Did you know that the Giants had already won the division series with the Rockies before the game started? I was surprised, given the way that Coors Field has been so inhospitable to the Giants in the last couple years. The Giants are in their final home stand, 3 against Colorado and 3 against LA. I guess fans at the park got their money's worth, if you measure by innings. The Giants played 16, only to cough up 3 runs in the final frame and lose by a score of 8 - 5. Derek Rodriguez got the loss. 25 pitchers threw in the game, an MLB record, and the Giants used 13 of them. The Giants used, by my count, 33 players and the Rockies used 28. Oh, and their chance for a .500 season was thwarted by their 82nd loss.
Buster Posey hit his 7th home run of the season. Evan Longoria hit his 20th, giving the Giants 3 20-home run hitters for the first time since 2006. 2006! Madison Bumgarner hit a home run, his 2nd of the year, giving me a chance to use my favorite label. Trevor Story has homered in each of his last 6 games against SF. The Giants and Rockies were tied, 5 - 5 after 9.
Madison Bumgarner was on the hill. He is determined to lead the National League in innings pitched. After the 7 he threw last night, he has, after 2 years of injuries, given us 207.2 innings, with one start remaining on the last day of the regular season. Stephen Strasburg is second with 203 innings. Madison is a horse. He threw 106 pitches, struck out 9 and walked 2. He also gave up 3 home runs for 4 total. In fact, 12 of the 13 runs scored were as a result of a home run, including Blackmon's final, 3-run blast. It's warm in SF. Madison did not, of course, get the decision, just like 14 other times this year.
Yet, Madison had a 3.62 ERA at the end of August, but has given up 19 (earned) runs in 31 innings since then. Yesterday he threw a couple of pitches, like the one to Desmond, that were very, very fat. He seems to lack concentration sometimes, although I really have no idea if that is the case or not. I think that, as most of us cannot experience what it is like to compete at that high a level, and as we have no good descriptors of the randomness and elements of luck that make up the game, we often hear about things like a player's concentration, or desire, or heart, or team spirit, or lack thereof. Sometimes this is just coded racism, but it is probably often an attempt to put an explanation when the real explanation hinges on such non-predictable events, like the flight of a round ball when struck by a round bat. In any case, some of Madison's location mistakes wound up over the center of the plate, and then in the stands.
Showing posts with label Madison Bumgarner hit a home run. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madison Bumgarner hit a home run. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Salami
I was all set to write a post about how the Giants couldn't (again) help out Madison Bumgarner with so much as a single run aside from those he generated himself, but then they showed some grit and actually made a game of it. Pablo Sandoval hit into a double play to end the game with the tying run on 3rd. Final score from LA: Giants 5, LA 6.
Madison on the mound, he went 6, threw 95 pitches, struck out 4, but gave up all 5 dogger runs in the 3rd. They were not earned. A throwing error by Maddy put the first runner on, he scored, then a couple of outs and then the big salami. Had Russell Martin been thrown out, he could have gotten out of it with no runs. But he didn't.
In the 6th, with Geraldo Parra on base, Madison went yard. So at least I get to use that label.
The Giants made a game of it in the 9th. At this point I was surprised, but I guess tonight the optimist had the better outlook, even with the eventual disappointment. They looked like they might do it off of our old friend, Kenly Jansen, but after plating in 3 runs, Joe Panik struck out and then Pablo hit into the dp. So it goes. Grit's good though. Grit makes for better games than, well, no grit. I much prefer my Giants with grit.
Madison on the mound, he went 6, threw 95 pitches, struck out 4, but gave up all 5 dogger runs in the 3rd. They were not earned. A throwing error by Maddy put the first runner on, he scored, then a couple of outs and then the big salami. Had Russell Martin been thrown out, he could have gotten out of it with no runs. But he didn't.
In the 6th, with Geraldo Parra on base, Madison went yard. So at least I get to use that label.
The Giants made a game of it in the 9th. At this point I was surprised, but I guess tonight the optimist had the better outlook, even with the eventual disappointment. They looked like they might do it off of our old friend, Kenly Jansen, but after plating in 3 runs, Joe Panik struck out and then Pablo hit into the dp. So it goes. Grit's good though. Grit makes for better games than, well, no grit. I much prefer my Giants with grit.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Madison Bumgarner Chalks Up Another Loss
Madison Bumgarner hit a home run! That's my favorite label for these posts. And also it's about 25 degrees cooler, so there's that. The Giants dropped the finale against the Cardinals today, 7 - 3.
