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SF Giants Press Clips

Sunday, May 7, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle

Giants get blown out by Reds - again

John Shea

CINCINNATI — Bruce Bochy is a cool cat, even after losses. But Saturday night’s humiliating 14-2

loss to the Reds wasn’t an aberration, and the Giants’ manager required extra willpower to

keep his cool.

It marked the third time in four games that one of Bochy’s starting pitchers surrendered at least

nine runs.

And the fifth time in 14 games that Bochy’s pitching staff yielded at least 10 runs.

The worst team in the National League is getting no better.

After the latest discombobulation, Bochy was asked whether he’d address his players or simply

own it and move on.

“I’m not going to go into what I’m going to do. I’m not,” Bochy said. “You know what, they’re

men out there. Everybody should be upset at what’s going on.”

The postgame session didn’t last long.

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“I don’t have anything else, guys,” Bochy said. “Uncle.”

Billy Hamilton haunted the Giants again, opening the game with a triple and adding a double

and single. He didn’t complete the cycle, but he did steal another base, his third in the series

and 19th on the season, and made a fabulous catch against the center-field wall to rob Eduardo

Nuñez.

The Reds hit three home runs, two off Blach and one off George Kontos, and former Giant

Adam Duval began the power surge with a first-inning blast.

“They’re hot,” catcher Buster Posey said. “It’s kind of opposite sides of the spectrum right

now.”

The golden days of solid starting pitching, a cornerstone of three World Series titles, are but a

memory. The rotation’s shortcomings have put extra pressure on the bullpen and the offense,

and the results have been blowouts.

Saturday, Ty Blach lasted just three innings and got roasted for 10 runs (eight earned) and 11

hits, the first Giants pitcher since Jamey Wright in 2006 to surrender 10 runs in a game.

In Friday’s 13-3 loss, Matt Cain went 31/3 innings and gave up nine runs on 10 hits and six

walks.

In Tuesday’s 12-4 loss at Dodger Stadium, Matt Moore gave up nine runs and issued five walks

in 31/3innings.

Where have you gone, Madison Bumgarner?

Posey, who was behind the plate the past two nights, refused to point fingers at the starters.

“They’ve been such horses for us for such a long time, but, like I always say, you can’t ever say

it’s the starting pitching or the bullpen when things aren’t going well,” Posey said. “We’re not

doing our job offensively as well.”

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True. While the Reds banged out 18 hits Saturday, the Giants had five. The Reds totaled 27 runs

and 34 hits the past two nights. The Giants: five and 12.

The Giants’ bullpen was forced to work 92/3 innings in the two games because the starters

lasted just 61/3.

Enough with the numbers. What are the Giants going to do about it?

“It’s a group of guys who have been around,” Posey said. “It’s going to have to be a collective

effort. That’s how we’ve won in the past, and that’s what we have to do to come out of this.”

It starts with the starters. Blach’s ERA ballooned from 2.55 to 5.66 Saturday. Friday, Cain’s

soared from 2.30 to 4.70. Moore’s is 6.75. Jeff Samarardzija’s is 5.03 — he was the lone starter

in the past four games to pitch well, beating the Dodgers on Wednesday.

The Giants’ rotation has the second-highest ERA in the majors. Curiously, only the Reds’ is

higher.

Now it’s Johnny Cueto’s turn. His ERA is 4.86. The Giants will enter the finale with a run

differential of minus-59, by far the worst in the majors.

“You know what?” Bochy said. “Scoring three and two runs, we gotta start doing a better job

here offensively. To get beat like this two games in a row, it shouldn’t happen.”

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San Francisco Chronicle

Prominent Red Sox fan William B. Gould IV urges action on slurs

John Shea

William B. Gould IV, Stanford Law School professor emeritus and former chairman of the

National Labor Relations Board, became a Red Sox fan in 1946 at age 10.

It was a year before Jackie Robinson arrived in the big leagues and 13 years before the Red Sox

became the last team to integrate.

Gould, 80, who is African American, stuck with his Red Sox during lousy times, including all the

lean years and all the problems related to discrimination, and reveled in their three

championships beginning in 2004.

Saddened when hearing about the Adam Jones incident at Fenway Park on Monday, Gould sent

a letter to Dave Dombrowski, president of the Red Sox, and cc’d Commissioner Rob Manfred,

saying the Red Sox and Major League Baseball “need to think seriously about more serious

sanctions for those who engage in racist misconduct at any ballpark.”

