SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, June 28, 2017

SF Giants Press Clips Wednesday, June 28, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants beat Rockies in 14; Span wins it John Shea Two wins in a row. Believe it. The Giants have won consecutive games in June. Finally. In one of the most disappointing seasons in Giants history, a two-game win streak is well worth celebrating, and the party broke out when the clock struck midnight. That s when Denard Span hit a ball through the right side in the 14th inning that clinched a 4-3 victory over the Rockies and gave the Giants consecutive wins for the first time since May 27 and 28. It feels good to hear the music two days straight, Span said of the postgame tunes in the clubhouse. Gorkys Hernandez hit a one-out double off Chad Qualls, and after Cory Gearrin struck out yes, Gory Gearrin, the winning pitcher Span collected his third hit in seven at-bats. Span said while he was preparing to hit, he had hoped Gearrin would have won it himself. A relief pitcher getting a walk-off hit to get himself the win... That would ve been a cool story, Span said. He looked like he knew what he was doing. I could tell he was into that at-bat. Of course he was. A 1.000 batting average was at stake. Gearrin singled in his only other big-league atbat, in May of last season at Denver. Now he s a mere.500 hitter. In retrospect, especially because Gearrin had already pitched three innings and wasn t going a fourth, manager Bruce Bochy said he should have batted Matt Moore because Moore, as a starting pitcher, has more experience swinging a bat. Bochy joked that he let Gearrin hit because of his perfect average. I d gladly sacrifice a 1.000 average for a walk-off win, Gearrin said. The Giants had just one baserunner the previous five innings, Brandon Belt, who was doubled off. So it was crucial to do everything else right late in the game. Buster Posey threw out two runners trying to

steal, the Brandons (Belt and Crawford) executed a splendid 3-6-3 double play and the bullpen was marvelous. After Matt Cain pitched six innings and got burned by one pitch, a curve to Mark Reynolds, who hit a three-run homer, six Giants relievers combined for eight scoreless innings. Gearrin has two wins this year, one in a 14-inning game and the other in a 17-inning game. He became my long man once we reached extra innings, Bochy said, and what a beautiful job he did. The Giants seemed destined to be burned by Reynolds homer, but they rallied for a 3-3 tie in the eighth, courtesy of a bloop pinch single by Kelby Tomlinson. The ball sailed softly into right field to score Belt and put the Giants in position to take the lead, but Jake McGee struck out Hernandez and Nick Hundley. Cain opened with five scoreless innings but scuffled in the sixth. Raimel Tapia, the replacement for DJ LeMahieu, who felt a groin cramp in the fourth inning, singled and stole second. Nolan Arenado was intentionally walked, which made sense at the time considering the damage he routinely inflicts on the Giants. The Giants scored the first run back in the third inning on Span s two-out single and made it a 3-2 game on Crawford s sacrifice fly in the sixth. Bochy used two starting pitchers in different roles. Ty Blach ran for Austin Slater, who has had a tight hip flexor, and Jeff Samardzija pinch hit and struck out to end the 11th. The fight is there. It s nice to see them rewarded, Bochy said. I know the results haven t been great, but it s good to win one like this. Span makes no secret he s no fan of birds, but he spent much of the night in center fielder as an unusually large flock of seagulls did there thing at China Basin. Those birds were dropping stuff out there, Span said. You know what, I ve got no time for this. They ve got no respect for anybody in the outfield. Yeah, I was ready to go home. San Francisco Chronicle Giants calling up Jae-Gyun Hwang, showcasing Heliot Ramos John Shea The Giants will call up Jae-gyun Hwang from Triple-A Sacramento and start him at third base Wednesday. He ll be the first Korean in franchise history. This is one of the best parts of the game for a manager, Bruce Bochy said. It s when you can welcome, shake hands or even hug a guy who s worked hard for this opportunity. Jae worked hard and gave up a lot (including lucrative offers in Korea) to pursue this. I ll be as happy as he is when I see him.

Hwang, 29, hit.287 with a.333 on-base percentage, seven homers and 44 RBIs for Sacramento. He started 30 games at third and 28 at first. If Hwang wasn t called up by July 1, he could have opted out of his contract and become a free agent, which was his intention. The Giants have a need with third baseman Conor Gillaspie heading to the disabled list after his lower back flared up again, prompting him to get a cortisone shot. Third baseman Eduardo Nuñez, shelved with a strained hamstring, could be activated Friday. Ryder Jones started at third Tuesday but is now 0-for-13 in his career. Hwang can no longer opt out, so the Giants can option him to Sacramento without risking losing him. The Giants signed Hwang in January after he hit.330 with 26 homers, 104 RBIs and 24 steals with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. By making it to the big leagues, he ll make the prorated sum of his $1.5 million salary. Top pick visits: Heliot Ramos, the Giants top draft pick, was at Tuesday s game and has big aspirations. He said he hopes to reach the majors in three years. It s hard, but it s my dream, said Ramos, 17, who was drafted 19th overall out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. I know I have to work hard for that. Choosing to answer questions in English and declining to use an interpreter, Ramos spoke of the Giants history and mentioned Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and countryman Orlando Cepeda, though he said his favorite player is Pittsburgh s Andrew McCutchen. Bochy said he envisions Ramos as an impact player, adding, You see how strong he is for his age. He s got a good swing, a short swing, a powerful swing. Ramos has an older brother in the Dodgers organization (Henry) and another in pro soccer (Hector). San Francisco Chronicle This is no time to give up on baseball Bruce Jenkins It s been a frantic couple of days in Giants country, everyone scrambling to install mouse turds in their pole-vault pits. They say horse dung works just as well, but it s best to stick with Bruce Bochy s vision. What a hilarious way to ease the pain of an impossibly grim season. In case you missed it, when confronted with a report suggesting dissension in the Giants clubhouse, Bochy described the needless commotion as pole vaulting over mouse turds. So that goes straight to the top of today s list reasons to have faith in the remainder of the baseball season. Never lose your sense of humor. As the list goes on: Madison Bumgarner: A cranky Tim Flannery laid out the truth after the lost weekend against the Mets, saying the only way to win is with energy with an edge. And we don t mean the Hunter Strickland

variety. Bumgarner takes the mound and the field begins crackling with energy. It only gets better when he grabs a wooden bat. The Giants aren t going anywhere, but they won t look tired, or boring, when he s out there. And they re liable to start playing respectably again. (Bumgarner gets a rehab start at Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, likely to be followed by a July 5 outing at Class A San Jose.) Why should he pitch at all? Shouldn t he just take the season off, not risking aggravation of his shoulder injury? No chance. Bumgarner is a ballplayer; that s his living. Careers are far too short in this game, and no athlete should dismiss a full year, inviting great piles of rust, if there s a way to avoid it. Buster Posey: The batting average is All-Star material he ll get the National League start, no questions asked and the RBIs are starting to come. It s been a difficult year emotionally for Posey, who had a couple of bitter on-field interactions with Brandon Belt and reflected the Giants indifference toward Strickland s personal feud with Bryce Harper. But this is a time to appreciate a truly great catcher, a huge reason why the Giants hang three championship banners. He s not regressing in the slightest. Brandon Crawford: It was amusing to hear the Giants clubhouse described as too quiet in Ken Rosenthal s report for Fox Sports. It s true that the card games aren t as lively as in the recent past, when the club s Latin American presence was so strong. That was a guaranteed source of banter, with a musical soundtrack to match. But when you think about Crawford or Belt or Joe Panik or Matt Cain throw in Matt Duffy and those departed veteran relievers you re not talking about motormouth chatter or a veritable toy department, at least in the media s presence. The Giants clubhouse has been measured and low-key for years. We mention Crawford because he s not likely to vocalize his frustration. He s having a down season, and on the list of influential shortstops, he s fallen behind Corey Seager, Addison Russell, Trey Turner, Zack Cozart and the impressive group of American Leaguers including Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts and Andrelton Simmons. But don t buy the talk about Crawford being a step slow or losing his batting stroke. He remains All-Star caliber and is likely to rebound in the second half. Trade material? Hardly. The A s: With the exception of Austin Slater, the Giants hitting prospects have made only a mild impression. It s too early to make an accurate assessment, but the A s appear to have legitimate bigleaguers in Franklin Barreto, Jaycob Brugman, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman, not to mention the ongoing long-ball appeal of Ryon Healy, Khris Davis and Yonder Alonso. This team is more entertaining... than the current Giants. Ballpark strategy: For all of David Kaval s fine work on Coliseum visuals and the nods to tradition, the A s continue to draw pitiful crowds most nights. Kaval s promise to have a site established by year s end? That has to happen. It will be an interminable wait under any circumstances, but any plan needs an actual target. Count on Kaval and the city of Oakland to make this happen. Home Run Derby: Imagine Cody Bellinger trading blasts with Aaron Judge. Giancarlo Stanton craving glory before his home (Miami) crowd. Hope for commitments from the wicked-swinging likes of Davis, Harper, Joey Gallo, George Springer, Javier Baez, Eric Thames, Miguel Sano, Yoenis Céspedes, Paul Goldschmidt, Wil Myers, Edwin Encarnacion. And when the stuffed shirts aren t looking, sneak Bumgarner in there. He could steal it.

The game itself: Don t get too exasperated over the torrent of home runs, strikeouts, delayed replay decisions, dawdling pitchers and players changing their launch angle to a full-uppercut swing. It s all just chatter, and an obsession with numbers. In essence, the game has not changed. Just as you might get a 1-0 game with an alarming lack of balls put in play, you get the all-out aggression of the Dodgers, Astros or Nationals or the Colorado Rockies surrendering five runs on wild pitches. Forever unpredictable, baseball tends to self-correct its aberrations, and why is not the question. Rather, What kind of treat do we have in store tonight? I mean, hey. If you ve got the turds, I ve got the pole. San Francisco Chronicle Giants Jae-Gyun Hwang to make big-league debut John Shea When the Giants signed Jae-Gyun Hwang in January, some fans knew little of the Korean infielder other than he had an epic bat flip. Plenty is known of Hwang now, 68 games into his season with Triple-A Sacramento, and the Giants are impressed enough that they will promote him to the big leagues Wednesday and start him at third base. It s believed he ll be the first Korean to play for the Giants. This is one of the best parts of the game for a manager, Bruce Bochy said. It s when you can welcome, shake hands or even hug a guy who s worked hard for this opportunity. Jae worked hard and gave up a lot (including lucrative offers in Korea) to pursue this. I ll be as happy as he is when I see him. Hwang, 29, hit.287 with a.333 on-base percentage, seven homers and 44 RBIs (minus the bat flips). He started 30 games at third and 28 at first. If Hwang wasn t called up by July 1, he could have opted out of his contract and become a free agent, which was his intention. The Giants have a need with third baseman Conor Gillaspie expected to return to the disabled list Wednesday after his lower back flared up again, prompting him to get a cortisone shot. Third baseman Eduardo Nuñez has been shelved with a strained hamstring and could be activated Friday, and third baseman Ryder Jones remains on the roster, so it s uncertain how long Hwang will remain a Giant. Hwang can no longer opt out, so the Giants can option him back to Sacramento. The Giants signed Hwang after he hit.330 with 26 homers, 104 RBIs and 24 steals with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. By making it to the big leagues, he ll make a prorated amount of a $1.5 million salary, and he has as much as $1.6 million in incentives for plate appearances, though he would have had to play the entire season in the majors to reach them all. Hwang won the Barney Nugent Award in spring training as the best newcomer, and manager Bruce Bochy said his presence and work ethic were inspiring. Hwang had much to learn, however, and is said to have shown significant progress on offense but is short of spectacular on defense.

