Spring Training Game Wrap 2/28/2026: Giants 8 Athletics 2

A grand slam home run in the second inning by Eric Haase opened up a 6-0 lead the Giants and the Giants pitching shut down the A's lineup in Hohokam stadium.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 2, R, RBI.  BA= .636.  My goodness!  We just need to hope the baseball gods don't punish him for this during the regular season.  

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 3, BB, R.  BA= .286.  Eldridge is having a solid spring.  Will he force the issue and be the Opening Day DH?  K rate is still 30% in a small sample.

Eric Haase C- 2 for 3, HR(1), R, 4 RBI.  BA= .300.  Haase is making his own statement to be the back up catcher.  Giants probably can't keep both in the organization, although they could work out a trade to keep Susac.

Jean Carlos Sio PH- 1 for 1, HR(1).  BA= 1.000.  My favorite sleeper in the system makes the most of his first AB in a major league game, albeit a practice game.  

Luis Matos DH- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .417. With Harrison Bader out for at least 2 weeks with a thumb contusion and Ramos and Lee headed out for the WBC, Matos should get plenty of opportunity to state his case for another MLB level shot with the Giants.

Christian Koss SS- 2 for 2, BB, R, RBI.  BA= .400.  Christian Koss' ace in the hole for a roster spot is he is the most natural shortstop of the utilty infield candidates plus he seems to have a repeatable knack for the clutch hit and does all the small-ball things with aplomb.

Tyler Mahle RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  Mahle has a successful first spring appearance.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, 3/0 GO/AOd.  ERA= 0.00.  Sinker was 91.5-93.7.  

Jose Butto RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.25.  Butto can go more than one inning.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 2 H,  0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  So far, so good but can we please start seeing some clean innings?

Michael Fulmer RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Still sitting right around 90 MPH but pitch mix and veteran savvy keeps hitters off balance and gets ground ball outs.

Josuar Gonzalez gets into the game late and starts a GIDP.

Logan Webb RHP makes his second spring start today before heading out to the WBC squad.  He faces the Padres and German Marquez RHP in Scottsdale.

Spring Training Game Wrap 2/27/2026: Giants 12 Dodgers 4

 Victor Bericoto homered and drove in 4 runs as the Giants routed the Dodgers spring training travel squad in Scottsdale.  Key Lines:

Willy Adames SS- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .083.  Adames homered to lead off the Giants half of the first inning.  It was his first hit of the spring on a pitch he reached for.  Might not have gone out in Oracle Park.

Patrick Bailey DH- 2 for 4, R, RBI.  BA= .400.  Almost any amount of improvement at the plate for Bailey will make him uber-valuable.  Looking great in the early spring but he somehow needs to avoid the 3-month slump.

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 2, 2 2B, R.  BA= .556.  I'm calling it now.  Breakout season for Ramos.

Jared Oliva LF- 2 for 3, R, 4 RBI.  You can drive in a lot of runs by hitting singles with RISP.  Oliva looks good in a baseball uniform.  

Victor Bericoto RF-  2 for 3, HR(2), R, 4 RBI.  Bericoto is a physical monster.  Looks like a clone of Jerar Encarnacion except with a bulked up upper body.  He also looks to me like he has Encarnacion's power with a better hit tool.  

Daniel Susac C- 2 for 3, 2B, RBI.  BA= .500.  The Giants have to be hoping Susac wins the backup catcher job.  He appears to have a solid lead for that at this point.  He's not just hitting, he's hitting rockets. The single was a 103 MPH ground ball and the double was 99.5 MPH.  

Robbie Ray LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.00.  Ray's second spring start.

Matt Gage LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K. ERA= 0.00.  Gage is probably favored to win a roster spot in the bullpen.

Gregory Santos RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Santos looks fully healthy and is throwing Hundos.  The Giants need more hundos out of the bullpen.

Greg Farone LHP and Marques Johnson RHP added scoreless frames.  

There were a total of 4 ABS challenges in the game with just one successful.

