SF 3 COL 2
The Giants squeaked past the Rockies in a tense game that ended on a video review. Fortunately the cameras went our way and the call on the field (a game-ending double play) was confirmed and that sealed the win. The Giants are facing the Rockies at the halfway point in the season. Tonight was Game 80 and Madison Bumgarner will get the call for Game 81 tomorrow night. The win puts the team at 41-39 which is 4-1/2 back of leaders Arizona, 1-1/2 behind second place Los Angeles, and 2-1/2 up on Colorado.
Gorkys Hernandez continues his fine hitting with a solo shot in the 3rd to tie it and a bases-loaded walk in the 8th (off Adam Ottavino!) which drove in the eventual game-winner. He even had a hand in the tying run in the 7th, bunting over Austin Slater and Hunter Pence, and Slater scored on Andrew McCutchen's sacrifice fly. (I wouldn't bunt with Gorkys--he's hitting .284/.338/.482 with 10 homers!! But it worked out, so no complaints.)
Derek Holland had an excellent start, striking out eight in 6-2/3 and allowing only an Ian Desmond solo shot. Reyes Moronta got the last out of the 7th but Mark Melancon gave up a run with two outs in the 8th and Tony Watson had to finish the inning. Sam Dyson gave up a fluky double to start the 9th but got it done with a strikeout and the DP. Joe Panik initially booted the grounder but recovered to complete the play. This year's club has a knack for making everything extra exciting.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Showing posts with label The Grind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Grind. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Giants Slay Fish, Again
SF 6 MIA 5
Nail-biting? Sure. Agonizing? Of course. Frustrating? Goes without saying. But the Giants, for the second game in a row, scored six runs. Today they allowed five, and six is more than five, just like always, so that means the Fish were slain. Did they wriggle on the gaff? You bet. Did they flop on the deck? Certainly. Did the Giants finally find a way to subdue them? Yup. Reyes Moronta got his first save, bailing out Sam Dyson in the 9th. Derek Holland had another good start and that paid off. Brandon Belt had three hits and looks like he's 100%, Gorkys Hernandez had an epic 14-pitch at-bat in the critical 6th and delivered a clutch two-RBI hit, and Hunter Pence had two hits and two RBI. The fielding is still shaky (two more errors today), but the only truly important stat is the W-L line. Giants creep closer to .500 (now at 37-38) and perhaps have some momentum for the upcoming Padres series.
Madison Bumgarner get the start against Tyson Ross tomorrow night at 7:15 Pacific.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Nail-biting? Sure. Agonizing? Of course. Frustrating? Goes without saying. But the Giants, for the second game in a row, scored six runs. Today they allowed five, and six is more than five, just like always, so that means the Fish were slain. Did they wriggle on the gaff? You bet. Did they flop on the deck? Certainly. Did the Giants finally find a way to subdue them? Yup. Reyes Moronta got his first save, bailing out Sam Dyson in the 9th. Derek Holland had another good start and that paid off. Brandon Belt had three hits and looks like he's 100%, Gorkys Hernandez had an epic 14-pitch at-bat in the critical 6th and delivered a clutch two-RBI hit, and Hunter Pence had two hits and two RBI. The fielding is still shaky (two more errors today), but the only truly important stat is the W-L line. Giants creep closer to .500 (now at 37-38) and perhaps have some momentum for the upcoming Padres series.
Madison Bumgarner get the start against Tyson Ross tomorrow night at 7:15 Pacific.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Back to .500
SF 7 SD 0
Giants bounce back from their 3-4 homestand with a big win in San Diego. Chris Stratton held the Padres to only one hit in his seven innings of work. Except for a 32-pitch, two-walk 5th he was in command the whole way. The lineup jumped on Padres starter Bryan Mitchell immediately, scoring three in the 1st, and then added four more off Colten Brewer in the 6th. When Mitchell was pulled in the 3rd Andy Green called on Clayton Richard to pinch-hit. His single was the one Padres hit!
That's the third team shutout. The first was Blach/Osich/Gearrin/Watson/Strickland. The second was Cueto/Watson/Strickland. This one was Stratton/Law. Derek Law was just recalled today as Andrew Suarez (who showed some moxie in his debut) was sent back down.
Ty Blach tomorrow. Go Giants!
--M.C.
Giants bounce back from their 3-4 homestand with a big win in San Diego. Chris Stratton held the Padres to only one hit in his seven innings of work. Except for a 32-pitch, two-walk 5th he was in command the whole way. The lineup jumped on Padres starter Bryan Mitchell immediately, scoring three in the 1st, and then added four more off Colten Brewer in the 6th. When Mitchell was pulled in the 3rd Andy Green called on Clayton Richard to pinch-hit. His single was the one Padres hit!
That's the third team shutout. The first was Blach/Osich/Gearrin/Watson/Strickland. The second was Cueto/Watson/Strickland. This one was Stratton/Law. Derek Law was just recalled today as Andrew Suarez (who showed some moxie in his debut) was sent back down.
Ty Blach tomorrow. Go Giants!
--M.C.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Snakebit Giants Still Prevail!
SF 5 AZ 4
The Giants didn't need more bad news but they got some anyway--starter Johnny Cueto hits the DL with an ankle injury. Rookie Tyler Beede made his ML debut a night earlier than he expected to and had a rough time of it. He gave up two quick runs in the 1st and labored (20 batters, 82 pitches, 5 walks) through four. Reyes Moronta added two scoreless. Down 2-0 in the 6th the Giants rallied against Patrick Corbin who had been overpowering to that point. Up 3-2 a two-out hit by Brandon Crawford sent Andrew McCutchen home with what looked like run number four. The safe call, alas, was overturned by replay and some of the happy buzz from the rally was killed a bit. The Diamondbacks tied it up immediately against Josh Osich but fine relief work from Cory Gearrin and Tony Watson kept it knotted 3-3 into the 8th. In the bottom half, a walk to McCutchen and a single by Buster Posey put men on first and second for Evan Longoria with one out. He struck out, but with the runners going, Alex Avila chucked it into centerfield and Cutch came around to score to make it 4-3. The old double-steal/catcher-error play! Hunter Strickland got the first two outs in the 9th but gave up a bomb to--who else?--Paul Goldschmidt and the game was tied, again.
That crushing blow merely served to set up the winning rally in the bottom of the 9th. A walk to Kelby Tomlinson, a sacrifice bunt by Gorkys Hernandez, a walk to Austin Jackson, and a walk to Brandon Belt loaded the bases for Cutch. He delivered the game-winner on the first pitch and the Giants had a dramatic, hard-fought, much-needed victory.
On the radio Flemm said at the end of the game "in the NL West this year there will be a lot of games like this." I think he's right. This Giants team has a chance to be really good. They are holding their own with three starters and two relievers on the shelf and a team OPS in the bottom third. If they can get the offense warmed up a bit imagine what they could do. The pitching has been very tough overall considering the injuries, and the fielding looks very good. Rookie Andrew Suarez will most likely make his ML debut tomorrow. We wanted the team to get younger, didn't we?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Giants didn't need more bad news but they got some anyway--starter Johnny Cueto hits the DL with an ankle injury. Rookie Tyler Beede made his ML debut a night earlier than he expected to and had a rough time of it. He gave up two quick runs in the 1st and labored (20 batters, 82 pitches, 5 walks) through four. Reyes Moronta added two scoreless. Down 2-0 in the 6th the Giants rallied against Patrick Corbin who had been overpowering to that point. Up 3-2 a two-out hit by Brandon Crawford sent Andrew McCutchen home with what looked like run number four. The safe call, alas, was overturned by replay and some of the happy buzz from the rally was killed a bit. The Diamondbacks tied it up immediately against Josh Osich but fine relief work from Cory Gearrin and Tony Watson kept it knotted 3-3 into the 8th. In the bottom half, a walk to McCutchen and a single by Buster Posey put men on first and second for Evan Longoria with one out. He struck out, but with the runners going, Alex Avila chucked it into centerfield and Cutch came around to score to make it 4-3. The old double-steal/catcher-error play! Hunter Strickland got the first two outs in the 9th but gave up a bomb to--who else?--Paul Goldschmidt and the game was tied, again.
