Game Wrap 6/30/2013: Giants 5 Rockies 2

The Giants got HR's from Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, a few breaks which they haven't been getting lately and a terrific pitching performance by Madison Bumgarner to break a losing streak in the middle of a tough road trip.  Key Lines:

Tony Abreu- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .325.  The Giants patience with Tony Abreu is starting to pay off.  The talent has always been there.

Buster Posey- 1 for 4, HR(12), BB.  BA= .322.  Not much to say about Buster that has not already been said.  Nice for him to get some help today.

Hunter Pence- 2 for 5, HR(13).  BA= .284.  Pence has been slumping and that hole in the lineup has been huge.  Hope this is the start of better games.

Juan Perez- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .256.  Nice little game for Juan Perez.  In addition to getting on base 3 times, he motored around to score from first on Quiroz' popup that fell in with 2 outs in the 7'th inning.  Love watching Flannery run down the line with him then peel off back to his coaching box when he sees the safe call.

Quillermo Quiroz- 2 for 5.  BA= .196.  Quiroz had something like a 13 pitch AB on a single to RF and then the luck on the popup that drove in Perez.  At this point, it seems like Bochy sees him as a better defensive option than  Hector.

Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 12/1.  ERA= 3.08.  Bumgarner was in command the whole way.  The difference between him and Matt Cain yesterday is the run support Bummy got today.

The Win enabled the Giants to gain a game on the NL West leading D'Backs and now trail them by 3 games, although they remain in 4'th place.  The D'Backs lost to the Braves again 6-2.  The Rockies remain 2 games behind in 2'nd place.  The Padres lost again to the Marlins 6-2 to remain in 3'rd place, 2.5 games out.  The Last Place Dodgers beat the Phils 6-1 and are now just 4 games out of first place in a very congested NL West division race.

The Giants now travel to Cincinnati to play a 4 game series against the Reds in Great American Ballpark, a place that has not been historically friendly to the Giants.  Mike Kickham gets the first game tomorrow evening facing Bronson Arroyo.

Down on the Farm: 6/29/2013

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees stung the Fresno Grizzlies 7-1:

Chris Dominguez(3B)- 1 for 3, HR(10).  BA= .284.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.56.

Chris Dominguez keeps up his good hitting.  Austin Fleet has pitched in multiple roles and has done reasonably well in all of them.

AA  Erie Seawolves defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-2:

Javier Herrera(LF)- 1 for 4, HR(11), BB.  BA= .307.
Mark Minicozzi(DH)- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .337.
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 1 for 1, 3 BB.  BA= .279.
Mark Wagner(C)- 2 for 4.  BA= .188.
Ryan Bradley(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.43.

Has Javier Herrera regained his former 5 tool luster?

High A  San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 8-4:

Brock Bond(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .242.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(11).  BA= .259.
Devin Harris(LF)- 1 for 4, HR(17).  BA= .254.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .257.
Myles Schroder(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 7.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 9 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 4.79.

Williamson is hitting .306/.405/.500 over his last 10 games.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets crushed the Asheville Tourists 11-3:

Trevor Brown(C)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .253.
Shayne Houck(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .256.
Cain, Duffy, Branca, Rapp, Robles- 2 hits each.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB,  6 K's.  ERA= 3.45.

Cain, Duffy and Branca had a double each as one of their 2 hits.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Hillsboro Hops 7-2:

Tyler Hollick(CF)- 2 for 4, 2 BB, SB(8).  BA= .387.
Brandon Bednar(3B)- 3 for 5.  BA= .351.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B, HR2).  BA= .318.
Shilo McCall(LF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .293.
Jonathan Jones(1B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .269.
Chris Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.13.

I"m not sure why Chris Johnson was not promoted form S-K. Last summer, he had an ERA of almost 7 but his K and BB ratios were really good:  47 K's against just 11 BB's in 48.2 IP.  He's still only 21 yo with a birthdate of 8/24.

Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

DSL  Reds blanked the Giants 3-0:

Miguel Gomez(C, 20 yo)- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= 294.
Eber Guzman(RHP, 20 yo)- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.92.

Where did I read today that the Giants have either signed or are about to sign Jonah Arenado and John Riley?  Now THAT would make this draft verrrry interesting!  Can't seem to find it now and they are not listed as signed on BA's Draft Database.

Game Wrap 6/29/2013: Rockies 2 Giants 1

Matt Cain did everything you could ask to be the stopper in this game, but the offense failed to do their share and Jeremy Affeldt gave up a walkoff hit to Nolan Arenado in the bottom of the 9'th inning.  Key Lines:

Andres Torres- 3 for 4, SB(3), PO/CS.  BA= .270.  Andres Torres does some things really well, but too often negates them with mental mistakes.  In his defense here, perhaps the order to go on first movement came from the bench?

Marco Scutaro- 1 for 3, Sac.  BA= .319.  Scutaro talked his way into the lineup, but that left hand does not look comfortable and Scooter did not look like he felt good.  Not sure why you would sacrifice bunt with a runner at 2B in the first inning.  He may have been nominally trying to bunt for a basehit, but if he was, it was a pretty poor effort.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .324.  Not going to blame Buster for striking out with a runner on 3B and 1 out in the first inning.  The Giants are not going to win many games if the only times they have a chance to score is when Buster bats.

Matt Cain- 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 12/4.   ERA= 4.29.  Cain did not allow a baserunner after the 2'nd inning.  He threw 30 pitches in the first inning, 65 over the next 7.  Cainer has been gradually transforming himself into more of a groundball pitcher.  Classic Caining today.

Jeremy Affeldt- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.29.  Affeldt quickly got the first two outs in the inning and the Rockies had already used their closer.  Unfortunately he walked Todd Helton.  The pinch-runner, Rutledge easily stole 2B and Arenado hit the game winner up the middle.  I understand roles and the importance of maintaining them and having faith in your veterans who have been reliable, but with the way Affeldt has been pitching lately and the importance of breaking up this losing streak, I believe a RHP should have faced Arenado once Helton drew the walk.

With the Loss, the Giants remain in 4'th place in the NL West 4 games behind the leading D'Backs.  The Rockies climbed over the Padres into 2'nd place, 2 games out.  The Pesky Padres lost to the Marlins 7-1 to remain in 3'rd place, 2.5 games behind.  The Last Place Dodgers(not sure how much longer I am going to be able to write that) are playing the Phillies tonight and sit 5.5 games out pending the outcome.

Madison Bumgarner will try to be the stopper tomorrow facing Drew Pomeranz.

Down on the Farm: 6/28/2013

It was a better day on the Farm than it was for the MLB Giants.

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies stole the Salt Lake City Bees honey 9-6:

Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 4, HR(11), HBP.  BA= .245.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 3 for 5.  BA= .571.
Johnny Monell(C)- 2 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .314.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 2 for 4, BB, SB(4).   BA= .267.
Cole Gillespie(2B)- 4 for 5, SB(7).  BA= .286.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 4 for 5.  BA= .283.
Kensuke Tanaka(LF)- 3 for 4.  BA= .332.

Brownie hits his 8'th dinger in June.  It looks like Chris Dominguez has successfully sacrificed some power to maintain a higher BA.  Of course, he wasn't hitting many HR's before anyway because he was never making contact.  The Giants are seeing if Tanaka can do better defensively in the OF with Gillespie seeing if he can handle 2B well enough for his bat to play there.

AA Erie Seawolves out hit the Richmond Flying Squirrels 10-9:

Javier Herrera(LF)- 3 for 5, HR(10).  BA= .308.
Joe Panik(2B)- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .258.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .277.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .214.
Andrew Susac(C)- 1 for 3, HR(10), 2 BB.  BA= .264.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB, SB(7).  BA= .236.
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .276.

Lots of guy got to pad their stat lines in this one.

High A  Stockton Ports put up an 8-spot in the 6'th inning and held on for an 8-6 win over the San Jose Giants:

Brock Bond(DH)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .236.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .256.
Devin Harris(LF)- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .254.
Myles Schroder(3B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .243.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.01.
Luis Rojas(RHP)- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.21.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.10.

Mejia was sailing along with a shutout through 5 IP, then ran into trouble and Luis Rojas poured gasoline on the fire.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets swarmed the Asheville Tourists 10-5:

Rafael Rodriguez(PH-LF)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .228.
Andrew Cain(LF-CF)- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .228.
Chuckie Jones(RF)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .205.
Joey Rapp(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .218.
Shayne Houck(3B)- 2 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .251.
Stephen Branca(DH)- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .220.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.73.
Jorge Bucardo(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.69.

Jesus Galindo started the game in CF, but did not take an AB.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Hillsboro Hops 10-4:

Tyler Hollick(CF)- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .379.
Brandon Bednar(SS)- 1 for 3, 2 2B, SB(1).  BA= .313.
Ryan Honeycutt(DH)- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .294.
Ryan Jones(2B)- 4 for 4, 2B.  BA= .563.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 2 for 4, 3B, BB, 2 SB(5). BA= .229.
Lorenzo Mendoza(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.09.

Ryan Jones was a guy who I thought might be a sleeper in last year's draft but hit just .227 for S-K last year.  He's off to a much better start this year.  Like what we've seen from Bednar so far. John Polonius gets sent down to S-K and starts at 3B.

Rookie AZL  Giants defeated the D'Backs 5-1:

Christian Arroyo(SS)- 1 for 3.  BA= .333.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .667.
Hector Mercedes(RF)- 2 for 4, SB(1).   BA= .308.
Rando Moreno(2B)- 2 for 3, BB, SB(3). BA= .333.
Luis Pino(RHP)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.80.
Donald Snelton, Chase Johnson, Jacob McCasland- 1 scoreless IP each.

Several new draftees make their pro debuts here.  Arroyo and Ryder Jones both found success as well as the 3 pitchers mentioned above.

DSL  Giants were idle.

Game Wrap 6/28/2013: Rockies 4 Giants 1

The Giants were no match for Jhoulys Chacin and the Colorado Rockies as the middle leg of their road trip from, through and to Hell opened in Coors Field.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(11).  BA= .321.  Heckuva night for Buster, but he can't do it alone.  He got 3 of the team's 4 hits on the game.

