AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 3-1:
Shawn Sanford(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.70.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.19.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels edged the Altoona Curve 5-4:
Juan Perez(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(4). BA= .273.
Ryan Cavan(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B. BA= .246.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.35.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(6). ERA= 1.42.
High A Bakersfield Blaze topped the San Jose Giants 7-5:
Andrew Susac(C)- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .245.
Hector Correa(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 7.02.
Stephen Harrold(RHP)- 3 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 5.13.
Susac's dinger was with the bases juiced. The Correa starting experiment does not seem to be going well. He missed time with an injury. I wonder if he's healthy?
Low A Lexington Legends beat the Augusta Greenjackets 6-1:
Chris Marlowe(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 3 K's ERA= 3.38.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 7.27.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Game Wrap 5/30/2012: D'Backs 4 Giants 1
The Giants got a Quality Start from Tim Lincecum, but Ian Kennedy shut down the Giants offense. That's about all you can say about this game. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .289. Blanco got on base but made a key error that led to the unearned first run of the game for the D'Backs. He also got CS.
Ryan Theriot- 2 for 4. BA= .203. Theriot seems to be winning a job as the starting 2B and #2 hitter.
Melky Cabrera- 1 for 4. BA= .373. Melky ended up tied with Randy Winn for the most hits in a month in SF Giants history. Kind of a meaningless stat, if you really think about it. Just stay hot, Melky!
Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 5.82 Timmy still had come command issues but he battled through them and ended up with a QS. I still think he will come around and reel off a run of QS's.
The Giants remained 5.5 games behind the Dodgers in second place in the NL West despite the loss as the Dodgers also lost to the BrewCrew 6-3. Matt Kemp tweaked his hammy again and came out of their game early.
The Giants get tomorrow off after playing 20 consecutive games. Madison Bumgarner will pitch the first game a of 4 game series vs the Cubs on Friday evening facing Paul Maholm. The Cubbies come in on a 3 game winning streak albeit against the Pathetic Padres.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .289. Blanco got on base but made a key error that led to the unearned first run of the game for the D'Backs. He also got CS.
Ryan Theriot- 2 for 4. BA= .203. Theriot seems to be winning a job as the starting 2B and #2 hitter.
Melky Cabrera- 1 for 4. BA= .373. Melky ended up tied with Randy Winn for the most hits in a month in SF Giants history. Kind of a meaningless stat, if you really think about it. Just stay hot, Melky!
Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 5.82 Timmy still had come command issues but he battled through them and ended up with a QS. I still think he will come around and reel off a run of QS's.
The Giants remained 5.5 games behind the Dodgers in second place in the NL West despite the loss as the Dodgers also lost to the BrewCrew 6-3. Matt Kemp tweaked his hammy again and came out of their game early.
The Giants get tomorrow off after playing 20 consecutive games. Madison Bumgarner will pitch the first game a of 4 game series vs the Cubs on Friday evening facing Paul Maholm. The Cubbies come in on a 3 game winning streak albeit against the Pathetic Padres.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Down on the Farm: 5/29/2012
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 4-2:
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .312.
AA Altoona Curve topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-1:
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .186.
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 9-2:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .263.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 2 for 5, HR(10). BA= .274.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Lexington Legends 2-1 in 10 innings:
Kelby Tomlinson- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(16). BA= .267.
Mark Minicozzi and Elliott Blair hit solo HR's to account for the 'Jackets' 2 runs.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 3.63.
Steven Neff(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.68.
Blackburn is putting up some dominating secondary stats with 25 K's against just 1 BB in his last 3 starts over 19.2 IP. His season line is 1-2, 3.63, 44.2 IP, 9 BB, 56 K's, GO/AO= 1.93.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .312.
AA Altoona Curve topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-1:
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .186.
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 9-2:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .263.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 2 for 5, HR(10). BA= .274.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Lexington Legends 2-1 in 10 innings:
Kelby Tomlinson- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(16). BA= .267.
Mark Minicozzi and Elliott Blair hit solo HR's to account for the 'Jackets' 2 runs.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 3.63.
Steven Neff(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.68.
Blackburn is putting up some dominating secondary stats with 25 K's against just 1 BB in his last 3 starts over 19.2 IP. His season line is 1-2, 3.63, 44.2 IP, 9 BB, 56 K's, GO/AO= 1.93.
Game Wrap 5/29/2012: Giants 3 D'Backs 1
The Giants got another tough as nails pitching performance from Ryan Vogelsong and the offense came to life late in the game for a stirring come from behind victory. Key Lines:
Ryan Theriot- 0 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .186. The Riot got on base from the 2 hole. That's the single most important thing a #2 hitter does, get on base!
Melky Cabrera- 3 for 4. BA= .376. 3 more hits. 50 for the month of May to pass Willie Mays for the most hits in the month of May in SF Giants history. Randy Winn holds the record for most hits in any month with 51 in his great September of 2005. Melky has one more game to try to tie or break that one.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B, SF. BA= .302. Buster did his job as the cleanup hitter driving in 2 of the Giants 3 runs.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, SB(10). BA= .313. Pagan's line does not show any Runs or RBI's, but he contributed to the insurance run by keeping the line moving.
Brandon Belt- 0 for 0, 2 BB. BA= .240. Whatever we think of Brandon Belt, it was obvious the D'Backs did not want any part of pitching to him with runners on base. Some of that had to do with L-R matchups, but Arias is not a terrible hitter and the D'Backs clearly preferred to try to get him out than Belt.
Ryan Vogelsong- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 2.36. That's a terrific looking pitching line, but it doesn't tell half the story. 4'th inning, bases loaded 1 out. Nobody scores! 6'th inning, runners on 2'nd and 3'rd. Nobody out, nobody scores! Vogelsong has definitely passed on to a new level in his career. Last year we marveled at his unexpected success. Every game, we wondered if this would be the game where we would wake up from the dream. This year, once he got a couple of great starts under his belt, we've come to expect a well pitched game and more every time he toes the rubber. Tonight Vogey was in a game where he could not afford to give up even one more run and once again, he refused to lose!
Clay Hensley- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.77. Anybody else digging what Hensley has brought to the bullpen? Chalk up another terrific offseason signing by Sabes, I'm sure with a strong recommendation from Bruce Bochy. He might not throw all that hard, but he pitches with heart and has a wipeout curveball. If for some reason Casilla could not close for a game or 2 or a season, I would have no problem if Boch handed the ball to Hensley in the 9'th.
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(14). ERA= 1.17. Casilla has really settled into the closing role, hasn't he? I'll say this, his 9'th innings tend to have a lot less drama than BWeezy's. Kruk was commenting that he has really learned to use the 2 seamer to get ground balls, but still has the velocity and secondary stuff to get the K's.
The Crowd- The Giants always have supportive fans, but this crowd had a different feel to it tonight. It was louder, more raucous, more confident. They are feeling something building here and I think the Giants are feeling it too.
The Melkmen- Melky is rapidly endearing himself to the fans for obvious reasons. Tonight there was a group of guys dressed up in white with white hats calling themselves the Melkmen going around with signs urging people to vote Melky in as an All-Star starter. Man, did they ever look like they were having fun! Great stuff!
Pablo Sandoval- Pablo really needs to get back in the lineup if for no other reason than to give him something to do besides make shaving cream pies and smashing them in players' faces during Amy G's interviews. That one's getting a little old, Pablo!
The Dodger lost again to the BrewCrew 2-1 so the Giants gained another game on the NL West leaders to 5.5 games behind. Arizona stayed 10.5 games back with the loss. Rockies gained a game to 12.5 games off the pace and the Pathetic Padres lost their 5'th in a row to stay 16 games behind in last place. The Giants win moved them 4 games over .500 for the first time this season. The remain 1 game behind the Marlins and Mets for a Wild Card playoff spot.
Tim Lincecum tries once again to get his season on track tomorrow facing Ian Kennedy as the Giants try for payback of the opening series sweep at the hands of these D'Backs.
Ryan Theriot- 0 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .186. The Riot got on base from the 2 hole. That's the single most important thing a #2 hitter does, get on base!
Melky Cabrera- 3 for 4. BA= .376. 3 more hits. 50 for the month of May to pass Willie Mays for the most hits in the month of May in SF Giants history. Randy Winn holds the record for most hits in any month with 51 in his great September of 2005. Melky has one more game to try to tie or break that one.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B, SF. BA= .302. Buster did his job as the cleanup hitter driving in 2 of the Giants 3 runs.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, SB(10). BA= .313. Pagan's line does not show any Runs or RBI's, but he contributed to the insurance run by keeping the line moving.
Brandon Belt- 0 for 0, 2 BB. BA= .240. Whatever we think of Brandon Belt, it was obvious the D'Backs did not want any part of pitching to him with runners on base. Some of that had to do with L-R matchups, but Arias is not a terrible hitter and the D'Backs clearly preferred to try to get him out than Belt.
Ryan Vogelsong- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 2.36. That's a terrific looking pitching line, but it doesn't tell half the story. 4'th inning, bases loaded 1 out. Nobody scores! 6'th inning, runners on 2'nd and 3'rd. Nobody out, nobody scores! Vogelsong has definitely passed on to a new level in his career. Last year we marveled at his unexpected success. Every game, we wondered if this would be the game where we would wake up from the dream. This year, once he got a couple of great starts under his belt, we've come to expect a well pitched game and more every time he toes the rubber. Tonight Vogey was in a game where he could not afford to give up even one more run and once again, he refused to lose!
Clay Hensley- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.77. Anybody else digging what Hensley has brought to the bullpen? Chalk up another terrific offseason signing by Sabes, I'm sure with a strong recommendation from Bruce Bochy. He might not throw all that hard, but he pitches with heart and has a wipeout curveball. If for some reason Casilla could not close for a game or 2 or a season, I would have no problem if Boch handed the ball to Hensley in the 9'th.
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(14). ERA= 1.17. Casilla has really settled into the closing role, hasn't he? I'll say this, his 9'th innings tend to have a lot less drama than BWeezy's. Kruk was commenting that he has really learned to use the 2 seamer to get ground balls, but still has the velocity and secondary stuff to get the K's.
The Crowd- The Giants always have supportive fans, but this crowd had a different feel to it tonight. It was louder, more raucous, more confident. They are feeling something building here and I think the Giants are feeling it too.
The Melkmen- Melky is rapidly endearing himself to the fans for obvious reasons. Tonight there was a group of guys dressed up in white with white hats calling themselves the Melkmen going around with signs urging people to vote Melky in as an All-Star starter. Man, did they ever look like they were having fun! Great stuff!
Pablo Sandoval- Pablo really needs to get back in the lineup if for no other reason than to give him something to do besides make shaving cream pies and smashing them in players' faces during Amy G's interviews. That one's getting a little old, Pablo!
The Dodger lost again to the BrewCrew 2-1 so the Giants gained another game on the NL West leaders to 5.5 games behind. Arizona stayed 10.5 games back with the loss. Rockies gained a game to 12.5 games off the pace and the Pathetic Padres lost their 5'th in a row to stay 16 games behind in last place. The Giants win moved them 4 games over .500 for the first time this season. The remain 1 game behind the Marlins and Mets for a Wild Card playoff spot.
Tim Lincecum tries once again to get his season on track tomorrow facing Ian Kennedy as the Giants try for payback of the opening series sweep at the hands of these D'Backs.
Down on the Farm: 5/28/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies out hit the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 10-8:
Justin Christian(CF)- 3 for 4, BB, SB(8). BA= .370.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .307.
Roger Kiescnick(LF)- 2 for 5, HR(14). BA= .320.
Todd Linden(1B)- 2 for 4, 3B, BB. BA= .283.
George Kontos(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.95.
AA Trenton Thunder downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:
Juan Perez(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .272.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(6). BA= .184.
High A Visalia Rawhide beat the San Jose Giants 7-3:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .259.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 1 for 4, HR(9). BA= .270.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 3 for 4, 2 SB(11). BA= .215.
Low A Lexington Legends edged the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3 in 10 innings:
Garrett Buechele(DH)- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .204.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 7.17.
Biagini is a big RHP who the Giants signed to a fairly big bonus despite not doing anything in college. We'll see if this game is an example of what the Giants thought he could become.
Justin Christian(CF)- 3 for 4, BB, SB(8). BA= .370.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .307.
Roger Kiescnick(LF)- 2 for 5, HR(14). BA= .320.
Todd Linden(1B)- 2 for 4, 3B, BB. BA= .283.
George Kontos(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.95.
AA Trenton Thunder downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:
Juan Perez(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .272.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(6). BA= .184.
High A Visalia Rawhide beat the San Jose Giants 7-3:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .259.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 1 for 4, HR(9). BA= .270.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 3 for 4, 2 SB(11). BA= .215.
Low A Lexington Legends edged the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3 in 10 innings:
Garrett Buechele(DH)- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .204.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 7.17.
Biagini is a big RHP who the Giants signed to a fairly big bonus despite not doing anything in college. We'll see if this game is an example of what the Giants thought he could become.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Game Wrap 5/28/2012: Giants 4 D'Backs 2
It was a beautiful day for a game out at AT&T Park. Barry Zito did not disappoint the troops who his charity has helped over the years. The offense made a spirited effort to get an early lead. Zito and the bullpen made it stand up. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 4, 2 2B, SB(6). BA= .290. The SB was of Home on the back end of a double steal with 2 outs in the first inning to get the Giants on the board. That may have distracted Trevor Cahill long enough to the Giants to tack on 2 more runs and it was all downhill from there. When was the last time we saw the Giants pull off a straight double steal?
Melky Cabrera- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .368. My apologies to Brandon Belt as Melky had pretty much the same AB with a runner on 3B and less than 2 outs as Belt did Sunday that I roasted him for in the Game Wrap. I guess it can happen to the best of them and you do have to give some credit to the pitchers. Melky did have one hit to increase his May total to 47 2 hits shy of Willie Mays' record for the month. Melky has 2 more games to try to tie or break it.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 4. BA= .284. Hector was right in the middle of the Giants 3 run first inning with a 2 out single through the hole in the right side of the infield to drive in Pagan from 2B and then ran all the way home from first on Belt's drive up Triples Alley.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .240. Belt capped off the first inning with a smoking triple up Triples Alley. He got a second hit on a squibber down the 3B line. Hopefully this game is a confidence booster for him.
Barry Zito- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.41. Zito came out with a bit if fire in his eyes. He was sailing his curveball half the time and the ump wasn't calling it when he did throw it for a strike. What Zito did was establish his fastball that got all the way up to 85 MPH on the outside corner at the knees and backed that up with a nice looking changeup until later in the game when he got a handle on the deuce and figured out where the ump would call it a strike. The 3'rd inning was a bit rough with a lot of very hard outs. You could see Hector Sanchez, The Zito Whisperer, working with him and talking him down several times and innings 4-7 went smoothly. Zeets got 2 standing O's. One when he came off the field after pitching the 7'th and once again when he came out of the game after giving up a leadoff HR to pinch-hitter John McDonald in the 8'th. Zito upped his record to 4-2 with 6 Quality Starts out of 9. How many of us would have predicted that the Giants would get that kind of performance out of him at the beginning of the season? With Timmy's struggles, that has saved the season so far as much as anything.
Clay Hensley- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.86. Hensley has been a godsend to the bullpen too. He quickly restored order in the 8'th after the leadoff HR by McDonald. Hensley has, among other things, a nasty put-away curveball that just drops off the table.
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(13). ERA= 1.23. Casilla gave us a bit of torture in this one allowing the tying runners on base and then getting saved by the winds in AT&T's RF as Ryan Roberts smoked one that looked like it was at least going to bounce off the wall. Blanco caught up with it right at the edge of the warning track for the final out.
Veterans- It as both inspiring and sad to see the young man maimed by war throw out the first pitch. Great day for Zito, the Veterans and the troops in attendance though.
Lon Simmons- Lon was at the game sitting in the stands with his daughter. He's an old dude but looked terrific. I cut my teeth as a Giants fan listening to Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons describe the exploits of my boyhood heroes, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry. Great to see him still going strong and still a Giants fan himself.
Barry Bonds- Barry paid a visit to the broadcast booth and had some very interesting insights. One take away point was that as a young player, he sought out the advice to pitchers teammates for help in figuring out how pitchers think and what to look for in game situations. Barry and Kruk got into a playful mano-a-mano about a dinger that Barry remembered hitting off Kruk. For a minute there I thought that conversation might end badly, but they both backed away in time and diverted themselves to a different topic without either one really backing down.
With the Win the Giants get back to 3 games over .500 tying their high water mark on the year. The NL West leading Dodgers are playing this evening. Giants are 14-8 since their 4 game losing streak to open the month, all 3 games to the Marlins and first game of the Brewers' series.
Ryan Vogelsong goes up against Joe Saunders in Game 2 of the series tomorrow night.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 4, 2 2B, SB(6). BA= .290. The SB was of Home on the back end of a double steal with 2 outs in the first inning to get the Giants on the board. That may have distracted Trevor Cahill long enough to the Giants to tack on 2 more runs and it was all downhill from there. When was the last time we saw the Giants pull off a straight double steal?
Melky Cabrera- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .368. My apologies to Brandon Belt as Melky had pretty much the same AB with a runner on 3B and less than 2 outs as Belt did Sunday that I roasted him for in the Game Wrap. I guess it can happen to the best of them and you do have to give some credit to the pitchers. Melky did have one hit to increase his May total to 47 2 hits shy of Willie Mays' record for the month. Melky has 2 more games to try to tie or break it.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 4. BA= .284. Hector was right in the middle of the Giants 3 run first inning with a 2 out single through the hole in the right side of the infield to drive in Pagan from 2B and then ran all the way home from first on Belt's drive up Triples Alley.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .240. Belt capped off the first inning with a smoking triple up Triples Alley. He got a second hit on a squibber down the 3B line. Hopefully this game is a confidence booster for him.
Barry Zito- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.41. Zito came out with a bit if fire in his eyes. He was sailing his curveball half the time and the ump wasn't calling it when he did throw it for a strike. What Zito did was establish his fastball that got all the way up to 85 MPH on the outside corner at the knees and backed that up with a nice looking changeup until later in the game when he got a handle on the deuce and figured out where the ump would call it a strike. The 3'rd inning was a bit rough with a lot of very hard outs. You could see Hector Sanchez, The Zito Whisperer, working with him and talking him down several times and innings 4-7 went smoothly. Zeets got 2 standing O's. One when he came off the field after pitching the 7'th and once again when he came out of the game after giving up a leadoff HR to pinch-hitter John McDonald in the 8'th. Zito upped his record to 4-2 with 6 Quality Starts out of 9. How many of us would have predicted that the Giants would get that kind of performance out of him at the beginning of the season? With Timmy's struggles, that has saved the season so far as much as anything.
