Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
SF Giants Press Clips
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
San Francisco Chronicle
Giants win in 11 innings in Buster Posey’s return
Henry Schulman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On the night Bruce Bochy was hospitalized in Miami with a heart
arrhythmia in August, the Giants made him stress through 14 innings before they won.
Bochy had another stressor Tuesday night as he rested at home in San Diego from a morning
procedure to fix another arrhythmia. His TV surely was on for all 11 innings before the Giants
sneaked out of Kauffman Stadium with a 2-1 victory
“I hope he wasn’t watching it,” acting manager Ron Wotus said. “He has a knack for knowing
when to take off, I’ll tell you that.”
Regardless of who was manning the tiller, the Giants needed to win in their first game in Kansas
City since Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, and not for nostalgia’s sake.
A loss would have left them 5-10. Though history shows that is not a death knell for a team with
playoff aspirations, the math is not pretty, starting with the need to win five in a row just to
reach .500.
2
Joe Panik, whose two-out single in the 11th brought Nick Hundley home with the go-ahead run,
called it a “character win.” It also was the Giants’ first one-run win in six one-run games.
“Games like this you want to win,” Wotus said. “When you lose these extra-inning games, it’s
tough the next day, especially where we’ve been.”
Hundley was catching despite Buster Posey’s return from the concussion list. The team elected
to ease Posey back as the designated hitter. He had three hits.
Wotus believes Posey will DH again Wednesday night rather than catch Madison Bumgarner,
but Posey could talk his way behind the plate.
The Giants’ pitching standout Tuesday was not on the 2014 postseason roster.
Matt Cain built on his five-inning win against the Diamondbacks at home last Wednesday with
seven better innings against the Royals. He held them to four hits, one a solo homer by Whit
Merrifield in his 2017 Kansas City debut.
“It was a good day,” said Cain, who had not had many over the previous four seasons.
If Merrifield faces Bumgarner on Wednesday, it will not be the first time. They are from the
same area of North Carolina and played against one another as kids. In fact, Merrifield told
Kansas City writers that Bumgarner drilled him when they were about 11.
Bumgarner laughed when he was told and said, “I don’t remember that. I’m sure it was an
accident.”
A bullpen that has settled nicely since its opening-week failures added four shutout innings.
Steven Okert threw a huge pitch, getting Eric Hosmer to ground out with the bases loaded to
end the eighth inning.
Derek Law pitched two innings for the win. His night and the 10th inning ended when he got
Hosmer to ground into an eerie double play with two aboard. Just as he did in the third inning
3
of Game 7 in 2014, Hosmer grounded to Panik, who fed to Brandon Crawford, who relayed to
Brandon Belt only to have Hosmer called safe at first.
Just as in 2014, replay coaches Shawon Dunston and Chad Chop urged a challenge and got the
call reversed.
“It’s funny, the first game back here, and it’s the same deal,” Panik said, “me to Crawford to
Belt to Dunston and Chop, 4-6-3 to I don’t know what numbers. Double-X’s, I guess.”
Lefty Scott Alexander got the first two outs in the 11th before Hundley dropped a double down
the left-field line. Panik lined a ball to right-center that Lorenzo Cain somehow got close to
catching with a dive. Cain short-hopped it and Hundley scored.
Mark Melancon got his third save, but it was scary. Two Royals singled before he got his third
strikeout of the inning (Raul Mondesi) to end a win against the majors’ worst clutch-hitting
team. The Royals are 13-for-87 (.149) with runners in scoring position.
San Francisco Chronicle
Giants manager Bruce Bochy undergoes ‘minor’ heart procedure
Henry Schulman
KANSAS CITY — Giants manager Bruce Bochy was resting at his house in San Diego on Tuesday
night after undergoing what the team described as a “minor ablation procedure” to repair an
abnormal heart rhythm.
Bochy underwent the procedure in San Diego on Tuesday morning and will miss the two games
in Kansas City. The Giants are off Thursday and the club hopes Bochy can return to the dugout
for Friday night’s game in Denver.
This marks the third time in three seasons that Bochy has been away from the team because of
heart-related issues. He was feeling symptoms of the arrhythmia during the homestand and
made an appointment to see his physician in San Diego on Monday morning.
4
“I knew he was going in to get checked out, and we discussed that this was a possibility,” acting
manager Ron Wotus said before Tuesday night’s game. Wotus and Bochy last spoke Sunday in
San Francisco, but they have texted since then.
Bochy, who turned 62 on Sunday, underwent an emergency procedure to insert two stents into
a blocked artery at the start of spring trainng in February 2015. Last August in Miami, Bochy
was hospitalized for observation overnight and missed one game because of a heart
arrhythmia. He did not have a procedure in Miami. Doctors adjusted his medication instead.
Tuesday’s procedure was to repair an atrial flutter, which the Mayo Clinic website describes as
a common arrhythmia caused by the upper chamber of the heart beating too quickly, causing
the heart to beat in a “fast, regular rhythm.”
The Mayo website says that in an ablation procedure, usually done through a catheter, doctors
scar or destroy the tissue that causes the flutter. Tuesday’s procedure did not require Bochy to
be hospitalized.
“Hopefully, he’ll get this taken care of and get back to a normal life,” pitcher Madison
Bumgarner said. “He’s had a little bit of a tough time the last few years with his heart. We’re all
thinking about him. It seems like he’s doing pretty good, from what we’ve heard.”
Catcher Buster Posey said he hopes Bochy takes the time he needs to make sure he is cleared
and able to manage.
Baseball, Posey said, “is a secondary thing in life.”
Bochy is in the first year of a three-year contract extension. Though his recent medical issues
have fueled speculation that he might retire prematurely, Bochy has said he has no plans to
leave the dugout.
In a March interview with Chronicle national baseball reporter John Shea, Bochy said he had no
plans to step down as long as he has a chance to win with the Giants.
5
“I’m hungry to win again. I want to get back,” Bochy said. “I want to win another championship.
That’s what drives me.”
Asked about his ultimate decision to retire, Bochy said, “They all say you’ll know. You’ll know
when it’s time. It’ll hit you. It’ll hit you on the mental side or even the physical side. Something’s
going to hit you.”
San Francisco Chronicle
With Buster Posey back, Tim Federowicz designated for assignment
Henry Schulman
KANSAS CITY — The Giants opted to keep a second left-hander in the bullpen rather than a
third catcher. When they activated Buster Posey from the disabled list before Tuesday night’s
game, they designated catcher Tim Federowicz for assignment and retained reliever Steven
Okert.
The Giants lack experienced catching depth and have to hope that Federowicz clears waivers
and accepts an outright assignment to Triple-A Sacramento.
Federowicz, 29, spent six games with the Giants in Posey’s absence. He started Thursday’s 3-1
loss to Colorado and pinch hit two nights earlier, going 0-for-2 with a walk combined.
