sf giants press clips saturday, july 29, 2017 · 7/29/2017 · 1 sf giants press clips saturday,...
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SF Giants Press Clips
Saturday, July 29, 2017
San Francisco Chronicle
Dodgers blow past Moore, Giants bullpen to win
Henry Schulman
LOS ANGELES — The Giants’ season is so far gone, no game they play between now and
merciful Game 162 means anything for the team. But some of these players must know they
are being watched and judged by a front office that has to make some important decisions for
2018 and beyond.
Matt Moore needs to develop the consistency he has lacked all season and not commit the
mistakes he made in the seventh inning of Friday night’s 6-4 loss to the Dodgers.
Some of the relievers who are failing in big spots need to prove they belong on a winning team,
particularly Josh Osich and Steven Okert, who have squandered every chance to commandeer a
left-handed bullpen job.
Still, while evaluation will mean more than postgame handshakes over the final 58 games,
winning is still fun and still a goal, and the Giants lost one they easily could have taken against a
team that has 37 wins in its past 43 games.
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Moore was pitching a nice game and just inherited a 4-2 lead in the seventh when he opened
the bottom half by walking catcher Austin Barnes on four pitches, then allowing a one-out Joc
Pederson double that finished the left-hander.
George Kontos allowed both inherited runners to score to tie the game before Osich hung a
breaking pitch that Corey Seager sent out of the park for his second homer of the game, which
capped a four-run rally and broke a 4-4 tie.
Moore was still seething after the game for throwing four straight balls to Barnes the minute he
got a 4-2 lead.
“You don’t deserve anything good after something like that,” Moore said. “It was piss-poor.
You’ve got to make him earn his way on. The pitch to Joc, I’ve got to bear down. It can’t be in
the middle of the zone where he can handle it.”
Two-strike mistakes have factored into a lot of Giants losses. Kontos committed one with two
outs in the seventh and the Giants ahead 4-3. Chris Taylor ripped a hanging slider into left for
the tying double.
Wasted was one heck of a rally against 11-game winner Alex Wood that featured a tying single
by Jae-Gyun Hwang, who was recalled from the minors Friday on his 30th birthday, and
consecutive scoring doubles by Nick Hundley and Gorkys Hernandez that produced the two-run
lead.
Osich, once considered a potential closer, has not been able to stem his mistakes. Nor has
Okert, who is back in Triple-A but should return when rosters expand.
Good left-handed relief is expensive in trades and free agency. Manager Bruce Bochy still hopes
one of the two will stake a claim.
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“This is their time,” Bochy said. “They have some time in now. We need one of them to step up.
(Left-handed relievers) play such a critical part of the bullpen. Both have the equipment to do
it.”
The Dodgers have the equipment to win 110 regular-season games, and that might be selling
them short.
One of their investors, Magic Johnson, guaranteed a World Series title Friday. He might want to
seek the definitions of “hubris” and “overconfidence.” While he’s at it, he should Google “2001
Mariners,” the latest regular-season superteam to go home for the winter without a World
Series parade.
But the Dodgers’ talent is scary, for now and maybe for years beyond.
“They’re pretty good, aren’t they?” Bochy said when asked if this might be the best Dodgers
team he has seen during his decades playing and managing in the National League West.
“You look at the streak of wins they’ve put up, you have to say they’re one of the best teams in
recent history,” said Bochy, who is patient answering questions about the Dodgers’ greatness.
For now.
San Francisco Chronicle
Giants’ Cueto wants minor-league rehab start
Henry Schulman
LOS ANGELES - Johnny Cueto, saying his fingers feel fine, was to throw a bullpen session Friday,
the last time he will appear on a mound before Monday's nonwaiver trade deadline.
Before heading to the bullpen, Cueto insisted he wants to go to the minors for one rehab game
before the Giants activate him. Manager Bruce Bochy had suggested Cueto might return
without one, but now Bochy expects Cueto to get the rehab start Monday or Tuesday.
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"I went seven days without even picking up a baseball. Now it's more than 10 days since I
pitched," Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros. "I can't all of a sudden pick up a
baseball and step on a major-league mound and throw. I can't hurt myself, look bad and make
the team look bad.
"It's important I go down to the minors to make sure I'm ready."
An important personal subtext might be at play. Cueto's performance this year, reflected in a
4.59 ERA, has lessened his market value should he opt out of his contract and enter free agency
this winter.
A few good starts for Cueto in August would help everybody. He could restore his value in free
agency and the Giants might have a better shot to trade him to a contender for a prospect.
