SD 4 SF 1
The Giants lost and Reyes Moronta went down--literally--with a shoulder injury. But there are usually some silver linings, and last night one of them was Logan Webb. He threw five shutout innings and didn't give up a run until there were two outs in the 6th. It was a fine effort (one walk, seven whiffs) by the youngster who hit 97 on the radar gun. He has scary-looking stuff and it is exciting to watch him emerge.Tyler Rogers also pitched well in relief (four outs on 14 pitches). Outfielder Joey Rickard had two hits. Austin Slater hit a homer.
Those things all matter. Something that matters a lot less, but is a silver lining in a way, is that Jon Miller, on the radio, mentioned The Athletic and quoted an article by Grant Brisbee. Miller, as you know, embraces modernity with the enthusiasm of an eight-year old forced to kiss his great aunt. It's nice to know that he uses the internet, maybe he'll even try Baseball-Reference or, god forbid, FanGraphs*.
The Giants could use a winning streak!
--M.C.
*Must-watch FanGraphs plug from Daniel Murphy. It's only a few seconds, so check it out. It's scary when the players are better informed than the media covering them.
5 comments:
"Miller, as you know, embraces modernity with the enthusiasm of an eight-year old forced to kiss his great aunt." ????????
I have heard Jon Miller reference FanGraphs and he pretty much won't shut up about OPS, mph off the bat and launch angle. Exactly what part of modernity do you think he doesn't embrace? I find launch angle and speed off the bat tiring. While I won't deny that they have some utility, they don't have any utility to me, the listener. That is because there is no reference. Am I supposed to be impressed by 100 mph off the bat? I think so, but it's because that is really fast for a car to be traveling, and I have no idea if it is particularly fast for a batted ball. In fact it's irrelevant. Again, maybe not for a coach, but for a listener because it doesn't add anything to the discussion but a number unattached to the game. Kuiper and Krukow are the ones who have it right, making fun of speed off the bat when a player hits 104 for an out and 48 for a bloop hit.
Jon Miller doesn't understand the context. He just says those things because he wants to keep up with Flemm. He says "OPS" like it is an admission of guilt. He thinks ear flaps on helmets are an innovation.
My beef with Miller is that he constantly says "I think" and "I seem to remember" when it would take a 12-year old ten seconds to find the info--and know for sure--on Baseball-Reference. And he mocks Dave when Dave uses WAR and similar stats. I have diminishing respect for Miller because he is in a field that is rapidly changing and he makes a token or perfunctory effort to acknowledge those changes. It is OK for fans to be trogtlodytes, it is not OK for professionals in the field.
And "launch angle" and "exit velocity" are no less informative than "batting average" and "RBIs" it all depends on who is using them and what they are trying to say with them. In Miller's case he's just reading the back of a baseball card and anyone can do that. I want my announcers to give me things I can't figure out for myself. Otherwise, why are they there?
Aramis Garcia (C), Conner Menez (LHP), Chris Shaw (1B/LF), and Burch Smith (RHP) get the call up for September.
Apparently Pablo Sandoval will be reactivated as well. I suspect he'll get a few pinch-hit chances at home before they shut him down and he goes under the knife. I think the Red Sox stop paying him after this season. Cot's says there is a $5M option for 2020, I'm not sure what that means--do the Giants get to keep him for $5M or do they pay him $5M to go away? Either way, the TJS will keep him out of Spring Training and most of next season. He says he wants to keep playing, but I have to think this is his Giants swan song.
And in fairness to Miller, I think he is the most TALENTED baseball announcer I've ever listened to. He has an amazing voice which he modulates beautifully and he knows how to build drama and create great cathartic releases. And he has a flair for colorful phrases and is conscientious about getting ballplayers' names correct. That's all good, and I like that.
But he name-drops incessantly, tells really dumb stories, thinks he's funnier than he is, and talks off-topic for too much of the broadcast. He went on one day about the container ship "steaming by" the ballpark--fer chrissakes those things run on diesel! The steamship era ended a long time ago (except for the US Navy nuke fleet).
But those are minor quibbles. His fatal flaw is that he is CONSISTENTLY BEHIND THE ACTION! That's fine on TV, but it is a disaster on the radio. The crowd noise tells me more than he does.
He's a celebrity, and being a celebrity is bad for your job because it becomes your job. His job is announcer, the celebrity part is just baggage. I like the radio broadcasts and depend on them so I need guys who focus on the broadcast and the ballgame, so I lose patience quickly when they talk for their own benefit and ignore the audience (me!).
And speaking of FanGraphs, Jay Jaffe did a post on "most improved pitchers" of 2019. MadBum ties for 9th on the list with Sonny Gray. Here's a snippet:
A fractured metacarpal limited Bumgarner to just 21 starts last year, and he posted career worsts in strikeout rate (19.8%), walk rate (7.8%), and FIP (3.99). He’s been healthy as a horse this year; his 91.8 mph average four-seam fastball velocity is his highest since 2015, and his 169.2 innings ranks third in the league. While his ERA is nearly half a run higher than last year (3.71 vs. 3.26) due in part to a 12-point rise in BABIP, he’s gotten ahead of batters 68.% of the time (fourth among qualifiers), gotten them to chase outside the zone 35.2% of the time (his highest rate since 2014), and his strikeout and walk rates have improved to 24.5% and 5.0%, respectively.
I think this corresponds to what we've been seeing, that is, if you've felt this year (as I have) that "Bum is back" then you are right!
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