13-9 win in SF
I said I wanted "a big, thumping, sweeping kind of win" and the Giants certainly delivered, smacking 16 hits and scoring 13 runs. Jeff Samardzija looked good, then bad, then good, then not-so-good and lasted only 5-2/3 after yielding five runs. Steven Okert gave up a 3-run homer to Wil Myers in the 7th to make a 13-5 laugher a 13-8 not-as-funny, but that was a minor blip. The lineup went after Andrew Cashner and the Padres bullpen full bore, scoring in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. Brandon Belt, Hunter Pence, and Matt Duffy all had three hits. Belt drove in five on a homer short of a cycle. What do you call it when someone hits a single, a double, and a triple in the same game? A Triplet? The Holy Trinity? Le Tricolore? A Hit Trick? Help me out.
The Shark was not as sharp as last time but he finishes his first month with his new club having logged 32-2/3 IP over five starts, allowing 14 runs on 31 hits (3 HR) and 10 walks while striking out 26 (134 TBF). He gets awarded a W today and so his record is 3-1, the team is 3-2 in the five games. I like what we've seen despite the ups-and-downs. He's workmanlike, not flashy, tough, not overpowering. If he can log lots of quality innings--rack up mound time with the team in striking distance--he's doing his job and that should translate into wins. FanGraphs rates him at a 3.62 FIP, which puts him in the "solid starter" pack, which is what we expected. A little more consistency from the big righty would be nice, it seems like he cruises and looks unhittable and then suddenly he is very hittable, but it's a pretty small sample. I'm betting that over the long haul the Giants will get lots of value from this guy. He got another hit and RBI today, too! The other Shark, El Tiburón Blanco, came off the bench and delivered a hit and RBI in the 6th, then made a great catch in the 8th.
The team is off tomorrow and then off to the Big Apple for a showdown with the Mets.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Showing posts with label Gregor Blanco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gregor Blanco. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Giants Wear Out Nats Again
Boxscore
The Washington Nationals pounded out ten hits including two doubles, a triple, and two homers and put six runs on the board. The San Francisco Giants responded with 13 hits including five doubles and a triple and piled up twelve runs to take the third game of the series. Gio Gonzalez got the Max Scherzer treatment and was out of the game in the 3rd inning. Jake Peavy couldn't get out of the 6th but it was enough as the lineup kept adding on and the 'pen (George Kontos and Yusmeiro Petit) closed the door. The win tonight brings the home squad's August record to .500 (7-7), evens up the season series (3-3), and pushes the away team's seasonal record to .500 (58-58). Not how the pundits predicted things would go for the talent-rich DCers. Pitching coach Steve McCatty got tossed for talking smack to the homeplate umpire and I thought manager Matt Williams might jump in and get the heave-ho as well but he played it cool and stuck around. I wonder if he'll be around much longer if his team continues to disappoint.
Gregor Blanco and Matt Duffy combined for five hits, five runs, and five runs batted in. I think I like those two at the top of the lineup. Tomorrow Madison Bumgarner takes the ball as the Giants go for the sweep. Rookie Joe Ross gets the call for the Nats. He's a Berkeley kid who went to Bishop O'Dowd and was a first-round pick for the Padres in 2011. His is the younger brother of San Diego's Tyson Ross. None of these games have stuck to the script and it has been a weird series. Not that I'm complaining--the outcomes have been great. It's just that it makes me think tomorrow's game might go differently than we expect.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Washington Nationals pounded out ten hits including two doubles, a triple, and two homers and put six runs on the board. The San Francisco Giants responded with 13 hits including five doubles and a triple and piled up twelve runs to take the third game of the series. Gio Gonzalez got the Max Scherzer treatment and was out of the game in the 3rd inning. Jake Peavy couldn't get out of the 6th but it was enough as the lineup kept adding on and the 'pen (George Kontos and Yusmeiro Petit) closed the door. The win tonight brings the home squad's August record to .500 (7-7), evens up the season series (3-3), and pushes the away team's seasonal record to .500 (58-58). Not how the pundits predicted things would go for the talent-rich DCers. Pitching coach Steve McCatty got tossed for talking smack to the homeplate umpire and I thought manager Matt Williams might jump in and get the heave-ho as well but he played it cool and stuck around. I wonder if he'll be around much longer if his team continues to disappoint.