Federowicz’s week in the majors was costly. The Giants had to clear a 40-man spot when they
purchased his contracted and designated pitcher Clayton Blackburn, whom they then traded to
the Rangers for 20-year-old infield prospect Frandy De La Rosa.
Had 40-man-roster catcher Trevor Brown been healthy, he probably would have been
promoted instead, but he is on the disabled list with hip and ankle injuries. Brown began a
rehab assignment with Sacramento on Tuesday.
Manager Bruce Bochy hinted last week that the Giants would keep Okert after recalling him
from Sacramento to replace outfielder Jarrett Parker. They wanted the extra pitcher for the
two games in an American League Park and the three at Coors Field.
Posey missed six games and most of a seventh after Arizona’s Taijuan Walker hit him in the
helmet with a 94-mph fastball in the first inning of the April 10 home opener. He returned as
6
the designated hitter Tuesday. Acting manager Ron Wotus said there is a “better possibility” of
Posey DHing again Wednesday rather than catching Madison Bumgarner.
“We just felt like it was a good move right now, where the season falls,” Posey said. “It makes
sense right now.”
Blessed replay: A TV gimmick might have saved the Giants in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series,
former pitcher Jeremy Affeldt revealed.
Fans remember the great double play that Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford turned in the third
inning of a 2-2 game. Hitter Eric Hosmer initially was ruled safe at first, but the call was
overturned on video review.
Affeldt said Ted Barrett, the third-base ump that night, told him the next spring that the video
umps could not find any angle that showed Hosmer was out until they reviewed the feed from
the bug-sized camera planted in the bases during the postseason.
“They don’t ever have it in the regular season,” Affeldt said. “They should.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Giants draft well, but where are the outfielders?
Bruce Jenkins
On a June day in 1977, the Giants drafted a high school player named Charles “Chili” Davis. He
came from from Dorsey High in Los Angeles. And it was the type of move that had become
quite familiar to Giants fans. A solid outfielder and good hitter, Davis proved to be everything
the franchise expected.
No one could have anticipated that it marked a startling dead end for the Giants’ outfield
development.
This isn’t a sad story, because the Giants drafted their way to a World Series appearance in
1989 and three world championships in China Basin. They are renowned for their scouting
instincts, and they appear to have a couple of intriguing prospects in recent No. 1 draft picks
Christian Arroyo (2013) and Tyler Beede (2014).
7
But they haven’t signed and developed a star outfielder in 40 years.
Davis, who spent the first seven of his 19 big-league seasons in San Francisco, was the last one.
And though nobody’s panicking about the club’s slow start, the issue comes into play with so
many questions to be answered about the team’s left-field deployment. Whether it’s the
disabled (Jarrett Parker), the injured (Michael Morse, Mac Williamson), the wayward (Melvin
Upton Jr., Justin Ruggiano, Drew Stubbs), the promising (Austin Slater, Jae-gyun Hwang) or 11-
year minor-leaguer Chris Marrero, the Giants fear they don’t have a left fielder who measures
up to big-league standards on a contending team.
“Right now, it’s a weakness,” general manager Bobby Evans said Tuesday morning before
boarding a flight to Kansas City, where the Giants opened a two-game series. “We knew going
in we wouldn’t have any guarantees there, and there would be the risk of struggles.
“We hope to turn it into a position of strength, and there’s no doubt Parker’s injury (broken
collarbone) was a setback. But we’re not 5-9 because of left field. We have veteran leadership
at every one of the other seven positions, plus the rotation and the closer. We’re 5-9 as a
team.”
For those who have followed the Giants over the decades, it’s a bit unsettling to ponder an
outfield that isn’t methodically destroying the opposition. That was the franchise’s identity
from the moment it began play in San Francisco in 1958.
Through the early 1960s, it wasn’t just the formidable presence of Willie Mays, or the agonizing
decision over whether to play future Hall of Famers Willie McCovey or Orlando Cepeda in left
field. The Giants routinely had professional hitters on the bench: Leon Wagner, Willie Kirkland,
Harvey Kuenn (acquired in trade), Manny Mota, Ollie Brown and the three Alou brothers: Felipe
(who had great years as a starter), Jesus and Matty. It was just a given for National League
opponents: The Giants had an eye for hard-hitting outfielders, and there were plenty to spare.
It got almost ridiculous as time went on. A kid named Bobby Bonds arrived in ’68, playing a few
games over the season’s second half. George Foster, bound for prodigious home run feats in
8
Cincinnati, broke in with the Giants in ’69. Dave Kingman forced his way into the lineup in ’71
and helped lead the way to the playoffs. Gary Matthews and Garry Maddox joined Bonds in a
tremendous all-around outfield (1973-74). And just when things finally began to go sour — Von
Joshua and the washed-up Bobby Murcer cracking the lineup in 1975 — Jack Clark arrived.
Since the drafting of Chili Davis? It has been a parade of not-quites including Rob Deer, Todd
Linden, Chris Singleton, Freddie Lewis, John Bowker and Roger Kieschnick. Let’s not forget
Marvin Benard, a 50th-round draft pick who spent nine years with the Giants, including a .322
season in 1998, but he didn’t fit into the star category. (Imagine the course of history if Barry
Bonds had signed with the Giants when they drafted him in 1982. He went to Arizona State and
signed with the Pirates in ’85.)
On several occasions over those 40 years, the Giants’ very first pick in the June draft was an
outfielder. The complete list:
1984: Alan Cockrell, University of Tennessee.
1989: Steve Hosey, Fresno State.
1990: Adam Hyzdu, Moeller High School, Cincinnati.
1994: Dante Powell, Cal State Fullerton.
2004: Eddy Martinez-Esteve, Florida State (the 29th pick of the second round; didn’t reach the
big leagues).
2005: Ben Copeland, University of Pittsburgh (the Giants didn’t have a pick until the fourth
round).
2010: Gary Brown, Cal State Fullerton. The Giants also got Parker and Adam Duvall, now a
power-hitting outfielder for the Reds but drafted and tested as an infielder during his brief time
in San Francisco.
2016: Bryan Reynolds, Vanderbilt. Highly regarded second-round pick off to a quick start (15-
for-40) at Class A San Jose.
“Well, it definitely hasn’t been a strength of ours,” Evans said. “It’s odd enough that I don’t
have a definitive explanation. One thing to remember is that during Bonds’ time (1993-2007)
we were constantly building our team around veterans. More recently, there’s obviously a
breakdown there, and it’s definitely something we’ve put on the radar. We don’t want that
9
area of weakness to become a distraction.”
Many fans have wondered about the possibility of Arroyo, probably the best hitter in the
Giants’ system, getting a trial in left field for Triple-A Sacramento. “We’ve talked about it, and
he’s taken a few flyballs, but we haven’t made that move yet,” Evans said. “When you’ve got a
kid about to turn 22, it’s tough when you throw him a new wrinkle. It can change the pace of
his progression. So we’re looking at him as an infielder for now.”