MLB would be wise to take the advice.

Gould wrote that he’s “concerned and angered by what happened” to Jones, the Orioles’

outfielder who said that a racial epithet was directed at him a handful of times and that a bag of

peanuts was thrown at him.

Gould cited a 2005 incident at Fenway in which beer was dumped on Gary Sheffield by a fan

who was banned by the Red Sox the rest of the season. That fan deserved a greater penalty,

and so would any fan directing racial slurs at players.

I asked Gould, who as the NLRB chairman played a big role in ending baseball’s 1994-95 player

strike, what type of sanctions he’d like to see.

“I would want all clubs to post a code of conduct stating that each requires a harassment-free

environment, meaning no racially abusive or profane language — they purport to do the latter

already — reserving to the club the right to pursue violators in both criminal or civil court.

“This should be set forth on the scoreboard and through loudspeaker announcements, as well

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as on the ticket stub itself — juxtaposed to the language which purports to address the clubs’

own liability.”

Gould reiterated his feelings Saturday at a sports law symposium at Stanford. He has written on

baseball’s race issues in the Boston Globe and was critical of the Red Sox in the 1980s for their

treatment of coach Tommy Harper, who had complained about discriminatory practices before

being fired. Gould threw out the first pitch at Fenway on Jackie Robinson Day in 2006.

The day after the Jones incident, another episode occurred that led to a permanent ban of a fan

who allegedly used a racial slur at Fenway. According to reports, a fan informed an usher that

another fan used a slur about a Kenyan woman who sang the national anthem.

Security was summoned, and action was taken. A step forward. Sam Kennedy, the Red Sox’s

president, said he thinks it’s the first time the team banned a fan for life.

Why no Braun: Now the world knows why the Giants weren’t giving up Christian Arroyo, who

has made a splash two weeks into his big-league career, for Ryan Braun.

If the Brewers offered to pay every penny of Braun’s contract in a deal for Arroyo straight up,

perhaps the Giants still would tell them to take a dip in Lake Michigan.

That says a lot considering the Giants’ Lake Michigan-size hole in left field, where, through

Friday, six players had combined to hit .173 with a .246 on-base percentage and one home run.

Braun’s numbers: .284, .370, 7.

Yes, the Giants spoke with the Brewers over the winter about Braun but never pulled the

trigger. Wonderful player, too many strikes against him. For instance:

His injuries (his latest is a right shoulder/arm ailment). His age (33). His contract ($76 million

due through 2020). His suspension (65 games for using PEDs). His character (took a hit when

blaming others during his drug investigation). His game (still good, but not as good as in his late

20s).

The Giants might have been open to Braun if he had just one strike. Maybe two. Not all of the

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above. The compilation made it easy to say no.

Nowadays, left field is one of the Giants’ many problems, and acquiring one player would

hardly make a difference. Until further notice, they appear to be a team that could be selling

rather than buying at the July 31 trade deadline.

Cubs’ year? The consensus in spring training was that the mighty Cubs would streak to the

finish line again, and that cackle you heard came from the Giants’ clubhouse.

With their every-other-year routine of winning championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014, the

Giants showed the difficulty of staying healthy, focused and competitive the year after playing

into deep October or even November.

The Cubs had a so-so 13-11 April after starting 25-6 last year. Not surprisingly, the starting

pitchers were slow to return to form after all those innings in 2016.

The rotation’s ERA through April was 4.28, a far cry from the previous April’s 2.33, and there’s

already talk the Cubs might pursue rotation help before the trade deadline.

The last team with consecutive World Series titles was the Yankees at the turn of the century,

and the last NL team was the Reds in the ’70s.

Dreamy: Imagine Eric Thames and Khris Davis in the same lineup. Entering Saturday, they had

combined for 21 home runs, more than the Giants’ entire team.

The A’s, in need of outfielders, had offseason interest in signing Thames, a Santa Clara native

and Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) graduate who had played three seasons in South Korea.

Thames signed with the Brewers for $16 million over three years on Nov. 29. The next day, the

A’s signed another lefty-hitting outfielder, Matt Joyce, for $11 million over two years.

