Sacramento River Cats & SF Giants Press Clips monday, APRIL 10, 2017

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1 Sacramento River Cats & SF Giants Press Clips monday, APRIL 10, 2017 Article Source Author Page River Cats, Beede make it two in a row River Cats Barsanti 1 SF Giants Minor Lines 4/9/17: Tyler Beede in control McCovey Chronicles 2 Cueto leads Giants to victory over Padres MLB.com Haft/Cassavell 3 Mark Melancon records first save, Giants preserve 5-3 victory SJ Mercury News Baggarly 4 GIANTS CHECK OFF ALL THE BOXES, AVOID SWEEP IN SAN DIEGO CSN Bay Area Pavlovic 6 Giants get 1st Mark Melancon save in 2nd win SF Gate Schulman 8

2 Sacramento River Cats River Cats, Beede make it two in a row The Sacramento River Cats (2-0) won their second straight game with a 5-1 win over the visiting Tacoma Rainiers Sunday afternoon at Raley Field. Tyler Beede (1-0, 1.50), the San Francisco Giants No. 1 prospect, made his first Triple-A start en route to his first Triple-A win. The 23-year-old right-hander threw six innings, giving up just one run on five hits while walking none and striking out three. He threw 80 pitches (51 strikes) in the outing. On the offensive side of the ball, Jae-Gyun Hwang put the River Cats on the board in the first, grounding into a run-scoring double-play. He gave the River Cats their second run with a twoout RBI-single in the sixth. Kyle Blanks put the game out of reach with a three-run blast - Sacramento's first home run this season - in the eighth inning. The River Cats and Rainiers will play two tomorrow, with game one of the doubleheader to start at 4:05 p.m. Joan Gregorio (0-0, 0.00) and Ricky Romero (0-0, 0.00) are expected to start for Sacramento while Chase De Jong (0-0, 0.00) and Ryan Weber (0-0, 0.00) go for Tacoma. The game can be heard live online at rivercats.com. Post-Game Notes QUOTE OF THE AFTERNOON: "I felt strong. I tend to feel stronger as the game goes on and I felt good in that last inning. I'm looking forward to building on that pitch count." - River Cats pitcher Tyler Beede on making his Triple-A debut QUOTE OF THE AFTERNOON, PT. II: "He was in control throughout. He never lost his composure, even when they threatened. Overall, a nice start in his Triple-A debut." - River Cats manager Dave Brundage on Tyler Beede TOMLINSON: Reached base safely four times, going 3-for-3 with three singles and a hit-bypitch...also stole a base and scored three runs is 4-for-7 (.571) to start the season. STARTS AT THE TOP: Kelby Tomlinson, Christian Arroyo, and Jae-Gyun Hwang went 7-for-11 in today's 5-1 win against Tacoma the trio also scored four of the team's five runs in the first two games this season, the trio are a combined 10-for-23 (.434) with seven runs scored. BULLPEN CONTROL: Matt Reynolds, Kyle Crick, and Roberto Gomez combined for three scoreless innings in relief Reynolds and Crick each recorded a hold Crick, who was also making his Triple-A debut, was perfect in his one inning, striking out two. SCORING FIRST: The River Cats scored first for the first time this season last year, Sacramento was when scoring first. 1

3 SF Giants Minor Lines 4/9/17: Tyler Beede in control McCovey Chronicles HIGHLIGHTS: Tyler Beede allowed just 1 run in 6 IP; Kelby Tomlinson reached base 4x, scored three runs, and stole a base; Aramis Garcia had his second consecutive 3 hit game including his first HR of the year. Tyler Beede had a strong AAA, and 2017, debut going 6 solid innings. Beede was an efficient, strike-throwing machine in this one. He breezed through the first three innings on just 31 pitches, with 20 being strikes. After the 4th the pitch count was just at 47, with 30 being strikes. It was something of a return to the San Jose version of Beede, as he kept the ball in the strike zone and mostly produced ground balls, while walking none and striking out 3. Let s enjoy Tyler ending his day by striking out former spring training teammate Gordon Beckham. All of Beede s work came in a tight battle. When he threw his final pitch the game was tied at 1-1, though Sacramento edged ahead in the bottom of the 6th on a Kelby Tomlinson single, SB and an RBI single from Jae-Gyun Hwang. Tomlinson was sensational, reaching base in all four PA with three singles and a HBP. He scored three of the team s 5 runs and along with #2 hitter Christian Arroyo, who also had three hits, provided most of the team s offense. The tight 2-1 game was blown open in the bottom of the 8th when Very Large Human Kyle Blanks, did a Very Large Human Thing. A finally-healthy Blanks could be some real found money under the sofa cushions for the 2017 Giants. Strong starting pitching, plenty of production from the top of the order, and solid relief work is an excellent recipe for victory, and the RiverCats had all three. Matt Reynolds, Kyle Crick, and Roberto Gomez threw three shutout innings to protect the lead. Crick was particularly impressive, striking out two of the three batters he faced and getting his AAA RP career off to a fine start. Sacramento and Tacoma will finish off their series with a double-header tonight. 2