Madison seemed to be cruising, he did not give up a hit for the first 3 innings. In the 4th, he gave up 2, and those were home runs by Paul DeJong and Jose Martinez, batting 4th and 5th in the Cardinals' lineup. That put the Giants behind 2 - 1 after they had Buster Posey had singled Joe Panik home in the 3rd. Madison tied that score with a monumental solo shot of his own in the 5th off of the Cards' starter, rookie (of course) Luke Weaver. It kind of fell apart after that. Harrison Bader hit another solo homer off of Madbum in the 6th, then a few more hits, and it was 5 - 2 when the inning ended. That was it for Madison, and Kyle Crick allowed 2 more runs to score in the 2/3 of an inning that he pitched in the 7th. Cardinal reliever Sandy Alcantara gave up a home run to Giants' call up Tim Federowicz in the 8th for the final score. Matt Moore pitched the 8th and 9th in relief and did not give up any runs.
It seems like Madison has been prone to the long ball lately. You may remember he gave up 2 in his last start against Arizona (which we lost, 2 - 1). He has given up 14 in just over 91 innings. That works out to a few more than he gave up in 2016, when he gave up 26 home runs in 226 innings. 14 in 91.3 works out to 35 (34.65). For total runs however, this year he has given up 32, which works out to 79.2 runs over 226 innings, last year he gave up 79. So, in spite of the fact that he has given up 5 home runs in 2 games, all of them solo shots, he is doing no more poorly that last year over all. Of course, you can't expect to win too many games against the Cardinals by scoring only 3 runs. We are 2 - 8 in our last 10 after winning 2 of 3 against Milwaukee (who seems to have taken it hard and have beaten the Nats 3 of 4 and LA 2 of 3 since then).
What to make of Matt Moore pitching in relief? If anything, it may mean that the Giants want to see what the rooks can do as starters in this lost season. Matt needs to figure something out in the winter. So here is what is left. We have another round through the western division and the Chicago White Sox. That starts tomorrow against Colorado in Denver. We play the Rox 5 more times, and Arizona and Los Angeles 6 more each, and San Diego 3 more. We have a losing record against each of these clubs; 4 for 14 against the Rox, 5 for 16 against the Padres, and 5 for 13 against the snakes. Our best effort has been against Los Angeles, mostly in the early part of the season. We are 6 for 13 against them. The Giants have one last chance to at least serve notice. That's about all they can do, but at least it would be something. As it is, they are again in danger of being MLB's worst.
Madison seemed to be cruising, he did not give up a hit for the first 3 innings. In the 4th, he gave up 2, and those were home runs by Paul DeJong and Jose Martinez, batting 4th and 5th in the Cardinals' lineup. That put the Giants behind 2 - 1 after they had Buster Posey had singled Joe Panik home in the 3rd. Madison tied that score with a monumental solo shot of his own in the 5th off of the Cards' starter, rookie (of course) Luke Weaver. It kind of fell apart after that. Harrison Bader hit another solo homer off of Madbum in the 6th, then a few more hits, and it was 5 - 2 when the inning ended. That was it for Madison, and Kyle Crick allowed 2 more runs to score in the 2/3 of an inning that he pitched in the 7th. Cardinal reliever Sandy Alcantara gave up a home run to Giants' call up Tim Federowicz in the 8th for the final score. Matt Moore pitched the 8th and 9th in relief and did not give up any runs.
It seems like Madison has been prone to the long ball lately. You may remember he gave up 2 in his last start against Arizona (which we lost, 2 - 1). He has given up 14 in just over 91 innings. That works out to a few more than he gave up in 2016, when he gave up 26 home runs in 226 innings. 14 in 91.3 works out to 35 (34.65). For total runs however, this year he has given up 32, which works out to 79.2 runs over 226 innings, last year he gave up 79. So, in spite of the fact that he has given up 5 home runs in 2 games, all of them solo shots, he is doing no more poorly that last year over all. Of course, you can't expect to win too many games against the Cardinals by scoring only 3 runs. We are 2 - 8 in our last 10 after winning 2 of 3 against Milwaukee (who seems to have taken it hard and have beaten the Nats 3 of 4 and LA 2 of 3 since then).
What to make of Matt Moore pitching in relief? If anything, it may mean that the Giants want to see what the rooks can do as starters in this lost season. Matt needs to figure something out in the winter. So here is what is left. We have another round through the western division and the Chicago White Sox. That starts tomorrow against Colorado in Denver. We play the Rox 5 more times, and Arizona and Los Angeles 6 more each, and San Diego 3 more. We have a losing record against each of these clubs; 4 for 14 against the Rox, 5 for 16 against the Padres, and 5 for 13 against the snakes. Our best effort has been against Los Angeles, mostly in the early part of the season. We are 6 for 13 against them. The Giants have one last chance to at least serve notice. That's about all they can do, but at least it would be something. As it is, they are again in danger of being MLB's worst.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
2017, Meet 2016
Blown saves. I think Giants fans had seen quite enough of those last year to last well into this year. Sigh.
Great game though 5 innings. Madison Bumgarner on the hill for the Giants, Zach Greinke for the dbacks. Madison was perfect through 5 - didn't allow a baserunner and was making it look easy. The Giants, on the other hand, made Greinke work. Baserunner in the 1st, a manufactured run in the 2nd thanks to Nunez and Panik. Then, a bit of history as Madison Bumgarner tied the Giants' record (15) for home runs by a pitcher in the 4th with a solo shot. That was fun. In the top of the 6th, the Giants added one, with Nunez singling home BCraw. Then, it turned into a baseball contest. Madison gave up a triple, then a single to break the shutout, then a home run to tie the game.
They went into the 7th inning tied. Greinke had been pulled after the 5th, Andrew Chafin pitching. Madison broke that tie with another solo shot, this one way up in the left field stands. Man, the guy has a stroke when there is a ball over the plate, and now leads all Giants pitchers with 16 home runs. So the Giants went into the 8th with a 4 - 3 lead facing the dbacks 5th pitcher of the day. No more runs, though, as the Giants sent Derek Law to the mound to hold the lead. He had nothing, giving up a run on 3 hits to tie the game and leaving Blach and Strickland to get 3 outs.
So, again a tie game going into the 9th. Fernando Rodney pitching for Arizona. Joe Panik tripled to lead off the inning! Gillaspie, in reserve for just such a role, sacrificed him home for a 5 - 4 lead. In spite of wild pitches and a walk, though, the Giants entered the bottom of the 9th with just the one-run lead.
And then. What was Melancon's story, that he didn't allow a single run all spring? 2 quick outs and then a loss - a blown save for Law and one for Melancon. Giants lose a heartbreaker, 6 - 5.
2 hits for Span, 3 for Nunez, 2 for Crawford and 2 for Madison, who now is leading MLB hitters in the home run category. But the Giants open with a loss, spoiling a fine effort. Arizona can be Coors Field-like, but the bottom line is, you pitch in the late innings, you need to get outs. Didn't do that today. Is it too early for existential angst? No, it is not.
Great game though 5 innings. Madison Bumgarner on the hill for the Giants, Zach Greinke for the dbacks. Madison was perfect through 5 - didn't allow a baserunner and was making it look easy. The Giants, on the other hand, made Greinke work. Baserunner in the 1st, a manufactured run in the 2nd thanks to Nunez and Panik. Then, a bit of history as Madison Bumgarner tied the Giants' record (15) for home runs by a pitcher in the 4th with a solo shot. That was fun. In the top of the 6th, the Giants added one, with Nunez singling home BCraw. Then, it turned into a baseball contest. Madison gave up a triple, then a single to break the shutout, then a home run to tie the game.
They went into the 7th inning tied. Greinke had been pulled after the 5th, Andrew Chafin pitching. Madison broke that tie with another solo shot, this one way up in the left field stands. Man, the guy has a stroke when there is a ball over the plate, and now leads all Giants pitchers with 16 home runs. So the Giants went into the 8th with a 4 - 3 lead facing the dbacks 5th pitcher of the day. No more runs, though, as the Giants sent Derek Law to the mound to hold the lead. He had nothing, giving up a run on 3 hits to tie the game and leaving Blach and Strickland to get 3 outs.
So, again a tie game going into the 9th. Fernando Rodney pitching for Arizona. Joe Panik tripled to lead off the inning! Gillaspie, in reserve for just such a role, sacrificed him home for a 5 - 4 lead. In spite of wild pitches and a walk, though, the Giants entered the bottom of the 9th with just the one-run lead.
And then. What was Melancon's story, that he didn't allow a single run all spring? 2 quick outs and then a loss - a blown save for Law and one for Melancon. Giants lose a heartbreaker, 6 - 5.
