Category: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: With Posey’s injuries over the years, Bart looks to be Giants catcher in the future

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photo from abc7.com file: Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart signed the biggest contract for a position player coming out of college with the San Francisco Giants over the weekend

On the SF Giants podcast with Morris:

It’s early, but with some of the injuries that San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has been enduring over the last few years and currently riding the bench with hip and back issues, the Giants’ most recent signing of college phenom catcher Joey Bart gives them some confidence about their future at the position. Morris takes a look at the highly touted Bart and the Giants plans to use Bart as the catcher of the future.

The Giants’ Brandon Belt and Nick Hundley took the Los Angles Dodgers deep off starter Caleb Ferguson.  Belt ripped his 12th home run of the season and Hundley with his eight round tripper. Giants starting pitcher Chris Stratton got in a quality start going six innings, three hits, a run, one walk and struck out three hitters to shut down the Dodgers on Sunday 4-1.

Back to Bart, Bart is expected to visit AT&T Park on Tuesday night. He might even suit up and take a few swings, but that’s yet to be seen. The Giants signed Bart for a record $7.25 million the highest college signing for a position player.

Moons over Miami: Tonight the Giants host the Miami Marlins at AT&T Park. The last time these two teams met at Sun Trust Field in downtown Miami the Giants were nearly swept losing three games out of four. The Giants will start Andrew Suarez, who’s 2-4 and a 4.92 ERA in a 7:15 pm first pitch.

Morris Phillips does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Belt and Hundley’s two-run home runs help the Giants beat the Dodgers 4-1 to avoid sweep

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

With the end of a three-city, 10-game road trip that went from Washington, D.C., to Miami and finally onto Los Angeles, the San Francisco Giants saw their own beds in sight.

Nick Hundley and Brandon Belt each hit two-run home runs, helping the Giants to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The win by the Giants, salvaged the three-game series over their longtime rivals and they ended their road trip with a 4-6 record.

This was the fourth three-city road trip for the Giants, who have played more than half of their road games and now return for a 10-game home stand beginning on Monday night. The Giants have one more three-city road trip from August 13-23, when they will travel to Los Angeles, Cincinnati, before ending in New York.

Hundley gave the Giants an early 2-0 lead, as he launched a Caleb Ferguson pitch into the left field pavilion in the top of the first inning.

Belt stretched the Giants up to 4-1, as he hit his first home run since coming back an emergency appendectomy on June 2. It was the 12th home run for Belt.

Chris Stratton went six innings, allowing one run (none earned), while giving up just three hits, walking one and striking out three.

Ferguson went five innings, allowing four runs on just two hits, walking one and striking out sic, as he looks for that elusive first major league win.

The Giants bullpen quartet of Will Smith, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson and Hunter Strickland pitched the final three innings, as they allowed one hits and struck out eight. Strickland got the final two outs of the game to pick up his 14thsave of the season.

Andrew McCutchen picked up the only other hit of the game for the Giants, who are now 7-6 on the season versus the Dodgers.

NOTES: Andrew Suarez will make his second career start against his home town team, the Miami Marlins on Monday night, while the Marlins will counter with Caleb Smith.

Buster Posey sat out the finale of the road trip, as Hundley took his place and gave the Giants an early lead.

Brandon Crawford will miss the next three games, as he will join his wife Jalynne in Arizona, as she will give birth to their fourth child. Crawford will rejoin the team on Thursday night, when the Giants will open a four-game series against the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Marlins’ Game 1 is scheduled for Monday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

Don’t give in: The A’s keep fighting in dramatic, 6-5 win over the Angels in 11 innings

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–After a rough week, and after a rough, first eight innings on Sunday with just three hits, as well as their continued struggles against suddenly superior AL West competition, the A’s struck back.

And lo and behold, the Angels–beset by injuries and saddled with a shaky bullpen–capitulated.

The A’s came up with a pair of runs in the ninth to tie, and Jonathan Lucroy’s game-winning hit scoring Jed Lowrie in the 11th to beat the Angels, 6-5.

“On the homestand, we had some good teams coming in here. We were trying to make up for that Astros series,” Lucroy said.

