Down on the Farm: 5/3/2024

 AAA:  Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 6-3:

David Villar 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .270.

Trenton Brooks 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .298.

Jackson Reetz C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .217.

Carson Seymour RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K, GO/AO= 5/0.  ERA= 5.27.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 2.81.

Is Jackson Reetz the call up if Bailey goes on the concussion protocol?

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Akron Rubber Ducks 4-0:

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(3).  BA= .139.

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .262.

John Bertrand LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 1.71.

Reggie Crawford LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.57.

Evan Gates RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.73.

Nick Garcia RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.50.

A dominant appearance for Reggie Crawford.  Bertrand's stock seems to be rising as a lefty SP.

A+:  Spokane Indians outscored the Eugene Emeralds 7-6:

Turner Hill LF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(5).  BA= .228.

Matt Higgins DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .328.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .338.

Scott Bandura CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .151.

Justin Wishkoski SS- 2 for 3, BB, HBP, SB(6).  BA= .261.

Dylan Cumming RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K.  ERA= 1.23.

A:  San Jose Giants outlasted the Lake Elsinore Storm 4-3(10 innings):  

Luke Shliger DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .210.

Bo Davidson LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .203.

Elian Rayo 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .234.

Ubert Mejias RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 5.91.

Esmerlin Vinicio LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 4.85.

Cody Tucker RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.30.

Game Wrap 5/3/2024: Phillies 4 Giants 3

 An error by Matt Chapman 3B and a passed ball by Tom Murphy C led to two unearned runs which were the difference in the game.  Key Lines:

Lamonte Wade Jr 1B-  2 for 3, BB.  BA= .333.  LMWJ did not figure in the scoring.  I do think pinch-hitting with Flores against the lefty closer was the right move.

Thairo Estrada 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .249.  Estrada's double in the second inning drove in 2 runs and temporarily gave the Giants a 2-run lead.  That was the last of their scoring until they added a run in the seventh inning.  

Matt Chapman 3B- 0 for 3, BB, 2 E(5).   BA= .220.  a bit over 1 month into the season, Chapman has an fWAR of 0.3.  It appears baserunning is the only positive contribution to his fWAR score.  He is essentially replacement value on defense and negative on offense.  How does that compare to J. D. Davis who he replaced?  Well, not surprisingly Davis is slightly worse across the board and has a negative fWAR.  Davis was activated from the 10-say IL yesterday.  So, Chapman was an upgrade on Davis so far but neither has been very good and the Giants invested a of money in Chapman.

Jordan Hicks RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K's.   ERA= 1.89.  Not a great line but obviously some bad luck involved.  In addition to the unearned runs, all 4 of the hits were on ground balls.  Hicks recorded 4 GB outs so his BABIP on groundballs was .500.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 2/0.  ERA= 3.38.  Melvin seems to like Hjelle and is giving him an extended opportunity.  He's had two good appearances since getting roughed up against the Mets.  His K/BB is 7/1 in 8 IP and his GO/AO= 3.25.  

With the Loss, the Giants are now 5.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and 1 game behind the Padres and 1 game ahead of the D'Backs.

Keaton Winn RHP tries to continue his winning ways today against Ranger Suarez LHP who is off to a sensational start for the Phillies.

Patrick Bailey C left the game early after experiencing blurry vision after taking a foul tip off the mask.  He has not been placed on concussion protocol but will undoubtedly be re-examined before game time today.  Bailey has probably been the Giants best position player over the first month so they can ill afford to lose him for an extended time.

Down on the Farm: 5/2/2024

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats Blanked the Tacoma Rainiers 4-0:

Spencer Howard RHP- 4 IP 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K.  ERA= 4.63.

Clay Helvey RHP- 2 IP,  1 H,  0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.75.

Cody Stashak RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 2.70.

Nick Avila RHP- 1 IP,  0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

6 different River Cats ad 1 hit each. Luis Matos hit was a double.  Reminder that Spencer Howard is a former top prospect who fell on hard times.

AA:  Akron Rubber Ducks edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Hunter Bishop DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .247.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds beat the Spokane Indians 7-2:

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .329.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 5.  BA= .328.

Justin Wishkoski 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .242.

Scott Bandura CF- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .132.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 2 for 4, 2 2 B.  BA= .261.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 2.63.  

Seth Corry LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 4.1.  ERA= 1.46.

Hunter Dula RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Lonsway and Corry are two LHP's with good stuff who have been plagued by control/command issues.  Are they figuring it out?

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

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 2, HR(1), 2 BB.  BA= .308.

Luke Shliger C- 1 for 4, 2B, SB(4).  BA= .190.

Guillermo Williamson 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .220.

Joe Whitman LHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 5.09.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.94.

Game Wrap 5/2/2024: Giants 3 Red Sox 1

Mike Yastrzemski led the Giants offense with a home run in the crib where his granddad built a hall-of-fame career and the bullpen picked up Kyle Harrison who allowed just 1 run in 5 innings despite issuing 5 walks.  Key Lines:

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 2, HR(3).  BA= .242.  YtY got the Giants on the board in the top of the third inning with the solo HR.  The BoSox answered back in the bottom of the inning but were held scoreless the rest of the way.  What a great day for YtY!  

Giants scored the winning runs in the 7'th inning on 3 consecutive singles by Bailey, Chapman and Estrada folllowed by a Sac Fly by Nick Ahmed.  

Kyle Harrison LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 4/1.  ERA= 3.79.  Obviously not his best command but maybe effectively wild?  Blake Snell must have looked on approvingly!  95 pitches in 5 IP.  

Bullpen- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.   Scoreless frames from Ryan Walker RHP, Erik Miller LHP, Tyler Rogers RHP and Camilo Doval RHP with Doval recording his 6'th Save.  Is this group a "core four" to build the bullpen around?

The Giants gain 0.5 games on the idle Dodgers and are tied for 2'nd place in the NL West with the Padres.  

The Giants move on to Philadelphia where Jordan Hicks RHP faces Aaron Nola RHP in game 1 tomorrow evening.

Churn Watch:  Daulton Jefferies RHP was optioned back to AAA Sacramento with Randy Rodriguez RHP getting the call to take his place on the Active Roster.

Down on the Farm: 5/1/2024

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 6-3:

Marco Luciano SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .284.

Blake Sabol 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .243.

Mason Black RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K.  ERA= 1.01.  

Mason Black has not allowed an ER in his last 18 innings spanning 4 starts.  He did not allow a hit in 2 of those starts.  Really think he should get the start the next time the Giants need to call on their depth at SP.

AA:  Akron Rubber Ducks pounded the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-2:

Will Wilson SS- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .243.

Hunter Bishop LF- 2 for 4, HR(2), SB(4).  BA= .233.

After a painfully slow start, Wilson is 15 for 41(.366) over his last 11 games.

A+:  Spokane Indians beat the Eugene Emeralds 6-4:

Diego Velasquez SS- 1 for 1, SB(6).  BA= .311.

Onil Perez DH- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .323.

Turner Hill RF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .208.

Ben Madison RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.   ERA=1.38.

Diego Velasquez did not come out of the game immediately after singling and stealing 2B in the first inning but came did not come out to field his position in the bottom of the inning.

A:  San Jose Giants quieted the Lake Elsinore Storm 7-3:

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 4, BB, 2 SB(18).  BA= .303.

Ty Hanchey C- 3 for 4, 3 2B, BB.  BA= .412.

Guillermo Williamson DH- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .191.

Jean Carlos Sio 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .244.

Cale Lansville RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 3.86.

Austin Strickland RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Sio is 7 for 16 over his last 4 games.  I think Strickland is the pitcher who came over from the Pirates in the Joey Bart trade.

Game Wrap 5/1/2024: Red Sox 6 Giants 2

The Giants offensive futility continued but they didn't pitch well.  Key Lines:

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 3.  BA= .233.  Michael Conforto LF drew a 2-out walk in the 4'th inning.  Thairo Estrada 2B doubled him to 3B.  YtY then squeeze bunted in a situation where he had to get a hit for the run to count.  He got it done.  That, my friends, takes some.....ahem.....fortitude!  What's a little disturbing here is he must have thought he had a better chance to beat out a bunt hit and drive in the single run than he did to hit a 3-run HR and give the Giants a multi-run lead.

Tom Murphy C- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .100.  Maybe Murph is turning over a new leaf with the new month?  He sure had a dreadful April!  I still think he will turn out to be a good signing by the end of the season.

Erik Miller LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.14.  Miller was the Opener and got the job done, but I still don't understand why, if Jefferies is the bulk innings guy why you don't just start him.

Daulton Jeffries RHP- 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 17.36.   I do hope the next time the Giants need to reach into their depth for a starting pitcher, it's Mason Black.

The Loss will likely drop the Giants 5 games behind the Dodgers and leave them in 3'rd place in the NL West as the Dodgers lead the D'Backs 8-0 in the 8'th inning of their game.  The Padres are 0.5 games ahead of the Giants.

Kyle Harrison LHP tries to avert a sweep tomorrow facing Josh Winckowski RHP and who are these Red Sox pitchers who are shutting the Giants down?  Oh wait!  I guess that's not all that hard to do.

Down on the Farm: 4/30/2024

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 6-4:

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 4, 2 HR(4), BB.  BA= .330.

Casey Schmitt 3B- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .290.

Trenton Brooks 1B- 3 for 4, 2B.   BA= .289.

Chase Pinder DH- 3 for 4.  BA= .271.

Tommy Romero RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

Justin Garza RHP- 2 IP,  0 H, 0 R,  0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.23.

Per X chatter this would have been Daulton Jefferies RHP turn to start but Tommy Romero has been tandem starting with Mason Black RHP.  So who's the call up tomorrow?  Jefferies is already on the 40- man roster so the smart money is on him but I'm thinking most Giants fans would prefer to see Black.

AA:  Akron Rubber Ducks blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-0:

Ryan Murphy RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.86.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.79.

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

Onil Perez DH- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .310.

Justin Wishkoski 3B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 SB(6).  BA= .224.

Hayden Wynja LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K.  ERA= 3.86.

Andrew Blair RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 6/2.  ERA= 4.02.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Lake Elsinore Storm 5-4:

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 4, HBP, 3 SB(16).  BA= .306.

Cole Foster SS- 2 for 5, SB(3).  BA= .307.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 3, SF.  BA= .195.