Clay Hensley- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.86. Hensley has been a godsend to the bullpen too. He quickly restored order in the 8'th after the leadoff HR by McDonald. Hensley has, among other things, a nasty put-away curveball that just drops off the table.
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(13). ERA= 1.23. Casilla gave us a bit of torture in this one allowing the tying runners on base and then getting saved by the winds in AT&T's RF as Ryan Roberts smoked one that looked like it was at least going to bounce off the wall. Blanco caught up with it right at the edge of the warning track for the final out.
Veterans- It as both inspiring and sad to see the young man maimed by war throw out the first pitch. Great day for Zito, the Veterans and the troops in attendance though.
Lon Simmons- Lon was at the game sitting in the stands with his daughter. He's an old dude but looked terrific. I cut my teeth as a Giants fan listening to Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons describe the exploits of my boyhood heroes, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry. Great to see him still going strong and still a Giants fan himself.
Barry Bonds- Barry paid a visit to the broadcast booth and had some very interesting insights. One take away point was that as a young player, he sought out the advice to pitchers teammates for help in figuring out how pitchers think and what to look for in game situations. Barry and Kruk got into a playful mano-a-mano about a dinger that Barry remembered hitting off Kruk. For a minute there I thought that conversation might end badly, but they both backed away in time and diverted themselves to a different topic without either one really backing down.
With the Win the Giants get back to 3 games over .500 tying their high water mark on the year. The NL West leading Dodgers are playing this evening. Giants are 14-8 since their 4 game losing streak to open the month, all 3 games to the Marlins and first game of the Brewers' series.
Ryan Vogelsong goes up against Joe Saunders in Game 2 of the series tomorrow night.
Scouting the Draft: Rounds 6-40.
Here is a list of players I like for one reason or another, or maybe for no reason who are not listed in BA's top 200 Draft Prospects, in no particular order:
Jamodrick Magruder, 2B/CF, Texas Tech- .358/.500!/.503 with 39 SB's in 44 attempts. In an offense starved draft, I can't for the life of me figure out why he's not ranked higher. I'd be happy if the Giants nabbed him as high as the 3'rd round.
Jake Stewart, CF, Stanford- .295/.337/.497 with 7 HR's. Most of the HR's came early in the season. He's an athletic guy from an elite program. Here's an interesting question: Can the Giants fix a hitter who has been ruined by Stanford?
Ty Gaffney, OF, Stanford- .246/.394/.345, 2 HR's. More of a football player. He'd obviously be a project.
Dylan Floro, RHP, CS Fullerton- 10-3, 2.52, 107 IP, 11 BB, 68 K's. Fullerton pitchers always seem to have great pitchability but the raw stuff does not project to the MLB level.
Joey Wagman, RHP, Cal Poly- 9-3, 2.33, 108.1 IP, 21 BB, 79 K's. I've noticed some nice lines in box scores.
Greg Larson, RHP, Florida- 6-0, 1.32, 47.2 IP, 10 BB, 34 K's. Senior. Huge at 6'8", 235 lbs. Gotta take a look at a guy that big with that kind of command.
Justin Haley, RHP, Fresno State- 7-3, 3.09, 84.1 IP, 33 BB, 87 K's. 6'5", 220 lbs. Size, K's and lack of command fits the profile of the type of pitcher the Giants are willing to take chances on.
Joe Sever, 2B, Pepperdine- .370/.447/.521, 6 HR, 9 SB. Big guy for 2B. I'm guessing most scouts don't think he can stay there leaving him with no position.
Zach Vincej, SS, Pepperdine- .348/.413/.454, 10 SB. I'm guessing the scouts don't think he can stay as SS.
Colton Tanner, LHP, Texas State- 5-3, 2.46, 87.2 IP, 34 BB, 87 K's. Nice size for a lefty at 6'2", 185 lbs. The strikeout and inning got my attention. Also, he was part of the Texas State rotation that reeled of something like 55 consecutive scoreless innings early in the season.
Jeffrey Gibbs, RHP, Maine- Hard thrower who got some press in the pre-season. Fell on his face with a ERA> 8. Would he sign as a later round draft pick or would he stay in school and try to improve his stock. Giants might be able to sell themselves as pitcher whisperers.
Taylor Ard, 1B, Washington St.- .332/.412/.577 with 12 HR. Classic college first baseman with a good hit tool, probably not enough power.
Dane Quist, LHP, UC Davis- 6-3, 3.15, 85.2 IP, 13 BB, 85 K's. Smallish LHP, Senior. Love the K/BB.
Anthony Kupbens, LHP, UC Davis- 5-4, 2.83, 95.1 IP, 19 BB, 49 K's. Bigger body than Quist but doesn't K anybody. Could he learn some kind of a swing and miss pitch?
Ron Miller is not listed in BA's top 200 for reasons I can't quite comprehend. I guess scouts don't like his body, but recent videos I've seen have him slimmed down a lot. I think he's signable, but probably not after round 3 or so. Nothing against Bregman, but I'm absolutely in love with Ron Miller who reminds me of a young Kevin Mitchell, at least physically. Sounds like Klima loves him too and that's good enough for me. The Minor League Ball Community Mock Draft this weekend suggests to me that the premium pichers will be gone by #84 but there will be some HS hitters like Miller or Bregman available. With the new CBA bonus rules, it gets very dicey on signablility of HS prospects past the supplemental round, but I think it's still possible for the Giants to cobble together a $1 M bonus for their second round choice. I think taking a HS pitcher like Hensley, Eflin, Traveiso or Sims at #20 then a HS hitter like Bregman or Miller at #84 would be a perfect scenario for me as a fan.
What do you think? Any other sleepers for the later rounds on your radar?
Jamodrick Magruder, 2B/CF, Texas Tech- .358/.500!/.503 with 39 SB's in 44 attempts. In an offense starved draft, I can't for the life of me figure out why he's not ranked higher. I'd be happy if the Giants nabbed him as high as the 3'rd round.
Jake Stewart, CF, Stanford- .295/.337/.497 with 7 HR's. Most of the HR's came early in the season. He's an athletic guy from an elite program. Here's an interesting question: Can the Giants fix a hitter who has been ruined by Stanford?
Ty Gaffney, OF, Stanford- .246/.394/.345, 2 HR's. More of a football player. He'd obviously be a project.
Dylan Floro, RHP, CS Fullerton- 10-3, 2.52, 107 IP, 11 BB, 68 K's. Fullerton pitchers always seem to have great pitchability but the raw stuff does not project to the MLB level.
Joey Wagman, RHP, Cal Poly- 9-3, 2.33, 108.1 IP, 21 BB, 79 K's. I've noticed some nice lines in box scores.
Greg Larson, RHP, Florida- 6-0, 1.32, 47.2 IP, 10 BB, 34 K's. Senior. Huge at 6'8", 235 lbs. Gotta take a look at a guy that big with that kind of command.
Justin Haley, RHP, Fresno State- 7-3, 3.09, 84.1 IP, 33 BB, 87 K's. 6'5", 220 lbs. Size, K's and lack of command fits the profile of the type of pitcher the Giants are willing to take chances on.
Joe Sever, 2B, Pepperdine- .370/.447/.521, 6 HR, 9 SB. Big guy for 2B. I'm guessing most scouts don't think he can stay there leaving him with no position.
Zach Vincej, SS, Pepperdine- .348/.413/.454, 10 SB. I'm guessing the scouts don't think he can stay as SS.
Colton Tanner, LHP, Texas State- 5-3, 2.46, 87.2 IP, 34 BB, 87 K's. Nice size for a lefty at 6'2", 185 lbs. The strikeout and inning got my attention. Also, he was part of the Texas State rotation that reeled of something like 55 consecutive scoreless innings early in the season.
Jeffrey Gibbs, RHP, Maine- Hard thrower who got some press in the pre-season. Fell on his face with a ERA> 8. Would he sign as a later round draft pick or would he stay in school and try to improve his stock. Giants might be able to sell themselves as pitcher whisperers.
Taylor Ard, 1B, Washington St.- .332/.412/.577 with 12 HR. Classic college first baseman with a good hit tool, probably not enough power.
Dane Quist, LHP, UC Davis- 6-3, 3.15, 85.2 IP, 13 BB, 85 K's. Smallish LHP, Senior. Love the K/BB.
Anthony Kupbens, LHP, UC Davis- 5-4, 2.83, 95.1 IP, 19 BB, 49 K's. Bigger body than Quist but doesn't K anybody. Could he learn some kind of a swing and miss pitch?
Ron Miller is not listed in BA's top 200 for reasons I can't quite comprehend. I guess scouts don't like his body, but recent videos I've seen have him slimmed down a lot. I think he's signable, but probably not after round 3 or so. Nothing against Bregman, but I'm absolutely in love with Ron Miller who reminds me of a young Kevin Mitchell, at least physically. Sounds like Klima loves him too and that's good enough for me. The Minor League Ball Community Mock Draft this weekend suggests to me that the premium pichers will be gone by #84 but there will be some HS hitters like Miller or Bregman available. With the new CBA bonus rules, it gets very dicey on signablility of HS prospects past the supplemental round, but I think it's still possible for the Giants to cobble together a $1 M bonus for their second round choice. I think taking a HS pitcher like Hensley, Eflin, Traveiso or Sims at #20 then a HS hitter like Bregman or Miller at #84 would be a perfect scenario for me as a fan.
What do you think? Any other sleepers for the later rounds on your radar?
Hot Tip: Ron Miller Q/A
John Klima has a Q/A with Ron Miller up on Baseball Prospect Report linked over on the left. Interesting interview. He's a kid of few words but seems rather self assured in a good way. No questions about college vs pros, but he sounds signable. Second round, Sabes! Get 'er done!
Down on the Farm: 5/27/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies downed the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 8-3:
Justin Christian(CF)- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(6), 2 BB. BA= .362. Let's see, the Giants are carrying 3 first basemen and 4 OF's? Hmm...
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels quieted the Trenton Thunder 5-2:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, CS(7), Assist(2B). BA= .255.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .181.
Tommy Joseph(C)- 2 for 3, SF. BA= .272.
Chris Heston(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 11 K's. ERA= 0.70.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(5). ERA= 1.52
Brownie continues to warm up, but also gets caught stealing way too much. Tommy Joseph continues to keep his head above water and more as the 3'rd youngest player in the league. Heston is just killing it and is starting to get some well deserved national recognition. He has 20 K's in 14 IP in his last 2 starts. His season line stands at 5-2, 0.70, 64.2 IP, 15 BB, 59 K's. He only had 1 K in his first start, so over his last 9 starts he has 58 K's in 59.2 IP. The 4 BB's were uncharacteristic as he's usually a great control guy. He might have been trying too hard for K's in this one. He had equaled his previous career high of 9 in his last start and remarked that he was tired of being stuck on 9 and needed to go for double digits. I'd like to see an updated scouting report and see what's he's throwing. Has to be a go-to swing and miss pitch in there somewhere. He's lowered his ERA each year since he broke in: 2009(AZL)- 4.11, 2010(Low A)- 3.75, 2011(High A)- 3.16. K and BB ratios have remained fairly constant.
High A Visalia Rawhide edged the San Jose Giants 2-1 in 10 innings:
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.34.
Jose Valdez(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.92.
Seth Rosin(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.20.
Andrew Chafin(LHP, Rawhide)- 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 11 K's. ERA= 2.91.
Chafin leads the minors in K's passing Trevor Bauer. D'Backs are loaded with pitching.
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats downed the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 4, Sac, SB(4). BA= .304.
Elliott Blair(LF)- 2 for 4. BA= .202.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.05.
Justin Christian(CF)- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(6), 2 BB. BA= .362. Let's see, the Giants are carrying 3 first basemen and 4 OF's? Hmm...
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels quieted the Trenton Thunder 5-2:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, CS(7), Assist(2B). BA= .255.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .181.
Tommy Joseph(C)- 2 for 3, SF. BA= .272.
Chris Heston(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 11 K's. ERA= 0.70.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(5). ERA= 1.52
Brownie continues to warm up, but also gets caught stealing way too much. Tommy Joseph continues to keep his head above water and more as the 3'rd youngest player in the league. Heston is just killing it and is starting to get some well deserved national recognition. He has 20 K's in 14 IP in his last 2 starts. His season line stands at 5-2, 0.70, 64.2 IP, 15 BB, 59 K's. He only had 1 K in his first start, so over his last 9 starts he has 58 K's in 59.2 IP. The 4 BB's were uncharacteristic as he's usually a great control guy. He might have been trying too hard for K's in this one. He had equaled his previous career high of 9 in his last start and remarked that he was tired of being stuck on 9 and needed to go for double digits. I'd like to see an updated scouting report and see what's he's throwing. Has to be a go-to swing and miss pitch in there somewhere. He's lowered his ERA each year since he broke in: 2009(AZL)- 4.11, 2010(Low A)- 3.75, 2011(High A)- 3.16. K and BB ratios have remained fairly constant.
High A Visalia Rawhide edged the San Jose Giants 2-1 in 10 innings:
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.34.
Jose Valdez(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.92.
Seth Rosin(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.20.
Andrew Chafin(LHP, Rawhide)- 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 11 K's. ERA= 2.91.
Chafin leads the minors in K's passing Trevor Bauer. D'Backs are loaded with pitching.
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats downed the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 4, Sac, SB(4). BA= .304.
Elliott Blair(LF)- 2 for 4. BA= .202.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.05.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Game Wrap 5/27/2012: Giants 3 Marlins 2
The Giants got another tremendous effort from Melky Cabrera, a well pitched game by Matt Cain and the bullpen and a mostly well managed game by Bruce Bochy to complete a successful road trip. Key Lines:
Melky Cabrera- 4 for 4, HR(4), 2 SB(9). BA= .369. Melky continues to be just amazeballs! I paid just $4 for him in my fantasy auction draft and said at the time he was the most underrated player in all of fantasy baseball. Kruk and Kuip were pimping him for All-Star starter and I fully agree. I've seen all 4 of Melky's HR's and every one has been a line drive. No sirree! No high majestic moon shots from Melky even though I'm sure he is physically capable of it. In his first AB, he turned on an inside pitch and pulled it down the line for the second time in the series. Many hitters would have been tempted to start trying to pull everything down the line. Not Melky! He went right up the middle in his next 3 AB's for 3 more hits and 2 more runs scored. In fact, he scored all 3 of the Giants' runs in this one. Here's what I've come to appreciate about Melky: He plays within himself and refuses to be distracted from that. Melky now has 46 hits in the month of May. Only Willie Mays has more in the same month in the history of the Giants at 49. Melky has 3 games to try to pass it. At this rate, it should be a slam dunk.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .295. Buster and Melky were the black hole in the Giants lineup yesterday. Today they, along with Angel Pagan were the entire Giants offense. Buster's double would have been a HR in AT&T, especially in the daytime and that's saying something. What if Buster played all his games in Miller Park?
Angel Pagan- 1 for 2, 3B, SF. BA= .308. Another good day at the plate for Pagan. He continues to be a bit of an enigma in the field. He made one clutch running diving catch in left-center, but later turned a single into a double with a bobble of an easy chance on a ball that rolled right to him.
Aubrey Huff- 0 for 3. BA= .167. I think it's past time to give up on the notion of trying to get Huffy going. Just ain't gonna happen at this point. If you are going to try to get somebody going, might as well be Belt. Alternatives would be to move Buster to 1B full time with Sanchez behind the plate. Another idea, move Pablo to 1B when he gets back, leave Arias at 3B and trade for a 2B or else try to get the Riot going(more on that later).
Brandon Belt- 0 for 1, K. BA= .228. The Giants have been tinkering with some technical/mechanical aspects to Belt's swing to keep him from getting tied up on the inside stuff. This was just a horrible AB though and had nothing to do with mechanical stuff and everything to do with an apparent inability to pull the trigger when it's necessary to swing. Runner at 3B, no outs. You CANNOT stand there and watch 3 strikes go by, you CANNOT! Still a better option than trying to get Huff going.
Joaquin Arias- 0 for 3, BB. BA= .263. Arias made several sparkling plays and had Kruk and Kuip raving about his D at 3B. He may have been a tad slow to react to a ball that went past him to his left, but he was guarding the line on that play.
Ryan Theriot- 0 for 4. BA= .191. Another 0 for 4, but Riot has been hitting the ball hard. At least two of his outs today were hard hit line drives right at OF's. I think he probably has more offensive upside than Burriss. The big question is on D where he made a nice acrobatic play but later almost fell down while transferring a rather routine grounder to his throwing hand and barely got the runner at first.
Matt Cain- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.79. Pretty routine start for Cainer which is pretty darn good for most pitchers. He even got the W and is on a pace to win 15 games on the season!
Santiago Casilla- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(12). ERA= 1.29. 4 out Save for Casilla, but I'm glad he didn't have to face the middle of the Marlins order. Still don't have complete confidence in him against the best hitters in the game although he usually closes out a game with a lot less drama than BWeezy.
Bruce Bochy- Mixed bag here: 1. I think Kruk and Kuip were making fun of his reasoning for putting Huff in the lineup against Nolasco. There's that HR he hit back in......??? OK, Boch, just say you wanted to play Huff and be done with it! Belt's AB was argument enough for it even though I think it's probably better to play Belt. 2. The suicide squeeze with Pagan on third and 1 out with Arias at the plate was ridiculous. I think it might have been born out of frustration with Belt's horrible AB that preceded it, but you gotta stay calm. Arias' best bet was to put the ball in play and hope for at least a productive out. 3. Beautiful job managing the pitching and you can't overestimate the the importance of that.
I always hesitate to criticize Bochy in even the mildest way because it always seems to invite a firestorm of hyperbolic knee jerk reaction, so please keep the comments rational. Gotta be able to evaluate and discuss the good and the bad without the kneejerk stuff.
The Giants end up splitting the series and winning the road trip 4 games to 3. Dodgers beat the "Stros so the Giants remain 7.5 games behind in 2'nd place in the NL West. The D'Backs topped the BrewCrew 4-3 to remain 10.5 games behind the Dodgers in 3'rd place while the Rockies and Padres both lost to fall 14.5 and 16 games behind respectively.
The Giants open a 3 game set at home against the D'Backs with Barry Zito appropriately taking the mound in a Memorial Day afternoon start.
