Tag: Jeff Samardzija

Samardzija sharp, Giants capture series with 2-1 win over the Pirates

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Pittsburgh Pirates’ Josh Bell, left, reacts after striking out swinging against San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija in the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 26, 2017, in San Francisco. At right is Giants catcher Buster Posey. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Even if the victories are small ones, the Giants have to relish them. They’re all they have.

On Wednesday, the Giants snuck by the Pirates, 2-1, and captured the series, the second time they won a series on this homestand. And yes, a 5-5 homestand is an accomplishment for a team that hit just two home runs in the 10 games, and has a losing record at home (22-29).

And they got Jeff Samardzija in the win column, which helps makes sense of his confusing season in which he’s lost 11 games but been consistent, maddening and sharp as well. This was one of his best outings, the eighth time in 21 starts that he did not allow a home run. When Samardzija does allow at least one homer, he’s 1-9. When he strikes out at least eight batters, he’s 3-5. Samardzija struck out eight on Wednesday.

“All you want to do is keep your team in the game, eat up innings for the bullpen and if you get a lead, protect it,” Samardzija said.

In this case, Samardzija protected the lead before he got it with his defense in the second inning. After Adam Frazier tied it with his RBI double, Jordy Mercer was intentionally walked to load the bases, bringing up Pirates’ starter Trevor Williams. Williams’ chopper to Samardzija’s right was grabbed by the pitcher barehanded who then wheeled and threw home to force out Francisco Cervelli attempting to score the go-ahead run.

“I was just doing the only option I had,” Samardzija said. “I didn’t think I had a chance at first.”

“At one time he was the best wide receiver in Chicago, and that might include the pro team,” Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle said of Samardzija’s seamless putout. “It doesn’t surprise me when he makes a play like that.”

Samardzija went on to retire 13 hitters consecutively and allow four hits on the afternoon, giving the Giants rare checks in the pitching and defensive categories. Given that, the San Francisco offense could afford to be spotty, and it was due to Williams. But the 1-1 tie game turned in the seventh inning when leftfielder Sterling Marte lost Brandon Belt’s pop up in the sun.

Rookie pinch-hitter Miguel Gomez doubled ahead of Belt and scored the go-ahead run on Belt’s fly ball, which was ruled a double.

Relievers Hunter Strickland and Sam Dyson combined to record the final six outs, and the Giants recorded just their sixth win all season when they only score one or two runs. Manager Bruce Bochy rolled his most veteran lineup (minus the just departed Eduardo Nunez, traded to Boston) for the third straight game and picked up a win, on the rare day where the team’s usual, lack of offense didn’t result in another loss.

After an off-day the Giants open a three-game set against the Dodgers in Los Angeles with Matt Moore on the mound opposite Alex Wood, who is 11-1 for the Dodgers.

 

Giant’s year-long swoon now has the post-All Star break in San Diego as bookends

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JULY 08: San Francisco Giants Starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) throws a pitch during the Major League Baseball game between the Miami Marlins and the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By Morris Phillips

The disappointing baseball being played by the Giants in 2017, actually commenced in 2016, in San Diego against the Padres immediately after the All-star break.

The Giants open the second half–on Thursday in San Diego–again under far different circumstances.

Same Giants’ team visiting the same opponent a year apart with now a full season of baseball games in between. The equation isn’t a pretty one, as the Giants have gone 64-98 after starting 2016 with a MLB-best 57-33 record that disappeared as quickly as it materialized.

Last year, the Giants traveled to San Diego with a nine-game win streak against the Padres, and promptly lost four straight to their division rivals, each loss in the most frustrating manner possible. It marked the first time that the team’s top three starters–Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija–had lost consecutively as teammates. Needless to say, that convergenge of poor luck has happened again since.

In the last 162 games, Cueto has gone 11-11, after starting his Giants’ career 13-1. Bumgarner opened 2016 with a 10-4 record, in the 162 games since, He’s 5-9 in 19 starts, and hasn’t thrown more than eight innings in any of the 19. Bumgarner also landed on the disabled list for the first time in his career following his April dirt biking incident and shoulder injury.

