That's a wrap!

Now that 2022 is coming to a close let's take a look at the state of the team for next season. Here's a link to the official 40-man roster. I also rely on FanGraph's Roster Resource Depth Chart. And of course you have to keep track of the payroll and that's where you need Cot's Contracts. (All these links are on the sidebar.)

The outfield is getting close to a finished product. The corners will be manned by FNGs Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto. Centerfield will be a Mike Yastrzemski/Austin Slater platoon and we'll see both backing up in LF and RF. Ideally Joc Pederson will only see time at DH and 1B but I suppose there will be an occasion or two where he lumbers out to left. J.D. Davis has also played LF and LaMonte Wade, Jr. has most of his experience in RF. Luís González has also mostly played RF. He's younger than Wade and has an option remaining. It doesn't seem like they are chasing another OF.

Starting pitching looks well-stocked. Obviously Logan Webb will be the number one with Alex Cobb and probably the FNG lefty Sean Manaea in the next two spots. FNG righty Ross Stripling will likely be the fourth man. Both Anthony DeSclafani and southpaw Alex Wood are in the mix as fifth starter. Jakob Junis would ideally be a swingman. I expect to see ultra-prospect Kyle Harrison get a promotion during the season.

The bullpen was improved with the addition of Taylor Rogers, Tyler's brother. He should be an excellent lefty complement to closer Camilo Doval. Righties Tyler Rogers and John Brebbia will have their lefty counterparts in Sam Long and Scott Alexander. This is an unfinished group. Another late-inning/high-leverage arm or two (or three) would be great.

The infield is a concern. Right now J.D. Davis is the third baseman, backed up by Wilmer Flores and David Villar. Wilmer of course will back up at both 2B and 1B. Wade, Jr. is a lefty-hitting 1B option (Davis and Villar have also played 1B). Thairo Estrada is the second baseman and Brandon Crawford is the shortstop. Estrada right now is the only real option to back up at SS. Isan Díaz provides emergency depth at both spots. Seems a bit thin here.

Speaking of thin, I think catching is the great unknown. Obviously they are committed to Joey Bart as the starter. He will need a quality backup or two. Austin Wynns is still on the roster and FNG Blake Sabol is listed as a catcher as well as an OF. Here's a spot that could use some roster-churning magic from FZ and Co.

Speaking of FZ he talks about L'Affaire Correa both here and here. He says all the right things. I like when he says that when you are "trending on Twitter" it is "never a good thing!" He takes his job seriously but seems to keep his sense of humor. I suspect there will be lots of roster moves between now and next spring.

Happy New Year!

Go Giants!

--M.C.

OF, bullpen

The Giants have been looking for outfield and bullpen help and they signed two players in an attempt to address those needs. Michael Conforto is a former 1st round pick (#10 in 2014) who did not play at all in 2022 due to shoulder surgery. He's a career .255/.356/.468 hitter who turns 30 in March. He's on a two-year deal ($36M) with an opt-out. The pitcher is lefty Taylor Rogers, Tyler's brother, and he signed a 3-year deal worth $33M. Rogers has always been a reliever and has 81 saves and 445 strikeouts in 379 IP. He's 32.

These are the kinds of moves I was expecting. The pivot to Correa (I never expected Judge to leave the Yankees) was a shocker--I did not think the Giants would make that kind of deal. When the whole mess fell through it didn't hit me very hard because I was still processing the original story!

The SF press and fan base want to crucify FZ and Co. for reneging on the Correa deal (and it seems the Giants were the ones who balked) but I don't have a problem with it. Thirteen years is a long time and $350M is a lot of money. It's okay to be risk-averse in that situation. The smart move isn't always the popular one.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Billionaires and millionaires: what's a poor boy to do?

MLB is a big sandbox for billionaires to play in. There's lots of multi-millionaires, some ordinary millionaires, and a host of other folks, too, but in the end it's just a big plaything for some ultra-rich guys.

Then there's us. The fans. We just watch. There's nothing we can do except, well, NOT watch. That's it. These guys are going to do their dances and we are the lucky or unlucky recipients of the fallout.

The Giants played billionaire-millionaire tug-of-war and got beat. I'm not sure who is at fault or who is to blame so I won't worry about it. The fans are probably calling for Zaidi's head because that's what fans do. I'm not sure we'll ever really know how the Correa mess went down but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It seems like the "agreement" that Correa and the Boras Co. signed with the Giants was just part of the dance and contained enough wiggle room so they could change partners at any time. Fine. If that's how things get done in the billionaire's sandbox then they can have it.

I was excited about the possibility of Carlos Correa playing for the Giants but in general I'm not a fan of decade-length nine-figure contracts. So I'm bummed they couldn't improve the team but happy they dodged what I think is a pretty big bullet.

I don't have a problem with owners spending money or players making money. Hell the players are underpaid relative to the amount of wealth in the game! But I'm not going to take it too seriously. If Steve Cohen wants to throw more sand than the other guys in the box then more power to him. It might work. It might not. They still have to play the games.

I like baseball. I like the Giants. There's not much more to it for me than that so I'm not going to lose sleep over any of this stuff. It's time to get back to roster-building and getting excited about Spring Training. By the way I think the Haniger, Manaea, and Stripling signings were all solid moves that will help the club.

Christmas is nigh and I want to wish everyone the best for the holiday season. Thanks again to all the regular readers and contributors!

--M.C.

Never mind

I guess 13 isn't so lucky for me after all. Carlos Correa, in a stunning reversal, will not sign with the Giants. In fact he will go to the Mets on a 12-year deal for $315M.

The Giants apparently found something in his physical exam that put the mega-deal on hold. Agent Scott Boras then negotiated a new deal with the Mets.

I suppose we will just have to wait and hear what it is all about.

--M.C.

Lucky 13

FNG Carlos Correa signed a 13-year deal with the Giants. Think for a second: how many people currently in the organization will still be in the organization when this deal is over? Farhan Zaidi? Gabe Kapler? Logan Webb? Joey Bart? It's hard to imagine what the team will look like in 13 years. Oh, I suppose Buster Posey will still be part of the ownership group! Anyway, I thought I'd share the ZiPS projections for Correa. ZiPS is the brainchild of Dan Szymborski (FanGraphs) and is a popular system with fans and fantasy players.

 

That's 41.7 WAR over the life of the contract. At $350M that's $8.4M per WAR and that's relatively cheap. You can see that the first five years of the deal are "the meat" that the team is paying for: 24.7 WAR. FanGraphs says Correa has been worth 31.3 WAR since his debut in 2015 at age 20.

Correa doesn't project monster 8+ WAR Judge-like seasons but he does project consistent excellence and a slow decline. When you consider that the Padres have at least three shortstops and that the Dodgers just saw theirs sign with the Phillies this was the right time to get a new number six. I'm not sure if Correa will ever be an MVP but a guy this talented could certainly have an MVP-level season or two and could even outperform the projection above. I'm sure the Giants have their own analysis of the risks of such a contract and they've obviously decided there's too much upside not to go for it. Baseball salaries have not kept pace with the game's revenue or with inflation, believe it or not. Halfway through this deal $27M/year will not seem like so much. The owners are swimming in dough right now and they aren't worried if it runs out later—it will be someone else's problem by then!

Brandon Crawford's visage will be chiseled into SFG's Mt. Rushmore. He's certainly the greatest shortstop in orange-and-black in our lifetimes as fans. And he had a 6.3 fWAR season in 2021! But I think he reads the papers, too. I don't expect an issue with him moving to third base. But I want to acknowledge his immense contributions to the club and I think the position change will actually help him have another great year.

13 has always been my lucky number as I was born on Friday the 13th. So I think things are going to work out just fine with the FNG.

--M.C.

What's next?

The Giants landed their big fish. It turned out not to be Aaron Judge but Carlos Correa. Correa will replace fan favorite Brandon Crawford at shortstop and be the "face of the franchise" for a mind-boggling 13 years. These mega-deals are actually all about short-term returns. Teams expect big performances right away and are willing to punt on the back end. No one expects Judge or Correa to be All-Stars at age 37, but there's a good chance they will still be productive. No, Judge and/or Correa are supposed to be All-Stars right now.

The Giants need some All-Stars and Correa fits the bill nicely. So, that's good. The Giants also added a slugging outfielder, Mitch Haniger, and a couple of veteran starters, Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling, to beef up the roster. Again, no complaints. Those are all good moves.

But what's next? What do the Giants still need to compete in the NL West? I know they were interested in Kenley Jansen and it seems like adding another closer-type to complement Camilo Doval would be a good idea. It worked really well when the team had both Jake McGee and Doval for those last few outs. Maybe they can find another power arm for the bullpen.

The Giants picked up a player from the Reds (cash trade) named Blake Sabol who is a catcher and an outfielder. He's 24 and seems ready to be promoted to the bigs. I mention him because the team needs help at catcher. Joey Bart is expected to start, but he will need backups. What's the plan?

Will they need some more thump in the lineup? Is a LaMonte Wade, Jr. and J.D. Davis platoon at first base the answer? Will Thairo Estrada be the starting second baseman? Both Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt are out there as unsigned free agents. Do you think the team should bring either or both back?

Despite landing a premier player there seems to be lots more off-season work to be done. What's on your list?

--M.C.

The Other Carlos

I've spent a lot of time thinking and writing about Carlos Rodón and have neglected to talk about The Other Carlos—Carlos Correa. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN the Giants have signed the 28-year old shortstop to a 13-year, $350M deal.

I admit to being flabbergasted. I did not expect this. Correa has been linked to the Giants but that means little. Everyone talks. I did not see this one coming. Of all the free agents he's the youngest so it's not surprising that he got the longest deal.

Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic has confirmed the deal.

Wow. That's all I have for you right now. Just wow.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. This ought to shut up the whiners. The word on Farhan is that he's a nickel-and-dimer and can't make the big play. Well, this is the big play.

 

 

Ross Stripling

The Carlos Rodón sweepstakes—at least the San Francisco version—are over. The Giants signed another veteran starter to the same deal as Sean Manaea, a two-year $25M pact with an opt-out. Ross Stripling just turned 33 and has started 104 games in his career out of a total of 204 appearances (672 IP). You may remember him from his time with the Dodgers. LA traded him to the Blue Jays in 2020 and last year he had perhaps his best season (2.7 bWAR in 134-1/3 IP, 24 starts).

The Giants now have a rotation consisting of Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Sean Manaea, and Ross Stripling. There's also Jakob Junis who looks good as a swingman. Pitching depth, pitching depth, pitching depth, pitching depth. The Giants are stockpiling arms and instead of $200+M for one arm they will spread it around. (I think they should buy out Webb's arbitration years and his first few free agency years by signing him to a multi-year contract!). I can't complain about their approach. It's a long season and you need a lot of arms. There's talk that we will see 21-year old southpaw mega-prospect Kyle Harrison get promoted mid-year. A pair of homegrown aces, one lefty and one righty, would be a nice thing to build around.

--M.C.

Sean Manaea

Southpaw Sean Manaea might be familiar to Giants fans as he pitched for the Oakland A's from 2016-2021. Last year he was on the Padres. He's a former first-round pick (#34 in 2013, two picks below Aaron Judge) from Indiana State. He's not Carlos Rodón but he's a solid starter with good track record despite a poor season in 2022. It's a two-year deal (with an opt-out) worth $25M. He turns 31 in February.

--M.C.

Mitch Haniger

He's not Aaron Judge but he's a Bay Area native (Mountain View) and a former 1st-rounder (#38, 2012) from Cal Poly. Mitch Haniger turns 32 in December and is a right-handed hitter who has mostly played right field in his career. It's a 3-year deal worth $43.5M. There's an opt-out after 2024.

When he's been healthy he's a solid player with some pop. The Giants need some shoring up in the outfield and in the middle of the lineup and Haniger should help with both. He's a career .261/.335/.476 hitter in 564 G (2437 PA) mostly with the Mariners. I can see him as the starting LF next year (and the RH complement to Joc Pederson at DH). He has a reputation as a good "clubhouse guy" and the Giants like that

It's not a very exciting move but it is a move and that's something.

--M.C.

Travel

Baseball Savant has a feature about team travel distances. We all know that West Coast teams log the most air miles and this coming season is no different:

Here's a graphical look. You can run an animation on the Baseball Savant site for each club or for the entire league.

One of the features of the 2023 season is a series in México City. The Giants will face the San Diego Padres in Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on April 29th and 30th. And yes, the Giants do play the Seattle Mariners, they have a home series with them July 3rd through 5th. That means they will travel to Seattle in 2024. If you have not looked at the Giants 2023 itinerary, you should. They open the season at Yankee Stadium!

It's Thanksgiving and that means travel time for many. Have a safe and happy holiday!

--M.C.

Roster updates

The Giants non-tendered several players who now become free agents. Perhaps the most notable is lefty reliever Jarlín García. He's been a mainstay of the 'pen, appearing in 58 games in each of the last two seasons, but his 2022 performance was a drop-off from his excellent 2021. He will catch on with another club. Relievers Alex Young (L) and Mauricio Llovera (R) were also let go as was infielder Donovan Walton. Jason Vosler was also notably DFAd (and since non-tendered) earlier. He hit well in 111 PA and was up and down from AAA multiple times but could not stick with the club.

The Giants avoided arbitration with Mike Yastrzemski by signing him to a one-year, $6.5M deal. Southpaw Scott Alexander, who signed a minors deal in May and was promoted to the majors in August, was inked for one year at $1.2M.

Joc Pederson comes back after accepting the Qualifying Offer ($19.6M). Evan Longoria is officially a free agent after the Giants declined their option. He could still return to the team as there is (reportedly) some remaining mutual interest. He says 2023 will be his final go-round. Carlos Rodón declined his option and rejected his QO and hits the open market as perhaps the most desirable FA pitcher. Although Jacob DeGrom and Justin Verlander are also free agents Rodón seems most likely to get a multi-year deal given DeGrom's injury history and Verlander's age. Brandon Belt is a free agent (he accepted a QO last season) and there's been no word about him so far.

The Giants traded a minors OF (Tristan Peters) to the Rays for IF Brett Wisely. He's a lefty hitter who slashed .274/.371/.461 in 500 PA at Montgomery in the Southern League (AA).

Arb-eligible players remaining include Logan Webb, Jakob Junis, J.D. Davis, Austin Slater, John Brebbia, Thairo Estrada, LaMonte Wade, Jr., and Tyler Rogers. The deadline to re-sign those players is in January, otherwise they go to arbitration. Webb, Rogers, and Wade are a free agents in 2026, Davis and Slater in 2025, Brebbia and Junis in 2024. Estrada is under team control until 2027.

RHPs Tristan Beck (AAA), Jose Cruz (A+), and Keaton Winn (AA) were added to the 40-man. SS Marco Luciano and OF Luis Matos were also included. Both will start the year at AA-Richmond. Lefty-hitting middle infielder Isan Díaz was purchased from Miami earlier this year and is also on the 40-man. He has ML experience (145 G) and will likely get a shot to make the team this spring.

MLBTR reports that the Giants are interested in free agent reliever Kenley Jansen who needs no introduction. They have also been linked to NPB right-hander Kodai Senga. I should note that the Dodgers cut ties with Cody Bellinger and he is now a free agent. He's only 27. Some team will take a chance on him. And I refuse to discuss Aaron Judge as I fully expect him to remain with the Yankees.

So, is there someone out there you'd like to see sign with the Giants? (Here's the free agent list.) What moves do the Giants need to make? (I say sign Webb to a multi-year deal and make a big-time offer to Rodón). 

--M.C.

Rule changes for 2023

Baseball will be different next season. Here's an article on mlb.com that breaks it down. The three big changes will be a pitch clock, a ban on shifts, and larger bases.

The pitch clock is a fundamental change. Baseball has always been a "timeless" sport and the introduction of a timer is unfortunate. I've always felt that the best way to improve pace-of-play was to give the umpires the authority to enforce the rules. Alas, people don't pay to see the umpires. They want to see their heroes and if their hero has to step out of the box and adjust his velcro straps after every pitch than so be it. No one likes to watch a pitcher take forever to throw, but if he's your guy and he gets the job done then it's hard to complain. But with nine-inning games routinely going over three hours something had to be done. Certainly we know that TV has the biggest impact. Commercial breaks are too long and there's too much time devoted to TV stuff like those abominable in-game interviews. If I could change one thing about TV broadcasts it would be to ban all TV people from the playing field and dugouts during the game!

In the end I think the clock is a good change. Pace-of-play is important. Pitcher-batter duels should be tense and exciting and not interminable. The news from the minor leagues is generally positive. Players have adapted to the clock without much trouble. Game times have decreased by 20-30 minutes. That's not a lot, but it's a start. At least this rule will actually speed the game up unlike the stupid three-batter rule which has not made a dent in game times.

Banning the shift is a mistake in my mind. I think a player should be able to position himself anywhere he thinks the batter is going to hit the ball. In 2023 all four infielders will have to be on the infield dirt when the pitch is thrown. Also, the SS and 3B have to stay on the left side of the infield and the 1B and 2B have to stay on the right side. We won't see Brandon Crawford or Evan Longoria in short right field any more! This move is supposed to create more balls in play. I'm not so sure. Some players will benefit, but the effect will be small. I think this change is to appease the fans. Baseball fans are traditionalists and they hate the idea that their favorite lefty masher hits a screamer through the 3-4 hole, something that's been a hit for decades, and the SS or 3B sitting in RF makes a play on it and gets the batter out. There will no longer be four outfielder alignments in MLB. That doesn't mean you couldn't move an OF over to cover that spot. Maybe we'll see an occasional LF scooting over to short RF!

