6-5 Cubs
Fittingly it was a bullpen collapse that ends the Giants season. An impressive Matt Moore held the Cubs at bay over eight innings but five relievers gave up four runs in the final frame to doom our Game Five hopes. It was a longshot, but it sure looked like it would pay off. Alas, the Giants could not overcome their fatal flaw--relief pitching--and the Cubs prevailed and continue their impressive run. It could have been otherwise. The Giants had a real shot to take this game, but we've said that a lot this season. The Giants lost a heap o'games this year that they really ought to have won, and this was just another to add to the pile. Except that it ended the season. I suppose the shock and dismay are muted a bit by the inevitability. You knew the 'pen would gag a big one at some point. Welcome to that place, my friends. I was looking forward to Cueto v. Lester on Thursday, perhaps the baseball gods punished me for my hubris. If so, all I can say is mea culpa.
I reckon there will be lots to talk about this off-season. There always is. We'll get to it, I'm sure. Right now I need a break. The Giants are done. So am I.
Readers, writers, lurkers, commenters, followers, friends, and fans: thank you, as always, for joining me on this journey.
--M.C.
18 comments:
Thanks right back to you, MC, and to the other strong arms in the RMC rotation.
This has been a season to enrapture a masochist. We suffered through the Giants' putrid post-AS play slowly ruining the pride and delight we enjoyed in the earlier part of the season, slowly enough to keep us hoping that the team would emerge from its inexplicable fog, thus making us feel foolish the maximum amount of time. No one can have been surprised when the 'pen let our foe du jour ruin us in this game, the game right after a day's success had so many Giant fans crowing over the team's (and its 'pen's) renowned grittiness. We had to be raised up so as to be fully hit by the dramatic coup, and coda, today, featuring walks, hits, and a defense that allowed the Cubs to win on two unearned runs prior to Aroldis Chapman's showing our last-ditch clutch hitters for what they are.
Like you, I need a break, and am looking forward to it. Unlike many, I've been happy with Bobby Evans' trades--Nunez, Moore, Smith--and acquisitions (save maybe for the disappointing Span), and am also looking forward to off-season deals, to some veteran players' disappearance into the mists of nostalgia, and to a lessened invitation to skepticism, cynicism, and a slow descent into near-indifference.
This was about the toughest way to go out. Burned. Gut-punched. No glorious goodbyes to the remaining Core Four for their services. No happy send-off for Pagan or Blanco or Peavy or anybody else who may not return. No further stories about postseason heroics from the likes of Gillaspie, Moore, Bumgarner, Cueto, Blach, Panik, Posey, and others.
Also... I fear this is IT.
Unless Giants ownership is willing to spend $240M+. They've got $182.5M locked into the 2017 CBT already. $150M committed to only 10 players.
Thanks for letting me hang around. Always happy to read up on all things Giants, from all of you at RMC and commenters. Cheers.
Team went as far as it possibly could with its fatal flaw.
Bad putting in golf and bad pens - every other aspect of both games give you time to recover.
Giants shopping list is short and doable - closer & LF with power.
I would add 7th & 8th Inning guys to the Closer need. Our bullpen is very shaky. Law & Strickland made progress this year. Romo, Casilla, & Lopez regressed badly. The jury is still out on Osich, etc.. Smith seems OK. My point is that we need multiple solid Relief Pitchers, not just a Closer.
LF w/ power? Sure it would be great, but probably not the focus, because of potential readiness of Parker & Williamson. Span's last 2 games were excellent, but we didn't see nearly enough of that this year. So, we may have 2 OF spots up-for-grabs, at least from a platooning perspective.
UNLESS, OF COURSE, BELT MOVES TO MORE OF AN OF ROLE, SO THAT POSEY CAN REST OVER AT 1B MORE OFTEN (LIKE 75 GAMES PER SEASON)!!!!!
That was just so awful, worse than any single blown game this year. I have a perverse feeling that Casilla could have done much better single-handedly.
Not long ago, I was convinced that this was the most disappointing season that I have experienced as a Giants fan. That lead frittered away by a variety of disasters in the second half. But then, they swept the doggers and made the playoffs. Then beat the Mets in dramatic fashion. They let us dream a little before losing to a powerhouse.
