The Giants come home after a rough road trip hoping to turn it around after an exciting extra inning game to finish their trip. They have 6 games at home before they go on another long road trip.
Tim Hudson got the ball in game 1, he has been the Giants best pitcher by far this season and had a current MLB record 30 innings without a walk to start the season. His control has been the mainstay for his success but on this night he started to struggle. He issued his first walk of the season with two outs in the 1st inning, but quickly settled down after that and had a clean second inning. In the third he fell behind Michael Bourn 3-1, then missed his target across the middle of thr plate and gave up a triple. Nick Swisher then drove him home. He then regained his composure and settled into a groove and threw 4 lights out innings after giving up the run, only giving up 1 hit. His offense helped him out big time today as the Giants were able to get to Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco who had come into this start having struggled this season. The big hit came off the bat of Michael Morse who took an 0-2 fastball that was supposed to be outside and up and hit it where no right hander ever does. Over the right center field wall. The bullpen for the Giants was stellar and made quick work of the Indian hitters.
San Francisco 5, Cleveland 1
In game 2 Tim Lincecum got the ball for the Giants against Indians pitcher Zach McCallister. Timmy did not have the same success that Hudson did the night before as he quickly got behind 1-0 in the top of the first when he struggled to keep the ball down to Bourn and Jason Kipnis. He had scattered baserunners all day, not recording a single 1-2-3 inning. The Indians got to him again in the 3rd and 5th innings scoring 1 in each. Lincecum only went 4.2, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits and only striking out 3. He left down 3-0. His counterpart McCallister was dealing through the first 4 innings but lost all command in the 5th when the Giants finally got to him. They scored 4 in the inning with the big hit coming from Hunter Pence. He hit a two out base hit that knocked in the tying and go ahead runs. The bullpen again was lights out for the Giants and they cruised to a 3 game win streak.
San Francisco 5, Cleveland 3
In the final game of the weekend series they gave the ball to Ryan Vogelsong to try and complete the sweep of the Indians. In his past few starts Vogey has struggled with his control and has not pitched well because of it. Today was a different story, from the first pitch he was locked in. He did start out a bit off as there were runners at first and third with two out, but after he got out of that inning unscathed he went into cruise control. His only command flaw in this one was that he fell behind hitters early in the count, but each time he was able to comeback and put them away. He went 7 strong shutout innings only giving up 2 hits and striking out 6. His biggest pitch was his changeup and his ablity to utilize it ahead in the count. On the other side Indians starter Danny Salazar was striking out Giant hitters left and right with his electric fastball and devastating off speed pitches. He was touched up in the 4th when he gave up a double to Brandon Crawford on first pitched fastball that leaked over the middle of the plate. In the top of the 8th the Indians finally got to the Giants bullpen when Yan Gomes took a 1-2 fastball from Casilla that he left down the middle of the plate and sent it into the bleachers. In the bottom of the ninth after an intentional walk to Brandon Crawford to make it 1st and 2nd with two out, Brandon Hicks stepped up to the plate, a good fastball hitter. He got a 1-0 fastball up in the zone, a big mistake by righty Cody Allen and Hicks sent everyone home with a 3-run walkoff home run.
San Francisco 4, Cleveland 1
The Giants welcome the Padres to town tomorrow night and send lefty ace Madison Bumgarner to the hill, looking for his 3rd win of the season. San Francisco has now won 4 games in a row. After a clean sweep of the Indians.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Special Pitching Only Recap: San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies
Game 1: Ryan Vogelsong
The Giants gave the ball to Vogelsong in game 1, and it did not go well. He had trouble keeping the ball down and in the strikezone, which led to the Rockie hitters taking advantage of him and his pitch count going up. In the first inning, he fell behind Nolan Arenado, and Vogey fell behind quickly 2-0 which forced him to have to throw a strike. His command of the fastball was non existent and Arenado hit a home run. 3 batters later he faced Wilin Rosario and the scouting report on this hitter is he can crush balls that are throw above the belt. Since Vogey's command was so off he missed a changeup up in the zone and Rosario did not waste a second to hit a three run home run. As a pitcher the last thing you want to do is pitch to the hitters strength, but it seemed the fatigue of the long inning had set in on him which led to the careless location. The second inning was no better, he threw a fastball down the middle on a 2-1 count to Charlie Blackmon and the hot hitting Rockie blasted it into the seats. Buster Posey on the pitch had set up inside but the pitch leaked over the middle. The bullpen had to take over in the 2nd inning.
Colorado 8, San Francisco 2
Game 2: Madison Bumgarner
Madison flipped the script from the day before for the Giants pitching staff as he was able to give the bullpen the night off, going a complete game. His command was superb and his location of his fastballs were what made it a quick night. Inside, outside, and up out of the strikezone, he made it easy for the umpire to give him a pitchers strikezone which made up for his last start when the home plate umpire was terrible. The two mistakes he made during his 8 innings of work were in the 4th and 5th inning. In the 4th, he tried to throw a fastball inside to Troy Tulowitzki but it leaked of the middle and Tulo planted it into the left center field seats. In the 5th he made another mistake on location, Buster Posey set the target away during a 2-2 count to Nolan Arenado, and asked for a fastball. Bumgarner let the ball come back over the middle of the plate and Arenado hit a home run. Besides those two Bumgarner was fantastic, getting himself in and out of jams and had stellar defense behind him. He was unfortunately tagged with the loss because the offense could only score one run.
Colorado 2, San Francisco 1
Game 3: Matt Cain
Cain was given the ball in the final game of this 3 game series in hopes that the Giants could steal one win and not get swept out of Colorado. Coming off of back to back great starts, he was hoping to keep his streak going. This would not be the case. He did go 6 innings but gave up 10 hits, 7 runs, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. His biggest problem was keeping the ball down, if you leave the ball up in a park like Coors field, it is going to be a long day. The ball carried big time and he seemed a bit lost for words on the mound. He needs to work big time on his control of his pitches, because if he keeps leaving balls up in the zone and missing his spots, this will continue. He was fortunate that the Giants offense finally woke up and was able to come back for Cain. The Giants won in extras.
San Francisco 12, Colorado 10
The Giants gave the ball to Vogelsong in game 1, and it did not go well. He had trouble keeping the ball down and in the strikezone, which led to the Rockie hitters taking advantage of him and his pitch count going up. In the first inning, he fell behind Nolan Arenado, and Vogey fell behind quickly 2-0 which forced him to have to throw a strike. His command of the fastball was non existent and Arenado hit a home run. 3 batters later he faced Wilin Rosario and the scouting report on this hitter is he can crush balls that are throw above the belt. Since Vogey's command was so off he missed a changeup up in the zone and Rosario did not waste a second to hit a three run home run. As a pitcher the last thing you want to do is pitch to the hitters strength, but it seemed the fatigue of the long inning had set in on him which led to the careless location. The second inning was no better, he threw a fastball down the middle on a 2-1 count to Charlie Blackmon and the hot hitting Rockie blasted it into the seats. Buster Posey on the pitch had set up inside but the pitch leaked over the middle. The bullpen had to take over in the 2nd inning.
