SF 3 LA 2
Tonight the Giants got creative in the field and pulled off both a 5-6 putout and a 9-1 putout! I love that kind of stuff. I also like the way the Giants used Jeff Samardzija. He was excellent for five shutout innings and 79 pitches--and they yanked him. This third-time-through-the-lineup penalty is a real thing. No reason to subject a starter to that when there are quality bullpen options. It didn't quite work as the normally reliable Tony Watson gave up two runs in the 6th inning, but it was the right move. Fortunately the Giants rallied in the 7th and turned that 2-0 deficit into a 3-run lead behind a bases-clearing double from Evan Longoria. He pinch-hit for Pablo Sandoval who started at third. Sam Dyson bailed out Watson and covered the 7th, Reyes Moronta got the meat of the order in the 8th, and Will Smith closed the door.
After that wretched display against the Yankees it was nice to see the home squad deliver a better effort. It seems Derek Holland is the first casualty to what has mostly been a healthy start for the club. He goes on the IL and Ty Blach takes his spot. They expect Holland to miss one start.
Drew Pomeranz goes tomorrow at 6:45 PDT.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
3 comments:
I read that they were planning on using Shark differently this year, not as a work horse inning eater. Without the pressure to go deep into the game, he can pitch more aggressively in the earlier innings. I think we saw that in action today. He was very effective and then he was gone before he became ineffective. I agree with Mark, good move.
This game was a welcome relief after that awful Yankees series. I hate those guys almost as much as I hate the Dodgers.
I think it has a lot to do with his injuries last year. They do not want to push him.
Age, too. He's 34 and has almost 1500 innings on his arm. It's smart to do that with older players. Kershaw, for example, hasn't thrown 200 innings since 2015.
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