AAA Sacramento River Cats were idle.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-4
Nothing to see here.
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High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 2-0:
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.25.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 5.87.
Mason McVay(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.60.
Johnson allowed both runs in the 7'th inning. Agosta only allowed 1 inherited runner to score and that was on a squeeze play.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Lakewood Blueclaws topped the Augusta Greenjackets 4-2:
Matthew Gage(LHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.18.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.40.
Impressive start for the big lefty, Gage. Lines like this from Martinez give hope that the Giants can harness his huge fastball.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Game Wrap 4/29/2015: Dodgers 7 Giants 3
Ryan Vogelsong was shelled. End of story! Key Lines:
Brandon Belt- 2 for 4. BA= .235. Belt showing signs of coming around. Not much power, though. The Giants don't have him in the lineup to hit singles!
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(4). BA= .235. Crawford is doing what Belt is supposed to do, and out of the 8-hole.
Ryan Vogelsong- 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, 4 HR allowed. ERA= 9.31. Vogey was coming off a pretty good start his last outing. No way to sugarcoat this one. No BABIPing here! You can't keep the ball in the yard, and you are going to hit the showers early. Gotta wonder if there is any role for Vogey on this team anymore, although I am sure he still has some rope to work with. Maybe not a lot though.
The Loss dropped the Giants to 4.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers.
The Giants get tomorrow off before starting a weekend interleague series against the Angels.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 4. BA= .235. Belt showing signs of coming around. Not much power, though. The Giants don't have him in the lineup to hit singles!
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(4). BA= .235. Crawford is doing what Belt is supposed to do, and out of the 8-hole.
Ryan Vogelsong- 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, 4 HR allowed. ERA= 9.31. Vogey was coming off a pretty good start his last outing. No way to sugarcoat this one. No BABIPing here! You can't keep the ball in the yard, and you are going to hit the showers early. Gotta wonder if there is any role for Vogey on this team anymore, although I am sure he still has some rope to work with. Maybe not a lot though.
The Loss dropped the Giants to 4.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers.
The Giants get tomorrow off before starting a weekend interleague series against the Angels.
Down on the Farm: 4/28/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 3-1:
Ronny Cedeno(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(2). BA- .280.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(5). BA= .366.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.14.
Erik Cordier(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.50.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, Save(1). ERA= 4.63.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:
Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 3, 3B. BA= .421.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 5.31.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.00.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 2.35.
Rando Moreno is coming off a terrible season and here he is hitting .421 in AA. Go figure! Another uninspiring line from Stratton although I read a report from an eyewitness who said he was throwing good.
*********************************************************************************
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 4-3 in 12 innings:
Hunter Cole(DH)- 2 for 5. BA= .286.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .338.
Austin Slater(2B)- 1 for 4, HBP. BA= .267.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K', GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 2.53.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.29.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Austin Slater returns to the lineup. Ryder Jones certainly has had a great month of April and has to be climbing the prospect rankings. Solid performance from Beede with a few more K's to go with the GO's.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Lakewood Blueclaws downed the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .275.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Nice month for Arenado too. So is he, Ryder Jones or Mitch Delfino the Giants 3B of the future?
Ronny Cedeno(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(2). BA- .280.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(5). BA= .366.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.14.
Erik Cordier(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.50.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, Save(1). ERA= 4.63.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:
Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 3, 3B. BA= .421.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 5.31.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.00.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 2.35.
Rando Moreno is coming off a terrible season and here he is hitting .421 in AA. Go figure! Another uninspiring line from Stratton although I read a report from an eyewitness who said he was throwing good.
*********************************************************************************
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 4-3 in 12 innings:
Hunter Cole(DH)- 2 for 5. BA= .286.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .338.
Austin Slater(2B)- 1 for 4, HBP. BA= .267.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K', GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 2.53.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.29.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Austin Slater returns to the lineup. Ryder Jones certainly has had a great month of April and has to be climbing the prospect rankings. Solid performance from Beede with a few more K's to go with the GO's.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Lakewood Blueclaws downed the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .275.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Nice month for Arenado too. So is he, Ryder Jones or Mitch Delfino the Giants 3B of the future?
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Game Wrap 4/28/2015: Giants 2 Dodgers 1
OK, all you Debbie Downers! This game came down to the performances of 3 great players and was won by the 2 great players who play for the Giants as Madison Bumgarner outpitched Clayton Kershaw, mostly because Buster Posey was able to hit Clayton Kershaw. Follow all that? Key Lines:
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .296. Pagan doubled in the first inning and came home on Posey's RBI single.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, HR(3). BA= .263. Usually great pitching beats great hitting, but not this time as Buster took Kershaw deep and drove in both Giants runs.
Madison Bumgarner- 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 3.73. What a night for Bummy! Shades of his WS performance all over again. Outpitched the guy who most people think is the best in baseball, at least in the regular season.
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(6). ERA= 2.79. I cringed when I saw Sanchez PH for Bummy in the top of the 9'th, even though I knew it would be unwise to let him go further, but Casilla breezed through the 9'th inning on just 10 pitches including a K of AGone with the Giants clinging to a 1 run lead.
Clayton Kershaw- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.73. The difference in the game? Kershaw had to to face Buster Posey. Fitting that Kershaw and Bummy finished the evening with identical ERA's. Both should improve as the season goes along, but I can't quite shake the feeling that something isn't quite right with Kershaw.
Although they remain in last place, the Win cut the Giants deficit in the NL West to 3.5 games behind the division leading Dodgers. The Rockies lost to the D'Backs 12-6 to remain 1 game behind the leaders. The Padres lost to the Houston Astros 11-5 to remain 1.5 games behind. The D'Backs are in 4'th place, 3 games behind.
Speaking of the D'Backs: 1. Archie Bradley took a liner to the face off the bat of Carlos Gonzalez and had to come out of the game after 1.1 IP. MLB has to address the issue of liners off the domes of pitchers. Under current rules and culture, it is a question of when rather than if a pitcher will die on the mound. I say make 'em wear a full helmet over both ear with a cage shielding the full face. Yeah, they won't like it, but they will get used to it and after a year or two, nobody will think anything of it. It will also save at least one life, the one that is going to die if something is not done. 2. Kirk Gibson announced that he has Parkinsonism. This is no surprise to anyone who knows the physical signs of the disease, mask facies, no arm swing when walking, festinent gait. He had them all when he would walk out to the mound to make a pitching change.
Ryan Vogelsong takes on the Dodgers and Zack Greinke in the rubber game of the series tomorrow.
PS: I have been a Giants fan since the 1966 season. Let me tell you something. Juan Marichal vs Sandy Koufax was not better than this! Whatever else happens this season, these matchups are special.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .296. Pagan doubled in the first inning and came home on Posey's RBI single.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, HR(3). BA= .263. Usually great pitching beats great hitting, but not this time as Buster took Kershaw deep and drove in both Giants runs.
Madison Bumgarner- 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 3.73. What a night for Bummy! Shades of his WS performance all over again. Outpitched the guy who most people think is the best in baseball, at least in the regular season.
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(6). ERA= 2.79. I cringed when I saw Sanchez PH for Bummy in the top of the 9'th, even though I knew it would be unwise to let him go further, but Casilla breezed through the 9'th inning on just 10 pitches including a K of AGone with the Giants clinging to a 1 run lead.
Clayton Kershaw- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.73. The difference in the game? Kershaw had to to face Buster Posey. Fitting that Kershaw and Bummy finished the evening with identical ERA's. Both should improve as the season goes along, but I can't quite shake the feeling that something isn't quite right with Kershaw.
Although they remain in last place, the Win cut the Giants deficit in the NL West to 3.5 games behind the division leading Dodgers. The Rockies lost to the D'Backs 12-6 to remain 1 game behind the leaders. The Padres lost to the Houston Astros 11-5 to remain 1.5 games behind. The D'Backs are in 4'th place, 3 games behind.
Speaking of the D'Backs: 1. Archie Bradley took a liner to the face off the bat of Carlos Gonzalez and had to come out of the game after 1.1 IP. MLB has to address the issue of liners off the domes of pitchers. Under current rules and culture, it is a question of when rather than if a pitcher will die on the mound. I say make 'em wear a full helmet over both ear with a cage shielding the full face. Yeah, they won't like it, but they will get used to it and after a year or two, nobody will think anything of it. It will also save at least one life, the one that is going to die if something is not done. 2. Kirk Gibson announced that he has Parkinsonism. This is no surprise to anyone who knows the physical signs of the disease, mask facies, no arm swing when walking, festinent gait. He had them all when he would walk out to the mound to make a pitching change.
Ryan Vogelsong takes on the Dodgers and Zack Greinke in the rubber game of the series tomorrow.
PS: I have been a Giants fan since the 1966 season. Let me tell you something. Juan Marichal vs Sandy Koufax was not better than this! Whatever else happens this season, these matchups are special.
Hot Tip: Giants First Round Draft Pick?
Another shout out to Covechatter who thinks he has found a likely possibility for the Giants first round draft pick, #18 overall. Andrew Benintendi is a college OF for Arkansas who is tearing up the NCAA this season. Covechatter's blog is linked to the left. Go check it out for yourself and see what you think. I think he might be onto something.
Down on the Farm: 4/27/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats edged the Tacoma Rainiers 6-5 in 10 innings:
Ronny Cedeno(SS)- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1), BB. BA= .268.
Juan Perez(CF)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .217.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 3 for 5. BA= .317.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 5.31.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 0.90.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.82.
Pretty good bounceback start for Dunning after a disaster in his last outing. Okert and Strickland continue to stake claim to future callups when needed.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-0:
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4. BA= .258.
Myles Schroder(2B)- 2 for 2, BB. BA= .286.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, l ER, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.16.
Big Joe Biagini continues to be a sleeper pitching prospect.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants were idle.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets were idle.
Ronny Cedeno(SS)- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1), BB. BA= .268.
Juan Perez(CF)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .217.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 3 for 5. BA= .317.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 5.31.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 0.90.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.82.
Pretty good bounceback start for Dunning after a disaster in his last outing. Okert and Strickland continue to stake claim to future callups when needed.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-0:
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4. BA= .258.
Myles Schroder(2B)- 2 for 2, BB. BA= .286.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, l ER, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.16.
Big Joe Biagini continues to be a sleeper pitching prospect.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants were idle.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets were idle.
Game Wrap 4/27/2015: Dodgers 8 Giants 3
This time the Dodgers bullpen really did shut down the Giants while the Giants bullpen allowed the Dodgers to turn a close game into a route. Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5, SB(6). BA= .309. Aoki bounces back from an off game to lead the offense again.
Tim Lincecum- 4 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.27. Timmy gave up a 4 spot in the third inning and was out of the game after 4. 49 of the 76 pitches he threw were strikes. He threw just 15 balls to the 20 batters he did not walk. 3 of the 5 hits he gave up in the 3'rd inning were groundball singles. There seemed to be some bad luck involved in this one for Timmy.
Bullpen- 4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 K. It might not have made any difference because the Dodgers bullpen shut the Giants down, but in this one the Giants bullpen turned a 4-3 deficit into a route at he end.
The Loss dropped the Giants to 4.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers.
Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw face off for the second time within a week tomorrow evening.
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5, SB(6). BA= .309. Aoki bounces back from an off game to lead the offense again.
Tim Lincecum- 4 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.27. Timmy gave up a 4 spot in the third inning and was out of the game after 4. 49 of the 76 pitches he threw were strikes. He threw just 15 balls to the 20 batters he did not walk. 3 of the 5 hits he gave up in the 3'rd inning were groundball singles. There seemed to be some bad luck involved in this one for Timmy.
Bullpen- 4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 K. It might not have made any difference because the Dodgers bullpen shut the Giants down, but in this one the Giants bullpen turned a 4-3 deficit into a route at he end.
The Loss dropped the Giants to 4.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers.
Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw face off for the second time within a week tomorrow evening.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/26/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 6-2:
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 4 for 4, 2 HR(6). BA= .293.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.56.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.50.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.04.
Right now, the depth chart for the Giants OF is pretty crowded, but Parker is making a case to be in the mix if a need should arise.
*********************************************************************************
AA New Britain Rock Cats topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-6:
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 5. BA= .260.
Jackson Williams(Catcher)- 1 for 2, HR(1), 2 BB. BA= .147.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 6.14.
Not quite a QS for Lujan, but as you can see from his ERA, an improvement on prior efforts.
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High A San Jose Giants beat the Bakersfield Blaze 5-2:
Hunter Cole(2B)- 2 for 5. BA= .250.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .317.
Tyler Horan(DH)- 1 for 2, HR(3), 2 BB. BA= .220.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 2 for 4. BA= .379.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.57.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.86.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Game 1 Rome Braves outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 5-2:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .328.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .290.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.61.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.75.
Low A Game 2: Augusta Greenjackets stung the Rome Braves 8-1:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .338.
Travious Relaford(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .286.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1), BB. BA= .261.
Nick Gonzalez(LHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.55.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 4 for 4, 2 HR(6). BA= .293.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.56.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.50.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.04.
Right now, the depth chart for the Giants OF is pretty crowded, but Parker is making a case to be in the mix if a need should arise.
*********************************************************************************
AA New Britain Rock Cats topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-6:
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 5. BA= .260.
Jackson Williams(Catcher)- 1 for 2, HR(1), 2 BB. BA= .147.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 6.14.
Not quite a QS for Lujan, but as you can see from his ERA, an improvement on prior efforts.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants beat the Bakersfield Blaze 5-2:
Hunter Cole(2B)- 2 for 5. BA= .250.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .317.
Tyler Horan(DH)- 1 for 2, HR(3), 2 BB. BA= .220.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 2 for 4. BA= .379.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.57.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.86.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Game 1 Rome Braves outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 5-2:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .328.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .290.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.61.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.75.
Low A Game 2: Augusta Greenjackets stung the Rome Braves 8-1:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .338.
Travious Relaford(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .286.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1), BB. BA= .261.
Nick Gonzalez(LHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.55.
Down on the Farm: 4/25/2015
AAA Tacoma Rainiers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 6-1:
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.00.
Skyler Stromsmoe and Ronny Cedeno had multi-hit games. Don't think that is too significant.
*********************************************************************************
AA New Britain vs Richmond postponed.
*********************************************************************************
High A Bakersfield Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants 3-0:
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 2 for 2, 2B, BB. BA= .370.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 9.72.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 6.75.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB 1 K. ERA= 1.50.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 0.00.
RafRod is about the only guy on the SJ Giants roster who is hitting consistently. Amazing! Agosta seems to be fighting his way back a bit.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Rome Braves 8-7:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 4, BB, CS(6). BA= .328.
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 5. BA= .298.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(3), Sac. BA= .288.
Travious Relaford(SS)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .258.
Cristian Paulino(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 SB(3). BA= .381.
Love seeing those 3 dingers after Jonah's name! Fargas maybe needs to be a bit more selective in his baserunning. I'm guessing everybody in the park knows he's going.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.00.
Skyler Stromsmoe and Ronny Cedeno had multi-hit games. Don't think that is too significant.
*********************************************************************************
AA New Britain vs Richmond postponed.
*********************************************************************************
High A Bakersfield Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants 3-0:
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 2 for 2, 2B, BB. BA= .370.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 9.72.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 6.75.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB 1 K. ERA= 1.50.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 0.00.
RafRod is about the only guy on the SJ Giants roster who is hitting consistently. Amazing! Agosta seems to be fighting his way back a bit.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Rome Braves 8-7:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 4, BB, CS(6). BA= .328.
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 5. BA= .298.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(3), Sac. BA= .288.
Travious Relaford(SS)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .258.
Cristian Paulino(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 SB(3). BA= .381.
Love seeing those 3 dingers after Jonah's name! Fargas maybe needs to be a bit more selective in his baserunning. I'm guessing everybody in the park knows he's going.
