Down on the Farm: 4/30/2023

 AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodgers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 9-4(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings).

Cal Stevenson CF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .308.

Colton Welker DH- 2 for 2, BB.  BA= .276.

Shane Matheny LF- 2 for 2, SF.  BA= .247.

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats beat the Oklahoma City Dodgers 5-1(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings).

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB, SB(6).  BA= .298.

Colton Welker DH- 1 for 1, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .300.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 3.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 7 K.  ERA= 4.02.

Heliot Ramos sure seems to have made strides since his disastrous last season.  Walks are still an issue for Kyle Harrison.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels at Bowie Baysox postponed due to weather.

A+:  Vancouver Canadians shut down the Eugene Emeralds 2-0(10 innings).

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.06.

Whisenhunt's A+ debut is probably the biggest news from Down on the Farm today.  Giants Prospective on Twitter had him hitting 94-97 MPH with the FB to go with the devastating changeup.  Nice outing by Sinacola too.

A:  San Jose Giants pounded the Fresno Grizzlies 11-4.  

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .303.

Vaun Brown CF- 3 for 5.  BA= .500.

Thomas Gavello C- 3 for 4, 2 2B, SF.  BA= .309.

Matt Higgins 1B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .294.

Edison Mora 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .234.

Alexander Suarez LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .278.

Liam Simon RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 3.18.

Daniel Blair RHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.45.

Game Wrap 4/30/2023: Padres 6 Giants 4

The final game of a series dominated by home runs was decided by a bloop double that probably would have been caught had Mike Yastrzemski not pulled a hammy on his second step.  Key Lines:

Lamonte Wade Jr 1B- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .243.  Gotta say, hitter-friendly park or not, LMWJ has been a revelation in the first month of the season.  Keep it going! 

Mitch Haniger LF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .313.  Nice series to get the Giants top offseason acquisition(in terms of payroll commitment) going.  

J. D. Davis 3B- 2 for 3, HR(6), HBP.  BA= .289.  Davis came into the game in a mini-slump.  Hopefully this stops the slide.

Mike Yastrzemski CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .292.  As mentioned in the intro, YtY came up short and a bloop to CF, immediately grabbed his hammy in a kneeling position then limped off the field appearing to be in quite a bit of discomfort.  That's a blow because YtY is off to a great start to the season back to his 2019 and 2020 level.

Alex Cobb RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.43.  Cobb pitched a lot better than this line looks as he pitched 4 dominant shutout innings in an obviously extremely challenging environment against a lineup stacked with elite hitters.  He was visibly tiring in the 5'th when he gave up the 3 runs.  Given how the bullpen performed yesterday, we can understand why Kap wanted to get him as deep into the game as possible. BTW, yet another negative impact of altitdude on pitchers is the fatigue from the altitude likely affects pitchers disproportionately,

Giants are right back at it tomorrow evening in Houston with Ross Stripling RHP facing Luis Garcia RHP for the Astros.

Down on the Farm: 4/29/2023

 AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodgers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-1.

Nothing to see here.  Cats managed just 4 hits in the game.   No pitching lines of note.

AA:  Bowie Baysox blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings).  

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.93.

Nick Swiney LHP- 2.1 IP, 2 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.73.

A+:  Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Bowie Baysox 6-4(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings).

Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 3, SF.  BA= .263.

Luis Matos CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .246.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .324.

Riley Mahan DH- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .231.

Hayden Cantrelle 2B- 1 for 2, 3B, BB.  BA= .294.

Ryan Murphy RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.09.

Erik Miller LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 0.87.

A+:  Vancouver Canadians crushed the Eugene Emeralds 11-1.

Jared Dupere LF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .302.

A:  San Jose Giants fended off the Fresno Grizzlies 4-1.

Carter Howell LF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(3).  BA= .298.

Vaun Brown CF- 2 for 5, 2 SB(2).  BA= .400.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .316.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 6.2.  ERA= 2.81.

John Bertrand LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.00.  

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 3.68.

Great to see Vaun Brown's name in a boxscore.  Two SB's a good sign the knee is recovered.   I think he was ticketed for AA until the knee injury so hopefully this is just a rehab assignment.

Game Wrap 4/29/2023: Padres 16 Giants 11

 If this game was Mexico City's audition to host a permanent MLB team, Houston, we have a problem!  Mexico City sits at about 7500 ft elevation.  Air at higher elevations has more space between molecules which reduces resistance or drag on objects moving through it.  When moving objects encounter less resistance they maintain velocity longer and travel a greater distance.  I think that is pretty basic high school physics.  That's it!  Yesterday's game was a high school physics lab!  

Here is the summary:  

The Padres had 17 hits with 6 HR's.  

The Giants had 13 hits with 5 HR's.  

Probably the biggest difference in the game, thought, was the Giants pitchers issued 10 walks to 5 for Padres pitchers.  HR's produce more runs when there are runners on base, at least according to Earl Weaver and Billy Beane.

Brandon Crawford SS hit a HR in the 3'rd inning but had it called foul and instant replay.  He said no problem and drove one over 450 ft to L-CF in the same AB.

Mitch Haniger LF hit a 3-run HR, his first of the season, in the 6-run 4'th inning.  Blake Sabol C hit a 2-run HR in the 7'th inning.  The other three Giants HR's were solo shots.  Lamonte Wade Jr 1B hit a HR in the next AB after Crawford.  David Villar PH/2B followed Sabol's HR with a monster shot to LF for the Giants second B2B HR.  

LMWJ reached base 3 times including 2 walks.  His OBP is still .438.

Thairo Estrada 2B/SS had 4 hits including 2 doubles and his BA is .350.

Mitch Haniger LF added a double to his HR.  He's hitting .333 since coming of the IL.

Mike Yastrzemski CF did not get a hit but reached base twice on a walk and HBP.

Brett Wisely entered the game at 2B when Brandon Crawford came out for some reason.  He did not get a PA.

All other Giants batters had one hit each.

The Giants used 6 pitchers. The only Giants pitcher to not allow an ER was Taylor Rogers LHP in 1.1 IP.

Alex Cobb RHP is starting today's game.  Cobb relies heavily on getting groundball outs with his sinker.  Back to HS physics:  Sinkers don't sink as much at higher elevations.  Yu Darvish RHP goes for the Padres. He is known to sometimes freak out after giving up a HR and refuse to throw that pitch again.  This could get ugly fast.

Down on the Farm: 4/28/2023

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats at Oklahoma City Dodgers Postponed.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels at Bowie Baysox Postponed.

A+:  Vancouver Canadians defeated the Eugene Emeralds 7-2.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .152.

Victor Bericoto RF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .273.

Jared Dupere LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .305.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .283.

Joe Kemlage LHP- 2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.00. 

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Fresno Grizzlies 11-0.

Carter Howell DH- 2 for 6.  BA= .288.

Diego Velasquez SS- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .295.

Zach Morgan C- 0 for 2, 4 BB.  BA= .205(.407 OBP).

Matt Higgins LF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .310.

Andrew Kachel 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .283.

Alexander Suarez CF- 3 for 5.  BA= .260.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 5.68.

Nomar Medina LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.64.

I guess you could say the BABIP gods were smiling on the SJ Giants here.  They banged out 15 hits, 13 singles and 2 doubles while they allowed just 2 hits while striking out only 3 Grizzlies.

