San Francisco Giants

Anyone want to change their vote in yesterday’s poll? Voggy’s WAR for the year is -0.6 so doesn’t that technically mean he’d be super easy to replace? Just pull something off the scrap heap in Frez-NO and we’re good to go? Well, it’s probably not as easy as WAR would have you believe. Anyway, here are the stats from the starters in Frez-NO: Underwhelming. Heston and Kickham have potential but they clearly aren’t harnessing it in Fresno yet and the other 3 guys suck. And now for a look at Double A: Fitzgerald is having a nice year and I like the K-totals but he’s from the 2008 draft and he’s probably just hoping to one day be AAA roster filler material. Not that they’d go there, but here is what’s going on in SanHo: There are a few other pitchers who had a start here or there but basically, this is it. Unless we want to see The Chad Gaudin Show– it’s one of those *alternative ending* movies that I don’t recommend any of us watch…. Here are the free agent pitchers listed by mlbtraderumors.com: I think Pavano is still in intensive care following his spleen surgery and Jamie Moyer might have passed on due to natural causes…. Brad Penny anyone? I might roll with that just to get a look at how fat he’s gotten….. Maybe a trade? Does Sabean have the Astros phone number? Bud Norris? The thing to remember is that Voggy is our #5. On almost all teams, the #5 is expected to suck. In fact, no where but within the SF fan base is there more deliberate discussion, panty-bunching and hand wringing about the state of our #5 pitcher—Zito a few years ago, Lincecum last year and Voggy this year. Another thought: this isn’t about filling a 6 week gap. Voggy has been terrible this year and the fact that he breaks his hand during his single good start of the year is a sign pointing to this just not being his year. The flip side is that a lot of people thought he had a tired arm from the extended 2012 season and then the WBC. So maybe the break (pun intended) will be good for him. But just in case, I’m preparing myself to tolerate what almost every other team in the league has to put up with every 5th start: pain.

Ryan Vogelsong pitched five shutout innings Monday night but left the game with an fractured right hand, sustained while batting, in the Giants' 8-0 triumph over the Washington Nationals.

Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong fractured two bones and sustained a dislocated joint in the pinkie finger of his right hand, injuries sustained while batting, in the Giants' 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals. He will undergo surgery Tuesday at Stanford Hospital and is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks.

Monday highlights from the Giants' farm: Gary Brown, Johnny Monell and Tony Abreu each homered as part of multi-hit games, and Austin Fleet allowed just 1 R in 6.0 IPAAA: Fresno defeated Oklahoma City 10-3(after scoring eight runs during the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings)Fresno: CF Gary Brown: 2 for 5, HRFresno: RF Roger Kieschnick: 1 for 4, HR, BBFresno: DH Tony Abreu: 2 for 3, HR, HBPFresno: C Johnny Monell: 2 for 4, HR, 2BOklahoma City: DH Fernando Martinez: 3 for 4, HRFresno: SP Mitch Lively: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 KThe Grizzlies went deep four times. Kieschnick and Monell each hit their 6th HR, Brown his 2nd HR, and Abreu his 1st HR. For Abreu, this was just his third game this year. The Redhawks got one big fly--theirs coming from Fernando Martinez, the former top prospect whom the Astros outrighted to the minors about a week ago.Lively made his first pro start after 221 relief appearances. Pitching on ten days rest, he threw 74 pitches (47 strikes) and completed five innings.AA: Richmond lost to Trenton 7-3Richmond: DH Javier Herrera: 2 for 4, SORichmond: 3B Mark Minicozzi: 2 for 3, BBRichmond: SP Omar Javier: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 KRichmond: RP Jose Valdez: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K--2 WPWith two hits each, Herrera and Minicozzi combined for all but one of the Flying Squirrels' five hits. Herrera also had his 12th SB.Javier's second start was brief. He threw less than half (19 of 42) his pitches for strikes while allowing half his batters to reach base. Valdez, the first of six relievers for the Squirrels, provided long relief, although he also threw only half (30 of 60) his pitches for strikes.A+: San Jose defeated Inland Empire 5-1San Jose: 2B Brock Bond: 2 for 4, 3B, BBSan Jose: RF Mac Williamson: 2 for 5, 3B, SOSan Jose: 1B Angel Villalona: 2 for 5, 2B, 2 SOSan Jose: SP Austin Fleet: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K--1 HBSan Jose: RP Josh Osich: 1.0 IP, 2 KSan Jose: RP Hunter Strickland: 1.0 IP, 2 KThe Giants had three hitters with two hits each. Those three hitters also had one each of the Giants' three XBHs. Williamon had his 2nd triple, Bond his 1st triple, and Villalona his 10th double. Williamson also threw out a runner at the plate.Fleet made perhaps his best start of the year, lowering his ERA to 2.45. Osich and Strickland each had 2 K in 1.0 perfect IP. Both relievers have an ERA below 1.00.A-: Augusta lost to Rome 6-0Augusta: CF Jesus Galindo: 1 for 3, BBAugusta: C Eric Sim: 1 for 3, BB, SO, GiDPAugusta: SP Justin Schumer: 4.0+ IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K--1 IBB, 2 WPGalindo and Sim each had one of the GreenJackets' two hits (both singles) and drew one of their four walks.Making his fourth start, Schumer allowed a season-high 6 H. His BAA rose to 3.19, although this start actually improved his ERA a bit, which remains above 10.00.

