Big win takes series

SF 13  BAL 2

Yesterday the Orioles answered for their ass-whuppin' on Friday by smacking around the Giants to the tune of 11-1. This afternoon the Giants did not have to face Trevor Rogers and they reverted back to their winning streak ways with a barrage of hits and another double-digit run total. Heliot Ramos, Rafael Devers, and FNG Drew Gilbert all had three hits and scored two. Those are the 1, 2, and 9 hitters. I like having a good hitter at #9 who can act like a second leadoff man.

Justin Verlander needed 121 pitches to get through five innings but he did that in style with 10 strikeouts and no runs allowed. The O's scored two in their final frame off Spencer Bivens who had pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th (Joey Lucchesi handled the 6th). It was a gritty effort from the veteran who notched his third "W" of the season. I don't think the coaches would allow any other pitcher on the team—including Logan Webb—to throw 120+ pitches! But good for Verlander. It's not like they are saving his arm for next year. Speaking of next year, do they offer JV a contract in the off-season?

The Giants finish the month of August with a 14-14 record. The club is 68-69 with 25 games remaining. They'll need to win 14 games to finish with a better-than-.500 record. And they'll have to keep the pesky D-backs at bay. Tomorrow's game in Colorado is at 1:10 PT. I hope everyone has a restful and enjoyable Labor Day.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants slug past O's

SF 15  BAL 8

The streak is up to SIX wins in a row! They can get back to .500 with a win today. It was one of those games that got crazy right away with a run in the 1st for the Orioles and then four in the bottom half for the Giants. Both starters got clobbered. The Giants scored in each of the first five innings, were blanked in the 6th, and scored in both the 7th and the 8th. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit, eight guys scored at least one run, and six different hitters had runs batted in. The team was 8-for-17 with RISP.

Willy Adames had four hits but so did Luis Matos (one a homer)! I'm really happy about that. Matos is looking much more mature and confident since his return. FNG Drew Gilbert hit two doubles. I'd like to see him compete for an OF job next spring.

The "who are these guys?" saga continues this afternoon (4:15 PT) as part of Fox Saturday Baseball. Tristan Beck is supposed to get a start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. It looks like RandyRo might need TJS. And speaking of another Randy, former Giants pitcher Randy Moffitt passed away on Thursday. He had a famous big sister named Billie Jean.  

Giants double up Cubs

SF 4  CHC 3

It was a riveting contest this afternoon in San Francisco. Logan Webb gave up three hits in the 1st but kept it at 1-0 with a double play to end the frame. Willy Adames hit a two-run homer in the bottom half. Dansby Swanson tied it with a homer in the 2nd. The Cubs threatened in the 3rd but a strikeout-caught stealing double play ended it. Patrick Bailey continues to be valuable even when he can't hit. Logan Webb picked off a runner in the 4th—pitchers have as much to do with controlling the running game as catchers. Meanwhile Shoto Imagana was putting up zeroes. In the 6th Michael Busch homered to make it 3-2 Cubs. Willy Adames finally broke the drought for the Giants with another homer to tie the game in the bottom half.

Both starters came out for the 7th and finished the inning, both were charged with three runs. Both allowed two homers. Webb was tagged for seven hits but no walks with seven strikeouts and Imanaga gave up five hits, a walk, and struck out five. 94 pitches/64 strikes for Logan (25 batters) with 92/63 for Shoto (26 batters). That's a real pitcher's duel! Webb got six outs on grounders and four in the air, it was two and seven for Imanaga, but we expect lots of grounders from our guy. A remarkably even contest. I'd say the Giants fielding plays really made the difference.

In the 8th José Buttó gave up a one-out double to Matt Shaw. The next batter Busch hit a liner towards RF that Casey Schmitt speared with a full-extension leap. Shaw had broken for third expecting it to be a hit and they doubled him off to end the inning. Adames took the throw, he was involved in all the double plays and also made a great play throwing out Nico Hoerner to start the 7th. Not a bad day!

The Giants went "up the middle" in the 9th with one-out singles from Schmitt and Wilmer Flores. Christian Koss ran for Schmitt and Jung Hoo Lee rapped a single to right and that was the ballgame. It was a poor throw from RF Owen Caissie and not close at the plate. Koss got a good read and would probably have made it anyway, it would have taken a strong defensive effort to nail him.

