Game Wrap 5/31/2025: Marlins 1 Giants 0

The day after they scraped together 2 runs to give Kyle Harrison LHP and six relievers a 2-0 win, the Giants lineup went stone cold again in a disheartening 1-0 loss.  Key Lines:

Lineup:  Heliot Ramos LF, Jung Hoo Lee CF and Matt Chapman 3B had 2 hits each.  There were no XBH's.  Ramos and Lee also drew walks and Willy Adames SS drew 2 walks.  Again, the problem was not so much getting runners on base but not getting them home.  In fairness, Tyler Fitzgerald 2B and Lee both hit balls that had distance and EV to be XBH's but Marlins OF's made great plays on.

Robbie Ray LHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.43.  A pair of 2-out walks and a single in the second inning was Ray's downfall but allowing just one run in 7 IP should get you a W.

It doesn't get any easier tomorrow on a Getaway Sunday with Hayden Birdsong RHP facing Ryan Weathers LHP who comes in with an ERA of 1.15.

Blogger's Note

 Hey Team!  No posts tonight or tomorrow AM.  Back at ya tomorrow evening or Sunday AM.  

As always I appreciate all of you reading and commenting(most of the time).  

DrB

Down on the Farm: 5/29/2025

 AAA:  El Paso Chihuahuas nipped the Sacramento River Cats 8-5.

Jerar Encarnacion RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .353.

Devin Mann 1B- 2 for 4 BB.  BA= .324.

Daniel Johnson LF- 2 for 5, HR(4), SB(5).  BA= .356.

Logan Porter DH- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .246.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.31.

Apparently there is more to Daniel Johnson's game than just slugging as he has 5 SB's.  

AA:  Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-3.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .205.

Justin Wishkoski 2B- 3 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .256.

Thomas Gavello LF- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .361.

John Michael Bertrand LHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.78.

A+:  Tri-Cities Dust Devils pulled away from the Eugene Emeralds 10-3.

Bo Davidson CF- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .314.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .244.

Dayson Croes 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.

Devils scored 7 runs in the 8'th inning to break up a 3-3 tie.  Remember Nicolas Herold RHP?  He's given up 8 ER in 2 IP over his last 2 appearances.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Inland Empire 66'ers 8-6.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(19).  BA= .335.

Dakota Jordan CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(18).  BA= .295.

Maui Ahuna DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .375.

Jakob Christian 1B- 2 for 4, HR(7), SB(9).  BA= .289.

Drew Cavanaugh C- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .295.

Rookie ACL:  Giants beat the Cubs 8-2.

Jhonny Level SS- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .250.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .500.

Oliver Tejada RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .208.

Jesus Alexander C- 1 for 1, 2 BB.  BA= .205.

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

Marlon Franco RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.84.

Down on the Farm: 5/28/2025

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

Jake Lamb 3B- 2 for 3, RBI.  BA= .236.

Mason Black RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.35.

Marco Luciano played 1B with Wade Meckler playing LF.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 4-1.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .275.

Turner Hill CF- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 SB(2).  BA= .333.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 3, HR(6), SF.  BA= .294.

Dylan Cumming RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.58.

Trent Harris RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 1.80.

Bryce Eldridge continues to perform well in a very challenging environment.

A+:  Tri-Cities Dust Devils topped the Eugene Emeralds 5-1.

James Tibbs III- 1 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .235.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .214.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.82.

A:  San Jose Giants got the best of the Inland Empire 66'ers 3-1.

Maui Ahuna SS- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(2).  BA= .333.

Dakota Jordan CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .295.

Walker Martin DH- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .226.

Niko Mazza RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.30.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.60.

I don't have a scouting report on McDaniel.  He was an undrafted free agent.  He's got great size at 6' 3", 195lbs and is putting up good numbers, though.

Rookie ACL:  Giants outscored the Rockies 7-4.

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .258.

Dario Reynoso 2B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1), SB(3).  BA= .381.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, 4/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.13.

Alexander Fuentes RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.26.

Juan Bello RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

Dario Reynoso is 20 years old.  He had a strong first pro season at age 18 in the DSL:  .288/.460/.471, 8 2B, 3 HR, 12 SB, 137 PA.  He struggled a bit in his first try at the ACL level last year:  .206/.381/.323, 7 2B, 3 HR, 8 SB, 202 PA.  He's off to a great start in his second ACL season:  .381/.480/.643, 4 2B, 2 3B, HR, 3 SB in 50 PA's.  He has played SS, 3B and 2B.

Game Wrap 5/28/2025: Tigers 4 Giants 3

The Giants built a 3-0 lead and Landen Roupp baffled the Tigers hitters with a dazzling 3-pitch mix before everything fell apart in a disaster bottom of the 5'th inning.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 3 for 5, HR(10), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .288.  Heliot's 2-run home run in the top of the 5'th inning looked like it gave Roupp some breathing room.  It wasn't enough.

Matt Chapman 3B- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .224.  Like most of the Giants lineup, Chapman has been struggling at the plate.  He looked much better today.  Unfortunately his error in the 5'th inning started the slide toward disaster.

Lamonte Wade Jr. 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, Sac.  BA= .171.  LMWJ smoked a hard double past the right fielder to drive in the Giants first run in the second inning.  Later, Melvin had him sacrifice bunt with runners on first and second and no outs.  Lamonte got the bunt down perfectly but then Sam Huff C and Christian Koss 2B struck out looking and swinging respectively to nullify the sacrifice.  I like the idea behind getting runners to second and third with one out, especially with how the Giants have been scuffling but I'm not sure it works with the 8 and 9 hitters coming up.  

Landen Roupp RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.54.  Roupp was magical for 4 innings mixing up his FB, curveball and changeup all of which he was throwing with ease and confidence.  The bottom of the 5'th inning started with an error by Chapman, then a groundball single and a walk.  Hunter Pence noted that Roupp's command seemed to be slipping and Colt Keith hit a groundball double to drive in 2 runs.  That brought Melvin out to bring in Randy Rodriguez who came this close to pitching out of the jam.  He struck out the first two batters he faced then went 1-2 on Justyn-Henry Malloy who then spit on a slider in the dirt, got a fastball down the middle and lined it into LF to drive in 2 more runs.  That was the ballgame right there as neither team subsequently scored.

The Giants get swept out of Detroit.  This loss was easily the most heartbreaking and frustrating of the three.  They now get a travel day to Miami to face the Marlins who are in tank mode but have a long history of rising up to smite the Giants.

Kyle Harrison LHP starts Friday evening against TBD.

Down on the Farm: 5/27/2025

 AAA:  El Paso Chihuahua's outscored the Sacramento River Cats 9-5.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .251.

Jerar Encarnacion 1B- 1 for 2, HR(1), BB, SB(1).  BA= .444.

Wade Meckler RF- 1 for 2, 3 BB. BA= .429.

Andrew Knizner C- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .368.

Devin Mann 3B/1B- 2 for 2, 2B.  BA= .313.

Carson Seymour RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K's, 9/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.27.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 5/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.18.

