Tag: giants

Everything OK with the Giants? A closer look at the Bochy-Casilla flareup

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Giants wait

By Morris Phillips

Looking for a statistical category that shows the NL West-leading Giants on top of the heap?

Well, after 40 ballgames, and nearly 25 percent of the season completed, there was just one heading into Monday’s off day—innings played.

And what conclusion can be drawn from that statistic? That after playing 17 games in 17 days—and winning the last five–this group’s enjoying a much-needed day of rest.

As for the remaining 122 games in the 2016 regular season, the Giants might want to give this directive a shot: work smarter and make things easier.

In beating the Diamondbacks in Phoenix four straight over the weekend, the Giants did something they hadn’t done in more than a century. They swept a four game series on the road while scoring just 14 runs, the fewest they’ve scored in such a road sweep since 1910.   This is a team leading a torturous existence, and that constant tension caused by repeated close games seemed to spilled over on Thursday when closer Santiago Casilla voiced his displeasure with how manager Bruce Bochy removed him from a save situation with the bases loaded, two outs, and the Giants clinging to a 4-2 lead.

“He didn’t want to come out,” Bochy said of Casilla storming off the mound angrily, prompting Bochy to call Casilla back in attempt to get the reliever to change his attitude. “You want these guys not to want to come out, but he got a little too emotional.”

“The reason I got upset was because he took me out of the game where I thought he had confidence in me,” Casilla said through an interpreter.

Casilla went on to say that he deserved an explanation for the rare move of removing a closer just one out from the potential conclusion of the game. Instead, Casilla said, Bochy took the ball and said nothing.

The incident was hashed over in private the next day, and Casilla was summoned to get the final two outs in the Giants 3-1 win on Friday. Casilla apologized publicly, and Bochy stated the incident was brushed over, but the manager took heat for his actions from the media, just as did his closer for his hot-headed departure.

ESPN’s Dan LeBatard reacted emotionally on his radio show, saying rather harshly that Bochy treated his player like a dog, not an adult. LeBatard especially was displeased that Bochy called Casilla back to the mound in an attempt to get the closer to immediately change his attitude, saying that Bochy should have admonished Casilla in private after the game, not on the field in front of the cameras and the assembled crowd.

Casilla’s thoughts were similar to LeBatard’s as he also said after that game, “Don’t just take the ball and say nothing. It is not a kid. It is a man on the mound.”

Did the incident speak of a bigger issue within the team’s clubhouse, perhaps a ball club divided? Probably not, given the team’s past harmony and all of the familiar, long time faces on the coaching staff and the roster that have plenty of time to adjust to each other’s personalities and idiosyncrasies.

But the incident surely points to this: close ballgames take a toll on a team, especially at the rate the Giants play them. Twenty-one of the team’s 40 games thus far have been decided by one or two runs, and five games have gone into extra innings. All five of the team’s wins on their current streak fit into one or both of those categories.

Call it Torture 2016.

On Tuesday, Madison Bumgarner takes the ball in the opener of a three-game series in San Diego. He’ll be opposed by the Padres’ Colin Rea, a pitcher who has shown marked improvement since he was lifted in the fourth inning of his first start of the season on April 8. In that one, Rea allowed six hits, four walks and five runs in a game the Padres rebounded to win 13-6 over the Rockies. Since then, Rea has thrown at least five innings in all six starts, including an eight-inning effort against the Mets in which he picked up the win, allowing one run, three hits.

 

 

 

Walk off walk: Giants avoid sweep thanks to Toronto’s 13th-inning gifts

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AP16173453450

By Morris Phillips

Professional baseball players are no different than anyone else: If you’re about to embark on a business trip plane ride out of town, after a bullish day at work, but yearning to bathe in momentary contentment, occasionally, you have to walk, not run.

The Giants avoided being swept at home by the Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon by getting the very most out of what’s often considered the least, a walk. In this case, with the bases loaded in the 13th inning to end 4 ½ hours of baseball, avoiding a 2-5 finish to a frustrating home stand, giving it just a bit more significance which manager Bruce Bochy captured.

