Sunday, May 31, 2015

May Ends With a Loss

It seems like a light switch flipped yesterday.  The Giants went from fantastic to mediocre, or worse.  I hope the regression-to-the-mean folks are happy.  I was hoping, after reading the comments two days ago, that I could use this post to point out that the mean for this season would add up to 100 wins.  Sigh, that was not to be.  The Giants lost today when it looked like they were about to come back with a win thanks to Joe Panik's 4th home run into the center-right field stands.

Madison Bumgarner started the game, and looked to be in cruise control for awhile.  The Brandons, batting consecutively, hit solo home runs in the 2nd inning.  Atlanta's starter, Julio Teheran, only allowed 3 hits through 6 innings, a Brandon Belt single in the 6th adding to the 2 home runs.  Madison Bumgarner also only allowed 2 hits through 6, both in the 5th to net Atlanta 1 run.  In the 7th, though, Madison walked Jonny Gomes and then gave up a home run to Juan Uribe (who stepped up his game with a home run yesterday).  2 singles later, and Madison was out of the game with a 3 - 2 deficit.  Madbum's line: 6 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 hits, 6 K and 1 BB.  In the bottom of the frame, Matt Duffy doubled and Teheran was replaced by Donnie Veal.  Blanco's single scored Duffy, to hang another earned run on Teheran and then Joe Panik homered, Giants 5, Atlanta 4.

After another hitless inning by Hunter Strickland, Santiago Casilla came in to close out the 9th.  After a one-pitch out by Juan Uribe, Freddie Freeman homered to left, 5 - 4 Giants.  A walk and a double play ball was.....................bobbled by Brandon Crawford.  Now there's a phrase you don't see often, thank goodness.  But today, it was the start of a collapse that ended at Atlanta 7, Giants 5.  Boo.

The Braves are not that good a team, posting a .500 record after two wins, but Pittsburgh is.  All that stuff you hear about shaking it off and coming in ready for the next game; this would be a good time to do just that.  Still, 21 - 9 this month.  Keep that up and things will be just fine.

6 comments:

M.C. O'Connor said...

With apologies to JC, that was the worst game of the season.

The baseball gods were cruel today--the team was a heartbeat from a victory and then WHOOPS it was gone.

Get 'em tomorrow!

Campanari said...

Baseball gods??!! I know Hephestus limped and Odin had only one eye--are these the gods in question? Can an oracle tell me why, if Casilla has been struggling badly, and if Strickland sailed through the eighth on twelve pitches, and if the Giants had been using Strickland in AAA for multiple innings, WHY on a day when they were short-handed as to relievers did Strickland not come out to pitch the ninth? Does Casilla have it carved in runes on the shaft of his spear that he must be given every save opportunity?

nomisnala said...

Bochy knowing that they would hit freeman if it were a righty coming in should have put in a righty like romo and when he went to freeman gone to Lopez than go to Castillo. Freeman could not even get his bat on the ball in. The dodgers. Series

campanari said...

Romo was sick, so could not have been used. But Strickland could have been that righty, and there's a reasonable chance that if he had been, he could have finished out a victory instead of surveying a loss from the dugout.

Brother Bob said...

Casilla induced the grounder that should have won it. It just didn't happen.

nomisnala said...

That failed DP into no outs hurt, but Casilla had to pick him up. Now time for the inevitable June Swoon.