OK, OK, the party's over. It is time to get back on the wagon. No more binges. No more celebrating. There's work to be done! The Giants are the defending champs and it is going to be a long and difficult season. Time to get some game-face going on and start playing ball for keeps!
Tim Lincecum did not look sharp in his final Cactus League start. He gave up two homers (one to Fred Lewis!) among his eleven hits. But he got in his work (25 batters over 5 IP) and threw around 90 pitches (I lost track when they interviewed Sergio Romo). I'm not worried about Tim Lincecum. When the gun goes off to start the race he'll be setting the pace all season long.
The Giants break their 5-game losing streak by smoking Aroldis Chapman for 5 runs in the 6th. He didn't get anyone out. Buster Posey worked three walks and Andres Torres had three hits and four RBI. The Giants are on CSN Monday night in San Francisco. Since Jonathan Sanchez goes tomorrow, I expect it will be Matt Cain getting the nod against Oakland.
Back to work!
--M.C.
Showing posts with label Fred Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fred Lewis. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Breaking camp
"We have a real good idea where we are [with the 25]. We've talked among ourselves," said Bochy. "We'll huddle again in San Francisco. These decisions are always difficult, and we have some guys who will be disappointed, because they're in that group who had good springs."
Uh, OK. That means Buster, right? They are certainly going to keep Bowker on the roster, he's hit too well in his 78 plate appearances to ignore. Small sample size, my arse! He's a force! He's a beast! He's the starter! Darren Ford, Roger Kieschnick, and Matt Downs "had good springs" but I don't think anyone seriously considered spots for them on the 25-man roster. I think Torres will stick--I hope so, I like his glove and speed out there patrolling "the greensward" in the late innings. So, who's the elephant in the room? Who had a fair showing in Arizona but will still get the axe? I'm thinking it's Fred Lewis. His .845 OPS isn't earth-shattering, it's rather Fred-like, really, very Lewisian when all is said and done. If "Freddie's Dead" then there must be a spot for Mr. .264/.305/.396 Eugenio Velez. In 7 seasons and almost 500 minor-league games, Sr. Velez was good for a .792 OPS (.295/.342/.450). He'd be damn near the best player on our team not named Sandoval if he could do that in majors. I suspect Ol' Boch likes his "versatility." Last year he played 14 innings in RF, 65-1/3 in CF, 215-2/3 at 2B, and 288-2/3 in LF. He does possess some seriously freakish speed, and I just know Ol' Boch is going to bunt, hit-and-run, run-and-hit, bunt-and-run, run-and-bunt, steal, double-steal, fake steal, fake-bunt, and fake-bunt-and-hit like Roger Craig on crack. Krukow loves "the butcher play" so I imagine I'll hear a lot of gushing from the Kruk-ster about it this season.
Any thoughts on the 25, mates?
--M.C.
Uh, OK. That means Buster, right? They are certainly going to keep Bowker on the roster, he's hit too well in his 78 plate appearances to ignore. Small sample size, my arse! He's a force! He's a beast! He's the starter! Darren Ford, Roger Kieschnick, and Matt Downs "had good springs" but I don't think anyone seriously considered spots for them on the 25-man roster. I think Torres will stick--I hope so, I like his glove and speed out there patrolling "the greensward" in the late innings. So, who's the elephant in the room? Who had a fair showing in Arizona but will still get the axe? I'm thinking it's Fred Lewis. His .845 OPS isn't earth-shattering, it's rather Fred-like, really, very Lewisian when all is said and done. If "Freddie's Dead" then there must be a spot for Mr. .264/.305/.396 Eugenio Velez. In 7 seasons and almost 500 minor-league games, Sr. Velez was good for a .792 OPS (.295/.342/.450). He'd be damn near the best player on our team not named Sandoval if he could do that in majors. I suspect Ol' Boch likes his "versatility." Last year he played 14 innings in RF, 65-1/3 in CF, 215-2/3 at 2B, and 288-2/3 in LF. He does possess some seriously freakish speed, and I just know Ol' Boch is going to bunt, hit-and-run, run-and-hit, bunt-and-run, run-and-bunt, steal, double-steal, fake steal, fake-bunt, and fake-bunt-and-hit like Roger Craig on crack. Krukow loves "the butcher play" so I imagine I'll hear a lot of gushing from the Kruk-ster about it this season.
Any thoughts on the 25, mates?
--M.C.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Run scoring
A poor hitting team averages 4 runs per game. For a season, that's 648 runs. The Giants scored 657 runs in 2009. A good hitting team averages 5 runs per game. 810 runs in a season will put you among the league leaders. The 2009 Phillies scored 820 runs. The league average last year was 4.43, or 718 runs. Seven NL clubs managed to score more than 4.5 runs per game: Philadelphia, Colorado, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Florida, Atlanta, and St. Louis.
Baseball Musings has been running a series on team offense (see the Giants entry here). Mr. Pinto gives a breakdown of his procedure here. Mostly, he relies on Marcel the Monkey forecasts. The neat part is the Lineup Analysis Tool. You plug the player projections in to the lineup slots and see how many runs per game that combination creates. For the Giants, they score the most runs when the pitcher bats 8th! This, of course, will never happen. Tony LaRussa manages in St. Louis. But the following lineup projects to a little over 4.5 runs per game: DeRosa, Sandoval, Schierholtz, Huff, Rowand, Molina, Uribe, pitchers, Renteria. I can't argue with hitting DeRosa near the top, his lifetime .275/.343/.424 makes him our best hitter not named Sandoval. The Nate projections may be a tad optimistic, though. All of the idealized "best" lineups that compute to over 4.5 rpg involve Renteria hitting last, Molina no higher than 6th, Sandoval and DeRosa no lower than 3rd, Huff (mostly) at cleanup, and Rowand 3rd through 5th. And they expect a lot (.753 OPS) from Schierholtz. If the Giants score 4.5 rpg (or 9 runs every 2 games if decimal runs bother you), they will win the West.
