Category: San Francisco Giants

MadBum stifles Phillies 5-0

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Photo credit: @McCoveyChron

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO — After three straight days of famine at the plate in front of their faithful home fans, the Giants on Thursday returned to the feast that had been their calling card during their major resurgence following the All-Star break.

The bats were shut down by the Washington Nationals, but they bounced back in a big way against a pitcher who had entered the game on a real hot streak. Starter Aaron Nola (10-3) had entered the game having only given up two runs over his last three road starts, but the Giants capitalized on a third-inning rally to down the Phillies, 5-0, at Oracle Park.

Equally remarkable was Giants starter Madison Bumgarner (7-7), who blanked the Phillies’ bats with seven shutout innings and gave up only one hit in the process while striking out three, which would qualify as his best outing of the season.

His contributions were not limited to what he did on the mound, either. He also got a key hit in the third inning to help ignite the rally that would push the Giants ahead as well as drawing a pair of walks.

“He did it all tonight,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I felt good about him going tonight, because he’s so good at figuring things out when it doesn’t go well. He put in a lot of work in between starts, to get where he needs to be.”

Upon taking over for Bumgarner, the bullpen kept Philly off the scoreboard, as Trevor Gott and closer Will Smith, who picked up his 28th save of the season on Thursday with a perfect ninth, combined to surrender only a walk.

After two quiet innings, the Giants broke through in the third off Nola. Brandon Crawford and Bumgarner started the inning with back-to-back hits before Brandon Belt drove Crawford in with a single to break the scoreless tie.

Mike Yastrzemski went the other way and carried it all the way to the left-field wall, and when Jay Bruce couldn’t play the carom off the wall, Bumgarner and Belt were able to score rather easily, and the Giants had a 3-0 lead.

Bumgarner lost his no-hitter in the sixth, when Cesar Hernandez pinch-hit for Nola and promptly ripped a single up the middle.

With two out in the sixth, the Giants – particularly Kevin Pillar – took advantage of a pair of Philly mistakes to tack on another run. Pillar reached base on a fielder’s choice, and as he stole second, he forced a bad throw from catcher Andrew Knapp that sailed into center field and allowed him to scoot on to third.

After he walked Crawford, reliever Nick Pivetta uncorked a wild pitch that rolled to the backstop, which Pillar used to scamper to the plate and give the Giants a 4-0 advantage. Yastrzemski added to that lead with one mighty swing of the bat, pulverizing a Pivetta fastball and sending it into the arcade in right-center for a solo homer.

“You pull for these guys (like Yastrzemski),” Bochy said. “He spent a lot of time in the minor leagues, and finally gets called up, and he hasn’t been in awe of anything.

“He’s been like that since Day 1. He’s just a nice all-around player.”

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants suffer 7th loss in 10 games, get swept at Oracle by Nats

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sfgate.com photo: Washington Nationals’ Gerardo Parra hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019.

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The San Francisco Giant have now lost seven of their last three games, including getting swept at Oracle Park by the Washington Nationals. Was it a matter of the Giants facing a Nats team who were prepared, ready to conquer or the Giants are fizzling out after having such a great run?

#2 How much of an advantage was if for former Giant Gerardo Parra to have played for the Giants and to be able to hit the key three-run homer against the Giants on Wednesday for the Nats win.

#3 The Nats’ Joe Ross started against the Giants for the win, pitching six shutout innings of three-hit ball for an effective game. Was it a matter of the Giants’ lineup just didn’t have the drive or were off balance facing Ross?

#4 Former Giant second baseman Joe Panik’s departure this week — was it a surprise or was it something that had been on the mind of Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi?

#5 Giants open a four-game series Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park. For the Phillies, Aaron Nola (10-2, 3.60 ERA), and for San Francisco, Madison Bumgarner (6-7, 3.92 ERA)

Join Michael for the Giants podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giant Collapse: S.F. falls to 1-6 in August after 4-1 loss to the Nationals

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — You’ve gotta win to be in it. Right now, the Giants are a step removed from winning.

They’re struggling just to compete after a third, consecutive sleepy loss to the Nationals at Oracle Park, and they’re barely in it, seeing their foothold in the wild card race slip away.

