Down on the Farm: 8/30/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas 51's 6-1:

Mac Williamson RF- 2 for 4, HR(14).  BA= .245.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.57.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.20.

-Mac has had a miserable season but is finishing strong slashing .298/.359/.532 with 5 HR's in August.  I still think he might be the best long term answer to the Giants lack of power in LF.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve 6-1:

Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .271.
Jerry Sands 1B- 3 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .300.
Nate Reed RHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 11 K.  ERA= 6.53.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.05.

-Very encouraged by how well Aramis Garcia has hit after his promo to Richmond.  That is a tough transition.

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High A  San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'ers 3-0:

Cristian Paulino LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .391.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .252.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .223.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.51.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.96.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(21).  ERA= 2.64.

- I attended this game.  We are experiencing a brutal heatwave in SoCal.  I toughed it out for 7 innings but thought I might faint from the heat if I stayed longer. The EMT's had to assist one older lady who was overcome by the heat.  It was 94 on my car thermometer at about 9:30 PM.  It hit 98 on the 10 freeway through Loma Linda.  I live at a bit higher elevation and it was 90 when I got home.
-Some rude women insisted I was in their seat behind the 66'ers dugout until I read off my ticket.  One of them said, "oh, my husband usually sits there.  He must have turned his in."  No apologies.
-"Slick" might be the worst mascot in all of sports!
-Shaun Anderson was dominant.  Lots of 0-2, 1-2 counts.  Stadium gun was not working most of the night but I saw 1 FB register at 93 that I think might have been accurate.  He seemed to have both a 4-seam and haaaard 2-seam sinker and some type of putaway off-speed pitch.
-Anderson retired the first 15 batters he faced with ease.  Leadoff hitter in the 6'th got a basehit on a sharp grounder through the left side.  He was then retired on a strike-em out/throw-em out attempting to steal, so Anderson faced the minimum number of batters through 6 innings.
-Jonah Arenado is a big guy.  Don't see how he stays at 3B longterm.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets shut out the Lexington Legends 4-0(7 innings):

Shawon Dunston Jr DH- 2 for 2, HR(1), BB, SB(12).  BA= .238.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 3, HR(10).  BA= .274.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, SB(13).  BA= .258.
Conner Kaden RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.43.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets downed the Lexington Legends 5-3(7 innings):

Ashford Fulmer CF- 2 for 3, 2B, SB(12).  BA= .238.
Shawon Dunston Jr LF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .241.
Skyler Ewing C- 1 for 3, HR(12), BB.  BA= .248.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .274.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .260.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(12).  ERA= 1.75.

-Sandro Fabian is hitting .370 for the month of August, .306 in the second half.
-Kelvin Beltre is hitting .278 in August after hitting just .216 in July.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 10-5:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .324.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .302.

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AZL  Royals pounded the Giants 8-2(7 innings):

Ismael Munguia CF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .326.
Aaron Bond LF- 2 for 3.  BA= .319.
Weilly Yan RHP- 2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.21.

-6 K's in 2 IP, will catch my eye on a pitching line.

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AZL  Giants won the nightcap game over the Royals 5-2(7 innings):

Nico Giarratano 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .260.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.92.
John Gavin LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

-8 K's in 4 IP is impressive but Van Gurp is a college draftee playing in rookie ball so he should be dominating.
-Giants are taking it slow with Gavin after he pitched deep into the college WS.  I anticipate a breakout season next year.

Game Wrap 8/30/2017: Padres 5 Giants 0

The Giants and their fans got a glimpse of what life might be like when Buster Posey's fabulous career is over, and it's not a fun state to contemplate.  Key Lines:

Kelby Tomlinson 3B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .266.  Pablo moved to 1B and Kelby took 3B.  He reached base 3 times out of the 2-hole which is exactly what you want out of the 2-hole hitter.  There just wasn't anyone behind him in the lineup to keep it moving.  Kelby has an OBP of .350 on the season.

Ty Blach LHP- 2 for 2, 2B.  BA= .244.  Blach is a good hitting pitcher, but will only be in he lineup every 6'th game.  Pretty pathetic when your pitcher gets 2 of 6 Hits and 3 of 8 Total Bases in a shutout.

Ty Blach LHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 8/4.  ERA= 4.68.  Blach fell 1 out short of a QS.  Didn't matter as the Giants were never going to score in this one anyway.

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The Giants fly home to start a 4 game series and homestand against the Cardinals with Jack Flaherty getting making his MLB debut against Madison Bumgarner tonight.

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Giants will go with a 6 man rotation when Johnny Cueto returns on Friday.  6 man rotations are intriguing, but would require each starter to go deeper into games to prevent the bullpen from collapsing, or else you have to carry fewer position players on the bench.

Down on the Farm: 8/29/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas 51's 3-1:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 4, SB(3).  BA= .240.
Mac Williamson RF- 2 for 3, HR(13).  BA= .242.
Matt Gage LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.43.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.48.

-Duggar was named to the Scottsdale Scorpions AFL roster.

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AA  Altoona Curve downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-1:

Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .269.
Cory Taylor RHP- 7 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.33.
Cody Hall RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.45.

-Garcia is listed on the Scottsdale Scorpions roster too.

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High A  Inland Empire 66'er's topped the San Jose Giants 6-5:

Bryan Reynolds RF- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .309.
Garrett Williams LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.55.
Matt Krook LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.12.

-Krook seems to have found a comfort zone in the pen for SJ.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Lexington Legends 7-6:

Carlos Garcia SS- 1 for 4, HR(4), BB.  BA= .230.
Jean Angomas LF- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .277.
Jose Vizcaino Jr. 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .253.
Sandro Fabian RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .273.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 3 for 5.  BA= .257.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.14.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.79.

-Good to see Fabian and Beltre finishing strong.
-Ruotolo has 64 K's against just 11 BB's in 45.1 IP.

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Short Season  Spokane Indian topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-4:

Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .278.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 2, BB, HBP, 2 SB(23).  BA= .302.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .272.

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AZL Cubs pounded the Giants 11-2:

Camilo Doval RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.20.
Jesus Tona RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.70.

-Doval has 46 K's against just 13 BB's in 30 IP with a GO/AO= 3.67.  Seems to be poised for a breakout next year.
-Jesus Tona has been a catching prospect who has not gotten much playing time.  This was his second pitching appearance.  He has 7 K's and 0 BB's in 3.1 IP.  Kenley Jansen was once a catching prospect.  Remember Felix Rodriquez?  Him too.

Game Wrap 8/29/2017: Padres 6 Giants 3

Matt Moore got out of whack on the mound again and struggled to a Non-quality Start  which the Giants offense was too weak to overcome.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .269.  Despite a fine night at the plate for Span, he is still hitting just .244 in August after hitting .224 in July.  He's basically had one hot month and 4 negative ones.

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4, HR(9).   BA= .274.  Second HR in as many nights in a park that is not that easy to homer in.  I wonder how many dingers he'd hit if he became a dead pull hitter?

Matt Moore LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 5.49.  Moore didn't have to tip his pitches to get knocked around tonight.  He just couldn't bring to curveball down and that's the pitch he really depends on.

Albert Suarez RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.23.  It's great that Suarez could eat 3 innings and spare the rest of the bullpen, but he's still a guy you just can't put out there with a game on the line.

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Ty Blach tries to get himself back on track after a series of rough starts facing Travis Wood in the rubber game of the series.

Down on the Farm: 8/28/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Las Vegas 51's 3-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .190.
Orlando Calixte 3B- 2 for 4, SB(19).  BA= .251.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/1.  ERA= 3.19.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outlasted the Altoona Curve 2-1(15 innings):

CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 5, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .275.
Myles Schroder 3B- 4 for 6, HBP, SB(4).  BA= .265.
Brandon Bednar 2B- 2 for 6, BB.  BA= .277.
Daniel Carbonell LF/CF- 2 for 6.  BA= .256.

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High A  San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians outscored the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 9-4:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, HR(5), BB, SB(26).  BA= .263.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .296.
Jose Marte RHP- 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.33.

