Different night, same story

LA 3  SF 1

The Giants could not solve Walker Buehler and fell to the Dodgers for the second night in a row. That's three straight losses to end the month of June. Their 16-9 record for the month is just a tick (.640) below their 18-10 May (.643). Kevin Gausman could not command his splitter and got himself in trouble with five walks in five innings. Giants were 0-for-6 with RISP--Steven Duggar's RBI double in the 7th came with Wilmer Flores on first base.

Mauricio Dubon was sent down and Thairo Estrada was called up. Giants are off today and open a four-game set in Arizona on Thursday at 6:40 PT. Johnny Cueto gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Dodgers edge Giants

LA 3  SF 2

The Giants lost last night and on Sunday as well and that's the first time they've lost two in a row in the month of June. They are 16-8 with with one more game to play, that's tonight in Los Angeles. Giants pitchers only gave up five hits to the Dodgers but three of them were homers and that was just enough. The Giants hit two homers off Trevor Bauer and had lots of other scoring opportunities but could not get the big hit. They were 0-for-13 with RISP! Anthony DeSclafani started and went five, giving up two homers to the first two batters and another in the 4th. The bullpen followed with three hitless frames to give the team a shot at a comeback but they fell short. Wilmer Flores had four hits including a double that missed being the game-tying homer by a few feet. LaMonte Wade, Jr. continues to rake and Brandon Crawdford launched a 444-footer, his longest homer since the Statcast era (2016).

Kevin Gausman gets the chance to even the series at 7:10 Pacific. He'll face Walker Buehler.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

FIFTY

SF 6  OAK 5 (10)

I got home in time for the last two innings. The Giants had the winning run thrown out at the plate in the 9th but had a two-run rally in the 10th to win their 50th game. Steven Duggar scored from first base on a double by Curt Casali to end it. The two teams combined for 374 pitches thrown! That's two straight from the Athletics, five in a row, and ten wins in their last eleven games.

Sammy Long today at 1:05 Pacific. Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. No fifty-one today. A's jump on Sammy Long and hold on for a 6-2 win. Lefty Cole Irvin dominated, throwing eight scoreless innings. Giants go to Los Angeles for a two-game set. Tomorrow night at 7:10 it's Trevor Bauer and Anthony DeSclafani.

Up to eleven!

SF 2  OAK 0

Johnny Cueto tossed seven superb shutout innings in front of a near-capacity crowd in San Francisco. A showman likes an audience and the flamboyant Giants hurler gave the home fans plenty to cheer about. Wilmer Flores doubled in the 4th and came in on a single by Brandon Crawford to make it 1-0. A solo shot from Curt Casali in the 7th made it 2-0 and Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee made it stand up for the team's eleventh shutout and 49th win.

Brandon Belt went to the IL as expected and LaMonte Wade, Jr. was recalled. Darin Ruf started and played first base, Wade pinch-hit for him in the 8th.

Alex Wood gets the start tomorrow night at 7:05 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Crazy!

SF 9  LAA 3 (13)

The Giants outlasted a short-handed Angels squad in an excruciating marathon this afternoon in Anaheim, notching their MLB-best 48th win. It was advertised as a pitching duel, Shohei Ohtani and Kevin Gausman, and both delivered superb outings. The Giants picked up six hits off Ohtani, including a solo shot by Mike Yastrzemski, but he struck out nine in his six innings to keep them from adding on. Gausman was tagged for a solo shot by LF Luis Rengifo, but also stymied the Angels with nine strikeouts in his seven innings. More good pitching followed as both bullpens kept the lid on things until the 12th, when both teams scored, then the Giants broke it open in the 13th.

It was a crazy game, over five hours long, and the Angels actually ran out of players. They had to use an outfielder to catch, and a pitcher to play outfield. Their penultimate reliever walked three of the four guys he faced and their last man walked another and gave up two hits. The Giants waited just long enough, it seems, to get a mis-match! Steven Duggar provided the extra-inning heroics, driving in a run in the 12th on a double and two in the 13th on--get this--an infield hit! Mauricio Dubon and Mike Tauchman, the eight and ninth hitters, were 0-for-10 with nine strikeouts until the 13th, when Dubon walked and Tauchman homered.

Darin Ruf made a great play in the 12th to throw out the almost-winning run, it took a review to make it happen. He was in because Brandon Belt hurt himself running the bases in the 8th--Belt reached base on a bunt single and was later thrown out at home on a bad-luck carom. Ohtani batted second and was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Gausman. Since he was hitting that meant the Angels had no DH. The Giants became the only NL team in history to use a DH against an AL team that did not use the DH! Giants DH Alex Dickerson had three hits off Ohtani, he's the first guy to get three hits off him in MLB.