This, though, is the Giants. And soon, it will be the real season and not the imaginary one. Aaron Rowand will lead off and Juan Uribe will hit second. This is because he is our second baseman, and our second baseman hits second. Please don't ask why, just accept. With Sandoval, Huff, DeRosa, Molina, Renteria, Schierholtz, and the pitcher following, LAT says 4.353 rpg. That's 705 runs, just about what the Cubs (707) scored in 2009, good for 10th place. Back in the real world, the team might get smart and put DeRosa at second base while FSanchez is out and bat him in front of Sandoval where his decent OBP skills will be of the most use. Since he's a "proven run producer" (Sabes-speak for "RBI guy") we will likely not see that. But it might be the best way to get either Fred Lewis (very unlikely) or John Bowker (certainly possible) into the lineup in left field. Uribe, despite his fine season last year (.824 OPS), is a Molina-like hacker and his low OBP (.298! lifetime) should NOT be at the top of the lineup. If we can find a way to get Mr. Upside Buster Posey into the lineup instead of Mr. Out-maker Bengie Molina, we just might have a league-average offense. Let's hope we figure out how to do that.
--M.C.
Baseball Musings has been running a series on team offense (see the Giants entry here). Mr. Pinto gives a breakdown of his procedure here. Mostly, he relies on Marcel the Monkey forecasts. The neat part is the Lineup Analysis Tool. You plug the player projections in to the lineup slots and see how many runs per game that combination creates. For the Giants, they score the most runs when the pitcher bats 8th! This, of course, will never happen. Tony LaRussa manages in St. Louis. But the following lineup projects to a little over 4.5 runs per game: DeRosa, Sandoval, Schierholtz, Huff, Rowand, Molina, Uribe, pitchers, Renteria. I can't argue with hitting DeRosa near the top, his lifetime .275/.343/.424 makes him our best hitter not named Sandoval. The Nate projections may be a tad optimistic, though. All of the idealized "best" lineups that compute to over 4.5 rpg involve Renteria hitting last, Molina no higher than 6th, Sandoval and DeRosa no lower than 3rd, Huff (mostly) at cleanup, and Rowand 3rd through 5th. And they expect a lot (.753 OPS) from Schierholtz. If the Giants score 4.5 rpg (or 9 runs every 2 games if decimal runs bother you), they will win the West.
This, though, is the Giants. And soon, it will be the real season and not the imaginary one. Aaron Rowand will lead off and Juan Uribe will hit second. This is because he is our second baseman, and our second baseman hits second. Please don't ask why, just accept. With Sandoval, Huff, DeRosa, Molina, Renteria, Schierholtz, and the pitcher following, LAT says 4.353 rpg. That's 705 runs, just about what the Cubs (707) scored in 2009, good for 10th place. Back in the real world, the team might get smart and put DeRosa at second base while FSanchez is out and bat him in front of Sandoval where his decent OBP skills will be of the most use. Since he's a "proven run producer" (Sabes-speak for "RBI guy") we will likely not see that. But it might be the best way to get either Fred Lewis (very unlikely) or John Bowker (certainly possible) into the lineup in left field. Uribe, despite his fine season last year (.824 OPS), is a Molina-like hacker and his low OBP (.298! lifetime) should NOT be at the top of the lineup. If we can find a way to get Mr. Upside Buster Posey into the lineup instead of Mr. Out-maker Bengie Molina, we just might have a league-average offense. Let's hope we figure out how to do that.
--M.C.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
.857, baby!
It's been a long time since I thought much about Spring Training records. Figures, then, that this is the year we are a smokin' hot 6-1 in the desert after another win today (FreddieLew and Buster go back-to-back!). Sky Andrecheck recently posted a story at SI.com titled "Spring training games aren't as meaningless as they may seem", and it got me thinking about whether a good spring indicates a good season. Here's a snippet:
I love this game. Just when you think you've made up your mind about something, someone comes along and makes you re-think it. Mainly, I'm thinking about an .857 win percentage. That's 138 wins.
Damn.
--M.C.
Does a team's spring training record really tell us anything? Surprisingly, it does. A team's spring training record is a statistically significant predictor of its regular-season record, even when taking into account its pre-season projection.Dude. That's awesome. I'm down with statistical significance! Here's more:
In a nutshell, if your team is having an extremely surprising spring training (for good or for bad), you would do well to adjust your expectations accordingly by about three games.Only three? We aren't going to play .857 ball this year? Damn. Only statisticians like Mr. Andrecheck (and hopless Giants junkies like me) can get excited about such significance. Three games in the NL West could separate three teams in 2010. I'm on record as liking the Rockies as the favorites, but I don't see any runaway clubs.
I love this game. Just when you think you've made up your mind about something, someone comes along and makes you re-think it. Mainly, I'm thinking about an .857 win percentage. That's 138 wins.
Damn.
--M.C.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Surprise rainout
Today's rainout in Surprise, Arizona was a big disappointment. I was so looking forward to drinking a beer and sitting outside and listening to the radio. It is beautiful--sunny and 60s here in the State of Jefferson, although the forecast says it will drop below 20 ºF tonight. Hard to believe as I sit here in shorts and daub my nose with sunscreen. The potential Lincecum-Posey battery was whetting my starved baseball appetite. The gods--again--conspired against Buster. We'll see if Ol' Boch recovers and pencils in our Golden Boy next time out. Let's hope there's a lot more of Thomas Neal and Brandon Crawford and Matt Downs and Conor Gillaspie and John Bowker and Forgotten FreddieLew and the rest of the Young Turks in the coming days. I keep thinking we could have the best (and most expensive) bench in the NL with Molina and DeRosa and Huff and FSanchez. Be nice to find a spot on the pine for Rowand and Renteria as well! I can dream, can't I?
p.s. Emmanuel Burriss' second foot injury news was a real shame. I always thought he was a great story, even if it looks like he'll never be a major-league hitter.
