SF 3 SD 2 (10)
The Padres touched rookie Dereck Rodriguez for a run in the 1st on a two-out double by veteran Eric Hosmer. It would be all they'd get off the Giants starter who threw perhaps his best game of the season, and boy would the team need it. In a thoroughly Giants-y inning they tied it up in the 4th with a six-batter, three-hit attack: out, single, single, infield single, sacrifice fly, out. The extra-base hit with men on base has so eluded the team in 2018, and the theme would continue. In the 5th Andrew McCutchen, subject of much media interest, led off with a homer to make it 2-1. Note the extra-base hit but with no one on base. Of course the Giants had a chance to break it open and in an even more Giants-y sequence in the 8th and doom was foretold, it seemed, by the outcome. Single, single, walk--bases loaded and no one out. But a chance was blown as ball four went to the backstop and the runner at third (Evan Longoria) inexplicably failed to score. That was followed by a strike out, a grounder with the force out at home, and a fly out. The Padres tied the game up in the bottom half off Reyes Moronta, who has been awesome but, like the entire 'pen, over-used. Fortunately the Giants kept it together and gave themselves a chance with another spectacular Giants-y rally. Longoria led off the 10th with a triple which was quickly followed by a Nick Hundley strike out and an Austin Slater fly out. Brandon Crawford finally gave the club a run-scoring hit with a single and it was 3-2 Giants. They loaded the bases after that but got no more. Will Smith, for the third straight game, closed it superbly.
It was a grind-it-out win, the only kind the Giants can do with any consistency. There's not enough punch to thump opponents. They have to rely on the pitching and today was D-Rod's day. The final line was 112 pitches to 26 batters over seven innings, three hits, three walks, seven strikeouts, and just the one run. Tony Watson buzzed through a scoreless 9th after Moronta's uncharacteristically labored 8th, and Smith finished. But I have to come back to the rookie's performance, not just today but overall. That was his 10th start--ever in the bigs--and he's had one stinker and one meh and the rest have been at least six innings and two or fewer runs allowed. Check out this guy's game log--he's done a fair impersonation of Johnny Cueto!
Madison Bumgarner is next: Thursday at 6:40 in Arizona. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Monday, July 30, 2018
6th inning: 8-10
1st inning: 7-11
2nd inning: 12-6
3rd inning: 6-12
4th inning: 10-8
5th inning: 11-7
6th inning: 8-10
The Giants claw their way back to .500 (54-54) with a 5-3 win over the Padres. It only took twelve innings but a win is a win. A three-run homer from Chase d'Arnaud gave them an early lead but they couldn't hold it. They survived a scare in the 11th but then Gorkys Hernandez hit his 13th homer in the 12th and they scratched out another run to give Will Smith a cushion to close it. He struck out the side imperiously and the Giants had a big win.
After 108 games the Giants have three winning innings and three losing innings. Does that surprise you? We are all waiting for this team to "make a move" and put together a stretch of consistent winning baseball. When they score four or more runs and/or allow three or fewer runs they are a hell of a club. Can they do that for their final 54 games? They'll have to do it without Johnny Cueto who appears headed for Tommy John surgery. Despite the looming trade deadline the Giants have yet to make a move. Maybe they really mean it when they say they just have to get the guys they already have to play better! We'll see. Rookie Dereck Rodriguez gets the start tomorrow at 1:05 Pacific.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
2nd inning: 12-6
3rd inning: 6-12
4th inning: 10-8
5th inning: 11-7
6th inning: 8-10
The Giants claw their way back to .500 (54-54) with a 5-3 win over the Padres. It only took twelve innings but a win is a win. A three-run homer from Chase d'Arnaud gave them an early lead but they couldn't hold it. They survived a scare in the 11th but then Gorkys Hernandez hit his 13th homer in the 12th and they scratched out another run to give Will Smith a cushion to close it. He struck out the side imperiously and the Giants had a big win.
After 108 games the Giants have three winning innings and three losing innings. Does that surprise you? We are all waiting for this team to "make a move" and put together a stretch of consistent winning baseball. When they score four or more runs and/or allow three or fewer runs they are a hell of a club. Can they do that for their final 54 games? They'll have to do it without Johnny Cueto who appears headed for Tommy John surgery. Despite the looming trade deadline the Giants have yet to make a move. Maybe they really mean it when they say they just have to get the guys they already have to play better! We'll see. Rookie Dereck Rodriguez gets the start tomorrow at 1:05 Pacific.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Bam-Bam's Giants Outlast Brewers
SF 8 MIL 5
Bruce Bochy turned the reins over to Hensley Muelens today as he was in Cooperstown for Trevor Hoffman's induction. The Giants probably should have scored ten runs this afternoon as they had a lot of opportunities. Thankfully Buster Posey had his best day of the season, getting four hits, driving in three, and scoring two, his bases-clearing double in the 3rd setting the tone and leading the way. Andrew Suarez got rocked a bit, eight hits and four runs allowed in his six frames, but held on enough to take advantage of the lineup's output. Gorkys Hernandez has been cold lately but hit a long homer in the 4th, and Pablo Sandoval drove in two in the 5th with a triple. Unfortunately Panda had to leave the game after that with a hamstring strain. Seems the good has to come with the bad. Andrew McCutchen was also pulled with a contusion on his foot due to too many foul balls! The final tally was 8-5, Sam Dyson allowing a homer in his inning (the 7th), but Tony Watson (8th) and Will Smith (9th) each had a clean sheet to take the final game from Milwaukee.
A win staves off the doom-and-gloom talk, usually, but the Giants go to San Diego next, and they've seen their dreams die there recently. It is only two games, thank the gods, and the Dere(c)ks get the assignments, Holland tomorrow night (Game 108, end of the 6th inning) and Rodriguez Tuesday afternoon. The team is 9-14 for the month of July and can't finish off a winning month no matter the results. They'll be in Arizona to open August, we'll see if they make a move by the trade deadline.
--M.C.