Like I said it was a crazy game. My recap does not do it justice. The Giants showed remarkable resilience once again and continue to play winning baseball. This team deserves a day off, and they'll get one tomorrow. They open a three-game series at home against Oakland on Friday at 6:45 PDT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Tenth Team Shutout

SF 5  LAA 0

The Giants attacked early and put up a four-spot in the 1st against Andrew Heaney and added another in the 2nd. That was all the scoring. Anthony DeScalfani allowed only three hits and two walks in seven frames while striking out nine. Dominic Leone and Jimmie Sherfy finished up. The top of the 1st featured an RBI bunt single from Brandon Belt followed by a homer from Wilmer Flores! DH Darin Ruf had two hits on his return from the IL--he scored on Belt's bunt.

Angels DH Shohei Ohtani walked and whiffed twice against Disco, and whiffed for the third time against Leone. He starts tomorrow afternoon against Kevin Gausman. Game time 1:07 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

4th inning: 12-6

1st inning: 11-7

2nd inning: 11-7

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

46-26 (.639), best record in MLB

The Giants got stomped 13-6 on Saturday, the bullpen yielding seven runs after it was tied 6-6 in the 3rd inning. The boys bounced back and gave the Phillies a Father's Day pasting 11-2, blasting four homers (two by Wilmer Flores) and getting strong pitching across the board. Sammy Long started and went six, yielding two runs with seven whiffs. Zack Littell got three outs in the 7th on eight pitches and Jimmie Sherfy did the same in the 8th on only six pitches. John Brebbia, a year out from TJS and just promoted back to the bigs, handled the 9th on ten pitches.

The Giants take two of the three games from Philadelphia and hang on to first place in the NL West, 1-1/2 games ahead of the surging Dodgers. They have an off-day tomorrow and then two in Anaheim, Tuesday at 6:38 and Wednesday at 1:07 (Pacific), then another off-day Thursday. Anthony DeSclafani and Kevin Gausman are scheduled.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants grab game one

SF 5  PHI 3

Tonight's Giants game was broadcast via Peacock, NBC's streaming service. There was lots of lousy camera work and a surprisingly amateurish presentation overall. The worst thing, though, were those hideous in-game dugout interviews. That's some godawful television, I have to say, I really don't understand the appeal of all that talking while the game is going on. (I used the mute button.) But that didn't spoil my party as the Giants won their fifth straight with a tenacious approach and some help from the Phillies. Johnny Cueto had trouble throwing strikes with anything except his high fastball, but he still managed to go six and give up a mere three runs. He also walked and scored a run! The Giants were led by LaMonte Wade, Jr. who clobbered the ball the first three times he was up, getting a double and a triple and driving in two runs (one of them Johnny). Brandon Belt added a late homer and the bullpen was stellar. Dominic Leone took the 7th, Tyler Rogers the 8th, and Jake McGee the 9th.

Tomorrow's game is also streaming on Peacock (you can sign up for free) and will be at 1:05 Pacific. Alex Wood gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants stomp 'em

SF 10  AZ 3

The woeful Diamondbacks succumbed again to another Giants onslaught. Man, it must be hard to root for that team! But that's not my problem, man. I'm pretty stoked about the Giants powering their way to another win, their MLB-best 44th. The bottom of the lineup did some work today: Curt Casali, Steven Duggar, and Mauricio Dubon were a combined 8-for-12 with four runs scored and seven RBI. Casali was a double short of a cycle! Kevin Gausman was brilliant again, allowing only one hit through the first six. He had a bit of that "third time through the order penalty" in the 7th and gave up a couple of runs, but then he nailed down a scoreless 8th on a mere seven pitches. Final line 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO.

Johnny Cueto gets the start tomorrow night (6:45 Pacific) against the Phillies.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!

SF 13  AZ 7

The Diamondbacks jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st against Anthony DeSclafani. That was the highlight of the night for them as they just as quickly surrendered that lead to a Buster Posey three-run homer and ultimately lost their 13th straight game. It was their 22nd consecutive road loss which ties an ML record. The Giants hit FIVE home runs and were up 13-2 after five frames. Arizona put a hurt on Conner Menez in the 6th, scoring five runs to make it a more respectable 13-7, but it's hard to get excited about losing by six instead of losing by eleven. I feel for the fans of that ballclub, I know what it's like to root for a crappy team.

