San Francisco Giants Three Standouts: Game 25, 3-18

The San Francisco Giants dispatched the Colorado Rockies easily on Sunday, here’s what you need to know from the 25th Cactus League game.

The San Francisco Giants had probably their best game of the spring, beating up on the Colorado Rockies 13-0 at Salt River Fields. Everything worked for the Giants, while it was quite the opposite for Colorado. The Giants hit the ball, pitched well, and made some strong defensive plays, while the Rockies didn’t.

Here are two players who stood out, and other necessary notes, from Sunday’s game:

1 – Andrew McCutchen

McCutchen had a big day on Sunday, swinging a hot stick at the plate at the Giants’ offense erupted. He picked up three hits in the first four innings before grounding out in his final at-bat in the fifth inning.

These weren’t softly-hit bloopers or bleeders that just had enough juice to sneak through the infield. McCutchen hit the ball hard in each of his first three at-bats, and the exit velocities backed it up. After a Hunter Pence home run in the first inning, McCutchen followed with a bullet of his own. He hit a double of the center field wall which, according to Statcast, came off his bat at 102 miles per hour and travelled 432 feet.

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In the third inning, McCutchen singled home a run through a drawn-in infield, lacing the ball with a 103-mph exit velocity. He picked up his third hit the next inning, sending one right back up the middle at 106 miles per hour.

It’s a great sign that McCutchen isn’t just picking up hits, but that he’s hitting the ball hard. McCutchen is paramount to the Giants’ plans this season, and if the team wants to get off to a strong start, McCutchen will need to start the year hot.

2 – Madison Bumgarner

Madison Bumgarner certainly looks ready for the season to start. Facing what was mostly the Rockies’ A-squad, Bumgarner put together six stellar innings, throwing 49 strikes among 77 pitches. He allowed just one hit, a second-inning double to Trevor Story, but quickly erased it by picking Story off on a steal attempt. Bumgarner struck out five while walking two.

Though Bumgarner is known for his slow springs, he has been locked in from the word ‘go’. He owns a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings, and has allowed just 15 hits in those innings. He’s also struck out 27 batters while issuing three walks, a ridiculous 9:1 strikeouts-to-walk rate.

Bumgarner even showed that another area of his game is ready on Sunday. He received a fourth at-bat in the seventh inning, and led off with a huge home run against Bryan Shaw, one of Colorado’s prized bullpen acquisitions from this past offseason.

He should get one more start this spring, and then it will be his opening day assignment. He seems good to go.

3 – The Rest

Hunter Pence keeps swinging a hot bat. He hit a huge first-inning home run way out over the left field fence. He added a walk later in the day.

Nick Hundley collected five RBI as the fifth-place hitter, including a three-run home run in the seventh inning (also off Bryan Shaw). His other two RBI came in the third inning when he doubled to center field.

Pablo Sandoval was another big run producer, driving home four runs. He hit an RBI single in the third inning, and crushed a three-run homer in the fifth inning. He reached base all four times at the plate, added a pair of walks to his hits. He should be a lock to make the opening day roster.

Next: 3 Standouts from Game 21

Josh Osich continues to look like a brand new pitcher this spring. He got four outs, three via swing-and-miss strikeouts, a few days after getting seven outs. Osich did allow a hit on a ball hit to the second baseman that couldn’t be played, but kept his opponents off the board yet again. He still hasn’t allowed a run in 8.1 innings this spring.