Detroit Downer

The alarmingly punchless Giants lineup could not overcome the lowly Tigers this afternoon and they split the two-game series with a win apiece. The Giants hung on to win 4-3 on Tuesday night behind six shutout innings from Carlos Rodón. The bullpen was shaky but Camilo Doval managed to close it out. Today they took a 1-0 lead on an Evan Longoria homer in the 1st but could not get anything else going until the 7th when they got a run on a fielder's choice. The Tigers tied the score against Alex Wood in the 4th and put two on in the 6th. Wood got a double play grounder (and a reprieve from the manager) and it looked like he would escape the inning. Alas, he gave up a two-run homer to the next guy and that was enough for a 3-2 loss. The hitters are not hitting the baseball very well and it is starting to show. This should have been a mismatch for the Giants. Beating up on weaker teams is a time-honored way to stay in a playoff chase. I thought we'd see a livelier effort from the home squad today!

Tomorrow is an off-day. They close out the month of June with a 13-13 record. Let's hope they get out of this funk and make July a winning month! The Chicago White Sox come to town Friday for three. Alex Cobb goes Friday night at 7:15, Logan Webb goes Saturday at 1:05, and Anthony DeSclafani goes Sunday, also a day game with a 1:05 start (all times PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

4th inning: 10-8

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 7-11

4th inning: 10-8

overall: 39-33, .542, 3rd place, 6 GB

Losing two of three to the Reds has to be the low point of the month especially after today's god-awful result (10-3 Cincy). Anthony DeSclafani continues to struggle—this time it was a seven-run meltdown in the 3rd.

The Giants lost on Friday night 4-2 in a game memorable for its lack of memorable-ness. The Giants offense simply could not handle Graham Ashcraft and they faded feebly after they fell behind in the 2nd. The lineup clobbered Mike Minor and reliever Jared Solomon 9-2 on Saturday so one could be forgiven for optimism about today's game. Alas, they stunk and failed to win their 40th game and fell further behind in the West. Last year at this time the team was 46-26 which was the best record in MLB.

At least this inning featured a very nice sweep of the Dodgers. And they've inched back above .500 and maybe we can see that pace pick up a bit and keep going. The Giants have played a lot of close games and are 9-14 in games decided by one run. Some of that is execution of course but some of it is bad luck and I think things will even out over the long haul and the team will catch some of the breaks that have gone against them.

Off-day tomorrow. The Tigers come to town for two starting Tuesday at 6:45 Pacific. Carlos Rodón takes the hill.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants rue missed chances

Three losses in four games in Atlanta is a tough pill to swallow. It should have been a split at the very least and could easily have gone the other way. The Giants got two dominant starts and lost both games, last night in particularly gut-wrenching fashion. This afternoon they fell behind early and the comeback wasn't enough.

Carlos Rodón was superb on Wednesday allowing only three hits, one walk, and one run in seven innings. He struck out ten. Of his 91 pitches there were 23 swings-and-misses. Charlie Morton was also excellent, giving up three hits and two runs and whiffing eleven over seven frames. The Giants took a 3-1 lead to the 9th but a bullpen meltdown gave it away and the Braves walked off with a 4-3 win. The Giants have lost four of their last five and three have been walk-offs. Jake McGee made the mess and Tyler Rogers gave up the game-winning hit. Some really poor umpiring behind the plate cost the Giants at least one strikeout in that fateful bottom of the 9th.

Today Alex Wood had his worst outing of the season. He gave up six runs and didn't finish the 2nd inning. The bullpen did a great job (one run allowed the rest of the way) and the Giants fought back to make it close. The final was 7-6 Braves. The lineup had 13 hits plus two walks and two HBPs but also grounded into four double plays. The Giants were 5-for-13 with RISP and left eight men on.

