Down on the Farm: 5/4/2023

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Las Vegas Aviators 7-6.

Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 5.  BA= .211.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .250.

Colton Welker 3B- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .308.

Kade McClure RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 4.87.

 

River Cats scored all 7 of their runs in the final 2 inings.  At least four players in the River Cats lineup are true prospects vs AAAA players/MLB depth stashes:  Heliot Ramos CF, Casey Schmitt 2B, Patrick Bailey and Tyler Fitzgerald.  We can reasonably add in Ricardo Genoves 1B and Will Wilson LF for six.  The second guessers are out on the Gregory Santos RHP for Kade McClure trade.  I say give this one a little more time before we close the books on it.  Santos has more velocity but just two pitches and an extensive injury history.  McClure has more pitches and potential to be a bulk-inning guy or even a SP.

AA:  Altoona Curve defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-3.

Ismael Munguia RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .281.

Marco Luciano SS- 1 for 3, HR(1), BB.  BA= .143.

Spencer Bivens RHP-3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.31.

Luciano's first hit of the season and first AA hit was a crushed HR.  

A+:  Spokane Indians pounded the Eugene Emeralds 9-4.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .226.

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .296.

A:  Modesto Nuts topped the San Jose Giants 12-10.

Carter Howell CF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .299.

Matt Higgins LF- 4 for 5, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .321.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .250.

Patrick Hilson RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .250.

Daniel Blair RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.86.

Down on the Farm: 5/3/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats downed the Las Vegas Aviators 7-2.

Heliot Ramos RF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .286.

Casey Schmitt 2B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .311.

Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 3, BB, SF.  BA= .143.

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 1 for 5.  BA= .200.

Shane Matheny CF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .235.

Chris Wright LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.42.

Nick Avila RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.20.

Casey Schmitt has played the last two games at 2B.  He continues to hit well.

AA:  Altoona Curve outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4(10 innings).

 

Marco Luciano SS- 0 for 4, BB.  BA- .000.

Carter Williams LF- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .208.

Simon Whiteman RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .262.  

Nick Zwack LHP- 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.41.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.86.  

Marco Luciano fails to make contact in 5 PA's in his season debut at AA.  It's a pretty big jump from extended spring training to AA.  He might have benefitted from 3 or 5 rehab games in SJ. Randy Rodriguez has not allowed an ER in his last 9 IP over 3 appearances.

A+:  Spokane Indians buried the Eugene Emeralds 13-7.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .171.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 2 for 5.  BA= .225.

Victor Bericoto RF- 3 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .306.

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 4, HR(5), BB.  BA= .284.

Grant McCray took my advice and got 2 hits.  Victor Bericoto is a sleeper hitting prospect who will be Rule 5 eligible after this season.

A:  Modesto Nuts smothered the San Jose Giants 12-7.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .333.

William Kempner RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.00.

Game Wrap 5/3/2023: Giants 4 Astros 2

Logan Webb knew he had to go deep into this game because, as he described in colorful terms, apparently several members of the bullpen are suffering from Montezuma's Revenge.  Webb did just that with support from Austin Slater, Wilmer Flores and Joey Bart and the Giants won the series from the defending WS champions.  Key Lines:

Austin Slater CF/LF- 2 for 4, SB(2).  BA= .500.  Slater drove in Joey Bart for the first run on the game and scored the second on Mitch Haniger's single in the 6'th inning.  The SB was a steal of 3B.  He added an OF assist throwing a runner out at 1B.  Slater is 6 for 12 since coming off the IL. 

Wilmer Flores DH- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .253.  Flores hit a solo HR in the 9'th to extend to give Camilo Doval RHP a 2-run cushion for the Save.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA- .302.  After hitting two hard smashes last night, one of which went for a hit, Bart hit a line drive single which led to the Giants first run then smoked one on 1-hop off the L-CF wall for a double to drive in Michael Conforto RF to extend the Giants lead to 3-0 in the 7'th inning.  I believe we are seeing Joey Bart emergence as one of the leaders of this team.  Can't say enough about how proud I am of the work he has obviously put in to make himself a better player.  And we won't worry about him elevating the ball off the bat.  That will come with time.  Right now he needs to continue to concentrate on making contact and just hitting the ball hard.  Not sure if this is legit but I read on Twitter that Joey is the currently the top pitch framer in MLB.  Fangraphs has him at +3.2 Fielding Runs above average with positional adjustment.  In other words, he's turned himself into a plus defender at C.

