Last night: SF 5 CHC 4 (13)
Today: CHC 4 SF 1
The Giants pulled off another amazing, dramatic win on Tuesday. Madison Bumgarner gave them seven strong innings but the bullpen could not hold the lead and it went to extras. Pablo Sandoval finally ended it with a homer in the 13th.
This afternoon the Cubs beat up on Tyler Beede, getting ten hits, three of them homers. The youngster did strike out seven in his 5-2/3, and only walked one, otherwise the damage would have been worse. Javier Baez brought the big stick for Chicago and their bullpen gave them five scoreless after starter Tyler Chatwood left after four.
Taking two of three from the Cubs after three of four from the Mets means a 5-2 homestand. I have to think that's pretty damn good. Four of the Giants five wins were walk-offs. They played fifteen extra innings! But with the off-day tomorrow the team should be well-rested before their nine-game road trip. They go to San Diego for three, then have a travel day before three in Philadelphia, then it's three in Colorado. It's been a magical month (16-4, .800) so far, let's hope they can keep the fire going.
Jeff Samardzija Friday night (7:10), Shaun Anderson Saturday (5:40), and MadBum Sunday afternoon (1:05).
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Showing posts with label Ty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ty. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Thud
NYM 11 SF 4
Good times come to an end. It's one of those things you learn in life that is never fun, just relentlessly true. The Giants had a brilliant seven-game win streak come to a thudding halt this afternoon in San Francisco. The Mets lineup clobbered seventeen hits including four homers and a triple off Jeff Samardzija, Derek Holland, and Ty Blach, thumping the local lads with impunity.
The Giants scored five runs in the first 34 innings since coming home. They got two wins out of that which tells you they were on quite a hot streak. Today they were down 11-1 in the 9th before Alex Dickerson hit a two-run homer and Mike Yastrzemski added a solo shot.
Tomorrow they will continue their run of excellent play (13-3 in July) and kick off a new winning streak, right? Young southpaw Conner Menez gets the start--his major league debut--which is an exciting development. There are now three rookies in the rotation! This kid (he's 24) has risen quickly through the system and now he's earned a shot with the big club. Conner is from Hollister and went to San Benito High School (their nickname is the Haybalers, you have to love that).
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Good times come to an end. It's one of those things you learn in life that is never fun, just relentlessly true. The Giants had a brilliant seven-game win streak come to a thudding halt this afternoon in San Francisco. The Mets lineup clobbered seventeen hits including four homers and a triple off Jeff Samardzija, Derek Holland, and Ty Blach, thumping the local lads with impunity.
The Giants scored five runs in the first 34 innings since coming home. They got two wins out of that which tells you they were on quite a hot streak. Today they were down 11-1 in the 9th before Alex Dickerson hit a two-run homer and Mike Yastrzemski added a solo shot.
Tomorrow they will continue their run of excellent play (13-3 in July) and kick off a new winning streak, right? Young southpaw Conner Menez gets the start--his major league debut--which is an exciting development. There are now three rookies in the rotation! This kid (he's 24) has risen quickly through the system and now he's earned a shot with the big club. Conner is from Hollister and went to San Benito High School (their nickname is the Haybalers, you have to love that).
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Seven Straight!
SF 1 NYM 0 (10)
Last night it was Thor, he of the epic heat. Tonight it was deGrom, one of the most badass whiff artists in the league. The Giants won in extras last night. The Giants won in extras tonight. Hey, bring it on. This team is ready for it.
Well, it was 0-0 until the 10th, and much credit is due to rookie hurler Tyler Beede who threw the best start of his big-league career. He gave up only three hits in eight innings and subdued the Mets on a crisp 89 pitches. I think the pitcher his pedigree says he should be--1st round pick from Vandy--is starting to emerge. That's good news for the rest of the season and beyond.
The game was decided on one of those fluke plays that happen now and then. With Alex Dickerson on first with two outs, Panda popped one up to shallow left field. The shortstop, Amed Rosario, ran after it BCraw-style, looking to get it over-the-shoulder. The left fielder, Dominic Smith, probably should have taken charge, and eventually did reach out to catch the ball as Rosario realized he would not reach it, but then he dropped it. Dickerson was almost to third base when Wotus gave him the "go" sign and he rounded the bag. Smith alertly picked up the ball and fired it to third baseman Todd Frazier who whipped around and threw right to home plate. Unfortunately no one was there. Catcher Wilson Ramos was in foul ground, on the third base side, either out of position or yielding the running lane, I couldn't tell. Regardless, he was not able to get to the ball and Dickerson scored the winner easily.
Weird, but wonderful.
The Giants have achieved what seemed impossible not long ago--a .500 record. They are 49-49 and 2-1/2 games up on San Diego and Colorado, and only a game behind Arizona.
Jeff Samardzija goes tomorrow afternoon, 1:05 Pacific.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Last night it was Thor, he of the epic heat. Tonight it was deGrom, one of the most badass whiff artists in the league. The Giants won in extras last night. The Giants won in extras tonight. Hey, bring it on. This team is ready for it.
Well, it was 0-0 until the 10th, and much credit is due to rookie hurler Tyler Beede who threw the best start of his big-league career. He gave up only three hits in eight innings and subdued the Mets on a crisp 89 pitches. I think the pitcher his pedigree says he should be--1st round pick from Vandy--is starting to emerge. That's good news for the rest of the season and beyond.
The game was decided on one of those fluke plays that happen now and then. With Alex Dickerson on first with two outs, Panda popped one up to shallow left field. The shortstop, Amed Rosario, ran after it BCraw-style, looking to get it over-the-shoulder. The left fielder, Dominic Smith, probably should have taken charge, and eventually did reach out to catch the ball as Rosario realized he would not reach it, but then he dropped it. Dickerson was almost to third base when Wotus gave him the "go" sign and he rounded the bag. Smith alertly picked up the ball and fired it to third baseman Todd Frazier who whipped around and threw right to home plate. Unfortunately no one was there. Catcher Wilson Ramos was in foul ground, on the third base side, either out of position or yielding the running lane, I couldn't tell. Regardless, he was not able to get to the ball and Dickerson scored the winner easily.
Weird, but wonderful.