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AZL  Giants were idle.

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DSL season is done.

Game Wrap 8/28/2017: Giants 3 Padres 0

Jeff Samardzija pitched like a true ace while Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik supplied the offense.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, HR(12).  BA= .243.  For several innings, it looked like Brandon Crawford's solo HR to R CF in the 4'th inning might be the only run the Giants scored causing some anxiety over whether Samardzija could make it stand up.  His single in the 8'th set up Joe Panik's 2-run dinger to give Shark 2 insurance runs.

Joe Panik 2B= 1 for 2, HR(8), 2 BB.  BA= .272.  Panik managed to turn on a pitch that looked like it jammed him and take it right down the RF line and into the foul screen.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 14/4.  ERA= 4.43.  Shark has had ace level peripherals all season but he really put it all together in this one with an efficient, dominating performance.  If the Giants have designs on getting back into playoff contention next season, they need to hang onto Shark.

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Matt Moore tries to make it a win streak tomorrow facing Luis Perdomo.

Down on the Farm: 8/27/2017

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas nipped the Sacramento River Cats 6-5:

Orlando Calixte SS- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .249.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .291.
Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .238.
Dusten Knight RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.88.

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AA  Trenton Thunder blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-0:

Tyler Herb RHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 13/2.  ERA= 2.43.

-Herb is a college draftee in his 4'th minor league season which would make him Rule 5 Draft eligible unless the Giants put him on the 40 man roster this winter.

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High A  Stockton Ports outscored the San Jose Giants 8-6:

Cristian Paulino 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .368.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 1 for 3, HR(13), BB.  BA= .273.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .307.
Gio Brusa DH- 3 for 4, 2 HR(14). BA= .239.
Johnny Cueto RHP- 3.2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.75.
Grant Watson LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.71.

-Hopefully this was just Cueto getting his work in and giving some minor league hitters a thrill.

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Low A  Greenville Drive defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 3-2(11 innings):

Sandro Fabian RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .270.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .252.
Stephen Woods RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.06.

-Fabian gets his BA up to .270 with a week to go in the season.  He's had a great second half.
-Beltre has gotten a full season's worth of desperately needed AB's.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-4:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .328.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .286.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .293.
Alejandro De La Rosa RHP- 2.1 IP 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.05.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.70.

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AZL  Giants beat the Mariners 8-7:

Mikey Edie RF- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .423.
Nick Hill CF- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .209.
Nathanael Javier DH- 3 for 5.  BA= .301.
Aaron Bond LF- 3 for 5, 2 HR(8).  BA= .313.
Francisco Medina SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .215.
Nico Giarratano 2B- 2 for 2, 2 HBP.   BA= .254.
Seth Corry LHP- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.56.
Frank Rubio RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.95.
Mac Marshall LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
John Gavin LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Joey Marciano LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.05.

-Seth Corry has had his ups and downs in his pro debut.
-Aaron Bond is showing off 5 tools, well, at least 3.  I don't have much of a read on his caching and throwing.
-A Mac Marshall sighting!

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DSL Season is in the books.  Giants finished in second place in their division, 3.5 games out of first.  We'll do some season recaps after the rest of the minor league season is done.

Game Wrap 8/27/2017: D'Backs 11 Giants 0

Chris Stratton was a gamer, but with no run support left the game trailing 2-0 before the bullpen, more specifically, Matt Cain, collapsed.  Key Lines:

Chris Stratton RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 3.82.  Stratton came into the game with a .340 BAA against LH batters and the D'Backs stacked their lineup with 6 of them.  Stratton more then held his own and actually dominated for most of his start.  Impressive.

Kyle Crick RHP- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.66.  Crick came into his second high leverage situation in as many games and struck out none other than Paul Goldschmidt to end the 7'th inning leaving 2 runners stranded.

Matt Cain RHP- 0.2 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.75.  Cain threw and 93 MPH FB to the first batter he faced which got Kruk and Kuip excited, but he ended up walking JD Martinez and it all went downhill from there.  In fairness there was a whole lot of bad BABIP luck involved at first along with some questionable fielding, but then Paul Goldschmidt hit a 3 run homer and Martinez followed with a solo shot.  Just a sad outing for a great Giant who maybe Bochy could have taken out a bit sooner just to spare him the embarrassment.  I mean, what is he saving the bullpen for?  He ended up bringing in Gearrin anyway.

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The Giants move on to San Diego where Jeff Samardzija faces Jhoulys Chacin in the series opener tomorrow night.

Down on the Farm: 8/26/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the El Paso Chihuahuas 7-4(7 innings):

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .286.
Orlando Calixte SS- 1 for 4, HR(14).  BA= .247.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .293.
Conor Gillaspie 1B- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .314.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 3 for 3, BB.  BA= .297.
Casey Kelly RHP- 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.55.

-Can we please have a full month audition in CF for Steven Duggar in Sept?

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AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas nipped the Sacramento River Cats 1-0(7 innings):

Slade Heathcott RF- 1 for 2, 3B, BB.  BA= .280.
Robert Gomez RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 9/3.  ERA= 4.19.

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AA  Trenton Thunder rolled over the Richmond Flying Squirrels 14-5:

Caleb Gindl CF- 3 for 5, 2 3B.  BA= .314.
Myles Schroder 3B- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .259.

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High A San Jose Giants outscored the Stockton Ports 8-7(10 innings):

Cristian Paulino 2B- 2 for 5, Sac, SB(1).  BA= .333.
Bryan Reynolds RF- 2 for 4, HBP, SB(5).  BA= .308.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 5, HR(12), SB(1).  BA= .272.
Ryan Howard SS- 1 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .308.
Gio Brusa DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .234.
Heath Quinn LF- 1 for 5, HR(10).  BA= .241.
Matt Winn C- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .219.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.48.

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Low A  Greenville Drive edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3:

Jose Vizcaino Jr DH- 2 for 4. BA= .252.
Yordy Cabrera RHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.00.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.27.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-3:

Manuel Geraldo SS- 3 for 4, SB(21).  BA= .290.
Julio Benitez RHP- 8 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.19.
John Russell RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.18.

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AZL  Mariners crushed the Giants 15-1:

Aaron Bond LF- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .301.
Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .315.

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DSL  Giants beat the Reds 6-4:

Robinson Batista DH- 3 for 5, 2 SB(9).  BA= .370.
Martin Doria 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .271.
Aynesber Sivira SS- 2 for 3.  BA= .222.
Francis Pena RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.22.

Game Wrap 8/26/2017: D'Backs 2 Giants 1

Jarrett Parker hit an impressive solo HR.  Madison Bumgarner gave up 2 solo HR's.  That was the ballgame.  Key Lines:

Jarrett Parker LF- 2 for 4, 3B, HR(2).  BA= .262.  Parker is making his case to be the Giants starting LF next year.  He added a line drive triple into the RF Triples Triangle in his next AB but it came with 2 outs and he as left stranded.  Parker is hitting .294 with a .500 SLG% since returning from the DL on August 3.

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 3.  BA= .272.  The only other bright spot on offense, Panik shook off his concussion DL stint to hit 2 knocks.

Ryder Jones 1B- 0 for 2.  BA= .186.  Sad to say, Jones just doesn't look quite ready to hit MLB pitching and should not be counted on to start next season on the 25 man roster.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.85.  Bum made 2 mistake pitches and paid for it.  He got his usual P-poor run support.

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Chris Stratton tries to build on his recent success and salvage a win out of this series against Patrick Corbin today.

Down on the Farm: 8/25/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats vs El Paso Chihuahuas postponed.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels quieted the Trenton Thunder 5-3:

CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 5, 2 2B.   BA= .276.
Aramis Garcia C- 4 for 5, 3 2B.  BA= .259.
Dan Slania RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.62.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(18).  ERA= 2.14.

-Hopefully this is a breakout game for Garcia at the AA level.

