Homer Happy!

SF 5  PHI 4  (10)

Logan Webb was brilliant, striking out ten in 8+ innings and allowing only four hits without a walk. The problem? Three of the hits were solo homers. Down 2-0 on blasts from Nick Castellanos and Rhys Hoskins, Wilmer Flores knotted it up in the 6th with a two-run no-doubter off Phillies starter Kyle Gibson. After Webb finished off the 8th with a flourish, and got a handshake from Gabe Kapler, Evan Longoria hit a homer to give the Giants a 3-2 lead. In a move I didn't see coming and was totally against Kap let Webb start the 9th. It didn't go well. Kyle Schwarber tied it with a homer. Dominic Leone finished the frame and the Giants sent Stuart Fairchild out to second base to start the 10th. After Donovan Walton struck out, Curt Casali launched one deep to left field and the Giants were up 6-4. The Phillies got their runner home in the bottom half on a grounder and a fly out off Camilo Doval, but the closer got the whiff to end it.

A satisfying win in Philadelphia, certainly. That's a tough lineup. Webb did a great job, as did the bullpen. Jakob Junis gets the start tomorrow at 3:45 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Sunday's six salvages series

SF 6  CIN 4

The Giants were staring into the abyss of a sweep at the hands of the worst team in MLB when they broke out for six runs in the 8th inning this afternoon in Cincinnati and hung on to win. A two-out RBI single from Joc Pederson was followed by a cathartic three-run homer from Evan Longoria and the Giants went from down 2-0 to up 4-2. Brandon Crawford kept it alive with a walk, Thairo Estrada singled, and Luis González drove them both home with a double. They needed all of it because Camilo Doval gave up a two-out, two-run homer in the 9th but also managed to get the third out and seal the deal. The bullpen has been a real adventure, wouldn't you say? Alex Cobb pitched well, striking out eight in six frames, and giving up only two runs (and it really should have been one) on four hits.

On Friday night the Giants were feeble against hard-throwing rookie Grant Ashcraft and the Reds wore down a wonky Carlos Rodón and won 5-1. It was a weird game that got even weirder when Kap tried to put in a recently re-activated Jake McGee and was told he wasn't on the lineup card! José Álvarez was summoned and he gave up two runs. Kap said "we fucked up" in the post-game interview. Yeah, that's about right. They bleeped the f-word of course.

On Saturday the Giants went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and had the game-tying run thrown out at the plate to end the game. Alex Wood gave up a three-run homer in the 1st but then he and Dominic Leone and Tyler Rogers followed with eight scoreless only to lose 3-2. It was a very frustrating game to say the least.

Today they managed to win despite the silly start time (0830 PDT). It looked bad for most of the morning--the Giants got their first hit in the 7th--but it turned out OK. It's been a rough month. Despite the 11-14 record they have 25 wins which is better than 18 of the 30 teams! Hey, I'm looking for positives here. Tomorrow they play in Philadelphia at 1:05 Pacific and Logan Webb takes the hill.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants slug out a win

SF 9  NYM 3

The Giants faced a rookie starter (Thomas Szapucki) in the getaway game and clobbered him for nine runs. It was enough. They held on to beat the Mets and take the series. Jakob Junis had another good outing. With Anthony DeSclafani on the shelf the veteran righty has become a key rotation member. Junis was an under-the-radar signing in March.

Evan Longoria hit two home runs, Mike Yastrzemski added one (he's slashing .309/.409/.500), and Joc Pederson hit his 11th. After five straight losses it's good to see the Giants bounce back against a tough opponent. They are short-handed (Donovan Walton and Stuart Fairchild started yesterday and Mike Papierski started yesterday) and the pitching, especially in relief, has been woeful this month, but they still have the tenth-best record (24-19, .558) in MLB.

They go on the road for the next ten days with three in Cincinnati starting tomorrow afternoon (3:40 Pacific) followed by three in Philadelphia and four in Miami.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Epic win stops streak

SF 13  NYM 12

The Giants got pasted 13-3 in the series opener on Monday night but came out swinging last night and took an 8-2 lead against Chris Bassitt after five. The highlights were homers: a three-run shot from Tommy LaStella and two two-run bombs from Joc Pederson. Logan Webb was effective but had to throw too many pitches against the pesky Mets lineup and the bullpen took over for the final four frames. Jarlin Garcia pitched a scoreless 6th but Dominic Leone gave up a two-run homer in the 7th to make it 8-4. It seemed like the Giants would be OK but Tyler Rogers had his worst inning ever in the 8th, giving up seven hits and seven runs on 25 pitches. Camilo Doval had to come in for the last two outs (and he gave up two hits!).