The final change has to do with the bases. They will be a little larger. And second base has been slightly re-positioned to better align with the other bases. That re-alignment is overdo of course. The perpendicular lines (to the foul lines) drawn from outfield edges of first base and third base meet, right now, in the middle of second base. The base will be moved in, toward the plate, so that those perpendiculars meet at the outfield side of the base (the apex of the infield diamond), which makes more sense. (Here's an article with a diagram.)

MLB wants more stolen bases. The quants have shown that the risk/reward for steals is too low for most situations and teams have run less as a result. Fans miss speedsters and their daring base-swiping exploits. Maybe Billy Hamilton will get a job again! Also, throws to first base will be limited. That's a weird one. If base stealers know that the pitcher has used up his two pickoff attempts he will be more likely to run. I never had a problem with pickoff throws. I don't think limiting them will help the game. But I do like the larger bases, and I'm OK with encouraging the running game. We all know that pitchers control the flow--catchers don't throw out base-stealers if pitchers can't keep them close.

Overall I think the trend is for more athleticism. Pitchers will have to shorten their deliveries to keep runners honest. And they'll have to do my favorite thing: WORK QUICKLY! Whether this will result in better outcomes for batters is hard to say. Certainly middle infielders will have to work harder. That's going to put a premium on speed and agility for SS and 2B. Maybe glove-first guys will stick around longer and we'll see more late-game defensive substitutes.

Anyway, it's something to talk about. What do you guys think?

--M.C.

Outfield help

Take a look at the list of free agent outfielders:

Left Fielders

Albert Almora (29)
Andrew Benintendi (28)
Michael Brantley (36)
Kole Calhoun (35)
Willie Calhoun (28)
Aledmys Diaz (32)
Corey Dickerson (34)
Adam Duvall (34)
Ben Gamel (31)
Robbie Grossman (33)
Trey Mancini (31)
Andrew McCutchen (36)
Joc Pederson (31)
David Peralta (35)
Tommy Pham (35)
Chad Pinder (31)
A.J. Pollock (35)
Jurickson Profar (30)

Center Fielders

Greg Allen (30)
Albert Almora (29)
Jackie Bradley Jr. (33)
Lorenzo Cain (37)
Jonathan Davis (31)
Adam Duvall (34)
Michael Hermosillo (28)
Odubel Herrera (31)
Travis Jankowski (32)
Aaron Judge (31)
Kevin Kiermaier (33) – $13MM club option with a $2.5MM buyout
Jake Marisnick (32)
Tyler Naquin (32)
Brandon Nimmo (30)
Brett Phillips (29)
Kevin Pillar (34)
A.J. Pollock (35)
Magneuris Sierra (27)

Right Fielders

Albert Almora (29)
Luis Barrera (27)
Jackie Bradley Jr. (33)
Kole Calhoun (35)
Travis Demeritte (28)
Joey Gallo (29)
Ben Gamel (31)
Robbie Grossman (33)
Mitch Haniger (32)
Aaron Judge (31)
Nomar Mazara (28)
Andrew McCutchen (36)
Wil Myers (32)
Tyler Naquin (32)
Chad Pinder (31)
Stephen Piscotty (32)

Then go to FanGraphs and sort the leaderboard for outfielders. (I set a minimum of 300 ABs.) What you get is a list of 113 players. Free agent Aaron Judge of course leads the list with his ridiculous 11.4 fWAR. After the ~6-WAR group of Yordan Alvarez, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and Jeff McNeil you come upon another free agent, Brandon Nimmo (5.4 fWAR). That's a couple of guys that would help any ball club. Judge would require a massive commitment. FanGraphs thinks it will be about 8 years and $300M. Nimmo's projection is 5 years and $100M. (They also think it will take 5 years and $130M to get Carlos Rodón).

It's not my money. The Giants have plenty, it seems, so they should spend freely. Albatross contracts won't be a problem in four or five years because SFG Inc. will have gobs of cash flowing in from their many other subsidiary (real estate) businesses. At least that's what it seems like--who knows the real story? It's a private concern, not a public corporation, so we'll never know for sure what kind of wealth they really have.

Here's something to think about. The Giants have two players, Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater, that grade out at #34 (Yaz, 2.2 WAR) and #37 (Slater, 2.1 WAR). If you sort the list for "CF" instead of "OF" those two players are #13 and #15. Both players are still arb-eligible. Yaz is a FA in 2026, Slater in 2025.

It's hard to find good major-league outfielders. There aren't that many of them. And if you expect them to play centerfield you make the list even smaller. A CF platoon of Yaz and Slater is better than what a lot of teams can put out there.

What do you think the Giants should do to improve their outfield for 2023?

--M.C.

'Stros seal Series in Six

The Philadelphia Phillies saw their magical post-season run end last night in Houston. They lost three straight games in the Series after taking a 2-1 lead. Astros pitchers were too good and they held the Phils to a mere three runs in the final 27 frames. The Astros were too good overall. That's a very deep club. Their hitters wore down both of the Phils top starters--Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler--and both of their top relievers--Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez. I liked the Phillies and was hoping for an upset but I'm not surprised that the Astros won. They were just too strong and had an answer for everything.

That's four World Series appearances in six seasons for Houston with two wins. Five players on this championship squad played on the 2017 team: Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, Justin Verlander, and Lance McCullers, Jr.

Now we can talk about the Giants!

--M.C.

On to the Series

The Houston Astros dispatched the New York Yankees in seemingly effortless fashion. That's a team without any apparent weaknesses. They go to the World Series for the second straight season. The Philadelphia Phillies continued their magical run with a bruising take down of the feisty San Diego Padres. That was a tougher fight than the 4-1 tally would indicate. I like this Phillies team. Let's hope they turn the tables on the favorites. Bookmakers like the Astros: the moneyline -170. That's an expected win probability of almost 63%!*

In other news, Bruce Bochy comes out of retirement and joins the Texas Rangers as their new manager. It's a three-year deal. Boch is 67. Some guys just can't stay retired. That's sure not me!

Game 1 is Friday (5:03 Pacific) at Minute Maid Park.

--M.C.

 

*divide 170 by 100+170 and multiply the result by 100

LCS

In the National League the upstarts won. The defending champion Braves and juggernaut Dodgers were both bounced out of the playoffs. The NLCS is a wildcard affair. The Phillies took the first game from the Padres with great pitching and timely homers. I hope it is a seven-game set. I like that both teams were underdogs and found their groove at the right time. I've no rooting interest: either club in the Series would be fine with me.

Unfortunately the American League was boring and produced the Astros-Yankees matchup everyone expected. Yuck. I will be rooting for both teams to lose. The Astros are -180 favorites.

--M.C.

Wild weekend

There was plenty of crazy baseball this weekend if you're in to that sort of thing. I follow the action on MLB Gameday and/or Gameday Audio. I enjoy hearing a little from the other radio announcers. I must say the Padres have an excellent play-by-play man. The visiting teams won three of the four series. The one I was most interested in--SD at NYM--featured an underdog away team (Padres) turning the tables on the hometown big-shots (Mets). It took all three games whilst the others were 2-0 sweeps. The Phillies upended the Cardinals with a miracle comeback and great pitching. The Mariners used the same combo to stun the Blue Jays. NL Central winners Cleveland hosted Tampa Bay and played 24 innings. The two teams scored a total of four runs. Three of them belonged to the Guardians and the Rays went home.

The Phillies head to Atlanta to face the Braves. The Padres go to LA and take on the Dodgers. The Mariners meet the Astros in Houston. The Guardians travel to Yankee Stadium. The LDS is a five-game set with a 2-2-1 format.

Odds Shark lists the four home teams as approximately -200 favorites. I think the Phils are better than their record and will match up with the Braves and that the Guardians have a legit chance to knock off the Yankees. But the other two series look like mismatches. Picking winners has never been my strong suit, however.

--M.C.

9th inning: 12-6

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 7-11

4th inning: 10-8

5th inning: 8-10

6th inning: 6-12

7th inning: 8-10

8th inning: 8-10

9th inning: 12-6

81-81 .500

 

--M.C.

81

SF 8  SD 1

The Giants took the finale in San Diego to finish the season at exactly .500--81 wins and 81 losses. The Giants have never had an 81-81 record or even an exactly .500 record in their entire history going back to 1883 in New York. In 1975 they only played 161 games and finished 80-81.

The frustration of this season can be summed up with simple arithmetic. The Phillies are the #6 seed and they finished with 87 wins. (The Padres are the #5 seed with 89 wins.) The Giants fell short of the post-season by six wins. Six goddamn wins. Here's where it gets worse: the Giants were 5-14 against the Dodgers and 6-13 against the Padres. That's 11-27 (.289) against those two clubs. And 70-54 (.565) against the rest (including 5-1 vs. Philadelphia). Even if you take out the 14-5 beat down of the Rockies that's still 56-49 (.533). The 2023 Giants really need to play better baseball against LA and SD.

