Down on the Farm: 6/10/2021

 AAA:  

Braden Bishop LF- 4 for 6, 2 2B, 3B.  BA= .407.

Jason Krizan 2B- 4 for 5, SB(1).  BA= .313.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .356.

Jaylin Davis DH- 3 for 5, 2 2B, HR(1).  BA= .600.

Joe McCarthy RF- 1 for 4, 2 BB, SB(3).  BA= .316.

Arismendy Alcantara SS- 1 for 5, HR(2), SB(2).  BA= .393.

Mitchell Tolman 3B- 1 for 3, HR(7), BB, HBP.  BA= .276.

Tyler Beede RHP- 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 7.65.

This was a game to pad the stat line as the River Cats scored 15 runs.  The conditions in Reno may have contributed to Tyler Beede's continued struggles in his comeback bid.  Nice game for Jaylin Davis to make his 2021 season debut.

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AA:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 6, HR(4).  BA= .282.

Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .279.

Caleb Kilian RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 2.25.

Ronnie Williams RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.31.

Frank Rubio RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Combined stats from DH, second game only went 5 innings.  Rain?  Caleb Kilian's start was a 7-inning CG.

High A:

Will Wilson SS- 1 for 4, HR(6), BB.  BA= .263.

Tyler Flores RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .300.

Ismael Munguia CF- 2 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .329.

Low A:

Luis Toribio 3B- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .218.

Ricardo Genoves DH- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(4).  BA= .333.

Marco Luciano SS- 1 for 3, HR(7), BB.  BA= .271.

Ryan Murphy RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.48.

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The MLB game between the Giants and Nationals in Washington DC was rained out.  Anthony DeSclafani RHP vs Max Scherzer is pushed back to tonight.  A dreaded 7-inning each doubleheader on tap for Saturday.

Game Wrap 6/9/2021: Rangers 4 Giants 3(11 Innings)

 This game followed the script FZ and Kap laid out to a T....until the bullpen couldn't close it out.  Game Notes:

Openers have not exactly worked out well for the Giants since they started occasionally using them.  That was not the case her as Zach Littell RHP worked a scoreless first inning to get the game to Sammy Long LHP who dominated his MLB debut as the bulk-inning pitcher throwing 4+ innings allowing just 1 walk and 1 hit while striking out 7.

Conner Menez LHP worked 2 scoreless frames allowing 1 hit with 3 K's.  Menez seems ready to take on a more prominent role of one kind or another.  He could be another bulk-innings guy or a starter or a setup man.  Probably not quite ready for Closer role just yet.

 The Giants took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 9'th inning after B2B HR's from Jason Vosler 3B and Chadwick Tromp C in the 5'th inning.  Tyler Rogers RHP blew his 4'th Save although the tying run scored on a Texas League single by Adolis Garcia to drive in a runner from 3B.  Of course, once the game got past the 9'th inning and and the designated runners showed up, it's all a crapshoot and the Giants came out on the losing end.  So, after breaking down the sequences, I'm going to say probably premature to replace the 8'th and 9'th inning guys on the basis of this game alone but 6 Blown Saves and 2 Losses between them is tough to swallow.

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The Giants lead in the NL West shrank to 2.0 games over the Dodgers who won and jumped over the Padres who lost and are 2.5 games behind.

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Alex Dickerson OF goes to the IL with a bad back while Matt Wisler RHP was DFA'd.  In addition to Sammy Long, Jimmie Sherfy RHP was called up.  The Wisler move seems like a bit of a surprise as he has a 3.45 ERA over his last 15 appearances and a 3.38 ERA over his last 7, but Kap never seemed to gain confidence in him and never seemed to find a role for him.  The Churn churns on!

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The Giants start a 4-game series against the Nationals tomorrow with Anthony DeSclafani RHP facing Max Scherzer RHP.

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Down on the Farm:

High A:

Tyler Fitzgerald 3B- 4 for 5, SB(4).  BA= .243.

Israel Munguia CF- 2 for 2, BB, SF.  BA= .319.

