SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, July 19, 2017

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1 SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, July 19, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants beat Cleveland on Eduardo Nuñez s 10th-inning hit Henry Schulman Conor Gillaspie had a reason to celebrate the moment he woke up Tuesday. He turned 30. His night turned into a full-on party, for himself and a team that desperately needed to rush the field and pound someone joyfully after a game-ending hit. The Giants beat the Indians 2-1 on Eduardo Nuñez's single in the 10th inning against closer Cody Allen after Gillaspie opened the inning with his third extra-base hit of a season that has not been kind to him. He shot a double off first baseman Edwin Encarnacion's glove into the right-field corner. Denard Span's sacrifice attempt turned into a bunt single that set up Nuñez's first big-league walkoff hit, an opposite-field poke through the hole on the right side that scored pinch-runner Kelby Tomlinson. The obvious question for Nuñez was whether he had a game-ending hit in the minors. "I don't remember," he said. "It was a long time ago." With the Giants on the verge of falling 30 1/2 games out of first place, and a clubhouse full of anxious players ahead of the trade deadline, it's easy to forget that they still are trying to win ballgames. They have had so little success, a win like this is good for the soul. Gillaspie knows it. "The situation we've been in as a team, the way we've been scuffling, getting a win like this, in extra innings, a little excitement at the end, it's really good for this team," he said. "We really needed it." Gillaspie needed a little good fortune, too. He did execute a good piece of hitting by turning on an inside pitch from Allen and ripping it. But the Indians were playing no-doubles, which meant Encarnacion guarding the line. Encarnacion is usually the designated hitter and was playing first base for just the 17th time this year. A regular first baseman might have caught the ball. Gillaspie actually expected it. "Oh yeah," he said. "I kind of stopped running. I was happy to get it by him."

2 After Span's bunt single sent Tomlinson to third, Span took second on catcher indifference, eliminating the possibility of a force. Nuñez was not thrilled to see that, thinking the Indians were going to walk him to load the bases and create a force at any base. Nuñez said he thought to himself, "What the " Well, it might be best to leave the final word of that quote to the imagination. He ended the game on the next pitch, cementing a win that also served as a reminder that the Giants do have guys who can pitch. Ty Blach, working on 12 days' rest, held the Indians to one run in seven innings, preserving a 1-1 tie by jamming pinch-hitter Carlos Santana for a groundball that ended his final innings with two runners stranded. Hunter Strickland pitched a perfect eighth and Sam Dyson needed to pitch two scoreless innings because the Giants failed to win in the ninth despite loading the bases with one out against All-Star setup man Andrew Miller and the closer Allen. Allen struck out Joe Panik and got Gorkys Hernandez to fly out to send the game into extras. The Giants had only four hits before the 10th, including an RBI single by Buster Posey after right fielder Brandon Guyer dropped a Nuñez flyball for a two-base error in the sixth inning. They also benefited from three highlight-reel plays from shortstop Brandon Crawford and a diving catch from Hunter Pence. Manager Bruce Bochy was happy to get his third seven-inning start in the five games since the break, saying, "It makes life a lot easier. It's going to be critical they get us deep into games and pitch quality innings if we're going to turn this thing around." Which nobody should forget remains the ultimate goal. San Francisco Giants Giants hope to add high schooler rejected by O s Henry Schulman The Giants are involved in a bizarre addendum to the June amateur draft that could bolster their minorleague system. The club hopes by Wednesday to complete a physical on Texas high school pitcher Jack Conlon, whom the Orioles selected in the fourth round but did not sign because he failed their physical. Conlon, who had an offer to play for Texas A&M, became free to sign with any club and reached a tentative agreement with the Giants. Does that mean they are buying damaged goods? Not necessarily. The Orioles are notorious for their strict standard for physicals, which has led to several free-agent deal falling apart.

3 All athletes, even high schoolers, have some degree of physical deterioration. The question becomes how bad it is and how much financial risk teams are willing to take as a result. It was not clear why Conlon failed Baltimore's physical or how large a bonus they had offered him. The slot value for his pick was just over $400,000. Baseball America, which said the right-hander has a fastball in the low-90s that can touch 95 mph, reported he wanted closer to $1 million. Giants officials declined to comment because a deal had not been completed. Their physical is not a formality, but a person familiar with the situation said team doctors will draw their own conclusions and not be influenced by what Orioles doctors found. First-base options: Brandon Belt returned to the lineup after a two-game absence with a wrist injury. Jae-Gyun Hwang made his big-league debut at first base Monday night after considerable time at the position at Sacramento and did not look nearly as comfortable as he does at third base. His throwing error on a bunt allowed the go-ahead run to score in a 5-3 loss to the Indians. Asked if he might play Hwang at third and Nuñez at first if both were needed again on the infield, manager Bruce Bochy said no. "It doesn't matter who I put out there other than Buster (Posey). I don't think he's going to be completely comfortable," Bochy said. Briefly: Bochy plans to start rookie infielder Miguel Gomez and Kelby Tomlinson on Wednesday, the latter possibly playing left field with either Denard Span or Hunter Pence getting a day off. Posey is expected to sit as well. The Giants activated Ryder Jones from the DL and optioned him to Sacramento. San Francisco Chronicle Two Giants pitchers attracting trade interest Henry Schulman Since I haven't gotten any "why is Gorkys Hernandez playing" questions in the past 18 hours, let's change the subject to the trade deadline, which is still a lifetime (11 days) away. I've heard from major-league sources that the Giants are getting a lot of hits on starter Jeff Samardzija and reliever Hunter Strickland. Since every contender needs bullpen help, and the reliever market has already yielded deals, I'd say if one were to be moved first it would be Strickland. Samardzija has a 4.86 ERA, he's on pace to allow a career-high 34 RBIs and he has more than $60 million left on a deal that does not expire until after the 2020 season. But he is durable, which matters, and teams have taken note of his 9.64 ratio of strikeouts to walks. That is a big deal. That said, the Giants have a problem that all potential sellers face: a lack of buyers. In fact, one majorleague executive asked rhetorically, "Has there ever been this few buyers in the wild-card era?"