Colorado 8, San Francisco 2
Game 2: Madison Bumgarner
Madison flipped the script from the day before for the Giants pitching staff as he was able to give the bullpen the night off, going a complete game. His command was superb and his location of his fastballs were what made it a quick night. Inside, outside, and up out of the strikezone, he made it easy for the umpire to give him a pitchers strikezone which made up for his last start when the home plate umpire was terrible. The two mistakes he made during his 8 innings of work were in the 4th and 5th inning. In the 4th, he tried to throw a fastball inside to Troy Tulowitzki but it leaked of the middle and Tulo planted it into the left center field seats. In the 5th he made another mistake on location, Buster Posey set the target away during a 2-2 count to Nolan Arenado, and asked for a fastball. Bumgarner let the ball come back over the middle of the plate and Arenado hit a home run. Besides those two Bumgarner was fantastic, getting himself in and out of jams and had stellar defense behind him. He was unfortunately tagged with the loss because the offense could only score one run.
Colorado 2, San Francisco 1
Game 3: Matt Cain
Cain was given the ball in the final game of this 3 game series in hopes that the Giants could steal one win and not get swept out of Colorado. Coming off of back to back great starts, he was hoping to keep his streak going. This would not be the case. He did go 6 innings but gave up 10 hits, 7 runs, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. His biggest problem was keeping the ball down, if you leave the ball up in a park like Coors field, it is going to be a long day. The ball carried big time and he seemed a bit lost for words on the mound. He needs to work big time on his control of his pitches, because if he keeps leaving balls up in the zone and missing his spots, this will continue. He was fortunate that the Giants offense finally woke up and was able to come back for Cain. The Giants won in extras.
San Francisco 12, Colorado 10
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Series Recap: San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres
The Giants make their first trip of the season down to San Diego to take on the Padres in a three game weekend series. Coming off of a rough day offensively on Thursday against the Dodgers, the Giants look to go back to the hitting they showed when the season began.
In game 1 the Giants sent Matt Cain to the hill, Cain coming off of a fantastic start against the Rockies when he only gave up 1 run in 7 innings but was given the loss as the Giants were unable to score. In this one he continued his dominance. His command was there and his great use of the curveball with two strikes helped him put away the Padre hitters. He went 7 innings and gave up one unearned run on a passed ball by Hector Sanchez in the first inning. He walked 2 and struck out 8, but the Giants offense was unable to help out Matt Cain for the second start in a row. Padre starter Tyson Ross absolutely shut down the Giants, throwing 8 shutout innings, striking out 9 and only walking 1. His slider kept the Giants confused and waving at it constantly the whole night. His biggest success was being able to get ahead of the Giant hitters all night long, 0-1, 0-2. In the bottom of the 8th reliever Juan Gutierrez for the Giants gave up a homer to pinch hitter Yasmani Grandal who blasted an inside fastball into the right field seats. In the top of the ninth the Giants finally got on the board on a solo home run by Brandon Belt off of closer Houston Street. The offense as a whole let Cain down for the second time in as many starts, despite turning in a brilliant outing.
San Diego 2, San Francisco 1
In game 2 the Giants had Tim Hudson on the hill who has been Mr. Consistant this season so far with his new club. He was opposed by Erik Stults a good lefty for the Padres. The anemic offense became the story again in this one for the Giants. It was yet another pitchers duel at Petco park. Stults mowed down the Giants bats through the first 4 innings with a good mix of all of his pitches, keeping the hitters he faced guessing each time. Hudson was almost the same, despite giving up a run in the second. In the 5th the Giants tied the game on a bomb by Michael Morse on a fastball up from Stults. The beginning of the at-bat they tried throwing curveballs away from Morse because they knew he could hit his fastball, but after he fell behind 2-0, Stults went to the fastball and Morse made him pay. Hudson failed to get the shutdown inning in the bottom of the 5th as the Padres took the lead. Hudson finished up going 7 innings, giving up the 2 runs and striking out 4. He continued his Giants record of consecutive innings without issuing a walk which has now reached 30 innings. The Padre bullpen took over and shut the Giants down.
San Diego 3, San Francisco 1
The Giants needed Tim Lincecum to be their stopper to get them out of this mini skid and give their offense a chance to get out of this funk. In game 3 it was Tim Lincecum against young Padre lefty Robbie Erlin. It did not take long for the Giants to give Timmy a lead, in the first inning Buster Posey took a fastball that was on the outer half from Erlin and put it over the left center field wall for a two-run homer. Lincecum started out well in the first two innings, getting some help from his defense in the form of the three Brandons in the infield. In the second inning the Giants offense continued. Pagan got a fastball up from Erlin that he took the other way for a two-run single. 4-0. Erlin in the first two innings had trouble keeping the ball low and his biggest problem was walking 3 men, 2 of which scored. In the bottom of the third the Padres got to Lincecum as Chase Headley hit a two-run double down the first base line. The Giants completed a perfect relay to get the third runner Xavier Nady who was initially called safe, but after Bruce Bochy challenged was called out. The offense for the Giants that looked as if it was turning the corner hit a wall after the 2nd inning, Erlin settled into a groove and made quick work of the Giants by retiring the final 12 hitters he faced. Lincecum on the other hand started finding better command of his pitches, and although he did not have the control he did in his previous start, he was effectively wild and ended up with 7 strikeouts. The Giants bullpen was brilliant, starting with recently added Jeremy Affeldt from the DL, Javier Lopez, Santiago Casilla and the game was closed out by Sergio Romo. The Giants were able to salvage one game of this 3 game series on getaway day.
San Francisco 4, San Diego 3
The Giants now head out to Colorado where they begin a three game series with the Rockies starting tomorrow with Ryan Vogelsong on the hill. The Giants have played 9 of their last 10 games by a difference of one run. They are hoping that their bats will wake up in mile-high Colorado and Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence can get out of their slumps.
In game 1 the Giants sent Matt Cain to the hill, Cain coming off of a fantastic start against the Rockies when he only gave up 1 run in 7 innings but was given the loss as the Giants were unable to score. In this one he continued his dominance. His command was there and his great use of the curveball with two strikes helped him put away the Padre hitters. He went 7 innings and gave up one unearned run on a passed ball by Hector Sanchez in the first inning. He walked 2 and struck out 8, but the Giants offense was unable to help out Matt Cain for the second start in a row. Padre starter Tyson Ross absolutely shut down the Giants, throwing 8 shutout innings, striking out 9 and only walking 1. His slider kept the Giants confused and waving at it constantly the whole night. His biggest success was being able to get ahead of the Giant hitters all night long, 0-1, 0-2. In the bottom of the 8th reliever Juan Gutierrez for the Giants gave up a homer to pinch hitter Yasmani Grandal who blasted an inside fastball into the right field seats. In the top of the ninth the Giants finally got on the board on a solo home run by Brandon Belt off of closer Houston Street. The offense as a whole let Cain down for the second time in as many starts, despite turning in a brilliant outing.
San Diego 2, San Francisco 1
In game 2 the Giants had Tim Hudson on the hill who has been Mr. Consistant this season so far with his new club. He was opposed by Erik Stults a good lefty for the Padres. The anemic offense became the story again in this one for the Giants. It was yet another pitchers duel at Petco park. Stults mowed down the Giants bats through the first 4 innings with a good mix of all of his pitches, keeping the hitters he faced guessing each time. Hudson was almost the same, despite giving up a run in the second. In the 5th the Giants tied the game on a bomb by Michael Morse on a fastball up from Stults. The beginning of the at-bat they tried throwing curveballs away from Morse because they knew he could hit his fastball, but after he fell behind 2-0, Stults went to the fastball and Morse made him pay. Hudson failed to get the shutdown inning in the bottom of the 5th as the Padres took the lead. Hudson finished up going 7 innings, giving up the 2 runs and striking out 4. He continued his Giants record of consecutive innings without issuing a walk which has now reached 30 innings. The Padre bullpen took over and shut the Giants down.
