Slam, sweep, sweet!

SF 6  COL 4

Rookie Ford Proctor, starting at second base and batting ninth, came up with the bases loaded in the 2nd and got his second MLB hit and his first home run. Up 1-0 the grand slam made it 5-0 and the Giants held on to sweep the Rockies and win their 78th game. That brings their season record to .500, something that seemed impossible at the start of the month.

Carlos Rodón had another dominant outing, allowing only two hits and whiffing ten over six innings. FNG Jharel Cotton followed with a scoreless 7th and 8th but gave up two hits and a run in the 9th. John Brebbia came in to close it out and had probably his worst stretch of the year--homer, single, triple--and Camilo Doval had to be summoned to get the final out. It was a small blemish on an otherwise excellent club effort.

In classic Kapler fashion he pinch-hit righty Austin Slater for the lefty Ford in the 7th and it worked out. Slater doubled and later scored on a sac fly from Wilmer Flores (his team-leading 70th RBI). The Diamondbacks come to town this weekend for the final home series. Tonight's game is at 7:15 PT with Alex Cobb getting the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bullpen gets it done

SF 6  COL 3

The Giants are not yet mathematically eliminated from Wild Card contention. Hard to believe, eh? We'll just let that one go. They won again last night, apparently re-discovering the Colorado Rockies kryptonite that they had last season when they won 15 of the 19 games played. This season the Giants have won 13 of 18 including the last six in a row.

John Brebbia opened and pitched a scoreless inning--that's the ninth time he's done that this season. He's tied for second in MLB with 72 appearances. He's one man in the 'pen that has delivered the goods all year. Sean Hjelle took the next four innings and gave up two runs but was awarded the win. Shelby Miller struck out five in his two frames and Tyler Rogers was filthy in his scoreless stint, whiffing two. (Former Giants starter Ty Blach pitched the 8th for Colorado and struck out the side.) Yunior Marte gave up a run in the 9th.

The Giants scored early and clung to a 3-2 lead until the 6th when Ford Proctor drove in a run on a bases-loaded sac fly and Joc Pederson followed with a triple to make it 6-2.

Carlos Rodón makes his final home start at 6:45 tonight (PT). He could make one more start in San Diego in the penultimate game.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. Ryne Stanek opened 29 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 and added 27 more in 2019. (Those were 90-win and 96-win teams.) Only seven relievers have opened ten or more games in a season.

That's the spirit

SF 5  COL 2

The Giants get their 76th win and are now 15-10 for the month of September. They've allowed only 88 runs in those 25 contests for an excellent 3.52 rpg. Last night Logan Webb had a little trouble in the 1st but followed that with four scoreless. He was pulled after five (78 pitches) with the Giants leading 3-1 behind homers from Joc Pederson and J.D. Davis. Webb's 192-1/3 IP is tied with Aaron Nola for 4th-best in MLB. He and Miles Mikolas have the most starts--32. Webb's IP total is 44 more than last season. I suspect he'll get the final home start on Sunday (Fan Appreciation Day) against the Diamondbacks.

Tyler Rogers delivered two strong relief innings. He has pitched much better in the second half and I'm happy to see it. He's a unique player and I really like what he brings to the team so I hope he can return to form after a tough first half. They want him to be a key bullpen piece next year. Speaking of key relievers Scott Alexander continues to pitch well and I expect he will be part of things next year. Camilo Doval had a crazy 9th, loading the bases and giving up a run, but he whiffed two to end it. He walks a tightrope sometimes but he's obviously a crucial piece of the puzzle.

The series continues tonight at 6:45 PT. Only eight games left in the season.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Getaway win

SF 3  ARI 2

The Giants make it a 6-1 road trip with a tense victory today in Arizona. Once again the bullpen was called upon to string together a start and this time they had a secret weapon--Jakob Junis. After Scott Alexander opened with a scoreless 1st Jarlín García got five more outs before Junis entered and got the final out of the 3rd. He then pitched a scoreless 4th, gave up a run in the 5th, and followed with a scoreless 6th, 7th, and 8th. The Giants had a lot of chances but in 2022 fashion squandered them with delicious abandon. They finally got serious in the 8th and took the lead on a bases-loaded two-run pinch-hit from Evan Longoria off our old pal Reyes Moronta. The Diamondbacks had been clinging to their 1-0 advantage despite a heapin' pile of opportunities for the Giants so Longo's hit was cathartic. Thank goodness J.D. Davis (who had four hits) homered to make it 3-1 in the 9th as Camilo Doval surrendered a run before closing it out.

