Category: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Moore throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, Aug. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Matt Moore is now looking like the pitcher that the San Francisco Giants acquired last season from the Tampa Bay Rays for Matt Duffy.

Moore went 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, while walking three and striking out four and the Giants made it two in a row with a 10-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies before a crowd of 39,487 at AT&T Park.

This was the second quality start in a row for Moore, as he went seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and struck out a season-high nine in Sunday’s 6-2 11-inning loss to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Moore won for the first time at AT&T Park since May 13 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Both of the hits that Moore allowed were to Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro, who got the Phillies first hit in the top of the second inning and then the second and final hit off of Moore in the top of the eighth.

The Giants offense got going in the first inning, as Denard Span led off the frame with a single, then Hunter Pence followed up with a double and then Jarrett Parker drove the two of them in with a double inside the left field line.

After a Buster Posey ground out that sent Parker to third base, Pablo Sandoval hit a single over the drawn in Phillies infield Parker scored easily from third base.

Pence hit his 11th home run of the season with two outs in the bottom of the second inning to lengthen the Giants lead.

Following a Sandoval walk in the bottom of the third inning, Brandon Crawford got in on the act, as he slammed a opposite field two-run home run.

When Posey doubled in the bottom of the fifth inning, it marked the 20th consecutive game that Posey got a hit against the Phillies, his longest streak against any team in his major-league career.

The Phillies finally got to Moore in the top of the eighth inning, as they scored both of their runs on the evening in the frame.

Freddy Galvis drove in both runs, as he hit a bloop single to left field that scored Alfaro and Pedro Florimon.

The Giants added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Carlos Moncrief hit into a Fielders’ Choice and on the play, Cesar Hernandez’s throw went to the backstop that allowed Sandoval and Crawford score.

Moncrief eventually scored on Span’s third hit of the game that gave the Giants their first double digit run-scoring game since they scored 11 against the Oakland A’s on August 3.

In all, Phillies starting pitcher Zach Efflin went five innings, allowed all six runs on seven hits, walked and struck out two. Efflin also gave up both home runs, as his record fell to 1-5 on the season.

With the victory, the Giants are now 16-18 since the All-Star break, after going 34-56 prior to the break.

This was the ninth win for the Giants in their last 10 last home games against the Phillies.

NOTES: Ty Blach looks to clinch the series on Saturday night, as he takes the mound for his 21st of the season. Jered Eickhoff will take the mound for the Phillies, as he looks for his fourth win of the season.

This will be the second start for Blach against the Phillies this season. In his previous start on June 2 at Citizens Bank Park, Blach threw a complete game 10-0 shutout, as he allowed seven hits, walked no one.

Eickhoff will be making his second start of the season against the Giants, as he faced the Giants on June 2 and the starting pitcher for the Giants was Blach. He last 2.2 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits, walking five and striking out two

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, left, celebrates with Sam Dyson after a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in San Francisco, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. The Giants won 5-4. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – After yet another tough stretch, the Giants were sure glad to see the Philadelphia Phillies in their home ballpark.

For that matter, so was Jeff Samardzija. After a miserable start to his 2017 campaign, Samardzija has now won four of his last five decisions dating back to July 26, thanks to a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, the only other team in the National League with a worse record than the Giants this year, at AT&T Park Thursday night.

What makes this especially sweet for the tall righty is the fact that he did not have a very history against this ballclub. Entering Thursday, Samardzija had not seen the Phillies in three years and was 1-4 with an 8.67 ERA in his career against them.

He did get quite a bit of help, however. The one-time Notre Dame wide receiver was given a four-run lead but leaked some serious oil down the stretch before his bullpen came in and slammed the door on the Phillies and preserved the win for him.

For his part, Samardzija (8-12) went six innings and surrendered four runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out six in getting the win.

His pitching counterpart, Aaron Nola (9-8), came into Thursday on a nice roll, surrendering only six runs over his last five starts.

The Giants were able to get going against Nola by using their legs. Kelby Tomlinson led off the third inning by stretching a bloop single into a double. Three batters later, Hunter Pence flared a single into left-center to bring Tomlinson around. After Jarrett Parker drew a walk, Pence came around when Buster Posey scooted one past second to give the Giants a 2-0 advantage.

After Cameron Rupp’s solo shot in the top of the fifth, the Giants pushed the lead back up in the bottom half when Parker hit one into the gap in right-center and scored a pair of runs.

Denard Span had actually intended to tag up at second and got a late start toward the plate while Pence, who was at first, got a full head of steam and came up right behind Span as the two men headed toward third and ended up crossing the plate only a few feet apart.

The Gints could have done even more damage, however. Brandon Crawford singled into left-center to score Parker, but Buster Posey, who had walked during the previous at-bat, was thrown out at third, after he slid in safely but had his momentum carry him off the bag.

