Tag: Jeff Samardzija

Interleague Intrigue: Giants measure themselves against the Jays and Yanks

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

If you’re the statistically inferior Giants, it’s hard to find an opponent that’s not better–on paper at least, by the numbers. It’s an early season theme that grows more intense this week with interleague games against the Blue Jays and Yankees.

Those numbers say the Giants will hard pressed by a couple of ballclubs that so far have pitched just as good as the Giants, but have significantly better offenses. The comparisons don’t favor San Francisco when the Yankees’ injuries and the Jays’ inexperience are factored in.

Simply, the numbers show that the Giants’ preference to pitch and play defense leave them little margin for error when they’ve done so little offensively in the season’s first 23 games (9-14). Toronto looked eerily similar to the Giants in that respect until winning seven of their last nine games, including a sweep of the A’s over the weekend in which their offense has kicked in.

In their seven most recent wins, the Blue Jays have averaged six runs per ballgame, a number the Giants can only dream of at this point.

So when Jeff Samardzija takes the mound in Toronto on Tuesday, he’ll need to be especially aware of Justin Smoak (team-leading 17 RBI), Freddy Galvis (five home runs), and Teoscar Hernandez, who was famously robbed of a home run on Sunday at the Coliseum by A’s centerfielder Ramon Laureano.

Trent Thornton is Toronto’s Tuesday starter and he is winless in four starts. Thornton failed to get through five innings in either of his two, most recent starts, lopsided losses to the Rays and Twins. But can the feeble San Francisco offense take advantage of Thornton?

On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Giants starting lineup had no batters with an average above Steven Duggar’s .242. The 3-4-5 hitters, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria are all hitting below .230, and ESPN brought up the possibility that either or both Brandon Crawford (.208) and Joe Panik (.177) could be benched if their offense doesn’t pick up.

On Sunday, the Giants took full advantage of Posey’s first home run since June 2018 in a 3-2 win over the Pirates. But they also failed to add on in any of the game’s final four innings, putting tremendous pressure on the team’s relievers.

With few, other offensive options, manager Bruce Bochy has been forced to be patient. Consequently, he didn’t miss the significance of Posey’s breakthrough on Sunday.

“I know there’s a lot of tension right now on our offense and our struggles especially early in the game. But them personally, they have a lot of pride. So I know that was huge for (Posey). And just the timing of it. We’re down two runs and he hit a three-run homer,” Bochy said.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Gray and Samardzija matchup for great pitching duel

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The Giants had a great pitching duel going with the Colorado Rockies Thursday night. Rockies starter Jon Gray threw shutout ball and the Giants starter Jeff Samardzija likewise throw shutout ball in what some say was masterpiece pitching.

#2 You won’t see pitchers throwing nine innings, but both Gray and Samardjiza threw like the could have pitched nine.

#3 The Giants have had a number of games where hitting had been suspect other than Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Crawford in Thursday’s starting lineup. No one is hitting above .250

#4 You can see at the beginning of the game that Samardzija and Gray were throwing those off balance-breaking balls and were not missing by very much. It was the bottom of the seventh when the Giants centerfielder Kevin Pillar took Gray deep to left center field for his third home run of 2019 to break the deadlock.

#5 Miguel takes a look at Friday night’s starters for Colorado Chad Bettis (0-2, 11.88 ERA) and for the Giants, Drew Pomeranz (0-1, 4.00 ERA).

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

Samardzija shuts down Rox 1-0

Published on by jeremy2878Leave a comment

Photo credit: @sfgiants_fanly

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – Looks like “Shark” has his bite back.

Giants starter Jeff Samardzija has been off to a fantastic start this season and he only accelerated that Thursday night. A guy who is known for going deep into games and eating up innings did not do that nearly enough in 2018, but he has seemed to reverse that trend this season, although it has only been two starts.

He threw seven shutout innings and gave up three hits in getting his first win of the year, struck out seven batters and walked only one. He allowed only one guy to get as far as second base all night, using up only 90 pitches in the process.

It has been a far cry from a 2018 campaign that saw him struggle with his command as well as dealing with assorted injuries that further damaged his effectiveness. He has shown no remnants of that for the first two weeks of this season, and Colorado found that out the hard way.

“He was on top of his game, which you have to do against that lineup,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He just did a beautiful job of pitching. It was fun to watch. He’s been throwing the ball well.”

