I don't know about you but when losing streaks get long I get this feeling that the team will never win another ballgame. I know it's irrational but I get smothered with creeping dread and start to imagine epic collapses like 0-for-September or something. Fortunately that doesn't usually happen. And I'm here to report that the Giants are at 1.000 for September after a big win against the Phillies.
The Giants scored 12 runs in three games against the Padres and followed that by scoring 11 runs in the first three innings last night. Joc Pederson had a homer and five RBI. Wilmer Flores walked three times and scored three runs. LaMonte Wade and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits apiece. Luis González hit a triple, scored two, and pitched the 9th inning.
Alex Cobb is a good pitcher and we are finally getting to see why the Giants signed him. He's got that nasty sinker/splitter combo that gets a lot of ground balls (10 last night) and swinging strikes (11 last night with 7 K). He allowed only three hits over seven innings on a crisp 88 pitches. Philadelphia has a good-hitting lineup--they are fifth in MLB at 4.71 rpg--and Cobb kept them in check.
I thought the 2022 Giants would be where the Phillies are right now. At 73-59 they are well behind the Mets and Braves in the NL East but have a firm grip on the third wild-card spot. It's theirs to lose at this point. I thought there was a good chance the Giants would be going toe-to-toe with the Padres and the other wild card contenders. Perhaps they'll enjoy being spoilers down the stretch.
The Giants get a look at Noah Syndergaard this afternoon at 1:05 PT. Jakob Junis gets the call. Junis is still arb-eligible and I imagine he will be back for 2023 after his strong showing this season.
Go Giants!
--M.C.
p.s. FNG Lewis Brinson got into the game and got a hit. He's a former 1st-rounder and FZ likes to accumulate those types. I suppose 1st-rounders are the most obviously talented of their peer group/draft class. That doesn't mean they will all make it of course, just that they stood out at one time. We've seen (Kevin Gausman comes to mind) that some are late bloomers. AAAA-type guys are valuable. They provide coverage against injuries and more importantly depth and competition for the AAA squad. It can't hurt to take a low-cost, no-risk flyer on a guy who just might have something to contribute.
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Brandon Belt is getting knee surgery.
I forgot to mention that Belt was out for the rest of the season, but I suppose I'd been expecting it. Here's what he said about next season:
"It's just going to depend. I'm going to play next year if I can get my knee healthy and strong again," Belt told NBC Sports Bay Area. "Last time I had this surgery [in 2015] I responded really well to it. That's what I'm anticipating. ... If I can get it strong like I did [in 2015] then I'll play, but if not then I'm not going to go out there and be substandard all the time. We'll just have to see."
Belt has 1310 games (12 seasons) in a Giants uniform. 5079 PAs. I wonder if a player who will be 35 next April can recover and be productive again. That seems like a long road of re-hab. He's a free agent. (He accepted a Qualifying Offer last season rather than go the free agency and that means the team can't offer him another.)
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