The Phillies did get to Samardzija in the top of the sixth, bringing two runs across before he got a single out. Samardzija would surrender another run to narrow the lead to a single run, but he was able to escape with the lead still intact.

The Giants bullpen took care of matters from there, as three relievers combined to give up only a walk and a single for the remaining three innings, with Sam Dyson assuming the closer’s role. One-time closer Mark Melancon, who returned from the disabled list last Saturday after missing 36 games with a right pronator strain, gave up the lone hit after Samardzija left the game.

getty image photo: Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Steve Carlton circa 1986

By Tony “The Tiger” Hayes

SAN FRANCISCO–He was a Giant?

As a Phillie, the ego-centric Carlton ranked as one of the all -time accomplished ace pitchers AND ace tools. The prickly pitcher piled up wins and Cy Young Awards with ease but hardly any friends.

But upon joining San Francisco in a surprise mid-1986 transaction, the taciturn Carlton flipped the script on that story.

At least temporarily .

Suddenly “Lefty” was downright chatty, he gave his first press conference in more than a decade, stating he would pitch to age 50 and that he looked forward to a bright future with the Giants. He even proclaimed he’d stick around NorCal after his pitching days with an eye towards operating a vineyard in Napa.

But on the mound Carlton – slowed by age and a balky shoulder – proved he had all but withered on the vine. He appeared in just six games before he was gone, the one high-light being career strikeout No. 4,000.

Why was he a Giant?

Surprise contenders in ’86, the Giants, while leery of Carlton’s difficult rep – they insisted he talk to the media before bringing him into their young, unjaded clubhouse – saw the obvious benefits of adding a HOF bound hurler after he and the Phillies decided to part ways.

Carlton joined an SF rotation that featured Mike Krukow, Mike LaCoss, Vida Blue and Scott Garrelts. In a half dozen starts, Carlton was 1-3, with a 5.10 ERA.

His first Giants shining moment actually came as a batter when he clubbed a three-run round-tripper off the Cardinals Greg Mathews in a 8-3 road loss (7/21/86). After being cuffed around in his first three starts, Carlton earned his only Giants victory at Pittsburgh, throwing seven shutout frames in a 9-0 victory (7/26/86).

Before & After

Before joining the Giants, Carlton, armed with the most devastating swing and miss slider in history, had amassed a staggering 309 MLB victories with the Cardinals and Phillies. Included in his bevy of accomplishments were four Cy Young Award seasons, six 20 campaigns, 55 shutouts and a pair of World Series titles.

After leaving the Giants, just five weeks after signing, he immediately hooked on with the White Sox and later pitched for the Twins, retiring in 1988. Carlton made the Hall of Fame in 1994.

He wasn’t Mike Krukow. But…

In his final game with the Giants on a foggy Tuesday night at Candlestick Park, Carlton became just the second big league pitcher to reach the 4,000 career strikeout mark, fanning the Reds Eric Davis at Candlestick Park (8/5/86) with a swing and miss fastball in the third inning with no outs and two runners on base. The celebration was short lived as Carlton not would last through the fourth inning, leaving after surrendering allowing seven runs on seven hits as Cincinnati romped to a 11-6 victory. He was released just two days later.

Giant Footprint

Carlton never made it to Napa. These days “Lefty” is a right-wing nut who literally resides in a concrete and earth encased bunker in Colorado. He occasionally surfaces to spout bizarre conspiracy theories about gamma rays, secret societies that run the world and hypnotized suicidal political hit men.

 

 

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain adjusts his cap during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

By Jeremy Harness

 The Giants’ season continues to go into the tank, and that figures to continue all the way until the end of the year.

 They just concluded a three-game series with the Miami Marlins, and they came up on the short end with an 8-1 defeat at Miami’s Marlins Park, meaning that they lost two of the three games in this series.

 The game could not have gotten off to a worse start, as the Marlins raced out to a 4-0 lead, which was highlighted by Tomas Tellis’ two-run double into shallow left field. At that point, the damage was done to starter Matt Cain, who went only four innings and gave up two earned runs – five total – on five hits.

 He walked only one batter and struck out seven in the process, but he saw his ERA grow to 5.19. Albert Suarez then took over for Cain and surrendered another three run over three innings, walking three and striking out one.

 The Giants had only one run, but it was not due to lack of opportunities, however, as they collected eight hits. Their undoing was that they left runners stranded throughout the game, as they left four runners in scoring position

 Hunter Pence and Jarrett Parker each had a pair of hits for the Giants. However, there were no extra-base hits to be had on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Miami had two doubles and a triple to help boost its offense.

 None of those, however, belonged to Giancarlo Stanton, even though the slugger did have a pair of singles to go along with a stolen base.

