One Billion Dollars

With the signing of NPB super-ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 yrs, $325M) the LA Dodgers have purchased the services of the two best Japanese ballplayers on the planet. One of them is arguably already the best player in MLB. Shohei Ohtani's $700M takes the total outlay to over one billion dollars. If you laid one billion dollar bills end-to-end (a bill is about six inches in length) they would stretch 500,000,000 feet or about 95,000 miles or nearly four trips around the earth.

That's a lot of scratch!

MLB annual revenue is about $10B, and the total value of all 30 franchises is about $70B. TV rights for MLB games come in at a little under $2B annually. According to Forbes the Giants are in the top tier of wealthy clubs, rating fifth with a $3.7B valuation. The Yankees top the list ($7.1B), followed by the Dodgers( $4.8B), Red Sox ($4.5B), and Cubs ($4.1B). The hapless and unfortunate A's rate 29th ($1.1B) and the Marlins get the honor of the bottom spot ($1B).

The Giants have a lot of payroll flexibility if you assume that ownership is indeed willing to spend money. Only Logan Webb and Jung Hoo Lee have long-term deals. Mitch Haniger, Wilmer Flores, and Taylor Rogers are signed through 2025 and are free agents after that. FNG catcher Tom Murphy is signed through 2025 with a club option for 2026. The Giants have a club option on reliever Luke Jackson for 2025. That's it. Everyone else is either a free agent after the 2024 season or is still under team control (or in their arb-years).

This year's payroll is about $160M meaning they have about $47M to spend without topping the luxury tax threshold ($237M).

The Giants need a starter. I'm hoping they will still pursue Shoto Imagana. Also both Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are available. The Giants will need a shortstop. They'll have to work the trade market to upgrade at that position. I think they will have to trade some of their young pitching talent to make a meaningful improvement.

I really like the Lee signing but it won't be enough to compete for the Western Division title. They've still got some work to do if they want to win 90+ games.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Thanks for reading. I hope we'll have some fun news to talk about before January rolls around.

--M.C.

Backstops

The Giants signed a veteran free-agent catcher to a two-year deal with an option for a third. His name is Tom Murphy and he has just over a thousand plate appearances in the bigs (eight seasons) and over two thousand innings (261 games) behind the plate. Most recently he slashed .290/.335/.538 in 47 games (159 PA) with the Seattle Mariners. He's got some pop and is clearly going to back up youngster Patrick Bailey, the putative starter.

Blake Sabol, after surviving his rookie season and Rule 5 status, seems like the obvious backup to that tandem. Where does that leave Joey Bart? He can't stay in AAA forever. He has no options remaining either, while Sabol's three are still intact.

There's a rumor that the Giants are willing to deal some of their young arms. Will they include Joey Bart in such a deal? I'd rather they sign Shoto Imanaga or Yoshinobu Yamamoto but if they can pull off a trade for someone like Framber Valdez I won't complain. There's also talk of a reunion with Sean Manaea.

Regardless, the catcher position seems to be in good shape. The Giants have a trio of young players and added a seasoned, part-time slugger to the mix. We all know FZ likes to make lots of moves around the margins that aren't exciting but are necessary. They also added a minor-league righty named Devin Sweet to the 40-man roster.

--M.C.

Who is Lee?

Jung Hoo Lee is a left-handed outfielder from Korea. He's played for the Kiwoom/Nexen Heroes of the KBO for the past seven seasons. He's known for his glove and is a high-average/high-OBP hitter. His career line is .340/.407/.491 (884 G, 3947 PA) and he turns 26 in August.

The Giants signed Lee to a six-year, $113M deal. That should beef up the outfield!

Wikipedia lists him as Jung-hoo Lee but all the baseball sites list him as Jung Hoo Lee. I suppose rendering Korean names into American English could have a few quirks. His father is a famous Korean ballplayer as well.

This is all very exciting. Let's strike while the iron is hot! Sign Yamamoto!

--M.C.

Oh, it figures

Shohei Ohtani goes to the Los Angeles Dodgers where everyone expected him to go. The rumor about him signing in Toronto was very convincing, and it seemed like a bold move for him, but he took the safe path. (I-5 in this case.) It's a monster deal: $700 million for 10 years.

It figures. The Dodgers have the capital to blow away the competition, and that they did. The projections all said it would take a ten-year deal but they also settled on $500M. That narrowed the field to a handful of teams but LA would have none of it and simply went "all-in" to chase them away. It was Godzilla vs. a Bunch of Bambis at that point.

I was not expecting the Giants to sign Ohtani. The only thing I wanted for Christmas was that he wouldn't sign with LA. I should have expected the Dodgers to get their man all along, but I suppose I had blocked it out in hope of a better outcome.

Time for the Giants to start signing some new players, don't you think?

--M.C.

New old blood

The Giants love their former players and they brought two back to beef up the coaching staff. Local boy Pat Burrell will be the new hitting coach and former Giants third baseman Matt Williams will now man the third-base coach's box. Current third base coach Mark Hallberg will move across the diamond, replacing Antoan Richardson. Bob Melvin's bench coach will be Ryan Christenson. The former Pepperdine and A's player was BoMel's guy in both Oakland and San Diego. He replaces Kai Correa.

Assistants J.P. Martinez, Alyssa Nakken, and Tairu Uematsu are supposed to be back. Justin Viele and Pedro Guerrero will stay on as assistant hitting coaches. Brian Bannister and Craig Albernaz, on the pitching side, are both with Cleveland now. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey is interviewing elsewhere so I expect we'll see a new top guy real soon. What former Giants pitcher and/or local boy would make a good pitching coach?

Anyway, I'm fine with the changes, it's to be expected with a new manager. Roster upgrades are next, I suppose. What moves do you think the Giants should make for the 2024 season? What moves do you think they will make?

--M.C.

Rangers wrap it up

The Arizona Diamondbacks had no answer--once again--for the relentless Texas Rangers who won their 11th road game to take the World Series title. Bruce Bochy joins Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Connie Mack, Walter Alston, and Joe Torre as managers with at least four rings. It was a close series until it wasn't. Even a six-inning no-hit effort from Zac Gallen couldn't help the D-Backs win a game at home.

Things can happen now. Things like signing free agents and stuff. I've no idea what to expect from the Giants. My shopping list is: Shohei Ohtani. Other than that, I'm open to lots of new players. Bring 'em on board! I'm sure the new manager has some ideas about the roster, we'll see how that plays out.

It's November already! I think the baseball season should finish by Hallowe'en, don't you?

--M.C.

Melvin comes back to the Bay

The Giants did what I hoped they'd do--get a new manager quickly and without a lot of fuss. Bob Melvin is well-known and well-regarded around MLB and he's a safe, solid choice. Melvin is from Palo Alto and went to Menlo-Atherton HS. He played amateur ball at Cal and at Cañada College. The 1980 Golden Bears team that Melvin played for was probably the best in school history (44 wins, 10-3 at CWS). They lost to the Arizona Wildcats by one run in the semifinal. (Arizona won the title and their star player was Terry Francona!) Melvin was drafted by the Tigers and came to the Giants with Juan Berenguer in a 1985 trade. He was traded to the Orioles in 1989 for Terry Kennedy. Melvin has managed four clubs (Seattle, Arizona, Oakland, and San Diego) over 20 seasons. In 2942 games his record is 1517-1425 (.516) and his teams have made eight playoff appearances.

Speaking of the playoffs, I was astounded by the NLCS result. The Diamondbacks played two exceptional baseball games in Philadelphia to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Phillies seemingly had the pennant in the bag after their Game 5 win but Arizona would not be denied. They got big performances from two rookies: pitcher Brandon Pfaadt and outfielder Corbin Carroll.

Bruce Bochy is back in the World Series after a rousing finish in Houston. Like the Phils the Astros got a huge Game 5 win on the road but the Rangers turned it up to another level for the final two games. They also have a rookie outfielder (Evan Carter) who looks like the real deal. I like to see new teams in the World Series and I think it's good for the sport. Expanding the playoffs means more upsets and more "wild cards" and this year really showed that. The Rangers and Diamondbacks were the number five and number six seeds.Three 100-win teams (LAD, ATL, BAL) and one 99-win team (TBR) were bumped in the early rounds.

It's clear the new mandate for any club is "just make the playoffs" as winning the division accrues no real benefit. Even a seven-game series cannot swing the odds enough towards the stronger team. Luck and chance still rule. A couple of big individual performances can really make an impact in a week of baseball. Billy Beane famously said "my shit don't work in the playoffs" and he was right. Teams have to be built for the long haul, but the short haul post-season is pretty close to a coin toss.

The Texas Rangers will have the home field advantage. Game One is Friday. Texas is listed as a -170 favorite. You'd need to bet $170 to get a $100 payout. Arizona comes in at +150, so you'd win $150 on a $100 bet. A betting line of -170 has an implied probability of about 63% which seems ridiculous. Texas is clearly better on paper but I don't think any baseball match-up is that lopsided. As we've seen, they have to play the games, and anything is possible.

--M.C.

9th inning: 5-13

The Giants stumbled badly in the final stretch but it's OK, they fired the manager and solved the problem. Interim manager Kai Correa finishes the season with a 1-2 mark after today's loss in the final game of the season. Rookie Kyle Harrison pitched five shutout innings and rookie Casey Schmitt hit two homers. Brandon Crawford started and hit leadoff but went 0-for-4 in what is likely his final game in SF, maybe his final game ever.