It was a really nice win to take the series. Arizona has some talented ballplayers and after Saturday's 5-2 win they made the rubber match a tough contest. I like that the Giants are playing well. If they can finish the season on a high note and have a chance to see some players shine (like Davis) that's great. It makes it more fun to think about next year.

Monday is an off-day. There are nine more games in the season with the next six at home. Logan Webb gets the start Tuesday night against the Rockies at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

That's five

SF 6  ARI 5

Diamondbacks third baseman Sergio Alcántara made a poor throw in the 9th--failing to get an inning-ending forceout--and J.D. Davis followed that miscue with an RBI double for the go-ahead run. Camilo Doval put a man on with two out in the bottom of the inning but got a groundout to end the game and the Giants had their fifth straight win. It was a homer-happy game at first with Austin Wynns and Brandon Crawford muscling up a 2-0 lead with solo shots. Stone Garret took Carlos Rodón deep to tie the game but David Villar responded with his own two-run homer to bump it back to 4-2 Giants. An Evan Longoria RBI made it 5-2 in the 5th. Rodón had a hard time throwing strikes and when he put two on with one out in the bottom half Kap came and got him. He'd thrown 93 pitches at that point. Unfortunately Yunior Marte gave up two hits and Arizona tied the game. It stayed that way until Mike Yastrzemski singled in the 9th--he scored on the double from Davis.

Shelby Miller delivered 2-2/3 scoreless IP in his Giants debut. He gave up four hits but also struck out seven. Miller was an effective starter with St. Louis and Atlanta for three years before going to Arizona in 2016 where injuries derailed his career. He's bounced around since then and was claimed off the waiver wire in June. Miller pitched against the Giants in both the 2012 and 2014 playoffs when he was with the Cardinals.

Today's game is at 5:10 PT. Alex Cobb takes the hill.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bullpen completes sweep

SF 3  COL 0

Six pitchers allowed ten hits (eight singles and two doubles), one walk, and nary a run to beat the Rockies yesterday afternoon in Colorado. It was the eighth team shutout and their twelfth win in the month. I note that because they won only eleven games in July and ten in August.

The Giants also had ten hits with half coming from Joc Pederson (three singles) and Mike Yastrzemski (homer, double). The key stat is the four double plays turned, all of which ended innings. FNG RH Jharel Cotton (a recent waiver claim) pitched 2-2/3 to claim the lion's share of outs. John Brebbia opened, he was followed by Tyler Rogers, Jarlín García, Cotton, Scott Alexander, and Camilo Doval.

It's on to Arizona for three before an off-day on Monday. Carlos Rodón gets the start tonight, 6:40 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Three in a row

SF 6  COL 1

Logan Webb threw five no-hit innings and was pulled with one out in the 6th after finally yielding a hit. He threw a mere 66 pitches but it was after an hour rain delay and he has already hit a career high for innings pitched so it was not an unreasonable decision. In fact Webb is third in MLB in IP (187-1/3) behind only Miles Mikolas (193-1/3) and Sandy Alcantara (212-2/3). If they want to baby his young arm that's OK by me.

The lineup delivered 15 hits--12 singles--and the fielders didn't make an error. The only blemish was a 9th-inning homer from Elehuris Montero off Thomas Szapucki. Cole Waites made another appearance (strikeout, single, walk). Jason Vosler is back, he had a triple. Sean Hjelle was optioned back to AAA and Lewis Brinson was DFAd.

