SF Giants Press Clips Monday, May 1, 2017

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1 SF Giants Press Clips Monday, May 1, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants blow late lead, fall to Padres in 12 Ron Kroichick The Giants offered a fitting ending to a truly hideous April. They fell 5-2 to the Padres on Sunday in China Basin, courtesy of Wil Myers resounding threerun, 12th-inning homer off George Kontos. Myers blast came in the wake of Hector Sanchez s game-tying, two-run homer off closer Mark Melancon in the ninth, when the Giants stood two outs from victory. Instead, they finished the season s opening month at 9-17 (.346), their fourth-lowest April winning percentage in San Francisco and their lowest since The Giants will begin May with the worst record in the National League and third-worst in the majors, ahead of only Toronto (8-17) and Kansas City (7-16). It just flat-out hasn t been pretty, Melancon said. Asked if the Giants aren t panicking yet, he replied, We better start panicking. If we don t get our act together, it s going to be ugly. There are too many good teams out there that are ready to go after us. We need to figure it out. 1

2 April was terrible in larger ways for the Giants, given the tragic deaths of Orlando Cepeda s wife, Mirian, and Brandon Crawford s sister-in-law, Jennifer Pippin. Baseball-wise, the team waded through a parade of injuries. Most notably, pitcher Madison Bumgarner took a regrettable dirt-bike ride April 20 in Denver, sprained his valuable left shoulder and will not return until after the All-Star break. Even so, manager Bruce Bochy expected the Giants to weather the storm better than they did. April was not a good month, he said. We just haven t been playing winning baseball. Luckily, it s April, so we have some time to get it going. Our play definitely has to pick up. Bochy naturally fielded questions about his beleaguered bullpen, again, after Sunday s loss. But he quickly pointed toward his offense, which produced only 18 runs in seven games on this homestand. The Giants went 3-4 against the Dodgers and Padres and didn t score more than four runs in any game. We ve got to find a way to get more runs on the board, Bochy said. I can t always put this on the bullpen. We re not driving the ball, and it s catching up with us. More than anything, it s up to our core players to find their swings and get clicking. Up 2-0, the Giants seemed on the brink of a much-needed victory Sunday until the bottom of the ninth. Shortstop Eduardo Nuñez opened the door for San Diego, booting Luis Sardinas routine leadoff grounder for an error. One out later, Sanchez, the ex-giants catcher, barged through the door. Melancon threw him a cut fastball down the middle, and Sanchez smacked it into the arcade above the right-field wall. It was Melancon s second blown save this season; he had converted five straight opportunities since his Opening Day pratfall in Arizona. 2

3 Today was on me, 100 percent, Melancon said. That s a game we need to win. That s a mustwin game right there. Sanchez collected the third pinch-hit homer of his career, his first since he blasted one for the Giants on June 15, 2014, against Colorado. The Giants still had a chance to erase Melancon s mistake, but they went 1-for-13 in the final four innings. And the Padres seized the lead in the 12th, after singles by Cory Spangenberg and Erick Aybar. With one out, Kontos tried to throw a high-and-inside fastball to Myers. But the pitch caught too much of the plate, and the sound upon contact was loud and unmistakable. The sight of the ball sailing over the left-field wall sent discouraged Giants fans streaming for the exits. I just didn t execute the pitch inside enough, Kontos said. He made me pay for it, unfortunately. San Francisco Chronicle Oakland sculptor s statue captures Jackie Robinson s fiery spirit John Shea The Jackie Robinson statue at Dodger Stadium depicts him sliding into the plate with a steal of home. You ll be called safe or you ll be called out, but you re committed, sculptor Branly Cadet said. Metaphorically, Jackie represented that point in American history and certainly baseball history where there was no turning back. Cadet, 52, is an artist from Oakland who sculpted the bronze statue that was unveiled on April 15, Jackie Robinson Day, commemorating the 70th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball s color line. The Giants will get their first look Monday, when they open a four-game series in Los 3