Barry Zito- 5.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.53.  Zito wasn't good but he wasn't terrible either.  Kruk seemed to think he might be tipping his pitches.

Jake Dunning- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.16.  Haven't I been telling you that Dunning has a loose arm for a couple of years now?  Man, that thing is a whip!  Someone said in another discussion that one silver lining to all the injuries is we get to seem some new blood on the roster.  Dunning would be one who looks like he's going to be around awhile.

Jhoulys Chacin(Rockies)- 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 11/4.  Chacin put on a clinic of how to pitch successfully at Coors Field:  Pound the strike zone with a heavy fastball and keep the ball on the ground.  If you want proof of how little fight the Giants had in them tonight, look no further than Chacin's pitch count:  95 pitches in 8 innings.  He had only made 63 pitches through 6 at one point.

With the Loss, the Giants remained in 4'th place in the NL West, 4 games behind the leading D'Backs who lost to the Braves 3-0.  The Pesky Padres, in 2'nd place,  beat the Marlins 9-2 to get to 2.5 games behind the leaders while the Rockies gained a game to 3 games back.  The Dodgers are getting crushed by the Phillies 15-1 in the 8'th innning, so they will finish the evening 6 games off  the pace.

Matt Cain tries to be the stopper against Jorge De La Rosa tomorrow afternoon.

Looking ahead, it is difficult right now to envision the Giants winning even one game on this road trip.  Sometimes a team has to hit rock bottom before they start fighting back.  If tonights game is not rock bottom, it has to be getting very close.  Right now, whether it be that they just don't have the weapons or just don't have the heart, this team has very little fight in it.

Down on the Farm: 6/27/2013

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees pulled away from the Fresno Grizzlies with a late surge 9-4:

Gray Brown(CF)- 3 for 5, 3B, SB(11).  BA= .245.
Nick Noonan(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .556.
Brett Pill(1B)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .350
Jackson Williams(C)- 2 for 4.  BA= .230.

Brownie is hitting .304/.360/.608 for the month of June.  He hit .180 in April and .248 in May, so it may be fair to say that is an expected adjustment curve to a new level.  It's just that we all expect everybody to hit the minute they arrive in Fresno.  A lot will depend on what he does going forward.  I don't think anyone expects him to slug .608, but it would be very reasonable to expect him to maintain a .304/.360 BA/OBP split going forward.

We can all stop waiting for Boof.  He gone for good.

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Erie Seawolves 3-1:

Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .272.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .214.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 3 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .233.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.67.

Snodgrass has upped his K ratios the last 2 starts with 14 against just 1 BB in 14.1 IP.

High A  San Jose Giants edged the Stockton Ports 2-1 in 10 innings:

Kyle Crick(RHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.48.
Jose Casilla(RHP)- 2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.97.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.34.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.52.dw

More dominance from Cricky.  I'm not sure any Giants pitching prospect has ever been this dominant for San Jose in recent memory.  His main issue is innings limited by pitch counts which is partly due to all the K's.  Good to see him walk only 1 batter in this game.

Addendum:  Wow!  I did not realize Crick has only started 5 games this season.  I guess the game I saw where he pulled his oblique was just his 3'rd start.  He's only pitched 18+ innings so far.  The 30 K's are pretty dominant though.

Low A  Asheville Tourists overran the Augusta Greenjackets 10-6:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .275.
Chuckie Jones(RF)- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .203.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .227.
Kendry Flores(RHP)- 4 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.49.

So, 1 week after I declare Kendry Flores to be my new favorite Giants pitching prospect, he gets shelled!  6 of the runs came in the 4'th inning so there could have been a BABIPing here.

Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Eugene Emeralds 9-3:

Tyler Hollick(CF)- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB(7).  BA= .385.
Brandon Bednar(3B)- 2 for 4, Sac.  BA= .310.
Kentrell Hill(RF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .240.
Ryan Jones(2B)- 3 for 4.  BA= .417.
Joseph Kurrasch(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.23.


Rookie AZL  Giants topped the Cubs 3-1:

Tyler Horan(LF)- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .346.
Julio Pena(CF)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .308.
Keury Mella(RHP)- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.38.
Dusten Knight(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00
Nick Jones(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Rogers(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Mella is a DSL Graduate who is highly regarded.  Several pitching draftees make their pro debuts.  I have a strong feeling this is too low a level for Horan.

DSL  Giants vs Orioles1 postponed.

Down on the Farm: 6/26/2013

AAA  The PCL was idle today.

AA  Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-4:

Mark Wagner(C)- 3 for 3, 2 2B.  BA= .171.
Jose Valdez(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.85.

High A  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 4-3:

Mac Williamson(DH)- 1 for 2, HR(10), 2 BB.  BA= .253.
Eric Surkamp(LHP)- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.93.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.93.

Surkamp has always been a strikeout oriented pitcher.  Good to see the great K/9 here.

Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats beat the Augusta Greenjackets 5-1:

Ben Turner(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .263.
Justin Schumer(RHP)- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.52.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Eugene Emeralds 5-1:

Kentrell Hill(RF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .200.
Shilo McCall(LF)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .289.
Gabriel Cornier(C)- 2 for 3, 2B, Sac.  BA= .281.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's  ERA= 1.29.
Jacob Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.35.

Rookie AZL  Giants out hit the D'Backs 8-5:

Rando Moreno(2B)- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .304.
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B, BB.  BA= .304.
Christian Paulino(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .222.
Renzo Freite(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

DSL  Orioles1 outlasted the Giants 5-4 in 14 innings:

Nicol Parra(LF, 18 yo)- 4 for 7.  BA= .219.
Gustavo Cabrera(CF, 17 yo)- 2 for 6, BB, 2 CS(5).  BA= .192.
Raffi Vizcaino(RHP, 17 yo)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.95.
Clarence Richardson(RHP, 19 yo)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 1.46.

Game Wrap 6/26/2013: Dodgers 4 Giants 2

Tim Lincecum hung tough against Clayton Kershaw for 5 innings, but folded in a 3 run 6'th, while Clayton Kershaw was lights out against everybody but Buster Posey.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey- 3 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .314

Tim Lincecum- 5.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.64.  Timmy looked strong in the first couple of innings with a fastball that reached 93 MPH.  His command was still shaky. He was getting some swings and misses at the changeup.  I did not see the middle innings of the game including the 6'th where he gave up the 3 spot.

With the Loss, the Giants remained in 4'th place, 3.5 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs who lost to the Nationals 3-2.  The Padres sit in 2'nd place, 2.5 games out pending the outcome of their game with the Phillies.  The Rockies lost to the BoSox to remain 3 games out in 3'rd place.  The Last Place Dodgers gained a game on the division to 6 games out.

The Giants get tomorrow off to regroup from the sweep in LA before facing the Rockies in Coors Field Friday night with Barry Zito facing Jhoulys Chacin.

As bad as the Giants are playing right now, the rest of the division has not buried them.  If they can get through the next 6 games of the road trip and be still within hailing distance, they might be able to regroup in July with Gaudin and hopefully Cassilla coming back.

Down on the Farm: 6/25/2013

AAA Tacoma Rainiers beat the Fresno Grizzies 1-0 in a rare low-scoring PCL game:

Austin Fleet(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.81.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.12.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.40.
Taijuan Walker(RHP, Rainiers)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00

Taijuan Walker makes his AAA debut.  He's from my area, Yucaipa HS, and John Klima really liked him coming out of HS.

AA  Game 1  Bowie Baysox blanked the Richmond Fying Squirrels 1-0 in a typically low-scoring EL game:

Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, SB(9).  BA= .236.
Brett Krill(LF)- 2 for 3.  BA= .295.
Chris Gloor(LHP)- 6.1 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.46.

AA Game 2  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged the Bowie BaySox 7-6:

Joe Panik(2B)- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(8).  BA= .260.
Ryan Lollis(CF)- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .276.
Mark Minicozzi(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .335.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 0 for 2, BB, SB(10).  BA= .234.
Phil McCormick(LHP)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.88.

High A  San Jose Giants avoided getting no-hit by the Modesto Nuts, but lost anyway, 6-2:

Jose Casilla(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.18.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.42.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Eugene Emeralds 9-2:

Tyler Hollick(CF)- 1 for 4, BB, SB(6).  BA= .408.
Brandon Bednar(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .300.
Shilo McCall(LF)- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .262.
Andrew Leenhouts(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.42.
Chris Marlowe(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Chris Fern(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 18.00.
Armando Paniagua(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Shilo McCall is an example of a prospect who is completely under the radar in a lot of prospect watching sites, but who seems to be off to a solid start to his professional career.

Rookie AZL  Giants crushed the Cubs 14-4:

Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .263.
Tyler Horan(LF)- 1 for 1, 3 BB, SB(1), Assist(2B). BA= .294.
Leonardo Fuentes(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .500.
Craig Massoni(1B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .455.
Fernando Pujadas(C)- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .412.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

Horan shows off his tools.  Please, please let Leo Fuentes be for real!!  Got nothing on Ysla.

DSL  Giants topped the Padres 4-1:

Gustavo Cabrera(CF)- 0 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(9).  BA= .181.
Nathanael Javier(3B)- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1).  BA= .216.
Royel Astacio(1B)- 4 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .196.
Hengerber Medina(SS)- 0 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(6).  BA= .143.
Eusebio Encarnacion(RHP, 18 yo)- 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.93.
Jose Morel(RHP, 19 yo)- 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.59.

Game Wrap 6/25/2013: Dodgers 6 Giants 5

Have you ever gotten the feeling that a game you were watching on TV needed less of your involvement in it?  Got home a bit late tonight, just in time to see Mark Ellis break a 0-0 tie in the 3'rd inning with a 2 run HR off Mike Kickham who had been perfect for 2 innings.   Took the dog for a walk and returned to a 2-2 tie just in time to see Hanley Ramirez hit the LF foul pole for another 2 run dinger.  When it got to 6-2, I decided to take the trash out and fill up the wife's car with gas.  Got back with the score 6-3 and watched until the 9'th.  I decided to look up the minor league scores while waiting for the game to end, took a peek at Gameday and saw it was 6-4 with no outs and a runner on 2B.  Went back to the TV, well, and you know the rest.  A very exciting finish did not go the Giants way.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(8).  BA= .264.  Now THAT is what we used to see down in the minors!