After a torrid 19-6 July, the Giants have lost six of seven in August. What’s worse, they’ve looked lifeless in front of the home fans that have waited all season to see some fireworks.  In all three games against Washington, the Giants fell behind 4-0. The closest semblance to a rally came Tuesday night, and it stalled two runs short.

“We had some of that mojo going but we’ve lost a little bit of it,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “How we get it back is a big thing. Right now, we are just not clicking.”

The Giants appeared to give themselves a boost by keeping their roster together for a stretch run at a playoff berth, a nod to all the upward movement achieved in July. A week later, besides keeping Madison Bumgarner, most would be hard pressed to recount all the moves. On Wednesday, more memorable was that the Nats took flight on the strength of a three-run homer from Gerardo Parra, who was released by the Giants in May after hitting .198 over 30 games.

Since joining the Nationals, Parra has hit .287 and his home run that increased their lead to 4-0 was his sixth since he was released.

“I say every time, thank you to the San Francisco Giants for giving me the opportunity to play the first month,” Parra said.

Parra’s home run left starting pitcher Shaun Anderson cooked once again. The rookie hurler hasn’t won since June 28, a span of seven starts. While the Giants won four of those starts, Anderson has trended downward, seeing his ERA balloon to 5.33. Anderson’s struggles mirror those of the Giants’ rookie starting pitchers, who haven’t won an assignment since Tyler Beede on July 14.

Offensively, the Giants produced three singles and three doubles, which added up to one, ninth inning run knocked home by Brandon Crawford. Similar to Monday’s matchup, the Giants appeared to have an edge facing Joe Ross, who is trying to establish himself at the big league level after injuries cost him almost all of 2018. But Ross had the upper hand, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five in six innings of work.

The Giants benefitted from a wild card race that saw no one run away from the pack in July. But with their recent stretch of losses, the Giants are seeing the pack run away from them. Now four games behind the Phillies, the Giants have two other teams–the streaking Mets and Diamondbacks–between them and the second wild card spot. What’s more troubling, the next four games against the Phillies will be their final games against wild card contenders not in the NL West.

On Thursday, Madison Bumgarner will take the mound in a match up with Aaron Nola of Philadelphia.

NOTES: Steven Duggar left Wednesday’s game after reinjuring his shoulder making a diving catch. He’ll get an MRI with the hope he can avoid a return trip to the injured list.

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Morris Phillips 8/6/19

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sf scooter

  • Reporter Morris Phillips leads us through what is next for the Giants after the MLB Trade Deadline
  • Why are the Giants having so much trouble when they return home from a road trip?
  • Should the Giants reconfigure Oracle Park to make it more hitter-friendly?
  • Did the Giants do the right thing holding on to “MadBum”?
  • Will the Giants make the Wild Card?
  • The answers to these questions and more on this week’s edition of the Giants podcast with Morris Phillips

Rally falls short in Giants’ 5-3 loss to Nationals

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Photo credit: @TSN_Sports

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — On the same day when they designated one of their most popular players for assignment, the San Francisco Giants still are unable to get a win.

Kurt Suzuki singled in Anthony Rendon with the only run that the Washington Nationals would need in the top of the first inning on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Giants before a crowd of 31,628 at Oracle Park.

Suzuki broke the game wide open in the top of the third inning, as he slammed a two-run home run that also scored former Giants outfielder Gerardo Parra, who singled right after Trea Turner led off the inning with a walk and went to third on the Parra single. Turner then scored when Rendon hit a sacrifice fly to Kevin Pillar.

Turner slammed his 10th home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning that helped the Nationals to their second win of the series, and secured the series win.

Anibal Sanchez pitched a great game, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out three on his way to raising his record to 7-6 on the season.

Conner Menez made his second major league start, and this one was not like his major-league debut on July 21 against the New York Mets. In this outing, Menez went six innings, allowing five runs on six hits, walking three and striking out four and lost for the first time in his major-league career.

Brandon Crawford drove in the Giants first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning, as he grounded out to first base that scored Pillar from third. Pillar got to third after he singled to lead off the inning, and raced to third on a throwing error by Sanchez.

Brandon Belt got the Giants a run closer in the bottom of the sixth inning, as his single to right field scored Pablo Sandoval, who came off the bench to pinch-hit for Menez and doubled to lead off the inning.

Sandoval seemed to be a spark for the Giants in the latter parts of the game, as he doubled again in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Pillar.

