Game Wrap 9/25/2026: Dodgers 2 Giants 0

The Giants got a well-pitched game from Yunior Marte and a 4 relievers but the lineup was overmatched by Dodger's SP Tarik Skubal and the outcome was never really in doubt.  Key Lines:

Yunior Marte RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, 6/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.44.  Marte was again a gamer who fared better than his previous game against the same team.  Per Gameday, FB had variable velocity 90-95 MPH.  Is that by design or unwanted variability in mechanics?  He threw more sliders and splitters than FB's and used those pitches to get groundball outs.  He looks like he can compete for a long relief/spot start role next season.  

Tarik Skubal LHP(Dodgers)- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 2.72.  The Giants roughed him up a bit in Dodger Stadium but you knew that wasn't going to happen 2 games in a row, not with this lineup.  And yes, the Giants are not currently competitive with the Dodgers with or without Tarik Skubal.  They would not be competitive with the Dodgers even if Skubal transferred off the Dodgers and to the Giants.  That's how wide the talent gap is.  It's a little better with Devers and Eldridge in the lineup but I don't think they are competitive even with them plus a Skubal and that's with the Dodgers suffering their own rash of injuries.  

Just the fact that Skubal is currently a Dodger and the odds favor him remaining a Dodger for 10 more seasons is a testament to how broken MLB is right now.  I have never been a supporter of a hard salary cap but when one team is playing by one set of rules and the rest of the league is playing by another, fans of the rest of the league are going to eventually lose interest.  And it isn't just payroll and it's not just the Dodgers.  When ever year 20% of teams empty out their roster and stop competing at the trade deadline while another 20% load up on top players with one team getting THE best player year in and year out, that gets old after awhile too.  

I don't have much faith it will happen and it doesn't necessarily have to be a hard cap, but I would like to see something done to curb what the Dodgers are doing and I would like to see the trade deadline much earlier in the season.  I think the payroll structure is more likely to change than the trade deadline.  

Matt Wilkinson LHP gets a big test today after a terrific start against the Dodgers last weekend.  He faces exhibit 2,  Blake Snell LHP, who comes in with an ERA of 1.86.  I was musing to my friend who is a Dodgers fan that us Giants fans have a saying that goes, "he was a good Giant".  Blake Snell was not a good Giant!

Game Wrap 9/23/2026: Twins 4 Giants 2

A 2-run single by Shay Whitcomb was not enough to support pretty good start by Cesar Perdomo and a beleaguered bullpen.  Key Lines:

Shay Whitcomb 3B- 2 for 4, 2 RBI.  BA= .191.  Whitcomb came through with a 2-out, bases-loaded single in the 4'th to drive in the Giants only two runs of the game.  The inning ended when Christian Koss tried to bunt his way on base with runners at the corners and 2 outs which tells you everything you need to know about the current mindset of the team.  As for Whitcomb, he's had a few nice moments but overall has not done enough to warrant a roster spot through the winter.

The top three batters in the lineup, Jonah Cox 2B(.266), Turner Hill CF(.220) and Victor Bericoto LF(.233) went a combined 0 for 11 with a walk.  

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, 7/4 GO/AO.  ERA= 3.65.  Perdomo has had 4 good appearances out of 5.  Note again the command of a 3-pitch arsenal.  He can be a decent #4,5 SP on next year's team.  

As happy as us prospect hounds and die-hard fans are to watch "the kids" play hard even in defeat, this is not a lineup or team that's going to win many games.  Admittedly it would look a lot better with Devers and Eldridge but there are still holes in the lineup and the pitching is a mess.  While I hope the Giants have the patience to continue rebuilding from within, I don't see any way they compete for a playoff spot next season without a major investment in a lot more than just a Closer.  More on this after the season ends.  

Bob Costas was in the broadcast booth campaigning for Kruk and Kuip to be voted into the Hall of Fame as a team, something that requires a rule change.  I like the idea but felt a bit uneasy at the implication that neither one is good enough to make it on their own.  I do agree they should be in and should be in while they are both still alive to see it.  

The Giants get a day off before starting the final series of the season against the Dodgers.  Yunior Marte RHP gets the start on Willie Mac Award Night facing TBD.

Game Wrap 9/22/2026: Twins 3 Giants 2

 As we have seen many times this season, individual Giants players did some good things on the field, just not enough players did enough good things.  They had 6 hits and drew 6 walks.  They stole 2 bases.  They executed several bunts well.  Anthony Molina had a Quality Start. They also had no XBH's and left 10 runners on base.  In the end they came up short.  Key Lines:

Anthony Molina RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.97.  In his last start Molina came out after 5.2 IP.  This time he got one more out and gets credit for a Quality Start.  He's pitched at least 5 innings and given up 2 runs or less in 3 of his last 4 starts.  

It's up to Cesar Perdomo LHP to get the series win today facing Connor Prielipp LHP who comes in with a 4.94 ERA.