Gregor Blanco and Matt Duffy combined for five hits, five runs, and five runs batted in. I think I like those two at the top of the lineup. Tomorrow Madison Bumgarner takes the ball as the Giants go for the sweep. Rookie Joe Ross gets the call for the Nats. He's a Berkeley kid who went to Bishop O'Dowd and was a first-round pick for the Padres in 2011. His is the younger brother of San Diego's Tyson Ross. None of these games have stuck to the script and it has been a weird series. Not that I'm complaining--the outcomes have been great. It's just that it makes me think tomorrow's game might go differently than we expect.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Giants Bats Subdue Nats
Boxscore
The Giants used every arrow in the quiver from infield singles and stolen bases to slashing doubles and booming homers to tally eight runs and hold off the Nationals for another big victory. Ace Max Scherzer got hit hard early and was done after only three innings. It was the worst start of the season for the All-Star righty. The Nats returned the favor and chased Matt Cain in the 5th, the death blow a three-run moon shot from Bryce Harper. That's 30 for the young lefty who is the obvious NL MVP at this point in the season. Cain was ultimately charged with all five runs in another ugly outing where he clearly lacked command. Fortunately the lineup was relentless and the bullpen superb (4-1/3, one hit, no runs) and the Giants prevailed.
The 1-2 punch of Gregor Blanco and Matt Duffy at the top of the order produced six hits, five runs batted in, and three runs scored to lead the way. I was particularly impressed that the Giants kept the pressure on and manufactured a couple of late runs to give the relievers a little breathing room. Tonight we got a big effort from the southpaws: three outs from Jeremy Affeldt, four from Josh Osich, and the final out (Harper) from Javier Lopez. Sergio Romo had another clean inning tonight and the other two outs came via George Kontos, thus saving Santiago Casilla and Hunter Strickland for tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow it's Jake Peavy's turn against Gio Gonzalez.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Giants used every arrow in the quiver from infield singles and stolen bases to slashing doubles and booming homers to tally eight runs and hold off the Nationals for another big victory. Ace Max Scherzer got hit hard early and was done after only three innings. It was the worst start of the season for the All-Star righty. The Nats returned the favor and chased Matt Cain in the 5th, the death blow a three-run moon shot from Bryce Harper. That's 30 for the young lefty who is the obvious NL MVP at this point in the season. Cain was ultimately charged with all five runs in another ugly outing where he clearly lacked command. Fortunately the lineup was relentless and the bullpen superb (4-1/3, one hit, no runs) and the Giants prevailed.
The 1-2 punch of Gregor Blanco and Matt Duffy at the top of the order produced six hits, five runs batted in, and three runs scored to lead the way. I was particularly impressed that the Giants kept the pressure on and manufactured a couple of late runs to give the relievers a little breathing room. Tonight we got a big effort from the southpaws: three outs from Jeremy Affeldt, four from Josh Osich, and the final out (Harper) from Javier Lopez. Sergio Romo had another clean inning tonight and the other two outs came via George Kontos, thus saving Santiago Casilla and Hunter Strickland for tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow it's Jake Peavy's turn against Gio Gonzalez.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Giants Pitchers Get It Done
Boxscore
Ryan Vogelsong struck out eight batters in his five innings of work. Hunter Strickland got the next two frames and went six-up six-down with three strikeouts. Sergio Romo added two more in the 8th and Santiago Casilla tacked on one in the 9th for a team total of 14 whiffs. Vogie had to work hard, issuing four walks and throwing 94 pitches, but he brought some serious heat and went after the Nationals with élan. He kept attacking the zone, getting 13 foul ball strikes to go with his 17 called strikes and 12 swinging strikes, and the Washington lineup never got it going against him. Strickland followed him with overpowering stuff--both he and Romo made them look silly. Casilla, thankfully, got the save without too much trouble. Let's hope his struggles are behind him. It was a dominating performance by the staff and it nailed down a big win.