Bruce Bochy turned the reins over to Hensley Muelens today as he was in Cooperstown for Trevor Hoffman's induction. The Giants probably should have scored ten runs this afternoon as they had a lot of opportunities. Thankfully Buster Posey had his best day of the season, getting four hits, driving in three, and scoring two, his bases-clearing double in the 3rd setting the tone and leading the way. Andrew Suarez got rocked a bit, eight hits and four runs allowed in his six frames, but held on enough to take advantage of the lineup's output. Gorkys Hernandez has been cold lately but hit a long homer in the 4th, and Pablo Sandoval drove in two in the 5th with a triple. Unfortunately Panda had to leave the game after that with a hamstring strain. Seems the good has to come with the bad. Andrew McCutchen was also pulled with a contusion on his foot due to too many foul balls! The final tally was 8-5, Sam Dyson allowing a homer in his inning (the 7th), but Tony Watson (8th) and Will Smith (9th) each had a clean sheet to take the final game from Milwaukee.
A win staves off the doom-and-gloom talk, usually, but the Giants go to San Diego next, and they've seen their dreams die there recently. It is only two games, thank the gods, and the Dere(c)ks get the assignments, Holland tomorrow night (Game 108, end of the 6th inning) and Rodriguez Tuesday afternoon. The team is 9-14 for the month of July and can't finish off a winning month no matter the results. They'll be in Arizona to open August, we'll see if they make a move by the trade deadline.
--M.C.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Anemic Giants Fall to Brewers
MIL 3 SF 1
Madison Bumgarner pitched a great ballgame but got no support from the lineup and the team fell below .500 for the first time in over a month (they were 38-39 on June 22nd). On July 1st the Giants were 45-40 and have gone 7-12 since. That .530 mark was the high point of the season. Bumgarner looked very sharp over the first five but yielded single runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th to turn a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 deficit. The first two runs were manufactured by a pesky and lucky Brewers lineup, both coming on ground outs. I'll give them credit for good situational hitting as MadBum kept their big power bats in check. The third run needed a nifty poke by Ryan Braun on a two-out, two-strike pitch well out of the zone. Sometimes you make a good pitch and still get burned. But the real issue was the feebleness of the Giants offense. They got back-to-back doubles in the 2nd (Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford) but that was it. They briefly conjured up something of a comeback attempt in the 8th but it went for naught. They are 2-5 since the Break (and 3-7 in their last 10) and making a case for irrelevance.
Johnny Cueto at 6:05 Pacific tomorrow. Go Giants!
--M.C.
Madison Bumgarner pitched a great ballgame but got no support from the lineup and the team fell below .500 for the first time in over a month (they were 38-39 on June 22nd). On July 1st the Giants were 45-40 and have gone 7-12 since. That .530 mark was the high point of the season. Bumgarner looked very sharp over the first five but yielded single runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th to turn a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 deficit. The first two runs were manufactured by a pesky and lucky Brewers lineup, both coming on ground outs. I'll give them credit for good situational hitting as MadBum kept their big power bats in check. The third run needed a nifty poke by Ryan Braun on a two-out, two-strike pitch well out of the zone. Sometimes you make a good pitch and still get burned. But the real issue was the feebleness of the Giants offense. They got back-to-back doubles in the 2nd (Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford) but that was it. They briefly conjured up something of a comeback attempt in the 8th but it went for naught. They are 2-5 since the Break (and 3-7 in their last 10) and making a case for irrelevance.
Johnny Cueto at 6:05 Pacific tomorrow. Go Giants!
--M.C.
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Report from the Northland
I came to Seattle for the sun and to see a Giants game, the weather has been clear and warm. This chance (to see the Giants) only comes along every 3 years, so a lot of Giants fans have had exactly the same idea. I've been in Seattle since Friday and the town has been awash with orange and black. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Seattle is a great town. It's beautiful, has loads of hip eateries and drinkeries, friendly residents and some of the most godawful traffic you can imagine. I'm pretty sure I saw Jon Miller on the waterfront Monday and I saw Hunter Pence walking in to the stadium yesterday.
I could go on, all this is my way of avoiding talking about yesterday's game. The Giants lost 3 - 2. They got 6 hits, which was more than the M's. The Giants did not hit a home run, the M's did. Brandon Belt got hurt for at least a couple of games. It was in the low 80's in Seattle, but there was little air movement in the stands. The Giants are 2 - 3 since the break. If they are to make any kind of a move, they've yet to show any signs of it.
I could go on, all this is my way of avoiding talking about yesterday's game. The Giants lost 3 - 2. They got 6 hits, which was more than the M's. The Giants did not hit a home run, the M's did. Brandon Belt got hurt for at least a couple of games. It was in the low 80's in Seattle, but there was little air movement in the stands. The Giants are 2 - 3 since the break. If they are to make any kind of a move, they've yet to show any signs of it.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Team effort downs M's
SF 4 SEA 3
Kelby Tomlinson got things going for the Giants offense tonight and with a little help from Steven Duggar and Hunter Pence and, well, a whole bunch of guys, they prevailed in Seattle. The Giants led 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 and the Mariners tied the score in every case. Somehow they conjured up the go-ahead run in the 9th and gave Will Smith a chance to close it out. He did. This team just cannot seem to put the thump on another club. They have to play these agonizing, nail-biting, hard-fought, bloody wars of attrition. I want to see a goddamn ass-whuppin'. Or two. OK, OK, maybe that's too much to ask. How about a nice run like 24 out of 30? I guess I'll settle for a two-game sweep.
Derek Holland gets the ball tomorrow against familiar face Mike Leake (1:10 Pacific).
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Kelby Tomlinson got things going for the Giants offense tonight and with a little help from Steven Duggar and Hunter Pence and, well, a whole bunch of guys, they prevailed in Seattle. The Giants led 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 and the Mariners tied the score in every case. Somehow they conjured up the go-ahead run in the 9th and gave Will Smith a chance to close it out. He did. This team just cannot seem to put the thump on another club. They have to play these agonizing, nail-biting, hard-fought, bloody wars of attrition. I want to see a goddamn ass-whuppin'. Or two. OK, OK, maybe that's too much to ask. How about a nice run like 24 out of 30? I guess I'll settle for a two-game sweep.