All three of the division leaders in the American League (A's, White Sox, Rays) have 43 wins. The NL has one team with 43 wins: the San Francisco Giants!

It's an early game tomorrow, 12:45 Pacific. Kevin Gausman gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Life, the Universe, and Everything

SF 9  AZ 8

It was a "bullpen game" and it didn't go quite the way they planned it but it turned out OK in the end. Mike Yastrzemski hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th to complete a remarkable comeback and give the Giants their 42nd win.

Opener Zack Littell faced six batters and didn't record an out. Sammy Long had to finish the 1st. He promptly gave up three runs in the next frame and it was suddenly 7-0 Diamondbacks. The Giants bounced back for three in the bottom of the 2nd with Steven Duggar's homer the big blow. Long persisted into the 5th yielding one more run and left with Arizona holding an 8-3 lead. Two more runs in the 6th made it 8-5 and the Giants had a pulse. A two-out walk to Curt Casali loaded the bases in the 8th and Yaz made the most of it. Brandon Belt's triple started the 6th inning rally and his double got it going in the 8th. He scored three of the Giants nine runs. Shutdown relief work from Conner Menez (6th), Jarlin Garcia (7th), Jimmie Sherfy (8th), and Tyler Rogers (9th) made it all possible.

The Giants have certainly had their share of blown leads this season, with bullpen meltdowns and opponent walk-offs aplenty. It is nice to see the baseball winds blow the opposite way for a change!

Splash hits rescued the team tonight. Let's hope Anthony DeSclafani takes charge tomorrow night (6:45 Pacific).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s the chart is from FanGraphs

BCraw leads the way

SF 5  AZ 2

The Giants got 17 hits in four games in Washington, D.C. They got 14 hits tonight in San Francisco. They missed a lot of scoring chances early on and had to grind out the win, but it still counts as #41 in the standings. Brandon Crawford hit an opposite-field two-run homer in the 5th to break a 1-1 tie, and added a sacrifice fly in the 8th to bring in the final run. Alex Wood started and went six, giving up the two Arizona runs. Dominic Leone took the 7th, Tyler Rogers the 8th, and Jake McGee the 9th. It was classic Rogers: ground ball out, line drive single, ground ball single, ground ball double play (3-6-1!), the whole thing in 7 pitches (6 strikes). The Diamondbacks have now lost 20 straight road games.

It looks like it might be a bullpen game tomorrow night (6:45 Pacific) and Sammy Long is expected to make an appearance.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bupkes

WSH 5  SF 0

The Giants were blanked by Joe Ross today, the second time they were shut out this weekend. In fact they only scored three runs in the series, so it's amazing they won two of the four games. Kyle Schwarber hit two homers off Johnny Cueto to go along with the game-winner he hit off Kevin Gausman yesterday. His second homer, a three-run shot in the 2nd inning, came on a neck-high fastball. It's hard to imagine anyone hitting a homer on a pitch like that! Giants bats have gone stone cold. Let's hope home-cooking heats them up!

Alex Wood takes the ball tomorrow night in San Francisco at 6:45 Pacific, opening a four-game set with the Diamondbacks.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants eke out a split

WSH 2  SF 0

SF 2  WSH 1 (8)  

The Giants did not score today until the very last inning, and that was an extra inning, the 8th frame in a 7-inning contest. They've had trouble scoring in D.C., plating only three runs total in the three games, but three runs was enough to take two of the games! Craziness! 

Kevin Gausman gave up two runs in the first game and that was enough for the Nationals as the Giants lineup could not get anything going. That offensive feebleness continued for seven frames in the nightcap. Fortunately the bullpen matched up and put up zeroes of their own. In the 8th, LaMonte Wade, Jr. roped a single to score the magic runner, and the Giants followed that by loading the bases with no outs. Wilmer Flores poked a single to score one run, and we all had thoughts of a big inning. Alas, the Giants hit three weak ground balls and failed to score any more runs. Caleb Baragar then gave up an RBI double to open the bottom half and followed that by hitting the next batter, Victor Robles. A deep fly to center saw the two runners tag up and try to advance. Robles, inexplicably, over-slid at second base and was tagged out. It was a weird play but good for the Giants as Baragar got the final out and the Giants got their 40th win.

