SD 8 SF 4
I said the Giants needed a winning streak. More like a team-wide blood transfusion!
Perhaps they'll play better on the road.
Pablo Sandoval, it seems, got his final at-bat of 2019. Was it his last time in a Giants uniform? Probably. His next step is Tommy John surgery. He'll be 34 next August and has logged almost 10,000 innings (9646) in his career.
The Panda is certainly a unique, unforgettable ballplayer. He gets full-page treatment in The Big Book of Giants Lore.
No rest for the weary. Tyler Beede goes at 11:15 a.m. Pacific in St. Louis tomorrow.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Showing posts with label Panda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panda. Show all posts
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Panda Power!
SF 2 SD 1 (11)
No, that's not a re-run of a previous game. It's a whole new extra-inning win on a Sandoval homer. And five shutout innings from the bullpen. That's just the way these Giants roll! They won a bunch of games earlier in the month by clobbering the ball and scoring a heap o'runs. Lately they've struggled to score but are still managing to win games. Neither team could do much last night. The Padres had three singles, a double, and a solo homer. The Giants had two singles, two doubles, and a solo homer. If you like low-scoring pitching duels, you are in the right place. Jeff Samardzija bounced back with a good start and has put together an impressive July: 32-2/3 IP, 23 H, 9 R, 30 K, and 6 BB with the Giants winning four of the five games. Mark Melancon has also looked good, over his last six appearances (7-2/3 IP) he's allowed only two hits, one walk, no runs, and whiffed seven. Both of them are signed through next season (and are free agents in 2021) so let's hope we continue to see good health and quality work from them.
The Diamondbacks lost so the 53-51 Giants are all alone in second place. Shaun Anderson starts today at a funny time, 5:40 Pacific. Go Giants!
--M.C.
No, that's not a re-run of a previous game. It's a whole new extra-inning win on a Sandoval homer. And five shutout innings from the bullpen. That's just the way these Giants roll! They won a bunch of games earlier in the month by clobbering the ball and scoring a heap o'runs. Lately they've struggled to score but are still managing to win games. Neither team could do much last night. The Padres had three singles, a double, and a solo homer. The Giants had two singles, two doubles, and a solo homer. If you like low-scoring pitching duels, you are in the right place. Jeff Samardzija bounced back with a good start and has put together an impressive July: 32-2/3 IP, 23 H, 9 R, 30 K, and 6 BB with the Giants winning four of the five games. Mark Melancon has also looked good, over his last six appearances (7-2/3 IP) he's allowed only two hits, one walk, no runs, and whiffed seven. Both of them are signed through next season (and are free agents in 2021) so let's hope we continue to see good health and quality work from them.
The Diamondbacks lost so the 53-51 Giants are all alone in second place. Shaun Anderson starts today at a funny time, 5:40 Pacific. Go Giants!
--M.C.
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Two outta three ain't bad
Last night: SF 5 CHC 4 (13)
Today: CHC 4 SF 1
The Giants pulled off another amazing, dramatic win on Tuesday. Madison Bumgarner gave them seven strong innings but the bullpen could not hold the lead and it went to extras. Pablo Sandoval finally ended it with a homer in the 13th.
This afternoon the Cubs beat up on Tyler Beede, getting ten hits, three of them homers. The youngster did strike out seven in his 5-2/3, and only walked one, otherwise the damage would have been worse. Javier Baez brought the big stick for Chicago and their bullpen gave them five scoreless after starter Tyler Chatwood left after four.
Taking two of three from the Cubs after three of four from the Mets means a 5-2 homestand. I have to think that's pretty damn good. Four of the Giants five wins were walk-offs. They played fifteen extra innings! But with the off-day tomorrow the team should be well-rested before their nine-game road trip. They go to San Diego for three, then have a travel day before three in Philadelphia, then it's three in Colorado. It's been a magical month (16-4, .800) so far, let's hope they can keep the fire going.
Jeff Samardzija Friday night (7:10), Shaun Anderson Saturday (5:40), and MadBum Sunday afternoon (1:05).
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Today: CHC 4 SF 1
The Giants pulled off another amazing, dramatic win on Tuesday. Madison Bumgarner gave them seven strong innings but the bullpen could not hold the lead and it went to extras. Pablo Sandoval finally ended it with a homer in the 13th.
This afternoon the Cubs beat up on Tyler Beede, getting ten hits, three of them homers. The youngster did strike out seven in his 5-2/3, and only walked one, otherwise the damage would have been worse. Javier Baez brought the big stick for Chicago and their bullpen gave them five scoreless after starter Tyler Chatwood left after four.
Taking two of three from the Cubs after three of four from the Mets means a 5-2 homestand. I have to think that's pretty damn good. Four of the Giants five wins were walk-offs. They played fifteen extra innings! But with the off-day tomorrow the team should be well-rested before their nine-game road trip. They go to San Diego for three, then have a travel day before three in Philadelphia, then it's three in Colorado. It's been a magical month (16-4, .800) so far, let's hope they can keep the fire going.
Jeff Samardzija Friday night (7:10), Shaun Anderson Saturday (5:40), and MadBum Sunday afternoon (1:05).
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Pitching & Defense
SF 3 AZ 2 (10)
A couple of old friends showed up today in Arizona and led the Giants to a series victory. Starter Drew Pomeranz walked five but didn't give up the long ball. In fact he made it until the 4th before they scored off him, and he helped the D-Backs out with a walk and two wild pitches. The Giants conjured up their runs in the 3rd, capitalizing on two singles and two walks. The bullpen was spectacular, and a spectacular play by Brandon Crawford saved the game in the 9th. Both Steven Duggar and Joe Panik made big plays in the field as well. Panda got to play the hero, hammering a pinch-hit homer off Yoshihisa Hirano in the 10th for the game-winner. Will Smith struck out the side for the save.
The Giants looked terrible on Friday night and yet they bounced back with two wins against a good club. They didn't have much of an offense today (5 H, 5 BB, 11 K) but those stalwarts, pitching & defense, made the difference.
Andrew Suarez was called up and he makes the start tomorrow night at home against the Braves.
Go Giants!
--M.C.
A couple of old friends showed up today in Arizona and led the Giants to a series victory. Starter Drew Pomeranz walked five but didn't give up the long ball. In fact he made it until the 4th before they scored off him, and he helped the D-Backs out with a walk and two wild pitches. The Giants conjured up their runs in the 3rd, capitalizing on two singles and two walks. The bullpen was spectacular, and a spectacular play by Brandon Crawford saved the game in the 9th. Both Steven Duggar and Joe Panik made big plays in the field as well. Panda got to play the hero, hammering a pinch-hit homer off Yoshihisa Hirano in the 10th for the game-winner. Will Smith struck out the side for the save.