Just a dandy win, very nice, and that makes it five in a row. Baltimore is in town for the weekend. Robbie Ray opens the series tomorrow night at 7:15 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Devers delivers in homer-fest

SF 12  CHC 3

Rafael Devers had a perfect night: four hits and a walk in five trips. Two of the hits were homers, one a double, one a single and the result was four runs scored and five driven in. It was a good night for the FNG. You can see why Buster got this guy—he's a genuine hitting talent. He can really mash. The other homers were supplied by Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos. Overall the Giants banged out 13 hits and worked three walks, pounding starter Colin Rea and scoring at least once against each of the three Cubs relievers.

Carson Whisenhunt gave up a three-run homer to Nico Hoerner but otherwise survived his five frames and picked up the win. He got great relief work from Joel Peguero, Tristan Beck, and Carson Seymour.

This is fun! That's four straight wins. I always say "nothing a ten-game win streak can't cure." That would be nice, eh? But I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. This is fun. The Cubs are a good team and the Giants have whipped them twice. Who are these guys?

It's Logan Webb tomorrow afternoon (12:45 Pacific) in the finale. The Orioles come to town for the weekend.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Three in a row

SF 5  CHC 2

The Giants beat a lefty. The Giants beat a lefty. The Giants beat a lefty. Veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd has had a strong season for the playoff-bound Cubs but last night the Giants dinged him for two big homers (both by righties) and held on for the win. Wilmer Flores hit one in the 2nd to open the scoring and Matt Chapman hit a two-run bomb in the 6th to finish things (and chase Boyd). Justin Verlander threw 101 pitches in his six frames and battled through seven hits and two walks to limit the Cubs to just two runs. He got his second "W" of the season! Joey Lucchesi, José Buttó, and Ryan Walker took care of the final three innings.

Two guys we really hope will make an impact next year—Heliot Ramos and Luis Matos—had key hits. Ramos in fact had a perfect night with three hits and walk in four trips.

Tonight's game is also at 6:45 Pacific and it looks like Carson Whisenhunt is scheduled to start. Go Giants!

--M.C. 

Clutch win takes series

SF 4  MIL 3

The Giants took two of three from both the Mets and the Pirates at the start of the month but went 4-10 right after that. Today they came from behind to win a ballgame on the road and take two of three from the high-flying Brewers. Heliot Ramos drove in two with a two-out hit in the 9th and turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead. Ryan Walker got the final three outs to earn the save. It was another big day for Luis Matos who hit a two-run homer in the 2nd to give Robbie Ray an early lead. He also singled in the 9th after Chapman's double and ahead of Ramos' single and scored the go-ahead run.

FNGs Joel Peguero (1-2/3 IP), Matt Gage (1/3 IP), and José Buttó (1 IP) stepped up in relief of Ray and all had clean sheets. Walker gave up a hit in the 9th but also whiffed two.

I like to say "who are these guys?" when the Giants play a clean, spirited game. Perhaps we are getting a preview of the 2026 club. Regardless, it's always better when they win!

A six-game homestand starts Tuesday night when the Cubs (6:45 PT) are in town for the first three. The Orioles will be in San Francisco for the weekend set. Justin Verlander's on the hill.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Schmitt backs Webb in big win

SF 7  MIL 1

Casey Schmitt had a huge night in Milwaukee driving in four runs on two clutch extra-base hits. In the 6th his double tied the game and in the 7th his one-out three-run homer put it out of reach. Logan Webb supplied the pitching, limiting the Brewers to just one run on five hits in his six frames. Joey Lucchesi covered the 7th and Spencer Bivens did a nice job with two scoreless to close it out.

It's nice to see the team play the kind of ballgame we thought we'd see more of this season. With Matt Chapman back from the IL the team looks more like it should. There's still a hole at second base but maybe this Schmitt fellow can fill the void. Luis Matos had another good night since his return from the minors. Right field is another hole—maybe Matos can be the guy (he was in LF tonight). Speaking of the guy, FNG Drew Gilbert (RF tonight) is still struggling. But he's another guy in the mix for that spot. He is a former 1st-rounder (2022, #28, Astros) and came to the Giants in the Tyler Rogers trade. He plays all three OF spots. Heliot Ramos was off tonight and he's the presumed LF going forward but his fielding is still an issue. Can't hurt to have some depth.

It's an early game tomorrow (11:10 PT). Robbie Ray is scheduled. Maybe he can conjure up a good start and give the team a chance for a getaway win. They're off on Monday and return home to finish out the month.

Go Giants!

--M.C. 

7th inning: 7-11

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 9-9

4th inning: 10-8

5th inning: 7-11 

6th inning: 6-12 

7th inning: 7-11

I fell behind and forgot to update the "innings" list. Game 126 (the end of the 7th seasonal inning) was Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Padres. Since then the Giants lost 8-1 on Wednesday and 8-4 on Thursday. Tonight they played with a little more spirit but still lost 5-4 to the Brewers. Willy Adames hit two homers on his return to Milwaukee.

So the Giants go into the penultimate inning already 0-3. This season has been a trial! The team is 61-68 and in fourth place. Logan Webb goes tomorrow afternoon (4:10 PT) and Robbie Ray on Sunday morning (11:10 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants score early and hang on

SF 4  SDP 3

Casey Schmitt made two errors on the same play in the 7th inning and that led to three runs and Robbie Ray being chased from the game. Fortunately the bullpen—Ryan Walker and Randy Rodriguez— came through and saved the win. Ray finished with 6-2/3 IP, 3 H, 1BB, 6 K and three unearned runs for his 10th win.

Heliot Ramos led off the game with a homer and Rafael Devers followed with one of his own. Wilmer Flores added a two-run shot in the inning. The 4-0 lead was just enough for the team's second win in a row. The Giants are now 3-7 against the Padres and have three still to play. Teng, Roupp, and Verlander are scheduled, tonight's game is at 6:40 PT.

 Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb dominates, Giants win

SF 7  TBR 1

There's been quite a lot of bad baseball lately. We don't have to dwell on things like "historically worst" homestands and whatnot. After seven losses in a row fans could be forgiven for tuning out. When the Giants did their face plant after the Break and Buster decided the team would "sell" the team's losing ways spiraled out of control and they fell two spots in the standings. Now they are duking it out with Arizona for fourth place!

Fortunately they won a ballgame today. Logan Webb pitched like an ace. He's had a rough patch lately and it was good to see him back in form (13 groundballs!). The lineup produced 11 hits including two doubles and two homers. FNG Drew Gilbert had two hits and one of the home runs. Jung Hoo Lee hit his 28th double. Webb (11-9, 3.19 ERA) went seven scoreless with three hits, seven whiffs, and no walks on 86 pitches. Beck and Winn finished up.

I realize that PoBO Posey picked up BoMel's option for 2026. It was widely covered as a "vote of confidence." That's nice. Any other manager would be on the chopping block for a team-wide collapse like this one. I'm not voting for dumping Melvin by any means. He hasn't yet finished his second season at the helm! Changing the deck chairs on the Titanic never helps. But I'm not a fan, really. I'm not sure what Bob brings to the team other than he's a local boy and has that "old school" vibe. He's quite the un-Kapler, that's for sure. But maybe it's time for the Giants to look for young managerial talent (BoMel is 63) to groom for the future. First-base coach Mark Hallberg for example, is only 39. Maybe there are some other young bucks in the system that deserve a look.

The Giants go on the road for seven games against San Diego (4) and Milwaukee (3). The Brewers have the best record in MLB. Tomorrow night it is Robbie Ray at 6:40 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Naught for Nats

SF 5  WSN 0

The Giants shut out an opponent for only the sixth time this season. It's a good way to win a ballgame, right? Don't let the other guy get any? Yeah, Washington has six team shutouts as well and they are a lousy team. The league average is eleven and the league-leading Padres have 15. The Giants are still a good pitching team as their 4.04 runs allowed per game is well below the MLB mean of 4.42 rpg.

Last night Bob Melvin did something clever by using opener Matt Gage before calling on Kai-Wei Teng. Teng hurled five scoreless and nabbed his first W. Nice work from the last three guys (Joey Lucchesi, José Buttó, Tristan Beck) who each got three outs. Teng gave up 17 runs in his previous 14-2/3 IP of MLB time. He had success in the low minors but has struggled at the higher levels until this season at AAA. He has a huge arsenal of pitches and has double-digit K/9 numbers in over 150 games (seven seasons). Let's hope he can harness his stuff and help the club.

The Giants got a clutch homer from Casey Schmitt in the 6th to make a 2-0 game a 4-0 game. Nice! Schmitt is slashing a pretty solid .249/.321/.412 in 197 PA (55 G). Every little bit helps.

The next two games are in the afternoon, 1:05 Pacific. Carson Whisenhunt today.

Go Giants!

--M.C. 

Clutch!

SF 4  PIT 2

The Giants had to come from behind to win today and that showed some real grit and moxie. Of course it was the lowly Pirates but grit and moxie have been in short supply so we'll take it. And we all know the lowly Pirates have kicked the Giants ass this season so it was great to see the lads rally and take the series. Jerar Encarnacion tied the game in the 5th with a homer. He's back from the IL and has already bopped two big ones. The Pirates got another one against Robbie Ray (6 IP, 2 R, 8 K) to take the lead, but Matt Chapman flashed some VSC grit and tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the 8th.

