The lockout

 

If a graph can be said to explain the current impasse between the players and the owners it would be this one. The owners figured out that paying older players (especially those past the age of 30) wasn't worth it. The best thing to do is underpay younger players when they are at their peak. The owners underpay younger players by maintaining the vestiges of the reserve clause. Younger players are "owned" by the team and the best they can do, salary-wise, is via the arbitration process. When they become free agents their best seasons are behind them. The players obviously want to change that system. They want to get to free agency sooner. They are right, of course, just a little late in their thinking. They got schooled by the owners during the last two rounds of CBA negotiations and now they are well behind where they ought to be.

The solution is obvious: make all players free agents from the beginning. Get rid of the draft, arbitration, and the rest of the nonsense surrounding the reserve clause.

I don't expect much progress. The owners will be reluctant to give the players anything. The players might get a few bones thrown their way, and they'll sign a deal that's superficially better than what they have now, but there won't be fundamental changes to the way MLB is run. Then we'll do this all over again in a few years.

Meanwhile, have a great holiday season. Merry Christmas!

--M.C.

Cobb gets the call

The Giants are cornering the market on four-letter pitchers. Veteran righty Alex Cobb joins the team on a two-year deal in the $20M range. Alex Wood is supposedly returning but that deal has not yet been made official. The rotation of Webb, Wood, and Cobb has an alliterative, Anglo-Saxon meter to it so it's a good thing Anthony DeScalfani is there to broaden the poetic possibilities.

Cobb's forte is limiting walks and getting ground balls. Those two things fit well with the Giants pitching philosophy. Last year he upped his swinging strike and strikeout rates to the best marks of his career. That's a good trend line to be on!

--M.C.

 

update: the Wood signing is now official, two years, $25M

Roster-ing

The Giants have re-signed Anthony DeSclafani. It's a three-year deal for $36M. Sounds good to me! They are supposed to be close to a deal with Alex Wood, too. MLBTR says they are also interested in Alex Cobb. He's a 34-year old righty who came up with Tampa Bay and most recently pitched in Anaheim. He's thrown 174 games across ten seasons, all as a starter, racking up over 1000 IP with a 3.87 ERA (3.94 FIP).

The Giants also traded Jay Jackson to the Braves for cash or a PTBNL. They had to make room for some Rule V guys. And speaking of clearing space on the 40-man, Alex Dickerson was DFAd.

Buster won Comeback Player of the Year for the NL.

I think the Giants need to go all-in on Seiya Suzuki.

--M.C.

2021 NL MVP

Brandon Crawford finished fourth in the voting, behind winner Bryce Harper and runners-up Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis, Jr. I thought you might like to see the voting breakdown:

Crawford was named on all 30 ballots. Andrew Baggarly (on The Athletic) wrote a piece breaking down his vote. He put BCraw #1 and is responsible for the lone vote for LaMonte Wade, Jr.*

If you enjoy debating the merits of the MVP this was a good year in the National League. There were a lot of deserving players. I think we'd all agree that BCraw was the MVP of the Giants. (And the Giants were the best team!) I'm glad he was named by all the writers, I think that says a lot about his impact. I don't really care so much who wins as it is too hard to separate individuals and teams and too hard to define "value" in the context of an entire season. I think Baggs was making a point: context matters. You don't just pick the guy with the best stats, you pick the guy who (in your view) made the biggest difference for his team. He also felt BCraw's fielding was under-valued, and I can't argue with that. And I can't argue with his ballot:

Shohei Ohtani was such an obvious choice in the AL and he won unanimously. Only the NL decision provided any barstool-argument fodder.

Congratulations to Brandon Crawford on an outstanding season!

--M.C.

 

*p.s. FanGraphs has a stat called WPA (win probability added) and Wade finished 11th in MLB and 6th in the NL. That was with only 381 PA. He sure got a lot of clutch hits!!

Coup for Kap

To no one's surprise Gabe Kapler was named NL Manager of the Year. He got 28 of the 30 first-place votes. He deserved it. The Giants were the most actively-managed team in MLB and they far exceeded all pre-season expectations. They won 107 games and captured the NL West flag on the final day, denying the Dodgers who were expected to run away with the division.

Congrats to Kap!

--M.C.

Q.O. for the C.O.

The Giants gave Brandon Belt a Qualifying Offer. (If you want to know the ins-and-outs of the QO follow the link.) Belt has until November 17th to decide. In short, if he says "aye-aye" the Giants keep him for another season (at $18.4M). If not he's a free agent.

No mutiny here--I say bring back The Cap'n!

 

 --M.C.

Gerald Dempsey Posey

Buster is supposed to announce his retirement from baseball tomorrow. What fortunate fans we were to watch his entire career!

You can click on the image to em-biggen.

The San Francisco Giants enjoyed their greatest successes when Buster Posey strapped on the "tools of ignorance" and led the team for over a decade from the backstop position. I can't complain about a single thing associated with Buster. He was the ideal baseball player and he will be greatly missed.

And he goes out on top with the 2021 NL West champs!

Aloha, Buster.

--M.C.

The Calendar

The Atlanta Braves win the 117th World Series over the Houston Astros. Thus ends the 2021 season. Now the off-season madness begins! Here are a few important dates to pay attention to (from MLBTR):

November 3: The beginning of a five-day period where teams and players must decide whether to exercise or decline contract options and opt-out clauses for the 2022 season. Eligible free agents cannot sign with anyone but their current team for five more days.

November 7, 4:00 pm CST: The deadline for teams to issue qualifying offers (one-year, $18.4MM contracts) to eligible free agents. For a breakdown of the draft choices teams would forfeit by signing a qualified free agent, see here.

November 8: Free agency officially opens.

November 8-11: General managers’ meetings, hosted in Carlsbad, California.

November 17: Deadline for players tagged with a qualifying offer to accept or reject the QO.

November 19: Deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to keep them from selection in the Rule 5 draft.

December 1, 11:59 pm: Expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. If MLB and the MLBPA do not agree on a new CBA by then, the league may institute a lockout that freezes teams’ ability to make transactions until negotiations are resolved.

It's difficult to know just how perilous the negotiations are. Early in the process you see a lot of over-heated rhetoric. What they actually say face-to-face does not get reported! Let's hope they can hammer something out and we can have a regular baseball season in 2022.

--M.C.

The World Series

The Houston Astros come in as favorites against the Atlanta Braves. I've seen a variety of numbers for the money line so I'm going to pick one (from The Athletic) and talk about that. The Astros are listed at -145 for the Series and the Braves are listed at +120.

-145 means bet $145 to win $100 and is equivalent to 20:29 in fractional odds (100/145). That's an implied win probability of about 59% (145/245).

+120 means bet $100 to win $120 and is equivalent to 6:5 in fractional odds (120/100). That's an implied win probability of about 45% (100/220).

I have a hard time believing that ANY team in the post-season has a nearly 60% chance to win! That's too high for my taste. I think Houston should be favored but not by that much. The Astros have too much hitting and their pitching is pretty even with Atlanta's. If you add in home field advantage I think that's enough to tip the Series. But the Braves have a bit of magic going on right now and sometimes that's all it takes for an upset. I don't have a dog in the fight. If one team has "SF Giants" on their jerseys then I'll give a shit, otherwise it's just a bunch of guys running around in different colors.

Note that the win probabilities add up to over 100% (59+45=104). That extra 4% accounts for the vigorish (the "vig" or house cut). Those guys make money either way--god bless American capitalism! (Anyone who bets on sporting contests is a fool.) I do believe that this unholy alliance between MLB and sports books is ultimately a bad thing. I say enjoy the baseball before Las Vegas corporate quants wind up running the whole show.

--M.C.

 

p.s. 538 says it's a 50-50 tossup

The 2021 Giants, part 4

Take a look at the chart below (click on it to get a larger image). You can see the names on the left and what I want you to look at is the number on the far right. It is OPS+ and it measures OPS against a league-average hitter. A hitter rated 100 OPS+ is at league-average level, and a hitter rated 120 OPS+ is 20% better than a league-average hitter. All these hitters had at least 200 plate appearances (from Baseball-Reference).

 

Almost everyone on the list was over 100. That's like Lake Wobegon where everyone is above average! Seriously, the Giants were able to run out a lot of good players every day who could hit the damn baseball especially when given favorable match-ups. Even the guys who under-performed (La Stella and Dickerson) were expected to do better, and those expectations were reasonable given past performance. Casali was the backup catcher and thus subject to a different standard, and I think 42-13 in his starts works as a standard.

The rest of the list (under 200 PA) is Mauricio Dubon, Mike Tauchman, Thairo Estrada, Jason Vosler, Chadwick Tromp, Jaylin Davis, Joey Bart, and Skye Bolt. Only Estrada (52 G, 132 PA) delivered the goods (.273/.333/.479) with an OPS+ rating of 118. I hope he's a big part of next season. Even though the other names are underwhelming, remember of course that Tauchman made the play of the season in LA, which goes to show how many heroes it takes to win 109 games.

Take a look at the same page for the 2014 Giants. That team had a lot of good hitters up and down the lineup.