4 The National League has five playoff spots and only six teams with winning records. The Dodgers and Nationals are in. The Diamondbacks are in great shape for a wild card. The one compelling race is for the Central title between the Brewers and Cubs, who have won four in a row out of the break and open Tuesday 3 ½ games back. The American League is more competitive even with the Astros owning the West. Boston and Cleveland lead the East and Central, and each division has two teams within 3 ½ games of first place. That is more fertile ground for potential deals. The Giants need help everywhere -- offensively, defensively and on the mound - and I'm told from outside sources that they are being "creative" in discussions. To me that means anything from a willingness to deal core players, eat salary on guys they move or even involve a third team in talks. But I'm told from within that the Giants do not feel they have to overhaul the team by July 31. Indeed, they might be better served waiting until the offseason to make any major trades when more teams might get involved. They do not feel they have to make trades for the sake of doing something. Every deal they consider must be viewed through the prism of their schedule for contending again. The Giants want to compete for playoff spot next year if they can, and if not, at least be a winning team. They definitely want to fight for the playoffs in Dealing Samardzija would provide payroll relief, but the coming free-agent marked is bereft of quality starters. That would not preclude trading him. But it could give the Giants pause. Teams in the Giants' predicament need to be very open-minded. Incidentally, regarding talk of a Giancarlo Stanton trade, a Giants source said, "There's nothing to it." Stanton and the nearly $300 million left in his contract are intertwined with the Marlins prospect sale. I can t imagine a deal that complex happening anytime soon. Tuesday's game: The Giants have come out of the break the way they entered it. Staggering. They have lost three in a row since winning the second-half opener in San Diego on Friday night. Ty Blach makes his first start since beating the Tigers on July 5, the last time he pitched. So he has had 12 days off. The Giants face Indians starter Mike Clevinger, who has a 3.00 in his 13 games (12 starts). The Giants need to do better than the three, one and three runs they scored during their newest losing streak. If they cannot snap it, they will reach 60 losses. Brandon Belt returns to the lineup after two games off with a wrist sprain.

5 San Jose Mercury News Why O.J. Simpson may have the Giants cringing Jon Becker It s been a bit of a rough week for the San Francisco Giants. Not only did their record sellout streak end after seven years, but unbeknownst to them, they ve apparently been indirectly associated with the enigmatic O.J. Simpson for the past few years. Simpson, who could finally be a free man after he faces a state parole board in Las Vegas on Thursday, has spent almost nine years behind bars for an ill-fated attempt to retrieve sports memorabilia. While imprisoned, Simpson has been doubling as a softball coach in the inmates league, according to CNN. Naturally, the San Francisco-born Simpson insisted his team at the Lovelock Correctional Facility in Nevada be called the Giants. There s no truth whatsoever Simpson originally wanted to name his team the Los Angeles Dodgers to pay homage to one of his favorite old vehicles, a white Ford Bronco. Like Bruce Bochy, this Giants manager apparently knew how to pull all the right strings from the dugout, where he led his prison squad to back-to-back championships. He was super competitive, as you might imagine with O.J., said Greg Lewis, one of Simpson s former players before being released from prison recently. He d try to get the rules bent for us. He knew the rules pretty well. He was a studious coach. But, to clear up another ugly rumor, it isn t true Simpson once staged a protest over the poor condition of his team s equipment, defiantly warning prison league officials, If the gloves don t fit, we must forfeit. San Jose Mercury News Gillaspie celebrates birthday with clutch hit for Giants Paul Gackle SAN FRANCISCO Conor Gillaspie celebrated his 30th birthday in heroic fashion. In just his second at bat since the All-Star break, Gillaspie delivered a pinch hit double that set up the Giants 2-1 extra-inning win over the Cleveland Indians at AT&T Park. I love to get them any time I can. You ve got to be grateful when you get hits, especially off the bench, Gillaspie said, dismissing the significance of his birthday heroics. I was fortunate to put a good swing on a pretty good pitch. Gillaspie led off the 10th inning with a double down the right field line that nicked off the glove of Edwin Encarnacion as he dove toward first base, just his third extra-base hit of the season. The 30-year-old infielder expected Encarnacion to catch the ball, so he almost stopped running before the ball bounced into the Indians bullpen. Manager Bruce Bochy saw the play as a birthday gift from above.

