SF Giants Press Clips Tuesday, April 25, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Christian Arroyo debuts in Giants’ win over Dodgers John Shea The baseball ricocheted off Matt Cain toward Christian Arroyo, the Giants’ hot prospect who nicely barehanded it and threw out Yasmani Grandal at first base. Arroyo wasn’t done. He went over to help up Cain, who appreciated the gesture and went on to pitch six magnificent innings. Cain was pulled because of right hamstring tightness just before the seventh, and the Giants’ bullpen preserved Monday night’s 2-1 victory over the Dodgers. “He picked me up big-time,” Cain said of Arroyo in both a figurative and literal sense. Arroyo’s take: “He ends up putting his arm up, and I’m like, ‘I guess I’ll help you up.’ He gives me a chest pump, and I was like, ‘Nice.’ I was kind of pumped up.” Welcome to the big leagues, kid. Creating extra buzz at the season’s first game between the rivals, Arroyo, 21, was called up from Triple-A Sacramento to make his major-league debut. Wearing No. 22 — Will Clark’s old number — he went 0-for-4 with three groundouts to second base and a strikeout, but made some nice defensive plays. One helped stall the Dodgers’ eighth-inning rally. Arroyo’s a shortstop by trade, but the Giants will rely on him at third base in a time of need. Their 6-13 start matched their worst in franchise history, and Arroyo was promoted to provide energy and a few hits. The energy was there. The hits will come. Actually, Arroyo did contribute to the Giants’ first run, his grounder to the right side in the second inning sending Brandon Crawford to third base. Crawford, who had doubled, scored on Joe Panik’s sacrifice fly. Hunter Pence, leading off in Bruce Bochy’s revamped lineup, singled home a run in the seventh.

“We’re sitting on the bench, and Arroyo’s going to go hit, and Buster (Posey) looks at me and says, ‘Goodness, he looks really young,” Cain said. “Both of us kind of chuckled about that. We had kind of the same scenario.” “Yeah,” Posey said, “Cainer and I had those baby faces, too. They’ve kind of come and gone a little bit. Gray hairs are starting to come in.” Arroyo’s biggest defensive play came in the eighth when he smothered Chris Taylor’s grounder that was heading to left field. Arroyo’s throw to second got a forceout, and Panik nearly turned a double play. The Dodgers scored on the play, but Derek Law struck out Andrew Toles and Posey threw out Taylor trying to steal. Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth for the save, the game ending when Posey caught Justin Turner loafing off second base. On a day Madison Bumgarner explained to reporters his dirt-bike accident that shelved him indefinitely and created a big hole in the rotation, Cain was dynamic on the mound. He surrendered two hits, struck out three and walked one. Cain required just 70 pitches to complete six innings but walked off the field with a trainer before he could throw a pitch in the seventh. Cain said he felt the hamstring — the same one that shelved him last year — on the final pitch of sixth. He tried to throw warm-ups before the seventh, but didn’t feel right. With Cain exiting when he did, the Giants’ hope is that he’ll make his next start. On the ricochet play, the ball off Grandal’s bat drilled Cain on his right foot. An X-ray was negative. Arroyo, who was “completely caught off guard” with the news of his promotion, said his mother, Kim Drummond, couldn’t stop crying. She and Arroyo’s father, Israel, are expected at Tuesday’s game. “It finally hit her after a couple of times I said, ‘I promise you, I’m not lying to you,’” Arroyo said of the conversation with his mother. “It’s kind of a big moment.” That he’s wearing 22 also is big. Arroyo wore it in Little League, high school and minor-league stops and actually asked Clark permission for the number, which he wore in spring training. “I know the history of Will wearing it,” Arroyo said. “I actually asked him if that number were available, if I could wear it. Obviously, there’s a bunch of fans who think that number should be retired, and reasonably so. Will Clark was an amazing player.” Clark was OK with it and sent a text to Arroyo before the season. “I told him there are a lot more hits in that number,” said Clark, who was at the game. Arroyo’s response: “I just told him I hope you didn’t take them all.” Arroyo hit .446 (29-for-65) with seven doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games for Sacramento. “If you’re going to be thrust into the big leagues,” Clark said, “might as well be a Giant-Dodger series.”

San Francisco Chronicle Giants’ Madison Bumgarner admits poor choice, owns mistake Ann Killion Madison Bumgarner, arm in a sling, looked at the mob waiting for him in the dugout. The left-hander who isn’t afraid of anything took a deep breath, waded in and faced the music. Speaking to the media for the first time since he injured his pitching shoulder in a dirt-bike accident Thursday, Bumgarner was contrite. He was, forgive the pun, bummed. He knows he screwed up. “I realize that’s definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made,” he said. It wasn’t. Of all the dark and strange things that have befallen Bay Area sports teams in recent weeks, this one was the direct result of a decision. Injuries, illnesses and fastballs to the head are largely beyond control. But Bumgarner’s predicament came because of a choice. A bad choice. “He’s remorseful,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Our focus is on getting him back and putting it behind us.” Bumgarner was nervous before he spoke. But for 15 minutes, he answered every question. He was forthright and honest, and that goes a long way toward forgiveness. Other athletes might — and many have — choose to lie about what happened. “That’s just not who I am,” Bumgarner said. “If you’re going to do stuff like that, you’ve got to be honest about it. “Obviously, that don’t make the fact of the matter any better. But that’s just not who I am. I didn’t see any reason to try to lie about it.” On an off day, Bumgarner and two family members rented dirt bikes and headed about an hour outside of Denver to an area with trails. He said he wasn’t trying to blow off steam after the lousy start to the season. He wasn’t racing or even going particularly fast. “I wish I had some kind of cool story for you, that it was some kind of crazy wreck,” he said. “But it really wasn’t anything spectacular. Just super unfortunate.” The group was almost back to the truck after a couple of hours, when Bumgarner laid down the bike. He doesn’t know exactly what happened, but he knew from the pain in his shoulder and ribs that he was hurt. “I had an idea something was wrong,” he said. “It certainly didn’t feel right.” On the way back to the hotel, with a family member driving, he called Giants trainer Dave Groeschner. Together, they went to the hospital, where Bumgarner was treated.

He was scheduled for another MRI exam Monday night, which Groeschner said would give the team a better idea about how severe the injury is and how long Bumgarner will be out. For now, the valuable left arm is stabilized in a sling. Bumgarner said he felt confident that there was no structural damage and didn’t think that he would need surgery. He believes he’ll be back this season. “It’s hard to put a timetable on it, but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn’t,” he said. Bumgarner can’t remember ever having an injury — even in high school — so this is new territory for him. He has seemed indestructible, the man who can swing an ax, ride a horse, rope a bull and win a World Series almost single-handedly. He also rides dirt bikes in the offseason. He knows his contract is full of restrictions about what activities he is allowed. “I think there’s quite a bit of stuff in there,” he said, “but that’s probably not the first time I’ve made a stupid decision.” He added that he didn’t think he previously had ridden during the season, given the limited opportunity. Will there be a punishment? Besides having to talk to the media? “He owned it,” Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said. “We have a lot of respect for how he’s handled everything over the years. I think as an organization, we move on.” Bochy also sounded forgiving. “This is a young guy — I get it,” Bochy said. “They still have to do some things they enjoy. There’s a fine line.” The Giants have one of the best pitchers in the game, still under a relatively bargain contract. It’s unlikely they’ll punish the man who helped them to three World Series rings. Whether or not it impacts his nextcontract remains to be seen. Bumgarner said his bosses have been supportive. “They honestly couldn’t have been nicer to me or more caring than they were,” he said. “I was expecting the worst and rightfully so.” Bumgarner spoke to his teammates over the weekend in Denver, owning his mistake. “I think it’s pretty clear I don’t want to be in this situation,” he said. “I don’t want to put those guys in this situation.” They still love him. In fact, being baseball players, they already can joke about it. On Monday, reliever Mark Melancon changed all the channels on the clubhouse televisions before Bumgarner came in.

What did he change them to? Dirt biking, of course. San Francisco Chronicle Drew Stubbs joins Giants, Chris Marrero let go, Aaron Hill to DL John Shea Oh, and the Giants called up Drew Stubbs, too. On a day in which Madison Bumgarner spoke publicly for the first time since his dirt-bike accident and Christian Arroyo made his major-league debut, the Giants made an under-the-radar move by promoting Stubbs from Triple-A Sacramento. “Good, gifted outfielder who can play anywhere in the outfield,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We signed him not to play in Sacramento. We needed him to come up here and help us, and we feel we need help right now.” Stubbs, 32, was released by the Twins in spring training and signed by the Giants on April 6. He was 10-for-39 (.256) with two homers in 10 games for Sacramento. Now in his ninth big-league season, Stubbs previously has played for the Reds, Indians, Rockies, Rangers, Braves and Orioles. He played center field Monday; Denard Span won’t play the field for two to four days because of a shoulder sprain but is available to pinch run. To make room for Arroyo and Stubbs, the Giants designated outfielder Chris Marreo for assignment and placed Aaron Hill, a career infielder who played outfield this month and strained his forearm playing long toss, on the DL. Marrero led the Giants in spring training home runs and made his first Opening Day roster, but he went 5-for-38 (.132). “I believe in myself. I’m confident I could come back,” said Marrero, adding he’d accept an assignment to Sacramento if he clears waivers. “I kind of lost the feel I had in the spring.” Arroyo, a shortstop by trade, will play third base until further notice. When Brandon Crawford begins his three-day bereavement leave this week, Eduardo Nuñez will play short, Bochy said. Nuñez played left field Monday San Francisco Chronicle Giants promote Christian Arroyo: ‘completely caught off guard’ John Shea Christian Arroyo, the Giants’ top prospect, is a big-leaguer. Believe it. His mother didn’t.

“She didn’t believe me,” Arroyo said in the Giants’ dugout a few hours before he was to make his major-league debut. “It took her a solid 5 minutes to believe me. “She kept saying, ‘You’re lying, you’re lying, you’re lying.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not.’ Eventually, she said, ‘Oh, that’s amazing’ and started crying. “And then (traveling secretary) Brett Alexander called her to get the arrangements her to fly out tomorrow. When she told me about that call about an hour and a half later, she was still crying. “I’m sure still she’s crying right now.” The struggling Giants added Arroyo, 21, to their roster early Monday and inserted him into the sixth spot in the lineup for the series opener against the Dodgers. Once the third baseman of the future, Arroyo suddenly is the third baseman of the present. He forced the issue by hitting .446 (29-for-65) with seven doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games for Triple-A Sacramento. The clincher came Sunday when Arroyo, the Giants’ top pick in the 2013 draft, went 4-for-6 with a walkoff hit in the 10th inning. “Certainly, with what he's done down in Sacramento, it certainly opened up a lot of eyes, and we have a need right now," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We're challenged offensively here a little bit. So we need another guy to help out. “The way he's swinging the bat certainly made us push this move probably a little sooner than we were thinking. When you struggle a little bit the way the team's been struggling, sometimes you try to shake things up, too.” The Giants also added outfielder Drew Stubbs. They cleared roster space by designating outfielder Chris Marrero for assignment and placing Aaron Hill on the 10-day disabled list with a right forearm strain. Arroyo’s mother, Kim Drummond, and father, Israel, will fly in for Tuesday’s game. “It finally hit her after a couple of times I said, ‘I promise you, I’m not lying to you,’ ” Arroyo said of the conversation with his mother. “It’s kind of a big moment.” And Christian’s reaction? “Yeah, I was completely caught off guard. I was asked to come in and do early work for our 7:30 game, and then the next I know I was in the manager’s (Dave Brundage) office and he’s telling me I’m going to play third base in San Francisco. It was a cool story, but I was completely caught off guard.” Arroyo was given jersey No. 22 and a locker between the two Brandons, Crawford and Belt. What better way to break into the big leagues than against the Dodgers?

“It’s kind of surreal at this moment,” Arroyo said. “Still just trying to take it all in. But at the same time, I know I’m up here to help the team win. So I’m going do the best I can do to help this team win and get this team rolling again.” San Francisco Chronicle Q&A: Madison Bumgarner on his dirt bike accident Ann Killion Giants ace Madison Bumgarner spoke about his accident and injury that happened last Thursday in Colorado, for the first time on Monday afternoon. He met with the media in the dugout at AT&T Park, with his left arm in a sling, and spoke for about 15 minutes, answering all questions. Here is a transcript of his remarks: On how he’s feeling: Little sore but each day’s been a little bit better. What happened?: When you ask that question I wish I had some kind of cool story for you, that it was some kind of crazy wreck. But it really wasn’t anything spectacular, just super unfortunate. On the circumstances: We were up in the mountains. About an hour outside Denver. On trails. Just me and two family members. ...We actually were on the way out. We were almost back to the truck... The bike wasn’t mine. Something we rented. I’ve drove similar bikes to that before. (It was a Honda). On whether he was racing: I was actually being pretty safe the whole time. It was just a freak deal. It happened right at the end (after a couple of hours). That’s really it. Like I said, I wish I had some kind of good story to tell everybody but I don’t....I really wasn’t going that fast. I’m not exactly sure what happened. On his feelings: It’s terrible. Obviously that was not my intention when I set out to enjoy the off day. I realize that’s definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made. It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys and try to help us win some games. It’s just very unfortunate. I’ve talked to a lot them. They know where I’m at and everybody’s been super supportive, too - the organization, the guys, everything. On how long he’ll be out: We don’t really know yet. We’re just trying to take it slow and see where we’re at. Hopefully it should (get a better indication after Monday night MRI). They’ve done a lot of different tests. I know for sure we did one (an MRI) in Denver. I think we’re going to do another one today. Everything’s just a little sore. Like I said each day’s been a little better and a little better. That’s a good sign it hasn’t regressed and gone the other way. I’m just going to do everything I can do to get back as quick as I can. It’s hard to put a timetable on it but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn’t (back this season). On if he feels confident there’s no structural damage: Yeah I do. Granted I’m not qualified to say that. I feel like I’d rather not be here right now but do whatever I can to get back out there.

On surgery: I don’t think so, that’s not my category. We’re working together to try to get better. On risky activity, and riding dirt bikes in the offseason: I have. I pretty much grew up doing that. It’s kind of just what I’ve done most of my life. Obviously it wasn’t the best decision to go Thursday. (Bumgarner added that he wears a helmet every time) On if he’s done it in-season before: I don’t think so. We don’t get a whole lot of opportunities obviously. On if he was trying to blow off steam: No. That was not my intentions at all. On returning to the hotel: Two family members were with me. We got back and called the trainers and went to the ER just to get everything checked out. Called (trainer Dave Groeschner) from the truck. On if he was shocked because he’s been so indestructible: Yeah, well, unfortunately not this time. I wish that was the case. On the restricted activity in his contract: Yeah, I think there’s quite a bit of stuff in there but that’s probably not the first time I’ve made a stupid decision. We are human. Honestly I think it’s pretty much anything non-baseball related in everyday life. But I don’t have it front of me, I couldn’t give you an exact description. On if he will face punishment: We haven’t talked about it. I haven’t been informed if there is. But like I said what I’m putting my focus on now is resting my body and rehabbing and making sure I can get back and help this team. On how much pain he was in: Not anything too serious but I had an idea something was wrong. It certainly didn’t feel quite right. (Shoulder) and the ribs. That was really the only two things. They gave me some pain meds to take if needed but I haven’t really felt I needed them so far. (He received X-rays on his ribs). On if he’s upset with himself: Oh yeah, for sure. Like I said, I knew something didn’t feel right. It’s just super unfortunate. That’s obviously not what I set out to but it is what it is. On if he will be more careful in the future: Yeah, I would say that’s a good assumption. On wearing a sling: Yeah, just so I don’t move it around and let it heal. On his relationship with the team: Boch came to see me. Then I talked to Bobby and Larry and they honestly couldn’t have been nicer to me or more caring than they were. I was expecting the worst and rightfully so. The team and the front office and everybody have been super encouraging. They’ve been really good to me throughout this process so far. On telling his teammates: I’ve talked to a lot of guys invididually or a group of a few guys together. I’ve been around. I’ve come to the games. I didn’t stay the whole time but I did come by each day.

On telling the truth rather than making up a story: That’s just not who I am. If you’re going to do stuff like that you’ve got to be honest about it. Obviously that don’t make the fact of the matter any better but that’s just not who I am. I didn’t see any reason to try to lie about it. On the need to apologize: I think it’s pretty clear I don’t want to be in this situation. Don’t want to put those guys in this situation. This organization, the fans, the city. I’ve talked to most everybody. Everyone has been really supportive. That part of it has been really good. On if it’s hard to be at ballpark: Yes, for sure. It’s what I love to do, what I get paid to do. When you got to come here and you can’t be out there doing what you love to do it’s a tough thing. Like I said, I got to focus all that injury on rehab and getting back on there. San Jose Mercury News Giants elevate Arroyo, get a badly needed win over Dodgers behind another Cain gem Carl Steward SAN FRANCISCO — If desperate times call for desperate measures, the Giants showed just how desperate they were Monday with a significant team shakeup a mere 19 games into the season. Trying to conjure a reversal to the all-around funk that had them skidding back to AT&T Park with a 6-13 record, the Giants called up top hitting prospect Christian Arroyo and recently signed outfielder Drew Stubbs and promptly installed them into their wholly anemic lineup. At least for a day, things did turn around just enough, and perhaps it’s the start of something. The Giants rode Matt Cain for six shutout innings before he was beset by hamstring tightness en route to a 2-1 victory over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. There wasn’t much hitting, but the defense shone, particularly when catcher Buster Posey gunned out Justin Turner straying a bit too far off second base to end the game. . It was hard to discern how all the changes impacted the result, but after a much-needed victory, too much intensive examination may not be that necessary. “I don’t think you can underscore it, we definitely needed it,” said Posey. They may have needed the call-up of the 21-year-old Arroyo from Triple-A Sacramento, too. It was the most stunning move in a day of changes, even if the Giants’ hitting phenom was tearing up Pacific Coast League pitching to the tune of a .446 batting average. Arroyo was also leading the PCL with 29 hits, while his .478 on-base percentage ranked third. Did Arroyo force the issue or did the Giants simply need somebody — anybody — who could hit? Bochy said it was a little bit of both. “Certainly what he’s done down in Sacramento opened up a lot of eyes, and we have a need right now,” Bochy said. “We’re challenged here offensively a little bit. The way he’s swinging the bat, we’ve probably made this move a little sooner than we were thinking about. But when you’ve been struggling the way we’ve been struggling, you look for ways to shake things up, too.”

