SF Giants Press Clips Monday, April 30, 2018

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1 SF Giants Press Clips Monday, April 30, 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Giants beat Dodgers to take 3rd straight series, reach.500 Henry Schulman As the Dodgers rolled toward the airport Sunday amid controversy and bitterness between their manager and big-hitting first baseman, they bade farewell to San Francisco until the final week of the season, a bizarre feature of the schedule. Where will these teams be when the boys of blue return? Will the Dodgers be back atop the National League West, finishing off their sixth consecutive division title? Perhaps. They have the pedigree, the horses and a history of playing better as the weeks progress. The Giants? Nobody around baseball expects them to be playing for anything in Games 160, 161 and 162. Even some of the diehards have whispered to their friends and neighbors they would take after last year s 98 losses. The past three series might recalibrate people s thinking. The Giants took them all, and in winning 4-2 Sunday to take three of four from L.A., they showed the type of pluck and execution missing from these parts since the 2016 All-Star break. The Giants have overcome a 7-11 start and some significant injuries to reach.500. They completed a 5-2 week against two reigning division winners despite coughing up 15 runs in each of the two losses. They will end April in far better shape than last year, when they wheezed into May at It s not an area we were hoping to be in,.500, manager Bruce Bochy said. But considering some of the things that have happened, it s OK. Considering where we were, battling back to.500 is a good sign. 1

2 It s too early to confer any meaning into the Giants 7-11 start or their 7-3 record since then. But even a 10-game display of the it factor that good teams possess is encouraging. We got off to a bit of a slow start and it s now starting to come together, said third baseman Evan Longoria, who has been hot as a firecracker after a dud of a Giants debut. Top to bottom, we re feeling much more confident as a group. Longoria propelled the Giants to their sixth victory in 10 games against the Dodgers when he hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Kenta Maeda, one pitch after he missed a run-scoring extra-base hit by inches foul. Buster Posey started the two-out rally with a double and Brandon Belt walked with a bit of help from home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna. Three-run homers are huge by definition, but Bochy said Longoria s gave the Giants an extraordinary lift after Saturday s fatiguing doubleheader split. It also allowed Giants starter Ty Blach more freedom to attack the strike zone and continue his uncanny domination of the Dodgers (six innings, two runs). His ERA in 531/3 career innings against L.A. is 2.06, but 5.14 against everyone else. Longoria started to hit on the road but still sought that big blow at home that would allow him to bond with fans who viewed him warily when he was hitting.149 after 12 games. He said his two-run double in the seventh inning of Saturday s 8-3 win in the nightcap, which provided two insurance runs in what was then a 4-3 game, let him exhale. That was kind of weighing on me a little bit, Longoria said. Just getting that hit yesterday freed up my mind and let me go out there a little more relaxed. Brandon Belt added an RBI double off the bricks in right-center, Sam Dyson pitched the Giants out of a big jam in the seventh, and Tony Watson and Hunter Strickland ended it, Strickland earning his seventh save in nine chances. Cody Bellinger hit a double in the fifth that manager Dave Roberts considered a triple off the bat. Bellinger watched the ball too long and did not run hard out of the box. Roberts responded by benching him. Bellinger responded to Roberts with public comments akin to, Whatever, dude. The difference in moods between these teams late Sunday afternoon was hard to ignore. For the Giants, being the happy bunch had to feel like a nice change of pace. San Francisco Chronicle Thumb surgery could keep Giants second baseman Joe Panik out 8 weeks 2

3 Henry Schulman Joe Panik will fly to Los Angeles to see a hand specialist for a second opinion on his sprained left thumb ligament. There s a good chance he s headed toward surgery, manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday. The injury occurred Friday night when Panik s glove met Yasiel Puig s left leg on a pickoff play at second base. Typical recovery time for this surgery is six to eight weeks. Panik s injury forces Bochy to rethink two important spots, second base on a defense-oriented team and the top of the lineup. He envisions a near-platoon with Kelby Tomlinson against lefthanders and Alen Hanson against righties. Hanson has speed and can bat leadoff, where Gregor Blanco and Austin Jackson might reside. More injury updates: Mac Williamson took batting practice and again reported no concussion symptoms. He is not eligible to return before Saturday under a concussion-disabled list rule that prevents backdating when the player recalled to replace him had not served 10 days in the minors after being optioned. Austin Slater was optioned and recalled within hours. Bochy thinks Williamson will be ready Saturday. The Giants hope to get good medical news Tuesday when Madison Bumgarner visits the doctor seeking clearance to begin throwing, 5½ weeks after a line drive broke his left pinkie. Bumgarner is eligible to come off the 60-day DL on May 25, but a mid-june return is more likely. New rivalry: Evan Longoria spent a decade in some odd AL East rivalries in which Red Sox and Yankees fans would take over Tropicana Field and make the Rays feel like the visitors. After 10 games of Dodgers-Giants, seven at home, Longoria said, It s a fun environment. When we win, it s electric. People stay until the last out is recorded. It s why I was excited to come here in the first place, and I m beginning to see that. Briefly: Bochy said Andrew Suarez will be promoted Tuesday to make a spot start necessitated by Saturday s doubleheader. Suarez likely would be optioned the next day to clear a spot for Will Smith, who is completing a 13-month rehab from Tommy John surgery. Hunter Pence is 1-for-8 at Triple-A Sacramento in his rehab from a thumb sprain. San Francisco Chronicle Giants manager Bruce Bochy says Pablo Sandoval might pitch again Henry Schulman 3

