San Francisco Giant Minor League Affiliate Review: Gary Brown Has Huge Week for San Jose

Giants vs. Rockies, Series Recap: Series Sweep of Rockies Has Giants Flying High

The San Francisco Giants came home from a brutal 10 game East Coast road trip this weekend in need of some team momentum. And what a better way to do so than sweeping the NL West leading Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park, including 2 walk off victories on Friday and Saturday. Throw in the awesome festivities surrounding Willie Mays’ 80th birthday on Friday, and an excellent performance by Ryan Vogelsong on Sunday, it was an all around amazing weekend for the G-Men.

Pitcher of the Series: Brian Wilson
The bearded savior made an appearance in all 3 games this weekend, racking up wins on Friday and Saturday, as well as his 11th save of the season in 12 attempts on Sunday. Wilson has a 10/19 BB to K ratio in his 15.1 innings pitched so far in 2011 with a decent 1.37 WHIP, though his stats are mared by his early season appearances when he was just coming off the DL.

Hitter of the Series: Cody Ross
Cody had been struggling since he was activated off the DL, but was starting to get hot this weekend at AT&T. He was 3-5 for the series with a homer, 3 RBI, 2 runs and a walk; and he didn’t even start on Friday or Saturday. Ross has always been a bit of a all or nothing type of hitter, and it seems he is on one of his all streaks right now. He’s bumped his average up to .240 after his early slump, and hopefully will keep it going during the next series.

Upcoming Series: The Giants will host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game set starting Tuesday, May 10 at AT&T Park. Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, and Matt Cain will square off with Ian Kennedy, Armando Galarraga, and Daniel Hudson respectively. After that, the Giants will be back on the road for 7 games, with stops to face the Cubs, Rockies, and Dodgers along the way.

Series Recap:

Friday, May 6: Giants 4, Rockies 3
WP: Brian Wilson (2-1)
LP: Felipe Paulino (0-3)

Saturday, May 7: Giants 3, Rockies 2
WP: Brian Wilson (2-1)
LP: Felipe Paulino (0-3)

Sunday, May 8: Giants 3, Rockies 0
WP: Ryan Vogelsong (2-0)
LP: Jorge De La Rosa (4-1)
Sv: Brian Wilson (11)

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Cody Ross Erupts, Giants Sweep Rockies With 3-0 Shutout

In only his third start this season for the San Francisco Giants veteran Ryan Vogelsong had his best outing thus far, holding the Colorado Rockies to only one hit as the Giants got the Mother’s Day shutout by a score of 3-0. The Giants offense certainly struggled once again, except for a one Cody Ross.

Vogelsong (W 2-0) lasted for 6.1 innings, holding the Rocks scoreless with one walk and 4 strikeouts. He also launched a double over Dexter Fowler’s head in the third. Javier Lopez pitched well in his 1.2 innings of work as well, allowing only one hit and one strikeout. Brian Wilson came in for his 11th save of the season, striking out two Rockies.

Cody Ross was the Giants offense this afternoon, going 2-3 while hitting an RBI single in the second and a 2 run homer in the sixth. Freddy Sanchez was 1-3 with a single while Pat Burrell was 1-3 with a double.

As for the Rockies, Jorge De La Rosa (L 4-1)had himself a very rough outing, throwing 115 pitches in only 6 innings of work with 4 hits and 5 walks. He still managed to strikeout 7 Giants during his time on the mound, but it wasn’t pretty and the Giants definitely could have done more damage than they did.

With the win the Giants moved to 18-16 for the year. Full box score can be found here.

The Giants will have Monday off, but begin another 3 game series on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tim Lincecum (3-3 2.47 ERA) will square off with the D’Backs Ian Kennedy (3-1 3.80 ERA) with the first pitch set for 7:15 PT. Coverage can be found on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of everything Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB News: San Francisco Giants Injury Update

The San Francisco Giants have a number of important players on the disabled list, here’s a quick update on how they are doing in their rehabilitations:

Andres Torres: According to the San Francisco Chronicle Andres has been on a rehab assignment with AAA Fresno, and has looked good enough to be activated on Tuesday. His Achilles hasn’t been causing any problems and hopefully will be able to make an immediate impact for the G-Men.

Mark DeRosa: According to CSN Bay Area’s Amy Gutierrez DeRosa said he feels the best he has in a year, and also will be activated on Tuesday. His nagging wrist injury that has endured two surgeries over the past 2 years seemingly will always be a question mark for DeRosa, but the Giants desperately need another third baseman in their lineup ASAP.

