Game Wrap 6/5/2024: Giants 9 D'Backs 3

The Giants lineup took out their frustrations on Jordan Montgomery LHP, yes, THAT Jordan Montgomery!  Key Lines:

Austin Slater CF- 1 for 4.  BA= .140.  To the dismay of many Giants fans, Slater was activated off the IL and Luis Matos was optioned back to AAA Sacramento.   Not sure Slater is the answer here but Matos needs more seasoning.  It's not like he was tearing up the PCL before his call up.

Heliot Ramos LF/CF- 2 for 2, HR(5), 4 BB.  BA= .304.  Holy moly!  I'm always hesitant to say a player is here to stay.  I mean look at what just happened to Luis Matos.  Heliot Ramos sure looks like he's here to stay.  Wouldn't that be something if after practically disappearing from the prospect radar screen Heliot turns out to be the guy I wrote on this very blog that the Giants had to draft him in the first round because if they didn't the Dodgers almost certainly would and they could not let that happen?  BTW, is Heliot eligible for ROY?  He only had 82 MLB PA's prior to this season but maybe he spent too much time on the MLB active roster?

Thairo Estrada 2B- 3 for 6, 2B.  BA= .250.  Thairo is batting .323 over his last 7 games.

Jorge Soler DH- 2 for 6, HR(7).  BA= .215.  Is Soler finally finding a hint of traction?  .269 over his last 7 games.

Wilmer Flores 1B- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB, SF.  BA= .219.  Speaking of finding traction....Giants need Wilmer to find some quickly with LMWJ on the IL.  The HR was a grand slam and capped a 6-run 3'rd inning that torched......Jordan Montgomery.  

Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 4, BB, SB(5).  BA= .270.  Fitz had his own defensive struggles at SS earlier in the season, but between the injury to Ahmed and even worse struggles by Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt The Churn brought him back.

Jordan Hicks RHP- 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.82.  Another abbreviated start from Hicks who threw 92 pitches.  The last time Hicks went 6 innings or more was on April 27 although he went at least 5 innings in his last 5 starts before today.

Jordan Montgomery LHP- 2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 K.  ERA- 6.80.  For those Giants fans who preferred Montgomery over Blake Snell how does that ERA look?  Moral to the story:  Pitchers need spring training!  Meanwhile Sean Manaea has an ERA of 3.63 with the Mets.  

The Win narrowed the gap between the Giants and Dodgers to 8 games in the NL West.  The Giants move up to 3'rd place and trail in the Wild Card race by 1.5 games.

The Giants are off tomorrow and travel to Texas where they start a weekend series against Forever Giant and Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy and the reigning World Series Champion Rangers on Friday with Logan Webb RHP facing Michael Lorenzen RHP, who BTW was also a free agent and is 3-3 with an ERA of 2.96.

Down on the Farm: 6/4/2024

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

Austin Slater LF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .235.

Brett Auerbach 2B- 4 for 4, 3B, HR(2).  BA= .340.

Javier Francisco 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .625.

Tommy Romero RHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.19.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.07.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(7).  ERA= 2.58.

Brett Auerbach was freed from Richmond.  I guess they will let Javier Francisco hang around until he hits a wall.  I saw him in Lake Elsinore a couple of weeks ago.  He passes they eye test to amateur scouting eye.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels blanked the Altoona Curve 1-0:

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .279.

John Bertrand LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.68.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(3).  ERA= 1.48.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds pounded the Tri-City Dust Devils 20-5:

Turner Hill CF- 2 for 5, BB, HBP, Sac.  BA- .243.

Diego Velasquez SS- 3 for 6, 3B, BB.  BA= .293.

Matt Higgins 1B- 3 for 5, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .259.

Rodolfo Nolasco LF- 2 for 6, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .277.

Justin Wishkoski 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB(11).  BA= .277.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 3 for 4, BB, HBP.  BA= .245.

Will Bednar RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

Hayden Wynja LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.21.

Ah ha!  Wind was blowing R to L at 25 MPH.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Stockton Ports 10-5:

Wade Meckler LF- 2 for 2, HR(1).  BA= .192.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 5, HR(7).  BA= .282.