Tyler Mahle RHP makes his first spring start today facing the A's in Hohokam Stadium.

Spring Training Game Wrap 2/26/2026: Rockies 11 Giants 3

 The Giants pitching faltered again and the lineup was not able to keep up.  Key Lines:

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .429.  Chappy has pounded the ball so far.  Exit velocity on the HR 108.4 MPH.

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 2, HR(1).  BA= .429.  I feel like Heliot is low-key lining up for a breakout season.  He worked hard on conditioning over the winter and is truly in the best shape of his live.  Last year was a (sometimes) hard learning experience.  Exit velocity on the HR 105.4 MPH.

Harrison Bader CF- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .455.  Bader is also raking in the early spring.  Exit velo on the double 101.6 MPH.

Blade Tidwell RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 6.00.  Tidwell got through a quick 1, 2, 3 first inning but opened the second with walk, triple, single before settling down to retire the last 3 batters in a row.  Not something to panic over. 

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 54.00.  This is way beyond concerning.  He's already had most of last season plus the offseason to correct a supposed mechanical problem.  To my unprofessional eye, it's never looked like this was only a mechanical flaw.  We aren't quite into Steve Blass territory just yet, but getting close.  

Juan Sanchez LHP and Spencer Bivens RHP worked scoreless frames.  

ABS Challenge:  I forgot to mention there were a total of 11 challenges in Wednesday's game with 9 successful challenges and 2 unsuccessful.  Giants had 4 successes and the Brewers 5.  In this game, there were a total of 5 challenges:  2 by Patrick Bailey with one success.  Brewers challenged 3 with 1 success.  ABS challenges create a whole new set of stats to follow.  

Robbie Ray LHP makes his second spring start against the Dodgers in Scottsdale today with Yoshinobu Yamamoto RHP on the mound for the Hated Ones.

Spring Training Game Wrap 2/25/2026

 It was 80 degrees and calm at game time.  Batted balls were flying out of the park making the final score more like a football game.  Key Lines:

Harrison Bader CF- 1 for 3, HR, R, 3 RBI.  BA= .444.  There is still a place for 3-run home runs.  Bader's shot dented a food truck in the parking lot.  He signed the spot with a sharpie pen.  

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 2, HR, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .250.  Hopefully there are a lot more Bryce Eldridge lines like this in our future.

Jung Hoo Lee RF- 2 for 3, 3B, RBI.  BA= .417.  Yes! That's what we are looking for!

Luis Matos DH- 2 for 3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .429.  Matos is fighting for a job. I still think he is going to be a star somewhere.  I hope the Giants find a way for him to star in San Francisco.  

Victor Bericoto PH/DH- 1 for 2, R, RBI.  BA= .600.  Bericoto could always hit.  

Christian Koss 3B- 1 for 2, HBP, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .250.  Christian Koss continues to do Christian Koss things on the field and that's a good thing.

Parks Harber PH/3B- 1 for 1, BB, SF, SB, RBI.  BA= .333.  Intriguing prospect.  

Adrian Houser RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 5/1.  ERA= 4.50.  Gave up a solo HR to Brice Turang in the first inning.  Sinker was running 93.8-96.6 MPH.  5 ground ball outs over 2 IP.  

Caleb Kilian RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  4-seam FB sat 98+ MPH.  Sinker was a tick slower.  

Carson Whisenhunt LHP was wild, giving up 4 walks.  Tristan Beck RHP came in and gave up a grand slam HR.

Blade Tidwell RHP gets the start today against the Rockies in Scottsdale.

Blogger's Note

 I was blessed by the outpouring of supportive comments after I shared the news of my wife entering hospice care.  Tuesday afternoon, I lost the love of my life.  I am heartbroken but relieved she is no longer suffering.  Words are not adequate to describe the level of pain she suffered every single day for the last 4 months.  It was an unspeakably awful experience I am sure will haunt me the rest of my life.  