And Samardzija opened 2016 with a 9-5 record. In the 32 starts since, he’s 7-16, and has pitched more than seven innings in a start just three times.

In losing nearly 100 games, a lot more than the failings of the Giants’ top three starters has transpired. The offense has often disappeared, the bullpen has been faulty, starting with the struggles of Santiago Casilla last season, and Derek Law this season. And the left field position has been a revolving door with Jarrett Parker, Mac Williamson, Michael Morse and Gorkys Hernandez among the candidates to struggle. Most recently, rookie Austin Slater made the most of his 29 games left, hitting .290 only to see his season derailed by hip and groin injuries.

But the struggles no doubt begin with Bumgarner, Cueto and Samardzija, who were an impressive 32-10 as a trio before last season’s break. Since then? The three are a combined 23-36.

 

Giants win, nine-game losing streak to the Rockies snapped

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San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey follows through as he drives in a run with a double against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 26, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) 

By Morris Phillips

Ease up on dissension stories, put a noose on the negativity, look no further for factions and infighting.  If only for a night, the focus fell on the diamond, as the Giants became winners again.

Jeff Samardzija pitched into the seventh inning, and four Giants produced multi-hit games in a 9-2 rout of the Rockies, ending the team’s woeful stretch of 12 losses in 13 games. The win also snapped a streak of nine, consecutive losses to the Rockies, the longest such streak of Giants’ losses in the nearly 25 seasons of meetings between the two clubs.

Manager Bruce Bochy stuck with his most veteran lineup Monday, and was rewarded with three-hit games from Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, while Denard Span and Joe Panik each had a pair of hits at the top the lineup.  The Giants scored in three of the first four innings off German Marquez, who failed to win for a third, consecutive start.

Samardzija again pitched well enough to win, but this time, he did win. The Shark tamed the same lineup that was unforgiving in Denver on June 16, when Samardzija allowed a season-worst eight runs and 11 hits.  This time, with all his pitches working, the righthander cruised through the first six innings before adversity struck in the seventh. Still, his two runs and six hits allowed performance was enough to get the decision, and avoid a major league-worst tenth loss.

“We have a hard time scoring runs for him, but tonight he got rewarded for a great effort,” manager Bruce Bochy said.

Samardzija continued to be stingy with opposing hitters, by striking out five and walking none. That extends a streak of 12 starts in which he’s struck out 82 batters while walking just four. But he’s only 3-5 in that stretch, another example of how hard wins, and run support, have been to come by for a club that’s 23 1/2 games behind the Dodgers.. after gaining ground on Monday.

“Obviously we’re trying to score runs for him,” Brandon Crawford said. “At times, we try too hard, we’re pressing.”

Samardzija’s received the third worst support in the big leagues this season, barely three runs per game on average, but he hasn’t dwelled on it, in part due to previous experience. In 2014, as a member of the Cubs, he went the first 10 starts of the season without a win, despite pitching deep into all 10 starts, and compiling a miniscule 1.46 ERA.

“Even when it’s not going well, you go out and give it all you got,” he said.

Monday’s win came on the heels of a story written by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that depicted the Giants as a divided clubhouse, in part due to disagreement over pre-game stretching routines that conflict with new closer Mark Melancon’s preferred, pre-night game routine. Add Rosenthal’s contention that the Giants lack fiery personalties, leaving them cemented in a lethargy of losing, and you have something to talk about.

A bewildered Bochy did just that before Monday’s game.

“It’s pole vaulting over mouse turds, to be honest,” he said, when told of Rosenthal’s finer points.

Are the Giants a happy family then, despite losing at a record pace in a season they were built to compete for a fourth World Championship?

Probably not, but they do cut an unique swath across the greater canvas of losing. For one, big contracts are hard to move, and the Giants have a bunch of them. With the trade deadline roughly six weeks away, a market flooded with sellers won’t dislodge a gaggle of buyers. Only the most, desirable contracts will move, and the deals signed by Johnny Cueto, Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt, for examples, are expensive, complicated and downright undesirable.

Also, the Giants’ front office stubbornly has backed away from trade talks–for now–in hopes that some of the underperformers can turn it around. They can’t move everyone, and the majority of their roster wasn’t considered washed up until things collectively went south just two months ago.

For example, would you consider moving arbitration-eligible Joe Panik, a year after he was widely thought to be ascending to league batting champion status? Panik will be just 27 on Opening Day 2018, and he’s showing signs of progress after two, injury-marred seasons.

On Tuesday, Matt Cain gets the start for the Giants, Jeff Hoffman goes for the Rockies at 7:15pm.

 

 

 

 

No offense, but…: Giants lineup underwhelms again in 3-2 loss to the Twins

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–With little margin for error, even one of the NL’s hottest pitchers can find himself in a bind.

Jeff Samardzija came into Saturday’s game against the Twins on one of the most impressive runs of his decade-long, big league career, becoming the first pitcher since 1900 to strikeout as many as 59 batters, while walking only one, accomplished in the time frame of his previous seven starts.  The Giants’ pricey 2016 free agent acquisition has been both dominating and consistent–without the results to show for it.  While Samardzija’s been dealing by any measure, wins and losses must be excluded. The Shark’s 2-8 on the season, and only 2-3 during his unprecedented run.

In a matchup with the Twins’ Jose Berrios, a 2012 first round pick, Samardzija knew coming in runs would be at a premium. And once Giants’ hitters started flailing at Berrios’ confounding curveballs on Saturday, that premium number grew smaller.

With run support the elephant in the room, plus the presence of Berrios, the pressure was on. And the Giants didn’t respond well, falling to Minnesota, 3-2, their 31st loss in 37 games this season in which they scored three runs or less.

“Occasionally you’re going to give up three runs, maybe four, but you have to pick these pitchers up sometimes,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We have a hard time, especially here at home. I know this is more of a pitchers’ park but still that shouldn’t happen.”

Leaving the Giants’ starter high and dry has been a reoccurring theme in 2017, and even more recently. In the team’s last eight home games, the Giants have been shutout three times, and scored just once in the homestand finale loss to the Nationals on May 31.

On Saturday, Brandon Belt started the scoring with a splash hit in the first inning, but it was the current San Francisco treat, a solo shot.

In the fourth, the Twins’ Kennys Vargas tied with a rocket off Samardzija on a 2-2 pitch with two outs. The 457-foot home run registered among the longest hit by Minnesota this season. Samardzija would say afterwards, he wanted his pitch in on Vargas’ hands. Instead the pitch was at the knees–not really bad location, but it allowed the powerful Vargas to extend his arms.

In the fifth, Samardzija allowed the one walk he gave up all day to Robbie Grossman, among the AL leaders in on-base percentage.  The Giants’ starter threw three consecutive balls to open the at-bat, only to see Grossman draw the walk on a full count.

Afterwards, Samardzija would admit the one walk issued affected him in subsequent pitches, the second of which turned out to be the game-winner for the Twins, a two-run homer off the bat of Brian Dozier.

Giants’ hitters over the final five innings would attempt to tie it with a pair of runs, but only Buster Posey’s ground out with two runners aboard scored a run. Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence, hitting fifth and sixth in the San Francisco lineup, would both strike out with runners on in the third and again in the fifth, after Posey’s fielder’s choice made the score 3-2.

Pence and Crawford both would finish 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, bringing scrutiny upon both in the postgame press conference.  Crawford is in a 9 for 50 (.180) slide over his last 14 games, and Pence has only three hits (3 for 22) in the week since he came off the disabled list.

“That makes it tough, when you’re in the heart of the order and you have a couple of guys struggling, that makes it tough to score runs,” Bochy said of the pair. “Those are the guys you lean on. The third inning, that’s the difference in the game.”

