Month: June 2017

San Francisco Giants’ Ty Blach in action during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Friday, June 2, 2017, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

By Jeremy Kahn

Ty Blach maybe just a rookie, but this rookie is pitching like the veteran he replaced in the San Francisco Giants starting rotation, Madison Bumgarner.

Blach walked three times during the game, and pitched his first complete game and the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 10-0 at Citizens Bank Park.

Denard Span picked up his first five hit game as a member of the Giants, as they opened their six-game road trip with a huge win over the struggling Phillies, who have lost five in a row, dropping 26 out of their 32 and are now a major-league worst 17-35 on the season.

As for Blach, it was just another day at the office for the left-hander, as he threw his first complete game, allowing seven hits, not walking a batter and struck out seven on his way to raising his record to 4-2 on the season.

It was the fourth straight win for Blach, who became the first pitcher since Aaron Cook of the Colorado Rockies on October 1, 2009 against the Milwaukee Brewers to walk three times in the same game.

Eduardo Nunez picked up three hits and drove in three runs for the Giants, who won for the first time since Sunday’s 7-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves at AT&T Park, snapping their three-game losing streak.

The Giants led 4-0 by the end of the second inning, as Brandon Crawford hit two sacrifice flies and Nunez came up with a huge two-run double in the sixth, as the Giants blew the game open with a four-run sixth inning.

Not only did Blach walk in his first three at-bats, but he struck out in his final three at-bats against Phillies pitching.

NOTES: Johnny Cueto looks to make it two straight for the Giants, as he takes the mound for a 1:05 (Pacific) start, while the Phillies will right-hander Ben Lively to mound for his major-league debut.

Hunter Pence continues his rehab with Single-A San Jose, and he is 2-for-6 in his first two games.

The contract of Justin Slater was purchased from Triple-A Sacramento, and to make room for Slater, the Giants designated Justin Ruggiano for assignment.

Slater started in right field, and went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.

San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy blows a bubble in the dugout during the eighth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, in San Francisco. Washington won 3-1. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

By Jeremy Harness

 After a brief winning streak, the Giants have once against hit the skids and have found themselves right back in the cellar of the National League West.

 After getting swept in a three-game series by the Washington Nationals, a series that concluded Wednesday at AT&T Park, the Giants currently share last place with the San Diego Padres with matching 22-33 records.

 The Giants are expected to call up outfielder Austin Slater from Triple-A Sacramento in tome for their three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies that starts Friday night at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.

 A Stanford product and an eighth-round draft pick, the 24-year-old Slater had been swinging a hot bat for the River Cats, sporting a .322 average with four home runs while driving in 26 runs in 174 at-bats for the Triple-A club this season.

 Slater is expected to get a good look at left field when he starts his big-league career.

 Thankfully for the Giants, the Phillies are not having a very good season, either. In fact, they have the worst record in the National League with a 17-34 mark, so this will be a very good opportunity for the Giants to get back on track.

 And it will also be a great time for Slater to get his feet wet in the major leagues, and also for the Giants to start to see what will become of its young prospects.

 Meanwhile, right fielder Hunter Pence, who has missed the Giants’ past 17 games due to a left hamstring strain, will start a rehab stint with Class-A San Jose on Wednesday. According to reports, he is expected to play five innings on Wednesday and another seven innings on Thursday.

photo by Topps Baseball cards: 1970 Topps Baseball Card of former San Francisco Giant pitcher Bob Garibaldi

Bob Garibaldi – Tale of Two Worlds (Series)

By Tony “The Tiger” Hayes

SAN FRANCISCO–With the College World Series just days away we take a look back at the Bob Garibaldi’s unusual 1962 campaign that saw him star in the College World Series for Santa Clara University and then weeks later appear on the active roster for San Francisco Giants in the world’s World Series.

Will Clark, Jeff Kent, Tim Hudson and Barry Bonds are all veterans of playing in the World Series for the San Francisco Giants and in the College World Series for their respective universities, but in each case each had long gaps between each appearance.

Tim Hudson for instance was in his penultimate season of a long and successful big league career before he appeared in the fall classic.

Garibaldi, just 20 in 1962, did the unheard of, going from a Madison Bumgarner-like iron man performance in the College World Series to staying loose and ready to pitch in Game 7 of the MLB World Series vs. the New York Yankees if needed.

Yet, despite the whirlwind beginning to his professional career, the Stockton born hurler would appear in just 15 major league games over the course of four sporadic seasons (all with the Giants) and never post a big league win.

After a brilliant performance for Santa Clara University in the ’62 college championship, the Giants won a bidding war for the sophomore – beating out the likes of the New York Mets, who who sent skipper Casey Stengel on a recruiting trip to the young hurlers house in a helicopter – to inking the pitcher to a $150,000 “bonus baby” contract.

The club was required to immediately place the 20-year-old on the major league roster. Though not obligated to carry Garibaldi on the World Series active list, they did so any ways, and the hard -throwing righty was in the bullpen when Willie McCovey lined to New York’s Bobby Richardson to end the classic Game 7.

Garibaldi’s ’62 college World Series performance is legendary – setting series records for innings pitched (27.2) and strikeouts (38). Like Mad-Bum did in the Giants 2014 championship run, several times Garibaldi came out of the Broncos bullpen to rescue the team after starting the pervious day. He was the losing pitcher in the championship game to Michigan, but only after coming into the game in the seventh inning and holding the Wolverines hitless for nine innings before being victimized by a misplayed fly ball in the 15th frame.

After making nine appearances for San Francisco in ’62 (all regular season) and a handful in 1963, the big righty would spend most of the next decade in the minors battling arm ailments. Many blamed “over-use” in the college World Series, but Garibaldi maintains he didn’t injure his arm until 1964 when he altered his pitching motion.

Though he never did achieve a big league win, Garibaldi was effective when given a chance to pitch, maintaining a 3.08 ERA in 26.1 innings spread out over four seasons. In his final big league appearance (and only start) he allowed one earned run in five innings vs. the visiting Padres, but was dinged with the defeat in the 9-4 loss (10/1/69).

After retiring from baseball, Garibaldi worked for many years as a WAC basketball referee, among the players games he officiated were future Giants outfielders and collegiate hoopsters Randy Winn (Santa Clara) and Terrell Lowery (Loyola-Marymount).