That crushing blow merely served to set up the winning rally in the bottom of the 9th. A walk to Kelby Tomlinson, a sacrifice bunt by Gorkys Hernandez, a walk to Austin Jackson, and a walk to Brandon Belt loaded the bases for Cutch. He delivered the game-winner on the first pitch and the Giants had a dramatic, hard-fought, much-needed victory.
On the radio Flemm said at the end of the game "in the NL West this year there will be a lot of games like this." I think he's right. This Giants team has a chance to be really good. They are holding their own with three starters and two relievers on the shelf and a team OPS in the bottom third. If they can get the offense warmed up a bit imagine what they could do. The pitching has been very tough overall considering the injuries, and the fielding looks very good. Rookie Andrew Suarez will most likely make his ML debut tomorrow. We wanted the team to get younger, didn't we?
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Monday, April 9, 2018
Out-pitched
AZ 2 SF 1
Derek Holland gave up two hits in his start tonight: it was two hits too many. A single, a triple, and a sacrifice fly in the 1st staked the Diamondbacks to a 2-0 lead and that was enough. Holland whiffed eight in his six innings against only one walk. Arizona starter Zack Godley whiffed nine in his seven and walked none while scattering four hits (two by Buster Posey). Godley was god-like as far as Giants hitters were concerned as he generated 16 called strikes and 20 swinging strikes (mostly via the curveball) and ten groundball outs. Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria were particularly over-matched. The Giants managed a run against reliever Yoshihisa Hirano in the 8th but were closed out in the 9th by Archie Bradley. Roberto Gomez (2) and Sam Dyson (1) put up a clean sheet for the last three innings. Eight scoreless frames from both clubs tonight with only ten hits allowed (five from each team) and 23 strikeouts.
Arizona is the hot team so far in the NL West winning eight of their first ten. The Giants can be happy about a strong start from FNG Holland but they really ought to think about scoring some runs as their total of 25 over nine games puts them at the bottom of the heap. It was a tough matchup tonight but it will be another tough matchup tomorrow with Patrick Corbin who has 20 K in 13 IP and has allowed only two runs in his two starts. The Giants counter with Johnny Cueto who has allowed only one run in his two starts (also 13 IP).
They still have not named a starter for Wednesday.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Derek Holland gave up two hits in his start tonight: it was two hits too many. A single, a triple, and a sacrifice fly in the 1st staked the Diamondbacks to a 2-0 lead and that was enough. Holland whiffed eight in his six innings against only one walk. Arizona starter Zack Godley whiffed nine in his seven and walked none while scattering four hits (two by Buster Posey). Godley was god-like as far as Giants hitters were concerned as he generated 16 called strikes and 20 swinging strikes (mostly via the curveball) and ten groundball outs. Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria were particularly over-matched. The Giants managed a run against reliever Yoshihisa Hirano in the 8th but were closed out in the 9th by Archie Bradley. Roberto Gomez (2) and Sam Dyson (1) put up a clean sheet for the last three innings. Eight scoreless frames from both clubs tonight with only ten hits allowed (five from each team) and 23 strikeouts.
Arizona is the hot team so far in the NL West winning eight of their first ten. The Giants can be happy about a strong start from FNG Holland but they really ought to think about scoring some runs as their total of 25 over nine games puts them at the bottom of the heap. It was a tough matchup tonight but it will be another tough matchup tomorrow with Patrick Corbin who has 20 K in 13 IP and has allowed only two runs in his two starts. The Giants counter with Johnny Cueto who has allowed only one run in his two starts (also 13 IP).
They still have not named a starter for Wednesday.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Monday, October 2, 2017
9th inning: 8-10
1st inning: 6-12
2nd inning: 6-12
3rd inning: 10-8
4th inning: 4-14
5th inning: 8-10
6th inning: 7-11
7th inning: 9-9
8th inning: 6-12
9th inning: 8-10
The final tally for 2017 is 64-98 (.395), 40 games out of first place and 23 games behind the wildcard. The Giants tie the Detroit Tigers for the worst record and will get rewarded with the number two overall pick in the 2018 June draft (the Giants had a better 2016 record than the Tigers).
It was a season in which everything went wrong. The team was a disaster from the opening bell and never found its footing. Considering the expectations and track record you could argue it was the worst season ever for the San Francisco Giants. The team was 16th of the 30 ML squads in runs allowed per game (4.79); they were 29th in runs scored per game (3.94). The league average for RA/RS was 4.65, I think you can see the problem. They couldn't hit and the pitching was sub-par. They also couldn't play the field or run the bases. The only players on the club with anything close to their expected performances were Buster Posey (.320/.400/.462, 4.3 fWAR) and Jeff Samardzija (207-2/3 IP, 3.8 fWAR).
One of the things about being a sports fan is that the outcomes are random. If you like movies of a particular ilk, say rom-coms or super-hero franchises, you can pick those when you go out and you will stand a good chance of getting your money's worth. If you go to the circus or to the opera you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Sporting events don't give us that luxury. You have to take a risk--the performance could be a dud. Imagine if Broadway musicals had the variation we see in ballgames. Tuesday night's Hamilton could really stink but Sunday's would be epic, for example. Who would stand such a thing?
What we learn in life is to take the bitter with the sweet. There's no way to separate the bad from the good as the world is all jumbled up. It's not neat out there, it's messy, and it can't be untangled. We love the Giants so they drive us crazy. If we didn't care it would be a lot easier. But we do, so it isn't. We cry "wait 'til next year" when things are bleak. The 2018 Giants may be bad, or they may bounce back, there's no way to know for sure. One thing I'm sure of is that I'll be right here, chiming in on my beloved orange-and-blackers, and hoping you'll join me.
As always, my heartfelt thanks to all of you for reading, lurking, commenting, and posting. This is our 10th full season of blogging here at RMC, that's over 2200 posts! Writing about the Giants has taught me much about myself. It's brought into focus my lifelong relationship to baseball, allowed me to muse often on the nature of fandom, and forced me to ride out the highs and lows with some degree of equanimity. I can't wait to see what next year brings.
--M.C.
p.s. Baseball is a slow, sluggish game with frequent and trivial interruptions, offering the spectator many opportunities to reflect at leisure upon the situation on the field. This is what a fan loves most about the game. --Edward Abbey (from Vox Clamantis in Deserto)
2nd inning: 6-12
3rd inning: 10-8
4th inning: 4-14
5th inning: 8-10
6th inning: 7-11
7th inning: 9-9
8th inning: 6-12
9th inning: 8-10
The final tally for 2017 is 64-98 (.395), 40 games out of first place and 23 games behind the wildcard. The Giants tie the Detroit Tigers for the worst record and will get rewarded with the number two overall pick in the 2018 June draft (the Giants had a better 2016 record than the Tigers).