4 Angeles. Out of his West Oakland studio, Cadet took 18 months to complete the work commissioned by the Dodgers, a process that was both a labor of love and a journey through history. Oakland sculptor Branly Cadet explains his Jackie Robinson statue Media: John Shea / sfchronicle.com By all accounts, Cadet was the right sculptor and crafted the right pose, showing the determination and courage of a fearless man who broke through barriers with both force and dignity. The son of parents who immigrated from Haiti, Cadet was born in Manhattan, raised in Queens and settled in Brooklyn, the home of Robinson s Dodgers. He enjoyed sculpting as a kid and studied at Cornell University and the New York Academy of Art. Later, Cadet taught and did many art projects, the most momentous being a 21-foot statue of Adam Clayton Powell Jr., New York s first African American congressman, which is in front of the New York State Office Building. When Cadet s wife, Natasha Singh, landed a teaching gig in the Bay Area, the couple settled in Oakland. A fan takes a photo of her friend standing next to the Jackie Robinson statue in Los Angeles. I can do what I do anywhere on the planet as long as I have enough space, Cadet said. I wanted to be in an urban setting, a context where there are lots of artists and diversity. Everything about the Robinson project was meticulously prepared and orchestrated, including exhibiting the start of Robinson s slide, not the end. That, Cadet said, signifies the start of this new era of integration in baseball and beyond. The statue the first at Dodger Stadium weighs 700 to 800 pounds, rests on a granite base weighing 35,000 pounds and is 8 feet high including the base. It was unveiled in a ceremony 4

5 attended by Jackie s widow, Rachel Robinson, and her family; announcer Vin Scully; former teammates Don Newcombe and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, and other dignitaries, along with Cadet. As an artist, there is a lot of thought and emotion that goes into the piece, Cadet said. It can be a very emotional process thinking about the person I m rendering and what he went through and the impact he had on people s lives. Cadet s sentiment evokes a quote from Robinson himself, A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives, which is inscribed at the base of the actual statue. Cadet said some onlookers told him they cried when they saw the statue unveiled. That is like the highest praise for an artist, certainly for what I try to do, Cadet said. I try to capture the spirit of an individual who made a difference. Cadet expressed interest in the project simply by contacting the Dodgers through their website. His wishes were passed along to executives who researched his work and decided to meet with him, ultimately choosing him from among 20 artists considered. We thought Branly s public art came across with very powerful expression and depicted nonathletes in a way that triggered emotion, and that s what we wanted with Jackie Robinson, said Janet Marie Smith, the Dodgers senior vice president of planning and development. We thought it was nice to have someone from California, and we thought it was nice to have a man of color capture someone who broke so many barriers, someone who was more than just a sports figure. Is Cadet a baseball fan? Hardly. He ll wait until the playoffs to pay attention. He said his brother and cousins are big fans and kid him about his being the one to sculpt a baseball legend. Cadet is working on another statue of black educator and civil rights activist Octavius Catto, to be erected this summer at Philadelphia City Hall. Catto pushed for desegregating horse-drawn 5

6 streetcars and for increasing the opportunities for blacks to to vote, among other causes. He was gunned down on election day in 1871 at age 32. Catto also was a second baseman and founded a celebrated all-black Philadelphia team, which played an all-white squad in baseball s first documented interracial game. Cadet s first step in any project is research. With Robinson, he pored over books, biographies, documentaries, movies and, of course, hundreds and hundreds of pictures as opposed to the Catto project, in which just one photograph of his subject was available. Cadet started with a foot-high gestural maquette a sculptor s preliminary model that was devoid of Robinson s likeness, then created a 3-foot maquette that included the likeness of Robinson s clothing and muscle structure with more refined proportions. Once Cadet received approval from the Dodgers and the Robinson family, he began sculpting the statue, creating three-dimensional planes by constantly manipulating the clay, a process that lasted 500 to 700 hours, he said. That s the part I get lost in, Cadet said. It s really time-consuming and probably extremely boring for anyone who s not into doing that. Based on his research, decisions were made on everything down to the smallest details, including how many holes were in the buttons (four), where the scripted lettering would break on the jersey ( Do on one side, dgers on the other) and how broad the shoulders would be. (Newcombe provided input.) The sequence from there: clay to wax to ceramic shell to bronze (which was poured into the shell) to patina. A 2½-inch stainless steel rod was inserted for support, and it was wrapped and shipped to Los Angeles. The Giants have five statues of Hall of Famers around AT&T Park, and folks in Los Angeles wonder whether Scully or Koufax is next at Dodger Stadium. Some also wonder what took so 6