Around the majors: Mark McGwire is no longer on the Hall of Fame ballot and said in 2012 he

wouldn’t vote for himself — “no, not by the guidelines they have now” — but he’s a new

member of the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame. McGwire and Tim McCarver were voted in online by

fans, Pepper Martin by what the team calls a “Red Ribbon” committee. … The Baseball Writers’

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Association of America voted in December to make all Hall of Fame voting results public, but

there’s a chance it won’t happen. All voting initiatives proposed by writers require approval

from the Hall’s board of directors, which will have its annual meeting in July. … Whether

the Derek Jeter group, Tom Glavine group or yet-to-be-named group buys the Marlins, the

transaction can’t be completed fast enough. Jeffrey Loria is bad for baseball, from helping to

ruin the Montreal Expos to bamboozling Florida taxpayers to fund his ballpark, and the game

will be better off once its worst owner leaves.

San Francisco Chronicle

Giants’ roster move: Ruggiano for Stubbs

John Shea

CINCINNATI — Here we go again. Another left-field experiment.

The struggling Giants purchased the contract of Justin Ruggiano from Triple-A Sacramento and

inserted him into Saturday night’s lineup against the Reds.

A day after they got pounded 13-3, the Giants added Ruggiano and designated Drew Stubbs for

assignment.

Ruggiano, 35, was hitting .259 (14-for-54) with five doubles and four RBIs in 15 games at

Sacramento. He has played 464 games in the big leagues, most recently with last year’s Mets.

He also played for the Rangers last year and went a combined 8-for-24 with two homers in nine

games.

Giants left fielders have hit one homer this season, and the team is desperate for production

there. Ruggiano has 51 career homers, one coming in August against Madison Bumgarner.

Stubbs was 2-for-22 (.091) in 10 games.

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Giants lineup: 2B Tomlinson, 1B Belt, RF Pence, C Posey, 3B Arroyo, LF Ruggiano, SS Nunez, CF

Hernandez, LH Blach.

Reds lineup: CF Hamilton, SS Cozart, 1B Votto, LF Duvall, 3B Suarez, 2B Peraa, RF Kivlehan, C

Mesoraco, LH Garrett.

San Jose Mercury News

Seeing Red: Ty Blach becomes first Giants pitcher in a decade to give up 10 runs

Andrew Baggarly

CINCINNATI – Let’s just hope Willie Mays didn’t waste his 86th birthday watching the Giants on

TV.

Bruce Bochy’s team has had a devil of a time carrying over momentum from its sprinkling of

encouraging wins this season. But the Giants sure can carry the stench of a bad loss into the

next day.

No aerosol could cover left-hander Ty Blach, who became the first Giants pitcher in more than a

decade to give up 10 runs in a start. His mates weren’t any more competitive in a 14-2 loss to

the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park Saturday night.

One day after the Giants allowed 13 runs and issued 12 walks in an unsightly loss, they cracked

another vanity mirror. An error from second baseman Kelby Tomlinson didn’t help as the Reds

teed off for 10 runs (eight earned) in Blach’s three innings.

The Reds’ 27 runs at Great American Ball Park represents the most the Giants have allowed in

consecutive games since a 2006 series at Coors Field.

“To get beat like this two days in a row, it shouldn’t happen,” said Bochy, in a terse postgame

meeting with reporters.

What now? Does it do any good to dress down a team that has already been exposed? Or do

you write out a lineup and hope the players correct course behind Johnny Cueto on Sunday?

“I’m not going to go into what I’m going to do — I’m not,” Bochy said. “They’re men out there.

Everybody should be upset at what’s going on.”

Combined with Matt Cain’s outing on Friday and Matt Moore’s rough one at Dodger Stadium

on Tuesday, the Giants have watched three starting pitchers give up at least nine runs –

something that had never happened in the span of one rotation turn in the Giants’ modern

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franchise history.

The Giants already began the day with the worst run differential in the major leagues. By the

end, it stood at minus-59. Even at an NL-worst 11-20, they are outperforming their Pythagorean

record.

The Giants are only a fifth of the way through the season. It will take several more fifths to get

through it.

“It’s going to be a collective effort,” said Buster Posey, who has endured some long innings in

the squat over the past week. “That’s how we’ve won in the past. That’s what we have to do to

come out of this.

“The effort is there. There’s no doubt about that. It hasn’t panned out to this point. You have to

keep showing up and putting your best foot forward and hopefully we catch a groove. We all

know baseball can be contagious.”

Bochy said last week that he felt the Giants rotation was turning a corner. Their path led them

down a dark alley. Their 5.03 rotation ERA is the second worst in the majors — better than only

the Reds, if you can believe it.

Not that the Giants offense has fattened up in two games against those Reds pitchers here. And

that’s the other part of the problem.

“These guys have been such horses for us for a long time,” said Posey, speaking about the

rotation. “But you can’t say it’s the starting pitching or the bullpen. We’re not doing our job

offensively as well. It’s a team effort all the way around.”

Cueto, because he cannot opt out of his contract now, will take the ball and hope to keep his

blistered finger from heating up in Sunday’s series finale. A shred of hope: Cueto’s 2.98 ERA in

99 career starts here is the best by any starting pitcher in the ballpark’s 15-year history.

Cueto is almost guaranteed to represent an improvement. Not only did the Reds score in each

of the first five innings Saturday, but they have scored in 13 of 16 innings in the series.

Some lemon juice on that cut: former Giant Adam Duvall hit an upper-deck shot off Blach in the

first inning, his ninth homer of the season. The Giants’ team leader, Brandon Belt, has four.

“When they don’t hit it hard, balls are going through or falling in,” Bochy said. “It’s a tough start

for Ty. He’s giving you all he can. He’s been throwing the ball well. Their team is doing good

things. The ball is bouncing their way.”

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Said Posey: “You can tell they’re playing with a lot of confidence. … It’s the opposite end of the

spectrum, really.”

Patrick Kivlehan and Eugenio Suarez also went deep, but leadoff man Billy Hamilton continued

to be the thorniest player in the Reds lineup. He opened the game with a triple, hit a two-run

double in the second inning and singled in the third. He also made a sprinting, leaping catch of

Eduardo Nuñez’s drive at the wall in the second inning to turn a bases-clearing hit into a

sacrifice fly.

Hamilton is more likely to straddle the Mendoza line than contend for a batting crown, but his

disruptive speed never slumps and he can change a game when he goes full gallop after a ball in

center field. Mentioned for convenience: he can become a free agent after the 2019 season.

Blach entered with a 2.55 ERA but threw fluff at the belt against a hot lineup in a hitter’s yard.

He became the first Giant since Jamey Wright in 2006 to give up 10 runs in a start, and the first

Giant to do so against the Reds since Slick Castleman gave up 15 in a start at Crosley Field in

1936.

“I just left some balls out over the middle of the plate,” Blach said. “You get behind and you

have to come in there. It’s just how the game goes sometimes.

“They’re really aggressive hitters and if you get behind, they’ll make you pay. They’ll try to

dictate things offensively. It comes down to making pitches, and I just didn’t do that tonight. … I

put the team in a bad spot.”

And to think, the Reds almost let the Giants back into the game. After taking a 2-0 lead, they

loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning on a pair of walks from Amir Garrett and a

fly ball that clanked off Kivlehan’s glove in right field for an error. But Hamilton minimized

Nuñez’s drive, and after Gorkys Hernandez hit an RBI double, he ran into an out on the bases to

minimize the inning.

The Reds immediately reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the second when Tomlinson booted

Jose Peraza’s grounder, Kivlehan singled and Hamilton slapped a two-run double.

Then the Reds batted around in a six-run third inning, and Bochy had to coax a tired bullpen

through five more meaningless innings.

There will be a lot more coaxing to come.

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San Jose Mercury News

Giants Notes

Andrew Baggarly

CINCINNATI – It is the first weekend in May, and Justin Ruggiano is the seventh different Giant

to start in left field this season.

That’s a pretty good indication that management’s plan for the position blew up. And maybe

two or three contingency plans, too.

None of that is Ruggiano’s business. He’s here to contribute as best he can, and after getting

five hits in his last nine at-bats for Triple-A Sacramento, he said he feels ready to make an

impact at the plate.

“You try to be a piece of the puzzle and contribute in any way I can contribute,” Ruggiano said.

“And if I’m not out there, it’s being a good teammate and have good energy. Just watching

these guys and how they work, I think things will turn around.”

The Giants began the spring with Jarrett Parker as the incumbent in left field, with Mac

Williamson as a fallback, and the hope was that competition would encourage one of the two

prospects to rise to the top.