4 Nick Hundley was catching his 6,610th big-league inning, Pablo Sandoval was pitching his first, and the Panda actually shook off one of Hundley's signs. He should have. Did you see the score? Hundley said with a huge grin Sunday. We d given up 15 runs before that, so obviously the signs weren t very good. Hundley called for a curveball. Sandoval wanted to throw a fastball. Somewhere in the ether, Lou Brown from Major League was yelling with a gravelly voice, Give him the heater, Pablo. Manager Bruce Bochy said Sandoval was a little sore after his 11-pitch foray into pitching. Sandoval threw a perfect ninth inning in a 15-6 loss to the Dodgers in the opener of Saturday s doubleheader. A day later, the Giants were still laughing about it while expressing shock that Sandoval was so good not just the results, but his mechanics, using both sides of the plate and a mix of offspeed pitches and a fastball that hit 88 mph. He looked like a pitcher, Bochy said. That s what was impressive: his delivery, his tempo. Bochy said he might use Sandoval again on the mound and can envision a position player such as the Panda being a two-way reliever/position player. Or, Sandoval could wind up 60 feet, 6 inches away behind the plate. He is the emergency catcher, too. Hundley drew a direct line between Sandoval s inning and the Giants 8-3 victory in the night game. I honestly think it gave us momentum into the next game, Hundley said. It gave us a morale boost. The Red Sox, who are responsible for the bulk of Sandoval s salary, might need a morale boost after learning that they paid him about $93,000 Saturday to save the Giants bullpen. MLB.com Giants on a roll in taking series from Dodgers Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- A team bearing a.500 mark is believed to be mediocre, stagnant or bland. Right now, the Giants don't fit that description. To be sure, they own a pedestrian mark. But after sealing their third consecutive series win with Sunday's 4-2 triumph over the archival Dodgers, the Giants appear poised to face more challenges. 4

5 They've leveled their win-loss record by winning seven of 10 games, receiving contributions from various individuals through that stretch. That sort of thing has become necessary with injuries sidelining Hunter Pence, Mac Williamson and Joe Panik and slumps gripping Evan Longoria, Buster Posey, Andrew McCutchen and Austin Jackson at various junctures. The Giants even endured a stretch when their top three starting pitchers were simultaneously on the disabled list. Manager Bruce Bochy's club should be closer to last place than first in the National League West. Instead, the Giants are gaining belief and trust in themselves. They know that, in their case, a.500 mark is deceptively low. "It's not an area we hoped we'd be in," Bochy said after Longoria's three-run homer in the first inning gave the Giants all the scoring they would need. "But considering some things that have happened, it's OK." Things are almost always OK when Ty Blach faces the Dodgers. He's 4-2 with a 2.03 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Dodgers, compared with 7-13 and a 5.14 ERA in 35 appearances against other Major League clubs. Blach's latest triumph over Los Angeles was typical. He avoided beating himself by issuing just one walk. Dismissed by many observers as a soft-tossing lefty, Blach demonstrated he could bring the heat when he needed to by fanning Austin Barnes with a 90 mph fastball after Cody Bellinger doubled to open the fifth inning. "You try to stay away from throwing some of the similar sequences that you have in the past," Blach said, explaining his consistent success against the Dodgers. Very little has been consistent about the Giants' offense. Their NL-low batting average with runners in scoring position dipped to.203 on Sunday. However, they have started to generate the clutch hitting every team needs. Longoria's homer capped a two-out rally, and Brandon Belt produced San Francisco's other run with a two-out, third-inning double. Belt has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, showing hints of the excellence predicted from him years ago. Ultimately the ninth inning arrived, and in came Hunter Strickland to notch his seventh save in nine chances and fifth in a row overall. He delivered a glowing review of the Giants: "Coming in, we knew we had a great team, a great lineup and a great pitching staff." "Great" is probably an overstatement. But after entering the season with the Majors' worst record since the 2016 All-Star break, the Giants are entitled to feel great about any sustained success. SOUND SMART If you think it isn't a big deal for the Giants to win three consecutive series, think again. The last time they accomplished this was May 11-21, 2017, when they victimized the Reds, Dodgers and Cardinals. 5