The Giants look to avoid getting swept at home on Sunday with Matt Cain taking the mound in a matchup with Nik Turley, making his big league debut.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACE: Ehire Adrianza, the former Giants’ utility man from 2015 and 2016, was given his unconditional release by the Brewers in February, and then signed a minor league deal with the Twins. Adrianza hit .303 in spring training, and .297 for the Twins since returning from the disabled list from an oblique injury early in May.  He started at shortstop on Saturday, and was 0 for 4.

Chris Heston, now exactly two years removed from his no-hitter for the Giants and no longer an emerging prospect at 29, just signed with the Twins this week. Heston started the season with the Mariners, and was released by the Dodgers without making a major league appearance.

 

 

Giants rebound in Milwaukee, Samardzija picks up a rare win

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Brewers’ Domingo Santana and Brett Phillips nearly collide as Phillips can’t catch a ball hit by San Francisco Giants’ Eduardo Nunez during the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, June 5, 2017, in Milwaukee. The play was ruled an error. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

By Morris Phillips

This time Jeff Samardzija found gold at the end of his starting assignment.

The Giants’ pricey, free agent acquisition from 2016 actually began to turn around his 2017 season in May, a month in which the Shark struck out 49 batters, walked just one, but only won once in six starts. Samardzija got little offensive support in St. Louis, Chicago and Los Angeles, and at AT&T Park against the Nationals he got picked apart by the National League’s highest scoring offense.  Throw in a lousy first two innings at Citi Field against the Mets, and Samardzija’s month could be characterized by quality opponents, mostly on the road, along with rough patches in games in which he pitched well when evaluated in their entirety.

But on Monday in Milwaukee, Samardzija pitched well throughout, and the San Francisco offense finally checked in during the eighth and ninth innings, allowing the Giants to register a rare road win, 7-2 over the Brewers.

“He had good command, good velocity,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Great changeup, cutter too. He had it all going on in a place he hasn’t had much success.”

Samardzija was winless across the more than 45 innings he had thrown at Miller Park in his career, and the Giants had dropped six of eight on the road.  Moreover, their sobering weekend in Philadelphia was another reminder that their season is rapidly slipping away.

But unlike the team’s season, Samardzija’s has life, thanks to some adjustments suggested by pitching coach Dave Righetti that have the pitcher displaying greater command of all his pitches.

“I’ve just been staying back real well and haven’t been drifting down off the rubber until it’s time,” Samardzija said. “That’s been the big adjustment me and (Righetti) made: just letting everything happen on the rubber. After that, it’s just executing the pitch.”

Samardzija coughed up two runs early, but then retired 19 batters in a row at one point, against a surprising Milwaukee team that has a winning record after 58 games, and probably expected to be more scathing than the two extra base hits they managed off Samardzija.

After trailing 2-0 after one inning, Samardzija was still around when the Giants came up with a pair of runs in the eighth, breaking a 2-2 tie. The righthander escaped trouble in the seventh by striking out Nick Franklin and Jonathan Villar who came to the plate with two runners aboard.  Throughout, the Brewers had trouble squaring up Samardzija’s cut fastball.

In the eighth, pinch hitter Aaron Hill doubled home a pair of runs. Then in the ninth, Brandon Belt singled home Kelby Tomlinson, and Buster Posey and Hunter Pence came up with run-scoring ground outs. Milwaukee’s Brett Phillips, in his major league debut, dropped a fly ball in right field, extending the inning for the Giants.

Pence rejoined the lineup after a month-long absence due to injury, giving the Giants familiarity in their starting nine that had been long missing.  Eduardo Nunez, along with Belt and Posey, contributed a pair of hits each to an 11-hit attack.

On Tuesday, the Giants look to string together wins behind Matt Cain, who will be opposed by the Brewers Matt Anderson.

