SF Giants Press Clips Thursday, April 13, 2017

Transcription

1 SF Giants Press Clips Thursday, April 13, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants win series as Matt Cain delivers with arm, bat Henry Schulman The clouds were heavy and the wind strong, foretelling a storm approaching from the Pacific, when Matt Cain walked to the mound for his 317th regular-season start Wednesday night. Nobody needed a literature degree from Oxford to extract a metaphor there. With Ty Blach in the dugout, Tyler Beede seemingly ready in the minors and a near-term schedule that makes the fifth spot in the rotation less necessary, it did not take a lot of mental gymnastics to envision this being Cain s final start after 13 seasons in San Francisco. That was before Cain pitched and hit like he wants to pitch and hit some more, holding the Diamondbacks to one run, striking out six in five-plus innings and hitting the double that started the decisive rally in a 6-2 Giants victory. ALSO Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and his wife Miriam stand below his statue that the San Francisco Giants formally dedicated at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, Giants mourn death of Mirian Cepeda, wife of Hall of Famer San Francisco Giants second baseman Joe Panik (12) flips the ball to Brandon Crawford for a double play on a grounder by Kansas City Royals Eric Hosmer during the third inning of Game 7 of baseball's World Series Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Giants Joe Panik thrilled to accept his Gold Glove again I thought it was just a huge outing for him and a good one to build on, manager Bruce Bochy said. Cain will get a shot to build on it in Kansas City on Tuesday night. That was not assured before Wednesday s series-clinching win because the Giants have off days Monday and Thursday next week. The staff easily could have skipped Cain s spot and had Madison Bumgarner pitch instead. That would be hard to do after Cain won in April for the first time since 2012 with strikeout stuff. Bochy reiterated that Cain will get a longer leash, not just because of his resume. I think you have to, the way he threw the ball, Bochy said. He had command of four pitches, a good curveball along with a changeup and fastball command. I think it s something he s earned.

2 Look at what he s done for us. We ve got championships because of this guy. He s the longest-tenured Giant. That is going to earn some guys certain things. Cain appreciates the sentiment and said, It s up to me to take advantage of it, go out there with some of the knowledge I have and keep growing and growing. Today was a good day. I m not saying I ve got it all figured out. I ve got to think about the next start. Asked about the notion of pitching for his job each time out, Cain said, If I think about that, I m in the wrong frame of mind, big-time. The fans who braved the threat of rain showed their appreciation when Bochy came to get Cain with nobody out in the sixth, the Giants leading 3-1 and two runners on. They gave him a standing ovation. Cory Gearrin roused the crowd by striking out the side. George Kontos pitched a scoreless seventh before the Giants extended the lead on Nick Hundley s RBI double and Jarrett Parker s two-run triple in the bottom half. Cain allowed a here we go again run two batters into the game, on an A.J. Pollock triple and a David Peralta sacrifice fly. Cain then raised a stop sign. In a critical moment, Cain struck out Pollock on a curveball to end the second inning and strand Chris Owings at second base, one of six Cain strikeouts in a stretch of nine hitters. The Giants were still down 1-0 in the fifth and being one-hit by Shelby Miller (3-12 last year) when Cain slammed a fastball to the wall in left-center for a double. Cain scored the tying run standing on Denard Span s line single to center. Third-base coach Phil Nevin did not hesitate to send Cain. Pollock seemed a bit stunned and sent a weak throw that was cut off after he double-clutched. Brandon Belt, hitless in 15 at-bats, walked, sending Span into position to score on Hunter Pence s single for a 2-1 Giants lead. Conor Gillaspie got the two-out hit to score Belt for the final run the Giants would need. SF Chronicle Giants Posey needs a vacation month at 1st base maybe Scott Osler Is it time for the Giants to put the best catcher in baseball out to pasture? That question reared its ugly head in the first inning of the Giants home opener Monday. One misguided missile, a 94 mph heater that clunked Buster Posey in the batting helmet, created a cloud over his future and the future of the Giants, short-term and long-term. Am I being too dire? Hyperventilating over a minor headache? The Giants and Posey might say yes, but what do you expect em to say? That the sky is falling?

3 Posey is on the seven-day disabled list with concussion symptoms. Wednesday, manager Bruce Bochy used the word foggy to describe Posey. That s a good word for San Francisco s atmosphere, a bad word for your catcher s brain. If Posey comes off the DL on Tuesday, the first day he s eligible to do so, he could the designated hitter in a two-game series at Kansas City, a likely scenario. What then? If Posey feels good and gets medical clearance, should the Giants slap him back behind the plate? I say no. Officially, Posey has only concussion symptoms. But if this was your kid and the doctor said he/she had concussion symptoms, you d say, Is that like broken-leg symptoms? MORE Giants' Buster Posey goes down after being hit by a pitch by Arizona's Taijuan Walker in the first inning, as the San Francisco Giants take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their home opener against the at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Mon. April 10, major-league careers altered by a pitch to the head Giants' Buster Posey goes down after being hit by a pitch by Arizona's Taijuan Walker in the first inning, as the San Francisco Giants take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their home opener against the at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Mon. April 10, Giants Buster Posey on DL: There s been some lingering Giants' Buster Posey flinches before being hit iby a pitch by Arizona's Taijuan Walker in the first inning, as the San Francisco Giants take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their home opener against the at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Mon. April 10, Buster Posey beanball: The story behind the photo For at least a couple of weeks after he returns, the Giants should treat Buster Ballgame like what he is, a human Ming vase, breakable and irreplaceable. That might be a smart option now even if Posey had not been plunked. Left field has been a black hole for the Giants, offensively. Move Brandon Belt to left, put Posey at first, let Nick Hundley handle the dish. Instant offensive upgrade. Put me in charge and, once Posey is cleared for action, I would give him a month s vacation at first base. There s a lot we don t know about concussions, or concussion syndromes, but it seems that recovering from a head blow is like getting over a heartache there s no shortcut. Am I saying the Giants should baby Buster? If you want to call it that. I know this: The Giants are in the same situation they were in in 2010, 12 and 14 wherever they go this season, Posey will lead em there. No Buster, no red-white-blue bunting. This isn t 1950, or even 2000, back in the days before concussions were invented. It was easy then. You got your bell rung, you snorted some smelling salts, laughed it off and went back to work. A couple of clicks on YouTube and you can survey Posey s greatest hits, mostly foul tips that slam into his mask like Mike Tyson punches. Most resulted in standing eight-counts, but a couple shelved him.