Game Wrap 4/25/2015: Giants 5 Rockies 4 in 11 Innings
Andrew Susac and Justin Maxwell provided the longballs and 5 of the Giants 19 baserunners scored as the Giants eked out an extra-inning win at Coors Field. Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 0 for 2, 4 BB, SB(5). BA- .303. The Giants leadoff man kept drawing walks and kept getting left on base, but finally scored the winning run in the 11th on a squeeze bunt by Joe Panik.
Angel Pagan- 4 for 6. BA= .355. Pagan also scored just once for his efforts, but his single in the 11th moved Aoki to 3B which set up the squeeze bunt.
Buster Posey- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .246. Buster's bat has been very quiet. Maybe this is a game to get it going?
Justin Maxwell- 1 for 6, HR(3). BA= .308. Maxwell's 3'rd dinger in 5 games was the difference maker in this one. It gave the Giants a 4-2 lead. The Rockies would go on to tie the game in the 9th, but never got another lead.
Andrew Susac- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1), BB. BA= .385. The Incredible Hulk has been doing good things almost every chance he gets. His dinger got the Giants to a 2-2 tie after the Rockies had taken the lead. He also gunned down Drew Stubbs on a SB attempt in the 9'th to get out of the jam with the game still tied.
Tim Hudson- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 3.91. This might be the best game Huddy has pitched in Coors Field his entire career. Coors is not friendly to his style of pitching and it's been a house of horrors for him. This was a very typical Huddy game avoiding walks and keeping the ball on the ground. He gave up dingers to Tulo and CarGo, but they were both solo shots which minimized the damage.
Jean Machi- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 2.53. The Giants seem to win a lot of these types of games just because they have a deeper bullpen and Bochy uses it more efficiently. Machi was able to go more than 1 inning and that ended up being the difference because Petit might not have been available. Aren't all you guys happy we have Machi on the team now?
Despite the Win, the Giants remained in last place in the NL West, 4 games behind the Dodgers who outslugged the Padres 11-8. The second place Rockies dropped 1.5 games off the pace while the Padres are at 2 games behind. The D'Backs lost to the Pirates 2-1 and are in 4th place, 3 games behind the Dodgers.
Tim Lincecum goes for the series Win today facing LHP Tyler Matzek.
Norichika Aoki- 0 for 2, 4 BB, SB(5). BA- .303. The Giants leadoff man kept drawing walks and kept getting left on base, but finally scored the winning run in the 11th on a squeeze bunt by Joe Panik.
Angel Pagan- 4 for 6. BA= .355. Pagan also scored just once for his efforts, but his single in the 11th moved Aoki to 3B which set up the squeeze bunt.
Buster Posey- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .246. Buster's bat has been very quiet. Maybe this is a game to get it going?
Justin Maxwell- 1 for 6, HR(3). BA= .308. Maxwell's 3'rd dinger in 5 games was the difference maker in this one. It gave the Giants a 4-2 lead. The Rockies would go on to tie the game in the 9th, but never got another lead.
Andrew Susac- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1), BB. BA= .385. The Incredible Hulk has been doing good things almost every chance he gets. His dinger got the Giants to a 2-2 tie after the Rockies had taken the lead. He also gunned down Drew Stubbs on a SB attempt in the 9'th to get out of the jam with the game still tied.
Tim Hudson- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 3.91. This might be the best game Huddy has pitched in Coors Field his entire career. Coors is not friendly to his style of pitching and it's been a house of horrors for him. This was a very typical Huddy game avoiding walks and keeping the ball on the ground. He gave up dingers to Tulo and CarGo, but they were both solo shots which minimized the damage.
Jean Machi- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 2.53. The Giants seem to win a lot of these types of games just because they have a deeper bullpen and Bochy uses it more efficiently. Machi was able to go more than 1 inning and that ended up being the difference because Petit might not have been available. Aren't all you guys happy we have Machi on the team now?
Despite the Win, the Giants remained in last place in the NL West, 4 games behind the Dodgers who outslugged the Padres 11-8. The second place Rockies dropped 1.5 games off the pace while the Padres are at 2 games behind. The D'Backs lost to the Pirates 2-1 and are in 4th place, 3 games behind the Dodgers.
Tim Lincecum goes for the series Win today facing LHP Tyler Matzek.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/24/2015
AAA El Paso Chihuahuas beat the Sacramento River Cats 6-1:
Curtis Partch(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Partch has 13 K's against 2 BB's in 10 IP so far this season.
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AA New Britain Rock Cats edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS-2B)- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 SB(3). BA= .352.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .162.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 1.42.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.74.
Crick threw 92 pitches in 4 IP.
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High A Bakersfleld Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants 5-0:
DJ Snelton(LHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 8/3. ERA= 3.00.
Mason McVay(LHP)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.52.
The Little Giants managed just 1 hit the whole game against 3 Bakersfield pitchers.
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Low A Game 1 Augusta Greenjackets topped the Rome Braves 6-1:
John Riley(DH)- 1 for 3, HR(1). BA= .308.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .231.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, SB(6). BA= .227.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 11/3. ERA= 2.76.
Low A Game 2: Rome Braves outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 9-6:
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .273.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .233.
Cristian Paulino(RF)- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B. BA= .353.
Conner Kaden(RHP)- 4.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 11/0. ERA= 3.09.
Curtis Partch(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Partch has 13 K's against 2 BB's in 10 IP so far this season.
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AA New Britain Rock Cats edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS-2B)- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 SB(3). BA= .352.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .162.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 1.42.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.74.
Crick threw 92 pitches in 4 IP.
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High A Bakersfleld Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants 5-0:
DJ Snelton(LHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 8/3. ERA= 3.00.
Mason McVay(LHP)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.52.
The Little Giants managed just 1 hit the whole game against 3 Bakersfield pitchers.
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Low A Game 1 Augusta Greenjackets topped the Rome Braves 6-1:
John Riley(DH)- 1 for 3, HR(1). BA= .308.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .231.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, SB(6). BA= .227.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 11/3. ERA= 2.76.
Low A Game 2: Rome Braves outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 9-6:
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .273.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .233.
Cristian Paulino(RF)- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B. BA= .353.
Conner Kaden(RHP)- 4.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 11/0. ERA= 3.09.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Game Wrap 4/24/2015: Rockies 6 Giants 4
The Giants momentum from the Dodgers series did not carry over into Coors Field as Chris Heston's BABIP luck ran out and the Giants had a relapse of LOBitis. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .239. Aoki gets the day off with Blanco getting the start in LF.
Joe Panik- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .303. Panik has raised his BA from a nadir of .176 on 4/15 to .303 in just 8 games. He is 14 for 32 in that span.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4. BA= .329. Pagan has certainly seemed to fully recover from an early season back scare and has been one of the Giants steadiest performers.
Brandon Belt- 3 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .238. Belt has a 5 game hit streak since his BA hit .077. He is 8 for 16 in that stretch.
Justin Maxwell- 2 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .333. I think it's safe to say Maxwell is going to be in the lineup until he cools off or Pence comes back. He might stay longer if he keeps hitting like this.
Chris Heston- 5.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/0. ERA= 2.77. Heston was due for a BABIP fueled regression. His BB's, K's, and GO/AO all look pretty much the same as his first 3 starts. He gave up a HR, but it was a solo job. So, BABIP it is. Coors Field has a way of doing that to a pitcher who depends on a lot of ball movement to succeed.
Tim Hudson, another guy who has trouble in Coors Field for obvious reasons, faces Jorge De La Rosa in Game 2 tomorrow evening.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .239. Aoki gets the day off with Blanco getting the start in LF.
Joe Panik- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .303. Panik has raised his BA from a nadir of .176 on 4/15 to .303 in just 8 games. He is 14 for 32 in that span.
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4. BA= .329. Pagan has certainly seemed to fully recover from an early season back scare and has been one of the Giants steadiest performers.
Brandon Belt- 3 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .238. Belt has a 5 game hit streak since his BA hit .077. He is 8 for 16 in that stretch.
Justin Maxwell- 2 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .333. I think it's safe to say Maxwell is going to be in the lineup until he cools off or Pence comes back. He might stay longer if he keeps hitting like this.
Chris Heston- 5.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/0. ERA= 2.77. Heston was due for a BABIP fueled regression. His BB's, K's, and GO/AO all look pretty much the same as his first 3 starts. He gave up a HR, but it was a solo job. So, BABIP it is. Coors Field has a way of doing that to a pitcher who depends on a lot of ball movement to succeed.
Tim Hudson, another guy who has trouble in Coors Field for obvious reasons, faces Jorge De La Rosa in Game 2 tomorrow evening.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/23/2015
AAA El Paso Chihuahuas defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-3:
Brett Jackson(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .293.
Adam Duvall(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .419.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 4 IP 9 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 7.88.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.59.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.04.
Brett Jackson is having a surprisingly strong start to his season. He's got the tools if he can ever put it all together.
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AA New Britain Rock Cats topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-2:
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .262.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO- 6/2. BA= 6.08.
Not much to comment on here. Delfino his holding his own in the EL so far.
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High A Bakersfield Blaze edged the San Jose Giants 3-2:
Keury Mella(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 10/5. ERA= 3.60.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 8.71.
Fairly dominant start for Mella. Great to see him stretch it out to 7 IP. Probably too soon to be putting Agosta in high leverage situations. Baby steps!
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets beat the Rome Braves 5-3:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, CS(5). BA= .357.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .327.
Aramis Garcia(C)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .194.
Skyler Ewing(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .250.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 5. BA= .265.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, BB, SF, 3 SB(5). BA= .220.
Matthew Gage(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.32.
Dusten Knight(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Augusta was the only winner of the Giants full season affiliates today.
Brett Jackson(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .293.
Adam Duvall(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .419.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 4 IP 9 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 7.88.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.59.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.04.
Brett Jackson is having a surprisingly strong start to his season. He's got the tools if he can ever put it all together.
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AA New Britain Rock Cats topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-2:
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .262.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO- 6/2. BA= 6.08.
Not much to comment on here. Delfino his holding his own in the EL so far.
*********************************************************************************
High A Bakersfield Blaze edged the San Jose Giants 3-2:
Keury Mella(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 10/5. ERA= 3.60.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 8.71.
Fairly dominant start for Mella. Great to see him stretch it out to 7 IP. Probably too soon to be putting Agosta in high leverage situations. Baby steps!
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets beat the Rome Braves 5-3:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, CS(5). BA= .357.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .327.
Aramis Garcia(C)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .194.
Skyler Ewing(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .250.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 5. BA= .265.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, BB, SF, 3 SB(5). BA= .220.
Matthew Gage(LHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.32.
Dusten Knight(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Augusta was the only winner of the Giants full season affiliates today.
Game Wrap 4/23/2015: Giants 3 Dodgers 2
The amazing Dodgers bullpen, brilliantly constructed by their new new genius GM stifled the Giants hitters to preserve a 2-1 lead for the second game in a row......wait, what? Oh, that's the Fangraphs version of the last two games because you know, actual runs scored and allowed don't count. You have to look at what what happened after you corrected for ballpark factors and normalized HR/FB ratios and BABIP's. OK, enough of that. I think you get the picture. After no fewer than 4 separate Fangraphs articles in 2 days extolling the wonders of the Dodgers bullpen, the Giants went out and won 2 ballgames for no other reason than their bullpen outpitched the Dodgers bullpen. Simple as that! Key Lines:
Joe Panik- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .295. After a rough first week or so, Panik has really turned it on and picked up where he left off last year.
Brandon Belt- 1 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .179. Belt got a clutch basehit to drive in the Giants first run.
Justin Maxwell- 2 for 5. BA= .300. Maxwell was definitely the hitting hero of this series driving in or scoring key runs in all 3 games. Not sure what's going to happen when Pence comes back, but Maxwell should be out there everyday at least until then.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 3, 3B(1), BB. BA= .222. Crawford drove in the tying run with a huge triple to the wall in right-CF with nobody out. Unfortunately he got stranded there.
Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 8/1. ERA= 7.71. I think if you had polled most of us who come to this site, we would have chosen Yusmeiro Petit to start this game. Bochy stuck with Vogey and Vogey dug down about as deep as I've ever seen him, and that's saying a lot! After giving up 2 solo HR's in the first 3 innings, he clamped down and retired the final 10 batters he faced.
Giants Bullpen- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.
Dodgers Bullpen- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. Read it and weep, Fangraphs!
With the Win, the Giants sweep the first place Dodgers and their deficit in the NL West shrinks to 3 games behind the Dodgers and Padres who both lost. The Rockies topped the Padres 2-1 and trail by 0.5 games. The D'Backs beat the Texas Rangers 8-5 and trail by 1 game. The Giants remain in last place, but are just 3 games behind as opposed to 6 when this series started.
The Giants now travel to Colorado where Chris Heston will start the first game of the series facing Eddie Butler.
Joe Panik- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .295. After a rough first week or so, Panik has really turned it on and picked up where he left off last year.
Brandon Belt- 1 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .179. Belt got a clutch basehit to drive in the Giants first run.
Justin Maxwell- 2 for 5. BA= .300. Maxwell was definitely the hitting hero of this series driving in or scoring key runs in all 3 games. Not sure what's going to happen when Pence comes back, but Maxwell should be out there everyday at least until then.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 3, 3B(1), BB. BA= .222. Crawford drove in the tying run with a huge triple to the wall in right-CF with nobody out. Unfortunately he got stranded there.
Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 8/1. ERA= 7.71. I think if you had polled most of us who come to this site, we would have chosen Yusmeiro Petit to start this game. Bochy stuck with Vogey and Vogey dug down about as deep as I've ever seen him, and that's saying a lot! After giving up 2 solo HR's in the first 3 innings, he clamped down and retired the final 10 batters he faced.
Giants Bullpen- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.
Dodgers Bullpen- 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. Read it and weep, Fangraphs!
With the Win, the Giants sweep the first place Dodgers and their deficit in the NL West shrinks to 3 games behind the Dodgers and Padres who both lost. The Rockies topped the Padres 2-1 and trail by 0.5 games. The D'Backs beat the Texas Rangers 8-5 and trail by 1 game. The Giants remain in last place, but are just 3 games behind as opposed to 6 when this series started.
The Giants now travel to Colorado where Chris Heston will start the first game of the series facing Eddie Butler.
Down on the Farm: 4/22/2015
AAA El Paso Chihuahuas mauled the Sacramento River Cats 13-5:
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 3 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 9.82.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.24.
El Paso is a tough place to pitch and the wind was blowing out to LF at 15 MPH, but…..Yikes! Dunning absorbed quite the shelling there! He had 3 HBP's, a WP and 2 E's to boot. Very rough day for Jake Dunning!
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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.
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High A: San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'ers 7-0:
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 2 for 5. BA= .383.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .304.
Hunter Cole(PH-DH)- 1 for 2, 2B. BA= .500.
John Polonius(SS)- 2 for 4, SB(3). BA= .286.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 9/3. ERA= 1.93.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.80.
Boy, there is definitely an emerging pattern of the Giants high velocity SP's in the minors pitching to contact and for the ground ball. Can that stuff work in the major leagues? Current MLB pitchers with FB's averaging over 90 MPH, K/9's less than 7 and high GB% would be Henderson Alvarez, Kyle Gibson, Jared Cosart and Rick Porcello. None of those pitchers would be considered aces by any stretch, but are all useful MLB SP's.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets topped the Charleston River Dogs 5-2:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, CS(4). BA= .358.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2). BA= .304.
Will Calloway(3B)- 3 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .750.
Cristian Paulino(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .286.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .211.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
EJ Encinosa(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's ERA= 10.13.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(3). ERA= 2.08.
Calloway replaces Hunter Cole on the Greenjackets roster with Cole moving up to San Jose to replace Austin Slater.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 3 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 9.82.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.24.