The Giants looked terrible on Friday night and yet they bounced back with two wins against a good club. They didn't have much of an offense today (5 H, 5 BB, 11 K) but those stalwarts, pitching & defense, made the difference.
Andrew Suarez was called up and he makes the start tomorrow night at home against the Braves.
Go Giants!
--M.C.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Pomeranz Pounded, Pablo Pitches
CIN 12 SF 4
The Panda hit a 3-run homer, too. Sandoval pitched the 8th after Nick Vincent, Pat Venditte, Sam Dyson, and Travis Bergen came on in relief. Pomeranz was responsible for the first seven runs and Venditte for the next five. Giants starters were not ready for this trip to Cincinnati. Let's hope they are ready for Coors Field.
--M.C.
p.s. Venditte hit three guys in one inning and Dyson made it four in the same frame, tying a record. Sandoval hit a guy, too, but then induced a double-play grounder.
p.p.s. Game was delayed because of bees. That happened before to the Giants and Reds but at Riverfront Stadium in 1976.
The Panda hit a 3-run homer, too. Sandoval pitched the 8th after Nick Vincent, Pat Venditte, Sam Dyson, and Travis Bergen came on in relief. Pomeranz was responsible for the first seven runs and Venditte for the next five. Giants starters were not ready for this trip to Cincinnati. Let's hope they are ready for Coors Field.
--M.C.
p.s. Venditte hit three guys in one inning and Dyson made it four in the same frame, tying a record. Sandoval hit a guy, too, but then induced a double-play grounder.
p.p.s. Game was delayed because of bees. That happened before to the Giants and Reds but at Riverfront Stadium in 1976.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Giants hit four homers!
SF 7 TOR 6
Evan Longoria, Joe Panik, Pablo Sandoval, and Brandon Belt all went deep for the Giants tonight in Toronto. It was just enough--a rare bullpen blip turned 7-2 to 7-6 in the 8th--and they held on to get their 10th win. Kevin Pillar got a rousing homecoming and responded by driving in the Giants first run in the 3rd. Jeff Samardzija delivered a typically Smarjy-style start and left after 5-1/3 having yielded two runs on five hits. Mark Melancon finished the inning. Sam Dyson pitched a scoreless 6th but loaded the bases in the 7th and was pulled for Tony Watson. The ace lefty shockingly allowed a grand slam to rookie slugger Rowdy Tellez (who is from Elk Grove) but finished the inning with the lead intact. Will Smith closed it out on 14 pitches.
Drew Pomeranz tomorrow at 1:07 PDT.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Evan Longoria, Joe Panik, Pablo Sandoval, and Brandon Belt all went deep for the Giants tonight in Toronto. It was just enough--a rare bullpen blip turned 7-2 to 7-6 in the 8th--and they held on to get their 10th win. Kevin Pillar got a rousing homecoming and responded by driving in the Giants first run in the 3rd. Jeff Samardzija delivered a typically Smarjy-style start and left after 5-1/3 having yielded two runs on five hits. Mark Melancon finished the inning. Sam Dyson pitched a scoreless 6th but loaded the bases in the 7th and was pulled for Tony Watson. The ace lefty shockingly allowed a grand slam to rookie slugger Rowdy Tellez (who is from Elk Grove) but finished the inning with the lead intact. Will Smith closed it out on 14 pitches.
Drew Pomeranz tomorrow at 1:07 PDT.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Bam-Bam's Giants Outlast Brewers
SF 8 MIL 5
Bruce Bochy turned the reins over to Hensley Muelens today as he was in Cooperstown for Trevor Hoffman's induction. The Giants probably should have scored ten runs this afternoon as they had a lot of opportunities. Thankfully Buster Posey had his best day of the season, getting four hits, driving in three, and scoring two, his bases-clearing double in the 3rd setting the tone and leading the way. Andrew Suarez got rocked a bit, eight hits and four runs allowed in his six frames, but held on enough to take advantage of the lineup's output. Gorkys Hernandez has been cold lately but hit a long homer in the 4th, and Pablo Sandoval drove in two in the 5th with a triple. Unfortunately Panda had to leave the game after that with a hamstring strain. Seems the good has to come with the bad. Andrew McCutchen was also pulled with a contusion on his foot due to too many foul balls! The final tally was 8-5, Sam Dyson allowing a homer in his inning (the 7th), but Tony Watson (8th) and Will Smith (9th) each had a clean sheet to take the final game from Milwaukee.
A win staves off the doom-and-gloom talk, usually, but the Giants go to San Diego next, and they've seen their dreams die there recently. It is only two games, thank the gods, and the Dere(c)ks get the assignments, Holland tomorrow night (Game 108, end of the 6th inning) and Rodriguez Tuesday afternoon. The team is 9-14 for the month of July and can't finish off a winning month no matter the results. They'll be in Arizona to open August, we'll see if they make a move by the trade deadline.
--M.C.
Bruce Bochy turned the reins over to Hensley Muelens today as he was in Cooperstown for Trevor Hoffman's induction. The Giants probably should have scored ten runs this afternoon as they had a lot of opportunities. Thankfully Buster Posey had his best day of the season, getting four hits, driving in three, and scoring two, his bases-clearing double in the 3rd setting the tone and leading the way. Andrew Suarez got rocked a bit, eight hits and four runs allowed in his six frames, but held on enough to take advantage of the lineup's output. Gorkys Hernandez has been cold lately but hit a long homer in the 4th, and Pablo Sandoval drove in two in the 5th with a triple. Unfortunately Panda had to leave the game after that with a hamstring strain. Seems the good has to come with the bad. Andrew McCutchen was also pulled with a contusion on his foot due to too many foul balls! The final tally was 8-5, Sam Dyson allowing a homer in his inning (the 7th), but Tony Watson (8th) and Will Smith (9th) each had a clean sheet to take the final game from Milwaukee.
A win staves off the doom-and-gloom talk, usually, but the Giants go to San Diego next, and they've seen their dreams die there recently. It is only two games, thank the gods, and the Dere(c)ks get the assignments, Holland tomorrow night (Game 108, end of the 6th inning) and Rodriguez Tuesday afternoon. The team is 9-14 for the month of July and can't finish off a winning month no matter the results. They'll be in Arizona to open August, we'll see if they make a move by the trade deadline.
--M.C.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Panda!