It’s important to remember, Evans said, that “when you’re looking to add players, it’s probably
easiest to get outfielders in trade. When you do that, it creates competition for your system.
But I think we’ve done pretty well there.”
To say the least. Since Brian Sabean took over the club after the 1996 season, the list of
outfielders acquired in trade or free agency includes Ellis Burks, Joe Carter, Kenny Lofton, Darryl
Hamilton, Reggie Sanders, Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou, Steve Finley, Randy Winn, Melky
Cabrera, Carlos Beltran, Aaron Rowand, Cody Ross, Pat Burrell, Angel Pagan, Andres Torres,
Gregor Blanco, Morse and two current starters, Hunter Pence and Denard Span.
That’s a hell of a track record. It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Giants pull a similar
move before the trade deadline. For now, there’s a gap in the starting lineup, and in the history
books. Quite the curiosity.
10
San Jose Mercury News
Cain rewards Bochy’s faith, Giants outlast Royals in 11 innings
Andrew Baggarly
KANSAS CITY – Even when Bruce Bochy isn’t in the ballpark, his intuition has a way of working
out.
While Bochy recuperated from a heart procedure in San Diego on Tuesday, Matt Cain rewarded
the manager’s faith in him. Cain was brilliant while holding the Kansas City Royals to a run on
four hits in seven innings, cementing his place in the Giants rotation that looked so shaky just a
week ago.
The Giants bullpen was just as tough, Joe Panik hit a tiebreaking single in the 11th inning, closer
Mark Melancon struck out Raul Mondesi to strand two runners and interim manager Ron
Wotus shook hands after a 2-1 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
Wotus was reminded: last year, when Bochy missed a game because of a heart scare in Miami,
Wotus managed the club to a 14-inning win.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Wotus said. “I hope he wasn’t watching it. He has a knack for knowing what
games to take off, I’ll tell you that.”
A week ago, it appeared that Cain would take off the series as well. But Bochy was resolute
after the right-hander’s last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks: he would not use
Monday’s travel day to skip Cain in the rotation.
Cain did not receive a decision, but he rewarded Bochy’s faith – and also got the chance to
experience pitching at Kauffman Stadium after elbow surgery deprived him of that chance in
the 2014 World Series.
The Giants were playing at Kansas City for the first time since winning Game 7 here.
“It’s a great place to pitch,” Cain said. “It’s a great ballpark, and after 2014, being on the
sidelines watching, for me to be a part of the rivalry and the atmosphere that the fans brought,
it was pretty cool.”
The only run Cain allowed came when Whit Merrifield hit his first major league home run in the
fifth inning.
“He was outstanding. I mean, really good,” Wotus said. “They’ve got a strong lineup with some
left-handed boppers, and he pitched extremely well.”
11
Cain said it was meaningful that he took his turn in the rotation, allowing him to stay on a
normal routine. He said he is benefiting from the side work he was able to do in the spring and
between starts – something he couldn’t do the previous two years, when he was more
concerned with how his arm would bounce back from day to day.
And throwing to Nick Hundley has helped him stand a little taller on the mound, too.
“He and Buster (Posey) are both so good at that,” Cain said. “They instill that confidence in you.
You don’t have to dig down and find it yourself.”
Hundley quietly had a huge game. He saved a run in the eighth inning when he blocked a pair of
Steven Okert pitches in the dirt before Eric Hosmer grounded out to strand the bases loaded.
Then Hundley doubled in the 11th and scored on Panik’s slicing single, which Royals center
fielder Lorenzo Cain only managed to trap.
“I saw a lot of green out there, and then you see Lorenzo running it down and, well, you have
bad thoughts,” Panik said. “Fortunately, that one caught some grass.”
Before Panik’s hit found grass instead of leather, both teams fumbled for a clutch hit and
combined to strand 21 runners. The Royals are 3 for 37 this season with two outs and runners
in scoring position (and 1 for 6 Tuesday), the worst in the major leagues.
The Giants almost out-wasted the Royals. Their lowlight came in the seventh inning when they
had three chances to score the tiebreaking run from third base, and couldn’t do it.
As a consequence, Cain took no decision. But he managed to gain momentum.
Now … will the Giants skip Cain’s next turn Monday in a homestand opener against the Los
Angeles Dodgers?
“I’m not privy to do that,” Wotus said. “Boch will be back and let you know what we’re doing.”
—
The Giants scored their only run for Cain in the sixth, when Panik singled and crossed the plate
on Hunter Pence’s RBI single. They would have taken the lead, but Royals catcher Salvador
Perez made an incredible tag at the plate.
Brandon Belt had tried to score from second base on Buster Posey’s single, which shortstop
Alcides Escobar dived to keep on the infield. Perez barely picked Escobar’s throw and held the
ball like a sno-cone as he stuck his mitt in front of the plate. Instead of kicking the ball out,
12
Belt’s big ol’ size 15s actually rammed the ball into the pocket.
—
Buster Posey came off the concussion list and had three singles in five at-bats as the designated
hitter, but he didn’t look too comfortable at the plate.
He came to bat with two on and two out in the 10th and didn’t take good swings while striking
out against left-hander Scott Alexander. Posey is expected to DH again on Wednesday.
—
Panik had to laugh after the Giants turned another 4-6-3 double play with an assist from a
replay challenge in the 10th inning – just as they did in Game 7 of the World Series.
Both times, Eric Hosmer was the batter ruled safe only to be called out upon review.
Panik memorably started that World Series double play behind Jeremy Affeldt when he made a
diving stop and flipped to Brandon Crawford with his glove. This one was a bit more
conventional, and replay officials Chad Chop and Shawon Dunston made sure that Wotus
challenged it.
“Same deal,” Panik said. “It was me to Craw to Belt to Chop and Dunston. … I came up here and
saw Dunston and Chop and thanked them again, just like I did in Game 7.”
—
The Giants painfully failed to score the tiebreaking run from third base with no outs in the
seventh inning. They started their rally when Brandon Crawford hustled for a double and
Eduardo Nuñez fouled off a bunt attempt before threading a single through the left side.
Hundley struck out, and then left-hander Travis Wood walked Panik to load the bases. Royals
manager Ned Yost stayed with Wood against Chris Marrero, who had a golden opportunity.
But Marrero didn’t protect with two strikes and took a fastball as umpire Lance Barksdale rang
him up. It was the key at-bat in the inning, which ended with Denard Span tapping out to
second base.
—
Derek Law pitched a pair of shutout innings to earn the victory.
—
13
The first Cain-Cain matchup in major league history went to … Matthew. He held Lorenzo Cain
hitless in three at-bats, all fly outs.