It ll be good to see how he can do here, and hopefully he can help us win some games, shortstop Brandon Crawford said. San Jose Mercury News Amid a bizarre flock of seagulls, Denard Span s single wins it in 14th for Giants Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO Denard Span admitted it shortly after he signed with the Giants: he has a phobia of birds. Extra innings at AT&T Park, then, do not suit him. Span saved himself from another half-inning amid the flocks of confused seagulls, rapping a single to right field that scored Gorkys Hernandez as the Giants persevered for a 4-3, 14-inning victory over the Colorado Rockies late Tuesday night. Hernandez doubled off Chad Qualls, and a 1.000 career hitter couldn t bring him home. Right-hander Cory Gearrin, who had thrown the last three of the eight shutout innings by Giants relievers, fell to 1- for-2 lifetime at the plate when he struck out. But Span followed with his two-out grounder through the right side, and Hernandez slid well in front of the throw as the Giants won consecutive games for the first time since May 26-27. And Span got hit with rabbit punches in the celebration which was better than getting hit with something else. Those birds were dropping stuff around me, he said. I was like, `You know what, man? I don t got time for this. I want to go home. Those birds don t have respect for anybody in the outfield. Giants manager Bruce Bochy dismisses report of clubhouse friction as pole vaulting over mouse turds Span stopped short of second base as his teammates flocked toward him, and then he tried to run away from them. They pursued him all the way into shallow left field before peppering him with congratulatory shots. Extra innings at AT&T Park thoroughly confuse the seagulls. They arrive in flocks when the bleachers are supposed to be unpopulated, ready to feast on the leavings. The Giants season has been reduced to scraps, too. But the players are still here, and it is easy to pick out the die hards among their fans. Those who stayed till the end saw catcher Buster Posey make two perfect throws to nail baserunners trying to steal second base. They also saw Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford execute a perfect, 3-6-3 double play to help Sam Dyson out of one of his two scoreless innings. Mostly, they saw a team that hasn t given up and still sees something worth winning, even if it won t be a pennant.

Even that last road trip, as tough as it was, you saw them come back, Bochy said of the Giants 1-7 jaunt to Colorado and Atlanta in which they lost all three games in which they rallied. The fight is there. That s really the way it s got to be every day, and it has been. Steven Okert, George Kontos, Mark Melancon, Josh Osich, Dyson and Gearrin kept the Rockies off the board. Even Matt Cain only paid for one mistake in six solid innings, when he hung a breaking ball that Matt Reynolds pounded for a three-run homer in the sixth. Bochy said he wasn t going further than three innings with Gearrin, and probably should have sent up right-hander Matt Moore to pinch hit. But I was swayed by the numbers, Bochy said, tongue in cheek. Gearrin had a hit in his only big league at-bat. He s 1-for-2 now, after Chad Qualls sinker proved too much for him. I m glad we sacrificed the 1.000 average for a big win, a walkoff win, Gearrin said. I thought I took some good swings. Then I went back and looked at (the video.) I wasn t close. Said Span: I was hoping he was going to win it, to be honest. He looked like he knew what he was doing, the way he was swinging. Gearrin tends to work overtime to get his wins. His other one this season came in the Giants 17-inning victory May 12 that Posey won with a weary home run trot. Cain pitched well enough to beat the Rockies for the first time in more than four years, but the Giants offense didn t make up for his one damaging mistake in his six innings. They rallied after Cain departed, though. Kelby Tomlinson s pinch single scored Belt with the tying run the eighth inning. Tomlinson s pinch single off Jake McGee came after Posey started the rally with a base hit and ran into a bad break. He had to hold on Belt s blooper past third base and ended up getting wiped out on a fielder s choice after Nolan Arenado dropped the ball. But Crawford followed with a single to put runners at the corners, and Tomlinson came through off the bench to take Cain off the hook for a loss. It was a much better start for Cain, and he needed it. He entered his start Tuesday with an 0-6 with a 7.32 ERA (29er, 35.2ip) in his last seven starts. And he was facing an opponent that has bossed him in recent years. But before the mistake to Reynolds, Cain blended control with competitiveness to hold down a lineup that the Giants could not repress earlier this month at Coors Field. Cain got dialed in early when he induced double-play grounders from DJ LeMahieu and Alexi Amarista, the latter of which shortstop Brandon Crawford started with an athletic play after leaping to catch a hard bounce off the mound.