San Diego 3, San Francisco 1
The Giants needed Tim Lincecum to be their stopper to get them out of this mini skid and give their offense a chance to get out of this funk. In game 3 it was Tim Lincecum against young Padre lefty Robbie Erlin. It did not take long for the Giants to give Timmy a lead, in the first inning Buster Posey took a fastball that was on the outer half from Erlin and put it over the left center field wall for a two-run homer. Lincecum started out well in the first two innings, getting some help from his defense in the form of the three Brandons in the infield. In the second inning the Giants offense continued. Pagan got a fastball up from Erlin that he took the other way for a two-run single. 4-0. Erlin in the first two innings had trouble keeping the ball low and his biggest problem was walking 3 men, 2 of which scored. In the bottom of the third the Padres got to Lincecum as Chase Headley hit a two-run double down the first base line. The Giants completed a perfect relay to get the third runner Xavier Nady who was initially called safe, but after Bruce Bochy challenged was called out. The offense for the Giants that looked as if it was turning the corner hit a wall after the 2nd inning, Erlin settled into a groove and made quick work of the Giants by retiring the final 12 hitters he faced. Lincecum on the other hand started finding better command of his pitches, and although he did not have the control he did in his previous start, he was effectively wild and ended up with 7 strikeouts. The Giants bullpen was brilliant, starting with recently added Jeremy Affeldt from the DL, Javier Lopez, Santiago Casilla and the game was closed out by Sergio Romo. The Giants were able to salvage one game of this 3 game series on getaway day.
San Francisco 4, San Diego 3
The Giants now head out to Colorado where they begin a three game series with the Rockies starting tomorrow with Ryan Vogelsong on the hill. The Giants have played 9 of their last 10 games by a difference of one run. They are hoping that their bats will wake up in mile-high Colorado and Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence can get out of their slumps.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Series Recap: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants
In an early season battle for first place in the west, the Dodgers make their first trip of the year to AT&T park in hopes to gain some distance between them and the Giants. The Giants had other ideas.
Tuesday April 15 was Jackie Robinson day around major league baseball. In honor of the great player that broke the color barrier in the time of the civil war, every player, coach and on field person wore the number 42. Tim Lincecum took the hill for the Giants in game one, trying to bounce back after a rough start against the D-backs his last time out. In his career he is the only Giants starter that has actually enjoyed facing the Dodgers and has a history of success against the men in blue. Timmy's command was the most important part of all of his starts, as long as he can keep the ball down and hit the corners, it would be a good night. And it was. Lincecum mowed down the Dodgers through 5 innings, his only blemish was a hanging changeup to former Giant Juan Uribe who blasted a home run into the bleachers. Besides the home run, Lincecum had good command of his off-speed pitches. The only problem that he had all night was his inability to get ahead of hitters, each count would always start out 1-0 or 2-0, but he was able to come back and get the hitter out. By not being able to stay ahead of hitters, his pitch count went way up and he was out of the game after the 5th inning. Dodger pitcher Josh Beckett also pitched well this game and threw 5 shutout innings before handing the ball to the Dodger pen. The Giants finally scratched across a run in the 6th, but the Dodgers quickly countered with a run in the 7th. In the bottom of the ninth Brandon Belt came up clutch and hit a double down the line that scored Angel Pagan all the way from first base. 2-2. In the bottom of 12th inning Hector Sanchez became the hero of the night and drove in Brandon Crawford with a single off the glove of second baseman Justin Turner. The Giants bullpen came up clutch for the Giants, only giving up 1 run in 7 innings of work.
San Francisco 3, Los Angeles 2 in 12 innings
Ryan Vogelsong got the nod in game 2 of the series with the Giants now tied with the Dodgers atop the NL West. Vogelsong like Lincecum was hoping to turn around a poor start to the season with a good one at home. He did that and more. He looked like the Vogelsong Giants fans remember from a couple years ago, with his easy calm delivery and great command of all his pitches, he was able to pin point the corners of the strikezone and keep the Dodger hitters off balance. He pitched to contact well and did not give up a run through the first 5 innings. He had a hiccup in the 6th when he walked the opposing pitcher Paul Maholm with two outs, then gave up a triple to Dee Gordon. Vogelsong finished up going 6 innings giving up 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. The bullpen took over and shut it down from there. In the bottom of the 7th the Giants broke the tie with a clutch base hit by Pablo Sandoval. The clutch moment of the game in the top of the 7th when it was bases loaded with one out and pitcher Jean Machi got a ground ball comebacker that started the 1-2-3 double play.
San Francisco 2, Los Angeles 1
The Giants now found themselves in first place in the division and a chance to sweep the Dodgers out of San Francisco. They handed the ball to their ace Madison Bumgarner to try and get them the sweep. It did not work out that way. He was only able to go 4.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on 99 pitches. His biggest issue was the umpire, he was not getting any calls on the outside part of the plate to right handed batters which made his pitch count rise considerably. He became extremely frustrated, so did Buster Posey and Bruce Bochy. Bumgarner made the right pitches when he needed too but the unknown strikezone kept him on edge. The Giants offense was stimied by Dodger starter Hyun Jin Ryu who went 7 strong shutout innings, making up up for his last start against the Giants when he gave up 8 runs in two innings. The Giants made a mini comeback in the ninth inning, scoring one run on a base hit by Ehire Adrianza. Dodger closer Kenly Jansen settled down and got pinch hitter Brandon Crawford to end the game.
Los Angeles 2, San Francisco 1
The Giants with a bitter end to their homestand with the loss to the Dodgers but now hit the road and head down to San Diego tomorrow to take on the Padres. The Giants have played 7 consecutive one run games, the first time the team has ever done that since 1910.
Tuesday April 15 was Jackie Robinson day around major league baseball. In honor of the great player that broke the color barrier in the time of the civil war, every player, coach and on field person wore the number 42. Tim Lincecum took the hill for the Giants in game one, trying to bounce back after a rough start against the D-backs his last time out. In his career he is the only Giants starter that has actually enjoyed facing the Dodgers and has a history of success against the men in blue. Timmy's command was the most important part of all of his starts, as long as he can keep the ball down and hit the corners, it would be a good night. And it was. Lincecum mowed down the Dodgers through 5 innings, his only blemish was a hanging changeup to former Giant Juan Uribe who blasted a home run into the bleachers. Besides the home run, Lincecum had good command of his off-speed pitches. The only problem that he had all night was his inability to get ahead of hitters, each count would always start out 1-0 or 2-0, but he was able to come back and get the hitter out. By not being able to stay ahead of hitters, his pitch count went way up and he was out of the game after the 5th inning. Dodger pitcher Josh Beckett also pitched well this game and threw 5 shutout innings before handing the ball to the Dodger pen. The Giants finally scratched across a run in the 6th, but the Dodgers quickly countered with a run in the 7th. In the bottom of the ninth Brandon Belt came up clutch and hit a double down the line that scored Angel Pagan all the way from first base. 2-2. In the bottom of 12th inning Hector Sanchez became the hero of the night and drove in Brandon Crawford with a single off the glove of second baseman Justin Turner. The Giants bullpen came up clutch for the Giants, only giving up 1 run in 7 innings of work.
