Sacramento River Cats & SF Giants Press Clips Monday, August 21, 2017 Article Source Author Page Shaw s homer not enough in Sac s 2-1 loss River Cats Arnold-Gordon 1 Stratton gets nod in opener vs. Crew MLB.com McCalvy 1 Panik doing well in recovery from concussion MLB.com Hawthorne 2 Unhappy Buster Posey bashes Phillies closer after hit-by-pitch CSN Bay Area Staff 3 Giants Joe Panik ahead of Brandon Belt in concussion recoveries SF Gate Schulman 4 Giants eliminated in NL West with loss to Phillies, race is on to draft first Mercury News Baggarly 5
Shaw's homer not enough in Sac's 2-1 loss By Evan Arnold-Gordon / Sacramento River Cats West Sacramento, CA - The Sacramento River Cats (55-72) offense managed just three hits in their 2-1 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes (62-65) with Chris Shaw's home run the lone bright spot. After Albuquerque tagged Sacramento starter Roberto Gomez for a run in the first inning, Shaw stepped up in the second and launched a 400-foot solo home run to even things up. The big fly was Shaw's 16th of the season, which leads the club. The River Cats were shut out from there, however, managing just two other hits and leaving three men on base. Sacramento now owns a 19-21 record in one-run games. In game three tomorrow night, right-hander Jose Flores (1-3, 2.96) will be on the hill for Sacramento and Albuquerque will counter with left-hander Sam Howard (4-3, 3.80). First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on ESPN 1320. Postgame Notes Shaw: Left fielder Chris Shaw has hit six home runs in 17 August games 15 of his long balls this year have come off right-handed pitchers. Gomez: Right-hander Roberto Gomez made his 11th start today picked off his 7th base runner of the season which leads the team owns a 3.22 ERA (8 ER, 22.1IP) in his last four starts a in three games against the Isotopes (two starts), has a 1.98 ERA (3 ER, 13.2 IP) and 13 strikeouts. Gillaspie: First baseman Conor Gillaspie singled in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to eight games 13-for-32 (.406) over that span. Snelten: Left-hander D.J. Snelten has thrown eight scoreless innings in four appearances against Albuquerque after tossing 2.1 innings today his 1.96 ERA is the lowest among River Cats relievers. Rogers: Right-hander Tyler Rogers made his 50th appearance of the year which leads the PCL also has the fourth-lowest batting average against at.225 (56 hits, 249 at bats). Turn Two: The River Cats turned their league-leading 138th double play Jae-Gyun Hwang and Juniel Querecuto have both been involved in 56 double plays which leads the club. Stratton gets nod in opener vs. Crew By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com On paper, three games against the team with the National League's second-lowest winning percentage offers opportunity for the pennant-chasing Brewers. But no matter where the Giants have been in their competitive cycle, AT&T Park has proven tough on the visitors from Milwaukee. The Brewers have lost 35 of their 55 games in San Francisco since AT&T Park opened in 2000, including nine of the last 10 meetings, and Milwaukee's pitchers have a 4.67 ERA there in spite of the stadium's 1
reputation for stingy scoring. Zach Davies gets the start in Monday's series opener against the Giants' Chris Stratton. The Brewers come in hot, having won two of three games over the weekend against the Rockies. Davies, who leads the Brewers with 14 victories in part because he leads the National League with 6.64 runs of support per nine innings, has fared much better on the road this season (2.52 ERA in 71 1/3 innings) than at home (5.97 ERA in 72 1/3 innings). It might sound odd, but one reason may be timing. Davies, who relies on control, likes being able to clear his mind while the Brewers bat in the top of the first inning on the road. In his last start at home, Davies actually warmed up earlier to simulate that mental break. "I think it gives you time to relax and settle in instead of going out there a little bit more on adrenaline, a little bit more energetic," he said. "Kind of just brings you back down. At least for me, a guy who's a command guy and trying to spot it, that's the biggest thing." Things to know about this game Stratton has been filling in for injured Giants starter Johnny Cueto, who is scheduled to make a Triple- A rehab start Monday. In Stratton's last outing, he delivered San Francisco's fifth start this season with double-digit strikeouts. His curveball was particularly effective that day with a spin rate of 3,265 rpm, according to Statcast. Stratton's season average entering that game was 3,093 rpm. The Giants entered Sunday averaging 5.0 runs per game during the month of August. Ryan Braun is entering a favorable portion of the Brewers' schedule. He has a 1.014 OPS in 96 career plate appearances at AT&T Park and a 1.063 OPS in 117 plate appearances at the team's next stop, Dodger Stadium. Those are two of the five ballparks in which Braun has an OPS north of 1.000 in 10 or more games (also Citizens Bank Park, Target Field and Marlins Park). Panik doing well in recovery from concussion By Jonathan Hawthorne / MLB.com SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants second baseman Joe Panik said Sunday he's experienced headaches -- but not vision issues -- during his current stint on the seven-day concussion disabled list. It's a positive sign for Panik and the Giants; vision symptoms were part of his 2016 concussion. Panik has improved each day. He had a slight headache Friday but he felt fine Saturday and Sunday, when he returned to a few baseball activities -- 25 swings off a tee, 25 swings of soft toss and throws of 90 feet. He will repeat his Sunday regimen on Monday. "Getting on the field, that's the next step," Panik said. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Panik, so long as he continues moving forward without setbacks, should beat teammate Brandon Belt (concussion) back to the 25-man roster. 2