Gregor Blanco sparked two rallies that led to two runs. Blanco is often overlooked and I think he's a key contributor. In much the same way Vogie is under-appreciated and I love it when those guys show their mettle. The Giants scored two in the bottom of the first after Yunel Escobar led off the game with a homer. It stayed 2-1 until the 7th when the Giants added an insurance run. The 3-1 final got sweetened a bit with the Dodgers losing at home to the Reds to cut the deficit to 2-1/2 games.
Matt Cain matches up with über-ace Max Scherzer tomorrow night.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Ryan Vogelsong struck out eight batters in his five innings of work. Hunter Strickland got the next two frames and went six-up six-down with three strikeouts. Sergio Romo added two more in the 8th and Santiago Casilla tacked on one in the 9th for a team total of 14 whiffs. Vogie had to work hard, issuing four walks and throwing 94 pitches, but he brought some serious heat and went after the Nationals with élan. He kept attacking the zone, getting 13 foul ball strikes to go with his 17 called strikes and 12 swinging strikes, and the Washington lineup never got it going against him. Strickland followed him with overpowering stuff--both he and Romo made them look silly. Casilla, thankfully, got the save without too much trouble. Let's hope his struggles are behind him. It was a dominating performance by the staff and it nailed down a big win.
Gregor Blanco sparked two rallies that led to two runs. Blanco is often overlooked and I think he's a key contributor. In much the same way Vogie is under-appreciated and I love it when those guys show their mettle. The Giants scored two in the bottom of the first after Yunel Escobar led off the game with a homer. It stayed 2-1 until the 7th when the Giants added an insurance run. The 3-1 final got sweetened a bit with the Dodgers losing at home to the Reds to cut the deficit to 2-1/2 games.
Matt Cain matches up with über-ace Max Scherzer tomorrow night.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Giants Win Game 1 of the 2014 World Series
I could have gone with a different title, like "Madison Bumgarner's World Series ERA Soars!" But that would have been deceptive. Not that I am above that sort of thing, but it feels so good to type that the Giants have won game 1. First, I am still on a cloud that they are even in the 2014 World Series, and then I am coming to the realization that they look pretty good in this contest.
With our ace on the mound, the Giants brought some bats and did not hesitate to use them. Blanco led off the game with a single, moved to 2nd on Panik's long out, to 3rd on Buster's single, and scored when Pablo Sandoval doubled to the wall in right. Posey was thrown out trying to score from 1st, but it took an excellent throw to get him. With 1 run and 2 outs, Hunter Pence promptly homered to center field to make it 3 - 0 before Kansas City could hit.
The only baserunner for Kansas City was Lorenzo Cain in the 1st, hit on the back ankle by a pitch as Madison Bumgarner was still trying to get all his "stuff" working. The Giants held, and with the help of a double play, kept Kansas City from scoring in the second. In the 3rd, it looked like Kansas City was ready to tighten up the game. Omar Infante went to 1st on Brandon Crawford's inability to field a ground ball cleanly, and to 3rd on Mike Moustakas' double. Madison toughened up and struck out the next 2 batters before walking Cain. An Eric Hosmer ground out ended that threat, and Kansas City never really threatened again. Madison went 7 strong, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 5 in 106 pitches. He gave up his first run in his World Series history (21 innings!) in the 7th to Pablo's friend Salvador Perez. That makes Madison's World Series ERA 0.43, which is still pretty good.
When the Giants came to bat in the 4th, Hunter Pence doubled and went to 3rd on a wild pitch. Brandon Belt walked, and Michael Morse's single chased James Shields from the game. Danny Duffy lasted 3 innings and gave up 2 runs, but after 59 pitches (71 for Shields), he will probably not available tomorrow as a long reliever. The final was 7-1. Joe Panik got into the act with an rbi triple in the 7th, Gregor Blanco was on base 3 times and was credited with an rbi for a walk when the bases were loaded, and Pablo Sandoval picked up a second rbi to score Panik. The Giants had 10 hits on the night.
You have to love it when the Giants show up with bats. Pence hit a home run and a double, looking like a stud. Morse hit. Blanco looked good at the plate and in the field. Everyone in the line up hit except Travis Ishikawa and his replacement, Juan Perez. Strickland (pitching the 9th) looked good. Madison snared two line drives and started a double play. This team has every reason to be confident. Winning game 1 in Kansas City is huge.
