SF Giants Press Clips Monday, July 24, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Non-contending Giants taking injury rehabs slowly Henry Schulman Having a record such as the Giants’ changes the way a team approaches injury rehabilitation. The best example is closer Mark Melancon, who is progressing at a snail’s pace in his return from a forearm strain, on purpose. Melancon threw off a mound again Sunday, about 30 pitches, and manager Bruce Bochy said the pitcher has taken a “big step.” Were the Giants fighting for a playoff spot, they might have a greater urgency to have Melancon face hitters, start a minor-league rehab assignment and return to the big-league mound. Instead, Bochy will not even estimate a date for Melancon to go to the minors and suggested he might be three weeks from activation. Melancon can pitch with his pronator strain. In fact, he has. But the Giants believe the 32-year-old right-hander can rid himself of the injury with a more methodical rehab. Melancon will have three years left on a four-year, $62 million deal. “We just didn’t sign him for this year,” Bochy said. “We’ve got a few years here of him being our closer. That’s why we’re taking time. That’s why we’ve taken a big step back. If we were in a better situation here, he could be out there pitching, or close to pitching. Because of where we’re at, it’s important we make sure he’s right.” The Giants are approaching Johnny Cueto somewhat the same. However, Bochy does not foresee a long rehab once Cueto can throw without aggravating the blisters on three of his fingers. Cueto has begun to play what Bochy described as “easy catch.” The Giants have no guarantee that Cueto will return next year, but given the blisters and poor performance in 2017, they have to assume he is less likely to opt out of his contract this winter. If he stays, he is on the books for four more years. Briefly: Wil Myers is the fourth Padre to homer in three consecutive games this season. Only one Giant has done it (Buster Posey). ... The Giants are 3-4 on their homestand, which concludes with three games

against the Pirates. ... The Giants did not need to use interim closer Sam Dyson, who had thrown in four of the five previous games. San Francisco Chronicle Giants complete 100 games, lose their 62nd Henry Schulman The Giants’ front office, filled with experienced and successful baseball executives, has expressed a vision that this team can compete in 2018, maybe even contend, while keeping the core largely intact. That picture is blurrier to the untrained eye. The Giants played their 100th game Sunday, losing their 62nd. They are far too deep into the season to say their players are “slumping.” Brandon Belt looks as lost as he ever has. Brandon Crawford cannot crack .230. Hunter Pence has not hit a homer at home. Pitchers continue to make two-strike mistakes that allow opposing hitters to prove that home runs are possible at AT&T Park. Series after series the Giants lose to teams with more pop and speed. One of those teams, the Padres, beat the Giants 5-2 Sunday to take three of four in the series. San Diego has won 17 of its past 23 meetings with San Francisco since the Giants won the first nine last year. Perhaps the Giants’ moves by next Monday’s nonwaiver trade deadline will offer a snapshot of which avenue they take to change the mix before Opening Day 2018, but they need help on the field from players with long-term contracts who are going to be part of the Giants’ future. Manager Bruce Bochy’s frustration was palpable after his offense got shut down by another pitcher with an inflated ERA, rookie Dinelson Lamet, Wil Myers homered for the third straight game and Hector Sanchez hurt the Giants again with the last of three consecutive doubles in a four-run fourth against Ty Blach. “For some reason, our starters have not pitched well against these guys,” Bochy said. “They’ve given up their share of home runs. Myers, Sanchez, they’ve killed us. On top of that, their starter has good stuff, but he’s got a six ERA and the heart of our order went 1-for-16. “That’s not going to work” The coaches, who are not being blamed for this mess, are at wit’s end. Bochy has a lineup that cannot do what opponents seem to accomplish often: get the bat head through the zone quickly enough to pull the ball with power. One stat is illuminating: Myers has five homers at AT&T Park this season. Only one right-handed Giants hitter has more than two:backup catcher, Nick Hundley, with three. The only other current Giants hitter with more than a single right-handed homer at home is Buster Posey, with two. That is not going to fly in a ballpark that favors right-handed power.

Myers homered on a changeup from Blach in the first inning. Walking Myers seemed like a good idea with one out in the fourth, but that backfired, too, when Hunter Renfroe, Jabari Blash and Sanchez hit consecutive doubles, followed by a Cory Spangenberg single, that suddenly turned a tie game into a 5-1 San Diego lead. Like Matt Moore on Saturday, Blach overcame his one bad inning and kept the Giants in the game. The difference Sunday was, the Giants could not mount another comeback. Rookie second baseman Miguel Gomez had a nice afternoon with a double and single, and Eduardo Nuñez continued to swing his way out of town with three more hits. But he also made an inexcusable blunder on the bases that cost the Giants their last best chance to come back. With two outs in the seventh, Blash dropped a Belt fly to left. Nuñez left from first base and stopped running when he thought Blash would catch it. Nuñez compounded his mistake by restarting his engine after the ball fell and going for third, where he was nailed to end the inning with Posey on deck as the potential tying run. “That can’t happen,” Bochy said. “Just run. He knows it.” The only blessing for the Giants was the speed of the game. It was over in 2 hours, 48 minutes after the teams played a total of 8 hours, 43 minutes and 23 innings Friday night and Saturday. San Jose Mercury News Padres beat Giants, and Wil Myers has more homers at AT&T Park than Posey, Pence, Crawford and Panik combined Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO – It can be so very difficult to pick a low point when watching nine innings of baseball between two teams that are a combined 54 games out of first place. It was not so hard Sunday afternoon. It happened in the seventh inning of the Giants’ 5-2 loss to the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park. Brandon Belt hit a two-out fly ball to left field. The Padres’ Jabari Blash dropped it for an error. But the Giants, as they have done all season, managed to out-awful a team that was designed to lose. Eduardo Nuñez had stopped running while Belt’s ball was in the air, either because he forgot there were two outs or was in the throes of a particularly thrilling daydream. Then when Nuñez saw the ball drop, he tried to take third – a particularly bad thought with the Giants trailing by three runs. Padres shortstop Allen Cordoba collected the ball and threw in time to nab him. Groans filled the ballpark to the brim. “That can’t happen,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who often waits until after the game to discuss a player’s error but immediately confronted Nuñez about it in the dugout. “You’re going to make a few mistakes (but) that’s a mental mistake. He knew it. He owned it. But it was a pretty big mental mistake.” That lowlight was the clear winner, although the Giants provided several more worthy candidates while falling to 38-62 – their worst record through 100 games since the 1956 New York Giants were 37-63.

Take a wade through this murk: –The Padres’ Wil Myers hit his fifth home run at AT&T Park this season. That’s more than the Giants have received here all year from Buster Posey (two), Brandon Crawford (two), Hunter Pence (zero) and Joe Panik (zero) combined. –Hector Sanchez abused his former team yet again with two hits including an RBI double. He is a .464 hitter with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 12 games against them. This will be painful, but … he was a .160 hitter against the Padres when he was a Giant. The Padres go home to begin a series with the Mets on Monday. Sanchez might stow away somewhere in the visiting clubhouse, then sneak his way into a Pirates jersey, instead. –The Giants couldn’t do much damage against a rookie pitcher, Dinelson Lamet, who entered with a 6.40 ERA in nine career starts and was a lightly regarded minor leaguer who didn’t sign out of the Dominican Republic until he was in his 20s. The middle of their order – Belt, Posey, Crawford and Pence – were 1 for 16. –And in the wider view, the Giants lost three of four at home to San Diego while dropping to 4-9 against the rebuilding Padres this season. They are 6-17 against them since last year’s All-Star break. They haven’t won a series against the Padres since May, 2016. –A reminder: the Padres are in orchestrated tank mode. At least they settled matters in the minimum nine innings this time. There’s no sense beating you over the head with how poorly the Giants have played this season. By now, you expect that a catcher’s legs will win a skills competition with Denard Span’s arm from center field, or that a rookie pitcher will prove too mysterious for the Giants’ power-bereft lineup or that they’ll fall behind early. But then you’re reminded that ownership is tasking this front office with turning the Giants into a contender in 2018. And you realize how impossible that task appears to be. Ty Blach became the sixth different Giants pitcher to give up a home run to Myers this season, when the Padres’ first baseman took the left-hander deep in the first inning. Myers has hit six of his 20 home runs against the Giants this season — a major failure given the relative lack of threats elsewhere in the Padres lineup. Bochy was asked in the postgame interview room: what is it about Myers … “What about him? Bochy said, with a half guffaw. “Well, he’s had some pretty good pitches to hit. I think that’s fair to say. That’s our fault, I guess, for the mistakes we’ve made to them. … You make mistakes to guys with power, and that’s what can happen.”

At least Myers’ shot came with two outs, the bases empty and Blach pressed to pitch aggressively so he could get deep enough into the game to save a bullpen that was gassed following an 11-inning game Friday night and a 12-inning game Saturday afternoon. Blach pitched carefully to Myers with one out in the fourth, and issued a walk. Yet the opposite tact didn’t end up working out, either. The next four Padres collected hits as part of a four-run inning. Blash drove in two with a double. Sanchez followed with his RBI double. It’s been a problem all season: the same players keep doing damage against Giants pitchers – even former backup catchers who have plenty of holes in their heat map. That is probably more of an execution problem than due to flawed scouting reports, although given the depth of their failure, it’s worth examining for faults in every area. There is no reason for an opposing pitcher to tiptoe through the Giants lineup, especially at home. Belt is the only player who has hit more home runs this season (seven) than Myers’ total in seven games here. After 100 games, it keeps adding up the same: the Giants are the worst team on the field, no matter whom they play. Even when their opponent is angling for a draft pick ahead of theirs. It leaves a seasoned and accomplished coaching staff shaking their heads and punching walls. “I wish I could (explain it),” said Bochy, asked why his club hasn’t measured up even against the Padres. “For some reason our starters have not had very many good starts against these guys. They’ve hit their fair share of home runs. Myers, Sanchez, they’ve killed us. “And on top of that, their guy coming in had good stuff, but he’s got a 6 ERA and the heart of our order was 1 for 16. That’s not going to work.” The math says that 162 minus 100 equals 62 more games to play. How long till Pablo Sandoval comes up? San Jose Mercury News Giants notes: Why are Mark Melancon and Johnny Cueto motivated to finish strong? Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO – Mark Melancon and Johnny Cueto both tossed around a baseball Sunday morning. They are both on the disabled list. They both have dealt with a recurring issue this season that has kept them from performing at their best. They both hope to get past those issues and help the Giants finish the season on a positive note. If the organization is banking on contending in 2018, which would require quite the dramatic about-face, a resurgence from former All-Stars Cueto and Melancon would appear to be required ingredients. But there’s one important distinction between them: Melancon is tied to the Giants for three more years. Cueto has the option to leave the last four years of his deal on the table and become a free agent.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Melancon is working his way back at a deliberate pace from his elbow tendinitis because “he’s a smart guy and he knows he didn’t sign for just this year.” Cueto is a smart guy, too. He knows that forfeiting $84 million might not be the best play given his performance (4.51 ERA and a 4.67 FIP that ranks as his worst since he was a 23-year-old in 2009) in 19 starts and the blister issues that have plagued him all year. He also knows that it doesn’t really matter what his final ERA will be at the end of the season. It only takes a handful of strong starts in September to rebuild his potential value as a free agent. So it’s sort of pointless to predict in July whether Cueto will opt out in October. It’s going to depend entirely on how he finishes the year. “With Johnny, I know he wants to get out there as soon as possible,” Bochy said. “I don’t see it being a long rehab. It’s not like he’ll miss that much time.” Cueto had to exit after four ineffective innings July 14 at San Diego because of “hot spots” on three fingers on his pitching hand. He’ll miss his second turn Monday when Matt Cain starts in his place against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It hasn’t been determined whether Cueto would return to pitch in next weekend’s series at Dodger Stadium. As for Melancon, the hope is that he could be back on the active roster by the time the Giants start a road trip to play the Nationals and Marlins on Aug. 11. Melancon threw off a mound for the second time in three days, and let it go a bit more this time. The strained pronator tendon in his forearm has forced him to the DL twice this season. The hope is that he can keep it calmed down this time, and that the PRP injection he had a few weeks ago will make a difference. “Watching him, it looked like he took a big step,” Bochy said. “I’d say it was a pretty good session.” Melancon is expected to throw off a mound at least two or three more times before he would throw to hitters in simulated game conditions. This season has gone sideways two ways for Melancon. He thought he would be performing at an All-Star level for a team with terrific chemistry destined to make a playoff push. Instead, he’s been hurt and the Giants are having their worst season in several generations. While the Fox Sports story about Melancon’s stretching routine amounted to “pole vaulting over mouse turds,” as Bochy so colorfully put it, the report at least hinted at some lack of cohesion among the relievers. Overall, though, Bochy said that Melancon has handled a tough situation well. “I do,” Bochy said. “He sees what we’re going through and wishes he could be helping us, especially with all these close games. … But we’re taking a step back and not letting him pitch through it. If we were in a better situation, there’s probably a good chance he’d be out there pitching, or close to pitching.”