It was a season in which everything went wrong. The team was a disaster from the opening bell and never found its footing. Considering the expectations and track record you could argue it was the worst season ever for the San Francisco Giants. The team was 16th of the 30 ML squads in runs allowed per game (4.79); they were 29th in runs scored per game (3.94). The league average for RA/RS was 4.65, I think you can see the problem. They couldn't hit and the pitching was sub-par. They also couldn't play the field or run the bases. The only players on the club with anything close to their expected performances were Buster Posey (.320/.400/.462, 4.3 fWAR) and Jeff Samardzija (207-2/3 IP, 3.8 fWAR).
One of the things about being a sports fan is that the outcomes are random. If you like movies of a particular ilk, say rom-coms or super-hero franchises, you can pick those when you go out and you will stand a good chance of getting your money's worth. If you go to the circus or to the opera you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Sporting events don't give us that luxury. You have to take a risk--the performance could be a dud. Imagine if Broadway musicals had the variation we see in ballgames. Tuesday night's Hamilton could really stink but Sunday's would be epic, for example. Who would stand such a thing?
What we learn in life is to take the bitter with the sweet. There's no way to separate the bad from the good as the world is all jumbled up. It's not neat out there, it's messy, and it can't be untangled. We love the Giants so they drive us crazy. If we didn't care it would be a lot easier. But we do, so it isn't. We cry "wait 'til next year" when things are bleak. The 2018 Giants may be bad, or they may bounce back, there's no way to know for sure. One thing I'm sure of is that I'll be right here, chiming in on my beloved orange-and-blackers, and hoping you'll join me.
As always, my heartfelt thanks to all of you for reading, lurking, commenting, and posting. This is our 10th full season of blogging here at RMC, that's over 2200 posts! Writing about the Giants has taught me much about myself. It's brought into focus my lifelong relationship to baseball, allowed me to muse often on the nature of fandom, and forced me to ride out the highs and lows with some degree of equanimity. I can't wait to see what next year brings.
--M.C.
p.s. Baseball is a slow, sluggish game with frequent and trivial interruptions, offering the spectator many opportunities to reflect at leisure upon the situation on the field. This is what a fan loves most about the game. --Edward Abbey (from Vox Clamantis in Deserto)
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Tydy Win in Detroit
Especially, if by tydy, you mean that the Giants almost blew it, but didn't. But a 5 - 4 victory is the start of a new winning streak! The Giants scored first, in the 3rd inning off of rookie pitcher Daniel Norris, who's been having a bit of a tough time lately. Kelby Tomlinson singled, followed by a Gorkys Hernandez bunt for 2 runners on. Tomlinson went to 3rd on a wild pitch, and Tomlinson stole 2nd. Pence got the first rbi on a line out, and Hwang got the second. In the 4th, Nick Hundley doubled, Tomlinson walked and then Belt drove in Hundley. Pence tripled into the left field power alley and that made the score 5 - 0. The Giants could not add to that.
Ty Blach cruised through 6 innings, giving up 3 hits but no runs. Then, in the 7th, a single, a double and a single scored the first 2 of Detroit's runs. A parade of bullpen appearances in the persons of Kontos (gave up a single), Okert (K), and Gearrin (wild pitch, walk, single and sac fly) gave Detroit 4 runs, although they managed to scrape through the 7th still in the lead. Hunter Strickland gave up a double but held the Tigers scoreless in the 8th, and Sam Dyson pitched a very crisp 9th for the save. The Giants got some good contributions from a bunch of guys who don't normally start: Hundley, Gorkys and Kelby. Buster Posey, at DH, got intentionally walked twice, and hit by a pitch. He was 0 for 2 but on base 3 times. Pence picked up 3 rbi, and Hwang and Belt had 1 each.
I was looking at the schedule, and the Giants can win a lot this month. They come home to play Miami, then they play San Diego twice, and Cleveland (who is a good team) and Pittsburgh at home. Then LA at the end of the month. Of course, the Giants could have played a lot better earlier in the year, too, but they didn't. But fuck that - let's do it! Let's amaze the baseball world with the turnaround. We'll worry about standings and races later.
Ty Blach cruised through 6 innings, giving up 3 hits but no runs. Then, in the 7th, a single, a double and a single scored the first 2 of Detroit's runs. A parade of bullpen appearances in the persons of Kontos (gave up a single), Okert (K), and Gearrin (wild pitch, walk, single and sac fly) gave Detroit 4 runs, although they managed to scrape through the 7th still in the lead. Hunter Strickland gave up a double but held the Tigers scoreless in the 8th, and Sam Dyson pitched a very crisp 9th for the save. The Giants got some good contributions from a bunch of guys who don't normally start: Hundley, Gorkys and Kelby. Buster Posey, at DH, got intentionally walked twice, and hit by a pitch. He was 0 for 2 but on base 3 times. Pence picked up 3 rbi, and Hwang and Belt had 1 each.
I was looking at the schedule, and the Giants can win a lot this month. They come home to play Miami, then they play San Diego twice, and Cleveland (who is a good team) and Pittsburgh at home. Then LA at the end of the month. Of course, the Giants could have played a lot better earlier in the year, too, but they didn't. But fuck that - let's do it! Let's amaze the baseball world with the turnaround. We'll worry about standings and races later.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Giants Edge Dodgers in Extras
SF 4 LA 1 (11)
The Giants spent most of the evening doing their best not to get a clutch hit or score a run. Fortunately starter Jeff Samardzija was up to the task with his best effort of the season, an 8-inning, 11-strikeout, no-walks gem. The Giants gave up a run in the bottom of the 6th on an error by Joe Panik and some hustle by Yasiel Puig and it looked for all the world like a classic Caining but they eked out the tying run in the top of the 8th. Hunter Pence took two bases on a passed ball and Buster Posey knocked him in with a groundout. Some fabulous relief work--that's a phrase I've not typed much--gave the good guys a second wind and they finally broke through in the 11th with run-scoring hits from Gorkys Hernández and Brandon Belt. Mark Melancon put two guys on in the bottom half but put up the zero to seal the deal and the Giants had a series win.
Perhaps the Dodgers should be the only opponent for the rest of the way. It seems our boys deliver their best performances against the men in blue, yesterday's implosion notwithstanding. The Shark now has four decent starts out of six; the two turkeys account for 13 runs in 10-2/3 IP, the others including tonight make 11 runs in 28-2/3. He certainly earned the game ball but southpaw Steven Okert's five-out no-run appearance spanning the 9th and 10th was equally clutch. The Giants can't slug it out with teams, they have to play low-scoring games. This was more like the winning formula we expected.
Of note were Belt's four walks, he now has 22 or the fourth-most in baseball, leader Bryce Harper has 25. The Kid, Christian Arroyo, was 0-for-6 with three whiffs. You're in the big leagues now, lad.
Off-day tomorrow and then it's on to Cincinnati for a three-game set. Matt Cain gets the call Friday against 40-year old Bronson Arroyo (no relation!).
--M.C.
The Giants spent most of the evening doing their best not to get a clutch hit or score a run. Fortunately starter Jeff Samardzija was up to the task with his best effort of the season, an 8-inning, 11-strikeout, no-walks gem. The Giants gave up a run in the bottom of the 6th on an error by Joe Panik and some hustle by Yasiel Puig and it looked for all the world like a classic Caining but they eked out the tying run in the top of the 8th. Hunter Pence took two bases on a passed ball and Buster Posey knocked him in with a groundout. Some fabulous relief work--that's a phrase I've not typed much--gave the good guys a second wind and they finally broke through in the 11th with run-scoring hits from Gorkys Hernández and Brandon Belt. Mark Melancon put two guys on in the bottom half but put up the zero to seal the deal and the Giants had a series win.