4 Cueto leads Giants to victory over Padres MLB.com By AJ Cassavell and Chris Haft SAN DIEGO -- Johnny Cueto continued his mastery of the Padres with seven strong innings in Sunday's series finale. And, this time, the Giants bullpen made sure a late lead held up. New closer Mark Melancon slammed the door on a 5-3 victory Sunday afternoon, after Cueto limited the Padres to two runs on five hits while striking out seven. Of San Francisco's five losses, four featured blown leads, and things got dicey late after the Giants jumped in front, 5-0. But Melancon got Wil Myers to bounce into a game-ending double play, securing the Giants' second win. For the Giants, who finished 2-5 on their two-city, season-opening trip, the transition from the sixth to the seventh inning was a key juncture. Cueto threw 28 pitches while allowing two runs in the sixth inning, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy figured he was done. But Cueto asked Bochy to let him stay in the game, and the result was a scoreless seventh. "Johnny knows himself," Bochy said. "I trust these starters. They let me know when they're done or if they have some gas left. He's one of the elite pitchers in the game." Padres left-hander Clayton Richard was done in by a three-run third in which he allowed backto-back home runs to Hunter Pence and Buster Posey. Otherwise, Richard was mostly solid over six innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits. Even the two home run balls weren't poorly placed pitches. Richard got Pence leaning onto his front foot with a two-strike breaking ball below the zone. Pence somehow managed to hit it out anyway. Then, Posey took a sinker at the knees and sent it to the opposite field for his first home run of the season. "[Richard] was better than the line's going to read, for sure," said Padres manager Andy Green. "You occasionally have to look at the opposition and think, 'Wow, they really hit two pretty good pitches out of the ballpark today.'" MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Out of left field: Entering play Sunday, Giants left fielders had been held hitless through the first six games of the season. Chris Marrero changed that with an RBI knock in the second inning, giving San Francisco an early lead. His single plated Posey, and the ensuing throwing error by Padres right fielder Hunter Renfroe allowed Brandon Crawford to score as well. Said Marrero of his ice-breaking hit, "That's baseball. What can you do? Things just take a little while to come." Wil power: A year ago, Myers set the single-season record for homers at Petco Park with 18. He notched his first home dinger (second overall) when he turned on a Cueto fastball in the sixth and put it into the first level of the Western Metal Building. The Padres loaded the bases later in the frame, but Cueto escaped by getting Erick Aybar to pop to third. QUOTABLE 3