Monday's deadline would complicate but not rule out a deal. If the Giants found a taker in
August, Cueto probably would clear waivers. He has more than $80 million left in his contract
over the next four years if he does not opt out. Would a club really submit a blocking claim and
risk the Giants saying, "OK, he's yours?"
The Giants have said they would be interested in re-signing Cueto this winter if they trade him
and he elects free agency.
Hwang vs. Ryu: The Giants recalled third baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang, who will start all three
games of the series. Hwang returned on his 30th birthday and will get his wish to face
countryman Hyun-Jin Ryu on Sunday night.
Hwang's agent, Han Lee, said this will be a huge event in Korea, where the game will be
broadcast at 9 a.m. Monday.
"Even if it was 5 o'clock in the morning, people would watch," Lee said.
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Hwang said as far back as spring training he hoped to face Ryu. They are good friends, were
drafted in the same year and had a long history in the Korean major league, with Hwang going
17-for-45 against the left-hander.
Asked what advice he might give Giants teammates about facing Ryu, Hwang said through
interpreter Mark Kim, "Don't look at the face."
Hwang was deeply disappointed when the Giants optioned him a week ago just as his parents
were flying in from Korea to watch him play. While Hwang reported to Sacramento, his parents
toured San Francisco, visited family in Los Angeles and went to Las Vegas, which might not have
gone too well.
"My family is not known to be a good gambling family," Hwang said. "My dad already borrowed
$1,000 from me and I’m not sure I'll get it back."
San Francisco Chronicle
Giants activate Hwang; Belt scratched
Henry Schulman
LOS ANGELES - Johnny Cueto, saying his fingers feel fine, was to throw a bullpen session Friday,
the last time he will appear on a mound before Monday's nonwaiver trade deadline.
Before heading to the bullpen, Cueto insisted he wants to go to the minors for one rehab game
before the Giants activate him. Manager Bruce Bochy had suggested Cueto might return
without one, but now Bochy expects Cueto to get the rehab start Monday or Tuesday.
"I went seven days without even picking up a baseball. Now it's more than 10 days since I
pitched," Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros. "I can't all of a sudden pick up a
baseball and step on a major-league mound and throw. I can't hurt myself, look bad and make
the team look bad.
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"It's important I go down to the minors to make sure I'm ready."
An important personal subtext might be at play. Cueto's performance this year, reflected in a
4.59 ERA, has lessened his market value should he opt out of his contract and enter free agency
this winter.
A few good starts for Cueto in August would help everybody. He could restore his value in free
agency and the Giants might have a better shot to trade him to a contender for a prospect.
Monday's deadline would complicate but not rule out a deal. If the Giants found a taker in
August, Cueto probably would clear waivers. He has more than $80 million left in his contract
over the next four years if he does not opt out. Would a club really submit a blocking claim and
risk the Giants saying, "OK, he's yours?"
The Giants have said they would be interested in re-signing Cueto this winter if they trade him
and he elects free agency.
Hwang vs. Ryu: The Giants recalled third baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang, who will start all three
games of the series. Hwang returned on his 30th birthday and will get his wish to face
countryman Hyun-Jin Ryu on Sunday night.
Hwang's agent, Han Lee, said this will be a huge event in Korea, where the game will be
broadcast at 9 a.m. Monday.
"Even if it was 5 o'clock in the morning, people would watch," Lee said.
Hwang said as far back as spring training he hoped to face Ryu. They are good friends, were
drafted in the same year and had a long history in the Korean major league, with Hwang going
17-for-45 against the left-hander.
Asked what advice he might give Giants teammates about facing Ryu, Hwang said through
interpreter Mark Kim, "Don't look at the face."
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Hwang was deeply disappointed when the Giants optioned him a week ago just as his parents
were flying in from Korea to watch him play. While Hwang reported to Sacramento, his parents
toured San Francisco, visited family in Los Angeles and went to Las Vegas, which might not have
gone too well.
"My family is not known to be a good gambling family," Hwang said. "My dad already borrowed
$1,000 from me and I’m not sure I'll get it back."
San Francisco Chronicle
The day a future Hall of Famer held up the Giants
John Shea
They don’t do these things, but perhaps it would be fitting to depict Ivan Rodriquez holding up a
baseball on his Hall of Fame plaque.
One of the most recognizable images in Marlins’ history is Rodriguez screaming in joy while
clutching a ball — high in his open palm — showing the world he held onto it after getting
mowed down by the Giants’ J.T. Snow.