The Giants have achieved what seemed impossible not long ago--a .500 record. They are 49-49 and 2-1/2 games up on San Diego and Colorado, and only a game behind Arizona.
Jeff Samardzija goes tomorrow afternoon, 1:05 Pacific.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Beede, Bats Beat Pads
SF 10 SD 4
Tyler Beede had his best start ever (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R) and the Giants pounded out 17 hits to subdue the Padres in San Diego. That's three straight games in which the Giants have scored in double figures: 10 on Sunday, 13 yesterday, and 10 tonight. Who are these guys? One is Evan Longoria who had four hits including a double and a homer, scoring three and driving in five. Donovan Solano led off the game with a homer and had two more hits and is starting to look like a real option at shortstop. Kevin Pillar had four hits, Brandon Belt added three, and Austin Slater two. But the story is Tyler Beede who threw 100 pitches (63 strikes) to 24 batters, with a solo homer to Wil Myers his only blemish. Let's see some more of that!
Reyes Moronta had an ugly 8th but also struck out Fernando Tatis, Jr. and made him look bad. Derek Holland gave up a run in the 9th but got the last three outs. The Giants take a shot at a sweep tomorrow behind Shaun Anderson.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Tomorrow will be the 20th straight game for the Giants (June 14th to July 3rd) and thus they will have an off-day for The Fourth. They are 10-9 in those 19 games.
Tyler Beede had his best start ever (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R) and the Giants pounded out 17 hits to subdue the Padres in San Diego. That's three straight games in which the Giants have scored in double figures: 10 on Sunday, 13 yesterday, and 10 tonight. Who are these guys? One is Evan Longoria who had four hits including a double and a homer, scoring three and driving in five. Donovan Solano led off the game with a homer and had two more hits and is starting to look like a real option at shortstop. Kevin Pillar had four hits, Brandon Belt added three, and Austin Slater two. But the story is Tyler Beede who threw 100 pitches (63 strikes) to 24 batters, with a solo homer to Wil Myers his only blemish. Let's see some more of that!
Reyes Moronta had an ugly 8th but also struck out Fernando Tatis, Jr. and made him look bad. Derek Holland gave up a run in the 9th but got the last three outs. The Giants take a shot at a sweep tomorrow behind Shaun Anderson.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
p.s. Tomorrow will be the 20th straight game for the Giants (June 14th to July 3rd) and thus they will have an off-day for The Fourth. They are 10-9 in those 19 games.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Giants run past Padres
SF 6 SD 5
Tyler Beede gave up a homer with the first pitch of the game. He made a bigger mess but then wriggled out of it, notching a strikeout in the process. He then struck out two in the 2nd, two in the 3rd, and two in the 4th, looking for a stretch like a real major-leaguer. It crumbled in the 5th behind an onslaught of infield hits, but I took encouragement from his outing. If he can harness the stuff he threw last night he might just learn how to stick around and help the club.
Steven Duggar had put the Giants up 3-1 with a two-run homer in the 4th before the Padres chased Beede in the 5th. Down 4-3 the Giants fought back in the bottom of the 7th with an Evan Longoria triple that drove in two. Belt, pinch-hitting, led off with a walk and Panik's single sent him to third. Panik ran like a maniac from first on Longoria's triple into the left field corner and scored the go-ahead run. He probably should have been out by ten feet but the throw was off-line. Sometimes running like a maniac works out! Panda's sacrifice got Longoria home. Tony Watson gave up a solo shot to the ancient Ian Kinsler in the 8th and it finished 6-5 for the home team. It was a fun and interesting game and we haven't had many of those.
Shaun Anderson tonight, 6:45 Pacific. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Tyler Beede gave up a homer with the first pitch of the game. He made a bigger mess but then wriggled out of it, notching a strikeout in the process. He then struck out two in the 2nd, two in the 3rd, and two in the 4th, looking for a stretch like a real major-leaguer. It crumbled in the 5th behind an onslaught of infield hits, but I took encouragement from his outing. If he can harness the stuff he threw last night he might just learn how to stick around and help the club.
Steven Duggar had put the Giants up 3-1 with a two-run homer in the 4th before the Padres chased Beede in the 5th. Down 4-3 the Giants fought back in the bottom of the 7th with an Evan Longoria triple that drove in two. Belt, pinch-hitting, led off with a walk and Panik's single sent him to third. Panik ran like a maniac from first on Longoria's triple into the left field corner and scored the go-ahead run. He probably should have been out by ten feet but the throw was off-line. Sometimes running like a maniac works out! Panda's sacrifice got Longoria home. Tony Watson gave up a solo shot to the ancient Ian Kinsler in the 8th and it finished 6-5 for the home team. It was a fun and interesting game and we haven't had many of those.
Shaun Anderson tonight, 6:45 Pacific. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Ty One On
SF 6 MIA 3 (16)
The Giants finally break the curse of the Fish with a 16-inning win that featured a superb long relief performance (6-2/3 scoreless innings) from Ty Blach. Hunter Strickland, pitching with a 3-2 lead in the 9th, was victimized by an error on a popup from Joe Panik and that put the tying run on second base. Two sacrifices later the Giants had blown another lead and the Marlins were thinking sweep. Fortunately the game lasted long enough for Pablo Sandoval to get his first hit of the day which drove in the first two of the winning three-run rally. Speaking of three, that's how many times Panda walked today. That's normally a month's worth of walks for the free-swinging bad-ball hitter we all know and love. It seems he's been working on new approaches at the plate and it is paying off with a respectable .271/.341/.424 slash line. Andrew McCutchen and Alen Hanson each had three hits with Cutch delivering another two-run shot (he's heating up). Hanson was in the game because Evan Longoria got hit by a pitch and fractured his pinky. Hey, let's get all the guys in on the DL-action! Such fun! The one-two hitters (Panik and Buster Posey, who caught the whole game) were 0-for-12.