Perhaps the Dodgers should be the only opponent for the rest of the way. It seems our boys deliver their best performances against the men in blue, yesterday's implosion notwithstanding. The Shark now has four decent starts out of six; the two turkeys account for 13 runs in 10-2/3 IP, the others including tonight make 11 runs in 28-2/3. He certainly earned the game ball but southpaw Steven Okert's five-out no-run appearance spanning the 9th and 10th was equally clutch. The Giants can't slug it out with teams, they have to play low-scoring games. This was more like the winning formula we expected.
Of note were Belt's four walks, he now has 22 or the fourth-most in baseball, leader Bryce Harper has 25. The Kid, Christian Arroyo, was 0-for-6 with three whiffs. You're in the big leagues now, lad.
Off-day tomorrow and then it's on to Cincinnati for a three-game set. Matt Cain gets the call Friday against 40-year old Bronson Arroyo (no relation!).
--M.C.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Giants Blow It, Win Anyway
SF 9 SD 6 (10)
Madison Bumgarner got rocked for three homers this evening in Petco Park, one in the 4th, one in the 5th, and one in the 6th after the Giants had taken a 6-0 lead. He turned it over to the bullpen leading 6-5, it wasn't too hard to imagine they would find a way to give up the lead and sure enough the Padres tied it 6-6 in the 7th. It went to extras and somehow (Kelby Tomlinson and Angel Pagan) the Giants managed to have a big three-run rally (two-run homer by Denard Span) and they held on (Sergio Romo) to close it out in the 10th. Dodgers win tonight as well and reduce their magic number to one to clinch the West. Cardinals win and Mets lose so St. Louis (81-73) is a half-game back, the Mets (82-73) are tied with the Giants in the wild card race. At least we know that the Giants will finish over .500 for the season!
Seven games left. Giants play a day game tomorrow (1:40 Pacific, looks like Ty Blach) and are off Monday, then have six at home (three with Colorado and three with LA) and finish the regular season on Sunday, October 2nd.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. I like Brandon Belt hitting second.
Madison Bumgarner got rocked for three homers this evening in Petco Park, one in the 4th, one in the 5th, and one in the 6th after the Giants had taken a 6-0 lead. He turned it over to the bullpen leading 6-5, it wasn't too hard to imagine they would find a way to give up the lead and sure enough the Padres tied it 6-6 in the 7th. It went to extras and somehow (Kelby Tomlinson and Angel Pagan) the Giants managed to have a big three-run rally (two-run homer by Denard Span) and they held on (Sergio Romo) to close it out in the 10th. Dodgers win tonight as well and reduce their magic number to one to clinch the West. Cardinals win and Mets lose so St. Louis (81-73) is a half-game back, the Mets (82-73) are tied with the Giants in the wild card race. At least we know that the Giants will finish over .500 for the season!
Seven games left. Giants play a day game tomorrow (1:40 Pacific, looks like Ty Blach) and are off Monday, then have six at home (three with Colorado and three with LA) and finish the regular season on Sunday, October 2nd.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. I like Brandon Belt hitting second.
Friday, September 2, 2016
Giants Fall Short--Again
5-4 loss Fri &
2-1 loss Sat
Two one-run losses in Chicago encapsulate the year so far: Giants are just a little short of being a complete team. The Cubs are baseball's best right now, and have been most of the season. The Giants flirted with that distinction for a bit in late July but have now been overtaken within their own division. At one point in the two games the Giants were 0-for-40, yet they had legitimate chances to win both. That's the essence of the 2016 Giants--very good, but not enough. Friday night was the familiar story with the bullpen blowing the lead. This is the most obvious weakness of the club, and it should be noted that with the retirement departure of Jeremy Affeldt at the end of last season and the impending free agencies for Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, and Santiago Casilla at the end of this season, the Core Four will likely be no more in 2017. An argument can be made that the remaining three could be done in orange-and-black, but that's a discussion for the off-season.
Jon Lester flirted with a no-hitter but Hunter Pence, the hot hand in the lineup, saved the team from ignominy this afternoon with a wind-defying blast. He had one last night as well. The baseball gods favored the home team today as several Giants hit the crap out of the ball but to no avail, either a great play in the field or fortunate placement of a fielder snuffed out the hits. I keep going back to my that-sums-up-the-season notion, certainly luck has not been on the side of the good guys since the Break. A foot difference here or there could have turned today's dominating win from Lester into a clean Caining, a great start wasted in a close loss. Alas, the Giants are indeed offensively challenged these days, and really have to add some pop to the program for the next set of shows. It's one thing to spurn the homer but still win. It's another to spurn the homer and continue to come up short, especially with the rest of the league banging them out regularly.
Jeff Samardzija was not effective on Friday and Albert Suarez was effective today, but the result was the same in both cases. Starting pitching has been spotty, at least by San Francisco standards; the drop-off from the ace lefty-righty pair a little too big, despite being overall, a better-than-league-average rotation. It all adds up to a good team, just not a great team. Despite the 5th-highest payroll they are tied for the 8th-best record. Then again it's nothing that a 20-8 record the rest of the way couldn't cure. Even if the Dodgers win tonight it's only a three-game deficit with six games head-to-head remaining, do-able even if difficult. Then there's the Wild Card, eminently reachable, but not anyone's first choice or anywhere close to pre-season expectations for this bunch.
If it seems like I'm avoiding discussing the last two games in any detail, that's exactly what I'm doing. Skipping the details. The wins are not coming with the needed frequency and at this point the details are moot. I can't quit, they certainly aren't, and the math says the odds for post-season play are still good. It's not that anything is rotten in Denmark, just a little past fresh.
Marquee matchup tomorrow afternoon with Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
2-1 loss Sat
Two one-run losses in Chicago encapsulate the year so far: Giants are just a little short of being a complete team. The Cubs are baseball's best right now, and have been most of the season. The Giants flirted with that distinction for a bit in late July but have now been overtaken within their own division. At one point in the two games the Giants were 0-for-40, yet they had legitimate chances to win both. That's the essence of the 2016 Giants--very good, but not enough. Friday night was the familiar story with the bullpen blowing the lead. This is the most obvious weakness of the club, and it should be noted that with the retirement departure of Jeremy Affeldt at the end of last season and the impending free agencies for Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, and Santiago Casilla at the end of this season, the Core Four will likely be no more in 2017. An argument can be made that the remaining three could be done in orange-and-black, but that's a discussion for the off-season.
Jon Lester flirted with a no-hitter but Hunter Pence, the hot hand in the lineup, saved the team from ignominy this afternoon with a wind-defying blast. He had one last night as well. The baseball gods favored the home team today as several Giants hit the crap out of the ball but to no avail, either a great play in the field or fortunate placement of a fielder snuffed out the hits. I keep going back to my that-sums-up-the-season notion, certainly luck has not been on the side of the good guys since the Break. A foot difference here or there could have turned today's dominating win from Lester into a clean Caining, a great start wasted in a close loss. Alas, the Giants are indeed offensively challenged these days, and really have to add some pop to the program for the next set of shows. It's one thing to spurn the homer but still win. It's another to spurn the homer and continue to come up short, especially with the rest of the league banging them out regularly.