2 hits for Span, 3 for Nunez, 2 for Crawford and 2 for Madison, who now is leading MLB hitters in the home run category. But the Giants open with a loss, spoiling a fine effort. Arizona can be Coors Field-like, but the bottom line is, you pitch in the late innings, you need to get outs. Didn't do that today. Is it too early for existential angst? No, it is not.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
A Bright Spot
Hey, Hey, Giants come out on top of a weird game, 10 - 7 over the New York Mets. Madison Bumgarner facing off against Jacob deGrom. That promised to be a low scoring pitching duel between two of the games top aces. Madbum and deGrom both lasted only 5 innings. Madbum gave up 4 runs on a grand slam, deGrom gave up 8 runs. Has Madison ever given up a grand slam before? I don't remember it. It was the worst outing in deGrom's career. Madbum struck out 6 and walked 3, gave up 6 hits and threw 89 pitches. He got 2 of those runs back, home run number 3 for him on the year off of deGrom with 1 runner on. Good thing, too, because after the Giants went up 8 - 4 at the end of 5, the Mets charged back with a 3 run 6th. Gearrin, just back from rehabbing, gave up 2, Smith 1. Then Law, Lopez, Romo and Casilla held the Mets. Matt Cain was put on the DL to make room for Gearrin. Giants tacked on 2 in the bottom of the 8th on a Buster Posey double for a final of 10 - 7. 3 rbi on 4 hits for Nunez, 3 hits for Span and 3 for Crawford, 2 for Pence, 2 for Posey, and hits for Panik, Pagan and Madbum. I like being able to type a lot of names when listing guys who got hits. 17 total for the Giants. To sweeten the deal, LA lost to the Phils so the Giants (who should have never have been in this position) gain a game. And I get to use my favorite label.
How about those Olympics, huh? Even if you accept the premise that athletic talent is randomly distributed, which you may not, athletic talent alone doesn't let you compete at an elite level. You need training, coaching, nutrition, facilities, good PED's; and all of that takes money. So I spent the afternoon doing division so that I could have some numbers to post that weren't associated with an L. The following is a list of medals divided by GDP in billions of US dollars (x 1,000,000).
Azerbaijan 285.7
Kazakhstan 120.7
Hungary 119.7
New Zealand 82.8
Denmark 39.7
Russia 37.9
Australia 22.5
Netherlands 19.7
Great Britain 14.7
South Korea 12.9
Italy 12.4
Canada 10.3
France 9.6
Germany 9.2
Brazil 9.1
Japan 8.2
US 5.1
China 5.1
You can't compute North Korea's numbers, although they have won 7 medals, as they have apparently no GDP. Did you know Vietnam won 2 medals (shooting)? Algeria and Quatar both won medals track and field, as did the Bahamas. Fiji won a medal in rugby. Did you know rugby was an Olympic sport? Hard to tell if you watch NBC. The Dominican Republic won a medal in taekwondo. You know who the real Olympic heros are in this table? The independent, or refugee athletes, who have won 2 medals. No GDP or even anyone to cheer them at home. Or home.
How about those Olympics, huh? Even if you accept the premise that athletic talent is randomly distributed, which you may not, athletic talent alone doesn't let you compete at an elite level. You need training, coaching, nutrition, facilities, good PED's; and all of that takes money. So I spent the afternoon doing division so that I could have some numbers to post that weren't associated with an L. The following is a list of medals divided by GDP in billions of US dollars (x 1,000,000).
Azerbaijan 285.7
Kazakhstan 120.7
Hungary 119.7
New Zealand 82.8
Denmark 39.7
Russia 37.9
Australia 22.5
Netherlands 19.7
Great Britain 14.7
South Korea 12.9
Italy 12.4
Canada 10.3
France 9.6
Germany 9.2
Brazil 9.1
Japan 8.2
US 5.1
China 5.1
You can't compute North Korea's numbers, although they have won 7 medals, as they have apparently no GDP. Did you know Vietnam won 2 medals (shooting)? Algeria and Quatar both won medals track and field, as did the Bahamas. Fiji won a medal in rugby. Did you know rugby was an Olympic sport? Hard to tell if you watch NBC. The Dominican Republic won a medal in taekwondo. You know who the real Olympic heros are in this table? The independent, or refugee athletes, who have won 2 medals. No GDP or even anyone to cheer them at home. Or home.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Pence Out, Madbum On
Hunter Pence was placed on the Disabled List before today's game, but Madison Bumgarner feels like he "found the delivery he has been missing for a year and a half" accrding to Charles Odum at AP. Maddy's line: 7 2/3 innings, 11 K, 4 hits, 2 walks, and 0 runs. And... a 2-run shot to help in the 6 - 0 Giants victory.