6 YOU GOTTA SEE THIS lf Gregor Blanco looked especially fast as he ran out his fifth-inning triple, it's because he was. According to Statcast, Blanco reached third base in seconds, making it the third-fastest triple by a Giant since the inception of Statcast in Blanco's sprint speed reached 29.3 feet per second, well above the Major League average of 27.3 and close to the elite level of 30. UP NEXT The Giants' season-opening stretch in which they play NL West rivals in 23 of 31 games concludes with a three-game series against San Diego beginning Monday at AT&T Park. Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija will oppose Padres lefty Eric Lauer in the 7:15 p.m. PT series opener. MLB.com Longoria answers foul ball with 3-run homer Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Evan Longoria lost a run-scoring double by inches when a drive he hit in Sunday's first inning hooked foul. So the Giants third baseman settled for a consolation prize: a three-run homer. After hitting the foul drive, the undaunted Longoria connected with the next pitch he saw from Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda and drilled it over the left-field barrier with two teammates aboard and two outs. The Giants proceeded to win, 4-2. Longoria attributed his ability to overcome the disappointment of the foul ball to a two-run double he hit in Saturday's seventh inning that widened the Giants' lead to 6-3. "I got a monkey off my back getting that big hit yesterday," said Longoria, who noted that his inconsistency in key situations was "kind of weighing on me a little bit. "Just being able to get that one yesterday freed up my mind and allowed me to go up there a little more relaxed." After a slow start, Longoria has moved into a tie for the team lead in homers with Brandon Belt (six) and tops the club with 15 RBIs. In Longoria's last 16 games, he has five doubles, five home runs and 13 RBIs. "I've got a long way to go but it's definitely gotten a lot better," said Longoria, who was acquired from Tampa Bay for four players during the offseason. "With the start that I got off to, obviously I can only go up from there." MLB.com Giants mull options to replace Panik in lineup Chris Haft 6

7 SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that he might try several players to bat at or near the top of the order while second baseman Joe Panik recovers from his sprained left thumb. Panik, who could be sidelined for six to eight weeks, typically batted leadoff against righthanded starters and second against lefties. Among likely replacements at second base, Kelby Tomlinson, a right-handed batter, would be an obvious choice to bat first against lefties, with switch-hitting Alen Hanson starting against righties. However, since Hanson is relatively new to the organization -- he was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training this year before beginning the season in Triple-A -- Tomlinson could face righthanded starters occasionally. Bochy mentioned Gregor Blanco, a left-handed batter, as a replacement leadoff batter against righties. Indeed, Blanco filled this role in Sunday's series finale against the Dodgers and righthander Kenta Maeda. Right-handed-batting outfielders Austin Jackson and Gorkys Hernandez can fill in at leadoff against lefties. Bochy added he likes seeing right fielder Andrew McCutchen, who received his first rest of the season Sunday, in the No. 2 spot against left-handers. Panik is expected to visit an orthopedist in Los Angeles on Monday for a second opinion regarding whether he should undergo surgery or try to recover through rest and rehabilitation. Bochy said Triple-A left-hander Andrew Suarez "probably" will be summoned to start Tuesday's game against San Diego at AT&T Park. That spot officially has not been assigned. NBC Sports Bay Area Hunter Strickland is giving Bruce Bochy peace of mind in the ninth Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO After Sunday s game, Bruce Bochy mentioned how important Evan Longoria s first-inning blast was on a day when both teams were tired. That fatigue was also part of the equation for the manager, who had to get through 36 innings in 48 hours and try to keep his relievers and regulars fresh all while dealing with a fresh batch of injuries. There was one thing Bochy didn t have to worry about, though, and it s part of the game that has most kept him up the last two seasons. The Giants took three of four from the Dodgers and Hunter Strickland took them to the finish line every time. Named closer in the hours before the season started, Strickland has taken the lead in a bullpen that s all of a sudden, well, pretty good. That was the norm around here for three title runs, but the bullpen helped sink the 2016 and 7