It seems like a no-brainer that the team will pick up Posey's option. They could offer Belt a QO, much like they did with Gausman. Bryant will be one of the more desirable free agents, and he does fit the Giants nicely, but that's too big of a picture to speculate about. Too many moving parts! Mostly I expect FZ & Co. will continue to acquire talent and keep the level of competition for roster spots at a high level. The 2021 Giants enjoyed some fine work by young pitchers that were promoted from within, maybe there will be some hitters in the system that will make highlights in 2022.

--M.C.

The 2021 Giants, part 3

The biggest surprise of the season was the pitching staff. From the get-go they were among the best in the league at suppressing runs, specifically limiting walks and homers, and continued to pitch well until the final game. They allowed 18 runs in the five-game LDS and threw two shutouts against a Dodgers team that led the NL in offense (and were fourth in runs scored behind three AL teams, the Astros, Rays, and Jays).

How did that happen? Let's start with the bullpen. Here are the top six relievers by IP this season with their ERAs: Tyler Rogers (81, 2.22), Jarlin Garcia (68-2/3, 2.62), Jose Alvarez (64-2/3, 2.37), Zack Littel (61-2/3, 2.92), Jake McGee (59-2/3, 2.72), and Dominic Leone (53-2/3, 1.51). All of those ERAs rate 150 ERA+ and higher meaning they are 50% better than league average. All the FIPs are correspondingly good (3.28, 3.77, 3.15, 3.87, 3.35, and 3.08) so you know that the numbers aren't too fluky. They threw strikes and mostly kept the ball in the yard. I have to add wunderkind Camilo Doval's 27 IP, 3.00 ERA, and 3.47 FIP. When everyone else was faltering he went un-scored upon in September and literally saved the season. Although other relievers logged more innings (Tony Watson, Caleb Baragar, Jay Jackson, Matt Wisler, John Brebbia, Conner Menez), the 13-1/3 delivered by young Kervin Castro (one unearned run, 2.12 FIP) got him a spot on the post-season roster and he saw action in two games.

The construction and emergence of the bullpen was a vindication of the infamous "churn" so beloved by our owlish and genial PoBO Farhan Zaidi. He and and his loyal lieutenant Scott Harris and their staff made sure there was a continuous stockpile of major league-ready ballplayers to be called upon. And called upon they were!

The starters obviously shone this season as well. The Giants almost pulled off a five-man rotation at one point, looking very old-school, but fatigue and injuries took their toll. It's amazing the club went 21-6 in September! The front five accounted for 137 starts. Aaron Sanchez, Sammy Long, and Scott Kazmir added 16 more and the rest were bullpen/opener games.

Giving Kevin Gausman a QO at the end of last season paid off handsomely. He was a top-tier pitcher this season and stayed healthy enough for 192 IP (6th-best in MLB). I expect they will offer him a deal this winter. Another free agent that really delivered, especially in the first half, was Anthony DeSclafani. Unfortunately his troubles against LA and in the LDS really hurt his stock. I could see them re-signing him but they won't have the same enthusiasm they did earlier. Alex Wood however made a case to stick around, mostly because he's a lefty and could perhaps relieve as well as start, sort of like Julio Urias. Johnny Cueto had a brief resurgence and started 21 games but couldn't stay healthy and did not make the post-season cut. I assume they'll buy him out. Alas, that's the last we'll see of that wonderfully entertaining performer.

Logan Webb was the story of the year, of course. The 24-year old put himself on the national radar with two brilliant efforts against the Dodgers in the playoffs. That only confirmed what Giants fans had just discovered--that he was an ace. You have to be excited about seeing him pitch next season. It's also another reason to re-sign Gausman as having that co-ace tandem at the top of the rotation is tough on other teams!

FanGraphs rated the San Francisco staff 5th in WAR (21.9) behind the White Sox, Dodgers, Brewers, and Yankees. They rated second in FIP (3.55) to LA (3.54). B-R gave them a 127 ERA+, again second only to LA's 136. For more conventional statistics they had the second-lowest WHIP (1.148, LA led MLB with 1.097). The Giants allowed the fewest homers (151) and the fewest walks (146). They had 18 shutouts, second to Atlanta and Milwaukee with 19. They had, like the Dodgers, a league-leading 56 saves.

--M.C.

The 2021 Giants, part 2

I've said it before and I repeated it in my last post: this is the most interesting Giants team in my tenure as a fan. What's so interesting? Let's start with the manager, Gabe Kapler. This is a man who leaves nothing to chance. Every action has a purpose. Even warm-up tosses are conscious, deliberate acts with clear outcomes. This approach, at first blush, seems too hands-on for pro athletes and more suited to working with elementary school kids. But Kapler believes that every athlete (every person, in fact) can learn, adapt, and grow. Practice isn't just drills. It's a personal improvement plan. Kap's forte is player development, and he believes that this process happens continuously and throughout all the things that happen in the season from Spring Training to the playoffs to the layoffs.

Kapler is also match-up obsessed. He believes that every encounter can be maximized and that even the tiniest increment in your favor is worth pursuing. It drove the old-school purists in Philadelphia crazy, and to Kap's credit he adjusted his schemes when he came to San Francisco. Mostly, he asked the veteran players for buy-in beforehand and they were professional enough (and hungry enough for increasingly elusive success) to meet him halfway. The result? Career resurgences for BCraw, Belt, Buster, and Longo, and a rejuvenated nucleus of veteran leaders to build a team around.

Ron put it crudely in the comments: "making Lemonade out of Lemons." I have to counter that notion just a bit: there are no "lemons" in a Gabe Kapler organization! The baseball world may look at the Giants lineup of no-names and think the team was scraped together by dumpster-diving and somehow these marginal players were transformed by SF secret sauce into winners. It's a nice narrative, but it's bullshit. Kap respects professional baseball players. He knows they are talented and ambitious. He sees what they CAN do and not what they CAN'T do. Very few players reach the heights of someone like Mookie Betts or Max Scherzer. The vast majority of players will never be superstars. MOST ballplayers are more like Darin Ruf and Jose Alvarez! What the Giants do is recognize what contributions their players CAN make and so they maximize their chances to make those contributions. Moreover, they provide the coaching and instructional support to help players work on the things they need to work on.

Giants players noted all season long Kap's willingness to listen. Kap, in turn, noted again and again how unselfish the players were in accepting whatever role the team needed from them. I think the skipper gets a lot of credit for creating that culture. One thing that stood out for me: if a reliever blew up in a crucial spot in a game Kap would put him back out there in a key spot in the next game. It was a message that said "we trust you and we have your back." It seems like really simple schoolyard stuff but it makes a huge deal in a teaching environment. The clubhouse was as much a classroom as the playing field.

Have you ever seen a manager pinch-hit for a guy that was 2-for-2 with a homer? Or sit a guy with the game-winning homer the previous night? It happened all season long! And the hitters never bitched or whined. They knew the system was working for them individually and for the team as a whole. The 2021 Giants had few regulars. They platooned like they invented platooning. They looked like a hockey team some nights the way they ran through the line changes. That's not supposed to work. You're supposed to plug in your All-Stars every day in the same spots on the field and in the lineup and go with that all season long. This Giants team didn't do that. They used all forty men on their 40-man roster. It was a team in the true sense of the word.

I find all this modern stuff really interesting. I've really enjoyed the emergence of analytics, for example. I feel like all that stuff just enriches and enlarges my appreciation of the game. And now Kapler comes along and says things like "trust the process." Imagine a manager saying that back in the day. They would have thought he was a fruit loop who belonged at Esalen instead of MLB! Kap comes up with stuff that sounds like it emerged from a Bayesian workflow seminar instead of a coaches meeting.

In the end, the Giants won 109 games.

--M.C.

The 2021 Giants, part 1

The Giants won 109 games but their season is over. Taking a look at the three World Series championship teams of the last decade only amplifies this accomplishment. The 2010 team won 103 (92+11) games, the 2012 team won 105 (94+11) games and the 2014 team won 100 (88+1+11) games.

This Giants team had the poor luck to face a superb playoff opponent. The Dodgers are the defending champions and were nearly a consensus pick to repeat. And seeing how well they shut down the Giants I think they are clearly the best of the four remaining contenders. Losing to a good team is easier to deal with. It was a coin-flip kind of series--the winning run came in the final inning of the last game.

What's my takeaway for 2021? This was a fun team. A really fun team. And an interesting team! The most interesting team I've ever followed. There was no electrifying celebrity like Timmy or lightning-rod personality like MadBum. Despite having a face-of-baseball player like Buster Posey this team did not attract much media attention. But there was nothing boring about this club. Every single game was an adventure.

I've noted throughout this season the team's remarkable consistency. They played good baseball all season long. They played their best baseball in the second half and in the final month. I've never followed a team that was this good from week-to-week and month-to-month.

There's lots more to say, naturally. Part 2 will be about Gabe Kapler.

--M.C.

Game 167

LA 2  SF 1

The Giants and Dodgers played 24 games this season. The Giants won 12, the Dodgers won 12. The only one that mattered was the last one, and the Giants fell short. The Dodgers rallied in the 9th against Camilo Doval and pushed across the go-ahead run. Late-inning LaMonte looked like--for a moment--he might hit the game-winner in the bottom half, but it wasn't to be. The Giants won 109 games but their season is over. The Dodgers advance to the LCS.