The 9th featured a one-out double from Jung Hoo Lee. That's his 27th two-bagger which ties him with Rafael Devers and Pete Alonso for 11th-best in MLB. He's struggled this season but he's still got the skills and he's doing a lot better lately. That hit sparked a moxie-fest: pinch-hitter Dominic Smith doubled and then Patrick Bailey singled making it 4-2 Giants. Randy Rodriguez, fresh off his ugly blown save, came on for the 9th and closed it out. José Buttó and Ryan Walker each threw a scoreless frame after Ray. This is the new-look bullpen.

I should mention that Dom Smith has appeared in all six games in August (as 1B, DH, and PH) and has six hits, one in each game, with three runs scored and seven batted in. He's 6-for-20 with a double and a homer. Solid!

Tomorrow is Thursday and we know what that means—no baseball. They come home to play the Nationals this weekend. Friday night's game is at 7:15 Pacific. It looks like Kai-Wei Teng, Carson Whisenhunt, and Justin Verlander will get their turns.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Team effort

SF 8  PIT 1

Logan Webb notched his 10th win and that makes it five seasons in a row with double-digit "W's" for the Rocklin righty. He had a terrible month of July but he seems to be getting past that funk. Teams have been racking up the hits against him and he's racked up more strikeouts than ever before so the pitch counts have gotten him in trouble. Tonight he finished six frames on 110 pitches.

He was backed by eleven hits. All nine hitters notched at least one and Heliot Ramos and Willy Adames had two. Every hitter but one scored one run. Matt Chapman was the only one not to cross the plate.

32-year old lefty Matt Gage pitched two scoreless in relief of Webb. Gage was originally drafted by the Giants in 2014 but was released a few years later. He bounced around, logging 32-2/3 IP in the majors over three seasons with three teams. He also pitched in Mexico. He was with the Tigers earlier this year. The Giants needed a lefty arm when Scott Alexander was let go. Tristan Beck finished the game.

Robbie Ray takes the ball tomorrow morning: 9:35 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants win a series!

SF 12  NYM 4

After yesterday's pasting the Giants owed the Mets one and, much to my surprise, they delivered a sound thrashing today in NYC. Carson Whisenhunt got his first big league "W" with a solid 5-1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R performance. That's a big stage against a good club and the kid did okay. Let's see some more of that! Big days for Rafael Devers (3 H, 1 W, 4 RBI) who hit a 3-run homer in the 3rd to get it all going, and Jung Hoo Lee (4 H, 1 W, 2 R) who has been hitting much better lately. Casey Schmitt had a 3-run homer of his own in the 9th to make it a laugher. Solid relief work from FNG José Buttó (1-2/3 IP, 3 K) really sealed the deal.

Who are these guys? And why can't they play like this more often? Questions only the baseball gods can answer, I suppose. Anyway, I'm happy to see Whiz get it going. (I'm not typing "Whisenhunt" every time!) And perhaps after the scolding from the Boss and some blood spilled on the roster the boys are getting their heads outta their asses and playing some better ball.

It's off to Pittsburgh for a 3:40 Pacific game tomorrow. It looks like Verlander-Webb-Ray for the three games.

Go Giants!

--M.C. 

A win!

SF 4  NYM 3 (10)

New closer Randy Rodriguez got tested right away but he whiffed his way out of a bases-loaded jam and saved the win for the Giants. They are 1-0 in August! FNG Jose Butto worked 2/3 of an inning and got a blown save for his efforts. Grant McCray was called up an struck out twice. Wilmer had two hits.So did Bailey. It was a very Giants-y win. Not a lot of scoring (3-for-14 RISP, 11 LOB) but a great start from Robbie Ray.

They are back to .500 for the season. Let's hope they can get back to winning ways. The Trade Deadline sucks but I definitely prefer it earlier in the season to later. Unfortunately it makes the rest of the year a lot less interesting. I think Buster is not afraid to send a message to the players. Farhan Zaidi did not have the "street cred" to make a bold statement like that. What's interesting, in the end, is did Buster actually weaken the current squad? For the final third of the season, can Doval, Rogers, and Yaz be replaced? Probably. This team might wind up finishing in about the same place!

The last few years the Giants have hung around the periphery of the race until the end. There's nothing a ten-game winning streak couldn't cure for this club. I keep rooting for one of those! I noticed that they also called up Kai-Wei Teng. He's been lights-out (14.3 K/9) at AAA, I wonder if he gets the start tonight (6:05 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.