Here are the team's runs scored for the final eight games (they went 2-6): 0, 2, 2, 0, 2, 2, 2, 2.

1st inning: 6-12

2nd inning: 10-8

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning: 9-9

6th inning: 10-8

7th inning: 6-12

8th inning: 9-9

9th inning: 5-13

The final tally is 79-83, fourth place, 20 GB.

The 84-78 Diamondbacks finish second (15 GB) and get the final Wild Card spot despite losing their last four games. The Padres edge the Giants for third place.

--M.C.

Giants find their fall guy

No one is a happy about the Giants late-season collapse. And, it seems, someone has to take the blame. In baseball the manager usually gets the axe if the team under-performs and the Giants stuck to the script and fired Gabe Kapler. It's tacky to cut the guy loose with a weekend of baseball left to play. Why not just wait until Monday morning? It's a silly move in my mind. Kapler wasn't whiffing with the bases loaded or booting the ball around the outfield. No, the players did that. And so what if there was some whining in the clubhouse? Players should be upset by their individual performances and should be upset about the team's overall performance. Everyone had a hand in the team's poor play. No one gets off the hook--are they going to turn over the roster as well? Or the rest of the coaching staff?

This tells me that Farhan Zaidi doesn't value the manager all that much. It could be anyone, as long as it is one that works. I thought the 107-win 2021 season would buy Kap a little more goodwill but the sports world moves too fast for that stuff. "What have you done for me lately?" The Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and have gone 204-306 (.400) since then, including a 107-loss season, and they just signed manager Dave Martinez to a two-year extension! Explain that.

Kapler was an unorthodox manager and had an unusual personal style. San Francisco seemed like a perfect fit. I had no problem with him. He's weird, but it's not an act. He is exactly who he presents himself to be. I thought he brought a lot of smarts and freshness to the role and I liked his hands-off style in the clubhouse. He expected players to show up and do their best, like professionals, and didn't go for too much rah-rah or hand-holding. He was business-like and analytical and that perhaps was a bridge too far for a sport steeped in tradition. I suspect the big-money season-ticket holders squawked the loudest and the drop in attendance was a clear signal to the ownership that they needed to act.

I'm really not interested in another managerial search. I'd rather they have someone in mind already and we can be spared the speculation. After all, it apparently doesn't matter that much, there are plenty of guys who can step in to the job. Just as long as they know they have a very short leash.

By the way Kai Correa is 0-1 in his managerial career.

--M.C.

Logan Webb is the man!

SF 2  SD 1

In my last post I said that "Webb can't do it alone" but it seems he took exception to that tonight and damn well tried to do it all alone. Fortunately his fielders made the plays and the the lineup eked out the bare minimum of runs to edge the Padres. Webb gave up a run in the 1st on a dinker, a double, and a dunker, and it looked like Blake Snell and the Padres bullpen (and the Giants offensive ineptitude) would make the 1-0 lead stand. Webb kept throwing his nasty stuff and kept grinding out one scoreless frame after another and it finally paid off in the 8th. Marco Luciano, who had a great night, doubled after LaMonte Wade, Jr. walked with one out. Joc Pederson was walked to load the bases and Patrick Bailey forced out Wade at home. Is there any team in baseball lousier with the bases loaded than the Giants? Michael Conforto, however, knocked in two with an opposite-field hit to give the Giants (finally!!) the lead. In a surprise but well-deserved move Kap eschewed his closer and sent out his ace to finish the job. Webb quickly got in trouble with back-to-back singles but once again Kap stuck with him and he got three ground balls from the next three hitters to complete the game and seal the win. One of the outs was a close play at home and I thought I was going to pass out from the tension. That was one of the best finishes we've seen in this agonizing, frustrating season.

We all know Webb is the star of the club and it's great that he had one of his best performances at home in his penultimate start. It was also good to see young (22 years old) Luciano put his stamp on the game. He's the 2024 shortstop at this point. Brandon Crawford is the greatest SS in SF history but I think we can all see that he's at the end of his illustrious career. I hope he retires and gets a proper send-off in the final home series vs. LA this weekend.

Webb's final line: 9 IP, 9 H (8 singles), 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 110 pitches (76 strikes), and 15 ground ball outs. He was masterful. I would like to note that Cy Young candidate Blake Snell (14-9, 2.25 ERA) threw 100 pitches in his six shutout innings. He leads all starters in walks with 99! I prefer Webb's efficiency (only 31 free passes). Snell averages just under 5-2/3 IP per start (180/32 = 5.63); Webb almost an inning more (216/33 =  6.55).

Kyle Harrison, who looked a lot better in his last outing (and the team played one of their worst games of the season), gets the start tomorrow night (6:45 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb can't do it alone

ARI 7  SF 1

The Giants dropped the final contest in Arizona yesterday and fell back to .500 and three games off the Wild Card pace. There are ten games left and the math is pretty close to impossible. Of course they could always simply "win out" (10-0 the rest of the way!) and shut everyone up but I reckon that's a bet no one will take. They will now have to compete with the San Diego Padres for third place in the NL West.

Logan Webb got peppered for nine hits in six frames but only one went for extra bases and he kept the game close with another quality start.The Giants had three hits total in another anemic display with LaMonte Wade, Jr.'s solo shot leading off the 1st providing the only run. Webb leads MLB in QS with 23, batters faced with 816, pitches thrown with 3072, and in IP with 207. He's a "horse" in the old-fashioned sense. His BB/9 (1.35) is 3rd-best, HR/9 (0.87) is 8th-best, FIP (3.21) is 6th-best, and ERA (3.35) is 10th-best. His 61.6% ground-ball rate leads MLB by a lot, the second-best belongs to Framber Valdez (54.3%). You'd figure Webb for a lot of DPs and in fact he's the best with 28. FanGraphs says he's 7th-best with 4.6 WAR and Baseball-Reference pegs him 4th with 5.0 WAR. Interestingly, Baseball Prospectus has Webb at #1 (5.0) in their version (called WARP) of this rather abstract metric. He's a stud, that's for sure, and is the team MVP by far. We should get to see him pitch two more times before the season wraps up. If the Giants had a better club and Webb had a winning record he would be a serious Cy Young Award candidate. (He'll get some well-deserved down-ballot votes but I suspect Spencer Strider* will take the NL prize with his ridiculous K-numbers.)

Kyle Harrison gets re-called for tonight's game in LA (7:10 PT). Let's hope The Kid can find his footing.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

*Strider leads MLB in a stat called xFIP with 2.89 and, you-guessed-it, Webb is 2nd with a 2.98 mark. xFIP tries to account for the "noise" in home run rates which vary a lot from year-to-year. It is otherwise calculated and scaled just like FIP which tries to separate out the parts of the game pitchers can actually control (BB,SO, HR, HBP). Defense Independent Pitching Stats (DIPS) were developed by a man named Voros McCracken about 25 years ago and the ideas are fundamental to sabermetrics.

Disaster in the desert

ARI 8  SF 4

The Giants shot themselves in the foot last night and hobbled through another ugly loss. Poor fielding, once again, was pivotal. Alex Cobb is clearly hurting, I'll be surprised if gets another start. Apparently he's had hip issues before and might need surgery in the off-season. The team has a $10M option ($2M buyout) on him for 2024 and I hope they keep him around.

I'm a fan and I always hold out hope for a miraculous turn-around but short of an eight-game winning streak or somesuch the Giants chances for the playoffs are vanishingly small. They really needed to win yesterday. At this point I hope they can hang on and finish with a plus-.500 record. There are eleven games left and seven of those are against the Dodgers.

Logan Webb goes this afternoon (12:40 PT). He was a beast last time out but got no help from his mates. He gets the Matt Cain Award for 2023, of course. I'm sure glad they signed him to a long-term deal.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Epic fightback takes series

SF 6  CLE 5 (10)

This afternoon was just about the Most Giants-y Game of the year. This year, that is. They took a dump in the 1st when rookie Kyle Harrison pitched like, y'know, a rookie, and rookie third baseman Casey Schmitt played like, y'know, a rookie. Anyway, rookie Luis Matos salvaged something from an inept rally in the bottom of the 1st, then the Guardians tacked on, and it was 5-1 after two. It looked just like all those other hideous losses where the starter/opener takes it on the chin and the team can't recover. Alas, this time they rallied improbably, and scored in the 7th, the 8th, and the 10th to get their 75th win. Here's a short list of teams who don't have 75 wins: Mets, Yankees, Padres, Cardinals, Angels, and Red Sox. This season has been a slog but they are still in the fight so it was great to see them pull off a big comeback.

Alex Wood gets a nod for a superb relief stint. Harrison was done after four (82 pitches) having allowed seven hits (four doubles and a homer) and five runs (two on Schmitt's error). Wood threw four scoreless on just three hits. The Giants big hit came from J.D. Davis who hit a homer with two on in the 8th to tie the game. It didn't clear the fence by much but it was a huge blow nonetheless. Tyler Rogers put two on in the 9th after two were out but Camilo Doval bailed him out. Then Doval pitched a clean 10th and the Giants rallied in the bottom half with Late Game LaMonte delivering the winner, a sacrifice fly to score rookie Patrick Bailey.