 

 

Giants battle the Rockies, persistent rain, only to come up one run short 4-3

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–After an unscheduled interruption during the national anthem, five extra base hits and six runs in a first inning played in a vigorous downpour, and the groundskeeping crew’s constant resuscitating of the playing surface, the hearty fans that braved it all had to feel they were into an epic afternoon of topsy, turvy baseball injected with frequent scoring.

Instead the rain eased, the pitching soared, and the scoring all but drived up.  And the hero of the afternoon didn’t tote a bat, but carried a catcher’s glove and assisted on a putout at first base.  But what a play.

With the Giants threating to push across the tying run in the sixth, Brandon Crawford hit a dribbler up the line that figuratively died. But Tony Wolters shed his mask, raced to the ball, took airborne, and unleashed an accurate flip to first baseman Mark Reynolds for the out. SportsCenter? You bet.

Take away the moisture and Wolters’ gymnastics, and the Giants’ issue of  the moment– scoring too few runs–couldn’t have been more apparent.  Jeff Samardzija, who fell to 0-3 after the Giants’ 4-3 loss, allowed three of those runs in his first 15 pitches.  With the Giants’ offense sputtering for the majority of the afternoon, Samardzija’s early hiccup couldn’t be overcome.

“We need to figure out a way to scratch one or two across when we need them to close the gap,” Samardzija said. “That comes from not letting runs in early, so you can take the lead.”

The Giants fell to 5-8 on the season with the loss, with a trip to Kansas City to face the Royals up next.  The Rockies grabbed three of four in the series and improved to 8-5.

The rain left the field waterlogged, especially along the tracks and in the corners.  But the Giants’ groundskeeping crew worked tirelessly to minimize the moisture only to be thanklessly chased off the field at points by the time conscious umpires.  The rain was its most intense in the first two innings. It eased after that, but never ceased.

The Giants haven’t experienced a rain out at home in 10 years with the last one coming in 2006 against the Astros. By comparison, the A’s did rain out with their home game set to start at the same time as the Giants.  But with the Warriors hosting a playoff game next door, and far fewer A’s tickets sold that Giants’ tickets, economics may have explained the team’s different approaches to the weather, more so than the Giants’ more reliable field drainage system.

Petaluma’s Madeline Haedt sang the national anthem, and did so flawlessly until an unscheduled interruption half way through.  But after gathering herself, and clearing her throat, she finished flawlessly as well.

Opportunity squandered: Chatwood outduels Samardzija, Giants fail to put Cards on their heels in the wild card chase

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By Morris Phillips

One night after racking up 19 hits, scoring 12 runs and appearing as if they had solved their biggest problem, the Giants came crashing back to their norm.  Instead of seizing control of their playoff lives, they died a small death, shutout 2-0 by a division foe seven seasons removed from their last postseason appearance.

How could the Giants lose to the Rockies under these circumstances?  Well, the answer starts and ends with Colorado’s Tyler Chatwood.  The hard-throwing, right hander had AT&T Park fans sitting on their hands, allowing four, disconnected singles in a terrific, eight innings of work.

“Everything was live,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said of Chatwood.  “Great finish to his pitches.  He had the sinker, cutter combo, and then he started mixing in the curveball.  That’s kind of been his formula the last few times out where he starts to go to the curveball in the middle innings.  He made it interesting with a couple of leadoff walks late, but he gets the groundball and that’s what he’s really good at.  He can put the ball on the ground with the best of them.  He got two, huge double plays.  To shut down that team for eight innings, that’s impressive.”

“Chatwood’s been tough on us,” manager Bruce Bochy admitted.  “He was good tonight.  We just couldn’t figure him out.”

For the first eight innings, the Giants never got a baserunner as far as third base.   When a glimmer arose, Chatwood induced Buster Posey to ground into a double play in the seventh, then got Angel Pagan to do the same in the eighth.

Consequently, the Giants’ playoff picture remained muddied.  Four games remain, and the Giants are a 1 ½ games behind the Mets who won, and just a game in front of the Cardinals, who lost on Wednesday.  Had the Giants won, they would have had St. Louis teetering on the proverbial cliff.  Instead, they’d better win Thursday, or cede critical momentum to the Cards heading into the season’s final weekend.