4 Now there s the beaning, and you know what the medical scientists say about cumulative effects of blows to the head. And you know that there s no way to prevent foul tips to the mask. For Posey and the Giants, the timing is bad. Not that there is a good time for concussion symptoms. Posey and the Giants finally had quieted the armchair managers demanding that Posey be moved to first base full time, to extend his career and keep him fresher for hitting. Posey made it clear he is The Catcher. The organization, from Bochy up, made it clear that it seconds that emotion. Posey is in catching for the long haul. Before February s FanFest, he was asked about the offseason and he mentioned that he had done some baseball work. I try to change and get better each year, Posey said. I like to pay attention to guys who do things well. What did he work on this past offseason? The biggest thing the past few years, oddly enough, is my throwing mechanics, Posey said. Making sure my shoulders are in a certain position, it kind of gives me a little bit more consistency throwing the ball to second base, get better backspin and consistency. Doesn t sound like a catcher looking to phase himself out of catching. Eventually, Posey will get out of the squat for good. First base is the first option, but I asked Bochy on Wednesday if third base, or even left field, could be an option down the road. Bochy said no, that first base is the only other full-time position the club has ever considered for Posey, and that it is not considering such a move now. The Giants can t. They are a pitching-centric team, and the pitchers love them some Buster. It s no different now than it was in the 2010 World Series, when rookie hurler Madison Bumgarner said of his rookie batterymate, I just threw whatever Buster put down. Posey was on the field before Wednesday night s game, receiving his first Gold Glove. There could be a few more of those in his future, but that future is now cloudy. SF Chronicle Giants mourn death of Mirian Cepeda, wife of Hall of Famer Henry Schulman The Giants held a moment of silence before Wednesday night s game in honor of Mirian Ortiz Cepeda the wife of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda who died Wednesday morning at 62. The cause was complications from pneumonia, Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter said. Orlando and Mirian Cepeda had been married for 26 years. Mrs. Cepeda was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx.

5 She had been hospitalized over the past week in Fairfield, near the Cepedas home in Solano County. A formal Giants statement said Mrs. Cepeda was known for her vivacious spirit who brought joy to her family and to all of us who had the honor to know her. She will be deeply missed by the entire Giants family. Besides her husband, Mrs. Cepeda is survived by her son, Hector; stepsons Orlando Jr., Malcolm, Ali and Carl; their wives; and eight grandchildren. SF Chronicle Giants Joe Panik thrilled to accept his Gold Glove again Henry Schulman Gold Glove awards first are presented to players at a winter dinner in New York. Then the trophies are crated and shipped to the teams for another ceremony during the first week of home games. Joe Panik had a different approach at this year s dinner: He grabbed the hardware, stuck it in his car and drove off. Listen, he told organizers, I m taking this home with me. I live an hour away. I want it now. I want to enjoy it at home. Panik received the trophy again in a pregame ceremony Wednesday, along with fellow first-time Gold Glover Buster Posey, and Brandon Crawford, who won his third in a row. Panik s win was a surprise because he started only 118 games. It also seemed like Colorado second baseman DJ LeMahieu, the 2014 winner, might wrest it back from Miami s Dee Gordon, who won in 2015, then missed half of 2016 on a steroid suspension. Instead, Panik became the fifth National League second baseman in five years to win. ALSO Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and his wife Miriam stand below his statue that the San Francisco Giants formally dedicated at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, Giants mourn death of Mirian Cepeda, wife of Hall of Famer Giants' Buster Posey goes down after being hit by a pitch by Arizona's Taijuan Walker in the first inning, as the San Francisco Giants take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their home opener against the at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Mon. April 10, Giants Buster Posey on DL: There s been some lingering Panik said Wednesday that he believes his defense has improved every year, the more he has worked with infield coach Ron Wotus and with increasing experience at second base after moving from shortstop, his original position. He also credits Crawford and Brandon Belt being on either side of him. They kind of push you, Panik said. They re very good defensively and you want to live up to that. You don t want to be the weak link in the infield.

