Win, 4-3 @LA
Let's hear it for May!!
Any win is a good win, especially after a nightmarish April, but when you start a nine game road trip by beating Clayton Kershaw, you have truly found a very good way to win. All it took was a high quality start from your ace, a flawless bullpen job, and home runs from your superstars. No problem, we can do that all the time in May.
It just seems like we win when JohnnyC (4-1) takes the mound and tonight was no different. A nifty outing of 107 pitches, 7 complete innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, resulting in a game score of 65 (compared to Kershaw's pedestrian 41). A big key was avoiding the long ball, which has pestered Cueto lately. His lovely work was not wasted by the Melancon-less bullpen. Okert got 5 straight outs and Law got the save with the last out. Just the way you dream about it.
The best part of this dream game may be the offense. Yes, you heard me right, the offense. In the first inning, Hunter Pence smacked a hanging curve out for a two run lead. I think that was our first runs scored in the first inning since 2014. OK, maybe not, but it felt like it. So that was kinda HUGE. And then, maybe even more up lifting than that, Buster Posey hit a homer. No shit, he can still do that. It even made Kershaw do a "aw schucks" reaction. That is not something you see very often.
As I said, truly a good way to win. I think I'll have a wee dram to celebrate. Who knows when we will get such a sweet one again. Cheers.
5 comments:
Okert was the key. Five outs? The heart of the lineup with a one-run lead? He deserved to be awarded "the save", that was as clutch a relief outing as the Giants have had all season.
I thought Cueto was magnificent in the 7th. 30 pitches! That guy is really something. I wonder if he will bolt at the end of the year. He could go anywhere and write his ticket, not many guys have his track record of success.
Nice timing by Posey and Pence, finding their power strokes. And THE KID had another big game.
Christian Arroyo has 5 rbis since he was called up. The Giants have only 22 runs in that period.
Arroyo has 9 K and only 8 hits in his 8 games but he's certainly provided some big moments. He seems to have superb contact skills despite the high K rate so far and does not seem intimidated by ML pitching. I'm curious whether he will develop his power being that he is only 21, and whether or not he'll learn to take a walk, something he didn't do much in the minors. I can live with aggressive swinging if he hits the ball hard and doesn't stray too much outside the zone. He looks great at third base, perhaps this will move Nunez, ultimately, to that super-utility role he seems so well-suited to.
Just stay healthy, kid, and keep doing what you've been doing! Being in the majors at 21 is impressive, you've got time to grow as a player!
If you have about 12 minutes to waste, this video is hilarious. This guy re-imagines Barry Bonds' 2004 season in a novel way and it's clever and funny. Nice reminder of how amazing he was.
Did you see Noah Syndergaard will be out 3 months? That's the two wild card aces from last season, both on the shelf, and both teams under-performing.
Lets fast forward to Wednesday night. We get a great outing from Samardjiza. Only bums run comes after a 3 base error by gold glover Panik. Then we go to the top of the 10th. Posey, with a very low number of RBI this season has his chance with runners on first and seconde, he gets a hit up the middle. Maybe I am wrong because I saw it on TV, but there was a great camera angle and it looked like an easy score. They hold the runner at third. Posey denied a rare RBI, he had one earlier on a ground out. I don't get it. We just find ways to lose. Game not over yet, but let us see what creative way the giants and their coaching staff will figure on a new creative way to lose.
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