Logan Webb was brilliant again. He gave up a run in the 6th but was otherwise dominating, yielding only four hits and a walk against seven whiffs in seven frames. The Giants tied it on a booming homer by Darin Ruf off Julio Urias, but that was all the lineup could muster. Ultimately the series came down to the Giants inability to score runs. They had chances early against opener Corey Knebel and his relief man Brusdar Graterol, the two righties inserted by Dave Roberts to foil Gabe Kapler's match-up schemes, but did not convert. Urias, other than the homer, was never threatened, and he was followed by Blake Treinen, Kenley Jansen, and Max Scherzer. The Giants scored ten runs in the five games. It wasn't enough.

I'll have plenty to say about the 2021 season. But right now I'm too sad to go on. I'm not angry or disappointed. Just sad. Such a great season, such a crappy ending.

I'm pouring myself an extra measure of bourbon. Dwight Yoakam says "even whiskey cannot ease you're hurting me" and he's probably right. I'm about to find out.

Take care, my friends. Thanks for being on the journey with me.

--M.C.

Go Giants!!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Series showdown set

LA 7  SF 2

The Dodgers jumped on Anthony DeSclafani right away and chased him from the game. Giants relievers couldn't keep it close and didn't get much help from the lineup. It was a crappy game--let's leave it at that.

Everything gets decided on Thursday night in San Francisco. Game Five is at 6:07 Pacific. I suppose we all knew it would come to this. It's the 167th game for both clubs and the 24th match-up of the season.

Logan Webb will get the start against Julio Urias. The Giants will play much better when they are back home and it should be an incredibly exciting game. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also happy about the off-day. These contests are exhausting.

GO GIANTS!!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Giants blank Dodgers, go up 2-1

SF 1  LA 0

The Giants pulled off an epic team shutout tonight in LA and edged the Dodgers in a classic pitchers duel. Max Scherzer gave the Giants fits, whiffing ten over seven frames and yielding only three hits and one walk. His one blemish was the big hit--a massive homer in the 5th by Evan Longoria. That was Longo's tenth career post-season bomb, by the way. Alex Wood put up four zeroes and the bullpen did the rest, highlighted by an extraordinary six-out save from Camilo Doval. Dodger Stadium was swirling with wind all game long and it probably cost both teams a homer or two, and the strike zone pissed off both ballclubs, so you had to figure it was a fair contest. It was a tremendous team effort and the Giants take a one-game lead in the LDS. Special shout-out to Brandon Crawford for his continued awesome-ness, especially that grab in the 7th to deny Mookie Betts. The whole team deserves a nod for great fielding.

The Dodgers had won FIFTEEN in a row at home before this game! They have been shut out TWICE in this series by the Giants even though they were shut out only FIVE times all year!

This Giants team is showing, again and again, how tough and resilient they are. After Saturday's ugly loss they played a beautiful game and pulled off a sensational win. If they win one more game they go to the LCS!

Tomorrow night's game is listed at 6:07 Pacific. The starters have not been named but Anthony DeSclafani seems the logical choice.

GO GIANTS!!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Evened up

LA 9  SF 2

It was not a good night for the Giants. A taut 2-1 contest came apart at the seams in the 6th. The relief corps has been a huge part of the team's success this season but they got whacked around this time. Both Dominic Leone and Zack Littell got hit hard. Things went the Dodgers way early in the game and it just steamrolled after that. No sense going over the details--experiencing them once was enough.

The next game is Monday night in LA at 6:37 PT. The Giants need a big road win. They played .654 ball on the road (53-28) this year including 6-4 at Dodger Stadium so I think they will get the job done.

GO GIANTS!!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Young guys pitch, old guys hit

SF 4  LA 0

The Giants shut out the Dodgers in Game One of the LDS behind a sensational start by Logan Webb. He dominated the toughest lineup in baseball for 7-2/3 innings, whiffing ten without a walk and yielding only five hits. The Dodgers were shut out just five times in 2021. Webb got eleven ground balls, defusing LA's power, and got some help in key spots from the infield. Tommy La Stella and Brandon Crawford turned a ridiculous double play in the 4th, La Stella glove-flipping the ball to Craw who had to stutter-step to the bag before getting off the throw. It was beautiful, man. Just a great night all around for the team.

And speaking of La Stella, he walked to open the game against Walker Buehler. Despite his name, he's not known for walks. With two outs Buster Posey launched a homer to right field that bounced into the water and suddenly it felt like this would be the Giants night. Of course it was Buster who got things going! Webb took care of the rest. Both Kris Bryant and Brandon Crawford chipped in solo shots to pound home the win and the bullpen closed it out. Trevor Rogers finished the 8th and Camilo Doval had nine-pitch 9th.

Kevin Gausman gets the ball tomorrow night (6:07 PT) against Julio Urias. I hope everyone is stoked after the fabulous victory tonight! What a great start to the post-season! Let's see some more of that!

GO GIANTS!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Best in the West

NLDS Game One, Friday 6:37 PT, Oracle Park San Francisco

In a surprise move Logan Webb will get the start in the first game tomorrow night and Kevin Gausman will get the ball for Game Two (Saturday 6:07 PT). Walker Buehler is listed for LA. Webb certainly earned the honor with a terrific performance in Game 162, leading the team to the win that clinched the NL West title. The last eight titles (2013-2020) were taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The last time another team finished on top was in 2012--that San Francisco Giants team, I'm sure you remember, won the World Series that season.

Speaking of the World Series, the Dodgers are the defending MLB champions. The Giants, however, topped their 106-56 record with a franchise-best 107-55 mark and thus beat the champs by one game. The Dodgers won their 107th game last night, holding off the Cardinals in the Wild Card match and advancing to the League Division Series.

The Giants (.660) and the Dodgers (.654) are the two best teams in baseball. Only the defending AL champs and current AL East winners Tampa Bay Rays (100-62, .617) are in the same ballpark. The two West Coast teams are good on both sides of the ball. LA scored the fifth-most runs (830) and SF the sixth-most (804). LA's pitchers allowed the fewest runs (561) and SF's the second-fewest (594). The Giants hit 241 homers, the Dodgers 237. FanGraphs rates the Giants hitters at 30 WAR (third-best) and the Dodgers at 29.5 (fifth-best), and rates SF pitching 21.9 WAR (fifth-best) and LA 26.9 (second-best).

The Giants went 54-27 at home and 53-28 on the road. The Dodgers were 58-23 at home and 48-33 on the road. The teams played 19 games, the Giants taking ten. SF scored 78 runs in those games and LA scored 80. Talk about close!

The Dodgers come in as favorites. I've seen an open -136 money line (bet $136 to win $100) with the Giants at +116 (bet $100 to win $116). The Dodgers are obviously a very popular team and they've been almost every pundit's pre-season pick to repeat as champs. No one picked the Giants and yet they exceeded every projection by two dozen or more wins, so maybe it's time for people take some notice!

It should be an epic battle. The Giants get the home-field edge and maybe that will be enough to push them over the top. Cancel all your other plans and enjoy the games.

GO GIANTS!!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

 

p.s. here's the roster:

 

Webb leads Giants to West title

SF 11  SD 4

The San Francisco Giants won their 107th game in this magnificent, improbable season and seized the Western Division title from their long-time rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. I had a feeling that the Dodgers would "win out" and that the Giants would have to take care of business on their own. They did, in epic fashion, winning eight of their final nine games to clinch it.

After today The Big Book of Giants Lore will have a new entry under Webb, Logan. It will say "Game 162, October 3rd, 2021." It was an outstanding performance by the 24-year old. He not only dominated the Padres for seven innings, he led the offense with two hits, two RBI, and three runs scored. He got it going in the 2nd inning and led the way from then on. I thought all along the veterans would have to step up today, and they did, but it was the youngster who provided the inspiration. What a performance! Another thing I kept expecting was a big homer, and I was sure we'd get one from a veteran hitter. But it turned out that the pitcher carried the Big Stick and got that cathartic blast. What a finish to the season!

The Giants were great in April (16-10), May (18-10), June (16-9), July (15-10), August (19-9), September (21-6), and, as it turned out the most important month of all, in October (2-1). The Giants go 13-5 in their final 18 games, the 9th-inning of the season. If you've forgotten how awesome this team has been here's a reminder:

1st inning: 11-7

2nd inning: 11-7

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning:  12-6

6th inning: 10-8

7th inning: 14-4

8th inning: 12-6

and they finish 13-5 for a final 107-55 (.660), the greatest season in Giants history.

I want to send a 'thank you' to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are the defending champions and they played magnificently, especially down the stretch, and finished with 106 wins, tied for the most in their long history. They inspired the Giants to new heights.

This 2021 Giants team is the most interesting team I have ever followed. This division championship is the most satisfying ever. The Dodgers have had a stranglehold on the West for much too long--the last time another team won was in 2012 (the Giants, of course)! Taking the title and forcing the Dodgers to play a Wild Card game is the best outcome possible.

This has been a terrible summer what with drought conditions, wildfires, and extreme heat, but the Giants have pulled off a miracle, and it is a wonderful, beautiful thing. I hope you are enjoying the moment!!

The next Giants game will be Friday, October 8th. They will play either the St. Louis Cardinals or the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-game series, hosting the first two at Oracle Park.

The best thing we fans can do is savor this remarkable and memorable season. I can't think of a Giants club that so embodied the notion of "team" than this group. EVERY SINGLE PLAYER MATTERED!!

Congratulations to the 2021 San Francisco Giants, champions of the NL West.

--M.C.

Streak snapped at seven

SD 3  SF 2 (10)

The Giants could not extend the streak to eight and lost in extras to a scrappy Padres team. San Diego hit in the clutch and pitched superbly, coming from behind in the late innings and beating the Giants bullpen. Joe Musgrove and five relievers limited the home team to five hits. Kevin Gausman was great (7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K) but the lineup could not give him the run support for a win.

The magic number is one. Game 162 is tomorrow at 12:05 PT--Logan Webb gets the start.

GO GIANTS!!

WIN THE WEST!!

 --M.C.

One Step Closer

SF 3  SD 0

The Giants throw another shutout--their 18th--and beat the Padres to reduce their magic number to one. That's seven wins in a row. One more and they are NL West champs. Anthony DeSclafani strung together five zeros and they rewarded him with a quick hook (71 pitches). But that's OK, the bullpen got it done. The 'pen racked up more IP in September than the starters and the Giants went 21-6! Jose Alvarez, Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval finished it. Doval got another critical save and seems immune to the pennant-chase pressure. Rogers pitched two innings yesterday and still another scoreless inning today. That was his 80th appearance.

Darin Ruf hit a homer in the 1st, and Mike Yastrzemski got an excuse-me RBI single to make it 2-0. LaMonte Wade (who else?) hit a sac fly in the 6th to drive in Donovan Solano (he led off with a double) and that was the third run.

The Giants need one more win. Kevin Gausman gets the start tomorrow afternoon, 1:05 Pacific.

GO GIANTS!!

WIN THE WEST!!

--M.C.

p.s. Wade was also presented with the Willie Mac Award. He certainly deserves it. What a season he's had!

Walk-off Wade

SF 5  AZ 4

Late Inning LaMonte struck again, driving in the winner in the 9th to finish off the pesky Diamondbacks. Giants sweep the series and notch their sixth straight win. The magic number to take the West title is now down to two. Madison Bumgarner got to bat in the 1st--it was an ugly outing for Scott Kazmir--and of course was treated to a huge ovation. He struck out. The Giants eventually tagged him for four runs in his five frames, three of them the work of Austin Slater, Darin Ruf, and Buster Posey. Brandon Crawford, the only lefty in the lineup, hit a solo shot in the 4th. Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th to notch the win. Zack Littell struck out four in 1-2/3, and Johnny Cueto chipped in 2-1/3 to help out. Both Ruf and Cueto were just off the IL.

Kazmir walked two and gave up three hits and got only one out. He twisted his ankle on a play at first base and had to leave the game. Kervin Castro came in and the Giants wriggled out of the mess only three runs behind. It could have been a disaster but they hung on and hung around and finally got a chance to win. Wilmer Flores doubled with one out in the 9th and they walked Donovan Solano intentionally. Pinch-hitter Curt Casali then worked a walk to load the bases for Wade. It was the Giants fifth walk-off win.

It all comes down to the final weekend. We knew it would. The Giants have three games to play with the Padres and two wins will get things done. Anthony DeSclafani gets the ball tonight at 6:45 PT.

GO GIANTS!!

WIN THE WEST!!

--M.C.

104

SF 1  AZ 0

The 2021 San Francisco Giants won their 104th game and that's the most ever by a San Francisco Giants team. It was also the team's 17th shutout and their 20th win in the month of September. Alex Wood got the start and he dominated for six frames, allowing only three hits with six strikeouts and no walks. Superb relief from Dominic Leone and Jarlin Garcia in the 7th and 8th set things up for young Camilo Doval in the 9th. He answered with a ten-pitch, two-whiff save. It was an awesome team pitching performance. What's even better is that the slugging Giants created a run in the 7th with a single by a pinch-hitter (Tommy La Stella), a steal by a pinch-runner (Steven Duggar), a sacrifice bunt (LaMonte Wade, Jr.), and a sacrifice fly (Kris Bryant). Little ball! It just goes to show that a good team has a lot of arrows in the quiver. A good team can win in lots of ways.

The Giants are a good team. Their magic number is now three regardless of what happens in LA. The Padres are leading as I type this, but I'm not counting on them. The Giants understand what they have to do to win the West and I am confident they will get it done.

Scott Kazmir gets the start tomorrow night (6:45 PT). Madison Bumgarner takes the hill for Arizona. That's going to be weird!

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Four for four

SF 6  AZ 4

The Giants win their fourth straight and knock their magic number down to four. The Diamondbacks made Logan Webb work and he was lifted after five innings and 98 pitches. The Giants cracked open the tense 1-1 affair in the bottom of the 6th with four runs. It was a goofy sequence of station-to-station stuff and I kept waiting for the big blast that never came. Tony Watson gave up a homer in the 7th to make it 5-2 but the Giants were gifted a run in the bottom half to get the lead back to four. Tyler Rogers got hit hard in the 8th and gave up two to make the 9th inning more excruciating than it needed to be, but the 6-4 lead was enough. Camilo Doval gave up a one-out double but was otherwise superb and closed out the 9th for his first save and the team's 103rd victory.

The Dodgers won so the lead is still two. The Giants need four more wins to clinch the West. Alex Wood goes tomorrow night. I note that Madison Bumgarner is slated for Thursday night--the Giants have not yet listed a starter. Both games are at 6:45 Pacific.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Sweep!

SF 6  COL 2

The Giants complete the sweep against the Rockies with a dramatic win in Denver. They take the season series 15-4 with their 53rd road win. Kevin Gausman was back to form with a stirring 11-strikeout, no-walk performance. His only blemish was a C.J. Cron solo shot. Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the 7th, Jose Alvarez and Zack Littel gave up the tying run on a Coorsian sequence involving an error by Wilmer Flores and a balk, but that was all. Camilo Doval struck out the side in the 8th to set up the comeback in the 9th. Steven Duggar led off with a walk, Flores walked, and Tommy La Stella singled in the go-ahead run. Brandon Crawford came up with two outs and cleared the bases with a home run and everyone breathed easier. Kervin Castro got the last three outs. He was on deck for the 9th regardless, fortunately he had a much less stressful outing. BCraw's had a lot of big hits but that one was pretty damn big.

The Giants sweep consecutive series at Coors Field. No Giants team has ever done that. No other team this season has swept a series from the Rockies at home. The entire pitching staff was superb, allowing only one homer and a total of six runs in the three games.The bad news is that Brandon Belt was hit by a pitch on his hand and might have a thumb injury.

With the two-game lead the team's magic number is five. If the Giants go 5-1 in their final six games they'll clinch the West regardless of what the Dodgers do. The last two series (Arizona and San Diego) will be played in San Francisco.

It's an off-day tomorrow. Logan Webb starts Tuesday night (6:45 PT).

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Belt Belts Two

SF 7  COL 2

The Giants had a good night. They won in Colorado behind two homers by Brandon Belt and a superb effort by the bullpen. The Dodgers lost in Arizona and the lead in the NL West is back to two full games. Jose Alvarez, Zack Littel, Jarlin Garcia, Tyler Rogers, Tony Watson, and Dominic Leone combined for five shutout frames in relief of Anthony DeSclafani. The Giants fell behind in the 1st but three in the 5th and three more in the 8th got the job done. Belt's second homer was the big blow, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead and the Giants never looked back. Leone loaded the bases in the 9th but got the final three outs on a grounder, a whiff, and a grounder.

Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks, bless his soul, pitched a superb game to shut down the Dodgers. The Arizona lineup jumped on Clayton Kershaw and chased him in the 5th, they won by the same 7-2 margin. The Giants have a two game lead with seven games to play. I really want to see the Giants win the NL West outright. I am rooting for that. I am trying not to think about anything else. Win the West!!

Kevin Gausman starts tomorrow at 12:10 Pacific. Monday is an off-day.

GO GIANTS!!

--M.C.

100

SF 7  COL 2

The Giants win their 100th game of the season. 100! The Giants have been in San Francisco since 1958. That's 64 seasons. If you exclude shortened seasons--1981, 1994, 1995, 2020--it comes to 60. The Giants won 103 games in 1962, 103 games in 1993, and 100 games in 2003. That's four times in sixty seasons. This only happens once in fifteen years. Or, it happens once every decade or two.

What's crazy, of course, is that this historic, incredible season might not be good enough. The 100-win Giants have the just-barely-behind Dodgers nipping at their heels. Hell, it's not nipping. It's a pack of full-throated, banshee-wailing werewolves in pursuit! The NL West race will come down to the last man standing.

The Giants hit four homers tonight but my shout-out goes to 22-year old Kervin Castro who delivered two scoreless innings--the 5th and 6th--with two strikeouts in relief of Alex Wood. Check out Castro's minor league line: 58 G, 133-2/3 IP, 100 H, 52 R, 48 BB, 148 SO. This guy has only faced 548 batters before being called up! He pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2016 and 2018, then at Salem-Keizer in 2019, nothing of course in 2020, and then 44 IP at Sacramento before the promotion. Wow!

