Down on the Farm: 4/15/2026

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats topped the Tacoma Rainiers 7-6(6 innings).

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .358.

Buddy Kennedy 3B- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .364.

Sam Hentges LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Joel Peguero RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 13.50.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.11.

The game was called after 6 innings, I assume due to weather issues. 

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Hartford Yard Goats 13-11.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .341.

Charlie Szykowny 3B- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .302.

Sabin Ceballos 1B- 3 for 4, 2 HR(2), BB.  BA= .265.

Maui Ahuna SS- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .244.

Jonah Cox RF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(7).  BA= .344.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(3).  ERA= 0.00.

Mo'ne Davis threw out the first pitch for this game to Scott Bandura who was her catcher for the 2014 Little League World Series Team.  Great story.  And on Jackie Robinson Day no less!  Sabin Ceballos had a surprisingly bad season last year but seemed to finally find traction in August. He is having a much better start to this season.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds outlasted the Everett Aquasox 6-5(10 innings).

Tyler Cohen CF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(5).  BA= .195.

Gavin Kilen SS- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .349.

Dakota Jordan DH- 2 for 5, SB(2).  BA= .286.

Carlos Gutierrez LF- 2 for 5, 3B, 2 SB(3).  BA= .226.

Lisbel Diaz RF- 2 for 4, SF, 3 SB(3).  BA= .263.

Tyler Switalski LHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Ben Peterson RHP- 1.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.76.

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 16-3.

Jhonny Level SS- 2 for 6, 2B, SB(4).  BA= .459.

Junior Barajas C- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(4), BB. BA= .333.

Hayden Jatczak 1B- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .343.

Damian Bravo LF- 2 for 6, HR(2).  BA= .200.

Cam Maldonado RF- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .211.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .321.

Cody Delvecchio RHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.31.

Dylan Carter RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.26.

Junior Barajas looks like a hitter.  Dario Reynoso is on the thin, wiry side but made the most consistent contact in the Tuesday game I attended.  Cam Maldonado looked tentative at the plate on Tuesday so good to see him get two hits including a home run.

Game Wrap 4/15/2026: Reds 8 Giants 3

Tyler Mahle RHP was bludgeoned for two 3-run home runs in the first two innings.....by the same batter!  By then the game was all but over, although there were a few bright spots for the Giants.  Key Lines:

Rafael Devers 1B- 2 for 4, R.  BA= .229.  If Devers is going to turn this around he probably needs to start with just tying to make solid contact and get base hits.  He is batting .286 over his last 7 games.

Jung Hoo Lee RF/CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, R.  BA= .213.  Lee is another guy who needs to just get hits.  He's batting .292 over his last 7 games.

Daniel Susac C- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI.  BA= .563.  Susac is obviously not going to bat over .500 forever, Bailey has basically played himself out of the starting catcher's job and Susac has the hot hand and has earned a shot to win the the job longterm.  

Will Brennan LF and Drew Gilbert CF started the game and went a combined 0 for 4.  Heliot Ramos PH/LF and Jerar Encarnacion PH/RF replaced them and went a combined 2 for 4.  As Vin Scully would say, "go figure!"

Blade Tidwell RHP and Ryan Borucki LHP pitched a scoreless inning each.  J. T. Brubaker RHP pitched 2 scoreless innings in mop-up time which he has been doing a lot of lately.  There is no need to post Tyler Mahle's line.  Two of his last 3 starts have been disasters but he pitched 5.2 scoreless frames in between.  He's giving up way too many walks which is uncharacteristic of his career norm.

And whothehell is Sal Stewart?  He was the Reds 2022 Round 1C draft pick out of high school who moved up quickly through their farm system.  Now he has 7 HR's this season which is only 2 less than the entire Giants team.  The Reds have a recent history of rookies coming in hot then cooling way off but right now dude is white hot.

With the loss, the Giants keep pace with the Rockies for last place in the NL West and with the White Sox for worst record in all of MLB.

Tomorrow is an early getaway day game with a 9:40 AM Pacific time start. Landen Roupp RHP faces Chase Burns RHP who is he Reds 2024 #2 overall draft pick and who made his MLB debut last season. He comes in with a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 3.31.