Munguia comes off he Temporarily Inactive List and picks up where he left off with his 4'th multi-hit game out of his last 5(he last played on 5/27).  Tyler Fitzgerald is hitting .324 for the month of June after hitting .205 in May.  He has a 5-game hit streak going.

Low A:

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(8).  BA= .294.

Marco Luciano SS- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .270.

Alexander Canario RF- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .212.

Casey Schmitt DH- 2 for 4, HR(5), BB.  BA= .169.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 3.72.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.35.

Ivan Armstrong RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.50.

Casey Schmitt is hitting .304 in June after hitting just .121 in May.

Game Wrap 6/8/2021: Giants 9 Rangers 4

 Mike Tauchman LF's grand slam HR gave the Giants the lead in the 8'th inning.  Brandon Crawford added a 3-run shot in the 9'th for the runaway win.  Game Notes:

For a guy hitting just .187 since joining the team, Tauchman has had some big moments including The Catch, which completely turned around the Giants fortunes against the Dodgers.  The Rangers scored 3 runs in the 6'th inning to take a 4-2 lead and looked to be headed to a win in the first game of the two-game series.  It started with a single by Brandon Belt 1B, who had 3 hits in the game.  Walks to Brandon Crawford SS and Steven Duggar CF with a strikeout by Wilmer Flores 3B and a lineout by Donovan Solano 2B brought Tauchman to the plate with 2 outs.  Tauchman has been close to an automatic out but he came through here pulling it down the RF line and out of the park to give the Giants a sudden 6-4 lead.

Brandon Crawford had a huge night with 2 HR's, 2 walks and 4 RBI's.  His 41 RBI's leads all MLB SS's on the season while his 14 HR's is tied for 2'nd with Javier Baez behind Fernando Tatis Jr. who has 17.  His .938 OPS leads all qualified MLB SS's.  Tatis Jr is higher but does not have enough AB's to qualify due to IL time.

The Brandons hit back-to-back in the lineup and reached base 8 times in 10 PA's between them.

LaMonte Wade Jr. RF went 3 for 5 out of the leadoff spot in the lineup but did not figure in the scoring.  He's hitting .310 overall.  Buster Posey C added 2 hits to raise his BA to .336.

Alex Wood LHP scuffled again but was helped by 4 DP's in the first 5 innings.  His luck ran out in the 6'th.  He left the game with 1 out, a run in and runners at 2'nd and 3'rd.  Jarlin Garcia LHP came in and promptly issued a walk and a double to score his two inherited runners.  That gave the Rangers their 4-2 lead which held until Tauchman's slam.

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Alex Dickerson started the game as DH but left after 1 AB with back tightness.  That's yet another injury situation to monitor.

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The Win extended the Giants lead in the NL West to 2.5 games over the Padres and maintains a 3 game lead over the Dodgers.  They continue to have the best record in MLB.

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Zach Littell RHP is the Opener for today's game with Sam Long LHP and Conner Menez LHP ready to pitch multiple innings if needed.  Kyle Gibson RHP goes for the Rangers.

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Down on the Farm:

AAA:

Jason Krizan 3B- 4 for 5.  BA= .290.

Joey Bart C- 2 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .358.

Caleb Baragar LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Anthony Banda LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.87.

John Brebbia RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.60.

2 HR's in 2 games for Joey Bart.  Baragar and Brebbia are on rehab assignments.  Is Banda a future option for bulk innings?

AA:

Heliot Ramos CF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .288.

Vince Fernandez LF- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .209.

Sandro Fabian PH- 1 for 1, 2B.  BA= .266.

Trent Toplikar RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

High A:

Simon Whiteman 3B- 2 for 3, HR(1), 2 BB, 2 SB(16).  BA= .300.

Sean Roby 1B- 0 for 1, 4 BB.  BA= .184.

Low A:

Brett Auerbach 2B- 3 for 4, HR(1).  BA- 279.

Armani Smith LF- 2 for 4.  BA= .333.

Alexander Canario RF- 3 for 4, HR(3), SB(6).  BA= .202.

Prelander Berroa RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.05.

Clay Helvey RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, Save(4).  BA= 1.10.