Anthony DeSclafani gets the start tomorrow, it's listed as a 5:10 (PT) start time. There are eight games left to play.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Nine

SD 7  SF 6 (10)

The Giants wasted a big chance in the top of the 10th and it burned them in the bottom half as the Padres pushed across the winner. An uncharacteristically wild Logan Webb put the team in a 4-0 1st inning hole but they battled back with homers to take a 5-4 lead in the 6th. Back-to-back homers by the Padres re-took the lead but the Giants rallied in the 7th to tie. Alas, they couldn't get it going after that and the home squad prevailed. The Dodgers rallied in Colorado and gained a game, they are one back with nine left to play.

It's off to Denver for three starting tomorrow evening at 5:10 Pacific. Alex Wood gets the start.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Ten

SF 8  SD 6

The Giants hang on to win and get a big lift with the Dodgers losing in Denver. They lead the NL West by two games with ten left to play. Scott Kazmir gave the Giants four scoreless frames to open things but ran into trouble in the 5th. No problem: enter Camilo Doval. With a run in (on a Buster Posey catcher's interference!) and the bases loaded he whiffed Manny Machado on three vicious sliders. The Padres slugger looked helpless against the rookie. Doval then got a routine double play grounder from Tommy Pham to end the threat. He's looking better with every outing. Speaking of Buster, he had a four-hit night and nearly got a fifth. The Giants watched their big 8-1 lead get threatened in the 7th and Kap even went to Dominic Leone to cool things off, and Tyler Rogers gave up two in the 9th, but they prevailed.

The Giants reach 99 wins and their magic number to clinch the division drops to nine. Logan Webb starts this afternoon at 1:10 Pacific.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Eleven

SF 6  SD 5

The Giants prevailed in a see-saw battle and held on to their one-game advantage in the West. The Dodgers won in extras in Colorado. The Padres inch closer to elimination as they are now five back of the surging Cardinals. The NL's early-season darlings are in a desperate fight for the final post-season spot and we all know that cornered critters are the most dangerous. Manny Machado smacked two homers and almost had a third as the linuep battered Kevin Gausman with nine hits and four runs in four frames. The Giants kept their cool despite down 4-1 and with two in the 5th and two more in the 6th looked poised for a comeback win. A homer by Austin Nola (Padres hit four, Tommy Pham also dinged Gausman) tied the game but a 9th-inning rally off Mark Melancon turned the tide. Tyler Rogers struck out Fernando Tatis, Jr. and induced a double play grounder from Machado to save it.

"Late Night" LaMonte once again delivered the big hit. Singles by Brandon Belt and Buster Posey set it up and Wade, Jr. smoked a liner on a 2-2 count to drive in the go-ahead run. He really has a knack for big moments! Padres ace Joe Musgrove went 5-2/3 and allowed eight hits and five runs including a leadoff homer from Tommy La Stella. Every starting player in the Giants lineup had a hit and Wilmer Flores had a huge pinch-hit (for Gausman) in the 5th.

Scott Kazmir will get the start tonight at 7:10 PT. Eleven games left.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

One dozen

The 97-53 Giants have twelve games left to play. There are three in San Diego starting tomorrow: Tuesday and Wednesday nights (7:10 starts) and Thursday afternoon (12:45). They go to Colorado after that for three: Friday (5:30), Saturday (5:10), and Sunday (12:10). Monday the 27th is an off-day. They come home for the final six: three against the Diamondbacks (Tue-Thu) and three against the Padres (Fri-Sun). All times Pacific.

The 96-54 Dodgers are one game back. They have the same setup: six on the road, an off-day on the 27th, and six at home. They go to Colorado and Arizona and then see the Padres and the Brewers to finish it.

The NL West will get decided on the final weekend: October 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. If there is a Game 163 it will be in San Francisco on Monday, October 4th. Can you imagine if it came to that? There are not enough drugs in the world to cope with such a thing!

This incredible season is in its final go-round. This magical team has given us thrills all summer long. They are 13-5 (.722!) so far in September. Can you believe it has come down to this? Can you handle this absolutely epic pennant chase? I don't know if I can, I'm about to pass out just thinking about it!

We were fortunate on our road trip to follow the Giants closely and watch a lot of games.There were some wild games, man. It's just going to get wilder.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Clinch-fest

The Giants punch a post-season ticket with an emphatic win in their 144th game. That's the end of the 8th seasonal inning. There are a mere 18 games left. Here's how they've played so far:

1st inning: 11-7

2nd inning: 11-7

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning:  12-6

6th inning: 10-8

7th inning: 14-4

8th inning: 12-6

That's 94-50 for a .653 winning percentage, best in MLB. They are 10-2 in September and 37-18 since the Break. The numbers speak for themselves. Looking at it month-by-month they went 16-10 in April, 18-10 in May, 16-9 in June, 15-10 in July, and 19-9 in August. The 2012 World Series champions won 94 games, by the way.

This remarkable team still has a major task ahead of them--fending off the LA Dodgers and seizing the NL West crown. They'll have to keep playing great baseball, but I'm betting they will. After all they've played great baseball for 8/9 of the season!

I appreciate everyone chiming in on the comments. Keep it up! I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to post again.

GO GIANTS!!

--M.C.

Open Thread, 9/10/21

I won't be posting for several days. Obviously each game increases in importance as we follow the Giants for these final weeks of the season. I thought we could have an open comment thread following this post and people could chime in on what's happening. I'm not sure when I'll have the opportunity to do my next post but I will be following things.

The Giants play three in Chicago this weekend and then come home for four against San Diego, followed by three against Atlanta. Monday the 20th is an off-day. Today's game is at 11:20 PT.

Be sure to add your two cents!!

GO GIANTS!!

--M.C.

Four-run 9th lifts Giants

SF 7  COL 4

The Rockies had not been swept in a series at home this season and it looked like they would keep that streak intact. Anthony DeSclafani cruised through the first four but a leadoff double in the 5th started a rally. A passed ball by Curt Casali and a single by Gray opened the scoring and chased DeSclafani and brought in Jarlin Garcia. Two singles later a blown double play chance brought in another run, and a liner LaMonte Wade gloved but couldn't hold made it 3-0 Colorado. Starter Jon Gray mowed down Giants hitters until 6th when Brandon Belt and Wade singled to open the frame. A three-run homer from Brandon Crawford tied the score and chased Gray. But a homer by catcher Elias Diaz off Zack Littel in the bottom of the 6th made it 4-3 and it stayed that way until the 9th.

Buster Posey, pinch-hitting, walked to open things. A single from Thairo Estrada and an infield hit from Belt loaded the bases. A Wade single drove in two and a two-out double from Evan Longoria added two more. Jake McGee had an effortless 10-pitch save and the Giants had another huge win. This team continues to be a marvel.

The Giants are the first team to 90 wins and they are 40 games over .500, 90-50 (.643), and have only 22 games left to play. They went 10-6 during the 16-game stretch of no off-days. That stretch opened with a sweep of the Mets in New York and ended with a sweep of the Rockies in Denver. Plus it included a brutal four-game losing streak and an epic series win against the Dodgers! They've earned their day off tomorrow.

It's looking like a bullpen game to open the series Friday in Chicago against the Cubs. Kevin Gausman is scheduled for Saturday. I don't think they'll move up Logan Webb, they'll use him to open the home series against the Padres Monday night. Perhaps Jose Quintana or Scott Kazmir will get a shot in the finale on Sunday. All the games in Wrigley are at 11:20 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb and Duggar clobber Rox

SF 12  COL 3

Yesterday the Giants opened the game with back-to-back homers. Today they got back-to-back-to-back doubles from Tommy La Stella, Brandon Belt, and Buster Posey, and a single from Brandon Crawford to hand a 3-0 lead to Logan Webb. He was up to the task, throwing three scoreless before allowing a run in the 4th. He was done after two more in the 7th. Like Kevin Gausman yesterday he got 21 outs and allowed a total of three runs which is impressive at Coors Field. Like Gausman he had an RBI hit as well! The Giants are 14-1 in Webb's last 15 starts. I've said it before and I'll say it again: in a season of great things Logan Webb's emergence as a stud starter may be the best thing.

Speaking of emergence, 22-year old rookie Kervin Castro made his debut and threw two scoreless innings to finish the game. He threw 27 pitches to eight batters giving up two hits and striking out one, getting the other five outs on three grounders and two fly balls. Welcome to the big time, Kervin!

Steven Duggar was a huge contributor earlier this year and then got squeezed on a roster crunch and was sent down during a slump. He's done his duty down at AAA in Sacramento and earned a call-up. Since then he has kicked ass. Tonight he had three hits--two triples and a double--driving in three runs. Welcome back, Dugg-Man!

Anthony DeSclafani tomorrow afternoon at 12:10 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Big sticks back Gausman

SF 10  COL 5

The Colorado Rockies are 45-25 at home this season. Their 18-50 road record has them on the brink of elimination, but the fact is they have been playing well in Denver. So it's a good thing Kevin Gausman was on his game this afternoon, and it's a good thing the lineup was primed to hit. Gausman went seven and whiffed nine, giving up five hits and a walk. Two of the hits were solo shots and that bumped the score to 10-3 when he left the game. That's right, 10 runs on 15 hits--two doubles, a triple, and four homers. Thairo Estrada went all superhero-mode and jacked two of the bombs, one in the 4th and one in the 5th to chase Rockies starter Kyle Freeland. Leadoff hitter Darin Ruf opened the game with a homer and Buster Posey followed him. Ruf also had the triple and Buster one of the doubles. Mauricio Dubon joined the fun with three hits (one of the doubles), a walk, and two RBI. Steven Duggar had two hits, too. In the 4th Gausman pulled off the butcher-boy, faking a bunt and pulling the bat back for an RBI single. It was a good day for the orange-and black.