I'm happy the team made it to .500 even if it is a disappointing result overall. They played well in September and finished on a high note. Speaking of a high note, David Villar hit two homers today.

It should be an interesting off-season for Giants fans. Especially if it isn't interesting. The fanbase wants action and they'll be cranky if they don't get it. I suspect FZ & Co. will take their usual measured approach and that alone will get the pot boiling. Certainly we have plenty to talk about. Add in the rule changes for next year and there will be no shortage of material for the off-season!

I'll put together some posts with more of my thoughts about this season and next. Right now I'm just a little melancholy with the end of things. I'll keep an eye on the post-season, but not too close. It's good to get a little break from daily baseball.

--M.C.

Walkoff win takes series

SF 4  ARI 3  (10) 

It was Fan Appreciation Day and the Diamondbacks treated everyone to a 13-hit onslaught. Fortunately the Giants pulled off three double plays and kept the ball in the yard. Arizona was 3-for-17 with RISP and stranded ten runners. It seemed like they were going to bust the game open every inning but the bullpen kept the lid on. The Giants couldn't get much going themselves and even with help (seven bases on balls!) they also stranded ten runners. In the 10th the Diamondbacks got the automatic runner (the "Manfred Man") home and that put pressure on the Giants. They responded with a bases-loaded ground ball single from David Villar that scored Wilmer Flores from second base with the winning run. He probably should have been out but the throw was rushed and catcher Carson Kelly couldn't handle it.

After the Giants big win Friday night the Diamondbacks responded with an 8-4 thumping on Saturday. It was a very close contest this afternoon but the home squad prevailed to take the weekend series. Overall Arizona won 10 of the 19 games between the two clubs. It has not been pretty against the NL West in 2022. The Giants go to San Diego for the final three games. The Padres hold an 11-5 edge in the season series and they've clinched a Wild Card spot.

Logan Webb was scheduled to start today but they opted to shut him down. Carlos Rodón is supposed to pitch on Tuesday. Tomorrow night (6:40 PT) it is another bullpen game, this time against Joe Musgrove.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Power surge

SF 10  COL 4

Many times during this season I've thought "nothing a ten-game win streak can't fix." Alas, it never happened. This recent streak of good baseball (10 wins in 11 games) would have been just the thing for right after the All-Star Break or for the middle of August. It's all about sequencing, eh? Homer-double-walk is nice but walk-double-homer is better. The Giants finish September with an 18-10 record which is their best month since their 14-7 April. They are now 8-9 against the Diamondbacks with two games left to play. At 79-78 overall they have a real chance to finish 2022 with a winning record.

Last night the Giants got hits up and down the lineup with seven of their twelve going for extra bases. Evan Longoria smacked two homers and drove in five. Both Joc Pederson and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits and three runs scored. Alex Cobb got through five innings despite yielding nine hits and all the runs. He only managed seven swinging strikes against Arizona's pesky, patient lineup. But it was enough and he was backed by solid relief from Thomas Szapucki, Alex Young, and Yunior Marte.

Wilmer Flores received the Willie Mac Award before the game. Who doesn't love Wilmer? He's certainly a most deserving winner. This afternoon's game is at 1:05 PT and Scott Alexander will be the opener. He's done that twice this month, on the 8th in a 2-1 loss to the Brewers and last Sunday in Arizona in a 3-2 win. He was unscored upon both times and has only allowed two runs in 15 IP.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. If you didn't see Joc's "little league homer" (ruled a triple + error) in the 2nd you need to watch the video.

Slam, sweep, sweet!

SF 6  COL 4

Rookie Ford Proctor, starting at second base and batting ninth, came up with the bases loaded in the 2nd and got his second MLB hit and his first home run. Up 1-0 the grand slam made it 5-0 and the Giants held on to sweep the Rockies and win their 78th game. That brings their season record to .500, something that seemed impossible at the start of the month.

Carlos Rodón had another dominant outing, allowing only two hits and whiffing ten over six innings. FNG Jharel Cotton followed with a scoreless 7th and 8th but gave up two hits and a run in the 9th. John Brebbia came in to close it out and had probably his worst stretch of the year--homer, single, triple--and Camilo Doval had to be summoned to get the final out. It was a small blemish on an otherwise excellent club effort.

In classic Kapler fashion he pinch-hit righty Austin Slater for the lefty Ford in the 7th and it worked out. Slater doubled and later scored on a sac fly from Wilmer Flores (his team-leading 70th RBI). The Diamondbacks come to town this weekend for the final home series. Tonight's game is at 7:15 PT with Alex Cobb getting the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bullpen gets it done

SF 6  COL 3

The Giants are not yet mathematically eliminated from Wild Card contention. Hard to believe, eh? We'll just let that one go. They won again last night, apparently re-discovering the Colorado Rockies kryptonite that they had last season when they won 15 of the 19 games played. This season the Giants have won 13 of 18 including the last six in a row.

John Brebbia opened and pitched a scoreless inning--that's the ninth time he's done that this season. He's tied for second in MLB with 72 appearances. He's one man in the 'pen that has delivered the goods all year. Sean Hjelle took the next four innings and gave up two runs but was awarded the win. Shelby Miller struck out five in his two frames and Tyler Rogers was filthy in his scoreless stint, whiffing two. (Former Giants starter Ty Blach pitched the 8th for Colorado and struck out the side.) Yunior Marte gave up a run in the 9th.

The Giants scored early and clung to a 3-2 lead until the 6th when Ford Proctor drove in a run on a bases-loaded sac fly and Joc Pederson followed with a triple to make it 6-2.

Carlos Rodón makes his final home start at 6:45 tonight (PT). He could make one more start in San Diego in the penultimate game.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. Ryne Stanek opened 29 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 and added 27 more in 2019. (Those were 90-win and 96-win teams.) Only seven relievers have opened ten or more games in a season.

That's the spirit

SF 5  COL 2

The Giants get their 76th win and are now 15-10 for the month of September. They've allowed only 88 runs in those 25 contests for an excellent 3.52 rpg. Last night Logan Webb had a little trouble in the 1st but followed that with four scoreless. He was pulled after five (78 pitches) with the Giants leading 3-1 behind homers from Joc Pederson and J.D. Davis. Webb's 192-1/3 IP is tied with Aaron Nola for 4th-best in MLB. He and Miles Mikolas have the most starts--32. Webb's IP total is 44 more than last season. I suspect he'll get the final home start on Sunday (Fan Appreciation Day) against the Diamondbacks.

Tyler Rogers delivered two strong relief innings. He has pitched much better in the second half and I'm happy to see it. He's a unique player and I really like what he brings to the team so I hope he can return to form after a tough first half. They want him to be a key bullpen piece next year. Speaking of key relievers Scott Alexander continues to pitch well and I expect he will be part of things next year. Camilo Doval had a crazy 9th, loading the bases and giving up a run, but he whiffed two to end it. He walks a tightrope sometimes but he's obviously a crucial piece of the puzzle.

The series continues tonight at 6:45 PT. Only eight games left in the season.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Getaway win

SF 3  ARI 2

The Giants make it a 6-1 road trip with a tense victory today in Arizona. Once again the bullpen was called upon to string together a start and this time they had a secret weapon--Jakob Junis. After Scott Alexander opened with a scoreless 1st Jarlín García got five more outs before Junis entered and got the final out of the 3rd. He then pitched a scoreless 4th, gave up a run in the 5th, and followed with a scoreless 6th, 7th, and 8th. The Giants had a lot of chances but in 2022 fashion squandered them with delicious abandon. They finally got serious in the 8th and took the lead on a bases-loaded two-run pinch-hit from Evan Longoria off our old pal Reyes Moronta. The Diamondbacks had been clinging to their 1-0 advantage despite a heapin' pile of opportunities for the Giants so Longo's hit was cathartic. Thank goodness J.D. Davis (who had four hits) homered to make it 3-1 in the 9th as Camilo Doval surrendered a run before closing it out.

It was a really nice win to take the series. Arizona has some talented ballplayers and after Saturday's 5-2 win they made the rubber match a tough contest. I like that the Giants are playing well. If they can finish the season on a high note and have a chance to see some players shine (like Davis) that's great. It makes it more fun to think about next year.

Monday is an off-day. There are nine more games in the season with the next six at home. Logan Webb gets the start Tuesday night against the Rockies at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

That's five

SF 6  ARI 5

Diamondbacks third baseman Sergio Alcántara made a poor throw in the 9th--failing to get an inning-ending forceout--and J.D. Davis followed that miscue with an RBI double for the go-ahead run. Camilo Doval put a man on with two out in the bottom of the inning but got a groundout to end the game and the Giants had their fifth straight win. It was a homer-happy game at first with Austin Wynns and Brandon Crawford muscling up a 2-0 lead with solo shots. Stone Garret took Carlos Rodón deep to tie the game but David Villar responded with his own two-run homer to bump it back to 4-2 Giants. An Evan Longoria RBI made it 5-2 in the 5th. Rodón had a hard time throwing strikes and when he put two on with one out in the bottom half Kap came and got him. He'd thrown 93 pitches at that point. Unfortunately Yunior Marte gave up two hits and Arizona tied the game. It stayed that way until Mike Yastrzemski singled in the 9th--he scored on the double from Davis.