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High A San Jose Giants defeated the Stockton Ports  7-4:

Bryan Reynolds CF- 1 for 3, HR(9), 2 BB, SB(4).  BA= .307.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .271.
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .309.
Gio Brusa LF- 1 for 3, SF.  BA= .232.
Matt Solter RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.57.
Matt Krook LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.24.

-Jonah Arenado is showing no signs of taking his foot off the pedal coming down the stretch.
-I think this is the second consecutive strong relief appearance for Matt Krook.

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Low A  Greenville Drive beat the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1:

Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 11 K.  ERA= 5.40.
Melvin Adon RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.52.

-Not sure if this is a permanent move to the bullpen for Adon or if the Giants are just limiting his innings.  He's not that young and he could be a fast mover in a bullpen role.

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Short Season  Eugene Emeralds topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-3:

Bryce Johnson CF- 1 for 4, BB, 2 SB(24).  BA= .330.

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AZL  Cubs outscored the Giants 5-4:

Diego Rincones DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .309.
Andres Angulo C- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .267.
Kyle McPherson 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, SB(2).  BA= .279.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.07.

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DSL  Giants bested the Reds 3-1:

Luigi Pichardo LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .280.
Martin Doria 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .259.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 1.82.

Game Wrap 8/25/2017: D'Backs 4 Giants 3

Was Paul Goldschmidt's 3-run dinger or Brandon Crawford's baserunning error that was the difference in this game?  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .241.  The first 4 batters in the lineup went a combined 1 for 16.  The 5, 6 and 7 batters went a combined 6 for 11.  Crawford, hitting 5'th, ran his hit streak to 9 games and is 14 for 31 in that span.  On the other hand, he badly lost a mental battle with Zack Greinke when he broke for 3'rd  with 1 out and runners on first and second before Greinke made a move to to the plate and go hung out to dry.  Nick Hundley doubled in the same AB driving in Pabs from 1B, so Crawford's baserunning mistake almost surely cost the Giants at least 1 run.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .242.  I'm going to start a Pablo Scale with rates his chances of being the Giants starting 3B to open the 2018 season.  On August 17, 8 games ago, it was about a 2 on a scale of 0-10 when his BA as a Giant stood at .200.  Since then, he's 11 for 26 in 7 games and I'd put it at about a 6.  Only reason it's not higher....is it just me or has Pablo already gained at least 20 lbs since re-joining the Giants?

Nick Hundley C- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .267.  Hundley drove in the first run with that double, but got thrown out on the play while trying to protect Pabs who was scoring from 1B.  Hundley later drove in a second run with a FC groundout in which he barely beat the throw to first on the relay.

Ty Blach LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.75.  Blach had one bad inning and it wasn't all his fault.  Denard Span let a single get past him which put runners on 2'nd and 3'rd with 1 out in the 2'nd inning.  The first run scored on an IF single that glanced off Pablo's glove.  Blach might have been thinking about those 2 plays when served up a hanging changeup that actually fooled Paul Goldschmidt, but Goldy just flicked it out of the yard with a flat-footed swing.  He was probably the only guy in the game who could do that.

Albert Suarez RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H,  0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.25.  Good Albert showed up today.

Josh Osich LHP- 0.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.14.  Osich was asked to get 2 LH batters out.  He gave up a walk and a single to put runners at 1'st and 3'rd with 1 out.

Kyle Crick RHP-  0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.70.  This was an impressive piece of work.  Cricky came in to clean up Osich's mess and was throwing 97 mph heat and overpowering hitters. He struck out Chris Iannetta for the big second out of the inning and then got AJ Pollack to pop up.  Cricky showed closer quality stuff there.

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Madison Bumgarner tries to even the series today against Taijuan Walker.

Down on the Farm: 8/24/2017

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas chewed up the Sacramento River Cats 6-1:

NTSH.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels quieted the Trenton Thunder 5-1:

CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 4, 2B, Sac.  BA= .274.
Jake Reed RHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 7.31.

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High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 12-4:

Cristian Paulino LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .400.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .269.
Domenic Mazza LHP- 5.1 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 11.81.

-Arenado is hitting .361 for the month of August.  He is slashing .280/.321/.466 in the second half.
-Domenic Mazza gets a rough welcome to the Cal League.

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Low A  Asheville Tourists outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 9-8 in 10 innings:

Skyler Ewing C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.
Jose Vizcaino Jr 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .248.
Sandro Fabian RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .266.
Jacob Heyward LF- 3 for 5.  BA= .232.

Sandro Fabian is hitting .293 in the second half, .354 in August.

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Short Season  Eugene Emeralds topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-3:

Bryce Johnson LF- 0 for 2, BB, HBP, 3 SB(22).  BA= .331.
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB(15).  BA= .364.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .293.
Greg Jacknewitz LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.05.
Logan Webb RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.16.

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AZL  White Sox defeated the Giants 7-6:

Reagan Bazar RHP- 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.43.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K'S.  ERA= 1.21.

-Bazar is a project, but has a high ceiling.

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DSL  D'Backs blanked the Giants 4-0(7 innings):

Raiber Gutierrez RF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .288.
Wascar DeLeon 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .281.

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DSL  D'Backs beat the Giants 5-2:

Alexander Canario DH- 2 for 3.  BA= .299.
Omar Medina 1B- 1 for 1, 2 BB, SB(10).  BA= .216.

-Giants hopes for a postseason game were all but eliminated by this twin-bill loss.

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It seems that our man, Tyler Beede, has become a bit of a polarizing figure among nationally known prospect analysts.  In his recent review of his pre-season Giants Top 20 prospects, John Sickels described Beede as ".....enigmatic, erratic from start to start with both stuff and command."

Keith Law is generally not a fan of the Giants front office or their prospects but he came to Beede's defense in his most recent Klawchat:  "It's also a tough place to pitch(the PCL in general, less specifically Sacramento).  He had 5 starts where he gave up 5 or more earned runs; 4 came in severe hitter's parks, one at home.  I'm really only concerned/surprised that he hasn't missed more bats."

Down on the Farm: 8/23/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats were idle.

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AA  Erie Seawolves outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0 in 11 innings:

Cory Taylor RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.36.
Jarrett Martin RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.41.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.18.
Cody Hall RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.90.

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High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 5-1:

Bryan Reynolds RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .308.
Heath Quinn LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .239.
Drew Muren RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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Low A  Asheville Tourists edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 5-4(7 innings):

Skyler Ewing C- 1 for 4, HR(11).  BA= .244.
Jose Vizcaino Jr 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .247.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .228.
Michael Bernal 3B- 2 for 2.  BA= .254.

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Low A  Asheville Tourists outscored the Augusta Greenjackets 8-5(7 innings):

Sandro Fabian DH- 3 for 4.  BA= .262.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .250.
Michael Bernal 3B/SS- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .255.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Eugene Emeralds 4-3:

Bryce Johnson RF/LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .335.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .282.
Weilly Yan RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 3.97.

-This was Weilly Yan's second appearance for S-K after a promotion from the AZL Giants.

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AZL Giants were idle.

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DSL  Giants downed the D'Backs 6-4:

Alexander Canario DH- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .299.
Gregory Santos RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.29.
Lylon Lopez RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.45.

Game Wrap 8/23/2017: Giants 4 Brewers 2

A check swing double down the 3B line by Jarrett Parker was the big blow in this one, driving in two runs in the 7'th inning to break open a 1-1 tie and reward the pitching staff for a well-pitched game.  Key Lines:

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 3, 2 2B, HBP.  BA= .272.  Gorkys is hitting .359 in August after hitting .316 in July and .359 in June.  A pretty remarkable run after hitting under .200 for the first 2 months of the season.

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .259.  Kelby is 12 for 37 since taking over the full time 2B role when Joe Panik hit the concussion DL.

Jarrett Parker LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .263.  As they say, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.  The double was a check swing that found a gap between a shifted 3B and the bag and sliced into the bullpen for a double and 2 RBI's aided by Ryan Braun kicking it around once he got to it.

Brandon Crawford 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .236.  Crawford ran his hit streak to 8 games and is 11 for 27 in that span.

Denard Span PH- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .273.  Span started the 2 run rally in the 7'th with a PH double.