6 No wonder that ball got through, the Giants manager said. Baseball Gods took care of him. Good pitch he hit, too. After Denard Span moved Kelby Tomlinson, who was pinch running for Gillaspie, over to third with a bunt single, Eduardo Nunez, who had a 33-game on-base streak snapped on Monday, brought him home with the first walk-off hit of his Major League career, a single to right off a first pitch fastball. Nunez was able to bounce back from losing the longest on-base streak in the Majors this season because he wasn t even aware of it until Monday. I didn t know that, Nunez said. I didn t think about it. I just think about *moving+ forward. Before Gillaspie and Nunez delivered the win, Ty Blach gave Bochy exactly what he s hoping to see from his starting pitching during the Giants current 10-game stretch at AT&T Park. The Giants manager wants his rotation to regain its home-field mojo in baseball s friendliest pitcher s park and Blach did just that in his seven innings of work Tuesday. After posting a 9.00 ERA in his three previous starts at China Basin, Blach rebounded by surrendering just one earned run on seven hits while walking one batter and striking out three. Blach, who was pitching for the first time since July 5, retired nine-straight batters between the fourth and sixth innings. He escaped a pair of jams with two runners on by inducing double plays in the second and the sixth and he only allowed two runners to reach third base. I ve been staying on line a little bit better. I was getting a little rotational, Blach said, reflecting on his recent resurgence. I feel like I m getting down out over my front side a little bit better, getting the ball down in the zone, getting more ground balls. The left-handed rookie s only blemish came in the third when Brandon Guyer smacked a triple off the top of the wall in left-center field, scoring Bradley Zimmer from second. Blach s quality start came on the heels of Matt Moore s best home outing since May 13, an encouraging sign for Bochy at the backend of his rotation. That s who we are, Bochy said. If you look at the success that we ve had since 2010, or I ll go back to 2009, it s been our pitching, our starting pitching. The Giants bats got Blach off the hook in sixth by tying the game up with a two-out single. Buster Posey scooped up his 38th RBI of the season by driving in Nunez from second with a line drive up the middle. Nunez nearly botched the play by hesitating at third base for a few seconds even though he was being waived in, but he still managed to beat Zimmer s throw to the plate. After Blach did his job, the Giants bullpen shut things down as Hunter Strickland and Sam Dyson (2-7) combined to pitch three shutout innings without surrendering a hit. Everyone feels good after a win like that, especially after a tough one last night, Blach said. To be able to bounce back and play a really crisp game today, that was great for our guys.

7 After selling out 530-consecutive games, the Giants failed to fill AT&T Park to capacity for a secondstraight game Tuesday, drawing a paid attendance of 39,151. Hump day will be rest day for several Giants regulars. Bochy is planning to give Posey and Hunter Pence a day off Wednesday, and he suggested that Span could get a breather, too. As a result, rookie infielder Miguel Gomez will likely crack the starting lineup for the first time since he made his Major League debut on July 7 and outfielder Kelby Tomlinson will make his first start since July 5. Gomez is 1 for 6 since his recall from Double-A Richmond and Tomlinson has produced a slash line of.267/.307/.640 in 48 games this season. Brandon Belt returned to the Giants lineup Tuesday after missing a pair of games with a left wrist injury. Although his wrist may be healthy, Belt didn t look so good at the plate, going 0 for 3 with three strikeouts. San Jose Mercury News Giants slugger will rejoin lineup against Indians Tuesday Paul Gackle SAN FRANCISCO Brandon Belt will rejoin the Giants lineup Tuesday after missing a pair of games with a left wrist injury. Belt missed two games after injuring his wrist on a check swing during the Giants bout with the San Diego Padres on Saturday. The 29-year-old slugger, who s batting.244 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI this season, will return to first base and bat in the No. 3 hole for the Giants clash with the Cleveland Indians at AT&T Park. Belt s back in there. He feels good, ready to go, manager Bruce Bochy said. It s good to have him back in the lineup. Madison Bumgarner s left shoulder is receiving top grades in the aftermath of his first start in nearly three months. Bumgarner threw 102 pitches against the Padres Saturday in his first start since he separated his left shoulder in a dirt biking accident on April 20 and, according to Bochy, he didn t experience any setbacks. For complete Giants coverage follow us on Flipboard. He s feeling fine, the Giants manager said. He s doing his normal routine. He came out of last game fine, didn t feel any different than he normally does, and he ll be ready to go. Bumgarner (0-3) will look to pick up his first win of the 2017 season when he returns to the mound for a rematch against the Padres on Thursday at AT&T Park.

8 Hump day will be rest day for a lot of the Giants regulars. Bochy is planning to give catcher Buster Posey and outfielder Hunter Pence a day off Wednesday, and he suggested that center fielder Denard Span could get a breather, too. As a result, rookie infielder Miguel Gomez will likely crack the starting lineup for the first time since he made his Major League debut on July 7 and outfielder Kelby Tomlinson will make his first start since July 5. Gomez is 1 for 5 since his recall from Double-A Richmond and Tomlinson has produced a slash line of.267/.307/.640 in 48 games this season. San Jose Mercury News The night the Giants record sellout streak began Jon Becker They first packed AT&T Park on Oct. 1, 2010, hoping to celebrate the Giants clinching their first National League West title in years. Giants fans didn t party that night, but they stuck around for nearly seven years, filling AT&T to watch youngsters like Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum blossom into megastars and bring three World Series championship teams to San Francisco. Along the way, those fans helped the Giants set a National League record for most consecutive sellouts, which reached 530 before it ended on Monday night during an otherwise meaningless 5-3 loss to the Indians. It s just been amazing, Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said on the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast I wanted to thank the fans. While the Giants currently sit in the NL West cellar, looking as if they may join their 85 counterparts as the franchise s only 100-loss team, let s take a quick look back at more joyous times. Like that Orange Friday in 2010 when the sellout streak began. Needing just one more win to hold off the Padres and clinch the division, the Giants sent Matt Cain to the mound. The raucous crowd s mood was seemingly set early as popular center fielder Andres Torres received the Willie Mac Award before the game. Unfortunately for the Giants, the electric crowd energized the Padres, who hit three home runs off Cain. Not even Aaron Rowand s jolting, pinch-hit 3-run home run could prevent the Giants from falling 6-4 that night. They packed AT&T again on Saturday only to watch the Padres win again, setting up the last game of the season with San Diego hoping to sweep and set up a one-game playoff for the crown. Fortunately, pitcher Jonathan Sanchez s six shutout innings and a home run from a rookie catcher named Posey led the Giants to a division-clinching 4-0 win on Oct. 3, 2010.