6 Posey better: Manager Bruce Bochy said head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner reported Posey feeling better than he did Tuesday in the wake of Monday s beaning. Posey joined Crawford and Panik on the field for the ceremony. Posey watched Tuesday night s game from the dugout, a good sign because the lights and noise did not worsen his concussion symptoms. Posey is eligible to return from the seven-day concussion list in Kansas City on Tuesday. Upton official: Melvin Upton Jr. passed his physical and reported to extended spring training in Arizona. The Giants do not have a timetable for the outfielder s promotion from there to Triple-A Sacramento. Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. On deck Thursday vs. Rockies 7:15 p.m. NBCSBA Gray (0-0) vs. Bumgarner (0-1) Friday vs. Rockies 7:15 p.m. Channel: 11 Anderson (1-1) vs. Cueto (2-0) Saturday vs. Rockies 1:05 p.m. NBCSBA Chatwood (0-2) vs. Moore (1-1) Leading off Mane event: Jon Gray, the Rockies starter Thursday night, cut off 8 inches of hair this week to donate to children with cancer.

7 SF Chronicle Giants need to fix outfield, but how? When? Plus lineups Henry Schulman No, the Giants' outfield situation is not sustainable. You know it. The team knows it. No club can have three outfielders hitting.059,.071 and.080, not when the other two outfielders need days off, not when the team's best hitter is on the disabled list for who knows how long. The question is, how long can and should the Giants wait before they act? And no, it's not as simple as "do something now!" For one thing, no team wants to overreact after nine games. My longtime readers and followers know that I divide a 162-game baseball season into nine "innings" of 18 games apiece. Thus, we just completed the top of the first. For another thing, the Giants need to consider roster implications and who they have that is better. Some background... The Giants have done an excellent job identifying minor-league free agents and discarded majorleaguers (Gregor Blanco, Ryan Vogelsong, just to name two). They also have a lot of money invested in their rotation, first base, shortstop, right field, center field and closer, with more to come when they extend Madison Bumgarner and try to re-sign Johnny Cueto when he opts out after the year. Furthermore, the Giants' payroll puts them in the luxury tax (regardless of numbers you see on some websites that do not understand how big-league payrolls work). This management believes you cannot spend your way at every position to build a team, that some spots need to be filled from within the farm system. The Giants wanted to see if Jarrett Parker and a right-handed platoon mate were the answer before discarding Parker without seeing if they had another Adam Duvall in their midst. (Scream all you want about how rich the owners are and how AT&T Park is a gold mine. Every team sets a payroll budget. The GMs job is to meet it. The owners' stock portfolios and country-club memberships are not part of the conversation.) The problem is, the plan looks good on paper if everything goes right, but not when things go wrong, and things always go wrong. It has not taken long to see the problem, particularly in the outfield. Denard Span got hurt in Game 1 and the Giants spent the next four days with an outfield of Hunter Pence plus three guys who entered the season with a 516 major-league at-bats combined. With Buster Posey out of the lineup and regulars Denard Span and Brandon Crawford resting against a left-hander Tuesday night, the Giants showed just how vulnerable they can be when they need to start two of those three less-experienced outfielders.

8 Gorkys Hernandez is here mainly to catch the ball when Span does not play. Notwithstanding his Tuesday night whiff of a Jake Lamb drive that resulted in three Arizona runs, he's done that well. But it's tough to stick a sub.-100 hitter at leadoff, and Bochy seems committed to batting Eduardo Nuñez sixth. Chris Marrero is here because he hit a lot of home runs in spring training (and probably because Michael Morse got hurt, to be honest). Parker is here for the aforementioned reasons. Individually, one can justify each man's presence. Collectively that is harder to do, especially with Posey out and the stated need to get Span and Pence days off. So, what can the Giants do? For starters they can give these guys a little more than nine games before casting anyone adrift. In a world of overreaction, sometimes staying the course can pay off. And that s what manager Bruce Bochy plans to do. It s still early, he said before Wednesday night s game. We re going with the guys we have. I know they haven t gotten off to a great start but we re staying behind them. They can start toying with position moves, having Aaron Hill start more games in left, or even move Nuñez there and have Aaron Hill and Conor Gillaspie play third base. But Bochy wants to keep his best defense on the field and believes that is with Nuñez at third base. They can turn toward the minors for other solutions, but there they are hobbled as well. Although Mac Williamson and Michael Morse are progressing from leg injuries, neither has played a game in extended spring training, much less Sacramento. Justin Ruggiano did not show anything in spring training to suggest he would be an improvement over the outfielders they took north. Jae-Gyun Hwang still needs to learn the position. The Giants in the past week signed seasoned outfielders Drew Stubbs and Melvin Upton Jr. Upton's deal was finalized Wednesday and he reported to extended spring. He has not played since the later days of spring training. Thus, the Giants have no timetable for his promotion to Sacramento. They want to see him play first. The Giants could bring Kelby Tomlinson back as an infield-outfield swingman. I'm sure the Giants are considering any and all of theses possibilities for down the road. That is what GM Bobby Evans and Bochy do during the many hours the club is not playing. They talk and see if they can find a way to improve the club. They do have the same problem that existed in the bullpen last year: a lack of flexibility because the players involved have no minor-league options. The Giants would have to expose Hernandez or Marrero to waivers to send them down, and while you might not see that as a problem, the Giants have to consider what happens if one of them leaves the organization and his replacement(s) fail.