Arroyo went 0 for 4 in his debut — three ground outs to second base and strikeout against new Dodgers reliever Sergio Romo in his AT&T homecoming — but he was involved in the Giants’ first scoring rally in the second inning. After Brandon Crawford’s leadoff double, the stocky right-handed hitter hit a ground-out dribbler up the middle of the infield that moved Crawford to third, and Crawford subsequently scored on Joe Panik’s sacrifice fly to center field. But even if Arroyo didn’t hit the ball out of the infield, he made a difference. He made two sparking defensive plays, playing a carom off Cain’s foot in the fourth and then stopping pinch-hitter Chris Taylor’s shot down the line in the eighth and the Dodgers threatening. There seemed to be a different energy in the clubhouse and the ballpark with his very presence. In short, he represents fresh blood and renewed hope. Cain admitted that he and Posey shared a moment just marveling at how boyish Arroyo looked. He knows all about it, having made his debut at 20. Arroyo arrived with a wide smile on his face and received hugs around from veteran Giants who knew he would one day be joining them. He was as surprised as anyone by his whirlwind day. He was gearing up for a 7 p.m. game in Sacramento when he got tapped for a promotion at about 1:30 p.m. He was in San Francisco by 3:30. He said he wasn’t nervous but just a bit anxious. While he didn’t get a hit, he was happy he was able to move Crawford over in the first rally. Asked what he’d remember 20 years from now about his debut, he said, “Probably just getting a win.” To make room for Arroyo and Stubbs, the Giants designated outfielder Chris Marrero for assignment and placed Aaron Hill on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. Stubbs, 32, has played all three outfield positions in his journeyman career, which began with Cincinnati. He has also played for Cleveland, Colorado, Texas, Atlanta and Baltimore. He has a career .244 average with 92 home runs. Marrero, who led the Giants with eight home runs in spring training, hit just .132 with one home run since the season began. He said he would report to Sacramento if he cleared waivers and work to get back to the major league club. Cain allowed just two singles and a walk over his six innings before being removed by Bochy and trainer Dave Groeschner. The pitcher said he felt tightness on the final batter of the sixth and it still didn’t feel right when he warmed up for the seventh, so both Cain and the Giants erred on the side of caution. The Giants added an important insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when Panik lined a one-out single, Stubbs followed with a walk and Pence singled up the middle to make it 2-0. The Dodgers countered with a run in the top of the eighth against the Giants’ fourth pitcher, Derek Law, but Law weathered further damage and Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his fourth save, with a big assist from Posey. San Jose Mercury News Madison Bumgarner on bike mishap: ‘Definitely not the most responsible decision’ Carl Steward

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, speaking publicly for the first time since the Colorado dirt bike accident that injured his pitching shoulder, said Monday he deeply regrets the decision to risk his body in an off-day outdoor endeavor but vowed to get back to the mound as quickly as he possibly can. “It’s terrible,” Bumgarner said. “Obviously, it was not my intentions when we set out to enjoy the off day. I realize that’s definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made. It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys.” Bumgarner said he didn’t make a formal apology to the team but has spoken to teammates individually. “I feel like it’s pretty clear,” he said. “I obviously don’t want to be in this situation, don’t want to put these guys in this situation, this organization, the fans, the city.” Bumgarner, who met the media with his left arm in a sling, said he was still having tests on his shoulder and ribs — he was scheduled for a second MRI Monday evening — but does not yet know if he suffered any structural damage in his pitching arm. He said he has been feeling better every day since the mishap, however. Groeschner did not shed a whole lot more light on Bumgarner’s immediate prognosis than the pitcher himself. “We don’t really have a timetable yet because we have to gather all the information,” the trainer said. “But he’s in a sling now so it’s going to be a little while. I think in the next one to two days we’ll have a better idea. Bumgarner said he spent the off day last Thursday riding trail bikes in the mountains outside of Denver with two family members. He said they were near the end of 2-3 hours riding when the accident occurred. The pitcher maintained he was making every effort to be safe and couldn’t describe what caused the accident. “Man, I knew I was going to get asked that question and I wish I had some sort of cool story for you, some kind of crazy wreck but it really wasn’t anything spectacular,” he said. “It was just super unfortunate. “I wasn’t really going that fast. I honestly don’t know what happened. It was a surprise to me, too … when I was younger, I got in much worse wrecks. Nothing ever happened, though. But that was a long time ago, too.” Bumgarner said he immediately called Giants head trainer Dave Groeschner and had one of his relatives drive him to the nearest hospital emergency room to get checked out.. Asked to provide specifics on the extent of his injuries and how soon he expects to be back, Bumgarner was noncommittal. “I’m probably not qualified to answer those questions,” he said I’m just going to do everything I can do to get back as quick as I can.”

Asked if he expects to pitch again in the 2017 season, he added, “It’s hard to put a timetable on it, but I certainly would be disappointed if I wasn’t.” Bumgarner said he understands that his trail bike adventure probably violated clauses in his contract about things he shouldn’t do away from the baseball field. I think there’s quite a bit of stuff in there but it’s probably not the first time I’ve made a stupid decision,” he said. “We are human.” Bumgarner said he has talked with Giants CEO Larry Baer and general manager Bobby Evans. He added he had spoken with many of his fellow players individually, intimating that he had apologized to them. He doesn’t know if he’ll face punishment by the organization for his actions. “We haven’t talked about it, and I haven’t been informed if there is,” he said. “The only thing I’m putting my focus on now is busting my butt and rehabbing and making sure I get back here to help this team. It is what it is and I just have to deal with it now. “They honestly couldn’t have nicer to me and more caring than they were,” Bumgarner continued. “Obviously, I was expecting the worse and rightfully so, but the team and everybody have been super encouraging and positive and they’ve been really good to me throughout this process so far.” Bumgarner said his arm is in a sling as a precautionary measure to keep his shoulder immobilized. He said he has not required any pain medications and he’s not having trouble sleeping. He said he can’t say for certain that he wouldn’t require surgery but didn’t think it would be necessary. He has not had any treatment as of yet, and that he’s simply resting and icing his injuries. He is encouraged that he has made improvement every day, however. “A lot of times you hear people say the second, third, fourth days it gets worse,” he said. “But in this case, every day I wake up, everything just feels a little better. I’ve got to believe that’s a good sign.” San Jose Mercury News Sergio Romo hyped for ‘homecoming’ to San Francisco with Dodgers Daniel Brown SAN FRANCISCO — Sergio Romo, all dressed up in Dodger Blue, returned to AT&T Park on Monday and laughed about his new role in the Giants rivalry. “It’s on, it’s on, it’s on,” he said. But part of his heart still drifted to the other dugout. The longtime San Francisco reliever said he was “surprised and saddened” to hear last week that Giants ace Madison Bumgarner was injured in a dirt bike accident and will miss substantial playing time. Romo, who spent nine seasons with the Giants, said he knew of Bumgarner’s adventurous side but was taken aback that the pitcher put himself at risk during the season.

“Although we’re no longer teammates, I still care,” Romo said, hours before pitching a scoreless eighth inning against his former team. “I want him to be able to be happy and healthy. Plus, baseball is now missing a great, key piece.” Romo clearly had nothing but fondness for his old home. He said that the first thing he did after signing a one-year, $3 million deal with Los Angeles in the off-season was to call his dad, Frank, a longtime Dodgers fan who played semi-pro ball in Mexicali, Mexico. The second thing he did was to look up when the Dodgers played at AT&T Park. “I looked right away,” said Romo, who posted a 32-26 career record with a 2.58 ERA and 84 saves in San Francisco. “Why? Because it matters to me. … And it doesn’t really matter that I’m wearing a different jersey… I am beyond elated just to be here. “I’m so stoked. The little kid inside of me is just jumping up and down. He’s waiting to get out there and have Miss Renel (Brooks-Moon, the PA annnouncer) call my name.” The Giants saluted Romo with a video tribute on the scoreboard after the first inning and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The reliever smiled wide as he stepped out of the dugout to wave a brief hand. Romo won three World Series and appeared in 515 career regular-season games with the team. The only pitchers to appear in more games in a Giants uniform are Gary Lavelle (647), Christy Mathewson (634), Greg Minton (552) and Carl Hubbell (535). Occasionally a set-up man throughout his career, Romo also thrived as a closer. His 84 career saves rank seventh in franchise history, behind Robb Nen (206), Rod Beck (199), Brian Wilson (171), Lavelle (127), Minton (125) and Santiago Casilla (123). Most memorably, he struck out Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera to finish off the Giants’ four-game sweep in the 2012 World Series. Cabrera was expecting Romo’s trademark wipeout slider; the pitcher snuck a fastball past him for the final out. “I get to see a lot of guys I went to battle with,” Romo, 34, said, looking across the field. “This is the start of my career. This is where I made a name for myself. This was the beginning for me. I was excited just to be in the atmosphere.” Romo talked more about the people than the games upon his return. He said he swung by his favorite Mexican restaurant, even though he knew it’d be closed. Romo just wanted to be near it. But there’s no doubting he’s made the conversion to life as a Dodger. He talked excitedly about meeting Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser, two people he looked up to growing up in Brawley. As for that Giants-Dodgers rivalry? “It’s on, that’s all I know,” Romo said. “I respected the rivalry as a fan. I respected the rivalry as a Giant, and coming here as a Dodger, I have to go for it.

“(But) it’s going to be hard to hide that smile for many reasons.” GIANTS GAMES PITCHED 1. Gary Lavelle 647 2. Christy Mathewson 634 3. Greg Minton 552 4. Carl Hubbell 535 5. Sergio Romo 515 6. Randy Moffitt 459 7. Juan Marichal 458 8. Javier Lopez 446 9. Amos Rusie 427 10. Mickey Welch 426 GIANTS ALL-TIME SAVES (Since 1969) 1. Robb Nen 206 2. Rod Beck 199 3. Brian Wilson 171 4. Gary Lavelle 127 5. Greg Minton 125 6. Santiago Casilla 123 7. Sergio Romo 84 8. Randy Moffitt 83 9. Frank Linzy 78 10. Marv Grissom 58 San Jose Mercury News Giants bring up rookie phenom Christian Arroyo Daniel Brown Christian Arroyo, the Giants top prospect, was called up to the big leagues Monday as part of a roster shakeup by San Francisco. The first challenge faced by the 21-year-old? Convincing his mom that he wasn’t joking around. “She didn’t believe me,” Arroyo said upon arriving at AT&T Park. “It took her about a solid five minutes. She kept saying, ‘No, you’re lying, you’re lying, you’re lying.” Now, he’ll try to give Giants fans a reason to believe, too. Arroyo, who was batting .446 with three home runs for Triple-A Sacramento, was the starting third baseman Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was in the lineup batting sixth. At the time of his call-up, Arroyo was leading the Pacific Coast League with 29 hits. His .478 on-base percentage ranked third and his .692 slugging percentage ranked fourth. Manager Bruce Bochy, asked if Arroyo forced his way into the majors or the Giants desperately needed his production, maintained it was a little bit of both.

“Certainly what he’s done down in Sacramento opened up a lot of eyes, and we have a need right now,” Bochy said. “We’re challenged here offensively a little bit, we need another guy to help out and the way he’s swinging the bat, we’ve probably made this move a little sooner than we were thinking about. When you’ve been struggling the way we’ve been struggling, you look for ways to shake things up, too.” Arroyo was as surprised as anyone by his whirlwind day. He was gearing up for a 7 p.m. in Sacramento when he got tapped for a promotion at about 1:30 p.m. “I came out of the office and all my teammates were congratulating me,” he said. “Actually, I cried a little bit and then I called my mom.” His mother, Kim Drummond, lives in Florida but the Giants have arranged to whisk her out for Tuesday’s game. Arroyo said his mom called to tell him that about 1.5 hours after he broke the news “and she was still crying,” he joked. “I’m still she’s still crying now.” Primarily a shortstop, Arroyo said he’s moved around the diamond enough to feel comfortable wherever the Giants put him. He said he spent the second half of his Double-A Richmond season at third base and feels fine there. “I just try to go out there and help my team win and do what I do best,” he said. “That’s just play baseball hard and play it the right way.” San Francisco, mired in last place in the NL West with a 6-13 record, also called out outfielder Drew Stubbs and made room for Arroyo and Stubbs by designating outfielder Chris Marrero for assignment and placing Aaron Hill on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. Arroyo was drafted 23rd overall as a shortstop in the 2013 draft, but with All-Star Brandon Crawford at short, Arroyo will get a chance to be the everyday third baseman. Eduardo Nunez will move to left field. Stubbs, 32, has played all three outfield positions during his eight-year major league career, which began in Colorado. Marrero, who led the Giants with eight home runs in spring training, hit just .132 with one home run since the season began. He said he would report to Sacramento if he clears waivers and work to get back to the major league club. MLB.com Giants hold off Dodgers to preserve Cain's win Ken Gurnick and Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Expect drama when the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers tangle. The longtime rivals engaged in another compelling confrontation Monday night, as the Giants limited Los Angeles to four hits and withstood late Dodgers rallies to prevail, 2-1. The Giants entered the opener of this four-game series having lost six of their previous seven games. However, starter Matt Cain worked six shutout innings to claim his first victory over Los Angeles since

May 5, 2013, with assistance on defense from catcher Buster Posey and third baseman Christian Arroyo, who made his Major League debut. Cain, who has relied largely on sinking, two-seam fastballs in recent outings, said that he mixed his deliveries more frequently this time, with Posey's guidance. "Buster did a great job of really mixing things up, keeping those guys off balance," said Cain, who departed at the top of the seventh due to a tight right hamstring. "I don't think we had a scenario where we were very predictable." "We're at our best when the pitching's there and the defense is there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's our strength and it's gotten away from us." Joe Panik accounted for San Francisco's offense by lofting a second-inning sacrifice fly before singling and scoring in the seventh. Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-4) entered the game with a 5.87 ERA but yielded just one run and five hits in six innings. The Dodgers had the tying run thrown out at second base by Posey in the eighth and ninth innings -- Chris Taylor caught stealing to end the eighth inning with Corey Seager at the plate and Justin Turner caught off second base to end the game with Adrian Gonzalez at the plate. "These are two winning teams in recent years," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Yeah, we're both under .500. But those guys aren't going to quit, we certainly aren't, there was a lot of focus tonight. You even see the excitement from [Giants closer] Mark Melancon, like an exhale. It was a big game for them and a tough one for us." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Puig's powerful peg: Yasiel Puig again proved that he remains one of the Major Leagues' leading practitioners in the lost art of throwing from the outfield. With Brandon Belt on second base and two outs in the first inning, Los Angeles' right fielder neatly scooped up Posey's single and fired the ball home. Catcher Yasmani Grandal snared the ball on the fly toward the front of the right-handed batter's box, a perfect location for making the tag on Belt as he slid feet-first. "When Puig throws, his throws are powerful. I can let the ball come deeper instead of reaching to make a catch and reaching back to tag," said Grandal. Defensive debut:The Giants summoned Arroyo from Triple-A Sacramento primarily for his hitting. But the 21-year-old proved adept defensively in the fourth inning when he pounced on Grandal's smash off Cain's right foot and threw to first base for the out. Arroyo made another nice play in the eighth inning when he dove to snare Kiké Hernandez's sharp grounder, leading to a forceout at second base. "Christian did an unbelievable job," Cain said. WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday night gets a rematch of his loss last October against Ty Blach and the Giants, with first pitch at 7:15 p.m. PT. Except for a hiccup at Coors Field, Kershaw has fulfilled his

reputation as one of the best starting pitchers of his generation. And he's 18-8 lifetime against the Giants, 10-4 at AT&T Park. Giants: San Francisco hopes that Blach, who switched from starting to relieving at the start of this season, can get the hang of his former role when he opposes the Dodgers in Tuesday's 7:15 p.m. PT encounter. Blach hasn't worked more than one inning in any of his seven appearances. MLB.com Dodgers twice thwarted by Posey's clutch arm Ken Gurnick SAN FRANCISCO -- The Dodgers have been having enough trouble at home plate lately and on Monday night they didn't know what to do around second base either. In a 2-1 loss to the Giants, the Dodgers had the potential tying run thrown out at second in the eighth and ninth innings, both times by Giants franchise catcher Buster Posey. In the eighth, Chris Taylor tried to steal second base (running on his own) with two outs and was gunned down by Posey, taking the bat out of the hands of budding superstar Corey Seager. In the ninth, Justin Turner had just used a secondary lead to advance to second base on a Mark Melancon wild pitch when he took too much of a secondary lead and Posey threw behind the runner to nail him. Taylor had reached base on a forceout grounder that scored Chase Utley from third and erased Kiké Hernandez, who had followed Utley's leadoff walk with a bloop single. During Andrew Toles' strikeout, reliever Derek Law threw a pair of pickoff throws to first, so a possible steal by Taylor was already on the Giants' radar. ""You gotta always anticipate it," Posey said. "I wasn't sure with Seager at the plate if he would go or not. Obviously, they did, and at the same time I wasn't surprised. I think you have to be ready for it." In the ninth, Turner had singled and moved into scoring position when Melancon bounced a curve. After Yasmani Grandal struck out and with Gonzalez at the plate, Turner got a little too aggressive. "Just instinct," said Posey. "He anticipated the ball being put in play and took those one to two stutter steps." Turner explained his mistake. "When the ball was in the dirt, I took off and that was a good baseball play," Turner said of the wild pitch. "The other was a very bad one. I got a good secondary [lead], try to score on a hit and took a step toward third when I saw him swing and got caught." Taylor said he decided he would steal "if I got a high leg kick" from Law. "I could have had a better jump," he said. "Posey made a good play to get me." But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts compared the situation to the cardinal sin of getting thrown out trying to steal third base.

