Down on the Farm: 6/30/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats smothered the Albuquerque Isotopes 7-2:

Henry Ramos RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .273.
Mike Gerber LF/CF- 2 for 4, HR(17), SB(2).  BA= .318.
Austin Slater 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .246.
Abiatal Avelino 2B- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB(9).  BA= .278.
Ty Blach LHP- 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.10.
Williams Jerez LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.23.

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AA  Hartford Yard Goats edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1:

Bryce Johnson RF- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .421.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(34).  BA= .245.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.81.

Bryce Johnson and Johneshwy have formed a nice 1-2 combo at the top of the order.  This looks like Caleb Baragar's best start in a strong season.

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A+. San Jose Giants crushed the Stockton Ports 13-1:

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 5, SB(4).  BA= .294.
Joey Bart C- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .263.
David Villar 1B- 4 for 5, 3 2B.  BA= .267.
Heath Quinn LF- 3 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.   BA= .316.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 1 for 5, 2 SB(9).  BA= .214.
Matt Frisbee RHP- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.14.
John Gavin LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.22.

David Villar got off to kind of a slow start on his first full pro season, but has picked it up with a .342 BA over his last 10 games.  Matt Frisbee's Runs Allowed finally caught up with his secondary stats.

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A Augusta Greenjackets battered the Asheville Tourists 9-1:

Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(9).  BA= .279.
Andres Angulo C- 2 for 4, HR(2), SB(1).  BA= .209.
Anyesber Sivira SS- 3 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .260.
Gregory Santos RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 10/3.  ERA= 2.10.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.71.

Gregory Santos has allowed just 2 ER in 19 IP since his return from the IL.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outscored the Boise Hawks 11-9:

Sean Roby 3B- 2 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .338.
Ricardo Genoves DH- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .315.
Yorlis Rodriguez 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .234.
Kwan Adkins CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .269.
Jacob Lopez LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

This was Ricardo Genoves' 3'rd consecutive multi-hit game in which he is a cumulative 7 for 14.

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Both AZL teams and the DSL Giants were idle.

Game Wrap 6/30/2019: Giants 10 D'Backs 4

The Giants ended June on a positive note as Kevin Pillar led the Giants offense in strong support of a dominant start by Madison Bumgarner.  Key Lines:

Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .227.  Belt has become mainly an OBP guy with an occasional HR.  His OBP of .358 leads all Giants not named Alex Dickerson.  Ideally you hope your first baseman can hit in the middle of the order, but Belt gives the most value hitting in the top 2.

Buster Posey C- 3 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .251.  Buster has settled into being mostly a singles and doubles hitter which is OK, as long as you understand that's what you are getting from him.  Cleanup might not be the best spot in the batting order for him.

Kevin Pillar CF- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(11).  BA= .240.  Pillar takes over the team lead in HR's and has a big game, but is still hitting just .222 over his last 7.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.02.  Now THAT is a vintage Bummy performance!  20 K's in 13 IP since getting roughed up by the Dodgers on 6/20.  Oh, and he moved into a tie with Tim Lincecum for #2 on the Giants all time strikeout list from the SF era.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.27.  DRod couldn't finish an inning with a 9 run lead.  I would say he'll probably be going down to Sacramento when Travis Bergen comes off the IL.

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The Giants have to keep after it until July 4 when they get their next day off.  Jeff Samardzija opens a 3 game series against the Padres facing rookie LHP Logan Allen who is sporting an ERA of 1.38.  We know how the Giants hitters fare against rookie pitchers.....

Down on the Farm: 6/29/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats cooled off the Albuquerque Isotopes 6-1:

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .333.
Joey Rickard LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .333.
Mike Gerber RF/CF- 2 for 3, HR(16), BB.  BA= .315.
Austin Slater 2B/1B- 2 for 3, HBP.  BA= .305.
Zach Green 3B- 1 for 3, HR(18), HBP.  BA= .310.
Yoanys Quiala RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 5.34.

Steven Duggar starts a rehab assignment.  Gerber and Green keep mashing.  This was Quiala's best start of the season by a wide margin.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Hartford Yard Goats 4-0:

Bryce Johnson RF- 2 for 3, SF.  BA= .438.
Peter Maris 3B/SS- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .400.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .218.
Garrett Williams LHP- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.63.
Chase Johnson RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 5/1.  ERA= 5.03.

Peter Maris and Bryce Johnson inject some life into the Squirrels offense after promotion from SJ. This was Garrett Williams' 4'th start out of 5 in which he pitched at least 5 scoreless innings. Again, this was by far his best start of the season. Chase Johnson's ERA is 2.12 over his last 10 games.

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A+ Stockton Ports outlasted the San Jose Giants 8-6(10 innings):

Brandon Van Horn 3B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .354.
Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .188.
Courtney Hawkins LF- 2 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .252.

Heliot Ramos had an OF assist at 3B.  Joey Bart got the night off.

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A Augusta Greenjackets stung the Lexington Legends 4-1:

Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .289.
Adam Oller RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.55.
Ryan Walker RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.11.
Jesus Tona RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(13).  ERA= 1.32.

Best Starts of the season is a theme here as Adam Oller turned one in too.

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Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 4-2:

Harrison Freed LF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= 267.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .286.
Kwan Adkins CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(4).  BA= .258.
Andy Rohloff RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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Rookie AZL  Dodgers Lasorda doubled up the Giants Black 8-4:

Carter Aldrete 2B- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .308.
Matt Malkin C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .296.
Dilan Rosario SS- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .161.
Ivan Armstrong RHP- 4 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.76.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange crushed the Dodgers Mota 9-3:

Alexander Canario CF- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .395.
Marco Luciano SS- 2 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .333.
Abdiel Layer 3B- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB. BA= .200.
Patrick Hilson RF/CF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .162.
Javeyon Williams LF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .345.
Jesus Gomez LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 6.30.
Jordan Scott RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 0.96.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Prospect hounds at MCC say reason Canario is in Arizona is he is rehabbing an injury.  That's the first I've heard that definitely said.  If you are not irrationally exuberant about Marco Luciano, you probably should not be reading this.  Could he move up before the end of the season?

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DSL  Pirates2 dominated the Giants 6-0:

Rayner Santana C(16 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .321.
Jason Bonilla RHP(20 yo)- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.35.

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Seems like our friend ogc is dealing with some tough times right now and taking a break from his blog linked to the left.  I have a feeling he'll be posting more than he is saying, but I wish him the best in any case.  I don't always agree with ogc, but I respect that he was a lone voice cheerleading for Brian Sabean in the late aughts when most internet commenters were calling for Sabes to be fired.  ogc is relentless which is why it's a bit of a surprise to see him pack it in and why I suspect he will continue posting at roughly the same rate he has in the past, but I guess we all have our limits.

I sometimes would have to give him timeouts on comments here just because this is my blog, darn it, and I wasn't going to let him take over!  Hope he's not too sore about that and again, I wish him the best.

Game Wrap 6/29/2019: D'Backs 4 Giants 3

Drew Pomeranz traded zeros with Zack Greinke for 5 innings, but a pair of unearned runs contributed to a stumble by the bullpen and proved to be too much for Steven Vogt's 3-run HR in the bottom of the 9'th inning to overcome.  Key Lines:

Steven Vogt C- 2 for 3, HR(2), HBP.  BA= .277.  Vogt caused a stir in the 9'th with a no-out 3-run jack to cut the Giants deficit to 4-3.  The rally then stalled out.  At this point, Vogt is clearly a better hitter than Buster Posey, but per Fangraphs, Buster is still the superior defensive catcher which more than makes up for his offensive deficiencies in fWAR.

Drew Pomeranz LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.25.  Pomeranz matched zeros with Zack Greinke for 5 innings but threw 103 pitches in the process which forced him to turn the game over to the bullpen.   By contrast, Greinke threw just 90 pitches in 7 shutout innings.  So yeah, pitch counts and getting deep into games still counts for something.

Bullpen- 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.  Errors by CF Kevin Pillar and SS Brandon Crawford contributed to this subpar showing by the bullpen.  Pillar now has 5 on the season which is tied for #2 worst among all MLB OF's.  Crawford now has 10 which ties him for 4'th worst among all MBL SS's. Crawford's overall defense remains a positive per UZR, but Pillar's CF UZR has fallen well into negative territory.