Down on the Farm: 6/7/2021

Just one game in the minors:

AAA:

Joey Bart C- 4 for 5, HR(4).  BA= .349.

Braden Bishop RF- 4 for 4, 3B.  BA= .395.

Aaron Sanchez RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.50.

Ty Weber RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Camilo Doval RHP- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  ERA- 6.75.

Huge game for Joey Bart.  Giants may have a decision to make about him later in the season and definitely next season.  Braden Bishop has been tearing it up since the Giants acquired him.  Aaron Sanchez starts his rehab assignment.  

rides the Sacramento Shuttle back and Sam Long LHP gets the callup.  Long is slated to start against the Rangers on Wednesday.  He could stay on as a long reliever after Aaron Sanchez returns, or he could ride the shuttle too.

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Giants also made a minor league trade for Bruce Maxwell C.  Maxwell is assigned to AA Richmond.  He is 30 yo and a lefthanded batter. 

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Very concerning news about Duane Kuiper starting chemotherapy.  No deets as to why but a member of my family has been through it twice and it's tough to deal with at best.  He may want to rethink trying to broadcast during this difficult time. Wish him the best and a full recovery!

Game Wrap 6/6/2021: Cubs 4 Giants 3

 The Giants offense got off to a hot start but fizzled in the middle and late innings largely due to hard-hit balls that found gloves.  Johnny Cueto RHP couldn't hold the early lead and the Cubs were able to run out the clock, so to speak.  Game Note:

Cueto didn't pitch badly except to Patrick Wisdom 3B.  The kid from Murrieta, CA who played college ball at St Mary's scuffled to get established in the majors but has always had power is in one of those zones where you just don't want to give him anything resembling a pitch to hit.  3 of the 4 runs off Cueto came on 2 Wisdom HR's.  All 3 of his HR's in the series went to dead CF.  

Conner Menez LHP is also in a zone.  He entered the game in the 5'th inning with the bases loaded and 1 out.  He struck out Jason Heyward RF and the aforementioned Wisdom to end the threat then retired 4 more batters.  He's now pitched 6 innings in 3 appearances without allowing a run.  He would seem to be a potential option for a spot start or two.

Lamonte Wade Jr 1B is hitting just .227 over his last 7 games but 3 of his 5 hits have been HR's.  He hit Kyle Hendricks' first pitch of the game for an oppo field HR, his 3'rd HR in 6 games.  He added 2 walks later in the game.  He's also played a very rangy brand of 1B while filling in for Brandon Belt 1B who is reportedly ready to return to action this week in Texas.

Buster Posey C continued to stroke the ball with 3 hits in 4 AB's.  He's 7 for 14 over his last 3 games and hitting .333 overall.  Speaking of....Busters's double to the apex of Triples Alley would have been a HR in 28 of 30 MLB parks.  

....and speaking of.....Mauricio Dubon 3B had ball caught by Kris Bryant at the top of the LF wall.  It didn't quite have enough distance for a HR but Bryant's height appeared to enable him to turn it into a relatively easy catch.  .....and on top of that, the Giants had 5 line-drive outs in the game so the BABIP gods were not friendly in this one.

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The Padres and Dodgers both lost so the Giants maintain their 2 game lead in the NL West and the best record in MLB by percentage points over the Rays in the AL.

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The Giants have a travel day tomorrow before starting a two game series against the Rangers in Texas on Tuesday with Alex Wood LHP facing Jordan Lyles RHP.

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The not-unexpected bad news on Evan Longoria 3B is a dislocation of the sternoclavicular joint(ouch!).  He was placed on the IL and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.  Longoria was having a excellent season up to now and his presence in the lineup and on defense at 3B will be difficult to replace.

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Down on the Farm:

AAA:

Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 6, SB(9).   BA= .321.

Arismendy Alcantara SS- 4 for 6, 3B.  BA= .500.

Jason Krizan 3B- 3 for 6.  BA= .268.

Joe McCarthy LF- 2 for 5, 2 2B, BB.  BA= .315.

Fabian Pena C- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .217.

Peter Maris 2B- 2 for 4, HR(2), BB.  BA= .250.

Matt Frisbee RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 5.40.

