SF Giants Press Clips Sunday, April 30, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Giants lose in a barrage of runs in 6th, 7th innings Henry Schulman It might have been the best defensive play Conor Gillaspie has made in either of his two stints with the Giants. He charged a slow roller by Hunter Renfroe, gloved it, and in a flash got the ball into his bare hand and whipped a throw to Buster Posey, who tagged Yangervis Solarte at the plate to prevent a run. This play is highlighted for a reason. Without it, the Padres’ eight-run sixth inning and the Giants’ 12-4 loss Saturday night at AT&T Park might have been worse. Fans who had to endure 11 San Diego runs that scored in the span of 14 hitters over the sixth and seventh innings, each of which featured a three-run homer off reliever Neil Ramirez, might have seen an even bigger number for the visitors on the scoreboard. As it was, the Giants took one of their most hideous losses in a month of ugly. They get one more chance Sunday to complete a winning homestand and finally notch their 10th win before one of the franchise’s most forgettable Aprils ends. This was not a game that Ramirez will remember fondly. He became the first Giants reliever to allow two three-run homers in a game since Joe Nathan in 2003. One was a Wil Myers blast in the eight-run sixth that nearly reached the walkway beneath the Coke bottle. The other was hit by Allen Cordoba, a Rule 5 pick who was playing rookie ball last year. Neither of those homers was Ramirez’s worst sin, for he did something only one other big-league pitcher had accomplished: walking former Giant Hector Sanchez with the bases loaded. It’s hard to walk Sanchez at all. He had just 30 in 706 plate appearances. “I got ahead of him,” Ramirez said. “I’ve got to put that guy away right there. That’s on me.” The Sanchez walk with one out in the sixth gave San Diego a 4-3 lead. Manuel Margot’s single made it 5-3 and a super play by shortstop Christian Arroyo on Cory Spangenberg’s grounder got one out but was not enough to prevent a sixth Padres run. Myers then hammered a fastball deep into the left-field seats to make it 9-3.

Cordoba’s homer against Ramirez in the seventh expanded the lead to 12-4, making it hard to remember that the Giants actually led 3-1 and that Matt Cain continued his resurgence with five innings of one-run ball. After a rough first start in San Diego on April 7, Cain has allowed only three runs in 23 innings over four games. This has been a month for the Giants of trying to find a positive needle in a haystack of hell. Cain’s pitching might be the shiniest. “I still want to go out there knowing every fifth day that this is what I’m going to get,” said Cain, trying to temper any thought that he has it all figured out. “You don’t want to get ahead of yourself because this game can be humbling.” As manager Bruce Bochy and two of his relievers discovered. Bochy pulled Cain after five innings and 86 pitches because the pitcher was coming off a hamstring tweak. All looked good when Brandon Belt hit a two-run single in the fifth to give Cain and the Giants a 3-1 lead. Bochy handed the ball to Chris Stratton hoping the rookie long man could go the final four innings to save other relievers. Mark Melancon was off limits after working three days in a row and four of the previous five. Bochy also wanted to stay away from his lone lefty, Steven Okert, who has pitched eight times since his mid-month arrival. But Stratton retired just one of his six hitters — on the Gillaspie play — and allowed San Diego to tie the game before Bochy turned to Ramirez. “It’s tough,” Bochy said, “when the two guys you’re looking at to give you length both struggled.” San Francisco Chronicle Giants’ Cain two-seaming his way to success Henry Schulman Matt Cain appears to be back as a consistently good starting pitcher, and part of the credit goes to backup catcher Nick Hundley for a change he all but ordered Cain to make. Hundley was catching Cain against the Diamondbacks on April 12, two days after Buster Posey got hit in the helment by a pitch and a day after Posey went on the concussion disabled list, when Hundley noticed some great sinking movement on Cain’s two-seam fastball. “Nick came out in the Arizona start and said, ‘Whenever I want a fastball and put the number down, throw the two-seamer,’” Cain said. “I went with it.” Cain allowed one run in five innings in a 6-2 Giants victory to start a run of four solid starts. With five more more innings of one-run ball Saturday night, Cain has allowed just three runs in his past 23 innings. Erick Aybar’s fourth-inning RBI single ended Cain’s 11-inning shutout streak.

Cain explained that he rarely relied on the two-seam fastball, which has movement and sink, because his power four-seam fastball had natural run. But after returning from his various arm injuries, Cain left a lot of those four-seamers over the plate, and they got crushed. The two-seamers are slower — usually 88 or 89 mph — but their movement has made them highly effective for Cain, who also credited Hundley and Buster Posey for getting him to mix his pitches more and get him out of his “comfort zone,” making him less predictable. Cain will carry a 2.30 ERA, ninth best in the National League, into his next scheduled start at Cincinnati on Friday night. San Francisco Chronicle Arroyo’s call-up evokes that of a more famous Giants rookie Scott Ostler The call-up of 21-year-old Christian Arroyo on Monday had a familiar ring, if you know your Giants’ ancient history. Sixty-six years ago, the New York Giants called up a 20-year-old phenom from Triple-A. It worked out well. I’m not saying Arroyo will be the next Willie Mays, but if he has half the talent and baseball genius of the Say Hey Kid, Arroyo will be a sensation. The Giants called up Mays from the Minneapolis Millers on May 24, 1951. In 35 games with the Millers, Mays was hitting .477. Manager Leo Durocher had wanted Mays on the Giants’ Opening Day roster but was overruled by team owner Horace Stoneham. Durocher finally got his way after the Giants opened slowly. When Mays arrived, the Giants were 17-19, in fifth place in the National League, 4½ games back. Mays was watching a movie in Sioux City, Iowa, when a theater employee announced, “If there is a Willie Mays here, call your manager.” When Arroyo got the call, he was batting .446 for the Sacramento River Cats. It was a desperation call-up. The Giants were in fifth place, 4½ games out of first. The Giants’ stated plan had been to keep Arroyo in the minors for most of the season. I wonder whether they consulted Mays. Mays, when called up, had just 116 minor-league games under his belt, but also logged some playing time in the Negro Leagues. Arroyo played 359 minor-league games. MORE FROM SCOTT OSTLER Marshawn Lynch, a former NFL football running back with the Seattle Seahawks, speaks Thursday, May 5, 2016, at a job fair in Seattle sponsored by the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, an organization backed by Starbucks and other companies that seeks to increase employment and education opportunities for youth aged 16-24. The Seahawks announced Thursday that Lynch has been placed on the reserve/retired list. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Deal for Marshawn Lynch could give Davis cover Golden

State Warriors' interim head coach Mike Brown and head coach Steve Kerr arrive before playing Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of NBA Western Conference 1st Round Playoffs at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on Monday, April 24, 2017. With coach ailing, Warriors’ usual joy takes on sharper edge Golden State Warriors' basketball team reacts after Klay Thompson scored a 3-pointer in a game against the Indiana Pacers, in Oakland, California, on Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. Warriors give long-suffering Oaklanders something to enjoy Mays felt he wasn’t ready. From Iowa, he told Durocher over the phone, “I’m not coming.” Durocher asked Mays what he was hitting. Mays said .477. “Well,” said Durocher, “do you think you could hit two-f—ing-fifty-five for me?” “Sure,” Mays said, losing the debate. Mays went 0-for-12 before his first hit, a screaming homer off future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn at the Polo Grounds. Durocher described the homer thusly: “I never saw a f—ing ball leave a f—ing park so f—ing fast in my f—ing life.” Arroyo’s first hit was a line single off future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. Bruce Bochy, lacking Durocher’s poetry skills, called it a nice hit. Deep thoughts, cheap shots & bon mots ... Steve Kerr wants to avoid being a distraction by starring in an ongoing drama, but I’m pretty sure the Warriors would gladly take whatever Kerr can give them the rest of the playoffs. Coach every other game? Fine. Kerr’s their guy. Drama, schmama. After what the 49ers did to the Bears in the first round of the NFL draft, teams will be loath to wheel-and-deal with draft bullies John Lynch and Paraag Marathe. The Raiders got the upper hand on the 49ers in the first round. The Raiders’ guy (reportedly) passed a polygraph test, the 49ers’ guy flunked a drug test. Smell test? Results pending. When general managerReggie McKenzie says the Raiders “did our due diligence” and “research” before drafting Gareon Conley, I wonder whether it was the same due diligence and research they did before signing Aldon Smith. No more dirt-bike adventures for Madison Bumgarner, and I’m guessing the Giants are also telling MadBum ix-nay on spinning doughnuts in the cow pasture in his Ford pickup. JaVale McGee told me his vertical leap is 33 or 34 inches. The playground measure of a great jumper used to be whether he could he touch the top of the backboard, 13 feet high. Wilt Chamberlain could place a coin atop the backboard. “I used to” reach the top, McGee told me, “not no more. I lost some jump. I got heavier, that’s why.”