“One of the best in my career,” Rodriguez said in a Hall of Fame conference call advancing
Sunday’s induction in Cooperstown. “I made a lot of great plays, but I think that was the one
that comes first.”
It was the 2003 Division Series, and the Giants won 100 regular-season games after taking the
pennant a year earlier. Their playoff roster had a gaping hole, though. No speed off the bench
because they chose to keep 12 pitchers instead of Eric Young.
The Giants lost two of the first three in the best-of-five series, so they needed to win Game 4 to
stay alive. The Marlins broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth and took a 7-5 lead into the ninth. Snow
singled home Neifi Perez and was at second base with two outs, but was forced to run for
himself.
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Snow tried scoring on Jeffrey Hammonds’ single to left, and Jeff Conine threw a one-hopper to
the plate, a bit up the third-base line. Those were the days when home-plate collisions were
common, before the rule limiting them, and Snow’s mission was to take out Rodriguez and
prevent him from making a play.
Snow tried. But Rodriguez reached for the ball, lunged back toward Snow and applied a tag
using both hands. Snow drilled Rodriguez with his right shoulder, and the impact drove
Rodriguez back several feet and forced him into a backward summersault.
He never lost possession of the ball.
Snow was out. The series was over. The Giants wouldn’t return to the postseason until 2010, a
six-year void that was all about Barry Bonds’ chase of Hank Aaron’s home run record and
dealing with the aftermath.
As teammates began jumping on Rodriguez, the catcher was on his back hoisting the ball high in
his right hand. He wasn’t letting go. When he finally got up, he hoisted it some more.
“Jeff Conine threw a perfect throw to me, a little bit to the left, but he threw it on time so I
could be able to put myself in great position and keep good balance and keep the ball in my
hand,” Rodriguez said.
Was he hurt from the collision?
“To be honest with you, the collision at the plate didn’t hurt me much,” Rodriguez said. “What
hurt me most was all 24 teammates on top of me celebrating.”
The Marlins went on to win the National League Championship Series, taking advantage of the
gift of Steve Bartman, and whipped the Yankees in a six-game World Series.
It was suggested the Giants lost the series in Game 3, much like they lost 2002’s seven-game
World Series in Game 6. They had the lead in the 11th inning of Game 3, but Rodriguez hit a
two-run single to end the game. The Giants left 18 men on base and went 2-for-16 with runners
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in scoring position, and right fielder Jose Cruz Jr. dropped a routine fly to begin the winning
rally.
Once the Marlins beat the Giants, Rodriguez said, “We were never afraid of anybody.” It was his
only season as a Marlin.
A’s connection: The Nationals still don’t have a true closer despite the additions of former A’s
relievers Sean Doolittle and Madson and could add another arm or two before Monday’s trade
deadline. Not just a reliever, but perhaps a starter.
Doolittle had a shaky first save situation with the Nationals, putting two men on before retiring
the Angels’ Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. “I promise they won’t all be like that,” said Doolittle,
who pitched out of another jam in his next save chance.
The lefty issued walks in each of his first four appearances - after walking just two in 21 1/3
innings with Oakland -- including Wednesday when he coughed up three runs in a non-save
situation.
Still, the manner in which Doolittle pitched out of trouble, including aggressively going after
Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt, reminded manager Dusty Baker of one of his favorite Giants.
“I had a couple of those guys, namely Rod Beck. That’s how Rod Beck was,” Baker told
reporters. “This guy had guts, and that will take you a long ways.”
Madson has a 0.00 ERA through four outings, and Baker appreciates the two new relievers
came recommended by A’s manager Bob Melvin: “He said you’re getting two of his best citizens
and two of his best players. That’s a great compliment when you get that from your manager.”
If the Nationals can land one more late-game reliever, they’d be far better prepared for the
postseason.
Gone, gone, gone: It was a rough week for umpires, who ejected Adrian Beltre, Marcus
Stroman and Kris Bryant because fans come to see umpires, not players.
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When Gerry Davis ordered Texas’ Beltre to the on-deck circle mat and Beltre dragged the mat
to where he always stands before an at-bat, it was a perfect opportunity for the umpire to
smile and go with the flow of the moment, perhaps break the ice by walking to Beltre and
explaining how it works. It was a cute moment, and Davis ruined it. Beltre followed orders, after
all.
