You could sense that the 6th inning was going to be the critical point in the game. Tied 2-2, the Giants chased Yordano Ventura but could not push across the go-ahead run. Jake Peavy, who'd breezed through the previous nine outs, put the first two men on in the bottom of the inning. Boch immediately summoned Jean Machi who unfortunately could not get the forkball down and a single from Billy Butler plated the go-ahead run. Javier Lopez came in and got the lefty Alex Gordon but then Boch went with rookie Hunter Strickland for Salvador Perez. The youngster gave up a double that scored two and then a homer to Omar Infante to pile on the misery. Seems like the well is tapped on number 60. The bright side of that debacle was that Timmy got to pitch and he looked good. I reckon the bullpen depth chart will get a re-working. He left after five outs with what looked like a muscle tweak on a bad landing--we can only hope the injury is minor and he'll be healthy and still available for the weekend.
A win by the Giants would likely have been the death blow. The Royals were in a must-win situation and they came up with the big hits when they had to have them. I thought Peavy looked really good after a rocky beginning and it was a real bummer when he put those guys on to start the 6th, you knew Boch would have the quick hook there, I can't argue with that. The guys didn't execute and that was the game. Another positive for the Giants is they got a look at the three-headed bullpen monster (Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland) that the Royals depend on to close out games. They are obviously impressive, but the Giants have already beaten two good teams and I expect they can beat another one. It's all set up for a sweep at home--wouldn't that be something?
Tim Hudson gets the ball in San Francisco on Friday night.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
7 comments:
I hope that you meant a Giants' sweep at home.
Last night was a horrible loss. Losing a game, 7-2, wasn't the big story. It was the probability that we have gone from an 8-man bullpen to a 5-man bullpen.
Strickland (Byung-Yung Benitez is what I prefer to call him) should never be allowed back on the field. He is not fooling anyone, his mistakes turn into extra base hits, usually HR's, & he is also being turned into a basket case. If he really is the 'Closer-of-the-Future', he needs to be protected from such perpetual maulings.
Machi has now been unreliable over many games. Although, with one exception, his mistakes don't turn into extra base hits, he is not getting anyone at all out.
Lincecum was starting to deliver an ironic statement to Bochy at the end of the game - he looked great. Then, he got hurt, & I expect him to be unavailable. I hope that he's OK, because we really need him, & he deserves to contribute.
The upshot of all of his is:
- Petit needs to be ready for long assignments.
- Affeldt will have to be ready for multiple inning assignments, something that he has handled in the past.
- In some situations, Lopez will have to face a few right-handed batters.
The more frightening upshots:
- We are very ill-equipped for long, extra-inning games.
- We may have to do some crazy stuff with our Starters, including, depending upon how things go, bringing Bumgarner back on short rest. Those kinds of things usually don't work out.
Hudson needs to be super on Friday. He has been so far.
Go Giants!!!!!
How long has it been since Machi had an effective appearance? It seems like a long time. And Strickland should just watch the rest of the series. I think he set a record for most homers in a post season.
I definitely got a kick out of seeing Lincecum work. Some of his pitches were semi-wild, but perhaps they helped keep the batters uncomfortable. I really hope he recovers from whatever that was, and maybe will get to throw in a more meaningful situation.
If Timmy's too hurt to be available, might Kontos replace him on the roster?
I don't know what the rules are for replacing injured players this late in a Series. We not be able to replace anyone - hence, the shortened bullpen.
You can replace an injured player. It has to be a pitcher for a pitcher, or a hitter for a hitter though.
Strickland went to 0-2 on Perez before the wild pitch that Buster couldn't handle that moved the runners and the double. Perez swings at two-strike pitches, so the idea was good. Again, the guy needs another pitch. The Giants did chase Ventura and wind up with 9 hits to the Royals 10. Not a bad total, although it would have helped to score more than two runs out of it. Also, everyone in the lineup hit except Susac. Also, why would Bumgarner be on short rest? Is Vogelsong's turn to be skipped?
My crazy idea, hopefully never happens short rest scenario is as-follows:
- Petit has to come in to bail out a struggling Starter.
- After some later match-up related pitching changes during the earlier innings, an extra inning game ensues.
- If Lincecum is out, we have to bring in another Starter to pitch in extra innings.
- MadBum's next start would subsequently have to be bumped up.
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