Derek Holland gets the ball tomorrow against familiar face Mike Leake (1:10 Pacific).
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, July 22, 2018
101
OAK 6 SF 5 (10)
It's a truism among baseball fans that if you praise a player one minute he'll break your heart the next. And the opposite is true as well: if you dis on a cat for poor play he'll kick ass the next time just to smack you down. Naturally I had to rave about BCraw's brilliance last night--he was deserving of the plaudits--and of course the gods would see to it that he'd boot the game-winner for the A's this afternoon. It was an impossible play, one of those perfect bouncers that could not be fielded, but number 35 gets the spotlight for "failure" nonetheless. But this is not to moan about Brandon Crawford, one of the bright spots on this confounding team.
It's been 101 games and that ought to be enough to assess the club's character, and after back-to-back losses to Oakland in extras when starting their two best pitchers, I find it wanting. Not that the fellas don't try hard. When I say "character" I don't mean their virtue, manliness, courage or whatever sports-writing jibber-jabber bandied about by the professional media. I mean it in a purely descriptive sense, not a moral one. The team's character is what emerges and at this point they are a .505 outfit. The 51-50 record is a fair assessment--they are strictly middle-of-the-pack.
There were plenty of reasons to believe the Giants would be really bad this season, instead they've shown us, at times, some terrific play. They just can't seem to string wins together which is what they'll need if they expect to chase a playoff spot in their final 61 contests. Neither Johnny Cueto today nor Madison Bumgarner yesterday could pitch as well as the rookie did on Friday night. At this point in the season it's Dereck Rodriguez I want to see, along with Andrew Suarez, Ray Black, Reyes Moronta, Steven Duggar, Austin Slater and I think you catch my drift. The expensive veteran-heavy lineup is not good enough, and the expensive veteran-heavy starting rotation can't get it done, either. The youngsters are taking up more of the roster spots and they deserve to.
There are eight more games before the July 31st trade deadline. Do you expect any significant moves? I don't, the only pieces they might have to move are pieces they ought to keep like the aforementioned newbies. Any big-time vet (like Brandon Belt, another bright spot) would only go if a playoff-bound team had a catastrophic injury to a first baseman and had the payroll to add a guy still owed $51+M. But I've no claim to insight or insider knowledge, I've really no fookin' clue what the Giants are thinking. I expect it is something to the effect of "hold on the rest of the way" and hope to finish over .500 and thus stay, at least mathematically, in the fight for the second Wild Card until the middle of September. That's the boring, conservative move, but good for institutional morale, in the sense that it means you are showing confidence in your guys to keep improving.
So that's it, I suppose. Be a good fan and hope to see some improved play. Have faith that the talent that's there will ultimately show itself and wins will start to come in bunches. All right, then. I'm ready! They're off tomorrow and then play two in Seattle before coming home on Thursday. It's a Suarez start, something to savor.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
It's a truism among baseball fans that if you praise a player one minute he'll break your heart the next. And the opposite is true as well: if you dis on a cat for poor play he'll kick ass the next time just to smack you down. Naturally I had to rave about BCraw's brilliance last night--he was deserving of the plaudits--and of course the gods would see to it that he'd boot the game-winner for the A's this afternoon. It was an impossible play, one of those perfect bouncers that could not be fielded, but number 35 gets the spotlight for "failure" nonetheless. But this is not to moan about Brandon Crawford, one of the bright spots on this confounding team.
It's been 101 games and that ought to be enough to assess the club's character, and after back-to-back losses to Oakland in extras when starting their two best pitchers, I find it wanting. Not that the fellas don't try hard. When I say "character" I don't mean their virtue, manliness, courage or whatever sports-writing jibber-jabber bandied about by the professional media. I mean it in a purely descriptive sense, not a moral one. The team's character is what emerges and at this point they are a .505 outfit. The 51-50 record is a fair assessment--they are strictly middle-of-the-pack.
There were plenty of reasons to believe the Giants would be really bad this season, instead they've shown us, at times, some terrific play. They just can't seem to string wins together which is what they'll need if they expect to chase a playoff spot in their final 61 contests. Neither Johnny Cueto today nor Madison Bumgarner yesterday could pitch as well as the rookie did on Friday night. At this point in the season it's Dereck Rodriguez I want to see, along with Andrew Suarez, Ray Black, Reyes Moronta, Steven Duggar, Austin Slater and I think you catch my drift. The expensive veteran-heavy lineup is not good enough, and the expensive veteran-heavy starting rotation can't get it done, either. The youngsters are taking up more of the roster spots and they deserve to.
There are eight more games before the July 31st trade deadline. Do you expect any significant moves? I don't, the only pieces they might have to move are pieces they ought to keep like the aforementioned newbies. Any big-time vet (like Brandon Belt, another bright spot) would only go if a playoff-bound team had a catastrophic injury to a first baseman and had the payroll to add a guy still owed $51+M. But I've no claim to insight or insider knowledge, I've really no fookin' clue what the Giants are thinking. I expect it is something to the effect of "hold on the rest of the way" and hope to finish over .500 and thus stay, at least mathematically, in the fight for the second Wild Card until the middle of September. That's the boring, conservative move, but good for institutional morale, in the sense that it means you are showing confidence in your guys to keep improving.
So that's it, I suppose. Be a good fan and hope to see some improved play. Have faith that the talent that's there will ultimately show itself and wins will start to come in bunches. All right, then. I'm ready! They're off tomorrow and then play two in Seattle before coming home on Thursday. It's a Suarez start, something to savor.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
56,310 Get Their Money's Worth
OAK 4 SF 3 (11)
Down 3-2 with two outs in the 9th against All-Star closer Blake Treinen the Giants managed a dramatic comeback to tie the game. The third batter in the inning, Alen Hanson, whiffed to apparently end it. Catcher Josh Phegley, however, dropped the ball and Hanson raced safely to first base. Hunter Pence, with a full count, ripped a double and that scored the speedster and the Giants suddenly were back in the fight. Tony Watson got into trouble in the bottom half and miracle man Reyes Moronta was summoned to bail the team out. He did that with aplomb, inducing a double-play to send the game to extras. He followed that with a scoreless 10th as well, continuing his superb work in this his rookie season. The Giants unfortunately could get nothing going and the A's broke through against Will Smith in the 11th to win it.
