SF Giants Press Clips Sunday, June 11, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Meet Nik Turley: ex-Giants farmhand and their next opponent John Shea The Giants will face one of their old farmhands Sunday, but Nik Turley’s extended journey has taken him far beyond the Giants’ minor-league system. The 27-year-old lefty moved from team to team the past decade, including a stop in independent ball last season — the Somerset Patriots in New Jersey — and now he’ll make his major-league debut for the Twins. “The journey, it’s been a long one. It’s been pretty bumpy, too,” Turley said Saturday. “It’s special. I wouldn’t change too much about it.” Turley pitched for Triple-A Sacramento in 2015 and posted a 7-8 record and 4.56 ERA in 19 starts. He also made a start for Class A San Jose. A 50th-round draft pick of the Yankees in 2008, Turley said, “I always believed in myself.” He’s a strikeout pitcher, but walks have been an issue. At Sacramento, he struck out 85 and walked 48 in 1022/3 innings. “There were a lot of good memories. I’m from California (Los Angeles), and that was the first time I played in California since high school,” Turley said. “There were quite a few of us who had really good stretches. There weren’t very many moves, even in the bullpen. There was just nowhere to go. The (Giants’) staff was very good, and that made it difficult.” Turley is figuring it out this season, striking out 84 and walking 15 as a Minnesota minor-leaguer. In his last start, he struck out 15 batters in six innings. Several of Turley’s teammates in 2015 are Giants, and three others he knows from the system are Twins: Chris Heston, Ehire Adrianza and Adalberto Mejia. Briefly: Second baseman Joe Panik was out of the lineup a second straight day with a left thumb sprain and is targeted to start Tuesday. He was hurt diving up the middle Thursday in Milwaukee and won’t swing a bat for a few days. ... Michael Morse isn’t coming off the concussion disabled list soon and is

“still foggy,” manager Bruce Bochy said. Morse tried doing cardio work Friday but didn’t feel great and will need further rest. San Francisco Chronicle Giants don’t hit, don’t win: This is not a recording John Shea Hunter Pence doesn’t look like the old Hunter Pence, the man who hit the ball hard, helped ignite the lineup and relished in victory. With shortcomings throughout the roster, no single person is responsible for the Giants’ lost season. Pence’s struggles are a big deal, though. The right fielder is a catalyst, as manager Bruce Bochy called him after Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Twins, the latest example of a dysfunctional offense that continues to bury a team that once had hopes for a deep playoff run. Pence is hitting .228. After missing three weeks with a strained hamstring, he has three hits (all singles) and seven strikeouts in 22 at-bats. On Saturday, he combined with Brandon Crawford to go 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. “It’s obvious they’re not seeing the ball very well, either one,” Bochy said. “That makes it tough. When you’re in the heart of the order and we have a couple of guys really struggling, that makes it tough to score runs. Those are the guys that you lean on.” Bochy said he noticed Pence “flinching and things that you normally don’t see from Hunter. We’ve got to get him going. He’s trying to find his way. He’s giving it all he has. He spills his guts out for you, plays his heart out. He’ll find it, but right now, it’s obvious he’s not seeing the ball.” Pence was asked if it’s a fair assessment. “I’m not hitting it well. I‘m not having good pitch selection, you could say that,” he said. Pence batted sixth, behind Crawford. Both had bases-loaded strikeouts in the third inning, wasting the afternoon’s best scoring opportunity. Giants starter Jeff Samardzija struck out six in six innings and walked one, giving him 65 K’s and just two walks over his past eight starts. But he gave up a 471-foot homer to Kennys Vargas — second longest in the majors this year — and a two-run shot to Brian Dozier, and that was plenty to get tagged with his eighth loss. The Giants are 19-8 when scoring at least four runs and 6-31 when scoring three or fewer — a stat that nicely defines the season. They’ve scored twice in the series. Ervin Santana threw a shutout in Friday’s opener, and Jose Berrios struck out eight in 51/3 innings Saturday. “Until our guys who normally do what they are good at come around and drive in these runs, it’s going to be tough to put runs on the board,” Bochy said. “You still believe that they will. Right now, it’s a challenge for us.”

Brandon Belt, who entered with a .222 average over his past 19 games, hit the ball hard in three at-bats and homered into McCovey Cove. Crawford is hitting .205 over his past 20 games. Buster Posey is at .341 but has just 19 RBIs. Pence said he’s physically fine and prepares as adamantly as always. He didn’t use his hamstring injury as an excuse and said the rehab assignment was long enough. “At this moment, I don’t feel that good, but it could change at any moment,” Pence said. “I’ve been through tough stretches. I’ve been through hot and cold streaks. That’s part of it.” He added, “I’ve got to get better.” San Jose Mercury News Giants offense spoils another quality start for Samardzija Paul Gackle SAN FRANCISCO — Jeff Samardzija is throwing all five of his pitches with more command than he’s ever displayed in his Major League career. And yet, somehow, he leads the National League in losses. Samardzija continued to pitch with record-setting control at AT&T Park Saturday afternoon, but the Giants offense failed to pick him up after he surrendered a pair of home runs to the Minnesota Twins in a 3-2 loss. “I’m not putting this on Jeff,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Occasionally, you’re going to give up three runs when you need four, but you’ve got to pick these pitchers up sometimes, especially here at home.” The Giants bats had an opportunity to break the game open in the third, leading 1-0 with the bases loaded. After Denard Span led off the frame with a double, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey drew back-to-back one-out walks, setting the table for Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence to cook up some ribeye. But the Giants failed to cash in as Twins starter Jose Berrios (5-1) fanned Crawford with fastball on the outside corner and struck out Pence by handcuffing him with a curveball on the inside part of the plate. Crawford and Pence both struck out three times in the game, going a combined 0 for 8 in the batter’s box. “It’s obvious they’re not seeing the ball,” Bochy said. “When you’re in the heart of the order, and we have a couple guys really struggling, that makes it tough to score runs. Those are the guys you lean on. “The third inning, that’s the difference in the game.” Pence is fighting through a particularly tough stretch, collecting just three hits in 22 at bats (.136) since he came off the disabled list on June 4. He entered the game with a slash line of .228/.310/.579. Pence confirmed Bochy’s suggestion that he isn’t seeing the ball well at the plate.

“I’m not hitting it well, not having good pitch selection, so you could say that,” he said. Meanwhile, Crawford is just 9 for 50 (.180) with 15 strikeouts over his last 14 games. After the Giants (25-39) stranded the bases loaded in the third, the Twins tied the game up at 1-1 in their next turn at the plate when Kenny Vargas hit a towering blast off a 97 mph fastball from Samardjiza. Vargas launched Samardjiza’s low fastball 471 feet to the deep part of the yard in right-center field, according to StatCast. The Twins took a 3-1 lead one inning later when Brian Dozier hit his 10th home run with catcher Chris Gimenez on second, the 12th home run that Samardjiza (2-8) has surrendered this season, which is 12-most in the National League. But Samardjiza continued to find the strike zone as he put together his fifth quality start in six outings, surrendering three earned runs on four hits in six innings of work. Samardjiza issued just his second walk in eight starts in the fifth, giving Robbie Grossman a hall pass to first right after Dozier’s home run, giving him a 65-to-2 K/BB ratio since May 3. In his last start, Samardjiza became the first pitcher since 1900 to record 50 strikeouts while issuing no more than one walk over seven starts. “All five pitches are working,” Samardjiza said. “Over the past couple years, at any given point in the year, I’ve probably had three of them working and then been trying to find another one or two of them. But having the curveball and splitter being there for me, I can attack the zone. I don’t have to be as fine because only one pitch is going over the plate for a strike.” When asked how long it’s been since he’s been able to rely on all five pitches, Samardjiza said, “probably never.” Nevertheless, Samardjiza is tied for the Major League lead in losses (8) with Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox. The Giants opened the scoring in the first when Brandon Belt connected on his 11th home run of the season, launching a 93 mph fastball into McCovey Cove. The home run was the 73rd splash hit recorded at AT&T Park and the seventh round tripper that Belt has dropped into the San Francisco Bay. Buster Posey drove in the Giants second run in the fifth, scoring Eduardo Nunez on a ground out to third after the infielder reached base for a 25th-consecutive game with a walk and advanced on a single to right by Belt, who went 2 for 3 on the day. Despite the Giants offensive woes, Bochy is still holding out hope that things will turn around before the season is lost. “You look at the track record, the numbers,” the Giants manager said. “There’s a dramatic difference right now where some of these guys (are compared to) where they normally are. Just look at last year, at the on base, slugging, and where they’re at now.

