Game Wrap 8/29/2026: Giants 7 D'Backs 2

Starting pitcher Yunior Marte had an electric entrance into major league baseball and the Giants batters kept the line moving on Jeff Kent Day.  Key Lines:  

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 1, BB, 3 SB(8), R.  BA= .276.  Cox showed what a lot of prospect watchers dreamed of him doing for a long time as he drew a walk to lead off the Giants half of the first inning, stole second base, stole third base and scored on Bryce Eldridge's single through the shortstop hole.  Cox started the game against a LHP and was later replaced by Drew Gilbert PH/CF who drew 3 walks and scored 3 runs.  Cox and Gilbert combined reached base 5 out of 5 PA's out of the leadoff spot in the lineup and scored 4 times.  In all, the lineup drew 6 walks leading to 5  of the Giants 7 runs.  

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 4 for 5, 4 RBI.  BA= .261.  Four singles, 4 RBI's.  Eldridge is starting to force his way into the conversation for NL ROY.  He may lose out to the WAR enthusiasts due to defensive limitations but the bat is right there by several important metrics.  

Rafael Devers DH added 2 singles and 2 RBI's as the top 3 batters in the lineup went a combined 7 for 11 with 4 walks reaching base 11 of 15 PA's.  They scored a combined 4 runs and drove in 6.  

Yunior Marte RHP- 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.93.  This young Yunior Marte looks a lot bigger and stronger than the old Yunior Marte.  He showed a loose arm and a live fastball he could put on the hands of lefthanded hitters and diving split change.  I am sure he made some fans in the Giants front office and made the YtY trade look more like a long term winner for the Giants.

The Giants get Sunday to travel to Atlanta for a 1-game make up game from an early season rainout on Monday with TBD facing TBD.

Game Wrap 8/29/2026: D'Backs 7 Giants 1(Game 1 of Day/Night Doubleheader)

Matt "I Refuse To Call Him 'Tugboat'" Wilkinson pitched six scoreless innings only to lose control of the strike zone to open the 7'th inning with another massive bullpen failure sinking his effort.  Key Lines:

Matt Wilkinson LHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.63.  Wilkinson's fastball barely touched 91 MPH but hitters seem to have some trouble picking it up and he is able to locate it consistently which sets up his other pitches, a sweeper/slider and changeup.  He seemed to run out of gas in the 7'th inning and walked the first two batters, the first walks he gave up in the game.  Unfortunately those two walks gave him an L for the game.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K, HR.  ERA= 6.97.  Walker relieved Wilkinson after the two walks to open the 7'th inning.  I had my doubts about bringing him into that situation.  He got a groundball out, which put runners at first and third with one out and kept the possibility of a GIDP in play, but the next batter walked to load the bases.  D'Backs Manager Tory Lovullo sent up LH batter Lars Nootbaar to hit for Jose Fernandez.  As soon as I saw that Walker was going to have to pitch to Nootbaar with the bases loaded, I knew exactly where that ball was going.  BTW, is retrieving a baseball worth falling into the waters of McCovey Cove?  If it's off the bat of an opposing player which I believe does not count as a Splash Hit?  

I am not sure how many more chances Walker is going to get with the Giants.  It should be none.  At the same time, from a human perspective you must feel for poor Ryan Walker who must be absolutely crushed.  

Down on the Farm: 8/282026

 AAA:  Reno Aces beat the Sacramento River Cats 6-1.

Darien Smith RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 3/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.

Wilkin Ramos RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.39.

Alex Carrillo RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 12.79.

River Cats managed just 4 hits in the game.  Aeverson Arteaga SS and Charlie Szykowny 1B each had a double.

AA:  Portland Sea Dogs downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 9-3.

Trevor Cohen CF- 2 for 4, SB(15).  BA= .290.

Dayson Croes 2B- 2 for 4.  BA= .266.

Dayson Croes is batting .395 over his last 9 games.  

A+:  Everett Aquasox outlasted the Eugene Emeralds 4-3(10 innings).

