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After taking Thursday off, the Giants are back in action on the transaction wire:
ROSTER MOVES:
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 2, 2019
• RHP Dereck Rodriguez optioned post-game.
• 2B Scooter Gennett active for tonight’s game.
• OF Steven Duggar recalled from AAA Sacramento.
• 1B/OF Tyler Austin designated for assignment.#SFGiants
Of course I should’ve seen the Austin DFA coming. Since June 1st and in 79 plate appearances, the slugging LF/1B has hit .129/.228/.271 with just three home runs. I surmised that Rodriguez would definitely get sent back to Triple-A after yesterday’s rough outing as the Giants don’t have to make a decision on that rotation spot for a few more days now, but they did need to figure out a way to fit Scooter Gennett on the roster.
After Pillar’s collision with the center field wall yesterday, this Duggar move makes a lot of sense. The Giants need somebody to play center field, because Pillar can’t do it every day. Duggar’s last game was on June 14, in the Giants’ 9-0 loss to the Dodgers, which dropped them to 31-40. The Giants placed him on the IL a couple of days later with a lower back strain, and since then, they’ve gone 24-12.
Duggar’s injury was a turning point! Will it be that again?
These weren’t the only moves the Giants made before tonight’s game.
#sfgiants have released OF Henry (brother of Heliot) Ramos.
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) August 2, 2019
Majority of players on tonight’s 25-man roster 13 of 25, were not on #sfgiants’ Opening Day roster.
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) August 2, 2019
Mmmm, that’s some good roster churn.
The Giants went 19-6 in July. The Rockies went 6-19.
RF — Charlie Blackmon
SS — Trevor Story
CF — David Dahl
3B — Nolan Arenado
1B — Daniel Murphy
2B — Ryan McMahon
LF — Raimel Tapia
C — Tony Wolters
SP — Peter Lambert
I’m told that #Rockies will remove Wade Dais as closer... at last for now.
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) August 2, 2019
There’s my “Pitcher to watch” being demoted. If all goes according to pessimism, though, he’ll be given a shot some time this weekend to win back the Rockies’ hearts and minds, setting up a situation where the Giants have to out-underdog a beleaguered closer.
1B — Brandon Belt
LF — Mike Yastrzemski
C — Buster Posey
3B — Pablo Sandoval
SS — Brandon Crawford
2B — Scooter Gennett
CF — Steven Duggar
RF — Austin Slater
SP — Shaun Anderson
Gennett is 5-for-15 over his last four games. One of those hits was an extra base hit (a double), and he has an RBI. But just as he’s had a 20:1 strikeouts to walk since his return, this four-game sampling features zero walks and three strikeouts. He did play with the Reds in Colorado two and a half weeks ago and went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI in the Reds’ 10-9 loss.