Shelby Miller delivered 2-2/3 scoreless IP in his Giants debut. He gave up four hits but also struck out seven. Miller was an effective starter with St. Louis and Atlanta for three years before going to Arizona in 2016 where injuries derailed his career. He's bounced around since then and was claimed off the waiver wire in June. Miller pitched against the Giants in both the 2012 and 2014 playoffs when he was with the Cardinals.

Today's game is at 5:10 PT. Alex Cobb takes the hill.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Bullpen completes sweep

SF 3  COL 0

Six pitchers allowed ten hits (eight singles and two doubles), one walk, and nary a run to beat the Rockies yesterday afternoon in Colorado. It was the eighth team shutout and their twelfth win in the month. I note that because they won only eleven games in July and ten in August.

The Giants also had ten hits with half coming from Joc Pederson (three singles) and Mike Yastrzemski (homer, double). The key stat is the four double plays turned, all of which ended innings. FNG RH Jharel Cotton (a recent waiver claim) pitched 2-2/3 to claim the lion's share of outs. John Brebbia opened, he was followed by Tyler Rogers, Jarlín García, Cotton, Scott Alexander, and Camilo Doval.

It's on to Arizona for three before an off-day on Monday. Carlos Rodón gets the start tonight, 6:40 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Three in a row

SF 6  COL 1

Logan Webb threw five no-hit innings and was pulled with one out in the 6th after finally yielding a hit. He threw a mere 66 pitches but it was after an hour rain delay and he has already hit a career high for innings pitched so it was not an unreasonable decision. In fact Webb is third in MLB in IP (187-1/3) behind only Miles Mikolas (193-1/3) and Sandy Alcantara (212-2/3). If they want to baby his young arm that's OK by me.

The lineup delivered 15 hits--12 singles--and the fielders didn't make an error. The only blemish was a 9th-inning homer from Elehuris Montero off Thomas Szapucki. Cole Waites made another appearance (strikeout, single, walk). Jason Vosler is back, he had a triple. Sean Hjelle was optioned back to AAA and Lewis Brinson was DFAd.

Today's game is at 12:10 PT. John Brebbia will open. He's done that seven times and the Giants have won four of those games. He leads MLB with 70 appearances.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Two straight

SF 6  COL 3

Six pitchers subdued the Rockies and the Giants banged out four doubles and a homer to take the second game in Colorado. Sean Hjelle had a much better outing than last time, pitching the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th innings and yielding two runs on six hits. He got six ground ball outs including a couple of well-timed double plays. John Brebbia opened and pitched a scoreless 1st and Tyler Rogers, looking more like himself these days, got five ground ball outs in his two scoreless frames. Thomas Szapucki relieved Hjelle and gave up a run in the 8th as the Rockies pushed for a comeback but Yunior Marte and Jarlín García combined to get the last three outs in the 9th. Coors Field has a way of turning leads into deficits in the blink of an eye so I was happy to see the relief corps bend without breaking.

Austin Slater and Thairo Estrada at the top of the lineup had three of the four doubles and David Villar cranked the homer. Joey Bart had a hit and a walk and scored three runs. The lineup, in a change, was 4-for-8 with RISP. Giants have nine wins against the Rockies (against five losses), that's the most against any team this season.

Logan Webb gets the start tonight at 5:40 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. In an interesting bit of news Buster Posey joined the ownership group of the team. He's now listed as a Principal Partner of the San Francisco Baseball Associates LLC.

Road win in extras

SF 10  COL 7  (10)

The Giants scored five runs in the weekend series with the Dodgers. They scored five runs in the first five innings last night in Colorado. They added five more in the final two frames to come from behind and win their 70th game. Jakob Junis gave up twelve hits and six runs in 4-1/3 frames but the lineup kept chipping away and eventually chased down the Rockies in the 9th. David Villar delivered a two-out RBI double to keep the game alive and Thairo Estrada hit a three-run homer in the 10th to get it done. The Giants made four errors in the game but got strong relief work to keep within striking distance.

Carlos Rodón was scheduled to start tonight but he was pushed back to Friday. Apparently he is still dealing with a blister issue. Looks like John Brebbia will be the opener (5:40 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

I'm glad that's over

The Dodgers won their 100th and 101st games over the weekend. The sweep of the Giants ends the season series, thank goodness. LA won 15 of the 19 contests. At the end of last year I thanked the Dodgers for inspiring the Giants to play their best baseball, win the West, and finish with their best record of all time. I think the Dodgers decided that finishing in second place was going too far and they had a message for the Giants this year. Clearly that message was delivered.

Jakob Junis gets the start in Colorado tonight--5:40 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

8th inning: 8-10

Last night's 5-0 loss to the Dodgers was game 144. That's eight seasonal-innings of baseball by the Giants. They are 69-75 (.479) overall. Here's the way that looks:

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 7-11

4th inning: 10-8

5th inning: 8-10

6th inning: 6-12

7th inning: 8-10

8th inning: 8-10

There are 18 games left in the season. Only two more against LA, thank goodness. The Giants are 4-13 against the Dodgers (and 5-11 against the Padres). After this weekend it is off to Colorado and Arizona, then home against both those clubs before finishing in San Diego.

Tonight's game is at 6:05 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. There is some organizational good news in that the Eugene Emeralds won the Northwest League (High-A West) championship for the third time in five years. This is their second season as a Giants affiliate.

Giants take series with win

The Giants bounced back from last night's 5-1 loss with a well-played 4-1 win this afternoon to take two of the three games from the Braves. Carlos Rodón started and was his usual dominant self. What was unusual was that he was pulled after five innings and only 71 pitches (2 H, 1 R, 0 W, 8 K). Apparently they are just being careful with him--there was no report of injury or other physical issue. The Giants led 2-1 at that point due mostly to the bottom of the lineup. Austin Wynns got a two-out hit to plate the first run in the 2nd and David Villar and J.D. Davis had back-to-back doubles in the 4th for the second run. Solid relief pitching from Tyler Rogers and Scott Alexander kept the Braves off the board in the 6th and 7th. Meanwhile the Giants got two more in the bottom of the 6th on another clutch hit from Wynns. John Brebbia took care of the 8th and that left the 9th for Camilo Doval.

He did not disappoint. The young flamethrower was overpowering and whiffed the three batters he faced on twelve pitches. Doval has the stuff to be one of the best late-inning pitchers in MLB. Let's hope he continues to grow and refine his game.

The Braves are a good team. They are the defending champs and they've been really hot after the All-Star Break. Taking a series from that club is a bright moment in a dark season! The Giants are off tomorrow and then the Dodgers come to town for three starting Friday night at 7:15 Pacific. Logan Webb will get the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants slip past champs

SF 3  ATL 2

Alex Cobb led the way with a great start: seven scoreless innings with six hits allowed and no walks against seven whiffs. His ERA is finally a respectable 3.48 after peaking out at 6.25 at the end of May. His 2.90 FIP tells a better story--that number peaked at 3.27 in June. Cobb is signed for next year and the team has an option for the following year. His sinker/splitter combo can get a lot of swinging strikes (18 last night) and ground balls (8 last night) when it's working.

The Giants lineup was not intimidated by Spencer Strider and they jumped on him for a two runs in the 2nd. Brandon Crawford hit a single with one out and Thairo Estrada followed with a double. Both runners scored on hits by FNG Willie Calhoun and Luis González. The Giants added another in the 5th on an error on a grounder from Estrada. (Thairo is slashing .264/.321/.411 after his three-hit night.) The Giants worked a lot of long counts and rapped out nine hits against Strider and he was pulled after five frames (102 pitches, 9 K).

Zach Littell got into trouble in the 8th and the Braves closed the gap to one run but a four-out save from FNG southpaw Scott Alexander sealed the win. Jakob Junis goes tonight (6:45 PT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s The Giants obviously added OF Calhoun to the roster but they also promoted a young pitcher named Cole Waites. (Austin Dean went back to AAA and Tommy La Stella went to the IL.) Waites has 134 strikeouts in 71-1/3 innings over three seasons in the minors. Across three levels this season he's whiffed 75 of the 169 batters he's faced. He's 24 and played college ball at West Alabama and was drafted in the 18th round in 2019. I hope we get to see him soon!