Jandel Gustave continues impress the team, as he once again went two innings for the third time since joining the team. In his three appearances, Gustave scattered four hits, walked two and struck out one.

Pillar went 3-for-4 on the night, and it was the fourth time this season he picked up at least three hits in a game.

Joe Panik, who was part of the 2014 World Series Champion Giants team was designated for assignment to make for Menez.

Panik, who will be best remembered for that dazzling diving stop of an Eric Hosmer hit in Game Seven of the 2014 World Series that eventually turned into a double play saw his playing time diminish with the recent acquisition of Scooter Gennett and the improvement at the plate of Donovan Solano.

“Nothing has driven me more than winning here in San Francisco,” Panik said in a statement. “I am forever grateful for the Giants taking the chance on me and allowing me to live out my life long dream. It is time for me to start the next chapter in my career. But in my heart I will always be a Giant.”

Bruce Bochy got a little emotional when talking about Panik prior to the game, as “one of the most difficult conversations I had in my life.”

Panik also came up big in the opening weekend at Dodger Stadium in 2018, when he hit home runs in the first two games of the season off of Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen that led to back-to-back wins for the Giants.

NOTES: Sandovals 17 pinch hits are the most in the major leagues and is now tied with Candy Maldonado with the second most in San Francisco Giants history.

His eight pinch-hit doubles breaks the season record he shared with Fred Lewis in the San Francisco era.

Sam Selman optioned to Sacramento after Mondays loss and Menez along with Williams Jerez were recalled from Sacramento.

Three Giants players throughout the minor leagues took home Player of the Month Awards for the month of July. Jaylin Davis, Seth Corry and Franklin Labour.

UP NEXT: Shaun Anderson will look to end the Giants three-game losing streak on Wednesday afternoon, as he takes the mound against Joe Ross, who is the younger brother of former Oakland As pitcher Tyson Ross and like his brother, went to Bishop O’Dowd High in Oakland.

“Playoffs?” Sleepy performance in 4-0 loss to the Nationals takes Giants back below .500

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — The single-minded focus and intensity demanded by the fully loaded National League post-season race came home to San Francisco Monday night and got misdirected and lost in the meandering starting appearance put forth by Jeff Samardzija.

Not good. For the Giants, or the playoff chase.

For one, the Giants were backs to the wall, back to .500 and still under the break even line at home where the Oracle Park fans have waited patiently for benefits of a hot July to translate into a watchable product. If any night would conjure the team’s best this was it. Except it wasn’t.

Those fans are still waiting patiently. With Samardzija drowning in quick (slow) sand, the Giants went meekly to the Nationals, 4-0.

Anthony Rendon singled in a run, and Matt Adams doubled home Adam Eaton in the fifth to back the pitching of Erik Fedde, who was facing the Giants for the first time. Fedde pitched six innings, scattering five singles and a double while walking none, and picked up his second win of the season.

Fedde was supposed to be fallible. Instead he pitched six innings without allowing a run for the first time in his major league career.

“The ball was down,” manager Dave Martinez said of Fedde. “He’s really good when he’s down. He’s really effective.”

While Fedde cruised through six frames needing just 75 pitches, Samardzija couldn’t get his pitches over the plate in what seemed like an endless stream of three-ball counts. The patient approach suits the Nationals on most nights, and this was no different. Their breakthrough wasn’t immediate, but they were ready when it materialized.

“They made me work, slider wasn’t very good today,” Samardzija said. “They fouled off a lot of pitches so the pitch count got a little high. That was the story.”

Samardzija hasn’t enjoyed much success facing the Nats, last beating them in 2013. He hasn’t pitched well at home this season either, so his outing was an intersection of the two. But his pitch count was a whole different animal; 83 pitches through three innings, and 98 through four when his outing ended.  Samardzija allowed just three hits, but it felt much larger.

The Giants have dropped seven of 11, and saw the streaking Mets pass them in the standings with a doubheader sweep. While the out of town scoreboard has been kind to the Giants the last two weeks, they haven’t taken advantage. On Monday, the scoreboard was mean, and the Giants fell 3 1/2 games behind the wild card leaders for the first time in two weeks.

While Samardzija didn’t aid his team on the mound, he did provide wisdom.

