As they have done so often against rookie pitchers with high ERA's, the Giants offense struggled with just 1 hit in the first 4 innings. When they did break through in the 5'th it was with an IF single, walk, single, FC/Error, walk, walk. Things were looking up with Brandon Belt and Steven Vogt coming up, but they both made outs and the Giants were no-hit the rest of the way. Key Lines:
Logan Webb RHP- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 5/2. ERA= 6.75. Webb made some really good looking pitches, but his command was wildly inconsistent and it cost him. It looked like he was trying to do too much out there at times and needs to learn to stay within himself.
Kyle Barraclough RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 6.44. Giants are obviously auditioning bullpen roles for next season. How about this one? Barraclough started the inning with a walk, bunt single, Sac/Error, walk. Then he struck out the next 3 batters in a row.
Conner Menez LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.00. The Giants need to find replacements for Will Smith and Tony Watson for next season. Menez is making his case with a line of 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's over 3 bullpen appearances.
*********************************************************************************
Jeff Samardzija closes out the 4-game series this afternoon facing RHP Joe Musgrove.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Down on the Farm: 9/10/2019
AAA(Championship Series) Sacramento River Cats outscored the Round Rock Express 8-7:
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .400.
Francisco Pena DH- 4 for 4, HR.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4, 2B.
Levi Michael 2B- 1 for 3, HR, BB. BA= .333.
Avelino has been particularly productive as the Cats leadoff hitter in the postseason.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .400.
Francisco Pena DH- 4 for 4, HR.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 4, 2B.
Levi Michael 2B- 1 for 3, HR, BB. BA= .333.
Avelino has been particularly productive as the Cats leadoff hitter in the postseason.
Game Wrap 9/10/2019: Giants 5 Pirates 4
Johnny Cueto shimmied and shook and quick pitched his way to a 5-0 lead after 5 innings and the Giants makeshift bullpen staved off disaster to hold on for the win. Key Lines:
Mauricio Dubon 2B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .308. Dubon, who has pulled the ball for most of his hits, showed he could go the other way leading off the bottom of the first inning with a single through the hole in right side to start a 3-run rally. He later doubled on another groundball to the right side.
Steven Vogt C- 2 for 4, HR(9). BA= .274. Vogt's HR added on 2 runs in the 5'th inning which proved to be the difference in the ballgame. Vogt is a FA after this season at age 35.
Johnny Cueto RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/3. ERA= 0.00. Cueto had all his signature moves going plus a few non-signature ones. His FB topped out a 93 MPH which is back to pre-2018 levels. He left to a huge cheer from the crowd of 27 K. When was the last time Bumgarner, Cueto and Shark were all healthy at the same time?
Andrew Suarez LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 6.49. Suarez has had a rough season, but his ERA is 3.12 over his last 7 appearances, 8.1 IP. The Giants are clearly auditioning LHP's for next season's bullpen and Suarez make a good impression here. He inherited 2 runners with no outs in the 6'th and added 1 more to load the bases. He got out of it with a pop up and a GIDP against none other than Josh Bell for the final 2 outs.
Wandy Peralta LHP- 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 6.55. Speaking of auditions......
Shaun Anderson RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(1). ERA= 5.14. Speaking of auditions.....the Giants are likely going to have a new Closer next season. As someone pointed out, Anderson was a Closer in college. He's since polished up a SP repertoire and gains a couple MPH on the FB out of the bullpen.
*********************************************************************************
Logan Webb tries to recover from his disaster start last appearance facing RHP Dario Agrazal in the series finale tonight.
*********************************************************************************
The Giants DFA'd LHP Williams Jerez to make room for Johnny Cueto on the 40 man roster and to make room for Wandy Peralta's audition.
*********************************************************************************
The Giants fired 8 of 20 full-time scouts including several recognizable names such as Matt Nerland, Bob Mariano and Andy Skeels. Farhan Zaidi stated he plans to hire additional scouts, but was vague about how many and for what assignments. He did say that on-demand video has changed scouting needs but the Giants will continue to send scouts to see players in person. He also talked about placing more emphasis on scouting the lower minors, which is something I agree is needed.
*********************************************************************************
Christian Yelich fouled a ball off his patella and fractured it, ending his season. I am in severe pain just thinking about what that must feel like.