—
It is probably not in the Giants’ best interests for most games against the Royals to be decided
by outfield defense. Lorenzo Cain glided back to make a difficult catch on Hundley look easy in
the fifth inning. And left fielder Alex Gordon laid out to catch Marrero’s line drive in the sixth.
—
Wotus laughed when told that Bochy was watching the game, and complaining about having to
listen to Affeldt’s debut in the broadcast booth.
“I’m off the hook, and you can quote me on that,” Wotus said. “Listening to Affeldt? That’s
probably worse.”
San Jose Mercury News
Giants activate Buster Posey, kC trip brings back memories for Madison Bumgarner
Andrew Baggarly
KANSAS CITY – Buster Posey wasn’t sure how to answer the question: What can the league do
to protect players from concussions?
“I mean, when you take 93, 94 (mph) to the helmet, there’s not much you can do,” Posey said.
“It is what it is.”
A week after that scary incident, this is what Posey is: fortunate.
The Giants activated Posey from the concussion list after the minimum seven days and he is
starting at designated hitter as the club begins a two-game interleague series against the Royals
Tuesday night.
“I’m very grateful, to feel well as quickly as I did,” said Posey, who was plunked in the April 10
home opener by a fastball from Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker.
“Obviously, we’ve seen something like this last longer in the past for certain guys. So I’m very
grateful.”
Posey said he was available to catch, but with the DH available, it made sense to all parties to
let him ease back into action. Giants interim manager Ron Wotus, who is running the club in
14
this series while Bruce Bochy recuperates from a heart procedure, said that Posey was likely to
DH on Wednesday as well rather than catch Madison Bumgarner.
—
The Giants designated catcher Tim Federowicz for assignment to make roster space for Posey.
As you might recall, they had to DFA right-hander Clayton Blackburn, and then trade him to the
Texas Rangers, to clear a 40-man roster space for Federowicz a week ago.
That is a pretty price to pay for one week of a backup catcher. It’d be an even more painful
move if another club picks up Federowicz on waivers, thus delivering a hit to the Giants’
catching depth.
At least catcher Trevor Brown has begun playing for Triple-A Sacramento on what is officially a
rehab assignment. Brown has been out of action since the last week of spring training because
of ankle and hip ailments.
—
This is the Giants’ first visit to Kauffman Stadium since they won Game 7 of the World Series
here in 2014, and Bumgarner met with a dozen or so local reporters who wanted to ask about
his historic, five-inning relief stint that saw them through to the clinching out.
“I’m not big on ranking stuff like that, but if you’re going to force me to do it, it’s got to be
No.1,” Bumgarner said. “It just don’t get any better than that.”
Players and coaches on both sides are still talking about the frenzied environment during those
games, and how gracious the Kansas City fans accepted defeat. Bumgarner said he was glad to
see the Royals win a title of their own in 2015, and not just because it allows his performance
here to be cast in retrospect as more legendary than villainous by the locals.
“I mean, I get it for sure,” Bumgarner said. “I’m a baseball fan for sure. It’s pretty special
compliment. Maybe the fact they won the next year had something to do with that. I was glad
to see that. When we were out of it, I was glad to see these guys win, for sure.”
—
The Royals on Tuesday called up an infielder, Whit Merrifield, who played against Bumgarner in
high school. He might have been joking when he told reporters that Bumgarner once drilled him
in the head with a pitch.
“I did?” Bumgarner said. “I don’t remember. I’m sure it was an accident.”
15
—
Outfielder Michael Morse was supposed to begin playing for Single-A San Jose on Monday, but
the game was rained out. If he’s still there on Saturday, it appears he would face Sonny Gray.
The A’s ace is making a rehab appearance for Stockton on that day.
Right-hander Bryan Morris (fractured foot) also has reported to San Jose to begin rehabbing.
—
Jeremy Affeldt is making his broadcast debut in the same ballpark where he was the winning
pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series. So … no performance anxiety.
—
Lineups to follow:
MLB.com
Giants slip past Royals with 11th
-inning rally
Robert Falkoff
KANSAS CITY -- Joe Panik looped a two-out single to right-center, just in front of a
diving Lorenzo Cain, scoring Nick Hundley from second base and the Giants slipped past the
Royals, 2-1, in 11 innings Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Panik's single came off Royals left-hander Scott Alexander, who gave up a two-out double to
Hundley on a 3-2 pitch.
It was the first meeting between the two teams since Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. Panik
picked up his second career go-ahead RBI in an extra-inning game.
"When I hit the ball, I saw a lot of green out there," Panik said. "But then I saw Lorenzo running
it down. Luckily, the thing snuck down. But [the Royals] cover a lot of ground out there."
Super utility man Whit Merrifield, just called up from Triple-A, drilled a home run in the fifth
inning to the opposite field to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.
"That's why we have him here," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He swung the bat well."
Both starters turned in their best outings of the year. Royals right-hander Jason
16
Hammel worked six-plus innings and gave up six hits and one run. Giants right-hander Matt
Cain was even better, going seven innings while giving up four hits and one run.
"I think I did a good job of moving the ball in and out," Cain said. "They weren't able to sit on
one side of the plate and it worked out well."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
No more seventh-inning meltdown: During the first four games this season, the Royals gave up
14 runs in the seventh innings. But Tuesday, they squelched a Giants rally with superb bullpen
work. With the score 1-1, Brandon Crawford doubled and Eduardo Nunez singled, putting
runners on the corners with none out. Reliever Peter Moylan came on and struck out Hundley.
Left-hander Travis Wood replaced Moyland and walked Panik. But Wood struck out Chris
Marrero looking and then got Denard Span to hit a weak groundout to second.
"That was the best cutter I've had so far this season," Wood said. "I really stayed behind it."
Added Yost, "Our bullpen was phenomenal again. To get out of that jam was just a great job."
Another great escape: Giants reliever Derek Law danced out of big trouble in the 10th. With
one out, Mike Moustakas singled and Paulo Orlando pinch-ran. Lorenzo Cain followed with a
line single to second, pushing the winning run to second. Law fell behind the slumping Eric
Hosmer 3-1, but got Hosmer to roll into a 4-6-3 double play. Hosmer originally was ruled safe
but the call was overturned after a Giants challenge.
"That's a tough lineup to go through," said Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, who was handling
managerial duties Tuesday. "I thought our righties handled their lefties very well."
The perfect kick: The Royals denied the Giants a run after an amazing tag by catcher Salvador
Perez nailed Brandon Belt at the plate in the sixth inning. Buster Posey sent a grounder up the
middle with Belt on second base. Royals second baseman Raul Mondesi bobbled the grounder
as Belt kept running, heading for home. Mondesi's throw home was up the first-base line, but
Perez made a nice one-hop snare, then lunged back toward the plate as the ball snow-coned in
his mitt. Belt seemed to kick the ball back into Perez's mitt and was out on a close play.