Matt Moore LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.38.  3'rd QS in a row for Moore.  If he finishes the season strong, do you try to trade him over the winter or keep him hoping he can put it all together next season?

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.38.  Second dominant inning in a row from Melancon.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K, Save(12).  ERA= 5.40.  Good thing it was a 3-run lead here.

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Giants get a day off before starting a 3 gamer in Arizona and something called Players Weekend, which I don't completely understand the point of.  I'm sure the kids will love it, though, and that's always a good thing.  Ty Blach will take on Zack Greinke in game 1.

Down on the Farm: 8/22/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Albuquerque Isotopes 3-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .286.
Joe Panik 2B- 0 for 2.  BA= .000.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .289.
Johnny Cueto RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.28.

-Panik and Cueto start rehab assignments.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels pounded the Erie Seawolves 10-4:

Jerry Sands DH- 4 for 5.  BA= .291.
KC Hobson 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .257.
Brandon Bednar 3B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .276.
Daniel Carbonell LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .261.
Carlos Alvarado RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.34.
Cody Hall RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.08.

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High A  San Jose Giants outlasted the Visalia Rawhide 5-1 in 11 innings:

Bryan Reynolds RF- 1 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .306.
Heath Quinn LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .235.
Garrett Williams LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.13.
Matt Krook LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.36.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.45.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Asheville Tourists 6-2:

Jean Angomas DH- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .278.
Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .258.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 5, 2B,  BA= .250.
Conner Kaden RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.60.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.87.

-Was this Conner Kaden's first start as a pro?
-Do we think Sandro Fabian is ready to move up to San Jose next year or do we keep him in Augusta for his age 20 season?

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Short Season  Hillsboro Hops outscored the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 9-6:

Ryan Kirby 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(7), BB.  BA= .289.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .278.
Jose Marte RHP- 2.2 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.59.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.14.
Alejandro De La Rosa RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.26.

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AZL  Rangers topped the Giants 7-5:

Mikey Edie RF- 2 for 5, SB96).  BA= .425.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .371.
Aaron Bond LF- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B, BB.  BA= .307.
Seth Corry LHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.27.
Camilo Doval RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.60.
Keenan Bartlett RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.09.

-Corry did not allow any contact to 6 batters he faced.  2 struck out, 4 walked.

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DSL  Giants beat the Mariners 7-6(completion of suspended game from 8/5/2017):

Aynesber Sivira SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .229.
Robinson Batista 2B- 2 for 3, BB, 3 SB(3).  BA= .500.
Samuel Jorge 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .261.
Luis Moreno RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.45.
Jorge Labrador RHP- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.61.

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DSL  Giants sank the Mariners 4-1 in 8 innings(scheduled 7 inning game):

Raiber Gutierrez RF- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .288.

Game Wrap 8/22/2017: Brewers 4 Giants 3

The Giants scored 1 more run in game 2 of the series than game 1, but lost when Albert Suarez could no protect a 1 run lead in the 7'th inning.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 3, HR(11), BB.  BA= .234.  Crawford extended his hit streak to 7 games.  He is 9 for 23 in that span.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .236.  Pabs is 8 for 18 over his last 5 games.

Gorkys Hernandez RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .268.  Hernandez drew the start in RF because Hunter Pence's hammy started barking at him again.  Pence is DTD but if he has to go on the DL, the Giants will want to bring up one of their corner OF prospects to get in some MLB experience.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.67.  QS for Shark which goes to naught.

Albert Suarez RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 7.27.  Suarez has done some good things but many more bad.  Time to move on.  There has to be someone on the farm who can do a better job of RP.

Kyle Crick RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.78.  Crick seems like he is ready to be give higher leverage roles.  What a pleasant surprise he's been this season!

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Matt Moore tries to extend his run of good starts facing Matt Garza.

Down on the Farm: 8/21/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats Defeated the Albuquerque Isotopes 4-2:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1).  BA= .333.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .291.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .289.
Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 4, 2B.   BA= .240.
Jose Flores RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.97.
Steven Okert LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.52.
Derek Law RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(9).  ERA= 2.70.

-Duggar moves up to Sacramento.
-Between Duggar, Shaw, Mac, Parker and Austin Slater, there is not shortage of internal options for OF next season.  Giants just need to have people stay healthy and get it sorted out.
-Flores has 60 K's against 19 BB in 57.2 IP for Sacramento this year.  He also keeps the ball on the ground.  Giants should try to keep him around for next season.
-Melvin Upton Jr requested and received his release from the Giants.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels destroyed the Erie Seawolves 11-1:

Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .253.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .224.
Daniel Carbonell LF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .257.
Tyler Herb RHP- 9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.58.

-This is Herb's 4'th minor league season out of college which adds him to the list of Rule 5 eligible Giants prospects this offseason.

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High A  San Jose Giants were idle.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets outlasted the Charleston River Dogs 3-2 in 11 innings:

Carlos Garcia SS- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(6).  BA= .236.
Jose Vizcaino Jr 1B- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .240.
Stephen Woods RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.09.
Caleb Smith RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.11.

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Short Season Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 9-5:

Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .295.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 3 for 4.  BA= .275.
Rob Calabrese C- 0 for 1, 2 BB, SF.  BA= .275.

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AZL  Cubs cuffed the Giants 9-3:

Nick Hill CF- 2 for 4, SB(7).  BA= .204.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .363.

-Hard to believe this is Jacob Gonzalez' first HR of the summer league season.  Coming into this game he had 13 doubles and 1 triple, but no HR's.
-A reader reported that Heliot Ramos sent out a tweet that he is OK after getting beaned on Sunday.

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DSL  Giants beat the Mariners 6-2:

Raiber Gutierrez 2B- 2 for 3, BB, SB(17).  BA= .273.
Alex Canario DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .292.
Franklin Labour 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, SB(13).  BA= .317.
Luigi Pichardo LF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(2).  BA= .290.
Luis Moreno RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.23.

Game Wrap 8/21/2017: Giants 2 Brewers 0

Chris Stratton and 3 Giants relievers combined for a 4-hit shutout against a good BrewCrew lineup.  Key Lines:

Jarrett Parker LF- 2 for 3, BB, SB(2).  BA= .276.  Parker has a 7 game hit streak going and is 10 for 28 in that span.  Parker continues to make nice plays in LF.  He is listed as a negative defender by Fangraphs which, I'm sorry, just does not match with the eye test.

Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .259.  Pence is hitting .333 in August.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .233.   His double, which raised chalk down the RF line in the 4'th inning, was the big blow of the game which drove in the Giants first run and set up their second.  Crawford has a 6 game hit streak in which he is 8 for 20.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .229.  Pabs 6 for 14 over his last 4 games.  He took a pitch of his left forearm and was taken out as a precaution.  He was diagnosed with a contusion and Bochy said he could have stayed in the game if he had to.

Chris Stratton RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 3.98.  Stratton built on his last great Start and has now pitched 12.2 shutout innings over those 2 Starts.  He had double digit K's in his last start. In this one, he pitched to contact but came close to double digit groundball outs.

Matt Cain RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.15.  Cain looked sharp in a 1-inning appearance.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.51.  Melancon looked sharp too with a wipeout spike curveball enabling him to strike out 2 batters.  Per Giants website, they were so unsure of what they would get from Melancon they did not excuse Matt Cain from the dugout until Melancon completed his warmups in case problems arose.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(11).  ERA= 5.32.  Dyson also looked sharp closing it down.  He walked a batter with 1 out then appeared to get out of the inning with a GIDP, but the Brewers challenged the play at 1B and prevailed.  Dyson struck out the next batter to end the game.

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Jeff Samardzija takes the mound against Jimmy Nelson tonight.

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Not sure what's up with Johnny Cueto, but his rehab start was pushed back due to illness.

Down on the Farm: 8/20/2017

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes edged out the Sacramento River Cats 2-1:

Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 4, HR(16).  BA= .286.

Roberto Gomez RHP- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.33.

DJ Snelton LHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.96. 

Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.05.

-Gomez is a 28 yo, 6'5", 180 lb drink of water.  His ERA over his last 10 appearances is 2.33 with 38.2 IP in that span with 34 K and 10 BB.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels sank the Akron Rubber Ducks 3-2:

Caleb Gindl CF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .322.

Hunter Cole RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .250.

Brandon Bednar 3B- 2 for 2, BB, Sac.  BA= .272.

Matt Lujan LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.30.

Sam Coonrod RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.69.

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High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 4-2:

Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 3, HR(3).  BA= .257.

Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, SB(5).  BA= .223.

Michael Cederoth RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.83.

-Stay healthy, Michael Cederoth!

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Charleston River Dogs 3-1:

Carlos Garcia SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .229.

Jean Angomas CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(10).  BA= .276.

Skyler Ewing 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(10).  BA= .241.

Michael Bernal 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .251.

Yordy Cabrera RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 3.60.

Nolan Riggs RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, Save(16).  BA= 1.91.

-This was Yordy Cabrera's 4'th Start of the season and his longest appearance.

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Short Season  Hillsboro Hops blanked the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 2-0: 

Julio Benitez RHP- 9 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.31.

-Benitez threw 92 pitches in the 9-inning CG.

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AZL  Giants pounded the A's 8-3:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 2, HBP.  BA= .339.

Ismael Munguia LF- 3 for 5, 2 SB(7).  BA= .346.

Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .351.

Nathanael Javier 1B- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .322.

Nico Giarratano SS- 2 for 2, BB, HBP, SB(7).  BA= .259.

Joey Marciano LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.39.

Reagan Bazar RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.63.

John Gavin LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

-Looks like Ramos was lifted for a PR after the HBP.  Hope it as just precautionary.

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DSL  Giants were idle.

Game Wrap 8/20/2017: Phillies 5 Giants 2

It was Hunter Strickland's turn to have a bullpen meltdown to ruin another QS by Madison Bumgarner.  Key Lines:

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 1 for 3, BB, SB(9).  BA= .261.  Kelby scored 1 of the Giants 2 runs and ran his hit streak to 7 games.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .321.  Buster wasn't happy with Hector Neris who apparently decided to mimic Hunter Strickland, except Strickland was holding a grudge from 4 years ago.  Nobody could remember any reason for Neris to hold a grudge at all.  Buster's take was Neris must have thought he couldn't get Buster out.  When told of Buster's comments, Neris said something to the effect of "any idiot could see I wasn't trying to hit him," except it sure looked like a purpose pitch to everybody but him.  Since he's a reliever, he probably doesn't have to worry about standing in the batters box against a Giants pitcher, but some Giants hitters might decide to work on hitting the ball up the middle when they are facing him the next few times.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.87.  That's a nice looking line except for the 111 pitches in 6 innings part.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.65.  I would say Melancon is not quite ready to move back into the Closer role.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA- 2.79.  Overall, Strickland has pitched well. It's just that when he doesn't, he tends to do it in dramatic fashion.  The fans were not diggin' it either.  Wonder if Strick will be back next year?  The Giants tend to listen to their fans, for better or worse.

*********************************************************************************

The Giants go right into another series tomorrow with Chris Stratton trying to build on his last terrific start facing Zach Davies and the BrewCrew.

Down on the Farm: 8/19/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats cooled of the Albuquerque Isotopes 8-0:

Melvin Upton Jr CF- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .268.
Conor Gillaspie 1B- 3 for 5.  BA= .299.
Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .243.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .286.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .291.
Trevor Brown C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .169.
Casey Kelly RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.47.
Dusten Knight RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.98.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.48.

-Kelly has been hot and cold but the talent and tools are still there.
-Do the Giants try to keep Hwang around for next year?  It's unclear to me if they control his contract or if he is a FA at the end of the season.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Akron Rubber Ducks 9-7(completion of suspended game from 8/18):

NTSH

*********************************************************************************

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Akron Rubber Ducks 2-0(7 innings):

Dan Slania RHP- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.54.

-Was this Slania's best appearance of the season?

*********************************************************************************

High A  San Jose Giants outlasted the Visalia Rawhide 8-7(10 innings):

Jonah Arenado 3B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .271.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .236.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 3 for 4, HR(2), BB, SB(11).  BA= .256.
Drew Muren RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.45.

-Jonah Arenado is so hot, he might be the cause of Global Warming!

*********************************************************************************

Low A  Charleston River Dogs shut out the Augusta Greenjackets 5-0:

NTSH.

*********************************************************************************

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Hillsboro Hops 6-0:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(24).  BA= .272.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .295.
Rob Calabrese C- 2 for 3, 3B.  BA= .278.
Stetson Woods RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.26.
Alejandro De La Rosa RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.57.
Aaron Phillips 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.35.
John Russell RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.00.

-Not sure why Woods came out after just 3 IP.

*********************************************************************************

AZL  Giants pounded the A's 10-5:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, SB(10).  BA= .346.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .349.
Diego Rincones RF- 3 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .315.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .261.
Francisco Medina SS- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .216.
Miguel Figueroa RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.68.

-Before you dump all over the Giants farm system, John Barr and Bobby Evans, ask yourself if you can remember a time when they had so many promising teenagers in Arizona.

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DSL  Orioles topped the Giants 5-4:

Luigi Pichardo RF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .286.
Francis Pena RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.02.
Oliver Pinto RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.81.

Game Wrap 8/19/2017: Phillies 12 Giants 9

A 7-run rally in the 6'th inning by the Phillies overwhelmed a pretty good night for the Giants offense which put together its own 5-run rally in the 9'th inning that fell short.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 2 for 4, HR(9), BB.  BA= .275.  Span's HR was in inside-the-park job that hit high off the bricks in Triples Alley and was literally kicked by the OF.  He scored standing up and did not look to be having problems running the bases.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .224.  Pabs also committed a throwing error that did not result in any unearned runs.

Ryder Jones 1B- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .181. Jones continues to show flashes.  He's hitting .235 with a .431 SLG% since his callup on August 2 after going 1 for 21 in his first MLB stint in June/July.

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 1 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .260.  Kelby is hitting .381, 8 for 21, in 6 games since starting at 2B for the injured Joe Panik.

Ty Blach LHP- 5.1 IP,  8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.89.  Blach's success this season was fueled by suppressing HR's that figured to regress over time.  Rhys Hoskins 3-run dinger was the big blow, and the bullpen fail added 2 ER to the line in the 6'th.

Josh Osich LHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.14.  Part of a lefty reliever's job, if they are going to face more than 1 batter at a time, is to force switch-hitters to hit RH which is their more unfamiliar side.  Osich faced 3 of those in a row and gave up a double and a single.  He then walked the LH hitting Nick Williams.  Then Boch did not have Gearrin ready in time to face Rhys Hoskins who also walked.  Gearrin then came in to face a LH hitting PH with a sub-.200 BA who launched a grand slam into the arcade that was a no-doubter off the bat.

Albert Suarez RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.48.  Suarez runs hot and cold.  He was dominant here after 2 ugly appearances.

*********************************************************************************

Madison Bumgarner tries for a series win today facing Ben Lively.

Down on the Farm: 8/18/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated he Reno Aces 7-3:

Conor Gillespie 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .278.
Mac Williamson RF- 4 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .242.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4, SF.   BA= .287.
Matt Gage LHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.33.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.83.

-Mac has 3 multi-hit games in his last 4.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Akron Rubber Ducks suspended after 1 inning with the Squirrels leading 7-0.

*********************************************************************************

High A  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 11-1:

Steven Duggar DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .268.
Matt Krook LHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.44.

*********************************************************************************

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Charleston River Dogs 5-4:

Caleb Baragar LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.36.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(15).  ERA= 1.96.

*********************************************************************************

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Boise Hawks 4-3:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .340.
Greg Jacknewitz LHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.32.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.79.
Logan Webb RHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.05.

*********************************************************************************

AZL Giants were idle.

