Today's game reduced the magic number to two, so beating the Padres once would end it. One more win and the 2010 Giants win the West for the first time since 2003. Today the lads muscled up and smoked some dingerz. Buster Posey is the spawn of immortals. I didn't get to see the game today, and I'm just letting the website's recaps and Duane's "outta here's" loop endlessly. Did I mention Buster Posey is the spawn of immortals? Madison Bumgarner ain't bad, either. He doesn't like to give up runs, that boy. Buster Posey is the spawn of immortals.
The Cubs and Padres are tied at 0-0 after six, but it matters not. We have one more game to win either way.
Let's get it done!!!!!
--M.C.
p.s. Padres lose, fittingly by a 1-0 score. Giants clinch a tie. The Giants and Padres have played four 1-0 games this season. The Padres have won three.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Money Tim
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS THREE.
Tim Lincecum (16-10) finished off his tumultuous 2010 regular season with a quality win against the lowly snakes. It wasn't the prettiest performance, in fact, the beginning was downright scary. Tim's second pitch was destroyed by Drew to give Arizona the early lead. Boy howdy, that was one quiet stadium. Somehow, that was all he gave up though. Tim kept us on the edge of our seat for the next four innings; throwing a ton of pitches and giving up base runners but always wriggling out of trouble.
Then it all changed after Pat the Bat crushed a 3 run homer.
It doesn't seem like much does it? Three lousy runs. But for The Freak, three runs of support is like money in the bank. Lincecum is now an amazing 45-3 (.938) with a 2.75 era (149er, 488ip) when the Giants score at least three runs of support for him (72 starts)...SF is 52-20 (.722) in those contests. Those are some lovely numbers and Tim lived that scenario again tonight. Once he had the lead, Tim got quite stingy. He never had the velocity of his last start, but he had some nasty shit...limiting them to singles and getting the "K" when he needed it. His line:
7 innings, 6 hits (all singles after the dinger), 1 run, 4 walks, and ELEVEN strikeouts
So, even though it looked bad at the start, it worked out to a swell game score of 68. The moral of the story: Tim looked like our Ace again tonight, but only after a little support from his friends. Heavy, huh?BTW: I failed to mention some more "history" that Tim is racking up. Last start, he passed Dwight Gooden for the most strikeouts in the first four seasons combined. Gooden's numbers are 892 strikeouts in 924.1 innings and Tim's numbers end at 907 strikeouts in 811 innings.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Two up with five to play
Jonathan Sanchez was wild early, but survived to give the Giants another solid start (Game Score 60). He kept the lid on the big bats and retired the last 8 men he faced and 12 of 13 after Kelly Johnson's 3rd inning homer. Rodrigo Lopez did his best to Livan the Giants lineup, and it looked as though it would work through the first five innings. Nothing like a journeyman with a collection of slowballs to befuddle our offense! Finally the Giants got a breakthrough with two outs in the 6th from the unlikely combination of Pablo Sandoval and pinch-hitter Nate Schierholtz. "Way to Go" Fontenot worked a walk in the 7th and "Pat the Bat" Burrell drove him to make it 4-2, and we started to breathe a little easier. The Snakes threatened in the 8th, but Brian Wilson came on to get a five-out save and the Giants had another big win. What can you say about Brian Wilson? The man has been an absolute beast!
The San Diego Padres continued their slide, losing 5-2 at home to the Cubs. Ace Mat Latos got burned for 7 hits and a homer in 5-2/3 IP, and even made an error! I want to say the wheels are coming off the little Padre wagon, but that would be premature. I will say it is about time Mat Latos showed some vulnerability, and it is about time the team pays for its lack of offense. Let's hope they keep on losing. The Rockies were eliminated tonight by the Dodgers.
The San Diego Padres continued their slide, losing 5-2 at home to the Cubs. Ace Mat Latos got burned for 7 hits and a homer in 5-2/3 IP, and even made an error! I want to say the wheels are coming off the little Padre wagon, but that would be premature. I will say it is about time Mat Latos showed some vulnerability, and it is about time the team pays for its lack of offense. Let's hope they keep on losing. The Rockies were eliminated tonight by the Dodgers.
NL WEST
SFG 89-68 --
SDP 87-70 2.0
Looking good! Let's keep the pedal to the metal!
GO GIANTS!!
--M.C.
p.s. Our magic number is four.
The Torture Never Stops
It's official, the Giants are switching Tim and MadBum. Seems like the smart thing to do. You have to at least consider the possibility of a 163rd game, and Tim's the guy you want if that happens. Lincecum stays on his regular rotation, and Bumgarner gets more rest. That can't hurt as he's already well past his career high in innings.
If the Giants wind up in a tie with the Padres, and both teams have better records than the Braves, there won't be a tiebreaker--the Padres win the division because of their better head-to-head record (an SF sweep puts them at 8-10). The Giants are then the wild card. If the Braves finish with the best record (among the three) and the Giants and Padres are tied, then the division winner will be decided by the extra game. These are regular-season games, by the way, not post-season games. If the Giants and Braves tie for the wild card, they play a tiebreaker in Atlanta (due to SF's 3-4 record). A three-way tie would first require a division tiebreaker between the Giants and the Padres. The loser would then play the Braves for the wild card. (links here and here)
So I think it is best to up and win the division outright, don't you?
For a little relief from the torture, check out Frank Zappa and his band doing "The Torture Never Stops."
GO GIANTS!!
--M.C.
If the Giants wind up in a tie with the Padres, and both teams have better records than the Braves, there won't be a tiebreaker--the Padres win the division because of their better head-to-head record (an SF sweep puts them at 8-10). The Giants are then the wild card. If the Braves finish with the best record (among the three) and the Giants and Padres are tied, then the division winner will be decided by the extra game. These are regular-season games, by the way, not post-season games. If the Giants and Braves tie for the wild card, they play a tiebreaker in Atlanta (due to SF's 3-4 record). A three-way tie would first require a division tiebreaker between the Giants and the Padres. The loser would then play the Braves for the wild card. (links here and here)
So I think it is best to up and win the division outright, don't you?
For a little relief from the torture, check out Frank Zappa and his band doing "The Torture Never Stops."
GO GIANTS!!
--M.C.
With a little help from the Cubs
The Padres lose at home by the always-excruciating score of 1-0. Hey, that's Padres baseball!
The Giants go into the final stretch up by one game with six to play. San Diego has three more at home against Chicago and then comes to San Francisco for THE OCTOBER SHOWDOWN. Atlanta, with only five to play, finishes at home against Florida and Philadelphia.
GO GIANTS!!
The Giants go into the final stretch up by one game with six to play. San Diego has three more at home against Chicago and then comes to San Francisco for THE OCTOBER SHOWDOWN. Atlanta, with only five to play, finishes at home against Florida and Philadelphia.
SFG 88-68 --
SDP 87-69 1.0
ATL 88-69 --
SDP 87-69 1.0
GO GIANTS!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Cain buries Rockies
Matt Cain retired the first twelve Rockies he faced. It was his own error in the 5th on a comebacker by Troy Tulowitzki that gave Colorado their first baserunner. A strikeout, a walk and two more strikeouts ended the "threat" and Matt retired another seven batters after that before giving up an infield single to Jay Payton with one out in the 8th inning. Thus ended the no-hit bid. Cain then struck out Miguel Olivo, but pinch-hitter Melvin Mora blasted a two-strike fastball into center field to ruin the shutout and keep the game agonizingly close. Cain then struck out Eric Young to end the inning. Bruce Bochy sent Cain out in the top of the 9th to hit for himself, and that meant he would get a shot at the heart of the Rockies order in the bottom of the inning. True to form, he got leadoff hitter Jonathan Herrera on a grounder. Cain retired the first hitter in every inning but one. Carlos Gonzalez added to the drama by poking a single into right field on a 1-1 pitch. Troy Tulowitzki, last night's hero and September's hottest hitter in the majors, made the second out on routine infield pop-up. Cain then struck out Jason Giambi to end it, and the Giants had a massive win.
Matt Cain throws a three-hitter for his fourth complete game of the season, his first since shutting out the Reds on June 8th. He gets a Game Score of 80 for his outstanding effort, but that number hardly tells the story. He dominated a potent Rockies lineup in Coors Field after they pounded out ten runs the previous game. He shut down a team that was fighting for survival, a team on the brink of elimination, never giving them a chance to mount a serious threat. He was poised, confident, and in control the whole way. It was a first-class effort in a huge game, surely the most important of his young career. This Saturday's start against the Padres might turn out to be even more crucial, but that takes nothing away from today's sensational performance.
Cain threw 113 pitches to 32 batters, coaxing 11 ground outs and 8 fly outs. He struck out 8, all in the last 4 innings, yielding only one walk. You can't argue with a line like that!
I would be remiss not to mention Freddy Sanchez***, who hit a huge homer in the 1st inning today, if only because I've abused him quite a bit here at RMC. With his superb fielding, all he has to do is be a league-average hitter to be valuable, and a .296/.345/.403 line rates a wRC+ of 103, which ain't bad. Keep it up! Fortunately, the Giants added two more runs to Sanchez' two-run HR and that was the margin of victory (nice to see Cody Ross get another big hit). Like Lincecum's game on Friday night, the Giants did just enough with the bats not to waste the great start.
Giants head home with six to play. This is it!!
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Giants reclaim 1st place after Reds crush Padres in San Diego!
p.p.s Cain's September: 37 IP, 20 H, 9 ER, 4 HR, 4 BB, 28 K, 135 TBF. Also, 219-1/3 IP is a career high.
***FSanchez since August 1st is .337/.379/.500 making Sabean look like a genius (h/t Baseball Musings) and me look like a fool. I never mind being wrong if it means the Giants are winning. Giants had 88 wins last season, today was win number 88.