Giants nip Cubs, take series

SF 4  CHC 2

It was a bullpen game in Chicago yesterday. John Brebbia opened with a scoreless 1st and Tyler Rogers followed with a scoreless 2nd and 3rd. Thairo Estrada drove in J.D. Davis in the 4th for a 1-0 lead but the Cubs tied it up with a run in the 5th off Yunior Marte (who also pitched a scoreless 4th). Estrada's homer in the 7th gave the Giants a 2-1 lead and Wilmer Flores hit a two-run shot in the 8th to make it 4-1. Zach Littell pitched the 6th and got two outs in the 7th. Scott Alexander got the final out and the next two outs in the 8th but gave up a homer to Seiya Suzuki. Closer Camilo Doval got the last out of the 8th and pitched the 9th for the save.

Overall six pitchers gave up 12 hits but only three for extra bases. They allowed one walk and struck out five on 153 pitches. Bullpen games aren't very sexy but they can certainly work. The Giants are only listing four starters (Rodón, Webb, Cobb, Junis) these days so expect more games like this one.

Good news! The Giants are extending Wilmer Flores for two more years. No financial details yet. Everyone loves Wilmer.

The Giants are at home tonight (6:45 PT) and face the Braves and rookie phenom Spencer Strider. He has 183 strikeouts in 120-2/3 IP. He got knocked around for six runs in 3-2/3 when the Giants played the Braves back in June but has been dominant in his last four starts (26 IP, 3 R, 41 K). Alex Cobb will take on the Braves lineup.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb, Bart lead Giants

SF 5  CHC 2

I hope I get to type that title a lot from here on out. Battery mates Logan Webb and Joey Bart combined for some excellent baseball and the Giants snapped their losing streak. Webb did not look like the stopper when he gave up a run in the 1st but the lineup responded with four runs in the top of the 2nd. The highlight was Bart's two-run homer, his 11th. Webb gave up a run in the bottom of the 2nd but then reeled off five scoreless frames. He finished the 7th with back-to-back whiffs. Bart added two more hits on the day, a double in the 4th and a single in the 9th. It was a tight game until the end. Leading 4-2 in the 8th David Villar added a solo shot and things looked good. John Brebbia walked the first batter in the bottom half but then got three straight outs. Camilo Doval gave up a line drive hit to open the 9th, but then got lucky on another line drive that turned into a double play. Lady Luck has not favored the Giants this year so I think they deserve every break they get! He struck out the last guy to seal the win.

Logan Webb continues to kick butt. He's established himself as one of the top pitchers in the game. Joey Bart had about as bad a start to a season that a player can have yet he's looking better and better at the plate lately. He's making more contact and hitting the ball hard. If he can establish himself as a major-league hitter in these final months that would be the best thing to come out of this disappointing season. I suppose I overlooked another rookie, David Villar. I mentioned his clutch homer but he also got the scoring started in the 4th with his RBI double. He's another guy that I'd like to write more headlines about. I'm glad the youngsters (Webb's 26 in November, Bart's 26 in December, Villar's 26 in January) got to strut their stuff today. Let's see some more!

Game time 5:08 PT tomorrow.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Sweep drops Giants to fourth

The Giants got overpowered by Corbin Burnes in the opener (2-1) of yesterday's doubleheader and there's no shame in that. Last year's Cy Young Award winner allowed only three hits and struck out 14. David Villar got a ground ball single in the top of the 8th in an attempt at a last-gasp rally but Luis González hit into a double play to quash that notion. González was the only player in the lineup who had not struck out against Burnes. The highlight of the day for the Giants was the excellent work from Jakob Junis who gave up three hits and two runs in his six frames. Scott Alexander opened with a scoreless inning and Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless 8th.

In the nightcap (4-2) the Giants had no excuses. Opener Alex Young gave up three runs in the 1st and had to exit with only two outs. Rookie Sean Hjelle pitched five innings in relief, giving up three hits and one run while striking out six. That was the highlight for the Giants. Hjelle, like Villar, is part of the 2018 draft class. The lineup could only manage four hits (one a homer by Joc Pederson) and the team went down quietly.

They are looking up at the Diamondbacks who have slipped into third place by a half game. Today Carlos Rodón takes the hill in Chicago at 1:05 Pacific. The 57-80 Cubs would be in last place (behind the Rockies) in the NL West. They are currently third (behind Milwaukee and St. Louis) in the NL Central.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Villar homers twice in loss

LA 7  SF 3

The Giants lost their 70th game to some familiar nemeses--Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, and Max Muncy--but managed to find a silver lining to the series. Rookie David Villar was 6-for-9 in the three games scoring eight runs and driving in five. He hit a homer in Monday's win and hit two more yesterday. Villar's first blast was a two-run shot off Kershaw in the 5th to open the scoring. After Turner's three-run homer gave LA the lead in the bottom half, Villar tied the game in the 7th off Justin Bruihl. It gave us hope and we started to dream of a win but those notions were cruelly dashed by Max Muncy's three-run homer in the 8th. Nonetheless the young infielder made his mark. If you want to impress the fans (and the brass) then get big hits against the Dodgers!

Villar got his first taste of the majors when he was called up in July. He had two hits in his debut on July 4th but struggled to hit .200 and was sent down in early August. He was called back at the start of September and went 0-for-7 in the three games at home against the Phillies before breaking out The Big Stick in LA. His AAA slash line (.275/.404/.617) and pop (27 HR, 19 2B) in 84 games suggests he's done in the minor leagues. Let's hope he emerges as a legit infield option for the 2023 club.

It's a doubleheader in Milwaukee today against the Brewers starting at 1:10 PT. Lefty Scott Alexander gets the start against Corbin Burnes. We have not seen much of Alexander, he was picked up in May after spending a few years in LA as an effective reliever. He's from Santa Rosa and was drafted in 2010 and came up with the Royals.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Streak snapped

LA 6  SF 3

The Giants hit two more homers but the Dodgers hit three and that ended the win streak at four games. Lewis Brinson hit the first pitch he saw for a long blast to LF but LA countered in the 2nd when Joey Gallo hit a three-run shot off Jarlín García. Max Muncy hit one in the next inning and he added another in the 6th off Dominic Leone. Tyler Anderson gave up eight hits in seven frames but got his 14th win. The Giants opened with John Brebbia who pitched a scoreless 1st. García followed (1-2/3 IP), Tyler Rogers delivered 2-1/3 IP without a run, Leone (2 IP) was next and Zack Littel finished up with a scoreless 8th. Brandon Crawford hit the other homer, a two-run shot in the 6th. Rookie David Villar had two hits. Villar is 25 and was an 11th-round pick in 2018. Joey Bart was the #2 pick overall that year. Villar hit really well at Richmond (AA) last season and was tearing it up at Sacramento (AAA) this year. He's from Atlanta and played ball at the University of South Florida.

Alex Cobb and Clayton Kershaw go this afternoon at 1:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Big bombs beat Bums

SF 7  LA 4

The Giants hit five home runs to back a quality start from Logan Webb and they beat the Dodgers to up their win streak to four games. And they snapped their eight-game losing streak against LA. After an error in the 1st by Evan Longoria that put a man on Webb gave up a two-run shot to Freddie Freeman. FNG Lewis Brinson, in the lead off spot against lefty Andrew Heaney, smacked a game-tying two-run blast in the 3rd. J.D. Davis followed with his own homer to make it 3-2 San Francisco. The Giants tacked on three more in the 4th behind homers from Thairo Estrada and a David Villar. Webb gave up another run in the bottom half but then added two more scoreless frames to notch his 12th win. His ERA is 2.89, just under Carlos Rodón's 2.92, and those are good for 15th- and 16th-best in MLB.

Brinson added another homer in the 9th off lefty reliever Justin Bruihl. Brinson is there for his RH power bat so let's hope we see more thump from him. His career stats are underwhelming but he does have a .421 slugging percentage and 13 HR and 16 2B in 352 AB vs. southpaws. Yunior Marte and Scott Alexander handled the 7th and 8th and Camilo Doval had an easy 9th for his 20th save.

I'm not sure I've said this before but I thought we'd see the club deliver more performances like this one. It was nice to see the team bounce back from the early deficit. Last year they hit 241 HR which was good for second in MLB. This year they have 151 and are in the middle of the pack (13th).

Austin Slater goes to the IL for his dislocated pinky finger. Joey Bart should return tonight. Game time 7:10 PT.

Go Giants! Beat LA!

--M.C.

Wilmer's walk-off completes sweep

SF 5  PHI 3

The Giants finished off the Phillies in dramatic fashion when Wilmer Flores smoked a two-run homer with two out in the 9th to break the tie and end the game. Carlos Rodón had another great start, striking out twelve in six shutout frames. He ran into some trouble in the 6th but whiffed two with the bases loaded to keep the Phils at bay. The Giants were clinging to a 3-0 lead at the time and it really should have been a lot more. They could not get the big hit and failed to cash in on multiple scoring chances. It really hurt when John Brebbia gave up a game-tying three-run homer in the 8th to J.T. Realmuto. But rookie Bryce Johnson walked to lead off the bottom of the 9th and after two strikeouts Wilmer connected with his winning blast (on the first pitch!). Johnson got his first ML hit and RBI in the Giants three-run 4th inning rally.

The Giants take five of the six games against Philadelphia this season. They won five of the six against Pittsburgh, too. Maybe they should just play Pennsylvania teams! It sure is a lot more fun when the team plays good baseball. They are 3-0 in September.

The Giants go to Los Angeles for three against the Dodgers. Logan Webb gets the start at 7:10 p.m.

Go team! Beat LA!

--M.C.

Giants grind out a win

SF 5  PHI 4

Brad Hand walked three guys in the 6th and gifted the Giants with the go-ahead run. The bullpen held on to beat the Phillies and make it two wins in a row. Camilo Doval got a four-out save with no fuss to seal the deal. It was an attritional affair with the Giants using six guys after starter Jakob Junis exited in the 5th and sixteen guys in the lineup. The Phils used sixteen total, with four in relief of Noah Syndergaard (who also left in the 5th) and with only one pinch-hitter in contrast the the Giants who used four. To belabor the point, the Giants made five defensive changes while Philly had just one. The all-hands-on-deck approach worked, it seemed, just by pure volume. Joc Pederson had three RBI on two hits and a walk. He also lost a ball in the sun in left field but so did Kyle Schwarber. The two teams played very evenly with the home squad 5-for-19 with RISP and the visitors 3-for-15. Lots of missed opportunities--it could have been a much higher-scoring afternoon.

The Giants have a winning record (36-32) at home. This afternoon (1:05 PT) Carlos Rodón takes the hill with a chance for a sweep.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Cobb, big bats snap skid

SF 13  PHI 1

I don't know about you but when losing streaks get long I get this feeling that the team will never win another ballgame. I know it's irrational but I get smothered with creeping dread and start to imagine epic collapses like 0-for-September or something. Fortunately that doesn't usually happen. And I'm here to report that the Giants are at 1.000 for September after a big win against the Phillies.

The Giants scored 12 runs in three games against the Padres and followed that by scoring 11 runs in the first three innings last night. Joc Pederson had a homer and five RBI. Wilmer Flores walked three times and scored three runs. LaMonte Wade and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits apiece. Luis González hit a triple, scored two, and pitched the 9th inning.

Alex Cobb is a good pitcher and we are finally getting to see why the Giants signed him. He's got that nasty sinker/splitter combo that gets a lot of ground balls (10 last night) and swinging strikes (11 last night with 7 K). He allowed only three hits over seven innings on a crisp 88 pitches. Philadelphia has a good-hitting lineup--they are fifth in MLB at 4.71 rpg--and Cobb kept them in check.

I thought the 2022 Giants would be where the Phillies are right now. At 73-59 they are well behind the Mets and Braves in the NL East but have a firm grip on the third wild-card spot. It's theirs to lose at this point. I thought there was a good chance the Giants would be going toe-to-toe with the Padres and the other wild card contenders. Perhaps they'll enjoy being spoilers down the stretch.

The Giants get a look at Noah Syndergaard this afternoon at 1:05 PT. Jakob Junis gets the call. Junis is still arb-eligible and I imagine he will be back for 2023 after his strong showing this season.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. FNG Lewis Brinson got into the game and got a hit. He's a former 1st-rounder and FZ likes to accumulate those types. I suppose 1st-rounders are the most obviously talented of their peer group/draft class. That doesn't mean they will all make it of course, just that they stood out at one time. We've seen (Kevin Gausman comes to mind) that some are late bloomers. AAAA-type guys are valuable. They provide coverage against injuries and more importantly depth and competition for the AAA squad. It can't hurt to take a low-cost, no-risk flyer on a guy who just might have something to contribute.

Stick a fork in 'em

The Giants get swept by the Padres (6-5 Monday, 4-3 Tuesday, and 5-4 Wednesday) and their losing streak is now seven games. They finish the month of August 10-17. They are done. If a ray of hope was still shining it has now vanished. They are tied with the Diamondbacks! They will have to fight for third place. A .500 record is likely out of the question.

So, what to do? Roughly a month (32 games) of baseball remains. The rosters only expand by two players in September, it's not like it used to be with a dugout full of prospects and no-names. But it wouldn't hurt to see some young guys get a few reps. David Villar and Heliot Ramos come to mind. Maybe we should get a look at what they can do. Heck, I'd give Kyle Harrison a few innings on the mound.

I should note that the only two position players signed for 2023 are Brandon Crawford and Tommy La Stella (they also have an option on Evan Longoria). The other players in the fold are starters Alex Wood, Alex Cobb, and Anthony DeSclafani. Carlos Rodón has an opt-out and most folks figure he will exercise that. Next year's roster has a lot of question marks. Youngsters Logan Webb, Camilo Doval, Joey Bart, and Thairo Estrada will be key pieces so it will be good to see how they perform in the final weeks. Guys like John Brebbia and Jakob Junis have probably earned a call-back (both are still arb-eligible), and I think the team wants to keep J.D. Davis. It's hard to know what will happen to veterans like Wilmer Flores and Joc Pederson. But that's what the off-season is for!

Right now we have to ride out the rest of the way with what we've got no matter how painful. A strong finish won't change the pennant races but it would give fans like me a lift. So, let's hope the team turns it around and gives us a few weeks of some fun baseball.

The Phillies come to town tomorrow night, game time 7:15 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

7th inning: 8-10

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 7-11

4th inning: 10-8

5th inning: 8-10

6th inning: 6-12

7th inning: 8-10 

The Giants had a chance for a winning inning but four losses in a row doomed them. Today the Twins finished the sweep of the three-game set in Minnesota. The Giants got clobbered on Friday night 9-0. Alex Wood had another bad start. Yesterday Camilo Doval blew the save in the 9th and the Giants lost in the 10th 3-2. Alex Cobb had a decent start but the lineup could barely manage to score. Today was just another ho-hum 8-3 blowout. The Giants were competitive until the 5th when Jakob Junis got into trouble and Alex Young came in and put gas on the fire. After that it was more zeroes for the offense. Lefty reliever Scott Alexander made his first appearance for the orange-and-black and managed a scoreless frame.

The Giants are 61-65 with 36 games left to play. They are 7-1/2 games behind the Padres (and six games behind the Brewers) for the third wild card spot. Even a run of inspired play--which this team seems incapable of--would likely not be enough to catch up. I'm still holding out for a +.500 finish. That would take a 21-15 record (.583). I'm not sure they can pull that off. Maybe it's time to field a squad of call-ups and prospects. It might get ugly but it wouldn't be much worse than what we are seeing right now!

It's six games at home (Padres and Phillies) starting tomorrow (6:45 PT). Carlos Rodón gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Another split

The Giants won the opening game of the two-game set in Detroit 3-1 behind a dominant start from Carlos Rodón. He was really sharp and able to go a full seven innings (striking out ten) and not crack 100 pitches. John Brebbia handled the 8th and Camilo Doval got the save in the 9th despite scaring us half to death. You could see Wilmer Flores (who handled the final out) giving Doval some good-natured crap at the end of the game. Doval has all the weapons and sufficient sangfroid for the closer role but he's still pretty raw and he needs to cut down on the wildness. Evan Longoria's two-run homer in the 6th was the decisive blow. The win put the Giants back to .500 at 61-61.

Today was unfortunately another story. Logan Webb had a no-hitter going with one out in the 5th when everything fell apart. The Tigers got a couple of breaks and put two guys on and then put together a string of two-strike hits and batted around, chasing Webb from the game. That was all the scoring Detroit would need to seal a lopsided 6-1 win. Webb's had a couple of rough starts since his brilliant effort against the Pirates on August 13th.

Once again the Giants had an opportunity for a sweep but settled for a split. Disappointing.

The Giants are off tomorrow and open a weekend set in Minneapolis against the Twins on Friday night (5:10 p.m. PT). Alex Wood gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

p.s. Brandon Belt, no surprise, goes to the 10-day IL. Bryce Johnson was brought up from AAA. He's a speedy switch-hitter who can play all three OF positions. The Giants also picked up a lefty reliever (Jonathan Bermudez) and a catcher (Patrick Mazeika) off waivers. They also signed a minors deal with a righty reliever (Ken Giles) who had been DFAd.

Giants avoid a sweep

SF 9  COL 8  (11)

After two dispiriting losses, 7-4 on Friday night and 4-3 in ten innings yesterday, the Giants outlasted the Rockies in extras this afternoon in Denver to collect their 60th win. It wasn't easy. And the Giants tried real hard to lose. Lost in all the craziness was another good start from Jakob Junis. They should give that guy an extension. After Evan Longoria's grand slam in the 6th the bullpen gave up the lead in the 7th, and when the Giants got two in the 10th the bullpen gave up the lead again. In the 11th some small ball (bunt by LaMonte Wade and sac fly by Wilmer Flores) scored automatic runner Mike Yastrzemski. In the bottom half of the frame Zack Littell gave up a long fly out to RF with one out and the game ended with Wade throwing out the automatic runner trying to go to third. That is after the Giants successfully challenged the safe call on the field! The throw was a thing of beauty and the slick swipe from Longo was just enough to get the runner on the leg. Whew! Finally the Giants catch a break.