Portland’s Damian Lillard, on his trash-talk duel with Draymond Green: “I think it elevates the level of the game. The only time it’s like, ‘Man, be quiet,’ it’s when you hear people at the end of the bench yelling out stuff. ... So (trash talk) is respected on both ends.” Wonder how the 49ers feel about this: Every time I see documentary filmmaker and left-wing gadfly Michael Moore on a TV news show, he’s rocking a 49ers ball cap. If you want to become fluent in corporate speak, study Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank. Referring to low sales of the latest Stephen Curry shoe, Plank said that “a sluggish signature market and warm consumer reception led to softer-than-expected results,” creating an “inventory imbalance.” A tip o’ the chef’s hat to Ayesha Curry for slamming the White House on proposed budget cuts that will endanger programs like No Kid Hungry, for which she is an ambassador. Hey, maybe we could feed hungry kids with leftovers from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Chocolate cake like they’ve never seen! Knucklehead of the Week Jim Harbaugh Harbs took his Michigan team to Rome for training and sightseeing, and the coach strutted the vias like the second coming of Julius Caesar. The top five things Harbaugh did: Took a spin in the Popemobile, startling folks by tooting the “ah-oooh-ga” horn. Gave the pope a Michigan helmet, asked for a mitre in exchange. For cardio, had his players swim laps in the Trevi Fountain, drop coins, wish for undefeated season. Posed in a Speedo next to the statue of David. Touring the Colosseum, said, “You’d think the alumni would spend some money to fix this place up.” San Francisco Chronicle Giants bullpen finally has roles and success Henry Schulman When the Giants and Padres went into the eighth inning tied 3-3 Friday night, nobody had to look into the home bullpen to see who was warming up. A month into the season, Derek Law is established as the eighth-inning man. Mark Melancon is the closer. George Kontos and Hunter Strickland usually get the seventh (and parts of the eighth if needed), with Steven Okert tossed in when the Giants need a lefty. Cory Gearrin gets the sixth as well as double-play situations. Chris Stratton is the long man and Neil Ramirez is the wild card usually asked to keep the other team from widening a lead.

This could not have been charted last year, when a bullpen that blew a majors-worst 30 saves (plus two in the postseason) was a mish-mash and the team’s Achilles heel. The relievers, to their chagrin, did not always know when they were going to pitch. Also to their chagrin, manager Bruce Bochy did not get them a lot of rope. Things are completely different in 2017. "They have a good idea when they're going to be out there and know if they lose a hitter they're not going to be taken out," Bochy said. "It gives guys a sense of confidence, and it's up to them to find a way to get three outs for us." The numbers reflect a significant improvement. Entering Saturday's game, the Giants bullpen ranked fifth in the NL with a 3.68 ERA. Since an awful first week (6.62 ERA), the bullpen has allowed 15 earned runs in 49 2/3 innings, a 2.72 ERA). The relievers have been particularly effective at AT&T Park. They had surrendered three earned runs over their first 10 games before allowing four 10th-inning runs in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Dodgers. The Giants have three blown saves, all on the first trip, two in the 6-5 Opening Day loss at Arizona. They also have stranded 30 of 37 inherited runners, the third-best rate in the league. (They were first until Thursday's blowup.) Several dynamics are at play, starting with having a closer in Mark Melancon, so Bochy need not worry about setting up his bullpen beyond the eight. Another is having only one left-handed reliever, which prevents Bochy from overdependence on matchups - a sore point last year. Lastly, Bochy seems to trust his relievers more. Bochy even stuck with Law as his eighth-inning man despite the second-year pitcher's struggles to throw strikes. That faith has paid dividends. Law pitched a scoreless 10th to win Wednesday night's game (the Hunter Pence walkoff) and threw a scoreless eighth Friday to keep it 3-3. Christian Arroyo's homer in the bottom half won it. Crawford to the DL: This is not a surprise, but Brandon Crawford was reinstated from the three-day bereavement list to the 10-day disabled list with his right-groin strain. The Giants can apply those first three days to the 10-day, so he is eligible to return for the May 6 game at Cincinnati. Saturday's game: Matt Cain makes his fifth start Saturday night, his first since tweaking a hamstring and getting hit in the foot by a hard grounder in Monday's victory against the Dodgers. He threw a normal bullpen session. We'll see if the minor injuries hamper him at all as he tries to continue a great run. He has allowed two earned runs over his past 18 innings, with no runs in his past 10. His only bad start was his first one, at San Diego. A win against the Padres would ensure the Giants their first winning homestand of 2017, at least wins in April and just their second back-to-back victories.

Hunter Pence gets a night off against Jhoulys Chacin. Eduardo Nuñez will pay in right field. It seems as though Bochy is rotating guys for nights off so all will be fresh for the three games in Los Angeles, which begin Monday night after no off day. San Jose Mercury News Giants’ bullpen torched in 12-4 loss to San Diego Padres Curtis Pashelka SAN FRANCISCO — Eduardo Nuñez hardly moved a muscle as he watched the ball that came off of Wil Myers’ bat sail over his head and land in the left field bleachers at AT&T Park an estimated 433 feet away from home plate. Reliever Neil Ramirez nearly had the same reaction, as his 93 mph fastball right down the pipe was turned around for one of the longest home runs of the season at China Basin. The Giants got another encouraging outing from starter Matt Cain on Saturday, but their bullpen had a night to forget. Myers’ blast capped an eight-run sixth inning for the Padres, who tacked on three more runs in the seventh and cruised to a 12-4 win. Cain struck out seven and allowed just one run on 86 pitches in five innings, but Ramirez and Chris Stratton combined to give up seven hits and 11 earned runs in two innings of relief. Giants manager Bruce Bochy was hoping to rest some of his other bullpen arms Saturday. That opened the door for Stratton, who allowed hits to the first three batters he faced and wound up being charged with five earned runs. Stratton’s only other appearance this season came last Saturday in Colorado, when he threw three scoreless innings in what was a 12-3 Giants loss. “He had such a nice outing in Colorado and it had been a little while,” Bochy said. “Obviously, I was hoping, maybe, run it out with him. He just couldn’t get settled in.” Ramirez has also been mostly solid this season. Prior to Saturday, six of the nine earned runs he allowed in eight appearances came in that whitewash loss to the Rockies. He rebounded from that outing to pitch a scoreless inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. “It’s tough when two guys who you look at to give you length, they both struggle tonight,” Bochy said, “so that makes it tough.” It all made Brandon Belt’s two-run single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning seem like ancient history as the Giants briefly took a 3-1 lead. It also spoiled another solid outing from Cain, as the craftiness he used in his last three starts before Saturday was once again on full display. No longer equipped with a 95 mph fastball, Cain used breaking balls and a two-seam fastball to keep the Padres off-balance Saturday. He struck out Manuel Margot in the first inning and Hunter Renfroe in the second inning, both on 74 mph curveballs.

Cain gave up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his first start on April 7 at San Diego, but came into Saturday with just two earned runs allowed in his last 18 innings. “I think I’m constantly trying to grow as a pitcher,” Cain said. “You start going out there, you’re learning stuff, you’re finding different ways to try to get guys out. Trying to be creative.” Cain credited catchers Buster Posey and Nick Hundley for helping adjust to a new way of throwing, saying they’ve done “a great job of trying to mix things up, get me out of my comfort zone, maybe throwing pitches at different counts, which has been beneficial.” That included a six-inning performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday where he allowed two hits and struck out three. Cain was removed from Monday’s start against with hamstring tightness after just 70 pitches, but the Giants were confident after that game that Cain would be able to make his next start. Cain blew through that pitch mark in the top of the fourth inning, with his 70th pitch being another 74 mph curveball in the dirt that struck out Renfroe for the second out. Austin Hedges, though, followed that up with a single to center to put runners on the corners, and Erick Aybar followed that with a line drive single to center to score Ryan Schimpf from third base for a 1-0 Padres lead. • The Giants moved shortstop Brandon Crawford from the bereavement list to the disabled list Saturday. Bochy said the MRI that Crawford had on his right groin Friday did not reveal anything more than a mild strain. Crawford’s injury needs more time to heal than the seven games he would have been allowed to stay on the bereavement list, Bochy said. Crawford is eligible to return from the DL on May 6, when the Giants are in Cincinnati for the second of a three-game series against the Reds. Crawford is on the DL retroactive to Wednesday. “He’s making progress, he’s doing better,” Bochy said, adding that the team feels Crawford would be close to full health when his time on the DL is up. “It’s going to be in the ballpark.” San Jose Mercury News Brandon Crawford moved to DL, MRI reveals just a strain Curtis Pashelka SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants moved shortstop Brandon Crawford from the bereavement list to the disabled list Saturday, although manager Bruce Bochy said the MRI that Crawford had on his right groin the day before did not reveal anything more than a mild strain. Crawford’s injury needs more time to heal than the seven games he would have been allowed to stay on the bereavement list, Bochy said. Crawford is eligible to return from the DL on May 6, when the Giants are in Cincinnati for the second of a three-game series against the Reds. Crawford is on the DL retroactive to Wednesday.