8 2017 teams. This season, it s once again something Bochy doesn t have to worry about. Sure, there s a sense of confidence, I think with everybody, he said. We have a bullpen where they all know their roles. It s a routine and it makes life easier. Bochy is still trying to sort out the early innings a bit. But give him a lead in the seventh and he has no hesitation. Sam Dyson pitched in all three wins this weekend, including Sunday s 4-2 victory, and he hasn t allowed a run in his last seven appearances. Tony Watson, a Dodger last season and a player they could desperately use right now, pitched the eighth on Sunday and lowered his ERA to Strickland took over in the ninth and got two fly balls to center and a strikeout. He has appeared in 14 of the Giants 28 games, posting a 1.32 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. His seven saves tie him for fourth in the NL. For so long, Strickland was the bull in the china shop, coming after hitters with a firm fastball and trying to force his way through innings. Now, he s finessing it a bit. He is throwing his four-seam fastball 12 percent less than in any previous season and his changeup 10 percent of the time, a career-high. A slider he revamped while working with John Smoltz has become a real weapon. He s got a really good slider going along with command of his fastball, Bochy said. He s using his changeup. He s just doing a much better job of pitching. He was pretty predictable with his pitches the last couple of years and he had the stuff to get away with it, but still, it s important to have these secondary pitches. Strickland s emergence has made up for the loss of Mark Melancon, but the Giants soon will get another injured reliever back in the mix. Will Smith made his final rehab appearance for the Sacramento River Cats on Sunday and he ll make his return from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. All indications are that he has been sharp while rehabbing. If the current back-end guys can keep it up, Bochy could have his best bullpen mix since the days when Affeldt, Casilla, Lopez and Romo locked up wins. We ve got a great group right now, Strickland said. Everybody is definitely holding their own and doing their part. That allows the Giants to actually pull out wins when they do other things well, hardly a guarantee the previous two years. Longoria s three-run homer paced the offense and Ty Blach once again flummoxed the Dodgers. He improved to 4-2 against them in his career with a 2.03 ERA. Brandon Crawford made a spectacular diving play at short to help the cause. The win had the Giants back at.500 for the first time since April 12. At 14-14, they are not where they hoped to be. But they haven t played that well overall, yet they re not buried at the end of April as they were a year ago. If you consider the things that have happened, it s okay, Bochy said. Considering where we 8

9 were, to battle back to.500, that s always a good sign. NBC Sports Bay Area Krukow analyzes Sandoval the pitcher: 'Not the last time he's gonna do this' NBC Sports Bay Area Staff On Saturday afternoon, Pablo Sandoval did something pretty special. With the Giants trailing 15-6, he took the mound in the Top of the 9th and delivered a inning. On Monday morning, Mike Krukow talked about The Panda's pitching debut. "He's such a unique story and then he goes out there and you watch him start warming up, and technique wise, the guy looks like he should be in your bullpen," Krukow said on KNBR 680. "It's a beautiful throwing motion -- compact, a repeatable stroke, all the things you look for when a prospect is coming up. "The curveball was fantastic. So what you take out of it -- that's not the last time he's gonna do this. He's now a guy that's not only the third catcher, but he's your 14th pitcher." As Alex Pavlovic wrote: Four years ago, when he left town for the Red Sox, Sandoval looked like he would forever be an enemy at AT&T Park, despite his years of glory here. He returned last season humbled, and he has worked hard to rebuild the trust that was lost by a bridge-burning exit. The bottom of the ninth was the final step. Sandoval received a raucous standing ovation from those remaining when he took his last at-bat of the day. A few minutes later, he strapped an ice pack to his elbow as any dominant relief pitcher would. He said he loved the moment, but he s not sure if he wants to do it again. In 42 plate appearances this season, Sandoval is hitting.237 with one home run and seven RBI. "He's had his issues controlling his weight, etc -- but you can never say he doesn't love this game," Krukow added. NBC Sports Bay Area Giants back at.500 after series win over Dodgers Alex Pavlovic Three out of four from LA SAN FRANCISCO This has become the familiar formula against the Dodgers. 9

10 Ty Blach once again dominated them and the bullpen took over from there, with Sam Dyson, Tony Watson and Hunter Strickland closing it out. The Giants took three of four this weekend to get back to.500 for the season. A 4-2 win left them at Here s what else you need to know Blach Party Blach has faced the Dodgers three times this season and they still haven t figured him out. He has pitched 23 innings in those starts and allowed three runs. In his other four starts, he has given up 14 earned in 26 1/3 innings. Longoria stays hot Evan Longoria came about an inch away from a two-run double in the first inning, but it was foul. No big deal. He straightened it out and hit a three-run shot. The homer was his sixth and put him on pace for 35 this season. That would be, oh, about twice what you re used to from Giants hitters. Blanco back in the fold Gregor Blanco will see plenty of time atop the lineup with Joe Panik out with a thumb injury. He had a triple and infield single in four at-bats Sunday. Per the Research Department of Ahmed Fareed, Blanco made it to third in seconds on the triple, the third-fastest home-to-third time in the big leagues this season. Another NL West injury Cody Bellinger was pulled from the game with an apparent injury. This on the weekend when Robbie Ray hurt his oblique, Wil Myers went down for the Padres, and the Giants potentially lost Panik for two months. It s been brutal in the NL West. The team that can stay healthiest through the summer will probably be the one left standing. The Athletic Down on the farm: Giants system being put to the test, Duggar making a case for the big leagues Melissa Lockard The usefulness of an organization s farm system extends beyond the count of how many topranked prospects are among its ranks. While every organization looks to produce stars, the best organizations are able to find useful players among its unheralded prospects. Coming into this season, the Giants farm system was universally ranked among the bottomthird in baseball by the major prospect publications. However, without recent contributions from that farm system, the Giants would be nowhere close to the.500 record they currently hold at the big league level. Neither Chris Stratton nor Ty Blach were highly ranked prospects in the minor leagues, but both 10

