SF Giants Press Clips Tuesday, May 29, 2017
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SF Giants Press Clips Tuesday, May 29, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants fall to Nationals; Hunter Strickland, Bryce Harper brawl Henry Schulman Hunter Strickland recited the standard line. He tried to throw inside to Bryce Harper and got the ball too far in. Pitchers have to say that after they drill someone because admitting intent would mean a longer suspension and a bigger fine. So let’s get it out of the way: After Strickland hit Harper with a first-pitch fastball in the eighth inning of the Giants’ 3-0 loss to the Nationals on Monday, setting off a ferocious fight between the two, Strickland said, “Obviously, I’ve left the ball over the plate a couple of times on him and he’s taken advantage of that. Just going inside, and obviously I got it in too far.” Now, reality. Strickland had faced 541 hitters in his career and hit just four. With a fastball into Harper’s hip, Strickland seemed to be settling a score from the 2014 Division Series. Harper hit a Game 1 homer off Strickland, who defiantly said he would not be afraid to throw him another fastball in the series. Strickland did in Game 4, and Harper sent the ball into McCovey Cove. Harper admired his shot and then hollered at the pitcher all the way around the bases and from the dugout. They had not faced one another again until Monday. Shortly after the teams stood on the field for a moment of silence to honor fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, Harper charged the mound after he wore the first-pitch fastball from Strickland. In the ensuing fight, after Harper tried to throw his helmet at Strickland but missed, each landed a slap to the other’s head. The benches emptied and Strickland had to be dragged into the dugout by teammates Mac Williamson, George Kontos and Hunter Pence — and not easily. “It was quite a pile,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re probably lucky that nobody on either side got hurt.” Some consequences were immediate. Harper and Strickland were ejected, Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija had to take physical inventory after they banged heads while running from opposite directions trying to get between the combatants, and Harper’s pinch-runner scored Washington’s third run, putting the game even more out of reach. Some consequences will be longer- lasting. Strickland is sure to be suspended (along with Harper). Buster Posey will have to fend off criticism for not trying to stop Harper’s charge to the mound and wonder if he will get drilled in retaliation. Pence, who’s on the disabled list , might face a suspension for running into the fray as a nonactive player. Bochy called the incident “unfortunate” and admitted, “It looks bad. No doubt it does.” Harper could not understand it, particularly because the Giants won the Division Series on their way to a World Series championship. “It’s so in the past that it’s not even relevant anymore,” Harper said. “They won the World Series that year. I don’t even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night.” Harper did say he respected Strickland for hitting him low, not near his head, but Harper’s teammates were not as forgiving. “I thought it was completely uncalled for,” second baseman Daniel Murphy said. “Harper hits one into the cove in a big spot off him … and then Hunter waits three years to get him. If the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would’ve gotten one the next season.” Although Strickland denied intent, he did not apologize for fighting Harper, saying that when he saw the 2015 NL MVP coming at him, “It’s go time. You’ve got to protect yourself and stand your own ground. I was pretty fired up, to be honest with you. It was just adrenaline.” Washington manager Dusty Baker had no issue with Harper charging the mound at risk of a suspension either, saying, “What’s a man supposed to do? He’s not a punching bag.” Strickland found himself in private conversations after the game, including one with Bochy, who told reporters, “We don’t do things from what I ordinarily want us to do. We’re trying to win ballgames. I needed to talk to him and make sure we’re straight with some things.” Posey said his recent concussions did not play into his decision to stay out of the fray, but said, “Those were some big guys tumbling around. Morse was in there. As big as he is, he was getting knocked around like a pinball.” When the teams retreated to their dugouts, the Nationals finished a victory over Matt Moore, who held the majors’ best offense to two runs in seven innings but lost because the Giants were blanked by Tanner Roark (seven innings) and three relievers. The Giants loaded the bases in the eighth, their best shot to get even, but Shawn Kelley got Justin Ruggiano to fly to left for the third out. San Francisco Chronicle Eduardo Nuñez sits out after inadvertent shot to head Henry Schulman Even when the Giants score a run, they cannot win. Eduardo Nuñez, the team’s hottest hitter, sat Monday and was being evaluated for a concussion after he was hit in the helmet by a ball and inadvertently smacked in the head by Atlanta pitcher R.A. Dickey while scoring the first run in Sunday’s 7-1 Giants victory. Nuñez has blurred vision that he said had improved since Sunday but was not resolved. “We’ll see how I’m feeling tomorrow,” Nuñez said. “Hopefully, it’s not a concussion.” Nuñez dived headfirst to score on a Kurt Suzuki passed ball. Suzuki retrieved the ball and threw to Dickey covering the plate. Nuñez said the ball to the helmet did not jar him, but a shot to the jaw from Dickey’s glove did. The Giants summoned utilityman Orlando Calixte from Triple-A Sacramento to replace Nuñez if he went on the disabled list Monday, but the club made no move after a concussion test was inconclusive. Nuñez might have been spared more serious injury because clubhouse manager Brad Grems added padding to his helmet, which usually flies off. This time, it stayed on. “First time,” Nuñez said, smiling. Christian Arroyo replaced Nuñez in the lineup and hit a third-inning double to end an 0-for-21 skid. Calixte staying? Manager Bruce Bochy suggested Calixte might be added to the roster soon even if Nuñez stays off the DL. Calixte can play every position other than pitcher and catcher and was hitting .287 with eight homers for Sacramento. Calixte overcame a May 16 concussion caused by slamming his head into the wall trying to catch a homer in Oklahoma City. On deck Tuesday vs. Nationals 7:15 p.m. NBCSBA ESPN Gonzalez (3-1) vs. Samardzija (1-6) Wednesday vs. Nationals 7:15 p.m. Channel: 11 Scherzer (5-3) vs. Cain (3-3) Thursday Off Leading off Honoring 24: ESPN’s telecast of Tuesday night’s game, available in the San Francisco market, will include tributes to and an interview with Willie Mays. San Francisco Chronicle SF Giants turn to brain-training headsets to help players improve Benny Evangelista Baseball legend Yogi Berra once observed, in his own inimitable way, that “90 percent of this game is half mental.” Now the San Francisco Giants are employing high-tech brain-training headgear hoping to help players with that other half. The Giants are using the Halo Sport, a headphone-like device that shoots low-voltage electrical signals into the part of the brain that stimulates motor control, to help train major- and minor-league players. Although track stars, pianists and Navy SEALs also use the devices to train, not everyone is sold on the technology. A UCSF neuroscience expert believes more tests are needed to uncover potential side effects, while a Golden State Warriors trainer said her players have already dismissed the devices as “flash-in-the-pan” “gizmos.” Meanwhile, the Giants on-field records have regressed. As the baseball season turned past the Memorial Day mile post, every team in the Giants system languished at or near the bottom of their divisions. But the devices have made a believer out of Tyler Beede, the team’s top minor-league pitching prospect with the Sacramento River Cats. Beede said he was initially skeptical, but uses the headset twice a week as part of his workout routine to improve the consistency of his pitching mechanics. “I can feel a difference, I can see a difference statistically,” Beede said in a phone interview. “It’s certainly helped improve my focus.” The Giants are the first pro sports team to publicly partner with Halo Neuroscience, located near AT&T Park. Brett Wingeier, co-founder and chief technology officer, said the startup is working with teams in several sports, but can’t disclose which ones because of confidentially agreements. However, in an ESPN video report in March, New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes showed a reporter how he trains while wearing a Halo Sport. The company’s technology relies on transcranial direct current stimulation, which uses low-level electricity to enhance the brain’s natural ability to build neural connections to learn and retain skills. Halo concentrates on the part of the brain that controls motor skills, so the company markets to athletes and high-level sports enthusiasts. Halo signed a multiyear agreement with the Giants and took out a full-page ad in Giants Magazine to promote the $749 headgear, which from a distance looks like an ordinary pair of Beats by Dre headphones.