Is help on the way?  Big news here is Jerar Encarnacion resuming his rehab assignment and hitting a home run.

AA:  Harrisburg Senators outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2(10 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 0 for 2, 2BB, HBP.  BA= .274.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .292.

Joe Whitman LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.53.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.32.

This game was tied at zero after 9 inning.  The Squirrels scored twice in the top of the 10'th, the Senators answered back with 3 in the bottom of the inning to walk it off. This was Whitman's second start in a row allowing zero runs over a total of 12 IP.  He's allowed just 1 run in 19 IP over his last 3 starts.  He also pitched 6 perfect innings on May 3.  His ERA for the month of May is 1.55 over 29 innings.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Tri-Cities Dust Devils 8-3.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .302.

James Tibbs III- 1 for 4, HR(8), BB.  BA= .231.

Zane Zielinski SS- 2 for 5, 2 SB(12).  BA= .254.

Josh Bostick RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Austin Strickland RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.44.

Marques Johnson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.79.

Bo Davidson keep raking.  Tibbs is hitting .325 with 5 HR's since May 11.

A San Jose Giants and Rookie ACL Giants were idle.

Game Wrap 5/27/2025: Tigers 3 Giants 1

Despite early struggles, Logan Webb ended up with a Quality Start but once again the lineup came up short.  Key Lines:

Wilmer Flores DH- 1 for 4, 2B, RBI.  BA= .259.  There was a 14 MPH wind blowing in from LF.  Wilmer had a potential 2-run home run blown back into the left fielder's glove in the first inning which was the difference in the game right there.  Giants hitters had at least 2 other warning track drives that might have been HR's without that wind.  Wilmer's double in the 9'th was the Giants only XBH of the game and drove in Heliot Ramos from 1B, but it was too little, too late.

Willy Adames SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .210.  He did not figure into the scoring but it's a tiny bit encouraging to see Adames get two hits.

Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 2.82.  Webb did not have his best stuff early and was dinged for a run in each of the first 3 innings.  He threw 77 pitches in those 3 innings and somehow managed to turn that mess into a Quality Start.  He also finished with 10 K's so maybe his stuff was good but he did not have his best command?

Tristan Beck RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.80.  Beck has looked great in low-leverage situations since his call up.  The innings he eats in those situations have value in sparing the single-inning, higher-leverage relievers and it preps him to step into a bigger role if needed.

Landen Roupp RHP tries to salvage a win out of the series tomorrow in an early start facing Jackson Jobe RHP.

Down on the Farm: 5/26/2025

The top three levels all had their usual Monday off despite the holiday.

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Inland Empire 66'ers 11-2.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .335.

Dakota Jordan CF- 3 for 5, 2 SB(17).  BA= .298.

Jakob Christian 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(8).  BA= .283.

Walker Martin SS- 2 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .217.

Robert Hipwell 3B- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .225.

Fernando Gonzalez C- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .233.

Hunter Dryden RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.25.

Cole Hillier RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.47.

A lot going on here.  Good to see Carlos Gutierrez showing occasional power.  He looks to me like he can add more as he matures physically and as a hitter.  Dakota Jordan had a short dip in his BA but is now rebounding.  A is a conservative placement for a player drafted out of college.  I think the concern with him was whether the hit tool measured up to the others.  If he continues to hit a promotion to his expected level of A+ might be considered.  Ditto for Jakob Christian.  Walker Martin may not have an impressive BA but he's made his hits count.  The HR today was a grand slam.  With Greg Farone's recent struggles, Hunter Dryden looks like the top Giants SP prospect at this level.

Rookie ACL:  Rangers outscored the Giants 9-8.

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 4, HR(2), SF.  BA= .258.

Victor Bericoto RF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .583.

Rayner Arias LF- 1 for 3, HBP.  BA= .280.

Santiago Camacho C- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .194.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, 5/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.30.

It would seem Victor Bericoto is ready to move back to his regular level.  Didn't he just get promoted to AAA before he went on the IL?  He's a pretty serious bat who might even be able to help the Giants at the MLB level if they aren't able to find help in the trade market.

Game Wrap 5/26/2025: Tigers 3 Giants 1

 The Tigers took advantage of subpar command by Hayden Birdsong and the Giants lineup futility continued unabated in another loss without much of a fight. Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF and Wilmer Flores DH had two hits each.  Matt Chapman had the only other Giants hit in the game.  They had no XBH's.  The #5-9 batters in the lineup went a combined 0 for 16 with 2 walks.  That won't get it done and that's become a typical box score for the Giants.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.48.  As Hunter Pence noted in the broadcast booth, Birdsong seemed to have good secondary pitches and good life on the fastball but the fastball command was off.  Still, he only allowed 1 run through 4 innings.  He allowed the first two batters of the 5'th inning to reach base which brought in Erik Miller LHP who gave up a walk and a soft line-drive single which plated the winning runs.  

Spencer Bivens RHP pitched 2 scoreless frames and Jordan Hicks RHP had a scoreless 8'th inning.

Keider Montero RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.54.  Montero came in with an ERA over 5.  He benefitted from a generous strike zone by Home Plate Umpire Phil Cuzzi and had good command of a wipeout slider the Giants hitters didn't see well.   But we're saying that about a lot of pitchers to face the Giants recently.

Since the 3-homer game by Wilmer Flores against the A's on 5/16, the Giants have scored more than 3 runs twice in 9 games and lost one of those.  They scored 3 runs three times, 1 run three times and got shut out once.  They averaged 2.22 runs per game.  Amazingly, they are 5-4 over that stretch.

The Giants try to regroup tomorrow behind Logan Webb RHP against Jack Flaherty RHP in what could be another tough matchup.

Down on the Farm: 5/25/2025

 AAA:  Oklahoma City Comets outscored the Sacramento River Cats 9-6.

Andrew Knizner C- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .400.

Devin Mann 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .290.

Hunter Bishop RF- 1 for 1, BB, SF, HBP, SB(5).  BA= .232.

Trevor McDonald pitched pretty well for 4 innings then got blasted for a 7-spot in the 5'th inning.  After his huge game yesterday, Marco Luciano went 0 for 5.

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1(Game 1 of doubleheader, 7 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .275.

Drew Ellis 3B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .080.  

Jack Choate LHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.69.

Raymond Burgos LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2(Game 2 of doubleheader, 7 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(6).  BA= .277.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .209.

Cal Mitchell CF- 2 for 3.  BA- .182.

A+:  Vancouver Canadians outlasted the Eugene Emeralds 9-2(10 innings).

Jonah Cox LF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 SB(21).  BA= .246.

Jack Payton 1B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .247.

Sadrac Franco RHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.17.

Cameron Pferrer RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.89.

Ian Villers RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.01.

Ems SP, Josh Wolf RHP, gave up 2 runs in the first inning.  The Ems fought back with single runs in the 8'th and 9'th to send it to extra-innings but they got blasted for 7 in the top of the 10'th.

A:  San Jose Giants topped the Fresno Grizzlies 2-1.

Robert Hipwell 1B- 3 for 4.  BA= .220.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(17).  BA= .338.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.66.

