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Giants storm back to victory

Published on June 4, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

After falling behind early, the Giants roared back with an offensive explosion to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat Wednesday night, as they downed the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2, at the Great American Ball Park.

Starter Ryan Vogelsong was cruising along in the third inning, until third baseman Todd Frazier hammered a mistake fastball and sent it just inside the foul pole into the left-field bleachers to give the Reds a 1-0 lead.

The Reds increased their lead immediately following the homer with back-to-back doubles, the scoring hit coming from Jay Bruce, who knocked in Brandon Phillips. That’s when pitching coach Dave Righetti paid Vogelsong a visit to give a pep talk.

The talk must have worked, since the right-hander did not give up a single run after that. He ended up going 6 1/3 innings and gave up only those two runs while striking out nine batters and walked only one.

In the process, he did what Giants starters usually do. He kept his team in the game with a realistic chance to win. In the sixth inning, his bats came through for him and allowed him to pick up the win.

Once again, the Giants’ rally came with two outs, which is really starting to become their calling card this year. Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval were quickly retired to begin the inning, but Michael Morse, who is having a monster season thus far, launched a solo homer into the left-field seats.

Brandon Hicks followed that with a single, and left fielder Juan Perez quickly capitalized on the opportunity and deposited another deposit into those bleachers in left to give the Giants a 3-2 lead.

The Giants are also building a reputation of having a shutdown bullpen, and that was again on display on Wednesday. After Vogelsong departed in the seventh, Juan Gutierrez, Javier Lopez, Jean Machi and closer Sergio Romo combined to give up a single baserunner, which was a result of a fielding error in the bottom of the eighth.

That baserunner was wiped out two batters later when Machi got Devin Mesoraco to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The two teams will play the rubber game Thursday afternoon.

Giants blast past Cards

Published on May 29, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants haven’t exactly been known as a hitting team for the past few years, but they have bucked that trend lately, and it has paid dividends.

The Giants used that wave of momentum to move past the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a four-game weekend series, 6-5, at Busch Stadium Thursday night.

For much of the season, Pablo Sandoval was stuck in a funk at the plate without a real end in sight. In fact, during the first two months of the season, Sandoval’s batting average hovered just above .200, which isn’t exactly what you wish for when you’re in the final year of your contract, a situation that he happens to be in.

But boy, have times changed. He has slowly brought his average back up to a somewhat-respectabe .247, to the point that manager Bruce Bochy has moved him back up to the No. 3 spot in the lineup, right behind slugger Michael Morse.

Sandoval justified Bochy’s move by launching a solo homer into left-center in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 3-3.

Meanwhile, Morse continues to make a serious case for becoming a National League All-Star this season. The big outfielder went 2-for-4 on Thursday and blasted a tape-measure shot that traveled halfway up the bleachers in left-center for a solo homer in the second inning to tie the game at 1-1.

Morse is currently batting .290 and has added more than his fair share of majestic shots into the bleachers that tend to have a lasting effect on fans who have a big part of the All-Star selection come July.

Six innings later, he broke a tie with a hard liner into right-center that skipped past center fielder Peter Bourjos and bounced all the way to the wall, a play that scored two runs and gave the Giants a 6-4 lead.

Starter Ryan Vogelsong didn’t have his best start, but he did give the Giants 6 1/3 innings while giving up four runs on seven hits, walking three while striking out four.

Thankfully, his bullpen was slightly better, particularly Javier Lopez – who earned the win Thursday, thanks to Morse’s go-ahead hit – and Jean Machi, who combined to completely shut down the Cardinals and give the ball to Sergio Romo in the ninth with a two-run lead.

Romo did surrender a run in the final inning, as Matt Carpenter scored Jon Jay with a single, but the closer settled down to get his 17th save of the season.

Giants rained out; Casilla to miss considerable time

Published on May 22, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants and the Colorado Rockies had to wait out a long rain delay on Thursday, but the rain just did not stop in time for the game to continue, as the game was halted in the bottom of the sixth due to the wet weather.

The teams were deadlocked at 2-2, and there was no immediate date to finish the game.

