San Francisco Giants Johnny Cueto vs Chris Rusin at Coors Field

Pitching, pitching, pitching is a very old baseball motto and a very relevant one. When pitching is good to great the opportunities to win are always there.

Today is no exception as Johnny Cueto takes the mound vs Chris Rusin and the Colorado Rockies. Coors field has been a difficult place for the Giants to play. One of the announcers on the last broadcast said the Giants had lost 81 games out of 100 played there.

Madison Bumgarner pitched well through six innings. Buster Posey provided early offense hitting one of his two home runs in the first inning. Buster ended up with six RBI's. Watch out MLB if Buster gets on one of his hitting streaks.

Bumgarner may not have had his best stuff and the bullpen had some rough spots, but the Giants offense kicked into gear and it was their day to help out the pitching staff. Every bullpen has days where a reliever steps in and it is just not their day. Javier Lopez is a great all time reliever, but he had a rough outing. It happens and on Saturday the offense stepped it up and covered his back.

Buster Posey's three run homer in the first inning. Watch MLB.com video by clicking HERE.

Buster Posey's second three run homer to give SF Giants the lead. Watch MLB.com video by clicking HERE.

Go Giants!

Jake Peavy has Strong Start and Giants Win-AT&T Pictures

Jake Peavy was on the ropes when it comes to starting for the San Francisco Giants. It's no secret that he struggled with his command. There has been nothing wrong with his stuff, but in MLB all it takes is a pitch or two over the plate and the outcome of the game changes in the oppositions favor.

Peavy went a strong seven innings on Wednesday. This blogger had the pleasure of watching at the park and applauding when he departed with a 2-1 lead. The Giants needed a strong performance as it took them extra innings to put the Padres away and win with a walk off by Brandon Crawford in the tenth.

Brandon Crawford's walk off single in the tenth inning MLB.com video click HERE.

Kelby Tomlinson's rocket throw to home plate! Oh my gosh it was like a throw across the infield! Watch the MLB.com video by clicking HERE.

Here are a few pictures of my favorite place to go on a Wednesday afternoon!

SF Giants Breaks Game Open in the Eighth Inning-Today Peavy Back on Mound

Jeff Samardzija was masterful and the SF Giants went into the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead. The Giants then proceeded to load the bases and clear them with what should have been a routine catch in center field. Only one thing, with a shift in place there was no center fielder where the ball was hit. That resulted in three runs and Brandon Crawford standing on third base with none out. The Giants extended their lead to 8-1 and that pretty much sealed the game.

Brandon Crawford clears the bases with a triple. MLB.com video click HERE.

Jarod Parker hits two run homer to make the score 8-1. MLB.com video click HERE.

Today at 12:45pm Jake Peavy is on the mound trying to extend the Giants win streak to five games. James Shields will be on the mound for the Padres.

Go Giants!!!

Johnny Cueto is Lights-Out And Giants Win 1-0

Johnny Cueto was lights-out again last night against the San Diego Padres. He received no run support and still was out there getting out after out. Last night was another pitching dual. Drew Pomeranz pitched brilliantly for the Padres. Pomeranz went deep into the game and is proving to be a lights-out guy himself. The Padres could not get their offense going against Cueto.

I am so glad Cueto got the win when Hunter Pence's pop-up to shallow right field hit the ground in the Giants half of the ninth inning. Alexi Amarista and Jeff Kemp positioned to prevent a double could not get to the shallow hit. Kemp took full responsibility after the game saying he should have made the play. My words when they did not get to the ball, Oh my gosh with lots of clapping.

No offense, no problem! The Giants have been playing some really good defense. Brandon Crawford demonstrates this over and over again.  To view a MLB.com video of a play Crawford makes look routine click HERE.

Johnny Cueto hits the corner of the plate and strikes out the side out. MLB.com video click HERE.

Hunter Pence gets an unlikely walk-off hit and Giants win. MLB.com video of Pence hit click HERE.
When things are going your way, they are going your way.

Jeff Samardzija goes against Andrew Cashner in tonights 7:15 PST start.

Go Giants!!!