Tyler Switalski RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.11.

As a commenter mentioned after yesterday's post, there is an interesting article by Maria Guardado on sfgiants.com about the Giants scouts who discovered Bo Davidson.  If you think scouts are completely emotionless, dispassionate evaluators who don't allow themselves the luxury of irrational exuberance, read that article and be disabused of that notion.  I just hope the comp to Barry Bonds doesn't get into his head because that's an unfair comp to lay on anybody, let alone a young prospect like Bo.

Game Wrap 5/25/2025: Giants 3 Nationals 2

 The lineup woke up long enough to give Robbie Ray an early lead.  He and the bullpen held on for the Win.  Key Lines:

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 4, 3B, R.  BA= .262.  YtY followed a home run by Sam Huff in the third inning with a triple and scored what proved to be the winning run on a ground out.

Sam Huff C- 1 for 3, HR(2), R, RBI.  BA= .208.  Huff led off the third inning with a homer to L-CF to give the Giants their second run of the game.  Huff has done about as well as we can expect with the backup catcher role.  And hey!  He's outhitting Patrick Bailey.

The Giants first run of the game in the second inning came on a Wilmer Flores DH HBP, a single to RF by Matt Chapman 3B with Flores going to 3B and the scoring on a swinging squeeze bunt by Willy Adames SS.

Robbie Ray LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.56.  6 consecutive Quality Starts for Robbie Ray.  He extends his W-L record to 7-0 and yes, there is a lot of luck involved in getting credited with a Win which is why Quality Starts are probably a better measure of SP effectiveness.  

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(10).  ERA= 5.21.  Another shaky Save for Ryan Walker.   I'm not convinced he is "fixed" just yet. He gave up the run on a pair of oppo-field ground ball doubles and got two of his 3 outs on fly balls to the OF.

Randy Rodriguez RHP and Tyler Rogers RHP pitched scoreless 7'th and 8'th innings respectively.

The Win gives the Giants a series win against a team they should beat.  The Nationals are a young team on the rise though.  

Next stop on the road trip is Detroit with a day game tomorrow.  Hayden Birdsong RHP makes his second start of the season facing Keider Montero RHP who comes in with a 5.28 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 5/24/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats blasted the Oklahoma City Comets 11-4.

Marco Luciano LF- 4 for 5, 2 HR(9), BB.  BA= .228.  

Devin Mann 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .276.

Daniel Johnson RF- 2 for 6. BA= .263.

Logan Porter DH- 1 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .235.

Osleivis Basabe 2B- 2 for 4, Sac, SB(2).  BA= .257.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.34.

Ryan Watson RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.06.

Luciano has had some big games this season but too few and far between.  Hopefully this is the start of something more sustained.  Osleivis Basabe is batting .286 in May.

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 8.13.

Will Bednar RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 10.50.

A+:  Vancouver Canadians crushed the Eugene Emeralds 9-0.

There were no noteworthy performances by the Ems in this game.  They managed just 2 hits but didn't pitch well.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies mauled the San Jose Giants 10-4.

Jakob Christian 1B- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA- .287.

Walker Martin SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .218.

Zander Darby DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .270.

Greg Farone LHP- 3 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.51.  

Farone pitched really well over his first 5 starts but 12 ER in 11 IP over his last 3.

Rookie ACL:  Giants outscored the Royals 9-5.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB, SB(5).  BA= .259.

Victor Bericoto RF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .571.

Rayner Arias LF/RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .277.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .371.

Andy Polanco CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .200.

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

Luis De La Torre LHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.40.

Jhonny Level(18 yo) and Rayner Arias(19 yo) are probably the top two prospects I'm following in the ACL along with Argenis Cayama RHP(18 yo).

Game Wrap 5/24/2025: Nationals 3 Giants 0

Another game in which the Giants lineup failed to even stress the opposing pitcher overshadowed strong pitching performances from Kyle Harrison and Tristan Beck.  Key Lines:

Kyle Harrison LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, 5/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.86.  Harrison was dinged for a 2-run HR in the first inning by James Wood, a lefthanded batter.  He recovered nicely to pitch scoreless ball over the next 3 innings.  He threw 57 pitches and was probably on a 60-pitch limit due to pitching out of the bullpen the last couple of weeks.

Tristan Beck RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, 4/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.86.  Beck also looked sharp in his first MLB level appearance of the season.  He got touched up for a run in his last inning of work, the 7'th, on some soft contact.

Jake Irvin RHP- 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.42.  Irvin is a big, tall righty who had ERA's in the 4's his first two seasons but came in with an ERA of 3.88 and 5 Quality Starts out of his last 7.  Take out a game against the Phillies in which he gave up 6 runs in 6 IP and his season ERA coming in would have been 3.31, so he is no slouch of a pitcher.  Now, I can't say I watched every pitch from the edge of my seat but I don't recall any hard hit balls by the Giants, zero!  They managed just 3 hits, 2 by Tyler Fitzgerald 2B and 2 walks.  Irvin didn't look like he ever had to breath hard or break a sweat.  Just an extremely weak performance by the lineup, all of it.

This is now the 5'th time the Giants have been shut out this season.  Each of those five shutouts wasted a good pitching performance by Giants pitchers with three scores of 2-0 and one each of 1-0 and 3-0.  I couldn't find a list of Team Shutouts Against but the Giants have to be near the top.

The Giants try to regroup for an early game tomorrow with Robbie Ray LHP facing Mike Soroka RHP.

Down on the Farm: 5/23/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Oklahoma City Comets 8-6.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 4 2B, BB, SB(11).  BA= .258.

Andrew Knizner C- 0 for 1, 2 BB, 2 HBP.  BA= .364.

Daniel Johnson DH- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3).  BA= .257.

Devin Mann 3B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .264.

Jake Lamb 1B- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .225.

Hunter Bishop RF- 2 for 4, SB(4).  BA= .227.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.42.

Joey Lucchesi LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.80.

Justin Garza RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(5).  ERA= 7.04.

Seems like Sean Hjelle and Joey Lucchesi could both help a MLB club somewhere.  No room on the Giants active roster right now.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Binghampton Rumble Ponies 6-1(regularly scheduled game).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .274.

Thomas Gavello PH/LF- 3 for 4.  BA- .440.

Bryce Eldridge DH- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .304.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .231.

John Michael Bertrand LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.56.

Adrian Sugastey is 6 for 19 over his last 6 games.

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4(completion of suspended game).

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 3 for 4, BA= .307.

Thomas Gavello 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA- .381.

Joe Whitman LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 11 K's.  ERA= 4.21.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.59.

Stats for this game recorded as May 21.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians 8-5.

Jonah Cox CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(19).  BA= .252.

James Tibbs III- 3 for 4, 3B, 2 HR(7).  BA= .241.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .252.

Luke Shliger C- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(5).  BA= .215.

Brayan Palencia RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.81.

Austin Strickland RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.06.

Marques Johnson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.95.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 2.29.

James Tibbs III is 12 for 30 with 3 doubles, a triple and 4 HR's over his last 8 games.  Overall his .241 BA comes with a .379 OBP and a .460 SLG%.

