Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

Guardians Make Them Fend For Themselves: Kaprelian roughed up in season debut, A’s lose 7-3

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND, CA–Comfortable opponents are bad news. The Guardians’ Tristan McKenzie was that guy Sunday, mowing down A’s hitters at the Coliseum like he owned the place.

McKenzie pitching into the seventh inning, scattering three hits, and departed with a 6-0 lead. Throughout the 24-year old’s confidence and command of his pitches dominated the afternoon. The Guardians cruised to a 7-3 win and a road sweep of the weekend series.

“To call pitches for a guy like that is awfully fun because even when he’s got something else in mind, you really can’t go wrong when he executes well,” McKenzie’ catcher Luke Maile said of him.

“There were times where he lost the strike zone, but he reeled it back in in a hurry, as opposed to 3-4 hitters,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said.

“For me to be successful, a lot of it is mixing my pitches up and keeping guys guessing,” McKenzie said. “We stuck to the game plan really well today.”

Getting just one runner in scoring position was challenging for Oakland, and didn’t happen until McKenzie was at the end of his shift in the seventh. The loss marked a continuation of the host’s tip-your-hat portion of the schedule. The A’s have managed just three runs or less in eight of their most recent 10 games.

The A’s biggest moments came in the ninth when they narrowed a 7-0 deficit with three runs on the strength of Kevin Smith’s RBI double, which was preceded by Chad Pinder’s RBI sacrifice fly, and Christian Bethancourt’s pinch-hit double. The loss was their sixth in the last eight games.

“It was a tough series for us, losing those first two games the way we did,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “Going into today, I thought we had good energy, but we fell behind, and when you get behind, it puts a lot of pressure on our offense.”

James Kaprelian’s season debut was disturbing in that the returning starter said afterwards he felt fine but couldn’t find the strike zone in a ragged stretch in the third inning. Kaprelian dutifully rehabbed his shoulder only to see 12 of his final 13 pitches Sunday translate to three, consecutive walks.

“I pride myself in being able to attack guys and throw strikes and pitch off my fastball and I didn’t do that,” Kaprelian said. “I just need to do a better job, flat-out.”

The A’s trailed 5-0 after Kaprelian’s departure, 6-0 after four, and 7-0 after six innings. Pinder was the only Athletic to get a second hit but he was written into the seventh slot in Kotsay’s batting order.

The A’s face the Rays at the Coliseum on Monday night, the opener of a three-game set. Daulton Jeffries gets the start opposite Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen.

Giants Good Again: Any drop-off from last season’s 107 wins? None yet

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By Morris Phillips

A better win percentage than the Giants had in last season’s 107-win campaign? Weren’t they supposed to experience some measure of dropoff?

Yes, of course. A baseball team’s not supposed to better its best season in over 110 seasons. But so far, the Giants–purely by measure of wins and losses–are better.

And better despite two sidelined starting pitchers–Alex Cobb and Anthony DeSclafani–and fewer healthy outfielders than unhealthy ones. Yeah, they’ve taken advantage of a couple of downtrodden opponents but they’ve squeezed teams like the Nats and the Guardians for all they were worth.

The Giants led baseball in one significant category: fewest runs allowed, a real testament to the depth of quality arms, starting and relieving, they have. Offensively, they’ve been spotty, and overall good, but notably they don’t appear to be a threat to lead all teams in home runs like last season even if it’s just because they haven’t gotten off to a flying start.

The missing pieces–Mike Yastrzemski, Lamont Wade Jr., Austin Slater and now early pacesetter Joc Pedersen–are troubling, but none are expected to miss huge chunks of time. Other guys like Brandon Belt and Darin Ruf are on pace for better campaigns than last which really helps compensate for the absences.

Nothing speaks to the team’s success better than their different methods to win ballgames starting with their calling card: winning close games with big hits late. But they also score early, add on and frustrate opponents through the lopsided scores. They win low scoring ballgames with pitching and defense, and they concede the lead and rally soon there after to win.

The starting rotation isn’t among the National League’s best as some trumpeted, but three fifths of the rotation has been stellar with Logan Webb as the ace, Carlos Rodon and Alex Wood as the best supporting arms. Webb simply hasn’t shown much let up and that’s after factoring in that he finally dropped a home game at Oracle Park.

Rodon established a new franchise record for strikeouts to start a season, and his focus and success immediately after signing a hefty, two-year deal speaks of his professionalism.

Cold Snap: Giants shut down, lose 1-0 ending 5-game win streak

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Just six pitches in, Chad Pinder put the Giants’ win streak on notice.

