Category: San Francisco Giants

By Jeremy Harness

AP photo: San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija throws against the San Diego Padres in the first inning

In order for the Giants to gain some real momentum, they had to do it on this particular road trip. That’s precisely what they did.

As it stands right now, they will now board a place back to San Francisco at the top spot in the National League West, winners of eight straight contests, including all seven of their road games at division foes Arizona and San Diego.

Jeff Samardzija jump-started the Giants Thursday night, going eight solid innings and giving up only a run on three hits in the process in shutting down the Padres en route to a 3-1 victory. In addition, Samardzija (6-2, 2.66 ERA) struck out eight batters and did not walk anyone.

The Giants now sit a full three games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

The Giants got the lead early, as Buster Posey’s sac fly scored Denard Span and gave them a 1-0 lead.

The Padres, however, responded in the very next inning, tying the game on Alexi Amarista’s RBI double.

Samardzija soon settled down and shut out the Padres the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Giants pulled away with their bats. Hunter Pence, who had homered the night before, singled in Matt Duffy to give the Giants the lead back, while Brandon Crawford’s solo homer in the seven gave them just the right amount of distance.

Second baseman Joe Panik had four hits for the Giants and also had a stolen base, while Jon Jay had two of the Padres’ four hits.

The Giants, however, face a very stern test as they head home. The Chicago Cubs, who own a 28-11 record at press time, look poised for their first World Series appearance in more than 60 years, and they will send Jake Arrieta (7-0) to the mound for the series opener Friday night against a struggling Jake Peavy (1-4).

 

photo by Atlanta.braves.mlb.com: San Francisco Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti

On the Giants podcast with Michael Giants starter Johnny Cueto had great control over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night allowing just four hits and a run and kept the Padres off balance all night. Cueto got to complete the game and starter Madison Bumgarner also completed his game on Tuesday night marking the first time since 2002 that two Giants pitchers got to finish ball games back to back.

The Giants pitching rotation is now 1.41 ERA in their last seven games. Starter Matt Cain is back on track after having successful outings in his last two starts. Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti has been successful in helping Cain get back to form and shoring up starters Bumgarner and Cueto to the point that they could earn a few completed games.

Michael Duca hosts Sportstalk and does the San Francisco Giants podcasts right at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

By Jeremy Harness

AP photo: San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto throws out the San Diego Padres Jose Pirela on a bunt attempt in the second inning of Wednesday night’s game at Petco Park

While most folks in the Bay Area are fixated – and for very good reason – on the Warriors’ run through the NBA playoffs, a team from across the bay is putting together a dominant streak of its own.

The Giants have now won seven straight games and have taken over the top spot in the National League West, the latest installment coming in the form of a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park Wednesday afternoon.

Johnny Cueto, who has solidified the No. 2 spot in the starting rotation, showed his dominance once again on Wednesday. The right-hander with the unique windup gave the entire bullpen the day off by going the distance.

In doing so, Cueto (6-1, 2.70 ERA) gave up only one run on four hits, walking one two against eight strikeouts.

That lone run came in the second inning, when the Padres put together a rally that culminated in an RBI single by Alexei Ramirez. That was short-lived, however, as San Diego would collect only two more singles the rest of the game, as Cueto stayed in his groove.

The Giants helped him out at the plate in the fourth inning. Buster Posey led off the inning with a walk, and Hunter Pence followed that right up by belting a two-run homer off San Diego starter Drew Pomeranz to give the Giants a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish.

Pomeranz (4-4, 1.96 ERA) went six innings and gave up only those two runs while only surrendering four hits himself, walking two and striking out five.

Of those four hits, leadoff man Denard Span, who improved his batting average to .279, had two of them while Posey and Pence had the other two.

 

 

By Jeremy Kahn

AP photo: San Diego Padres Matt Kemp makes a running catch in the right field corner to put away the San Francisco Giants Matt Duffy in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game at Petco Park

After sweeping the Arizona a Diamondbacks over the weekend, the San Francisco Giants headed to San Diego for the second leg of their seven-game road trip.

Brandon Crawford led the Giants to a 5-1 victory over the San Diego Padres, as he hit a three-run home run and drove in all five runs for the Giants, who have won a season-high six games in a row.

Madison Bumgarner struck out 11, as he topped the double figure plateau in strikeouts for the second time this month and tossed a complete game five-hitter.

Bumgarner won for the fifth time against just two losses, as he came within three out of a shutout; however Matt Kemp hit a solo home run to put an end to the shutout.

