Detroit Downer

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

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

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Rookie slugger makes his mark

PIT 4  SF 3

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

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

Logan Webb starts tomorrow at 4:20 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants boot series

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

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

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

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Skid hits four

The Giants lost the getaway game on Wednesday in Colorado 5-3, giving up three runs in the 8th and wasting a good start from Logan Webb.  They followed up that disappointing outcome with another late-game loss, this time 8-7 in extras on Friday against the Padres. A stirring 9th-inning comeback went for naught when San Diego got two in the 10th. The woes continued in Saturday's pitching duel with Joe Musgrove beating Carlos Rodón 2-1. The Giants only run was an 8th-inning solo homer from Wilmer Flores.

Today is almost not worth mentioning. The Giants were thoroughly beaten as the Padres completed the sweep this afternoon 10-1. The home team got four hits. The visitors had 17! Next up for the Giants are the 28-15 New York Mets. It's going to be a tough series, obviously. After opening the season 13-5 the team has slipped to 22-18. That's still the 11th-best record in MLB. Last season the Giants were 24-16 after 40 games.

Alex Cobb goes tomorrow night at 6:45 Pacific. Logan Webb gets his chance Tuesday at 6:45 and Jakob Junis takes the hill Wednesday afternoon (12:45).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Spanked

 LA 9  SF 1

The Dodgers unloaded on the Giants last night, sweeping the two-game set. Brandon Crawford hit a homer in the 2nd and that was all she wrote. Alex Wood gave up the first three runs in his 5-1/3 and the relief corps (Mauricio Llovera, Sam Long, Tyler Beede) did the rest. The Giants have lost five of six after opening the season 13-5.

Tonight (6:45 Pacific) starts a seven-game homestand with four against St. Louis and three against Colorado.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Burned

MIL 3  SF 1

Milwaukee starter Corbin Burnes shut down the Giants for six innings and his bullpen did the rest as the Brewers prevailed. Burnes also added an RBI hit. The best chance for the home squad came in the 7th when Brandon Belt doubled and scored on a single by Brandon Crawford to close the gap to 2-1. With two on and no outs they couldn't add on and pinch-hitter Darin Ruf's hard-hit liner ended the frame. It was a bullpen game and Jarlin Garcia's 3-2/3 IP with one hit, no walks, and four whiffs was the standout performance. John Brebbia, just called up, delivered a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Johnny Cueto was a late scratch but there's some hope he can be ready for tomorrow night (6:45 PT). Alex Wood tested positive for COVID and will go on the IL. Kevin Gausman and Logan Webb are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Blanked

ATL 9  SF 0

Giants get a dose of their own medicine as they get shut out in Atlanta and the Braves take the series. It was an ugly loss and there have not been many of those. In games decided by five or more runs the Giants are 26-8 this year. It's been a month since the Giants lost a series--the Pirates took two of three July 23-25. After a 6-3 trip the team comes home to face the Brewers for four games and then three with the Dodgers on the weekend.

Johnny Cueto gets the start tomorrow night at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Mets prevail in extras

NYM 6  SF 2 (12)

The Giants lost a ballgame for only the fourth time in the month of August. They had not lost a game by four runs since July 28th, when they lost 8-0 to the Dodgers. Today was a bit of a train wreck with Anthony DeSclafani exiting in the 2nd due to injury. Seven pitchers later the only one left was FNG Tyler Chatwood. He not only was the sacrificial lamb on the hill he made the final out in the batter's box as the Giants ran out of players. The hitters didn't get much going and Jake McGee couldn't save a 1-0 lead in the 9th. Kevin Pillar got the big hit, a three-run homer in the 12th.

It's been an arresting stretch of baseball. The Giants have played really well. They have a day off tomorrow, thank goodness. I know I could use a day off. This pennant race is exhausting!

The weekend features a three-game set in Oakland. The A's are really good and are battling for an AL West title. There are 41 games left to play and all of them are going to be tough. Friday night's game is at 6:40 and Alex Wood gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bupkes

WSH 5  SF 0

The Giants were blanked by Joe Ross today, the second time they were shut out this weekend. In fact they only scored three runs in the series, so it's amazing they won two of the four games. Kyle Schwarber hit two homers off Johnny Cueto to go along with the game-winner he hit off Kevin Gausman yesterday. His second homer, a three-run shot in the 2nd inning, came on a neck-high fastball. It's hard to imagine anyone hitting a homer on a pitch like that! Giants bats have gone stone cold. Let's hope home-cooking heats them up!

Alex Wood takes the ball tomorrow night in San Francisco at 6:45 Pacific, opening a four-game set with the Diamondbacks.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants eke out a split

WSH 2  SF 0

SF 2  WSH 1 (8)  

The Giants did not score today until the very last inning, and that was an extra inning, the 8th frame in a 7-inning contest. They've had trouble scoring in D.C., plating only three runs total in the three games, but three runs was enough to take two of the games! Craziness! 

Kevin Gausman gave up two runs in the first game and that was enough for the Nationals as the Giants lineup could not get anything going. That offensive feebleness continued for seven frames in the nightcap. Fortunately the bullpen matched up and put up zeroes of their own. In the 8th, LaMonte Wade, Jr. roped a single to score the magic runner, and the Giants followed that by loading the bases with no outs. Wilmer Flores poked a single to score one run, and we all had thoughts of a big inning. Alas, the Giants hit three weak ground balls and failed to score any more runs. Caleb Baragar then gave up an RBI double to open the bottom half and followed that by hitting the next batter, Victor Robles. A deep fly to center saw the two runners tag up and try to advance. Robles, inexplicably, over-slid at second base and was tagged out. It was a weird play but good for the Giants as Baragar got the final out and the Giants got their 40th win.

You can win pretty and you can win ugly. Friday was pretty and today was ugly but they both go in the win column. Tomorrow it's Johnny Cueto (10:05 a.m. Pacific) with a chance to take the series.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bats cool off at home

LA 2  SF 1

Trevor Bauer is one of the hardest pitchers in baseball to get a hit against and the Giants found that out tonight, managing a total of two. They made Bauer work hard and forced him to throw 126 pitches in his 6-1/3 innings but could only get the one run. Two walks in the 7th and an a throwing error from Bauer himself let the run in and got him out of the game, but that was it. Alex Wood pitched well despite giving up eight hits in his six frames. A two-run homer from Chris Taylor in the 3rd was his undoing. Wood struck out seven and walked two. Zack Littell, Caleb Baragar, and Jarlin Garcia finished up. Bauer had 11 strikeouts and four walks, with Nate Jones and Blake Treinen getting the final eight outs on 25 pitches. Interesting note: no starter has completed seven innings against the Giants this year.

As I suspected, the Giants sent Camilo Doval down to make room for a call-up. They chose Nick Tropeano who I thought would make the team after Spring Training. He has ML experience as a starter.

Tomorrow's game is on Fox at 4:15 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Cained

PIT 3  SF 2  (11)

Kevin Gausman gets the Matt Cain Award for a brilliant effort that results in a loss for the team. He held the Pirates scoreless through eight and was leading 1-0 in the 9th but was bedeviled by two bloopers from the first two batters. On came Jake McGee who gave up a grounder through the drawn-in infield and the game was tied. McGee struck out the next three and Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless 10th. The Giants could only manage one run in the 11th and Caleb Baragar couldn't hold the 2-1 lead. The Pirates got two in the bottom half to even up the series.

If you like old school NL-style pitching duels the 2021 Giants are your team. In fact, the 2021 version of MLB is looking like 1968. Tonight there were a lot of clutch defensive plays by both teams and luck--both good and bad--played a big role. When games are close, anything can happen. The Giants lineup could not get it going against six Pittsburgh pitchers and it cost them a win. Kevin Gausman's final line: 8+ IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 12 SO, 96 pitches to 29 batters.

Johnny Cueto tomorrow at 3:35 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. Baragar had only allowed one run (unearned) this season in his first 14 appearances (11 IP). He did not allow a run in his final 16 appearances last season (14-1/3 IP).