Hunter Strickland and Chris Stratton fimished the game and Joe Panik and Buster Posey each hit 2-run home runs. Witout Hunter, we need Buster, and now is a great time for him to get hot. The Cardinals have been feeling their oats lately.
Hunter Strickland and Chris Stratton fimished the game and Joe Panik and Buster Posey each hit 2-run home runs. Witout Hunter, we need Buster, and now is a great time for him to get hot. The Cardinals have been feeling their oats lately.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Mad Cain'ed
Man, these games..........
3 - 2, Giants lose in 10.
I'm not one to believe in or comment on baseball gods, or horsehide kismet, or whatever. You can do that if you want. My philosophy is simple. I want the Giants to crush the doggers, every time they meet. Every time.
So, I am not happy. The Giants were up against a very tough pitcher*, Clayton Kershaw and they managed to get to hit two home runs. That was worth 2 runs and it could have been enough, but it wasn't. A walk, a single, and a hit batter by Santiago Casilla put Adrian Gonzalez at the plate with 1 out. A double play ball.....was botched on a wet infield by Kelby Tomlinson to allow a run. LA then scored in the 10th on two doubles.
Madison Bumgarner was on the hill and he gave us 6 very good innings. He pitched himself in and out of trouble, and LA's first run came in the 3rd. Madison gave up 3 singles and then hit Van Slyke for a run. Well, kind of hit, more like sort of barely touched. Not Van Slyke exactly, his uniform. Bruce Bochy made a case that the batter has to at least try to get out of the way, but that is not something that is appeal-able. So Madison gave up the 1 run, 6 hits, struck out 8, and walked only 1 in 102 pitches. Casilla blew the save opportunity, Kontos got the loss. Madison Bumgarner hit a home run - off of Clayton Kershaw! So did Ehire Adrianza! Those were 2 of only 4 hits Kershaw allowed in 8. He struck out 5, walked 1 and threw 91 pitches. You could say that Madison outpitched Kershaw - while he was in the game. But he could not match his innings.
* A note here: the wisdom spewed out by the media was that the doggers had "questions about their rotation." So far, their starters have given up 8 runs in 39.1 innings (6 starts). That includes the 5 given up by Wood to the Giants after he blanked them for 4 and the 1 earned by Stripling because he walked the hitter in front of Trevor Brown. Come on Giants, LA started the year with 10 guys on the DL. 10! Make hay while the sun shines!
To end this post on a lighter note, let's count the Giants who have hit home runs:
Denard Span
Hunter Pence
Joe Panik
Matt Duffy (2)
Brandon Crawford (2)
Ehire Adrianza
Buster Posey
Trevor Brown
Madison Bumgarner
3 - 2, Giants lose in 10.
I'm not one to believe in or comment on baseball gods, or horsehide kismet, or whatever. You can do that if you want. My philosophy is simple. I want the Giants to crush the doggers, every time they meet. Every time.
So, I am not happy. The Giants were up against a very tough pitcher*, Clayton Kershaw and they managed to get to hit two home runs. That was worth 2 runs and it could have been enough, but it wasn't. A walk, a single, and a hit batter by Santiago Casilla put Adrian Gonzalez at the plate with 1 out. A double play ball.....was botched on a wet infield by Kelby Tomlinson to allow a run. LA then scored in the 10th on two doubles.
Madison Bumgarner was on the hill and he gave us 6 very good innings. He pitched himself in and out of trouble, and LA's first run came in the 3rd. Madison gave up 3 singles and then hit Van Slyke for a run. Well, kind of hit, more like sort of barely touched. Not Van Slyke exactly, his uniform. Bruce Bochy made a case that the batter has to at least try to get out of the way, but that is not something that is appeal-able. So Madison gave up the 1 run, 6 hits, struck out 8, and walked only 1 in 102 pitches. Casilla blew the save opportunity, Kontos got the loss. Madison Bumgarner hit a home run - off of Clayton Kershaw! So did Ehire Adrianza! Those were 2 of only 4 hits Kershaw allowed in 8. He struck out 5, walked 1 and threw 91 pitches. You could say that Madison outpitched Kershaw - while he was in the game. But he could not match his innings.
* A note here: the wisdom spewed out by the media was that the doggers had "questions about their rotation." So far, their starters have given up 8 runs in 39.1 innings (6 starts). That includes the 5 given up by Wood to the Giants after he blanked them for 4 and the 1 earned by Stripling because he walked the hitter in front of Trevor Brown. Come on Giants, LA started the year with 10 guys on the DL. 10! Make hay while the sun shines!