*********************************************************************************
For those of you who still think the Giants window for contention closed forever when they traded away Kyle Crick, he required surgery to repair a tendon in his index finger from an injury suffered in a fistfight with Pirates Closer Felipe Vazquez who one report had throwing the first punch and reportedly had obvious swelling and bandages on his nose. This gets really ugly when you consider Crick reportedly got into it in the past with Bullpen Coach Euclides Rojas who Crick accused of giving Vazquez preferential treatment. It's not clear what "preferential treatment" entails, but it might have something to do with Vazquez' 26 Saves and 1.71 ERA and Crick's own 4.96 ERA? The Pirates have also reportedly experience clubhouse violence issues involving RHP Keone Kela who seems to also have issues with Vazquez. Wow!
Mauricio Dubon 2B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .308. Dubon, who has pulled the ball for most of his hits, showed he could go the other way leading off the bottom of the first inning with a single through the hole in right side to start a 3-run rally. He later doubled on another groundball to the right side.
Steven Vogt C- 2 for 4, HR(9). BA= .274. Vogt's HR added on 2 runs in the 5'th inning which proved to be the difference in the ballgame. Vogt is a FA after this season at age 35.
Johnny Cueto RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 8/3. ERA= 0.00. Cueto had all his signature moves going plus a few non-signature ones. His FB topped out a 93 MPH which is back to pre-2018 levels. He left to a huge cheer from the crowd of 27 K. When was the last time Bumgarner, Cueto and Shark were all healthy at the same time?
Andrew Suarez LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 6.49. Suarez has had a rough season, but his ERA is 3.12 over his last 7 appearances, 8.1 IP. The Giants are clearly auditioning LHP's for next season's bullpen and Suarez make a good impression here. He inherited 2 runners with no outs in the 6'th and added 1 more to load the bases. He got out of it with a pop up and a GIDP against none other than Josh Bell for the final 2 outs.
Wandy Peralta LHP- 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 6.55. Speaking of auditions......
Shaun Anderson RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(1). ERA= 5.14. Speaking of auditions.....the Giants are likely going to have a new Closer next season. As someone pointed out, Anderson was a Closer in college. He's since polished up a SP repertoire and gains a couple MPH on the FB out of the bullpen.
*********************************************************************************
Logan Webb tries to recover from his disaster start last appearance facing RHP Dario Agrazal in the series finale tonight.
*********************************************************************************
The Giants DFA'd LHP Williams Jerez to make room for Johnny Cueto on the 40 man roster and to make room for Wandy Peralta's audition.
*********************************************************************************
The Giants fired 8 of 20 full-time scouts including several recognizable names such as Matt Nerland, Bob Mariano and Andy Skeels. Farhan Zaidi stated he plans to hire additional scouts, but was vague about how many and for what assignments. He did say that on-demand video has changed scouting needs but the Giants will continue to send scouts to see players in person. He also talked about placing more emphasis on scouting the lower minors, which is something I agree is needed.
*********************************************************************************
Christian Yelich fouled a ball off his patella and fractured it, ending his season. I am in severe pain just thinking about what that must feel like.
*********************************************************************************
For those of you who still think the Giants window for contention closed forever when they traded away Kyle Crick, he required surgery to repair a tendon in his index finger from an injury suffered in a fistfight with Pirates Closer Felipe Vazquez who one report had throwing the first punch and reportedly had obvious swelling and bandages on his nose. This gets really ugly when you consider Crick reportedly got into it in the past with Bullpen Coach Euclides Rojas who Crick accused of giving Vazquez preferential treatment. It's not clear what "preferential treatment" entails, but it might have something to do with Vazquez' 26 Saves and 1.71 ERA and Crick's own 4.96 ERA? The Pirates have also reportedly experience clubhouse violence issues involving RHP Keone Kela who seems to also have issues with Vazquez. Wow!
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Game Wrap 9/9/2019: Pirates 6 Giants 4
The Giants and their fans got a stark reminder of what it's like to go into the 9'th inning in a Save situation without a reliable Closer and why you can't hand that job to just any random waiver wire pickup or rookie with a funky delivery. Key Lines:
Mike Yastrzemski LF- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2). BA= .269. 2 walks and 2 Runs Scored out of the leadoff position.