9 A few weeks later, the Giants even-year magic began with a World Series title. Two more titles followed. Some not-so-great years were sprinkled in, but the one constant was the support of Giants fans who kept packing the place. In some respects, the ride ended with Monday s announced crowd of 39,538, a couple thousand short of a sellout. But, man, what a ride it was! MLB.com Back in rotation, Cain set to oppose Indians Jonathan Hawthorne Officially, Matt Cain spent just one game in the bullpen. The Giants changed the veteran's role following Madison Bumgarner's return from the disabled list, but called upon Cain to rejoin the rotation when Johnny Cueto departed with blisters. On Wednesday, Cain goes opposite Indians righty Carlos Carrasco in the series finale. In his last time out, across the Bay in Oakland, Carrasco allowed five runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Cain hasn't started a game since the Fourth of July, when the Giants visited the Tigers. His previous start mirrors Carrasco's, allowing five runs in 6 1/3 innings. Wednesday will be the Carrasco's third start against the Giants and first since He's allowed eight runs (five earned) in 14 innings. Things to know about this game Cain has a 7.55 ERA since June began. On the other hand, Carrasco owns 4.73 ERA during the same stretch. Carrasco has posted his first three double-digit strikeout games of the season over his last five outings since June 21. In each of them, at least seven of his K's came with batters swinging at breaking balls. Only three other times in his career had Carrasco notched as many as seven swinging strikeouts on breaking balls in a single game. Cain has struggled this season, in part, due to his fastball offerings. He ranks No. 7 in the Majors in allowed batting average (.355) among pitchers who have faced at least 100 batters, according to Statcast. MLB.com Pitchers' duel ends with Giants' walk-off win Jonathan Hawthorne and Jordan Bastian SAN FRANCISCO -- Eduardo Nunez shot a pitch into right field, delivering a walk-off win against Indians closer Cody Allen on Tuesday night. San Francisco's 2-1 victory in 10 innings over the Tribe culminated in a mob of celebrating Giants players on the infield. The win was the fourth in walk-off fashion this season for the Giants, who started their decisive rally with a leadoff double by Conor Gillaspie on his 30th birthday. Allen then watched a bunt from Denard

10 Span roll by for an unlikely infield single, setting up the game-winning blow from Nunez, who recorded his first RBI since rejoining the team from a stint on the disabled list. "It's great to have those," said Giants starter Ty Blach. "Everybody feels good after a win like that, especially after a tough one last night with a couple of plays that really hurt us. Being able to bounce back and play a really crisp game, that was great for our guys." With the loss, Cleveland dropped to 1-4 on its current trip through Oakland and San Francisco. In the five games, the Indians have hit.192 as a team with 12 runs scored and have posted a.334 OPS in 41 atbats with runners in scoring position. "It's been kind of a theme this trip," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "I don't want to go back and [focus on that], because that doesn't help, but we've just got to keep grinding. Sometimes teams go through periods like this. We've just got to figure out a way to win 2-1, as opposed to losing 2-1." Blach handcuffed the Tribe over seven innings, scattering seven hits, striking out three and walking one in his no-decision. He dropped his ERA to 2.33 over his last three starts. Cleveland's only breakthrough against the lefty came in the third, when Bradley Zimmer singled and later scored on a triple by Brandon Guyer. Indians righty Mike Clevinger -- also forced to walk away with a no-decision -- struck out seven, walked two and limited San Francisco to one unearned run in six innings. Over his past six turns for the Tribe, the right-hander has logged a 1.36 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a.161/.277/.259 opponents' slash line. "It's exciting. It's really exciting," Francona said of Clevinger's progress. "He and [pitching coach Mickey Callaway] have been working really hard about attacking the zone and he's doing it more. You're seeing the results. It gets exciting." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Dyson's redemption: Giants reliever Sam Dyson's trying season opened with a pair of rough outings against the Indians during their season-opening series against Texas. Dyson allowed eight runs in one inning combined as the Rangers' closer in those games against Cleveland. On Tuesday night, he held the Tribe scoreless over the ninth and 10th innings, helping buy time for San Francisco's offense. "You look at his body of work last year, really in the Major Leagues, he's used to pitching in high-level situations," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's got the stuff to do it." Guyer's gaffe: The lone unearned run against Clevinger arrived in the sixth, when a missed catch by Guyer in right field proved costly. Nunez shot a pitch into right-center, where Guyer lost sight of the ball, which clanked off his glove, hit his chest and dropped to the grass for a two-base error. With first base open, Clevinger then tried to pitch around Buster Posey, but the Giants catcher got his bat on an outside slider and delivered his RBI single. "I've got to catch it," Guyer said. "But at the last second, for whatever reason, I lost it. I've had that happen to me before and made the catch. It's a ball I've got to catch. It's really frustrating, especially when it's such a big run in the game. You never want anything like that to happen. [Clevinger] was pitching really good and didn't deserve to give up any runs."

11 QUOTABLE "No wonder the ball got through. The baseball gods took care of him. Good pitch he hit, too." -- Bochy, upon learning Tuesday was Gillaspie's birthday SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Tuesday's contest was the first extra-inning game for Cleveland since April 11. It ended a streak of 84 consecutive games without extra innings, breaking the franchise's previous mark of 81 set in WHAT'S NEXT Indians: Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (10-4, 3.65 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Tribe in a 3:45 p.m. ET Interleague game with the Giants on Wednesday at AT&T Park. Carrasco has not faced San Francisco since 2014, but has gone 7-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 10 road starts this season. Giants: Matt Cain (3-8, 5.56 ERA) takes the mound for the Giants in a 12:45 p.m. PT contest against the Indians on Wednesday. Cain hasn't started a game since the Fourth of July, when he lost his seventh consecutive decision. MLB.com Revived Dyson comes up clutch for Giants Jonathan Hawthorne SAN FRANCISCO -- Sam Dyson arrived in San Francisco with an ERA this season that left a lot to be desired. It was after 17 outings with the Rangers. He was traded June 6. Since then, though, Dyson has regrouped, posting plenty of efforts that have Giants manager Bruce Bochy be proud of his progress. Tuesday was just the latest iteration in Dyson's evolution. He entered in the ninth, pitched two innings of scoreless ball, picked up his first win of the season and helped the Giants walk off with a 2-1 win in 10 innings. His ERA with the Giants? A cool It ranks third among Giants pitchers. "Buster [Posey] called some nice pitches, defense obviously played well behind me and our team came back and battled," Dyson said. Bochy's appreciation for the 29-year-old includes more than a solid defense, though. Dyson has the mechanics necessary to stifle Major League batters -- even if that didn't show through at his previous stop. "He's done a really nice job," Bochy said. "He's got great stuff. You look at his body of work last year, really in the Major Leagues -- he's used to pitching in high-level situations. He's got the stuff to do it." After allowing a leadoff walk in the ninth, Dyson retired the next three Indians batters. In the 10th, the Giants stuck with Dyson. He delivered, tossing a inning. Along the way, he shut down Tribe hitter Bradley Zimmer, who had a two-hit night. Dyson has assumed a closer role for the Giants since Mark Melancon, the team's prized offseason acquisition, again landed on the disabled list with a right pronator strain. Though he's eligible to return, the Giants don't want to rush Melancon's rehab. Knowing they have Dyson ready to go certainly doesn't hurt, either.

12 Dyson has recorded four saves over his last six outings, building his career total to 44. He's allowed one earned run and six hits over that span. "He's got the poise that you like from a closer," Bochy said. "He's accustomed to going one inning. But we've pushed him, and he's handled that well." Added Giants starter Ty Blach: "Sam's done a really nice job for us since coming over. He's been a big piece for our bullpen." MLB.com Crawford Giants' Heart and Hustle Award winner Manny Randhawa The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association revealed the 30 preliminary winners of the 2017 Heart and Hustle Award on Tuesday. The honor is the only one voted on by former players, and is bestowed each year upon the active player who most represents a passion for the game of baseball, and best embodies the values, spirit and tradition of the game. Past winners of the Heart and Hustle Award include David Eckstein (2005), Hall of Famer Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike Trout (2012), Dustin Pedroia (2013), Josh Harrison (2014), Anthony Rizzo (2015) and Todd Frazier (2016). The 30 preliminary winners for 2017 are: AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones Boston Red Sox: Rick Porcello Chicago White Sox: Avisail Garcia Cleveland Indians: Jose Ramirez Detroit Tigers: Ian Kinsler Houston Astros: Josh Reddick Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer Los Angeles Angels: Andrelton Simmons Minnesota Twins: Byron Buxton New York Yankees: Brett Gardner Oakland Athletics: Yonder Alonso Seattle Mariners: Nelson Cruz Tampa Bay Rays: Logan Morrison Texas Rangers: Elvis Andrus Toronto Blue Jays: Kevin Pillar NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt Atlanta Braves: Nick Markakis Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant Cincinnati Reds: Adam Duvall

13 Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon Los Angeles Dodgers: Justin Turner Miami Marlins: J.T. Realmuto Milwaukee Brewers: Hernan Perez New York Mets: Jay Bruce Philadelphia Phillies: Freddy Galvis Pittsburgh Pirates: Adam Frazier San Diego Padres: Clayton Richard San Francisco Giants: Brandon Crawford St. Louis Cardinals: Jedd Gyorko Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon "This year's Heart and Hustle Award winners are a true representation of the legacy of the game and the players who have come before them," said Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, president of the MLBPAA. "It is clear that these 30 men chosen all play the game with relentless pursuit." Voting for the 30 preliminary players took place before the All-Star break. Thirty voting committees were formed, comprised of alumni players with established relations to each team, to select the winners. Each of the winners will be recognized prior to an upcoming home game for their team, beginning with the Braves on Wednesday. Toward the end of the season, all alumni and active players will vote for a final winner from among the 30 teams. The final winner will be announced on Nov. 14, during the 18th annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City. The Legends for Youth Dinner is the primary fundraiser for the series of free Legends for Youth clinics that are held around the country, which have enabled more than 16,000 kids to learn from and interact with players who have left a lasting impact on the game. NBC Sports REPORT: RED SOX 'HAVE THEIR EYE' ON GIANTS UTILITY MAN Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO -- Until Hensley Meulens told him that his streak had been snapped Monday, Eduardo Nuñez did not realize he had reached base in 33 consecutive games. Scouts certainly had, however. Nuñez, a free agent at the end of the year, has always been the Giant most likely to get traded before the July 31 deadline. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Red Sox have their eye on the third baseman. Boston recently designated Pablo Sandoval for assignment and the Red Sox continue to pay the price not only for that deal, but also the decision to trade Travis Shaw to Milwaukee. Nuñez would be a nice fit for the contender, although the trade market is saturated with rental options at third. One buyer was eliminated Tuesday when the Yankees traded for Todd Frazier. Nuñez is batting.295 this season with 17 stolen bases, but he has been slowed by hamstring issues. He has said repeatedly that he loves playing in San Francisco, and earlier this month he reiterated that he would consider re-signing in the offseason if he is traded.

