Explore every episode of the podcast Pitchers Park Podcast - A San Francisco Giants Podcast

Tough reality = Giants are 5.5 games out of the final playoff spot in a crowded NL Wild Card race with less than 30 games remaining. And don't forget -- they have the toughest remaining schedule in MLB. Jeff and Brooks prepare for a disappointing end to the 2024 Giants season, with hope that the fans will see even more young players get playing time in September. Pitchers Park Podcast is part of the Fans First Sports Network. Hosted by Jeff Young and Brooks Knudsen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What will Bob Melvin do when Camilo Doval returns from AAA? Keep Walker in the 9th, go with a committee approach, or let Camilo close once again? Jeff and Brooks weigh in. Pitchers Park Podcast is part of the Fans First Sports Network. Hosted by Jeff Young and Brooks Knudsen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you could send one Giants player to the Home Run Derby (and not completely embarrass the club), who would you choose? Brooks and Jeff make their picks and also give a shoutout to Helito Ramos and Logan Webb for their deserving All-Star selections. Pitchers Park Podcast is part of the Fans First Sports Network. Hosted by Jeff Young and Brooks Knudsen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Giants finished off their 10-game road trip with a 4-3 week. A couple of bullpen meltdowns cost them a more successful trip. To talk about that "mid" week is guest co-host Kenny Kelly, formerly of Beyond the Box Score and McCovey Chronicles! He gets roped into talking about the sequels to last week's big stories: the Kapler protest and the Fantasy Baseball Kerfluffle before singing the praises of the good things to come out of the week. And then Bryan and Kenny really get into it with a debate on which part of the Giants' game is most responsible for their mediocre 29-24 record: the pitching or the hitting. The Giants have one of the best offenses in baseball, so it would seem that whoever decides to argue that the lineup is what's responsible for the Giants' 6th seed in the NL playoffs is pretty, pretty stupid. You'll just have to listen to find out -- and then, vote in the poll to choose who won the debate! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joc Pederson made a lot of loud contact this week thanks to Barry Bonds’ hitting advice and Tommy Pham’s gambling hand, which made for a lot of entertainment off the field when the Giants weren’t being very good on it. Bryan and Doug determine the key lessons to learn from both incidents. They also talk a bit about Gabe Kapler’s protest of the national anthem in response to the Uvalde, TX school shooting and the hollowness of the criticisms directed towards his stance. But what of the Giants’ bullpen, which had a stellar April only to back it up with a putrid May? Will John Brebbia retain Bryan’s #1 spot? Will Jose Alvarez remain Doug’s #1? Tune in to find out. Have questions you want us to answer? Submit them in the comments below or at the podcasts’ Twitter account: @McChroncast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*Of course* Bryan and Doug are going to talk about that wild Juan Soto trade article that floated around earlier in the week, but only briefly, because we know you've already heard about it and read about it. Guess which side Bryan takes in the pro/con debate. Would you agree with his argument, even a little? The Chroncasters (is that a good label for them or no?) also talk about two former Giants before getting into their views on the current Giants and their 22-18 start to the 2022 season. If you could only use one word to describe this first quarter of the season, what would it be? Do Bryan and Doug's choices match yours? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode was recorded before the end of the drubbing by the Cardinals, so there's no talk of pitcher Luis Gonzalez or pitcher Albert Pujols. BUT! Bryan and Doug do talk about Mauricio Dubon's Giants tenure and the other trades the team made over the past week, a subject nearly as entertaining as that ninth inning in St. Louis... They also talk about the team hiring WME to find a new sponsor for the team patch they'll wear beginning in 2023. We also answer some listener questions, which are very sci-fi TV focused! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Giants went 2-4, which is not great, but they did celebrate the legacy of Buster Posey, which is beyond great. Still, in losing four out of six, Bryan and Doug were reminded that there are a quite a lot of players on the Dodgers and Cardinals they simply do not like, and they don't think they're alone in disliking quite a lot of players on the other teams, and so, the great quest to identify the worst of the rest of the NL commences. Aha! But after going through all the other NL teams, Bryan and Doug just couldn't decide who was the most loathsome Dodger, and that's where you come in. Vote in the poll at McCovey Chronicles or on Twitter (@McChroncast). Is it Justin Turner or Max Muncy? We're also taking your questions for a mailbag episode we want to do next week. Send us your questions on McC or on Twitter. Our intro music is by Lesfm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've dusted off our microphones to bring back the McCovey Chronicles podcast, the McCovey Chroncast. Bryan Murphy (no, not the one from radio) and Doug Bruzzone just couldn't stay away from talking about their favorite baseball team. This marks our 90th episode of the show after a 28-month absence. Quite a lot has happened during that time and after the guys blaze through the last two seasons, they get right down to business: ranking the Giants' impressive bullpen. Who stands as the most reliable arm after the first month of the season? Who's least trustworthy and why? What impact might the roster cutdown have on the Giants' decisions? If you want to become a part of the show, send us your questions, either by posting in the comments below or at'ing our Twitter account: @McChroncast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Stolnis, Kris Willis and Ashley MacLennon set the table for the World Series showdown between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros! Presented by T-Mobile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Stephen (True Blue LA) and Brady Klopfer (McCovey Chronicles) go head-to-head in SB Nation's special preview of the Giants-Dodgers NLDS showdown! Presented by T-Mobile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talent from all around SB Nation come together to preview the MLB NL Playoffs as John Stolnis, Brady Klopfer and Kris Willis debate all the biggest topics and make their predictions! Presented by T-Mobile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MLB great John Kruk joins Sam Wilson, John Stolnis, Brady Klopfer and a host of community guests from around SB Nation to watch the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco makes a swap with the Reds to add to their left-handed relief depth and also makes a 40-man move to pave the way for younger players to collaborate at Shortstop. Jeff and Brooks wonder if the Giants will attempt to upgrade the offense at SS from outside of the organization. Pitchers Park Podcast is part of the Fans First Sports Network. Hosted by Jeff Young and Brooks Knudsen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SB Nation’s all-star cast (Sam Wilson, John Stolnis, Eric Stephen and guest Jeremy Brener) breaks down everything that happened in the 1st round of the 2021 MLB Draft! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SB Nation welcomes you to it’s coverage of the 2021 MLB All-Star Week, powered by T-Mobile! On today’s episode, Sam Wilson, John Stolnis, and Brady Klopfer break down the rosters, set the state of the league, discuss trade rumors PLUS Talking Chop's Demetrius Bell joins the show to talk about the move from Georgia to Colorado! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco Giants had a historic trip to Coors Field, beating the Colorado Rockies 23-5 in the first game of a two-game series. But after blowing a lead in the second game, they settled for a series split. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks played a three-game series from Aug. 28 - Aug. 30. They lost the series opener, but won the series 2-1. The bullpen excelled, as did Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt, and Wilmer Flores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might know D.B. best Baseball Twitter’s Chief Spoonerizer, and it’s in this same spirit that they’ve written a book, Hall of Name: Baseball’s Most Magnificent Monikers from “The Only Nolan” to “Van Lingle Mungo’ and More, which we talk about in a fun, quick chat. We also revisit some of the best spoonerisms out there, our favorite Simpsons episodes, and, of course — because I really wanted to take these last few episodes to explore how people felt about the state of the game — the state of the game. When I dragooned Doug into doing a podcast with me back in 2015, I had no idea where it would go. I think we can all agree that the results have been . . . mixed . . . at best, but I think it’s given us some great things such as voices to names we read, interviews with people who don’t ordinarily get a spotlight, spinoff showcases for Sami and Roger, and a very loyal listenership for which I’m grateful. Thank you, D.B. for the chat, and thank you all for your time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s in store for the sport as the 21st century marches on? How has the present evolution complicated analyzing a sport where grown men wear pajamas? What’s the next market inefficiency? What kind of person keeps change in their wallet? Craig answers all these questions and more with unflinching kindness and a surprising amount of grace. A fair warning: Craig is a Dodgers fan, but I promise that the conversation doesn’t devolve into Bum talk. We do take some time to talk about our cats, though, so stick around for