Brandon Belt 1B- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .231. Belt came through with a 2-out, 2-run double in the 5'th to drive in 2 to give the Giants a 2-run lead after the Pirates had tied the game at 1 in the top of the inning.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.77. The Pirates fielded a RH heavy lineup including 3 switch-hitters but interestingly left their best switch-hitter, Josh Bell, on the bench. Bummy dominated for 7 innings of work and left the game with a nice 4-2 lead.
Bullpen- 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Tyler Rogers and his submaweenie pitched a perfect 8'th with 2 GB outs and a pop-up. Q: Why does he get mostly GB outs when it looks like most of his pitches are rising? Anyway, with Will Smith unavailable due to back tightness, Rogers came back out for the 9'th only to have the BABIP gods give a groundball single to the leadoff batter. That brought in LHP Fernando Abad to make Cole Tucker bat RH. He grounded out. Abad stayed in to make PH Josh Bell bat RH and he walked semi-intentionally. PH Elias Diaz then hit a rocket off the L-CF wall that went directly over YtY's glove and bounced right back into the glove to make it look like the ball was caught, which made the lead runner stop at 3B and everybody else scramble back to a base. Bochy then summoned provisional Closer Jandel Gustave who gave up 2 singles to to tie the game then lost it on a FC/Error by Dubon and a Sac Fly. This 9'th inning was a grim reminder of what the last 3 seasons were like without a reliable Closer.
*********************************************************************************
The Loss leaves the Giants with the 13'th worst record in MLB for those keeping track of potential draft position.
*********************************************************************************
Johnny Cueto makes his return from Tommy John surgery tonight facing rookie RHP Mitch Keller.
*********************************************************************************
Reyes Moronta will undergo surgery to repair his torn labrum by the same surgeon who successfully repaired labrums for Dodger LHP's Julio Urias and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Turns out LHP Tony Watson has a fracture in his left wrist and will likely miss the rest of the season.
Mike Yastrzemski LF- 0 for 2, 2 BB, SB(2). BA= .269. 2 walks and 2 Runs Scored out of the leadoff position.
Brandon Belt 1B- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .231. Belt came through with a 2-out, 2-run double in the 5'th to drive in 2 to give the Giants a 2-run lead after the Pirates had tied the game at 1 in the top of the inning.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.77. The Pirates fielded a RH heavy lineup including 3 switch-hitters but interestingly left their best switch-hitter, Josh Bell, on the bench. Bummy dominated for 7 innings of work and left the game with a nice 4-2 lead.
Bullpen- 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Tyler Rogers and his submaweenie pitched a perfect 8'th with 2 GB outs and a pop-up. Q: Why does he get mostly GB outs when it looks like most of his pitches are rising? Anyway, with Will Smith unavailable due to back tightness, Rogers came back out for the 9'th only to have the BABIP gods give a groundball single to the leadoff batter. That brought in LHP Fernando Abad to make Cole Tucker bat RH. He grounded out. Abad stayed in to make PH Josh Bell bat RH and he walked semi-intentionally. PH Elias Diaz then hit a rocket off the L-CF wall that went directly over YtY's glove and bounced right back into the glove to make it look like the ball was caught, which made the lead runner stop at 3B and everybody else scramble back to a base. Bochy then summoned provisional Closer Jandel Gustave who gave up 2 singles to to tie the game then lost it on a FC/Error by Dubon and a Sac Fly. This 9'th inning was a grim reminder of what the last 3 seasons were like without a reliable Closer.
*********************************************************************************
The Loss leaves the Giants with the 13'th worst record in MLB for those keeping track of potential draft position.
*********************************************************************************
Johnny Cueto makes his return from Tommy John surgery tonight facing rookie RHP Mitch Keller.
*********************************************************************************
Reyes Moronta will undergo surgery to repair his torn labrum by the same surgeon who successfully repaired labrums for Dodger LHP's Julio Urias and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Turns out LHP Tony Watson has a fracture in his left wrist and will likely miss the rest of the season.
Monday, September 9, 2019
Down on the Farm: 9/8/2019
AAA Sacramento River Cats brought down the Las Vegas Aviators 7-3:
Abiatal Avelino SS- 1 for 4, HR, BB.
Cristhian Adames 3B- 2 for 4, 3B.
Joe McCarthy 1B- 1 for 3, HR, BB.
Zach Houchins 1B- 2 for 4, HR.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K's.