Down on the Farm: 4/27/2023

AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodgers blanked the Sacramento River Cats 1-0(Game 1 of DH, 7 innings).

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 2, BB, SB(4).  BA= .324.

Keaton Winn RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.51.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.23. 

Patrick Bailey C went 0 for 3 in his first AAA start.

AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodgers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-2(Game 2 of DH, 7 innings).

Matt Beaty LF- 1 for 3, HR(2).  BA= .257.

Gary Sanchez C- 2 for 3.  BA= .191.

Shane Matheny CF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .243.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox 7-2.

Ismael Munguia RF- 2 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .243.

Andy Thomas C- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .200.

Mason Black RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 4.40.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

Raymond Burgos LHP and Blake Rivera RHP pitched a scoreless inning each to maintain ERA's of zero.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds outscored the Vancouver Canadians 11-7.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .148.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .207.

Jared Dupere RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .286.

Victor Bericoto LF- 3 for 5.  BA= .250.

Luis Toribio 1B- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB.  BA= .313.

Ghordy Santos 2B- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .190.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies topped the San Jose Giants 6-2.

Thomas Gavello 2B- 1 for 3, HR(3), HBP.  BA= .277.

Edison Mora LF- 2 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .179.

Miguel Mora RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 15.26.

Game Wrap 4/27/2023: Cardinals 6 Giants 0

 Logan Webb RHP got Cained and the Giants offense managed just 6 scattered hits as their bid for a 4-game series sweep fell far short.

Tomorrow is a travel day as the Giants head to Mexico City for a 2-game series against the Padres with Sean Manaea LHP facing Joe Musgrove RHP on Saturday.  Isn't Mexico City something like 8000 ft elevation?  This should be interesting.

Down on the Farm: 4/26/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats at Oklahoma City Dodgers postponed due to bad weather.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels chewed up the Bowie Baysox 9-3.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 3 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .333.

Andy Thomas C- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .190.

Carter Aldrete LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .286.

Heyden Cantrelle 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .289.

Carter Williams RF- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .272.

Nick Zwack LHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

A couple of significant moves:  1.  Patrick Bailey C gets the promotion to AAA Sacramento.  If he does well there, I would think there is a strong chance we see him wearing a Giants uniform before the end of the season.  It might also have something to do with Gary Sanchez C looming opt out date of May 1.  2.  Carson Whisenhunt LHP promoted to A+ Eugene after a dominant 4-ininng start this week.  We've seen some criticism of the FZ regime being too slow to promote prospects.  It's true they are extremely conservative with placement and seem to want even the top prospects to prove they can handle the lowest levels but we also see they they are quick to promote based on performance.

A+:  Vancouver Canadians pounded the Eugene Emeralds 9-2.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 4.  BA= .265.

Luis Toribio 3B- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .295.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.70.

Ragsdale has 26 K's against just 3 BB's in 16.2 IP so far in his comeback from thoracic outlet surgery.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies defeated the San Jose Giants 3-1.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .300.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.09.

Jack Choate LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 1.35.

Jake Choate has 25 K and 5 BB in 13.2 IP on the season so far.

Game Wrap 4/26/2023: Giants 7 Cardinals 3

 The Giants brought their hitting shoes and outscored Paul.....the Cardinals.  Key Lines:

Austin Slater CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .571.  Slater is making his presence felt since coming off the IL. 

Thairo Estrada SS/2B- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(7).  BA= .326.  Estrada showing no signs of slowing down in his red hot start to the season.

Michael Conforto DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .215.  Conforto has been scuffling.  Hopefully 2 hits tonight gets him going.

Lamonte Wade Jr RF- 2 for 4, 3B, HR(3), BB.  BA= .237.  Who says LMWJ can't hit LHP's?  YtY was a late scratch due to tightness in his side and Wade Jr took his place despite a lefty on the mound for the Cardinals.  Wade Jr responded with booming HR off Matz to lead off the 4'th inning for the Giants first run of the game.

Wilmer Flores 1B- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .278.  Wilmer extended the Giants lead to 5-2 with a 2-run HR to LF.  

Blake Sabol C- 2 for 3, BB, SB(2).  BA= .250.  Sabol started behind the plate despite facing a LHP.  He responded by reaching base 3 times.  He racked up his 5'th catcher interference call but also gunned down a basestealer at 2B. Another step forward in his development at the MLB level. He's hitting .350 with 3 HR's over his last 7 games.

Anthony DeSclafani RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.70.  Paul Goldschmidt hit 2 HR's and a double off Tony D whose line was 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1BB, 6 K's against everybody else in the lineup.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 7.30.  Hjelle came on in the 9'th inning with a 5-run lead and promptly walked the first two batters he faced. He got an out and a comebacker/forceout at 2B but couldn't get the GIDP.  The next batter doubled in a run and put runners at 2B and 3B with 1 out.  That gave Camilo Doval RHP a Save Opp which he easily converted for his third.  Hjelle may be pitching himself into an option here pretty soon.

Logan Webb RHP goes for a 4-game swwweeeeppp tomorrow afternoon facing Miles Mikolas RHP.

Down on the Farm: 4/25/2023

 AAA:  Oklahoma City Dodgers topped the Sacramento River Cats 5-4.

Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .344.  .

Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .330.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 8 K's.  

I thought Ramos looked a lot better during his callup than a year ago. Hopefully he can continue to build his skills and confidence.  He's still only 23 yo. Schmitt seems to be getting the majority of his starts at SS.  Is it his primary position now?  Harrison continues to be plagued by walks but the K rate continues to be elite.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 4-2.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .333.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B.  BA= .302.

Andy Thomas DH- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .135.

Simon Whiteman LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .302.

Wil Jensen RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.61.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.17.

Raymond Burgos LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

There was some buzz that maybe Bailey would get the call if Joey Bart hit the IL but apparently Genoves is first in line.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds pounded the Vancouver Canadians 12-3.

Grant McCray CF- 0 for 4, BB, 3 SB(7).  BA= .130.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .204.

Logan Wyatt 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .313.

Adrian Sugastey C- 3 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .244.

Robert Emery DH- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .333.

Damon Dues 2B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .278.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.38.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies beat the San Jose Giants 5-1.

Carter Howell CF- 3 for 5. BA= .303.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 5.  BA= .265.

Alexander Suarez RF- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .222.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.29.

Whisenhunt's dominant 4 innings makes him the Giants minor league player of the day.  Per Joe Ritzo on Twitter, he was able to better establish the FB which ran 93-96 MPH which set up the elite changeup.

Game Wrap 4/25/2023: Giants 5 Cardinals 4

Blake Sabol's walkoff  2-run HR in the 9'th inning snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the Giants.  Key Lines:

Mike Yastrzemski CF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5).  BA= .291.  YtY is locked in.  .407 with 3 HR's over last 7 games.  This is, by far, the best he has looked since 2020.   5 HR's tied with J. D. Davis for team lead.

Thairo Estrada 2B- 1 for 4, SB(6).  BA= .310.  Estrada manufactured a run in the 2'nd inning with an IF single, SB. Took 3B on throwing error by catcher on the SB then came home when the CF kicked it around.  Thairo has a 20/20 season in his sights.  Can he make it 25/25?  30/30?

