Game Wrap 9/1/2017: Cardinals 11 Giants 6

The Giants took a 5-2 lead into the 7'th inning only to suffer another in a long string of bullpen meltdowns with the Cardinals winning in a route.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .317.  Buster's excellent season continues.

Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 5, 2 2B, HR(12).  BA= .248.  Did you know that Brandon Crawford has more doubles(30-27) and HR's(13-12) than Buster Posey in just 7 fewer PA's?

Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .257.  Pence is making his case to be part of a winning Giants team next year.  He hit .290 in August and is staring September with a multi-hit game.

Jarrett Parker LF- 0 for 1, BB.  BA= .244.  Parker was taken out of the game with soreness in his side.  Bochy said he's not ready to call it an oblique yet, but Parker is scheduled for an MRI.  That would be a tough break for a guy who is so close to claiming a longer term role, but needs a strong September to nail it down.

Johnny Cueto RHP- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.54.  Decent comeback start for Cueto who seems destined to play out the last 4 years of his contract in SF.

Kyle Crick RHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.92.  Crick came in with runners at first and second with 1 out.  Pop up.  K.  Inning over!

Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.13.  Melancon admitted he is still feeling pain in his forearm and has every day of the season.  Not sure how they decided he was ready to return from the DL if he was still having the same pain that put him there, but OK.  Talk of possible surgery.  If he needs it, the sooner it gets done the better.  Goal is to be healthy next season.

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Chris Stratton tries to keep his hot run going facing Lance Lynn in game 3 of the series.

Down on the Farm: 8/31/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats outscored the Las Vegas 51's 8-7:

Slade Heathcott CF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(7).  BA= .267.
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B- 1 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .287.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .291.
Casey Kelley RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.46.

-Who would you rather have on the 40 man roster, Slade Heathcott or Orlando Calixte?  Trevor Brown?
-Hwang is off the 40 man and therefore won't be a September callup.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Altoona Curve 4-3 in 11 innings:

Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 5.  BA= .280.
Hunter Cole RF- 1 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .239.
Dan Slania RHP- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.59.
Cody Hall RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.28.

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Inland Empire 66'ers downed the San Jose Giants 5-3:

Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .226.
Dominic Mazza LHP- 6.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.71.
Will LaMarche RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.40.

-I am sure most prospect analysts will say Miller was overmatched in the Cal League.  My take:  He is very young for the league and kept his head above water.  Don't give up on him.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets were idle.

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Short Season  Salem-Keizer Volcanoes were idle.

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AZL  D'Backs topped the Giants 7-5.

NTSH.

Game Wrap 8/31/2017: Cardinals 5 Giants 2

Madison Bumgarner was a late scratch, so Matt Cain got the start.  It probably did not matter as the Giants offensive futility showed no signs of abating.  Key Lines:

Pablo Sandoval 3B- 0 for 4.  BA= .215.  For about a 2 week stretch, Pablo was at least hitting for average albeit with no power or additional on-base skill.  After this game, he is 0 for his last 21 and his BA for August plummeted to .218 which is pretty much what he was doing in Boston which prompted Boston to release him.  On top of that, it appears to me that Pabs has regained a lot of weight over the month.  Oh, and the first 3 batters in the Giants lineup went a combined 0 for 11 with 1 BB.

Buster Posey C- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .314.  Buster showed no signs of his thumb injury with another fine night at the plate.

Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .244.  Crawford turned in a .298 BA for August raising hopes that next year may go better for him.  The second double of the night, in the 9'th inning, was ruled a double due to fan interference by the replay officials.  It looked to most observers that it should have been allowed to stand as a HR.  Upon further review, it's not just most observers.  It was clearly a HR per AT&T Park ground rules which state that a ball that land of the green facing of the RF wall is a HR.

Jarrett Parker LF- 1 for 4.  BA= .246.  Parker finishes August with a .268 BA and I'm willing to keep putting him out there for another month to see if he can sustain that.

Ryder Jones 1B- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .198.  Jones shows flashes but overall does not appear to be ready to be a starting corner IF for the Giants next season.

Matt Cain RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.66.  Bumgarner might have gone deeper into the game, but there is no major probability that he would have held the Cardinals below 2 runs.  Cainer pitched well enough for a W.

Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.95.  Time to reassess whether Melancon has anything more to contribute this season.  Focus needs to be in getting him fully healthy for next season whether that be more rehab or surgery.