that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi! This will be the final Chroncast with Bryan & co. There will be a few more episodes to end the year, including an interview with author D.B. Firstman, Craig Goldstein (EIC of Baseball Prospectus), and a final prospects podcast with Roger before . . . it all goes away. If you saw the news, SB Nation will be converting management of its California team sites, including McCovey Chronicles, from a freelancer model to an employee model in compliance with California's AB5 law set to go into effect January 1st. There's a decent amount of overlap between the new law, SB Nation's decision, and the current state of the business of baseball, and so where those things overlap, we talk about them. And when they don't, we talk a little bit about the Giants. We laugh, we cry, and we say goodbye. Thank you for listening! CONTENT WARNING: There is an awful lot of profanity in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At long last, the site's founder returns to talk about the state of the Giants, the state of the game, and the state of the site. This was recorded Tuesday evening just before the Gerrit Cole deal broke, but the conversation is pretty evergreen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryan and Sami talk about everything that went down at Gabe Kapler's introduction to Giants fans and suggest how it might've gone better. They also venture a guess at what the offseason will be like before getting into the big transactions of the week: Will Smith's contract with Atlanta and Madison Bumgarner's free agency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sami conned our fearless leader into being on the podcast. She put him through his paces with the usual questions so that you guys can get to know him a bit more and we talked about what it’s been like for him since taking over the site. They also talked about the Giants, where Sami got Bryan’s take on the season that was (so far), what he thinks the future might look like, and Bruce Bochy’s impending retirement. In the venting corner, Bryan had a positive topic whereas Sami went on a one woman crusade against Fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beat LA. And then... Beat ATL. Brooks and Jeff go over the upcoming series vs Dodgers (last regular season matchup at Oracle Park in 2024) before catching a flight to Atlanta to face the Braves' formidable rotation. Pitchers Park Podcast is part of the Fans First Sports Network. Hosted by Jeff Young and Brooks Knudsen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sami was joined by none other than Kenny Kelly, of our own staff as they discuss the normal fare, such as what Kenny would do as commissioner for a day (spoiler: he would have a busy day) as well as Kenny’s take on the current Giants season.  Then they dig in on some not so expected topics, such as the concept of the five-star review system, the worth of apologies, and Sami rants about an obsession a lot of people seem to have with finding the worst things possible on the internet. And their pets make an appearance, fun times! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Giants' 4-2 week featured more standout performances from surprising sources. Will Farhan Zaidi continue to turn over the roster in search of the new high performer? Meanwhile, Sami joins Bryan to discuss the new community guidelines that went into effect this week as well as the constant undercurrent of discontent in the fan base on the subject of Brandon Belt.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Pennini of the website Prospects Live joins Roger and Bryan to give his scouting reports on some of the Giants’ best and brightest talent at their lowest level, the Arizona League. It’s not all about Marco Luciano, but it’s also not-not about Marco Luciano for a nice chunk of it; but, he also has more information than you’re likely to see anywhere else on the likes of Jairo Pomares, Garrett Frechette, Dilan Rosario, and Grant McCray, and if you’re not entirely sure who those guys are but you’re nevertheless interested in what’s going on deep down on the Giants’ farm, then you’ll want to listen to this one.  Jason also discusses what motivated him to ditch his old career to focus on scouting, which is an inspiring story worth your valuable time.  Roger and Bryan also go over the headline prospects acquired at the deadline — Jaylin Brown, Mauricio Dubon, Joe McCarthy, and Tristan Beck — as well as the Sacramento River Cats and their surprising playoff run.  The Untitled Prospects Podcast with Roger (UPPWR) is still looking for an official title, so, add your suggests down below. The next episode will come after the minor league season wraps, so if you have questions you’d like the show to tackle, add those down below, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