My life will be different in the future.  I will pick up the pieces and figure out what I want do with the rest of my life.  For now, following Giants baseball and writing down my thoughts about it continues to be a central part of who I am and a form of therapy.  I appreciate everybody's care and support during this extremely difficult time.

DrB

Spring Training Game Wrap 2/24/2026: Giants 4 Angels 1

Logan Webb worked 2 dominant innings as the Giants continued to show off their organizational pitching and made the most of 4 hits for their fourth spring training win in a row.  Key Lines:

Lineup:  Jung Hoo Lee CF, Jared Oliva RF, Patrick Bailey C and Jake Holton DH had a hit each with Holton and Bailey hitting doubles.  Oliva had his second stolen base of the spring.  Bailey, Holton and Grant McCray drove in runs with sac flies.  

Logan Webb RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  Midseason form!

Landon Roupp RHP, Matt Gage LHP, Ryan Walker RHP, Keaton Winn RHP, Michael Fulmer RHP and Braxton Roxby RHP threw a scoreless inning each.  

The Giants continued to score runs by putting the ball in play.  

The ABS challenge system my prove to make Patrick Bailey even more valuable as a defensive catcher if he continues to get overturned calls in key situations.  We have a new defensive stat to follow which means it will have to be incorporated into WAR calculations.

The Giants play another road game tomorrow agains the Brewers where Adrian Houser RHP will make his first spring start.

Spring Training Game Wrap 2/23/2026: Giants 6 A's 2

The Giants reached deep into their organizational pitching depth to overcome a shaky first inning from J. T. Brubaker while their contact approach continued to produce enough runs to record their third spring win in a row.  Key Lines:

Luis Arraez 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI.  BA= .500.  Well, we know he can hit.

Will Brennan LF- 1 for 1, 2B, BB, R.  BA= .667.

Drew Gilbert DH- 1 for 2, RBI.  BA= .400.  Brennan and Gilbert are probably competing for a 4'th OF spot.  They are both off to good starts.

Victor Bericoto PH/DH- 2 for 2, HR(1).  BA= 1.000.  Bericoto is a fave of some of our readers/commenters.  He hits the Giants first HR of the spring.

Harrison Bader CF- 1 for 1, BB, R.  BA= .500.  If Bader can come close to his batting production from last season he will be a major upgrade to CF and will facilitate an upgrade in RF.

Daniel Susac C- 1 for 2.  BA= .400.  All 3 of Susac's hits left the bat at over 100 MPH. 

J. T. Brubaker RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 18.00.  Interesting that 3 games in, Robbie Ray is the only member of the projected starting rotation to make a start.  It may be they are holding the starters back due to the extended spring training due to the WBC.  That seems to be giving some of the young pitchers from Down On The Farm a chance to show off their stuff.  Brubaker is not one of those.  His slider-sinker approach may need a few innings to get command of.  

Here is a list of the other 8 pitchers who did not allow a run with K's and FB velocity in parentheses:

Trevor McDonald RHP(2, 94.1-97.2).  Wow!

Gregory Santos RHP(0, 97.1-100.5). Wow!

Trystan Vrieling RHP(1, 92-96)

Greg Farone LHP(1, 94.2-94.9).  Threw 5 pitches in the inning.

Marques Johnson RHP(3, 93.2-94.8). All cutters with slider as secondary pitch.

Cody Delvecchio RHP(2, 94.2-96.8).  2025 draft pick. First pro appearance.

Darien Smith RHP(0, 92.1-94.8)

Ben Peterson RHP(0, 93.5-96.8).  

Additional Notes:  

After 3 game the Giants hitters spring K rate is 18.5% compared to 22.7% last regular season.  OK, mostly different batters, weaker competition, etc.  Still, the team has scored several runs simply by putting the ball in play.

Jung Hoo Lee threw out another runner at home plate from RF.  I could see his throwing arm becoming a real point of pride for the Hoo Lee Gans.  

Rafael Devers 1B and Willy Adames SS are both still looking for their first spring hits.  

Logan Webb RHP makes his first start of the spring tomorrow on the road against the Angels.