"Chris is on his own, and in a situation like that, you want to make sure you're safe with the best player at the plate," Roberts said. "It's a gamble he took and Posey made a great throw." On his blooper down the left-field line, Hernandez took a wide turn at first as Utley moved to third, but he slammed on the brakes instead of trying to stretch for a double. "I didn't see him coming out of the box, but it was up in the air a long time," Roberts said. "In retrospect, he might have been able to get to second. It would be a different inning if he gets to second base -- there are a lot of options." MLB.com Blach looks to again best Kershaw Ken Gurnick Fans will be cheated out of another classic matchup against Madison Bumgarner, but they'll get to see Round 2 of the budding Clayton Kershaw vs. Ty Blach rivalry. That's right, Tuesday in San Francisco won't be the first time they've met. In fact, Kershaw is still looking for his first win over Blach, who outpitched the three-time Cy Young Award winner last October while allowing three hits in eight scoreless innings and getting two hits himself in his only Major League victory. Blach was just getting his feet wet then; now he's the injured Bumgarner's replacement in the Giants rotation. Kershaw, though, is 18-8 lifetime against the Giants and 10-4 at AT&T Park. Things to know about this game • Outfielder Joc Pederson went on the disabled list Monday for a strained right groin, the 13th time the Dodgers have used the list this year. San Francisco has used the disabled list seven times. • Although the Dodgers have won the National League West the last four years, San Francisco has won the season series with the Dodgers four of the last five years. • Brandon Belt is 3-for-51 with 27 strikeouts and a .206 OPS in his career against Kershaw. Hunter Pence is 6-for-66 and Brandon Crawford 4-for-29. MLB.com Cain's strong start ends early with injury Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants right-hander Matt Cain suddenly was removed from Monday night's 2-1 victory over the Dodgers in the middle of a masterly performance due to a tight right hamstring. Cain, who allowed two hits in six innings to record his first victory over Los Angeles since May 5, 2013, wasn't certain whether he'd make his next scheduled start. Cain said he felt a twinge in his hamstring while making his last pitch to Justin Turner, whose fly ball to left field ended the sixth inning. The right-hander began warming up to pitch the seventh inning and

protect San Francisco's 1-0 edge. However, having endured two stints on the disabled list last season with right hamstring injuries, Cain refused to risk a recurrence. "It just kind of bit on me a little bit," said Cain, who was replaced by left-hander Steven Okert. "It was something I was kind of monitoring in between the inning and I went back out there. ... I didn't want to go down that road again. With the history of it, I didn't want to push it." Cain also took Yasmani Grandal's fourth-inning smash off his right foot, with the ball caroming to third baseman Christian Arroyo, who threw out Grandal. After that play, a member of the Giants' athletic training staff briefly checked on Cain, who unhesitatingly stayed in the game. X-rays taken on his foot came back negative. Christian Arroyo barehands a deflection and fires to first for the out, before helping Matt Cain up off of the mound in the 4th inning Arroyo, making his Major League debut, hoisted Cain back to his feet after that play. Arroyo revealed that Cain gave him a slight chest bump in gratitude. Somebody suggested Arroyo quite literally "picked up" Cain, the phrase that's often used when one teammate supports another with a key play. "He picked me up big time," Cain said. MLB.com Giants No. 2 prospect Arroyo makes MLB debut Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Christian Arroyo was off to the kind of start that befits legends. But that wasn't enough to convince his mother he had been promoted to the Major Leagues before Monday's 2-1 Giants victory over the Dodgers. Triple-A Sacramento manager Dave Brundage lured Arroyo to report to Raley Field at 1:30 p.m. for a night game at 7 under the ruse of engaging in early practice. Brundage gave Arroyo the big news, which spread quickly in the clubhouse. But it hadn't yet spread on social media. So when Arroyo, the Giants' No. 2 prospect, called his mother, Kimberly Drummond, to tell her the Giants had selected his contract, she refused to believe him. "She just kept saying, 'No, you're lying, you're lying, you're lying,' and I was like, 'No I'm not,'" Arroyo related. What did he say to convince her? "I was just very persistent," he said. The same could be said of Arroyo's performance at Triple-A. If the Giants hadn't called him up Monday, it would have happened soon. He hit safely in 15 of 16 games, batting .446 with seven doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs. Arroyo's pace recalled the statistics amassed at Triple-A by Willie Mays (.477, eight homers and 30 RBIs in 35

games) and Willie McCovey (.372, 29 homers and 92 RBIs in 95 games) before their respective promotions. "I think I just trusted in my approach a little more this year," Arroyo said. Arroyo wasn't that explosive in his debut, going 0-for-4. But he helped generate the Giants' first run with a grounder to second base that advanced Brandon Crawford, who doubled to lead off the second inning. That enabled Joe Panik to drive in Crawford with a sacrifice fly. "I'm thinking to myself, 'Welcome. Do something; move him over,'" Arroyo said. "Good, fundamental Giants baseball." Hoping that Arroyo can follow the path of more recent homegrown position-player products such as Crawford, Panik, Buster Posey and Brandon Belt, manager Bruce Bochy wasted no time in acclimating the 21-year-old to the Major Leagues, installing him in the starting lineup at third base. Somewhat auspiciously, the Giants issued Arroyo jersey No. 22 -- which was worn by a pair of premier hitters, Jack Clark and Will Clark. "He certainly opened a lot of eyes, and we have a need right now," Bochy said, referring to San Francisco's sluggish offense. Eduardo Nunez, who had been the regular third baseman, will occupy left field, perhaps ending the season-long instability at that position. The Giants also selected the contract of veteran big league outfielder Drew Stubbs from Sacramento. With Denard Span still bothered by a sprained right shoulder, Stubbs, who signed a Minor League contract with the Giants on April 6, started in center field. The Giants cleared roster room for Arroyo and Stubbs by designating outfielder Chris Marrero for assignment and placing utility man Aaron Hill on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right forearm. MLB.com Bumgarner focused on recovery from accident Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Admitting that riding a motorized dirt bike was "definitely not the most responsible decision I've made," Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner vowed to remain "as positive as I can be" when he launches his comeback from spraining the AC joint in his pitching shoulder and sustaining bruised ribs. Speaking publicly for the first time since his accident occurred outside Denver last Thursday, when the Giants had a scheduled off-day, Bumgarner indicated he felt he let the team down by sidelining himself. "I think it's pretty clear I don't want to be in this situation," said Bumgarner, whose throwing arm remained in a sling for immobilization. "I don't want to put [teammates] in this situation. This

organization, the fans, the city. ... It's terrible. Obviously that was not my intentions when I set out to enjoy the off-day." Bumgarner, 27, thanked the organization for its supportiveness toward him. He said there was no talk of discipline or punishment when he spoke with general manager Bobby Evans and team president Larry Baer. "They honestly couldn't have been nicer to me or more caring than they were," Bumgarner said. "I was expecting the worst and rightfully so. The team and the front office and everybody have been super encouraging, been really good to me throughout this process so far." The length of Bumgarner's recovery process remains uncertain. Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said Bumgarner will undergo another MRI to determine whether the sprain is Grade 1 or Grade 2. The team's medical staff also is canvassing various physicians for second opinions. Bumgarner said his gut feeling was that he sustained no serious structural damage. "We don't really have a timetable yet, because we have to gather all the information," Groeschner said. "... I think in the next one to two days we'll have a better idea." Groeschner offered the reminder that once Bumgarner is able to throw again, he'll have to condition his arm as if Spring Training was just beginning. "That's going to be the toughest part," Groeschner said. "... We have to build him up to 100 pitches again, right? That will take time in itself once we get to that point." Groeschner declined to speculate whether Bumgarner, a four-time All-Star, would pitch again this season. Said Bumgarner, "It's hard to put a timetable on it but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn't [able to perform in 2017]." Recounting his fateful outing, Bumgarner said he and two family members were tooling around a dirt course in the mountains outside Denver and were nearly done with their ride when the mishap occurred on the Honda he was piloting. Asked to explain what happened, Bumgarner said, "When you ask that question, I wish I had some kind of cool story for you that it was some kind of crazy wreck, but it really wasn't." Bumgarner said he has plenty of experience riding dirt bikes. "It's kind of just what I've done most of my life," he said. "Obviously it wasn't the best decision to go Thursday." Bumgarner said he couldn't recall previously riding dirt bikes during the regular season: "We don't get a whole lot of opportunities, obviously." Lying about his injury, which a handful of professional athletes have done in similar situations, never occurred to Bumgarner.

"That's just not who I am," he said. "If you're going to do stuff like that, you've got to be honest about it. Obviously that doesn't make the fact of the matter any better, but that's just not who I am. I didn't see any reason to try to lie about it." NBC Sports Bay Area On Night Giants Turn To Youth, Matt Cain Turns Back The Clock Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — In the second inning Tuesday, as Christian Arroyo strapped on his gear and grabbed his bat, Buster Posey looked over at Matt Cain. “Goodness,” he said. “He looks really young.” There was a time when that was said about Cain, now 32, and Posey, now 30. They broke in as fresh-faced kids, too, but these days they’re the grizzled vets, anchors of a clubhouse that got some fresh blood on Monday. Arroyo brought the energy to AT&T Park and Cain and Posey did the rest. The starter, in the midst of a surprising resurgence, threw six dominant innings against the visiting Dodgers. Posey threw one runner out at second to end the eighth and back-picked Justin Turner at second with two down in the ninth, clinching a 2-1 win that felt like a must-have in the clubhouse. “I mean, we needed it,” Posey said. “I don’t think you can underscore it. We definitely needed it.” The front office sensed that after a sweep at Coors Field. After weeks of saying the Giants had to be patient with Arroyo, Bobby Evans pulled the trigger Monday morning. Drew Stubbs was also added to temporarily take over in center. The message was clear: A sense of urgency was needed throughout the organization, and the players responded with perhaps their cleanest game of the year. Cain did the heavy lifting, allowing just two hits and a walk before his right hamstring bit. He was pulled while warming up in the seventh, but he’s optimistic. Cain missed two weeks last year with the same injury, but he said it’s not as bad this time around. “Last year it was something that was definitely more on my mind when I did it,” he said. “I pushed too hard. I thought we were being a lot smarter today.” The bullpen backed Cain, with Steven Okert, George Kontos, Derek Law (who allowed a run but shut down further damage) and Mark Melancon carrying it home. Melancon ran into some trouble in the ninth when Turner alertly took second on a spiked curveball. With Adrian Gonzalez up, the Dodgers were a single away from tying it up. Turner strayed too far off the bag and Posey gunned him down. “It was just instinct,” he said. “He was anticipating a ball being put in play and took that one or two extra stutter steps. Melancon emphatically yelled on the mound. Cain watched the final out from the trainer’s room. The win was his first over the Dodgers in four seasons, and while on the mound, Cain lowered his ERA to a staff-best 2.42.

“He did a great job locating his fastball,” Posey said. “He threw his curveball for strikes, expanded the zone with his fastball, mixed some changeups in. He did a nice job.” The approach looks sustainable, and the Giants need it. Madison Bumgarner had another MRI on Monday and while the Giants don’t have a firm timetable yet, manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged that it will “be a while.” In the meantime, the Giants will try to find a mix that works. Hunter Pence was moved up to leadoff Monday and he drove in a needed insurance run. The infield trio of Brandon Crawford, Arroyo and Joe Panik combined for the first run, with Crawford doubling, Arroyo moving him over, and Panik skying a ball deep enough for a sacrifice fly. Bochy praised Arroyo for his approach in that moment, and the rookie said he was focused hard on getting Crawford over. It was the kind of at-bat the Giants teach in the minors, and they hope more is on the way. The Triple-A squad is more talented than it’s been in years, and with big leaguers continuing to drop, the depth will be needed. As he got dressed Monday night, Arroyo rattled off facts from the night’s River Cats game and talked about how much he believes in the players there. He’s part of a wave that’s coming slowly, a group that includes Ty Blach, who faces a monumental task Tuesday. The young left-hander will go up against Clayton Kershaw as the Giants try to keep the momentum going. “We’ve got our hands full tomorrow,” Bochy said. “We know it. I thought tonight was huge for us to stop things.” NBC Sports Bay Area Cain Exits Game Vs Dodgers with Trainer Before Start Of Seventh Inning NBC Sports Bay Area Staff Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain left Monday's game vs the Dodgers with the team's trainer prior to the start of the seventh inning. NBC Sports Bay Area Plus cameras showed Cain heading straight to the team's locker room. Before exiting the game, Cain had pitched six innings and allowed just two hits. After the game, NBCSportsBayArea.com Insider Alex Pavlovic updated Cain's status: In this starts this season, Cain has a 3.31 ERA. NBC Sports Bay Area Giants Notes: Marrero Hopes To Be Back; Posey Faces Romo Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — About 45 minutes after the Giants announced that Chris Marrero had been designated for assignment, the left fielder walked up to the locker of one of the newcomers. Marrero patted Christian Arroyo on the back and shook his hand, congratulating him for his first call-up to the big leagues.

“That’s my boy,” he said later. “I was really happy for him.” The Arroyo promotion and the addition of Drew Stubbs signaled the end of Marrero’s April run in the lineup. He was cut and Aaron Hill was put on the disabled list, clearing two roster spots. Just as Arroyo forced his way up with three huge weeks in Triple-A, Marrero forced his way onto the opening day roster with a monster spring that included eight homers. He had just five hits in 38 at-bats before Monday’s moves. “The team is struggling and we’ve got to make some moves,” Marrero said. “I believe in myself and I’ll go down and get back to how I felt in spring training. This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. I lost the feel that I had in the spring. Things were a little rushed. I came in and worked hard every day to try and find it. I’m going to keep working. I haven’t lost confidence in myself.” Marrero was put in a bit of a tough spot. He played just about every day in Scottsdale because he was trying to win a job, and when he finally did make it, some Giants coaches felt he was a bit worn down. The team’s brutal start to the season put a glaring spotlight on left field, and this move became obvious over time. Marrero said he likes it here, and that if he isn’t claimed, he will go to Triple-A Sacramento and try to find that spring swing and get back up here. Count Bruce Bochy among those hoping it goes down that way. “We thought a lot of him and still do,” Bochy said. “He’s a good hitter.” --- Arroyo had a 4.4 GPA in high school, so the Giants knew he was smart. He’s savvy, too. There’s nothing like picking up the longest-tenured player on the team, literally. After snagging a ricochet in the fourth inning last night, Arroyo kept running and lifted Cain off the grass. They then chest-bumped. “That just kind of happened,” Arroyo said. “He hit it, I looked at Cain going down and saw the ball, went running and got it, instincts took over. I made a throw and got the guy. It was a fun play. In that moment, I was just pumped up. It’s one of those plays you get excited over.” Arroyo said he heard Cain yelling and he thought he was hurt, so that’s why he ran over. Cain did have an X-ray on the foot that got hit but it came back negative. “Christian did a great job handling himself,” Cain said. “He picked me up big-time.” The best part of the play came hours after it was made. As Cain talked to reporters, Brandon Crawford — who was in position to scoop the grounder in the fourth — was standing at his locker, a few feet away. “Let it go through next time,” he said softly. --- Denard Span was out on the field Monday afternoon, but he’ll miss another two to four days with that right shoulder injury. This will truly be a day-to-day situation. If at any point the Giants feel they need coverage, Span can be put on the 10-day DL.

--- Hill apparently felt discomfort after playing long toss on the road trip. He can swing a bat but he was going to be kept from throwing for three to four days, so he was put on the DL. --- This spring, Posey was asked about facing Sergio Romo. Here was his long tendencies-filled answer. Posey faced Romo in the eighth and flied out. "It was a little weird, I'm not going to lie," he said. "I caught him for so long. It's definitely interesting being in the batter's box instead of being the plate." Was there a nod or "hey what's up" look between the two? "I've caught him long enough to know you don't look at him," Posey said, smiling. NBC Sports Bay Area Bumgarner: 'It’s Definitely Not The Most Responsible Decision I’ve Made' Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — Riding horses has always been part of Madison Bumgarner’s legacy, but there are times where his ride back home in North Carolina doesn’t have four legs. Bumgarner has been riding dirt bikes his whole life without incident, but a crash last week has left him facing a season of uncertainty. Bumgarner addressed the media Monday, four days after an accident in the hills near Denver. He said he does not have a timetable for his return. The Giants have ordered more tests and expect to have a more concrete schedule by Tuesday or Wednesday. For now they are leaning on possibilities they hope to cross off. Bumgarner does not anticipate having surgery to repair a left shoulder sprain. He does not think this is a season-ending injury. “It’s hard to put a timetable on it, but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn’t (back this season),” he said. “The only thing I’m putting my focus on now is busting my butt to rehab and make sure I’m back with the team.” For now, that means rest and ice, and Bumgarner was scheduled to have another MRI on Monday. The Giants believe his shoulder is relatively sound structurally, and the consensus is that Bumgarner is lucky this wasn’t worse. He said the bike, a rental during the team’s off day, was similar to ones he has been on in the past. He was hours into a ride with two family members when he went down on dirt. “I was actually being pretty safe the whole time,” Bumgarner said. “It was just a freak deal. We were on the way out, almost back to the truck … I wish I had some kind of cool story that it was some kind of crazy wreck. It wasn’t anything spectacular.” Bumgarner has spoken to most of his teammates individually and in small groups. He understands that this is a bad look, and it’s a blow the Giants can’t afford. “It’s terrible. It’s obviously not my intention when I set out to enjoy the off day,” he said. “I realize it’s definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made. It sucks not being out here with the guys.”

The Giants came home with a 6-13 record, and it was 6-10 the day Bumgarner got hurt. A night before, he had once again received no run support. Bumgarner is 0-4, but he said this was not a case of “blowing off steam” on a day off. It also is not a normal off-day activity for him, and it is not allowed under Bumgarner’s contract. That won’t be an issue, however. There has been no talk of punishing Bumgarner, and any attempt to get back money would be a short-sighted move by the organization. Bumgarner is vastly underpaid by today’s baseball standards, and the Giants hope to negotiate a long-term extension in the years to come. That deal will hinge largely on how Bumgarner recovers. The Giants cannot say for sure that Bumgarner will return as the same pitcher, because he already has a unique delivery that puts pressure on the shoulder. Trainer Dave Groeschner did not want to set expectations one way or the other, but he conceded that Bumgarner will be out “a little while.” At the very least, Bumgarner is looking at another week or two in the sling, and whenever he is cleared to throw, he will basically start his season from scratch. “We’ll get him back throwing, but you’ve got to build him up to 100 pitches,” Groeschner said. “That takes time in itself." Bumgarner has built up a reservoir of goodwill over the years, allowing this lengthy process to go down a bit easier. On top of what he had accomplished before Thursday, Bumgarner pleased team officials by being forthright. He knew something was wrong, and when he returned to the team hotel in Denver he immediately called Groeschner and admitted to what he had done. Other players — including Giants — have gotten caught in lies about injuries. “That’s not who I am,” Bumgarner said. “If you’re going to do stuff like that, you’e got to be honest.” NBC Sports Bay Area Giants Among Teams To See Reduction In Luxury Tax Under New CBA Associated Press NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are cutting payroll and their luxury tax bills - just as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and perhaps Clayton Kershaw near the free-agent market after the 2018 season. The Dodgers are on track to slice their tax bill by about a quarter this year and the Yankees by two-thirds. The San Francisco Giants also are set to slice their payment in the first season of baseball's new collective bargaining agreement, but the Detroit Tigers are slated to pay more despite saying they want to reduce payroll. If a team doesn't pay tax in 2018, its tax rate would drop to 20 percent in 2019 - allowing perennially high-spending clubs to sign stars at a lower cost. "What the market produces is what the market's going to produce," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said.

The Dodgers are forecast to pay a $25.1 million competitive balance tax this year, according to opening-day calculations by the commissioner's office obtained by The Associated Press, down from $43.6 million in 2015 and $31.8 million last year. The Yankees' bill is slated to be just under $9 million, their lowest since the tax began in 2003 and less than one-third of the $27.4 million they owed last season. "The new CBA has had no influence on my belief that you don't need a 200-plus million dollar payroll to win championships," Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said in an email to the AP. The tax threshold increased from $189 million to $195 million under the new labor contract, and rates were simplified to three levels: 20 percent for first-time payers, 30 percent for those owing for a second straight season and 50 percent for clubs paying three times in a row or more. A pair of surtaxes were added to discourage high rollers: 12 percent on the amount from $215 million to $235 million this year and a 42.5 percent and 45 percent above that, depending on how many consecutive years a team is paying. Another change calls for a team more than $40 million above next year's tax threshold of $197 million to have its top draft pick moved back 10 places - with an exception that if a club has a pick among the top six, that would be protected and its second pick would be moved back 10 slots. The Yankees appear to be trying to get below the threshold in 2018 to reset their tax rate in anticipation of that fall's free-agent class. "I think it's too early to make a judgment about the success of the new CBA," Manfred said. "I also think that while there's a lot of change in the CBT area in terms of the structure and rates and whatnot, there has been a certain cyclical nature to the CBA over time, irrespective of the change, right? Clubs get to a certain point, they step to go younger, they come down." The Dodgers have a major league-high $238 million payroll for purposes of the tax, which uses the average annual values of contracts for players on 40-man rosters and includes $13.96 million per team in benefit costs. Actual tax is assessed on season-ending payrolls in December. Los Angeles is projected to pay both new surtaxes. Under transition rules for 2017, the Dodgers' projected tax is at the midpoint of what they would pay under the new rules ($25.58 million) and old ($24.68 million). Dodgers president Stan Kasten declined comment on the team's payroll and the tax. With a projected payroll of $216.9 million, Detroit has a tax projected to be $6.8 million, an increase from $4 million. The Tigers pay at a 30 percent rate as an offender for the second straight season while the other teams over the threshold pay at 50 percent because they have been above for three or more consecutive years. Tigers general manager Al Avila declined comment through club spokesman Craig Hughner.