It was not a good night for Giants starter Madison Bumgarner as the ace southpaw was wild, throwing 92 pitches to 19 batters and only 47 of them were strikes. He walked SIX in his four-plus innings of work, loading the bases in the 5th and walking in two runs. Those were the third and fourth bases-loaded bases-on-balls in his career. He left with the score 2-1 (a Brandon Belt solo homer in the 4th) and the bags full. Sam Dyson got the double play but it scored a run and it stayed 3-1 until the 7th. The Giants got three hits (Buster Posey, Hanson, Pence) to make it 3-2 and that set up the improbable 9th. Good relief work once again made it possible; Dyson, Ray Black, and Derek Holland delivered four hitless frames after Bumgarner exited.
The A's opened up sections of the Coliseum typically closed to baseball fans and the result was the largest baseball crowd in the Bay Area since the final game at Candlestick Park in 1999 which was seen by 61,389 folks. Tonight's 56,310 is also the largest MLB crowd this season.
Johnny Cueto tomorrow afternoon. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Down 3-2 with two outs in the 9th against All-Star closer Blake Treinen the Giants managed a dramatic comeback to tie the game. The third batter in the inning, Alen Hanson, whiffed to apparently end it. Catcher Josh Phegley, however, dropped the ball and Hanson raced safely to first base. Hunter Pence, with a full count, ripped a double and that scored the speedster and the Giants suddenly were back in the fight. Tony Watson got into trouble in the bottom half and miracle man Reyes Moronta was summoned to bail the team out. He did that with aplomb, inducing a double-play to send the game to extras. He followed that with a scoreless 10th as well, continuing his superb work in this his rookie season. The Giants unfortunately could get nothing going and the A's broke through against Will Smith in the 11th to win it.
It was not a good night for Giants starter Madison Bumgarner as the ace southpaw was wild, throwing 92 pitches to 19 batters and only 47 of them were strikes. He walked SIX in his four-plus innings of work, loading the bases in the 5th and walking in two runs. Those were the third and fourth bases-loaded bases-on-balls in his career. He left with the score 2-1 (a Brandon Belt solo homer in the 4th) and the bags full. Sam Dyson got the double play but it scored a run and it stayed 3-1 until the 7th. The Giants got three hits (Buster Posey, Hanson, Pence) to make it 3-2 and that set up the improbable 9th. Good relief work once again made it possible; Dyson, Ray Black, and Derek Holland delivered four hitless frames after Bumgarner exited.
The A's opened up sections of the Coliseum typically closed to baseball fans and the result was the largest baseball crowd in the Bay Area since the final game at Candlestick Park in 1999 which was seen by 61,389 folks. Tonight's 56,310 is also the largest MLB crowd this season.
Johnny Cueto tomorrow afternoon. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Friday, July 20, 2018
D-Rod Does the Job
SF 5 OAK 1
Rookie Dereck Rodriguez delivered another strong start for the Giants (6-1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 K) and stifled the potent A's lineup in Oakland tonight. He got some help from his fielders (notably a few nice grabs from Andrew McCutchen in right field) but mostly kept the Athletics power bats in check. They opened the scoring in the 2nd on a double by Khris Davis and two deep fly balls to make it 1-0 but that was it. The Giants tied it in the 4th with a Cutch double and a nifty two-out wrist-flick single from Buster Posey. Sophomore sub Ryder Jones--on the roster due to Brandon Belt's paternity leave--smacked a deep fly off the foul pole leading off the 5th to give the Giants the lead. Well-traveled veteran Edwin Jackson gave up another solo homer, this one to Pablo Sandoval with one out in the 7th, and was done for the night. The Giants nicked familiar face Yusmeiro Petit for two in the 8th and that finished the scoring. Reyes Moronta, my pick for closer next year, finished the 7th on five pitches. Mark Melancon looked shaky in the 8th but still logged a zero and Tony Watson had an effortless 9th to close it out.
Madison Bumgarner gets the ball tomorrow at 6:05 Pacific. Go Giants!
--M.C.
p.s. Today is the 49th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Neil is still my hero.
Rookie Dereck Rodriguez delivered another strong start for the Giants (6-1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 K) and stifled the potent A's lineup in Oakland tonight. He got some help from his fielders (notably a few nice grabs from Andrew McCutchen in right field) but mostly kept the Athletics power bats in check. They opened the scoring in the 2nd on a double by Khris Davis and two deep fly balls to make it 1-0 but that was it. The Giants tied it in the 4th with a Cutch double and a nifty two-out wrist-flick single from Buster Posey. Sophomore sub Ryder Jones--on the roster due to Brandon Belt's paternity leave--smacked a deep fly off the foul pole leading off the 5th to give the Giants the lead. Well-traveled veteran Edwin Jackson gave up another solo homer, this one to Pablo Sandoval with one out in the 7th, and was done for the night. The Giants nicked familiar face Yusmeiro Petit for two in the 8th and that finished the scoring. Reyes Moronta, my pick for closer next year, finished the 7th on five pitches. Mark Melancon looked shaky in the 8th but still logged a zero and Tony Watson had an effortless 9th to close it out.
Madison Bumgarner gets the ball tomorrow at 6:05 Pacific. Go Giants!
--M.C.
p.s. Today is the 49th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Neil is still my hero.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
98
The Giants fall flat in the final two games against the Athletics, losing yesterday 4-3 and today 6-2. The offense has been absent for the entire month of July: they've scored only 51 runs in 14 games and are 6-8 over that span as a result. Brandon Belt's appendicitis looms large as he's yet to re-discover his spectacular pre-surgery form.