In other news the Giants traded Steven Duggar. He was finishing his rehab assignment and due to return to the active list and with the injury to Luis González it seemed like they would just plug him in to that spot. But LaMonte Wade, Jr. is also nearing a return so perhaps they wanted him instead. With so many lefty hitters in the outfield mix it is not surprising they moved on from Duggar. What's weird is they traded him for Willie Calhoun, a lefty outfielder from the Rangers. Calhoun is from Vallejo and played baseball at Benicia High. He's a power hitter and lacks Duggar's defensive skills and versatility so I'm not sure where he fits. It looks like they are sending him to AAA (he has an option left). Maybe they can tweak his swing or something and get him back to where he was a few years ago when he hit 21 HR in 83 G. I like Duggar and hate to see him go but he will probably get a better opportunity in Texas (he's listed on their ML roster) so good for him.

The Reds come to San Francisco for the weekend. The series opens tomorrow night at 7:15 Pacific. Alex Cobb gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

All kinds of baseball

If you like an old-fashioned pitchers duel you would have loved Monday's 2-1 game in Atlanta. Max Fried started for the Braves and he kept the Giants off the board until the 8th inning. His final line (7 5 1 1 2 8) was almost identical to Logan Webb's (7 6 1 1 0 7) who was also brilliant, allowing just a solo homer in the 2nd. The Braves scored the game-winner in the bottom of the 9th off Camilo Doval. It was a nail-biter the whole way but frustrating as the Giants had lots of chances and couldn't seem to get the big knock.

Last night we got the opposite story: a 12-10 slugfest, this time the Giants coming out on top. FNG catcher Austin Wynns had a career game, going 3-for-4 with four runs batted in. His three-run bomb in the 2nd off rookie phenom Spencer Strider staked the Giants to a 4-0 lead. The Braves battled back to a 5-4 lead and the Giants countered with two more but the Braves answered again and it was 7-6 Atlanta in the 6th when Mike Yastrzemski plated two with a double. Joc Pederson's 15th homer made it 9-7 in the 7th. The Braves added a run in the bottom half but the Giants got two big hits in the 9th to make it 12-8. Good thing. Doval gave up two before closing it out. Whew! It's not the sort of game you expect the Giants to play (or to win) but they pulled it off.

The Braves are the hottest team in baseball (16-3 in June) so this is a great matchup of two potential post-season clubs. They are within percentage points of each other for the NL's fourth-best record (ATL 39-30, .565; SF 38-29, .567). The Giants of course are in a three-way fight in the West with the Dodgers and Padres while the Braves have to chase the Mets and fend off the Phillies in the East. Should be plenty of exciting baseball this summer.

Carlos Rodón gets the start at 4:20 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Rookie slugger makes his mark

PIT 4  SF 3

Lefty-hitting 23-year old newbie Jack Suwinski hit three homers today in his 47th major-league game. The Giants were up 2-1 in the 4th when he tagged starter Alex Cobb with the tying blast. He dinged Sam Long in the 6th with his second, and won the game in the bottom of the 9th with his third, this one off Tyler Rogers. Suwinski was drafted by the Padres out of high school (he's from Chicago) but went to the Pirates in the Adam Frazier deal. That turned out be be a bit of a bust for the Padres as they traded Frazier to the Mariners a year later! Anyway, Pirates fans look like they have an exciting young player to root for.

The Giants got Cobb back from the IL and he threw 60 pitches and gave up two solo shots in his four frames. Let's hope he can get back on the beam and be an effective starter real soon. Today the lineup scored a quick two in the 1st, mostly due to two walks from Pirates starter Mitch Keller, but couldn't do much else. Keller put up zeroes through six and reliever Cam Vieaux pitched a scoreless 7th. Closer David Bednar handled the 8th but gave up a game-tying homer to Thairo Estrada in the top of the 9th before Suwinski's game-winner in the bottom half. Giants had four hits total, hit into three double plays, and left seven men on base (1-for-6 with RISP). They'll have to do better than that in Atlanta.

Logan Webb starts tomorrow at 4:20 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants subdue pesky Pirates

SF 7  PIT 5

The Giants offense woke up this afternoon in Pittsburgh and bailed out a laboring Alex Wood. The Pirates bullpen helped out, too. It was another one of those games that should have had a lopsided score. Giants hitters got nine walks to go along with their ten hits. I can't complain about seven runs, especially after this long stretch of low-scoring games, but it felt like it should have been more. Regardless, the Giants finally surrendered some runs after a long stretch of low-scoring games. Starting with the sweep of LA here are the runs allowed in the last seven contests, all wins except one: 2, 2, 0, 2, 2, 3 (loss), 0. That's some good pitching!