Game Wrap 9/21/2026: Giants 5 Twins 2

Drew Gilbert had a big game at the Dawn of the Bo Davidson Era while Tristan Beck picked up Blade Tidwell who exited with what appears to be another elbow injury for a Giants pitcher.  Key Lines:

Drew Gilbert CF- 3 for 4, HR(11), 2 R, 3 RBI.  BA= .237.  Gilbert led off the Giants half of the first inning with a single, advanced to 3B on Bo Davidson's first MLB hit and scored on a single by Brett Harris.  Gilbert later drove in 2 runs with a single and drove in the Giants 5'th run of the game with a HR in the 5'th.  The 3 hits gave Gilbert a .333 BA over his last 7 games.  It looks like he'll compete for a platoon role as as OF next season.

Jonah Cox 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .280.  I think I hit a wrong button on a commenter yesterday which I wanted to respond to.  The comment was that while FZ aquired Jonah Cox, Buster's development emphasis on more of a contact/line drive approach unlocked his potential including swinging earlier in counts to avoid strikeouts.  My response is that may be true but the jury is still out on whether Buster's favored approach results in more runs.  Although the Giants rank #11 in team BA and surprisingly #9 in SLG%(a lot of that is due to Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge coming on strong in the second half), they rank #30 in BB%, #28 in OBP and #24 in Runs.  

Bo Davidson RF- 1 for 4, SB(1), R.  BA= .250.  Bo singled in his first MLB AB, stole 2B and came home on Harris's single in the first inning.  

Bret Harris 1B- 2 for 4, 2 RBI.  BA= .194.  Harris drove in the first two runs with the first inning single with runners at 2'nd and 3'rd.  

Blade Tidwell RHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.45.  Tidwell looked sharp until he spiked a curveball in the 4'th inning, made a funny motion with his right arm and signaled the bench to come out.  As Kruk noted in his commentary, they way he held his arm as he walked off the mound looked like another elbow injury which was confirmed by Tony Vitello in the postgame presser.  Tidwell will undergo more testing today.  After many years of historically low rates of elbow injuries, Giants pitchers now seem to be in the midst of a cluster, including Hayden Birdsong RHP, Trevor McDonald RHP and Carson Whisenhunt LHP.  In addition, Adrian Houser RHP is out with a forearm strain which seems to sometimes be a precursor to elbow injuries.  

Tristan Beck RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 5/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 5.94.  What got into Tristan Beck?  He rolled out of bed firing 97 MPH darts at the edges of the strike zone.  The Giants may want to run him out there at least one more time before the end of the season.  If that's the real Tristan Beck they might want to keep him around over the winter.  Beck's big problem has been consistency though and one game does not prove he's suddenly found that.

Trent Harris RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 2.14.  A clean Save!  It was with a 3-run lead but as Kruk pointed out the Giants have not had many of those this season.  Giants will probably try to acquire a proven Closer over the winter but until then, it looks like Harris is the guy for the 9'th inning.  

Anthony Molina RHP tries to secure a series win this evening facing Taj Bradley RHP who comes in with an ERA of 3.81.

Down on the Farm: 9/20/2026

 AAA:  Reno Aces beat the Sacramento River Cats 4-1.

Bo Davidson RF- 1 for 2, BB, HBP, SB(6).  BA= .309.

Fernando Gonzalez C- 1 for 2, HBP.  BA= .280.

Seth Lonsway LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.11.

Nick Zwack LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.77.

River Cats had just two hits in the game.  They used 7 pitchers in bullpen game.  This ends the 2026 minor league season and Down on the Farm series of posts.  This was one of the most exciting and successful Giants minor league seasons to report on in my memory.  We'll take a bit of a break and scale back to just Game Wraps until the MLB season ends then do some season reviews and of course DrB's 2027 Giants Top 50 Prospects later in the winter.

Game Wrap 9/20/2026: Dodgers 3 Giants 1

The Giants lineup was not able to support a 5-inning, scoreless start by Matt Wilkinson and once again the Dodgers broke through against the bullpen to complete a series sweep.  Key Lines:

Jonah Cox 2B- 0 for 3, BB, SB(14), R.  BA= .281.  Cox continues to create runs at the top of the order with his speed.  He walked to lead off the game, stole 2B and scored on Victor Bericoto's(DH) single. Cox has to play every day and bat leadoff next year, has to!  Jung Hoo Lee RF had the only other hit in the game for the Giants and exited the game after fouling a pitch off into his groin area.  Ouch!

Matt Wilkinson LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.65.  This was Wilkinson's best start  and it comes after a pair of scoreless relief appearances.  He should be in the mix either a rotation or long relief role next season.

More sad news for Giants fans as Duane Kuiper announced he has throat cancer and has started treatment.  He plans to be in the booth with Mike Krukow for Kruk's last game as a commentator.  Kuip hopes to be back next season.  Wish both of them the best but it seems pretty clear that a whole era of Giants broadcasting is coming to a close.

The Giants return home for their final homestand with Blade Tidwell RHP taking the mound tomorrow evening Zebby Matthews RHP who comes in with a 4.74 ERA.  Hmm....I wish the Giants had a player named Zebby.

Down on the Farm: 9/19/2026

 AAA:  Reno Aces defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-4.

Bo Davidson LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .307.

Will Brennan CF- 2 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .302.

Eddys Leonard DH- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .210.

Joe Whitman LHP- 5.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.74.

Braxton Roxby RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.78.

Not much to say here.  Final game of the season today.  River Cats are not in the Championship series.