Monday, September 5, 2016

Bupkis

Skunked six-zip in Colorado
The sad part of this team's collapse is that they are still in the race. Bear with me here: it means they still have to play all their starters and continue on as if they still have a shot at glory. Because in fact, mathematically, they do. Ty Blach made his much-anticipated major league debut this afternoon at Coors Field and pitched three scoreless frames, allowing only one hit and one walk with forty pitches. Wouldn't you like to see him start in place of take-your-pick Moore/Samardzija/Suarez the rest of the way? Wouldn't that be fun? If the Giants were ten or more games back, like the Rockies, that's just what we would want them to do. Let's see if the kid has the stones to start on the 2017 club. On a team where former ace Matt Cain is reduced to mop-up man why not give the young lefty his shot? But they can't because they are only a handful of games behind the first-place Dodgers and they cling to a lead in the Wild Card race. But despite my earlier optimism I can hear the hiss of helium leaking out of this big, over-blown orange-and-black airship and I can plot the course of it's ultimate crash-landing. The Giants just may play themselves out of everything in this final month. Twenty-five games to go, It will take nine wins to guarantee an over-.500 record. What's your over-under on that bet? What will this team's final record be?

--M.C.

6 comments:

M.C. O'Connor said...

I don't like despair. I try to look on the sunny side of things.

Despair is what I'm feeling, though.

Unknown said...

Management has run this team into the ground.Giants still have the talent to win it all.I'll say this.If the Giants move Span out of the lead off role,and Casilla out of the closer role.They could still go on a long winning streak.

Adrianza has played well since return.
Romo and Smith look solid.
Hernandez has played well.
Tomlinson should get a start in LF

carmot said...

I say 87 win total. Which is just about the worst possible scenario. Maybe Wild Card,where I don't love our chances, and a very low draft pick. Not so much that the Giants start winning at better than a 1-in-3 clip, but because bottom teams like COL, ARI, and SD can try-out some younger talent and call-ups.

You might WANT young guys like Tomlinson and Blach to see some time and get a sense where they're truly at. However, I've consistently been frustrated in the past- by the front office and their methods. YMMV. In those recent odd years. Did we need to keep running Pence on his Iron Man streak? Why didn't we test Perez more? Why didn't we try guys like Pill or Duvall in LF, when we all knew what our future needs would be. Why had Adrianza pretty much NEVER played 2B, but he'd DH'ed in the minors? Huh.

Just sayin'. The G's FO and M.O. is to give "respect" to oe like Barry Zito on his way out instead of trying one like Heston for a start or three. Anyways, math says they're still in it. Go G's.

M.C. O'Connor said...

I think Derek Law is next year's closer. He's on the DL right now, but I'd give him a shot at finishing games when he comes back. Span is having a poor year, no argument there. But I don't think that's the Achilles Heel. Belt slumping, Posey not hitting for power, Panik and Nunez under-performing, shaky starts from the 3-4-5 guys, it's a big list.

Zo said...

I think the Giants will finish over .500, but that is only because the first "half" of the season is 90 games, not 81. I think they will be behind in the "wild card race" by the end of this weekend and the final series with the doggers will be just a tune-up for Kershaw, not meaningful. We need to ask ourselves if the abnormal part of the season was the first half, not the second. I just wish this season was over.

M.C. O'Connor said...

Man, I need something positive to write about! How about a Giants win? C'mon Giants, it's waaaaaaaaayyyyyy past time to get your collective shit together!