Dick's Big Stick Leads Giants

SF 23  COL 5

Alex Dickerson hit THREE home runs--the first multi-homer game of his career--and the Giants clobbered the Rockies tonight in Coors Field. It was a sustained multi-hitter attack as the lineup scored at least one run in each of the first eight innings! Dickerson wound up with five hits (the others were doubles, one a booming near-homer), a walk, five runs scored, and six runs batted in. He tied a club record with 16 total bases (held by Willie Mays). Naturally, with 27 hits and 23 runs, there were hitting stars up and down the lineup but it is worth noting that young Joey Bart had three hits, two runs scored, and a run batted in. Donovan Solano and Brandon Crawford both had six RBI nights, and Mike Yastrzemski made another great catch. It was one of those nutty games but a hell of a lot of fun. The Rockies "only" used six pitchers (one was catcher Drew Butera) and they threw a combined 228 pitches!

Kevin Gausman allowed just two hits, both solo shots, and both by shortstop Garrett Hampson. Hampson would probably be the story on another night, but not tonight. Gausman was pulled after five innings and 87 pitches (5 K, 1 BB) and that was probably smart. Pitching in Denver is more "quit while you're ahead" than "go get a few more outs." Andrew Suarez pitched a scoreless 6th and 7th but came out after yielding two runs in the 8th. Wandy Peralta got the final five outs, giving up a run in the 9th.

Dickerson's first homer was a 480-foot moonshot, the longest by a Giants hitter since a 475-footer by Brandon Belt in 2015. That's when Statcast started tracking such things. Trevor Story is credited with a 505-foot satellite launch against the Giants two years ago, that's #1 on the Statcast list, but anything over 450 feet is prodigious. Dick is a big part of the team's plans but he's had a slow start to this abbreviated season. He had four hits in the two wins in Anaheim but still came into tonight's contest slashing an ugly .221/.299/.355 line, well below expectations. We know he's talented, but can he stay healthy and be a consistent, productive hitter? I sure hope so.

Infielder Daniel Robertson made his Giants debut and had a hit and a run scored subbing in the 7th for Evan Longoria (who had two hits). Robertson was on the taxi squad and was acquired for "cash considerations" from the Rays last month. He replaced OF Joey Rickard (60-day IL) on the roster and is a right-handed hitter who plays mostly second base but also has experience at third and short.

Logan Webb gets the start tomorrow (12:10 Pacific). The Rockies counter with lefty Kyle Freeland.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

p.s. Three teammates in the same game each getting six runs batted in is a first since 1920 when the RBI became an official statistic.

Cueto and Giants get it done

 SF 4  AZ 1

Johnny Cueto had some command issues early in the game but settled down to retire, at one point, 13 in a row. The Giants had a 1-0 lead thanks to an Alex Dickerson homer in the 1st but did not get another hit until the 8th inning. Meanwhile the Diamondbacks tied it up in the bottom of the 6th with a solo shot of their own. Cueto delivered a splendid 6-2/3 yielding three hits and three walks on 106 pitches. Fine bullpen work from Tony Watson, Tyler Rogers, and Sam Coonrod (who closed it) gave the Giants a chance. They responded with four hits in the top of the 8th to plate three runs and come away with a tidy win. The Giants improve to 8-11 on the road and 17-19 overall.

So far no news from Giants HQ regarding the trade deadline which is 4 p.m. ET tomorrow.

Monday is an off-day and then the Giants go to Colorado for two, with Tuesday at 5:40 and Wednesday 12:10 (p.m. PDT).

--M.C.

Sweep!

SF 6  AZ 1

The Giants designated Hunter Pence for assignment today, the halfway point in the 2020 season. It's not a surprise given his performance but it says a lot about the state of the team. There's just no room for him! Pablo Sandoval can swing a lefty bat and still back up at third base in a pinch so he hangs on to his job, at least for now. But Hunter was just too low on the outfield depth chart. We were privileged to root for this unique, accomplished, and lovable ballplayer. I wonder if he'll find his way back to San Francisco after his playing days are done.

But today was about the team on the field. They won again behind a strong start, a patient lineup, and a bend-but-don't-break bullpen. Two big homers, a solo shot by Mike Yastrzemski in the 6th and a three-run blast by Alex Dickerson in the 7th, were the difference-makers. Trevor Cahill went 5-1/3, throwing 88 pitches and striking out eight. Caleb Baragar allowed an inherited runner to score in the 6th to make it 1-1 but that was it--the Giants took the lead in the bottom half and didn't look back.

Halfway through 2020 I did not expect the Giants to be on a roll (six wins in a row!) and sniffing (14-16) a .500 record. My expectations for this season were low. When they were 8-12 after the first twenty games I thought the .400 percentage was a fair measure of their ability. Shortly after that they had a nightmare stretch of blown games and really bottomed out. To their credit they turned it around and in the six straight wins they've scored 42 runs and allowed only 13!

I'm glad I was wrong about this team. I'm not sure what they are capable of but it is certain they are not as bad as they were predicted to be. The pitching staff seems to be stabilizing behind the resurgent starters and I think we'll get a better picture after this next series. The high-flying Dodgers come to town for three (Tues/Wed 6:45, Thu 5:05 p.m. PDT) and it should be a real test. Johnny Cueto pitched Wednesday so I suspect he'll get the ball in the first game. They have a well-earned off-day tomorrow.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Giants Blast Past Padres

SF 7  SD 6
I was so wrong about this team! They CAN come back! They CAN hit the big home run! Wow, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around tonight's game. Let's see if we can hit the highlights: Johnny Cueto got hammered. Not much of a highlight--he threw 87 pitches to get 11 outs. Trailing 6-2 after four innings, the Giants used Tyler-power (Anderson and Rogers) to put up zeros from the 5th through the 9th. Meanwhile Alex Dickerson hit a solo homer in the 6th and Donovan Solano hit a three-run game-tying bomb in the 8th to set up Mike Yastrzemski to be the hero. Yaz had homered in the 3rd inning and he wasted no time in launching the game-winner leading off the bottom of the 9th. I did not think this team was capable of such a power surge and I did not think this team could fight back from an early deficit. It is especially gratifying to win a game in which the putative ace of the staff got knocked around. (Let's hope JohnnyC finds his mojo!) Not to mention the Padres threw their ace and he only lasted five innings.

What a great win! It was nice to see Brandon Crawford break out with three hits. He kept the rally going in the 8th before Solano's homer. That blast is the clutch-iest clutch hit of the young season. What a great win. Did I say that already?

The Giants have not announced a starter for tomorrow. The Padres are going with RH Dinelson Lamet who won his last start with five strong innings against the D-Backs on Saturday.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.


update: AmyG says Kevin Gausman is starting tomorrow.

Wild, wild life

SF 8  COL 4 (10)
The Giants continue to play utterly relentless baseball. They took a 2-0 lead in the 1st and stretched it to a 4-1 lead in the 9th. Then Mr. Automatic, Will Smith, gave up two homers in the bottom of the 9th and the Rockies tied the game and sent it to extras. Oh, no problem. The Giants ripped out another four runs and took an 8-4 lead into the bottom of the 10th. Mark Melancon then finished it off.

It's a wild, wild life.

Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson went 7-for-10 with four runs scored and five runs batted in. Kevin Pillar continues to make superb plays in the field to rob hits and save runs. I don't care if his OBP is under .300, man. That's 11 wins in the last 13 games.

Shaun Anderson goes tomorrow at 12:10 Pacific.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.