1st inning: 7-11
2nd inning: 12-6
3rd inning: 6-12
4th inning: 10-8
Overall 35-37 (.486), three behind the Dodgers and four-and-a-half behind Arizona. June started off so promisingly with four straight wins only to be followed by seven losses in the next eleven games before today's win. This team is the very model of inconsistency. So far that's the only thing we can count on. At least they avoided the sweep today with a gritty victory (SF 4 LA 1). Chris Stratton showed some moxie despite early command issues (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R) and the boys managed to score more than two runs. Brandon Belt gets the Big Stick Award: he walked in front of Nick Hundley's two-run homer in the 1st and hit his own two-run homer in the 3rd. The Giants had only three hits but they had the good sense to make two-thirds of them home runs! The 'pen got the last nine outs without too much fuss (1 H, 5 K) and that sealed the win.
The Giants have an excellent team batting average, 5th in all of baseball. Unfortunately batting average does not correlate very well to run scoring. On-base percentage and slugging percentage are a little better as indicators and the Giants are mediocre there, 12th and 13th respectively. As far as actual runs go the Giants are 18th of the 30 teams. That might be good enough if the pitching was top-notch but it isn't. The Giants are 21st in runs allowed. That is, twenty teams allow fewer runs. That's why the team is in fourth place, don't you think? The Giants are relying on inexperienced and under-performing starters and the over-worked bullpen is losing its edge. (Not to mention we've seen a lot of fielding lapses this season.) They need some stability in the rotation and that depends on the front-line stars getting healthy and playing at the level they are paid to perform. Alas, the beleaguered fan can't do a damn thing--perhaps a few laps around the rosary beads--and simply has to endure.
The Giants are a tale of two teams. In 30 home games they are 19-11 and have outscored opponents 151-130. In 42 road games they are 16-26 and have been outscored 197-147. The schedule is clearly more favorable going forward what with 51 home games left compared to only 39 on the road. But what's equally clear is that they have to start winning ballgames outside of San Francisco.
I think this coming stretch of 26 games before the All-Star Interlude can make or break the season. They've got six against the Rockies, four against the Padres, and three against the Diamondbacks. The closely-bunched West is suddenly separating into the haves (LA and AZ) and have-nots (COL, SF, SD) and unless the Giants turn on the jets they could be left behind. Twenty of the games, including the next ten, will be at AT&T Park so there should be no excuses!
--M.C.
10 comments:
lets hope if they start winning on the road, that they do not start losing at home. Crawford is due for paternity leave this week. You would think by the time his wife is delivering their 4th kid, that he would forego, but I guess down the road the other children could create havoc about that. Seems like getting the full giants lineup on the field this year, is an impossibility. It is amazing that Hundley has twice the dingers that Posey has in a trifle more than half the AB's. If only Hundley could field and throw. He did some anti-framing of pitches today, taking some strikes away from Stratton by his poor framing, but his home run was truly walloped. Even though the giants took several walks this game, they certainly had the opportunity to take more. There is just way too much swinging at bad pitches.
The Giants have played more away games than any other major league team. That evens out in the near future. Nevertheless, they have to win some more of those.
Also, yesterday was the first time in the past 12 games at Chavez Latrine that the Giants have scored more than 2 runs.
Consistently inconsistent. The revolving DL-door doesn't help, either.
finally 4 runs, and yet only 3 hits.
I think it's time to move on from the Hunter-Strickland-as-closer thing. That's 2 blown saves against the Marlins, within the last couple of days, 4 for the still young season. What happened to Strickland's slider that he learned from John Smoltz? Is it not working? Didn't we hire Melancon for $60 million to be our closer? Let's use Melancon. Or Watson. (Melancon has yet to pitch 6 innings, but Watson has pitched 33.2 innings, 2 more than Strickland.) Watson has a 0.95 WHIP (0.23 in June), Strickland is at 1.23 (1.70 in June).
yesterday did not have to be a one run game. Giants went into the ninth with a two run lead.
the first blown save had a key error attached to it. This loss at home, is on Strickland.
Looks like Hunter Strickland made the decision himself:
https://www.mlb.com/giants/news/hunter-strickland-placed-on-disabled-list/c-281972430
Strickland pitched well overall. He wasn't, obviously, supposed to be the closer. That was Melacon's job. But, he did pretty well as a fill-in, I think. Seems he still has a hard time keeping his shit together, this latest meltdown certainly doesn't help the team.
At least the 'pen has depth and either Watson or Dyson could do the job if Melancon is still not 100%.
Well, if anyone else has concerns about Strickland in a closer's role, those concerns have appear to have been addressed, although not how anyone would have wished. He broke his hand hitting something after last night's game, is on the DL 6 - 8 weeks. Pierce Johnson has been recalled.
https://www.mlb.com/giants/news/hunter-strickland-placed-on-disabled-list/c-281972430
Strickland is cost-controlled for three more seasons (this is his first arb-year) and he's a free agent in 2022. So, if he's a valuable piece in the 'pen he's a good bargain. If he's worn out his welcome with his antics, then he's an attractive trade piece! I have no idea what the brain trust thinks of him. I think what-you-see-is-what-you-get, that is, he's mostly the same pitcher he's always been. His numbers are pretty close to his career averages and at 29 I don't think we are going to see any big changes. He's an above-average hard-throwing righty who can be an effective late-inning reliever.
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