Blake Sabol C- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .224.  It as probably Sabol's turn to catch anyway but with Joey Bart trying to stay off the IL with a tight groin, he was pretty much the only option.  He's been scuffling at the plate but came through bigly with the 2-run walkoff.   The 2 hits raised his rolling BA to .278 over his last 7 games.  I don't think he's going back to the Pirates anytime soon.  Just way too much longterm potential to let him get away and the 4 dingers make up for the lack of contact.

David Villar 1B- 0 for 3.  BA= .152.  Villar is really struggling at the plate but his defensive versatility has been an eye-opener.  He was making gold glove plays at 2B last night and made some nifty ones at 1B tonight.  He did get charged with an E on a dropped foul pop.

John Brebbia RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.82.  This was a planned bullpen game to avoid starting a LHP against the RH heavy Cardinals lineup.  Per Twitter, Brebbia played The Opener for his warmup music and played the role perfectly.  

Sean Manaea LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.61.  A bit surprising that Manaea was brought in to follow Brebbia since the whole point of the bullpen game was to the Cardinals RH leaning lineup.  Manaea looked great.....except for that HR he gave up.....to a switch-hitting Tommy Edman batting RH.

Taylor and Tyler LHP/RHP- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 8.22/0.68.  The Rogers boys came up huge in the middle innings.  Taylor seems to be putting his early season struggles behind him and Tyler has been lights out.

Scott Alexander LHP- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.66.  A word about Gabe Kapler here.  Kap got the right matchup for Alexander in the 8'th.  2 switch-hitters and a LH hitter(but probably a RH PH).  The process was correct.  The player didn't execute(the leadoff single was a broken bat bloop).  

Sean Hjelle RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.75.  Hjelle did his job which was to keep the game within reach of a 9'th inning rally.  Blake Sabol got him the W.

Anthony DeSclafani RHP tries to extend the Giants win streak to 5 games tomorrow evening against Steven Matz LHP.

Joey Bart C underwent an MRI which was reportedly normal so he may have avoided a true strain.  He said he could come in and catch if he had to.  Great news because without any great replacement options, the Giants are going to try to keep him off the IL. Inneresting that Ricardo Genoves C was reportedly brought up to the Taxi Squad over Gary Sanchez C who has struggled to hit for AAA Sacramento.

Game Wrap 4/23/2023: Giants 4 Cardinals 0

 The Giants offense broke through for 4 runs in the 7'th inning and Alex Cobb pitched a rare complete game shutout for the Giants third win in a row.  Key Lines:

Austin Slater DH- 2 for 3.  BA= .667.  Kind of odd that Slater started at DH but I guess there are only so many RH bats.  If you have them all in the lineup, it doesn't matter if one DH's. 

Mitch Haniger LF- for 2, BB, SF.  BA= .000.  Good to see Haniger finally start his first regular season game for the Giants.  He drove in the Giants first run with a sac fly.  Later he flinched on a flyball at the warning track in what appeared to be a miscommunication with Mike Yastrzemski CF.  Alex Cobb calmly got out of that with a groundball out on Paul Goldschmidt and a strikout of Nolan Gorman.

J. D. Davis 3B- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .304.  Davis followed Haniger's sac fly by hammering a 2-out, 3-run HR to give Alex Cobb and 4-run cushion for the last two innings.  Davis' 5'th HR of the season gives him the team lead and what a revelation he has been!

Mike Yastrzemski CF- 2 for 4.  BA= .280.  YtY had two hits in the game off a lefty who was taking advantage of a very generous strike zone by the home plate ump although one of those hits was a perfectly placed bunt single.  He reached base on an error against the RHP to lead off the 7'th and scored the first run on Haniger's SF.

Joey Bart C- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .303.  Bart's hard hit double following YtY reaching base was the key to the inning as it gave the Giants runners at 2'nd and 3'rd with no outs.  Alas, Bart appeared to pull a hammy between first and 2B and came out of the game.  These can be unpredictable but it sure looked like a month on the IL from the way he pulled up and limped off the field.  He did appear to be walking normally in the dugout after coming out so fingers crossed.  It's just so disheartening to see a young player like Bart get hurt just as he's starting to really find traction as a major leaguer.

David Villar 2B- 0 for 3, HBP.  BA= .159.  Villar didn't do much at the plate but showed some agility at 2B particularly in converting a double play on a comebacker to Cobb which Cobb tried to throw into CF. Villar stretched to glove it then had the agility to tag the runner and throw to first in time for the GIDP.  Plus he handled his share of the 17 groundball outs Alex Cobb served up.

Alex Cobb RHP- 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K', GO/AO= 17/2.  ERA= 1.91.  That's the way they did it in the good old days!  Get those groundball outs on 1 or 2 pitches, keep the pitch count down and go 9.  109 pitches and Cobb appeared to have plenty left in the tank at the end.  Cobb turned it into the equivalent of an off day for the bullpen.  Q: When was the last CG shutout for a Giants SP?  I honestly don't know.

The Giants have not named a SP for tomorrow's game against Jake Woodford RHP.  We'll see what happens with Bart.  They really can't afford for him to be DTD with just two catchers on the roster.

Churn Watch:  As we mentioned, Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater were activated off the IL. The corresponding moves were Brett Wisely UT getting optioned and Darin Ruf DH going on the IL with wrist inflammation. Oh, and the Giants returned the favor to the A's by trading Sam Long LHP for cash considerations.  I'll take a wild guess that the amount of cash matches the cash consideration for Cal Stevenson OF coming to the Giants.

Down on the Farm: 4/23/2023

 AAA:  Round Rock Express beat the Sacramento River Cats 3-1.

Cal Stevenson CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .323.

Casey Schmitt SS- 3 for 5.  BA= .326.

Melvin Adon RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.06.

Add Cal Stevenson to the list of small, speedy contact OF's like Bryce Johnson, Ismael Munguia and Wade Meckler.

AA:  Erie Seawolves outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5(10 innings).

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .294.

Patrick Bailey DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .340.

Riley Mahan 1B- 2 for 4, 2 HR(3).  BA= .200.

Landon Roupp RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Big seasons at AA level for Matos and Bailey would be a big boost to the Giants farm system.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Hillsboro Hops 6-4.

Victor Bericoto LF- 1 for 2, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .244.

Jared Dupere RF- 3 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(4).  BA= .256.

Ghordy Santos 2B- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .143.

Ben Madison RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.52.

Jose Cruz RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 0.00.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Inland Empire 66'ers 11-7.

Carter Howell CF- 3 for 5, HR(1), SB(2).  BA= .279.

Thomas Gavello C- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB, SB(1).  BA= .300.

Matt Higgins LF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .298.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .302.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .250.

John Bertrand LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.27.

Jose Ramos is 20 yo.  Diego Velasquez is 19.  Breakout seasons by this pair would be a huge boost to the Giants farm system. Add Thomas Gavello to the catching depth chart(another major sleeper catcher is Onil Perez who is also on the SJ Giants roster.

Game Wrap 4/23/2023: Giants 5 Mets 4

The Giants showed fortitude and persistence in a see-saw game they could have easily let slip away.  Key Lines:

Lamonte Wade Jr. 1B/LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .216.  In the Giants half of the first inning, LMWJ smoked a ball off the RF wall that caromed straight back to Starling Marte holding him to a single.  Later his hit a soft liner down the RF line the fell in for a double.  Hard hit:  Single.  Soft hit:  Double.  As Vin Scully would say, "go figure!"