The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Hernandez singled, advanced on Cain s sacrifice and scored on Span s single. But it came undone in the sixth. Raimel Tapia, who entered in Lemahieu s spot after the second baseman left the game with a groin cramp, hit a single and stole second base on the second pitch to Arenado. With Cain already behind 2-0 in the count, Bochy signaled for the intentional walk. Reynolds was 8 for 34 with two home runs against Cain, but most of those numbers came in a different time for both men. Cain was in the young prime of his career, and Reynolds was an oscillating fan in Arizona. Both home runs came in 2009. But Reynolds appeared to be sitting on a first-pitch curveball, and Cain threw one that loitered in the zone. The Giants made it 3-2 in the sixth when Posey walked, went first to third on Belt s single and scored on Crawford s sacrifice fly. Then it was time for both bullpens to buckle down and for the hitters to swing for the fences. Hernandez, who might be swinging the hottest bat on the team right now, made a 390-foot out when center fielder Charlie Blackmon had to sprint straight back to make a running catch near the wall in the 11th. Hernandez put a charge into another ball in his next at-bat. And then he got to slide across the plate, and let the birds begin their feast. San Jose Mercury News Ryder Jones seeks first big league hit, Giants seek a winning streak vs. Rockies Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO The Giants are turning an eye to the future and turning over their roster. Jae-gyun Hwang will be in uniform on Wednesday. Ryder Jones is in the lineup Tuesday, still seeking his first hit. (He s 0 for 10 but has struck out just once, so there s a good chance he picks up the milestone sooner rather than later.) From a team perspective, the Giants are seeking a second consecutive win something they haven t achieved since May 27-28. Matt Cain is on the mound, and while his rotation spot isn t a start-to-start proposition, at some point, the Giants are going to want to take a look at pitchers like Joan Gregorio and Tyler Beede. Regardless, everyone here wants Cain to succeed as he enters an uncertain winter. You want to tie a nice bow on all he achieved as a Giant. After a promising start to his season, Cain is 0-6 with a 7.32 ERA (29er, 35.2ip) in his last seven starts. He is looking for his first win since May 15.

San Jose Mercury News Giants to call up Jae-gyun Hwang; Korean star will debut at third base on Wednesday Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO Jae-Gyun Hwang is one of the most recognizable baseball stars in Korea, a six-time All-Star in the KBO with Lotte Giants and he brings new artistry to the act of flipping a bat after a home run. He ll be a San Francisco Giant in short order. The Giants are purchasing Hwang s contract and adding him to the active roster, sources confirmed. He was flying from El Paso, Texas, where Triple-A Sacramento was playing a series. The Giants expected to activate him prior to Wednesday s game and place Conor Gillaspie on the disabled list after his lower back flared up again. Hwang will start at third base for Wednesday afternoon s series finale against the Colorado Rockies, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. It will be the realization of a dream for Hwang, who turned down more lucrative offers to stay in Korea so that he could sign with the Giants and take a shot at reaching the major leagues. For that reason, Bochy said he was especially excited to welcome the power-hitting infielder. Oh, I am, Bochy said. This is one of the best parts of the game for a manager. It s when you can welcome and shake hands or even hug a guy who s worked hard for this opportunity. We ve had a couple (debuts) already, but for Jae, he s worked hard and given up a lot to pursue this. I ll be as happy as he is to see him here. The key date was July 1. That is when Hwang could opt out of his Triple-A contract, which he had expressed his intent to do. With KBO clubs continuing to keep in touch, there was little reason not to use the leverage available to him. Hwang, 29, is a third baseman who has played some first base and received limited exposure in left field. His power bat off the bench could be intriguing for a team that has a lack of right-handed reserve pop after designating Aaron Hill for assignment. There is no guarantee he will get an extended look. The club also has third baseman Ryder Jones, who was just called up on Friday and is still chasing his first big league hit. If the Giants were to option Hwang back to Sacramento, then his opt-out would be rendered moot. But Giants officials have indicated that they wouldn t do that to a player that is so respected and admired. For now, Hwang s debut is big news. The Giants were bracing for a contingent of international reporters, and the game will be broadcast live in Korea even though it will begin at 4:45 a.m. there. Hwang remains a huge celebrity in Korea. It was pretty incredible, said right-hander Kyle Crick, who played with Hwang at Sacramento before the Giants called him up June 20. We would go to Korean barbecue restaurants and walk in and people

there would know exactly who Jae was. They recognized him on the spot, almost like it was A-Rod walking in. They d set up a special VIP table for us. It was ridiculous. Hwang is hitting.287/.333/.476 for Sacramento, and he has acknowledged pressing early in the season while he was trying to showcase his power. He has seven home runs since hitting his first on May 13, and has shown greater patience at the plate in recent weeks. First impressions from spring counted for something, too. The players voted Hwang as the Barney Nugent Award winner, honoring the most impressive player who was appearing in his first major league camp. Not only did he perform well against big league pitchers in Arizona, but he showed the ability to laugh at himself when he arrived at the ballpark on St. Patrick s Day wearing a ridiculous amount of green. He was quite the personality in spring training, Hunter Pence said. He was a fun guy to be around. Anybody who takes that kind of risk to chase down his dream, it s inspiring. I look forward to seeing him come up here and join our team. I think we ll all welcome him. MLB.com Blach hopes to rediscover form vs. Rockies Jonathan Hawthorne Making his first career start at AT&T Park, Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (8-5, 3.70 ERA) takes the mound Wednesday looking to continue his success in June. He owns a 3.90 ERA in five starts this month. Freeland has taken down the Giants in both of his previous starts this season. He went a season-high seven innings against San Francisco in April, allowing six hits. On the flip side, Giants starter Ty Blach -- making his 13th start in place of Madison Bumgarner -- hopes to end June how it began. He tossed his first Major League shutout June 2. But Blach has struggled with a 9.28 ERA over his last four starts. Last time out, the Mets dispatched Blach after three innings when he allowed 11 hits and seven runs Things to know about this game Although he has struck out only 20 batters with fastballs over 15 starts, Freeland has retired 139 batters on balls in play against his four- and two-seamers, according to StatCast. That's the third-highest total for any pitcher this year, just behind teammate Antonio Senzatela (142). Freeland ranks second in total wins, first in road wins and third in road ERA (4.14) among rookies in the Majors. Wednesday will likely be Giants rookie Jae-Gyun Hwang's first taste of the Majors. The Seoul, South Korea, native hit.287 for Triple-A Sacramento with seven home runs, and the Giants plan to call him up and start him at third base in the series finale. MLB.com Span-tastic: Giants walk off in 14 th Alex Espinoza and Chris Haft