Yesterday Jeff Samardzija had nothing and as expected was returned to the DL. It seems five straight seasons of 32 starts and 200+ innings has taken its toll. The Shark's value as a pitcher is mostly due to his durability--even if he comes back and pitches effectively later it's a lost season for him. Andrew Suarez looked good again, but ran into some bad luck as the A's strung together a sequence of weakly-hit balls that derailed his day. The bullpen had to be overused in both games and in each case a nearly unhittable reliever (Tony Watson yesterday and both Reyes Moronta and Will Smith today) finally succumbed to the dreaded regression to the mean and yielded runs.
After 98 games the Giants are 50-48 (.510) which is good for fourth place in the NL West. There are eight other teams in the NL with a better record, and three are in the same division. They've got 64 games left and if they play .600 ball (38-26) they'll finish with 88 wins. After 98 games they've managed only that .510 pace so it may be a reach asking for such an improvement. (A .510 clip would yield an 83-79 final record.) At least we are getting a chance to see some great work by the youngsters (Suarez, Moronta, Dereck Rodriguez, Steven Duggar, Ray Black, etc.) and some surprise performances (like Gorkys Hernandez and Alan Hanson) as well as an All-Star campaign from Brandon Crawford.
Enjoy the Break!
--M.C.
Yesterday Jeff Samardzija had nothing and as expected was returned to the DL. It seems five straight seasons of 32 starts and 200+ innings has taken its toll. The Shark's value as a pitcher is mostly due to his durability--even if he comes back and pitches effectively later it's a lost season for him. Andrew Suarez looked good again, but ran into some bad luck as the A's strung together a sequence of weakly-hit balls that derailed his day. The bullpen had to be overused in both games and in each case a nearly unhittable reliever (Tony Watson yesterday and both Reyes Moronta and Will Smith today) finally succumbed to the dreaded regression to the mean and yielded runs.
After 98 games the Giants are 50-48 (.510) which is good for fourth place in the NL West. There are eight other teams in the NL with a better record, and three are in the same division. They've got 64 games left and if they play .600 ball (38-26) they'll finish with 88 wins. After 98 games they've managed only that .510 pace so it may be a reach asking for such an improvement. (A .510 clip would yield an 83-79 final record.) At least we are getting a chance to see some great work by the youngsters (Suarez, Moronta, Dereck Rodriguez, Steven Duggar, Ray Black, etc.) and some surprise performances (like Gorkys Hernandez and Alan Hanson) as well as an All-Star campaign from Brandon Crawford.
Enjoy the Break!
--M.C.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Mad About Madbum, but Diggin' Duggar and Ravin' about Reyes
This was, perhaps, the best Giants game of the year.
The San Francisco Giants beat the Oakland Athletics by a score of 7 - 1.
The Giants pitching was superb.
Madison Bumgarner was the starter. He got his 3rd win, which, perhaps, is a good illustration of how odd the designation of a W to a pitcher can be. Madison threw 6 fantastic innings, he gave up a home run to Oakland left fielder Chad Pinder in the 5th inning, with no one on base. That was Oakland's first run, and it tied the score at 1 each. The Giants had scored on a balk the previous inning. Apparently, the Oakland starter, Edwin Jackson, slipped or caught his cleats or something as he was in his motion. It brought Steve Duggar in from 3rd base. In those 6, Madison gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, struck out 5 and threw 84 pitches. Madison also pitched in the 7th inning, and did not fare so well. He threw 18 more pitches, gave up a single followed by 2 walks and was pulled for Reyes Moronta. Reyes induced a strike out, a line out to the Panda, and a ground ball to Brandon Crawford. If you could award a "win" based on sheer grit and savvy, Reyes gets the credit. Innings 8 and 9 were handled perfunctorily by Sam Dyson (a 4-pitch 8th).
After that, it fell apart for the A's. A series of relievers in the 7th culminating with Santiago Casilla (who also pitched the 8th) gave the Giants 5 runs for the final score.
The Giants hitting was timely.
Steve Duggar scored 3 times, walked, hit 2 doubles and picked up 2 rbi. In the 7th, with the bases loaded by way of two singles and a walk, Duggar slammed a double to right to score 2. Belt was hit on the hand (but stayed in the game), McCutheon hit a sac fly to score d'Arnaud and send Duggar to 3rd, where a wild Santiago Casilla pitch brought him in. A Buster Posey double scored Belt. Buster had 2 rbi, both coming with 2 outs. The Giants had to scrap for opportunity early in the game, but took advantage of them when they came.
The Oakland A's had just beaten the world champion and AL West division-leading Houston Astros in 3 games out of 4. Oakland, even with tonight's loss, would be in first place in the NL West. Mark's hope is still alive.
The San Francisco Giants beat the Oakland Athletics by a score of 7 - 1.
The Giants pitching was superb.
Madison Bumgarner was the starter. He got his 3rd win, which, perhaps, is a good illustration of how odd the designation of a W to a pitcher can be. Madison threw 6 fantastic innings, he gave up a home run to Oakland left fielder Chad Pinder in the 5th inning, with no one on base. That was Oakland's first run, and it tied the score at 1 each. The Giants had scored on a balk the previous inning. Apparently, the Oakland starter, Edwin Jackson, slipped or caught his cleats or something as he was in his motion. It brought Steve Duggar in from 3rd base. In those 6, Madison gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, struck out 5 and threw 84 pitches. Madison also pitched in the 7th inning, and did not fare so well. He threw 18 more pitches, gave up a single followed by 2 walks and was pulled for Reyes Moronta. Reyes induced a strike out, a line out to the Panda, and a ground ball to Brandon Crawford. If you could award a "win" based on sheer grit and savvy, Reyes gets the credit. Innings 8 and 9 were handled perfunctorily by Sam Dyson (a 4-pitch 8th).
After that, it fell apart for the A's. A series of relievers in the 7th culminating with Santiago Casilla (who also pitched the 8th) gave the Giants 5 runs for the final score.