You can win pretty and you can win ugly. Friday was pretty and today was ugly but they both go in the win column. Tomorrow it's Johnny Cueto (10:05 a.m. Pacific) with a chance to take the series.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

39th win is a doozy

SF 1  WSH 0 

Anthony "Disco" DeSclafani was groovin' in D.C. tonight, dominating a tough Nationals lineup for a complete game shutout, his second of the season. But believe it or not, that's not the whole story! After all, Washington's ultra-ace Max Scherzer was the starter and it figured to be a pitching duel from the get-go. Max, unfortunately, got gone after only ten pitches, tweaking something on a delivery that led to him leaving the game. If the Giants thought they'd get a break they were soon proved wrong by some inspired bullpen work from the Nats relief corps. Buster Posey broke through with a solo shot in the 4th, but that was it. The lineup mustered up a mere four hits and struck out ten times.

DeSclafani cruised into the 7th clinging to the 1-0 lead and up came super-stud Juan Soto with one out. It was the third time through the order and Soto whacked a 3-2 pitch to left-center that for all the world looked like a homer. In the way was--who else?--Mike Tauchman, who made a perfectly-timed over-the-fence leaping grab to pull the ball back and make the out. It was a sensational moment, one of those belief-defying baseball occurrences that keep us tuning in every night. Tauchman also made another superb catch on a foul pop to get the first out of the 9th. He's hitting under .200 but finding ways to help the team win.

And win they did. The Man They Call Disco said "we don't need no steenk-een bullpen" and he nailed down the outs in the 8th and 9th to complete the shutout. That's a hell of a story all by itself. But magic moments from Posey and Tauchman added to the excitement and made it an even better story. Imagine if Scherzer had pitched: the Giants would have raked him for heap o'runs, I've no doubt!

Doubleheader tomorrow, the first game is at 11:05 Pacific. Kevin Gausman gets the start, and the bullpen gets the nightcap.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Legends

SF 9  TEX 4

Mike Tauchman's biggest moment in orange-and-black, the game-saving catch in LA against the Dodgers, upstaged a Giants legend. Last night in Texas his grand slam, the second-biggest moment in his orange-and-black career, was upstaged by another Giants legend. The first time, Buster Posey's three-run homer got lost in the shuffle of a highlight-reel victory. The second time, Brandon Crawford's historic day took center stage in a blowout win.

It was 4-2 Rangers in the 8th and a frustrated Giants lineup kept missing out on their many scoring chances. Tauchman, batting ninth in an AL park, came up with the bases loaded and two outs and calmly stroked a liner into the right-field seats for a game-changing blow. It was a big hit for the team and also for the struggling lefty who has had a hard time getting results with the bat.

That's not the case with Brandon Crawford who is hitting as well as he ever has. He hit a solo homer in the 6th to give the Giants a short-lived 2-1 lead. He hit a three-run shot in the 9th to make it a laugher. That's the fifth time he's hit two homers in a game. But the real accomplishment was becoming the Giants all-time leader in games played at shortstop. His 1326th game is the most in the 138-year history of the franchise. That's one hell of an accomplishment and we got to watch all of it. In addition to the two homers he--of course--made a couple of brilliant Crawfordian plays to help shut down the Rangers.

Early game today (11:05). Zack Littell will get the opening nod with Sammy Long making his debut in long (we hope!) relief.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. Update: Giants lose getaway game 4-3 in 11 innings. Late-game relief let the team down. Tyler Rogers blew saves in back-to-back chances and Jake McGee gave up the winning run in his inning. A mostly punchless offense must shoulder some of the blame, too. Fine debut from Sammy Long, at least. They are in Washington, D.C. tomorrow, game time 4:05 Pacific.

p.p.s. Update: Thursday's game postponed. Friday will play as scheduled. Saturday is now a doubleheader. Anthony DeSclafani tomorrow against Max Scherzer. Kevin Gausman will pitch one of the DH games.

Cubs avoid sweep

CHI 4  SF 3

The Giants jumped on Kyle Hendricks for three runs in the first two frames but could not chase him from the game. He lasted into the 7th and the bullpen took over from there, denying the lineup any more scoring. Johnny Cueto was not sharp and he allowed all four runs in his 4-1/3 innings. One scored on an error, but the real damage was done by Patrick Wisdom who hit two homers. He homered yesterday off Kevin Gausman and has seven in his 13 games with the Cubs. I was greedy this morning and eager for a sweep, but I have to like them taking three of four from the NL Central leaders.