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Johnny Cueto makes his return to the mound facing rookie Jack Flaherty in game 2 of the 4-gamer.

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Giants made 4 callups for expanded rosters day:  RHP Derek Law, LHP Steven Okert, UT Orlando Calixte, C Tim Fedorowicz.

Jae-Gyun Hwang was dropped from the 40 man roster.  I'm guessing he won't be back next season.

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Giants were rumored to be interested in trading for Justin Upton.  He ended up going to the Angels.  Astros traded for Justin Verlander.

Down on the Farm: 8/30/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas 51's 6-1:

Mac Williamson RF- 2 for 4, HR(14).  BA= .245.
Reyes Maronta RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.57.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.20.

-Mac has had a miserable season but is finishing strong slashing .298/.359/.532 with 5 HR's in August.  I still think he might be the best long term answer to the Giants lack of power in LF.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve 6-1:

Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .271.
Jerry Sands 1B- 3 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .300.
Nate Reed RHP- 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 11 K.  ERA= 6.53.
Tyler Cyr RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.05.

-Very encouraged by how well Aramis Garcia has hit after his promo to Richmond.  That is a tough transition.

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High A  San Jose Giants blanked the Inland Empire 66'ers 3-0:

Cristian Paulino LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .391.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .252.
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .223.
Shaun Anderson RHP- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.51.
Heath Slatton RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 7.96.
Dylan Rheault RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(21).  ERA= 2.64.

- I attended this game.  We are experiencing a brutal heatwave in SoCal.  I toughed it out for 7 innings but thought I might faint from the heat if I stayed longer. The EMT's had to assist one older lady who was overcome by the heat.  It was 94 on my car thermometer at about 9:30 PM.  It hit 98 on the 10 freeway through Loma Linda.  I live at a bit higher elevation and it was 90 when I got home.
-Some rude women insisted I was in their seat behind the 66'ers dugout until I read off my ticket.  One of them said, "oh, my husband usually sits there.  He must have turned his in."  No apologies.
-"Slick" might be the worst mascot in all of sports!
-Shaun Anderson was dominant.  Lots of 0-2, 1-2 counts.  Stadium gun was not working most of the night but I saw 1 FB register at 93 that I think might have been accurate.  He seemed to have both a 4-seam and haaaard 2-seam sinker and some type of putaway off-speed pitch.
-Anderson retired the first 15 batters he faced with ease.  Leadoff hitter in the 6'th got a basehit on a sharp grounder through the left side.  He was then retired on a strike-em out/throw-em out attempting to steal, so Anderson faced the minimum number of batters through 6 innings.
-Jonah Arenado is a big guy.  Don't see how he stays at 3B longterm.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets shut out the Lexington Legends 4-0(7 innings):

Shawon Dunston Jr DH- 2 for 2, HR(1), BB, SB(12).  BA= .238.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 3, HR(10).  BA= .274.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, SB(13).  BA= .258.
Conner Kaden RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 0.43.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets downed the Lexington Legends 5-3(7 innings):

Ashford Fulmer CF- 2 for 3, 2B, SB(12).  BA= .238.
Shawon Dunston Jr LF- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .241.
Skyler Ewing C- 1 for 3, HR(12), BB.  BA= .248.
Sandro Fabian RF- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .274.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .260.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(12).  ERA= 1.75.

-Sandro Fabian is hitting .370 for the month of August, .306 in the second half.
-Kelvin Beltre is hitting .278 in August after hitting just .216 in July.

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Short Season  Spokane Indians topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 10-5:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .324.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 1 for 3, HR(3), BB.  BA= .302.

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AZL  Royals pounded the Giants 8-2(7 innings):

Ismael Munguia CF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .326.
Aaron Bond LF- 2 for 3.  BA= .319.
Weilly Yan RHP- 2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.21.

-6 K's in 2 IP, will catch my eye on a pitching line.

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AZL  Giants won the nightcap game over the Royals 5-2(7 innings):

Nico Giarratano 2B- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .260.
Franklin Van Gurp RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.92.
John Gavin LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

-8 K's in 4 IP is impressive but Van Gurp is a college draftee playing in rookie ball so he should be dominating.
-Giants are taking it slow with Gavin after he pitched deep into the college WS.  I anticipate a breakout season next year.