7 long on Robinson. But at least a statue was erected, and it can be seen when entering the stadium through the left-field reserve plaza. Anyone who s sculpting a historical figure, especially a historical figure as significant as Jackie Robinson, should be present to the weight of that, Cadet said. It s not something that can be taken lightly. San Francisco Chronicle Super Mon fueled Arroyo s rise with the Giants John Shea What s a mom to do when her young son is Christian Arroyo and wants to learn the finer points of hitting a baseball? Send him to a camp? Rely on Little League coaches? Let him figure it out on his own? Here s another idea: Pick up a copy of the book The Science of Hitting by Hall of Famer Ted Williams and teach the kid herself. Who does that? My mom does, Arroyo said. Super Mom. Arroyo s first week in the big leagues was unforgettable for the infielder, the Giants, their fans and especially the person who taught little Christian how to swing a bat. The Giants called up Arroyo on Monday. Kim Drummond missed that night s game, then attended her son s next five big-league games before returning home to Florida on Sunday. It 7

8 was a journey of a lifetime, the culmination of countless hours of tutoring Christian, pitching to him, driving him to practices and games and supporting him throughout his climb through the ranks. She meant everything, said Arroyo, who got his first big-league hit off Clayton Kershaw and has smacked two home runs, including Friday night s game-winner in the eighth inning. She was the one who taught me how to hit. She s the one who taught me how to play the game. She s the one who introduced me to the game. She was there every step of the way. Drummond smiled when hearing her son s meant everything comment. She made a point to say Christian had super coaches throughout his childhood They were like family and that he took to the game naturally and inevitably wanted to learn more. So she read Williams book, a Cal Ripken instructional book and other how-to-hit periodicals, watched videos and attended clinics anything to pass along tips to a special kid. We did a lot of studying, Drummond said in an on-field interview at AT&T Park on Saturday as she watched her son take batting practice. He always had a natural ability to hit. Arroyo, 21, had six hits and four RBIs in his first week, getting five starts at third base and two at shortstop while hitting mostly fifth in the lineup. Now come his first road games. The Giants are at Dodger Stadium the next three nights and then play in Cincinnati and New York. This is like a dream, Drummond said of the whirlwind week. Surreal is a word we throw out there a lot. It s really hard to describe. Take Friday night. After he homered to beat the Padres, Arroyo and his clan went to Mel s Diner in Union Square. The waiter recognized him and got wide-eyed, as did others nearby. Suddenly, the place was abuzz. There were congratulations and pictures and autographs. 8

9 Despite Arroyo s status as an elite prospect and the promising start to his big-league career, Drummond still is amazed by all the attention. To me, she said, Christian is just my little boy. To the Giants, he s far more. They were 6-13 after four straight losses, their worst 19-game start since 1983, when they promoted Arroyo from Triple-A Sacramento, where he was hitting.446 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games. A jolt of energy was needed, and Arroyo brought it. Two days later, Michael Morse arrived from Sacramento with a power bat and spirited vibe. In Arroyo s first seven games, the Giants, still having issues scoring runs, went 3-4. I understood I was coming up here for a reason, Arroyo said. I tried not to get caught up with the whole shock and awe of being here. Just play good baseball and help the team win. Arroyo was 2 years old when his father, Israel Arroyo, and mother separated. She was a single mom for 10 years. In that time, Christian fell in love with baseball. He started playing at 4 and did a bunch of sports like other kids. But in junior high, he told his mother, a well-rounded athlete in high school, that baseball would be his focus. She committed herself to his dream. Along the way, she married Ken Drummond. The couple has an 8-year-old daughter, Olivia. When I was 8 months pregnant with her, Kim said, I was out on the field practicing with Christian. He likes to tell that story. One drill she had Christian do was pushing his right foot against the bottom of a fence and taking swings, compact and short enough so his bat wouldn t hit the fence. When his swing would become long in games, his mother would remind him, Christian, get up on the fence. 9

