Category: San Francisco Giants

Giants acclimate quickly as Oracle Park visitors, whip the Mariners, 9-3

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants’ offense this season has shown less pop when they’re the visitors than it has when they play at Oracle Park.

Following that equation, Wednesday’s return to McCovey Cove was just what the Giants needed to get things rolling–on the road.

With the Mariners the designated home team for the game originally scheduled for Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, but moved due to poor air quality enveloping the Northwest, the Giants didn’t assume a secondary role as the visiting team. Batting first in each inning, the Giants immediately made themselves at home by blasting to an 8-0 lead midway through the fourth inning, then cruising to a 9-3 win.

Give the Giants the win, and bonus points for improvisation, according to manager Gabe Kapler.

“We knew there would be situations we haven’t had to deal with in Major League seasons past,” Kapler said. “We have to be good within the construct of whatever the season hands us.”

“It’s definitely a lot easier to deal with this stuff when you’re at your own place,” Brandon Belt said. “It’s definitely a lot more comfortable here for us. We get to go to our own house or whatever it may be. We get to use our own facilities when we come to the ballpark. I think that definitely plays a role.”

The first 31 games of this unusual season went off as planned. Since then, the Giants have experienced it all: social activism, virus outbreaks–and false positive tests–and now poor air quality due to the plethora of wildfires. And the adjustments weren’t initial successes: the Giants were listless in dropping hastily-scheduled doubleheaders to the Dodgers and Padres. But this time, they were ready, and their home park helped in that regard.

Belt, Evan Longoria and Brandon Crawford each homered in the win, and Crawford added two doubles to his big night, part of the team’s 15-hit parade, seven of those for extra bases. Seattle starter Ljay Newsome was hit hard, allowing eight hits and eight runs– five of which were earned.

Giants’ starter Drew Smyly recorded the first 11 outs–eight via strikeout–in an abbreviated appearance, his first start since landing on the injured list August 1 with a sprained finger. The short outing opened the door for Trevor Cahill, who picked up the win by pitching two innings in relief.

Smyly and six Giants relievers piled up 17 strikeouts, a real measure of the misery suffered by the Mariners, who needed a win to boost their postseason aspirations. Instead the Giants got that win, along with a Rockies loss (to the A’s, 3-1) to get them back to .500 with 12 games remaining.

The Giants returned home having played just three of six scheduled games, losing all three. The silver lining is all three cancelled games are late additions to the Oracle Park schedule, and part of the finishing kick that has the Giants in the Bay Area for the last 13 games of the regular season.

Series between Giants and Mariners moved from Seattle to San Francisco for Wed and Thu

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This is how T Mobile Field looked like on Monday night and on Tuesday the Seattle air quality level was 285 and the Seattle Mariners and MLB decided Tuesday’s game should be moved to San Francisco with the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday and Thursday nights (photo from sfchronicle.com)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO–After seeing two of their four games in San Diego postponed, the San Francisco Giants are seeing it happen all over again.

Due to the smoke levels reaching the high 200s, major league baseball decided to move the series between the Giants and the Seattle Mariners from T-Mobile Park in Seattle to Oracle Park in San Francisco.

“We appreciate the Giants’ willingness to work with us on this challenge, and we look forward to returning to T-Mobile Park on Friday to host the Padres,” Mariners president Kevin Mather said.

The Mariners, who split a doubleheader with the Oakland As on Monday night much to the dismay of As staff and players.

“I’m a healthy 22-year-old. I shouldn’t be gasping for air or missing oxygen. I’ll leave it at that,” said Jesus Luzardo, who started the opener for Oakland.

As manager Bob Melvin said that several players began to complain about the air as the game got into the later innings.

According to Mariners manager Scott Servais, he thought that the visibility and playability were fine on Monday night.

The Giants and Mariners will begin their two-game series on Wednesday night at 6:40 with the Mariners being the home team, and the two-game series will conclude on Thursday afternoon with the game beginning at 1:10.

Former Giants star Pablo Sandoval signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves and will report to the teams minor league site in Gwinett

Sandoval, who was released by the Giants last week, his second stint with the team after he hit just .220 with one home run and six runs batted in this season.