“That’s why we’re where we’re at. Until it gets a little closer to where they should be, we’re going to continue to struggle.” San Jose Mercury News Former Giants prospect to make big league debut at AT&T Park on Sunday Paul Gackle SAN FRANCISCO — Nik Turley will get a chance to stick it to one of the organizations that passed him over when he makes his Major League debut at AT&T Park Sunday afternoon. After getting bypassed by the Giants, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox, the 27-year-old left-hander, who was drafted with the third-to-last pick in the 50th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft (No. 1,502), will finally make his way to a big league mound Sunday when he squares off against Matt Cain (3-5) as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Although Turley could view Sunday’s start as a revenge game, the left-handed journeyman said he isn’t carrying any hard feelings toward the Giants. “A lot of good memories,” Turley said, reflecting on his season with Triple-A Sacramento back in 2015. “I’m from California and that was the first time I was playing in California since high school, so I had a lot of family come out. It was pretty cool.” After spending six years bouncing around the Yankees farm system, Turley signed a minor league contract with the Giants organization in December 2014. Turley made 19 starts with Sacramento in 2015, going 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA, while playing alongside future Giants Ty Blach, Hunter Strickland and Jarrett Parker. He also pitched one game with Class A San Jose. But Turley knew his chances of cracking the Giants big league roster were slim as the rotation was loaded with all star-caliber pitchers like Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong. “Their rotation was pretty stacked. They had a whole lot of talent,” Turley said. “We had a lot of good players on our team, too. The opportunity just didn’t happen.” After partying ways with the Giants that winter, Turley jumped from the White Sox organization to the Red Sox farm system before landing a job with the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League last summer. Turley eventually signed with the Twins last winter, and he earned a chance to prove himself at the big league level by posting a 2.05 ERA in 12 appearances with Triple-A Rochester and Double-A Chattanooga. The 6-foot-5 lefty stamped his ticket to the majors Tuesday night, striking out 15 batters in six innings in a start with Rochester. By making his debut in the final game of the Twins 10-game road trip to the West Coast, the Los Angeles-area native ensured that his parents will be able to witness his special moment at China Basin Sunday. “There are a lot of people who are trying to make it, so it’s exciting,” Turley said.

— Joe Panik will be available for the Giants off the bench Saturday, but the second baseman, who’s nursing a sprained left thumb, isn’t expected to return to the starting lineup until Tuesday. Giants manager said Panik isn’t swinging the bat right now, so if he makes an appearance over the weekend, it will likely be as a pinch runner. MLB.com Cain looking to break losing streak Michael Wagman Two years after logging 20 games in San Francisco's Minor Leagues, left-hander Nik Turley will finally get a chance to pitch at AT&T Park but not in a Giants uniform. Instead, Turley will make his Major League debut Sunday with the Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game series. Turley has spent the past decade bouncing around the Minors, including a year with San Francisco in 2015 when he split time between Triple-A Sacramento and Class A Advanced San Jose. The 27-year-old was signed to a Minor League deal by Minnesota last October and is being pressed into duty with the Twins after Hector Santiago was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday. San Francisco will counter with right-hander Matt Cain, who will be making his first career appearance against Minnesota. Cain (3-5, 4.87 ERA) has dropped four straight decisions and is coming off a rough outing against Milwaukee when he allowed five runs and 10 hits in five innings. The three-time All-Star and former staff ace has been far more effective pitching at home, however. Cain has a 3-2 record with a 1.82 ERA in six starts at AT&T Park this season but is 0-3 with an 8.40 ERA in the same number of road starts. Things to know about this game • Twins catcher Jason Castro, who was given the day off Saturday, carries an 11-game hitting streak into the game. That's one shy of Castro's career high, set in 2013. • Cain's start will be his 321st with the Giants, eighth most in franchise history. • San Francisco catcher Buster Posey has reached base safely in 49 of his previous 52 games. • The game marks the end of Minnesota's 11-day road trip, the Twins' longest of the season. They also have an 11-day road trip in September. MLB.com Two homers too much for Shark vs. Twins Rhett Bollinger and Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- Jose Berrios struck out eight batters over 5 1/3 strong innings and was backed by homers from Kennys Vargas and Brian Dozier to lead the Twins to a 3-2 win over the Giants on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park.

Berrios didn't have his best command, walking three and hitting a batter, but surrendered two runs on six hits to improve to 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA. He served up a solo homer to Brandon Belt in the first and allowed a run in the fifth on an RBI groundout from Buster Posey. "We're not running on high cylinders in terms of offense but then you get pitching like you did today," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Jose is not always going to be perfect with his stuff, but it plays. He was in a lot of trouble today, but he was able to dance around it and minimize." Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija was also solid, but was hurt by a pair of homers. He went six frames, surrendering three runs on four hits and a walk to fall to 2-8 with a 4.31 ERA. He also struck out six and has fanned 65 batters compared to just two walks over his last eight starts. "I'm not putting this on Jeff," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "Occasionally you're going to give up three runs, maybe four, but you have to pick these pitchers up sometimes. We have a hard time, especially here at home. I know this is more of a pitchers' park but still that shouldn't happen." Vargas was the first to go deep for the Twins with a solo shot to tie the game in the fourth. It was crushed, leaving the bat at 116 mph and traveling a projected 471 feet, per Statcast™. It was both the hardest-hit and longest homer by a Twins player in the Statcast™ era (since 2015), and the third-longest in the Majors this year. Dozier's two-run shot in the fifth wasn't hit nearly as hard, with an exit velocity of 99.6 mph and a projected distance of 356 feet, but proved to be the game-winner. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Dozier's go-ahead blast: Samardzija had the chance to escape a jam in the fifth with two outs and Chris Gimenez at second after a leadoff single and his fourth career stolen base. But Dozier came through with a two-run homer to left to give the Twins a two-run lead. It was the 10th of the year for Dozier, who had a career-high 42 last year. Gimenez was also the lone leadoff hitter to reach against Samardzija. "You'd like to keep that Dozier ball in the park and make them get a couple hits to score those runs," Samardzija said. "We were attacking the zone and we were down 1-0 on him and tried to throw a good slider for a strike and he put a good bat on it." Berrios escapes jam: Berrios ran into trouble in the third, loading the bases with one out after walks to Belt and Posey. But Berrios rallied back, striking out Brandon Crawford swinging on a 3-2 fastball and Hunter Pence looking on a curveball. "I just concentrated on making better pitches," Berrios said through a translator. "The pitches had a better quality. The more situations like that I get in, the better I'll be at them." QUOTABLE "That was a huge hit. Not a lot of balls get hit that way and not a lot of people can hit a ball that way. Whenever you see that, it's pretty good. I think it's just this team, in general. It's just something special going on. I have to thank my teammates because I didn't have my best stuff, but it was a good day." -- Berrios, on Vargas' homer "It's evident he's not seeing the ball well. You see the flinching and things that you normally don't see from Hunter. We've got to get him going. He's a catalyst on this club. He's trying to find his way. It's hard to get upset with these guys because I can tell you what, he's giving it all he has out there. He'll find it,