11 have been instrumental in keeping the Giants rotation afloat while Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto missed time with injuries. Andrew Suarez will be called on again to throw important innings next week, and Tyler Beede is likely to return to the big league rotation at some point this year. The Giants have also relied heavily on call-ups from Triple-A to keep their bullpen going while they wait for Mark Melacon and Will Smith to recover from injuries. On the position-player side, the Giants offense got a boost from the promotion of Mac Williamson last week, and while Williamson is sidelined with a concussion, the Giants will look to fellow call-up Austin Slater to make a contribution. Meanwhile, Steven Duggar continues to make his case for an early-season promotion to the big leagues. With Joe Panik sidelined for an extended period, the Giants will turn to homegrown infielder Kelby Tomlinson and minor league free-agent signing Alen Hanson to fill the void. If the Giants make it until July still in playoff contention, it will likely be because of unexpected contributions from players like Williamson, Slater and Hanson. Undoubtedly, the Giants need more high-upside talent in their farm system something they hope to address in this year s draft but the early season is a reminder that even thin farm systems can provide boosts to their big league club. All stats good through Sunday, April 29. Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A, Pacific Coast League) Current Record: Manager Dave Brundage has had plenty of challenges thrown his way this week, as the Giants borrowed liberally and often without much-advanced warning from the River Cats roster. Through all of the roster turnover, the River Cats took four of five from division-rival Reno to close out a 4-2 week. Sacramento ranks fourth in the PCL in home runs and fifth in walks. The River Cats staff has struggled to the tune of a 5.28 ERA and it has walked the second-most batters in the league. Transactions OF Austin Slater: Recalled to San Francisco on 4/27; optioned to Sacramento on 4/28; recalled to San Francisco on 4/28. Slater was originally added to the Giants roster for what was expected to be a one-day assignment, but when Williamson s concussion symptoms worsened on Saturday morning, the Giants stopped Slater on his way back to Sacramento and added him back to the roster. He was batting.358 with a.435 OBP at the time of his recall. He had two hits and two walks in seven at-bats with the Giants over the weekend. 2B Alen Hanson: Contract purchased by San Francisco on 4/28. Hanson was the hottest hitter in the River Cats lineup not named Williamson this season, and his strong start earned him a spot on the Giants roster when Joe Panik when down with a left thumb sprain. Hanson homered in 11

12 his first game for the Giants and was batting.403 with a OPS at the time of his promotion. Hanson was once a top prospect for the Pirates, but his progress stalled when he reached the Triple-A level. He didn t hit much (.598 OPS) in 133 big league games with the Pirates and White Sox and there were questions about his maturity. Hanson is still only 25, however, and he s a switch-hitter with gap power and above-average speed. A former shortstop, he s made a smooth adjustment to second base. Older and wiser, Hanson has an opportunity to realize the potential he showed with Pittsburgh while Panik is on the DL. RHP Roberto Gómez: Recalled to San Francisco on 4/25; optioned to Sacramento on 4/28. When Stratton went on the paternity leave list, the Giants added another reliever, bringing Gómez back up. Unfortunately for Gómez, the Giants blowout loss to the Dodgers in Game 1 of Saturday s doubleheader necessitated the team bringing up another reliever for Game 2, leaving Gómez on the short end of the option stick once again. LHP D.J. Snelten: Recalled to San Francisco on 4/28. Snelten was the beneficiary of the Giants need for a pitcher after their blowout loss in Game 1 of the Dodgers doubleheader. He got off to a rough start for the River Cats this year, allowing three runs and walking four over his first two appearances (3 1/3 innings), but over his last four appearances, he had allowed just one earned run in 5 2/3 innings and he hadn t walked a batter. He made his major league debut in the second game of the Dodgers doubleheader and worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings. RHP Derek Law: Recalled to San Francisco on 4/28; optioned back to Sacramento on 4/28. Law was the 26th man for the Giants in the doubleheader on Saturday. He threw three innings in the game 1 rout, allowing three runs on eight hits. OF Caleb Gindl: Assigned to Sacramento from extended spring training on 4/25. With Williamson now in the big leagues, the Giants added veteran outfielder Gindl, who re-signed with the organization this spring after being released over the offseason. Gindl spent half of the 2017 season with Double-A Richmond, where he hit.284/.335/.533. The 11-year veteran was one of the Brewers top prospects from , but he has only had two opportunities in the big leagues. In 65 career major league games, he is a.232/.335/.404 hitter. He ll serve as organizational depth for the Giants. RHP Tyler Herb: Placed on the 7-day disabled list on 4/25. Herb allowed five earned runs in three innings in his 2018 season debut, but since then, he had allowed just five runs over 16 1/3 innings before landing on the DL. Notable Performances OF Steven Duggar: While Williamson and Slater got the first opportunities, Duggar s time in the big leagues may also be coming soon. After a slow start this April, Duggar is red-hot. He homered in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday and is batting.341 over his last 10 games. 12