5 "He's a very talented player. That's kind of what he does. He makes you scratch your head." -- Richard on Pence's home run WHAT'S NEXT Giants: San Francisco will play its 60th home opener and 18th at AT&T Park on Monday by hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won three out of four from the Giants last week. Lefthander Matt Moore will start for the Giants in the 1:35 p.m. PT encounter. Padres: The Padres head to Colorado on Monday for a reunion with former skipper Bud Black, who currently helms the Rockies. First pitch is slated for 5:40 p.m. PT. Right-hander Trevor Cahill was expected to start, but he was placed on the disabled list Sunday with a lower back strain. Jarred Cosart will replace him. Mark Melancon records his first save, Giants preserve 5-3 victory over San Diego SJ Mercury News By ANDREW BAGGARLY SAN DIEGO A mud-rubbed baseball rested on the shelf of Mark Melancon s locker, its beige surface smeared only by the double-play contact off the bat of Wil Myers that sealed the Giants 5-3 victory Sunday at Petco Park. Melancon has recorded 169 saves in his career, most of them unremarkable and lacking drama. That s why the Giants saw fit to give him $62 million this winter. This one was a little more dramatic. And, of course, it was his first as a Giant in what he hopes will be the most accomplished four years of his career. A souvenir worth keeping, then. It s funny, Giants catcher Buster Posey said. It doesn t matter how long you ve played, it s always nice to get the first hit, the first save the first win when you haven t won in awhile. The Giants checked off all those boxes while avoiding a three-game sweep against the San Diego Padres. They are all set for Matt Moore to start the home opener on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. And although a 2-5 road trip wasn t the way they envisioned beginning the season, they will not arrive on the shores of McCovey Cove with sagging spirits to match the weather forecast. Johnny Cueto brought his usual magic to the mound over seven innings at Petco Park, Hunter Pence and Posey hit back-to-back home runs, Melancon recorded his first save and the 4

6 franchise that once gave you Barry Bonds even enjoyed their first hit from a left fielder when Chris Marrero singled in run in the second inning. Today was about getting the win at all costs, Melancon said. I think we can build off today. The Giants only two victories on the trip to Arizona and San Diego came in Cueto s starts. It was a trip that might have exposed a few roster flaws. It was a trip that definitely showed them that, as much as the NL West might have been billed as a two-tiered affair, the Dodgers won t be the only division foe that will gladly try to put them in a choke hold. The Diamondbacks enter Monday with a 6-1 record and its relentless lineup has proven it can rally against anyone. Although the Padres are thin on experience, and perhaps talent, they did not look the least bit intimidated even when facing Madison Bumgarner on Saturday. What I take away, said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, is that these two teams we played have a lot of good, young athletes. Marrero is no foal from the farm. The 28-year-old is in the big leagues for the first time since 2013 with the Washington Nationals, and so he had to be feeling more than the usual pressure when he stepped to the plate with one out in the second inning following Posey s walk and Crawford s single. Marrero hit an outside slider nearly off the end of his bat and poked it to right field the first hit by a left fielder after they began the season 0 for 22 with 11 strikeouts. Posey scored, and so did Crawford when right fielder Hunter Renfroe s throw went offline and first baseman Wil Myers accidentally kicked it into the Padres dugout. Things just take a little while to come, said Marrero, who won a roster spot after hitting eight homers in the spring. I wasn t feeling the way I feel now. We need some production out there. That s what I m here to do, to help this team win. I ve felt better with my swing. I think things will start changing, because I ve been feeling really good. Marrero already won a bit more faith with Bochy, who let the 28-year-old hit in the late innings against a right-handed reliever. I really believe in this guy, Bochy said. He s a good hitter. He had a good spring. He s got lift in his swing. That s what you want to do: instill confidence. The Giants took a 5-0 lead in the third when the middle of the order touched left-hander Clayton Richard for back-to-back home runs. Belt walked in front of Pence s first home run this season, and Posey followed with an opposite-field shot that snuck over the fence. Meanwhile, Cueto kept churning quick outs, using an especially firm inside fastball to generate jammed pop-ups and expanding the zone with two strikes. He had retired 11 consecutive when Travis Jankowski drew a one-out walk in the sixth, and then the Padres put him to work. Myers made it 5-2 when he found the left field seats with his second home run of the season, and he made little effort to hide his excitement. Myers threw down his bat, let out a yell, and appeared to look back toward the mound as he ran up the first base line. 5