The Yankees, at $212.9 million, are just under the surtax level. San Francisco is next at $199.6 million, leaving its tax set to decline to $2.3 million from $3.4 million. The Giants could have dropped below the tax threshold entirely, but decided to give reliever Mark Melancon a $62 million, four-year contract. "The costs add up, as does revenue sharing," Giants general manager Bobby Evans. The Tigers, Yankees and Giants pay at the new calculation because they would have owed more under the old rules: $11.96 million for New York, $8.4 million for Detroit and $4.2 million for San Francisco. Washington ($188.6 million), St. Louis ($186.5 million) and Boston ($183 million) have room to increase payroll without incurring a tax. The Red Sox would pay at a 50 percent rate after owing $4.5 million last year and $1.8 million in 2015. The others would pay at 20 percent because they have not been over the threshold. NBC Sports Bay Area Source: Giants Calling Up Top Prospect Christian Arroyo Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants wanted Christian Arroyo to force his way to the big leagues. After just 16 games in Triple-A, the 21-year-old did just that. Arroyo was called up to the big leagues Monday as part of a roster shakeup, as first reported by NBC Sports Bay Area. The organization's top hitting prospect is batting .446 this season with seven doubles and three homers. The Giants did not intend to rush Arroyo to the big leagues, but the numbers became overwhelming. He had four hits Sunday — a day the big league squad was swept — including a walk-off. The Giants also called up outfielder Drew Stubbs and designated Chris Marrero for assignment. To clear a second roster spot, Aaron Hill was put on the disabled list with a right forearm strain. Arroyo will make his big league debut against the Dodgers. He was at third base Monday, batting sixth for a team that came home with a 6-13 record. Eduardo Nuñez moved to left. The 32-year-old Stubbs is an eight-year veteran of the big leagues. The Giants signed him the first week of the season after he was released by the Twins. Stubbs can play all three outfield positions and he was starting to get hot at Triple-A, with two homers over the weekend. He’s a career .272/.348/.444 hitter against lefties and the Giants will see four of them this series. The 28-year-old Marrero won a job with eight homers in the spring, but he’s batting just .132 with one homer. Santa Rosa Press Democrat Matt Cain leads Giants to 2-1 win against Dodgers Associated Press Matt Cain leads Giants to 2-1 win against Dodgers ASSOCIATED PRESSASSOCIATED PRESS | April 24, 2017, 10:45PM | Updated 11 hours ago.

SAN FRANCISCO — Matt Cain pitched six scoreless innings to beat the Dodgers for the first time in nearly four years, and the San Francisco Giants snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win against Los Angeles on Monday night. Joe Panik hit a second-inning sacrifice fly off Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-4) in just the Giants' second victory in their last eight games. Hunter Pence added a key RBI single for insurance in the seventh. Top prospect Christian Arroyo was promoted by the Giants to be the new regular third baseman and he went 0 for 4 with three groundouts to second and a strikeout. Cain (2-0) allowed two hits, struck out three and walked one and has been a steady presence in San Francisco's rotation so far. He beat the Dodgers for the first time since May 5, 2013, also at AT&T Park. The right-hander, a victim of low run support for years and with injury bad luck the past few seasons, had been 0-3 with a 4.86 ERA in six starts since. After the game, manager Bruce Bochy said that one of Cain's hamstrings tightened and he'll have it checked. Mark Melancon, San Francisco's fourth reliever, finished for his fourth save in five chances. Justin Turner extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a one-out single in the ninth. Ryu has lost his last six starts since Sept. 12, 2014, still seeking his first victory since Aug. 31, '14. Pinch-hitter Chris Taylor's groundout in the seventh got the Dodgers on the board, but they lost their sixth in a row in San Francisco after going 2-8 at AT&T Park last year. Eduardo Nunez moved from third to left field for San Francisco with the addition of Arroyo. ROMO'S RETURN Sergio Romo was downright giddy to be back at AT&T Park, where he got his big league start spending his first nine seasons with the Giants — and helping them to three World Series championships. "For me, it's a homecoming, it really is," he said, sitting in the Dodgers dugout before the game, then adding of the rivalry, "It's on, it's on, it's on." He pitched the eighth for L.A. to some chants of "Beat Ro-mo!" Romo highlights were shown — complete with his entry music "El Mechon" — after the first inning and he smiled, popped out of the dugout and tipped his cap every which way, even sending an air hug to the opposite dugout and his old teammates and coaches. TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill, on the disabled list nursing a blister on his left middle finger, threw 30 pitches with a bandage on the finger and will throw again in two days at 25 pitches with no bandage. ... RHP Kenta Maeda's next start will be pushed from Thursday to Friday. Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner, out indefinitely with bruised ribs and a sprained pitching shoulder, shared details of his dirt bike accident last Thursday in Colorado. He had a protective sling over his pitching arm as he sat in the dugout and he will likely wear it for another week to 10 days, athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said. Bumgarner was scheduled to have another MRI exam later in the evening and be checked by Dr. Ken Akizuki. ... OF Drew Stubbs also was called up from Sacramento and made his Giants debut in CF for the injured Denard Span, who needs another three or four days following a mild right shoulder sprain that forced him out of Saturday's game at Colorado. Span can be used as a pinch runner, but isn't yet ready to throw. UP NEXT Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-1, 2.54 ERA), who has limited opponents to a .184 batting average so far, is 18-8 with a 1.61 ERA in 36 starts and 35 appearances vs. the Giants but won't line up against Bumgarner as has happened so often of late. Giants: LHP Ty Blach makes his first start of the season pitching in Bumgarner's rotation slot. He has a 4.76 ERA over seven relief outings this year. Santa Rosa Press Democrat Giants' Madison Bumgarner calls dirt bike ride 'stupid decision' Janie McCauley SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner had nearly finished a ride of more than two hours in the mountains outside Denver when his rented dirt bike slipped on the trail and took the pitcher to the ground directly onto his pitching shoulder. The 2014 World Series MVP bruised ribs and sprained the AC joint in his pitching shoulder in the dirt bike accident during Thursday’s off day in Colorado. An experienced rider, Bumgarner said he was with two family members, not speeding or racing the bike, and wearing a helmet when he spun out. He doesn’t think he hit a rock or other obstruction. The ground wasn’t icy or snowy, and he said he wasn’t doing hills. “I’m not exactly sure what happened. It was a surprise to me, too,” he said. “I wish I had some kind of cool story for you that it was some kind of crazy wreck but it really wasn’t anything spectacular, just super unfortunate. I was actually being pretty safe the whole time, it was just a freak deal. It happened right at the end. That’s really it. Like I said, I wish I had some kind of good story to tell everybody but I don’t.” He called Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner and went to the emergency room once back in Denver. “It’s terrible. Obviously that was not my intentions when I set out to enjoy the off day. I realize that’s definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made,” Bumgarner said Monday in his first public comments about the accident. “It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys and try to help us

win some games. It’s just very unfortunate. I’ve talked to a lot them. They know where I’m at and everybody’s been super supportive, too — the organization, the guys, everything.” Bumgarner’s left arm was in a sling as he sat in the dugout. He was scheduled to have another MRI exam later in the evening and be checked by Dr. Ken Akizuki, who also examined Bumgarner on Sunday and “was pretty happy with the structure of it.” While the 27-year-old left-hander doesn’t believe there is structural damage in the shoulder, he didn’t want to speak prematurely about how long he might be sidelined, whether he will need surgery or on his prospects of being able to pitch again this season. “It’s hard to put a timetable on it, but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn’t,” he said. While his contract lists prohibited activities, Bumgarner didn’t offer specifics. An avid outdoorsman, he likes to ride horses, chop wood, fish and hunt. “Yeah, I think there’s quite a bit of stuff in there, but that’s probably not the first time I’ve made a stupid decision. We are human,” Bumgarner said. “Honestly, I think it’s pretty much anything non-baseball related in everyday life. But I don’t have it front of me. I couldn’t give you an exact description.” He said Giants CEO Larry Baer, general manager Bobby Evans and manager Bruce Bochy all have been supportive and he hasn’t been told he faces discipline. “Boch came to see me. Then I talked to Bobby and Larry and they honestly couldn’t have been nicer to me or more caring than they were,” Bumgarner said. “I was expecting the worst and rightfully so. The team and the front office and everybody have been super encouraging about it and positive and have been really good to me throughout this process so far.” Bochy called his ace “remorseful” and the pitcher said he has spoken to most everybody either individually or in small groups about how upset he is having put the team in this situation. MadBum is 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in four 2017 starts, but said he wasn’t trying to blow off steam or frustration by getting away before the weekend series with the Rockies. “Bum’s in a better place right now,” Bochy said. “He was pretty beat up the first day when I saw him but he’s walking around and his spirits are better. I think he feels a lot better about his situation now. Of course the first day you’re wondering, ‘How bad is it?’ He seems to be doing well.” Sacramento Bee Michael Morse, rehabbing in Sacramento, hopes to bring a spark to struggling Giants Matt Kawahara SAN FRANCISCO--It’s one of the indelible moments of the Giants’ 2014 postseason: Michael Morse’s arms-raised, full-throated gallop around the bases following his pinch-hit home run that tied Game 5 of the National League Championship Series in the eighth inning, one inning before Travis Ishikawa’s walk-off homer clinched the pennant.

Those seconds seemed to capture all the buoyant energy Morse brought to his one season in San Francisco, where he came up to the music of A-ha, designed dugout celebrations with Hunter Pence and won over teammates and fans alike with his lumbering power and unflinching positivity. Now rehabbing in the Giants’ minor-league system from the hamstring injury he suffered in spring training, Morse sees the major-league team struggling – at 6-12 through Saturday, owners of the worst record in the N.L. And he sees something missing. “I think besides pressing and trying to do too much, you can tell they’re not really having fun,” Morse said Saturday night following a rehab appearance with Triple-A Sacramento. “That’s something in 2014 we really did; we had fun. If there’s anything I can do to get back, that’s one thing I want to kind of stress, is let’s relax and have some fun.” Amid their rough start, the Giants have been beset by injuries, particularly in the outfield. Opening Day left fielder Jarrett Parker is out at least two months after fracturing his clavicle running into a wall. On Saturday in Colorado, center fielder Denard Span suffered a sprained right shoulder when he also collided with the wall. Backups Chris Marrero and Gorkys Hernandez have not provided much help to a scuffling lineup. All of which means Morse can’t get healthy quickly enough. The veteran outfielder/first baseman had all but locked up a spot on the Giants’ Opening Day roster as a powerful bat off the bench when he suffered a left hamstring strain rounding first base March 20. He was batting .265 with three home runs at the time and was arguably the surprise of camp. Released by the Pirates in April 2016, Morse did not play for the rest of the season. His invitation to Giants camp this spring arose from a spontaneous conversation with general manager Bobby Evans at Pence’s wedding in the offseason, and he told reporters that he intended to retire if he didn’t crack the Giants’ roster out of camp. His injury quashed that possibility. But rather than retire, Morse, 35, chose to go through the rehab process, which has already spanned more than a month and included games at extended spring training and High-A San Jose before he got to Sacramento on Saturday. “I think the biggest part about it was the guys,” Morse said. “A lot of the guys knew the situation I kind of was in, and really wanted me to do it. So for me, the bond and stuff, I was like, ‘I can’t leave these guys hanging.’ I want to at least give it everything I’ve got and do it for them.” Morse went 2 for 9 with a walk, two strikeouts and an RBI in three rehab games at San Jose. He was 1 for 4 in his first game at Sacramento on Saturday, lining a single to left-center field in his second at-bat. He also hit into two groundouts and struck out swinging. “He looks great at the plate,” said outfielder Mac Williamson, who has been rehabbing with Morse. “It’s hard to say until you get up here to a little bit better competition, but I thought he’s been swinging the bat really well. He’s had a good approach. Just missing some pitches. He was only 2 for 9 at San Jose but he skied a couple balls, barreled a couple balls at people. So I think he looks good.”

Morse played all nine innings at first base Saturday and had a good test of his hamstring on the bases in the fourth trying to score from second on a single to center field by Trevor Brown. He was thrown out, with Las Vegas catcher Xorge Carrillo making an athletic tag as Morse slid in feet first. “I mean, I didn’t get hurt,” Morse said, smiling. “So that’s a plus.” Morse was scheduled to start in left field for the River Cats on Sunday and said he feels good about the progress of his recovery. “The more you play the game, you know your body and what you need to do and how much time you need,” he said. “I feel pretty good.” As of Saturday night, Morse said he hadn’t talked with anybody from the Giants about their plans for him. He said it hasn’t been easy watching the team struggle and thinking he might be able to help were it not for his hamstring. If he does get that opportunity, he’ll do all he can to be an infusion of life. “I know the guys pretty well, and I kind of see it on TV,” Morse said. “Got to shake up the clubhouse some.” Sacramento Bee Giants elevate Arroyo, get a badly needed win over Dodgers behind another Cain gem Carl Steward SAN FRANCISCO--If desperate times call for desperate measures, the San Francisco Giants showed just how desperate they were Monday with a significant team shakeup a mere 19 games into the season. Trying to conjure a reversal to the all-around funk that had them skidding back to AT&T Park with a 6-13 record, the Giants called up top hitting prospect Christian Arroyo and recently signed outfielder Drew Stubbs and promptly installed them into their wholly anemic lineup. Manager Bruce Bochy also performed an intriguing shuffle of that lineup, installing outfielder Hunter Pence in the leadoff spot with Eduardo Nunez, the latest left fielder now with Arroyo best suited to the infield, hitting third instead of playing third. "We're home, and it's time to get things turned around here," Bochy said following an almost embarrassing three-game sweep in Colorado that was preceded by pitcher Madison Bumgarner's dirt-bike accident on the team's off day before the Rockies series. At least for a day, things did turn around as the Giants rode Matt Cain for six shutout innings en route to a 2-1 victory over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. It was hard to discern how all the changes impacted the result, but after a much-needed victory, too much intensive examination may not be that necessary. The call-up of the 21-year-old Arroyo from the Triple-A Sacramento was the most stunning move, even if the Giants' hitting phenom was tearing up Pacific Coast League pitching to the tune of a .446 batting average. Arroyo was also leading the PCL with 29 hits, while his .478 on-base percentage ranked third and his .692 slugging percentage fourth.

Did Arroyo force the issue or did the Giants simply need somebody – anybody – who could hit? Bochy said it was a little bit of both. "Certainly what he's done down in Sacramento opened up a lot of eyes, and we have a need right now," Bochy said. "We're challenged here offensively a little bit. The way he's swinging the bat, we've probably made this move a little sooner than we were thinking about. But when you've been struggling the way we've been struggling, you look for ways to shake things up, too." Arroyo went 0 for 4 in his debut – three ground outs to second base and strikeout – but he was involved in the Giants' first scoring rally in the second inning. After Brandon Crawford's leadoff double, the stocky right-handed hitter hit a ground-out dribbler up the middle of the infield that moved Crawford to third, and Crawford subsequently scored on Joe Panik's sacrifice fly to center field. But even if Arroyo didn't hit the ball out of the infield, there seemed to be a different energy in the clubhouse and the ballpark with his very presence. In short, he represents fresh blood and renewed hope. And who knows? Maybe Stubbs, an eight-year major-league veteran who has spent time with six prior organizations, will bring something to the party, too. Arroyo arrived with a wide smile on his face and received hugs around from veteran Giants who knew he would one day be joining them. He was as surprised as anyone by his whirlwind day. He was gearing up for a 7 p.m. game in Sacramento when he got tapped for a promotion at about 1:30 p.m. He was in San Francisco by 3:30. Primarily a shortstop, Arroyo said he's moved around the diamond enough to feel comfortable wherever the Giants put him. He said he spent the second half of his Double-A Richmond season at third base and feels fine there. "I just try to go out there and help my team win and do what I do best," he said. "That's just play baseball hard and play it the right way." To make room for Arroyo and Stubbs, the Giants designated outfielder Chris Marrero for assignment and placed Aaron Hill on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. Stubbs, 32, has played all three outfield positions in his journeyman career, which began with Cincinnati. He has also played for Cleveland, Colorado, Texas, Atlanta and Baltimore. He has a career .244 average with 92 home runs. Marrero, who led the Giants with eight home runs in spring training, hit just .132 with one home run since the season began. He said he would report to Sacramento if he cleared waivers and work to get back to the major league club. For this night, anyway, the Giants were buoyed by yet another vintage performance from Cain (2-0), who allowed just two singles and a walk over six innings before being removed by Bochy and trainer Dave Groeschner. No reason was given during the game, but Cain did take a shot off his leg earlier the game. The Giants added an important insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when Panik lined a one-out single, Stubbs followed with a walk and Pence singled up the middle to make it 2-0. The Dodgers

countered with a run in the top of the eighth against the Giants' fourth pitcher, Derek Law, but Law weathered further damage and Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his fourth save, catcher Buster Posey throwing out Justin Turner at second for the final out after he strayed too far from the base. Sacramento Bee Bumgarner on dirt bike rental: 'not the most responsible decision' Janie McCauley SAN FRANCISCO--Madison Bumgarner had nearly finished a ride of more than two hours in the mountains outside Denver when his rented dirt bike slipped on the trail and took the pitcher to the ground directly onto his pitching shoulder. The 2014 World Series MVP bruised ribs and sprained the AC joint in his pitching shoulder in the dirt bike accident during Thursday's off day in Colorado. An experienced rider, Bumgarner said he was with two family members, not speeding or racing the bike, and wearing a helmet when he spun out, Hedoesn't think he hit a rock or other obstruction. The ground wasn't icy or snowy, and he said he wasn't doing hills. "I'm not exactly sure what happened. It was a surprise to me, too," he said. "I wish I had some kind of cool story for you that it was some kind of crazy wreck but it really wasn't anything spectacular, just super unfortunate. I was actually being pretty safe the whole time it was just a freak deal. It happened right at the end. That's really it. Like I said, I wish I had some kind of good story to tell everybody but I don't." He called Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner and went to the emergency room once back in Denver. "It's terrible. Obviously that was not my intentions when I set out to enjoy the off day. I realize that's definitely not the most responsible decision I've made," Bumgarner said Monday in his first public comments about the accident. "It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys and try to help us win some games. It's just very unfortunate. I've talked to a lot them. They know where I'm at and everybody's been super supportive, too — the organization, the guys, everything." Bumgarner had a protective sling over his pitching arm as he sat in the dugout and he will likely wear it for another week to 10 days, Groeschner said. Bumgarner was scheduled to have another MRI exam later in the evening and be checked by Dr. Ken Akizuki, who also examined Bumgarner on Sunday and "was pretty happy with the structure of it." While the 27-year-old left-hander doesn't believe there is structural damage in the shoulder, he didn't want to speak prematurely about how long he might be sidelined, whether he will need surgery or on his prospects of being able to pitch again this season. "It's hard to put a timetable on it, but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn't," he said. He would have to rehab on a throwing program and built back up. In 2014, Bumgarner produced one of the best postseasons ever by a pitcher.