Today's game is at 12:10 PT. John Brebbia will open. He's done that seven times and the Giants have won four of those games. He leads MLB with 70 appearances.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Two straight

SF 6  COL 3

Six pitchers subdued the Rockies and the Giants banged out four doubles and a homer to take the second game in Colorado. Sean Hjelle had a much better outing than last time, pitching the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th innings and yielding two runs on six hits. He got six ground ball outs including a couple of well-timed double plays. John Brebbia opened and pitched a scoreless 1st and Tyler Rogers, looking more like himself these days, got five ground ball outs in his two scoreless frames. Thomas Szapucki relieved Hjelle and gave up a run in the 8th as the Rockies pushed for a comeback but Yunior Marte and Jarlín García combined to get the last three outs in the 9th. Coors Field has a way of turning leads into deficits in the blink of an eye so I was happy to see the relief corps bend without breaking.

Austin Slater and Thairo Estrada at the top of the lineup had three of the four doubles and David Villar cranked the homer. Joey Bart had a hit and a walk and scored three runs. The lineup, in a change, was 4-for-8 with RISP. Giants have nine wins against the Rockies (against five losses), that's the most against any team this season.

Logan Webb gets the start tonight at 5:40 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. In an interesting bit of news Buster Posey joined the ownership group of the team. He's now listed as a Principal Partner of the San Francisco Baseball Associates LLC.

Road win in extras

SF 10  COL 7  (10)

The Giants scored five runs in the weekend series with the Dodgers. They scored five runs in the first five innings last night in Colorado. They added five more in the final two frames to come from behind and win their 70th game. Jakob Junis gave up twelve hits and six runs in 4-1/3 frames but the lineup kept chipping away and eventually chased down the Rockies in the 9th. David Villar delivered a two-out RBI double to keep the game alive and Thairo Estrada hit a three-run homer in the 10th to get it done. The Giants made four errors in the game but got strong relief work to keep within striking distance.

Carlos Rodón was scheduled to start tonight but he was pushed back to Friday. Apparently he is still dealing with a blister issue. Looks like John Brebbia will be the opener (5:40 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

I'm glad that's over

The Dodgers won their 100th and 101st games over the weekend. The sweep of the Giants ends the season series, thank goodness. LA won 15 of the 19 contests. At the end of last year I thanked the Dodgers for inspiring the Giants to play their best baseball, win the West, and finish with their best record of all time. I think the Dodgers decided that finishing in second place was going too far and they had a message for the Giants this year. Clearly that message was delivered.

Jakob Junis gets the start in Colorado tonight--5:40 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

8th inning: 8-10

Last night's 5-0 loss to the Dodgers was game 144. That's eight seasonal-innings of baseball by the Giants. They are 69-75 (.479) overall. Here's the way that looks:

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 7-11

4th inning: 10-8

5th inning: 8-10

6th inning: 6-12

7th inning: 8-10

8th inning: 8-10

There are 18 games left in the season. Only two more against LA, thank goodness. The Giants are 4-13 against the Dodgers (and 5-11 against the Padres). After this weekend it is off to Colorado and Arizona, then home against both those clubs before finishing in San Diego.

Tonight's game is at 6:05 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. There is some organizational good news in that the Eugene Emeralds won the Northwest League (High-A West) championship for the third time in five years. This is their second season as a Giants affiliate.

Giants take series with win

The Giants bounced back from last night's 5-1 loss with a well-played 4-1 win this afternoon to take two of the three games from the Braves. Carlos Rodón started and was his usual dominant self. What was unusual was that he was pulled after five innings and only 71 pitches (2 H, 1 R, 0 W, 8 K). Apparently they are just being careful with him--there was no report of injury or other physical issue. The Giants led 2-1 at that point due mostly to the bottom of the lineup. Austin Wynns got a two-out hit to plate the first run in the 2nd and David Villar and J.D. Davis had back-to-back doubles in the 4th for the second run. Solid relief pitching from Tyler Rogers and Scott Alexander kept the Braves off the board in the 6th and 7th. Meanwhile the Giants got two more in the bottom of the 6th on another clutch hit from Wynns. John Brebbia took care of the 8th and that left the 9th for Camilo Doval.

He did not disappoint. The young flamethrower was overpowering and whiffed the three batters he faced on twelve pitches. Doval has the stuff to be one of the best late-inning pitchers in MLB. Let's hope he continues to grow and refine his game.

