in the 8'th inning.  Pretty rare 2-hit game and home run for Bailey who has only hit marginally better in the second half.

Logan Webb RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's, 5/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.17.  Not Webb at his best but good enough with more than his usual run support.

Jose Butto' allowed a 2-run home run in 2 innings of work to bring some anxiety to watching Giants fans.  No worries as between Bailey's HR and scoreless innings by Joey Lucchesi LHP and Ryan Walker RHP it was an easy win.  Walker recorded his 13'th Save.

Robbie Ray LHP tries for the sweep tomorrow evening against German Marquez RHP who, like other Rockies pitchers, has had a rough season with an ERA of 6.14.

Down on the Farm: 9/1/2025

 A:  San Jose Giants shut out the Modesto Nuts 5-0.  

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .229.

Trevor Cohen CF- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(7).  BA= .322.

Diego Cartaya C- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .250.

Hunter Dryden RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.90.

Ryan Slater RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.63.

Cade Vernon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.48.

Hey, look at that!  Diego Cartaya!  I forgot the Giants signed him.  Were the Giants working with him in Arizona?  Did they fix him?  Stay tuned!  The SJ Giants were the only Giants affiliate in action today.

Game Wrap 9/1/2025: Giants 8 Rockies 2

The Giants jumped out to an early lead and Kai-Wei Teng had his best start of his short MLB career in what proved to be an easy win for the surging Giants.  Key Lines:

Rafael Devers DH- 2 for 4, HR(29), BB.  BA= .264.  Devers is batting .481 with 4 HR over his last 7 games. His first inning home run got the Giants the early lead in this one.

Willy Adames SS- 2 for 4, HR(26), BB.  BA= .230.  Adames is batting .321 with 4 HR's in his last 7 games.  He has 7 HR in his last 15 games.  Closing in on 30 HR's.  Devers will almost certainly get 30 but 15 of those came with the Red Sox.

Drew Gilbert RF- 4 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .261.   After going 3 for 31 in his first 14 games, Gilbert is 9 for 15 with 3 doubles, a triple and HR over his last 4 games(one of which he had just one AB).  Stay hot, kid!

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 5.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 7.23.  As you can see, Teng pitched with some traffic on the bases but he didn't hurt himself with walks and had the strikeout pitch going to get him out of trouble.  

Joel Peguero RHP pitched 1.2 scoreless innings and Keaton Winn RHP finished up with 2 scoreless frames.  

The Win gives the Giants 8 out of their last 10 games.  

Logan Webb RHP tries to keep the winning ways going tomorrow evening facing Kyle Freeland LHP who comes in with an ERA of 5.28.

Today was roster expansion day. The Giants selected T. J. Brubaker RHP and recalled Grant McCray OF.  They moved Randy Rodriguez to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster for Brubaker.  

Down on the Farm: 8/31/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Reno Aces 9-7.

Jesus Rodriguez C- 3 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .319.

Brett Wisely 2B- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .258.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(23), BB.  BA= .229.

Osleivis Basabe SS- 1 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .249.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.76.

Marco Luciano's full line is .229/.355/.455.  Looking through Moneyball glasses, that's a good line.  Are they rose-colored?  More of the same from Birdsong.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels matched the Giants score over the Akron Rubber Ducks 13-2.

Dayson Croes 2B- 2 for 5.  BA= .307.

Sabin Ceballos 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .229.

Victor Bericoto RF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .253.

Scott Bandura DH-  1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, SB(8).  BA= .219.

Carter Howell LF- 3 for 4, BB, SB(8).  BA= .223.

Justin Wishkoski 3B- 1 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .234.

John Bertrand LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.94.

Dylan Hecht RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.40.

Ceballos final line for August is .329/.390/.543.  He finishes the season with two strong months after struggling for the first three.  His July line was .286/.382/.444.  

A+:  Everett Aquasox outscored the Eugene Emeralds 7-5.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 5, HR(21).  BA= .268.

Parks Harber LF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(7), 2 BB.  BA= .304. 

Jakob Christian RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .286.

Zane Zielinski 3B- 2 for 5, SB(31).  BA= .234.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.13.

Charlie Szykowny finishes August with a line of .321/.359/.587, 8 HR.  His second half line is .290/.327/.548, 15 HR, 248 PA.

A:  Visalia Rawhide edged out the San Jose Giants 4-3.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 3 for 5.  BA= .222.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 2 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .236.

Jose Astudillo LF- 2 for 6.  BA= .353.

Cam Maldonado RF- 0 for 2, 3 BB, 2 SB(4).  BA= .194.

Argenis Cayama RHP- 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 9.00.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.93.

Game Wrap 8/31/2025: Giants 13 Orioles 2

The Giants jumped out to an early lead on the Orioles and never looked back.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 3f or 5, BB, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .268.  Ramos only hit 2 HR in the month of August but batted .271/.339/.355 mostly out of the leadoff spot.  He's 10 for 24(.417) over his last 6 games.

Rafael Devers DH- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(28), 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .262.  Devers solo HR in the first inning got the Giants off on the right foot.  He was 3 for 3 with 3/4 of a cycle by the end of the 4'th inning.  I don't think I would want to see him try to leg out a triple even on a ball to the apex of Triples Alley.  Devers finishes August with a line of .291/.397/.592 with 9 HR's.  13 of his 28 HR's have come since the trade.  17 of his HR's have come in home games with 8 coming in 155 PA's at Oracle Park and 9 in 176 PA's at Fenway.  

