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.

10 for 30

SF 10  COL 4

The Giants rapped out a team-record eight doubles and also drew eleven walks to thump the Rockies and win their 30th game. It was a bullpen effort with rookie Ryan Walker getting the "W" and Sean Manaea doing the bulk-innings role. The full lineup was on display as both Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson were back from the IL and Michael Conforto had his first start since last week. LaMonte Wade, Jr. continues to shine in the leadoff spot. He had three hits, three walks, three runs scored, and two RBI. His .429 OBP is second only to Miami's Luis Arraez who is currently batting .401! Wade's 41 walks put him 6th in MLB (Juan Soto is #1 with 56).

Logan Webb starts tonight (5:40 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Cobb, Giants blank O's

SF 4  BAL 0

Last night the Giants wrapped up a tidy win behind a dominant outing from Alex Cobb. He got thirteen ground balls in 7-2/3 IP and backed it with seven whiffs and no walks, allowing just five hits. The lineup scored early and added on late with LaMonte Wade, Jr. (2 H, 2 BB) and Wilmer Flores (3 H, 2 RBI) leading the way. Cobb left with two on and two out in the 8th and Scott Alexander came in to get lefty Adam Frazier. Camilo Doval threw twelve pitches in the 9th.

Cobb has gone 7+ IP with 2 or fewer runs allowed five times in 12 starts. He had another 7 IP start where he gave up three runs (a win in Minnesota), and two 5 IP starts, giving up one run in a win and three runs in a loss. And he's had four stinkers. He gives up a lot of contact (74 hits in 69-2/3) but only six homers. He keeps his walks down (2.3 per 9) and has strikeout stuff (8.3 per 9) when he needs it. He certainly makes a nice 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Logan Webb. That was a frustrating loss Friday night--the Giants have to win when Webb pitches!

But last night was about Cobb who at 35 is pitching his best baseball and played "stopper" when the team really needed it.

Anthony DeSclafani starts this afternoon at 1:05 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb, Giants fall short

BAL 3  SF 2

Logan Webb pitched another great game but a late home run from Gunnar Henderson tipped the scales in the Orioles favor. Webb had gone seven straight starts without giving up more than two runs before last night. The Giants had a 1-0 lead in the 1st on a LaMonte Wade, Jr. splash hit (the team's 100th) but Baltimore came right back with two in the 2nd. Mike Yastrzemski's double tied it in the 3rd and it stayed that way until Henderson's blast to lead off the 7th. The Giants put two on with one out in the bottom of the 8th but Yaz' double play grounder ended the frame. That was a big play. They got another chance in the 9th when Casey Schmitt doubled with two outs but Michael Conforto (pinch-hitting) struck out to end it. The Orioles are a strong team. This lineup could use Joc Pederson.

That's three losses in a row and the team is back to below .500 (28-29). Alex Cobb is listed as the starter tonight (7:05 PT) with Anthony DeSclafani getting the ball Sunday afternoon (1:05).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

3rd inning: 12-6

1st inning: 6-12

2nd inning: 10-8

3rd inning: 12-6

And they start off the 4th inning 0-2 with back-back-losses to the Pirates (2-1 Tuesday and 9-4 yesterday) and are thus a .500 team once again.

Let's look at the league wide statistics (Baseball-Reference). The MLB average team slash line is .248/.320/.409 and that's good for 256 runs or 4.57 per game. The Giants have slashed .249/.320/.419 and scored 257 runs for 4.59 rpg. If you measure offense with FanGraph's wOBA the Giants are 12th at .323 and if you use wRC+ they are 13th at 104. They are 11th in total bases with 802. I think our eye test says they are a little above average offensively.

On the pitching side our eye test tells us we have three reliable starters with Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, and Anthony DeSclafani. The bullpen has put itself together (and now have a new weapon with Luke Jackson) after a poor start. But the 4th-5th starter problem remains a problem. Statistically they allow 4.54 runs per game and that is as middle-of-the-pack (15th) as it gets. Their 4.07 FIP is 9th-best and that reflects the fact that as a team the Giants induce a lot of weak contact (especially ground balls) and limit walks. They've given up a league-average (64) number of homers.

If you drew it up on a piece of paper—league-average hitting plus league-average pitching—you'd probably get a league-average team! The Giants 28-28 record is the 18th-best in MLB. The Giants are within one game of six of those teams and are currently the only team with an exactly .500 record.

bWAR leaders: Webb 2.2, Wade, Jr. 1.9, Estrada 1.9, Cobb 1.8, Davis 1.2, DeSclafani 1.2

fWAR leaders: Estrada 2.0, Davis 1.6, Webb 1.5, Wade, Jr. 1.4, DeSclafani 1.2, Cobb 1.0

The high-flying Orioles come to town tomorrow for a three-game set. Logan Webb starts on Friday night (game time 7:15 Pacific) and Anthony DeSclafani on Saturday night (7:05 PT). Sunday's game is at 1:05, no starter listed but I hope it will be Alex Cobb. He pitched this past Sunday.

Go Giants!

--M.C.