"I don't know how Salvy hung on to that ball," Hammel said. "Nine out of 10 times that ball gets
kicked loose. Strong hands. That definitely was the play of the game."
QUOTABLE
17
"I mean, we can talk about Mondi until we're blue in the face. But we were 1 of 11 with runners
in scoring position. Mondi's not the problem." -- Yost on not pinch-hitting for struggling Raul
Mondesi with two on and two out in the ninth
WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: Left-hander Madison Bumgarner (0-2, 3.43 ERA) will take the mound Wednesday in a
park where he dominated during the 2014 World Series. Bumgarner has been the victim of
anemic run support this year, with the Giants scoring only five runs over three games with
Bumgarner on the mound.
Royals: Left-hander Jason Vargas (2-0, 0.66 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in
Wednesday's series finale at 7:15 p.m. CT. Vargas was outstanding last Thursday against the A's,
throwing 7 2/3 scoreless innings in a 3-1 win. Vargas walked one and struck out eight.
MLB.com
Panik produces more magic in Kansas City
Chris Haft
Giants second baseman Joe Panik maintained his penchant for distinguishing himself at Kansas
City. This time he boosted the Giants with his bat instead of his glove.
A high achiever in a low-scoring game, Panik singled home Nick Hundley with the tiebreaking
run in the 11th inning, five innings after he singled and scored San Francisco's initial run. Panik
thus contributed handsomely to the Giants' 2-1 triumph in Tuesday night's opener of a two-city,
five-game trip.
When Panik last performed in Kauffman Stadium, he captured attention far and wide with his
diving stop of Eric Hosmer's third-inning smash that started a double play and helped propel
the Giants to their Game 7 victory in the 2014 World Series.
This time, the stakes were much smaller. But Panik's level of play wasn't.
Again, he initiated a double play that halted a Royals rally before it started. Once more, Hosmer
was the luckless hitter who set the play in motion. As was the case in 2014, an umpires' video
review proved necessary to seal the call.
However, Panik generated his offense all by himself. He lifted his batting average to .319,
18
continuing to establish himself as a source of consistency on a team that lacks steady offense.
Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, who served as acting manager while Bruce Bochy recovered
from a mild heart procedure, wasn't surprised to see Panik deliver in the 11th, when he
followed Nick Hundley's two-out double with his line drive to center field that barely eluded
Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain. The left-handed-batting Panik defied the percentages by
stroking his hit off Royals lefty Scott Alexander.
"That's the type of player he is. He's a baseball player," Wotus said of Panik. "You get all the
statistics today, the matchups. But the guy plays baseball. He's in the moment and he wants to
be the guy. He's just a good hitter. In big situations, we've seen it from him a lot. Playoffs,
World Series, he's that type of player. It was nice to see him come through with that hit."
Panik wasn't certain he had the hit the Giants needed.
"Right when I hit it, I saw a lot of green," he said. "But going to first, you're seeing Lorenzo
running it down. Luckily, the thing snuck down. They cover a lot of ground out there.
Fortunately, that one caught some grass."
It was a night to savor for Panik, who keenly recalled the Giants' previous Kansas City visit.
"A lot of great memories," he said. "We had a great battle with them back in '14. It's a different
feel with April baseball, but we appreciate coming back here and all the memories that we
have."
MLB.com
Bumgarner brings thrilling memories to KC
Robert Falkoff
Madison Bumgarner isn't big on nostalgia, but the memories of his 2014 World Series
performance are sure to come rushing back when he strides in from the left-field bullpen to
start against the Royals on Wednesday night.
19
It's the first Kansas City appearance for Bumgarner since the herculean pitching effort when he
went five innings in relief and held off the Royals in a dramatic Game 7 that gave San Francisco
a third title in five years. After being throttled by Bumgarner in his two earlier starts of that
Series, the Royals were hoping they were through with Bumgarner. Not so fast. Bumgarner was
prepared to pitch as long as necessary to claim the '14 championship.
"Some of the best memories of my career," Bumgarner said. "It's a pretty special place to come
back to."
If he were to rank all the thrills of what has been a special career, Bumgarner said the Kansas
City Game 7 would be right at the top.
"It's got to be No. 1," Bumgarner said. "It doesn't get any better than that."
But Bumgarner is all about the present and he has a tough mound opponent Wednesday as he
tries to help the Giants overcome a slow start in 2017. Royals left-hander Jason Vargas has been
outstanding in two starts with a 2-0 record and 0.66 earnd run average.
Things to know about this game
• Vargas is unbeaten in his last seven starts at Kauffman Stadium, going 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA.
• The Giants last faced the Royals in the regular season in August 2014, and Kansas City swept a
three-game series on its way to a Wild Card spot.
• The Giants are 0-3 in Bumgarner's starts this season. It's the first time since 2011 that San
Francisco has dropped Bumgarner's opening three starts.
• Kansas City entered Tuesday as the American League's second-lowest scoring offense at 3.17
runs per game. One of the big reasons why is their struggles with runners in scoring position.
Kansas City's 83.8 mph average exit velocity on batted balls in those situations ranked as MLB's
second-lowest behind the Reds (82.5 mph) through Monday's games. Their estimated weighted
on-base average (based on rolling hit probabilities) with RISP was .241, dead last in MLB and 42
points lower than 29th-place Tampa Bay.
20
MLB.com
Posey returns as designated hitter vs. Royals
Robert Falkoff
KANSAS CITY -- The Giants activated Buster Posey just prior to Tuesday's game against the
Royals, easing him back into the lineup as a designated hitter in the cleanup spot.
"We just feel that's a good move right now with where the season falls," Posey said before
tallying three hits in the Giants' 2-1, 11-inning victory. "Being able to take advantage of that
makes sense right now."
Posey returns after a seven-day stint on the disabled list due to concussion symptoms. He was
hit in the head by Taijuan Walker's 94 mph fastball on April 10. Asked if he would
catch Madison Bumgarner in Wednesday's series finale, Posey said: "I'm not 100 percent on
that answer."
To make room on the roster for Posey, the Giants designated for assignment catcher Tim
Federowicz.
Bench coach Ron Wotus, who is handling managerial duties in the Kansas City series as Bruce
Bochy recovers from a minor heart procedure, said a final determination hasn't been made on
whether Posey will catch the series finale. But Wotus went on to say, "I would anticipate more
that Buster would be the DH."
Posey said he became optimistic that his stint on the DL would only be a week "three or four
days after I got hit."
Posey isn't sure whether anything can be done to make it a safer situation for a hitter.
"I'm not a scientist and couldn't tell you on the construction of the helmet whether there's a
yes or no answer on that," Posey said. "It's 94 or 95 [mph] to the head and I think it's going to
be tough to combat that."
21
MLB.com
Bochy undergoes minor heart procedure
Robert Falkoff
KANSAS CITY -- As they prepared to open a two-game series against the Royals on Tuesday, the
Giants had the well-being of manager Bruce Bochy uppermost in their minds.
