San Francisco Giants Notes: Lefty Relievers Battle, Calixte Impresses
The San Francisco Giants extended their winning streak to three games on Wednesday, beating Puerto Rico’s WBC team in Scottsdale.
There aren’t a whole lot of open spots on the San Francisco Giants’ roster, but one of the battles being held for a job is out in the bullpen, where Josh Osich and Steven Okert are vying to be the second lefty along with Will Smith. Smith has been sidelined because of elbow discomfort that isn’t considered serious, but his absence has made opportunities for Okert and Osich to try and impress the coaching staff.
Both lefties took the mound on Wednesday, and both threw perfect innings. For Osich, this was a very important appearance as he attempts to overcome some of the struggles he battled earlier in spring.
The problem was a familiar one for Osich. His command was nowhere near where it needed to be, which was the case for much of his big league experience in 2016. In his first three Cactus League appearances, Osich worked 2.2 innings and gave up six runs (four earned runs) on six hits and four walks. It was an awful start for a guy trying to overcome a porous 2016 and prove that he is back to normal.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Osich’s last two appearances have been much better, as he is putting pitches closer to where they need to be. He has retired all six batters he’s faced, and only one has been on a strikeout. Instead, he’s allowing hitters to get themselves out by generating weak contact off the bat and letting the defense do the work. Both balls in play on Wednesday were poorly-hit grounders that had no chance of getting through, even on the fast Arizona infield.
For the 28-year-old lefty, his command doesn’t need to be perfect. He doesn’t have to dot the corners like a pitcher like Mark Melancon does. But he can’t throw as many easy-take pitches as he did last season. Instead of throwing a pitch a foot out of the zone, if he can bring it to within a few inches, the natural movement will make hitters chase, and in turn generate the weak contact that has been seen the past couple innings.
Osich’s main competition for the job of second lefty is Okert, who made his major league debut last season and impressed during his brief time. He’s come into camp with a perceived advantage over Osich, as has done nothing to hurt his case so far this year. In his first three appearances, he threw three innings and gave up one unearned run on a hit and a walk, while striking out three. On Wednesday, Okert matched Osich’s clean inning with one of his own, retiring three in a row with a strikeout in the ninth inning. He was the winning pitcher, as San Francisco walked it off in the bottom of the ninth.
**********
Orlando Calixte‘s versatility has been a talking point this spring, as he’s played just about every position on the field this spring. On Wednesday, he played center and right field, but made a pretty big impression at the plate in the eighth inning. With one out in the frame, Calixte put a nice swing on a pitch, driving the ball with some authority behind it to right-center field. The ball carried well and sliced away from center fielder Reymond Fuentes, giving Calixte an opportunity to show off his wheels. He was into third with an easy stand-up triple, and scored on a passed ball during the next at-bat.
Calixte is one of the more intriguing players in camp, given his versatility, speed, age, and roster status. He’s already on the 40-man roster, and he keeps hitting like this, it won’t be long before he finds himself wearing a Giants’ uniform in the regular season.
**********
The Giants were one of the worst home run hitting teams in 2016, so seeing a player come into camp and do what Chris Marrero has done so far is enough to raise some eyebrows. On Wednesday, Marrero was back at it again. The former first-round pick hit another walk-off home run, his second of the spring already, to give the Giants a 6-5 victory over the Puerto Rican WBC team.
Next: Giants Notes: Moore & Home Run Hitters
That was Marrero’s fourth home run overall of the spring in only 23 at-bats, and he not only leads the team, but leads the league in longballs.