If I'm not mistaken, some of the McCoven is living in the fine state of Oregon. I ask those of you who are Oregonians, a question:

KUIK (some weird combination of Kruk and Kuip?) is the Giants radio affiliate in Oregon. The station is located in Hillsboro, outside of Portland. Could someone living in Salem get signal for the station to listen to Giants games? Are there other radio options up there, aside from MLB Radio? Thanks very much in advance.

We've had several threads on baseball movies. But there's another medium that has housed baseball stories throughout the years: television. I don't know of many series that were strictly or even strongly about baseball, but I know of episodes of television programs that featured baseball stories.

Tonight I watched an X-Files episode called The Unnatural. The episode about a Josh Gibson-esque hitter for an all-black barnstorming team in New Mexico who has a secret. If you know anything about the X-Files, the secret involves aliens. Anyway the episode is fantastic, and totally something that helped me chase away some of these winter baseball-less blues. I recommend the episode. It's from Season Six, Disc 5 if you're a Netflix person.

What are some other fictional television programs that have showcased our beloved sport? We all know the documentaries and the Ken Burns series and that. I want to open up a discussion on the other stuff.

I have a project due for my journalism class next week. I'm doing a series of stories on baseball statistics analysis on the web. I have a good slate of articles written or lined up. The feature is an interview with our very own Xanthan on Bay City Ball and his general thoughts on STATS.

The only problem I have: I'm presenting my work as a website, per the rule of the class. We must present our projects in the medium we chose to report upon. I know jack about how to create a website. I can use some help and advice with cheap and easy ways to build websites. Cheap and easy, just how I like it. There. The joke has been made for you.

Anyway please read the exclusive STATS interview as it's pretty interesting. Forgive the spelling out of nearly everything in the interview. I have to present this stuff to people who don't know or care about baseball.

Warning: it's about 2700 words and might be much to the tl;dr crowd.

Exclusive STATS interview with Chris Quick, founder and operator of Bay City Ball.

Chris Martinez: Introduce yourself, come on, come on. ;) But I do need a brief blurb on who you are, the name of your site, and other vitals.

Chris Quick: My name is Chris Quick. I'm 25 years old, and I run the Giants blog “Bay City Ball.” I'm a huge fan of baseball but I also enjoy photography, history, reading, and cooking.

CM: How did you get involved with baseball statistical analysis?
 
CQ: I got involved in baseball and statistical analysis in a kind of haphazard way. One of the most appealing aspects about baseball to me has always been the numbers involved with the sport. I don't think you'll find any other sport that lends itself to numbers like the way baseball does. Growing up when someone would mention numbers like: 3,000, 300, or 755 my mind -- and I think the minds of many other people -- would immediately would race to baseball. Those were baseball numbers.

Everywhere you look in baseball there are numbers. Turn a baseball card over and you'll see rows and rows of numbers. You really can't avoid the 'numbers' side of baseball. So, I always had that drawing me to baseball. I was a poor student in math when I was younger -- and I still am to a degree -- but in the context of baseball, numbers made a lot of sense. They were almost comforting. Eventually, one thing led to another, and I started to examine the numbers in greater detail.

CM: Are there any writings you particularly follow or believe in? Bill James, “Baseball Prospectus,” etc.?

CQ: I think one of the great things about statistical analysis in baseball at this very moment, is that there is a huge amount of work being done by a large variety of authors. And not just in terms of quantity, but also quality. There is a huge amount of good work being done. I think everyone
who's into baseball analysis enjoys Bill James (founder and central figure of sabremetrics). He was one of the first to pose some very important questions.

I also read Baseball Prospectus (a think tank website for sabremetrics and publisher of an annual volume of each season’s statistical findings),  “The Hardball Times” (website updated daily on a number of baseball topics: baseball history, statistics, current events and minor leagues. Also, another publisher of an annual volume of writings from the site), Tom Tango (founder of “Tango on Baseball” sabremetrics website and author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball), and Pete Palmer (who wrote a forward to Tango’s book and co-author of the American football statistical book The Hidden Game of Football. Palmer also co-edited ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia).