With our ace on the mound, the Giants brought some bats and did not hesitate to use them. Blanco led off the game with a single, moved to 2nd on Panik's long out, to 3rd on Buster's single, and scored when Pablo Sandoval doubled to the wall in right. Posey was thrown out trying to score from 1st, but it took an excellent throw to get him. With 1 run and 2 outs, Hunter Pence promptly homered to center field to make it 3 - 0 before Kansas City could hit.
The only baserunner for Kansas City was Lorenzo Cain in the 1st, hit on the back ankle by a pitch as Madison Bumgarner was still trying to get all his "stuff" working. The Giants held, and with the help of a double play, kept Kansas City from scoring in the second. In the 3rd, it looked like Kansas City was ready to tighten up the game. Omar Infante went to 1st on Brandon Crawford's inability to field a ground ball cleanly, and to 3rd on Mike Moustakas' double. Madison toughened up and struck out the next 2 batters before walking Cain. An Eric Hosmer ground out ended that threat, and Kansas City never really threatened again. Madison went 7 strong, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 5 in 106 pitches. He gave up his first run in his World Series history (21 innings!) in the 7th to Pablo's friend Salvador Perez. That makes Madison's World Series ERA 0.43, which is still pretty good.
When the Giants came to bat in the 4th, Hunter Pence doubled and went to 3rd on a wild pitch. Brandon Belt walked, and Michael Morse's single chased James Shields from the game. Danny Duffy lasted 3 innings and gave up 2 runs, but after 59 pitches (71 for Shields), he will probably not available tomorrow as a long reliever. The final was 7-1. Joe Panik got into the act with an rbi triple in the 7th, Gregor Blanco was on base 3 times and was credited with an rbi for a walk when the bases were loaded, and Pablo Sandoval picked up a second rbi to score Panik. The Giants had 10 hits on the night.
You have to love it when the Giants show up with bats. Pence hit a home run and a double, looking like a stud. Morse hit. Blanco looked good at the plate and in the field. Everyone in the line up hit except Travis Ishikawa and his replacement, Juan Perez. Strickland (pitching the 9th) looked good. Madison snared two line drives and started a double play. This team has every reason to be confident. Winning game 1 in Kansas City is huge.
Friday, September 12, 2014
That's One
And a most gratifying one it was. Madison Bumgarner on the mound, a full house, a beautiful night for baseball and that team from LA, the one we have to beat, down from the start.
Madison: 7 IP, 73 strikes among 97 pitches. 3 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts. No runs. None.
Juan Gutierrez in relief: 6 batters faced, 6 batters retired. Madison was a little rough at first, he walked the lead-off Puig, but soon settled down for another great game and his 18th win.
Hits? Early and often. 2 home runs, 1 each for Brandon Crawford and Travis Ishikawa.
Joe Panik: 1 hit, 1 run
Buster: 2 hits, 1 run and 1 rbi
Pence: 2 hits, 1 run and 1 rbi
Arias: 2 hits, 1 run and 1 rbi
Gregor: 1 hit, 2 runs
Travis Ishikawa's home run scored Gregor and BCraw. Brandon's home run scored Gregor, but he came up with the first of his 3 rbi in the first, a double that scored Joaquin Arias. Brandon scored twice on 2 hits and a walk. The Giants batted around in the first and scored 4 runs.
Madison: 7 IP, 73 strikes among 97 pitches. 3 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts. No runs. None.
Juan Gutierrez in relief: 6 batters faced, 6 batters retired. Madison was a little rough at first, he walked the lead-off Puig, but soon settled down for another great game and his 18th win.
Hits? Early and often. 2 home runs, 1 each for Brandon Crawford and Travis Ishikawa.
