Down on the Farm: 8/26/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats crushed the Reno Aces 17-1.

Wade Meckler CF- 3 for 6, 2B, SB(10).  BA= .277.

Grant McCray RF- 2 for 6, 2 2B.  BA= .253.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(15).  BA= .237.

Brett Wisely SS- 2 for 4, HR(6), BB.  BA= .238.

Marco Luciano LF- 2 for 5.  BA= .221.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 3 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .314.

Logan Porter DH- 2 for 4, HR(6), BB.  BA= .218.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.44.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.63.

Some improvement from Birdsong though 4 walks is way too much.  

AA:  Akron Rubber Ducks buried the Richmond Flying Squirrels 10-1.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(7).  BA= .225.

John Bertrand LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.93.

Chris Wright LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.19.

Bo had the Squirrels only 2 hits in the game.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds topped the Everett Aquasox 5-4.

Nate Furman DH- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .316.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 4, SB(55).  BA= .256.

Parks Harber LF- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .265.

Jean Carlos Sio 2B- 2 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .257.

Cesar Perdomo LHP- 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 7/0 GO/AO.  ERA= 4.13.

Perdomo bounces back from a disaster start with a dominant performance.  

A:  Visalia Rawhide defeated the San Jose Giants 5-3.

Daniel Rogers C- 1 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .278.

Ricardo Estrada LHP- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.18.

Game Wrap 8/26/2025: Giants 5 Cubs 2

The Giants began a homestand after winning a series against the team with the best record in MLB.....and didn't faceplant!  Home runs by Wilmer Flores and Matt Chapman led the lineup in backing up a Quality Start by Justin Verlander to take the first of a 3-game series against the Cubs.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 3 for 3, 2B, BB, R, RBI.  BA= .264.  Ramos reaches base 4 times including a 2-out, RBI double in the 5'th inning.  Every time I think he is hitting a wall, Ramos bounces back with a game like this.

Wilmer Flores DH- 1 for 3, HR(14), BB, 2 R, RBI.  BA= .245.  Flores opened the Giants scoring with a solo HR off former Giant Matt Boyd LHP who came in with an ERA of 2.61.

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 3, HR(17), BB, SB(9), R, 2 RBI.  BA= .228.  Chapman's hand did not seem to bother him as he muscled a HR out to L-CF in the 6'th inning for a couple of insurance runs.

Luis Matos RF- 1 for 3, 2B, R.  BA= .212.  Matos broke his string of 2-hit games but his leadoff double set up Ramos' RBI double in the 5'th inning. Stay hot!

Justin Verlander RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.55.  This was Verlander's 8'th Quality Start of the season.  I bet Verlander promised Buster he would deliver 29 starts, 146 IP and a 4.55 ERA and Buster said "deal!"  That's the pace Verlander is on.

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(12).  ERA= 3.57.  Walker looks like a different pitcher than the first half of the season.  Is he the presumptive Closer to start next season?

Carson Whisenhunt LHP tries to find traction on his MLB career tomorrow evening against Colin Rea RHP.

Down on the Farm: 8/24/2025

 AAA:  El Paso Chihuahuas chewed up the Sacramento River Cats 16-5.

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 6, 2 B.  BA= .271.

Jesus Rodriguez DH- 4 for 4, BB.  BA= .314.

Marco Luciano LF- 1 for 3, HR(21), 2 BB.  BA= .218.

Sam Huff C- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .261.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 2 for 5, HR(6).  BA= .301.

Osleivis Basabe SS- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .251.  

The 'Cats top two batters in the lineup reached base 7 times out of 10 PA's and did not score any runs(Meck had an RBI) because McCray and Eldridge both went 0 for 5 out of the 3 and 4 spots.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Chesapeake Baysox 5-1.

Bo Davidson CF- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(6).  BA- .215.

Diego Velasquez DH/2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .257.

Dayson Croes 2B- 3 for 4.  BA= .352.

Victor Bericoto 1B- 2 for 5, HR(11).  BA= .235.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .216.

Jack Choate LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.22.

Shane Rademacher RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 6.05.

Evan Gates RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.36.

Will Bednar RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.10.

Will Bednar has allowed just 1 run in 10 IP with 17 K's and 5 BB's in August so far.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops edged out the Eugene Emeralds 2-1.

Charlie McDaniel LHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.75.

Manuel Mercedes RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

DSL:  Giants Black outscored and outlasted the Angels 16-14(11 innings).

Ricardo Crespo RF(18 yo)- 1 for 4, 2 BB, HBP, SF.

Luis Frias CF(21 yo)- 2 for 3, 4 BB SB.

