Sunday, May 4, 2014

Game Wrap 5/4/2014: Giants 4 Braves 1

The Giants got a strong start out of Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Crawford provided the offensive difference with a pair of HR's that drove in 3 runs as the Giants swept the 3 game weekend series from the Braves in Atlanta.  This is the first series sweep for the Giants in Atlanta since 1988!  Key Lines:

Angel Pagan- 2 for 5, SB(5).  BA= .327.  Pagan went hitless yesterday, but got back on his horse today.  He did not figure in the scoring in this one, but continues to fill up his stat line on the season.

Hunter Pence- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .258.  Pence scored from 3'rd on a groundout by Buster Posey.  Posey could have been safe on a Catcher's Interference call, but Bochy was given the option of taking the play and preferred to have a run in the dugout than the extra runner on base with Pence going back to 3B.

Buster Posey- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .275.  Buster is hitting .375 over his last 10 games.

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 2 HR(3).  BA= .264.  Great game by Crawford who went deep twice.  His 3 RBI's were the difference in the game.  He improved his OPS to .833 most of that hitting out of the 7 and 8 holes.  That is a tremendous weapon to have sitting down there.  This might be the deepest Giants lineup I can remember and I go back a LONG ways!

Madison Bumgarner- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.18.  Bumgarner's own throwing error on a sac bunt created the unearned run, the only run of the game for the Braves who scored just 3 times in the series.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(1).  ERA= 1.02.  Juan Gutierrez pitched a scoreless 7'th inning, then Javier Lopez and Jean Machi divided up the 8'th inning.  Romo had closed out the first two of the series so Bochy used Casilla in the Save situation.  He got the job done.

The win gave the Giants 9 wins in their last 10 games and an overall record of 20-11.  The NL West leaders sit 1.5 games ahead of the Rockies who are trailing the Mets 5-0 in their game.  The 3'rd place Dodgers lost to the Marlins to fall 2.5 games back.  The 4'th place Padres and last place D'Backs are tied 3-3 in the 9'th inning of their game.

The Giants are playing with a lot of confidence right now as they head to Pittsburgh to face a Pirates team off to a slow start at 12-19.  Matt Cain's finger has been deemed to be sufficiently healed to start on Monday facing TBD.

Down on the Farm: 5/3/2014

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Albuquerque Isotopes 6-4:

Gary Brown(CF)- 3 for 5.  BA= .294.
Joe Panik(2B)- 3 for 5, SB(1).  BA= .325.
Chris Dominguez(LF-1B)- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .253
Jason Berken(RHP)- 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, GO/AO= 10/4.  ERA= 2.25.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(6).  ERA= 1.69.

Brown and Panik are cranking out multi-hit games on a semi-regular basis at the top of the Fresno order.  Berken looks like he could be ready for an emergency callup if needed.  With Huff coming back soon and the way the MLB staff is performing, it looks like he won't be needed(keeps fingers crossed). Hembree gets the 1 batter Save.

AA  Trenton Thunder beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-4:

Kyle Crick(RHP)- 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.60.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Cricky is still scuffling with his control.

High A  San Jose Giants edged the Lancaster Jethawks 5-4:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .322.
Shawn Payne(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .467.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .276.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/3.  ERA= 4.83.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(6).  ERA= 1.23.

Much better start for Stratton than his last one.  Let's see if he can build on this.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets stopped the Greeneville Drive 4-2:

Brandon Bednar(DH)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .286.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .322.
Ryan Tuntland(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .205.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 1.74.
Ray Black(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Ray Black comes off the DL and was reportedly throwing 94-97 MPH.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Game Wrap 5/3/2014: Giants 3 Braves 1

The Giants hit 3 solo home runs to support another Quality Start by Ryan Vogelsong and the bullpen shut it down once again over the last 3 innings.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .263.  Buster is on a pace for over 35 HR's.

Michael Morse- 1 for 3, HR(8).  BA= .312.  Morse is on a pace for over 40 HR's.

Brandon Belt- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .252.  Brandon Belt is no a pace….oh hell!  Who am I kidding?  Belt is toast!  LOL!

Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.60.  Speaking of toast……even I was ready to stick a fork in Vogey a couple of starts ago.  He does need to watch those BB's though.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(9).  ERA= .203.  Romo avoided the drama in this one.

Jeremy Affeldt and Jean Machi contributed a scoreless inning each to get the game from the 6'th inning to Romo.

A terrific win for the Giants guaranteeing them just the 3'rd winning series in the ATL in something like 20 or 30 years or so.  The win also improves their NL West leading record to 19-11.  The Rockies are tied 9-9 with the Mets in the 9'th at this writing and 1.5 games behind the Giants pending the outcome of that game.  The Dodgers topped the Marlins 9-7 to remain 1.5 games out.  The last place D'Backs are leading the 4'th place Padres 4-1 in their game.

Madison Bumgarner tries to find his groove and for a sweep of the series tomorrow facing another lefty who has pitched in bad luck, Alex Wood.

Down on the Farm: 5/2/2014

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies lit up the Albuquerque Isotopes 15-4:

Gary Brown(CF)- 3 for 6, SB(5).  BA= .281.
Joe Panik(2B)- 2 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .313.
Tyler Colvin(RF)- 3 for 6, 3B.  BA= .283.
Adam Duvall(1B-3B)- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .259.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 4 for 6.  BA= .471.
Chris Dominguez(LF-1B)- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .253.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.80.
Mason Tobin(RHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 3.38.

Nice game to pad the batting stats.  Escobar's line doesn't look great, but that is a tough, tough place to pitch.

AA  Trenton Thunder struck down the Richmond Fying Squirrels 8-1:

Angel Villalona(1B)- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .278.
Mario Lisson(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .200.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.40.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.40.