*********************************************************************************

DSL  Giants blanked the Orioles 8-0:

Raiber Gutierrez RF- 3 for 5, SB(16).  BA= .275.
Ghordy Santos SS- 2 for 3, 3B, 2 BB, SB(15).  BA= .228.
Franklin Labour LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .317.
Samuel Jorge 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .235.
Omar Medina 1B- 2 for 4, 2 SB(9).  BA= .218.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.00.
Abel Adames RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.32.

Game Wrap 8/18/2017: Giants 10 Phillies 2

The Giants put more distance between themselves and the #1 overall draft pick in 2018.  They piled up 6 runs in the first 3 innings.  Matt Moore took a 1-hit shutout into the 8'th inning before faltering.  The Giants added 4 more runs in the bottom of the 8'th for the blowout win.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 3 for 5.  BA= .273.  Span should be in a strict CF platoon with Gorkys Hernandez or somebody was he is hitting just .230 against LHP's and .286 against RHP's.

Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(11).  BA= .260.  Pence shook off a terrible July and is hitting .351 in August.  He's slashing .277/.328/.454 with 5 dingers in 32 games since the All-Star Break.

Jarrett Parker LF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .267.  Parker drove in Span and Pence with a double for the second night in a row.  I have to say, watching Jarrett Parker in the batters box makes me want a Xanax really bad. Man, that dude is fidgety!  Does he drink from Hunter Pence's coffee jug during the game?

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .218.  Another guy who might be useful in a strict platoon with Pabs facing only RHP's.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(10), BB.  BA= .229.  Maybe his is Crawford's breakout game for a strong finish?  Anyone else vote that a different hairstyle might help?

Matt Moore LHP- 7.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.54.  This as actually a much better line than it looks.  Moore took a 1-hit shutout into the 8'th inning.  After allowing 2 runners to reach around an out, Cory Gearrin came in and gave up a seeing-eye single and a bloop for the 2 runs.  This was Moore's 2'nd QS in a row and 4'th in 7 starts.  In 2 other starts in that stretch, he had 14 K's against 1 BB in 13 IP.

Josh Osich LHP- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.20.  Osich came in to strike out the LH batting Nick Williams with 2 on, 1 out and 2 runs already scored in the 8'th, which is why he is on the roster. The score was 6-2 at that point.  Huge out there.

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Ty Blach goes up against Jared Eickoff in game 3 of the 4 gamer today.

Down on the Farm: 8/17/2017

AAA Sacramento River Cats trumped(excuse the expression) the Reno Aces 7-4:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .293.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(15).  BA= .284.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .296.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 3.25.

-Will Heathcott ever get a shot at CF in SF?
-Shaw is the Giants premier power-hitting prospect.  Can he play LF in the majors?  Can he hit for enough average in the majors?
-Free Fedex!

*********************************************************************************

AA  Harrisburg Senators edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4:

Caleb Gindl CF- 1 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .302.
CJ Hinojosa 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .284.
Jerry Sands 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .282.
KC Hobson LF- 2 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .248.
Cody Hall RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.86.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.28.

-What a motley crew in Richmond!

*********************************************************************************

High A  Lancaster Jethawks bombed the San Jose Giants 8-2:

Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 3, HR(9).  BA= .237.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.53.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Drew Muren RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

-Muren is a new name.  He seems to have come over from the D'Backs organization.  6'6" RHP.

*********************************************************************************

Low A Columbia Fireflies blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 5-0:

Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(10).  BA= .251.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.01.

-This is the first season Beltre has not missed most of in his career.
-I'm sure the Giants have their reasons for not promoting Mazza, but they are not apparent to me.

*********************************************************************************

Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Boise Hawks 14-5:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(23).  BA= .272.
Bryce Johnson LF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .335.
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .388.
Michael Sexton DH- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .218.
Rob Calabrese C- 4 for 5.  BA= .263.
Kevin Rivera SS/2B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .255.

*********************************************************************************

AZL  Giants outscored the Padres 10-9:

Ismael Munguia CF- 0 for 3, 3 BB.  BA= .340.
Mikey Edie LF- 5 for 6, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .455.
Rich Hill RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B, 2 BB, SB(6).  BA= .180.
Ricardo Genoves C- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .252.
Heliot Ramos PH/DH- 1 for 2. BA= .338.
Seth Corry LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.69.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.52.

-Is Mikey Edie finally finding some traction?
-Read a report about a pro scout raving about Genoves when asked who is a Giants prospect in the AZL nobody is talking about.
-A Ray Black sighting!

*********************************************************************************

DSL  Giants squeaked past the Padres 2-1(7 innings):

Marco Gonzalez LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

*********************************************************************************

DSL  Padres outlasted the Giants 3-2(10 innings):

NTSH.

Game Wrap 8/17/2017: Giants 5 Phillies 4

Jarrett Parker led an offense that built a 5-1 lead behind Jeff Samardzija and the Giants held off the team with the worse record in MLB for the Win.  Key Lines:

Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .257.  After hitting just .186 in July, Pence is hitting .340 in August.

Jarrett Parker LF- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .268.  After a 1 for 14 skid to start the just completed road trip, Parker is 5 for 12 over his last 3 games.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .319.  Hey!  The Killer P's are alive and well.  If Joe Panik was healthy, there  would be 4 of 'em.

Kelby Tomlinson 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .256.  Kelby is 6 for 15 since taking over at 2B for the injured Joe Panik.  He made a very nifty play to start a GIDP to bail Shark out of the near-disastrous 5'th inning.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.79.  Shark was excellent through 4 innings, good through 5 and barely escaped the 6'th.  See Kelby Tomlinson above.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.80.  Melancon followed a familiar script as he quickly retired the first 2 batters he faced then struggled to end the inning.

Hunter Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.30.  Dominant 8'th inning for Strick.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.44.  I doubt the Giants want to pay Melancon $60 M to be the 7'th inning guy, but for now this was an effective 7'th, 8'th, and 9'th inning combination.

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Matt Moore tries to build on his last dominant start facing Zach Eflin who I don't think the Giants have seen before.  They tend to not do well against pitchers they have not seen before.

*********************************************************************************

In case you were wondering, if the season ended today, the Giants would have the #3 pick in the 2018 draft with Cincinnati threatening to overtake them for #3.  Looking ahead, it appears likely the Giants will pick no lower than #5.  At this point, there is no clear #1 and the top tier of 2018 draft prospects is at least 5 deep so that's OK.  Why pay #1 money when you can get the same player for #5 money?

Down on the Farm: 8/16/2017

AAA  Reno Aces aced out the Sacramento River Cats 4-0:

Mac Williamson RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .235.
Jose Flores RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.96.

-Maybe Mac is finally getting some traction on the season?
-Seems like the Giants should keep Flores around and give him a long look next spring.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Harrisburg Senators outscored the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-4:

Caleb Gindl CF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .307.
TJ Bennett 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .258.
Hunter Cole PH- 1 for 1, HR(5).  BA= .239.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.75.

*********************************************************************************

High  San Jose Giants downed the Lancaster Jethawks 4-2:

Bryan Reynolds LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .313.
Dillon Dobson 1B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(15).  BA= .249.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .270.
Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .231.
Matt Krook LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.62.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.88.

*********************************************************************************

Low A  Columbia Fireflies lit up the Augusta Greenjackets 12-5:

Carlos Garcia SS- 1 for 4, HR(3), HBP.  BA= .243.
Shawon Dunston Jr.  -2 for 3, 3B, 2 BB, 2 SB(8).  BA= .258.
Jean Angomas CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .275.
Cristian Paulino 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .279.
Conner Kaden RHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 10/1.  ERA= 0.00.

*********************************************************************************

Short Season  Salem Keizer Volcanoes buried the Boise Hawks 12-3:

Malique Ziegler CF- 3 for 6, 2 SB(22).  BA= .273.
Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .336.
Logan Baldwin RF- 4 for 5, 2B, SB(13).  BA= .387.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .285.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .295.
Michael Sexton DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .208.
Jose Marte RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 5.52.

*********************************************************************************

AZL  Padres 2 defeated the Giants 7-1:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .336.
Aaron Bond DH- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .317.