Madison Bumgarner Shuts Down Cubs and Knocks in Only Run of Game

Madison Bumgarner shutout the Chicago Cubs. Bumgarner helped his own cause hitting a double into left field. Gregor Blanco walked and being the great baserunner that he is scored easily from third when Madison hit his double. Blanco who is such a smart base runner, took off on contact and got far enough around the bases to score while watching to make sure it was not caught so he could still get back to first, if necessary. So smart. I love it when Blanco gets on base. He is so much fun to watch.

(Madison Bumgarner knocks in the only run of the game. View MLB.com video by clicking HERE.)

The Cubs leave town losing two out of three. They are going through a rough patch. The Cubs lost two out of three in Milwaukee before heading west. I am betting the Cubs get back on track. All teams go through this, even the best ones.

The San Diego Padres pay a visit to AT&T park for a three game series Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Jeff Samardzija will pitch Monday night, Johnny Cueto, Tuesday Night and I will be in the house when Jake Peavy gets back in a groove Wednesday afternoon.

I will be rooting for Jake Peavy with all my heart and soul. He is a guy who is determined and cares.  I am a fan who will NOT give up on this veteran. Go Jake!

Go Giants!!!

Amgen 2016 Sacramento

(Click on Picture Below to View Album of Amgen 2016 Sacramento Stage)

Amgen 2016 passed through Sacramento this morning. These racers are amazing! Pictures of race can be viewed on my Flickr account by clicking HERE.

Matt Cain Pitches a Gem and Drives in Two RBI's

After an eight game winning streak the Giants took it in the shorts Friday night losing 8-1. Jake Peavy had a rough night and did not last long. Fast forward less than 24 hours and the Giants are fully clothed again.

Matt Cain took the mound in a matchup against Jon Lester and it was Cain who looked like an ace of spades. The win was important, but to see Matt look like the pitcher before dealing with bone spurs was joyous. Cain has gone through a lot. Only the most loyal fans thought he could have a strong performance against a solid team like the Cubs.

Madison Bumgarner is on the mound Sunday for game three in the series vs Kyle Hendricks.

Matt Cain helps his own cause with a double scoring two runs. Watch MLB.com by clicking HERE.

Buster Posey hits two-run home run. Watch MLB.com by click HERE.

Santiago Casilla closes out the game. Watch MLB.com by clicking HERE.

UPDATE 5/19/16 Giants Extend Winning Streak to Seven Games

Update 5/19/16- Johnny Cueto completes game to get win allowing just one run.  Giants win game 2-1. Cueto quickly has become a rock in the starting rotation. This complete game followed Bumgarners complete game the night before giving the bullpen rest which is always a good thing in a 162 game regular season schedule. Cueto not only pitched a gem, but made a great hustle play.

Take a look at a superb hustle play by Johnny Cueto at MLB.com by clicking HERE.

Cueto gets final out in a masterful complete game. Take a look at MLB.com by clicking HERE.

The San Francisco Giants are enjoying a six game winning streak.  As I write this post they are up 2-1 in the 5th inning. This is the second game against the Padres in San Diego. Johnny Cueto is on the mound and making it tough for Padres hitters.

Hunter Pence gave the Giants 2-1 lead in the 4th with a HR to right field. Watch it by clicking HERE

Last night Madison Bumgarner was stellar holding the Padres to one run coming on a Jeff Kemp home run. Final score 5-1 Giants.  Brandon Crawford continues to be one of the hot bats for the Giants knocking in three with one swing in the second inning.

Here is a MLB.com link to watch Brandon's HR. Just click HERE

Back to the game. Go Giants!!!

Jake Peavy Pitches Six Strong Innings in SF Giants Saturday Win

The fourth game of the SF Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks will start Today at 1:05pm. The Giants go for a sweep with Matt Cain taking the mound. In yesterdays action, Jake Peavy pitched a strong six innings. Jake did not get the win as the bullpen gave up two runs late and the score ended up tied after eight innings.

Buster Posey got a much needed and timely hit in the ninth putting the orange and black ahead 5-3. Posey's double scored Denard Span and Joe Panik. Corey Gearrin entered in the same inning getting the save. Buster really needed that hit to get out of a frustration rut. His double was all the Giants needed late as he broke the tie and Gearrin did a fine job keeping the Diamondbacks off the score board.

It was great to see Jake Peavy pitch well. The doubters have been out in force and many were chanting for the Giants to exercise other options. I don't know what those options would be, but fans can be fickle and quick to want someone else to start, especially since they don't have to pay-off contracts that have been signed, sealed and delivered.

As Matt Cain takes the mound today, he is in the same boat as Jake. Some fans have long forgotten Cain is the only guy in Giants history to pitch a perfect game. A poor start to the season has the doubters at his heels. Hopefully, Matt will respond with a strong outting and the nay-sayers will be kept at bay for at least five more days.

Go Matt Cain! Go Giants!!!

San Francisco Giants-Samardzija and Panik Lead Victory Over Diamondbacks

The San Francisco Giants won the second game of a four game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks behind the arm of Jeff Samardzija and the bat of Joe Panik. Samardzija held the Dbacks to just one run and Panik went deep for the second night in a row which put the Giants up 3-1. The scoring came in the sixth inning with runners at second and third. Manager Bruce Bochy gave Panik the green light on a 3-0 pitch and he planted the ball into the right field bleachers.

What can we say about Samardzija that has not been said over and over. The guy put in eight solid innings and picked up his fifth win as a Giant. Jeff is doing everything a manager can dream of a starter doing.

Josh Osich and Santiago Casilla came in and closed out the ninth. Osich took care of business and so did Casilla as he struck out two batters to end the game. The inning had no drama or scoring opportunities for Arizona.

The Giants hope Jake Peavy will have a great night with a 5:10pm start at Chase Field on Saturday.

Go Giants!!!

Good Start for San Francisco Giants vs Diamondbacks

The San Francisco Giants started off well in their four game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnny Cueto has been a solid addition to the starting rotation compiling a 5-1 record early in the season. Cueto pitched seven strong innings and received just enough support from relievers. Johnny struggled a bit early, but was able to get into a groove holding the Diamondbacks to just two runs

Joe Panik broke out of a hitting slump going deep in the fifth inning putting the Giants ahead 4-1. In the end that was all the run support Cueto needed. Joe also made another terrific play from the ground behind second base to help keep Arizona from scoring. Joe made a similar play last Saturday and both times it came during crucial moments of the game shutting down the oppositions offense.

Javiar Lopez got the last out of the 9th inning. Santiago Casilla struggled a bit, but he also deserves credit for getting the first two outs. It's not an easy job getting those first two outs. Lopez got the left-handed batter, Jake Lamb to ground out to earn an unusual save. Casilla is a passionate player and of course he wanted to stay in and close out the game. As manager Bruce Bochy stated, it was a no brainer to bring in lefty against lefty, especially since Lamb has not had much luck against left-handed pitchers.

In the end it was a great way to start a four game series. Tonight Jeff Samardzija goes against Shelby Miller. Giants fans are hoping for another strong performance. Jeff has been very solid for the Giants and is one of the main reasons the Giants have a .500 plus record. Shelby Miller has struggled for the Diamondbacks and this would be an opportune time for all the Giants players to get their bats going.

Go Giants!!!

SF Giants Win with a Walk-Off Walk LOL!

I can't watch all the games, but I am able to listen using MLB at Bat. I laughed outlaid as Buster Posey walked and the Giants won in the 13th inning. I'm not sure what the Blue Jays reliever was thinking. The way things have been going for the Giants offense as of late, if the pitch had been down the middle of the plate most likely it would have resulted in either a pop-up or double-play. I'm half joking, but things have gone this way for the last week plus, so this was a nice gift from Toronto.

I was at Saturdays game against the Rockies and the Giants won that one in the 13th inning, too. The SF Giants are not thinking the number 13 is unlucky.

Let's have a great road trip starting with a W in Arizona. Go Giants!!!

SF Giants Scoring a Challenge

The San Francisco Giants have run into a scoring drought. The lack of run production can't be attributed to one team having their way with them. Scoring less than three runs has come at the hands of both the Colorado Rockies and last night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The positive news from last night is Jake Peavy performed better than the past four starts going five innings giving up five hits and three runs. Great improvement over the last few games, but still a loss.