The Giants hitting was timely.
Steve Duggar scored 3 times, walked, hit 2 doubles and picked up 2 rbi. In the 7th, with the bases loaded by way of two singles and a walk, Duggar slammed a double to right to score 2. Belt was hit on the hand (but stayed in the game), McCutheon hit a sac fly to score d'Arnaud and send Duggar to 3rd, where a wild Santiago Casilla pitch brought him in. A Buster Posey double scored Belt. Buster had 2 rbi, both coming with 2 outs. The Giants had to scrap for opportunity early in the game, but took advantage of them when they came.
The Oakland A's had just beaten the world champion and AL West division-leading Houston Astros in 3 games out of 4. Oakland, even with tonight's loss, would be in first place in the NL West. Mark's hope is still alive.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Buster!
SF 5 CHC 4 (13)
Buster Posey got to play the hero this afternoon, roping a double off the right-field wall to drive in Brandon Belt with the winning run. Belt was walked with two outs and Andrew McCutchen singled him to second before Posey's walk-off blast. Dereck Rodriguez pitched the 11th, 12th, and 13th innings and faced only 11 batters, allowing no hits and just two walks while striking out three. Johnny Cueto struck out seven in his five innings of work and was staked to a 4-0 lead in the 1st frame (Chase D'Arnaud led off with a homer) but gave up a run in the 3rd and two runs in the 5th. He was pulled after five with six hits and three walks (86 pitches) on the tally. The bullpen was epic again, the only blemish a Javier Baez homer off of Tony Watson to tie the game in the 7th. But Watson can be forgiven, he has been nearly untouchable this year, and in fact it was only his second homer allowed.
The team kept it together, much credit having to go to young D-Rod for some clutch relief work. The winning rally in the 13th was by the big studs in the lineup and came with two outs as I mentioned. That's a hell of a win against a very good club! Giants take the series from Chicago and have three coming up with Oakland after a day off tomorrow.
--M.C.
Buster Posey got to play the hero this afternoon, roping a double off the right-field wall to drive in Brandon Belt with the winning run. Belt was walked with two outs and Andrew McCutchen singled him to second before Posey's walk-off blast. Dereck Rodriguez pitched the 11th, 12th, and 13th innings and faced only 11 batters, allowing no hits and just two walks while striking out three. Johnny Cueto struck out seven in his five innings of work and was staked to a 4-0 lead in the 1st frame (Chase D'Arnaud led off with a homer) but gave up a run in the 3rd and two runs in the 5th. He was pulled after five with six hits and three walks (86 pitches) on the tally. The bullpen was epic again, the only blemish a Javier Baez homer off of Tony Watson to tie the game in the 7th. But Watson can be forgiven, he has been nearly untouchable this year, and in fact it was only his second homer allowed.
The team kept it together, much credit having to go to young D-Rod for some clutch relief work. The winning rally in the 13th was by the big studs in the lineup and came with two outs as I mentioned. That's a hell of a win against a very good club! Giants take the series from Chicago and have three coming up with Oakland after a day off tomorrow.
--M.C.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Panda!
SF 2 CHC 1 (11)
The Giants hung on to beat the Cubs in extras after a mostly fruitless offensive evening. Kyle Hendricks had the local lads completely befuddled for 8-1/3 innings but good work by Andrew Suarez (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R) kept it close. The Giants superb bullpen added five shutout frames and that gave the lineup enough chances to put a winning rally together. The only run off Hendricks came in the 5th on a bad pickoff. Alan Hanson--who Jon Miller called "electrifying"--scored all the way from first base on the errant throw that went down the right field line. Second baseman Javier Baez hesitated after retrieving the ball and that was enough daylight for the speedster who clearly caught the Cubs infield by surprise. Pablo Sandoval delivered the game-winning hit in the 11th off Pedro Strop after Steve Cishek had loaded the bases with one out. Even when he was down 0-2 you had the feeling that Panda was the right guy in that situation with his excellent contact skills and sure enough he served one to left for the winner and the Giants had a dramatic victory.
Johnny Cueto tonight. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
UPDATE: word from Baggs is that Holland may get the start to give Cueto an extra day
The Giants hung on to beat the Cubs in extras after a mostly fruitless offensive evening. Kyle Hendricks had the local lads completely befuddled for 8-1/3 innings but good work by Andrew Suarez (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R) kept it close. The Giants superb bullpen added five shutout frames and that gave the lineup enough chances to put a winning rally together. The only run off Hendricks came in the 5th on a bad pickoff. Alan Hanson--who Jon Miller called "electrifying"--scored all the way from first base on the errant throw that went down the right field line. Second baseman Javier Baez hesitated after retrieving the ball and that was enough daylight for the speedster who clearly caught the Cubs infield by surprise. Pablo Sandoval delivered the game-winning hit in the 11th off Pedro Strop after Steve Cishek had loaded the bases with one out. Even when he was down 0-2 you had the feeling that Panda was the right guy in that situation with his excellent contact skills and sure enough he served one to left for the winner and the Giants had a dramatic victory.
Johnny Cueto tonight. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
UPDATE: word from Baggs is that Holland may get the start to give Cueto an extra day
Monday, July 9, 2018
Giants Hit, Win
I was prepared to post a much more pessimistic missive, but then the Giants won in most uncharacteristic fashion.
Madison Bumgarner for the Giants in the 4th game of this home stand against the Cardinals that continues tomorrow with the Cubs. Maddy wasn't sharp - it was probably the weakest outing since he returned from the DL, but he, and the Giants, got the win. That hasn't happened nearly enough lately - we've been getting just the opposite - good pitching and a loss.
Madison's stats don't matter much. He went 5+, gave up 4 and threw 101 pitches. When he missed, it often wasn't close. Dyson let in 1 and then Ray Black, given enough rope to nearly hang himself, let in 3. The Giants scored 13, however, to make the final score 13 - 8.