13 On the season, he has a.300/.398/.438 line with 13 walks in 20 games. OF Chris Shaw: Shaw hit a 434-foot home run on Friday night, the third-longest homer by a River Cat this season. He broke a slump on Thursday with a two-hit game that included a home run and is 6 for 16 over his last four games with two home runs. Shaw s strikeout-to-walk rate remains a concern (he has 36 strikeouts and only six walks), but the power is legitimate. LHP Andrew Suarez: Suarez threw a dominating seven innings against Reno on Thursday, allowing a run on three hits and a walk. He struck out nine and threw 63 of 85 pitches for strikes. Suarez is likely to get a start for the Giants on Tuesday. He allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings in his big league debut earlier this month. RHP Tyler Beede: Beede had a solid outing against Reno on Wednesday, allowing a run on five hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out five. Beede has gone exactly six innings in each of his two starts with Sacramento since being optioned back from San Francisco. Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double-A, Eastern League) Current Record: 14-8 Baseball s fun again in Richmond, as the Flying Squirrels are sitting atop the Eastern League s Western Division thanks to an 8-2 start to their home schedule. The week began with three losses and a rainout, but Richmond recovered to win the final two games of the week. Richmond s bullpen has been light s out and it leads the league in saves with 12. No other team has more than seven. Richmond s hitters are providing some punch of late, as well, and they are now third in the league in home runs with 20 and second in the league in walks with 85. Notable Performances RHP Shaun Anderson: Anderson continues to make the Eduardo Núñez deal look like a steal for the Giants. The right-hander threw six more strong innings on Sunday to lower his season ERA to He s struck out 28 in 28 innings while walking only six this season. I spoke with Anderson on Friday about what has been working for him this season and the adjustments he s made since turning pro. SS Ryan Howard: Howard had an eight-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday, but he still had a positive impact on the game, driving in a run. He s batting.303 with a.353 OBP in 76 at-bats and, perhaps most notable, he s struck out just nine times. Howard goes to the opposite field as well as any right-handed hitter in the Giants system and his line-drive rate for the season is up to 18 percent. He isn t likely to hit for much over-the-fence power in the upper levels, but his ability to reach the gaps combined with his above-average speed will get him his fair share of doubles. He has four already this season. CF Ronnie Jebavy: Jebavy has had trouble picking up hits so far this season, but he collected four on Sunday to bump his season average from.131 to.185. Jebavy hasn t had trouble 13

14 getting on base despite the lack of hits. His 15 walks in 23 games have helped him post a.341 OBP. He s a perfect 6 for 6 on stolen base attempts after going 15 for 15 last season. Defensively, Jebavy is one of the top defensive center fielders in minor league baseball. OF Dylan Davis: Davis homered twice this week and now has a team-leading five on the season. He s also batting.303 over his last 10 games with three home runs. Davis fell off the prospect radar last season when he hit only.217/.280/.361 in 99 games for Richmond, but he hit 26 home runs for Low-A Augusta and High-A San Jose in The power has always been there, but an overly aggressive approach caught up to him in Double-A last season. He s seeing more pitches in 2018 and getting better opportunities to make loud contact as a result. 3B Jonah Arenado: A five-game hitting streak came to an end for Arenado on Sunday, but the youngest position player on the Richmond roster appears to be coming around at the plate. He had six hits in 18 at-bats this week, including his third home run of the season, and he s batting.265 over his last 10 games with two home runs. Arenado s average (.222) and OBP (.273) are still not where he d like them to be, but the slugging percentage (.431) is continuing to climb. RHP Ray Black: The Giants are being careful with the oft-injured Black this season, spreading out his relief appearances in the early part of the season. This week, he appeared in two games for the Flying Squirrels and tossed two scoreless innings. He struck out three and didn t allow a baserunner. Black has been clocked in the triple digits regularly in his seven outings this season and he s got his sledgehammer breaking ball working, as well. Black will need to prove he can work a regular reliever s schedule (two games in three days, back-to-back days, etc.) to get a shot at the big leagues, but the stuff is still there if he can stay healthy. LHP Garrett Williams: The Giants No. 9 prospect according to MLBPipeline is off to a bit of a slow start for Richmond, but he put together a decent five-inning outing on Friday. In that start, he allowed two runs on six hits, although he did walk four. Williams lasted only 2 1/3 innings in his previous start, and he has a 4.96 ERA and a 14:11 K:BB in 16 1/3 innings this season. Command has been Williams biggest weakness as a pro, and those issues have continued into this season. With a fastball that can touch 96 and a big bending curveball, Williams is tough for hitters to square up. He s sporting a 77 percent groundball rate on balls hit into play. If he can limit his free passes, he should see his ERA drop in a hurry. San Jose Giants (High-A, California League) Current Record: The Giants went 3-3 this week, coming out on top in two one-run games and losing a third. The Giants pitching staff ranks third in the Cal League with a 3.27 staff ERA, while the offense is third in the league in team batting with a.265 average. Giants hitters haven t been particularly patient at the plate, however, as they have the second-fewest walks in the league. Transactions 14