High A  Lancaster Jethawks downed the San Jose Giants 6-3:

Shawn Payne(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .455.
Blake Miller(SS)- 2 for 4.  BA= .314.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .324
Brian Ragira(1B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .229.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Greenville Drive 4-1:

Jeremy Sy(DH)- 2 for 4.  BA= .311.
Carlos Diaz(LHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.28.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.   ERA= 0.59.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, Save(4).  ERA= 3.97.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Game Wrap 5/2/2014: Giants 2 Braves 1

There was a hint of playoff atmosphere in the air as the leaders of the NL West and NL East squared off.  The Giants got solo home runs from Angel Pagan and Michael Morse.  Tim Lincecum and 3 relievers made the 2 runs stand up.  Key Lines:

Angel Pagan- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .337.   Mike Minor is a guy who likes to get ahead in the count then finish you off with nasty offspeed stuff.  The Giants appeared to be hunting for fastballs over the plate early in the count.  Pagan drove the second pitch of the game into the LF seats for his second leadoff HR in 3 games.

Michael Morse- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .311.  Morse went to RF for his HR and did not appear to get it all.  He is just so strong!  Morse also went a long way to catch a blooper down the LF line that could have caused all kinds of trouble, and he made at least one other good catch in the OF.  This deal is looking better all the time.  Just stay healthy!

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .262.  OBP= .366.  Crawford is listed in Fangraphs as having a negative UZR.  That is not passing my eye test right now!  Crawford made a several sensational plays tonight including one where he ranged into the OF grass on a grounder by Andrelton Simmons who is no slowpoke.  Crawford just whirled in one motion and threw to first with plenty on it and had Simmons easily. He looks a bit trimmer in the legs this year and seems to be moving better in the field.  Of course, having fingers that don't hurt helps too!

Tim Lincecum- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K.  ERA= 5.12.  Timmy was a little erratic, but did a good job of keeping his focus with runners on base and pitched his way out of the jams for the QS.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 2.19.  Romo created a bit of drama, but his strikeout of Justin Upton for the final out brought back memories of his K of Miggy Cabrera to end the 2012 WS.  Romo has more weapons than his slider and he has ice water in his veins.  The FB on the inside corner that locked up Upton was the second gutsiest pitch I've seen him throw after the FB that struck out Miggy.  Don't forget, Romo is a FA at the end of the season.

Jordan Walden(Braves)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K.  ERA= 1.59.  How is Walden's delivery allowed?  He takes a full hop off his back foot and it lands 6-8 inches in front of the rubber before his front foot lands and before his arm starts to come forward.  Kruk and Kuip dissected it on TV including slo mo and concluded it is definitely an illegal delivery.  On the other hand, I assume Bochy knows the rules as well as anybody and never raised an objection.  I know there were questions early in Timmy's career about whether he was jumping off the rubber so maybe Bochy doesn't want to stir anything up?  He couldn't have helped be notice because it is one of the oddest deliveries you will see and it is not subtle!

The Win improved the NL West leading Giants record to 18-11.  The Rockies clobbered Zack Wheeler and the Mets 10-3 to take over second place, 1 game back.  The Dodgers lost to the Marlins 6-3 to fall into 3'rd place, 1.5 games behind.  The Padres lost to the D'backs and are in 4'th place, 5.5 games behind while the cellar dwelling D'Backs stayed 9.5 games back with a 10-22 record.

Ryan Vogelsong takes the mound tomorrow evening facing Julio Teheran in the second game of the weekend series.

Down on the Farm: 5/1/2014

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies mauled the El Paso Chihuahuas 7-0:

Joe Panik(2B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .306.
Tyler Colvin(RF)- 2 for 3, 3B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .269.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .429.
Mitch Lively(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 5.46.
Jose DePaula(LHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

DePaula gets out of bed and goes 3 innings.

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox 5-3:

Jarrett Parker(CF)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .295.
Angel Villalona(1B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .279.
Myles Schroder(Catcher)- 2 for 4.  BA= .274.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 11/4.  ERA= 2.00.

High A  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 10-8:

Blake Miller(SS)- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA=  .305.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .318.
Alberto Robles(2B)- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(2).  BA= .132.

Low A(Game 1)- Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Charleston River Dogs 6-2:

Jeremy Sy(DH)- 2 for 5, SB(1).  BA= .289.
Brandon Bednar(3B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .291.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .321.
Ryan Tuntland(1B)- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .200.
Donald Snelton(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 0.00.

This was the completion of the suspended game from 4/30.

Low A  Charleston River Dogs blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 2-0:

Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.   BA= .325.
Keury Mella(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.04.

Horan probably could be playing at a higher level.  Strong start for Mella.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Down on the Farm: 4/30/2014

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies held off the El Paso Chihuahuas 6-5:

Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .279.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.51.
Erik Cordier(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.97.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(5).  ERA= 1.74.

Was this a bullpen game or is Jake Dunning being tried as a starter?

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Bowie Baysox postponed due to weather.

High A  San Jose Giants pounded the Modesto Nuts 9-5:

Shawn Payne(DH)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .500.
Blake Miller(SS)- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .312.
Brian Ragira(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .218.
Chuckie Jones(CF-RF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(2).  BA= .214.
Rando Moreno(2B)- 2 for 5, 2 SB(8).  BA= .206.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.11.
Taylor Rogers(RHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA- 0.00.
Tyler Mizenko(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.81.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.35.

Blake Miller breaks through the .300 barrier.  Ragira homers for the second consecutive game.  Shawn Payne and Taylor Rogers get the promos from Augusta.  Agosta comes off the DL.  Gotta wonder if he's fully healthy.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Charleston Riverdogs suspended after the top of the first inning with the score 0-0.