Melky Cabrera- 4 for 4, HR(4), 2 SB(9). BA= .369. Melky continues to be just amazeballs! I paid just $4 for him in my fantasy auction draft and said at the time he was the most underrated player in all of fantasy baseball. Kruk and Kuip were pimping him for All-Star starter and I fully agree. I've seen all 4 of Melky's HR's and every one has been a line drive. No sirree! No high majestic moon shots from Melky even though I'm sure he is physically capable of it. In his first AB, he turned on an inside pitch and pulled it down the line for the second time in the series. Many hitters would have been tempted to start trying to pull everything down the line. Not Melky! He went right up the middle in his next 3 AB's for 3 more hits and 2 more runs scored. In fact, he scored all 3 of the Giants' runs in this one. Here's what I've come to appreciate about Melky: He plays within himself and refuses to be distracted from that. Melky now has 46 hits in the month of May. Only Willie Mays has more in the same month in the history of the Giants at 49. Melky has 3 games to try to pass it. At this rate, it should be a slam dunk.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .295. Buster and Melky were the black hole in the Giants lineup yesterday. Today they, along with Angel Pagan were the entire Giants offense. Buster's double would have been a HR in AT&T, especially in the daytime and that's saying something. What if Buster played all his games in Miller Park?
Angel Pagan- 1 for 2, 3B, SF. BA= .308. Another good day at the plate for Pagan. He continues to be a bit of an enigma in the field. He made one clutch running diving catch in left-center, but later turned a single into a double with a bobble of an easy chance on a ball that rolled right to him.
Aubrey Huff- 0 for 3. BA= .167. I think it's past time to give up on the notion of trying to get Huffy going. Just ain't gonna happen at this point. If you are going to try to get somebody going, might as well be Belt. Alternatives would be to move Buster to 1B full time with Sanchez behind the plate. Another idea, move Pablo to 1B when he gets back, leave Arias at 3B and trade for a 2B or else try to get the Riot going(more on that later).
Brandon Belt- 0 for 1, K. BA= .228. The Giants have been tinkering with some technical/mechanical aspects to Belt's swing to keep him from getting tied up on the inside stuff. This was just a horrible AB though and had nothing to do with mechanical stuff and everything to do with an apparent inability to pull the trigger when it's necessary to swing. Runner at 3B, no outs. You CANNOT stand there and watch 3 strikes go by, you CANNOT! Still a better option than trying to get Huff going.
Joaquin Arias- 0 for 3, BB. BA= .263. Arias made several sparkling plays and had Kruk and Kuip raving about his D at 3B. He may have been a tad slow to react to a ball that went past him to his left, but he was guarding the line on that play.
Ryan Theriot- 0 for 4. BA= .191. Another 0 for 4, but Riot has been hitting the ball hard. At least two of his outs today were hard hit line drives right at OF's. I think he probably has more offensive upside than Burriss. The big question is on D where he made a nice acrobatic play but later almost fell down while transferring a rather routine grounder to his throwing hand and barely got the runner at first.
Matt Cain- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.79. Pretty routine start for Cainer which is pretty darn good for most pitchers. He even got the W and is on a pace to win 15 games on the season!
Santiago Casilla- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(12). ERA= 1.29. 4 out Save for Casilla, but I'm glad he didn't have to face the middle of the Marlins order. Still don't have complete confidence in him against the best hitters in the game although he usually closes out a game with a lot less drama than BWeezy.
Bruce Bochy- Mixed bag here: 1. I think Kruk and Kuip were making fun of his reasoning for putting Huff in the lineup against Nolasco. There's that HR he hit back in......??? OK, Boch, just say you wanted to play Huff and be done with it! Belt's AB was argument enough for it even though I think it's probably better to play Belt. 2. The suicide squeeze with Pagan on third and 1 out with Arias at the plate was ridiculous. I think it might have been born out of frustration with Belt's horrible AB that preceded it, but you gotta stay calm. Arias' best bet was to put the ball in play and hope for at least a productive out. 3. Beautiful job managing the pitching and you can't overestimate the the importance of that.
I always hesitate to criticize Bochy in even the mildest way because it always seems to invite a firestorm of hyperbolic knee jerk reaction, so please keep the comments rational. Gotta be able to evaluate and discuss the good and the bad without the kneejerk stuff.
The Giants end up splitting the series and winning the road trip 4 games to 3. Dodgers beat the "Stros so the Giants remain 7.5 games behind in 2'nd place in the NL West. The D'Backs topped the BrewCrew 4-3 to remain 10.5 games behind the Dodgers in 3'rd place while the Rockies and Padres both lost to fall 14.5 and 16 games behind respectively.
The Giants open a 3 game set at home against the D'Backs with Barry Zito appropriately taking the mound in a Memorial Day afternoon start.
Scouting the Draft: Giants Round 5
This draft is not to exciting at the top, but I think it is quite deep as evidenced by some interesting players who BA projects to be available in Round 4. A huge wild card in this draft showed up in the Minor League Ball draft with a lot of HS talent that would ordinarily go in Rounds 2 and 3 dropping due to signability concerns. That effectively moved the college guys up a round. It remains to be seen what impact it will have in the real draft. Probably won't change what the Giants do because they stuck pretty close to slot in the past, but it could really change the overall talent level in this draft. I'm sure there will be quite a few HS kids who will realize they have no leverage but still want to sign who will get a lot less money than they would have in the past. Let's see who the Giants may be looking at in Round 5, #178, keeping in mind that all these players we've discussed may be moving up a round in the real draft:
176. Edgardo Rivera, OF, Puerto Rico HS. Toolsy OF with speed. Some scouts give him an 80 grade on speed! He's expected to sign and the Giants drafted 4 PR kids last year and got 3 signed, so I think it could happen.
177. Giovanni Brusa, OF, Stockton HS. 6'3", 195 lbs. Big strong switch hitter who wants to sign. Projects as a corner OF.
179. Matthew Reckling, RHP, Rice. Could be the highest drafted college senior. 6'4", 215 lbs. Sits 88-92 MPH as a starter but has jumped up to 97 as a reliever. Also has that Rice trademark spike curve. May profile better as a two pitch reliever.
180. Mark Sappington, RHP, Div II college. 6'4", 220 lbs. FB 92-96 MPH. Probably more of a reliever. Giants love these kinds of pitchers.
181. Billy Waltrip, LHP, JC. 6'2", 215 lbs. Physical lefty who goes low-mid 90's. Again, the Giants love these kinds of pitchers in the mid-single digit rounds.
184. Jon Moscot, RHP, Pepperdine. 6'4", 210 lb. Throw strikes with a FB that has ranged 88-94 MPH, but usuall tops out at 92. Has average changeup, splitter and slider to go with it. I really like Moscot a lot and think he could be a steal in round 5. Giants may prefer the more physical reliever types though.
186. Trey Lang, RHP, JC. Another big kid at 6'3", 235 lbs, trimmed down from 260 lbs! FB goes 92-96 but his velocity and stuff faded late in the season, probably from fatigue as he was also playing OF and DH'ing. Slider was a "wipeout" pitch early in the season.
187. Scott Griggs, RHP, UCLA. UCLA closer this year. 52 K's in 30 IP but also 29 BB's. Has "electric" stuff with a FB goes 91-95 and a power curveball that is his best pitch. Command is an issue and some scouts think he'll never get it. That doesn't seem to scare the Giants off, though.
195. Christian Powell, RHP, College of Charleston. Yet another big dude at 6'5", 220 lbs. FB 90-96 as a starter with sink. Pitches more to contact than for the K's.
196. Zach Isler, RHP, Cincinnati. And yet another big reliever type. 6'5", 240 lbs. FB 90-85 with heavy sink. Often sits at 93-94.
198. Reid Scoggins, RHP, JC. There were rumors of Scoggins hitting 101 MPH early in the season sending scouts flocking to see him. By the time the scouts got there he was more in the 91-96 range. Missed 2011 with TJ surgery. 6'3", 205 lbs.
With so many big strong college reliever types available in the 4-6 round range, the Giants should be like kids in a candy store snapping up one after the other just like last year.
176. Edgardo Rivera, OF, Puerto Rico HS. Toolsy OF with speed. Some scouts give him an 80 grade on speed! He's expected to sign and the Giants drafted 4 PR kids last year and got 3 signed, so I think it could happen.
177. Giovanni Brusa, OF, Stockton HS. 6'3", 195 lbs. Big strong switch hitter who wants to sign. Projects as a corner OF.
179. Matthew Reckling, RHP, Rice. Could be the highest drafted college senior. 6'4", 215 lbs. Sits 88-92 MPH as a starter but has jumped up to 97 as a reliever. Also has that Rice trademark spike curve. May profile better as a two pitch reliever.
180. Mark Sappington, RHP, Div II college. 6'4", 220 lbs. FB 92-96 MPH. Probably more of a reliever. Giants love these kinds of pitchers.
181. Billy Waltrip, LHP, JC. 6'2", 215 lbs. Physical lefty who goes low-mid 90's. Again, the Giants love these kinds of pitchers in the mid-single digit rounds.
184. Jon Moscot, RHP, Pepperdine. 6'4", 210 lb. Throw strikes with a FB that has ranged 88-94 MPH, but usuall tops out at 92. Has average changeup, splitter and slider to go with it. I really like Moscot a lot and think he could be a steal in round 5. Giants may prefer the more physical reliever types though.
186. Trey Lang, RHP, JC. Another big kid at 6'3", 235 lbs, trimmed down from 260 lbs! FB goes 92-96 but his velocity and stuff faded late in the season, probably from fatigue as he was also playing OF and DH'ing. Slider was a "wipeout" pitch early in the season.
187. Scott Griggs, RHP, UCLA. UCLA closer this year. 52 K's in 30 IP but also 29 BB's. Has "electric" stuff with a FB goes 91-95 and a power curveball that is his best pitch. Command is an issue and some scouts think he'll never get it. That doesn't seem to scare the Giants off, though.
195. Christian Powell, RHP, College of Charleston. Yet another big dude at 6'5", 220 lbs. FB 90-96 as a starter with sink. Pitches more to contact than for the K's.
196. Zach Isler, RHP, Cincinnati. And yet another big reliever type. 6'5", 240 lbs. FB 90-85 with heavy sink. Often sits at 93-94.
198. Reid Scoggins, RHP, JC. There were rumors of Scoggins hitting 101 MPH early in the season sending scouts flocking to see him. By the time the scouts got there he was more in the 91-96 range. Missed 2011 with TJ surgery. 6'3", 205 lbs.
With so many big strong college reliever types available in the 4-6 round range, the Giants should be like kids in a candy store snapping up one after the other just like last year.
Down on the Farm: 5/26/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies won a rare pitching duel in the PCL 1-0 over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox:
Justin Christian(CF)- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .358.
Charlie Culberson(2B)- 2 for 4. BA= .289.
Yusmeiro Petit(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 3.98.
George Kontos(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.08.
Two dominant starts in a row for Petit allowing just 1 run with 19 K's against 1 BB in 13 IP. Over his last 4 starts, he has an ERA of 1.44 with 24 K's, 6 BB, in 25 IP. Kontos has pitched well since the Fonty trade. He's a big guy who throws hard. The back end of the Giants bullpen is doing well right now, but Kontos looks like he could be an able fill in. He's probably second in line behind Brad Penny which seems really strange....but good. The Giants look like they are in good position if they want to try to pull off a trade of some kind. Maybe for a second baseman? Giants have several players they could sell high on, especially after Pablo comes back.
AA Pitching duels are more common in the EL. Richmond lost theirs to the Trenton Thunder, who always seem to gave great pitching, 1-0:
Chris Gloor(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.48.
Tom Vessella(LHP)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.66.
Gloor and Vessella are a couple of possible future LOOGY's.
High A San Jose Giants defeated the Bakersfield Blaze 8-2:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 1 for 4, BB, SB(11). BA= .253.
Joe Panik(SS)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3). BA= .254.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 5, HR(8). BA= .277.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .272.
Chris Wilson(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.86.
Ricky is hitting .289/.438/.553 over his last 10 games. Duvall is hitting .442 over his last 10 and has hit 4 of his 8 HR's in that span.
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats topped the Augusta Greenjackets 7-4:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 3, BB, SB(3), Assist(3B). BA= .316.
Alberto Robles(SS)- 2 for 4, SB(2). BA= .150.
Brett Krill(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .209.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 7.94.
Steven Neff(LHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.81.
Mejia has allowed just 2 runs in his last 11.1 IP over 6 appearances while striking out 10 against just 1 BB. Neff's line over his last 10 games is 0-1, 2.20, 16.1 IP, 5 H, 20 K.
Justin Christian(CF)- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .358.
Charlie Culberson(2B)- 2 for 4. BA= .289.
Yusmeiro Petit(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 3.98.
George Kontos(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.08.
Two dominant starts in a row for Petit allowing just 1 run with 19 K's against 1 BB in 13 IP. Over his last 4 starts, he has an ERA of 1.44 with 24 K's, 6 BB, in 25 IP. Kontos has pitched well since the Fonty trade. He's a big guy who throws hard. The back end of the Giants bullpen is doing well right now, but Kontos looks like he could be an able fill in. He's probably second in line behind Brad Penny which seems really strange....but good. The Giants look like they are in good position if they want to try to pull off a trade of some kind. Maybe for a second baseman? Giants have several players they could sell high on, especially after Pablo comes back.
AA Pitching duels are more common in the EL. Richmond lost theirs to the Trenton Thunder, who always seem to gave great pitching, 1-0:
Chris Gloor(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.48.
Tom Vessella(LHP)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.66.
Gloor and Vessella are a couple of possible future LOOGY's.
High A San Jose Giants defeated the Bakersfield Blaze 8-2:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 1 for 4, BB, SB(11). BA= .253.
Joe Panik(SS)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3). BA= .254.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 5, HR(8). BA= .277.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .272.
Chris Wilson(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.86.
Ricky is hitting .289/.438/.553 over his last 10 games. Duvall is hitting .442 over his last 10 and has hit 4 of his 8 HR's in that span.
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats topped the Augusta Greenjackets 7-4:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 3, BB, SB(3), Assist(3B). BA= .316.
Alberto Robles(SS)- 2 for 4, SB(2). BA= .150.
Brett Krill(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .209.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 7.94.
Steven Neff(LHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.81.
Mejia has allowed just 2 runs in his last 11.1 IP over 6 appearances while striking out 10 against just 1 BB. Neff's line over his last 10 games is 0-1, 2.20, 16.1 IP, 5 H, 20 K.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Game Wrap 5/26/2012: Marlins 5 Giants 3
The Giants were not really in this one from the 3'rd inning on. At times it looked like it was the last place in the world they wanted to be and with that stadium, who can blame them? Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5. BA= .290. Blanco set the table, but nobody came to the dinner.
Ryan Theriot- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .203. It's tough to swallow when your 1 and 2 hitters go a combined 5 for 9 and you only get two runs produced out of it. Melky and Posey were the black holes in this one. Melky, in particular, has not looked like he is seeing the ball real well since his HR last night. Dude can look like the best hitter in the world 3 AB's or 3 or 4 games then look completely lost for a game or two. Strange.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .306. Pagan just keeps going and going.
Madison Bumgarner- 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.14. There was some BABIPing going on here, but Bumgarner sometimes gets hittable if he doesn't have his trademark pinpoint control.
Steve Edlefsen- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.70. Edlefsen seems to be settling in with much better command than we've seen last year and early this year. You can see why the slider was once voted best in the organization by BA. With his GB tendencies, he can keep his pitch counts down. 16 pitches to get 4 outs in this one. That should allow him to go more than one inning per outing. He's pretty much free for a couple more years too!
Mark Buehrle(Marlins)- 7.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.26. This park is tailor made for Buehrle. Really tough to hit it out unless you pull it. He just rides the outside corner with soft stuff and lets his OF's chase it down in the cavernous middle half of the field.
Heath Bell(Marlins)- 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 8.47. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. It's kind of jarring to see Bell, who was truly loved by the fans in San Diego and had great ties to the community there, get absolutely booed off the field. Kruk and Kuip were saying that he's always been a big guy, but I think he might be a bit bigger now. I think his body is keeping him from leveraging the ball in a downward plane so it staying up in the zone or even taking off. Oh, and dude has very strange shaped feet! At any rate, Heath Bell is a very unpopular guy in Miami right now. He wasn't quite himself last year in San Diego either so I guess it's not a total surprise.
Dodgers are playing under the lights so we'll see if the Giants lose more ground to the NL West leaders.
Matt Cain takes on Ricky Nolasco tomorrow to try to bring home a split series and a winning road trip.
Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5. BA= .290. Blanco set the table, but nobody came to the dinner.
Ryan Theriot- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .203. It's tough to swallow when your 1 and 2 hitters go a combined 5 for 9 and you only get two runs produced out of it. Melky and Posey were the black holes in this one. Melky, in particular, has not looked like he is seeing the ball real well since his HR last night. Dude can look like the best hitter in the world 3 AB's or 3 or 4 games then look completely lost for a game or two. Strange.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .306. Pagan just keeps going and going.
Madison Bumgarner- 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.14. There was some BABIPing going on here, but Bumgarner sometimes gets hittable if he doesn't have his trademark pinpoint control.
Steve Edlefsen- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.70. Edlefsen seems to be settling in with much better command than we've seen last year and early this year. You can see why the slider was once voted best in the organization by BA. With his GB tendencies, he can keep his pitch counts down. 16 pitches to get 4 outs in this one. That should allow him to go more than one inning per outing. He's pretty much free for a couple more years too!
Mark Buehrle(Marlins)- 7.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.26. This park is tailor made for Buehrle. Really tough to hit it out unless you pull it. He just rides the outside corner with soft stuff and lets his OF's chase it down in the cavernous middle half of the field.
Heath Bell(Marlins)- 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 8.47. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. It's kind of jarring to see Bell, who was truly loved by the fans in San Diego and had great ties to the community there, get absolutely booed off the field. Kruk and Kuip were saying that he's always been a big guy, but I think he might be a bit bigger now. I think his body is keeping him from leveraging the ball in a downward plane so it staying up in the zone or even taking off. Oh, and dude has very strange shaped feet! At any rate, Heath Bell is a very unpopular guy in Miami right now. He wasn't quite himself last year in San Diego either so I guess it's not a total surprise.
Dodgers are playing under the lights so we'll see if the Giants lose more ground to the NL West leaders.
Matt Cain takes on Ricky Nolasco tomorrow to try to bring home a split series and a winning road trip.
Scouting the Draft: Giants Round 4
The Giants 4'th round pick falls at #148. Here's some names of players who might be available there. I'm going to assume that not very many HS players are gonna get drafted past round 3, especially by the Giants. If they are, it will be a name who we've never heard of who they think they can sign for slot money. As always, the rankings are from BA's Top 200 Draft Prospects:
143. LJ Mazzili, 2B, Connecticut. Son of former MLB'er Lee Mazzili. 6'1", 190 lbs. Projects as an offense-first 2B. .325/.392/.557 slash line this spring which is just so-so for a college hitter.