San Francisco 3, Los Angeles 2 in 12 innings
Ryan Vogelsong got the nod in game 2 of the series with the Giants now tied with the Dodgers atop the NL West. Vogelsong like Lincecum was hoping to turn around a poor start to the season with a good one at home. He did that and more. He looked like the Vogelsong Giants fans remember from a couple years ago, with his easy calm delivery and great command of all his pitches, he was able to pin point the corners of the strikezone and keep the Dodger hitters off balance. He pitched to contact well and did not give up a run through the first 5 innings. He had a hiccup in the 6th when he walked the opposing pitcher Paul Maholm with two outs, then gave up a triple to Dee Gordon. Vogelsong finished up going 6 innings giving up 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. The bullpen took over and shut it down from there. In the bottom of the 7th the Giants broke the tie with a clutch base hit by Pablo Sandoval. The clutch moment of the game in the top of the 7th when it was bases loaded with one out and pitcher Jean Machi got a ground ball comebacker that started the 1-2-3 double play.
San Francisco 2, Los Angeles 1
The Giants now found themselves in first place in the division and a chance to sweep the Dodgers out of San Francisco. They handed the ball to their ace Madison Bumgarner to try and get them the sweep. It did not work out that way. He was only able to go 4.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on 99 pitches. His biggest issue was the umpire, he was not getting any calls on the outside part of the plate to right handed batters which made his pitch count rise considerably. He became extremely frustrated, so did Buster Posey and Bruce Bochy. Bumgarner made the right pitches when he needed too but the unknown strikezone kept him on edge. The Giants offense was stimied by Dodger starter Hyun Jin Ryu who went 7 strong shutout innings, making up up for his last start against the Giants when he gave up 8 runs in two innings. The Giants made a mini comeback in the ninth inning, scoring one run on a base hit by Ehire Adrianza. Dodger closer Kenly Jansen settled down and got pinch hitter Brandon Crawford to end the game.
Los Angeles 2, San Francisco 1
The Giants with a bitter end to their homestand with the loss to the Dodgers but now hit the road and head down to San Diego tomorrow to take on the Padres. The Giants have played 7 consecutive one run games, the first time the team has ever done that since 1910.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Series Recap: Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants
The Giants continued their homestand with the Colorado Rockies coming into town.
I was able to go to the game on Friday night so I got a good look at Madison Bumgarner against Jorge De la Rosa. Bumgarner just coming off of a great start against the Dodgers where he struck out 10. This game did not begin well for the lefty, only a few batters into the game he was quickly in a first and third nobody out jam because he was unable to put away hitters when he was ahead of them 1-2. He worked hard and got out of the inning only giving up 1 run after he picked off Josh Rutledge which allowed Brandon Barnes to score. De La Rosa for the Rockies started with the opposite fate, setting down the Giants in order the first two innings. In the top of the third Bumgarner made a huge mistake to power hitting Carlos Gonzalez, who did not miss the hanging curveball and put it into the bay. Col 3-0. In the bottom of the 3rd Bumgarner helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly. Bumgarner then settled into a groove on the mound, being able to command the corners of the zone to keep the high powered Rockies offense in check. Bumgarner was not done with his bat, in the bottom of the 4th he took a fastball down the middle of the plate abd put it deep into the bleachers in left field for a grand slam. He went on to go 6 innings, giving up 4 runs, walking 2 and striking out 7. The bullpen took over for the Giants and shut the door on any comebacks for the Rockies.
San Francisco 6, Colorado 5
Game 2 turned out to be a typical AT&T park game, a pitchers duel. Matt Cain and Brett Anderson went toe to toe in this one. Cain looking to change the season that has already started bad in his first two starts of the season, his biggest problem, control. Control was not a problem in this one as was able to command the corners with ease, looking like the old horse Giants fans are used to seeing. Brett Anderson for the Rockies had a strong start but after the 3rd inning he had to come out of the game with a finger contusion. Which put Walt Weiss's bullpen in a big hole, but they were up to the task. The Giants had no chance as the Rockies pen through 6 shutout innings behind Anderson. Cain's only blemish on an otherwise spotless afternoon came in the 3rd when he gave up a sacrifice fly to Troy Tulowizki. Cain went 7 innings, gave up the one run and struck out 8 Rockies. The biggest part of Cain's success was his pin-point control of his fastball and curveball. Putting them in spots that locked up the hitters and made him look untouchable. The Giants offense was kept at bay in this one and Cain had to deal with a close loss.
Colorado 1, San Francisco 0
In the rubber game of this three game weekend series the Giants sent right hander Tim Hudson to the hill against Tyler Chatwood, who was making his first start of the season. Hudson has been mr. Reliable to start the year with his unreal command of all of his pitches and he has not walked anyone in his first two starts. This day went a little different. The Giants were quickly behind the 8 ball early in this one when Hudson hung a slider right over the middle of the plate to Wilin Rosario in 2nd and he blasted a homer to left field. Both pitchers looked sharp early, getting help from their defense on both sides. In the 5th inning the Giants finally got to Chatwood as they scored 3 runs capped off by a two run single by Angel Pagan. In the 6th the Giants home run tear to start the season continued as Pablo Sandoval got into the fun as he took a hanging changup from Chatwood and deposited it into the SF bay. But the Rockies would not go away, they strung together 3 runs in the 7th/8th inninng to the tie the game, including a homer by Justin Morneau off of Hudson on a fastball, an opposite field home run. In his last 2 innings Hudson struggled a bit with his control which allowed the Rockies to come back. The 9th inning is where it got interesting when Gregor Blanco hit a ball of the second arcade in right center that rolled away from right fielder Michael Cuddyer. Blanco with his speed rounded second when Cuddyer kicked the ball abd Flannery waved him in, but DJ Lemahieu completed a textbook relay to the catcher Rosario who applied the tag to prevent a replay of last years walk-off inside the park home run by Angel Pagan. The game went to extras, but did not last long. In the bottom on the tenth on the second pitch of the at-bat against the lefty Rex Brothers, Brandon Crawford took a rip at a fastball and hit a no-doubt homer into the bay for a walk-off home run.
San Francisco 5, Colorado 4 in 10 innings
The Giants continue their homestand on tuesday when they welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town, when they will give the ball to Tim Lincecum who will take on Josh Beckett. The Giants are currently 3-3 on their homestand.
I was able to go to the game on Friday night so I got a good look at Madison Bumgarner against Jorge De la Rosa. Bumgarner just coming off of a great start against the Dodgers where he struck out 10. This game did not begin well for the lefty, only a few batters into the game he was quickly in a first and third nobody out jam because he was unable to put away hitters when he was ahead of them 1-2. He worked hard and got out of the inning only giving up 1 run after he picked off Josh Rutledge which allowed Brandon Barnes to score. De La Rosa for the Rockies started with the opposite fate, setting down the Giants in order the first two innings. In the top of the third Bumgarner made a huge mistake to power hitting Carlos Gonzalez, who did not miss the hanging curveball and put it into the bay. Col 3-0. In the bottom of the 3rd Bumgarner helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly. Bumgarner then settled into a groove on the mound, being able to command the corners of the zone to keep the high powered Rockies offense in check. Bumgarner was not done with his bat, in the bottom of the 4th he took a fastball down the middle of the plate abd put it deep into the bleachers in left field for a grand slam. He went on to go 6 innings, giving up 4 runs, walking 2 and striking out 7. The bullpen took over for the Giants and shut the door on any comebacks for the Rockies.