A:  San Jose Giants blanked the Fresno Grizzlies 2-0.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .347.

Dakota Jordan CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .292.

Jose Ramos SS- 1 for 3, 3B, SB(10).  BA= .192.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Darien Smith RHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.29.

Ryan Slater RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.74.

Ben Peterson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(5).  ERA= 5.74.

Rookie ACL:  Giants blasted the A's 7-1.

Maui Ahuna 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .262.

Wade Meckler CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .333.

Rayner Arias DH- 2 for 3, HBP, SB(3).  BA= .262.

Santiago Camacho C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .182.

Argenis Cayama RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, 7/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.59.

Alix Hernandez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.06.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.79.

Odd mix of young players and rehabbing older players from higher levels makes it a little hard to interpret performance.  Ideal target age for this level is 18-20 yo.

Game Wrap 5/23/2025: Giants 4 Nationals 0

Nationals starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore left the game with an apparent leg injury after walking Jung Hoo Lee to lead off the 7'th inning with the score tied at zero.  That proved to be a turning point in the game as the Nationals relievers were wild, allowing the Giants to score 4 runs while Landen Roupp and the Giants bullpen combined for the shutout.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 2 for 3, BB, 2 R.  BA= .282.  It was Lee's leadoff walk in the 7'th that led to the Giants first run of the game but he also singled in the 8'th and scored one of the insurance runs.  Jung Hoo is 5 for 14 over with 2 doubles over his last 4 games.

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 3, BB, R, RBI.  BA= .216.  The Giants had runners at first and second with no outs in the 7'th inning when Wilmer Flores grounded into a double play putting Jung Hoo Lee at 3B with 2 outs.  Adames picked up Flores with a groundball single up the middle to score Lee.  Adames would eventually come around to score after a series of 2-out walks by Nationals relievers.  But it was a hard comebacker by Adames off Mackenzie Gore's leg in the second inning which may have been the turning point in the game.  Although it is unclear if Gore's thigh tightness is related the trainers reportedly had him ice bruise between innings from the second inning on.

Landen Roupp RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, 10/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.63.  Although Gore appeared to have better stuff and be more dominant, Roupp matched goose eggs with him for 6 innings and actually had a lower pitch count because he was pitching to ground ball contact.  Roupp had a long layover in the dugout in the top of the seventh due to all the walks and allowed a double and a walk to the first two batters of the 7'th inning which brought Bob Melvin out with the hook despite a pitch count of just 76. Roupp has a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings over 4 starts in May.  He has not allowed a run in 12 innings over his last two starts.  He's pitching like he wants to stay in the rotation.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.83.  Rodriguez is Melvin's designated fireman and he didn't disappoint in this game striking out the first batter he faced and then inducing a GIDP to get out of the 2 baserunners with no outs jam he inherited.

Erik Miller LHP(1.56) and Camilo Doval RHP(1.16) pitched scoreless 8'th and 9'th innings respectively in non-save situations.

The Win improved the Giants record to 30-21.  They are in second place in the NL West.  

Kyle Harrison LHP makes his first start of the season tomorrow facing Jake Irvin RHP in a game that starts at 1:05 PM PDT.

Tristan Beck RHP got the call up from AAA Sacramento to replace Justin Verlander RHP on the active roster.  Beck may be needed for a multi-inning relief role tomorrow since Harrison has been pitching 1 and 2 inning stints out of the bullpen for a couple of weeks and will likely be on a pitch count limit.

Down on the Farm: 5/22/2025

 AAA:  Oklahoma City Comets smashed the Sacramento River Cats 9-5.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .258.

Devin Mann 3B- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .245.

Osleivis Basabe 2B- 2 for 2, 2B, SF, HBP.  BA= .250.

Mason Black RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's, 7/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.74.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Binghampton Rumble Ponies Postponed.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Vancouver Canadians 6-5.

Bo Davidson CF- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .316.

Jonah Cox LF- 2 for 4, HR(2), HBP, SB(18).  BA= .255.

James Tibbs III DH- 0 for 2, BB, 2 HBP.  BA= .226.

Jack Payton 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .235.

Scott Bandura RF- 4 for 5, 2B, 2 SB(15).  BA= .328.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.71.

A:  San Jose Giants obliterated the Fresno Grizzlies 16-2.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .340.

Dakota Jordan CF- 4 for 6.  BA= .291.

Jakob Christian 1B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .283.

Drew Cavanaugh C- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(5), 2 BB.  BA= .313.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 4 for 6.  BA= .263.

Robert Hipwell 3B- 2 for 5, 3B, BB.  BA= 207.

Drake George RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.41.

Cale Lansville RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.79.

Talk about playing pepper, 13 of the 19 Giants hits were singles.  Nothing wrong with singles if you hit enough of them.  They also drew 8 walks.

Rookie ACL:  Giants defeated the Reds 7-4.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1).  BA- .667.

Dayson Croes 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .308.

Ryan Reckley 2B- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .500.

Marlon Franco RHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.57.

Bericoto is apparently on a rehab assignment.  Not sure if this is a rehab assignment for Reckley.

David Villar cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than accept assignment.  The reason why no teams claimed him is he would have to be on their 40-man roster if claimed.  Now he can be signed to a minor league deal with a team he thinks offers a better chance of a more permanent MLB promotion in the future.  I honestly think one of the "tanking" teams like the White Sox, Marlins or Rockies should take a flyer on Villar with a MLB deal, put him out there at last 200 PA's and see what he does with it.  I think there is a better than decent MLB career in there somewhere.

Down on the Farm: 5/21/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats beat the Oklahoma City Comets 8-1.

Marco Luciano LF- 0 for 2, 4 BB.  BA= .217.

Brett Wisely SS- 1 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .227.

Andrew Knizner C- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .600.

Carson Seymour RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's, 5/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.59.

Joey Lucchesi LHP(4.19), Joel Peguero RHP(5.19) and Justin Garza RHP(7.53) each pitched a scoreless inning with 2 K's in relief.  Andrew Knizner was released by the Nationals rather than exercising an option to promote him to the MLB club.  He signed a minor league deal with the Giants.  He is the quintessential AAAA player with a career .303 BA in the minor leagues while batting just .210 in almost 900 MLB PA's.  His best MLB season was with the team that drafted him, the Cardinals, in 2023 when he hit .241 with 10 HR in 241 PA. It appears that Max Stassi C and Logan Porter C are both still on the River Cats roster.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels and Binghampton Rumble Ponies tied at 2 after 5 innings(suspended).

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 3.  BA= .299.

Thomas Gavello LF- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .368.

Joe Whitman LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 11 K's.  

After Whitman's ERA peaked at 7.53 on 4/27, he's pitched to a 2.65 ERA in May with 15 K's and 5 BB's in 17 IP.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Vancouver Canadians 8-4.

Bo Davidson DH- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .323.

James Tibbs III RF- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .229.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .245.

Jack Payton 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .225.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 6.89.