SF 2 CHC 1 (11)
The Giants hung on to beat the Cubs in extras after a mostly fruitless offensive evening. Kyle Hendricks had the local lads completely befuddled for 8-1/3 innings but good work by Andrew Suarez (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R) kept it close. The Giants superb bullpen added five shutout frames and that gave the lineup enough chances to put a winning rally together. The only run off Hendricks came in the 5th on a bad pickoff. Alan Hanson--who Jon Miller called "electrifying"--scored all the way from first base on the errant throw that went down the right field line. Second baseman Javier Baez hesitated after retrieving the ball and that was enough daylight for the speedster who clearly caught the Cubs infield by surprise. Pablo Sandoval delivered the game-winning hit in the 11th off Pedro Strop after Steve Cishek had loaded the bases with one out. Even when he was down 0-2 you had the feeling that Panda was the right guy in that situation with his excellent contact skills and sure enough he served one to left for the winner and the Giants had a dramatic victory.
Johnny Cueto tonight. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
UPDATE: word from Baggs is that Holland may get the start to give Cueto an extra day
The Giants hung on to beat the Cubs in extras after a mostly fruitless offensive evening. Kyle Hendricks had the local lads completely befuddled for 8-1/3 innings but good work by Andrew Suarez (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R) kept it close. The Giants superb bullpen added five shutout frames and that gave the lineup enough chances to put a winning rally together. The only run off Hendricks came in the 5th on a bad pickoff. Alan Hanson--who Jon Miller called "electrifying"--scored all the way from first base on the errant throw that went down the right field line. Second baseman Javier Baez hesitated after retrieving the ball and that was enough daylight for the speedster who clearly caught the Cubs infield by surprise. Pablo Sandoval delivered the game-winning hit in the 11th off Pedro Strop after Steve Cishek had loaded the bases with one out. Even when he was down 0-2 you had the feeling that Panda was the right guy in that situation with his excellent contact skills and sure enough he served one to left for the winner and the Giants had a dramatic victory.
Johnny Cueto tonight. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
UPDATE: word from Baggs is that Holland may get the start to give Cueto an extra day
Monday, July 9, 2018
Giants Hit, Win
I was prepared to post a much more pessimistic missive, but then the Giants won in most uncharacteristic fashion.
Madison Bumgarner for the Giants in the 4th game of this home stand against the Cardinals that continues tomorrow with the Cubs. Maddy wasn't sharp - it was probably the weakest outing since he returned from the DL, but he, and the Giants, got the win. That hasn't happened nearly enough lately - we've been getting just the opposite - good pitching and a loss.
Madison's stats don't matter much. He went 5+, gave up 4 and threw 101 pitches. When he missed, it often wasn't close. Dyson let in 1 and then Ray Black, given enough rope to nearly hang himself, let in 3. The Giants scored 13, however, to make the final score 13 - 8.
Here, however are some of the hitters' stats going back through Colorado, take from them what you will:
Buster Posey, 4 hits in his last 17 at bats in the previous 6 games, 2 for 5 today. Andrew McCutcheon, 3 hits in his last 16 at bats, 3 for 6 today. Brandon Crawford, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 1 for 4 today. Pablo Sandoval, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 3 for 5 today, including 5 rbi. Gorkys Hernandez, 4 hits in his last 21 at bats, 2 for 4 today. Alen Hanson, 5 hit in his last 19 at bats, 3 for 5 today. Brandon Belt, perhaps our one bright spot lately, 7 hits in his last 23 at bats, 2 for 3 today. The Panda hit a smashing home run to right. Steve Duggar got 2 hits.
If the Giants can breathe easier because of today, great, but it doesn't get easier. The Cubs have been playing well lately, as have the A's.
Madison Bumgarner for the Giants in the 4th game of this home stand against the Cardinals that continues tomorrow with the Cubs. Maddy wasn't sharp - it was probably the weakest outing since he returned from the DL, but he, and the Giants, got the win. That hasn't happened nearly enough lately - we've been getting just the opposite - good pitching and a loss.
Madison's stats don't matter much. He went 5+, gave up 4 and threw 101 pitches. When he missed, it often wasn't close. Dyson let in 1 and then Ray Black, given enough rope to nearly hang himself, let in 3. The Giants scored 13, however, to make the final score 13 - 8.
Here, however are some of the hitters' stats going back through Colorado, take from them what you will:
Buster Posey, 4 hits in his last 17 at bats in the previous 6 games, 2 for 5 today. Andrew McCutcheon, 3 hits in his last 16 at bats, 3 for 6 today. Brandon Crawford, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 1 for 4 today. Pablo Sandoval, 1 hit in his last 17 at bats, 3 for 5 today, including 5 rbi. Gorkys Hernandez, 4 hits in his last 21 at bats, 2 for 4 today. Alen Hanson, 5 hit in his last 19 at bats, 3 for 5 today. Brandon Belt, perhaps our one bright spot lately, 7 hits in his last 23 at bats, 2 for 3 today. The Panda hit a smashing home run to right. Steve Duggar got 2 hits.
If the Giants can breathe easier because of today, great, but it doesn't get easier. The Cubs have been playing well lately, as have the A's.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Ty One On
SF 6 MIA 3 (16)
The Giants finally break the curse of the Fish with a 16-inning win that featured a superb long relief performance (6-2/3 scoreless innings) from Ty Blach. Hunter Strickland, pitching with a 3-2 lead in the 9th, was victimized by an error on a popup from Joe Panik and that put the tying run on second base. Two sacrifices later the Giants had blown another lead and the Marlins were thinking sweep. Fortunately the game lasted long enough for Pablo Sandoval to get his first hit of the day which drove in the first two of the winning three-run rally. Speaking of three, that's how many times Panda walked today. That's normally a month's worth of walks for the free-swinging bad-ball hitter we all know and love. It seems he's been working on new approaches at the plate and it is paying off with a respectable .271/.341/.424 slash line. Andrew McCutchen and Alen Hanson each had three hits with Cutch delivering another two-run shot (he's heating up). Hanson was in the game because Evan Longoria got hit by a pitch and fractured his pinky. Hey, let's get all the guys in on the DL-action! Such fun! The one-two hitters (Panik and Buster Posey, who caught the whole game) were 0-for-12.
A win is a welcome relief. Now it's a showdown in LA with the Dodgers who have been playing really well (9 wins in 11 games). Derek Holland, Madison Bumgarner, and Chris Stratton get the starts.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Giants finally break the curse of the Fish with a 16-inning win that featured a superb long relief performance (6-2/3 scoreless innings) from Ty Blach. Hunter Strickland, pitching with a 3-2 lead in the 9th, was victimized by an error on a popup from Joe Panik and that put the tying run on second base. Two sacrifices later the Giants had blown another lead and the Marlins were thinking sweep. Fortunately the game lasted long enough for Pablo Sandoval to get his first hit of the day which drove in the first two of the winning three-run rally. Speaking of three, that's how many times Panda walked today. That's normally a month's worth of walks for the free-swinging bad-ball hitter we all know and love. It seems he's been working on new approaches at the plate and it is paying off with a respectable .271/.341/.424 slash line. Andrew McCutchen and Alen Hanson each had three hits with Cutch delivering another two-run shot (he's heating up). Hanson was in the game because Evan Longoria got hit by a pitch and fractured his pinky. Hey, let's get all the guys in on the DL-action! Such fun! The one-two hitters (Panik and Buster Posey, who caught the whole game) were 0-for-12.
