Category: San Francisco Giants

Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton rounds second base as he hit a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO–Let’s image that the Giants can make some kind of a deal with the Marlins (who will have new owners and want to reduce payroll) would Giancarlo Stanton with the Giants in 2018 be the difference? Many are thinking about that, but I believe they need more than Stanton. The Miami Marlins now have Derek Jeter as part of the new ownership, he is investing $25 million, and he will pay himself a salary of $5 million per year, as a businessman he will make that money and then some. The other main owners realize this is Miami, where baseball has never and will never be king. I was raised in Southern Florida (Dade County, Miami) to be exact and down there Friday High School football is huge, and any kind of football, from the Hurricanes of the University of Miami to the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. The Fox Sports television contract with the Miami Marlins is one of the smaller in major league baseball, between a television network and a team.

The Florida Marlins won two World Series earlier in their existence, in 1997 and 2003. The Marlins were born in 1993. However, they broke those teams and got rid of all their star players, prompting an exodus of season ticket holders and others in the very tough baseball market that is Miami. With the new owners coming along they’re probably looking to get rid of some salaries, there are players that can be obtained from the Marlins like Yellich, Gordon, Osuna and even Giancarlo Stanton, who is on his way to 60 home runs this season and has enough power to hit it out to the San Francisco International Airport. That is a slugger that the Giants really need. But would he alone make a difference? I do not believe so. He will make Posey and other hitters much better. A trade for Stanton from the Marlins side they would probably want guys like Bumgarner and Panek, at least, maybe more. Plus Stanton alone would not make a difference if you do not have much more. Teams would pitch around that lineup.

But the Giants lack of power is a glaring issue for this team right now. Everybody these days have two,three, or more guys in lineups with 20 plus home runs, not the Giants. They have done it with great pitching in the past, but that is not there, at least this season.

The fact remains the Giants have 54 wins as the conclusion of play today, Sunday September 3, 2017, (with 22 games remaining) as they just lost three out of four games to the St Louis Cardinals, a team with a group of young and talented players, something that the Giants do not have in riches today.

One player will not make the difference for the Giants, I can care less, if it is Stanton, Bonds or Babe Ruth, this team needs an influx of young players because with Pence and Belt, they are not going to do it in 2018. The Giants prospects are not in the top 100 of Major League Baseball, they do have the money, so they might want to pay Stanton if the Marlins decide to unload his salary to the Giants, because the new owners in Miami are no fools, and they know in that market even if they win they still have a hard time bringing fans into their ballpark.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio talent for the A’s, the Spanish TV talent for the Angels, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Colorado Rockies’ Carlos Gonzalez, center, is congratulated by Alexi Amarista, front, after Ian Desmond doused Gonzalez with powder following his bases loaded walk against San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Cory Gearrin in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, in Denver. The Rockies won 4-3. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

On the Giants Podcast with Morris:

1 The Giants plan to re-evaluate once the season is finished one of the first things the club will do is evaluate it’s roster and Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner who give up three home runs and has struggled at times this season could be on the trade block this off season

2 When you see Mad Bum give up three home runs in one ball game the question could be is if it was mechanical or mental

3 The home run ball was so prevalent on Sunday that even Mad Bum hit one himself in the fifth inning

4 Despite giving up the three home runs Mad Bum still has a decent ERA at 3.15

5 The Giants are in Colorado on Monday night and dropped a one run deficit 4-3 and starter Chris Stratton started the ball game for the Giants and the Rockies Carlos Gonzalez ended it with a ninth walk for the win

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

 

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain throws to the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants just can’t seem to get out of their own way these days, and when facing a decent team that does not often beat itself, the result is usually a decisive defeat.

That’s exactly what happened Thursday night at AT&T Park, as the St. Louis Cardinals came into town and wrestled the first of a four-game series from the Giants, 5-2.

One can point to a number of aspects that went into the opposite direction of what the Giants needed them to go, such as a lack of productivity at the plate to support starter Matt Cain’s nice outing in place of scheduled starter Madison Bumgarner, who was sick and could not pitch Thursday.

The Giants could not get much of anything going off Cardinals starter Michael Wacha, who went six innings and surrendered only a single run on four hits, walking two and striking out two more.

The one bright spot was Cain, who responded by going five innings and gave up only a pair of runs on seven hits, striking out two and not walking anyone.

“I’ll take that any time,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Matty gave us everything we needed, but unfortunately, we’re not swinging the bats very well right now.

“He threw the ball great.”