But Bochy doesn't expect Panik to return during the homestand: "I would be really, really surprised. I don't see that happening." Panik has figuratively passed Belt, who was struck on the head by a pitch earlier this month. "The best I can say to describe it is, he's doing OK," Bochy said of Belt. "We'll continue doing some cardio to the spot where he needs to stop. But he's not at stage where we can push it a little bit right now. There's still some symptoms there." Panik was hit near the temple while scoring during the Giants' game against the Nationals on Aug. 13. After a scheduled day off, his symptoms "progressively got worse." So he headed to the DL. Panik and Belt have encouraged each other through their August concussions. "It's staying positive," Panik said. "You're going to have your good days and bad days. Just hope that you wake up and you're feeling better than the day before." A day after Denard Span's inside-the-park home run, Bochy joked that Span wouldn't have been the only Giants player capable of scoring, given the carom. "Really, that ball, Pablo [Sandoval] probably would have had an inside-the-parker," Bochy said. "Pablo did say, if that would have been him, I would have had to take him out of the game." Unhappy Buster Posey bashes Phillies closer after hit-by-pitch By NBC Sports Bay Area In what was set up to be a pivotal matchup of the game turned into a heated exchange. Buster Posey stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday against Phillies closer Hector Neris. But Posey never got to swing the bat. On the first pitch, Neris drilled the Giants catcher in the ribs with a 95 MPH fastball. Posey whinced in pain and as he walked to first base, he appeared to ask Neris if the pitch was on purpose. After the game, Posey was asked about the kerfuffle. "I'm pretty certain he hit me on purpose. And it's just a shame because I wanted to compete that at-bat and he's got good stuff. But I guess he didn't feel like he couldn't get me out," Posey told reporters after the game. Posey was asked if he could think of any incidents in previous games against the Phillies that could have led to the hit-by-pitch. He said no and asked the reporters if they could think of anything. Posey's comments were brought to Neris after the game. 3
"It's stupid because nobody who watched that said, 'Oh he hit him on purpose in that situation,'" Neris told reporters, according to the Philly Inquirer. Posey and Neris have faced each other just one time in the past. In the ninth inning of the June 3 matchup in Philadelphia, Posey flew out to left field. Giants Joe Panik ahead of Brandon Belt in concussion recoveries By Henry Schulman In the race between the two right-side infielders to return from concussions, second baseman Joe Panik is many furlongs ahead of first baseman Brandon Belt. Panik ran sprints on the field and took 50 swings off a tee and soft-toss from a coach Sunday at AT&T Park. He said if he feels well enough Monday, he will take batting practice on the field. Belt remains tethered to the gym, just beginning to do as much cardio work he can tolerate. With Belt, the best way I can describe it is, he s doing OK, manager Bruce Bochy said. He s doing cardio up to the point he needs to stop. He s not at a stage where he can push it right now. Belt suffered his fourth concussion when he was hit in the head by an Anthony Banda curveball during an Aug. 4 game against the Diamondbacks at AT&T Park. Panik has been out since Aug. 13, when he tried to beat a throw home in the second game of a doubleheader at Washington and the ball struck him near the left temple before deflecting into the catcher s glove for an out. Panik is most encouraged that his vision is fine. That was the issue that derailed his 2016 season after then-tampa Bay pitcher Matt Moore hit him in the helmet in a June game at Tampa Bay. Panik did not regain normal vision until the offseason. I m not dealing with any balance issues, he said. I hope to pick up where I left off. Panik was just getting hot. He was 6-for-12 with a double and homer in Washington. Bochy does not expect to see Panik return before this homestand ends Wednesday. Panik expects to play sooner than later. For Belt, the question is: Can he return in 2017? He hopes to do so, telling teammates he wants to reach 20 homers for the first time. He has 18. Sandoval humor: Bochy said the way Giants center fielder Denard Span s inside-the-park homer Saturday caromed off the wall, then away from the outfielders after it was kicked, Pablo would have had an inside-the-park home run. If so, Pablo Sandoval told Bochy in the dugout, the manager would have had to take him out of the game. There has been a recent spike in inside-the-park homers. Span hit the 13th in the majors this season and the sixth in August, including one by the Cubs Javier Baez at AT&T on Aug. 7. 4