Pinder’s line drive, first inning home run off Sam Long not only made a statement, it soon became the statement. The A’s and starter Paul Blackburn made it stand up in the A’s 1-0 win that gained them a split of the two-game series.

The Giants failed to score, but they also missed an opportunity to gain first place in the NL West and take full advantage of a rare, second consecutive loss by the Dodgers. Instead the Giants’ limped through a meager evening of just three hits, along with seeing offensive leader Joc Pederson suffer a troubling groin injury.

Already without Mike Yastrzemski, Steven Duggar and Lamonte Wade Jr., Pederson’s potential absence thins their outfield considerably. But if that’s what a team off to a flying start must experience, then so be it.

“I don’t really want to miss any games, but those games are always more fun,” Pederson said. “I think I have to look at the bigger picture. You see our team and it’s a playoff-caliber, World Series-caliber team. So the game matters now but you don’t want to put yourself risk of an injury that might cause you not to be able to play down the road.”

Jakob Junis, the length man in support of opener Long, kept the Giants within range by pitching five, scoreless innings while allowing four hits and striking out six. Jake McGee, Tyler Rogers and Camillo Doval followed with scoreless innings to boost the hosts hopes for a tying run at some point. But that run never materialized.

Paul Blackburn picked up the win by limiting the Giants to three hits over his five innings of work. Blackburn induced Brandon Belt’s double play, ground ball with the bases loaded that ended the third inning.

The Giants’ other threat came in the fifth when Luis Gonzalez leadoff with a double. But the outfielder was left stranded as Thairo Estrada, Jason Vosler and Curt Casali recorded outs.

Fly In Win: Giants beat Brewers 4-2 with dramatic finish

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By Morris Phillips

For struggling National League offenses–and there are a bunch of them–knowing opponents’ aces aren’t quite ready to pitch deep into games is a welcome break.

The Giants caught a break Monday. Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes mowed down hitters into the seventh but was lifted, leading 1-0 in deference to the shortened spring due to the lockout. Teams just aren’t going to risk their best arms to finish a game this early in a long season.

Burnes won the Cy Young last season and has looked the part again thus far. The St. Mary’s alum allowed two hits and registered 11 strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 1.75.

But then he was gone.

And in Burnes’ absence the Giants’ early-season magic appeared. This time to cap their best, lengthy road trip in 28 seasons with a pair of dramatic home runs. Manager Gabe Kapler sensed his club’s locked in mentality that had them engaged despite having just one day off thus far this season and needing to rally in the environment of a rare, one-game trip to Milwaukee.

“I’m not always sure what day of the week it is,” Kapler said. “You come to the ballpark, you prep for the game, you’ve got a good understanding of all the teams around the league.”

And you rake.

Joc Pedersen–fresh off a two home run game in D.C. on Sunday–struck first. With fans audible behind the Giants’ dugout, Pedersen responded to their heckling with a two-run blast off Trevor Gott that put San Francisco on the scoreboard for the first time on the eighth inning.

And after Milwaukee’s Wily Adames answered with a homer to tie the game 2-2 in the bottom of the inning, rookie Luis Gonzalez took over in the ninth.

The base hit off Burnes (earlier in the fifth inning) really gave him a lot of confidence,” Kapler said of Gonzalez. “In that situation, it was the best time for his first Major League home run to show up and so clutch. Also aesthetically, really pretty.”

In only his 23rd official MLB plate appearance–all over the previous week on the road–Gonzalez delivered, with two outs and a man on off reliever Jake Cousins. In a two-strike count, and by just barely avoiding the right field foul pole with his shot that silenced American Family Field.

“It’s just incredible,” Gonzalez gushed. “I’m just loving life right now.”

The Giants completed the road trip 8-3, a record last achieved on a trip of 11 games in July 1994. They swept the Guardians and Nationals each in three-game sets.

“The road trip finished in dramatic fashion with one of our newer players introduced with his first Major League home run. I think we’re going to enjoy the flight home and get ready for when we get back.”

The Giants open a two-game set on Tuesday with the A’s. Carlos Rodon faces Oakland’s Daulton Jeffries at 6:45pm.

A Lot From A Little: A’s avoid sweep, win 2-0, Irvin sharp for first, five innings

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Don’t be surprised if you see A’s pitching star Cole Irvin on Monday… possibly on the back nine of your prized East Bay golf course seeking conditioning and relaxation.