The Giants announced earlier in the day that Bochy would miss the Kansas City trip after
undergoing a minor heart procedure -- an ablation to alleviate discomfort he was experiencing
due to an atrial flutter. The procedure, which was performed in San Diego, was deemed a
success and Bochy is resting at his home. He is scheduled to rejoin the club Friday in Colorado.
"We just want him to take care of himself," catcher Buster Posey said. "Take his time and make
sure he has been cleared and is OK to manage. What we do is secondary to other things in life."
Left-hander Madison Bumgarner said all the Giants are thinking about Bochy.
"He has had a little bit of a tough time the last few years with his health," Bumgarner said. "It
seems like he's doing pretty good from what we've heard. Hopefully, it's all taken care of and
he gets back to normal, everyday life pretty quick."
Bench coach Ron Wotus, who is taking on managerial duties for the Kansas City series, last
spoke with Bochy on Sunday.
"We discussed that he was going in to get checked out and we discussed that this was a
possibility," Wotus said. "It is surgery, but from what I know I expect him to be back in
Colorado."
22
CSNbayarea.com
Panik finds grass in extra innings, leads Giants to win in return to KC
Alex Pavlovic
KANSAS CITY — Just as he did after Game 7 of the World Series, Joe Panik found Shawon
Dunston and Chad Chop after a win to thank them for a decision to review a missed call.
“First game back here, it’s me, Craw, Belt, Dunston and Chop,” he said Tuesday night. “Again, it
was four to six to three to replay.”
Some things haven’t changed three years later. The Giants again got a big double play that was
boosted by a review. Poor Eric Hosmer was again on the back end of it, showing that against
the Giants, he can’t win regardless of how he goes into the bag. The pitching was outstanding in
big spots, just as it was the last time the Giants played at Kauffman Stadium.
But there was one key difference: Three years after he made Giants hitters miserable, Lorenzo
Cain came up inches short on the game-deciding play. Cain was all over the field Tuesday, but
Panik’s single in the top of the 11th snuck under his glove to drive Nick Hundley home and give
the Giants a 2-1 win.
Panik was on that 2014 team that couldn’t figure out a way past Cain, Alex Gordon and the rest
of the Royals outfield. He had flashbacks as he approached first.
“It was mixed emotions,” he said. “You see the trajectory of the ball and the outfielders and you
see a lot of green. But running to first, you see Lorenzo running and you have bad thoughts
running through your head. Fortunately, that one caught some grass.”
It ended up being the game-winner on a night when both teams struggled in the clutch. The
Giants left 10 on base but that was nothing compared to a 1-for-11 performance from the
Royals with runners in scoring position.
Panik and others credited Giants relievers for buckling down when situations got tight late.
Steven Okert and Derek Law got through some iffy spots in the eighth, ninth and tenth to get
the ball to Mark Melancon, who stranded two.
Hours earlier, Matt Cain had put the staff in gear with seven sharp innings.
“He was outstanding,” interim manager Ron Wotus said. “Really, really good.”
Wotus, managing because Bruce Bochy had a minor heart procedure, was particularly
encouraged by Cain’s effort against left-handed hitters. After Gordon’s leadoff double, Cain
kept Gordon, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer mostly in check. He has two straight solid
outings, lowering his ERA to 3.31.
“It was a good day,” Cain said. “That was nice.”
23
Cain said he has benefited from a decision to keep him on track. The Giants could have skipped
their No. 5 starter — and at one time it looked like a lock — but Cain got the nod in a city he
didn’t pitch in three years ago because of an injury.
“It was good to get back in a rhythm,” he said. “It’s nice to get back on the same page.”
Will it continue? Cain’s next start would come Monday against the Dodgers, and at times Bochy
has hinted that Ty Blach could sneak back into the rotation to face a lineup that has massive
issues against lefties. Asked about Cain on Tuesday, Wotus smiled and said Bochy will have all
the answers when he returns to the club Friday.
With Bochy back, Wotus will go back to being the bench coach and working tirelessly with the
roster’s infielders. They have paid him back when given the chance. A year ago, Brandon
Crawford picked up seven hits to help Wotus win a 14-inning game as interim manager. This
time it was Panik.
“You get all the statistics today and matchups and everything and all the information that you
look at, but the guy plays baseball,” Wotus said. “He’s in the moment and wants to be the guy.”
Panik found his moment in the 11th. The Giants are 2-0 the last two years without their
manager, who was said to be watching from his home in San Diego. The games have lasted 25
combined innings.
“He has a knack for knowing what games to take off,” Wotus said, smiling.
CSNbayarea.com
Instant Replay
Alex Pavlovic
KANSAS CITY — Bruce Bochy has missed two games the past two seasons because of minor
heart issues.
Last August, Brandon Crawford’s seven-hit game led the Giants to a 14-inning win over the
Marlins. On Tuesday it was the other middle infielder, Joe Panik, who got the big hit in an 11-
inning win over the Royals.
Panik drove Nick Hundley in with an RBI single just under a diving Lorenzo Cain’s glove in the
top of the 11th and the Giants held on for a 2-1 win in their return to Kauffman Stadium. Both
teams spent the later innings wasting promising rallies until Panik’s liner touched grass a couple
inches away from Cain’s glove.
24
The night was a pitching duel from the start. Two games after watching Tyler Chatwood flirt
with perfection, the Giants struggled to get in gear against Jason Hammel. The former Cub
retired the first 12, but Matt Cain was up for the challenge. He worked around some trouble in
the first and then cruised into the fifth.
Earlier Tuesday, infielder Whit Merrifield told reporters about facing Madison Bumgarner when
he was 11 years old and getting drilled in the head. He fared better against Cain, poking a
homer the other way to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the fifth.
The Giants struck right back, tying the game when Hunter Pence’s two-out single to right
brought Panik racing in from second. Buster Posey, playing for the first time in a week,
appeared to have given the Giants the lead when he hit a ball up the middle that Raul Mondesi
couldn’t field cleanly. Brandon Belt raced around second but he was out by inches when Sal
Perez snow-coned the throw home and put a perfect tag down.
The Giants had a chance to go ahead in the seventh when Crawford reached third with no outs,
but Hundley and Chris Marrero struck out and Denard Span grounded out. In the eighth, it was
the Royals who threatened. They nudged the go-ahead run to third but Steven Okert got the
Giants out of the inning.
The Royals left a runner on second in the bottom of the ninth. The Giants countered by leaving
one on second in the top of the 10th. The Royals wasted two singles in the bottom of that
inning and two more in the 11th.
Starting pitching report: That’s two good ones in a row for Cain. His last two starts: 12 innings,
two earned runs, nine hits, five walks, nine strikeouts. He threw just 86 pitches Tuesday.
Bullpen report: Derek Law got a well-deserved win after throwing two scoreless innings of
relief. Mark Melancon picked up his third save.
