The right-hander was traded this evening for a Player To Be Named Later. I suppose this move makes a spot on the 40-man for Mark Melancon. Adios, Chris Heston. Thanks for suiting up in San Francisco. We won't forget the ninth and most recent SF no-hitter. Best of luck--except of course when pitching against the Giants.
--M.C.
Showing posts with label Heston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heston. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Monday, September 21, 2015
Thirteen
That's all that's left of 2015, my friends. Thirteen ballgames. Three in San Diego, three in Oakland, then home for four with the Dodgers and three with the Rockies. Even if the Giants go 13-0 they will need a little too much help to make the post-season. LA's magic number is seven which means they can play .500 ball in their final fourteen games and still clinch the West. The Cubs are two games better than the Dodgers so the elimination number for the Wild Card is only five.
I'd like to see the Giants finish with a winning month. They are 9-9 in September. And I'd like to see the Giants give their SoCal rivals a little pain and suffering with a solid thumping in that penultimate series. The good guys are 9-6 versus the bad guys this season. In those 15 games they've scored a mere 53 runs and allowed only 48 runs. That's an average score of 3.5 to 3.2 which is some tight baseball, man. If LA is going to clinch in SF at the very least I hope they have to work for it. You know they'll run out the scrubs as soon as they can and rest their starters and I don't want that to happen. I want to see those guys going all out to win, grunting on every pitch and grinding out every at-bat. No early rest or extra off-days for Kershaw and Greinke. Send them to the playoffs already worn out!
I'd like to see Chris Heston have a couple of strong outings. He goes tomorrow against the Padres. I'd like to see Matt Cain get another start. I'd like to see Brandon Crawford find his stroke and start crushing balls all over the place like he did earlier in the season. I'd like to see more good work from the youngsters in the 'pen. I'd like to see our rookie backstops show us what they can do. I'd like to see the guys who are currently healthy stay healthy the rest of the way. No more injuries!
What do you want to see the rest of the way?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. That was nice seeing Buster unload a three-run bomb to ice the game yesterday. Talk about cathartic! And Hudson was impressive. Forty years old and still able to deliver in the major leagues, that's quite an accomplishment.
I'd like to see the Giants finish with a winning month. They are 9-9 in September. And I'd like to see the Giants give their SoCal rivals a little pain and suffering with a solid thumping in that penultimate series. The good guys are 9-6 versus the bad guys this season. In those 15 games they've scored a mere 53 runs and allowed only 48 runs. That's an average score of 3.5 to 3.2 which is some tight baseball, man. If LA is going to clinch in SF at the very least I hope they have to work for it. You know they'll run out the scrubs as soon as they can and rest their starters and I don't want that to happen. I want to see those guys going all out to win, grunting on every pitch and grinding out every at-bat. No early rest or extra off-days for Kershaw and Greinke. Send them to the playoffs already worn out!
I'd like to see Chris Heston have a couple of strong outings. He goes tomorrow against the Padres. I'd like to see Matt Cain get another start. I'd like to see Brandon Crawford find his stroke and start crushing balls all over the place like he did earlier in the season. I'd like to see more good work from the youngsters in the 'pen. I'd like to see our rookie backstops show us what they can do. I'd like to see the guys who are currently healthy stay healthy the rest of the way. No more injuries!
