It was not a good night for the Giants. A taut 2-1 contest came apart at the seams in the 6th. The relief corps has been a huge part of the team's success this season but they got whacked around this time. Both Dominic Leone and Zack Littell got hit hard. Things went the Dodgers way early in the game and it just steamrolled after that. No sense going over the details--experiencing them once was enough.
The next game is Monday night in LA at 6:37 PT. The Giants need a big road win. They played .654 ball on the road (53-28) this year including 6-4 at Dodger Stadium so I think they will get the job done.
GO GIANTS!!
BEAT LA!!
--M.C.
6 comments:
I fear that playoff experience was a big part of last night. Many of their bullpen guys have done this all before but ours looked like rookies. Leone was shitting bricks as soon as he took the mound. Well, maybe that experience will make him better…
Gausman was the key there, I think. I really thought he was going to get those three outs in the 6th. Leone had to face a tough spot with two on and one out. LA has good hitters--they can make any pitcher look bad.
From Baggarly's game story (The Athletic):
“We really felt good about Gausman getting the next three hitters out (in the sixth),” Kapler said. “Obviously sometimes that works out and sometimes it doesn’t, and tonight it didn’t.”
Gausman allowed two of those three batters to reach in the sixth, right-hander Dominic Leone entered and the Dodgers made a show of taking first-pitch swings against a Giants bullpen that makes an organized religion out of strike throwing.
I might add that our RH lineup did not get any big hits off the lefty Urias. It seems like the Giants should hit lefties better, just in general, doesn't it?
Giants have stood up all year and won the games they had to win, so I feel good about them winning a game in LA. Hell, they could win both! It was a shitty loss but the off-day lets everyone "turn the page" and focus on Monday. Alex Wood has a big start ahead of him, but just as important, the hitters have to step up and get some clutch hits. The hitters have scored off big-name arms all season long and they just beat Buehler so there's proof that they can take down an ace.
I thought Leone got the strike out of the first guy he faced on a 2-2 count and it was called a ball. The first batter of the game, for the giants Ruf, was called out on a pitch about 6 inches outside. In his third AB he had a pitch way inside called a strike. The giants do not argue these calls or make a big deal like the dodgers, but the look on Ruf's face told it all. As soon as I realized that Angel Hernandez was the umpire calling balls and strikes, I thought that the giants odds for winning the game went down by about 20 percent. Does every time Betts tries to check his swing, he gets a no swing call, is that part of baseball? I think, but who knows, that Kapler made the Dusty Baker mistake of taking out a decent starting pitcher a bit too soon. It may have worked in game one, but it certainly backfired badly in game 2. I know Angel Hernandez won a law suit against either MLB or the umpire union, but he is such a bad umpire. The first game was called much more tightly and evenly. Only minor mistakes and neither team seemed to have been favored in the end. Kapler did his thing, and in game 2 it backfired. Lets get them back in Los Angeles. In the inning where the giants started a comeback rally, the Dodgers defense was excellent and probably kept the giants from possibly having a big inning. Have to give the bums some credit for putting on a defensive show in game 2. This pitch to the dodgers pitcher which ended up being a key RBI hit, was probably a bad choice. I am hoping the giants have smart AB's against Scherzer, and that scherzer does not get called strikes 6 inches off the plate on his sliders. Yaz has still not figured out how to hit the high fastball at the top of the zone. I think we can also be thankful that the dodgers no longer have KiKi Hernandez.
The Giants certainly got burned by the strike zone.
It's hard for me to call Kap pulling Gausman a "Baker move." I don't think so. Gausman gave up a hard-hit double and a walk. In fact most managers would have pulled Gausman after five (and pinch-hit for him). Kap showed faith in his guy and it just didn't work out.
The Betts play was certainly a pivotal event. He's an impact player. I was surprised that Flores even considered running, down by that many runs. I know it took a perfect play but any other runner with moderate speed would have beat the throw. Flores is a slow as the catchers! It's not a knock on him--Wilmer embodies the 2021 Giants. Versatile, veteran guy who can do a lot of things on the field, calm, no-nonsense demeanor, mashes lefties but can get big hits off righties, Wilmer has been a great contributor.
It did take a perfect throw, and that is what the bums got. Trey Turner also made a terrific play turning a sure hit into an out. It was major league defense. Batters had to feel some relief now that having faced Webb and Gausman in 2 days, and 2 really good relievers, they were now facing the giants middle relief. In the last two weeks how many times did Littell give up a home run to one of the first guys he faced before he settled down. Despite his stuff, he always looks as if he is aiming the ball. Maybe a tweak or two to make his pitches less readable could improve his results. He has been good, but he may have the stuff to be better than good.
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