Umpire Will Little thumbed Toronto’s Marcus Stroman after a ball-four call on Oakland’s Bruce
Maxwell. Stroman expresed his frustration, and Little ripped off his mask baiting the pitcher to
go further, then quickly ejected him. As well as catcher Russell Martin.
The Cubs’ Kris Bryant was ejected for the first time in his career, courtesy of umpire Lance
Barksdale, who called strike three on a pitch several inches inside. Bryant, who doesn’t
generally challenge umpires, argued the call and turned to walk back to the dugout, and only
then did he get tossed.
The best solution isn’t robot umps. It’s improving the caliber of the current crop, not just by
reprimending them for being overly confrontational but for getting calls repeatedly wrong —
and sitting them sit out a while if they’re not producing.
As it is for players.
San Jose Mercury News
Seager homers twice, Giants bullpen implodes in loss to Dodgers
Andrew Baggarly
LOS ANGELES – Some goofy stuff had to happen for the Giants and Dodgers to be separated by
30-plus games in the standings in late July.
Here might be the goofiest part: the Giants, despite being on a 100-loss pace, are winning the
season series against the archrivals. They took six of the first 10 games, and they rallied against
All-Star Alex Wood to take a lead in the seventh inning of a tightly contested game at Dodger
Stadium Friday night.
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Watch these two teams play head to head, you begin to think, and the gap between them
doesn’t seem quite so profound.
Until … well, it does. The Dodgers roared back against the Giants’ ineffective bullpen in the
seventh to take a 6-4 victory. Corey Seager clocked his second home run of the game to snap a
tie and the chasm between the two teams in the NL West standings opened wider to 32 ½
games.
“I thought we played well. That’s the tough part,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We put
together a nice inning there (to go ahead in the seventh), and couldn’t hold them.”
“They’re pretty good, aren’t they?” Bochy added. “You’d have to put them up there with the
best teams in recent history.”
Their 45-13 record at home is fairly compelling, sure.
So much has gone wrong for the Giants this season, it’s easy to lose track of the fact that their
bullpen ERA is even higher than last year’s incendiary group that set a franchise record for
blown saves.
The bullpen had a rare lead to protect because Jae-gyun Hwang returned to the Giants roster
on his 30th birthday and hit a single that tied the game in the seventh . Then he raced home
from first base on Nick Hundley’s double, his hand finding the plate ahead of the tag. Gorkys
Hernandez followed with a double to the center field wall that gave the Giants a 4-2 lead.
Left-hander Matt Moore set aside a 5.82 ERA and delivered a start that was more in keeping
with last year’s second-half brilliance. But Moore also committed the double sin of issuing a
leadoff walk to Austin Barnes immediately after being handed the lead.
“You don’t deserve anything good after that,” said Moore, who appeared angrier than he has
after any loss this season. “Walking the leadoff hitter after you take the lead, that’s piss poor.
“It’s those moments when the game’s on the line, those are the pitches you remember the
most.”
Then Moore hung a curveball and Joc Pederson lined a one-out double so hard that second
baseman Joe Panik tried to jump for it and it still rolled to the wall. Barnes stopped at third base
and Bochy came to collect the baseball.
“Once he hung a breaking ball, we had a fresh ‘pen with a day off,” Bochy said. “We just
couldn’t get it done.”
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Bochy ignored pinch hitter Yasiel Puig’s reverse split (he has just a .231 slugging percentage
against left-handers) and brought in right-hander George Kontos. The move didn’t entirely
backfire, as Puig hit an RBI ground out.
But then Kontos fell into a familiar trap. He had Chris Taylor down 0-2 before the leadoff hitter
worked it full and then lined a tying double.
Bochy summoned left-hander Josh Osich to face Seager, as if any matchup against the Dodgers’
brilliant young shortstop can be massaged to a manager’s advantage. Seager’s shot was his
second of the game; he also took Moore deep in the first inning.
The Giants knew left-handed relief would be an issue the moment Will Smith came back from
the MRI chamber in spring training. They hoped either Osich or Steve Okert, now back in Triple-
A, could rise to the occasion. They have not.
“Well, they have some time in now,” Bochy said. “We need one of them to step up. They play
such a critical part in the bullpen. They have the equipment to do it. The last one for Osich was
rough, but he’s got enough time in to deal with that.
“He had a base open there. He just hung that second breaking ball.”
The Giants are drawing dead in 2017, as they say at the poker table, but perhaps there is some
value beyond personal pride at finding a way to capture the season series from the Dodgers.