Skunked

SEA 4  SF 0

Nothing but zeroes last night. Seattle starter Chris Flexen and his bullpen mates stymied the Giants hitting attack and the Mariners prevailed. Donovan Solano had two hits of course, but he also struck out twice, and that was the story as the lineup whiffed a total of 12 times. Logan Webb went 5-1/3 and allowed seven hits, three walks, and three runs on 97 pitches (25 batters). Reyes Moronta gave up the final run, a solo shot to the first batter, but otherwise was sharp, and both Matt Wisler and Jose Alvarez pitched well.

On to San Diego where Anthony DeSclafani gets the start Monday night, 7:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Skunked

OAK 6  SF 0 

Logan Webb has some seriously nasty stuff but he had some serious command issues tonight and got predictably clobbered by the A's disciplined lineup. In the 1st inning Donovan Solano made a Little League error that led to a run but the three-run homer by Matt Olson in the 3rd made everyone forget about it. Meanwhile Chris Bassitt, after a strong campaign last year, is having his best season and he made the Giants lineup look punchless. The A's have a really good team and the Giants have a hard time against good teams. They have not won against Oakland yet this year. Even if they had won one of the two Trevor Gott meltdown games they would still be over-matched. Let's hope they play better this weekend!

Kevin Gausman tomorrow at 1:10.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

The Ol' One-Two

SD 6  SF 0

SD 3  SF 1

The Giants picked a bad time to go into a slump! To be fair, San Diego has a very good ballclub and they also strengthened themselves for a playoff push at the trade deadline. One of those acquisitions was Mike Clevinger who threw a (7-inning) shutout, allowing only two hits. The Giants lineup managed a run in the next game but could not get anything else going. It was the ol' one-two: shut down pitching and timely hitting. That's seven wins in a row for the Padres.

The Giants are now 23-24 after the three straight losses in San Diego. There's an off-day tomorrow and then two games in Seattle, Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:40 Pacific, and then another off-day on Thursday.

Let's hope the team can gets its groove going again real soon!

--M.C.

Padres snap Giants streak

SD 6  SF 1

There was at least something to Smyly about tonight, and that is the return of southpaw Drew Smyly, who was popping 96 on the gun and whiffing Padres left and right in relief of Trevor Cahill. The Padres high-powered offense made short work of Cahill, scoring three in the 1st and one in the 3rd, and that was enough. Then they ran out one tough reliever after another and smothered the Giants hitting attack.

The Giants face a big challenge on this road trip. Getting Drew Smyly back could be a big help. I suspect he will get a start in Seattle. Johnny Cueto gets the start tomorrow evening (6:10 PDT) against Garrett Richards.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. Justin Smoak did indeed join the active roster and take Pablo Sandoval's spot. Activating Smyly also sent down Rico Garcia.

Dodgers Double Down

LA 7  SF 0

LA 2  SF 0

The Dodgers made quick work of the Giants in the first game. Logan Webb had command issues early and with some bad luck added on that was enough for the Dodgers. They turned nothing into something in a hurry. Webb kept the ball in the yard--the hardest hit was a double to center by Austin Barnes--but also walked two and hit two in addition to four hits allowed. Giants hit the ball hard off Clayton Kershaw but were denied by the excellent LA outfield defense and that was all the big lefty needed. He blanked the Giants for six innings on 89 pitches. Rookie Josh Sborz finished up. It was an abrupt ending to the seven-game win streak and the first time the Giants have been shut out this season.

Kevin Gausman got the call in the nightcap. He was supposed to be matched with Walker Buehler but the righty was a late scratch and sent to the IL. The Dodgers sent out southpaw Caleb Ferguson instead. They played a bullpen game and used six more pitchers after that. It didn't really matter as the Giants went stone cold and even if they could square one up someone was there to catch it. Gausman struck out six in 4-2/3 but got burned on a couple of extra-base hits. The two runs held up as the Giants were shut out for the second time.

After Tuesday's thrilling win I think the Giants stuck their chests out and told the Dodgers "let's go toe-to-toe" which you have to admire. The Dodgers said "OK, bring it on" and proceeded to throw 14 scoreless innings. Well, they are the best team and I have to give them credit for picking up the gauntlet and slapping the Giants in the face with it. The Dodgers take the season series six games to four.