“He’s making progress, he’s doing better,” Bochy said, adding that the team feels Crawford would be close to full health when his time on the DL is up. “It’s going to be in the ballpark.” Crawford injured himself on the bases in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game against Arizona. He had his MRI on Friday because he could not get one before he left to go on bereavement leave for his sister in law’s funeral. Crawford was not expected to play Saturday regardless of the result of the MRI. Against the San Diego Padres for the second of a three-game series, the Giants again have Christian Arroyo at shortstop. Conor Gillaspie is again at third base and Eduardo Nuñez is in right field. Bochy feels the Giants’ depth at shortstop puts them in a good spot to absorb the loss of Crawford, who was hitting .263 with eight RBIs at the time of his injury. Besides Arroyo and Nuñez, Bochy said Kelby Tomlinson can play shortstop as well. Rounding out the Giants infield Saturday will be Michael Morse at first base and Joe Panik at second. The Giants’ outfield also has Brandon Belt in left and Drew Stubbs in center. “It’s all about depth and versatility, which we’ve talked about a lot the last couple days,” Bochy said. “It allows you to do some things, like today. We’re going to get Morse out there, we’re going to get Belt out there.” Nuñez played right field briefly on April 22 in Colorado. “I think he’ll be fine out there,” Bochy said. “It’s going to be a little adjustment on his part, but it’s great to have guys who don’t hesitate to make a move. When they’re like that, it just takes away the other part of the equation, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ These guys aren’t doing that. They’re willing to go out there and give it their best.” MLB.com Giants unravel as Padres score 8 in 6th inning AJ Cassavell and Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- Wil Myers started the Padres' sixth-inning rally with a single. Nine batters later, he added a rather loud exclamation point. The slugging first baseman capped an eight-run frame with a three-run missile deep into the left-field seats, as the Padres beat the Giants, 12-4, on Saturday night. In their highest scoring game at AT&T Park, the Friars also recorded their most prolific inning since they scored eight times in the eighth on May 1, 2015, against Colorado. San Diego quickly erased a two-run sixth-inning deficit thanks to a series of bloops, walks and seeing-eye singles. But there was nothing cheap about Myers' blast -- a 433-foot shot that left his bat at 112 mph, according to Statcast™, and nearly reached the Coke bottle beyond the left-field seats at AT&T Park. "That's all I got," said Myers. "That's my best bullet right there."

The struggling Giants bullpen spoiled another solid effort from right-hander Matt Cain, who pitched one-run ball over five frames. In his past four starts, Cain has allowed just three runs in 23 innings. "It feels good," said Cain. "It definitely feels good, but the biggest thing for me is not being complacent with it." The Giants clawed one back in the bottom of the sixth. But an inning later, rookie Rule 5 pick Allen Cordoba put the game out of reach with a three-run tater of his own, the second home run of his career. "It was one of the first games that really felt like a complete offensive performance," said Padres manager Andy Green. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Decisions, decisions: Giants manager Bruce Bochy called on Kelby Tomlinson to pinch-hit for Cain in the bottom of the fifth. That move paid off in the short term, with Tomlinson's single serving as part of a three-run rally to put San Francisco on top, 3-1. Of course, it also meant the Padres had gotten into the Giants' shaky bullpen, and they capitalized with 11 runs in the next two innings against relievers Chris Stratton and Neil Ramirez. "We just couldn't get three outs in the sixth inning," Bochy said. "It's tough when your two guys you look at to give you length, they both struggled tonight. That makes it tough because we were trying to give some guys the day off." Happy returns: During the sixth-inning barrage, Green had to make a similar decision of his own, lifting Jhoulys Chacin for pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez. The former Giant worked a pivotal eight-pitch walk with the bases loaded, putting the Padres on top for good and opening the floodgates. "Sanchez's at-bat to get the walk was incredible," said Myers. "That whole inning was great. Top to bottom, everybody had great at-bats. That's the mark of a good offense and a good team." Sanchez's walk helped make a winner out of Chacin, who allowed three runs on five hits, while striking out six. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Not only were the 12 runs by San Diego the most the Padres have scored at AT&T Park but they were also the most by the Friars have scored in San Francisco since they put up 15 at Candlestick Park on July 2, 1995. QUOTABLE "He keeps taking swings like that, he'll force more and more opportunities for himself. He's had some starts, he's been really good off the bench, any time we've asked him to pinch-hit or go in for defense. ... Proud of his development over the last couple weeks. He's going to get some opportunities ahead." -- Green on Cordoba WHAT'S NEXT Padres: Clayton Richard, whose 65 percent ground-ball rate is second in the National League this season, will start Sunday's finale in San Francisco. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m. PT. The veteran southpaw is coming off his worst start of the season, in which he allowed six runs over 3 2/3 frames in Arizona.

Giants: Ty Blach makes his second consecutive start in place of injured ace Madison Bumgarner after opening the season in the bullpen. The Giants are 1-7 this season when the left-hander pitches. MLB.com Cain's resurgence continues vs. Padres Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- On a night when another implosion by the bullpen left Bruce Bochy grimacing following Saturday's 12-4 loss to the San Diego Padres, starter Matt Cain was able to make the Giants skipper smile with one of his strongest outings of the season. Following up on a stellar start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cain looked a lot like the pitcher who won 55 games from 2009-2012 instead of one who has struggled to stay healthy while notching only 18 victories since then. He allowed one run over five innings, had a season-high seven strikeouts and didn't walk a batter for the first time this season. "He really has just done a great job of bouncing back from last year and this spring," Bochy said of his former ace. "He's worked hard and he's doing some good things out there. Commanding the ball, changing speeds on his breaking ball, good changeup. Really just throwing quality strikes and that's a good thing to see." Three of the six hits given up by Cain came in the fourth inning when San Diego scored its lone run off the right-hander. Things could have been worse but second baseman Joe Panik threw home to catch a sliding Austin Hedges trying to score from third as part of a double-steal attempt. It was in stark contrast to how Cain fared when he faced the Padres the first time this season. San Diego knocked Cain out of his April 7 start after scoring four runs in 4 1/3 innings. More importantly for the Giants, Cain showed no lingering effects from the hamstring issue that forced him out of his most recent start against Los Angeles. "No issues with that, so that was good," Cain said. Since taking a no-decision against the Padres in his 2017 debut, Cain has been one of the Giants' most consistent starters. He's 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA over his last four starts and has allowed only three runs in his previous 23 innings. For a team that will be without Madison Bumgarner until possibly after the All-Star break, Cain's recent stretch has been a welcomed sight. It's also a bit of justification for a 32-year-old pitcher who once hurled a perfect game before his career got off track. "I just wanted to keep being able to put stretches together, and that's what I still want to do," Cain said. "I still want to be able to go out there and know that every fifth day this is what you're going to get. That's something I try to keep in my mind. Don't ever get ahead of yourself because the game can be really humbling."

MLB.com Blach starts before Giants hit the road Michael Wagaman Clayton Richard of the Padres will pitch in the series finale against the Giants' Ty Blach in a battle of left-handers at AT&T Park on Sunday. Richard (2-3, 4.45 ERA) is trying to get his season back on track after dropping three of his last four decisions. The 33-year-old lost to San Francisco on April 9 and is coming off his worst start of the season after allowing six runs over 3 2/3 innings against Arizona on Tuesday. It hasn't been all bad for Richard. He has induced ground balls at a 65 percent clip this season, which trails only the Rockies' Kyle Freeland among qualifying pitchers. Blach (0-1, 4.22) will be making his second start in place of injured Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and the fourth of his career. Blach, whose first start in the Majors came against the Padres in 2016, went five innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday. Giants right fielder Hunter Pence is expected to be back in the lineup after getting a rest Saturday. Pence is the only one of San Francisco's three starting outfielders to remain relatively healthy so far. Eduardo Nunez started in place of Pence on Saturday. Things to know about this game • San Diego right-hander Jarred Cosart, who is recovering from a right hamstring strain, felt fine in his second bullpen session since being placed on the disabled list last week. Cosart will likely head out for at least one rehab assignment before being reinstated to the Padres. • The Padres went 6-20 in Sunday games last season and have started this season much in the same way, having lost all three of their Sunday games. They're 2-5 in day games this season after going 15-35 a year ago. • San Francisco and San Diego have already played one another five times in the first month of the season. The two teams won't meet again until July 14 at Petco Park when they'll begin a stretch of seven games over 10 days against each other. • This will be the Giants' last game at AT&T Park before embarking on a season-high nine-game road trip. MLB.com Crawford heads to DL with right groin strain Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- Christian Arroyo, the hot-hitting rookie infielder who has provided a spark for the Giants since being called up from the Minors earlier this week, will remain in the lineup for the near future after San Francisco activated shortstop Brandon Crawford from the bereavement list and put him on the 10-day disabled list Saturday.

Crawford suffered a strained right groin rounding first base during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He left the team the following day to attend the funeral of his sister-in-law, who recently passed away from an asthma attack. As expected, Crawford rejoined the Giants on Saturday and was transferred to the disabled list to continue his recovery from what manager Bruce Bochy described as a "very mild" groin strain. The move is retroactive to April 26, meaning Crawford can be activated May 6 when San Francisco is in Cincinnati. "He's making progress," Bochy said. "He's doing better. I can't tell you when he will be ready ... but it'll be around the area when the DL time is up. Maybe a few days but I think it's going to be in the ballpark." Arroyo, who homered in two of his first five big league games after being called up Monday, started at shortstop in Crawford's place for the second straight game Saturday. Arroyo, who started at third base in his first four Major League games, singled off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for his first big league hit, then belted a go-ahead home run against San Diego on Friday. "It's all about depth and versatility," Bochy said. "It allows you to do some things." NBC Sports Bay Area Bullpen Implodes After Cain Goes Five Solid, Giants Crushed By Padres Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Wil Myers hit a three-run homer to cap San Diego's eight-run sixth inning and the Padres rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 12-4 on Saturday night. Myers also singled off Chris Stratton (1-0) to start the big inning and had three hits for the game. San Diego scored 11 runs against the Giants' bullpen following five effective innings from starter Matt Cain. Allen Cordoba added a three-run homer off Neil Ramirez in the seventh. The Padres combined for six hits and two walks off Stratton and Ramirez in the sixth. It took the duo 46 pitches to end the inning. Jhoulys Chacin (3-3) struck out six and gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in five innings. NBC Sports Bay Area Giants Move Crawford From Bereavement List To 10-Day Dl NBC Sports Bay Area Staff Brandon Crawford, who was already on the bereavement list, has been placed on the 10-day DL by the Giants on Saturday. Crawford has already served three of the 10 days due to his stint on the bereavement list. The Giants' shortstop is dealing with a right groin strain. In 21 games this season, Crawford is hitting .263/.284/.434 with two home runs. He won his second Gold Glove last season.