Logan Webb gets the start tomorrow in Denver (5:40 PT). It's a four-game set through Sunday. Monday's an off-day.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

8th inning: 9-9

The Giants got a walk-off hit from Late-Inning LaMonte last night to beat the Guardians 5-4 in the 10th. That was the team's 144th game, the end of the eighth seasonal inning. There are 18 games left to play--a mere 1/9 of the 162 we started with. The 74-70 Giants (.514) are in third place in the NL West, 1-1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks who happen to have the third Wild Card spot by the same margin. Here's how we got here:

1st inning: 6-12

2nd inning: 10-8

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning: 9-9

6th inning: 10-8

7th inning: 6-12

8th inning: 9-9

This last stretch of games featured six straight losses. If you prefer a monthly breakdown it's Mar/Apr 11-15, May 17-12, June 18-8, July 12-13, August 12-15, and September 4-6.

Since the All-Star Break their record is 25-29 (.463). They can't afford to do that (8-10) as 82 wins will likely not be enough. A 10-8 record and 84 wins seems like an absolute minimum. Maybe they can really turn it around and pop off another 12-6 stretch. After all they've done it twice already.

Sean Manaea and Cal Quantrill square off tonight at 6:45 in the battle of the big ERAs (5.00 vs. 5.70). Go Giants!

--M.C.

Quality Winn

SF 6  ARI 3

Rookie Keaton Winn ran into trouble in the 2nd inning but otherwise threw five scoreless frames and the result was his second career quality start. This one resulted in a win (the last one was a loss in Toronto on June 29th). Behind 3-0 the Giants bounced back with two in the 2nd and three in the 3rd. Mitch Haniger had a double and a homer, and Thairo Estrada also homered. Joc Pederson added a solo shot later. Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval finished up.

Winn was a 20th-round pick in 2017. He missed time with Tommy John surgery but has over 300 IP in the minors, mostly starting. He's from nowheresville Iowa and the story was he had never been in an ML ballpark until his debut earlier this season. Giants need reliable starters and they like Winn's splitter and his high groundball rate. Let's hope the 25-year old can come up with a few more strong starts in the final weeks.

The Cleveland Guardians come to San Francisco for a three-game set. Alex Cobb gets the start tonight at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb's a winner

SF 9  COL 1

Logan Webb hadn't picked up a "W" in a month but last night he was overpowering and the lineup had another nine-run outburst against the Rockies. That beats the three total they scored in his last three starts, and in fact the team has scored two or fewer runs a total of thirteen times when Webb takes the hill this year. That's Matt Cain territory. Webb leads MLB in starts (30), innings pitched (193), and ground ball percentage (60.9). Last night he got TWELVE ground balls! FanGraphs says he's at 4.1 WAR, good for seventh overall, and Baseball-Reference says he's fourth with a 4.5 mark. Either way, he's a beast.

The Giants needed a team to beat up on and Colorado came to town at just the right time. Mike Yastrzemski hit in the leadoff spot and went 4-for-5 with two doubles and Luis Matos got two more hits from the ninth spot. A two-run homer in the 1st by Thairo Estrada got things going. They were 7-for-13 w/RISP.

Keaton Winn gets the ball tonight at 5:10 Pacific with a chance for a sweep.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants stop skid

SF 9  COL 8

So they won't go 0-for-September! Whew. It was looking like a real possibility. The Rockies came to town and threw away enough leads for a week's worth of baseball and the Giants capitalized and won a wild one. The game lasted almost three hours (2:53) which is increasingly unusual in today's pitch-clock world. The winning runs came on back-to-back bases-loaded walks! Credit to the Giants for muscling up (four homers including a back-to-back-to-back sequence to tie it in the 6th) and getting the line moving again (13 hits). Rookie Luis Matos was in the leadoff spot and hit two doubles and a single and added a walk. He looks more polished and seems to be finding himself. The team could sure use a spark, and a young stud (he's 21) having a big month would fit the bill. Someone has to help Wilmer Flores carry the load. The 32-year old is having a career year (.290/.356/.540) with 22 doubles and 22 homers in 108 games (393 PA).

Kyle Harrison got himself in trouble in the 2nd after an error and had a little bad luck, but hung on to get through five innings. He came out for the 6th and gave up a homer which made it 4-0 Colorado and Kapler pulled him (90 pitches). The lineup tied it in the bottom half and scored two in the 7th and three in the 8th to give Camilo Doval a 9-7 lead. He gave up a two-out RBI but got a strikeout to end it.

It has been an ugly stretch, that's for sure. Let's hope they can turn the page on all that and look better going forward. They are playing themselves out of a playoff spot but there are 21 games still on the calendar and a lot can happen in three weeks of baseball. All I can say is "right the ship, lads" and find a way to pull on the oars together.

It's Logan Webb tonight, 6:05 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Pads pound rooks

Rookie Tristan Beck has pitched well overall but he got clobbered in his Friday start in San Diego. His fellow rookie Kyle Harrison, fresh off a sparkling home debut, fell victim to the same onslaught on Saturday. Beck allowed nine hits (2 HR) and six runs in 2-2/3 IP leading to a 7-3 loss. Harrison fared a bit better, pitching into the 6th while also allowing six runs, but he got dinged for four bombs. He did strike out five against only two walks, so there's that. The final was 6-1. He may be a phenom but he's still a rookie. He'll learn how to keep the ball in the yard, I'm sure. The Giants got nothing going against Michael Wacha on Friday and Blake Snell dominated them on Saturday. September is not starting well.

Alex Cobb starts this afternoon (1:10 PT) in the final game. Then it's on to Chicago to face the Cubs.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. I'll be "away from my desk" for a few days so you'll have to carry on without me.

Team effort beats Padres

SF 7  SD 2

Jakob Junis opened the game and breezed through four scoreless frames, retiring 12 of 13 batters. The Giants then had one of those comical innings where every hit fell in while the fielders couldn't hang on to the ball. It was 6-0 after three and that seemed to take the fight out of the home club. Yaz added a solo shot later. The Padres have really under-performed this season. There is a LOT of talent on that squad! Sean Manaea relieved and walked five guys in his 3-1/3 but allowed only one run. Ryan Walker finished the 8th and Scott Alexander gave up a run in the 9th.

Giants finish August with a 12-15 record. They are 70-64 with 28 games left to play. They are a game ahead of the Diamondbacks and currently have the third Wild Card spot. If they play .500 (14-14) the rest of the way they'll finish with a respectable 84 wins but may miss out on the post-season. It might take a better effort than that. We'll see if they can pick up a few games in the final month.

Tristan Beck is listed as tonight's starter (6:40 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Reds steal a win

CIN 4  SF 1

Logan Webb pitched another strong game but the Giants eked out a mere four hits, and scored their only run on an errant pickoff throw. The Reds run more than anyone in baseball, and they ran a successful double steal to score a second run in the 6th and that was all they needed. The Giants made it 2-1 in the bottom half but managed only a few walks the rest of the way. It was feeble. The Reds played like they did not want to get swept. It was another missed opportunity in what feels like a season of missed opportunities.

The team travels to San Diego for four games. The first one starts tonight at 6:40 Pacific. There are 29 games left--a perfect time for a big winning streak.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Cobb masterful in near no-no

SF 6  CIN 1

With all my fussing about rookies and phenoms I may have lost sight of a grizzled vet or two. Alex Cobb will be 36 in October, and that's old in baseball years, but he's pitching at the top of his game. After youthful Kyle Harrison's big start in the first game of the series, Cobb topped it with the best performance of his career (228 G, 1310 IP). He came agonizingly close to a no-hitter, losing it with two outs in the 9th, but he carried on and got the strikeout to complete the game. Cobb retired the first 17 batters before an error by Casey Schmitt (originally scored a hit) gave the Reds their first base runner. In the 8th, having blown past his career-high in pitches, Cobb's gem was saved by a diving catch on a blooper from Austin Slater. In the 9th he walked a batter with one out who later scored on Spencer Steer's two-out double. Cobb finished with 131 pitches!

Not only was it a tremendous performance but a timely one. The Diamondbacks lost and the Giants reclaimed second place by half a game. Last night the lineup got seven hits but four were for extra bases. Patrick Bailey's two-run homer was the big blow.

Logan Webb gets the start this afternoon (12:45 PT) with a chance for a sweep. His rotation-mates have set a pretty high bar! Webb was not his usual dominant self in his last two starts and you know he wants to show the staff who is number one so I'm hoping for big things today.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. Remember when Yusmeiro Petit nearly threw a perfect game against the Diamondbacks? That was September 6th, 2013. He lost his after 8-2/3 as well.

Phenom dazzles in home debut

SF 4  CIN 1

22-year old southpaw Kyle Harrison put up six scoreless frames with eleven strikeouts and even came out for the 7th inning. He got the first out but after a double and a walk rookie Ryan Walker was summoned. He gave up a ground ball single but rookie right fielder Luis Matos fired a one-hopper home to get the runner for the second out. It was a pretty play. Walker whiffed the next guy. Tyler Rogers gave up a run with two outs in the 8th (on an error) but that was all for the Reds. Camilo Doval worked a 1-2-3 9th for the save.

The night belonged to the young lefty. He went 3-and-2 on the first two batters before whiffing them both, then overpowered Reds rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz on three strikes. Harrison struck out the first two batters in the 2nd before yielding a pop up. He struck out two more in the 3rd and gave up a hit. Two more strikeouts followed in the 4th. In the 5th he allowed a walk and a hit but got a strikeout to end the threat. I wasn't expecting him to continue but he was efficient in the 6th, whiffing the first guy and getting the next two outs on three pitches. With the Giants up 4-0 at that point Kyle went back on the mound but his night ended after 91 pitches. It was a sensational showing especially for a struggling club deep into a grueling season.