Guillermo Williamson DH- 3 for 4, HR6).  BA= .270.

Cody Tucker RHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 2.63.

After hitting .307 in May, Bryce Eldridge looks like he's kicking it up a notch in June batting .385 with 2 HR in 3 games.

ACL:  Mariners defeated the Giants 6-1:

Maui Ahuna DH- 1 for 2.  BA= .500.

Jared Dupere CF- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA- .111.

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

Keaton Winn RHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.45.

A Maui Ahuna sighting!  Robbie Ray starts his rehab assignment as does Keaton Winn.

DSL: Giants Orange crushed the Colorados 9-1:

Luis Frias RF(19 yo)- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB.  BA= .143.

Moises De La Rosa LF(19 yo)- 2 for 3, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .286.

Albert Jimenez DH(17 yo)- 1 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .111.

Jesus Alexander 1B(18 yo)- 2 for 5, 2 2B. BA= .375.

Jorge Ramirez C(18 yo)- 2 for 4.  BA= .500.

Elkins Villareal RHP(17 yo)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K. ERA= 0.00.

Lender Bracho RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

A couple of 70 grade names in there.

DSL:  Giants Black blasted the Nationals 11-3:

Oliver Tejada CF(17 yo)- 2 for 4, 3B, HR(1), HBP.  BA= .500.

Carlos Concepcion RF(18 yo)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .600.

Yohendry Sanchez C(17 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA- .333.

Juan Colorado SS(17 yo)- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .750.

Is Juan Colorado a good baseball name?

Game Wrap 6/4/2024: D'Backs 8 Giants 5

A pinch-hit, 3-run home run by Mike Yastrzemski in the 8'th inning was too little too late as the Giants were otherwise outclassed in every phase of the game.  Key Lines:

Kyle Harrison LHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 9/2.  ERA= 4.18.  At least one additional run probably should have been unearned as Young Casey Schmitt SS had a very rough third inning with two balls hitting his glove on their way to the OF.  Matt Chapman 3B also had ball clang off his glove and into LF.  In fairness, those balls looked like they were scalded but an MLB caliber IF has to make those plays.  Quality Start by Harrison with even better secondary stats. That's about the only ray of hope in this one.

The Loss stretched the Giatns losing streak to 6 and drops them into 4'th place in the NL West, 9 games behind the Dodgers and 1.5 games off the Wild Card playoff pace.

The Giants try to stave off a sweep tomorrow afternoon in a battle of the Jordans:  Hicks RHP vs Montgomery LHP.

Down on the Farm: 6/3/2024

 DSL:  Giants Orange blanked the Marlins 6-0:

Yosneiker Rivas 2B(18 yo)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.

Franco Willias DH(19 yo)- 2 for 3, SB(1).  BA= .667.

Jesus Alexander 1B- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .333.

Randry DeLeon RHP(18 yo)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00

Juan Berson RHP(20 yo)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Dilan Fernandez RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Frainer Mejias RHP(18 yo)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

I try to look at two things in the DSL:  Size and age.  This is Randry DeLeon's second DSL season but he is 6'4" and still just 18 yo so will be monitoring his progress with a little more interest.

DSL Giants Black vs D'Backs Red was suspended in the top of the 2'nd inning tied 0-0.

It appears the top names from the current signing period are on the Giants Black Team, Jhonny Level SS and Yohendry Sanchez C.

Game Wrap 6/3/2024: D'Backs 4 Giants 2

 The Giants missed out on two chances to score the go-ahead run in the top of the 9'th inning only to have the D'Backs win in a walk-off in the bottom of the inning.  Key Lines:

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .350.  Wisely has the hot hand and will likely continue to play as long as he maintains it.  He batted leadoff tonight and reached base twice in 4 PA's scoring one of the Giants 2 runs.

Matt Chapman 3B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .238.  Chapman drove in a run with the double but figured into the lost opportunity in the 9'th.  He singled with one out.  After Michael Conforto struck out, Heliot Ramos singled to fairly deep left-center field.  Chapman was running on the play and made a big turn at 3B then slammed on the brakes.  Was that his call or the 3B coach?  We'll never know for sure if he would have scored had he kept going but it sure looked like it as the throw was weak and barely made it to the cutoff man.  It looked like the right call when Jorge Soler was initially called safe at 1B on an offline throw on a chopper down the 3B line with Chapman scoring but the call was overturned on replay and the run did not count.  And that's how it goes when you are in a losing streak.

