SAN FRANCISCO — I covered three straight games during this Week That Was at Coors Field in Denver, where the press box is nearly a mile above sea level. And while stringing together sentences in that thin air can make one feel a bit discombobulated, The Athletic did not call up a rookie reporter to give me a day off and regroup when the road trip moved on to California.
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Then again, that strategy didn’t work out so well when manager Clint Hurdle made a similar move with this starting pitchers on Friday. Two months from now, will we remember Clay Holmes’ wipeout by the San Francisco Bay on Friday as merely a blip on the way to a wild-card berth or as a defining moment in a stretch drive that came up just short?
There’s a lot to look back on from this WTW. Let’s get to it …
Bonds remembers his roots
The San Francisco Giants retired Barry Bonds’ uniform number 25 on Saturday and didn’t spare any expense on the pregame ceremony. They brought in R&B artist Johnny Gill, one of Bonds’ favorite singers, to perform the Star-Spangled Banner. They also assembled a star-studded group of Bonds’ family (his godfather, Willie Mays, gave a funny and touching speech), friends, and former teammates and coaches — including former Pirates slugger Bobby Bonilla and ex-manager Jim Leyland.
“The Giants are honoring one of the greatest players of all time, and it’s so fitting that today’s opponent is the Pittsburgh Pirates,” said Leyland, who was Bonds’ first skipper in the majors. “He also is one of the greatest Pirates of all time. Without question, he is the best player I ever managed in my 22 years as a major league skipper.”
Bonds played six seasons with the Pirates — winning the National League MVP Award in 1990 and 1992 — before becoming a free agent. In December 1992, he signed what was then a record six-year, $43.75 million deal with the Giants.
“If it wasn’t for the preparation I received in Pittsburgh, I don’t think I would have been ready to be successful here at home (in San Francisco),” Bonds said.
Bonds thanked Leyland — “You were the best manager I could have had to start my career,” he said — and also gave a shout-out to former Pirates outfield coach Bill Virdon.
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“He told me, ‘You don’t have the best arm nor the worst. We’re going to utilize your speed to make up for that,’ ” Bonds said. “Thanks, Bill, for spending countless hours with me in the outfield. I got eight Gold Gloves out of that.”
Bonds’ number is the 10th retired by the Giants.
Should Pirates retire No. 22?
Andrew McCutchen said he was “humbled” when Chris Archer switched his uniform number to 24 instead of claiming McCutchen’s old No. 22 after being traded to the Pirates. Archer went so far as to say the Pirates probably will someday honor Cutch by retiring No. 22.
On Thursday, I mentioned Archer’s prediction to McCutchen, who seemed nonplussed by the suggestion that no other Pirate should ever wear his number.
“No. I don’t think I deserve that,” McCutchen said. “I went to the postseason with the Pirates a few times. We didn’t win any World Series championships. So, I don’t look at myself as being the same caliber of player as Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski. There is a lot of history there with what they’ve done, and they did it all in the same uniform — a Pirates uniform.
“I was there for nine seasons, that’s it. I could see it if I’d stayed there, put up really good numbers, won some championships, played there my whole career — maybe. Maybe. I don’t know. But I wasn’t there that long. Good things happened, but they’re here and they’re gone, then the next person shows up. I don’t look at myself that way, and I never will regardless. Even if I was in that caliber, I wouldn’t look at myself like I deserve to have my number retired. I don’t think that highly of myself. That’s not my job. Other people do that. I just play.”
The Pirates have retired nine numbers, plus Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, which is out of commission throughout the majors. It’s been 31 years since the franchise retired numbers 4 (Ralph Kiner) and 9 (Mazeroski). In 2007, they put aside No. 11 (Paul Waner). Of the nine honorees, only former managers Billy Meyer (No. 1) and Danny Murtaugh (No. 40) are not in the Hall of Fame.
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I asked a Pirates representative what the club’s criteria are for retiring a player’s number and if McCutchen could eventually be considered for the honor. There was no response from the Pirates.