A:  San Jose Giants edged out the Fresno Grizzlies 4-3.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .248.

Fernando Gonzalez C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .233.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.88.

Rookie AZL:  Giants blanked the Cubs 4-0.

Turner Hill LF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .467.

Rayner Arias RF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .257.

Alexander Fuentes RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Juan Bello RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Dylan Carmouche LHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.63.

I'd keep an eye out for Alexander Fuentes who is listed at 6' 7", 245 lbs.  

Game Wrap 5/21/2025: Royals 8 Giants 4

 On a warm day with the wind blowing out to CF, the Giants out-homered the Royals 3-1 but it was the 15 other Royals hits and some poor fielding by the Giants that doomed this game early.  Mike Krukow broke out a new riff though, so all was not lost.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 5, HR(9), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .296.  Heliot continues his drive for a second consecutive All-Star Game appearance.  Unfortunately his 2-run HR in the 9'th was too little, too late in this game.

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 4, HR(9), BB, R, RBI.  BA= .217.  Chapman comes off a rest day with a HR.  

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .276.  Despite reaching base 3 times, Lee did not figure into the scoring. 

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .183.  Bailey hit .100 over 4 games in March, .189 in April and is up to .222 for May so far.  Baby steps!

Logan Webb RHP- 4 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.67.  4 of the 10 hits were on groundballs that found holes and 3 of the runs counted as unearned after LaMonte Wade Jr 1B made an error on the leadoff batter in the 4'th inning but Webb was not fooling anyone with his pitches and gave up 5 line-drive hits and a Salvador Perez' HR.  One of those games.

Mike Krukow TV Announcer- Kruk broke out a line I never heard before and the way Kuip reacted I don't think he had either.  I think it was Wilmer Flores who hit a soft liner over shortstop for a single.  Kruk:  "That's a Bettina Bunge Backhand!"  Kruk!  You're showing your age there my man!  I recognized the name but Bettina Bunge was a women's tennis pro from way back(I just looked it up.  Not quite as far back as I recalled but active from 1978-1989).  Kruk said he got it from at teammate or coach but I missed who that was.  Maybe one of our readers caught it?  Also, apparently it's not new because Kruk got a write up in the NY Times in 2023 that mentioned it.

The Giants get a travel day tomorrow before starting a 9-game, 3-city road trip against the Nationals, Tigers and Marlins.  The Nationals and Marlins are lower division teams but that's a brutal travel schedule.  Landen Roupp starts against the Nationals Friday evening facing TBD.  BTW, the Nationals placed Dylan Crews OF on the IL and called up Robert Hassell III OF from the minors.

Speaking of the IL, not unexpectedly the Giants placed Justin Verlander RHP on the IL with a pectoral nerve issue whatever that is.  He is expected to miss two starts.  No word on who will get the starts or who might be called up from the minors.

Addendum:  Pure speculation and a little bit of 2+2=5 but "nerve irritation in the pectoral region" sure sounds like it could be Herpes Zoster AKA shingles.  Could also be a never impingement in the thoracic spine or a local impingement from muscle.  But kind of odd descriptions coming out of the Giants clubhouse.

Down on the Farm: 5/20/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Oklahoma City Comets 11-5.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .263.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .220.

Daniel Johnson RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .250.

Jake Lamb 1B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .229. 

Logan Porter C- 3 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .229.

Hunter Bishop DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .221.

Sergio Alcantara SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .256.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.89.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.33.

We are about 2/3's of the way through May and Grant McCray continues his resurgent hitting, .313/.387/.469.

AA:  Binghampton Rumble Ponies defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-1.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. 

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Vancouver Canadians 6-4.

Charlie Szykowny 3B- 1 for 2, HR(3), BB.  BA= .226.

Quinn McDaniel DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .237.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.41.

Sadrac Franco RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.42.

Marques Johnson RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.31.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies edged out the San Jose Giants 3-2.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .333.

Dakota Jordan CF- 2 for 4, SB(14).  BA= .282.

Jakob Christian 1B- 1 for 2, BB, SF, SB(7).  BA= .287.

Hunter Dryden RHP- 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.16.

Evan Gray RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.77.

Rookie AZL:  Giants blanked the Athletics 2-0.

Ramon Peralta 3B- 2 for 3, 2 2B.  BA= .375.

Oliver Tejada CF- 1 for 2, 2B, SF.  BA= .265.

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

Melvin Pineda RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.59.

Hey!  A Nick Zwack sighting!  He was one of the pitchers who came over from the Mets in the Darin Ruf trade along with Carson Seymour.  He missed all of last season and I thought he was released.  The timing of his rehab assignment suggests he must have had Tommy John surgery.

Game Wrap 5/20/2025: Giants 3 Royals 2

Hayden Birdsong's first start of 2025 was successful as he allowed just one unearned run in 5 innings.  Willy Adames led the lineup to just enough runs and the bullpen held on for the win.  Key Lines:

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .280.  YtY scored what proved to be the winning run by hitting a hard comebacker that got past Mike Lorenzen RHP.  He advanced from 1B to 3B on a throwing error by Vinny Pasquantino 1B on a fielder's choice on a ball hit by Wilmer Flores DH and scored on a line drive single to CF by Jung Hoo Lee CF.

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .220.  Heliot Ramos LF reached base on a HBP in the 4'th inning.  Adames then crushed one up against the wall in Triples Alley which barely avoided bouncing into the stands for a ground rule double.  It stayed in the field of play and Ramos scored the Giants first run.  Casey Schmitt 3B then managed to get around on an inside fastball and line it past SS to drive in Adames to give the Giants a lead they did not relinquish.

Patrick Bailey C- 0 for 4.  BA= .179.  Bailey may have gone 0 for 4 but he gunned down 2 runners trying to steal 2B which may have been the difference in the game right there.  I saw a note on Bluesky that Bailey is 11 for 26 in CS which leads MLB.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.91.  Birdsong mostly cruised but things got a bit wild in the third inning when he threw away a pick-off attempt then wild-pitched the runner to 3B who scored on a sac fly.  He's still ramping up his innings so came out after 5 innings and 80 pitches. 

Bullpen- 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  Randy Rodriguez RHP struck out the side in the 6'th around a walk.  Young Kyle Harrison was electric in his first inning of work in the 7'th but gave up a leadoff double to Hunter Renfroe in the 8'th.  Camilo Doval RHP got up immediately and came in after Renfroe advanced to 3B on a groundout.  Renfroe scored on a slow bouncer LMWJ by Bobby Witt Jr who used his tremendous speed to beat Doval to the bag. Ryan Walker RHP pitched a perfect 9'th but again pitched to contact.

San Francisco- Not sure if drone shots of the ballpark, the city and surrounding areas are a new feature of the telecasts but the footage was spectacular.  It looked like a perfect day and evening in the City by the Bay.  Just had to add that.

Logan Webb RHP tries for a series win tomorrow afternoon facing TBD.

Down on the Farm: 5/19/2025

Rookie ACL:  Giants beat the Athletics 10-3(7 innings).

Johnny Level 2B/SS- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .275.