The Giants must sell the idea that they can contend in 2018 not only to their fans but to
themselves. Maybe the pitch should be this: just because Dodgers are 30-plus games ahead of
them doesn’t mean they are 30-plus games better than them. The Giants don’t have to figure
out a way to compete better and win more games against their archrivals. They have to figure
out a way to compete better and win more games against everyone else.
It was a nice thought, anyway. Then Seager cracked his shot in the seventh, the crowd shrieked,
appearances matched the reality: this rivalry isn’t even close anymore.
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San Jose Mercury News
Johnny Cueto seeks a strong finish, wants to test blistered hand in minors
Andrew Baggarly
LOS ANGELES – Johnny Cueto tested his blistered hand with a hearty bullpen session on Friday
and said he feels much better, but the right-hander said he strongly prefers to pitch a minor
league rehab game before he attempts to return t the Giants rotation.
“I can’t hurt myself,” he said. “I can’t look bad and make the team look bad.”
Well, that’s noble. It’s also a bit late to worry about team aesthetics when the Giants are 40-63
and 30 ½ games out of first place as they begin a series with the NL West-bossing Dodgers on
Friday.
But Cueto is no dummy.
He has the ability to opt out of his contract and become a free agent after this season, and
despite his 4.59 ERA in 19 starts, he knows it might only take a string of four or five strong
outings in September to position himself to improve on the four years and $84 million he has
left on his current deal. (He actually has to be confident he can do better than four years and
$79 million, since he gets a $5 million buyout payment if he opts out.)
There’s no sense trying to limp through this ongoing blister issue. There’s certainly nothing at
stake for the team. There’s still something at stake for him.
Cueto is expected to pitch Monday or Tuesday, either for Triple-A Sacramento or Single-A San
Jose.
While Cueto is out, it’s expected that Matt Cain would continue to start for the Giants. Right-
hander Tyler Beede isn’t an option after he strained his groin and is on the disabled list for
Sacramento. Beede might not make it back in time to be a September call-up.
San Jose Mercury News
Giants scratch Brandon Belt from lineup, but it’s not trade related
Andrew Baggarly
LOS ANGELES – Giants first baseman Brandon Belt was scratched from Friday’s lineup, and no,
there wasn’t a Hug Watch.
Belt has a sore right wrist that he aggravated while diving for a ball on the last homestand,
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Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Belt couldn’t swing a bat in an indoor cage. So catcher Nick
Hundley replaced Belt in the lineup and Buster Posey moved to first base as the Giants begin
their three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Belt is not currently considered a candidate to go on the disabled list, Bochy said.
Hundley actually gives the Giants a right-handed bat that could be more useful this weekend, as
the Dodgers throw three left-handed starters. The Giants still have three other lefties in the
lineup against Alex Wood, who has been tough on everyone this season.
Whenever a player is scratched three days before the trade deadline, minds will wander. But
Belt’s name hasn’t been a hot one, probably because his salary will jump from $2.8 million this
year to $16 million in each of the next four seasons. And he plays a position where offense
suddenly seems infinitely available. (Justin Smoak, Logan Morrison, Matt Adams or Yonder
Alonso, anyone?)
If the Giants want to explore deals that might include Belt, there’s a better chance of that
happening in the winter. Then again, Belt’s partial no-trade clause – he may block deals to 10
teams of his choosing on an annual list he supplies – takes effect in November.
San Jose Mercury News
Update: Giants find a way to promote Jae-gyun Hwang for series at Dodger Stadium
Andrew Baggarly
UPDATE: Right-hander Chris Stratton is going on the DL with what Bruce Bochy described as a
right calf injury. Hwang will start all three games at Dodger Stadium and said he is very much
looking forward to facing his friend, Ryu. Asked for a tip he could offer his teammates from their
time facing each other in Korea, Hwang got in a good-natured dig: “Don’t look at the face.”
Hwang also said he was glad that his parents will get to see him play. They had to make
alternate sightseeing plans when he got sent down on Saturday, and went to Las Vegas. Hwang
said his father borrowed $1000 “and I’m not sure I’m going to get it back.”
ONE MORE UPDATE: Brandon Belt was scratched because of a sore wrist. More on that in
another post. The lineup has been revised below.
LOS ANGELES – The Giants had to find a loophole to get Jae-gyun Hwang back on the roster
Friday for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
They found a loophole.
Because the Giants had just optioned Hwang last Monday, he had to spend 10 days at Triple-A
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unless he returned to replace an injured player.
Hwang is here at Dodger Stadium, which means the club is expected to place another player on
the disabled list. Someone is about to find out that his back flared up on that long flight down
the California coast.
This is a big deal for Hwang. Many family members and friends traveled from Korea to be here
for the series at Dodger Stadium. It will be a highly anticipated event when he faces his good
pal, lefty Hyun-jin Ryu, on Sunday.
Oh, and today is also Hwang’s 30th birthday.
The Giants needed Hwang because they face three lefties in this series, and they simply do not
have any right-handed bats. Even with Hwang starting, the Giants have four lefty hitters (plus
Matt Moore) in the lineup against Alex Wood.
If you missed it, here’s a story with 31 ½ reasons why the Giants are 31 ½ games behind the
Dodgers in the NL West.
Yet they still lead the season series 6-4. Winning the head-to-head series (there’s nine games
left) might help them prove to themselves that they really can turn things around next year.
They don’t have to figure out how to beat the division’s best team. They just have to figure out
how to beat everyone else.
(Revised) lineup:
CF Span, 2B Panik, RF Pence, 1B Posey, SS Crawford, 3B Hwang, C Hundley, LF Gorkys, P Moore.
MLB.com
Giants can’t hold off Dodgers’ late rally
Chris Haft and Joshua Thornton
LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager's two homers and a four-run seventh inning propelled the
Dodgers past the Giants, 6-4, on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, as they won their sixth game
in a row to open up a 13-game lead in the National League West.
Seager clubbed a homer off Giants lefty Matt Moore in the first, but Brandon Crawford was
able to respond with a solo jack of his own in the next frame to tie it. The Giants were able to
get to Dodgers lefty Alex Wood, who allowed four runs on eight hits in seven innings, tossing 99
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pitches and getting the win thanks to Los Angeles' rally. San Francisco did most of its damage
against Wood in the seventh, racking up four hits and three runs to take a 4-2 lead to the
bottom of the inning.
Full Game Coverage
Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor were able to tie things up, with Puig notching a pinch-hit RBI
groundout and Taylor ripping an RBI double to left field, both off reliever George Kontos.
Seager broke the tie with his second homer of the night, taking Giants lefty Josh Osich deep to
right field for a two-run homer. Seager notched his second multi-homer game of the season
and sixth of his career.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Wild toss: A leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth to Austin Barnes ended up coming back to
haunt the Giants, after Moore misfired and catcher Nick Hundley had trouble corralling it.
Barnes hustled over to second, with Hundley trying to gun Barnes down, but to no avail as the
throw was off and Barnes turned a walk into basically a triple, running over to third. Wood
brought Barnes home with an RBI groundout one at-bat later.
Not out of it: The Dodgers have continued to get big contributions from Taylor, who has been
superb for the club in July, entering the game hitting .438. Taylor showed up again, smacking a
line drive for his RBI double in the seventh as Giants left fielder Gorkys Hernandez wasn't able
to make the grab.
WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: Ty Blach, who has excelled against the Dodgers, will start Saturday's 1:05 p.m. PT
rematch at Dodger Stadium. In four career appearances against Los Angeles, including three
starts, Blach is 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA and a .156 opponents' batting average.
Dodgers: Rich Hill will take the mound for Saturday's 1:05 p.m. PT start at Dodger Stadium. The
southpaw has put his blister issues behind him to go 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA in his last six starts.
MLB.com
Blach looks to extend roll against Dodgers
Joshua Thornton
The first-place Dodgers will look to continue to ride the arm of Rich Hill, who has been on a roll
in his last six starts, against the Giants on Saturday.
Hill (7-4, 3.48 ERA) has posted a 4-1 record with 52 strikeouts, a 1.93 ERA and eight walks
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allowed in his last six outings for Los Angeles. The southpaw has put aside the blister issues that
plagued him earlier in the season to regain his 2016 form. Since joining the Dodgers, Hill has
allowed four runs in 21 innings against the Giants.
Full Game Coverage
Lefty Ty Blach will step to the mound for the Giants, making his 17th start this year. Blach (6-6,
4.50 ERA) took the loss in his last start against the Padres on Sunday, allowing five runs on eight
hits, but he notched a career-high seven strikeouts and induced a career-high 15 fly balls.
Despite that rough outing, the Giants have won seven of Blach's last 12 starts.