Jeff Samardzija was not effective on Friday and Albert Suarez was effective today, but the result was the same in both cases. Starting pitching has been spotty, at least by San Francisco standards; the drop-off from the ace lefty-righty pair a little too big, despite being overall, a better-than-league-average rotation. It all adds up to a good team, just not a great team. Despite the 5th-highest payroll they are tied for the 8th-best record. Then again it's nothing that a 20-8 record the rest of the way couldn't cure. Even if the Dodgers win tonight it's only a three-game deficit with six games head-to-head remaining, do-able even if difficult. Then there's the Wild Card, eminently reachable, but not anyone's first choice or anywhere close to pre-season expectations for this bunch.
If it seems like I'm avoiding discussing the last two games in any detail, that's exactly what I'm doing. Skipping the details. The wins are not coming with the needed frequency and at this point the details are moot. I can't quit, they certainly aren't, and the math says the odds for post-season play are still good. It's not that anything is rotten in Denmark, just a little past fresh.
Marquee matchup tomorrow afternoon with Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
On to Chicago
4-2 win in SF
This was one of those grind-it-out wins, the kind we thought we'd see a lot of in the second half, alas they are few and far between and seem much more difficult than they ought to be. Matt Moore kept it going with 5-1/3 and only one run allowed, a nice play from Gorkys Hernandez in center to catch a screamer from Paul Goldschmidt kept it close but also brought forth the bullpen. They hemmed and hawed, as is their wont, but they ultimately got it done and the Giants had a win. The Giants won the game. That's big news. They finish August 11-16 for a .407 rate, pretty piss-poor for this club. Nice to see Joe Panik finding his stroke and moving up in the order, not so nice to see Brandon Belt continue to look like he can't see. The Giants will need him to find his stroke on this 11-day, 10-game road trip.
It's Wrigley Field next: Jeff Samardzija gets a homecoming, he was drafted by the Cubs in 2006 and spent parts of seven seasons with them. The best team in baseball (84-47, .641) is smokin' hot again, they've only lost six games this month and only twelve since the Break.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
This was one of those grind-it-out wins, the kind we thought we'd see a lot of in the second half, alas they are few and far between and seem much more difficult than they ought to be. Matt Moore kept it going with 5-1/3 and only one run allowed, a nice play from Gorkys Hernandez in center to catch a screamer from Paul Goldschmidt kept it close but also brought forth the bullpen. They hemmed and hawed, as is their wont, but they ultimately got it done and the Giants had a win. The Giants won the game. That's big news. They finish August 11-16 for a .407 rate, pretty piss-poor for this club. Nice to see Joe Panik finding his stroke and moving up in the order, not so nice to see Brandon Belt continue to look like he can't see. The Giants will need him to find his stroke on this 11-day, 10-game road trip.
It's Wrigley Field next: Jeff Samardzija gets a homecoming, he was drafted by the Cubs in 2006 and spent parts of seven seasons with them. The best team in baseball (84-47, .641) is smokin' hot again, they've only lost six games this month and only twelve since the Break.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Happy Fourth!
3-1 win at home
Giants fans enjoyed a tight contest in San Francisco today marred only by the difficult outfield conditions. The high sun seemed to give the players a tough time on fly balls, and Jake Peavy got 12 of his 20 outs that way, so the guys had to work a bit. But 20 outs is pretty damn fine for a number five starter: 6-2/3 with six strikeouts and only two walks. The one run allowed was on a bases-loaded balk, of all things. Uncharacteristically the Giants runs came exclusively from homers, a solo shot by Buster and a two-run bomb from Angel Pagan. Five relievers (including Sergio Romo!) closed it out, notable for a particularly crisp 1-2-3 9th from Santiago Casilla.
In all it was more like the formula we hope to see--strong start, good fielding (Brandon Crawford again put on a show at shortstop), run-scoring hits, and a stout 'pen. Despite the injuries and roster moves the Giants have continued to grind it out, bouncing back from tough losses and fending off a determined second-place foe. I think everyone is looking forward to the Break.
The Giants play two more with Colorado: Madison Bumgarner gets the ball tomorrow night and Johnny Cueto the next night with an off-day (after twenty games in twenty days) on Thursday.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. 53 wins is the most in the majors.
Giants fans enjoyed a tight contest in San Francisco today marred only by the difficult outfield conditions. The high sun seemed to give the players a tough time on fly balls, and Jake Peavy got 12 of his 20 outs that way, so the guys had to work a bit. But 20 outs is pretty damn fine for a number five starter: 6-2/3 with six strikeouts and only two walks. The one run allowed was on a bases-loaded balk, of all things. Uncharacteristically the Giants runs came exclusively from homers, a solo shot by Buster and a two-run bomb from Angel Pagan. Five relievers (including Sergio Romo!) closed it out, notable for a particularly crisp 1-2-3 9th from Santiago Casilla.
In all it was more like the formula we hope to see--strong start, good fielding (Brandon Crawford again put on a show at shortstop), run-scoring hits, and a stout 'pen. Despite the injuries and roster moves the Giants have continued to grind it out, bouncing back from tough losses and fending off a determined second-place foe. I think everyone is looking forward to the Break.
The Giants play two more with Colorado: Madison Bumgarner gets the ball tomorrow night and Johnny Cueto the next night with an off-day (after twenty games in twenty days) on Thursday.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. 53 wins is the most in the majors.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Rockies Rookie Stymies Giants
2-0 loss in SF
Two games in a row the Giants have been shut down by a Colorado rookie hurler. Two games in a row the Giants starters have been excellent. You could almost say the Giants were lucky to get a split. The Rockies got to Samardzija right away with a couple of hard-hit balls, then tacked on with an array of soft stuff to lead 2-0 after three. Those were the only blemishes on an otherwise fine effort. I was happy to see that The Shark followed a good start with a good start. He'd been on a bit of an off-on-off-on pattern, it seemed to me, but today he was solid, whiffing nine with eight hits and one walk over 7-2/3. Most days he gets himself a pitcher-win with that kind of performance, today he gets the pitcher-loss. But I think you have to blame the hitters for failing to get anything going. Not to mention some poor base running, which ruined potential rallies. We'll call that getting "Smarjzed" or something. Rhymes with "charged".
The Rockies have a new team strategy, it's called 'Nolan Arenado-vs.-SF' and it seems to be working. To be fair, they played well as a team. The Giants looked a bit like they'd been out-scouted. The boys will be in Colorado at the end of the month and the Rockies are back in San Francisco in July just before the Break. So they get a couple more shots at these pesky purple-clads. I expect it will be more of the same: close, hard-fought games. They seem to have a particular spark against our lads.
The Toronto Blue Jays come to town for three games, Monday and Tuesday night with a getaway game on Wednesday afternoon.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Two games in a row the Giants have been shut down by a Colorado rookie hurler. Two games in a row the Giants starters have been excellent. You could almost say the Giants were lucky to get a split. The Rockies got to Samardzija right away with a couple of hard-hit balls, then tacked on with an array of soft stuff to lead 2-0 after three. Those were the only blemishes on an otherwise fine effort. I was happy to see that The Shark followed a good start with a good start. He'd been on a bit of an off-on-off-on pattern, it seemed to me, but today he was solid, whiffing nine with eight hits and one walk over 7-2/3. Most days he gets himself a pitcher-win with that kind of performance, today he gets the pitcher-loss. But I think you have to blame the hitters for failing to get anything going. Not to mention some poor base running, which ruined potential rallies. We'll call that getting "Smarjzed" or something. Rhymes with "charged".