 There is some immediate hope on the horizon, however. The Giants will face the Phillies, the worst team in the National League, in a four-game series that starts Thursday night at AT&T Park.

 

San Francisco Giants’ Joe Panik reacts after he was tagged out at home during the fourth inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader against the Washington Nationals, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

On the Giants podcast with Michael and Jerry:

1 The Miami Marlin Giancarlo Stanton is on waivers but whose going to take that big salary

2 He’s been showcasing including the first two games in this series hitting a home run in each of his last last eight games

3 Madison Bumgarner has been putting it together of late with two straight wins including Tuesday night with a win going six, nine hits, and four runs for the win

4 San Francisco Giants second baseman Joe Panik will be out for at least seven days for his concussion . A strange injury on a throw that hit him on the head while sliding. The ball hit Panik and went into the catcher’s glove for the tag at the plate and the out

5  Panik’s replacements have been Orlando Calixte whose expected to take the role until further notice and previous game replacements for Panik Kelby Tomlinson and Miguel Gomez. Gomez is expected to be optioned out according to Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

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

 

Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton hits a single during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 in Miami. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP)

By Jeremy Kahn

Although this may not be the same San Francisco Giants team that won three World Series in a seven-year period, it is always special to see Madison Bumgarner pitch; however, it is also special to watch the Miami Marlins these days.

The special player that Marlins fans love to watch is Giancarlo Stanton and he put on a show in the bottom of the third inning.

Stanton launched a Bumgarner pitch deep over the left-center field wall for his 44th home run to tie up the game at two

, but in the end, the Giants would go on to defeat the Marlins 9-4 at Marlins Park.

It was the 11th home run in the last 12 games for Stanton, and 23rd home run in his last 35 games. During that same period, only Sammy Sosa in (25)1998 and Barry Bonds (24) have more, this according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Also, it was the sixth consecutive game that Stanton hit a home run, just two away from the record of eight that was set by Dale Long in 1956, current Marlins manager Don Mattingly in 1987 and Ken Griffey, Jr., in 1993.

Denard Span picked up three hits on the evening for the Giants, including driving in two runs on the night. Hunter Pence also drove in two, while Ryder Jones hit a home run and Bumgarner helped out his own cause with a run batted in.

Bumgarner went six innings, allowing four runs, as he won for the third time since returning from the disabled list.

A.J. Ellis also hit a home run for the Marlins, who led the game 4-3 entering the top of the seventh inning.

The seventh inning did not begin well for the Marlins, as Junichi Tazawa gave up four single to start the inning and the Giants scored three times to take a 6-4 lead and spoil the night for former Oakland A’s pitcher Dan Straily.

Pence drove in a run with a double, while Carlos Moncrief drove in a run with a single and Stanton committed a throwing error on a Span single.

NOTES: Matt Cain will close out the series and the road trip for the Giants on Wednesday afternoon, while Jose Urena will pitch for the Marlins, as he looks for his 11th win of the season.

Joe Panik sat out his second consecutive game after getting hit in the head on Sunday against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

Johnny Cueto, who is out with blisters, threw 25 pitches in the bullpen prior to the game, while Miguel Gomez, on the disabled list with a knee injury will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday. Brandon Belt, out since August 5 with a concussion will be re-evaluated by doctors on Wednesday.

By Morris Phillips

Five home runs in five games. 22 home runs in 34 games. Giancarlo Stanton’s power display was in full bloom Monday, and the Giants–in desperate need of what the Marlins’ slugger provides–had a discerning eye on all the action.

Surely, the San Francisco contingent came away impressed. And humbled.

“This is the beauty of this game, these great hitters or power hitters getting on these rolls,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said prior to the Marlins 9-3 romp. “Unfortunately, he’s on the other team.”

For now. Could Stanton fill a huge void in the Giants’ lineup in 2018, and be that guy Bochy feels the Giants need to take the pressure of a lineup that ranks last in Major League Baseball in home runs?

The answer is sure, but it’s unlikely.

Stanton’s mega deal signed last season will pay him $325 million over 13 seasons, and not expire until 2028. With the new Derek Jeter-led ownership group taking over the Marlins, any serious bidders that are willing and financially able to assume such a deal will have their inquiries taken very seriously.

The Giants have the wherewithal, and the Marlins’ new ownership are likely to consider the benefits of a clean slate financially. So let the negotiations commence, right?

Not so fast. Stanton has a no-trade clause in his deal, and he went to high school in Southern California. If the Giants want Stanton, then the Dodgers will want him as well.

Oh well.

But the Stanton storyline is intriguing.

On Monday, the Giants were stuck with unenviable task of following three ballgames in 24 hours–including a three-hour rain delay–with another game the next night after a lenghty flight.