9 A need-for-need trade is possible, though rare in April, and no, the Giants have no interest in bringing back Angel Pagan, who seems to have a dollar figure in his mind that no team has found palatable. The guess here is we will see Upton sooner than later unless one of the backup outfielders turns a corner offensively. Upton obviously is a flawed player. The Blue Jays did not consider him one of their best five outfielders out of camp and he had to take a minor-league contract with San Francisco. But he has experience, can play center, and still possesses speed and power potential. Until then, just remember, we're only starting the "bottom of the first." Players can and do get better. Remember, the Giants have three wins, and Hernandez had four RBIs in one of them. Wednesday's game: As for Wednesday night, Matt Cain gives it another go in what could be his final start for a while, because two days off next week give the Giants the flexibility to skip him. Nuñez gets a night off and Gillaspie gets his first start. If it doesn't rain, that is. San Jose Mercury News Matt Cain shines like new as Giants take a series from Diamondbacks Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO The storm system pushed to the doorstep of AT&T Park Wednesday night, but the skies remained clear and dry when Matt Cain walked off the mound to a standing ovation. Who truly knows what the weather will bring? Cain could find himself skipped in the rotation later this season, shuttled in and out or replaced by a younger model. Any start could be the last for the longest tenured Giant, one of the most accomplished pitchers in the franchise s San Francisco era. Like the storm, Tyler Beede is coming. So perhaps there was something extra behind those cheers that Cain received when he took his town sheriff turn off the mound and toward the dugout with the Giants leading 3-1 in the sixth inning. Cain doubled to start a three-run fifth and Jarrett Parker found his release in the form of a two-run triple through the rain in a three-run seventh as the Giants took a 6-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants took two of three from the NL West leaders their first series win in three tries and after a challenging first road trip, their record stands at 4-6. They ll try to climb from there as they throw the top of their rotation against the Colorado Rockies. Cain no longer sits at the top of that rotation. He is merely trying to keep a place there. His next turn falls on a day off. Bruce Bochy said Cain would not be skipped. The right-hander will take the ball Tuesday at Kansas City. When a manager has a predilection for loyalty, he doesn t need to see much to be convinced.

10 Well, I think it s something he s earned, Bochy said. You look at what he s done for us. We ve got some championships because of this guy. Some guys earn certain things. I go back to Barry Zito. He had his ups and downs, but we stayed with him, and he helped us win a World Series (in 2012), with those starts at St. Louis and then against Detroit. I feel the same about Matty. I think we all do. He s well liked. He s a Giant. He s a big part of our success. He deserves a longer look. As Cain walked off the mound, there was an audible appreciation that went beyond his performance, in which he overcame a tight strike zone to hold the Arizona Diamondbacks to a run on five hits in six innings. Even those fans who want to put Cain out to pasture had to savor another opportunity to celebrate the pitcher who authored the only perfect game in franchise history, formed an essential part of two World Series-winning rotations and quietly shined for years while riding in Tim Lincecum s sidecar. There s nothing better than to be able to hear that from the fans, Cain said. It s greatly appreciated. Cain even helped himself avoid a ritual Caining one of those 26 starts mostly from his youth when he lost despite giving up two runs or fewer. His double in the fifth inning started the Giants three run rally against right-hander Shelby Miller. Cain swiveled his hips, swung his bat like a Big Bertha and sweet-spotted a 94 mph fastball, placing it on the fairway so well it split the outfielders in left-center. Then Cain and new third base coach Phil Nevin conspired to score from second base on Denard Span s single to center. The Giants added from there. Brandon Belt walked, Hunter Pence took a broomstick swing at an outside pitch and poked it to right field for an RBI single, and Conor Gillaspie, making his first start of the season, singled to left to plate another run. With the rain moving in, the game became official the moment the Giants took the lead. It didn t start out with such promise. Cain s first pitch of the night resulted in a triple, along with an audible groan as fans settled into their seats. A.J. Pollock scored on a sacrifice fly. For those susceptible to confirmation bias, that was enough. With days off Monday and next Thursday, it appeared automatic that the Giants would skip Cain at least once especially since starting Madison Bumgarner Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium would line up the ace to take the mound April 24 when the Dodgers arrive to begin a four-game series here. Cain wasn t sure how to answer a question about pitching for his job, saying, If I m thinking about that, I m in the wrong frame of mind, big time.

11 Instead, he might have changed minds among the coaching staff and front office. His fastball touched 92 mph as he pitched around an error in the second inning, he struck out Paul Goldschmdit in the third and bottled up a Diamondbacks offense that has proven tough to tame thus far. Over one three-inning stretch, he retired nine of 10 batters and struck out six of them. Bochy came out to collect the baseball in the sixth, after Jake Lamb threaded a double and Yasmany Tomas walked. Really, really nice moment there, Bochy said of the ovation for Cain. I know Matty s been through a lot. He s really battling to get back on track. The first game was so-so, and tonight was a lot better. There was life on the fastball, he had good secondary pitches and he got us going with his double. It s a great night for Matty and it s great to see how the fans got behind him and were excited for him. Cory Gearrin ensured the moment would not be washed away. His sinker, designed for double-play grounders, showed sharper teeth. He struck out the side. It s nice to be back in San Francisco where the ball can sink and move a little bit, Gearrin said. I m healthy and I m feeling great. As a bullpen, it s exciting to see Cain go out there and really set the tone for us. George Kontos took over in the seventh as the rain arrived and blew sideways at times, and he weathered it well in a scoreless inning. If Gearrin and Kontos benefited from stomach-settling performances to establish themselves, then Parker s night had to feel especially soothing. He crushed a two-run triple that carried through the weather and off the top of the center field wall to key a three-run seventh inning. Giants left fielders had combined for three total bases all season after Parker had singled through an infield shift an inning earlier. Then Parker matched that total with one swing in the seventh. Good for Park because I think he s been pressing a little bit, Bochy said. Against the wind, I mean, that ball was crushed. It s tough for these kids. They all want to get off to a good start. Catcher Nick Hundley hit a ball even harder in the three-run rally. He ripped an outside fastball to right field and straight through a flag-whipping wind, and the ball hit off the bricks for an RBI double. In calmer conditions, it likely would ve been an ultra-rare opposite-field home run by a right-handed hitter a good sign, perhaps, that Hundley s skills will translate well here, especially while Buster Posey is on the 7-day concussion list. Posey could rejoin the team as early as Tuesday. Somebody has to catch the longest tenured Giant. San Jose Mercury News Giants notes: Could Bochy solve his left field conundrum and Buster Posey s concussion risk with one move? Andrew Baggarly

