San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Pitching Prospect Named Rookie of the Year Candidate
The San Francisco Giants are ready for some new blood to come in and start to guide a team that has now missed the postseason in seven of the last eight years.
One player that seems to be nearing major league status and potentially stepping into a critical role is the team’s top pitching prospect now in Triple-A, left-handed hurler Carson Whisenhunt.
San Francisco selected Whisenhunt in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of East Carolina. He had a big 2023 season over 16 starts in Single-A, High-A, and Double-A with a 2.45 ERA and 83 strikeouts in less than 60 innings pitched.
Whisenhunt was named by MLB.com in their article of each team’s best chance at pushing for a Rookie of the Year in 2025 as the prospect for the Giants who could make some serious noise and break onto the big league scene this season with a big performance.
“A 2022 second-round choice out of East Carolina, Whisenhunt owns one of the Minors’ best changeups and sets it up with a low-90s fastball, upper-70s curveball and mid-80s cutter,” the article stated. “He logged a 5.42 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings in Triple-A.”
While Whisenhunt’s numbers did take a dip once he got to Triple-A, a low ERA in the Pacific Coast League — known widely as a hitters’ league — is not common and there’s no cause for concern. Whisenhunt still maintained a high strikeout rate with 135 K’s in in 104.2 innings of work. The young lefty has elite stuff and is expected to be a very good pitcher at the next level.
Following San Francisco’s loss of Blake Snell to the rival Dodgers in free agency earlier this week, a spot opens up in the rotation that will have to be filled. San Francisco will likely explore free agent additions before looking at the minor leagues.
So, while Whisenhunt likely won’t be on the Opening Day roster, he certainly should be monitored as a strong possibility to make his debut sometime in 2025, especially if the Giants are struggling in the pitching department.
Keep an eye on the young Whisenhunt once spring training arrives to see if he can make a surprise push for a roster spot. Regardless of whether he’s able to or not, he will be among the players that fans are most excited to watch and track next season.
San Francisco, CA
Sea lion pup found in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset malnourished but ‘feisty’
A California sea lion pup found last week on a San Francisco street corner is malnourished but “active and quite feisty,” The Marine Mammal Center said Monday.
The sea lion, believed to be about 10 months old, had apparently wandered into city’s Outer Sunset neighborhood and was discovered early Thursday morning, authorities said.
The pup was spotted near 48th and Irving Streets, one block from Ocean Beach and Sunset Dunes park. A trained responder from the Marine Mammal Center was joined by San Francisco park rangers and police officers to safely corral the pup, now named ‘Irving’, into a carrier crate.
Dubbed ‘Irving’ by his rescuers, Irving weighed in at 40 pounds and is considered malnourished, the Marine Mammal Center said.
“The sea lion is active and quite feisty which is a positive initial sign in terms of general behavior,” the center said in a news release on Monday.
During an exam by veterinarians, a series of blood samples were also taken to determine whether there’s any underlying ailment.
Irving is being tube fed a fish smoothie blend two times per day to boost hydration and weight; offers of whole herring will also begin shortly.
The quick actions by police, recreation and parks staff and Ocean Avenue Animal Hospital gave the young sea lion a second chance at life, said Lauren Campbell, animal husbandry manager at The Marine Mammal Center.
“As a roughly 10-month-old pup in his first year of learning how to forage on his own, this animal has a long road to recovery due to his severe malnutrition,” Campbell said. “We are hopeful that in the coming weeks with continued specialized care that this pup starts to make positive strides toward recovery and release.”
Irving will be held in the Center’s Intensive Quarantine Unit until clearing medical protocols, before likely being transferred this week to a traditional rehabilitation pool pen. A long-term prognosis and potential release timeline are not currently known.
San Francisco, CA
Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss
After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.
The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.
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So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.
Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.
Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.
The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.
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They just didn’t get the job done.
Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.
With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.
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Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.
The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.
All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.
Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.
That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.
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Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.
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San Francisco, CA
Why do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?
The 4,140-sq-km bay is the largest estuary on the west coast of the US. Before 2018, this species of whales wasn’t known to stop seasonally or consistently in the bay, bypassing it on their migration route down to Baja California and back up the Arctic, said Josephine Slaathaug, who led a recent study on gray whale mortality in the bay.
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