The Giants got a bunch of extra-base hits and a pile of runs and beat the Dodgers to cling to second place and a shred of dignity. Madison Bumgarner got a win despite laboring with 100+ pitches in five innings of work. I'm not sure what I would have done if the team had been swept. This is crunch time--LA is only 3/1/2 back! I realize that once the playoff prize is gone any consolation award (like second place) is meaningless, but it will make the off-season a hell of a lot more pleasant if the Giants finish ahead of the Dodgers. So c'mon, Giants, win some goddamn games!! And hang on to second and some self-respect. Rookie Eric Surkamp gets the call against the Padres tomorrow.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
6 comments:
Yes, yesterday's win was nice to see, albeit frustrating (i.e. a few of those runs could have been distributed through the weekend for greater effect - kind of like our opening series against LA).
In my blatherings over the weekend, I forgot to comment on Torres. 2010 Torres was pretty good, although not as good as some of the ravings. 2011 Torres has been disastrous. Aside from the anxiousness at the plate, he is still suffering from Dan Gladden Disease (readers who witnessed the early '80's Giants know exactly what that means). In the face of both of those shortcomings, although it was suggested by many, he still insisted upon using a bat much too heavy for either his hitting goals & his physical stature. Apparently, finally, his hero, Carlos Beltran, talked a little bit of sense into him.
Torres, on a good day, is a very good player. There have been hardly any of those this year. And, because of his long road to the majors, he's pretty old, too. I can't see offering him much of anything, except an invitation to Spring Training & an admonition to show up with a lighter bat & a different approach. Hitting the way that he has chosen to hit, he can't be our leadoff hitter. If I had to choose between Schierholtz & Torres, it's a no-brainer - it's Schierholtz. I like Andres Torres, but I can't stand the idea of another season of watching him flail at low, inside breaking pitches. This Justin Christian guy doesn't look like much of an alternative either.
Our OF needs an overhaul. Cuddyer has been suggested as a versatile contributor. I could go there. There are probably a few others. Maybe it's time to see whether the Mariners would bite on a deal for Ichiro - although, by his standards, he's had a horrendous year, I really think that part of it is because he is sick of playing on a team going nowhere. With a new location, he might feel rejuvenated & have at least one more good year. He certainly wouldn't be one of the players coming in, whining about the ballpark & the effect on his power.
The dropoff from Torres has been one of the biggest disappointments of this season.
One option could be to gamble and go prematurely with Gary Brown, who was California League Rookie of the Year. He just turned 23, so it's not like he's still a baby.
So the Giants scored 9 runs on the weekend and the doggers scored 6, yet the Giants lost two games and won one. If the Giants had lost Sunday, they would have been 1.5 ahead of LA. Scary.
Agreed on Torres and the Giants outfield. Here is whom I see as locks - Belt, although he alternates with Huff at first unless Pill does, and Schierholtz, as a fourth outfielder who can play center. Beltran, with the previously discussed caveats. Not sure about anyone else.
Baggarly (or his stand-in) is relatively sure that Beltran has no desire to stay & even goes so far as to predict that he will be next year's Phillies' RF. I can understand Beltran wanting to play on a winning team with great pitching. But, I don't know what the big deal for him would be to play in an HR park. His upcoming contract is his last long-term deal, so artificial stat-padding shouldn't be an issue anymore. Maybe, it's because Philapdelphia is closer to Puerto Rico.
Seriously, for a guy with his kind of level, line drive swing, it would seem like AT&T is the ideal park. He can still get his 15-20 HR's, plus threaten the league lead in 2B's & 3B's. He can hit effectively to all fields, with ballpark-driven pros & cons for him from both sides of the plate. And, he can cover the OF well.
But, he's a Boras client, & may not want to stay. Who knows what the real story is, & what is just propaganda?
I think I mis-stated in my post. I did not mean to imply that I thought Beltran was a lock. I would like to see the guy is SF, caveats as per prior notice, but I agree that there is no way to know what he thinks of that idea.
Many think that the phillies will go after Beltran, and that Beltran would love to play in their bandbox park.
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