Game Wrap 8/8/2022: Giants 1 Padres 0

A nifty tag at home plate on a reversed call on replay by Joey Bart C was the difference in this game and preserved the shutout for Alex Wood LHP and three relievers. 

Wood carried a 2-hit shutout into the 7'th inning and got the first batter, but allowed a single to Brandon Drury 1B which brought Kap out to bring in John Brebbia RHP.  Brebbia promptly allowed a double down the LF line to Ha-Seong Kim SS and it like the shutout and lead were gone just like that.  The relay throw and Drury arrived at home plate at the same time.  Bart put down a tag and held onto the ball but the ump called Safe.  Bart immediately signaled for a replay and the Giants reviewers agreed.  The replays on TV seemed less than conclusive but it looked like maybe Drury's hand was in the air over home plate until after the tag.  Apparently an angle in review room confirmed that and the call was reversed to an out.  That was the play of the game.

Bart also went 1 for 3, BB and is looking like he owns the team.  On the BB, it looked like Blake Snell LHP was pitching around him.  As Katie Belt put it on Twitter:  When did Joey Bart become the best player on this team?

Thairo Estrada 2B stays hot with a 2 for 3, SF game.  Estrada looking like a definite keeper for next season.

This may be the game Camilo Doval RHP established himself as a frontline Closer.  Protecting a 1-0 lead, he had to face Soto, Machado and Bell.  He barely broke a sweat as Joey Bart kept calling for the new 2-seamer even though it is clearly a very tough pitch to catch.  The final pitch hit 103 MPH on the TV gun.  To my eye, Joey Bart has taken the charge with Doval and managing him through the tough spots.  

I'll say it again, getting Joey Bart established is the one essential goal of this season for the Giants.  Getting Doval established as the Closer would be not far behind on the priority list.

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Churn Watch:

Evan Longoria 3B was reinstated from the IL and DH'd this game(he scored the only run of the game).  Bryce Johnson OF was optioned back to AAA Sacramento.

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Alex Cobb RHP tries to clinch a series win tomorrow evening against Joe Musgrove RHP.

Down on the Farm: 8/7/2022

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Tacoma Rainiers 10-8.

David Villar 3B- 2 for 4, HR(22), BB.  BA= .284.

Ford Proctor DH- 3 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .300.

Drew Jackson SS- 2 for 5, 2 HR(3).  BA= .245.

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .215.

Tristan Beck RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 5.86.

Scott Alexander LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Ford Proctor UT was acquired from the Rays for Jeremy Walker RHP.  Not only is he a LH hitting C but he has played approximately as many innings at SS as C in his minor league career.  Definitely an FZ/Kap type of player. Drew Jackson was drafted by the Mariners in 2015 round 5.  He's kicked around a bit and had a couple cups of coffee in the majors.  Guessing SS depth is suddenly a pretty high priority for FZ.  Alexander is the former Dodgers LHP.  Giants signed him to a minor league deal on May 4.  I think he's been rehabbing in injury since.

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AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels destroyed the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 19-1.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 6, HR(18).  BA= .213.

Brett Auerbach C- 4 for 6, 3 2B, HR(14).  BA= .211.

Riley Mahan 1B- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .273.

Carter Aldrete 2B- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .225.

Jake Dahlberg LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.06.

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A+:  Eugene Emeralds pounded the Spokane Indians 12-5.

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(8). BA= .185.

Jairo Pomares LF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(12), BB.  BA= .247.

Patrick Bailey DH- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(10), BB.  BA= .211.

Luis Toribio 2B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .209.

Jimmy Glowenke 2B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(8).  BA= .206.

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A:  Fresno Grizzlies mauled the San Jose Giants 8-4.

Jared Dupere RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .310.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .261.

Matt Mikulski LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.60.

Game Wrap 8/7/2022: Giants 6 A's 4

 Mike Yastrzemski CF/RF hit 2 HR's to lead the Giants offense in support of a strong 7 innings from Logan Webb RHP.  The bullpen hung on for the win with a little Torture in the 9'th inning for old times sake.

I was actually thinking out a post about how the Giants have probably gotten as much out of YtY as they are going to and it might be time to move on.  Then he goes out and hits two bombs to drive in half the Giants runs.  As Vin Scully would say, "go figure!"  

Thairo Estrada 2B added a 2-run shot in his first game off the concussion IL.  The Giants TV broadcast showes a stat where Estrada was just the 6'th SF Giants infielder hit at least 10 HR and steal at least 15 bases in a season.  Kind of a random, arbitrary stat but hey!  It's kind of impressive too!

Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K, GO/AO= 11/3.  Typical Quality Start by Webb.  He's 10-5 W-L which is quite good for a SP these days.  His ERA of 3.17 may be a mild disappointment to some but he's actually pitched really well and kept the Giants in most of his starts.  He has 16 QS out of 23 on the season tied for 3'rd in the NL(2 pitchers have 17).  QS is not the greatest stat in the world but I think it's a pretty good indicator of a pitcher's ability to go deep into games and give their team a chance to win.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(14).  ERA= 3.00.  Doval retired the last two batters with the winning run at the plate in a walkoff situation.  He struggled with his command but it looked like Joey Bart C took charge of the situation and played a big role in getting him through to the Save.

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Churn Watch:  Thairo Estrada was activated off the concussion IL.  Yermin Mercedes LF/1B/C was optioned to AAA Sacramento.  Oh, and the Giants signed Steele Walker OF to a minor league deal.

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The Giants head south to take on the big bad Padres with Alex Wood LHP facing Blake Snell LHP in Game 1 tomorrow evening. This series is a 3-gamer.

Down on the Farm: 8/6/2022

AAA:  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-2:

Jason Vosler LF- 1 for 4, HR(13).  BA= .220.

Shelby Miller RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.91.

Cody Carroll RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.97.

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AA:  New Hampshire Fisher Cats downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-3.

Brandon Martorano C- 2 for 4, HR(8), BB.  BA= .231.

Tristan Peters LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .333.

Carter Aldrete 2B- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .229.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 K.  ERA= 5.09.

Tristan Peters promoted to AA after trade from Brewers to Giants.  Martorano is 12 for 31 over his last 9 games.  Carter Aldrete was promoted from A+ on July 24.  He is 5 for 16 with 2 HR's in 4 games in August so far.

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A+:  Spokane Indians buried the Eugene Emeralds 6-2.

Vaun Brown RF- 2 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .344.

Carson Seymour RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 5.40.  

Vaun Brown's 2022 is starting to remind me a bit of Brandon Belt's 2010.  Seymour gave up 2 runs in the 5'th to put a damper on what was a dominant start up to then.  The peripherals look great in his Giants organizational debut.

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A:  Fresno Grizzlies outscored the San Jose Giants 7-6.

Grant McCray CF- 3 for 4, 3B, BB, SB(31).  BA= .287.

I am pleasantly surprised that McCray has carried his hitting breakout this deep into the season.

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Complex Watch:

John Bertrand LHP(ACL, 23 yo)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  10'th round draft pick out of Notre Dame.  Was pitching there as a grad student.

Luis Frias CF(DSL, 18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2 SB(16).  BA= .272.  DOB:  8/7/2004.

Miguel Ramos RHP(DSL, 17 yo)- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Estanlin Cassiani CF(DSL, 19 yo)- 2 for 6, 2 SB(15).  BA= .381.

Game Wrap 8/6/2022: Giants 7 A's 3

 The Giants brought their hitting shoes to the Coliseum and Carlos Rodon LHP and the bullpen cruised to a win.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .211.  Joey Bart is hitting .346 with 3 HR's over his last 7 games and that is a very good thing!

Lamonte Wade Jr DH- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .187.  Wade Jr has had his struggles this season but I tend to believe a lot of that is due to missed time from the knee issue.  Wanna see what he can do with regular PA's over the last 2 months.

J. D. Davis PH/3B- 1 for 2, HR(6).  BA= .241.  Two games, two HR's since joining the Giants.  If the Giants are auditioning Davis for the starting 3B job next season, not sure there is any point in bringing Longoria back from IL.

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Churn Watch:

Brandon Crawford SS and Joc Pederson OF were activated off the IL.  David Villar IF as optioned to AAA Sacramento while Dixon Machado SS was DFA'd.  Nice knowing you Dixon!

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Logan Webb RHP goes for the 2-game sweep tomorrow facing Adrian Martinez RHP.