Down on the Farm: 4/14/2026

 

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats at Tacoma Rainiers postponed.  The Cats have now had 3 straight games postponed or cancelled.  

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Hartford Yard Goats 11-7.

Scott Bandura LF- 3 for 5, 2 2B, SF, Sac.  BA= .333.

Dayson Croes 2B- 3 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .349.

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .240.

Drew Cavanaugh C- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .435.

Diego Velasquez 3B- 2 for 4, HBP.  BA= .300.

Turner Hill RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .344.

Logan Martin RHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.32.

Jack Choate LHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.35.

Do the Flying Squirrels actually have a good hitting team this season?

A+:  Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett Aquasox 7-1.

Gavin Kilen SS- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .368.

Zander Darby 2B- 2 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .412.

Juan Perez C- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .133.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Esmerlin Vinicio LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Ryan Slater RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

A:  Rancho Cucamonga Quakes defeated the San Jose Giants 12-6.

Jhonny Level SS- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA- .484.

Junior Barajas C- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .323.

Dario Reynoso 2B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .292.

Broedy Poppell DH- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .300.

Isaiah Barkett 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .440.

Keyner Martinez RHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, 4/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 9.45.

I attended this game.  It was a picture perfect day in Rancho Cucamonga after a spring storm although it got pretty warm sitting in the sun.  Thankfully I was in the upper deck and got some shade from the stadium roof in the later innings.  I was excited to see Jhonny Level warming up and his name at the top of the lineup.  He did not disappoint, hitting a home run on the first pitch of the game over the left field scoreboard.  He went on to have a rough day defensively.  Junior Barajas is tall for a catcher.  He also hit a home run over the 401 ft sign in left-CF.  Keyner Martinez looked great through 3 perfect innings with a sinker that sat 95-96 MPH.  A lead off bounding ball that was misplayed by Dario Reynoso at 2B in the 4'th inning seemed to distract Martinez.  He didn't make it out of the inning and was charged with 4 runs.  After that, the SJ pitching was terrible and the defense was almost as bad and the Quakes won in a route.

Game Wrap 4/14/2026: Giants 2 Reds 1

Robbie Ray allowed two solo home runs and that was too much for the Giants flaccid lineup to overcome.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 2 for 4, HR(3), R, RBI.  BA= .273.  Adames continues to swing a hot bat hitting .393 over his last 7 games.  His solo home run accounted for the only Giants run of the game.

Luis Arraez 2B- 3 for 4.  BA= .333. Luis Arraez continues to do Luis Arraez things such as bat for a high batting average.  Problem is the 3 batters behind him in the lineup went a combined 0 for 10 with a walk and HBP so Arraez' efforts did not figure into the scoring.  

Jung Hoo Lee RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .207.  Maybe Lee is coming out of his early season funk as he is batting .280 over his last 7 games.

Robbie Ray LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K's.  Typical Ray start which fell short of a Quality Start but should have been good enough for a W.  The bullpen did their part with Caleb Kilian RHP(1.29), Keaton Winn RHP(3.68) and Ryan Walker RHP(4.50) pitching a scoreless inning each but the Giants lineup couldn't close the one run gap.

The Giants record fell to 6-11 and they remain mired in last place in the NL West. They are tied with a total of 3 other teams for the worst record in MLB.  

Tyler Mahle RHP tries to be the Stopper tomorrow evening facing Rhett Lowder RHP.

Down on the Farm: 4/12/2026

AAA:  Las Vegas Aviators vs Sacramento River Cats Cancelled(Doubleheader).

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels squeaked past the Altoona Curve 2-1.

Scott Bandura LF- 2 for 3, 2 2B, Sac.  BA= .286.

Darien Smith RHP- 4.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's, 4/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 2.16.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, 3/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.

Mitch White RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.76.

Darien Smith took the scenic route through college and was 24 years old when the Giants signed him as an undrafted free agent in August 2024.  Last season he put up an excellent line of 8-0, 1.91, 70.2 IP, 8.66 K/9, 2.76 BB/9, 1.25 GO/AO in A and A+ ball.  He pitched mostly in relief and earned 2 Saves.  So far this season in AA his line after two appearances with one start:  1-0, 2.16, 8.1 IP, 4 BB, 11 K, 2.25 GO/AO.  No written scouting report.  I found some videos that look like he has a FB, Cutter, curve and changeup, all with impressive movement.