Michael Cuddyer started the scoring in the second inning, as his infield single scored Willy Rosario. However, the Giants roared right back in the fourth with two runs to take the lead, as Hunter Pence launched a solo homer over the right-field wall while Pablo Sandoval added a run-scoring double to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

Colorado tied the game in the fifth inning, as Rosario hit into a double play while Nick Arenado scored.

Meanwhile, the Giants got the diagnoses back for both of the pitchers who suffered hamstring injuries in Wednesday’s game.

Matt Cain suffered a Grade 1 strain – considered a mild strain -and is not expected to miss much time. However, reliever Santiago Casilla was diagnosed with a Grade 2 – or medium – strain and is expected to miss about four weeks due to the injury.

Casilla was injured running out a ground ball in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Rockies. He was the second reliever to be injured on the basepaths this year, as David Huff strained his left quadriceps while getting his first major-league hit April 21 and ended up missing 18 games.

The Giants come back home to start a three-game series at AT&T Park on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. Tim Lincecum (3-3, 4.74 ERA) will take the hill for the Giants, facing Minnesota righty Kyle Gibson (4-3, 4.20 ERA).

The Twins are currently two games over .500, a position that they have not been in since they won the American League Central title four years ago.

Giants’ win bittersweet

Published on May 21, 2014May 22, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

DENVER, CO - MAY 21: Relief pitcher Santiago Casilla #46 of the San Francisco Giants sis helped off the field after injuring his self while tripping over first base as first base coach Hensley Meulens (second from left) and manager Bruce Bochy (third from left) walk off the field during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 21, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. The Giants defeated the Rockies 5-1. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) — DENVER, CO – MAY 21: Relief pitcher Santiago Casilla #46 of the San Francisco Giants sis helped off the field after injuring his self while tripping over first base as first base coach Hensley Meulens (second from left) and manager Bruce Bochy (third from left) walk off the field during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 21, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. The Giants defeated the Rockies 5-1. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

By Jeremy Harness

It’s always a good thing when the Giants are able to get a win in Coord Field, a place that has been a place of utter frustation for the road team over the years.

Wednesday night’s 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies erased the memory of the previous night’s dramatic loss. At the same time, however, it created more issues that look like they will last longer than any loss would.

Starter Matt Cain had to leave the game in the third after suffering a slight hamstring injury following a strikeout to end the inning. The encouraging thing, however, is that Cain was able to walk off the field on his own power.

The timetable to return was not immediately determined at press time.

Santiago Casilla’s injury appears to be considerably serious and drastically shifted the mood of the entire Giants dugout.

Casilla, who was solid in relief on Wednesday, came up to bat in the top of the ninth – this was only his fifth career at-bat – and worked the count to 3-2 to the delight of his teammates, including Pablo Sandoval.

That quickly changed when he hit a dribbler up the middle, which shortstop Troy Tulowitzki gobbled up and threw out a hustling Casilla.

The righty then fell to the turf in serious pain, and he was eventually helped off the field by two trainers, as Casilla was unable to put weight on either leg as he was helped into the clubhouse following the play.

“I was shocked that he was running like that,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I told him, ‘Don’t even swing.’ I’ve never seen him run like that. I guess when he hit it, he thought he had a hit.”

Jeremy Affeldt entered in the ninth and was able to pick up the save to even up the series at 1-1.

Giants storm back to beat LA

Published on May 8, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

Well, at least there’s one team in the Bay Area that is able to beat LA.

The Giants shook off the sting of the Pittsburgh loss pretty quickly. When you think about it, however, it’s not like they had a whole lot of time to think about it, either.

Following the Wednesday defeat to the Pirates at PNC Park, the Giants flew across the country in time to meet the Dodgers in Los Angeles Thursday night. The lack of a layoff certainly paid off for the Giants, as they came back to beat the Dodgers, 3-1, in 10 innings.

The Giants got a great outing from starter Ryan Vogelsong, who went 7 1/3 innings and gave up only a run on five hits against a potent Dodgers lineup.