Joc Pederson DH- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .250.  Pederson was activated from the IL before the game with Heliot Ramos OF going back to AAA Sacramento.  The move paid immediate dividends as Joc singled in LMWJ from 3B with a 2-out single in the first inning to get the Giants on the board first.  

Mike Yastrzemski LF/CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .269.  YtY doubled in Joc Pederson from 1B for the winning run after Joc reached base on a walk.  I think we would all agree that if YtY can hit .269 and play CF against RHP's, he's an asset to the team(checks notes:  He's on a pace for about 2.8 fWAR).

Thairo Estrada 2B- 1 for 3, HR(4), HBP.  BA= .329.  Estrada crushed a HR to LF leading off the Giants second inning.  He was already at 0.9 fWAR in just 82 PA before today's game.  He joins J. D. Davis, Michael Conforto and YtY with 4 HR's to lead the team.

Ross Stripling RHP- 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 5/2.  ERA= 6.89.  Stripling looked a little better than in his previous starts but was living dangerously giving up a lot of soft hits.  He loaded the bases twice.  He has shown a tendency to fall apart quickly so Kap was probably wise to pull him with 1 out and the bases loaded in the 4'th inning.  Taylor Rogers LHP came in and got two flyballs which should have plated just 1 run but Conforto dropped the first one to extend the inning and allow another run to score on the next flyball. Rogers then ended the inning with a K of Starling Marte.  Pretty good job considering the error and inheriting a 1-out, bases loaded situation.

Tyler Rogers RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.79.  Rogers gave up a game-tying HR to Francisco Alvarez C but he also kept the Giants in the game for 2 big middle innings.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 3.00.  Doval barely broke a sweat as he buzzed through the 9'th inning like a dominant Closer should for a much-needed Save.

Alex Cobb RHP tries to keep the winning ways going tomorrow evening against the Cardinals and Jordan Montgomery LHP. Will we see Austin Slater OF activated with the lefty going?

Down on the Farm: 4/22/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Round Rock Express 3-2.

Mitch Haniger DH- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .308.

Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 2, BB.  BA= .297.

Shane Matheny 3B/CF- 1 for 3.  BA= .233.

Tanner Andrews RHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.75.

Kade McClure RHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.54.

I doubt Haniger is going to be activated before he plays in the field but the bat seems about ready.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Erie Seawolves 2-0.

Hayden Cantrell 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .270.

Carter Williams RF- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .333.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.09.

Nick Swiney LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.90.

Evan Gates RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 3.00.

Williams moves up from A+.  Rooting hard for him.  Teng has 25 K's in just 11.2 IP with 4 BB's on the season so far.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds smacked the Hillsboro Hops 8-1(first game of DH, 7 innings).

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .512.

Logan Wyatt 1B- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .325.

Grant McCray DH- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(4).  BA= .116.

Eric Silva RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 5/2.  ERA= 0.75.

Ty Weber RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 5/2.  ERA= 2.25.

Meckler chose a great time for his first HR of the season, bottom of the 6'th inning, bases loaded.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds swept the Hillsboro Hops 4-2(game 2 of DH, 7 innings):

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .130.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .191.

Victor Bericoto 1B/LF- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .231.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.00.

Nick Morreale RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 3.68.

A:  San Jose Giants pounded the Inland Empire 66'ers 15-6.

Carter Howell CF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .250.

Onil Perez C- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .323.

Jose Ramos 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B, BB.  BA= .286.

Alexander Suarez RF- 3 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .214.

Nomar Medina LHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.90.

Dylan Cumming RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Onil Perez and Jose Ramos are putting themselves on the prospect map.  Still rooting for Suarez to break out.

Game Wrap 4/22/2023: Giants 7 Mets 4

 Brandon Crawford's 3-run HR gave the Giants a 4-0 lead in the first inning and they never looked back in a much-needed win.  Key Lines:

Thairo Estrada 2B- 2 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .329.  Estrada might be the Giants best all-around player right now hitting for average, power and with some base-stealing speed and rangy defense and versatility added on.  He started this game off by beating out in IF single and scoring on a SF by David Villar.  He later singled again, stole 2B and scored to make it 6-1 in the second inning.  

Michael Conforto RF- 1 for 4.  BA= .220.  Conforto played in the field for the first time in awhile.  He singled and scored ahead of Crawford's HR in the first inning.  He drove in Estrada in the second on a FC.  

Wilmer Flores 1B- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .295.  Wilmer homered to lead off the second inning and showed off some mobility while fielding 1B.

David Villar 3B- 0 for 2, BB, SF.  BA= .167.  Villar made several terrific plays at 3B including a sliding backhanded stop of a hot smash followed by a long throw from well behind the bag.  He later came in on a slow chopper and made a nice barehanded catch and throw to save an infield hit.  In addition to his SF in the first inning he hit another ball that Brandon Nimmo caught up against the CF wall.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .158.  Crawford started against the LHP and made that decision look good with a 3-run blast down the line with 2 runners on base in the first inning that set the tone for the rest of the game.

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 2.  BA= .192.  Ramos hit the ball hard off the wall in Triples Alley for a standup double in the second inning.  He came around to score on Conforto's FC.

Joey Bart C- 0 for 3.  BA= .300.  Bart sent out a message in this game. It said, "don't run on me!"  He threw out a runner at 2B and then showed good mobility tracking down a blocked ball and gunned down the runner at 3B who was trying to take advantage.  Webb, who seemed to prefer throwing to Roberto Perez early in the season, praised Bart's work behind the plate as did Kap.

Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 4.40.  This is the kind of game the Giants gave him a 5 yr contract for.  Don't forget Webb got off to a slow start last season and ended up with numbers just as good or slightly better than 2021.

Ross Stripling RHP tries for the Giants first B2B wins of the season and a split of the 4-game series tomorrow afternoon.  Stripling has been noticeably more effective since ditching a new changeup grip, so we'll see.  He faces Tylor Megill RHP.

Down on the Farm: 4/21/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Round Rock Express 7-4.

Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .310.

Matt Beaty 1B/RF- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .368.

Keaton Winn RHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R,  0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.57.

Chris Wright LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Chris Wright gets the promotion from AA, probably because Sam Long LHP was DFA'd off the 40-man roster.

AA:  Erie Seawolves topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3.

Ismael Munguia RF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .300.

Luis Matos LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .295.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .311.

Mason Black RHP- 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.23.

Erik Miller LHP- 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Michael Stryfeller RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Blake Rivera RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

I think Matos' BA is the big story here.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 5-3.

Wade Meckler LF- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.

Adrian Sugastey C- 3 for 4.  BA= .188.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 1 for 2, HR, BB.  BA= .182.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.84.

Joe Kemlage RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.50.

Tyler Myrick RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2).  ERA= 0.00.

For all of FZ's obsession with HR's, it's interesting that many of the top performing hitting prospects in the Giants system are high contact/low power guys like Wade Meckler.  Ragsdale putting up nice numbers back from TJ surgery last year.

A:  Inland Empire 66'er's flattened the San Jose Giants 9-1.