“It was a long road that he had to come back from. He was a warrior through all that, trying to pitch, and we shouldn’t have had him out there a few times that we let him pitch. He was battling a lot of pain, probably more than what he was telling us. But he put in a lot of hard work this winter, and you can see.”

As locked in as Samardzija was, however, Colorado Jon Gray was just as good. The two hurlers traded zeroes for the first six innings, and it appeared that the Giants could not catch a break at the plate despite garnering some early momentum.

Kevin Pillar changed that with one swing of the bat in the seventh inning.

It’s said that the first pitch is the best one a batter will see during the entire at-bat, and Pillar took advantage of that. He led off the seventh by nailing the first pitch he saw from Gray, sending it over the Bank of America sign in center field to give the Giants a 1-0 lead and make Samardzija eligible for the win.

“It’s great to do your job and throw a quality start, but there’s nothing like getting a win,” Bochy said. “I was really happy that he got the win tonight, with the effort he gave us.

“We needed some help (in the outfield),” he said of Pillar. “We got not just an outfielder, but an elite center fielder, a guy with some pop. This park is more of a pitcher’s park, but he’s shown that if you square up on it, it will go out. On a cold night, that’s pretty impressive.”

The Giants had a couple of chances earlier against Gray but could not cash in. Second baseman Joe Panik lined a two-out double over left fielder Raimel Tapia’s head, but the rally was short-lived as Buster Posey – who otherwise had a very nice night at the plate with a single and a pair of walks – whiffed to end the inning.

They really had something going in the fourth, when Brandon Belt led off the inning with a double and Brandon Crawford advanced him over to third with a well-placed grounder to the right side of the infield.

However, Pablo Sandoval’s groundout back to the pitcher put a serious dent in the rally, which was officially put to death when Pillar grounded out to third.

The Giants had an opportunity to expand the lead in the eighth, after getting the first two batters on via the base on balls. With Belt up, a pitch got past Colorado catcher Tony Wolters and momentarily allowed both runners to advance with nobody out.

However, what TV replays clearly showed as a passed ball that bounced off Wolters’ mitt was actually ruled as a foul tip by home plate umpire C.B Bucknor, as he determined that the ball had struck Belt’s bat as he checked his swing. The play was non-reviewable, and both runners were forced to go back to first and second, respectively.

Belt ended up striking out, and the two ensuing batters, Sandoval and Crawford, each grounded out softly to first, one of which would have brought a runner home had the passed ball been correctly called.

Fortunately for the Giants, that did not become a turning point, as Will Smith came in and pitched a perfect ninth, thanks to a sparkling play by Panik to rob Charlie Blackmon of a hit.

The Giants next play the Rockies on Friday night at 7:15 pm.

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

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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.

 

Samardzija looks good, despite Giants’ hard-fought 3-2 loss to Cardinals

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @mlbtraderumors

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — With the exception of one bad inning, it was a sufficient return for Jeff Samardzija to the San Francisco Giants’ starting rotation before game three versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carlos Martinez helped out his own cause, as he doubled in the top of the third inning, as the Cardinals defeated the Giants 3-2 before a crowd of 39,606 at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon.

Martinez’s double scored Kolten Wong, who singled to lead-off the inning, went to second on a Francisco Pena ground out and then scored on the Martinez double.

With the loss, the Giants have lost five out of their last six following the sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks from June 29 to July 1.

During this six game stretch, the Giants are hitting .167, as they are 31-for-186 at the plate against the Colorado Rockies and the Cardinals.

The Cardinals added two runs in the top of the fourth inning, as Dexter Fowler hit a sacrifice fly that scored Marcell Ozuna. After the Ozuna singled with one out in the inning, Paul DeJong then singled Ozuna to third base.

Wong picked up his second hit in as many at-bats, and then Francisco Pena drove in DeJong with a sharp single of his own.

Through the first three games of the series, Wong has multi-hit games in all three games and is batting .500 (6-for-12) with a double, triple and two runs batted in.

Brandon Belt drove in the Giants’ lone run of the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he doubled off the right field wall to score Gorkys Hernandez, who led off the inning with a single.

Belt got back in on the act in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he singled off of Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks, who replaced Martinez in the bottom of the frame.

Alen Hanson singled with one out, went to second on a Hicks wild pitch and then scored on Belt’s third hit in four at-bats.

The 41 runs batted in by Belt lead the team, as he drove in both runs in the one-run loss.

Martinez went seven innings, allowing one run on six hits, while walking no one and striking out three, as he improved to 6-4 on the season.

