Game Wrap 6/17/2023: Giants 15 Dodgers 0

 Luis Matos started a 4-run rally in the 5'th inning and the Giants kept piling on for a crushing win over the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine.  Key Lines:

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 4, 2 BB, SB(1).  BA= .375.  We'll start with Matos because he was the guy to sparked the Giants offense against Bobby Miller RHP who looked invincible until Matos drew a leadoff walk in the 5'th.  Miller had been blowing 100 MPH fastballs past helpless looking Giants hitters through 4 innings.  Matos led off the 5'th inning with a walk which didn't seem like much.  He was the third Giants leadoff batter to reach base.  The difference here is Matos stole 2B which might have rattled the rook a bit.  Patrick Bailey C struck out on a foul tip but then Miller tried to pick Matos off 2B.  The ball glanced off something into CF and Matos scampered to 3B.  Miller then hung a curveball to Brandon Crawford who singled Matos home.   The #9 batter, Casey Schmitt 3B was HBP to put runners at 1B and 2B.  Lamonte Wade Jr 1B deposited another hung curve into the RF bullpen and the route was one.  Matos ended up reaching base 4 times and scoring 4 runs. He also made numerous running catches in CF which he made all look easy including one where he had to climb the wall to bring it down.  A great evening for Luis Matos!

Lamonte Wade Jr 1B- 3 for 5, HR(9), BB.  BA= .280.  3-run HR's win ballgames and LMWJ delivered that in the 5'th inning but he had two more hits and a walk driving in a total of 5 runs and scoring 3.  What a sensational season he is having!

J. D. Davis PH/DH- 2 for 3, HR(10).  BA= .291.  Well, Davis seems to have recovered from his ankle sprain enough to swing the bat and run the bases.  Kap brought him in to PH for Joc Pederson in the 6'th inning with 2 outs and the bases loaded.  Davis hit it out of the ballpark.  I mean, if 3-run HR's are winners, grand slams are crushers.  This one made the score 9-0 and erased any serious question about the outcome of the game.

Brandon Crawford SS- 4 for 4.  BA= .226.  Nice game for Crawford.  4 hits, 2 R, 2 RBI including the first run of the game.  If it seems like Crawford has been noticeably better since coming of the IL, well, he has.  .375 over his last 7 games and .341 over his last 15.

Alex Wood LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  Wood did not have his opponents overpowering stuff, but he had command of his pitches and was hitting his spots matching zeroes for 4 innings until the Giants could break through.  Very encouraging first start off the IL.

Tristan Beck RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 3.31.  Beck just keeps saving the Giants bullpen in blowout games while getting invaluable game experience in the process.  I hope we'll see him in higher leverage situations in the near future.

The Win enabled the Giants to keep pace with the first place D'Backs 4.5 games off the pace.  The narrowed the gap with the Dodgers to just 0.5 games and continue to lead the race for the 3'rd Wild Card spot by 1.5 games over the Phillies.

Churn Watch:  The good news on Wilmer Flores IF is he does not have a fracture but as suspected he went on the IL anyway for a contusion on his foot.  What we didn't suspect was an injury to John Brebbia RHP who hit the IL with a grade 2 lat strain.  That could take awhile and Brebbia has been a workhorse and a key part of the bullpen and Kap's Opener strategy.  The adds were Alex Wood off the IL and Beck recalled.

Logan Webb RHP tries for the swwweeeeepppp tomorrow vs Tony Gonsolin RHP who is coming off the IL himself.

Down on the Farm: 6/16/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 5-3.

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .308.

Brett Wisely 2B- 1 for 3, HR(2), 2 BB.  BA= .307.

Sean Newcomb LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Why am I getting the feeling that Sean Newcomb is going to play a significant role this season, one way or another and probably sooner than later?  So far, his composite pitching line across two levels in his rehab assignment:  1-0, 1.50, 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 K's.  

AA:  Bowie Baysox topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2.

Shane Matheny 3B- 0 for 1, 3 BB.  BA= .231.  

Andy Thomas DH- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .202.

Carson Seymour RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.26.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.67.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds outscored the Spokane Indians 13-8.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .233.

Brett Auerbach 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .300.

Victor Bericoto RF- 1 for 4, HR(13), BB.  BA= .312.

Edison Mora 2B- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB. BA= .203.