14 NBC Sports Bay Area DOWN ON THE FARM: IN MIDST OF ROUGH SEASON, BROWN DELIVERS FOR RIVER CATS Dalton Johnson Within an hour of each other on Tuesday night, the Giants and their Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, walked it off in extra innings in front of their home fans. At 10:19 p.m., Eduardo Nunez first played hero in San Francisco. Then just 43 minutes later at 11:02 p.m., a familiar face for Giants fans did the deed against the El Paso Chihuahuas. "A walk-off in any kind of fashion is pretty cool, especially in baseball, Trevor Brown said to MiLB.com after his walk-off RBI single to left field. That's a good team win, we were down and we battled back. Our guys battled back, we kept gradually chipping away before we finally took the lead there at the end. Brown, who caught 60 games last year for the Giants, entered the game in the top of 12th inning as a defensive replacement at second base and took reliever Derek Law s spot in the lineup. The 25-year-old has now played in 36 games for the River Cats this season. He has three RBI, all coming in the last three games he s played. The Giants went with a more veteran presence behind Buster Posey during the offseason with the signing of Nick Hundley, and the move has certainly paid off. Hundley, a 10-year veteran, is batting.264 with four home runs and 14 doubles in his first season with the Giants. On the other hand, Brown is hitting well below the Mendoza Line at.160. When the Giants signed Hundley, the plan was for Brown, an infielder by trade at UCLA, to become more polished behind the dish in the minors. But, the Giants also envisioned more meaningful innings for Brown at second base. Bochy and I have discussed the fact that we ll look at him more at different positions this spring than we have in the past because we appreciate the value that he brings, Giants GM Bobby Evans said at the time of the Hundley signing. Once the experiment became a reality, the results were exactly what the Giants brass hoped for. Brown made his spring debut at second base on March 7 to replace Joe Panik and made a diving play to his left to end the game. The slogan What Can Brown Do For You? started to look a lot more realistic and promising with the future of Brown as a utility option off the bench. And then the regular season started. Brown started the year on the shelf with an ankle injury. He also sustained a concussion in late June that kept him out for over two weeks. On the field, the results haven t been any better than his health. Brown has appeared in 32 games in the squat and has only thrown out 25.7 percent of attempted stolen bases on him. The infield experiment hasn t really come to fruition too as Brown has now only played in four games and 14.2 innings as a second baseman. At the plate, he hasn t hit any higher than.165 after his first game of the season. Last season Brown only batted.237 with the Giants, but the potential was evident. He also hit five home runs and showed promise as an athletic converted catcher. While the Giants crawl through their worst

15 season ever since moving to San Francisco, Brown s play in Triple-A is as important as ever now that he s healthy again. Age is on his side at 25, but if he doesn't deliver more at the plate, the slogan will quickly turn to What Can Brown Do For You? all while he sits behind Fed-X in Sacramento. Around The Horn -- Albert Suarez, who appeared in 22 games for the Giants in 2016, made his first Triple-A start for the River Cats this season on Tuesday. He tossed three scoreless innings and struck out five. -- Steven Duggar, an outfielder who can climb through the system quickly, went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI in the San Jose Giants' win Tuesday night. -- Jarrett Parker is starting to put it together at the plate for the River Cats. He is currently on a fourgame hitting streak, hitting.368. NBC Sports Bay Area TUESDAY'S VICTORY GIVES GIANTS A REMINDER OF HOW THEY USED TO WIN Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO Giants executives have been meeting every day in recent weeks, and the conversations go far beyond the trade deadline. The front office is trying to figure out if the Giants can still be competitive in this age of home runs and strikeouts. The Giants have been left behind in the power department, but Tuesday s win was a reminder that there s still another path. It s harder, but it can be just as rewarding, and it s simply the way this roster is built. Tuesday was a throwback: A deep outing from the starter, a shutdown night from the bullpen, strong defense, and an opportunistic offense. It added up to a 2-1 win over the Indians in 10 innings. Eduardo Nuñez walked it off with a single to right that scored Kelby Tomlinson in the bottom of the 10th, but this one was won much earlier, when Ty Blach continued a positive trend and got through the seventh. Blach became the third Giants starter in four days to record 21 outs, and the previous one Matt Moore showed just how tenuous life can be when you re not built on homers. The Giants fell 5-3 in the opener of this series because Moore and Jae-gyun Hwang made crucial errors. They can t afford to play like that, and a night later, they flipped the switch the other way. Brandon Crawford was spectacular at short and Joe Panik joined him in turning a couple of double plays for Blach. Denard Span chased down a liner in center and Hunter Pence sprawled to grab a bloop. In a lost season, perhaps the Giants can take some solace in Tuesday s win, just their 36th of the year and one that kept them from falling 30 games out in the NL West. They have many of the pieces to win on pitching-and-defense. They just have to, you know, actually do it. It makes life a lot easier, Bochy said after Blach joined Moore and Bumgarner in getting through seven. It s going to be critical for them to get us deep into games and give us a quality starts to help get this thing turned around. It allows you to keep the bullpen fresh and make the moves you want to make.