Maui Ahuna SS- 1 for 1, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.

Wade Meckler CF- 1 for 3. BA= .333.

Turner Hill LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .667.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 3 for 4.  BA= .500.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .407.

Luis De La Torre LHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.10.

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

Keyner Martinez RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.05. 

Wade Meckler starts a rehab assignment.

The Giants full season teams had their standard Monday off days.

Game Wrap 5/19/2025: Royals 3 Giants 1

The Giants lineup laid down and died in front of Kris Bubic LHP wasting a valiant start by Robbie Ray.  Key Lines:

Robbie Ray LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.67.  The Giants weren't touching Bubic but Ray matched goose eggs with him for 7 innings.  Tyler Rogers RHP gave up a rare 2-run HR in the 8'th and Jordan Hicks gave up a run in his first relief appearance of the season in the 9'th.  

Kris Bubic LHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.47.  Up until the 7'th inning, the only hit off Bubic was a grounder to the right side by Wilmer Flores that looked like it was booted by the second baseman, initially ruled an error but then changed to a hit by the scorekeeper.  To me the ball was very playable, Wilmer is a slow runner and has no chance if it's not misplayed. 

The Giants best chance to score off Bubic came in the 7'th when Willy Adames SS drew a 1-out walk followed by a double down the line by Casey Schmitt 1B.  Tyler Fitzgerald then hit a line drive to the SS who doubled Adames off 3B and just like that, the inning and rally were over.

The Giants managed to score one run in the 8'th inning on a pair of singles by Sam Huff C and Heliot Ramos LF then a 2-out double by Jung Hoo Lee CF but Matt Chapman 3B ended that rally with a pop-out to the catcher in foul territory.

The bottom half of the Giants lineup against LHP's is admittedly weak, but when the top 5 batters include Ramos, Flores, Chapman and Adames, they should be doing much better than they are, Kris Bubic's brilliance notwithstanding.

The Giants try to regroup tomorrow night with Hayden Birdsong RHP making his first start of the season against Michael Lorenzen RHP.

Down on the Farm: 5/18/2025

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats smothered the Salt Lake City Bees 7-1.

Max Stassi C- 3 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .245.

Hunter Bishop RF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .214.

Osleivis Basabe 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .237.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.23.

Stassi was activate today from the IL which started 4/29 retroactive to 4/26.  This was Carson Whisenhunt's 4'th consecutive 7-inning Quality Start.  He has not allowed an Earned Run in his last 2 starts.  Over the 28 innings of those 4 starts he has 28 K's and just 2 BB's.  I think a commenter yesterday said The Whiz is knocking at the door.  Yes, I would say so.  

AA:  Erie Seawolves downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-4.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .281.

Cal Mitchell CF- 1 for 2, HR(2), BB.  BA= .158.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .207.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.93.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Spokane Indians 3-1.

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(4).  BA= .336.

James Tibbs III RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .226.

Cole Foster SS- 1 for 2, HR(2).  BA= .156.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.94.

Esmerlin Vinicio LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.00.

A:  Stockton Ports outscored the San Jose Giants 7-6.

Walker Martin SS- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .235.

Robert Hipwell 3B- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .204.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.32.

Tyler Switalski RHP- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.86.

Maldonado threw 48 pitches in the first two innings which I am sure is why his start ended then. Robert Hipwell is batting .302/.434/.558 for the month of May so far after hitting just .133 in April.

Game Wrap 5/18/2025: Giants 3 A's 2

The Giants used the long ball early and "small ball" late to eke out another win and a sweep of the A's.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 4, HR(8), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .293.  The story of this game literally begins and ends with Heliot Ramos.  He homered as the first batter in the Giants half of the first inning and then singled in the winning run in the 8'th inning. In between, A's SP Jeffrey Springs LHP retired 20 batters in a row before Matt Chapman's single in the 7'th inning brought on a pitching change. 

Lamonte Wade Jr. PH/1B- 1 for 1, 3B, R.  BA= .165.  LMWJ led off the Giants half of the 8'th inning pinch-hitting for Sam Huff C.  He roped a liner that split the gap in Triples Alley with the ball rolling all the way to the apex.  He scored the tying run when Patrick Bailey pinch-hit for David Villar and singled up the middle.  

Christian Koss 2B- 0 for 2, Sac.  BA= .233.  Koss put down a perfect sac bunt to move Bailey into scoring position.  Just my opinion FWIW but Christian has been the Giants best "small ball" player and has contributed to several wins that way. Of course there was also his grand slam HR which was not "small ball."  Bailey then scored on Heliot's game-winning single.

Justin Verlander RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 1 K, 7/3 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.33.  Verlander got through 3 innings unscathed but threw 49 pitches in the first two innings that doomed him to a short start.  He threw 84 pitches in 4 innings, at least 24 above the target of 15 pitches per inning.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 3/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.22.  While Heliot Ramos was undoubtedly the player of the game, Bivens was the pitcher of the game by getting it to the 7'th inning without any additional damage beyone the 2 runs Verlander allowed in the 4'th inning.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 5.29.  Walker looked a lot more confident out there today but still was lucky that his leadoff batter lined it directly into Christian Koss's glove at 2B or the inning might have taken a very different turn.  At least Walker appeared to be confidently throwing strikes and his confidence appeared to rise after the lineout.

The Giants open a series against the Royals tomorrow evening with Robbie Ray LHP facing Kris Bubic LHP who comes in with an ERA of 1.66.  Royals have a serious team so strap in.

Down on the Farm: 5/17/2025

 AAA:  Salt Lake City Bees stung the Sacramento River Cats 6-1.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .257.

Daniel Johnson RF- 1 for 3, HR(3).  BA= .220.

Tristan Beck RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.24.

AA:  Erie Seawolves shut out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-0.

The Squirrels managed just 2 singles and 2 walks on the day and there were no pitching lines of note.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds defeated the Spokane Indians 6-1.

Bo Davidson DH- 2 for 4, HR(5), BB.  BA= .333.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, SB(16).  BA= .257.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .234.

Onil Perez C- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .254.

Cole Foster 3B- 3 for 4.  BA= .148.

Ian Villers RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.33.

Bullpen game with no pitchers going more than 2 IP.

A: Stockton Ports buried the San Jose Giants 11-1.

Walker Martin SS- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .232.

Ryan Slater RHP- 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.86.

2 errors by Martin and one by Dakota Jordan contributed to 8 unearned runs for the Ports.

Rookie ACL:  Giants dominated the D'Backs 9-0(7 innings).

Turner Hill LF- 3 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .667.

Maui Ahuna DH- 2 for 4, HR(2), SB(2).  BA= .226.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .429.

Rayner Arias RF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .250.

Dayson Croes 3B- 2 for 3.  BA= .300.

Dario Reynoso SS- 1 for 2, HBP, SB(2).  BA= .417.

Argenis Cayama RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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

It would be a big boost to the farm if the Maui Ahuna stayed healthy and got his bat going.  He's 3 for 7 with a triple and HR in his last 2 games after his BA hit a nadir of .167.  Jeremiah Jenkins is a classic big, tall, lefty first base prospect who is getting a late start on his season.  Argenis Cayama has the stat lines and scouting reports to be a future star pitcher.  