The win allowed the A’s to capture the three-game series on the heels of an embarrassing three-game sweep at the hands of the World Series champion Astros. After the twists and turns of the first 72 games of the season, the A’s are 36-36, the 13th time their record has landed at .500. The A’s concluded a 5-5 home stand, and they’re 15-14 over their last 29 games. All the symmetry hasn’t left the A’s in good position within their division. They trail the first-place Astros by a season-high 11 1/2 games after Houston won their 11th in a row, a 7-4 win over the Royals on Sunday.

The win allowed the A’s to disrupt their season-long, late inning pattern of winning when leading, and losing when trailing. Prior to Sunday, the A’s were 0-33 when trailing after eight and 31-0 when leading.

Oakland starter Daniel Mengden pitched more effectively than he did in his previous two starts, battling into the sixth inning where he departed trailing 4-2. Mengden allowed a combined 12 earned runs to the Rangers and Astros in his first two June starts, then gave up solo shots to veterans Chris Young and Albert Pujols on Sunday. But when Mengden could have unraveled, he didn’t. In the sixth, after Pujols’ shot gave the Angels the lead, Mengden uncorked a wild pitch with runners at first and third, allowing Andrelton Simmons to score. But Mengden recovered, striking out Martin Maldonado with a runner in scoring position before he was lifted for reliever Yusmeiro Petit.

“I’m just missing spots,” Mengden explained. “But we know we are in every game. With a few good at-bats, we’re right there.”

Those good at-bats did take place until after Andrew Heaney departed. The Angels’ starter finished eight innings, striking out eight while walking one. At one point, he retired 13 of 14 A’s batters. But things unraveled when he departed.

The Angels used five relievers, and four allowed a base hit, and three issued at least one walk. Blake Parker entered first and allowed a leadoff home run to Marcus Semien that trimmed the Angels’ lead. But Parker couldn’t settle down, walking two of the next three hitters.

“I’ve got to get ahead with better pitches. Go out there and one pitch, one run, I gotta regain my focus. I can’t have a four-pitch walk right after that,” Parker admitted.

Cam Bedrosian came on needing only to record the final out, but he surrendered the game-tying base hit to Mark Canha. Jake Jewell started the 11th, but allowed a leadoff single to Jed Lowrie, then hit Khris Davis on the first pitch with an errant curveball. And Eduardo Paredes failed to throw strikes on five of his first six pitches before Lucroy’s game-winner one-hopped the centerfield wall.

Of the 15 players currently on the disabled list for the Angels, relievers Kenyan Middleton and Blake Wood are lost for the season, and Jim Johnson, who was woefully ineffective as an Athletic in 2014, landed on the list last week with lumbar strain. Top option Justin Anderson couldn’t go on Sunday after throwing 28 pitches Friday night. So when the 11th inning opened, manager Mike Scioscia turned to Jewell in just his second major league appearance, then Paredes, who dragged a 7.15 ERA to the mound.

The A’s concluded a stretch of 20 home games in their last 25 with Sunday’s win. Now they hit the road for 27 of their next 35 games starting Tuesday in San Diego.  Paul Blackburn will make that start opposed by the Padres’ Eric Lauer.

 

Giants sign No. 2 draft pick Joey Bart to record-setting deal

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Photo credit: @sfgiants_fanly

By: Ana Kieu

The San Francisco Giants officially launched the Joey Bart era on Sunday afternoon.

Bart was the Giants’ second overall draft pick in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old previously played college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

According to MLB.com, Bart signed a $7.025 million bonus. Bart’s pre-draft slot figure was $7,494,600.

Bart was the first catcher selected by the Giants in the MLB Draft since Buster Posey, a former fifth overall pick, in 2008.

History is on the Giants’ side. Aside from Posey, their previous second overall pick, Will Clark (first baseman), helped provide a much-needed boost to the struggling franchise in 1985.

Although Bart is known as a catcher, Giants’ scouting director John Barr said that the right-handed hitter has plenty of athleticism to switch positions if necessary.

The Giants will introduce Bart on Monday in their series opener versus the Miami Marlins.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Will the Giants Trade Bumgarner?

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Photo credit: @Covers

By: Amaury Pi-González

Will the San Francisco Giants trade Madison Bumgarner? Many Giants fans would give an answer like “Never, preposterous!” or something of that sort. But it’s understandable as they are fans and they would probably react with emotion to the glorious past of one of the most successful pitchers in the MLB postseason.

Though, the Giants are in a very interesting situation. Although, they are not far from first place in a very feeble NL West division where everybody–except the Giants and Padres– have occupied first place at one point in the 2018 season so far.

