Giants starter Alex Wood gave up a two-out RBI hit to Nolan Arenado in the 1st, and that drove in Paul Goldschmidt, who had walked. But before you could say "here we go again" Wood got in a groove and the lineup clawed back and the team took a 3-1 lead to the 8th. Tyler Rogers got into trouble with one out, giving up an RBI hit to Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado strolled to the plate. Before you could say "here we go again" he hit into a double play and the curse was lifted. No disrespect to Wood, who played stopper tonight, but that was the biggest pitch of the game. Rogers gives up a lot of contact and sometimes it gets him in big trouble. Darin Ruf then hit a two-run homer in the bottom half and Jake McGee had a stress-free save. Big win against a tough foe. The Cardinals really took it to the Giants in this series but the home team showed some fight-back and nailed down a win.
Off-day tomorrow and then a three-game set against the Nationals with the All-Star Break following. Friday night's game starts at 6:45 PT. Logan Webb is scheduled to start.
Go Giants!
--M.C.
5 comments:
Great win, & it was good to finally be back at the yard! (I get to go again 2 weeks from tomorrow (Friday night Game of Pirates' Series).
The collective sighs of relief after the Arenado DP ball & the Ruf HR were audible in the Stadium - one of those ballpark group experiences that can only be truly appreciated in-person.
Having those 2 long-time nemeses hitting back-to-back in the same lineup is certainly daunting. I think that the Giants succeeded in having them bat in different Innings only once.
Other observations of my first trip back, since moving back to the Bay Area:
- For some bizarre reason, they are not selling Scorecards or Programs this year. As y'all know, for me, that is a big drag. The first stand that I tried to get one from told me that the Team wasn't printing them, but that the guy who runs the stand around the corner was printing some up on his own. That guy said that he had run out of them.
- Sitting in the Front Row of the Arcade gives a fantastic vantage point. A few years ago, we all did so at Cueto's first Home start as a Giant - a very memorable Game. The drawback is that it is miles from any Restrooms very weird.
- Giants' Fans are, of course, the usual mixed bag. Mostly, we had cool people around us, but there was one chatterbox right behind us who spent more time whining about how the 'techie' Giants' Fans don't cheer w/ adequate intensity than she did actually cheering herself. She was wearing Giants' garb, but, at one point, she revealed herself as a NY-transplant. So, I suppose that getting into knife fights w/ Fans of the other Team might have been the only way to satisfy her.
- While they're in a bit of a funk regarding getting hits w/ RISP, the Giants' so have a bit of an air of 'we're gonna get this done somehow' about them. It gives me hope that the first half of the Season was more than a pleasant mirage. I think that they're in this thing for the long haul!
Go Giants!!!
Yeah I think programs are seen as an anachronism and with phone apps and whatnot the demand for them is much lower. Lame. They should hand out paper scorecards and pencils for free, fer chrissakes, or at least have a bin where you can go get them. Modern rosters have so much turnover it would really help to have up-to-date printouts. But I think we are showing our age with that one.
Yeah I like the team's attitude, too. They never seem to get down and they certainly don't have "hangover" from bad losses. They get up off the mat and keep counter-punching. I really like that the veteran players have "bought in" to the new coaching and the new system. They've been real pros about the transition from Boch to Kap, Sabes to FZ, etc. And they are all performing well, and that means they've continued to grow and learn as players. That sets a good example for the FNGs and youngsters.
I think the key will be the starters. If they can keep them healthy and have sufficient depth for the stretch run they will be genuine contenders. I hope Webb and Beede can be big contributors in the second half.
FanGraphs has an article about the Giants bullpen. It's called "San Francisco's, Marvelous, Unexpected Bullpen" and it is by Ben Clemens. Who'd have thought we'd have a "marvelous" bullpen? Anyway, check it out.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/san-franciscos-marvelous-unexpected-bullpen/
Another update of the phone apps age seems to be the end of the Pocket Schedule. I had to ask the Giants to get it together and send out the usual 10 copies allowed per person. We finally got ours After the season started and they do Not fold into a nice pocket size and the print is so small you must wear glasses to see the times. But who cares really - Go Giants - Win!
Yeah ... Pocket Schedules for all Sports have become either non-existent, rare, or some bizarre size that doesn't fit into a normal pocket or wallet. I don't get it. Plus, w/ all of the so-called Promotions that they want to list, that's where the micro-font comes in. Promotions that aren't free aren't really Promotions in my book, so they shouldn't be listed.
When they advertised it on the Scoreboard the other night, I got so excited that I was going to get a 'Year of the Ox' Bobblehead on July 23 - my Son, Leon, is an Ox, so I was going to give it to him. But, then I realized that it was one of those 'if you have a special promotional Ticket package' things.
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