Buster Posey- 1 for 3, HR(9), BB.  BA= .308.  The top 4 batters in the lineup went a combined 1 for 13 with 2 BB's and Buster's dinger being the only hit.

Mike Kickham- 5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 10.57.  Kickham hung around a bit longer tonight than his first start.  Made a couple of mistakes but again showed MLB quality stuff.  He was particularly impressive against Yasiel Puig.  Another learning experience but if he continues this learning curve, he could be a regular in the rotation next year.  Oh, and he ditched the goggles!

With the loss, the Giants remained in 4'th place, 3.5 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs who lost to the Nationals 7-5.  The Rockies lost to the Red Sox 11-4 while the Padres lost to the Phillies 6-2 so those two teams remain tied for 2'nd place, 3 games behind the D'Backs.  The Last Place Dodgers gained a game to 7 back.

Tim Lincecum faces Clayton Kershaw in tomorrow night's finale trying to avoid the sweep, always a tough assignment against The Kershaw.

Down on the Farm: 6/24/2013

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers obliterated the Fresno Grizzlies 14-4:

Johnny Monell(DH)- 1 for 4, HR(14).  BA= .317.
Brett Pill(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(12).  BA= .346.
Cole Gillespie(2B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .280.
Gary Brown(CF)- 0 for 3, BB, SB(10), Assist(3B).   BA= .241.
Fabio Castillo(RHP)- 4 IP, 10 H, 10 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 9.00.
Tyler LaTorre(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

I don't know how many Assists Brown has on the season, but I see them listed fairly often.  Castillo seems to be going rapidly backward.  Maybe LaTorre should convert to pitching full time.  He was the only Grizzlies pitcher out of 4 who did not allow a run.

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels dominated the Bowie Baysox 8-0:

Javier Herrera(DH)- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .309.
Joe Panik(2B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .258.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .272.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 3, BB, SB(8).  BA= .234.
Taylor Rogers(RHP)- 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 5.61.

This might be Taylor Rogers' best game as a pro.

High A  Modesto Nuts no-no'd the San Jose Giants 2-0:

Ty Blach(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.67.

Obviously no offensive key lines here.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Savannah Sand Gnats 3-2:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 3 for 4.  BA= .276.
Matt Duffy(SS)- 2 for 4.  BA= .305.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 13/2.  ERA= 3.53.
Jorge Bucardo(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.90.
Tyler Mizenko(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(17).  ERA= 0.56.

Biagini has an ERA of 1.81 over his last 6 starts.  His K and BB numbers have improved considerably and he keeps the ball on the ground bit time.  This guy is moving WAY up the Giants prospect rankings!

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes blanked the Vancouver Canadians 1-0:

Brandon Bednar(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .267.
Jonathan Jones(1B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .282.
Chris Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.50.
Jake Shadle(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.23.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.05.

Rookie AZL  Giants were idle.

DSL  Giants out hit the D'Backs 9-8:

Jean Angomas(RF)- 3 for 5.  BA= .258.
Gustavo Cabrera(CF)- 1 for 4, BB, Assist(Home).  BA= .188.
Nathanael Javier(3B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .211.

Again, not sure how many assists Gustavo has on the season, but I see the listed frequently.

Game Wrap 6/24/2013: Dodgers 3 Giants 1

The Giants failed to capitalize on multiple scoring opportunities and ended up wasting a fine start by Madison Bumgarner.  Key Lines:

Joaquin Arias- 0 for 1.  BA= .276.  Arias beat out a potential DP grounder, then scored from first on a double by Torres down the LF line.  He came up with a bad hammy at the end of the play, which may have cost the Giants this game as Brandon Crawford did not appear to be prepared to face the LHP Ryu and left 6 runners on base.  No word yet on how long Arias will be out, but this injury bug is getting ridiculous.

Rest of Giants Offense- 8 for 33, 2 2B, 4 BB.  The the Giants loaded the bases twice and came up empty.  If they are going to eschew the HR, they need to keep the line moving better.

Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.20.  Bumgarner pitched much better than the final line would indicate.  IMO, he was tiring at the end of the 7'th inning and should not have started the 8'th, although I can understand why Bochy is reluctant to got to his bullpen.

George Kontos- 0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.76.   The hit was by Puig who drove in the go-ahead run.  Personally, I would not have given Puig a chance to beat the Giants.  I would have walked him and brought in Lopez to face Gonzalez with the bases loaded, then if that worked, taken my chances with Rosario and Ramirez.

The Loss dropped the Giants into 4'th place in the NL West 3.5 games behind the the idle D'Backs.  The Rockies were also idle and remained 3 games behind in 2'nd place but are now tied with the Padres who came from behind to beat the Phillies 4-3.  The Last Place Dodgers are 8 games out.

Chad Gaudin was placed on the DL today, and Mike Kickham was recalled from Fresno to pitch against Stephen Fife.

Jean Machi was also sent down to Fresno and Kontos recalled to replace although I believe Kontos technically had to replace the injured Gaudin.

Down on the Farm: 6/23/2013

AAA  Tacoma Rainiers edged out the Fresno Grizzlies 5-4:

Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 5, HR(10).  BA= .244.
Johnny Monell(C)- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .318.
Chris Heston(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.30.

I think it's pretty clear now that Brown must have made some changes in his swing and approach at the plate to have this kind of a power surge.  I don't think he's ever done anything like this in his entire career, pro or college. Hesto Presto turns in a QS.

AA  Reading Phightin' Phils pounded the Richmond Flying Squirrels 14-6:

Brett Krill(RF)- 2 for 4, SB(3).  BA= .289.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 1 for 4, HR(7), BB.  BA= .268.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .228.
Seth Rosin(RHP, Phils)- 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.07.

Fun to check in on former Giants farmhands who've been traded away.  Rosin isn't exactly dominating the EL, is he?

High A  Stockton Ports crushed the San Jose Giants 10-1:

Bond(.246), Lofton(.247), Schroder(.254)- 2 hits each.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.80.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.03.

Hopefully these hiccups are just part of Blackburn's learning experience.  High A at age 20 is a fairly aggressive track.

Low A  Kannapolis Intimidators beat the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:

Matt Duffy(SS)- 2 for 4.  BA= .301.
Trevor Brown(C)- 2 for 4.  BA= .256.
Chuckie Jones(RF)- 3 for 4, SB(7).  BA= .202.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 8/3.  BA= 3.39.

Solid start for Stratton.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Vancouver Canadians 2-1 in a game shortened by rain to 5 innings:

Tyler Hollick(CF)- 1 for 1, HR(1), BB.  BA= .463.
Sam Eberle(1B)- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .343.
Shilo McCall(DH)- 1 for 2, 2B.  BA= .265.
Reyes Maronta(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.29.

Maronta is a 20 yo who pitched in the DSL in 2011 and the AZL in 2012.  He's put up decent numbers.  Could be someone to keep an eye on.  Like where McCall is so far.

Rookie AZL  Giants crushed the Angels 11-3:

Rando Moreno(2B-SS)- 2 for 6.  BA= .267.
Leonardo Fuentes(RF)- 3 for 4, 3B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .529.
Fernando Pujadas(C)- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .417.
Craig Massoni(1B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .429.
Brett Kay(DH)- 2 for 5.  BA= .300.
Yusmeiro Petit(RHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

I know there's a double whammy here of a small sample size and an extreme hitter-friendly environment not to mention age vs league, but I can't help but start to feel excited about Fuentes, who I've always thought had a huge ceiling if he ever figured it out.  Petit is obviously on a rehab assignment and him facing rookie league batters is a joke.  Massoni is a college masher from a smaller program who I thought might stay in school after getting drafted so low.  Keep an eye out for him.

Game Wrap 6/23/2013: Marlins 7 Giants 2

The Marlins blew open a close game with 4 runs in the top of the 9'th inning.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 2 for 4.  BA= .304.  Blanco continues to do his job at the top of the lineup.

Marco Scutaro- 2 for 4.  BA= .332.  The first two batters went a combined 4 for 8 and ended up with just 1 run to show for it and it took Abreu tripling ahead of them to get that!

Hunter Pence- 1 for 4, HR(12).  BA= .285.  It's always a good game if you hit a HR, but the solo shot did not help much in this one.

Matt Cain- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.54.  What happened to Cainer's vaunted ability to keep the ball in the park?  It was still a QS and should have been good enough if the offense and bullpen had done their job.

Jake Dunning- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 3/1.  ERA= 3.60.  Dunning is pitching up to his AAA numbers.  He's a guy who can go more than 1 inning at a time too.

Jean Machi- 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.86.  Wow!  Machi sure went from being the go-to guy to hitting the wall in a hurry!  Lost confidence?  Worked too hard?  Bochy seems so desperate for some consistency in the bullpen that when he finds a hot hand, he rides it until it drops.  Right now, it looks like Machi might be the odd man out when Casilla comes back.

With the Loss, the Giants remained in 2'nd place, 3 games behind the D'Backs who lost to the Reds 4-2.  The Rockies beat the Nationals 7-6 to tie the Giants for second place.  The Padres lost to the Last Place Dodgers(man, I sure love writing that), 3-1 and are in 4'th place, 3.5 games behind the leaders while the Dodgers bring up the rear of the pack at 8.5 games behind.

The Giants now travel to LA to take on the Last Place Dodgers with Madison Bumgarner facing Hyun-Jin Ryu in game 1 tomorrow night.

Down on the Farm: 6/22/2013

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 2-1:

Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .244.
Ydwin Villegas(SS)- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .286.
Mitch Lively(RHP)- 6.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.26.
George Kontos(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.52.

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged the Reading Phillies 6-5:

Travious Relaford(2B)- 1 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .203.
Joe Panik(SS)- 3 for 3, 2 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .257.
Andrew Susac(C)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9), BB.  BA= .277.
Brett Krill(RF-LF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .282.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 6 K.  ERA= 2.82.

Nice to see Panik have a multi-hit game.  He's been slumping for about a month.  Susac is hitting .321/.355/.571 over his last 10 games with HR's in his last 2 games.  Snodgrass got hurt by 2 dingers from Anthony Hewitt, a first round draft pick by the Phillies in 2008, which drove in 4 of the 5 runs for the Phils. Otherwise Snodgrass had good peripheral numbers.