That being said, the clock is ticking. The trade deadline is on July 31st, just a couple of weeks after the MLB All-Star Game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Bumgarner could be the finishing touch to postseason regulars like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and vice versa. Bumgarner could be that guy with the postseason experience to bring one of those teams a World Series title.

Remember what the Houston Astros did late last season? They picked up Justin Verlander at the end of the season and Verlander gave the Astros that extra push to win their first ever World Series. So there is a precedent for this, Bumgarner could be the next Verlander this October!

Let’s face it: This is a last go around for this Giants’ roster with guys like Bumgarner, Crawford, Posey, Pence, and Belt that have gone to the October Dance; but it doesn’t seem they have enough to make it this year.

To me, the Giants look like maybe another .500 club in a 2018 season where there are a handful of super teams like the Astros, Red Sox, Yankees, Nationals, and maybe Dodgers, but a majority of teams are currently stuck in mediocrity.

The NL West is not the best division in baseball and might not be this season. In life, timing is everything.

So what is the limit for the Giants on trading Bumgarner for some young players? That is the question. The Yankees are loaded with young talent and some of that young talent has developed faster than they have imagined. The Yankees could be the perfect trading partners with the Giants for a Bumgarner deal. The Yankees are in the American League East, so Bumgarner will not be able to face the Giants on a regular basis unless if there’s an unlikely situation where the Giants will meet the Yankees this October in the World Series.

Things can turn around very quickly in baseball and I am sure the Giants are hoping that their team will wake up soon and put out a good winning streak even if it is not 15 in a row. The Giants have played over half of the road games already, so they have plenty of games left at cozy AT&T Park. It seems they cannot catch a break, Brandon Belt has returned while Evan Longoria has left with a broken hand and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

Pablo Sandoval is doing whatever he can, but he is not a regular anymore and most of his hits are batting left-handed. Gorkys Hernández has exceeded expectations, but he is not a regular. Samardzija and Cueto have been hurt this season. And, to be fair, when was the last time the Giants had their rotation together this season? Never.

Bumgarner made his first start two months and weeks into the season, Cueto will not be back until the MLB All-Star Break and Samardzija has not found his groove yet. Although personally I was never high on “The Shark,” who signed with the Giants in 2015 on a five-year contract for $90 million. He owns a career record of 69-91 with a 4.16 ERA, and his best year with the Giants was 2016 when he won 12 and lost 11. Amigos, that is one expensive contract.

I like Bumgarner. He is a great competitor, but he is the biggest bait for trade that could make an aging club, younger and maybe more competitive in the future. The clock might be running out sooner that many believe on this 2018 Giants.

As far as trading Bumgarner and getting some good, exciting prospects go, it might be like the famous #1 Elvis song in 1960, “It’s Now or Never.”

Dodgers’ duo of Hernandez and Kemp top Giants again 3-1

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Photo credit: @LosAngeles_NC

By Jeremy Kahn

Once again, the long ball was the difference in the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kike’ Hernandez hit a two-run home run off of Madison Bumgarner in the bottom of the fifth inning, helping the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Giants at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night.

The home run by Hernandez helped Alex Wood to his second win of the season, as the left-hander went 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on five hits, while walking two and striking out two.

The win gave the series to the Dodgers for the first time this season, and the season series between the longtime rivals is 6-6.

The two teams will not face each other until a three-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning on August 13, and the Dodgers will not face the Giants at AT&T Park until the last three games of the season from September 28-30.

Hernandez’s home run was the ninth extra base hit in 33 at-bats in his career against Bumgarner, including four home runs.

Bumgarner went six innings allowing three runs on five hits, walking four and striking out three, as he lost for the second time in his three starts this season after recovering from a broken left pinkie that he suffered in his final start of spring training against the Kansas City Royals.

Bumgarner also gave up a solo home run to Matt Kemp in the bottom of the first inning, as the Dodgers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.

This was the second game in a row that Hernandez and Kemp each hit home runs for the Dodgers, who are 21-6 since May 17 and two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.

Alen Hanson drove in the only Giants run in the game, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Mac Williamson in the top of the fifth inning.

Williamson broke up Wood’s no-hit bid in the top of the fifth inning, as he led off the inning with a left. Joe Panik then singled to center that sent Williamson to third, after Bumgarner struck out for the first out of the inning, Hanson hit a sacrifice fly to Kemp in left field that easily scored Williamson from third base.