Samardzija ended up going five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking just one and striking out three, as he fell to 1-5 on the season.

This was the first game all season that the Giants’ top three starters of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Samardzija were active at the same time. Bumgarner missed 60 games, Cueto missed 70 games and Samardzija missed 53 games.

NOTES: Bumgarner will take the mound on Sunday, as the Giants look to salvage the finale and he attempts to raise his record to 2-3 on the season. The Cardinals will look to take the series, as they will send Jack Flaherty to the mound, as he looks to improve to 4-4 on the season.

As expected, Joe Panik was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left groin strain, and the contract of Chase d’Arnaud was purchased from Triple-A Sacramento.

To make room for d’Arnaud on the 40-man roster, Hunter Strickland was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

With Samardzija coming off the disabled list, Chris Stratton was optioned to Sacramento. Prior to being optioned to Sacramento, Stratton was 8-6 on the season with a 4.93 earned run average.

Since the 2017 season, the Giants have lost six out of their last eight games against the Cardinals, and have been outscored 48-23 during that stretch.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Cardinals conclude their four-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

Giants, Samardzija experience turbulence in Philly, routed 11-0 in series opener

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Cast Monday’s opener in Philadelphia as the real start to what figures to be a challenging road trip for the resurgent Giants.

The Phillies returned to their bashing, pitching early-season ways–after six losses in their previous eight games–routing the Giants 11-0 on Monday night. Zach Elfin pitched into the seventh inning, striking out nine, Odubel Herrera bashed, hitting a pair of homers. Jeff Samardzija took the loss for the Giants, allowing five runs in four innings, which included Hererra’s three-run homer in the first inning.

“He’s got to have his command. He was up and not hitting spots,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Samardzija. “It was just an off night for everyone.”

After a breezy weekend in Atlanta, the Giants found out what the NL East youth movement is all about, as the Phillies and Braves have–at least for the moment–moved ahead of the Mets and Nationals.  While Herrera is fast becoming the slugger the Phillies envisioned, the Philadelphia pitching is a more recent development. On Monday, Elfin won for the first time this season after starting the season in the minors.  Now Elfin has a pair of consecutive, strong starts after a six inning, no decision against the Marlins last week.

“I was happy that I kept my head on straight and just pounded the zone,” Elfin said, explaining his approach to pitching with such a commanding lead.

The Giants experienced a comical moment when Gorkys Hernandez saw Carlos Santana’s powerful drive bounce out of his glove and over the wall for a three-run homer in the fifth. That put the Phillies up 8-0, and lowlighted a rough pair of innings in relief for D.J. Snelten. The rookie pitcher allowed six hits and five runs in two innings, ruining a perfectly good sub-4.00 ERA in the process.

The Giants hit on all cylinders over the weekend in suburban Atlanta in sweeping the Braves, but the Phillies displayed that their rebuilding effort may be on a different plane than the Braves. With three games remaining at Citizens Bank Park before three in Pittsburgh over the weekend, the Giants must be weary.

Derek Holland gets the ball for the Giants on Tuesday. Holland has never faced the Phillies home or away in his 10-year, big league career.

Samardzija and Williamson make memorable season debuts as Giants down Angels 8-1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

What a season debut for Jeff Samardzija after beginning the season on the disabled list with a pectoral strain.

Samardzija went five innings, allowing just two hits, walking four and striking out four, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-1 at Angel Stadium Friday night.

Mac Williamson, who was tearing up the Pacific Coast League was recalled earlier in the day after Hunter Pence went on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained thumb made the most of his season debut.

After striking out in his first at-bat, Williamson hit a towering two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to help the Giants in the opener of their three-game series in a rematch of the 2002 World Series that the Angels came from a 5-0 deficit to win Game Six and won their only World Championship the next evening with a 4-1 victory.

Nick Hundley got the night started, as he hit his first home run of the season in the top of the second inning. Hundley drove in another run in the top of the eighth inning, as he hit a double off the left field wall.

Andrew McCutchen hit his second three-run home run of the season in the fifth inning, as the Giants broke the game wide-open, as they scored six runs in the inning. Austin Jackson also added a run-scoring in the frame.

Todd Heaney was cruising into the top of the fifth inning, despite the Hundley home run in the top of the second inning.

Heaney let the first five batters get to him, as Williamson hit a two-run home run and his night was done, when McCutchen launched that three-run home run.

Shohei Otani picked two of the five Angels hits, including the first hit of the game off of Samardzija in the bottom of the second inning.

