The eternal struggle for fans, writers, analysts, and even coaches and front office folks this time of year, is figuring out what we can actually learn. When a team excels or face plants in Spring Training play, it’s hard to know what you’ve learned from that; don’t forget that the San Francisco Giants had the best record in the Cactus League last year, and we saw where that got them. When a player slumps or shines, it’s difficult to judge how much we should read into that; after all, last year’s
camp battle for the backup catcher went swimmingly, with Sam Huff and Max Stassi both posting Bonds-esque OPS’, and we know how that ended.
But there are some things that are binary. Things that we can learn concretely and not have to question. Bryce Eldridge can hit the ball hard, for instance. Heliot Ramos has bleached hair, for example.
And preseason pitchers’ duels are emphatically not for radio.
The Giants suffered just their third defeat of Cactus League play on Monday, losing 2-0 to the Los Angeles Angels in a game that lasted two hours and 11 minutes. There were zero home run calls.
It was not particularly enjoyable. The teams went back and forth doing nothing at all (the hitters, at least), until the Angels finally broke through in the ninth inning in the portion of the contest where the game is populated almost solely by players who will begin the season in the Minor Leagues.
I, for one, am happy that baseball is back and that we get to consume it in its many forms of glory. But as the kids say: this ain’t it.
Robbie Ray got the start for the Giants, and it was an exceedingly Robbie Ray start. He became the first Giants pitcher to go more than three innings in a game this spring (not counting Logan Webb’s WBC outing), and he did everything in his power — for better and for worse — to keep the ball from being put in play.
In all, Ray faced 14 Angels hitters, and just four of them put the ball in play. He struck out four batters, while working nine swings-and-misses. He walked four batters, while throwing just 29 of 56 pitches for strikes. He hit a batter. He picked a runner off. He got a double play courtesy of Matt Chapman somehow catching a 114.2-mph line drive without losing his entire arm in the process.
And that was his day: four no-hit innings that somehow left you wondering if he actually pitched well or not.
He was followed by a trio of non-roster invitees who all pitched very impressively. The fifth was handled by righty Caleb Kilian and the seventh by lefty Juan Sánchez, as they both built on their exceptional springs. Kilian didn’t have quite the velocity we’ve seen out of him in earlier appearances — he topped out at 97.3 — but needed just 11 pitches to work around a single and get through the inning. Like Ray, his day ended with some help from his defense, when he and Patrick Bailey combined for a strike-‘em-out, throw-‘em-out double play. Sánchez was even more efficient, requiring just eight pitches to breeze through a perfect frame, and throwing just one ball.
In between those two was Wilkin Ramos, who has struggled quite a bit this spring, but did not do so on Monday. His scoreless inning wasn’t quite as clean — he allowed a single to former Giant Jorge Soler and needed 17 pitches — but it was impressive nonetheless, as he retired Mike Trout and Zach Neto with Soler on base to get through the inning.
It was only when the mound was turned over to the players on loan from Minor League camp that things got hairy. They started well, though, with southpaw Nick Zwack setting down the side in order in the eighth inning. But righty Trystan Vrieling — part of the Camilo Doval return — came on for the ninth, with the game still knotted 0-0, and the game changed. Vrieling was not as sharp as the pitchers who came before him and, critically, he did not get the help of his defense, either.
The inning started with Raudi Rodriguez reaching safely on an error by Osleivis Basabe, who started the game at second base but had shifted to shortstop by that point. Vrieling then ceded back-to-back singles as Anaheim Los Angeles took the lead. A successful squeeze bunt with runners at the corners gave the Angels an insurmountable two-run advantage.
On offense, the Giants mustered nothing. Off days happen for everyone, so here’s a reminder that San Francisco has had the most successful offense in Cactus League play this year. They were just completely quieted by José Soriano, Chase Silseth, and George Klassen. The Giants had just three hits on the day: a double by Basabe, and singles by shortstop Willy Adames and first baseman Casey Schmitt. Backup third baseman Parks Harber drew a walk, while backup catcher Logan Porter was hit by a pitch, rounding out the team’s five baserunners. They had just three at-bats with runners in scoring position all game, and went 0-3 in them.
So it goes. Hopefully you were taking a walk, or reading a book, or having coffee with a friend, and not listening to baseball today. And if you were listening to baseball? Well … now that I mention it, it seems like a fairly silly and trivial thing to complain about.
A few more notes from the game:
- Rafael Devers made his return after being sidelined with a hamstring issue. He didn’t play in the field, though, but was instead the designated hitter. He went 0-3 with two strikeouts.
- In addition to Soler, the Giants also faced a former teammate: Wade Meckler! The Meckman came off the bench and played left field. He lined out in his only at-bat of the game.
- The five hardest-hit balls of the game for the Giants: a Grant McCray lineout (108.5 mph), an Adames lineout (106.7), a Jared Oliva lineout (101.8), Adames’ single (98.9), and a Victor Bericoto groundout (98.9). The Angels had the four hardest-hit balls of the day.
- The Giants are now 13-3 in Cactus League play, and visit the Cleveland Guardians tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. PT in another game that is only on radio. Carson Seymour is set to start and, most notably, Hayden Birdsong is scheduled to pitch.