What do you want to see the rest of the way?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. That was nice seeing Buster unload a three-run bomb to ice the game yesterday. Talk about cathartic! And Hudson was impressive. Forty years old and still able to deliver in the major leagues, that's quite an accomplishment.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
8th inning: 9-9
The Giants pulled off a win over the Reds in Game 144 to finish their 8th seasonal inning. Brandon Belt and Matt Duffy were the hitting stars and Belt flashed some impressive leather as well. I have to say I was also impressed by the work of SS Ehire Adrianza who made a number of Crawfordian grabs and throws. He looks like he's playing with more confidence. The bullpen got it done after Tim Hudson was yanked in the 5th. Here's the seasonal story so far:
1st inning: 7-11
2nd inning: 11-7
3rd inning: 12-6
4th inning: 8-10
5th inning: 9-9
6th inning: 12-6
7th inning: 8-10
8th inning: 9-9
The Giants have won four in a row and seven of their last ten. It's a nice little surge but it's not helping: they are still 7-1/2 back in the West race. Los Angeles has an iron grip on first place going 8-2 in their last ten and 13-4 in their nearly-completed 8th inning. The Dodgers are 32-21 since the Break which bests the Giants 30-25. They went 15-12 in August while the Giants managed only 13-16. September's record is 10-3 while the Giants are at 7-6. No matter how you slice it they've played better ball. And the three-game sweep (August 31-September 2) turned the tide. It was almost as if that series was the Zeroth Round of the Playoffs! At this point the Giants can't really afford to lose any more games. The odds of going 18-0 are pretty damn long, but it's pretty damn close to what they'll have to do. The only realistic scenario is to get within four games by Monday the 28th and then pull off a sweep in the penultimate series at home. LA's magic number is 12. I don't want to contemplate them clinching at AT&T in that stretch of games.
Looks like wunderkind Joe Panik is done for the season. Such a shame. In 100 games he raked to the tune of .312/.378/.455 which translates to a 130 OPS+, 137 wRC+, and a .363 wOBA which is second only to Ben Zobrist for second basemen with 400+ PAs. Add in his glove and he rates 4.1 fWAR (3.1 BB-Ref WAR). That's great work over a full season let alone only 60% of one. I hope this back issue can get resolved in the off-season. The Giants need him at the keystone for 2016 and beyond.
Speaking of 2016, another fellow who is important to the cause is pitching tonight--Chris Heston. He threw 173 innings in 28 starts in the PCL last year. This season in the bigs he's just shy of 160 IP in his 27 starts. With some improved health and fitness (and a better idea what a full major-league season entails) he will likely be counted on for 2+ WAR. What he has done this year is comparable to what the Padres got from James Shields! Get right the rest of the way and get ready for next year Hest-o, the team needs you.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
1st inning: 7-11
2nd inning: 11-7
3rd inning: 12-6
4th inning: 8-10
5th inning: 9-9
6th inning: 12-6
7th inning: 8-10
8th inning: 9-9
The Giants have won four in a row and seven of their last ten. It's a nice little surge but it's not helping: they are still 7-1/2 back in the West race. Los Angeles has an iron grip on first place going 8-2 in their last ten and 13-4 in their nearly-completed 8th inning. The Dodgers are 32-21 since the Break which bests the Giants 30-25. They went 15-12 in August while the Giants managed only 13-16. September's record is 10-3 while the Giants are at 7-6. No matter how you slice it they've played better ball. And the three-game sweep (August 31-September 2) turned the tide. It was almost as if that series was the Zeroth Round of the Playoffs! At this point the Giants can't really afford to lose any more games. The odds of going 18-0 are pretty damn long, but it's pretty damn close to what they'll have to do. The only realistic scenario is to get within four games by Monday the 28th and then pull off a sweep in the penultimate series at home. LA's magic number is 12. I don't want to contemplate them clinching at AT&T in that stretch of games.
Looks like wunderkind Joe Panik is done for the season. Such a shame. In 100 games he raked to the tune of .312/.378/.455 which translates to a 130 OPS+, 137 wRC+, and a .363 wOBA which is second only to Ben Zobrist for second basemen with 400+ PAs. Add in his glove and he rates 4.1 fWAR (3.1 BB-Ref WAR). That's great work over a full season let alone only 60% of one. I hope this back issue can get resolved in the off-season. The Giants need him at the keystone for 2016 and beyond.
