San Francisco Giants Three Standouts: Game 11, 3-4

Three players who stood out and made an impression on the San Francisco Giants’ Sunday game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The San Francisco Giants dropped their Sunday game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing 9-3. The offense was fairly quiet, scoring three times on seven hits, while things got away from the non-roster players on the pitching staff in the late innings.

Here are three players who stood out from Sunday’s affair:

1 – Steven Duggar

The first few innings of Sunday’s game were a Steven Duggar showcase. He showed off his range and quick feet in center field, getting great breaks to make tough catches look easy. He displayed his power, turning on a hanging breaking ball from Kenta Maeda in the third inning. Duggar hit it so far that right fielder Yasiel Puig turned and jogged maybe four steps before giving up and watching it fly way over the fence.

He also took a walk in the fourth inning, another strength of his game. He even showed off a strong throwing arm, making a throw to third base from medium-deep right-center field on the fly. It was a good throw, but sailed just a bit up the line to prevent Pablo Sandoval from making the tag in time.

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He’s in camp competing to earn the job as the Giants’ everyday center fielder and he has made quite a case through the first week and a half. Duggar has shown off every facet of his game, and what makes him such an exciting prospect.

2 – Derek Law

Coming into camp, the hope was for Derek Law to put a rough 2017 behind him and re-solidify himself in the Giants’ bullpen. So far, he hasn’t really been able to do that. He worked an inning on Sunday, and gave up a run on a hit and a walk.

The problems from his Sunday performance are familiar ones: He fell behind hitters and missed his locations. After walking Chris Taylor, a batter with speed, to lead off the inning, he forged his way ahead of Chase Utley in a 1-2 count. Instead of trying to throw a fastball above the zone or a breaking ball in the dirt, Law laid a fastball right in the middle of the zone. Utley didn’t miss it, sending an RBI double through the gap.

Law quickly settled in and retired the next three batters, including a strikeout of Yasiel Puig on a great breaking ball low and away. He has the ability and the stuff to be an effective reliever, but the consistency just isn’t there. He’s still got three weeks to improve on this outing, and needs to start showing some positive consistency.

3 – Josh Osich

Osich worked another quick inning on Sunday, working through the fifth inning while allowing just a bloop single to right field. Other than that, he got a groundout and a pair of routine flyballs to keep the Dodgers off the board.

It is still very early in spring, but there has been a noticeable difference in how Osich is going after hitters compared to previous year. He’s been able to stay around the strike zone, getting ahead of hitters instead of putting himself in holes consistently by missing with his first and second pitches. With his pure stuff, Osich has the tools to be a weapon in the bullpen if he can continue to throw strikes.

Next: Standouts from First Split-Squad Day

This brings up what could be an interesting dilemma. If Law, or someone else, can’t step up and become the fifth right-handed reliever, but two lefties pitch well (say Osich and Snelten), would the Giants be willing to keep three southpaw relievers on the opening day roster, provided it’s the best thing for the team? Time will tell if that scenario even comes true, but it is something to ponder for the time being.

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