145. Cameron Perkins, 3B, Purdue. 6'5", 200 lbs. Best hitter on Big 10 champ Purdue team. .360/.408/.547 with 9 HR's and 15 2B in 225 AB.
147. Matt Reynolds, 3b, Arkansas. Started out as a freshman SS. Has played mostly 3B after a finger injury, but could possibly move back to SS which would greatly increase his value. .350/460/.541 slash line. More gap hitter than power.
148. Lex Rutledge, LHP, Samford. Hard throwing LH reliever with control issues. Has reached 98 MPH in the Cape Cod League. The Giants love to draft guys like this starting in about round 4.
149. Blake Hauser, RHP, Virginia Commonwealth. Another hard throwing reliever with command issues. Spring pitching line: 5-2, 3.48, 31 IP, 25 BB, 60 K's. Sat 93-95 MPH early spring but lost some velocity after falling in love with his slider.
150. Steven Okert, LHP, Oklahoma. Another lefty reliever with low- mid 90's fastball and a slider that is "death to lefthanded hitters."
155. Keon Barnum, 1B, HS. I love Barnum who I think looks like a young Willie Mac. He's a Miami recruit though and won't sign for 4'th round slot money. If the Giants are really serious about drafting power, they might want to think about taking him in Round 2, go over slot, then draft a bunch of college relievers in rounds 3-10. He's got enough arm and speed to think about moving him to LF.
156. Micah Johnson, 2B, Indiana. Very athletic player with good bat speed. Missed some time this spring with injury. Reportedly beat Greg Oden in a game of 1 on 1 in HS. Has questionable hands and might profile better as a CF.
157. Corey Black, RHP, Faulkner(Ala). Timmy sized hard throwing RHP with a history of TJ surgery. FB up to 96. Sounds like a pitcher the Giants might take a chance on in round 4.
159. Joey DiMichele, 2B, Arizona State. One of the better pure college hitters in the draft. Gap power. Question is whether he can play D at 2B. BA says he could go as high as round 2 if a team believes he can stick at 2B.
160. Matt Carasiti, RHP, St Johns. 6'3", 205 lbs. Friday starter for St Johns this year, but profiles as more of a reliever. Physical hard thrower but lacks command and secondary stuff.
161. Patrick Wisdom, 3B, St Mary's. Stock has fallen due to struggles at the plate coming off a great sophomore season and Alaska summer league where he hit a league leading 7 HR's. Plus D at 3B.
If I had to guess, I'd say the Giants take one of the college relievers at this slot.
143. LJ Mazzili, 2B, Connecticut. Son of former MLB'er Lee Mazzili. 6'1", 190 lbs. Projects as an offense-first 2B. .325/.392/.557 slash line this spring which is just so-so for a college hitter.
145. Cameron Perkins, 3B, Purdue. 6'5", 200 lbs. Best hitter on Big 10 champ Purdue team. .360/.408/.547 with 9 HR's and 15 2B in 225 AB.
147. Matt Reynolds, 3b, Arkansas. Started out as a freshman SS. Has played mostly 3B after a finger injury, but could possibly move back to SS which would greatly increase his value. .350/460/.541 slash line. More gap hitter than power.
148. Lex Rutledge, LHP, Samford. Hard throwing LH reliever with control issues. Has reached 98 MPH in the Cape Cod League. The Giants love to draft guys like this starting in about round 4.
149. Blake Hauser, RHP, Virginia Commonwealth. Another hard throwing reliever with command issues. Spring pitching line: 5-2, 3.48, 31 IP, 25 BB, 60 K's. Sat 93-95 MPH early spring but lost some velocity after falling in love with his slider.
150. Steven Okert, LHP, Oklahoma. Another lefty reliever with low- mid 90's fastball and a slider that is "death to lefthanded hitters."
155. Keon Barnum, 1B, HS. I love Barnum who I think looks like a young Willie Mac. He's a Miami recruit though and won't sign for 4'th round slot money. If the Giants are really serious about drafting power, they might want to think about taking him in Round 2, go over slot, then draft a bunch of college relievers in rounds 3-10. He's got enough arm and speed to think about moving him to LF.
156. Micah Johnson, 2B, Indiana. Very athletic player with good bat speed. Missed some time this spring with injury. Reportedly beat Greg Oden in a game of 1 on 1 in HS. Has questionable hands and might profile better as a CF.
157. Corey Black, RHP, Faulkner(Ala). Timmy sized hard throwing RHP with a history of TJ surgery. FB up to 96. Sounds like a pitcher the Giants might take a chance on in round 4.
159. Joey DiMichele, 2B, Arizona State. One of the better pure college hitters in the draft. Gap power. Question is whether he can play D at 2B. BA says he could go as high as round 2 if a team believes he can stick at 2B.
160. Matt Carasiti, RHP, St Johns. 6'3", 205 lbs. Friday starter for St Johns this year, but profiles as more of a reliever. Physical hard thrower but lacks command and secondary stuff.
161. Patrick Wisdom, 3B, St Mary's. Stock has fallen due to struggles at the plate coming off a great sophomore season and Alaska summer league where he hit a league leading 7 HR's. Plus D at 3B.
If I had to guess, I'd say the Giants take one of the college relievers at this slot.
Hot Tip: Mock Draft on Minor League Ball
Good luck to Shankbone as he represents for Giants fans over on the Minor League Ball draft. Starts at 10 AM PDT. Check it out. Oh, and here's my suggested draft board for pick #20, Shank:
1. Richie Shaffer
2. Ty Hensley
3. Zach Eflin/Nick Traveiso/ Lucas Sims/Walker Weickel.
I think I've come to the conclusion that Richie Shaffer is THE impact college hitter in the draft. If he's there, take him. If not, go with one of the HS RHP's.
1. Richie Shaffer
2. Ty Hensley
3. Zach Eflin/Nick Traveiso/ Lucas Sims/Walker Weickel.
I think I've come to the conclusion that Richie Shaffer is THE impact college hitter in the draft. If he's there, take him. If not, go with one of the HS RHP's.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Down on the Farm: 5/25/2012
AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 5-1:
Shawn Sanford(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Surprise callup for Sanford and a very nice AAA debut in a losing cause.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Trenton Thunder 4-1:
Nick Liles(RF)- 2 for 4. BA= .283.
Daniel Mayora(3B)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .314.
Tommy Joseph(C)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .258.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.14.
Tommy Joseph makes his first appearance since May 12.
High A San Jose Giants out hit the Bakersfield Blaze 9-5:
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 4 for 5, BB. BA= .347.
Joe Panik(SS)- 1 for 4, 2 BB. BA= .254.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 4, 2 BB. BA= .267.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .272.
Andrew Susac(C)- 2 for 4, BB, HBP. BA= .253.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .197.
Hector Correa(RHP)- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 5.14.
The whole SJ lineup has been hitting better lately. It looks like the Giants are stretching out Correa to make him a starter.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 2-1:
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.06.
Demondre Arnold(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.33.
Derek Law(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.90.
Crick gave up some hits but had a dominant K/BB.
Shawn Sanford(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Surprise callup for Sanford and a very nice AAA debut in a losing cause.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Trenton Thunder 4-1:
Nick Liles(RF)- 2 for 4. BA= .283.
Daniel Mayora(3B)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .314.
Tommy Joseph(C)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .258.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.14.
Tommy Joseph makes his first appearance since May 12.
High A San Jose Giants out hit the Bakersfield Blaze 9-5:
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 4 for 5, BB. BA= .347.
Joe Panik(SS)- 1 for 4, 2 BB. BA= .254.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 4, 2 BB. BA= .267.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .272.
Andrew Susac(C)- 2 for 4, BB, HBP. BA= .253.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .197.
Hector Correa(RHP)- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 5.14.
The whole SJ lineup has been hitting better lately. It looks like the Giants are stretching out Correa to make him a starter.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 2-1:
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.06.
Demondre Arnold(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.33.
Derek Law(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.90.
Crick gave up some hits but had a dominant K/BB.
Game Wrap 5/25/2012: Marlins 7 Giants 6
The Story is pretty simple here. Tim Lincecum had another disastrous inning aided and abetted by some poor Giants fielding. A solid performance from the offense was not enough to overcome that deficit. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .274. Blanco is fun to watch and he's more than just a slap and dash hitter. He's got some punch up there. He's making a strong case for being kept around next year. Not sure if he's even arbitration eligible yet.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, SF. BA= .240. Crawford is rapidly becoming a force in the 2 hole in the lineup.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 5, 3B(6), HR(3). BA= .363. Melky stays red hot, but got caught looking for the final out and maybe nonchalanted a ball in the OF that started Tim Lincecum's downfall. I'll give him a pass on the final K as Ozzie Guillen clearly had a well thought out plan of how to pitch to him and Cishek executed it perfectly. The final strike was a slider that Sergio Romo would have been proud of. On the ball Infante hit to lead off the 6'th inning against Lincecum, it looked like Melky might have been a bit overconfident and let the ball get by him for a double. It's by no means certain that stretching that hit into a double made a difference in the inning, but it certainly did not help. Also, gotta wonder if Timmy was thinking about that play later in the inning.
Joaquin Arias- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .270. Arias is looking good at the plate. In addition to the 2 hits, he hit another ball right on the nose but right into the glove of the first baseman. I would think Arias would slide over to 2B when Pablo gets back and the Giants would have a pretty darn good 1-8 lineup.
Brandon Belt- 1 for 2. BA= .233. In his first AB, Belt took a defensive swing on a weak flyout to LF, but in his second AB attacked the ball nicely on a solid single to CF.
Ryan Theriot- 1 for 4. BA= .183. Not that he's any great shakes himself, but Burriss is a better player than Theriot right now. Theriot just looks done, much like Tejada and OCab last year. Hopefully 2B goes to Arias after Sandoval returns.
Tim Lincecum- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 6.41. The pitching line does not begin to tell the story here. Timmy came out on fire with a crisp fastball that sat at 93 and touched 94 MPH. He got through the first 4 innings with a low pitch count and a dinger by Giancarlo as his only blemish. He then labored through the 5'th inning issuing two walks. The first batter of the 6'th inning, infante lined what should have been a single to LF which Melky appeared to misplay into a double. After Hanley struck out looking, Gincarlo singled to CF to drive in Infante and then stole 2B. That's when everything went to hell in a handbasket so to speak as Timmy gave up a walk to Morrison, a single to Bryan Peterson, LONG SF to John Buck and a dinger to Chris Coghlin.
In addition to the crisp fastball early on, Timmy appeared to junk the splitter and use a sharp curveball that was quite effective. When he did throw a changeup, it behaved more like a straight or circle change than the splitter and was also effective. It looked like Timmy was hanging the deuce in the 6'th inning, most likely due to fatigue. Trying to come inside with it to Coghlin was a highly questionable selection. Not sure if that one is on Tim or Buster.
In summary, I think a lack of stamina is most likely what did Timmy in tonight. More on that later.
Bruce Bochy- OK, I'm going to nitpick here a little and there are definitely arguments that can go either way here: 1. With no outs and runners on first and second, Theriot grounded into a DP. Kruk mentioned at the beginning of the AB that Theriot would ordinarily be bunting but obviously not with Lincecum coming up. Now, if the bunt is successful, you get runners at 2'nd and 3'rd with the pitcher coming up. First of all, you do have some options with the pitcher. There's a chance he might put the ball in play and drive in a run. He could lay down a squeeze although it might be a bit too obvious. At worst, he makes an out and you still have runners at 2'nd and third with Blanco coming up. I'm not a huge fan of giving up outs, but this is a case where a DP ball was so likely, I would have preferred to try to advance the runners but sac bunt. 2. In the 6'th inning with Infante on 2B and 1 out, I think I would have walked Giancarlo. He's the one guy in the Marlins lineup who can hit the ball out of that stadium in any direction and he's killed the Giants lately. Intentionally walking him there takes the bat out of his hands and sets up a possible DP with Morrison coming up. I know it would have brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but I'm a big proponent of not letting the best hitter in the opposing team's lineup beat you. 3. Bochy should have recognized that Timmy was losing it long before the dinger to Coghlin, and had someone ready to bring in right about the time he walked Morrison.
The Dodgers lost to the 'Stros 3-1 so the Giants remain 6.5 games behind the division leaders in 2'nd place.
Madison Bumgarner takes on Mark Buehrle in a 4:10 ET start tomorrow.
Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .274. Blanco is fun to watch and he's more than just a slap and dash hitter. He's got some punch up there. He's making a strong case for being kept around next year. Not sure if he's even arbitration eligible yet.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, SF. BA= .240. Crawford is rapidly becoming a force in the 2 hole in the lineup.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 5, 3B(6), HR(3). BA= .363. Melky stays red hot, but got caught looking for the final out and maybe nonchalanted a ball in the OF that started Tim Lincecum's downfall. I'll give him a pass on the final K as Ozzie Guillen clearly had a well thought out plan of how to pitch to him and Cishek executed it perfectly. The final strike was a slider that Sergio Romo would have been proud of. On the ball Infante hit to lead off the 6'th inning against Lincecum, it looked like Melky might have been a bit overconfident and let the ball get by him for a double. It's by no means certain that stretching that hit into a double made a difference in the inning, but it certainly did not help. Also, gotta wonder if Timmy was thinking about that play later in the inning.
Joaquin Arias- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .270. Arias is looking good at the plate. In addition to the 2 hits, he hit another ball right on the nose but right into the glove of the first baseman. I would think Arias would slide over to 2B when Pablo gets back and the Giants would have a pretty darn good 1-8 lineup.
Brandon Belt- 1 for 2. BA= .233. In his first AB, Belt took a defensive swing on a weak flyout to LF, but in his second AB attacked the ball nicely on a solid single to CF.
Ryan Theriot- 1 for 4. BA= .183. Not that he's any great shakes himself, but Burriss is a better player than Theriot right now. Theriot just looks done, much like Tejada and OCab last year. Hopefully 2B goes to Arias after Sandoval returns.
Tim Lincecum- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 6.41. The pitching line does not begin to tell the story here. Timmy came out on fire with a crisp fastball that sat at 93 and touched 94 MPH. He got through the first 4 innings with a low pitch count and a dinger by Giancarlo as his only blemish. He then labored through the 5'th inning issuing two walks. The first batter of the 6'th inning, infante lined what should have been a single to LF which Melky appeared to misplay into a double. After Hanley struck out looking, Gincarlo singled to CF to drive in Infante and then stole 2B. That's when everything went to hell in a handbasket so to speak as Timmy gave up a walk to Morrison, a single to Bryan Peterson, LONG SF to John Buck and a dinger to Chris Coghlin.
In addition to the crisp fastball early on, Timmy appeared to junk the splitter and use a sharp curveball that was quite effective. When he did throw a changeup, it behaved more like a straight or circle change than the splitter and was also effective. It looked like Timmy was hanging the deuce in the 6'th inning, most likely due to fatigue. Trying to come inside with it to Coghlin was a highly questionable selection. Not sure if that one is on Tim or Buster.
In summary, I think a lack of stamina is most likely what did Timmy in tonight. More on that later.
Bruce Bochy- OK, I'm going to nitpick here a little and there are definitely arguments that can go either way here: 1. With no outs and runners on first and second, Theriot grounded into a DP. Kruk mentioned at the beginning of the AB that Theriot would ordinarily be bunting but obviously not with Lincecum coming up. Now, if the bunt is successful, you get runners at 2'nd and 3'rd with the pitcher coming up. First of all, you do have some options with the pitcher. There's a chance he might put the ball in play and drive in a run. He could lay down a squeeze although it might be a bit too obvious. At worst, he makes an out and you still have runners at 2'nd and third with Blanco coming up. I'm not a huge fan of giving up outs, but this is a case where a DP ball was so likely, I would have preferred to try to advance the runners but sac bunt. 2. In the 6'th inning with Infante on 2B and 1 out, I think I would have walked Giancarlo. He's the one guy in the Marlins lineup who can hit the ball out of that stadium in any direction and he's killed the Giants lately. Intentionally walking him there takes the bat out of his hands and sets up a possible DP with Morrison coming up. I know it would have brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but I'm a big proponent of not letting the best hitter in the opposing team's lineup beat you. 3. Bochy should have recognized that Timmy was losing it long before the dinger to Coghlin, and had someone ready to bring in right about the time he walked Morrison.
The Dodgers lost to the 'Stros 3-1 so the Giants remain 6.5 games behind the division leaders in 2'nd place.
Madison Bumgarner takes on Mark Buehrle in a 4:10 ET start tomorrow.
Blogger's Note: Settling Bets
I guess you've reached some sort of rarified air of blogdom when another blogger writes a post about a debate in the Comments of your blog that has absolutely nothing to do with anything you ever posted. Looks like El Lefty Malo has arbitrated the Pato/Shankbone bet, ruling that Brandon Crawford is indeed still the starting SS. For my own 2 cents, I've got to say that were well past the 40 game mark and Crawford is firmly entrenched as the starting SS.
Down on the Farm: 5/24/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies pounded the Albuquerque Isotopes 12-5:
Justin Christian(CF)- 3 for 4, HR)5), BB. BA= .366.
Todd Linden(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .287.
Juan Ciriaco(3B)- 2 for 4, 3B, BB. BA= .343.
Skyler Stromsmoe(SS)- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .269.
Eli Whiteside(C)- 3 for 5, HR(1). BA= .235.
Eric Hacker(RHP)- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.09.
I'm not sure there is a position that Stromsmoe hasn't played. Scrappy little dude.
AA Bowie Baysox topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 5, 2 SB(14). BA= .254.
Jose Flores(1B-2B)- 3 for 3, SF, SB(2). BA= .255.
Wendell Fairley(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .224.
Brownie seems to be slowly getting it together at this level. Fairley is hitting .324 over his last 10 games.
High A San Jose Giants topped the Bakersfield Blaze 4-3 in 12 innings:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B, BB. BA= .254.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 5, BB. BA= .270.
Andrew Susac(C)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, Sac. BA= .242.
Justin Schumer(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.10.
Jose Valdez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.18.
Giants pitchers combined for 14 K's. Ricky is 10'th in the Cal League in RBI's. Valdez has 27 K's against 9 BB's in 22.2 IP.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 3-2:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 4, 3B,. BA= .333.
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 1 for 3, SF, Sac, SB(14). BA= .268.
Chris Marlowe(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.55.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 8.71.
Mejia has allowed 2 Runs in his last 9.1 IP. He has 15 K's against just 4 BB's in his last 14.1 IP over 10 appearances. Not sure why Galindo got a late start, but he's looking good since coming back.
Justin Christian(CF)- 3 for 4, HR)5), BB. BA= .366.
Todd Linden(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .287.
Juan Ciriaco(3B)- 2 for 4, 3B, BB. BA= .343.
Skyler Stromsmoe(SS)- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .269.