High A  San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 4-2:

Brock Bond(DH)- 3 for 5.  BA= .241.
Pablo Sandoval(3B)- 3 for 3, HR(2).  BA= .667.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 5, SB(6).  BA= .256.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .259.
Adalberto Mejia(LHP)- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.81.
Jose Casilla(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.42.
Bryce Bandilla(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(4).  BA= 3.23.

Looks like Sandoval is ready to go.  Mejia has a successful return from the DL.

Low A Augusta Greenjackets stung the Kannapolis Intimidators 6-5:

Trevor Brown(2B)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .251.
Ben Turner(C)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .259.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 1  IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB,  1 K.  ERA= 2.20.
Matthew Lujan(LHP)- 4 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K"s.  ERA= 4.37.

Trevor Brown is hitting .378 over his last 10 games while getting 2 hits in 7 of those games.  OK, this doesn't sound good.  According to the game story in the Augusta Chronicle, Agosta's wildness was due to poor mechanics brought on by loss of velocity.  Manager Mike Goff said Agosta is "going through a little dead arm." and "we just didn't want to take the chance with him" in regards to Agosta's early exit.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes lost to the Vancouver Canadians 8-6:

Tyler Hollick(RF)- 5 for 5.  BA= .450.
Jonathan Jones(1B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .257.
Sam Eberle(3B)- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .333.
Joseph Kurrasch(LHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.86.

All of Hollick's 5 hits were singles and he did not figure into the scoring.

Rookie AZL  Angels topped the Giants 4-2:

Keury Mella(RHP)- 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.75.
Carlos Alvarado(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Mella is a highly touted DSL graduate.  Alvarado was signed by the Giants last year after being released by Detroit.  He is 23 years old but has put up good numbers in several VSL and DSL seasons with the Tigers affiliates and last year with the DSL Giants.  I assume he got caught up in indentitygate.  I like his size at 6'4", 175 lbs.  Keep an eye on him.

DSL  Giants beat the Padres 5-3:

Gustavo Cabrera(CF, 17 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .185.
Carlos Valdez(LF, 19 yo)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .233.
Olbis Parra(RHP, 18 yo)-  5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.59.

The Giants drew 10 walks in this game.

Game Wrap 6/22/2013: Giants 2 Marlins 1

The Giants got an excellent start from Barry Zito and a nails effort from the bullpen.  Hector Sanchez hit a walk-off bases-loaded single in the 10'th inning and the Giants got that Marlins monkey off their backs with a much needed win.  Key lines:

Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .300.  Blanco's second 3-hit game in a row.  He's hitting .462 over his last 10 games and where would this team be without him?  His WAR must have taken a jump these last 2 games!

Hector Sanchez- 1 for 1.  BA= .219.  The Hector has 4 hits in his last 10 AB's, 3 for his last 5.  He looks to be in much better shape than earlier in the season and even than last year.  Quiroz had a great spring, but has not looked so good over the last couple of months.  I'll take The Hector, thank you!

Barry Zito- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.40.  It didn't look so good after the Marlins scored a run in the first inning, but Zeets settled down and pitched a fine game to keep the Giants in it late.  Nice job!  With Zito, it is so hard to forget his disaster starts because they are so bad, but once again, his good starts are much more numerous than his bad ones.  So far this season, Zito has had 10 Quality or near-Quality Starts against just 4 "Disaster" starts.  In those 10 "good" starts, he has an ERA of 1.89!  In one of his 4 "Disaster" starts, he gave up 5 unearned runs and just 1 Earned Run in 3.2 IP, so he really has had just 3 "Disaster" starts that were his fault.  At this point, I would say he is solidly on track to have his option picked up or else his contract renegotiated and extended at the end of the season.


Sergio Romo- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.40.  Clutch effort from Romo in a non-Save situation.

Sandy Rosario- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.84.  Rosario has been lights out since being recalled from Fresno.  10 IP, 2 ER, 14 K's against 4 BB.  I think Rosario is going to prove to be another long term keeper found in the dumpster.  Love his stuff!  I think he might even be used as a starter if worse came to worse.

The Win allowed the Giants to keep pace with the NL West leading D'Backs who topped the Reds 4-3, 3 games back in 2'nd place.  The Padres lost to the Last Place Dodgers 6-1 to fall 3.5 games back in 3'rd place.  The Rockies beat the Nationals 7-1 to remain 4 games behind the leaders in 4'th place while the Dodgers stayed 9.5 games back.

Matt Cain tries to salvage a split in the 4 game series and a winning homestand facing Nate Eovaldi at AT&T Park tomorrow afternoon.

Down on the Farm: 6/21/2013

AAA  Reno Aces pounded the Fresno Grizzlies 12-7:

Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 4, HR(9), BB, SB(9).  BA= .244.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .278.
Brett Pill(1B)- 1 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .358.
Monell(.313), Roger K(.283), Gillespie(.283), Linden(.205)- 2 hits each.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.58.

Gary Brown's power surge continues with his 4'th HR in his last 10 games and 6'th in the month of June.  Kind of a weird line for Hembree who has a 10.97 ERA over his last 10 appearances.  He also has 14 K's against 5 BB's in 10.2 IP over those same 10 games, so he may be pitching in some bad luck.  The 3 dingers may be due to an unfavorable environment too. Those numbers probably aren't going to get him called up to SF anytime soon, though.

AA  Reading Phightin' Phils defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3:

Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .270.
Andrew Susac(C)- 2 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .273.

Susac continues to hang in there with pretty good numbers considering the environment.

High A  San Jose Giants edged the Stockton Ports 3-2:

Pablo Sandoval(3B)- 1 for 3, HR()1).  BA= .333.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 5, SB(5).  BA= .253.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4 IP,  3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 0.66.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.47.


Sandoval's rehab game went better than Pagan's last night.  Kyle Crick must have maxed out his pitch count early with all the K's and walks.  Nice comeback game from the DL, though.  Still obviously the highest ceiling pitcher in the system.

Low A  Kannapolis Intimidators crushed the Augusta Greenjackets 12-2:

Trevor Brown(2B)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .245.
Matt Duffy(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .298.

Short Season   Vancouver Canadians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-4:

Tyler Hollick(CF)- 2 for 4, BB, 3 SB(5).  BA= .371.
Brandon Bednar(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .400.
Shilo McCall(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .267.
Armando Paniagua(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Eduardo Encinosa(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.00.

Hollick stays hot.  McCall is holding his own so far at the higher level.

Rookie AZL  Athletics beat the Giants 8-5:

Julio Pena(CF)- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .444.
Leonardo Fuentes(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .556.
Drew Stiner(C)- 1 for 3, HR(1), SF.  BA= .333.
Justin Fitzgerald(RHP)- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

Pena hit 9 HR's last year for the DSL Giants which is a lot for that league even though he hit just .213.  Rooting for a breakout for Fuentes.  Gotta love that size!  Don't sleep on Drew Stiner.

DSL  Giants held off the D'Backs 6-5:

Gustavo Cabrera(CF, 17 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(7).  BA= .177.
Emmanuel Hernandez(1B, 19 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .258.
Eber Guzman(RHP, 20 yo)- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.08.

Gustavo!  It would be nice to see him string a few games like this together.

Game Wrap 6/21/2013: Marlins 6 Giants 3

Tim Lincecum had a Quality Start and actually pitched a pretty darn good game except for 2 horrible pitches to Logan Morrison, but the Giants collapsed in the 8'th inning into a steaming pile of frustration, losing their 9'th game in a row to these Marlins in AT&T Park.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5, SB(9).  BA= .293.  Nice article about Blanco on Fangraphs today.  Turned his career around by having surgery on a chronically injured wrist and ditching the choke-up on the bat and swinging with more authority.  Sounds like a similar formula to the one Torres used.  Scutaro and Posey went a combined 1 for 10 in this one, so Blanco only got 1 run scored out of this effort.

Hunter Pence- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .290.  The double was a towering pop-up to CF that Ozuna whiffed on.  It came with 2 outs, so Posey was running from 1B on the pitch and just kept going all the way home.

Andres Torres- 2 for 2, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .270.  Torres was having himself a pretty good night until he made a terrible decision to try to stretch a ball off the RF wall into a triple.  Ozuna came over from CF to get the long rebound and he has a cannon for an arm.  Nailed Torres by a mile and Andres came out of the game with a bruised knee.

Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.52.  Timmy made 2 mistakes, both to Logan Morrison.  I'll forgive him for the first one, a high fastball that LoMo jacked out of the park.  I'm not sure how Timmy could have thought trying that again in the 6'th was a good idea.  That one got whacked up Triples Alley for, well, a triple!  Morrison later scored to tie it up and you pretty much knew how this one was going to turn out at that point.

You know things are getting strange when, for the second night in a row, the winning rally involved a hit batter followed by an opposite-field single by Marcel Ozuna who looks like he has a clue out there in addition to terrific tools.  Oh, and isn't there a rule that says a batter has to try to get out of the way in order to take 1B on a HBP?  Not only did Stanton not try, he actually swung at the pitch!  I seem to remember that Vogie did not get to take first base when he swung at the pitch that hit him in the identical spot.

With the Loss, the Giants fell to 3 games behind the NL West leading D'Backs who battered Cincinnati 11-5.  The Pesky Padres moved ahead of the Giants into 2'nd place, 2.5 games back, with a 5-2 win over the Last Place Dodgers who fell to 9.5 games off the pace.  The Rockies lost to the Nationals 2-1 to remain in 4'th place, 4 games behind the leaders.

Barry Zito tries to break the Marlins' hex tomorrow afternoon facing rookie RHP Jacob Turner.

RIP Joe Zito

I forgot to mention it in the Game Wrap, so I'll make a separate post.  Barry Zito lost his father, Joe, yesterday after what I understand was a long illness.  It's kind of a remarkable story I wish I knew more about.  Joe Zito and his wife were both accomplished musicians working in the movie industry.  Their son, Barry, showed an early passion for the game of baseball and Joe used all his resources to give Barry the best chance he could to live his dream.  That's what a good dad does.  Condolences to Barry and his extended family.