Joe Panik: 1 hit, 1 run
Buster: 2 hits, 1 run and 1 rbi
Pence: 2 hits, 1 run and 1 rbi
Arias: 2 hits, 1 run and 1 rbi
Gregor: 1 hit, 2 runs
Travis Ishikawa's home run scored Gregor and BCraw. Brandon's home run scored Gregor, but he came up with the first of his 3 rbi in the first, a double that scored Joaquin Arias. Brandon scored twice on 2 hits and a walk. The Giants batted around in the first and scored 4 runs.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Summertime Fun
So you figure Madison Bumgarner against Adam Wainwright for a summertime pitchers' duel. You pop a chicken in the oven to roast, mix a cocktail for the missus and have a seat, except before you can even sit down - BAM! the Giants are in front. And then, just as you get settled, BAM! - the Giants run up a lead. Oh, my goodness.
Last time out, Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals' ace, threw 8 shutout innings, striking out 12 Reds and garnering his 8th W against 2 L. He had a 1.67 ERA coming into tonight and a 0.85 WHIP. He lasted 4 1/3 innings against the Giants, giving up 7 runs (all earned) on 8 hits. Madison Bumgarner, meanwhile, again struck out 10, only walked 1 in 7 innings. No runs and only 3 hits for Madison. After 7, with the score 9 - 0, it was time to give Huff some work. It is a great opportunity to do just that, if he is going to right himself and remain on the big club, no better time than with a 9-run lead.
Giants had 12 hits. 2 each from Pagan, Pence, Sandoval, Morse and Blanco. Pence's 3-run booming home run was damaging, running the score to 5 - 0 in the second inning, but Blanco made it 7 - 0 in the 5th with a 2-rbi single and Hector Sanchez did likewise to make it 9 - 0 in the 7th. I didn't mind because I once saw the Cardinals score 8 runs against the Giants. In one inning. All on singles. The Cardinals scored some runs off of Huff, but this game was really all about Madison's dominance and Wainwright's lack of dominance. Fun!
The Panda did not get an rbi. That's OK, big fella, just keep swinging the bat.
Last time out, Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals' ace, threw 8 shutout innings, striking out 12 Reds and garnering his 8th W against 2 L. He had a 1.67 ERA coming into tonight and a 0.85 WHIP. He lasted 4 1/3 innings against the Giants, giving up 7 runs (all earned) on 8 hits. Madison Bumgarner, meanwhile, again struck out 10, only walked 1 in 7 innings. No runs and only 3 hits for Madison. After 7, with the score 9 - 0, it was time to give Huff some work. It is a great opportunity to do just that, if he is going to right himself and remain on the big club, no better time than with a 9-run lead.
Giants had 12 hits. 2 each from Pagan, Pence, Sandoval, Morse and Blanco. Pence's 3-run booming home run was damaging, running the score to 5 - 0 in the second inning, but Blanco made it 7 - 0 in the 5th with a 2-rbi single and Hector Sanchez did likewise to make it 9 - 0 in the 7th. I didn't mind because I once saw the Cardinals score 8 runs against the Giants. In one inning. All on singles. The Cardinals scored some runs off of Huff, but this game was really all about Madison's dominance and Wainwright's lack of dominance. Fun!
The Panda did not get an rbi. That's OK, big fella, just keep swinging the bat.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Vogie, Panda lead the way
The Marlins leave town today and don't return to San Francisco until 2015. I imagine everyone is happy about that. The team based in Miami seems to only bring their good bats when they play at AT&T. Fortunately Ryan Vogelsong had his throw-strikes & work-the-corners thing going on this afternoon and that kept a lid on the Fish and the Giants pulled off a win. The home team struck first in the 1st with some Gregor Blanco action and made it hurt four batters later with consecutive two-out RBI singles from FNGs Brandon Hicks and Tyler Colvin. You have to love contributions from the bottom of the order. Pablo Sandoval added a solo homer in the 5th and Vogie made it seven scoreless and that was enough. Jeremy Affeldt was a little rocky in the 8th but Santiago Casilla eventually got the big outs and Sergio Romo finished up. Good start, good defense, clutch hitting, strong 'pen--we know the formula and it's beautiful when it works.
Giants get an off-day tomorrow before heading to Colorado. The Rockies have the best run-difference (+49) in the NL and are a much-improved club. It's a quick trip and the boys will be back home for an inter-league series with the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
--M.C.
