Category: San Francisco Giants

What Happened to the Giants? No One Got Better

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Step into the world of Wins Above Replacement with me. This is the world where the elite Major League players are quantified and recognized. In 2021, the Giants’ out-of-nowhere season of 107 wins and an NL West Championship, this is where the majority of the roster lived.

In 2022, almost the entirety of the Giants’ roster has moved out. So have the wins, the adulation and the postseason aspirations.

The two biggest standouts from 2021 in regards to WAR–Brandon Crawford and Kevin Gausman–have fallen off dramatically. Crawford’s 6.1 WAR of 2021 symbolized his stature as an MVP candidate, and a daily force defensively and offensively. Outside of the now-retired Buster Posey, Crawford was the team’s MVP who regularly supplied big hits and shut down opponents with game-altering defensive plays.

This season, Crawford hasn’t participated in 45 of the team’s 121 games thus far, and his defense has slipped. At age 35 and relied upon to be a daily presence at shortstop, the game’s most demanding defensive position, Crawford has seen an increase in his errors. After a career season, that would be expected, but for the Giants’ needs, his decline has been more dramatic than expected.

Gausman moved on, lured by similar dollars and a lengthier deal than the Giants would offer. For the Blue Jays, Gausman’s been good with similar peripheral numbers to what he posted last season, but he hasn’t won as much. Last season, Gausman was 14-6 for the Giants, this season he’s 8-8 for Toronto.

In Gausman’s place, Carlos Rodon has been nearly as good. Signed as a free agent after a 13-5 season for the White Sox, Rodon’s been healthier than he was last season while winning 10 times to date. Surely, the Giants are satisfied with the transition from Gausman to Rodon.

Similarly, Logan Webb was outstanding last season, and again this season. The difference between the two seasons for Webb aren’t much, maybe just that he’s suffered a loss at home after going without a single loss at Oracle Park last season.

Along the lines of the Rodon acquisition, Jakob Junis has pitched well for the Giants in a position of need, in the absence of injured starter Anthony DeSclafani. Thought to be a spot starter/opener, Junis has spent half this season, taking regular turns in the rotation and pitching deeper in games than expected. But that’s not the entire story: Junis has declined dramatically since he was injured in June. In six starts since, he’s failed to pitch five innings in any of those appearances.

Here’s the Giants’ Top 12 WAR performers in 2021 and 2022

2021:

  1. Brandon Crawford (6.1 WAR) 1. Carlos Rodon (4.0)
  2. Kevin Gausman (5.3) 2. Logan Webb (3.9)
  3. Logan Webb (4.0) 3. Jakob Junis (1.6)
  4. Anthony DeSclafani (4.0) 4. John Brebbia (1.6)
  5. Buster Posey (3.5) 5. Mike Yastrzemski (1.4)
  6. Darin Ruf (2.9) 6. Alex Wood (1.4)
  7. Brandon Belt (2.7) 7. Thairo Estrada (1.3)
  8. Mike Yastrzemski (2.5) 8. Wilmer Flores (1.3)
  9. Tyler Rogers (2.5) 9. Curt Casali (1.1)
  10. Steven Duggar (2.2) 10. Luis Gonzales (1.0)
  11. Evan Longoria (1.8) 11. Austin Slater (1.0)
  12. Wilmer Flores (1.7) 12. Camilo Doval (1.0)

The prevailing theme of the two lists is the decline in the WAR numbers across the board. Only two of this season’s Giants would even qualify for last season’s top 12. That’s dramatic, and indicative of a team that’s already lost more games than they did all of last season.

Of those listed for 2021, Gausman, Ruf and Duggar have signed elsewhere or been traded, and DeSclafani is out for the season due to injury. So if we don’t move beyond the two lists, only one player who was on the team this season and last has improved: John Brebbia.

That’s probably not enough.

On Friday, the Giants welcome the Pirates to Oracle Park with Bryse Wilson facing Carlos Rodon. Wilson’s just 2-6 on the season, but the Pirates have won three of his previous four starts.