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Madison Bumgarner tries for a series split today facing fellow lefty Robbie Ray.

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I appreciate several thoughtful responses to my comment at the end of yesterday's post.  Here are a few additional thoughts:

1.  I agree the Giants "core" aged a bit more quickly than most analysts would expect.

2.  I agree the juiced ball made the style of baseball the Giants used to win 3 championships completely obsolete and is a huge factor in where we are today.

3.  I agree Brandon Belt's contract may have been a "bridge too far" although his contract is still "above water" at this point.

4.  The trades and FA signings Bobby Evans made from 2016 on were risky, but exactly what he was mandated to do by ownership.  Those risks almost all cut the wrong way and he took the fall.

5.  I did an exhaustive pick-by-pick analysis of the Giants drafts from 2010-2016 this past offseason and concluded their failures were due much more to draft position than to poor drafting.  It is unlikely a different scouting/drafting team would have done better.

6.  The Giants failure to sign and develop international talent over the past 10 years is a big factor in the weakness of the farm system but they have picked up the pace since loopholes were closed in the bonus pool rules and crackdowns on teams who were cheating.  It is worth noting all of the international players currently in the Giants lower minors including Canario, Luciano, Pomares and Matos were signed while Bobby Evans was the GM.

7.  Although I like some of Farhan's "dumpster dive" pickups, it's still unclear to me that his roster churning strategy is a net positive. He has yet to make a move or moves that convince me he is an upgrade over Evans/Sabean who had an impressive record of "dumpster diving" themselves.

Down on the Farm: 6/28/2019

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas outsillyballed the Sacramento River Cats 9-5:

Zach Green 3B- 1 for 4, HR(17).  BA= .309.
Ray Black RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.21.
Sam Selman LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.74.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Hartford Yard Goats 3-2:

Bryce Johnson RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .385.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 4 for 4, 2B, 2 SB(33).  BA= .246.
Alfred Gutierrez RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.02.
Carlos Navas RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.77.

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A+  Stockton Ports outlasted the San Jose Giants 11-8(10 innings):

Brandon Van Horn 2B- 2 for 4, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .341.
Heliot Ramos DH- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .293.
Joey Bart C- 3 for 6.  BA= .257.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 4, SF, SB(2).  BA= .254.
Sean Hjelle RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K's, GO/AO= 5/0.  ERA= 2.04.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.46.

I read a Farhan quote saying he'd like to see Heliot Ramos and Joey Bart in AA before the end of the season.  They are the Giants representatives to the Future Game.  Maybe Sean Hjelle to AA too?

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A  Lexington Legends blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 1-0:

Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .286.
Keaton Winn RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.52.
Matt Seelinger RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.42.
Luis Amaya LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.52.

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Short Season  Boise Hawks topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-6(10 innings):

Simon Whiteman SS- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .293.
Franklin Labour RF- 3 for 4, BB. BA= .316.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .267.
Tyler Flores 1B- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .264.
Kwan Adkins CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .254.

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Rookie AZL  Dodgers Lasorda(eww!!) outscored the Giants Black 7-6(10 innings):

Brandon Martorano C- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .294.
George Bell CF- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .333.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange defeated the D'Backs 5-3:

Alexander Canario CF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .410.
Connor Cannon DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .310.
Andrew Caraballo 2B- 2 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .267.
Juan Sanchez LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.40.
Jorge Labrador RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.38.

Alexander Canario does not hit a HR, but he needs to move up.

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DSL  Giants vs Royals Suspended with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9'th inning with score 8-8:

Victor Bericoto LF(17 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .354.
Ronoldo Flores C(17 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .350.
Robert Gomez RF- 1 for 3, RF(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .238.
Jose Mullings RHP(19 yo)- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.58.
Marvin Brown RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.60.

Game Wrap 6/28/2019: Giants 6 D'Backs 3

Shaun Anderson fell 1 out short of a Quality Start but the Giants offense and bullpen picked him up for a Win.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .241. Buster has been scuffling and is still hitting just .200 over his last 7 games, .220 over his last 15 and .230 over his last 30.

Alex Dickerson LF- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .311.  Dickerson is hitting .423 in 8 games with the Giants.  he could always hit.

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .226.  Crawford has a 4 game hit streak in which he is 6 for 13. He's also hit in 7 of 8 games in which he is 11 for 28.  6 of those 11 hits are doubles.  A hot Crawford really extends the lineup for the Giants.

Shaun Anderson RHP- 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.86.  Baby Thor has been Mr Consistent going at least 5 innings and no more than 6 while allowing 2-4 runs in all 8 of his starts.  He'll have to find a way to increase his K/BB as he gains experience.

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Drew Pomeranz takes his 5 and Dive act to the mound today facing Zack Greinke.

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To some you are wondering why your rant comments about the the previous management regime and all of the currently under-performing long term contracts are not getting published, I just have one question:  Where were you when those contracts were being signed?  Because you definitely were not criticizing them on this blog when I was at least warning that they were likely to under-perform on the back end.

Combined Post for Games of 6/27/2019

I was up late with a family medical emergency last night and pressed for time this morning so an abbreviated post today:

Brandon Belt's solo dinger was just 1 of 3 Giants hits in a lifeless loss to the D'Backs in Game 1 of a 4 game series.  Tyler Beede pitched decently.

More sillyball in the PCL as Chris Shaw and Zach Green had 3 hits and a HR each in a 17-5 blowout in El Paso.

Bryce Johnson had 3 hits leading off in his second game after a promotion to AA.

Alexander Canario hit his 6'th HR for Giants Orange in the AZL.

Feel free to post your highlights in the Comments.

BTW, everything under control for now with my family.  Thanks for your patience and support.

Down on the Farm: 6/26/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the El Paso Chihuahuas 5-4:

Austin Slater 2B- 2 for 5.  BA= .304.
Zach Green 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .301.
Francisco Pena C- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .333.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .237.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 4, SB(7).  BA= .281.
Conner Menez LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.22.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 3/1.  ERA= 3.11.
Fernando Abad LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.30.
Jandel Gustave RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(5).  ERA= 5.17.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Altoona Curve 6-2:

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .217.
Hamlet Marte C- 1 for 2, BB.  BA= .212.
Johneshwy Fargas RF- 2 for 3, 3B.  BA= .229.
Brandon Beachy RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.93.

Brandon Beachy's comeback stays on track.  Over/under for how soon we see him pitching for the Giants?

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A+  San Jose Giants outlasted the Modesto Nuts 6-5(10 innings):

Brandon Van Horn 2B- 3 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .343.
Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 3, BB, SF, SB(3).  BA= .289.
Heath Quinn LF- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .000.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .212.

Brandon Van Horn seems to like hitting leadoff.  Gotta be beaucoup excited with how Heliot Ramos is bouncing back from a nasty slump.

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A  Augusta Greenjackets stung the Asheville Tourists 6-1:

Ismael Munguia CF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .272.
Diego Rincones DH- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .279.
Frankie Tostado 1B- 3 for 5.  BA= .274.
Blake Rivera RHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.78.
JJ Santa Cruz LHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.25.
Preston White RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.89.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes topped the Hillsboro Hops 5-3:

Sean Roby 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .345.
Franklin Labour RF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .294.
Harrison Freed LF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .250.
Tyler Flores 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.
Israel Cruz RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 0.00

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange beat the A's Green 3-2:

Alexander Canario CF- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .379.
Tyler Wyatt RF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .368.
Javeyon Williams LF- 0 for 2, BB, 2 SB(4).  BA= .364.
Wilkelma Castillo RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.23.
Jordan Scott RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.42.

Alexander Canario says "please send me to Oregon!".

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Rookie AZL  Indians Blue downed the Giants Black 7-3:

Grant McCray CF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .111.
Jairo Pomares RF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .385.
Brandon Martorano C- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .222.

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DSL Colorado outscored the Giants 10-8:

Jose Peralta 2B(17 yo)- 2 for 5, 2 3B.  BA= .329.
Victor Bericoto 1B(17 yo)- 4 for 5.  BA= .360.
Ronoldo Flores C(17 yo)- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .345.
Robert Gomez RF(18 yo)- 2 for 3, HR(2), 2 BB, Assist(home).  BA= .246.