To end this post on a lighter note, let's count the Giants who have hit home runs:
Denard Span
Hunter Pence
Joe Panik
Matt Duffy (2)
Brandon Crawford (2)
Ehire Adrianza
Buster Posey
Trevor Brown
Madison Bumgarner
Friday, August 21, 2015
Byrd is the Word
Marlon Byrd. I have to admit, I was less than impressed when I saw the news of the Giants' trade for Marlon Byrd. I am more impressed now. Madison Bumgarner was on the hill tonight in Pittsburgh. He struggled for the first couple of innings - 50 pitches in the first 2, but then settled down. The pitch count got to him, though, and he surrendered the hill with 1 out into the 7th.
Madison's line: 6 1/3 IP, 109 pitches, 6 hits, 3 runs, all earned, 1 BB. Sergio Romo gave us 1 1/3 and allowed the 4th run, Osich an out, and Santiago Casilla, after a tense walk, got a 4 - 6 - 3 ground ball double play and the final out for a 6 - 4 Giants' victory.
Marlon Byrd made an immediate positive impression with a 1st inning, hitting a home run with Matt Duffy on board for the 2nd and 3rd run of the game. Buster Posey tallied the 1st rbi with a sac fly to score Nori Aoki. Byrd, batting 5th, had a 3 hit night. Nori Aoki, in the lead-off spot had a 3 hit night. Giants chalked up 14 hits, most of them (11) against Pittsburgh starter Jeff Locke, who was responsible for all of the Giants' 6 runs. Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco both had 2 hits, and Belt had an rbi. And, oh yeah, Madison Bumgarner hit a 2 run home run.
So the Giants could actually put together a winning record on this 7 game swing to the midwest, but they will have to win tomorrow and Sunday to do it. Then LA (who is, by the way, sans-hit in Houston with only 3 outs left.
Madison's line: 6 1/3 IP, 109 pitches, 6 hits, 3 runs, all earned, 1 BB. Sergio Romo gave us 1 1/3 and allowed the 4th run, Osich an out, and Santiago Casilla, after a tense walk, got a 4 - 6 - 3 ground ball double play and the final out for a 6 - 4 Giants' victory.
Marlon Byrd made an immediate positive impression with a 1st inning, hitting a home run with Matt Duffy on board for the 2nd and 3rd run of the game. Buster Posey tallied the 1st rbi with a sac fly to score Nori Aoki. Byrd, batting 5th, had a 3 hit night. Nori Aoki, in the lead-off spot had a 3 hit night. Giants chalked up 14 hits, most of them (11) against Pittsburgh starter Jeff Locke, who was responsible for all of the Giants' 6 runs. Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco both had 2 hits, and Belt had an rbi. And, oh yeah, Madison Bumgarner hit a 2 run home run.
So the Giants could actually put together a winning record on this 7 game swing to the midwest, but they will have to win tomorrow and Sunday to do it. Then LA (who is, by the way, sans-hit in Houston with only 3 outs left.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Sa-sa-sa-saWeeeeep!
The Giants finished off a 4 game sweep of the struggling Nationals today at PhoneCo Park today, 5 - 0. The Giants and Nats came into the series in the same boat, trying to catch a first place team. The difference was that the Nats were heavily favored to win the east and the National League while the Giants were, as usual, slated to finish behind LA. Only one of the teams could make a meaningful move, or neither could, but the Giants did it. The Giants look great lately - like it is the time in the season to make a move and they are ready to do it. What's more, they overcame a 0 - 3 record in 2015 against Washington after a disastrous July series there and won the match-up, 4 games to 3. Also, going back to that more recently disastrous 3 - 7 road trip that started July 31, they are at .500. A 5 - 1 home stand. The Giants only tallied 7 hits, but that included a Hunter Pence 3 run home run and a solo shot from (who else?) Madison Bumgarner. The Giants seem to be hitting a lot of doubles and triples lately. Doubles today for Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Madbum. Remember when the meme was that the Giants won on the road but not at home?
