SF Giants Press Clips Tuesday, May 1, 2018

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1 SF Giants Press Clips Tuesday, May 1, 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Nick Hundley s pinch-hit single in 9th propels Giants past Padres Rusty Simmons Of course, Evan Longoria scored the winning run. That s how baseball works. On a night when the three-time Gold Glove winner had a multi-error game for the first time since Sept. 27, 2013, he completed his turnaround by sprinting home from second on Nick Hundley s two-out, ninth-inning single to give the Giants a 6-5 victory over the Padres. He s such a good player, manager Bruce Bochy said of Longoria, who was 2-for-5 and added an RBI in the Giants three-run ninth inning. You re going to have a day like that occasionally, but you still hope the ball is hit to him. It s all about not letting that bother you and finding a way to get a hit there. That s exactly what Longoria did, looping a run-scoring single into left field to trim the Giants deficit to 5-4 in the ninth inning, but his redemption needed some help. Austin Slater led off the inning by getting hit by closer Brad Hand s fastball and scored on Longoria s single. Sandwiched around Longoria s hit, Buster Posey and Brandon Belt walked to load the bases for Hundley, who planned his pinch-hit appearance a half-inning earlier by taking batting practice in the underground cage. Hundley said he did some quick University of Arizona math before the ninth inning, realizing he d come to plate with two outs and the bases loaded, if the game wasn t tied before then. The grinding plate appearances from Posey, Longoria and Belt proved Hundley s math accurate. 1

2 It s nice to be in a situation where everybody in front of you was absolutely grinding out atbats and not giving up, Hundley said. In that situation, it s my job to come through. Hundley s walk-off single up the middle salvaged a night during which the Giants blew a 3-0, first-inning lead and almost wasted a solid start from Jeff Samardzija. In just his third start since returning from a pectoral injury, the right-hander wriggled out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning and left the game with a 3-2 lead after five innings. But when Samardzija gave way to reliever Reyes Moronta in the sixth inning, the Giants gave way to the Padres. Jose Pirela walked on Moronta s first four pitches, moved to second on Freddy Galvis infield single and tied scored on Longoria s two-base error on a hard-hit ball by Manuel Margot. San Diego went ahead 4-3 on A.J. Ellis sacrifice fly to right field, and made it 5-3 on pinch-hitter Chase Headley s broken-bat single to right that brought home Margot. It was a complete turnaround from the early innings, when the Giants appeared on the verge of knocking out 22-year-old lefty Eric Lauer. In his second major-league start, Lauer gave up three runs on four scalded hits in the first inning. Gorkys Hernandez led off the bottom of the first with a single to left-center field and scored on Andrew McCutchen s triple. McCutchen scored on Posey s double down the right-field line, and the Giants made it 3-0 on Austin Jackson s two-out single to center to knock in Posey. San Diego trimmed its deficit to 3-1 in the fourth inning, getting a looping single to left from Margot that scored Franchy Cordero. The Padres cut the Giants lead to one on an RBI groundout by Christian Villanueva in the fifth, but with the potential tying run on third base, Alen Hanson made a nice backhanded play up the middle to end the inning. The Giants, who were playing their fourth game in a 48-hour span, couldn t use Tony Watson or Sam Dyson out of the bullpen. Hunter Strickland might have been used in a pinch for one inning, so the Giants knew they needed to do more than just tie it in the ninth inning. Bochy said his wheels were spinning in the ninth, imagining that he d have to put a pitcher in the field and put Belt on the mound if the game extended into extra innings. It does great things for the morale of the team to come back, and it does great things for the future, Samardzija said. You know you can do it again. A lot of positives can come from that, and it was just great to see the guys fight all game and not quit. San Francisco Chronicle Giants expect Joe Panik to miss 6 weeks after thumb surgery Rusty Simmons 2