Matt Cain throws a three-hitter for his fourth complete game of the season, his first since shutting out the Reds on June 8th. He gets a Game Score of 80 for his outstanding effort, but that number hardly tells the story. He dominated a potent Rockies lineup in Coors Field after they pounded out ten runs the previous game. He shut down a team that was fighting for survival, a team on the brink of elimination, never giving them a chance to mount a serious threat. He was poised, confident, and in control the whole way. It was a first-class effort in a huge game, surely the most important of his young career. This Saturday's start against the Padres might turn out to be even more crucial, but that takes nothing away from today's sensational performance.
Cain threw 113 pitches to 32 batters, coaxing 11 ground outs and 8 fly outs. He struck out 8, all in the last 4 innings, yielding only one walk. You can't argue with a line like that!
I would be remiss not to mention Freddy Sanchez***, who hit a huge homer in the 1st inning today, if only because I've abused him quite a bit here at RMC. With his superb fielding, all he has to do is be a league-average hitter to be valuable, and a .296/.345/.403 line rates a wRC+ of 103, which ain't bad. Keep it up! Fortunately, the Giants added two more runs to Sanchez' two-run HR and that was the margin of victory (nice to see Cody Ross get another big hit). Like Lincecum's game on Friday night, the Giants did just enough with the bats not to waste the great start.
Giants head home with six to play. This is it!!
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Giants reclaim 1st place after Reds crush Padres in San Diego!
p.p.s Cain's September: 37 IP, 20 H, 9 ER, 4 HR, 4 BB, 28 K, 135 TBF. Also, 219-1/3 IP is a career high.
***FSanchez since August 1st is .337/.379/.500 making Sabean look like a genius (h/t Baseball Musings) and me look like a fool. I never mind being wrong if it means the Giants are winning. Giants had 88 wins last season, today was win number 88.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Field of Nightmares
You never have enough runs in this game, and you never ever ever ever have enough runs in Coors Field. Tonight the Giants exploded for 15 hits and 9 runs and still couldn't put the Rockies away. Barry Zito got the quick hook from Bruce Bochy in the 5th inning, but the move backfired as reliever Chris Ray surrendered the big bomb to Troy Tulowitzki and the Giants 4-3 lead was suddenly a 5-4 deficit. The lads battled back with 5 runs in the top of the 6th and a battle of the bullpens ensued. The talismanic Andres Torres returned to the starting lineup and dazzled with a solo homer and a fine running catch. He was replaced after five, and the unfortunate Cody Ross looked lost and exposed in the cavernous outfield when the Rockies roped three triples into his territory in the bottom of the inning. Ross is a decent fielder with good speed, but Torres is something special, and we've been spoiled by his brilliance. Fortunately, Ross got redemption with a 3-run homer in the top of the 6th, a soaring pop fly in the thin Denver air that cleared the wall and gave the Giants the lead back. Bruce Bochy continued his puppetmaster-on-speed approach to game management, using six more pitchers after Ray in desperate attempt to keep a lid on things. Even Brian Wilson couldn't get the big out, losing Troy Tulowitzki in the 8th on an opposite field game-tying double that missed being the go-ahead 3-run homer by a few feet. In the 10th, it was Tulowitzki, again off Wilson, who got the game-winner, driving in Carlos Gonzalez. Emmanuel Burriss, Travis Ishikawa, Pablo Sandoval, and Nate Schierholtz all made appearances in the game as the Giants used 21 players in all.
The Giants streak of historically awesome pitching comes to a thunderous end. The best bullpen in baseball in September, led by the NL's best reliever, can't close it out in Colorado and the Giants fall into second place by one game in the loss column.
The Padres beat Cincinnati 4-3 earlier in the day, coming from behind for the second straight game with a walk-off hit in the 9th off rookie sensation Aroldis Chapman. They play Monday (in Chicago) when the Giants have an off-day, then it is six more for each team with three big ones head-to-head in San Francisco next weekend.
Matt Cain takes the hill tomorrow. A win all but buries the Rockies as they are four back. They play Monday (vs. LA) as well, and finish the season with four in St. Louis.
GO GIANTS! Your fate is in your hands!!
--M.C.
The Giants streak of historically awesome pitching comes to a thunderous end. The best bullpen in baseball in September, led by the NL's best reliever, can't close it out in Colorado and the Giants fall into second place by one game in the loss column.
The Padres beat Cincinnati 4-3 earlier in the day, coming from behind for the second straight game with a walk-off hit in the 9th off rookie sensation Aroldis Chapman. They play Monday (in Chicago) when the Giants have an off-day, then it is six more for each team with three big ones head-to-head in San Francisco next weekend.
Matt Cain takes the hill tomorrow. A win all but buries the Rockies as they are four back. They play Monday (vs. LA) as well, and finish the season with four in St. Louis.
GO GIANTS! Your fate is in your hands!!
--M.C.
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