The Giants bullpen is pretty chewed through after 11- and 12-inning games Friday and Saturday. Sam Dyson has pitched in four out of the last five, for instance. Would Bochy like to stay away from Dyson? “I’d like to stay away from everybody, to be honest,” Bochy said. MLB.com Westward no: Giants fall to 17-27 in division Chris Haft SAN FRANCISCO -- Among the jarring trends that have developed as the Giants lurch through the season is their struggle to compete against their National League West brethren, which continued with Sunday's 5-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. The Padres captured three of four games in this series at AT&T Park and lead the season series against the Giants, 9-4. San Francisco owns a 17-27 record against the West, including a 4-10 mark against Colorado and 3-4 against Arizona. The Giants are 6-4 against first-place Los Angeles, which might say something about the meaning of historic rivalries. Then again, the teams play nine more games against each other, giving the Dodgers ample opportunities to surpass the Giants in the season series. The Giants' woes within the West hardly qualify as news during a year in which every aspect of the game has challenged them at one time or another. However, this element is worth noting, if only because San Francisco hasn't posted a losing record against the West since 2007. Even in 2008, when the Giants finished 72-90 in the first year of the post-Barry Bonds era, they stayed competitive against West clubs with a 36-36 mark. "We haven't played the way we should. It doesn't matter whether it's West, Central, East, American League, National League," second baseman Joe Panik said. Though the Giants have remained long on shortcomings this season, their starting pitching has been particularly flawed against West clubs. Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Matt Moore, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Cain and Ty Blach have recorded a 5.14 ERA against the West, compared to 4.89 against other opponents. That difference isn't glaring, but it can be considered significant, especially since San Francisco has averaged 4.02 runs per game in West play, compared to 3.82 in all other games. At least Blach lasted seven innings in this series finale, sparing more wear and tear on a bullpen that worked 12 2/3 innings on Friday and Saturday. The Giants reached the 100-game mark with a 38-62 record, their worst since they were 37-63 at the same juncture in 1956, two years before the franchise moved to San Francisco. That club compiled an encouraging 30-24 record through the rest of the season, providing a worthy example for this year's group.

As Panik said, all the Giants can do is "just play hard for each other and for the fans. We can't take back the first 100 games." MLB.com Giants can't get going, drop finale to Padres Jonathan Hawthorne and AJ Cassavell SAN FRANCISCO -- Continuing to show they have the Giants' number in 2017, the San Diego Padres rode starter Dinelson Lamet to a 5-2 win Sunday at AT&T Park. The Padres have won seven of their last nine games against their National League West neighbors, and they've taken all four series this season. "For some reason, our starters have just not had very many good starts against these guys," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They have a little power. They've hit their share of home runs." It was Wil Myers who provided the thump Sunday with a 453-foot first-inning blast, his third in as many games. Meanwhile, Lamet improved to 4-4 this season after spinning 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. His outing helped save a beleaguered Padres bullpen that had eaten more than 30 innings over the first six games of the road trip. "I prepared myself mentally going in, knowing that we had to use a lot of pitchers in really deep, long games," Lamet said. "I was trying to get as deep into the game as possible and do it as efficiently as possible, knowing I could help the team a lot by doing so." Hector Sanchez, a symbol of San Diego's surge against San Francisco, went 2-for-4, lifting his season average against his former team to .409. Trade candidate Brad Hand -- who still hasn't allowed a run since June 10 -- slammed the door with a perfect ninth inning, lowering his ERA to 2.12. Eduardo Nunez continued his hot streak at the plate, posting a game-high three hits. Giants starter Ty Blach (6-6) worked his way through seven innings, helping rest a similarly overused San Francisco bullpen, but allowed five runs and eight hits along the way. Blach did, however, strike out a season-high seven batters. The Giants (38-62) now have their worst 100-game record since 1956. "He left some pitches up in the fourth, similar to what Matt [Moore] did yesterday," Bochy said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't overcome it." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Cordoba picks up Blash: The Giants had Buster Posey, the game-tying batter, on deck in the seventh with a rally underway. Padres left fielder Jabari Blash opened the door for a big inning when he dropped Brandon Belt's pop up. But shortstop Allen Cordoba, in shallow right field as a back up, promptly picked up the mishandled ball and threw sharply to third base. That's when Cory Spangenberg applied a clean tag to beat Nunez, escaping the inning. "It's a big mistake," Bochy said. "I talked to him in the dugout. It can't happen. … He compounded the problem and damage by trying to restart again. You can't do that with two outs. Just run. He knows. It's a critical play." Wild deuces: After Myers walked in the fourth, the Padres drilled three consecutive doubles to bring home three runs. Blach didn't give Myers much to hit, bringing the count to 3-1 before walking the first

baseman. The Padres then cashed in when Hunter Renfroe, Blash and Sanchez all doubled in a five-pitch span, giving the Padres their first inning with a trio of doubles. Blash's deuce was the farthest of the three, tracked at 329 feet, according to Statcast™. "Just a couple bad pitches there," Blach said. "They kind of ambushed me early in the counts and I didn't make quality enough pitches early on. They took advantage." QUOTABLE "We still have a ton of respect for who they are … and we know at any point in time they can go reel off 10 of 12 and have a great run. We didn't want that to start against us." -- Padres manager Andy Green, on the Giants "That's not going to work. There's a lot of things to say about this and this. But bottom line is we haven't played very well against them." -- Bochy, on a 1-for-16 performance from the heart of his order SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Myers' first-inning solo homer off a changeup, measured at 453 feet, tied his longest blast since Statcast™ debuted in 2015 and was the fourth-longest at AT&T Park this season. Myers also became the second opposing hitter to hit five homers in a season at AT&T Park. Rockies infielder Nolan Arenado hit six during the 2015 season. MARGOT RETURNS Padres center fielder Manuel Margot returned from paternity leave Sunday after the birth of his son, Diamond. He was slotted right back into the leadoff spot and went 1-for-5. The Padres optioned outfielder Franchy Cordero to clear space for Margot. UPON FURTHER REVIEW The Giants unsuccessfully challenged a fifth-inning grounder that Margot legged out for a single. Brandon Crawford fielded the slow offering, throwing to first baseman Belt. Margot was originally called safe and a replay determined the play stands. WHAT'S NEXT Padres: Clayton Richard is looking to bounce back from his worst start as a Padre, in which he allowed 11 runs in Colorado on Wednesday. He'll be happy to return home, where San Diego welcomes the Mets to town for a four-game series beginning Monday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Giants: Wrapping their 10-game home stand, the Giants start a three-game series Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:15 p.m. PT at AT&T Park. Veteran righty Matt Cain (3-8, 5.49 ERA) takes the mound, continuing to start in place of Johnny Cueto. MLB.com Melancon throws, nearing rehab assignment Jonathan Hawthore SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants closer Mark Melancon continues to make daily progress towards a return, manager Bruce Bochy said before Sunday's series finale against the Padres.