3 Giants second baseman Joe Panik had surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb Monday morning and is expected to be sidelined for about six weeks, manager Bruce Bochy said. Panik was injured Friday night while tagging the Dodgers Yasiel Puig on a pickoff play at second base. Panik flew to Los Angeles to have the surgery performed by Dr. Stephen Shin, who did the same operation on Angels outfielder Mike Trout last year. In Panik s absence, the Giants are expected to platoon Kelby Tomlinson and Alen Hanson at second base and juggle the top of the order. Panik has hit leadoff nine times and second 14 times, spots that could be filled by Hanson and outfielders Gregor Blanco, Gorkys Hernandez and Austin Jackson. Hernandez batted leadoff Monday night, with Andrew McCutchen second. Hallowed grounds: These are the San Francisco sports landmarks to visit if you're a fan who wants to honor the past, present, and future of sports in The City. From the Giants' McCovey Cove to the 49ers' Kezar Stadium, to the Warriors' emerging Chase Center. Bullpen boost: Left-hander Will Smith is expected to be activated Wednesday, the culmination of a 13-month recovery from Tommy John surgery. There was some thought that Smith would return Tuesday, but after pitching an inning for Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, he was bumped back a day. I ve waited long enough, Smith said. I guess I can wait one more day. Bochy said he won t hesitate to call on Smith in high-leverage situations as the reliever is just two years removed from compiling a 3.35 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 401/3 innings with the Brewers and Giants. I ll use him anywhere and be comfortable, Bochy said. Briefly: Madison Bumgarner (left pinkie) flew Monday night to Arizona to consult hand specialist Dr. Donald Sheridan in hopes of being permitted to begin throwing. If all goes as planned, Bochy said it ll likely be another two weeks before the left-hander advances to throwing bullpen sessions. Outfielder Mac Williamson didn t report any negative symptoms after taking batting practice Monday afternoon and is expected to return from the concussion protocol Saturday. MLB.com Hundley delivers in pinch with walk-off hit Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Nick Hundley sensed his chance to be a hero Monday night well before his two-out, pinch-hit single drove in the tying and winning runs for the Giants in their 6-5 victory 3

4 over the Padres. Hundley began loosening up during the top of the ninth inning for his climactic plate appearance, retiring to the Giants' indoor batting cage to take some hacks. "Doing some quick University of Arizona math on my part," Hundley said, citing his collegiate alma mater, "I knew that I'd be coming up with two outs and the bases loaded." One thing led to another, and that indeed happened. Batting for right-hander Pierce Johnson, Hundley sharply grounded a 1-0 delivery from Padres closer Brad Hand into left-center field. Buster Posey and Evan Longoria raced home and the Giants celebrated their eighth triumph in 11 games as if it were a postseason contest. Hundley credited the extended at-bats that preceded his for helping him prepare for what he might see from Hand and for tiring the reliever somewhat. After Hand hit pinch-hitter Austin Slater with a pitch to open the ninth, Gorkys Hernandez worked the count full before striking out. Andrew McCutchen also fanned, but Posey drew a walk resulting from a 10-pitch confrontation. "That was a terrific at-bat," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It was a long at-bat, so it took a lot out of the pitcher." Brandon Belt walked to load the bases and set up Hundley's seventh career game-ending hit. "It's nice to get in a situation in front of you where everybody else was grinding out at-bats and not giving up," Hundley said. The decision lifted the Giants over.500 (15-14) for the first time since the end of the 2016 season. "A win in April counts the same as in September," Hundley said. "We're not looking at the standings. We're worried about piling up wins." Earlier, chances for a Giants victory appeared bleak. San Francisco jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Hernandez, McCutchen and Posey banged out consecutive hits to galvanize the offense. Meanwhile, starter Jeff Samardzija blanked San Diego for three innings and showed hints of his best form. Then came a near-complete reversal as the Giants stopped hitting and, for that matter, ceased doing much else. Samardzija vanished after five innings but bequeathed a 3-2 lead to the bullpen. In came Reyes Moronta, the rookie who entered the game with a.111 opponents' batting average. Typically dominant, Moronta walked the first batter he faced, Jose Pirela. After Freddy 4

