After what some refer to as the All Star game, and what I refer to as the mid-summer time period in which there is no meaningful baseball, the Giants returned to action tonight in a losing effort against the Padres. Well, action is a bad choice of words here. Inaction is more like it.
Andrew Cashner was on the mound for the Padres in one of their awful baby-poop colored uniforms. Did they forget that they got rid of those for a very good reason? You will read about how good he was. I think that the story is more about how the Giants were there in body, but not spirit. They were asleep or maybe still on break. At least, that's what the energy level they were displaying looked like. So the Giants lost 4 - 1 and looked pretty bad against the team they have beaten all season.
Madison Bumgarner was on the mound for the Giants, and he was part of the problem. He gave up a run in the 1st, which the Giants matched in the top of the 2nd thanks to back-to-back hits from Brandon Crawford and Conor Gillaspie. Then he gave up another run in the 3rd, then a couple of solo shots on fat pitches in subsequent innings. Maddys' line: 6 IP, 4 runs, all earned, 7 hits, 1 BB, 9 K. Meanwhile, the Giants got 1 hit after that 2nd inning. At least Mac Williamson got it on his birthday. The umpire's strike zone was terrible. He seemed to think Brandon Belt, in particular, had a strike zone at least twice as big as any other human. Brandon Belt struck out as often as Buster Posey grounded out (4 x each). All Stars. Belt got thrown out (a first for him!) as did Bochy. At least that was something.
In the 9th inning, Yangervis Solarte, the Puds 3rd baseman, made the 1st out of the inning with a catch of a Angel Pagan foul ball which sent him tumbling over the rail. Here is a replay, but not of the best part. Solarte came up with the ball and it was covered with nacho cheese. Inside the glove. Someone find this and post a link in the comments, please. So if he did not drop the ball, exactly how did that nacho cheese get all over it? As with the strike zone though, it wouldn't have mattered. Someone leave a wake-up call for the team tomorrow, OK?
5 comments:
That one sure sucked. I felt bad about our chances right from the start. I guess the pods hit lefties pretty well but no so much against righties. So maybe the next couple days will be better. Losing a game in the standings with MadBum on the mound is uncool. We sure don't give him much support. How quickly we respond, like WAKE UP, will tell us how this will finish up.
I still expect the race to go to the last week. The doggers haven't played their best yet. It may take 95-96 wins so we have much work to do. I would be very surprised if we keep this nice lead for the whole rest of the way. I don't feel that is pessimistic, I just need to prepare for the worst. I do fear that LA is about to put on a run and all it takes is a bad week. Long way to go.
Belt sure got pissed!! Never seen that before. And this is a guy that has seen more called strike threes than most. The ump was crazy inconsistent and hurt his cause with some late calls. I hate late calls, they ooze a lack of confidence. Brandon picked a good time and he was smart to show up the ump that way. If you don't make umps deal with big errors, they abuse you. Also, it was nice to see the ump just take it from Bochy. When they know they are wrong they have to take like that. No walking away. Oh well, meaningless in the long haul
I think Solarte stuck his glove in a tray of nachos that was at the foot of one of the spectators. That's the only way I can figure it. Hell of a play. They ought to call him 'El Nacho' from now on.
Giants did indeed look flat. Momma never said it would be easy.
The ball covered in cheese was a bit odd. Don't you have to drop that ball into the nachos to make it look that way? How does a ball in a glove (which it looked like happened) get covered in cheese like that. I think he caught it, dropped it into the cheese when his head went down, he grabs it and comes up and shows it for the glory. Until I see another view, that's my version. Great play in any version!
Well, we have a problem. We can not pretend anymore. This is good to happen now. Two weeks til trade deadline. Sergio might be able to do it and I guess that is the first step.
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