Bochy doesn't have a concrete rehab timeline yet. But Melancon threw between 25 and 30 pitches Sunday, working all the pitches in his repertoire. With team athletic trainers, the Giants will chart a definitive plan soon. "Watching him today, it looks like he's taken a big step here," Bochy said. "It could be two or three weeks." The Giants figure Melancon will face live hitters within a week; he's now throwing every other day. San Francisco placed Melancon on the disabled list last month for the second time with a right pronator strain. Bochy said the Giants are not rushing Melancon back given the club's last-place status. "If we were in a better situation, probably good chance he could be out there pitching," Bochy said. "Or close to it. But because of where we're at, I think it's wise that we make sure that he's right." The Giants signed Melancon to a four-year, $62 million contract over the offseason. Instead of a minor rehab, the team opted to have Melancon step away from baseball for an extended period. "He's doing the smart thing, just like we are," Bochy said. "He sees what we're going through. He wishes he could be out here helping us." Notable • Bochy said right-hander Johnny Cueto played "easy catch" on Sunday. Cueto is on the 10-day disabled list with blister pains sustained last weekend in San Diego. "I don't see it being a long rehab or anything," Bochy said. "It's not like he's going to miss that much time." • Bochy said Gorkys Hernandez, who is batting .324 with four RBIs over his last nine games, has "made a lot of noise" and "forced in the issue in terms of playing time." Hernandez has started every game since the All-Star break. MLB.com Cain looks to build on quality start in opener Max Gelman The Pirates and Giants open a three-game series Monday night at AT&T Park. The two teams met earlier this season, with the Giants sweeping all three games on June 30 to July 2. Gerrit Cole (7-7, 4.18 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates, facing the Giants for the sixth time in his career. Cole is coming off one of his best starts of the season, giving up one run and striking out a season-high 10 batters in a no-decision vs. the Brewers last Wednesday.

For the Giants, veteran righty Matt Cain (3-8, 5.49 ERA) makes his 20th start of the season. Cain has struggled for most of the year, but turned in one of his better starts his last time out, giving up three runs in six innings of work against the Indians. This series is a re-hash of the 2014 National League Wild Card Game, in which the Giants shut out the Pirates, 8-0, behind a complete game from Madison Bumgarner. Three things to know about this game • Cain has thrown only 8.6 percent of his pitches in the upper third of the strike zone this season, compared with the MLB average of 11 percent. That's probably for the best, as when Cain's pitches have wound up there, opponents have gone 16-for-40 (.400) with three home runs and a .725 slugging percentage. • Cole faced the Giants the last time these teams squared off and got pummeled. He gave up seven runs, tying a season-high, in 5 1/3 innings on June 30. Before that start, Cole had been solid against the Giants, and had given up just three earned runs in 22 innings in his previous three starts. • Andrew McCutchen and David Freese are the only two Pirates with at least 10 at-bats vs. Cain. McCutchen is 5-for-21 lifetime with a double and home run, while Freese is 2-for-10. NBC Sports Bay Area BLACH KNOCKED AROUND AS GIANTS DROP THREE OF FOUR TO PADRES Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Wil Myers has had his way with the San Francisco Giants, and so has San Diego. Oh how this rivalry has shifted - not to mention Myers' power stroke at AT&T Park, where he has already cleared the fences five times this season. He decided to embrace the ballpark's challenging conditions and typical chilly temperatures coming off the bay. Myers homered for a career-best third straight game against San Francisco, Jabari Blash hit a go-ahead two-run double in the decisive fourth to back Dinelson Lamet, and the San Diego Padres beat the Giants 5-2 on Sunday. "One of the big things is just actually wanting to come here to play. Last year I kind of dreaded coming here because it's a pitcher's ballpark and they have great pitchers," Myers said. "One thing I did this year was just got excited to play here. It's the mindset you got to have if you want to play well." Lamet (4-4) struck out six pitching into the seventh in his 10th big league start and sixth on the road. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of his outings. San Diego hit three straight doubles in the fourth and four consecutive hits in all against lefty Ty Blach (6-6), who is yet to beat the Padres in three career starts. Hector Sanchez added a run-scoring double in the fourth against his former and Cory Spangenberg hit an RBI single.

Myers clobbered a 3-2 pitch for his 20th home run with two outs in the first. The Giants tied it in the bottom half when Buster Posey's RBI single scored Denard Span, who doubled leading off the inning. "A couple bad pitches they ambushed me early in the count," Blach said. "It's frustrating when you're rolling like that you can't make adjustments quick enough." Lamet surrendered eight hits and two runs and walked a batter in 6 2/3 innings as the teams finished after nine innings following extra-inning games the previous two days. Brad Hand, San Diego's third reliever, finished with a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save. Sanchez had a season-best three hits Friday and finished this series 5-for-12 with a home run and three RBIs. He is a career .464 hitter (13 for 28) with five homers and 14 RBIs against San Francisco, which hasn't won a series with the Padres since May 2016. The Giants had won the past three starts by Blach, who allowed five runs on eight hits in seven innings, struck out seven and walked one after winning his last two decisions. San Diego has won seven of the last nine meetings in the rivalry, currently featuring the two bottom teams in the NL West. "We still have a ton of respect for who they are, the players on the field and what they've done," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We know at any point in time they could go reel off 10 or 12 and have a great run. We don't want that to start on us." TRAINER'S ROOM: Padres: 2B Yangervis Solarte, a switch-hitter sidelined by a strained left oblique muscle, is set to begin swinging from the right side Monday. The left side hasn't been a problem. ... RHP Craig Stammen is still two or three days away from pitching after he strained a hamstring, Green said. ... OF Travis Jankowski's rehab will be extensive, with him staying with Triple-A El Paso through the month as he nurses a bruised bone in his right foot. ... LF Jose Pirela got a break. Giants: Closer Mark Melancon threw all of his pitches in a mound session as he works back from a second DL stint with a strained forearm. "Now it's a matter how he comes out of it," manager Bruce Bochy said. Melancon is likely to need another two or three weeks and the Giants have no target date for his return. The reliever could face hitters within a week. ... RHP Johnny Cueto, who landed on the DL with blisters on three fingers, played light catch. ... 2B Joe Panik had a day off. UP NEXT: Padres: LHP Clayton Richard (5-10, 5.35 ERA) faces the Mets owning a 4.17 ERA against New York over his initial seven starts. Giants: RHP Matt Cain (3-8, 5.49) will try to avoid matching the longest losing streak of his career at eight games - from July 28, 2015-May 10, 2016 - when he pitches the series opener at home against Pittsburgh.

NBC Bay Area Sports NO ROOM FOR EDUARDO NUNEZ? RED SOX CALL UP TOP THIRD BASE PROSPECT CSNNE The Boston Red Sox have promoted Rafael Devers from Triple-A Pawtucket, manager John Farrell announced Sunday. Devers will play his first game on Tuesday. The third baseman has spent his 2017 season and Portland (AA) and Pawtucket (AAA). With the Pawsox, Devers had a .324 batting average in 34 at-bats. He had 11 hits, one double, two homers and four RBIs. The Sox have been unsettled at third base during the 2017 season, and released third baseman Pablo Sandoval Wedneday. Devin Marrero, Tzu-Wei Lin and Brock Holt have rotated at third base throughout the season. However, the Sox optioned Lin to Pawtucket last week. NBC Sports Bay Area DODGERS ACE CLAYTON KERSHAW EXITS AFTER TWO INNINGS VS BRAVES WITH INJURY Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw left his start against the Atlanta Braves after two innings because of right low back tightness on Sunday. The All-Star left-hander was pitching to Tyler Flowers with two outs in the second when it appeared Kershaw might have pulled something. A trainer came out to the mound to check him. After tossing a couple of practice pitches, Kershaw resumed facing Flowers and walked him. Kershaw struck out Matt Adams to end the inning and then retreated to the clubhouse. He struck out two and walked one on 21 pitches. Kershaw was replaced by pinch-hitter Trayce Thompson when his turn to bat came up in the bottom of the inning. Right-hander Ross Stripling took the mound in the third. Kershaw is 15-2 with a 2.07 ERA and had a 14-start unbeaten streak coming into the game. He was sidelined for 2 ½ months last year with a herniated disk in his back. He didn't need surgery and returned to pitch the Dodgers into the NL Championship Series, where they lost to the eventual world champion Cubs. However, Kershaw decided not to pitch for Team USA in this year's World Baseball Classic, saying he owed it to the Dodgers to remain healthy for an entire season. San Francisco Examiner Giants drop to worst 100-game start in San Francisco era Karl Buscheck

AT&T PARK — The San Diego Padres hung a four-spot on Ty Blach in the fourth inning on Sunday, wrecking the rookie left-hander’s afternoon and sending the San Francisco Giants to a record-setting 5-2 defeat. The loss drops the Giants to 38-62 — the club’s worst start after 100 games since moving to San Francisco in 1958. The loss also continues the run of futility against San Diego, as the Giants are now 6-17 against the Padres dating back to the midway point of 2016. The Giants haven’t won a series against the Padres since last May. “Some things are hard to explain,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I wish I could,” Bochy continued. “For some reason our starters just have not had very many good starts against theses guys. They have a little power and they’ve hit their share of home runs between *Wil+ Myers and *Hector+ Sanchez *who’s+ killed us.” Even with the fourth-inning onslaught, Blach still worked seven frames, scattering eight hits and striking out a season-high seven Padres, while letting in five runs. “You take that inning away, you can’t take it away obviously, but he throws a nice game,” Bochy said.“It just got away from him there. He left some pitches up there in the fourth. [It was] similar to what Matt *Moore+ did yesterday and, unfortunately, we couldn’t overcome it.” San Diego didn’t waste any time jumping out to a lead as Myers, third batter of the game, boomed a solo home run into the left-field bleachers. For Myers, the home run was No. 20 on the season — the fifth of which has come at AT&T Park. Along with noted Giants nemesis Nolan Arenado, Myers is one just two opponents to hit five home runs in a season at AT&T. Half an inning later, Buster Posey briefly pulled the Giants even, lining a run-scoring single into the right-field corner. The Padres grabbed the lead for good in the top of the fourth — courtesy of the aforementioned four-run barrage. Jabari Blash opened the rally with a two-run double before Sanchez, the one-time Giant, continued to terrorize his old club. The Padres backstop collected an RBI double, and after going 2-for-4, is now hitting .391 (9-for-23) against the Giants. “I felt like I gave up the homer in the first and was able to bounce back there until the fourth and then just a couple of bad pitches there,” Blach explained. “They kind of ambushed me early in counts and I didn’t make quality enough pitches early on and they took advantage.” Cory Spangenberg supplied a fourth run, lining an RBI single to center.

“It’s frustrating when you’re rolling like that and then you just can’t make adjustments quick enough,” Blach said. “And they take advantage in just a couple of pitches and you look up and they scored several runs.” Aside from Posey’s first-inning single, The Giants only other run came in the bottom half of the fourth, as Gorkys Hernandez brought home Miguel Gomez with a single to left. On the day, Padres rookie Dinelson Lamet — and a trio of relievers — dominated the core of the lineup, holding Posey to a 1-for-4 performance as Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence all went 0-for-4. “The heart of our order went 1-for-16,” Bochy said. “That’s not going to work.” CBS Sports Giants' Cory Gearrin: Continues to outproduce peripherals RotoWire Staff Gearrin's scoreless outing lowered his season ERA to 2.30 despite his FIP sitting north of 4.00 for the majority of the season. His mediocre 1.6 K/BB ratio is the biggest red flag, but it's possible that Gearrin can keep his ERA low due to his groundball tendencies (1.9 GB/FB ratio) coupled with a stellar defensive infield behind him in San Francisco. Either way, the 31-year-old doesn't provide enough in the important categories for fantasy relievers (strikeouts, saves and holds) to warrant much consideration. CBS Sports Giants' Ty Blach: Career-best seven strikeouts in disappointing loss RotoWire Staff Blach (6-6) allowed five runs on eight hits with one walk and seven strikeouts over seven innings in Sunday's loss to the Padres. Expectations were high with Blach facing the league's worst offense coming off three consecutive quality starts, but the 26-year-old lefty failed to deliver. While he did set a new career-high in strikeouts, Blach allowed at least five earned runs in a game for the fourth time this season. To his credit, Blach at least gave his team a fighter's chance by holding San Diego off the board for three frames after a four-run fourth inning. He'll have his work cut out for him in his next start Saturday at Dodger Stadium. CBS Sports Giants' Johnny Cueto: Back to light tossing Sunday RotoWire Staff Cueto (finger) resumed playing light catch Sunday, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports. It's promising to see the right-hander getting back on track with his throwing program, although it doesn't bode well for Cueto to miss just two turns in the rotation. Manager Bruce Bochy is confident that he'll return to the rotation soon, but he likely won't be available for at least another week or so. Things should become clearer as he ramps up his throwing.

