Giants vs. Angels: Lineups, Notes and More

By Ben Leonard

photo credit: zimbio.com–Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti

TEMPE, Ariz. –When you hear Giants and Angels, you’d think it was 2002. Oh, the nostalgia….Barry Bonds, Darren Baker, and…. Felix Rodriguez.

Although a just few things have changed since that fateful World Series 14 years ago, and Cactus League baseball is slightly different than the Fall Classic, one thing has stayed constant: Giants’ pitching coach David Righetti.

He’ll try to get Giants’ starter Jake Peavy back in the swing of things against the Halos after an injury-ridden 2015 campaign. Peavy made just 19 starts last season due to a cranky back, but when he was able to take the hill he found success, posting a 3.58 ERA. Righetti will perhaps look for Peavy to tone it down a little this spring — the right-hander gets amped like a four year old who just drank a pot of coffee when he gets on the bump. He could use a fresh arm heading into the season — Peavy averaged just below six innings per start last inning.

Peavy has gotten a rude awakening to start his spring, getting knocked for 7 runs in just 4.2 innings (2 GS). He’s guaranteed a spot in the rotation, so perhaps he was just going through the motions.

The Angels will counter with 2015 All-Star left-hander Hector Santiago, who will toe the rubber for the third time this spring. In his Cactus league opener, he tossed two shutout innings against the Giants, but gave up two runs in three innings in his last start on Monday.

If sabermetrics are your thing, Hector Santiago is an enigmatic pitcher. Over his career, his ERA (3.55) has been more than a full run lower than his xFIP (4.71), something Matt Cain had also consistently done throughout his career. He’s struggled with walks and doesn’t strike a whole lot of hitters out, but he finds a way to get the job dome.

The Angels made a few moves this offseason, trading for shortstop and defensive whiz Andrelton Simmons and acquiring catcher Geovany Soto, but did little to fix an thin offense outside of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Kole Calhoun. It wasn’t for lack of talent on the market — the Angels needed a left fielder, and Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon and Chris Davis were all free agents, yet the Angels did nothing to shore up the postion. Light-hitting Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry figure to platoon in left.

Saturday, the Angels will roll out a relatively stacked lineup for this point in the spring:

Here’s how the #Angels will line up against the Giants. #LAASpring pic.twitter.com/zBCiQ2Bsmq

— Angels (@Angels) March 12, 2016

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On the other hand, the Giants, who have a split squad today, will bring just one regular: Gregor Blanco. The rest of the regulars are at home in Scottsdale taking on the San Diego Padres.