![]() ![]() He had just woken up the following morning when he got another call. Crawford will go back-to-back on Thursday when he starts at DH.NEW YORK - Brett Wisely was enjoying dinner Wednesday night in Manhattan when Gabe Kapler called to tell him there wasn’t a spot on the Giants’ Opening Day roster. At this point, the Giants have little doubt that he'll be fully ready by their opener. Brandon Crawford returned to the lineup after missing time with knee discomfort. That also means Stripling will help set the stage for the final appearance for Sergio Romo, who was one of his teammates in both Los Angeles and Toronto. The Giants are being coy about their full rotation plans, but that would allow him to start the third game of the season at Yankee Stadium on an extra day of rest. Stripling currently is lined up to pitch the second Bay Bridge Series game at Oracle Park next Monday. "I'm excited to see her." RELATED: Kapler: Starting staff 'most encouraging' part of Giants camp Stripling didn't get a chance to catch up with his family before the game but planned to see his great-aunt afterward. "I can't break away at 12:55 to catch the first pitch, especially if you're going to milk it out there Jane," Stripling said, laughing. He took a break from warming up to watch through the chain link fence separating the bullpen from the field. ![]() Because Stripling was the starter, he couldn't come out to catch the first pitch. A family member set up the first pitch, but ran into a slight problem. Stripling said his great-aunt is in her early 90s and comes to visit every year during spring training. Ross Stripling is starting today and his great aunt Jane threw out the first pitch /MiaOx0oG8W Jane Jones, Stripling's great-aunt, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and drew some laughs from the crowd as she slowly walked all the way out to the mound and dramatically raised her arms over her head for an old-school delivery. Ross Stripling threw 4 2/3 shutout innings, but that wasn't the highlight of the day for his family. "He's had a really nice camp," Kapler said. With a week left until they have to set their roster, Johnson might be sprinting his way onto that flight to New York. With Austin Slater (hamstring) and Mitch Haniger (oblique) both sidelined, the Giants likely will need outfield help at the start of the season and could have as many as three 40-man roster spots to play with since Luis Gonzalez (back surgery), Thomas Szapucki (arm neuropathy) and Luke Jackson (Tommy John rehab) all are likely to be placed on the 60-day IL. Johnson cleared waivers in November and was outrighted to the Triple-A roster, but the big spring has him back on the radar, and it certainly helps that he's the best defensive center fielder in camp. Johnson said he "felt a little antsy" in those initial at-bats last season, but he has calmed down at the plate this spring. The 27-year-old got a cup of coffee last season after a strong run in Triple-A, but he went just 2 for 18 in the big leagues with seven strikeouts, failing to hit enough to truly show off his speed. We want teams to see him as a base-stealing threat and a challenge to contain on the bases and he's been that all the way through camp." "It's not like one of those things where you want to be like, 'Oh, let's use this sneak attack.' That advantage goes away really quickly. You can tell that they're speeding themselves up, they're just very uncomfortable with him out there and it's great for him to get that reputation," Kapler said. "He's just kind of causing havoc for pitchers. ![]() While a lot of that has to do with the new rules limiting pickoff throws and shortening the distance between bases, Johnson said his plan long before MLB changed things up was to push the pace. The Giants have five more stolen bases than any other club this spring and have been aggressive in pursuing extra bases on hits and forcing the issue. The Giants could use a little more of that, and Johnson has helped lead a bit of a renaissance at Scottsdale Stadium. "The word I've been using is 'menace,'" Johnson said. In his player meeting with manager Gabe Kapler at the start of camp, he told his manager that he was "100 percent going every time" he reached base. Johnson isn't surprised by the gap or the sheer number of steals. Colorado's Zac Veen (eight) is the only other player with more than six stolen bases. He's a perfect 12 for 12 on the bases and should pretty easily finish as the stolen base leader in Arizona and Florida this spring. Johnson later doubled home a run and finished the day with a. ![]() It went down as yet another manufactured run for a young player trying to force his way into the Opening Day picture. Johnson stole second to get into scoring position for Joey Bart, then scored when Bart hit an infield single to short and the throw to first briefly got away from Texas Rangers first baseman Brad Miller. ![]()
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