12 SAN FRANCISCO The Giants might have gotten off to a disappointing start, and Buster Posey will be lost for at least a week, but they are hardly a team in crisis. With a victory here at AT&T Park Wednesday night, they d take a series from the NL West-leading Diamondbacks. They would have a perfectly lukewarm 4-6 record to begin the season. And they would reset their rotation with Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Matt Moore ready to take on the Colorado Rockies this weekend. When you have a dependable rotation, hope is always right around the corner. These first nine games have exposed some deep flaws, though. If you re concerned about the outfield, well, take comfort in the knowledge that the front office and coaching staff are not populated by idiots. They have to be concerned as well that Gorkys Hernandez, Jarrett Parker and Chris Marrero are 4 for 56 with 22 strikeouts. Hernandez wasn t able to haul in a tough but catchable drive that went for a threerun triple in Tuesday s 4-3 loss. For now, Giants manager Bruce Bochy is staying behind his guys. That is what you expect a manager to do right up to the moment before a team makes a change. Bochy said there haven t been discussions about moving Brandon Belt or Eduardo Nuñez to left field to fill the void there and open up a spot for Conor Gillaspie or Posey at first base. It s still early, Bochy said. The guys we have, I know they haven t gotten off to a great start. But we re staying behind them now. With power guys like Marrero and Parker, you hate to have a small sample size and stop playing them. If Parker and Marrero aren t doing anything by the time Posey is ready, though, it makes too much sense to move Belt to left field. That way, you keep Posey out of harm s way from a foul tip to the mask as he comes back from the concussion DL. Posey is eligible on Tuesday when the Giants begin an interleague series at Kansas City, and if he plays, he ll likely be the designated hitter. After that, the Giants go to Colorado. Nick Hundley knows the Rockies lineup very well after playing with those guys last year. It sure would make sense to have Posey play first base in that series and keep Hundley behind the plate. Then again, we ve seen enough of these concussions to know there s no use playing to a script. So what will the Giants do about their outfield? They can t just hide Parker, Marrero and Hernandez on their roster. One of them will play on a given day, and Hunter Pence and Denard Span will need their days off as well. Ideally, the Giants wanted to shield Span from a decent amount of left-handed pitching. It s not as if the front office didn t make other moves this offseason to find right-handed complements. But Marrero was the only one to show something this spring. Justin Ruggiano, coming off shoulder

13 surgery, did not have a good camp. And Michael Morse, everyone s favorite fantasy camper, hurt his hamstring. Mac Williamson reinjured his quadriceps, too. Bochy acknowledged he is intrigued by Melvin Upton Jr., who offers right-handed power and the ability to play center field. Upton reported to extended spring camp after signing his contract Wednesday morning. I talked to some people who saw him in the spring and he had a good spring training, Bochy said of Upton Jr., who didn t make the Blue Jays roster and was released. He s definitely worth taking a look at, and see if he can help us. For those Giants fans who are complaining the team didn t do enough to bring in right-handed hitters guess what? Dodgers fans have been complaining about the same thing for two seasons. And one of the players the Dodgers got to hit lefties, Franklin Gutierrez, is already on the disabled list. (See? A little understanding can bring everyone together. Giants fans and Dodgers fans, living together. Mass hysteria.) Bochy agreed with my suggestion that it was a good sign that Posey was able to watch Tuesday s game from the dugout. I told him I dealt with (a concussion) one time, and watching TV or noise would bother you, Bochy said. He seemed to be doing fine watching the game. Bochy said Posey reported feeling better Wednesday. And it s a good thing noise doesn t bother him. He ll hear some cheers when he receives his Gold Glove in a pregame ceremony, along with Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik. No matter what Matt Cain does in his start Wednesday night against Arizona, it s an obvious move to skip the No.5 starter the next turn through the rotation. The Giants have days off Monday and Thursday. They could skip ahead and Bumgarner and Cueto Wednesday and Thursday at Kansas City (tons of intrigue for both guys at Kauffman Stadium, no?), and then pitch Cain or someone else in the April 23 series finale at Colorado. Then they d be all lined up for Bumgarner, Cueto and Moore against the Dodgers to start the four-game rivalry series on the next homestand. They could even wedge in Ty Blach in front of Jeff Samardzija if they wanted to get one more lefty in the series. Bochy acknowledged he needed to do more to ensure that Blach could remain stretched enough to start. The Giants have made it pretty clear that they expect Blach to work out of the rotation on at least an occasional basis this season.