Speaking of 2016, another fellow who is important to the cause is pitching tonight--Chris Heston. He threw 173 innings in 28 starts in the PCL last year. This season in the bigs he's just shy of 160 IP in his 27 starts. With some improved health and fitness (and a better idea what a full major-league season entails) he will likely be counted on for 2+ WAR. What he has done this year is comparable to what the Padres got from James Shields! Get right the rest of the way and get ready for next year Hest-o, the team needs you.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Huddy Hits a Homer
Tim Hudson delivered one of the best starts of this dismal month of Giants baseball and added two hits including a home run to lead the team to victory. The 6-2 win evened up the series. Chris Heston--who could really use an outing like Hudson's--goes tonight. I didn't see it coming. I was not looking forward to watching a 40-year old log his last few trips to the mound before retirement. I was sure he was going to get hammered. But that's why they actually play the game instead of let guys like me predict the outcome. It was a fine performance by the whole team and was marred only by Brandon Crawford leaving the game. He is day-to-day.
The Giants have played 139 games and have 23 remaining. They are 8-1/2 behind the Dodgers who have 24 to play. They are nine behind the Cubs for the wild card--Chicago has 25 games left. Whipping out my slide rule I figure the Giants need to play about .850 ball to have a chance. Them's some long odds, man! Interestingly, the Giants have "underperformed" a bit. They had a losing record in August (13-16) despite scoring more runs (124) than they allowed (114). Overall they've scored 591 runs and allowed 535, that yields a Pythagorean record of 76-63, four games better than where they are (72-67). I'm sure we can come up with a suitable set of reasons for that. Perhaps we should look at the 16-22 record in one-run games.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Giants have played 139 games and have 23 remaining. They are 8-1/2 behind the Dodgers who have 24 to play. They are nine behind the Cubs for the wild card--Chicago has 25 games left. Whipping out my slide rule I figure the Giants need to play about .850 ball to have a chance. Them's some long odds, man! Interestingly, the Giants have "underperformed" a bit. They had a losing record in August (13-16) despite scoring more runs (124) than they allowed (114). Overall they've scored 591 runs and allowed 535, that yields a Pythagorean record of 76-63, four games better than where they are (72-67). I'm sure we can come up with a suitable set of reasons for that. Perhaps we should look at the 16-22 record in one-run games.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Sixth inning: 12-6
The Giants came up short in their shot at sixty wins in the first two-thirds of the season: that's a ninety-win pace. They settle for 59-49 and with the Dodgers win they fall to three back. Their .546 win percentage puts them on pace for 88-1/2 wins, perhaps best said as not-quite-ninety. With one-third of the season to go, or 54 games, a .600 pace from here on out would mean 32 more wins or 91 total.
Six innings of the season have elapsed and this last stretch of 18 games produced a 12-6 record matching their season high. Here we have it:
1st inning: 7-11
2nd inning: 11-7
3rd inning: 12-6
4th inning: 8-10
5th inning: 9-9
6th inning: 12-6
If you prefer to divide the season by months, a quick look at the Baseball-Reference page will give you the following:
April: 9-13
May: 21-9
June: 12-14
July: 14-10
August: 3-3
The Giants are hitting the ball well scoring 4.4 runs per game which is good for 7th-best in the majors. Their 3.8 runs allowed is 11th-best overall. As we've seen they have stretches of effective pitching and also take advantage of their offense-suppressing park. As we know the team's championship hopes depend on the dependability of their pitchers. Tonight Chris Heston had no idea where his pitches were going and got tagged for five runs right away. The team battled back to make it close, getting two-run homers by the Brandons, but the damage had been done. Heston had not allowed a homer since the 23rd of May when the Rockies tagged him for three.
If the Giants expect to finish the year with a West title or a Wild Card berth they will have to be able to count on their pitchers. I'm not picking on Heston, he's had a couple of poor outings but has otherwise been superb, just pointing out the obvious. We saw them lose a game in Atlanta with two blown saves. The staff has to step up here in the final three innings. In the bad news department FNG Mike Leake will not make his scheduled start due to a hamstring injury. Ryan Vogelsong gets the ball tomorrow instead.