SAN FRANCISCO -- Though the clock at AT&T Park showed midnight as Monday night's game ended, it was anything but the witching hour for the San Francisco Giants. Denard Span's single to right field scored Gorkys Hernandez to break a 14th-inning tie Tuesday night and lift the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies. It marked the first time since May 27-28 that the Giants won back-to-back games. "We feel like we've got a lot more energy out there and in the clubhouse," said Giants starter Matt Cain, who surrendered Mark Reynolds' three-run, sixth-inning homer that accounted for Colorado's scoring. With the score even at 3, Hernandez lined a one-out double off the base of the left-field wall off Rockies right-hander Chad Qualls (1-1). "He broke my bat with a sinker, so I knew he'd throw me a slider," Hernandez said. Cory Gearrin (2-2), who worked three innings as the last of six Giants relievers, struck out. Up came Span, who spanked a 1-0 pitch to right field for his fifth career walk-off hit as the Giants improved to 7-3 in extra innings. Trailing, 3-1, the Giants inched into a tie on Brandon Crawford's sixth-inning sacrifice fly and pinch-hitter Kelby Tomlinson's eighth-inning RBI single. Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman gave his team some much-needed innings, going 6 2/3 while allowing two runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts. "For the most part I was able to locate everything," Hoffman said. With the loss, Colorado's losing streak now sits at a season-high seven games. In that span, the Rockies have seen a half-game lead over the Dodgers in the National League West transform into a 5 1/2-game deficit. "It's been a crazy seven days," Reynolds said. "It's been rough. It's baseball, man. Sometimes you get the breaks, sometimes you don't. It seemed like we were getting a bunch of breaks early and a couple of weeks ago; now everything seems to be going the other way." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Not to be overlooked: Gearrin provided long-lasting, effective relief for the Giants with his winning effort. However, he was essentially matched by Colorado left-hander Seth Rusin, who faced the minimum nine batters in his three-inning stint. Rusin bookended his outing with strikeouts in the ninth and 11th and coaxed a double-play grounder in the 10th that stopped a Giants rally before it started. Posey's pickoffs: Giants catcher Buster Posey threw out a pair of Rockies baserunners attempting to steal second base, thus denying Colorado potential offensive breakthroughs. "What a game he had back there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Significantly, both plays occurred in extra innings. Posey threw out Ian Desmond, who led off the 11th inning with a single, then erased Charlie Blackmon, who attempted his larceny with two outs in the 12th. "Both teams made some plays," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "It was a pretty clean game, which made the game the way it was."

QUOTABLE "Both teams, as the game went on, had some opportunities. In a game like this, where it was wellpitched on the front end by both starters, it usually comes down to the one big hit, or one big play at the end." -- Black, on his team's close loss WHAT'S NEXT Rockies: Colorado will wrap up its three-game set against the Giants by sending southpaw Kyle Freeland to the mound for Wednesday's 1:45 p.m. MT matinee. Freeland is in the midst of a stellar rookie campaign and is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA in a pair of starts against the Giants this season. Giants: In Wednesday's 12:45 p.m. PT series finale, left-hander Ty Blach will try to recapture the effectiveness he harnessed earlier this season, when he made six quality starts in a stretch of seven outings from April 30 to June 2. MLB.com Hitting aside, Gearrin delivers big for Giants Jonathan Hawthorne SAN FRANCISCO -- Cory Gearrin smiles about it now, but his second Major League at-bat didn't materialize quite as he would have liked. The reliever came to the plate with Gorkys Hernandez on second in the 14th inning of the Giants' 4-3 win Tuesday night. Gearrin swung through all three offerings from Chad Qualls. "I felt good going into that at-bat," Gearrin said. "It was fun, getting that opportunity. I've never faced a sinker like that. I feel like I missed it by a lot on all those swings. But coming away with that [win] made it a lot of fun." One batter later, Denard Span lifted the Giants past the Rockies with an RBI single, giving Gearrin his second win (2-2) of the season. The right hander entered in the 12th inning and delivered three innings of two-hit ball. Coincidently, Gearrin owns wins in the Giants' two longest games of the year. He tossed two innings when the Giants defeated the Reds in 17 innings last month. "We extended Gearrin a little further than he's accustomed to going," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "And we needed it. He became our long man once we reached extra innings. "What a beautiful job he did. He got in a couple of jams but made pitches and got a well-deserved win." With the outing, Gearrin lowered his ERA to a team-leading 1.98. Gearrin said he enjoyed pushing himself long past the ninth inning, as he did during San Francisco's other marathon game this season. His only other at-bat, which came in 2016, was a single. He'd happily trade a blemished batting average for a win, though. "I went out thinking, 'Go the other way with it.' I honestly haven't had an at-bat since the last at-bat," Gearrin said. "Not even like BP or anything. When I got up there, the adrenaline just kind of took over -- swing as hard as you can."