CM: What do you use in your analysis? Tools, writings, websites?

CQ: My setup is pretty basic. I use a spread-sheeting program, such as Excel, to make plots and run other minor mathematical formulas on the data set if I need to. I probably do 80% of my work in Excel and for my purposes, it does a pretty good job. I'm in the process of using database
software, such as MySQL, to create a database of every pitch that was thrown in 2007-2008. It's a little more intensive and requires some programming -- not one of my strong suits -- so that's taking a little more time.

There are some great free databases out there in regards to baseball. For example: The Lahman Database is freely available and includes over 120 years of baseball statistics. If you're familiar with data-basing software, you can query the data for anything you could think of. Want to know who has the most career homeruns of anyone under 6ft tall? Databases like Lahman will help you answer your question.

Using other websites is also a huge help to me. I don't go a day without checking out sites like: FanGraphs (a website providing statistical analysis for major and minor league baseball with graphs and projections), Statcorner (in-depth sabremetrics analysis per team), Baseball Reference (a comprehensive web database for box scores, statistics, rosters, player histories, for every Major League team that has existed) The Hardball Times, Baseball Prospectus, or The Baseball Cube (sortable statistics on the web for every player who has played organized baseball in the United States, from high school through the majors). Each site has a wealth of data that you can pull out and use, and a good many of them are completely free. The resources available to those who are interested in statistical analysis is really quite amazing.

CM: Talk about Pitch F/X.

CQ: Pitch F/X is a camera system that first appeared in the 2006 Major League Baseball playoffs. By the 2007 season most parks had the system outfitted and by 2008 every park in MLB had the PFX camera system installed. The system works by positioning cameras at specific locations in the park and then, on a pitch-by-pitch basis, it will track specific parameters for each pitch thrown once it leaves the pitchers hand and reaches home plate. Parameters such as velocity, horizontal break, vertical break, release point from the pitcher, and location the pitch crossed the plate are all included.

MLB then dumps all the data out onto their website servers after each game and allows the public to browse and download the data. If you've ever used MLB.com’s Gameday application -- a real-time game update tool that can be accessed through the MLB website -- you're seeing PFX data in front of you. The Gameday application uses PFX data and was one of the prime motivations for installing the camera system around MLB. If you've ever seen a baseball game that overlays the strike zone of an at-bat and then tracks the pitches -- TBS, FOX, ESPN all do this on their television game broadcasts-- you're seeing PFX data.

What's truly amazing about PFX is that it allows us to understand a multitude of things about a pitcher. How much was his breaking ball breaking? What was the fastest pitch he threw that game? The slowest? What arm-slot is he throwing the ball from? Does it change for different pitches? All of these questions can be answered through the use of PFX data. For the first time instead of just using our eyes -- which often fib to us -- we can understand the what happens to the flight of a ball once it leaves a pitchers' hand. The possibilities are endless.

CM: What made you decide to blog about this subject? How did Bay City Ball get started?

CQ: It was partially a coincidence. PFX is a relatively new technology and when I started my blog in 2006 it was just starting to be used in the playoffs for TV purposes. People like Josh Kalk -- author of the PFX Webtool -- were starting to do fascinating work with PFX data in 2007 and I
started there.

Seeing what people like Kalk were doing with the data excited me and I started to monkey around with the PFX data. Today I download the data myself, run it through a spreadsheet, and post the results on my blog.

My reason for starting BCB was pretty simple. I thought about baseball a lot and I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic. A secondary goal, for me, of starting a blog was to become a better writer. I wanted an excuse to write every day, or every other day, and baseball is a good
excuse for me. At any point during the day I'm probably thinking about baseball in some manner and BCB is a good release for those thoughts.

CM: Is there a special feeling among those who embrace sabremetrics on the web, as bloggers and writers? Like a secret society? Most of you don't get paid for your work, not like Bill James does.

CQ: I do think there is a special feeling among those who are "SABR inclined" but I would argue that it's nothing like a secret society. There is definitely a feeling of group membership but that's
true of most things people participate in. What I think is fantastic about sabremetrics is that the information is all freely available. That's a big reason why I think it's less of a secret society and more of a open house.