Here, however are some of the hitters' stats going back through Colorado, take from them what you will:
Buster Posey, 4 hits in his last 17 at bats in the previous 6 games, 2 for 5 today. Andrew McCutcheon, 3 hits in his last 16 at bats, 3 for 6 today. Brandon Crawford, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 1 for 4 today. Pablo Sandoval, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 3 for 5 today, including 5 rbi. Gorkys Hernandez, 4 hits in his last 21 at bats, 2 for 4 today. Alen Hanson, 5 hit in his last 19 at bats, 3 for 5 today. Brandon Belt, perhaps our one bright spot lately, 7 hits in his last 23 at bats, 2 for 3 today. The Panda hit a smashing home run to right. Steve Duggar got 2 hits.
If the Giants can breathe easier because of today, great, but it doesn't get easier. The Cubs have been playing well lately, as have the A's.
Madison Bumgarner for the Giants in the 4th game of this home stand against the Cardinals that continues tomorrow with the Cubs. Maddy wasn't sharp - it was probably the weakest outing since he returned from the DL, but he, and the Giants, got the win. That hasn't happened nearly enough lately - we've been getting just the opposite - good pitching and a loss.
Madison's stats don't matter much. He went 5+, gave up 4 and threw 101 pitches. When he missed, it often wasn't close. Dyson let in 1 and then Ray Black, given enough rope to nearly hang himself, let in 3. The Giants scored 13, however, to make the final score 13 - 8.
Here, however are some of the hitters' stats going back through Colorado, take from them what you will:
Buster Posey, 4 hits in his last 17 at bats in the previous 6 games, 2 for 5 today. Andrew McCutcheon, 3 hits in his last 16 at bats, 3 for 6 today. Brandon Crawford, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 1 for 4 today. Pablo Sandoval, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 3 for 5 today, including 5 rbi. Gorkys Hernandez, 4 hits in his last 21 at bats, 2 for 4 today. Alen Hanson, 5 hit in his last 19 at bats, 3 for 5 today. Brandon Belt, perhaps our one bright spot lately, 7 hits in his last 23 at bats, 2 for 3 today. The Panda hit a smashing home run to right. Steve Duggar got 2 hits.
If the Giants can breathe easier because of today, great, but it doesn't get easier. The Cubs have been playing well lately, as have the A's.
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Trade Season
The Giants have started their trade season by unloading Austin Jackson and Cory Gearrin (along with A-level RHP Jason Bahr) to the Texas Rangers. It seems the Rangers wanted Bahr who has been dominating in the low minors (117-2/3 IP, 95 H, 34 W, 139 K) and had to take a package deal to get him. This frees up a couple of million bucks for the Giants to make--perhaps--a modest addition at the deadline and stay under the cap. Jackson's .604 OPS is the worst of his career and puts him in the bottom twenty of all MLB hitters with at least 150 PA.
The two roster spots will be filled by Steven Duggar who gets his chance to help in the big-league outfield, and Ray Black, he of the 100-mph fastball. We've all felt the team needs to get younger and with Duggar (24) joining Austin Slater (25) maybe that's starting to happen. They were forced to get younger in the starting rotation with all the oldsters getting hurt; seems like Dereck Rodriguez (26) and Andrew Suarez (25) have earned the right to stay. Black is 28 but replaces 32-year old Gearrin who was very effective last season but inconsistent this year. The rest of the 'pen has set a pretty high bar and Gearrin was at the bottom of the heap. Black, just to whet your appetite, has 240 strikeouts in 125-2/3 innings over five seasons. He's also got 87 walks!
Madison Bumgarner gets the ball today. Let's hope the Giants bats come to life and they can get a win behind their big star.
--M.C.
The two roster spots will be filled by Steven Duggar who gets his chance to help in the big-league outfield, and Ray Black, he of the 100-mph fastball. We've all felt the team needs to get younger and with Duggar (24) joining Austin Slater (25) maybe that's starting to happen. They were forced to get younger in the starting rotation with all the oldsters getting hurt; seems like Dereck Rodriguez (26) and Andrew Suarez (25) have earned the right to stay. Black is 28 but replaces 32-year old Gearrin who was very effective last season but inconsistent this year. The rest of the 'pen has set a pretty high bar and Gearrin was at the bottom of the heap. Black, just to whet your appetite, has 240 strikeouts in 125-2/3 innings over five seasons. He's also got 87 walks!
Madison Bumgarner gets the ball today. Let's hope the Giants bats come to life and they can get a win behind their big star.
--M.C.
Friday, July 6, 2018
5th inning: 11-7
1st inning: 7-11
2nd inning: 12-6
3rd inning: 6-12
4th inning: 10-8
5th inning: 11-7
The Giants bounced back tonight with a clutch 3-2 win after an ugly four-game stretch of losses. It's hard to see the good when the bad comes in clusters like that, but the reality is that the team has now had back-to-back winning innings. That's something. Now we have to hope for back-to-back winning months: June was 18-10, they've got some time to turn around July's 2-4. Rookie Dereck Rodriguez had another fine start (6-1/3 IP, 2 R) to lead the way. A dramatic late homer from Pablo Sandoval along with a big hit from Andrew McCutchen backed that up. Once again some fine relief work (Reyes Moronta, Tony Watson, Will Smith) sealed the deal. The bullpen has not only been the most improved part of the club but the most valuable as well (with apologies to the Brandons).
After 90 games the 46-44 (.511) Giants are still in the hunt in the wide-open West. I like that Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner are back in the fold, the team will need all its weapons after The Break. The Dodgers I must admit are scaring me a bit, they survived all their injuries and now have the last year's pennant-winning band back together. The Diamondbacks are also showing some resilience after their big plunge. Those two teams aren't going away. The Giants will have to play some kick-ass baseball to keep up with them.