n this week’s episode, Sami was joined by Allison McCague. Allison covers the Mets over at SBNation’s Amazin’ Avenue and is a legit scientist. They talked about, you guessed it, the Mets (and some science!) and the general incompetence of the owners of the team.  They discussed the moves made (and not made) at the trade deadline and how that sets the Mets up for the future and the present. The Mets are in a similar position as the Giants with regards to the hunt for the Wild Card and we talked about whether they have what it takes to make a run at it.  They also  touched briefly on the Giants’ moves, but you should really listen to last week’s Chroncast for more on that. Bryan and Doug broke it all down for you there. Speaking of which, you should subscribe to the Chroncast feed to make sure you get every new episode of all of our podcasts!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It might take us a while to figure out just how the new front office managed to revamp the existing farm system without razing it, but here we are with a revamped Giants farm system and with most of the high profile names still very much of a high profile.  Joey Bart! Heliot Ramos! They've even been joined by some new names, some of whom were acquired last year and some added to the mix by the new regime. Roger and Bryan go through the latest prospect rankings which see four Giants as consensus top `100 prospects, a situation that feels very unfamiliar.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was one of the busiest trade deadlines in Giants history and it didn't involve the two biggest names on the roster. Just exactly how did Farhan Zaidi get the Braves to take on all of Mark Melancon's contract? Who did the Giants get in exchange for Melancon, Sam Dyson, Drew Pomeranz, and Ray Black?  Join Bryan and Doug as they go over all that and hear Farhan Zaidi in his own words explain not only why the deadline shook out the way it did but also his philosophy for managing a baseball team. He's been extremely consistent for his entire professional career. Also, Bryan reveals two trades he thinks will help and hurt the Giants in the NL West.  This episode features audio clips of the 2013 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Thank you to them for granting permission of their use.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sami is joined by Sam Bradfield who is the assistant editor covering the Colorado Rockies over at Purple Row. For transparency’s sake, this was recorded last Friday night, so it will not involve any news that may have broken between then and now.  Sam talks about how growing up in both cities has given her her dual loyalties for the Rockies and division rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks. We talk about how she got into covering the Rockies and their farm system, including the Pebble Report, which is just the cutest name for minor league coverage ever and you can follow it over on Purple Row, as well as the two Purple Row podcasts she works on.  As a huge Troy Tulowitzki fan, Sam shares her thoughts on his retirement announcement, and she also shares a delightful story about the time she asked almost every member of the Rockies organization which musical instruments they have played, if any. So if you ever wanted to know which instrument Nolan Arenado played in school to use against him the next time the Rockies come to town, this is the episode for you! But make sure to check out all of our episodes, as well as the original Chroncast and the Prospect Podcast, by subscribing to the McCovey Chroncast feed on the Apple podcast app, spotify, or however you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sami and Brady have a conversation about the Giants recent stretch of wins, what the team should do about the trade deadline, and how the Giants are bringing the fun back to baseball in a way that’s been missing since the 2016 season.  Brady breaks down the NBA G-League and talks about some of the wild times that take place at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and tells a horrifying and hilarious story of a poor, unknowing staff member who tried to shoo Jerry West off the court.  They also talk about two of his recent viral tweets, one of which earned a retweet from a famous musician and the other, which earned a rant from Sami. They rant about the way people treat famous wives of athletes and how the expectation of decency has disintegrated with regards to fans leaving players’ families out of their criticism and mocking of players.  No guest this week, but Brady fills in the gaps, telling us about how he got into sports writing and some of his big upcoming projects that you should not miss! You can follow Brady on Twitter @BradyKlopferNBA to keep up to date with all of his excellent writing (aside from his work at McCovey Chronicles, which you can find here several times a week).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sami is joined by friend of the site Carmen Kiew, who wrote for us last season. Carmen takes some time out of her very busy schedule to talk about the Home Run Derby, the likelihood of trades for Giants players currently on the chopping block, and Carmen tells us why Duane Kuiper makes sure that she carries honey mustard in her bag (swag).