The River Cats advance to the PCL championship series against the Round Rock Express who are led by former Giant OF Drew Ferguson.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 1 for 4, HR, BB.
Cristhian Adames 3B- 2 for 4, 3B.
Joe McCarthy 1B- 1 for 3, HR, BB.
Zach Houchins 1B- 2 for 4, HR.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K's.
The River Cats advance to the PCL championship series against the Round Rock Express who are led by former Giant OF Drew Ferguson.
Game Wrap 9/8/2019: Dodgers 5 Giants 0
A 2-run home run and another 3-run shot set up by a fielding error ruined an otherwise fine day by Dereck Rodriguez who got no support from the Giants offense that managed just 4 singles in a shellacking at Chavez Ravine. Key Lines:
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 4.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/1. ERA= 5.09. DRod struck out the side in the first inning and otherwise kept the ball on the ground. A 2-out walk, a 2-out error and a couple of hanging changeups were the prevailing story of the game. Will he get more chances this season with Johnny Cueto coming back?
*********************************************************************************
The Giants return to Oracle Park to face the Pirates tonight with Madison Bumgarner facing RHP Trevor Williams.
*********************************************************************************
What a difference a year makes. Less than 1 year after leading the Red Sox to a World Series win over the Dodgers, Dave Dombrowski was fired from his position as President of Baseball Operations. Dombrowski is an "old school" GM who believes in signing talented veterans to big free agent contracts and using his farm system to trade for other veteran players. The Red Sox had brought him in to do make just those kinds of moves which paid off in a championship run in 2018. This year, the BoSox showed why it's so hard to repeat a championship in this league, especially in the top-heavy AL where a record of 76-67 has them 8 games out in the Wild Card race, farther back than the Giants 69-74 in the NL. The record might not have caused the firing as much as a couple of big money investments in SP's Nate Eovaldi(4 years/$68 M) and Chris Sale(5 years/$145 M) which already appear to be sunk costs going forward. Who will replace Dombrowski and what that means for the direction the Red Sox will take should be a headline story heading into the postseason and offseason.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 4.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/1. ERA= 5.09. DRod struck out the side in the first inning and otherwise kept the ball on the ground. A 2-out walk, a 2-out error and a couple of hanging changeups were the prevailing story of the game. Will he get more chances this season with Johnny Cueto coming back?
*********************************************************************************
The Giants return to Oracle Park to face the Pirates tonight with Madison Bumgarner facing RHP Trevor Williams.
*********************************************************************************
What a difference a year makes. Less than 1 year after leading the Red Sox to a World Series win over the Dodgers, Dave Dombrowski was fired from his position as President of Baseball Operations. Dombrowski is an "old school" GM who believes in signing talented veterans to big free agent contracts and using his farm system to trade for other veteran players. The Red Sox had brought him in to do make just those kinds of moves which paid off in a championship run in 2018. This year, the BoSox showed why it's so hard to repeat a championship in this league, especially in the top-heavy AL where a record of 76-67 has them 8 games out in the Wild Card race, farther back than the Giants 69-74 in the NL. The record might not have caused the firing as much as a couple of big money investments in SP's Nate Eovaldi(4 years/$68 M) and Chris Sale(5 years/$145 M) which already appear to be sunk costs going forward. Who will replace Dombrowski and what that means for the direction the Red Sox will take should be a headline story heading into the postseason and offseason.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Down on the Farm: 9/7/2019
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas Aviators 5-3:
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 5.
Mike Gerber CF- 2 for 4, 2B.
Cristhian Adames 3B- 1 for 4, HR
Zach Houchins 1B- 2 for 4, HR.
Carlos Navas RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.
Dan Winkler RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.
Williams Jerez LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
Enderson Franco RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save.
Ha! I think I've been calling them the Las Vegas 51's the last 3 games. Old habits die hard. 5'th game of the 5-game series today. Cats SP TBD.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 5.
Mike Gerber CF- 2 for 4, 2B.
Cristhian Adames 3B- 1 for 4, HR
Zach Houchins 1B- 2 for 4, HR.
Carlos Navas RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.
Dan Winkler RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.
Williams Jerez LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
Enderson Franco RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save.
Ha! I think I've been calling them the Las Vegas 51's the last 3 games. Old habits die hard. 5'th game of the 5-game series today. Cats SP TBD.
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