Caleb Baragar had an ugly 8th, giving up two runs. He had to be rescued by John Brebbia. Dominic Leone threw five pitches to get his three outs in the 9th.

Logan Webb goes tomorrow at 5:40 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Back on Top

SF 6  LA 4

The Giants finally solved Walker Buehler, banging out six runs off him in the first three innings, and held on to win the finale in a tense and exciting ballgame in San Francisco. The Giants went with an opener and bullpen game for the second day in a row and this time it paid off. Dominic Leone had a crucially important shutdown 1st inning and Brandon Belt smoked a homer in the bottom half to set the tone. They kept the pressure on against the normally un-hittable Dodgers ace and broke through with a huge two-run triple from just-called up Steven Duggar. The 'pen attack actually faltered in the 2nd, with lefty Jose Alvarez giving up a run on a walk and two hits, but Zack Littell got a strike out and two pop-ups to end the threat. In the 3rd Jay Jackson put two on with two out but Jose Quintana got the next six outs despite some shaky stuff and a goofy strike zone. Just-called up Camilo Doval had to rescue him in the 5th but walked in a run before getting the whiff. He took care of the 6th, Tony Watson the 7th, and Tyler Rogers the 8th. Jake McGee took a 6-2 lead to the 9th and gave up a two-run homer to Albert Pujols but got the final three outs eventually and the Giants had a massive, massive victory.

Brandon Crawford had two hits including a double, he continues to be amazing, and both Mike Yastrzemski and Curt Casali did the same. Darin Ruf had an excellent two-strike stroke for an RBI single in the 2nd after Duggar's triple, that made it 4-1, two in the next inning made it 6-1 and Buehler was done after three. They should have added on in the 6th, loading the bases with one out, but didn't. And Kris Bryant's throwing error in the 9th put a man on for Pujols, it should have been an out. McGee got a break on a called third strike to Mookie Betts, but the umpire was inconsistent all day and burned both teams. The closer gave up three runs in two appearances and yet the Giants won both games!

The Giants are 87-50. They are one game up on the 86-51 Dodgers. The Rays also have an 86-51 record, they lead the AL East by 7-1/2 over the Yankees. There are 25 games left to play. The next three are in Colorado, but three actual starting pitchers are lined up: Kevin Gausman on Monday (1:10), Logan Webb on Tuesday (5:40), and Anthony DeSclafani Wednesday (12:10, all times Pacific).

Hang on. If you think it's been a thrilling ride so far, just wait.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

All knotted up

LA 6  SF 1

The Giants fell behind right away and never got it going against Julio Urias and the result was a lopsided loss. The bullpen opener (Jay Jackson) and tail-ender (Sam Long) both got clobbered, but otherwise the rest of the relief corps pitched well. It's too bad the Giants ran out of pitching this weekend, it would have been better to have Alex Wood or Johnny Cueto (or both) available, but you play with the guys you've got. I'm not sure what the sequence will be this afternoon (game time 4:08 PT, ESPN) but they'll have to execute better right out of the gate. It's going to be tough against Walker Buehler who is right up there with Corbin Burnes as a CYA candidate. The Giants will be seeing Buehler for the fifth time this season so maybe they can find an opening. The lineup has struggled to score runs despite creating lots of chances and today they'll need to deliver some big-stick action.

The two best teams will be fighting for first place--you can't ask for more than that.

GO GIANTS!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Round One: Giants

SF 3  LA 2  (11)

I have no words for the range of emotions this game put me through. I suppose there are a few: enthusiasm, excitement, anguish, despair, torture, frustration, anticipation, euphoria, etc. I don't want to bother with a game recap. There's too much to talk about and I'm a mess. The Giants won in extras on a poor throw from Trea Turner that allowed one of the slowest men in baseball (Buster Posey) to beat out an infield hit for the game-winning RBI. The Giants had so many chances in the game to push across runs (they were 3-for-20 with RISP at one point!) and they kept failing. I suppose the Dodgers have great pitching. They do, actually. They have the best pitching staff in MLB. But somehow the Giants hung on and hung on and kept hanging on and hanging around and they finally pulled out a win.

Special shout out to Anthony DeSclafani for taming his bête noire, the LA Dodgers, and throwing an absolutely brilliant start (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 W, 5 K) when the team was desperate for some quality innings. That was an awesome performance. Jake McGee couldn't hold a 1-0 lead in the 9th, and I was fit to be tied, but the team showed their vaunted "resilience" and battled back. The Dodgers used 11 pitchers and their entire bench. The Giants did their usual crazy thing, pinch-hitting for LaMonte Wade, Jr. in the 3rd inning (the THIRD inning!!) with Austin Slater to get the righty matchup (against lefty Alex Vesia) and sure enough Slater poked a two-strike RBI single. In the olden days we would have said "Dusty's a genius" or "Bochy's a genius" with such a move but with Kapler we just shake our heads and go "hey man, if it works don't fuck with it" and move on. This is a unique and fascinating team, I hope you are appreciating this marvelous season.

Darin Ruf hit leadoff and had two hits and two walks. He has played exceptional baseball this season and I hope they keep him around next year. Brandon Crawford, ageless wonder and team MVP, had three hits including one in the 10th to tie the game and keep the flame of hope burning.

6:05 is the listed start time for tomorrow night. Strap in and hang on baby, we got all the nail-biting, head-bashing, banshee-wailing action you can handle.

GO GIANTS!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Whew!

SF 5  MIL 1

Thairo Estrada had his biggest moment as a Giants player with a huge three-run homer to cap a four-run 8th that set up this afternoon's win. Darin Ruf's clutch two-out RBI double just before had broken a tense 1-1 tie. Walks to Kris Bryant and Brandon Belt had set up the late rally. Bryant was thrown out trying to steal with a 3-1 count on Belt (I was furious!), but the call was overturned. He was clearly safe. The Giants needed some cathartic hits and both Ruf (who's been superb all season) and Estrada delivered.

Logan Webb led the way with another outstanding performance. He retired the first nine guys with ridiculous ease and allowed only four hits overall, one a two-out RBI single in the 4th. Webb had ten strikeouts and walked only one guy. In the 7th lumbering Daniel Vogelbach tried to stretch a hit to right field into a double but Austin Slater gunned him down to end the inning. Slater's leadoff homer in the 1st got the Giants on the board. Tyler Rogers was perfect in the 8th with three strikeouts, and Jake McGee finished the 9th. He gave up an apparent two-run homer to Willy Adames but upon review it was overturned. It was clearly foul. Adames then hit a hard grounder to Estrada at second base and he made a nice play to end the game.

Obviously today was a massive win. The Giants have not played well and they got smacked around by a tough, first-place team. Well, guess what? The Giants are a first-place team! They have to share it right now with that other team that's also 85-49, but those things can be taken care of this weekend. Tomorrow night's game is at 6:45 Pacific.

GO GIANTS!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Bounced

MIL 5  SF 2

The Giants lost for the fourth straight game and got bounced out of the top spot in the NL West. The four-game skid is tied for the longest of the season. They also lost four in a row right at the end of June and the beginning of July. The Giants were in first place for 100 days, from the 31st of May to the 31st of August. Speaking of August they finish the month with a 19-9 record.

They have their best shot at a win this afternoon (12:45 PT) with Logan Webb taking the hill. He's been the best pitcher on the team since his two wins against the Dodgers at the end of July. In fact, I think his emergence as a legit starter has been the best story of the year, and this has been a year for lots of good stories. Speaking of the Dodgers, they come to town this weekend, so that's a chance to bounce them out and reclaim first place.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. Speaking of 100 days, here's some Sharon Jones for your listening pleasure.

Bummed

MIL 6  SF 2

The Giants got whupped by the Brewers again and have now lost three in a row. Milwaukee has a good team. The Dodgers won and are half a game back. Brandon Belt got his 20th homer--a nice milestone for him, and in only 279 plate appearances.

Kevin Gausman tonight at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Burned

MIL 3  SF 1

Milwaukee starter Corbin Burnes shut down the Giants for six innings and his bullpen did the rest as the Brewers prevailed. Burnes also added an RBI hit. The best chance for the home squad came in the 7th when Brandon Belt doubled and scored on a single by Brandon Crawford to close the gap to 2-1. With two on and no outs they couldn't add on and pinch-hitter Darin Ruf's hard-hit liner ended the frame. It was a bullpen game and Jarlin Garcia's 3-2/3 IP with one hit, no walks, and four whiffs was the standout performance. John Brebbia, just called up, delivered a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Johnny Cueto was a late scratch but there's some hope he can be ready for tomorrow night (6:45 PT). Alex Wood tested positive for COVID and will go on the IL. Kevin Gausman and Logan Webb are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Blanked

ATL 9  SF 0

Giants get a dose of their own medicine as they get shut out in Atlanta and the Braves take the series. It was an ugly loss and there have not been many of those. In games decided by five or more runs the Giants are 26-8 this year. It's been a month since the Giants lost a series--the Pirates took two of three July 23-25. After a 6-3 trip the team comes home to face the Brewers for four games and then three with the Dodgers on the weekend.

