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.