14 Also Tyler Beede is coming soon. No matter what they do in the rotation, I fully expect they ll find a way to get Steven Okert back on the team when the Dodgers arrive. They ll need as many lefties as they can get for that series. Here are the probable starters we definitely know about, with the Rockies coming to town. And Wednesday night s lineups follow. It s Nuñez s turn to get a day off, and Gillaspie makes his first start of the season. Thursday: LHP Madison Bumgarner (0-1, 3.00) vs. RHP Jon Gray (0-0, 5.79), 7:15 p.m. NBCSBA Friday: RHP Johnny Cueto (2-0, 4.50) vs. LHP Tyler Anderson (1-1, 8.44), 7:15 p.m. NBC Bay Area Saturday: LHP Matt Moore (1-1, 2.70) vs. RHP Tyler Chatwood (0-2, 6.35), 1:05 p.m. NBCSBA Sunday: April 16 RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-2, 6.75) vs. RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-0, 1.50), 1:05 p.m. NBCSBA San Jose Mercury News Wife of Giants Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda dies of pneumonia Jimmy Durkin Mirian Ortiz Cepeda, the wife of Giants Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, died on Wednesday morning at 62 due to complications from pneumonia, the team announced in a statement. Mirian was known for her vivacious spirit who brought joy to her family and to all of us who had the honor to know her, the team s statement said. She will be deeply missed by the entire Giants family. Mirian Ortiz Cepeda, who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., is survived by her husband Orlando, son Hector, stepsons Orlando Jr., Carl (Charmaine), Malcolm (Elizabeth) and Ali (Camille) along with their eight grandchildren. The Giants plan to observe a moment of silence in Mirian s memory before Wednesday night s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. San Jose Mercury News Mike Krukow: Samardzija got it done right when drilling Goldschmidt Jimmy Durkin It s not hard to figure how what was going on when Giants starter Jeff Samardzija sent a fastball to the backside of Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt. That s how baseball tradition goes. When Buster Posey got drilled in the head Monday by the D-backs Taijuan Walker, intentional or not, pay back was going to come at some point. While both manager Bruce Bochy and Samardzija stayed mum on the topic after Tuesday night s game, broadcaster Mike Krukow was more open when he joined KNBR on Wednesday morning.

15 It how you deal with it, Krukow said of Samardzija drilling Goldschmidt, Arizona s best player. You cannot allow your opponents to hit you, and when you get a head shot, whether it was intentional or not, it doesn t matter. It happened, and not only that it took down your best guy, and put him on the shelf for at least a week. All those things are things that cannot happen. And it s been a part of the game for a long time. I m from that generation, you got one of ours, we got one of yours. Simple. You get it done, it s over, and they got it done. And Samardzija, to his credit, he got it done right. It was below the belt. He put a bruise on Goldschmidt s butt, it ll sit there and it ll be a little soft advertisement for the team for a couple weeks, depending on how good of a bruiser he is. It s just a little reminder that this is how the game is played, and you move on. I hope there s no repercussions in regards to the league office fining Samardzija because that always frosts me when it happens, but it s done, it s over. And it was done right and it was done in a professional way. MLB.com Victory has Cain pointed in right direction Barry M. Bloom SAN FRANCISCO -- Matt Cain earned a stay of demotion on Wednesday night in a 6-2 win over the D- backs at AT&T Park, but at this stage of his career, there's no doubt he's going from game to game. Manager Bruce Bochy admitted there have been ongoing discussions about what the Giants plan to do with the fifth spot in their rotation, but as long as Cain is competitive, he'll remain in that role. Cain pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one run on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts to win his first game since Aug. 6. Despite it all -- despite the recent seasons filled with arm injuries and disappointment -- he said he doesn't feel like he's pitching to save his job. "If I'm thinking about that, I'm in the wrong frame of mind, big time," Cain said. There's no one more to loyal to the guys who won for him than Bochy. Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey are the only players left who played for all three World Series-winning teams in every even year from Cain, in his 14th season, has the longest tenure of all of them, coming up in 2005 near the end of the Barry Bonds era. That means a lot to the man most people simply call "Boch," who gave a lot of rope to Barry Zito, Tim Lincecum and Jake Peavy before those pitchers reached the end of the line. "I think it's something that he's earned," Bochy said about Cain. "Look at what he's done for us. We have those championships because of this guy. He's the longest-tenured Giant, and some guys earn a certain thing. I'll go back to Barry Zito. He had his ups and downs, and we stayed with him and he helped us win a World Series there [in 2012]. San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy praises veteran starter Matt Cain following the team's 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks "I feel the same about Matty. I think we all do. We all pull for him. He's very well liked and been a big part of our success. You give guys like that a longer leash. They've earned it."