Next game is in Arizona, tomorrow at 6:40 p.m. PDT. Giants are there through the weekend and then have a travel day Monday (7/31) before two in Colorado. They are off on Thursday (8/3) and then open a home series against the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Padres Spoil Giants Homecoming

SD 5  SF 3
The Giants don't have the firepower to come back from a 5-1 deficit. They tried, but the best they could do with the bases loaded was to score a run on an out and a run on a single. The Padres only mustered five hits but one was a three-run homer and one was a two-run homer. Of the Giants seven hits, five were singles and two were doubles, although one of the doubles was really just a no-man's-land pop fly. Like I said this version of the Giants lacks the power hitting to put together a credible comeback.

Jeff Samardzija was something of a mystery: why didn't they use him in Los Angeles? The answer was obvious tonight: he's not, in baseball hipster parlance, "missing bats." His final line was 17 batters, 75 pitches, 4 IP, 5 H, 5 R 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HR. Conner Menez went nine up and nine down in an impressive three inning stint. Sam Coonrod had some drama but put up a zero in the 8th, and Dany Jimenez delivered a scoreless 9th. There's some pitching on this team, but it remains to be seen if it is in the starting rotation!

The Giants called up RH C Chadwick Tromp and DFAd LH C Rob Brantly. Switch-hitting Tyler Heineman has been impressive so far, especially hitting lefty, so that made the more experienced Brantly a bit redundant. Not to mention the Giants added veteran LH C Chris Herrmann to the taxi squad. Tromp should be a nice platoon partner with Heineman and potentially has pop.

Johnny Cueto tomorrow night at 6:45 PDT.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Pitchers prevail

SF 3  LA 1
What's the collective noun for pitchers? A platoon of pitchers? A plethora? A plenitude? Whatever it is, the Giants used a whole passel o'pitchers tonight in Los Angeles and shut down that vaunted lineup and eked out a win. There were seven in that heap o'hurlers: Drew Smyly (3-1/3 IP, 1 R), Shaun Anderson (1 IP, 2 K), Wandy Peralta (1 IP, 1 K), Rico Garcia (2/3 IP, 1 K), Sam Coonrod (1 IP, 1 K), Tyler Rogers (1 IP), and Trevor Gott (1 IP, 1 K). Rogers loaded the bases in the 8th but wriggled out of it, and Gott put two on in the 9th but survived to notch the save. The three hits by the Dodgers in those last two innings were the only ones allowed by the bullpen. The four pitchers after Smyly gave up only two walks in their 3-2/3. Smyly, the starter/opener, threw 64 pitches to 15 batters, yielding four hits, a walk, and fanning two.

If you like old school small ball it was your night. The Giants collected nine singles! Darin Ruf pulled off a lovely sequence in the 7th with the team up 2-1, walking with one out, stealing second, and scoring with two outs on a single by Donovan Solano. Mauricio Dubon had a two-out RBI single in the 6th, and Ruf started the scoring by driving in Dubon (who reached on a squibber) in the 3rd. Man, what I would give for a two-run homer!

The Giants went into LA with a very high probability of getting thumped, and it sure looked bad after the first two games. Yesterday they showed quite a bit of improvement in their nail-biting win and today all the strings Kapler pulled seemed to pay off. The matchups worked and the Dodgers couldn't get anything going. It was another nail-biter, but it was a win, a big win. The Giants come home after grinding out a split against the consensus best team in the NL. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday!

Off-day tomorrow. The Padres come to town for three starting Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. PDT.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.


p.s. Jeff Samardzija gets the first start at home.

p.p.s. I forgot to mention Ruf made a catch in LF in the 6th and crashed through the bullpen gate! He made the out, of course. It was a good night for him.

Eew

LA 9  SF 1
That was yucky. No hitting, no pitching, no fielding. Jaylin Davis hit a homer--that's some good news. The Giants called it Spring Training 2.0 instead of Summer Camp. This opening series in LA looks like Spring Training 1.9 and it hurts to write that. I suppose you can tell a lot about a team by how it faces adversity. You lose, you look bad, what do you do? You put your big boy pants back on the next day and play some goddamn better baseball, that's what you do.

The Giants are going with TBA again. The Dodgers have Alex Wood. The game is part of the Fox Saturday broadcast and it starts at 1:10 p.m. PDT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.