but right now it's obvious he's not seeing the ball." -- Bochy, on Pence, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Belt's Splash Hit was his second this season and seventh of his career, putting him in a tie for second-most at AT&T Park with Pablo Sandoval. There have been 73 Splash Hits by the Giants, and Barry Bonds is the all-time leader with 35. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Left-hander Nik Turley will make his Major League debut for the Twins in the series finale Sunday at 3:05 p.m. CT. Turley pitched in the Minors for 10 years before getting called up to start with left-hander Hector Santiago on the disabled list. Giants: Right-hander Matt Cain (3-5, 4.87 ERA) takes another shot at getting his season back on track Sunday in the 1:05 p.m. PT finale at AT&T Park. Cain has dropped four straight decisions but is unbeaten in six home starts this season. MLB.com Belt's homer a bright spot for struggling offense Michael Wagman SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt's first-inning home run into McCovey Cove snapped an 11 at-bat hitless streak for the veteran first baseman and provided a glimmer of hope for the Giants' struggling offense. It turned out to be one of the few offensive highlights for manager Bruce Bochy's ballclub in a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon. Belt homered off Twins starter Jose Berrios, his team-leading 11th of the season but first since May 27. The ball sailed over the wall in right field and landed in the water for Belt's seventh career Splash Hit, tying him with former Giant Pablo Sandoval for the second-most in franchise history. Home run king Barry Bonds tops the list with 35. "For probably the better part of a couple weeks, I've been striking the ball pretty well and hitting a lot of balls at people, just not getting a ton of hits," Belt said. "But I've been doing what I want to do up there and that's hit the ball hard. You just have to keep going and eventually, hopefully, those will fall in." Hitless in his previous two games and mired in a 16-for-72 funk, Belt was one of only two San Francisco players to tally more than one hit in the Giants' second straight loss to the Twins. Rookie Austin Slater was the other, singling twice. Buster Posey doubled, walked and drove in a run with a fielder's choice groundout, but the Giants' 5 and 6 hitters -- Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence -- went a combined 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. "It's obvious they're not seeing the ball very well, either one," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "When you're in the heart of the order and we have a couple guys really struggling, that makes it tough to score runs. Those are the guys that you lean on. It's not going to happen until our guys that normally do what they are good at, they come around and drive in these runs. You still believe that they will. Right now it's a challenge for us."

That's why Belt's day was so encouraging. In addition to his home run off Berrios, he drew a one-out walk in the third inning when the Giants ultimately left the bases loaded. Belt also singled in the fifth before flying out to deep center field in the seventh. "That would have tied the game," Bochy lamented later. "It's good to see him get on the board again with the home run. It takes three or four guys to really be clicking. That's when you start doing damage. Seems like we get a guy or two that has a decent game but the rally stops when you get one or two runs, and that just doesn't work." Belt's big day is likely to earn him a day off. Bochy hinted after the game that he planned to sit some of his left-handed hitters for Sunday's series finale when Twins rookie left-hander Nik Turley makes his Major League debut. "Every day I come in, I plan on going out there and playing a baseball game," Belt said. "If he decides that he's giving me the day off, so be it." MLB.com Panik sitting out to rest sprained left thumb Chris Haft and Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday that Joe Panik's sprained left thumb will likely keep the second baseman out of the lineup until early next week. Confirming statements he made late Friday night, Bochy said Panik has not done any baseball activities since injuring himself while diving to his right for Paolo Espino's grounder up the middle at Milwaukee. "It's still a little sore so probably be off tomorrow, too," Bochy said Saturday before the Giants hosted the Minnesota Twins at AT&T Park. "He is available to come off the bench but we need this thing to calm down. I think we're looking at him starting on Tuesday." Panik will wear a brace around his thumb until the Giants' medical staff determines he's fit to resume playing. He is being allowed to work out in the team's weight room and has done some conditioning as well but is restricted from swinging a bat. "He's shut down," Bochy said. "He's not taking a swing or anything." With an off-day Monday, Panik could get a four-day rest if he's not used as a pinch-hitter. The Giants open a two-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Panik, the National League's reigning Gold Glove winner at his position, is batting .255 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 58 games. "In a year, you play 162 games. Bumps and bruises are going to happen," Panik said. "It could have been a lot worse." Morse still foggy from concussion: Michael Morse continues to experience lingering effects from a concussion he suffered in a collision with teammate Jeff Samardzija while trying to break up an on-field

scuffle May 29. Bochy said the backup first baseman tried to do some cardio work Friday but was "foggy" afterward. "Rest is the best thing for him right now," Bochy said. "He got pretty beat up in that collision and he's still recovering. We don't have him doing any baseball activities." Morse was injured when he and Samardzija rushed out onto the field as part of a benches-clearing fracas with the Washington Nationals. Morse absorbed the brunt of the blow and suffered injured ribs as well. MLB.com Young Tulo among SF Pinch, Hit & Run winners Alex Espinoza SAN FRANCISCO -- Watch out world, there's another Tulo moving up the ranks. On Saturday morning, 22 youngsters took the field at AT&T Park to test their skills on the diamond as part of the Scotts Pitch, Hit & Run competition hosted by the Giants. Taking home the first-place prize in the age 7/8 softball division was Morgan Hill, Calif., native Kayla Tulowitzki, the cousin of Toronto Blue Jays star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. "It was really cool," Kayla said after winning. "I want to be like my cousin when I grow up. I'm hoping that maybe I can go to the All-Star Game, and he can get seats to come watch." Tulowitzki's young softball career is off to a great start. She just picked up the sport last year and finished second in San Francisco's 2016 Pitch, Hit & Run competition. Joining Tulowitzki as winners in the softball divisions on Saturday were Kendal Linehan (9/10), Angelina Tarro (11/12) and Brianna Mendez (13/14). All of the regional Pitch, Hit & Run winners will have a chance to compete in Miami during MLB's All-Star Week in July. After the competition makes its way to every ballpark in MLB, the winners of each age group in baseball and softball will be combined into one pool. The three highest scorers from each division -- which will be announced June 26 on MLB Network -- will then advance to Miami to compete during the All-Star festivities. Roughly 650,000 kids across the country took part in local competitions, but only 720 got the chance to compete at big league ballparks. Taking home the first-place honors in the San Francisco baseball divisions were Braylen Belardes (7/8), Tucker Baird (9/10), Noah Mitchell (11/12) and Rancho Murieta, Calif., native Bodie Pfieffer (13/14). "It's crazy," Pfieffer said. "It feels really good to win here. On my birthday I went to see the [Triple-A Sacramento] RiverCats, so to see the difference between both fields is really cool." Pitch, Hit & Run, the official youth skills competition of Major League Baseball, invites kids to demonstrate their pitching, hitting and running abilities in baseball and softball. The competition coincides with this weekend's Play Ball initiative between Major League Baseball, USA Baseball and USA Softball, which encourages widespread participation in all forms of baseball/softball activities among all age groups, especially youth. The initiative also provides players, parents and coaches with resources to help find events and leagues, as well as proper play information and instruction, through playball.org.

NBC Sports Bay Area GIANTS LOSE ONCE AGAIN AS BIG BATS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — Late in a long post-game session with reporters, Jeff Samardzija said everyone needs to do more. He included the starting pitchers in his accounting. “We can win games 2-1,” he pointed out. It was nice of Samardzija not to throw teammates under the bus, but the Giants don’t need to win games 2-1. Winning 4-3 is not asking a lot, but the Giants once again failed to hit that mark. They lost 3-2 to the Twins, failing to hit the low three-run mark for the 14th time in 29 home games. At AT&T Park, they are averaging 3.07 runs per game this season. Manager Bruce Bochy has clearly seen enough. He rubbed his hand through his hair as he sat down on the podium 10 minutes after the final out, and there was an edge to his voice at times. He seemed annoyed, more than anything. “We’ve talked about the need to score four runs,” he said. “We have a hard time doing that here at home. I wish I could put my finger on it. It’s not going to happen until our guys who normally do what they’re good at come around and drive in these runs. You still believe that they will, but right now it’s a challenge for us, and it’s unfortunate because we’ve had a lot of quality starts. We just can’t score enough runs for these guys.” Samardzija got two runs of support and took his eighth loss because of two Twins homers. He was pitching with no margin for error because the Giants failed to cash in on an early opportunity against Jose Berrios. A double and two walks loaded the bases in the third, but Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence struck out. Both players struck out three times on the day, Crawford’s average dropping to .247 and Pence’s to .228. “It’s obvious they’re not seeing the ball right now, either one,” Bochy said. “That makes it tough, when you’re in the heart of the order and you have a couple of guys struggling, that makes it tough to score runs. Those are the guys you lean on. The third inning, that’s the difference in the game.” “We couldn’t cash in and take advantage of those things. That’s probably going to come back to haunt you, which it did today.” Saturday’s story was familiar, and not just because the Giants lost and looked flat while doing so. Once again, they couldn’t get more than a player or two going. That’s been the story all year. On Saturday it was Brandon Belt who led the charge, with a homer in the first and a single and walk later on. Belt, hitting third, needed help from the guys behind him. It wasn’t there, and it hasn’t been. Crawford’s OPS is down nearly 100 points from last year. Pence is down to .579, after years of regularly posting an OPS over .800. Joe Panik is down 127 points from two years ago. Belt has 11 homers, but his OPS of .796 is 19 points below his career average. Denard Span (.712) is also well below his previous numbers.

“There’s a dramatic difference right now for some of these guys,” Bochy said. “That’s part of our issue and that’s why we are where we are.” While the other regulars have at times looked poised to bust out, Pence’s slump has lasted just about the entire season. He was struggling before he went on the DL with a hamstring strain, and he is 3 for 22 in seven games since returning. Bochy said “it’s evident he’s not seeing the ball well.” “I’m not hitting the ball well and not having good pitch selection, so you could say that,” Pence said. “At this moment I don’t feel that good, but it could change at any moment.” The Giants have no shot if it doesn’t, for Pence and others. They believe they’re healthy enough and putting in the proper work. It’s just not leading to anything new. “You’ve got to keep plugging away,” Pence said. “If I knew the answer, I’d be doing it.” NBC Sports Bay Area INSTANT ANALYSIS: FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM SECOND STRAIGHT LOSS TO TWINS Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — Bruce Bochy raved about young Jose Berrios before Saturday’s game, and the right-hander’s repertoire certainly was as advertised. But truth be told, it doesn’t take a 95 mph fastball and wipeout slurve to hold down the Giants at AT&T Park. Berrios simply became the latest to do it. The Giants wasted plenty of opportunities to tack on against Berrios and the Twins responded with two homers off Jeff Samardzija, who as always, deserved better. The 3-2 loss guaranteed a series loss. Here are five things to know from a day where there was a shock in right field ... —- Brandon Belt smoked a fastball into the cove in the first for the 73rd career Splash Hit. It was Belt’s seventh, tying him with Pablo Sandoval for second all-time. Belt needs just 28 more Splash Hits to tie Barry Bonds’ record. —- Kenny Vargas hit an absolute bomb to right-center in the fourth inning. The homer came off the bat at 116 mph and traveled 471 feet, according to Statcast. Brian Dozier also took Samardzija deep. —- A walk of Robbie Grossman in the fifth was just the second issued by Jeff Samardzija since the start of May. Still, he didn’t do much to harm his incredible run. Over his past eight starts, Samardzija now has 65 strikeouts and two walks. —- Hunter Pence went socks-down for the first time in a long time. It did not work. He struck out three times against Berrios and grounded out to second in his last at-bat. —- Ehire Adrianza turned a slick double play in the sixth and then robbed Eduardo Nuñez on what looked to be an infield single in the seventh. The Giants kept him around so long because of that glove at short, and it appears he’s found a home in Minnesota.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat Giants fall to Twins 3-2 Janie McCauley SAN FRANCISCO — Rookie Jose Berrios faced a bases-loaded jam after a pair of walks in the third inning with a couple of proven, veteran hitters due up for San Francisco. The Puerto Rican right-hander calmly struck out Brandon Crawford, then retired Hunter Pence on a called third strike — and he was on his way to another stellar outing in Minnesota’s 3-2 victory against the Giants on Saturday. “I found it to be an interesting scenario. I just concentrated on making better pitches, and pitches with better quality,” Berrios said through a translator. “That’s how I survived and the more I can get on it, the more comfortable I get and the more confidence I’ll have.” Brian Dozier and Kennys Vargas hit home runs to back Berrios (5-1), who struck out eight over 5⅓ innings to win his second consecutive start, both on this road trip. He allowed a first-inning home run to Brandon Belt. Bruce Bochy is baffled by San Francisco’s offensive struggles, yet the manager still believes he has enough talented hitters to break out of this funk. Minnesota shut down Bochy’s lineup for a second consecutive day, and it’s the same story of missed opportunities for the Giants. Crawford and Pence, two key Giants hitters, each struck out three times. “It’s obvious they’re not seeing the ball very well, either one,” Bochy said. “That makes it tough when you’re in the heart of the order and we have a couple of guys really struggling. That makes it tough to score runs. Those are the guys that you lean on.” Belt splashed a 3-2 pitch into McCovey Cove for a solo homer in the first inning to put San Francisco ahead. It marked his seventh career homer into the bay beyond the right-field wall named for Hall of Famer Willie McCovey and second this season. Berrios allowed six hits, two earned runs and three walks in his first career appearance against San Francisco. Brandon Kintzler, the Twins’ third reliever, finished with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances. Giants starter Jeff Samardzija (2-8) struck out six and walked one over six innings, increasing his impressive totals to 65 Ks and two walks in his last eight starts. But he also has given up six home runs during that stretch. Vargas led off the fourth with his second of the year, and Dozier hit a go-ahead, two-run drive in the fifth.

“Although you like how you feel out there and are OK with the results, you’d like to keep definitely that Dozier ball in the park,” Samardzija said. Samardzija beat the Brewers his last time out to end a two-start skid but still hasn’t won consecutive outings this season. He had been 4-0 with a 3.67 ERA in his previous five matchups with Minnesota. Buster Posey doubled and drove in a run on a groundout for San Francisco, shut out 4-0 a night earlier. Belt’s drive to the water was the 73rd by the Giants and matched Pablo Sandoval for second behind 35 hit by home run king Barry Bonds. There have been 113 overall at AT&T Park. TRAINER’S ROOM Twins: After the game, LHP Randy Rosario was optioned to Double-A Chattanooga. ... 1B Joe Mauer had much of the day off before entering in the sixth. ... Chris Gimenez caught Berrios as Jason Castro rested. Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner, who bruised his ribs and sprained his pitching shoulder in an April 20 dirt bike accident in Colorado, could face live hitters at some point during a four-game series in Denver beginning Thursday. ... 2B Joe Panik was held out of the lineup and isn’t likely to play again until the Giants open a two-game series against Kansas City on Tuesday. Panik injured his left thumb trying to dive for a ball up the middle Thursday. ... Mike Morse is still feeling effects from a concussion he suffered in a collision with Samardzija while both were trying to break up a benches-clearing brawl against the Washington Nationals on May 29. Morse did some cardio work Friday but was “foggy” afterward, Bochy said. GIMENEZ RUNS The 230-pound Gimenez stole second in the fifth for his fourth career swipe in nine years and first since Aug. 4, 2015, while with Texas and against Houston — with current teammate Castro behind the plate for the Astros. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do this,” Gimenez said. “They told me before the series I could steal if it’s the right situation. I got pretty excited.” San Francisco Examiner Giants post-trade deadline lineup and rotation predictions Karl Buscheck AT&T PARK — If everything goes to plan, by the time the non-waiver trade deadline arrives on the final day of July, Madison Bumgarner will be back on the mound and atop the rotation for the San Francisco Giants. The lefty ace, who is still in the early stages of rehabbing from his ill-fated dirt bike ride, could be returning to a club that looks markedly different than the current iteration. Executive vice president of baseball ops Brian Sabean and general manager Bobby Evans have never been known as sellers, but this summer looks like the ideal time to try something new.

The Giants enter the weekend 14 games off the pace in the West, boast the No. 24 farm system in MLB (per Baseball America) and have key cogs who could walk for free at season’s end. That confluence of factors leaves Sabean and Evans with the potential to cash in a few of those chips and build a new supporting cast around the core of Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford. So, let’s hit the fast forward button and predict what the Giants post-trade deadline lineup and rotation will look like … CATCHER Now: Buster Posey Then: Buster Posey Posey is the franchise. Aside from the fact that he’s a game-changing defender and leads the club in OPS by nearly 200 percentage points, he’s also the favored son of the powers that be. The day after the embarrassing Hunter Strickland-Bryce Harper melee, Sabean made a rare appearance in the dugout during batting practice. The first player he sought out? Posey, who he greeted with a big hug and a long chat. 1ST BASE Now: Brandon Belt Then: Chris Shaw This is a bold move. But it’s also the kind of move the club needs to make in order to extend its current championship window. Belt will always have more value to a team that doesn’t play its home games at the cavernous AT&T Park, which wrecks the first baseman’s chances of being a 30-home run guy — not to mention 20-homer hitter — every season. Prospective suitors would love that Belt — playing on a five-year, $72.8 million deal — is cost controlled. The Giants should love the major haul of young talent that Belt would fetch. Plus, the Giants have a ready-made replacement in Chris Shaw, the 2015 No. 31 overall pick, who has already slugged his way to Triple-A Sacramento. 2ND BASE Now: Joe Panik Then: Joe Panik Panik is among the cast of core guys who has underwhelmed at the plate, but he’s also a Gold Glove defender up the middle. He stays. SHORTSTOP Now: Brandon Crawford Then: Brandon Crawford Crawford is rivaling Posey for the title as most-productive two-way player. He’s untouchable and there’s no debate about it. THIRD BASE Now: Eduardo Núñez Then: Christian Arroyo It would be negligent for Sabean and Evans not to move Núñez. The versatile veteran has been producing — .298 average, 16 steals — and he’s playing on an expiring $4.2 million deal.

LEFT FIELD Now: Austin Slater Then: Austin Slater One of the chief goals for the Giants in this lost summer is to take inventory on the top talent in the minor leagues. That means giving guys like Slater, who did nothing but hit from the day he was drafted out of Stanford, an extended stay in the big leagues. A career .308 hitter in the minors, Slater looks like a rare bright spot in a system bereft of future major-league contributors. CENTER FIELD Now: Denard Span Then: Denard Span Contract considerations make Span nearly unmoveable. The oft-injured table-setter makes $11 million this year, the same amount in 2018 and he has a $12 million mutual option (with a $4 million buyout) for 2019. Top center field prospect Steven Duggar (currently on the Double-A disabled list) should start pushing Span for playing time as soon as next spring. RIGHT FIELD Now: Hunter Pence Then: Hunter Pence Even though he’s been a fixture on the DL in recent seasons, Pence is a more compelling trade chip than it might initially seem — especially if the Giants are willing to eat some of the remaining money on the right fielders’s deal. He makes $18.5 million this year and $18 million in 2018. The two-time World Series winner has the postseason pedigree a contender could ask for and is famous for his clubhouse impact. From the Giants perspective, if they are open to paying down a chunk of the 34-year-old’s contact, they’d be able to effectively “buy” a prospect. STARTING PITHCERS Now: Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Ty Blach, Matt Moore, Matt Cain Then: Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, Ty Blach, Matt Moore, Tyler Beede Even if Cueto’s sporting a 4.33 ERA, the right-hander — who can opt out at season’s end — is easily the club’s most valuable trade piece. Along with Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray, Cueto will be one of the most-sought after top-of-the-rotation types at the deadline. The other casualty here is Cain, who, assuming everyone is healthy, heads to the bullpen so the Giants can evaluate Beede, the No. 1 overall prospect in the club’s minor league setup. Fox Sports Preview: Twins at Giants Stats SAN FRANCISCO — Minnesota Twins left-hander Nik Turley will make his major league debut opposed by one of the organizations that wouldn’t afford him that opportunity when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants in the finale of a three-game interleague series Sunday. The Twins will be seeking their fourth road sweep of the season when they end their 10-game Western swing. They’ve already clinched a winning record on the trip with six wins in their first nine games.

Saturday’s win was Minnesota’s 20th of the season on the road. Only three other teams in the majors reached the mark before the American League Central leaders. “I like the question,” Twins second baseman Brian Dozier responded when asked to explain the Twins’ road success. “The question is usually: Why can’t you win at home? “We’ve got to start winning at home. But if we keep winning on the road, I’ll take it.” Turley has made 134 minor-league starts for five organizations since being the 50th-round pick — the third-to-last overall selection — by the New York Yankees in 2008. The California native was the 1,502nd player picked. The 27-year-old signed with the Giants in December 2014 and made 19 starts at Triple-A Sacramento the following season, going 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA. “Their rotation was pretty stacked,” Turley noted when asked if he were disappointed he didn’t get a call-up by the Giants. “The opportunity just didn’t happen.” But it will Sunday, only it will be against the Giants, who let the 6-foot-5 lefty walk after the 2015 season. And it will happen in part because Turley struck out 15 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre batters while pitching for Rochester, the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, in his last start on Tuesday. It improved his record to 1-2 with a 3.49 ERA in seven games at Rochester after he had gone 0-1 with a 0.37 ERA in five games at Double-A Chattanooga to start the season. Turley will be facing a Giants team that has been limited to one run and 10 hits in the first two games of the series. San Francisco has lost seven of its last nine home games. “You look at the track record, the numbers … I don’t care what you say, the back of a baseball card … and there’s a dramatic difference right now for so many of these guys, where they normally are,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy lamented, speaking mostly about Hunter Pence (.228 batting average) and Brandon Crawford (.247). “Just look at last year at they’re on-base (percentage and) slugging and where they’re at now. There’s a big difference. That’s part of our issue and that’s why we’re where we’re at. “Until it gets closer to what it should be, we’re going to continue to struggle. I have to be honest here. We can’t lean on pitching that much. We have to pick it up here offensively.” Right-hander Matt Cain will be making his first career start against the Twins in the interleague game. He’s 9-14 with a 3.35 ERA in 39 games, including 38 starts, in his career against American League competition.

The Giants have lost 12 of their last 16 games in interleague play. CBS Sports Giants' Jeff Samardzija: Gives up two homers in Saturday's loss RotoWire Staff Samardzija gave up three runs over six innings with six strikeouts and one walk, to fall to 2-8 in Saturday's loss to Minnesota. Despite the loss, Samardzija says he has the most command of his arsenal in perhaps his career. "I just think all five pitches are working so I think over the past couple years, at any given point in the year, I've probably had three of them working, and then I've been trying to find another one or two of them," he told KNBR.com. Samardzija gave up two home runs and that proved to be the difference in a one-run loss. Samardzija has not been helped by San Francisco's struggling offense has he's 1-3 in his last five starts despite a 2.79 ERA. CBS Sports Giants' Brandon Belt: Hits 11th home run RotoWire Staff Belt went 2-for-3 with his 11th home run in Saturday's loss to Minnesota. He's likely to rest Sunday as the Giants may sit some left-handed bats against left-hander Nik Turley, manager Bruce Bochy toldKNBR.com. Belt entered Saturday hitting just .200 with a .609 OPS against left-handed pitching, so he may get a rest Sunday despite it being Turley's first career start. CBS Sports Giants' Hunter Pence: Slumping since returning from DL RotoWire Staff Pence started in right field and went 0-for-4 in Saturday's loss to Minnesota. Pence has struggled in the seven games since returning from a hamstring injury as he's 3-for-22 with no extra-base hits. CBS Sports Giants' Mike Morse: Needs more rest RotoWire Staff Morse (concussion) is still feeling the effects of his concussion and will need more time to recover, The San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea reports. Morse originally landed on the DL on May 30 after colliding with Jeff Samardzija during a contest against the Nationals. Along with the concussion, Morse is dealing with a rib injury and has been feeling "foggy" lately while trying to ramp up his cardio. He will likely need at least another week and should be reevaluated again soon.