San Francisco 6, Colorado 5
Game 2 turned out to be a typical AT&T park game, a pitchers duel. Matt Cain and Brett Anderson went toe to toe in this one. Cain looking to change the season that has already started bad in his first two starts of the season, his biggest problem, control. Control was not a problem in this one as was able to command the corners with ease, looking like the old horse Giants fans are used to seeing. Brett Anderson for the Rockies had a strong start but after the 3rd inning he had to come out of the game with a finger contusion. Which put Walt Weiss's bullpen in a big hole, but they were up to the task. The Giants had no chance as the Rockies pen through 6 shutout innings behind Anderson. Cain's only blemish on an otherwise spotless afternoon came in the 3rd when he gave up a sacrifice fly to Troy Tulowizki. Cain went 7 innings, gave up the one run and struck out 8 Rockies. The biggest part of Cain's success was his pin-point control of his fastball and curveball. Putting them in spots that locked up the hitters and made him look untouchable. The Giants offense was kept at bay in this one and Cain had to deal with a close loss.
Colorado 1, San Francisco 0
In the rubber game of this three game weekend series the Giants sent right hander Tim Hudson to the hill against Tyler Chatwood, who was making his first start of the season. Hudson has been mr. Reliable to start the year with his unreal command of all of his pitches and he has not walked anyone in his first two starts. This day went a little different. The Giants were quickly behind the 8 ball early in this one when Hudson hung a slider right over the middle of the plate to Wilin Rosario in 2nd and he blasted a homer to left field. Both pitchers looked sharp early, getting help from their defense on both sides. In the 5th inning the Giants finally got to Chatwood as they scored 3 runs capped off by a two run single by Angel Pagan. In the 6th the Giants home run tear to start the season continued as Pablo Sandoval got into the fun as he took a hanging changup from Chatwood and deposited it into the SF bay. But the Rockies would not go away, they strung together 3 runs in the 7th/8th inninng to the tie the game, including a homer by Justin Morneau off of Hudson on a fastball, an opposite field home run. In his last 2 innings Hudson struggled a bit with his control which allowed the Rockies to come back. The 9th inning is where it got interesting when Gregor Blanco hit a ball of the second arcade in right center that rolled away from right fielder Michael Cuddyer. Blanco with his speed rounded second when Cuddyer kicked the ball abd Flannery waved him in, but DJ Lemahieu completed a textbook relay to the catcher Rosario who applied the tag to prevent a replay of last years walk-off inside the park home run by Angel Pagan. The game went to extras, but did not last long. In the bottom on the tenth on the second pitch of the at-bat against the lefty Rex Brothers, Brandon Crawford took a rip at a fastball and hit a no-doubt homer into the bay for a walk-off home run.
San Francisco 5, Colorado 4 in 10 innings
The Giants continue their homestand on tuesday when they welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town, when they will give the ball to Tim Lincecum who will take on Josh Beckett. The Giants are currently 3-3 on their homestand.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Series Recap: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants
The long awaited home opener had finally arrived, the moment that Giants fans have been waiting for ever since the last game of the season last year. This year hoping for a different fate. The Giants play host to the Diamondbacks, a team they had just seen 4 days ago, when the G-men took 3 of 4 to spoil the opening series in Arizona. The D-backs trying to return the favor to the Giants this time.
Newly acquired starter Tim Hudson took the ball in the opener for the team after showing the fans why the Giants got him. He wanted to continue that dominance against the D-backs in his first home start of the year. He lived up to the hype again. The strike zone was established early by Hudson, showing again his excellent command of his full arsenal of pitches. This time the D-back hitters were able to square up more of his pitches, but Hudson got excellent work from his defense to help him. He got touched up for 2 runs in the first 4 innings, getting into early inning jams when he gave up base hits to the leadoff batter. He did not let that phase him as he kept composed and limited the damage. Hudson got great help from his offense which continued it's torrid home run pace as Brandon Belt hit one in the first inning (a two-run shot). Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford came up with clutch hits later to drive in two runs apiece later in the game. Hudson kept dealing as the innings got later, racking up strikeouts when he needed them with his sharp slider, curveball and changeup. His finishing line was 8 innings, 2 Earned runs, 7 hits, no walks and 4 strikeouts. The home crowd was impressed with the veteran righty, and gave him a huge ovation as he walked off the field at the end of the 8th inning.
San Francisco 7, Arizona 3
Game 2 did not go the way the Giants would have liked, only a day removed from all the opening day festivities the Bochy gave the ball the ball to the 4th starter Tim Lincecum. It is always a hold your breath scenario when Timmy is on the mound verses the D-backs because of the insane success that Paul Goldschmidt has against him. He has 6 homers against Lincecum in his career. Early in the first inning that success continued. On a 1-1 pitch from Lincecum to Goldschmidt with runners on first and third with one out, Timmy threw a challenge fastball and Goldschmidt hit a 3-run opposite field home run. In AT&T park that is almost unheard of for someone to hit and opposite field homer but when you have the ownage that he does it will happen. The game continued this way for Lincecum, not able to keep the ball down, and the D-backs took advantage and scored 7 runs in 4 innings against the Giants righty capped off with a two-run homer by Gerardo Parra in the 4th inning. The Giants offense was put in a major hole being down 7-2, and were not able to solve the mystery that was Josh Collementer, who came in to replace Bronson Arroyo in the 6th. He went 4 shutout innings.
Arizona 7, San Francisco 3
In the rubber match of the 3 game series the Giants Ryan Vogelsong opposed the D-backs Randel Delgado. Vogelsong struggled in his first start agains the Dodgers and looked to turn that around against Arizona. Delgado coming into this game had the best overall ERA of any starting pitcher against the Giants in the majors. 0.96 ERA. Vogelsong struggles continued in the second inning when he hung a breaking ball to Cliff Pennington who took it the opposite way for a two-run single. The woes wore on as he gave up a two-run double to Miguel Montero on a breaking ball down and in that split the outfielders. The Giants did not let the 4-1 deficit phase them in any way, the offense had Vogelsong's back and score 4 runs in the next 3 innings to take the lead 5-4. The bullpen came in and took over the show. None bigger than Jean Machi who found himself in a bases loaded nobody out jam in the 7th. He kept composed and got a ground ball back to him which went 1-2-3 double play. Bochy then turned to Javier Lopez who came in and struck out Montero on a nasty changeup. All work was lost in the 8th when Pablo Sandoval made an error by throwing the ball over Brandon Belts head that allowed the run to score. 5-5. In extra innings, a timely steal by Cliff Pennington off Yusimero Petit led to a Campana RBI single. Camapana was in a grueling battle with Petit fouling off tough pitches but then slapping a single to right center. Addison Reed then came in and shut the door on the Giants in the bottom of the 10th.
Arizona 6, San Francisco 5
ARI wins: 2-1
The Giants now stay home as they will take on the Colorado Rockies as they make their first trip to AT&T park. Madison Bumgarner will have the ball in game 1, friday night.
Newly acquired starter Tim Hudson took the ball in the opener for the team after showing the fans why the Giants got him. He wanted to continue that dominance against the D-backs in his first home start of the year. He lived up to the hype again. The strike zone was established early by Hudson, showing again his excellent command of his full arsenal of pitches. This time the D-back hitters were able to square up more of his pitches, but Hudson got excellent work from his defense to help him. He got touched up for 2 runs in the first 4 innings, getting into early inning jams when he gave up base hits to the leadoff batter. He did not let that phase him as he kept composed and limited the damage. Hudson got great help from his offense which continued it's torrid home run pace as Brandon Belt hit one in the first inning (a two-run shot). Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford came up with clutch hits later to drive in two runs apiece later in the game. Hudson kept dealing as the innings got later, racking up strikeouts when he needed them with his sharp slider, curveball and changeup. His finishing line was 8 innings, 2 Earned runs, 7 hits, no walks and 4 strikeouts. The home crowd was impressed with the veteran righty, and gave him a huge ovation as he walked off the field at the end of the 8th inning.
