SF 3 SD 0
Giants starter Jeff Samardzija threw his first complete game of the season and his second in a Giants uniform. His sterling three-hitter last night was the fourth shutout of his career. One way to overcome bullpen woes is to not use the relief corps at all, I suppose. The Giants were locked in a tight 1-0 contest but Joe Panik's late homer made it 3-0 and that helped The Shark finish it out. I'm happy to see Brandon Crawford looking more like his old self at the plate. If anyone is a candidate for a bounce-back next season it's the Giants stellar shortstop. But the night belonged to the big righty who put together a good start against the Padres after two stinkers last month.
Samardzija cleared waivers, it should be noted, which means he could be traded. I'm not sure there will be takers, and he has some no-trade rights, but he is now a potential piece for a pitching-depleted playoff team. I'm not sure the Giants could get all that much for him other than salary relief. FanGraphs rates his season so far at 3.6 WAR which is pretty damn good (12th in baseball) and that production would have to come from somewhere next season. fWAR is not the end-all and be-all of stats by any means, and we know Samardzija gives up a lot of hard contact, but he makes himself valuable with his strikeouts, low walk totals, and durability.
--M.C.
2 comments:
Now that was a good game.
Samardzija now leads the league in innings. He is close to the tops in K's with 175 (although Scherzer has 230 - yow) and has walked only 26 guys, that is 86th. There is a lot of value there. I have become more enamored of him as the season wears on. I do not think it is just my outlook.
He ain't pretty, but he helps the club. He's not an ace, but he is a valuable mid-rotation starter. There are a lot of guys like that in the game--not stars, but positive contributors to a team. I think the Giants are getting their money's worth. A "win" costs about $8M in free agency, so Samardzija is earning his keep. Ideally you want a 22-year old making the minimum to give you 3 WAR, but that's not always possible.
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