This season will likely come down to the final week. The Giants have peeked at first place a couple of times, a half game up and a half game down, but have mostly resided in second and stayed within striking distance of leaders Los Angeles. I expect the close race will continue until the end. The Giants have the intangibles like Veteran Savvy Clutchness and championship DNA and all that. The questions are about the tangibles. Do they have enough pitching for the final push? Will they survive injuries and bad luck the rest of the way? It's going to be fun finding out, eh?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. I'm really digging Kelby Tomlinson's geek-chic spectacles. Wouldn't you know I switched to a similar look just this week? Indeed, I ditched my usual wire frames for horn-rims. Fashions in "eyewear" (we used to call them "glasses") have ebbed and flowed between the two since I was a lad. I don't know what inspired the change for me, just a random "that one looks good" spoken to the optician at my fitting session a few weeks back. If I'm accused of being a Kelby copy-cat I won't mind!
Six innings of the season have elapsed and this last stretch of 18 games produced a 12-6 record matching their season high. Here we have it:
1st inning: 7-11
2nd inning: 11-7
3rd inning: 12-6
4th inning: 8-10
5th inning: 9-9
6th inning: 12-6
If you prefer to divide the season by months, a quick look at the Baseball-Reference page will give you the following:
April: 9-13
May: 21-9
June: 12-14
July: 14-10
August: 3-3
The Giants are hitting the ball well scoring 4.4 runs per game which is good for 7th-best in the majors. Their 3.8 runs allowed is 11th-best overall. As we've seen they have stretches of effective pitching and also take advantage of their offense-suppressing park. As we know the team's championship hopes depend on the dependability of their pitchers. Tonight Chris Heston had no idea where his pitches were going and got tagged for five runs right away. The team battled back to make it close, getting two-run homers by the Brandons, but the damage had been done. Heston had not allowed a homer since the 23rd of May when the Rockies tagged him for three.
If the Giants expect to finish the year with a West title or a Wild Card berth they will have to be able to count on their pitchers. I'm not picking on Heston, he's had a couple of poor outings but has otherwise been superb, just pointing out the obvious. We saw them lose a game in Atlanta with two blown saves. The staff has to step up here in the final three innings. In the bad news department FNG Mike Leake will not make his scheduled start due to a hamstring injury. Ryan Vogelsong gets the ball tomorrow instead.
This season will likely come down to the final week. The Giants have peeked at first place a couple of times, a half game up and a half game down, but have mostly resided in second and stayed within striking distance of leaders Los Angeles. I expect the close race will continue until the end. The Giants have the intangibles like Veteran Savvy Clutchness and championship DNA and all that. The questions are about the tangibles. Do they have enough pitching for the final push? Will they survive injuries and bad luck the rest of the way? It's going to be fun finding out, eh?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. I'm really digging Kelby Tomlinson's geek-chic spectacles. Wouldn't you know I switched to a similar look just this week? Indeed, I ditched my usual wire frames for horn-rims. Fashions in "eyewear" (we used to call them "glasses") have ebbed and flowed between the two since I was a lad. I don't know what inspired the change for me, just a random "that one looks good" spoken to the optician at my fitting session a few weeks back. If I'm accused of being a Kelby copy-cat I won't mind!
Monday, July 27, 2015
Heston, BCraw Rock the House
Boxscore
Chris Heston put his infield to work tonight and they delivered of course, turning three double plays. Brandon Crawford put the hurt into one for the game-breaking bomb, and the 'pen did the rest for another Giants win. They gained a half game on the idle Dodgers with the 4-2 victory. Hest-o was neat-o again, and just like our man carmot said he is up there with the league's elites. What a treat to watch--did you see those two strikeouts in the 7th? BCraw also walked later and scored on a clutch pinch-double by Gregor Blanco to earn hitter's honors for the evening. Blanco was batting for Heston. Hunter Strickland looked deadly in the 8th, and Sergio Romo took the 9th, giving the regular man a break.
