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. 

Game Wrap 8/19/2025: Padres 5 Giants 1

Jung Hoo Lee led off the game with a home run but that was the end of the Giants scoring and the pitching couldn't hold back a stacked Padres lineup.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .262.  It's good to see Jung Hoo hitting better but the lineup, missing Willy Adames and Matt Chapman, managed just 2 other hits in the game and one of those was off the bat of PH Wilmer Flores.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's 4/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 8.78.  Teng's stuff and location looked better than his last start but he still struggled with command and some bad BABIP luck and left with the bases loaded in the 4'th inning after throwing 80 pitches.  Two HBP's in the 4'th inning contributed to the early exit.  Spencer Bivens came in with one out, a run in and the bases loaded.  He got a force out at home but then walked in Teng's final ER on 4 pitches.

Carson Seymour RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, 3/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.92.  Seymour allowed 1 ER in 4.2 IP over his last 2 appearances.  His groundball-heavy approach should allow him at the least to eat some serious innings at the MLB level.  He has SP potential if he can refine his command just a bit more.

Today, Landen Roupp RHP takes on J P Sears LHP who comes in with an ERA of 5.12.

Down on the Farm: 8/18/2025

 The full season leagues had their usual Monday off.

DSL:  Giants Orange outscored Colorado 9-6(7 innings).

Anthony Marquez DH(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .271.

Yulian Barreto SS(17 yo)- 3 for 3, BB.  BA= .330.

Carlos Concepcion RF(19 yo)- 2 for 4, 2 HR(6).  BA= .282.

Djean Macares CF(17 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .219.

Jose Trevizo RHP(17 yo)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.02.

Randry De Leon RHP(20 yo)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(3).  ERA= 3.66.

Josuar Gonzalez is a the top prospect from this year's international signing class but Yulian Barreto is having a fantastic season too.

DSL:  Nationals edged out Giants Black 3-2(7 innings).

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 1 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .286.

Yohendry Sanchez C(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .277.

Leandro Rodriguez LHP(19 yo)- 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.41.

Rainiel Duran RHP(21 yo)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.15.

Alfonso Perez RHP(20 yo)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.42.

Good to see Josuar finish the season strong after a midseason downturn.  Don't forget Yohendry Sanchez was the top bonus baby for the Giants 2024 international signing period.  Leandro Rodriguez and Rainiel Duran are older for the DSL but it appears this is their first pro season so plenty of time for development for both.

Game Wrap 8/18/2025: Giants 4 Padres 3

 A 3-homer, 4-run outburst in the first inning was all the scoring Robbie Ray and the bullpen needed for a wire-to-wire win.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 5, HR(15).  BA= .267.  Ramos led off the game with a HR, his first since July 5. Before the game Ramos found himself having to explain comments he made sounding like a complaint about lack of fan support.  If that's what he meant it's laughable as the fans continued to fill the park during the darkest days of the recent home slump.  If you look at the context and his explanation the point he tried to make was the players are aware of fans frustrations with Bob Melvin and continue to support him.(more on that later).  

Rafael Devers 1B- 1 for 4, HR(24), BB.  BA= .257.  Thanks to McCovey Chronicles BlueSky feed for noting this is the 5'th time the Giants have gone B2B to lead off a game and 4'th in the San Francisco era.  1958- Whitey Lockman and Willie Kirkland, 1964- Chuck Hiller and Duke Snider(Duke Snider played for the Giants?  I didn't remember that), 2015- Nori Aoki and Joe Panik.  MCC feed also pointed out that Devers in-zone swing rate is down and his called strike rate is up significantly since the trade suggesting a change in approach with worse results.  I think it was also MCC or maybe Bluesky Jeff who noted that Giants flyball percentage jumped starting with the FZ era and is even higher this season with fewer home runs.  So the Giants hitting approach seems to be take more in-zone pitches and hit more balls in the air.  The results are more called strikes and a lower BABIP without an increase in HR's, probably due to park factors.

Wilmer Flores DH- 1 for 3, HR(13), BB. BA= .248.  Wilmer's 2-run shot capped off the scoring in the first inning and the game for the Giants.  It was just his second HR since June 7.

Robbie Ray LHP- 6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's, 105 P.  ERA= 2.85.  Did Bob Melvin leave Ray in a batter too long?  Ray gave up a 1-out double to Xander Bogaerts followed by a throwing error by Casey Schmitt and a fly ball out, leaving a run in, 2 outs, a runner on 3B and a lefty-hitting PH, Ryan O'Hearn coming up.  He hit a 2-run HR to cut the lead to 1 and Melvin then went to Ryan Walker.  Defensible but when Ray loses it, he tends to lose it fast and he was getting to the end of his pitch limit plus he's only pitched 34 innings over his last two seasons with a surgery mixed in.  On the other hand, Melvin is short of reliable late-inning arms after the trade deadline.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.81.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(4).  ERA= 1.63.  The two best late-inning relievers went 2.1 IP and recorded just 1 K.  Rodriguez in particular appeared to lack a strikeout pitch.  Tyler Rogers RHP and Camilo Doval RHP had the same issue before they were traded.  Maybe late-inning relievers who pitch to contact is the latest undervalued asset but it's not ideal when runners are in scoring position with less than two outs and it's a huge disadvantage in extra-inning games.

All's well that ends well.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP gets a chance to bounce back from his last disaster start facing Nick Pivetta RHP.  Didn't he face Pivetta last time?  Yikes!

Down on the Farm: 8/17/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats stopped the Round Rock Express 6-2.

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 4, HR(6), SB(6).  BA= .254.

Drew Ellis 3B- 1 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .206.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.37.

It's starting to look like Matos' window of opportunity with the Giants is closing. He may need to make his mark with another organization. Whisenhunt has a nice mix of pitches but needs to improve his command considerably.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Altoona Curve 6-5.

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB, SB(4).  BA= .205.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .259.

Scott Bandura LF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .244.

Sabin Ceballos 1B- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB, SB(4).  BA= .209.

Trystan Vrieling RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, 6/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.21.

Marques Johnson RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.26.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Tri-Cities Dust Devils 3-1.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 3, HR(16), BB, SB(5).  BA= .262.

Jean Carlos Sio SS- 1 for 3, BB, SB(2).  BA= .318.

Josh Bostick RHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.75.

Austin Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.26.

Charlie Szykowny is batting .318/.338/.515 with 3 HR so far in August. Aside from a very bad month of May(.193), he has quietly had a nice season.

A:  San Jose Giants edged out the Lake Elsinore Storm 7-6.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, SB(20).  BA= .269.

Jose Astudillo 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB(2).  BA= .421.

Juan Perez C- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .199.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, 5/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.

Melvin Pineda RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.36.

Game Wrap 8/17/2025: Giants 7 Rays 1

 The Giants rose from the ashes of a brutal home losing streak to break open a scoreless pitching duel in the 6'th inning and cruised to an easy win.  They actually appeared to play with enthusiasm and determination in the process.  Key Lines:

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .260.  Jung Hoo led off the Giants first inning with a line double to the RF wall.  Of course he was left stranded.  Later in the game, he made the circus catch of the year, maybe the decade, maybe all-time when he bobbled a drive in Triples Alley.  It bounced off his lower thigh.  He somehow managed to trap the ball between his knees without it touching the ground.  He stood up with it still locked between his knees and calmly retrieved it with his right hand.  Worth watching the game just to see that.

Dom Smith 1B- 1 for 4, R, 3 RBI.  BA= .281.  Smith drove a single into the RF corner with the bases loaded that didn't quite get through to the wall.  Two runs immediately scored.  When the relay man hesitated, Willy Adames alertly broke for home and managed to evade the tag while sliding his foot across home plate.  Smith advanced to 2B on the throw.  A rare 3-run single!

Christian Koss 3B- 2 for 4, RBI.  BA= .281.  Christian Koss and Dom Smith are now tied for the highest BA in today's lineup at .281.  Smith leads in OPS .744 to .731.  

Drew Gilbert RF- 2 for 4, HR(1), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .136.  Gilbert's bat came to life in the 7'th inning with a HR on top of the RF arcade.  He followed that up with a solid RBI single.  Hey!  I have an idea!  Let's put Gilbert out there every day for the rest of the season and see if he can sustain the traction.

Tyler Fitzgerald 2B- 1 for 4, HR(4), R, RBI.  BA= .220.  Very disappointing season for Fitz but he showed off the power potential going B2B with Gilbert's HR.

Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 13/1.  ERA= 3.19.  A classic Webb Gem which looked like it could be another fail due to no run support until the Giants put up the 4-spot in the 6'th.  Webb responded with the shut-down inning in the 7'th and the Giants tacked on 2 more with the Gilbert/Fitz B2B effectively putting the game on ice.

The Giants immediately travel south to take on the Padres and their parade of relievers who look like linebackers and roll out of bed throwing hundos in the immortal words of Mike Krukow.  Robbie Ray LHP starts game 1 facing Nestor Cortes LHP who comes in with a 5.71 ERA but he's 2.89 over his last 2 games.

Down on the Farm: 8/16/2025

AAA:  Round Rock Express shut out the Sacramento River Cats 4-0.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .236.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.11.

Trent Harris RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.61. 

River Cats bats are quiet in Round Rock TX.  

AA:  Altoona Curve blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-0.

Nick Zwack LHP- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.96.

Ian Villers RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.91.

Giants top two affiliates were shut out yesterday.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds blasted the Tri-Cities Dust Devils 10-3.

Nate Furman DH- 3 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .344.

Jonah Cox CF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(8), 2 BB.  BA= .255.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 6.  BA= .259.

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .317.

Damian Bravo LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .333.

Jose Ramos RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .293.

Tyler Switalski LHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.35.

Josh Wolf RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.19.

Excellent season for Jean Carlos Sio.  Definitely a sleeper in the system to watch.

A:  San Jose Giants outlasted the Lake Elsinore Storm 12-11(11 innings).

Tyler Cohen DH- 1 for 5, 3B, SF, 4 RBI.  BA= .282.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 6.  BA= .238.

Robert Hipwell 3B- 2 for 6.  BA= .254.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 1 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .255.

Jose Astudillo LF- 3 for 6, 2B.  BA= .375.

Daniel Rogers C- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .292.

Ryan Reckley RF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .177.

Yunior Marte RHP- 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.45.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(3).  ERA= 2.70.

Gavin Kilen did not appear after being lifted for a PH in Friday's game suggesting some sort of injury.  Jose Astudillo can't stop hitting.  Daniel Rogers was signed as an undrafted free agent on July 21.

DSL:  Giants Orange defeated the Mariners 3-1.

Jose D. Gonzalez RHP(19 yo)- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.40.

Brayan Cabello RHP(21 yo)- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.81.

Jose Meza RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.55.

DSL:  Giants Black beat Tigers1 5-3.

Josuar Gonzalez DH(17 yo)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .285.

Evan Estevez LF(17 yo)- 1 for 2, HR(4), 2 BB.  BA= .272.

Yohendry Sanchez C(17 yo)- 1 for 2, SF, .  BA= .275.

Dilan Fernandez RHP(20 yo)- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.24.

Jose De La Rosa RHP(17 yo)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 2.88.

Game Wrap 8/16/2025: Rays 2 Giants 1

Justin Verlander rolled back the years and turned into a vintage performance only to see the Giants lose due to a lack of run support and a bullpen failure in the later innings.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 4, SB(6), R.  BA= .224.  Adames flyball single in the 6'th followed by a SB led to the Giants only run.

Jung Hoo Lee CF- 2 for 4, SB(10).  BA= .260.  Lee lined another ball to the warning track to the CF side of Triples Alley that looked like a sure triple that would drive in 2 runs but was caught by Jake Mangum RF(Rays) in an exact replay of Gregor Blanco's catch in Matt Cain's perfect game.

Christian Koss 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, RBI.  BA= .274.  The Giants lone run came on Koss' single.  Koss has the second highest BA in yesterday's Giants lineup and the 5'th highest OPS.  

Justin Verlander RHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's, 7/3 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.23.  Easily Verlander's best start of the season.

Jose Butto RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.54.  Butto got two outs on fly outs but then hit a batter followed by two singles.  Matt Gage LHP came in with a run in and runners at first and third.  He gave up a groundball single and that was the ballgame.  So the 2-out HBP came back to bite Butto.

Logan Webb RHP tries to stave off a sweep to day facing Ryan Pepiot RHP who comes in with a 3.86 ERA.

Down on the Farm: 8/15/2025

AAA:  Round Rock Express defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-2.

Wade Meckler CF- 3 for 5.  BA= .272.

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .246.

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .234.

Jesus Rodriguez DH- 3 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .275.

Blade Tidwell RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

Tidwell has 3 solid starts for Sacramento since the trade with 23 K's and 5 BB's in 16 IP.  He did not pitch well at the MLB level in 4 appearances in June and July.

AA:  Altoona Curve got the best of the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4.

Victor Bericoto DH- 2 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .235.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 3, BB, SB(16).  BA= .256.

Dayson Croes 3B- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .417.

Joe Whitman LHP- 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.19.

 

A+:  Tri-Cities Dust Devils outscored the Eugene Emeralds 8-6.

Nate Furman 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .286.

Jonah Cox CF- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(50).  BA= .251.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .258.

Jean Carlos Sio DH- 2 for 4,.  BA= .306.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.23.

A:  San Jose Giants tamed the Lake Elsinore Storm 12-1.

Robert Hipwell PH/3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .253.

Tyler Cohen CF- 1 for 5, BB, SB(2).  BA= .294.

Dario Reynoso 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= 167.

Jose Astudillo LF- 3 for 4, 2 2B, SF.  BA= .300.

Daniel Rogers C- 3 for 4, HBP.  BA= .238.

Ryan Reckley RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .175.

Walker Martin 3B/SS- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .249.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.86.

Ryan Murphy RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.08.

Cole Hillier RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.63.

Gavin Kilen came out for a PH after going 0 for 2.  Jose Astudillo batted .413 in 53 PA's in the DSL and .393 in 69 PA's for the ACL Giants.  This is his 5'th season of pro ball.  Not sure why it took so long to bring him to the states as he hit well in the DSL 2022-2025.  

DSL:  Giants Orange crushed the Angels 15-6.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 2 for 5, BB, SB(13).  BA= .270.

Franco Willias 1B(20 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .291.

Carlos Concepcion RF(19 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(4), BB.  BA= .277.

Rainer Espinoza LF/CF(16 yo)- 2 for 5, HR(3), BB.  BA= .209.

Brandon Vasquez DH(18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 BB, SB(4).  BA= .253.

Juan Colorado 3B- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(12).  BA= .182.

DSL:  Giants Black topped the Nationals 4-3(7 innings).

Luis Frias CF(21yo)- 2 for 3.  BA= .294.

Evan Estevez DH(17 yo)- 1 for 2, 3B, BB, SB(12).  BA= .269.

Brayan Narvaez RHP(21 yo)- 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.49.

Game Wrap 8/15/2025: Rays 7 Giants 6

The Giants showed up and played a competitive game but weren't quite able to convert that effort into a win.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 4, HR(19), BB, SB(5), 2 R, RBI.  BA= .223.  Looking at the video of the home run in slo mo, it looks like Adames front shoulder opening was less pronounced on the home run than recent looks.

Dominic Smith DH- 2 for 5, 2B, R, RBI.  BA= .281. After an 0 for 4 broke his 15-game hit streak, Smith started another streak with 2 hits.  

 

Christian Koss 2B/3B- 2 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .265.  What do you do on an 0-2 count and the pitcher is throwing 100 mph fastballs at the knees on the outside corner?  You go the other way and drive it down the line into the opposite-field corner.  Koss reached base 4 times.

Landen Roupp RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.45.  Roupp threw some good pitches but hung too many breaking balls and changeups and paid the price.  He's already way above last years IP total.

Heliot Ramos LF and Rafael Devers 1B, the first two batters in the lineup had 7 K's between them and 7 of the team's 10 K's.  

Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day IL with wrist inflammation before the game.  Casey Schmitt left the game after a HBP on the forearm.  X-rays did not show a fracture and he is day-to-day.

Justin Verlander RHP tries bounce back from a disaster start this evening facing Adrian Houser RHP who shut the Giants down earlier this season when he pitched for the White Sox.  He has a 7.59 ERA in 2 starts for the Rays.

Down on the Farm: 8/14/2025

AAA:  Round Rock Express edged out the Sacramento River Cats 3-2.

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .264.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .221.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.96.

AA:  Altoona Curve defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-1.

Dayson Croes DH- 3 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .429.

John Bertrand LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.78.

Jack Choate LHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.32.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds blanked the Tri-Cities Dust Devils 3-0.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 4, SB(49).  BA= .247.

Zane Zielinski SS- 2 for 4, SB(30).  BA= .240.

Damian Bravo LF- 1 for 3, SF.  BA= .344.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.89.

Austin Strickland RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.34.

Perdomo's strongest start of the season.  He is Rule 5 Draft eligible.  One of those situations where there probably is not room on the 40-man roster to protect him but he could be an intriguing target for a more pitching-poor team.