“Especially having the lead like that, we coughed it up, that would have been a tough one to lose, and get swept, to hit the road on, and (we) kept fighting.”

“I’ll take the walk.”

Still early in a marathon of a season, the Blue Jays and Giants, both 18-18, leave San Francisco in entirely different moods. For the Giants, a lighthearted jaunt to Phoenix to see the Diamondbacks. For the Jays, a longer, slightly quieter flight to Dallas for a weekend with the Rangers.

“The guys played a good game out there,” Toronto’s John Gibbons said. “We came back to tie it against a good pitching staff, we battled our asses off. We came up short.”

Gibbons most regrets the comfortable path his team allowed the Giants in the 13th. With reliever Ryan Tepera pitching, Brandon Belt was hit by a pitch, then Denard Span’s bunt was poorly handled allowing Belt to take second, and Span first. Tepera’s wild pitch allowed both runner’s to move up, and prompted Toronto to walk the bases full, ahead of Matty Duffy’s line out to first, and a four-pitch walk to Buster Posey to end it.

“I mean, you get to a point where you’re almost four-and-a-half hours in, it doesn’t really matter,” Posey said in jest.

The Giants won two 13-inning contests on the home stand, proving once again, they never shy away from tense ballgames that other clubs might consider torture. But all their warts were exposed in the series with the Jays: an offense slathered in molasses, a bullpen trying to find itself, starters too with Peavy and Cain starting–and losing–the first two games, and then on Wednesday a meltdown with closer Santiago Casilla on the mound.

Putting a personal side on the Giants woes, Buster Posey narrowly avoided the worst hitless streak of his career with a single in the first, ending an 0 for 18 slide.

The Giants led 4-1 buoyed by Madison Bumgarner’s quality start, which took the Giants deep into a game with a lead of more than a run for the first time in a week. But Cody Gearrin relieved Bumgarner in the seventh, then opened the eighth by allowing a pair of singles before hitting Troy Tulowitzki to load the bases. Russell Martin’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2, Josh Osich relieved, and allowed a run-scoring single to Justin Smoak, making it 4-3.

Casilla came on to close it in the ninth, but Michael Saunders homered over the center field fence on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. For Casilla, it marked his third blown save in 14 appearances, for Saunders a nice bounce back after he saw a batted ball glance off his head on Monday, his first career game at AT&T Park.

The Giants open a four-game set on Thursday in Phoenix with Johnny Cueto facing fellow, deep pocketed free agent signee Zach Greinke at 6:40pm PST.

 

Peavy OK, but the offense disappears again in Giants’ 3-1 loss to Toronto

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Toronto flex

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Verbal and uncommonly animated, you could hear Jake Peavy after he got ahead of reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson, the second batter of Monday’s game, one ball, two strikes.

Of Peavy’s next four pitches to Donaldson, only the third could be considered effective, a slower than slow breaking pitch that had the slugger hopping across the plate to control his bat just enough to foul off the nasty offering. The other three pitches? Hardly impactful; first Peavy missed inside, then outside, and after Donaldson stayed alive by barely getting his bat on what would have been a called strike three, another ball outside, like the first two, not close enough to tempt the keen-eyed MVP.

Donaldson drew a walk, and Peavy’s signature grunt—for this batter, more of a groan—grew more intense on each pitch.   But on Monday, as it has more often than not thus far this season—intensity didn’t equal a win.

Peavy would go on to throw 27 pitches in a laborious first inning, allowing just one run, despite giving up two hits, two walks and uncorking a wild pitch. But fearless damage control wouldn’t be enough against the favorites in the AL East, as Peavy would go on to allow three runs in a 3-1 loss in which the Giants’ offense was again missing in action, and provided little support for their starting pitcher.

“We just ran into a well-pitched game,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We saw a great arm tonight. He’s been throwing the ball well and he just shut us down but they battled hard. It’s a good sign for Jake, to battle and compete the way he did, to hold them to three there.”

No matter the degree of scuffling, as Bochy described, Peavy was ultimately effective. He went five innings, kept his team in the ballgame, and never gave in. But he couldn’t locate his pitches, walked five guys, creating constant stress, and needed 112 pitches to record 15 outs.