Thomas Gavello 2B- 1 for 2, HR(1), BB, HBP.  BA= .278.

Diego Velasquez SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .200.

Game Wrap 4/21/2023: Mets 7 Giants 0

The Giants managed just 5 hits in the game and never threatened to score.  For his part, Anthony DeSclafani RHP started off strong enough but got roughed up for 3 runs in the 5'th inning.  At that point the game was over for all practical purposes. The End.

Down on the Farm: 4/20/2023

 AAA:  Round Rock Express edged out the Sacramento River Cats 2-1.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.00.

Ryan Walker RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.77.

Melvin Adon RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 6.23.

Cole Waites RHP= 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 12.00.

Harrison has allowed 1 R in 6.1 IP over his last two appearances.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Erie Seawolves 10-7.

Ismael Munguia RF- 2 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .277.

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .275.

Hayden Cantrelle 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .267.

Evan Gates RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 3.60.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops vs Eugene Emeralds postponed by weather.

A:  San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'ers 4-0.

Carter Howell CF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .255.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .161.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .355.

Edison Mora DH- 2 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .161.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.12.

Daniel Blair RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Jack Choate LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.93.

Once again we see some of the lower round pitching draft picks like Jack Choate and Liam Simon RHP outperforming top 2 round picks.  And again, SJ is extremely conservative placement for first full pro season for college draft picks.

Game Wrap 4/20/2023: Mets 9 Giants 4

Sean Manaea got knocked out of the game as the Mets scored 5 runs in the 4'th inning.   The Giants got 4 runs back in a 5'th inning rally of their own but the Mets pulled away in the later innings against rookie Tristan Beck.  Key Lines:

Blake Sabol C- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .190.  Sabol has struggled to get is BA to the Mendoza Line but he has undeniable pop in his bat.  He started the Giants comeback bid with his third HR over the CF wall in the 5'th inning.

Lamonte Wade Jr LF- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .205.  Wade drew another walk to lead off the game and has an OBP of .435.  He followed Sabol's blast with a solo shot of his own to L-CF for the Giants second run of the game.

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 3 for 4.  BA= .268.  YtY is off to a pretty good start to the season.  Michael Conforto DH played the whole game at DH and hopefully is close to playing in the field which would allow YtY to move back to CF.  If he can maintain a BA above .250 with some HR power and play CF, he will be an asset to the team.

Sean Manaea LHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.60.  Manaea's velocity may be up but the results are not better than last season which was a disaster for him.  He looked great for 3 innings in this game only to have the wheels fall off in the 4'th inning.  BTW, you can add 2 HBP's to Manaea's pitching line.  Both of those happened in the 4'th inning.

Tristan Beck RHP- 5.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. Beck made some good looking pitches in his MLB debut but also got roughed up a bit in the 6'th and 7'th innings.  His job was to eat innings at all costs so stayed in to the end and put up goose eggs in the final two innings.

Anthony DeSclafani RHP tries to even the series tomorrow evening at 7:15 facing Joey Lucchesi LHP.

Down on the Farm: 4/19/2023

AAA:  Round Rock Express defeated the Sacramento River Cats 7-3.

Mitch Haniger DH- 2 for 4.  BA= .429.

Colton Welker 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .333. 

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels pounded the Erie Seawolves 11-2.

Ismael Munguia CF- 3 for 5, SB(1).  BA= .256.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 3 for 5, HR(1), SB(1).  BA= .333.

Andy Thomas DH- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .154.

Riley Mahan 1B- 2 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .185.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.11.  

Is this Tyler Fitzgerald's breakout season?

A+:  Eugene Emeralds edged out the Hillsboro Hops 1-0.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .194.

Wade Meckler RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .472.

Jimmy Glowenke 3B- 0 for 1, 3 BB.  BA= .440.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 1.00.

Ben Madison RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Sinacola had an underrated season for the SJ Giants last year.

A:  San Jose Giants topped the Inland Empire 66'ers 6-5.

Andrew Kachel 1B- 3 for 5.  BA= .375.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB(4).  BA= .324.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.66.

Liam Simon RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

Jose Ramos is emerging as possibly the most interesting prospect for the 2023 version of the SJ Giants.

Game Wrap 4/19/2023: Giants 5 Marlins 2(11 Innings)

 The Giants lost an early 1-0 lead but broke a 1-1 tie open in the top of the 11'th inning with a pair of 2-run HR's for a much needed win to finish a discouraging road trip on a high note.  Key Lines:

Michael Conforto PH/DH- 1 for 2, HR(4).  BA= .233.  Conforto seems to still be limited by a sore calf.  He PH for Darin Ruf DH and later hit the go-ahead HR in the 11'th.

Mike Yastrzemski CF/RF- 1 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .239.  YtY followed David Villar's double with a HR of his own to give the Giants a 4-run lead in the top of the 9'th.

Joey Bart C- 0 for 2, BB, 2 HBP.  BA= .333.  Bart used to get HBP a lot in the minors which caused some injuries early in his pro career.  He reached base 3 times in this game to raise his OBP to .407.  Unfortunately he did not figure into the scoring for his trouble.

Alex Cobb RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.79.  Strong start for Cobb but he threw 92 pitches in 5 IP.

Bullpen- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K.  The bullpen saved the day preserving the tie until the pivotal 11'th inning then holding on for the win.  Taylor Rogers LHP recorded the final 2 outs for the Save although he put a runner on base by HBP.

The Giants don't get a break after the road trip.  Interesting matchup to start the homestand against the Mets with Sean Manaea LHP facing Kodai Senga RHP.

Churn Watch:

Alex Wood LHP hits the IL with a hammy strain and is replaced on the active roster by Tristan Beck RHP.  Welcome to the Giants, Tristan Beck.

Matt Beaty 1B/OF/DH was optioned to AAA Sacramento.  Brett Wisely UT was recalled from AAA Sacramento.  Beaty and Wisely are both LH batters but Wisely has been hot with 4 doubles in his last AAA game and is more versatile in the field than Beaty.

The Giants acquired Cal Stevenson OF who was recently DFA'd from the Oakland A's(yes the A's!) for cash considerations.  Sam Long LHP was DFA'd to make room on the 40-man roster for Stevenson and I was beginning to wonder if Sam Long had some sort of no-DFA clause in his contract.  Guess not.

So who is Cal Stevenson?  He has a career slash line of .167/.261/.217 in 71 PA but before that he was the Blue Jays 10'th round draft pick in 2018 out of Univ. of Arizona.  His career minor league slash line is interesting:  .294/.409/.420 with more career walks than K's.  He's never had more than single digit HR's in a season but put up double digit SB's in each of his full MiLB seasons.  He's a lefty hitter and thrower who can play CF.  Welcome to the Giants, Cal.  Hope you stick around awhile.

Down on the Farm: 4/18/2023

 AAA:  Round Rock Express rolled over the Sacramento River Cats 17-9.

Austin Slater DH- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .400.

Mitch Haniger LF- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .333.

Clint Coulter RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .404.

Obviously not much pitching to speak of.  Melvin Adon  RHP pitched a scoreless 9'th inning.  6 other pitchers got knocked around.  Slater must be about ready to play for the Giants.  Should the Giants give Clint Coulter a shot?

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels soared over the Erie Seawolves 15-6.

Ismael Munguia LF- 3 for 5.  BA= .211.