A win is a welcome relief. Now it's a showdown in LA with the Dodgers who have been playing really well (9 wins in 11 games). Derek Holland, Madison Bumgarner, and Chris Stratton get the starts.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Friday, June 8, 2018
Congratulations, Golden State Warriors
An awesome, awesome team.
And a good day for the Bay Area. The Giants won, too. If the Warriors had not won a championship, I would have titled the post, "Giants Go On Road, Bring Bats" because, you know, that is kind of unusual. But they did!
Steven Strasburg on the mound for the Washington Nationals. He didn't last long, only 2 innings by which time the Giants were ahead 3 - 0, thanks to an Andrew McCutcheon home run in the 1st and rbis from Alen Hanson and Hunter Pence in the 2nd. Andrew Suarez on the mound for the Giants, following up his best performance so far (3 hits, no runs vs Philadelphia). He got into trouble in the 5th, but not before we got to see a Suarez - Suero matchup (Wander Suero was the 3rd Nats pitcher). By then it was 5 - 0 Giants (2 run Hanson home run in the 4th, solo shot from Gorkys in the 5th). By the time Suarez was pulled, Washington had scored 4. Moronta finished the 5th, Melancon gave up 1 in the 6th to make it 6 - 5 Giants, and the Giants tacked on 3 in the 7th to for a final score of 9 - 5.
The 7th inning saw a bunch of hits. Panik doubled, Posey singled, Crawford HBP, Sandoval singled for an rbi, Longoria sac flied for an rbi and Pence picked up his second rbi with a single. That is the kind of hitting that can turn into a good road trip. Suarez pitched fairly well, without the stellar result of his last outing - he gave up some ground balls that could have been outs on another day. The Giants many-headed sort-of-monstrous relievers did their job (Moronta / Melancon / Watson / Dyson / Smith). The Nats used 7 pitchers, maybe that will help the Giants tomorrow or Sunday.
And a good day for the Bay Area. The Giants won, too. If the Warriors had not won a championship, I would have titled the post, "Giants Go On Road, Bring Bats" because, you know, that is kind of unusual. But they did!
Steven Strasburg on the mound for the Washington Nationals. He didn't last long, only 2 innings by which time the Giants were ahead 3 - 0, thanks to an Andrew McCutcheon home run in the 1st and rbis from Alen Hanson and Hunter Pence in the 2nd. Andrew Suarez on the mound for the Giants, following up his best performance so far (3 hits, no runs vs Philadelphia). He got into trouble in the 5th, but not before we got to see a Suarez - Suero matchup (Wander Suero was the 3rd Nats pitcher). By then it was 5 - 0 Giants (2 run Hanson home run in the 4th, solo shot from Gorkys in the 5th). By the time Suarez was pulled, Washington had scored 4. Moronta finished the 5th, Melancon gave up 1 in the 6th to make it 6 - 5 Giants, and the Giants tacked on 3 in the 7th to for a final score of 9 - 5.
The 7th inning saw a bunch of hits. Panik doubled, Posey singled, Crawford HBP, Sandoval singled for an rbi, Longoria sac flied for an rbi and Pence picked up his second rbi with a single. That is the kind of hitting that can turn into a good road trip. Suarez pitched fairly well, without the stellar result of his last outing - he gave up some ground balls that could have been outs on another day. The Giants many-headed sort-of-monstrous relievers did their job (Moronta / Melancon / Watson / Dyson / Smith). The Nats used 7 pitchers, maybe that will help the Giants tomorrow or Sunday.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Three in a row
SF 5 CIN 3
The Giants pinch-hit for Ty Blach after only four innings and 62 pitches but it paid off as Pablo Sandoval drove in two to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 tie. Two batters later it was 4-3 San Francisco and the bullpen hung on for the win. An insurance run fueled by a nit-picky Joe West balk call (hey, we'll take it) in the 8th sealed the deal. Kelby Tomlinson's error with two outs in the 3rd was followed by a two-run homer to make it 2-0 Reds but he redeemed himself with the RBI hit to make it 5-3, driving in Brandon Crawford. BCraw was 4-for-4 and was balked to second base before Tomlinson's single. The relief corps did the heroic work with five shutout innings. Pierce Johnson held the line in the 5th and Will Smith (6th), Sam Dyson (7th), and Tony Watson (8th) each had two strikeouts in their frames. Hunter Strickland got two quick grounders in the 9th and struck out Joey Votto to end it. Zo pointed out earlier that the Giants have a plethora of closer-types even with Mark Melancon on the DL, that bodes well for the rest of the season.
Brandon Belt blasted a splash hit to start the scoring in the 4th, that's two homers in two games. Brandon Crawford is killing it, 9-for his last-12, and hitting .455 in May. You have to like that!
Andy Suarez at 12:45 tomorrow with a chance for a series sweep.
--M.C.
The Giants pinch-hit for Ty Blach after only four innings and 62 pitches but it paid off as Pablo Sandoval drove in two to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 tie. Two batters later it was 4-3 San Francisco and the bullpen hung on for the win. An insurance run fueled by a nit-picky Joe West balk call (hey, we'll take it) in the 8th sealed the deal. Kelby Tomlinson's error with two outs in the 3rd was followed by a two-run homer to make it 2-0 Reds but he redeemed himself with the RBI hit to make it 5-3, driving in Brandon Crawford. BCraw was 4-for-4 and was balked to second base before Tomlinson's single. The relief corps did the heroic work with five shutout innings. Pierce Johnson held the line in the 5th and Will Smith (6th), Sam Dyson (7th), and Tony Watson (8th) each had two strikeouts in their frames. Hunter Strickland got two quick grounders in the 9th and struck out Joey Votto to end it. Zo pointed out earlier that the Giants have a plethora of closer-types even with Mark Melancon on the DL, that bodes well for the rest of the season.
Brandon Belt blasted a splash hit to start the scoring in the 4th, that's two homers in two games. Brandon Crawford is killing it, 9-for his last-12, and hitting .455 in May. You have to like that!
Andy Suarez at 12:45 tomorrow with a chance for a series sweep.