“He threw the heck out of it,” Brandon Hicks said of Vogelsong. “I thought for a while that he was going to throw a no-hitter. He had it going tonight.”

He got a huge save from his bullpen after he gave up a pinch-hit single to Chone Figgins in the eighth. Jeremy Affeldt made a great fielding play to get Dee Gordon while Santiago Casilla got Yasiel Puig swinging after a long battle at the plate to end the inning.

Casilla was not done, however. With closer Sergio Romo warming up in the bullpen, Casilla went through the heart of the lineup and had considerable help in doing so. Shortstop Brandon Crawford made a fantastic diving stop to nail Hanley Ramirez while Hicks ranged well to his right in shallow right field to get Adrian Gonzalez.

The righty finished off the inning himself, as he struck out Matt Kemp to send the game into extra innings.

The Giants had a big opportunity in the 10th inning, as Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence each reached base with one out, forcing reliever Jamey Wright to have to pitch to Buster Posey.

Posey worked the count to 3-0 before Wright fought back to get it to 3-2, with Posey fouling off a couple of pitches before coaxing a walk out of Wright to load the bases.

Hector Sanchez capitalized for the Giants by launching one to the warning track in right field, plenty deep enough to score Pagan from third, before Brandon Belt brought Pence in with a single through the left side of the infield to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.

The Giants had trailed 1-0 in the seventh inning before Hicks, who has quickly been known to get the big hit, connected for a solo home run off Dodgers starter Josh Beckett, who himself had a great performance in giving up only that one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings.

Giants head to SoCal

Published on May 8, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

Giants vs. Dodgers. It doesn’t ever get old. And just because it’s not in September doesn’y mean it’s any less significant.

And besides, when September rolls around, these two teams will most likely look back to the games that are being played now as the contests that make just as much difference between winnign the division or not.

Yes, we’re far from that point of the season, but you get the picture.

The next installment of NorCal vs. SoCal begins Friday night, as the two eternal rivals hook up at Dodger Stadium for a four-game series that starts tonight.

At the start of the season, most people were picking the Dodgers to run away with the division going away, but things are a little different now.

See, the Giants, with their improved pitching and stellar bullpen, are tied atop the National League West with the Colorado Rockies while the Dodgers, with their highly-fattened payroll, are 2 1/2 games back in second place.

Ryan Vogelsong (1-1, 4.60 ERA) will take the hill for the Giants and will head up against Josh Beckett, who has an 0-1 record with a 3.14 earned-run average and is looking for his first victory in more than a year and a half.

If the Giants’ offense performs like it did during their series defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Beckett will have a great opportunity to do just that.

Friday’s matchup will feature Madison Bumgarner, the Giants’ Opening Day starter, going up against the Dodgers’ Paul Maholm, two up-and-coming star hurlers.

Yusmeiro Petit, in his first year in the starting rotation, will take the ball Saturday and will face LA righty Zack Grienke, who suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for two months after an on-field confrontation with San Diego’s Carlos Quentin.

And finally, Tim Hudson, who nearly had a complete game against the Padres last Wednesday, will try to close the series out in style on Sunday, but standing in his way is budding megastar Clayton Kershaw, who signed a seven-year, $215-million deal in the offseason.

Giants fall to Pirates, lose series

Published on May 7, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants’ road trip has not gotten off to the best start, as the Pittsburgh Pirates captured the three-game series win Wednesday afternoon by besting the Giants, 4-3, at PNC Park.

Tim Lincecum (2-2) had an outing to forget, as the right-hander went only four innings while surrendering four runs on eight hits, walking two while striking out four.

When Lincecum left the game, the Giants trailed 4-1, but they did make a comeback in the fifth inning. Brandon Belt lined one into right field that scored Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence.

However, that rally was short-lived, as Belt was thrown out at third while trying to stretch it into a triple.

Gerrit Cole was considerably better for Pittsburgh, as he gave up three runs on seven hits over eight innings.

Notes: Sandoval left the game with what was described as a thumb strain, and he is listed as day-to-day

Warriors fire Jackson

Published on May 6, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

The Warriors have fired head coach Mark Jackson after three seasons at the helm, amid internal strife and strife.

