I can't get bummed about the final outcome of this game. Prince Fielder is an awesome hitter. I just wanted the game to end. I'm sick of all these endless low-scoring games. And it sucks to end a road trip this way.
A long time ago I declared Jonathan Sanchez an elite pitcher. Then he regressed and became quite annoying to watch. Now I'm on the verge of making the same declaration. He was excellent again today, striking out 9 in 6 innings and only surrendering one run. Yet he still doesn't inspire unbounded confidence. Why was he pulled after just 6 innings with less than 100 pitches thrown?
Velez was outstanding again today, at least early. He scored our only run, then made an amazing catch in left.
Sandoval improved his OBP today with a hit and 3 walks.
Today was my first chance to watch Runzler. He seems pretty special. Does any team in the majors have as many strong lefties as the Giants?
5 comments:
OK, Sanchez threw exactly 100 pitches. Still...
The stat that jumps out of the box score is Uribe 0 for 5 with 6 runners LOB. He doesn't need to be the hero EVERY day, but he should done a little better today.
Sanchez is getting better all the time--he pitched very well today. He'll learn to get more outs with fewer pitches and he'll learn to go deeper in games. I'm confident with him as the third leg of our Triangle of Young Studs. I know Zito has pitched better this year, and in the 2nd half in particular, but he's shown us already what we should expect for the rest of his tenure. Sanchez still seems to have that magical "upside." I hope we get to see it blossom.
Uribe has been a nice pickup--we've gotten a lot of production from him. He does have a .315 OBP, which means he makes outs 68.5% of the time, so "oh-fers" should not be so surprising. But low OBPs and high out % are the dominant characteristic of the SFG 09 offense.
When do we get to see Buster?
Uribe's career OBP is .297, Pedro Feliz territory.
I just saw Eugenio's catch. Very impressive. That kind of athleticism can't be ignored. I know it is unlikely that he is a new, improved Velez (in other words, the BCB attitude) but sometimes it looks like that. I doubt hitting off a tee is what changes it all, but what about CONFIDENCE and EXPERIENCE? Is he more than a 4th OF??
Who knows?
Career minor league line (491 G, 2010 PA):
.295/.342/.450 (.792 OPS)
If he could do that in the majors he'd be the 2nd best player on our team! The ML average is .262/.332/.419 (.751 OPS). Aaron Rowand has a .756 OPS, just to give you some perspective.
Velez is MUCH better than last year but his career ML line .270/.309/.411 (.720 OPS) is pretty scary. He turned 27 this May. Like Lewis, he's a late bloomer, and I have a feeling that, like Lewis, what-you-see-is-what-you-get. In other words the "upside" might be pretty brief. It is rare for a guy to reach the majors at his age and then get significantly better, but it DOES happen--Paul Lo Duca is a recent example. (Lo Duca has a career .746 OPS in 1000 ML games.)
I see Velez as a useful utility player--he really does remind me of Derrel Thomas.
Like I always so, though:
I'D LOVE TO BE WRONG.
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