--M.C.
p.s. Emmanuel Burriss' second foot injury news was a real shame. I always thought he was a great story, even if it looks like he'll never be a major-league hitter.
--M.C.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Looking for a lefty
Seems we need a left-handed hitter. The article mentions Scott Podsednik.
Career line:
.277/.340/.381 which rates an OPS+ of 87.
Hey, couldn't Fred Lewis do that?
Career line:
.277/.340/.381 which rates an OPS+ of 87.
Hey, couldn't Fred Lewis do that?
UPDATE 0958: The 2010 Giants ZiPS projections are available. (Thanks to Chris at BCB for the "heads up.") Also, FanGraphs now includes CHONE projections on their site.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Thus Spoke Sabethustra
This Torres/Velez leadoff meme refuses to die.
Andres Torres' lifetime OBP is .290 (.343 in 170 PA in 2009, career .358 in the minors)
Eugenio Velez' lifetime OBP is .305 (.308 in 307 PA in 2009, career .342 in the minors)
This is ludicrous. Velez is versatile, so I understand his appeal as a utility guy. Torres is a terrific fielder, fleet baserunner, and has some pop off the bench. He's an excellent 5th OF.
But these guys are not starters and certainly should not get the bulk of the team's ABs. Obviously the Giants are not going to keep Fred Lewis around, despite his career .355 OBP, and I understand that. His limitations as a fielder, propensity for strikeouts, and lack of power doom him as an everyday player. With his age and pending arbitration (2011), the Giants don't see a future for him. But I think he could be useful as a stopgap leadoff hitter, and certainly could do a better job as a regular than either Velez or Torres. But that's not the handwriting I read--I expect the Giants will try to trade Lewis. Whether Fred could do the job at this point is moot. This Velez/Torres platoon nonsense is here to stay. Unless we want to throw 2 years and $30 million at Johnny Damon, that is. I don't figure that to happen, do you? Meanwhile, we have a serious leadoff hitter crisis, which is certainly no worse than our who's-the-other-guy-besides-Pablo crisis, and our FSanchez-is-our-2nd-best-hitter crisis.
Since we're having a crisis of sorts, I'm going to have a Xanax.
Have a nice evening.
Andres Torres' lifetime OBP is .290 (.343 in 170 PA in 2009, career .358 in the minors)
Eugenio Velez' lifetime OBP is .305 (.308 in 307 PA in 2009, career .342 in the minors)
This is ludicrous. Velez is versatile, so I understand his appeal as a utility guy. Torres is a terrific fielder, fleet baserunner, and has some pop off the bench. He's an excellent 5th OF.
But these guys are not starters and certainly should not get the bulk of the team's ABs. Obviously the Giants are not going to keep Fred Lewis around, despite his career .355 OBP, and I understand that. His limitations as a fielder, propensity for strikeouts, and lack of power doom him as an everyday player. With his age and pending arbitration (2011), the Giants don't see a future for him. But I think he could be useful as a stopgap leadoff hitter, and certainly could do a better job as a regular than either Velez or Torres. But that's not the handwriting I read--I expect the Giants will try to trade Lewis. Whether Fred could do the job at this point is moot. This Velez/Torres platoon nonsense is here to stay. Unless we want to throw 2 years and $30 million at Johnny Damon, that is. I don't figure that to happen, do you? Meanwhile, we have a serious leadoff hitter crisis, which is certainly no worse than our who's-the-other-guy-besides-Pablo crisis, and our FSanchez-is-our-2nd-best-hitter crisis.
Since we're having a crisis of sorts, I'm going to have a Xanax.
Have a nice evening.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Half a game, half a game, half a game onward . . .
Our Valley of Death was that wretched trip to Chavez Ravine, but last night in the Valley of the Sun we resurrected ourselves, if only to keep the tease alive. Four games back with twelve to play is not a formula for success, but until the math says we are done (our elimination number is NINE) we have to run out the string. We've now completed a trip through the rotation that is perhaps our worst sequence of the season. Matt Cain's 6 IP and 4 ER vs. Colorado at home was the best of a terrible run of starting starting pitching. Neither Sanchez, Penny, Lincecum, nor Zito made it out of the 5th, and all of them gave up at least 4 ER. The fact that we managed two wins in that stretch is amazing. Last night Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson continued what they've done all season--get big outs in close games. Those guys--the whole 'pen, in fact--have been very valuable. Freddy Sanchez left the game with a mysterious knee ailment. Get this: he hurt himself after one of their guys hit a homerun. I don't know how you do that, and I'll admit I don't want to know. I hope, if we decide to keep this guy, we give him an incentive-laden one-year deal for a hell of a lot less than he makes now. Nice to see Mississippi Fred make a positive contribution. "Speed don't slump" is what they say, and it was true in last night. Maybe tonight Matt Cain can give us another one of those 7 IP 2 ER starts we got so used to in July, and the rest of the crew will get back on the beam as well.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
He left the lights on
I can't get too upset at Jeremy "Lights Out" Affeldt--he' s pitched beautifully all season. In 52-1/3 IP he's faced 212 batters and given up 40 hits, only 2 HRs, 11 ER, and whiffed 44 guys against 27 walks. His FIP and tRA are both career lows, 3.55 and 4.15, and he's added about 0.7 WAR. At $3M (plus $1M signing bonus) he's our highest paid reliever, and he's given us quality in return. Bobby Howry is getting $2.75 M on a one-year deal, and he'll have to fight for a job next year. Affeldt gets $4M for a second year, let's hope he can give us the same or better in 2010. Matt Cain, for example, is making $2.65M this season and $4.25M in 2010. Who do you think adds more value to the team?