Gearrin said he could have pitched more if needed, but joked that Bochy likely wouldn't have allowed him to take another at-bat. "He's a pro," Bochy said. "He has experience. We really extended him today but he's had a good year for us." MLB.com Hwang headed to Majors to join Giants Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants will again tap their supply of Triple-A reinforcements when they officially purchase the contract of infielder Jae-Gyun Hwang on Wednesday. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Hwang likely will start at third base in Wednesday's series finale against Colorado, enabling the Korean to achieve his goal of playing in the Major Leagues. Hwang, who will earn the prorated portion of $1.5 million, will become the fifth player to make his big league debut with San Francisco after beginning the season with Sacramento. Infielders Christian Arroyo and Ryder Jones, outfielder Austin Slater and right-hander Kyle Crick are the others. Hwang, who has played first base and left field besides third base this year, recorded a.287/.333/.476 slash line with seven home runs and 44 RBIs in 88 games with Sacramento. News leaked of Hwang's impending promotion as it became apparent that third baseman Conor Gillaspie must return to the 10-day disabled list due to back spasms. A non-roster invitee to the Giants' Spring Training camp, Hwang quickly gained attention with his offensive prowess. The 29-year-old posted a slash line of.333/.353/.688 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 27 Cactus League games. This wasn't completely surprising, given Hwang's total of 53 homers during the previous two seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization. But Hwang wanted to experience the challenge of playing in the Major Leagues. So he signed a Minor League contract with the Giants in January and performed so well that he won the Barney Nugent Award, which is given annually to the top first-year player in camp. It's voted on by players, coaches, athletic trainers and Bochy. Hwang's earnest attitude was evident throughout Spring Training. "He's worked hard to make himself comfortable," Bochy said Tuesday. Bochy elaborated little, pointing out the roster move had not been finalized. Nevertheless, Bochy did add, "this is one of the best parts of the game for a manager -- shaking hands with and hugging a guy that's reached his dream and worked hard for. We've had a couple this year already.... I'll be happy as he is when I see him."

MLB.com Giants top Draft pick Ramos eager to advance Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Heliot Ramos, the Giants' first-round selection in the recent MLB Draft, toured AT&T Park on Tuesday. He expects to be back before too long. Ramos, touted as a five-tool talent, said he hopes to reach the Major Leagues in two or three years. "I think it's hard," said the 17-year-old Ramos, who's widely projected as a center fielder. "But that's my dream." Ramos, who signed for a bonus of approximately $3.1 million, said he will report to the Giants' Rookielevel Arizona League team Friday or Saturday to launch his professional career. There, he intends to play the brand of ball he believes will propel him from high school (Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) to the big leagues. "My game is hustle and aggressiveness," said the 6-foot-1, 188-pound Ramos, who was accompanied by his mother, Norma, and father, Agapito. Asked to name his favorite player, Ramos cited Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen. "He hustles and has fun. I like that," Ramos said. Ramos was taken for a spin through the Giants clubhouse, where he met previous first-round selections such as second baseman Joe Panik, right-hander Matt Cain and left-hander Madison Bumgarner. Back in the dugout, Ramos posed for photographs with Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who liked what he saw of the draftee on video. "You see how strong he is for his age," Bochy said. "He's got a good swing. It's short but powerful and he's a guy that can play anywhere in the outfield. "... He's got all the tools to be a Major League player. Any time you've got a young kid like this, the ceiling is so high on him. That excites you, too, because as long as he makes his progress with the tools that he has, he has a chance to be an impact type guy versus an average player. We see him as a guy that can make a huge impact." Bochy didn't say anything about Ramos' poise. But he displayed that quality during his question-andanswer session with reporters. "That is something new for me," Ramos said. "I thought I would be afraid. But it's not too bad." NBC Sports Bay Area Span Clinches Win For Giants And Gearrin, Who Had Walk-Off Dreams Of His Own Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO With the winning run on second and a bat in his hands, Cory Gearrin allowed himself to dream. He was a second baseman at Mercer University years ago and he entered the night with a 1.000 batting average in the big leagues. Why couldn t this be his night on the mound and at the plate?