*********************************************************************************

DSL  Giants whitewashed the Padres 5-0:

Raiber Gutierrez 2B- 3 for 4, SB(14).  BA= .257.
Alexander Canario DH- 2 for 4, SB(18).  BA= .300.
Samuel Jorge 3B- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .227.
Gregory Santos RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.41.
Jose Yan RHP- 2.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.41.

-Santos is the 17 yo the Giants acquired in the Eduardo Nunez trade.

*********************************************************************************

Brian Sabean and John Barr are apparently on an extended summer scouting trip to the Cape Cod League(must be rough).  Covechatter(linked to the left) uncovered an inneresting comment from Sabes via Baggs.  Check it out.

Game Wrap 8/16/2017: Marlins 8 Giants 1

The Giants played poorly in all facets of the game in a blowout loss to the Marlins.  Key Lines:

Hunter Pence(.256), Jarrett Parker(.250)- 2 hits each.

Matt Cain RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 5.19.  That is actually a dominant pitching line.  Cainer was betrayed by his defense in the first inning as the leadoff batter reached on catcher's interference and Brandon Crawford made a key error to keep the inning alive for the Marlins.  The K and BB numbers are dominant.

Albert Suarez RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 7.24.  Suarez went from dominating to overwhelmed in 1 inning in his last appearance.  He did not recover today.  Suarez can look great at times but those times are way too few and far between.

*********************************************************************************

Jeff Samardzija faces Aaron Nola in the opener of a 4 game series against the Phillies in AT&T Park tomorrow evening.

Down on the Farm: 8/15/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Reno Aces 7-6:

Conor Gillaspie 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .242.
Mac Williamson RF- 3 for 5, 2 HR(12).  BA= .232.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 3 for 5, HR(8).  BA= .292.
Roberto Gomez RHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.41.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.86.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(9).  ERA= 2.00.

-Mac is hitting .329 over his last 8 games with 3 dingers.  Overall a very disappointing season for Mac, but I still think he is the best bet long term for the Giants in LF.  Not to root for Jarrett Parker to fail but maybe Mac gets a look in September if Parker continues to struggle?
-I'm a bit frustrated the Giants did not get something, anything, for Nick Hundley at the trade deadline.  Fedex seems adequate as a backup MLB C, especially since the Giants aren't going anywhere this year anyway.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Caleb Gindl CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .302.
Jerry Sands 1B- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .277.
Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 3, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .219.
Tyler Herb RHP- 6.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.19.

-This was Herb's 6'th consecutive QS.

*********************************************************************************

High A  Lancaster Jethawks downed the San Jose Giants 5-3:

Steven Duggar RF- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .270.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .269.
Garrett Williams LHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 12/1.  ERA= 1.42.

-Duggar is hitting .302 over his last 10 games.
-Arenado is hitting .421 in 13 games in August.

*********************************************************************************

Low A  Columbia Fireflies defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 5-2:

Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .259.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .233.
Cristian Paulino 3B- 0 for 1, 3 BB, 2 SB(30).  BA= .275.
Stephen Woods RHP- 4 IP, 2 H 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.19.

*********************************************************************************

Short Season  Vancouver Canadians pounded the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 10-5:

Malique Ziegler CF- 0 for 3, 2 BB.   BA= .266.
Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .331.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 2, 2 SF.  BA= .280.
Peter Lanoo RHP- 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.44.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.23.

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AZL  Giants topped the Brewers 4-3:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .339.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .357.
Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .307.
Aaron Bond LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .290.
Nathanael Javier 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .290.
Joey Marciano LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Keenan Bartlett RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.47.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.62.

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DSL  Giants outscored the White Sox 8-5:

Robinson Batista DH- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .333.
Ghordy Santos SS- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .222.
Alexander Canario RF- 1 for 3, SB(17).  BA= .296.
Franklin Labour LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .325.
Omar Medina 1B- 3 for 5, SB(7).  BA= .211.

Game Wrap 8/15/2017: Giants 9 Marlins 4

Madison Bumgarner was not at his best but the offense piled on 6 runs over the final 3 innings to pick him up.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 3 for 4, HR(8), BB, SB(9).  BA= .272.  Span is 6 for 14 over his last 3 games but is still hitting just .244 for the month of August so far.  His 8'th HR leaves him 3 short of his career high of 11 set last year.

Hunter Pence RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .253.  Pence is hitting .326 for the month of August so far.

Ryder Jones 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .190.  Jones is looking more and more comfortable as a major leaguer.  He is hitting .270 in August so far.

Carlos Moncrief PH- 1 for 1.  BA= .313.  Moncrief should be playing himself into more looks.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.99.  Bummy gave up 2 longballs.  1 was to Stanton who has 45 on the season.

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Matt Cain will try for a series win tomorrow facing Jose Urena tomorrow morning PT.

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Joe Panik was placed on the 7 day concussion DL and reports on Brandon Belt's progress are not encouraging.

Down on the Farm: 8/14/2017

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees swarmed the Sacramento River Cats 8-2:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .291.
Tim Fedorowicz C- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .286.
Casey Kelly RHP- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.79.

-Kelly fails to build on his last terrific start.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

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High A  San Jose Giants outslugged the Lancaster Jethawks 10-3:

Steven Duggar RF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(6).  BA= .258.
Bryan Reynolds CF- 2 for 3, HR(7), 2 BB.  BA= .314.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(11).  BA= .267.
Gio Brusa DH- 1 for 4, HR(12).  BA= .232.
John Polonius SS- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(2).  BA= 267.
Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .225.
Grant Watson LHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.07.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 8.29.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00
Michael Cederoth RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.13.

-Nice game for padding the ol' stat line.
-Martinez and Cederoth are two hard throwing relievers who have missed some time.  Great to see them appear in the same game and throw shutout innings.
-Giants hit 4 dingers in the game.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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Short Season  Vancouver Canadians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-4:

Bryce Johnson LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .324.
Orlando Garcia 2B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .295.

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AZL  Giants pounded the Indians 12-2:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .344.
Ismael Munguia RF- 2 for 4, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .360.
Jacob Gonzalez 3B- 3 for 5, 2B, SF.  BA= .348.
Diego Rincones DH- 2 for 3, HR(3), 2 BB.  BA= .303.
Aaron Bond LF- 1 for 4, HR(5), 2 BB.  BA= .312.
Nathanael Javier 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .282.
Robert Antunez 2B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .308.
Miguel Figueroa RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.06.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.95.

-Another game for padding the ol' stat line.
-Love seeing the 4 teenagers at the top of this list.

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DSL  Giants outscored the White Sox 8-7 in 10 innings:

Alexander Canario RF- 3 for 5, 2 2B, 3B.  BA= .295.
Ghordy Santos SS- 2 for 3, BB, SB(14).  BA= .214.

-Ghordy Santos got off to a slow start to his pro career but is hitting .375 over his last 10 games and .290 since the DSL All-Star break.

Game Wrap 8/14/2017: Marlins 8 Giants 3

When the Giants took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 3'rd inning, this seemed like a promising game.  Then the BABIP gods went to work evening the ledger on Ty Blach who got a lot of groundball outs but also gave up a lot of groundball basehits.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 1 for 5, 2B.  BA= .267.  Span's ground rule double to drive in 2 runs was the big blow of the game for the Giants, which proved to be not nearly enough.

Hunter Pence and Nick Hundley had 2 hits each, all singles.

Ty Blach LHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.37.  Blach's impeccable control was not impeccable today and the BABIP gods took their revenge.  Hey!  You live by BABIP, you die by BABIP!  He's also been great at keeping the ball in the yard, but gave up dingers to Stanton and Osuna.  I should mention that Stanton's shot was his 43'rd of the season Does he have a shot at 60?

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Madison Bumgarner tries to even the series tomorrow evening against Dan Strailly.