Irvin was the biggest piece of the A’s lockout-tinged, shutout by committee which subdued the Rangers, 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum. Irvin’s one-hitter lasted just five innings and expended 87 pitches, but it was plenty effective. Irvin allowed a leadoff double, and three relievers consumed the final, four innings, scattering three Texas base hits.

The A’s avoided a sweep, winning the series finale despite scoring just three runs in three-game set.

This weekend was kind of tough offensively,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “We did a better job of being patient and working counts (in Sunday’s game).

A weekend absent of offense fits right in with the A’s quirky, but effective start of the season. They’ve impressed by scoring runs–they led the AL in runs scored at the start of this home stand–but 21 of those came in games 4 and 5 and not much more through 17 games now. While they haven’t frightened any opponents the team’s 9-8 start is encouraging.

Especially given that centerfielder Ramon Laureano is suspended, COVID absences marred the home stand, all the fans apparently didn’t get the memo to attend the games, and–don’t forget–a lot of talented players left town right before the season started.

Dizzying if you’re not a player, but for the A’s themselves, a bunch to digest. That and the first 17 games without a day off. Not surprisingly, Monday will be for mind and body rejuvenation for the team, with Irvin making his intentions clear in the clubhouse.

“I will be on the golf course,” Irvin said. “Taking my time, enjoying it. I’ve got to get on the links a little bit. Going to have some fun.”

Irvin’s already made four starts and he’s had some success. But he’s gearing up for the busiest of his four seasons at the big league level, and that was apparent in his post-game comments. Irvin’s making adjustments, developing characteristics and enjoying the process.

“I found some confidence in my slider grip and I figured out what I was doing to throw it more consistently,” Irvin said. “The cutter was moving like a slider but it was fun to throw, kept guys off balance. Fastball command was big, too.”

Relievers Zach Jackson, Kirby Snead and Dany Jimenez were unshakeable as the back end of Oakland’s inexperienced, but not youthful bullpen. Jackson cruised through the sixth and seventh, Snead retired Cory Seager after Marcus Semien doubled, and Jimenez survived an eventful ninth to earn the save.

I’m tipping my cap to Dany right now,” Kotsay said. “He’s done a tremendous job. He gets a little bit of traffic and still keeps his composure. Today, I still felt he threw quality pitches.”

“They’re pitching like they have experience,” said Stephen Piscotty of the relievers.

Piscotty’s home run in the fourth gave Oakland the lead and the only runs of the afternoon. The A’s homegrown outfielder doubled on Saturday, making his first two games back from the COVID-list eventful after he was hampered by injuries last season and saw his power disappear.

“I’m definitely trying to have more fun and it’s more fun when you’re healthy, no doubt about that,” Piscotty said. “I don’t know, just to get in there, get to play. It feels natural.”

The A’s visit Oracle Park and the Giants on Tuesday, the first of two by the Bay. Dalton Jeffries gets the start in the opener.

Blame The Rain: Hot Giants cooled by Metropolitans’ slightly warmer temps and rain, rescheduled DH for Tuesday

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By Morris Phillips

The lockout and the protracted negotiations that delayed the baseball season put the Giants in a worrisome spot: just one day off through April 27, and 19 games in 20 days to start the season.

But in stepped mother nature, and the Giants have a treasured day off today, after their opener at Citi Field in New York against the Mets was canceled due to rain and the timing of the storm.

The team will hole up in a cozy Manhattan hotel and prepare for a rare, doubleheader on Tuesday with a nice caveat: staff ace Logan Webb will pitch Tuesday’s second game. The Mets made the announcement at 4:00pm in New York as the expectation of two inches of rain came into focus. Tuesday’s doubleheader will start at 3:10pm in New York with the second game 30 minutes after the first.

Alex Cobb will face the Mets’ Taylor Megill in the opener. Although the other scheduled starter, Max Scherzer could move up and pitch the opener with no confirmation from the Mets at press time.

The Giants-Mets four-game set looms as one of the early season’s best matchups with the Giants 7-2 and the Mets 7-3.

Road Relevant: A’s lose 4-3 in Toronto, fall short of winning road trip to begin season

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By Morris Phillips

The A’s weren’t going to be satisfied with a .500 road trip to start the season. But after a grueling 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays, that’s what they got.

Finishing a senses-jarring, first ten games of the season with a 5-5 record isn’t earth shattering, but it’s an incredible, initial statement for the new-look A’s.

“I couldn’t be happier with the club’s energy, effort level and fight through these 10 days,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “The record may not reflect, right now, how well I feel we played on this road trip.”