Luis Matos CF- 1 for 4, 2B, 2 BB, SB(2).  BA= .257.

Patrick Bailey C- 5 for 5, HR(1), BB.  BA= .412.

Brett Auerbach 2B- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .222.

Carter Aldrete RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .355.

Simon Whiteman SS- 1 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .304.

Ryan Murphy RHP- 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 6.30.

Big news here is Patrick Bailey possibly starting a breakout season.  That kind of success from a first round draft pick would completely transform the Giants farm system....for the better.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Hillsboro Hops 8-3.

Grant McCray CF- 0 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .152.

Aeverson Arteaga SS= 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .156.

Logan Wyatt 1B- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .310.

Jared Dupere LF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .250.

Matt Mikulski LHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Breakout year for Logan Wyatt?  I had pretty much written him off as a prospect.

A:  San Jose Giants defeated the Inland Empire 66'ers 4-1.

Carter Howell CF- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .238.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(2).  BA= .294.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .375.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.13.

John Bertrand LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Hayden Wynja LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(1).  ERA= 3.60

Jose Ramos looks like he might be a significant sleeper in the system.  Hayden Wynja was a NDFA in 2022.  He is 6'9", 240 lbs.  

Game Wrap 4/18/2023: Marlins 4 Giants 2

This game followed an increasingly familiar pattern in which the Giants grab an early lead then fail to hang onto it in the middle innings and than can't come back late.  Key Lines:

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .242.  YtY drove in both runs with a 2-run blast in the first inning.  Aside from 3 hits for J. D. Davis 3B the Giants offense pretty much died after that.  The bottom 4 batters in the lineup went a combined 0 for 15 with 10 K's.  

Alex Wood LHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.80.  Wood left the game in the 3'rd inning when he grabbed the back of his leg after fielding a bunt.  Hammy.  I would think he is a near-lock for the IL and probably for several weeks.  Wood is a very good pitcher when he's healthy but he's never been one to get deep into games and he has a long injury history.  All in all the Giants have gotten about what you would expect from him.  FZ has had a lot of success dating all the way back to this Dodger days with betting short term on players(mostly pitchers) with extensive injury histories.  He got lucky and had everything break right in 2021 but if everything can break right, it can also break wrong and mostly be somewhere in between.

Jakob Junis RHP- 2.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.26.  You can also expect Junis to regress to an ERA between 4.5 and 5.  Today it was a 3-run HR by Jazz Chisholm CF that was the difference in the game.

Ross Stripling RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.30.  Stripling finished his last appearance strong and looked good here while keeping the game close.  Are we done with the early season jitters? 

Taylor Rogers LHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 15.75.  Baby steps.

Alex Cobb RHP tries to salvage one win from the series and the road trip facing Trevor Rogers LHP tomorrow at 10:00 AM PT.

Game Wrap 4/18/2023: Marlins 4 Giants 3

 The Giants again squandered an early lead and a strong starting pitching performance.  Key Lines:

Wilmer Flores 1B- 3 for 4.  BA= .339.  Flores seems to have settled into a productive role of platoon 1B against LHP starters.  

David Villar 2B- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .191.  Villar drove one into the R-CF gap in the 3'rd inning to drive in 2 runs to put the Giants up 3-0.  He also seems be more comfortable at 2B making some nifty plays here.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .400.  Bart seems to be slowly but surely tightening his grip on the starting C role.  He has possibly sacrificed some power for contact.  His first XBH was a laser beam over the head of the LF.

Heliot Ramos RF- 1 for 2, 2B.  Ramos followed Bart's double with an almost identical drive over the LF's head to drive in the Giants first run. 

Logan Webb RHP- 6.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 9/2.  ERA= 4.94, FIP= 4.21, xFIP= 2.92.  Another game, another bad luck outing by Webb who is having a very similar season as Alex Cobb had last year, at least so far.  Webb's stuff looked the best of the season so far in the early going but the Marlins chipped away with groundball hits.  Still it looked like Webb would get through 7 innings with a 3-2 lead after a GIDP got a runner to 3B but with 2-outs.  Then Jorge Soler, who was 0 for 10 with 7 K's against Webb for his careeer.  Webb hung a curve and Soler, who has tremendous power put it over the CF wall for the game-winning 2-run HR.  That was the ballgame.

Alex Wood LHP tries to get the Giants ship righted tomorrow facing Edward Cabrera RHP.

Mitch Haniger OF is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow with the AAA Sacramento River Cats.

Down on the Farm: 4/16/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats destroyed the Reno Aces 17-9.  Key Lines:

Brett Wisely 2B- 4 for 6, 4 2B.  BA= .304.

Austin Slater DH- 1 for 3.  BA= .286.

Casey Schmitt SS- 3 for 6.  BA= .318.

Will Wilson 3B- 2 for 5, SF.  BA= .214. 

I only included lines from players likely to see MLB action this season.  River Cats pounded out 21 hits including 9 doubles and 2 HR's.  Note that Will Wilson played 3B while Casey Schmitt started at SS.

AA:  Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-3.

Riley Mahan 1B- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .111.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.70.

Nick Swiney LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.50.

The walks crop up again for Teng.  

A+:  Spokane Indians buried the Eugene Emeralds 10-2.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .172.

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .185.

Someone asked if/when Meckler might get promotion to AA.  1.  It's still very early.  Not enough sample sized to really judge him successful at A+.  2.  The sad truth is eventual promotion will likely depend more on roster needs than players development.  Meckler has a similar profile to Bryce Johnson:  Great contact skills with speed.  Needs to develop power for be considered a frontline prospect unless the dynamics of the game change dramatically to favor hitters with that skill set.

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Modesto Nuts 10-2.

Thomas Gavello C- 1 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .296.

Matt Higgins LF- 2 for 4, 2B, HBP.  BA= .321.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 4, BB, SB(1).  BA= .267.

Andrew Kachel 2B- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .333.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .350.

Edison Mora 3B- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .125.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.05.

Dylan Cumming RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Nomar Medina LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.50.

I have high hopes for pitching prospects Maldonado and Medina.

Game Wrap 4/16/2023: Giants at Tigers postponed

 Game postponed due to rain.  IDK whether that robbed the Giants of a chance to finish the series on a high note or saved them from a humiliating sweep at the hands of one of the objectively worst teams in MLB.

Down on the Farm: 4/15/2023

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats blasted the Reno Aces 15-6.

Austin Slater DH- 1 for 1, HR(1), 2 BB.  BA= .250.

Gary Sanchez C- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .185.

Clint Coulter RF- 2 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .396.

Michael Gigliotti LF- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .302.

Keaton Winn RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 4/0.  ERA= 6.75.

Drew Strotman RHP- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K, GO/AO= 6/2.  ERA= 0.00.

Tanner Andrews RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.14.

Melvin Adon RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 9.00.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Harrisburg Senators 4-3.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B, BB.  BA= .310.

Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 4, SB(1).  BA= .320.

Mason Black RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Raymond Burgos LHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Chris Wright LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds crushed the Spokane Indians 12-1.

Jimmy Glowenke SS- 3 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .526.

Wade Meckler RF- 4 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .500.

Logan Wyatt 1B- 3 for 5, 2 2B, HR(2), BB.  BA= .320.