That 112th pitch induced Russell Martin to pop out with the bases loaded, and the game in the balance. Talk about trust between manager and player.

“I just appreciate him showing that confidence in me to make that pitch,” Peavy said.

Offensively, the Giants were stymied again, this the third straight day they saw an upcoming starter displaying his best stuff and being consistent with it. Aaron Sanchez allowed the Giants just three hits and a run, despite having a lot of screwy stuff happen around him.

Sanchez went seven innings and lowered his ERA on the road in four starts thus far to 0.96.

Both teams exited with identical 17-17 records, and despite being near consensus picks to win their divisions, both the Blue Jays and Giants have a lot to work to do. The Giants came in having scored just 2 runs in 22 innings, and did little to reverse that trend. The Jays have their big bats hitting 2 through 6 with Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Troy Tulowitzki, but their entire lineup can’t seem to get the batting averages where they need to be, while reducing the strike outs.

Encarnacion homered off Peavy in third, with Bautista on with a walk, giving the Jays all the offense they would need. Peavy’s only consolation there? He struck out Encarnacion in the fifth, the equivalent of winning the battle, losing the war.

The Giants turn to Matt Cain on Tuesday, in a matchup with the revived J.A. Happ at 7:15pm.

NOTES: With Encarnacion’s two-run shot in the third, he and Bautista share the lead in home runs in interleague games since 2010 with 34. Houston’s Colby Rasmus is next with 33…. Angel Pagan inches closer to a return from that tweak in his knee suffered rounding the bases in New York two Sundays ago. The Giants didn’t disclose a timetable, but sometime this week appears likely. Pagan was available to pinch hit Monday, but would not have stayed in the game to run the bases. George Kontos, out since April 18, is doing a rehab stint with Triple A Sacramento, and pitched a scoreless inning on Sunday. Albert Suarez followed Peavy Monday, pitching two innings in relief as the follow-up to his major league debut on Saturday.

 

 

Where does Matt Cain go from here?: Struggling veteran roughed up in Rockies’ record-setting 17-7 win

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Cain frustrated

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–On a wacky night like this, a pair of teams with .500 early-season records sure didn’t seem like equals.

The Giants followed a brief 3-3 road trip with the clunker of all clunkers in their return to AT&T Park Thursday night, a 17-7 loss to the Rockies, that if nothing else, showed vividly which of the middling NL West contenders is trending in the right direction, and which one is not.

The Rockies improved to 5-2 on their road trip—always an eye-opener for the Mile High-based club that has traditionally faltered on the road—while the Giants turned to Matt Cain, and saw him flounder from the third batter he faced, the 13th consecutive start in which he has failed to record a win.

And while Cain could possibly label the 297th start of his career his worst, it wasn’t as bad as Vin Mazzaro’s relief appearance in which he recorded just one out, while allowing nine of the 13 runs in Colorado’s record-breaking fifth inning.

And while a 13-run inning is a big story in itself, it’s merely a chapter in a bigger story for San Francisco: How far can the Giants go with Cain and Jake Peavy? The veteran pair have made a combined 12 starts, allowing 91 hits in 60 innings. As expected, manager Bruce Bochy said after the game, for the moment, the two veterans remain rotation members in good standing.

“It’s been encouraging at times, but at the same time, we know we have to get better there. And Matty will tell you the same thing, just like Jake. They’ve been around, they have experience. But right now, they’re our guys and we’re staying behind them.”

The 13-run inning was the biggest outburst of any major league club since 2010. It also marked the biggest inning in the history of the Rockies—Coors Field or not.   The 17 runs scored by Colorado was just two off the most the club has ever scored in a road game, only fewer than the 19 runs the Rockies scored on September 25, 2011 in Houston.

And while the big inning was surely unique, it must have felt oddly familiar to the Giants. Exactly a week ago, with Peavy on the mound, the Giants surrendered 12 runs in an inning to the Mets.

“It’s hard to believe lightning hit us twice here in about a week,” Bochy said.