--M.C.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Moore and Panda pace Giants
SF 9 CHW 2
If you thought "Pacific Bell" or "AT&T" were lousy names for a ballpark, how about "Guaranteed Rate" instead? Yeesh. But I'm sure it's very nice. At least that's what my mom would say. "I'm sure it's very nice." Well it was very nice for the Giants tonight as they thrashed the White Sox behind a resurgent Matt Moore. Pablo Sandoval did that rarest of all things for the 2017 Giants--he hit a three-run homer. Now that's slump-busting! I think Matt Moore is a very important fellow in the big scheme of things. The Giants rely on good starting pitching, it all works off of that. At least with the current Sabean/Evans/Bochy triumvirate. Even if they did convince the Florida Marlins to give up Giancarlo Stanton for Chris Shaw, Chris Stratton, Christian Arroyo, and Tyler Beede, they'd still need good starters. So let's see some more good stuff from Moore. Brandon Crawford had three hits, you have to like that. And Reyes Moronta, if you haven't noticed, is serving notice.
--M.C.
If you thought "Pacific Bell" or "AT&T" were lousy names for a ballpark, how about "Guaranteed Rate" instead? Yeesh. But I'm sure it's very nice. At least that's what my mom would say. "I'm sure it's very nice." Well it was very nice for the Giants tonight as they thrashed the White Sox behind a resurgent Matt Moore. Pablo Sandoval did that rarest of all things for the 2017 Giants--he hit a three-run homer. Now that's slump-busting! I think Matt Moore is a very important fellow in the big scheme of things. The Giants rely on good starting pitching, it all works off of that. At least with the current Sabean/Evans/Bochy triumvirate. Even if they did convince the Florida Marlins to give up Giancarlo Stanton for Chris Shaw, Chris Stratton, Christian Arroyo, and Tyler Beede, they'd still need good starters. So let's see some more good stuff from Moore. Brandon Crawford had three hits, you have to like that. And Reyes Moronta, if you haven't noticed, is serving notice.
--M.C.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Comeback!
The Giants beat the Diamondbacks in 10 innings last night 5-4 after falling behind 4-0 in the 6th. There have not been a lot of wins this season and there have been even fewer of the come-from-behind variety. So, let's take a moment to enjoy it. Chris Stratton took Matt Cain's spot in the rotation and George Kontos' spot on the roster and he delivered a rookie-level start with 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 W, and 4 K. He threw 95 pitches to 24 batters. Stratton was the team's first-round pick in 2012 (#20), a draft notable for the "new generation" of spectacular shortstops (Carlos Correa #1, Addison Russell #11, and Corey Seager #18). He's thrown almost 700 innings in the minors and has yet to show the dominance he flashed at Mississippi State when he was a consensus All-American. Nonetheless he's produced solid results over his 119 starts and at 26-going-on-27 it is time to see what he can do in the bigs. Pitchers from that 2012 first-round bunch that have delivered over 5.0 bWAR are Kevin Gausman (#4), Michael Wacha (#19), Marcus Stroman (#22), and Lance McCullers (#41, a supplemental pick).
The other item of note was of course the appearance of Pablo Sandoval at the hot corner. He made a throwing error that led to a run but also had a leadoff double to start the Giants scoring in the 7th. It's hard to believe he is only turning 31 this week. Seems like he's been around a long time, then again he did make his debut at the tender age of 22 in 2008. The stars of that 2008 club were Tim Lincecum, now out of of baseball, and Matt Cain, probably not far behind him. Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, and Jonathan Sanchez were also on that team. Ten years is a long time in baseball.
Jeff Samardzija today. Giants have 43 wins, they need 20 more.
--M.C.
The other item of note was of course the appearance of Pablo Sandoval at the hot corner. He made a throwing error that led to a run but also had a leadoff double to start the Giants scoring in the 7th. It's hard to believe he is only turning 31 this week. Seems like he's been around a long time, then again he did make his debut at the tender age of 22 in 2008. The stars of that 2008 club were Tim Lincecum, now out of of baseball, and Matt Cain, probably not far behind him. Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, and Jonathan Sanchez were also on that team. Ten years is a long time in baseball.
Jeff Samardzija today. Giants have 43 wins, they need 20 more.
--M.C.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Giants Win Game 1 of the 2014 World Series
I could have gone with a different title, like "Madison Bumgarner's World Series ERA Soars!" But that would have been deceptive. Not that I am above that sort of thing, but it feels so good to type that the Giants have won game 1. First, I am still on a cloud that they are even in the 2014 World Series, and then I am coming to the realization that they look pretty good in this contest.
With our ace on the mound, the Giants brought some bats and did not hesitate to use them. Blanco led off the game with a single, moved to 2nd on Panik's long out, to 3rd on Buster's single, and scored when Pablo Sandoval doubled to the wall in right. Posey was thrown out trying to score from 1st, but it took an excellent throw to get him. With 1 run and 2 outs, Hunter Pence promptly homered to center field to make it 3 - 0 before Kansas City could hit.
The only baserunner for Kansas City was Lorenzo Cain in the 1st, hit on the back ankle by a pitch as Madison Bumgarner was still trying to get all his "stuff" working. The Giants held, and with the help of a double play, kept Kansas City from scoring in the second. In the 3rd, it looked like Kansas City was ready to tighten up the game. Omar Infante went to 1st on Brandon Crawford's inability to field a ground ball cleanly, and to 3rd on Mike Moustakas' double. Madison toughened up and struck out the next 2 batters before walking Cain. An Eric Hosmer ground out ended that threat, and Kansas City never really threatened again. Madison went 7 strong, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 5 in 106 pitches. He gave up his first run in his World Series history (21 innings!) in the 7th to Pablo's friend Salvador Perez. That makes Madison's World Series ERA 0.43, which is still pretty good.
When the Giants came to bat in the 4th, Hunter Pence doubled and went to 3rd on a wild pitch. Brandon Belt walked, and Michael Morse's single chased James Shields from the game. Danny Duffy lasted 3 innings and gave up 2 runs, but after 59 pitches (71 for Shields), he will probably not available tomorrow as a long reliever. The final was 7-1. Joe Panik got into the act with an rbi triple in the 7th, Gregor Blanco was on base 3 times and was credited with an rbi for a walk when the bases were loaded, and Pablo Sandoval picked up a second rbi to score Panik. The Giants had 10 hits on the night.
You have to love it when the Giants show up with bats. Pence hit a home run and a double, looking like a stud. Morse hit. Blanco looked good at the plate and in the field. Everyone in the line up hit except Travis Ishikawa and his replacement, Juan Perez. Strickland (pitching the 9th) looked good. Madison snared two line drives and started a double play. This team has every reason to be confident. Winning game 1 in Kansas City is huge.