Today Wood kept getting to two strikes but could not close the deal. He gave up six hits, two walks, and four runs in 5-1/3 IP. Dominic Leone had a rough 8th, giving up a leadoff homer and loading the bases, but Jake McGee got the third out in an epic, 10-pitch battle with Tyler Heineman. After the Giants tacked on to take a two-run lead in the 9th Camilo Doval came in to get the save. He faced the top of the lineup, whiffing Ke'Bryan Hayes, getting Bryan Reynolds on a weak grounder, and whiffing Daniel Vogelbach (he hit the homer off Leone) to end it.

Alex Cobb gets back to the mound tomorrow after his IL stint. First pitch at 10:35 a.m. Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bucs blanked

SF 2  PIT 0

Carlos Rodón pitched his best game of the season and the Giants scored just enough to take the opener in Pittsburgh. The Pirates saw the best version of Rodón--98 pitches to 27 batters in eight innings--and could not get anything going against hm. The big southpaw allowed only two hits and two walks and struck out eight. The Giants got a leadoff homer from Luis González and another solo shot in the 4th from Joc Pederson and that was all they needed. They should have scored a lot more but they hit into three double plays in the first three innings against Pirates starter Zach Thompson. Camilo Doval got the save with a 1-2-3 9th. It's the second team shutout. The first was Rodón's last start--Sunday against the Dodgers--but that one took some bullpen legerdemain. The Giants hit two homers in that one, too.

Alex Wood starts this afternoon, 1:05 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants lose but take series

The Royals spoiled the getaway game, winning 3-2 this afternoon with a clutch bit of small ball (sac bunt and sac fly) in the 8th inning. John Brebbia has been excellent this season but he was victimized by a leadoff double from Andrew Benintendi who scored on the fly out. Sam Long opened the game and with two on and two out in the 1st a grounder came up on Brandon Crawford and it went through letting both runners score. It was ruled an error. Long finished the frame and got six more outs. The bullpen did well after that but the lineup could not get anything going except in the 4th. Brandon Belt homered and Curt Casali drove in a run with a sac fly to tie the game. But it was a poor showing by the hitters. I guess I can't complain too much as they did take two of three in the series for a 6-3 homestand.

The Giants took the first game on Monday 6-2 behind a strong start from Alex Wood. It was a tight 2-2 contest until the 6th when Thairo Estrada got an RBI single. Brandon Crawford knocked in two more with a double in the 7th and the Giants got a gimme on a wild pitch in the 8th. Mauricio Llovera, Jake McGee, and Camilo Doval put up zeroes in the final three frames. Tuesday's 4-2 win was similar. They got a great start from Logan Webb who went seven scoreless and struck out nine. It was 0-0 until the 6th when the Giants got three on RBI singles from Wilmer Flores and Darin Ruf and a sac fly from Tommy La Stella. Tyler Rogers gave up two in the 8th to make it painfully close. But another sac fly from La Stella added a run in the bottom half and Camilo Doval closed it out. Giants fielders have been a bit porous this season--that's been part of the problem with Rogers.

It's a travel day tomorrow and the Giants will play three on the weekend in Pittsburgh and then go to Atlanta for four next week.  They'll be back home on the 24th.

Carlos Rodón opens the series against the Pirates on Friday at 4:05 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Sweeeep!!

SF 2  LA 0

The Giants threw a shutout against the Dodgers this afternoon in San Francisco. It was the tenth anniversary of Matt Cain's perfect game so it was fitting that the pitchers shined. Carlos Rodón allowed only two hits and three walks in his six innings, whiffing eight in the process, and turned the ball over to the 'pen after 98 pitches. He was not exactly efficient (34 balls, 17 fouls) but he was effective. John Brebbia gave up a hit and a walk in the 7th but kept LA off the board. A great play on a pop-up by Wilmer Flores behind third base helped him out. Brebbia induced a Mookie Betts grounder to end the inning. In the 8th Dominic Leone gave up two hits but did not allow a run. Again a big fielding play--this time Austin Slater backing up Yaz in right-center--helped him out. Leone struck out Chris Taylor with two on to close the frame. The last three outs belonged to Jake McGee and he dispatched Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, and Austin Barnes on nine pitches.