Tom Tango, the creator of wOBA –weighted on base average, a linear weights metric that takes all the potential outcomes of an at-bat, weights them, and then scales it to something like on base percentage -- makes his mathematical formulas freely available. You can log on to his site right now, and see how he calculates wOBA. That, to me, is amazing. It's there for the taking. Websites like StatCorner, The Hardball Times, and Baseball Reference all freely give out their data. Again, it's there for the taking. I think SABR is wide open for people that are interested in the area of baseball research. In fact, most of the authors I've come into contact with have been very friendly and very helpful. We're all huge fans of baseball and the fact that a huge portion of writers, authors, bloggers
don't get paid for there work stresses this point.

CM: Do you feel SABR has made the game more accessible to fans or has it possibly put some people off with the numbers and metrics?

CQ: I definitely think it has made the game more accessible. Like I said in my previous answer, all the data you could ever want is freely available and many with good tutorials, glossaries, and how-to-do's if you don't understand a specific metric or number. I think for those who want the data-- and maybe new ways to look at the game -- it's there for them. I think that those who don't, won't ever approach the data because it's not something they are interested in.

CM: What about the mainstream media's acceptance of this type of analysis? Why do you think it took so long for the analysis to make it into a sportswriter's thinking? Is it because of the web putting the information out there, combined with a younger generation who is better wired not just for change, but for using the technology?

CQ: I think sportswriters are notoriously stubborn to change. And, I think a large part of the general mainstream media's resistance to a numbers based approach is laziness. The average sportswriter -- let's call him Bill Plaschke -- doesn't want to learn about why Juan Pierre might not be as good as they assumed. I think it's shocking for some writers when a numbers based approach flips a preconceived notion on it's head such as the value of wins and losses in baseball. It's hard to get over stuff like that and I think it's easier to shovel “playerisms” and old baseball stories instead. These writers have made a good living doing exactly that.

I think the point of it being a generational thing could be true but you can find very good sportswriters such as Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star who've taken to SABR concepts and write about them freely in their columns. I think it boils down to you either want to learn or you don't. And for many sportswriters, that means writing about the game the way people did in the 60's or 70's and lambasting those who don't want to write about baseball in such terms as nerds, or bloggers living in their basements.

CM: Do you think Tim Lincecum's Cy Young Award (MLB’s award for the top pitcher in both leagues) this year had to do with a shift towards SABR thinking within the media? In the past a 20 win season was enough to win a Cy Young (hi, Bartolo Colon). This year the man with the most wins did not get the award. Instead, a man with the best overall statistical performance won.

CQ: I would like to think so and I think for once the Baseball Writers Association of America (the body of working sportswriters who cast votes for major MLB awards such as Most Valuable Player) got it right in regards to the National League Cy Young Award. I think the writers saw that Lincecum was a terrific pitcher on a pretty terrible team and the fact that they may have used *other things* than the almighty “W” to evaluate him is a good step.

CM: Where do you see yourself in statistical analysis on the web, in the future? Even just three years ahead, as the internet is so dynamic.

CQ: Hopefully in 3-years I'll still be updating BCB and maybe even branching out some. It's hard to say because life has a habit of not caring for your plans, but I'd love to be writing about baseball in another 3-years. Everyday I learn something new about baseball.

CM: Did you ever have a journalistic interest in the game or was it all about playing with the numbers for you?

CQ: I think baseball has had some *really* great stories. It's a game that seems to grow them well -- Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Josh Hamilton, et al. I think sportswriters like Joe Posnanski have shown us that it doesn't have to be an either-or choice. You can write a piece on baseball
that's very heavy on the storytelling aspect but sprinkle in numbers as well. I think they go
very well together and it's what made Bill James such a fantastic writer. He was a fan of the history of baseball but also the numbers aspect. I think the best writers can blend both worlds. As for me, I'll still be slanted towards the numbers but it would be cool to tell a story now and then.

CM: I've been told by some proponents of sabremetrics that the "old" statistics like batting average are now useless. What is your take on the conventional thinking versus sabremetrical thinking? Do the new schools of thought render the older stuff obsolete?