With our ace on the mound, the Giants brought some bats and did not hesitate to use them. Blanco led off the game with a single, moved to 2nd on Panik's long out, to 3rd on Buster's single, and scored when Pablo Sandoval doubled to the wall in right. Posey was thrown out trying to score from 1st, but it took an excellent throw to get him. With 1 run and 2 outs, Hunter Pence promptly homered to center field to make it 3 - 0 before Kansas City could hit.
The only baserunner for Kansas City was Lorenzo Cain in the 1st, hit on the back ankle by a pitch as Madison Bumgarner was still trying to get all his "stuff" working. The Giants held, and with the help of a double play, kept Kansas City from scoring in the second. In the 3rd, it looked like Kansas City was ready to tighten up the game. Omar Infante went to 1st on Brandon Crawford's inability to field a ground ball cleanly, and to 3rd on Mike Moustakas' double. Madison toughened up and struck out the next 2 batters before walking Cain. An Eric Hosmer ground out ended that threat, and Kansas City never really threatened again. Madison went 7 strong, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 5 in 106 pitches. He gave up his first run in his World Series history (21 innings!) in the 7th to Pablo's friend Salvador Perez. That makes Madison's World Series ERA 0.43, which is still pretty good.
When the Giants came to bat in the 4th, Hunter Pence doubled and went to 3rd on a wild pitch. Brandon Belt walked, and Michael Morse's single chased James Shields from the game. Danny Duffy lasted 3 innings and gave up 2 runs, but after 59 pitches (71 for Shields), he will probably not available tomorrow as a long reliever. The final was 7-1. Joe Panik got into the act with an rbi triple in the 7th, Gregor Blanco was on base 3 times and was credited with an rbi for a walk when the bases were loaded, and Pablo Sandoval picked up a second rbi to score Panik. The Giants had 10 hits on the night.
You have to love it when the Giants show up with bats. Pence hit a home run and a double, looking like a stud. Morse hit. Blanco looked good at the plate and in the field. Everyone in the line up hit except Travis Ishikawa and his replacement, Juan Perez. Strickland (pitching the 9th) looked good. Madison snared two line drives and started a double play. This team has every reason to be confident. Winning game 1 in Kansas City is huge.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Giants Play Two Games, Win One
I remember thinking when Anthony Rendon got that two-out hit in the 3rd to score a run that it was a key moment. That this game was going to be one of those World Cup soccer things, you know, "one-in-and-done." Sure enough Nationals starter Jordan Zimmerman overpowered the Giants after that, only to walk rookie Joe Panik with two outs in the 9th. The Giants had gone 0-for-20 before then, so even though it brought Buster Posey to the plate it still seemed like a vain effort. And a wasted brilliant start from Tim Hudson, who had only the one lapse and otherwise matched zeroes with Zimmerman. Nats manager Matt Williams took out an ad in Second-guessers Wanted however, and brought in his closer Drew Storen to get the final out. Buster promptly cracked a single and Pablo Sandoval dug out an opposite-field double to bring home the tying run. Buster was thrown out at the plate in a very close play that required review and the game went to extras. I was "oh-no-ing" well before I saw the relay, he could have been out by a lot if it had been on the line. As it was Wilson Ramos had to make a sweep tag and he pulled it off with an inch at best to spare. I guess you can't fault the aggressiveness there, a lot of guys with "an extra step" would have scored. They hadn't done anything on offense for most of the game, so you can understand going for the win with the tie in hand.
So, the epic struggle went on into the night. The Nats scored a run in the 3rd and that was it. They played 15 more innings and could not put something on the board against the Giants. It was an awesome display of bullpen power, with Yusmeiro Petit earning MVP (most valuable 'penner) with a spectacular six scoreless. Washington has a great relief corps as well and they kept the Giants quiet for another long stretch. It got to the point where you knew it would be one of those games decided by a bomb. Brandon Belt, bless his heart, launched a massive home run to lead off the 18th and victory was in sight. Rookie Hunter Strickland blasted his way through the bottom of the 18th to get the save and the Giants went up two-nil in the series. Boch has a lot of faith in that kid--after he got tagged twice yesterday I admit I was scared to see him get the ball. But Strickland quickly asserted himself and showed great poise in a tense situation and got the outs to end it. Way to go, Hunter!
The Giants and Nationals played a nine-inning game that ended in a 1-1 tie. The Giants scored with their very last chance and just missed taking the lead. Then the Giants and Nationals played a second nine-inning game and the Giants hit a home run in the final inning to win 1-0. It was an extraordinary night of baseball that went past the stroke of midnight and featured great pitching and clean fielding coupled with some dramatic scoring moments. And the best thing is that the GIANTS came out on top.
Giants used everyone except Joaquin Arias (and Tim Lincecum). Madison Bungarner gets the ball on Monday in San Francisco with a chance to sweep the number one seed and advance to the LCS.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
So, the epic struggle went on into the night. The Nats scored a run in the 3rd and that was it. They played 15 more innings and could not put something on the board against the Giants. It was an awesome display of bullpen power, with Yusmeiro Petit earning MVP (most valuable 'penner) with a spectacular six scoreless. Washington has a great relief corps as well and they kept the Giants quiet for another long stretch. It got to the point where you knew it would be one of those games decided by a bomb. Brandon Belt, bless his heart, launched a massive home run to lead off the 18th and victory was in sight. Rookie Hunter Strickland blasted his way through the bottom of the 18th to get the save and the Giants went up two-nil in the series. Boch has a lot of faith in that kid--after he got tagged twice yesterday I admit I was scared to see him get the ball. But Strickland quickly asserted himself and showed great poise in a tense situation and got the outs to end it. Way to go, Hunter!
The Giants and Nationals played a nine-inning game that ended in a 1-1 tie. The Giants scored with their very last chance and just missed taking the lead. Then the Giants and Nationals played a second nine-inning game and the Giants hit a home run in the final inning to win 1-0. It was an extraordinary night of baseball that went past the stroke of midnight and featured great pitching and clean fielding coupled with some dramatic scoring moments. And the best thing is that the GIANTS came out on top.
Giants used everyone except Joaquin Arias (and Tim Lincecum). Madison Bungarner gets the ball on Monday in San Francisco with a chance to sweep the number one seed and advance to the LCS.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saaa - weeeeep!
The Giants completed a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend who were first in the National League Central Division and are currently tied for first as a result of the Giants efforts. That gives them 6 wins in a row and, in the past week, they have managed to gain 2 games on front-running LA.