The Dodgers pitched well, too. Austin Slater led off the game for the Giants and homered off Julio Urías. Darin Ruf struck out (one of ten by Urías) but Mike Yastrzemski launched another homer. That 2-0 lead held up the rest of the way. Both teams only managed five hits apiece. The Giants had some chances late against Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, and Brusdar Graterol but were stymied each time.

It was an exceptional weekend of winning baseball for the home squad. They looked flat against the last-place Rockies but found their groove against the first-place Dodgers. The Giants are 17-13 at home, 16-13 on the road, and 17-15 against good (above .500) teams. Since they are 33-26 overall (.559) they must be 16-11 against bad (below .500) teams. It looks like the Giants are pretty much the same team all the time! The 37-23 Dodgers are still in first place but the 37-24 Padres are only a half game back. The third-place Giants are 3-1/2 games back in the West and have the ninth-best record in MLB.

Three more games remain on the homestand. The Kansas City Royals come to town for night games on Monday and Tuesday (6:45 PT) followed by a day game (12:45) on Wednesday. Thursday is a travel day. Alex Wood starts tomorrow. Logan Webb is scheduled for Tuesday.

Go Giants! 

--M.C.

Back-to-back wins

SF 3  LA 2

The Giants snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in each of the final three innings to outlast the Dodgers in an epic 3-1/2 hour nail-biter on national TV. Thairo Estrada smacked a homer against Clayton Kershaw to open the scoring in the 2nd and an RBI single from Luis González made it 2-0. The Giants bullpen kept it that way. Sam Long opened and got nine outs, Tyler Rogers handled the 4th and 5th, and Dominic Leone delivered a scoreless 6th. The Dodgers loaded the bases against Zack Littell in the 7th but failed to score. Jarlín García struck out Freddie Freeman on a 3-2 pitch and then got Trea Turner to ground into a double play. In the 8th an error by Estrada on a double-play ball gave Cody Bellinger a chance and he smoked a double to left-center. Fortunately only one run scored as it bounced over the wall for an automatic two bases. Camilo Doval then came in and struck out Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts to end the threat. The Giants got a gift wild pitch by Craig Kimbrel to score Joc Pederson (who opened the inning with a pinch-single) to make it 3-1 for the 9th. Good thing. Freeman homered off José Álvarez to make it 3-2, and Trea Turner followed with a hit, but Max Muncy struck out, and Will Smith grounded into a fielder's choice. Hanser Alberto got a fluky infield pinch-hit but Álvarez kept his cool and got Bellinger on a grounder to Estrada to earn the save.

It was a gritty performance from the pitching staff. They threw 166 pitches and gave up 13 hits! But they got big outs in big moments late in the game and stymied the LA lineup. The Giants take the first two in the three-game set to even the season series at 2-2 and stay within striking distance at 4-1/2 back.

It's a marquee match-up of super southpaws tomorrow. Carlos Rodón and Julio Urías face off at 1:05 Pacific.

Go Giants! Beat LA!

--M.C.

Ruf bops, Joc rocks

SF 7  LA 2

The Giants got another strong start from Jakob Junis who has to be the pitching MVP so far. Unfortunately he pulled a hamstring in the 6th and had to be taken out--an IL stint seems likely. Junis allowed five hits in his 5+ with five whiffs and only two runs. Meanwhile the Giants kept up the attack, getting three off starter Walker Buehler who was also forced to leave the game with an injury. This time the Dodgers made the misplays in the field and the Giants added three more off reliever Justin Bruihl. The big hit was a two-out, two-run single from Joc Pederson. Joc also got the rally started in the 2nd with a single and stolen base! But the offensive star was Darin Ruf who homered off Buehler in the 4th and David Price in the 8th. He added an RBI single in the 5th after Joc's to make it 6-2. Ruf's bat is crucial and let's hope this is a sign that things are turning around for him. After a lackluster effort against the Rockies it is nice to see the club jump on the Dodgers and especially Buehler who is always tough.

