LA 5 SF 3
So, if you are a sucker like me, you probably had dreams of our boys continuing to help the doggers along their historic slide. Nope. This year's model keeps finding ways to disappoint. They put up a bit of a fight, including some ninth inning drama, but it really was never as close as the score indicates.
Johnny Cueto (7-8) was a well deserving loser. He seemed to have an especially nasty change up but his pitch count was ridiculous. Every inning, and he didn't make it out of the fourth, was stressful. Meanwhile, Kershaw was pretty much what you expect. He only went 6 innings but it was plenty good enough for win # 17. This game was just what the blue goo needed. Win #93 for them.
Loss #90 for us. That's embarrassing.
9 comments:
That was one of the stupidest games--in a season of stupid games--of the year. 15 baserunners! 4-13 with RISP. 11 LOB. One extra base hit with some guys on and it's a different result. And they just handed the runs to Kershaw and the Dodgers. Just gave them over with stupid play. 5-1/3 from the 'pen, only one run allowed (LA was 1-12 with RISP), it should have been better. Oh well, can't keep crying about a lousy ballclub. Wait 'til next year, right?
As we careen towards a possible 100-loss embarrassment, I can't help myself from reminiscing about the last time that we managed to lose 100. In an epic game which we all attended together (wearing black armbands, I believe), punctuated by all kinds of catharsis & oddities (e.g. opposing STARTING Pitcher, Steve Bedrosian), we fell behind, 6-0, staged a monumental 7-run rally to take the lead (&, we thought, perhaps save the franchise from leaving town), only to immediately cough the lead up & lose, 8-7:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN198510060.shtml
At least this time, the Giants are staying put. Oh ... by the way, they do visit Seattle next weekend, albeit for a 2-game mid-week series in late July, so I've already got that marked on my Calendar. And, the 2018 Home Opener will be against those same Mariners - that's weird.
Giving LA 5 outs in the 4th inning didn't help. A Kershaw fly out that clanked off of Slater's glove (hasn't he had that happen a couple times?) and a fielder's choice to Tomlinson where the choice was to get no one. That should have been no runs (and considerably fewer pitches for Cueto) instead of 4. The doggers didn't win as much as the Giants lost.
Posey continued to be unclutch with two chances late in the game to come through, the first time he hits into a DP, and the second he strikes out on a full count. Note that when former journeyman now star, Justin Turner had a chance to be clutch late in the game, he was, as he has been most of the year. In bases loaded situations, with runners on. and late in games Posey is pressing to hard and trying to do too much. He has K'd a few times with them load and full counts only to have taken a swing at ball 4, being denied the RBI and instead striking out.
Posey has 99 ABs with DP opportunities, 16 DPs. From 2012-2016 he's had between 122 and 126 such chances each season and hit DPs 15-19 times. So he's hit a few more, percentage-wise, this season. The problem is that he's the Giants ONLY hitter. He's got 13 intentional walks, a career high. He's come up with 336 baserunners on base, 51 have scored (not necessarily by his RBI), that's 15%. His career average is 17%, the league average is 14%. He's dropped off, but not as much as the rest of the team. Giants don't have another real hitter. Buster is actually hitting quite a bit better this year than last.
I know it's frustrating to watch him fail in key spots, but those would be minor blips on a good team because other guys would be delivering big hits. We expect him to carry the load and even someone as good as he is can't keep doing that without help. Justin Turner is tied for 4th in RBIs on his team! And he's 4th in runs scored. He's got all kinds of support in that lineup, all he has to do is play. Buster has to be the team leader and the media star and the clutch hero. The Giants need to get some other goddamn bats in the lineup. I think Buster's "un-clutch" is the symptom, not the disease.
A star to be a star has to come through. Turner was a nobody, and has developed into a clutch hitter. He has missed several weeks of the season. I might agree that Buster is trying to do too much. Some of his worst AB's have come in the most critical times. Not a great example for the rest of the team. Like for a guy who never strikes out, his K would come with a man on third and one out. His DP's seem to come at critical junctures. His hitting with the bases loaded leads something to be desired, and could probably support the point that he is pressing and trying to do too much. I do not see him as a legit cleanup hitter. He would normally be a nice cog in the wheel, but no Bonds, Mays, McCovey nor Cepeda. An excellent catcher, who can bat 300 with a modicum if that, of power. Slow of foot, but a smart base runner for what it is worth. Posey can play many positions, and I don't know when the Biggio type move to another position will have to be made more permanently. Posey was supposed to be a superstar, Turner was supposed to be a journeyman.
Albert Pujols wasn't "supposed" to be a superstar, so I'm not sure what that means. It's a game played by men, not machines, and thus projecting ballplayers is just that--projecting. It's not prediction. The fact that some #1 picks never make it or don't accomplish what some 5th-rounder might do shows that pretty clearly, I think.
Posey IS a superstar. A catcher with his defensive skills who can hit? Yikes, that's a special player in my book! Yes, his performance this season is down, but so is everyone's on the team. Like I said, Posey's performance is the consequence of a team-wide failure, not the reason for it.
Take a look at this list of active bWAR leaders. Posey is 23rd! All of the guys on the list (except McCutchen and Trout) have been in the league longer. I went to FanGraphs and sorted the fWAR leader board for 2010-2017, the time Posey's been in the league, and only Trout, Votto, Beltre, Cano, MCabrera, and McCutchen have more fWAR. That's only six guys! Here's the link.
The 2018 Giants aren't going to stink because of their catcher. They're going to stink if they can't get a decent outfield, a proper third baseman, and some reliable relief.
Well, just when you thought that this Season was a total lost cause, we sign Engelb Stalin Vielma - one of the greatest names in baseball history. Note that the 'g' is pronounced similarly to as in Angel.
This guy appears to be the ultimate Utility Infielder ... all glove & very little stick. In fact, he is razor thin at 5'11", 155 lbs. He's one of those guys w/ a lifetime (low) OBP that still exceeds his SLG. He is a switch-hitter, though, so there's that.
Anyway, just based on the name, I love him, & hope that he gets a shot at the MLB level.
I think if your superstar does not come through consistently but still has one of the top 5 batting averages in the league, you have to wonder who then can help carry the team. The lowly Phillies bring up this kid Hoskins. Despite a lousy team the kid at 18 dingers in 118 at bats. Not to mention J.D. Martinez on Arizona has 23 dingers in 183 at bats. For some reason I guess having a hitter like that in the lineup would make the team better and take the pressure off of Posey. But certainly we could have easily come in last place without Posey.
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