Game Wrap 5/17/2025: Giants 1 A's 0(10 innings)

After a tense, 9-inning pitching duel between Landen Roupp and Luis Severino and several relievers, the Giants finally put together a "small ball" rally in the 10'th inning capped by a Wilmer Flores "balls of steel"(sorry, it's the only way I can think of to describe it) walk-off win.  Key Lines:

Instead of a "key" batting line we'll walk through the bottom of the 10'th inning:

Willy Adames SS was the designated runner at 2B.  Lamonte Wade Jr 1B tried to bunt him to 3B but fouled off twice to put him in an 0-2 hole.  He somehow worked his way back to a 3-2 count and drew a walk which didn't advance the runner at 3B but there were still no outs and Adames was still at 2B.  Patrick Bailey C came up and laid down a perfect sac bunt which advanced both runners to 3B and 2B respectively.  Now mind you, all this was while facing Mason Miller RHP who was throwing 102-104 MPH gas.  Tyler Fitzgerald tried to lay down and squeeze bunt but fouled it to the right of the 1B line and then struck out which meant it was going to take a hit or a wild pitch to score a run.  The lefty batting Mike Yastrzemski RF was walked intentionally to load the bases creating a potential force play at any base but it also left Miller without an open base bringing Wilmer Flores to the plate.  I don't quite remember if it was 0-2 or 1-2 but Wilmer fell behind in the count.  Miller was amping up to 104 MPH and things weren't looking too hopeful.  

But here's what I said about Wilmer in yesterday's Game Wrap:  ".....never panics at the plate...."  Let me repeat that:  Wilmer Flores never panics at the plate!  I have no idea how any hitter can lay off 2-strike pitches when the pitcher is throwing 104 MPH cheese but Wilmer was somehow able to lay off pitches outside the zone and swing at and get a piece of pitches in the zone.  He worked it back to 3-2 then took ball four below the zone for the walk-off walk.  As the late Vin Scully would say, "how about that?"  And kudos to LMWJ for essentially doing the same 3 batters earlier to make it all possible even if he didn't get the bunt down.  BTW, I'm guessing it's not so easy to get a bunt down on a 102 MPH fastball.

Landen Roupp RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, 8/3 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.11.  Roupp matched goose eggs with Severino for 6 innings.  Roupp has all kinds of stuff but does not always command it.  He had good command of all his pitches tonight and more than held his own in a pitching duel.  Once it got to the bullpens I felt the Giants had the advantage.  They did, but just barely.

Bullpen- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  Randy Rodriguez RHP, Tyler Rogers RHP and Ryan Walker RHP threw a total of 20 pitches over 3 innings.  All but one were strikes.  Rogers got 3 outs on a total of 4 pitches.  Camilo Doval deserves special mention for stranding the designated runner in the top of the 10'th inning with a ground out and 2 K's.  He did allow a walk.

This game had all the makings for a crushing loss and coming out of it with a win is something the team may look back on as a moment of truth.

The Giants go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Justin Verlander RHP facing Jeffrey Springs LHP.

Addendum:  Sorry, I was pretty tired by the time I finished this post last night so forgot to mention the pitching rotation change.  Bob Melvin announced Jordan Hicks RHP will move to a bullpen role with Hayden Birdsong RHP moving into the rotation.  Hicks last start was a disaster start lasting only 2 batters and no outs into his third inning of work although his previous start was a Quality Start and his secondary stats indicate he pitched in terrible BABIP luck which historically means a positive regression is expected(although admittedly doesn't always happen).  It's possible that Hicks is relying too heavily on an outdated hard sinker/groundball approach and needs to diversify his pitch repertoire.  

Hayden Birdsong was electric in his most of his appearances but his ERA of 2.31 is outperforming his secondary stats and he's gotten roughed up in 2 of his last 3 appearances so the timing of this move is not as obvious as it might have been a two weeks ago.  Birdsong has more of a classic starter 3-pitch mix than Hicks and the Giants need to find out what they have in him for long term planning if nothing else.  He has the tools to be a future ace and the drama is a good problem for the Giants to have.

Down on the Farm: 5/16/2025

AAA:  Salt Lake City Bees swarmed the Sacramento River Cats 9-2.

Logan Porter C- 2 for 4.  BA= .211.

Devin Mann 3B/1B- 3 for 4.  BA= .212.

Sergio Alcantara SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .254.

Jake Lamb DH(.227) and Daniel Johnson RF(.213) each had a double in 4 AB.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Erie Seawolves 5-1.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 HR(5).  BA= .306.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .193.

Adrian Sugastey C- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .222.

John Michael Bertrand LHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, 10/5 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.92.

Tyler Myrick RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.63.

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

Wilmer Flores is not the only player in the Giants organization to have a huge night at the plate.  How about Bryce Eldridge? He is 6 for 10 with 2 doubles and 3 HR's since a mini-slump put his BA at a nadir of .259 on 5/13.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Spokane Indians 6-1.

Jonah Cox LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .252.

James Tibbs III- 4 for 5, 2 2B, HR(4).  BA= .233.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .254.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's, 7/4 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.86.

I think James Tibbs III must have heard us talking about him.  He had third huge huge game in the organization last night.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored and outlasted the Stockton Ports 11-10(11 innings).

Lisbel Diaz LF- 1 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .252.

Walker Martin DH- 1 for 5, HR(7), BB.  BA= .229.

Zander Darby 1B- 2 for 5, BB, SB(6).  BA= .327.

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .284.

Ben Peterson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.14.

Cade Vernon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 2.45.

The Giants scored at least 1 run in 7 consecutive innings starting with inning 5.  Walker Martin hits his 6'th HR in 7 games.

Rookie ACL:  D'Backs stung the Giants 4-1(7 innings).

Oliver Tejada LF- 2 for 3.  BA= .250.

Maui Ahuna DH- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .185.

Andy Polanco CF- 1 for 1, 2 BB.  BA= .150.

Game Wrap 5/16/2025: Giants 9 A's 1

Wilmer Flores' career night led the Giants lineup to a rare runaway win for Logan Webb.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 R.  BA= .289.  Ramos did exactly what you want a leadoff batter to do, reached base 3 of 5 PA's.  He scored on two of Wilmer's HR's.

Wilmer Flores 1B- 3 for 5, 3 HR(10), 3 R, 8 RBI.  BA= .266.  What an epic night for Wilmer Flores!  First 3 HR game of his career.  The first was a grand slam HR then a 3-run HR and finally a solo shot.  I've always like Wilmer.  I still remember him crying on the field when he thought the Mets traded him. Since then he's carved out a solid MLB career.  Never a superstar or even a star, but a solid ballplayer with underrated power who never panics at the plate and has delivered some memorable moments.  Hard to believe this is now his 6'th season as a Giant which equals his time with the Mets.

Jung Hoo Lee CF, Matt Chapman 3B and Willy Adames SS added 2 hits each with Lee and Chapman hitting a double each.

Tyler Fitzgerald 2B returned to the lineup after a 2 week IL stay for a rib fracture.  Ouch!  He had a double and walk in 4 PA's and made a great play on a ball up the middle.

Logan Webb RHP- 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, 17/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.42.  Webb took a shutout into the 8'th inning keeping his pitch count down with a relentless string of groundball outs.  Kind of a forced game of pepper for the A's batters and Giants infielders.

Landen Roupp RHP tries to keep the winning going tomorrow evening facing Luis Severino RHP.

Down on the Farm: 5/15/2025

AAA:  Salt Lake City Bees shut down the Sacramento River Cats 6-0.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(9).  BA= .259.

Carson Seymour RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.89.

Raymond Burgos LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 8.31.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Erie Seawolves 3-1(Game 1 of Doublheader, 7 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .293.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 3.  BA= .262.

Adrian Sugastey C- 1 for 2, HR(3).  BA= .221.

Joe Whitman LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.88.

Not a great strikeout game for Whitman but a 7 inning Complete Game and Quality Start.

AA:  Erie Seawolves edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2(Game 2 of Doublheader, 7 innings).

Diego Velasquez 2B- 0 for 1, BB, SF.  BA= .290.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(3).  BA= .279.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, 8/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.75.

Bryce Eldridge continues to more than hold his own in a very tough hitting environment.

A+:  Spokane Indians beat the Eugene Emeralds 7-3.

James Tibbs III- 2 for 4.  BA= .207.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .330.

Jack Payton 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .221.

Sadrac Franco RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.59.

Marques Johnson RHP-  2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.77.

Bo Davidson came out of the game after the second inning.  He reached on an error in the first inning and came around to score a run then went out and played CF in the top of the second inning.  Hopefully not due to a significant injury.

A:  Stockton Ports subdued the San Jose Giants 5-3.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 4, SF, 2 SB(15).  BA= .354.

Walker Martin SS- 2 for 3, BB, SB(3).  BA= .231.

Elian Rayo DH- 3 for 4.  BA= .224.

Drake George RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

Rookie ACL:  White Sox topped the Giants 7-3(8 innings, scheduled 7-inning game).

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 3, SB(1).  BA= .313.

Jesus Alexander C- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .250.

Melvin Pineda RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Alexander Fuentes RHP- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Overall not a great day Down on the Farm but some nice individual performances.

Thoughts on Josh Naylor

I meant to include this in yesterday's Game Wrap.  As I watched Josh Naylor over the last three games I got to thinking he would look great in the middle of the Giants lineup.  A legitimate left handed power bat between Adames, Chapman and Flores.  As you all know I don't have much patience for revisiting trades that should or shouldn't have been made and I'm not going to belabor it beyond this post but Naylor sure looks like a missed opportunity for Buster Posey and Zach Minasian.  Yes, he's a 1 year rental before free agency.  Yes, he will probably command way more in free agency than he's worth, AND.....the D'Backs didn't give up a whole lot for him.  I went back and looked up my Hot Stove League Update from that trade and here's what I said at the time:

The Hot Stove is sizzling today.  No sooner had Christian Walker signed with the Astros and Paul Goldschmidt with the Yankees than the D'Backs moved aggressively to fill their hole at 1B with Josh Naylor in a trade with the Guardians.  The DBacks send Slade Cecconi RHP and Competitive Balance Round B draft pick to the Guardians.  

D'Backs get:

Josh Naylor 1B.

2024:  .243/.320/.456, 31 HR, 6 SB, 9.2 BB%, 16.6 K%, 633 PA, 2.3 fWAR.

Good hitter, bad body.  Negative defensive metrics drag down his WAR value.  Free Agent next offseason.

Guardians get:

Slade Cecconi RHP.

2024: (AAA):  4-2, 3.06, 47 IP, 10.34 K/9, 2.68 BB/9.

2024(MLB):  2-7, 6.66, 77 IP, 7.48 K/9, 1.99 BB/9.

Former #33 overall draft pick in 2020.  I liked him from my predraft research.  Excellent control but is command within the zone a problem?  He gave up 16 HR in 77 IP.  Maybe was too afraid of walking batters?  Back of rotation pitching option for the Guardians.

Summary:  D'Backs win the trade in the short term but downgrade their defense at 1B and only control Naylor's contract for 1 season.  Cecconi's numbers could well improve with experience.  Naylor would have been an interesting bridge to Bryce Eldridge but I get the feeling Buster Posey is not that into bridge contracts and 1 year rentals.

Then, no sooner had the news sprung on the Naylor trade but the Guardians reunited with Carlos Santana on a 1 yr/$12 M contract.

Carlos Santana 1B/DH:

2024:  .238/.328/.420, 23 HR, 10.9 BB%, 16.7 K%, 594 PA, 3.0 fWAR.

Santana had a solid season for the Twins in 2024 and actually had positive defensive WAR value at age 39.  How much longer can he keep it up?

Summary:  Assuming Josh Naylor was going to leave in free agency, the Guardians may have actually upgraded 1B for 2025 by trading him and signing Santana.  Again the question is how much longer can Santana keep up this level of play?  Santana has also been discussed in blogs as a possible bridge option at 1B for the Giants.  I think Buster has other priorities and is likely to stick with LMWJ and a RH platoon bat for 1B until Bryce Eldridge is ready.

The one thing the D'Backs gave up in the trade the Giants couldn't match was the Competitive Balance Draft pick which the Giants did not possess.  Was that what the Guardians really wanted in the trade?  As I have said several times, those draft picks are not just about getting an extra player in the draft but they come with Bonus Pool money which can be used to upgrade the entire draft.  Otherwise it looks like a deal the Giants could easily have topped for a guy who would be a huge difference maker in their lineup.

Down on the Farm: 5/14/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats tamed the Salt Lake City Bees 6-2.

Grant McCray CF- 3 for 4, 3B.  BA= .256.

Tyler Fitzgerald 2B- 1 for 3, 3B, SF.  BA= .333.

Daniel Johnson RF- 2 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .225.

Osleivis Basabe SS/2B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .240.

Brett Auerbach 3B- 2 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .252.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K's, 6/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.03.

Grant McCray's slash line for the month of May so far is .311/.365/.511.  This was Trevor McDonald's second Quality Start out of 3 games in May.  For the season he has K/IP of 1 and a 2.25 GO/AO which is elite.  He needs to find a little more consistency but seems like he's not far away from being ready for MLB action.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Erie Seawolves postponed.

A+:  Spokane Indians defeated the Eugene Emeralds 5-3.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .248.

Zane Zielinski SS- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .275.

Josh Wolf RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.85.

Cameron Pferrer RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.06.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.65.

CJ Widger LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.30.

A:  San Jose Giants shut out the Stockton Ports 2-0.

Carlos Gutierrez RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .350.

Walker Martin SS- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .216.

Fernando Gonzalez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .246.

Nikko Mazza RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.54.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.28.

Walker Martin continues his HR tear with his 5'th in 5 games.

ACL:  Giants did not play today.