San Francisco 7, Arizona 3
Game 2 did not go the way the Giants would have liked, only a day removed from all the opening day festivities the Bochy gave the ball the ball to the 4th starter Tim Lincecum. It is always a hold your breath scenario when Timmy is on the mound verses the D-backs because of the insane success that Paul Goldschmidt has against him. He has 6 homers against Lincecum in his career. Early in the first inning that success continued. On a 1-1 pitch from Lincecum to Goldschmidt with runners on first and third with one out, Timmy threw a challenge fastball and Goldschmidt hit a 3-run opposite field home run. In AT&T park that is almost unheard of for someone to hit and opposite field homer but when you have the ownage that he does it will happen. The game continued this way for Lincecum, not able to keep the ball down, and the D-backs took advantage and scored 7 runs in 4 innings against the Giants righty capped off with a two-run homer by Gerardo Parra in the 4th inning. The Giants offense was put in a major hole being down 7-2, and were not able to solve the mystery that was Josh Collementer, who came in to replace Bronson Arroyo in the 6th. He went 4 shutout innings.
Arizona 7, San Francisco 3
In the rubber match of the 3 game series the Giants Ryan Vogelsong opposed the D-backs Randel Delgado. Vogelsong struggled in his first start agains the Dodgers and looked to turn that around against Arizona. Delgado coming into this game had the best overall ERA of any starting pitcher against the Giants in the majors. 0.96 ERA. Vogelsong struggles continued in the second inning when he hung a breaking ball to Cliff Pennington who took it the opposite way for a two-run single. The woes wore on as he gave up a two-run double to Miguel Montero on a breaking ball down and in that split the outfielders. The Giants did not let the 4-1 deficit phase them in any way, the offense had Vogelsong's back and score 4 runs in the next 3 innings to take the lead 5-4. The bullpen came in and took over the show. None bigger than Jean Machi who found himself in a bases loaded nobody out jam in the 7th. He kept composed and got a ground ball back to him which went 1-2-3 double play. Bochy then turned to Javier Lopez who came in and struck out Montero on a nasty changeup. All work was lost in the 8th when Pablo Sandoval made an error by throwing the ball over Brandon Belts head that allowed the run to score. 5-5. In extra innings, a timely steal by Cliff Pennington off Yusimero Petit led to a Campana RBI single. Camapana was in a grueling battle with Petit fouling off tough pitches but then slapping a single to right center. Addison Reed then came in and shut the door on the Giants in the bottom of the 10th.
Arizona 6, San Francisco 5
ARI wins: 2-1
The Giants now stay home as they will take on the Colorado Rockies as they make their first trip to AT&T park. Madison Bumgarner will have the ball in game 1, friday night.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Series Recap: San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco made their first trip of the season to Chavez Ravine to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 3 game opening weekend series. The Giants come in riding a 2 game winning streak and continued their potent offense that started in Arizona. The starters Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain both looked to get back on track after having a rough time in their first appearances of the season. The offense led by hot hitting Brandon Belt wanted to keep their NL leading home run and RBI mark.
Madison Bumgarner got the ball in game 2 of the series, and pitched like an ace. He kept the Giants in the game with his stellar command of his fastball, cutter and slider. He used a little bit of everything and was able to command the corners of the strike zone consistently which allowed him to rack up on strike outs. He got some help from his offense in the 4th and 5th innings with home runs from Michael Morse (first as a Giant), Pablo Sandoval (3-run homer) and Buster Posey. Those runs would be the only ones Bumgarner needed as he struck out 10 Dodgers in 6.1 innings. He gave up 2 earned runs, walked only 1 and scattered 8 hits. He got bailed out of the 7th inning thanks to Santiago Casilla, who came in with the bases loaded and 1 out and got pinch hitter Yasiel Puig to fly out. Hunter Pence then came to the rescue and he unleashed his cannon to throw out A.J. Ellis on a base hit by Andre Ethier. His 3rd outfield assist of the young season. Casilla with his electric movement on all his pitches especially his two-seam fastball that clocks in at 94-96mph that ran away from lefty's and into righty's helped him get out of jams.
Game 2: San Francisco 7, Los Angeles 2
Matt Cain had trouble in the final game of the series, giving up the long ball. His command this time was a lot better, being able to have a feel for his curveball and slider. The problem he had was balls that were left up in the zone to Matt Kemp twice and Hanley Ramirez. They did not wait long to park those balls beyond the fence, putting the Giants in a 4-0 hole early in the game. Besides the 3 home runs Cain was able to pitch well, commanding the strike zone and keeping the Dodger hitters off the bases. He went 6 innings, allowed 5 earned runs, walked 0 and struck out 3. He got ground balls and fly balls when he needed to and all the hitters besides Ramirez and Kemp off balance all night. The Giants offense had an off night at the hands of Dodger pitcher Zach Greinke who pitched masterfully despite giving up home runs to Brandon Belt and Hunter Pence.
Game 3: Los Angeles 6, San Francisco 2
SF wins series 2-1
Now the Giants head home and have an off day tomorrow to get prepared to face the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second time this season. The home opener for the Giants on Tuesday. I will have a series recap for the Giants vs D-backs on Thursday.
Madison Bumgarner got the ball in game 2 of the series, and pitched like an ace. He kept the Giants in the game with his stellar command of his fastball, cutter and slider. He used a little bit of everything and was able to command the corners of the strike zone consistently which allowed him to rack up on strike outs. He got some help from his offense in the 4th and 5th innings with home runs from Michael Morse (first as a Giant), Pablo Sandoval (3-run homer) and Buster Posey. Those runs would be the only ones Bumgarner needed as he struck out 10 Dodgers in 6.1 innings. He gave up 2 earned runs, walked only 1 and scattered 8 hits. He got bailed out of the 7th inning thanks to Santiago Casilla, who came in with the bases loaded and 1 out and got pinch hitter Yasiel Puig to fly out. Hunter Pence then came to the rescue and he unleashed his cannon to throw out A.J. Ellis on a base hit by Andre Ethier. His 3rd outfield assist of the young season. Casilla with his electric movement on all his pitches especially his two-seam fastball that clocks in at 94-96mph that ran away from lefty's and into righty's helped him get out of jams.
Game 2: San Francisco 7, Los Angeles 2
Matt Cain had trouble in the final game of the series, giving up the long ball. His command this time was a lot better, being able to have a feel for his curveball and slider. The problem he had was balls that were left up in the zone to Matt Kemp twice and Hanley Ramirez. They did not wait long to park those balls beyond the fence, putting the Giants in a 4-0 hole early in the game. Besides the 3 home runs Cain was able to pitch well, commanding the strike zone and keeping the Dodger hitters off the bases. He went 6 innings, allowed 5 earned runs, walked 0 and struck out 3. He got ground balls and fly balls when he needed to and all the hitters besides Ramirez and Kemp off balance all night. The Giants offense had an off night at the hands of Dodger pitcher Zach Greinke who pitched masterfully despite giving up home runs to Brandon Belt and Hunter Pence.
Game 3: Los Angeles 6, San Francisco 2
SF wins series 2-1
Now the Giants head home and have an off day tomorrow to get prepared to face the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second time this season. The home opener for the Giants on Tuesday. I will have a series recap for the Giants vs D-backs on Thursday.