Down on the Farm: 6/20/2013

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Reno Aces 4-1 in extra innings:

Gary Brown(CF)- 3 for 5, CS(7).  BA- .244.
Brett Pill(3B-1B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .363.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 3 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .280.
Cole Gillespie(2B)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .280.
Mike Kickham(LHP)- 7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.81.
George Kontos(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Brown stays hot at the plate and cold on the basepaths.  Looks like the Gillespie to 2B experiment was not a fluke. Kickham regains his footing.

AA  Binghampton Mets edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .218.

High A  San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 2-1:

Myles Schroder(3B)- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .248.
Angel Pagan(CF)- 0 for 2, BB.  BA= .000.
Erick Surkamp(LHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.18.
Casilla(0 K's), Forjet(3 K's), Hall(1 K), Bandilla(2 K's), Osich(2 K's)- 1 scoreless IP each.

Osich got his 10'th Save.  Nice start for Surkamp who is ramping up his innings.  Pagan collapsed at 1B after trying to run out a groundball.  I'm thinking he could be out for most of the rest of the season.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets stung the Kannapolis Intimidators 5-1:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 4, SF.  BA= .272.
Trevor Brown(2B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .240.
Joey Rapp(1B)- 3 for 3, HR(1), HBP.  BA= .244.
Kendry Flores(RHP)- 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 2.72.

Kendry Flores is my new favorite Giants pitching prospect.  He just seems to be getting stronger as the season goes along.  In his last 3 starts he has allowed just 3 ER in 21 IP with 24 K's against just 1 BB.

Short Season  Vancouver Canadians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-4:

Jonathan Jones(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .259.
Sam Eberle(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .333.
Andrew Leenhouts(LHP)- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.35.
Jake Shadle(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

Rookie AZL  Giants out hit the Athletics 11-8:

Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 3 for 5.  BA= .600.
Brian Ragira(1B)- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .200.
Tyler Horan(LF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .400.
Julio Pena(CF)- 3 for 5, 3 2B.  BA= .600.
Leonardo Fuentes(RF)- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .600.
Fernando Pujadas(C)- 2 for 5.  BA= .400.
Steven Neff(LHP)- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.38.
Keurin Feliz(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Nice to see Ragira and Horan playing already.  Pena is a 20 yo DSL graduate who did not break .200 in 2 seasons down there.  Fuentes is a former white whale of mine.  Maybe I gave up on him too soon?  He's also 20 yo.

DSL  Giants were idle.

Game Wrap 6/20/2013: Marlins 2 Giants 1

The Giants offense failed to mount an attack against a winless pitcher with an ERA of over 5 coming in and the Giants bullpen could not hold onto a 1-0 lead.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .263.  Belt is hitting .324 over his last 10 games.

Joaquin Arias- 1 for 2, 3B, BB.  BA= .286.  Remember when Arias was the forgotten guy on the bench?  Right now, he has an 11 game hitting streak with a .385 BA over his last 10 games.

Chad Gaudin- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 6/2.  ERA= 2.60.  Gaudin was pitching with much better authority than his last start in ATL although you might not be able to tell from the numbers.  He came out early after taking a comebacker off his right elbow diagnosed as a contusion.  With no fractures, I would think he makes his next start.

Sandy Rosario- 2.2 IP,  0 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.27.  Rosario was, once again, terrific with nasty stuff.  Unfortunately, he walked the leadoff batter in the 8'th which prompted Bochy to bring in Affeldt, who proceeded to allow the inherited runner to score as well as one of his own.  Ballgame.

The Loss dropped the Giants to 2 games behind the idle NL West leading D'Backs.  The Padres climbed into 3'rd place, 2.5 games behind the leaders with a 6-3 win over the Last Place Dodgers who are 8.5 games behind.  The Rockies lost to the Nationals 5-1 to fall into 4'th place, 3 games off the pace.

Tim Lincecum faces Ricky Nolasco tomorrow night.

Down on the Farm: 6/19/2013

AAA  Reno Aces pounded the Fresno Grizzlies 11-5:

Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .238.
Cole Gillespie(2B)- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .279.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .275.

Brown is starting to sustain his hot streak with a .415 BA over his last 10 games.  Gillespie played 2B?

AA Game 1  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged the Binghampton Mets 3-2:

Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 4.  BA= .232.
Andrew Susac(C)- 1 for 3, SF.  BA= .268.

AA Game 2  Binghampton Mets defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-1:

Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .233.

High A  San Jose Giants were idle for the All-Star break.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle for the All-Star break.

Short Season  Boise Hawks beat the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-1:

Jeremy Sy(SS)- 3 for 4, HR(1), SB(2).  BA= .450.

Sy got all 3 of the Volcanoes hits in this one.

DSL  Giants downed the Reds 6-4:

Miguel Gomez(C, 20 yo)- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .250.
Marco Guzman(2B, 18 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .286.
Hengerber Medina(SS, 18 yo)-  1 for 2, BB.  BA= .156.

AZL starts today.

Game Wrap 6/19/2013: Giants 4 Padres 2

Gregor Blanco drove in the winning run with a pinch-hit 2-run triple in the 7'th inning to back a solid start from Madison Bumgarner as the Giants gained a series win over the Pesky Ones.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 1 for 1, 3B.  BA= .286.  Well, Bochy pushed the right buttons in this one.  Torres started the game as the leadoff batter and was 1 for 3, but with RH Luke Gregorson in the game, Bochy brought Blanco in to pinch hit even though Torres is a switch-hitter, runners at the corners, 1 out.  All Blanco did was win the freaking game with a drive to the CF wall to the right of the centerfielder who never had a chance to get there.  Blanco is hitting .414 over his last 10 games and has gotten huge hit after huge hit.  And man, you could tell he was feeling really good about it in the dugout after he scored on Scutaro's single.

Marco Scutaro- 2 for 4.  BA= .338.  This guy just doesn't stop.  Dude nearly tears his pinky off, slaps a splint on it and just keeps on collecting his 2 hits a game.  Talk about a day at the office....!

Hector Sanchez- 1 for 1.  BA= .179.  It looks to me like The Hector lost a few lbs while he was rehabbing in Fresno.  He's looking much better at the plate too.

Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.25.  Bummy walked a few more than we're used to seeing, but otherwise a strong outing.  Sure enough!  He threw a purpose pitch at Jesus Guzman that Guzman somehow managed to dodge, but then started walking toward Bumgarner  brandishing his bat.  Bumgarner came down off the mound motioning for Guzman to come and get him.  Both benches emptied and both Guzman and Bumgarner had to be restrained for more than just a few seconds.  Guzman later dinged Bumgarner for a round-tripper that was the go-ahead run at the time.  There may still be some scores to settle down the road on this thing. Stay tuned!

Jake Dunning- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Dunning had his second successful appearance showing off his live, loose arm.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(18).  ERA= 2.54.  Romo dispatched the Pesky Padres in short order in the 9'th.

With the Win, the Giants took sole control of 2'nd place, 1.5 games behind the D'Backs who beat the Marlins 4-1. The Rockies lost to Toronto 5-1 to slip 2.5 games behind while the losing Padres dropped to 3 games out.  The Dodgers split a twin bill with the Yankees in New York to fall to 8 games back in last place.

The Giants now move on to a 4 game series at home against the Miami Marlins with Chad Gaudin facing RHP Tom Koehler.

Scouting the Draft: 2013 Signing Update

The Giants made a flurry of signings in the last couple of days to bring their total to 20 out of 40 draftees.  Of particular note, the signings include their first rounder, Christian Arroyo, 2'nd rounder Ryder Jones(what a great baseball name!), and 4'th rounder Brian Ragira, all of which had characteristics that could have made them tough to sign.  In addition, the Giants were able to sign 2 of the Puerto Rican HS kids taken after round 10, Johneshwy "Eyechart" Fargas, and catcher Rene Melendez, 11'th and 17'th round respectively.

Looks like everybody is signing for right around slot.  I think they might have gotten about $100 K under slot for 3'rd rounder Chase Johnson.

The two biggest names still out there are RHP Dan Slania and RHP Nick Vander Tuig.  I know Vander Tuig is still pitching in the College World Series and can't sign until that is finished.  Not sure if Notre Dame is in that tourney or not.

If they can get those two plus Arenado signed, I'll call this draft a big success.  It would be nice to get just one of the HS kids drafted in the 30-40 range signed, but that would be icing on the cake.  6'9" RHP Dylan Brooks out of Canada is my white whale out of that bunch.

Down on the Farm: 6/18/2013

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Binghampton Mets was rained out.

High A  San Jose Giants were idle for the Cal/Carolina leagues All-Star Game.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle for the Sally League All-Star Game.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes pounded the Boise Hawks 9-2:

Randy Ortiz(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .278.
Tyler Hollick(RF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .500.
Jonathan Jones(1B)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .250.
Sam Eberle(3B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .333.
Gabriel Cornier(C)- 2 for 5, 3B, HR(1).  BA= .400.

Cornier is a 21 yo switch-hitting C who hit .319 with the AZL Giants last summer.

DSL  Twins defeated the Giants 4-1:

Nothing to see here.  Giants managed just 1 hit in the game.  No outstanding pitching performances.

AAA  Reno Aces outslugged the Fresno Grizzlies 14-10:

Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .235.
Carter Jurica(SS)- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .291.
Johnny Monell(1B)- 3 for 6, 2B, HR(13).  BA= .311.
Brett Pill(3B)- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .366.
Jackson Williams(C)- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .224.
Kensuke Tanaka(LF)- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .329.

Yesterday, we asked if Gary Brown was getting homer happy.  I think he answered that question quite nicely with this game.  How hot is Johnny Monell?  Brett Pill tries to expand his versatility.

Game Wrap 6/18/2013: Giants 5 Padres 4

Juan Perez threw out a runner at home plate from the outfield in the 7'th inning and delivered the game winning RBI single in the 8'th to help the Giants break a 3 game losing streak and interrupt the Padres relentless rise in the NL West standings.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(8).  BA= .283.

Marco Scutaro- 2 for 4.  BA= .335.  A splint on Scooter's pinky finger could not stop his hit parade.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4.  BA= .319.  Another day at the office.

Brandon Belt- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .264.  Belt doubled in the tying run and later scored the winning run.  His double hit high off the brick wall in right-center, the deepest part of the park.  Can't hit it much harder than that!  I thought it was gone off the bat.  The swing still looks funky, but it's hits like that and nights like this that make me hesitate to use the word "never" when discussing Belt's future.

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 1.  BA= .288.  Crawford jammed the fingers of his right hand while getting thrown out trying to steal 2B early in the game.  Not sure how long he will be out, but he may be the guy after Buster the Giants can least afford to lose for an extended period, although I have some confidence in Arias at SS.

Juan Perez- 1 for 3, Sac, Assist(4, home).  BA= .421.  Perez has played in 7 games and already has 4, that's right, 4 assists from the OF.  Whattheheck?  There are a lot of OF's who don't get 4 assists in a full season!  And, how satisfying is watching this for those of us who have been rooting for him and his underdog career through several years in the minors?  There might be a fan riot if he gets sent back down!

Matt Cain- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 4.55.  Cainer had a chance for a win when the Giants took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 7'th, but Affeldt promptly gave it back on a 2 run dinger to Jesus Guzman in the 8'th.

Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(17).  ERA= 2.63.  Romo was a lot sharper in this one than his last outing.  The outcome was never really in doubt, even with the 2 out single.

The Win allowed the Giants to keep pace with the NL West leading D'Backs who topped the Marlins 3-2.  The Rockies lost to the Blue Jays 8-3 to fall into a 2'nd place tie with the Giants, 1.5 games behind the leaders.  The Padres slipped back to 4'th place, 2 games off the pace.  The last place Dodgers were rained out of Yankee Stadium and sit 7.5 games behind the D'Backs.

Madison Bumgarner tries for a series win this afternoon facing lefty Eric Stults.

Game Wrap 6/17/2013: Padres 5 Giants 3

The Giants took a tough loss with a makeshift lineup in extra innings to the Pesky Padres, who are threatening to become a lot more than Pesky as they surge up the leaderboard in the NL West.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt- 2 for 5, SB(3).  BA= .255.  Maybe Belt heard us talking about him?  He was the linchpin of the Giants 3 run rally in the 4'th inning, the only runs they scored in the game.

Juan Perez- 2 for 5, Assist(Forsythe, 3B).  BA= .438.  Perez did not figure in the scoring, but made a sensational throw to nail Forsythe at 3B in the top of the 9'th.  He also nearly won it with a drive to CF that Will Venable made a running, diving catch on to take away a walk-off hit with Belt on 2B.  Hmmm.....maybe there is something to this notion that a hitting prospect needs 2000 minor league AB's to be ready for the big leagues.  Perez has really acted like he belongs.

Barry Zito- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.67.  Zito continued his Jekyll-Hyde home-away act with a pretty good start that fell just 1 out short of a QS.

Sandy Rosario- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.24.  After a rough first few outings, Rosario has settled down to pitch quite well.  He has great looking stuff, can get K's and keeps the ball on the ground, plus he can go multiple innings at a time.

With the Loss, the Giants fell into 4'th place in the NL West just 1.5 games behind the leading D'Backs who lost to the Marlins 3-2.  The winning Padres are now in 3'rd place 1 game behind the leaders while the Rockies remained in 2'nd place just 0.5 games behind with a 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays.  The last place Dodgers were idle and stand 7 games off the pace.

Matt Cain takes on Andrew Cashner tonight at 7:15 at AT&T Park.

Down on the Farm: 6/17/2013

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees stung the Fresno Grizzlies 9-6:

Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 6, HR(8).  BA= .231.
Johnny Monell(C)- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .305.
Brett Pill(1B)- 4 for 5.  BA= .368.
Cole Gillespie(LF)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .279.
Mitch Lively(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.16.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 4.85.
George Kontos(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.36.

Is Gary Brown now getting homer happy?  Tough outing for Hembree.

AA Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

High A  San Jose Giants were idle.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 8-6:

Tyler Hollick(RF)- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .529.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .462.
Jonathan Jones(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .235.
Sam Eberle(3B)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .333.

DSL  Giants crushed the White Sox 15-1:

Jean Angomas(RF, 17 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .271.
Jose Mora(C, 20 yo)-  3 for 5, 2B, 2 3B.   BA= .261.
Robert Antunez(2B, 17 yo)- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .500.
Jonathan Loaisiga(RHP, 18 yo)-  6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.69.
Eusebio Encarnacion(RHP)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.29.

Down on the Farm: 6/16/2013

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees stung the Fresno Grizzlies 5-2:

Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .233.
Boof Bonser(RHP)- 8 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.67.

Brown has a slash line of .405/.436/.838 over his last 10 games and he went just 1 for 8 in the first 2 games of that span.  He has 4 dingers in his last 7 games which has to be some sort of personal record for him.  It would be interesting to know if he made any adjustments at the beginning of this stretch.  Maybe watched the Ted Williams video?  Let's see how long this keeps up but very interesting indeed!

AA  Reading Phightin' Phils defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4:

Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 4, SB(7).  BA= .226.
Brett Krill(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .295.
Drew Bowlin(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.23.

Now, if you are looking for a sleeper, Krill is somebody who I think fits the description.  Power has been a bit lacking but his BA's since turning pro are .304 for S-K, .288 for Augusta and .295 so far in AA Richmond.  You hit for that kind of BA in the EL and it's an accomplishment.

High A  San Jose Giants out hit the Visalia Rawhide 10-8:

John Polonius(SS)- 2 for 2, BB, HBP.  BA= .250.
Devin Harris(DH)- 3 for 3, 2 HR(16), BB, SF.  BA= .264.
Myles Schroder(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .248.
Eliezer Zambrano(C)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .239.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.61.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(9).  ERA= 2.02.

Polonius has batted 2'nd 2 games in a row and has 5 hits in 7 AB.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged the Charleston River Dogs 2-1:

Andrew Cain(CF)- 2 for 4, 2 SB(11).  BA= .242.
Joey Rapp(1B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .225.
Mason McVay(LHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.04
Matthew Lujan(LHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.34.
Brandon Farley(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.40.

McVay got the start but only went 2 IP.  Maybe some kind of rehab thing as he was idle for 8 days?

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Hillsboro Hops 7-6:

Tyler Hollick(RF)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .462.
Jonathan Jones(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .167.
Sam Eberle(3B)- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .273.
Gabriel Cornier(C)- 2 for 4.  BA= .400.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 3, SB(1).  BA= .375.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Tyler Hollick continues to tear it up.  Reyes had a 9.53 ERA in 6 early season starts for Augusta.  Hollick struggled early on for Augusta also.

DSL  White Sox beat the Giants 6-4:

Nicol Parra(DH, 18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(2). BA= .077.
Jean Angomas(CF-RF, 17 yo)- 1 for 4, BB, SB(2).  BA= .250.
Nathanael Javier(3B, 17 yo)- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .255.
Jose Morles(C, 18 yo)- 3 for 5.  BA= .368.
Shawn Gomez(RHP, 18 yo)- 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.38.

Game Wrap 6/16/2013: Braves 3 Giants 0

tTim Lincecum had a Quality Start, sort of, but Julio Teheran and 3 Braves relievers dominated the Giants offense for the shutout loss.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey(.316) and Brandon Belt(.251) had 2 hits each.  The Giants had no XBH's and just 1 BB.

Tim Lincecum-  6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.57.  Technically a QS, but that is not a good line.  I watched the first part of the game on Gameday and sometimes you see things there you don't pick up otherwise.  I'm going to pick on the pitch selection to Freddie Freeman in the first inning that led to the first RBI.  He started out with a nice split-change for strike one.  Pitch 2 was a two seam fastball at the knees on the outside corner for called strike 2.  OK, Timmy is in the driver's seat here.  He has several good options.  Go back to the change.  Come up and in with hard stuff on the hands.  Slider at the back foot making sure to get it inside.  Instead, the 3'rd pitch was a back-door slider that came back to the outer half of the plate and Freeman said, "thank you very much" and stroked it up the middle for the RBI single.  I don't know who called for that pitch of if he just missed his location badly, but it was about the worse choice he could have picked in that situation.

Jake Dunning- 1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.  First MLB appearance for Dunning and he pitched a scoreless inning!

With the Win, the Giants finish what might be their toughest road trip of the season 4-5 which is a whole lot better than it could have been.  The NL West leading D'backs lost again to the Pesky Padres 4-1, while the Rockies beat the Phillies 5-2.  The Rockies now have sole possession of 2'nd place 0.5 games behind the D'Backs.  The Giants are in 3'rd place, 1.5 games behind while the Pesky Ones are now just 2 games out in 4'th place.  The Dodgers lost to the Pirates 6-3 to remain 7.5 games behind in last place.

The Giants now return home to face the Pesky Padres to start a 3 game series and a 7 game homestand.  Barry Zito faces Edinson Volquez at 7:15 PDT.  Go Giants!

Down on the Farm: 6/15/2013

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Salt Lake City Bees 9-8 in 10 innings:

Kensuke Tanaka(2B)- 3 for 6.  BA= .325.
Carter Jurica(SS)- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .291.
Johnny Monell(C)- 3 for 5, 3B, HR(12), BB.  BA= .298.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 1 for 4, 2 SF.  BA= .282.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 3 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .285.
Cole Gillespie(CF-LF)- 2 for 5, 3B. BA= .276.
Mike Kickham(LHP)- 4 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.20.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's  ERA= 5.79.
George Kontos(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Nice game to pad the offensive stat lines.  Kickham has not been the same since his MLB debut.

AA  Reading Phightin' Phillies beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-1:

Ryan Lollis(CF)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .282.
Craig Westcott(RHP)- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 13/2.  ERA= 3.34.

High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 7-4:

John Polonius(SS)- 3 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .230.
Mac Williamson(DH)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .257.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 10/0!.  ERA= 2.64.

More nice pitching from Blach.  Polonius moved up to the 2-hole in this one and came through with a terrific game at the plate, although he committed one of 4 errors by the Giants.