Before this season began, the pitching matchup fans will be treated to Tuesday night when the Washington Nationals visit the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park would have been billed as a duel between two of baseball's best: Stephen Strasburg vs. Matt Cain.

When the Giants were on their way to scoring their fifth run, I already had the opener to the post-game thread in mind. It went like this: I would have been okay with a Giants loss if Vogelsong pitched that well in a losing effort. As in, Vogelsong returning to form, giving us a little hope, would have been good news on its own. The Giants supporting him with a bushel of runs: gravy. Shaping up to be a great night! Dammit. Vogelsong was living in a Gulag two years ago, eating mice and insects to stay alive, so he's been through worse. But it's somehow more … unfair? … that the injury happened during the first excellent start of Vogelsong's season. I know Giants fans shouldn't be mumbling words like unfair, but I was pretty fond of this Vogelsong chap. He was a fixture -- the bright spot in the dreary 2011 season who was a walking reminder of why you followed baseball. Okay, he's not dead. So I probably shouldn't lay this on too thick. But we all needed a good game after the miserable road trip, and we got exactly that, but in a monkey-paw way. It's a hungry fellow getting a banana cream pie with a severed ear in it. Not funny. We'll talk about the other options in the morning. Mike Kickham? Chris Heston? Chad Gaudin? Justin Fitzgerald? Todd Wellemeyer? BIG TRADE FOR CLIFF LEE or ricky nolasco? Dunno. Let's sleep on it. For the first time in years, a starting pitcher of note is out for a while. It's hard to think about anything else right now. Though I did talk with some people around the office, Killer Peas. And while we appreciate your contribution to the get-dressed-in-something-and-get-on-TV arts, we're going to have to say "no thanks." Really, we should have been more forceful when people came up with giraffe hats, but the dude really did look like a giraffe, so it seemed harmless and cute at the time. But that permissiveness led to a slippery slope, and, well, we're sorry you got caught up in it. We might have an opening for The Bug Eyes Crew, which is something I just came up with. You wear these whenever the Giants are in the field, because two-thirds of the Giants' outfield is afflicted with bug eyes. Three if Andres Torres is in the lineup! We have your résumé on file, so we'll keep you in mind if we go through with this. Again, thanks. We'll call you. Amy Gutierrez (paraphrased): "You've been on fire lately. What's going on with you?" Brandon Belt (paraphrased): "I have no idea what's going on." Never change, you goofy bastard. Never change. If you get frustrated at Belt for being streaky, take a moment to appreciate just how entertaining he is. He could be a monosyllabic grunter who struck out 10 percent less. I wouldn't make that swap. No way. Luckily we don't have to. After Belt's 4-for-5 night -- a total inflated by the seeing-eye hits that he wasn't getting at all earlier in the season, mind you -- his season line is up to a respectable .261/.329/.449. The average can come up, and the OBP with it, but the power is already more than I expected. He's a homer away from last year's total, and the wretched funk from April is over. I think we're just going to have to get used to Belt as the streakiest player on the team. When his line drives were finding fielders early in the year, something got discombooberated in his head. It took a while, but now he's back. That's my working theory, anyway. We survived the Great Huff Wars. We've mostly forgotten the Less Great Pill Skirmishes. It didn't seem especially cool that we'd have to deal with another Belt-related batch of nonsense this year. So good for him for hitting. He probably didn't want to hear it, either. If he keeps hitting like this, we won't have to. Dammit, Vogelsong. I want to punch injuries right in the face. Though I'll bet injuries could absolutely kick my ass, so this is just talk. Just kidding, injuries.