CBS Sports Giants' Joe Panik: Out of lineup until Tuesday RotoWire Staff Panik (thumb) will stay out of the lineup until Tuesday's series opener against the Royals, but is available to come off the bench this weekend, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Panik suffered a mild thumb sprain that caused him to miss Friday's contest, with the injury occurring on his glove hand. The 26-year-old should be good to go by Tuesday, but will be replaced by Aaron Hill at second base for the time being. When the Giants Come To Town Game Wrap 6/10/2017: Twins 3 Giants 2 The Giants followed a familiar script for today's game as the offense squandered at least 2 scoring opportunities and failed to support another QS by Jeff Samardzija. At the same time, Samardzija's penchant for giving up the longball hurt him as Brian Dozier's 2-run dinger was the difference in the game. Key Lines: Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 3, HR(11), BB. BA= .237. Belt's dinger was a splash hit tying him with Pablo Sandoval for second on the all-time list with 7. That is 28 behind Barry Bonds. Austin Slater LF- 2 for 3. BA= .250. One was an infield hit that Slater beat out and another was a groundball that found a hole, but Slater is starting to look more comfortable out there, both at the plate and in LF. Jeff Samardzija RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K'. ERA= 4.31. Not as sharp as his recent starts but still a QS. Shark allowed just 5 baserunners in 6 IP while Berrios allowed 9 baserunners in 5.1 IP. The dinger by Dozier was the difference as it so often is with Shark. Jose Berrios RHP(Twins)- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 2.84. Berrios command kind of came and went and the Giants had their opportunities against him. 3'rd inning they had runners at first and third, not outs and came away with just 1 run. In the 5'th they had the bases loaded with 1 out and ended up not scoring. When his back was to the wall, Berrios seemed to find a tight frisbee slider that the Giants hitters acted like they had never seen before. The slider sped up his FB which he blew past a couple of batters. With the Giants it's sometimes hard to know if it's good pitching or bad hitting that kills their rallies. Yahoo Sports Jeff Samardzija has decided to stop walking batters David Schoenfield On April 28, Jeff Samardzija walked San Diego Padres outfielder Jabari Blash on four pitches. The first pitch looked like it caught the outside corner, then the San Francisco Giants right-hander threw two fastballs inside and one outside for ball four.

Samardzija didn't walk another batter until May 25, when Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs took a 3-2 fastball a little up and out of the strike zone. Between walks, Samardzija struck out 47 batters. In fact, he may even have been pitching around Happ, or at least pitching him very carefully. There were two outs and a runner on second with Jason Heyward on deck; Happ was red hot at the time and Heyward wasn't. Since that walk to Happ, Samardzija has struck out 16 more batters, including 10 in his last start against the Milwaukee Brewers. He has had 59 strikeouts and one walk during his past seven starts, becoming the first pitcher to have 50-plus strikeouts and one or fewer walks in a seven-start span. Samardzija starts Saturday against the Minnesota Twins and Jose Berrios in a fun matchup. I'm fascinated by this new approach. Samardzija has basically decided, "I'm not going to walk anybody. I'm not going to beat myself." This idea isn't new; it's that Samardzija appears to be taking it to the absolute extremes, and it's hard to argue with the results. Through that April 25 start, Samardzija had a 6.32 ERA with a 35-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has a 2.98 ERA in his past seven starts. Greg Maddux, of course, was known for his exquisite control. In 1997, he recorded 177 strikeouts while walking just 20 batters -- and six of those were intentional. His longest stretch without walks that season, however, was just five starts. Curt Schilling also took the Samardzija approach. He always had pretty good control, but at one point, he decided he was going to quit walking batters. During his 2001-02 peak with the Diamondbacks, he walked just 72 batters in 70 starts. Throwing strikes meant he'd give up more home runs -- he led the National League with 37 home runs allowed in 2001 -- but you weren't going to beat him with two- or three-run homers, and throwing more strikes meant he could go deeper into games. In his first season as a starter in 2004, Cliff Lee walked 81 batters. By 2010, he walked just 18 in 212 1/3 innings. Maybe he gave up a few more hits and home runs with this approach, but the mindset was to pound the zone and trust your stuff. What's interesting about Samardzija is that while he's throwing more pitches in the strike zone, he's not doing it by throwing more fastballs as you might expect: Through April 25: 47.3 percent in the zone, 55.2 percent fastballs and sinkers Since April 25: 51.4 percent in the zone, 45.2 percent fastballs and sinkers Instead, he's throwing more sliders and curveballs. What he is doing, however, is pounding the strike zone with the first pitch. In April, 55 percent of his first pitches were strikes, including a called strike rate of 35.1 percent. In May and June, those rates have gone up to 68.5 percent and 57.3 percent, respectively. The Brewers noticed this and started swinging a lot more at the first pitch (although without success). Let's see how the Twins attack him. For the season, Samardzija leads the NL with 8.85 K's for every walk. That ratio, however, doesn't even lead the majors: The Cleveland Indians' Josh Tomlin isn't the same type of strikeout pitcher, but he had 44 K's and just four walks. Then there's Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen, an entirely different kind of beast: He has 41 strikeouts and ZERO walks. The modern record for strikeouts without a walk is Schilling's 56 in 2002, so Jansen has a chance to break that record -- if Samardzija doesn't get there first. If you're familiar with baseball history, you know that these insane strikeout-to-walk ratios are a byproduct of modern baseball: Better pitchers who throw harder combined with hitters willing to trade

strikeouts for home runs. For those of you who have played in any kind of Strat-O-Matic or other simulation league, you'll know that for decades a 2-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio was considered pretty good. I recently played in a 1976 league and of the 88 qualified starting pitchers that season, only 26 had a 2-1 or better ratio and only six were 3-1 or better (and many of the nonqualifiers had more walks than strikeouts). Porcello's league-leading figure last year was actually pretty low for recent seasons, the lowest since Roy Halladay in 2008. Clayton Kershaw would have shattered the record with 15.64 strikeouts for each walk (172-to-11), but he only threw 149 innings. Here's another way of looking at the dominant ratio of today's pitchers, the top 15 single-season leaders in strikeout percentage minus walk percentage: OK, I cheated and included Kershaw's 2016 season even though he didn't pitch enough innings. Anyway, Samardzija is third this season behind Sale and Scherzer at 25.5 percent, which could crack the top 20 of all time. Only three pre-1995 seasons crack the top 50: 1965 Sandy Koufax, 1984 Dwight Gooden, 1986 Mike Scott. Of course, despite all those strikeouts and not issuing many walks, Samardzija's season ERA is just 4.29. His strand rate of 66.7 percent is 10th-worst among starters, and he has allowed fewer than three runs just three times in 12 starts. This seems to prove there's more to pitching in 2017 than simply striking out a lot of hitters. KNBR.com Samardzija details main reason for his 2017 success Sam Hustis SAN FRANCISCO – We’ve seen this movie before. San Francisco Giants get decent game from their pitching staff. San Francisco Giants do not get decent game from their offense. San Francisco Giants lose baseball game, starting pitcher (who pitched well) takes loss. Jeff Samardzija was the latest victim of the trend that has plagued the Giants all year. The Shark had a decent game, giving up only three earned runs on four hits in six innings of work. He was burned by the long ball twice Saturday, something he’s struggled with in the past. Although his win-loss record (2-8) doesn’t show it, The Shark has been one of the better starting pitchers for the Giants in 2017. Saturday he struck out his 100th batter of the year, and has only walked 12 batters. Samardzija says there’s a reason for his success, being able use five pitches…something he’s never been able to do before in his career. “I think over the past couple of years at any given point in the year I’ve only had three of them working,” said Samardzija. “And I’ve been trying to find another one of them, or two of them. But to have the curveball and the splitter being there for me, I can attack the zone.”