Game Wrap 6/26/2019: Rockies 6 Giants 3

It wasn't so much David Dahl's home run that ruined Jeff Samardzija's start, but the two walks and infield single that preceded it in the third inning to erase a 2-run first inning lead for the Giants and effectively put this game out of reach.  Key lines:

Pablo Sandoval 2 for 4, 2B, HR(10).  BA= .288.  Pabs' double in the first drove in the Giants first run.  He then scored on Alex Dickerson's double.  His dinger in the 3'rd inning tied him with Kevin Pillar for most Giants HR's so far this season.  Unfortunately, that ended the Giants scoring for the day.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.52.  See intro.  Again, HR's alone will not generally kill a start as much as leadoff walks.  Shark set the table for David Dahl and that was the ballgame.

Derek Holland LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.17.  Holland has allowed just 1 run in 6 IP over his last 3 appearances.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.77.  DRod has allowed 2 runs in 7 IP over his last 4 appearances.

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With the Loss, the Giants drop 2 of 3 to the Rockies.  They start a 4-gamer against the D'Backs tonight with Tyler Beede facing lefty Alex Young making his major league debut, an event which tends to spell trouble for the Giants.  Young was a 2'nd round draft pick in 2015 out of TCU.  His ERA of 6.09 in the sillyball league may not be as good a measure of his chances as the 64 K's in 54.2 IP.

Down on the Farm: 6/25/2019

AAA  El Paso Chihuahuas outscored the Sacramento River Cats 12-11:

Joey Rickard RF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .417.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .299.
Austin Slater 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .302.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .278.
Ronnie Freeman C- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5).  BA= .290.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.60.
Ty Blach LHP- 5.2 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/1.  ERA= 6.38.

River Cats tried using Ray Black as an Opener for Ty Blach.....and it didn't go well!  They are playing sillyball in the PCL this season.

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AA  Altoona Curve defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-1:

Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(8).  BA= .259.
Jacob Heyward RF- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .222.
Brett Austin C- 2 for 3.  BA= .188.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.98.
Chase Johnson RHP- 2.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.34.

Caleb Baragar breaks his string of games allowing 2 runs or less.

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A+ San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 8-4:

Brandon Van Horn SS- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .290.
Heliot Ramos CF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(9).  BA= .282.
Joey Bart C- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .245.
Manuel Geraldo DH- 3 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .212.
Matt Frisbee RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.70.
Garrett Cave RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.08.
Joey Marciano LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 4.11.

Heliot Ramos busts out of a 2 for 24 slump with a big game.  Joey Bart has a modest 5 game hit streak in which he is 5 for 17. Manuel Geraldo's bat has a long history of coming alive in the second half of seasons.  He's hitting .378 over his last 10 games and his 8 for 16 over his last 4.

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A  Augusta Greenjackets stung the Asheville Tourists 4-2:

Ismael Munguia DH- 0 for 1, 2 BB, HBP.  BA= .264.
Mikey Edie RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .241.
Frankie Tostado 1B- 2 for 4, HR(11).  BA= .268.
Gregory Santos RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 5/1.  ERA= 2.29.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.00.
Jesus Tona RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, Save(12).  ERA= 1.25.

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Short Season  Hillsboro Hops blanked the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 7-0:

Absolutely nothing to see here.  Volcanoes had just 2 hits in the game.  Jacob Lopez got shelled.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange and Giants Black were idle.

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DSL  Giants beat Colorado 8-3:

Jose Peralta 3B(17 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .324.
Luis Matos CF(17 yo)- 2 for 5, 2 HR(5).  BA= .319.
Victor Bericoto DH(17 yo)- 2 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .329.
Ronoldo Flores 1B(17 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .360.
Rayner Santana C(16 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .314.
Adolfo Valdez LF(19 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .189.
Rafael Martinez RHP(19 yo)- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.26.
Yoniel Ramirez RHP(18 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.92.
Robinson Escobar RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.25.

Luis Matos continues to live up to his July 2 signing hype.  Rayner Santana continues to impress as a 16 yo.

Game Wrap 6/25/2019: Giants 4 Rockies 2

Madison Bumgarner has a long history of strong comebacks from bad starts.  Last night was not exception as he came out looking like he was PO'd at himself for the debacle in LA.  Still, the biggest difference between this game and Drew Pomeranz' Monday night was the offense which scored 4 runs instead of zero.  Key Lines:

Alex Dickerson LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .297.  It didn't take long for Dickerson to move into the cleanup spot in the lineup.  He started the 2-run rally in the 4'th with a leadoff single.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .215.  Crawford made the first run possible with some nice baserunning.  First, he was running on the pitch to Donovan Solano who hit it right through the hole the SS vacated to cover 2B creating a first and 3'rd with no out situation.  Bumgarner then hit a sharp grounder to Nolan Arenado which hung Crawford out to dry, but Brandon made some very smart moves in a rundown to allow the other runners to advance to 2'nd and 3'rd, setting up a SF by Brandon Belt.  Crawford also drew a walk during the 2-run rally in the 4'th inning and scored on Madison Bumgarner's hard single.

Donovan Solano 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .296.  Solano is 3 for 7 his last 2 games facing RH SP's.  He is hitting .375 over his last 7 games and .394 over his last 15.  History would suggest it's not sustainable, but if he hits this well against RHP's, there is no reason he should not be playing somewhere every game because he should definitely replace either Crawford or Panik against LHP's.

Tyler Austin PH- 1 for 1, HR(7).  BA= .204.  With the arrival of Alex Dickerson, Austin has not gotten much playing time but he is toonder off the bench.  How is this for three true outcomes?  67 of his 115 PA's have been either K's, walks or HR's.  Oh, and the HR rate projects out to about 38 per 600 PA's which about where he is for his career with 31 in 519 PA's.  I could foresee an eventual strike L-R platoon of Dickerson and Austin in LF for the Giants.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 11 K's.  ERA= 4.21.  Bummy had one of his best strikeout games in recent memory which hopefully buffed up his trade resume.  Not that I want to see him traded, but that's what needs to happen and the Giants need to get good player(s) in return.

Bullpen- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  Dyson, Watson and Will Smith all pitched perfect innings with Smith recording his 21'st Save.  All 3 have significant trade value with the trade deadline looming.  Is Dyson's contract controlled for one more season?  Not sure.

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Jeff Samardzija tries for a series win this afternoon facing flame throwing German Marquez.

Down on the Farm: 6/24/2019

AAA  Las Vegas Aviators strafed the Sacramento River Cats 15-6:

Joey Rickard CF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .250.
Chris Shaw 1B- 1 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .278.
Zach Green 3B- 1 for 4, HR(15).  BA= .306.
Francisco Pena DH- 2 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .331.

Gustave, Bergen and Rogers all pitched scoreless innings over the last 3 frames, but it was too little too late.

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AA  Altoona Curve defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-2:

Brett Austin C- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .077.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.54.

Austin is a newcomer apparently signed as a minor league FA.  Last played affiliated ball in 2018.  Is Ryan Halstead's first pro start?  Is this a one-off or are the Giants converting him from relieving.

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A+  Modesto Nuts smothered the San Jose Giants 11-2:

Mac Marshall LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Good to see Mac Marshall's name back in the boxscores.  Hopefully he's healthy and can find some traction on his career.

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A  Augusta Greenjackets stung the Asheville Tourists 5-2:

Jacob Gonzalez 3B-  2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .236.
Adam Oller RHP- 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.66.

Jacob Gonzalez is 5 for 12 over his last 3 games.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Everett Aquasox 13-3:

Jeff Houghtby 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .257.
Sean Roby DH- 3 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .347.
Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .295.
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 5, 2 HR(4).  BA= .265.
Tyler Flores 1B- 2 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .270.
Kwan Adkins LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .244.
Kervin Castro RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 1.20.

6 HR's in the game for the Volcanoes.  Is Ricardo Genoves finally breaking out?  Another terrific start for Curvin' Kervin Castro.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Black obliterated the A's Gold 10-2:

Bryan Hernandez CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .400.
Armani Smith RF- 2 for 3, 3B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .667.
Dilan Rosario SS- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .200.
Sandro Fabian LF- 2 for 4, 2 HR(2).  BA= .211.
Ivan Armstrong RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.14.
Jose Cruz RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.05.

Dylan Hernandez is one if my sleepers in the system.  I assume Sandro Fabian is rehabbing.

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Rookie AZL Giants Orange pounded the A's Green 9-2:

Alexander Canario CF- 2 for 6, 2 HR(4).  BA= .400.
Marco Luciano SS- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .345.
Andrew Caraballo 2B- 1 for 5, HR(1), SB(1).  BA= .333.
Heath Quinn DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .280.
Tyler Wyatt 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SF.  BA= .313.
Javeyon Williams LF- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .400.
Rodolfo Martinez RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Alexander Canario showing some toonder off his bat!

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DSL  Tigers2 topped the Giants 5-3:

Jose Peralta SS(17 yo)- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .318.
Robert Gomez RF(18 yo)- 1 for 3, BB, SB(2). BA= .240.
Cristian Acosta RHP(19 yo)- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.48.

Game Wrap 6/24/2019: Rockies 2 Giants 0

A flyball by David Dahl that barely cleared the LF wall at Oracle Park ruined an otherwise sparkling pitching performance by Drew Pomeranz and 2 relievers as the Giants offense laid down and died for Jon Gray.  Key Lines:

 Drew Pomeranz LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 11 K's.  ERA= 6.79.  Pomeranz had an electric fastball and a sharp curve you could see with the first batter of the first inning.  He made the one mistake pitch to Dahl and all the K's ran his pitch count up to 93 after 5 innings.  Otherwise, a splendid performance which hopefully bodes well for the future.  A couple more in a row like this and he might generate some trade interest by July 31.

Derek Holland LHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.28.  I have to confess to checking out early and going to bed but the line looks encouraging.

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Madison Bumgarner tries to put his last awful start behind him tonight facing Chi Chi Gonzalez who last pitched in the major leagues in 2016.

Down on the Farm: 6/23/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Las Vegas Aviators 4-3:

Mike Gerber CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .321.
Austin Slater 1B- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .299.
Zach Green DH- 2 for 4, 2 HR(14).  BA= .308.
Enderson Franco RHP- 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.32.
Fernando Abad LHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, Save(9).  ERA= 2.39.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Binghampton Rumble Ponies 4-3:

Jalen Miller 2B- 1 for 3, HR(8), BB.  BA= .216.
Jonah Arenado 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B, SF.  BA- .283.
Garrett Williams LHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.05.
Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 3.20.

The month of June has been rough on Jalen Miller.  Jonah Arenado continues to hit well.

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A+  San Jose Giants swamped the Stockton Ports 7-0:

Courtney Hawkins DH- 1 for 5, HR(7).  BA= .236.
Bryce Johnson RF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(18).  BA= .265.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 5.  BA= .258.
Jean Angomas LF- 4 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .234.
Dalton Combs 1B- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .417.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .202.
Sean Hjelle RHP- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's, GO/AO= 7/0.  ERA= 2.08.
Solomon Bates RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.60.
Garrett Cave RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.23.

Heliot Ramos went 0 for 5 and is on a 4 for 31 skid over his last 7 games. Joey Bart is just 6 for 32 over his last 9 games.

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A   Kannapolis Intimidators outlasted the Augusta Greenjackets 4-3(10 innings):

Frankie Tostado 1B- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .265.
Ismael Munguia LF- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .266.
Keaton Winn RHP- 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.82.
Matt Seelinger RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.69.
Preston White RHP- 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.13.

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Short Season  Everett Aquasox topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-6:

Yorlis Rodriguez 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .300.
Sean Roby DH- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .318.
Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .308.
Travis Perry RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

8 S-K hitters got 1 hit each.  4 were XBH's.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange outscored the Giants Black 10-6:

Orange:

Patrick Hilson CF- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .167.
Javeyon Williams LF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(2).  BA= .400.
Marco Luciano SS- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .385.
Heath Quinn RF- 2 for 5 2 2B.  BA= .273.
Connor Cannon DH- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .333.
Tyler Wyatt 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .231.
Edison Mora 2B- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .333.
Jesus Sanchez LHP- 3.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 7.56.
Miguel Figueroa RHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.70.

Black:

Ghordy Santos 2B- 1 for 3, HR(1), 2 BB.  BA= .333.
Jairo Pomares RF- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= 364.
Dilan Rosario SS- 1 for 4, 2B, SF, SB(1).  BA= .188.
Carter Aldrete DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .300.
Sonny Vargas LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.  ERA= 1.00.

The 2 top J2 signs from last summer, Marco Luciano and Jairo Pomares, appear to be the best players on their respective AZL teams.

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DSL was idle.

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Someone asked about projecting a Giants team for 2022.  That is very difficult because so much can happen in 3 years.  We know very few of the current MLB roster will be on the team in 2022.  I'll must say the Giants have built up a very respectable top tier of prospects made up of Joey Bart, Heliot Ramos, Marco Luciano and Hunter Bishop.  That seems like a pretty good group to build and dream on to me, Bart's and Ramos' recent struggles notwithstanding.

Game Wrap 6/23/2019: D'Backs 3 Giants 2(10 Innings)

Shaun Anderson threw a QS despite some bad breaks, but the Giants offense never found traction against D'Backs SP Merrill Kelly and the Giants eventually ran out of effective relief pitching.  Key Lines:

Kevin Pillar CF- 1 for 4, HR(10).  BA= .242.  Pillar struck out with a runner at 3B and 1 out, but later hit a solo HR to tie the score at 2.  Pillar is still hitting .370 over his last 7 games and .357 over his last 15.   4 of his 10 HR have come in his last 11 games.

Shaun Anderson RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 3.94.  Anderson was spotting his FB and getting mostly weak contact.  The two runs he allowed were not entirely his fault.   Of course, walking the 8'th place hitter with 1 out in the 3'rd inning was not a good thing to do.  Kelly, the pitcher executed a perfect Sac bunt. Then Tim Locastro hit a roller right where Joe Panik would have been had the Giants not been shifting.  The shift giveth and it taketh.  The next inning, Adam Jones reached on a WP strike out that maybe could have been charged as a PB to Vogt.  A soft line drive single advanced Jones to 3B and Christian Walker won an extended battle to single to deep RF to drive in Jones.  On the other hand, Anderson got at least 4 outs by my count on line drives right at infielders including one to Brandon Belt who doubled a runner off 1B so BABIP cuts both ways.

Reyes Moronta RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.67.  Moronta inherited a no-out, runners at 2'nd and 3'rd situation in the 7'th.  He got lucky on a pitch that got past Vogt but bounced right back to him allowing Vogt to make the tag on Eduardo Escobar trying to score.  A groundout to Brandon Crawford who was playing in and a strike out of Domingo Leyba got him out of the jam with no runs allowed.  As an aside, it seems like both Steven Vogt and Buster Posey are struggling with their pitch-blocking right now.

Mark Melancon RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.41.  The bullpen has been worked hard, but Melancon had worked just 9 games in 22 days in June with 10 IP coming in.  His ERA for the month stands at 5.23.

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The Giants do not get an off day until July 4.  They return to Oracle Park tomorrow to start a 4 game series against the Rockies with Drew Pomeranz facing Jon Gray.  As Tim Flannery pointed out at least a half-dozen times on the postgame show, the bullpen can expect to work at least 4 innings tomorrow night.

Down on the Farm: 6/22/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats downed the Las Vegas Aviators 4-3:

Aramis Garcia 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(11).  BA= .242.
Ryan Howard SS- 1 for 2, BB, Sac.  BA= .236.
Abiatal Avelino 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .279.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.34.
Sam Selman LHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.84.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.40.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 3.38.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Binghampton Rumble Ponies 4-2:

Jacob Heyward RF/LF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .232.
Gio Brusa LF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(7).  BA= .258.
Will Maddox 3B- 3 for 5.  BA= .195.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 1 for 4, 2 SB(31).  BA= .230.
Alfred Gutierrez RHP- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.26.
Melvin Adon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(9).  ERA= 2.80.

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A+  Stockton Ports crushed the San Jose Giants 10-2:

Courtney Hawkins LF- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .238.
Trent Toplikar RHP- 2.2 IP,  2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.26.
Olbis Parra RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.37.

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A  Augusta Greenjackets swarmed the Kannapolis Intimidators 8-1:

Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 3, BB, HBP.   BA= .220.
Diego Rincones RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .286.
Jacob Gonzalez 1B- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .232.
Zander Clarke DH- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .250.
Nico Giarratano SS- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .179.
Jose Layer CF- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .182.
Seth Corry LHP- 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 2.50.
Luis Amaya LHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.63.
Jesus Tona RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(11).  ERA= 1.32.

