Game Wrap 5/9/2023: Giants 4 Nationals 1

Casey Schmitt joined a long list of Giants who homered in their first MLB game and the Giants cruised to an otherwise drama-free win behind Logan Webb.  Key Lines:

Mitch Haniger RF/LF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .227.  Haniger got Webb an early lead with a 2-run double in the first inning.

Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .500.  What a great moment for a "homegrown" prospect!  MLB debut, home ballpark, approximately 40 friends and family in attendance.  Doesn't get much better than that.  He started a GIDP to boot.  Brandon Crawford might have just gotten Wally Pipped!

Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 9/2.  ERA= 3.46.  Webb seems to be settling into the season right on schedule.  4 consecutive QS with an ERA in that span of 2.22.

Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 2.30.  Dominant Save.  That's how we like them.

Sean Manaea LHP goes for the series win tomorrow afternoon against Josiah Gray RHP.

Churn Watch:

Darin Ruf UT was DFA'd to make room on the 40-man roster for Casey Schmitt and Cal Stevenson OF was optioned to AAA Sacramento.  

Game Wrap 5/8/2023: Nationals 5 Giants 1

Anthony DeSclafani RHP got BABIP'd for 5 runs in the first inning before settling down to pitch 6 more shutout innings.  Unfortunately a solo HR by Joc Pederson DH in the 9'th inning was way too little, too late. 

Logan Webb RHP tries to even the series tomorrow evening against Patrick Corbin LHP.

Churn Watch: 

Bryce Johnson CF was activated from his rehab assignment and optioned to AAA Sacramento.

Down on the Farm: 5/7/2023

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

Alex Wood LHP- 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.45.

Keaton Winn RHP- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 6/1.  ERA= 4.70.

Mixed first rehab outing for Alex Wood.  Keaton Winn turns in his strongest appearance of the season.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Altoona Curve 4-1.

Luis Matos RF- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .289.

Carter Aldrete 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(3).  BA= .280.

Carson Seymour RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 4.08.

Juan Sanchez LHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.98.

Randy Rodriguez RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 3.60.

Luis Matos continues to perform well at AA an historically difficult hurdle for Giants hitting prospects.

A+:  Spokane Indians topped the Eugene Emeralds 2-1.

Carson Ragsdale RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.92.

I've liked Ragsdale since he was a draft prospect in college.  Great to see him coming back strong from thoracic-outlet surgery.

A:  San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts 5-4.

Carter Howell DH- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .327.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 2, 3 BB, SB(3).  BA= .370.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.83.

Jack Choate LHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 1.29.

Onil Perez is another young international prospect who is excelling for the SJ Giants. Interesting prospect.  Reminder that low A is a conservative placement for players drafted out of college the prior year.

Game Wrap 5/7/2023: Brewers 7 Giants 3

Ross Stripling's goferitis relapsed with a vengeance as the Brewers hit a pair of 2-run dingers to deny the Giants a sweep of the weekend series.  Key lines:

Thairo Estrada SS- 3 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .346.  As one Twitter twit pointed out, the Giants had 13 hits and 14 baserunners in the game so of course Estrada's HR was a solo shot and in the 9'th inning with the game out of reach.

Blake Sabol C(.264) also had 3 its with a double.  Lamonte Wade Jr.(.258) 1B, Mitch Haniger LF(.222) and Wilmer Flores(.273) 3B also had 2-hit games.

Ross Stripling RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 6.66.  Here is Steven Kennedy's take on Striplings start today from his write up for McCovey Chronicles:

It wasn’t that Stripling was pitching poorly as much as Milwaukee’s approach in the batter’s box was incredibly effective. They took pitches falling through and out of the zone and spit on borderline fastballs, change-ups, and sliders dotting spots just off the plate. Brewers bats weren’t fooled by what the Giants’ starting pitcher was offering: if they didn’t hit the ball hard they put it play, if they didn’t put it play, they fouled it off.

This agrees with my own observations watching the game.  When I see batters reacting like this, it always raises a question in my mind if maybe the pitcher is tipping his pitches or has settled into a predictable pattern of pitch selection.  

Now, I don't have the O and Z swing rates for this game but per Fangraphs, Stripling's numbers on the season are right at his career averages. What is striking about his season pitching line is the HR/FB of 31.6% which is is more than twice his career average  and 50% higher than his previous season high which occurred in the small sample size season of 2020.  This should regress toward his career mean as the season progresses.

Cole Waites RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Waites pitched better than this line indicates.  His leadoff batter reached on an error and another hit was a dribbler down the 3B line.  His final pitch of the inning was a swinging K of Brian Anderson on a 98 MPH fastball. His leg kick out of the stretch is too high which was the main reason he gave up 2 SB's.  Something he needs to work on.

Anthony DeSclafani RHP tries to start another Giants win streak against the Nationals tomorrow evening facing Cole Irvin RHP.

And RIP Vida Blue, a Bay Area sports legend as a star pitcher for the A's and Giants and a big part of the Giants community outreach over the past 3 decades.

(Sorry if this post looks weird. For some reason the copy/paste of Steven Kennedy's comments messed up the font and I couldn't figure out how to fix without deleting 2/3 of the post and starting over).

Down on the Farm: 5/6/2023

AAA:  Sacramento River Cats downed the Las Vegas Aviators 9-3.

Bryce Johnson CF- 1 for 2, 2B, HBP, 2 SB(2).  BA= .500.

Darin Ruf DH- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .222.

Casey Schmitt SS- 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .313.

Will Wilson 3B- 2 for 4.  BA= .206.

