San Francisco Giants News Blog

Giants Edge Padres 4-3 in 11 Innings

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum winds up to throw to the San Diego Padres during the first inning in San Francisco on Monday, June 25, 2007.

SAN FRANCISCO --Padres general manager Kevin Towers expects the last-place San Francisco Giants to be back in the division race by the trade deadline next month. The Giants' last three games have given them the confidence it could happen, even though they trail NL West-leading Arizona by 10 games.

"Usually you do good when you're happy and positive," reliever Vinnie Chulk said.

Giants 4, Padres 3, 11 innings

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

Bonds lined a single to right for his lone hit of the night, then Feliz delivered the fourth game-ending hit of his career two batters later. Bonds was swarmed as he crossed the plate, sealing the Giants' third straight win.

Vinnie Chulk (3-2) pitched a perfect inning for the victory after Brad Hennessey struck out two in two scoreless innings, including Mike Cameron's third strikeout of the game in the 10th after Cameron had tied the score with a three-run homer in the eighth.

Fans jumped to their feet and chanted "Barry! Barry!" before he singled in the 11th off Justin Hampson (2-2), who made a nice play to throw out Ray Durham at third on Ryan Klesko's bunt following Bonds' single.

Astros fall flat again

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

BIGGIO WATCH

Four to go: The Astros' Craig Biggio is closing in on the 3,000-hit club.

Beavers' cupboard doesn't look bare for 2008

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

The final press conference of the NCAA baseball tournament's Charlottesville (Va.) Regional had just broken up earlier this month when Oregon State outfielder Mike Lissman leaned over and whispered, "I promise you, we aren't losing anymore."

At the time it sounded like the exhilarated declaration of an athlete jacked up by triumph.

And why not? The Charlottesville Regional was a tough one, the Beavers had barely made it into the tournament at all, and their play hadn't been convincing enough to make it appear they had fully recovered from their late-season Pacific-10 Conference swoon.

Complaints About Schedule Arrive on Time

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

Earlier this month, Boston Red Sox fans were angry. All right, Red Sox fans can often get angry when anyone says anything they construe as negative about their team or positive about their team’s archrival, the Yankees.

But in this particular instance, they were outraged because it was the start of a 17-day interleague segment of the major league schedule, and the Yankees were playing the unimposing Pittsburgh Pirates while the Red Sox were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were practically in first place in the National League West.

Those games came at a time when the Yankees had revived themselves and were winning. Not surprisingly, the Yankees swept the Pirates in a three-game series (and then the Diamondbacks, too) on their way to a nine-game winning streak that slashed Boston’s lead over them to seven and a half games.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL UPDATE:Zaun's bat beginning to heat up

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

Catcher sees average soar while batting second in Toronto lineup; Hirsh looks to get back on track.

GLENDALE ? The following are updates on local athletes competing in Major League Baseball.Gregg Zaun (St. Francis, 1989) catcher, Toronto Blue Jays: In good health, Zaun has begun to see his batting average swell in recent weeks. Entering Monday's road game against the host Minnesota Twins, Zaun was batting .233 with two home runs and 17 runs batted in.The Glendale native missed most of the first two months of the season because of a broken right thumb. He returned in early June and has batted a...

Midseason baseball numbers mean trouble for most teams

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

Baseball hits the season's halfway pole this weekend, and we're here to ask about the ailing. This is for the downtrodden teams who will celebrate the coming holiday with grilled disappointment and a couple of scoops of homemade frustration.

You know ... the feel-bad stories.

There's no reason to worry about the Boston Red Sox, who at 11 games, have the largest lead in their history at this stage.

Schierholtz gets call from Giants

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

SHOULD WE CALL them the San Francisco Giants of San Ramon Valley High now? While riding the bus Sunday night from Las Vegas, 23-year-old Nate Schierholtz of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies received the news he had been waiting for: the Giants had called him up to replace outfielder Dan Ortmeier. The next evening, Schierholtz was brought in to play right field in the ninth inning of the Giants' 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at AT&T Park, his first ever Major League action. In left field was another San Ramon Valley alum, Randy Winn.

Schierholtz, a Danville native, had to rustle up about 25 tickets for friends and family for the contest. They made their presence felt, as a raucous cheer could be could heard after Schierholtz caught a fly ball off the bat of Troy Glaus for the first out of the inning.

Schierholtz wasn't called up because Ortmeier, who hit two important home runs and batted .269 in 26 games, didn't succeed. Schierholtz was promoted for two reasons. First, he bats left-handed, and the Giants were set to face a steady diet of right-handed pitching against the Blue Jays and Red Sox this week. Even more important was how well Schierholtz has been hitting this season for Fresno. After Sunday, Schierholtz was third in the Pacific Coast League with a .347 batting average and tied for third in the PCL with 77 hits in 58 games.

SRVHS grad plays for Giants

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:58 +0000

I WAS STEALING a quick glance at AT&T Park while driving across the top deck of the Bay Bridge on June 12 when I heard the news: Randy Winn was out of the lineup with a ribcage strain, replaced by Nate Schierholtz in right field, his first start with the San Francisco Giants.

I had to be there. With Armando Benitez, anemic hitting and last place in the standings being the hallmarks of this season thus far, Schierholtz and his rise from San Ramon Valley High has been the only Giants-related story holding my attention lately.

However, I was still without a ticket or even a parking spot, and first pitch was in 15 minutes. So it was in my car where I heard Jon Miller report that Schierholtz, hitting second in the order, knocked a single to right field in his first Major League at-bat. The San Ramon Valley alum's base hit moved Dave Roberts into scoring position. Roberts would later score as the Giants defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2.

Rocket Relieves, but Can't Help Yankees