A:  Lake Elsinore Storm topped the San Jose Giants 4-2.

Gavin Kilen 2B- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .216.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(19).  BA= .268.

Juan Perez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .187.

Carlos De La Torre LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.50.

DSL:  Blue Jays Red beat Giants Orange 5-3.

Josuar Gonzalez SS(17 yo)- 2 for 3, 2 BB, 3 SB(30).  BA= .279.

Yohendry Sanchez C(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .272.

Albert Jimenez DH(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .259.

Frainer Mejias RHP(19 yo)- 3.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.01.

Mario Gonzalez RHP(18 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.30.

Not sure how the #2 hitter in the lineup can reach base 4 times and steal 3 bases and end up not figuring into the scoring. Josuar should feel right at home with the Giants MLB team.

DSL:  Pirates Black outscored Giants Orange 4-2.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .266.

Yulian Barreto 2B(17 yo)- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .321.

Down on the Farm: 8/13/2025

AAA:  Round Rock Express shut down the Sacramento River Cats 1-0.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 3.  BA= .220.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.60.

AA: Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Altoona Curve 10-6.

Bo Davidson DH- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .229.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .257.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 or 4, BB.  BA= .234.

Scott Bandura LF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .243.

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .218.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .205.

Ian Villers RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.52.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.25.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

A+:  Tri-Cities Dust Devils outlasted the Eugene Emeralds 19-18(11 innings).

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .244.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 3 for 7, 3B.  BA= .255.

Parks Harber 3B- 1 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .364.

Jean Carlos Sio SS- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .286.

Zane Zielinski DH- 2 for 6.  BA= .237.

Luke Shliger C- 1 for 3, 3 BB, SB(9).  BA= .256.

Damian Bravo LF- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .345.

Wild Game.  Game time weather was 93 F with a 10 MPH wind blowing out to CF.

A:  Lake Elsinore Storm skunked the San Jose Giants 7-0.

Gavin Kilen 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .206.

Niko Mazza RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.31.

Storm SP was Kash Mayfield LHP the Padres 2025 first round draft pick.

Giants DSL affiliates were idle.

Game Wrap 8/13/2025: Padres 11 Giants 1

The Giants reached a new low point for the season in a game of everything that can go wrong did go wrong to reach blowout proportions by the middle of the second inning.  Key Lines:

The Giants lineup managed just 5 hits and a walk off Nick Pivetta RHP with Jung Hoo Lee's triple being the only XBH.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 1.2 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 9.90.  Teng dug himself a hole in the second inning loading the bases with one out on a single and two walks.  A GIDP helped him get through a scoreless first inning and it appeared he had another one when Jake Cronenworth's ground ball that was headed straight for a waiting Willy Adames SS, it hit the 2B bag and caromed over Adames' head into shallow L-CF.  What would have been an inning-ending play scored two runs and there was still just one out.  Another walk, single and Sac Fly made it 4-0 with 2 outs.  Manny Machado then hit a line drive to the LF wall which Heliot Ramos LF fielded cleanly, whirled and inexplicably yanked it into the ground and it rolled slowly toward 2B while another run scored.  At this point Spencer Bivens RHP was once again brought in and thrown to the wolves.  Jackson Merrill CF singled and with Xander Bogaerts at the plate, Patrick Bailey C whiffed on a shoulder high fastball that went to the backstop and a 7'th run scored.  Of course, everybody knew the game as over when Cronenworth's ball popped up over Adames' head and the rest of the inning just emphasized the point.  One of the most disastrous innings I've witnessed and we seem to be saying things like that a lot these days.

I think I sort of said this yesterday but I witnessed the open player revolt that got Gabe Kapler fired in 2023 and last year's collapse that led to FZ's firing.  I have not seen a more moribund team in recent memory.  I think you have to go back to the days when Tom Haller was the GM and Jim Davenport was the Manager to find anything comparable.  Even Kruk and Kuip were openly talking about how part of being a MLB ballplayer is keeping your head up and continuing to make adjustments in these situations.  One of them said "something has to change".  When Kruk and Kuip say something like that, best to take it seriously.

The Giants get a day off to lick their wounds, look at themselves in the mirror and meditate what they can do as individuals to get better before the Tampa Bay Rays arrive for a weekend series with Landen Roupp RHP facing Joe Boyle RHP who is 6' 8", 250 lbs and comes in with a 3.82 ERA.  That does not sound particularly hopeful for the Giants.