The Giants were shutout for the ninth time since things got dicey following the All-Star break.  They’ve had far too many nights like these, but to be fair, Chatwood was a different animal.

The 26-year old pitcher missed most of the 2014 season, and all of 2015 while recovering from a second Tommy John surgery, the first coming when he was just a freshman in high school.  The effects of the first procedure might have been on the minds of the Angels when they gave up on the locally-reared prospect they drafted, more so than his so-so 6-11 rookie season in 2011.

Traded to Colorado for catcher Chris Ianetta after that 2011 season, Chatwood had two fair seasons with the Rockies, winning a combined 13 games in 2012 and 2013, first out of the bullpen, then as a member of the team’s starting rotation.  Elbow issues prompted the second Tommy John procedure in 2014, but since returning in April, Chatwood, according to Weiss, has exceeded expectations.

To say the least: with the win Wednesday, Chatwood improved his record to 8-1 in 13 starts away from chaotic Coors Field.  His ERA of 1.69 in those road starts is the lowest of any major league pitcher this season, while shattering the Rockies’ ERA record of 2.44 established in 2013 by Jhoulys Chacin, who made 13 road starts that season.

Opposite Chatwood, Jeff Samardzija was obscured.  The Giants’ starter pitched superbly, striking out a season-best 11, while allowing two runs in six innings.  In the sixth, Samardzija induced RBI machine Nolan Arenado to hit into an inning-ending double play, no small feat since Arenado earlier picked up his major league-leading 130th RBI.

But all that battling simply saddled the Giants’ starter with the loss, despite his performance announcing that he’s postseason-ready, if one exists for the Giants.

“This is the time of year, man,” Samardzija said.  “This feels great to be out there pitching when the weather turns a little bit and the season comes to an end.  I always love being able to see the finish line and it always allows me to go a little harder.”

Samardzija’s performance put him over 200 innings of work for the season, his fourth consecutive such season.  But will he pitch again?  The Giants tinkered with their rotation, putting Madison Bumgarner in line to start Friday against the Dodgers opposite Clayton Kershaw, with Bum’s next logical start being the wild card game a week from now.

Win next Wednesday, and the Giants will head to Chicago to challenge the powerful Cubs in the NLDS.  But after the loss to the Rockies, that’s a long way off.

On Thursday, the Giants send Johnny Cueto to the mound in a matchup with Colorado’s 10-win Jon Gray at 7:15pm.

Giants Bullpen Collapses Again, Lose 3-2 Against St. Louis

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By Shawn Whelchel

AP photo: A picture says a 1000 words in one game earlier this season San Francisco reliever Santiago Casilla was angry for being lifted but in this Saturday photo Santiago sympathizes with what his manager Bruce Bochy has to do and lifts Casilla from the game against the St Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO- Just as the team looked to have turned a corner on its second-half struggles, the Giants bullpen collapsed yet again to drop a tight game to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.

St. Louis strung together two runs on two hits and a walk to steal a 3-2 lead from the Giants in the top of the ninth. And for a manager renowned for his ability to work his bullpen, a questionable decision at the game’s most crucial moment proved to be the Giants’ downfall.

Yet again, Bruce Bochy put his faith in former closer Santiago Casilla to close out a tight ballgame. And yet again, he was mistaken in doing so.

Clinging to a one-run lead, Casilla entered in the bottom of the ninth win a man on first. An ill-advised walk and a seeing-eye single later and Casilla had blown his ninth save attempt of the season.

After warming up Hunter Strickland, Bochy would elect to replace Casilla with Matt Reynolds, who would lose the lead on a sacrifice fly to his first batter of the night. San Francisco would threaten with two singles in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t complete the comeback attempt.

The collapse erased what what a magnificent pitching performance by starter Jeff Samardzija, who allowed just one run on seven hits across 6 2/3 innings. Perhaps even more damaging is the fact that both the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers won their games, hurting the team’s chances at a playoff birth.

