Category: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants closer Albert Suarez gets a fist bump from his catcher Tim Federowicz after closing out the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 in Phoenix. The Giants won 9-2. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, September 25, 2017

San Francisco used a five-run fourth inning to overtake Arizona Monday and defeat the Diamondbacks 9-2 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Since the D-Backs clinched the top Wild Card berth on Sunday, many reserves saw action for Arizona. It was the Giants’ fifth win in their last seven games.

Nick Hundley’s three-run homer was the big hit for the Giants, driving in Brandon Crawford and Jarrett Parker. Earlier in the inning, Parker drove in Buster Posey with an RBI double.

Pablo Sandoval capped the rally when he reached on a error, allowing Denard Span to score.

San Francisco added a run in the fifth on Hunter Pence’s solo home run to right.

The Giants completed their scoring in the last two innings on a Hundley RBI single, Parker scored when Pence reached on an error, and Joe Panik added a sacrifice fly.

Parker led the Giants’ 11-hit attack by going 3-for-4. Pence, Posey and Hundley each had two hits.

Johnny Cueto (8-8) gave up two earned runs on five hits over six innings, striking out eight and walking two. Josh Osich, Derek Law, Cory Gearrin and Albert Suarez finished up for the Giants.

San Francisco did most of its damage off Diamondbacks starter Zack Godley (8-9), who gave up six runs – five earned – in 4 1/3 innings.

Matt Moore (6-14) faces Arizona’s Robbie Ray (14-5) in Tuesday’s game.

Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after they defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-2 and won the NL West title, after a baseball game Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

On the Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

The Giants won’t end up losing 100 games for the season and they need to win two out of their last six to avoid that plateau and had a very uneventful off  season. They start a series with to get back on track with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field Monday night. The Giants opened a series in Los Angeles last Friday with the Dodgers opening the series clinching the Western Division and that’s something you don’t want to have happen to open your road trip.

You remember 1982 when former San Francisco Giant Joe Morgan hit a home run against the Dodgers to knock them out of he pennant chase at Candlestick Park. There are moments like 1993 the Giants went to Dodgers Stadium and got knocked out of the post season in a four game series. Playing spoiler as the Giants or a Dodger against your big rival is a big deal historically those are moments in time you don’t forget.

Morris has much more on the Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Nancy Levine of Marin, Calif., holds a sign in support of Oakland Athletics’ Bruce Maxwell, who knelt during the national anthem for a second day prior to the baseball game against the Texas Rangers Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

On the MLB Podcast with Daniel:

1 A’s Bruce Maxwell is first MLB player to kneel for the anthem.

2 Giancarlo Stanton hits HR No. 57, sets Marlins RBI record

3 Brad Ausmus stepping down as Tigers’ skipper

4 Twins inching toward second AL Wild Card berth

5 Rockies lose at San Diego, lead for second NL Wild Card cut to 1 game

Daniel does the MLB Podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

~ (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES– San Francisco maintained their lead against a late rally attempt by the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday.

Giants catcher Buster Posey threw out Yasiel Puig at second to end a Dodgers’ comeback that started in the eighth.

Los Angeles was scoreless entering the inning with only three hits. San Francisco had several scares as the Dodgers finally broke through starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner, when catcher Austin Barnes hit a one-out home run. Charlie Culberson doubled and Cody Bellinger came in to pinch hit. Bellinger hit the ball long but not long enough. Culberson then moved to third and the Giants brought in Hunter Strickland (H, 19). Right fielder Hunter Pence caught that out on the warning track after eight pitches.

In the ninth, Los Angeles pinch hitter Curtis Granderson singled. Puig then replaced Granderson in a force out before Puig was caught stealing.

Bumgarner (4-9) had four 1-2-3 innings including three consecutive as he ended his four-game losing streak. He threw 99 pitches in 7.2 innings, gave up five hits, one run, one walk and struck out five.  Bumgarner also pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up five hits in his last start versus the Dodgers July 30, but did not get a decision

San Francisco only had two innings where they didn’t get on base. Left fielder Gorkys Hernández went 3-for-4 with a walk and stolen base as he crossed home plate twice.

Los Angeles starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-8) had to leave in the third inning with a left forearm contusion. X-rays were negative.

Hernández started the game with a leadoff double, moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Joe Panik and with two outs, Posey hit the ball up the middle to give the Giants a 1-0 lead in the first inning for the third game in a row. Posey now has a four-game hitting streak.

It was Panik’s hit that got to Ryu. Ryu was able to retrieve the ball and make the out at first but after, had to leave the game. Ross Stripling entered the game in relief. Ryu’s line was 2 and ⅓ innings, three hits, one run, one strikeout and 23 strikes out of 36 total pitches.

San Francisco doubled their lead in the fifth. With one out, Hernández singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Denard Span. Span also stole second.

The Dodgers almost had another 1-2-3 ending but the third out, Hernández’s hit, went in and out of Puig’s glove after he had to run for the catch.

Game notes: At game end, Puig may have twisted his ankle as he left limping. Giants’ Brandon Crawford had a save up the middle and Panik robbed Corey Seager with a sliding catch. Sam Dyson earned the save. Los Angeles pinch hitter O’Koyea Dickson got his first Major League hit in the third. The teams finish the season series at 1:10pm Sunday.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija this Friday’s starter in Los Angeles works against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jeremy Harness

 At one point, the Los Angeles Dodgers were flying high atop the major leagues, with no one being able to stop them but themselves.

 Well, the Dodgers have stopped themselves quite a bit lately.

 Although they have clinched a playoff spot, the Dodgers still have not closed out the NL West at this point. That’s because the team has suffered a sudden stretch of ineptitude after absolutely cruising for the first six-and-a-half months of the season and building a sizable lead.

 At press time, the Dodgers still lead the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks by nine games and can wrap up the division this weekend, if not sooner.

 The magic number to clinch the division for Los Angeles is one, so the Dodgers can wrap up the NL West crown Friday night, when the Giants head to Dodger Stadium to start a three-game series.

 The last-place Giants, on the other hand, are playing for nothing more at this point than to spoil things for their upcoming opponents, and they would love nothing more than to set the Dodgers back in their quest to not only clinch the division but to also stake their claim to the best record in the majors.

 The 60-93 Giants will send Jeff Samardzija (9-14, 4.42 ERA) to the mound against Dodgers lefty Rich Hill (10-8, 3.60 ERA) for Friday’s opener.

 After a miserable start to the year, Samardzija had a stretch between Jul. 26 and Aug. 28 that saw him five of six decisions. However, he has lost his last two starts but had a solid outing in his last start, last Friday in a losing effort against Arizona that saw him surrender three runs on six hits. He struck out seven hitters and did not walk anyone.

 Hill, meanwhile, has lost four of his last five starts, but he seemed to get things back together in his most recent outing, surrendering only a run on one hit while walking two and striking out seven more over five strong innings against the Washington Nationals.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore throws to the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

1 San Francisco Giants vice president Brian Sabean says this off season will be the time to retool the team. After the Giants had a second half melt down in 2016 they ended up failing to make post season and as a consequence the Giants only real big off season moves they fired their first and third base coaches Roberto Kelly and Bill Hayes. Then the Giants wanted to shore up their bull pen and obtained Mark Melancon who struggled and got injured and ended up having to have surgery.

2 Taking a look at the significant changes and where the Giants need to shore up one place is in the outfield

3 The Giants have won three straight Sunday they got past the Arizona on Sunday, they got a walk off hit from Hunter Pence on Tuesday night to defeat Colorado 4-3 and Wednesday they shutout the Rockies 4-0 behind the brilliant pitching of Matt Moore who improved his record to 6-14. This team is doing everything it can to avoid a 100 game losing season.

4. Will Giancarlo Stanton become a Giant Michael says it’s unlikely, too many variables including his contract that he has with the Miami Marlins runs through 2020 and he has an option and another team could make an offer and he could opt out.

5 The Giants have a three game series coming up in Los Angeles starting on Friday night. The Dodgers need three more games to clinch the west and the Giants would like to win at least two out of three and the last thing that a club likes seeing is another team celebrating a division title after a game.

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

San Francisco Giants’ Hunter Pence, right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a sacrifice fly to score Orlando Calixte for the winning run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in San Francisco, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The Giants won 4-3. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO- Hunter Pence gave the San Francisco Giants the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, but it was his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning that was even bigger.

Pence hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning that was caught by Carlos Gonzalez, to score Orlando Calixte from third and the Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-3 before a crowd of 40,686 at AT&T Park.

Calixte was running for Pablo Sandoval, who led off the inning with a single off of Chris Rusin, then Ryder Jones singled and then pinch-hitter Kelby Tomlinson beat out a dribbler that loaded the bases for Pence, who hit a sacrifice fly that Gonzalez made a diving catch on; however, Calixte easily scored from third base with the winning run.

Pence’s home run gave the Giants a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he hit his 12th home run of the season that was measured at 441 feet over the center field wall, Johnny Cueto helped out his own cause, as he hit a single off of German Marquez.

In the early going, it looked like Cueto would be on a short leash, as his pitch count kept increasing; however, the right-hander ended up going 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking four and striking out six; however, he did not fare in the decision.

The Rockies took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning, as Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run double off of Cueto. It was the 200th hit of the season for Blackmon, the first 200 hit season of his five-year career.

Pablo Sandoval got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he drove in Buster Posey, who singled to lead off the inning, then beat the throw from Nolan Arenado at second base and then scored on the Sandoval single.

It was a nice night at the plate for Sandoval, as he went 3-for-4 on the evening for his second three hit game of the season and his first since rejoining the Giants.

Following Sandoval’s third hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, Sandoval was replaced by Calixte, who scored the eventual game-winning run for the Giants

Marquez went six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking just one and striking out eight and like Cueto, he did not fare in the decision.

The Rockies tied up the game in the top of the eighth inning, as Gerardo Parra hit a double just inside the first base line that scored Gonzalez, who doubled with one out in the inning.

Nolan Arenado nearly gave the Rockies a 4-3 lead, as he hit a Hunter Strickland curveball that was caught Jarrett Parker on the warning track, as Arenado went 0-for-4 on the evening against Giants pitching.

Arenado went 0-for-3 against Cueto, and is now 5-for-32 (.156) in his big-league career.

The Rockies lead for the second wild card dropped to just one game over the surging Milwaukee Brewers, who defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 at PNC Park.

NOTES: Matt Moore looks for his sixth win of the season, as he takes the mound on Wednesday afternoon, while the Rockies will send eight-game winner Tyler Chatwood to the hill, as the Rockies look for the spilt in this brief two-game series.

This was just the sixth win by the Giants in their last 16 home games, and it was their first back-to-back victories since winning four in a row from August 8-18.