16 Blach gave up just one run in his time, and he said afterward that he has fixed some rotational issues in his delivery. His outing allowed Bochy to shorten his bullpen, and Hunter Strickland pitched a scoreless eighth to lower his ERA to Sam Dyson, a revelation since coming over from Texas, pitched two hitless innings to lower his National League ERA to The Giants cannot see first place or even a playoff spot from where they stand. But they don t have to squint hard to see the makings of an intriguing bullpen in Bochy can picture many a night where a starter gets deep and turns a lead over to a bullpen that could be much improved if Dyson is for real and Mark Melancon comes back healthy. It starts with the starters, though. That s who we are, Bochy said. If you look at the success going back to 2010 and even 2009, it s been the starting pitching. Those teams never won by bashing opponents over the head. They scored creatively and took advantage of mistakes. The Giants did both Tuesday. The first run came when Brandon Guyer dropped a fly ball in right, allowing Nuñez to reach second with one out in the sixth. The winning run came after Conor Gillaspie on his 30th birthday smoked a pinch-hit double off Edwin Encarnacion s glove at first. Tomlinson pinch-ran and Denard Span pushed him over and reached on his own with a perfect bunt. Nuñez had never before recorded a walk-off hit. He thought he lost his chance when Span stole second. I thought they were going to walk me, he said. "As soon as Span got to second base, I was like, fuuuuu " The Indians did not put him on. Instead, Nuñez sent everyone home. NBC Sports Bay Area INSTANT ANALYSIS: FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM GIANTS' WALK-OFF WIN OVER INDIANS Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO On his 30th birthday, Conor Gillaspie made sure the Giants didn t fall 30 games back in the National League West. Gillaspie led off the bottom of the 10th with a double to get the Giants going. He was replaced by pinchrunner Kelby Tomlinson, who scored on Eduardo Nuñez s single, giving the Giants a 2-1 win over the visiting Indians. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak. That s a fact. Here are five other ones - Before issuing two walks to lead off the ninth, Andrew Miller had just one two-walk outing all season. The Giants couldn t capitalize. With one out, Terry Francona turned to his closer in a tie game on the road, bucking the dumb unwritten rules of closer usage. It worked out, as Cody Allen struck out Joe Panik and got Gorkys Hernandez to fly out to strand the winning run on third. - The Giants got on the board with some help in the sixth. Nuñez hit a liner to right that was dropped by Brandon Guyer for a two-base error. With two outs, Buster Posey s broken-bat single up the middle

17 tied the game. Nuñez was almost thrown out at the plate, as he never picked up Phil Nevin s sign and he stopped at third. Nevin did not look pleased. - Ty Blach gave up seven hits and one run over seven innings. He was sharp. The start was his longest since a shutout in Philadelphia on June 2. - The Giants announced a crowd of 39,151 human beings. It was their second straight non-sellout. - This place should sell out just to watch the Frankie Lindor-Brandon Crawford defensive battle. Crawford barehanded a slow roller to prevent a leadoff single in the eighth. Lindor countered in the bottom of the inning with a strong throw from the hole that robbed Miguel Gomez of a leadoff single. NBC Sports Bay Area GIANTS' DEFICIT TO DODGERS IS THE WORST OF WORST-CASE SCENARIOS Ray Ratto There is an excellent chance that late Tuesday night, the San Francisco Giants will find themselves a full 30 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 18. With 68 games and 75 days, or more than 40 percent, of the baseball season left to play. Thirty games behind. The magic number will be 38, and the Giants chances of catching the Dodgers can be reduced to absolute zero on August 27. It would dovetail with their grudging admission Monday night that they are no longer selling out baseball games routinely, as their announced crowd of tickets sold totaled 39,538, or 2,377 below listed capacity. True, they have entertained far more empty seats than that, but the tickets sold/resold dodge has covered a lot of underpopulated nights on L anse du McCovey. In other words, this is just one more number to remind you of what you already know, to go along with the run-differential disaster (-108, on a pace for -184) and the magic number, and the games-behind barrel-roll. But the minus-30 is interesting, not because it is unusual at season s end but unusual so early in the season that it projects to finishing 50 games back at season s end. This, then, is a new measurement of their futility, braided as it is with the equally galling truth that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the team burying them so comprehensively in the table. After all, stinking the joint out only works if someone else is tearing it up, and the Dodgers are eating the entire National League field. This is, then, the worst of worst-case scenarios, the mathematical culminations of the Giants franchise s worst season in 115 years. And 30 games back is one of those mythical standards that just explains the obvious in one more way. And 30 games back in the middle of July stands out even if your favorite team is used to finishing that far behind. Say, like Phillies fans or Braves fans or Twins fans or A s fans. Since the original expansion in 1961, 13 teams have been this far back this quickly, with the record being the 1998 Tampa Bays who hit 30 on June 10 en route to finishing 51 games behind the Yankees.