Bullpen Blues: Giants can’t get off the field twice in rough 13-7 loss to the Padres

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By Morris Phillips

Twice on Wednesday afternoon, the Giants needed “shut down” innings. Instead they got beat down by the potent Padres’ lineup. The result was a 13-7 loss that once again has the team confronting its reality on the outside of the postseason chase.

And the even-more troubling aside? The beefed-up Padres, who figure to be a menace within the NL West for years to come, are gaining their stride as witnessed by newly-acquired Juan Soto’s swagger-filled summation of the afternoon.

“We showed it today,” Juan Soto said. “We’re coming back from everything.”

Soto’s overanxious path to Austin Slater’s single in the third inning allowed the ball to get by him, resulting in Slater taking third base and two runs scoring. That was the highlight of the Giants’ four-run inning that, briefly, had them in control.

But in the bottom of the inning, the first seven Padres reached base in a six-run answer that chased Giants’ starter Jakob Junis and gave San Diego a 6-4 lead. Soto singled as the inning’s third batter to load the bases. That would set the stage for a gaudy, four-hit afternoon for the hosts with the bases loaded.

Junis’ line for the afternoon was six runs allowed with only seven outs recorded. Since returning from his hamstring injury in June, he hasn’t regained his stride. That’s especially frustrating since he outgrew expectations that he would be a short-stint opener, and instead blossomed into a full-fledged starter. Now he’s saddled with a five-game stretch of appearances that haven’t gone as many as five innings.

“I just wanted to go out there and try to give the team a chance to win and I didn’t do that,” Junis said. “The offense came back and took the lead. Just as a pitching staff we couldn’t do it today.”

After recording the first out of the inning, Junis gave way to Alex Young, who gave up an RBI single and a RBI groundout to Austin Nola that scored Chris Drury.

After Young stabilized things in the fourth and fifth innings, the Giants answered in the sixth with three runs. Austin Wynns and Joc Pederson came up with RBI hits in that frame that allowed the Giants to regain the lead, 7-6.

But for the second time, the Giants couldn’t back their offense and the Padres came up with a second, massive rally. First, Yunior Marte allowed a three-run homer to Drury, and the Padres regained the lead, 9-7. But Marte remained in the game, and two batters later, he also allowed an RBI double to Ha-Seong Kim. Brandon Belt’s throwing error stained Jarlin Garcia’s entrance, then Garcia became his own worst enemy by allowing Nola’s two-run homer to cap a seven-run rally.

“You don’t see too many six spots and seven spots in the same game,” manager Bob Melvin said of his Padres.

The Giants have Thursday off, and they open a three-game set against the Pirates on Friday night. With 51 games remaining, they’re 7 1/2 games behind the Brewers, the prerequisite hurdle to attempting to catch the Padres for a wild-card spot.

Machado, Soto power Padres past Giants 7-4

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San Diego Padre Manny Machado flips the bat away after cracking a three run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park in San Diego on Tue Aug 8, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Manny Machado’s tie-breaking three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted San Diego to a 7-4 victory Tuesday over the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Padres that included a 26-inning scoreless skid. San Diego is 1-5 since acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell from Washington at the trade deadline.

Tim Hill (3-0) struck out Joc Pederson to end the Giants’ ninth and pick up the win in relief. The Padres still remain 16 games behind NL West-leading Los Angeles and hold a one-game lead over Milwaukee for the third NL Wild Card berth. San Francisco trails the Dodgers by 22 ½ games.

After Tyler Rogers (2-4) took the mound for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth, Jurickson Profar singled with one out and Soto reached on catcher’s interference. Machado followed with a 403-foot homer to left to end the game.

San Francisco tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the ninth. Padres reliever Josh Hader walked Mike Yastrzemski, pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores singled and pinch-hitter Austin Slater was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.

