MadBum beats Da Bums!

It was the biggest win of the year--beating the Dodgers in the LAtrine. It was also a very weird game. Panda made a mistake on the field that led to a run (it was a bad call by the umps), Andres Torres ran into an out (he obviously lost count), and the umps actually conferred on a call and got it right. I've never understood why the umpires don't confer more frequently. Seems like many of the bad calls we see could be set right just by the crew talking about the play. I expect we'll see more use of video replay in baseball, and that's fine with me, as long as it doesn't become as tedious and stupid as the NFL. Perhaps they could put an ump in the booth with all the camera feeds, and the crew chief can call on him when the play demands it (or the managers issue a challenge). Regardless, get together and talk. Find out who had the best angle and what they saw. Seems like that should be the crew chief's job.

That was only the team's second win in seven games this season against the Dodgers. A double by Andres Torres and singles by Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval gave the Giants a 2-0 lead in the 3rd. Nate Schierholtz hit a 2-run homer in the 4th to make it 4-0 (nice to see him contribute!), and with MadBum dealing things looked good. In the 6th, Rafael Furcal hit a leadoff bomb to make it 4-1, and Jamey Carroll singled, but Bumgarner got the next two guys out. When he walked James Loney, Ol' Boch yanked him and got Guillermo Mota. Mota made a stupid pickoff throw that bounced in the dirt and went into centerfield. (No need to actually throw there, just the fake and the looks would be enough to keep the runner close.) With runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs, Matt Kemp hit a grounder to Sandoval. 99.99% of the time the third baseman throws that ball to first and the inning is over. Sandoval decided to tag Loney, who was coming towards the base, thus making it a "time play" (Rule 4.09a). The umps ruled that Carroll had scored before the putout was recorded, making it 4-2. The replay showed they got it wrong. Fortunately, the Giants scored later to make it 5-2 and the bullpen had just enough in the tank to close out the win.

The Giants have to beat the Dodgers and the Rockies and the Padres and even the lowly Diamondbacks if they expect to win the West. Last night was a good start.

--M.C.