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 4, SF, R, RBI.  BA= .232.  Matos stays hot batting .385 over his last 7 games and .362 over his last 15.

Christian Koss 2B- 2 for 5, R.  BA= .255.  Koss continues to be a valuable utility IF and mop-up relief pitcher.  

Drew Gilbert CF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI.  BA= .190.  Gilbert is 5 for 11 with 4 XBH's over his last 3 games(2 starts).  The Giants current OF rotation mixing in Gilbert and Matos while giving Ramos and Lee more days off seems to be making everybody in the mix better.  Is that a foundation for next season?

Justin Verlander RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 4.29.  Verlander allowed 7 baserunners and threw 121 pitches in his 5 innings of work but did not allow a run and got his third W of the season.  The 10 K's were a rare feat with Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemons and Gaylord Perry being the only pitchers to do it at Verlander's age or older in the last 125 years(that fun fact courtesy of Andres Soto of sfgiants.com.  He needs just 5 more K's to pass Gaylord Perry for 8'th on the all-time strikeout list.

The Win was the Giants 7'th in 9 games.  They gained a full game on the final Wild Card playoff spot and are now 5 games off the pace.  

Kai-Wei Teng RHP gets another start today in Coors Field facing Chase Dollander RHP who comes in with an ERA of 6.55.  That should be a fun game!

Down on the Farm: 8/30/2025

AAA:  Reno Aces shut out the Sacramento River Cats 5-0.

Wade Meckler DH- 3 for 4, 2 2B, SB(11).  BA= .284.

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .248.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K's, 12/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.57.

5 of the 8 hits McDonald allowed were line drives so he didn't really get BABIP'd.  He still would have had Quality Start were it not for one of the walks and the error.  I haven't been a big fan of Wade Meckler but I have to admit he seems to be the type of high contact/lower power hitter Buster is looking for and has done enough in that profile to earn another look.  I guess there is only so much playing time available and I like that Buster slowed down The Churn to give guys a longer look so Drew Gilbert it is, for now.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Akron Rubber Ducks 7-2.

Victor Bericoto RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .246.

Sabin Ceballos 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .226.

Drew Cavanaugh C- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .261.

Jack Choate LHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.27.

Cole Hillier RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Ian Villers RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.72.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds bombed the Everett Aquasox 15-8.

Nate Furman 2B- 3 for 4, HR(6), 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .384.

Jean Carlos Sio SS- 2 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .265.

Quinn McDaniel CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .229.

Luke Shliger C- 3 for 5.  BA= .264.

A:  Visalia Rawhide topped the San Jose Giants 4-3.

Tyler Cohen CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(5).  BA= .329.

Jose Astudillo LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .348.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, 4/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.81.

Yunior Marte RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

Game Wrap 8/30/2025: Orioles 11 Giants 1

Willy Adames home run in the first inning got the Giants off to an early lead but it all fell apart in a disaster 3'rd inning for Carson Seymour and that Giants never stood a chance after that.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 4, HR(25).  BA= .230.  He's closing in on 30 home runs.  The Giants managed just 4 other hits, two by Andrew Knizner C who was batting 9'th in the order.

Carson Seymour RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 4/1 GO/AO, 2 HR.  ERA= 4.74.  Seymour had good velocity and induced groundballs but for a sinkerball pitcher he was wild high a lot.  He seems to have a severe case of homeritis as the pair of 2-run bombs in the 3'rd inning were his 7'th and 8'th HR's allowed in 24.2 IP.  

Tristan Beck RHP- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, 4/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.27.  Beck gave up HR to the first batter he faced then a single and triple.  The triple scored on a sac fly.  He then settled down and pitched well until giving up another run in the 7'th.  The K and groundball ratios are much better than the overall line.

Justin Verlander RHP tries for a series win tomorrow afternoon facing Tomoyki Sugano RHP who comes in with a 4.06 ERA.

A couple of notes:

Randy Rodriguez RHP has had two orthopedic opinions recommending Tommy John surgery.  He is considering this advice over the holiday weekend but missing the rest of this season and all of next season seems all but certain at this point.

Randy Moffitt RHP as very good relief pitcher from the tough decade of the 1970's and the brother of tennis star Billie Jean King died at the age of 79.  RIP Randy Moffitt.

Down on the Farm: 8/29/2025

AAA:  Reno Aces destroyed the Sacramento River Cats 15-2.

Jesus Rodriguez C- 3 for 4.  BA= .303.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .246.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Akron Rubber Ducks 10-6.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 5, 2 HR(7).  BA= .250.

Scott Bandura LF- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(3), SB(7).  BA= .215.

Sabin Ceballos 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .223

Drew Cavanaugh C- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .180.

Marques Johnson RHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.24.

Chris Wright LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.98.

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

Bo Davidson extends his hit streak to 6 games.  He's 11 for 25 with 4 HR in that span.  This was Scott Bandura's third 3-hit game since his promotion to AA.  His production has been inconsistent.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds defeated the Everett Aquasox 10-4.

Nate Furman 2B- 4 for 5, 2 HR(5), BB.  BA= .362.

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 5, HR(10), BB, SB(56).  BA= .254.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .266.

Parks Harber LF- 4 for 5, 2 HR(5).  BA= .295.