Evan Longoria had to leave after his RBI double in the 2nd. He tweaked a hamstring as well. Let's hope he is day-to-day. Clayton Kershaw goes this afternoon (4:15 PT) against the Giants bullpen. Sam Long will be the opener. It's a Fox Saturday game and it will feature both clubs sporting Pride caps. That ought to give those shitheads at Fox Inc something to choke on.

Go Giants! Beat LA!

--M.C.

Giants boot series

Last night the Giants eked out a 2-1 in the 10th inning when Charlie Blackmon failed to scoop a single in right field and allowed the magic runner to score. Blackmon hit the three-run pinch-homer in Tuesday's game that provided the winning margin. He had three hits today in a deflating 4-2 Rockies win. Enough already about that guy, he's been a thorn in the Giants side for a decade.

Alex Wood pitched well last night and that keyed the win. Today Logan Webb looked strong but his fielders let him down. Thairo Estrada made two errors in the 4th and Austin Slater added one of his own and that led to three runs. The lineup could only manage two runs in each of the two games against the last place team in the division. The Giants were lucky to get a win at all. FNG Austin Wynns started at catcher and had two hits and drove in a run.

The Giants owned the Rockies last season and they won the first five games against them this season. It felt like Colorado had something to prove in this three-game set--they certainly kept the Giants in check. The Dodgers come to town for three starting tomorrow night at 7:15 Pacific. Jakob Junis takes the hill against Walker Buehler. Junis is currently the best pitcher on the team! Another under-the-radar move from FZ & Co. that's paying off big time. Let's hope the team plays better this weekend.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

3rd inning: 7-11

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 7-11

29-25, .537, 3rd place 5.5 GB

The Giants followed up their hot start to last night's game with a feeble finish and the Rockies pounced on them for a 5-3 comeback win. It was another confounding and disappointing effort from starter Carlos Rodón who threw 50 pitches in the first two frames. Colorado hitters tagged him for 33 foul balls in his four innings! Rodón is so finely-tuned that if he's off by a hair's breadth he can't get anyone out. We knew his was a high-risk singing but the upside is so compelling that it's easy to see why Farhan & Co. were willing to do it. Even with the poor start the Giants lineup managed only two hits after the 1st inning and that just isn't going to work against major league teams. I guess we can be thankful we aren't the Phillies with their inflated payroll and sub-.500 record or the Angels with the two most exciting talents in the game (Trout and Ohtani) and their 13-game losing streak. Both clubs fired their managers. It's never good when a manager can't make it through the first third of the season! And it's not like those guys were chumps--both Girardi and Maddon have strong track records of success.

The Giants aren't going to fire anyone anytime soon, they just aren't wired that way, but it has been a frustrating start to the season. Injuries have taken their toll, to be sure, but other than the opening weeks the team has mostly played below their capabilities. It is difficult to put a finger on the real problem as it appears to be team-wide. I suppose it's the inconsistency that sticks out. The bullpen is perhaps the biggest culprit but the starters have not helped them out by putting down more quality starts. And it's clear the fielding has not been up to snuff. The team's FIP (3.50) is fourth-best in MLB and it's a full run lower than the 4.59 runs allowed per game (22nd). Too many bases and runs are given away by poor play. There's no doubt some of that is bad luck. We've seen a lot of dinks and dunks kill the club and one can only hope that the bounces start to go the other way real soon. The staff has mostly done a good job of getting ground balls and limiting big hits. It's just not working out!

The hitters are still putting up a decent line (105 OPS+, 5.11 rpg) but, like last night, seem to disappear for big stretches. The Rockies allow the most runs in MLB but the Giants could not sustain the effort and take advantage. Again, inconsistency.

There is plenty of baseball left. The Best Team in the Universe may be in LA but even the Dodgers have under-performed (there are three teams with a better record!) and the Giants are still within striking distance in the West. I'm looking forward to seeing some better outcomes real soon.

A big shout-out to long-time RMC commenter nomisnala for the thoughtful and passionate contributions to our little group! Thanks for always being on hand to keep the discussion rolling. And a hat-tip to The Mystic Zo for chipping in when I was gone--you need to do that more often. You don't have to wait for when I'm away from my desk!