CQ: I don't think that batting average is essentially useless, it's just that it tells us *very *little in the big scheme of things. Think of it as mosaic art. It's just a tiny blot on a canvas full of thousands of blots. But, people try to take that small blot and make it the entire picture without
thinking what BA tells us, how's it's calculated, and what it's missing.

You'll hear people say that "He's a .300 hitter" but the fact is that it doesn't really tell us *anything *about that player. I think you run into problems when you take a stat like BA and try to make it all encompassing of what kind a player a ".300 hitter" is. On some level BA has some value, but it's just smaller than most people would like.

I think we are seeing a shift in the "new school vs. “old school" in baseball. If you turn on ESPN and watch a baseball game you might see OPS listed next to the slash-stats batting line of BA (batting average)/OBP (on base percentage)/SLG (slugging percentage). OPS isn't perfect, but it represents a willingness to change and learn about new numbers and their value. Heck, I heard Jon Miller (ESPN play by play announcer for MLB broadcasts and longtime San Francisco Giants broadcaster) describe OPS on an ESPN broadcast this past year. I think the new school stuff gives us a clearer picture of what's happening. It's not THE answer but a part of the process of getting a better understanding.

Chris Quick’s work can be seen on his blog baycityball.com.

HWB: West Oahu 13, Waikiki 8

Giants Prospects:

LF Roger Kieschnick - 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B (5), 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, .280

RP Steve Edlefsen - 1/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 2 HB, 14.54 ERA

Other Waikiki Prospects:

2B Damon Sublett (Yankees) - 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B (4), 2 RBI, 2 SO, .294

CF James McOwen (Mariners) - 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B (5), 1 3B (2), 1 RBI, .291

RP Phillipe-Alexandre Valiquette (Reds) - 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 1 WP, 10.00 ERA

West Oahu Prospects:

RF Miles Durham (Pirates) - 2-2, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, .284

DH Wally Crancer (Orioles) - 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B (1), 3 RBI, 2 SO, .224

SP Chris Salberg (Orioles) - 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, W (2-0), 5.21 ERA

Waikiki lost for the first time in eight games in a high-scoring game against West Oahu. The Cane Fires had a big lead by the time the Beach Boys mounted their rally. Steve Edlefsen allowed five runs in the fifth inning, facing eight batters and only retiring one. Roger Kieschnick doubled in the fourth inning and scored a run. He picked up an RBI in the fifth inning. Waikiki rallied for four runs in the eighth inning. The Beach Boys put together five consecutive hits, but from there could not gather any more offense. Moises Robles retired the side in the ninth inning to earn his third save of the winter.

This series ends Sunday afternoon followed by an off day Monday.

AFL: Surprise 7, Scottsdale 1

Giants Prospects:

SS Kevin Frandsen - 1-4, 2 SO, 1 SB (6), 1 E (4), .339

2B Ryan Rohlinger - 0-3, 1 BB, 2 SO, .207

RP Alex Hinshaw - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.10 ERA

Other Scottsdale Prospects:

3B Chris Johnson (Astros) - 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, .357

DH Mark Ori (Astros) - 1-4, 1 2B (2), 3 SO, .200

SP Jared Hughes (Pirates) - 2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 2 HR, L (0-2), 9.45 ERA

Surprise Prospects:

LF Nolan Reimold (Orioles) - 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 SO, .231

CF Julio Borbon (Rangers) - 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 SO, .288

SP Justin Orenduff (Dodgers) - 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 1 WP, W (1-2), 6.35 ERA

Surprise snapped a ten game losing streak with a win over Scottsdale. The team with the worst record in the league hadn't won a game since October 18. The Scoripons managed four hits in the game. Mark Ori was the only Scottsdale hitter to get an extra base hit. Jared Hughes had a poor start, allowing five runs in two innings. Hughes served up two home run balls. Alex Hinshaw improved upon his last few performances Saturday with a scoreless inning of relief pitching. Hinshaw did allow two hits but it was his first appearance since October 14 where he did not allow a run. Kevin Frandsen's Achilles injury does not appear to adversely affect his baserunning skills. Frandsen stole his sixth base of the fall. The Arizona Fall League takes Sundays off. Scottsdale hosts the Peoria Saguaros Monday afternoon.