It was the 10th home run of the season for Kemp, whose ball hit the third deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. in left field at Petco Park.

Jose Pirela was the first Padres baserunner to reach base, as he doubled to leadoff the bottom of the third inning.

The Padres attempted to get back into the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, Brett Wallace led off with a single, went to third on a Wil Myers one-out double; however Bumgarner regrouped to strikeout Derek Norris and then Bumgarner got out of the jam, as Brandon Belt made a nice over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory to end the inning.

Crawford drove in his fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning, and then added a fifth RBI on a double in the top of the eighth inning.

Benches cleared as the bottom of the third inning came to a close, as Myers and Bumgarner exchanged words. The two were separated with no punches being thrown by either player. In the top of the ninth, the two laughed it off at first base after Bumgarner walked.

AP photo: San Francisco Giants Hunter Pence slides into home plate on an RBI double by teammate Brandon Crawford in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday

On the Giants podcast with Morris the Giants catcher Trevor Brown has been a God send for San Francisco Brown allows starting catcher Buster Posey to get some breaks and rest from behind the plate. None was any different on Sunday night at Chase Field when Buster sat down and Brown who is hitting .261 got a hit and a run in a game that was made up by a one run difference. The Giants who were off on Monday are in San Diego Tuesday night and are coming off a three game road trip.

The Giants Matt Cain helped in the success of the Giants sweep on Sunday pitching his second straight effective game. Cain didn’t get the win but went seven innings, seven hits, one run, five strikeouts, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy is relieved that Cain looks like he’s got his old self back.

Morris Phillips covers Giants baseball and does the Giants podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, May 15, 2016

AP photo of San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford 35 turning a double play on the force on Arizona Diamondbacks Brandon Drury 27 at Chase Field Sunday

PHOENIX, Arizona – Though it required a little drama, the San Francisco Giants left the Valley of the Sun on Sunday with a four-game sweep under their belts.

A video review of the game’s disputed final play insured that the Giants slipped past Arizona 2-1 and return to first place in the National League West by ½ game over Los Angeles.

When Diamondbacks pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks Jr. hit into a fielder’s choice, the relay throw by Crawford appeared to pull Belt off the bag, initially allowing pinch-runner Ahmed to score what would have been the game-tying run.

“Belt made a heck of a pick on that play and it happened so fast, I think the umpire (Gabe Morales) thought he came off the bag,” Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. “And we were challenging whether or not (Brandon Drury) was out at second, so there were a lot of challenges going on, including the slide at second.

After a 3-minute, 24-second review, the call was reversed to a 4-6-3 game-ending double play.

“It started with an inside pitch to Weeks that jammed him, and we did a good job of turning two there,” Bochy said. “That’s not an easy pick for Belt. He completed the play and that was a great way to end the game.”

San Francisco surged ahead 2-1 in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Brandon Crawford. Hunter Pence led off with a base hit to greet Diamondbacks closer Brad Ziegler (1-2). Brandon Belt followed with a single, and Crawford delivered a base hit to right, allowing Pence to score the go-ahead run from second.

After issuing an intentional walk to Conor Gillespie to load the bases, Trevor Brown hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the rally.

With one out in the Arizona ninth, San Francisco closer Santiago Casilla issued a walk to Yasmany Tomãs, and his pinch-runner, Ahmed, scampered to third on a single by Drury. That set up the dramatic finish that disappointed many of the 25,007 who saw the game.

“That double play at the end was an easy call,” Bochy said. “It was a double play and we were pretty confident we would win that appeal.

“There was a lot of drama waiting to see what the call was going to be.”

Hunter Strickland (2-0), who retired the two batters he faced in the eighth inning, picked up the win. Casilla earned his ninth save.

“Our pitching has done a great job here against a tough lineup. Our bullpen was great in this series,” Bochy said. “(Arizona) swept us the last time we saw them, so it was good to come here and get four.”

Brown had the only hit off De La Rosa, a solo home run in the fourth inning that gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead. Otherwise, De La Rosa only allowed walks to Brandon Belt, Angel Pagan and Conor Gillespie, with five strikeouts.

“It looked like (De La Rosa) was trying to go away and it ran a little to the middle on him,” Brown said. “I was just trying to be aggressive because he’s a hard thrower. So I looked for a fastball and he left one in the middle of the plate for me.”

Matt Cain had one of his better outings of the season, giving up one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts and four walks. Cain also worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, and benefitted from the defense turning three double plays behind him – four total.