7 Cueto ended up throwing 28 pitches in the inning, escaping a bases-loaded jam after a brokenbat single, a hit batter and a wall when Erick Aybar popped up to third base. The inning raised his count to 95 pitches for the day, and nobody in the Giants bullpen had thrown a pitch since Friday because of Madison Bumgarner s complete game Saturday. But Cueto batted for himself in the seventh and not because Bochy was desperate to shorten the number of bullpen outs before handing the ball to Melancon. I told him to give me one more inning, Cueto said. You trust your guy, Bochy said. Cueto gave them a scoreless seventh, but there were some splintering sounds in the eighth when Derek Law had to serve as a three-out bridge to Melancon and began his afternoon by serving up a home run and issuing a walk. But Law got out of it and Melancon, who hadn t pitched in a week since blowing a save chance in the season opener, came through his own shaky inning that could have come straight out of the Wilsonian era. He gave up a single and walked light-hitting Travis Jankowski to bring Wil Myers to the plate as the winning run. Then, after a mound visit from Buster Posey, he started Myers with a high and tight fastball that made the Padres most dangerous hitter recoil in the box. Having backed Myers off the plate, Melancon came back with a fastball away that resulted in a double-play grounder. And now? You look forward to the next day, Melancon said. You don t dwell on the past. GIANTS CHECK OFF ALL THE BOXES, AVOID SWEEP IN SAN DIEGO CSN Bay Area By Alex Pavlovic SAN DIEGO Mark Melancon was disappointed after blowing a save on Opening Day, but the veteran closer took it in stride. What happened next was a bit harder to comprehend. Melancon, given $62 million in the offseason to fix the ninth, didn t throw another pitch for a week. As the Giants dealt with a slumping left field, imploding bullpen, and inconsistent starting staff, they never managed to get another lead into Melancon s hands. He sat and watched through a four-game losing streak. It was tough because we were losing, he said of his break. You just don t want to be losing. Today was about getting that win at all costs. I think we can build off today. Melancon was going to get back on the mound Sunday one way or another, whether it was as the closer or just to get his work in. After some tense moments, the Giants handed him a 5-3 6

8 lead. He picked up his first save in orange and black, getting dangerous Wil Myers to bounce into a game-ending double play with the tying run on base. It was a day of firsts for a team that had just one win through seven days. Chris Marrero opened the scoring with his first hit as a Giant, which doubled as the first hit for a Giants left fielder. Hunter Pence and Buster Posey padded the lead with back-to-back homers in the third, the first of 2017 for each player. The most important contribution, however, was nothing new. Last season, the Giants learned that Johnny Cueto always keeps something in the tank. When Cueto gave up two runs of a fiverun lead in the sixth and loaded the bases, manager Bruce Bochy thought he was done. I told him to give me one more, Cueto said. Cueto was at 95 pitches and due up first in the top of the seventh, but Bochy sent him back out to the plate. It was a nod of respect to his best right-handed pitcher. It was also an acknowledgement of concern about the bullpen from a manager who has watched his team blow eight leads already. He s your guy, Bochy said. Of course, he walked the first guy to make me question it, but he settled down. Cueto got through the seventh, and in the top of the eighth Bochy delivered another vote of confidence. He let Marrero face a right-handed reliever with two on and one out, foregoing matchup plays even with Joe Panik and Jarrett Parker on the bench. I really believe in this guy, Bochy said of Marrero. He s a good hitter. He had a big spring. He s got lift in his swing and he hit the ball deep enough. It just got up there and the wind knocked it back down. Marrero s high fly ended up drifting back into shallow left, not deep enough for Posey to score. Aaron Hill flied out to end the inning and Derek Law immediately sent Bochy s heart back into his throat as the bottom of the eighth started. Yangervis Solarte banged a leadoff homer and Ryan Schimpf followed with a walk, but Law got out of the inning. Melancon came on for the ninth and put two on with one out. Posey walked out to the mound for a meeting, and Myers was buzzed on the next pitch. He hit a cutter the other way and Hill and Brandon Crawford teamed up for the final two outs. The rough opening week ended without a sweep, but with the realization that the Giants will need to be better against the NL West. The division is supposed to come down to the Giants and Dodgers again, with the Rockies a popular dark horse pick. But the first week showed that Arizona remains talented enough to cause trouble, and while the rebuilding Padres have no hope of competing for a playoff spot, they can play care-free spoiler for 162 games. What I take away from this trip is these two teams we played are full of good young athletes, Bochy said. They re fast. Both of them are very athletic, with speed, and they ve got some good arms. This team doesn t have the experience of Arizona, but they have athleticism. The Diamondbacks will bring a 6-1 record into AT&T Park on Monday. The homestand finishes with a Rockies club that s 5-2 through a week. You cannot win a division in April, but you can 7