CBS Sports Giants' Mark Melancon: Tosses bullpen session Sunday RotoWire Staff Melancon (elbow) completed a bullpen session Sunday, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports. The Giants' closer has been throwing bullpen sessions every other day since the All-Star break, but manager Bruce Bochy was especially encouraged by this most recent outing. The skipper hopes that Melancon can return to action in a couple weeks, although he did admit that Melancon will be brought along slowly due to the poor record the Giants have put up to this point. CBS Sports Giants' Joe Panik: Takes seat Sunday RotoWire Staff Panik is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports. The Giants typically don't keep the lefty-hitting Panik on the bench against right-handers, but he'll find himself in that predicament for the second time in five games while Miguel Gomez picks up another start at the keystone. With Panik mustering a .219 on-base percentage in July, manager Bruce Bochy could be rethinking the 26-year-old's standing as an everyday player, though the Giants aren't exactly brimming with attractive alternatives. Sports Illustrated San Francisco Giants: Trade deadline report Oy. Johnny Cueto’s hurt, so they can’t trade him. Mark Melancon’s hurt (and overpaid), so they can’t trade him. Jeff Samardzija got roasted twice in a row by the Padres, so they can’t trade him. The rest of the roster has a couple of untouchables (catcher Buster Posey and ace Madison Bumgarner), a few decent performers who aren’t going anywhere, plus a handful of aging busts. That leaves relie ew at him three years later, as if his own failures were Harper’s fault (Strickland does own a live fastball and strikeout-an-inning results this year, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice). That leaves the free-agent-to-be Nuñez as the Giants’ best trade bait. Memo to inquiring clubs: If a hitter with one of the emptiest .305 batting averages in recent baseball history (he’s hit four homers and walked just 12 times ver Hunter Strickland and third baseman Eduardo Nuñez, who can also play shortstop or the outfield. You might remember Strickland as the guy who got smoked by Bryce Harper in the 2014 playoffs then thr all year) and whose versatility is belied by his inability to play good defense at any position is to your liking, step right up! Yahoo Sports Pirates look to avenge series loss to Giants STATS SAN FRANCISCO -- The Pittsburgh Pirates will have the advantage of recent form and revenge motivation when they open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night at AT&T Park.

Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-7, 4.18 ERA), unbeaten in July, will duel Giants righty Matt Cain (3-8, 5.49), who hasn't won since May, in a rematch of teams that met in Pittsburgh three weeks ago. The Giants swept that three-game series, bombing Cole for seven runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 13-5 drubbing on June 30. The Pirates have been better recently. They are 12-5 since the end of the San Francisco series, including a six-game winning streak that ended Saturday in Colorado, though they lost to the Rockies again on Sunday, 13-3. Cole has allowed just five runs in his past three starts combined, a 19-inning stretch in which he struck out 22 and walked one. The California native is 3-1 with a 3.21 ERA in five career starts against the Giants. Facing the Giants means Cole will go head-to-head with his brother-in-law, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. The pitcher has dominated the matchup so far, limiting Crawford to a .133 average (2-for-15) with five strikeouts. Denard Span had a home run off Cole in the earlier meeting in Pittsburgh. Cain did not pitch for the Giants in their three-game sweep. He has started 12 times against the Pirates in his career, going 3-3 with a 3.57 ERA. Cain has not faced Pittsburgh this season. The veteran once again will be seeking to avoid equaling his career-worst losing streak. He sidestepped an eighth straight loss when he limited the Cleveland Indians to three runs and five hits in six innings in a no-decision in his most recent start. The Pirates almost surely will play the entire Giants series without outfielder Gregory Polanco, who has a hamstring injury. With his team just three games behind the National League Central co-leaders, the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington admitted Sunday he will be looking for outfield help at the upcoming trade deadline. "If there's something out there that makes sense, we will do that," Huntington said, before cautioning, "To overpay for what hopefully will be a relatively short down-time (for Polanco) doesn't make a ton of sense for us, either." Polanco or no Polanco, the Giants frankly will be happy to see anybody other than Wil Myers and Hector Sanchez. That duo did daily damage when the San Diego Padres continued their recent dominance of the Giants by winning three of four in San Francisco in a series that ended Sunday. "It has gone on," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of the fact the Giants have lost 17 of their past 23 games against the Padres. "Some things are hard to explain. I wish I could." Actually, the Giants haven't done well against pretty much anybody since completing their earlier sweep of the Pirates. They are just 5-11 since leaving Pittsburgh.

Straight 108 Video Analysis Exposes What Brandon Belt (And Other Giants) Can Learn From Bryce Harper Coming into the 2017 season, one of the biggest questions marks throughout baseball involved how Bryce Harper would rebound from his dreadful 2016 campaign. Coming into 2016, Harper was fresh off the best season of his career, batting .330 with 42 homeruns and 99 RBIs, earning him his 1st NL Most Valuable Player award. However as dominant as Harper was in 2015, he was equally inconsistent in 2016, batting only .245 with 24 homeruns, along with a 207 point drop in slugging percentage. While we may never know what role (if any) injuries played in Harper’s season, the one thing that was for certain, was that Harper was a mechanical mess (relatively speaking) – something he vowed to change coming into this season. Entering today, Harper was batting .338 with 24 homeruns and 75 RBI’s through only 88 games, making him the clear front-runner for the NL MVP. But the reason for today’s post isn’t to applaud Harper’s success to date, instead it’s to acknowledge and illustrate Harper’s will and desire to keep growing and developing as a hitter regardless as to his previous success. Hitting is an art that can never be mastered and having the opportunity to watch someone who is the best in the world at what he does, continue to find ways to get better, is something that all baseball fans, regardless of allegiances, should acknowledge and enjoy. I’ll stipulate that while I’m a big fan of Harper as a player, I don’t watch his at-bats religiously, so it is entirely possible that the mechanical adjustments I noticed in the game yesterday, have been around since the All-Star break, and I just haven’t seen them. In getting to it, here are two of Harper’s at-bats from last night’s game against the Diamondbacks. The first two videos are from a 1st inning solo homerun that travelled roughly 470’ to right field, and the third was a double that short-hopped the left field wall. In order to truly get the full effect of how far Harper has progressed over the past season, it’s imperative to compare his inconsistent 2016 swing (left) to last night. If we stop both swings at the conclusion of the “load” (movement back towards to catcher) phase, we see two significant differences – the absence of a leg kick in the bottom half, and hand height in the top half. In 2016 (and 2017 up until I saw him last night), Harper utilized a big leg-kick to generate momentum and served as the focal point of his load. Last night, Harper eliminated the leg-kick all together, and in a similar manner as teammate Daniel Murphy, kept his front foot in contract with the ground using a simple weight-shift back to serve as his load. As a byproduct, you get an excellent idea of how much more balanced and level Harper’s setup is as indicated by his hip level. If we skip ahead in the swing to the “heel plant” phase, we again see how much of a better hitting position Harper is in this season. In 2016, the leg-kick has led to an elongated stride, leaving Harper susceptible to balance issues as the swing progresses. Last night, Harper exhibited picture-perfect balance as evidenced by head being directly over his belt-line and even between his knees and feet. It’s also important to note what has happened to Harper’s hands from the “load” portion of the swing, to the heel plant. Last season, Harper’s hands started at about arm-pit height and then raised to about the height of his ears by the time his heel plants, suggesting an inefficiency in his hand path to the ball.

