Anthony "Disco" DeSclafani returned to Cincinnati and delivered a terrific start to subdue his former team. He lasted a full seven innings and allowed only one run, a leadoff homer to the first batter he faced. He left with a 4-1 lead and Zack Littell and Jake McGee finished up, giving Tyler Rogers a well-deserved off-night. Littell gave up a solo shot in the 8th to give us all a scare, but that was it. The bullpen continues to be a mystery! A well-rested McGee got three outs in the 9th on nine pitches.
The Giants got eight hits and four walks and struck out seventeen times. Seventeen! Starter Luis Castillo (a former Giants farmhand*) struck out eleven in his five innings but gave up a three-run homer to Alex Dickerson in the 4th and left trailing 3-1. Another homer by the Giants--this one from Brandon Crawford--in the 7th off reliever Heath Hembree (a former Giants player**) pushed it to 4-1. It was BCraw's 10th homer in 36 games, a Bondsian stretch. Plus he continues to make big plays in the field. The Reds had eight hits and also had two homers, but both blasts came with the bases empty.
DeSclafani had the moves tonight and the Giants got another big road win. The team is now 12-12 away from home. They've two more games in The Great American Smallpark before the weekend series in San Francisco with the Dodgers. Kevin Gausman goes tomorrow at 3:40 Pacific.
Go Giants!
--M.C.
*traded for Casey McGehee in 2014
**traded for Jake Peavy in 2014
3 comments:
the homerun by Castellanos came on an 0-2 count, on a hanging slider right down the middle. Luckily that mistake did not come back to haunt us. Caseli seemed to have crushed one, and for some reason it just did not carry. Another injury this time Flores who probably should have scored had he not pulled a hamstring when running the bases on Dickerson's double. How much bad luck can this team have. The Padres beat the Rockies in ten innings on a wild pitch with a runner on third. Hampson who drove the giants pitchers crazy, looked totally overmatched against the Padres. Their bullpen keeps coming in day after day and shutting down the opposition. I wonder how long that can last? Also Story did not seem to be such an ominous hitting threat vs. the Pads. They seem to have something figured out.
Yeah I'm not sure where all the blow-ups in the 'pen are coming from. It does seem like the "slider-guys" are throwing fat ones a little too often and that too many guys are throwing non-competitive pitches. I get that pitchers give up walks, but our guys are throwing it a foot outside! The lack of command when a fresh guy comes in is startling.
FZ and Co. seem to be in a "wait-and-see" mode with the veterans and Kap and Co. seem willing to take chances with the youngsters and accept the risks that come along with that. I can see both POVs, the starters have proven the concept that the veterans will figure it out and be able to perform given time and support. And we have to get young talent up and out of the minors and into the big club so they can develop into ML regulars.
In the mean time the 7th-8th-9th innings are going to be torture-fests. So far it is working, it is hard to argue with 26-16 and first place.
First time in franchise history that the Giants struck out 17+ times and WON the game!
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