Televised BP ends Cactus slate; MadBum tunes up

We’d asked on Tuesday why in the world MLB Network would use its final night in Arizona to air the San Francisco-Kansas City game. Now we know – apparently they thought there were ratings to be had in televised batting practice.

Galactic BP

With the bulk of Giants regulars already packed and headed for home, an 8-1 lead evaporated as the Giants fell 16-10, ending their totally-worthless Cactus League record at 11-19-1 (A tie? There are no ties in baseball!). 

These Faux Franciscans will now depart for various minor league outposts or your local Kroeger while the real team makes a stop-off in Sacramento tonight. Then it’s this weekend’s Bay Bridge series before they open the season Monday in Milwaukee.

To say the Giants were shorthanded is, well, quasi-accurate. They had plenty of bodies, but there weren’t too many of the Major League variety. 

MLB rules dictate a certain number of big leaguers have to appear if you’re gonna sell tickets, but this meeting of the last two world champs was essentially a team of wannabes taking on Goliath. Heck even one of the guys the Big Club did leave behind, Brandon Belt, was a late scratch. Matt Duffy, Joe Panik and Gregor Blanco did play (Blanco and Panik hit safely) but 15 different, uh, Giants, went to the plate on “Everyone Gets a Letter Night.”

It looked for a while that the Giants still had the slingshot for the job. Christian Arroyo, Ricky Oropesa and Austin Slater all homered off KC flamethrower Yordano Ventura, driving in nine runs between them in the first four innings. Behind Clayton Blackburn, who a couple of weeks back was assigned to AAA, that looked like more than enough. Blackburn was awesome – for about 40 pitches. Then he blew up like Luke Skywalker just blasted his exhaust port.

The Giants built an 8-1 edge through 2 ½ innings, then the Death Star imploded. Mike Moustakas’ three-run bomb (part of a five-RBI night) powered an eight-run third to turn the lead to dust. The Giants bounced back half a frame later to retake a 10-9 lead but were outscored 7-zip the rest of the way as the Giants finished the night playing a bunch of guys only friends and family could recognize.

Blackburn, last year’s PCL leader in ERA gave up six runs on five hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings, retiring just eight of the 17 hitters he faced. He’s being touted as a bona fide prospect, and he may very well be, but an 8.62 spring ERA is proof he’s not ready to make the jump just yet.

Of course, it’s not like the rest of the squad sparkled. Among the six pitchers who took the hill, only Steve Okert managed to emerge unscathed. On course, he pitched a third of an inning so how much trouble could he get into? Oh, wait, Dan Slania (who?) threw the same number of outs – two hits, a walk, three earned runs.

So much for the gloom a doom. There was a silver lining to the evening, although it may have been silver plated. Again the real action was taking place on the minor league diamond (okay, the big game was pretty much minor league that night anyway), where a gimpy Madison Bumgarner is still ironing out the kinks.

No, really. I feel great, Dude.

MadBum told the AP's Alan Eskew he feels good despite rib and foot problems that curtailed a spring that he admitted “wasn’t very good.” No kidding. He appeared in four games. The totals: 11 1/3 innings, 21 hits (including four bombs) and a 11.12 ERA.

Tuesday was better.  He went six controlled innings (two were shortened by pitch counts) allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk, striking out eight.

Fans will get their last preseason look at Johnny Cueto Wednesday night as the Giants visit Sacramento. Cueto added to the preseason pitching consternation with his 9.58 ERA and .347 OBA over 10 1/3 innings.

Then, finally, real baseball. Spring is too long, slow playing vets is boring, and no one wants to watch Kansas City play Richmond. AT&T, you've never looked better.