The firing comes after the Warriors finished a season during which the team won 51 games and made the playoffs for a second straight year before losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.

According to numerous reports, the reason behind the dismissal was the fact the Jackson did not get along with team management, particularly owner Joe Lacob.

Jackson had issues with some of his assistant coaches in the past season, including Brian Scalabrine, whom Jackson re-assigned to the Warriors’ D-League affiliate due to “differences in philosophy.”

Regarding the short list of candidates, the Warriors are reportedly looking at Steve Kerr as well as Stan Van Gundy.

Warriors force Game 7 in thriller

Published on May 1, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

Bay Area sports fans still have at least one playoff game to look forward to.

A night after the Sharks were bounced out of the NHL playoffs in Game 7, the Warriors are going to play a deciding game of their own Saturday night, as they edged past the Los Angeles Clippers, 100-99, Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors led for much of the second half and just held on down the stretch, withstanding a frantic flurry by the Clippers in the final 20 seconds

In the timespan, while the Warriors led by four, Clippers guard Darren Collison missed a layup and also missed a 3-pointer after the Clippers secured the rebound, while Jamal Crawford missed another 3-pointer, before Matt Barnes made an off-balance 3-ball with 1.1 seconds left.

The Clippers fouled Stephen Curry, who missed the first free throw, and then missed the second one purposely to run out the clock and send the series to Staples Center for a winner-take-all tilt for the right to go the second round.

This was a game where the Warriors didn’t shoot the ball very well but grinded out a playoff-style victory when they needed it the most.

Curry scored 24 points but made only nine of his 24 shots. However, he turned the ball over only twice while handing out nine assists, two nights after committing eight turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Warriors turned the ball over only eight times, which certainly made up for the subpar shooting.

They also drew key fouls down the stretch against the Clippers’ impact players. Andre Iguodala made a 3-pointer while drawing a foul on Blake Griffin to extend the Warriors’ lead to 96-89 with 2:31 left, which was Griffin’s sixth foul.

The Clippers quickly cut it to two, before Harrison Barnes drew a blocking foul on sharpshooter J.J Redick, which fouled him out of the game as well.

Hudson keeps rolling, gets past Pads

Published on April 30, 2014 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – Tim Hudson gave Bay Area fans at least one thing to cheer about Wednesday night.

While the San Jose Sharks were completing their NHL playoff meltdown by blowing a 3-0 series lead and falling in Game 7 at home to the Los Angeles Kings, Hudson masterfully guided the Giants to a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park.

Hudson had one heck of a first month for the Giants, and he capped it off with one of his better performances in stifling the Padres. The 38-year-old righty gave up only five hits and did not walk anyone while striking out six.

He was on his way to a complete game, as he just needed one more strike to finish the thing off. However, he left a fastball in the heart of the plate, and Yasmani Grandal deposited it into McCovey Cove to narrow the Giants’ lead to just one.

Giants skipper Bruce Bochy took no more chances and went to closer Sergio Romo, who got Chris Denorfia to ground out and give Hudson (4-1) the win.

He even contributed at the plate with a single in his first at-bat of the game while dropping down a nice sacrifice bunt in the seventh to move a runner over and contribute to a much-needed insurance run.

In fact, the only real downer to his night came when he was unable to make contact in the fourth inning with one out and a runner on third, after Brandon Crawford had led off the inning with a triple.

Crawford did not score in the inning, but the Giants still had the two-run lead.

Michael Morse hit a two-out rocket off the brick wall in right field against Padres starter Robbie Erlin to bring in Hunter Pence and give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The next mistake that Erlin made was to second baseman Brandon Hicks, as he left one out over the plate and watched as Hicks hammered it the other way into the right-field arcade.

The Giants added to their lead in the seventh, as they got Erlin out of the game and tore into the Padres’ bullpen. Pence got a two-out single that kept the inning going before Buster Posey’s two-out hit up the middle scored Joaquin Arias to provide the slight cushion that the Giants would need.