Albert Jimenez DH(18 yo)- 2 for 6, HR, BB.  

Dennys Riera 3B(20 yo)- 3 for 6, 3B, BB.

Rainel Duran RHP(21 yo)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  

Postseason pool play got messed up by the weather yesterday but the bottom line is despite this hard-fought win by Giants Black both Giants DSL affiliates were eliminated.

Game Wrap 8/24/2025: Giants 4 Brewers 3

Heliot Ramos' 2-run single in the top of the 9'th inning gave the Giants the lead and Ryan Walker came through with the Save.  Key Lines:

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 5, 2 RBI.  BA= .260.  Ramos had just a single out of 5 AB's but it was the the winning hit of the game and seemingly almost impossible conditions of checkerboard sunlight on the field from a partially open roof and Trevor Megill RHP throwing hundos.  

Willy Adames SS- 2 for 3, 2 BB, SB(7).  BA= .225.  Adames reached base 4 times but did no figure into the scoring.

Matt Chapman 3B- 1 for 4, 2B, R.  BA= .227.  Chapman's tailing double to R-CF started the winning rally and again, I don't know how the he and the Giants mounted that really with the patching sunlight covering the infield. At time I felt like the batters were guessing both pitch and location and hoping for the best although I am sure that was not the case.

Luis Matos RF/LF- 2 for 4, HR(7), 2 R, 2 RBI.  BA= .209.  Matos' HR gave the Giants an early 2-run lead in the 2'nd inning.  It came after a 2-out single by Wilmer Flores.  He also kept line moving in the winning 9'th inning rally and scored the winning run.  This was Matos' 4'th 2-hit game in a row with 5 of the 8 hits going for extra bases plus 2 walks.  Caution that we've seen Matos go on tears before. The key here is sustainability.

Robbie Ray LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 H, 4 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 2.93.  A ragged start for Ray but he battled through 5 innings and left his team a chance to win.

Joel Peguero RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Love those easy triple digits.  

Ryan Walker RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(11).  ERA= 3.63.  Maybe Walker's most impressive Save of the season.  If he keeps that up he could go into next season as the presumptive Closer.  Buster better have a back up plan though.

I am sure the Giants had a happy flight home and have tomorrow off and where have we heard that before?  Justin Verlander RHP starts the first game of series against the Cubs on Tuesday facing TBD.

Down on the Farm: 8/23/2025

 AAA:  Sacramento River Cats outlasted the El Paso Chihuahuas 5-4(11 innings).

Wade Meckler CF- 2 for 5, BB.  BA= .270.

Jesus Rodriguez C- 2 for 4.  BA= .273.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 5, 2B, BB.  BA= .239.

Thomas Gavello 3B- 1 for 3, HR(5), 2 BB.  BA= .296.

J. T. Brubaker RHP- 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 7/2 GO/AO.  ERA= 0.00.

Ryan Watson RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.46.

If the Giants have run out of arms, J. T. Brubaker is the kind of veteran pitcher who can eat innings over the final month which I am sure is why he was acquired.  He pitched 144 innings with a 4.69 ERA for the Pirates in 2022.  He missed the 2023 season due to elbow surgery shortly after a trade to the Yankees and re-emerged in the minors in 2024 as a reliever.  He recorded a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings for the MLB Yankees before they released him.  He's the type of pitcher Buster needed to acquire at least one more of last offseason.

AA:  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Chesapeake Baysox 4-2.

Bo Davidson CF- 2 for 5, 2 HR(5).  BA= .212.

Sabin Ceballos 3B- 2 for 3, HR(5), BB.  BA= .212.

Trystan Vrieling RHP- 3.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.27.

Ian Villers RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 5.47.

Marques Johnson RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.68.

Tyler Vogel RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Bo Davidson has shown flashes since his promotion to AA but overall has struggled to adjust as many do.  Hopefully this experience helps shorten the adjustment phase next season.  All 6 outs recorded by Marques Johnson were strikeouts.

A+:  Hillsboro Hops beat the Eugene Emeralds 6-2.

Jonah Cox CF- 2 for 5, SB(54).  BA= .255.

Jakob Christian RF- 1 for 2, HR(3).  BA= .256.

Luke Shliger C- 2 for 3, SF.  BA= .257.

Ryan Vanderhei RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.75.

A:  Fresno Grizzlies blanked the San Jose Giants 1-0.

Tyler Cohen CF- 3 for 4.  BA= .333.

Cam Maldonado RF- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB.  BA= .231.

Yunior Marte RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, 7/1 GO/AO.  ERA= 1.46.