Mexican Pacific League:

Mazatlan 8, Culiacan 4

Mazatlan Giants Prospects:

2B Cesar Osuna - 0-0, .063

Mazatlan scored early and held on to win against Culiacan. Jon Weber hit a solo home run for the Venados in the third inning. Culiacan scored three runs later in the game but the rally was snuffed out when Mazatlan scored three more runs in the seventh inning. Two base hits brought runs home, and Lorenzo Buelna walked with the bases loaded for the third run. Venados closer Evan Meek was summoned to record the final out of the game. Cesar Osuna was used as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning.

These two teams match up once more Sunday.

Hermosillo 11, Mexicali 1

Hermosillo Giants Prospects:

RP Justin Hedrick - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.79 ERA

Mexicali Giants Prospects:

C Todd Jennings - 0-0, 1 BB, .180

Mexicali had almost nothing good against Hermosillo in an 11-1 loss. The Aguilas had three hits and one run in the game. Hermosillo walloped Mexicali's pitchers, led by Geronimo Gil. Gil went 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBI. Hermosillo knocked Juan Acevedo out of the game after 2 2/3 innings. The starter allowed four runs. Todd Jennings's batting average dropped to .180. Justin Hedrick was perfect in one inning of relief for Hermosillo.

The final game of this series is Sunday.

Venezuelan Winter League:

Caracas 7, Magallanes 1

Magallanes Giants Prospects:

1B Pablo Sandoval - 1-3, 1 SO, .395

Pablo Sandoval resumed his hitting but lost his cool arguing a called third strike. Sandoval struck out to end the fifth inning with two runners on base. His frustration at the call earned him an ejection. Magallanes still lost to Caracas despite the fiery exchange. The game remained close until Caracas rallied for four runs in the fifth inning. Jose Castillo doubled three runs home for the Leones.

Lara 4, Caribes 2

Caribes Giants Prospects:

C Eliezer Alfonzo - 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .391

The events of the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie between Caribes and Lara. Caribes' Rajai Davis led off the inning with a double and made it to third on an error. The former Giant scored on a base hit. Tomas Perez put Lara ahead for good with a three run homer. Giovanni Carrara allowed both runs to Caribes in his start but did not factor into the win.

Dominican Winter League:

Azucareros 5, Escogido 4

Escogido Giants Prospects:

SP Julio Mateo - 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 5.19 ERA

RP Roberto Novoa - 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, BS (1), 4.76 ERA

RP Victor Santos - 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, Hold (1), 14.73 ERA

Azucareros came back to win against Escogido. The Leones were down 4-1 when they began the comeback. Victor Mercedes homered in the fifth inning. Azucareros got two more runs in the sixth inning. It was Mercedes again scoring the winning run in the ninth inning. A trio of Giants pitchers was involved in the scoring. Victor Santos was responsible for one of the runs in the sixth inning while Roberto Novoa was charged with the blown save. Novoa was on the mound when Danny Richar scored the tying run for Azucareros. Julio Mateo started the game for Escogido. He gave up the home run.

HWB: Waikiki 3, West Oahu 2, 7 innings

Giants Prospects:

DH Buster Posey - 2-3, 1 R, 1 SO, .512
LF Roger Kieschnick - 0-1, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, .268

Other Waikiki Prospects:

SS Yuji Onizaki (Tokyo) - 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 CS (2), 1 E (3), .273
SP Yuhei Takai (Yakult) - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO, 2 WP, 1 BK, W (2-1), 4.15 ERA
RP Jeremy Papelbon (Cubs) - 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, SV (4), 3.38 ERA

West Oahu Prospects:

C Chris Hatcher (Marlins) - 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR (3), 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 PB (3), .310
SP Kyle Bloom (Pirates) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 1 WP, 1.44 ERA
RP Cliff Flagello (Orioles) - 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, L (1-1), 3.97 ERA

Waikiki broke a scorelss tie with three runs in the sixth inning to win their seventh game in a row. Buster Posey led off the inning with a bsae hit and scored on Yonder Alonso's single. A West Oahu error allowed Alonso to make it to third base. Roger Kieschnick brought home the second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly. Chris Hatcher hit a two run homer in the seventh inning to move West Oahu within a run of the lead. Jeremy Papelbon retired Kyle Peter at the end of the seventh inning. The game ended in seven innings per an agreement by both teams.

AFL: Scottsdale 16, Surprise 6

Giants Prospects:

SS Kevin Frandsen - 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B (3), 2 RBI, 1 BB,  .345
PH/2B Ryan Rohlinger - 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .231
RP Osiris Matos - 0 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 1 HR, BS (1), 8.53 ERA
RP Kelvin Pichardo - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 7.71 ERA

Other Scottsdale Prospects:

2B Shelby Ford (Pirates) - 2-3, 2 R, 1 3B (2), 1 SB (4), .294
RF Josh Reddick (Red Sox) - 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR (2), 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, .208
RP Brad James (Astros) - 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, Hold (1), 9.00 ERA

Surprise Prospects:

3B Wes Hodges (Indians) - 2-5, 1 R, 1 HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 SO, .393
C Matt Wieters (Orioles) - 1-4, 1 2B (4), 1 BB, 1 SO, .304
RP Chuck Lofgren (Indians) - 0 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO, BS (2), L (0-3), 34.94 ERA

It looked like another bad day for Scottsdale and Giants relievers when Osiris Matos allowed five runs without recording an out in the fifth inning. The Scorpions infielders made two errors behind Matos. Surprise scored two runs on the mistakes. The sloppy inning almost negated Scottsdale's early 4-0 lead. Surprise had its own bullpen meltdown in Chuck Lofgren's disastrous appearance. The Indians prospect pitched the sixth inning also without recording an out. Lofgren walked in a run then allowed back to back base hits before he was pulled. Scottsdale went on to score seven runs in the inning. Kevin Frandsen doubled home a run and scored. Chris Johnson and Josh Reddick hit back to back home runs in the seventh inning.

Mexican Pacific League:

Mazatlan 4, Culiacan 2, 17 innings

Mazatlan Giants Prospects:

2B Cesar Osuna - 0-0, .063

A very long game started out tight and stayed even tighter until the bottom of the 17th inning. Culiacan went ahead early with a run in the first inning. Mazatlan scored twice in the fourth inning to take a brief lead. Robert Saucedo scored the tying run when a throwing error motched a double play. The Tomateros came back with a run iun the sixth inning. And then it got interesting. The teams dueled through ten scoreless innings locked in a 2-2 tie. Saucedo won the game for Mazatlan with a walkoff two run homer. Cesar Osuna appeared in the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the 17th inning.

Mexicali 3, Hermosillo 0

Mexicali Giants Prospects:

C Todd Jennings - 0-3, 2 SO, .180
RP Sergio Romo - 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.35 ERA

Mexicali shut out Hermosillo in large part to Oscar Rivera. Rivera won his third game of the winter season with seven innings where he allowed three hits. He threw three complete games in 2008 with Yucatan in the regular season in Mexico. Mexicali's bullpen was just as fantastic as the starter. Hermosillo managed three hits against Rivera but got nothing more once the Aguilas relievers took over. Sergio Romo retired both batters he faced in the ninth inning. It was Romo's second scoreless appearance in a row.

Venezuelan Winter League:

Lara 13, Caribes 4

Caribes Giants Prospects:

1B Eliezer Alfonzo - 1-3, 1 2B (3), 1 BB, 1 E (1), .327
RP Matt Palmer - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.00 ERA

Lara went up big against Caribes and ended up with a blowout win. The Cardinales rallied for six runs in the third inning, hitting two triples for RBIs. Lara rallied again later, scoring two runs in the sixth inning and three in the seventh. Eliezer Alfonzo is seeing time at first base in Venezuela. Alfonzo made a throwing error that allowed a run to score in the Lara sixth inning. Matt Palmer finished the game for Caribes with one inning pitched where he allowed one hit.

Magallanes 9, Aragua 7

Magallanes Giants Prospects:

1B Pablo Sandoval - 0-4, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, .400

Magallanes nearly let a six run lead get away against Aragua. Magallanes scored six times in the first inning and kept rallying early. Pablo Sandoval scored in the second inning on a base hit. It was the first game of the winter where Sandoval went hitless. Aragua tried to fight back. Sam Fuld, last season's Arizona Fall League MVP, led off for Aragua with a home run. Aragua scored five more runs to keep the game close. Magallanes held them off, scoring an insurance run in the sixth inning.

Dominican Winter League:

Gigantes 4, Estrellas 2

Gigantes Giants Prospects:

PH/RF Carlos Sosa - 0-1, .429

Estrellas Giants Prospects:

2B Eugenio Velez - 0-3, 1 BB, 1 SO, .222

Neither of the Giants prospects in this game made a difference. Carlos Sosa entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and popped out. Eugenio Velez went hitless as Estrellas' leadoff man. Gigantes came back with three runs in the eighth inning thanks to a pair of jome runs. Brayan Pena hit a two run shot and Kendry Morales hit a solo homer.

By now we're used to Madison Bumgarner winning awards and drawing acclaim. Same thing with Tim Alderson. Kyle Nicholson joined the party when the three starters won minorleaguebaseball.com's Best Starting Pitcher awards in their respective levels.

Bumgarner's numbers and ability need no introduction. Alderson stood out among a San Jose staff of fantastic starting pitchers, posting the best ERA in the league at 2.79. Nicholson finally earned some praise for his outstanding season with the rookie team in Arizona. Last year's seventh round pick out of Texas A&M walked just three batters in 62 1/3 innings. He was a perfect 6-0 in his final seven outings, a big part of the rookie Giants winning the AZL title in 2008.

Typically I would file this under fanshot, but having three starters sweep the A-level starting pitcher awards is a pretty big deal.

HWB: Waikiki 5, Honululu 2

Giants Prospects:

DH Buster Posey - 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SO, .500

LF Roger Kieschnick - 1-4, 1 2B (4), 1 RBI, 2 SO, .271

Other Waikiki Prospects:

1B Yonder Alonso (Reds) - 3-5, 1 2B (7), 1 RBI, 1 SO, .292

2B Damon Sublett (Yankees) - 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR (2), 2 RBI, 1 E (1), .310

SP Andrew Brackman (Yankees) - 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 3 WP, W (3-3), 4.21 ERA

Honolulu Prospects:

RF Dominic Brown (Phillies) - 2-4, 1 2B (3), 2 SO, .405

CF Ryo Hijirisawa (Tohoku) - 0-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, .289

SP Satoshi Nagai (Tohoku) - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO, 1 HR, 2 WP, 1.80 ERA

Waikiki and Honolulu were locked in a tie most of this game. The Beach Boys broke through first to score two runs in the fifth inning thanks to Damon Sublett's second homer of the winter season. The Sharks fought back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, scoring on an error and a sacrifice fly. Buster Posey put Waikiki back on top with an RBI single in the seventh inning. Roger Kieschnick doubled home Posey. Andrew Brackman pitched well enough to get the win though he was a bit out of control. The Yankees prospect had seven strikeouts and three wild pitches. Satoshi Nagai struck out eleven batters in his start for Honolulu.

AFL: Mesa 11, Scottsdale 6

Giants Prospects:

SS Kevin Frandsen - 1-5, 1 R, .340

RP Alex Hinshaw - 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 E (1), 6.75 ERA

Other Scottsdale Prospects:

3B Chris Johnson (Astros) - 3-4, 1 R, 2 2B (6), 1 HR (1), 3 RBI, 1 SO, 2 E (3), .347

LF Chris Pettit (Angels) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B (6), 1 RBI, .301

SP Sergio Perez (Astros) - 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO, L (0-1), 2.77 ERA

Mesa Prospects:

3B Jeff Larish (Tigers) - 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR (3), 3 RBI, 1 SO, .288

1B Logan Morrison (Marlins) - 4-5, 2 R, 1 2B (4), 1 3B (2), 1 HR (3), 5 RBI, .420

RP Rocky Roquet (Cubs) - 1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 3.52 ERA

Scottsdale scored six runs in the eighth inning though it was not enough to come back against Mesa. Kevin Frandsen scored on a passed ball. Chris Johnson capped the rally with a three run homer. The story was not Scottsdale's eighth loss in their last ten games. Mesa's Logan Morrison hit for the cycle in the game. Morrison is the second Florida prospect to hit for the cycle in the Arizona Fall League this year. John Raynor also achieved the feat October 10. Morrison got the hard part of the cycle against Alex Hinshaw. Hinshaw is not performing well in the AFL. The lefty reliever has pitched in seven games for Scottsdale and has allowed seven runs over that time.

Scottsdale travels to Surprise on Halloween night.

Mexican Pacific League:

Hermosillo 8, Mazatlan 2

No Giants prospects played in this game. Hermosillo buried Mazatlan quickly when they scored six runs over three innings. Erubiel Durazo homered to start the scoring rallies. Hermosillo got two runners on base in the fourth inning due to Mazatlan throwing errors. Both runners scored on base hits. Durazo had another RBI in the inning.

Hermosillo and Mexicali begin a three game series Friday night.

Culiacan 2, Mexicali 1

Mexicali Giants Prospects:

C Todd Jennings - 1-4, 1 E (3), .190

Travis Blackley pitched a complete game but lost against Culiacan. The Tomateros scored two runs against Blackley on Refugio Cervantes' base hit. A walk, error, and a wild pitch set up the two-run hit. Mexicali got a run from Oswaldo Morejon's RBI single in the fifth inning. In contrast to Blackley's nine strikeout complete game performance, Culiacan used five pitchers. Meza only went two innings in his start for the Tomateros.

Venezuelan Winter League:

Lara 6, Aragua 5

No Giants prospects played in this game. Lara came back to win against Aragua by a run. Aragua got two runs in the first inning. Luis Maza scored on a wild pitch and Alex Romero came home on a base hit. Lara scored twice in the seventh inning and they needed both runs to hold on in this game. Another wild pitch got a run home, this time scoring Lara's Luis Valbuena. Aragua came back with a three run homer from Luke Hughes in their half of the inning but the rally came up short.

Lara plays Caribes Friday night.

Magallanes 13, Caribes 7

Caribes Giants Prospects:

C Eliezer Alfonzo - 0-2, 1 SO, .326

Magallanes Giants Prospects:

1B Pablo Sandoval - 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR (3), 2 RBI, .452

Pablo Sandoval has been Magallanes' best hitter since he joined the team October 21. Sandoval hit his third homer in eight games this winter, part of Magallanes early rally. Magallanes scored all their runs by the fifth inning. Sandoval had an RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning, one of five runs for Magallanes. Caribes scored seven runs late in the game but could not come back in time.

Magallanes faces Aragua Friday.

Caracas 8, Zulia 6

No Giants prospects played in this game. Caracas came back with three runs in the ninth inning, holding off a two-run rally from Zulia in the top half of the inning. Caracas had a 5-2 lead early but lost it when Zulia scored four times late. Caracas won the game on a three run homer from Raul Padron.

Up next for Zulia is a game against Margarita Friday.

LaGuaira 5, Margarita 1

No Giants prospects played in this game. Margarita got a run early from Yurendell De Caster's solo home run. LaGuaira came back with four runs in the sixth inning. Christian Colonel hit a three-run homer for the Tiburones. Stephen Randolph earned the win with one run allowed over six innings pitched and six strikeouts. Randolph split 46 relief appearances between the Houston and Philadelphia organizations in 2008.

LaGuaira takes on Caracas next on Friday evening.

Dominican Winter League: off

The league took a break Thursday. It's back to action for all six teams on Halloween. Azucareros plays Licey. Escogido faces Aguilas and it's Gigantes versus Estrellas in the third game.

Puerto Rican League begins 11/06, returning for 2008 after ceasing operations in the 2007 season