With rookie Ty Blach on the mound, the red-hot Joe Panik not in the lineup and at second base due to concussion symptoms–along with the looming presence of Stanton in the opposing dugout–the Giants had a heap of adversity.

That adversity surfaced in the first inning.

Dee Gordon led off with a single, and Stanton followed with a two-run shot, setting a new Marlins’ record for home runs in a single season with 43.

The Giants responded with Denard Span’s two-run double, and a RBI knock from Hunter Pence in the third.

But the Giants’ 3-2 lead was short lived. The Marlins responded with a tying run in the third, two more in the fourth, one in the fifth, and after Blach was mercifully dismissed after six innings, the Marlins capped their night with two runs off Kyle Crick in the seventh.

 

 

 

 

 

San Francisco Giants’ Hunter Pence (8) hits a ground-run double to score Pablo Sandoval and Kelby Tomlinson during the third inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

On the Giants Podcast with Morris:

1 Joe Panik is a real go getter playing 20 innings during Sunday’s doubleheader and made the best of it

2 Panik made ten trips to the plate and reached base seven times during the two game split which had San Francisco took the front game 4-2 and ended up dropping the second game 6-2

3 Giants starter Chris Stratton in his third start for the Cubs pitched 6 2/3 innings all scoreless in the first game of the double dip

4 In the series the Nats lost their key player Bryce Harper after he hyper extended his leg running to first base slipping on a wet bag

5 The Giants are starting a three game road trip in Florida tonight for San Francisco Ty Blach (8-7) goes against Miami’s Adam Conley (4-5)

Morris has the San Francisco Giants podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Washington Nationals’ Howie Kendrick throws off his batting helmet as he celebrates his walkoff grand slam in the 11th inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, in Washington. The Nationals won 6-2 in 11 innings. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By Jeremy Kahn

In a 24-hour period, the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals played three games and the last one ended on a walk-off grand slam.

Howie Kendrick hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 11th inning, helping the Nationals to a thrilling 6-2 victory over the Giants at Nationals Park.

Kendrick’s walk-off grand slam came against Albert Suarez came after Daniel Murphy led off the inning with a single, went to third on a Ryan Zimmerman bloop and then Suarez intentionally walked Anthony Rendon. Following the Rendon intentional walk, Kendrick ended the game and the series with his first career grand slam.

Murphy and Zimmerman each hit solo home runs off of Giants starter Matt Moore.

Despite the no-decision, it was a much-improved outing for Moore, as he pitched seven innings and struck out nine.

Max Scherzer struck out 10 in seven innings, as he gave up two runs and five hits, including a home run.

After the Nationals took the lead on a Murphy home run in the bottom of the third inning, Hunter Pence tied up the game in the top of the fourth inning with a single that scored Denard Span; however, on the play, Michael Taylor threw out Joe Panik at the plate.

Zimmerman gave the Nationals lead for the second time, as he hit a solo home run off of Moore in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Pablo Sandoval tied up the game with a home run off the upper deck façade in right field in the top of the seventh inning.

NOTES: Ty Blach opens up a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on Monday night, as he looks for his ninth win of the season.

Panik felt slight-headed after the game, as he took a shot to the head from Matt Wieters when he was thrown out in the top of the fourth inning, and is ruled out for Monday’s opener against the Marlins, according to Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Chris Stratton delivers during the second inning of the first baseball game of a split doubleheader against the Washington Nationals, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass

By Jeremy Kahn

After seeing their top player, Bryce Harper fall to the ground in the first inning of their win on Saturday night, the Washington Nationals could not solve the San Francisco Giants starter.

Chris Stratton struck out a career-high 10 batters in 6.2 innings of work, as the Giants evened up the three-game series with a 4-2 victory over the Nationals in Game One of a day-night doubleheader at Nationals Park.

A sigh of relief was felt throughout the Beltway, as it was discovered that Harper, who tripped over first base in the first inning of Saturday night’s win suffered a bone bruise after a MRI revealed no ligament or tendon damage. Harper, who won the 2015 National League Most Valuable Player was placed on the 10-day disabled list.

Joe Panik went three-for-four for the Giants, while Gorkys Hernandez added a RBI single and Kelby Tomlinson hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning, as the Giants jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the leaders in the National League Eastern Division.

The Nationals finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Anthony Rendon hit a two-run home run off of Hunter Strickland, who drew boos from the Nationals crowd.

This was the first appearance by Strickland in Washington since he hit Harper that caused a bench-clearing brawl back on May 29 at AT&T Park.

Sam Dyson came on in the bottom of the ninth inning to notch his ninth save in 14 chances this season.

NOTES: Matt Moore will take the ball in the nightcap of the doubleheader, while the Nationals will send Max Scherzer to the mound.

Orlando Calixte was added to the Giants roster as their 26th player, as he was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.