Giants Blank Rockies

SF 4  COL 0
The Giants have managed only FOUR shutouts this season. To see how anomalous this is, check out the totals for the previous eight seasons:

2009: 18
2010: 17
2011: 12
2012: 14
2013: 13
2014: 12
2015: 18
2016: 11

This is a pitching-based team and I expect it will be a pitching-based team next season. That means we need to see more zeroes! Matt Moore put up six this afternoon and the bullpen (Okert, Gearrin, Strickland, Dyson) added three more. You have to like that. The lineup had only seven hits but five were for extra-bases (three doubles, one triple, one homer). Another thing to like. And Nolan Arenado was 0-for-8 in the two games! When's the last time that happened? Giants finish with a  7-12 record against the Rockies.

Matt Moore will be on the club in 2018 as the Giants exercised their $9M option. He joins a long list of Comeback Player of the Year candidates. Speaking of comebacks, Joe Panik is killing it in September.

Giants are off tomorrow and go to LA for three and thence to Arizona for three. They'll finish at home on the final weekend against San Diego. Can they get three more wins out of those nine chances?

--M.C.

Moore and Panda pace Giants

SF 9  CHW 2
If you thought "Pacific Bell" or "AT&T" were lousy names for a ballpark, how about "Guaranteed Rate" instead? Yeesh. But I'm sure it's very nice. At least that's what my mom would say. "I'm sure it's very nice." Well it was very nice for the Giants tonight as they thrashed the White Sox behind a resurgent Matt Moore. Pablo Sandoval did that rarest of all things for the 2017 Giants--he hit a three-run homer. Now that's slump-busting! I think Matt Moore is a very important fellow in the big scheme of things. The Giants rely on good starting pitching, it all works off of that. At least with the current Sabean/Evans/Bochy triumvirate. Even if they did convince the Florida Marlins to give up Giancarlo Stanton for Chris Shaw, Chris Stratton, Christian Arroyo, and Tyler Beede, they'd still need good starters. So let's see some more good stuff from Moore. Brandon Crawford had three hits, you have to like that. And Reyes Moronta, if you haven't noticed, is serving notice.

--M.C.

Five in a Row

SF 2  PIT 1  (11)
Undefeated in July! This afternoon in Pittsburgh the orange-and-black eked out a very Giants-y win, scratching and clawing and finally prevailing after 11 innings. It's a win that depended on a shut-down 'pen and a patient lineup. Sometimes the other guy has to crack first, and that's just what happened when Daniel Hudson threw a wild pitch to Buster Posey and Denard 'I'm on Fire' Span scored the go-ahead run. Kudos to FNG Austin Slater for breaking up Pirates starter Chad Kuhl's no-hit bid with a solo shot in the 6th to tie the game at one apiece. He's raking a cool .333/.385/500 in 91 PA. Matt Moore walked six in 5-2/3 yet somehow pitched around it and only allowed the one run (McCutcheon scoring on a Bell single) in the 3rd inning. That means the club delivered (Kontos, Okert, Strickland, Osich, Dyson 5-1/3 IP) eight scoreless frames after that. Play like contenders!

--M.C.


p.s. George Kontos has looked particularly good lately and Jae-gyun Hwang got a pinch-hit double after a gritty effort. Accentuate the positive, right?

One Moore Wasted Start

Nats win 3-0 in SF
The Giants couldn't do anything on Memorial Day other than create a little melodrama. Hunter Strickland hit Bryce Harper (below the belt I might add) in the 8th and that was the gasoline on the fire Harper needed to go bananas and go after Strickland. He charged the mound, feinting a helmet toss which got Strickland to flinch, then the two traded blows before the teams spilled out. The scariest/stupidest moment was Jeff Samardzija and Michael Morse knocking heads in the scrum. I'm hoping they are thick-skulled enough so I don't have to worry. Harper is the volatile sort, and it seemed like he way over-reacted, but Strickland's madness lasted longer and it took three teammates to drag him off the field. Plenty of silliness to go around. Both were ejected, of course. (Oh, Harper's run wound up scoring, just to rub salt in the wound, not that it mattered.) It was the only thing worth writing about today and that ought to tell you something. Moore pitched well and got Cained, ho-hum, that's the 2017 Giants in a nutshell.