Logan Webb RHP- 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/4.  ERA= 3.80.  Webb used up 46 pitches in the first two innings due to a pair of defensive miscues.  He threw just 56 pitches over the next 5.2 IP.  Kap might have kept him in about 3 batters too long and he gave up a 2-run HR to Alex Bregman in the 8'th but apparently several members of the bullpen are suffering from what is commonly known as Montezuma's Revenge which Webb describe in pithier terminology after the game.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP,  0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(5).  ERA= 2.77.  Less drama this time.  A walk and WP but the 3-outs were easy.

The Giants get a much needed day off at home tomorrow to rest and get well before starting a series against the Brewers Friday night with Sean Manaea LHP facing the fearsome Corbin Burnes RHP.

Down on the Farm: 5/2/2023

 AAA:  Las Vegas Aviators edged out the Sacramento River Cats 2-1.

Casey Schmitt 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3).  BA= .308.

Ford Proctor SS- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .205.

Patrick Bailey DH- 1 for 2, 2B, 3 BB.  BA= .091.

Melvin Adon RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.30.

Don't panic quite yet at Bailey's BA.  This is just his 4'th AAA game.  He's 1 for 11.

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

Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(4).  BA= .275.

Luis Matos CF- 4 for 5, 2 SB(4).  BA= .284.

Riley Mahan 1B- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .250.

Carson Seymour RHP- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Wil Jensen RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 2.70.

Blake Rivera RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Evan Gates RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 1.86.

Matos had been in a mini-slump so great to see him come back with a 4-hit game.  If he can sustain success at AA, we could see him in the majors as early as sometime next season.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds outscored the Spokane Indians 11-6.

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .152.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .213.

Logan Wyatt DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .257.

Victor Bericoto RF- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .279.

Ghordy Santos 2B- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .147.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.48.

I think McCray hit a HR on Opening Day and now gets his second.  1 for 5 didn't help the BA much, though.   He needs to have a run of 2-hit games.

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Modesto Nuts 9-1.

Diego Velasquez SS- 3 for 5, 2B, SB(2).  BA= .324.

Vaun Brown CF- 2 for 5, 2 2B, SB(3).  BA= .467.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 2 for 5, 2B, 3B.  BA= .281.

Jose Ramos 2B- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SB(6).  BA= .241.

Andrew Kachel 3B- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .279.

Alexander Suarez DH- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .281.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.30.

Jack Choate LHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.56.

Birdsong has 29 K's in 15.2 IP,  Choate has 31 K's and just 5 BB's in 17.1 IP.  I think Vaun Brown has established he is healthy and too good for this level.  Move him up already!  Very excited about Diego Velasquez' performance so far.  The Giants have really upped their game in the international market. It's time to start seeing that pay off with a steady sustained supply of young talent at the MLB level.

Game Wrap 5/2/2023: Giants 2 Astros 0

 The Giants lineup scratched out 2 runs while Tony D shaved the edges of the strike zone for 8 innings and got a Save from Camilo Doval with some help from Joey Bart.  Key Lines:

Lamonte Wade Jr 1B- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .260.  Not that impressive a line and he didn't figure in the scoring but if your leadoff hitter got one hit and one walk in 5 PA's every game, he'd have a season OBP of .400.  Oh yeah, he made some nifty plays at 1B too.

Thairo Estrada SS- 2 for 3, 2 BB, SB(9).  BA= .342.  Thairo reached base on an IF single in the first inning, stole 2B and scored the Giants first run on Joc's single for the Giants first run in the first inning.  Although he didn't figure in any additional scoring, he reached base 3 more times.  Not saying that the Giants had no choice but to drop Thairo of Dubi but some analysts are saying that.  If they did I'm glad they kept Thairo.

Blake Sabol LF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .235.  Sabol doubled off the LF wall in the 4'th inning to drive in Joc for the Giants 2'nd run.

Joey Bart C- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .275.  Bart's single was scalded to LF and he later hit a bullet at 3B for a very hard out.  Just wish he could elevate a few of those a bit more.  But Bart's offense is not the story here.  He may have saved the 9'th inning by smartly calling time out not once, but twice when Camilo Doval appeared to be oblivious to the pitch clock.  The second time it happened Bart was visibly frustrated pounding his mitt and right hand on the ground.  After Kap turned that timeout into a mound visit, Bart went back in the squat and pounded his glove as if to say "come on, Doval!  Let do this!"  The next pitch was strike 3 to end the game.