The Giants dominated the Nationals at AT&T Park, but lost their starter, Ryan Vogelsong, for at least 6 weeks with fractures in his right hand. Key Lines: Angel Pagan- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .260. Pagan drove in 3 runs and scored 1 with a strong effort at leadoff.Marco Scutaro- 2 fo4 5. BA= .333. Scutaro now has 19 two-hit games on the season, one less than league leader Jean Segura. Brandon Belt- 4 for 5, HR(6). BA= .261. Yeah, I'd say Belt bought himself a much longer leash with this game. Gotta be a huge confidence builder. The lone out was a drive to the warning track in left-center. Belt is 12 for 30, an even .400 over his last 10 games with 3 dingers and 4 walks. He looks like he's having fun out there for maybe the first time in his MLB career. He looks like he's eager to come to the plate. Andres Torres- 3 for 5. 2B. BA= .247. Nice night for Torres who needed a confidence booster. Ryan Vogelsong- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 7.19. Vogey was pitching a fine game when he came to the plate in the 5'th inning and swung at a pitch that bored in on him and caught the 5'th finger and metacarpal on his right hand. You knew it was broken the instant you saw the impact. Dave Groeschner took one look and escorted him to the clubhouse. The report is his hand is fractured in 2 places with a dislocated joint. Owieeee! He is reportedly scheduled for surgery tomorrow and will likely miss at least 6 weeks. I think that is quite optimistic for this type of injury on his throwing hand.Javier Lopez- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.31. Tremendous outing by Lopez. He got a standing O when he walked off field after striking out Adam LaRoche.With the Win, the Giants remained 1 game behind the D'Backs, who topped the Rockies 5-1, in the NL West. The Rockies slipped to 3'rd place 2 games off the pace. The Pesky Padres beat the Cards 4-2 to rmain 4.5 games back in 4'th place. The last place Dodgers defeated the BrewCrew 3-1 behind Clayton Kershaw to remain 7 games behind the leaders.Matt Cain takes the mound tomorrow night facing Stephen Strasburg.I suppose the speculation about Vogie's replacement can shift into high gear. One possibility is to make Chad Gaudin a starter and bring up a reliever like Sandy Rosario, who has been going 2 and 3 innings at a time in Fresno. Chris Heston is the only starter at Fresno currently on the 40 man roster. Heston has an inflated ERA, but has nice looking peripheral numbers. Of non-roster pitchers, LHP Mike Kickham has better numbers than Heston and ultimately has a higher ceiling, but might not be quite ready for the show. Boof Bonser is coming off his best start since signing with the Giants and could be a consideration. The Giants have some time before Vogies spot in the rotation comes up again. They could pursue a trade. Other teams will try to extract a premium return if they sense the Giants are desperate, though.

Ryan Vogelsong was having his best start of the year, dang it. There's no good reason why that should make this worse -- as if another bad start would have made us say, "Smell you later and thanks for Detroit!" -- but it does make it worse. Vogelsong was having his best start, and now he's broken. Vogelsong is out indefinitely with a fractured right hand, which he broke swinging on a fastball that tailed in on him. When hitters get hit on the hand by a pitch, you'll usually see the trainer out there for a few minutes and the hitter give the hand the ol' squeeze test for a while. Dave Groeschner was on the field for about 30 seconds before he took Vogelsong back in the clubhouse. That's right about when optimism went out for a pack of smokes and never came back. Mike Krukow said about six weeks on the broadcast, and while that was an educated guess, it jibes with the other fractured hands I could rustle up. It felt like Vogelsong was back, dang it. I know it was just one game, but it felt like he was the old new old Vogelsong again for the first time this season. But it's either Chad Gaudin or Mike Kickham time for the next month-and-a-half, with an outside chance of Chris Heston. Kickham isn't on the 40-man roster, though it shouldn't be too difficult to clear some room. There's time to figure that out. Tonight's reserved for saying things like "Dammit, Vogelsong." Update: two fractures, dislocated pinky, surgery, and six weeks. Dammit.

In a cruel stroke of fortune, Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong left Monday night's game with a possible injury to his throwing hand after shutting out the Washington Nationals for five innings.

Swat the Nats! (get it? been saving that one for a while)