5 Galvis singled, third baseman Longoria mishandled Manuel Margot's grounder for an error, allowing Pirela to score. A.J. Ellis added a sacrifice fly before Chase Headley stroked an RBI single. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Of course, Hundley's hit meant everything to the Giants. But it also spared Bochy from some difficult decision-making. Intending to rest some relievers who were taxed during the weekend series against the Dodgers, Bochy would have had few alternatives left. He said he might have considered using Belt, an accomplished high school pitcher, on the mound had extra innings ensued. SOUND SMART In several ways, this was a night of firsts and rarities. Johnson recorded his first Major League victory. McCutchen recorded his first triple since June 11, 2017, against Miami while with Pittsburgh. And Longoria committed multiple errors in a game for just the sixth time in his career and for the first time since Sept. 27, 2013, at Toronto with Tampa Bay. UP NEXT Giants rookie Andrew Suarez will receive his second career big league start in Tuesday's 7:15 p.m. PT encounter against the Padres and right-hander Tyson Ross. Suarez showed promise in his April 11 Major League debut against Arizona, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings but striking out seven while walking none. MLB.com Injury updates: Panik, Bumgarner, Smith Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants second baseman Joe Panik will be sidelined for an estimated six weeks following surgery Monday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, manager Bruce Bochy said. Panik sustained his injury last Friday during an attempted pickoff of Los Angeles' Yasiel Puig at second base. This is Panik's fifth career stint on the disabled list. He was sidelined twice by lower back inflammation in 2015 and by concussions in each of the previous two seasons. Panik's batting.267 in 23 games. At the time of his injury, he led San Francisco with 24 hits and had scored 11 runs, sharing second place with Brandon Belt in that category among the Giants. Kelby Tomlinson and Alen Hanson are expected to divide the second-base activity in Panik's absence. Left-hander Madison Bumgarner could begin throwing off a bullpen mound in about two weeks, Bochy said. 5

6 Bumgarner was expected to fly to the Giants' Arizona training complex later Monday and, Bochy said, likely would undergo an examination of his fractured pitching hand, which has sidelined him all season. Bochy said Bumgarner would immediately begin throwing on flat ground "if all goes well," then progress to the mound. Recovered from Tommy John elbow surgery, left-hander Will Smith is scheduled to rejoin the Giants on Wednesday -- not Tuesday as originally anticipated. "I've waited long enough," said Smith, who missed the entire 2017 season. "I guess I can wait one more day." Bochy said he wouldn't hesitate to use the versatile reliever in a high-leverage situation immediately. NBC Sports Bay Area Out of fresh arms, Giants escape with walk-off win Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO Brandon Belt has spent most of this decade publicly lobbying for his shot on the mound. Two days after Belt was passed over for Pablo Sandoval, he once again came just short of his MLB pitching debut. He didn t mind one bit. The Giants were so short on relief pitching for the opener against the Padres that Belt was the likely choice to pitch the 11th inning if the game got that far. Nick Hundley made sure it didn t, lining a two-run single into the gap to cap a three-run rally off Brad Hand in the ninth and give the Giants a 6-5 win. Hundley flexed his chest and screamed as 24 other men rushed to engulf him in front of second base. In the home dugout, Bruce Bochy smiled. He was the most relieved man in the building given the mental gymnastics he had been through for the previous couple of innings. The bullpens was taxed after facing the Dodgers four times in 48 hours over the weekend, and Bochy entered the game without the services of Tony Watson and Sam Dyson. Both were due a rest day. When a high pitch count knocked Jeff Samardzija out after five, Reyes Moronta came on for two planned innings. He came up an out short, giving way to Cory Gearrin, who was followed by D.J. Snelten and then Pierce Johnson. It was at that point, trailing by a couple of runs, that Bochy started to become concerned. Hunter Strickland was available for one inning, but that was all that was left in the pen. The next day s starter is usually on deck, but Andrew Suarez had not been added to the roster yet after coming up from Triple-A Sacramento. Even Pablo Sandoval, the emergency pitcher, had been burned as a pinch-hitter. 6