Gerelmi Maldonado RHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.02.

DSL:  Pool Play

Giants Orange vs Miami cancelled.

Giants Black vs Angels suspended with Giants Black leading 10-3 in the 5'th inning.  

Not sure how all that is going to be resolved.

Game Wrap 8/23/2025: Giants 7 Brewers 1

For the first five innings it looked like another game of no run support for Logan Webb but then the Giants lineup erupted for 7 runs in two innings for an easy win.  Key Lines:

Dominic Smith 1B- 2 for 5, 2B, 2 R.  BA= .285.   I've said it before but I'll say it again:  Dom Smith is not the player I understood him to be from what I read about him when he played for the Mets.  What a smart,  professional hitter!  Watching him play is one of the few bright spots for the season for me.  If he sticks around next season what will his role be?  The one downside is defensive limitations.  He is quite good at 1B but can't really play anywhere else.

Casey Schmitt 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(9), BB, 2 R, 4 RBI.  BA= .249.  The hitting star of the game with help from Dom Smith.  Casey is batting just .200 over his last 7 games but 2 of his 5 hits were HR's and he drew 4 BB's and an HBP in 30 PA's.  He's batting .266/.347/.521 with 4 HR in the month of August.  He raised his walk rate from 3.5% to 8.4% since last season.  His overall batting line feels sustainable and seems like the in-house favorite to start next season as the Opening Day 2B.  Oh, and 3-run homers win ballgames!

Luis Matos LF- 2 for 4, BB, SB(4).  BA= .200.  Matos is 6 for 11 since his return from AAA.  Can he show enough ROS to lay claim to a role next season?

Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 5, RBI.  BA= .211.  A rare productive day at the plate for Bailey who continues to struggle with a bat in his hands.  The two hits today were just his 2'nd and 3'rd in his last 7 games.  Buster talked last offseason about respecting Bailey's defense but needing to get more offense out of the position.  You have to wonder if upgrading the bat at catcher is one of his upcoming priorities.  The problem is catcher is slim pickin's around the league. With the O's signing an 8 year contract with Sam Basallo C, could Adley Rutschman C be available?  He's having a down year at the plate, but still better than Bailey.

Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.13.  Webb threw 94 pitches in 6 innings and didn't have his characteristic GO/AO but still good enough for a Quality Start.  The lineup got him some run support just in time for the W.

Robbie Ray LHP tries for a series win against the team with the best record in MLB tomorrow against TBD.

Down on the Farm: 8/22/2025

AAA:  El Paso Chihuahua mauled the Sacramento River Cats 12-1.

NTSH.

AA:  Chesapeake Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-3.

Carter Howell RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .221.

Turner Hill LF- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .271.

Will Bednar RHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.23.

A+:  Eugene Emeralds crushed the Hillsboro Hops 12-3.

Jonah Cox CF- 1 for 3, BB, HBP, 2 SB(53).  BA= .253.

Charlie Szykowny 1B- 1 for 4, HR(19), BB.  BA= .264.

Parks Harber RF- 1 for 4, SF.  BA= .308.

Onil Perez C- 2 for 2, 3 BB.  BA= .304.

Damian Bravo LF- 1 for 3, BB, HBP.  BA= .316.

Zander Darby DH- 1 for 3, 2 BB.  BA= .152.

Quinn McDaniel 2B- 4 for 5, HR(9).  BA= .225.

Tyler Switalski LHP- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.69.

Darien Smith RHP- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.86.

Charlie Szykowny has hit 4 HR's in his last 5 games and 6 in the month of August.

A:  San Jose Giants shut out the Fresno Grizzlies 4-0.

Lorenzo Meola 2B- 2 for 4, HR(1), SB(2).  BA= .294.

Lisbel Diaz LF- 2 for 4, SB(22).  BA= .269.

Jose Astudillo RF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .393.

Jacob Bresnahan LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.69.

Melvin Pineda RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.79.

DSL Playoffs(round robin day 2): 

Giants Orange outscored the Marlins 6-5.

Anthony Marquez SS(18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB.

Franco Willias 1B(20 yo)- 2 for 3, BB. 

Brayan Cabello RHP(19 yo)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

Giants Orange is 1-1 after 2 days of the 3-day round robin play-in tournament.

Athletics edged out Giants Black 2-1.

Alessandro Duran 1B/C(20 yo)- 2 for 4.

Brayan Narvaez RHP(20 yo)- 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

Jose De La Rosa RHP(17 yo)- 2.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  

Giants Black is 1-1 after 2 days of the 3-day round robin play-in tournament.