Finishing Kick: Giants hope conclusion of their schedule carries them to the postseason

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By Morris Phillips

Alex Dickerson’s wife is expecting the couple’s first child any day now. Complicating matters, his positive COVID test shut the Giants down Friday and Saturday as follow up testing procedures exercised the utmost caution for both the Giants and the Padres. At some point, Dickerson allowed the Giants to release his name, connecting him to the previously anonymous test within the team’s traveling party.

Then a false report printed by the USA Today claiming Dickerson contracted the virus from a family member while in San Diego (a meet up that is prohibited by the strict rules instituted by MLB for traveling clubs) caused the player–and his wife–a myriad of issues.

“When you’re dealing with pregnancy and COVID-19, it is not a good thing to make the assumption that I came in and went and broke protocol and saw family and friends when I’m only permitted to see my wife and she is the only person I saw, and she has been quarantining and on bed rest,” Dickerson said. “It caused a lot of problems, a lot of hate to come towards you and it was kind of unwarranted.”

The Giants had benefitted tremendously from avoiding issues and disruptions from the virus. Just maintaining their schedule as written was big, for them and the rest of the NL West. After all, makeup doubleheaders–regardless of the reduced length in innings–aren’t momentum builders.

That Dickerson’s positive test morphed into a false positive with no other positive tests was frustrating as well. The conclusion? Being a big league club on the road in 2020 isn’t the best. Nine of the 15 National League clubs have losing road records. Isolation and testing are a big contributor to that.

So as the Giants settle into their Seattle hotel on Monday night, two things stick out: the Mariners spent a day/night in the smoke-filled air on Monday, splitting a pair of makeup contests with the A’s. That’s 14 innings for the hosts and none for the Giants, who were idle. Even bigger, with 13 games remaining, these two will be the last two outside the Bay Area involving a hotel and the stringent protocols.

Starting Friday, the Giants play three games in Oakland, then eight at Oracle Park to end the regular season.

That schedule may be enough to keep the Giants from losing their grip on the eighth and final playoff spot, and possibly sending them to Dodgers Stadium for a best of three-game series that would generate a great deal of interest. It also would be their first postseason berth since 2016.

The Giants are 14-9 at home, while averaging better than five runs per game. They’ve struggled with the A’s and the Padres, but might be poised to take advantage of the Rockies.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Padres give Giants the false positive in sweep

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The San Diego Padres Wil Meyers (center) gets in on all the fun with a home run of his own and is greeted by teammates Abraham Almonte (left) and Manny Machado (right) Sunday at Petco Park in San Diego (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 After the Giants had two days off having Friday and Saturday off because a player had tested false positive on Thursday night they turned around and lost a Sunday doubleheader at Petco Park 6-0 and 3-1.

#2 Morris in the front game the Giants were shutout by the pitching of Mike Clevinger 6-0, Clevinger who went seven innings and gave up just two hits and the Giants looked like they couldn’t lay any lumber on him.

#3 The Giants held the Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr to 0-3, Manny Machado got a hit and run, Austin Nola and Jake Cronenworth both scored twice in the front game. The Padres seem like they get a different hero everyday.

#4 The Padres took the second game Padres starter Garret Richards pitched 4.1 innings gave up only one run and two hits and the Padres pitching staff of Tim Hill, Drew Pomeranz, and Trevor Rosenthal kept the Giants off balance shutting them out for the rest of the way. Padres win 3-1.

#5 The Giants have Monday off which means it’s the Morris Giants day off report and play the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Field for a two game series starting Tuesday night. Pitchers for Tuesday for the Giants a pitcher to be named later and for the Mariners Ljay Newsome (0-0 ERA 3.24).

Catch Morris every Monday for the Giants podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservie.com

Giants swept by Padres in twin bill 6-0 and 3-1

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb throws against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday at Petco Park (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

Trying to make the playoffs for the first time since Bruce Bochys last season as manager of the San Diego Padres, they moved closer their goal.

The Padres won both games of the doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants, as Mike Clevinger threw a two-hitter for his second career shutout in the first game, as the Padres defeated the Giants 6-0 at Petco Park.

Greg Garcia and Wil Myers each hit two-run singles off of Johnny Cueto, who lost for the first time in the shortened season and is now 2-1.