The PCL is a hellacious place to pitch and Matt Frisbee's K/BB remains strong.

AA:

Vince Fernandez RF- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .206.

Gerson Garabito RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.56.

Norwith Gudino RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, Save(4).  ERA= 1.56.

High A:

Logan Wyatt 1B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .213.

Low A:

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(7).  BA= .291.

Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 5.  BA= .337.

Marco Luciano DH- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .274.

Alexander Canario RF- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(5).  BA= .178.

Abdiel Layer SS- 3 for 5, 2 2B, HR(6).  BA= .269.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.78.

Game Wrap 6/5/2021: Giants 4 Cubs 3

The Giants pitching and offense overcame a near-meltdown of the other leg of their their game, defense,  to win their third game in a row and guarantee a series win over the formerly red hot and NL Central leading Cubs.  Game Notes:

Coming in, Kevin Gausman RHP had not allowed a run of any kind in his last 3 starts covering 17 IP.  The HR he gave up to Patrick Wisdom 3B in the second inning produced 2 unearned runs because the lead runner reached base on an error with 2 outs.  After opposing pitcher, Kohl Stewart RHP led off the third with a single, Gausman settled in and struck out the next 15 batters he faced, 8 by K including the first 4 batters of the run.  It was another dominating performance driven by a FB that reached 98 MPH and a diving, fading split-change which is as devastating a secondary pitch as exists in baseball right now.  In the process, he showed no ill-effects from the hip tightness that caused him to leave his previous start after just 72 pitches.

Alex Dickerson LF has scuffled at the plate all season but is now 4 for 9 over his last 3 games including HR's in his last two.  His HR with 2-outs in the 3'rd inning gave the Giants their first run.  We've seen Dick carry the team for an extended period when he's hot at the plate.

Chadwick Tromp who is filling in as backup C for Curt Casali seemed to put down the right fingers and added 2 hits with an RBI.

The 9'th inning should have been uneventful as Tyler Rogers RHP got the weak groundballs he is becoming famous for.  It's just that Mauricio Dubon PF/2B/3B bobbled on for an error, bobbled another on a force at 2B that should have been a GIDP.  Then, with runners at first and third with one out, Anthony Rizzo 1B hit a soft grounder toward SS.  It was a bit of a tweener with both Evan Longoria 3B and Brandon Crawford SS having a legitimate shot at it but it was going to be a bang-bang play for either one so neither could afford to back off.  The run would have scored anyway but the collision resulted in no additional outs and runners at first and second.  On top of all that, Longoria left the game in apparent pain.  Kap reports that it seems to be his shoulder or clavicle.  There is no additional word at this time.

Rogers calmly struck out Willson Contreras C and got Jason Heyward RF to ground out to Donovan Solano 2B while everyone in the stadium and watching on TV held their breath.  No worries.  Solano fielded is cleanly and easily threw out Heyward to seal the win.

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The Win extended the Giants lead in the NL West to 2 games over the Padres and 3 games over the Dodgers.  The Giants continue to sport the best record in MLB at 37-21.  

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Johnny Cueto RHP goes for the 4-game series sweeeep today facing Kyle Hendricks RHP who has a career 2.13 ERA against the Giants.

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The Giants DFA's Scott Kazmir LHP in a move I did not see coming despite Kazmir's shaky appearances.  It's just that by DFA'ing Nick Tropeano RHP the previous day, it appeared they made a commitment to Kazmir at least in the short term future.  That Camilo Doval RHP was Kazmir's replacement on the 26-man Active Roster makes it all the more head-scratching.  The only thing I can think of is FZ and Kap must be in full pedal-to-the-metal mode and wanted an extra bullpen arm and Kazmir could not be that for a couple of games due to working two innings the previous game.  The pedal-to-the-metal theory does not fit with how FZ and Kap have managed injuries where they appear to be willing to sacrifice current wins for long term health.  There could be opt-outs at work here too.  We'll see how this plays out and whether Tropeano and/or Kazmir stay in the organization, but it appears the Giants have lost significant SP depth with departures of 3 veteran SP's, Shun Yamaguchi RHP, Tropeano and Kazmir.  The fact the Giants maintain an open spot on the 40-man roster makes all this all the more intriguing.

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Down on the Farm:

AAA:

Bryce Johnson RF- 1 for 6, HR(3).  BA= .321.

Joe McCarthy LF- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .310.

Braden Bishop CF- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .333.

Justin Bour 1B- 1 for 5, HR(5).  BA= .215.

AA:

Sandro Fabian LF- 3 for 4.  BA= .258.

Andy Sugilio RF- 2 for 4.  BA= .279.

High A:

Will Wilson SS- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(4).  BA= .292.

Tyler Fitzgerald 3B- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .217.

Seth Corry LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

RJ Dabovich RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(3).  ERA= 1.69.

Low A:

Luis Matos CF- 1 for 4, BB, SB(6).  BA= .286.

Ricardo Genoves C- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .333.

Marco Luciano SS- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .275.

Casey Schmitt 3B- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .148.

Wil Jensen RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.28.

Ivan Armstrong RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.28.

Game Wrap 6/4/20201: Giants 8 Cubs 5

The Giants offense roared back from a 2-0 first inning deficit with a 6-spot in the second and added two more runs in the third inning the held on to take their second in a row from the NL Central leading Cubs.  Game Notes:

A cruise around the the Giants blogosphere leads me to believe I am not the only Giants fan who wondered if the Giants went with the wrong veteran pitcher when they DFA'd Nick Tropeano RHP to make room for Scott Kazmir LHP who came back from the Restricted List.  After all, Tropeano allowed just 1 ER in 6 IP while shuttling between SF and Sacramento while Kazmir had given up 3 runs in 5 IP. Those doubts were not assuaged by Kazmir's performance as he gave up a 2-run blast to Kris Bryant RF before recording an out.  He did settle down to retire 6 of the next 7 batters including 3 by K's.  Maybe FZ has a trick up his sleeve to keep Tropeano in the organization but this is a decision to monitor going forward. 

Brandon Crawford SS batted cleanup and got the offense going with a leadoff double in the second inning.

The Giants got HR's from LaMonte Wade Jr 1B(2), Alex Dickerson LF(5), Steven Duggar CF(4) and Jason Vosler PH(2).  All 4 HR's were low-trajectory rockets.

Conner Menez LHP had a 2.38 ERA last year in 11.1 IP.  He's now added 4 scoreless IP in 2 appearances this year and looks like he may be ready for a more permanent and prominent role.  He recorded 2 K's and 4 groundouts in his 2 inning stint last night.

Jake McGee LHP and Tyler Rogers RHP got the final 6 outs without a K with Rogers recording his 7'th Save.  All 3 of Rogers' outs were on groundballs.

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The Giants maintained their 1 game lead over the Padres and 2 games over the Dodgers in the NL West as well as the best record in MLB.

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Kevin Gausman RHP tries to make it 3 in a row at 4:15 PM this evening facing Kohl Stewart RHP.

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Down on the Farm:

AAA:

Joe McCarthy 1B- 1 for 3, HR(7), BB.  BA= .300.

Braden Bishop LF- 3 for 3, 2B.  BA= .314.

Tyler Beede RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 7.27.

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

Tyler Beede continues to struggle in his comeback from Tommy John surgery.  Sam Long continues to dazzle from spring training through AA and now AAA.  He's stating his case to be the next callup to Oracle Park.

AA:

Sandro Fabian RF- 2 for 3, HR(3).  BA= .224.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.49.

Fabian is 4 for 9 in June so far.  Hjelle's ERA is 2.55 since his first start of the season.  More importantly, Hjelle has 36 K's with 8 BB's in 28.1 IP overall.

High A:

Simon Whiteman 2B- 4 for 6.  BA= .286.

Tyler Fitzgerald DH- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .211.

Brandon Martorano C- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .325.

Javeyon Williams CF- 2 for 4, 3 SB(4).  BA= .157.

Low A:

Luis Matos CF- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(5).  BA= .287.

Alexander Canario RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .179.

Ryan Murphy RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

Brooks Crawford RHP- 2.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.