Ryan Vogelsong – Giantspod

Episode 111: A Farewell to Arms

Daniel Zarchy — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 20:16:08 +0000

Episode 111: A Farewell to Arms

In the hundred-and-eleventh episode, Thomas and Danny are joined by their new Padres correspondent to talk the NL West, free agent pitchers, Brandon Belt’s tenure, recovering from last place, and the start to the NFL season.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:Â

You can also find it on theÂ RSS feed, or by clicking on the play button below. We look forward to your feedback, either by commenting here on the blog, emailing us atÂ giantspod@gmail.com, or ourÂ Twitter feed. Go Giants!

Episode 110: Little Giants

Daniel Zarchy — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 23:08:50 +0000

Episode 110: Little Giants

In the hundred-and-tenth episode, Thomas and Danny talk about mixed feeling seeing Zito and Lincecum start for the last time on the season, Sandoval’s weight loss, next year’s rotation, and interview San Jose’s Clayton Blackburn and Mac Williamson.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:Â

Ryan Vogelsong injury: Timetable for return is coming together

Thomas Todd — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 23:22:54 +0000

UPDATE: BRUCE BOCHY SAYS VOGELSONG COULD START HIS REHAB AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK WITH SAN JOSE, ACCORDING TO ALEX PAVLOVIC OF THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS.

Giants starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is expected to begin a rehab assignment as early as July 30th, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The right-hander is attempting to return to the rotation from a broken pinky on his pitching hand that has kept him out since May 20th.

From the information gathered by Schulman, Vogelsong will join Double-A affiliate Richmond for a six-game homestand July 30th-August 4th. The Giants will be on the same coast at the same time, playing road games against Philadelphia and Tampa. The proximity should facilitate scouting Vogey’s return and have him check in with team doctors in person. If one or both potential starts go well, the 35-year-old could rejoin the rotation by the second week of August.

Before being hit by the pitch that put him under the knife, Vogelsong was in the middle of a back-to-Earth season that saw his ERA more than double his 2012 production. His only truly great start was against the Nationals, where he cruised through five innings before – you guessed Â it – breaking his pinky in the batter’s box.

When his recovery is complete, I fully expect Vogelsong to be better than what his numbers have shown this season. We have two full seasons of “New Vogey”, a pitcher that can throw four pitches at any time around the edges of the strike zone. Whether or not that skill has eroded with age, I can’t tell you. But there is an asterisk next to every Giants pitcher not named Bumgarner, so getting any production out of the last two months of Ryan Vogelsong’s steal of a contract would be gravy.

Oh, what asterisks you say?

Matt Cain: Bone chips floating in his elbow, 5.06 ERA

Tim Lincecum: Might be traded, better in releif

Chad Gaudin: What happens in Vegas sometimes gets reported to police

Barry Zito: Has given up home runs to Anthony Recker and Ed Lucas this season. And no, those guys aren’t umpires. They’re players. I checked.

Sabean on Lincecum: “I see Timmy staying in a Giants uniform”, plus some wild rotation speculation

Thomas Todd — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 01:04:12 +0000

The Giants come off the All-Star break with seven games in six days, three of those games against division-leading Arizona and four against Cincinnati. How those games fall will start to determine what the Giants and general manager Brian Sabean do at the deadline. Get swept out and the team could sell off assets to contending teams; come out roaring and San Fran could be buyers at the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. But either way, says Sabean, Lincecum shouldn’t expect to be moved.

In an interview on KNBR Thursday Sabean pooh-poohed the idea of moving Lincecum, saying, “I find it hard to believe that we’ll see Timmy in another uniform this year.” This is encouraging for fans of the diminutive pitcher, who had a career day last week in San Diego when he threw the seventh no-hitter in the San Francisco era.

Despite the no-no, Lincecum has failed to live up to his peak years for the second straight season, posting a 4.26 Â ERA in 19 starts in 2013. In the last year of a two-year deal, it has been speculated that Timmy could be flipped for prospects to a team looking for a back-end starter or some help in the bullpen. Lincecum showed what value he could bring in the ‘pen when he allowed just one earned run in 13.1 innings of relief work in the 2012 postseason. Ironically, the Tigers are one of the teams who have been linked to Timmy, a team he helped beat in last year’s World Series.

The Giants caught a break after the 2011 season when Lincecum turned down a nine-figure contract, instead choosing to sign a 2-year, $40 million deal to play out his arbitration years. The gamble cost the right-hander, whose value has plummeted with each walked batter and subsequent meltdown. The Giants instead chose to lock up Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner, who got long-term deals to remain the core of the starting rotation. Bumgarner has shined since signing his deal last offseason, but Cain has failed to be the consistent ace he has been most of his career.