“Matt’s really gained traction in his last two starts,” Bochy said. “He did a good job today. He had good command, and the run he gave up was a cheap run after a wild pitch. He did a great job of pitching out of trouble with good, quality pitches to get ground balls.”

Though Cain has struggled in his first six starts and hasn’t won a game since July 22, 2015, Bochy feels the veteran righthander is making progress in his last two starts while bouncing back from surgery in February to remove a cyst from his throwing arm.

“His confidence has grown and his stuff is fine,” Bochy said. “His bullpens and warmups have been great. But in the game, things just weren’t going well for him. I think, now, he feels his stuff is fine, he’s healthy, and he’s more settled in.”

Arizona manufactured the tying run in the fourth inning. With one out, Jake Lamb doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Paul Goldschmidt’s sacrifice fly to center.

The Diamondbacks’ Chris Herrmann – AKA “America’s Backup Catcher” – was in center field instead of behind the plate for De La Rosa. On the game-ending play, he said, “It was a tough way to lose a game. Replay is a part of the game now, so what can you really do? It’s a bad way to go out, and nobody wants to lose a game like that.

“We should have tied the game. They made the call, and there’s nothing we can do.”

GIANT JOTTINGS: After an off-day, the Giants head to San Diego for three games against the Padres. San Diego will face, in order, Madison Bumgarner (4-2), Johnny Cueto (5-1) and Jeff Samardzija (5-2). … RHP George Kontos (right flexor strain) has finished his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento. He’s expected to be activated on Tuesday. On Monday, the Diamondbacks are hosting the New York Yankees and honoring the late baseball legend Joe Garagiola, who passed away in March. Garagiola was a part-time D-Backs television announcer until 2013, and a radio-TV voice of the Yankees from 1965-68. … The D-Backs extended their Triple-A contract with Reno through 2018.

TAGS: San Francisco Giants,Arizona Diamondbacks,Matt Cain,Trevor Brown,Sports Radio Service,Daniel Dullum,

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Friday, May 13, 2016

AP photo: San Francisco Giant Joe Panik (center)  at Chase Field on Friday night hits a three run homer in the sixth inning is greeted at the plate by Denard Span 2 and Angel Pagan (right)

PHOENIX–Joe Panik homered for the second consecutive game for San Francisco on Friday. This time, it was a three-run blast that gave the Giants a 3-1 win over Arizona.

Panik’s home run gave starter Jeff Samardzija all the offense he would need. Samardzija did his part, scattering eight hits while throwing 112 pitches to improve to 5-2. The Giants’ top three pitchers – Samardzija, Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner – are a combined 14-5 this season.

Diamondbacks starter Shelby Miller continued his struggles. He held San Francisco scoreless through the first five innings, but allowed Panik’s home run in the sixth.

Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the fifth on Miller’s first career triple, followed by an RBI single from Jean Segura.

After Josh Osich got the first out in the ninth, Santiago Casilla struck out the next two hitters for his eighth save in 11 opportunities.

San Francisco won despite the D-Backs turning five double plays. On a positive note, outfielder Angel Pagan returned to the Giants lineup after missing 11 games with a strained hamstring.

By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, May 12, 2016

AP photo: San Francisco Giants winning pitcher Johnny Cueto bunts a pop up in the third inning left Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Wellington Castillo Thursday night

PHOENIX, Arizona – About that now-routine 100-pitch count limit. Johnny Cueto wasn’t paying much attention to it on Thursday night at Chase Field.

The veteran righthander allowed a well-spaced pair of runs on eight hits and 115 pitches through seven innings, as San Francisco fought off a late Arizona rally to win 4-2. Cueto (5-1) lowered his earned run average to 2.97 in the process.

“This was as good as I’ve felt all season,” Cueto said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I don’t worry about my pitching. It’s just the way I pitch, sometimes I need to get upset at myself to pitch effectively.

Asked when he got upset with himself, Cueto said, “it was in the first inning!”

Cueto added, “I want to thank the Lord for the opportunity to pitch. I think it’s also a credit to my teammates who play really well behind me. I just try to do the best I can.”

D-Backs leadoff hitter Jean Segura was 3-for-5, but Cueto stymied the rest of the lineup. Arizona stranded 11 baserunners – eight against Cueto.

“Johnny did a great job,” Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. “He threw a lot of pitches early, then he settled down and pitched a terrific game. He did a good job against a tough lineup. It was a good win for him, and for us.

“Johnny’s been so consistent for us. He’s giving us quality innings and he’s fun to watch.”