The Braves are a good team. They are the defending champs and they've been really hot after the All-Star Break. Taking a series from that club is a bright moment in a dark season! The Giants are off tomorrow and then the Dodgers come to town for three starting Friday night at 7:15 Pacific. Logan Webb will get the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants slip past champs

SF 3  ATL 2

Alex Cobb led the way with a great start: seven scoreless innings with six hits allowed and no walks against seven whiffs. His ERA is finally a respectable 3.48 after peaking out at 6.25 at the end of May. His 2.90 FIP tells a better story--that number peaked at 3.27 in June. Cobb is signed for next year and the team has an option for the following year. His sinker/splitter combo can get a lot of swinging strikes (18 last night) and ground balls (8 last night) when it's working.

The Giants lineup was not intimidated by Spencer Strider and they jumped on him for a two runs in the 2nd. Brandon Crawford hit a single with one out and Thairo Estrada followed with a double. Both runners scored on hits by FNG Willie Calhoun and Luis González. The Giants added another in the 5th on an error on a grounder from Estrada. (Thairo is slashing .264/.321/.411 after his three-hit night.) The Giants worked a lot of long counts and rapped out nine hits against Strider and he was pulled after five frames (102 pitches, 9 K).

Zach Littell got into trouble in the 8th and the Braves closed the gap to one run but a four-out save from FNG southpaw Scott Alexander sealed the win. Jakob Junis goes tonight (6:45 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s The Giants obviously added OF Calhoun to the roster but they also promoted a young pitcher named Cole Waites. (Austin Dean went back to AAA and Tommy La Stella went to the IL.) Waites has 134 strikeouts in 71-1/3 innings over three seasons in the minors. Across three levels this season he's whiffed 75 of the 169 batters he's faced. He's 24 and played college ball at West Alabama and was drafted in the 18th round in 2019. I hope we get to see him soon!

Giants nip Cubs, take series

SF 4  CHC 2

It was a bullpen game in Chicago yesterday. John Brebbia opened with a scoreless 1st and Tyler Rogers followed with a scoreless 2nd and 3rd. Thairo Estrada drove in J.D. Davis in the 4th for a 1-0 lead but the Cubs tied it up with a run in the 5th off Yunior Marte (who also pitched a scoreless 4th). Estrada's homer in the 7th gave the Giants a 2-1 lead and Wilmer Flores hit a two-run shot in the 8th to make it 4-1. Zach Littell pitched the 6th and got two outs in the 7th. Scott Alexander got the final out and the next two outs in the 8th but gave up a homer to Seiya Suzuki. Closer Camilo Doval got the last out of the 8th and pitched the 9th for the save.

Overall six pitchers gave up 12 hits but only three for extra bases. They allowed one walk and struck out five on 153 pitches. Bullpen games aren't very sexy but they can certainly work. The Giants are only listing four starters (Rodón, Webb, Cobb, Junis) these days so expect more games like this one.

Good news! The Giants are extending Wilmer Flores for two more years. No financial details yet. Everyone loves Wilmer.

The Giants are at home tonight (6:45 PT) and face the Braves and rookie phenom Spencer Strider. He has 183 strikeouts in 120-2/3 IP. He got knocked around for six runs in 3-2/3 when the Giants played the Braves back in June but has been dominant in his last four starts (26 IP, 3 R, 41 K). Alex Cobb will take on the Braves lineup.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb, Bart lead Giants

SF 5  CHC 2

I hope I get to type that title a lot from here on out. Battery mates Logan Webb and Joey Bart combined for some excellent baseball and the Giants snapped their losing streak. Webb did not look like the stopper when he gave up a run in the 1st but the lineup responded with four runs in the top of the 2nd. The highlight was Bart's two-run homer, his 11th. Webb gave up a run in the bottom of the 2nd but then reeled off five scoreless frames. He finished the 7th with back-to-back whiffs. Bart added two more hits on the day, a double in the 4th and a single in the 9th. It was a tight game until the end. Leading 4-2 in the 8th David Villar added a solo shot and things looked good. John Brebbia walked the first batter in the bottom half but then got three straight outs. Camilo Doval gave up a line drive hit to open the 9th, but then got lucky on another line drive that turned into a double play. Lady Luck has not favored the Giants this year so I think they deserve every break they get! He struck out the last guy to seal the win.