Barry Zito: According to the San Francisco Chronicle Zito has thrown off flat ground the last two days in a row without any issues with his injured foot. He was checked by team doctors a few days ago and likely will be given the green light to throw bullpen sessions soon. He will require a few rehab assignment starts before returning to the Giants.

Santiago Casilla: Casilla has had problems with his elbow since the end of spring training, but threw a successful bullpen session Friday and likely will be scheduled for a simulated game soon. The Giants don’t necessarily need him back as they don’t have any room in the bullpen for him, but it’ll be nice to have another arm waiting and ready, possibly in Fresno.

Pablo Sandoval: Not much news on Pablo except his surgery was a success and his timetable for return varies from anywhere from 4-7 weeks depending on who you ask.

Giants vs. Rockies, Starting Lineup Preview: Buster Posey at First Base, Aubrey Huff Gets a Day Off

The San Francisco Giants are set to get their first sweep of the season today against the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park, and are using an interesting lineup trying to do so. Buster Posey is getting his second start at first base of the season as Aubrey Huff will get the day off, while Eli Whiteside will be putting down the signs behind the dish. Cody Ross will get his first start of this series in right field as Nate Schierholtz will grab some pine on this Mother’s Day.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Aaron Rowand CF
2. Freddy Sanchez 2B
3. Mike Fontenot SS
4. Buster Posey 1B
5. Pat Burrell LF
6. Cody Ross RF
7. Miguel Tejada 3B
8. Eli Whiteside C
9. Ryan Vogelsong P

Colorado Rockies Lineup:

1. Dexter Fowler CF
2. Jonathan Herrera 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Jason Giambi 1B
6. Seth Smith RF
7. Chris Iannetta C
8. Ian Stewart 3B
9. Jorge De La Rosa P

First pitch is set for 1:05 PT this afternoon and can be found on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of your San Francisco Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Schedule Preview: Giants Look to Ryan Vogelsong for Series Sweep of Rockies

After back-to-back high octane wins for the San Francisco Giants the team will be looking for their first series sweep of the season against the NL West leading Colorado Rockies this afternoon at AT&T Park. Many a Bay Area Mother will be hoping for a Mother's Day present from the Black and Orange today, and will turn to Ryan Vogelsong to get the job done.

Vogelsong (1-0 4.40 ERA) will have the task of trying to slow down Jorge De La Rosa (4-0 2.92 ERA) and his great start to the 2011 season. He kept the Giants in check in his last outing against them on April 20, going for 7 full innings allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. Minor league call up Vogelsong has done well in his time in Barry Zito's DL absence, and can hopefully get his second win of the season this afternoon. 

First Pitch is set for 1:05 PT and can be found on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM. 

For more discussion of the Black and Orange, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix. 

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Giants Second Walk Off Win in a Row Leads to 3-2 Victory Over Rockies

Another chilly windy night at AT&T Park, another San Francisco Giants walk off victory.

Mike Fontenot atoned for an early error in tonight’s game with a walk off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to earn the Giants a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. It was the second night in a row the Giants walked off on the Rox, and now sit only two games behind them in the NL West.

Madison Bumgarner pitched well this evening, lasting for 6 innings with 5 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. The two runs against him came in the seventh off a Todd Helton 2 run single and had an unfortunate throwing error in that inning as well, but besides that was stellar in his outing; just not stellar enough to get his first win of the year. Brain Wilson (W 2-1) got his second win in as many nights with his ninth inning appearance, allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout.

The rest of the Giants offense came from a Buster Posey RBI groundout in the first and a Freddy Sanchez RBI double in the fifth. Freddy finished the night 3-5, Aaron Rowand was 2-4, while Aubrey Huff was 1-4 with a double. Slumping Miguel Tejada made it two straight games with a hit now with a single in the eighth.

Esmil Rodgers was schedule to start for the Rockies, but was a late scratch with back issues, opening the door for Clayton Mortensen’s first start of the season. He went for 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. Felipe Paulino (L 0-3) was tabbed for the loss for the second night in a row for Colorado.

With the win the Giants move to 17-16 on the year, winners of 4 of their last 5. Full box score can be found here.

San Francisco will be looking to sweep the Rockies tomorrow as Ryan Vogelsong (1-0 4.40 ERA) is set to take on Jorge De La Rosa (4-0 2.92 ERA) for the Rox. First pitch is set for 1:05 PT tomorrow afternoon and can be found on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM. And don’t forget it’s Mother’s Day!

For more discussion and analysis of your San Francisco Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix.