Giants eliminated in NL West with loss to Phillies, race is on to draft first By ANDREW BAGGARLY / Bay Area News Group SAN FRANCISCO The Giants were more or less finished in the NL West by early May, their flagging hopes in a sling along with Madison Bumgarner s throwing shoulder. They truly plummeted in the standings in June. When they were swept at Dodger Stadium at the end of July, they had fallen further out of first place than any time in the franchise s San Francisco era. They ve known their fate for months. It doesn t make the splat any less pleasant to witness. Hunter Strickland was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning, the Philadelphia Phillies collected five consecutive singles and the Giants were officially eliminated from the NL West with a 5-2 loss at AT&T Park on Sunday. Bumgarner held the Phillies to a run in six innings while throwing 111 pitches his heaviest workload in eight starts since returning from the separated shoulder he sustained in an April 20 dirt bike accident. Left fielder Jarrett Parker threw out a runner at the plate to coax Mark Melancon through a scoreless seventh inning. But the Giants could not survive a barrage of singles against Strickland, as they were eliminated while losing to the one team in the major leagues that has a worse winning percentage. The race to the bottom, then, is on: Three games separate the Giants (50-76) and Phillies (44-78) for the right to pick first in the draft next June. Not that the coaches or players are seeing it that way. You know, we ve talked about this as a group here: we re not in a good situation, but our job is to come out here and give it everything we have, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. I thought these games were good ballgames. Today s game, it was a tie game and it got away from us. You could feel the energy in the dugout. It hasn t been a good year for us. We know it. But still, our job is to come out here and beat the Phillies. The last thing we want to do is finish at the bottom, too. The NL West race has been long decided. The Giants are 39 games out with 36 to play, and while there is no underselling the disappointment at China Basin this season, their failures cannot fully explain the near-impossibility of getting eliminated on Aug. 20. The NL West-leading Dodgers have swung the pendulum so hard that the cabinet fell over. Consider that the second-place the Colorado Rockies lead the NL Wild Card picture and yet are 19 ½ games out of first. The Giants have six more games to serve as the Dodgers sparring partner. The series this weekend included an opponent nearer to their weight class. Yet despite a strong start from Bumgarner that also included an RBI single, they could only manage to split the series. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Pedro Florimon hit an RBI double, and the Giants were denied when they attempted to tie with some aggressiveness on the bases. 5
Buster Posey doubled and third base coach Phil Nevin sent him home on Brandon Crawford s single a dubious decision with no outs, but one that was understandable given that Florimon was making his first career start as a left fielder. Florimon made an accurate throw to the plate, though, and Nevin understood what his predecessors learned too well: best to hold Buster unless you re certain. But Posey tied it in the fourth when his single scored a speedier runner, Kelby Tomlinson, from second base. And they went ahead in the fifth when Ryder Jones doubled and Nevin gambled that Florimon couldn t burn him twice. Nevin sent Jones home on Bumgarner s two-out single, and this time Florimon s throw was off line as the Giants took a 2-1 lead. Bumgarner pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and although he held the Phillies to four hits while striking out seven, there was no justification to put additional timber on his shoulders. I think he s back to normal, Bochy said. He takes care of himself as well as any athlete I ve had as far as how he prepares, his work ethic in between starts. Really, I don t see anything different than what he was before the accident. He s good to go now. We pushed him a little bit today, but I didn t have any concerns with him. Melancon, who has yet to reclaim his closer role while pitching through elbow discomfort, needed a strong throw from Parker and a deft tag from Posey to avoid letting the tying run score in the seventh. It was Parker s fourth outfield assist, which leads the team even though he has started just 23 games all season. But then came those five hits in a row against Strickland, including a two-strike fastball that Florimon lined to right field for a tiebreaking, two-run single. The inning ended after right fielder Gorkys Hernandez picked up yet another single and threw out a runner at the plate. Posey spun around in apparent discomfort as he applied the tag but remained in the game. He would feel more pain, though, when Phillies reliever Hector Neris drilled him in the ribs with a pitch in the eighth. Posey walked onto the grass and appeared to have words with Neris, and it was understandable if he was just tired of getting pitched inside. Earlier in the game, Posey got brushed back by Phillies starter Ben Lively. And much earlier this season, an inside pitch off the helmet put him on the concussion list. Afterward, Posey broke from his usual diplomacy and accused Neris of throwing at him. I m pretty certain he hit me on purpose and it s just a shame, because I wanted to compete in that atbat, Posey said. I guess he didn t feel like he could get me out. Neris, who struck out Pablo Sandoval to strand the bases loaded in the eighth, said it would ve been stupid to enter the game only to hit a batter to move the tying run into scoring position. No chance, Neris said. I don t want to put a guy at third base. I m attacking the hitter because I want a double play. 6
Neris might have forgotten he entered with two outs. Regardless, he said he didn t respond when Posey asked if the pitch was intentional. No, no, I respect everybody, Neris said. I do my job there. I don t say anything to anybody. He said something but I didn t pay attention to that. I take my ball and go to the mound. The Giants had the tying runs on base in the ninth when Neris got Hunter Pence to hit into a forceout at the plate, then Denard Span struck out to end it. 7