Rookie Christian Arroyo is taking his place at shortstop on Saturday. Santa Rosa Press Democrat Giants bullpen implodes in loss to Padres Gideon Rubin SAN FRANCISCO — Wil Myers hit a three-run homer to cap San Diego’s eight-run sixth inning and the Padres rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 12-4 on Saturday night. Myers also singled off Chris Stratton (1-0) to start the big inning and had three hits for the game. San Diego scored 11 runs against the Giants’ bullpen following five effective innings from starter Matt Cain. Allen Cordoba added a three-run homer off Neil Ramirez in the seventh. The Padres combined for six hits and two walks off Stratton and Ramirez in the sixth. It took the duo 46 pitches to end the inning. Jhoulys Chacin (3-3) struck out six and gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in five innings. Stratton was charged with five runs and four hits in ⅓ of an inning and Ramirez allowed six runs, three hits and two walks over 1⅔ innings. Their collapse followed a solid effort from Cain, who has been dogged by injuries and hasn’t pitched a full season since winning 16 games in 2012. He struck out seven and allowed a run and six hits without a walk to drop his ERA to 2.30. Cain left with a 3-1 lead after Brandon Belt’s two-run single highlighted San Francisco’s three-run fifth. The Padres have won 11 of 15 games against the Giants dating to last season. San Francisco (9-16) fell behind San Diego (10-16) for the NL’s worst record. The Giants are 39-58 since going into last year’s All-Star break 24 games over .500 with the best record in the majors. TRAINER’S ROOM Padres: RHP Jarred Cosart threw his second bullpen Saturday since going on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He’ll likely go on a rehab assignment in the minors, manager Andy Green said. Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin injury retroactive to April 26 after an MRI on Friday revealed a mild strain, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Santa Rosa Press Democrat Nevius: rookie Christian Arroyo is a jolt of high energy for the Giants C.W. Nevius

The rollout of rookie Christian Arroyo by the Giants is the kind of orchestrated debut we haven’t seen in some time. Make no mistake, it’s been months in the making. There was his sizzling spring training, the brief drama to see if he’d make the club right out of spring training (nope, but close) and then the glowing reports from the minors — “OMG, he’s hitting .400.” Events and injuries transpired and he got the call last week. He was immediately handed Will Clark’s number 22, probably the most famous Giants’ number that has not been retired by the team. (Which, presumably puts that discussion to rest. And although Clark was classy about it — “Congratulations,” he texted to Arroyo, “there’s a lot of hits left in that number” — it had to sting a little to know a retired number wasn’t going to happen for him.) Regardless, that is not the normal order of things for rookies. Remember when Matt Duffy made the team in 2015? He was given number 50, which is more suitable for a relief pitcher or platoon player. Only when it seemed Duffy was going to stick was he upgraded to number 5. Arroyo was immediately installed the starting lineup against (wow) the Dodgers. In his second game he got his first big league hit with a clean single off three-time Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw. The next night he hit a two-run homer and gave a stream of consciousness TV interview that was both endearing and unsettling. How old is that kid again? Guys like Kelby Tomlinson must be thinking: Geez, when they called me up nobody talked to me for a week. Clearly, the Giants are all in on Arroyo. After this coronation you don’t send him back to the minors. The move says two things about the Giants. First, this is not an organization that plays it safe. The front office is ready and willing to make the confident, bold move. Good for them. But second, it says they were worried enough about how things were going — even this early — that a big, bold move had to be made. Of course, if Arroyo had executed a faceplant all of that would go out the window. We would write that the team never should have rushed him. And by the way, left field is still a black hole, the bullpen remains combustible, and, what, exactly, is Eduardo Nunez’s role on this team? The pleasant surprise, and nice distraction from the bad news, is that so far Arroyo has been as good as advertised. He’s hit, hit in the clutch, and has been at least an adequate third baseman. He also seems supernaturally at ease in the bigs. Play-by-play broadcaster Duane Kuiper called Arroyo “a six-tool player,” meaning that in addition to the five-tool metrics — hit for average, for power, fielding, throwing and baserunning — he can also handle the media. Four games into his career on Thursday, after delivering a two-out single to score the Giants’ only run in a losing effort, Arroyo faced a semi-circle of notebooks and TV cameras and looked the slightest bit nonplussed.

“It’s a little different in the minor leagues,” he said. But although he started out with a nice safe run of baseball clichés — he was just trying to put the barrel of the bat on the ball — he was quick to pick a spot for a witty response. Asked what he’d picked as his walk-up music Arroyo said it was “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar. And, he was asked, is there any special meaning to the choice, like reminding himself to stay humble? “Well now that you say that,” he replied with an impish grin, “it DOES have meaning. Thanks.” Happy to help. The team can certainly use his hitting, but he’s also bringing some of those hard-to-define baseball intangibles. There’s been a noticeable lack of energy among the Giants so far this year. Which, of course, is a byproduct of this horrible, discouraging start. But this is a team that rallied to the World Series around the pre-game dugout sermons of Hunter Pence, followed by a shower of sunflower seeds. So far the prevailing sight has been a line of veterans, leaning sadly on the dugout railing. So it should not be overlooked that Arroyo is a jolt of high energy. He just seems hard-wired that way. When Pence hit the sacrifice fly to win the Wednesday night extra-inning game, Arroyo was out of the dugout and in full sprint toward Pence before some of the veterans got their legs over the dugout fence. Arroyo has been such a welcome revelation that we’ve already moved on to the next stage for emerging stars — a nickname. There’s been some talk of calling him “Baby Boss,” for the cartoon character who looks a little like him. And surely there will be some clever references to his shocktop haircut. But nothing has stuck so far. No rush. There will be plenty of time. Sacramento Bee Myers' HR highlights big inning as Padres top Giants 12-4 Gideon Rubin SAN FRANCISCO Wil Myers capped a huge inning for the San Diego Padres with the best shot he could muster. Myers hit a three-run homer during San Diego's eight-run sixth and the Padres rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 12-4 on Saturday night. Myers' shot landed in the back of the left field bleachers, traveling 433 feet according to Statcast.

"That's all I got, that's my best bullet right there," Myers said. "I watched it, and I saw where it went. When you hit one like that, you'd like to see where it ends up. That's legitimately everything I got, so I'm happy to be able to say I got everything of it." Myers singled off Chris Stratton (0-1) to start the big inning and had three hits for the game. San Diego scored 11 runs against the Giants' bullpen following five effective innings from starter Matt Cain. Allen Cordoba added a three-run homer off Neil Ramirez in the seventh. San Diego entered the game tied for seventh in the majors with 31 homers. Myers is tied for the team-lead with six homers along with Austin Hedges and Ryan Schimpf, and Hunter Renfroe is close by with five. "We've got five or six guys in the middle of the order that can hit the ball out of the ballpark at any given time," Padres manager Andy Green said. The Padres combined for six hits and two walks off Stratton and Ramirez in the sixth. It took the duo 46 pitches to end the inning. Jhoulys Chacin (3-3) struck out six and gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in five innings. Stratton was charged with five runs and four hits in 1/3 of an inning and Ramirez allowed six runs, three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings. Their collapse followed a solid effort from Cain, who has been dogged by injuries and hasn't pitched a full season since winning 16 games in 2012. He struck out seven and allowed a run and six hits without a walk to drop his ERA to 2.30. Cain left with a 3-1 lead after Brandon Belt's two-run single highlighted San Francisco's three-run fifth. "It's been a while," Cain said when asked the last time he felt this well. "I might have been saying that but also I was trying to find it as well. The results weren't showing it. I'd have glimpses of it here and there. I just wanted to keep being able to put stretches together, and that's what I still want to do." The Padres have won 11 of 15 games against the Giants dating to last season. San Francisco (9-16) fell behind San Diego (10-16) for the NL's worst record. The Giants are 39-58 since going into last year's All-Star break 24 games over .500 with the best record in the majors. RISING STAR Cordoba's home run underscores the power potential the Padres see in the Rule 5 draft pick. The 21-year-old came to the majors out of rookie ball. "He's an extremely talented player, he's got the size, he's got the build, he's got the athleticism," Myers said. "It's going to be exciting to see what he can do in the future." CLARK TRIBUTE