16 Part of it is that San Francisco still owes Cain $27.5 million at the back end of his six-year, $127.5 million contract -- $20 million for this year and at least a $7.5 million buyout on next year's $21 million club option. So Cain is going to go out there as long as he's ambulatory. The 32-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched a full season since The litany of injuries have included right forearm issues, a pulled hamstring and elbow inflammation that led to bone chips removed via surgery -- and the list seems to go on and on. Cain has made 51 starts since all the problems began, and he missed the entire postseason run to the Giants' most recent World Series victory over the Royals in Bochy hasn't given Cain a leash -- he's given him an endless extension cord. Cain said he feels healthy now. That was evident on Wednesday night, because the velocity of his fastball at times got up into the low 90s. But when asked if he remembered the last time he pitched without pain, Cain said, "I don't know. I couldn't tell you." Perhaps that tells you everything. "There always seems to be little things here and there," Cain said. "I'm just glad to be able to pitch every fifth day and work on some things in between starts. That's been nice. It's nice to go out there and just focus on the game without worrying if your body is going to keep going." It's no wonder then that San Francisco's brain trust has been mulling over options, working under the assumption that each start by Cain could be his last. After a four-game home series beginning Thursday night against the Rockies, the Giants have days off wedged around a two-game series in Kansas City on Tuesday and Wednesday. That gives Bochy a chance to drop his fifth starter for a turn and then reset afterward with an eye on a four-game series at home against the National League West-rival Dodgers on April The Dodgers are a.217 hitting team against left-handers,.264 against right-handers. So it would behoove Bochy to line up left-handers Bumgarner, Matt Moore and rookie Ty Blach that week against Los Angeles. The Giants are pondering that possibility against their longtime rivals. "It's tough to move your rotation around, but we've talked a lot about that," Bochy said. "You can move it around a little here or there, yeah, you have that kind of flexibility." When asked whether that flexibility includes moving Blach into a spot start, Bochy added, "Yeah, sure it is. We have that sort of flexibility with Ty. He's accustomed to it. Last September was an invaluable experience for him, learning to pitch out of the 'pen and getting a spot start here or there. So we're keeping that door open." When that door swings wide open is primarily up to Cain. And for now, Bochy said, the stay remains in place, and Cain is next up to start again against the Royals on Tuesday night.

17 MLB.com Gearrin bails out Cain with stellar relief Alex Espinoza SAN FRANCISCO -- Right-handed reliever Cory Gearrin defused a potentially toxic situation for the Giants during Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out the side in the sixth inning to preserve a strong start by Matt Cain. After Cain gave up a leadoff double and a walk to begin the frame, Gearrin was summoned from the bullpen to protect a two-run lead. He rose to the occasion by striking out Brandon Drury, Chris Owings and Jeff Mathis back-to-back-to-back to end the frame. "That's pretty impressive what he did tonight," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "First and second, nobody out, you're hoping for a ground ball, but he ends up striking out the side. Sure, that was his best outing [this year]. Been using him for a hitter or two, but three guys, three strikeouts -- doesn't get better than that." Cain was happy with Gearrin's ability to close the door on the D-backs when it looked like they were threatening. It helped the starter pick up his first win since Aug. 6. "That was a huge moment in the game," Cain said, "Cory coming in and bailing me out that sixth inning." Following Gearrin's shutdown performance, George Kontos also retired Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt to end the seventh and strand a runner on second, before Derek Law gave up a run in the eighth and Hunter Strickland wrapped up the victory. It was a welcome sight for the Giants, who entered the contest with a 5.85 bullpen ERA, ranking 23rd in MLB. "Bullpen pitched great," Gearrin said. "I felt like everybody really went out there and threw well. It was exciting. We hung in." The 30-year-old Gearrin has been a bright spot for Bochy so far, tossing three scoreless frames across four outings to start this season. "I feel good. I feel healthy," Gearrin said. "Just keep going out there and doing what I'm doing. It's nice to be back in San Francisco where the ball can sink and move a little bit out of Arizona. I think everybody's really getting in a good flow and being home, being in front of our home crowd, it has a big impact. It matters to us." MLB.com Bumgarner gets series opener vs. Rockies Thomas Harding Rockies right-hander Jon Gray is a different kind of guy, and not just because his haircuts are events that folks watch live on the internet. This is a guy who actually prefers pitching at Coors Field to pitching at San Francisco's AT&T Park, where the Giants have pitched their way to three World Series titles since 2010.

18 Gray will pitch at AT&T Park -- and face one the sport's true aces, Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner -- on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game set. In two starts there, Gray is 0-1 with a 2.92 ERA with eight strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. "It's about night and day compared to [Coors]," Gray said. "The toughest thing for me is to locate my fastball. I actually get a lot of movement there, so I have to be really precise where I start my pitch. It's something different. I don't really like it; here, I can be more about power. "I just like, know, where it's going to go. But Milwaukee was the same way [he fanned seven in the first four innings, but struggled and didn't record an out in the fifth]. It's no big deal. I'll make an adjustment." Of course, Bumgarner is excelling everywhere, even though his luck has been nonexistent. He held the D-backs to six hits and three runs in seven innings on Opening Day, but had a no-decision in a Giants' loss. At San Diego on Saturday, he fanned 11 in eight innings and gave up one run, but was saddled with the loss in a 2-1 Giants defeat. Three things to know: What makes Bumgarner so difficult? Part of it is it seems he's practically in the batter's face. According to Statcast, among pitchers who threw a minimum of 500 pitches last year, he had 6.7 feet of extension when his fastball leaves his hand. So on average, 60 feet, 6 inches from rubber to plate becomes a little less than 53 feet. Gray may still be trying to find his groove with his slider. He has generated swings and misses on only four of 35 (11.4 percent) thus far. In 2016, Gray's 24.4 percent swinging-strike rate on sliders was seventh-highest of 55 pitchers (minimum 500 thrown), trailing the likes of Noah Syndergaard, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Miller. Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is the man Giants fans hate to see. In 32 games at AT&T Park, Arenado has a.303 batting average with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 135 plate appearances. MLB.com (Cut 4) Jarrett Parker found the solution to his hitting slump: Hanging out with Barry Bonds Chris Landers Entering play on Wednesday night, Giants left fielder Jarrett Parker was just 1-for-14 to start the 2017 season -- no reason to hit the panic button just yet considering the small sample size, but still a cause for concern. So, before San Francisco's game against the D-backs, Parker decided to get some advice... from another Giants left fielder you may have heard of: Yes, Parker and Barry Lamar Bonds were spotted hanging out during batting practice. And while we can't know for sure what the two discussed, what we do know is this: Just a little while later, Parker went 2- for-3 with a two-run triple as the Giants topped Arizona, 6-2. Coincidence? Some innocuous hitting tips? Evidence of a Vulcan mind meld that will turn Parker into an unstoppable slugging machine? We're just asking questions here.