Joe Kemlage LHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.13.

Edison Mora stays hot:  .324/.343/.794 in June.

A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes edged out the San Jose Giants 2-1.

Diego Velasquez SS- 2 for 4, 2 SB(10).  BA= .339.

Reggie Crawford LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.00

Hayden Wynja LHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.76.

Esmerlin Vinicio LHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

Per a Twitter report, Crawford's FB ran from 96-99 MPH.

Complex Performances:

Luis Frias CF(18 yo; DSL)- 4 for 5.  BA= .425.  Frias has 8 hits in his last two games, has hit in all 8 games so far and has 5 multi-hit games.

Jose Rengel LHP(17 yo; DSL)- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 6.00.

Game Wrap 6/16/20223: Giants 7 Dodgers 5(11 innings)

 The Giants were no-hit for 6 innings by a rookie pitcher making his first MLB start after a promotion from AA, but they fought back through a series of bizarre plays and events to take an extra-inning game the Dodgers should have won.  Key Lines:

Emmet Sheehan RHP(Dodgers)- 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 2/7.  ERA= 0.00.  OK, let's get this out of the way:  1.  He's a FB pitcher who lives up in the zone.  He got multiple called strikes on pitches at least 1 inch above the electronic strike zone shown on TV.  Even the Dodgers TV announcers picked up on it.  2.  The Giants hit multiple flyball/lineouts to the warning track.  Translation:  This was a BAPIP fluke and would not have happened with a different ump or an automated ump.

Austin Slater PH/LF- 3 for 3.  BA= .431.  Once again, Kapler's penchant for subbing in a platoon hitter when the pitcher's handedness changes pays off.  Slater pinch-hit for Lamonte Wade Jr 1B in the 8'th inning with one out and a Brandon Crawford SS on 1B and kept the line moving with a single.  He ended up with 2 more hits as the game went through 11 innings.

Wilmer Flores 3B- 1 for 3 HR(7).  BA= .258.  Wilmer came up in the 7'th inning after Estrada's single.  He fouled a ball off the top of his foot but hung in to hit one of his patented pulled HR's down the LF line into the Dodger's bullpen then limped around the bases and came out of the game.  CT scan today.  Hope for no fracture.  Giants need his RH platoon bat.

Luis Matos CF- 0 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .200.  The BA is at the Mendoza Line but Matos hit the ball hard twice.  So in 8 PA's Matos has hit the ball hard 5 times and drawn 3 walks.  More hits should start falling or carrying out in the near future.

Thairo Estrada 2B- 1 for 4, SF, SB(16).  BA= .295.  Again, not much of a line but Estrada singled ahead of Wilmer's HR and his Sac Fly tied the game in the 8'th inning.

Bullpen Game- It was a full-on bullpen game so hard to single out individual performances.  Sean Manaea LHP was the "bulk-innings" guy an was great for 2.2 but was BABIP'd for 4 runs in the 5'th inning.  Camilo Doval RHP blew a Save in the 9'th on the second bloop hit RBI by the Dodgers on the night.  Taylor Rogers LHP and Jake Junis RHP were nails in extra innings.

The Play- After the Giants took a 7-5 lead in the top of the 11'th inning, the Dodgers had one out and the designated runner at 2B.  Mookie Betts hit a towering IF pop up that Casey Schmitt 3B dropped.  Jake Junis RHP picked it up and fired it past 1B into RF.  The runner at 2B, Michael Busch,  had to hold up with the ball in the air and Betts ran him down trapping him in a rundown between 3B and Home leaving Betts at 3B with 2 outs.  Junis then struck out Freddie Freeman to end the game.

Dodger Stadium- On top of the natural craziness of the game, the stadium lights kept dimming in the middle of plays to add to the sense of chaos.  

Protest:  The crowd was sparse in the early innings possibly due a protest which Police and Dodger Security estimated at 2000 protesters that closed the main gates for awhile.  I'll just quote Susan Slusser's Twitters posts:

"The two protesters I talked to were both from out of state and seemed unclear on whether they were protesting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Pride Night or both."

"I heard a lot of 'love the sinner, hate the sin stuff in front of signs like Go to Hell and a diatribe, with a small child at the lectern, about 'stay away from our kids' while at the same time talking about genitals in graphic terms.  Again, the message seemed muddled."