Things to know about this game
• Blach has faced the Dodgers four times (three starts) in his career, owning a 2-1 record with a
1.17 ERA.
• Opponents have a miss rate of 42 percent on Hill's fastballs over the last 30 days, which ranks
first out of 161 qualified starting pitchers in baseball.
• Friday's game marked the first time there was a 30-game difference or larger between the
Giants and Dodgers entering a series. The last time these teams met with a 30-game difference
in the standings was Sept. 27, 1985, when the Dodgers were exactly 30 games ahead of the
Giants.
MLB.com
Cueto slated for Minor league rehab start
Chris Haft
LOS ANGELES -- Right-hander Johnny Cueto demonstrated his serious approach to pitching
Friday by insisting on making at least one Minor League injury rehabilitation start before he
returns to his place in the Giants' rotation.
Cueto, who hasn't appeared in a game since July 14 due to the blisters on his throwing hand
that have bothered him most of the season, will make his first and possibly only tuneup start
Monday or Tuesday, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Both Triple-A Sacramento and Class A
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Advanced San Jose are at home on those dates, so Cueto and the Giants have multiple options.
Full Game Coverage
Speaking through translator Erwin Higueros, Cueto said if the Giants didn't require him to make
a rehab start, he'd do it anyway, primarily to reassure himself that he has sufficiently recovered.
Cueto noted the possible consequences of not making a thorough recovery are manifold.
"I can hurt myself, look bad and make the team look bad," he said.
Hwang to see weekend action
Employing righty-against-lefty percentages, the Giants recalled Jae-Gyun Hwang from Triple-A
Sacramento in the hopes of strengthening their weekend matchups against the Dodgers.
Bochy said Hwang, a right-handed batter, will start all three games of this series against the
Dodgers and their trio of left-handed starters: Alex Wood, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Hwang
and Ryu faced each other in Korea and exchanged pleasantries Friday.
Sunday, of course, will be different. Hwang said through his interpreter that his teammates
advised him, "Don't look at the face."
During his first stint with the Giants, Hwang went 4-for-12 with a home run off lefties.
To get Hwang on the roster, the Giants' corresponding move had to involve placing an injured
player on the disabled list. Otherwise, Hwang, who was optioned to Sacramento on Monday,
would have to wait 10 days to be recalled.
So the Giants announced that right-hander Chris Stratton injured his right calf toward the end
of his four-inning save against Pittsburgh on Tuesday and placed him on the 10-day DL.
• First baseman Brandon Belt was scratched from the Giants' lineup Friday with a sore left
wrist, the same one that initially bothered him July 16 at San Diego. Buster Posey moved from
catcher to first base and Nick Hundley substituted behind the plate.
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NBCsports.com
‘Piss poor’ seventh inning haunts Giants at Dodger Stadium
Alex Pavlovic
LOS ANGELES — The Giants put together a long rally in the top of the seventh inning Friday,
scoring three runs to take a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Matt Moore walked the
leadoff hitter on four pitches.
“You don’t deserve anything really that good after something like that,” Moore said. “That’s
piss poor.”
Nothing good came after the walk, as Moore expected. That man, Austin Barnes, would come
around to score. Three more Dodgers would, too. It added up to a 6-4 win for the Dodgers. For
the best team in the National League, this was a familiar feeling. For the most disappointing
team in baseball, the same was true.
The Giants have played so well against the Dodgers this season, but in one inning at Chavez
Ravine, they fell apart. They looked exactly like the team that has bottomed out over the last
calendar year, and none of the pitchers who threw in the inning were spared.
Moore had a good night in general, and his second half is showing signs of promise. But he was
left angry with the result, and much of that anger was directed at himself. An hour after it
happened, Moore was still stewing over the four pitches to Barnes and the double he gave up
to Joc Pederson.
“You’ve got to make him earn his way on there,” Moore said of Barnes. “I’ve got to be better
than that in the seventh.”
Moore’s night ended when Yasiel Puig entered the on-deck circle. Puig hasn’t hit lefties this
year, but Bruce Bochy didn’t like the look of some pitches Moore had thrown in the inning, and
he was pulled after 96 pitches. George Kontos entered and got Puig, a righty-destroyer, to hit
an RBI grounder to short. Then he hung a 3-2 slider to Chris Taylor that was knocked into left
for a game-tying double.
“He’s been very good at times,” Bochy said of Kontos. “But the breaking ball that he’s left up,
that’s the one that’s hurting him.”