Matt Cain tomorrow. Go Giants!
--M.C.
Chris Heston put his infield to work tonight and they delivered of course, turning three double plays. Brandon Crawford put the hurt into one for the game-breaking bomb, and the 'pen did the rest for another Giants win. They gained a half game on the idle Dodgers with the 4-2 victory. Hest-o was neat-o again, and just like our man carmot said he is up there with the league's elites. What a treat to watch--did you see those two strikeouts in the 7th? BCraw also walked later and scored on a clutch pinch-double by Gregor Blanco to earn hitter's honors for the evening. Blanco was batting for Heston. Hunter Strickland looked deadly in the 8th, and Sergio Romo took the 9th, giving the regular man a break.
Matt Cain tomorrow. Go Giants!
--M.C.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
2-1/2 Back
The Giants win big in San Diego behind another suffocating start from Chris Heston who went 7-1/3 and allowed only one hit. Josh Osich was tagged with all the runs in the 9-3 win, the young lefty has looked terrific in his cup of coffee, he's sure got a live arm, but I imagine he'll get the axe when Jeremy Affeldt returns this weekend. Another body will have to be hacked from the roster when Nori Aoki is activated--that's supposed to happen Friday. Meanwhile the Giants send Matt Cain out tomorrow afternoon for the rubber match. Tonight they battered their erstwhile nemesis, Odrisamer Despaigne, with seven hits and six runs including a big bomb apiece from Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford. Hector Sanchez, god bless him, delivered a grand slam is his first start off reliever Dale Thayer to make it a laugher. If we can get some solid play from the backup backstop while Andrew Susac is out that would be a big help. Buster Posey sat out tonight--the Giants need their superstar to be rested and healthy for the stretch run.
The Dodgers lost in Atlanta and the Giants closed the gap to 2-1/2 games with their 50th win. They have the 11th-best record in baseball.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Dodgers lost in Atlanta and the Giants closed the gap to 2-1/2 games with their 50th win. They have the 11th-best record in baseball.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Rookies Take Care of Business
Chris Heston pitched well and Josh Osich came in to get four big outs and the Giants prevailed over the Phillies, 4-1. Andrew Susac's three-run homer was the back-breaking hit--he and Osich were teammates at Oregon State. Veterans Angel Pagan and Buster Posey were the rest of the offense with six hits between them. It was a good day at the yard. I like what I've seen from the flamethrowing southpaw. The 'pen can use a lift from a lefty with Jeremy Affeldt on the DL. The Dodgers got a late homer to fuel a comeback win in Milwaukee and close out the first half 4-1/2 games up on the Giants, that was the only blemish on the day.
Last night I went to a boxing match for the first time in forty years. Locals, all pros, we saw seven fights: two KOs, two TKOs, two unanimous decisions, and one split decision. Something for everyone. It takes some cojones to stand within arm's length of another fellow knowing he is going to hit you and try to put you down with blows. I had to admire their guts. In the end, if the fighters were even, the one with more stamina--more heart--prevailed. I kept thinking about the Giants. Our boys have shown tremendous resilience and determination in their championship campaigns. If they hope to prevail in the second half they will have to play their best ball. They've got 73 games left and the team ahead of them is on a pace for 92 wins. That means the 46-43 Giants will have to play .630, 46-27, to tie. Win as many games in the second half as the first. That's a tall order. Certainly the Dodgers could fade and fall like a glass-jawed amateur, but you can't count on that. No, the Giants will have to get in close and counter-punch. And no, I haven't forgotten how well that second wild-card worked out last season.
Enjoy the All-Star Break, everyone!
--M.C.