Austin Wynns drew an RBI walk, with Yastrzemski scoring and the bases remaining loaded. After J.D. Davis struck out, Brandon Belt was issued an RBI walk, driving in Flores. Evan Longoria’s sacrifice fly to left plated Slater with the tying run.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ha-Seong Kim hit a ground-rule double to center, driving in Josh Bell, who doubled to right two batters earlier, building the Padres’ lead to 4-1.

San Francisco took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on LaMonte Wade Jr.’s solo one-out home run to right. The Padres tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth on Soto’s solo home run to right.

Padres starter Joe Musgrave held San Francisco to one run on six hits over seven innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter, Alex Cobb, the Giants’ starter, gave up three runs on six hits in five-plus innings, striking out seven and issuing two walks.

In Wednesday afternoon’s series finale, the Giants will start right-hander Jakob Junis (4-3, 3.05) against San Diego left-hander Sean Manaea (6-6, 4.74) a 6:45 pm PDT first pitch at Petco Park. 

Giants, Wood catch Padres slumping get 1-0 win at Petco Park

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Wood deals on the mound at Petco Park in San Diego to the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the first inning on Mon Aug 8, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Michael Duca and Morris Phillips

San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Wood pitched masterfully against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park to pick up a 1-0 win on Monday night in the opening game of a three game series. Wood allowed only three hits all singles in 6.1 innings of work.

The Giants reliever Camilo Doval retired the heart of the Padres order in the bottom of the ninth Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Josh Bell for his 15th save of the season. The Padres are hitting the skids badly losing their fifth straight game and two of those loses come at the hands of two shutouts which includes Wood’s handiwork on Monday night.

The Padres who obtained Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals last week Tuesday. The Padres entered this series after getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers which has a familiar tone to it for the Giants who also were swept by the Dodgers in four games the last time the two teams met in Los Angeles.

In spite of getting the help from Washington the Padres have now been shutout for 23 straight innings since last Saturday and it kind of makes Soto wonder what he might have gotten himself into. With the recent loses San Diego now holds just a one game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the wild card position.

The Padres Brandon Drury who slid in at home was called safe but the Giants asked for a review and the play was overturned when the officials ruled that Giants catcher Joey Bart tagged Drury on the head for an out and that reversed the tie score from 1-1 to 1-0 Giants that’s how bad the breaks have gone for San Diego and the Giants won their third straight game.

The Giants will start right hand pitcher Alex Cobb Tuesday night Cobb (3-6, 4.08) who will be opposed by the Padres right hander Joe Musgrove (8-5, 3.00) 6:40 pm PDT at Petco Park

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Two game sweep was a pick me up for Giants who were skidding

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San Francisco Giants third baseman JD Davis can’t quite get to the ball that the Oakland A’s Jonah Bride hit in the bottom of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 7, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Marko:

#1 Sunday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (53-55) won their seventh consecutive interleague road game 6-4 over the Oakland Athletics (41-68). The Giants swept Oakland in this two game series.

#2 The game remained scoreless through the first two innings until the Giants Mike Yastrzemski stepped up to the plate and homered in the third inning, the first of two home runs for the slugger in this game, The Giants would add to their 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.

#3 Austin Slater doubled driving in Brandon Crawford for a 2-0 lead. The A’s would answer in the fifth inning with a single run but San Francisco was just getting started leading 2-1.

#4 Oakland made a valiant effort in the eighth to catch up to San Francisco in the later innings. Seth Brown who has been hitting great since he returned from paternity leave knocked one out of the park with Sean Murphy on base but that was all that the A’s could muster. The final was 6-4.

#5 San Francisco will continue their west coast road trip heading down to San Diego to take on the Padres Monday night. Alex Wood will take the mound for the Giants with a 4.42 ERA and a 7-9 win loss record. The Padres will send Blake Snell who comes in with a 4-5 win loss record and a 4.16 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM PT.