Game Wrap 8/30/2017: Padres 5 Giants 0

The Giants and their fans got a glimpse of what life might be like when Buster Posey's fabulous career is over, and it's not a fun state to contemplate.  Key Lines:

Kelby Tomlinson 3B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .266.  Pablo moved to 1B and Kelby took 3B.  He reached base 3 times out of the 2-hole which is exactly what you want out of the 2-hole hitter.  There just wasn't anyone behind him in the lineup to keep it moving.  Kelby has an OBP of .350 on the season.

Ty Blach LHP- 2 for 2, 2B.  BA= .244.  Blach is a good hitting pitcher, but will only be in he lineup every 6'th game.  Pretty pathetic when your pitcher gets 2 of 6 Hits and 3 of 8 Total Bases in a shutout.

Ty Blach LHP- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 8/4.  ERA= 4.68.  Blach fell 1 out short of a QS.  Didn't matter as the Giants were never going to score in this one anyway.

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The Giants fly home to start a 4 game series and homestand against the Cardinals with Jack Flaherty getting making his MLB debut against Madison Bumgarner tonight.

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Giants will go with a 6 man rotation when Johnny Cueto returns on Friday.  6 man rotations are intriguing, but would require each starter to go deeper into games to prevent the bullpen from collapsing, or else you have to carry fewer position players on the bench.

Down on the Farm: 8/29/2017

AAA  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas 51's 3-1:

Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 4, SB(3).  BA= .240.
Mac Williamson RF- 2 for 3, HR(13).  BA= .242.
Matt Gage LHP- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.43.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.48.

-Duggar was named to the Scottsdale Scorpions AFL roster.

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AA  Altoona Curve downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-1:

Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .269.
Cory Taylor RHP- 7 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.33.
Cody Hall RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.45.

-Garcia is listed on the Scottsdale Scorpions roster too.

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High A  Inland Empire 66'er's topped the San Jose Giants 6-5:

Bryan Reynolds RF- 3 for 5, 3B.  BA= .309.
Garrett Williams LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.55.
Matt Krook LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.12.

-Krook seems to have found a comfort zone in the pen for SJ.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets outscored the Lexington Legends 7-6:

Carlos Garcia SS- 1 for 4, HR(4), BB.  BA= .230.
Jean Angomas LF- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .277.
Jose Vizcaino Jr. 1B- 2 for 5.  BA= .253.
Sandro Fabian RF- 3 for 5.  BA= .273.
Kelvin Beltre 2B- 3 for 5.  BA= .257.
Sandro Cabrera LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.14.
Patrick Ruotolo RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.79.

-Good to see Fabian and Beltre finishing strong.
-Ruotolo has 64 K's against just 11 BB's in 45.1 IP.

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Short Season  Spokane Indian topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-4:

Ryan Kirby 1B- 1 for 4, HR(8).  BA= .278.
Manuel Geraldo SS- 2 for 2, BB, HBP, 2 SB(23).  BA= .302.
Kevin Rivera 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .272.

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AZL Cubs pounded the Giants 11-2:

Camilo Doval RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.20.
Jesus Tona RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.70.

-Doval has 46 K's against just 13 BB's in 30 IP with a GO/AO= 3.67.  Seems to be poised for a breakout next year.
-Jesus Tona has been a catching prospect who has not gotten much playing time.  This was his second pitching appearance.  He has 7 K's and 0 BB's in 3.1 IP.  Kenley Jansen was once a catching prospect.  Remember Felix Rodriquez?  Him too.

Game Wrap 8/29/2017: Padres 6 Giants 3

Matt Moore got out of whack on the mound again and struggled to a Non-quality Start  which the Giants offense was too weak to overcome.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .269.  Despite a fine night at the plate for Span, he is still hitting just .244 in August after hitting .224 in July.  He's basically had one hot month and 4 negative ones.

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4, HR(9).   BA= .274.  Second HR in as many nights in a park that is not that easy to homer in.  I wonder how many dingers he'd hit if he became a dead pull hitter?

Matt Moore LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.  ERA= 5.49.  Moore didn't have to tip his pitches to get knocked around tonight.  He just couldn't bring to curveball down and that's the pitch he really depends on.

Albert Suarez RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 6.23.  It's great that Suarez could eat 3 innings and spare the rest of the bullpen, but he's still a guy you just can't put out there with a game on the line.

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Ty Blach tries to get himself back on track after a series of rough starts facing Travis Wood in the rubber game of the series.