Instead, Parker got off to a rough start and then fractured his collarbone. Williamson strained

the same quadriceps that he hurt last season, and has yet to show much consistency at the

plate.

Williamson is healthy now, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. But he’s simply not ready.

“He’s not quite there yet with the timing,” Bochy said. “He’s still trying to find his swing. He’s

been up and down with the bat. He’s been smothering some balls.”

In other words, he’s hitting grounders. Or, if you prefer: his launch angle is not conducive to

leveraging his above average exit velocity.

Williamson is hitting .244 with one home run in 47 at-bats. He has struck out 15 times and

drawn just two walks, which is unlike him.

Should the Giants have done more in the offseason? Maybe. But it’s not like Dexter Fowler,

Jose Bautista or Colby Rasmus are any great shakes this season. Yoenis Cespedes is hurt. Ian

Desmond just returned, and if he got $70 million from the Rockies, it would’ve taken a premium

above that to sign with the Giants (to offset the penalty of both their ballpark and the state

taxes).

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So … yes, it’s easy to say the Giants should have done more. They probably should have. But it’s

harder to point to actual boats that they missed this winter.

As for now …

“We’re hoping somebody steps up soon,” Bochy said. “Parker got a bad break before he could

get it going. It’s all about making adjustments. You get injuries, and you need production

somewhere. We hope to get it figured out soon.”

—

Bochy is giving a routine day off to Joe Panik, even though he probably doesn’t need it after

Thursday’s travel day. The Giants will see four right-handed starters on the remainder of the

road trip, and Bochy wanted to give a start to Kelby Tomlinson while putting another right-

handed bat in the lineup against Amir Garrett.

Sorry, St. John’s alumni. No Panik-Garrett matchup for you.

—

As MLB.com’s Chris Haft pointed out, today is the 10th anniversary of Tim Lincecum’s major

league debut. The Philadelphia Phillies roughed him up at AT&T Park.

It got better from there.

‘Timmy always has a place in all of our hearts,” Bochy said. “Not only because of the talent he

was, but the person he was. I still remember this 160-pound guy out there with that

unbelievable stuff. He earned that nickname, `The Freak.’ He was a freak of nature with the

unbelievable stuff he brought to the table.”

Lincecum hasn’t announced his retirement, and he continues to throw in the hopes of signing

with a team. It would be interesting to see if he might have something left as a reliever. Maybe

he didn’t have a Hall of Fame career, but there are many Hall of Famers who won’t ever be able

to match his accomplished legacy.

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MLB.com

Giants ‘should be upset’ by losses to Reds

Chris Haft

CINCINNATI -- Numerous Giants quickly showered, dressed and left Great American Ball Park's

visitors' clubhouse after Saturday night's 14-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Their haste was

understandable.

The Giants have no desire to linger at the site of such despair. Cincinnati has dominated the

Giants in every way possible, outscoring them, 27-5, outhitting them, 34-12, and scoring at least

one run in 13 of 16 offensive innings.

Full Game Coverage

"To get beat like this two games in a row," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, "that shouldn't

happen."

However, that kind of thing does happen to the National League's worst team. The Giants are 2-

3 on this three-city, nine-game trip, having allowed 13 or more runs in each defeat.

"Everybody should be upset about what's going on," Bochy said.

The clubhouse exodus certainly reflected an intent to leave the unfriendly premises. Next

comes trying to get it right in Sunday's series finale.

"The effort's there, there's no doubt about that," Giants catcher Buster Posey said. "You have

to keep showing up and put your best foot forward and hopefully something clicks and we all

catch a groove."

That didn't happen in this game.

"It was pretty much the same story as [Friday's 13-3 defeat]," Bochy said. "When [the Reds]

don't hit it hard, balls are going through or falling in."

Cincinnati manager Bryan Price acknowledged that his club is unusually fortunate.

"A lot of times, maybe three or four guys are going well and three or four are scuffling," he said.

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"Right now, most of the guys in the lineup, including the bench players, are swinging the bat. It

makes a difference."

Left-hander Ty Blach, who became the first Giants pitcher to allow at least 10 runs in a game

since Jamey Wright surrendered 10 to San Diego on May 1, 2006, said that concentrating on the

basic priorities of pitching will be his objective before he makes his next start.