Giants get an off-day tomorrow before heading to Colorado. The Rockies have the best run-difference (+49) in the NL and are a much-improved club. It's a quick trip and the boys will be back home for an inter-league series with the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
--M.C.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Sloppy, But We'll Take It
The Giants finished off the season series against the Braves with their 5th victory in 6 games. Pretty good against a good team. They also beat the Braves' best starter on what was not a representative day for Julio Teheran. Good thing the offense showed up, big time, because Madison Bumgarner was not at his best, either.
Here is the difference between Madison's last outing and this:
May 9: 8 IP, 4 h, 1 run, 8 K, 1 BB, 76/112 strikes/pitches (0.67)
May 14: 5 IP, 7 h, 4 run, 5 K, 1 BB, 57/96 strikes/pitches (0.59)
Teheran was worse, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) in 3 1/3 innings to raise his ERA to 2.20. The Giants batted around in the 2 run 1st inning, leaving Matty with a chance for another grand slam (he struck out). The Braves got Teheran out of there after 84 pitches.
The Giants' relievers, Gutierrez, Machi (2 IP) and Lopez, kept the Braves scoreless. However, Giants' batters continued to add to what seemed, at the time, like a precarious lead.
Pence, 4 hits, 3 rbi and a home run (isn't that a good thing?)
Sandoval, 2 for 3 and an rbi before leaving with, reportedly, a sore toe.
Colvin, 2 hits.
Morse, 1 very big slump-breaking fly.
Crawford, 3 hits, 3 rbi and a home run.
And last but not least, Gregor Blanco, just when he was looking fairly useless, got a hit and walked twice, stole 3 bases and scored 3 runs.
The Giants now lead the league in 2-out rbi hits. That is probably reason #1 for the turn around this season.
3 home runs for the home team! Final score 10 - 4.
Save some of that moxie for the Marlins, boys, they are always tough on the Giants at home.
Here is the difference between Madison's last outing and this:
May 9: 8 IP, 4 h, 1 run, 8 K, 1 BB, 76/112 strikes/pitches (0.67)
May 14: 5 IP, 7 h, 4 run, 5 K, 1 BB, 57/96 strikes/pitches (0.59)
Teheran was worse, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) in 3 1/3 innings to raise his ERA to 2.20. The Giants batted around in the 2 run 1st inning, leaving Matty with a chance for another grand slam (he struck out). The Braves got Teheran out of there after 84 pitches.
The Giants' relievers, Gutierrez, Machi (2 IP) and Lopez, kept the Braves scoreless. However, Giants' batters continued to add to what seemed, at the time, like a precarious lead.
Pence, 4 hits, 3 rbi and a home run (isn't that a good thing?)
Sandoval, 2 for 3 and an rbi before leaving with, reportedly, a sore toe.
Colvin, 2 hits.
Morse, 1 very big slump-breaking fly.
Crawford, 3 hits, 3 rbi and a home run.
And last but not least, Gregor Blanco, just when he was looking fairly useless, got a hit and walked twice, stole 3 bases and scored 3 runs.
The Giants now lead the league in 2-out rbi hits. That is probably reason #1 for the turn around this season.
3 home runs for the home team! Final score 10 - 4.
Save some of that moxie for the Marlins, boys, they are always tough on the Giants at home.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
In Appreciation of Hunter Pence
Two nights ago, in a stultifying loss in Colorado, Hunter Pence ran down a ball in right field and plowed face-first into the fence. He'd made the catch, but the ball popped out as a result of the collision. It looked bad. He fell to the ground, and as he lay there, supine, Gregor Blanco completed the play and then waved frantically to the dugout for help. Boch and the trainer (they call them "physios" in England) hustled out to check on their man. Not much later, Pence was up, looking fine, and checking to see if Boch was winded by the sprint. He stayed in the game and kept his streak--140 straight starts--alive. Last night, against the same Rockies, Hunter Pence hit a ball 476 feet that cleared the bleachers in left field. According to the folks that measure such things, it was the longest blast of the season. It was so massive that when Pablo Sandoval followed with 430-footer of his own, it seemed a bit pedestrian. Duane Kuiper has taken to calling Pence "Plastic Man" in appreciation of his gangly, long-limbed, all-out style. Not many guys can do what no. 8 just pulled off, and it got me thinking about what he brings to the ballpark. By the way, the Giants won behind a nice effort from Yusmeiro Petit.