Those two runs, however, came on one swing of the bat in the second inning. Despite giving up a leadoff hit, Cain got through the first inning unscathed, but fate was not as kind to him in the second. That’s because after giving up a single, right fielder Randal Grichuk took Cain deep into the stands in left-center to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

The Giants got one of those runs back in the fifth inning, thanks to some nice hustle from none other than Hunter Pence. The veteran right fielder tagged up from second to third on a middle-length flyout to right, and then bolted home on a fly ball from pinch hitter Carlos Moncrief.

However, the Cardinals widened the lead again in the seventh when Tommy Pham hit one right back up the middle to bring in Greg Garcia. The Giants looked poised to narrow the gap slightly, particularly when Ryder Jones came through with a two-out triple, and the next batter, Moncrief, appeared to have an infield single in hand.

However, shortstop Paul DeJong snatched the opportunity away by bringing out his inner Derek Jeter, ranging deep in the hole near third base and got just enough on the throw to nab Moncrief and end the inning.

Mark Melancon took the ball in the eighth and immediately got into trouble, loading the bases with only one out. He then walked in a run and then hit Matt Carpenter to bring in another one, handing St. Louis a 5-1 advantage before Bochy decided to yank him.

The Giants made a bit of a rally in the bottom of the ninth, when the Giants ran into a bit of controversy.

Brandon Crawford appeared to have hit a two-run homer just past the wall in right field, right at the foul. However, upon review, umpiring crew chief Mike Everitt determined that a fan had interfered as he caught the ball, forcing Crawford to go back to second while the run was still allowed to score.

However, many in the ballpark shared a different vantage point, which indicated that the ball would have landed just beyond the brick portion of the wall, resulting in a home run. Furthermore, it was in almost the exact same area that J.T. Snow’s homer in Game 2 of the 2000 National League Division Series landed.

“I’m shocked that he overturned it,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Really, it wasn’t even close (to not being a home run), so that why I think we’re all stunned he overturned it.

“You know the ground rules, that if it’s on the green (portion beyond the wall), it’s a home run.”

As it stood, Crawford would be left stranded at second, as Seung Hwan Oh came in and shut the door on the Giants.

 

 

 San Diego Padres starting pitcher Travis Wood throws a pitch to a San Francisco Giants batter during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Orlando Ramirez)

 By Jeremy Harness

 At the beginning of this season, it was unfathomable that a team that made the playoffs the year before would lose 100 games the very next year. Sadly for Giants fans, that’s what appears to be happening to their team in 2017.

 That possibility got heightened a bit Wednesday night, as the Giants were shut out by the San Diego Padres, 5-0, at San Diego’s Petco Park, as they saw their record drop to 53-82 with a full month to go in the regular season.

 Padres starting pitcher Travis Wood got things started for the Padres in the third inning, as he touched up his counterpart, Ty Blach, with a solo homer over the wall in left-center. Jose Pirela added yet another solo shot three innings later, as his shot landed in the stands in left field.

 Later that inning, the hinges came off for the Giants. Two more runs came across in the sixth, one of them coming on a wild pitch and the other coming from a single by Austin Hedges that brought in Jabari Blash to give San Diego a commanding 4-0 lead.

 Blash completed the scoring two innings later with a single that scored Wil Myers.

 When it was all said and done, Blach was charged three of those runs on five hits, walking two and striking out one in seeing his ERA go up to 4.68 and seeing his record drop to 8-11. Meanwhile, Wood pitched 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball and gave up six hits. He walked four and struck out one, but he didn’t stick around long enough to get the win.

 That honor belonged to Craig Stammen, who finished up the fifth inning and pitched a perfect sixth to pick up the victory.

 As a result, the Giants dropped the three-game series with San Diego, and they will now head home and face the St. Louis Cardinals for a four-game series that starts Thursday night at AT&T Park.

 

Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton watches a solo home run off Washington Nationals starting pitcher Edwin Jackson during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

On the Giants Podcast with Michael:

1 There’s been a lot of serious talk about the Miami Marlins Giancarlo Stanton joining the Giants but it won’t be realistic because once he’s on the market the price will be set so high that the Giants will be pushed aside by a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers who print money and can get almost any talent they want.

2 Stanton who has hit 31 homers would be a big help for the Giants and the team could rebuild around him but it’s very unlikely they won’t be able to add him to the payroll

3 Stanton believes that the true season home run hitter is the late and former New York Yankee Roger Maris who set the record in 1961 with 61 and not the current record holder former San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds who has the record at 73. But remember you can’t go the grocery store believing you could shop without money either.

4 The Giants beat the Padres 6-3 to open the three game series on Monday night in San Diego. The Giants starter Matt Moore was touched up for five runs and eight hits

5 The Giants starter Ty Blach (8-10) gets the call for Tuesday night he’s going against the Padres Travis Wood (3-4). Blach has had some decent outing of late and would like to help San Francisco get back in the win column.

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