At the plate: Posey had three singles on his first night back from the concussion DL, raising his
average to a cool ..385.
In the field: In case you had forgotten over the past three years, the Royals have an excellent
outfield that will annoy the hell out of you if you root for the other team. Cain made it look way
too easy while chasing down a Hundley liner in the fourth and another in the ninth, and Alex
Gordon made a tremendous diving catch to rob Marrero in the sixth.
Attendance: The Royals announced a crowd of 20,863 human beings who didn’t seem to have
any hate for the Giants. That 2015 title worked some magic.
Up next: Bumgarner will make his first appearance at Kauffman Stadium since the night he won
a free truck with technology and stuff.
25
CSNbayarea.com
Giants Notes:
Alex Pavlovic
KANSAS CITY -- The Royals do not expect big crowds for this midweek series against a National
League team, even if that team is the one that knocked them out in 2014. Madison Bumgarner
drew a crowd on Tuesday, though.
Bumgarner was surrounded by 14 local reporters and cameramen just before batting practice,
and he certainly enjoyed looking back at the biggest night of his career.
"Obviously those are some of the best memories of my career," he said, smiling. "It's a pretty
special place to come back to. I love the city, the field, playing those guys. I'm not good at
ranking stuff, but if you force me to, I do think (Game 7) has got to be number one for me."
If you missed it, I wrote an oral history of the moment Bumgarner jogged out of the visiting
bullpen here. He went out early Tuesday to do some stretching and running, but he stuck to left
field, never crossing over to go see the spot where he sat for four innings.
Bumgarner spent some time talking to Royals players after he did his work, and he'll see
another familiar face this week. Whit Merrifield, a 28-year-old infielder, was called up by the
Royals. He grew up in North Carolina, playing with and against Bumgarner, who did not
remember any specific battles. Merrifield did; he told local reporters that Bumgarner hit him in
the head with a pitch when they were 11 years old.
"I did?" Bumgarner said. "Geez, I don't remember that. I'm sure it was an accident."
--- A couple other "we're back in KC" notes: Hunter Strickland is a bit curious to see what kind of
reaction he gets if he pitches. Remember, Strickland had a heated moment with Sal Perez early
in the series. He said the two spoke the next day and all was good. Also, Johnny Cueto is back
two years after helping them get a title here. He spent a lot of time with Royals on Tuesday.
--- Ned Yost was not in the mood for questions about the Giants or Bumgarner. "It's just
another series," he said.
--- Buster Posey will likely DH both games, Ron Wotus said. Posey is cleared to catch, however,
and he said he feels good and did three or four days after getting hit.
"I'm very grateful that I felt well as quickly as I did," Posey said. "Obviously, we've seen where
something like that lasted longer for certain guys."
--- Here's the latest on Bruce Bochy, who underwent what is being described as a minor heart
26
procedure in San Diego. And here's Ray Ratto with a big-picture look. This is the third heart-
related scare for Bochy in three years.
"We just want him to take care of himself, take his time, and make sure he's cleared," Posey
said. "What we do (on the field) is secondary to other things in life."
--- Jeremy Affeldt will make his broadcast debut tonight. He's fired up about it, and he walked
around the clubhouse Tuesday saying he now has authority to set the lineup. (He does not.)
Yahoosports.com
It’s time for a progressive, smart PED plan in baseball
Jeff Passan
Nobody with any power inside the baseball establishment is interested in having an intelligent,
salient, progressive, forthright, public discussion about performance-enhancing drugs, the
similarities to their persecution with the failed War on Drugs, and the truth that they aren’t
going away and could in fact be a boon to keeping players healthy. These conversations take
place all the time behind closed doors. Nobody yet has summoned the courage to risk a career
on its potential merits.
They are manifold. Steroids threatened baseball nearly as much as labor discord and gambling.
They gave baseball the opportunity to rewrite the public’s impression of the intersection
between modern athletes and the chemistry available to them. Rather than spearhead a
revolution, baseball has instituted policies more and more punitive that still don’t, can’t and
won’t discourage players from using drugs.
Starling Marte got suspended for 80 games Tuesday after testing positive for Nandrolone, one
of the hardcore, old-school steroids that rarely shows up in a player’s urine because it’s so
eminently detectable, a player would be foolish to take it. Marte is something of an
underground star, beloved in Pittsburgh, a sabermetric darling, widely recognized by on-field
personnel for his excellence. The Pirates were giddy to lock him up in 2014 to a six-year, $31
million contract that is considered one of the great team-friendly deals in all of baseball.
He is, too, a perfect test case around which to frame this intelligent, salient, progressive,
forthright discussion. And since nobody wants to speak up, the best alternative is to proffer the
myths that continue to be perpetuated and douse them with the truth.
Myth: Performance-enhancing drugs are bad.
Truth: If you’re going to open a can of worms, might as well start with the fattest nightcrawler
of all. This topic is immensely complicated, so buckle up. The statement is all about language,
and that language involves two pieces.
27
The first is the term “performance-enhancing drugs.” This is a catch-all phrase that
encompasses hardcore steroids, designer pills, creams and lozenges, human growth hormone,
amphetamines, peptides, blood-doping agents, testosterone boosters and countless other
chemical compounds that aim to affect performance. The word “enhancing” is the issue. While
athletes who take the drugs undoubtedly are trying to enhance their performances, they are
also, in many cases, trying to “maintain” it, trying to “recapture” it or trying to “allow” it.
Performance-maintaining drugs don’t sound terribly sinister. An entire industry formed around
a performance-recapturing blue pill. And a performance-allowing drug is downright good.
This ties into the second bit of language: that the PEDs are “bad.” Replace that with any other
word of that oeuvre: “wrong,” “harmful,” “cheating.” In some cases, this is true. Drugs can and
will change a body’s chemistry, which in turn can have deleterious effects. Even those in favor
of a more rational drug policy won’t oblige competition tainted by a juiced-to-the-gills player.
That said, the notion that using chemistry automatically connotes cheating is a specious
argument when other types of chemistry like cortisone and Toradol shots are regularly used,
without complaint, to allow players to play.
The line between so-called PEDs and other drugs isn’t thin. It just doesn’t exist. The only reason
PEDs are considered cheating is because federal drug policies stigmatized certain substances,
and those now come with a scarlet S. Never mind that most players who take drugs today do so
in order to deal with the rigors of a full season – of the grind, the travel, the responsibility to
maintain playing shape in an environment that grows less conducive to it as the demands to do
more increase.
There is a place for chemistry in baseball and all other sports, and it is in a tightly regulated,
ever-evolving partnership with doctors, chemists, politicians, ethicists, management and
players to develop fair rules for sport while acknowledging sport itself can benefit from the use
of drugs. The rules in place now don’t work. They never have. They never will. Easing them
won’t, as the governing bodies of sports argue, open some Pandora’s Box that leads to worse
and worse use.