--M.C.

Giants Win!

6-5 win in StL
I couldn't come up with anything clever, but that was perhaps the best win of the season. For a team as offensively challenged as the Giants to come from behind not once but twice is almost impossible to believe. When the 'pen gagged the lead I was sure it was over. I know, I know, anything can happen and I really do try to stay positive but it's not like the team has engendered a feeling of confidence in 2017. But here it is, a win. A come from behind win on the road. SIX runs in the last three frames for the Giants.

--M.C.

Two in a row!

3-1 win in SF
Giants beat the Reds and win two in a row for only the second time all season!! The Giants hit TWO HOMERS and they also conjured up a run with small ball to give the bullpen a two-run cushion. For the Giants, that's huge. Now if they could only hit homers with men on base  . . . but I'm not complaining, the Giants won the goddamn game. Nice to see Matt Moore deliver a strong start. Jeff Samardzija tomorrow.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Giants Fail in Finale

LA 5  SF 1
After a couple of poor outings Matt Moore returned to form and pitched impressively against the Dodgers this afternoon in San Francisco. He threw 104 pitches over seven innings and yielded just one run on a solo shot by, you guessed it, Corey Seager. His finest moment was his final two hitters in the 7th, whiffing them both with the go-ahead run on third base. It was 1-1 when he left and both George Kontos and Mark Melancon put up scoreless frames but Cory Gearrin, Steven Okert, and Hunter Strickland combined to ruin the top of the 10th and the Dodgers ran away with it.

The Giants really needed a series win, they've had only one so far this season. They lost 3 of 4 in Arizona to open things, then lost 2 of 3 in San Diego before coming home and winning 2 of 3 from the Diamondbacks. They followed that by losing 3 of 4 to the Rockies and then went on the road and split two in Kansas City and got swept in three games in Colorado. So, yeah, winning a goddamn series had some urgency. Unfortunately they just did not have enough offense to make that happen. It's a scarily bad lineup so far, the lack of scoring (77 runs in 23 games!) is pathetic. You can't win when the hitting is this poor. It's a shame to waste the good pitching. And to see the bullpen collapse--again--just as it seemed they were getting it together is discouraging as well.

Phenom Christian Arroyo continues to be blessed by the gods, he had two hits including the game-tying RBI in the 6th. Keep on rockin', kid, you are the best thing that's happened in this wretched month!

San Diego comes to town for three. GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

1st inning: 6-12

COL 12  SF 3
Matt Moore got clobbered in Denver tonight giving up three homers and six runs to the Rockies in his four innings. Coming on the heels of MadBum's wreck and JohnnyC's poor outing it's a cruel blow to end the first seasonal inning. The lineup couldn't get anything going for seven innings (other than a solo shot by Joe Panik) off Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela. He was also on the hill in the victory over the Giants on Sunday in San Francisco. Two more were added in the 8th off the bullpen, and Brandon Crawford came to the plate as the tying run, but that was as close as it got.

Not much to say, fortunately it's April and we've got 8/9 of the way to go, 144 more chances. It's not just that they are scoring fewer runs (69) than they are allowing (81), it's the run of rotten luck as well. Case in point, another injury, this one to Denard Span making a catch in center. It's one thing to play below par but when the gods fuck with you as well you best grit your teeth and take your beating. They'll tire of it eventually and go pick on some other club, and then maybe we'll see what's what with the 2017 Giants. Chris Stratton mopped up after Moore and looked good with three hitless innings, that's a nice bright spot.