15 LHP Mac Marshall: Activated from the 7-day disabled list on 4/23. Marshall is coming off of UCL repair surgery and the Giants elected to have him skip a turn through the rotation last week as part of their plan to ease him back to pitching without restrictions. He returned on Tuesday and threw three scoreless innings and then followed that up with three more scoreless innings on Sunday. Marshall s command was much better this week than it had been in his first two appearances. He didn t walk a batter in six innings this week after walking six in six innings before his DL stint. He still hasn t allowed a run this season and he s struck out 15 in 12 innings. Notable Performances RHP Melvin Adon: Adon s stuff was electric in a start against Lake Elsinore on Wednesday. In six innings, he allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out nine. His fastball sat in the upper-90s in that start and he got several swings and misses on his plus slider. Adon has work to do in general with his command, but there may not be a better pure arm in the Giants system than Adon s. OF Heath Quinn: Quinn had two multi-hit games this week and he hit his second home run of the season. He is batting.368 over his last 10 games. The Giants 2016 third-round pick has a.300/.364/.475 line in 21 games this season. Quinn s 2017 was marred by injury, but he was spectacular in 2016 and could push for a midseason promotion to Double-A with a strong May. OF Jacob Heyward: On a team of free swingers, Heyward stands out for his plate discipline. He has 12 walks in 18 games this season and has walked more than he has struck out. Heyward has a five-game hitting streak and has pushed his average up from.264 to.292 during that stretch. He has a.405 OBP for the season. Heyward is built similarly to his older brother Jason and he s starting to come into his own in terms of his power. LHP Conner Menez: Menez is too advanced for the California League, but with the Richmond staff pitching well, there hasn t been an opening yet for Menez to take at the Double-A level. He s biding his time while embarrassing opposing Cal League teams. On Saturday, he threw five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.45 in 20 innings for San Jose. He s allowed only 19 baserunners and has struck out 27. Menez isn t overpowering, but he uses his changeup and slider to keep hitters off balance while locating his low-90s fastball. RHP Patrick Ruotolo: Ruotolo worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings this week and he notched his second save of the season. In 10 1/3 innings this season, Ruotolo has an 0.87 ERA and a 15:4 K:BB. Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A, Midwest League) Current Record: 17-6 The GreenJackets are one of the hottest teams in all of baseball right now. They are winners of eight straight games and have opened up a three-game lead in the South Atlantic League s Southern Division. The GreenJackets have been particularly impressive on the road, winning 11 15

16 of 14 games. They opened the season on a road-heavy schedule, so the team could break in its new park slowly. Augusta is fourth in the league in scoring and third in the league in team ERA (2.48). GreenJacket pitchers have struck out 230 batters in 200 innings. Transactions RHP Aaron Phillips: Assigned to Augusta from extended spring training on 4/26. The Giants ninth-round pick from last season made his 2018 debut on Thursday. It was a good one, as the 6-foot-5 right-hander allowed just two runs on five hits in five innings. He didn t walk a batter and he struck out six. Phillips was a two-way star at St. Bonaventure and is the highest-ever draft pick from that school. He can touch 94 mph with his fastball and has a solid curveball to go along with a slider and changeup. Phillips is an excellent athlete with a live arm. He s relatively new to pitching and will be a good project for the Giants coaching staff to mold over the next few years. Notable Performances OF Malique Ziegler: After a bit of a slump the week before, Ziegler got back on a roll this week, collecting seven hits including two home runs in 17 at-bats. He has a.275/.405/.522 line in 21 games and he is seventh in the league in OPS. Ziegler is an outstanding athlete who is starting to fill out his 6-2 frame. Ziegler was a 22nd-round pick out of an Iowa junior college in LHP Joey Marciano: Marciano followed up his 11-strikeout performance on April 20 with six scoreless innings against Columbia on Friday. He struck out four and walked one in that start. Marciano has a 0.78 ERA in 23 innings and a 23:2 K:BB. RHP Jason Bahr: Bahr struck out seven in a five-inning outing on Saturday against Columbia. He allowed two runs and that actually caused his ERA to go up to The Giants 2017 fifthround pick has a 31:9 K:BB in 23 2/3 innings this season. 1B Ryan Kirby: Kirby homered on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to six games. He is batting.290 over his last 10 games and he has an.816 OPS for the season. The San Ramon native has an RBI in five straight games. OF Heliot Ramos: Ramos seven-game hitting streak came to an end on Friday and he s gone 0 for 12 in three games starting on Friday. It s the first time Ramos has gone back-to-back games without a hit this season. The Giants top prospect did draw two walks over the weekend, bringing his season total to six. RHP Garrett Cave: Cave, the Giants fourth-round pick last season, continues to battle command issues. He threw four scoreless innings on Sunday and struck out seven, but he walked four. Cave has 20 walks in 18 innings this season. Hitters are struggling to make quality contact against him, however. Opposing batters are hitting just.188 and he s struck out