9 certainly dig yourself a big hole, so the Giants were thrilled to board their private Delta jet with a second win and a couple of souvenir baseballs tucked into travel duffels. It s funny, Posey said. No matter how long you play, it s always nice to get the first hit, the first save, and to get a win when you haven t in a while. Giants get 1st Mark Melancon save in 2nd win SF Gate By Henry Schulman SAN DIEGO If one human week is seven in dog weeks, it can feel like half a season to a closer, especially after he blows a lead. So imagine the way Mark Melancon s mind spun in the 168 hours between his Opening Day failure and his fist pump after he earned his first Giants save Sunday. Melancon got Wil Myers, the Padres most dangerous hitter, to ground into a double play with two aboard to finish a 5-3 victory that ended a four-game losing streak that the Giants had to digest before they had played a home game. The Giants prized offseason acquisition had not thrown a pitch since Opening Day because the team had no ninth-inning leads to preserve. When Melancon finally got that save, he did not talk about any personal turmoil during the seven days he had to wear that loss in Arizona. It was tough because we were losing, he said. You just don t want to lose. Today was about getting that win at all costs. I think we can build off it. Giants fans had seen this ninth inning many times, and long before management turned to Melancon and gave him $62 million over four years. He got the first out before Manuel Margot singled and Travis Jankowski walked on a 3-2 pitch. As eyes throughout the Bay Area began to twitch, catcher Buster Posey jogged to the mound not to calm Melancon, but to solidify their plan against Myers. They chose a tight fastball for the first pitch because Myers is aggressive, hoping Melancon could jam him. Instead, the pitch nearly hit him. Melancon followed with a cutter that Myers slapped to second baseman Aaron Hill, who fed Brandon Crawford to start the game-ending double play. Manager Bruce Bochy was happy for the team, but especially for Melancon, understanding the pressure that comes with his contract and the resulting expectations. He s been around a long time, Bochy said. I m sure it s good for him to get the first one out of the way. It got a little scary there, but he made a pitch when he had to. Sunday was all about firsts for the Giants. 8

10 They got their first hit from a left fielder, breaking an 0-for-22, when Chris Marrero singled home Posey in the second inning and Crawford was awarded home plate when Myers, the first baseman, accidentally kicked right fielder Hunter Renfroe s wild throw into the Padres dugout. An inning later, Hunter Pence and Posey hit their first homers of the year, against starter Clayton Richard, to give the Giants a 5-0 lead. Pence s homer followed a walk to Brandon Belt. It s funny, Posey said. It doesn t matter how long you ve played, it s always nice to get that first hit and get that first save when you haven t won in a while. It s good when you show that desire. If Sunday really was about about winning at all costs, the Giants had the right man on the mound to start the game. Johnny Cueto held San Diego to a two-run Myers homer in the sixth inning. Cueto has authored both Giants victories and is off to a good start, trying to duplicate his 2016 season, when he won 13 of his first 14 decisions. One can picture Giants President Larry Baer watching the game and wondering whether there still was time to plan a ceremony before Monday s home opener to give Cueto an 11-year, $600 million contract extension to prevent him from opting out after this season. Bochy was ready to pull Cueto after a 28-pitch sixth inning that included Myers homer and ended only when Cueto got Erick Aybar to pop out with the bases loaded and the Giants leading 5-2. Cueto talked his way into the seventh, saying, I told him to give me one more inning. Cueto did not have to twist Bochy s arm with the way the bullpen performed in the first week, and he rewarded Bochy with a shutout inning. Derek Law accentuated the point when he allowed a homer in the eighth to his first hitter, Yangervis Solarte, then walked Ryan Schimpf. Law then retired the next three Padres, Melancon got the final three outs and the Giants mercifully could put a 2-5 stretch behind them. 9

ORGANIZATIONAL REPORT Wednesday, May 24, 2017

ORGANIZATIONAL REPORT Wednesday, May 24, 2017 TEAM LEVEL RECORD LAST GAME STREAK/ LAST 10 Sacramento River Cats Triple-A 17-27; 11.0 GB 4th Place W, 6-2 Vs. Memphis W1, 4-6 Richmond Flying Squirrels Double-A