He threw 270 innings, including 21 in a World Series that went the distance against the fellow wild-card Royals as the Giants captured their third championship in five years. On two days' rest in Game 7 at Kansas City he pitched five scoreless innings of relief in a 3-2 win. He tossed a record 52 2/3 post-season innings. So, everyone thought he was indestructible, right? "Yeah, well, unfortunately not this time," he said Monday. "I wish that was the case." While his contract lists prohibited activities, Bumgarner didn't offer specifics. An avid outdoorsman, he likes to ride horses, chop wood, fish and hunt. "Yeah, I think there's quite a bit of stuff in there, but that's probably not the first time I've made a stupid decision. We are human," Bumgarner said. "Honestly, I think it's pretty much anything non-baseball related in everyday life. But I don't have it front of me. I couldn't give you an exact description." He said Giants CEO Larry Baer, general manager Bobby Evans and manager Bruce Bochy all have been supportive and he hasn't been told he faces discipline. "Boch came to see me. Then I talked to Bobby and Larry and they honestly couldn't have been nicer to me or more caring than they were," Bumgarner said. "I was expecting the worst and rightfully so. The team and the front office and everybody have been super encouraging about it and positive and have been really good to me throughout this process so far." Bochy called his ace "remorseful" and the pitcher said he has spoken to most everybody either individually or in small groups about how upset he is having put the team in this situation. MadBum is 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in four 2017 starts and has received only five runs of support — two on his own home runs — but said he wasn't trying to blow off steam or frustration by getting away before the weekend series with the Rockies. "Bum's in a better place right now," Bochy said. "He was pretty beat up the first day when I saw him but he's walking around and his spirits are better. I think he feels a lot better about his situation now. Of course the first day you're wondering 'How bad is it?' He seems to be doing well." Sacramento Bee Matt Cain pitches Giants to 2-1 win against Dodgers Janie McCauley SAN FRANCISCO-- Matt Cain took a ball off his right foot and X-rays showed all was fine, then his right hamstring tightened as he tried to warm up for the seventh and that shortened his night. He still did plenty to help the Giants get back in the win column with a much-needed April victory. Cain pitched six scoreless innings to beat the Dodgers for the first time in nearly four years, and San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win against Los Angeles on Monday night. "We feel like as a staff if we can get some things going in the right direction, we can try to get the momentum on our side," Cain said.

Joe Panik hit a second-inning sacrifice fly off Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-4) in just the Giants' second victory in their last eight games. Hunter Pence added a key RBI single for insurance in the seventh. Top prospect Christian Arroyo was promoted by the Giants to be the new regular third baseman and he went 0 for 4 with three groundouts to second and a strikeout. Cain (2-0) allowed two hits, struck out three and walked one and has been a steady presence in San Francisco's rotation so far — and said afterward the hamstring was "no problem, we're just trying to get ahead of the treatment on it." He beat the Dodgers for the first time since May 5, 2013, also at AT&T Park. The right-hander, a victim of low run support for years and with injury bad luck the past few seasons, had been 0-3 with a 4.86 ERA in six starts since. Mark Melancon, San Francisco's fourth reliever, finished for his fourth save in five chances. Justin Turner extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a one-out single in the ninth before he was thrown out at second by catcher Buster Posey to end the game. "It's just one of those plays where you're reading the ball in the strike zone, he's reading the swing and he's trying to get a jump on the baseball with two outs to make sure he scores," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Buster, heads-up play throwing behind the runner." Ryu has lost his last six starts since Sept. 12, 2014, still seeking his first victory since Aug. 31, '14. Pinch-hitter Chris Taylor's groundout in the seventh got the Dodgers on the board, but they lost their sixth straight in San Francisco after going 2-8 at AT&T Park last year. ROMO'S RETURN Sergio Romo was downright giddy to be back at AT&T Park, where he got his big league start spending his first nine seasons with the Giants — and helping them to three World Series championships. "For me, it's a homecoming, it really is," he said, sitting in the Dodgers dugout before the game, then adding of the rivalry, "It's on, it's on, it's on." He pitched the eighth for L.A. to some chants of "Beat Ro-mo!" Romo highlights were shown — complete with his entry music "El Mechon" — after the first inning and he smiled, popped out of the dugout and tipped his cap every which way, even sending an air hug to the opposite dugout and his old teammates and coaches. TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill, on the disabled list nursing a blister on his left middle finger, threw 30 pitches with a bandage on the finger and will throw again in two days at 25 pitches with no bandage. ... RHP Kenta Maeda's next start will be pushed from Thursday to Friday.

Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner, out indefinitely with bruised ribs and a sprained pitching shoulder suffered in a dirt bike accident during Thursday's off day in Colorado, was scheduled to have another MRI exam but the results weren't immediately known. ... OF Drew Stubbs also was called up from Sacramento and made his Giants debut in CF for the injured Denard Span, who needs another three or four days following a mild right shoulder sprain that forced him out of Saturday's game at Colorado. Span can be used as a pinch runner, but isn't yet ready to throw. UP NEXT Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-1, 2.54 ERA), who has limited opponents to a .184 batting average so far, is 18-8 with a 1.61 ERA in 36 starts and 35 appearances vs. the Giants but won't line up against Bumgarner as has happened so often of late. Giants: LHP Ty Blach makes his first start of the season pitching in Bumgarner's rotation slot. He has a 4.76 ERA over seven relief outings this year. SF Examiner Cain snaps 4-game losing streak, pitches Giants past Dodgers in Arroyo’s debut Karl Buscheck AT&T Park — By the time Matt Cain delivered his first pitch at 7:15 p.m. on Monday night, it had already been a crazy, busy day at the San Francisco Giants’ home park. Before beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 to snap a four-game slide and end a stretch of six losses in seven games, the club summoned super prospect Christian Arroyo from Triple-A, Madison Bumgarner held a press conference to address his dirt bike crash and Sergio Romo made his AT&T return decked out in blue. Amidst that vortex, Cain produced his third consecutive vintage performance — before right hamstring tightness cut his evening short. Manager Bruce Bochy said he’s hopeful Cain will be ready for his next turn, and the starter added that he was being extra cautious after a hamstring issue sent him to the disabled list last summer. Cain needed only 70 pitches to throw six innings of shutout ball on his way to his first win over the Dodgers in nearly four years. Owner of the lowest ERA (2.55) on the starting staff, Cain went out for the seventh but never ended up throwing a pitch — instead heading back to the clubhouse with a trainer after his hamstring grabbed him during his warm-up. In the fourth, Yasmani Grandal sent a sharply-hit grounder up the middle that ricocheted off Cain’s right leg before popping into the glove of the charging Arroyo, who threw across the diamond to complete the force out. “That was tremendous,” Cain said. “The better part was the fact that Crawford yelled at, ‘If that happens again, just let it go through because I was standing right behind you in the first place.’ But Christian did an unbelievable job on that.”

Buster Posey also contributed a pair of defensive gems, throwing out Chris Taylor on a steal attempt to cap the eighth and picking up Justin Turner at second to end the game. “That’s who we are,” Bochy said. “We’re a team that normally — when we’re at our best — the pitching is there and the defense is there.” Bumgarner on dirt-bike accident: ‘It really wasn’t anything spectacular, it was just unfortunate’ For the first time since falling off his dirt bike last week, Bumgarner addressed reporters on Monday afternoon. Asked to explain how he’d suffered bruised ribs and a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, Bumgarner didn’t offer many specifics. “I wish I had some cool story for you — some kind of crazy wreck — but it really wasn’t anything spectacular,” Bumgarner said. “It was just unfortunate.” Bochy said the club won’t have a target date for Bumgarner’s return until he undergoes all his tests. Bumgarner was set for a MRI following his pregame press conference. “I mean, it’s hard to put a timetable on it,” Bumgarner said when asked if he thinks he’ll return this season. “But I’d certainly be disappointed if I wasn’t.” SF Examiner Bumgarner on dirt-bike accident: ‘It really wasn’t anything spectacular, it was just unfortunate’ Karl Buscheck AT&T Park — For the first time since falling off his dirt bike last week, Madison Bumgarner addressed the media before the San Francisco Giants faced the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night. Asked to explain how he’d suffered bruised ribs and a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, Bumgarner didn’t offer many specifics. “Man, I knew I was going to get asked that question,” Bumgarner said. “I wish I had some cool story for you — some kind of crazy wreck — but it really wasn’t anything spectacular. It was just unfortunate.” Bumgarner said he was riding in the mountains outside of Denver with a couple of family members on last Thursday’s off day and was nearly done with the ride when he went for a spill. “I was actually being pretty safe the whole time,” Bumgarner said. “It was just a freak deal right at the end.” The starter said he’d had a chance to speak with nearly all of his teammates and added that he received support from across the organization including CEO Larry Baer and general manager Bobby Evans. “*I feel+ terrible,” Bumgarner said. “Obviously that was not my intentions when I set out to enjoy the off day, but I realize that’s definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made. It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys, trying to help us win some games.” Bumgarner didn’t provide many details when asked about the state of his left shoulder — affixed to his side in a sling.

“I’m probably not qualified to answer that question,” Bumgarner said. “I’m just going to do everything I can do to get back as quick as I can.” The ace also hedged when asked if he thinks he’ll return this season. “I mean, it’s hard to put a timetable on it,” Bumgarner said. “But I’d certainly be disappointed if I wasn’t.” SF Examiner Giants’ ice-cold April, Arroyo’s hot start lead to top prospect’s promotion Karl Buscheck AT&T Park — Throughout the opening weeks of the season, general manager Bobby Evans and manager Bruce Bochy insisted that the club wouldn’t race Christian Arroyo to the majors simply because the San Francisco Giants are floundering in last place. Instead, the brass wanted the 21-year-old to force his way into the major league lineup. On Monday afternoon, after the Giants summoned Arroyo from the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, Bochy admitted that it wasn’t just the third baseman’s blazing start — he hit .446 in 16 games — that precipitated his promotion. “The way he’s swinging the bat certainly made us push this move probably a little sooner than we were thinking about,” Bochy explained. “When you struggle a little bit — and the team’s been struggling — sometimes you try to shake things up too.” Arroyo, who will be installed at third base with Eduardo Núñez shifting to left field, was totally shocked to get the call to Third and King. “I was completely caught off guard today,” Arroyo said. “I was asked to come in and do early work at 1:30 p.m. for our 7 o’clock game and the next thing I know I was in our manager’s office and he’s telling me that I’m going to play third base in San Francisco. So, it was a cool story but I was completely caught off guard.” SF Examiner Romo on return to AT&T: ‘It’s going to be weird, it’s going to be different’ Karl Buscheck AT&T Park — As Sergio Romo sat in the unfamiliar visitor’s dugout at his former longtime home, the three-time World Series winner with the San Francisco Giants wore a big grin on his face. “I’m hoping it will be great,” the now-Los Angeles Dodgers reliever said when asked what kind of greeting he expected from the crowd at AT&T Park. “I’m hoping at least initially I get a, ‘I’m happy to see you type thing,’” Romo added. “But I wouldn’t be surprised either if I got a quick reminder that I’m wearing the other colors now. It’s not that I’m not longer on their side, but I’m technically no longer on there side.” “So, for me, it’s going to be weird. It’s going to be different.”

Romo, who spent time during batting practice talking with teammates like Buster Posey and who had an extended talk his old manager Bruce Bochy, has had Monday night’s game circled on this calendar ever since signing with the Dodgers in mid-February. “That was probably the second thing I did,” Romo said, explaining that he called his dad first to let him know he was signing with his hometown club. “I looked right away. Why? Because it mattered to me,” Romo said. “It matters a lot to me to be here.” —Asked about sidelined ex-teammate Madison Bumgarner, Romo admitted that he was “saddened” by the ace’s injury but also “surprised” that he’d put himself at risk by riding his dirt bike in season.” ESPN Why wait for the deadline? These teams should deal now Jim Bowden Most general managers don’t overreact after just three weeks of games. But that doesn’t mean they don’t take the first month of performances seriously and start to prepare for potential trades. History tells us not a lot of deals get done at the end of April or beginning of May, but the new generation of GMs is aggressive about making moves, and we’ll see major moves made in May or June, long before the trade deadline at the end of July. Take the Toronto Blue Jays and the dismal start to their season. You can attribute some of that to having no Edwin Encarnacion, but most of what has gone wrong for them has happened since Opening Day, not as a matter of design. They’ve suffered a barrage of injuries removing two of the best starters (Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ) and their best hitter (Josh Donaldson). They’ve gotten horrendous starts from both veterans Jose Bautista and Russell Martin, added to their usual lack of offensive production at first base and left field. Throw in the fact that only one team in the live ball era has started the season 5-13 (the Jays' record through Sunday) and made the postseason -- the 1951 New York Giants -- and you have a strong case for the Toronto front office to walk into the boardroom and start trade talks now. But in doing that, the Blue Jays really have only three choices: Wait it out and hope the team gets healthy and the veteran players start living up to the backs of their baseball cards. Trade for upgrades in left field and at first base. Start the process of rebuilding. The problem with the third option is that unless they’re going to consider trading members from their starting rotation (the best part of the team) or Donaldson, they really don’t have much to trade if they’re expecting to get the top prospects they’ll need to really rebuild. They’re probably in the toughest position of any team -- they’re built to win now but they aren’t; they already have holes; and they have injuries that might handicap their getting any kind of deals done that would get them value in return. In contrast to the Jays' stumbling because of problems that struck them in-season, the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals walked into 2017 with glaring needs they were only too aware of.

The Giants desperately needed both an everyday left fielder and a better fourth outfielder to help them deal with the likely absences of injury-prone veterans Hunter Pence and Denard Span. The Giants brought up Christian Arroyo on Monday to play third and will move Eduardo Nunez to left field, which the Giants hope will work and take away the need to trade for a left fielder. Why? Because their left fielders (mostly Chris Marrero and now-injured Jarrett Parker) were producing a .389 OPS through Sunday. Their center fielders (Span and Gorkys Hernandez) were at .478. The injury to Madison Bumgarner makes their getting to the postseason more difficult this season, but they’re built to win now and into the immediate future -- they can’t let it ride in the outfield. The Nationals tried to land one of the big free-agent closers this winter, but when that fell through they looked from within to find an answer. They gave Blake Treinen an initial shot at being their closer, and he failed. Now manager Dusty Baker is giving opportunities to Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover. Although Glover could end up being an impact closer in time, the Washington front office knows this is a World Series-caliber team and has to be making phone calls to get a more proven closer. The Nats’ window to win could be just this year and next with Bryce Harper a free agent after the 2018 season. So it would be foolish for them not to take advantage of this window and make a trade. Unfortunately, to make one, they’re going to have to grossly overpay in prospects, just as they did in the Adam Eaton deal. But as I said then, if it means winning a World Series, who cares? GMs get paid to win world championships, not trades. The Kansas City Royals are sitting in last place this morning, and although they do have a good enough club to be wild-card contenders, there’s no doubt the Indians are going to win the AL Central. Meanwhile, the Royals play every day knowing that Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Jason Vargas (a top Comeback Player of the Year candidate) will all be free agents at season’s end. The Royals really can’t wait until the trade deadline to start making moves because they could wind up in serious competition with teams such as the White Sox and the Brewers, who are loaded with trade pieces. GM Dayton Moore said he was going to wait 30-45 days and re-evaluate the team at that point, but the inevitable is in front of him, as much as he might not like it. Two trips to the World Series and a world championship was a great tribute to Moore’s hard work in Kansas City. However, to get back there it’s time to make major trades for the future, as difficult and sad as that might be for Royals fans. The Chicago White Sox have been holding out for what they believe is “fair” trade value for their roster filled with movable players, which means they risk being slow to pull the trigger unless they change their mindset. Getting maximum returns in the Chris Sale and Adam Eaton trades spoiled them, and they now expect that return in all their deals -- and that’s just not happening. Seeing Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu all get off to slow starts certainly didn’t help, which meant their phone has been quieter than expected to start the season. But there’s no doubt that the White Sox will make several deals between now and July 31, and they won’t be afraid to pull the trigger at any time if someone meets their asking prices. The Seattle Mariners are the most intriguing team that could help itself with an early trade or two, because they too are off to a slow start. A lot of things have gone right for them, such as the emergence of right fielder Mitch Haniger and the great start by a healthy James Paxton. However, if they don’t start winning soon, Jerry Dipoto likes to deal more than any other GM in baseball, and he has significant players he could shop -- such as Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura. I think the Mariners will turn it around and get back in the race -- at which point Dipoto might instead look for trades to help his team win now.

Getting a deal done isn’t easy at this time of year because you need two GMs agreeing they’re better off dealing now as opposed to in July. But situations such as those of the Giants (a team that wants to win now and knows what it needs) or the White Sox (in which GM Rick Hahn knows he wants to deal veterans for a rebuild) suggest that some executives won’t wait until the summer to do something to help them execute their plan for the season. Here is a quick look at the three teams most likely to be sellers between now and the trade deadline, and which players they might be trying to move: Kansas City Royals • Eric Hosmer, 1B: The problem is that no contending team is looking for a first baseman -- yet. • Alcides Escobar, SS: The trade market is loaded with shortstops, including the Cincinnati’s Zack Cozart & Arizona’s Nick Ahmed. • Michael Moustakas, 3B: If Pablo Sandoval doesn’t hit, the Red Sox could be a match; the Mets and Cardinals also could use him. • Lorenzo Cain, CF: The Giants need him badly and could then move Span to left. • Jason Vargas, LHP: One of the best stories of the year, and everyone needs a solid lefty starter. Chicago White Sox • Jose Quintana, LHP: A slow start doesn’t help his trade value, but the White Sox will still do well here. • Derek Holland, LHP: He’s off to a great start, and if he keeps it up he should have real trade value. • Dave Robertson, Closer: He is exactly what the Nationals need and has not given up a run. • Jose Abreu, 1B: The slow start to his season suggests that if he does get traded it would be closer to the deadline. • Todd Frazier, 3B: Another slow starter, but he’s a Jersey boy who would love to be a Met. • Melky Cabrera, LF: The Giants don’t want him back, but he’d certainly help them. Toronto Blue Jays • Marco Estrada, RHP: No AL pitcher has a lower batting average against over the past two years. He could have great trade value. • Francisco Liriano, LHP: He’s back, and his trade value will never be higher than right now. • Josh Donaldson, 3B: The Blue Jays control him through next year, so I doubt they'd trade him unless overwhelmed by an offer.