Josh Osich was called upon and put a curveball on a tee. Corey Seager blasted it and that was
that. The Giants sent Steven Okert down to the minors last weekend, leaving Osich as their lefty
in the ‘pen. Bochy reiterated that he needs more from the young pair. Neither has taken hold of
a long-term job since Will Smith went down to Tommy John surgery.
“It’s their time,” Bochy said. “We need one of them to step up.”
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Perhaps another reliever has. Kyle Crick struck out two in an impressive eighth, lowering his
ERA to 1.88. It was an inning with less at stake, and that’s been the norm for Crick. He has
pitched 12 times in the big leagues and 11 of the games have been losses. The lone win was a 9-
2 blowout.
The Giants have said they want to get Crick into higher-pressure spots. The inning before his on
Friday night might have accelerated that plan.
NBCsports.com
Instant Analysis
Alex Pavlovic
OS ANGELES — The Giants have just about nothing to brag about this season, but coming into
this weekend, they could at least hold onto the fact that they have played the Dodgers tougher
than anyone else in the National League. Or, at least they *had.*
Matt Moore and the bullpen gave up a two-run lead in the seventh and wasted good work from
the lineup in the top of the inning. The end came quickly. The Giants, who entered with a 6-4
record against the Dodgers, lost 6-4.
They are 32 1/2 games behind the Dodgers. That is not a misprint. Anyway, here are five things
to know from Chavez Ravine ...
--- Bruce Bochy made an interesting decision in the seventh with two in scoring position and
Matt Moore nearing 100 pitches. George Kontos entered to face Yasiel Puig, who has a .898
OPS against righties and .494 OPS against lefties. Did it work? Not really. Puig grounded out to
short, but a run scored. Chris Taylor then doubled to tie the game. Josh Osich entered and gave
up a two-run homer.
--- Early on, it was a shortstop show. Lefty hitters Corey Seager and Brandon Crawford traded
solo shots off southpaw starters. Crawford has seen a noticeable uptick at the plate since the
All-Star break.
--- Jae-Gyun Hwang celebrated his 30th birthday with an RBI single and mad dash home for a
run in the three-run seventh. He saved another run with a diving play at third.
--- Gorkys Hernandez drove an RBI double into center in the seventh to give the Giants a 4-2
lead. He is batting .326 over his past 32 games.
--- Kyle Crick has pitched in only one game the Giants have won (yes, we realize they don't win
often, but still). He blew through the Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth. It's probably about
time Crick gets a shot to protect a lead.
21
NBCsports.com
Giants’ top pitching prospect expected to miss rest of season
Alex Pavlovic
SAN FRANCISCO -- With a postseason spot long gone, the Giants hoped to take a look at some
of their top prospects in September. Another injury will likely keep that from being a reality for
the organization's top minor league pitcher.
Right-hander Tyler Beede is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a groin strain
while warming up for his last start, NBC Sports Bay Area has learned. Beede, a first-round pick
in 2014, will be sidelined at least four weeks, but he is headed to the club's facility in Scottsdale
to rehab and keep open the possibility of being ready at some point in September.
The more likely scenario is that Beede pitches in the Arizona Fall League after the season in
order to get more innings under his belt. After throwing 147 1/3 innings in Double-A last year,
he was at 109 innings in Triple-A at the time of his injury. Beede is viewed as a 2018 rotation
option, so the Giants will need him to get more work in before this year is over.
The timing is brutal, and not just because Beede was potentially a month away from a
September call-up. When he got hurt, Beede was coming off one of his best starts of his season
with the River Cats. He allowed just one unearned run in seven innings on July 19, striking out
five and walking one. Teammates raved about the stuff Beede showed that day, but he wasn't
able to build off the start. He got hurt while warming up in the bullpen for his following start.
The 24-year-old battled inconsistency at times in Sacramento, but of his final five starts with the
River Cats, three were of at least seven innings with two-or-fewer earned runs. He certainly
looked headed for a September call, and at times this year, he has been mentioned by team
officials as a potential starter down the stretch. Overall, Beede had a 4.79 ERA in 19 starts. His
final month was his best; he posted a 3.57 ERA in July.
It's been an odd season for the Giants in terms of developing prospects. Christian Arroyo likely
would have been called up after the Eduardo Nuñez trade, but he is also in Arizona, rehabbing
after hand surgery. Austin Slater seemed to win the left field job, but a groin injury has him out
for a couple of months and the Giants now want him to play winter ball to get extra at-bats.
Arroyo and Slater have not officially been ruled out for the rest of the season, but it'll be hard
for the Giants to get either player ready by the end of September.