Jurickson Profar came up with the big hit in the second game, as he hit a go-ahead single ni rhe bottom of the fifth inning to help the Padres sweep the doubleheader over the Giants.

The second game of the doubleheader was part of a makeup after what turned out to be a false positive test of Covid-19 for San Diego native Alex Dickerson, who played on Sunday.

Dickerson received news of the positive test just moments before Fridays game. He was pulled from the field and eventually placed in isolation at Petco Park, as both Friday and Saturdays games were postponed.

Major League Baseball and the players union said Sunday morning that the test was originally positive was actually a false positive.

Profar executed what is called a Butcher Boy, where he showed bunt and then hit away off of Sam Selman and the single bounced off of Evan Longorias glove into left field that scored Jake Cronenworth to score the eventual game-winning run and then Manny Machado hit a two-out run-scoring single to give the Padres their sixth straight win, as the Padres swept the doubleheader with a 3-1 victory.

Mike Yastrzemski put the Giants on the board, as he hit a double with two outs in the top of the second inning to give them a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, that lead did not last long, as Myers hit his 12th home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning to tie up the game.

Tim Hill won for the third time without a loss, as he was able to get the Giants out in order in the top of the fifth inning before Profar and Machados run-scoring singles.

Clevinger went seven innings in the first game for the Padres, as he struck out seven and walked just one.

Cueto gave up six runs, four earned and allowed six hits in 5.1 innings of work and lost for the first time this season.

NOTES: These two teams play each other the final three games of the season at Oracle Park from September 25-27; however, Major League has yet to decide when the other game will be made up that was postponed this weekend.

Giants reliever Trevor Gott was placed on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his pitching elbow, and is retroactive to Thursday.

Kevin Gausman was scratched from his start, as he developed an elbow issue while playing catch and will undergo an MRI.

UP NEXT: After an off-day on Monday, the Giants will open a two-game series against the Seattle Mariners on T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night.

Saturday’s game postponed due to positive Covid-19 test; Sunday’s game could be canceled too

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The San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr sits outside the dugout as players from both teams cleared out of the locker room areas and sat in the stands until getting notice to leave Petco Park in San Diego on Friday night (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

Following the postponement of the second game of the four-game series between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres, the third game of the series was also postponed.

Following a positive test for COVID-19 in the San Francisco Giants organization, tonights and tomorrows scheduled games between the Giants and the host San Diego Padres at Petco Park have been postponed out of an abundance of caution and to allow for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted, MLBs statement read. Major League Baseball will continue to provide updates as necessary.

It is unclear if the series finale will be played on Sunday; however, the Giants and Padres have an off-day this coming Thursday and the two teams play the final weekend of the season from September 25-27 at Oracle Park.

After Sundays game if played, the Giants will head to Seattle to face the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading back to the Bay Area and face the Oakland As at the Coliseum next weekend. As for the Padres, they open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday before heading to Seattle to face the Mariners beginning on Friday night.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: How Covid issues will effect Giants-Padres series

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San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler (left) and team general manager Scott Harris right gets word that a player on the club had tested positive for Covid-19 and Friday’s game was canceled. They would later learn Saturday’s game was a scratch too. (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 One thought that was brought up after the game was canceled on Friday was how in hindsight what catcher Buster Posey who took the season off was out of caution and was it a good idea to even have a season knowing the risks?

#2 An unnamed Giants player was tested positive and you can imagine anyone in the traveling party has to be concerned no doubt testing and self quarantine in the Giants San Diego hotel was in effect.

#3 Yesterday and today’s games were canceled and Sunday’s game is in doubt if canceled the Giants are scheduled to go to Seattle is that series in doubt?

#4 The Oakland A’s when they were in Houston had found that pitcher Daniel Mengden came up positive and games were canceled on that trip and the A’s were forced to scratch their trip to Seattle. For the Giants right now they’ll have to test and see if they get a clean bill of health before moving forward?

#5 Tell us your feelings about the time you got to spend over the years with recently re-assigned Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval who had been part of three World Series Championships and what did he mean to the Giants organization?

Michael does the Giants podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants-Padres game postponed; Member in SF traveling party tests for Covid-19 in San Diego

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(photo from espn.com and Brian Murphy Icon Sportswire) A Giants cap and glove will not be used Friday night in San Diego as the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres second game of the four game series has been canceled due to Covid-19 related issues

By Jeremy Kahn

Just minutes prior to the start of the second of their four-game series between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres was postponed.

