Snakebit Giants Still Prevail!

SF 5 AZ 4
The Giants didn't need more bad news but they got some anyway--starter Johnny Cueto hits the DL with an ankle injury. Rookie Tyler Beede made his ML debut a night earlier than he expected to and had a rough time of it. He gave up two quick runs in the 1st and labored (20 batters, 82 pitches, 5 walks) through four. Reyes Moronta added two scoreless. Down 2-0 in the 6th the Giants rallied against Patrick Corbin who had been overpowering to that point. Up 3-2 a two-out hit by Brandon Crawford sent Andrew McCutchen home with what looked like run number four. The safe call, alas, was overturned by replay and some of the happy buzz from the rally was killed a bit. The Diamondbacks tied it up immediately against Josh Osich but fine relief work from Cory Gearrin and Tony Watson kept it knotted 3-3 into the 8th. In the bottom half, a walk to McCutchen and a single by Buster Posey put men on first and second for Evan Longoria with one out. He struck out, but with the runners going, Alex Avila chucked it into centerfield and Cutch came around to score to make it 4-3. The old double-steal/catcher-error play! Hunter Strickland got the first two outs in the 9th but gave up a bomb to--who else?--Paul Goldschmidt and the game was tied, again.

That crushing blow merely served to set up the winning rally in the bottom of the 9th. A walk to Kelby Tomlinson, a sacrifice bunt by Gorkys Hernandez, a walk to Austin Jackson, and a walk to Brandon Belt loaded the bases for Cutch. He delivered the game-winner on the first pitch and the Giants had a dramatic, hard-fought, much-needed victory.

On the radio Flemm said at the end of the game "in the NL West this year there will be a lot of games like this." I think he's right. This Giants team has a chance to be really good. They are holding their own with three starters and two relievers on the shelf and a team OPS in the bottom third. If they can get the offense warmed up a bit imagine what they could do. The pitching has been very tough overall considering the injuries, and the fielding looks very good. Rookie Andrew Suarez will most likely make his ML debut tomorrow. We wanted the team to get younger, didn't we?

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Out-pitched

AZ 2 SF 1
Derek Holland gave up two hits in his start tonight: it was two hits too many. A single, a triple, and a sacrifice fly in the 1st staked the Diamondbacks to a 2-0 lead and that was enough. Holland whiffed eight in his six innings against only one walk. Arizona starter Zack Godley whiffed nine in his seven and walked none while scattering four hits (two by Buster Posey). Godley was god-like as far as Giants hitters were concerned as he generated 16 called strikes and 20 swinging strikes (mostly via the curveball) and ten groundball outs. Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria were particularly over-matched. The Giants managed a run against reliever Yoshihisa Hirano in the 8th but were closed out in the 9th by Archie Bradley. Roberto Gomez (2) and Sam Dyson (1) put up a clean sheet for the last three innings. Eight scoreless frames from both clubs tonight with only ten hits allowed (five from each team) and 23 strikeouts.

Arizona is the hot team so far in the NL West winning eight of their first ten. The Giants can be happy about a strong start from FNG Holland but they really ought to think about scoring some runs as their total of 25 over nine games puts them at the bottom of the heap. It was a tough matchup tonight but it will be another tough matchup tomorrow with Patrick Corbin who has 20 K in 13 IP and has allowed only two runs in his two starts. The Giants counter with Johnny Cueto who has allowed only one run in his two starts (also 13 IP).

They still have not named a starter for Wednesday.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

Blach Holds His Own

Ty Blach and Clayton Kershaw have faced each other twice in a season that has consisted of 8 games.  That's a lot to ask of a youngster - Ty might still be a rookie if not for his time filling in for Madison Bumgarner last year.  In 2 games, here is how things stack up:

Ty Blach:  11 IP (6 today), 7 hits, 1 run, 6 BB, 1 - 0.
C. Kershaw:  13 IP  (7 today), 14 hits, 2 runs, 2 BB, 0 - 1.  Kershaw has a bunch more strikeouts.

That's pretty good pitching from Ty considering his opponent.   The Giants are 3 - 3 against LA, with one game postponed, scheduled to be played as a Saturday doubleheader the next time they meet at the end of April.  The Giants had a good shot to take this, especially once Kershaw was replaced by a relief pitcher in the 8th.  But failure to get a bunt down, and no extra inning magic (for the Giants) meant a 2 - 1 loss and a split with LA.

The doggers picked up a run in the 4th, and an 8th inning Hunter Pence single followed by a perfect Kelby Tomlinson bunt for a hit put runners on 1st and 2nd.  Buster Posey pinch hit for 8th inning pitcher Josh Osich, Kershaw was lifted for JT Chargois, and Posey singled to right for the Giants lone rbi.  Austin Jackson, unable to put a bunt down, hit into a double play and Joe Panik flied out.  Hunter Strickland held down the 9th, but LA scored in the 10th and the Giants were unable to come back against Kenley Jansen.

So the Giants are 4 - 4.  Not setting the world on fire, but holding their own, and playing some pretty good, tough, emotional baseball.  LA has their ace and closer.  We do not.  Giants take on the dbacks tomorrow.  They are 7 - 2.