Logan Webb continues to kick butt. He's established himself as one of the top pitchers in the game. Joey Bart had about as bad a start to a season that a player can have yet he's looking better and better at the plate lately. He's making more contact and hitting the ball hard. If he can establish himself as a major-league hitter in these final months that would be the best thing to come out of this disappointing season. I suppose I overlooked another rookie, David Villar. I mentioned his clutch homer but he also got the scoring started in the 4th with his RBI double. He's another guy that I'd like to write more headlines about. I'm glad the youngsters (Webb's 26 in November, Bart's 26 in December, Villar's 26 in January) got to strut their stuff today. Let's see some more!

Game time 5:08 PT tomorrow.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Sweep drops Giants to fourth

The Giants got overpowered by Corbin Burnes in the opener (2-1) of yesterday's doubleheader and there's no shame in that. Last year's Cy Young Award winner allowed only three hits and struck out 14. David Villar got a ground ball single in the top of the 8th in an attempt at a last-gasp rally but Luis González hit into a double play to quash that notion. González was the only player in the lineup who had not struck out against Burnes. The highlight of the day for the Giants was the excellent work from Jakob Junis who gave up three hits and two runs in his six frames. Scott Alexander opened with a scoreless inning and Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless 8th.

In the nightcap (4-2) the Giants had no excuses. Opener Alex Young gave up three runs in the 1st and had to exit with only two outs. Rookie Sean Hjelle pitched five innings in relief, giving up three hits and one run while striking out six. That was the highlight for the Giants. Hjelle, like Villar, is part of the 2018 draft class. The lineup could only manage four hits (one a homer by Joc Pederson) and the team went down quietly.

They are looking up at the Diamondbacks who have slipped into third place by a half game. Today Carlos Rodón takes the hill in Chicago at 1:05 Pacific. The 57-80 Cubs would be in last place (behind the Rockies) in the NL West. They are currently third (behind Milwaukee and St. Louis) in the NL Central.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Villar homers twice in loss

LA 7  SF 3

The Giants lost their 70th game to some familiar nemeses--Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, and Max Muncy--but managed to find a silver lining to the series. Rookie David Villar was 6-for-9 in the three games scoring eight runs and driving in five. He hit a homer in Monday's win and hit two more yesterday. Villar's first blast was a two-run shot off Kershaw in the 5th to open the scoring. After Turner's three-run homer gave LA the lead in the bottom half, Villar tied the game in the 7th off Justin Bruihl. It gave us hope and we started to dream of a win but those notions were cruelly dashed by Max Muncy's three-run homer in the 8th. Nonetheless the young infielder made his mark. If you want to impress the fans (and the brass) then get big hits against the Dodgers!

Villar got his first taste of the majors when he was called up in July. He had two hits in his debut on July 4th but struggled to hit .200 and was sent down in early August. He was called back at the start of September and went 0-for-7 in the three games at home against the Phillies before breaking out The Big Stick in LA. His AAA slash line (.275/.404/.617) and pop (27 HR, 19 2B) in 84 games suggests he's done in the minor leagues. Let's hope he emerges as a legit infield option for the 2023 club.

It's a doubleheader in Milwaukee today against the Brewers starting at 1:10 PT. Lefty Scott Alexander gets the start against Corbin Burnes. We have not seen much of Alexander, he was picked up in May after spending a few years in LA as an effective reliever. He's from Santa Rosa and was drafted in 2010 and came up with the Royals.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Streak snapped

LA 6  SF 3

The Giants hit two more homers but the Dodgers hit three and that ended the win streak at four games. Lewis Brinson hit the first pitch he saw for a long blast to LF but LA countered in the 2nd when Joey Gallo hit a three-run shot off Jarlín García. Max Muncy hit one in the next inning and he added another in the 6th off Dominic Leone. Tyler Anderson gave up eight hits in seven frames but got his 14th win. The Giants opened with John Brebbia who pitched a scoreless 1st. García followed (1-2/3 IP), Tyler Rogers delivered 2-1/3 IP without a run, Leone (2 IP) was next and Zack Littel finished up with a scoreless 8th. Brandon Crawford hit the other homer, a two-run shot in the 6th. Rookie David Villar had two hits. Villar is 25 and was an 11th-round pick in 2018. Joey Bart was the #2 pick overall that year. Villar hit really well at Richmond (AA) last season and was tearing it up at Sacramento (AAA) this year. He's from Atlanta and played ball at the University of South Florida.