In fact, the economic illogic of this team is staggering. We got another good performance from Eugenio Velez--somewhere the "take a pitch" light went on in his head. He worked Kevin Correia last night! He makes $0.4 M, and put on a display of mature batting that our $8M CF would do well to emulate. Randy Winn makes $8.25 M and can't produce anywhere near what Fred "I'm in the doghouse now" Lewis does at $0.4 M. Juan Uribe costs $1M, Freddy Sanchez $6.1 M. The old, overpaid guys can't deliver any better than the youngsters and the scrap heap guys. Bengie Molina? $6M. Pablo Sandoval? $0.4 M. Would you be surprised to know that Tim Lincecum is making $650,000 this year? He could make a case for being the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE even if he was paid 20 times that!
I know we aren't supposed to care about what they make. And I don't care, in the sense that ballplayers get a nice chunk of money to entertain us with their unique skills, and I'm fine with that. I care about the team, though, and the future. Time and again we overpay for aging, league-average guys and expect them to deliver us a championship. If we make the playoffs, it will be on the backs of Tim and Matt and Brian Wilson and Pablo Sandoval and maybe even Madison Bumagarner (who showed some poise last night--I hope the rush job doesn't hurt him). I'm really tired of old, overpaid, league-average mediocrities. I'd sure like to give a big, fat contract to someone who DESERVES it, who can actually deliver SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE. Barry Zito has pitched decently this year, but so has Kevin Correia. In fact, they are almost interchangeable. That tells me the brains behind this outfit don't have a clue how to put together a team. We are winning because we have some great young talent--what if they regress next year, even a little? Who will pick up the slack? Freddy Sanchez? Please.
We are 3 games back with 23 to play. At 3.98 runs scored per game (554/139), it is going to be a tough fight. Any slip-up in our pitching and our offense will be hard-pressed to overcome the deficit. It has been a great season. Let's hope we build on our youthful future for next year and beyond no matter how it turns out.
In fact, the economic illogic of this team is staggering. We got another good performance from Eugenio Velez--somewhere the "take a pitch" light went on in his head. He worked Kevin Correia last night! He makes $0.4 M, and put on a display of mature batting that our $8M CF would do well to emulate. Randy Winn makes $8.25 M and can't produce anywhere near what Fred "I'm in the doghouse now" Lewis does at $0.4 M. Juan Uribe costs $1M, Freddy Sanchez $6.1 M. The old, overpaid guys can't deliver any better than the youngsters and the scrap heap guys. Bengie Molina? $6M. Pablo Sandoval? $0.4 M. Would you be surprised to know that Tim Lincecum is making $650,000 this year? He could make a case for being the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE even if he was paid 20 times that!
I know we aren't supposed to care about what they make. And I don't care, in the sense that ballplayers get a nice chunk of money to entertain us with their unique skills, and I'm fine with that. I care about the team, though, and the future. Time and again we overpay for aging, league-average guys and expect them to deliver us a championship. If we make the playoffs, it will be on the backs of Tim and Matt and Brian Wilson and Pablo Sandoval and maybe even Madison Bumagarner (who showed some poise last night--I hope the rush job doesn't hurt him). I'm really tired of old, overpaid, league-average mediocrities. I'd sure like to give a big, fat contract to someone who DESERVES it, who can actually deliver SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE. Barry Zito has pitched decently this year, but so has Kevin Correia. In fact, they are almost interchangeable. That tells me the brains behind this outfit don't have a clue how to put together a team. We are winning because we have some great young talent--what if they regress next year, even a little? Who will pick up the slack? Freddy Sanchez? Please.
We are 3 games back with 23 to play. At 3.98 runs scored per game (554/139), it is going to be a tough fight. Any slip-up in our pitching and our offense will be hard-pressed to overcome the deficit. It has been a great season. Let's hope we build on our youthful future for next year and beyond no matter how it turns out.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wow . . . WoW . . . WOW!!!
The hobbling, pinch-hit bomb by Bengie "Señor Slow" Molina on Wednesday night was the biggest play of the year until today, when Edgar "The Rental" Renteria KO'd the Crockies with a GRAND SLAM in the bottom of the 7th off Rafael Betancourt. It had all the earmarks of another agonizing loss, what with Matt Cain's lackluster line (6 8 4 4 2 8) and sub-par start (Game Score 46). The offense looked as typically clueless and inept as they have all year, continually crushing our dreams with flailing, undisciplined at-bats. Somehow, against all odds, the Giants in the 7th produced an inning of championship caliber: working counts, putting guys on base, forcing a bullpen move, and getting the big hit. It was as if all the things I've wailed, lamented, and gnashed my teeth about all season long were suspended for one delirious moment in time! Including the 8th, SEVEN RUNS got tacked on the team total by a spectacular display of grit, fortitude, patience, veteran savvy clutchness, and gnarly motherfucking orneriness.
And magic. Plain, simple baseball magic. How else do you explain team talisman Pablo Sandoval going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and yet the rest of the squad putting up NINE RUNS? What a game! What a series! What a season!
Notable noteworthy notes:
**JUAN URIBE continues to deliver. This guy, despite a .308 OBA, slugs .450 and makes the plays. Who needs Freddy Sanchez?
**MISSISSIPPI FRED LEWIS contributed positively to the two big rallies in his usual, low-key, un-dramatic way. This guy may have played his way into a 4th-OF role, but he remains a useful asset, especially since we lost Andres Torres to injury.