San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark attended Saturday's game and got a standing ovation during a tribute that included a video clip of his leaping catch in the back of the end zone in the last minute of the 1982 NFC championship game known simply as "The Catch." Clark, whose No. 87 has been retired by the 49ers, announced last month he has Lou Gehrig's disease, which attacks cells that control muscles. TRAINER'S ROOM Padres: RHP Jarred Cosart threw his second bullpen Saturday since going on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He'll likely go on a rehab assignment in the minors before the Padres reactivate him, manager Andy Green said. Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin injury retroactive to April 26 after an MRI on Friday revealed a mild strain, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. UP NEXT Padres LHP Clayton Richard (2-3, 4.45 ERA) is coming off his worst start, giving up six runs in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona on Tuesday. Giants LHP Ty Blach (0-1, 4.22) will make his second start since taking injured LHP Madison Bumgarner's turn in the rotation. Blach gave up two runs and four hits in five innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday. San Francisco Examiner Bullpen implodes as Giants fall to Padres Ethan Kassal AT&T PARK — At first, Bruce Bochy’s decision to pinch-hit for Matt Cain in the fifth inning looked brilliant. Less than half an hour later, luck had turned on Bochy and the San Francisco Giants. Chris Stratton and Neil Ramirez combined to surrender eight sixth-inning runs as the Giants fell 12-4 to the San Diego Padres. With Cain at 86 pitches through five innings, Bochy chose to pinch hit Kelby Tomlinson for the starting pitcher. Tomlinson singled to left field and would later score on Brandon Belt’s two-run single to put the Giants ahead 3-1. With a tired bullpen, Stratton was tasked with the top of the sixth amidst hopes that he’d be able to throw multiple innings. Instead, he recorded just one out and allowed five runs. Ryan Schimpf’s RBI double cut the lead to 3-2 and Austin Hedges’ bloop single to no-man’s land tied the score. Stratton left with the bases loaded. Ramirez issued a walk to pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez, giving San Diego the lead.

The horrors only continued for the Giants as Manuel Margot’s RBI single and Cory Spangenberg’s forceout added insurance runs before Wil Myers unleashed the fatal blow, a majestic three-run bomb that nearly reached the top of the left field bleachers. Ramirez stayed in for the seventh inning and allowed another three runs. Erick Aybar struck out but reached on a wild pitch to extend the inning, and rookie Allen Cordoba launched a three-run homer halfway up the bleachers. Even if Cain had batted in the fifth, Bochy said he would have only pitched one more inning. “I had a little concern after his hamstring issue last start, so we didn’t want to push him too far,” said Bochy. “We went for it there and got the lead; we just couldn’t hold on to it.” A night after Jeff Samardzija threw just 88 pitches in six innings, Cain faced a much more patient Padres lineup. Still, he held them to one run on six hits, striking out seven without issuing a walk. Jhoulys Chacin allowed three runs in five innings for San Diego, striking out six. Jose Torres ensured that the Giants would get no closer than 9-4, striking out three over 1 1/3 innings. Giants pitchers struck out 15 San Diego batters, but allowed 12 runs on 14 hits. Conor Gillaspie was a bright spot for the San Francisco offense. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, and his leadoff double started the three-run rally in the fifth. ESPN Myers' HR highlights big inning as Padres top Giants 12-4 Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Wil Myers capped a huge inning for the San Diego Padres with the best shot he could muster. Myers hit a three-run homer during San Diego's eight-run sixth and the Padres rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 12-4 on Saturday night. Myers' shot landed in the back of the left field bleachers, traveling 433 feet according to Statcast. "That's all I got, that's my best bullet right there," Myers said. "I watched it, and I saw where it went. When you hit one like that, you'd like to see where it ends up. That's legitimately everything I got, so I'm happy to be able to say I got everything of it." Myers singled off Chris Stratton (0-1) to start the big inning and had three hits for the game. San Diego scored 11 runs against the Giants' bullpen following five effective innings from starter Matt Cain. Allen Cordoba added a three-run homer off Neil Ramirez in the seventh. San Diego entered the game tied for seventh in the majors with 31 homers. Myers is tied for the team-lead with six homers along with Austin Hedges and Ryan Schimpf, and Hunter Renfroe is close by with five.

"We've got five or six guys in the middle of the order that can hit the ball out of the ballpark at any given time," Padres manager Andy Green said. The Padres combined for six hits and two walks off Stratton and Ramirez in the sixth. It took the duo 46 pitches to end the inning. Jhoulys Chacin (3-3) struck out six and gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in five innings. Stratton was charged with five runs and four hits in 1/3 of an inning and Ramirez allowed six runs, three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings. Their collapse followed a solid effort from Cain, who has been dogged by injuries and hasn't pitched a full season since winning 16 games in 2012. He struck out seven and allowed a run and six hits without a walk to drop his ERA to 2.30. Cain left with a 3-1 lead after Brandon Belt's two-run single highlighted San Francisco's three-run fifth. "It's been a while," Cain said when asked the last time he felt this well. "I might have been saying that but also I was trying to find it as well. The results weren't showing it. I'd have glimpses of it here and there. I just wanted to keep being able to put stretches together, and that's what I still want to do." The Padres have won 11 of 15 games against the Giants dating to last season. San Francisco (9-16) fell behind San Diego (10-16) for the NL's worst record. The Giants are 39-58 since going into last year's All-Star break 24 games over .500 with the best record in the majors. RISING STAR Cordoba's home run underscores the power potential the Padres see in the Rule 5 draft pick. The 21-year-old came to the majors out of rookie ball. "He's an extremely talented player, he's got the size, he's got the build, he's got the athleticism," Myers said. "It's going to be exciting to see what he can do in the future." CLARK TRIBUTE San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark attended Saturday's game and got a standing ovation during a tribute that included a video clip of his leaping catch in the back of the end zone in the last minute of the 1982 NFC championship game known simply as "The Catch." Clark, whose No. 87 has been retired by the 49ers, announced last month he has Lou Gehrig's disease, which attacks cells that control muscles. TRAINER'S ROOM Padres: RHP Jarred Cosart threw his second bullpen Saturday since going on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He'll likely go on a rehab assignment in the minors before the Padres reactivate him, manager Andy Green said. Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin injury retroactive to April 26 after an MRI on Friday revealed a mild strain, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

UP NEXT Padres LHP Clayton Richard (2-3, 4.45 ERA) is coming off his worst start, giving up six runs in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona on Tuesday. Giants LHP Ty Blach (0-1, 4.22) will make his second start since taking injured LHP Madison Bumgarner's turn in the rotation. Blach gave up two runs and four hits in five innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday. FanSided San Francisco Giants: How Much Is Johnny Cueto Worth on the Trade Market? Tim Boyle The San Francisco Giants’ slow start isn’t going to help them keep All-Star pitcher Johnny Cueto from opting out of his contract at the end of the season. The 31-year-old righty is in the second year of his deal with the Giants. As part of the deal, Cueto has the option to opt out following the 2017 season. Increasing market values already made it likely Johnny Cueto would opt out of his deal long before the season even began. Madison Bumgarner‘s injury will further hinder the Giants from crawling out of the basement. Cueto did not sign with the San Francisco Giants to lose. As a result, he might get vocal early on this season and make it clear he does not plan to return in 2018. If it becomes clear Cueto will opt out, San Francisco may want to consider an alternative plan. To ensure they get something more in return than a draft pick, the Giants could trade Cueto. Cueto’s value as a player is easy to understand. He’s an ace who often settles for lesser accolades. Not many pitchers have been as great as him over the last several seasons. Cueto hasn’t been especially amazing this year, but he has faced tougher opponents. The red-hot Colorado Rockies have already faced him twice. Cueto does still own a 3-1 record. Through 22 games, this accounts for one-third of the Giants’ wins. A wrench is thrown into estimating Cueto’s trade value because of the opt-out. It’s hard enough trading a pitcher on a big contract. Add in the uncertainty of how long he will stick around and the Giants may have to settle for less. Like last season and every one before it, pitchers are an incredibly desirable commodity at the trade deadline. Someone would pay a premium for even a few months of Cueto. The Kansas City Royals already did in 2015 and it helped them win the World Series. This year, it could be someone else’s turn. Cueto’s contract is a risky one for anyone who does sell prospects to get him. The Giants essentially have to sell him as a rental while the team who picks him up would need to accept the fact that he may or may not return. Opt-out clauses with the player making the decision often help land top talent in free agency. Unfortunately, it takes away any power from the franchise. Cueto could continue to pitch less ace-like for several weeks and become a guy on a disastrous contact. At that point, the Giants wouldn’t have a chance at dealing him anywhere even with the impressive resume.