Giants vs. Rockies, Starting Lineup Preview: Giants Look For Bats To Step Up

The San Francisco Giants face the Colorado Rockies with a chance to continue cutting into their first place lead. The Rockies lead is down to three after last night’s ninth inning Giants victory. The Giants struggled through the first seven innings, grabbing a single run following a Mike Fontenot triple. However, the offense caught fire in the eighth and ninth and secured the 4-3 Giants victory.

The Giants will continue rolling out Nate Schierholtz, who had the big RBI double that tied up last night’s game. He will make his fifth straight start for the Giants as they want to ride what is a fairly hot bat for them. The Giants are down with the A’s in terms of run production this season, which is to say, not good. Aubrey Huff has finally gotten over the Mendoza line but they need a lot more from him, as well as Buster Posey if they’re going to overcome Pablo Sandoval’s injury.

San Francisco Giants
1. Aaron Rowand CF
2. Freddy Sanchez 2B
3. Mike Fontenot SS
4. Buster Posey C
5. Aubrey Huff 1B
6. Pat Burrell LF
7. Nate Schierholtz RF
8. Miguel Tejada 3B
9. Matt Cain P

Colorado Rockies
1. Dexter Fowler CF
2. Jonathan Herrera 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Todd Helton 1B
6. Seth Smith RF
7. Ian Stewart 3B
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Ubaldo Jimenez P

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Schedule Preview: Madison Bumgarner Looking for First Victory Today Against Rockies

After the San Francisco Giants' epic win last night over the Colorado Rockies, they will be looking to keep the magic going this evening with Madison Bumgarner still searching for his first elusive victory of 2011. 

Bumgarner (0-5 4.75 ERA) had back-to-back quality starts in his last two outings, but had little to no run support in each of those games. Hopefully the comfy confines of AT&T Park will get the Giants bats going against Esmil Rogers (3-1 7.66 ERA) who despite his decent record has been getting rocked by his opponents as of late. The Giants roughed him up considerably on April 18th, racking up 8 earned runs against him in just 3 innings of work. But in his last outing against the Pirates, he only lasted 1 inning with 4 earned runs to his credit. 

The Giants offense has continued to sputter, but always seem to manufacture enough runs to get the job done at AT&T, where they have only played 10 of their first 32 games. Hopefully they can come through with a few key hits to get that monkey off Bumgarner's back.

First pitch is set for 6:05 tomorrow evening and can be found on NBC Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM. 

For more discussion and analysis of your San Francisco Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix. 

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Giants Celebrate Willie Mays With Rally in the Ninth for a 4-3 Victory

On a storied night celebrating one of the greatest baseball players of all time, the San Francisco Giants scored an epic comeback in the last two innings of the game to ensure Willie Mays’ 80th birthday was indeed a happy one. Nate Schierholtz hit a two RBI double in the eighth while Freddy Sanchez closed it out with a RBI single in the ninth, clinching the Giants 4-3 comeback victory over the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park.

Matt Cain had a decent outing tonight, lasting for 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. But it was Brian Wilson (W 1-1) who got the win for the Giants, coming in in the ninth after Schierholtz tied it up in the eighth.

Ubaldo Jimenez looked pretty good as well, going for 6 innings allowing only 2 hits and 1 run with 5 walks and 7 strikeouts. Their bullpen definitely let the Rox down though, with Rafael Betancourt and Felipe Paulinno (L 0-2) giving up the 3 deciding runs in the game.

With the win the Giants move back to .500 at 16-16 on the year. Full box score can be found here.

I truly feel blessed to have witnessed the historic evening with my own eyes as Giants legends like Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry and more came out to celebrate Mr. Mays’ 80th birthday. There were video tributes from former President Bill Clinton, Hank Aaron, Bill Cosby, and Bud Selig, beautiful speeches from Jon Miller and Lon Simmons, even a letter from Barack Obama to congratulate Mr. Mays. A great ceremony all around to honor maybe the best all around player to every play the game. The ‘Say Hey Kid’ deserved nothing less; what a fitting way to cap of the celebratory night.

The Giants host the Rockies for the second meeting of their three game set as Madison Bumgarner (0-5 4.75 ERA) is still looking for his first win in 2011 against the Rockies’ Esmil Rodgers (3-1 7.66 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:05 PT and can be found on NBC Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of everything Black and Orange, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix.

Giants vs. Rockies, Starting Lineup Preview: Nate Schierholtz Earning His Way Onto Starting Roster

Nate Schierholtz will get his third straight start in right field tonight as the San Francisco Giants are set to take on the Colorado Rockies. Nasty Nate has been solid with the glove and getting some clutch hits for the G-Men, and will start once again in front of the struggling Cody Ross. Schierholtz has put is his time with the Giants, and in my opinion deserves every start he gets.