A win is a welcome relief. Now it's a showdown in LA with the Dodgers who have been playing really well (9 wins in 11 games). Derek Holland, Madison Bumgarner, and Chris Stratton get the starts.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Giants finally break the curse of the Fish with a 16-inning win that featured a superb long relief performance (6-2/3 scoreless innings) from Ty Blach. Hunter Strickland, pitching with a 3-2 lead in the 9th, was victimized by an error on a popup from Joe Panik and that put the tying run on second base. Two sacrifices later the Giants had blown another lead and the Marlins were thinking sweep. Fortunately the game lasted long enough for Pablo Sandoval to get his first hit of the day which drove in the first two of the winning three-run rally. Speaking of three, that's how many times Panda walked today. That's normally a month's worth of walks for the free-swinging bad-ball hitter we all know and love. It seems he's been working on new approaches at the plate and it is paying off with a respectable .271/.341/.424 slash line. Andrew McCutchen and Alen Hanson each had three hits with Cutch delivering another two-run shot (he's heating up). Hanson was in the game because Evan Longoria got hit by a pitch and fractured his pinky. Hey, let's get all the guys in on the DL-action! Such fun! The one-two hitters (Panik and Buster Posey, who caught the whole game) were 0-for-12.
A win is a welcome relief. Now it's a showdown in LA with the Dodgers who have been playing really well (9 wins in 11 games). Derek Holland, Madison Bumgarner, and Chris Stratton get the starts.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Tyed Down, Left For Dead
I was away for a bit, but am now back.
I have been highly amused by Sergio Romo and the reaction to the fact that he was used to start a game rather than relieve a starter. He pitched an inning twice against the Angels recently because the Angels start with 3 right handed hitters in a row and Sergio has been effective against those kind of guys lately. So the idea being that they get past the first, the starter doesn't start off with the lead off hitters, and maybe goes an inning longer and the lead off hitters don't get to see him a third time. But because there is more Sports News than there are sports these days, the media is all over this. When he did it twice (he has now done so 3 times, and was not as successful on the third time) the media was already asking if it was the new trend. Of course, as soon as they were, Officious Baseball Commentator Types were all over it as an abomination. I can see Bruce Jenkin's column now: Analytical Types, Who Have Never Seen A Game And Live In Their Mother's Basements (he still thinks this is funny) Are Idiots And If They Would Watch A Game Like I Do They Would Know That This Is Fundamentally Wrong-Headed And Will Lead To The Downfall Of The Noble Game. So what happens next is that once everyone piles on about how detrimental the practice is, no one will notice that it is not a practice at all - just a team trying to use some of their limited resources to win a couple games. Unless the Rays win the World Series, of course, then every team will be trotting out 1 inning starters.
What to do about Hunter Pence? Apparently, he has been scalding the ball in Sacramento, but the Giants really want Mac Williamson on the team. And Gorkys Hernandez isn't going anywhere, he is the team's best hitter, or nearly so, lately. And Gregor Blanco hasn't done poorly enough to release. And McCutcheon is McCutcheon. And Austin Jackson hasn't done much lately, but he is supposed to be pretty good. So Hunter Pence racks up at-bats in Sac. Maybe the Giants management doesn't trust that he is actually good again. Maybe they are waiting for the day when they need fewer relievers. I'm not sure. But eventually they will have to figure something out. But, good news! Madison Bumgarner is probably about to rejoin the team.
The game tonight was a fucking mess. The Giants scored 3 in the 1st inning off of former Rockie Tyler Chatwood. Then Ty Blach was just as bad, giving the runs back. The Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the 2nd, but did not score. They loaded the bases in the 3rd and did not score. Ty walked the first 3 Cubs in the 3rd, but got out of it unscathed. In the 4th, Ty walked Randy Rosario, who had replaced Chatwood. Rosario was in the AL and minors, he never has had a hit. A 3 run homer followed, then some more scoring as the Giants slowly faded in the rear view mirror. The final was 8 - 3. The Giants have won 1 game so far on this road trip out of 5. They go into Colorado for tomorrow's game. The Giants have had serious trouble with Colorado for years, and are 2 - 2 against them so far this year in one series at ATT. Colorado is now in first in the NL West.
I have been highly amused by Sergio Romo and the reaction to the fact that he was used to start a game rather than relieve a starter. He pitched an inning twice against the Angels recently because the Angels start with 3 right handed hitters in a row and Sergio has been effective against those kind of guys lately. So the idea being that they get past the first, the starter doesn't start off with the lead off hitters, and maybe goes an inning longer and the lead off hitters don't get to see him a third time. But because there is more Sports News than there are sports these days, the media is all over this. When he did it twice (he has now done so 3 times, and was not as successful on the third time) the media was already asking if it was the new trend. Of course, as soon as they were, Officious Baseball Commentator Types were all over it as an abomination. I can see Bruce Jenkin's column now: Analytical Types, Who Have Never Seen A Game And Live In Their Mother's Basements (he still thinks this is funny) Are Idiots And If They Would Watch A Game Like I Do They Would Know That This Is Fundamentally Wrong-Headed And Will Lead To The Downfall Of The Noble Game. So what happens next is that once everyone piles on about how detrimental the practice is, no one will notice that it is not a practice at all - just a team trying to use some of their limited resources to win a couple games. Unless the Rays win the World Series, of course, then every team will be trotting out 1 inning starters.
What to do about Hunter Pence? Apparently, he has been scalding the ball in Sacramento, but the Giants really want Mac Williamson on the team. And Gorkys Hernandez isn't going anywhere, he is the team's best hitter, or nearly so, lately. And Gregor Blanco hasn't done poorly enough to release. And McCutcheon is McCutcheon. And Austin Jackson hasn't done much lately, but he is supposed to be pretty good. So Hunter Pence racks up at-bats in Sac. Maybe the Giants management doesn't trust that he is actually good again. Maybe they are waiting for the day when they need fewer relievers. I'm not sure. But eventually they will have to figure something out. But, good news! Madison Bumgarner is probably about to rejoin the team.