• Troy Tulowitzki, SS: He’s in his decline years with a big contract; he won’t draw much interest. • Jose Bautista, RF: He drew little as a free agent and is off to slow start. Here are some players the Nationals and Giants could be targeting to fill their serious needs at closer and left field, respectively: Washington Nationals’ possible closer trade targets: • Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates: He is a free agent at end of season and has gone 6-for-6 in his save opportunities with a 1.13 ERA. • Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays: An obvious target, but the Nationals aren’t giving up top prospect Victor Robles to get him. • Dave Robertson, White Sox: After overpaying for Eaton, they don’t want to do it again. • Brandon Kintzler, Minnesota Twins: He’s a sleeper here but has not given up a run while going 4-for-4 in his save opportunities. • The Oakland Athletics’ trio: Ryan Madson is signed through 2018 and off to a good start (1.23 ERA); Sean Doolittle looks as if he’s almost all the way back with 10 K’s in six innings; and Santiago Casilla, though inconsistent, is worth a shot if the price is low. • Raicel Iglesias, Reds: He might be the only reliever they'd consider dealing Robles for. • Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals: He’s back to throwing 100 mph with command, but I doubt the Cards would move him. San Francisco Giants’ possible outfield trade targets: • Lorenzo Cain, CF, Royals: He would be a perfect fit, on and off the field. • Melky Cabrera, LF, White Sox: They don’t want him back -- but they should. • Jarrod Dyson, OF, Mariners: If Dipoto decides to sell, Dyson’s speed would fit well in the Giants’ outfield. • Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers: They probably don’t have enough to get him, in money or in prospects. • Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pirates: Though I’m not sure how the Pirates could trade him after Starling Marte’s suspension. • Carlos Gomez, OF, Rangers: He’s off to a slow start in Texas but would be another good fit. • Jose Bautista, OF, Blue Jays: His horrendous start wouldn’t scare the Giants away, not with his power.

ESPN Despite standings, Dodgers-Giants intensity has throwback feel Doug Padilla SAN FRANCISCO -- They have controlled the National League West for nearly a decade now, but on Monday, the two teams that have won eight of the past nine division titles were merely searching for their place in the sports pecking order. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are supposed to be setting the NL West pace, not lagging behind it as upstarts in Colorado and Arizona take flight. These California coastal teams should be titans, not tomato cans. The usual powerhouses can normally draw attention simply from the energy given off by the jammed-packed stadium. At AT&T Park on Monday, though, both teams brought a sub-.500 record into the matchup and were both feeling the sting of recent injuries. Before the game, the Giants' Madison Bumgarner addressed the recent dirt bike accident that landed him on the disabled list with an injured shoulder, while the Dodgers were on the other side of the ballpark placing center fielder Joc Pederson on the DL with a right groin strain. The Dodgers also held a throwing session for Rich Hill to assess his blister issue. With the somber news out of the way, the Giants' Matt Cain and the Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu turned back the clock and engaged in a pitchers' duel worthy of their prime. Ryu gave up one run over six innings, while Cain countered with six shutout innings on two hits. Cain's Giants got the best of it with a 2-1 nail-biting victory, as the right-hander won his first game against the Dodgers since May 5, 2013, despite having to leave the game early with a hamstring injury. When Giants catcher Buster Posey picked off the Dodgers' Justin Turner from second base to end it, San Francisco closer Mark Melancon pumped his fist in order to supply the exclamation point. But with both teams well below their standards it raised the question: How much of Monday's tightly played game was very good pitching and how much was sub-par offense? "These teams, these are two winning teams in recent years and these teams are not going to lie down," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insisted. "But yeah, right now, we're both under .500. Those guys aren't going to quit over there and we certainly aren't." In proving how these two teams never do anything quietly, the game also featured Sergio Romo pitching at AT&T Park for the first time as a visitor. After nine mostly successful seasons as a Giants reliever, the right-hander pitched a scoreless inning in enemy blue. What Romo could not do was help the Dodgers' offense. The Dodgers had just two hits entering the eighth inning and were trailing 2-0 when a Chase Utley walk, an Enrique Hernandez single and a ground ball from Chris Taylor brought home a run. Taylor was then thrown out trying to steal second base with Corey Seager at the plate as the go-ahead run. The Taylor judgement error, combined with the Turner pickoff at second base as the tying run, only added to the Dodgers' frustration as they lost the first meeting of the rivals this season.

Turner appeared to get a Dodgers rally started when he singled with one out in the ninth. After Yasmani Grandal struck out, Turner made a good read on a Melancon pitch in the dirt and advanced to second. But it hardly mattered when he was picked off after drifting too far off the bag on his secondary lead with Adrian Gonzalez at the plate. "With Melancon he spikes a lot of his breaking balls in the dirt and I'm just trying to read it out of the hand early," Turner said. "I saw it down and took off. That was a good baseball play. A couple of pitches later was a very bad one." After making just one start in the past two seasons because of shoulder and elbow surgeries, Ryu made the best start of his comeback. He gave up only a sacrifice-fly RBI to Joe Panik in the second inning and seemed to supply himself with a healthy dose of confidence moving forward. "It was definitely a long road back, but I was glad I was able to put up the performance I did today," Ryu said through an interpreter. "I was able to make a quality start. It would have been better if I was able to do this from the start of the season, but it took me four games to do it. I hope to build on this performance." The Dodgers are in a midst of a stretch in which they will use six different starting pitchers in six consecutive games. When that run is complete, somebody will exit the rotation. That somebody does not appear to be Ryu, especially with the way he handled the club's rival on the road. "I thought the curveball was good, the changeup, he held velocity," Roberts said of Ryu. "I think that tonight he showed, even late, the backdoor cutter to right-hand hitters. He showed his complete mix and for him to be stressed a little in the sixth inning, but to be able to get through it, that was good. Every time he takes the mound, I feel good, so for him to put it together, that was good for him moving forward." Perhaps the rivalry helped Ryu's focus. Perhaps everybody's intensity was a little more heightened on this day. The teams might still be on the hunt for a winning record, but it felt like old-time Dodgers and Giants, for the most part. "When you get us two together, I think the intensity ramps up a little bit," Roberts said. "There was a lot of focus and even after that save, you could see the exhale and excitement from Melancon. It was a big game for them and conversely a tough one for us, but we have to regroup tomorrow." ESPN Giants P Matt Cain (hamstring) exits start; gets 1st win vs. Dodgers since 2013 ESPN News Services Matt Cain left the Giants' 2-1 win over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night because of what San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said after the game was a tight hamstring. Cain took a ball off his right foot and X-rays showed all was fine, then his right hamstring tightened as he tried to warm up for the seventh inning, shortening his night.

Bochy said Cain would have the injury further evaluated. Cain missed two weeks last year with the same injury, but he said it's not as bad this time around. "Last year, it was something that was definitely more on my mind when I did it. I pushed too hard. I thought we were being a lot smarter today," Cain said. Cain (2-0) pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits, striking out three and walking one. He has been a steady presence in San Francisco's rotation so far. "We feel like as a staff if we can get some things going in the right direction, we can try to get the momentum on our side," Cain said after the Giants snapped a four-game losing streak with Monday's win. He beat the Dodgers for the first time since May 5, 2013, also at AT&T Park. The right-hander, a victim of low run support for years and with injury bad luck the past few seasons, had been 0-3 with a 4.86 ERA in six starts since. ESPN Matt Cain pitches Giants to 2-1 win against Dodgers Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Matt Cain took a ball off his right foot and X-rays showed all was fine, then his right hamstring tightened as he tried to warm up for the seventh and that shortened his night. He still did plenty to help the Giants get back in the win column with a much-needed April victory. Cain pitched six scoreless innings to beat the Dodgers for the first time in nearly four years, and San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win against Los Angeles on Monday night. "We feel like as a staff if we can get some things going in the right direction, we can try to get the momentum on our side," Cain said. Joe Panik hit a second-inning sacrifice fly off Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-4) in just the Giants' second victory in their last eight games. Hunter Pence added a key RBI single for insurance in the seventh. Top prospect Christian Arroyo was promoted by the Giants to be the new regular third baseman and he went 0 for 4 with three groundouts to second and a strikeout. Cain (2-0) allowed two hits, struck out three and walked one and has been a steady presence in San Francisco's rotation so far -- and said afterward the hamstring was "no problem, we're just trying to get ahead of the treatment on it." He beat the Dodgers for the first time since May 5, 2013, also at AT&T Park. The right-hander, a victim of low run support for years and with injury bad luck the past few seasons, had been 0-3 with a 4.86 ERA in six starts since.

Mark Melancon, San Francisco's fourth reliever, finished for his fourth save in five chances. Justin Turner extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a one-out single in the ninth before he was thrown out at second by catcher Buster Posey to end the game. "It's just one of those plays where you're reading the ball in the strike zone, he's reading the swing and he's trying to get a jump on the baseball with two outs to make sure he scores," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Buster, heads-up play throwing behind the runner." Ryu has lost his last six starts since Sept. 12, 2014, still seeking his first victory since Aug. 31, `14. Pinch-hitter Chris Taylor's groundout in the seventh got the Dodgers on the board, but they lost their sixth straight in San Francisco after going 2-8 at AT&T Park last year. ROMO'S RETURN Sergio Romo was downright giddy to be back at AT&T Park, where he got his big league start spending his first nine seasons with the Giants -- and helping them to three World Series championships. "For me, it's a homecoming, it really is," he said, sitting in the Dodgers dugout before the game, then adding of the rivalry, "It's on, it's on, it's on." He pitched the eighth for L.A. to some chants of "Beat Ro-mo!" Romo highlights were shown -- complete with his entry music "El Mechon" -- after the first inning and he smiled, popped out of the dugout and tipped his cap every which way, even sending an air hug to the opposite dugout and his old teammates and coaches. TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill, on the disabled list nursing a blister on his left middle finger, threw 30 pitches with a bandage on the finger and will throw again in two days at 25 pitches with no bandage. ... RHP Kenta Maeda's next start will be pushed from Thursday to Friday. Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner, out indefinitely with bruised ribs and a sprained pitching shoulder suffered in a dirt bike accident during Thursday's off day in Colorado, was scheduled to have another MRI exam but the results weren't immediately known. ... OF Drew Stubbs also was called up from Sacramento and made his Giants debut in CF for the injured Denard Span, who needs another three or four days following a mild right shoulder sprain that forced him out of Saturday's game at Colorado. Span can be used as a pinch runner, but isn't yet ready to throw. UP NEXT Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-1, 2.54 ERA), who has limited opponents to a .184 batting average so far, is 18-8 with a 1.61 ERA in 36 starts and 35 appearances vs. the Giants but won't line up against Bumgarner as has happened so often of late.

Giants: LHP Ty Blach makes his first start of the season pitching in Bumgarner's rotation slot. He has a 4.76 ERA over seven relief outings this year. ESPN Madison Bumgarner says dirt bike ride 'not the most responsible decision' Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Madison Bumgarner had nearly finished a ride of more than two hours in the mountains outside Denver when his rented dirt bike slipped on the trail and took the pitcher to the ground directly onto his pitching shoulder. The 2014 World Series MVP bruised ribs and sprained the AC joint in his pitching shoulder in the dirt bike accident during Thursday's off day in Colorado. An experienced rider, Bumgarner said he was with two family members, not speeding or racing the bike, and wearing a helmet when he spun out. He doesn't think he hit a rock or other obstruction. The ground wasn't icy or snowy, and he said he wasn't doing hills. "I'm not exactly sure what happened. It was a surprise to me, too," he said. "I wish I had some kind of cool story for you that it was some kind of crazy wreck, but it really wasn't anything spectacular, just super unfortunate. I was actually being pretty safe the whole time; it was just a freak deal. It happened right at the end. That's really it. Like I said, I wish I had some kind of good story to tell everybody, but I don't." He called San Francisco Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner and went to the emergency room once back in Denver. "It's terrible. Obviously that was not my intentions when I set out to enjoy the off day. I realize that's definitely not the most responsible decision I've made," Bumgarner said Monday in his first public comments about the accident. "It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys and try to help us win some games. It's just very unfortunate. I've talked to a lot [of] them. They know where I'm at, and everybody's been super supportive, too -- the organization, the guys, everything." Bumgarner had a protective sling on his pitching arm as he sat in the dugout, and he likely will wear it for another week to 10 days, Groeschner said. Bumgarner was scheduled to have another MRI exam later in the evening and be checked by Dr. Ken Akizuki, who also examined Bumgarner on Sunday and "was pretty happy with the structure of it." While the 27-year-old left-hander doesn't believe there is structural damage in the shoulder, he didn't want to speak prematurely about how long he might be sidelined, whether he will need surgery or about his prospects of being able to pitch again this season. "It's hard to put a timetable on it, but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn't," he said. He would have to rehab on a throwing program and build back up. In 2014, Bumgarner produced one of the best postseasons ever by a pitcher.

He threw 270 innings, including 21 in a World Series that went the distance against the fellow wild-card Kansas City Royals as the Giants captured their third championship in five years. On two days' rest in Game 7 at Kansas City, he pitched five scoreless innings of relief in a 3-2 win. He tossed a record 52⅔ postseason innings. So, everyone thought he was indestructible, right? "Yeah, well, unfortunately not this time," he said Monday. "I wish that was the case." While his contract lists prohibited activities, Bumgarner didn't offer specifics. An avid outdoorsman, he likes to ride horses, chop wood, fish and hunt. "Yeah, I think there's quite a bit of stuff in there, but that's probably not the first time I've made a stupid decision. We are human," Bumgarner said. "Honestly, I think it's pretty much anything non-baseball related in everyday life. But I don't have it front of me. I couldn't give you an exact description." He said Giants CEO Larry Baer, general manager Bobby Evans and manager Bruce Bochy all have been supportive, and that he hasn't been told he faces discipline. "Boch came to see me. Then I talked to Bobby and Larry, and they honestly couldn't have been nicer to me or more caring than they were," Bumgarner said. "I was expecting the worst, and rightfully so. The team and the front office and everybody have been super encouraging about it and positive and have been really good to me throughout this process so far." Bochy called his ace "remorseful," and the pitcher said he has spoken to almost everybody either individually or in small groups about how upset he is having put the team in this situation. Bumgarner is 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in four 2017 starts and has received only five runs of support -- two on his own home runs -- but said he wasn't trying to blow off steam or frustration by getting away before the weekend series with the Colorado Rockies. "Bum's in a better place right now," Bochy said. "He was pretty beat up the first day when I saw him but he's walking around and his spirits are better. I think he feels a lot better about his situation now. Of course the first day you're wondering, 'How bad is it?' He seems to be doing well." ESPN Giants call up prospect Christian Arroyo Sarah Scrivens The San Francisco Giants purchased the contracts of Christian Arroyo and Drew Stubbs from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday. Arroyo, ranked as the Giant's No. 2 prospect on MLB.com's MLB Pipeline prior to his call-up, will be batting sixth and playing third base in the first game of the Giants' four-game home series vs. the Dodgers on Monday. Stubbs, a journeyman outfielder, returns to the big leagues with his seventh team. The Giants tweeted a congratulatory photo of Arroyo as he signed paperwork today. Arroyo's former team, the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, wished him well in his major league debut.

Sacramento teammate Tyler Beede posted an anecdote on how Arroyo broke the news that he wouldn't be playing in the River Cats' Monday night game. The 21-year-old reportedly got in touch with his mom once he got the news, and his family will be in town for San Francisco's game on Tuesday. The additions of Arroyo and Stubbs come as outfielder Chris Marrero was designated for assignment and infielder Aaron Hill was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right forearm strain. Through 16 games with the River Cats, Arroyo hit .446 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. Stubbs was hitting .256 at Sacramento, but he chalked up homers in back-to-back games over the weekend. Sports Illustrated Bumgarner says dirt bike ride ‘not the most responsible decision’ SI Wire San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner says the dirt bike accident that landed him on the disabled list was “not the most responsible decision” he has made. Bumgarner says he was riding rented bikes with family members during San Francisco's day off while in Colorado to play the Rockies last Thursday. He spun out during the ride and landed on his pitching shoulder. “I wish I had some kind of cool story for you that it was some kind of crazy wreck, but it really wasn't anything spectacular, just super unfortunate. I was actually being pretty safe the whole time; it was just a freak deal. It happened right at the end. That's really it,” he said. Bumgarner suffered bruised ribs and sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder and will be re-evaluated next week. Bumgarner is expected to miss 6-8 weeks of action. This season, Bumgarner is 0–3 with a 3.00 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched. San Francisco gave Bumgarner only 1.75 runs on average in his four starts, Only four starting pitchers in the majors have had fewer run support. The Giants are 7–10 and in last place in the NL West.

