Lost in all the excitement of one of the best games* of the year was the fact that Tim's streak of quality starts came to a conclusion. After 6 innings Tim had given up his "machine-like" 3 ER, all off the bat of Marcus Thames!! (Talk about a hot hitter! His last seven hits are HR's, 5 HR's in last 4 games...come on, Tim had given up 3 in almost 100 IP, then 2 in 2 AB's to the same guy.) Then, in what is becoming a trademark Bochy move, he was sent out for the eighth and immediately gave up a triple (don't you just hate Pudge?). It seems like every time Bru sends his starter out for just a little bit more, it blows up on him. Of course, I could point out that if the umpire had been in the right spot, Tim should have got out of that without the the run scoring. Except for the homers, this outing falls into a common mold for Lincecum; tough to hit hard even when he does not have strikeout stuff and the ability to go deep into a game. So even though it technically wasn't a "quality start" and certainly not his best, it was a start to be proud of and a much needed home victory. Congratulations, Tim. And Happy belated Birthday!!! (nice photo taken 6/12 by Lizzy Ramone)
*why one of the best? Not just because of the thrilling nature of a comeback, but more because of WHO did it and HOW. Bowker and Lewis hitting the homers, what's not to love?? All we need is a few young stars to emerge, along side Tim and Matt, and it is real easy to see sweet times ahead. I have been a big fan of Fred from the start, but I must admit to having my reservations about Bowker. I just didn't see the tools needed. But I must give him credit for learning a new position and hanging tough through a slump or two. I really want to see more of Burriss, he has the tools. Don't forget Horwitz, a definitely likeable prospect. This team is getting so full of raw talent it feels like a sushi bar. Which leads me to..
Which of our youngsters is your current favorite? Has it changed from day one?
My choice, after FreddieLew (who I already think of as a regular, don't you?) would be Merkin Valdez!! Surprise! Remember him?? Even after a month or more off, I still view Valdez as the next big piece of our puzzle. In fact, I am bold enough to say that Merkin will be our closer before the end of this year, so we should trade Wilson to the Mets right now for 2 or 3 hitters! They must have a blocked 3B. How is that for bold!
3 comments:
Brother Bob:
And so it goes... Lincecum has his least wonderful start but the team produces an exciting win, then Sanchez takes a no-hitter into the 6th but we can't score and Sanchez gets an L. There is no justice.
I think that no matter how well these 2 pitchers are doing, I don't care if they have perfect games going, they should sit after 7 innings. Last night Sanchez came out to pitch the top of the 8th, I'm thinking, "WHY?!" and he immediately gives up a loooong homer.
Favorite youngster? Besides Lewis? Has to be Bowker. He's had lots of big-time hits. Any and all home runs are very welcome on this team. I sure hope you're right about Merkin, although I still see him as a starter some day.
My Gods, I have to agree with Bob? On everything?
The Dirtbag is my guy, absolutely. Besides FreddieLoooo of course.
Sanchez got screwed by Bonehead. They had just tied the game up playing "little ball." Send it to the 'pen. Your're at home. You played for one run, you got it. Put your fresh, best guys out there to give you 6 outs and hope to squeak out a run on their (lousy) 'pen. I don't know if Sanchez had hit 100 pitches, but it was over 90 and he had been awesome (10 groundouts!) against a very good, very hot offense. He was done. Asking him to fool those guys "one more time" was setting him up to fail.
Guys learn to go deeper by throwing fewer pitches per plate appearance, not by leading the league in batters faced.
And yes about Wilson. I love the kid, he stepped up big time and has been tough. But he is very marketable right now for a 'contender.' If you were a Tigers fan, would you be happy with your bullpen?
Rotoworld says the Comical says the Braves are eyeing Winn. Wow, great news.
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