**RYAN ROHLINGER got his chance and delivered in front of 42,000 folks. Rock on, kid, and welcome to The Show.
**JEREMY "Lights-Out" AFFELDT flashed some more of that early-season form, he will be increasingly important in the September madness to come. Like Uribe, a good move this spring by Brian Sabean.
**EIGHT RUNS by the Crockies in the series--that's impressive. I just can't get used to a Giants team that relies on pitching. Not that I'm complaining, it is just so foreign. The Giants have always been a slugging team, and I have to adapt. Looking back on our years of bridesmaid roles and not-quite championships, we never had enough pitching with those teams. Never. Ever. Intuitively, I knew that, even then. No more. This team has pitching--killer, in-your-face, shut-you-down pitching. Even when we get a mediocre start we don't give it up, it's a battle. I should also note Barry "Da Beezy" Zito's matching of Tim's eight shutout innings against the .783 OPS lineup (2nd in the league). That kind of start is what we paid a gazillion dollars for--let's see some more of it.
An incredible win in an incredible series. I hadn't thought it possible. On Tuesday I said the Crockies were better than us. And they were. In their yard. But in our yard, we were better. I absolutely love home-field advantage--all those years of watching the Giants lose in Candlestick makes every home win that much more special.
p.s. Dave Flemming said that Buster Posey, not on the 40-man roster, was unlikley to be called up in the roster expansion. Nuts to that I say, we need a 3rd catcher and we need to see our Six Million Dollar Man in action!
And magic. Plain, simple baseball magic. How else do you explain team talisman Pablo Sandoval going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and yet the rest of the squad putting up NINE RUNS? What a game! What a series! What a season!
Notable noteworthy notes:
**JUAN URIBE continues to deliver. This guy, despite a .308 OBA, slugs .450 and makes the plays. Who needs Freddy Sanchez?
**MISSISSIPPI FRED LEWIS contributed positively to the two big rallies in his usual, low-key, un-dramatic way. This guy may have played his way into a 4th-OF role, but he remains a useful asset, especially since we lost Andres Torres to injury.
**RYAN ROHLINGER got his chance and delivered in front of 42,000 folks. Rock on, kid, and welcome to The Show.
**JEREMY "Lights-Out" AFFELDT flashed some more of that early-season form, he will be increasingly important in the September madness to come. Like Uribe, a good move this spring by Brian Sabean.
**EIGHT RUNS by the Crockies in the series--that's impressive. I just can't get used to a Giants team that relies on pitching. Not that I'm complaining, it is just so foreign. The Giants have always been a slugging team, and I have to adapt. Looking back on our years of bridesmaid roles and not-quite championships, we never had enough pitching with those teams. Never. Ever. Intuitively, I knew that, even then. No more. This team has pitching--killer, in-your-face, shut-you-down pitching. Even when we get a mediocre start we don't give it up, it's a battle. I should also note Barry "Da Beezy" Zito's matching of Tim's eight shutout innings against the .783 OPS lineup (2nd in the league). That kind of start is what we paid a gazillion dollars for--let's see some more of it.
An incredible win in an incredible series. I hadn't thought it possible. On Tuesday I said the Crockies were better than us. And they were. In their yard. But in our yard, we were better. I absolutely love home-field advantage--all those years of watching the Giants lose in Candlestick makes every home win that much more special.
p.s. Dave Flemming said that Buster Posey, not on the 40-man roster, was unlikley to be called up in the roster expansion. Nuts to that I say, we need a 3rd catcher and we need to see our Six Million Dollar Man in action!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Ishi-power
7 4 2 1 4 4
Game Score 63
There was a moment or two in the 9th last night when it seemed ready to unravel and all I could think about was that this game would be the worse loss of the year. But Sergio Romo stepped up to save the situation and we came away with a crucial win. I don't fault Wilson for breaking down, he's pitched damn well for us all season including that impressive long stint on Sunday. Matt Cain--Mr. Consistent--gave us another strong start but once again failed to get his 13th victory. He and Haren gave us quite the crisp and impressive duel, and only by the barest shades of luck and pluck did we knot it up. Cain survived a scare in the 6th from an ill-timed two-out walk, getting an out at the plate on a nice Lewis throw, Renteria relay, and Whiteside tag. Haren then got in trouble in the 7th with Ishi-bomb number one and an error, and, miraculously, uncorked the wild pitch that saved our butts. Regular readers know how much I love a good dose of Weaver Ball, and Ishi-bomb number two was a tonic for this offense-starved fan. And, whaddya know, it proved to be the margin of victory! All hail the three-run homer!!! (Now if we could just get a couple of fellas who could do that regularly we would have quite the ballclub.) I like the Crockies beating the LAtriners. Here's a scenario I can root for: the Smoggers take a nose dive and have to fight it out with us for the Wild Card!
Game Score 63
There was a moment or two in the 9th last night when it seemed ready to unravel and all I could think about was that this game would be the worse loss of the year. But Sergio Romo stepped up to save the situation and we came away with a crucial win. I don't fault Wilson for breaking down, he's pitched damn well for us all season including that impressive long stint on Sunday. Matt Cain--Mr. Consistent--gave us another strong start but once again failed to get his 13th victory. He and Haren gave us quite the crisp and impressive duel, and only by the barest shades of luck and pluck did we knot it up. Cain survived a scare in the 6th from an ill-timed two-out walk, getting an out at the plate on a nice Lewis throw, Renteria relay, and Whiteside tag. Haren then got in trouble in the 7th with Ishi-bomb number one and an error, and, miraculously, uncorked the wild pitch that saved our butts. Regular readers know how much I love a good dose of Weaver Ball, and Ishi-bomb number two was a tonic for this offense-starved fan. And, whaddya know, it proved to be the margin of victory! All hail the three-run homer!!! (Now if we could just get a couple of fellas who could do that regularly we would have quite the ballclub.) I like the Crockies beating the LAtriners. Here's a scenario I can root for: the Smoggers take a nose dive and have to fight it out with us for the Wild Card!
Friday, July 24, 2009
And the race is on
7 3 1 1 4 5
Game Score 68
I was surprised when Ol' Boch left Matt Cain in to hit for himself in the top of the 7th after a tortuous 6th, a pitch count over 100, and a Righetti Visit of Doom. Big Sugar then dominated the 6-7-8 hitters (Tulowitzki-Stewart-Iannetta) in the bottom of the 7th, and walked away with another outstanding start, his 10th of 7 IP or more this season. Ol' Boch showed some Veteran Savvy Clutchness of his own, giving Fred Lewis another start, and the Mississippian responds with a single, double, triple, walk, and two runs scored. He wasn't done: he shrewdly yanked Lewis for defensive purposes, switched Winn to LF, and Andres Torres made a big play in CF in the 9th to get a badly-needed out. Damn! Ol' Boch was working the 8-3/4 beastie tonight. Got to give credit where it's due. And credit the Tennessee Stud with shining in perhaps his most important start of the season. Colorado is a tough place to pitch even with the humidor and the newer, supposedly slower lawngrass, and that's a patient, talented lineup to boot. It's a playoff race, add in our road woes and general offensive ineptitude, and this was a big, big start. The 12 wins ties Cain for the ML lead. A nod to Lights-out Affeldt for continuing his incredible run--he got 3 groundouts on 11 pitches in a perfect 8th. Another nod to Olympic Nate for muscling up and getting a big HR (and continuing to show off his arm in RF). Still another nod to the Kung-fu Panda for two sparkling plays in the field. It's a team game, lads, ain't it? Wilson scared the crap out of us in the 9th, but in the end we had a very satisfying win. Way to go, Matt Cain, and way to go, Giants!
Game Score 68
I was surprised when Ol' Boch left Matt Cain in to hit for himself in the top of the 7th after a tortuous 6th, a pitch count over 100, and a Righetti Visit of Doom. Big Sugar then dominated the 6-7-8 hitters (Tulowitzki-Stewart-Iannetta) in the bottom of the 7th, and walked away with another outstanding start, his 10th of 7 IP or more this season. Ol' Boch showed some Veteran Savvy Clutchness of his own, giving Fred Lewis another start, and the Mississippian responds with a single, double, triple, walk, and two runs scored. He wasn't done: he shrewdly yanked Lewis for defensive purposes, switched Winn to LF, and Andres Torres made a big play in CF in the 9th to get a badly-needed out. Damn! Ol' Boch was working the 8-3/4 beastie tonight. Got to give credit where it's due. And credit the Tennessee Stud with shining in perhaps his most important start of the season. Colorado is a tough place to pitch even with the humidor and the newer, supposedly slower lawngrass, and that's a patient, talented lineup to boot. It's a playoff race, add in our road woes and general offensive ineptitude, and this was a big, big start. The 12 wins ties Cain for the ML lead. A nod to Lights-out Affeldt for continuing his incredible run--he got 3 groundouts on 11 pitches in a perfect 8th. Another nod to Olympic Nate for muscling up and getting a big HR (and continuing to show off his arm in RF). Still another nod to the Kung-fu Panda for two sparkling plays in the field. It's a team game, lads, ain't it? Wilson scared the crap out of us in the 9th, but in the end we had a very satisfying win. Way to go, Matt Cain, and way to go, Giants!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Da Beezy is Da Man!
Baseball serves as a good model for democracy in action: Every player is equally important and each has a chance to be a hero.
--Edward Abbey (emphasis mine)
Today number 75--the Billion Dollar Boy--played stopper and we got a win we so desperately needed. He racked up a Game Score of 68, his 5th best of the year. Considering the circumstances, it was a hell of a performance. Nice to see Mississippi Fred contribute positively--walk, run, hit, rbi, sb--as well. Olympic Nate continues to come up big with the glove.
We saw the formula today. The pitching has to be good, and the hitters have to take advantage of their opportunities. We are an unbalanced squad, obviously. We lack firepower, and that was brought home again painfully this week. Nonetheless we head to Denver a game behind the Crockies with Matt Cain going first. We have to stick to our strengths and play our game. It's an agonizing sort of baseball, with a drip-by-drip water-torture approach to scoring runs, and it only works when the pitching keeps it close and the guys catch the ball and make the plays. It has been 95 games of almost .540 ball (an 88-win pace) with this flawed, improbable team, and, the highs and lows are only going to get higher and lower in the next two months. Strap in and hang on, it is going to be a hell of a ride.
--Edward Abbey (emphasis mine)
Today number 75--the Billion Dollar Boy--played stopper and we got a win we so desperately needed. He racked up a Game Score of 68, his 5th best of the year. Considering the circumstances, it was a hell of a performance. Nice to see Mississippi Fred contribute positively--walk, run, hit, rbi, sb--as well. Olympic Nate continues to come up big with the glove.
We saw the formula today. The pitching has to be good, and the hitters have to take advantage of their opportunities. We are an unbalanced squad, obviously. We lack firepower, and that was brought home again painfully this week. Nonetheless we head to Denver a game behind the Crockies with Matt Cain going first. We have to stick to our strengths and play our game. It's an agonizing sort of baseball, with a drip-by-drip water-torture approach to scoring runs, and it only works when the pitching keeps it close and the guys catch the ball and make the plays. It has been 95 games of almost .540 ball (an 88-win pace) with this flawed, improbable team, and, the highs and lows are only going to get higher and lower in the next two months. Strap in and hang on, it is going to be a hell of a ride.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
No-decision land
7 6 1 1 3 3
Game Score 61
Fred Lewis pinch-hit for Matt Cain to lead off the 8th, worked the count, and roped a single. It was the best plate appearance of the evening for the G-men. Wainwright had us completely mastered until that point. We had a shot (bases loaded, Sandoval batting) to take the lead, but had to settle for the tie. That's the fifth no-decision for Cain this year. Matt's 7 IP weren't pretty or efficient, but he's a GMF and whipped out his can of VSC when he needed it. The other guy was dominant, flashing the big strikeout stuff, working efficiently, and going the full nine, but suffered the same ND fate. Our fielding was a mess tonight, breaking a long run of solid defensive play. Pablo Sandoval dropped Cody Rasmus' foul pop fly right before the game-winning bomb. Romo, like Cain, was not at his best but still got the big outs. Affeldt was very impressive, again. We brought out our limp noodles tonight and Wainwright took advantage. Our pitching--the team strength--kept it close, of course, but it wasn't good enough. The whole show was like a World Cup soccer match, lots of feints and dodges and questionable officiating but only a handful of real shots on goal. Finally, after 90 minutes of pointless running around, and a spot of OT for good measure, the home team nailed the decider. Bleah.
Game Score 61
Fred Lewis pinch-hit for Matt Cain to lead off the 8th, worked the count, and roped a single. It was the best plate appearance of the evening for the G-men. Wainwright had us completely mastered until that point. We had a shot (bases loaded, Sandoval batting) to take the lead, but had to settle for the tie. That's the fifth no-decision for Cain this year. Matt's 7 IP weren't pretty or efficient, but he's a GMF and whipped out his can of VSC when he needed it. The other guy was dominant, flashing the big strikeout stuff, working efficiently, and going the full nine, but suffered the same ND fate. Our fielding was a mess tonight, breaking a long run of solid defensive play. Pablo Sandoval dropped Cody Rasmus' foul pop fly right before the game-winning bomb. Romo, like Cain, was not at his best but still got the big outs. Affeldt was very impressive, again. We brought out our limp noodles tonight and Wainwright took advantage. Our pitching--the team strength--kept it close, of course, but it wasn't good enough. The whole show was like a World Cup soccer match, lots of feints and dodges and questionable officiating but only a handful of real shots on goal. Finally, after 90 minutes of pointless running around, and a spot of OT for good measure, the home team nailed the decider. Bleah.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The kids are alright
It took a journeyman minor-leaguer to give us the start we needed to win in Milwaukee. He gets his first MLB win--six shutout innings--and his first MLB hit. Matt Downs cranks his first home run. Nate Schierholtz pounds out four more hits including an 8th-inning jack. Last five games for Mr. Olympic: 3-4, 2-4, 2-4, 1-4, 4-5. He's a hacker in the great Sandovalian tradition, and he's "served notice" to Ol' Boch that he gets in the lineup every day. More blues for Mississippi Fred, he slashed a foul line drive that winged the Panda in the on-deck circle, made another misplay in LF, and added another K to his total. He got a big RBI early with an infield hit, but the positive contribution is lost in the glare of Olympic Nate's fireworks. More bench time for him, I'm afraid. Speaking of bench time, Aurilia's absence (bereavement leave) points out--again--his superfluous status. We don't need him. Let him go and free up the spot. Banished Jonathan Sanchez gets a measure of redemption with an impressive 3-K ninth. Way to go, kid.
Break out the forties, me buckos, this was a grand win.
Break out the forties, me buckos, this was a grand win.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
John the Revelator
I'm speaking in tongues, baby, the spirit is moving me! The baseball gods do smile once in a while, and they smiled upon us last night, O My Brothers. Giants Win noted that our three-homer explosion puts us on pace for a hundred, and that's got to be divine intervention. We get an eyeful of John's chapter 3 at every TV sporting event, but I think powers-that-be whipped out some chapter 11 this time:
Lazarus, come forth.
Except that Mississippi Fred, true to his blues roots, thought it was "Fred Lewis, come forth."
And he that was dead came forth.
And he that was benched redeemed himself. It didn't seem that way in the first two at-bats, but FreddieLew put a charge into one in the sixth that wound up wet! Alas and behold we were victors. Despite his slump, Lewis still has a 100-point lead over Edgar "$8 million" Rental in the team OPS-leaders race. This is The Rental's fifth team in six years. Hmmm. On to better news, the Jeremy Affeldt signing is one of the best things The Brian Trust has done in a while, and it ought to be a model for the future: short-term, low-cost, prudent risk. Ah, the hell with analysis. Let's just bask in the glory:
"Lord, don't you love some I"
Lazarus, come forth.
Except that Mississippi Fred, true to his blues roots, thought it was "Fred Lewis, come forth."
And he that was dead came forth.
And he that was benched redeemed himself. It didn't seem that way in the first two at-bats, but FreddieLew put a charge into one in the sixth that wound up wet! Alas and behold we were victors. Despite his slump, Lewis still has a 100-point lead over Edgar "$8 million" Rental in the team OPS-leaders race. This is The Rental's fifth team in six years. Hmmm. On to better news, the Jeremy Affeldt signing is one of the best things The Brian Trust has done in a while, and it ought to be a model for the future: short-term, low-cost, prudent risk. Ah, the hell with analysis. Let's just bask in the glory:
"Lord, don't you love some I"
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Homeward bound
Wailing and moaning about our lousy offense is one of the mainstays of my work here at RMC. If we started getting hits I might have to give up blogging. But no woe today, that kid Scherzer is an impressive talent. He was a 1st round draft pick (11th overall in 2006), and has a K/9 of 10.1 in his brief time in the bigs (123 IP) as well as an ERA+ of 127. And speaking of offensive woes, our opponents today are bursting at the seams with guys hitting well below expectations. Sanchez gave them a whole pile of extra baserunners and they only eked out a run against him. Meanwhile, the Crockies have won EIGHT in a row and are still four games below .500 and a half-game behind the Puds! Despite the loss, I'm encouraged by our 6-4 road trip, and our two impressive wins in AZ. Now we are coming home where we can zoog the A's with our .667 AT &T mojo. (And maybe Mississippi Fred, 3-for-25 on the trip, can find his mojo.)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Upside-down world
6.1 6 4 4 5 6
In 2009's upside-down world, Matt Cain gives up five walks and two homers but still gets a win. Matt survived not only a 29-pitch inning (the 2nd) but also a Righetti Visit of Doom in the 4th. In fairness, I should point out that after the RVOD M.C. got the next two guys easily. See, it's an upside-down world. It was un ugly night with weirdness abounding: Rental's hallucinatory base-running, Whiteside's missed-squeeze-double-off-the-wall play, Frandsen swinging at wild pitches in the dirt, and Cain throwing 115 pitches at 30 guys to get 19 outs. But this is upside-down world, remember? We pound the crap out of the AZ's nobody young righty (13 hits and 8 runs) one night after we are nearly no-hit by another nobody. It is always great to crank out some runs, and it is doubly great when we do it for Matt. He had one of his worst outings, yet still managed to finish six. Speaking of the 6th, it took only FOUR pitches for Cain to get three outs. Talk about upside-down world--normally we do that sort of thing. You have to love Pablo Sandoval's surge, he's the only young position player we have that's really lighting it up.
I feel for Fred Lewis. All the regulars pound out big hits, he goes 0-for-4 and looks bad in the field. It hurts to say it, but he's playing his way out of the lineup. Tell me it ain't so.
In 2009's upside-down world, Matt Cain gives up five walks and two homers but still gets a win. Matt survived not only a 29-pitch inning (the 2nd) but also a Righetti Visit of Doom in the 4th. In fairness, I should point out that after the RVOD M.C. got the next two guys easily. See, it's an upside-down world. It was un ugly night with weirdness abounding: Rental's hallucinatory base-running, Whiteside's missed-squeeze-double-off-the-wall play, Frandsen swinging at wild pitches in the dirt, and Cain throwing 115 pitches at 30 guys to get 19 outs. But this is upside-down world, remember? We pound the crap out of the AZ's nobody young righty (13 hits and 8 runs) one night after we are nearly no-hit by another nobody. It is always great to crank out some runs, and it is doubly great when we do it for Matt. He had one of his worst outings, yet still managed to finish six. Speaking of the 6th, it took only FOUR pitches for Cain to get three outs. Talk about upside-down world--normally we do that sort of thing. You have to love Pablo Sandoval's surge, he's the only young position player we have that's really lighting it up.
I feel for Fred Lewis. All the regulars pound out big hits, he goes 0-for-4 and looks bad in the field. It hurts to say it, but he's playing his way out of the lineup. Tell me it ain't so.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Off-day round-up
David Pinto of the always-interesting Baseball Musings devotes a post to our very own Mississippi Fred, "The Curious Case of Fred Lewis" (31 May). I have two beefs with the site--it loads very slowly (could be my issue not theirs) and the adverts are annoying. But the writing is good and, like ShysterBall, it is a nice spot for a quick-and-dirty snapshot of MLB happenings. As we know, Fred is a unique ballplayer, and does not seem to fit any particular type. Just wait until he busts out his guitar and mouth organ and lays down some Delta blues!
Trade Rumors has a note (31 May) that the Giants have scouted the Brewers Corey Hart. Sounds like a whole lotta nuthin' but I thought I'd pass it on.
Baseball-Reference takes a look at 2009 attendance. The Giants, surprisingly, are doing better than I thought.
You've probably seen the Andrew Pentis story about The Franchise. Tim Lincecum's next strikeout victim will be his 500th. He's been in 68 games and pitched 438-2/3 innings. WOW. For comparison, Matt Cain has 604 K's in 721 IP (114 starts).
Trade Rumors has a note (31 May) that the Giants have scouted the Brewers Corey Hart. Sounds like a whole lotta nuthin' but I thought I'd pass it on.
Baseball-Reference takes a look at 2009 attendance. The Giants, surprisingly, are doing better than I thought.
You've probably seen the Andrew Pentis story about The Franchise. Tim Lincecum's next strikeout victim will be his 500th. He's been in 68 games and pitched 438-2/3 innings. WOW. For comparison, Matt Cain has 604 K's in 721 IP (114 starts).
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Prince Albert in a can
Simple formula for success against the MMIX St. Louis Cardinals: keep Albert in the yard. No HRs Friday, Giants win. Two HRs Saturday, Giants lose. No HRs Sunday, Giants win. Pujols hits singles = victory.
Without Tim Lincecum we took 2 of 3, our only loss to Chris Freakin' Carpenter, finally pinning some ER on him. Not a bad weekend's work, I'd say.
Mississippi Fred only struck out ONCE on his way to 4 hits in the series with 2 runs scored, including a walk and an RBI triple. Pablito also had 4 hits and 2 runs, adding 3 RBI. Once again the 'pen stepped up with a stellar effort, bailing out an ineffective Sanchez.
Can we win on the road? We'll find out Tuesday.
Without Tim Lincecum we took 2 of 3, our only loss to Chris Freakin' Carpenter, finally pinning some ER on him. Not a bad weekend's work, I'd say.
Mississippi Fred only struck out ONCE on his way to 4 hits in the series with 2 runs scored, including a walk and an RBI triple. Pablito also had 4 hits and 2 runs, adding 3 RBI. Once again the 'pen stepped up with a stellar effort, bailing out an ineffective Sanchez.
Can we win on the road? We'll find out Tuesday.
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