Jeff Samardzija tomorrow. GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Rockies Silence Giants

COL 5  SF 0
Matt Moore didn't have it this afternoon in San Francisco but it mattered little as Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood most certainly did and he kept the Giants quiet. In the 6th Chris Marrero got a single with two outs, that was a big moment as Chatwood had retired the first 17, mostly on weak ground balls. Joe Panik led off the 7th with a single, and Denard Span walked to open the 9th but that was it. Chatwood gets his first career 9-inning complete game and first career shutout. He stifled the Giants last September in Game 158 with 8 shutout innings and only three hits allowed. Chatwood, it should be noted, is a double TJS survivor. Nolan Arenado, naturally, had three hits including a homer. The final line on Moore was 10 hits and five runs in 5-2/3 IP. On the bright side Neil Ramirez had a good outing in relief (four batters, two strikeouts) and both George Kontos and rookie Ty Blach pitched scoreless frames.

Jeff Samardzija gets the call on Easter Sunday at 1:05.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.


p.s. Jarrett Parker made a great play in LF but injured himself, breaking his clavicle. Tough blow for the club, the outfield situation was already uncertain, we'll see who gets the call.

Happy Home Opener (mostly)

4-1 win in SF
Matt Moore dazzled the Opening Day crowd with a sterling 93-pitch effort (3 hits in 8 IP with no walks and 5 whiffs) to subdue the sizzling Arizona Diamondbacks. Their young flamethrower Taijuan Walker had horrified the home audience straight away with a wild fastball that beaned Buster Posey during his first plate appearance. He was taken out of the game.** The Giants didn't retaliate, just relied on Moore to keep the buzz saw running. They then scored three runs on a goofy play in the 4th. Walker, with the bases loaded and one out, Moore batting, tried to field a swinging bunt and his throw home to get the force got past the catcher. Two runs scored, and a bad throw by the catcher allowed a third, Moore wound up at second. The Giants put a lot of guys on but couldn't get a big hit, 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. But they cashed in on the fielding lapses, and that's good baseball, particularly when your guys make big stops and turn hits into outs.

But Moore was the man today, and that's the formula for the orange-and-black, get a big start. Yasmany Tomas hit a homer leading off the 5th but that's all Arizona could muster, the lefty was particularly strong at the end, throwing seven pitches in the 7th and eleven in the 8th. Happy to see Jarrett Parker get something going, a walk and a hit, he scored the third run on that nutty sequence, that was good baserunning by the Giants overall. I was also happy they scored another run late and even happier that FNG Mark Melancon got the last three outs. Wins are good. Wins are always good. Let's have some more. Jeff Samardzija tomorrow night.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.


**At the time of this posting all the info on Buster's injury has been that he's OK and no roster move likely.

Not Pretty

8-6 loss in AZ

The Giants were up 4-1 in the 5th and Matt Moore got two quick outs when he started to look a little shaky and couldn't locate his pitches. Chris Owings doubled and Paul Goldschmidt walked and they followed it with a nifty double steal to put runners on second and third. That moved the meter from shaky to reeling, you have to give the D-Backs credit for putting him on the spot. He's going to have to do a better job holding runners. The next batter Jake Lamb whacked one down the line that Brandon Belt misplayed and it was suddenly 4-3 and Moore was clearly done. He was serving up fat ones and a booming double by Yasmany Tomas tied the score before Brandon Drury grounded out to end it.

Moore had less than nothing in the 6th (I was shocked Boch sent him out there) and quickly put two on. Cory Gearrin walked two and gave up a hit before Neil Ramirez got the strikeout to end it. In the 7th, Ramirez' wild pitch on a strikeout put the leadoff runner on then a passed ball and two hits later it was 8-4 Arizona. Ramirez has nasty stuff and it looked like Buster got crossed up more than once. I think he's going to be an effective late game pitcher but it may take a few outings to smooth the rough edges. That's seven runs yielded by three pitchers in the 5th, 6th, and 7th. Ugly stuff! It took away from good work by Eduardo Nunez (another flashy manufactured run), big power from Belt (triple and homer), and two hits apiece from Hunter Pence and Buster Posey. George Kontos worked a scoreless frame.

