Tag: Buster Posey

Giants offense hoovering below the Mendoza Line to start 2019 season

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By Morris Phillips

Anyway you slice it, the Giants’ offense is chopped liver.

No main course, just a side dish relegated to a lesser than status. That simply is who they are.

The Giants rank 29th in home runs (10 in 17 games), 29th in batting average (.199), and 27th in runs scored (47) which averages out to 2.76 a game.

There are only 30 major league clubs. Only one of those 30 has yet to score a run in the first inning: the Giants.  Need I say more?

Steven Duggar supposed to set the table. The leadoff hitter is batting .224 with an OBP of .250. On Sunday, Duggar went 0 for 4 and struck out twice.

“It’s something we’ll talk about, how can we get more aggressive and put some pressure on early in games,” said Evan Longoria, when asked about the team’s lack of early offense.

Ok, what about the run producers? Buster Posey’s hitting .220. Not much power from the fading catcher. Posey hit five home runs in 2018, and has yet to homer in 2019. If he hits fewer than five this season, it will mark the sixth, consecutive year his home run total has dipped. If he hits more than five, will he hit 10, 15? Either way his home run total goes, he’s the least likeliest guy a team would pick to hit cleanup with his .298 slugging percentage.

Brandon Belt is hitting .218 and hasn’t driven in a run in any of his last eight starts. Longoria has one home run and a .197 batting average.

Unlike last season when the Giants had more proven offensive threats, there’s really nowhere else for Posey, Belt, Duggar and Longoria to hit but at the top of the lineup. But that quartet has already struck out 64 times.

The Giants rank third in the National League with a 2.75 staff ERA. They can pitch, and the defense is clearly improved. But with these offensive numbers, the margin for error is razor thin. Pitch and play defense? Yeah, maybe for a team with more resources in the lineup, not this club.

The Giants open an eight-game trip on Tuesday in Washington. Dereck Rodriguez gies for the Giants, Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals in a 4:05 pm start.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Joey Bart is all the rage, just how soon will he come up to the show?

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco Giants catcher Joey Bart has already established himself for his hitting but needs to polish up on some defensive catching. He could very well get called up during the Giants regular season.

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 All the talk has been about young Giants prospect catcher Joey Bart. How soon do you think it will be until he will be in the show on a regular basis?

#2 Once promoted, will he be catcher Buster Posey’s regular back up? There’s so much expected of him, can he live up to the hype?

#3 Bart can swing the bats he had an OBP of .369 and hit .296 in spring training.

#4 Giants announcer Mike Krukow said that Bart has some bad habits. This spring, he has allowed six passed balls and committed six errors, but with some coaching, he can break those habits and with his bat and be a big piece of the Giants future.

#5 Once the National League adopts the Universal Designated Hitter rule, could Bart be a starting as catcher and Posey moving to the DH slot?

Michael Duca covers San Francisco Giants baseball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants starting to play out the string in upcoming series against the Brewers

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

It’s quite evident that the Giants are not going to make the playoffs – Buster Posey having season-ending surgery and the team trading Andrew McCutchen after a little more than half a season more than showed they have waved the right flag – so they might as well mess things up for teams that are still contending.

They can start with this weekend’s three-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers, which starts Friday night at Miller Park. The Giants just got finished getting their heads handed to them by the Rockies in Colorado (what else is new?) in getting swept in a three-game series at Coors Field.

So if they are going to play spoiler–or if they think they actually have a chance in grabbing a wild-card spot in the National League–they will need to get things back on track very quickly.

The Giants’ Derek Holland (7-8, 3.56 ERA) will take the ball Friday night against the Brewers’ Chase Anderson (9-7, 3.96 ERA).

Anderson has won each of his last three decisions, and in his last outing, he went five innings and gave up only a run on four hits in a loss to Washington, although he got a no-decision. Holland, meanwhile, has won each of his last two decisions, while he has spent some time in the bullpen this season.

The left-hander went six innings in a loss to the Mets at home–he got a no-decision–and he also gave up only a run and surrendered only four hits in the process.

Chris Stratton (9-8, 4.90 ERA), who has spent some time in Triple-A Sacramento this year, will go Saturday afternoon, and he will face Milwaukee lefty–and former Nationals and A’s standout–Gio Gonzalez.

Stratton has been stellar in his past two starts, although he lost his last outing in a 4-1 loss to the Mets four days ago, when he gave up only a pair of runs on three hits over six innings. The outing before, he shut out the Diamondbacks over eight innings, giving up only five hits and striking out six in a 2-0 win.