KNBR.com Giants searching for explanation for offensive woes Kerry Crowley If you’re looking at the Giants’ offensive numbers this season and wondering if you need to get your vision checked, don’t worry, you’re not alone. After San Francisco dropped its second straight contest against the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins by a score of 3-2, manager Bruce Bochy expressed frustration at the fact so many of his team’s key players are producing well below their career averages. On Saturday, the Giants followed up their seventh shutout loss of the season with another flat offensive effort, one punctuated by a combined 0-for-8, six-strikeout performance from the team’s No. 5 and No. 6 hitters, Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence. On a day in which first baseman Brandon Belt tried to spark an offensive explosion with a first inning splash hit into McCovey Cove, Belt’s teammates failed to respond as San Francisco dropped a season-high 14 games below .500. “I think you look at the track record, the numbers, I don’t care what you say,” Bochy said. “The back of a baseball card. There’s a dramatic difference right now for some of these guys with where they normally are. Just look at last year, their on base, slugging and where they’re at now, that’s part of our issue and that’s why we’re where we’re at. Until it gets a little bit closer to where they should be, we’re going to continue to struggle. I’ve got to be honest here, getting two runs, we can’t lean on pitching that much. We’ve got to pick it up here offensively.” Against Puerto-Rican right-hander Jose Berrios, the Giants left runners in scoring position in the first and third innings and failed to push a runner up to second base once they did force Minnesota to call on its bullpen in the bottom of the sixth. San Francisco’s collective .233 batting average ranks 28th out of 30 Major League teams, and as the club fell 16 games behind the first place Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Bochy said he’s still waiting for the every day players the team has relied on over the past few seasons to find their stride. “I wish I could put my finger on it, but it’s not going to happen until our guys who normally do what they are good at, they come around and drive in these runs, it’s going to be tough to put runs on the board,” Bochy said. “You still believe that they will, but right now, it’s a challenge for us. It’s unfortunate because we’ve had a lot of quality starts, we just can’t score enough runs for these guys.” Sixty four games into the season, the Giants’ right fielder, Pence, is hitting 48 points below his career average, their starting first baseman, Brandon Belt, is hitting 28 points below his career average, and the team has received an average of one hit in every five at-bats from the long list of players it has used in left field. “I’ve got to get better,” Pence said after Saturday’s loss. “Hitting is one of those things that you go through some tough stretches and you’ve got to keep working. I’m doing that every day, coming in prepared and keep competing, trying to get better.”

Shark Attack Despite their offensive troubles, the Giants still managed to outhit the Twins on Saturday as starter Jeff Samardzija tossed six innings of four-hit ball. Samardzija made two critical mistakes, one to Twins’ first baseman Kennys Vargas and one to second baseman Brian Dozier, that resulted in home runs, but Bochy was hesitant to criticize a pitcher who still gave his team plenty of opportunities to secure a victory. “I’m not putting this on Jeff, come on,” Bochy said. “Occasionally you’re going to give up three runs, maybe four but you know, you got to pick these pitchers up sometimes.” After allowing the home run to Dozier in the fifth inning, Samardzija issued just his second walk since April 28 to left fielder Robbie Grossman, interrupting a stretch of remarkable efficiency. Even though Samardzija took his eighth loss of the season Saturday, he said that for the first time in his career, he’s in command of all five pitches in his arsenal. “I just think all five pitches are working so I think over the past couple years, at any given point in the year, I’ve probably had three of them working, and then I’ve been trying to find another one or two of them,” Samardzija said. “But having the curveball and the splitter be there for me I can attack the zone. I don’t have to be as fine because only one pitch is going over the plate for a strike.” Vargas tagged a fourth inning fastball for a 471-foot solo shot that tied the game 1-1 on what became the third longest home run hit in the Major Leagues this season, but that wasn’t the mistake that ate at him. Instead, it was the fifth inning slider Samardzija threw to Dozier after falling behind in the count 1-0, because that was the pitch that pushed the Twins over the top. “Those couple pitches are a big part of the game, so although you liked how you feel out there and you’re okay with the results, you’d like to keep definitely that Dozier ball in the park and make him get a couple of hits to score those runs,” Samardzija said. “But we were attacking the zone and we were down 1-0 on him and tried to throw a good slider for a strike and he put a good bat on it.” Postgame notes The Giants will face Twins’ left-hander Nik Turley on Sunday in Turley’s MLB debut. Turley has spent 10 seasons in the Minor Leagues, and played for the Giants’ AAA and A affiliates in 2015. Bochy said he’ll likely rest some of his left-handed bats on Sunday, including Belt, who hit the ball hard in all three of his at-bats on Saturday. Belt smoked a deep fly ball to the warning track in right center field in the bottom of the seventh inning, and after the game, both Belt and Bochy said they thought he’d supplied the Giants with a game-tying home run when the ball left the bat. Giants’ third baseman Eduardo Nunez’s 11-game hit streak came to an end Saturday as he finished 0-for-3 with a walk. Nunez fell one game shy of tying his career-high with a 12-game hit streak, but did reach base safely for the 25th consecutive game. Rookie left fielder Austin Slater recorded two of the Giants’ six hits, and reached base three times as he was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the second inning.

Giants’ relievers Derek Law and Hunter Strickland combined to throw three scoreless innings on Saturday. KNBR.com Belt’s blast not enough as Twins clinch series against Giants Kerry Crowley Giants’ right-hander Jeff Samardzija entered his Saturday start in the midst of a historic run. The man the Giants affectionately call “Shark” became the first pitcher since 1900 to record over 50 strikeouts while issuing just one walk or fewer in a span of seven starts dating back to the first week of May. But against the Twins, Samardzija’s ability to find the plate with remarkable regularity proved to be his downfall, as a pair of mistakes propelled Minnesota to a series-clinching 3-2 victory. Armed with a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, Samardzija threw a 97-mile per hour fastball right down the middle, and Twins’ first baseman Kennys Vargas ensured the ball met the sweetest part of his barrel. Vargas sent the pitch into orbit, recording the third longest home run of any Major League hitter this season (471-feet) and joining an elite list of players who’ve managed to make AT&T Park look small over the 17 seasons of the ballpark’s existence. Vargas’ towering shot invoked memories of Barry Bonds, who made a habit out of launching pitches onto a set of bleachers only the game’s most powerful sluggers can locate. Speaking of the game’s home run king, Bonds’ spot atop the all-time Splash Hit list at AT&T Park is still safe, but Pablo Sandoval’s grip on the No. 2 slot on the leaderboard is not. In the bottom half of the first inning, Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt blasted his seventh career splash hit, tying Sandoval and placing Belt a mere 28 splash hits behind Bonds, whose spot atop the leaderboard doesn’t appear to be in great –or any– danger. Prior to Belt’s home run, opposing hitters were just 1-for-15 off of Twins’ starter Jose Berrios in the first inning of games this season, as no team had managed to push a run across against the Puerto Rican right-hander until at least the third inning in any of his five starts this season. Though Belt’s home run gave a Giants team that was shutout for the seventh time this season on Friday evening an early lift, the club failed to capitalize on the momentum, and instead allowed the Twins to take command of the game. With the game tied 1-1 in the top half of the fifth, second baseman Brian Dozier turned around a Samardzija slider and deposited it over the left field fence for his 10th home run of the year. Dozier’s two-run shot came with two outs on the scoreboard, and gave Berrios some much-needed insurance. “Those couple pitches are a big part of the game, so although you liked how you feel out there and you’re okay with the results, you’d like to keep definitely that Dozier ball in the park and make him get a couple of hits to score those runs,” Samardzija said. “But we were attacking the zone and we were down 1-0 on him and tried to throw a good slider for a strike and he put a good bat on it.”