A+:  Vancouver Canadians defeated the Eugene Emeralds 8-5.

Jack Payton RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .280.

Zane Zielinski SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .458.

Zander Darby 2B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .400.

A:  San Jose Giants topped the Visalia Rawhide 3-2(7 innings, Game 1 of doubleheader).

Cam Maldonado CF- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .222.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 1 for 2, HR(2), BB.  BA= .353.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .250.

Isaiah Barkett 2B- 1 for 2, 2B, Sac.  BA= .444.

Broedy Poppel RF- 1 for 2, BB, SB(3).  BA= .294.

Sam Hentges LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 2/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.

Braydon Risley LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

Ubert Mejias RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

Good to see Sam Hentges start a rehab assignment.  If it goes well, he should be ready by May 1.

A:  San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 4-2(7 innings, Game 2 of doubleheader).

Damian Bravo LF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .206.

Jeremiah Jenkins 1B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .400.

Sam Bower RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.00.

Alix Hernandez RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Jhonny Level did not play for the second day in a row.  A commenter reported he was a late scratch on Saturday.  He's still listed as Active on the roster.

Game Wrap 4/12/2026: Orioles 6 Giants 2

A home run that hit the left-field foul pole in the 9'th inning off the bat of Casey Schmitt was too little, too late to overcome a generally dispiriting performance by both pitchers and hitters.  Key Lines:

Casey Schmitt DH- 3 for 4, HR(1), 2 R, 1 RBI.  BA= .368.  Mighty Casey continued his hot hitting.  He now has a 5-game hit streak including three 3-hit games.  He's not the guy I would have bet on to be the primary DH but it looks like that job is his for now.  

Daniel Susac C- 1 for 3, RBI.  BA= .636.  Susac showed off his arm strength with a laser throw from his knees on strike-e out, throw-em out in the second inning.  He later barely missed nailing Gunnar Henderson on a SB attempt.  

Adrian Houser RHP- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, 7/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.06.  The Orioles mounted two, 2-run rallies after Houser retired the first two batters in the innings.  On top of that, he had Pete Alonso 1B at a 1-2 count in the first inning before losing him to a walk only to have Samuel Basallo C take him deep to left-center on a hanging sinker.  Houser seemed to settle down over the next 3 innings until the 5'th when he allowed a 2-out line-drive single to Henderson followed by a flyball single to RF that looked like Encarnacion got a late jump on and Jung Hoo Lee probably would have caught.  Pete Alonso then doubled both runners home and that was it for Houser.

Cade Povich LHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.19.  Povich is a soft-tossing lefty whose career ERA is over 5 but he took advantage of an aggressive approach by the Giants hitters and did not allow his first baserunner until Schmitt led off the 5'th with a single.  He got 8 flyball outs on low-90's 4-seam fastballs which the Giants hitters could not get on top of enough to drive them. He kept them off balance with a slow curve and an occasional changeup.  

The loss dropped the Giants record to 6-10, tied for last place in the NL West with the Rockies.  They trail the Dodgers by 5.5 games and the third place D'Backs by 3.  

The Giants have a travel day tomorrow before starting a series in Cincinnati on Tuesday with Robbie Ray LHP facing Brady Singer RHP.

Down on the Farm: 4/11/2026

AAA:  Las Vegas Aviators at Sacramento River Cats postponed due to inclement weather.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Altoona Curve 9-8(10 innings).

Turner Hill LF- 1 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .321.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .310.

Maui Ahuna SS- 2 for 5, SB(2).  BA= .226.

Sabin Ceballos PH- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .190.

Jonah Cox RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, Sac.  BA= .360.

Curve took a 2-run lead in the top of the 10'th inning but the Squirrels came roaring back with a 3-spot for the walk-off win.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds edged out the Vancouver Canadians 3-2.

Walker Martin 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .259.

Zane Zielinski 2B- 3 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .474.

Gavin Kilen SS- 1 for 4, SF.  BA= .382.

Yunior Marte RHP- 4.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's, 6/3 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.04.

Cade Vernon RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.00.

Darien Peterson RHP- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(2).  BA= 3.86.

A:  Visalia Rawhide at San Jose Giants postponed due to inclement weather.