Johnny Cueto gets the start tomorrow night at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

15th team shutout

SF 5  ATL 0

Logan Webb continued his excellent pitching with seven scoreless innings tonight in Atlanta. Whenever he got in trouble he just conjured up another ground ball and got a double play. In the 6th a Wilmer Flores throwing error botched a potential double play, but Webb got a comebacker from the next hitter and turned that into two outs and all was well. He commanded his sinker, his fastball, and his slider and kept a powerful lineup in check. Tommy La Stella gave Webb a 1-0 lead in the 1st with a homer and his sacrifice fly in the 3rd made it 2-0. It stayed that way until a Mike Yastrzemski homer in the 7th made it 3-0. The Giants weren't done: they got a two-out RBI single from Darin Ruf in the 8th and Yaz followed with an RBI double to make it 5-0. That allowed Jay Jackson to take the 9th (Tyler Rogers handled the 8th) and he struck out the side.

Webb had a three-pitch 4th inning. He hit a batter, got a DP grounder, then a fly out on consecutive pitches. The last time a Giants pitcher had a three-pitch inning was Madison Bumgarner in 2010. Webb is 7-0 with a 1.48 ERA in his last 13 starts.

The series decider starts tomorrow morning at 10:20 Pacific. They have yet to list a starter but the expectation is that Anthony DeSclafani will be available.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Streak ends at five

ATL 6  SF 5

The Giants blew a late lead and lost in Atlanta. Tony Watson gave up a run in the 7th and left two on for Zack Littell who gave up a three-run bomb. It went from 4-2 ahead to 6-4 behind in the blink of an eye. Kevin Gausman was shaky early but looked much better in the last three innings His final line (6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 W, 2 K) is encouraging. Wilmer Flores homered off Will Smith in the 9th to make it 6-5 and with two outs Tommy La Stella blasted a deep fly to right that looked like it might tie the game. But Joc Pederson made a miraculous catch to crush our hopes. It would have stayed in the park and been extra bases if Pederson had missed the catch. Buster Posey hit a two-run opposite-field homer of Max Fried in the 1st on his return to the lineup.

Logan Webb tomorrow, same start time 4:20 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Citi sweep

SF 3  NYM 2

Somehow the Giants held off the Mets for the second straight game and eked out a 3-2 win. Tonight the bullpen delivered 3-2/3 innings of high-leverage ass-kicking, highlighted by a huge bases-loaded whiff from Jose Alvarez and an eight-pitch save from Tyler Rogers. Kris Bryant gave Alex Wood a 2-0 lead in the 1st with a homer. Pete Alonso answered in the 6th with a two-run homer to tie it. The Mets got another great start, this one from Carlos Carrasco, but the Giants broke through in the 8th against reliever Seth Lugo. They should have had more--Aaron Loup cleaned up a bases-loaded no-out mess to keep it close.

The Giants travel to Atlanta and play tomorrow at 4:20 PT. Kevin Gausman gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C. 

p.s. Yesterday was Game 126 and thus the end of the 7th seasonal inning. Check this out:

1st inning: 11-7

2nd inning: 11-7

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning:  12-6

6th inning: 10-8

7th inning: 14-4

Wow. The Giants are 17-5 in August and 25-12 since the All-Star Break.

82nd win

SF 3  NYM 2

The Giants pulled off one of their more improbable victories tonight, edging the Mets in a weird and wacky contest. New York starter Tijuan Walker was overpowering, his only blemish a solo shot from Kris Bryant in the 4th, but was inexplicably pulled by manager Luis Rojas in the 7th with two on and two out. Brandon Crawford then roped an RBI double that scored both runners and gave the Giants the 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. It's not like they didn't try. Two muffed pop flies in the 9th brought Pete Alonso up with two outs and the bases loaded, but an unflappable Jake McGee got the final out.

Johnny Cueto got the start and looked like he'd get the final out of the 5th but a Bryant error extended the inning and ended his night. Tony Watson gave up a run in the 6th but otherwise the bullpen was superb, particularly Tyler Rogers in the 8th. McGee really had to dig deep after the fielding miscues and he got it done. The story in New York will be Rojas' quick hook--Walker had only thrown 74 pitches--but the story here is another great effort by the Giants. They turned five double plays! They only got four hits! BCraw's double off reliever Aaron Loup was the first extra-base hit he's allowed to a lefty hitter all season.

Alex Wood goes tomorrow at 4:10 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. That's win 82 which was my goal for this season. Good thing I like to revise and update my goals!

Giants go Long

SF 8  NYM 0

Sammy Long threw scoreless baseball for 5-1/3 innings tonight in New York City and the Giants backed him up with a barrage of homers and crushed the Mets. Jay Jackson finished the 6th, Jose Alvarez took the 7th, and Tyler Chatwood threw the final two frames for the team's 14th shutout. That's tied for second-best in MLB with the Braves, one behind the Brewers. Brandon Belt got it started with a solo shot in the 1st, Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run monster shot in the 2nd, LaMonte Wade added his own two-run homer in the 4th, and that was followed by another solo shot from Belt. Four homers in the first four innings! The Giants had 15 hits overall and limited the Mets to a mere five. Superb effort from the rookie southpaw tonight--the best outing of his big-league career so far.

That's the team's 81st win which guarantees them a .500 record for 2021. There are 37 games left to play so I expect they'll win a few more, but that's a hell of an accomplishment nonetheless. The Giants last finished above .500 in 2016.

Johnny Cueto gets the call tomorrow. Same time, 4:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

First to 80

SF 2  OAK 1

The Giants did it again! They came from behind with a late pinch-hit homer to overtake the Athletics and win the game. This time Donovan Solano was the hero and get this: he was pinch-hitting for LaMonte Wade! Only the 2021 Giants can take out a hot hitter and get a positive result. It's weird, but it works. The lineup only had four hits today as Oakland starter Frankie Montas was overpowering. Fortunately Logan Webb was up to the task and also pitched beautifully, allowing only one run in his six frames with seven whiffs. The bullpen was also epic as Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers, and Jake McGee each threw a scoreless inning to seal the deal. That's four wins in six games against the A's this year.

Apparently this weekend feat by the Giants, getting deficit-erasing pinch-hit homers in the 8th or later in consecutive games, is a record. Cool. The Giants hit six homers in the three games. The A's hit zero homers and you have to credit the pitchers for that.

The Dodgers lose and the Giants push their lead back to 2-1/2 games with their 80th win. The bad news is that Anthony DeSclafani goes to the IL and so does Evan Longoria. Sammy Long and Jay Jackson get the call. Long will probably start Tuesday in New York. It's three games against the Mets before going to Atlanta for the weekend. All three game times at Citi Field are 4:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Wade wallops winner

SF 6  OAK 5 (today)

The Giants were on the brink of losing their third straight game when LaMonte Wade, Jr., pinch-hitting in the 9th, launched a two-run homer to save the day. Jake McGee closed it and we had jubilation instead of despair. It was a massive comeback especially with the Dodgers winning nine straight and narrowing the gap in the West. Kevin Gausman had another rocky outing. He got hurt right away by poor fielding in the 1st but he wasn't sharp. I don't know what to think about Gausman, other than injury. He still has elite stuff but the command isn't there. The A's are like the Giants and know how to make a pitcher work.

Wade was pinch-hitting for Darin Ruf who had homered in the 7th and had walked twice including in front of Kris Bryant's 2nd inning homer. It's crazy to think about pinch-hitting for a guy like Ruf who had a great day at the plate and is slashing .277/.396/.559, but that's how the Giants roll. And that was Wade's first pinch-hit homer. The Giants are the best in baseball at pinch-hit homers. Speaking of homers Brandon Belt hit one in the 7th ahead of Ruf's and was walked in the 9th ahead of Ruf's spot, which featured Wade playing the hero today.

Great relief work from Jarlin Garcia in particular, plus Dominic Leone and Tyler Rogers, before McGee took the 9th. Logan Webb gets the start tomorrow afternoon (1:07 PT) for the series decider.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s.  OAK 4  SF 1 (Friday's game)

Mets prevail in extras

NYM 6  SF 2 (12)

The Giants lost a ballgame for only the fourth time in the month of August. They had not lost a game by four runs since July 28th, when they lost 8-0 to the Dodgers. Today was a bit of a train wreck with Anthony DeSclafani exiting in the 2nd due to injury. Seven pitchers later the only one left was FNG Tyler Chatwood. He not only was the sacrificial lamb on the hill he made the final out in the batter's box as the Giants ran out of players. The hitters didn't get much going and Jake McGee couldn't save a 1-0 lead in the 9th. Kevin Pillar got the big hit, a three-run homer in the 12th.

It's been an arresting stretch of baseball. The Giants have played really well. They have a day off tomorrow, thank goodness. I know I could use a day off. This pennant race is exhausting!

The weekend features a three-game set in Oakland. The A's are really good and are battling for an AL West title. There are 41 games left to play and all of them are going to be tough. Friday night's game is at 6:40 and Alex Wood gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb keeps it going

SF 3  NYM 2

Logan Webb put up seven zeros and entered the 8th having thrown only 78 pitches and leading 3-0. Alas, he gave up a two-run homer to Pete Alonso to end his night, but it was another impressive start. He struck out eight in his 7-1/3 and got twelve ground ball outs. Tony Watson finished the frame. Jarlin Garcia got the call in the 9th and he put a runner on but got two outs. Dominic Leone whiffed Kevin Pillar to end it. Tommy La Stella put the Giants on the board in the 1st with a two-run homer and Evan Longoria added a solo shot in the 7th. Longo's blow came off starter Marcus Stroman who pitched really well but perhaps was left in a bit too long. He finished with 114 pitches. The Giants keep grinding out wins!

Anthony DeSclafani gets the ball tomorrow afternoon at 12:45 PT

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Roll on, you Giants!

SF 7  NYM 5

The Giants blasted past the Mets and held on against a late surge to win their 77th game. Kevin Gausman worked hard to get through four scoreless and then had a lightning-quick meltdown in the 5th to turn a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 deficit. Kris Bryant homered in the 5th and again in the 7th and the Giants handed a 7-3 lead to Tyler Rogers. He gave up a quick two-run homer but got through the 8th and Jake McGee had a routine 9th to finish it off. That's only the second homer Rogers has yielded to a lefty in his career. Brandon Crawford was 4-for-4 and is now hitting .306!

Logan Webb tomorrow night at 6:45 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

That's the spirit

SF 5  COL 2

The Giants beat the Rockies this afternoon in San Francisco for their 76th win. Alex Wood pitched well, throwing six scoreless, but ran into trouble in the 7th. With two out, two on, two in, and a one-run lead reliever Dominic Leone gave up a hit but LaMonte Wade threw out catcher Elias Diaz trying to score. A two-run rally in the bottom half gave Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee sufficient cushion and they got the final six outs unscathed. Tommy La Stella had three hits--his two-run double in the 5th was the big blow. The Giants take three of four from Colorado and improve their home record to 40-18. They are 11-3 in August and 19-10 since the Break.

Kevin Gausman goes tomorrow night against the Mets, 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Streak snapped

COL 4  SF 1

Kyle Freeland pitched six strong innings and two relievers (Jhoulys Chacin and Daniel Bard) shut the Giants down the rest of the way. The Rockies won just their 14th road game against 44 losses. It was a bullpen game for the home squad, the highlight was Zack Littell's three no-hit frames with four strikeouts. Evan Longoria had a hit and scored the only run on his return to action.

Alex Wood this afternoon at 1:05 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants hang on

SF 5  COL 4

The Giants jumped on the Rockies straight away, something they like to do, and held on for a win. Wilmer Flores hit the big blow, a three-run homer with two outs in the 1st. With a 5-2 lead in the 9th Kap called on Jake McGee who struggled, giving up a two-run homer to Connor Joe and putting the go-ahead run on base. Zack Littell was summoned to clean up the mess and he struck out hot-hitting C.J. Cron with high heat to end it. It was a more dramatic ending than necessary but that's the way it's going to be from here on out. The Dodgers won to keep the deficit at five games. Anthony DeSclafani started and went five and threw 82 pitches to 22 batters. Let's hope he is fit and ready for the stretch run.

The Giants are listing TBD as the starter tomorrow. And I hope all of you saw the story about Brandon Crawford getting a two-year extension. The game is at an odd time tomorrow, 6:05 p.m.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Six sinks Snakes (oops, Rox)

SF 7  AZ COL 0

The Giants threw their 13th shutout tonight. Logan Webb was a little shaky early on but the Giants turned three double plays in the first four innings to snuff out any rallies. Webb finished with eight strikeouts and only three hits and two walks in his six innings. He's the ace of the staff since the Break. The Giants broke the game open with a six-run outburst against German Marquez in the 4th inning. LaMonte Wade had a three-run homer to cap the scoring. Jay Jackson worked the 7th and struck out two, but the big news is Camilo Doval pitched the 8th and the 9th and struck out four, yielding one hit. He threw 23 pitches to seven batters, getting eight swinging strikes of his 18 strikes total. Doval could be a real "shot in the arm" for this team in the stretch run.

The Dodgers lost so the lead is now five games. Anthony DeSclafani returns from the IL to start tomorrow night at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Four homers make it four in a row

SF 7  AZ 2

The Giants bashed their way past the Diamondbacks for their 73rd win. They now have the same win percentage post-ASB (16-9, .640) as they did pre-ASB (57-32, .640). I only mention that because they may have to keep playing .640 to hold off the Dodgers who also won their fourth straight!

Kevin Gausman made it through five but he was shaky, walking four and struggling with command. The Giants booted a couple of balls in the 4th to contribute to one of the runs Gausman allowed but the offense picked up the slack and the bullpen (Alvarez-Leone-Watson-Garcia) took care of the rest. Gausman did chip in two hits himself, scoring a run and driving in a run, so there's that.

Buster had two hits (one a homer), BCraw had three hits (one a homer), LaMonte Wade had two hits (one a homer), and Alex Dickerson had a pinch-hit homer. The team had 14 hits overall. Johnny Cueto goes on the IL with a flexor strain. John Brebbia was sent back down and Camilo Doval called up. Thairo Estrada was re-called as well.

Logan Webb tonight at 6:45 PT against the Rockies, opening a four-game series.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants get it done

SF 8  AZ 7

I'm not sure what really happened tonight but the Giants managed to win against a determined Diamondbacks squad. They jumped to a 5-0 lead but squandered it, then went up 7-5 and squandered it, and finally got a run in the bottom of the 9th to end it. Buster Posey had two hits (one a homer) and three walks and three runs scored in five trips to the plate. Mike Yastrzemski may have saved the game in the 8th when he threw out Nick Ahmed at third base to put the brakes on a burgeoning Arizona rally. Zack Littell bailed out Jake McGee in the 9th to set up the winning chance in the bottom half. Kris Bryant's run-scoring winner was ruled an error on first baseman Christian Walker. (It should have been a hit.) The winning run was LaMonte Wade who'd led off and reached first on an error by Walker!

Kevin Gausman gets the start tomorrow at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

71st win

SF 5  MIL 4

The Giants delivered a stirring come-from-behind victory in Milwaukee today, taking two of three from the NL Central-leading Brewers. Brandon Belt hit another homer, this one a game-tying two-run blast in the 7th, and Tommy La Stella got another big hit, this one the game-winner in the 8th. Zack Littell starred out of the 'pen, getting the final six outs, with some help from a baserunning mistake. The Giants turned two when Eduardo Escobar failed to re-touch second base on a long fly out!

Johnny Cueto managed 5-1/3 and was charged with all four runs--one of them scored on a wild pitch by Jose Alvarez who finished the frame. Tony Watson worked the 7th, striking out two, before Littell's first-ever MLB save. Darin Ruf hit a homer in the 1st and also walked twice, Brandon Crawford had two hits and a run scored, and LaMonte Wade, Jr. had a hit, a walk, and a run scored.

Today was another huge win. The Giants continue to play great baseball, even on the road. The Brewers are a tough opponent and the games were tightly-contested. This team continues to feature its depth and show its tenacity. They are 30 games over .500 (71-41) and there are 50 games left in the season.

Off-day tomorrow and then a nine-game homestand starting Tuesday night at 6:45 against the Diamondbacks. Looks like it will be Alex Wood with Kevin Gausman getting an extra day.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Belt Bops Brewers

SF 9  MIL 6 (11)

Brandon Belt blasted two home runs, a solo shot in the 4th to tie the game, and a two-run bomb in the 11th that turned out to be the game-winner. The Giants struggled to score against Brandon Woodruff but a miracle triple from Tommy La Stella in the 9th tied it up and they forced it to extras. A big rally in the top of the 10th made it 5-2 Giants, but Jarlin Garcia gave up two homers in the bottom half and the Brewers tied it. Belt's homer and a two-out double by Kris Bryant made it 9-5 in the 11th so Jake McGee's run didn't matter. It's a huge win on the road against a very tough opponent. The Giants used their entire bullpen tonight.

Johnny Cueto tomorrow morning at 11:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Brewers edge Giants

MIL 2  SF 1 (10)

The Giants got a superb start from Logan Webb but couldn't get anything going against Brewers starter Corbin Burnes. Solo shots--one by Avisail Garcia in the 2nd and one by Brandon Belt in the 6th--were all the scoring in regulation. The Big Three of Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers, and Jake McGee took care of the 7th, 8th, and 9th but Jarlin Garcia gave up a hit to the first batter in the 10th and the automatic runner scored the winner. If you like low-scoring pitchers' duels this one was for you as the teams managed only five hits apiece, combined for 21 strikeouts against only three walks, and were 1-for-11 with RISP leaving 12 men on base. The Brewers (66-44) are a good team and lead the NL Central by seven games. The Giants (69-41) stayed four ahead of LA who lost to the Angels. The Giants have nine walk-off losses this year.

Aaron Sanchez gets the start this afternoon at 4:10 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.