SF 4 ATL 3
Joe Panik got the game-winning hit, driving in two runs with two out in the 9th to shock the Braves and give the Giants a huge home win. Down 3-1 it looked bleak but Brandon Crawford got a hit and was driven in by Kevin Pillar who then stole second. The never-say-die Panda got on base with an infield hit, Pillar to third, and Mac Williamson, pinch-running, stole second. He and Pillar scored on Panik's hit which came on a 3-2 count, the 8th pitch in the at-bat. The Giants really had to grind it out and conjure up a miracle, and by golly they did. Panik has been hitting really well lately and looks very disciplined in the box. The Braves may rue letting the Giants run freely on them in that situation. Normally a guy like Luke Jackson is pretty tough to score on so perhaps that's what they were figuring. This time it didn't work out and the fans went home happy.
Shaun Anderson should not have come out to pitch the 6th inning. He had already faced Josh Donaldson and Nick Markakis twice, there was no reason to have him do it for the third time. They both got hits and both later scored. In the old days this was considered a necessary ritual to toughen up the starter for longer outings. Five innings with one run allowed, regardless of the pitch count, is a damn fine effort, especially for a rookie. Didn't we already talk about the Times Through the Order Penalty? But I'm happy to see Anderson out there earning his stripes. Let's hope he can keep improving.
A big win tonight--those are few and far between so let's savor it.
--M.C.
1 comment:
The Astros’ success in transforming the usage patterns of their pitchers is well-documented. They advise virtually every starter and reliever they acquire to throw fewer sinking fastballs, more breaking balls, more four-seam fastballs in the upper part of the strike zone.
This is from a Ken Rosenthal piece on The Athletic. I remember a time when the sinker was THE PITCH that turned every hitter into a Groundout Machine. Now slider usage is up all over the league, and teams are moving away from the two-seamer/cutter approach. Pitchers are responding to the uppercut swings with high heat. The four-seamer with a lot of backspin gives a "rising fastball" effect, a good counter to the launch-angle trend the hitters are embracing.
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