Fox Sports Giants prospect couldn’t convince his mom he’d actually been called up to majors Chris Bahr Giants prospect Christian Arroyo got the news every player dreams about Monday when his Triple-A manager informed him that he was getting promoted to the majors. The 23-year-old infielder could hardly believe it, and his mother really was skeptical – as this Twitter exchange shows: Arroyo made his big league debut at third base in Monday’s 2-1 win over the Dodgers. And despite going 0-for-4, the 2013 first-round pick was beaming afterward: Arroyo got the call-up after hitting .446/.478/.692 with three homers, seven doubles and 12 RBI in 16 games at Triple-A Sacramento this season. Given San Francisco’s need for offense – the Giants are 25th in the majors in runs per game (3.55) and 26th in OPS (.656) – he should get a real opportunity to stay in The Show. And hopefully his mom will get the chance see him in action soon. Fox Sports Barry Bonds will have a street named after him in San Francisco Pete Blackburn He may still be a somewhat controversial name in the baseball world, but Barry Bonds is set to be honored as a sports legend in San Francisco in the not-too-distant future. As a part of the redevelopment of the old Candlestick Park site, Bonds will reportedly have a street named after him. He’ll share that honor with some of the city’s other legendary athletes — including Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark. It’s another chapter in Bonds’ reconciliation with the city of San Francisco and the Giants’ organization. Earlier this year, he rejoined the team as a special advisor to the CEO. Bonds, of course, owns baseball’s single-season (73) and all-time (762) records for home runs and is generally recognized as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, though his career is shrouded by controversy due to his central role in baseball’s steroid era. He is still not in the Hall of Fame. Fox Sports Madison Bumgarner addresses dirt bike wreck and timetable for his return Chris Bahr Madison Bumgarner spoke with reporters Monday for the first time since injuring his pitching shoulder and ribs in a dirt bike accident last week. And he was quite apologetic. The ace lefty said the excursion last week in Denver last Thursday was “definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made.” From MLB.com:

“I think it’s pretty clear I don’t want to be in this situation,” said Bumgarner, whose throwing arm remained in a sling for immobilization. “I don’t want to put *teammates+ in this situation. This organization, the fans, the city. … It’s terrible. Obviously that was not my intentions when I set out to enjoy the off-day.” The slow-starting Giants – they are just 7-13 and in last place in the NL West – will be without their ace indefinitely. A follow-up MRI is planned to determine the severity of his shoulder sprain, though Bumgarner said he expects to pitch again this season: “It’s hard to put a timetable on it, but I would certainly be disappointed if I wasn’t *able to perform in 2017+.” In four starts this season, Bumgarner is 0-3, but has a 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, a complete game and 28 strikeouts in 27 innings. To his credit, Bumgarner said he never considered lying about how the injury occurred: “That’s just not who I am,” Bumgarner said, via MLB.com. “If you’re going to do stuff like that, you’ve got to be honest about it. Obviously that doesn’t make the fact of the matter any better, but that’s just not who I am. I didn’t see any reason to try to lie about it.” For now, the waiting game continues – for Bumgarner, the Giants and the team’s fans. CBS Sports Giants' Mark Melancon: Pitches scoreless ninth for fourth save RotoWire Staff Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth inning with just a single hit allowed and a strikeout to record his fourth save of the season during Monday's win over the Dodgers. Since a poor outing on Opening Day (four hits and two runs allowed), Melancon has now strung together five scoreless innings over five appearances with six strikeouts and four saves. After the bullpen struggles the Giants endured in 2016, Melancon's job is probably one of the more secure among his ninth-inning peers, and San Francisco forked over big money for his services for a reason. With a 1.96 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over the past four seasons, he's also proven to be one of the more reliable fantasy closers. CBS Sports Giants' Matt Cain: Leaves Monday start with apparent injury RotoWire Staff Cain left Monday's start against the Dodgers with an undisclosed injury, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports reports. Cain left with a trainer after apparently feeling some discomfort after his warm-up pitches before the seventh inning. He was dealing, having tossed six shutout innings and needing just 70 pitches to do so. Cain's ERA dropped to 2.43 in the process, as he is enjoying one of his best stretches in years. Hopefully this injury proves to be minor, because we haven't seen this Cain in a long time.

CBS Sports Giants' Kyle Crick: Reinstated from DL after concussion RotoWire Staff Crick is symptom-free and has been reinstated from the disabled list after suffering a concussion earlier in April, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Crick was hit with a foul ball in the dugout, a freak accident. Thankfully, his symptoms subsided quickly and he was able to get back in action after missing only a little more than a week. If he performs well upon his return, Crick will put himself in the conversation for a midseason call-up to join the Giants bullpen. CBS Sports Giants' Aaron Hill: Lands on DL RotoWire Staff Hill was placed on the 10-day DL with a right forearm strain, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Christian Arroyo, the Giants' top prospect, was called-up to fill Hill's spot on the roster for the time being. It's currently unclear how long Hill will be sidelined with the injury, though the Giants' should update his status once more is known. Hill is slashing just .120/.241/.240 through 12 games, so this loss isn't too impactful for fantasy purposes. CBS Sports Giants' Chris Marrero: DFA'd Monday RotoWire Staff Marrero was designated for assignment by the Giants on Monday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The move was made to clear room for Drew Stubbs, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A on Monday. Marrero was struggling to start the year, slashing just .132/.171/.211 through 38 at-bats (15 games), prompting the Giants to seek an offensive upgrade in the outfield. It's unclear if he'll accept his assignment to the minors should he clear waivers. Yahoo Sports Madison Bumgarner admits dirt-bike injury was 'not the most responsible decision' Mike Oz San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, in his first public comments since a dirt-bike accident left him hospitalized and on the disabled list with a shoulder sprain, admitted spending his day off on a dirt bike last Thursday was “definitely not the most responsible decision.” Bumgarner joined the team Monday at AT&T Park before it began its series with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. While Bumgarner’s injury didn’t require surgery, he did have a second MRI on Monday, yet the Giants still don’t have a firm timetable for his return. Initial reports had him out 6-8 weeks, but shoulder injuries are tricky, so that remains to be seen.

He arrived with his left arm in a sling and talked to a group of reporters before the game. Among the things we learned from his media scrum about the baseball season’s most interesting injury: Here’s more from Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area: The Giants believe his shoulder is relatively sound structurally, and the consensus is that Bumgarner is lucky this wasn’t worse. He said the bike, a rental during the team’s off day, was similar to ones he has been on in the past. He was hours into a ride with two family members when he went down on dirt. “I was actually being pretty safe the whole time,” Bumgarner said. “It was just a freak deal. We were on the way out, almost back to the truck … I wish I had some kind of cool story that it was some kind of crazy wreck. It wasn’t anything spectacular.” Bumgarner has spoken to most of his teammates individually and in small groups. He understands that this is a bad look, and it’s a blow the Giants can’t afford. “It’s terrible. It’s obviously not my intention when I set out to enjoy the off day,” he said. “I realize it’s definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made. It sucks not being out here with the guys.” Bumgarner hit the DL last Friday, a shocker both because of the circumstances behind his injury and the fact that he’d never been on the disabled list in his MLB career. Up to that point, Bumgarner was 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA this season. It was a few hard-luck losses for Bumgarner, who has pitched well enough so far. The Giants, however, have been a mess. They’ve scored a total of seven runs in his four starts. Fans were both surprised and disappointed that Bumgarner would do something as risky as dirt biking on his day off. Many have questioned whether his contract forbid such activities and, if so, whether the Giants would seek any recourse. The Giants haven’t talked about that yet. The San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea wrote that Giants GM Bobby Evans didn’t have anything to say in regards how Bumgarner’s injury affected his contract. “Our focus is trying to take care of Madison and get him healthy and support him any way we can,” said Evans, adding that Bumgarner’s contract is “the least of our concerns.” Bumgarner’s contract remains one of the most team-friendly in baseball, especially considering what he’s meant to the team and its postseason successes. In 2012, he signed the five-year, $35 million pacts, which came with two club option years. The Giants have the choice whether to retain Bumgarner for 2018 and 2019 for $12 million each, a number that’s well below market value for an ace pitcher. If the Giants want to cut ties with Bumgarner over this dirt-bike accident, they could do so after this season and owe him just a $1.5 million buyout. UPI (The Sports Xchange) Buster Posey's walk-off pickoff moves San Francisco Giants past Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Del Grande

SAN FRANCISCO -- Statistically one of the worst pitchers in baseball the past three seasons, San Francisco right-hander Matt Cain must be excused if he was more than a bit nervous Monday in the ninth inning of the Giants' series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After all, Cain was in the trainer's room, having a strained hamstring massaged after just undergoing an X-ray taken on a painful right foot. And with the potential tying run at second base and a 3-1 count on Dodgers slugger Adrian Gonzalez, Cain had even more reason to be worried. However, Giants catcher Buster Posey brought great joy to the gloomy home clubhouse with a walk-off pickoff, nailing Justin Turner off second base to end San Francisco's 2-1 victory. "We're worried about the 3-1 count on Gonzalez," Cain said of his view of the last-pitch dramatics on television. "Then (Posey) comes up with that missile. That's not something you see very often." Joe Panik and Hunter Pence drove in runs for the Giants, who staggered home from a 1-4 trip on which they were outscored 29-10. "Anytime you come off a horrible series up there in Colorado, you're glad to be home," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "This does a lot for the club. I thought tonight was a huge game for us." Cain, whose 5.64 ERA was the eighth highest in the majors last season among pitchers with more than 15 starts, threw his third consecutive strong game, allowing only two hits and one walk. He struck out three. He pulled himself from the game after six innings, fearing a balky hamstring that had lingered in 2016 had started acting up again. "Definitely very difficult," Cain said of coming out with a 1-0 lead. "But I was trying not to be selfish and put somebody in a bad situation." The postgame news also was good for Cain. X-rays on his foot, hit by a line drive off the bat of Yasmani Grandal in the fourth inning, were negative. And he also reported that his hamstring was already feeling better. The win over the Dodgers was Cain's first since May 5, 2013. He has now allowed just two runs in his past three starts, all of which resulted in Giants wins. "That's who we are -- strong pitching and defense," Bochy said. "That's gotten away from us. Sure, we'd love to get the bats going. But thanks to Matty, we had enough tonight." Ahead 1-0, the Giants scored the difference-making run in the seventh inning on a two-out, two-strike single by Pence that scored Panik, who had led off the inning with a single. The run came against the Los Angeles bullpen after starter Hyun-Jin Ryu left trailing 1-0 after six innings. Ryu limited the Giants to one run and five hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out three.

"It was the best outing I had since the surgery," said Ryu, who missed most of the last two seasons due to labrum and elbow procedures. "I really wanted to make sure that they didn't get extra bases or a home run off me, because that's been one of my problems this season. Everything worked out really well." The Dodgers got within 2-1 against the San Francisco bullpen in the eighth when pinch hitter Chris Taylor's infield out plated Chase Utley, who had opened the inning with a walk. However, with the potential tying run aboard, Derek Law, the fourth Giants pitcher, struck out Andrew Toles before Posey gunned down Taylor trying to steal to end the inning. Mark Melancon pitched around a one-out bloop hit by Turner and a two-out wild pitch in a scoreless ninth for his fourth save, the game ending on Posey's throw behind Turner at second. "I'm sure that's happened before," noted Bochy, a former catcher. "I just don't recall the last time I saw it." The single by Turner extended his hitting streak to 10 games. "It's just one of those plays where he's reading the swing and he's trying to get a jump on the baseball with two outs to make sure he scores," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Buster, heads-up play throwing behind the runner. (Turner) was just being aggressive, and he got caught in no-man's land." Pence, Posey and Brandon Crawford had two hits apiece for the Giants (7-13), who have beaten the Dodgers six straight times in San Francisco. Utley reached base twice on walks for the Dodgers (9-11), who lost for the third time in four games on their current seven-game trip. The Giants, who opened a seven-game homestand, out-hit the Dodgers 8-4. NOTES: Before the game, Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner made his first public comments about his dirt-bike accident last week in Denver, insisting he hadn't been speeding or doing stunts when he crashed and sustained bruised ribs and a sprained shoulder. Bumgarner gave no timetable for his return. ... Bumgarner's spot in the Giants' rotation will be taken by LHP Ty Blach, who is scheduled to oppose Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw in Game 2 of the series Tuesday. ... The Giants made a series of roster moves before the game, promoting 3B Christian Arroyo and OF Drew Stubbs from Triple-A Sacramento to replace INF Aaron Hill (disabled list, strained right forearm) and LF Chris Marrero (designated for assignment). Arroyo and Stubbs both started the game and went a combined 0-for-6. ... The Dodgers placed CF Joc Pederson (strained right groin) on the 10-day DL before the game and recalled OF Brett Eibner, who had been demoted Sunday, from Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced before the game that LHP Julio Urias, who began the season at Triple-A, will start Thursday's series finale, with RHP Kenta Maeda pushed back to Friday against Philadelphia.

USA Today Giants find right mix to snap skid against Dodgers Jorge L. Ortiz SAN FRANCISCO – The big-league debut of San Francisco Giants prospect Christian Arroyo took Buster Posey and Matt Cain back to their own fresh-faced days when they were breaking into the majors in their early 20s. Then they fast-forwarded to the present as veterans in their 30s and combined to guide the Giants to a desperately needed victory. A rejuvenated Cain pitched six efficient, scoreless innings before leaving with a hamstring tweak and Posey threw out baserunners in each of the last two innings — including the final out at second base — as the Giants opened a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 2-1 win Monday. The Dodgers had the tying run in scoring position in the ninth with Adrian Gonzalez at the plate, but Posey fired a dart to catch Justin Turner too far off second base as San Francisco halted a four-game skid and won for just the second time in its last eight games. “We’re worried about the 3-1 count there to Gonzalez and all of a sudden he comes up with a missile to second to end the game,’’ Cain said of Posey, who also nabbed Chris Taylor trying to steal in the eighth. “Not something you see very often.’’ The Giants opened the homestand still reeling from losing staff ace Madison Bumgarner for several weeks because of a shoulder injury suffered in a dirt-bike accident Thursday, followed by what manager Bruce Bochy called “a horrible series,’’ three weekend defeats at the Colorado Rockies in which they were outscored 26-8. The club called up Arroyo, who was hitting .446 at Class AAA Sacramento, hoping for a jolt of energy, and he contributed right away, mostly with his glove. Arroyo, 21, went 0-for-4 at the plate, although his second-inning groundout helped set up the game’s first run. His biggest impact came at third base, one of three infield positions he can handle, with a terrific play on a hot smash off Cain’s foot in the fourth and a nice snag of Taylor’s wicked grounder in the eighth, which nearly became a double play. With some welcome help from their first-round pick in the 2013 draft, the Giants (7-13) avoided matching the worst 20-game start in their San Francisco history. “I was thinking back to when I debuted, some of the nerves and excitement you have, not only in the game but leading up to the game,’’ Posey recalled. “Once you get that call, it kicks in pretty quickly. He looked like he soaked it up, made some nice plays on defense, did a good job getting the runner over in the second.’’

USA Today 'It sucks': Madison Bumgarner feels like dirt after motor bike accident Jorge L. Ortiz SAN FRANCISCO - With a towering 6-5 frame and an often-defiant, snarling attitude, Madison Bumgarner cuts an imposing figure on the mound. On Monday, his left arm in a sling and his gaze cast low, the San Francisco Giants ace projected an entirely different image: He was the picture of contrition. Speaking publicly for the first time since the Thursday dirt-bike accident that sent him to the disabled list with an injured shoulder and threatened the Giants’ season, Bumgarner sounded chagrined about engaging in such a risky activity during the season. “I realize that was definitely not the most responsible decision I've made,’’ Bumgarner told reporters in addressing the grade one or two sprain that figures to keep him out of action for at least 6-8 weeks. “It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys trying to help us win games. It's very unfortunate. I've talked to a lot of them and they know where I'm at. Everybody's been supportive." But they also realize recovering from a 6-13 start to the season, tied for the franchise’s worst record after 19 games in the San Francisco era, will be considerably harder without the 2014 World Series MVP. Even before he had missed a turn, the Giants entered Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with the majors’ worst ERA at 5.02. Though he’s 0-3 in his four starts, Bumgarner has pitched well, putting up a 3.00 ERA and striking out 28 in 27 innings. He also hit two homers on Opening Day, becoming the first pitcher ever to do so. Now he’ll be out of commission for an extended time, although the Giants said they won’t know how long until they get the results of another round of tests. The four-time All-Star was due to get another MRI Monday night. “We don't think he's out for the season,’’ trainer Dave Groeschner said when asked if Bumgarner will pitch again this year, “but I don't have a timeline right now.’’ Bumgarner, 27, said he and two relatives had been out riding for 2-3 hours on a mountain trail about an hour outside Denver and were about to conclude their expedition when the accident took place. But he provided few details about what led to the fall, saying there was nothing unusual about the circumstances. “I wish I had some kind of cool story for you that it was some kind of crazy wreck, but it really wasn’t anything spectacular, just super unfortunate,’’ said Bumgarner, who had never before been on the DL in his nine-year career. "We were actually being pretty safe the whole time. It was just a freak deal.’’ Bumgarner, a noted horseman and cattle rancher during the offseason in his native North Carolina, said he grew up riding dirt bikes and had much worse spills as a youth without any serious consequences.

But he acknowledged more than once it was a poor choice of activities during the team’s day off in Colorado, not to mention a violation of his contract. “It’s probably not the first time I’ve made a stupid decision, but we are human,’’ Bumgarner said. “The only thing I’m putting my focus on now is busting my butt in rehab and making sure I’m getting back here and helping this team.’’ USA Today After Madison Bumgarner's fall from grace, are the Giants done? Jorge L. Ortiz SAN FRANCISCO – Call it a dirt-bike fall, a fall from grace, a downfall, whatever the term, there will be lingering fallout for the San Francisco Giants from Madison Bumgarner’s ill-fated off-day adventure last week in Colorado. With a National League-worst 6-13 record, the Giants are off to their lousiest 19-game start in more than a century, matched only by the 1983 team, which finished fifth in the National League West. Even when he wasn’t scheduled to pitch last weekend against the Colorado Rockies, it would be naïve to suggest the demoralizing loss of Bumgarner to a left-shoulder injury had nothing to do with the Giants getting swept at Coors Field while being outscored 26-8. Now the impact of Bumgarner’s absence will be felt more directly beginning Tuesday, when he was supposed to oppose Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in one of those fascinating duels that can help define a season. Instead it will be rookie left-hander Ty Blach taking the mound for the Giants as they try to keep their spiral from accelerating to the point they can’t reverse course. As they say, you can’t win a championship in April, but you can lose it. A contrite Bumgarner — scheduled for another MRI later Monday — seemed to grasp that all too well. “I realize that was definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made,” he said to a large gaggle of media members in the Giants’ dugout. “It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys trying to help us win games. It’s very unfortunate. I’ve talked to a lot of them, and they know where I’m at. Everybody’s been supportive.” Mindful of their shaky status even this early in the season, the Giants made some drastic moves Monday, promoting top prospect Christian Arroyo and veteran outfielder Drew Stubbs and inserting them into a reshaped lineup that surprisingly had Hunter Pence in the leadoff spot. Arroyo, 21, was leading the Class AAA Pacific Coast League with a .446 batting average while sporting a robust 1.171 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 16 games. He was to make his major league debut Monday, hitting sixth and playing third base. "It's probably a little sooner than we were thinking about,'' manager Bruce Bochy said of Arroyo's call-up, "but when you struggle a little bit the way the team's been struggling, sometimes you try to shake things up,''

Only weeks ago, such desperate measures would have seemed inconceivable for one of the game’s elite franchises, an organization that has won three World Series titles this decade and addressed its biggest weakness by signing closer Mark Melancon in the offseason. But a combination of poor performances – San Francisco’s starters have the majors’ worst ERA at 5.02 and their offense is averaging less than 3.7 runs a game – and some unforeseen events have led to the dreadful early spell. All-Star catcher Buster Posey was beaned in the home opener and missed a week. Left fielder Jarrett Parker broke his collarbone making a catch. Shortstop Brandon Crawford has been dealing with a death in the family. The large void created by Bumgarner’s injury – initially deemed a grade one or two sprain of the AC joint – has further compounded the club’s troubles while raising concerns about its long-term impact on the 2014 World Series MVP. The Giants expect to have a better sense for how long Bumgarner will be out after a Monday examination, but two months seems like a conservative estimate. Still, members of the club say this is no time to panic. “The first 19 games are not going to define how our season goes,’’ said second baseman Joe Panik, part of a core of homegrown players the Giants are built around. “We were a playoff team last year. I don’t see our No. 1 pitcher going down for 6-8 weeks, whatever they said it’s going to be, changing that. We still have talent on this roster. We just haven’t been playing well lately. It’s just a matter of turning the tide, gaining that victory and getting some momentum going again.’’ The four-game series against the Dodgers that begins Monday has the potential to lift the Giants out of their morass – they typically get up for these rivalry matchups, and the usual sellout crowds will be stoked – or to further sink them in a division that looks more competitive than expected, with the Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks currently occupying the first two spots. The Dodgers arrive in town with problems of their own, still largely incapable of solving left-handed pitching and missing Rich Hill (blister) and Scott Kazmir (hip) while fellow starters Kenta Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu struggle. A surge of inspired play against Los Angeles could reenergize San Francisco, especially considering the clubs will meet seven times in the next 10 days and 10 times in the next 3½ weeks. By that point, the Giants may have a better idea of whether Blach, top pitching prospect Tyler Beede or somebody else can help stabilize the rotation while filling in for Bumgarner. For now, though, the blanket of fog that often covers San Francisco in the summer months has descended upon the team much too early.