Freddy Sanchez is back and second after a couple days off during the road trip, Mike Fontenot gets the start at shortstop and will be batting third once again, a place where he has had some recent success.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Aaron Rowand CF
2. Freddy Sanchez 2B
3. Mike Fontenot SS
4. Buster Posey C
5. Aubrey Huff 1B
6. Pat Burrell LF
7. Nate Schierholtz RF
8. Miguel Tejada 3B
9. Matt Cain P

Colorado Rockies Lineup:

1. Dexter Fowler CF
2. Jonathan Herrera 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Todd Helton 1B
6. Seth Smith RF
7. Ian Stewart 3B
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Ubaldo Jimenez P

First pitch is set for 7:15 PT this evening and can be found on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

MLB Standings Update: Giants Can Creep Close to First in NL West With Big Weekend Against Rockies

The San Francisco Giants had a less than a stellar 10 game road trip, but are back in the comfy confides of AT&T Park to host the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks for a 6 game homestand. The Giants have some work to do in both the NL West and NL Wild Card races, but are close to getting back to the top in both sets of standings.

The Giants sit 4 games behind the Rockies at 15-16 on the year , but could move that to 1 if they sweep Colorado at home. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks aren't far behind as only half a game separates them and the Giants, but once again, a few wins under their belt and the Giants should be able to take care of business. The Padres round out the backend of the division at 12-19.

As for the Wild Card, they sit 4.5 games behind the Florida Marlins, with the Braves, Reds, and Pirates ahead of the G-Men in the standings. All of these teams are liable to go on a hot streak at any moment, and could overtake the Marlins if they slip up only a little. 

Giants vs. Rockies MLB Schedule Preview: Matt Cain, Ubaldo Jimenez Facing Off

Tonight, the NL West leading Colorado Rockies will travel to AT&T Park to take on the San Francisco Giants in a three-game series for the second time this season. They're coming off a series loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, though they did avoid the sweep, losing two games to one. San Francisco is coming off a two-to-one series win over the New York Mets, and are looking to gain some ground within the NL West despite very uninspired play of late. Winning these games in their division will do a lot to help them out when staring in the face of so much inconsistency.

Matt Cain will take the mound tonight for the Giants. Cain is currently 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA, and is generally looking good out there, but he hasn't had a win in his last three outings. His last outing wasn't terrible, despite a loss at the hands of the Washington Nationals. He went six innings with seven hits and three runs, while walking two and fanning six batters. One of his two losses came at the hands of the Rockies, when he gave up six runs off of nine hits, including a homerun, while striking out six in a 10-2 loss on April 20th.

Ubaldo Jimenez is looking for his first victory of the year, he's 0-2 in four starts with a 7.20 ERA. He gave up four runs off of six hits in only four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last outing. His other loss came against the Giants on April 19th, pitching five innings and giving up four runs in the 6-3 loss. Jimenez is now 5-6 with a 3.34 ERA in fifteen starts against the Giants.

The lineup will be different this time, at least for the Giants, with Pablo Sandoval out. Mike Fontenot was a guy who the Giants depended on for a homerun, what does that say about their hitting? Probably not much, considering their propensity to be either really hot or really cold. They'll need to be hot to take out the division leading Rockies.

Giants vs. Rockies MLB Schedule Preview: San Francisco Needs Series Win Against NL West Foes

The San Francisco Giants are in a bad way, as it stands. Actually, they're doing a little bit better now than they were just a week ago, but they still managed to look like a mediocre club in taking two-of-three games from the New York Mets, a task that is, at face value, somewhat underwhelming from the get-go. They're losers in nine of their last fourteen outings, and they've got some big injuries limiting their lineup, with both Pablo Sandoval and Andres Torres out. Barry Zito is also out, but Ryan Vogelsong has been, at the very least, decent as a replacement.

Now, they're hosting the Colorado Rockies for a three-game set, after taking two-of-three from them earlier in the season. They're now winners in six of the last eight meetings between the two teams. Since that series though, the Giants have lost eight of thirteen, while the Rokcies are losers in six of their last eleven.

The Rockies are four games up on the Giants in the National League West standings, and that's the thing to pay attention to in this series. They can struggle and struggle outside of the division, but if they can find a way to beat the Rockies, the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers and the Padres, then all will be fine for San Francisco. 

The pitching matchups lined up are Matt Cain - Ubaldo Jimenez in game one, Madison Bumgarner - Esmil Rogers in game two, and Ryan Vogelsong - Jorge De La Rosa in game three. Stay tuned for previews and recaps for all three games.