It would be nice to see the Giants get the hell out of Arizona with a split. Why am I starting to feel like Chase Field is as cursed as Coors Field? Weird shit always happens down there in the desert.

Jeff Samardzija tomorrow.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Sweeeep!

SF 7 LA 1
The Giants secure the final spot with an emphatic win over the Dodgers behind a dominant Matt Moore. They also chased Kenta Maeda early and ultimately tallied 16 hits and four walks. Great play on both sides of the ball. The Giants threw three lefties--Bum, Blach, and Moore--in three days and got three wins. Here's the tally: 23-1/3, 14 H, 4 R, 5 W, 17 K. Think the Dodgers have a problem with southpaws?

First time since the Break that the Giants have won four in a row. The Giants finished the first half with four wins to lead baseball with a 57-33 (.633) record, they finish the second half with four wins and an ugly 30-42 (.417) record. But it matters not, they had to win four in a row to guarantee themselves a slot in the Wild Card game, and they got it. Thirty teams whittled down to ten, the Giants, with one win, can join the final eight. For a forgettable latter part of the season, it's a remarkable accomplishment. We may have expected more from this team but expectations are a bitch. The boys are playing October baseball because they did what they had to do when all appeared lost. What a great story!

--M.C.


p.s. I'll do a 9th-inning (10-8) post later. They were .500 over the final 30 games, 13-15 in September and 2-0 in October. When the Giants lost 9-3 in LA last week they had ten games left and were tied with the Mets and Cardinals, same 80-72 records. I said at the time it would take "at least 6-4" to get it done and the Giants did one better, going 7-3 to finish 87-75, one up on the 86-76 Cardinals! Mets also went 7-3 but held the tiebreaker with a 4-3 season-series advantage. Giants play Citi Field on Wednesday, I suppose we'll see Bumgarner and Syndergaard, that ought to be a good one.

Giants Blast Past Rockies

12-3 win
The Giants did what they had to do tonight in San Francisco and overwhelmed the Colorado Rockies with great pitching and relentless hitting. Matt Moore flashed that flashy side he's flashed before and dominated with 11 strikeouts and zero walks over 7-2/3. It was a big-time start in a big-time game. The lineup had 19 hits including three doubles, three triples, and three homers, and that's certainly a timely surge for the final push. This is the team we thought we'd signed on with--now we have to see if they can win two in a row!

Both the Mets and Cardinals scored 12 runs each in their wins tonight. Feeling that playoff urgency yet? Three teams, two spots, five games apiece to play. The Mets remain a half-game up and the Cards a game back. The website says Samardzija, Cueto, Bumgarner, and TBD for the next four starts. It would be Moore's turn in the finale on Sunday. TBD will have to face Kershaw on Saturday. (Suarez? Blach? Cain?)

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

p.s. In one of the strangest moves I can remember, Giants trade for a player with only two series left. Gordon Beckham comes westward for the price of minor-leaguer Rich Rodriguez. (He's not post-season eligible.) Also catcher Tony Sanchez gets the call-up, Mac Williamson goes to the DL, and Matt Reynolds gets released.