7 Believe me, my wheels were spinning there, Bochy said. I don t know what I would have done, really, to be honest. As the Giants got a run back in the ninth, Bochy settled on a plan for extra innings. Strickland would go one and then Belt would likely take the mound, with a starting pitcher playing the field. The lineup, Belt included, never let it get that far. The Padres called on Hand, a tough left-hander, to get the final two outs in the eighth, but he gassed out in the ninth. Giants hitters helped make sure that happened. Hand hit Austin Slater to start the inning before getting two strikeouts. That s when Buster Posey worked a 10-pitch walk that seemed to deflate Hand. He still would have gotten the save if not for a decision from the bench, though. The Padres were playing their outfielders in a no-doubles alignment, their heels practically on the warning track. That allowed Evan Longoria s bloop to drop in left and get the Giants within one. Brandon Belt then worked a six-pitch walk, getting Hand up to 35 pitches. That loaded the bases for Hundley, who had been preparing for a bases-loaded situation since the start of the inning. That s that quick University of Arizona math on my part, he said, smiling. I knew if I came up it s two outs and bases loaded, if the game isn t tied. That was my mindset, to get ready for a two out, bases loaded situation. Hundley lined the second pitch into the outfield, setting off the celebration and clinching a first career win for Johnson. The Giants finished April above.500 for the first time since They have won 7 of 9 after a slow start. Hundley called it a big win, no matter what the calendar says. A relieved Bochy was happy to watch the escape act on a night that could have been a lot worse for the bullpen and the team. We were covered if it all went well, but it didn t go too well in the sixth, he said. But the guys didn t let that bother them. NBC Sports Bay Area Giants rally in ninth, Hundley delivers walk-off hit to beat Padres Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO Even the Padres can t keep the Giants down at the moment. This looked like it would be another lackluster loss to San Diego, but the Giants rallied for three in the ninth, winning 6-5 on Nick Hundley s two-run single. The Padres asked Brad Hand to get a five-out save, and he appeared to run out of gas at the end. He grazed Austin Slater to open the ninth before getting two strikeouts. A walk of Buster 7

8 Posey put the tying run on first, and Evan Longoria followed with a bloop to left that dropped in front of a deep outfield alignment. Brandon Belt then drew a walk to load the bases for Hundley, who roped a single to left. Here s what else you need to know Samardzija survives Jeff Samardzija is still rusty, but he survived five bend-but-don t-break innings. The Padres loaded the bases in the first but Samardzija got out of it. He stranded another runner on third in his final frame. Samardzija gave up two runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out five. Mr. Jackson, he is for real Austin Jackson s legs have looked a tad heavy this season, but he was spry in the first. Jackson snagged Eric Hosmer s single at the very last second, preventing at least a double. Hosmer would have scored later had he reached second on the play, but he was stranded. In the bottom of the inning, Jackson singled Buster Posey home and then stole second. Hanson's speed on display Alen Hanson should see plenty of time over the next six weeks with Joe Panik sidelined by thumb surgery. While stealing second, he showed one of his physical gifts. Hanson had a sprint speed of 29.7 feet/second while swiping the bag, the fourth-fastest recorded burst by a Giant this season. Longoria cold on the hot corner Evan Longoria had a fielding error in the sixth and throwing error in the eighth. He has six errors this season after making just 12 all of last year, a season in which he won the Gold Glove Award. This was Longoria s first two-error game since Sept. 27, NBC Sports Bay Area Joe Panik out at least six weeks after successful thumb surgery Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO -- As expected, Joe Panik had surgery to repair the damaged UCL in his left thumb. Panik had the procedure Monday after seeing a specialist in Los Angeles. The initial guess from manager Bruce Bochy was that his second baseman would be out at least six weeks, but Bochy said doctors "felt really good about how everything went." Panik can do one-handed swings and throw until cleared for full activity. With Panik sidelined until June, the Giants will turn to Kelby Tomlinson and Alen Hanson at second base. Hanson started Monday night because Tomlinson was at short in place of Brandon Crawford, who was getting a rest day. 8