Cain started off inauspiciously enough. He retired the first two batters, but then Carlos Gonzalez singled, and major league home run leader Nolan Arenado deposited a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall.   Gerardo Parra doubled, Mark Reynolds singled him home and just that fast the Rockies led 3-0.

The Giants responded with a pair of runs in the first, another in the second, to lessen the impact of Cain’s rocky beginnings, but after a couple of encouraging innings, rookie sensation Trevor Story touched Cain for a homer leading off the fifth, and the floodgates opened.

In all Cain, allowed 10 hits—half of those for extra bases—and six earned runs. Unable to record an out in the fifth, he was lifted, the third time the season the veteran has failed to finish five innings in a start.

Former Athletic, Vin Mazzaro, followed, and the Rockies methodically, and unemotionally, picked the reliever apart. Mazzaro faced 10 batters, allowing six hits, a walk, and nine runs, seven of those earned.

After being lifted, Mazzaro sat puzzled in the dugout, his facial expression resembling that of someone that had just witnessed a train wreck. As much as any Murderer’s Row can display modesty, the Rockies did, taking the whole 37-minute fireworks display in stride.

“Everybody was just putting good swings on the ball and having fun with it,” rookie Trevor Story said.

The Giants played without Hunter Pence, who suffered back tightness before the game, and Joe Panik, who’s sidelined with a groin issue. The poor pitching wasn’t their only issue; sure handed Brandon Crawford and Kelby Tomlinson, playing second base, made untimely errors in the fifth. Earlier, third base coach Roberto Kelly inexplicably sent Buster Posey home on Crawford’s single, challenging Gonzalez’ rocket arm with no outs. Posey was thrown out easily, and Mac Williamson followed by hitting an inning-ending double play ball.

Had the Giants pushed a run across in that third inning, it would have tied the game 4-4.

With the loss, the Giants fell into a three-way tie for first with the Rockies and Dodgers. All three have .500 records, but while the Dodgers and Rockies have winning records against NL West competition thus far, the Giants have dropped ten of 18 games within their division.

On Friday night, the Giants turn to Madison Bumgarner, coming off his impressive start in New York, in a matchup with Colorado’s Chad Bettis.

 

Big innings push the Giants past the Reds, and into first place in the NL West

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Crawford greeted

By Morris Phillips

Given the early season statistical numbers, it wasn’t a surprise that Brandon Crawford’s home run off Cincinnati’s JC Ramirez stood as the game-winner on Monday night.

So far in 2016, the Reds’ inexperienced bullpen has sprung leaks in multiple spots, allowing 22 home runs in 26 games, the most allowed by any big league team’s relievers by a large margin. Meanwhile, the Giants have proven to be a more than capable power hitting team, hitting 28 jacks in 27 games. Throw in the historically, homer-friendly nature of Great American Ballpark, and the decisive scenario of Crawford batting against Ramirez in the seventh inning with two runners aboard, and the Giants trailing 6-5 was set.

To that point, Monday’s game already stood as an offensive showcase with the Giants scoring three runs in the second, only to see the Reds respond with six runs in the third, ruining what would have been a nice return to Cincinnati for the Giants’ $100-million-dollar man, Johnny Cueto.

With two runs already in, Crawford stepped up and deposited Ramirez’ 2-1 pitch three rows beyond the right center field wall, giving the Giants lead again on their way to a 9-6 win.

The Giants’ won for the second straight day, after dropping the first two games of a six-game road trip, and moved into first place in the NL West, despite their very modest 14-13 won-loss record.

Crawford had been scuffling prior to his big at-bat, hitting around .200 over his previous 18 games, and struggling when given opportunities to knock in a run or two. But Ramirez’ breaking ball hung, and Crawford pounced.

“I’ve gotten a few RBIs through ground outs or sacrifice flies, but getting a hit in that situation is always a lot better,” Crawford said.

The Giants’ shortstop finished the night’s scoring in the ninth, knocking in an insurance run, giving him four RBI on the night. Brandon Belt had three of the team’s 14 hits, and scored twice.

Manager Bruce Bochy got contributions from most of the 25 guys available, as Mac Williamson replaced the injured Angel Pagan in left, and gave way to Gregor Blanco in the sixth in a double switch. Kelby Tomlinson started at second, giving Joe Panik a rare day off, and four relievers followed Cueto, allowing the Reds just one hit.

Cueto pitched eight seasons in Cincinnati, and was greeted warmly by the smallish crowd. That reception transitioned nicely into the pitcher’s infield single that knocked in a pair of runs in the Giants three-run third inning. But the reception turned rough in the third when Cueto was touched for a three-run homer from Joey Votto, followed by a run-scoring triple off the bat of Jay Bruce.

But throughout, the veteran remained composed, barely blinking when Votto’s shot cleared the wall. It must have been Cueto’s familiarity with the Great American Ballpark situation, where runs have traditionally been scored in bunches. Not surprisingly, Cueto followed the six-run third with a pair of scoreless frames to keep the Giants within reach.

Reds’ starter Brandon Finnegan put up four scoreless frames after the Giants took their early 3-0 lead, and seemed poised for a win. But Ramirez relieved Finnegan, and could record just one out before surrendering the home run to Crawford. It was the first home run this season allowed by Ramirez, but the Reds’ bullpen has allowed at least one run in 20 consecutive ballgames, an embarrassing feat achieved just once since 1913 at the major league level.

The Giants resume their series in Cincinnati on Tuesday as Jeff Samardzjia faces the Reds’ John Moscot. Moscot suffered shoulder discomfort in his previous start, so his participation isn’t assured. The team said that Moscot will be re-evaluated in pre-game warmups before being allowed to pitch.

Giants, Casilla hold on, down the Padres 5-4 in series opener

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By Morris Phillips

In a ballgame that took nearly four hours to work through a full nine innings on Monday night, the top of the eighth took on a life of its own.

Seven Padres’ hitters saw pitches from four Giants’ relievers as the home team’s comfortable 5-2 lead shrunk to a run, and the game became potentially a one-pitch affair. In the absence of familiar names like Romo, Affeldt and Lopez, anxious fans and impatient seagulls got initial looks at Derek Law and Josh Osich, and another look at Hunter Strickland, now three seasons into attempting to lock down a defined role in a rapidly changing bullpen.

Woven deep in the web of baseball strategy was manager Bruce Bochy’s faith that his young arms can evolve into a unit as trustworthy as those on his World Series teams sooner rather than later.

“These kids are going to have hiccups,” Bochy confessed.

“They’ll learn from all this.”

Strickland opened the inning and faltered, charged with both Padres’ runs, then Law saw just one batter, hanging a breaking ball to pinch-hitter Brett Wallace, who singled, putting runners at first and third with one out. Osich picked both up by fanning Jemile Weeks, the only batter he faced, and keeping the tying run at third base.

Afterwards, Bochy explained that had Osich faltered, and allowed the Padres to tie the game, he would have opted for another young arm, Mike Broadway. But with the Giants still clinging to a lead, it was time to turn to his most experienced arm, Santiago Casilla, who navigated through the final four outs, giving the Giants a hard-earned 5-4 win.

With the Dodgers falling at home to the Marlins, the win helped negate the effects of this rough home stand in which the home team has won just three of eight, while pulling the Giants within 2 ½ games of the division lead.

To prevail, the Giants got contributions from all over, from Denard Span’s big catch at the center field wall, robbing Matt Kemp of extra bases, to Madison Bumgarner’s gutty performance in which he pitched into the seventh inning. The Giants broke their power drought (just three home runs in their previous 10 games) with Hunter Pence and Buster Posey going deep.

The Giants had 12 hits and that spelled doom for former A’s reliever Drew Pomeranz, who has been an early surprise in San Diego as a starter. On Monday, Pomeranz couldn’t get out of the fifth inning, allowing seven hits, three walks, and four runs.

Bumgarner got the start for the Giants and for once wasn’t matched against the opponent’s ace. The youthful veteran wasn’t that jazzed about his own performance, but left grateful Bochy kept him in the game into the seventh inning, throwing 114 pitches in the process. When the bullpen wobbled and swerved, but didn’t break, Bumgarner was able to pick up his second win of the season.

Angel Pagan contributed three hits, knocking in a pair of runs out of the nine hole to raise his batting average to a healthy .356. The veteran again hit behind Bumgarner, but that’s no slight for a guy who’s made plenty of sacrifices this season. Instead, Pagan trumpeted the quirky strategy.

“After the second inning, it’s just like having another leadoff hitter,” Pagan explained.

Joe Panik contributed three hits, and Posey had a pair of hits and two runs knocked in.

The Giants have Johnny Cueto on the mound Tuesday looking for this fourth win opposed by James Shields, who’s winless in three starts.

Who us worry? Giants lose again, get swept, but Bochy preaches patience

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By Morris Phillips

AP photo Marco Jose Sanchez: The Arizona Diamondbacks Paul Goldschmidt takes a hack for a RBI single in third inning of Thursday’s game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park

SAN FRANCISCO–When losing gains this type of intensity, philosophical leanings aren’t far behind, and a downcast manager Bruce Bochy was quick to put a hopeful spin on the Giants’ 1-8 slide that has them–at least temporarily–in fourth place in the NL West.

“This was a tough series for us. That’s what it is: one series and come back tomorrow.”

Didn’t say vivid or expansive, just hopeful. Now Bochy’s Giants have to make the next step.

The Giants got some assistance from the visiting Diamondbacks Thursday afternoon, but it was a helping hand, not a comprehensive bailout plan. Shelby Miller couldn’t get past the third inning, walking the first four batters of the frame prompting manager Chip Hale to pull the plug.

But reliever Tyler induced Brandon Belt to hit into a double play on his third pitch after his entering the game and the Giants didn’t threaten again. A 2-2 tie would be as close as the Giants would get in what would become a 6-2 loss.

“I could do a lot of things, I could move the order around, I’ll think on this believe me. That’s what my job is trying to figure out how to get this thing going. whether it’s moving guys up, moving guys around.” said Bochy “it’s too early hopefully to be pressing I don’t think they are. We just have some cold hitters right now. We’re having trouble putting the ball in play. It’s all we need sometimes. It’s a good line up and I still think were going to get this thing clicking.”

The Giants top brass general manager Bobby Evans and team vice president Brian Sabean had a meeting after the game with Bochy analyzing the offense it’s weaknesses and what cures can be made. The Giants with the loss are now 7-10 and fourth in the National League West.

 

 

Giants Go Deep To Steal Series Finale From Dodgers

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By Shawn Whelchel

AP photo: San Francisco Giants Joe Panik hits for a double in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.-The Giants entered Sunday’s series finale against the Dodgers just one home run short of leading the MLB. They used three of them to take three-of-four games from their rivals from down south over the weekend, completing yet another comeback with a 9-6 win.

Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Angel Pagan all went deep for the Giants on Sunday, leading to their fifth come-from-behind victory on the season that showcases the lineups old scrappiness with their newfangled depth throughout the order.

The 2016 are now the first team in franchise history to hit home runs in their first seven games, and the power surge has not gone unnoticed by skipper Bruce Bochy.

“It’s a team that’s gonna hit with more power. That doesn’t always mean home runs but I think if you look at the doubles, that’s gonna pick up, and throughout the lineup we have guys who can drive the ball. We’re not gonna rely on the long-ball but it certainly helps, particularly when you’re down five runs, it’s usually something that you need.”

Starter Johnny Cueto might have wished he was still in the confines of Miller Park after his second outing with his new team didn’t go over nearly as well as his first start of the season.

The quirky right-hander got knocked around for six runs on the day-including five in the first inning alone- but was picked up by his teammate’s at the plate. Despite his early struggles, Bochy kept faith in his new starter, and Cueto would rebound from a torrid start to give up just one more run over the next six innings before leaving with a chance at the win.

Although Bochy noted the tough first inning, the manager was ultimately impressed with Cueto’s resiliency and ability to bounce back after getting knocked around early.

“For him to end up going seven innings says a couple things. How tough he is, he’s a problem and he comes in there and gets a win after that. He was just a different pitcher after the first inning.”

Dodgers starter Scott Kazmir may not have given up runs in a bunch like Cueto, but the southpaw faired no better than Cueto, getting tagged for six runs over just four innings on seven hits. He was the first Dodgers pitcher to give up three home runs to San Francisco since 2004.

The Dodgers bats and the soggy AT&T turf dampened Cueto’s first start at home as a member of the Giants. After holding Los Angeles to 15 runs in eight career starts prior to Sunday’s game, the Dodgers tagged the 30-year old for five in the top of the frame.

Cueto allowed five hits, a walk and plunked one, while also slipping twice in the AT&T grass while attempting to field his position during that span.

But the Giants would showcase the power of their newfangled lineup, as they would erase Cueto’s miscues with the help of the longball.

Posey would kick things off in the third inning with a solo shot high into the left field bleachers to cut the Dodgers lead to just two. Two batters later, the newly-extended Brandon Belt would launch an equalizer of his own in the deep part of the yard, parking one over the center field wall near triples alley to tie the game.

Cueto, who had settled down after his wild first inning, would be tagged again by the Dodgers’ Corey Seager, whose ten game hitting streak would continue with a line drive single to plate Chase Utley in the top of the fourth to regain the lead for his club at 6-5.

The Giants would find an answer again, this time in the form of a blast from Pagan, whose ball would land just over the left field fence in the bottom half of the inning to notch things up again.

San Francisco’s bats stayed hot heading into the sixth, as Angel Pagan and Denard Span would reach base ahead of Joe Panik, whose seventh hit of the year was a two-rbi double that bounced on the center field warning track to give the Giants their first lead of the day at 8-6. Panik would come around to score on a deep sac-fly by Pence two batters leader to extend the margin.

Bochy’s continuing faith in his starter would be rewarded, as Cueto would settle in to strike out three batters while allowing just two hits and one walk over the next three innings. After escaping one last jam with a two-out liner to Pagan, Cueto would exit the game to a loud standing ovation from the AT&T Park crowd.

The Giants bullpen picked up where Cueto left off, with Sergio Romo and Josh Osich working a rather uneventful eighth inning before Santiago Casilla would down the heart of the Dodgers lineup in order to capture his second save on the season, giving his team a 9-6 final.

The win gives San Francisco sole possession of the NL West heading into a stint with the Colorado Rockies next week.

Dodgers dogged: Giants respond to early deficit with a 12-run outburst, win home opener

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Mays Opening Day
Hall of Famer Willie Mays stands with Pamela Irvin Fields, second from left, and Patricia Irvin Gordon, right, the daughters of Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, before the start of an opening day baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday, April 7, 2016, in San Francisco. At left is Giants pitcher Sergio Romo. The daughters of Irvin, who died in January, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. (Jason Watson/POOL via AP)

 

By Morris Phillips

Talk about tight scheduling. One inning after the Dodgers’ flirtation with pitching history ended, the Giants’ Opening Day offensive fireworks display commenced.

Alex Wood extended the Dodgers’ season-opening scoreless pitching streak to 31 innings–one inning short of the major-league record established in 1963–then fell into trouble in the fifth inning. The Giants scored three times, the first significant blow in a 17-hit attack that carried them past the Dodgers, 12-6 in the team’s home opener.

Angel Pagan delivered a two-run single in the sixth that gave the Giants their first lead, 5-4. Then in the eighth, Hunter Pence capped the Giants’ scoring with a grand slam off J.P. Howell. In all, 11 Giants came up with at least one hit, led by Joe Panik and Buster Posey with three each.

“It can look awfully dim, like it did there for a while today, and then turn,” starting pitcher Jake Peavy said of the period where the Giants trailed 4-0. “That’s one thing about this team we always talk about: this team plays 27 outs, then let the chips fall where they may.”

The Dodgers came into the first of 19 games between the longtime rivals both limping and thriving, after sweeping the Padres in San Diego without allowing a run, despite opening the season with 10 players on the disabled list. Their surprising start continued with the appearance of Peavy, who didn’t have his best stuff, allowing the Dodgers 10 hits and four runs before he was lifted after five innings.

In contrast, the Giants opened with a 12-run outburst in Milwaukee, but were far off of that offensive output in their following two games, totaling five runs while splitting the final two games against the Brewers. But Thursday was a reminder that the Giants’ lineup—in full health—could be among the best in the major leagues, with their ability to attack both big and small. Included in the Giants’ hit barrage Thursday were bunt singles by Kelby Tomlinson and Denard Span, along with four extra-base hits including Pence’s slam.

Through four games, five Giants’ regulars—Posey, Panik, Pagan, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford—are all hitting .333 and above to rank among the NL’s top 30 hitters.

Once Peavy departed, and the Giants struck for their initial three runs, Chris Heston made his season debut, pitching one scoreless inning and picking up the win. Dodgers’ starter Wood was chased in the sixth after allowing the first two hitters to reach. Then Yimi Garcia came on, and gave up the two-run single to Pagan, and RBI hits to Panik and Posey.

In all, the Giants delivered eight hits with runners in scoring position, and like they did in the opener, showed the ability to hit deep in counts, one way to surely frustrate opposing pitchers.

“All the way down the line, and even a lot of our pitchers, we can hit,” Pence said. “It makes everyone better. We’ve got a lot of guys who are going to keep competing with you no matter what you’ve got.”

Former Giant Dave Roberts assumed the managerial position for the Dodgers this winter after Don Mattingly was fired. So far, the former player under Giants’ skipper Bruce Bochy has had a comfortable ride, but things get tougher on Friday night when he turns to 26-year old rookie Ross Stripling making his major league debut on the mound.   The Dodgers currently are without injured starting pitchers Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Matt Cain will make the start for the Giants with game time set for 7:15pm.

Giants open 2016 season with a power display in Milwaukee

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Buster bust out

By Morris Phillips

Giants’ hitters spent the afternoon trying to top each other’s feats in an Opening Day offensive explosion for the record books in Milwaukee.

Denard Span knocked in five runs in his first game as a Giant, and Matt Duffy plated four in a 12-3 rout that was capped by three consecutive home runs in the eighth inning by Span, Joe Panik and Buster Posey. The back-to-back-to-back homers in the opener had only been accomplished twice in major league history, most recently by the 1997 Padres.

Madison Bumgarner started on Opening Day for the third straight year despite experiencing fever and chills starting on Sunday. The former World Series MVP lasted just five innings, allowing three runs on five hits and five walks, but departed with a 7-3 lead.

Bumgarner pulled his big escape act in the first inning after walking three batters and allowing a run. With the bases loaded, he induced Aaron Hill to hit into an inning-ending double play.

“We’ve all seen what he’s done in the postseason multiple times, so I wouldn’t expect the flu to hold down a guy like that,” Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun said.

The healthy Giants’ lineup with capable hitters one through nine impressed Brewers’ manager Craig Counsell with their ability to hit deep in counts, moving the line early against starter Wily Peralta, who lasted just four innings after coughing up four runs on five hits. The Milwaukee bullpen didn’t fare well either, allowing all four the Giants’ homers including Matt Duffy’s blast off Carlos Torres in the fifth.

Duffy knocked in all four of his runs in the first five innings, but Span topped that with total with his three-run shot in the eighth.

“What they’re good at is putting the ball in play on tough pitches with two strikes,” Counsell said.

“That’s a good team. They’re great hitters,” Peralta said. “That’s a tough game for me and for the team today, but we have to move forward.”

Ariel Pena was on the hill for the home run explosion in the eighth, capped by Posey’s blast over the centerfield wall. The Giants last hit four home runs on Opening day in 1983, also the last time they scored as many as 12 runs.

The game was played as light snow flurries descended on the Wisconsin lakefront, but didn’t interrupt the proceedings with the retractable roof at Miller Park closed.   The Giants opened a season in Milwaukee for the first time ever.

While the Giants were as advertised after a trio of splashy free agent signings in the off-season, the Brewers rebuild got off to a rocky start. The news off the field wasn’t much better for Milwaukee, as veteran Matt Garza was scratched from his scheduled start on Wednesday in the series finale due to shoulder issues.

On Tuesday, Johnny Cueto makes his Giants’ debut against the Brewers’ Jimmy Nelson.