Crawford wouldn’t have been at ease playing in Seattle
SAN FRANCISCO >> Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said Wednesday he would have taken the field in the unhealthy smoky air at T-mobile Park in Seattle the night before if his teammates had wanted to play.
Looking back, though — and up at the clearer skies of San Francisco — Crawford said he’s glad the Giants’ two-game series with the Seattle Mariners was moved to Oracle Park. But the Mariners will be the home team for both games.
Wildfires have run rampant along the West Coast for weeks, causing parts of Washington, Oregon and California to be choked by smoky air. The Air Quality Index on Tuesday in Seattle remained above 200 throughout the day. Wednesday, conditions had improved only slightly, with AQI readings in the late afternoon in the high 100s. Anything above 150 is considered unhealthy.
Residents in the Seattle area are not expected to experience much relief until Saturday, when the AQI is forecasted to fall below 100. Readings on Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco, meanwhile, were at 110, with today’s AQI expected to be in the 50s.
“It’s the best-case scenario that we could’ve worked out there,” Crawford said. “It’s a little better in Seattle today, but it’s still pretty bad. This is the best case scenario for both teams. Obviously the Mariners don’t get their home field, but, like I said, it’s the best way it could have worked out.”
Crawford said the Giants never left their hotel rooms Tuesday as they stayed in touch with each other.
“There’s definitely some concern when you see the air levels that bad,” said Crawford, who read what Oakland A’s players said about having trouble breathing and dealing with phlegm in their throats the next day.
“Feeling some phlegm in your throat is probably not the biggest concern, but just maybe the long-term effects of breathing in that bad of air for a few hours is more what we talked about,” Crawford said.
“I was going to go out there if the rest of the team wanted to, but wasn’t super comfortable with it, no.”
DICTERSON’S SCHEDULE >> Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday he isn’t sure when Alex Dickerson might be placed on the paternity list. Kapler said he and Dickerson talked earlier Wednesday but that “we’re still putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”
Sunday, Dickerson said he was still trying to figure out his plans for this week.
His wife, Jennifer, is 39 weeks pregnant in the San Diego area and the couple is expecting a baby boy.
“We’re looking into different dates on how I can physically be (in San Diego). It is our first child and I would like to be there for (his birth),” Dickerson said. “But with COVID, not just MLB rules but just rules in general, are very difficult, and navigating them is not easy.”
SLATER UPDATE >> Prior to Sept. 11, Austin Slater had been limited to hitting and running because of an elbow injury that has prevented him from playing the field. But between a coronavirus scare with Dickerson, postponed games, an off day and some travel over the last five days, Slater hasn’t had a chance to hit recently, either. Slater hasn’t played in the outfield since Aug. 11 and has not hit in a game since Sept. 8.
Kapler said Slater hasn’t had any progress with this throwing, but there’s a chance he will hit today when the Giants face Mariners left-hander Nick Margevicius.
“We haven’t been dealt the best cards,” Kapler said. “The fact that Slater hasn’t taken at-bats recently and hasn’t been in the field in quite some time is certainly just one of those challenges we have to deal with right now.
“He’s a potent enough bat off the bench against lefthanded pitching where it’s valuable to have him, particularly with Margevicius (today) and a few other lefties in this stretch, it’s nice to have him on our roster.”
POSITIVE NEWS ON MORONTA >> Right-handed reliever Reyes Moronta could join the Giants at some point this season if he continues to progress, Kapler said.
Moronta, 27, has not thrown in a game since Aug. 31 of last year when he injured his right shoulder and had surgery shortly after to repair his labrum. Before his injury, Moronta, in his third season with the Giants, had appeared in 56 games in 2019 and was 3-7 with a 2.86 ERA.
Moronta, on the 45-day injured list, was scheduled to throw one inning Wednesday at the team’s alternate training site in Sacramento, and Kapler said all of the reports he’s received so far from farm director Kyle Haines have been positive.
After Wednesday, the Giants have 12 regular-season games left. The regular season ends Sept. 27.
The Giants also announced Wednesday that Jeff Samardzija, out with right shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to throw five innings today in Sacramento. Samardzija has started only three games this season and hasn’t pitched since Aug. 7.