The stunned Giants went to the bottom half down 11-8 and quickly made two outs but they put two on for Joc Pederson and he delivered. His massive homer tied the game and made history. He's only the third player to hit three at the SF ballpark and the first to hit three multi-run homers. Joc said after the game that his long conversation with Barry Bonds earlier in the day was the key to his performance.

John Brebbia came out for the 9th and sure enough the Mets took a 12-11 lead and the Giants faced another potential loss. With only three outs remaining Wilmer Flores singled but was erased by a La Stella double play ball. A walk to Yaz kept it alive and a single by Darin Ruf moved him to second. Joc Pederson singled for his 8th RBI and tied the game. Brandon Crawford followed with a single to score Ruf and the Giants had their best win of the year.

It has been an ugly May for the orange-and-black. The team is 9-12 and they've allowed 135 runs. Last night's win snapped a five-game losing streak. The Mets and Padres are good teams but the Giants can do better. Let's hope the epic victory last night is a harbinger of change.

Jakob Junis this afternoon (12:45 Pacific).

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.

2nd inning: 9-9

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning: 9-9

The Giants won 10-7 last night in Denver behind six eight extra-base hits. The Rockies, down 10-2, scored five in the 6th to make it a game, but the bullpen did stellar work to seal the deal. Kap admitted after the game that he left Alex Cobb in too long. Randall Grichuk hit a three-run homer before John Brebbia was summoned. Tyler Rogers and Dominic Leone both delivered a scoreless frame and Camilo Doval got the save in the 9th. In true Brian Wilson fashion he got two quick outs then walked two to face hot-hitting C.J. Cron but it all worked out when Austin Slater made a running catch to end the contest.

The Giants are 22-14 after 36 games and that puts them in third place in the NL West. The Dodgers have 24 wins and the Padres have 23. Their .611 win percentage is the eight-best in MLB. The Yankees, the Astros, the Mets, the Brewers, and the Angels are the other teams ahead of the Giants. Last night's win puts their May record at 8-7, they were 14-7 in April. After the sizzling start the team lost 7 of 9 (including five in a row) but then turned it around winning 8 of 10 (including six in a row).

The Giants are scoring 5.17 rpg, second-best in MLB behind the Dodgers. They are allowing 4.14 rpg, good for 16th, just above the league average of 4.16. Obviously the pitching has not been as consistent as it was earlier so it's a good thing the lineup is healthy and producing better. I feel good overall about the staff and I expect they will start to improve. I should note that last season the worst "inning" by the team was 10-8, and that was at the end of July.

It's a day game today (12:10 Pacific) and Logan Webb is scheduled. Travel day tomorrow and then six games at home against the Padres and the Mets.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Homers help Giants

SF 7  COL 6

Mike Yastrzemski launched an upper-deck blast off Daniel Bard in the 9th and that turned out to be the game-winner. Camilo Doval nailed down the save in the bottom half and that snapped the two-game losing streak. Curt Casali hit two homers--one in the 3rd and a three-run shot in the 5th--to lead the way. The Giants had to battle. Alex Wood was chased in the 5th and the Rockies scored against both Dominic Leone and Tyler Rogers. But John Brebbia struck out three in the 8th and that gave Yaz a chance in the next frame. Darin Ruf in the #8 hole chipped in two hits and two runs scored and Thairo Estrada at #7 had two hits and a run scored. Casali was the #9 hitter and he had three hits total so the bottom of the lineup really delivered the goods.

Alex Cobb today at 5:40 p.m. Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants fizzle in St. Louis

Friday SF 8  STL 2 

Saturday STL 4  SF 0

Sunday STL 15  SF 6 

Things were looking up for the Giants after a stirring win Friday night behind Logan Webb. A five-run outburst in the 8th broke open a tense 3-1 game and that made it six wins in a row. The next day the Cardinals subdued the Giants despite a good effort from Jakob Junis. I think everyone was eager to see the rubber match go to Carlos Rodón this afternoon but he unfortunately had his worst outing of the young season. He allowed eight runs on ten hits in 3-2/3 IP. He'd only given up seven runs in his previous six starts. It was a field day for the usual suspects: Paul Goldschmidt (HR, 3 RBI), Nolan Arenado (HR, 2 BBI), Yadier Molina (HR, 4 RBI), and Albert Pujols (2 H, 2 BB, pitched the 9th). Yes, that's right, the Giants used a position player (Luis González) for mop-up duty and the Cardinals followed suit. González got four outs and gave up one hit, Pujols got three outs but gave up two homers and four runs.

It was an ugly weekend. Let's hope they right the ship for the next three games in Coors Field.

Monday's game is at 5:40 Pacific. Alex Wood takes the hill.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Sweep!

SF 7  COL 1

Alex Cobb pitched into the 6th inning and allowed only three hits and one run. The bullpen followed that with a scoreless 3-2/3 and the Giants won their fifth straight. The hitters rapped out ten and added five walks not to mention two Rockies errors, and the highlight was a Brandon Crawford two-run blast in the 5th. It's nice to see the team bounce back from that losing streak. They travel to St. Louis and play on Friday at 5:15 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants wear down Rockies

SF 9  COL 2

The Rockies have not won a game against the Giants since August 14th of last season. The Giants fourth win in a row is their ninth straight against Colorado. The home squad jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the 2nd with a combination of walks and singles. One of the RBI hits was from Curt Casali who added two more hits later and raised his average to .250! Alex Wood gave up a run in the 4th but pitched into the 6th. He threw 104 pitches, his highest total so far this year. Jarlín García delivered two scoreless innings in relief. Brandon Belt had an RBI double in his return to the lineup.

It's an afternoon game today (12:45 Pacific) and Alex Cobb gets the start. it's a travel day Thursday and they open a three-game set in St. Louis on Friday. The Giants have not listed a starter but it is Logan Webb's turn.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Three in a row

SF 8  COL 5

Carlos Rodón throws a lot of pitches. He throws a lot of pitches because he strikes a lot of guys out. Last night he threw 110 pitches in six innings and struck out 12 guys. He allowed six hits and two walks and two of those runners scored but the Giants scored more and won the game. FanGraphs lists Kevin Gausman as the ML leader in WAR for pitchers (2.2). Rodón is right behind him (1.7) and leads baseball in strikeouts (53). I should mention that Gausman has walked only one batter in his 6 starts (38 IP, 147 TBF).

Austin Slater led off the game with a triple and scored on a sac fly from #2 hitter Mauricio Dubón. In the 3rd Slater singled with one out and Dubón hit a two-run homer, a moon shot to CF. Dubón led off the 6th with an infield single and later scored on an RBI hit from Darin Ruf. Ruf led off the 8th with a single and later scored after a Rockies error and a sac fly from Thairo Estrada. The Giants lead the NL in sacrifice flies (15) and are one behind the Boston Red Sox for the most in MLB.

Jake McGee has been struggling and he was given the 9th inning with an 8-2 lead. He gave up three runs with two outs (one scored on an error by Wilmer Flores) but finished the game. Let's hope he gets back on track soon. Alex Wood starts tonight (6:45 Pacific).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Yaz' Splash Sinks Cards

SF 4  STL 3

Mike Yastrzemski launched one into McCovey Cove in the 6th to break a 3-3 tie and Zack Littell, John Brebbia, and Camilo Doval held the line and the Giants hung on for a big win, their 16th. Doval whiffed Nolan Arenado with Paul Goldschmidt on second base to secure the save. It was baseball torture: the Giants had seven hits and seven walks but left ten men on base and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. St. Louis pitchers only recorded one strikeout and gave up 17 ground balls. It is, at least, a familiar style of baseball, and perhaps the Giants would do well to play familiar baseball. The pitching, in the end, was impressive. Jakob Junis started and went five, giving up only three hits and two walks. One of the hits was a two-run homer but otherwise he was good. Dominic Leone gave up a run in the 6th and each reliever put at least one guy on base but they got it done. Brebbia and Doval each struck out two.