Gearrin stopped on the way to the plate and told Buster Posey that he was going to walk it off. He dug in against right-hander Chad Qualls and waited for the first sinker. He swung over the top of it, but he felt it was a quality hack. And then he missed the next sinker, and then the next. I felt good going into that at-bat, Gearrin said. It was fun getting that opportunity. I ve never faced a sinker like that. I felt like I missed it by a lot. Gearrin can take solace in two facts. First, using his own sinker, he pitched three shutout innings, more than earning his keep, and he was a well-deserved winning pitcher in a 4-3 win over the Rockies that became official one minute after midnight. Second, perhaps he gave the next hitter, Denard Span, a better view of an opposing pitcher s repertoire. Yeah... he gave me a lot of information during that at-bat, Span said as he laughed. Okay, so maybe Gearrin s contributions were limited to the mound, but oh what a job he did against one of the best lineups in the National League. Span didn t glean anything from Gearrin s brief battle, but he didn t need to. He spat on a changeup and then ripped a sinker into right, allowing Gorkys Hernandez to race home for a 14th-inning victory. Span, who is open about his distrust of birds, had spent nearly two hours standing under a circling flock of seagulls. Between pitches, he often dropped his hands onto his knees, looking more eager than anyone for the night to end. Those birds were dropping stuff all around me, he said. I was like, you know what man, I don t got time for this. The single gave the Giants back-to-back wins for the first time since May 27-28. It validated so much good work, from the five relievers who got the ball to Gearrin, to the Brandons who turned a snazzy double play in the 11th, to Buster Posey, who twice threw out runners at second in extra innings. Gearrin shouted out the defense in his post game media session. It s not news to us that we ve got gold glovers all over the field, he said. The Giants trailed by a pair after Matt Cain hung a curveball to Mark Reynolds, but they chipped away. The Rockies were the jumpier team in extra innings, but every rally was cut down by stellar defense and quality pitches. Gearrin threw 34 of them. The veteran right-hander had never before recorded more than six outs in a big league game. He got nine outs Tuesday, giving Bochy one extension after another as he battled to make it through a game shorthanded. With Conor Gillaspie headed to the DL, the Giants had just three position players on the bench. That meant Ty Blach was used as a pinch-runner. Jeff Samardzija pinch-hit in the 11th. Bochy thought of using Matt Moore in the 14th when the pitcher s spot came up. Hunter Strickland was warming up to pitch the 15th, but I could have hit Moore I probably should have, Bochy said, smiling. But Cory is a pretty good athlete and had a pretty good average going into that at-bat. The numbers swayed me.

Gearrin got his first career at-bat last season and singled. He has not even taken batting practice since that day, but he was fired up when given the opportunity. He was still so fired up after the Giants chased Span into the outfield that he didn t mind the fact that his shiny 1.000 batting average has been cut in half. I got to use that line for a year, he said. But I ll gladly sacrifice the 1.000 average for a walk-off win. NBC Sports Bay Area Instant Analysis: Five Takeaways From Giants' 14-Inning Win Over Rockies Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO This, at long last, is a winning streak. A modest one, but still. Denard Span hit a walk-off single to right in the bottom of the 14th inning, giving the Giants a 4-3 win that became official one minute after midnight. The Giants have back-to-back wins for the first time since May 27-28. The Giants led early, fell behind on a three-run dinger, and then chipped away until the game went to extras. Buster Posey twice gunned runners down at second to help keep the score tied and the bullpen held tough, with Cory Gearrin throwing three scoreless innings. Gearrin had a chance to win it for himself in the 14th, but he struck out with Gorkys Hernandez on second. Span promptly singled. If you re just waking up for work, here are five things to know from a night when the seagulls outnumbered the humans --- Matt Cain needs an assist on the first run of the night. With Gorkys Hernandez on first, he got a sacrifice bunt down on a two-strike curveball that was headed for the dirt. Hernandez went to second and promptly scored on Denard Span s single to right. The curveball wasn t so kind in the sixth. With a runner on, the Giants intentionally walked lifelong nemesis Nolan Arenado to get to Mark Reynolds. Cain hung a curve and Reynolds crushed it to left for a three-run homer. --- The Giants got a run back in the sixth when Brandon Crawford s deep fly allowed Buster Posey to trot in from third. Crawford leads the majors with nine sacrifice flies. He also turned a ridiculous double play that can t adequately be described, except to say that he should expand his trophy case. --- Kelby Tomlinson came off the bench to tie it in the bottom of the eighth. His single to right brought Brandon Belt in from third. Tomlinson is 9 for 27 as a pinch-hitter this season. That ll keep you on the chartered jets. --- Sam Dyson, with a fastball that reached 97 and an infield defense that was just as firm, pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings in extras. What a find. --- With the go-ahead run on first and no outs in the 13th, Nolan Arenado put down a sacrifice bunt. That's one of the five best moments of the Giants' season.

NBC Sports Bay Area Top Pick Heliot Ramos Visits At&T Park, Will Start Giants Career This Weekend Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO As he was wrapping up the first press conference of his career, Heliot Ramos was asked when he expects to be back at AT&T Park as a player. The 17-year-old smiled and said he hopes to debut in three years. I know it s hard, but that s my dream, Ramos continued. I know I ve got to work hard for that. A half-dozen Giants officials stood a few feet away, smiling. Three years would be incredibly impressive. It took Christian Arroyo and Ryder Jones four years after being drafted out of high school to reach the big leagues. Buster Posey got a cup of coffee a year after he was drafted, but he was already 22 years old because he had played three years at Florida State. Ramos doesn t turn 18 until September. The Giants hope he is dominating A-ball in three years, and yet, he s the the kind of prospect that allows them to dream for so much more. If he grew up in Southern California (instead of Puerto Rico) we never would have had a shot at drafting him, one team official said Tuesday. Ramos certainly opened eyes in his second trip to AT&T Park, but then again, he put on a display the first time, too. The Giants brought him in for a pre-draft workout and someone pointed out to Ramos that the deepest part of the park was 421 feet. The right-handed hitter, making the transition to a wood bat, wasn t bothered by the dimensions. He took aim at Triples Alley and tried to blast one out, and he nearly did. Then he started pulling the ball, peppering the left field bleachers with homers and convincing the front office that he was the right pick at No. 19 in this month s draft. Ramos, described as a potential five-tool center fielder, said he enjoys hitting here. It s a park with a lot of history, and I like that, he said. The clock on his career starts this weekend. Ramos will travel back to Arizona and play in a rookie league game Friday or Saturday. It is always a slow progression for a high school draft pick, but the Giants believe Ramos is physically mature enough to jump right in with both feet. Ramos, who said his favorite player is Andrew McCutchen, is listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds and he carries it well. One member of the front office compared his body type to Yasiel Puig as a rookie; another called him a mini-cespedes. Bruce Bochy lit up when asked about the physicality of the organization s latest top pick. Any time you get a young kid like this, the ceiling is so high, he said. That excites you. Bochy spent some time with Ramos and his family after batting practice. As they posed for photos, the manager looked out at the field and then turned to a PR representative. Can he take BP? Put him in the last group, Bochy said, smiling. I ll put him in the lineup tomorrow. Ramos didn t end up taking swings, but if all goes according to his plan, it won t be long.