The game tonight was a fucking mess. The Giants scored 3 in the 1st inning off of former Rockie Tyler Chatwood. Then Ty Blach was just as bad, giving the runs back. The Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the 2nd, but did not score. They loaded the bases in the 3rd and did not score. Ty walked the first 3 Cubs in the 3rd, but got out of it unscathed. In the 4th, Ty walked Randy Rosario, who had replaced Chatwood. Rosario was in the AL and minors, he never has had a hit. A 3 run homer followed, then some more scoring as the Giants slowly faded in the rear view mirror. The final was 8 - 3. The Giants have won 1 game so far on this road trip out of 5. They go into Colorado for tomorrow's game. The Giants have had serious trouble with Colorado for years, and are 2 - 2 against them so far this year in one series at ATT. Colorado is now in first in the NL West.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Giants Thump Rockies, part II
SF 9 COL 5
The Giants had 13 hits today, three of them homers, and overwhelmed the Rockies in the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings to come from behind and win. The team is back to .500 at 24-24 and find themselves only two games behind the reeling division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Colorado, despite losing the final two of the series, are just a half game out. Things are bunching up! Like yesterday the lineup had at least one hit in all nine spots. Seven different guys scored at least one run and five different guys had at least one run batted in. The biggest hit was Brandon Belt's three-run blast in the 7th that broke the tie and gave the Giants an 8-5 lead. One could argue that Kelby Tomlinson's two-run triple with two outs in the 6th was equally clutch, if not more so. It's a nice argument to have! Belt hit his 11th dinger off lefty reliever Jake McGee: it was his first homer off a southpaw this season.
The bullpen once again stepped up for a shaky starter. Ty Blach could not get through the 5th but five relievers got it done and the Giants had a big win. They are going on the road and start with two in Houston against the World Series Champion Astros. Andrew Suarez gets the ball on Tuesday and Jeff Samardzija on Wednesday.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Giants had 13 hits today, three of them homers, and overwhelmed the Rockies in the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings to come from behind and win. The team is back to .500 at 24-24 and find themselves only two games behind the reeling division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Colorado, despite losing the final two of the series, are just a half game out. Things are bunching up! Like yesterday the lineup had at least one hit in all nine spots. Seven different guys scored at least one run and five different guys had at least one run batted in. The biggest hit was Brandon Belt's three-run blast in the 7th that broke the tie and gave the Giants an 8-5 lead. One could argue that Kelby Tomlinson's two-run triple with two outs in the 6th was equally clutch, if not more so. It's a nice argument to have! Belt hit his 11th dinger off lefty reliever Jake McGee: it was his first homer off a southpaw this season.
The bullpen once again stepped up for a shaky starter. Ty Blach could not get through the 5th but five relievers got it done and the Giants had a big win. They are going on the road and start with two in Houston against the World Series Champion Astros. Andrew Suarez gets the ball on Tuesday and Jeff Samardzija on Wednesday.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Three in a row
SF 5 CIN 3
The Giants pinch-hit for Ty Blach after only four innings and 62 pitches but it paid off as Pablo Sandoval drove in two to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 tie. Two batters later it was 4-3 San Francisco and the bullpen hung on for the win. An insurance run fueled by a nit-picky Joe West balk call (hey, we'll take it) in the 8th sealed the deal. Kelby Tomlinson's error with two outs in the 3rd was followed by a two-run homer to make it 2-0 Reds but he redeemed himself with the RBI hit to make it 5-3, driving in Brandon Crawford. BCraw was 4-for-4 and was balked to second base before Tomlinson's single. The relief corps did the heroic work with five shutout innings. Pierce Johnson held the line in the 5th and Will Smith (6th), Sam Dyson (7th), and Tony Watson (8th) each had two strikeouts in their frames. Hunter Strickland got two quick grounders in the 9th and struck out Joey Votto to end it. Zo pointed out earlier that the Giants have a plethora of closer-types even with Mark Melancon on the DL, that bodes well for the rest of the season.
Brandon Belt blasted a splash hit to start the scoring in the 4th, that's two homers in two games. Brandon Crawford is killing it, 9-for his last-12, and hitting .455 in May. You have to like that!
Andy Suarez at 12:45 tomorrow with a chance for a series sweep.
--M.C.
The Giants pinch-hit for Ty Blach after only four innings and 62 pitches but it paid off as Pablo Sandoval drove in two to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 tie. Two batters later it was 4-3 San Francisco and the bullpen hung on for the win. An insurance run fueled by a nit-picky Joe West balk call (hey, we'll take it) in the 8th sealed the deal. Kelby Tomlinson's error with two outs in the 3rd was followed by a two-run homer to make it 2-0 Reds but he redeemed himself with the RBI hit to make it 5-3, driving in Brandon Crawford. BCraw was 4-for-4 and was balked to second base before Tomlinson's single. The relief corps did the heroic work with five shutout innings. Pierce Johnson held the line in the 5th and Will Smith (6th), Sam Dyson (7th), and Tony Watson (8th) each had two strikeouts in their frames. Hunter Strickland got two quick grounders in the 9th and struck out Joey Votto to end it. Zo pointed out earlier that the Giants have a plethora of closer-types even with Mark Melancon on the DL, that bodes well for the rest of the season.
Brandon Belt blasted a splash hit to start the scoring in the 4th, that's two homers in two games. Brandon Crawford is killing it, 9-for his last-12, and hitting .455 in May. You have to like that!
Andy Suarez at 12:45 tomorrow with a chance for a series sweep.
--M.C.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Ty-dy Win
Way to start a road trip, boys! 11 - 2 win over Atlanta. Ty Blach pitched us into the 8th inning, giving up only 2 runs. I like what these youngsters are doing on the mound for the Giants. 100 pitches even, 7 hits, only 1 earned run (2 runs) and 0 walks. Meanwhile, the Giants were piling up runs, 10 of them by the time Blach was relieved. Cory Gearrin finished the 8th. Reyes Moronta looks like he still is lost, he threw 8 pitches and none of them were strikes in the 9th, but Pierce Johnson finished the game with 9 pitches.
Meanwhile, a home run and 4 rbi for Alen Hanson. 2 rbi for Posey and Crawford, and 1 each for Belt, Longo, and Hundley.
This was Ty's best non-LA game. I'm liking this young pitching staff, even if it's partly there because of injuries. We have enough savvy veterans in the pen so that we can hold close ones, and it seems like the success of the youngsters feeds itself. Let's keep it going.
Meanwhile, a home run and 4 rbi for Alen Hanson. 2 rbi for Posey and Crawford, and 1 each for Belt, Longo, and Hundley.