Cade Vernon RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 9/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.52.

A:  Visalia Rawhide outscored the San Jose Giants 9-6.

Josuar Gonzalez SS- 1 for 4, 3B, BB, SB(10).  BA= .354.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 2 for 3, BB, SB(19).  BA= .279.

Tanner Mally CF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .403.

Jordan Gottesman LHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.96.

Game Wrap 8/28/2026: D'Backs 10 Giants 6

A few bright spots in the lineup were not enough to overcome terrible pitching as the D'Backs as the bullpen once again failed to keep a winnable game within reach.  Key Lines:

Bryce Eldridge DH- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(15), R. 2 RBI.  BA= .254.  The most significant part of this line is Eldridge did his damage against a LHP.  More than that, Eldridge and Devers batting 2, 3 in the lineup against a LHP and accounted for 3 of the Giants 6 runs.  

Christian Koss SS- 1 for 3, HR(1), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .211.  Koss is batting .238 over his last 7 games and .271 over his last 15.  In a small sample he has far better defensive metrics at SS than Willy Adames.  BTW, Adames got a PRP injection in his elbow so is likely done for the season giving Christian a chance to impress the rest of the way.

Blade Tidwell RHP- 5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, 2/6 GO/AO, 3 HR.  ERA= 4.54.  There was a light breeze out to CF at game time.  How much that contributed to Tidwell's downfall is not clear.  The D'Backs were able to hit the ball in the air and he couldn't keep them in the park.  Although there are exceptions to the rule, if a pitcher gives up a lot of flyballs, some of them are going to find their way over the wall.  A ground ball has essentially zero chance of being a home run.

Spencer Bivens RHP- 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 14.40.  Bivens pitched fairly well in a variable role for AAA Sacramento but giving up 8 runs in 3 IP over his last to games at the MLB level is not going to cut it, even in audition time.

The Giants play a day/night doubleheader today with TBD starting both games.  Matt Williamson LHP will likely be activated for one of the games.  Merrill Kelly RHP(5.35) and Mitch Bratt LHP(4.54) are the named starters for the D'Backs.

Down on the Farm: 8/27/2026

AAA:  Reno Aces shut out the Sacramento River Cats 5-0.

 Joe Whitman LHP- 6 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.66.

Quality Start for Whitman.  Will Brennan(.318), Diego Velasquez(.254) and Eddys Leonard(.229) had 2 hits each with a double for Velasquez.  

AA:  Portland Sea Dogs mauled the Richmond Flying Squirrels 11-2.  

Trevor Cohen CF- 2 for 5.  BA= .285.

Jack Payton 1B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .282.

A+:  Everett Aquasox outscored the Eugene Emeralds 12-10.

Damian Bravo CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .355.

Cam Maldonado RF- 3 for 4, 3 HR(7), SF.  BA= .333.

Kaeden Kent SS= 4 for 5, 2B, 2 HR(2), SB(1).  BA= .400.

A smashing pro debut for Jeff Kent's son whose mugshot looks like he could be a clone.  And Cam Maldonado is looking more and more like a serious prospect.  

A:  San Jose Giants crushed the Visalia Rawhide 13-4.

Tanner Mally CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(5).  BA= .390.

Junior Barajas C- 3 for 5, 3 2B.  BA= .258.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 3 for 4, 3B, HR(15), BB.  BA= .276.

Angel Guzman 1B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .255.

Broedy Poppell RF- 2 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .250.

Ben Bybee RHP- 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.91.

Dario Reynoso is a wiry-strong prospect with a solid stat line showing power, speed(18 SB's) and plate discipline(15% walk rate) except for a 32% K rate.  

Game Wrap 8/27/2026: Giants 6 D'Backs 1

 The Giants scored 4 runs in the 8'th inning to break open a tight game and this time the bullpen held on in the 9'th for the win.  Key Lines:

Drew Gilbert RF- 1 for 3, HR(8), SF, R, 2 RBI.  BA= .243.  Gilbert barely missed a home run to the deepest part of Triples Alley on Wednesday.  He hit one to the same spot leading off the Giants half of the first inning but this time it carried over the top of the wall for a home run.  He added an RBI on a sac fly later in the game.  Gilbert is on a tear batting .333 over his last 7 games and with 5 RBI's in his last 2 games.  I think it's safe to say he is the odds on favorite to be at least a strong side platoon partner, probably in CF next season.  

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 3, BB, SB(5), R, RBI.  BA= .278.  Tony Vitello has made some inneresting choices for his cleanup hitters lately but hey!  Maybe "small ball" works in the middle of the lineup?  Although it did no figure in the scoring Cox did what Giants prospect watchers dreamed of by laying down a bunt single then stealing 2B.  He was also part of the 9'th inning rally using his speed to score on a safety squeeze.

Bryce Eldridge RF- 1 for 4, 2B, R, RBI.  BA= .252.  Eldridge had a slow start to the game coming off the bereavement list but his RBI double was the key hit of the 9'th inning rally.

Landen Roupp RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.25.  It wasn't overpowering but Roupp hung in there to hold the D'Backs down for 5 innings. this time bullpen took care of the rest.  

Trent Harris RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.50.  Kruk pointed out that Harris has a straight over-the-top delivery which allows him to work up in the zone with a 4-seam fastball and tunnel a downer curveball.  That's a classic pitch combo we don't see too often these days but it has a long history of effectiveness.  Note the game summary calls the fastballs sinkers and cutters but most of them were up in the zone which makes me think they are actually 4-seamers.  

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 6.60.  There was some uneasiness when Walker allowed hits to the first two batters, the second of which whistled past his ear at 104.5 MPH but he settled down to get the last 3 batters and keep the final score 6-1.

Blade Tidwell RHP takes the mound tonight facing Kohl Drake LHP who comes in with an ERA of 5.40.

Down on the Farm: 8/26/2026

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats defeated the Reno Aces 6-4.

Scott Bandura CF- 2 for 5, 2B, SB(22).  BA= .330.

Bo Davidson RF- 2 for 5.  BA= .300.

Will Brennan LF- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(6).  Ba= .316.

Diego Velasquez DH- 1 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .236.

Adrian Sugastey C- 1 for 3, 2B, Sac.  BA= .304.

Aeverson Arteaga SS- 2 for 4.  BA= .236.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.10.

Eric Cerantola RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.73.

Third Quality Start in a row for Cesar Perdomo.

AA:  Portland Sea Dogs outlasted the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-4(13 innings).

Dayson Croes 2B- 3 for 5, 2 BB.  BA= .262.

Jose Astudillo LF- 2 for 6, 2B, SB(3).  BA= 273.

Lisbel Diaz RF- 1 for 6, SF, SB(3).  BA= .152.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.22.

Esmerlin Vinicio LHP- 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 2 IP,  0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.36.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.00.

The game was tied at 0 after 9 innings.  The two teams traded runs in the 10'th and 12'th inning before the Sea Dogs scored 3 in the top of the 13'th and the Squirrels fall short with 2 in the bottom of the 13'th.

A+:  Everett Aquasox outscored the Eugene Emeralds 11-6.

Cam Maldonado RF- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .300.

Alix Hernandez RHP- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.92.

Maldonado had the only multi-hit game for the Squirrels. Jhonny Level, Damian Bravo and Dalton Wentz each hit doubles.

A: San Jose Giants whipped the Visalia Rawhide 12-6.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 2 for 4, 3B, BB.  BA= .271.

Dario Reynoso 3B- 2 for 5, HR(14).  BA= .271.

Tanner Mally CF- 2 for 3, 3B, 2 BB.  BA= .393.

Luke Nixon DH- 2 for 5.  BA= .200.

Oliver Tejada LF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(3).  BA= .220.

Argenis Cayama RHP- 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.20.

Dylan Carter RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.99.

Oliver Tejada is batting .417 over his last 7 games.