That would be the score for a half-inning, as Hernandez hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that sent the Giants to their fifth loss in their last six games.

Following the Hernandez home run, Justin Turner then hit a ground rule double to right-center field, then Kemp walked; however, Bumgarner was able to stop the bleeding, when he got Yaisel Puig to ground into a force play that ended the inning.

The Giants tried to get a rally started in the top of the ninth inning, as Buster Posey reached on a throwing error by Turner against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. After a strikeout to Brandon Crawford the first out of the inning, Jansen walked Williamson, then Joe Panik grounded out to Cody Bellinger that advanced Posey to third and Williamson; however, Jansen was able to get pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval to pop out to Turner for the final out of the game.

Jansen picked up his 17th save of the season, as the Dodgers have won five in a row.

It was another frustrating night on the mound for Bumgarner, as he was not able to get the calls from home plate umpire Dan Bellino.

NOTES: Chris Stratton looks to salvage the series finale for the Giants, as he takes the mound, while the Dodgers will send Caleb Ferguson, as the rookie still looks for his first major league win.

Brandon Belt, who missed the last two weeks after an emergency appendectomy was activated from the disabled list.

To make room for Belt, Pierce Johnson was optioned to Sacramento.

Evan Longoria will have surgery that will insert a pin into his left hand, and the third baseman is expected to miss anywhere from six to eight weeks; however, Longoria is hoping to return after the All-Star Break, when the Giants open a three-game series against the Oakland A’s at the Coliseum on July 20.

Johnny Cueto will throw a live batting practice when the Giants return to San Francisco on Monday, when they open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at AT&T Park.

Jeff Samardzija pitched three innings for the Sacramento Rivercats against the Red Rock Express at Dell Diamond, and Samardzija could be back soon, according to manager Bruce Bochy.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Dodgers will conclude their rivalry series on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 pm PDT on NSBA and SNLA.

MLB The Show podcast with Charlie O: From Oak to Ok–A’s Murray will rejoin A’s next year; Giants looking to get tracked with road win tonight

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photo from normantranscript.com: The Oakland A’s Kyler Murrray joined the A’s for workouts on Saturday at the Coliseum. Murray signed with the A’s to play on the club next season as he will join the Oklahoma Sooners as quarterback in August for the 2018 NCAA season

On the MLB The Show podcast with Charlie O:

Today’s opponent for the Oakland A’s, the Los Angeles Angels, came in Friday night with a five-game losing streak, which they ended and the A’s extended their four-game losing streak to four in the loss to the Angels.

The A’s will try and reboot and get game two of this home three game series today at the Coliseum today. The A’s got a little pick me up when Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray was selected and worked out with the team over the weekend. Murray said he would quarterback at Oklahoma and after football season Murray will be back swinging the bats for the A’s for spring training in February.

Murray has a deal worth over $4 million with Oakland and his contract allows him to play football and go to school at Oklahoma which would be during August through early January.

San Francisco Giants update: The San Francisco Giants’ road problems continue after they dropped the opener of their three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night 3-2 at Dodger Stadium. The Giants are suffering on offense and couldn’t rally on Friday night.

The Dodgers are fighting to get into first place and they know the Giants are in a world of pain, losing four of their last five games, and are out their All-Star caliber players: pitcher Johnny Cueto and third baseman Evan Longoria with injuries.

The Giants were missing Brandon Belt due to an appendix surgery. Belt is scheduled to be suited up at Dodgers Stadium tonight and he was on a roll before he had to have the surgery. Belt made a fast recovery and is anxious to start swinging the bats.

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts weekly and is filling in for Matt Harrington on the MLB podcast today at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hernandez and Kemp homer in Dodgers’ 3-2 win over Giants

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Photo credit: @kikehndez

By Jeremy Kahn

After a 16-inning game in the finale of their four-game series against the Miami Marlins, the San Francisco Giants took a cross country flight, while their opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers were on a day off.

Enrique Hernandez hit a home run off of Derek Holland in the bottom of the first inning, helping the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory over the Giants at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.

Matt Kemp hit a towering home run to straightaway center field off of Holland that gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead, but it was a Yasmani Grandal fly ball to center field that was the key point to the game.

Grandal’s fly ball was dropped by Austin Jackson and then Yasiel Puig doubled to right-center field with what proved to be the game-winning run.

