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San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Rivals in Town

By Sean Bialaszek

Apr 26, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Christian Arroyo (22) is congratulated by third base coach Phil Nevin (16) as he rounds the bases against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Christian Arroyo (22) is congratulated by third base coach Phil Nevin (16) as he rounds the bases against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Francisco Giants earned a split in four games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, so let’s look at some positives and negatives from the series.

San Francisco Giants
Apr 26, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Christian Arroyo (22) is congratulated by third base coach Phil Nevin (16) as he rounds the bases against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /

For the start of the new season, this is something I will do after each San Francisco Giants’ series. These articles will take three positive things (3 Up) and three negative things (3 Down) from the games, this time from the Giants’ first series with their archrival Los Angeles Dodgers.

3 UP

1 – A Split with the Rivals

For a team that has lost an awful lot of series early in the season, picking up a split against their archrivals is a good starting point. The Giants lost four of their first six series of the season, with a split against the Kansas City Royals and two wins out of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks being the long exceptions. Winning two out of four against the Dodgers is a good place to start as the team tries to dig their way out of the early-season hole.

The series could have been a lot better, as the Giants had their fair share of opportunities to turn the tides in both losses, but right now, beggars can’t be choosers.

2 – The Arrival

The Giants received a much-needed injection of happiness in the clubhouse before the series opener on Monday when it was announced that top prospect Christian Arroyo was being called up for the first time. After a tremendous start to the season in Triple-A, Arroyo took an 0-4 in his debut on Monday. The next three days were much better.

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The very first pitch Arroyo saw from Clayton Kershaw was lashed into left field for his first big league hit. On Wednesday, the rookie got the comeback effort started with his first big league home run, taking advantage of a Sergio Romo slider that caught a bit too much of the plate. When the Giants eventually walked it off in the 10th, Arroyo was the first one out of the dugout to get the celebration started. On Thursday, he picked up two more hits, including a game-tying single in the sixth.

Arroyo also showed an advanced feel for third base throughout the entire series. He made a couple stellar defensive plays in his debut, including a barehanded stab and throw on a ball that ricocheted off Matt Cain. The wunderkind isn’t going back to Triple-A any time soon.

3 – Morse Magic

There’s just something special about Michael Morse wearing the orange and black. His first at-bat with the Giants after having his contract purchased resulted in a pinch-hit, game-tying home run and the mind immediately wandered back to the 2014 NLCS. It just feels right having Morse back in the big leagues with the Giants.

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