They played 4 games, and played tough. 3 of them were 1-run games, but they lost 3. Back about a month ago, they played 4 1-run games against the Cubs. They played tough then, too, but lost 3. There were blown saves, then, too. So, although I wish they could have beaten those media-darling Cubs, someone else will have to do that. Someone with a stouter bullpen. But at least they left a memory of a team that can hit, and a team that fights.
Look at that - I'm being positive, a wholly unaccustomed role for me.
ps. Go Nats.
I still think if the giants won that game they had a chance to go all the way. I was hoping that Moore would start the ninth. He was not stressed out for much of the game, and was still throwing the ball great in the 8th. One of the key reasons we made it to the post season was the hitting and spectacular fielding of Crawford. But in this game his two errors cost us two runs, and perhaps the game. When he made the first error I said to my son, I hope this does not come into play in the games outcome because everytime he seemed to make an error (rarely this year) it seemed to cost us the game. Then he made another one in the ninth which cost us another run. I really was unhappy with the way Bochy handled the bullpen in the ninth. Alvin Dark would have put Marichal in. Perhaps in today's world he would have put Cueto in. I know Moore had 120 pitches, but I was really hoping he would at least start the inning. Goes back to a game I was at with the original Marlins. Rookie pitcher Bowden had an 8 inning 2 hitter going against the Pads. They signed Matt Harvey the all star closer to give their young pitchers confidence that he could close out games and at least allow them some wins when they were ahead. Harvey comes in to pitch the 9th, and low and behold the young Fish lose as Gary Sheffield goes deep for the Pads. He had looked terrible all night against Bowden. I know Bryant may not have been a good matchup for Moore, but Rizzo was coming up next. To finish my comments for next year the giants need two big moves. A real closer who is effective vs righties and lefties and can strike people out. They also need a left fielder who can hit over 30 homers and bat somewhere around 300. A real power hitter will make the rest of the lineup so much better. This loss was a pure choke job. As soon as they got their 6th run, the giants were able to get them out. I think the giants should provide all of us die hard fans, at least 6 months of free therapy!
Giants' fans have 3 Rings & Parades to warm them thru the night.
That's like recently boinking three super-models.
No therapy needed. Just cuddle up to those memories.
Apparently, Donald Trump just posted on RMC. Wow. Thanks for breaking it down for us. Now, please go back to losing the Election.
Actually I'm glad the "even year" stuff has been put to rest. It was fun while it lasted.
I for one would have liked the even year thing to continue. At least until 2017, then I was hoping that the odd year thing would start. It was a nightmare inning, and I suspect if I can go to the alternate universe where the giants won that game, I would be going right now. After what the Cubs did in 1908 with Merkel, way before the replay machines, they do not ever deserve to go to the world series. Not ever.
If one looks at our relief pitchers, their stats in general are not that bad, however, every few games when we had a small lead, they would seem to fall apart, even though in many games they were practically unhittable. I know folks do not believe in the clutch factor or the choke factor, but believe me it is real. The secret is to in a relaxed way to increase your focus and your intensity, and not be tense. Once you can reach back and give it your all, without being tense you can more often come through, and be much less likely to choke.
Thank you, Ron, for your comment about El the Boinker Trump.
My comment had nothing to with The Orange Monster - whom I despise.
It was a simple analogy that Giants' fans have no reason to bitch.
I did not find your metaphor (or was it a simile?) offensive. Crude, perhaps, but I'm a big boy. Certainly not Trumpian misogyny.
Sorry, but I found it extremely offensive. It implies any number of repugnant generalizations. I would have found it offensive regardless of this year's Election cycle. I can accept that you meant no offense, but please choose your analogies w/ more sensitivity.
And thank you, Ron, for saying how you felt without resorting to name-calling. If anyone has any issue with anybody on this forum they are encouraged to speak out. This is a public blog and all are welcome. But I expect civil discourse. I like passionate debate, but I like eloquence even more. You should be able to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they will look forward to making the trip!
Post a Comment