Low A  Charleston River Dogs blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 3-0:

Justin Schumer(RHP)- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.20.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes pounded the Hillsboro Hops 8-4:

Kentrell Hill(CF)- 1 for 3, BB, Sac, SB(1).  BA= .333.
Tyler Hollick(RF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .375.
Jonathan Jones(1B)- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .125.
Shilo McCall(LF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .667.
Gabriel Cornier(C)- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .333.
Jacob Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Hollick and McCall continue to lead the Volcanoes.

DSL Giants edged the Padres 5-4 in 10 innings:

Nathanael Javier(3B, 17 yo)- 3 for 5, 3B, HR(1).  BA= .256.
Reymi Rodriguez(RHP, 18 yo)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Hope we see a lot more games like this from Javier.

Game Wrap 6/15/2013: Braves 6 Giants 5

The Giants battled the Braves until the bitter end, but it all ended badly with a walkoff hit by Freddy Freeman in the bottom of the 9'th inning.  Key Lines:

Andres Torres- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .266.   Torres is hitting just .237 over his last 10 games, but he can still put a charge into it with that big bat at times.

Tony Abreu- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .368.  I'm tellin' ya.  Abreu has the talent if he can stay healthy.  He looked like he was about to collapse and kind of grabbed at his left hammy a couple of times rounding first, but he managed to stay in the game and continue to contribute.

Chad Gaudin- 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 2.83.  You could tell Gaudin was living dangerously.  No K's and a whole lot of flyballs to the warning track.  It seemed like a matter of time and it was.  Beej Upton took him deep twice to account for 3 of the 4 runs he gave up.  The only luck involved with that was that Gaudin was lucky he didn't give up a lot more!

Jean Machi- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  Another nice hold by Machi.

Sergio Romo- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.84.  1.  Romo is not the same pitcher against LH batters.  Opposing managers will find a way to make him face LH batters until he proves he can consistently get htem out.  2.  He appeared to be afraid to pitch to Evan Gattis, not without good reason, but the closer has to be able to take on the best the opposing team has to offer.  3.  The walk to Justin Upton was a very questionable call by the ump, who seemed to have a, shall we say, dynamic strike zone today?  You knew how the game was going to end with the LH hitting Freeman and McCann coming up.  Of course, even if he had gotten the call on Upton, he still would have had to get Freeman out and you knew THAT wasn't happening.

The loss puts the Giants 2 games behind the division leading D'Backs who are playing the Pesky Padres tonight. and leading 6-3 after 7 innings.  The Rockies pounded the Phillies 10-5 to put them at 2 games back also.  The Pesky Ones are 4 games out pending the outcome of their game.  The Dodgers topped the Pirates 5-3 and sit 8 games back as of this writing.

Tim Lincecum takes on Julio Teheran tomorrow evening in the ESPN Sunday Night game.

Blast From the Past: Worst Giants Trades

Bacci's comment the other day about not getting over the Perry for McDowell trade and the Bonds for Murcer trade got me to thinking about the worst Giants trades in my memory and how I would rank them.  Man, there have been some real doozies!  For awhile there in the early 70's, it seemed like the Giants were Bad Trade Central!  Thankfully, the AJ for Joe Nathan trade is the only really horrible one since all the way back to the Jack Clark trade, at least that I can think of.   I might take a more in-depth look at these trades in the off-season, but for now, here is my list of the worst trades in Giants history in reverse order:

11.  Jose Pagan for Dick Schofield

10.  Manny Mota for Joey Amalfitano

9.  Matty Alou for Joe Gibbon and Ozzie Virgil.

8.  Felipe Alou for Del Crandall, Bob Hendley and Bob Shaw.

7.  Garry Maddox for Willie Montanez

6.  Jack Clark for David Green, Dave LaPoint, Gary Rajisch and Jose Gonzalez(Uribe).

5.  Bobby Bonds for Bobby Murcer

4.  Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser for AJ Pierzynski

3.  Orlando Cepeda for Ray Sadecki

2.  Gaylord Perry for Sam McDowell

1.  George Foster for Frank Duffy

Value for value, I think the Foster trade is the worst of all time.

Perry for McDowell is close.

The Cepeda trade was bad mainly because of who the Giants traded him to.  There wasn't room for both Cepeda and McCovey on the Giants and the Giants kept the right guy.  Sadecki actually pitched pretty well, but had terrible luck.  The big problem with the trade is it gave the Cardinals the piece they needed for 2 pennants and a flag.  The Giants should have traded Cepeda to the AL.

With Joe Nathan as the closer, the Giants very possibly could have gone back to the playoffs in 2004 and would not have had to acquire Armando Benitez.  On the other hand, it was pretty obvious that Felipe Alou had gotten into Nathan's head and he may well have never developed into the closer he became in Minnesota with the Giants.

Bobby Murcer was the original AJP.  He actually played pretty well for the Giants with an excellent OBP, a nearly unheard of stat back in those days.  The problem was he was not Bonds and he absolutely hated 1.  Not being a Yankee.  2.  Candlestick Park  3.  Just about everything about being a Giant.  His attitude was largely responsible for infecting the Giants with a defeatist attitude about Candlestick that was not overcome until Roger Craig and Mike Krukow arrived on the scene.

I think Jack Clark had forced a trade, but once again, the Giants miscalculated who they traded him to and what they got in return.  A middle of the order bat was, once again, all the Cards needed for a championship run.  Uribe was an upgrade on Johnny LeMaster and was a decent SS for many years, but David Green was supposed to be Clark's replacement in the OF and he was a bust.

Montanez was a decent player, but Maddox went on to become an elite CF for a championship Phillies team.

Bob Shaw was a decent pitcher, but Felipe had several All-Star caliber seasons for the Braves.  Some of his stat lines may have been helpd by moving to Atlanta, which, BTW probably also gave Henry Aaron the all time HR record for almost forever.

Matty Alou almost certainly would not have developed into a batting champion without the tutelage of Harry "The Hat" Walker who was the Pirates' manager at the time.  As it was, his shiny BA's were fairly empty.

Mota was just breaking in with the Giants when he was traded to the Houston Colt 45's.  They flipped him to the Pirates and he became a valuable role player and really good hitter with them.  He later made a name for himself as a pinch-hitter extraordinaire with the Dodgers.

Pagan never did much with the Giants, but became a nice role player with the Pirates.

What is your Worst Trade in Giants History?  Are there any bad ones I missed?

Down on the Farm: 6/14/2013

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 7-5:

Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 2, 2 SB(8).  BA= .229.
Brett Pill(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .362.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .283.
Cole Gillespie(LF-CF)- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .272.
Kensuke Tanaka(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .320.
Johnny Monell(DH)- 1 for 2, 2B, 3 BB.  BA= .290.
Fabio Castillo(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.88.

Brown came out early, not sure why.  Castillo had better peripherals than the number of earned runs allowed would indicate.

AA  Reading Phightin' Phils topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-1 in 10 innings:

Chris Gloor(LHP)- 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.57.

High A  San Jose Giants edged the Visalia Rawhide 5-4 in 10 innings:

Brock Bond(2B)- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .209.
Angel Villalona(1B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .243.
Skyler Stromsmoe(3B)- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(1).   BA= .368.
Bobby Haney(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .259.
Eric Surkamp(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.91.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.42.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.67.
Bryce Bandilla(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.50.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(8).   ERA= 2.08.

Surkamp extends beyond 2 IP.  His peripherals looked better than his results in this one.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets beat the Charleston River Dogs 4-1:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 4, SB(34).  BA= .273.
Ben Turner(C)- 2 for 4.  BA= .259.
Shayne Houck(3B)- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .275.
Chuckie Jones(DH)- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .205.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .230.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.56.
Tyler Mizenko(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(15).  ERA= 0.61.

That's what we are looking for from Stratton.  Jones has a 4 game hit streak and is hitting .259 over his last 10 games with an OBP of .364.  RafRod is hitting .324 over his last 10 games.

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Hillsboro Hops 3-2:

Tyler Hollick(RF)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(2).  BA= .333.
Shilo McCall(LF)- 2 for 2, BB, HBP.  BA= 1.000.
Chris Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

McCall and Hollick are probably the 2 most interesting prospects at S-K this year.  Chris Johnson is a holdover from last year when he put up a line of 2-4, 6.84, 48.2 IP, 11 BB, 47 K's.  Much nicer peripherals than results.  He's 6'4", 205 lbs.  17'th round pick in the 2012 draft.  Only 1 or 2 2013 draftees on the S-K roster so far.

DSL  Twins edged the Giants 1-0:

Raffi Vizcaino(RHP, 17 yo)- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.97.

Game Wrap 6/14/2013: Giants 6 Braves 0

It was Madison Bumgarner's turn to flirt with a no-hitter and the Giants offense put up a determined effort that resulted in one of the more dominating wins of the season, so far.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .277.  For a slap and dash guy, Blanco can put a charge into a ball from time to time.  He did that to lead off the game and the Giants never looked back.

Buster Posey- 3 for 5, 3 2B.  BA= .313.  Buster put on a hitting clinic in front of family and friends.  His 3 doubles went down the LF line, RF line and up the R-CF alley.  The only missing piece to a doubles cycle was one up the L-CF alley.

Hunter Pence- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .299.   Pence is having a great walk year.  He's gonna get paid this offseason!

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .294.  Crawford hit out of the 5-hole tonight and held up his end of the bargain.  He keeps this up all year and if the Giants make the postseason again, I think he needs to be in the discussion for MVP.

Joaquin Arias- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.  Is anyone else curious as to what Arias would do if given 600 AB's over a full season?

Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 3.30.  I was thinking possible no-hitter as early as the second inning.  His stuff was that good.  The two hits he did give up were a blooper to CF and a slap job down the LF line.  This very easily could have been a no-no, although his pitch count might have been the limiting factor.  I thought he was running out of gas fast in the 7'th inning.

Sandy Rosario- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.50.  Rosario seems to be getting his feet on the ground.  He has good looking stuff.  The last pitch of the game was a 95 MPH fastball that he blew right by Justin Upton.

With the Win, the Giants move a game closer to the NL West leading D'Backs who lost to the Pesky Padres 2-1.  The Giants are now 1.5 games behind the leaders.  The Rockies remained 2.5 games behind with an 8-7 loss to the Phillies and are in 3'rd place.  The Padres remain in 4'th place, but are now just 4 games behind the division leaders.  The Dodgers lost to the Pirates 3-0 to remain 8.5 games behind in last place.