Let's talk about Madison Bumgarner, shall we? Today's line: 9 IP, 3 hits, 1 BB (what's up with that?), 0 runs, 112 pitches and 14 K. Madbum was 2 for 3 at the plate, with 2 rbi, including the solo shot home run. That is his 4th home run of the year. In 53 at bats. Project that out to a full season as a regular batter and you can put him down for 40 hr. His OPS today was a crisp 2.000. He has passed Jason Schmidt on the list of San Francisco strikeout leaders (in order: Juan Marichal, Tim Lincecum, Gaylord Perry, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner). He is the only SF Giant player besides Juan Marichal to hit a home run and strike out 10 players in the same game. It was his 5th double-digit K game of the season. Madison Bumgarner just turned 26 on August 1. The Nationals beat the Madison Bumgarner last October for their only win of the 5 game series, then knocked him out of the box with 6 runs after 5 innings on July 4. So, yeah, he wanted it. Bryce Harper went 0 - 4 against Madison, with 3 strikeouts. Make no mistake though. Harper is a beast. I was hoping, when he flied out to deep, deep center in the 7th, that he wouldn't get another chance, but he came up in the 9th for his 3rd K of the game.
The Nats are struggling, and as has been noted, Matt Williams may not last long as their manager. He has been criticized for his pitching moves (or lack of moves) and as being too much by-the-book. Some of the blame has to go to some of their hitters. Ian Desmond looked good this weekend, but he is carrying a .225 average, Rendon is at .247 and Zimmerman is at .219. Their pitchers, so good at the start of the season, were chased early and often by the Giants this weekend, and that chews up a bullpen. Sound familiar? And kharma-wise, Jonathan Papelbon cannot help a team.
But enough about them. The Giants are 6 games into a home-and-away 13 game stretch before an off day. They are heading to St. Louis for 3 and Pittsburgh for 4. Madison Bumgarner just bookended the home stand with complete games. Peavy gave us 5 2/3, Cain 4 2/3, Vogie 5 and Heston 6 1/3. In the past 7 days, Kontos has thrown 3 1/3 innings in 3 games, Petit 2 innings, Affeldt 1 inning, Romo 2 1/3 innings in 3 games (and looked damn good doing it), Hunter 2 innings, Casilla 1 innings, Lopez 2/3 innings in 2 games and Osich 1 1/3 innings in 2 games. That is, considering last Monday's off day, 13 1/3 innings in a week. Leake is expected to be start Tuesday, which frees up Vogie to spell Matt Cain, if necessary, or pitch long relief. Let's take some of this magic on the road and tamp down on some Cardinal and Pirate dreams!
Let's talk about Madison Bumgarner, shall we? Today's line: 9 IP, 3 hits, 1 BB (what's up with that?), 0 runs, 112 pitches and 14 K. Madbum was 2 for 3 at the plate, with 2 rbi, including the solo shot home run. That is his 4th home run of the year. In 53 at bats. Project that out to a full season as a regular batter and you can put him down for 40 hr. His OPS today was a crisp 2.000. He has passed Jason Schmidt on the list of San Francisco strikeout leaders (in order: Juan Marichal, Tim Lincecum, Gaylord Perry, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner). He is the only SF Giant player besides Juan Marichal to hit a home run and strike out 10 players in the same game. It was his 5th double-digit K game of the season. Madison Bumgarner just turned 26 on August 1. The Nationals beat the Madison Bumgarner last October for their only win of the 5 game series, then knocked him out of the box with 6 runs after 5 innings on July 4. So, yeah, he wanted it. Bryce Harper went 0 - 4 against Madison, with 3 strikeouts. Make no mistake though. Harper is a beast. I was hoping, when he flied out to deep, deep center in the 7th, that he wouldn't get another chance, but he came up in the 9th for his 3rd K of the game.
The Nats are struggling, and as has been noted, Matt Williams may not last long as their manager. He has been criticized for his pitching moves (or lack of moves) and as being too much by-the-book. Some of the blame has to go to some of their hitters. Ian Desmond looked good this weekend, but he is carrying a .225 average, Rendon is at .247 and Zimmerman is at .219. Their pitchers, so good at the start of the season, were chased early and often by the Giants this weekend, and that chews up a bullpen. Sound familiar? And kharma-wise, Jonathan Papelbon cannot help a team.
But enough about them. The Giants are 6 games into a home-and-away 13 game stretch before an off day. They are heading to St. Louis for 3 and Pittsburgh for 4. Madison Bumgarner just bookended the home stand with complete games. Peavy gave us 5 2/3, Cain 4 2/3, Vogie 5 and Heston 6 1/3. In the past 7 days, Kontos has thrown 3 1/3 innings in 3 games, Petit 2 innings, Affeldt 1 inning, Romo 2 1/3 innings in 3 games (and looked damn good doing it), Hunter 2 innings, Casilla 1 innings, Lopez 2/3 innings in 2 games and Osich 1 1/3 innings in 2 games. That is, considering last Monday's off day, 13 1/3 innings in a week. Leake is expected to be start Tuesday, which frees up Vogie to spell Matt Cain, if necessary, or pitch long relief. Let's take some of this magic on the road and tamp down on some Cardinal and Pirate dreams!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Sweet Sweep
I imagine the doggers are pretty tired of AT&T Park this season. There are several reasons for this:
1) It's cold,
2) Most spectators are not supportive of their efforts,
3) They don't score runs for like, 3 straight games,
4) Madison Bumgarner hits home runs off of their ace, and
5) They haven't won a single game.