Jakob Christian RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .259.

Zane Zielinski 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .231.

Josh Bostick RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.90.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.

It was a day for 2-homer games.

A:  San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 4-2.

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .237.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .175.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .270.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.77.

Ubert Mejias RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.26.

Cade Vernon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(7).  ERA= 1.49.

Game Wrap 8/29/2025: Giants 15 Orioles 8

Robbie Ray struggled through one of his worst starts of the season but the hitters kept the line moving....and moving.....and moving, scoring runs in all but one inning and every member of the lineup collecting at least one hit.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 4 for 6, SB(8), 3 R, RBI.  BA= .229.  One day after hitting 2 home runs, Adames hits 4 singles and right now he's doing it all.  

Rafael Devers DH- 2 for 4, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .260.  I told my Dodger-fan friend today that for the first month or so Devers was a Giant, he looked miserable, like being out there was the last place on Earth he wanted to be.  For the last 2-3 weeks, he looks like he's having fun and really digging being a Giant.  Do we credit Bob Melvin?  Willy Adames?  Better health?  Better performance?  Recovering from the shock of the trade?  Whatever the case, I suddenly love the trade.

Dominic Smith 1B- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB, SF, R, 4 RBI.  BA= .284.  The home run was a splash hit.  Dom Smith is a revelation.  He's also a free agent at the end of the season.  Do the Giants have a role for him going forward?

Luis Matos LF- 4 for 5, HR(8), 3 R, 3 RBI.  BA= .222.  After he went 1 for 10 in the Cubs series you had to wonder if Matos was just on another of his short-lived hot streaks.  Apparently not, as he had a night.  I still think Matos is the guy on the 40-man roster with the best chance of becoming a superstar.  Stay hot, kid!

Drew Gilbert RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI.  BA= .139.  I like that if Buster believes in a player he doesn't give up on them after a couple of bad games or 3.  Gilbert had at least one other hard hit that was caught.  Keep putting him out there and see if he's part of the future.

Robbie Ray LHP- 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 K.  ERA= 3.18.  The game was televised on Apple+.  As Ray was warming up on the mound to start the bottom of the first inning, he suddenly stopped and looked closely at his left middle finger.  The trainer came out and appeared to either clip off something or apply something.  Ouch!  Not sure how much that had to do with Ray's performance but he didn't really look comfortable all evening.  

The Win is the Giants 6'th in a row.  Carson Seymour RHP tries to keep the streak going against Trevor Rogers LHP who comes in with an ERA of 1.40 in a late afternoon game broadcast on Fox.

Down on the Farm: 8/28/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats obliterated the Reno Aces 21-7.

Wade Meckler RF- 3 for 6, 2B, BB.  BA= .282.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 5, HR(16), 2 BB.  BA= .255.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 6, HR(16), BB.  BA= .244.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 6, BB.  BA= .228.

Brett Wisely 2B- 3 for 6, HR(7).  BA= .244.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 5, HR(3), BB, SB(2).  BA= .257.

Hunter Bishop DH- 5 for 6, 2B.  BA= .264.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 2f or 4, 2 HR(8), BB, HBP.  BA= .320.

J. T. Brubaker RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4's.  ERA= 1.64.

It's obviously better to goose your numbers in games like this than not but you have to take it with a grain of salt.  Brubaker's pitching line is probably the most impressive performance in the game.  I'm betting we'll see him pitching in a Giants uniform before the season is done.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels shut out the Akron Rubber Ducks 6-0.

Bo Davidson CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .244.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 4, SB(18).  BA= .252.

Victor Bericoto RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .241.

Sabin Ceballos 1B- 3 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .220.

Adrian Sugastey C- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .215.

Nick Zwack LHP- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.53.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.32.

Will Bednar RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.87.

After a disastrous first 3 months, Ceballos batted .286/.382/.444 in July and .298/.375/.526 so far in August. Bo Davidson has a 5 game hit streak in which he is 9 for 20.  He is batting .325 since August 15.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds blanked the Everett Aquasox 4-0.

Nate Furman DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .328.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 3 for 4, HR(20).  BA= .265.

Travis Switalski LHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.08.

Darien Smith RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.26.

Charlie Szykowny reaches the 20 HR milestone.  He is batting .313/.355/.576 in August after a .260/.300/.490 line in July and a .297/.354/.538 line in June.

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

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 3, HBP.  BA= .234.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .167.

Tyler Cohen CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .329.

Carlos De La Torre LHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's, 3/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.99.

Between the graduations and the newbies still trying to find traction, the SJ Giants seem to have run out of steam as the end of the season approaches.

Game Wrap 8/28/2025: Giants 4 Cubs 3

Willy Adames showed he can hit two home runs in a game too which was enough run support for Logan Webb's Quality Start and set up a walk-off hit by Jung Hoo Lee in the 9'th.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 2 for 4, 2 HR(24), 2 R, 3 RBI.  BA= .224.  We have a little over a month to go.  Can Willy Adames reach 30 HR's on the season?  

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 2 for 4, RBI.  BA= .261.  Lee gets his first walk-off hit with a single to RF in the 9'th followed by the ritual swarm of pulling his jersey off and showering him with Gatorade which he.....let's just say he tolerated it.  The rally was started by Casey Schmitt and the winning run scored by Christian Koss who came in as a pinch runner.

Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K's, 6/4 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.16.  Webb did not appear to have his best stuff and did not get as many groundball outs as usual but he battled for a 7-inning Quality Start and gave his team a chance to win.

Jose Butto' RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.39.  Butto has an impressive fading changeup which seems to make him more effective against lefty batters.  Very impressive pitch.

Joey Lucchesi LHP got 2 outs with a walk in the top of the 9'th.  Ryan Walker came in to get the final out of the inning and got credit for the W.

The Orioles come to town for the weekend so expect the Adley Rutschman speculation to go wild.  Robbie Ray LHP starts tomorrow evening facing Dean Kremer RHP who comes in with a 4.19 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 8/27/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats beat up the Reno Aces 11-5.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 4, BB, HBP, SB(27).  BA= .253.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .241.

Marco Luciano LF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(22), BB.  BA= .226.

Sam Huff C- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .260.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.19.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

Big game for Marco Luciano.  He has not had enough of those this season.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels squeaked past the Akron Rubber Ducks 3-2.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .237.

Scott Bandura LF- 1 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .204.

Carter Howell RF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .219.

Joe Whitman LHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.11.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds pounded the Everett Aquasox 10-4.

Nate Furman 2B- 2 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .328.

Jean Carlos Sio SS- 2 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .270.

Onil Perez C- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .303.

Greg Farone LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.22.

Josh Wolf RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.75.

Impressive season for Jean Carlos Sio. He also impressed in several in-person looks when he was still with SJ Giants.  A major sleeper in the system.

A:  San Jose Giants blanked the Visalia Rawhide 2-0.

Jose Astudillo 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .368.

Niko Mazza RHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.04.

Ryan Slater RHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.71.

Game Wrap 8/27/2025: Giants 12 Cubs 3

Carson Whisenhunt overcame a 2'nd inning 3-run home run to go 5 innings and the lineup picked him with a 12 run outburst.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 4, HR(16), HBP, 3 R, RBI.  BA= .266.  Ramos giveth and taketh.  He made a throwing error which did not cause any unearned runs but he had another solid game at the plate.  I especially liked what happened after he was HBP by former Giant Taylor Rogers LHP.  First, he scored ahead of Devers' second HR then he came up again in the 8'th inning and homered albeit off a position player.  Take that!  

Rafael Devers DH- 4 for 4, 2B, 2 HR(27), BB, 4 R, 5 RBI.  BA= .258.  Have a night!  Whoa!  Devers just went off!  I am starting to get excited by the possibility of next season.

Dominic Smith 1B- 1 for 4, SF, R, RBI.  BA= .277.  Adames and Smith had B2B SF's in the third inning to retake the lead at 4-3 after Whiz gave up the 3-run bomb in the second inning.

Matt Chapman 3B- 3 for 4, HR(18), 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .234.  Chapman homered in the 7'th, a line shot into the emergency exit down the LF line.  Christian Koss PH for him in the 9'th. I assume that was just to get him out of there a tad early in a blowout win.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.01.  Whisenhunt has great looking stuff.  He battled inconsistent command and traffic on the basepaths and made a rookie mistake by grooving a fastball down the pipe with 2 outs and an open base but settled down to complete 5 innings and get credit for the W.  Hopefully this is all a learning experience for him and speed his development.

Joel Peguero RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  Love the easy heat.  Kruk and Kuip mentioned he worked hard to develop and changeup which gives him another pitch, particularly against lefty batters.

Giants try for a sweep tomorrow afternoon with Logan Webb RHP toeing the rubber against Shota Imanaga LHP who comes in with an ERA of 3.03.

Down on the Farm: 8/26/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats crushed the Reno Aces 17-1.

Wade Meckler CF- 3 for 6, 2B, SB(10).  BA= .277.

Grant McCray RF- 2 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .253.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(15).  BA= .237.

Brett Wisely SS- 2 for 4, HR(6), BB.  BA= .238.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .221.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .314.

Logan Porter DH- 2 for 4, HR(6), BB.  BA= .218.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.44.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.63.

Some improvement from Birdsong though 4 walks is way too much.  

AA:  Akron Rubber Ducks buried the Richmond Flying Squirrels 10-1.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(7).  BA= .225.

John Bertrand LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.93.

Chris Wright LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.19.

Bo had the Squirrels only 2 hits in the game.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Everett Aquasox 5-4.

Nate Furman DH- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .316.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 4, SB(55).  BA= .256.

Parks Harber LF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .265.

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .257.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 7/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.13.

Perdomo bounces back from a disaster start with a dominant performance.  

A:  Visalia Rawhide defeated the San Jose Giants 5-3.

Daniel Rogers C- 1 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .278.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.18.

Game Wrap 8/26/2025: Giants 5 Cubs 2

The Giants began a homestand after winning a series against the team with the best record in MLB.....and didn't faceplant!  Home runs by Wilmer Flores and Matt Chapman led the lineup in backing up a Quality Start by Justin Verlander to take the first of a 3-game series against the Cubs.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 3 for 3, 2B, BB, R, RBI.  BA= .264.  Ramos reaches base 4 times including a 2-out, RBI double in the 5'th inning.  Every time I think he is hitting a wall, Ramos bounces back with a game like this.

Wilmer Flores DH- 1 for 3, HR(14), BB, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .245.  Flores opened the Giants scoring with a solo HR off former Giant Matt Boyd LHP who came in with an ERA of 2.61.