Berrios lasted just 5 and ⅓ innings against San Francisco, but the Twins’ right-hander pitched his way out of danger in both the first and third innings to keep the game within reach. After Belt’s blast, Giants’ catcher Buster Posey smacked a double to right center, but Berrios induced a harmless groundout from shortstop Brandon Crawford to limit the damage. In the third inning, Berrios allowed a leadoff double to center fielder Denard Span and walked Belt and Posey to load the bases, but back-to-back strikeouts of Crawford and right fielder Hunter Pence crushed the Giants’ hopes of a potential rally. The defining pitch of Berrios’ outing came against Pence, who froze on a brilliant breaking ball that floated across the inside corner to end the inning. “Those are the guys you lean on and the third inning, that’s the difference in the game,” Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’ve got the bases loaded, we’ve got our guys coming up and we couldn’t cash in. If you don’t take advantage of those things, it’s going to come back to haunt you.” Samardzija ended up outlasting Berrios, but the Giants’ starter still took his eighth loss of the season despite allowing just four hits over six innings of work. The Twins’ ability to capitalize on the handful of pitches Samardzija left over the heart of the plate proved to be the righty’s downfall, as he still demonstrated excellent control in a six-strikeout effort. Twins’ left fielder Robbie Grossman did manage to coax a walk out of the Notre Dame product, the second he’s allowed since April 28, but it came immediately following the Dozier home run, a blow that cost the pitcher –and the Giants– dearly. McCovey Chronicles Giants fall flat again, lose 3-2 Grant Brisbee I don’t know if there’s an official power ranking to do of the starting pitchers that I look forward to watching, but there are currently three. Maybe two-and-a-half until Johnny Cueto rights the ship, but I still look forward to his starts. The other two are Ty Blach and Jeff Samardzija. And if there’s a winner or a top spot to this ranking, Samardzija is an easy no. 1 right now. Samardzija walked a guy, so we should probably check on him to see if he’s alright, but he also struck out six, keeping up a pretty sweet ratio. On April 23, he walked three batters against the Rockies at Coors field. Since then, he’s walked two in 61 innings, with 70 strikeouts. I love watching pitchers with that skill set. It’s a combination of command and power that’s ultra rare, even in this high-strikeout era. It’s so crisp and compelling. At the same time, Samardzija leads the National League in losses. When he pitches, the Giants lose far more often than they win. And yet, he’s the pitcher I look forward to the most.

This is the perfect description of how the 2017 season is going. Even when it’s good, it’s the absolute worst. Samardzija gave up a solo homer with two outs, and an inning later, he gave up a two-run homer with two outs. The solo homer came with two strikes, too. All he needed was one more swing, one more pop-up, one more grounder to second. He could not get them. The Giants needed one fewer swing, one fewer pop-up, one fewer grounder to second. They did not get them. They were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and it felt like they were 0-for-8. The Giants got 10 runners against Jose Berrios in 5⅓ innings, including a home run. The Twins got five runners against Samardzija in six innings, but there were two home runs. You’ll never believe it, but the Giants’ strategy of “get a couple runners on and hope that someone will do something” failed yet again. This team is so bad. It took a while to find the right words, but there they are. They’re just so very bad. Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence were 0-for-8 with six strikeouts, and they left a combined nine runners on base. Those two left more runners on base than the entire Twins team did for the whole game. Crawford’s OPS fell to .680, far below his standards. Pence’s OPS fell to .579, far below Neifi Perez’s standards. That was the story of the game, really. Two players who were supposed to be good this season, who have been good in the past, were not. And when they aren’t good, that means they’re bad. Like the team. Which is bad. I am not even bothering with a thesaurus at this point. Don’t be bad. Be good. Be less bad. Don’t be so bad. Buster Posey had a hit and a walk, because he usually does, and Brandon Belt’s home run went ker-sploonk, as his best ones tend to do. Austin Slater had two hits, including one that came on an 0-2 count. Other than that, and other than Samardzija pitching well enough to win for a normal team, everyone else was playing just poorly enough to lose. There were two pinch-hitting opportunities in high-leverage situations, and the Giants turned those into three outs. I’m actually impressed by that one. I think my favorite part was when the Twins reliever with a 7.17 ERA who’s allowed 32 runners in 21 innings came into a one-run game, and calmly set the Giants down in order with nine pitches (eight strikes). This is a bad team, and yet I’ll still look forward to Jeff Samardzija’s next start. He’s exceeded expectations, and he’s proven the front office correct when it comes to AT&T Park being a perfect match for his skill set. If only he had a lineup that could support him. Straight 108 Crawford’s 3rd Inning At-Bat Mirror’s Giants Offensive Struggles in ’17 The story of today’s game – and the Giants season, for that matter – can be summed up in a single at bat. Before I dive into the at-bat itself, let me preface this by saying that today was the first time I’ve seen Twins starter Jose Berrios pitch, and I came away incredibly impressed. Berrios is only 23 years old and has about as electric of an arsenal as the Giants have seen all season. Berrios stats coming into today’s game echoed that assessment as he had allowed only 19 hits in 33 innings, holding hitters to a .171 batting average against, the 2nd best in the National League. Having said that, the Giants had

Berrios and the Twins on the ropes in the bottom of the 3rd inning and already hanging onto a 1-0 lead. As readers of Straight 108 understand, games are often won and lost in the early innings, and the Giants inability to take advantage of a situation that was completely in their favor is precisely why the Giants lost again today, and more importantly, representative of why they’ve won only 25 games all season. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Giants strung together 4 straight productive at-bats to load the bases with only 1 out and 2016 team RBI-leader Brandon Crawford coming to bat. If we look at Berrios’ pitching approach (from Brooks Baseball) in 2017 with runners in scoring position, we notice two tendencies in how he attacks hitters. Berrios throws a 1st pitch fastball to left-handed hitters only 38% of the time – suggesting that Crawford had a 62% chance of seeing a 1st pitch an off-speed pitch. Considering lefties were hitting .125 this season against Berrios’ change-up and is a good pitch to induce a double-play ball, there was a high probability that the first pitch to Crawford would be a change-up. True to form, Crawford saw a first-pitch change-up, which he took for a ball, putting himself into the driver’s seat of the at-bat. Now in a 1-0, we see that Berrios throws a fastball to left-handed hitters a whopping 83% of the time, suggesting that Crawford could cheat to fastball velocity and hope it was in a location that he could drive. In a 1-0 and the bases loaded, Berrios had to attack the strike-zone as not to fall behind 2-0 – sure enough, Berrios threw a 93mph fastball right down the middle, which Crawford swung right through. While this was only 1 of the 3 strikes Crawford had during the at-bat, his inability to hit the ball hard when he knew what pitch was coming and in what location, is precisely why he and the Giants as a whole have been so terrible offensively in 2017. In general, there’s one skill that all good run producers in baseball possess – the ability to consistently put good swings on the ball when pitchers attack the strike-zone. In this instance, Crawford saw 2 belt-high fastballs in fastball counts and swung through both of them. Even without the benefit of a hit, Crawford could have extended the Giants lead and provided Jeff Samardzija with some breathing room. Instead, the strikeout forced Hunter Pence (who’s completely lost at the plate) to hit with 2-outs – a situation where the Giants have hit .209 on the season. Crawford and Pence are absolutely killing the Giants. Crawford is now batting .216 on the year with runners in scoring position, 73 points lower than he did a year ago, while Pence is batting .265 without a single extra base hit and 8 strikeouts in 38 total plate appearances with runners in scoring position. On paper, the Giants were right where they wanted to be – an opportunity to break the game open early with (historically) their two best run-producers coming to bat. The inability of two of the Giants’ best (and highest paid) players to come through when it matters most is yet another example of why the Giants sit at 25-38 on the season and are 12 games out of 1st place.