The Final Countdown

9-3 loss in LA
After two well-pitched games the Giants folded in the finale and the Dodgers sent them off to San Diego six back with ten to play. Fortunately for the club's post-season hopes the Mets and the Cardinals both lost and the three teams remain tied with identical 80-72 records. Giants are 3-7 in their last ten games--I don't think that will work. I imagine it will take at least 6-4 to grab a spot. This is it, the countdown starts tonight with Jeff Samardzija getting the call. Last night's starter Matt Moore only lasted an inning-plus and was tagged for seven hits and six runs. It was his worst start of the season and it came at a most inopportune time. The mercurial lefty has made ten starts in orange and black, here are his game scores: 59, 60, 42, 45, 86, 60, 21, 63, 46, 14. His average line is 5-2/3 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Winning is good

Winning is always good. I like winning. The Giants won again, 8-2 at home against the Cardinals. Buster Posey snapped his months-long homerless streak with a two-run clout in the 4th and a stout 'pen backed a shaky Matt Moore and the Giants had another win. Did I mention I like wins? Yadier Molina made a throwing error that lead to a six-run 3rd and that set the tone. Moore managed five, facing 24 batters on 93 pitches. But he hung on and didn't implode and the lineup took advantage of their opportunities to score. Suddenly the team looks like the pre-ASB Giants. I like this new look. Let's see more of it.

Jeff Samardzija tomorrow (6:05 Pacific) against Mike Leake. After they got Leake last season I thought he was going to be our middle-of-th-ro' guy this season. But we got Samardzija for that. And the Cardinals got Leake. And now they pitch against each other. Which one of them would you rather have?

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Sweep!

5-3 win in AZ
Giants win three games in a row for the first time since July and three in a row on the road for the first time since June. It was a great display of Veteran Savvy Clutchness by the lineup to grind away against the always formidable Zack Greinke and end his day in the 6th after scoring the go-ahead runs. It would have been a shame to waste the superb start from FNG southpaw Matt Moore who fanned eleven in seven frames and allowed only two runs. It was nice to see him bounce back after the ugly outing in Colorado. Giants pick up a game on LA and are now three back with twenty left to play. Hunter Strickland got a four-out save--we'll see if the 'pen can adapt to their new roles. The Padres are in town tonight and face Jeff Samardzija,

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

On to Chicago

4-2 win in SF
This was one of those grind-it-out wins, the kind we thought we'd see a lot of in the second half, alas they are few and far between and seem much more difficult than they ought to be. Matt Moore kept it going with 5-1/3 and only one run allowed, a nice play from Gorkys Hernandez in center to catch a screamer from Paul Goldschmidt kept it close but also brought forth the bullpen. They hemmed and hawed, as is their wont, but they ultimately got it done and the Giants had a win. The Giants won the game. That's big news. They finish August 11-16 for a .407 rate, pretty piss-poor for this club. Nice to see Joe Panik finding his stroke and moving up in the order, not so nice to see Brandon Belt continue to look like he can't see. The Giants will need him to find his stroke on this 11-day, 10-game road trip.

It's Wrigley Field next: Jeff Samardzija gets a homecoming, he was drafted by the Cubs in 2006 and spent parts of seven seasons with them. The best team in baseball (84-47, .641) is smokin' hot again, they've only lost six games this month and only twelve since the Break.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Missed it by THAT much!

4-0 win in LA
FNG Matt Moore showed why the Giants were interested in him with a dazzling near-no-hitter in Chavez Ravine last night. For 8-2/3 it looked like it just might happen but rookie phenom Corey Seager hit a single to right on Moore's 133rd pitch. Regardless, it was a great performance by the lefty and a much-needed win for the club. That's 18 innings and one run scored from LA's high-flying offense. Just goes to show you what good pitching can do. Add in some run-scoring and you've got the formula. Last night Joe Panik followed a run-scoring single from Brandon Belt with a two-run homer and that was just what the doctor ordered. The Giants desperately need to add some pop to their attack. Doubles and triples can work too, but home runs always work. I did not expect this to be a slugging team but Pence, Posey, Belt, BCraw--these guys can go yard, we've seen it, it's time to see it again. Match it up with good starts and that's the way forward and out of the funk. It's easy to get over-excited about the big win but the streaks have to start somewhere. How about here and now?

Jeff Samardzija takes on the Braves and Joel De La Cruz tonight in San Francisco.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.