Pablo Sandoval cut the Dodgers lead down to 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning, as he hit a two-run home run off of Dodgers starter Ross Stripling that landed in the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Unfortunately, the Giants could not get any closer, as Josh Fields, Scott Alexander got the Giants out in the top of the seventh inning and eighth inning, before turning to closer Kenley Jansen, who retired the Giants in order to pick-up his 16thsave of the season.

Stripling went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, not walking a batter and striking out six, as he improved his record on the season up to 6-1.

Holland went five innings, allowing three runs (two of them earned), while walking two and striking out seven, as his record fell to 4-7 on the season.

Pierce Johnson, called up earlier in the day, pitched two innings, allowing one hit and walking one. Will Smith continued pitching great, as he went one inning and struck out one.

NOTES: Madison Bumgarner will make his third start of the season, as he still looks for that elusive first win of the season, while the Dodgers will counter with Alex Wood, who is currently 1-5 on the season after going 16-3 in helping the Dodgers to their first World Series appearance since 1988.

Evan Longoria was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a broken left hand. Longoria broke the fifth metacarpal (pinkie) after he was hit by a pitch by Dan Straliy in the top of the fourth inning of Thursday’s 6-3 victory over the Marlins at Marlins Park.

The Longoria injury is the exact same injury that Bumgarner is just coming back from after missing nearly the first two months of the season.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Dodgers face off on Saturday at 5:15 pm PDT on FOX.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Longoria expected to be out for 3 weeks after hit with 89 MPH fastball in hand

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Photo credit: @GiantsExtra

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael:

The San Francisco Giants’ Evan Longoria broke his hand during an at-bat against the Miami Marlins in game four on Thursday afternoon in Miami. Longoria will be out for an estimated three weeks and could be back by early July.

Longoria got hit in the back of the hand by an 89 MPH fast ball in the fourth inning. He realized after getting hit by the pitch that he couldn’t play or use the hand afterwards. Pablo Sandoval said Longoria is a great teammate, a great hitter, and Sandoval said he hopes his recovery is quick so that he could help the club in the postseason.

The Marlins almost swept the Giants, but Giant starter Ty Blach pitch 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball and the Giants wound up beating the Marlins 6-3 in 16 innings. Longoria was hitting .246, 10 home runs, 34 RBIs and committed 11 errors.

Michael Duca does the Giants podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants win marathon game over Marlins 6-3, but lose Longoria

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

Thursday afternoon’s game at Marlins Park looked eerily similar to the one played the day before.

The San Francisco Giants jumped out to an early lead, only to watch the Miami Marlins rally in the late innings and tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. This time, however, the Giants did not succumb , and as a result, they were able to salvage the final contest of a four-game series, outlasting the Marlins, 6-3, in 16 innings.

After the Marlins tied it up off closer Hunter Strickland, the Giants called on usual starter Ty Blach to come in and save the bullpen, and he more than held up his end of the bargain. He went 6 2/3 innings and kept Miami off the scoreboard for the rest of the game.

He got the well-earned win when Pablo Sandoval singled in a pair of runs in the top of the 16th inning while Gorkys Hernandez threw in some insurance with a sac fly to give the Giants a 6-3 lead.

Sam Dyson was able to nail down the final out to earn his first save of the season.

For the second straight game, Andrew McCutchen launched a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Giants an early 2-0 lead, this time off Marlins starter Dan Straily.

Mac Williamson added a solo homer in the second, but the Marlins, as was the case on Wednesday, were able to make their way back into the game and make things mighty interesting.

The Marlins chipped away at the lead, starting with a solo homer by J.T Riddle in the fifth. Bryan Holaday’s run scoring single in the seventh made it a one-run game, and lewis Brinson’s sac fly in the ninth tied it.

McCutchen had three hits for the Giants and boosted his batting average to .267 in the process, while Alen Hanson also had three hits. Henson took over at third for Even Longoria, who was hit on the left hand with a pitch in the fourth inning.

Longoria is reported to have fractured the fifth metacarpal of his left hand, the same injury that Madison Bumgarner suffered in spring training. A decision regarding possible surgery is expected within the next few days, but he is expected to miss considerable time, likely the same amount of time that Bumgarner did, in the neighborhood of six to eight weeks.

The Giants take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles for a three-game set that starts on Friday night at 7:10 pm PDT.