This was Ty's best non-LA game. I'm liking this young pitching staff, even if it's partly there because of injuries. We have enough savvy veterans in the pen so that we can hold close ones, and it seems like the success of the youngsters feeds itself. Let's keep it going.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
The Giants are a .500 Ball Club
And that's good, because they are improving! The Giants won against LA today, 4 - 2, to take the series 3 games of 4 and climb to .500. That makes them 6 - 4 against the NL champions with 9 games remaining in the remaining 5/6 of the season. Crazy to play one team so much at the beginning of the year, right? But if LA gets in gear, which really hasn't happened yet, maybe it works in the Giants' favor. Or maybe the Giants will turn out to be a pretty decent club.
That makes 3 series in a row. Mark doesn't like to talk about last year, but I am still trying to purge last year's stain on my psyche, so I would note that the Giants actually won 3 series in a row last year, against Cincinnati, this team and St. Louis in May. But they never won 4 series in a row. BEAT the Padres!
Ty Blach vs Kenta Maeda. Maeda gave up 3 to the Giants in the 1st - Posey doubled with 2 outs, Belt walked, and Evan Longoria homered. The Giants added 1 in the 3rd, Posey scoring from 1st on a deep Brandon Belt double off the bricks in right center. Ty Blach pitched much, much, much better than in his previous start. He gave up a run in the 6th, and came out to pitch the 7th, but gave up a broken bat single so was pulled for Sam Dyson after 87 pitches. A high bouncer to Dyson enabled Muncy to reach second because it took so long to come down and then a single to the outfield scored the doggers' 2nd run. That run is charged to Blach, but it is an example of how unfair that can be. It was a ball that was so punk that it put Muncy on base, then a double play ball that bounced too high to be playable at second. Dyson then slammed the door on that comeback attempt, though, and Watson made quick work of the 8th. Strickland seemed to lack control except with his fastball, but managed to finish the game without allowing a baserunner.
You see the wisdom of Bochy's use of pitchers (and the wisdom of yesterday evening's and today's starters to get us some innings). We won 3 of the 4 games:
Game 1: Holland (3.1 IP), Johnson, Gearrin, Dyson, Watson, Strickland.
Game 2: Stratton (1.1 IP), Gomez, Law, Gearrin, Panda.
Game 3: Cueto (6 IP), Moronta, Dyson, Snelton, Strickland.
Game 4: Blach (6 IP), Dyson, Watson, Strickland.
Did I mention that we beat LA 3 of 4? Johnny Cueto is leading the National League in ERA. I'm feeling better about this club, and it starts with the bullpen. The feeling of impending doom is gone.
That makes 3 series in a row. Mark doesn't like to talk about last year, but I am still trying to purge last year's stain on my psyche, so I would note that the Giants actually won 3 series in a row last year, against Cincinnati, this team and St. Louis in May. But they never won 4 series in a row. BEAT the Padres!
Ty Blach vs Kenta Maeda. Maeda gave up 3 to the Giants in the 1st - Posey doubled with 2 outs, Belt walked, and Evan Longoria homered. The Giants added 1 in the 3rd, Posey scoring from 1st on a deep Brandon Belt double off the bricks in right center. Ty Blach pitched much, much, much better than in his previous start. He gave up a run in the 6th, and came out to pitch the 7th, but gave up a broken bat single so was pulled for Sam Dyson after 87 pitches. A high bouncer to Dyson enabled Muncy to reach second because it took so long to come down and then a single to the outfield scored the doggers' 2nd run. That run is charged to Blach, but it is an example of how unfair that can be. It was a ball that was so punk that it put Muncy on base, then a double play ball that bounced too high to be playable at second. Dyson then slammed the door on that comeback attempt, though, and Watson made quick work of the 8th. Strickland seemed to lack control except with his fastball, but managed to finish the game without allowing a baserunner.
You see the wisdom of Bochy's use of pitchers (and the wisdom of yesterday evening's and today's starters to get us some innings). We won 3 of the 4 games:
Game 1: Holland (3.1 IP), Johnson, Gearrin, Dyson, Watson, Strickland.
Game 2: Stratton (1.1 IP), Gomez, Law, Gearrin, Panda.
Game 3: Cueto (6 IP), Moronta, Dyson, Snelton, Strickland.
Game 4: Blach (6 IP), Dyson, Watson, Strickland.
Did I mention that we beat LA 3 of 4? Johnny Cueto is leading the National League in ERA. I'm feeling better about this club, and it starts with the bullpen. The feeling of impending doom is gone.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Blach - Blah - Bah!
For a team that puts more effort into their myriad of uniform color schemes than they do into their baseball, Arizona certainly has had their way with us so far.
That's a grand total of 2 wins for the Giants of 7 meetings between the teams so far this year. Ty Blach on the mound, he pitched well enough to win. Not well enough for the Giants to win, but for another team. He allowed 2 runs in 6 innings, threw 92 pitches, gave up 3 walks and 6 hits. That seems pretty typical of what we can expect from Ty - he can keep us close and generate a lot of ground balls by which to get outs. He struck out 4 tonight, he only has struck out 13 in 5 starts. Tonight's score in yet another losing effort was 3 - 1. Moronta gave up a run - his first on the year. Brandon Belt hit a solo home run.
This was the Giants' 18th game - 1 inning as it were. I'm sure Mark has some thoughts to post about that. Some brief thoughts of mine: This was the 10th time that the Giants have not been able to score more than 1 run. 10. Of only 18 games. Is this team even capable of playing .400 ball? I am finding it very difficult to watch Giants baseball.
That's a grand total of 2 wins for the Giants of 7 meetings between the teams so far this year. Ty Blach on the mound, he pitched well enough to win. Not well enough for the Giants to win, but for another team. He allowed 2 runs in 6 innings, threw 92 pitches, gave up 3 walks and 6 hits. That seems pretty typical of what we can expect from Ty - he can keep us close and generate a lot of ground balls by which to get outs. He struck out 4 tonight, he only has struck out 13 in 5 starts. Tonight's score in yet another losing effort was 3 - 1. Moronta gave up a run - his first on the year. Brandon Belt hit a solo home run.
This was the Giants' 18th game - 1 inning as it were. I'm sure Mark has some thoughts to post about that. Some brief thoughts of mine: This was the 10th time that the Giants have not been able to score more than 1 run. 10. Of only 18 games. Is this team even capable of playing .400 ball? I am finding it very difficult to watch Giants baseball.
Friday, April 13, 2018
Stumbling Along
Ty Blach on the mound for his 4th start in this season of 13 games thus far. Ty has been good, poor, good again, and less than good tonight.
Ty gave us 5 IP, he pitched in the 6th, but was done for and removed for Pierce Johnson. Through 4, Ty did not allow a man to reach base. In the 5th, a hit, a fielder's choice, and another single put men at first and second. A possible double play ball was erred upon by Brandon Belt, leaving bases loaded. Then came a single, a fielders choice at home to prevent a 2nd run, and another single to score a 2nd run before the inning ended. None of those balls were hit particularly hard, but after a fairly quick top of the 6th, that changed. Two doubles and a single put the Padres up 4 - 0 before the Giants transferred mound duties to Johnson who retired the next three batters.
The Giants scored (Panik rbi, Blanco scoring) in the 7th. To get that, Padre shortstop Freddy Galvis had to blow a double play ball from Sandoval to put Gregor on second. The Pads tacked on a solo shot off of Dyson to make the final a loss for the Giants 5 - 1.
So in 4 starts, Ty has given up 10 earned runs in 20.1 innings. He has given up 24 hits and walked 9. That suggests that the 10 earned runs (11 total) could have been worse. That masks 2 excellent games, though, both against Kershaw.
The Giants actually had 10 hits tonight, more than the Padres. Every one of those hits was by a left handed batter. Who the fuck is Tyson Ross? I had to look it up - he was an A, a Pad previously, and a Texas Ranger last year. But really, making mid-level pitchers look like Cy Young is getting old.
Here's the thing. The Giants have played 13 games. In 7 of those games, they have scored 1 or 0 runs. I would say that they are lucky to be 1 game under .500. We have faced some tough pitchers, but you know what? The NL West is full of tough pitchers and we are going to face them all season long. Figure out how to get some runs on the board. Now.
Ty gave us 5 IP, he pitched in the 6th, but was done for and removed for Pierce Johnson. Through 4, Ty did not allow a man to reach base. In the 5th, a hit, a fielder's choice, and another single put men at first and second. A possible double play ball was erred upon by Brandon Belt, leaving bases loaded. Then came a single, a fielders choice at home to prevent a 2nd run, and another single to score a 2nd run before the inning ended. None of those balls were hit particularly hard, but after a fairly quick top of the 6th, that changed. Two doubles and a single put the Padres up 4 - 0 before the Giants transferred mound duties to Johnson who retired the next three batters.
The Giants scored (Panik rbi, Blanco scoring) in the 7th. To get that, Padre shortstop Freddy Galvis had to blow a double play ball from Sandoval to put Gregor on second. The Pads tacked on a solo shot off of Dyson to make the final a loss for the Giants 5 - 1.
So in 4 starts, Ty has given up 10 earned runs in 20.1 innings. He has given up 24 hits and walked 9. That suggests that the 10 earned runs (11 total) could have been worse. That masks 2 excellent games, though, both against Kershaw.
The Giants actually had 10 hits tonight, more than the Padres. Every one of those hits was by a left handed batter. Who the fuck is Tyson Ross? I had to look it up - he was an A, a Pad previously, and a Texas Ranger last year. But really, making mid-level pitchers look like Cy Young is getting old.
Here's the thing. The Giants have played 13 games. In 7 of those games, they have scored 1 or 0 runs. I would say that they are lucky to be 1 game under .500. We have faced some tough pitchers, but you know what? The NL West is full of tough pitchers and we are going to face them all season long. Figure out how to get some runs on the board. Now.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Blach Holds His Own
Ty Blach and Clayton Kershaw have faced each other twice in a season that has consisted of 8 games. That's a lot to ask of a youngster - Ty might still be a rookie if not for his time filling in for Madison Bumgarner last year. In 2 games, here is how things stack up:
Ty Blach: 11 IP (6 today), 7 hits, 1 run, 6 BB, 1 - 0.
C. Kershaw: 13 IP (7 today), 14 hits, 2 runs, 2 BB, 0 - 1. Kershaw has a bunch more strikeouts.
That's pretty good pitching from Ty considering his opponent. The Giants are 3 - 3 against LA, with one game postponed, scheduled to be played as a Saturday doubleheader the next time they meet at the end of April. The Giants had a good shot to take this, especially once Kershaw was replaced by a relief pitcher in the 8th. But failure to get a bunt down, and no extra inning magic (for the Giants) meant a 2 - 1 loss and a split with LA.
The doggers picked up a run in the 4th, and an 8th inning Hunter Pence single followed by a perfect Kelby Tomlinson bunt for a hit put runners on 1st and 2nd. Buster Posey pinch hit for 8th inning pitcher Josh Osich, Kershaw was lifted for JT Chargois, and Posey singled to right for the Giants lone rbi. Austin Jackson, unable to put a bunt down, hit into a double play and Joe Panik flied out. Hunter Strickland held down the 9th, but LA scored in the 10th and the Giants were unable to come back against Kenley Jansen.
So the Giants are 4 - 4. Not setting the world on fire, but holding their own, and playing some pretty good, tough, emotional baseball. LA has their ace and closer. We do not. Giants take on the dbacks tomorrow. They are 7 - 2.
Ty Blach: 11 IP (6 today), 7 hits, 1 run, 6 BB, 1 - 0.
C. Kershaw: 13 IP (7 today), 14 hits, 2 runs, 2 BB, 0 - 1. Kershaw has a bunch more strikeouts.
That's pretty good pitching from Ty considering his opponent. The Giants are 3 - 3 against LA, with one game postponed, scheduled to be played as a Saturday doubleheader the next time they meet at the end of April. The Giants had a good shot to take this, especially once Kershaw was replaced by a relief pitcher in the 8th. But failure to get a bunt down, and no extra inning magic (for the Giants) meant a 2 - 1 loss and a split with LA.
