Raising Matt Cain

Seeing the Giants score nine runs but still lose i...

2013-05-18T12:52:33.332-07:00

Seeing the Giants score nine runs but still lose is a very Coors feeling.

Yeah, the slam was the killer. One pitch too many....

2013-05-18T11:06:13.655-07:00

Yeah, the slam was the killer. One pitch too many. I remember thinking that Boch ought to get Bumgarner out of there, but at the same time thinking, hell it's just one more out, nail it down, man. Then--boom.

Seeing the Giants score nine runs but still lose is a very weird feeling.

This is 3 nights in a row of "Midnight Replay...

2013-05-17T10:17:57.857-07:00

This is 3 nights in a row of "Midnight Replay" torture. Depending on when I get out of work I can listen to the 1st or 2nd inning. KNBR is a little scratchy in parts of Auburn.
Incidentally, all 3 shifts at work were little slices of hell, so it's a little disconcerting.
But I was so delighted to wake up this AM to see the Giants pulled another one out. It's staring to seem like this sort of game is becoming rather typical for them.

Pitching to the score would be if YOUR team gets o...

2013-05-17T10:06:11.571-07:00

Pitching to the score would be if YOUR team gets off to a big lead and you keep the damage down. There was no score when Matt coughed up six earned runs. That is called taking your team out of a game normally. His offense and Affeldt got the win for him. If Crawford doesn't get that big hit then everyone is talking about what is wrong with Matt. I'm still confident that he will get it together, but yesterday was not the way a winner pitches.

It's called "pitching to the score",...

2013-05-17T06:50:30.993-07:00

It's called "pitching to the score", man, and it's what "winners" do. Look it up! :-)

Giants aren't pitching well, but they are winning. If I were a betting man (I'm not), I'd wager the pitching will improve. After all, these guys have pitched pretty well overall the last few years, and short of physical issues, I don't see why they won't again. Meanwhile the hitters are carrying the load. Giants are the defending champs--teams are gunning for them. More advanced scouting, better game plans, etc. Giants have to make some adjustments to stay on top.

Very generous assessment of Matt's performance...

2013-05-17T06:29:13.931-07:00

Very generous assessment of Matt's performance. This was a reverse Caining, he deserved to lose and got bailed out. Does "grit" just mean you got good results? Matt's hr to fly all ratio is hitting astronomic proportions, above 18. I fear the years of his magic fly ball may finally be catching up and they are now going over the fence. We have proven we can deal with an off year from Tim, but what about Matt? I do not like what I see so far; not panicking like with Vogie, but DEEEPLY worried.
The Crawford play is hard to believe. For anybody to even try that is crazy and he made it look pretty easy. Is the guy from Atlanta really as good? I doubt it.

And Belt supposedly has a better arm than Crawford...

2013-05-16T22:37:26.901-07:00

And Belt supposedly has a better arm than Crawford.

Fans in Toronto are still trying to figure out how...

2013-05-16T11:55:28.601-07:00

Fans in Toronto are still trying to figure out how the Maple Leafs blew a 2-goal Game 7 advantage over Boston in the last 90 seconds, then lost in overtime, a few nights ago. They probably didn't even realize that there was any baseball being played in town.

Matt Cain, it's time to be the Stopper!!!!!

Baseball fans in Toronto must be wondering how on ...

2013-05-16T10:03:49.048-07:00

Baseball fans in Toronto must be wondering how on earth the Giants won the World Series.

Nothing like starting the game with an error and a...

2013-05-15T10:15:28.727-07:00

Nothing like starting the game with an error and a walk to set things up.

Driving home from work last night I turned on the ...

2013-05-15T10:13:33.817-07:00

Driving home from work last night I turned on the midnight replay just in time for the bottom of the first. OMG. Suckitude is right. Don't blame Zito. It was a total team effort.
Speaking of Suckitude, did anyone watch Steph Curry last night? I guess it's the ankle.

Giants in Canada, eh? Would be nice to get some m...

2013-05-14T10:39:00.873-07:00

Giants in Canada, eh? Would be nice to get some more wins!

Broad smile moment here in Portland yesterday:

I was driving home from work, listening to a Sports Talk show (NPR was having a pledge drive). There was a substitute host, a guy named Bernie. I'm not usually a really big fan of his, but, after yesterday, I am.