Wilmer Flores got the scoring going in the 1st but they squandered the chance for more. They got two more in the 3rd with an RBI hit from rookie Patrick Bailey and a sac fly from Paul DeJong. Rookie Wade Meckler got a clutch RBI double in the 6th to pad the lead. The Giants were 3-for-11 with RISP and stranded eight. I'm quibbling, I know. It was a big win against a tough foe. And Kyle Harrison was terrific in front of his first home crowd.

Alex Cobb goes tomorrow night, 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

A win! A win!

SF 8  ATL 5

Rookie Tristan Beck retired the first 12 Braves batters he faced. He's thrown four scoreless on two other occasions, both wins for the club, but those were in relief. Today he opened and cruised into the 5th with a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately a walk and a double spoiled the perfect game and the no-hitter. After a run scored Scott Alexander relieved and two more runs came in and suddenly it was 3-2 Atlanta. The Giants counter-punched, scoring four in the bottom half, and when the Braves tacked on two in the 6th the Giants responded with two more. Terrific bullpen work from The Brothers Rogers (Tyler in the 7th and Taylor in the 8th) kept it 8-5 until the 9th. Struggling closer Camilo Doval was summoned to seal the win and he was back to his dominant self and whiffed the first two batters. He had to work for the final out, getting dinged for a delay with an automatic ball, but he got the final out. It's been a while since we've seen a 1-2-3 save!

Rookie Patrick Bailey got the big hit, a bases-clearing double to re-take the lead for good. Rookie Casey Schmitt hit a homer. Rookie Luis Matos had a hit and scored a run and rookie Wade Meckler walked and scored. Grizzled vets J.D. Davis (2 RBI) and Austin Slater (2 H, 2 R) backed them up.

The Reds come to town for three. Monday night's game is at 6:45 PT. Rookie Kyle Harrison gets his first home start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Braves wear out Webb

ATL 5  SF 1

Atlanta phenom Spencer Strider dominated the Giants lineup--though that isn't hard to do--for seven frames, allowing only three hits and one run against nine whiffs. Two of the three hits were singles by rookies Wade Meckler and Luis Matos. Joc Pederson led off the 7th with a triple and scored on a ground ball out from J.D. Davis. Meanwhile Logan Webb was tormented by Michael Harris II (another Atlanta phenom) who homered in the 1st, and then singled, stole second, and scored in his next two at-bats. Webb lasted 5-1/3 and threw 92 pitches. Alex Wood relieved and finished up the final 3-2/3 with only one hit allowed.

This afternoon's game is at 1:05. Ryan Walker gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Disaster. Recovery. Triumph.

SF 8  PHI 6

OK, that's a bit hyperbolic, but this team needed a win so badly that another loss felt like the wheels would come off for good. Camilo Doval took the ball in the 9th with a three-run lead. The Phillies had the top of the lineup scheduled. Doval walked Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner and then gave up a homer to Bryce Harper. It was a nightmare outcome. I don't know what to do about back-to-back blown saves. Doval has been great all year but has run out of luck lately and is having some serious command issues. The two bases on balls were all non-competitive pitches, well out of the strike zone, easy takes for MLB hitters.

Jakob Junis finished the 9th unscathed and the Giants counter-punched against Craig Kimbrel in the 10th. Patrick Bailey walked, Wade Meckler (who had two hits and a walk) was hit by a pitch. That moved Manfred Man Casey Schmitt to third base. FNG Paul DeJong (who hit a two-run homer earlier) drove in two with a single to make it 7-5 Giants. A Thairo Estrada sac fly made it 8-5. After the disastrous 9th it was quite the display of getting off the mat and getting back in the fight.

Alex Cobb started and threw five scoreless frames but also a lot of pitches. He gave up back-to-back homers (Schwarber and Turner) to start the 6th and that was it for him. Five relievers got the next nine outs before Doval's collapse. Southpaw Taylor Rogers got the save chance in the bottom of the 10th and gave up a run but also struck out two including leadoff hitter Schwarber. Then Ryan Walker came in to face Turner (with Harper on deck) and he flew out to end it. Nothing is easy for this team.

It's a blessed, welcome off-day tomorrow. Then it's a six-game homestand: the Braves and the Reds for three apiece.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Harrison debuts, Giants lose

PHI 4  SF 3

I can't pin this one on closer Camilo Doval even though he gets tagged with the loss. The Giants lineup just can't score enough runs to support their pitchers. And Doval has been heroically good; perhaps he's just fatigued or is over-exposed. You can't expect the bullpen to keep shouldering the load all season long. They've kept the team's head above water most of the year. Kap & Co. deserve a lot of credit for getting the team to this place with only two starters, a disappearing offense, and a boatload of rookies.

Speaking of rookies, Kyle Harrison's debut has been hyped and over-hyped. He can't "save the season" fer chrissakes, nor can he do anything except be Kyle Fecking Harrison. Today he gave up a two-run homer to Bryce Harper, a former phenom himself, and there is no shame in that. He also whiffed five guys in 3-1/3, that's half of the ten outs he got. The young southpaw threw 65 pitches and hit one batter and walked one batter, yielding five hits and two runs. What's weird is that he dominated the Phillies right-handed hitters but had trouble with the lefties! Regardless, welcome to The Show, kid! Just be yourself and keep throwing strikes!

I'm pretty excited that they finally called him up. He's not going to move the needle a whole lot because even in the best-case scenario he'll get six starts (maybe seven) with 36 games to play. He'll be limited with pitch counts and whatnot so the most important thing is that he gets some seasoning and tackles his command issues. That will get him in proper shape for 2024.

The getaway game is 1:05 PT tomorrow. Alex Cobb is listed as the starter.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. Tonight was Game 126 which is 7/9 of the season, the completion of the seventh seasonal inning. You can see that the Giants have really hit a wall in the second half. Here is the breakdown:

1st inning: 6-12

2nd inning: 10-8

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning: 9-9

6th inning: 10-8

7th inning: 6-12

That's 65-61 (.516), tied now with Arizona for second-place in the NL West.

Giants edge Braves, salvage series

SF 4  ATL 3

The Giants blew a late lead on Saturday night and seem determined to do it again this afternoon but they eked out a win instead and there was rejoicing across the land. It's been an ugly stretch. The team opened the month of August with three straight wins against the Diamondbacks and then lost back-to-back games to the A's. That was an evil portent. They then lost two of three to the Angels, the Rangers, and now the Braves. That's 7-10 for the month and 16-18 since the Break. There's no rest for the weary, either: the team travels to Philadelphia next to face the number-one Wild Card contender.

But that's for tomorrow. Today we can enjoy a homer by rookie Luis Matos to open the scoring and a two-run homer from Mr. VSC Wilmer Flores to give the team the lead. Wilmer is on a roll (.301/.359/.541) these days and absolutely embodies Veteran Savvy Clutchness. A tremendous relief effort across the middle innings from rookie Tristan Beck was also crucial. Speaking of rookies, at one point there were five on the field: P Beck, C Patrick Bailey, LF/CF Matos, RF/LF Heliot Ramos, and 3B Casey Schmitt. Wade Meckler subbed for Ramos later so that's six rookies total. Whatever else happens this season it has been great to see all the young players get a shot.

The Giants scratched out the winning run in the 9th on a bases-loaded walk to Joc Pederson. Braves reliever Kirby Yates hit two batters before him. Sometimes the baseball gods give you a break when you really need it.

Don't look now but Arizona is only 1-1/2 games behind. Time to get back to winning ways.

It's Aaron Nola for the Phillies tomorrow at 3:40 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants blank Rays on three hits

SF 7  TBR 0

The Giants also had a good night with the bats, scoring three runs in the 6th, two in the 7th, and two in the 8th to seal a much-needed win. All the wins from this point on are "much-needed" so perhaps there's no point in reiterating that. But I don't want to bury the lede: four Giants pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout! Against a team like Tampa Bay that averages over five runs per game that's a particularly impressive pitching feat. And especially after Monday's lopsided loss. Tonight Jakob Junis went the first four frames and was overpowering with seven strikeouts. Sean Manaea whiffed five in 3-1/3 IP, Tyler Rogers got two outs on five pitches, and Luke Jackson struck out the side to end it.

Rookie phenom Wade Meckler got his first two hits. Meckler was drafted in 2022 and his video game minors stats (.335/.441/.469) made it hard not to get a look at him. He's a left-handed contact hitter with a feel for the strike zone but without a lot of power. He's an outfielder and would be a great fit in center but it is hard to know if he's got that kind of glove. He played college ball at Oregon State (he's from Anaheim) and is listed at 5-10 and 178 lbs. I think Tim Lincecum had pretty similar marks on his chart.

Homers from Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores got things going. Michael Conforto had three hits and drove in a run. Patrick Bailey had an RBI hit.

The series gets decided Wednesday afternoon (12:45 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bailey rescues Giants

SF 3  TEX 2  (10)

Just when all hope seemed lost Patrick Bailey hit a two-run homer to lift the Giants to a much-needed win. Logan Webb had thrown a superb eight shutout innings and got the first two outs in the 9th. A double by Julio Martinez ended his day, agonizingly short of a shutout win. Camilo Doval was summoned to protect the 1-0 lead but an infield single by Ezequiel Duran crushed the home crowd's dreams. Doval balked in a run in the 10th but his rookie catcher bailed him out in the bottom half.

It has been a run of ugly baseball and it looked like the anemic offense would waste Webb's great start. He had 14 ground ball outs to go with six hits, a walk, and six whiffs in 107 pitches. Speaking of whiffs, the Giants struck out 17 times this afternoon. That's right, 17 times. They got a solo shot from Michael Conforto in the 2nd but were otherwise 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position (until Bailey's blast) and left nine men on base. A bright spot was a three-hit day from Thairo Estrada.

The Giants snap their losing streak at four games and improve their August record to 5-6. They are .500 (14-14) since the Break. If they play .500 ball the rest of the way (22-22) they'll finish 85-77. They've lost the top spot in the Wild Card as they've fallen a game-and-a-half behind the Phillies but they are still strongly in second place in the NL West.

Another tough opponent comes to town, this time the Tampa Bay Rays. Monday night's game is at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. here's the win probability chart from FanGraphs:

 

 

Early runs too much for Giants

LAA 7  SF 5

The Angels jumped on opener Scott Alexander for three in the 1st. He left before getting an out. Jakob Junis allowed another before putting up three scoreless. The Giants made it back to 4-3 in the 3rd, but Alex Wood gave up two in his four frames and Luke Jackson gave up another in the 8th. The Giants got a two-run homer from Wilmer Flores but it wasn't enough.

The Padres have lost three straight and the Diamondacks have lost seven straight. The Giants are five games behind the Dodgers but five games ahead of third-place Arizona. August hasn't been very exciting (4-3) but the Giants are grinding along at 62-52 (.544) which is tied with the Phillies for the first wild-card spot. If they play .544 ball the rest of the way (48 games) they'll win 26 more games and finish with 88 wins.

I'll be away from my desk until the weekend. Tonight's game is at 6:38 PT. Ryan Walker matches up with Shohei Ohtani.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants rally in the 9th

SF 8  LAA 3

It was another close game and when Tyler Rogers gave up a run in the 7th to make it 3-2 Angels it looked like another agonizing loss. Then the 9th inning happened. The Giants put the first two men on and Patrick Bailey drove them home with a double. Suddenly it was 4-3 Giants! But they weren't done. FNG Mark Mathias drove in two with a single and Thairo Estrada and Blake Sabol chipped in RBI hits. The lineup batted around and took charge of the game. Camilo Doval struck out the side in the 9th to end it.

Logan Webb started and gave up two runs (one earned) in 5-2/3. Tristan Beck finished the 6th. After Tyler Rogers his brother lefty Taylor Rogers had a 1-2-3 8th with two strikeouts.

Lefty Scott Alexander is listed as the opener for tonight's game (6:38 PT). Let's hope we see more of the same: good pitching and big rallies.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Lost weekend

The Giants could hardly conjure up a hit on Saturday, losing to the A's 2-1 and wasting one of Ross Stripling's better efforts. Today the offense finally woke up, scoring six runs and taking a 6-3 lead after five frames. But Oakland's lineup chased Alex Cobb and tagged relievers Luke Jackson and Scott Alexander for late runs and it finished 8-6 A's. It's as if the teams switched places: the A's played like contenders and the Giants played like also-rans.

The Giants go south to take on the Angels for three with all games starting at 6:38 Pacific. Logan Webb gets the start tomorrow night.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants get two hits but still win

SF 1  ARI 0

24-year old rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt ("fought") has made nine starts this season. He's sporting a 7.11 ERA, a 7.24 FIP, and an 0-5 record. He dazzled the Giants this afternoon in San Francisco, allowing only two hits in seven innings with one walk and seven whiffs. I should note he pitched against the Giants earlier in the season (May 14th) and threw five strong frames in a 2-1 Diamondbacks win. Like today he allowed only one run.

Oh, did I mention that the Giants scored a run off Pfaadt? They did, in the 4th, on a LaMonte Wade, Jr. home run. That was enough. The bullpen teamed up to throw a shutout and the Giants eked out a win. Tristan Beck threw four innings after opener Scott Alexander. His bulk work set things up nicely for Sean Manaea (2/3), Luke Jackson (1-1/3, 3K), lefty Taylor Rogers (8th), and closer Camilo Doval (9th). Doval gave us a scare when he gave up back-to-back base hits but he wriggled out of the jam for his 33rd save.

This lineup is really having a hard time scoring runs! It's a good thing the pitching staff has been up to the task. Taking three of four from Arizona to open the month is a terrific accomplishment. They are a tough club with good hitters and limiting them to nine runs across 38 innings was impressive.

It's an off-day tomorrow and they play a weekend two-game set in Oakland before heading to Anaheim for three with the Angels. They are off again on the 10th, then face the Rangers and the Rays in a six-game homestand. The rest of the month features the Braves, Phillies, Reds, and even a peek at the Padres. That's a lot of good teams. Yikes, this is some serious pennant race stuff. Let's hope the hitters find their mojo.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb and Davis lead the way

SF 4  ARI 2

Logan Webb gave up three hits and two runs in the 1st inning but then threw six scoreless and stymied the potent Diamondbacks lineup. He got TWELVE ground ball outs in his seven frames! The Giants were befuddled by rookie Slade Cecconi who was making his debut until the 5th when they tied it up. A J.D. Davis single got it started and a triple by Brandon Crawford and a single by Isan Díaz got it done. They added the winning margin on a bases-loaded double from Davis in the 6th. Tyler Rogers (8th) and Camilo Doval (9th) were both efficient and effective and the Giants had another close, hard-fought win. There were once again many scoring chances that the Giants flubbed (3-11 RISP, 7 LOB) but the stellar pitching held the line. That's win number 60.

--M.C.

p.s. Tuesday's win was the 108th game of the season. I neglected to do an "innings" post. The Giants had a rough month of July: 12-13 with the league's worst batting average and run scoring! This was after two outstanding months (May 17-12, June 18-8). The Giants are 2-0 in August after tonight's win.

1st inning: 6-12

2nd inning: 10-8

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning: 9-9

6th inning: 10-8

That's 59-49 (.546) over the first 108 games (six innings or two-thirds of the season). Their 60-49 (.550) record after tonight's win is tied with Toronto for seventh-best in MLB, third-best in the NL, second in the NL West, and first in the NL wild card.

Late-inning LaMonte lifts Giants

SF 4  ARI 3

It was indeed a homer by LaMonte Wade, Jr. in the 7th that gave the Giants the lead and final winning margin. But a couple of plays by rookie catching prodigy Patrick Bailey really helped. He nailed would-be base-stealer Jace Peterson who had singled to open the 8th, taking some heat off rookie reliever Ryan Walker. In the 9th, with two outs, he picked off Geraldo Perdomo with a classic "snap throw to first" to end the game. Bailey is certainly making his mark.

Alex Cobb gave up three solo homers in his six innings. In the bottom of the 6th the Giants tied it against Zac Gallen on a Luis Matos RBI double and a Brandon Crawford two-run homer. Walker pitched the 7th and the 8th and got an out in the 9th after the leadoff hit by Perdomo. Sean Manaea relieved and got the second out before Bailey's alert play.

It's Logan Webb tomorrow night at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants run out of late-inning magic

ARI 4  SF 3  (11)

Once again the RISP bug bit: 0-for-9 in those spots with eight men left on base. That's with only five hits (and five bases on balls) in eleven innings. It's amazing that either team scored at all as the D-backs had a mere five hits as well. Things started promisingly but the lineup could not get the big hit and that let Arizona back into the game. They scored the Manfred Man in both the 10th and the 11th and that was the difference.

It's Alex Cobb and Zac Gallen tomorrow night at 6:45 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. Giants picked up A.J. Pollock for "cash considerations" presumably to be Mike Yastrzemski for the next few weeks. An AAA player (utility infielder) named Mark Mathias was part of the deal, he will require additional cash or a PTBNL (player to be named later).

Epic win in extras

SF 4  BOS 3 (11)

The Giants went 4-for-18 today with runners in scoring position, this after last night's 1-for-13, yet 5-for-31 (.161) was still good enough to produce two wins! It was a low-scoring series as the pitchers really took charge. Today Scott Alexander opened with a scoreless 1-2/3 and Ross Stripling followed with 4-1/3 scoreless of his own. He took a 2-0 lead into the 7th but gave up a homer to the first batter he saw (Adam Duvall). Lefty Taylor Rogers finished the frame but his brother righty submariner Tyler Rogers got dinged for two in the 8th (Justin Turner HR). The Giants tied it up in the bottom half and Camilo Doval took care of the 9th.

It was another frustrating day as the Giants left 14 men on base (12 yesterday) and once again could not seem to get the big hit. Fortunately young Tristan Beck was dominant in both the 10th and the 11th. The Red Sox never sniffed a run. In the bottom of the 11th Casey Schmitt was hit by a pitch and Brandon Crawford bunted for a single to load the bases (Patrick Bailey was the Manfred Man). Joc Pederson poked one through into right field and the Giants finally had their clutch knock. Back-to-back walk-off wins should get the home crowd excited, right?

That was an excellent series win against a tough foe. The team showed resilience and determination. Both LA and Arizona lost so the 58-48 Giants are in 2nd place, two behind the Dodgers and two ahead of the Diamondbacks. The next four games are at home against those D-backs (Friday is an off-day). Monday's game (6:45 p.m. PT) will close out the month of July (they've gone 11-12, 9-7 since the Break).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Walk-off win evens series

SF 3  BOS 2

Camilo Doval blew the save and the lineup was 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position but the Giants managed a win nonetheless. A strong opening from Ryan Walker (2-2/3 IP, 1 H, 3 K) and superb long relief from Sean Manaea (4-2/3 IP, 2 H, 5 K) helped the Giants cling to a 2-0 lead. Tyler Rogers got the final two outs of the 8th before Doval's unfortunate 9th. It really should have been 5-0 or somesuch as the Giants had multiple chances throughout the game to add on and they could not get the big hit. The Red Sox got two in the 9th to tie it but a big swing by J.D. Davis on the first pitch from Kenley Jansen in the bottom half launched one off the fair pole for a walk-off win.

The Giants scored in the 1st on a leadoff single from Austin Slater and a double from Wilmer Flores (who had three hits total). Davis singled Flores to third base but the rally died there. It was a harbinger of things to come! Marco Luciano singled to open the 6th and came around to score on Slater's grounder but that was it until Davis' game-winning homer.

The rubber match is tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 Pacific. Starters have not been listed.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bats can't back Webb

BOS 3  SF 2

Marco Luciano got his first major-league hit and that's always a fun thing. Let's hope he gets a lot more. He was hosed in the 7th in a crucial spot by some poor umpiring. He correctly looked at two close pitches that were out of the zone but both were called strikes and it killed the rally. The Giants sent four rookies to the plate in that sequence. A spectacular play at second base by Justin Turner saved a run. If that ground ball had gone through it might have changed the outcome. The lineup just could not get much going--a familiar refrain these days.

The Red Sox got the big hit they needed in the 8th. Logan Webb departed with a man on second and one out and the team trailing 2-1. Lefty Taylor Rogers was summoned for lefty Jarren Duran who was replaced by righty Rob Refsnyder. He hit a grounder through the six-hole to drive in what was to be the winning run.

It was a frustrating loss to be sure. Today's game is a Fox Saturday broadcast at 4:15 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Back-to-back wins

SF 8  OAK 3

The Giants picked up a game on the Diamondbacks with a late outburst against the A's. J.D. Davis homered in the 1st to make the home crowd happy. Casey Schmitt doubled in the 2nd to make it 3-0 but Oakland fought back and tied it up against Jakob Junis in the 4th. A pinch-hit two-run homer from Austin Slater in the 6th made it 5-3 and with Alex Wood's three scoreless frames (5th, 6th, and 7th) the Giants were set up nicely. They tacked on three more in the 8th and that allowed Luke Jackson to finish up. Marco Luciano made his debut playing shortstop and batting eighth. He handled all his chances cleanly but went 0-for-2.

It's an off-day tomorrow and then three against the Red Sox over the weekend. Friday night's game is at 7:15, Saturday afternoon's is 4:15 (Fox), and Sunday's at 1:05 (all times Pacific).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants edge A's to snap skid

SF 2  OAK 1

Alex Cobb threw six dominant innings in San Francisco tonight and gave the Giants a chance to win. They scratched out a run on a Casey Schmitt sacrifice fly in the 5th to take a 1-0 lead but couldn't hold it. Tyler Rogers, in his second inning of work, gave up a two-out RBI hit to JJ Bleday in the 8th to tie the game. Fortunately Mike Yastrzemski flashed his Veteran Savvy Clutchness with an RBI double in the bottom half to regain the lead. Camilo Doval struck out the side in the 9th to make it stand.

Whew! The team desperately needed a win. They got a win. That's good. That's very good.

Tomorrow night's game is at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. RIP Mike Ivie who died last week at age 70. He was the first pick of the 1970 draft (Padres). Ivie's two best seasons (1978-1979) were with the Giants. He was traded to the Astros in 1981 for Dave Bergman and Jeffrey Leonard.

Rookies spark comeback win

SF 6  PIT 4

The Giants started their longest road trip of the season with an impressive comeback win against the Pirates. Starter Ross Stripling looked better but couldn't finish the 5th and left with the game tied 2-2. Sean Manaea finished the frame and the Giants took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 6th. Manaea unfortunately gave up two in the 6th and had to be bailed out by recent call-up Mauricio Llovera. In the top of the 7th a leadoff double by Wilmer Flores and a walk to J.D. Davis set up Patrick Bailey and he drove in two (an OF error helped) with a single. That made it 5-4 and after Bailey stole second Luis Matos drove him in with a single. That was enough. An outstanding two-inning performance by righty submariner Tyler Rogers kept it 6-4 into the 9th where Camilo Doval turned in an effortless 8-pitch save.

It's a fine win to start the second half of the baseball season. As I pointed out it is really the remaining 4/9 (44%) of the season but as we know these games get increasingly more important as the calendar turns. Tonight's win was the club's 50th. With the Dodgers winning and the Diamondbacks losing LA (52-38) takes the top spot by a game over AZ (52-40). The 50-41 Giants are 2-1/2 games back in third place.

All-Star Alex Cobb takes the hill tomorrow (4:05 PT) in Pittsburgh.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. I'll be away from my desk for about the length of this Giants road trip. I'll keep an eye on things but I won't be posting. So keep the comments flowing!

The last time the NL won the All-Star Game . . .

. . . the Giants had a pretty good year.

So I'm taking the 3-2 win by the "senior circuit" to be a good omen for the rest of the season. The NL used nine pitchers for one inning apiece. Alex Cobb threw a scoreless 4th and Camilo Doval a scoreless 7th. Doval was awarded the win as the go-ahead homer was hit in the top of the 8th. Way to go, Giants!

MLB decided that the June draft should be moved to July and should happen during the All-Star Break. The Giants had the 16th pick and took another two-way player, this time a high-schooler named Bryce Eldrige. The second pick (#49) was another high schooler, lefty-hitting shortstop Walker Martin. After that it was Kent State southpaw Joe Whitman (#69) followed by two more college shortstops. Cole Foster (#85) is a switch-hitter from Auburn and Maui Ahuna (#117) is a lefty-hitter from Tennessee. Ahuna is from Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i. You might remember that I spent some time watching baseball in Hilo and I have a real fondness for the place. There are a lot of Giants fans in the Aloha State. In Hilo you can follow the orange-and-black on KPUA 670 AM. 

Here's a list of all the Giants picks (21 total). We are seeing players (Patrick Bailey and Casey Schmitt) from the 2020 draft class in the majors right now so we could to see some of these new Giants by 2026.

The games resume Friday--the Giants will be in Pittsburgh (4:05 PT).

--M.C.

 

p.s. Hilo High School's most famous graduate has to be Jennifer Doudna who shared the 2020 Nobel Prize (with Emmanuelle Charpentier) in Chemistry for their work in genetics (CRISPR).

5th inning: 9-9

1st inning: 6-12

2nd inning: 10-8

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning: 9-9

Logan Webb threw his 96th career start* this afternoon and achieved two things: his first complete game and his first shutout. The Giants got a 4th-inning homer from J.D. Davis and with Webb's dominant outing that was enough for a 1-0 win. That's the club's 49th victory of the season and I'm a bit disappointed as I was hoping for 50 by the All-Star Break. Nonetheless the 49-41 record and .544 percentage is better than many people expected when the season started. Remember that they were 6-13 at one point and finished April at 11-16. They then went 35-20 in May and June including a ten-game winning streak. They also had a franchise-record streak of ten consecutive road wins. They swept a three-game set in Colorado (6/6-6/8), then back-to-back three-game sweeps of the Cardinals and the Dodgers (6/12-6/18), and the first game of the series in Toronto (a shutout against Kevin Gausman on 6/27). It was quite a run.

With today's win the Giants improve their July record to 3-5. Overall they are in third place in the NL West, three games behind the 52-38 Arizona Diamondbacks. They score 4.66 runs per game, putting them in the top third, just a little above the MLB average of 4.58 rpg. On the pitching side they allow 4.33 runs per game, good for 13th-best. If they are a .544 team then they project to win 39 more games out of the remaining 72. That would get them to 88 wins and right on the Wild Card bubble (just like they are now). If they can summon that May-June magic and be a .600 team they'll finish 92-70 which would most likely secure them a spot. Regardless they are going to have to play as well the rest of the way, and likely a little better overall, as they've played in the first 90 games.

But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Today was about Logan Webb throwing one of his best games ever (10 strikeouts, 10 ground ball outs, no walks) and the Giants getting a much-needed win. I should point out that Webb's 126 IP is the most in MLB.

The Giants return to action on Friday, July 14th in Pittsburgh (4:05 Pacific). Meanwhile, enjoy the break!

--M.C.

*It was his 99th game--he pitched in relief once in 2020 and twice in 2021.

Giants power past Rockies

SF 5  COL 3

It's been a rough homestand for the Giants but they bounced back today with a power-fueled win. A two-run homer in the 1st from Michael Conforto and another two-run homer in the 5th by pinch-hitter Austin Slater made the difference this afternoon. Rookies Patrick Bailey and Casey Schmitt combined for a run in the 4th to give the Giants the lead they would not relinquish. Much of that was due to an excellent long relief effort from southpaw Alex Wood. After a two-inning opening stint from rookie Ryan Walker (who gave up a run in each frame) the struggling starter entered in the 3rd and was sharp and efficient. He delivered five scoreless innings surrendering a walk and three hits while whiffing three. Tyler Rogers gave up a two-out run in the 8th but Camilo Doval had a quick 9th and that nailed down the win.

Alex Cobb was selected for the NL All-Star team (as a replacement for Atlanta's Bryce Elder) and so will join closer Doval in Seattle for Tuesday's showcase.

Logan Webb gets the final start of the first half* tomorrow at 1:05 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

*it's actually the team's 90th game which is 5/9 (56%) of the season

Cobb leads the way

SF 2  SEA 0

The Giants had been 0-for-July until last night's tidy win. A strong start from Alex Cobb and the three-headed relief monster (The Brothers Rogers and Camilo Doval) snapped the four-game losing streak. There wasn't much in the way of highlights with the Giants barely eking out their two runs but the combined shutout was nice to see. Wilmer Flores had three hits and Luis Matos had two plus a walk.

It's an off-day today and then there's a three-game set against the Rockies before next week's All-Star Break. Friday is a night game (7:15 PT) while Saturday and Sunday are both day games (1:05). The rotation has not been announced but Logan Webb pitched Monday so I expect we'll see him on Saturday.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Sabol's shots not enough

SEA 6  SF 5

Logan Webb had strikeout stuff, whiffing eleven in his 6-2/3, but the Mariners chipped away and it was tied 2-2 after seven. Blake Sabol's two-run homer in the 4th gave the Giants a brief lead. Lefty Taylor Rogers finished the 7th and his brother righty Tyler Rogers handled the 8th. Unfortunately Camilo Doval imploded in the 9th, his worst outing of the season, and a taut 2-2 affair was suddenly 6-2 Seattle. Blake Sabol struck again, this time a three-run bomb in the last of the 9th, but it wasn't quite enough. That's three straight losses. The team needs to find that winning mojo again.

It's a day game in San Francisco tomorrow, 1:35 PT.

Happy Fourth of July and GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Bailey powers Giants

SF 5  NYM 4

Rookie Patrick Bailey blasted a three-run homer in the 8th inning off Mets closer David Robertson to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead. And if that weren't enough he gunned down would-be base-stealer Starling Marte who was pinch-running in the 9th. That snuffed out a rally and Camilo Doval whiffed Brandon Nimmo to end it. It was a massive performance by the switch-hitting 24-year old who seems to have a knack for big moments. Wilmer Flores also homered--he is still beloved in Citi Field. In other good news Alex Cobb is back in the rotation and Brandon Crawford got his 729th career RBI (that ties him with Buster Posey for 13th place on the all-time NY/SF Giants list).

Thursday's agonizing 2-1 loss in Toronto was the 81st game of the season, the half-way point. Today's dramatic win in New York City puts the Giants at 46-36 with 80 games to play. They have the eighth-best record (.561) in baseball, sandwiched between the Dodgers (.563) and the Yankees (.556). They followed up their 17-12 May with an 18-8 June.

Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Verlander go at it tomorrow (1:10 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb gets whacked

TOR 6  SF 1

The Blue Jays jumped on Logan Webb from the get-go, scoring five runs on six hits in the 1st inning and that was enough to even the series. That spoiled a nice run of excellent starts. Toronto went with their own version of a bullpen game getting three frames from veteran Trevor Richards and four from rookie Bowden Francis. Austin Slater's solo shot in the 5th was the only Giants run. Webb threw four scoreless after the disastrous 1st and departed after 92 pitches. Ross Stripling took the final three innings, throwing 50 pitches and yielding a run.

The 45-35 Giants play their 81st game tomorrow evening (7:07 4:07 PT). That's the halfway mark of the season! They go to New York to play the Mets after that.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

TEN IN A ROW!

SF 4  SD 2

The Giants scored four runs in the 5th inning, breaking a scoreless tie, and then held on to win their tenth straight game. It was a bullpen effort once again with rookie Ryan Walker opening the game. This time it was Sean Hjelle who did the long stretch--four innings of three-hit ball with five strikeouts--and kept the Giants in the game. Righty submariner Tyler Rogers gave up a run in the 8th and that's the first he's allowed since May 20th (11 appearances, 10-2/3 IP).

The winning rally against Yu Darvish started with an infield single by Luis Matos who then stole second. Blake Sabol singled and David Villar walked to load the bases. Brandon Crawford hit a sac fly for one run and then Joc Pederson, Mike Yastrzemski, and J.D. Davis all singled to make it 4-0.

42 wins is the 6th-most in MLB. Alex Wood gets the start today and faces Blake Snell (12:45 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Joc's walk makes it nine

SF 4  SD 3

Joc Pederson tied the game in the 8th with a homer and then walked with the bases loaded in the 9th to drive home the winner. Jacque le Bop hit his eighth big fly and Jacque le Walk notched his twenty-second free pass. That's in 150 PA. Kap had him in the leadoff spot and he also struck out (for the thirty-third time) to complete the TTO trifecta (BB, SO, HR) in his five trips to the plate. It's good to have our DH back--his .266/.387/.508 slash line is miles above his lifetime marks (.238/.337/.471). He's hitting better than he ever has in his career.

Once again the Giants got a huge lift from the 'pen with a scoreless long relief effort from Tristan Beck. Anthony DeSclafani went the first five, allowing eight hits and three runs, and Beck went the next three giving up a hit and a walk and whiffing two. The string of zeros gave the lineup a chance and they delivered, scoring in the 7th, 8th, and 9th to overcome a 3-1 deficit. Righty submariner TYLER Rogers got the save in the 9th.

The Giants will try to make it ten in a row tonight behind Ryan Walker (6:45 PT). The Padres send out the always tough Yu Darvish.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

4th inning: 12-6

1st inning: 6-12

2nd inning: 10-8

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

That's the 40th win for the ballclub (eight in a row). There are only eight teams in MLB with 40 or more wins (TBR, ATL, TEX, BAL, ARI, MIA, LAA).

YAZ-MA-TAZZ!!

SF 7  SD 4 (10)

The Giants pull off one of their most exciting wins of the season, tying the game in the 9th and winning it in the 10th on a Mike Yastrzemski splash hit. It was his second big fly of the night. The Giants continue their winning ways with an impossible comeback at home against a key division rival. It was a bullpen game once again with Ryan Walker taking John Brebbia's spot. He lasted 1-2/3, yielding a solo shot to Juan Soto. Lefty TAYLOR Rogers got the next two outs. Jakob Junis got tagged for four hits and two runs in his 1-2/3 and he turned it over to rookie Keaton Winn. Winn gave up a solo shot to Soto but delivered five full frames with only the one run allowed. It was an epic long relief/bulk innings performance! And it was enough to give the Giants a chance in the 9th and they clawed back with some gifts from an erratic Padres bullpen. Camilo Doval walked his usual tightrope but put up a zero in the 10th and the Giants converted their chance in the bottom half. Yaz finished the night with three hits (half the team total) and four runs batted in.

Other highlights include Blake Sabol's walk (and his sacrifice bunt), David Villar's homer, and Patrick Bailey's clutch RBI. It was Yaz' night, and Winn's as well, but it was--as always--a TEAM EFFORT!

Anthony DeSclafani gets the start tomorrow night at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb leads sweep

SF 7  LA 3

Giants starter Logan Webb threw seven innings and allowed only two runs. Meanwhile the Giants lineup knocked Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin out of the game with a four-run 6th. That formula usually works and it did again today.

Webb has thrown seven innings in eight of his fifteen starts. He got twelve ground balls this afternoon in LA. The Dodgers were pesky and managed eight hits but Webb limited the walks (two) and kept the ball in the yard. He struck out five and had a double play behind him.

In the 6th Luis Matos came up with runners on second and third and one out and he doubled them both home on a 3-2 pitch. The Giants 3-2 lead was suddenly 5-2 and the winning rally was in full swing. I thought that was the big hit of the game. Webb put up a zero in the bottom half of the 6th and another in the 7th. Luke Jackson pitched a scoreless 8th. Scott Alexander made a mess in the 9th, loading the bases with one out, and they called on Camilo Doval. He hit a batter to make it 7-3 but then got the next two guys out.

The Giants haven't swept a series in LA since 2012. That was a good year. Like I said yesterday: savor it!

The Padres come to San Francisco for four games starting Monday night (6:45 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. Take a look at the standings (SF 39-32, LA 39-33)!

Six-hit shutout for sixth straight

SF 15  LA 0

The best thing about tonight's drubbing of the Dodgers in LA is that Alex Wood returned from the IL and pitched well. There were a lot of things to like about tonight, and we'll get to those, but Wood's five shutout innings (3 H, 0 W, 4 K, 67 p) top the list. Here's a few other items for your consideration: a three-run homer from LaMonte Wade, Jr, a pinch-hit grand slam from J.D. Davis, two hits, two walks, and four runs scored by rookie Luis Matos, a four-hit night by Brandon Crawford, and a four-inning scoreless save from rookie Tristan Beck. I like the emergence of the "bulk innings" guys on this team. We used to call it "long relief" but I'll go with Kap-speak. Starting pitching is still the key and that's why I'm happy to see Wood back and looking good. But I know the relief corps will get a lot of work going forward and having guys who can do longer stretches will really help.

We've seen the Dodgers pummel the Giants far too many times over the years. It's great to have one go the other way! A lopsided beat-down of our favorite foe is a rare treat--savor it.

When Wilmer hit his homer yesterday it was after he'd fouled a ball off his foot. It was a bad enough bruise to land him on the IL. John Brebbia also hit the list. He's been used a lot. They are calling it a lat strain.

Logan Webb goes tomorrow afternoon (1:10 PT) with a chance for a sweep.

Go Giants!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Weird, wonderful win

SF 7  LA 5  (11)

That was a 3-1/2 hour game! That was nothing "back in the day" but in today's world it's a marathon. And the Giants prevailed. It didn't look good for the visitors as Dodgers rookie Emmet Sheehan rolled off six hitless innings in his debut. That's right, a newly-minted kid stymied the Giants. Seems like an old story. He got help from his fielders--the Giants hit some balls hard and had a bit of bad luck. Nonetheless it was 4-0 LA after six. Sean Manaea was the victim in the 5th giving up all the runs with two outs and especially hurt by an error from Michael Conforto.

Sheehan got replaced by Brusdar Graterol in the 7th and Wilmer Flores breathed some life back into the lineup with a two-run homer. The Giants added three more in the 8th off Victor Gonzalez and Tayler Scott and suddenly everything was looking good. Alas, Camilo Doval put two on in the 9th and Freddie Freeman doinked one over the infield to tie the game at 5-5. Doval's last blown save was April 30th. Mookie Betts was thrown out by Patrick Bailey trying to steal third base. Betts would play a big role later.

Neither team could score in the 10th but in the 11th Luis Matos walked with one out. Singles from Brandon Crawford and Austin Slater made it 7-5. In the bottom half Jakob Junis got the first man to ground out. Then it went really, really weird. Mookie hit an infield pop up and put his head down and jogged dejectedly toward first. Casey Schmitt muffed the play and Junis compounded the error by picking up the loose ball and chucking it over Wilmer's LaMonte Wade, Jr.'s head. Betts turned on the jets and raced toward second. Mike Yastrzemski picked up the carom in short right field and alertly ran the ball back to the infield. The Dodgers had given Manfred Man Michael Busch the stop sign as he rounded third. Betts had not noticed and mistakenly kept running. Suddenly both runners were in jeopardy, Busch headed home, and the Giants did the run-down play and got the second out. It was absurd--the Giants were in a giving mood but the Dodgers weren't taking! Freeman struck out on three pitches to end it.

That's five wins in a row. Alex Wood is back from the IL and gets the start tonight (6:10 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Epic comeback fuels sweep

SF 8  STL 5

The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead but saw it quickly evaporate. Anthony DeSclafani gave up a grand slam in the 2nd and was done after three innings (78 pitches) with the team trailing 5-2. Of his nine outs seven were whiffs. That spoiled, for a bit, the debut of rookie phenom Luis Matos who singled in his first appearance (second batter of the game) and later scored the team's second run. Welcome to the big club, Luis! Show us what you got!

Jakob Junis provided some stability with three shutout frames. That's two big long-relief performances in two games. Starting pitching is a little thin right now and the team needs some quality bulk-innings work so that's a good sign. David Villar, back with the team because of J.D. Davis' ankle sprain, doubled in the 7th and Mike Yastrzemski drove him home to make it 5-3. It was a harbinger of things to come.

Southpaw Taylor Rogers took the 7th, Ryan Walker the 8th, and righty submariner TYLER Rogers handled the 9th. The Rogers Boys threw a total of 15 pitches (14 for strikes!).

LaMonte Wade, Jr. walked to lead off the 9th. With two outs Yaz hit one of those miraculous game-tying homers that you root for every time but hardly ever get. What a great moment! That was a big, big blast. It gave the Giants a second chance at a sweep. When a team gets rolling it needs an occasional miracle to keep the positive vibes flowing.

In the 10th Thairo Estrada plated Yaz (the Manfred Man) with a single and then stole second. Wilmer Flores singled him in and took the extra bag on the throw home. Late Inning LaMonte took advantage of that and singled Wilmer home to make it 8-5. Camilo Doval struck out both Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado as part of his 18th save and the Giants fourth straight win.

36 wins may not seem like much but it puts the Giants in 12th place among all 30 MLB teams. Their .529 win percentage is better (at this moment) than Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Seattle, Minnesota, and San Diego among others. This team was 6-13 on April 21st! They've gone 30-19 (.612) since then.

It's a critical stretch of the schedule as the next ten games are against division foes. Tomorrow is an off-day then there is a weekend series in LA (Friday 7:10, Sat 6:10, Sun 1:10 PT). They come home the following week for four against the Padres and three against the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Winn gets the save

SF 11  STL 3

The Giants battered the Cardinals with 17 hits, scoring in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 9th innings to win their 35th game. Alex Cobb had an ugly opening frame, throwing 32 pitches and giving up three hits, a walk, and two runs. He managed three more frames, all scoreless, and was lifted after 79 pitches. Luke Jackson put up a zero in the 5th and rookie Keaton Winn was summoned for the 6th. He got six outs before giving up a run in the 8th and then finished the 9th 1-2-3 with a strikeout to end it. Quite a debut for the 25-year old 20th-round draft pick (2017*) from Council Bluffs, Iowa. The bullpen needs a "bulk innings" guy and Winn, who was mostly a starter in the minors, threw 55 pitches to 16 hitters for his 12 outs. I think that was a very inspirational performance!

Michael Conforto had four hits and 3 RBI and Mike Yastrzemski and Patrick Bailey hit back-to-back homers in the 6th just to touch on a few offensive highlights.

It's a getaway game tomorrow, start time 10:15 a.m. Pacific. Anthony DeSclafani gets the call.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

*Heliot Ramos (1st round) and Bryce Johnson (6th round) were also taken in that draft.

Webb, Giants edge Cards

SF 4  STL 3

The Giants took an early 2-0 lead but a solo shot by Paul DeJong in the 5th and a two-run homer by Paul Goldschmidt in the 6th made it 3-2 Cardinals. Mitch Haniger's two-out hit in the top of the 7th tied it up and Logan Webb recovered with a scoreless bottom half. The Giants rallied in the 8th when Patrick Bailey doubled and Brandon Crawford singled him home. Taylor TYLER Rogers got two outs in the bottom of the 8th but put two on and they summoned closer Camilo Doval. He loaded the bases but got the final out. In the 9th he put a man on, got a double play, then put two on to face Goldschmidt but he retired the slugger with one pitch. Whew!

The Giants are now 16-15 on the road (and 18-17 at home). Alex Cobb goes tomorrow at 4:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Back to winning ways

SF 13  CHC 3

After back-to-back low-scoring losses (3-2 Friday and 4-0 Saturday) the Giants broke out with a home run barrage and salvaged the series with a big win. Joc Pederson smacked two homers in a perfect day (four hits and a walk in five PA). Thairo Estrada also walloped two big flies scoring three and driving in four. It was another bullpen game. After yesterday's sterling opening, a two-inning, 19-pitch clean sheet, John Brebbia was the man once again. He got in trouble right away but wriggled out of it. He's allowed only two runs in his last 15 appearances (16-1/3 IP). Rookies Tristan Beck (2 IP, 2 R) and Ryan Walker (3 IP, 1 R) took the next five innings. Only one of those runs was earned as the Giants made a ghastly FOUR errors in that span. Fortunately the lineup kept the heat on all game, scoring two in the 1st, two in the 3rd, one in the 4th, three in the 5th, two in the 6th and three in the 7th.

Luke Jackson and Taylor Rogers got the next six outs and in an unexpected development BRANDON CRAWFORD was given the ball in the 9th inning! It was 13-3 at that point. BCraw had never before pitched in the big leagues. He put two guys on but got the next three outs to seal the win. They are back over .500 at 33-32.

The team travels to St. Louis for a three-game set with the 27-39 Cardinals. Logan Webb gets the start at 4:45 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Comeback completes sweep

SF 6  COL 4

Thairo Estrada led off the game with a homer but Alex Cobb was rocked for four runs in the bottom of the 1st. The veteran righty settled in though and delivered four scoreless frames after that. The bullpen was stellar once again: "The Rogers Brothers" are becoming quite the act! Scott Alexander and Camilo Doval finished up. A homer by Michael Conforto in the 6th cut the deficit to 4-3 and a three-run rally in the top of the 9th set the stage for the win. Reliever Pierce Johnson walked the first two hitters and a pinch-hit double from Brandon Crawford tied the game. A sac fly from LaMonte Wade, Jr. and a single from Joc Pederson completed the scoring.

That's eleven straight wins against the Rockies. A three-game set against the Cubs at home starts tonight (7:15 PT) with Anthony DeSclafani taking the hill.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb wobbles but Giants prevail

SF 5  COL 4

Trailing 4-0 in the 7th pinch-hitter Austin Slater singled in a run and later Casey Schmitt singled in two more to make it 4-3. Slater keyed another rally in the 8th with the game-tying single. Patrick Bailey's bunt brought in the eventual winner. Slater subbed for Mike Yastrzemski in CF and that's a solid platoon. With Michael Conforto healthy and Mitch Haniger showing life (hit, walk, two runs scored) that's a strong outfield.

Comebacks don't happen without good bullpen work. After Logan Webb uncharacteristically departed in the 6th rookie Tristan Beck held the line. A tremendous inning from Taylor Rogers (he's looking better) followed and brother Tyler did his thing in the 8th. Camilo Doval got his 15th save.

Alex Cobb starts the getaway game (12:10 PT) and they come home tomorrow to face the Cubs.

Go Giants!

--M.C.