Alex Cobb and Clayton Kershaw go this afternoon at 1:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Big bombs beat Bums

SF 7  LA 4

The Giants hit five home runs to back a quality start from Logan Webb and they beat the Dodgers to up their win streak to four games. And they snapped their eight-game losing streak against LA. After an error in the 1st by Evan Longoria that put a man on Webb gave up a two-run shot to Freddie Freeman. FNG Lewis Brinson, in the lead off spot against lefty Andrew Heaney, smacked a game-tying two-run blast in the 3rd. J.D. Davis followed with his own homer to make it 3-2 San Francisco. The Giants tacked on three more in the 4th behind homers from Thairo Estrada and a David Villar. Webb gave up another run in the bottom half but then added two more scoreless frames to notch his 12th win. His ERA is 2.89, just under Carlos Rodón's 2.92, and those are good for 15th- and 16th-best in MLB.

Brinson added another homer in the 9th off lefty reliever Justin Bruihl. Brinson is there for his RH power bat so let's hope we see more thump from him. His career stats are underwhelming but he does have a .421 slugging percentage and 13 HR and 16 2B in 352 AB vs. southpaws. Yunior Marte and Scott Alexander handled the 7th and 8th and Camilo Doval had an easy 9th for his 20th save.

I'm not sure I've said this before but I thought we'd see the club deliver more performances like this one. It was nice to see the team bounce back from the early deficit. Last year they hit 241 HR which was good for second in MLB. This year they have 151 and are in the middle of the pack (13th).

Austin Slater goes to the IL for his dislocated pinky finger. Joey Bart should return tonight. Game time 7:10 PT.

Go Giants! Beat LA!

--M.C.

Wilmer's walk-off completes sweep

SF 5  PHI 3

The Giants finished off the Phillies in dramatic fashion when Wilmer Flores smoked a two-run homer with two out in the 9th to break the tie and end the game. Carlos Rodón had another great start, striking out twelve in six shutout frames. He ran into some trouble in the 6th but whiffed two with the bases loaded to keep the Phils at bay. The Giants were clinging to a 3-0 lead at the time and it really should have been a lot more. They could not get the big hit and failed to cash in on multiple scoring chances. It really hurt when John Brebbia gave up a game-tying three-run homer in the 8th to J.T. Realmuto. But rookie Bryce Johnson walked to lead off the bottom of the 9th and after two strikeouts Wilmer connected with his winning blast (on the first pitch!). Johnson got his first ML hit and RBI in the Giants three-run 4th inning rally.

The Giants take five of the six games against Philadelphia this season. They won five of the six against Pittsburgh, too. Maybe they should just play Pennsylvania teams! It sure is a lot more fun when the team plays good baseball. They are 3-0 in September.

The Giants go to Los Angeles for three against the Dodgers. Logan Webb gets the start at 7:10 p.m.

Go team! Beat LA!

--M.C.

Giants grind out a win

SF 5  PHI 4

Brad Hand walked three guys in the 6th and gifted the Giants with the go-ahead run. The bullpen held on to beat the Phillies and make it two wins in a row. Camilo Doval got a four-out save with no fuss to seal the deal. It was an attritional affair with the Giants using six guys after starter Jakob Junis exited in the 5th and sixteen guys in the lineup. The Phils used sixteen total, with four in relief of Noah Syndergaard (who also left in the 5th) and with only one pinch-hitter in contrast the the Giants who used four. To belabor the point, the Giants made five defensive changes while Philly had just one. The all-hands-on-deck approach worked, it seemed, just by pure volume. Joc Pederson had three RBI on two hits and a walk. He also lost a ball in the sun in left field but so did Kyle Schwarber. The two teams played very evenly with the home squad 5-for-19 with RISP and the visitors 3-for-15. Lots of missed opportunities--it could have been a much higher-scoring afternoon.

The Giants have a winning record (36-32) at home. This afternoon (1:05 PT) Carlos Rodón takes the hill with a chance for a sweep.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Cobb, big bats snap skid

SF 13  PHI 1

I don't know about you but when losing streaks get long I get this feeling that the team will never win another ballgame. I know it's irrational but I get smothered with creeping dread and start to imagine epic collapses like 0-for-September or something. Fortunately that doesn't usually happen. And I'm here to report that the Giants are at 1.000 for September after a big win against the Phillies.

The Giants scored 12 runs in three games against the Padres and followed that by scoring 11 runs in the first three innings last night. Joc Pederson had a homer and five RBI. Wilmer Flores walked three times and scored three runs. LaMonte Wade and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits apiece. Luis González hit a triple, scored two, and pitched the 9th inning.

Alex Cobb is a good pitcher and we are finally getting to see why the Giants signed him. He's got that nasty sinker/splitter combo that gets a lot of ground balls (10 last night) and swinging strikes (11 last night with 7 K). He allowed only three hits over seven innings on a crisp 88 pitches. Philadelphia has a good-hitting lineup--they are fifth in MLB at 4.71 rpg--and Cobb kept them in check.

I thought the 2022 Giants would be where the Phillies are right now. At 73-59 they are well behind the Mets and Braves in the NL East but have a firm grip on the third wild-card spot. It's theirs to lose at this point. I thought there was a good chance the Giants would be going toe-to-toe with the Padres and the other wild card contenders. Perhaps they'll enjoy being spoilers down the stretch.

The Giants get a look at Noah Syndergaard this afternoon at 1:05 PT. Jakob Junis gets the call. Junis is still arb-eligible and I imagine he will be back for 2023 after his strong showing this season.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. FNG Lewis Brinson got into the game and got a hit. He's a former 1st-rounder and FZ likes to accumulate those types. I suppose 1st-rounders are the most obviously talented of their peer group/draft class. That doesn't mean they will all make it of course, just that they stood out at one time. We've seen (Kevin Gausman comes to mind) that some are late bloomers. AAAA-type guys are valuable. They provide coverage against injuries and more importantly depth and competition for the AAA squad. It can't hurt to take a low-cost, no-risk flyer on a guy who just might have something to contribute.

Stick a fork in 'em

The Giants get swept by the Padres (6-5 Monday, 4-3 Tuesday, and 5-4 Wednesday) and their losing streak is now seven games. They finish the month of August 10-17. They are done. If a ray of hope was still shining it has now vanished. They are tied with the Diamondbacks! They will have to fight for third place. A .500 record is likely out of the question.

So, what to do? Roughly a month (32 games) of baseball remains. The rosters only expand by two players in September, it's not like it used to be with a dugout full of prospects and no-names. But it wouldn't hurt to see some young guys get a few reps. David Villar and Heliot Ramos come to mind. Maybe we should get a look at what they can do. Heck, I'd give Kyle Harrison a few innings on the mound.

I should note that the only two position players signed for 2023 are Brandon Crawford and Tommy La Stella (they also have an option on Evan Longoria). The other players in the fold are starters Alex Wood, Alex Cobb, and Anthony DeSclafani. Carlos Rodón has an opt-out and most folks figure he will exercise that. Next year's roster has a lot of question marks. Youngsters Logan Webb, Camilo Doval, Joey Bart, and Thairo Estrada will be key pieces so it will be good to see how they perform in the final weeks. Guys like John Brebbia and Jakob Junis have probably earned a call-back (both are still arb-eligible), and I think the team wants to keep J.D. Davis. It's hard to know what will happen to veterans like Wilmer Flores and Joc Pederson. But that's what the off-season is for!

Right now we have to ride out the rest of the way with what we've got no matter how painful. A strong finish won't change the pennant races but it would give fans like me a lift. So, let's hope the team turns it around and gives us a few weeks of some fun baseball.

The Phillies come to town tomorrow night, game time 7:15 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.