El Paso is a tough place to pitch and the wind was blowing out to LF at 15 MPH, but…..Yikes! Dunning absorbed quite the shelling there! He had 3 HBP's, a WP and 2 E's to boot. Very rough day for Jake Dunning!
*********************************************************************************
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.
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High A: San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'ers 7-0:
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 2 for 5. BA= .383.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .304.
Hunter Cole(PH-DH)- 1 for 2, 2B. BA= .500.
John Polonius(SS)- 2 for 4, SB(3). BA= .286.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 9/3. ERA= 1.93.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.80.
Boy, there is definitely an emerging pattern of the Giants high velocity SP's in the minors pitching to contact and for the ground ball. Can that stuff work in the major leagues? Current MLB pitchers with FB's averaging over 90 MPH, K/9's less than 7 and high GB% would be Henderson Alvarez, Kyle Gibson, Jared Cosart and Rick Porcello. None of those pitchers would be considered aces by any stretch, but are all useful MLB SP's.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets topped the Charleston River Dogs 5-2:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, CS(4). BA= .358.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2). BA= .304.
Will Calloway(3B)- 3 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .750.
Cristian Paulino(LF)- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .286.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .211.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
EJ Encinosa(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's ERA= 10.13.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(3). ERA= 2.08.
Calloway replaces Hunter Cole on the Greenjackets roster with Cole moving up to San Jose to replace Austin Slater.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Game Wrap 4/22/2015: Giants 3 Dodgers 2
Pitching duels between aces sometimes don't live up to the hype. This one sort of did as the Giants took an early lead of Clayton Kershaw by scratching out 2 runs in the 3'rd inning. Madison Bumgarner looked like he might make those 2 runs stand up until the 7'th inning when he gave up a 2 run dinger to tie the score. Neither starter was around for the finish with the Giants bullpen outpitching the Dodgers bullpen that Dave Cameron thinks is so great with Joe Panik driving in the game winner with a walk-off, bases-loaded Sac Fly. Key Lines:
Madison Bumgarner- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.63.
Giants Bullpen- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, Win(Santiago Casilla).
Clayton Kershaw(Dodgers)- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 4.07.
Dodgers Bullpen- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, HBP, Loss(Chris Hatcher).
As you can see, neither "ace" pitcher has pitched like an ace so far. They were both better in this game and more or less pitched to a draw with the Giants bullpen winning over the Dodgers bullpen. Take THAT Dave Cameron!
The Win pulled the NL West trailing Giants to 4 games behind the division leading Dodgers. The Padres lost to the Rockies 5-4 to remain tied with the Dodgers in games, but trailing in percentage points. The Dodgers are 9-5 while the Padres are 10-6. The D'Backs topped the Texas Rangers 8-5 to remain tied with the Rockies at 8-7, 1.5 games behind the Dodgers and 2.5 games ahead of the Giants who are 6-10.
Ryan Vogelsong tries for a series sweep facing callup Mike Bolsinger, who has given the Giants fits as a member of the Arizona D'Backs if I remember correctly, in the series finale tomorrow afternoon at AT&T Park.
Madison Bumgarner- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.63.
Giants Bullpen- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, Win(Santiago Casilla).
Clayton Kershaw(Dodgers)- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 4.07.
Dodgers Bullpen- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, HBP, Loss(Chris Hatcher).
As you can see, neither "ace" pitcher has pitched like an ace so far. They were both better in this game and more or less pitched to a draw with the Giants bullpen winning over the Dodgers bullpen. Take THAT Dave Cameron!
The Win pulled the NL West trailing Giants to 4 games behind the division leading Dodgers. The Padres lost to the Rockies 5-4 to remain tied with the Dodgers in games, but trailing in percentage points. The Dodgers are 9-5 while the Padres are 10-6. The D'Backs topped the Texas Rangers 8-5 to remain tied with the Rockies at 8-7, 1.5 games behind the Dodgers and 2.5 games ahead of the Giants who are 6-10.
Ryan Vogelsong tries for a series sweep facing callup Mike Bolsinger, who has given the Giants fits as a member of the Arizona D'Backs if I remember correctly, in the series finale tomorrow afternoon at AT&T Park.
Down on the Farm: 4/21/2015
AAA El Paso Chihuahuas pounded the Sacramento River Cats 7-1:
Juan Perez(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .180.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .436.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 4 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 6/1. ERA= 5.60.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.17.
Blach's peripherals look good, but he was hittable. Many PCL parks are not friendly to Blach's type of stuff.
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AA Bowie Baysox smacked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 10-4:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .326.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .231.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 1 for 5, HR(1). BA= .283.
Jackson Williams(Catcher)- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB. BA= .148.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.79.
Josh Osich(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
In addition to his first HR of the season, I understand Mac Williamson has been putting up a one man highlight real on defense for the Squirrels. A discouraging start for Stratton, but Osich seems to have found something.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants topped the Inland Empire 66'ers 4-1:
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP. BA= .381.
John Polonius(2B)- 2 for 2, 2B, HBP. BA= .235.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 12/2. ERA= 2.93.
Erik Cordier(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
The Little Giants have been hit hard by injuries, so some interesting names missing from the box scores. RafRod keeps hitting, albeit without any significant power. Baby steps? Young Beedah is pounding the earthworms, but not getting any K's. Will that stuff work at higher levels or are we seeing Chris Stratton Part Deux? Cordier obviously had a WP or PB in his inning of work.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Charleston River Dogs edged the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 5, 2 CS. BA= .347.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(3). BA= .286.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(2). BA= .200.
Nick Gonzalez(LHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.20.
Nathanael Santiago(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.45.
Fargas is the big newsmaker out of Augusta in the early season.
Juan Perez(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .180.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .436.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 4 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 6/1. ERA= 5.60.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.17.
Blach's peripherals look good, but he was hittable. Many PCL parks are not friendly to Blach's type of stuff.
*********************************************************************************
AA Bowie Baysox smacked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 10-4:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .326.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .231.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 1 for 5, HR(1). BA= .283.
Jackson Williams(Catcher)- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB. BA= .148.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.79.
Josh Osich(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
In addition to his first HR of the season, I understand Mac Williamson has been putting up a one man highlight real on defense for the Squirrels. A discouraging start for Stratton, but Osich seems to have found something.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants topped the Inland Empire 66'ers 4-1:
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP. BA= .381.
John Polonius(2B)- 2 for 2, 2B, HBP. BA= .235.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 12/2. ERA= 2.93.
Erik Cordier(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
The Little Giants have been hit hard by injuries, so some interesting names missing from the box scores. RafRod keeps hitting, albeit without any significant power. Baby steps? Young Beedah is pounding the earthworms, but not getting any K's. Will that stuff work at higher levels or are we seeing Chris Stratton Part Deux? Cordier obviously had a WP or PB in his inning of work.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Charleston River Dogs edged the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 5, 2 CS. BA= .347.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(3). BA= .286.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(2). BA= .200.
Nick Gonzalez(LHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.20.
Nathanael Santiago(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.45.
Fargas is the big newsmaker out of Augusta in the early season.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Game Wrap 4/21/2015: Giants 6 Dodgers 2
The Giants combined a strong start for Tim Lincecum with a sustained hitting attack and made this an easy win, except for some mild torture in the 9'th inning. Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5, SB(4). BA= .346. Aoki's magic show rolls on.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4. BA= .250. Buster took some extra BP before the game, something he rarely does.
Andrew Susac- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .429. Play Susac until he cools off!
Justin Maxwell- 2 for 3, 3B, HR(1), BB. BA= .318. Um….and where has Maxwell been all this time? I have been as big a Blanco supporter as anyone, maybe more, but on a team this power challenged and with as little to lose at this point, I think you've gotta try to catch the kind of lightning in a bottle Maxwell can give you. Blanco just can't give you the dinger potential!
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .224. I don't know if it was a called play or if Crawford was on his own, but the bunt single with a runner on 3B and 2 outs was about as gutsy as they come, and Crawford beat it out to drive in the first run of the game.
Tim Lincecum- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.00. Boy, the Giants needed a strong start from Lincecum and Timmy delivered. Now the Giants can't get swept and they had to avoid that to keep their season alive, IMO.
The Giants record improved to 5-10. They now trail the NL West leading Dodgers, with a record of 9-4, by 5 games. The Padres pulled into a first place tie with the Dodgers with a come-from-behind win over the Rockies. The Rockies and D'Backs both fell to 7-7 and a 3'rd place tie with losses.
Tomorrow night, Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw face off in a battle of aces with both pitchers still trying to find their stride this season.
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5, SB(4). BA= .346. Aoki's magic show rolls on.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4. BA= .250. Buster took some extra BP before the game, something he rarely does.
Andrew Susac- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .429. Play Susac until he cools off!
Justin Maxwell- 2 for 3, 3B, HR(1), BB. BA= .318. Um….and where has Maxwell been all this time? I have been as big a Blanco supporter as anyone, maybe more, but on a team this power challenged and with as little to lose at this point, I think you've gotta try to catch the kind of lightning in a bottle Maxwell can give you. Blanco just can't give you the dinger potential!
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .224. I don't know if it was a called play or if Crawford was on his own, but the bunt single with a runner on 3B and 2 outs was about as gutsy as they come, and Crawford beat it out to drive in the first run of the game.
Tim Lincecum- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.00. Boy, the Giants needed a strong start from Lincecum and Timmy delivered. Now the Giants can't get swept and they had to avoid that to keep their season alive, IMO.
The Giants record improved to 5-10. They now trail the NL West leading Dodgers, with a record of 9-4, by 5 games. The Padres pulled into a first place tie with the Dodgers with a come-from-behind win over the Rockies. The Rockies and D'Backs both fell to 7-7 and a 3'rd place tie with losses.
Tomorrow night, Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw face off in a battle of aces with both pitchers still trying to find their stride this season.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/20/2015
AAA Salt Lake City Bees stung the Sacramento River Cats 9-5:
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 3, HBP, Sac. BA= .267.
Jarrett Parker(DH)- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .282.
Brett Jackson(RF)- 2 for 5. BA= .310.
Braulio Lara(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 8.78.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K. BA= 0.00.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. ERA= 1.23.
Lara obviously got shelled. The bullpen was good. Andy Skeels is the hitting coach in Sacramento and I'm liking what I''m seeing from some of the Sac hitters. Of course, it IS the PCL.
*********************************************************************************
AA Bowie Baysox topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3:
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 4, 2 SB(4). BA= .178.
Blake Miller(2B)- 3 for 4. BA= .225.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Gregorio continues to pitch well out of the bullpen.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'ers 5-0:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 4, 2 2B(4). BA= .255.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/2. ERA= 0.00.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 4.1. ERA= 9.00.
Mason McVay(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, Save(1). ERA= 4.50.
Nice start for Vander Tuig who finally seems to be figuring out how to pitch in the pros, or else he is finally health. Agosta seems to be slowly but surely coming around too.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Charleston River Dogs edged the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 4, BB, SB(9). BA= .318.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .217.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 1.60.
Conner Kaden(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.45.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.25.
Martinez is a major sleeper in the system with a FB that hits the upper 90's. Goal for this season is to have a decent K/BB signifying improved command.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 3, HBP, Sac. BA= .267.
Jarrett Parker(DH)- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .282.
Brett Jackson(RF)- 2 for 5. BA= .310.
Braulio Lara(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 8.78.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K. BA= 0.00.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. ERA= 1.23.
Lara obviously got shelled. The bullpen was good. Andy Skeels is the hitting coach in Sacramento and I'm liking what I''m seeing from some of the Sac hitters. Of course, it IS the PCL.
*********************************************************************************
AA Bowie Baysox topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3:
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 4, 2 SB(4). BA= .178.
Blake Miller(2B)- 3 for 4. BA= .225.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Gregorio continues to pitch well out of the bullpen.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'ers 5-0:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 4, 2 2B(4). BA= .255.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/2. ERA= 0.00.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 4.1. ERA= 9.00.
Mason McVay(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, Save(1). ERA= 4.50.
Nice start for Vander Tuig who finally seems to be figuring out how to pitch in the pros, or else he is finally health. Agosta seems to be slowly but surely coming around too.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Charleston River Dogs edged the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 4, BB, SB(9). BA= .318.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .217.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 1.60.
Conner Kaden(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.45.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.25.
Martinez is a major sleeper in the system with a FB that hits the upper 90's. Goal for this season is to have a decent K/BB signifying improved command.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/19/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats pounded the Salt Lake City Bees 15-7:
Brett Jackson(RF)- 3 for 4, BB, SF. BA= .292.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 6, HR(2). BA= .222.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 5 for 6, 2 2B, 3B, HR(4). BA= .457.
Jarrett Parker(DH)- 2 for 6, 2B, BB, SB(2). BA= .278.
Darren Ford(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, HR(1). BA= .317.
Robert Coello(RHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.65.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 0.00.
Great game for padding the stat lines. Duvall became the first River Cats player in team history to hit for the cycle and he added a double for good measure. Hard to believe it's never happened before with all those good A's hitting prospects playing there. Maybe they were too busy drawing walks? Darren Ford fell just a single short of a second cycle. Duvall seems to be on another level than what AAA competition has to offer, at least at the plate. Is he a AAAA player or does he just need an extended MLB opportunity? Seems to me that if the Giants drop out of contention early, Duvall should get an extended opportunity.
AA Reading Fightin' Phils blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-0:
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4. BA= .297.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.52.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.17.
At least Mac seems to still be hitting for Richmond. Man, what IS it about the EL, anyway? I know the weather back east is still pretty cold and wet.
High A Bakersfield Blaze scored 4 unearned runs in the top of the 9'th inning to scorch the San Jose Giants 10-7:
Ryder Jones(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .417.
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 3, HBP. BA= .233.
Erik Cordier(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.25.
Austin Slater had 1 hit in 1 AB and was CS, then came out of the game.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets doubleheader with the Rome Braves was rained out. One of the DH games was a makeup of yesterday's rainout.
Brett Jackson(RF)- 3 for 4, BB, SF. BA= .292.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 6, HR(2). BA= .222.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 5 for 6, 2 2B, 3B, HR(4). BA= .457.
Jarrett Parker(DH)- 2 for 6, 2B, BB, SB(2). BA= .278.
Darren Ford(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, HR(1). BA= .317.
Robert Coello(RHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.65.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 0.00.
Great game for padding the stat lines. Duvall became the first River Cats player in team history to hit for the cycle and he added a double for good measure. Hard to believe it's never happened before with all those good A's hitting prospects playing there. Maybe they were too busy drawing walks? Darren Ford fell just a single short of a second cycle. Duvall seems to be on another level than what AAA competition has to offer, at least at the plate. Is he a AAAA player or does he just need an extended MLB opportunity? Seems to me that if the Giants drop out of contention early, Duvall should get an extended opportunity.
AA Reading Fightin' Phils blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-0:
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4. BA= .297.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.52.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.17.
At least Mac seems to still be hitting for Richmond. Man, what IS it about the EL, anyway? I know the weather back east is still pretty cold and wet.
High A Bakersfield Blaze scored 4 unearned runs in the top of the 9'th inning to scorch the San Jose Giants 10-7:
Ryder Jones(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .417.
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 3, HBP. BA= .233.
Erik Cordier(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.25.
Austin Slater had 1 hit in 1 AB and was CS, then came out of the game.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets doubleheader with the Rome Braves was rained out. One of the DH games was a makeup of yesterday's rainout.
