Giant get first win

SF 3  SD 2

An excellent start from Landen Roupp got things going last night in San Diego. Roupp allowed only two hits and two walks in six frames (88 pitches) and whiffed seven. Strong relief from Matt Gage and a dominant Keaton Winn (three strikeouts) kept the shutout alive until the 9th. Meanwhile FNG Harrison Bader hit a solo homer in the 3rd and two clutch, two-out RBI hits from Patrick Bailey and Casey Schmitt in the 4th gave the Giants a three-run lead. Closer Ryan Walker was wild in the 9th and gave up a two-run homer before getting the final out.

It was a squeaker but the Giants prevailed and finally notched a win for 2026. So far the best thing about the team has been relief pitching. Let's hope the bats wake up soon. I'm guessing they'll use Logan Webb for the start tonight (6:40 PDT) and debut FNG Adrian Houser for tomorrow's game.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Son of Bleah

NYY 3  SF 1

After getting shut out 3-0 on Friday (on one hit) the Giants made it a little more competitive today. The result was the same, however. The Yankees complete the sweep and make it an 0-3 start for TonyV's boys. Heliot Ramos, I'd like to point out, has looked really sharp. He's had good at-bats (his was the lone hit on Friday) and has done his job in the field. Otherwise it is pretty damn bleak (.143/.212/.176).

This team should be better! It's time to start hitting. At least the bullpen has looked good.

In a weird schedule twist, the Giants are off tomorrow. (Maybe they should take some BP.) The next game is Monday night in San Diego at 6:40 Pacific.

--M.C.

Bleah

NYY 7  SF 0

It was a shitty debut for the 2026 Giants. The Yankees were all over Logan Webb. And the lineup was feeble (2 hits) against Max Fried. But the bullpen (Keaton Winn, JT Brubaker, and Caleb Kilian) was excellent. And FNG Luis Arráez had a good night with a leadoff walk, a late base hit, and some nice glove work. Aaron Judge (0-for-5) struck out four times, all three against Webb* and one against Winn. Camilo Doval finished the game.

Tomorrow is an off-day. Robbie Ray will get the start on Friday afternoon at 1:35 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

*1,000 career strikeouts for Webb 

26 for 2026

No surprises on the infield (4): Rafael Devers at 1B, Luis Arraez at 2B, Willy Adames at SS, and Matt Chapman at 3B. This is the heart of the team. They have to be healthy and perform for this club to succeed.

Patrick Bailey is the catcher (2) and his backup is Daniel Susac.

The outfield (3) will be Jung Hoo Lee, Harrison Bader, and Heliot Ramos.  

On the bench (4) are Casey Schmitt, Jerar Encarnación, Christian Koss, and (surprise!) Jared Oliva.

The starting rotation (5) is set: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, and Landen Roupp.

The bullpen (8) will be Ryan Walker, Erik Miller, José Buttó, Caleb Killian, Matt Gage, Keaton Winn, Ryan Borucki, and JT Brubaker.

4 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 8 = 26

The Giants open the season for all of MLB tonight (5:05 Pacific) in San Francisco against the Yankees. Logan Webb gets the ball.

Go, team!

--M.C.

 

p.s. There is a lot of talent at AAA: Bryce Eldridge, Carson Seymour, Carson Whisenhunt, Blade Tidwell, Tyler Fitzgerald, Grant McCray, Will Brennan, Drew Gilbert, Tristan Beck, Trevor McDonald, Spencer Bivens, Will Bednar, Caleb Killian, etc. We'll be seeing some of these guys when the inevitable injuries occur. 

The State of the Ballclub

Top prospect Bryce Eldridge will start the season in AAA. There's no shortage at DH otherwise. I'm assuming Jerar Encarnación will make the team. FNG Luis Arráez also plays first base (he did so for Team Venzuela). Rafael Devers says he likes to play the field and he did fine at first base but he'll be slotted in often at DH. And of course the roster spot that Eldridge filled will have to be re-filled. Roster Resource is suggesting FNG lefty-swinging Will Brennan.

FanGraphs does a thing every year called Positional Power Rankings. They rank all 30 teams at each position. Here's how the Giants rank:

Catcher: #3

Third base: #4

Shortstop: #10

Second base: #18

First base: #10

Left field: #17

Center field: #16

Right field: #14

We can quibble with some of the rankings. And a half-dozen players are usually clustered together and a ranking like #12 could be #6 with a +/- 0.5 WAR variation. The very top players (Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, etc.) are 3-5 WAR above their second-ranked peers. I think the 1B rank is too low, and 2B as well. The Giants have a strong infield. This is the heart of the club. That group has to stay healthy all season long and produce near their career norms for the team to be competitive.

The outfield is pretty average, but we knew that.

The pitching is the big question mark. If Logan Webb is healthy we know what he'll do. Can Robbie Ray stay healthy and do what he did last season? Same for Landen Roupp. FNGs Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser don't impress the projection systems, coming in at about 1.5 WAR each, or perhaps better to say a 1.0 to 2.0 range. Let's hope they beat those numbers.

I don't really have any thoughts on the bullpen. We'll just have to see how it shakes out.

FanGraphs says the Giants will finish 81-81 in second place behind the 93-69 Dodgers. 

But they have a 38.6% chance to make the playoffs!

Anyway, baseball is played by real people, not computers. We'll see what Our Fearless Leader Buster has cooking up there in the Owner/PoBO box and what FNG TonyV has cooking down there in the dugout real soon. I keep wanting to call him "Coach" but that's not going to fly up here in big-boy baseball.

I note I said "we'll see" too many times.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. They gotta be better than last year, doncha' think? 

Injury update

Hayden Birdsong will be getting Tommy John surgery next week. Obviously he won't figure in the Giants plans for 2026. Best case? He's pitching again in mid-2027.

Injuries happen, especially to pitchers. This one really stinks. Not so much that I was expecting a lot from Birdsong, just that he is so young and has a lot of upside.

 --M.C.

¡Beísbol!

Team Venezuela claimed the WBC crown with a gripping 3-2 win over pre-tourney favorites Team USA. I must point out that the San Francisco Giants were all over this. Luis Arráez, the Giants new second baseman, started the winning rally in the 9th with a walk. That's right, a walk. This is from the man who walks 5% of the time! Giants reliever José Buttó contributed a scoreless inning. Team Venezuela had a seriously great bullpen. Arraez was 8-for-26 (4 2B, 2 HR, 6 R, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SO) in seven games and Buttó was unscored upon in 5-1/3 IP over five games (1 H, 1 K).

Team USA had Logan Webb, of course, and he was a stud, but not available for the final. Former Giants pitcher and one of my all-time favorite players, Tyler Rogers, also pitched for Team USA. He got a big double play against Team Dominican Republic the night before last, and he got two big outs in the 9th tonight. The USA-Dominican Republic game was also a gripping contest. It was too bad that an obvious ball four was called strike three to end the D.R.'s chance at a comeback, you hate to see games end like that, but it was otherwise an exciting match.

I think the WBC has been very entertaining and it's clear that baseball is a truly international game. I really enjoyed seeing all the different players from all the different places. It seems to work fitting it in during Spring Training. Thankfully lots of games were on free, off-the-air TV (Fox) and the rest could be followed via Gameday.

Giants play the Dodgers tomorrow.

--M.C.