With or without Lincecum, the Giants have some re-tooling to do in the rotation. All but Cain and Bumgarner are free agents this season, meaning Ryan Vogelsong, Barry Zito and Lincecum could be wearing different laundry next season. Even if they do re-sign, there are age and effectiveness questions with all three. The Giants lost out on Ricky Nolasco — who was traded to the Dodgers on July 6th — and don’t appear to be in the running for Chicago’s Matt Garza. The name Bud Norris has been kicked around, but it remains to be seen if the Giants have the right prospects to get a deal done.

The farm system is rife with young pitching, with Kyle Crick, Clayton Blackburn and Chris Stratton arms to watch in the coming years. Crick especially has been great, but at 20, he probably isn’t going to make an impact until 2015 or 2016 at the earliest. Lefty Mike Kickham has shown flashes of good stuff in a couple of spot-starts in the majors, but hasn’t put it all together at the big-league level.

The Giants have won two World Series in three years on the strength of their pitching staff, but their potential success in the next few years may not be tied to their current staff. If the Giants want to be a perennial contender, they must re-load the rotation or add more thump to the lineup. Unfortunately for those Lincecum lovers out there, he doesn’t provide relief in either area. Sorry kids, nothing to see here.

Angel Pagan injury update: Giants center fielder out 10-12 weeks

Thomas Todd — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 20:48:36 +0000

Giants center fielder Angel Pagan will require surgery on his hamstring, keeping him out 10-12 weeks according to manager Bruce Bochy. Pagan initially hurt his hamstring before hitting one of the most improbable walk-off home runs in recent memory, but has yet to see any action for the Giants since that game on May 25th.

While rehabbing in San Jose, Pagan re-injured the hammy running out a ground ball. He was carted off the field, planned to get personal injury lawyers for hire and — after a few opinions — decided on surgery. People can also check out Injury Lawyers for hire from here!

The Giants will continue to wheel out a combination of Andres Torres, Gregor Blanco and Juan Perez to occupy left and center field. While not part of their pre-season plans, the respective talents of the three outfielders have covered up much of the hole left by Pagan. For example, Blanco is batting .323/.368/.444 since Pagan went down. Part of that has been Bochy’s platooning, but mostly the former non-roster invitee has just been playing out of his mind.

Health has been a big issue for the Giants over the last month, with Pagan, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Crawford, Marco Scutaro, Joaquin Arias, Santiago Casilla and Ryan Vogelsong all missing time. Though the position players have returned, Vogey and Casilla remain out at least through the middle of July. The Giants are 12-18 since Vogelsong’s injury, dropping them to a season-high 3.5 games out of first place in the NL West. If you want to accept a truck accident settlement, then you need a lawyers’ help! In such situations, it is advised to contact reliable nursing home abuse attorneys who can help you claim compensation for the injuries and damages caused.

Pablo Sandoval injury: Giants third baseman may be headed to DL

Thomas Todd — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:48:19 +0000

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval left Saturday’s game in Arizona after the third inning with a sore foot. Now, as Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area reports, the injury has Panda back in a walking boot may put him on the shelf. Sandoval said his foot is still “very sore” after Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks, where he sat in favor of Joaquin Arias.

Before the injury kept him out of a weekend series in St. Louis June 1-2 the Panda had been mired in a wicked slump, including a six-game stretch where he was 0-21. Upon returning to the lineup Pablo seemed to put the slump behind him, collecting four hits in his last four starts. As lawyers for injury claims say, a player’s injury gains too much attention, and the pressure on him to strike back better increases.

This is the second time this season a Giants player looked to be breaking out of a slump only to succumb to injury. Ryan Vogelsong had his best start of the season against the Washington Nationals before taking a pitch off his pinky finger. Vogey is on the 60-day DL and can’t return until after the All-Star break. There are lawyers that are helping injured clients to obtain compensation and they can be contacted for help.

If Sandoval is out for a significant amount of time, expect a lot of Arias at the hot corner. According to defense lawyers for OUI, when Sandoval went down in 2012 with a hamate bone injury, the veteran utility infielder became an everyday player. Arias has been on base just 14 times in 60 plate appearances this season, but that didn’t stop Bruce Bochy hitting him in the No. 5 spot. Ahead of Brandon Belt. #Blet. In case of an injury or accident, even if it is a dog bite incident the owner liability applies and you are due for a compensation.

Get well Panda. People will look stupid in those hats if you’re not around.

Giants activate Tony Abreu, option Nick Noonan to Fresno

Thomas Todd — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 22:11:28 +0000

Infielder Tony Abreu has been activated from the 60-day DL and will join the San Francisco Giants, according to Henry Schulman of the Chronicle. To make room, Ryan Vogelsong was transferred from the 15 to 60-day DL and infielder Nick Noonan has been optioned to Triple-A Fresno.

Abreu was the favorite to make the Opening Day roster as a backup infielder, only losing out to Noonan when he strained his left knee in Spring Training. The 28-year old second basemen has played for three major league teams since 2007, finishing the 2012 season as a member of the Kansas City Royals. In 464 career plate appearances in the majors, Abreu has a .252/.280/.355 slash line.