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, we take a look at what Bart and Ramos's performance at the Futures Game "means" for the Giants' system, the unique quality of the excitement surrounding Marco Luciano -- and how to properly say his name -- and the recent international signings the Giants made.  We still don't have a title! Send us your suggestions! @mcchroncast on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NL Wild Card race is packed with teams and the Giants find themselves toward the bottom of the standings. Jeff and Brooks admit that the frustration is mounting and the fanbase may really need something to be optimistic about. Pitchers Park Podcast is part of the Fans First Sports Network. Hosted by Jeff Young and Brooks Knudsen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sami was joined by the wonderful Jamie Neal to talk about the Oakland A’s and the bad blood between their respective fanbases as well as Jamie’s annoyances with bandwagons in general, while Sami nit picks her about her definition of bandwagon.  Jamie talks about her campaign to raise money for LGBT+ organizations through bat flips. And we get a little heated about the designated hitter, of which Jamie is not a fan of but Sami is, baseball salaries and how teams use them, and generalizing sports fans in one particular fandom versus the reality of sports fans across the spectrum.  Plus, we share some memories of the 1989 earthquake and decide that that is the reason why the Giants and A’s cannot be good at the same time anymore. Also, we answer your questions for her, even if the answers may not be exactly what you wanted.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do Drew Pomeranz, Alex Dickerson, Stephen Vogt, Will Smith, and Madison Bumgarner all have in common? They're not going to be on the next winning Giants team. So, what's there to talk about? Plenty. Doug has been off covering the Giants for the San Francisco Examiner and was the first to report on Austin Slater's new swing, which Slater put to good use Monday night in San Diego with a triple and home run.  Does the nascent stages of this rebuild necessarily preclude us from gaining knowledge about the team's future or is that just pessimism wrapped around a dark core of ignorance? Neither Bryan nor Doug proclaim to have the answer, but that won't stop us from talking it out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sami and Brady chat with Bradford William Davis of the New York Daily News. Bradford fills us in on all things Yankees and his life long love affair with the team and we all vent about the #Hashtag #Umpire #Tweet. We also discuss Bradford’s respect for Madison Bumgarner’s on-field antics and grumpy players in general. Later, Bradford talks with us about one of his recent articles that goes into what CC Sabathia means to him, which you can find here. And Brady closes us out with yet another delicious cocktail recipe and a tale of family adventures.  Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel! We’ll have all the content you could desire, starting with the triumphant return of the McCovey Chroncast, our flagship podcast, which came out on Monday, in which Bryan and Roger kick off the new season. And Roger himself has a new prospect podcast as well, and you won’t want to miss it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the newest show on the McCovey Chronicles Podcast channel! If you've listened to the McCovey Chroncast before, then you've no doubt heard our minor league guru, Roger Munter, come on from time to time. Now he has his own show... a show still searching for a title! Chime in with your suggestions in the comments section.  In the meantime, Roger and managing editor Bryan Murphy run through the Giants' 2019 draftees to find gems and divine a direction for the organization under a new front office regime. They also talk about the top of the Giants' farm system. There's definitely talent after Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos -- players you really ought to know about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The McCovey Chroncast is back! Bryan Murphy hosts this look at the week that was in San Francisco Giants Baseball. What's Madison Bumgarner's true trade value and is it even worth it? Why are Adam Eaton's comments about minor leaguers so frustrating? And, Roger Munter calls in to talk about the 2019 team and how it compares to the doldrums of the 70s and 80s.