Shane Matheny RF/CF- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .266.

Kyle Harrison LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 3.20.

Woo Hoo!  The big story for Down on the Farm tonight is 4 dominant IP for Harrison with 0 walks.

AA:  Altoona Curve defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2.

Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 4, SB(5).  BA= .278.

Hayden Cantrelle 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .262.

Wil Jensen RHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.08.

Raymond Burgos LHP- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00. 

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Spokane Indians 4-2.

Grant McCray CF- 4 for 5, 2 HR, 2 SB(10).  BA= .208.

Wade Meckler LF- 4 for 4, 3B.  BA= .531. 

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 4.  BA= .301.

Carson Whisenhunt LHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.13.

Trevor McDonald RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Jose Cruz RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Hunter Dula RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 1.80.

Grant McCray had a very rough April but seems to have found some traction since turning over a new month.

A:  San Jose Giants outscored the Modesto Nuts 10-9.

Carter Howell CF- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .327.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 1 for 2, BB, HBP, SF.  BA= .310.

Thomas Gavello DH- 1 for 3, 2 HBP.  BA= .299.

Jose Ramos SS- 2 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .256.

Alexander Suarez LF- 3 for 4, BB, SB(2).  BA= .288.

Liam Simon RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Esmerlin Vinicio LHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

International prospects Velasquez, Ramos and Suarez are putting up interesting batting lines with regularity.

Game Wrap 5/6/2023: Giants 4 Brewers 1

 Alex Cobb did not have his best command but still pitched 7 scoreless innings to lead the Giants to their 4'th consecutive win.  Key Lines:

Thairo Estrada SS- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .336.  Lamonte Wade Jr 1B singled with 1 out in the third inning.  Estrada followed by jumping on a hanging sider and putting it several rows up in the LF bleachers.  Thairo is on pace for a 20/30 season and talk of an all-star berth is starting to heat up.

Joey Bart C- 1 for 3, 2B.  BA= .280.  Michael Conforto RF drew a 2-out walk in the 2'nd inning and Bart followed with a hard grounder that just grazed the plane of the outside corner of 3B for a double. The ball caromed around just enough for Gary Hallberg to wave Conforto all the way home for the Giants first run.

Brett Wisely 2B- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .100.  After watching Wisely make several slick plays at 2B I texted a friend and asked if he will hit.  He came up in the bottom of the inning and drove one over the CF wall to extend the Giants lead to 4-0.  I sent another text:  "Well, yes he can!"   2 of his 3 hits have come in his last two games.

Alex Cobb RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 12/2.  ERA= 2.01.  Saw a note on Twitter that Cobb was still experiencing lingering effects of the GI virus that went through the Giants clubhouse.  A lot of his pitches were sailing up and away which can be a sign of fatigue and/or overthrowing.  He as able to make is pitches when he needed to and gutted out 106 pitches over 7 scoreless innings.  Doing that without your best command is a sign of a true ace.

Taylor Rogers LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.91.  The lefty Rogers Bro has really settled down and now has a 0.00 ERA in 6.2 IP over his last 7 appearances which is really, really good news for the Giants moving forward.

John Brebbia RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 5.93.  Kap was hoping to spare Camilo Doval RHP in a non-save situation but Brebbia appeared to be gassed and walked the first two batters he faced then allowed a 1-out single which created a Save situation.  Doval came in and got the final 2 outs for his 7'th Save of the season.

Ross Stripling RHP goes for the sweep tomorrow afternoon facing Adrian Houser RHP who is making his first start of the season after a rehab assignment.

Down on the Farm: 5/5/2023

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the Las Vegas Aviators 6-5(11 innings).

Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 4, HBP.  BA= .315.

Tyler Fitzgerald 2B- 1 for 4, 2B, SF.  BA= .250.

Shane Matheny CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .244.

Sean Hjelle RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 5/0.  ERA= 0.00.

Tanner Andrews RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  ERA= 3.86.

Clay Helvey RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 6.10.

Hoping to see a few more games like this from Sean Hjelle with a return to the Giants with better results.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Altoona Curve 3-1.

Luis Matos LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .293.

Marco Luciano SS- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .200.

Riley Mahan 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, SF.  BA= .234.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.33.

Nick Swiney LHP- 2.1 IP,  2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.23.

Blake Rivera RHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(2).  ERA= 0.00.

Rivera has 15 K's against just 2 BB's in 11 IP across 8 appearances.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Spokane Indians 6-5.

Grant McCray CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .176.

Vaun Brown RF- 2 for 5, SB(1).  BA= .400.

Logan Wyatt 1B- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .256.

Adrian Sugastey C- 2 for 4.  BA= .279.

Damon Dues 2B/3B- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(5).   BA= .276.

Nick Sinacola RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 0.86.

Nick Sinacola has 29 K's in 21 IP on the season so far.  Grant McCray is starting to collect a few multi-hit games here and there.

A:  San Jose Giants blanked the Modesto Nuts 6-0(6 innings).

Carter Howell CF- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .310.

Diego Velasquez 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(3).  BA= .306.

Tanner O'Tremba RF- 2 for 2, BB, SB(2).  BA= .309.

Garrett Frechette DH- 1 for 3, HR(1).  BA= .207.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 2.25.

John Bertrand LHP- 2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.65.

Frechette's HR was a grand slam.  Unfortunately he is now in his 5'th season in the organization(including 2020) and there have not been enough HR's and not enough hits and walks to make up for the lack of power.  Last season Manuel Mercedes issued 63 walks in 80.2 IP.  So far this season he's cut that rate down to 5 walks in 20 IP.