Eli Whiteside(C)- 3 for 5, HR(1). BA= .235.
Eric Hacker(RHP)- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.09.
I'm not sure there is a position that Stromsmoe hasn't played. Scrappy little dude.
AA Bowie Baysox topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 5, 2 SB(14). BA= .254.
Jose Flores(1B-2B)- 3 for 3, SF, SB(2). BA= .255.
Wendell Fairley(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .224.
Brownie seems to be slowly getting it together at this level. Fairley is hitting .324 over his last 10 games.
High A San Jose Giants topped the Bakersfield Blaze 4-3 in 12 innings:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B, BB. BA= .254.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 5, BB. BA= .270.
Andrew Susac(C)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, Sac. BA= .242.
Justin Schumer(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.10.
Jose Valdez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.18.
Giants pitchers combined for 14 K's. Ricky is 10'th in the Cal League in RBI's. Valdez has 27 K's against 9 BB's in 22.2 IP.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 3-2:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 4, 3B,. BA= .333.
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 1 for 3, SF, Sac, SB(14). BA= .268.
Chris Marlowe(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.55.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 8.71.
Mejia has allowed 2 Runs in his last 9.1 IP. He has 15 K's against just 4 BB's in his last 14.1 IP over 10 appearances. Not sure why Galindo got a late start, but he's looking good since coming back.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Game Wrap 5/24/2012: Giants 14 Marlins 7
The Giants played two games in 1 tonight in Miami, a tight 1-1 pitching duel between Ryan Vogelsong and Anibal Sanchez for the first 5 innings followed by a 13-7 hitfest the rest of the way. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 4, 3B, 2 BB, SB(5). BA= .256. Blanco had been in a mini slump but reached base in 4 of 5 PA's tonight scoring 3 runs.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .232. Crawford has hit .279 over his last 10 games with an OBP of .354.
Melky Cabrera- 3 for 5, 2 2B, SB(7). BA= .362. Wow! Just wow! Melky is an absolute beast out there! Hitting .450 over his last 10 games. Get 'er done, Sabes!
Angel Pagan- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .297. Well, Pagan's BA was not empty tonight as he drove in 4 runs and scored 1. Sabes might want to think about locking both Pagan and Melky up for the next 3-5 years. Man, did Sabes win those two trades or what?
Ryan Vogelsong- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.50. Another QS for Vogelsong. He pitched a lot better than that until the Giants had a comfortable lead.
The Dodgers were idle so the Giants gain a half game on them to 6.5 games behind. The rest of the NL West was idle too. The D'Backs are in 3'rd place 10.5 games behind. The Rockies are in 4'th place 13.5 games behind while the Padres are bringing up the rear at a 14 game deficit.
Tim Lincecum tries once again to get his season on track tomorrow facing Josh Johnson who also got of the a rough start this season. JJ has been better his last 2 starts though.
Scouting the Draft: Giants Round 3
Before we get started scouting round 3 for the Giants, Matt Garrioch has posted a 40 round mock draft over on Minor League Ball. Wow! Just wow! Just for fun, I may go back and try to get a scouting report on all 40 of the Giants picks although a lot of them are from small schools and JC's.
The Giants third round pick falls at #115 so let's look at some names in that vicinity(Some of these players may be of interest in round 2 also):
106. Martin Agosta, RHP, St Marys. We all know about Agosta. I think most of us would be happy with him in round 2 or 3.
108. Brady Rogers, RHP, Arizona State. A bit undersized and without overpowering stuff, he might be the most polished pitcher in the draft. Classic low ceiling/high floor guy with good command of a 4 pitch arsenal. Again, a solid pick in either round 2 or 3.
109. Kyle Hansen, RHP, St. John's. 6'8" with a low-mid 90's fastball. Shaky secondary stuff makes some scouts project him for the bullpen.
113. Fernando Perez, 3B, Central Arizona JC. Intriguing prospect. GED'd out of HS early to play in a JC wood bat league. Slash line of .338/.399/.571. Hits LH.
117. Buck Farmer, RHP, Georgia Tech. Big solid frame at 6'3", 228 lbs. FB 88-95 with a solid changeup and decent breaking ball. I'm a bit surprised to see BA rank him this low.
118. Kenny Diekroger, 2B, Stanford. Former HS phenom. Has seen his stock slip at Stanford. Isn't there something Stanford teaches that ruins hitters? His main attraction right now is versatility as he could probably play passably at every position except CF, C, P. We know John Barr loves to draft former phenoms whose stock has dropped.
119. Austin Maddox, RHP, Florida. 2 way player who will likely be drafted as a pitcher. I could see the Giants loving his 6'3", 235 lb frame and mid-90's fastball. Could be a fast riser as a reliever or a future starter as a project.
120. Brett Mooneyham, LHP, Stanford. Another former HS phenom, Has had a checkered career at Stanford. Great size at 6'5", 215 lbs with a low 90's fastball and a nice breaking ball. Has command issues at times.
121. Alex Bregman, 2B, HS. OK, Alex Bregman fans, here's your guy! Scrappy little guy with an impressive hit tool. The fact that he's a second baseman out of HS tells you something though. Committed to LSU and might be a tough sign, especially if he falls this far.
122. Damien Magnifico, RHP, Oklahoma. Radar gun star. Velocity has not translated into results. Siginificant injury history. Draft eligible soph makes him tougher to sign.
The Giants third round pick falls at #115 so let's look at some names in that vicinity(Some of these players may be of interest in round 2 also):
106. Martin Agosta, RHP, St Marys. We all know about Agosta. I think most of us would be happy with him in round 2 or 3.
108. Brady Rogers, RHP, Arizona State. A bit undersized and without overpowering stuff, he might be the most polished pitcher in the draft. Classic low ceiling/high floor guy with good command of a 4 pitch arsenal. Again, a solid pick in either round 2 or 3.
109. Kyle Hansen, RHP, St. John's. 6'8" with a low-mid 90's fastball. Shaky secondary stuff makes some scouts project him for the bullpen.
113. Fernando Perez, 3B, Central Arizona JC. Intriguing prospect. GED'd out of HS early to play in a JC wood bat league. Slash line of .338/.399/.571. Hits LH.
117. Buck Farmer, RHP, Georgia Tech. Big solid frame at 6'3", 228 lbs. FB 88-95 with a solid changeup and decent breaking ball. I'm a bit surprised to see BA rank him this low.
118. Kenny Diekroger, 2B, Stanford. Former HS phenom. Has seen his stock slip at Stanford. Isn't there something Stanford teaches that ruins hitters? His main attraction right now is versatility as he could probably play passably at every position except CF, C, P. We know John Barr loves to draft former phenoms whose stock has dropped.
119. Austin Maddox, RHP, Florida. 2 way player who will likely be drafted as a pitcher. I could see the Giants loving his 6'3", 235 lb frame and mid-90's fastball. Could be a fast riser as a reliever or a future starter as a project.
120. Brett Mooneyham, LHP, Stanford. Another former HS phenom, Has had a checkered career at Stanford. Great size at 6'5", 215 lbs with a low 90's fastball and a nice breaking ball. Has command issues at times.
121. Alex Bregman, 2B, HS. OK, Alex Bregman fans, here's your guy! Scrappy little guy with an impressive hit tool. The fact that he's a second baseman out of HS tells you something though. Committed to LSU and might be a tough sign, especially if he falls this far.
122. Damien Magnifico, RHP, Oklahoma. Radar gun star. Velocity has not translated into results. Siginificant injury history. Draft eligible soph makes him tougher to sign.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Down on the Farm: 5/23/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies outslugged the Albuquerque Isotopes 10-7:
Justin Christian(CF)-2 for 6, 2B. BA= .357.
Nick Noonan(2B)- 2 for 5, 2B, BB. BA= .331.
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 4 for 5, 2 HR(13). BA= .333.
Jackson Williams(C)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(2). BA= .223.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.41.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 6-2:
Daniel Mayora(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB. BA= .307.
Chris Dominguez(LF)- 3 for 5. BA= .244.
Wendell Fairley(RF)- 3 for 3, SF. BA= .208.
Mike Kickham(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.76.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.76.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.59.
Nice recovery for Kickham after a disastrous outing his last start.
High A Cal League was idle tonight.
Low A Rome Braves topped the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 4. BA= .250.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 7/2. ERA= 4.26.
Blackburn's season line so far: 1-2, 4.26, 38 IP, 8 BB, 47 K's, GO/AO= 2.00. He has 16 K's with 0 BB's in his last 2 starts in 13 IP.
Justin Christian(CF)-2 for 6, 2B. BA= .357.
Nick Noonan(2B)- 2 for 5, 2B, BB. BA= .331.
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 4 for 5, 2 HR(13). BA= .333.
Jackson Williams(C)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(2). BA= .223.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.41.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 6-2:
Daniel Mayora(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB. BA= .307.
Chris Dominguez(LF)- 3 for 5. BA= .244.
Wendell Fairley(RF)- 3 for 3, SF. BA= .208.
Mike Kickham(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.76.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.76.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.59.
Nice recovery for Kickham after a disastrous outing his last start.
High A Cal League was idle tonight.
Low A Rome Braves topped the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 4. BA= .250.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 7/2. ERA= 4.26.
Blackburn's season line so far: 1-2, 4.26, 38 IP, 8 BB, 47 K's, GO/AO= 2.00. He has 16 K's with 0 BB's in his last 2 starts in 13 IP.
Game Wrap 5/23/2012: Brewers 8 Giants 5
We've all wondered when Barry Zito would have a start where he got blown out early. It happened today as the BrewCrew ran up an 8-0 lead in the first two innings. He was hurt by 2 errors but one of the was his own. The Giants offense put made a respectable showing but it was too little too late. Key Lines:
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 5. BA= .232. Crawford continues to improve at the plate. He still has a + UZR despite the errors. Fangraphs has him ranked as the 12 best fielding SS in baseball so far in 2012.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 5, 2B. BA= .290. Hector's double drove in 3 runs in the 4'th inning.
Joaquin Arias- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .263. Nice game from Arias. Seems like he might be the best option for 2B after Pablo comes back.
Barry Zito- 3 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.53. The ER makes it look better than it was. Just not a good start from Zito. Unfortunately, once he has one of these, he tends to have more of them.
Bullpen- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. Not sure how many scoreless innings the bullpen has going now but it's a lot. Too little, too late in this one, though.
Dodgers are playing the D'Backs under the lights so we don't know if the Giants will fall 8 games behind or not.
Giants start a 4 game set in Miami tomorrow night with Ryan Vogelsong taking on Anibal Sanchez.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 5. BA= .232. Crawford continues to improve at the plate. He still has a + UZR despite the errors. Fangraphs has him ranked as the 12 best fielding SS in baseball so far in 2012.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 5, 2B. BA= .290. Hector's double drove in 3 runs in the 4'th inning.
Joaquin Arias- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .263. Nice game from Arias. Seems like he might be the best option for 2B after Pablo comes back.
Barry Zito- 3 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.53. The ER makes it look better than it was. Just not a good start from Zito. Unfortunately, once he has one of these, he tends to have more of them.
Bullpen- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. Not sure how many scoreless innings the bullpen has going now but it's a lot. Too little, too late in this one, though.
Dodgers are playing the D'Backs under the lights so we don't know if the Giants will fall 8 games behind or not.
Giants start a 4 game set in Miami tomorrow night with Ryan Vogelsong taking on Anibal Sanchez.
Scouting the Draft: Giants Round 2
The supplemental round is longer than a regular round and the Giants have no supplemental round pick, so after picking at #20 overall, they have to wait until #84 for their second chance to grab some talent in the 2012 draft. Let's take a look at some of the names that might be available there based on BA's top 200 Draft Prospects:
The players ranked around #84 are mostly college pitchers:
80. Chris Beck, RHP, Georgia Southern. Hard thrower who has had a disappointing junior season. Has thrown in the high 90's but mostly low 90's this season.
81. Pat Light, RHP, Monmouth. 6'6", 200 lbs. FB 90-96. K'd 87 in 86 IP while walking just 12. Level of competition might be a concern.
82. Dylan Baker, RHP, Western Nevada JC. Big body at 6'3", 213 lbs. FB sits 90-95.
83. Onelkis Garcia, LHP, No School. Cuban defector. A bit chunky at 6'2", 220 lbs. FB 90-93.
84. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Bellevue WA JC. Low 90's FB with a plus curveball. Commands 3 pitches.
85. Eddie Butler, RHP, Radford. Smallish at 6'2", 165 lbs. FB sits at about 93 but he can add and subtract 90-96. Has touched 97. Has not been a strikeout pitcher despite the velocity.
86. Chase DeJong, RHP, HS. 6'5" FB 87-93. Has some upside but needs work on his delivery.
87. Brandon Kline, RHP, Virginia. 6'3", 195 lbs. Low 90's FB with some projection in his body. Has had trouble staying on top of his pitches due to a quirk in the way Virginia teaches it's pitchers to deliver the ball.
88. Mason Melotakis, LHP, Northwestern State. FB 94-96, but with a lot of effort that has limited his stamina. Posted a 22/2 K/BB in the Cape Cod League. Might project as a LOOGY with that package.
OK(deep breath). That's a lot of college pitchers to think about. Seems like you could almost put the names in a hat and draw one out. There are some interesting position names in the 90-100 range that the Giants might consider:
89. Brandon Thomas, OF, Georgia Tech. 6'3", 205 lbs. Physical, switch-hitting OF with some speed. Has not played CF at Georgia Tech because Kyle Wren is faster, but most scouts think he could play CF in the pros. Junior season slash line- .359/.471/.549 with 4 HR, 5 3B, 12 SB in 17 attempts. 38 for 44 in SB attempts in college career.
90. Preston Beck, OF, Texas-Arlington. 6'2", 190 lb. Strong armed LH hitter who projects as a RF. Leads Southland Conference in HR's. Excelled in the Cape Cod League before suffering a hip injury.
94. Jeff Gelalich, OF, UCLA. Corner OF has emerged with a terrific junior season. Slash line .376/.460/.546 with 9 HR, 15 SB in 19 attempts.
97. Tony Renda, 2B, Cal. Undersized at 5'8", 173 lbs, but scouts love his ability to hit and his grinder mentality. Limited defensively. Junior slash line: .370/.453/.526 with 5 HR.
99. Trey Williams, 3B, HS. Son of former MLB'er Eddie Williams. Has huge power potential. Was ranked much higher earlier in the cycle, but scouts have noted a lack of energy and intensity this season. Needs to improve pitch recognition. Looks terrific in scouting videos. Not sure he would accept slot money late in round 2.
100. Nick Williams, OF, HS. Even more of a wild card than Trey Williams. Very impressive physical tools but "lacks instincts in all phases of the game." Committed to Texas and will probably go to school if not drafted in the first round. My guess is he turns into a Kevin Keyes type player with Texas which isn't half bad.
Which of these players would you like to see the Giants draft in Round 2. Any other ideas? I'm not sure where Ron Miller is ranked, but I like him a lot too as a power hitting HS 3B. I'm not wild about any of the pitchers. I'd be reasonably happy with Thomas, Gelalich or Renda.
The players ranked around #84 are mostly college pitchers:
80. Chris Beck, RHP, Georgia Southern. Hard thrower who has had a disappointing junior season. Has thrown in the high 90's but mostly low 90's this season.
81. Pat Light, RHP, Monmouth. 6'6", 200 lbs. FB 90-96. K'd 87 in 86 IP while walking just 12. Level of competition might be a concern.
82. Dylan Baker, RHP, Western Nevada JC. Big body at 6'3", 213 lbs. FB sits 90-95.
83. Onelkis Garcia, LHP, No School. Cuban defector. A bit chunky at 6'2", 220 lbs. FB 90-93.
84. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Bellevue WA JC. Low 90's FB with a plus curveball. Commands 3 pitches.
85. Eddie Butler, RHP, Radford. Smallish at 6'2", 165 lbs. FB sits at about 93 but he can add and subtract 90-96. Has touched 97. Has not been a strikeout pitcher despite the velocity.
86. Chase DeJong, RHP, HS. 6'5" FB 87-93. Has some upside but needs work on his delivery.
87. Brandon Kline, RHP, Virginia. 6'3", 195 lbs. Low 90's FB with some projection in his body. Has had trouble staying on top of his pitches due to a quirk in the way Virginia teaches it's pitchers to deliver the ball.
88. Mason Melotakis, LHP, Northwestern State. FB 94-96, but with a lot of effort that has limited his stamina. Posted a 22/2 K/BB in the Cape Cod League. Might project as a LOOGY with that package.
OK(deep breath). That's a lot of college pitchers to think about. Seems like you could almost put the names in a hat and draw one out. There are some interesting position names in the 90-100 range that the Giants might consider:
89. Brandon Thomas, OF, Georgia Tech. 6'3", 205 lbs. Physical, switch-hitting OF with some speed. Has not played CF at Georgia Tech because Kyle Wren is faster, but most scouts think he could play CF in the pros. Junior season slash line- .359/.471/.549 with 4 HR, 5 3B, 12 SB in 17 attempts. 38 for 44 in SB attempts in college career.
90. Preston Beck, OF, Texas-Arlington. 6'2", 190 lb. Strong armed LH hitter who projects as a RF. Leads Southland Conference in HR's. Excelled in the Cape Cod League before suffering a hip injury.
94. Jeff Gelalich, OF, UCLA. Corner OF has emerged with a terrific junior season. Slash line .376/.460/.546 with 9 HR, 15 SB in 19 attempts.
97. Tony Renda, 2B, Cal. Undersized at 5'8", 173 lbs, but scouts love his ability to hit and his grinder mentality. Limited defensively. Junior slash line: .370/.453/.526 with 5 HR.
99. Trey Williams, 3B, HS. Son of former MLB'er Eddie Williams. Has huge power potential. Was ranked much higher earlier in the cycle, but scouts have noted a lack of energy and intensity this season. Needs to improve pitch recognition. Looks terrific in scouting videos. Not sure he would accept slot money late in round 2.
100. Nick Williams, OF, HS. Even more of a wild card than Trey Williams. Very impressive physical tools but "lacks instincts in all phases of the game." Committed to Texas and will probably go to school if not drafted in the first round. My guess is he turns into a Kevin Keyes type player with Texas which isn't half bad.
Which of these players would you like to see the Giants draft in Round 2. Any other ideas? I'm not sure where Ron Miller is ranked, but I like him a lot too as a power hitting HS 3B. I'm not wild about any of the pitchers. I'd be reasonably happy with Thomas, Gelalich or Renda.
Down on the Farm: 5/22/2012
AAA Albuquerque Isotopes edged the Fresno Grizzlies 8-7:
Francisco Peguero(RF)- 2 for 5, 2 3B(6), SB(1). BA= .234.
Nick Noonan(2B)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .329.
Juan Ciriaco(SS)- 2 for 3, 2B, SF. BA= .296
Maybe Peguero's knee is feeling better? No he didn't steal home. He must have also reached 1B on a fielder's choice or error or something.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Bowie Baysox 3-1:
Gary Brown(CF)- 0 for 3, BB, SB(12). BA= .250.
Chris Heston(RHP)- 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K's, GO/AO= 14/2. ERA= 0.61.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(4). ERA= 1.66.
I think it's about time for Heston to start getting some recognition as a serious pitching prospect. He has shown the ability to get both K's and groundballs while holding his BB's way down. His pitching line on the season is 4-1, 0.61, 58.2 IP, 11 BB, 48 K's, GO/AO= 1.67.
High A Stockton Ports crushed the San Jose Giants 15-3:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .257.
Ryan Lollis(RF)- 2 for 5, HR(2). BA= .336.
Carter Jurica(2B)- 2 for 4. BA= .254.
Low A Game 1 Rome Braves downed the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 0 for 3, SB(1). BA= .000.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 2 for 2, 2B. BA- .250.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.86.
Game 2 Rome Braves defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 6-2:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 0 for 1, BB, HBP, SB(2). BA= .000.
Derek Law(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 2.08.
Galindo is back apparently as fast as ever.
Francisco Peguero(RF)- 2 for 5, 2 3B(6), SB(1). BA= .234.
Nick Noonan(2B)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .329.
Juan Ciriaco(SS)- 2 for 3, 2B, SF. BA= .296
Maybe Peguero's knee is feeling better? No he didn't steal home. He must have also reached 1B on a fielder's choice or error or something.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Bowie Baysox 3-1:
Gary Brown(CF)- 0 for 3, BB, SB(12). BA= .250.
Chris Heston(RHP)- 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K's, GO/AO= 14/2. ERA= 0.61.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(4). ERA= 1.66.
I think it's about time for Heston to start getting some recognition as a serious pitching prospect. He has shown the ability to get both K's and groundballs while holding his BB's way down. His pitching line on the season is 4-1, 0.61, 58.2 IP, 11 BB, 48 K's, GO/AO= 1.67.
High A Stockton Ports crushed the San Jose Giants 15-3:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .257.
Ryan Lollis(RF)- 2 for 5, HR(2). BA= .336.
Carter Jurica(2B)- 2 for 4. BA= .254.
Low A Game 1 Rome Braves downed the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 0 for 3, SB(1). BA= .000.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 2 for 2, 2B. BA- .250.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.86.
Game 2 Rome Braves defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 6-2:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 0 for 1, BB, HBP, SB(2). BA= .000.
Derek Law(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 2.08.
Galindo is back apparently as fast as ever.
Game Wrap 5/22/2012: Giants 6 Brewers 4
The Giants offense broke out the long ball in outscoring the Brewers on a night when balls seemed to be carrying very well at Miller Park. Key Lines:
Melky Cabrera- 1 for 3, BB, Assist(Aoki at home).- BA= .360. Melky GUNNED down Aoki at home an a sac fly attempt. The ball was not all that shallow and Melky threw a seed on the fly with Buster making the sweep tag. Aoki was out by at least 2 feet.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(6). BA= .300. Buster has started elevating the ball better and the results speak for themselves. The dinger was a monster that exploded off the bottom of the scoreboard at least 50 ft above the top of the CF fence. You could tell the other Giants players in the dugout were in awe. One by one they came up to where he was sitting, almost like a pilgrimage. Brett Pill looked like a student sitting at the feet of a master teacher while Buster made a gesture with his hand like a jet taking off except he was jabbing it forward in a downward plane. Dang! I'd sure like to know what Buster was saying!
Joaquin Arias- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .237. Arias put a charge into one too to drive in 2 runs. He's been playing a stellar 3B in Pablo's absence, but can't quite replace Pablo's bat.
Gregor Blanco- 0 for 4, 3 K's. BA= .244. Blanco is 1 for 15 with 1 walk in his last 3 games.
Matt Cain- 7 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 2.94. All of Cainer's K's came while working out of the stretch. Now is that bearing down, or what? Cain has only allowed 10 BB's against 62 K's in 64.1 IP this year.
The Win put the Giants 3 games above .500 for the first time this season, but it did not help them gain ground on the Dodgers who came from behind to top the D'Backs 8-7 to remain 7 games up on the Giants. D'Backs, Rockies and Padres all lost to fall farther off the pace, 11.5 games for the D'Backs and 14.5 for the Rockes and Padres. The Giants are 1 game behind the Marlins for the last Wild Card spot and 0.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds. They are tied with the Mets.
Barry Zito takes the mound today against Marco Estrada. Don't know much about Estrada. He's 0-3 and the Brewers have lost 8 of 10 that he has pitched, but his ERA is a not terrible 4.63.
Melky Cabrera- 1 for 3, BB, Assist(Aoki at home).- BA= .360. Melky GUNNED down Aoki at home an a sac fly attempt. The ball was not all that shallow and Melky threw a seed on the fly with Buster making the sweep tag. Aoki was out by at least 2 feet.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(6). BA= .300. Buster has started elevating the ball better and the results speak for themselves. The dinger was a monster that exploded off the bottom of the scoreboard at least 50 ft above the top of the CF fence. You could tell the other Giants players in the dugout were in awe. One by one they came up to where he was sitting, almost like a pilgrimage. Brett Pill looked like a student sitting at the feet of a master teacher while Buster made a gesture with his hand like a jet taking off except he was jabbing it forward in a downward plane. Dang! I'd sure like to know what Buster was saying!
Joaquin Arias- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .237. Arias put a charge into one too to drive in 2 runs. He's been playing a stellar 3B in Pablo's absence, but can't quite replace Pablo's bat.
Gregor Blanco- 0 for 4, 3 K's. BA= .244. Blanco is 1 for 15 with 1 walk in his last 3 games.
Matt Cain- 7 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 2.94. All of Cainer's K's came while working out of the stretch. Now is that bearing down, or what? Cain has only allowed 10 BB's against 62 K's in 64.1 IP this year.
The Win put the Giants 3 games above .500 for the first time this season, but it did not help them gain ground on the Dodgers who came from behind to top the D'Backs 8-7 to remain 7 games up on the Giants. D'Backs, Rockies and Padres all lost to fall farther off the pace, 11.5 games for the D'Backs and 14.5 for the Rockes and Padres. The Giants are 1 game behind the Marlins for the last Wild Card spot and 0.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds. They are tied with the Mets.
Barry Zito takes the mound today against Marco Estrada. Don't know much about Estrada. He's 0-3 and the Brewers have lost 8 of 10 that he has pitched, but his ERA is a not terrible 4.63.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Down on the Farm: 5/21/2012
AAA Albuquerque Isotopes zapped the Fresno Grizzlies 3-2:
Francisco Peguero(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(3). BA= .229.
Yusmeiro Petit(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 4.47.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.11.
AA Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-5:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, SF. BA= .254.
Brownie seems to be heating up, but we've thought that before. .325 over his last 10 games.
High A San Jose Giants took the lead with a 4 run 7'th inning then hung on for a 7-6 win:
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .333.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, 3B. BA= .250.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB. BA= .271.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.44
Danny Sandbrink(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.69.
Ricky's dinger was a 3 run shot in that 4 run 7'th inning.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets vs Rome Braves postponed.
Francisco Peguero(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(3). BA= .229.
Yusmeiro Petit(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 4.47.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.11.
AA Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-5:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, SF. BA= .254.
Brownie seems to be heating up, but we've thought that before. .325 over his last 10 games.
High A San Jose Giants took the lead with a 4 run 7'th inning then hung on for a 7-6 win:
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .333.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, 3B. BA= .250.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB. BA= .271.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.44
Danny Sandbrink(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.69.
Ricky's dinger was a 3 run shot in that 4 run 7'th inning.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets vs Rome Braves postponed.
Game Wrap 5/21/2012: Giants 4 Brewers 3
It looked like a 3 run HR by Buster Posey and a great pitching performance by Madison Bumgarner would go for naught as an error followed by a HR from Ryan Braun tied it up late. The Bullpen hung tough and Hector Sanchez delivered the game winning blow in the top of the 14'th inning. Key Lines:
Melky Cabrera- 3 for 5, 3B(5), 2 BB. BA= .360. Melky continues his amazing season with 3 more hits including his 5'th triple. He got on base 5 out of 7 PA's.
Buster Posey- 1 for 5, HR(5), BB. BA= .294. Buster put the Giants on top early but came out on a double switch when it went into extra innings. Hector made the move pay off.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 1, HR(2). BA= .297. I just had a feeling Hector was going to go deep. I love watching his controlled aggression at the plate and the way he takes charge from behind the plate. He looks like he's having fun out there, but in an intense way.
Madison Bumgarner- 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 2.85. Bumgarner struck out the first two batters in the 8'th with a 3-1 lead. Crawford made an error on Aoki and Braun tied it with a huge dinger. Bumgarner is a mentally tough as they come and Braun is a great hitter, but gotta wonder if Bumgarner was thinking he shoulda been out of the inning.
Bullpen- 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 7 K's. Hector kept putting down deuces and Casilla kept shaking him off. Casilla finally relented on the last pitch of the game and got lucky the ball stayed in the yard for a harmless flyball out with a runner on base. It could easily have been a walkoff dinger for Corey Hart.
The Giants moved back to 2 games over .500 at 22-20, but the Dodgers kept on winning, 6-1 over the D'Backs so the Giants remain 7 games behind the NL West leaders. Arizona fell to 10.5 games back while the Pathetic Padres and Reeling Rockies fell further behind in last place at 13.5 games out.
Matt Cain goes against the wily Shaun Marcum in game 2 of the series tonight.
Melky Cabrera- 3 for 5, 3B(5), 2 BB. BA= .360. Melky continues his amazing season with 3 more hits including his 5'th triple. He got on base 5 out of 7 PA's.
Buster Posey- 1 for 5, HR(5), BB. BA= .294. Buster put the Giants on top early but came out on a double switch when it went into extra innings. Hector made the move pay off.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 1, HR(2). BA= .297. I just had a feeling Hector was going to go deep. I love watching his controlled aggression at the plate and the way he takes charge from behind the plate. He looks like he's having fun out there, but in an intense way.
Madison Bumgarner- 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 2.85. Bumgarner struck out the first two batters in the 8'th with a 3-1 lead. Crawford made an error on Aoki and Braun tied it with a huge dinger. Bumgarner is a mentally tough as they come and Braun is a great hitter, but gotta wonder if Bumgarner was thinking he shoulda been out of the inning.
Bullpen- 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 7 K's. Hector kept putting down deuces and Casilla kept shaking him off. Casilla finally relented on the last pitch of the game and got lucky the ball stayed in the yard for a harmless flyball out with a runner on base. It could easily have been a walkoff dinger for Corey Hart.
The Giants moved back to 2 games over .500 at 22-20, but the Dodgers kept on winning, 6-1 over the D'Backs so the Giants remain 7 games behind the NL West leaders. Arizona fell to 10.5 games back while the Pathetic Padres and Reeling Rockies fell further behind in last place at 13.5 games out.
Matt Cain goes against the wily Shaun Marcum in game 2 of the series tonight.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Scouting the Draft: Giants Round 1
One way I like to try to get a handle on the baseball draft is to look at a list of ranked prospects from a source like Baseball America, not necessarily to focus on any one player, but to get an idea of what kind of players may be available around the spot where the Giants are picking. This year, the Giants have the #20 overall pick. I think that's a pretty good spot to be in. The slotting system in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement sets a much more rigid bonus for players drafted at various slots. While there is a steep dropoff in slot bonus from #1 overall to #20, there is not such a drop in player talent. This draft is very weak at the top but quite deep with players ranked deep into the supplemental round being close in talent to #1 overall. As you will see as we work our way through the first few rounds of the draft, there are very interesting players who should be available clear down in round 5.
Let's take a look at some players who may be available at the #20 overall pick based on Baseball America's Top 200 Draft Prospects ranking:
18. Chris Stratton, RHP, Mississippi State. Stratton's name has been rising up draft boards of late. He's got a solid pitcher's frame at 6'2", 200 lbs. His fastball sits at 91-93 but regularly touches 95. His slider is rated as a true plus pitch and he can also mix in a curveball. His season line for 2012 is 10-1, 2.16, 95.2 IP, 19 BB, 115 K's, so you can see that he has strikeout quality stuff with great command. Definitely fits the profile of the type of pitcher the Giants look for.
21. Richie Shaffer, 3B, Clemson. Shaffer is looking like a premiere bat coming out of college. He was projected as a top 2 round pick coming out of HS, but a hamate fracture dropped him to the 25'th round. His batting line this year is a robust .351/.481/.600 with 9 HR's and more walks(47) than K's(39). He is 6'3", 210 lbs so still has some room to fill out his frame. He has the arm strength to play 3B but may move to first and could play either corner OF too.
22. Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern. Roache is an internet favorite on the strength of his 30 HR season in 2011. He does have some warts though. He struggled in the Cape Cod League last summer. Then, early this college season he suffered a wrist fracture while diving for a ball that required extensive surgery to repair. This is not a simple hamate fracture! He's going to try to make it back for the Southern Conference Tournament but we'll see. There have been doubts about how his swing would hold up in the pros even before the injury. The Giants are well known to put a lot of stock in the Cape Cod League, so I think Roache is a longshot for the Giants at #20. If they are looking for power with this pick, Shaffer might be much better all around hitter if he's available.
23. Ty Hensley, RHP, Oklahoma HS. Terrific size at 6'5", 220 lbs. Fastball sits at 92-95 and touches 97. His 12 -6 curveball is actually rated higher! Command needs some work. BA mentioned a need to work down in the zone more with the fastball, but I think the Giants like pitchers who work up the zone. If you were to draw up a prototype of the type of pitcher the Giants hunt for in the draft, you would get something that looks a lot like Hensley.
24. Matt Smoral, LHP, Ohio HS. 6'7", 225 lb lefty with a low 3/4 delivery and sweeping arm action reminiscent of Madison Bumgarner. FB is low-mid 90's. Has missed essentially all his senior season with a metatarsal fracture. I could see the Giants being in love with this guy but they might not want to draft somebody they haven't been able to scout because of the injury.
25. Tyler Naquin, OF, Texas A&M. Naquin is a speedy OF who would fit right in with the Giants last two first round picks, Gary Brown and Joe Panik. He is having a fine junior season hitting .397. He has a slender frame and a controlled inside-out approach at the plate, so probably does not have much power potential. His throwing arm is rated as the best among college OF's. He does not play CF on his college team, so some MLB scouts see him as a tweener. While I think he is likely to have an above average MLB career, his ceiling seems very limited and I have to say I would be disappointed if the Giants picked him at #20.
Others: 29. Lucas Sims, HS RHP. 31. Zach Eflin, HS RHP. 32. Pierce Johnson, College RHP. 33. Joey Gallo, HS 3B(the premier HS power hitter in the draft). 37. Walker Weickel, HS RHP. 40. Nick Traveiso, HS RHP, 41. Barrett Barnes, College OF. 42. Mitch Haniger, College OF.
Let's take a look at some players who may be available at the #20 overall pick based on Baseball America's Top 200 Draft Prospects ranking:
18. Chris Stratton, RHP, Mississippi State. Stratton's name has been rising up draft boards of late. He's got a solid pitcher's frame at 6'2", 200 lbs. His fastball sits at 91-93 but regularly touches 95. His slider is rated as a true plus pitch and he can also mix in a curveball. His season line for 2012 is 10-1, 2.16, 95.2 IP, 19 BB, 115 K's, so you can see that he has strikeout quality stuff with great command. Definitely fits the profile of the type of pitcher the Giants look for.
21. Richie Shaffer, 3B, Clemson. Shaffer is looking like a premiere bat coming out of college. He was projected as a top 2 round pick coming out of HS, but a hamate fracture dropped him to the 25'th round. His batting line this year is a robust .351/.481/.600 with 9 HR's and more walks(47) than K's(39). He is 6'3", 210 lbs so still has some room to fill out his frame. He has the arm strength to play 3B but may move to first and could play either corner OF too.
22. Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern. Roache is an internet favorite on the strength of his 30 HR season in 2011. He does have some warts though. He struggled in the Cape Cod League last summer. Then, early this college season he suffered a wrist fracture while diving for a ball that required extensive surgery to repair. This is not a simple hamate fracture! He's going to try to make it back for the Southern Conference Tournament but we'll see. There have been doubts about how his swing would hold up in the pros even before the injury. The Giants are well known to put a lot of stock in the Cape Cod League, so I think Roache is a longshot for the Giants at #20. If they are looking for power with this pick, Shaffer might be much better all around hitter if he's available.
23. Ty Hensley, RHP, Oklahoma HS. Terrific size at 6'5", 220 lbs. Fastball sits at 92-95 and touches 97. His 12 -6 curveball is actually rated higher! Command needs some work. BA mentioned a need to work down in the zone more with the fastball, but I think the Giants like pitchers who work up the zone. If you were to draw up a prototype of the type of pitcher the Giants hunt for in the draft, you would get something that looks a lot like Hensley.
24. Matt Smoral, LHP, Ohio HS. 6'7", 225 lb lefty with a low 3/4 delivery and sweeping arm action reminiscent of Madison Bumgarner. FB is low-mid 90's. Has missed essentially all his senior season with a metatarsal fracture. I could see the Giants being in love with this guy but they might not want to draft somebody they haven't been able to scout because of the injury.
25. Tyler Naquin, OF, Texas A&M. Naquin is a speedy OF who would fit right in with the Giants last two first round picks, Gary Brown and Joe Panik. He is having a fine junior season hitting .397. He has a slender frame and a controlled inside-out approach at the plate, so probably does not have much power potential. His throwing arm is rated as the best among college OF's. He does not play CF on his college team, so some MLB scouts see him as a tweener. While I think he is likely to have an above average MLB career, his ceiling seems very limited and I have to say I would be disappointed if the Giants picked him at #20.
Others: 29. Lucas Sims, HS RHP. 31. Zach Eflin, HS RHP. 32. Pierce Johnson, College RHP. 33. Joey Gallo, HS 3B(the premier HS power hitter in the draft). 37. Walker Weickel, HS RHP. 40. Nick Traveiso, HS RHP, 41. Barrett Barnes, College OF. 42. Mitch Haniger, College OF.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Down on the Farm: 5/20/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies pounded the Red Rock Express 11-3:
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 4, 2 BB. BA= .366.
Todd Linden(1B)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .297.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 4 for 5, 2B, 2 HR(2). BA= .326.