10 Eventually, she stopped throwing to him. He was getting big and strong and once drilled a ball off his mom s hip. Now he s at a level where he teaches me, she said. I don t say much anymore. Baseball might have been the emphasis, but school hardly took a backseat. Brains before brawn, she d tell her boy, and it paid off. Christian was salutatorian at Hernando High School in Brooksville, Fla., earned a grade-point average well north of 4.00 and are you sitting down? did not get a B. He turned down a scholarship to Florida, where he would have studied architectural engineering, to sign with the Giants, who took him 25th overall in the 2013 draft. Four years later, Arroyo is with the Giants. Right where he seems to belong. The best Mother s Day gift ever, Drummond says. John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle s national baseball writer. jshea@sfchronicle.com Have a week A look at how the Giants homegrown infield fared over their first seven games with the ballclub: Infielder Debut GP AB H HR RBI C Buster Posey 9/11/ B Brandon Belt 3/31/ B Joe Panik 6/21/

11 Infielder Debut GP AB H HR RBI SS Brandon Crawford5/27/ B Christian Arroyo 4/24/ Source: baseball-reference.com San Francisco Chronicle Giants promote reliever Bryan Morris, designate Neil Ramirez Ron Kroichick The Giants moved to bolster their bullpen before Sunday s game against San Diego, purchasing the contract of right-handed reliever Bryan Morris from Triple-A Sacramento. Morris, 30, has previous major-league experience with the Pirates and Marlins. His career record in the majors is with a 2.80 ERA. Bryan hopefully will bring some depth in this bullpen, manager Bruce Bochy said. He s an experienced reliever. We were very excited to have him in the spring.... He has good stuff and good movement on his fastball. I think he s going to help solidify this bullpen in the sixth-seventh inning. Right now, that s his role. Morris fractured his right foot in spring training but has since recovered. The Giants created a spot for Morris on the 25-man roster by designating reliever Neil Ramirez for assignment. Ramirez had a ERA in nine appearances for San Francisco; he surrendered six runs in 12/3 innings Saturday night against the Padres, including home runs by Wil Myers and Allen Cordoba. 11

12 San Jose Mercury News Giants miserable April ends with 5-2 loss to Padres Curtis Pashelka SAN FRANCISCO The Giants were unanimous in their emotions Sunday after a gut-wrenching 5-2, 12-inning loss to the San Diego Padres brought to an end their worst month of April in over 30 years. If we don t get our act together, it s going to be ugly, said closer Mark Melancon, who allowed a game-tying two-run home run to Hector Sanchez in the top of the ninth inning. I think the it s only April thing has passed, said reliever George Kontos, who allowed the goahead three-run bomb to Wil Myers in the top of the 12th. We better start playing some better baseball all the way around. It s got to happen, manager Bruce Bochy said. We can t just sit around and keep saying, Well, there s a lot of baseball left. As the Giants embark on a nine-game road trip that starts Monday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, their season after one month has already reached a critical juncture. After going 9-17 in April, they sit seven games back of the Colorado Rockies for first place in the National League West. Their team batting average a paltry.230 ranks third to last in the National League. Sunday s loss marked the seventh time in the last 12 games the Giants have scored two runs or less, and one of their two runs batted in came from their starting pitcher, Ty Blach. The Giants 16 home runs and 80 RBIs ranked next to last in all of Major League baseball. It s not a big secret. We ve got to score more runs and we ve got to keep working to do that, right fielder Hunter Pence said. Got to get better. I ve got to get a lot better. The Giants record of 9-17 (.346) is their worst mark for April since they went 7-16 (.304) in The nine-game trip could be the breaking point for the Giants if things don t turn around. After three against the Dodgers, the Giants go to Cincinnati for three games May 5-7 and New York to face the Mets for three games May Those three teams aren t setting the world on fire after a month, either. But there might be too much ground to make up if the Giants can t string a few victories together away from home. When you re where we re at in the standings and our record, every game right now, that s how we re looking at it, Bochy said when asked about the season already being at precarious moment. Going into today s game, there were guys going this is a huge game, which it was. 12