17 RHP C.J. Gettman: Gettman struck out five and didn t walk a batter in four scoreless relief innings this week. Gettman missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He has a 1.38 ERA and 14 strikeouts against three walks in 13 innings so far this season. Gettman has a solid fastball that gets plenty of movement and can touch 95 mph. Associated Press Longoria, Blach leads Giants past Dodgers 4-2 Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Cody Bellinger was the Los Angeles Dodgers best young player in 2017, a slugger who won Rookie of the Year honors, set a franchise record for newbies with 39 homers and drove in 97 runs. On Sunday, Bellinger became the poster boy for what is wrong with the slumping NL champions. Manager Dave Roberts benched him for what he called a lack of hustle after Bellinger pulled up while legging out a double in the fifth inning of the Dodgers 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. According to Roberts, Bellinger should have tried to go for third base on a ball that landed on the warning track in an area of AT&T Park known as Triples Alley. For me, he s too talented of a player to do that, Roberts said. For Cody not to take third base, I would do no service to the team or him by not acting upon it. We ve had discussions about it. If guys aren t doing that, it s on me. Bellinger, the only Dodgers player to have more than one hit in the game, disputed Roberts assessment but wasn t upset. I m always hustling, Bellinger said. It just didn t make sense to me, but I get it as well. He s trying to prove a point. I don t think anyone can tell me how to play. I ve always played hard. Bellinger didn t stay on second base long. He was doubled off on a line drive caught by diving shortstop Brandon Crawford, and later pulled. Los Angeles has lost five of six. Before the game, Los Angeles right fielder Yasiel Puig was put on the disabled list with a left hip pointer and bruised foot. He was hurt a day earlier when he ran into a padded wall tracking down a foul ball he also fouled a ball off his foot. We just have to play better, Roberts said. 17

18 Evan Longoria hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Ty Blach made the early lead stand up for the Giants. Buster Posey doubled and scored twice and Brandon Belt added an RBI double as the Giants took three of four in the series. San Francisco is 6-4 against the Dodgers this season. We got off to a bit of a slow start and it s now starting to come together, said Longoria after homering for the second time in four days. From top to bottom, we re feeling much more confident as a group. The Giants stumbled through the first three weeks of the season, but have won five of seven on their current homestand to even their mark at When you consider some things that have happened it s OK, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Considering where we were, too, to battle back to get to.500, that s always a great sign. Blach (2-3) pitched into the seventh inning and allowed two runs. He s beaten the Dodgers twice this season and has a 1.63 ERA in seven career starts against them. Sam Dyson and Tony Watson retired three batters each. Hunter Strickland pitched the ninth for his seventh save. Longoria just missed an extra-base hit down the left field line before driving an off-speed pitch from Kenta Maeda (2-2) into the stands in left-center for his sixth home run. Posey, who doubled and scored on Longoria s home run, drew a two-out walk in the third and scored on Belt s double. Over his last 14 games, Belt is hitting.375 (18 for 48) with 11 RBIs. TRAINER S ROOM Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill has an infected finger which will delay his return from the disabled list. The team had been hopeful he would be able to start Monday. Giants: 2B Joe Panik traveled to Los Angeles to get a second opinion on his sprained left thumb. UP NEXT Dodgers: The team has not said who will start Monday s game in Arizona. RHPs Brock Stewart, called up to take Puig s roster spot, and Ross Stripling are the two likely candidates. Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 6.23) faces the Padres on Monday night at AT&T Park in the opener of a three-game series. He has struggled since coming off the disabled list and was roughed up for six runs in 3 2/3 innings of his most recent start. 18