FNG Supreme

SF 7 LA 5 (14)
Andrew "Clutch" McCutchen clobbered a three-run homer, a walk-off winner, to cap a 6-hit game that led the Giants to an epic extra-inning win. It all seemed lost in the top of the 14th when the Dodgers scored against Roberto Gomez, the Giants ninth pitcher. He gave up three hits to the first three batters but then retired the side with only the one scoring. The second out was a whiff of Clayton Kershaw, pinch-hitting as the Dodgers had run out of players. It was that kind of game. The Giants had a lot of chances, particularly in the 12th against Kenley Jansen, but obligingly struck out (18 K by LA) whenever they needed a big hit. Overall the Giants bullpen delivered an amazing performance despite blowing the lead after picking up for a flagging Chris Stratton in the 6th. In the end it was a battle of wills as both rosters were running on empty.

Kelby Tomlinson led off the winning sequence with a single, Joe Panik followed with his third hit, and Clutch got his chance to be a hero. It was a magnificent 12-pitch battle that ended with the big bomb and a happy home crowd. A memorable performance by our new right fielder!

Friday's rainout will be made up as part of a double-header on April 28th. Tomorrow Ty Blach matches up with Clayton Kershaw at 1:05.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.


p.s. Buster Posey hit a two-run homer in the 4th, his first of the season.

¡Adiós, pelota!

SF 10 SEA 1
Johnny Cueto wasn't overpowering like he was in LA but he was effective in his first home start (6 IP, 8 H, 1 R) and the Giants pounded the Mariners with a four-homer barrage. Felix Hernandez is no longer The King and the lineup took advantage of his early wildness, scoring three in the 1st on two walks, two singles, and a sacrifice fly. Gorkys Hernandez greeted his countryman with a homer in the 2nd and the rout was on. Gorkys started due to a late scratch of Hunter Pence and made the most of it with three hits. A Brandon Belt homer in the 5th was followed by two walks and a 3-run splash hit from Pablo Sandoval. That did it for Hernandez, and then Brandon Crawford blasted the team's fourth bomb off reliever James Pazos. Giants got another run off Wade LeBlanc in the 7th to make it double digits. Good work in the field too, no errors or sloppy play. A cathartic outburst and a satisfying win to snap the three-game skid, wouldn't you say?

Off-day tomorrow and the Dodgers (who were swept in Arizona) come to town to face Derek Holland on Friday at 7:15 p.m. Go Giants!

--M.C.

Ty Blach's ERA is Blooming Like the Cherry Blossoms in San Francisco

Beautiful, aren't they?  Not so much the Giants home opener.  The Seattle Mariners scored 4 runs before Ty Blach and the Giants managed so much as an out.  The M's loaded the bases on an infield single, a bunt single and a walk, then BANG!  Single, Single, Single and there were 4 runs on the board before Kyle Seager was tagged out on the basepath.  Realistically, there was some bad luck in there, no really scalded balls, and in an alternate universe, some of the called balls could have probably been strikes.  But we're not in an alternate universe, we're in this one where the memory of 2017 is all too real.

The Giants scored 1 in the 4th.  It was another solo shot from Joe Panik.  It kind of made me want to send the Giants a note to remind them that there needs to be more offense than solo shots from Joe Panik.  So with the Giants behind 4 - 1, Ty Blach only made it 1 out into the 5th inning, where he put 2 more runners on base.  Reyes Moronta let those runners score but finished out the 5th, 6 - 1 Seattle.  Anyone would have been excused for leaving early, really, in the first inning.  But for those who stuck around, an actual ball game showed up.  Evan Longoria hit a home run over the cars in the 7th with Buster Posey on base to make the score 6 - 3, that chased Seattle starter Marco Gonzales from the game.   The Giants had their best chance in the 8th against former Rockie and dogger (among others) Juan Nicasio.  Gregor Blanco doubled, Kelby Thomlinson singled on a play close enough to require a replay review, and Blanco scored on an Austin Jackson sac fly.  That was it for the 8th inning though, and Seattle brought out their closer, Edwin Diaz.  He is supposedly the hardest thrower in the major leagues, although not always accurately.  Nevertheless, the final score was Seattle 6, San Francisco 4.

One other note.  I am already tired of hearing about exit velocity and launch angle.  I like the Giants announcers, but both of those terms are entirely meaningless in the context of a radio or tv broadcast.

Split

LA 9 SF 0
It's an Easter miracle that the Giants come home from LA with a split. Two shutout wins, two shutout losses. Normally I'd be OK with that but last night's game was ugly and embarrassing. The Giants couldn't hit and then let it get away from them late and wound up getting whipped. In the end, a loss is a loss and it matters not how bad it was. They all count the same. But it would be nice to see the team put up some fight. Tomorrow they open an 8-game homestand (with an off-day Thursday) that includes three more against the Dodgers. So, I'd say this is a good time for the team to put some wins together.

Ty Blach gets the call Tuesday. GO GIANTS!

--M.C.