Friday, April 4, 2014
San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 4-4-14
The Giants headed to LA for a weekend series against their rivals the Dodgers. Ryan Vogelsong gets the ball in game 1 of this 3 game series, hoping to keep the Giants rolling to start the season. Vogey, fresh off a new contract with SF this past off season that helped solidify the rotation. He finished last season with a record of 4-6 with an ERA of 5.73 in only 20 starts. He was bitten by the injury bug which made the Giants more open to signing someone else, but ultimately decided they wanted to keep him. San Francisco continues their road trip in LA before heading home on Tuesday for the first game of the season at AT&T Park.
Offense with yet another fast start in this one began with two outs in the first inning when the Giants batted around and scored 6 runs off Dodger starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who had trouble locating his pitches and the Giants took advantage. The inning was capped off with a 2 RBI single by Vogelsong who helped his own cause before he even took the mound. In the second inning the offense did not stop, scoring 2 more runs off the bats of new Giant Brandon Hicks and Joaquin Arias. Vogelsong meanwhile settled into an early groove, have good command of his changeup and kept the Dodger power bats silent through the first 3 innings. The 4th inning is where his command started to falter, not being able to put away hitters when he was ahead of them. He made a 1-2 mistake to Adrian Gonzalez to lead off the 4th inning that led to a solo homer. The next batter Andre Either also took a mistake pitch from Vogelsong and planted it into the stands going back to back with Gonzalez. The Dodgers in the 5th continued to take advantage of Vogelsong which knocked him out of the game early in the inning. He finished with the line of 4+ 7 hits 4 runs 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. David Huff had to come in relief to help bail out Vogelsong from the jam. One of the turning points of the game came in the 7th inning when Hanley Ramirez was called safe stealing second base but appeared to be tagged out. Bochy challenged the play and Ramirez was called out. The Giants are now 1 for 2 this year on challenges. Both bullpens took over and shut down the offense for both teams, the Dodger bullpen shut down the Giants bats completely with 7 innings, no hits and only one walk. Javier Lopez came in to close out the game. David Huff got his first win as a member of the Giants.
San Francisco 8, Los Angeles 4
W- Huff (1-0)
L- Ryu (1-1)
Friday April 4, 2014
Offense with yet another fast start in this one began with two outs in the first inning when the Giants batted around and scored 6 runs off Dodger starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who had trouble locating his pitches and the Giants took advantage. The inning was capped off with a 2 RBI single by Vogelsong who helped his own cause before he even took the mound. In the second inning the offense did not stop, scoring 2 more runs off the bats of new Giant Brandon Hicks and Joaquin Arias. Vogelsong meanwhile settled into an early groove, have good command of his changeup and kept the Dodger power bats silent through the first 3 innings. The 4th inning is where his command started to falter, not being able to put away hitters when he was ahead of them. He made a 1-2 mistake to Adrian Gonzalez to lead off the 4th inning that led to a solo homer. The next batter Andre Either also took a mistake pitch from Vogelsong and planted it into the stands going back to back with Gonzalez. The Dodgers in the 5th continued to take advantage of Vogelsong which knocked him out of the game early in the inning. He finished with the line of 4+ 7 hits 4 runs 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. David Huff had to come in relief to help bail out Vogelsong from the jam. One of the turning points of the game came in the 7th inning when Hanley Ramirez was called safe stealing second base but appeared to be tagged out. Bochy challenged the play and Ramirez was called out. The Giants are now 1 for 2 this year on challenges. Both bullpens took over and shut down the offense for both teams, the Dodger bullpen shut down the Giants bats completely with 7 innings, no hits and only one walk. Javier Lopez came in to close out the game. David Huff got his first win as a member of the Giants.
San Francisco 8, Los Angeles 4
W- Huff (1-0)
L- Ryu (1-1)
Friday April 4, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3-14
The Giants trying to take 3 of 4 from the D-backs in this opening series give the ball to 2-time CY Young award winner Tim Lincecum. Timmy had an up and down season last year highlighted in the summer with a no-hitter against the Padres to add to his resume. The Giants gave him a new contract this off season to keep him in San Francisco and fill the void of the 4 spot in the rotation. Lincecum finished last year with a record of 10-14 with an ERA of 4.37 in 197.2 innings. In his history against the D-backs Timmy has had a tough time dealing with Paul Goldschmidt, who is 10-20 with 5 home runs lifetime off the righty. He has completely owned Lincecum and just isn't fooled by anything he throws.
Giants got off to another fast start as the hot hitting Brandon Belt hit his 3rd homer of the season on a 3-2 curveball that did not fool Belt and caught more plate then Bronson Arroyo probably intended. The D-backs countered in the bottom of the first with yet another home run by Goldschmidt, a two-run shot off Lincecum on a first pitch fastball. Timmy settled down after that, posting 4 shutout innings 2-5 racking up strikeouts with his slider, curveball and nasty split-change. His day was finished after 6 innings, he left down 4-2 and after he gave up another two-run homer, this time to Mark Trumbo. Trumbo homered to the deepest part of Chase Field off of a split change that Timmy hung by mistake, and Trumbo pounced on it. Lincecum had 7 strikeouts and no walks which is definitely a promising sign for the righty in his first start of the season. In the top of the 7th Brandon Hicks hit a pinch hit solo homer to cut the D-backs lead in half off reliever Josh Collmenter. The Giants bullpen kept the game close and allowed the offense to have a chance. In the 8th inning the Giants tied the game with a 2-out rally started by an RBI base hit up the middle by Michael Morse on a hanging curveball by Will Harris on a 2-1 count. The next batter Pagan stepped up and hit a 3-run go ahead homer on a first pitch fastball that Harris wanted to throw inside but leaked over the middle of the plate and Pagan made no mistake and blasted it over the right center field wall. The Giants pen shut it down after that, closed out by Javier Lopez. As a team in this first series of the 2014 campain they have been able to come back late twice by scoring 5 runs in the last three innings in the first game, and scoring 6 runs today in the final three frames. They do not quit, and have been taking advantage of the D-backs bullpen throughout the series. The Giants head out to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers tomorrow night.
San Francisco 8, Arizona 5
W- Machi (2-0)
L- Harris (0-1)
Thursday April 3, 2014
Giants got off to another fast start as the hot hitting Brandon Belt hit his 3rd homer of the season on a 3-2 curveball that did not fool Belt and caught more plate then Bronson Arroyo probably intended. The D-backs countered in the bottom of the first with yet another home run by Goldschmidt, a two-run shot off Lincecum on a first pitch fastball. Timmy settled down after that, posting 4 shutout innings 2-5 racking up strikeouts with his slider, curveball and nasty split-change. His day was finished after 6 innings, he left down 4-2 and after he gave up another two-run homer, this time to Mark Trumbo. Trumbo homered to the deepest part of Chase Field off of a split change that Timmy hung by mistake, and Trumbo pounced on it. Lincecum had 7 strikeouts and no walks which is definitely a promising sign for the righty in his first start of the season. In the top of the 7th Brandon Hicks hit a pinch hit solo homer to cut the D-backs lead in half off reliever Josh Collmenter. The Giants bullpen kept the game close and allowed the offense to have a chance. In the 8th inning the Giants tied the game with a 2-out rally started by an RBI base hit up the middle by Michael Morse on a hanging curveball by Will Harris on a 2-1 count. The next batter Pagan stepped up and hit a 3-run go ahead homer on a first pitch fastball that Harris wanted to throw inside but leaked over the middle of the plate and Pagan made no mistake and blasted it over the right center field wall. The Giants pen shut it down after that, closed out by Javier Lopez. As a team in this first series of the 2014 campain they have been able to come back late twice by scoring 5 runs in the last three innings in the first game, and scoring 6 runs today in the final three frames. They do not quit, and have been taking advantage of the D-backs bullpen throughout the series. The Giants head out to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers tomorrow night.