Down on the Farm: 8/13/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Salt Lake City Bees 5-3:

Melvin Upton Jr. CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .381.
Matt Gage LHP- 6 IP, 11 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.70.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(7).  ERA= 2.81.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Reading Fightin' Phils 3-0:

Caleb Gindl CF- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .297.
CJ Hinojosa SS- 2 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .282.
Myles Schroder 2B- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .261.
KC Hobson 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .233.
Matt Lujan LHP- 8 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.53.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(16).  ERA= 2.34.

-All 3 runs scored on solo dingers.

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High A  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 3-1:

Bryan Reynolds RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.   BA= .312.
Mark Reyes LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.88.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA- 4.70.

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Low A  Asheville Tourists trampled the Augusta Greenjackets 11-2:

Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .259.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .229.
Cristian Paulino 3B- 2 for 3, HR(4), BB.  BA= .276.

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

Malique "5-tool" Ziegler CF- 1 for 3, HR(4), 2 BB.  BA= .277.
Stetson "Not Stephen" Woods RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.37.
Garrett Cave RHP- 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.21.
John Russell RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.12.

-Malique Ziegler seems to have his mojo back so we'll give him his nickname back.
-It seems only fair that if we call Stephen Woods "not Stetson" we should call Stetson "not Stephen".

Game Wrap 8/13/2017(Game 2 of DH): Nationals 6 Giants 2

The Giants and Matt Moore battled the Nationals and Max Scherzer to a 2-2 tie in regulation only to see their efforts crushed by a Howie Kendrick walkout grand slam in the 11'th inning.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .271.  Panik is hot right now.  He went 5 for 9 in the doubleheader with and added a BB.  Unfortunately he got a mitt facial from Matt Wieters while trying to score what might well have been the winning run as the trailing runner in the 4'th inning.

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .218.  Pabs is slashing .240/.240/440 in 7 games since joining the Giants on August 5.

Matt Moore LHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 5.71.  This is what the Giants were hoping to get out of Moore in at least 2/3's of his starts.  Can he put together a string of these and convince the Giants to keep him this offseason?

Albert Suarez RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.75.  Suarez runs hot and cold.  He struck out the side in the 10'th innings bringing back memories of an extra-inning effort by one, Yusmeiro Petit, but the roof collapsed in the 11'th as he went single, single walk, grand salami without recording an out.

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The Giants move on to Miami where Ty Blach opens the series against Adam Conley in a battle of lefties.

Game Wrap 8/13/2017(Game 1 of DH): Giants 4 Nationals 2

Chris Stratton pitched a gem and the Giants offense scored their requisite 4 runs for a winning combination.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .269.  Panik is heavily BABIP dependent and his BABIP is on the rise.  Giants broadcasting team made a big point of Panik playing better on the East Coast "in front of his family."  Not sure what that means.

Ryder Jones 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .180.  Jones has been playing a scintillating defense at 1B and he looked a whole lot more comfortable at the plate today.  His one out double started the 3 run rally in the second inning.

Gorkys Hernandez CF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(10).  BA= .261.  I would not mind a straight platoon of Gorkys and Span in CF.  That's what I wanted at the beginning of the season.

Chris Stratton RHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 4.91.  Wow!  If I didn't know better I might think Stratton is a former first round draft pick....oh right!  I guess he is!  Man, 2 months ago I had Stratton written off as a prospect after a string of disheartening appearances for Sacramento.  Since then he's really picked it up.  Today, he was overpowering with a FB that he could both sink and go upstairs and a plus curveball and slider, both with sharp downward bite.  Per Pavs, Stratton's curveball has the highest spin rate in the majors.  He was dominating.

Here's the thing with Chris Stratton,  He's had these kinds of games in the minors but he hasn't been able to maintain consistency.  That's his big challenge.  He's proven he's got the stuff to be an ace.  Now he needs to prove he can repeat it start after start.

Sam Dyson RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(9).  ERA= 5.57.  Dyson is stlll the closer until Melancon gets his feet back on the ground. Giants are not paying Melancon $60 M to be a setup man, though, so he's sure to eventually get the 9'th inning back.

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Matt Moore tries for a series win against Max Scherzer in Game 2 of the DH.

Down on the Farm: 8/12/2017

AAA  Salt Lake City Bees stung the Sacramento River Cats 3-1:

Mac Williamson RF- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .225.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 8.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K's, GO/AO= 13/1.  ERA= 3.36.

-Suarez took a 4-hit gem into the 9'th inning before allowing a single and double to put runners at 2'nd and 3'rd with 1 out.  Tyler Rogers got a groundball out to keep the shutout alive but then gave up a 3-run dinger with the first 2 runs charged to Suarez.

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AA  Reading Fightin' Phils smashed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-1(7 innings):

Caleb Gindl CF- 1 for 3, HR(5).  BA= .302.

-Sigh.

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AA  Reading Fightin' Phils downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2(7 innings):

Myles Schroder 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .257.
Brandon Bender 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .271.
Daniel Carbonell CF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .244.

Yeah.  Double sigh!

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

Steven Duggar DH- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .258.
Matt Winn C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .243.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .225.

-Miller is hitting .278 over his last 10 games.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Asheville Tourists 8-6:

Carlos Garcia SS- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .279.
Jean Angomas CF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .273.
Skyler Ewing 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .247.
Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .258.

-Fabian is hitting .333 over his last 10 games and .371 for the month of August.

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Short Season  Vancouver Canadians beat the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-2:

Malique Ziegler CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .276.
Ryan Kirby 1B- 3 for 3, BB.  BA= .284.
Logan Webb RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 9/0.  ERA= 2.37.

I am bullish on Logan Webb who is just 20 yo.

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AZL  Giants blanked the Reds 1-0:

Ismael Munguia CF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .353.
Diego Rincones RF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .292.
Seth Corry LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.47.
Weilly Yan RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.32.
Keenan Bartlett RHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.52.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.72.

-Love what Heliot Ramos and Jacob Gonzalez have accomplished in their pro debuts, but don't forget about Munguia and Rincones who are also teenagers playing well at an appropriate level.
-Corry had trouble finding the strike zone in his last start, but made a nice recovery here.

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DSL  Giants bested the Blue Jays 6-2(7 innings):

Franklin Labour 1B- 2 for 3, HR(5).  BA= .327.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.17.

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DSL  Giants smacked down the Blue Jays 7-0(7 innings):

Robinson Batista DH- 2 for 4, HR(1), SB(5).  BA= .353.
Alexander Canario CF/RF- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .292.
Franklin Labour 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(12).  BA= .325.
Luis Alvarado C- 2 for 2, HBP.  BA= .234.
Francis Pena RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.08.

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Jack Conlon the pitching prospect who failed the Orioles physical apparently also failed the Giants physical and several other MLB teams too and is headed to college at Texas A&M.

Game Wrap 8/12/2017: Nationals 3 Giants 1

The Giants had to wait until 10:00 PM local time to start a series that was supposed to to start 27 hours earlier due to awful weather in Washington DC.  It had still not completely stopped raining when the grounds crew got the swamp drained enough to get started.  The Giants scored first on Joe Panik's HR, the Nationals scored 2 in the bottom of the first to take the lead, and Bryce Harper suffered a nasty looking knee injury when he slipped on a wet first base bag while trying to win a foot race with Ryder Jones to the base.  After that, this one was a real snoozer as Edwin Jackson worked his usual hex on the Giants lineup to waste QS from Jeff Samardzija.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .264.  Panik, the second batter in the lineup, got a fastball up and over the plate in the first inning.  He turned on it and drove it several rows into the RF stands for his 7'th roundtripper.  All of the Giants 8 position players in the lineup reached base and 7 had hits, but they were scattered so Panik's dinger ended up as the only run they scored.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 H.  ERA= 4.74.  Pretty much a microcosm of Shark's season here.  Hittable early to fall behind, strong K and BB numbers, poor run support and another L on the pitching line.

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.15.  Giants stated plan is to ease Melancon back into the closing role.   He got a scoreless inning under his belt here.

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Weather permitting, the Giants close out the 3-game series with a day-night DH with Chris Stratton facing AJ Cole in the afternoon game with Matt Moore taking on Max Scherzer in the nightcap.