On Sunday, Madison Bumgarner (5-5, 3.07 ERA) will take the hill for the Giants and opposite the Brewers’ Zach Davies (2-5, 4.88 ERA).

Giants keep yucking it up on road trip as they lose to Mets 5-3

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco Giants appear to be running out of gas at the wrong time. They were swept this past weekend in Cincinnati, and things are not looking very good against a team that they are clearly better than in the New York Mets. They committed a couple of costly errors and gave up more than their fair share of home runs in a 5-3 loss at Citi Field Wednesday night.

The Giants have dropped two of the first three of this four-game series to the Mets.

Starter Casey Kelly surrendered a pair of solo homers while closer Hunter Strickland gave up one of his own, and as a result, the Giants have slid all the way to 9 ½ games back of the National League West lead, as they now sport a 62-66 record.

The Mets got two of those longballs in the first inning to shoot out to a 3-0 lead, and the Giants could not recover from that.

Kelly gave up four runs–two of those earned because of the two errors the Giants made during the course of the game–on seven hits over six innings. He struck out four hitters while not walking anyone, but the two homers proved to be his undoing.

Meanwhile, Noah Syndergaard was solid over six innings, as he gave up a pair of runs on five hits, striking out six while walking only one. In the process, he ran his season record to 9-3.

Austin Slater and Joe Panik each had a pair of hits for the Giants apiece, with Slater hitting a solo homer in the seventh to narrow the Mets’ lead to only a run.

Things seem to be getting worse for the Giants off the field as well. Catcher Buster Posey, who went 0-for-4 on Wednesday and now has a batting average of .284, is reportedly heading toward having hip surgery that would put an end to his season.

The Giants and Mets wrap up their four-game series Thursday at 10:10 am PDT.

They may be down, but they’re never out! A’s beat the Giants 4-3

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Celebration
A’s celebrate after beating the Giants Photo: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

SAN FRANCISCO — The Oakland Athletics (54-42) really do not know when to quit. In the major leagues, teams that are trailing as they head into the late innings (the seventh inning and beyond) are pretty much doomed to failure the majority of the time. The goal for every big league team is to score early and often because later is usually too late.

The 2018 A’s are breaking all of those rules. The A’s are tied for second in runs scored in the seventh inning or later (173). They did it again on Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants (50-47).

The A’s were trailing the Giants 3-2 as they came to bat in the top of the seventh inning. Tony Watson was the new pitcher for San Francisco. Josh Phegley led off the inning with a single to right. The pitcher’s spot was due up (National League park), so manager Bob Melvin put in Mark Canha as a pinch hitter. Canha hit a 3-2 pitch halfway up into the bleachers in left field for his 12th home run of the season and his 38th and 39th RBIs of the year.

The A’s took a 4-3 lead and never looked back. Lou Trivino worked 2.0 innings of scoreless relief for his team. All-star Blake Treinen then came on in the bottom of the ninth. Treinen struggled a bit as he walked two Giants, but he worked his way out of trouble to earn his 24th save of the season.

The win went to Yusmeiro Petit (4-2) who was pitcher of record in the top of the seventh inning. The loss goes to Tony Watson who also receives a blown save for his record.

Neither starter had a great night. Brett Anderson worked just 3.1 innings for Oakland giving up three runs (all earned) on eight hits. Jeff Samardzija made the start for the Giants and he lasted just 4.0 innings. He allowed two runs (both earned) off three hits. He walked two and struck out one batter.

Steven Duggar had another good game for the Giants, going 2-for-4 at the plate while scoring two runs and adding an RBI. Buster Posey had a 2-for-4 night hitting as well.

Samardzija Swan Song?

To say that the Giants have been disappointed with the performance of Jeff Samardzija this season — may be one of the great understatements of 2018. His performance on Saturday did nothing to help his standing with the team. His 10th start lasted just 4.0 innings and saw “the Shark” give up two runs (both earned) on three hits. He walked two and struck out just one Oakland batter. The real concern was his velocity or lack of it. Samardzija had trouble breaking into the 90’s with his pitches. The Giants would love to open his spot for a younger pitcher, but they have to figure out what to do with the 33-year old veteran who will make $18-million per season through 2020.

A little bullpen irony 

In the seventh inning, the Giants’ lifted reliever Tony Watson and gave the ball to Ray Black with one out and two runners on base. The A’s had Lou Trivino warming up in their bullpen and would ultimately pitch the seventh inning for Oakland. The irony is that Trivino credits Black for his success as a pitcher. The A’s RHP said he was watching Black pitch at Class-A San Jose when he was with the Stockton Ports and he liked the way Black pitched. Trivino incorporated some of Black’s technique into his own style and now both are facing off in the major leagues.

So long Santiago and other transactions

Relief pitcher Santiago Casilla was designated for assignment (DFA) by the A’s. Casilla appeared in 26 games pitching 31.1 innings while posting a 3.16 ERA. He struck out 22 and walked 20 which lead to a WHIP of 1.213. Casilla had a poor outing on Friday night in San Francisco. If no team claims Casilla off waivers, he will have to decide if he will accept an assignment to the minors.

Ryan Dull received an airline ticket back to Nashville. Dull had a rough outing for the A’s on Friday night and has struggled to find any consistency on the mound this season. He had worked 18 innings for Oakland giving up 21 hits (3 HRs) while striking out 17 and walking five. Dull was carrying an ERA of 6.00, which will not keep you in the Major Leagues.

Franklin Barreto continues to rack up the frequent flier miles as he has returned from Nashville. His return is related to the leg contusion suffered by Jed Lowrie on Friday night. Lowrie did not play on Saturday and do not expect to see him on Sunday. Lowrie’s status for the All-Star game has not been addressed.

Good news for the starting pitching rotation

Daniel Mengden has been brought off the disabled list by the A’s. Mengden was put on the 10-day DL due to a foot sprain. The RHP is 6-6 this season in 16 starts with a 4.47 ERA in 90.2 innings pitched. He has struck out 55 and walked just 19 batters. Mengden could well see action in the Bay Bridge Series Part 2 in Oakland next weekend.

 

Bye to Chi: Exhausting series with Cubs ends in the 13th inning with a Giants’ 5-4 win

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in three days, the Giants emptied their tank–along with their bullpen–to get past the Cubs.

The 452nd pitch of the afternoon thrown by James Norwood was treated to Buster Posey’s classic inside out swing which sent the ball carooming off the padded advertisement at the base of the right field arcade, scoring Brandon Belt.

Posey’s signature All-Star moment ended four and half hours of baseball in the 13th inning with the Giants prevailing 5-4 at AT&T Park on Wednesday. And then it got Posey’s manager and teammates talking about the catcher’s grit and determination.

“For him to drive the ball like that with two strikes, that’s what’s impressive,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Posey’s final swing.

“For Buster to feel something the majority of the season, his hip, and still go out every day and hit the ball like he does, he’s just a different animal,” said Dereck Rodriguez, who as the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, might understand what Posey deals with shouldering so much responsibility on daily basis despite the constant injuries and nicks earned behind the plate.

A different animal? Yeah, what else would explain catching 225 pitches over 13 innings, then delivering the game-winning hit on your seventh at-bat two days after announcing that an expedited, pain-relieving procedure is needed in a few days just for your season to continue after the All-Star break.

“He’s a future Hall of Famer,” Rodriguez said.

Posey, always in character and in a different tone than Rodriguez, wasn’t in need of All-Star treatment.

“Everybody’s got stuff they’re dealing with. I try not to make more of it than what it is,” Posey said.

Whether business or usual, or Herculean feat, Posey’s big hit kept the Giants trending in the right direction, moving within three games of the Diamondbacks in the NL West. Ultimately, being three games behind–and just three games over .500–won’t get the Giants much. But they continue to hang around, for 95 games now, just in case they’re capable of a whole lot more down the stretch of the season.

The Giants will kick off the Battle of the Bay versus the A’s on Friday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

Lefty Derek Holland gets an opportunity to resurrect his career in the SF Giant’s starting rotation

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2018 Major League Baseball Photo Day
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 20: Derek Holland #45 of the San Francisco Giants poses during Photo Day on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Robert Binder/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

from the cover athletic.com photo: San Francisco Giants pitcher Derek Holland throws to the Oakland A’s during Monday’s pre season game at AT&T Park in the second game of the Bay Bridge Series

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Seven weeks after Derek Holland’s under-the-radar signing with the Giants as a non-roster invitee, the relationship between the club and the player has gotten quite serious.

Madison Bumgarner (and Jeff Samardzija) are on the shelf, and the 31-year old Holland is in the starting rotation. Given Holland’s recent history, this is quite a development, one the resurgent pitcher won’t take for granted.

“This is a great ballclub,” Holland said.  “And I’m glad to be a part of it.”

After a 14-loss season (in 26 starts) with the White Sox in 2017, Holland was released. Signing with the Giants, he hoped, would give him an opportunity to stay in the majors as a reliever.  But the Giants are plentiful in terms of options in their relief corps. Thanks to the imposing salary cap, all the opportunities–if any–would be in the club’s starting rotation. In fact, besides the still-too-green Tyler Beede and Chris Heston, nearly three years removed from his June 2015 no-hitter, the Giants possessed few options other than Holland.

So Holland took the ball and ran with it.  In five spring appearances, Holland won once and got his ERA under control after it hit 6.20 for 2017.  With 18 strikeouts in 15 innings, Holland earned a look for a rotation spot.  The Giants were forced to overlook Holland’s four homers allowed, and his 17 hits allowed in 15 innings didn’t seem so bad when compared to Matt Moore of 2017, or the possibility of signing aging, ageless one, Bartolo Colon.

So when Bumgarner’s bone in his hand was broken by a liner through the box, and Samardzija was declared out of at least the first two starts of his season, Holland got a spot.  But the Giants can’t be sure what they’re getting: Holland’s best year was 16 wins in 2011, and he missed most of both 2014 and 2015 with injuries.  The 31-year old stayed healthy in 2017, but his ERA soared.

“Despite getting released, I started off really well,” Holland explained.  “I  made every start.”

Last April, Holland won three games.  Then two in May, and only one win in June.  In June and July, the starter lost five games both months.  Then after a relief appearance in September, Holland was granted his unconditional release. A similiar start for the Giants would be nice, the rest of Holland’s 2017 would be too much of a reminder of what they got from Moore, who lost 15 times.

The difference? 2017 was rough on Moore psychologically, and it sometimes showed. Holland’s a much lighter personality, and the expectations for him aren’t as high.  That atmosphere could put the veteran in better position to succeed.  The Giants certainly hope so.

On Monday, in his final tune-up against the A’s, Holland pitched five innings and allowed four hits. Two of those four hits were solo shots for Mark Canha and Matt Chapman, but Moore kept the Giants in the game, and limited the traffic on the basepaths.

“He did a nice job,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I really think he’s set to go, and throw 100 pitches.”

 

Baseball is back in the Bay; Giants down the A’s 5-1 on Sunday

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baseball AZ

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Baseball returned to the Bay Area on Sunday afternoon as the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics played the first of three annual Bay Bridge Exhibition Series games at the Coliseum in Oakland. The G-Men came out on top in game of one as they downed the A’s 5-1 before 21,229 fans on very chilly day.

Johnny Cueto made the start for the Giants and Daniel Gossett took the hill for the A’s. If you are a Giants fan you are very happy with the way Cueto pitched especially with the loss of Bumgarner. The big righthander pitched 5.2-innings giving up just one run (earned) on five hits. He struck out six and walked just one batter. Cueto threw 82 pitches (57 strikes). He looks ready to go for the regular season.

The Athletics  Daniel Gossett looked good for the first two innings and then ran into some real trouble in the top of the third inning. Gossett gave up three runs off three three hits with the real damage coming from a Buster Posey two-run double that slammed off the center field wall. He would give up a solo run in the fourth inning.

Gossett worked 3.2 innings giving up those four runs (all earned) on five hits. He struck out two and walked one. Gossett threw 78 pitches (47 strikes).

“I thought his stuff was good. Similar to what we saw during regular Spring Training. He just did’t throw enough strikes,”said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “He got himself in a jam and Posey got a big hit … they scored some runs off of it. He has to be a little more efficient with his strikes and get ahead in the count.”

The A’s used six pitchers in the contest:

  • Yusmeiro Petit worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up no hits.
  • Daniel Coulombe struck one and walked one but did not give up a hit in his one inning on the mound.
  • Liam Hendricks posted all zeros in his inning on the hill. Melvin said it was his best outing of the training season.
  • Raul Alcantara struggled in his one inning giving up one run on one hit. The hit was a home run to the Panda – Pablo Sandoval. Melvin indicated Alcantara has to start throwing his breaking ball for strikes.
  • Simon Castro closed out the game by giving up no runs on no hits while striking out two and walking one.

There were not the many highlights on offense. The A’s only run came in the bottom of third inning when Dustin Fowler led off the inning with base hit. After Joyce came close to hitting one of out the park to deep center field, Semien grounded out to short and that moved Fowler into scoring position at second base. Jed Lowrie then hit a single up the middle and the speedy Fowler raced home to score the only run of the game for the Athletics.

The totals in game for the Giants were five runs, seven hits and no errors while the A’s posted one run, six hits and two errors. San Francisco is now 14-15 for the spring and Oakland falls to 13-15.

The two meet in San Francisco on Monday night.

Athletics Current Roster

Khris Davis
Khris Davis is ready for the season to begin Photo: @Athletics

The A’s have 17 pitchers, seven infielders, seven outfielders and three catchers for a total of 34 players. That number must be cut to 25 by Thursday. Look for Oakland to keep 13 pitchers, 10 position players and 2 catchers.

Due to injuries, the A’s are down to five starting pitchers by default. It appears the bullpen will receive maximum usage this season. The team did work at upgrading the relief corps in the off-season and now it appears it is a good thing they did with the injuries to the starters.

Who will play center field?

The battle is between Dustin Fowler, Boog Powell and Jeff Smolinski. Powell saw action with the A’s in 2017 playing in 29 games and hitting .282 including three home runs. He also played in 23 games for the Seattle Mariners before being traded to Oakland. Smolinski appeared in 16 games for the Athletics batting .259 with an OPS .607.

The Athletics acquired Fowler from the New York Yankees in the Sonny Gray trade. Fowler appeared in one game for the Yankees which is the total of his MLB experience. When Fowler was traded, he was on the disabled list with a ruptured right patellar tendon. He came off the DL last November.

Powell is hitting .250 for the spring with an OPS of .665. He has hit two home runs and two stolen bases. Fowler is batting .195 in 41 trips to the plate this spring. He has not hit a home run but has recorded four RBI and has three stolen bases. His OPS is .471.

Smolinski has hit .289 this spring with an OPS of 1.003. He has hit four home runs and recorded 13 RBI. Those are some numbers that may be hard to ignore

This appears to be a battle between power and speed. The advantage that Fowler possesses is his speed which can be a real asset on defense and could be a real help on offense if he could use that speed to get into scoring position. The problem is the on-base-percentage of .227. If that OBP is over .350, now that speed becomes a weapon.

The fact is the experience and offensive production of Powell and Smolinski gives them a real advantage in staying with the “big club” on Thursday and beyond. The A’s need Fowler to develop into a leadoff hitter who can get on base by the base hit, bunt or base-on-balls. He probably needs some time at Triple-A to work on those skills.

After the game on Sunday, Bob Melvin had this to say about Fowler, “He’s doing a nice job and he’s starting to swing the bat better. He’s starting to hit the ball the other way which means he’s getting on top of the ball and more on track. Early in the spring that wasn’t the case. His bats are getting better and better.”

2018 Giants must figure out how to gain ground in the competitive NL West

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AP17261007251750
Arizona Diamondbacks’ J.D. Martinez (28) is greeted at the plate by Daniel Descalso, left and Paul Goldschmidt after hitting a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants are rumored to want to bring back a majority of their 25-man roster, a retooling project as opposed to a rebuilding effort to shape their 2018 squad.

Add a power source, the thinking goes, someone like Giancarlo Stanton, if not Stanton himself, and that big bat in the middle of the order takes the pressure off Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey and others, giving the Giants a competent offense, one at least slightly better than the three-runs-or-less trainwreck of 2017.

But the Giants don’t just need to get better, they need to gain traction within the NL West, a division that’s gone to the Dodgers for a record fifth year in a row, and has two other 2017 postseason qualifiers with staying power in the Rockies and Diamondbacks.

So to recap, the team with the worst record in baseball this season, and the last half of the previous season, is supposed to catch its rivals by tweaking it’s roster.

How’s that supposed to work?

Start with pitching, and that’s where the Dodgers and Diamondbacks have set themselves apart, with both staffs ranked among the top three in baseball. The Dodgers and D’Backs have done it in the manner the Giants intended: with pitching that provides two or more dominant starts every time through the five-man rotation, and a bullpen that protects all leads.

The Giants will need to shave a run off their slightly-below MLB average team ERA (4.59) and come up with two more strikeouts every nine innings to get to where Los Angeles and Arizona are. They may attempt to do that with a bullpen and a starting staff that could return intact, that after the team announced Matt Moore’s option will be picked up despite his 14 losses, and ghastly performances versus NL West competition (1-7, Moore’s only win within the division came on April 10).

“I’ve really enjoyed the city and staff we work with every day, the ballpark and the division,” Moore said when asked if he was excited for the opportunity to return.

The Giants’ aim for 2017 was (prior to the 93 losses and counting) to win low scoring games with pitching and defense. Neither aspects were anywhere close to where they needed to be this season, resulting in the team’s proverbial margin for error being too slim.

Once again, how will that work? Don’t be surprised if the Giants answer by saying a healthy Will Smith, Mark Melancon, Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner minus the dirt bike will suffice.

Offensively, the Giants run counterintuitively to the vast majority of clubs in terms of offensive philosophy with their retention of clutch hitters who don’t necessarily hit the ball out of the park. Thus, the ESPN article a month ago suggesting the club rid itself of nearly its entire everyday lineup in search of hitters with a home run profile.

But the Giants may only tweak here, let’s for now say Stanton or Mike Moustakas (both having career years in home runs) and a plus defender in centerfield in, and Brandon Belt and a reserve outfielder out.

Is that enough bold change to make up the 23 home run gap between the Giants and 29th place Pittsburgh, or the 85 home run difference between the Giants and the Dodgers?

Probably not. For instance, Stanton is likely to finish second or third in the NL MVP race to Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt and/or Colorado’s Nolan Arenado despite hitting 55 home runs to date. Were Stanton to do something similar for the Giants in 2018, guess what? His contributions could still leave him behind Goldschmidt and Arenado. No slight to Stanton, that’s just reflective of how good the other two are, and how much promise they retain heading into next season.

Again, it’s hard to see how the Giants close the gap so dramatically in such a short period of time. But don’t be surprised if they try.

That’s different: Eighth-inning rally gets Giants a rare, series win over the Indians

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AP17200845055396
San Francisco Giants’ Conor Gillaspie, right, is congratulated by Gorkys Hernandez after scoring against the Cleveland Indians during the eighth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Tuesday night, the Giants walked off with a win, and walked into a hearty celebration. Wednesday afternoon, the Giants engineered a successful, late inning comeback, and resigned the Panda.

That’s changing the narrative.

In a season so disappointing any true momentum shift would likely involve Mays, McCovey and both Bonds in a Field of Dreams: SF television pilot scenario, the sad-sack Giants will likely have to do with far less.

They appeared to get that in their last two wins over the AL Central-leading Indians. Buster Posey’s two-run, pinch-hit double in the eight inning propelled the Giants to a 5-4 win and a rare, series victory.

“It’s big,” Brandon Crawford said. “We obviously want to have a good, second half. The first half didn’t go the way we wanted, obviously. It’d be nice to turn that around and winning two, close games where we had to come from behind against a good team that’s a good start, definitely.”

The trends the Giants bucked in winning Wednesday were numerous, enough to prompt most to drive to Vegas in a triple-digit heat looking to cash in on all the abnormalities. The Giants had been a major league worst in day games (11-24), a bust when trailing late (6-51 when trailing after seven innings), and a zero when Matt Cain starts (seven, consecutive losses).

Posey hadn’t been productive in his infrequent turns as a pinch-hit either, but that didn’t keep the All-Star catcher from sending reliever Bryan Shaw’s 3-2 offering off the left field wall scoring Conor Gillaspie and Crawford with the deciding runs. Shaw had to live with getting beat on a slider, something other than his best pitch, and Posey got to exault in helping the club on his scheduled day of rest.

“My pinch-hitting numbers are not very good, but it’s nice to come through,” Posey said.

The Giants won a series against an American League opponent for the first time in more than a year. Cain did his part by pitching six innings, allowing three runs. Denard Span contributed a homer and a double, and Crawford had two hits and a run scored while hitting cleanup.

The Indians post-All Star break week in the Bay Area ended poorly as the team won once in six tries and escaped with their division lead almost all but wiped out. The reoccurring theme of bullpen games, and narrow losses wasn’t lost on manager Terry Francona.

“When you’re playing games like this where every run is so magnified, we have to play clean baseball. I don’t think our bullpen can’t handle it. I just think we have to play the game in all areas,” Francona said.

In a surprise announcement, the Giants confirmed the signing of Pablo Sandoval to a minor league contract, giving the Panda an opportunity to resurrect his career starting at Triple-A Sacramento after he was let go by the Red Sox despite the $49.5 million left on his contract.

On Thursday, the Giants open a four-game set against the Padres with Madison Bumgarner facing San Diego’s Jhoulys Chacin.