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sami sits down with Lana Berry, of the internet, to discuss the fact that baseball has been particularly cruel to her, personally, in the last decade, as a Dodgers and Rangers fan. She fills us in on what is going right for the Dodgers this year, and why Dodgers fans should be concerned about that. Lana shares her advice for those aspiring to break into the industries of sports media or media in general, and they go off the rails a little bit talking about social media in the venting corner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sami Higgins and Brady Klopfer sit down with SBNation's Ashley MacLennan about the Detroit Tigers, the Tampa Bay Rays, and Ashley's YouTube channel "90 Feet From Home" where she breaks down the game for people at differing levels of baseball fandom. They touch on the Canadian bandwagon for the Toronto Raptors, as well as the pressing issue of living wages for minor league baseball players and fundamental changes to the arbitration process. And Brady schools us on the topic of simple syrups for cocktails. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that we've reached the end of the minor league season, Roger Munter is here to break down the Giants' 2018 and give us a sense of the system as a whole. For the second consecutive season, the entire organization has been populated by losing teams and underperforming players. Is there hope for 2019? This is a POSITIVE PODCAST! Roger has great things to say about the top of the Giants system and so there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about the near and distant future of our favorite baseball team.  We also answer a couple of Twitter questions.  This is the season finale and next time you hear the podcast, it'll sound different and maybe even have a new host or two. We sought out your feedback for what you'd like to hear in the future and how you'd want us to consider improving the show, but if you missed that initial post, don't hesitate to post your comments down below.  Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know the Giants drafted catcher Joey Bart with the #2 overall pick, but was he the absolute right fit for the Giants? And how else did they do with their slightly unconventional selections? Did their draft strategy suggest a new organizational philosophy? All of these questions and more are answered as Bryan and Roger have a one-on-one about the 2018 MLB Draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Padres had been running circles around the Giants and the Braves had been pounding all of baseball with their vaunted youth movement, so it came as a welcome surprise when the Giants left Atlanta with a sweep. We talk all about the standouts from that series and how the new coaches might be helping out with this turn of events. We also make our picks to click and answer your Twitter questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A difficult but important episode, highlighting an ounce of what The Say Kid means to Brooks, Jeff, Giants fans, and the baseball community. They also share some thoughts on Thursday's matchup between the Giants and Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Alabama, which will pay tribute to the Negro Leagues.  Pitchers Park Podcast is part of the Fans First Sports Network. Hosted by Jeff Young and Brooks Knudsen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For all the rightful attention Pablo Sandoval has received because of his tremendous inning of relief Saturday afternoon, there’s still the small matter of the Giants maintaining relevance in the NL West and their industry as they close out the first month of the season. Without their #1 and #3 starter, despite their #2 starter lost to DL time for a time, their starting left fielder unable to compete and their hot-hitting backup suddenly knocked out with an injury, and a now uncertain future for their prime second baseman, the Giants will end the month around the .500 mark for the first time since 2016. That means we’ve seen a lot of positive results for a team that’s been mired in bad process for nearly two seasons and it certainly suggests that there’s perhaps been a change in the process. Naturally, we’re on the case discussing everything that happened this past week as well as projecting the week ahead. We also make our picks to click and answer your Twitter questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Belt gets a lot of guff because he’s not good all the time when many people think he should be. Well, he was good and more this past week and, so, it’s only fair that we dwell on that Belty goodness and enjoy how everything that happened could’ve only happened to Brandon Belt. But it’s not *just* about Belt, even though this is the Beltcast. Bryan and Sami are awestruck by how well the pitching staff has held up in the absence of Bumgarner and Samardzija. What's going on with Johnny Cueto's changeup? And how does the new coaching staff seem to be impacting Bruce Bochy's decision-making? Also, we explore Sami's ability to pick the right picks to click and we answer some of your Twitter questions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Giants are off to a 6-9 start for the second consecutive season and Brandon Belt has been benched repeatedly for striking out at the wrong time... for the umpteenth consecutive season. Can Doug and Sami convince Bryan that the Giants *won't* change their ways at this point if they haven't shown a willingness to before? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices