SF 3 SD 2 (11)
Hunter Pence, on a desperation 0-2 swing with one out and the bases loaded, poked a grounder past Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer for a walk-off winner, driving in the tying and winning runs. The home squad squeaked out a win against their toughest foe, San Diego. Derek Rodriguez pitched brilliantly, 99 pitches for 21 outs and only four hits and one run (a solo shot in the 1st) along with six whiffs and one walk. It's exciting to see young players emerge--let's hope he can sustain it. The more competition for spots, the better. In the top of the 11th Boch brought in Ty Blach to get a lefty-lefty matchup with two outs and a runner on third. Alas, Cory Spangenberg spoiled the strategy with a line-drive hit. But I can't fault Reyes Moronta (who'd walked speedster Manual Margot to start the inning) or Blach for that late letdown, the lineup really needed to do better in the first ten innings. Somehow they got it done against the very tough Brad Hand. It was probably a bad idea for Andy Green to walk Buster Posey after Andrew McCutchen's one-out double in the bottom of the 11th. Hand hit the next batter, Brandon Crawford, and you have to think the IBB was in his head. Why put the winning run on base for free? Not that it matters as the Giants won and that's what's up!
Off-day tomorrow, three with the Rockies at home (night-night-day) after that.
--M.C.
4 comments:
I cannot think of the Padres' closer without thinking of Ray Walston.
I guess one can see why Andy Green put the winning run on base for the Giants. Posey hits right-handed, Crawford left-handed; and Brad Hand is a lefty. Posey strikes out about 12% of the time, Crawford about 20%. Posey was seeing the ball well, since he already had two hits, whereas Crawford had none. Putting a runner on first set up a DP; Crawford had already hit into one DP in the game. All that said, it was a dumb move, given that Crawford had blitzed Green’s team the day before.
The HBP was a freak accident, in the same category as a wild pitch or passed ball. I admit that I had mixed feelings when it happened, since I have more hope with Crawford at bat and two than I do with 2018 Pence at bat and the bases loaded. After all, Pence now strikes out a third of the time, and is hitting under .200. That didn’t matter today.
Shd read, Crawford at bat and two on
Yeah it was an interesting move. It might have worked most days.
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