"Just focus in on getting back to driving the ball down in the zone and being able to change

speeds," said Blach (0-2), who allowed 10 runs (eight earned) and 11 hits in three innings. His

ERA climbed from 2.55 to 5.66.

Right-hander George Kontos, who yielded two runs in his two-inning stint Saturday, cited the

time-honored strategy of pitching inside -- not with intent to hit a batter, but to back him off

the plate or give him a different look.

"When guys are comfortable like that and taking hacks like that, I think that's when you have to

do a better job of moving some feet," Kontos said. "I never want to say it's a bad thing to throw

too many strikes, but when guys are looking dead-red in the strike zone and putting good wood

on it, sometimes you have to throw the ball out of the strike zone on purpose. I don't think I did

a very good job of that today."

He wasn't alone.

MLB.com

Blach can’t stem tide as Giants fall in Cincy

Chris Haft and Andrew Call

CINCINNATI -- Performing as if Friday and Saturday weren't divided, the Reds dominated the

Giants for the second night in a row in a 14-2 shellacking at Great American Ball Park.

This game closely resembled Friday's series opener, a 13-3 Reds triumph. Billy Hamiltonagain

galvanized Cincinnati's offense Saturday, going 3-for-5 to finish a homer shy of the cycle while

scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs.

Full Game Coverage

• Cast your Esurance All-Star ballot for Hamilton and other #ASGWorthy players

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"A lot of times, maybe three or four guys are going well and three or four are scuffling," Reds

manager Bryan Price said. "Right now, Adam Duvall clobbered a first-inning homer off his

former teammates, and right fielder Patrick Kivlehan overcame a second-inning error by going

4-for-5 with a homer. The Reds, in last place in the National League's Central Division a week

ago, are now tied with the Chicago Cubs for first at 16-14.most of the guys in the lineup,

including the bench players, are swinging the bat. It makes a difference."

"We're just collectively, as a group, putting together good at-bats," said Duvall, who has nine

home runs this season. "We're hitting with runners in scoring position now, and that's a big key.

We know there's a lot of season left. We just need to continue to do the small things right."

The Reds scored in seven of eight innings Friday and in each of the first five this time. They also

tallied in Saturday's seventh inning, giving them runs in 13 of 16 offensive innings this series.

The offense provided Reds starter Amir Garrett (3-2) with an excess of support as he limited

the Giants to two runs and five hits in six innings. Robert Stephenson worked the final three

innings for his first career save.

"The big cushion helps a lot," Garrett said. "It takes a lot of stress off you."

Giants left-hander Ty Blach surrendered 10 runs (eight earned) and 11 hits in three innings as

his ERA ballooned from 2.55 to 5.66.

"I think they're really aggressive hitters," Blach said of the Reds. "If you get behind, they're

going to make you pay. They're not afraid to swing the bat. They're going to try to dictate things

offensively. It comes down to being able to make pitches, and I didn't do that tonight."

Blach became the first Giant to yield 10 or more runs in a game since Jamey Wright on May 1,

2008, against San Diego. The Giants are 2-3 on their three-city, nine-game trip, having allowed

13 or more runs in each defeat.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Proficient at the plate … : The Giants actually were one out away from escaping the second

inning with a 2-2 tie. But Hamilton, whose ability to produce runs isn't limited to scoring them,

doubled home Devin Mesoraco and Garrett with a two-out double. He was 3-for-4 with a pair

of RBIs in Friday night's win.

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... And in the field: San Francisco scored twice in the second inning but almost surely would

have amassed more were it not for Hamilton's leaping catch of Eduardo Nunez's drive to a step

or two in front of the left-center-field wall. The Giants, who had the bases loaded with nobody

out at the time, had to settle for a sacrifice fly on the play.

"He goes up against the wall, collides with the wall, and makes the catch right there," Price said.

"He gets us a big out in a situation where things were starting to unravel. It could have been a

big inning."

"That's probably clearing the bases," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, estimating the impact

of Hamilton's catch on San Francisco's offense.

• Bochy: Giants 'should be upset' by losses

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Hamilton's 10.58-second home-to-third on his first-inning triple was the fastest triple of the

2017 season and second-fastest of the Statcast™ era behind his own 10.45 on Aug. 13, 2016.

• Hamilton's speed on full display vs. Giants

WHAT'S NEXT

Giants: Hoping to avoid being swept in a three-game series at Cincinnati for the first time since

July 1-3, 2003, the Giants will send right-hander Johnny Cueto to the mound for the 1:10 p.m

PT Sunday finale. Cueto will try to ignore a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand

while pitching in his former home park.

Reds: Cincinnati will send right-hander Scott Feldman (1-3, 4.83 ERA) to the mound in Sunday's

4:10 p.m. ET series finale. Feldman surrendered 11 earned runs over nine innings in losses to

Milwaukee and Pittsburgh during his last two starts.

MLB.com

Cain reflects 10 year after Lincecum’s debut

Chris Haft

CINCINNATI -- Ten years after Tim Lincecum's Major League debut, Matt Cain still remembers

the hype that the game generated. Cain and everybody else quickly learned that the hype was

real.

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Lincecum's frame was diminutive, but everything he did on a pitcher's mound was big. He won

two National League Cy Young Awards, threw two no-hitters, led the league in strikeouts for

three years in row, played for all three of the franchise's recent World Series winners and made

four All-Star teams. More than anything else, he amazed and entertained legions of fans with

his ability to summon searing fastballs and breathtaking offspeed deliveries from his slight, yet

wiry build.

Full Game Coverage

As the first pitch for the May 6, 2007, Sunday night contest against the Philadelphia Phillies

approached, Cain, who was beginning his second full season with the Giants, recalled thinking,

"This is going to be fun to watch."

It certainly was. Lincecum allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings and yielded homers to Shane

Victorino and Ryan Howard. But he also struck out five, displaying the talent that would

distinguish him during most of his Giants tenure.

"He was maybe six feet tall and 170-something [pounds], throwing in the upper 90s with a

nasty breaker. His stuff was legit," Cain said Saturday.

Lincecum, who couldn't be reached, is said to be living in his hometown of Seattle, gearing up

for a comeback while adjusting to the hip surgery that limited him to 24 big league starts in

2015-16 with the Giants and Angels.

He remains a popular figure.

"He always has a place in all of our hearts, not just for the talent that he was but also the

person he was," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

Cain, who teamed with Lincecum to lead the Giants' resurgence following four consecutive

losing seasons (2005-08), recalled with reverence how his fellow right-hander motivated him

through friendly competition.

"I was constantly trying to chase him. I knew I wasn't going to catch him with strikeouts and

stuff like that," said Cain, the longest-tenured Giant. "If I can't catch you in strikeouts, I'm going

to beat you in innings and ERA. It was tough to keep up with him. But it was fun."

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MLB.com

Giants promote Ruggiano, DFA Stubbs

Chris Haft

CINCINNATI -- In their latest switch of outfield journeymen, the Giants selected the contract

of Justin Ruggiano from Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday and designated Drew Stubbs for

assignment.

Ruggiano, who has spent parts of eight seasons (2007-08, 2011-16) in the Majors with the Rays,

Marlins, Cubs, Mariners, Dodgers, Rangers and Mets, hit .259 with zero home runs and four

RBIs in 15 games for Sacramento.

Full Game Coverage

Ruggiano prompted his promotion with a hitting surge in his final two games for Sacramento,

going 5-for-9 against Fresno.

A non-roster invitee to Spring Training, Ruggiano was among the last players cut before the

Opening Day roster was set. San Francisco's initial choice for a part-time outfield spot was Chris

Marrero, who ultimately was designated for assignment and lost his role to Stubbs. In turn,

Stubbs was DFA'd and replaced on the active roster by Ruggiano, 35. Stubbs hit .091 (2-for-22)

in 10 games with San Francisco.

Ruggiano said he simply hopes to become "a piece of the puzzle. I believe, just from watching

these guys, that things will start turning around."

Immediately installed in the lineup Saturday, Ruggiano became the seventh player to start in

left field this season for San Francisco, joining Marrero (nine games), Jarrett

Parker (seven), Brandon Belt (seven), Eduardo Nunez (three), Gorkys Hernandez (two)

and Aaron Hill (two).

"I hope somebody steps up here soon," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

19

MLB.com

Cueto returns to Cincy in matchup vs. Feldman

Andrew Call

Johnny Cueto, a pitcher beloved by Reds fans and his former Cincinnati teammates, returns

Sunday hoping for more favorable results than he had during his last trip to Great American Ball

Park.

