"I was just a little erratic," Cain said. "I couldn't keep it honed in." (Chris Haft article)
108 pitches to 23 batters with 5 walks--yeah, I'd say "erratic" was about right. Matt was aggressive, but had trouble finishing guys, and was plagued by the same youthful inconsistency that we saw last year. I love watching the big lug throw, he's built like a linebacker and has that country boy look, I almost expect him to whip out a guitar and do some Trace Adkins covers between innings. But he's going to struggle to get wins if it takes 20 pitches an inning to get three guys out! Speaking of wins, how 'bout that? A WIN for M.C. was a long time coming, not since August 28th of last season. The bullpen picked him up this time--Chulk made a big contribution, much to my surprise, and the Walker-Wilson duo is shaping up the way we'd hoped this spring. Our vaunted "speed" offense worked to perfection, and our cagey vets got the timely RBI hits. My crystal ball told me that Matt was going to throw the season's first CG last night, but his 1st inning's labors dashed those hopes. (I dashed the crystal ball against the wall--no more of that crap.) You have to love the Crockies stinking up the NL West--defending league champs my arse! Only 30,000 in the yard last night. Funny how that doesn't hurt SFG Inc., I'm sure they've got their steady revenue stream intact. But it does hurt all the little guys--vendors and ushers and ticket takers and whatnot. You reduce attendance by 1/3, you reduce your hourly-wage workforce. I thought ballclubs were supposed to contribute to the community! And speaking of fractions, we are 1/6 of the way through the season. At 12-15, .444, we project to 72-90. That is well above expectations, no?
0900 update: BEYOND THE BOXSCORE discusses Jonathan Sanchez. Check it out.
5 comments:
Bother Bob:
Glory Hallelujah, our bhoyo got a "W"! It wasn't even his best start, but the offense was adequate and the bullpen once again was solid.
Aurelia, Ortmeier and Durham are all showing signs of life at the plate. On the other hand, wunderkind Bowker has crashed badly. I guess the scouts learned his weaknesses. Let's hope he can adjust.
Tonight the Great Man goes to the mound. He has yet to disappoint.
There were not 30,000 "in the park." There were 30,000 paid. Much fewer there, I bet. I was at Saturday's game - an early weekend night on a warm evening, just right for a game before dinner or an evening on the town (assuming you could still afford it after a couple beers). Too bad the Giants didn't cooperate. They report ticket sales, not gate. Take a look at StubHub to see how many tickets there are waiting for buyers. Monday night, against the Rockies, I would guess fewer than 20,000.
In the Chronic this morning, Zito is apparently going to be demoted to the bullpen. I would like someone to explain to me how this is going to help him. He has either lost confidence, lost the ability to pitch, or both. How is going to the bullpen going to help him pitch, or gain confidence? Putting him in during the next blowout where a plethora of runs won't matter (except to him)? Again, if the point of this season is to build for the future, let's build, not pretend that there is a meaningful race. Having said that, though, I see the Giants have vaulted into third. I think that we are seeing the potential of a great pitching staff and bunch of mediocre rivals (Arizona excepted). Remember the big three, Hudson, Mulder and Zito on the A's when they were all 20 game potential winners? Is it really a stretch to think of Cain, Lincecum and Sanchez as being that good?
As soon as we scored a couple runs early I "knew" we had it locked up. Hard to believe that Matt had gone TEN STRAIGHT games without a victory. I predict he will never have such a streak again.
Will Tim continue his amazingly consistent assault on greatness??
Tim is bound to get hurt by our lack of offense at some point. He has also allowed 27 hits and 14 walks in 29 innings. He's stayed on top of it with strikeouts, and I might add, general studliness. But pitching with men on base will eventually bite you in the ass. Tonight, though, I expect the Crockies to flail away and hit long outs to CF and RF. If Tim can keep the pitch count down, we'll see him crack the 7 IP line again.
Sanchez belongs in the Cain & Lincecum triumvirate--who are we to argue with sabermetrics? Check out this. And all those awesome strikeouts! I think we can build our own Hudson-Mulder-Zito trio. Sabes & Co. better think so as well, otherwise there's not much point. We don't have comparably accomplished hitting prospects.
The actual "butts in seats" number, as you say Zo, is pretty dismal, and the TV shots of the Park are depressing. I wonder if the Giants actually make more money when fewer people show since they can hire even fewer workers.
I like Sanchez ALOT but I am not ready to put him in the same category as Cain and Lincecum. I have hope he may get there - especially now that management isn't jerking him around anymore. (But imagine if Lowry wasn't injured, would Sanchez have even gotten a chance to start?) I don't think he gets his arm into the right "slot" each outing and he definitely needs help out of the stretch...basic problems for almost all young pitchers (not, however, Cain and Lincecum). Just like the Enchanter, Sanchez has a wonderful ability to avoid the homer...super important if you walk some folk.
His value may never be higher. Is Sanchez the pitcher we trade in order to get a hitter or two???
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