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 3, HR(2), 2 BB.  BA= .409.

Damon Dues 2B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .235.

Eric Silva RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.13.

Ben Madison RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 6.75.

A:  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 8-6.

Zach Morgan C- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.

Giants had 8 hits in the game but Morgan was the only batter with more than one. They also drew 9 BB's.  

Giants farm teams drew a total of 31 walks in 4 games today.

Game Wrap 4/15/2023: Tigers 7 Giants 6(11 innings)

 Another bullpen failure ruined an outstanding start by Anthony DeSclafani and squandered an early lead built by the Giants offense as the Giants lost to the Tigers in an extra-inning walk-off for the second straight game.  Key Lines:

Lamonte Wade Jr RF- 0 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .242.  LMWJ started in RF due to Michael Conforto's sore calf.  He continues to reach base from the leadoff spot in the lineup.  His leadoff walk to start the game started the Giants first inning 2-run rally.

Thairo Estrada 2B/LF- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .365.  Reportedly the key to Estrada's hot start is he hit the weight room in the offseason.

J. D. Davis 3B- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .341.  Davis seems to be solidifying the starting 3B job and is looking for a breakout season.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 5.  BA= .375.  Bart seems to be building confidence at the plate and seems to be ranking pretty high in pitch framing.  On the other hand he let a blockable ball get past him in the 11'th that was ruled a WP on Taylor Rogers.  That advanced the "ghost runner" to 3B forcing the infield to play in which may have contributed to Miggy Cabrera's walk-off single up the middle.

Blake Sabol LF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .194.  Sabol homered in the second inning to make the score  4-1 and Giants fans were feeling pretty confident at that point.

Brandon Crawford SS- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .186.  Crawford made back-to-back errors in the 5'th inning which contributed to an unearned run which was ultimately the difference in the game.  We've seen an uptick in inexplicable errors by Crawford over the past 2-3 seasons.  Maybe 36 yo reflexes are a picosecond slower than 24 yo?

Anthony Desclafani RHP- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.42.  Tony D was dealing again and it should have been good enough for the W.

John Brebbia RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K. ERA= 7.94.  Brebbia was overused last season which concerning for his performance this year but it appeared he had more support in the bullpen and would not be needed as much.  So far he's appeared in 8 of the Giants 14 games which is a pace for about 90 appearances on the season.

Logan Webb RHP tries to salvage one game out of the series tomorrow against former Giant Matt Boyd LHP.

Churn Watch:

Aside from Boyd's start tomorrow, Joc Pederson DH hit the IL with wrist inflammation and Matt Beaty DH/1B/OF was called up from AAA Sacramento and was the starting DH today.

Down on the Farm: 4/14/2023

 AAA:  Reno Aces pounded the Sacramento River Cats 10-4.

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3).  BA= .278.

Michael Gigliotti RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .282.

Shane Matheny CF- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, HBP.  BA= .220

Gary Sanchez C- 1 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .167.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K. ERA= 7.50.

Reno is a tough place to pitch so good job by Harrison.

AA:  Harrisburg Senators topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-5(10 innings).

Brett Auerbach CF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA- .217.

Carter Aldrete 1B- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .318.

Brandon Martorano C- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .154. 

Nick Zwack LHP- 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K. ERA= 2.16.

Erik Miller LHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Blake Rivera RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds outscored the Spokane Indians 7-6.

Logan Wyatt 1B- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .250.

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .368.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 5.  BA= .136.

Jimmy Glowenke 2B- 1 for 2, BB, SF.  BA= .538.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.12.

Hunter Dula RHP- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

Great to see Ragsdale putting up big K #'s after a year off for injury.

A:  San Jose Giants defeated the Modesto Nuts 7-4.

Diego Velasquez SS- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .190.

Andrew Kachel 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .316.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .357.

Matt Higgins LF- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .300.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.40.

Jack Choate LHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

Daniel Blair RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Jack Choate is an emerging story.

Giants farm teams drew a total of 21 walks in 4 games.

Game Wrap 4/14/2023: Tigers 7 Giants 5

 The Giants battled back from a 4-1 deficit to sent the game into extra innings only to lose on a walk-off 3-run HR in the 11'th inning.  Key Lines:

Thairo Estrada LF- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(3), BB.  BA= .370.  Estrada led off the game with HR and continued his torrid hitting with an additional double, single and BB.  Unfortunately he was the Giants offense for the first 7 innings as they fell behind 4-1.

J. D. Davis 3B- 2 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .324.  I didn't see the game thanks to Apple+ TV but Davis reportedly made a couple of terrific plays at 3B then tied the game in the 8'th with a 3-run bomb.  Davis needs to be playing every day one way or another.

Sean Manaea LHP- 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.76.  Manaea reportedly was hitting 97 MPH in the first inning.  Another example of pitcher fatigue due to increased pace of play?

Jakob Junis RHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB 4 K's.  ERA= 2.70.  I guess we can say Junis kept the score close enough to a 3-run HR to tie it.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.35.  Doval pitches both extra innings with a "ghost runner".  That's asking a lot of your Closer and he almost pulled it off.  Alas!

Anthony DeSclafani RHP will try to get the Giants even in the series tomorrow against TBD.  

Churn Watch:

As expected Bryce Johnson OF went on the concussion IL.  

Sean Hjelle RHP was recalled from AAA Sacramento(I don't think he actually went to Sacramento).  

Austin Slater OF starts a rehab assignment with Sacramento.  

Mitch Haniger OF is reportedly performing baseball activities and is hoping to start a rehab assignment next week.

Austin Wynns C passed through waiver and elected free agency and why not?

Down on the Farm: 4/13/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Reno Aces 8-6.'

Casey Schmitt SS- 3 for 5, SF.  BA= .353.

Gary Sanchez DH- 1 for 4, 2 BB.  BA= .143.

Clint Coulter RF- 3 for 4, HBP, SB(2).  BA= .400.

Will Wilson 2B- 3 for 5.  BA= .190.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Nick Avila RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.00.

The new watchword in the Giants farm system is walks.  River Cats drew 9 of them in this game.

AA:  Harrisburg Senators edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3.

Simon Whiteman 2B- 1 for 1, HR(1), 3 BB.  BA= .200.

Carson Seymour RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.50.

Wil Jensen RHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Raymond Burgos LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Squirrels drew 6 walks in this game.

A+:  Spokane Indians topped the Eugene Emeralds 4-3.

Wade Meckler RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .429.

Jared Dupere LF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .294.

Damon Dues 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .214.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 1.80.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

Ems drew just 3 walks and struck out 16 times in this game.

A:  Modesto Nuts defeated the San Jose Giants 5-4.

Thomas Gavello DH- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .316.

Andrew Kachel 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .313.

Matt Higgins LF- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .267.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.18.

Liam Simon RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.50.

Giants drew 11 walks and struck out 11 times in this game.

Down on the Farm: 4/12/2023

AAA:  Reno Aces came from behind to edge out the Sacramento River Cats 6-5.

Brett Wisely CF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .276.

Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .326.

Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4.  BA= .400.

Tristan Beck RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 7/3.  ERA= 3.38.

Melvin Adon RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.59.

Wisely and Schmitt looking like potential future callups.  Adon looks like an intriguing option with the Giants bullpen in near-meltdown.

AA:  Harrisburg Senators topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-6.