“To stay that hot (continually) for three months would be a pretty remarkable thing,” he said. “We just need to keep our heads on straight.”

The Giants get a second shot at the Nationals Tuesday with Connor Menez to be promoted from Triple-A Sacramento to make the start. He’ll be opposed by Washington’s Joe Ross.

Podcast: Duca on baseball and the Giants

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greyscale photography of condenser microphone
Photo by Tommy Lopez on Pexels.com

Podcasts: Duca on baseball and the Giants

  • Michael Duca joins Charlie O to talk about the most important topics in baseball
  • Is the new trade deadline a good thing?
  • Why didn’t the Yankees and Dodgers get a deal done at the deadline?
  • Did the Giants do good hanging on to “MadBum”?
  • Did San Francisco move out the right players at the deadline?
  • What about Scooter? Does he fill a need?
  • Plus a discussion about hair or no hair!

Check out the talk! If you are a baseball fan, you will have a good time!!!

Arenado goes yard twice in Rockies’ 6-2 win

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By Jeremy Kahn

Trevor Story joins Paul Goldschmidt and, teammate. Nolan Arenado as a nemesis of the San Francisco Giants pitching staff.

Story hit a home run for the fifth straight game against the Giants, tying the longest streak by a Colorado Rockies player, leading the Rockies to a 6-2 victory over the Giants at Coors Field.

Arenado, another longtime nemesis of the Giants pitching staff, hit two home runs as the Rockies took revenge and the series just a month after being swept by the Giants also at home.

Kyle Freeland won his first game since defeating the Philadelphia Phillies on April 18, as he was 0-6 with five no-decisions and spent five weeks with the Rockies Triple-A team. Freeland rejoined the club on July 13th.

Freeland went five innings, allowing two runs, walking just one and striking out five, improving to 3-9 on the season.

The Giants offense came from one batter, as Donovan Solano hit two home runs on the afternoon.

Solano led off the game and the second pitch of the game from Freeland landed in the left-field bleachers.

In his second at-bat, Solano hit a 445-foot home run making it the first multi-home run game for Solano since he did it as a member of the Florida Marlins against the Atlanta Braves on September 25, 2012.

It was not a good day for Brandon Belt or Buster Posey, as the two went a combined 0-for-8 on the afternoon.

Tyler Beede lasted just 3.2 innings for the Giants in his first-ever start at Coors Field, giving up five runs on eight hits.

Beede has struggled ever since shutting out the San Diego Padres on July 19th, when he threw eight innings of three-hit ball. Over his last three games, Beede has a 7.98 earned run average.

Trouble began for Beede with leadoff batter Charlie Blackmon, who hit a double down the left field line followed by Story’s two-run homer that gave the Rockies the lead for good.

After Daniel Murphy grounded out for the first out of the inning, Arenado hit his first home run of the game.

Solano cut the Rockies lead in half in the top of the third inning, as he hit his second home run in as many at-bats.

The Rockies extended the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the third inning, as Blackmon led off with a double, Story walked, then Murphy singled to right to score Blackmon and send Story to third base.

Arenado then grounded into a double play that scored Story from third base. He then closed out the scoring on the game, as he hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.

NOTES: Evan Longoria was activated from the 10-day injured list, and to make room for Longoria, the Giants sent Zach Green to Sacramento. Longoria was out with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

This was the last game in Colorado for Bruce Bochy, went 96-118 in 25 years at Coors Field between the San Diego Padres and the Giants.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija takes the mound on Monday night against the Washington Nationals, while the Nationals will send Erick Feede to the mound.

Posey comes up in the clutch to win the game for the Giants 6-5

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By Jeremy Kahn

Buster Posey is a three-time World Champion, a former Rookie of the Year and a Most Valuable Player award winner, and he can still come up with the big hit when it is needed most.

Posey hit a two-run pinch-hit double that scored Austin Slater and Kevin Pillar, as the San Francisco Giants came back to defeat the Colorado Rockies 6-5 at Coors Field.

The Posey double that could not be stopped by right fielder Charlie Blackmon, came  off of losing pitcher Carlos Estevez.

Joe Panik came off the bench to bat for Zach Green, and walked against Estevez. Following the walk to Panik, Estevez gave up a single to Slater that sent Panik to second, where Pillar was sent into run for him.