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 3, HR(17), BB, SB(9), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .228.  Chapman's hand did not seem to bother him as he muscled a HR out to L-CF in the 6'th inning for a couple of insurance runs.

Luis Matos RF- 1 for 3, 2B, R.  BA= .212.  Matos broke his string of 2-hit games but his leadoff double set up Ramos' RBI double in the 5'th inning. Stay hot!

Justin Verlander RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.55.  This was Verlander's 8'th Quality Start of the season.  I bet Verlander promised Buster he would deliver 29 starts, 146 IP and a 4.55 ERA and Buster said "deal!"  That's the pace Verlander is on.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(12).  ERA= 3.57.  Walker looks like a different pitcher than the first half of the season.  Is he the presumptive Closer to start next season?

Carson Whisenhunt LHP tries to find traction on his MLB career tomorrow evening against Colin Rea RHP.

Down on the Farm: 8/24/2025

 AAA:  El Paso Chihuahuas chewed up the Sacramento River Cats 16-5.

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 6, 2 B.  BA= .271.

Jesus Rodriguez DH- 4 for 4, BB.  BA= .314.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 3, HR(21), 2 BB.  BA= .218.

Sam Huff C- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .261.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .301.

Osleivis Basabe SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .251.  

The 'Cats top two batters in the lineup reached base 7 times out of 10 PA's and did not score any runs(Meck had an RBI) because McCray and Eldridge both went 0 for 5 out of the 3 and 4 spots.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Chesapeake Baysox 5-1.

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(6).  BA- .215.

Diego Velasquez DH/2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .257.

Dayson Croes 2B- 3 for 4.  BA= .352.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .235.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .216.

Jack Choate LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.22.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.05.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.36.

Will Bednar RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.10.

Will Bednar has allowed just 1 run in 10 IP with 17 K's and 5 BB's in August so far.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops edged out the Eugene Emeralds 2-1.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.75.

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

DSL:  Giants Black outscored and outlasted the Angels 16-14(11 innings).

Ricardo Crespo RF(18 yo)- 1 for 4, 2 BB, HBP, SF.

Luis Frias CF(21 yo)- 2 for 3, 4 BB SB.

Albert Jimenez DH(18 yo)- 2 for 6, HR, BB.  

Dennys Riera 3B(20 yo)- 3 for 6, 3B, BB.

Rainel Duran RHP(21 yo)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  

Postseason pool play got messed up by the weather yesterday but the bottom line is despite this hard-fought win by Giants Black both Giants DSL affiliates were eliminated.

Game Wrap 8/24/2025: Giants 4 Brewers 3

Heliot Ramos' 2-run single in the top of the 9'th inning gave the Giants the lead and Ryan Walker came through with the Save.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 5, 2 RBI.  BA= .260.  Ramos had just a single out of 5 AB's but it was the the winning hit of the game and seemingly almost impossible conditions of checkerboard sunlight on the field from a partially open roof and Trevor Megill RHP throwing hundos.  

Willy Adames SS- 2 for 3, 2 BB, SB(7).  BA= .225.  Adames reached base 4 times but did no figure into the scoring.

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 4, 2B, R.  BA= .227.  Chapman's tailing double to R-CF started the winning rally and again, I don't know how the he and the Giants mounted that really with the patching sunlight covering the infield. At time I felt like the batters were guessing both pitch and location and hoping for the best although I am sure that was not the case.

Luis Matos RF/LF- 2 for 4, HR(7), 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .209.  Matos' HR gave the Giants an early 2-run lead in the 2'nd inning.  It came after a 2-out single by Wilmer Flores.  He also kept line moving in the winning 9'th inning rally and scored the winning run.  This was Matos' 4'th 2-hit game in a row with 5 of the 8 hits going for extra bases plus 2 walks.  Caution that we've seen Matos go on tears before. The key here is sustainability.

Robbie Ray LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 H, 4 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.93.  A ragged start for Ray but he battled through 5 innings and left his team a chance to win.

Joel Peguero RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Love those easy triple digits.  

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(11).  ERA= 3.63.  Maybe Walker's most impressive Save of the season.  If he keeps that up he could go into next season as the presumptive Closer.  Buster better have a back up plan though.

I am sure the Giants had a happy flight home and have tomorrow off and where have we heard that before?  Justin Verlander RHP starts the first game of series against the Cubs on Tuesday facing TBD.

Down on the Farm: 8/23/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the El Paso Chihuahuas 5-4(11 innings).

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .270.

Jesus Rodriguez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .239.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 1 for 3, HR(5), 2 BB.  BA= .296.

J. T. Brubaker RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 7/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.

Ryan Watson RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.46.

If the Giants have run out of arms, J. T. Brubaker is the kind of veteran pitcher who can eat innings over the final month which I am sure is why he was acquired.  He pitched 144 innings with a 4.69 ERA for the Pirates in 2022.  He missed the 2023 season due to elbow surgery shortly after a trade to the Yankees and re-emerged in the minors in 2024 as a reliever.  He recorded a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings for the MLB Yankees before they released him.  He's the type of pitcher Buster needed to acquire at least one more of last offseason.

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

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 5, 2 HR(5).  BA= .212.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .212.

Trystan Vrieling RHP- 3.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.27.

Ian Villers RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.47.

Marques Johnson RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.68.

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

Bo Davidson has shown flashes since his promotion to AA but overall has struggled to adjust as many do.  Hopefully this experience helps shorten the adjustment phase next season.  All 6 outs recorded by Marques Johnson were strikeouts.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops beat the Eugene Emeralds 6-2.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, SB(54).  BA= .255.

Jakob Christian RF- 1 for 2, HR(3).  BA= .256.

Luke Shliger C- 2 for 3, SF.  BA= .257.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.75.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies blanked the San Jose Giants 1-0.

Tyler Cohen CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .333.

Cam Maldonado RF- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .231.

Yunior Marte RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, 7/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.46.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.02.

DSL:  Pool Play

Giants Orange vs Miami cancelled.

Giants Black vs Angels suspended with Giants Black leading 10-3 in the 5'th inning.  

Not sure how all that is going to be resolved.

Game Wrap 8/23/2025: Giants 7 Brewers 1

For the first five innings it looked like another game of no run support for Logan Webb but then the Giants lineup erupted for 7 runs in two innings for an easy win.  Key Lines:

Dominic Smith 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, 2 R.  BA= .285.   I've said it before but I'll say it again:  Dom Smith is not the player I understood him to be from what I read about him when he played for the Mets.  What a smart,  professional hitter!  Watching him play is one of the few bright spots for the season for me.  If he sticks around next season what will his role be?  The one downside is defensive limitations.  He is quite good at 1B but can't really play anywhere else.

Casey Schmitt 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9), BB, 2 R, 4 RBI.  BA= .249.  The hitting star of the game with help from Dom Smith.  Casey is batting just .200 over his last 7 games but 2 of his 5 hits were HR's and he drew 4 BB's and an HBP in 30 PA's.  He's batting .266/.347/.521 with 4 HR in the month of August.  He raised his walk rate from 3.5% to 8.4% since last season.  His overall batting line feels sustainable and seems like the in-house favorite to start next season as the Opening Day 2B.  Oh, and 3-run homers win ballgames!

Luis Matos LF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(4).  BA= .200.  Matos is 6 for 11 since his return from AAA.  Can he show enough ROS to lay claim to a role next season?

Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 5, RBI.  BA= .211.  A rare productive day at the plate for Bailey who continues to struggle with a bat in his hands.  The two hits today were just his 2'nd and 3'rd in his last 7 games.  Buster talked last offseason about respecting Bailey's defense but needing to get more offense out of the position.  You have to wonder if upgrading the bat at catcher is one of his upcoming priorities.  The problem is catcher is slim pickin's around the league. With the O's signing an 8 year contract with Sam Basallo C, could Adley Rutschman C be available?  He's having a down year at the plate, but still better than Bailey.

Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.13.  Webb threw 94 pitches in 6 innings and didn't have his characteristic GO/AO but still good enough for a Quality Start.  The lineup got him some run support just in time for the W.

Robbie Ray LHP tries for a series win against the team with the best record in MLB tomorrow against TBD.

Down on the Farm: 8/22/2025

AAA:  El Paso Chihuahua mauled the Sacramento River Cats 12-1.

NTSH.

AA:  Chesapeake Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3.

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .221.

Turner Hill LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .271.

Will Bednar RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.23.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds crushed the Hillsboro Hops 12-3.

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 3, BB, HBP, 2 SB(53).  BA= .253.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 4, HR(19), BB.  BA= .264.

Parks Harber RF- 1 for 4, SF.  BA= .308.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .304.

Damian Bravo LF- 1 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .316.

Zander Darby DH- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .152.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 4 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .225.

Tyler Switalski LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

Darien Smith RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Charlie Szykowny has hit 4 HR's in his last 5 games and 6 in the month of August.

A:  San Jose Giants shut out the Fresno Grizzlies 4-0.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 2 for 4, HR(1), SB(2).  BA= .294.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 2 for 4, SB(22).  BA= .269.

Jose Astudillo RF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .393.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.69.

Melvin Pineda RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.79.

DSL Playoffs(round robin day 2): 

Giants Orange outscored the Marlins 6-5.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.

Franco Willias 1B(20 yo)- 2 for 3, BB. 

Brayan Cabello RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Giants Orange is 1-1 after 2 days of the 3-day round robin play-in tournament.

Athletics edged out Giants Black 2-1.

Alessandro Duran 1B/C(20 yo)- 2 for 4.

Brayan Narvaez RHP(20 yo)- 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

Jose De La Rosa RHP(17 yo)- 2.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  

Giants Black is 1-1 after 2 days of the 3-day round robin play-in tournament.

Game Wrap 8/22/2025: Brewers 5 Giants 4

Willy Adames had a night on his return to Milwaukee but it wasn't enough as the Giants suffered a walk-off loss.  Key Lines: 

Willy Adames SS- 2 for 4, 2 HR(22), 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .224.  First pitch he saw was a mammoth HR to LF.  He went deep again in the 8'th inning to narrow the Giants deficit to 4-3.  Unfortunately both HR's were of the solo variety which in the end proved to be not enough. 

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(6), BB, SB(3), 2 R, RBI.  BA= .190.  In two games since his recall from AAA, Matos has 4 hits in 7 AB with 2 doubles, a triple and a HR plus a walk.  Whatever the Giants must do to get him daily PA's ROS is good for me.  I just don't want to see him become another squandered talent if at all possible.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 5/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.91.  More of the same from Whiz.  Some nice pitches, pitched out of trouble a couple of times but the wildness eventually caught up with him.  2 WP''s and a HBP didn't help his own cause.  

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.78.  Rodriguez got the final out of the 8'th inning and came within an out of extending this one to extra-innings but then gave up the walk-off HR to William "I'm not Willson" Contreras C.  IDK, right now I am not seeing next season's closer in the organization.  I checked the pending free agent list and John Brebbia is available(that's a joke).  

Logan Webb RHP triest to even the series tomorrow facing Freddy Peralta RHP who comes in with a 2.78 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 8/21/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the El Paso Chihuahuas 6-5.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 3, HR(14), BB.  BA= .246.

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .236.

Osleivis Basabe SS- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .251.

Eldridge is batting .273/.355/.621 with 7 HR in August.

AA:  Chesapeake Baysox whitewashed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-0.

NTSH

A+:  Eugene Emeralds buried the Hillsboro Hops 9-2. 

Nate Furman DH- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .356.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .253.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .264.

Parks Harber 3B- 3 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .314.

Jack Payton RF- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .258.

Greg Farone LHP- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.81.

Josh Wolf RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.92.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies shut out the San Jose Giants 3-0.

Ryan Slater RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.83.

Evan Gray RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.60.

DSL Playoffs: 

Red Sox Blue defeated Giants Orange 3-1.

Miguel Caraballo DH(16 yo)- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB.

Jose D. Gonzalez RHP(19 yo)- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 8/5 GO/AO. 

Jose Meza RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, 5/2 GO/AO. 

Giants Black pulled away from Rangers Red 9-5.

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 1 for 5, BB.

Evan Estevez LF(18 yo)- 4 for 5, 3B, 2 SB.  

Yohendry Sanchez C(18 yo) 2 for 3, BB, HBP.  

Alessandro Duran 1B(20 yo)- 2 for 4, BB.

Ricardo Crespo RF(18 yo)- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB.

Yoxander Benitez 2B(18 yo)- 2 for 5.  

Frainer Mejias RHP(19 yo)- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.

DSL plays a 3-round tournament then two 3-game finals.  Yesterday was round 1 of the tournament.

Game Wrap 8/21/2025: Padres 8 Giants 4

A nightmare 5'th inning blew up Justin Verlander's start and put the game out of the Giants reach.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .262.  I would like to know if there is stat for how many times teams' leadoff batter reaches base multiple times yet fails to figure into the scoring.  It sure seems like the Giants would be at or near the top of that list.  Lee's counterpart, Fernando Tatis Jr reached base twice out of 5 PA's and scored twice.  And just to be clear, this is not on Lee, but the batters that follow him in the lineup.

Rafael Devers LF- 1 for 4 HR(25).  BA= .254.  Devers is hitting home runs but his BA is just .222 over his last 7 games, .236 over his last 15 and .241 over his last 30.

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 2, HR(20), 2 BB.  BA= .222.  Devers and Adames went B2B in the 6'th inning and narrowed the score to 8-4.  Alas, that's where the run-scoring died.

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .178.  Well, Matos is back up and Grant McCray is back down.  The Giants say they want to seem more of Matos and plan to not only platoon him in RF with Drew Gilbert but also give Ramos and Lee more days off and rotate Matos through those positions.  McCray has options so there is less urgency to make a decision on his future with the team, but Matos is out of options after this season.  The Giants need to see if he can find traction with more regular playing time. BTW, the triple was a gift due to a miscommunication between Padre OF's.

Justin Verlander RHP- 4.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.64.  Verlander retired the first 9 batters he faced then started to struggle the second time through the lineup.  A double error in the 5'th by Casey Schmitt and Luis Matos brought in 2 runs which ended up being earned because as the inning unfolded, they would have scored anyway.  At one point the Padres had 2 successful bunts in row.  Reliever Matt Gage allowed an inherited runner to score.  So yes, Verlander was snakebit once again but there is a reason all 7 of those runs counted as earned.  He gave up several hard hits and really fell apart in the 4'th and 5'th innings.  

Joel Peguero RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  A successful MLB debut for Joel Peguero, my proverbial white whale from spring training.  The man with the easy triple digits didn't disappoint as he blew 7 of them and topped out at 102 MPH.  I understand Peguero has had his struggles and triple digits does not guarantee success or else Camilo Doval would still be on the team, but what I've noticed that almost every team around the league has that the Giants don't is at least 2-3 relief arms that "roll out of bed throwing hundos" as Mike Krukow so eloquently put it.  There are a lot of things that this team needs to be better next year but adding a couple more hundo throwers is one of them.

The Giants move on to Milwaukee to take on the red hot BrewCrew over the weekend.  Carson Whisenhunt will be recalled to start tomorrow's game facing Jose Quintana LHP who comes in with a 3.32 ERA, and why couldn't he do that when he came through The Churn?

As I watched another awful game unfold, I meditated on what the heck is wrong with this team and what must they do to get better.  I wish I could tell you that but the answers are not easy.  Right now, the highly paid core of this team, at least on the position side of the ball, is simply not producing what the core of a contending team needs to produce, and the supporting cast is not strong enough to pick up the slack.  We, and Buster, have to hope this was an adjustment year for Lee, Adames and Devers and that Chapman's hand will fully heal by next season, because if this groups is not significantly better next season, Buster dug himself quite a hole.  On top of all that he has to decide if Ramos' bat is worth the defensive misadventures and if Patrick Bailey will hit more like he has in the second half or if he is just a half-season hitter as he has been for two seasons now.  And if that's not enough he has just two reliable SP's returning next season and needs to add some reliable high-velocity arms in the bullpen.

We are obviously just fans and there's a reason we are not running the team, but we also are not totally without baseball knowledge. I think what's troubling all of us is when we look at this team and try to think of how they can be better next season, it's very hard to visualize.  If the "big four" don't step it up and deliver next season, it just might not happen.

Down on the Farm: 8/20/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the El Paso Chihuahuas 9-8.

Wade Meckler RF- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .271.

Luis Matos CF- 1 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .260.

Bryce Eldridge 1B= 1 for 3, HR(13), BB.  BA= .238.

Drew Ellis 3B- 1 for 3, HR(6), BB.  BA= .210.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.59.

Keaton Winn RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 8.85.

Whatever went awry with Birdsong's control does not appear to be getting better.

AA:  Chesapeake Baysox shut out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-0.

Dayson Croes 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .375.

Jack Choate LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.32.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops crushed the Eugene Emeralds 17-1.  

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 3, HR(18), BB.  BA= .264.

Esmerlin Vinicio LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.78.

Charlie Szykowny continues his late season surge.  Can he overcome Richmond curse next season? Since a disastrous May in which he hit just .193, he's batted .291 with 14 HR in 268 AB.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies topped the San Jose Giants 5-4.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .273.  

Niko Mazza RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, 6/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.17.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.43.

Giants and their fans have to be ecstatic at how far Jhonny Level has come in his second pro season at age 18.  Will they push him to A+ to start next season?

DSL's regular season ended yesterday.  Playoffs start tomorrow. Both Giants Orange and Giants Black are in.

Game Wrap 8/20/2025: Padres 8 Giants 1

The Giants were dominated by the Padres in every phase of a game whose outcome was never in serious doubt.  Key Lines:

Casey Schmitt 3B- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .246.  Schmitt's HR came in the 4'th inning.  The Giants had just 3 other hits in the game including a double by Heliot Ramos LF.  

Landen Roupp RHP- 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.80.  Roupp already allowed 3 runs and had a runner on base when he was hit on the leg by a 95+ MPH comebacker that looked like it hit him on a soft part of the back of his leg but when he tried to get up to go after the ball it looked like his knee buckled and he ended up having to be carted off the field.  Joey Lucchesi LHP was summoned and took his time warming up.  Maybe he should have taken a little more time because the first batter he faced, Gavin Sheets, hit a 3-run HR to give the Padres a 6-0 lead after just 3 innings.

Tristan Beck RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.95.  Assuming Roupp has to go in the IL, I would like to see Beck start his next turn.  He'll probably get optioned out instead since he won't be available for several games.

The Giants can still get a split of the series tomorrow afternoon with Justin Verlander RHP facing Dylan Cease RHP.

Down on the Farm: 8/19/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the El Paso Chihuahuas 4-3(10 innings).

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 5.   BA= .265.

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .260.

Jesus Rodriguez DH- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .269.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K's, 7/3 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.25.

J. T. Brubaker RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Miguel Diaz RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.26.

Luis Matos says "Hey! Don't forget about me!"  Brubaker is a newcomer recently released by the Yankees.  He must have gotten caught in a numbers game in New York because he had a decent 3.38 ERA for the Yanks.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels shut out the Chesapeake Baysox 4-0.

Bo Davidson DH- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .207.

Dayson  Croes 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .361.

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .217.

Turner Hill CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .270.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 6.61.

Chris Wright LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.93.

Cameron Pferrer RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 9.00.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1.1  IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(2).  ERA= 0.00.

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

Nate Furman 2B- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .333.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 4, HR(17).  BA= .264.

Parks Harber 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= 296.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 9.18.

Liam Simon RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 8.03.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.00.

Here are Charlie Szykowny's monthly splits:  April- .250/.320/.393, 2 HR, May- .193/.324/.353, 2 HR,  June- .297/.354/.538, 5 HR, July- .260/.324/.439, 4 HR, August- .329/.347/.557, 4 HR.  As you can see, May was his worst month and pulls his overall line down.  So far August is his best month and his overall numbers are rising.  Overall a strong season for Charlie who is emerging as sleeper in the system.  His K rate is under 20% but his walk rate is around 5%.  Maybe that's a profile that plays better in Oracle Park?

A: Fresno Grizzlies outscored the San Jose Giants 8-5(11 innings).

Jhonny Level SS- 3 for 6.  BA= .260.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 1 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .200.

Tyler Cohen CF- 3 for 4, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .319.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .270.

Ubert Mejias RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.80.

  

DSL:  NYY Yankees edged out Giants Orange 3-2(7 innings).

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .276.

Iverson Paulino RHP(18 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.05.

DSL:  Arizona Red topped Giants Black 2-1(7 innings).

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 1 for 2. BB, 3 SB(33).  BA= .288.

Yohendry Sanchez C(18 yo)- 0 for 1, 2 BB.  BA= .275.

Carlos De La Rosa LHP(17 yo)- 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.73.

Lender Bracho RHP(20 yo)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.05.

Carlos Toro RHP(18 yo)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.15.

Carlos De La Rosa 13 K's and 4 BB's in 7.1 shutout innings over his last 2 appearances.