By winning, the Giants (19-18) remain tied with Los Angeles for first place in the National League West, and the Diamondbacks (17-20) are two games behind in what has been the weakest division in Major League Baseball so far this season.

The Giants’ victory didn’t come without some late drama. With one out in the Arizona ninth, pinch-hitter Phil Gosselin doubled off Giants closer Santiago Casilla, followed by a single by Segura. After Brandon Drury struck out and Paul Goldschmidt walked to load the bases, Casilla was pulled in favor of left-hander Javier Lopez.

With the lefty-lefty matchup Bochy wanted, Jake Lamb grounded out to second to end the game, and Lopez had his first save of the season.

“It was a little scary there at the end,” Bochy said. “It was a well-played game with timely hits. The guys did a good job.”

Casilla was visibly upset about being taken out of the game, but Bochy stood by his decision.

“That was an easy move to make,” Bochy explained. “Casilla gets emotional and he wants to be the guy out there. We have a veteran lefty out there, (Arizona) was out of hitters, it was easy to do that.

“You don’t mind guys being competitive and not wanting to come out. He’s not used to coming out. He just got a little emotional out there because he didn’t want to come out. We’ll talk about it.”

Meanwhile, Zach Greinke’s struggles continue for Arizona. The high-priced right-hander gave up all four San Francisco runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four as his record evened at 3-3 and his ERA increased to 5.26.

“(Grienke’s) velocity looked the same,” Bochy said. “We finally broke through one inning with some big hits. Grienke had good stuff, so it was good to see us break through and get on the board against these guys.

“He’s one of the best in the game. He shut us down the last time we saw him (D-Backs 2-1 win on April 20 at AT&T Park). It was a great matchup between (Grienke and Cueto). There both cerebral-type pitchers. Today, our guy just pitched better.”

After trailing 1-0 early, San Francisco surged ahead with two runs in the fourth. After Matt Duffy and Buster Posey hit back-to-back singles, Brandon Belt followed with a single to center, scoring Duffy. Hunter Pence hit into a fielder’s choice, erasing Belt at second, but driving in Posey.

The Giants added two more runs in the top of the fifth on Joe Panik’s fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right. Also scoring was Denard Span, who led off the inning with a base hit to center.

“We finally broke through,” Bochy said. “Grienke has been tough on us, but we had some good at-bats there. Panik’s homer was huge, that gave us a little cushion.

“We’ve been in a rut offensively, and it was good to see Joe do what he did. Span had good at-bats, Buster, Belt, they all did a good job against a tough pitcher.”

The Diamondbacks cut their deficit to 4-2 in the sixth when Chris Owings tripled to right-center, driving in Yasmany Tomãs, who reached on a fielder’s choice.

Arizona opened the scoring when Jake Lamb drove in Jean Segura with a two-out RBI single to right in the bottom of the first. Segura led off the Diamondbacks’ first with single, moved to second on Brandon Drury’s base hit and on to third when Paul Goldschmidt grounded into a double play.

After that, Cueto settled down and gave the Giants yet another quality start. He held Goldschmidt to an 0-for-4, striking out the Arizona slugger three times after getting him to hit into a rally-ending double play in the first inning.

“You have to be able to concentrate, especially on a very good hitter like Goldschmidt,” Cueto said. “You just try to get the double play.”

On Friday, Jeff Smardzjia (4-2, 3.17) starts for San Francisco, facing Shelby Miller (1-3, 7.36) in a battle of right-handers.

GIANT JOTTINGS: Prior to Thursday’s game, the Giants recalled RHP Clayton Blackburn from Triple-A Sacramento. The corresponding roster move has yet to be announced. … Springtime in the desert: Game time temperature was 98 degrees. Announced attendance was 19,461. … 1B Brandon Belt is third in the Majors with a .445 on-base percentage. Only Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt has reached more, according to Stats LLC. … The Giants are 9-3 in their last 12 games at Chase Field, and the Diamondbacks are 12-2 in their last 14 games at AT&T Park; the last 21 of 26 games between the two clubs have been won by the visiting team. … Going into the weekend series in the Valley, the Giants are hitting .259 overall with runners in scoring position this season, with a team RISP batting average of .057 (2-for-35). … San Francisco has stranded 271 baserunners this season, tied with the Chicago Cubs for second most in that department. Pittsburgh leads MLB with 276 stranded runners.

TAGS: San Francisco Giants,Arizona Diamondbacks,Sports Radio Service,Daniel Dullum,Johnny Cueto,Joe Panik