Los Angeles batted Yasiel Puig 7th and Chase Utley 8th. The Giants, 5 games back with 6 to play and needing a sweep to take matters into our own hands, batted Gorkys Hernandez 5th. Los Angeles put the reigning Cy Young winner on the mound. Clayton Kershaw pitched well, but Madison Bumgarner pitched better. Clayton Kershaw gave up 3 hits, only one of them mattered. In the 3rd inning, Eduardo Nunez got a sort of hit - basically an infield tap that couldn't be picked up quickly enough. He stole second, then went to third on a throwing error. A wild pitch from Kershaw allowed him to score. Kershaw lasted 6 innings and was removed after 88 pitches. I was surprised.
Meanwhile, Madbum was a beast. He gave up 1 hit - to Yasiel Puig, in the 2nd inning. He struck out Puig next time up. He struck out Seager 3 times. He struck out Hernandez twice. His line - 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 batter hbp, 0 runs, 10 strikeouts. Madison Bumgarner became the Giants all time leader for strikeouts in a single season with 247. That's getting up there in Big Unit/Nolan Ryan territory. In the bottom of the 7th, though, Puig came up for the third time in a 1 - 0 ball game, with 2 outs. Puig hit a slow bouncer down the first base line and Madbum and Belt combined for a terrific defensive play to get him out.
On the way into the dugout, though, something happened. Did Madison say something to Puig? Did Puig say something? Was there a funny look? I don't know. But Madison went for Puig and benches emptied. Nothing happened (although it was fairly amusing to see Smardjy and Cain barely able to hold Madbum back). Both managers were warned.
So the Giants can't play a psychological game, either. Yasiel Puig made a weak out and got Madison Bumgarner out of the game after 97 pitches. Anyway, you know what happened. Will Smith and Derek Law kept LA scoreless in the 8th, in the 9th, the bullpen gave up the game, 2 -1. Javier Lopez got the L, although he was the only guy who did his job. The Giants got 3 hits in 6 innings off of Kershaw, but none thereafter.
10 comments:
Javier Lopez did his job by giving up a single to the guy representing the winning run, while moving the tying run to third base with nobody out? If that's Lopez doing his job, we need to have him back on staff next year, because he's been doing this job, with a walk rather than a hit or a hit rather than a walk, quite faithfully and dependably all season long.
Lopez gave up a ground ball but he needed a strikeout there. He had him 0-2. Same with Strickland on the next batter: 0-2. No one's got a put-away pitch. That was the entire season in a half inning, right there in the 9th in LA.
What came over Bumgarner? Sure looked like he started things. Stupid, stupid, stupid. No reason for that HS shit. I was impressed that Belt did his best to get between them, and that Nunez calmed down Puig. Bumgarner was still hot even after Puig had cooled off. An embarrassing way to end the season. At this point, the final three with the Dodgers at home will be of no consequence. I expect they'll be eliminated from the WC by then, too.
I was joking in the 7th that it would be Bumgarner going 8, then five guys to get the final three outs. Ha, ha, ha.
Post game sounded as though Bochy and Bungarner don't see eye to eye, you have to leave Bum in the game he is your best option. The post season is on the line and that is what you play for all season. Bad choice by Bochy.
I think Bum played himself out of the game with his antics. Ideally you would have him go as long as he could, but that punk-ass shit with Puig cost him. No way Boch sends him back out after that. What if he'd plunked someone (unintentionally)? Or threw a brushback and got the benches to empty again? I think Boch saw that Bum was emotionally done and was not mentally focused enough to keep pitching. One of Bumgarner's best qualities is his intensity. His passion for the game. But it is also his weak spot--he can let it get the better of him. Any other season and we would have been fine with the bullpen but this bunch can't even get an out in the most important half inning of the season.
Certainly Boch makes mistakes like everyone else and many of his moves could be questioned but in the end the guys have to perform to expectations and that has not happened in the second half. It's been a team-wide failure, no one person is the goat, the 'pen is just the most obvious problem, but up and down the lineup there has been a letdown. And to have the ace, the biggest star (other than Buster), lose his cool in the most crucial time was symptomatic of the whole mess.
Lopez got a ground ball. That could have been two, albeit with a very fast runner on first. The shift put Panik out of reach of the ground ball. Yes, Lopez failed to get the strikeout, but he kept the ball down and a ground ball should have been as good.
Since I am so fucking naturally positive, I will point out the bright spot in this charade of a season - we won't have to watch the doggers celebrate their pennant in our stadium.
One other note. Watching Kershaw vs Bumgarner has to be the marquee pitching match-up in baseball today. Especially since both those guys can hit. For 6 innings last night, you could well imagine you were watching Drysdale, Marichal, or Gibson on the mound. It was truly compelling baseball while they were both in the game.
Agreed. Too bad it turned out the way it did because it was an intense game and you can't find two better pitchers to put on a show.
The player that did the "best" in the stupid fracas with Puig was clearly Nuñez. He completely takes Puig out of being able to do anything to make it worse. Right when Puig looks like he is about to burst, Eduardo grabs him. So far I like everything he does. He made our run all on his own and this powerless team needs that bad.
Wasn't Bum due to bat second? That may have been the reason to sit him. Any inside pitch would have started a fight.
I want to second the praise for Nunez (how do you get the tilda? I'm so cyber-weak). Maybe he knows Puig.
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