Albert Pujols doubled off the left-center field wall for his 2,991sthit, leaving him just nine shy of the magical 3,000 hit club. The double by Pujols was his 623rdof his career, tying him for 11thplace in Major League history with Hank Aaron.

Mike Trout broke up the shutout in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he hit his seventh home run of the season off of Pierce Johnson.

NOTES: Derek Holland will try again for his first win of the season on Saturday night, as he takes the mound for the Giants, while Garrett Richards will make his first ever start against the Giants.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Angels will face each other in Game 2 Saturday night at 6:07 pm PT.

Hundley’s homer beats Cardinals, and gives pause to the Giant’s most recent struggles

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

 

AP17245840384963
San Francisco Giants’ Nick Hundley, right, celebrates after hitting a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals to win the baseball game in the tenth inning on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Nick Hundley has been one of the biggest bright spots for a bad Giants baseball team in 2017, a point that got hammered home on Saturday.

The journeyman catcher started behind the plate, moving Buster Posey to first base, and with the game tied in the tenth, Hundley provided the game-winning home run off reliever Ryan Sheriff.

“To play a team like the Cardinals, who are still fighting for the playoff race and to come out and get a win, it’s really important,” Hundley said. “It’s important for us, and it’s important for the league. The rest of the league deserves our best shot, too.”

The Cardinals fell seven games behind the Cubs in the NL Central with the loss, the meandering Giants simply ended a tough. ,,stretch of 10 losses in 13 ga558mes with the win, a stretch that again had folks talking about the club becoming only the second Giants team to lose 100 games (1985, 102 losses).

Starters Jeff Samardzija and Lance Lynn were the stars of the first nine innings with the Shark allowing two hits, one run in seven innings, and Lynn allowing one hit in eight innings. With the hot weather conducive to power hitting, the two starters had to be on their game to get things done. They were.

“When you have horses going like that, runs are hard to come by,” Hundley said.

A couple of singles and a wild pitch allowed the Cardinals to push across a run in the fourth. That stood as the difference in the game until Posey’s RBI single in the ninth. What drama remained, was conducted in a succinct, decisive 10th inning.

First, Dexter Fowler tripled off Sam Dyson to open the inning, the second straight day Fowler had soured Dyson’s appearance. On Friday night, Fowler’s big hit opened the floodgates. This time, Dyson responded to the challenge, escaping without allowing a run.

With pinch-runner Harrison Bader on third for the injured Fowler, Dyson induced a ground ball out from Yadier Molina. Then Stephen Piscotty also hit a grounder to third baseman Pablo Sandoval, and the Panda threw out the breaking Bader at the plate. Dyson then recorded the third out on Greg Garcia’s grounder that resulted in a fielder’s choice.

That set the table for Hundley’s heroics, the rare home run down the right field line into the arcade, launched by a right-handed hitter. Given the backup catcher’s popularity with his teammates, the ensuing celebration at home plate was especially spirited.

“He’s an amazing teammate, one of the best I’ve ever had,” Samardzija said of Hundley. “You’re not surprised because he’s always competing.”

 

 

Samardzija’s resurgence continues, Giants shut down the Padres at Petco

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment
AP17241191549994
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija delivers a pitch to a San Diego Padres batter during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Orlando Ramirez)

By Morris Phillips

The Giants found themselves at the intersection of their three biggest shortcomings in their season-plus swoon on Monday night: at Petco Park, playing the Padres, and wondering if and from what source they could generate some offense.

In going 82-122 over their last 204 games–after their MLB-best 57-33 start to 2016–the Giants haven’t played well on the road, haven’t had any success against NL West opponents, and more often than not, have seen their offense sputter.

With a big assist from starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, the Giants defied that pattern by shutting out the Padres, 3-0.

How rare was this? Of Samardzija’s 59 starting assignments as a Giant, this was undoubtedly his best, a three-hit, complete game shutout, his first in nearly two years, dating back to his days as a member of the Chicago White Sox in September 2015.

“He had great focus out there with every pitch against a team that’s been tough on him,” manager Bruce Bochy said of his pitcher, who closed the deal on a tidy 102 pitches.

“I feel like I can manipulate the ball to where I want it,” Samardzija said, adding that he had command of all his pitches Monday, as illustrated by his avoiding a three-ball count to any of the 29 batters he faced.

Two of the three Padres’ hits never left the infield, and the third one did reach the outfield, but didn’t take place until the eighth inning. Prior to July 22, Samardzija allowed 21 home runs, since then he’s 5-1 with just three homers allowed in his most recent 7 starts.