9 Panik was hurt while applying a tag to Yasiel Puig in Friday night's game. --- Madison Bumgarner will fly to Arizona later Monday to see a specialist. The hope is that he is cleared to begin throwing, and Bochy said Bumgarner could start throwing bullpen sessions after three to four flat-ground sessions. Bumgarner cannot be activated until May 26 but the Giants expect him back soon thereafter. --- Will Smith was at the ballpark Monday after making a final rehab appearance for the River Cats on Sunday. He will be activated before Wednesday's series finale. The Giants also will activate Andrew Suarez to start Tuesday's game. It appears these moves are related, as Suarez is likely to be sent down to clear a spot for Smith. Another player will be sent down Tuesday to clear a spot for Suarez. --- Mark Melancon played catch again before batting practice. He is said to be doing well, but the Giants don't have a timetable for his return. Melancon, like Bumgarner, is not eligible to return until May 26. The Athletic Nick Hundley s single foils the Padres, sends Giants to a walk-off victory Andrew Baggarly Nick Hundley knew he was the last position player remaining on the Giants bench. He knew the pitcher s spot would be due up sixth in the ninth inning. He knew the club trailed by two runs. A beautiful baseball mind did the rest. Some quick University of Arizona math on my part, he said, smiling. That was my mindset from the beginning of the inning: be ready for a two-out, bases-loaded situation. Hundley was warm and loose after bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu threw him a volley of batting practice in the top half of the inning. Then he spent the bottom half in deep visualization mode. And because Austin Slater was hit by a pitch, and Buster Posey worked a 10-pitch walk, and Brandon Belt drew another full-count walk, and Evan Longoria struck a bargain with the baseball gods while offsetting a rare, two-error game by being granted an RBI blooper while the Padres were playing no-doubles, and because the Giants either fouled off or held up on no less than eight pitches when San Diego closer Brad Hand was one strike away, Hundley received his opportunity. He strode to the batter s box. And his vision quest played out from there: a two-run single up the middle, a 6-5 comeback victory on Monday at AT&T Park and a raucous reception that included Derek Holland lugging and glugging yet another five-gallon Sparkletts jug on all the celebrants. 9

10 The jubilation included one extremely relieved major league manager, too. Hundley wasn t the only one working his mental abacus. Bruce Bochy was doing math in his head all through the late innings, too. And he wasn t sure how he d pencil out an extra-inning game. To be honest, we were out of pitching, Bochy said. We had one inning out of (Hunter) Strickland and that s pretty much it. That s the tax a manager pays after playing four games in roughly 48 hours against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. Sam Dyson and Tony Watson were behind glass after appearing the previous three days. Bochy didn t want to push Jeff Samardzija past 89 pitches in five innings, since the right-hander all but needed crampons and an ice pick to scale his ramped up rehab work. So Bochy used Reyes Moronta, who conspired with some shaky defense to lose the lead in the sixth inning. He used D.J. Snelten and Pierce Johnson. If the game had gone to the 10th, he had Strickland for an inning. And then He couldn t use Tuesday s starting pitcher. Andrew Suarez hadn t been added to the roster yet. Believe me, the wheels were spinning there, Bochy said. Even my emergency reliever was done. I d used Pablo (Sandoval) off the bench. Bochy said he probably would ve been forced to put Belt on the mound if the Giants had merely forced extra innings. As much as Belt would ve enjoyed that assignment in a less-leveraged spot, this was the quicker and cleaner result for all parties. The fact it came against the Padres made it all the more refreshing. The Giants had lost three of four at Petco Park earlier this season. They were against them since the 2016 All-Star break. They have had the hardest time handling this opponent despite having double their payroll, and that wasn t all they had trouble handling Monday night. Longoria, the reigning AL Gold Glove winner, couldn t handle a couple of chances his six errors lead all big league third basemen as the Giants lost the 3-0 lead they took in the first inning. (The Giants will be without their former Gold Glove second baseman for roughly six weeks as well, after Joe Panik underwent surgery Monday morning to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.) The Padres always seem to have a foil against the Giants, whether it s Scott Hairston or Hector Sanchez or somebody even more random. It might have been the baseball universe reestablishing equilibrium after all those years when Barry Bonds blasted whoever trotted to the mound at Qualcomm Stadium. 10