Marko Ukalovic was filling in for Morris Phillips who does the Giants podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants report: Giants Top A’s 6-4 Retaining the Bay Trophy

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San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski (right) celebrates his solo home run with teammate Joc Pederson (left) in the top of the third inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 7, 2022 (AP News photo)

Giants Top A’s 6-4 Retaining the Bay Trophy

By Barbara Mason

OAKLAND–Sunday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (53-55) won their seventh consecutive interleague road game 6-4 over the Oakland Athletics (41-68). The Giants swept Oakland in this two game series

The game remained scoreless through the first two innings until the Giants Mike Yastrzemski stepped up to the plate and homered in the third inning, the first of two home runs for the slugger in this game, The Giants would add to their 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.

Austin Slater doubled driving in Brandon Crawford for a 2-0 lead. The A’s would answer in the fifth inning with a single run but San Francisco was just getting started leading 2-1.

Thairo Estrada homered in the sixth inning with Wilmer Flores on base to take a 4-1 lead. Oakland continued to fight but did not even get on the scoreboard until the fifth inning. In the seventh inning Tony Kemp grounded into a fielders choice to second and Vimael Machin scored cutting the Giant’s lead in half 4-2.

In the eighth inning Yastrzemski hit his second home run of the game with Brandon Crawford on base and San Francisco had a 6-2 lead.

Oakland made a valiant effort in the eighth to catch up to San Francisco in the later innings. Seth Brown who has been hitting great since he returned from paternity leave knocked one out of the park with Sean Murphy on base but that was all that the A’s could muster. The final was 6-4.

The Giants got a great game from pitcher Logan Webb. He went seven innings allowing four hits, two earned runs and five strikeouts. The Giants had nine hits in the game as did Oakland. It was those long balls that made all the difference.

San Francisco will continue their west coast road trip heading down to San Diego to take on the Padres Monday night. Alex Wood will take the mound for the Giants with a 4.42 ERA and a 7-9 win loss record. The Padres will send Blake Snell who comes in with a 4-5 win loss record and a 4.16 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM PT.

San Francisco Giants report: San Francisco handles Oakland 7-3 in Bay Bridge series

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San Francisco Giants slugger LeMonte Wade Jr belts a two run sixth inning home run against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Aug 6, 2022 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Handles Oakland 7-3 In Bay Bridge Series

By Barbara Mason

OAKLAND–Saturday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (52-55) took on the Oakland A’s (41-67) at the Oakland Coliseum. San Francisco has been having quite a struggle since the All-Star game winning a paltry 3 of 15 games. Today they sent Carlos Rodon to the mound who comes in with an ERA of 3.00. Oakland pitcher Adam Oller has really been struggling with a 1-4 win loss record and an ERA of 7.68.

San Francisco had a strong start in this game scoring in the first inning for an early 1-0 lead. The Giants had the bases loaded in the first but only came away with a single run. Joc Pederson scored when Brandon Crawford walked. A’s pitcher Oller had a rough start walking three in the first inning giving the Giants a huge opportunity. Oakland was lucky to give up only one run in the opening inning.

The Giants put another run up on the board in the second inning extending their lead 2-0. LaMonte Wade Jr. scored off a Pederson single. Oakland would cut the Giants lead in half in the third inning. Sean Murphy singled driving in Nick Allen and the A’s were threatening.

San Francisco put an end to the Oakland charge in the sixth inning scoring four runs and taking a 6-1 lead. Wade Jr. hit a homer with Joey Bart on base for a couple of runs and J.D. Davis also solo homered in the sixth. The fourth run was off a Brandon Belt single with Austin Slater on base.

The third home run of the game for San Francisco came off the bat of Joey Bart and the Giants were in full control of this game 7-1 going into the ninth inning. The A’s inched a little closer in the ninth when Sky Bolt homered with Elvis Andrus on base, making it 7-3. It was just to little to late for Oakland. The final was 7-3

San Francisco had 11 hits in this game. The A’s had ten. Carlos Rodon had a good one giving up five hits and a single run. The A’s Adam Oller had a tough outing giving up eight hits and four runs with only one strikeout.

