OK, that's a bit hyperbolic, but this team needed a win so badly that another loss felt like the wheels would come off for good. Camilo Doval took the ball in the 9th with a three-run lead. The Phillies had the top of the lineup scheduled. Doval walked Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner and then gave up a homer to Bryce Harper. It was a nightmare outcome. I don't know what to do about back-to-back blown saves. Doval has been great all year but has run out of luck lately and is having some serious command issues. The two bases on balls were all non-competitive pitches, well out of the strike zone, easy takes for MLB hitters.
Jakob Junis finished the 9th unscathed and the Giants counter-punched against Craig Kimbrel in the 10th. Patrick Bailey walked, Wade Meckler (who had two hits and a walk) was hit by a pitch. That moved Manfred Man Casey Schmitt to third base. FNG Paul DeJong (who hit a two-run homer earlier) drove in two with a single to make it 7-5 Giants. A Thairo Estrada sac fly made it 8-5. After the disastrous 9th it was quite the display of getting off the mat and getting back in the fight.
Alex Cobb started and threw five scoreless frames but also a lot of pitches. He gave up back-to-back homers (Schwarber and Turner) to start the 6th and that was it for him. Five relievers got the next nine outs before Doval's collapse. Southpaw Taylor Rogers got the save chance in the bottom of the 10th and gave up a run but also struck out two including leadoff hitter Schwarber. Then Ryan Walker came in to face Turner (with Harper on deck) and he flew out to end it. Nothing is easy for this team.
It's a blessed, welcome off-day tomorrow. Then it's a six-game homestand: the Braves and the Reds for three apiece.
Go Giants!
--M.C.
6 comments:
Here's something:
Webb and Cobb and a bullpen mob....
https://www.aol.com/webb-cobb-bullpen-mob-giants-231710902.html
Wow. AOL is still a thing?
The Dodgers pitch the same way the Giants do. Where do you think Kap and FZ learned their trade? The Rays play the same way as well and they also win a lot. So it's not HOW it is done, it is whether or not it is done BETTER than the other guy!
The fans may not like the "style" because it doesn't match what they grew up watching, but you have to do what is most likely to work the best. Dodgers fans don't complain about HOW the team wins, they just expect the team TO win.
I think if the Giants had five starters they'd throw five starters but they only have two and so they have to scramble and try another way. As the writer pointed out, it mostly works, and a lot of other teams are hurting for better pitching results.
I feel the need to point out that the Giants stockpiled outfielders (Haniger and Conforto) as well and that didn't work out, either. They've had to scramble and call up rookies. It's amazing the team has a winning record considering the number of key people under-performing and the number of rookies.
I was thinking about this the other day. How many of the Giants hitters that we started the year with (not the call-ups) have been hurt? Or, how many have NOT been hurt? Any? I can't think of anyone who hasn't been hurt.
Yeah I think the entire lineup has been on the IL. The big blow was losing Estrada for such a long stretch. And then Wade, too, and that just killed the top of the order.
The biggest disappointment on the lineup side has to be Haniger/Conforto. Haniger might be back for September but he was doing nothing before that. And Conforto has barely been better than league average. Davis and Slater have really slumped and are barely league-average hitters. Thank God for Wilmer Flores! And imagine where the team would be without Patrick Bailey.
The Giants are still in position to control their fate. They can finish strong and make the playoffs. None of the teams they are competing with (ARI, CHC, CIN, MIA, PHI) are better than they are. Right now FanGraphs projects the Giants to go 18-17 and finish with 84 wins. That may not be enough for a Wild Card. But it is still a winning record! That's what I want to see. You can't build an elite club unless you have a competent (.500+) club to start with!
I don't know, man. The Phillies looked to me like a team that was sniffing the finish line and were going to make damn sure they crossed it ahead of the Giants.
The phillies have had a good lineup all year, and for part of the year were not playing up to their talent. Of interest Conforto today joined Haniger on the Injured List. A big problem the giants had this year was health. Also that Strippling and Manaea really turned out to be 4 inning pitchers. Unfortunately Desclafani has been hurt most of the year, he tried pitching but he was clearly not the same after his first couple of starts. The giants need starting pitching. The season has been better than one might expect, without a hitting star because of the bullpen, and Wilmer. The giants need a hitting coach that teaches contact. When there are less than 2 outs and a runner on third, this year the giants are the worst in the league in getting that runner home. Also the giants hitting has for the most part fallen apart the last 2 months. Players go back down, and somehow they find their swings, but when they come back up after a few games they seem to lose it again. However, the future looks bright with talented athletic young guys like Matos, and Meckler, and perhaps Ramos will finally come around. I am a little disappointed with their kid glove treatment of Harrison in the minors, but I guess that is the way the want to play it. The great pitching atlanta teams of the 90's used to have their pitchers throw a ton of pitches especially on their off days. Cincy's rookies look even more athletic and talented than ours. I look for Cincy and Arizona to be more formidable next year. Although either team could make the wildcard this year.
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