The Rockies have a new team strategy, it's called 'Nolan Arenado-vs.-SF' and it seems to be working. To be fair, they played well as a team. The Giants looked a bit like they'd been out-scouted. The boys will be in Colorado at the end of the month and the Rockies are back in San Francisco in July just before the Break. So they get a couple more shots at these pesky purple-clads. I expect it will be more of the same: close, hard-fought games. They seem to have a particular spark against our lads.
The Toronto Blue Jays come to town for three games, Monday and Tuesday night with a getaway game on Wednesday afternoon.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Seventy
Boxscore
On their eighth attempt the San Francisco Giants get their 70th win. With the shitty post-season math out there the losing streak seemed like it would never end. Tonight a patchwork lineup and Jake Peavy led the team to victory. Peavy got burned in the 6th again to spoil a strong start. After an impressive whiff of Carlos Gonzalez with a man on and one out he gave up a two-strike homer to Nolan Arenado to cut a 5-1 lead to 5-3. It wasn't a fat pitch, but it was on the black, and it seems like any strike the Giants throw that guy he crushes. The lads bounced back right away though and made it 7-3 and that's how it ended. Jake Peavy, amazingly, was a hitting star with two booming doubles, scoring on the first one and driving in a run with the second. Angel Pagan also had a good night with a homer--his first in over a year--and a double. Nick Noonan, playing first base for the first time ever, had an RBI double and walked with the bases loaded for another RBI. FNG Alejandro De Aza, starting in left field, had two hits and a run scored. Gregor Blanco had two hits including a solo homer and Matt Duffy had three hits and two runs batted in.
Andrew Susac was sent home to have his hand looked at and Hector Sanchez started behind the plate. He hurt himself running out a bunt and had to be replaced by Buster Posey. It's 40-man roster time and the Giants are down to one catcher. I've no idea who the Giants plan to bring up to fill the spot. Juan Perez warmed up Hunter Strickland in the bullpen--maybe he'll don the gear at some point in this crazy season!
Just keep winning, Giants.
--M.C.
On their eighth attempt the San Francisco Giants get their 70th win. With the shitty post-season math out there the losing streak seemed like it would never end. Tonight a patchwork lineup and Jake Peavy led the team to victory. Peavy got burned in the 6th again to spoil a strong start. After an impressive whiff of Carlos Gonzalez with a man on and one out he gave up a two-strike homer to Nolan Arenado to cut a 5-1 lead to 5-3. It wasn't a fat pitch, but it was on the black, and it seems like any strike the Giants throw that guy he crushes. The lads bounced back right away though and made it 7-3 and that's how it ended. Jake Peavy, amazingly, was a hitting star with two booming doubles, scoring on the first one and driving in a run with the second. Angel Pagan also had a good night with a homer--his first in over a year--and a double. Nick Noonan, playing first base for the first time ever, had an RBI double and walked with the bases loaded for another RBI. FNG Alejandro De Aza, starting in left field, had two hits and a run scored. Gregor Blanco had two hits including a solo homer and Matt Duffy had three hits and two runs batted in.
Andrew Susac was sent home to have his hand looked at and Hector Sanchez started behind the plate. He hurt himself running out a bunt and had to be replaced by Buster Posey. It's 40-man roster time and the Giants are down to one catcher. I've no idea who the Giants plan to bring up to fill the spot. Juan Perez warmed up Hunter Strickland in the bullpen--maybe he'll don the gear at some point in this crazy season!
Just keep winning, Giants.
--M.C.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
A Lost Weekend
I was expecting a little more after the stirring walk-off win Friday night. But the St. Louis Cardinals had other plans and delivered a weekend ass-kicking over the Giants in San Francisco. Out-pitched and out-hit the team was behind right away in both games and never managed to get the game-tying or go-ahead blow. Ryan Vogelsong and Chris Heston were both sub-par and the 'pen failed to stop the bleeding. With the Dodgers winning last night the Giants fall to four back. LA takes on the Cubs in the finale tonight. There are only 32 dances left on the card--the Giants have put themselves in a spot where they really need to win the big showdown series in SoCal this week. At least it is the "A-Team" of Jake Peavy, Madison Bumgarner, and Mike Leake. The team has to play five games better than their chief foe over the final month. It's possible, of course, but it's just stretching the probabilities at this point. The Giants need more than a hot month, they need at least a mini-meltdown from the other guys. At least they have seven chances to take matters into their own hands, the first one at seven o'clock tomorrow night.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Giants use all the arrows in the quiver
Extra innings seems to be the Giants forte. They are now 3-1 when they need more than nine. Amazing effort tonight in a hostile park. Tim Hudson was terrific and the bullpen equally tough and that gave the lineup the chances they needed to score and win one against the Rockies. We saw it all: doubles, homers, walks, steals, and bunts; an offensive kitchen sink that just keep grinding and it eventually paid off. The team was 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position! The club really needed a win and now they have a chance to take the series tomorrow behind Tim Lincecum.
Great game and a great time seeing old friends as well. Good stuff tonight.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
UPDATE: No game today due to rain in Denver. Make-up date TBD. Giants in LA tomorrow night!
Great game and a great time seeing old friends as well. Good stuff tonight.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
UPDATE: No game today due to rain in Denver. Make-up date TBD. Giants in LA tomorrow night!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Giants Slam Diamondbacks
The World Cup is over and so is all that exhausting running around and that irritating lack of scoring. Right about the time Germany was collecting their one world championship goal Buster Posey was whacking a grand slam and Giants fans were having a much-needed cathartic moment. Madison Bumgarner added his own grand slam an inning later, and the Giants even loaded the bases again (for Joaquin Arias) in the same frame. That was the first battery in major-league history to hit grand slams in the same game. Buster and Madison each have two career slams, both of the Bumbino's coming this season. Buster had an iconic slam in the playoffs against the Reds in 2012 that I imagine none of us will ever forget. In soccer, you score a goal and you win. At least in these big-time matches. It's not so easy for the Giants. You'd think two slams would be enough to send the visitors packing, but they were pesky and chased MadBum with three in the top of the 7th. It took some strong relief to finish the job. The young southpaw's last four starts have not been up to his usual standards, but the team got a win and that's what matters the most. I expect we'll see more ace-like performances from him in the second half.
The Giants go to the All-Star Break with a 52-43 record after 95 games. The 52 wins is tied with Atlanta and St. Louis for third-best in the NL, trailing only Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Detroit, Oakland, and Los Angeles-Anaheim have more wins in the AL. The Giants .547 win percentage is tied with Atlanta for fourth-best in the NL and the eighth-best overall. San Francisco would finish with 89 wins at this pace (37-30). With 67 games remaining they have to play .600 ball the rest of the way (40-27) to get to 92 wins. The Dodgers stand atop the NL West by one game after consecutive 1-0 wins against the Padres. Their 54-43 record and .557 win percentage is the best in the league and only the AL West's A's and Angels are better.
Enjoy the Break, me buckos, relax and save your strength. It will be both tortuous and torturous from this point on.
Giants baseball resumes on Friday at 4:10 Pacific in Miami.
Lest I forget: "Go NL!"
--M.C.
p.s. Lots of great moments in today's game like Pence's catch, Pence's assist, the pickoff that was almost a double play, etc. Discuss.
p.p.s. MVP (for the season so far): Hunter Pence. Best pitcher: Madison Bumgarner. Discuss.
p.p.p.s. Under-performer Award: Matt Cain. Hit-like-you-did-today-the-rest-of-the-way Award is a tie: Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. Discuss.