Amazingly the Giants drew a total of 9 walks and still only scored two runs in the game.

Anthony DeSclafani RHP- 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.13.  Tony D recorded 2 CG shutous in 2021 and it looked like he might pick up another one here but finally ran out of pitches after 8 innings.  He has good enough stuff but the secret to his success this year is shaving the edges of the strike zone.  Luring the ump to give him the benefit of the doubt on close pitches, not allowing the batter to wait for fat pitches, inducing weak contact and keeping the pitch count down.  Great to have the 2021 version of him back.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(4).  ERA= 3.00.  See Joey Bart above.  Doval has the stuff to be an elite closer but he's going to have to get his head in the game a bit more.

Logan Webb RHP tries for a series win while turning around his own luck tomorrow facing Framber Valdez LHP.  Uh-oh!  LHP, and a pretty good one.

Churn Watch:  

Sure enough!  Sean Hjelle was optioned to AAA Sacramento and Cole Waites RHP was recalled.  Unfortunately Waites has a 9.31 ERA over 9.2 IP in Sacramento.  Per sfgiants.com, Kap says it's because he is having trouble adjusting to the new automatic balls and strikes system being used in AAA.

Gary Sanchez C was released.  Wow!  Sure would not have predicted that when the Giants signed him.  It was telling when they called Ricardo Genoves to the taxi squad when Joey Bart tweaked something.  Patrick Bailey's strong performance at AA and promotion to AAA was also not a good sign for Sanchez.  Looks like the Giants have some confidence in the kids, which is a welcome development.

Blogger's Note

 I want everybody to know I appreciate the community we have going here and the thoughtful comments and insights commenters add to the discussion.  I totally understand that sometimes us fans get frustrated by losing and what we see as dumb decisions by Giants management.  I have no problem posting an occasional rant here and there just to give folks a forum to vent their frustrations.  I've been known to go off occasionally myself. 

Just be aware, though, that if you come with exactly the same rant every single day or appear to be pushing a non-thoughtful agenda, you might as well conserve your energy because I will hit the button on you.  If you have an agenda you want to push, my suggestion is you start your own blog.

Game Wrap 5/1/2023: Astros 7 Giants 3

 Yet another bullpen meltdown broke open a tie game in the 7'th inning and the Giants were not able to recover.  Key Lines:

LaMonte Wade Jr 1B- 2 for 3, HR(6), BB.  BA= .260.  LMWJ singled to lead off the game.  Then drew a a walk with 1 out in the 3'rd ahead of Joc Pederson DH's laser shot HR to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.  LaMonte added a HR in the 7'th inning after the bullpen meltdown in the top of the innning.

Ross Stripling RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 6/2.  ERA= 6.10.  Stripling has pitched better since ditching a new version of his changeup.  The slider has emerged as an effective pitch which he is leaning on.  It would have been nice for him to go at least 1 more inning, especially given the dire straits the bullpen is in.  Maybe he was on a pitch count?  He threw just 73 pitches.  He has tended to go south quickly when he gets fatigued.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 10.13.  Hjelle got the final out of the 6'th inning in relief of Taylor Rogers LHP but couldn't get out of the 7'th in a bloodbath inning.  Not sure how he stays on the active roster after this but I just looked at the 40-man roster.  There is nobody to replace him with without an add/drop to the 40-man.  I had high hopes for Hjelle despite lackluster minor league numbers because he looked so good in his final two games last year and he's just such a unique talent.  Unfortunately it's not working out at this point.

Tristan Beck RHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 6.00.  I know the ERA is not great but right now Tristan Beck should be ahead of Sean Hjelle on the bulk innings depth chart.

Anthony DeSclafani RHP tries to get the Giants back on the winning track tomorrow facing Hunter Brown RHP who has been electric for the Astros.  I don't think the Giants have faced Brown before which does not bode well for a positive outcome.

Injury Updates:  

Brandon Crawford SS went on the IL after an MRI showed a grade 1 strain of his calf.

As expected, YtY went on the IL.  His MRI showed a grade 1 hammy strain which is better than anticipated after how it appeared yesterday.

Brett Wisely UT and Cal Stevenson OF were recalled from AAA Sacramento to fill the vacated active roster spots.