Noonan's huge game netted him 8 Ribeyes out of the Grizzlies 11 total runs. Is this a breakout for Nick, or is the PCL just a huge joke? He's still fairly young for the level.
AA Akron Aeros edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 5, SB(11). BA= .248.
Johnny Monell(C)- 3 for 4, HR(4). BA= .253.
Daryl Maday(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.55.
Brownie is hitting .300 with a .378 OBP over his last 10 games. Monell is hitting .344 over his last 10. I haven't seen Tommy Joseph's name recently. Injured? Maday has been a workhorse logging 25.1 IP over 15 appearances with a 25/6 K/BB.
High A San Jose Giants outlasted Stockton Ports 8-7:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 SB(9). BA= .257.
Adam Duvall(DH)- 2 for 5, HR(7). BA= .256.
Devin Harris(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(4). BA= .194.
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats topped the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:
Nothing to see here.
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 4, 2 BB. BA= .366.
Todd Linden(1B)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .297.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 4 for 5, 2B, 2 HR(2). BA= .326.
Noonan's huge game netted him 8 Ribeyes out of the Grizzlies 11 total runs. Is this a breakout for Nick, or is the PCL just a huge joke? He's still fairly young for the level.
AA Akron Aeros edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 5, SB(11). BA= .248.
Johnny Monell(C)- 3 for 4, HR(4). BA= .253.
Daryl Maday(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.55.
Brownie is hitting .300 with a .378 OBP over his last 10 games. Monell is hitting .344 over his last 10. I haven't seen Tommy Joseph's name recently. Injured? Maday has been a workhorse logging 25.1 IP over 15 appearances with a 25/6 K/BB.
High A San Jose Giants outlasted Stockton Ports 8-7:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 SB(9). BA= .257.
Adam Duvall(DH)- 2 for 5, HR(7). BA= .256.
Devin Harris(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(4). BA= .194.
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats topped the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:
Nothing to see here.
Game Wrap 5/20/2012: A's 6 Giants 2
Well, that was a dispiriting affair! Tim Lincecum fell apart in the 4'th inning and Bartolo Colon and the A's pitchers got a lot of help from the home plate ump in the form of a ridiculously wide strike zone. Key Lines:
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, BB. BA= .234. If Crawford can get on base at a .400 clip, he's perfect for the 2 hole.
Melky Cabrera- 4 for 4, 2B. BA= .353. It was an empty 4 for 4, but that's not Melky's fault. He's become a veritable hit machine! He's at 895 for his career, so is almost a lock to pass 1000 this season. Right now, he's on a pace for 240 for the season. I know! Regression!! If he averages 200 for the next 10 seasons, by which time he will be 37 yo, he would have close to 3000!
Tim Lincecum- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 6.04. Lots of theories out there about what's wrong with Tim. The current one making the rounds of the broadcasters on CSN Bay Area is he is worried about his velocity and trying to throw too hard. What is clear is that if he gets into the stretch, he's done. He just loses all location. I still think a big part of it is he really only has two pitches. The hitters have learned to lay off the splitter in the dirt and he doesn't have enough fastball nor does he command it well enough to rely on it as a single pitch.
Bartolo Colon- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 4.09. Colon just pounds the strike zone with fastball after fastball and keeps hitters guessing as to location. He got a lot of help from the ump who had a ridiculous strike zone that was as inconsistent as it was wide. Yeah, it was inconsistent, but mostly favoring Colon. Low point of the game was the Giants loading the bases against him in the 5'th after falling behind 4-2 and Pagan and Belt both struck out looking, but both had called strikes way outside the zone early in the count which left them helpless against stuff on the inside corner.
LAD leads the Cards 1-0 in the 4'th inning of their game so we have to wait to see if the Giants lose a game in the standings or not.
The Giants now take to the road against the BrewCrew and Marlins. Madison Bumgarner takes the mound in Milwaukee facing Randy Wolf.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, BB. BA= .234. If Crawford can get on base at a .400 clip, he's perfect for the 2 hole.
Melky Cabrera- 4 for 4, 2B. BA= .353. It was an empty 4 for 4, but that's not Melky's fault. He's become a veritable hit machine! He's at 895 for his career, so is almost a lock to pass 1000 this season. Right now, he's on a pace for 240 for the season. I know! Regression!! If he averages 200 for the next 10 seasons, by which time he will be 37 yo, he would have close to 3000!
Tim Lincecum- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 6.04. Lots of theories out there about what's wrong with Tim. The current one making the rounds of the broadcasters on CSN Bay Area is he is worried about his velocity and trying to throw too hard. What is clear is that if he gets into the stretch, he's done. He just loses all location. I still think a big part of it is he really only has two pitches. The hitters have learned to lay off the splitter in the dirt and he doesn't have enough fastball nor does he command it well enough to rely on it as a single pitch.
Bartolo Colon- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 4.09. Colon just pounds the strike zone with fastball after fastball and keeps hitters guessing as to location. He got a lot of help from the ump who had a ridiculous strike zone that was as inconsistent as it was wide. Yeah, it was inconsistent, but mostly favoring Colon. Low point of the game was the Giants loading the bases against him in the 5'th after falling behind 4-2 and Pagan and Belt both struck out looking, but both had called strikes way outside the zone early in the count which left them helpless against stuff on the inside corner.
LAD leads the Cards 1-0 in the 4'th inning of their game so we have to wait to see if the Giants lose a game in the standings or not.
The Giants now take to the road against the BrewCrew and Marlins. Madison Bumgarner takes the mound in Milwaukee facing Randy Wolf.
Down on the Farm: 5/19/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies pounded the Red Rock Express 10-4:
Justin Christian(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .378.
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 2 for 5, HR(11). BA= .325.
Todd Linden(1B)- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(5), SB(3). BA= .291.
Eric Hacker(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.35.
George Kontos(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.99.
I wonder if Linden has learned some things in his travels? If Huff ever gets dumped, and all he's doing right now is getting splinters in his butt, I could see Linden being a potential bat off the bench, a role he might be thankful for at this point in his career.
AA Akron Aeros destroyed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 15-5:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .244.
Juan Perez(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(3). BA= .276.
Johnny Monell(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .231.
High A Visalia Rawhide topped the San Jose Giants 7-5:
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .252.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .277.
Dan Burkhart(C)- 1 for 3, 2B, SF. BA= .273.
Edward Concepcion(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.50.
Haven't seen too much of Burkhart this year. Catching is awfully crowded in the Giants system, or maybe he's been dinged up?
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats stung the Augusta Greenjackets 7-4:
Mark Minicozzi(DH)- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB. BA= .182.
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 0 for 1, 3 BB, 2 SB(13). BA= .278.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 6 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.16.
Hey, I remember Mark Minicozzi. I thought he could turn into a pretty good second baseman at one point. He last played in the minors in 2007. Wonder what happened in the meantime. Man, the Giants sure are generous with giving old prospects another chance, huh? Crick takes a stumble.
Justin Christian(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .378.
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 2 for 5, HR(11). BA= .325.
Todd Linden(1B)- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(5), SB(3). BA= .291.
Eric Hacker(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.35.
George Kontos(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.99.
I wonder if Linden has learned some things in his travels? If Huff ever gets dumped, and all he's doing right now is getting splinters in his butt, I could see Linden being a potential bat off the bench, a role he might be thankful for at this point in his career.
AA Akron Aeros destroyed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 15-5:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .244.
Juan Perez(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(3). BA= .276.
Johnny Monell(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .231.
High A Visalia Rawhide topped the San Jose Giants 7-5:
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .252.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .277.
Dan Burkhart(C)- 1 for 3, 2B, SF. BA= .273.
Edward Concepcion(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.50.
Haven't seen too much of Burkhart this year. Catching is awfully crowded in the Giants system, or maybe he's been dinged up?
Low A Savannah Sand Gnats stung the Augusta Greenjackets 7-4:
Mark Minicozzi(DH)- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB. BA= .182.
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 0 for 1, 3 BB, 2 SB(13). BA= .278.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 6 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.16.
Hey, I remember Mark Minicozzi. I thought he could turn into a pretty good second baseman at one point. He last played in the minors in 2007. Wonder what happened in the meantime. Man, the Giants sure are generous with giving old prospects another chance, huh? Crick takes a stumble.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Game Wrap 5/19/2012: Giants 4 A's 0
Ryan Vogelsong gave the Giants a dominant start. The Giants offense once again had trouble driving in runs, but finally broke through with a 4 run 7'th to win the game. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .282. OBP= .416. Blanco conrtinues to be the table setter, the perfect leadoff hitter.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4. BA= .233. This Brandon is hitting .311 with an OBP of .375 over his last 10 games.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 3, SF. BA= .337. Melky is on a pace for 215 hits and 100 Runs.
Buster Posey- 1 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .302. Buster's double was a HR in any other park. It bounced at the base of he 421 ft sign in Triples Alley, bounced high off the brick wall and might have landed back in the field for an easy triple were it not for fans reaching over the wall trying to catch it, possibly deflecting it back into the stands for a ground rule double.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4. BA= .304. Pagan is on a pace for 190+ hits himself. He's hitting .459 over his last 10 games.
Ryan Vogelsong- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 6/6. ERA= 2.27. Melky made a nice catch to open the game, but after that, Vogelsong was in complete command. He did not allow his first baserunner until the 5'th inning and promptly erased that with a DP grounder. I put in the GO/AO to illustrate that Vogey was getting outs with both his 4 seamer and 2 seamer. The thing I like most about him is the way he throws all 3 types of fastball with such authority plus a very sharp curveball and on occasional changeup to keep LH hitters honest. It's the way he uses the 3 versions of the fastball that I love about him, though. What a pleasure to watch! Note to Fangraphs: He's not regressing!
The Giants drew 5 walks in this one to run their 5 game total to 38.
Anybody know what set Bob Melvin off? I mean, it's not like the pitches the ump was calling balls were anywhere near the strike zone. I thought he was getting awfully animated for just telling the ump he was making a double switch, the the ump tossed him and he really got mad. Kind of interesting and funny.
Dodgers game is under the lights so the Giants will have to wait to see if the win gains them a game in the NL West standings. They are now 2 games above .500 at 21-19, the highest above .500 they have gotten this season so far.
Tim Lincecum battles Bartolo Colon tomorrow afternoon trying for a series sweep.
PS: OK, I have to admit I briefly fell asleep around the start of the bottom of the 7'th inning and missed the phantom HBP on Vogey. Yeah, I guess Melvin had a reason to be hot with the ump. LOL!
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .282. OBP= .416. Blanco conrtinues to be the table setter, the perfect leadoff hitter.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4. BA= .233. This Brandon is hitting .311 with an OBP of .375 over his last 10 games.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 3, SF. BA= .337. Melky is on a pace for 215 hits and 100 Runs.
Buster Posey- 1 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .302. Buster's double was a HR in any other park. It bounced at the base of he 421 ft sign in Triples Alley, bounced high off the brick wall and might have landed back in the field for an easy triple were it not for fans reaching over the wall trying to catch it, possibly deflecting it back into the stands for a ground rule double.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4. BA= .304. Pagan is on a pace for 190+ hits himself. He's hitting .459 over his last 10 games.
Ryan Vogelsong- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 6/6. ERA= 2.27. Melky made a nice catch to open the game, but after that, Vogelsong was in complete command. He did not allow his first baserunner until the 5'th inning and promptly erased that with a DP grounder. I put in the GO/AO to illustrate that Vogey was getting outs with both his 4 seamer and 2 seamer. The thing I like most about him is the way he throws all 3 types of fastball with such authority plus a very sharp curveball and on occasional changeup to keep LH hitters honest. It's the way he uses the 3 versions of the fastball that I love about him, though. What a pleasure to watch! Note to Fangraphs: He's not regressing!
The Giants drew 5 walks in this one to run their 5 game total to 38.
Anybody know what set Bob Melvin off? I mean, it's not like the pitches the ump was calling balls were anywhere near the strike zone. I thought he was getting awfully animated for just telling the ump he was making a double switch, the the ump tossed him and he really got mad. Kind of interesting and funny.
Dodgers game is under the lights so the Giants will have to wait to see if the win gains them a game in the NL West standings. They are now 2 games above .500 at 21-19, the highest above .500 they have gotten this season so far.
Tim Lincecum battles Bartolo Colon tomorrow afternoon trying for a series sweep.
PS: OK, I have to admit I briefly fell asleep around the start of the bottom of the 7'th inning and missed the phantom HBP on Vogey. Yeah, I guess Melvin had a reason to be hot with the ump. LOL!
Down on the Farm: 5/18/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Round Rock Express 5-2:
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 1 for 3, HR(10), 2 BB. BA= .323.
Todd Linden(1B)- 3 for 4, HR(4), SB(2). BA= .274.
Dan Otero(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 4.76.
Jean Machi(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2). ERA= 5.74.
I don't see any more imminent callups down here. I think the Giants next move will come from outside the organization.
AA Akron Aeros squashed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 16-3:
Mike Kickham(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.04.
Chris Gloor(LHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.41.
Thomas Neal(Aeros)- 3 for 5. BA= .276.
Ryan Rohlinger(Aeros)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .210.
Ben Copeland(Aeros)- 0 for 5. BA= .122.
Kickham's ERA took a pounding in this one. Cleveland seems to be collecting ex Giants farmhands.
High A San Jose Giants pounded the Visalia Rawhide 13-8:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5. BA= .252.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(6), SB(3). BA= .245.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .276.
Alex Burg(C)- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .206.
Hector Correa(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 6.30.
Andrew Susac left the game after 1 AB with Burg replacing him. The Giants have been making noise about converting Correa to starter. It didn't go very well last night.
Low A Augusts Greenjackets edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 4-3:
Shawn Payne(LF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .297.
Jose Cuevas(2B)- 2 for 4, SB(2). BA= .231.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .222.
Chris Marlowe(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.30.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 9.50.
Marlowe has 29 K's in 31.1 IP but also has 17 BB's. Mejia has allowed 1 run with 8 K's against just 1 BB in his last 6.2 IP over 3 appearances.
PS: Susac's early exit from the San Jose game was because he came up throwing a punch after a runner who was out by a mile slid hard into him. I say, good for Susac!
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 1 for 3, HR(10), 2 BB. BA= .323.
Todd Linden(1B)- 3 for 4, HR(4), SB(2). BA= .274.
Dan Otero(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 4.76.
Jean Machi(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2). ERA= 5.74.
I don't see any more imminent callups down here. I think the Giants next move will come from outside the organization.
AA Akron Aeros squashed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 16-3:
Mike Kickham(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.04.
Chris Gloor(LHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.41.
Thomas Neal(Aeros)- 3 for 5. BA= .276.
Ryan Rohlinger(Aeros)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .210.
Ben Copeland(Aeros)- 0 for 5. BA= .122.
Kickham's ERA took a pounding in this one. Cleveland seems to be collecting ex Giants farmhands.
High A San Jose Giants pounded the Visalia Rawhide 13-8:
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5. BA= .252.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(6), SB(3). BA= .245.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .276.
Alex Burg(C)- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .206.
Hector Correa(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 6.30.
Andrew Susac left the game after 1 AB with Burg replacing him. The Giants have been making noise about converting Correa to starter. It didn't go very well last night.
Low A Augusts Greenjackets edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 4-3:
Shawn Payne(LF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .297.
Jose Cuevas(2B)- 2 for 4, SB(2). BA= .231.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .222.
Chris Marlowe(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.30.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 9.50.
Marlowe has 29 K's in 31.1 IP but also has 17 BB's. Mejia has allowed 1 run with 8 K's against just 1 BB in his last 6.2 IP over 3 appearances.
PS: Susac's early exit from the San Jose game was because he came up throwing a punch after a runner who was out by a mile slid hard into him. I say, good for Susac!
Game Wrap 5/18/2012: Giants 8 A's 6
The Giants built an 8-1 lead then hung on to win the game 8-6 in another nice game for their young offense. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 4, BB. BA= .275. Blanco is hitting .323 over his last 10 games with 10 runs scored. All he has to do to be an asset is what he did in this game. Get on base twice and score a run out of every 5 PA's. So far, he's doing that and more since being installed as the starting leadoff hitter. When was the last time the Giants had a leadoff hitter like this? I'm thinking all the way back to Brett Butler or even Bill North.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 4, BB, SB(6). BA= .331. One hit was a bunt and the other a seeing-eye ground ball, but hey, you need games like that too!
Angel Pagan- 1 for 2, 2B, 3 BB, SB(8). BA= .299. Pagan has now drawn 6 walks in his last 2 games to raise his once anemic OBP to a respectable .349. He's hitting .395 with an OBP of .500 over his last 10 games. The Giants as a team have drawn 18 walks in their last 2 games. We know Blanco, Crawford, Posey and Belt are all very patient hitters. Pagan has had respectable OBP's in the past. Are we seeing the Giants hitting philosophy evolve in front of our eyes, or is this just a random blip on the screen?
Brandon Belt- 1 for 2, BB, SF. BA= .264. Belt had 3 productive AB's, each producing an RBI. Seems like he may be locking down a full time starting gig. I'd say at last, but it really hasn't been that long.
Hector Sanchez- 2 for 3, SF. BA= .286. What a terrific game for The Zito Whisperer! I am as confident with Hector behind the plate and in the lineup as I am with Buster, and that's not a dis at Buster! Man, does Hector look like he's in charge out there or what?
Barry Zito- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.00. Zito was pretty good for 5 innings. He left the game 2 outs short of a QS. Edlefsen allowing an inherited runner to score and more makes it look worse than it was. Not the best Zito, but far from the worst.
Steve Edlefsen- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 4.70. A near disastrous appearance by Edlefsen. I'd say he got BABIP'd but those hits were all smoked.
Rest of the bullpen(Hensley, Affeldt, Romo, Casilla)- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.
Jarrod Parker(A's)- 2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 3.90. I guess the fact that his ERA was still below 4 after this one tells you something, but I have to say I was underwhelmed by what I saw from him last night. He's been a much touted prospect for a long time. He did get the FB up to 93, but mostly sat in the 89-92 range. He is supposed to have a great changeup to go with that, but it was not in evidence in this game. His control was off, but I thought he got squeezed by the ump several times. I think he can have a good MLB career, but not quite what I was anticipating in terms of stuff.
Just an observation, but 5 of the 7 members of the current A's bullpen are LHP's. I wouldn't put it past Billy Beane to do that just for the Giants.
The NL West leading Dodgers hung on to beat the Cards 6-5 so the Giants remain 6 games behind them in second place. The D'Backs kept pace with a 6-4 win over the Royals to remain in 3'rd place 8.5 games back. The Reeling Rockies got blanked by Kevin Millwood and the Mariners 4-0 in Coor's Field to fall 10.5 games out. Anybody still want Jim Tracy as manager of the Giants? The Pathetic Padres lost to the Angels 7-2 to fall 12.5 games back in last place.