LaMonte Wade, Jr. bopped a two-run homer in the 2nd and Yaz got the other RBI (on a sac fly) in the same frame and that gave the Giants a 3-2 lead. Leone gave up the tying run but Yaz dunked one to save the day. The Rockies come to town tomorrow. Game time 6:45 Pacific. Carlos Rodón gets the start.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Lucky 13

SF 13  STL 7

It was Buster Posey Day and the Giants busted out of their hitting slump and with a little help from the Cardinals snapped their five-game losing streak. Logan Webb labored a bit, giving up eight hits (all singles) and two walks in his five innings but he also kept it together and struck out seven. The bullpen did the rest, the only hiccup a scary stretch from Zack Littell in the 7th. Wilmer Flores came up three times with the bases loaded and he hit a grand slam, a sacrifice fly, and was walked for a total of six runs batted in. Both Darin Ruf and Mauricio Dubón hit two-run homers. The Cardinals uncharacteristically made a bunch of errors early in the game and later reliever Kody Whitley walked the first four guys he faced so the Giants benefited from some weirdness. It's only fair, the baseball gods have been hammering the Giants lately so some good fortune was due their way. Let's hope there's more to come.

Jakob Junis gets the call tomorrow afternoon (1:05 Pacific).

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Five

STL 3  SF 2

The Giants got good pitching but the lineup couldn't conjure up enough runs and they lost their fifth straight game. Sean Hjelle made his ML debut--an inning of scoreless relief. Alex Cobb looked better. Darin Ruf drove in both runs with a two-out hit.

It's Buster Posey Day at the ballpark and Logan Webb gets the start (4:15 Pacific). Sounds like the right combination for a win!

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Four straight

STL 7  SF 1

The Giants are 0-4 in the month of May. They lost four straight games only once last season. The lineup managed 10 hits and four walks but could only create the one run. Bullpen stalwarts Zack Littel, José Álvarez, Jake McGee, and Tyler Rogers gave up all the Cardinals runs.

Alex Cobb tonight, 7:15 Pacific.

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.

Wildness costs Giants

LA 3  SF 1

Carlos Rodón pitched another good game, allowing only three hits in six innings, but a bout of wildness in the 2nd inning put the team in a hole and that was that. Rodón walked two lefties--Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger--and with two outs and an 0-2 count to Chris Taylor he uncorked a very wild pitch that moved up both runners. Rodón had trouble corralling his slider early in the game and Taylor, now sitting on the fastball, smacked a single up the middle to score both runs. The Giants had some solid contact against Julio Urías but could not sustain a rally. He left after six efficient (65 pitches!) shutout frames. A sacrifice fly by Luis González cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 7th but the Dodgers bullpen held the line after that. John Brebbia got three outs in the 7th but gave up two hits to start the 8th and a wild pitch by José Álvarez gave LA an insurance run.

Alex Wood goes tonight (7:10 Pacific). The Dodgers have not yet announced a starter/opener.

Go Giants! Beat LA!

--M.C.

Lost weekend for short-handed Giants

WSN 14  SF 4 (Friday)

SF 9  WSN 3 (Saturday)

WSN 11  SF 5  (Sunday)

Between injuries and the COVID list the Giants had to scramble just to field a team and it showed in a lopsided series with the Nationals. Washington's hitters banged out 45 knocks (22+11+12) in the three games. Alex Wood got hit hard in the opener as did relievers Yunior Marte and Kervin Castro. It's remarkable that the Giants were able to come back and hammer out a win in the second game. Credit goes to Logan Webb for a gritty quality start plus some fine bullpen work from José Álvarez, John Brebbia, and FNG Mauricio Llovera. (How many teams have TWO Mauricios?) Speaking of FNGs the Giants picked up 1B Mike Ford and activated IF/OF Luke Williams and OF Jason Krizan (who got his first ML hit on Sunday) to bolster the squad. Alex Cobb came off the IL for Sunday's game but was not sharp and his fielders didn't help him out in a five-run 1st. The Giants showed heart and put up their own five-spot in the 7th but it wasn't quite enough as the bullpen continued to leak runs. We did see some good stuff from the lineup this weekend with Joey Bart and Darin Ruf looking much better and two homers from Jason Vosler.

The Giants finish April with a 14-7 record. They get another off-day on Monday and then go to Los Angeles for a two-game set with the Dodgers. Carlos Rodón gets the start on Tuesday at 7:10 Pacific.

Go Giants!

--M.C.