After the game, Bochy talked about Samardzija’s dominant outing.

“He did a great job. He gave us all we needed and it’s a great start, a quality start,” said Bochy. “Leake, we couldn’t do a whole lot off of him but we found a way to get a couple runs, and we’re a couple out away from winning the ball game. That’s been part of our issue.”

After the game, Bochy said that his decision to pull Romo- who started the ninth inning- in favor of Casilla was an attempt to play the matchups based on history.

“We said if it got to Molina there, he’s had success off of Romo, and Casilla would be a better matchup,” said Bochy. “For some reason, Molina has seen the ball pretty good off of Sergio (Romo), and you go off history. That’s why the change was made there”

 

After suffering at the hands of yet another two-out-rally by the Giants last night, the Cardinals looked to flip the script on Samardzija, jumping out to an early lead when Brandon Moss parked an opposite field shot with two down in the first inning.

As they’ve done so often lately, the Giants’ bottom half of the order-anchored by the streaking Hunter Pence- kicked off the scoring for San Francisco on Saturday night. The Giants got on the board after a deep drive by Brandon Belt to the center field warning track would plate Pence, who singled before him.

The Giants threatened to put up another crooked number, but a spectacular diving play by Cardinals’ first baseman Matt Adams would end the inning by doubling up Eduardo Nunez at first.

San Francisco would look like the team of old in the bottom of the fifth frame, as third baseman Eduardo Nunez would use his speed to steal two straight bags off the Cardinals after leading off with a single. The pair of swipes would set up a sacrifice fly from Samardzija to plate the go-ahead run.

After issuing his fourth walk of the night with two outs in the seventh, Bochy would elect to use his bullpen to close the books on Samardzija’s impressive night. Lefty Will Smith would do just that, getting pinch hitter Jhonny Peralta to fly out to deep right field to end the threat.

Samardzija would walk away with an impressive line that saw him allow just one run on seven hits through a strong 6 2/3 innings.

But the Giants’ bullpen woes would rear their ugly head to erase his strong effort. After getting the leadoff batter, Sergio Romo would promptly give up a seeing-eye single to allow the tying run on board.

In a surprising move, Bochy would elect to trust the struggling Santiago Casilla in a tight spot. Like so many other times, this would prove to be an unwise decision by the skipper known for his bullpen management.

Casilla would start his night off with an ill-advised walk to his first batter, Yadier Molina, move the tying run into scoring position. Casilla’s night would be short, but costly, as Randal Grichuk would follow Yadier with a single past the outstretched glove of a diving Crawford to tie the game at 2-2.

Reliever Matt Reynolds would then retire his next two batters, but not before a sac-fly by Kolten Wong would give the Cardinals their first lead of the game.

San Francisco would threaten with a two-out rally after Eduardo Nunez and Denard Span would lace a pair of singles, but pinch hitter Connor Gillaspie would hit a routine pop-up on his first pitch to end the game.

 

 

 

 

Giants Minor League Spotlight: Bryan Reynolds top draft pick of 2016

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The San Francisco Giants did not have a first-round selection in the 2016 MLB first-year player draft due to the signing of free agent pitcher Jeff Samardzija. The Giants were looking for a sleeper in the second-round that might have above average talent.

The organization feels they found just that in outfielder Bryan Reynolds whom they selected in second-round (59th overall). The Giants believe they found first-round talent that had not been selected earlier.

Reynolds comes out of a big time college program at Vanderbilt who plays in the very tough Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt won the College World Series in 2014 and was the runner-up 2015. Reynolds played on both of those teams.

Reynolds is a 6-foot-3, 200 pound outfielder who is a switch-hitter and throws right-handed. He does not possess any plus-tools but is considered a strong all-around player. There is some concern about his ability to make contact against quality pitching.