The GJ's drew 9 walks in the game with every batter except Jose Layer drawing at least one.  20 yo LHP Luis Amaya has 29 K's in 24 IP over 13 appearances.

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Short Season  Salem-Kaiser Volcanoes buried the Everett Aquasox 6-2:

Yorlis Rodriguez 2B- 1 for 3, HR(1), SF.  BA= .306.
Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1), Assist(3B).  BA= .306.
Tyler Flores 1B- 2 for 3, HR(1), SF.  BA= .241.
George Bell CF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1).  BA= .147.
Jesus Ozoria RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.80
Clay Helvey RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 8.22.

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Rookie AZL  Indians Red outlasted the Giants Orange 4-2(10 innings):

Alexander Canario DH- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB(1).  BA= .421.
Marco Luciano SS- 1 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .364.
Conner Nurse RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.90.
Jordan Scott RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.70.

Marco Luciano continues to show prodigious power with his 3'rd HR in 3 games.  At one point when I was checking on scores, Conner Nurse had throw 19 of 19 pitches for strikes.  He finished with 37 of 41.  I do notice that all of the pitchers in this boxscore show unusually high strike percentages, though.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Black pounded the Reds 12-2:

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .100.
Harrison Freed LF- 4 for 4, 2B, HR(1), BB, SF.  BA= .455.
Jairo Pomares RF- 1 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .353.
Carter Aldrete 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .267.
Cesar Gonzalez C- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .250.
Jasier Herrera RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 10/3.  ERA= 1.64.

Huge game for Harrison Freed, but he's a college draftee.  Needs to be at a higher level.

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DSL  Tigers2 outscored the Giants 10-9:

Victor Bericoto DH(17 yo)- 2 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .313.
Luis Matos CF(17 yo)- 1 for 5, 3B.  BA= .333.
Rayner Santana C(16 yo)-  2 for 3, 2 HR(2), 2 BB.  BA= .328.
Robert Gomez RF(18 yo)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .234.

Wow! What an impressive career start for 16 yo Rayner Santana!  This appears to be an unusually strong hitting DSL class for the Giants while the pitching seems to be unusually weak.

Game Wrap 6/22/2019: Giants 7 D'Backs 4

The Giants offense, led again by newcomer Alex Dickerson, picked up a shaky start by Tyler Beede and the bullpen locked it down for 5 innings.  Key Lines:

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .256.   It was a quiet game for Young Yaz until the top of the 9'th inning when he tacked on 2 insurance runs with a blast to RF.  He impressively got on top of a high hard one from Archie Bradley and drove it deep.  It as Yastrzemski's 3'rd HR in 4 games and his 4'th in 9 games.  He is hitting .286 over his last 7 games and .273 over his last 15.  Am I the only one who sees just a bit of Will Clark in his sweet swing?

Kevin Pillar CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .242.  Pillar is hitting .410 over his last 10 games with 6 multi-hit games.  He continued to lead a group of hitters at the bottom of the lineup who have been carrying the team.  He's scored 8 runs over his last 3 games.

Alex Dickerson LF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .286.  Dickerson doubled in his first AB to complete a cycle in the first four hits of his Giants career.  He has also set several records for 2-game starts with a new team.  What's a bit worrisome is the most recognizable name among the players he is beating out here is John Bowker.  Dickerson's big challenge will be to stay healthy as he has hit at every level when he's played.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .217.  Crawford added on to the Pillar/Dickerson rallies twice with singles up the middle to drive in Dickerson from 2B.  Crawford's bat has come alive with a .346 BA over his last 7 games.

Tyler Beede RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.96.  Beede was not able to build on his previous best start of his career.  This one boiled down to two words:  Fastball command.  He didn't have it and it made for a very rocky 4+ innings of work with 95 pitches thrown.  He came out after giving up a leadoff double to David Peralta in the 5'th inning.

Bullpen- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  Trevor Gott inherited Peralta at 2B in the 5'th inning.  After a K of Adam Jones, he allowed a soft single to LF on a play which ended with runners at 2'nd and 3'rd.  He impressively got the next two batters on a K and a pop-up to end the threat.  Mark Melancon, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson and Will Smith all worked scoreless innings with Smith recording his 20'th Save.

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Don't look now, but the Giants are 6.5 games behind in the Wild Card race.  In previous seasons, that would be enough to make them buyers at the trade deadline.  If Farhan still going to sell?

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Shaun Anderson goes for the sweeep this afternoon against RHP Merrill Kelly.

Down on the Farm: 6/21/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Las Vegas Aviators 12-7(10 innings):

Austin Slater 1B- 4 for 4, 2 2B, HR(12), 2 BB.  BA= .308.
Zach Green 3B- 1 for 4, HR(12), 2 BB.  BA= .313.
Aramis Garcia C- 3 for 5, HR(10).  BA= .235.
Levi Michael CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .244.
Conner Menez LHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 12 K's.  ERA= 3.31.
Williams Jerez LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.38.
Pat Venditte RHP/LHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.96.

There were 12 runs scored in the 9'th and 10'th innings of this game.   The River Cats drew a total of 9 walks in the game.  Huge game for Austin Slater who reached base 6 times with 3 XBH.  His OBP stands at .440 with a .558 SLG%.  I guess the downside to all the K's for Conner Menez is his pitch count reached 96 after 5.1 IP.   He has 101 K's in 76 IP combined at AA and AAA this season.  He has 31 K's in 16.1 IP over his last 3 starts.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Binghampton Rumble Ponies 4-1:

Zach Houchins 1B/RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .265.
Gio Brusa LF- 1 for 3, HR(6), 2 BB.  BA= .252.
Jacob Heyward RF/LF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(5).  BA= .228.
Brandon Beachy RHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.98.
Raffi Vizcaino RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.50.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.66.

Brandon Beachy seems to be finding some traction in his comeback bid.

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Stockton Ports topped the San Jose Giants 8-7:

Bryce Johnson RF- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, SB(15).  BA= .265.
Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .286.
Joey Bart C- 2 for 5, SB(1).  BA= .244.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5).  BA= .254.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 4, 2B, 2 SB(6).  BA= .196.
Jake Wong RHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.94.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.66.

Ports and Giants scored a total of 7 runs over the last 2 innings of this game.

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A  Kannapolis Intimidators beat the Augusta Greenjackets 6-1:

Jacob Gonzalez DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .231.
Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .214.
Blake Rivera RHP- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.90.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outlasted the Everett AquaSox 10-9(10 innings):

Simon Whiteman SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .387.
Sean Roby 1B- 3 for 5.  BA= .324.
Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .303.
Ricardo Genoves C- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .269.
Ben Madison RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Deiyerbert Bolivar LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Israel Cruz RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Volcanoes erupted for 4 runs over the final 3 innings to come from behind.  I remember when Deiyerbert Bolivar put up some really strong numbers in the DSL a few years ago.  He's really struggled to find traction in the U.S.

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Rookie AZL  Angels doubled up the Giants Black 6-3:

Freddery Paulino RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange destroyed the Cubs2 17-5:

Alexander Canario CF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .500.
Marco Luciano SS- 4 for 4, HR(2), SB(1).  BA= .412.
Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .471.
Heath Quinn DH- 1 for 6, HR(2).  BA= .267.
Patrick Hilson RF/CF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(2).  BA= .188.
Andrew Caraballo 2B- 1 for 1, HR(1).  BA= 1.000.
Javeyon Williams LF- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .417.
Wilkelma Castillo RHP- 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.70.
Logan Harasta RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

My goodness!  This Giants Orange team has a 3-headed monster at the top of the lineup:  Canario, Luciano and Toribio.   Wow!  Looking good so far!

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DSL Mariners sank the Giants 14-3:

Ronoldo Flores C(17 yo)- 2 for 3.  BA= .364.
Victor Bericoto LF(17 yo)- 2 for 5.  BA= .300.
Robert Gomez CF(18 yo)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .233.
Adolfo Valdez RF(19 yo)- 1 for 4, BB, 2 SB(9).  BA= .171.
Samuel Quintana LHP(18 yo)- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.82.

Game Wrap 6/21/2019: Giants 11 D'Backs 5

An historic night by newcomer Alex Dickerson led the Giants offense to an easy win despite a rough start by Jeff Samardzija.  Key Lines:

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 1, 2B, HBP.  BA= .291.  Evan Longoria pinch hit for Pabs when the D'Backs brought in a lefty reliever.  Kruk and Kuip commented that Pabs apparently can't bat RH with the injured pinky finger.

Brandon Belt 1B- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .230.  Belt just keeps piling up the walks and sports a .362 OBP despite the anemic BA.  That approach is great if you have hitters lower in the lineup to drive you in which was the case tonight.

Stephen Vogt C- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .259.  Vogt is hitting .333 over his last 7 games but has had just 1 PA in 3 of those games.

Kevin Pillar CF- 2 for 4, HR(9), BB.  BA= .238.  Pillar is on a tear hitting.357 over his last 7 games, .315 over his last 15.  He drove in the first 2 Giants runs in this game with a blast to LF in the second inning. He also drew a walk to load the bases ahead of Alex Dickerson's grand slam in the 3'rd.  He drove in 2 more runs in the 7'th with a single.

Alex Dickerson LF- 3 for 5, 3B, HR(1).  BA= .250.  The roster churning may finally be starting to pay off.  Dickerson set a record for most RBI's by a Giants player making their debut with the team, including a mammoth grand slam HR in the 3'rd inning.  That should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed Dickerson's career.  I've loved his bat since he mashed for 3 years in college at Indiana.  IMO, he just hasn't gotten an extended chance at the MLB level for a variety of reasons.  He is more athletic than his reputation with 5 SB in just under a half season's worth of career PA's and is an average to slightly above average defender in LF.  His batting stance and swing is similar to Anthony Rizzo, which is not a bad comp at all.  His contract is controlled although he may be arbitration eligible after this season.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.23.  The wheels came off for Shark in the 4'th inning after Christian Walker started the frame with a bloop single to CF.  Nick Ahmed homered then double, Sac, GO, single, single, single.  Adam Jones ran the D'Backs out of the inning at 2B just when it appeared Shark was done.  He retired the next 6 batters he faced to complete 6 innings, but with too many runs allowed for a QS.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.96.  Boch tried to use DRod as the mop up guy, but he loaded the bases on a single, walk, error(Crawford) which brought Will Smith into the game in a non-save situation.  Smith was Superman again striking out 2 with the bases loaded.

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Tyler Beede tries to enlarge his foothold in the major leagues tonight facing Zack Godley.

Down on the Farm: 6/20/2019

AAA. Las Vegas Aviators stormed back from a 10-2 deficit to overtake the Sacramento River Cats 11-10:

Chris Shaw DH- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .295.
Alex Dickerson LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .342.
Zach Green 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .315.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 4, HR(9).  BA= .223.
Henry Ramos RF- 2 for 4, HR(11).  BA= .272.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .279.
Ty Blach LHP- 5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.85.
Sam Selman LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.00.

Blach was pitching a pretty good game and got two quick strikeouts to start the 6'th inning, then the wheels fell off.  LD, 2 GB, FB 2B.  Selman has been steady all season.  A game for the offense to pad stat lines, but pretty much all PCL games do that now.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels quieted the Trenton Thunder 4-3:

Gio Brusa LF- 1 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .250.
Johneshwy Fargas CF- 0 for 0, BB, Sac, HBP, 2 SB(29).  BA= .228.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 5.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.49.
Sam Moll LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA- 3.29.
Melvin Adon RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(8).  ERA= 2.88.

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A+  Stockton Ports defeated the San Jose Giants 8-5:

Peter Maris 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .306.
Zander Clarke 1B-  2 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .200.
Garrett Cave RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.39.

Hey!  Peter Maris is playing in the field!

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A  Kannapolis Intimidators blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 3-0:

Mikey Edie RF- 2 for 4, 3B, Assist(2B).  BA= .247.
Gregory Santos RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.87.
JJ Santa Cruz LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.60.

Gregory Santos has allowed 1 ER in 9 IP over 2 games since returning from the IL.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes buried the Spokane Indians 6-0:

Yorlis Rodriguez 2B- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .281.
Sean Roby DH- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .281.
Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .321.
Kwan Adkins LF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .250.
Jacob Lopez LHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Andy Rohloff RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Abel Adames RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA- 2.25.

Lopez' string of perfect innings ended in the second with a 1-out single.  He's allowed just one baserunner in 10 innings over his first two starts.  Roby had the only XBH out of 9 for the Volcanoes.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange and Giants Black were both idle.

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DSL  Giants outscored the Mariners 13-9:

Luis Matos CF(17 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(3), HBP, SB(5).  BA= .345.
Victor Bericoto DH(17 yo)- 1 for 2, HR(2), 4 BB.  BA= .291.
Rayner Santana C(16 yo)- 3 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .304.
Roberto Gomez RF(18 yo)- 0 for 1, 3 BB, HBP, SB(1).  BA= .205.
Nelson Marin 3B- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .059.
Yoniel Ramirez RHP(18 yo)- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 3.48.
Robinson Escobar RHP(20 yo)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.70.

Luis Matos is the star of this team, but Rayner Santana is impressing as a 16 yo.

Game Wrap 6/20/2019: Dodgers 9 Giants 8

A big Giants rally fell victim to BABIP luck and fell just short of overcoming a 7-1 hole dug by one of Madison Bumgarner's worst starts in recent memory.  Key Lines:

Kevin Pillar CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .234.  Pillar has gotten hot, hitting .407 over his last 7 games and .291 over his last 15.  He scored 3 of the Giants 8 runs in this game.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 3, 2 2B, SF.  BA= .212.  Crawford drove in 3 runs  and scored once.  His bat has shown sputtering signs of life lately but he's still hitting just .231 over his last 7 games.

Mike Yastrzemski LF- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .264.  Talk about finding traction!  The sweet swing is finding its mark with a .438 BA over his last 7 games.  Second HR in as many days.  3 RBI's and 2 Runs.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 3.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.28.  Yikes!  Bummy's string of QS comes to a thudding end.  Maybe the distractions are piling up?  Maybe it was just a random bad start?  He'll need to come back strong in his next start to maintain trade value.

9'th Inning- Frustrating finish to what looked like it had the makings of a completed comeback.  First of all, the Giants are still convinced Steven Vogt was safe at 3B on the bunt attempt by Tyler Austin.  Secondly, with two runners on base, the last two outs came on line drive outs to the OF.

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The Giants move on to Phoenix, AZ where Jeff Samardzija starts the first game of the series tonight against RHP Taylor Clarke.

Down on the Farm: 6/19/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats were idle.

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AA  Trenton Thunder subdued the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2:

Johneshwy Fargas CF- 1 for 4, HBP, 3 SB(27).  BA= .228.
Brandon Lawson RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.83.
Chase Johnson RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.72.

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A+  San Jose Giants were idle.

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A  SAL was idle.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians outlasted the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-2(11 innings):

Simon Whiteman SS- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, 3 CS.  BA= .429.
Keyberth Mejias C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .333.
Kervin Castro RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.80.
Tyler Schimpf RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Bryce Tucker LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

I wonder if Curvin' Kervin throws a breaking ball?  3 hits don't do a lot of good if you get thrown out trying to steal 3 times.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Orange crushed the A's Gold 12-8:

Alexander Canario CF- 3 for 5, 3B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .583.
Marco Luciano SS- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .231.
Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .500.
Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 4, HR(1), 2 BB.  BA= .333.
Edison Mora 2B- 1 for 4, SF.  BA= .273.
Javeyon Williams LF- 2 for 4, BB.   BA= .333.
Marco Gonzalez LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Marco Luciano broke out and came 1 single shy of a cycle.  Alexander Canario had the strong half of a cycle.

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Rookie AZL  Padres 1 blanked the Giants Black 8-0:

Dilan Rosario SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.
Yovanny Moronta RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

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DSL Pirates2 plundered the Giants 13-3:

Luis Matos CF(17 yo)- 3 for 4.  BA= .340.
Ronaldo Flores C(17 yo)- 2 for 3.  BA= .343.
Robert Gomez RF(18 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .211.

Game Wrap 6/19/2019: Dodgers 9 Giants 2

Drew Pomeranz got roughed up in the first inning and the game went downhill from there for the Giants who were ultimately blown out for the second game in a row.  Key Lines:

Tyler Austin LF- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .211.  Austin got it over the fence this time.  Toonder!  And against a RHP.

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 3, HR(3).  BA= .250.  The swing is sweet.

Drew Pomeranz LHP- 4.1 IP,  9 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 7.09.  In addition to the 9 hits which all seemed to be hit hard, the Dodgers had 3 line-outs.  Just not a very good job of pitching and no silver linings I can see.

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Just when it looked like the Giants were gaining some traction, they've been crushed the last 2 games.  Madison Bumgarner tries to split the series tomorrow facing LHP Luis Urias apparently not Walker Buehler.

Down on the Farm: 6/18/2019

AAA  Iowa Cubs defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-4:

Mike Gerber CF- 1 for 5, HR(15).  BA= .330.
Henry Ramos RF- 3 for 4, 2B 2 SB(3).  BA= .268.
Williams Jerez LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.48.
Travis Bergen LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Travis Bergen will have to return to the Active Roster when his rehab assignment is done or else he has to be offered back to the Blue Jays.

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AA  Trenton Thunder rolled over the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-0:

Gio Brusa DH- 2 for 3.  BA= .246.
Carlos Navas RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Caleb Simpson RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 9.00.

Gio Brusa had the only two hits for the Squirrels.

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A+ California League idle for All-Star Game

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 5.
Aaron Phillips RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

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A  SAL idle for All-Star Game

Ismael Munguia RF- 0 for 3.
Seth Corry LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.
Jesus Tona RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 8-3:

Simon Whiteman SS- 0 for 4, BB, 3 SB(4).  BA= .294.
Jeff Houghtby DH- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .286.
Kwan Adkins LF- 2 for 4, 2B, Assist(3B).  BA= .286.

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Rookie AZL  Giants Black beat the D'Backs 6-2:

Carter Aldrete 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .375.
Harrison Freed LF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .444.
Jairo Pomares RF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .444.
Jean Pena 3B- 4 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .571.
Matt Malkin C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .375.
Sonny Vargas LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 12/3.  ERA= 0.00.
Nolan Riggs RHP- 1 iP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Freddery Paulino RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Mac Marshall LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Jairo Pomares is the guy to watch on this team.  Matt Malkin is an undrafted FA.  Sonny Vargas was part of an impressive class of LHP's who debuted in the DSL last season.
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Rookie AZL  Indians Blue got the best of the Giants Orange 4-1:

Alex Canario DH- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .571.
Conner Cannon 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .571.
Jesus Sanchez LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 7.20.

Alex Canario struggled in his AZL debut last season.  He's off to a better start this summer.  Jesus Sanchez is another LHP who impressed last year in the DSL.  He settled down after giving up a 3-spot in the first inning.

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DSL  Pirates2 downed the Giants 8-5:

Roberto Monegro SS(17 yo)- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .265.
Luis Matos CF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .306.
Omar Medina C(19)- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .317.
Jose Peralta SS/3B(17 yo)- 3 for 3, 3B, SB(5).  BA= .358.
Estiven Encarnacion RHP(17 yo)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.89.

Luis Matos was the 3'rd of the Giant "big three" July 2 signees last year:  Marco Luciano, Jairo Pomares and Matos.  Matos is off to a strong start in the DSL while the other two are in Arizona.

Game Wrap 6/18/2019: Dodgers 9 Giants 0

Shaun Anderson came within 1 out of a Quality Start, but in the end it did not matter as the Giants offense never so much as sniffed a run in a game that became a blowout.  Key Lines:

Shawn Anderson RHP- 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 4.08.  Anderson may be a dinosaur with his groundball heavy approach.  Great article in Fangraphs yesterday about why pitchers are abandoning the sinker/2-seam fastball.  The 2-seamer still gets groundballs and groundballs are still good, but when hitters do elevate the sinker, it goes farther than when they elevate a 4-seamer.  Also, 4-seamers's get more swings and misses.  Net is the 4-seam is a better pitch.  I suspect there is still a place for pitchers to mix in both, and the fewer sinkers hitters see, the more effective they will become, but we're probably not going to see many pitchers who just pound the zone with 80+% sinkers anymore.  Not saying Anderson is going to fail as a MLB pitcher here.  He does throw effective secondary pitches, but it's something to watch going forward.

Clayton Kershaw LHP(Dodgers)- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.85.  OK, I take it back.  In the 6'th inning, Donovan Solano drew a leadoff walk and Tyler Austin sent Cody Bellinger to the RF wall, but that is the closest the Giants came to scoring in this one.  Also, Kershaw's kids threw out the first pitches with his wife helping out.  My goodness!  How much more can any one man have?  Hate to say it about a Dodger, but he seems like a genuinely good guy to boot.  Maybe he's secretly mean to the dog or something?  I mean there has to be a reason for me to hate him besides just being too good for a team I really dislike.

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Drew Pomeranz tries to get the Giants back in the Win column tonight facing LHP Rich Hill.

Down on the Farm: 6/17/2019

AAA  Iowa Cubs outscored the Sacramento River Cats 10-8:

Mike Gerber CF- 2 for 5, HR(14).  BA= .333.
Austin Slater LF/3B- 3 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .296.
Chris Shaw 1B- 2 for 5, 2 HR(4).  BA= .309.
Francisco Pena C- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .330.
Ryan Howard 3B/2B- 1 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .233.

Seems like Gerber, Slater and Shaw all need to get extended looks at the MLB level before the seasons done.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

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A+  California League was idle.

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A  SAL was idle.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 12-7:

Simon Whiteman DH- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .385.
Yorlis Rodriguez 2B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .412.
Sean Roby 3B- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BB= .263.
Ricardo Genoves C- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .357.
Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .389.
Tyler Flores LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .417.

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Rookie AZL D'Backs edged out the Giants Black 4-3:

Grant McCray CF- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB(1).  BA= .000.
Ghordy Santos SS- 3 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .750.
Jairo Pomares RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .400.
Jasier Herrera RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.60.

Ghordy Santos who got off to extremely slow starts in both of his DSL seasons gets off to a hot start in his Arizona debut.

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Rookie AZL  Angels doubled up the Giants Orange 8-4:

Luis Toribio 3B- 3 for 4, HBP, SB(1).  BA= .750.
Connor Cannon 1B- 2 for 3, HR(1), HBP.  BA= .667.
Edison Mora SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .500.
Conner Nurse RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Jorge Labrador RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Luis Toribio picks up where he left off in the DSL. Seem like a hitter.  Connor Cannon has toonder in his bat to match his name.  Needs to dominate Rookie ball coming out of college.  Conner Nurse pitched effectively in the AZL last year so not sure why he's back at this level unless he is rehabbing a spring injury.

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DSL  Giants pounded the Royals2 9-4:

Alexander Suarez RF(17 yo)- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .308.
Adolfo Valdez LF(19 yo)- 2 for 5, 2B, 2 SB(7).  BA= .188.
Victor Bericoto 1B(17 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(4).  BA= .289.
Raymer Santana DH(16 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .255.
Jose Peralta 3B(17 yo)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .320.
Roberto Monegro SS(17 yo)- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .233.
Samuel Quintana LHP(18 yo)- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.08.
Mavin Brown LHP(18 yo)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Game Wrap 6/17/2019: Giants 3 Dodgers 2

Tyler Beede was effectively wild in a Quality Start to lead the Giants to a narrow win over the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine where there is no ocean.  Key Lines:

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .209.  Crawford is still scuffling, but he came through when it counted driving in 2 in the second inning to give the Giants a lead they never gave up.

Tyler Beede RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 6.67.  Beede had to work around 5 free passes but kept his poise and was able to post not only the QS but a W against a very good Dodgers lineup stacked with LH bats.  That should earn him some extra looks.

Tony Watson LHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.83.  Tony Watson has not quite been Mr Reliable this month allowing runs in 3 of his 9 appearances for a 3.11 ERA.  He gets credit for his 15'th Hold despite giving up the run here.  He gave up a double and single to two LH batters, Bellinger and Muncy.

Will Smith LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(19).  ERA= 2.12.  Who wants the current best closer in baseball?

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Giants get their 5'th Win in 6 games, still trail in Wild Card race by 7.5 games.

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Shaun Anderson get the challenge start tomorrow evening facing Clayton Kershaw.