He was on some sort of rant about something, & the subject changed to people who show up late & leave big sporting events early. So, he not only took the opportunity to single out Dodger fans, but also pointed out something that I had never noticed before.

During the video of perhaps the most iconic highlight in (LA) Dodger history (Gibson HR off of Eckersley), he claims that, beyond the RF bullpen, you can see the tailights of hundreds of cars, containing some of the many fans who left the ballpark early & missed this moment.

I suppose that I'll have to actually look at the screen the next time they run this highlight, just to see this.

A week ago our "problem was with the starters...

2013-05-13T09:29:08.189-07:00

A week ago our "problem was with the starters." Now out top three just took on one of the top hitting clubs in baseball and shut them down. Vogie stumbled a bit, but Cain, Madbum and Tim gave us 7 innings, as did Zito just before that. Anyone would like that kind of problem.

Maybe the "Freak" nickname needs to be r...

2013-05-13T08:28:47.260-07:00

Maybe the "Freak" nickname needs to be retired due to the haircut. The "Franchise" moniker has been quietly put out to pasture r/t Tim, as that entity now is the fella who squats behind the plate, Mr. Posey.
So we know Lincecum can still be good. It wasn't long ago he had a couple of strong starts, followed by some shaky ones.
All of our starters are capable of being dominant, with the current exception of Vogelsong. Let's hope that's just a temporary aberration. What will matter is how well they're pitching in September and October.

Great day for The Freak!! He went 3-0 on the first...

2013-05-12T20:38:25.267-07:00

Great day for The Freak!! He went 3-0 on the first batter and I thought "uh-oh" but it all worked out. He got a lot of called strikes today. He made some big pitches when he needed them, and got some good breaks behind him in the field. Justin Upton misplayed a ball in LF. He had a rough series with the glove, making two bad plays yesterday in RF. The guys sure swung the bats: 23 runs in the last three games (only FOUR allowed!!).

Just when it seemed like MadBum ran out of pitches...

2013-05-12T09:27:07.907-07:00

Just when it seemed like MadBum ran out of pitches in the 6th he came out and blew away the bottom of the lineup in the 7th. Man, he's good.

I like those kind of games, let's get some more of those.

Actually, Brandon Crawford had 2 hits. That's...

2013-05-12T08:07:34.179-07:00

Actually, Brandon Crawford had 2 hits. That's what happens when I get over-excited.

And Matt Cain says hello for round two!

2013-05-11T10:00:47.230-07:00

And Matt Cain says hello for round two!

Would that it were mine (the retirement party, tha...

2013-05-10T08:02:31.446-07:00

Would that it were mine (the retirement party, that is).

My name Antonio Bastardo. You killed my father. ...

2013-05-09T17:13:44.376-07:00

My name Antonio Bastardo.

You killed my father.

Prepare to die.

Plus: Antonio Bastardo! The guy should be a Shake...

2013-05-09T10:25:55.296-07:00

Plus: Antonio Bastardo! The guy should be a Shakespearean actor. Or character.

Hey, we both had something to say today! Awesome. ...

2013-05-08T18:21:08.407-07:00

Hey, we both had something to say today! Awesome. The more the merrier. Let's get the rest of those guys going. Whaddya say, guys?

Oops.

2013-05-08T18:00:55.919-07:00

Oops.

Utley's hr was on the first pitch to him. It ...

2013-05-08T12:07:37.236-07:00

Utley's hr was on the first pitch to him. It was reported as a change up, like he was waiting for it. A good guess, or is Tim tipping pitches?

Timmy has been a rock - 33 starts like clockwork. ...

2013-05-08T10:56:37.361-07:00

Timmy has been a rock - 33 starts like clockwork. I just posted up my thoughts on my bloggy. I'd give Timmy about 7 more starts to show something and then I agree, time for the pen. 11 starts (4 more) is 1/3 the season. 16-17 starts (9-10) more is 1/2 the season. I don't think the Giants can afford more than half the season of Timmy being 2012-13 vintage with the rest of the starters not square yet.

He can't get hitters to chase out the zone anymore. He needs to face that fact. I don't think he has yet.