Alex Manoah went six innings against Oakland, and picked up the win. The replacement guy for Toronto limited the A’s to four hits and two walks, and departed with a two-run lead. Manoah appearances have a winning effect on his club, the Blue Jays have won his last 10 starts.

“I want those guys to know that I’m giving it my all every time,” Manoah said. “I think they kind of play off that energy.”

The A’s trailed 3-0 and 4-2, but got a sacrifice fly from Seth Brown in the eighth to climb within 4-3, but they could get any closer in the ninth, making for a lengthier flight home ahead of Monday’s home opener against the Orioles at 6:40pm.

Lourdes Gurriel led the hosts with a double, single and sacrifice fly to boost a lineup that saw Vladimir Guerrero Jr. go 0 for 4.

“It’s pretty big that he gets hot,” manager Charlie Montoyo said of Gurriel. “It’s been amazing what he’s doing right now.

“Right now, he’s doing the job to make sure Vladdy sees some pitches.”

Adam Oller was lifted in the second inning in his Major League debut last Tuesday. He responded on Sunday, allowing three runs and five hits before being lifted by Kotsay in the fourth.

The 27-year old cited lack of command with breaking pitches, but acknowledged his growth as well, this time he kept the A’s attached.

Stephen Vogt hit his first home run of the season and Sean Murphy’s sacrifice fly to center field scored Cristian Pache from third base for two A’s runs.

“They were down early. We fought back. We grinded out at-bats,” Kotsay continued. “The energy was still really good for the end of a 10-day road trip. You’d look for that day off tomorrow, but I think the energy will be there tomorrow with opening day and going home.”

Giants Are Good, But What About Their Competitors?

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–When your ballclub’s won 111 of their last 168 regular season contests, you don’t lose sleep at night. But just how comfortably do you sleep?

Starting with the hated, rival Dodgers, the Giants clearly have company at the top. The Padres are in the mix as well making the NL West arguably the toughest division in baseball. Both teams dipped into their wallets to beef up their lineups with San Diego adding slugger Luke Voit, and the Dodgers acquiring Freddie Freeman.

The Giants prioritize bringing back their division-winning lineup from 2021, and they did so with the exception of letting Kevin Gausman walk in free agency and seeing iconic catcher Buster Posey abruptly retire.

The result? The Giants aren’t widely considered to be the club to repeat atop the NL West putting them squarely in the position to prove themselves once again.

Internally, the Giants aren’t necessarily at odds with how prognosticators see them. President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi would likely admit his 2021 club arrived a year or two ahead of schedule. In keeping with that mentality, the off-season was not as eventful as eager fans would have preferred. The team’s big acquisition was both below the radar and measured. White Sox starter Carlos Rodon was given a two-year deal likely as safety measure acknowledging the hurler’s recent injury history.

Instead of splashy, the Giants appear content to roll out their youthful talents like LaMonte Wade Jr., Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos. From a pitching perspective, the Giants are prepared to weather growing pains from closer Camilo Doval in an attempt to see what top-end talents they can unearth from within. It’s a wise approach, and one Zaidi and his staff have doubled down on after their early successes.

Consequently, 107 more wins isn’t the goal, but consistent play in part featuring the younger Giants led by starter Logan Webb is. That won’t scare the Dodgers, Padres, Mets or the World Champion Braves. But the Giants hope it’s enough to command their attention.

If the Giants perform, the trade deadline could be interesting. They have the wherewithal to make additions to boost their program in August and September.

Caught In A Webb: Padres no match for Giants’ consistent ace, fall 2-1 in series finale

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–How good is Logan Webb?

Really good, consistently good, Tim Lincecum good, and since his truncated Major League debut that saw him pitch intermittently in 2019 and 2020, noticeably good.

And how good was he on this blustery Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park? Good.

“Logan definitely held up his end of the bargain,” according to manager Gabe Kapler.

“I think at this point he’s ready for a full workload. I thought his sinker was particularly sharp today. And then the last inning of work in the eighth, he was really working fast. You could tell their was a full head of steam and a lot of confidence, and I thought that was his best inning.”

Webb became the first pitcher in either league this season to pitch eight innings, in what was the lengthiest stint in his career thus far, while befuddling the Padres in a 2-1 Giants’ win. The 25-year old threw 96 pitches, allowing four hits, a first-inning run and no walks. Kapler admitted he briefly thought about bringing Webb back out for the ninth.

“We haven’t hit our stride offensively yet,” Padres’ manager Bob Melvin said. “But Webb was really good today. Enough breaking balls too, to just keep you off the kind of the moving away fastballs, sinker/changeup. Yeah, he’s a pretty good pitcher.”