Last night I went to a boxing match for the first time in forty years. Locals, all pros, we saw seven fights: two KOs, two TKOs, two unanimous decisions, and one split decision. Something for everyone. It takes some cojones to stand within arm's length of another fellow knowing he is going to hit you and try to put you down with blows. I had to admire their guts. In the end, if the fighters were even, the one with more stamina--more heart--prevailed. I kept thinking about the Giants. Our boys have shown tremendous resilience and determination in their championship campaigns. If they hope to prevail in the second half they will have to play their best ball. They've got 73 games left and the team ahead of them is on a pace for 92 wins. That means the 46-43 Giants will have to play .630, 46-27, to tie. Win as many games in the second half as the first. That's a tall order. Certainly the Dodgers could fade and fall like a glass-jawed amateur, but you can't count on that. No, the Giants will have to get in close and counter-punch. And no, I haven't forgotten how well that second wild-card worked out last season.
Enjoy the All-Star Break, everyone!
--M.C.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Great Day at the Yard
To be more precise, today was a great day if you forget about the top half of the 8th inning. Excellent start by Chris Heston and 19 hits (four triples!) and 13 runs by the hitters. Core Three-Fourths™ Affeldt, Lopez, and Romo inhabited an alternate reality for eleven batters in that very half inning, and that was unsettling, but I can't allow that to spoil the fun. The Giants responded to that six-run episode with four of their own, and that's big boy pants stuff to be sure. Kudos to Hest-o who did his version of Vogie's pry-this-rotation-spot-from-my-bloodied-corpse act, a tough one to follow, but he did so superbly.
I asked for more run scoring at home and by golly they delivered. I asked for consistency from the starters and wouldn't y'know they lay out a string of studly innings. I have to like that.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
I asked for more run scoring at home and by golly they delivered. I asked for consistency from the starters and wouldn't y'know they lay out a string of studly innings. I have to like that.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Giants Take First Two Falls in LA
In the battle royale that is a Giants-Dodgers series the out-of-towners out-pointed the locals in the first round and pinned them flat in the second. On Friday we were treated to a Buster Posey grand slam in Dodger Stadium, a Ka-Bar to the throat of the Los Angeles horde. The final was 9-5 behind a ragged but effective Chris Heston. Rookie Mike Broadway had a few yips in relief, but you had to like his live arm and dazzling stuff. His nickname is "Bone Crusher."
Today we saw a rejuvenated Tim Hudson get staggered with a couple of big blows early in the match but counter-punch like a champ the rest of the way. The Giants pounded out two-run homers from Justin Maxwell and Brandon Belt in back-to-back innings to seize the lead and never look back. The final was 6-2. Hunter Strickland got five outs, three via strikeout, in an impressive appearance.
Third round tomorrow with Tim Lincecum for the orange-and-black.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Today we saw a rejuvenated Tim Hudson get staggered with a couple of big blows early in the match but counter-punch like a champ the rest of the way. The Giants pounded out two-run homers from Justin Maxwell and Brandon Belt in back-to-back innings to seize the lead and never look back. The final was 6-2. Hunter Strickland got five outs, three via strikeout, in an impressive appearance.
Third round tomorrow with Tim Lincecum for the orange-and-black.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
The Lost Weekend
Not the movie with Ray Milland. I mean this weekend in San Francisco at AT&T Park. Although that 1945 film was about an alcoholic and in one scene he experiences the delirium tremens. That was what it was like watching the Giants play against the Diamondbacks today. Heston didn't pitch badly, he just got no help. It's a lost weekend, lads. But now it's over. Fresh start tomorrow.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Hest-o No-No!
Rookie Chris Heston pitches his second complete game of the season but this time allows NO HITS and only three baserunners (all via HBP!) and overpowers the Mets for a dominating complete game shutout. Heston is only the third rookie in Giants history to throw a no-hitter (the others were Christy Mathewson and Jeff Tesreau over 100 years ago in New York) and the fourth Giants pitcher to complete the feat since the 2009 season when Jonathan Sanchez smoked the Padres. The Giants now have a no-no in four straight seasons, with Matt Cain's perfecto in 2012 and Tim Lincecum's double against the Padres in 2013 and 2014. Heston's whitewash is the tenth team shutout for 2015 which leads all of baseball. Here's a graphic that tells the story:
Check out the 28 called strikes! Home plate umpire Rob Drake liked what he was seeing. And check out the 14 ground balls--that's Heston at his best.
As far as the offense goes, the Giants did their usual death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts thing to take a 3-0 lead but then added solo bombs by Matt Duffy and Joe Panik for a 5-0 final. Bruce Bochy gets his 700th win as a Giants manager as well, certainly a memorable one.
Tim Hudson tomorrow. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Check out the 28 called strikes! Home plate umpire Rob Drake liked what he was seeing. And check out the 14 ground balls--that's Heston at his best.
As far as the offense goes, the Giants did their usual death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts thing to take a 3-0 lead but then added solo bombs by Matt Duffy and Joe Panik for a 5-0 final. Bruce Bochy gets his 700th win as a Giants manager as well, certainly a memorable one.
Tim Hudson tomorrow. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Fourth Straight Home Shutout
The Giants lead baseball in team shutouts with nine, just ahead of the Dodgers who have seven. Rookie Chris Heston bounced back with 7-1/3 scoreless, allowing only four hits and one walk. The closest thing the Braves had to a rally was Nick Markakis batting with runners on the corners and two outs in the 6th. Brandon Belt homered in the bottom of the 7th off a very tough Shelby Miller to make it 1-0 Giants. It looked to be another nail-biter until a six-run explosion in the 8th, one of those "hitting is contagious" events where the team batted around. The final was 7-0 and the Giants gain a half game on the idle Dodgers. That's the team's twentieth win in the month of May against only seven losses.
Heston gave up eleven runs in the two starts following his complete game gem in Houston. Tonight was the first time this season he has not allowed a run at all. The Giants beat Miller in Game Four of the NLCS last season when he was the starter for St. Louis. He also pitched in the 2012 NLCS against the Giants when he was only twenty-one. He went to the Braves as part of the Jason Heyward deal.
Tim Hudson tomorrow night. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Word on Jake Peavy is that he will require at least two more rehab starts.
Heston gave up eleven runs in the two starts following his complete game gem in Houston. Tonight was the first time this season he has not allowed a run at all. The Giants beat Miller in Game Four of the NLCS last season when he was the starter for St. Louis. He also pitched in the 2012 NLCS against the Giants when he was only twenty-one. He went to the Braves as part of the Jason Heyward deal.
Tim Hudson tomorrow night. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Word on Jake Peavy is that he will require at least two more rehab starts.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
A Winning Weekend
The Giants rack up another big number--this time it was nine--and close out the weekend with their third straight win. Chris Heston couldn't get out of the 3rd, but Yumseiro Petit kept enough of a lid on things to hand it over to the late-inning crew and they got it done. Jeremy Affeldt had a challenging time, but Santiago Casilla made up for it with an overpowering nine-pitch save. In the end the Giants scorching hot lineup scored on every Reds pitcher except Aroldis Chapman, and they created an opportunity against him with two hits. There were heroes up and down: three hits and three RBI from Aoki; three hits (including a clutch late homer!) and three runs scored from Belt; two hits and two RBI from Pence; two hits, three RBI, and a run from BCraw; a hit, walk, and a run from Blanco; and two hits and an RBI from Duffy. They needed every damn run today, that's for sure. I'm happy to see that the hitters can take advantage of a offense-friendly park and match up with these bandbox brigades. We know they can play their special brand of walk-off bad-bounce one-run win at home, but a great team has to win those slug-fests on the road now and again as well. A good club has lots of dimensions, and we saw that this weekend with thirty runs scored.
The Giants return to San Francisco for a quick three with their SoCal rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers before hitting the road again. Thursday we get to see Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw. The Tims man the other two starts.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. The Giants have now scored 145 runs which equals their 145 runs allowed.
The Giants return to San Francisco for a quick three with their SoCal rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers before hitting the road again. Thursday we get to see Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw. The Tims man the other two starts.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. The Giants have now scored 145 runs which equals their 145 runs allowed.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Heston, Hitters Hammer Houston
The Giants smacked the ball all over the place tonight against the Astros and scored EIGHT runs for the first time in the season. In fact, it was the first time they'd scored seven. But the real story was the performance of Chris Heston in homer-happy Houston. Using a nasty curveball to complement his natural sinker, he had that free-swinging bunch swinging freely into TEN strikeouts, his career high. Heston was so tough that he recorded all 27 outs for a complete game, his first, retiring the final 22 in order. It was the first complete game for a Giants pitcher in 2015. Heston's first batter hit a single and his only other blemish was a two-out homer by catcher Jason Castro in the 2nd. All the rest went down after that. A dominating display, to be sure, especially on the road against a good club. Let's hope we get to see more of that stuff from Giants pitchers during this bandbox junket.
Matt Duffy had a career high FIVE runs batted in with his bases-loaded double in the 2nd and two-run single in the 5th, by the way. It's easy to forget the great show he put on with both the bat and the glove. Giants fielded superbly, in fact, and the Astros had a key misplay. With Duffy, Craw, Panik, and Belt, that's a homegrown infield, and with Posey and Heston it was all former farmhands. You have to like that.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Matt Duffy had a career high FIVE runs batted in with his bases-loaded double in the 2nd and two-run single in the 5th, by the way. It's easy to forget the great show he put on with both the bat and the glove. Giants fielded superbly, in fact, and the Astros had a key misplay. With Duffy, Craw, Panik, and Belt, that's a homegrown infield, and with Posey and Heston it was all former farmhands. You have to like that.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Joe Cool Delivers
Pinch-hitting Joe Panik lined a single up the middle to score Gregor Blanco and win the game in the 9th. Giants have found the formula: play an LA-based team and conjure up 3-2 walk-offs. Chris Heston pitched another great game and that gave the home squad a chance and they found a way. That's the real formula: pitch well. Who figured Buster Posey would start the game-winning rally by beating out an infield hit?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Heston Bests 'em Again
Chris Heston delivered another impressive effort, this time snapping the team's horrid eight-game losing streak with 7-2/3 innings of five-hit ball. The Giants have needed a big hit for a week, something cathartic, and Brandon Crawford obliged with a booming two-run homer to right-center that made it a 4-1 game in the 4th. Nori Aoki and Joe Panik had conjured up an early lead, and that's always a positive development, but the rookie was the key with a string of zeroes to start the game and another string after giving up a run. You have to figure the Diamondbacks are sick of the guy--that's three runs allowed vs. Arizona and a win in each park. The Giants were desperate for something positive and they finally got the result they wanted with a brisk, formulaic display that's been lacking in the early going. Pitching, solid play, and timely hitting sounds so simple but has been hard to come by for the local lads.
The ring ceremony was marked by a spectacular sky-diving entrance, something we expected on Opening Day. One if by land, two if by sea, three if by . . .? We were sure at the time it was by air but it was by horse instead. We were also sure we saw a dive plane overhead that day but it seemed conditions were a little spotty--it was windy at the top of the stadium, the flags snapped loudly all afternoon. Maybe we're nuts, it was just a scouting mission, but it sure seemed right. I guess they were saving it for this evening.
Regardless, the Giants won. I say they ought to be done with all this celebrating by now and should be on to winning some more ballgames. What do you say?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The ring ceremony was marked by a spectacular sky-diving entrance, something we expected on Opening Day. One if by land, two if by sea, three if by . . .? We were sure at the time it was by air but it was by horse instead. We were also sure we saw a dive plane overhead that day but it seemed conditions were a little spotty--it was windy at the top of the stadium, the flags snapped loudly all afternoon. Maybe we're nuts, it was just a scouting mission, but it sure seemed right. I guess they were saving it for this evening.
Regardless, the Giants won. I say they ought to be done with all this celebrating by now and should be on to winning some more ballgames. What do you say?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
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