Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Yusmeiro Shines Again

Yusmeiro Petit channeled Greg Maddux tonight in San Francisco throwing an 84-pitch complete game to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks. That's remarkable enough, but when you consider he threw only 16 balls to 29 batters it makes your head spin. What a performance! Especially when you consider that this is it--this is pennant race crunch time. Every game is crucial and every start has a life-or-death feel to it. The Giants have now won seven in a row at AT&T Park improving their home record to 39-33. With the Dodgers losing to the Padres the Giants are 2-1/2 back in the West.

The Giants have played 144 games and have thus completed their 8th seasonal inning. They are 79-65 (.549) which is the fourth-best record in the NL. Here's how it's gone in 2014:

First inning, 10-8,
Second inning, 13-5,
Third inning, 12-6,
Fourth inning, 8-10,
Fifth inning, 6-12,
Sixth inning, 9-9
Seventh inning, 9-9
Eighth inning, 12-6.

If they can go 11-7 in the final 18 that will give them 90 wins. That may not be enough to win the division but will most likely lock up the Wild Card. Right now they are four games ahead of the Pirates for the top spot. The Dodgers played yesterday and have only 17 games left. The Giants obviously need to seize the moment this weekend and take at least two of the three games. They'll have three more chances in LA in the season's penultimate series.

Joe Panik continues to rake--he had five hits tonight! Angel Pagan kept the P-Power theme going with four hits and three runs scored. It was a big win. Let's hope they can keep it going.

Vogie goes tomorrow night. He's coming off perhaps his worst start ever so look for a big bounce back performance from the veteran righty.

GO GIANTS!

--M.C.

5 comments:

Brother Bob said...

With games like yesterday it would be crazy to leave Petit out of the post-season rotation. Vogie and Huddy better improve.

Zo said...

At this time of the season, percentages are meaningless. We have to beat LA when we play them. Without doing so, it will be damn hard to catch them without a dramatic choke (although, wouldn't that be entertaining?). If we do beat them, we are nearly neck and neck and only have to do a little better than them to take the division crown.

Zo said...

Panik's emergence must be a great relief to the mind of Brian Sabean and anyone who has to answer the question, "What do we do about 2nd base next year?" Marco Scutaro is signed through 2015, and you probably can't expect Panik to put up the kind of numbers he has thus far for a whole sophomore season, but still. Joe Panik has the league's best batting average since he came up. He has 199 at bats and 214 plate appearances.

obsessivegiantscompulsive said...

Yeah, we are at the point now that to win the division we must win 4 of 6 from LA. Tough with Kershaw in each series, but good news is Petit should face him both times. He could be our equalizer, much like Vogie beat Kershaw that one season.

Yeah, looks like Vogey vs Huddy, with Vogie looking better right now. Could Hudson get Zitoed? Hard to imagine given his start, but now a strong possibility, he has been struggling.

Panik sure has settled second, but I still think Adrianza, if given chance, could have done OK while providing great defense. A version of Blanco in MI, if you will. That is OK, Ehire can provide a lot of value in MI util role. Nice to have options, like Susac now at C, but then what to do with Hanchez? I think he still has one last option...

Anonymous said...

"what to do with Hanchez?"

Timmy's personal catcher in the pen?