Monday, August 25, 2014

Giants Get Peaved

Bruce Bochy was so peeved on a terrible called strike three to Buster Posey in the 8th he got booted by home plate umpire Doug Eddings. It was that kind of game. The Rockies scored one in the 1st with the help of two errors (one by Panik and one by Peavy) and two in the 4th with the help of two errors (both by BCraw) and a balk by hard-luck starter Jake Peavy. It was weird. In fact, the whole game was bizarre, like some kind of alternate universe where good is bad and bad is good. That inning had two plays at the plate, both outs, but the first one had to be reviewed before the call got made. Not something you see very often.

Mike Morse hit into two double plays--the Giants hit into four total--both well-struck, and he also got on base twice. His triple with one out in the 4th gave the team a real chance to tie the score but he was stranded. He walked to lead off the 9th and give the team another chance to tie the score but was, naturally, stranded (at least pinch-runner Matt Duffy was stranded). So, four plate appearances for the big fella with two clutch positive results and two double-whammy un-clutch outcomes. That was the game in a nutshell. Nine hits for the home squad and a strong start from their excitable pitcher but a terrible loss nonetheless. Peavy looked ready to come apart at the seams more than once, especially after the blown-but-corrected call at home but kept making good pitches and racking up outs. He should have fared better. Hell, the team should have fared better.

Andrew Susac hit a long homer to center field that gave the Giants an early lead. At least that was fun to watch. Peavy is fun to watch, too. He's the antithesis of the stoic Matt Cain he replaced but I have to say I find his histrionics quite entertaining. He gets Cainian results despite the difference in temperament. Speaking of Cain, Ryan Vogelsong did. In Baggs' article about his start in D.C. Vogie was quoted as saying he felt the need to "step up" when Matty went down. He's certainly been a bright spot in this confounding season, especially this month.

Thirty-two games left. Five games back in the West. Clinging to a half-game lead for the second Wild Card. We keep saying it and it remains true: time for the ball club to get their shit together and put together some winning streaks.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

3 comments:

Brother Bob said...

Crawford was especially bad. His decline has been very discouraging to me.

Zo said...

Why should the team have fared better? They lost this game in the early innings to the team with the worst record in the major leagues. One game after they couldn't pitch, they couldn't catch. They couldn't execute (Morse on third, no one could even so much as bunt properly). They got exactly what they deserved, and if anything, should have fared worse. They were fucking awful. It is our 4th straight loss, in our ball park to a team that, since they swept us in June, has had a 3 - 23 road record. 3 - 23. The Giants should have fared, if anything, even worse. We do not deserve to be in any conversation about the 2014 playoffs, the team is an embarrassment. A few days ago, I figured that, if we beat LA 4 of the 6 games remaining, we needed to pick up a bit more than 1 game each two weeks. IF we win 4 of 6 from LA. Now it is 1 game game per week, including this week. Or, we could sweep LA. Does anyone think we can sweep LA? Fuck, we can't even sweep Colorado.

nomisnala said...

The first error of the game was dubious. I watched in slow motion and the giants should have challenged, I believe the first baseman had his foot on the side of the bag when the ball was caught, and it dragged off later. In super slow motion it can be seen clearly and I think MLB umping center in N.Y. has better viewing equipment than I have at home, yet I have seen that MLB reviewing center still makes some bad mistakes.