The Giants will remain limited as to which teams would accept Cueto. Even if they know an opt-out is coming, there’s the remainder of his $21.8 million salary this season to consider. Only the high rollers with luxury tax wiggle room in MLB could afford him financially. Before anyone would even want him, Cueto has to pitch like a $20 million man again. His below average numbers to start 2017 will make it an uphill climb should Cueto eventually become a trade consideration for the Giants. Yahoo Sports Padres ride momentum into series finale with Giants Stats SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Diego Padres looks to win their second road series of the season while the San Francisco Giants seek their second anywhere when the clubs duel in the rubber match of a three-game series Sunday. The Padres, who are the losingest road team in the majors at 5-12, rebounded from a 4-3 defeat Friday and a 3-1 deficit Saturday to even the series at a win apiece on the strength of an eight-run sixth inning. The win was the Padres' second in 10 road games since they capped a 2-1 series win at Colorado on April 12. Left-hander Clayton Richard (2-3) authored one of the Padres' five road wins in impressive fashion in the season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He shut out the Dodgers on five hits over eight innings in a 4-0 victory. He has since allowed 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings in two road starts, but pitched a 6-4 win over the Giants in San Francisco last September despite giving up 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Richard is 6-6 with a 4.01 ERA in 18 career meetings (15 starts) against the Giants. Hoping to continue a trend of alternating wins and losses on its homestand, San Francisco counters with left-hander Ty Blach. The second-year Giant pitched well in his first start of the season Tuesday against the Dodgers, but had the unfortunate task of having been matched up with Clayton Kershaw. Blach took the loss in a 2-1 defeat despite allowing only two runs and four hits in five innings. The Giants went on to split their four-game series against the Dodgers, their fourth consecutive non-winning series since beating Arizona two of three at home April 10-12. Blach will have to deal with Padres first baseman Wil Myers, who is coming off a three-hit game in which he crushed a three-run homer to highlight a 12-4 victory. The season-high 12 runs were the most the Padres scored at AT&T Park. The bayside ballpark also rarely sees a home run hit as far as Myers' traveled Saturday night.

"That's my best bullet," he proudly boasted of the blast, his sixth homer of the season. "When you belt one like that, you want to see where it ends up. I'm happy to say I got all of it." The home run came off rarely used Giants long reliever Chris Stratton, who was making his second appearance in Blach's old role as long reliever. The Padres also teed off on Giants right-hander Neil Ramirez, who like Stratton was called upon in a close game because San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy wanted to give some of his key relievers, including closer Mark Melancon, a break after a series of tense games. "We were trying to give some guys the day off," Bochy explained. "It's tough when your two guys you look at to give you length, they both struggled." CBS Sports Giants' Matt Cain: Stellar outing in no-decision RotoWire Staff Cain pitched excellently Saturday against the Padres, allowing just one run on six hits to go with seven strikeouts in five innings of work, but he didn't factor into the decision. The hamstring issue nagging the veteran starter since his last start didn't appear to hinder him Saturday, as he managed to produce a season high in the strikeout category while firing 57 of his 86 offerings for strikes. Cain's strong showing also lowered his ERA to 2.30. Unfortunately, the bullpen squandered his outstanding performance as soon as he left the game, but he'll look to produce a victory in his next start Friday against the Reds. CBS Sports Giants' Matt Cain: Set to start Saturday RotoWire Staff Cain (hamstring) will make his scheduled start Saturday against the Padres. Cain left his Monday's appearance with a hamstring injury, but it appears he's ready to go following a clean MRI. The veteran right-hander is off to a great start his season with a 2.42 ERA and 15 strikeouts. CBS Sports Giants' Hunter Pence: Out of Saturday's lineup RotoWire Staff Pence is not in the Giants' lineup Saturday against the Padres, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. It seems to be a routine day off for Pence, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Friday's matchup. The 34-year-old is slashing a steady .281/.340/.360 this season and leads the team with 10 RBI. Eduardo Nunez moves in as the starter in right field.

CBS Sports Giants' Buster Posey: Moves to third in lineup Saturday RotoWire Staff Posey is back in the lineup and batting third Saturday against the Padres, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. It will be the first time this season Posey doesn't hit in the cleanup spot, as that honor will go to Michael Morse instead. With Hunter Pence sitting, manager Bruce Bochy decided to mix up the lineup for Saturday's contest, but it's unlikely to be on a permanent basis. Posey is off to a solid start from the plate, hitting .357 over 16 games. CBS Sports Giants' Brandon Crawford: Placed on 10-day DL RotoWire Staff Crawford (groin) was activated from the bereavement list and placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Crawford was reevaluated upon his return from a family funeral and deemed unable to play by team doctors. The move is retroactive to the beginning of his bereavement leave, so he'll be eligible to return next Saturday in Cincinnati. Until then, the Giants will continue leaning on rookie Christian Arroyo, who has already smashed two home runs through his first five MLB games. CBS Sports Padres ride momentum into series finale with Giants Stats SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Diego Padres looks to win their second road series of the season while the San Francisco Giants seek their second anywhere when the clubs duel in the rubber match of a three-game series Sunday. The Padres, who are the losingest road team in the majors at 5-12, rebounded from a 4-3 defeat Friday and a 3-1 deficit Saturday to even the series at a win apiece on the strength of an eight-run sixth inning. The win was the Padres' second in 10 road games since they capped a 2-1 series win at Colorado on April 12. Left-hander Clayton Richard (2-3) authored one of the Padres' five road wins in impressive fashion in the season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He shut out the Dodgers on five hits over eight innings in a 4-0 victory. He has since allowed 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings in two road starts, but pitched a 6-4 win over the Giants in San Francisco last September despite giving up 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Richard is 6-6 with a 4.01 ERA in 18 career meetings (15 starts) against the Giants.

Hoping to continue a trend of alternating wins and losses on its homestand, San Francisco counters with left-hander Ty Blach. The second-year Giant pitched well in his first start of the season Tuesday against the Dodgers, but had the unfortunate task of having been matched up with Clayton Kershaw. Blach took the loss in a 2-1 defeat despite allowing only two runs and four hits in five innings. The Giants went on to split their four-game series against the Dodgers, their fourth consecutive non-winning series since beating Arizona two of three at home April 10-12. Blach will have to deal with Padres first baseman Wil Myers, who is coming off a three-hit game in which he crushed a three-run homer to highlight a 12-4 victory. The season-high 12 runs were the most the Padres scored at AT&T Park. The bayside ballpark also rarely sees a home run hit as far as Myers' traveled Saturday night. "That's my best bullet," he proudly boasted of the blast, his sixth homer of the season. "When you belt one like that, you want to see where it ends up. I'm happy to say I got all of it." The home run came off rarely used Giants long reliever Chris Stratton, who was making his second appearance in Blach's old role as long reliever. The Padres also teed off on Giants right-hander Neil Ramirez, who like Stratton was called upon in a close game because San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy wanted to give some of his key relievers, including closer Mark Melancon, a break after a series of tense games. "We were trying to give some guys the day off," Bochy explained. "It's tough when your two guys you look at to give you length, they both struggled." CBS Sports Myers' HR highlights big inning as Padres top Giants 12-4 Stats SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Wil Myers capped a huge inning for the San Diego Padres with the best shot he could muster. Myers hit a three-run homer during San Diego's eight-run sixth and the Padres rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 12-4 on Saturday night. Myers' shot landed in the back of the left field bleachers, traveling 433 feet according to Statcast. ''That's all I got, that's my best bullet right there,'' Myers said. ''I watched it, and I saw where it went. When you hit one like that, you'd like to see where it ends up. That's legitimately everything I got, so I'm happy to be able to say I got everything of it.''

Myers singled off Chris Stratton (0-1) to start the big inning and had three hits for the game. San Diego scored 11 runs against the Giants' bullpen following five effective innings from starter Matt Cain. Allen Cordoba added a three-run homer off Neil Ramirez in the seventh. San Diego entered the game tied for seventh in the majors with 31 homers. Myers is tied for the team-lead with six homers along with Austin Hedges and Ryan Schimpf, and Hunter Renfroe is close by with five. ''We've got five or six guys in the middle of the order that can hit the ball out of the ballpark at any given time,'' Padres manager Andy Green said. The Padres combined for six hits and two walks off Stratton and Ramirez in the sixth. It took the duo 46 pitches to end the inning. Jhoulys Chacin (3-3) struck out six and gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in five innings. Stratton was charged with five runs and four hits in 1/3 of an inning and Ramirez allowed six runs, three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings. Their collapse followed a solid effort from Cain, who has been dogged by injuries and hasn't pitched a full season since winning 16 games in 2012. He struck out seven and allowed a run and six hits without a walk to drop his ERA to 2.30. Cain left with a 3-1 lead after Brandon Belt's two-run single highlighted San Francisco's three-run fifth. ''It's been a while,'' Cain said when asked the last time he felt this well. ''I might have been saying that but also I was trying to find it as well. The results weren't showing it. I'd have glimpses of it here and there. I just wanted to keep being able to put stretches together, and that's what I still want to do.'' The Padres have won 11 of 15 games against the Giants dating to last season. San Francisco (9-16) fell behind San Diego (10-16) for the NL's worst record. The Giants are 39-58 since going into last year's All-Star break 24 games over .500 with the best record in the majors. RISING STAR Cordoba's home run underscores the power potential the Padres see in the Rule 5 draft pick. The 21-year-old came to the majors out of rookie ball. ''He's an extremely talented player, he's got the size, he's got the build, he's got the athleticism,'' Myers said. ''It's going to be exciting to see what he can do in the future.'' CLARK TRIBUTE San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark attended Saturday's game and got a standing ovation during a tribute that included a video clip of his leaping catch in the back of the end zone in the last minute of the 1982 NFC championship game known simply as ''The Catch.'' Clark, whose No. 87 has been retired by the 49ers, announced last month he has Lou Gehrig's disease, which attacks cells that control muscles. TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: RHP Jarred Cosart threw his second bullpen Saturday since going on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He'll likely go on a rehab assignment in the minors before the Padres reactivate him, manager Andy Green said. Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin injury retroactive to April 26 after an MRI on Friday revealed a mild strain, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. UP NEXT Padres LHP Clayton Richard (2-3, 4.45 ERA) is coming off his worst start, giving up six runs in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona on Tuesday. Giants LHP Ty Blach (0-1, 4.22) will make his second start since taking injured LHP Madison Bumgarner's turn in the rotation. Blach gave up two runs and four hits in five innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday. MLB Trade Rumors NL Notes: Thames, Posey, Dodgers, Phillies Connor Byrne Eric Thames’ agent, Adam Karon, was the driving force behind the now-Brewers’ slugger’s decision to sign with the Korea Baseball Organization in 2013, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “My view was, ‘Look, you’ve always been successful when you’ve played every day, and you’re not going to get the opportunity here,’” Karon said. “He was the last man on the 40-man roster of the worst team in baseball.” Then a member of the Astros organization and a participant in the Venezuelan Winter League, Thames scoffed at Karon’s suggestion initially. However, he had a change of heart and ended up inking a two-year deal with the NC Dinos. Thames became a sensation in Korea, where he toyed with the KBO’s offspeed-heavy pitchers from 2014-16. He parlayed that success into a three-year, $16MM pact with the Brewers this past winter, and the first baseman has certainly done his part to justify that investment so far. The 30-year-old entered Saturday leading the league in both home runs (11) and ISO (an absurd .506), and he has swung at just 19.8 percent of pitches outside the strike zone – down from 36.3 percent with the Mariners and Blue Jays from 2011-12. There is skepticism toward Thames’ success, though, evidenced in part by the fact that the league administered him a random drug test for the third time in a 10-day span on Friday, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Thames seems more amused than bothered by the testing, but he’s not sure how “random” it actually is, relays Haudricourt (Twitter link). More from the National League:

Giants catcher Buster Posey has long been a workhorse behind the plate, and while moving the 30-year-old to a different position could possibly help prolong his effectiveness, it’s not on the team’s agenda, details Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. “When you have a guy that’s led us to three titles, a lot of it is because of his preparation and guidance of the starting rotation and the bullpen,” said general manager Bobby Evans. “I think it distinguishes him from other positions — and other guys. My mindset is we’re a better team with Buster back there, and as long as we can keep him back there, we want to do it.” Posey wouldn’t fight a position change down the line, saying that “it’s about winning ballgames,” but he notes that “there’s value in having a good hitter behind the plate and being able to put a bat at first base as well.” The Giants plan to start

Posey 115 to 120 times at catcher and in 15 to 20 games at first/designated hitter, per Crasnick, potentially putting him on track for a sixth straight 140-plus-game season.

The Dodgers have considered shifting the blister-plagued Rich Hill to the bullpen, but manager Dave Roberts announced Saturday that the left-hander will return to their rotation when they activate him from the DL, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Hill, who landed on the shelf April 17 (already his second DL stint of the year), will throw a four-frame, 60-pitch rehab outing with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday.

Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola isn’t making ideal progress in his recovery from a lower-back strain. Nola threw a two-inning simulation game Friday and then complained of back discomfort, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com was among those to report. That means Nola won’t come off the DL when he’s first eligible on Monday. When asked if Nola suffered a setback, manager Pete Mackanin said: “If you want to call it that. We’re being cautious with him this early in the season.” Mackanin added, though, that Nola is “improving.”

MLB Trade Rumors Minor MLB Transactions: 4/29/17 Connor Byrne Saturday’s minor moves: The Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento has released left-hander Ricky Romero, who first joined the organization in 2015. Romero combined for just 30 2/3 innings with the Giants at two minor league levels, including 14 2/3 frames of 6.75 ERA pitching with Sacramento this season. The 32-year-old had been a highly effective starter with the Blue Jays from 2009-11, a 613-inning span in which he logged a 3.60 ERA, 7.24 K/9, 3.54 BB/9 and a 54.6 percent ground-ball rate. That output led the Jays to give Romero a five-year, $30.1MM contract in 2011, but his performance fell off drastically the next season and he has thrown just 7 1/3 major league frames since. Romero underwent elbow surgery in 2012, perhaps contributing to his on-field woes, and Toronto released him in 2015. MLB Trade Rumors Giants Place Brandon Crawford On 10-Day DL Charlie Wilmoth The Giants have announced that they’ve reinstated shortstop Brandon Crawford from the bereavement list and placed him on the 10-day disabled list with a right groin strain, retroactive to Wednesday. Crawford left Tuesday’s game due to the groin strain, which he experienced while running the bases. The team then recalled fellow infielder Kelby Tomlinson to take his place on the active roster. Rookie Christian Arroyo has started in Crawford’s place. Crawford had already been scheduled to leave the club on Wednesday to attend a family funeral, so he has effectively served three of the ten days required for a stint on the DL. There has been no official word on the severity of his injury, although he would, obviously, be able to return quickly if it turned out to be minor.

Crawford was batting .263/.284/.434 in the early going. He has been one of the Giants’ top players in each of the last two seasons, posting a combined fWAR of 10.3 in 2015 and 2016 while batting .273/.335/.431 with outstanding defense. NBC San Diego Padres Pummel Giants Derek Togerson Scoring eight runs in a Major League Baseball game is tough to do. The Padres had only done it once this season, on Wednesday in Arizona. So the 6th inning of Saturday night’s game against the Giants was more than a little bit unexpected. The Padres scored eight times in the inning en route to a 12-4 win at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. The 6th started with the Giants up 3-1. Then this happened: • Wil Myers single • Yangervis Solarte single • Ryan Schimpf double, Myers scores, 3-2 Giants • Hunter Renfroe reaches on fielder’s choice • Austin Hedges single, Schimpf scores, 3-3 • Erick Aybar walk • Hector Sanchez walk, Renfroe scores, 4-3 Padres • Manuel Margot single, Hedges scores, 5-3 Padres • Cory Spangenberg fielder’s choice, Aybar scores, 6-3 Padres • Myers home run, Allen Cordoba (pinch-runner) and Spangenberg score, 9-3 Padres • Solarte strikeout The Myers home run flew halfway up the stands in left-centerfield, one of the longer homers you'll see at night in San Francisco. The Padres scored three more runs in the 7th inning on a 3-run big fly from Cordoba, the second dinger of his young MLB career. The Padres hammered out 14 hits on the night. The offensive explosion helped Jhoulys Chacin get his third win but his first away from Petco Park. Chacin allowed three runs and struck out six in 5.0 innings. The Padres can win the series on Sunday behind Clayton Richard. The veteran lefty gets the final start of April against Giants left-hander Ty Blach. FanSided San Francisco Giants Rookie on the Rise: Christian Arroyo Kaila Cruz On April 24, 2017 the San Francisco Giants FINALLY made a decision that would better this season. Enter: Christian Arroyo. The Giants No. 2 prospect, Arroyo was called up this past Tuesday and has been making headlines since. In his Major League debut he went 0-for-4 but despite his less explosive hitting, he helped generate the Giants’ first run with a ground ball to second base, advancing Brandon Crawford who’d double to lead off the second inning which enabled Joe Panik to bring in Crawford on a sac fly. The Giants went on to win the first game of the series against rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Speaking on his MLB debut, Arroyo stated, “I’m thinking to myself, ‘Welcome. Do something; move him over…Good, fundamental Giants baseball.”

Defensively, Arroyo made a number of stunning plays at third base including a bare-handed one that bounced off pitcher Matt Cain. Thanks, Arroyo. But the thanks doesn’t end there. In his next game against the Dodgers, Arroyo went on to hit 1-for-4 with a 2-run home run, the first of his major league career, and fueled a 4-3 win. Arroyo stood confident and tall in the face of adversity ultimately getting the Giants back into the game. The runs don’t end there either! Arroyo hit another one in Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres off Ryan Butcher in the bottom of the 8th to propel the Giants past the Padres. It’s safe to say that Christian Arroyo has had a start comparable to that of legends. Bochy, recognizing Arroyo’s undeniable talent and unteachable instincts, placed him starting at third base hoping to acclimate the 21 year-old quickly and foster him into other homegrown position player products such as Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, and Brandon Belt. Before his impressive MLB debut Arroyo had a successful Spring Training season and with the Triple-A Sacramento Rivercats he recorded a .446/.478/.692 slash line that included three homers and 12 RBI in 16 games. Drew Stubbs, veteran big league outfielder, additionally made his MLB debut alongside Arroyo. However, with the addition of Stubbs and Arroyo, Chris Marrero was designated for assignment and Aaron Hill was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a forearm strain. Arroyo is expected to spend a lot of time at third which moves Eduardo Nunez to left field. Arroyo has impressive range, is a quick-learner, and as a young hitter, Giants fans can expect a lot more to come from the rookie. It’s expected, according to Alex Pavlovic of CBS Sports, that Arroyo will be starting at third. As for my opinion, I expect Arroyo to continue his success he recorded in the minor leagues- but I expect the typical ups and downs of a rookie for the once promising prospect. FanSided San Francisco Giants: What Will it Take to Turn the Season Around? Justin Rodgers It is no question the San Francisco Giants have gotten off to a horrendous start thus far in 2017. Nearing the end of April with a record of 8-15 and sitting in last place, the one question is what will it take to turn this season around? Heading into the 2017 season, the San Francisco Giants were projected to be a serious contender in the NL West, competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division title in a two team race. Although neither team has played particularly well and it is still early in the season, the Giants play has been quite concerning. Pitching and defense has been the mantra for the San Francisco Giants in recent memory, building their roster among a solid staff with players like Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, and Matt Moore. Matt Cain has even pitched like the Matt Cain of old so far in 2017, which has been joyous to watch as a Giants fan. However, the staff as a whole has had their fair share of struggles so far in the early going.

