Tag Archives: Giants

Angel Pagan injury update: Giants center fielder expects a rehab assignment

Giants center fielder Angel Pagan appears close to returning but expects to have a minor-league rehab assignment, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area. Despite a cortisone shot, the hamstring has not healed and he has been unable to run the bases pain-free. Alex Pavlovic of the Merc reports that manager Bruce Bochy says Pagan will get 10-15 at-bats in the minors.

Speed is a large part of Pagan’s game, both on the basepaths and roaming center field. The 31-year-old has 130 career stolen bases and 43 triples, with 15 of those coming last season. The latter is a San Francisco Giants record and led all of Major League Baseball.

The Giants haven’t been entire helpless without Pagan, as Gregor Blanco has mirrored Pagan’s production sans a bit of power. Blanco has an OBP of .341 and plays all positions in the outfield well, but has just one home run in 251 plate appearances.

But Blanco (and Andres Torres, for that matter) haven’t been alone in stepping up. Recent call-up Juan Perez has played stellar defense in his first career cup of coffee, making a running catch into the fence that will certainly make the Giants end-of-the-year highlight reel. He has also flashed some acumen with the bat, notching five hits in his first 11 at-bats.

SF Giants lineup: Giants play for the .500 road trip

After a disappointing loss in Atlanta last night behind Sergio Romo’s ninth-inning meltdown, the Giants still have a chance to break even on their current eight-game road trip. They’ll have to do it against one of the hottest young pitchers in baseball, Braves’ right-hander Julio Teheran.

Getting of to a rough start in his first full major-league season by giving up 4+ runs in three straight outings, Teheran has done that in an outing just once in his last nine tries while posting a 2.66 ERA and holding opponents to a .651 OPS. He faces a San Francisco lineup that is still struggling to get its best players on the field.

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SF Giants roster moves: Pill, Ramirez sent down; Dunning, Sanchez called up

The San Francisco Giants have designated first baseman Brett Pill and relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez for assignment, according to Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News. They were sent down to make room for relief pitcher Jake Dunning and returning catcher Hector Sanchez. Neither player is expected to arrive by game time Thursday, as they are scheduled to land just 3o minutes before the first pitch.

Dunning’s first appearance will be his major-league debut, having been drafted by the Giants in the 33rd round in 2009. He was a shortstop at Indiana, having converted to relief pitching in his second season in the minors. Through 36 innings across 23 relief appearances in Triple-A Fresno this season, the Georgia native has posted a 1.75 ERA.

Sanchez returns to the team for the first time since May 1st, when he was designated for assignment to get more regular reps behind the plate. Sanchez’s promotion relieves a thin bench that has been ravaged by injuries to Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro. The young catcher is a switch-hitter and can be a weapon as a pinch-hitter, while retaining the ability to double-switch into games behind the plate. He also allows Bochy a little more room in giving Posey an off-day, not having to rely so heavily on Guillermo Quiroz to stay healthy or productive.

Pill had been to the plate just 29 times since being called up on May 15th, a testament to Brandon Belt’s season against right- and left-handed pitching. Belt’s season line of .251/.323/.422 has been bolstered by a .333/.375/.489 line against lefties. His career split of .283/.347/.475 against southpaws has me thinking that hitting left-handed pitching is a skill of Belt’s rather than something that he needs to be shied away from. Sorry, @PillzRgood.

Ramirez, on his second tenure with the Giants, has displayed the problems he showed in New York that led to his release. After four seasons as one of the most reliable right-handed relievers in baseball, Ramirez posted a 4.24 ERA with the Mets in 2012. His 5.2 innings for the Giants this season have been disastrous, yielding seven runs and while walking five batters and striking out none.

The fresh blood will try to stop the bleeding on the Giants’ current six-game road trip, where they have dropped to first to game. San Francisco is 12-20 on the road this season.