13 We win this game today, we take the series, we have a decent homestand. This is a big swing to lose a tough game like this. After Melancon struck out Hunter Renfroe, his 1-1 cutter to Sanchez the former Giant was deposited into the right field arcade. It was Melancon s first blown save since the Giants opener April 2 against Arizona. Today was on me 100 percent, Melancon said. That s a game we need to win, no matter what. that s a must win right there. Kontos worked a scoreless 11th inning. But with runners on first and second in the 12th, Myers sent a 1-0 fastball into the left field bleachers, his second homer in as many days as the Giants lost two of three to the Padres. The Giants still haven t won a series since they beat Arizona two of three times from April Sanchez home run spoiled a solid outing from Blach, who allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings. Blach s RBI came in the bottom of the fifth and gave the Giants a 1-0 lead. Guys know that it s time to start playing well, Blach said. We re just going to keep battling, keep working and good things are going to start happening soon. Center fielder Denard Span s sprained right shoulder hasn t improved the way the Giants have hoped and there remains no timetable for when he might be activated. Bochy said Span has been doing some stuff in the training room. He hasn t been able to do a lot, to be honest. He s come a little slower than we thought. Can t tell you when he ll be activated but we re hoping that when we get to L.A. tomorrow that we can ramp up his baseball activities and get him hitting on the field. Bochy said Aaron Hill s recovery from a right forearm strain is also coming along slowly, but that forearm is a sensitive area, so we ve had to slow play him a little bit. Hill was placed on the 10-day DL on April 24. Reliever Neil Ramirez was designated for assignment Sunday, one day after he allowed six earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. In a corresponding move, the Giants purchased his contract of right-handed reliever Bryan Morris, who did not allow a run in five appearances with Triple-A Sacramento this season (5.2 ip). Ramirez was touched up for two home runs Saturday, including a 433-shot by Myers in the sixth inning. I felt like my stuff was good last night, Ramirez said Sunday. Got ahead of a couple of those guys in (the sixth) inning and just couldn t put them away. The pitch to Myers came back over the plate. It s just the mistakes are getting hit. 13

14 San Jose Mercury News Giants lineup: Span s slow recovery; Ramirez designated for aasigment Curtis Pashelka SAN FRANCISCO Center fielder Denard Span s sprained right shoulder hasn t improved the way the Giants have hoped and there remains no timetable for when he might be activated. The Giants begin a nine-game road trip Monday with three games in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Span is eligible to come off the disabled list May 3, but being able to play that day appears unlikely. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Span has been doing some stuff in the training room. He hasn t been able to do a lot, to be honest. He s come a little slower than we thought. Can t tell you when he ll be activated but we re hoping that when we get to L.A. tomorrow that we can ramp up his baseball activities and get him hitting on the field. Span was placed on the DL on Wednesday, retroactive to April 23, before he suffered a setback in his recovery Thursday. After the Giants series with the Dodgers, the Giants play May 5-7 in Cincinnati and May 8-10 in New York against the Mets. Hopefully if he feels good (Monday) and he could get on the field and join us, Bochy said. We were hoping he d be playing at this time, but it hasn t happened. Bochy said Aaron Hill s recovery from a right forearm strain is also coming along slowly, but that forearm is a sensitive area, so we ve had to slow play him a little bit. Hill was placed on the 10-day DL on April 24. Reliever Neil Ramirez was designated for assignment Sunday, one day after he allowed six earned runs in 1 2/3 innings against the San Diego Padres. In a corresponding move, the Giants purchased his contract of right-handed reliever Bryan Morris. As a non-roster invitee, Morris was with the Giants in spring training but suffered a stress fracture when he took a line drive off his foot in live batting practice. Before that, he dealt with a muscle issue in the spring. He also missed a good chunk of the 2016 season with Miami after he underwent back surgery. He s going to bring hopefully depth in this bullpen, Bochy said. Experienced reliever that we were very excited to have in the spring. Morris did not allow a run in five appearances with triple-a Sacramento this season (5.2 ip). He 14