11 But it s become high time the Giants found their own foil, and Hundley, who came up in the San Diego organization, is as good a candidate as any. He has made more consistently hard contact than anyone on the roster in April. His reward came just in time for the Giants (15-14) to end the month with a winning record. He is now the proud owner of three walk-off hits as a Giant. And two have come against the Padres. Hundley spent more of his postgame time in front of the cameras talking about Posey s walk than his own game winner. The plate appearance included six pitches that could have ended the game; Posey fouled off four and took two others above the letters. He s throwing his best bullets, throwing to him, and he s just popping them off, Hundley said. The Padres seldom have the advantage against an opponent, but the one place you don t want to be is in comeback mode against their All-Star closer. Now after forcing Hand to throw 37 pitches, the Padres might be the team with a big piece off the chessboard as this series continues Tuesday night. Holland once again threatened to put himself on the municipal utility district s list of biggest water wasters, but there was more liquid to be spilled in the clubhouse showers. Johnson emerged from the night with his first major league victory. This is a good feeling, said Johnson, who beamed while admiring the lineup card and the mud-rubbed baseball that Hundley hit to seal his decision. Nick said he s going to get the ball back. No way. I m keeping it. I ve got to rub it in his face. More likely, Johnson will ask Hundley to sign it. From the moment they first met, Johnson said he knew that Hundley would be a great teammate. At Ty Blach s wedding, actually, Johnson said. It s true. Johnson is good friends with Blach going back to their high school days in Colorado they threw in the same scouting showcase at Coors Field, and then opposed one another in the same collegiate conference while pitching at Missouri State and Creighton and so he was on the list of invited guests. One day you re meeting a new friend while going through the buffet line. Before you know it, that friend is lining the walk-off hit that delivers your first big-league win. The Athletic What Hunter Strickland learned from John Smoltz a different kind of slider Eno Sarris 11

12 If you glance through Hunter Strickland s numbers this year, nothing really stands out. He s throwing his changeup a little more than usual, has struck out a few more than usual, and the ERA is low, but he s got the 17th-best ERA since he became a regular major league reliever, so he s always been good. But there s also no denying he s better this year, and that he s learned a lot, especially from one teacher that once struggled early and then put together a Hall of Fame career. What did John Smoltz tell Strickland exactly? One thing he told me in particular was to throw the slider with fastball intentions, until late, said Strickland before a recent game. I would tend to get around the ball a little early, which would cause it to be more like a curveball. The pitch has certainly changed. He s getting the most horizontal and vertical movement of his career with it, and so the slider has rewarded him with the best whiff rate of his career. The slider looks objectively better but in ways that aren t necessarily how Strickland wanted. More depth and more side-to-side movement means it looks more like a curveball than ever. That s still a lot of downward action, and I m fine with it, as long as I have a good feel for the pitch, said Strickland, adding that it was probably just his arm slot and mechanics that led to this sort of shape on his breaking ball. And that he wasn t trying to mess with those fundamentals. So why is he happy with the pitch if it s not better in the ways he d wanted it to be? Because of something else that Smoltz taught along with the mechanics. More or less conviction; conviction is the key, Strickland said. Just put it in the hitter s mind that they have to respect that pitch, whatever count. That might have been the more important piece of advice from the Hall of Famer. Back when Strickland had his worst stretch, on the biggest stage, a few great hitters proved that they could turn around a high-90s fastball on the black, even on the low outside corner. They can obviously hit fastballs, Strickland said. These are the best hitters in the world, you have to mix it up. So the most impressive thing is that Strickland is able to use this pitch in different counts, and for different reasons. Batters are swinging slightly less often at the slider then they did last year, and particularly, it seemed, in the first series against the Dodgers. So, since they weren t swinging at the slider, he threw a ton for called strikes. He got three called strikes with sliders in two games in that first series against the Dodgers. 12

13 Then the Dodgers came back and decided that they might rather hit the mid-80s slider than the mid-90s fastball, and they swung at the pitch more often. So Strickland threw a couple sliders that were designed for swings and misses, not called strikes. The pitch still worked despite the different intent and location, with three swinging strikeouts on sliders in three games in the second series of the year. For a guy with such a big fastball, Strickland has had a little trouble in two-strike counts in the past, at least relative to his velocity. This year, he s been much better by that metric. Excellent fastball velocity and command stood out to me the first time I saw Strickland pitch live. That day, in 2014, I told him that he would be a great closer some day. He smiled and let it lie as a compliment. Since then, a few blowups have probably convinced some he d never be a great closer. But now he s showing the skills that he needs to keep batters off kilter and get huge outs. And it has less to do with fastball velocity and command, more to do with command of his secondary pitches and the ability to mix it up more often. Now there s no talk about being a closer in the future. Now it s just about doing what he can now to win the daily chess match. Trying, brother, trying to get outs, Strickland said to sum up his approach this year. Confidence in all of my pitches is the biggest key. San Francisco Examiner Amid costly injuries, Giants walk-off April with a win Karl Buscheck AT&T Park Madison Bumgarner was already in the sky, somewhere between San Francisco and Arizona, headed to the San Francisco Giants Scottsdale headquarters, as his teammates closed out April with 6-5 walk-off win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Thanks to pinch hitter Nick Hundley s two-run single in the bottom of the ninth, the Giants carry a record and an optimistic attitude into May, as Bumgarner takes the next step in his recovery from a fractured pinky. It s not much, but it s far better than a year ago, when, on the same date, the Giants were 9-17 and already sunk. We re not looking at the standings, Hundley said after he capped off a three-run ninth with a line-drive two-run single to left center. We re worried about piling up wins and, obviously, with this team, there s a lot of expectations in this room Being over.500 is not one of them. That s good at this stage and especially with how we started but we have a lot of things we need to accomplish this year and this is just one win closer to that. Manager Bruce Bochy is not in the business of mediocrity. He has three rings to prove it. Even 13