For the most part, the actual hand position when the swing begins to come forward (red box) is relatively similar between last year and this year – the difference is how efficiently the hands get to the right place. With the pinpoint location and high velocity pitchers possess, any added length in a swing can be exposed, something that I think affected Harper last season. This season, however, Harper’s hands are at a nearly identical place from his load through his heel plant, suggesting that there’s zero wasted movement or added-length to his pre-swing process. When you combine that with outstanding balance and a strong base, Harper is allowing his talent and unique skill set to take over while the ball enters the hitting zone. And as if that wasn’t enough, let’s take a quick look at what the simplification of Harper’s pre-swing movement has done to his head and ability to see the ball. From the load phase all the way through the point of contact, Harper’s head has moved significantly less on both a horizontal plane and vertical plane in 2017. For those who have yet to see the video ESPN did with Robinson Cano on the importance of head movement, make sure to watch it here… As I said previously, Harper entered the All-Star break as the leading candidate for NL MVP. If he didn’t make another swing adjustment for the rest of the season, I don’t think anybody would question that decision. But because of his reluctance to settle, Harper has been able to incorporate yet another swing adjustment that will undoubtedly make him more consistent – something that is hard to imagine given his performance to date. If we take one last look at both Harper’s at-bats from last night, you see the consistency on full display. The photo on the left was a breaking ball that Harper his for the homerun. The photo on the right was the double Harper hit against a fastball on the outer half of the plate. There could not be two more-different pitches for a pitcher to throw, but based on his balance and foundation at the plate, Harper is in a position to hit any pitch in any location HARD. For those Giants fans who have followed Straight 108, they know that tracking in-season hitting adjustments makes up a significant part of what I do. While I was watching Harper’s video from 2016, I couldn’t help but notice some strong similarities with him and Brandon Belt (this season), one of many Giants whose seasons (and career) have been mired in inconsistency. Being that Belt is in the midst of such tough stretch, I thought it’d be interesting to see what, if anything, Belt could take from Harper’s transformation to help him become a more consistent hitter going forward. It we take a look at Belt this year and Harper in 2016, the similarities are pretty stunning. Both have an elongated leg kick that has forced an uphill tilt in their hip-level. Additionally, both have their hands about arm-pit height and extended further back over their back foot, creating a disconnect between upper and lower half. Upon their stride and heel plant, both have maintained the uphill hip-level, and both have raised their hands in the process, thus creating the steep path needed to get back into the hitting zone. If we now compare Belt to the significant adjustment that Harper has made this season, we see what a drastic difference it is, despite the two hitters possessing several of the same mechanics just a season ago.

What separates hitters like Harper from guys like Belt has very little to do about the swing itself. Both swings (not foundation/balance/timing) are mechanically sound and both possess incredible strength and hand-eye coordination. The difference, however, is the manner and consistency in which both players put themselves into a body-position that allows them to utilize their strength. Harper’s addition by subtraction approach has paid huge dividends already for the MVP candidate, and I can’t help but wonder what adjustments, if any, Belt incorporates from here on out. KNBR.com Kershaw to DL, will miss start against Giants Jake Montero The Giants were supposed to face Clayton Kershaw and his MLB-best 2.04 ERA during their weekend series in Los Angeles, but will avoid the dominant left-hander who is headed to the 10-day disabled list with tightness in his right lower back. According to the Los Angeles Times, Kershaw felt something off while throwing warm-up pitches before the second inning of Sunday’s game against the Braves. The Dodgers’ ace pitched the inning, but then immediately left the game. For a San Francisco team whose season is all but mathematically over, the development will have minimal effects, making one of their remaining 62 games slightly easier to win. Ty Blach, Saturday’s projected starter, will now likely face Hyun-Jin Ryu (4.21 ERA). The effect on their rivals, however, could be catastrophic. Remember that a back issue, a herniated disk to be exact, that put Kershaw on the shelf for 10 weeks last season, giving less than a month to prepare for the postseason . Another extended injury for Kershaw could throw serious doubt into the prospects of a Dodgers’ team that has been playing the best baseball in the majors for over a month. At 68-31, Los Angeles not only has the best record in MLB, but also the best run differential at +174. This is the most dominant Dodgers team we’ve seen in a very long time, and finally a group that looks capable of going all the way after years of playoff disappointments. Kershaw’s health now becomes a huge x-factor, as the importance of the game’s most dominant arm would be amplified in the postseason. If Kershaw’s injury is indeed more than just a tweak, expect LA to try and trade for a reinforcement like Texas ace Yu Darvish (3.44), who the Dodgers have shown interest in according to the LA Times. Even scoring someone like Darvish would be little more than a consolation if Kershaw can’t go, however, and could change the course of the National League come October. KNBR.com Bochy: ‘Things just unraveled’ for Moore, Blach Cole Kundich The fourth inning was unkind to a pair of Giants left-handers over the weekend. On Saturday, Matt Moore gave up four runs in the fourth inning to the Padres, followed by Ty Blach allowing four runs in the fourth inning again on Sunday. The Padres bats clearly made adjustments in their second plate appearances against Moore and Blach to take an early lead. The Giants’ bats were able to pick up Moore and win 5-4 in 12 innings on Saturday, but Blach’s fourth inning ended up being the difference in the Giants 5-2 loss in the series finale.

“It is amazing how similar Matt Moore’s start and Blach’s start went,” Bruce Bochy said following Sunday’s game. “The fourth inning. A home run and then things just unraveled. He really, you take that inning away, you can’t take it away obviously, but he throws a nice game. It got away from him there, left some pitches up there in the fourth similar to what Matt did yesterday.” One constant in both of the Padres rallies: Wil Myers. The 26-year-old tagged Moore for a solo home run to kickstart the Padres fourth inning rally on Saturday. After getting taken deep by Wil Myers in the first inning on Sunday, Blach pitched around him in the fourth, a walk that turned out to be the start of the Padres’ rally once again. “He’s a good player. Good players take advantage of pitches,” Bochy said. “In this ballpark, he seems to hit well here.” If Moore and Blach can prevent the opposing lineups from having a big inning like the Padres did this weekend, expect the Giants to be more competitive in their starts moving forward. KNBR.com Four-run fourth inning dooms Blach in Giants’ loss to Padres Cole Kundich The Giants came into Sunday with the chance to obtain a hard-earned series split against the Padres. Instead, they’re still left wondering how to conquer their San Diego woes. After playing 23 innings over the previous two days, the Giants needed starter Ty Blach to eat innings. Blach delivered in that aspect, throwing seven innings on the afternoon. The left-hander locked down the Padres in innings one through three and five through seven. However, a four-run fourth led San Diego to a 5-2 win over the Giants on Sunday. “Things just unraveled,” manager Bruce Bochy said following the game. “It got away from him there, left some pitches up there in the fourth *inning+.” Padres’ first baseman Wil Myers continued his dominance at AT&T Park with a solo home run in the top of the first inning to give the Padres an early 1-0 lead. Myers has hit five home-runs at AT&T Park this season. It’s all the more impressive when considering that no Giants player has hit more than three at their home ballpark. “He’s always battled me,” Blach said on Myers. “He put a good swing on a good pitch.” The Giants’ offense picked up Blach in the bottom of the first. Denard Span continued his hot week at the plate, leading off with a double. With two outs, catcher Buster Posey fought off a high fastball for a base hit into right field that brought home Span to tie the game at one. Myers was the only Padre to reach base in the first 11 batters that Blach faced, as the 26-year-old was strong in the early going. After retiring Carlos Asuaje to lead off the fourth inning, though, the floodgates opened for the Padres. A walk to Myers, followed by three straight doubles from Hunter Renfroe, Jabari Blash, and Hector Sanchez, followed up by a single from Cory Spangenberg scored four runs for the Padres to take a 5-1 lead.