For starters, I like a guy who plays. He's not only played every game this season, he's only missed a handful of innings. That's a lot of balls caught and plays made in right field, and for my money, he passes the eye test. I don't know or care what the advanced defensive metrics say, I see a guy who has lots of range, good hands, and a strong arm. I like it when balls are hit to right--the guy knows what to do. As a hitter, Pence had his worst season ever in 2012. This season, his .278/.326/.450 line is a notch below his career (.284/.337/.471) numbers, but he spent most of his time in hitter-friendly places like Houston and Philadelphia. B-R agrees, giving him a 124 OPS+ so far this year, a notch above his career 118 mark. A .704 OPS is the NL average, it's .726 in the AL. FanGraphs says Pence's .776 should get a 120 wRC+ rating and that he's worth 3.7 WAR (B-R says 3.0). If you give each WAR a $5M price tag, he's certainly earning his $13.8M. Did I forget to mention he is 19 for 21 in stolen bases? Here's a guy who can get on base, hit for power, run the bases, and play the field. He's not Mike Trout, fer chrissakes, but he's average or above average in all the things ballplayers are supposed to do. He reminds me a bit of a guy just about to come off the DL, one Angel Pagan. He's also an all-rounder, pretty darn good at a lot of things. Pagan's a year older, and signed a 4-year, $40M deal for 2013-2016. I think the Giants should make a shot at keeping their right-fielder.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
For starters, I like a guy who plays. He's not only played every game this season, he's only missed a handful of innings. That's a lot of balls caught and plays made in right field, and for my money, he passes the eye test. I don't know or care what the advanced defensive metrics say, I see a guy who has lots of range, good hands, and a strong arm. I like it when balls are hit to right--the guy knows what to do. As a hitter, Pence had his worst season ever in 2012. This season, his .278/.326/.450 line is a notch below his career (.284/.337/.471) numbers, but he spent most of his time in hitter-friendly places like Houston and Philadelphia. B-R agrees, giving him a 124 OPS+ so far this year, a notch above his career 118 mark. A .704 OPS is the NL average, it's .726 in the AL. FanGraphs says Pence's .776 should get a 120 wRC+ rating and that he's worth 3.7 WAR (B-R says 3.0). If you give each WAR a $5M price tag, he's certainly earning his $13.8M. Did I forget to mention he is 19 for 21 in stolen bases? Here's a guy who can get on base, hit for power, run the bases, and play the field. He's not Mike Trout, fer chrissakes, but he's average or above average in all the things ballplayers are supposed to do. He reminds me a bit of a guy just about to come off the DL, one Angel Pagan. He's also an all-rounder, pretty darn good at a lot of things. Pagan's a year older, and signed a 4-year, $40M deal for 2013-2016. I think the Giants should make a shot at keeping their right-fielder.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Birthday, Bad call, Bumgarner, Brandon, Brandon, Blanco
Madison Bumgarner had his 24th birthday yesterday, August 1. Barely 24! Today he got his 11th win in a 4 - 1 Giants victory over Tampa Bay. He should have at least 15 wins by now, but, well you know the Giants. Long-time Giants' nemesis Joe West tried to give a tense pitchers' duel away with a bad call on "bunt single" in the third inning that allowed Jose Robaton to take third, and then score on a Ben Zobrist single. You know how usually you look at a replay and see that, even if the umpire blew the call, it was pretty close and you can see how it could have been ruled the way it was? This was not one of those times. Not sure if it would have made a difference in the run, it turned out to be Tampa Bay's only one. Madison's line: 7 innings, 112 pitches, 11 K!, 3 BB, 1 run.