18 The Giants are on a pace to do that this year, but it would require the Dodgers winning at least 110, and besides, the reality is bad enough that we needn t do the on a pace to dance. The Giants have only finished 30 games back 10 times in their 135 years of existence. Only the New York Yankees (five) have been so distant from the sun fewer times. And to be more contemporary about it, the Giants have only finished 30 out two other times as a San Francisco entity. In short, this is rare ground for this franchise, and the official end of the sellout streak means that the citizens are not only on to them but perfectly willing to walk rather than endure the difficult days in good cheer and constant presence. This could be the team, then, that wins the title of Worst San Francisco Giants Team Ever, beating the 1985 juggernaut that led to the hiring of Al Rosen and Roger Craig and the beginning of the renaissance that eventually got them to Third Street (for the new park) and then to Market Street (for the three parades). This could indeed be the team that wins the title of Worst Giants Team Ever, Ever. That would be the 1902 team, which gimped in at 48-88, 53½ games behind Pittsburgh, and scored fewer than three runs a game. But why bother with the olden days at all? These Giants and their fans have finally perceived that they themselves are the abyss into which they have fallen. Management has seen the end of the road, and what it intends to do about it will become the central theme for this season and the two, minimum, to come. That s what happens when you re flirting with being 30 games out on July 18, when the team you ve lost those 30 games to is your archest of rivals, and when even unsold tickets aren t interested in giving themselves to the cause. Santa Rosa Press Democrat Giants win on walk-off hit in 10th inning Josh Dubow SAN FRANCISCO Eduardo Nunez hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning and the San Francisco Giants snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Cleveland Indians 2-1 on Tuesday night. Pinch-hitter Conor Gillaspie started the winning rally with a leadoff double against Cody Allen (0-5) to celebrate his 30th birthday. Denard Span then reached on a bunt single that sent pinch-runner Kelby Tomlinson to third. That set the stage for Nunez, who grounded a single to right through a drawn-in infield to give the struggling Giants a rare win. Allen had escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the ninth by striking out Joe Panik and getting Gorkys Hernandez to fly out to right field. But he couldn t get the job done in the 10th as the first-place Indians lost for the fifth time in sixth games. Sam Dyson (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

19 The teams traded runs with the Indians getting on the board first on an RBI triple by Brandon Guyer with one out in the third inning. But Ty Blach stranded him there and retired eight consecutive batters to keep the Giants close. San Francisco then tied it in the sixth against Mike Clevinger when Guyer dropped Nunez s liner to right for a two-base error and Buster Posey hit a two-out RBI single for the Giants first hit since the second inning. TRAINER S ROOM Indians: RHP Corey Kluber is battling a sore neck and his health will determine when LHP Danny Salazar comes back into the rotation. Kluber will throw a bullpen session Wednesday before Cleveland makes a decision whether he can make his scheduled start Friday or needs extra time. Manager Terry Francona said Salazar, who has been on the DL since June 4 with a sore right shoulder, will make his next start in the majors. Giants: 1B Brandon Belt returned to the lineup after missing two games in a row with a sore left wrist. Belt went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and a walk. STRONG STARTS Both starters fared well. Clevinger allowed one unearned run and three hits in six innings with seven strikeouts. He has now allowed four or fewer hits in 15 of 22 career starts. Blach was almost as tough, giving up one run and seven hits in seven innings. EMPTY SEATS A night after their sellout streak ended at an NL-record 530 games, the Giants once again fell short of a capacity crowd with an attendance of 39,151. UP NEXT Matt Cain (3-8) starts the series finale after his planned move to the bullpen was interrupted before it even happened because Johnny Cueto got placed on the DL with blisters on his right hand. Carlos Carrasco (10-4) starts for the Indians. San Francisco Examiner Eduardo Nunez s walk-off single halts Giants losing skid at four games Dan Bernstein AT&T PARK San Francisco Giants infielder Conor Gillaspie celebrated his 30th birthday by delivering a pinch-hit leadoff double in the 10th inning of the team s 2-1 Tuesday night victory over the Cleveland Indians. The knock ticked of the glove of first baseman Edwin Encarnacion and into right field.

20 Following Gillaspie s double, pinch-runner Kelby Tomlinson advanced to third on a bunt from Denard Span and scored on a walk-off single from Eduardo Nunez. It was a result the Giants desperately needed after going in the first half and dropping three of four post-all Star break games. No wonder that ball got through, manager Bruce Bochy said after learning it was Gillaspie s birthday. The baseball gods took care of him. Ty Blach delivered his third straight quality start. He went seven innings, gave up seven hits and allowed one run. But he earned a no decision, as San Francisco s lineup failed to produce in the early going against Indians starter Mike Clevinger. Still, Blach s performance continued a positive stretch from Giants starters. He became the third San Francisco pitcher to last seven innings since the All Star break, which allowed Bochy to use just two relievers in Tuesday s extra inning victory. Hopefully the rest of the season we can get more consistent with these quality starts, Bochy said. *Blach+ did what we were hoping he d give us. Cleveland got on the board in the third inning. Center fielder Bradley Zimmer roped a single, and with one out right fielder Brandon Guyer scored him with a triple off the wall in left-center field. But Blach rebounded with efficient fourth and fifth frames. In the sixth, he escaped a two on, one out jam by inducing a double play from Indians first baseman Edwin Encarnacion. And in the seventh, he finished his outing by getting pinch-hitter Carlos Santana to ground into an inning ending fielder s choice with two runners on. Along with Matt Moore, who went seven frames on Monday, Blach breathed optimism into the struggling back-end of the Giants rotation. That s who we are, Bochy said. If you look at the success we ve had since *2010+, it s been our starting pitching and the job they ve done. Cleveland gifted the Giants a baserunner with one out in the sixth. Guyer dropped a fly ball to right, allowing Nunez to reach second. After first baseman Brandon Belt struck out, Posey brought Nunez home with a game-tying single up the middle. In the ninth, Belt and catcher Buster Posey led off with walks, and with one out right fielder Hunter Pence chopped an infield single a few feet in front of home plate. But second baseman Joe Panik struck out and left fielder Gorkys Hernandez flew out to right to end the threat. With another chance to earn a walk-off in the 10th, however, the Giants capitalized. Span moved Tomlinson to third with a sacrifice bunt so well placed that he reached first safely. And Nunez pushed his game-winning single through the right side, setting off a celebration in short right field. *The missed opportunities+ can get a little discouraging, Bochy said, but they fought back. DYSON DELIVERS