That is, they haven't won a game in 6 tries at AT&T, for 7 - 2 record against LA half way through the season's match ups. Madison Bumgarner was on the mound today, and sometimes, in the batter's box. Can you say that a guy who throws a shutout struggled? Madison was missing with his sliders and curve balls to start the game, he got the sliders to start working about the end of the 2nd inning, and it was until the 4th when his curve balls were consistent. He walked 2 and gave up 7 hits, and an error put people on base when they should have been out of the fourth inning. He threw 107 pitches and was out of the game with one out in the 7th inning. Madison struck out 6. Clayton Kershaw, of course, was matched up against Maddy, and he seemed a bit more comfortable on the mound, although he also gave up 7 hits and 2 runs and was responsible for the baserunners that scored the other 2, and was tagged for the loss.
About those runs: Madison Bumgarner also hit the game-winning rbi, a rocket shot home run into the left field bleachers on the first pitch he saw from Kershaw in the 3rd inning. That was reportedly the first home run Clayton Kershaw had ever given up to a pitcher. Hunter Pence, who, for some reason, has a horrible track record against Kershaw, singled in Angel Pagan in the 4th. In the 8th, after Buster Posey had finally solved Kershaw for a hit, sending Pagan to 3rd base and ending Kershaw's afternoon, Pence hit an rbi single to score Pagan, that, had not Chris Hatcher deflected the ball as it bounced over the mound, might have been a double play. Brandon Crawford also singled in the 8th to score Posey.
Let us pause here to consider the bullpen. During these three games, we have seen some great starting pitching, but also: Machi, Lopez, Romo, Casilla, Machi, Lopez, Affeldt, Kontos, Lopez, Romo, and Casilla. 6 1/3 innings, 0 runs allowed. The doggers stranded 17 RISP. The Giants have won 6 straight games and 7 of their last 9. They are 14 - 5 in May. Did I mention that Madison Bumgarner hit a home run?
1) It's cold,
2) Most spectators are not supportive of their efforts,
3) They don't score runs for like, 3 straight games,
4) Madison Bumgarner hits home runs off of their ace, and
5) They haven't won a single game.
That is, they haven't won a game in 6 tries at AT&T, for 7 - 2 record against LA half way through the season's match ups. Madison Bumgarner was on the mound today, and sometimes, in the batter's box. Can you say that a guy who throws a shutout struggled? Madison was missing with his sliders and curve balls to start the game, he got the sliders to start working about the end of the 2nd inning, and it was until the 4th when his curve balls were consistent. He walked 2 and gave up 7 hits, and an error put people on base when they should have been out of the fourth inning. He threw 107 pitches and was out of the game with one out in the 7th inning. Madison struck out 6. Clayton Kershaw, of course, was matched up against Maddy, and he seemed a bit more comfortable on the mound, although he also gave up 7 hits and 2 runs and was responsible for the baserunners that scored the other 2, and was tagged for the loss.
About those runs: Madison Bumgarner also hit the game-winning rbi, a rocket shot home run into the left field bleachers on the first pitch he saw from Kershaw in the 3rd inning. That was reportedly the first home run Clayton Kershaw had ever given up to a pitcher. Hunter Pence, who, for some reason, has a horrible track record against Kershaw, singled in Angel Pagan in the 4th. In the 8th, after Buster Posey had finally solved Kershaw for a hit, sending Pagan to 3rd base and ending Kershaw's afternoon, Pence hit an rbi single to score Pagan, that, had not Chris Hatcher deflected the ball as it bounced over the mound, might have been a double play. Brandon Crawford also singled in the 8th to score Posey.
Let us pause here to consider the bullpen. During these three games, we have seen some great starting pitching, but also: Machi, Lopez, Romo, Casilla, Machi, Lopez, Affeldt, Kontos, Lopez, Romo, and Casilla. 6 1/3 innings, 0 runs allowed. The doggers stranded 17 RISP. The Giants have won 6 straight games and 7 of their last 9. They are 14 - 5 in May. Did I mention that Madison Bumgarner hit a home run?
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