The starting rotation currently ranks 26th in the MLB with an ERA of 4.54. However, the rotation has been pretty solid as of late. In the four game series against the Dodgers, the starters combined to throw 24 innings and only gave up six runs, a far cry from the 4.54 ERA overall. The big blow to the staff is the fact that the team will be without their ace Madison Bumgarner until around the all-star break with a grade two shoulder sprain. However, the starting rotation is not the main concern of the team, nor do I envision it will be going forward in the absence of Bumgarner. I also do not envision the bullpen being a major issue for the team going forward. The bullpen currently ranks 14th in the MLB in terms of ERA at 3.80–not great, but not alarming either. The main concern for the Giants, which is pretty obvious, is the offense. Clutch hits and runs have been hard to come by for the Giants in 2017. The Giants currently rank second-to-last in the MLB in runs scored with 77, only trailing the Royals, who have only scored 58 and have a record of 7-15. They also rank 25th in team batting average, hitting only .232, and rank 29th in home runs with only 15. Watching this team hit has been disappointing to say the least, especially with players like Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, Hunter Pence, and Buster Posey–all of whom have been all-stars and World Series champions. One would think with a lineup like that, the Giants would be poised for success, but that has not been the case. Here are some numbers for the Giants star players so far in 2017. Belt leads the team in home runs with four, but only has nine RBI and a batting average of .238. However, he has been one of the more consistent players at getting on base with an OBP of .365. Crawford is the only other position player with multiple home runs with two and has eight RBI, and an OBP of only .284. Pence’s power has been non existent as well. He is the only player on the team with double digit RBI–he has 10 on the year so far. Posey has been seemingly hitting the ball everywhere since coming back from the concussion DL, raising his batting average to .357 and OBP to .446. The only problem with Posey is he only has one home run and three RBI, which is unacceptable out of a middle of the order hitter. I am not trying to cut any of these player and their abilities down, but they need to find a why to deliver in critical situations. Yes, the team has some glaring needs with an ailing/aging outfield, reluctant to sign any big name hitters, but the Giants will have to work with what they have for the time being. The only offensive production lately has come from prospect Christian Arroyo, who has matched Posey with one home run and three RBI in only four career games, and Michael Morse, who was out of baseball last year. Again, I am not trying to bash the Giants hitters, nor do I want to send the message that I think this team is doomed, because I don’t. This team is in need of some kind of spark to ignite a fire that will carry over for multiple games. I thought that could have been the case after Arroyo’s two run bomb, and Morse’s reminiscent game tying 8th inning home run in Wednesday night’s win against the Dodgers, but then the Giants proceeded to only score one run the following day. Now the Giants open up a three game series against the San Diego Padres, an ideal team to break out of a slump against. The Padres are a young, inexperienced team and the Giants desperately need to take

advantage of this. Having lost two out of three games in their previous series against the Padres, now is the time to turn things around. The Giants have already switched things up in the lineup to open up this series, which is much needed. I have seen on the internet frequently that the Giants should bat Panik leadoff, which I absolutely agree with. I have felt the same way about this scenario as many of you for quite some time, and finally the Giants put him at the top of the lineup for tonight’s game. Panik is an ideal leadoff hitter with his ability to get on base and his reliability when it comes to making contact. Having him at the top of the order followed by Belt should be a solid recipe to manufacture some runs for the middle of the order. If the Giants can at least win this upcoming series against the Padres, it will be a much needed morale boost. Splitting the series against the Dodgers was a step in the right direction, but does not amount to the feeling of winning a series. A sweep against the Padres would be ideal to say the least, but I will take any series victory I can get from the Giants. FanSided San Francisco Giants Disastrous 6th Inning Leads to defeat at the hands of the San Diego Padres Vince Cestone The San Francisco Giants gave fans a glimmer of hope heading into the sixth inning, but it all eroded when the San Diego Padres took advantage of a sloppy bullpen. And somehow, in just a blink of an eye, the San Francisco Giants looked up and saw that the final score was 12-4. Matt Cain was solid through five innings, the Giants got to Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin, but it all eroded in a San Diego seven-run inning, capped by a Will Myers moonshot to left field. The Giants led 3-1 heading into the sixth, but rookie Chris Stratton and Neil Ramirez could not hold the fighting Padres down. The Giants did show some life in their three-run, third inning. Down 1-0, Conor Gillaspie led off with a double, and then was promptly singled in by the struggling Eduardo Nunez. The slumping Nunez, who came in hitting .241, ended up 2-for-4 on the night. Later in the inning, Brandon Belt delivered with a bases-loaded single up-the-middle to put the Giants up 3-1. Kelby Tomlinson helped set up the three-run, fifth-inning rally with a pinch-hit single. He’s 4-for-7 since being called up. In the bottom of the sixth, Gorkys Hernandez, who is having better at-bats lately, singled in a run to make it 9-4. The good news for the Giants is they were better with runners in scoring position Saturday night (3-for-7). In their last seven games, they’ve had two hits or fewer in those type of at-bats in each of their last seven games.

Other than that, there wasn’t much else offensively for the Giants. Christian Arroyo went 0-for-4 in the game after his dramatic go-ahead home run Friday night. The Giants only got two hits from the seventh inning on, both singles. Buster Posey had reached base safely in all 16 games he has played this season, but snapped that with a frustrating 0-for-4 night. Giants fans tried the rally flashlights again, but to no avail. ON THE MOUND There was good news and bad news when it came to Giants’ pitching Saturday. Starting pitcher Cain had another outstanding start, going five innings, giving up just one run, while striking out seven. His breaking ball was filthy, getting a lot of Padres hitters to chase. He walked none. Giants starting pitchers have been solid over the last five games, with a 2.32 ERA. But then, the bad. Matt Cain surrendered the mound to Stratton in the sixth, who was making his 2017 debut. It was one to forget. Will Myers led off the inning with a single. He would bat twice in the inning. Four runs later, Myers turned on an inside 93 mile-an-hour fastball and launched it three-quarters up the bleachers to give the Padres an insurmountable 9-3 lead. The Padres tied the game on an Austin Hedges single. And that was the end of the line for Stratton, who gave up five earned runs in a third of an inning. That puts Stratton’s ERA at 13.50. Neil Ramirez didn’t fare much better. He walked former Giant Hector Sanchez with the bases loaded to give San Diego a 4-3 lead. In the seventh inning, Ramirez was poised for a scoreless inning, but with a runner at first base and two outs, Erick Aybar struck out but reached base anyway as the ball skidded by Posey. The next batter Allen Cordoba launched a three-run homer on a 94 mile-per-hour fastball down the middle to put San Diego ahead 12-4. The six runs in 1.2 innings for Ramirez puts his ERA at 13.06. Cory Gearrin pitched three scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.08. Want your voice heard? Join the Around the Foghorn team!Write for us! DEFENSE: Unlike Friday night, both teams played solid defense on Saturday.

In the sixth inning, Arroyo showed great range on a ball hit to his right by Cory Spangenberg. He threw the runner out after backhanding the ball smoothly. Arroyo has definitely not been a liability on the infield. On that play, however, the Padres scored their sixth run, putting the Giants down 6-3. LOOKING AHEAD The Giants will try to win their second series of the year behind Ty Blach (0-1, 4.22 ERA). He will oppose Clayton Richard (2-3, 4.45 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. at AT&T Park. GAME NOTES Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said after the game he was resting some of his key bullpen arms Saturday, particularly Steven Okert and Mark Melancon which is why he went to Stratton in the sixth. In fact, Melancon was not available to pitch at all Saturday, even in a save situation. Matt Cain said he’s been throwing more two-seam fastballs this year, something he hardly did during his career. He told reporters after Saturday’s loss that backup catcher Nick Hundley introduced him to the pitch in spring training. Before that, it’s been all four-seamers. QUICK THOUGHTS Bochy made a questionable move to take out Cain after five innings. He only threw 86 pitches and was cruising through the Padres lineup. He was mixing in that breaking ball very well, getting the young Padres hitters to chase. With his 2.30 ERA, Cain has earned the right to stretch it out. Bochy might have wanted to be a bit cautious with Cain after he left the last game against the Dodgers with an injury after six innings, but the Giants ae fading fast in the standings and need to win games before it’s too late. Stratton and Ramirez relied too much on the fastball in the sixth inning. The Padres are there to swing the bat, looking dead red. A veteran arm might know to tantalize the hitters with some offspeed pitches and mix it up a bit. Instead, Myers and Cordoba feasted on fastballs up. Part of being in the big leagues–you live and learn. And hopefully, the young Giants bullpen does just that.