Heliot Ramos RF- 2 for 3, HR(4).  BA= .295.  Ramos' HR tied the game at 2 and his single possibly should have driven in the go-ahead run.  That run might not have been enough anyway as the D'Backs scored 2 on the bottom of the 9'th but there is a huge difference between pitching the 9'th with a lead and in a tie game.

Spencer Howard RHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.08.  Erik Miller opened the game and pitched a scoreless first inning but Lourdes Gurriel Jr greeted Howard in the second with a HR.  Eugenio Suarez hit a one-out triple and scored on a single by Blaze Alexander.  Can someone remind me again why it makes Howard's job easuer to come in after an Opener?

The Giants fall to 9 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West but remain just 0.5 games off the Wild Card pace.

Kyle Harrison LHP tries to be the stopper tomorrow Blake Walston LHP

As expected, Blake Snell LHP went on the IL with an adductor strain.  Michael Conforto OF returned from the IL.

Down on the Farm: 6/2/2024

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats buried the Tacoma Rainiers 9-0:

Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .256.

Brady Whalen RF- 2 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .184.

Javier Francisco 3B- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .750.

Mason Black RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 H, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.35.

Reggie Crawford LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 1.17.

Raymond Burgos LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.59.

Javier Francisco is a call up from low A San Jose so probably just a short term fill in.  Raymond Burgos is a sleeper.  You can never count lefty relievers out.

AA:  Erie Seawolves defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-4:

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .273.

Jairo Pomares LF- 2 for 3, HR(3).  BA= .197.

Ben Madison RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.08.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds vs Hillsboro Hops Rained out.

A:  San Jose Giants edged out the Fresno Grizzlies 2-1:

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .277.

Dylan Carmouche LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.02.

Brayan Palencia RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Cole Hillier RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(3).  ERA= 2.55.

Brayan Palencia has a successful full season league debut but no K's. 

Game Wrap 6/2/2024: Yankees 7 Giants 5

Blake Snell again failed to get out of the 5'th inning and left with another apparent injury but it was a 9'th inning meltdown by Closer Camilo Doval that allowed the Yankees to complete a weekend series sweep.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 2 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .286.  Is Ramos currently the Giants best position player?  He is playing with confidence and seems to be getting better with experience batting .320 over his last 7 games.   

Jorge Soler DH- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .215.  Soler has  has scattered good games but has never found traction.  Maybe this is the start?

Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .233.  2 HR in 2 games in the current call up.  Maybe like Heliot Ramos before him, the third call up is a charm?

Blake Snell LHP- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 9.51.  Snell looked pretty good through 4.1 IP the wheels came off, probably from fatigue.  There was some bad BABIP luck on a GB single and a  bunt single but he then walked Giancarlo Stanton.  He got to a 1-1 count against Alex Verdugo but grabbed his left groin during the follow through on the last pitch.  It looks like he's headed back to the IL and more and more like a lost season.  I guess the silver lining is he'll be back next season with a full spring training and in incentive to bounceback.

Erik Miller LHP- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.00.  The line looks good but Miller really had just one job and that was the get the final out of the 5'th inning to bail out Snell agains the LH hitting Alex Verdugo.  Verdugo was looking for a fastball on his first pitch and Miller blew it past him.  Instead of trusting his power stuff and going back to the same pitch Verdugo couldn't handle, Miller hung an inside curveball that dipped right into a lefty batter's wheelhouse and Verdugo golfed it into the RF corner for a 2-run double thing the game at 3.  IDK who called that pitch but it was probably the worse possible pitch to throw in that situation.

I don't think there is any point in reviewing Doval's meltdown.  Even the best Closers have them but Doval has been playing with fire all season and needs to find another gear if he is to become an elite Closer.

The Loss dropped the Giants 8.5 games behind the Dodgers and 0.5 games behind in the race for the third Wild Card playoff spot.

The Giants head out on the road for a series against the D'Backs with TBD facing Ryne Nelson RHP.