Ryan Vogelsong takes on the Tyson Ross in an afternoon game today.
The Giants have signed Brad Penny to a minor league deal. Let's see, the last time Brad Penny was any good was......let's see here......when he pitched for the Giants in 2009!
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 4, BB. BA= .275. Blanco is hitting .323 over his last 10 games with 10 runs scored. All he has to do to be an asset is what he did in this game. Get on base twice and score a run out of every 5 PA's. So far, he's doing that and more since being installed as the starting leadoff hitter. When was the last time the Giants had a leadoff hitter like this? I'm thinking all the way back to Brett Butler or even Bill North.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 4, BB, SB(6). BA= .331. One hit was a bunt and the other a seeing-eye ground ball, but hey, you need games like that too!
Angel Pagan- 1 for 2, 2B, 3 BB, SB(8). BA= .299. Pagan has now drawn 6 walks in his last 2 games to raise his once anemic OBP to a respectable .349. He's hitting .395 with an OBP of .500 over his last 10 games. The Giants as a team have drawn 18 walks in their last 2 games. We know Blanco, Crawford, Posey and Belt are all very patient hitters. Pagan has had respectable OBP's in the past. Are we seeing the Giants hitting philosophy evolve in front of our eyes, or is this just a random blip on the screen?
Brandon Belt- 1 for 2, BB, SF. BA= .264. Belt had 3 productive AB's, each producing an RBI. Seems like he may be locking down a full time starting gig. I'd say at last, but it really hasn't been that long.
Hector Sanchez- 2 for 3, SF. BA= .286. What a terrific game for The Zito Whisperer! I am as confident with Hector behind the plate and in the lineup as I am with Buster, and that's not a dis at Buster! Man, does Hector look like he's in charge out there or what?
Barry Zito- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.00. Zito was pretty good for 5 innings. He left the game 2 outs short of a QS. Edlefsen allowing an inherited runner to score and more makes it look worse than it was. Not the best Zito, but far from the worst.
Steve Edlefsen- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 4.70. A near disastrous appearance by Edlefsen. I'd say he got BABIP'd but those hits were all smoked.
Rest of the bullpen(Hensley, Affeldt, Romo, Casilla)- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.
Jarrod Parker(A's)- 2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 3.90. I guess the fact that his ERA was still below 4 after this one tells you something, but I have to say I was underwhelmed by what I saw from him last night. He's been a much touted prospect for a long time. He did get the FB up to 93, but mostly sat in the 89-92 range. He is supposed to have a great changeup to go with that, but it was not in evidence in this game. His control was off, but I thought he got squeezed by the ump several times. I think he can have a good MLB career, but not quite what I was anticipating in terms of stuff.
Just an observation, but 5 of the 7 members of the current A's bullpen are LHP's. I wouldn't put it past Billy Beane to do that just for the Giants.
The NL West leading Dodgers hung on to beat the Cards 6-5 so the Giants remain 6 games behind them in second place. The D'Backs kept pace with a 6-4 win over the Royals to remain in 3'rd place 8.5 games back. The Reeling Rockies got blanked by Kevin Millwood and the Mariners 4-0 in Coor's Field to fall 10.5 games out. Anybody still want Jim Tracy as manager of the Giants? The Pathetic Padres lost to the Angels 7-2 to fall 12.5 games back in last place.
Ryan Vogelsong takes on the Tyson Ross in an afternoon game today.
The Giants have signed Brad Penny to a minor league deal. Let's see, the last time Brad Penny was any good was......let's see here......when he pitched for the Giants in 2009!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Down on the Farm: 5/17/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies mauled the Round Rock Express 10-5:
Justin Christian(CF)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB, SB(4). BA= .383.
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 5, HR(4). BA= .364.
Brock Bond(2B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .395.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .317.
Todd Linden(1B)- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .261.
Scott Munter(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
George Kontos(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.18.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.77.
He's baaack!! Herman's brought his bowling ball back to the Giants organization. How many times is this? Free Brock Bond! LOL!
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels outlasted the Harrisburg Senators 1-0 in 14 innings:
Chris Heston(RHP)- 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 0.71.
Kevin Pucetas(RHP, Senators)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.88.
It's downright comical the difference in league factors between the PCL and the EL.
High A Visalia Rawhide topped the San Jose Giants 8-3:
Not much to see here. Luke Anders and Adam Duvall homered.
Low A Augusta edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 3-2:
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 4.94.
Derek Law(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.41.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(9). ERA= 2.08.
Love the dominance were seeing in Blackburn's secondary stats. There was a fascinating article in Beyond the Boxscore about how a high K/BB ratio might lead to a higher BABIP(several very good pitchers have shown that characteristic). While there are obvious advantages to pounding the strike zone, there may also be advantages to being "effectively wild." The Giants have tended to the latter under The Sabes/Tidrow/Righetti regime.
Justin Christian(CF)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB, SB(4). BA= .383.
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 5, HR(4). BA= .364.
Brock Bond(2B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .395.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .317.
Todd Linden(1B)- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .261.
Scott Munter(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
George Kontos(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.18.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.77.
He's baaack!! Herman's brought his bowling ball back to the Giants organization. How many times is this? Free Brock Bond! LOL!
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels outlasted the Harrisburg Senators 1-0 in 14 innings:
Chris Heston(RHP)- 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 0.71.
Kevin Pucetas(RHP, Senators)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.88.
It's downright comical the difference in league factors between the PCL and the EL.
High A Visalia Rawhide topped the San Jose Giants 8-3:
Not much to see here. Luke Anders and Adam Duvall homered.
Low A Augusta edged the Savannah Sand Gnats 3-2:
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 4.94.
Derek Law(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.41.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(9). ERA= 2.08.
Love the dominance were seeing in Blackburn's secondary stats. There was a fascinating article in Beyond the Boxscore about how a high K/BB ratio might lead to a higher BABIP(several very good pitchers have shown that characteristic). While there are obvious advantages to pounding the strike zone, there may also be advantages to being "effectively wild." The Giants have tended to the latter under The Sabes/Tidrow/Righetti regime.
Game Wrap 5/17/2012: Giants 7 Cards 5
It was like a debutante ball for the Brandons out at AT&T Park today, or a Bar Mitzvah or Sweet 16 or whatever you want to call it. It was like these kids who the Giants have carefully raised were finally presented to the world, and what a smashing presentation it was! Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 0 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .277. Blanco continues to get on base at an impressive rate.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .225. My first reaction was why would Bochy move Brandon Belt out of the 2 hole when he seems to have started to find success there. On second look, by putting Crawford in the 2 hole and dropping Belt to 6 Bochy was able to lengthen the lineup and did not have to resort to putting Aubrey Huff back in there. Crawford is hitting .265 over his last 10 games. Not exactly what you would call a hot streak, but a significant improvement over his season average and a great improvement over the slump he was in. If he can stick in the 2 hole, it would do wonders for the rest of the lineup.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .302. Buster is still hitting singles but at least he's hitting. 5 for 8 in his last 2 games.
Angel Pagan- 1 for 2, 3 BB. BA= .296. At least his teammates drove him in twice for his efforts in this on. Pagan is hitting .400 with a .467 OBP over his last 10 games, yet has just 3 Runs and 2 RBI's to show for it. Again, not saying it's his fault.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB. BA= .257. OBP= .369. Belt looked very confident today while continuing to get on base while hitting the ball with authority to all fields. I don't see how the FreeBelters can make a case that Belt would be better off had he been allowed to continue floundering at the beginning of the season or had he been sent down to Fresno. I'm tellin' ya. The Giants are handling Belt just right and he's gonna be fine.
Emmanuel Burriss- 0 for 2, BB, SF. Hey! Even Burriss got in on the offensive act.
Matt Cain- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.67. Maybe a little BABIP'ing here?
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(9). ERA= 1.72. Closers need to have short memories and Casilla did not show any memory of his last outing in this one.
Carlos Beltran- DNP. Beltran missed his 4'th consecutive game with a sore knee.
With the Win, the Giants remained 6 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers in sole possession of 2'nd place. The D'Backs out hit the Rockies 9-7 to regain sole possession of 3'rd place 8.5 games behind while the Rockies fell to 4'th place 9.5 games behind. The Pathetic Padres fell to 11.5 back in last place after their 8-1 shellaking at the hands of the Dodgers.
The Giants open interleague play at home against their cross bay rivals the Oakland A's with Barry Zito taking the mound.
I'll leave you with this quote from Alex Pavlovic who hit the nail about as squarely on the head as it's possible to hit it:
"The Giants have been through the growing pains that come with having one of the youngest lineups in the big leagues. They've dealt with the errors, poor at-bats, and failures to make the right play. Through 38 games, the Giants have put up with the failures because they believe that their young players will grow into everyday success stories. They believe that Brandon Belt, 24, will grow into a middle-of-the-order threat- in time. That Brandon Crawford, 25, will shake off a rough start to his career and become a consistent presence. It's games like Thursday's 7-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals that reinforce those beliefs."
Gregor Blanco- 0 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .277. Blanco continues to get on base at an impressive rate.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .225. My first reaction was why would Bochy move Brandon Belt out of the 2 hole when he seems to have started to find success there. On second look, by putting Crawford in the 2 hole and dropping Belt to 6 Bochy was able to lengthen the lineup and did not have to resort to putting Aubrey Huff back in there. Crawford is hitting .265 over his last 10 games. Not exactly what you would call a hot streak, but a significant improvement over his season average and a great improvement over the slump he was in. If he can stick in the 2 hole, it would do wonders for the rest of the lineup.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .302. Buster is still hitting singles but at least he's hitting. 5 for 8 in his last 2 games.
Angel Pagan- 1 for 2, 3 BB. BA= .296. At least his teammates drove him in twice for his efforts in this on. Pagan is hitting .400 with a .467 OBP over his last 10 games, yet has just 3 Runs and 2 RBI's to show for it. Again, not saying it's his fault.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB. BA= .257. OBP= .369. Belt looked very confident today while continuing to get on base while hitting the ball with authority to all fields. I don't see how the FreeBelters can make a case that Belt would be better off had he been allowed to continue floundering at the beginning of the season or had he been sent down to Fresno. I'm tellin' ya. The Giants are handling Belt just right and he's gonna be fine.
Emmanuel Burriss- 0 for 2, BB, SF. Hey! Even Burriss got in on the offensive act.
Matt Cain- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.67. Maybe a little BABIP'ing here?
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(9). ERA= 1.72. Closers need to have short memories and Casilla did not show any memory of his last outing in this one.
Carlos Beltran- DNP. Beltran missed his 4'th consecutive game with a sore knee.
With the Win, the Giants remained 6 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers in sole possession of 2'nd place. The D'Backs out hit the Rockies 9-7 to regain sole possession of 3'rd place 8.5 games behind while the Rockies fell to 4'th place 9.5 games behind. The Pathetic Padres fell to 11.5 back in last place after their 8-1 shellaking at the hands of the Dodgers.
The Giants open interleague play at home against their cross bay rivals the Oakland A's with Barry Zito taking the mound.
I'll leave you with this quote from Alex Pavlovic who hit the nail about as squarely on the head as it's possible to hit it:
"The Giants have been through the growing pains that come with having one of the youngest lineups in the big leagues. They've dealt with the errors, poor at-bats, and failures to make the right play. Through 38 games, the Giants have put up with the failures because they believe that their young players will grow into everyday success stories. They believe that Brandon Belt, 24, will grow into a middle-of-the-order threat- in time. That Brandon Crawford, 25, will shake off a rough start to his career and become a consistent presence. It's games like Thursday's 7-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals that reinforce those beliefs."
Down on the Farm: 5/16/2012
AAA The PCL was idle.
AA Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-1:
Jason Stevenson(LHP)- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 5.82.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.25.
High A San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 5-3:
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(4). BA= .333.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .253.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 3 for 4, SB(8). BA= .176.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 1.69.
Lollis is having a fine season but is old for the level. Panik has hit safely in 8 of his last 10 games with multi-hit efforts in 4. An 0 for 5 interrupted his momentum on Monday.
Rome Braves topped the Augusta Greenjackets 4-2:
Joseph Biagini(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 8.76.
Paul Davis(RHP)- 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.58.
AA Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-1:
Jason Stevenson(LHP)- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 5.82.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.25.
High A San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 5-3:
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(4). BA= .333.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .253.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 3 for 4, SB(8). BA= .176.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 1.69.
Lollis is having a fine season but is old for the level. Panik has hit safely in 8 of his last 10 games with multi-hit efforts in 4. An 0 for 5 interrupted his momentum on Monday.
Rome Braves topped the Augusta Greenjackets 4-2:
Joseph Biagini(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 8.76.
Paul Davis(RHP)- 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.58.
Game Wrap 5/16/2012
The Giants put a forfeit lineup on the field last night, but not by choice. Melky Cabrera was a late scratch due to a painful corn on his toe. Madison Bumgarner batted 8'th, but could have just as appropriately batted 7'th or even 6'th. The result was predictable. Key Lines:
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4. BA= .293. Not saying it's his fault, but have you ever seen a hitter with an emptier batting average than Pagan has right now? Sheesh! It seems like game after game he puts up a crooked number in the H column and 0's in the R and RBI column's.
Buster Posey- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .295. Nice bounceback game from Buster after the previous 0 for 4.
Melky Cabrera- 0 for 1. BA= .331. Hopefully the Giants made sure Melky got to a good podiatrist to take care of that corn. This lineup is quite pathetic without him in it.
Madison Bumgarner- 7.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/3. ERA= 3.10. Bumgarner pitched great for 6.2 innings, but gave up a go ahead homer to David Freeze, who seems to have a knack for those, with 2 outs in the 7'th. Bochy then tried to go a bridge too far with him in the 8'th, but the game was probably lost by then anyway.
A lineup containing Angel Pagan, Melky Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey is not exactly Murderers Row, but it's also not half bad. Add in an OBP/SB threat at the top like Blanco appears to be and they should and did produce some runs. Take both Pablo and Melky out and you're left with, well, you're left with a not very good lineup! Hopefully Melky's toe is a short term issue and they can hang on until Pablo gets back, or else they better hope Belt or one of the other kids steps it up pretty fast. They may have to hope for that anyway. I don't think anyone is optimistic that Aubrey Huff can ride in and save this lineup, but it may come to that.
The best you can say about this one is the Giants did not lose a game to the NL West leading Dodgers who lost to the Pathetic Padres 4-2 to stay 6 games up on the G's. The Rockies defeated the Kirk Gibson managed D'Backs 6-1 to move into a third place tie at 8.5 games behind the Dodgers while the Pathetic Ones gained a game to 10.5 back.
Matt Cain goes against Adam Wainwright in a afternoon game. Hey! Maybe this will be the game Brandon Belt breaks out!
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4. BA= .293. Not saying it's his fault, but have you ever seen a hitter with an emptier batting average than Pagan has right now? Sheesh! It seems like game after game he puts up a crooked number in the H column and 0's in the R and RBI column's.
Buster Posey- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .295. Nice bounceback game from Buster after the previous 0 for 4.
Melky Cabrera- 0 for 1. BA= .331. Hopefully the Giants made sure Melky got to a good podiatrist to take care of that corn. This lineup is quite pathetic without him in it.
Madison Bumgarner- 7.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/3. ERA= 3.10. Bumgarner pitched great for 6.2 innings, but gave up a go ahead homer to David Freeze, who seems to have a knack for those, with 2 outs in the 7'th. Bochy then tried to go a bridge too far with him in the 8'th, but the game was probably lost by then anyway.
A lineup containing Angel Pagan, Melky Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey is not exactly Murderers Row, but it's also not half bad. Add in an OBP/SB threat at the top like Blanco appears to be and they should and did produce some runs. Take both Pablo and Melky out and you're left with, well, you're left with a not very good lineup! Hopefully Melky's toe is a short term issue and they can hang on until Pablo gets back, or else they better hope Belt or one of the other kids steps it up pretty fast. They may have to hope for that anyway. I don't think anyone is optimistic that Aubrey Huff can ride in and save this lineup, but it may come to that.
The best you can say about this one is the Giants did not lose a game to the NL West leading Dodgers who lost to the Pathetic Padres 4-2 to stay 6 games up on the G's. The Rockies defeated the Kirk Gibson managed D'Backs 6-1 to move into a third place tie at 8.5 games behind the Dodgers while the Pathetic Ones gained a game to 10.5 back.
Matt Cain goes against Adam Wainwright in a afternoon game. Hey! Maybe this will be the game Brandon Belt breaks out!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Down on the Farm: 5/15/2012
AAA Fresno Grizzlies topped the Omaha Stormchasers 6-4:
Justin Christian(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .382.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, Sac, SB(5). BA= .314.
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 2 for 4, HR(9). BA= .331.
Eli Whiteside(C)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .242.
Some interesting stuff at Fresno this year. Could Roger K be in the mix for a OF gig in SF next year?
AA Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2:
Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 4, SB(10). BA= .243.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .208.
High A San Jose Giants edged the Modesto Nuts 4-3:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 0 for 4, BB, SB(7). BA= .263.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .246.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .224.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 2, 3B, 2 BB. BA= .270.
Jose Valdez(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.25.
Seth Rosin(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(8). ERA= 2.45.
Ricky is a very patient hitter. Hope the Giants let him develop that rather than trying to force him out of it.
Low A Rome Braves downed the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:
Ben Thomas(1B)- 4 for 4, 2 HR(2). BA= .289.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 2.73.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 10.13.
Did Escobar get BABIP'd or was he just too hittable? This was Mejia's second appearance in a row with 2+ IP and 0 ER. Baby steps!
Justin Christian(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .382.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, Sac, SB(5). BA= .314.
Roger Kieschnick(LF)- 2 for 4, HR(9). BA= .331.
Eli Whiteside(C)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .242.
Some interesting stuff at Fresno this year. Could Roger K be in the mix for a OF gig in SF next year?
AA Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2:
Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 4, SB(10). BA= .243.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .208.
High A San Jose Giants edged the Modesto Nuts 4-3:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 0 for 4, BB, SB(7). BA= .263.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .246.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .224.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 2, 3B, 2 BB. BA= .270.
Jose Valdez(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.25.
Seth Rosin(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(8). ERA= 2.45.
Ricky is a very patient hitter. Hope the Giants let him develop that rather than trying to force him out of it.
Low A Rome Braves downed the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:
Ben Thomas(1B)- 4 for 4, 2 HR(2). BA= .289.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 2.73.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 10.13.
Did Escobar get BABIP'd or was he just too hittable? This was Mejia's second appearance in a row with 2+ IP and 0 ER. Baby steps!
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