15 has a record with a 2.80 ERA over five Major League season with Pittsburgh and Miami. Bochy sees Morris as someone who could be used in the sixth or seven innings. There s also the issue of needing another in the bullpen for Sunday s game as Ty Blach makes just his second start of the season. That why we felt we needed another arm in the bullpen today, Bochy said, just to make sure we cover him. With Ramirez, Bochy feels he s got good enough stuff to pitch in the major leagues, but that location is an issue. Ramirez was touched up for two home runs Saturday, including a 433-shot by Wil Myers in the sixth inning. He s got to work on the command a little bit, Bochy said. I don t know what s going to happen. Hopefully he s in Sacramento with us and can work on those things. More than anything, the fastball command is a little bit off. Made a lot of mistakes up and they took advantage of it. Ramirez said Sunday, I felt like my stuff was good last night, warming up and everything. Got ahead of a couple of those guys in (the sixth) inning and just couldn t put them away. The pitch to Myers came back over the plate. It s just the mistakes are getting hit. MLB.com Giants bullpen can t preserve Blach s gem AJ Cassavell and Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- With a go-ahead three-run homer in the 12th inning, Wil Myers put the perfect bow on his scorching April. His second three-run shot in as many games was the difference Sunday, as the Padres rallied for a thrilling 5-2 victory over the Giants. Myers -- who finished the month with 35 hits, 16 of which went for extra bases -- started his day 0-for-5. But he made his one hit count, smashing a George Kontos fastball into the left-field seats. "I felt really good my first five at-bats," Myers said. "I felt like I had good at-bats, had some tough pitches. I thought they pitched me really well in the first five. I was just looking for that one mistake they made. I was able to get it." It was the latest in a series of struggles for the San Francisco bullpen. The Padres tied the game 15

16 in the ninth off closer Mark Melancon, who blew his second save in eight attempts when former Giant Hector Sanchez launched a no-doubt two-run homer. The pinch-hit homer plated Luis Sardinas, who had reached on an error by shortstop Eduardo Nunez to start the inning. Sanchez's blast nullified an outstanding effort from Giants starter Ty Blach. The left-hander blanked the Padres over seven innings -- and even got in on the fun offensively. He allowed only three hits, and his fifth-inning sacrifice fly put the Giants on the board. "Terrific" Blach has another strong start "We have to find a way to get some runs on the board," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "I can't always put this on the bullpen. When you score two runs and one of them your pitcher knocks in, you're just not doing it offensively. You're just not leaving yourself any margin for error. That's the case with us right now." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Doubling up: Michael Morse's RBI double off the right-field wall plated Hunter Pence and gave the Giants some breathing room in the sixth. It also chased Padres starter Clayton Richard, who allowed two runs on six hits over 51/3 frames. Both of those runs came after Richard allowed the leadoff man to reach base without a hit. He plunked Joe Panik to start the fifth and walked Pence in the sixth. Helping Hand: With Richard in trouble in the sixth, Padres manager Andy Green called on the ever-reliable Brad Hand. The lefty reliever escaped trouble in the sixth by inducing a pair of grounders. He pitched a seventh, then remained in the game to whiff Brandon Belt leading off the eighth. Hand gave way to Brandon Maurer -- who pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings of his own to send the game to extras. Ryan Buchter followed with two scoreless frames, and Jose Torres recorded his first Major League save after Myers had put the Padres in front. "We've got a lot of talent down there," Hand said. "I have trust in every single one of those guys down there if they come in after me. Today was a good example of that. Just hand it off to the next guy." QUOTABLE "We better start panicking because if we don't get our act together it's going to be ugly. There's too many good teams out there ready to go after us. This energy level needs to get going. We need to pick our play, throw quality strikes. We need to figure it out." -- Melancon "As a starting pitcher, I would never take myself out, but that's why we have managers to make 16

17 the decisions we don't want to make. He made that call, and the guys stepped up." -- Richard on the effort of the bullpen after he was removed SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Sanchez hit two home runs in 297 plate appearances at AT&T Park with the Giants and has equalled that in just eight plate appearances in San Francisco since signing with the Padres. WHAT'S NEXT Padres: Following their second off-day of the season Monday, the Padres host the Rockies for a three-game set beginning Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Trevor Cahill gets the ball for San Diego. Tuesday's game will be Bud Black's first as manager in the visiting dugout at Petco Park. He spent parts of nine seasons at the helm of the Padres, before he was let go in May Giants: Right-hander Johnny Cueto (3-1), winless in his previous two starts, faces the Dodgers for the second time in six days when San Francisco opens a three-game series in Los Angeles on Monday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Cueto has given up six home runs in five starts this season after allowing only 15 all of MLB.com Terriffic Blach has another strong start Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- Ty Blach has been as good as the Giants could hope for since replacing ace Madison Bumgarner in the starting rotation. Without much run support or help from San Francisco's bullpen, however, the young left-hander doesn't have much to show for it. Blach pitched seven scoreless innings in the Giants' 5-2, 12-inning loss to San Diego on Sunday and was in line for his second career win after leaving with a 2-0 lead before former Giants backup catcher Hector Sanchez hit a game-tying home run off closer Mark Melancon in the ninth. By the time Wil Myers hit a three-run blast off George Kontos in the 12th, Blach's outing was just a distant memory -- but one that manager Bruce Bochy isn't about to forget. "He's been terrific," Bochy said. "The last inning he was probably running on fumes and got through that inning. It's really a shame he didn't get a win with the great effort we got from him." It was the second straight strong outing for Blach, who began the season in San Francisco's 17

18 bullpen. He gave up two runs over five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday but lost, 2-1. Blach's outing against the Padres lowered his ERA to 1.50 in two starts since Bumgarner injured his shoulder and ribs in a dirt-bike accident. "I feel good physically, and mentally I feel locked in," Blach said. "I feel like I'm able to execute pretty well right now. I'm still trying to refine a few things and tighten up some breaking balls, that kind of good, but I felt pretty good execution-wise." Blach had to pitch out of a pair of jams in the third and fourth when he had some minor control issues but was otherwise on top of his game most of the afternoon. He retired the side in order three times and set down 11 of the final 12 batters he faced. With Bumgarner all but certain to miss the next three months recovering from his injuries, Blach's performance since moving into the rotation has been a welcomed sight for the Giants. "He just competes so well in everything he does," Bochy said. "With all we threw at him last September, throwing in the bullpen and getting a couple starts, he doesn't surprise me. This guy's got a lot of confidence, deep faith. He's going to just give it his all." That includes at the plate. Blach tallied his first career RBI with a sacrifice fly in the fifth that drove in Joe Panik. "He pitched well and threw out some good at-bats," Bochy said. "What a game." 18

19 MLB.com Cueto gets rematch with Dodgers Michael Wagaman Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw goes for his fourth consecutive win and second straight against division rival San Francisco when he opposes Johnny Cueto in the opener of a three-game series Monday. Kershaw (4-1, 2.29 ERA) has won his last three starts, including a victory over the Giants on Tuesday when he allowed one run over seven innings. It was the left-hander's 19th career win against San Francisco, while his 1.60 ERA in 37 games versus the Giants is the lowest against any opponent he's faced more than 11 times. The three-time Cy Young winner has a 0.79 WHIP with 39 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings. Cueto (3-1) is trying to get back on track after going winless in his previous two starts when his ERA jumped from 3.79 to The right-hander took a no-decision against the Dodgers in his most recent start after giving up three runs in seven innings. The two longtime rivals will play six times in the first 17 days of May but won't face one another again until June 28. Things to know about this game Kershaw has gotten a strike on 70.9 percent of his pitches -- tops among all starters -- but opponents are hitting just.192 with a.338 slugging percentage against him, according to Statcast. Kershaw has also thrown 55.2 percent of his pitches in the strike zone, the fifthhighest rate in the Majors. Opponents are muscling up against Cueto with better success than they ever have. The Giants pitcher has allowed six home runs in five starts this season, including three in the last two. A year ago, teams clubbed just 15 homers off Cueto, who is on pace to give up a career-high 31. Hot-hitting Giants rookie Christian Arroyo singled off Kershaw for his first career hit in the Majors on Tuesday. 19