Tomorrow’s game will be another big one at the Coliseum. Saturday night’s game had an attendance of 40,065, the largest crowd Oakland has seen all season. The winner of the game Sunday will take possession of “The Bridge” trophy.

Logan Webb will take the mound for San Francisco with a 9-5 win loss record and a 3.20 ERA. At the time of this post Oakland’s starter was still undecided. First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 PM PT.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: It’s the last time the Giants and A’s battle this season

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San Francisco Giants hitter Luis Gonzalez takes the Chicago Cubs pitching deep on Sat Jul 30, 2022 in the bottom of the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Gonzalez has the highest batting average .283 coming into the two game series against the Oakland A’s at the Coliseum this weekend (AP News photo file)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary:

It would be easier for me to grow another arm than for the San Francisco Giants or the Oakland A’s to make it to post season for this season as these two teams will be on the same field this weekend at the Oakland Coliseum.

Big crowds are expected on for the weekend series around 40,000 predicted on Saturday and the A’s are expecting more on Sunday. Most of those sales are from Giants fans because when you win 107 games like the Giants did last season you sell a lot of tickets for the next year.

There also was a lot of hope that the Giants would be in the race this year but it’s either going to be the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants won’t make it as a wild card and they certainly won’t win the division.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants preview: Giants hope to end losing skid against A’s

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San Francisco Giants Thairo Estrada is out flat on his back after being hit in the helmet by a Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Leiter fastball that got up and away on Sat Jul 30, 2022. Estrada is expected to be off the IL this Sun Aug 7, 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum against the Oakland A’s (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Friday, August 5, 2022

The San Francisco Giants are enjoying a rare Friday night off, returning to action Saturday with a two-game interleague series with Bay Area rivals the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum.

Earlier this season, the Giants could have looked at this series as an easy two wins, but that scenario has shifted. San Francisco is 3-7 in its last 10 games and 3-12 since the All-Star break – the worst such record in the majors.

While the Giants were swept in a four-game series with the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, the A’s took two of three from the fading Los Angeles Angels.

Coming into the weekend series, the Giants are 51-55, 22 games behind the first-place Dodgers. Oakland is 41-66, fifth place in the American League West. The A’s are 6-4 in their last 10 games.

Probable starters for Saturday’s game are left-hander Carlos Rodon (9-6, 3.00) against Oakland’s Adam Oller (1-4, 7.68). Sunday’s probables are Logan Webb (9-5, 3.20) for San Francisco against the Athletics’ Cole Irvin (6-8, 3.04).

Off the field, catcher Joey Bart is dealing with groin tightness, but not expected to go on the injured list. Shortstop Brandon Crawford (left knee inflammation) and outfielder Joc Pederson (concussion) are expected to leave the IL on Saturday. Meanwhile, infielder Thairo Estrada (concussion) may return off the IL on Sunday, and the Giants determined that third baseman Evan Longoria (strained right hamstring) will not need a rehab assignment. Longoria is not expected back until possibly next week.

The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association announced Thursday that Wilmer Flores was selected as the Giants’ recipient of its Heart and Hustle Award. One player is selected for each team and the overall winner will be announced in November.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Frustration building up SF has lost 11 of last 14

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Carlos Rodon makes the start on Sat Aug 6, 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum against the Oakland A’s to open a two game series (NBC Bay Area photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael just how badly is the wild card slipping away from this team?

#2 If you had to point to any two things that have gone wrong in these last 11 out 14 games what would it be?’

#3 Is Gabe Kapler’s managing in question or part of the problem that the Giants are having?

#4 What do you make of the trading of gestures between Giants pitcher Jarin Garcia and Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts causing Betts and James Outman to jaw at Garcia?

#5 Taking a look at the starting pitchers for this Saturday’s contest Carlos Rodon (9-6, 3.00) he’ll be opposed by A’s starter Adam Oller (1-4, 7.68) a 4:07 pm PDT first pitch at the Oakland Coliseum how do you see this series for the Giants?

Join Michael for the Giants Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com