NBC Sports Bay Area Source: With Deadline Looming, Giants Calling Up Jae-Gyun Hwang Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO -- With a deadline looming, the Giants will take a look at yet another third baseman. Jae-gyun Hwang, a Korean infielder who was one of the surprises of camp, will join the team on Wednesday. Hwang has spent the entire season in Triple-A. He could have opted out of his contract on July 1 if he wasn't in the big leagues. Manager Bruce Bochy said he could not talk about Hwang much since the move -- placing Conor Gillaspie back on the disabled list -- is pending, but he also noted that Hwang is expected to start at third base on Wednesday against the Rockies. It'll be a huge moment for a 29-year-old who gave up a career as a superstar in the KBO to come and try to make it in Major League Baseball. "This is one of the best parts of the game for a manager, when you can welcome a guy and you shake hands or hug a guy who is realizing his dream," Bochy said. "Jae worked hard and gave up a lot to pursue this, so I'll be as happy as he is when I see this guy." In 68 games with Sacramento, Hwang was hitting.287/.333/.476 with 19 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 44 RBI. He primarily plays third, although he has played plenty of first base this season. The Giants tried Hwang at left early in the season but the experiment didn't take, and that was part of the reason why it was going to be hard to fit him on the roster. As late as Monday, sources said Hwang would not get a June call-up and the expectation was that he would take the opt-out. But then Gillaspie's back flared up again and a cortisone shot was needed. Hwang's time up here could be short. Eduardo Nuñez will be back Friday and the Giants will need to option either Hwang or Ryder Jones. By adding Hwang to the 40-man roster, the Giants gain the ability to option him back to the minors. Santa Rosa Press Democrat Denard Span gets RBI single in 14th, lifts Giants over Rockies 4-3 Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO Back-to-back wins over the slumping Colorado Rockies won't get the San Francisco Giants back into contention in the NL West. It did, however lighten the mood in manager Bruce Bochy's clubhouse, and that's a good thing considering how things have gone over the past month. Denard Span singled home Gorkys Hernandez with two outs in the 14th inning, lifting San Francisco over Colorado 4-3 on Tuesday night. "The fight's there," Bochy said. "It's nice to see them get rewarded for kind of fighting all the way through. That's the way it's got to be every game really, and it's been that way."

The Giants went cold after Kelby Tomlinson's tying single in the eighth inning before rallying to win off Chad Qualls (1-1) in a game that ended at 11:59 p.m. Hernandez lined a one-out double over the head of left fielder Ian Desmond. After Qualls struck out Gearrin, Span hit a 1-0 pitch into right field, and Hernandez scored easily with a head-first slide. The Giants raced out of the dugout and chased Span into the outfield, celebrating their second straight win over Colorado after nine consecutive losses to their NL West rival. "It feels pretty good, it's something we haven't done in a while," Span said. "I know (Qualls) always had a heavy sinker, so when he started me off with a changeup that kind of threw me off. But I knew eventually I'd get a fastball." Gearrin (2-2) pitched three scoreless innings to win after the Giants rallied from a 3-1 deficit. Span had three hits and two RBIs, and Hernandez and Brandon Belt each had two hits. Mark Reynolds hit his 19th home run for the Rockies. Colorado had runners on base in each of the final five innings, including three on second base, but failed to score. "It seemed like we were getting a bunch of breaks early and a couple of weeks ago," Reynolds said. "Now everything seems to be going the other way. We need to have a game where we hit good and pitch good at the same time." EXTRA-INNING SUCCESS As bad as the Giants have been this season, they've actually fared better than most when going past nine innings. They beat Cincinnati in 17 innings earlier this season and are 7-3 in extras this year. ADDING POWER The Rockies called up slugger Mike Tauchman from Triple-A Albuquerque before the game and plan to use the rookie in all three outfield positions. Tauchman hit 10 home runs and was tied for fifth in the Pacific Coast League with 55 RBIs. Right-hander Jairo Diaz, who was called up from the minors Monday, returned to Albuquerque to make room on the roster. TRAINER'S ROOM Rockies: 2B DJ LeMahieu was removed with a right groin cramp after pulling up while trying to leg out an infield hit in the fourth inning.... LHP Tyler Anderson will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Friday and be out at least 3-4 weeks.... OF David Dahl (ribs) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list, although manager Bud Black said he would be surprised if Dahl doesn't play this season.... OF Gerardo Parra (strained right quad) is moving better, but the Rockies medical staff is taking a cautious approach with his rehab. Giants: Bochy said the team plans to place IF Conor Gillaspie on the disabled list before Wednesday's game to make room for 3B Jae-gyun Hwang, who is being called up. Gillaspie has been out since May 11 with a back injury.