Chad Gaudin faces Mike Minor tomorrow afternoon.

Down on the Farm: 6/13/2013

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Tucson Padres 2-0:

Gary Brown(CF) 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .227.
Carter Jurica(SS)- 3 for 4.  BA= .293.
Cole Gillespie(LF)- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.
Johnny Monell(C)- 2 for 3, SF, SB(4).  BA= .287.
Chris Heston(RHP)- 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 5.09.

Not sure what got into Gary Brown all of a sudden.  He now has 3 dingers in his last 4 games and a 5 game hit streak. CG shutout for Hesto Presto.

AA  Harrisburg Senators ran over the Richmond Flying Squirrels 9-0:

Drew Bowlin(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.42.
Scott Shuman(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 8.18.

As you might expect from the score, there wasn't much to see in this one.

High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 9-3:

Shawn Payne(DH)- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .227.
Jose Casilla(RHP)- 4 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.86.
Andrew Barbosa(LHP, Rawhide)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.91.

Payne started out the season so well but has struggled mightily in recent weeks.  Barbosa is the One Who Got Away.

Low A Game 1(completion of a suspended game):  Charleston River Dogs outlasted the Augusta Greenjackets 8-7 in 18 innings:

Jorge Bucardo(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

This is a game where Travious Relaford stole 4 bases and Jesus Galindo 3 but I think those were already credited to them.

Low A Game 2)  Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Charleston River Dogs 1-0:

Martin Agosta(RHP)- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.97.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.83.

Seems like Agosta could be called up to SJ any time. Maybe after the short season clubs start?

DSL  Giants beat the Orioles 2-0:

Gustavo Cabrera(CF, 17 yo)- 1 for 3, BB, SB(5).  BA= .205.
Nathanael Javier(3B, 17 yo)- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .206.
Michael Santos(RHP, 18 yo)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.07.

I'm liking this Santos kid.  6'4", 170 lbs.  Very nice numbers in his last 2 starts.  Also good to see the bonus babies have a second good game in a row.

Game Wrap 6/13/2013: Giants 10 Pirates 0

Matt Cain flirted with a no-hitter in the early innings and the offense pounded Pirates' pitching into submission to salvage a win out of a tough road series.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5, 2B, BB, SB(7).  BA= .274.  Blanco was the perfect leadoff hitter tonight

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 2, BB, SF, 2 HBP.  BA= .289.  Nice game for Crawford, albeit a painful one.

Buster Posey- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .306.  A day at the office.  I mean, what more is there to say?

Hunter Pence- 2 for 5, HR(11), SB(13).  BA= .296.  Pence busted this one wide open with a 3 run dinger off Bronc to give the Giants a 9-0 lead.

Joaquin Arias- 3 for 5.  BA= .274.  3 hits but 0 R and 0 RBI's.

Nick Noonan- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .212.  Noonan started the big 5 run rally in the 6'th with a line drive bunt past the pitcher that Todd Walker was not able to field in time and ended up throwing it away allowing Noonan to take 2B.    He was initially awarded a HR on a long drive in the 9'th inning, but a replay ruling changed it to a double as it hit the yellow padding at the top of the wall.

Matt Cain- 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.70.  I've seen Cain pitch better, but he was definitely on tonight.  Maybe a few too many flyballs to the warning track for comfort, but that's always been a part of his game.  Second strong start in a row for Hoss.  As always with Cainer, when he got into the 4'th inning with a no-no, I started thinking it was possible.

Jean Machi- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.18.  Machi has become a go-to guy in the bullpen.

Mike "Bronco" Zagurski(Pirates)- 1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 15.00.  I get a kick out of this guy.  Name reminds me of Bronco Nagurski and he just looks like a "Bronco."  He usually brings his gas can out with him when he faces the Giants.

With the Win, the Giants gained 0.5 games on the NL West leading D'Backs, 2.5 games out of first place.  The Rockies lost to the Nationals 5-4 to drop into a 2'nd place tie with the Giants.  The Pesky Padres and Dodgers were both idle to remain 5 and 8.5 games behind in 4'th and last place respectively.

The Giants not travel to ATL for the last leg of their 9 game road trip.  Madison Bumgarner takes on Kris Medlen in game 1 tomorrow evening.

Down on the Farm: 6'12/2013

AAA  Fresno Grizzlies beat the Tucson Padres 5-4 in 12 innings:

Carter Jurica(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .284.
Cole Gillespie(LF)- 2 for 6, SB(4).  BA= .267.
Johnny Monell(1B)- 3 for 6, 3B, HR(11).  BA= .281.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .289.
Kensuke Tanaka(2B)- 2 for 4, 2 BB, SB(15).  BA= .319.
Dan Runzler(LHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.45.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.38.
Mason Tobin(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.71.

AA  Harrisburg Senators edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1:

Carlos Teller(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

No offense to speak of in this one.

High A  San Jose Giants topped the Modesto Nuts 5-3 in 11 inninngs:

Brock Bond(DH)- 1 for 6, HR(1).  BA= .212.
Angel Villalona(1B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .243.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .261.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 2 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .259.
Myles Schroder(3B-1B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .248.
Devin Harris(LF)- 1 for 5, HR(13).  BA= .258.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.25.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.78.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.14.

Williamson has a 10 game hit streak in which he is hitting .429/.500/.800.  Blackburn got touched early for 2 runs in the first inning, but ended up with his 2'nd QS in a row after having only 1 in his previous 7 starts. Overall, his peripheral numbers continue to look great with 76 K's against 18 BB in 65.2 IP with a GO/AO= 1.36.  Cody Hall has 36 K's against 7 BB, in 25.1 IP.  Osich bounces back from a bad outing. He has 41 K's against 7 BB in 33.2 IP.

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets downed the Kannapolis Intimidators 5-3:

Trevor Brown(2B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .256.
Chuckie Jones(RF)- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .202.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.81.
Brandon Farley(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.55.
Tyler Mizenko(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(14).  ERA= 0.64.

Trevor Brown is hitting .325 over his last 10 games.  Chuckie Jones has 4 hits and 2 BB's in his last 2 games.

DSL  Giants were apparently idle.

Game Wrap 6/12/2013: Pirates 12 Giants 8

Barry Zito got lit up for the everyeth time in a road game. Ramon Ramirez poured gasoline on the fire.  The Giants offense fought back gamely, but could not overcome the generosity of the pitchers.  Key Lines:

Tony Abreu- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .400.  That is a very Scooter-like line.  Abreu is a talented player as long as he's healthy.

Hunter Pence- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .294.  Pence keeps adding to his end-of-season payday.

Juan Perez- 2 for 3, BB, SF, Assist.  BA= .500.  Perez gets a solid start to his MLB career which is getting longer by the game.

Buster Posey(.299), Joaquin Arias(.250), Brandon Belt(.251)- 2 hits each.

Barry Zito-  4.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA- 4.79.  I guess it says something that after a game like this, Zito's ERA is still under 5, but he's become something of an automatic blowout on the road.  I would say that picking up his option becomes more iffy by the start.

Ramon Ramirez- 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 11.12.  Can we please have Hembree or Dunning or Fabio Castillo, or just about anybody?

With the Loss, the Giants sit in 3'rd place in the NL West 2.5 games behind the D'Backs who are locked in another tight one in LA.  The Rockies lost to the Nationals 5-1 and sit 1.5 games out in 2'nd place.  The Pesky Padres topped ATL 5-3 and sit just 4.5 games behind the leaders in 4'th place.  The Dodgers are sitting 7.5 games back pending the completion of their game with the division leaders.

Matt Cain tries to salvage a win in the current 3 game series tomorrow facing Charlie Morton.

Down on the Farm: 6/11/2013

AAA  Tucson Padres defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 7-2:

Gary Brown(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(5).  BA= .228.

Brownie is now 9 for 13 with 3 doubles and 2 dingers in his last 3 games.

AA  Harrisburg Senators squeaked by the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0:

Javier Herrera(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .319.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.92

Jack Snodgrass would seem to be climbing the Giants prospect rankings with his performance so far for Richmond.

High A  San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 5-3:

Mac Williamson(RF)- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .257.
Devin Harris(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .260.
Jeff Arnold(C)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .255.
John Polonius(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .219.
Myles Schroder(3B)- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .240.
Edwin Escobar(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.23.
Bryce Bandilla(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.60.

Escobar now has 73 K's against just 14 BB's in 55.2 IP.  As for Bandilla, he has 60 K's against 17 BB's in 35 IP.

Low A Game 1  Augusta Greenjackets pounded the Kannapolis Intimidators 9-3:

Trevor Brown(2B)- 2 for 4, 2 SB(7).  BA= .246.
Ben Turner(C)- 3 for 3, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .253.
Alberto Robles(SS)- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .310.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.74.
Tyler Mizenko(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.68.

Robles is a 22 yo DSL graduate.

Low A Game 2  Augusta Greenjackets smothered the Kannapolis Intimidators 7-1:

Trevor Brown(2B)- 2 for 4, SB(8).  BA= .251.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 3 for 3.  BA= .227.
Chuckie Jones(RF)- 2 for 2, BB.  BA= .194.
Alberto Robles(SS)- 1 for 2, BB, SB(3).  BA= .323.
Kendry Flores(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 7/3.  ERA= 2.87.

Flores has turned in 2 outstanding games in a row with 3 ER in 14 IP and 14 K's against 1 BB.

DSL  Giants beat the Reds 7-2:

Jean Angomas(RF, 17 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .333.
Gustavo Cabrera(CF, 17 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(4).  BA= .194.
Carlos Cartegena(LF, 19 yo)- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB, SB(1).  BA= .217.
Nathanael Javier(3B, 17 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .188.
Jose Morles(C, 18 yo)- 2 for 5. BA= .273.
Marco Guzman(2B, 18 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .278.
Jonathan Loaisiga(RHP, 18 yo)- 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.70.
Jose Morel(RHP, 19 yo)- 4 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.13.

Good to see the kids have a good game.  They've been scuffling.