Locked On Giants – Daily Podcast On The San Francisco Giants

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' come-from-behind "road" win over the Mariners in San Francisco. This was supposed to be a two-game series in Seattle, but it was moved to SF because of poor air quality in the Seattle region. The Giants seemed to take advantage, winning both games in the short series. San Francisco overcame an early 4-1 deficit with runs in the 6th and 7th innings to win 6-4. Mike Yastrzemski had to leave the game in the early innings due to calf tightness. In his place, rookie Luis Basabe ended up playing a huge role in the Giants' comeback. Basabe singled for his first major league hit and scored a run in the 6th. In the 7th, he drew a two-out walk that preceded Wilmer Flores' huge two-run triple that gave the Giants the lead. Giants starter Tyler Anderson was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the third inning. Wandy Peralta stepped up with three scoreless innings in relief to keep the Giants in the game, and the bullpen battled through some dicey moments to hold on the rest of the way. In the aftermath of this win, the Giants find themselves in strong playoff position, taking over the No. 7 seed. They have a tough road ahead, with three games against the A's and four games against the Padres remaining on the schedule. They will also await the results of Yastrzemski's MRI on his calf. They can't afford to lose their MVP for too many games, as he's been a force all season long and the options to take his place would be a huge downgrade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' 9-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. This was a make-up game from Tuesday's postponement in Seattle. The two-game series was moved to San Francisco due to poor air quality in the Seattle area. The Giants took advantage of their home ballpark, scoring runs in each of the first four innings. Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria, and Brandon Crawford crushed home runs, and Donovan Solano and Alex Dickerson contributed with multiple hits of their own. On the mound, Drew Smyly was as dominant as he's been all season. He had to miss over a month with an index finger strain, but when he's been on the mound for the Giants this year he has been nearly unhittable. Last night he struck out eight batters in 3.2 innings, featuring a wicked curveball that the Mariners could do nothing with. At one point Smyly had seven strikeouts, all on curveballs, and all swinging. He was just bouncing the pitch in the dirt with two strikes and the M's just could not lay off. The win brought the Giants back to .500 at 24-24. They're holding onto the NL's No. 8 seed, the final postseason spot, by the slimmest of margins. They have a 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals, with many other teams not far behind. The Giants control their own destiny down the stretch, but they must take advantage of teams like the Mariners and Rockies in their final 12 games, because they also have to face two of the best teams in baseball in the A's and Padres. The Giants play the last of this two-game series with the Mariners this afternoon. Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the Giants' two-game series in Seattle being shifted to San Francisco because of poor air quality in the Seattle area. Tuesday's game against the Mariners was postponed a few hours before it was scheduled to begin because of air quality concerns, and it was quickly announced that the teams would travel to San Francisco to make up the game. Both teams had a scheduled off day on Thursday, so instead of playing on Tuesday and Wednesday, they'll now play on Wednesday and Thursday in San Francisco, with the Mariners being the home team. Air quality in the Bay Area had been poor all week prior to the last few days, but thankfully it's gotten better recently, and on Wednesday the air quality was pristine for the first time in almost a month. Hopefully it stays that way, because the Giants are scheduled to play the remainder of their season (13 games) in the Bay Area, both at home and against the Oakland A's. In other news, the MRI on Kevin Gausman's elbow came back clean, which is huge for the Giants' postseason aspirations. The team's playoff odds have slipped in recent days as their opponents put together key victories, so the Giants need all the help they can get down the stretch. Gausman has been one of the Giants' best starters this season, so having him for two or three games in the season's final week and a half could have a big impact. Also discussed on today's show is Madison Bumgarner's season in Arizona. Many Giants fans were furious when the team did not re-sign the San Francisco legend, but Bumgarner has had a disastrous season in the desert and has been by most metrics the worst starting pitcher in baseball. He allowed eight runs on 12 hits and two home runs in his start last night. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick provides updates about the San Francisco Giants' place in the National League wild card standings, and answers questions from listeners. Among the questions asked and answered are: Do you believe Zaidi can identify potentially top tier pitching talent eventually? Part of me worries that he is just significantly better at identifying talent in position players; What do you imagine is the front office's long term strategy for improving our farm system's pitching depth? Do you think they believe they currently have an ace-in-the-making in the farm, or do they plan to buy pitching like the 2015/2016 Cubs? If the Giants could control who they play against in the playoffs, what do you think is their most likely path to the World Series? Is Brandon Crawford back to being a good fielder? All that and more on today's Locked On Giants. Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the Giants' wild weekend in San Diego. Alex Dickerson tested positive for Covid-19 prior to Friday's game, and the game was postponed minutes before it started. In the following days, however, it became clear that Dickerson's positive test was a false positive. Once the league was confident that no members of the Giants had the virus, a doubleheader was scheduled for Sunday. Prior to the doubleheader, Kevin Gausman was scratched from his start due to elbow discomfort. He received an MRI and the results are not yet known. The Giants fell completely flat in Sunday's doubleheader. They were dominated by the newly acquired Mike Clevinger in the first game, and then Garrett Richards and the Padres bullpen held the Giants to just one run in the second game. Logan Webb pitched pretty well besides allowing a solo home run to Wil Myers. Sam Selman entered a tie game in the sixth inning and issues two walks to start the frame. Both runners ended up scoring after Evan Longoria booted a ground ball that could have been a double play. It's easy to say the Giants offense looked flat in this series, but the Padres pitching deserves most of the credit. It's now scoreboard watching season for the Giants. The Brewers and Rockies trail San Francisco by just 1.5 games in the standings for the NL's final playoff spot, and the Reds and Mets are just two games back. The Brewers play a doubleheader with the Cardinals today, and the Reds play a doubleheader today with the Pirates. Those games could have a big impact on the standings. The Giants' remaining schedule features some winnable games and some tough series. Four of their remaining 13 games are against these extremely tough Padres. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants releasing the beloved Pablo Sandoval, adding Justin Smoak and Drew Smyly to the roster, and losing 6-1 to the San Diego Padres. Before the game, the Giants announced that they had placed Sandoval on unconditional release waivers and activated the recently signed Smoak. They also activated Drew Smyly off the injured list and optioned Rico Garcia to the Alternate Site in Sacramento. It's the end of an era with Sandoval being released. Sandoval left on not the greatest of terms following the 2014 championship season. He returned with his proverbial tail between his legs in 2017 after being released from the Red Sox, and reestablished his legacy and his relationship with the fans over the next few years. In Smoak, the Giants are gaining a player who struggled this year before being released by the Brewers, but has a strong track record of patience and power. He will represent a threat to draw a walk or hit a home run every time he steps to the plate. The Giants were dominated by the Padres in last night's loss. Despite the loss, the Giants maintained a two-game lead over the Rockies for the NL's final playoff spot. Trevor Cahill was shaky in the start and the Giants' offense couldn't muster much against Padres pitching, but Smyly came out of the bullpen and was absolutely dominant over four innings. He struck out eight and walked one, and got a ton of swinging strikes. Smyly was dominant for the Giants before going on the injured list, so last night was just a continuation of how great Smyly has looked all year. The Giants figure to use him out of the rotation down the stretch, but could use him as a super reliever instead. Either way, the Giants are probably interested in keeping Smyly in their organization beyond 2020 based on how he's pitching. If he keeps this up, he could be in high demand in the offseason. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants, host Ben Kaspick converses with Locked On Padres host Javier Reyes about their two teams' upcoming four-game series in San Diego. The Padres are playing like one of the best teams in baseball, and very quietly the Giants have been a good team in their own right this year, despite low expectations from observers on the outside. Ben talks about what's driven the Giants' unexpected success, discusses the Giants' inactive trade deadline, and gives an assessment of the job new manager Gabe Kapler has done so far in San Francisco. On the flip side, Javier talks about the Padres' excellent start to the season, their extremely busy trade deadline in which they acquired quality players like Mike Clevinger, Austin Nola, Mitch Moreland, and Trevor Rosenthal, all without giving up any of their top prospects, and what it would be like for the Padres to make the playoffs for the first time in a long time, and how he'd like their chances in a possible playoff matchup. Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' come-from-behind win against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. Logan Webb started for the Giants, and he very clearly did not have his best stuff. He struggled as he gave up five runs in the first few innings, but the Giants chipped and clawed their way back into the game with multiple two-out rallies. Brandon Belt had two clutch singles that drove in runs, and Alex Dickerson, Mauricion Dubón and Darin Ruf hit huge home runs. The comeback win was just one of many the Giants have had this year. It's come to define their season. After the game, Webb and Dickerson praised Giants manager Gabe Kapler for giving them positive reinforcement at exactly the right moments. They also praised his game management, as his moves for pinch hitting for Dickerson with Ruf and using Alexander Basabe as a defensive replacement all paid off in big ways. The Giants' bullpen also played a big role in the win, holding the Mariners scoreless across four innings of work. The Giants (22-21) improved to one game over .500 for the first time since Aug. 1 when they were 5-4. They currently hold the No. 8 seed in the NL wild card race, with a 1.5 game lead over the Colorado Rockies for the NL's final playoff spot. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night. Kevin Gausman was on the mound for the Giants, and he continued to do what he's done all season, and that's rack up strikeouts. On the other side, Zac Gallen was on the mound for the D-backs, and he brought with him his record streak of consecutive games to start a career allowing three runs or fewer. Gallen was cruising through the first five innings, but the Giants got to him in a big way in the sixth. The Giants loaded the bases with nobody out, and Mike Yastrzemski hit a single that tied the game. Next up was Darin Ruf, who entered the game after Alex Dickerson fouled a ball off his knee and had to leave the game. Run delivered a clutch, two-run single that gave the Giants a 3-1 lead. After a Donovan Solano single forced Gallen out of the game, Brandon Belt drew a bases-loaded walk that became the fourth earned run against Gallen, the first time he's ever allowed four runs in a major league game. The Giants held on to win 4-2, bringing them back to .500 for the first time since they were 5-5. They also remained in playoff position, currently the No. 7 seed, and a half game ahead of the ninth-seeded Rockies. The Giants' remaining schedule is a mixed bag. They have four games against the Mariners (including a two-game home series that begins tonight) and four against the Rockies, but seven against the Padres and three against the A's. It figures to be a tough race to the finish, but the Giants are in pretty good position to nab one of the eight postseason spots up for grabs in the National League. FanGraphs lists the Giants' postseason chances at about 58%. Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants winning two of three over the weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with one game remaining in the series on Monday evening. The Giants lost a heart breaker on Friday, after failing to score despite having the bases loaded and no outs in the 8th inning when trailing by just one run. Mauricio Dubón tagged up from second base on a shallow fly ball by Alex Dickerson, and Steven Duggar on third base bluffed the tag. Dubón didn't notice in time that Duggar wasn't going, and Dubón was doubled off. The Giants' odds of winning was up to 71% when they had the bases loaded and no outs, and those odds fell to 30% after the double play. The Giants did not score again and lost the game by one run. On Saturday, the Giants took care of their former ace Madison Bumgarner. Evan Longoria and Darin Ruf hit back-to-back homers in the second inning, and the Giants added two more runs against the D-backs bullpen in the late innings on back-to-back triples by Joey Bart and Dubón. Those were the first triples in each player's major league career. On Sunday, the starting pitcher Johnny Cueto and the Giants gave up two runs in the top of the first, but answered back with a solo home run by Chadwick Tromp in the third, and escaped bases loaded, two out, full count situations in both the fifth and sixth, the latter being inherited and handled by Caleb Baragar. Ruf made a nice catch to save the day, and WIlmer Flores and Alex Dickerson also made really nice defensive plays that were important in the game. Donovan Solano hit a huge go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, and Brandon Belt continued his torrid stretch by hitting a pinch hit homer in the late innings. The Giants bullpen pitched a shutout, as Baragar, Jarlin Garcia, Tony Watson, and Tyler Rogers closed out the win. The Giants are now just one game under .500 and currently hold the No. 8 postseason seed in the National League. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick answers listeners' questions about the San Francisco Giants. Among the questions asked and answered are: Are there any pitchers in Sacramento now that have a chance to help the Giants in the bullpen? Looking to the offseason, do you see Farhan signing a player to a multi-year contract or should we expect more of the same quiet, under-the-radar pickups? And at what point will the Giants next make a big splash in free agency? What, if any, free agents should the Giants be looking into during the winter meetings? Which world series team was your favorite and why? Could you break down the Giants' offensive production so far and what you expect of guys rest of season?. Especially Longoria, Belt, Solano, Crawford, Dickerson. All of that and more on today's Locked On Giants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' disappointing loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon in Denver. Despite the loss, the Giants remain in the thick of a tight wild card race in the National League. The Giants held onto the eighth and final postseason spot entering the game, a half game up on the Rockies, but with the loss the two teams swapped places in the standings. Now the Giants are on the outside looking in, but they're just half a game out of a playoff spot with 22 games remaining. The Rockies' next series is against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The Dodgers, of course, have the best record in baseball. The team that currently holds the No. 7 seed in the wild card race is the Miami Marlins, and the Giants are just one game behind them in the standings. The Marlins' next series is against the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa, and the Rays have the second-best record in baseball. Therefore, the Giants have a good opportunity this weekend when they play the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks to vault themselves forward in the standings. They'll face a familiar face on Saturday, when Madison Bumgarner will oppose his former team for the first time. The Giants have hit lefties well all season long, and Bumgarner is just another lefty at this point. Bumgarner had an awful start to the season with his new team, and was placed on the injured list with a back issue after a handful of starts. The Giants expect Austin Slater to come off the injured list this weekend, and he's a key cog in their lineup against lefties. Postmates For a limited time, Postmates is giving our listeners ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS of free delivery credit for your first SEVEN days. To start your free deliveries, download the app and use code LOCKEDON. Indeed RIGHT NOW, Indeed is offering our listeners a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT to boost your job post - which means more quality candidates will see it, fast. Try Indeed out with a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT at indeed.com/lockedonmlb.  Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' historic 23-5 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. Alex Dickerson homered three times—and very nearly hit a fourth—as the Giants pounded the Rockies and scored in every inning but the 9th. The 23 runs and 27 hits tied a San Francisco Giants record. The Giants got production up and down the lineup. They had three players with six runs batted in, which is the first time that's ever happened since RBI became an official stat in 1920. After the game, Brandon Crawford, who had hree hits including a three-run homer, credited the new hitting coaches for the team's offensive success this year. The new staff was much maligned by fans and even some members on the media coming into the year, but they've clearly had a big impact on a team that's now leading the majors in hits and is third in runs scored. The Giants are now in playoff position, half a game ahead of the Rockies for the eighth and final postseason spot. With a win today, the Giants can gain some separation and would be at least a game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. Postmates For a limited time, Postmates is giving our listeners ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS of free delivery credit for your first SEVEN days. To start your free deliveries, download the app and use code LOCKEDON. Indeed RIGHT NOW, Indeed is offering our listeners a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT to boost your job post - which means more quality candidates will see it, fast. Try Indeed out with a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT at indeed.com/lockedonmlb.  Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick answers wide-ranging questions from listeners about the San Francisco Giants. Does the team's inactivity at yesterday's trade deadline suggest an ownership mandate not to take on salary? What would that mean for next year? Who are the players on the current 28-man roster that won't be on the team at the start of the 2021 season? With Joey Rickard out for the year and Austin Slater due back soon, do the Giants call up Heliot Ramos or Jaylin Davis? Which Giants player needs to get hot for the team to make the playoffs? What happens to Buster Posey's contract given that he opted out of the season? All of that and more on today's Locked On Giants. Postmates For a limited time, Postmates is giving our listeners ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS of free delivery credit for your first SEVEN days. To start your free deliveries, download the app and use code LOCKEDON. Indeed RIGHT NOW, Indeed is offering our listeners a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT to boost your job post - which means more quality candidates will see it, fast. Try Indeed out with a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT at indeed.com/lockedonmlb.  Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the Giants not making any major moves at the 2020 MLB Trade Deadline. After the Giants made five trades on deadline day last year, fans may have expected another flurry of activity for the retooling Giants. But there was no such flurry this year, as the Giants' only trade involved the recently DFA'd left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda, who will report to Sacramento. The Giants' inactivity made a lot of sense, however, for many reasons. First of all, this is an extremely weird season caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Giants figured to be involved in the rental market, potentially trading away short-term assets and seeking to also acquire short-term assets. But the rental market seemed particularly slow this year, with several players who seemed like candidates to be traded staying put. This was likely because teams were simply not willing to give up much of consequence for a player who would only be with them for one month (there's usually two months left after the deadline). Playoff teams also have to make it through a new best-of-three postseason round before advancing to a best-of-five, and there's always the threat that the virus could shut down the season. What's more, some may view this season's champion as illegitimate because of the shortened season. So, at the end of the day, the Giants, who are close to playoff position thanks to the expanded postseason, did not have any reason to "sell" short-term assets like Kevin Gausman and Tony Watson, unless they received substantial offers that likely just did not exist. Likewise, the Giants figured to be active in the short-term buying market (e.g., for players like Jackie Bradley Jr.), but they probably weren't willing to give up much of consequence for 24 games of a simply decent player. All that led to a deadline that had some excitement but was much slower than usual. Ultimately, this was to be expected and that's exactly how it played out. Now the Giants, who won two of three against the D-backs over the weekend, will continue the season with their roster intact, chasing an unlikely spot in the playoffs. Per FanGraphs, their odds of making the postseason stand at 39%. Postmates For a limited time, Postmates is giving our listeners ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS of free delivery credit for your first SEVEN days. To start your free deliveries, download the app and use code LOCKEDON. Indeed RIGHT NOW, Indeed is offering our listeners a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT to boost your job post - which means more quality candidates will see it, fast. Try Indeed out with a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT at indeed.com/lockedonmlb.  Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices