San Francisco Giants Sweep Split Squad Against Angels 11-7 and 9-8

The San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Angels twice in one day. They did it by relying on the long ball, rather than on pitching. Here are a few performances that stood out from today’s games:

–Andrew Suarez/Tyler Beede– Both Suarez and Beede are clustered together because of their similarities. They are vying for a rotation spot, and both struggled against the Angels today. Beede had two cleaning innings before giving up a bunch of hits in a row. Suarez struggled against the Angels lineup for much of the day before having a strong finish in his final inning. These performances will help neither Beede nor Suarez in a bid for a rotation spot.. These starts should not hold either one back in their development, but rather it should aid their learning and development.

–Mac Williamson is making a case to make the Opening day roster for the Giants. He is batting .424 on the spring, but the way in which he is hitting the ball is impressive. The ball seems to be jumping off of Williamson’s bat in a way we have not seen before. Today, Williamson had three hits including a long triple to right field and a long home run to center field. The home run came on a pitch the was low in the zone. It was neither a hanging offspeed pitch, or left over the plate. Rather, it was a good pitcher’s pitch that Williamson pounded over the center field wall. Williamson will likely still start the season in Sacramento, but he is building confidence. Additionally, he might be the first played called up in the case of an injury ineffectiveness.

–Brandon Belt continues to put together an impressive spring. Belt is batting .440 so far. In addition to this, he continues to show a good eye at the plate. He may no longer be experiencing concussion symptoms. He is driving the ball like he has shown he can in the past. The only thing standing in the way of a Brandon Belt career year is his health. If he is able to stay healthy, then we can expect him to have a career high in home runs, doubles, RBIs, runs, and many more statistics. Against the Angels, Belt hit a home run that every person in the park knew was gone off the bat. It was a home run in any ball park.

–Jarrett Parker is getting hot. He has struggled for much of this spring, and many have wondered about what his role will be. Parker still is one of the better defensive outfielders on the roster, and has some of the best power. Parker’s issue will always be consistency. He gets stuck in phases where he struggles to make contact. It is tough to watch, and it is not likely to improve any time soon. His swing has a lot of moving parts, and relies on exceptional timing. These are not the attributes of a consistent, long-term piece. However, he had a strong game to remind fans that he is still an option to make the roster. Today, he had two hits including a long home run and two RBIs. That’s not enough to move him back into the conversation for a roster spot, but it is a start.

Steven Duggar continued to impress with one hit and two walks today. However, it is boring to write about him every day. The Giants seem to have the Angels number as evidenced by their two victories today. The good news is the Giants will likely have Mark Melancon pitch tomorrow. This is an important development.