The Giants go to the All-Star Break with a 52-43 record after 95 games. The 52 wins is tied with Atlanta and St. Louis for third-best in the NL, trailing only Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Detroit, Oakland, and Los Angeles-Anaheim have more wins in the AL. The Giants .547 win percentage is tied with Atlanta for fourth-best in the NL and the eighth-best overall. San Francisco would finish with 89 wins at this pace (37-30). With 67 games remaining they have to play .600 ball the rest of the way (40-27) to get to 92 wins. The Dodgers stand atop the NL West by one game after consecutive 1-0 wins against the Padres. Their 54-43 record and .557 win percentage is the best in the league and only the AL West's A's and Angels are better.
Enjoy the Break, me buckos, relax and save your strength. It will be both tortuous and torturous from this point on.
Giants baseball resumes on Friday at 4:10 Pacific in Miami.
Lest I forget: "Go NL!"
--M.C.
p.s. Lots of great moments in today's game like Pence's catch, Pence's assist, the pickoff that was almost a double play, etc. Discuss.
p.p.s. MVP (for the season so far): Hunter Pence. Best pitcher: Madison Bumgarner. Discuss.
p.p.p.s. Under-performer Award: Matt Cain. Hit-like-you-did-today-the-rest-of-the-way Award is a tie: Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. Discuss.
Friday, June 7, 2013
1-0 Was Not Quite Enough
Jeremy Affeldt does not give up a lot of home runs, but he left a 2-0 pitch a little too up and a little too over the plate for Giant-killer Paul Goldschmidt who sent it over the right-field wall in the 8th to decide the game. Matt Cain left after 7+ with a 1-0 lead, having surrendered an infield single to A.J. Pollock. Ol' Boch summoned his normally stalwart lefty who induced a groundout from pinch-hitter Wil Nieves and then struck out leadoff man Gerardo Parra. Unfortunately he then walked Willie Bloomquist to bring the slugging Arizona first baseman to the plate. Dave Righetti made a trip to the mound and said "down, down, down, there's a lefty up next" or something to that effect, and it looked for all the world that Miguel Montero would get his chance, but then it was a three-run bomb and the gig was up.
Matt Cain gave up a hit, walked three guys, and threw 31 pitches in the 1st but wriggled out of the jam, courtesy mostly of the aforementioned Goldschmidt who hit into a double play. Cain got another 6-4-3 out of him later, and followed that with a whiff in the 6th. It looked like a good night. Matty put up six more zeros with only 72 pitches and had Pollock 0-2 before the high-hop grounder to third in the 8th finally ended his night. It was a good start (Game Score 66), and kept the Giants in the game against the Diamondback's young lefty. Patrick Corbin was clinical through the first six, using only 70 pitches to subdue the lineup, but a broken-bat hit from Pablo Sandoval and a two-out single from Gregor Blanco finally broke the ice. Panda, on his gimpy leg, raced to third on a fly out to right from Joaquin Arias (pinch-hitting for an overmatched Brandon Crawford who swung and missed the six pitches he'd seen) to get the extra ninety feet and make the hit from Blanco count. Alas, it was not to be enough. The Giants usually hang on to late leads and usually squeak out the close ones. Not tonight. Matt Cain pitched well, and despite the loss to the division front-runners, that has to be worth something. If the starters can grind out quality innings and string together good outings then the team can get back to their championship form. Madison Bumgarner gets his shot tomorrow.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Angel Pagan was finally put on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 28th. Fresno OF Juan Perez takes his spot.
p.p.s. Brandon Belt made a sweet grab-and-throw on an grounder from Corbin in the 6th to get Didi Gregorius (who doubled to start the inning) at the plate and preserve the 0-0 tie.
Matt Cain gave up a hit, walked three guys, and threw 31 pitches in the 1st but wriggled out of the jam, courtesy mostly of the aforementioned Goldschmidt who hit into a double play. Cain got another 6-4-3 out of him later, and followed that with a whiff in the 6th. It looked like a good night. Matty put up six more zeros with only 72 pitches and had Pollock 0-2 before the high-hop grounder to third in the 8th finally ended his night. It was a good start (Game Score 66), and kept the Giants in the game against the Diamondback's young lefty. Patrick Corbin was clinical through the first six, using only 70 pitches to subdue the lineup, but a broken-bat hit from Pablo Sandoval and a two-out single from Gregor Blanco finally broke the ice. Panda, on his gimpy leg, raced to third on a fly out to right from Joaquin Arias (pinch-hitting for an overmatched Brandon Crawford who swung and missed the six pitches he'd seen) to get the extra ninety feet and make the hit from Blanco count. Alas, it was not to be enough. The Giants usually hang on to late leads and usually squeak out the close ones. Not tonight. Matt Cain pitched well, and despite the loss to the division front-runners, that has to be worth something. If the starters can grind out quality innings and string together good outings then the team can get back to their championship form. Madison Bumgarner gets his shot tomorrow.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Angel Pagan was finally put on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 28th. Fresno OF Juan Perez takes his spot.
p.p.s. Brandon Belt made a sweet grab-and-throw on an grounder from Corbin in the 6th to get Didi Gregorius (who doubled to start the inning) at the plate and preserve the 0-0 tie.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Down One to Our Natural Rivals
I guess everyone is playing their "natural rivals" today, meaning, of course, their "natural rivals in the other league." Of course to have this happen, the Houston Astros had to move to the American League. They have apparently been assigned to be Colorado's "natural rivals." I guess that would be "naturalized rivals." It's kind of weird, Colorado used to have Seattle as the team they would play a bunch, but now Seattle is apparently San Diego's "natural rival." And with Texas and Houston in the same American League, their natural intra-state rivalry has been expunged. Texas is now apparently Arizona's "natural rival" while Houston is Colorado's. Many of the "natural rivals" make some sense, New York teams, Chicago teams, Los Angeles area teams, Bay Area teams, Ohio state teams, Missouri state teams, Florida teams. But Atlanta is stuck with Toronto while Boston plays Philadelphia. Atlanta should really be Boston's "natural rivals" because at least the Braves were originally in Boston. That would leave Philadelphia with Toronto, which kind of makes no sense, but without another Canadian team, Toronto makes no sense with anyone. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has to play Detroit.
Meanwhile, there was a game in Oakland and it was a game which the Giants lost. The game sold out, as Oakland-SF games tend to do. Madison Bumgarner pitched pretty well for awhile. He gave up 2 runs on a home run to Josh Donaldson in the 4th inning, then gave up 2 more on a double by Yoenis Cespedes in the 7th. Madison was over 110 pitches by that point, but he had set the A's down in 3 in the 5th and 6th innings, so I'm sure that they wanted to get him through the 7th. It might not have mattered. The Giants scored one in the 6th on a ground out by Buster Posey, but, with the exception of a couple of well-struck balls that were fly outs, they never really threatened. Sandoval, Posey, Pence and Belt were all 0-fers (although Posey did pick up the lone rbi). Andres Torres got 2 hits,Crawford 1 and Scutaro 1. But that was it. The A's only got 5, but Madison also walked 5. Tomorrow Mike Kickham makes his major league debut. He is from St. Louis.