20 San Francisco catcher Buster Posey has hit 13 home runs against the Dodgers, the fewest against any opponent in the National League West. CSNbayarea.com Melancon wastes Blach s gem, Giants fall to Padres in 12 on Myers homer AP SAN FRANCISCO -- With a timely swing in the 12th inning, Wil Myers turned his frustrating day into a fantastic one. Myers hit a three-run homer in the top of the 12th to send the San Diego Padres past the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Sunday. His seventh home run and second in two games came on a 1-0 fastball from reliever George Kontos (0-2). Cory Spangenberg singled against Kontos leading off the inning, and Erick Aybar singled two batters later. Myers was hitless in his five previous at-bats. "I had some tough pitches. I thought they pitched me very well in my first five, but I felt really good," he said. "I was just looking for that one mistake and I was able to get it in that last atbat." Hector Sanchez, who played parts of five seasons with the Giants, socked a pinch-hit, two-run homer off San Francisco closer Mark Melancon in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Sanchez turned on a 1-1 cut fastball over the heart of the plate for his first home run of the season and third career pinch-hit homer. It was the Padres' first pinch-hit drive in the ninth inning or later to tie a game since Adrian Gonzalez connected against Arizona on Sept. 16, Melancon's flop followed a full meltdown by the Giants' bullpen Saturday, when the Padres tagged San Francisco relievers for 11 runs in three innings of a 12-4 win that included Myers' three-run homer. "I felt really good about the fight to the end," Padres manager Andy Green said. It was Melancon's second blown save in seven chances. Sanchez represented the tying run after shortstop Eduardo Nunez booted Luis Sardinas' leadoff 20

21 grounder for an error. Ryan Buchter (2-1) pitched two shutout innings for the Padres. Jose Torres worked a scoreless 12th for his first save. Giants starter Ty Blach pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, retiring 10 of his last 11 batters in his second start for San Francisco since taking injured ace Madison Bumgarner's spot in the rotation. Bumgarner is expected to miss three months with a separated left (pitching) shoulder he sustained in a dirt-bike crash. Padres starter Clayton Richard gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings of six-hit ball. The Padres have won 12 of 16 games against the Giants dating to last season. San Francisco (9-17) has the National League's worst record and is since going into last year's All-Star break 24 games over.500 with the best record in the majors. STRAIGHT TALK: "We better start panicking," Melancon said about the Giants' awful April. "If we don't get our act together, it's going to be ugly. There's too many good teams out there ready to go after us. This energy level needs to get going. We need to pick up our play, throw quality strikes. We need to figure it out." TRAINER'S ROOM: Padres: RHP Jarred Cosart, on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, tentatively plans to pitch for Class A Lake Elsinore on a rehab assignment Tuesday, Green said. Cosart will throw three innings or about pitches. Giants: RHP Neil Ramirez was designated for assignment and the Giants called up RHP Bryan Morris from Triple-A Sacramento.... CF Denard Span, on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury, tentatively plans to take batting practice in Los Angeles on Monday. UP NEXT: Padres: After an off day, RHP Trevor Cahill (1-2, 4.50 ERA) will pitch the home series opener against Colorado on Tuesday. Cahill is 5-6 with a 4.44 ERA in his career against the Rockies. Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto (3-1, 5.10) starts the series opener against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Monday. The two-time All-Star gave up three runs in six innings vs. the Dodgers last week and was 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA against them last season. 21