Posey came off the bench to pinch-hit for Sam Coonrod, and gave the Giants the lead, when he doubled up the alley.

After the Posey double, Brandon Belt walked and that was the end of the line for Estevez, who was replaced by Sam Howard, who promptly hit Mike Yastrzemski to load the bases with one out. Howard then regrouped to strike out Pablo Sandoval swinging, and then got out of the jam, when he got Stephen Vogt to fly out to left to end the inning.

Things got off to a fast start for the Giants, as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning off of Rockies starter Jon Gray.

Yastrzemski got the first inning rally started, as he walked against Gray and then scored on a Pablo Sandoval double.

Brandon Crawford then singled in Sandoval, and on the throw home, Crawford moved up to second. Scooter Gennett then hit his first home run as a Giant, a two-run shot that was measured at 413 feet.

Ryan McMahon got the Rockies on the board in the bottom of the second inning, as he grounded out to second base which scored Daniel Murphy from third base. Murphy led off the inning with a double that landed in between Yastrzemski and Steven Duggar.

Trevor Story got the Rockies within one run in the bottom of the third inning, as he hit a two-run home run off of Madison Bumgarner.

The Giants started another rally in the top of the fourth inning, as Bumgarner singled to left and went to third on a Belt double; however, the rally ended when Yastrzemski grounded out to end the inning.

Blackmon tied up the game, as he led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to center field.

Three batters later, Murphy gave the Rockies the lead, as he doubled to right field and Nolan Arenado scored on a Gennett throwing error. Arenado singled to center just before the Murphy double.

Duggar then made the play of the game, as he leaped over the fence to rob Ian Desmond of a potential two-run home run.

“Pretty incredible that he got up there,” said Bumgarner.

The fifth inning was it for Bumgarner, who threw 91 pitches in those five innings. Bumgarner gave up five runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out two.

After Bumgarner left the game, the new Giants bullpen bounced back from a rough outing on Friday night to get the Giants the victory.

The quartet of Trevor Gott, Sam Coonrod, Tony Watson and Will Smith pitched the final four innings, allowing four hits, walking just one and striking out six.

Coonrod threw a perfect seventh inning, as he picked up his second win of the season.

Despite giving up two hits in the bottom of the ninth inning, Smith picked up his 27th save of the season, as he struck out the side to end the game.

NOTES: Ty Blach, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, was claimed off of waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.

Dan Winkler, who was acquired in the Mark Melancon from the Atlanta Braves and was immediately designated for assignment, cleared waivers and was outrighted to triple-A Sacramento.

UP NEXT: Tyler Beede will close out the series and the road trip, as he looks for his fourth win of the season, while the Rockies will send Kyle Freeland to the hill.

Tough 5-4 loss in Giants’ series opener vs. Rockies

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

By Jeremy Kahn

Something rare happened in the opener for the San Francisco Giants against the Colorado Rockies, as the usual Giants solid bullpen fell apart.

Ian Desmond picked up a pinch-hit double off of Reyes Moronta in the bottom of the seventh inning, helping the Rockies to a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Giants at Coors Field.

Sam Selman, who made his major-league debut on Thursday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, gave a big two-run home run to Ryan McMahon in the bottom of the sixth inning that tied up the game.

Mike Yastrzemski hit his 10th home run of the season off the façade of the third deck that was measured at 472 feet.

Moronta was wild in the seventh, as he went to three ball counts on the first three batters he faced, as Charlie Blackmon singled, Trevor Story walked and then Desmond hit a double off of Moronta that gave the Rockies the lead for good.

Andrew Suarez, who was recalled from Sacramento was shot in the arm for the Giants, especially on a play from Giants newcomer Scooter Gennett. Daniel Murphy hit a weak ground ball that Gennett fielded and threw to Buster Posey, who tagged Story, who was originally called safe; however, Bruce Bochy challenged the call and it was overturned via replay.

Shawn Anderson pitched five innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking two and did not strikeout a batter.

NOTES: Dereck Rodriguez was optioned to Sacramento following Thursdays 10-2 against the Phillies. Steven Duggar was recalled from Sacramento, and Tyler Austin was designated for assignment.

This was just the Giants second loss to a team from the National League West in 12 games since June 30.

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner will take the ball on Saturday evening for the Giants, while the Rockies will send Jon Gray to the mound.