It was revealed that a member of the Giants traveling party tested positive for the Coronavirus, and currently it is unknown when the series between the Giants and the Padres will be restart.

Johnny Cueto was going for his third win of the season, while the Padres were sending Garrett Richards to the mound.

If Major League Baseball does decide to call the series off, the two teams do play each other until the final weekend of the season at Oracle Park and the games could be made up then.

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Giants snap 5 game win streak lose to Pads 6-1; Fan favorite Pablo Sandoval released by Giants

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Pablo Sandoval’s run with the San Francisco Giants came to an end before Thursday’s San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres game at Petco Park where the Panda was told of his unconditional release after helping the franchise win three World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014. (@SF Giants)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants took on the Padres in San Diego Thursday night to start a four game series. The Giants are coming off a sweep of the Seattle Mariners and winning a four game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Giants are playing red hot baseball right now, a stark difference from the way they started the season. They played a few hours after they learned that the organization is parting ways, for the second time, with 3rd baseman and fan favorite Pablo Sandoval.

That’s some tough news for a lot of us to digest following the loss of fan favorite Hunter Pence just a few weeks ago. But, it happens and that’s just baseball. None of us will forget what Sandoval meant to the team and the fans and he will be sorely missed.

Tonight’s game saw San Francisco pitcher Trevor Cahill on the mound and the Giants faced San Diego’s Chris Paddack. This has all makings of a tough series for San Francisco. The Padres are also playing some great baseball and currently sit 4.5 games behind the Dodgers. Right now they are a shoe in for a Wild Card with roughly 18 games left in the regular season.

The first inning was a very busy one for the Padres. Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatis Jr. both singled followed by a steal for both players. With runners on second and third Mitch Moreland doubled to deep center scoring both Grisham and Tatis Jr. giving the Padres a 2-0 lead. Austin Nola was next at bat and would double to deep left and Moreland would score for a 3-0 lead as the first inning came to an end.

The Giants would get on the board in the second inning when Wilmer Flores homered to left and at the end of the second inning making the score 3-1 with the Padres leading.

The third inning would see Adrian Morejon come to the mound for San Diego in a pitching change. The Padres would extend their lead when Manny Machado would knock one out of the park for their second homer of the game, San Diego now leading 4-1.

San Diego would send out pitcher Craig Stammen in the fourth inning to face Dickerson, Solano and Belt. In the bottom of the fourth the Padres would continue their onslaught with another homer, this one courtesy of designated hitter Jorge Ona and now the Pads leading 5-1. The Padres had hit three home runs through four innings.

The fifth inning was a quiet one for both teams and the score remained 5-1 in favor of San Diego. Drew Smyly who had taken over on the mound for San Francisco in the fourth inning and had struck out five padres through two innings.

The score remained 5-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning with San Francisco stranding Dubon and Solano. Smyly remained on the mound for San Francisco in the bottom of the sixth inning striking out two more Padres for a total of seven strike outs while only facing ten players in an electric performance.

The Padres would extend their lead when Jurickson Profar singled and eventually scored when Tatis Jr. hit a sacrifice to deep center. The Giants had their backs against the wall now trailing 6-1 with two innings left in the game. They were six outs away from ending their five game winning streak.

Wandy Peralta came in to pitch for San Francisco in the bottom of the eighth inning. There was not much action in the eighth as the game headed into the ninth inning. Dan Altavilla would try and close out this game for San Diego. With two outs, the Giants were down to their last out. Longoria would line out to right to end the game. The final was 6-1.

Despite the great showing by Drew Smyly, the Giants offense just wasn’t good enough to get past the Padres. In contrast, starting pitcher Trevor Cahill’s showing was a tough one. San Francisco will be back at it tomorrow with first pitch at 6:10 in this long road trip. Starting pitchers for San Francisco Johnny Cueto (2-0 ERA 4.56) for San Diego Garrett Richards (2-2 ERA 4.50).

 

Giants want the smoke in 10-1 thrashing of the Mariners

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–You’re like a lot of baseball folks, you want to decipher whether the Giants are any good or not.

Here’s some help with that.