Down on the Farm: 6/16/2019

AAA  Iowa Cubs blanked the Sacramento River Cats 1-0:

Henry Ramos RF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .266.
Ryan Howard 2B- 0 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .233.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB. 4 K, GO/AO= 13/5.  ERA= 5.29.
Sam Selman LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.10.

Andrew Suarez did not give up a run until the 8'th inning, a 1-out dinger to the Cubs leadoff hitter.  Since giving up 8 runs in 5 IP on May 30, Suarez has allowed just 3 R in 19 IP in 3 starts in June, although his K/BB suggests it's not sustainable.

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AA  New Hampshire Fisher Cats edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1:

Alfred Gutierrez RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.34.
Melvin Adon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.97.

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A+  Visalia Rawhide whipped the San Jose Giants 2-1:

Sean Hjelle RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/2.  ERA= 2.48.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.19.
Solomon Bates RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

3'rd consecutive QS for Sean Hjelle and 4'th in 5 starts since his promotion.  His GO/AO for San Jose is an incredible 4.55 in 29 IP.  Toonder from the sky!

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A  Augusta Greenjackets outlasted the Rome Braves 3-2(10 innings):

Frankie Tostado 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .263.
Anyesber Sivira 2B- 3 for 3, BB. BA= .288.
Keaton Winn RHP- 6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.80.
Matt Seelinger RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.25.
Jesus Tona RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.41.

3'rd consecutive QS for Keaton Winn and 6'th out of 7 starts.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes pounded the Boise Hawks 8-3:

Simon Whiteman SS- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .444.
George Bell CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .133.
Sean Roby DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .267.
Franklin Labour RF- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .429.
Yorlis Rodriguez 3B- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .333.
Kwon Adkins LF- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .231.
Luis Moreno RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 3.60.

I forgot to mention last night, I believe Simon Whiteman is the first 2019 Giants draftee to appear in a  pro game.

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DSL was idle.

Game Wrap 6/16/2019: Brewers 5 Giants 3

Jeff Samardzija struggled with his command through 5 stressful innings and the Giants came away with just one run out of a bases-loaded/no-out opportunity.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 0 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .244.  Panik did not figure in the scoring despite reaching base 3 times out of the leadoff position in the lineup.

Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .236.  Longo's triple was a classic Triples Alley drive.  Man, I'm going to miss those!

Kevin Pillar RF/CF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .228.  Pillar doubled in Longoria from 3B then scored on a 2-out single up the middle by The Shark.

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.96.  After two quick outs in the first inning, the BrewCrew laid seige to Samardzija putting runners on base in every inning forcing Shark to pitch out of the stretch and run up an impressive 114 pitches in the 5 innings.  Shark was throwing everything but the kitchen sink.  At one point, Kruk and Kuip commented that he threw 5 pitches, no two alike, to one batter.  That might be part of the problem as it must be difficult to establish any one or two pitches if you are throwing 5 a significant percentage of the time.

Derek Holland LHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.45. After giving up a monster HR to PH Jesus Aguilar, Holland settled down and was actually pretty impressive.

Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.89.  DRod had a crisp fastball and a diving curveball and looked terrific out there for the final 2 frames.

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The Giants close out the homestand and head south to LA for a 4-game series with Tyler Beede set to start the opener against Kenta Maeda.

Down on the Farm: 6/15/2019

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Iowa Cubs 7-6(10 innings):

Austin Slater CF- 1 for 3, 2 HBP.  BA= .289.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 5, Assist(3B).  BA= .326.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5).  BA= 286.
Conner Menez LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 4.09.
Ray Black RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.60.

Conner Menez has 19 K's in 11 IP in his two AAA starts.  He hit a speed bump in the fourth inning allowing 3 2B, HR, BB, IBB.  Take out that inning and his line would be 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K's.

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AA  New Hampshire Fisher Cats downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-6:

Johneshwy Fargas CF- 2 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .247.
Brandon Beachy RHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.56.

K/BB looks great for Brandon Beachy who is on the comeback trail.

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A+  San Jose Giants pounded the Visalia Rawhide 10-2:

Bryce Johnson RF- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .259.
Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 5, SF.  BA= .305.
Courtney Hawkins DH- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .247.
David Villar 3B- 1 for 1, 2B, 4 BB.  BA= .255.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .192.
Zander Clarke 1B- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .192.
Casey Meisner RHP- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.36.

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A  Rome Braves edged out the Augusta Greenjackets 3-2:

Keith Weisenberg RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 3.86.

Keith Weisenberg has intriguing size at 6'5", 195 lbs. Scouts seem to think he has a high ceiling but has struggled with a subpar K/BB.  Curious that ATL just let him go so quickly(drafted in Round 14 in 2017 out of Stanford).  Nice project for the guys from Driveline.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outlasted the Boise Hawks 5-4(10 innings):

Simon Whiteman SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .400.
Sean Roby 3B- 1 for 4, SF.  BA= .200.
Franklin Labour RF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .400.
Yorlis Rodriguez DH- 1 for 3, 3B, HBP.  BA= .250.
Kwan Adkins LF- 1 for 4, 2 SB(2).  BA= .222.
Jacob Lopez LHP- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Cooper Casad RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Bryce Tucker LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Let's see:  No hits, no walks, no HBP, no E.  I believe that's 5 perfect innings for Jacob Lopez to start his 2019 season.  He's a 26 round draft pick last year out of JC ball.  Nice size at 6'4", 220 lbs.  Put up a nice line in rookie ball last summer:  1-1, 1.42, 25.1 IP, 6 BB, 34 K.  Kind of a sleeper in the system.

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DSL  Royals2 dominated the Giants 9-3:

Luis Matos CF(17 yo)- 2 for 4, SB(4).  BA= .325.
Luis Castillo LHP(16 yo)- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

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Reality Check(Part 2):  The Yankees acquired Edwin Encarnacion from the Mariners, who has hit 21 dingers so far in 2019, for RHP prospect Juan Then.  Then was ranked as the #31 prospect in the Yankees system by Fangraphs.  That should tell you something about the midseason trade market and it's not good news for Farhan Zaidi and the Giants.

Game Wrap 6/15/2019: Giants 8 Brewers 7

The Giants came from behind to take a two run lead into the 9'th inning but needed a diving catch by Mike Yastrzemski to stave off the BrewCrew for their fourth consecutive win in a wild and woolly game at Oracle Park.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 3, BB, SF.  BA= .247.  Panik reached base 3 times in 5 PA's and added a productive out but his OBP on the season is just .319.  Next year is Panik's last arbitration year.   Do you keep him around for that or try to upgrade?

Mike Yastrzemski LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .246.  Giants first two batters in the lineup reached base 6 times out of 9.  Yaz the Younger added a spectacular diving catch in short left-CF for the final out.  Had he not made the catch, the game would likely have been tied up.

Steven Vogt C- 3 for 4, 2 3B, SF.  BA= .268.  OK, here's why I hate to see Triples Alley go away.  What other ballpark are you going to see a catcher hit 2 triples in a game?  OK, the first one would have happened even if Triples Alley were cut off, but the second one was a classic Triples Alley drive that rolled to the 421 ft sign.  A thing of beauty!  BTW, Vogt is a FA at the end of the season.

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .212.  Crawford bounced back from a terrible game Friday with three hits and hit the ball hard in the process.

Fifth Inning:  The Giants put up a 3-spot in the 5'th inning without the benefit of a hit:  Four walks, a groundout and a SF.  That cut their deficit at the time to one run, 5-4.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.87.  A bit of a ragged performance, but technically a QS, his 5'th consecutive QS and 8'th out of 9.

Will Smith LHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(18).  ERA- 2.20.  Smith has recorded Saves in all 4 of the Giants consecutive wins.

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Jeff Samardzija tries to complete the sweeeeep tomorrow afternoon against RHP Chase Anderson.

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Reality Check:  Hate to break it to y'all but the Giants are not getting Royce Lewis in a deadline trade with the Twins no matter who they add to the package.  The Giants have some nice pieces to trade, all rentals, but so do a lot of teams out there.  This is going to be a pretty brutal buyer's market.  I think they can reasonably expect to get at least one back-end Top 100 prospect and a few other Shaun Anderson/Gregory Santos types, which would actually be a pretty nice haul.  In any event, they absolutely have to get whatever they can for any player who will be a free agent at the end of the season, so they don't have much leverage other than trying to get more than one team to bid.