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .368.

Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 5.  BA= .313.

Carter Aldrete LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .286.

Very encouraging starts to the season for Matos and Bailey.  Strong seasons from them will should propel the Giants farm system rankings back into the top third.

A+:  Eugene Emerals pounded the Spokane Indians 9-2.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .188.

Wade Meckler RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .412.

Logan Wyatt 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA- .273.

Jared Dupere DH- 2 for 4, HR(1), HBP.  BA= .231.

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .333.

Matt Mikulski LHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Ty Weber RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

Looking for a breakout from Toribio.  Mikulski with a nice line after an inconsistent season last year.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Modesto Nuts 7-5.

Carter Howell CF- 2 for 5, 2 3B. BA= .250.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.25.

Giants affiliates drew a total of 22 walks in 4 games last night.

Game Wrap 4/12/2023: Dodgers 10 Giants 5

This game started out promising enough but then Giants fans watched in horror as the wheels fell off the game and possibly the entire season.  Key Lines:

Thairo Estrada SS- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .341.  Estrada continues to look like this could be his breakout season. Unfortunately the HR came in the 9'th inning after the game was long over for all practical purposes.  

Wilmer Flores 1B- 3 for 5.  BA= .346.  Wilmer was a bright spot at the plate and making some nice plays at 1B.  He seems to be playing more within himself so far this season.

Michael Conforto RF- 0 for 2.  BA= .225.  Here's where it gets ugly.  Conforto left the game early with calf tightness and DTD.  Injury notes on the Giants website say they are hopeful he will be able to play Friday after an off-day today.  Hmmm.... Seems like I remember posting that the #1 key to the season is for the Giants two main offseason acquisitions to stay healthy.  With no current timetable for Mitch Haniger OF's return and now this turn of events for Conforto, that's not looking so good.

 Bryce Johnson CF- 0 for 0.  BA= .150.  Johnson replaced Conforto and promptly saved 2 runs with a spectacular catch up against the CF wall, appeared to hit his head hard and crumpled to the ground while hanging onto the ball with his glove.  He had to be helped off the field with a concussion and is expected to hit the concussion IL.  That would seem to leave YtY, Heliot Ramos, LMWJ, Thairo Estrada, Darin Ruf and maybe J. D. Davis as players with OF experience left on the 40-man roster.  Oh!  I guess there is Joc Pederson and Matt Beaty too.  Oh my!

Darin Ruf DH- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.  It was great to see Ruf make what looked like a triumphant return to the Giants lineup with a booming double in the first inning off Clayton Kershaw LHP to drive in 2 runs.  He was somewhat surprisingly activated before the game with Sean Hjelle RHP being optioned to AAA Sacramento.  By the end of the game it felt more like another short term move in a Churn that looks increasingly desperate and chaotic.  With Haniger and Conforto both injured, we're essentially back to last year's team.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 4.  BA= .375.  It as a bunt and a bloop but hey!  At least he was putting the ball in play and sometimes good things happen.  Here's hoping the Giants just make him the #1 catcher and give him at least half the season to prove he can't handle it.

Alex Cobb RHP- 3.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 3.14.  Much like Alex Wood LHP on Tuesday, Cobb looked pretty sharp through 3 innings then seemed to hit a wall.  One of the concerns with the faster paced games was that pitchers would get fatigued faster with less time to rest between pitches. We may be seeing that effect in action.

Taylor Rogers LHP- 0.0 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 18.90.  The Giants apparently dismissed Rogers post-trade struggles with the Brewers last year as a sample size blip.  That's not looking so good right now either as Rogers could not hit the broad side of a barn.  The game was tied 3-3 when he entered in the 6'th inning.  After John Brebbia RHP gave up a SF and 3-run bomb to Max Muncy, the score was 8-3 and it was all over but the shouting.  You have to think something is very wrong with Taylor Rogers.  He's just not the same guy who shut down the Giants when he was with the Padres early last season and maybe the Padres knew something when they traded him to the Brewers for Josh Hader?

Ross Stripling RHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 9.00.  Another possible silver lining here is Stripling seemed to figure things out over his last two innings of work in mop up time after a shaky start striking out the side twice in two scoreless frames. 

The Giants get a travel day to regroup before taking on a road schedule that on paper should be an easier stretch, but so was the Royals series.

Down on the Farm: 4/11/2023

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats pounded the Reno Aces 14-4.

Casey Schmitt 3B- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .310.

Matt Beatty 1B- 4 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= 1.000.

Gary Sanchez C- 1 for 5.  BA= .167.

River Cats drew a total of 12 walks in the game.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Harrisburg Senators 5-1.

Luis Matos CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .357.

Carter Aldrete 3B- 1 for 2, HR(1), 2 BB. BA= .182.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Squirrels drew a total of 10 walks in the game.  Are we picking up a pattern here?

A+:  Spokane Indians beat the Eugene Emeralds 7-4.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .143.

Carter Williams LF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .250.

Jimmy Glowenke 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .714.

Ems only drew 2 walks in this game.

A:  San Jose Giants cracked the Modesto Nuts 6-2.

Zach Morgan C- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .250.

Andrew Kachel DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .308.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 2 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .300.

Alexander Suarez LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .250.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 6.00.

Nomar Medina LHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

The Giants drew 4 walks in the game while Giants pitchers issued 10.

Game Wrap 4/11/2023: Giants 5 Dodgers 0

 What a difference a day makes!  The Giants scored early and late to back a dominant team pitching performance and The Kap did a pretty good job of managing to boot.  Key Lines:

Lamonte Wade Jr 1B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .269.  LMWJ just keeps getting on base from the top of the batting order.  .500 OBP.  

Joc Pederson DH- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .242.  The Giants have their own doughy-bodied lefty masher.  Joc doubled in the first two runs of the game in the first inning after Wade Jr and Conforto reached base with walks.

David Villar 2B/3B- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .235.  Villar gave the Giants some breathing room with an 8'th inning 2-run HR after YtY's double.  

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .206.  Crawford followed Villar's blast with one of his own.  He still has his moments.

Alex Wood LHP- 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K.  ERA= 1.17.  What is your over/under on how many times Wood gets out of the 5'th inning this year.  Hey!  4.2 shutout innings are not nothing.  If Wood makes 30 starts and averages 4 IP with an ERA in the 2's.  We and the Giants will take that.

Scott Alexander LHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00. Great move by Kap to bring in the lefty Alexander to face Outman with the bases loaded and 1 out.  Outman dribbled one in front of the plate.  Blake Sabol started to go after it then had the presence of mind to get back to home plate. Alexander shoveled the ball to him for the force out at home.  Alexander then struck out the light-hitting SS Rojas and I think the Dodgers miss Trea Turner a lot.

John Brebbia RHP, Tyler Rogers RHP and Camilo Doval RHP closed out the last 3 innings without breaking much of a sweat.  It was a non-Save situation for Doval with the 5-run lead.

The Win improves the Giants record to 5-6 but they remain in 4'th place 0.5 games behind the 6-6 Dodgers.  The D'Backs and Padres are tied for first place at 7-5 and the Rockies bring up the rear of the NL West at 5-7.  Yes, it's still early.

Alex Cobb RHP tries for a series win against The Hated Ones tomorrow evening facing Clayton Kershaw LHP.