Sanchez has torched the Giants in recent weeks, and his one-out double marked his third extra base hit of the series. Though the former Giants’ catcher entered the day with a .238 average, he’s hitting over .400 liftetime against his old club. Blach recovered nicely, holding the Padres scoreless in innings five, six and seven. However, as was the case with left-hander Matt Moore on Saturday, one bad inning skewed Blach’s outing on the mound. But while Moore came away with the no decision in the Giants extra-inning win, the four-run fourth resulted in the loss for Blach. “It’s frustrating when you’re rolling and can’t make adjustments quick enough and they take advantage in just a couple of pitches,” Blach said. “You look up and they’ve scored several runs.” The Giants offense didn’t give Blach much more help after that first inning run. A Miguel Gomez double – the first of his career – followed up by a Gorkys Hernandez single cut the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth. That would be all the offense the Giants got on Padres starter Dinelson Lamet, however, who entered the contest with an abysmal 6.49 ERA. “*Lamet+ had a six ERA and the heart of our order (Belt, Posey, Crawford, Pence) went 1-for-16,” Bochy said. “That’s not going to work.” The Giants’ struggles against the Padres this season continue. After losing the first two games of the series on Thursday and Friday, the Giants won in 12 innings on Saturday to give them a chance to split the series with a win on Sunday. With the loss, however, the Padres have now won their third straight series over the Giants and can no longer lose the season series as they won their ninth game against San Francisco this year. Dating back to the 2016 All-Star break, the Giants have lost 17 of 23 to San Diego. “Some things are hard to explain,” Bochy said. “I wish I could, but for some reason our starters just have not had very many good starts against these guys.” “The bottom line is we just haven’t played very well against them.” The Giants will close out their 10-game homestand with a three game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates beginning on Monday, and will have to make up ground against other clubs if they hope to eventually catch the Padres to avoid an embarrassing last place finish in the National League West. KNBR.com Hernandez ‘forcing the issue,’ Giants want Shaw to get more at-bats at AAA Kerry Crowley The San Francisco Giants are 23 games under .500 and resigned to spending October at home this season, and have already demonstrated a willingness to take a look at a number of their top prospects. Christian Arroyo, Austin Slater and Ryder Jones all earned pre-All-Star break call-ups, and though all three have ended up dealing with serious injuries, the Giants began to get a handle on how three of the players they believe can contribute to the organization’s future will handle Major League pitching. With Slater on the disabled list and expected to be sidelined until at least September, the Giants don’t have a clear everyday left fielder on their 25-man roster. Because the franchise’s top prospect, Chris

Shaw, is earning more playing time in left field with AAA Sacramento, it’s natural to wonder if and when the Giants are going to give Shaw the same look Arroyo, Slater and Jones were afforded. On Saturday, the Giants added an outfielder to their roster, but it wasn’t Shaw who received a promotion. Instead, San Francisco called up 25-year-old utility man Orlando Calixte, who earned a start in left field. On Sunday, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy was asked about the decision to call up Calixte ahead of Jones, Shaw and outfielder Jarrett Parker, who is currently on a rehab assignment with AAA Sacramento, and Bochy said bringing Calixte back to the Major League level was an easy choice. “No, to be honest, Orlando was the one that made the most sense for us,” Bochy said. “Shaw is getting a lot of work in left field and we want him to get his everyday at-bats there. Jones had missed some time and of course, got hit by a pitch again.” Parker began the season as the Giants’ left fielder, but broke his clavicle crashing into an outfield wall in an April contest against the Colorado Rockies. Though Parker started a rehab assignment in mid-June, he ended the assignment prematurely after experiencing neck stiffness. Parker resumed the rehab assignment on July 13, and swung a hot bat of late, recording 11 hits in his last seven games. Parker’s six-game hit streak was snapped on Saturday, and Bochy said even though he’s been impressive at the plate, the Giants want Parker to continue to work at AAA before they’re comfortable calling him up again. “Parker, we want him, he’s swinging the bat better, but we want to take full advantage of his rehab time,” Bochy said. “He’s missed so much time so whoever was coming up here was going to get a spot start.” Another reason the Giants haven’t called up Shaw just yet? The play of Gorkys Hernandez, who has been the team’s primary starter in left field since Slater’s injury. Hernandez has hit .316 over his last 27 games and was a catalyst at the top of the order in San Francisco’s 5-4 win over the Padres on Saturday. Aside from the production Hernandez has provided at the plate, he’s easily the best defensive outfielder on a Giants’ team that has received below average defensive play in center field and right field for much of the year. “You look at how Hernandez is playing, he’s really playing well and forced the issue as far as playing time,” Bochy said. “It’s not just what he’s doing at the plate but as far as everyday defense that he gives us, the speed, so we’re going to keep him going.” So while it’s possible the Giants will give Shaw the promotion so many fans are waiting eagerly to see within the next month, for now, Bochy said the franchise wants its 2015 first round draft choice to continue playing on an every day basis. Cueto progressing Prior to Sunday’s contest, Giants’ right-hander Johnny Cueto played a light game of catch as he hopes to return in the near future from a stint on the disabled list.

The Giants placed Cueto on the DL on Saturday July 15 after Cueto exited his July 14 start with blister issues that have troubled him for much of the season. Cueto is eligible to come off of the DL July 25, and it’s possible Cueto will be back in the rotation when the Giants face the Dodgers in Los Angeles next weekend. “With Johnny, he wants to get back out there as soon as possible,” Bochy said. “We just have to give him a break and I don’t see it being a long rehab or anything, he won’t miss that much time.”