San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: Moore’s Comfort, Call-Ups, AFL Players

On this edition of the San Francisco Giants Morning Minute, we discuss Moore’s increasing comfort levels, plus September call-ups and AFL players.

Good morning, San Francisco Giants’ fans, and welcome to another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. On Wednesday, the Giants knocked off the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-2, to split a two-game series. Matt Moore (2-3) earned his second straight win, while Shelby Miller (2-10) lost in his return to the big leagues. Santiago Casilla got the final four outs for his 29th save.

The Los Angeles Dodgers split a double-header with the Colorado Rockies, so the Giants only picked up a half-game. Their deficit sits at 1.5 games with 30 games to play. They were thisclose to only being a half-game back, but the Rockies’ bullpen coughed up a six-run lead in the final two innings in game two. The Giants did extend their wildcard lead back to two games over the St. Louis Cardinal, who lost on Wednesday.

1 – Moore Getting Comfortable in New Place

In his first four starts with the Giants following a big deadline deal, Matt Moore wasn’t exactly a bad pitcher. But he was inconsistent and didn’t look comfortable in his new environment. Control was the biggest issue, as he allowed 17 walks in his first 23 innings wearing orange and black. Then came his magical start in Los Angeles, where he flirted with history. He came within one out of no-hitting the Dodgers, but fell inches short. But that was a big confidence boost, and he kept the positive momentum rolling on Wednesday.

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Moore pitched 5.1 solid innings against the Diamondbacks, holding them to one run (scored after he left the game) on five hits while striking out seven. More importantly, he allowed just one walk, his lowest total in six starts with the Giants.

After watching his newest starter throw 133 pitches in Los Angeles, manager Bruce Bochy wasn’t taking chances on Wednesday. When Paul Goldschmidt ripped a ball to the wall in center field, a ball on which Gorkys Hernandez made a spectacular play, Moore’s day was done.

These two starts a great jumping point for the 27-year-old pitcher’s stint with the Giants. Acting as the third starter now, he’ll be a big piece of this stretch run, and for the future as well.

2 – September Call-Ups

It’s officially September, so it’s time to make game times unbearable with a ridiculous amount of pitching changes! Rosters have expanded, and the Giants called up six players as the first wave of reinforcements.

Outfielder Mac Williamson and left-handed reliever Josh Osich have been activated from the disabled list and recalled to the major leagues. Williamson became a big power threat for the Giants before suffering a shoulder strain. He hit six home runs in an 80-at-bat stretch, with many going very impressive distances. In his rehab stint with Sacramento, he slashed .250/.320/.409 with a pair of home runs.

Osich struggled with command before hitting the disabled list with a slight forearm strain. He spent time in Sacramento working on his pitch repertoire, and did quite well. In seven appearances, he allowed one run, six hits, and two walks in seven innings, while striking out eight.

Kelby Tomlinson is back in the big leagues after starting the year on the Giants’ opening day roster. A thumb injury forced him to the DL, and he remained in Sacramento after he was healthy because he was the only infielder with options. In 49 games with the River Cats, he’s posted a .286/.370/.341 slash-line with 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases.

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Left-hander Steven Okert is coming up for the third time, while left-hander Matt Reynolds is up for the second time. Okert owns a 3.80 ERA, 1.352 WHIP, and 11.4 strikeouts-per-nine rate with Sacramento. Reynolds hasn’t allowed a run in 18.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, giving up just seven hits and three walks while striking out 19. Those two will be part of the five left-handed relievers (or potentially six) in the Giants’ bullpen. Bochy must be salivating at the thought of using them all.

The final call-up is a first timer. Starter Ty Blach will make his big league debut at some point this month after enjoying a great season in a hitter-friendly league. He’s gone 14-7, matching the River Cats’ franchise record for wins, with a 3.43 ERA and 1.137 WHIP. Though he’s not a big strikeout pitcher (6.3 per nine innings), he doesn’t get himself into trouble with walks (2.1 per nine). His role is unclear at this point, so Bochy may end up using him as yet another lefty reliever.

3 – Arizona Fall League Roster

The Giants have four position players announced for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. They also have spots available for four pitchers, but they have not been announced yet. The four position players are catchers Aramis Garcia and Eliezer Zambrano, third baseman Ryder Jones, and outfielder Hunter Cole.

Garcia is 23 years old and was the Giants’ second-round pick in 2014. He missed a lot of time this year, as he was sidelined for over two months because of facial fractures. In 43 games, he slashed .247/.301/.320 with five doubles, two home runs and 23 RBI. This will be an opportunity to get him back some of the at-bats he missed while injured.

Zambrano is no longer a young man by baseball standards, as he is about two weeks from his 30th birthday and in his 11th minor league season. He’s been on the disabled list three times this season, and struggled in 33 games with Richmond.

Jones, the Giants’ second-round pick from 2013, is still 22 years old and will get a chance to play against some really good prospects. In 122 games with Richmond, Jones hit .243/.285/.382 with 25 doubles and 13 home runs. He also played a fairly substantial amount of first base with the Flying Squirrels.

Cole is mostly a right fielder, but has played left field and a little bit of infield as well. Also with Richmond this year, he slashed .272/.322/.422 with 24 doubles, 13 home runs, and 59 RBI. The 23-year-old was a 26th-round pick in 2014.

Next: So, Are the Giants A Playoff Team?

And that will do it for this edition of the Giants Morning Minute. Up next, the Giants start a four-game set with the best team in baseball, the Chicago Cubs. In game one, Jeff Samardzija will try to continue his string of good performances, matched against Mike Montgomery, making his third start with the Cubs.