Game Wrap 4/19/2015: D'Backs 5 Giants 1
Well, the good feelings from the Ring Ceremony and the inspiring performance by Chris Heston did not last long. Once again, the Giants fell behind early on a multi-run dinger in the first inning and looked up the rest of the way. A very rough 3'rd inning for starter Tim Hudson sealed their fate early. Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B. BA= .339. It's really kind of sad. Aoki wanted to come to SF so bad because of the winning atmosphere. He certainly has more than done his part. This season is rapidly turning into a classic post-championship downer. Hopefully Aoki can stick around and try to make 2016 another even year championship. And no, I am not already writing the season off, but it's not looking good right now.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 4. BA= .152. Is this the start of Belt's LF era? He looked a bit statuesque on a ball hit to the wall by Chris Owings in the 9'th inning, but I'm not sure anyone else gets it either. The two hits are hopefully a sign he is getting his timing and swing back together after the early injury.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 2, BB. BA= .200. Another guy who has slumped badly. Follows up the HR yesterday with 3 trips on the bases. Crawford is a big part of the Giants offense, even when he is batting 8'th.
Tim Hudson- 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 7/1. ERA= 3.93. The peripherals are good, but there were just too many mistakes up in the zone and Huddy gets killed up there. In fairness, he should have been out of the 3'rd inning, but a 3-2 strike 3 was called a ball by the ump, and I mean it was a strike!
Jeremy Hellickson(D'Backs)- Hellickson figured out early on that he did not have to throw the ball in the strike zone. Anything from the ankles up was called a strike. Huddy got low strikes called too, so it's to Hellickson's credit that he was able to take advantage, but come on umps, call the regulation strike zone!
With the Loss, the Giants fell further into last place, 6 games behind the Dodgers who beat the Rockies 7-0. The Padres won and take over second place, 1.5 games behind the Dodgers. The Giants trail the 4'th place D'Backs by 3.5 games.
The Giants get a much needed day off tomorrow. They have had just 2 days off since the start of spring exhibition games and one of those days was a travel day to Arizona following the Bay Bridge Series.
The fearsome Dodgers come to town for a 3-gamer starting Tuesday looking to make a statement after their postseason humiliation last year. Tim Lincecum to face lefty Brett Anderson in Game 1.
Thoughts on the 2015 Draft
The 2015 MLB Rule 4 or Amateur Draft is now less than 2 months away, 50 days to be exact. Interest is starting to heat up and draft rankings and mock drafts start to proliferate. Despite winning the World Series last year, the Giants have a relatively high draft position at #18 plus they have a compensation round pick at #31 thanks to losing Pablo Sandoval to free agency. I'm going to put in another plug for Covechatter who just put up the 5'th iteration of his mock draft and has obviously put a lot of research and thought into it. His site is linked to the left.
First, a few general observations. The top 5 of this draft is uncommonly weak without a clear-cut #1. Teams holding top 5 picks may not want to spend their full slot bonus allotment on any single player in the draft, so may be looking to cut a deal with a player who is not generally ranked in the top 5 or even 10. On the other hand, this draft looks like it has good players available well into the 3'rd round and beyond, which puts the Giants in a great position to get 2-3 players who are comparable to top of the draft talent, but for a much smaller signing bonus. Thanks to the compensation pick, the Giants also have more bonus pool money to work with, making it possible to make some serious plays for high school talent later in the draft.
There is a fair amount of movement in the draft rankings and mock drafts. In addition to the lack of clear cut top talent at the top of the draft, several previously highly ranked players have suffered serious injury while others have caught serious "helium" due to jumps in velocity or strong play on the field. The 3 biggest injuries have been to RHP Mike Matuella and LHP Brady Aiken who both underwent TJ surgery, as well as LHP Kolby Allard who was shelved for the season with a stress fracture of a vertebrae(ouch!). All 3 pitchers were ranked early on as top 10 draftees and have all undoubtedly slipped. Last year's draft, though, showed that there are teams out there willing to draft high ceiling pitchers with current injuries, so all 3 of these guys may still go in Round 1. Just probably not in the top 5.
Some names of players whose stock appears to be rising include college RHP Dillon Tate who is almost certainly top 5 at this point. HS RHP Mike Nikorak seems to have some serious helium. Many observers believe he is the top HS pitcher in the draft. He could go as high as top 5. RHP Kyle Funkhouser's stock took a hit early in the college season, but now appears to be rebounding into top 5 contention. The current consensus top 3 includes HS SS Brendan Rodgers, Dillon Tate and Vandy SS Dansby Swanson. The problem with all of those guys is they don't seem to be worth the $8 M slot bonus held by the Arizona D'Backs with the #1 overall pick. On the other hand, compared to what Cuban prospects are getting these days, $8 M seems like a mere pittance, so go figure.
So, who does Covechatter think the Giants might pick with their #18 and #31 draft picks as well as their second round #61 overall? Well, his Mock Draft Version 5 has the Giants taking HS catcher Chris Betts at #18 and HS RHP Beau Burrows at #31 with Alabama SS Mikey White at #61. The Giants have almost obsessively stockpiled catching prospects ever since Buster Posey's injury in 2011. Betts is the best catching prospect in the draft by a fairly large margin. He's a LH hitter with power and has the tools to stick at catcher longterm. He is ranked in the #18 range on multiple draft rankings and mock drafts. On the other hand, HS catchers are notorious for busting as prospects. Anyone remember Kyle Skipworth? As for other rankings, BA has Betts ranked #18. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs has college LHP Nate Kirby at #18. He definitely does not fit the profile of a Giants first round draft pick as a soft-tossing lefty. MLB has Nikorak ranked at #18, but he seems to have caught some serious helium as noted above. My MLB Draft, updated 4/15 has the Giants taking jumbo, hard-throwing RHP Kyle Cody at #18.
Covechatter has the Giants taking HS RHP Beau Burrows at #31. Burrows has premium stuff and advanced command of his pitches. One thing I really like about Burrows is he ranked high in measured velocity and in FB spin rates using high tech measuring instruments in a showcase event last summer. The only rap on Burrows is his size is not projectable at 6'1" or 6'2" and about 200 lbs. On the other hand, how much projection do you need if you can already throw mid-90's? For what it's worth, My MLB Draft also has Burrows going to the Giants at #31. BA has HS 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, Charlie's kid, at #31. Kiley McDaniel has another hard throwing RHP, Ashe Russell at #31 which seems to be a slippage in Russell's draft stock. MLB ranks HS RHP Donny Everett, who is a bit of a Matt Cain clone, at #31. One intriguing name is Alonzo Jones, who Covechatter has the Giants passing on for Burrows, with Jones going just 1 pick later at #32. Much as I like Beau Burrows, Alonzo Jones looks like he could be a special player to me. He can play either 2B or CF, has 80 speed and Popeye forearms. I see him as a bit riskier than Burrows, but I love his ceiling! Jones does not really fit the profile of the type of player the Giants have drafted in recent memory, but man, I would love to see them call his name somewhere on draft day!
Mikey White seems like a very typical Giantsy pick at #61. He's a college up-the-middle player who could stick at SS and is just a bit under-the-radar. He is currently hitting about .370 for Alabama in his junior year college season. The guy I would like to see the Giants pick at #61, but I doubt they will, is Kep Brown who I think looks like a clone of Jayson Werth. Brown is currently out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
First, a few general observations. The top 5 of this draft is uncommonly weak without a clear-cut #1. Teams holding top 5 picks may not want to spend their full slot bonus allotment on any single player in the draft, so may be looking to cut a deal with a player who is not generally ranked in the top 5 or even 10. On the other hand, this draft looks like it has good players available well into the 3'rd round and beyond, which puts the Giants in a great position to get 2-3 players who are comparable to top of the draft talent, but for a much smaller signing bonus. Thanks to the compensation pick, the Giants also have more bonus pool money to work with, making it possible to make some serious plays for high school talent later in the draft.
There is a fair amount of movement in the draft rankings and mock drafts. In addition to the lack of clear cut top talent at the top of the draft, several previously highly ranked players have suffered serious injury while others have caught serious "helium" due to jumps in velocity or strong play on the field. The 3 biggest injuries have been to RHP Mike Matuella and LHP Brady Aiken who both underwent TJ surgery, as well as LHP Kolby Allard who was shelved for the season with a stress fracture of a vertebrae(ouch!). All 3 pitchers were ranked early on as top 10 draftees and have all undoubtedly slipped. Last year's draft, though, showed that there are teams out there willing to draft high ceiling pitchers with current injuries, so all 3 of these guys may still go in Round 1. Just probably not in the top 5.
Some names of players whose stock appears to be rising include college RHP Dillon Tate who is almost certainly top 5 at this point. HS RHP Mike Nikorak seems to have some serious helium. Many observers believe he is the top HS pitcher in the draft. He could go as high as top 5. RHP Kyle Funkhouser's stock took a hit early in the college season, but now appears to be rebounding into top 5 contention. The current consensus top 3 includes HS SS Brendan Rodgers, Dillon Tate and Vandy SS Dansby Swanson. The problem with all of those guys is they don't seem to be worth the $8 M slot bonus held by the Arizona D'Backs with the #1 overall pick. On the other hand, compared to what Cuban prospects are getting these days, $8 M seems like a mere pittance, so go figure.
So, who does Covechatter think the Giants might pick with their #18 and #31 draft picks as well as their second round #61 overall? Well, his Mock Draft Version 5 has the Giants taking HS catcher Chris Betts at #18 and HS RHP Beau Burrows at #31 with Alabama SS Mikey White at #61. The Giants have almost obsessively stockpiled catching prospects ever since Buster Posey's injury in 2011. Betts is the best catching prospect in the draft by a fairly large margin. He's a LH hitter with power and has the tools to stick at catcher longterm. He is ranked in the #18 range on multiple draft rankings and mock drafts. On the other hand, HS catchers are notorious for busting as prospects. Anyone remember Kyle Skipworth? As for other rankings, BA has Betts ranked #18. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs has college LHP Nate Kirby at #18. He definitely does not fit the profile of a Giants first round draft pick as a soft-tossing lefty. MLB has Nikorak ranked at #18, but he seems to have caught some serious helium as noted above. My MLB Draft, updated 4/15 has the Giants taking jumbo, hard-throwing RHP Kyle Cody at #18.
Covechatter has the Giants taking HS RHP Beau Burrows at #31. Burrows has premium stuff and advanced command of his pitches. One thing I really like about Burrows is he ranked high in measured velocity and in FB spin rates using high tech measuring instruments in a showcase event last summer. The only rap on Burrows is his size is not projectable at 6'1" or 6'2" and about 200 lbs. On the other hand, how much projection do you need if you can already throw mid-90's? For what it's worth, My MLB Draft also has Burrows going to the Giants at #31. BA has HS 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, Charlie's kid, at #31. Kiley McDaniel has another hard throwing RHP, Ashe Russell at #31 which seems to be a slippage in Russell's draft stock. MLB ranks HS RHP Donny Everett, who is a bit of a Matt Cain clone, at #31. One intriguing name is Alonzo Jones, who Covechatter has the Giants passing on for Burrows, with Jones going just 1 pick later at #32. Much as I like Beau Burrows, Alonzo Jones looks like he could be a special player to me. He can play either 2B or CF, has 80 speed and Popeye forearms. I see him as a bit riskier than Burrows, but I love his ceiling! Jones does not really fit the profile of the type of player the Giants have drafted in recent memory, but man, I would love to see them call his name somewhere on draft day!
Mikey White seems like a very typical Giantsy pick at #61. He's a college up-the-middle player who could stick at SS and is just a bit under-the-radar. He is currently hitting about .370 for Alabama in his junior year college season. The guy I would like to see the Giants pick at #61, but I doubt they will, is Kep Brown who I think looks like a clone of Jayson Werth. Brown is currently out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/18/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Salt Lake City Bees 5-1:
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 5. BA= .238.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB, SB)1). BA= .267.
John Bowker(1B)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .258.
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB(3). BA= .278.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.06.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.69.
I hope Fleet was pulled for pitch count reasons. 4 perfect innings. I think this was his 2015 debut. Parker could be positioning himself for a call up.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5 in 10 innings:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS-2B)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1). BA= .382.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Tomlinson looks like he is ready to move up. Crick's line is better than it looks at first glance.
*********************************************************************************
High A Bakersfield Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants on just 3 hits, 3-0:
Donald Snelton(LHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 7/0. ERA= 2.70.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 11.51.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Obviously no offensive highlights. Even though his ERA looks terrible, Agosta has 12 K's against just 2 BB's in 7 IP so far this season.
*********************************************************************************
Low A A rainy night in Georgia washed out the Rome Braves vs Augusta Greenjackets game.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 5. BA= .238.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB, SB)1). BA= .267.
John Bowker(1B)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .258.
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB(3). BA= .278.
Austin Fleet(RHP)- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.06.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.69.
I hope Fleet was pulled for pitch count reasons. 4 perfect innings. I think this was his 2015 debut. Parker could be positioning himself for a call up.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils edged the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5 in 10 innings:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS-2B)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1). BA= .382.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Tomlinson looks like he is ready to move up. Crick's line is better than it looks at first glance.
*********************************************************************************
High A Bakersfield Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants on just 3 hits, 3-0:
Donald Snelton(LHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 7/0. ERA= 2.70.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 11.51.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Obviously no offensive highlights. Even though his ERA looks terrible, Agosta has 12 K's against just 2 BB's in 7 IP so far this season.
*********************************************************************************
Low A A rainy night in Georgia washed out the Rome Braves vs Augusta Greenjackets game.
Game Wrap 4/18/2015: Giants 4 D'Backs 1
Chris Heston stepped up and stopped the losing streak with a sensational pitching performance on Ring Ceremony Day. Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .327. Aoki continues to be a terrific leadoff hitter.
Joe Panik- 3 for 5. BA= .286. Panik's bat has really come to life in very similar fashion to what we saws last season. He is 8 for 15 over his last 3 games.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4. BA= .250. Posey getting some base hits to try and get his bat going again.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .163. The BA may not look like much, but Crawford leads the team in HR's and RBI's. Maybe that says more about the rest of the team than about Crawford?
Chris Heston- 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 11/3. ERA= 0.87. Through most of his minor league career, Heston has been a guy who, when he is pitching well, can keep on pitching well, start after start. He's doing it now. Second time facing the D'Backs within 2 weeks and it was like they had never seen him before. Goes to show, when you can throw 4 different pitches for strikes to either side of the plate on any count, you can not only win in MLB, but you can dominate. Oh, and did I see a few Sergio Romo, no-dot sliders out of Hesto Presto tonight? Stay hot, Chris Heston!
The Win improved the last place Giants record to 4-9 and brought them to 2.5 games behind the 4'th place D'Backs. They failed to gain on first place as the Dodgers gained sole possession by a game with a 6-3 win over the Rockies. The Padres lost the Cubs 7-6 to fall 1.5 games behind in 3'rd place.
Tim Hudson tries to salvage a series split tomorrow afternoon facing Jeremy Hellickson.
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .327. Aoki continues to be a terrific leadoff hitter.
Joe Panik- 3 for 5. BA= .286. Panik's bat has really come to life in very similar fashion to what we saws last season. He is 8 for 15 over his last 3 games.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4. BA= .250. Posey getting some base hits to try and get his bat going again.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .163. The BA may not look like much, but Crawford leads the team in HR's and RBI's. Maybe that says more about the rest of the team than about Crawford?
Chris Heston- 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 11/3. ERA= 0.87. Through most of his minor league career, Heston has been a guy who, when he is pitching well, can keep on pitching well, start after start. He's doing it now. Second time facing the D'Backs within 2 weeks and it was like they had never seen him before. Goes to show, when you can throw 4 different pitches for strikes to either side of the plate on any count, you can not only win in MLB, but you can dominate. Oh, and did I see a few Sergio Romo, no-dot sliders out of Hesto Presto tonight? Stay hot, Chris Heston!
The Win improved the last place Giants record to 4-9 and brought them to 2.5 games behind the 4'th place D'Backs. They failed to gain on first place as the Dodgers gained sole possession by a game with a 6-3 win over the Rockies. The Padres lost the Cubs 7-6 to fall 1.5 games behind in 3'rd place.
Tim Hudson tries to salvage a series split tomorrow afternoon facing Jeremy Hellickson.
Down on the Farm: 4/17/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Salt Lake City Bees 5-3:
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .188.
Andrew Susac(DH)- 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB. BA= .350.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .417.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .222.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K, GO/AO= 8/1. ERA= 4.09.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
The Giants need a shakeup. Susac DH'd in this game, but if he is able to catch, I would think a trip to the DL for McGehee might be in order, with Susac coming up to catch and Posey moving to 1B. Not sure where that leaves Belt, but he might benefit from a trip to the DL too. Just an idea. I believe this was Cody Hall's second 3-inning appearance without allowing a run.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils knocked out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-1:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .345.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .259.
Pedro Rodriguez(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.17.
This was Tomlinson's first SB of the season after 3 CS. Pedro Rodriguez is a 25 yo RHP who played the last 2 seasons in the Mexican League.
*********************************************************************************
High A Bakersfield Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants 6-0:
Keury Mella(RHP)- 4 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.50.
Mella's peripherals look OK. Of note in this game, the Blaze stole 6 bases and were CS just once. Only 1 of the SB's came when Mella was pitching. Ty Ross was the catcher, but it's tough to judge whose fault a SB allowed is. Something wasn't right in the SJ SB defense, though.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Rome Braves beat the Augusta Greenjackets 6-3:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 0 for 3, BB, HBP, SB(8). BA= .300.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.48.
Reyes is a LHP drafted last year in round 22 out of JC ball.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .188.
Andrew Susac(DH)- 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB. BA= .350.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .417.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .222.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K, GO/AO= 8/1. ERA= 4.09.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
The Giants need a shakeup. Susac DH'd in this game, but if he is able to catch, I would think a trip to the DL for McGehee might be in order, with Susac coming up to catch and Posey moving to 1B. Not sure where that leaves Belt, but he might benefit from a trip to the DL too. Just an idea. I believe this was Cody Hall's second 3-inning appearance without allowing a run.
*********************************************************************************
AA Reading Fightin' Phils knocked out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-1:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .345.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .259.
Pedro Rodriguez(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.17.
This was Tomlinson's first SB of the season after 3 CS. Pedro Rodriguez is a 25 yo RHP who played the last 2 seasons in the Mexican League.
*********************************************************************************
High A Bakersfield Blaze blanked the San Jose Giants 6-0:
Keury Mella(RHP)- 4 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.50.
Mella's peripherals look OK. Of note in this game, the Blaze stole 6 bases and were CS just once. Only 1 of the SB's came when Mella was pitching. Ty Ross was the catcher, but it's tough to judge whose fault a SB allowed is. Something wasn't right in the SJ SB defense, though.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Rome Braves beat the Augusta Greenjackets 6-3:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 0 for 3, BB, HBP, SB(8). BA= .300.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.48.
Reyes is a LHP drafted last year in round 22 out of JC ball.
Game Wrap 4/17/2015: D'Backs 9 Giants 0
I am not sure what Rock Bottom looks like for this team, but if it wasn't this game, then it would have to be horrifyingly ugly. There really were no Key Lines here. Joe Panik got 2 of the Giants 4 hits. Jake Peavy looked great for 2 innings then ran out of gas which has become his pattern. He also complained of back stiffness again after the game. A trip to the DL for some core conditioning might be in order here. Beyond that, it is hard to envision any quick turnaround until Hunter Pence is back and it might be July before he is completely in game shape and has his timing down.
An added observation is Casey McGehee did not look like he felt good at all. He's another guy who should probably go on the DL and get fully healthy before he tries to play again.
An added observation is Casey McGehee did not look like he felt good at all. He's another guy who should probably go on the DL and get fully healthy before he tries to play again.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/16/2015
AAA Las Vegas 51's defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-4:
Travis Ishikawa(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .333.
Andrew Susac(Catcher)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .250.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .419.
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .242.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 6.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.29.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.60.
What are the Giants going to do when Travis can come off the DL?
*********************************************************************************
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants pounded the Bakersfield Blaze 10-5:
Austin Slater(2B)- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .242.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 4 for 4, HR(2), BB. BA= .462.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .458.
John Polonius(SS)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .250.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.70.
Polonius replaces Christian Arroyo who hit the DL with an oblique strain.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Rome Braves 1-0:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 4, SB(7). BA= .324.
Nathanael Santiago(RHP)- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.00.
Conor Kaden(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Ramon Del Orbe(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Santiago is the 25 year old out of Mexico. Del Orbe is a 23 year old minor league FA signee out of the Marlins organization.
Travis Ishikawa(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .333.
Andrew Susac(Catcher)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .250.
Adam Duvall(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .419.
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .242.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 6.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.29.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.60.
What are the Giants going to do when Travis can come off the DL?
*********************************************************************************
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants pounded the Bakersfield Blaze 10-5:
Austin Slater(2B)- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .242.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 4 for 4, HR(2), BB. BA= .462.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .458.
John Polonius(SS)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .250.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.70.
Polonius replaces Christian Arroyo who hit the DL with an oblique strain.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Rome Braves 1-0:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 4, SB(7). BA= .324.
Nathanael Santiago(RHP)- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.00.
Conor Kaden(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Ramon Del Orbe(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Santiago is the 25 year old out of Mexico. Del Orbe is a 23 year old minor league FA signee out of the Marlins organization.
Game Wrap 4/16/2015: D'Backs 7 Giants 6 in 12 Innings
The Giants offense came to life in this game, battling back from 2 deficits to tie, but ultimately was not able to overcome the failures of their normally reliable bullpen. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 0 for 4, 2 BB, SB(1). BA= .212. If you only look at Blanco's BA, you would think he is playing terribly, but his OBP is a respectable .333.
Buster Posey- 2 for 5, BB. BA= .243. Buster was flirting with the Mendoza Line before this game. Hopefully this will get him going.
Brandon Belt- 0 for 6, 3 K. BA= .087. Belt is currently a black hole in the middle of the lineup, a huge rally killer. Once again, it looks to me like he is standing too close to the plate. When he swings, his hand come across the middle of the plate which ties him up on pitched middd-in. On pitches over the outside corner that look like he should mash them, he consistently fouls them off to the left side of the field meaning he is late on his swings out there. Might be time for a day or two of Bochy supervised batting practice?
Matt Duffy- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .300. I'm tellin' ya. Matt Duffy is playing himself into a starting gig here. As much as the Giants bats are struggling, he's making himself mighty difficult to take out of the lineup. Matt Duffy!
Joe Panik- 3 for 6, 3B. BA= .225. Panik needed a game like this. His triple tied the score in the 9'th, but his potential winning run was left stranded. Later, he made the final out of the game with a runner on 2B, but it was on a line out back to the pitcher.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .167. Talk about needing a game. Crawford had been looking terrible at the plate. He got the Giants back in this one with the dinger. Hopefully this gets him going too.
Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.29. Bummy's stuff looked a bit better tonight, except on the 2 dingers he gave up. For the second game in a row, a 3-run HR off Giants pitching was the difference in the ballgame.
Jean Machi- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.00. Machi seems to be rolling now. Gotta bring the rest of the bullpen along.
The loss drops the last place Giants a full 5 games behind the NL West leading Rockies. Dodgers and Padres were idle. The 4'th place D'Backs evened their record at 5-5. The Giants are 2.5 games out of 4'th place. Yikes!
Jake Peavy tries to break the losing streak tonight facing Josh Collmenter.
Gregor Blanco- 0 for 4, 2 BB, SB(1). BA= .212. If you only look at Blanco's BA, you would think he is playing terribly, but his OBP is a respectable .333.
Buster Posey- 2 for 5, BB. BA= .243. Buster was flirting with the Mendoza Line before this game. Hopefully this will get him going.
Brandon Belt- 0 for 6, 3 K. BA= .087. Belt is currently a black hole in the middle of the lineup, a huge rally killer. Once again, it looks to me like he is standing too close to the plate. When he swings, his hand come across the middle of the plate which ties him up on pitched middd-in. On pitches over the outside corner that look like he should mash them, he consistently fouls them off to the left side of the field meaning he is late on his swings out there. Might be time for a day or two of Bochy supervised batting practice?
Matt Duffy- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .300. I'm tellin' ya. Matt Duffy is playing himself into a starting gig here. As much as the Giants bats are struggling, he's making himself mighty difficult to take out of the lineup. Matt Duffy!
Joe Panik- 3 for 6, 3B. BA= .225. Panik needed a game like this. His triple tied the score in the 9'th, but his potential winning run was left stranded. Later, he made the final out of the game with a runner on 2B, but it was on a line out back to the pitcher.
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .167. Talk about needing a game. Crawford had been looking terrible at the plate. He got the Giants back in this one with the dinger. Hopefully this gets him going too.
Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.29. Bummy's stuff looked a bit better tonight, except on the 2 dingers he gave up. For the second game in a row, a 3-run HR off Giants pitching was the difference in the ballgame.
Jean Machi- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.00. Machi seems to be rolling now. Gotta bring the rest of the bullpen along.
The loss drops the last place Giants a full 5 games behind the NL West leading Rockies. Dodgers and Padres were idle. The 4'th place D'Backs evened their record at 5-5. The Giants are 2.5 games out of 4'th place. Yikes!
Jake Peavy tries to break the losing streak tonight facing Josh Collmenter.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/15//2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats edged the Las Vegas 51's 4-3:
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB. BA= .174.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .286.
Braulio Lara(LHP)- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.72.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(2). ERA= 0.00.
Parker continues his 3 true outcomes ways. I have a feeling the we are going to see all 3 of Okert, Broadway and Strickland in the majors at some point or another this season.
AA Altoona Curve blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-0:
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 4. BA= .214.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.24.
Not much good happened in this game. Uninspiring QS for Stratton.
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 15-5:
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .321.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .364.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 7/1. ERA= 2.45.
Visalia just crushed the ball against the little Giants this series. Not sure what's up with that, but their top hitter, Todd Glaesman has AA experience.
Low A Charleston River Dogs crushed the Augusta Greenjackets 8-0:
NTSH
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB. BA= .174.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .286.
Braulio Lara(LHP)- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.72.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.08.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(2). ERA= 0.00.
Parker continues his 3 true outcomes ways. I have a feeling the we are going to see all 3 of Okert, Broadway and Strickland in the majors at some point or another this season.
AA Altoona Curve blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-0:
Daniel Carbonell(LF)- 2 for 4. BA= .214.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.24.
Not much good happened in this game. Uninspiring QS for Stratton.
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 15-5:
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .321.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .364.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 7/1. ERA= 2.45.
Visalia just crushed the ball against the little Giants this series. Not sure what's up with that, but their top hitter, Todd Glaesman has AA experience.
Low A Charleston River Dogs crushed the Augusta Greenjackets 8-0:
NTSH
Game Wrap 4/15/2015: Rockies 4 Giants 2
This game was decided in the first inning on a 3 run HR by Jonah Arenado's older brother off Tim Linceum. The Giants outscored the Rockies 2-1 the rest of the way, but ended up going down to their 6'th defeat in a row while suffering their first series sweep of the season. Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 0 for 3, HBP, SB(3). BA= .325. I missed the top of the first inning. Did Matzek hit Aoki on purpose? Leadoff batter of the game for the Giants, drilled in the back with a fastball. Looks pretty suspicious to me. Carry over from a prior game?
Matt Duffy- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .292. This is a microcosm of the Giants season so far. The Giants had Rockies had an equal number of baserunners in the game and each team hit 1 HR. The difference was Duffy's HR came with the bases empty while Arenado's came with 2 runners on ahead of him. Anyway, Matt Duffy!
Angel Pagan- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .378. Pagan drove in Aoki in the first inning, but nobody drove Pagan in.
Justin Maxwell- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .250. Maxwell had 2 successful AB's but looked bad when he had a chance to do some damage in the 8'th with 2 runners on base and 1 out.
Tim Lincecum- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's. Timmy settled down after giving up the 3 run dinger in the first inning, but you just cannot put this offense in a 3 run hole out of the gate and expect to win many games.
Nolan Arenado(Rockies)- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .324. I gotta admit, I absolutely love Arenado as a player. My justification for rooting for him is I figure if his Lil' Bro is half as talented, the Giants are going to be in great shape at 3B in a few years.
The Loss dropped the last place Giants 4.5 games behind the NL West leading Rockies. The Dodgers completed a sweep of the Seattle Mariners to remain 1 game behind the Rockies in second place. The Padres topped the D'Backs to remain 1.5 games behind in 3'rd place at 6-4 while the D'Backs dropped 3.5 games off the pace at 4-5.
Madison Bumgarner gets the start tomorrow night facing hard throwing rookie Archie Bradley of the D'Backs.
Norichika Aoki- 0 for 3, HBP, SB(3). BA= .325. I missed the top of the first inning. Did Matzek hit Aoki on purpose? Leadoff batter of the game for the Giants, drilled in the back with a fastball. Looks pretty suspicious to me. Carry over from a prior game?
Matt Duffy- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .292. This is a microcosm of the Giants season so far. The Giants had Rockies had an equal number of baserunners in the game and each team hit 1 HR. The difference was Duffy's HR came with the bases empty while Arenado's came with 2 runners on ahead of him. Anyway, Matt Duffy!
Angel Pagan- 3 for 4, SB(1). BA= .378. Pagan drove in Aoki in the first inning, but nobody drove Pagan in.
Justin Maxwell- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .250. Maxwell had 2 successful AB's but looked bad when he had a chance to do some damage in the 8'th with 2 runners on base and 1 out.
Tim Lincecum- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's. Timmy settled down after giving up the 3 run dinger in the first inning, but you just cannot put this offense in a 3 run hole out of the gate and expect to win many games.
Nolan Arenado(Rockies)- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .324. I gotta admit, I absolutely love Arenado as a player. My justification for rooting for him is I figure if his Lil' Bro is half as talented, the Giants are going to be in great shape at 3B in a few years.
The Loss dropped the last place Giants 4.5 games behind the NL West leading Rockies. The Dodgers completed a sweep of the Seattle Mariners to remain 1 game behind the Rockies in second place. The Padres topped the D'Backs to remain 1.5 games behind in 3'rd place at 6-4 while the D'Backs dropped 3.5 games off the pace at 4-5.
Madison Bumgarner gets the start tomorrow night facing hard throwing rookie Archie Bradley of the D'Backs.
Who is Robert Coello?
Ask and ye shall receive! Robert Coello is a big(listed 6'5", 250 lb) RHP who showed up on the Giants new AAA team, the Sacramento River Cats, this spring and was their Opening Day starting pitcher. Yesterday he made his second start of the season and both have been better than Quality. So, who is this guy and is he someone who might help the Giants this year or next?
Coello is 30 years old, so he's hardly a prospect anymore. He has bounced around with multiple organizations over the years, yet, if you look up his career stats, he has always pitched quite well, well enough that it is a bit mystifying why he has not gotten more and longer chances at the MLB level. He was originally drafted in 2004 apparently out of HS by the Cincinnati Reds, but did not sign. He attended Northwest Florida State College and next showed up in the rookie Arizona League with the Angels in 2007. Despite pitching well in limited innings, he pitched in Indy ball in 2008. The Red Sox signed him in 2009 and he progressed all the way to the majors in 2010 when he made 6 Appearances which did not go so well. His next MLB appearance was with the Blue Jays in 2012 with 6 more Appearances which also did not go so well. He was back with the Angels in 2013 where he made 16 appearances as a reliever with not terrible results: 2-2, 3.71, 17 IP, 4.24 BB/9, 12.18 K/9. Last year he was in the Yankees organization strictly as a reliever and posted an ERA of under 2.00.
In summary, Coello's minor league numbers have been quite consistent over the years making his career minor league stat line representative of his work: 37-21, 3.15, 446 IP, 4.08 BB/9, 10.17 K/9. Although his MLB career line does not look as good, his one season that could be considered longer than brief actually looked very similar to his minor league line. Now, look at those double digit K/9's and tell me he could not help some MLB team right now! His line after two starts for Sacramento is 1-0, 1.50, 12 IP, 4 BB, 12 K's.
What Coello throws is actually a very interesting story. He relies mainly on a 4 seam FB that goes 89-92 MPH which he throws about 80% of the time. He has always been an extreme flyball pitcher. It's his secondary pitch that is unique. It is a forkball which he sticks farther back in his hand than most pitchers. Perhaps it is his size that allows him to do so? He also holds the ball in such a way that his fingers do not touch any seams! The ball has unpredictable movement and behaves almost like a knuckleball. Coello calls it his "forkleball" in interviews. Privately he calls it his "WTF" pitch. It actually is not a very good pitch as it is hard to throw strikes with it and it is not a swing and miss pitch. It is essentially a "show me" changeup. If you are interested in reading more about it, along with some video, look up his profile in Fangraphs, linked to the left, which has a link to an article by Eno Sarris from his 2013 stint with the Angels.
I am not sure how a guy with 1 pitch plus a novelty "show me" offering plays with extended looks a the MLB level, but his track record is interesting. After seeing descriptions of his stuff, I wonder if the Giants could get him to add a two-seam FB and/or Cutter to his arsenal which might allow him to take it to the next level. So far, his extremely low GO/AO would suggest he is still throwing the 4 seamer almost exclusively.
Coello is 30 years old, so he's hardly a prospect anymore. He has bounced around with multiple organizations over the years, yet, if you look up his career stats, he has always pitched quite well, well enough that it is a bit mystifying why he has not gotten more and longer chances at the MLB level. He was originally drafted in 2004 apparently out of HS by the Cincinnati Reds, but did not sign. He attended Northwest Florida State College and next showed up in the rookie Arizona League with the Angels in 2007. Despite pitching well in limited innings, he pitched in Indy ball in 2008. The Red Sox signed him in 2009 and he progressed all the way to the majors in 2010 when he made 6 Appearances which did not go so well. His next MLB appearance was with the Blue Jays in 2012 with 6 more Appearances which also did not go so well. He was back with the Angels in 2013 where he made 16 appearances as a reliever with not terrible results: 2-2, 3.71, 17 IP, 4.24 BB/9, 12.18 K/9. Last year he was in the Yankees organization strictly as a reliever and posted an ERA of under 2.00.
In summary, Coello's minor league numbers have been quite consistent over the years making his career minor league stat line representative of his work: 37-21, 3.15, 446 IP, 4.08 BB/9, 10.17 K/9. Although his MLB career line does not look as good, his one season that could be considered longer than brief actually looked very similar to his minor league line. Now, look at those double digit K/9's and tell me he could not help some MLB team right now! His line after two starts for Sacramento is 1-0, 1.50, 12 IP, 4 BB, 12 K's.
What Coello throws is actually a very interesting story. He relies mainly on a 4 seam FB that goes 89-92 MPH which he throws about 80% of the time. He has always been an extreme flyball pitcher. It's his secondary pitch that is unique. It is a forkball which he sticks farther back in his hand than most pitchers. Perhaps it is his size that allows him to do so? He also holds the ball in such a way that his fingers do not touch any seams! The ball has unpredictable movement and behaves almost like a knuckleball. Coello calls it his "forkleball" in interviews. Privately he calls it his "WTF" pitch. It actually is not a very good pitch as it is hard to throw strikes with it and it is not a swing and miss pitch. It is essentially a "show me" changeup. If you are interested in reading more about it, along with some video, look up his profile in Fangraphs, linked to the left, which has a link to an article by Eno Sarris from his 2013 stint with the Angels.
I am not sure how a guy with 1 pitch plus a novelty "show me" offering plays with extended looks a the MLB level, but his track record is interesting. After seeing descriptions of his stuff, I wonder if the Giants could get him to add a two-seam FB and/or Cutter to his arsenal which might allow him to take it to the next level. So far, his extremely low GO/AO would suggest he is still throwing the 4 seamer almost exclusively.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/14/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas 51's 3-2:
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .240.
Juan Perez(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .087.
Robert Coello(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.50.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Coello may be working himself into position for a callup if a need should arise. Strickland converts the Save opportunity.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Altoona Curve rained out.
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 9-2:
Jesus Galindo(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .231.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .192.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 3 for 4. BA= .467.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 4 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 1 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 14.40.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's ERA= 0.00.
The K/BB was dominant for Agosta but he gave up 3 dingers. RafRod is still not showing any power to speak of, but his getting basehits.
Low A Charleston River Dogs edged the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 4, BB, 2 SB(6). BA= .345.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 2 for 4. BA= .222.
Skyler Ewing(1B)- 1 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .200.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 1 for 3, SF. BA= .391.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Fargas has 6 hits and 6 SB's in his last 2 games. Did you catch Nolan Arenado's catch of a foul ball by Gregor Blanco late in the Giants game? If not, be sure to look up video of it. If Nolan's Lil' Bro has half of his talent, the Giants will be in great shape at 3B in a few years.
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .240.
Juan Perez(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .087.
Robert Coello(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.50.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Coello may be working himself into position for a callup if a need should arise. Strickland converts the Save opportunity.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Altoona Curve rained out.
High A Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 9-2:
Jesus Galindo(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .231.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .192.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 3 for 4. BA= .467.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 4 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 1 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 14.40.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's ERA= 0.00.
The K/BB was dominant for Agosta but he gave up 3 dingers. RafRod is still not showing any power to speak of, but his getting basehits.
Low A Charleston River Dogs edged the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 4, BB, 2 SB(6). BA= .345.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 2 for 4. BA= .222.
Skyler Ewing(1B)- 1 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .200.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 1 for 3, SF. BA= .391.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Fargas has 6 hits and 6 SB's in his last 2 games. Did you catch Nolan Arenado's catch of a foul ball by Gregor Blanco late in the Giants game? If not, be sure to look up video of it. If Nolan's Lil' Bro has half of his talent, the Giants will be in great shape at 3B in a few years.
Game Wrap 4/14/2015: Rockies 4 Giants 1
Tim Hudson pitched a Quality Start, but the Giants offense continued to struggle to bring baserunners home and lost their 5'th game in a row. Key Lines:
Tim Hudson- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.03. Not much to say here. Huddy pitched well enough to win. The offense did not back back him up.
The Loss dropped the NL West trailing Giants 3.5 games behind the first place Rockies who are at 6-2. Second place depends on the outcome of the Dodgers game against Seattle where they trail the Mariners 5-4 in the 9'th inning. The Dodgers record pending the outcome is 4-3. The Padres improved their record to 5-4 with a 5-1 win over the D'Backs who dropped to 4-4.
Tim Lincecum tries to prevent a series sweep by the Rockies tomorrow facing lefty Tyler Matzek.
Tim Hudson- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.03. Not much to say here. Huddy pitched well enough to win. The offense did not back back him up.
The Loss dropped the NL West trailing Giants 3.5 games behind the first place Rockies who are at 6-2. Second place depends on the outcome of the Dodgers game against Seattle where they trail the Mariners 5-4 in the 9'th inning. The Dodgers record pending the outcome is 4-3. The Padres improved their record to 5-4 with a 5-1 win over the D'Backs who dropped to 4-4.
Tim Lincecum tries to prevent a series sweep by the Rockies tomorrow facing lefty Tyler Matzek.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/13/2015
AAA Las Vegas 51's downed the Sacramento River Cats 8-5:
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 5, SB(1). BA= .190.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 4. BA= .500.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .150.
Brett Jackson(LF)- 2 for 3. BA= .300.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00
Noah Syndergaard(RHP, 51's)- 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.50.
Starter Nik Turley got shelled. I like seeing the long relief stints for Cody Hall. Syndergaard is one of the elite pitching prospects in baseball. He had some forearm issues in spring training. This start was unimpressive in a pitcher-friendly ballpark against a less than MLB caliber lineup.
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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels erupted for 7 runs in the 7'th inning to break a 0-0 tie and went on to defeat the Altoona Curve 10-3:
Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .286.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1). BA= .238
Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .500.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Tomlinson was CS for the 2'nd and 3'rd times this season. Big day for Mitch Delfino. Joe Biagini takes another step in his unlikely path to the majors. I consider him a significant sleeper in the Giants system. Johnson now has 9 K's in 4 IP.
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High A Visalia Rawhide topped the San Jose Giants 4-2:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .182.
Christian Arroyo(DH)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .381.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.60.
Joe Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo is making the most of his aggressive assignment. Unimpressive start for Ysla.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Charleston River Dogs 7-6:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B, 4 SB(4). BA= .280.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .313.
Travious Relaford(SS)- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .286.
Nathaniel Santiago(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.40
Reyes Maronta(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Fargas broke out his speed with the 4 SB's. I think he has some power potential too. Major high ceiling alert! The starter, Nick Gonzalez did not impress giving up 5 R, 4 ER, in 3.2 innings of work.
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 5, SB(1). BA= .190.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 3 for 4. BA= .500.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .150.
Brett Jackson(LF)- 2 for 3. BA= .300.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00
Noah Syndergaard(RHP, 51's)- 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.50.
Starter Nik Turley got shelled. I like seeing the long relief stints for Cody Hall. Syndergaard is one of the elite pitching prospects in baseball. He had some forearm issues in spring training. This start was unimpressive in a pitcher-friendly ballpark against a less than MLB caliber lineup.
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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels erupted for 7 runs in the 7'th inning to break a 0-0 tie and went on to defeat the Altoona Curve 10-3:
Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .286.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1). BA= .238
Rando Moreno(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .500.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Tomlinson was CS for the 2'nd and 3'rd times this season. Big day for Mitch Delfino. Joe Biagini takes another step in his unlikely path to the majors. I consider him a significant sleeper in the Giants system. Johnson now has 9 K's in 4 IP.
*********************************************************************************
High A Visalia Rawhide topped the San Jose Giants 4-2:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .182.
Christian Arroyo(DH)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .381.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.60.
Joe Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo is making the most of his aggressive assignment. Unimpressive start for Ysla.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged the Charleston River Dogs 7-6:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B, 4 SB(4). BA= .280.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .313.
Travious Relaford(SS)- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .286.
Nathaniel Santiago(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.40
Reyes Maronta(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Fargas broke out his speed with the 4 SB's. I think he has some power potential too. Major high ceiling alert! The starter, Nick Gonzalez did not impress giving up 5 R, 4 ER, in 3.2 innings of work.
Game Wrap 4/13/2015: Rockies 2 Giants 0
The Giants stranded 10 runners in the first 4 innings to squander another terrific start by Chris Heston as well as lose their home opener. Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1). BA= .412. Aoki continues to be the Giants hottest hitter.
Chris Heston- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 0.69. Very similar line as his first start in Arizona and very similar to what we've been seeing for years in the minor leagues. This guy could well be for real! If he keeps this up, I'm guessing he is not going to be the odd man out when Matt Cain comes back.
The Loss dropped the Giants further behind the NL West leading Rockie who improved their record to 5-2 while the last place Giants dropped to 3-5, 2.5 games off the pace. The Dodgers are trailing the Seattle Mariners 5-3 in the 5'th inning while the D'Backs are leading the Padres 4-2 in the 4'th inning as of this writing.
Rafael Betancourt got the Save in this one confounding fantasy baseball managers who had snapped up Adam Ottavino.
I looked up some team stats. The Giants are 12'th in Team OPS so far, but just 17'th in Runs indicating that they have been somewhat unlucky in the sequencing of their hits and walks. You might say it is because of a lack of HR's but their 5 dingers ranks them 17'th and with just 1 more they would move up several notches.
Tim Hudson takes the mound tomorrow facing Christian Bergman.
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1). BA= .412. Aoki continues to be the Giants hottest hitter.
Chris Heston- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 0.69. Very similar line as his first start in Arizona and very similar to what we've been seeing for years in the minor leagues. This guy could well be for real! If he keeps this up, I'm guessing he is not going to be the odd man out when Matt Cain comes back.
The Loss dropped the Giants further behind the NL West leading Rockie who improved their record to 5-2 while the last place Giants dropped to 3-5, 2.5 games off the pace. The Dodgers are trailing the Seattle Mariners 5-3 in the 5'th inning while the D'Backs are leading the Padres 4-2 in the 4'th inning as of this writing.
Rafael Betancourt got the Save in this one confounding fantasy baseball managers who had snapped up Adam Ottavino.
I looked up some team stats. The Giants are 12'th in Team OPS so far, but just 17'th in Runs indicating that they have been somewhat unlucky in the sequencing of their hits and walks. You might say it is because of a lack of HR's but their 5 dingers ranks them 17'th and with just 1 more they would move up several notches.
Tim Hudson takes the mound tomorrow facing Christian Bergman.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/12/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats swatted the Salt Lake City Bees 7-2:
Adam Duvall(3B)- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .438.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 3.00.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Dunning was drafted and developed as a reliever until late last season when the Giants gave him some starts. I've read that the Giants think he has enough stuff to be a starter. He apparently had the two-seamer working today. Someone reported on MCC that Broadway was hitting 95 MPH on the radar gun last night.
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AA Bowie Baysox edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1:
Daniel Carbonell(CF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .143.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .125.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 3 for 4. BA= .412.
Devin Harris(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .278.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.18.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 5/1. ERA= 0.00.
Big Mac seems to be giving get EL the Matt Duffy treatment so far. Carbonell moves to CF with Herrera DH'ing.
*********************************************************************************
High A Lancaster Jethawks topped the San Jose Giants 2-1:
Austin Slater(2B)- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .188.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .222.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 1 for 2, SF. BA= .333.
Donald Snelton(LHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 1.80.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K. ERA= 3.86.
Slater gets untracked. IMO, Snelton has a fairly high ceiling as a SP. He has the size, low 90's velocity and a sick breaking ball. Gardeck can move quickly if he ever gets his command down.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets nipped the Greenville Drive 2-1:
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .438.
Jonah Arenado(DH)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .438.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .308.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(2). ERA= 0.00.
Coonrod is a hard thrower. The key to his future success is to maintain this kind of command. Martinez is another hard thrower. Sky's the limit if he can keep the walks down.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .438.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 3.00.
Juan Gutierrez(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Dunning was drafted and developed as a reliever until late last season when the Giants gave him some starts. I've read that the Giants think he has enough stuff to be a starter. He apparently had the two-seamer working today. Someone reported on MCC that Broadway was hitting 95 MPH on the radar gun last night.
*********************************************************************************
AA Bowie Baysox edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1:
Daniel Carbonell(CF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .143.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .125.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 3 for 4. BA= .412.
Devin Harris(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .278.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.18.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 5/1. ERA= 0.00.
Big Mac seems to be giving get EL the Matt Duffy treatment so far. Carbonell moves to CF with Herrera DH'ing.
*********************************************************************************
High A Lancaster Jethawks topped the San Jose Giants 2-1:
Austin Slater(2B)- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .188.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .222.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 1 for 2, SF. BA= .333.
Donald Snelton(LHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 1.80.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K. ERA= 3.86.
Slater gets untracked. IMO, Snelton has a fairly high ceiling as a SP. He has the size, low 90's velocity and a sick breaking ball. Gardeck can move quickly if he ever gets his command down.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets nipped the Greenville Drive 2-1:
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .438.
Jonah Arenado(DH)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .438.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .308.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(2). ERA= 0.00.
Coonrod is a hard thrower. The key to his future success is to maintain this kind of command. Martinez is another hard thrower. Sky's the limit if he can keep the walks down.
Game Wrap 4/12/2015: Padres 6 Giants 4
This game swung in one horrible pitch by an exhausted Jake Peavy in the 4'th inning that resulted in a grand slam HR by backup catcher, Wil Nieves. Ballgame! Key Lines:
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5. BA= .400. Aoki has been everything the Giants hoped they were getting and more so far. And yes, the Padres abused him with a barrage of hard hit balls to LF throughout this series, but he seems to be a gamer and keeps playing hard no matter the situation.
Buster Posey- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .292. Little things can turn a ballgame. Aoki had singled to lead off the 7'th inning. With Panik batting, Bochy played hit and run, but Panik popped it up to the SS and Aoki was hung out to dry with no way to get back to 1B. Posey's dinger became a solo shot instead of a 2 or 3 run job. Not saying Aoki should not have been running. Panik hits a ton of groundballs. It just didn't go the Giants way and was a difference maker in the game.
Justin Maxwell- 0 for 2, 2 BB, BA= .273. One of Maxwell's walks led to a run, and he made a nice leaping catch at the wall to take away a HR or at least extra bases.
Jake Peavy- 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K. ERA= 9.00. Peavy started the game looking terrific as he struck out the first 2 batters and finished the inning 1,2,3 on 14 pitches. Then Kemp led off the 4'th inning by beating an extreme shift on a ball hit to the right side. Upton walked. After Alonso flied out, Middlebrooks hit a pop up to right-center that Blanco got a very bad jump on. If fell for a single to load the bases. Peavey mustered enough stuff to strike out Amarista, but was clearly tiring fast. He got to 3-2 on Nieves then threw a slider that backed up and in. Nieves tomahawked it down the line and it cleared the fence by a good 3-4 feet, well out of Aoki's reach.
Craig Kimbrel(Padres)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00. Kimbrel is a terrific pitcher who needs no help from the umpire. Not saying it was a difference maker at all, but I counted at least 3 pitches to the first two Giants batters in the 9'th inning that appeared to be definitely out of the strike zone to my eye watching on HDTV.
The Loss dropped the Giants record to 3-4 and into last place in the NL West, 1.5 games behind the Division leading Rockies who lost their second game in a row to the Cubs, 6-5 in extra innings. The Rockies record now stands at 4-2. The Padres moved into second place with a 4-3 record while the D'Backs and Dodgers are tied for 3'rd place with 3-3 records after a late D'Backs rally fell short for a 7-4 Dodgers win.
The Giants now finally come home for their Home Opener and Flag Raising Ceremony at AT&T Park tomorrow afternoon against the first place Rockies with Chris Heston facing Eddie Butler.
Brandon Belt played today and had a base hit. Casey McGehee was diagnosed with a bone bruise on his left knee and is day-to-day. Matt Duffy played 3B today in place of McGehee.
Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5. BA= .400. Aoki has been everything the Giants hoped they were getting and more so far. And yes, the Padres abused him with a barrage of hard hit balls to LF throughout this series, but he seems to be a gamer and keeps playing hard no matter the situation.
Buster Posey- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA= .292. Little things can turn a ballgame. Aoki had singled to lead off the 7'th inning. With Panik batting, Bochy played hit and run, but Panik popped it up to the SS and Aoki was hung out to dry with no way to get back to 1B. Posey's dinger became a solo shot instead of a 2 or 3 run job. Not saying Aoki should not have been running. Panik hits a ton of groundballs. It just didn't go the Giants way and was a difference maker in the game.
Justin Maxwell- 0 for 2, 2 BB, BA= .273. One of Maxwell's walks led to a run, and he made a nice leaping catch at the wall to take away a HR or at least extra bases.
Jake Peavy- 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K. ERA= 9.00. Peavy started the game looking terrific as he struck out the first 2 batters and finished the inning 1,2,3 on 14 pitches. Then Kemp led off the 4'th inning by beating an extreme shift on a ball hit to the right side. Upton walked. After Alonso flied out, Middlebrooks hit a pop up to right-center that Blanco got a very bad jump on. If fell for a single to load the bases. Peavey mustered enough stuff to strike out Amarista, but was clearly tiring fast. He got to 3-2 on Nieves then threw a slider that backed up and in. Nieves tomahawked it down the line and it cleared the fence by a good 3-4 feet, well out of Aoki's reach.
Craig Kimbrel(Padres)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00. Kimbrel is a terrific pitcher who needs no help from the umpire. Not saying it was a difference maker at all, but I counted at least 3 pitches to the first two Giants batters in the 9'th inning that appeared to be definitely out of the strike zone to my eye watching on HDTV.
The Loss dropped the Giants record to 3-4 and into last place in the NL West, 1.5 games behind the Division leading Rockies who lost their second game in a row to the Cubs, 6-5 in extra innings. The Rockies record now stands at 4-2. The Padres moved into second place with a 4-3 record while the D'Backs and Dodgers are tied for 3'rd place with 3-3 records after a late D'Backs rally fell short for a 7-4 Dodgers win.
The Giants now finally come home for their Home Opener and Flag Raising Ceremony at AT&T Park tomorrow afternoon against the first place Rockies with Chris Heston facing Eddie Butler.
Brandon Belt played today and had a base hit. Casey McGehee was diagnosed with a bone bruise on his left knee and is day-to-day. Matt Duffy played 3B today in place of McGehee.
Thoughts on Comments and the Human Side of Baseball
One of the problems with moderating comments is I haven't found a way to communicate why some comments get the button. Of course, there are the obvious troll comments that need no explanation, but a few that might not be so obvious and result in some hurt feelings. I think you probably know who you are, and please accept my apologies. I'll just review a few of the reasons why some recent comments did not make the cut:
In several cases, it was just more dubious assertions without any backing information or justification.
In one case, an otherwise perfectly good comment was ruined by a single slur. Note to commenters: You cannot call a human being of ANY race or ethnicity a monkey. You just can't!
Another comment made multiple points, some valid, some not so valid. I hit the button when the commenter called Billy Beane a "genius" for his offseason moves based on a horrible opposing start by Taijuan Walker. I am just not going to let this site be a forum for those kinds of unsupported and unjustified comments. Billy Beane may well be a "genius" and the A's may well have a great season, but a single bad start by a rookie pitcher is not going to be the determining factor in that.
Yet another comment was axed despite the author having a valid point. It's just that he's already made the exact same point 5 or 6 times previously and continues to ignore additional data that paints a more complete picture. Again, comments that hammer home the same biased point over and over again are not going to be published!
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If you are interested in the human side of baseball, the weekly Sunday Notes by David Laurilia on Fangraphs is must reading. Remember when Rocco Baldelli was one of the top prospects in all of baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays? He is 33 years old now and serving as their first base coach after spending several seasons as a front office assistant.
Remember when Dana Eveland was everybody's favorite sleeper prospect? He is 31 years old and pitching in the minors. He has some interesting comments about being a husband and father kicking around the fringes of MLB. I found his comment about making a "chunk of change" pitching in Korea interesting. BTW, Nate Schierholtz just signed a contract to play in Korea or Japan. Right now, I forget which one.
Remember Matt LaPorta? He hit .238 over 4 seasons with the Cleveland Indians. He is reportedly retired now.
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PS: If you are not doing it already, check out Cove Chatter linked to the left and click on Blogroll. I do it several times per day. It is a veritable wellspring of great information.
Oh, and congrats to Covechatter for getting himself engaged to be married.
In several cases, it was just more dubious assertions without any backing information or justification.
In one case, an otherwise perfectly good comment was ruined by a single slur. Note to commenters: You cannot call a human being of ANY race or ethnicity a monkey. You just can't!
Another comment made multiple points, some valid, some not so valid. I hit the button when the commenter called Billy Beane a "genius" for his offseason moves based on a horrible opposing start by Taijuan Walker. I am just not going to let this site be a forum for those kinds of unsupported and unjustified comments. Billy Beane may well be a "genius" and the A's may well have a great season, but a single bad start by a rookie pitcher is not going to be the determining factor in that.
Yet another comment was axed despite the author having a valid point. It's just that he's already made the exact same point 5 or 6 times previously and continues to ignore additional data that paints a more complete picture. Again, comments that hammer home the same biased point over and over again are not going to be published!
*********************************************************************************
If you are interested in the human side of baseball, the weekly Sunday Notes by David Laurilia on Fangraphs is must reading. Remember when Rocco Baldelli was one of the top prospects in all of baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays? He is 33 years old now and serving as their first base coach after spending several seasons as a front office assistant.
Remember when Dana Eveland was everybody's favorite sleeper prospect? He is 31 years old and pitching in the minors. He has some interesting comments about being a husband and father kicking around the fringes of MLB. I found his comment about making a "chunk of change" pitching in Korea interesting. BTW, Nate Schierholtz just signed a contract to play in Korea or Japan. Right now, I forget which one.
Remember Matt LaPorta? He hit .238 over 4 seasons with the Cleveland Indians. He is reportedly retired now.
*********************************************************************************
PS: If you are not doing it already, check out Cove Chatter linked to the left and click on Blogroll. I do it several times per day. It is a veritable wellspring of great information.
Oh, and congrats to Covechatter for getting himself engaged to be married.
Down on the Farm: 4/11/2015
AAA The Salt Lake City Bees scored 3 runs in the top of the 18'th inning, but the Sacramento River Cats came back with 4 on Jarrett Parker's walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the inning for the win:
Adam Duvall(3B-1B)- 4 for 7, 2B, BB. BA= .462.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 8, 2B, HR(1). BA= .143.
Ronny Cedeno(SS)- 2 for 6, 2B, BB, SB(1). BA= .250.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 2.57.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Blach shows excellent command and has a dominant groundball game. Giants appear to have some bullpen help on the farm in case it is needed. Andrew Susac came out of the game after taking a foul tip off the finger. He's getting X-rays.
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AA Bowie Baysox outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-6 in 14 innings:
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 0 for 3, 3 BB. BA= .000.
Mac Williamson(DH)- 1 for 5, 2B, BB. BA= .308.
Blake Miller(2B)- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .154.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.25.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Delfino scored 3 runs off his 3 walks. Similar line to what we've gotten used to seeing from Crick which is not particularly a good thing. 86 pitches in 4 innings. Gregorio seems to like relieving.
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High A San Jose Giants trounced the Lancaster Jethawks 8-3:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .200.
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .429.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 5, HR(1). BA= .214.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .500.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .750.
Keury Mella(RHP)- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 2.25
Mason McVay(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo continues his torrid start in the Cal League. Maybe RafRod will finally find some traction in the Cal League? Mella pitches a dominant 4 innings.
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Low A Greenville Drive topped the Augusta Greenjackets 6-4:
Hunter Cole(2B)- 4 for 5, 3 2B. BA= .467.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .200.
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .417.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .500.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B, Assist(3B). BA= .308.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.06.
Cole, Arenado and Riley continued their hot hitting. Is Riley a sleeper I've been ignoring? I remember he's a friend of the Righetti family and got a well over slot bonus a couple of drafts ago. He was drafted as a catcher, but seems to have moved to a more hitter friendly defensive role. He'll have to mash as a 1B/DH, though.
Adam Duvall(3B-1B)- 4 for 7, 2B, BB. BA= .462.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 8, 2B, HR(1). BA= .143.
Ronny Cedeno(SS)- 2 for 6, 2B, BB, SB(1). BA= .250.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 2.57.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Blach shows excellent command and has a dominant groundball game. Giants appear to have some bullpen help on the farm in case it is needed. Andrew Susac came out of the game after taking a foul tip off the finger. He's getting X-rays.
*********************************************************************************
AA Bowie Baysox outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-6 in 14 innings:
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 0 for 3, 3 BB. BA= .000.
Mac Williamson(DH)- 1 for 5, 2B, BB. BA= .308.
Blake Miller(2B)- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .154.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.25.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Delfino scored 3 runs off his 3 walks. Similar line to what we've gotten used to seeing from Crick which is not particularly a good thing. 86 pitches in 4 innings. Gregorio seems to like relieving.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants trounced the Lancaster Jethawks 8-3:
Jesus Galindo(CF)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .200.
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .429.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 5, HR(1). BA= .214.
Rafael Rodriguez(LF)- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .500.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .750.
Keury Mella(RHP)- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 2.25
Mason McVay(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo continues his torrid start in the Cal League. Maybe RafRod will finally find some traction in the Cal League? Mella pitches a dominant 4 innings.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Greenville Drive topped the Augusta Greenjackets 6-4:
Hunter Cole(2B)- 4 for 5, 3 2B. BA= .467.
Aramis Garcia(Catcher)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .200.
John Riley(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .417.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4. BA= .500.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B, Assist(3B). BA= .308.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.06.
Cole, Arenado and Riley continued their hot hitting. Is Riley a sleeper I've been ignoring? I remember he's a friend of the Righetti family and got a well over slot bonus a couple of drafts ago. He was drafted as a catcher, but seems to have moved to a more hitter friendly defensive role. He'll have to mash as a 1B/DH, though.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Game Wrap 4/11/2015: Padres 10 Giants 2
This game started out as a rematch of starting pitchers from the World Series, albeit one with a different team. It ended with a blowout win for the Padres as Madison Bumgarner had one of his bad BABIP days. As they say, though, Flags Fly Forever! Key Lines:
Joaquin Arias- 1 for 3, HR(1). BA= .143. Arias entered the game because Casey McGehee pulled up lame with a reported left knee strain coming out of the Batter's Box on a flyball to CF in his first AB. Replays of the AB did not show anything that looked awkward or out of the ordinary in terms of movement by McGehee.
Madison Bumgarner- 3 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.40. The K/BB looks fine and Bummy did not give up any dingers. I did not see much of the first 3 innings of this one. I am under the impression that the Padres were making pretty hard contact, but there might be some bad BABIP luck going on here too. Bummy has had these types of games in the past and they have not meant anything.
Ryan Vogelsong- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 11.88. Vogey steadied the ship for a couple of innings but then the wheels came off for him too. The Padres accumulated 20 hits on the night.
With the Loss, the Giants record was evened at 3-3. They continue to trail the first place Rockies, who lost to the Cubs 9-5, by 1.5 games. The Padres also evened their record at 3-3 with the Win. The D'Backs moved into 2'nd place with a 3-2 record after beating the Dodgers for the second straight game. Archie Bradley outpitched Clayton Kershaw in a 6-0 D'Backs win. The Dodgers fall into last place with a 2-3 record and I really love writing that!
The Giants have to hope that Jake Peavy's back is well as he gets the start in their bid to salvage a tie in the 4-game series tomorrow afternoon. He'll face Tyson Ross, who is certainly no pushover.
Joaquin Arias- 1 for 3, HR(1). BA= .143. Arias entered the game because Casey McGehee pulled up lame with a reported left knee strain coming out of the Batter's Box on a flyball to CF in his first AB. Replays of the AB did not show anything that looked awkward or out of the ordinary in terms of movement by McGehee.
Madison Bumgarner- 3 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.40. The K/BB looks fine and Bummy did not give up any dingers. I did not see much of the first 3 innings of this one. I am under the impression that the Padres were making pretty hard contact, but there might be some bad BABIP luck going on here too. Bummy has had these types of games in the past and they have not meant anything.
Ryan Vogelsong- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 11.88. Vogey steadied the ship for a couple of innings but then the wheels came off for him too. The Padres accumulated 20 hits on the night.
With the Loss, the Giants record was evened at 3-3. They continue to trail the first place Rockies, who lost to the Cubs 9-5, by 1.5 games. The Padres also evened their record at 3-3 with the Win. The D'Backs moved into 2'nd place with a 3-2 record after beating the Dodgers for the second straight game. Archie Bradley outpitched Clayton Kershaw in a 6-0 D'Backs win. The Dodgers fall into last place with a 2-3 record and I really love writing that!