MLB Trade Rumors Giants To Promote Christian Arroyo, Designate Chris Marrero Jeff Todd 5:39pm: Struggling first baseman/outfielder Chris Marrero has been designated for assignment, Shea tweets. In the other corresponding move, veteran utilityman Aaron Hill was sent to the 10-day DL with a forearm strain. 5:24pm: The Giants will promote top infield prospect Christian Arroyo, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). Also joining the MLB roster is veteran outfielder Drew Stubbs, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Arroyo, who’s still just 21 years old, was taken 25th overall in the 2013 draft. Since, he has steadily moved up the ladder toward the majors, with the Giants facing steadily growing calls to give him a shot at the game’s highest level. While there have been several opportunities, San Francisco has to this point kept the youngster in the pipeline. Arroyo struggled last year upon making the leap to Double-A, causing him to drop out of Baseball America’s listing of the top-100 prospects (though he remains 89th on MLB.com’s ranking) and further extending his timeline. But that all changed with the beginning of the current season. The Giants have staggered out of the gates and will now be forced to navigate the tough NL West without ace Madison Bumgarner. Arroyo, meanwhile, has thrived in brief action at the game’s highest level. Through 69 plate appearances, he is slashing a robust .446/.478/.692. While he has drawn just a pair of walks, Arroyo has also gone down on strikes only eight times. While he has played mostly at shortstop in the minors, Arroyo will line up at third base upon his arrival in San Francisco. Indeed, he’ll plug right into the lineup, taking the sixth spot in the batting order while starting at the hot corner tonight. Eduardo Nunez is playing in left field; presumably, he’ll see a good bit of time there while also stepping into the infield when needed. Given that the season is only a few weeks old, Arroyo will be set up nicely to qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player down the road — assuming, at least, that he can stick in the bigs from this point forward. If he entrenches himself in San Francisco, Arroyo would reach arbitration eligibility in advance of the 2020 season but not qualify for free agency until 2024. Minor League Report MLB Rookie Profile: Christian Arroyo, INF, San Francisco Giants John Sickels Last night the San Francisco Giants promoted their best prospect, infielder Christian Arroyo, to the major league roster. He debuted in the starting lineup as the third baseman, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was off to a blistering start in Triple-A, where he hit .446 in 16 games for Sacramento. Here’s a quick profile. The Giants drafted Arroyo in the first round in 2013 from high school in Brooksville, Florida. At the time he projected as an advanced contact hitter with high batting averages and moderate power and that’s

exactly how he turned out. He hit .304/.344/.459 in High-A in 2015 and .274/.316/.373 in Double-A in 2016, the latter slash line being better than it looks on the surface due to the league/park context. As noted he was mashing Triple-A before his promotion. Arroyo ranked first on the pre-season 2017 San Francisco Giants Top 20 prospects list with the following commentary: 1) Christian Arroyo, INF, Grade B+/B: Age 21, first round pick in 2013; hit .274/.316/.373 with 36 doubles, three homers, 29 walks, 72 strikeouts in 474 at-bats in Double-A; draws constant praise for swing mechanics, doubles power, and general heady play; hit .315/.348/.438 on the road last year, just .224/.278/.294 in difficult home park; long-term should be a .280ish hitter with doubles power; aggressive and could stand to draw more walks but he makes hard contact on pitches other hitters miss; arm and range fit better at third base than shortstop, has also played well in limited looks at second base; ETA 2018. The pre-season report remains valid although the ETA has been moved up. He is an aggressive hitter who doesn’t draw many walks but he makes contact on everything. While his walk rate is low, he demonstrates good knowledge of the strike zone and is not a wild hacker. He will flash some pull-side power on occasion but is capable of hitting to all fields, working with what the pitcher gives him and lashing singles and doubles. Arroyo started at third base last night but played second, third, and shortstop both last year and this year in Triple-A. He is fundamentally sound and what he lacks in pure tools he makes up for in polish. His range is a bit limited for regular duty at shortstop but he’s reliable at all three positions. Arroyo doesn’t turn 22 until May so he still has plenty of development time on the clock. Projection systems see him as a .250-.260 hitter right now, though long-term I think him capable of .280-.300 averages. He should show more power in time, but his low walk rate will make his OBP very dependent on his batting averages. SF Gate Christian Arroyo debuts in Giants’ win over Dodgers John Shea The baseball ricocheted off Matt Cain toward Christian Arroyo, the Giants’ hot prospect who nicely barehanded it and threw out Yasmani Grandal at first base. Arroyo wasn’t done. He went over to help up Cain, who appreciated the gesture and went on to pitch six magnificent innings. Cain was pulled because of right hamstring tightness just before the seventh, and the Giants’ bullpen preserved Monday night’s 2-1 victory over the Dodgers. “He picked me up big-time,” Cain said of Arroyo in both a figurative and literal sense. Arroyo’s take: “He ends up putting his arm up, and I’m like, ‘I guess I’ll help you up.’ He gives me a chest pump, and I was like, ‘Nice.’ I was kind of pumped up.”

Welcome to the big leagues, kid. Creating extra buzz at the season’s first game between the rivals, Arroyo, 21, was called up from Triple-A Sacramento to make his major-league debut. Wearing No. 22 — Will Clark’s old number — he went 0-for-4 with three groundouts to second base and a strikeout, but made some nice defensive plays. One helped stall the Dodgers’ eighth-inning rally. Arroyo’s a shortstop by trade, but the Giants will rely on him at third base in a time of need. Their 6-13 start matched their worst in franchise history, and Arroyo was promoted to provide energy and a few hits. The energy was there. The hits will come. Actually, Arroyo did contribute to the Giants’ first run, his grounder to the right side in the second inning sending Brandon Crawford to third base. Crawford, who had doubled, scored on Joe Panik’s sacrifice fly. Hunter Pence, leading off in Bruce Bochy’s revamped lineup, singled home a run in the seventh. “We’re sitting on the bench, and Arroyo’s going to go hit, and Buster (Posey) looks at me and says, ‘Goodness, he looks really young,” Cain said. “Both of us kind of chuckled about that. We had kind of the same scenario.” “Yeah,” Posey said, “Cainer and I had those baby faces, too. They’ve kind of come and gone a little bit. Gray hairs are starting to come in.” Arroyo’s biggest defensive play came in the eighth when he smothered Chris Taylor’s grounder that was heading to left field. Arroyo’s throw to second got a forceout, and Panik nearly turned a double play. The Dodgers scored on the play, but Derek Law struck out Andrew Toles and Posey threw out Taylor trying to steal. Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth for the save, the game ending when Posey caught Justin Turner loafing off second base. On a day Madison Bumgarner explained to reporters his dirt-bike accident that shelved him indefinitely and created a big hole in the rotation, Cain was dynamic on the mound. He surrendered two hits, struck out three and walked one. Cain required just 70 pitches to complete six innings but walked off the field with a trainer before he could throw a pitch in the seventh. Cain said he felt the hamstring — the same one that shelved him last year — on the final pitch of sixth. He tried to throw warm-ups before the seventh, but didn’t feel right. With Cain exiting when he did, the Giants’ hope is that he’ll make his next start. On the ricochet play, the ball off Grandal’s bat drilled Cain on his right foot. An X-ray was negative. Arroyo, who was “completely caught off guard” with the news of his promotion, said his mother, Kim Drummond, couldn’t stop crying. She and Arroyo’s father, Israel, are expected at Tuesday’s game. “It finally hit her after a couple of times I said, ‘I promise you, I’m not lying to you,’” Arroyo said of the conversation with his mother. “It’s kind of a big moment.”

That he’s wearing 22 also is big. Arroyo wore it in Little League, high school and minor-league stops and actually asked Clark permission for the number, which he wore in spring training. “I know the history of Will wearing it,” Arroyo said. “I actually asked him if that number were available, if I could wear it. Obviously, there’s a bunch of fans who think that number should be retired, and reasonably so. Will Clark was an amazing player.” Clark was OK with it and sent a text to Arroyo before the season. “I told him there are a lot more hits in that number,” said Clark, who was at the game. Arroyo’s response: “I just told him I hope you didn’t take them all.” Arroyo hit .446 (29-for-65) with seven doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games for Sacramento. “If you’re going to be thrust into the big leagues,” Clark said, “might as well be a Giant-Dodger series.” Forbes 538: San Francisco Giants' MLB Playoff Odds Plummet Amid Season-Long Slump, Madison Bumgarner Injury Matt Connolly Even with it being an odd-numbered year, there were high hopes for the San Francisco Giants (6-13) heading into 2017, with many outlets picking Bruce Bochy’s boys to make the postseason, at least as a Wild Card team. FiveThirtyEight was one of them, as its trademark “Elo” forecaster gave the Orange and Black a 53% chance of playing October baseball before the season began. But with the now Madison Bumgarner-less Giants having lost four-straight games and six of their last seven, their playoff odds have fallen to 23% heading into a four-game series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers (9-10) at home. Despite dropping five of their last seven, L.A. is still a strong bet to extend its season on FiveThirtyEight, boasting a 70% chance of securing a postseason bid and 51% chance of taking home the 2017 NL West pennant. Perhaps even more surprising is that the surging Colorado Rockies (13-6) and Arizona Diamondbacks (12-8) now have better odds of making the postseason, at 36% and 39%, respectively. On the plus side, San Francisco still holds a higher team rating than both the D-Backs and Rockies — an above-average 1508 score — despite its season-long slump. FiveThirtyEight is also giving the Giants close-to-even odds of winning three out of its next four games against the Dodgers, with the outlier being Tuesday’s game pitting new fifth starter Ty Blach against three-time NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. Even more encouraging is advanced stats pointing to the team being pretty unlucky to start the season, meaning it should only be a matter of time before the Giants’ No. 2-4 starters (Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Matt Moore) whittle down their bloated over-5.00 ERAs. Red-hot prospect Christian Arroyo, who was called up on Monday and is expected to play everyday, could provide a boost to the team's underperforming lineup as well.

Let’s also keep in mind that these are just projections based off a small sample size by MLB standards. FiveThirtyEight’s algorithm, despite being a good indicator of future success, does not factor in the types of intangibles that allowed San Francisco to cobble together its even-year dynasty. At the same time, there’s a reason there are already talks — at least, among fans and media members — of tanking this season away. Yes, it's still very early, but the Giants will need to show signs of life while Bumgarner is out if it hopes to avoid selling at the trade deadline. McCovey Chronicles Giants snap losing streak, down Dodgers Grant Brisbee One of the only bearable aspects of the Giants’ abysmal start to this season is that the Dodgers weren’t rubbing it in. They weren’t 15-4 — with a 16-0 record in one-run games, don’t ask how — and already up by eight games. They were struggling, too. Their fans were annoyed, too. So it follows that the quickest path to redemption goes through the Dodgers. You want to forget about 6-13? Move to 7-13, and do it by beating the Dodgers. With Clayton Kershaw starting on Tuesday night and the Giants in the middle of a losing streak, a loss on Monday night would have been like a dentist tapping out an electric razor into your numbed mouth after the root canal. It shouldn’t have gotten worse, but it wasn’t going to get better, either. Instead, look at all the beautiful things that happened in this game: Matt Cain pitched well, again, giving us hope that we realistically shouldn’t have four years after his last successful season. Christian Arroyo debuted and made two marvelous defensive plays. While he didn’t get a hit, he helped the Giants to their first run with a productive out. The bullpen was told to protect a two-run lead, and they did it. If you look that gift horse in the mouth, it will bite your damned nose off. The game turned on a Buster Posey caught-stealing in the eighth The game ended on a Posey pickoff in the ninth The pickoff was at second base Justin Turner looked stupid getting picked off Uhhhhhh, hi, I’m Justin Turner, and I’m taking a huge secondary lead, lol, shhhhhhh The game ended when Buster Posey picked Justin Turner, representing the tying run, off second base, where he was taking a huge secondary lead lol

They’re all precious, all magnificent. Let’s isolate each of them in order, with a few random notes mixed in. Matt Cain left the game before the start of the seventh inning with right-hamstring tightness. To that point, he had pitched six scoreless innings, allowing three baserunners (two hits, one walk) and throwing just 70 pitches. This wasn’t the grind-grind-grind Cain, who had no choice but to rub the amulet passed down from Ryan Vogelsong. This was an efficient Cain. I don’t care who the pitcher is, or how many whiffs he’s getting: 70 pitches through six innings is fun. The injury, of course, is obnoxiously timed, with Cain in the middle of one of his best stretches since 2012, but hopefully it’s not a lingering concern. For the rest of this recap, I’ll pretend like it didn’t happen and hope for the best. My number one hope for the 2017 season — other than that sweet, sweet championship nectar — is that Matt Cain succeeds and pitches for another 10 years. I go back and forth about how irrational that is. On one hand, Ryan Vogelsong is something of a life lesson. Not the general concept of Vogelsong existing and coming back from the dead, but the idea of a pitcher getting hurt, losing his 20-something stuff, and coming back with a new way to succeed, years later, after trials and tribulations. On the other hand, I regret to inform you that we were having is-he-back conversations about Barry Zito in 2012. On the other other hand, Zito kind of won the Giants a World Series that year, even if he wasn’t “back.” He was back enough. Plus, the Giants were 21-11 in Zito’s starts in 2012, even if he had an 85 ERA+. Dude won games. I’d be okay if the Giants were 20-12 in Cain’s starts, if we’re being honest. I’m 100-percent in when it comes to a Cain comeback story. Oh, man, can you imagine me writing a full-throated appeal for the Giants to pick up his option, only to have him lose his spot by May, 2018? I can. And I would love it. There are a lot of scenarios I would love more, even if I’m not sure how likely they are just yet. Welcome to the Christian Arroyo Era. He hits dribblers, makes plays, and wins ballgames. I remember when Matt Duffy was slumping last year, and his average and OBP were plummeting, but the Giants kept winning and his WAR kept climbing. It seemed counterintuitive, but there he was, continually making plays in the field, running the bases well, and doing just enough to help his team win more often than not. We’ve seen *checks+ one game from Arroyo, so it’s silly to suggest that he’s that kind of player. But we have two pieces of evidence. Exhibit A:

This was the play that ended up with the larger, older Christian Arroyo looking like Richie Tenenbaum, taking off his socks and cleats. The larger, older Christian Arroyo who was pitching loved it. We all loved it. Exhibit B: That was no outs, runners on second and third, with the Dodgers down by a run. It’s not a stretch to suggest that play was the game. And if it went by Arroyo — or any third baseman — it would have been the kind of play that would be hard to get upset over. It was scorched. That’s how defense helps wins games, and I’m so glad we’re enlightened about defense here, in the future. (Also, the line drives from Arroyo are coming. Got a good feeling about this.) Four relievers were used. Only one of them was shaky as all hell. I’ll take it. Mostly, though, the Dodgers get an assist for Chris Taylor trying to steal against Buster Posey with Corey Seager, destroyer of worlds, at the plate, representing the go-ahead run against that shaky pitcher. Trust me, youngsters, that reference is perfect. And get used to them. Posey wasn’t having it. Which is funny because I really wasn’t into anyone having it, either. It was a perfect throw, and that’s how teams win 2-1 games. If you want me to pile on, check out how Posey was framing Mark Melancon non-strikes in the ninth inning. It was warming, needed subterfuge, and I can’t appreciate it enough. The bullpen didn’t ruin it, in other words. They’ve been quietly steady, but don’t tell anyone. Although if you’re wondering when the last 1-2-3 save was for the Giants, it was October 1, Sergio Romo vs. the Dodgers. Yeah, me too. I was excited about this guy in 2008, when there was very little worth being excited about, save Cain and Tim Lincecum. Suddenly Romo was on the scene, and Pablo Sandoval, and ... nah, they couldn’t really be the future, could they? They were. And Romo’s funk, his unorthodox success, running parallel to the Giants’ golden age will always make him one of my favorites. I could write a novella about it. Kudos to the Giants for letting him tip his cap early. If he comes in to protect a one-run lead, there would have been a weirder mix of boo-cheers, with fans wanting him to fail more than they wanted to be nostalgic. Get it out of the way and remember the good times. There were good times.

The game ended when Buster Posey threw out Justin Turner at second base. I can’t remember a game ending on a catcher pickoff like that. I’m sure it’s happened, and I might have even seen one, but it felt so fresh and life-affirming. What was Turner hoping to do, beat one of the Giants’ vaunted outfield arms to the plate, in the off chance the ball was hit in a way that allowed for a close play? Probably not necessary. The MLB.com videos have been giving me problems for various technical reasons, so every recap, I go to YouTube, hoping, begging for them to upload an embeddable version that works for me. It rarely happens. Sometimes, though, what I find is even better. But Dodgers offense is ew. No views. It’s the internet entry we’ve been waiting for. Bleacher Report Madison Bumgarner Says Dirt Bike Crash That Caused Shoulder Injury Is 'Terrible' Joseph Zucker San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner commented on the dirt bike accident that landed him on the disabled list Friday. The Mercury News' Andrew Baggarly reported Bumgarner suffered bruised ribs and a sprained left shoulder in the crash. Speaking to reporters Monday, the 2014 World Series MVP called the situation "terrible," per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com): Obviously that was not my intentions when I set out to enjoy the off day. I realize that's definitely not the most responsible decision I've made. It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys and try to help us win some games. It's just very unfortunate. I've talked to a lot them. They know where I'm at and everybody's been super supportive, too—the organization, the guys, everything. KNBR shared Bumgarner's explanation of how the accident happened: Bumgarner's injury comes at a terrible time for the Giants, who are 6-13 entering Monday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Francisco is already seven games back of the National League West-leading Colorado Rockies, and Baseball Prospectus lists the team with the NL West's fourth-worst odds (24.3 percent) of reaching the postseason. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Bumgarner could be out six to eight weeks, but ESPN's Buster Olney reported the Giants believe he may miss even more time. On Monday, Bumgarner declined to give reporters a possible timetable for his return. The San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea speculated Bumgarner's injury could have an impact on his negotiations with the team over a new contract. Shea brought up Jeff Kent's motorcycle accident in March 2002, which preceded his departure from the team after the 2002 season. Kent's accident was different from Bumgarner's, Shea noted, since Kent had initially lied to the team about how he had broken his wrist.

Bumgarner is under team control for two more years. According to Spotrac, he has $12 million team options in 2018 and 2019.