Meanwhile, there was a game in Oakland and it was a game which the Giants lost. The game sold out, as Oakland-SF games tend to do. Madison Bumgarner pitched pretty well for awhile. He gave up 2 runs on a home run to Josh Donaldson in the 4th inning, then gave up 2 more on a double by Yoenis Cespedes in the 7th. Madison was over 110 pitches by that point, but he had set the A's down in 3 in the 5th and 6th innings, so I'm sure that they wanted to get him through the 7th. It might not have mattered. The Giants scored one in the 6th on a ground out by Buster Posey, but, with the exception of a couple of well-struck balls that were fly outs, they never really threatened. Sandoval, Posey, Pence and Belt were all 0-fers (although Posey did pick up the lone rbi). Andres Torres got 2 hits,Crawford 1 and Scutaro 1. But that was it. The A's only got 5, but Madison also walked 5. Tomorrow Mike Kickham makes his major league debut. He is from St. Louis.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
On to the Ninth
It's the final inning of the season. Last night in Arizona was game number 144, and we all know that 18 x 8 = 144, right? The Eighth Inning of the 2012 season wasn't quite as dominating as the Seventh, but it was damn good nonetheless. The Giants continued their impressive second half by going 11-7 and find themselves secure atop the NL West at 82-62. The Dodgers came to San Francisco in the middle of this stretch with a chance to get back in the race and were quickly disabused of that by a clinical Giants squad. The Magic Number is now 11 after the 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks and LA's loss in St. Louis on Thursday. Here's the season so far:
1st inning: 9-9
2nd inning: 9-9
3rd inning: 12-6
4th inning: 10-8
5th inning: 10-8
6th inning: 9-9
7th inning: 12-6
8th inning: 11-7
It's easy to have confidence in this bunch. They are so consistent. They claw their way out of funks and toss off winning streaks with regularity. If things go well the rest of the way they could clinch at home, and that would be a lot of fun. We all know that anything can happen in this game. We're Giants fans, fer chrissakes. We know this only too well. But I like this team. They just seem to have what it takes. Bip Roberts always talks about "chemistry" on the pre-game show, it's his favorite subject besides "confidence." It's easy to scoff at the old canards these guys trot out every night, but the Giants are living proof of both. They have talent, of course. You have to have that. But they have that magic dust, too, and they sprinkle it all over each other all the goddamn time. They have that synergy, that "whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-the parts" thing goin' on, and it's beautiful, man. Just beautiful.
Hunter Pence got a chance in the 1st with the bases loaded against rookie southpaw Tyler Skaggs and he made the most of it with his third career grand slam. I'm a believer in lots of arrows in the quiver. Having some guys who can give you a big jack now and then (well, at least on the road) is great. We haven't seen the power bat we expected from this guy, but he just might find his stroke here for the final run. Pablo Sandoval bounced back from his recent poor form, and he's another key bat. I'm not sure he can deliver the dingers, but some hard-hit balls sprayed all over the yard would be just fine. It seems like he's not physically 100%, that the injuries and DL time have taken a toll. The highlight of the evening was of course the RBI hit by Santiago Casilla to make it 6-1. Those kinds of things are real back-breakers. A relief pitcher gets a clutch hit? Cash it in, man, you know you are doomed. Matt Cain had the bases on balls bug, but would only bend a little and not break. He kept the Snakes off the board until the pitch count caught up with him in the 6th. Six guys finished up. Ol' Boch sure knows how to use a 40-man roster.
What would I like to see before the end of the season? The starters get some rest. They've still got a lot of work to do, but all of them could use a day off. They are not quite their dominant selves. Effective, yes, but not the aces they can be. It's not worrisome. How could a 7-1/2 game lead with 18 to play be worrisome? But I think the long grind has sapped them a bit. Having a cushion for the last inning of the year ought to be good for something, and I think that something ought to be a skipped turn or two. Ryan Vogelsong comes to mind first. Then Madison Bumgarner. I like the way Tim Lincecum is looking, maybe you don't mess with that now that it is coming together. Barry Zito is always Barry Zito, and he just might get hot and pitch himself on to the final roster. That game against the Dodgers was huge, and he's on track for four more starts. There is an off-day at home on the 24th before the final nine games. Matt is scheduled for three more starts and will miss the last series in LA. Tim's last start is the final Saturday in San Diego, the day before. Both are obviously on track to be the 1-2 guys in the first post-season series. If they can clinch before going on the road maybe a guy like Yusmeiro Petit could get a start and bump Vogie or MadBum from their last start and save their arms for the playoffs.
Let's go, Giants! Get it done.
--M.C.
1st inning: 9-9
2nd inning: 9-9
3rd inning: 12-6
4th inning: 10-8
5th inning: 10-8
6th inning: 9-9
7th inning: 12-6
8th inning: 11-7
It's easy to have confidence in this bunch. They are so consistent. They claw their way out of funks and toss off winning streaks with regularity. If things go well the rest of the way they could clinch at home, and that would be a lot of fun. We all know that anything can happen in this game. We're Giants fans, fer chrissakes. We know this only too well. But I like this team. They just seem to have what it takes. Bip Roberts always talks about "chemistry" on the pre-game show, it's his favorite subject besides "confidence." It's easy to scoff at the old canards these guys trot out every night, but the Giants are living proof of both. They have talent, of course. You have to have that. But they have that magic dust, too, and they sprinkle it all over each other all the goddamn time. They have that synergy, that "whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-the parts" thing goin' on, and it's beautiful, man. Just beautiful.
Hunter Pence got a chance in the 1st with the bases loaded against rookie southpaw Tyler Skaggs and he made the most of it with his third career grand slam. I'm a believer in lots of arrows in the quiver. Having some guys who can give you a big jack now and then (well, at least on the road) is great. We haven't seen the power bat we expected from this guy, but he just might find his stroke here for the final run. Pablo Sandoval bounced back from his recent poor form, and he's another key bat. I'm not sure he can deliver the dingers, but some hard-hit balls sprayed all over the yard would be just fine. It seems like he's not physically 100%, that the injuries and DL time have taken a toll. The highlight of the evening was of course the RBI hit by Santiago Casilla to make it 6-1. Those kinds of things are real back-breakers. A relief pitcher gets a clutch hit? Cash it in, man, you know you are doomed. Matt Cain had the bases on balls bug, but would only bend a little and not break. He kept the Snakes off the board until the pitch count caught up with him in the 6th. Six guys finished up. Ol' Boch sure knows how to use a 40-man roster.
What would I like to see before the end of the season? The starters get some rest. They've still got a lot of work to do, but all of them could use a day off. They are not quite their dominant selves. Effective, yes, but not the aces they can be. It's not worrisome. How could a 7-1/2 game lead with 18 to play be worrisome? But I think the long grind has sapped them a bit. Having a cushion for the last inning of the year ought to be good for something, and I think that something ought to be a skipped turn or two. Ryan Vogelsong comes to mind first. Then Madison Bumgarner. I like the way Tim Lincecum is looking, maybe you don't mess with that now that it is coming together. Barry Zito is always Barry Zito, and he just might get hot and pitch himself on to the final roster. That game against the Dodgers was huge, and he's on track for four more starts. There is an off-day at home on the 24th before the final nine games. Matt is scheduled for three more starts and will miss the last series in LA. Tim's last start is the final Saturday in San Diego, the day before. Both are obviously on track to be the 1-2 guys in the first post-season series. If they can clinch before going on the road maybe a guy like Yusmeiro Petit could get a start and bump Vogie or MadBum from their last start and save their arms for the playoffs.
Let's go, Giants! Get it done.
--M.C.
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