The Giants have to hope that Jake Peavy's back is well as he gets the start in their bid to salvage a tie in the 4-game series tomorrow afternoon. He'll face Tyson Ross, who is certainly no pushover.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Down on the Farm: 4/10/2015
AAA Salt Lake City Bees stung the Sacramento River Cats 2-0:
Braulio Lara(LHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.60.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Andrew Heaney(LHP, Bees)- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 0.00.
The Cats managed just 3 hits in the game. Andrew Heaney is a highly touted pitching prospect who was traded from Miami to the Dodgers this offseason in the Dee Gordon trade. He was then flipped to the Angels for Howie Kendrick. Looks like he may be ready to help the Angels sooner than later.
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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Bowie Baysox 1-0:
Javier Herrera(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .444.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 5/1. ERA= 0.00.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Did Herrera really play CF? I really like to see those 5 K's in 2 IP, from Johnson. Baby steps for Josh Osich.
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High A San Jose Giants blanked the Lancaster Jethawks 5-0:
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .444.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4, SB(1). BA= .500.
Ty Ross(Catcher)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .167.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo and Ryder Jones continue to be the hitting stars for the Little Giants. Very impressive team pitching in Lancaster, a notoriously difficult place to pitch. Baby steps for Agosta and Vander Tuig.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets outslugged the Greenville Drive 9-6:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 6, 2B. BA= .300.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 5, 3B, HR(1), BB. BA= .444.
John Riley(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, HBP. BA= .375.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 3 for 5, 2 HR(2). BA= .500.
Michael Santos(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
The big news here is Arenado's 2 dingers. I am doing a little dance of joy as I write this. Do you know how huge a breakout season for him would be? I also think Fargas is a high ceiling prospect who very well could break out this year. Riley is a sleeper too.
Braulio Lara(LHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.60.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Andrew Heaney(LHP, Bees)- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 0.00.
The Cats managed just 3 hits in the game. Andrew Heaney is a highly touted pitching prospect who was traded from Miami to the Dodgers this offseason in the Dee Gordon trade. He was then flipped to the Angels for Howie Kendrick. Looks like he may be ready to help the Angels sooner than later.
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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Bowie Baysox 1-0:
Javier Herrera(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .444.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 5/1. ERA= 0.00.
Stephen Johnson(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Did Herrera really play CF? I really like to see those 5 K's in 2 IP, from Johnson. Baby steps for Josh Osich.
*********************************************************************************
High A San Jose Giants blanked the Lancaster Jethawks 5-0:
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .444.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4, SB(1). BA= .500.
Ty Ross(Catcher)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .167.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Nick Vander Tuig(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo and Ryder Jones continue to be the hitting stars for the Little Giants. Very impressive team pitching in Lancaster, a notoriously difficult place to pitch. Baby steps for Agosta and Vander Tuig.
*********************************************************************************
Low A Augusta Greenjackets outslugged the Greenville Drive 9-6:
Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 3 for 6, 2B. BA= .300.
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 5, 3B, HR(1), BB. BA= .444.
John Riley(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B, HBP. BA= .375.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 3 for 5, 2 HR(2). BA= .500.
Michael Santos(RHP)- 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.38.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
The big news here is Arenado's 2 dingers. I am doing a little dance of joy as I write this. Do you know how huge a breakout season for him would be? I also think Fargas is a high ceiling prospect who very well could break out this year. Riley is a sleeper too.
Game Wrap 4/10/2015: Padres 1 Giants 0
The Pesky Padres turned the tables on the Giants tonight turning another pitching duel into a 1-0 win. Key Lines
Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00. Timmy seems to always pitch well against the Padres, but he really looked good tonight. The velocity was sub 90, but he had good command with strong secondary pitches. The silver lining of this game is this may be a sign that Timmy is primed to have a strong season.
Jeremy Affeldt- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K. ERA= 5.40. When Affeldt lost PH Clint Barmes at the bottom of the order to a 1 out walk, you had to be thinking this was not going to end well. Myers then hit one off the RF wall that might have been catchable for Blanco, but probably not. The Padres sent Barmes home. He would have been out quite easily with a good relay throw, but Panik ran it up the line. Sanchez tried to make a simultaneous catch and swipe tag and nearly got his arm ripped off for his trouble. Of course, the Padres had Kimbrel warming up in the bullpen and you knew it was over.
Yusmeiro Petit- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. I really thought Petit should have come in to start the 8'th. He has not been used much. The game looked a lot like yesterday's 12 inning affair. The rest of the bullpen has been used a lot. Petit has been sensational in similar roles. I just thought it was Petit time.
Brandon Morrow(Padres)- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 0.00. Almost identical line to his old college rival Lincecum. Morrow had sensational stuff sitting at 93-96 with the FB and a hellacious biting breaking ball. It helped to have an ump with a ridiculously big K zone, the that helped Timmy too. I mean, talk about the lowering of the strike zone. The ump was calling fastballs at the shoe tops strikes and was giving at least 2 inches on either side of the plate, except when he wasn't. Now sure why MLB can't crack down on umps who consistently don't call a regulation strike zone.
The Loss dropped the Giants 1.5 games behind the NL West leading Colorado Rockies who topped the Cubbies 5-1. The Giants did remain in second place with a 3-2 record. The Dodgers lost to the D'Backs 5-4 in 10 innings to drop their record to 2-2 in a 3'rd place tie with the Snakes. The Dodgers bullpen is still a mess with Kenley Jansen still out after foot surgery. The Padres improved their record to 2-3 but remain in last place.
Madison Bumgarner faces James Shields in a rematch of World Series starters tomorrow evening.
Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.00. Timmy seems to always pitch well against the Padres, but he really looked good tonight. The velocity was sub 90, but he had good command with strong secondary pitches. The silver lining of this game is this may be a sign that Timmy is primed to have a strong season.
Jeremy Affeldt- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K. ERA= 5.40. When Affeldt lost PH Clint Barmes at the bottom of the order to a 1 out walk, you had to be thinking this was not going to end well. Myers then hit one off the RF wall that might have been catchable for Blanco, but probably not. The Padres sent Barmes home. He would have been out quite easily with a good relay throw, but Panik ran it up the line. Sanchez tried to make a simultaneous catch and swipe tag and nearly got his arm ripped off for his trouble. Of course, the Padres had Kimbrel warming up in the bullpen and you knew it was over.
Yusmeiro Petit- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. I really thought Petit should have come in to start the 8'th. He has not been used much. The game looked a lot like yesterday's 12 inning affair. The rest of the bullpen has been used a lot. Petit has been sensational in similar roles. I just thought it was Petit time.
Brandon Morrow(Padres)- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 0.00. Almost identical line to his old college rival Lincecum. Morrow had sensational stuff sitting at 93-96 with the FB and a hellacious biting breaking ball. It helped to have an ump with a ridiculously big K zone, the that helped Timmy too. I mean, talk about the lowering of the strike zone. The ump was calling fastballs at the shoe tops strikes and was giving at least 2 inches on either side of the plate, except when he wasn't. Now sure why MLB can't crack down on umps who consistently don't call a regulation strike zone.
The Loss dropped the Giants 1.5 games behind the NL West leading Colorado Rockies who topped the Cubbies 5-1. The Giants did remain in second place with a 3-2 record. The Dodgers lost to the D'Backs 5-4 in 10 innings to drop their record to 2-2 in a 3'rd place tie with the Snakes. The Dodgers bullpen is still a mess with Kenley Jansen still out after foot surgery. The Padres improved their record to 2-3 but remain in last place.
Madison Bumgarner faces James Shields in a rematch of World Series starters tomorrow evening.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Down on the Farm 4/9/2015
AAA Sacramento River Cats downed the Salt Lake City Bees 1-0 on Adam Duvall's walk off HR in the bottom of the 9'th inning:
John Bowker(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .500.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB. BA= .667.
Robert Coelho(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's ERA= 0.00.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Coelho is a big(6'5", 250 lb) 30 year old RHP with several relatively brief stints in the majors. He has not pitched half bad in those stints. Walk rates have always been just a tad too high, which was the case tonight too. He's going on my watch list.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels outlasted the Bowie Baysox 3-2 in 14 innings:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS-2B)- 3 for 5, 3B, 2 BB. BA= .600.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB. BA= .500.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 9/1. ERA= 3.60.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Rogers(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Pedro Rodriguez(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, W(1-0). ERA= 0.00.
Mac Williamson gets off to a great start with 2 XBH's and a BB. Stratton had the sinker working with 9 GB outs. Pedro Rodriguez is a 27 year old RHP who had a sub 3 ERA in the Mexican League last year.
High A Lancaster Jethawks edged out the San Jose Giants 3-2:
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .250.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .500.
Brandon Bednar(1B)- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .667.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 12/1. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo and Jones lead the offense. Young Beedah put his newfound two-seamer to work with 12 GB outs. No command issues tonight.
Low A Greenville Drive topped the Augusta Greenjackets 3-2:
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .500.
John Riley(DH)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .250.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .500.
Matt Gage(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Cain is coming back from long debilitating illness.
John Bowker(1B)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .500.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB. BA= .667.
Robert Coelho(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K's ERA= 0.00.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Coelho is a big(6'5", 250 lb) 30 year old RHP with several relatively brief stints in the majors. He has not pitched half bad in those stints. Walk rates have always been just a tad too high, which was the case tonight too. He's going on my watch list.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels outlasted the Bowie Baysox 3-2 in 14 innings:
Kelby Tomlinson(SS-2B)- 3 for 5, 3B, 2 BB. BA= .600.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB. BA= .500.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 9/1. ERA= 3.60.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Tyler Rogers(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Pedro Rodriguez(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, W(1-0). ERA= 0.00.
Mac Williamson gets off to a great start with 2 XBH's and a BB. Stratton had the sinker working with 9 GB outs. Pedro Rodriguez is a 27 year old RHP who had a sub 3 ERA in the Mexican League last year.
High A Lancaster Jethawks edged out the San Jose Giants 3-2:
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .250.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(1). BA= .500.
Brandon Bednar(1B)- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .667.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 12/1. ERA= 0.00.
Arroyo and Jones lead the offense. Young Beedah put his newfound two-seamer to work with 12 GB outs. No command issues tonight.
Low A Greenville Drive topped the Augusta Greenjackets 3-2:
Jeremy Sy(SS)- 2 for 4. BA= .500.
John Riley(DH)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .250.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .500.
Matt Gage(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Cain is coming back from long debilitating illness.
Game Wrap 4/9/2015: Giants 1 Padres 0
The Giants battled the Padres to a 0-0 standstill into extra innings, then Bang, Bang Maxwell's Silver Hammer Came Down and an Opening Day crowd of 45,000 fans, the second largest in the history of Petco Park, went him bitterly disappointed. Key Lines:
Nori Aoki- 1 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .412. On base 3 times in 5 PA's, yet did not participate in the scoring. I think Giants fans in San Francisco are going to love this guy!
Brandon Crawford- 0 for 5. BA= .278. It was Crawford's pop fly dropped by Clint Barmes in shallow left-CF for a 2 base error that paved the way for the winning run. Crawford had a spectacular game of defense with the Padres announcers gushing about how he looks like a Gold Glove winner. I started watching in the 8'th inning and I saw Crawford save the game at least twice, maybe 3 times.
Casey McGehee- 1 for 5, 2 Errors. BA= .294. Casey McGehee did not have a spectacular game with the glove making 2 errors from which his teammates picked him up. In fairness, he started a DP earlier in the game and the Padres were hitting some rockets at him. He is not cat quick like Pablo, though. Oh, and he also hit into a DP to strand Pagan at 3B after Pagan had hit a leadoff triple in the top of the 9'th inning off Craig Kimbrel.
Speaking of…..Pagan's AB in the 9'th generated some extracurricular activity. Catcher Derek Norris apparently took exception to Pagan calling timeout and stepping out of the batter's box arguing that time had not been granted. There was also video showing Pagan picking up a pebble in the batter's box and flipping it against Norris' shinguards. Kimbrel's next pitch came in at 97 MPH and grazed Pagan's chin prompting the umpire to warn both benches.
PS: The "pebble" was actually a piece of gum and that is apparently what started the teeth grinding between Pagan and Norris. LOL!
Justin Maxwell- 1 for 1. BA= .286. Maswell entered the game as a PH in the top of the 12'th with 2 outs and runners on first and second. Bochy was clearly hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. To Maxwell's credit, he did not swing for the fences and ended up sending a 2-strike single to CF scoring Crawford from 2B and that was the winning run. On the postgame show, Greg Papa called it Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Ha! Now, where did you hear that first?
Tim Hudson- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 11/2. ERA= 0.00. Huddy was a bit ragged, but he had the groundball machine working and got a whole $&#%load of DP balls taking a shutout into the 7'th inning.
Bullpen- 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. Bochy still had Petit in but bullpen when the Giants scored the winning run. Casilla got the Save facing just 3 batters.
The Win improved the Giants record to 3-1 and they trail the first place Colorado Rockies by 0.5 games. The Dodgers were idle to remain at 2-1, the D'Backs were idle and stayed at 1-2 while the Padres dropped into last place at 1-3, 2.5 games off the pace.
Tim Lincecum takes on old college rival Brandon Morrow tomorrow night in game 2 of the 4 game series in Petco.
Nori Aoki- 1 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .412. On base 3 times in 5 PA's, yet did not participate in the scoring. I think Giants fans in San Francisco are going to love this guy!
Brandon Crawford- 0 for 5. BA= .278. It was Crawford's pop fly dropped by Clint Barmes in shallow left-CF for a 2 base error that paved the way for the winning run. Crawford had a spectacular game of defense with the Padres announcers gushing about how he looks like a Gold Glove winner. I started watching in the 8'th inning and I saw Crawford save the game at least twice, maybe 3 times.
Casey McGehee- 1 for 5, 2 Errors. BA= .294. Casey McGehee did not have a spectacular game with the glove making 2 errors from which his teammates picked him up. In fairness, he started a DP earlier in the game and the Padres were hitting some rockets at him. He is not cat quick like Pablo, though. Oh, and he also hit into a DP to strand Pagan at 3B after Pagan had hit a leadoff triple in the top of the 9'th inning off Craig Kimbrel.
Speaking of…..Pagan's AB in the 9'th generated some extracurricular activity. Catcher Derek Norris apparently took exception to Pagan calling timeout and stepping out of the batter's box arguing that time had not been granted. There was also video showing Pagan picking up a pebble in the batter's box and flipping it against Norris' shinguards. Kimbrel's next pitch came in at 97 MPH and grazed Pagan's chin prompting the umpire to warn both benches.
PS: The "pebble" was actually a piece of gum and that is apparently what started the teeth grinding between Pagan and Norris. LOL!
Justin Maxwell- 1 for 1. BA= .286. Maswell entered the game as a PH in the top of the 12'th with 2 outs and runners on first and second. Bochy was clearly hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. To Maxwell's credit, he did not swing for the fences and ended up sending a 2-strike single to CF scoring Crawford from 2B and that was the winning run. On the postgame show, Greg Papa called it Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Ha! Now, where did you hear that first?
Tim Hudson- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 11/2. ERA= 0.00. Huddy was a bit ragged, but he had the groundball machine working and got a whole $&#%load of DP balls taking a shutout into the 7'th inning.
Bullpen- 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. Bochy still had Petit in but bullpen when the Giants scored the winning run. Casilla got the Save facing just 3 batters.
The Win improved the Giants record to 3-1 and they trail the first place Colorado Rockies by 0.5 games. The Dodgers were idle to remain at 2-1, the D'Backs were idle and stayed at 1-2 while the Padres dropped into last place at 1-3, 2.5 games off the pace.
Tim Lincecum takes on old college rival Brandon Morrow tomorrow night in game 2 of the 4 game series in Petco.
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