2022 Trade Deadline Wrap

Let's catch up with the Giants trade deadline deals.  To recap our summary, make no mistake.  FZ was selling at the deadline.  The problem was the buyers weren't diggin' what he was selling.  His two biggest pieces were Carlos Rodon LHP and Joc Pederson OF/DH.  Rodon had a opt-out/opt-in clause in his contract teams did not want to get stuck with in case of injury.  Joc was untradable because recovery from concussions is so unpredictable.  Somewhat surprisingly, he ended up trading Darin Ruf IF/OF/DH and Curt Casali C for an interesting return.  He was also able to recoup something for a couple of rehab flyers Matt Boyd LHP and Trevor Rosenthal RHP.  Here's the breakdown:

Giants traded Darin Ruf IF/OF/DH to the Mets for:

J. D. Davis 3B/OF.  DOB:  4/27/1993.  B-R, T-R.  6'3", 218 lbs.  2022:  .238/.321/.370, 4 HR, 9.7 BB%, 31.9 K%.  Davis has always been a true outcomes hitter but the power lagged over the past two seasons.  That may be due to a torn ligament in his wrist repaired last fall.  He's 7 years younger than Ruf and has 3 arbitration years left before free agency.  FZ may be counting on him finally being fully healthy in 2023.

Thomas Szupacki LHP.  DOB: 6/12/1996.  6'2", 180 lbs.  2022 AAA:  2-6, 3.46, 65 IP, 29 BB, 89 K.  Low-slot lefty who can get it up to 97 MPH with a secondary breaking ball.  Ironically his one MLB appearance this season was a disaster start against the Giants.

Nick Zwack LHP.  DOB:  8/1/1998.  6'3", 230 lbs.  2022(A/A+):  6-2, 2.36, 76.1 IP, 18 BB, 96 K.  Big lefty with great ratios.  I like it!

Carson Seymour RHP.  DOB:  12/16/1998.  6'6", 260 lbs.  2022(A/A+):  5-5, 2.76, 81.2 IP, 21 BB, 92 K.  Jumbo RHP with terrific ratios.  I like it!

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Giants traded Matthew Boyd LHP and Curt Casali C to the Mariners for:

Michael Stryffeler RHP.  DOB:  5/22/1996.  6'2", 210 lbs.  2022(2 AA/AAA):  1-3, 2.15, 37.2 IP, 21 BB, 60 K, 3 Saves.  Reliever track with typical reliever ratios.  

Andy Thomas C/1B.  DOB:  6/17/1998.  B-L, T-R.  6'2", 210 lbs.  2022(A+):  .264/.400/.444, 9 HR, 43 BB, 66 K, 265 PA.  You can never have too many catching prospects.  Have I ever mentioned how valuable a LH hitting catcher is?

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Giants traded Trevor Rosenthal RHP to the Brewers for:

Tristan Peters OF.  DOB:  2/29/2000.  B-L, T-R.  6'0", 180 lbs.  2022(A+/AA):  .305/.385/.482, 8 3B, 7 HR, 13 SB, 45 BB, 62 K, 387 PA.  Peters might be the most interesting prospect coming to the Giants in these trades.  5-tool OF.  Nice haul for a flip of a rehabbing pitcher!  

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Taken in isolation, FZ appears to have brought back a very nice prospect haul without giving up much.  If Davis proves to be a younger version of Darin Ruf, or better yet a worthy replacement for Evan Longoria 3B it will be a huge bonus.  The problem with this deadline was what didn't happen.  While failing to move Rodon and Joc were not entirely FZ's fault, it's still disappointing.  He can recoup some value for Rodon by giving him a QO and taking the compensation draft pick along with the added slot bonus money to play the draft with.

Down on the Farm: 8/5/2022

 AAA:  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-2.

Austin Dean LF- 2 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .261.

Shane Matheny SS- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .273.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 13/1.  ERA= 5.17.

Top 4 batters in the River Cats lineup went a combined 0 for 17.  The first 14 batters Hjelle faced all hit groundballs.  He did not allow a flyball until the 6'th inning.  Matheny homers for the second game in a row.

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AA:  New Hampshire Fisher Cats beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-1.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 5/0.  ERA= 2.92.

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A+:  Spokane Indians outscored the Eugene Emeralds 8-4.

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .184.

Mason Black RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.09.

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A:  San Jose Giants topped the Fresno Grizzlies 6-2.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 4, HR(16), BB.  BA= .282.

Jared Dupere RF- 3 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .311.

Adrian Sugastey C- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .239.

Garrett Frechette 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .270.

Eric Silva RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 5.08.

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

Joe Kemlage RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.16.

Dupere, a 13'th round draft pick from 2021 has hit 10 HR in just 139 PA across two levels this season although A+ would probably be his age-appropriate level.