19 MLB.com Cain earns victory with strong arm, key hit Alex Espinoza and Steve Gilbert SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants right-hander Matt Cain played a starring role in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the D-backs, tossing five-plus strong innings and sparking a three-run rally with his bat. Cain struggled with his command early, giving up a first-inning run on A.J. Pollock's leadoff triple and David Peralta's sacrifice fly, but he settled down after that, giving up five hits and walking three while striking out six. He also set the tone for San Francisco's big bottom of the fifth inning, when he hit a stand-up double and came around to score the Giants' first run of the night. It marked Cain's first win since Aug. 6, and the fans let him hear it with a standing ovation as he walked off the mound. "There's nothing better than to be able to have that," Cain said. "For the fans, that's greatly appreciated." Denard Span lines a ball up the middle that allows Matt Cain to score from second base, tying the game at 1 in the bottom of the 5th inning Cain, once San Francisco's ace, is doing his part to hold on to the No. 5 spot in the rotation after being bumped to the bullpen to wrap up Following Wednesday's contest, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Cain will make his next scheduled start Tuesday in Kansas City. "Really, really nice moment there," Bochy said. "I know Matty's been through a lot. He's really been battling to get on track." Later in the fifth, the Giants took the lead with an RBI single from Hunter Pence and padded it with another from Conor Gillaspie off Arizona starter Shelby Miller. San Francisco tacked on three more runs in the seventh before the D-backs scored a run in the eighth. Hunter Pence hits a sharp line drive to right field which allows Denard Span to score from second, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead in the 5 th With the victory, the Giants (4-6) avoided losing their first three series of a season for the first time since 2007 while denying Arizona (7-3) its second 8-2 start in franchise history. "We had some runners in scoring position. I know there were a couple of moments where we had a little pressure put on them," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "Sometimes you have to give the opposition some credit. They made pitches when they had to and got some big outs at the right time." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Striking out the side: After Cain gave up a leadoff single and subsequent walk in the sixth, Bochy called on Cory Gearrin to come in and stem the tide. The right-hander answered the call in spectacular fashion, getting three straight strikeouts to strand two runners and get his team back in the dugout. "Going into the situation," Gearrin said, "you just want to get out of it without any damage. That's what we did tonight. Bullpen pitched great."

20 Put 'em away: The Giants broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a two-run triple from Jarrett Parker. Two batters after Nick Hundley stretched the lead to 4-1 with a booming RBI double off the right-field wall, Parker laced a triple off the wall in center to drive home Hundley and Joe Panik. "Good for Park," Bochy said. "I think he's been pressing a little bit. He had a nice night. Had a couple of hits beating the shift and he hit that one against the wind. That ball was crushed." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Arizona third baseman Jake Lamb went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored to extend his hitting streak to nine games, which is tied with Washington's Daniel Murphy for the best current streak in MLB. WHAT'S NEXT D-backs: The D-backs will take Thursday off before opening a four-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Zack Greinke will start Friday night's 7:10 p.m. MST game against former teammate and good friend Clayton Kershaw. Giants: The Giants are set to face the Rockies for the first time this season when they open the series Thursday night (7:15 p.m. PT) at AT&T Park. Ace Madison Bumgarner will take the hill following Saturday's impressive performance, when he hurled MLB's first complete game of 2017 but took the decision in a 2-1 loss to San Diego. NBC Sports Bay Area New Season Means New Victory Playlist For Crawford, Giants Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO In 2013, Brandon Crawford spent most of his time hitting eighth. The next year, he moved up a spot, and by 2015 he was a regular in the six-spot. Last year Crawford made 65 starts hitting fifth, his home this season, except on days when the man who used to hit in front of the pitcher will bat cleanup. It s been a steady rise, and over time Crawford has added Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger, All-Star, MVP candidate and Team USA shortstop to his resume. One role hasn t changed, however. When the Giants win a game, Crawford quickly transitions into clubhouse DJ for the fifth consecutive year. When Crawford first took over the speakers Nobody else would, he explained he leaned over an old clubhouse computer after wins and pulled the victory soundtrack s songs up on YouTube. These days, he has a carefully curated playlist on his phone. It s hooked up to clubhouse speakers after every win, at home and on the road. Crawford and BP pitcher/replay specialist Chad Chop spent a couple of weeks discussing options before gathering at Crawford s home for Hooks and Hoops 2.0. The summit, started in 2016, is exactly what it sounds like.