The numbers the Giants put up were impressive. Madison Bumgarner tied the league leaders with his 16th win. He threw 96 pitches in 6 innings, gave up 5 hits and 1 run and struck out 7. He knocked his ERA to less than 3.00. He got into some trouble in the first, giving up two singles to the first two batters to put runners at first and third. Then, Ryan Braun hit into a double play, Crawford to Panik to Morse. Brandon Crawford has played some spectacular defense lately, and I'm thinking I could get used to watching a lot of BCraw to Panik double play pivots.
Behind 1 - 0 after the first, the Giants scored in the second to tie the game, added 3 in the third to take the lead and never looked back. They also scored in the fifth (2), sixth (1), seventh (7) and eighth (1). The final was 15 - 5. For those who keep track of such things, that is a collective 31 - 8 whupping the Giants have laid on the Brewers.
1 home run (Panda). 3 triples (Panda, Pence and Panik). 6 doubles (2 for Pence, 2 for Susac, Blanco and Arias). 16 hits total. 3 rbi for Panda and Susac, 2 rbi for Pence and Panik, and an rbi for Pagan, Morse, Crawford and Arias. The Giants got 15 runs without Buster Posey in the game.
In the seventh, Madison was relieved by George Kontos. Kontos went 2/3 of an inning and gave up a home run to Martin Maldonado. Javier Lopez relieved him for the final out. Tim Lincecum came in for the final two innings. It did not go well. Tim gave up a solo home run to Ryan Braun in the eighth and hit Maldonado with a pitch and gave up an assortment of hits (including a past ball) to allow 2 more runs in the ninth. So I guess Tim will not be starting in relief in the suspended game in Colorado tomorrow.
It is a good thing that the Giants are scoring well, finally, as they have the make-up game and three more to play in Colorado. It does not look particularly easy after that. They go to Detroit from Colorado, currently scrapping for the American League Central Division lead. Then they play Arizona at home before our last home stand against LA. Then a road trip to Arizona, San Diego and Los Angeles before our final 4 game series at home against San Diego. San Diego is one of those kind of teams that worry me. They are out of the race, as is Arizona, but have been playing well lately (they just took 2 of 3 from LA after taking 2 of 3 from Milwaukee). It is the time of year when you get a bunch of young players who tend to swing for the fences to try to impress someone.
The Giants' starting pitching is going great. Well, maybe not Tim, but there's still hope and Yusmeiro looks like a good fill in. Their hitting is going great and just in the nick of time. Their relief looks a little spotty, but really, they were nails until the last couple of games, so on the whole, still great.
The numbers the Giants put up were impressive. Madison Bumgarner tied the league leaders with his 16th win. He threw 96 pitches in 6 innings, gave up 5 hits and 1 run and struck out 7. He knocked his ERA to less than 3.00. He got into some trouble in the first, giving up two singles to the first two batters to put runners at first and third. Then, Ryan Braun hit into a double play, Crawford to Panik to Morse. Brandon Crawford has played some spectacular defense lately, and I'm thinking I could get used to watching a lot of BCraw to Panik double play pivots.
Behind 1 - 0 after the first, the Giants scored in the second to tie the game, added 3 in the third to take the lead and never looked back. They also scored in the fifth (2), sixth (1), seventh (7) and eighth (1). The final was 15 - 5. For those who keep track of such things, that is a collective 31 - 8 whupping the Giants have laid on the Brewers.
1 home run (Panda). 3 triples (Panda, Pence and Panik). 6 doubles (2 for Pence, 2 for Susac, Blanco and Arias). 16 hits total. 3 rbi for Panda and Susac, 2 rbi for Pence and Panik, and an rbi for Pagan, Morse, Crawford and Arias. The Giants got 15 runs without Buster Posey in the game.
In the seventh, Madison was relieved by George Kontos. Kontos went 2/3 of an inning and gave up a home run to Martin Maldonado. Javier Lopez relieved him for the final out. Tim Lincecum came in for the final two innings. It did not go well. Tim gave up a solo home run to Ryan Braun in the eighth and hit Maldonado with a pitch and gave up an assortment of hits (including a past ball) to allow 2 more runs in the ninth. So I guess Tim will not be starting in relief in the suspended game in Colorado tomorrow.
It is a good thing that the Giants are scoring well, finally, as they have the make-up game and three more to play in Colorado. It does not look particularly easy after that. They go to Detroit from Colorado, currently scrapping for the American League Central Division lead. Then they play Arizona at home before our last home stand against LA. Then a road trip to Arizona, San Diego and Los Angeles before our final 4 game series at home against San Diego. San Diego is one of those kind of teams that worry me. They are out of the race, as is Arizona, but have been playing well lately (they just took 2 of 3 from LA after taking 2 of 3 from Milwaukee). It is the time of year when you get a bunch of young players who tend to swing for the fences to try to impress someone.
The Giants' starting pitching is going great. Well, maybe not Tim, but there's still hope and Yusmeiro looks like a good fill in. Their hitting is going great and just in the nick of time. Their relief looks a little spotty, but really, they were nails until the last couple of games, so on the whole, still great.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Giants Lose, then Win
After the longest rain delay in history (lasting for nearly 48 hours), the Giants were unable win the first game of the series in Chicago. Having already won the second game, they did, however, win the rubber match.
It sure felt like a downer by the time the first inning was over, though. The Giants scored in the first, with Pablo Sandoval hitting in Angel Pagan. That's the sort of thing that is supposed to be happening, but it seems like it has been a long time since it clicked. In the bottom of the first, Madison Bumgarner gave up 3 runs on 2 Cubbie long balls, to Justin Ruggiano and Welington Castillo. You're forgiven if you don't recognize a lot of Cubs, they are banking on a bunch of youngsters who tend to be fierce swingers. Madison settled down though, and those 3 were the extent of the Cubs's scoring.
Madison went 7 innings, gave up 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 12, a high, in 116 pitches. 4 of those K's were hung on Javier Baez, the highly-touted rookie. Relief from Lopez, Romo and Castillo gave up 2 hits, but were never really in trouble. Madison also picked up an rbi, his 13th of the year. He was facing Travis Wood, who, like Madison, has 3 home runs - this year.
The Giants kept hitting until they totaled 5 runs, coming one at a time in the first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh. And speaking of hits, Buster Posey went 4 for 4 with a home run and 2 doubles. Pablo Sandoval went 3 for 4, with 2 doubles and 2 rbi.
I was disappointed that they could not come back and win the first game. They had 11 hits in the game stretched over the two days, including 2 in the ninth inning, but couldn't manage more than the 1 run. A sweep would have been nice. So I guess that the Giants did not pick up a game on LA. We now have to go to Washington (I understand the Giants will land there about 7 am). Washington has won their last 10 games. But I did like some things: Joe Panik hitting (although he did not get a hit in this game), Pablo Sandoval hitting, Buster Posey hitting, and Brandon Crawford hitting.