Abreu has played second, third and shortstop throughout his career, making him an ideal utility infielder. Though he has the same versatility as the player he is replacing, I don’t expect him to garner any more playing time than Noonan did in his time on the roster.

Noonan’s role had been limited, starting just eight games and logging 63 plate appearances. He had just 12 hits in his young major-league career, and only one went for extra bases. Unlike Abreu, Noonan, 24, is a developing player and will be well-served getting everyday reps in Fresno.

Vogelsong has been out since May 20th with two broken bones in his right pinky finger. With a move to the 60-day DL the earliest the right-handed starter could return is July 19th, which is San Francisco’s first game after the All-Star Break.

Mike Kickham to start for Giants Tuesday

Thomas Todd — Mon, 27 May 2013 00:22:25 +0000

Left-hander Mike Kickham will start Tuesday for the San Francisco Giants when they play the Oakland Athletics. Kickham last pitched in Fresno on Friday, getting his third straight win and improving his record to 3-4. He has been the hot hand, giving up just three earned runs in his last three starts combined after a rocky start to the season.

“He’s been the best pitcher down there in Fresno,” said Bruce Bochy, “He’s a left hander we think a lot of.”

The need for a starter arose after Ryan Vogelsong was injured in his start last Monday when a pitch broke his pinky finger in two places during a fifth-inning at-bat. The Giants were able to skip his turn on Friday, using Thursday’s off day to keep the other rotation pitchers on normal rest.

Management will need to make a roster move, as Kickham is not on the 40-man roster. The simplest move would be to transfer Erik Surkamp from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list. Surkamp is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he really isn’t on the radar to contribute in the big leagues this season. The move is expected to come late Monday or early Tuesday.

Episode 104: Kickham While He’s Down

Thomas Todd — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:29:14 +0000




Episode 104: Kickham While He’s DownÂ is out!

In the hundred-and-fourth episode, Thomas and Danny talk about Vogelsong’s broken finger, Casilla’s bad knee, and just who is going to take over for all these broken players.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:Â Â You can also find it on theÂ RSS feed, or by clicking on the play button below. We look forward to your feedback, either by commenting here on the blog, emailing us atÂ giantspod@gmail.com, or ourÂ Twitter feed. Go Giants!

POSTGAME RECAP: Vogelsong breaks hand amid best outing; offense comes alive

Thomas Todd — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:56:36 +0000

GiantsPod breaks Giants pitchers with bad ERAs. When Danny and I went to Fresno for a little Central Valley action in 2011, we saw Barry Zito take a bad spill off the mound and injure his foot. Now Ryan Vogelsong is broken. Worst of all, Vogey was having by far his best game of the season. One more inning of decent work would have given the right-hander just his second quality start in nine attempts. This is a guy who reeled off 16 straight such starts in 2012. All in all on Monday, Vogelsong gave up three hits and one walk, allowing zero runs to a team that many picked to make the World Series.

Vogelsong set the tone of the game early, keeping the ball around the plate and forcing a lot of weak contact. Without looking, the only dangerous contact was a warning track shot by Adam LaRoche that Angel Pagan “deftly” maneuvered to get. Vogey walked just one batter — relief pitcher Craig Stammen — on a day when the Nationals failed to get an extra-base hit. Coming into the game with a .292 OBP as a team, the Nationals have not produced at the plate all season. But Ryan Zimmerman had been red hot, batting .333/.429/.519 since returning from a hamstring injury May 3. Couple that with Bryce Harper having one of the best seasons EVER by a 20-year-old and at least Washington’s 3-4 punch looks imposing. Vogelsong faced them each twice, giving up just a single to Zim.

How much less concerned would we be if Vogelsong didn’t pitch his best game of the season tonight? What if this injury had occurred after he gave up five runs in two innings? I would hope the reaction would be the same, considering the lack of depth the Giants have in the rotation. The Giants’ only option on the 25-man roster is Chad Gaudin, who was last a full-time starter in 2007 with Oakland. Despite his gaudy numbers this season, there’s a reason that Gaudin has spent most of his season in the bullpen and spent the offseason looking for a job.

There are some candidates in the minor leagues who could be worth a look. In a bit of cruel irony, SI’s Jay Jaffe wrote about Vogey’s struggles earlier today. He cited scouts that praised Chris Heston and Mike Kickham, who both were said to be on pace to get a look some time in 2013. I think the Giants give Gaudin the first look, but will try to set up a more permanent move with whatever Grizzly looks the best.

Brandon Belt is a man, baby. After a rough start — he was batting .183/.227/.233 on April 21 — the Baby Giraffe has six home runs and an improved batting line. After four hits in five at-bats Monday, Belt sits at .261/.329/.449. Surely the Pill poppers have to be quieted, right? Belt is on pace for 20 home runs, which would be the most since Aubrey Huff improbably hit 26 in 2010. Ah, 2010. That’s why we’re all here. And 2012. And baseball.