San Francisco 8, Arizona 5
W- Machi (2-0)
L- Harris (0-1)
Thursday April 3, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2-14
Tim Hudson making his Giants debut tonight. Hudson signed with the Giants this off season after having played on the A's for 6 years and the Braves for 9 years, he established himself as the ace of the Braves for many years. He was acquired by the Giants to help complete their 5-man rotation and replace his ex teammate with the A's Barry Zito. Hudson had a bitter end to his Braves career when he was injured last year covering first base on a put out. When tagging the base he put his right foot on the right side of the base which resulted in the runner stepping on his ankle, ending his season. In his career against the D-backs, Hudson is 7-1 with an ERA around 2.
Unlike the games before this one, Tim Hudson and Trevor Cahill were locked in a pitchers duel, both righty's pitching lights out through the first 4 innings. Both were able to keep the opposing hitters off balance with their sinkers and getting a lot of ground balls to get outs. Hudson effectively used his secondary pitches to put away hitters, having full command of all 6 of his pitches. He recieved help in the bottom of the 4th when Pagan made a run saving diving catch to end the inning. The next inning Pagan came through clutch again with an RBI single past te diving Goldschmidt to score Adrianza and give the Giants the lead. In the 6th Michael Morse came through and hit a bullet off the glove of the centerfielder Campana to score Pence. That was all that Hudson would need as he continued to mow down the bats of the D-backs with help from his defense. He would steal strikes consistantly with his sinker and curveball, while getting timely strikeouts with his splitter to help get out of any jams. Unlike Cain and Bumgarner, he kept consistantly pounding the outside and inside corners and making it easy for the umpire to give him close pitches. Hudson finished after 7.2 innings, giving up 3 hits and walking none with 7 strikeouts. (103 pitches). The bullpen came in and took care of the rest of the game with Lopez finishing the inning and Romo with a clean lockdown save to end it. The Giants have their final game of the series tomorrow.
San Francisco 2, Arizona 0
W- Hudson (1-0)
L- Cahill (0-2)
S- Romo (2)
Wednesday April 2, 2014
Unlike the games before this one, Tim Hudson and Trevor Cahill were locked in a pitchers duel, both righty's pitching lights out through the first 4 innings. Both were able to keep the opposing hitters off balance with their sinkers and getting a lot of ground balls to get outs. Hudson effectively used his secondary pitches to put away hitters, having full command of all 6 of his pitches. He recieved help in the bottom of the 4th when Pagan made a run saving diving catch to end the inning. The next inning Pagan came through clutch again with an RBI single past te diving Goldschmidt to score Adrianza and give the Giants the lead. In the 6th Michael Morse came through and hit a bullet off the glove of the centerfielder Campana to score Pence. That was all that Hudson would need as he continued to mow down the bats of the D-backs with help from his defense. He would steal strikes consistantly with his sinker and curveball, while getting timely strikeouts with his splitter to help get out of any jams. Unlike Cain and Bumgarner, he kept consistantly pounding the outside and inside corners and making it easy for the umpire to give him close pitches. Hudson finished after 7.2 innings, giving up 3 hits and walking none with 7 strikeouts. (103 pitches). The bullpen came in and took care of the rest of the game with Lopez finishing the inning and Romo with a clean lockdown save to end it. The Giants have their final game of the series tomorrow.
San Francisco 2, Arizona 0
W- Hudson (1-0)
L- Cahill (0-2)
S- Romo (2)
Wednesday April 2, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1-14
Matt Cain was on the hill tonight for the Giants against the Diamondbacks for the second game of this four game opening series in Arizona. Cain struggled last year, having very uncharacteristic numbers by his standards and was unable to really settle into a groove like he was in 2012. He finished with a record of 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA in 184.1 innings pitched. The once named "horse" of the staff is looking to turn it around this year and go back to being the dominant reliable guy that Giants have come to love.
Giants gave Cain an early boost in the first inning thanks to a massive homer by Brandon Belt his second in as many games that capped off a 4 run first. Cain's struggles continued and he was unable to find any command of his off-speed pitches, his slider was flat a easily seen by the D-backs hitters and his curve had no bite to it that became problematic. He relies heavily on all of his pitches to help with his pin point control and control the bats of the opponents, but all he could throw was his fastball and changeup. He got out of the first with a clutch double play off the bat of Trumbo. The second and third innings were more of the same, no control of his put away pitches and had to rely on his fastball to get ahead and his changeup to put away. Meanwhile Wade Miley for the D-backs settled into a groove, stealing strikes early with his curve and striking the Giants out with his fastball, he didn't not give up another baserunner until a two out walk by Buster Posey in the 6th. Bottom of the 4th got interesting for the Giants when Matt Cain appeared to pick off AJ Pollock off first base but was called safe, Bochy challenged the play and the call stood despite the evidence shown that he was clearly out. Two batters later a passed ball by Posey, which he then quickly flipped to Cain covering home got the tag on Pollock attempting to score but the umpire called him safe and because the Giants lost the challenge on the pick play, there was nothing the Giants could do. Gutierrez came in to relieve Cain and was unable to keep his off-speed pitches down and that led to the D-backs taking the lead. The second turning point of the game was in the top of the 7th, the Giants had second and third with only one out, and Juan Perez struck out and was unable to put the ball in play. The D-backs bullpen shut it down with pin point fastball location throughout the last few innings that kept the Giants at bay.
Arizona 5, San Francisco 4
W- Miley (1-1)
L- Gutierrez (0-1)
S- Reed (1)
Tuesday April 1, 2014
Giants gave Cain an early boost in the first inning thanks to a massive homer by Brandon Belt his second in as many games that capped off a 4 run first. Cain's struggles continued and he was unable to find any command of his off-speed pitches, his slider was flat a easily seen by the D-backs hitters and his curve had no bite to it that became problematic. He relies heavily on all of his pitches to help with his pin point control and control the bats of the opponents, but all he could throw was his fastball and changeup. He got out of the first with a clutch double play off the bat of Trumbo. The second and third innings were more of the same, no control of his put away pitches and had to rely on his fastball to get ahead and his changeup to put away. Meanwhile Wade Miley for the D-backs settled into a groove, stealing strikes early with his curve and striking the Giants out with his fastball, he didn't not give up another baserunner until a two out walk by Buster Posey in the 6th. Bottom of the 4th got interesting for the Giants when Matt Cain appeared to pick off AJ Pollock off first base but was called safe, Bochy challenged the play and the call stood despite the evidence shown that he was clearly out. Two batters later a passed ball by Posey, which he then quickly flipped to Cain covering home got the tag on Pollock attempting to score but the umpire called him safe and because the Giants lost the challenge on the pick play, there was nothing the Giants could do. Gutierrez came in to relieve Cain and was unable to keep his off-speed pitches down and that led to the D-backs taking the lead. The second turning point of the game was in the top of the 7th, the Giants had second and third with only one out, and Juan Perez struck out and was unable to put the ball in play. The D-backs bullpen shut it down with pin point fastball location throughout the last few innings that kept the Giants at bay.
Arizona 5, San Francisco 4
W- Miley (1-1)
L- Gutierrez (0-1)
S- Reed (1)
Tuesday April 1, 2014
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