Archer and the backstops
Francisco Cervelli was behind the plate for each of Chris Archer’s first two starts with the Pirates, and (barring another concussion) will be there again on Wednesday when the right-hander faces the Minnesota Twins. It’s a consistency that Archer wasn’t getting before he was traded.
“I don’t know if I’ve had a pitcher ever throw to five different catchers in six (straight starts),” Hurdle said.
Four catchers — Jesus Sucre, Wilson Ramos, Adam Moore and Michael Perez — worked with Archer in his final five starts with the Tampa Bay Rays. Only Ramos (700-plus career starts) is a seasoned veteran. Sucre and Moore combined have caught fewer than 300 games in the majors. Perez is a rookie who had one game under his belt when he caught Archer’s final start for Tampa on July 27.
Over his last five outings with the Rays, Archer went 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.
“I’m never going to make excuses. At the end of the day, I’m in control,” Archer said. “Cervelli is the most experienced, so that makes it a lot easier.”
When the Pirates acquired Archer, Cervelli contacted Ramos for a scouting report.
“The most important thing to me is learning (Archer’s) personality,” Cervelli said. “It’s important when I go to the mound, how I’m going to talk, what I’m going to say, what tone I’ve got to use. Everybody is different.
“Archer is open (to suggestions) and he’s a competitor. Those are good things. But because he’s got so much energy and he’s on fire all the time, I cannot be the same way. If I do, there could be an explosion. I have to be the guy who calms him down.”
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On Wednesday, Archer picked up his first win with the Pirates by going five innings in a 4-3 victory against the Colorado Rockies. He gave up five hits, including a two-run homer by David Dahl.
“The home run is one of the few times I shook Cervelli off, so that’s my bad,” Archer said. “I should’ve listened to him. I’m starting to trust him more and more; if I would have trusted him today, I wouldn’t have given up that homer.”
“A really bold move”
The Pirates gave up three players — former top prospects Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow, along with a minor leaguer to be named — to get Archer. McCutchen described the trade as “a really bold move” by his former club.
“Someone asked me if I was surprised,” McCutchen said. “When I saw that, it was like, ‘Dang. Really?’ Good for them, making their push. Maybe this year is just a little bit different, considering the past when there were opportunities to make a move and they didn’t. They probably learned from it. They didn’t want to look back and say they didn’t go for it with everything they had.”
Hello, Newman
At Triple-A Indianapolis, Kevin Newman hit for the cycle on Tuesday. He completed it by homering in his final at-bat of the game.
Newman went 0 for 4 the next day, but his post-cycle hangover did not last long. He had two hits in each of his next two games, kicking his average up to .307 with a .767 OPS.
“That dude just hits,” said outfielder Jordan Luplow, who played with Newman this year at Indy. “Sometimes, it’s not very surprising when after a game you see, ‘Oh, man. This guy went 2 for 3 with a walk … again.’ They just add up over the season. He just stays with his approach and keeps hitting.”
A first-round pick in 2015, Newman has played mostly at shortstop this season with Indy. However, when Josh Harrison was on the disabled list in April and May, Newman was switched to second base — an indication of how much the front office values Newman as a future, long-term cog in the infield. He almost certainly will be with the Pirates as a September call-up.
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“That’s out of my hands,” Newman said. “I’m not focused on that yet. But if that happens, to be able to get experience from guys like Jordy (Mercer) and (Adieny) Hechavarria would mean a lot, just being with those guys and seeing how they work.”
It’s been a busy year for Newman, who opened it as a non-roster invitee in big league spring training camp. He was named International League player of the week in May and at the end of June was selected as an IL all-star.
“This season, with where I’m at right now, has been exactly what I’d hoped it would be,” Newman said.“ The hitting has been there, the defense has been there. I’ve been a pretty good table-setter for the guys behind me. One of my goals was to score as many runs as I can because that’s a part of my game that can really help the team win. Whatever happens past this, I don’t know. But it’s already been a successful year in my mind.”
Through Friday, Newman led the IL with 73 runs scored. As Indy’s leadoff hitter, he has a .353 on-base percentage and 27 stolen bases.
(Top photo credit of Bobby Bonilla hugging Barry Bonds credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)