The Giants prevailed 3-1 (in seven innings) over the Chicago White Sox in Scottsdale to notch their first win of the Cactus League. They have a loss and two ties as well. The highlights included scoreless innings from Alex Wood and Jake McGee, two lefty free agents who will likely be key pieces of the pitching staff. NRI Yunior Marte impressed with a scoreless frame against the heart of the ChiSox order. Giants pitchers allowed five hits and three walks. On the hitting side homers by Joe McCarthy and Darin Ruf took care of the scoring. Heliot Ramos had two hits and Marco Luciano reached base on a walk. Luis Basabe got a hit and scored a run and made a good catch in the outfield. Steven Duggar made a nice grab, too. Brandon Crawford made his spring debut and got a hit. Shun Yamaguchi was credited with the win, he pitched a scoreless top of the 5th and the Giants got their runs in the bottom half.
They face the Padres tomorrow in Peoria at 5:40 Pacific.
--M.C.
8 comments:
Andrew Baggarly has a lengthy interview with Greg Johnson on The Athletic (paywall). Good stuff!
The main takeaway for me is that Johnson seems committed to his people. He's on the business side and will run that, FZ and Co. are the baseball side and they will run that. He talked a lot about getting the right people in the right places and trusting them to do what they do. He wants to be involved but doesn't want to meddle.
He's also a passionate fan and very competitive (as you'd expect from a CEO) and wants to be part of building a consistent winner.
He pushed all the right buttons for me.
Oh, and he's in favor of a universal DH and expanded playoffs. So, traditionalists might not be happy about that. It seems there won't be any movement on those issues for 2021, however.
And he's also in favor of names on the backs of the home jerseys, too. That was Magowan's thing, that home jerseys should only have numbers. The Yankees do that. I liked it that way, too, but things have changed. There is a lot more turnover on the roster, for example, and it's nice to know who the hell is warming up in the bullpen! In the end it is just cosmetic, so it isn't worth getting emotional about. Numbers don't have the same resonance they did "back in the day" when players didn't move around so much. Also, I remember always having a program when I was a kid, but who does that today? I'd rather have a name on the jersey than having to use my phone to look the guy up!
This current Giants team could really benefit from a DH.
Brandon Belt may not be ready to start the season and the Giants have signed a soon-to-be 33-year old veteran first baseman to a minor-league deal. Justin Bour has a .794 OPS in 1950 PA with 3 ML teams from 2014-2019. He was in Japan last season.
I thought they'd just cover Belt's spot with Flores, Posey, Ruf, Slater, etc. until he was ready. Maybe they will do that and Bour is just insurance. It's hard to see a path for a first baseman to get playing time with this lineup.
Sam Dyson suspended by MLB for violating the domestic violence policy. The story broke last fall with allegations by a former partner. The suspension is for all of 2021.
I gave the story only a cursory look when it came out but it seemed all-too-credible and I wondered if anything would come of it. Looks like MLB investigated like they are supposed to do and the facts apparently warranted action.
Bad behavior should get you in trouble. It should have negative consequences.
Giants sign lefty reliever Jose Alvarez for $1M and that probably bumps Conner Menez to the minors to start the season. Jordan Humphreys was released to make a spot on the 40-man.
Jake McGee, Jarlin Garcia, Sam Selman, and now Alvarez will likely be the southpaws in the bullpen.
Humphreys it seems was picked up by the Padres.
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