The Win improved the Giants record to 37-32, 4.5 games behind the D'Backs in the NL West and just 1.5 games behind the Dodgers.  The Giants are currently in the third and final Wild Card spot leading the Phillies by 1.5 games and trailing the Dodgers and Marlins by 1.5.

Alex Wood LHP takes the mound this evening facing another rookie, Bobby Miller RHP.

Down on the Farm: 6/15/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 10-3.

Tyler Fitzgerald 2B- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .307.

Will Wilson SS- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(11).  BA= .225.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 5 IP,  3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.42.

Nick Swiney LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.46.

Chris Wright LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.80.

Nick Avila RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, ERA= 3.48.

Harrison throws 81 pitches, so goes an extra inning on the same number of pitches.  Needs to keep doing that.

AA:  Bowie Baysox beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-2.

Ryan Murphy RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.12.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Spokane Indians 8-5.

Carter Howell RF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .291.

Edison Mora LF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(3).  BA= .185.

Ghordy Santos DH- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .215.

Max Wright C- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .159.

Ben Madison RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.62.

Hunter Dula RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.35.

After batting .234 in April and .086 in May, Edison Mora has a slash line of .300/.300/.415 with 3 HR in June.

A:  San Jose Giants pounded the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 11-4.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 3 for 5.  BA= .335.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4, SF.  BA= .316.

Matt Higgins LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .300.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 5, SB(18).  BA= .215.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 1 for 2, HR(8), BB, 2 SB(4).  BA= .255.

The international kids continue to impress.

Complex Performances:

Luis Frias RF(DSL)- 4 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .371.  18 yo, B-R, T-R.  2'nd pro season.

Dario Reynoso 3B(DSL)- 0 for 1, 4 BB.  BA= .444.

Keiberg Camacaro SS(DSL)- 2 for 4, 3B, HR(1).  BA= .250.  16 yo B-R, T-R.

Elian Rayo DH(ACL)- 1 for 2, HR(2), BB.  BA= .292.  20 yo from Nicaragua 3'rd pro season.

Seth Corry LHP(ACL)- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 4/0.  ERA= 0.00.  Corry ramping up in rehab assignment.

Down on the Farm: 6/14/2023

AAA: Sacramento River Cats defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 9-5.

Bryce Johnson CF- 3 for 6.  BA= .326.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .311.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .216.

Jacob Nottingham 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .262.

 AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox 5-1(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings).

Wade Meckler CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .294.

Marco Luciano SS- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(9), BB.  BA= .205.

Carter Aldrete RF- 1 for 3, HR(8).  BA= .294.

Mason Black RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.84.

Wil Jensen RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.97.

Marco Luciano's bat has come to life.  4 HR's in 4 games.  He is slashing .273/.400/.591 in June.  Mason Black has 10 K's and 1 BB in 8 IP over his last 2 starts.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Bowie Baysox 2-0(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings).

Marco Luciano DH- 2 for 3.  BA= .216.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB,  5 K's.  ERA= 4.75.

Jose Cruz RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 6.00.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds outscored the Spokane Indians 11-7.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 5, BB, 2 SB(26).  BA= .230.

Carter Howell RF- 1 for 3, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .260.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 4 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .316.

Adrian Sugastey C- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .268.

Edison Mora 2B- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .148.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.16.

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

Victor Bericoto may be the best pure hitter in the organization.  The crazy part is while he is still relatively young for the level, he will be rule 5 draft eligible after this season.

A:  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes beat the San Jose Giants 11-7.

Diego Velasquez SS- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .328.

Reggie Crawford DH- 1 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .250.

Matt Higgins 1B/LF- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .297.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.60.

Velasquez and Maldonado are two more very promising young international prospects who weren't on many prospect watching radar screens at the beginning of this season, or even now.  

Complex Performances:

Elian Rayo 3B(ACL)- 2 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .273.  20 yo B-R, T-R, 6'0", 202 lbs.  Third pro season.

Game Wrap 6/14/2023: Giants 8 Cardinals 5(10 innings)

The Giants marked the dawn of the Luis Matos Era by roaring back from a 5-2 deficit after 6 innings to win in overtime.  Key Lines: 

Luis Matos CF- 1 for 3.  BA= .333.  Matos followed Austin Slater LF's leadoff single with another single and scored the Giants second run of the game on Patrick Bailey C's single.  Matos lined out in two later AB's so hit the ball hard 3 times in 3 PA's.  

Thairo Estrada 2B- 2 for 5, SB(15).  BA= .296.  Estrada moved down to 3'rd in the lineup today(oh, the horror!). He singled twice, drove in 2 runs and scored one.  He singled in YtY who was the designated runner to start the 10'th inning then stole 2B and scored on Wilmer Flores DH/3B single to account for 2 of the Giants 3 extra-inning runs.

Mike Yastrzemski RF/CF- 2 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .254.  YtY's second HR in as many days came in the 9'th with 2 outs and 2 strikes and tied the game setting up the extra-inning win.

Anthony DeSclafani RHP- 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.31.  Tony D struck out the side in the first inning but then things went south in a hurry with Tommy Edman, the #9 hitter in the lineup hitting a grand slam HR in the 2'nd inning.  DeSclafani exited after giving up another run in the 3'rd inning and the score remained 5-2 until the 7'th inning when the Giants started their comeback.

Bullpen- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K's.  The bullpen was nails once again.  Jake Junis RHP pitched 3 shutout innings with the Rogers Bros and Ryan Walker RHP throwing a scoreless inning each and Camilo Doval RHP recorded his 18'th Save.

The Win was the Giants 4'th in a row and put them 4 games over .400 at 36-32.  For those of you thinking this is just a hot streak and the Giants are really just a .500 team, they are 30-19 since hitting their nadir at 6-13 on April 21.  The Giants now trail the first place D'Backs by 5 games in the NL West and the Dodgers by 2.5 games pending the outcome of the Dodgers-White Sox game(Sox lead 5-4 in the 9'th inning).  The Giants lead the Marlins by 1.5 games in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot.

The Giants get a travel day tomorrow before starting a 3-game weekend series against the Dodgers in LA.  SP's for both teams are TBD for Friday evening.

Mitch Haniger OF will undergo surgery to stabilize his fractured right forearm putting his return anytime this season in serious doubt.  J. D Davis 3B has not been placed on the IL but is expected to miss 7-10 days so it seems likely he will end up there before game time Friday when i understand the Giants can bring Tristan Beck RHP back up.

Down on the Farm: 6/13/2023

 AAA:  Sugar Land Space Cowboys outscored the Sacramento River Cats 9-8.

Bryce Johnson RF/CF- 2 for 3, 2 BB, SB(5).  BA= .297.  

Luis Matos CF- 1 for 2, HR(7).  BA= .398.

Clint Coulter RF- 1 for 3, HR(6).  BA= .249.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 3 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .308.

Matos came out of the game immediately after Haniger's injury and is reportedly headed to St Luis.  Meet Me in St Luis!  David Villar IF also came out of the game and is also reportedly headed to St Louis in case J. D. Davis has to go on the IL, which seems likely at this point.

AA: Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-5.

Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 5, HR(1), BB.  BA= .400.

Vaun Brown CF- 0 for 4, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .267.

Carter Aldrete 1B- 1 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .247.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.15.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.83.

Shane Matheny gets bumped down to AA.  Will he get called back up with Matos moving up to the majors?  Tough start for Whiz.  All Juan Sanchez does is keep putting up goose eggs.

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

Victor Bericoto RF- 1 for 3, HR(12), BB.  BA= .258.

John Bertrand LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 4.30.

Bericoto leads the Giants farm system in HR's so far this season.

A: San Jose Giants edged out the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2-1.

Turner Hill CF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(8).  BA= .298.

Jack Choate LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.30.

Daniel Blair RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.36.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 3.28.

Complex Performances:

Ross Stripling RHP(ACL)- 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.50.  Not a particularly encouraging appearance by Stripling but it's his first game back on rehab assignment.

Angel Guzman LF(DSL)- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .464.  17 yo B-L, T-L.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(2).  BA= .462.  We've called his name almost every day.  18 yo first pro season.

Frainer Mejias RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.40.  17 yo first pro season. Giants have suddenly turned on the the international pitching pipeline full blast.

Rayner Arias CF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, HR(3).  BA= .440.  And last but definitely not least, prized prospect Rayner Arias hits 3/4 of a cycle with a single the only missing piece.  This kid is looking special and I don't expect him to stay in the DSL much longer.  Could he jump all the way to San Jose?