Edwin Encarnacion stepped up to the plate and knocked one out of the park. Arron Sanchez kept the Giants off the base paths and that was pretty much the ballgame. Encarnacion has an average at AT&T any player would admire, batting a whopping .356 over his career as a visitor to the park.

This blogger hopes Matt Cain can improve on his performances tonight and the Giants can get those bats going again.

Go Giants!!!

San Francisco Giants Split Series with Colorado Rockies

On Saturday the Giants and Rockies battled into the 13th inning. The Giants prevailed when Matt Duffy drove in the winning run. It was a beautifully pitched game by both Gray the Rockies starter and Cueto for the Giants.

The defense was beautiful, too. It was a game where fans walked away feeling grateful to have been in the yard. Offense doesn't always have to be the focus of the game and this contested demonstrated how awesome watching defensive and great pitching contest can be!!!

On Sunday it was another brilliant pitching dual. This time the Giants went down 2-0 behind Samardzija. Jake McGee picked up the win for the Rockies. I am a little surprised by the disappearance of offense from the orange and black. That's baseball!

No Sweep Today for San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds

This will be one of my shortest posts, ever. The SF Giants starting pitching dug a big whole today and there was not enough offense to climb out of it. MLB.com Video-Brandon Belt's Solo HR

Jake Peavy gave up five runs in the second inning including three home runs and the orange and black never recovered. This start was not much different than Matt Cain's last start against the Mets Saturday. I am a big fan of Cain and Peavy, but right now both pitchers are struggling big time.

Matt Cain is back on the mound at AT&T Thursday evening against opposing pitcher Chris Rusin. This is a four game series against the Rockies.

Go Matt Cain! Go Giants!!!

No More Embedding of MLB Videos

No more embedding of video from MLB.com after Blogger/Blogspot by Google goes to https platform. Sorry, it's a security feature and the mixed content no longer works. The video made great content to go along with the story. Bummer.

Giants Win Second Game in Cincinatti and Go For Sweep Wednesday Afternoon

The San Francisco Giants have won three in a row. If they can win on Wednesday it will be a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds and a great way to return home for a series with the Colorado Rockies.

Jeff Samardzija was lights out Tuesday limiting the Reds to one run. Hunter Pence put the Giants on the board early by hitting a double knocking in Buster Posey. The game was tied 1-1 until the eighth inning. Kelby Tomlinson then hit a weak ground ball perfectly placed and with his speed an easy infield hit scoring Hunter Pence. Next up, Gregor Blanco who battled and got enough of a pitch to put the ball in play to right-field scoring Brandon Crawford.

The score going into the 9th inning was 3-1 Giants and that is all Santiago Casilla needed as he notched another save on two ground balls, one being a double play and one to end the game.

Go Giants!!!

SF Giants Show Good Things Games Two & Three vs Mets

The San Francisco Giants would like to forget the 13-1 loss on Friday night. That could happen because of a win Sunday and the better performance turned in Saturday.

The Giants lost Saturday 6-5, but the game was so much better than the night before. The guys in orange and black got some timely hits and played well on defense. Saturday could have easily been a win, except pitching put the team behind early. Matt Cain allowed four runs early and it was a tough climb from there. Give the guys credit, they did fight to get back into the game. However, you just can't spot a great team like the Mets four early runs.

The best part of the series was Today's game which is still in progress as I write this post. Madison Bumgarner pitched six shut-out innings, struck out 7, allowed just 6 hits and walked three. Hunter Pence hit a two run homer to keep the offense going and Brandon Crawford made a great sliding catch to combine defense with offense. The game has concluded with the Giants winning 6-1, after Santiago Casilla came in and got the save against this tough Mets line-up.

Sunday was a great day for the Giants. Some good pitches made and some good at bats combined with getting key hits made for a good Giants victory. Tipping my cap to Madison Bumgarner, the bullpen, all the guys stepping up to get key hits and a defense that kept the Mets from crossing the plate more than once.

Go Giants!!! Beat the Reds!