It’s been open for decades already.
Myth: “Neglect and lack of knowledge have led me to this mistake.”
Truth: These were Starling Marte’s words Tuesday afternoon following the announcement of
his suspension. They are pure nonsense, and the fact that the MLB Players Association spread
them shows its complicity in this delusion the entire sport tries to perpetuate.
Every spring, the league and union sit down with players and go over PED rules. Players have
agents to further educate them. For players from Spanish-speaking countries, MLB offers a full
accounting of its policy in Spanish. There is no lack of knowledge. Every ballplayer knows what
he puts in his body is his responsibility.
28
The entire apology charade is so tired. Imagine a scenario in which a player actually said he took
the drugs because his body hurt and he wanted to heal faster. That’s possible. That’s realistic.
All it takes is a brave sport willing to stand up to public perception that is rapidly shifting away
from the notion that PEDs are some evil bogeyman. Once Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens get
into the Hall of Fame – and it is happening – baseball will have yet another reason to be that
thought leader.
Myth: Baseball is the worst when it comes to PEDs.
Truth: In the last calendar year, Trent Murphy, Kenneth Dixon, Doug Martin, Tenny Palepoi,
Kenny Vaccaro, Jordan Payton, D’Qwell Jackson, Jude Adjei-Barimah, Jerrell Freeman, Alshon
Jeffery, Armonty Bryant, Chris Scott, Rob Ninkovich, Zach Sterup, Arthur Jones, Aaron Lynch and
Demarcus Lawrence have been suspended by the NFL for positive PED tests. That’s 17 players
of the 1,590 on NFL rosters. Over that same time, seven MLB players of the 1,200 on major
league rosters have tested positive.
Now, some caveats are necessary. Dozens of minor league baseball players a year test positive.
Baseball’s history is sordid and full of willful blindness. To say baseball’s drug problem is worse
than the NFL’s today, though, is just ignorant. Baseball’s half-season suspension shows it to be
more serious than the NFL, with its quarter-season, even if punishment is a misguided attempt
at deterrence. So, too, is MLB’s desire to investigate potential PED use, though it does prove
baseball gives far more thought to the issue than football.
Still, it’s easy to wonder whether all of that is for show so baseball can at least get close to
former commissioner Bud Selig’s silly promise to eradicate PEDs from the game. It leads plenty
to mistake the notion of less with none.
Myth: PEDs are on their way out of baseball.
Truth: Earlier this week, I was on the radio with two really smart hosts, Danny Parkins and Matt
Spiegel of 670 The Score in Chicago, and PEDs came up. I estimated somewhere between two
and five guys per clubhouse are using some version of substances baseball would frown upon.
This may be high. It may be low, too.
The point was two-fold: After the steroid era, where some half of players were on something of
one kind or another, it is difficult to believe baseball has come close to ridding drugs from its
clubhouses, even with the threat of long suspensions. And while the number of suspensions is
down, drug-testing experts acknowledge there are plenty of ways to beat the tests, whether it’s
taking HGH, which is detectable only in blood, using microdoses of testosterone that disappear
quickly or taking boutique compounds that doctors don’t even know exist.
It’s all so cloak-and-dagger. Doesn’t a sporting culture where players could be honest about
how they treat themselves – running experiments on their own bodies to find what suits them
best and optimizing themselves to extract the best performances possible – sound like
something sports should embrace, not run from? Transparency, in this case, leads to
29
knowledge, which helps normalize the substances, which make the game better. And isn’t that
the point?
Myth: Starling Marte is worth less to the Pirates today than he was yesterday.
Truth: The Pittsburgh Pirates entered into a long-term contract with Starling Marte recognizing
the millions of possible outcomes included him testing positive for a substance. This is part of
the calculus of every team. Analyze the risk, whether it’s PEDs, injuries, personal issues or
anything else, and gauge whether the upside is greater. With Marte, it was. Much greater.
Let’s put it this way: If today the Pirates were offered the opportunity to rip up the remainder
of Starling Marte’s contract, they would pass. Why? Because Marte is still insanely cheap. He is
making $5 million this season, $7.5 million next season, $10 million the year after that, and
Pittsburgh holds two club options beyond that, at $11.5 million and $12.5 million. For the 4½
years after Marte’s suspension ends, they will owe him about $43 million.
Starling Marte has played about 4½ years in the major leagues. Know how much he’s been
worth? FanGraphs says $135.5 million. That’s based on his Wins Above Replacement and the
cost of a win on the free-agent market. No team in baseball values those 4½ seasons at under
$100 million. And even if they were PED-fueled – even if a part of Marte’s value did come from
what he was using – the potential surplus value of the next four seasons makes his deal well
enough worth the risk that all 29 other teams would gladly part with good major league players
or top prospects in exchange for Marte.
Myth: There is now a stigma attached to Marte.
Truth: For the next three months, sure. And then for the rest of the season, too, because most
outcomes will reflect poorly upon Marte. If the Pirates falter and end up trading Andrew
McCutchen, their best player since Barry Bonds, it will be traced to Marte’s suspension, and if
they somehow contend for a playoff spot and Marte can’t play in the postseason because of his
positive test, it will be a blight on him.
Beyond that, though? Does anyone care about Dee Gordon’s PED suspension anymore? No. Are
teams scared to trade for Ryan Braun after his? No. Were Nelson Cruz or Jhonny Peralta
impeded from getting four-year free-agent deals on account of theirs? No.
For all of capital-B Baseball’s hand-wringing about PEDs, teams prove again and again: They
don’t care unless a suspension directly affects them. Teams won’t ever let morality get in the
way of a ring.
Myth: Pressure from players will change the union’s stance on PEDs.
Truth: Bahahahahaha. Players go public all the time acting like hardos about PEDs. The latest
was Rangers reliever Jake Diekman after Marte’s suspension.
30
So … the team would get to take away the money it guaranteed a player and pay him like a
rookie forever? This is ridiculous, as is the idea of allowing teams to tear up long-term deals
when someone tests positive, which is a Pandora’s Box players decidedly do not want to open.
All of this comes from a good place, sure, and one in which players simply are saying they want
a fair game.
It doesn’t work that way, though, and they’re doing their union a disservice by even suggesting
this is a possibility. The union allowed players to dictate what they wanted in the last collective-
bargaining negotiations, and they asked for an extra seat on the spring-training bus. Knee-
capping fellow union members’ ability to earn money doesn’t seem like the most astute use of
a player’s time. Maybe, instead, he who wants a fair and even game could look into the idea of
regulated use.
Myth: This column will go on forever.
Truth: There is so much more, but we’ll save that for another day. This is merely an effort to
educate and a call for everyone inside baseball to recognize the incongruity of the current
policy and be brave enough to figure out one that’s right for the players, the teams, the sport.
It’s possible. It really is.