14 the Major Leagues longest-tenured manager, though, can t complain about where his team stands a month into the season, especially given the list of injuries his Giants are navigating. Back on April 11, when the Giants began a stretch that saw them lose five of six, the injury situation reached a low point. Between Johnny Cueto, Mark Melancon and Jeff Samardzija, the Giants had three of their top four earners on the 10-day disabled list. Factor in Bumgarner injured during spring training and the top three starters were all DL d. The team had $72.8 million worth of pitching sitting in the training room. When apprised of that figure, Bochy raised his eyebrows before pointing out that the pitchers aren t the only ones who have been less than 100 percent. We re not content with being.500, Bochy began. But I think you look at all that s happened with injuries including on the position player side [Hunter] Pence going on the DL, now [Joe] Panik. Really, it s been pretty good. Our play has definitely picked up. The Giants had captured three series in a row before nearly capping the month with a loss to the Padres on Monday, thanks to one of Bochy s unexpected fill-ins rookie right-hander Reyes Moronta. Moronta had surrendered just one run in his first 12 games, but let in three courtesy of an error, a sacrifice fly and a broken-bat single in the sixth on Monday night. He walked that first batter and that led to that big inning, Bochy said. It s always a little bit of a downer when you have a 3-0 lead and can t hold onto it. But the guys fought hard and that s what you ve got to do for nine innings and they did that. Moronta s rough outing spoiled Samardzija s chance of securing his second win. Samardzija who himself began the year on the DL with a right pectoral strain allowed a pair of runs on five hits, striking out five and throwing 89 pitches in five innings. It does great things for the morale of the team to come back, Samardzija said. It does great things for the future. When you re in those situations, you know you can do it again. With Samardzija s contract off the ledger, the current list of the wounded features eight Giants who are set to earn $58.1 million this season. That s about 29 percent of the $200.5 million payroll. I ve always said, it s probably a little easier replacing the position players, said Bochy, who saw his replacement second baseman Alen Hanson (Joe Panik is out for at least six weeks with thumb surgery) unable to make a tough play at second on a grounder by Freddy Galvis in that three-run sixth. The starters, they re the toughest. The pitching s been pretty good despite not having Melancon, Will Smith or our top three starters. They ve all been on the DL. 14

15 The rise of pitchers like Hunter Strickland, Ty Blach, Chris Stratton, Pierce Johnson and Moronta (at least before Monday night) has helped to soften the blow. Smith is slated to rejoin the bullpen on Wednesday. Bumgarner will get checked by the doctor once he arrives in Arizona. If he clears that hurdle, he ll begin throwing this week. For now, he s on track to join the rotation by early June. In the interim, Bochy has been pleased with how the substitutes have acquitted themselves. That s what I m happy about, Bochy said, the fact that we ve hung in there. San Francisco Examiner San Francisco Giants: After Pablo Sandoval was pitcher perfect on Saturday, he reveals pitching past Ryan Gorcey AT&T Park Three hours before the San Francisco Giants opened their three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Monday, Pablo Sandoval sat at his locker in the far corner of the Giants AT&T Park clubhouse. Like many of his teammates, he was fixated on his phone. In the pregame quiet, Sandoval wasn t using earbuds or headphones, so the sound of the highlights he was watching was easily discernible: And Sandoval gets the Dodgers Yeah, we ve watched it, and it s funny, Sandoval said. Good mechanics. Before his 11-pitch relief appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday the video of which has over 188,000 views on YouTube as of press time Sandoval hadn t pitched in the Major Leagues. He hadn t pitched as a professional. Before he stepped on the mound in the ninth inning of the front end of a day-night doubleheader, the last time Sandoval pitched, he was a Little Leaguer in Venezuela. I threw left-handed, said Sandoval, who, throwing right-handed, retired all three Dodgers he faced in the final inning of a 15-6 loss. The switch-hitting Sandoval was born left-handed. When he told his father, Luis, that he wanted to play the infield and catch, Luis set about converting his son to a righty. Every time Sandoval failed to hit his father in the chest with a throw, he had to run laps. Sandoval began that regimen when he was nine, and by the time of his last pitching appearance when he was 10 or 11, he figures he was playing the field as a right-hander, but he still had that left-handed glove in reserve for when he headed to the mound. He s since had surgery on his left shoulder (in 2016), so throwing from both sides as manager Bruce Bochy joked on Monday won t happen, but on Saturday, Sandoval showed quite a repertoire for someone who hadn t pitched in 20 years, and even then, not from the same side. 15

16 Over the years, Sandoval like many position players over the course of a long baseball season has toyed with different pitches while warming up down the lines. The one pitch he s perfected has been his change up. I ve worked on that one, warming up on the lines with the guys, with [second baseman Joe] Panik, especially, Sandoval said. I ll throw a couple changes like that. It was looking pretty good out there. That pitch sat between 81 and 84 on Saturday. I ll be honest: I haven t paid attention to Pablo and his pitching, but he s always having fun, jumping on the mound, or even when he plays catch, and a lot of the players do, Bochy said. He s on the mound sometimes during cutoffs and relays. Before we start, he s on the mound throwing to the catcher. That s why Bochy approached Sandoval in the bottom of the seventh instead of other wouldbe position player pitchers and asked if he would take the mound. He told Bochy, I ll be available. It s different. You see the home plate, it s close, Sandoval said. I talked to [catcher Nick] Hundley, and I went like, Hey, I ve got a change up, and I can mix it up with a curveball, so let s do this.' Hundley s reaction? Great, Hundley said. Here we go. Just throw what you want to throw, do what you ve got to do, man. This is awesome. If you want to throw a curveball, throw a curveball. I ll be back here to hopefully catch it. Sandoval s curveball which sat between 69 and 73 on Saturday was, he said, untaught. From the first pitch in warm-ups, he dotted everything, Hundley said. He threw a change up in warm-ups that we didn t throw in the game that was actually pretty good. He threw a couple curveballs that I was expecting to hit the grass in front of the plate and bounce twice, but he threw it down and away, and a couple back-doors. I was like, Man, this is awesome.' After retiring Max Muncy on a change up grounded to second for the first out, he spun a tight bender on the outside corner for his first pitch to Yasmani Grandal, a 69-mph beauty. I went, Don t leave a pitch where they can hit it out of the park. Don t embarrass yourself,' said Sandoval, who got Grandal to ground out on a fastball at the knees. With a fastball that topped out at 88 and a nice, short arm action, Sandoval even had Dodgers 16

17 closer Kenley Jansen smiling. I was excited, Hundley said. I felt like a fan, honestly. That was the first time in my life, where I was catching a game and I felt like I wasn t really in the game. The crowd was going nuts. We ve run off three in a row since then, since that inning. It was really important, just in terms of our morale, to flush that whole game. That was a stinker, from the start. The three-hour, 53-minute game saw the Dodgers rattle out 20 hits, and no pitcher save for Sandoval was able to retire them in order. That s a long game, Bochy said. Four hours, we were getting beat up pretty good. It really brought some levity to our situation. It lightened the mood a little bit. The way the crowd got into Pablo pitching, I thought we were winning. Despite the acclaim he s received, Sandoval isn t keen on making a repeat appearance on the mound. No, no, no, no, he said, putting his phone away. I ll still play defense. I don t want to pitch. 17