The doggers picked up a run in the 4th, and an 8th inning Hunter Pence single followed by a perfect Kelby Tomlinson bunt for a hit put runners on 1st and 2nd. Buster Posey pinch hit for 8th inning pitcher Josh Osich, Kershaw was lifted for JT Chargois, and Posey singled to right for the Giants lone rbi. Austin Jackson, unable to put a bunt down, hit into a double play and Joe Panik flied out. Hunter Strickland held down the 9th, but LA scored in the 10th and the Giants were unable to come back against Kenley Jansen.
So the Giants are 4 - 4. Not setting the world on fire, but holding their own, and playing some pretty good, tough, emotional baseball. LA has their ace and closer. We do not. Giants take on the dbacks tomorrow. They are 7 - 2.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Ty Blach's ERA is Blooming Like the Cherry Blossoms in San Francisco
Beautiful, aren't they? Not so much the Giants home opener. The Seattle Mariners scored 4 runs before Ty Blach and the Giants managed so much as an out. The M's loaded the bases on an infield single, a bunt single and a walk, then BANG! Single, Single, Single and there were 4 runs on the board before Kyle Seager was tagged out on the basepath. Realistically, there was some bad luck in there, no really scalded balls, and in an alternate universe, some of the called balls could have probably been strikes. But we're not in an alternate universe, we're in this one where the memory of 2017 is all too real.
The Giants scored 1 in the 4th. It was another solo shot from Joe Panik. It kind of made me want to send the Giants a note to remind them that there needs to be more offense than solo shots from Joe Panik. So with the Giants behind 4 - 1, Ty Blach only made it 1 out into the 5th inning, where he put 2 more runners on base. Reyes Moronta let those runners score but finished out the 5th, 6 - 1 Seattle. Anyone would have been excused for leaving early, really, in the first inning. But for those who stuck around, an actual ball game showed up. Evan Longoria hit a home run over the cars in the 7th with Buster Posey on base to make the score 6 - 3, that chased Seattle starter Marco Gonzales from the game. The Giants had their best chance in the 8th against former Rockie and dogger (among others) Juan Nicasio. Gregor Blanco doubled, Kelby Thomlinson singled on a play close enough to require a replay review, and Blanco scored on an Austin Jackson sac fly. That was it for the 8th inning though, and Seattle brought out their closer, Edwin Diaz. He is supposedly the hardest thrower in the major leagues, although not always accurately. Nevertheless, the final score was Seattle 6, San Francisco 4.
One other note. I am already tired of hearing about exit velocity and launch angle. I like the Giants announcers, but both of those terms are entirely meaningless in the context of a radio or tv broadcast.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
GIANTS WIN!
The San Francisco Giants went out for opening day, in Los Angeles, without Madison Bumgarner, and without closer Mark Melancon against Clayton Kershaw. And FUCK YES, THEY WON.
Ty Blach drew the opening day assignment. Why not? His era in Los Angeles was 1.67 and he was 2 and 2 out of 7 games vs Kershaw. His numbers improved.
Clayton Kershaw is a hell of a pitcher. He had not given up a single run in spring training. He gave up only 1 today. That was a 5th inning, no one on blast to Joe "Pan the Man" Panik. He gave up 8 hits in 6 innings, though and the Giants should have probably had another couple of runs. But really good pitchers don't buckle under pressure, and his one mistake was the Giants only score.
Ty Blach gave us 5 innings, 81 pitches, 3 hits and 3 walks. He looked a bit shaky towards the end of the 5th, but Josh Osich (1 walk, 0 hits), Cory Gearrin (2 hits), Tony Watson (3 strikeouts after K'ing 0 all spring, 1 walk) and Hunter Strickland (1 leadoff hit) held LA scoreless. That potent line-up got a total of 6 hits.
Giants had 8 hits and 2 walks. Those were all against Kershaw. Their relievers, for 3 innings, did not allow a baserunner. Every Giant in the starting lineup had a hit, except Buster Posey who got 2 walks, and Evan Longoria. Hunter Pence had 2, and Joe Panik had 2, and the only rbi.
Giants 1, doggers 0. It's baseball season!
Ty Blach drew the opening day assignment. Why not? His era in Los Angeles was 1.67 and he was 2 and 2 out of 7 games vs Kershaw. His numbers improved.
Clayton Kershaw is a hell of a pitcher. He had not given up a single run in spring training. He gave up only 1 today. That was a 5th inning, no one on blast to Joe "Pan the Man" Panik. He gave up 8 hits in 6 innings, though and the Giants should have probably had another couple of runs. But really good pitchers don't buckle under pressure, and his one mistake was the Giants only score.
Ty Blach gave us 5 innings, 81 pitches, 3 hits and 3 walks. He looked a bit shaky towards the end of the 5th, but Josh Osich (1 walk, 0 hits), Cory Gearrin (2 hits), Tony Watson (3 strikeouts after K'ing 0 all spring, 1 walk) and Hunter Strickland (1 leadoff hit) held LA scoreless. That potent line-up got a total of 6 hits.
Giants had 8 hits and 2 walks. Those were all against Kershaw. Their relievers, for 3 innings, did not allow a baserunner. Every Giant in the starting lineup had a hit, except Buster Posey who got 2 walks, and Evan Longoria. Hunter Pence had 2, and Joe Panik had 2, and the only rbi.
Giants 1, doggers 0. It's baseball season!
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Rookie Parade
Weird weather in the Bay Area. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen lightning living in San Francisco. Last night there was a bunch. It would rain, then stop, then thunder, then lightning, then rain for a couple minutes, on and on. And it would rain at the stadium when it was dry here, then the announcers would talk about how it stopped just when it was coming down here. Real rain, too, enough to soak the garden. After a summer of drips from the watering system, I'm sure the roses were loving it.