San Francisco's two-time All-Star right-hander will take the mound for the finale of a three-

game series against the Reds. Cueto (4-1, 4.86 ERA ) will be opposed by Reds right-hander Scott

Feldman (1-3, 4.83).

Full Game Coverage

Cincinnati will be looking to complete the sweep after a pair of routs to open the series.

"Johnny is one of those guys who truly enjoys the art of pitching, not just the competition," said

Bryan Price, pitching coach and manager during Cueto's eight seasons in Cincinnati. "He always

worked on every aspect of his game. That's what has led him to the type of career he's had."

Cueto was traded to Kansas City in 2015. He returned to Cincinnati with the Giants on May 2,

2016, and gave up six runs in the third inning, including a Joey Votto home run. Cueto left after

five innings with his club trailing, 6-3, but San Francisco rallied against the Cincinnati bullpen

and eventually won, 9-6.

Cueto has been one of the few bright spots for the struggling Giants. San Francisco is 5-1 in his

six starts and Cueto has worked seven innings in three of those starts.

"He can distract you with his throwing motion, but he can also throw any pitch with great

location," Reds outfielder Adam Duvall said.

Feldman, Cincinnati's Opening Day starter, is coming off consecutive poor starts. He

surrendered 11 earned runs over nine innings during losses to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.

Things to know about this game

• The Giants have scored 29 runs in Cueto's six starts. That is more than double the total for any

20

other San Francisco starter, as Matt Moore (14) is second.

• Scooter Gennett is the only Reds player with more than three career plate appearances

against Cueto, going 2-for-11 (.182).

• Hunter Pence is 5-for-14 (.357) against Feldman, with three doubles and five runs scored.

Yahoospots.com

The Giants can turn their season around starting right now

Liz Roscher

The San Francisco Giants have started their season off miserably. They’re 11-18 overall after

going 9-17 in April. Their bullpen has given them headaches, their starting pitching has had

some issues (like Madison Bumgarner’s ill-fated dirt bike ride), and their offense has been

struggling. They’re last place in the NL West, which is not where they’re used to being.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

But all is not lost. Not only are there another five months left in the season, the next ten games

the Giants play could change the way their entire season looks. And you can watch the Giants

try to start their much-needed turnaround when they take on the Cincinnati Reds in Friday’s

Free MLB Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game for free on the Yahoo

Sports MLB page, on our Free Game of the Day tab or in this very post, beginning at 8:30 p.m.

ET. MLB’s local blackout rules apply.

In their next ten games, the Giants face just two teams: the Reds and the New York Mets. The

Reds are doing better than anyone could have hoped through their first month-plus: they’ve

got a 14-14 record, and they’re sitting in third place in the NL Central. The Mets are currently

12-15, and sitting in third place in the NL East. But both teams have key weaknesses that the

Giants can exploit.

Seven of the Giants’ next ten games are against the Reds, and that’s a huge advantage for the

Giants. Why? Because the Reds’ starting pitching is atrocious. Their starters have a combined

ERA of 5.72, which is by far the worst in the majors. Two of their starters, Bronson Arroyo and

Rookie Davis, have ERAs over 7.

So how in the world do the Reds have a .500 record? Their hitters and bullpen have been

picking up the slack. But just like all hot starts, that won’t last forever. Especially with the Reds’

bullpen usage: their ‘pen has thrown more innings than any other bullpen in the majors.

Cincinnati’s relievers have thrown 117.1 innings. Second place is the Milwaukee Brewers at

21

108.2. The Reds bullpen has thrown so many innings, and they’re going to get tired. The Giants

can absolutely take advantage of this.

The Mets started the season as a fearsome team, but injuries have turned them into a shadow

of what they once were. Their pitching staff is without ace Noah Syndergaard, who will be out

for months, and young Stephen Matz, who is also injured. And they’ve got Matt Harvey, who

hasn’t looked great, and Robert Gsellmen, who really hasn’t looked great. This is the time for

the Giants to feast upon Mets pitching.

The Giants need to do well during this 10-game stretch. If they go 7-3, they can make it back to

.500, and build up a little confidence. And that confidence will be vital. Because after they’re

done with these ten games against the Reds and Mets, things get a lot harder. They face their

bitter rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chicago Cubs, AKA the

defending World Series champs. If they can’t dig themselves out of this hole sooner rather than

later, the rest of the season becomes even more challenging.