Tomorrow is a travel day. The team opens a two-game series in Texas on Tuesday at 5:05 Pacific. The Rangers are 23-38 and in last place in the AL West. Alex Wood is the scheduled starter.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Gausman gets it done

SF 4  CHI 3

A near-nightmare 9th didn't spoil the afternoon for the Giants and they chalked up their 37th win. Kevin Gausman was great again, this time striking out ten in his seven innings of two-hit work. One of the hits was a two-run homer in the 2nd, but that was the only blemish on an otherwise outstanding start. The Giants quickly recovered from the early 2-0 hole, scoring in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th to take a 4-2 lead. Alex Dickerson had an opposite-field homer to get things going, and a three-hit rally in the next inning netted two more. A Brandon Crawford double added the final run.

Jake McGee got it done quickly in the 8th and Tyler Rogers was called on for the 9th. The first batter hit a grounder to Mauricio Dubon at second base and he flubbed it. The next grounder to BCraw got an out on the lead runner but Dubon flubbed the exchange. He was in there as a defensive replacement and he looked bad on back-to-back plays! A ground ball single put two on with one out, and then another grounder between third and short resulted in a collision between Craw and Evan Longoria. A run scored. Rogers then got a huge strikeout, and finally another grounder to end it. Longo had to come out of the game and Dubon moved to third. Donovan Solano was inserted at second base and he handled the final chance.

Whew! Torture! But a win, and that's what matters. The Giants have played eleven games since being swept at home by the Dodgers and they've won nine of them. They've taken the first three from the Cubs and have a chance for a sweep behind Johnny Cueto tomorrow. Game time 1:05 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Four more homers

SF 8  CHI 5

The Giants have hit 83 home runs in their 57 games this season. That's second only to the Braves who have 85. Last night they got the big hit from Alex Dickerson, a three-run bomb in a six-run 2nd inning. Steven Duggar had a solo shot hit a two-run homer in the same frame, and LaMonte Wade, Jr. and Jason Vosler each added solo shots in the 4th. Vosler was pinch-hitting: that's the 7th PH HR by the Giants, they lead the league.

Starter Scott Kazmir didn't fare well, giving up two in two IP, and Dominic Leone gave up two more in his two IP. Zack Littell pitched the 5th and gave up a run, but Conner Menez followed with a scoreless 6th and 7th. Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers closed out the 8th and 9th, with Rogers only needing eight pitches for three groundball outs. For a banged-up team with an emergency starter they fared pretty well!

NL Pitcher of the Month Kevin Gausman goes today at 4:15 Pacific. It's a Fox Saturday game.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

BCraw leads Giants

SF 7  CHI 2

Anthony DeSclafani pitched another good game and this time the Giants relief corps was up to the task and nailed down the win. Brandon Crawford's three-run homer was the big blow. He had another RBI earlier and continues to make big plays in the field. Other than perhaps Buster Posey he's the team position-player MVP at this point. 

Unfortunately the Giants lost two more players to the IL. Logan Webb's shoulder issue re-surfaced, he will miss his next two starts. Mike Yastrzemski sprained his thumb and he'll be out as well.

The Giants came into this season touting their deep roster and it is being put to the test. The Cubs are a good team. Tonight they'll likely go with Conner Menez in place of Webb. They have Nick Tropeano as well. (I'm not sure of Scott Kazmir's status.) Game time 6:45 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Stinker

LAA 8  SF 1

The Giants played a stinker tonight. They haven't played many of those. Alex Wood looked like Alex Wood for two innings and then the wheels came off. Four walks and a hit batter with a few hits sprinkled in and it was 4-0 Angels. Matt Wisler poured gas on the fire and it was 8-0. Angels southpaw starter Andrew Heaney was tough (6-1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R 1 W, 7 K) and he also had a hit, a walk, and a run scored.

I thought Curt Casali's struggles on offense (.104/.250/.119) would prompt a change and he was placed on the IL with a wrist strain. (Every MLB catcher has a wrist strain or two!) Chadwick Tromp gets the call-up, not Joey Bart. They like what Bart is doing at AAA and he is also just back from injury. Tromp is the emergency guy. Nick Tropeano, who finished up the win yesterday, goes back down. RHP Dominic Leone gets his shot. He's 29 and has 253 innings of ML-experience over seven seasons. Conner Menez is back. He took Scott Kazmir's spot who is on the "restricted" list for some personal issue. Tromp, Leone, and Menez all saw action tonight. Steven Duggar had two of the Giants six hits and scored their lone run.

Off-day tomorrow. The Cubs come to town for a four-game series starting Thursday night.

Go Giants!

--M.C.