His two strongest attributes are his speed and his patience. Reynolds is able to use his speed to cover center field on defense and to steal bases when given the chance. He is able to be patient at the plate and draw walks if he is not given anything by the pitcher to hit.

Reynolds is currently playing in the short season Class A Northwest League with THE Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. He leads the league with a .328 batting average. Reynolds has a .399 on base percentage, .557 slugging percentage and a very impressive .956 OPS so far this season. On defense, he has committed just one error in 33 games.

Reynolds has 40 hits in 122 at bats including 11 doubles, one triple and five home runs. He has picked up 23 rbi while walking 11 times and striking out just 30 times. Reynolds was named Northwest League Player of the Week for July 11-17.

Reynolds is considered to be the fourth best prospect in the Giants farm system at this time. The estimate is that fans can expect to Bryan Reynolds at AT&T Park in 2019.

Photo Credit: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Gordie Clary

 

With Samardzija off his game, A’s take liberties in 8-3 romp over the Giants

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Samardzija looking for

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Whether speed bump or cautionary tale, Monday’s 8-2 loss to the A’s was what it was for baseball’s hottest team. Another game looms tomorrow and another opportunity for the Giants to become the National League’s first 50-game winner this season outweighs a rare, lopsided result.

For Jeff Samardzija, things are a little more complicated. The Giants’ $90 million free agent acquisition completed a rough June on Monday, in which he had three abbreviated starts and allowed nine home runs, including Marcus Semien’s three-run job on Monday that highlighted the A’s five-run, second inning.

Somehow Samardzija needs to get his performances more in line with how his team is performing, something he says is attainable, despite the recent, rough outings.

“It’s just about eliminating those mistakes that come back to haunt you,” he said.

Samardzija had several in the second inning against the A’s, after he cruised through the first. The A’s struck for five runs on three extra base hits, two singles and a walk. For the 6’5” right hander, it was almost like, “where do I start?” in trying to assess the disaster of an inning.

The obvious, first choice would be Samardzija’s 1-2 offering to Semien, a capable hitter, but not a guy who’s going to make his living hitting for power in two-strike counts. But Samardzija threw Semien a slider that was intended to be outside and off the plate. Instead, the pitch was right down the middle of the plate and Semien crushed it.

Some good, some bad, Samardzija’s pattern was weaved through the entire outing, not just the second. Samardzija started seven of the first eight batters in the inning with a strike, but the first pitches didn’t set up outs. Instead, pitches that were supposed to be on the edges, caught too much of the plate prompting the pitcher to say “get your off-speed pitches in the strike zone and your two-strike pitches out of the zone.”

“The second inning got away from him,” Bochy recalled. “He lived in the heart of the plate and we paid for it.”

Samardzija would recover, retiring nine batters in a row to get through the third through fifth innings, before getting hit again in the sixth. Consecutive doubles by Yonder Alonso and Semien made it 6-0 before Billy Burns was intentionally walked to get to A’s starter Daniel Mengden, who was retired ending the inning and Samardzija’s evening.

The Giants had beaten the A’s 16 of 19 times at AT&T Park coming in, giving the Bridge Series some semblance of balance after it had gone decisively to the A’s for years. Last year, the Giants finally broke through, winning five of six. Monday’s wipeout was the Oakland response.

“We’ve had games like this, we just haven’t done it consistently,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We have the ability to do this. If you look at our offensive numbers as a whole and they’re not great–on base percentage, really across the board—and then you look in the lineup, and you say, we should probably do a little bit more.”

Mengden picked up his first big league win after three losses, reinforcing what Melvin had said throughout, that the quirky rookie with the handlebar moustache belongs. Mengden retired the first 12 hitters of the evening, and allowed just two hits through seven. In the eighth, the Giants scored twice during which Mengden gave way to the Oakland bullpen, a task that even the incendiary A’s relief core could handle.

The A’s have won four of five, while the Giants have won 13 of 16 despite the loss.

On Tuesday, Albert Suarez tries to capture his fourth win in five decisions in a matchup with Kendall Graveman at 7:15pm.