The team avoids an embarrassing sweep. It's a tough time for the club and they desperately needed a win. To their credit they played with a bit of desperation and it paid off. They get a travel-day break tomorrow and then play two in Detroit. Carlos Rodón gets the ball Tuesday night (4:10 p.m. PT). Logan Webb starts the getaway game Wednesday afternoon (10:10 a.m. PT). They get another travel-day break on Thursday and open a weekend set on Friday in Minneapolis.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants settle for a split

The Giants had a five game win streak going. They had won the first two games of the four-game set with the Diamondbacks. They had their two best pitchers starting the final two games. Alas, they lost both and settled for a split. A very disappointing result. The momentum the team seemed to be building evaporated quickly. On Wednesday night Carlos Rodón pitched well but the lineup could only get two runs and a two-run 8th from Dominic Leone doomed the Giants 3-2. Today Logan Webb could not keep up with a dominant Zac Gallen and the Giants got blanked 5-0. Webb wasn't sharp and he gave up a lot of hard contact. An error in LF from Joc didn't help. I was getting stoked about a sweep and keeping the streak going but the play on the field did not measure up. This team is 59-59 with 44 games left to play. They need to get something going or they will be lucky to finish with a .500 record.

Coors Field awaits. Game time tomorrow 5:40 Pacific. Alex Wood gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

BCraw walks it off!

SF 2  ARI 1

With one out in the 9th and the Giants trailing 1-0 Mike Yastrzemski launched a homer bid that fell just short in left-center for the second out. Thairo Estrada, Sunday's walk-off hero, blasted his own homer bid, only to watch it fall agonizingly short. His, though, turned out to be a triple off the bricks in right. That meant Brandon Crawford would get a shot and he delivered a long fly that cleared the center field fence for the game-winner. What a finish!

The Giants banged out a handful of extra-base hits but could not score against Merrill Kelly. Fortunately Jakob Junis pitched beautifully as well, going a full seven innings and allowing only a solo shot. It looked like another tough loss but a miraculous bottom of the 9th snatched a win from the jaws of defeat. Good relief work from Alex Young (8th) and John Brebbia (9th) backed up Junis' great effort.

Carlos Rodón gets the ball tonight at 6:45 and will try to push the win streak to six.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Four in a row

SF 6  ARI 1

Alex Cobb struggled in the 1st inning but ultimately wriggled free of his mess without giving up a run. He then threw four more scoreless frames and was only touched in the 6th on a solo homer.  Meanwhile the Giants tagged their old teammate Madison Bumgarner for six runs in his six innings and that was the difference. Tyler Rogers had a bad time in relief in the 7th but FNG lefty Alex Young got a strikeout to end the thing and the Giants cruised after that. Joey Bart had three hits and two runs batted in, J.D. Davis had two hits and scored two, and Evan Longoria smacked a two-run homer. This is a good time for the Giants to beat up on a weaker team--let's hope they get that memo.

Tonight it is a tougher test with Merrill Kelly going for the Diamondbacks. Jacob Junis gets the call for the home team (6:45 PDT).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Thairo Saves the Day

SF 8  PIT 7

The Giants looked set for a comfortable win this afternoon but baseball stuff got in the way. The lowly Pirates got a big inning against starter Alex Wood in the 5th to turn a 5-0 lead to a more modest 5-3. When John Brebbia took the hill in the 7th he put two on and gave up a three-run homer to make it 6-5 in favor of the visitors. It looked bleak but an error gifted the Giants the tying run in the bottom half. In the 9th the Giants gifted the Pirates a run on an error and nearly a second but for a nifty play at the plate by Joey Bart on a throw from Wilmer Flores.

Trailing 7-6 in the bottom of the 9th the home squad was all set for a disappointing face plant in front of 36,000+ fans. But Evan Longoria (he of the error) singled. Mike Yastrzemski almost doubled him up (it was J.D. Davis pinch-running) but instead got to first on the force out. Thairo Estrada then hit the first pitch for a game-winning two-run homer.

It's the Giants sixth walk-off win of the season and their sixth win in the month of August to even their record at 6-6. They sweep Pittsburgh to get back to .500 at 57-57.

Alex Cobb takes the hill tomorrow night in San Francisco at 6:45 Pacific to open a four-game set against the Diamondbacks.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Webb's a gem

SF 2  PIT 0

Logan Webb threw 148-1/3 innings last season. He gave up 128 hits and 53 runs and walked 36 while striking out 158. He allowed only 9 homers and finished with an 11-3 record and a 3.03 ERA (136 ERA+ and 2.72 FIP). FanGraphs gave him 4.1 WAR and Baseball-Reference gave him 3.8.

Logan Webb has thrown 150 innings this season. He's given up 131 hits and 54 runs and walked 39 while striking out 124. He's allowed only 10 homers and is sporting an 11-5 record and a 3.00 ERA (135 ERA+ and 3.23 FIP). FanGraphs rates him at 2.6 WAR and Baseball-Reference says 4.3.

Last night the Giants celebrated the 10th anniversary of that marvelous 2012 World Series championship team. Logan Webb then threw eight scoreless innings allowing only five hits and two walks while striking out nine. It was arguably his best start of the year. The Giants got just enough to eke out a win. Not much has gone right for the Giants this season mostly because players have not performed anywhere close to what they did last season. The exception is Webb, of course. He's delivered exactly what the Giants were hoping he would after his breakout performances last fall.

Alex Wood goes this afternoon (1:05 Pacific) with a chance for a sweep.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants Win!

SF 5  PIT 3

It was a workmanlike game, the kind we thought we'd see more of this season. Rodón was effective and a couple of lefty bats (Yaz and LuGone) got big extra-base hits when they were needed. FNG southpaw Thomas Szapucki (acquired with J.D. Davis and two others in the Ruf deal) gave up a homer to the first batter he saw which seems a fitting intro to his Giants tenure, at least for this season. He's given up 16 runs in 5-1/3 MLB IP which calculates to a 27.00 ERA! (A bunch of those were against the Giants.) But he just turned 26 and is noted for a big-spin curveball, a low-slot release, and a 92-94 mph fastball. Given the volatility we've seen in reliever performances it's easy to believe Szapucki's tools can be put to use in a middle-inning role. I hope so. The bullpen needs shoring up.

On a fun note, yesterday was Giants prospect Kyle Harrison's 21st birthday. Here's what MLBTR had to say about the San Jose-born, De La Salle-prep wunderkind:

The late Dick Tidrow supposedly spotted this kid and pushed the Giants to sign him. (His was a big loss to the organization.) Harrison was committed to UCLA but opted to take a draft bonus instead. It's not hard to be believe that the young lefty could get a cup of coffee this season. I fully expect to see him at camp next spring and possibly stick with the big club.

If you have not clicked on the link to Harrison's B-R page, you must. But since you won't, I'll tell you: he has 300 strikeouts in 185 innings pitched.

It's Logan Webb tonight (6:05 Pacific). He faces off against former Giants first-rounder (2011) Tyler Beede. Should be interesting.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

6th inning: 6-12

Sunday's 6-4 win over the Athletics in Oakland was the Giants 108th game. Thus completes the sixth seasonal inning. It's not a pretty picture:

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

3rd inning: 7-11

4th inning: 10-8

5th inning: 8-10

6th inning: 6-12 

After Sunday the Giants were 53-55 and I had visions of .500 grandeur. And the Giants pulled off a stirring 1-0 win on Monday against the Padres in San Diego to whet my appetite. Alas, they lost 7-4 on Tuesday night on a walk-off, wasting a 9th-inning comeback. They lost again this afternoon, getting clobbered 13-7 despite an early lead and a second-chance 6th-inning comeback.

The Giants aren't very exciting, that's for sure. A good way to drop out of a pennant race is to play .333 baseball and that's just what they've done, winning just 7 of their last 21 games. They went 11-17 in July and are 3-6 in August (6-13 since the All-Star Break). After 111 games the team is 54-57 (.486). I'm still dreaming of a .500 finish but they'll obviously have to play better baseball.

We've had some excitement around here with the McKinney Fire. You never know what the weather gods will do but the containment looks solid. Regardless, we keep our bags packed!

I'm back at my keyboard but it is going slowly. I have an ugly wound with two dozen stitches (those come out next week) and I'm a long way from a normal range of motion but I feel good overall. I needed to get the work done on my hand and now I just have to be patient and let it heal. I have to wear a brace at night for the next six weeks.

There's an off-day tomorrow and the Giants open a weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night at 7:15 Pacific. They have not listed a starter but Carlos Rodón pitched Saturday and it should be his turn.

Go Giants!

--M.C.