If anything, Melvin knows what it supposed to look like as a big league manager for nearly two decades following a lengthy career a big league catcher. And no doubt, his ringing endorsement confirms that Webb has what it takes. Keeping hitters off-balance, rarely allowing solid contact, and doing so by interchanging pitches that initially look the same but send big league batters into guess mode.

Jake Cronenworth’s RBI triple, and Manny Machado’s double that preceded Cronenworth were San Diego’s only highlights. After that Webb worked fast, and Padres’ batters sat down. The ninth inning offered an amazing opportunity as closer Camilo Doval had issues, allowing a hit, a walk then hitting Jurickson Profar to load the bases. But Doval dialed it back, getting three, successive strikes on sliders against pinch-hitter Matt Beatty to end the game.

The Giants didn’t do much against Sean Manaea, but what they did was enough. In the second, Heliot Ramos drew a walk, Mauricio Dubon–the subject of Tuesday’s flashpoint–singled, and Luke Williams doubled home two runs. After the third inning, the Giants got one hit: Wilmer Flores’ single that preceded Ramos hitting into a double play.

The crisply played ballgame also helped diffuse the bad feelings running through both clubhouses surrounding Dubon’s bunt single in Tuesday’s game with the Giants holding a big lead that frustrated the Padres, and led to a brief exchange between bench coaches Mike Shildt and Antoan Richardson. Richardson was ejected after Shildt’s choice of words infuriated Richardson, and led him to claim that Shildt’s words were racist in tone. In a mature gesture from both men, they met prior to the game, and spoke in conciliatory terms before discussing the incident with the media.

Almost overshadowed by the dustup and the ejection, was Alyssa Nakken’s debut as a first base coach, making her the first woman to be an on field participant in a Major League game.

The Giants’ rare opening week at home produced a pair of 2-1 series victories, and a 4-2 record that has them ahead of the Padres and Dodgers, but behind the 4-1 Rockies in the early, early snapshot of the NL West standings.

The Giants experience their only day off in the season’s first three weeks on Thursday before opening a three-game set in Cleveland against the newly-rebranded Guardians.

West Coast Chess: Brainy managers, twins highlight Padres 4-2 win over the Giants

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–A match-up of high-minded managers that won’t give an inch while trying to swipe a couple of runs isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but deploying competing, identical twins on a freezing cold night sure provides a unique edge.

That was the scene at Oracle Park on Monday as the Bob Melvin-led Padres pushed their way past the Giants and newly-minted Manager of the Year, Gabe Kapler, winning 4-2.

The NL West hopefuls, both trying to top each other while keeping the division favorite Dodgers within their sights, engaged in station-to-station baseball while searching for a breakthrough with San Diego’s Austin Nola the only slugger able to cut through the cold air with his solo blast in the fifth that gave the Padres a brief 2-1 lead.

The rest was a chess match, orchestrated by Melvin and Kapler and executed by the competing twins, Taylor and Tyler Rogers. In the seventh, Tyler allowed a tie-breaking run on two hits, and Taylor–recently acquired in a trade with the Twins–pitched a scoreless ninth and saved it for the visitors.

“We’re both trying to throw a lot of strikes,” Tyler said. “We both do throw a lot of strikes. We pitch different–I pitch different than everybody–but, really, if you look at it, we’re very similar pitchers.”

The twins were only fifth set to compete in a major league game and the first since Ozzie and Jose Canseco did it in 1990. The upcoming two games of the series won’t feature both as Tyler departed after the game to be with his wife, Jennifer, who is due to give birth in the coming days.

But the occasion was clearly energizing for both, and they’ll 16 more opportunities to compete this season after the trade brought them closer together.

“Normally we leave for the season and I don’t see him again for eight months,” Tyler said. “So I’m looking forward to seeing him throughout the year. Dinners are on him.”

More so than Tyler Rogers’ rough inning, the Giants saw their evening unravel with an 0 for 11 performance with runners in scoring position which wasted eight base hits, four walks and two doubles. San Diego’s Nick Martinez, making his first big league start since 2017, was the first to survive all the Giants’ traffic on the basepaths by pitching five innings while striking out six, walking one and scattering five of those Giants’ hits.

Alex Wood lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his first start, departing after he allowed Nola’s homer that put the Giants in a 2-1 hole.

The Padres and Giants pick it up again on Tuesday with Yu Darvish and Alex Cobb getting the starting pitching assignments.