Alex Wood gets the ball at 6:45 (PT) tonight.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Splitsville on the Road Trip

Mark is away, so I thought I would take the opportunity to post something for a change.  The Giants just took a 5 - 1 finale in Miami to give them a 5 - 5 road trip.  The old maxim about playing .500 on the road applies, but yet......it seems like it could have been a bunch better, like maybe 7 - 3.

They started 2 - 3 in Cincinnati, then took 2 of 3 against the theoretically good team, Philadelphia.  Philadelphia is in panic mode, firing their manager, Joe Girardi as soon as Gabe Kapler (their former manager) was out of the dugout, and within a few days of promising that they would stick with him for the season.  Winding up with 4 in Miami, the Giants lost the first one and then won #2, got skunked yesterday and won today.  The Giants blew one in Philly and the first one in Miami and it seems like they really could have, should have, won those. 

This was the 53rd game of the season, the Giants are 29 - 24.  Last year is probably not a fair comparison, simply because to win 107 games is damn improbable, but at their 53rd game last year, the team was 33 - 20.  The Giants had a RS/RA ratio of 267/196.  This year, the ratio is 273 (3rd best in the majors!) scored vs. 243 allowed.  And that is a significant difference.  Dave Fleming was remarking this weekend on how the Giants have seemed to go inning after inning without scoring (but, clearly, they have scored in quantities), so I don't think scoring is the problem.

Last year at this point, the Giants had chalked up 21 saves.  They also had 39 holds.  This year, by comparison, they have had 12 saves, and have had 21 holds.  Last year, they had, at the 53-game mark, 13 blown saves, this year, they have had, to my surprise, only 8.  Keep in mind that you can blow a save and still win the game, so maybe that doesn't tell us much.  However, in May, the Giants' bullpen had the worst ERA in the majors, it was over 6 (and June is not much better, so far).

So here we are.  I thought I would find a clear difference in the strength of the bullpen last year as compared to this.  But it's not so obvious as I thought.  The Giants blew saves last year yet still racked up 107 wins.  The Giants were playing at a .623 clip at this point, actually a half game behind the first place Padres in the NL West.  Now they are third, at .538, yet not out of the hunt.  Think of it this way - if the Giants were where they are now last year, we would have been thrilled with the steady improvement.  They set the bar high, so it feels a bit disappointing.  And still - the bullpen needs to toughen up.

Split

The Giants won a gripping contest 7-4 in 11 innings on Tuesday. Tied 3-3 after nine Wilmer Flores scored on an error in the 10th. Camilo Doval got the first two outs in the bottom half and the magic runner hadn't moved from second. The next hitter grounded one up the middle that should have been a game-ender but it hit the bag! On to the 10th and a leadoff double from Donovan Walton got it going and Joc Pederson followed with an upper-deck blast. The three runs were enough. Kapler walked Bryce Harper to load the bases in the bottom half to pitch to Roman Quinn. The goofy strategy paid off as José Álvarez struck him out to seal the win.

Today the Giants were behind 2-0 early but got it going in the 6th with a big five-run explosion to take the lead. Wilmer Flores had a three-run homer. Unfortunately the Phillies pounded Jarlín García for four runs to make it 6-5 and that's how it finished. It was Carlos Rodón against Aaron Nola but Rodón was out after five and Nola after six--the bullpen decided this game. García had not allowed a homer or a run this season (17 IP, 63 TBF) before surrendering two of the first and four of the second.

I was really hoping for the sweep when the Giants jumped ahead but I'll have to be content with them taking two of three. The Phils have a tough lineup and that park is a hard place to pitch. The Giants showed a lot of resilience and fought back whenever they fell behind. They go to Miami next for four against the Marlins.

The Giants have listed their four starters: Alex Wood tomorrow (3:40 Pacific), Alex Cobb Friday (3:40), Logan Webb Saturday (1:10 Pacific), and Jakob Junis on Sunday (10:40 Pacific). I will be on the road and away from my desk for a short spell but I should be back for the bulk of the homestand that starts next week.

Go Giants!

--M.C.