Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Not Quite Enough

Matt Cain had a little bad luck in the 1st, with a rare error by B-Craw and a bloop double that kicked up the chalk an arm's length from Hunter Pence in right, and it was suddenly 2-0 Arizona. The way Patrick Corbin was dealing it looked like that lead might hold up. The young lefty threw seven scoreless with only 80 pitches. When Paul Goldschmidt made it 4-0 with a massive homer in the 4th it looked like a done deal. But as we learned last night, the Giants don't quit. After a rally in the 8th chased Corbin, the Giants got the tying run to the plate in the 9th. It was none other than Brandon Belt, who once again sat to start the game but came in to hit in a clutch spot. He looked lost on two straight pitches from J.J. Putz before launching a spectacular bomb that bounced into McCovey Cove. It was the same mistake Cain made to Goldschmidt--the target was set up outside but the pitch bore in and the batter jumped on it. The Giants had a shot with two out in the 10th but Pablo Sandoval was inexplicably thrown out at home by a mile on Hunter Pence's hard single to right. Even more inexplicable were the defensive breakdowns that gave the game back to the D-Backs. Andres Torres looked like he had a shot on a ball in the gap, but pulled up to turn it to a single, then held on to the ball as the runner streaked to second. Belt's failure to grab a low throw from the Panda was the third error of the game for the normally sure-handed home team. Santiago Casilla threw a wild pitch and then gave up a hit and that was that--an ugly ending to a beautiful comeback.

The Giants are 0-5 when Cain starts a game. You know that can't last. Sure is annoying, though. The Giants are 4-0 when Madison Bumgarner starts a game. Let's hope that lasts--at least through tomorrow.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

3 comments:

Zo said...

Inexplicably thrown out? He was either sent by Flannery when the ball was already approaching the catcher or he ran through a stop sign. He was out by half the baseline.

M.C. O'Connor said...

Yes, "inexplicably." I cannot explain it. As you say, he was out by 40 feet. How does that happen?

nomisnala said...

He was sent by Flannery. A big mistake as Belt would have driven him in. Earlier in the game, and moving the Arizona lineup one player forward, Pablo's error was a bad call. He did make a bad throw, but replay showed that Arias tagged the runner before he got to first. The play did not seem big at the time, but it forced more pitches, and it moved the lineup forward.