Jeff Samardzija, the other starter who went on the DL, gets the start tomorrow. He's yet to be effective this year after a spring injury. Let's hope he can get his game back together real soon. And that the lineup can start hitting and scoring with more authority again.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
2nd inning: 12-6
3rd inning: 6-12
4th inning: 10-8
5th inning: 11-7
The Giants bounced back tonight with a clutch 3-2 win after an ugly four-game stretch of losses. It's hard to see the good when the bad comes in clusters like that, but the reality is that the team has now had back-to-back winning innings. That's something. Now we have to hope for back-to-back winning months: June was 18-10, they've got some time to turn around July's 2-4. Rookie Dereck Rodriguez had another fine start (6-1/3 IP, 2 R) to lead the way. A dramatic late homer from Pablo Sandoval along with a big hit from Andrew McCutchen backed that up. Once again some fine relief work (Reyes Moronta, Tony Watson, Will Smith) sealed the deal. The bullpen has not only been the most improved part of the club but the most valuable as well (with apologies to the Brandons).
After 90 games the 46-44 (.511) Giants are still in the hunt in the wide-open West. I like that Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner are back in the fold, the team will need all its weapons after The Break. The Dodgers I must admit are scaring me a bit, they survived all their injuries and now have the last year's pennant-winning band back together. The Diamondbacks are also showing some resilience after their big plunge. Those two teams aren't going away. The Giants will have to play some kick-ass baseball to keep up with them.
Jeff Samardzija, the other starter who went on the DL, gets the start tomorrow. He's yet to be effective this year after a spring injury. Let's hope he can get his game back together real soon. And that the lineup can start hitting and scoring with more authority again.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Monday, July 2, 2018
The Switch Was Flipped
Goddammit.
The Giants won 7 of their last 8 games. They won them by 1 and 2 runs, until the last couple in Arizona when they scored 16. And they were looking good tonight. A first-pitch home run by Gorkys and a 3rd inning rbi double by Buster that scored Brandon Belt put the Giants up 2 - 0. Meanwhile, Madison Bumgarner was on the mound. He didn't look real sharp to start the game, but got through the 1st inning unscathed. He cruised through the 2nd, but loaded the bases before escaping with no runs in the 3rd. A crisp 4th, 5th and 6th followed with only a couple hits, while Kyle Freeland stymied the Giants.
Then came the 7th, and the switch was flipped. A pinch hit single. Then a bloop. Then an infield single and Madison was done, having thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings up to that point. Reyes Moronta was brought in but he had a real command problem. A walk gave the Rockies 1. Then a double play gave the Giants 2 outs but tied the score. Then an easy grounder that Brandon Crawford inexplicably tossed way wide of Brandon Belt, and I knew that the Giants' run of good fortune (and good baseball) had been turned off.
The Giants put a couple men on base after that, but they didn't threaten. The Rockies scored 2 more to make the final 5 - 2. Fucking Coors. The balls and strikes calls were shitty. The theme unis look like crap, and as a side note, I do not give a flying fuck about the basketball feed on the bottom of the screen. So what happens tomorrow? Does the switch reset? Or do we get Coorsed until we limp home Thursday?
The Giants won 7 of their last 8 games. They won them by 1 and 2 runs, until the last couple in Arizona when they scored 16. And they were looking good tonight. A first-pitch home run by Gorkys and a 3rd inning rbi double by Buster that scored Brandon Belt put the Giants up 2 - 0. Meanwhile, Madison Bumgarner was on the mound. He didn't look real sharp to start the game, but got through the 1st inning unscathed. He cruised through the 2nd, but loaded the bases before escaping with no runs in the 3rd. A crisp 4th, 5th and 6th followed with only a couple hits, while Kyle Freeland stymied the Giants.
Then came the 7th, and the switch was flipped. A pinch hit single. Then a bloop. Then an infield single and Madison was done, having thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings up to that point. Reyes Moronta was brought in but he had a real command problem. A walk gave the Rockies 1. Then a double play gave the Giants 2 outs but tied the score. Then an easy grounder that Brandon Crawford inexplicably tossed way wide of Brandon Belt, and I knew that the Giants' run of good fortune (and good baseball) had been turned off.
The Giants put a couple men on base after that, but they didn't threaten. The Rockies scored 2 more to make the final 5 - 2. Fucking Coors. The balls and strikes calls were shitty. The theme unis look like crap, and as a side note, I do not give a flying fuck about the basketball feed on the bottom of the screen. So what happens tomorrow? Does the switch reset? Or do we get Coorsed until we limp home Thursday?
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Giants Sweep Snakes!
SF 9 AZ 6
It took 16 hits, nine runs, and seven pitchers but the San Francisco Giants completed their three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The pitching staff was stingy in June, allowing only 84 runs in 28 games (exactly 3 rpg), but inaugurate July with a six-run stinker. Derek Holland could not get out of the 4th, Pierce Johnson lost it in the 7th after two perfect innings, and Mark Melancon allowed a run in the 9th and had to be bailed out by Will Smith. But the rest of the group got it done and the lineup was not to be denied, scoring in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 9th frames.
This is a huge win for the club, especially given their poor play on the road before this. The Giants looked good this weekend. I have to give a nod to Brandon Belt for two hits and three walks, not to mention superb glove work, as always. Brandon Crawford had two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. The B-Boys have carried the offense, don't you think?
Colorado next. 5:40 Pacific, Madison Bumgarner. Go Giants!
--M.C.
It took 16 hits, nine runs, and seven pitchers but the San Francisco Giants completed their three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The pitching staff was stingy in June, allowing only 84 runs in 28 games (exactly 3 rpg), but inaugurate July with a six-run stinker. Derek Holland could not get out of the 4th, Pierce Johnson lost it in the 7th after two perfect innings, and Mark Melancon allowed a run in the 9th and had to be bailed out by Will Smith. But the rest of the group got it done and the lineup was not to be denied, scoring in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 9th frames.
This is a huge win for the club, especially given their poor play on the road before this. The Giants looked good this weekend. I have to give a nod to Brandon Belt for two hits and three walks, not to mention superb glove work, as always. Brandon Crawford had two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. The B-Boys have carried the offense, don't you think?
Colorado next. 5:40 Pacific, Madison Bumgarner. Go Giants!
--M.C.
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