The Giants were facing Chris Archer, a young pitcher in just his first full year with Tampa. He is actually older than Madison Bumgarner. He pretty much kept the Giants off balance, and did not give up a hit until the 3rd, when Brandon Belt singled. He did not give up another hit until the 5th, when Brandon Belt cleanly stroked a home run to right center. Chris Archer throws heat, and he was throwing some today, which confused me a bit. The rap on Brandon Belt was that he was not getting around on fastballs, and that it what it looked like a lot in the past couple weeks. I don't know how a batter can get into the major leagues without hitting fastballs. Today he looked like he was waiting on fastballs, and then hitting them hard. So, with the game-tying rbi under his belt, Belt belted a triple for what proved to be the game-winning rbi. In the 7th, Hunter Pence managed an infield single to get on base, and Belt tripled to bring him home. Brandon Crawford, wanting to get in on the act, homered right after for the Giants 3rd and 4th runs. Gregor Blanco probably saved a couple of runs and helped keep Madison in the game with a running catch in deep center in the 5th. Not sure Roger the K should be batting in the 5 hole. Tampa Bay may have a depressing looking, soulless stadium, but they are a very, very good team. 3 wins in a row! I'm feeling giddy.
The Giants were facing Chris Archer, a young pitcher in just his first full year with Tampa. He is actually older than Madison Bumgarner. He pretty much kept the Giants off balance, and did not give up a hit until the 3rd, when Brandon Belt singled. He did not give up another hit until the 5th, when Brandon Belt cleanly stroked a home run to right center. Chris Archer throws heat, and he was throwing some today, which confused me a bit. The rap on Brandon Belt was that he was not getting around on fastballs, and that it what it looked like a lot in the past couple weeks. I don't know how a batter can get into the major leagues without hitting fastballs. Today he looked like he was waiting on fastballs, and then hitting them hard. So, with the game-tying rbi under his belt, Belt belted a triple for what proved to be the game-winning rbi. In the 7th, Hunter Pence managed an infield single to get on base, and Belt tripled to bring him home. Brandon Crawford, wanting to get in on the act, homered right after for the Giants 3rd and 4th runs. Gregor Blanco probably saved a couple of runs and helped keep Madison in the game with a running catch in deep center in the 5th. Not sure Roger the K should be batting in the 5 hole. Tampa Bay may have a depressing looking, soulless stadium, but they are a very, very good team. 3 wins in a row! I'm feeling giddy.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Giants Win the Set
Matty and Maddy again standing out in a field of otherwise uninspiring baseball. Madison Bumgarner on the bump today and he pitched well against Eric Stults, who is having a pretty good year for the Padres. Mr. Stults picked up his 6th loss against 6 wins, with a 3.25 era and 1.09 whip. Madison picked up his 7th win on the year. For the record, he has 4 losses, a 3.25 era and a 1.01 whip, which is really good. Maddy threw 111 pitches in 7 innings. He only gave up 1 hit through 6, but that was a home run to Max Will Venable. He only gave up 2 more hits in the 7th, another solo home run, this time to Jesus Guzman and a single before retiring the side.
Those 2 runs put the Padres ahead at the time. The Giants picked up 1 on and rbi single by Brandon Belt in the 4th to score Hunter Pence. I seem to remember a few games in which Stults stymied the Giants. The Giants were able to break through in the 7th, however. Tony Abreu singled, and Hector Sanchez, batting for Madison, singled off of Luke Gregerson, sending Abreu to third base. Brandon Crawford, who is not on the disabled list with a sprained finger, pinch ran for Sanchez. Then, Gregor Blanco, batting for Andres Torres, tripled for 2 loud runs. That was all, but it was enough. The very young looking Jake Dunning took care of the eighth and Sergio Romo took care of the ninth.
Oh, there was a dust-up in the 2nd inning. No one claims knowledge as to why.
Those 2 runs put the Padres ahead at the time. The Giants picked up 1 on and rbi single by Brandon Belt in the 4th to score Hunter Pence. I seem to remember a few games in which Stults stymied the Giants. The Giants were able to break through in the 7th, however. Tony Abreu singled, and Hector Sanchez, batting for Madison, singled off of Luke Gregerson, sending Abreu to third base. Brandon Crawford, who is not on the disabled list with a sprained finger, pinch ran for Sanchez. Then, Gregor Blanco, batting for Andres Torres, tripled for 2 loud runs. That was all, but it was enough. The very young looking Jake Dunning took care of the eighth and Sergio Romo took care of the ninth.
Oh, there was a dust-up in the 2nd inning. No one claims knowledge as to why.
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