It sure felt like a downer by the time the first inning was over, though. The Giants scored in the first, with Pablo Sandoval hitting in Angel Pagan. That's the sort of thing that is supposed to be happening, but it seems like it has been a long time since it clicked. In the bottom of the first, Madison Bumgarner gave up 3 runs on 2 Cubbie long balls, to Justin Ruggiano and Welington Castillo. You're forgiven if you don't recognize a lot of Cubs, they are banking on a bunch of youngsters who tend to be fierce swingers. Madison settled down though, and those 3 were the extent of the Cubs's scoring.
Madison went 7 innings, gave up 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 12, a high, in 116 pitches. 4 of those K's were hung on Javier Baez, the highly-touted rookie. Relief from Lopez, Romo and Castillo gave up 2 hits, but were never really in trouble. Madison also picked up an rbi, his 13th of the year. He was facing Travis Wood, who, like Madison, has 3 home runs - this year.
The Giants kept hitting until they totaled 5 runs, coming one at a time in the first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh. And speaking of hits, Buster Posey went 4 for 4 with a home run and 2 doubles. Pablo Sandoval went 3 for 4, with 2 doubles and 2 rbi.
I was disappointed that they could not come back and win the first game. They had 11 hits in the game stretched over the two days, including 2 in the ninth inning, but couldn't manage more than the 1 run. A sweep would have been nice. So I guess that the Giants did not pick up a game on LA. We now have to go to Washington (I understand the Giants will land there about 7 am). Washington has won their last 10 games. But I did like some things: Joe Panik hitting (although he did not get a hit in this game), Pablo Sandoval hitting, Buster Posey hitting, and Brandon Crawford hitting.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Bruce Bochy, Morse Whisperer
A struggling Mike Morse got a message from the skipper:
Henry Schulman had more to say, this time about Matt Cain:
The team is 62-52 or .544 and will finish with 88 wins at that pace. To get to 90 wins means 28-20 (.583) the rest of the way and 92 wins will require 30-18 or a .625 pace. No matter the math they have to play good ball. Getting 14 hits tonight is certainly a start!
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
“I’ll remind him that we’re in this position with a lot of his help,” Bochy said. “At times he was carrying us with big hits, not just home runs, but big hits. He’s got to relax and back off and have some fun with this.”Sure enough the big right-hander delivered two RBI singles to lead a resurgent Giants attack in a 7-4 win in Milwaukee. Ryan Vogelsong battled most grittily for six innings and kept the Brewers in check. A rare shaky inning by the 'pen let them back in the game, but a clutch blast by Pablo after a clutch hit from rookie Joe Panik sealed the deal. It took almost four hours, but the Giants got a big win against a tough opponent. This series has been like a couple of heavyweights leaning on each other, clinching, working the ropes, hoping to find an opening for a knockout blow. The final round is tomorrow and it's all even on the judges' cards. Jake Peavy gets the ball at 12:45 Pacific.
Henry Schulman had more to say, this time about Matt Cain:
In other pregame news, Matt Cain made a rather startling revelation. He said he has not been able to extend his right arm fully since as far back as high school, and he has learned to throw without full extension. The bone chips in his elbow, which will be removed in an operation Monday, have worsened the condition.The Giants will have to win the West without Matt Cain. All of us were counting on Matt Cain to be Matt Cain, something he was not. Jake Peavy is better than the Matt Cain we saw in 2014. Matty has thrown 1800-plus innings including six consecutive 200-plus seasons. It took its toll. It's not as fun watching with my favorite player sidelined, but it has been an amazing run--30 or more starts for eight straight seasons--and it is noteworthy that he hasn't been hurt until now. When Cain came up he was the youngest player in the big leagues and doesn't turn thirty years old until this October.
"It'll be nice to know going into next year that I should be good to go and won't have to worry about anything," he said.Cain also said he didn't want to get surgery but realized he had no choice if he wanted to pitch again. So it's 2015 for Matty. Let's hope everything goes well and he can be back to full strength.
The team is 62-52 or .544 and will finish with 88 wins at that pace. To get to 90 wins means 28-20 (.583) the rest of the way and 92 wins will require 30-18 or a .625 pace. No matter the math they have to play good ball. Getting 14 hits tonight is certainly a start!
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Giants Kick Ass
That was fun to write. The Giants got their post-ASB season rolling in Miami with a big win behind Madison Bumgarner. A quick check of the standings after the Dodgers lost in St. Louis shows the good guys in first place by .001! MadBum gave up a monster shot to Giancarlo Stanton after it was already 9-0, but was otherwise back to his usual ace-like self with six strong innings. That will be increasingly important heading into August and September as the news from Camp Cain is not so good. According to Baggs Matty has a "cranky elbow" from bone chips and/or other loose bodies. He is supposed to make his pushed-back start on Tuesday. I'm a bit surprised the Giants didn't push him to get surgery in the off-season, especially after his struggles last season. Apparently they knew about his situation after an MRI in 2010! I'm also surprised Cain himself didn't consider arthroscopy, but the big fella is not much of a talker and we'll all just have to keep guessing.
Regardless, the lineup came to life with big flies from B-Craw and the Panda, and three hits apiece from Buster and Mike Morse. The team was 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Man, keep that going! Hunter Pence got on twice and scored twice and made another one of his spectacular running catches. That guy is incredibly valuable--I can't imagine where the club would be without him.
Did you see the Braves released Dan Uggla? Think the Giants will take a run at him? He's not the hitter he once was, and his glove is suspect, but if Scutaro is iffy and Panik can't carry the whole load, he might be a useful piece, and could be a big stick coming off the bench as well. I'm not arguing for Mr. Biceps, just curious what you think. And thinking that the Giants are going to make some moves in the next two weeks, so I'm keeping my eye on MLBTR.
Hudson tonight. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Regardless, the lineup came to life with big flies from B-Craw and the Panda, and three hits apiece from Buster and Mike Morse. The team was 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Man, keep that going! Hunter Pence got on twice and scored twice and made another one of his spectacular running catches. That guy is incredibly valuable--I can't imagine where the club would be without him.
Did you see the Braves released Dan Uggla? Think the Giants will take a run at him? He's not the hitter he once was, and his glove is suspect, but if Scutaro is iffy and Panik can't carry the whole load, he might be a useful piece, and could be a big stick coming off the bench as well. I'm not arguing for Mr. Biceps, just curious what you think. And thinking that the Giants are going to make some moves in the next two weeks, so I'm keeping my eye on MLBTR.
Hudson tonight. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
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