After wiping out the Mariners 10-1 on Wednesday night at smoke-shrouded Oracle Park, the Giants have won 15 of 20, after an 8-16 start had them as indistinguished and anonymous as most thought they would be.

Well, it turns out the Giants have a winning identity that centers around consistently smashing baseballs. They’re not just good at it, they’re borderline elite. The Giants are averaging better than five runs a game (6th best in MLB) and they’re 22-11 in games they score four runs or more.

And these aren’t your Uncle Bruce Bochy’s Giants by any stretch either, these Giants hack: in 44 games, they’ve amassed 81 doubles (5th), 12 triples (1st) and 60 home runs (tied for 9th). In an empty, quiet park, the crack of the bat tells the tale. You can hear it, just like you see the water cannons and hear the foghorn when the home runs fly out.

Prime example from Wednesday’s blowout: the game’s scoreless in the third, and Mike Yastrzemski is batting with two runners on, intent to adding to his impressive slash line (.294/.402/.563). Manager Gabe Kapler sets the scene for the 1-2 pitch from Seattle starter Nick Margevicius with baserunners Brandon Crawford on second and Joey Bart on third.

“It’s just a comfort level hitting with two strikes,” Kapler said. “Interestingly we’ve been talking quite a bit about this, and so that’s caused us to dive into other great hitters, and most are comfortable hitting with two strikes. If they don’t get a pitch they’re comfortable with in the first couple pitches of the at-bat, (they’re) comfortable going deep, fouling off a pitch or two until they get a pitch to drive. In that particular at-bat against Margevicius, got to the fastball down and in, had seen several fastballs, and taken two good swings on the fastball, got to the fastball and put a good swing on it, and was right on it. Obviously a big three-run homer for us.”

“He’s been pretty consistent with his approach throughout the season. He’s comfortable going deep into counts sometimes he’s going to strike out looking. That’s okay. The result over the course of time will be walks and damage. And we’re definitely willing to make (that) tradeoff from time to time for a strikeout.”

Yastrzemski’s homer marked the eighth time he’s hit one this season in a two-strike count. And you caught Kapler’s reference to great hitters. Is Yastrzemski in that group? At age 30, with fewer than two years of major league experience under his belt, time will tell. But with no All-Star game to experience this year, Yaz is an All-Star, and he’s doing things great hitters do.

The Giants quickly put this one out of reach with a run in the fourth, and three spots in the fifth and sixth. It would be the third time the Giants have scored 10 or more in 23 home games this season.

Tyler Anderson picked up the win, after going 1-2 in his previous three starts, all against the Diamondbacks, with the former Rockies starter getting the complete game in the first start but failing to get out of the fifth inning in either of the last two. This time he pitched six, scoreless innings allowing just three hits.

“I knew it’d be pretty good to face another team and kind of refresh him a little bit,” catcher Bart said of Anderson. “I was glad that he did a great job tonight and went six innings for us.”

The ominous, dark, smoke-filled skies that essentially wiped out daytime in the Bay Area didn’t make for an unhealthy evening at the ballpark. But a superstitious manager Scott Servais probably took note of the twilight orange skies turning pitch black around the third inning when the Giants turned hitterish.

“Everything was orange,” Servais noted. “And when you’re playing the Giants and the sky is orange, it’s not a great feeling. And it certainly didn’t work out well tonight.”

The Giants travel to San Diego for the opener of a four-game set on Thursday with one of the NL’s hottest clubs in the Padres. Only 16 games remain, but only the next six are outside the Bay Area. After a two-game set in Seattle, the Giants finish with three games in Oakland followed by the final seven at Oracle Park.

MORE YAZ: He might fallen off the NL MVP pace being set by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mookie Betts, but Mike Yastrzemski is back on his business in the last week. Yaz has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, building his numbers to 24 extra-base hits (2nd in the NL), 26 walks and 31 RBI, reflecting his blend of pop and patience. His eight home runs in two strikes counts leads all MLB hitters.

In his first 151 games at the big league level as a Giant, Yastrzemski is second only to Orlando Cepeda in amassing 70 extra base hits. Cepeda achieved the feat in 150 games. Also, Yaz has 30 home runs in that same period, equaling Bobby Thompson and Dave Kingman for tops in Giants history.