Sunday, June 29, 2014

The Gods, the Law, and the Lost Lead

As much as I would have loved to see the Giants keep a 9-1/2 game lead over the Dodgers, I never expected it. It seemed much more likely that the two teams would have to play some big games in September. I thought with the hot start that the Giants might come into those big games in the driver's seat. Alas, they may still do that. But as they say when the tying run scores "it's a whole new ballgame." I most certainly did not expect to see the Giants squander their 9-1/2 game lead in a span of 19 games. Here's the first 63 games of the year: 42-21 (.667), best in baseball. Here's the next 19 games: 4-15 (.211), worst in baseball. If you had told me in March that the Giants would be 46-36 (.561) at the end of June, I'd have been happy. A .561 team at the end of the season is a 90-91 game winner. You figure a club with some talent and pennant race experience could pick up a few extra wins down the stretch and that gets you to a playoff berth.

I don't know who that bleedin' gobshite Murphy was, but I can live without any more of his Law, thank you. Everything is going wrong for this team right now. They were nearly no-hit today. And the Dodgers have put together their best month of the season at the same time, winning 12 of their last 16 to sport a 17-10 mark for June. The Giants finish the month 10-16. It's the pitching that has really made the difference for LA as they've allowed only 73 runs with one to play tomorrow. The Giants, thank the gods, are off tomorrow. Speaking of the gods, we've angered them again. Doesn't take much, they are cruel by nature, and love nothing more than to spread anguish and despair.

It's a dark time, O My Brothers. The Giants straddled the halfway mark of the season--games 81 and 82--by getting 12 hits and scoring three runs in 20 innings. They lost two games in which their starters went 15 innings and allowed two runs. They started the second half of the season by getting swept in a four-game series for the first time ever at AT&T Park, which opened in the year 2000. It was an epic June Swoon, one that will live in infamy. It could be salvaged, of course, blotted from the history books by sending the Dodgers back to second place and finishing ahead of them. They've 80 more chances left to do that. That's a lot of baseball, my friends.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.


3 comments:

Zo said...

Bochy has admitted that Romo is no longer the only closer. Instead he will use whomever he feels will not totally suck on any given night. I love the way Blanco, in scoring position at second with Posey at the plate, ran before the pitcher even threw the ball and erased that chance. I'm glad the Giants are not playing tomorrow. They're terrible.

Brother Bob said...

I get very bitter now while I'm watching a game. I just "know" they'll find a way to lose, and then they do. Like yesterday when Morse came up with runners in scoring position. I knew he'd make a feeble out, and he did. A month ago it would have been the opposite- I'd know he'd deliver and he would.

nomisnala said...

One of the 4 wins we had in the last 19 games was a no hitter. surprised we did not find a way to lose that one. The giants let two teams that had not come back when down in the ninth all season, come back. When the giants came back in the Cain game, and tied it up and had runners on second and third with no outs, you just knew that giants would find a way not to score. The clutchness of the pitching when a key pitch is needed, or the hitting when a key AB required something positive, or a move by Bochy, whatever it is its all going wrong. The opposition can mount a rally with a few infield hits, a walk, a hit batman, a wild pitch, etc. The giants have to tighten-up their game.