Jhoulys Chacin was the familiar face counted upon to slow the Giants, and he did so, but for only five innings. Chacin struggled with his command, walking four, and was on the hook and out of the game in the sixth, soiled by Brandon Crawford’s solo shot in the fourth.

The Giants picked up some insurance in the eighth when Joe Panik homered with a man aboard.

As rare as Samardzija’s gem was the Giants’ offensive attack, only their 12th win this season when scoring three or fewer runs (61 losses). Stringing together a pair of home runs for baseball’s most power-challenge team was an even rarer occurrence. That’s happened just 30 times in 113 games this season (17-13).

The Giants turning on the power to win a ballgame? Don’t count on it, the Giants have hit 20 fewer home runs than any team in baseball, and barely twice as many as home run leader Giancarlo Stanton by himself. That they managed to hit two homers in spacious Petco Park and win really bucked the odds. The Giants were 4-9 against the Padres coming in, and had beaten their division rivals just 6 times in the last 23 meetings.

On Tuesday, the Giants have Matt Moore on the mound in a matchup with Luis Perdomo.

Don’t look at the standings, just play: Giants win, capture series over the Diamondbacks

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment
AP17218790172387
San Francisco Giants’ Gorkys Hernandez, top, dives safely over Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Daniel Descalso on his double during the fifth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. Also pictured is third baseman Jake Lamb (22). (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Don’t even look at the standings. From a Giants-Dodgers’ rivalry standpoint, the view couldn’t be worse from a San Francisco perspective. Consider this, Giants’ fan: the Dodgers have won as many games (43) in their last 50 contests, as the Giants have won all year (112 games prior to Sunday).

Wow.

Given that, keep the perspective on the field, and the Giants looked good there on Sunday, responding quickly to an early deficit, then racing past the Diamondbacks, 6-3. Jeff Samardzija diverted from his heavy strikeout, light walk persona, but still pitched effectively to win his third, consecutive start.

The undesignated company spokesman of the minute, Samardzija gets it. First, he made it clear that trade rumors weren’t for him, he wants to remain with the Giants. Then, he backed it up with wins over the Pirates, A’s and on Sunday, the Diamondbacks. Three straight wins, after the 32-year old pitcher was a loser in 11 of his first 20 starts of the season.

“We have a unique opportunity to get better, and see what some young guys can do,” Samardzija said.  “We want to win ballgames every day. That’s our goal.”

Against Arizona, Samardzija had help in that quest from three of those youngsters in Jarrett Parker, Albert Suarez and Gorkys Hernandez. Hernandez went from mindless to opportunistic in seconds after he doubled in the fifth, and turned the corner looking for three. But by the time Hernandez picked up third base coach Phil Nevin with the stop sign, he was already in no man’s land. But when Daniel Descalso dropped the ball in the run down, Hernandez went over the top of Descalso, which prevented the infielder from grabbing the ball, and got Hernandez back to second base like a gymnast.

“No gymnastics,” Hernandez said with a laugh, when asked if he had a background in tumbling.

Later in the fifth, Nick Hundley’s two-out, two-strike single back through the middle, scored Henandez and Samardzija, increasing the Giants’ lead to 6-2. Hernandez, according to Chronicle beat writer Henry Schulman, the team’s most improved player over the 113 games of this season, could be a dark horse candidate to assume the centerfield job from Denard Span. Hernandez had a double and two runs scored on Sunday.

Parker’s contributions came in two, big slabs, first his two-run homer in the second that gave the Giants their first lead.  And then in the fourth, Parker threw out J.D. Martinez at the plate to maintain the team’s two-run lead. On Saturday, Parker made a nice, sliding catch, and came up with the game-ending base hit in 10th inning. After two rehabs, and three months away from the club, could Parker be making his bid to be the starting left fielder in 2018? Apparently so.

Suarez came on in the seventh, as Bruce Bochy’s third pitcher of that inning, and retired A.J. Pollock to end that frame. Then the usual long man stuck around to get the final, six outs and record his first save. Still ramping it up there in the mid 90’s at the conclusion, Suarez also seems ready for a bigger role. Bochy agreed, but loves Suarez in the role he now fills.

“He saves the bullpen,” Bochy said of Suarez.

The Giants welcome the Cubs on Monday with Matt Moore facing Jake Arrieta at 7:08pm, a slightly earlier start time for the ESPN national broadcast.