The game started after a 50 minute delay. Chris Stratton struck out LA's lead-off hitter Curtis Granderson on a sharp curve. Then they called another rain delay. It was almost 11:00 pm by the time the second batter came to the plate. The Giants replaced Stratton with Ty Blach. He threw until a bunch of singles and a walk in the 4th inning gave the doggers 4 runs, which included a pinch hitter for their starter, Kenta Maeda. That tied the game, thanks to a 2-home run in the 1st from Denard Span, a solo shot in the 2nd from Jarrett Parker, and a Joe Panik rbi single in the 3rd. Puig put the doggers ahead with a solo home run in the 5th, Span and Posey had rbi's in the bottom of the 5th to put the Giants back on top 6 - 5. LA tied the score thanks to Justin Turner in the 6th, but Hunter Pence had an rbi single to again take the lead, 7 - 6 in the bottom of the 6th and Buster Posey added a run in the 7th to make the final score 8 - 6, Giants. Phew!
Chris Stratton got 1/3 of an inning to start the game. Ty Blach got 3 1/3, gave up 4. Kyle Crick gave up 1 in 1 1/3, and Derek Law got the W in 1 inning in which he gave up 1. Steve Okert went 2/3, Cory Gearrin went 1/3, Hunter Strickland went 1 and Sam Dyson earned a save for pitching the 9th. LA used 6 pitchers after Maeda left, Pedro Baez got the loss. The fans who stayed certainly saw an entertaining game and got their money's worth. The time of the game was 3 hours and 22 minutes, about 3 hours and 20 minutes of which occurred from about 10:55 pm onward. I did not stay up to see all this. If you were in London, though, you could have had your tea and scones for breakfast and caught nearly the whole game. Cheerio!
The game started after a 50 minute delay. Chris Stratton struck out LA's lead-off hitter Curtis Granderson on a sharp curve. Then they called another rain delay. It was almost 11:00 pm by the time the second batter came to the plate. The Giants replaced Stratton with Ty Blach. He threw until a bunch of singles and a walk in the 4th inning gave the doggers 4 runs, which included a pinch hitter for their starter, Kenta Maeda. That tied the game, thanks to a 2-home run in the 1st from Denard Span, a solo shot in the 2nd from Jarrett Parker, and a Joe Panik rbi single in the 3rd. Puig put the doggers ahead with a solo home run in the 5th, Span and Posey had rbi's in the bottom of the 5th to put the Giants back on top 6 - 5. LA tied the score thanks to Justin Turner in the 6th, but Hunter Pence had an rbi single to again take the lead, 7 - 6 in the bottom of the 6th and Buster Posey added a run in the 7th to make the final score 8 - 6, Giants. Phew!
Chris Stratton got 1/3 of an inning to start the game. Ty Blach got 3 1/3, gave up 4. Kyle Crick gave up 1 in 1 1/3, and Derek Law got the W in 1 inning in which he gave up 1. Steve Okert went 2/3, Cory Gearrin went 1/3, Hunter Strickland went 1 and Sam Dyson earned a save for pitching the 9th. LA used 6 pitchers after Maeda left, Pedro Baez got the loss. The fans who stayed certainly saw an entertaining game and got their money's worth. The time of the game was 3 hours and 22 minutes, about 3 hours and 20 minutes of which occurred from about 10:55 pm onward. I did not stay up to see all this. If you were in London, though, you could have had your tea and scones for breakfast and caught nearly the whole game. Cheerio!
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
This Is A Mess
Ty Blach lost his 4th in a row.
He has an ERA of 7.77 in that time.
The Giants have not won a game at Coors Field, Denver, in 2017.
The final score was 9 - 6.
In the first 3 innings, the Giants had 4 hits and 3 walks.
They did not score in those innings.
A total of 16 pitchers were used, 7 Giants and 9 Rockies.
Mac Williamson again erred, and was again not charged.
Pablo Sandoval has not had a hit in 37 at bats.
He tied John Lemaster for the longest Giant hitless streak.
Buster Posey got hurt (thumb) and left the game.
Some asshole gave him some kind of shit and was kicked out.
The Giants lost their 87th game.
The Giants have only won 2 of their last 12 games.
The Giants are now the worst team in the major leagues.
He has an ERA of 7.77 in that time.
The Giants have not won a game at Coors Field, Denver, in 2017.
The final score was 9 - 6.
In the first 3 innings, the Giants had 4 hits and 3 walks.
They did not score in those innings.
A total of 16 pitchers were used, 7 Giants and 9 Rockies.
Mac Williamson again erred, and was again not charged.
Pablo Sandoval has not had a hit in 37 at bats.
He tied John Lemaster for the longest Giant hitless streak.
Buster Posey got hurt (thumb) and left the game.
Some asshole gave him some kind of shit and was kicked out.
The Giants lost their 87th game.
The Giants have only won 2 of their last 12 games.
The Giants are now the worst team in the major leagues.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
.167 Road Trip
1 win in 6 games. The Giants went to Arizona and San Diego, two NL West division rivals and they had to throw a complete game shutout to get a win. The final loss, in San Diego, assured them of a losing record for the season. It was their 83rd loss of the year. They could sweep September and still not crack .500.
Ty Blach threw the rubber match in San Diego yesterday. He threw 5 2/3 innings, 99 pitches, and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. 2 of those hits were home runs, including 1 to Travis Wood, San Diego's pitcher. The Giants lost 5 - 0. Kyle Crick allowed an inherited runner to score and Josh Osich allowed an unearned run in the 8th.
Although I have argued and will still argue that the Giants biggest pressing need is relief pitching, this road trip highlights their second biggest need, one that is harder to fix, offense. Buster Posey has been out a couple games, and was clearly injured before that, and Brandon Belt has been out, but: 1 for 10 yesterday with runners in scoring position. The Giants got 6 hits and 6 walks. Ty Blach got 2 of those hits. No one scored. 3 for 21 on the series, and 4 for 33 on the road trip. 4 for 33. That's not good. The Giants got shut out 3 times in 6 games. They scored only 10 runs in 6 games.
Buster Posey and Brandon Belt notwithstanding, the Giants have to do better than that to compete in the major leagues. Plenty of time to discuss particulars once the blessed offseason finally gets here. At this point, I don't even know why it upsets me so much to have this kind of performance out of this team. I should expect it, or at least be numb to it by now.
Ty Blach threw the rubber match in San Diego yesterday. He threw 5 2/3 innings, 99 pitches, and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. 2 of those hits were home runs, including 1 to Travis Wood, San Diego's pitcher. The Giants lost 5 - 0. Kyle Crick allowed an inherited runner to score and Josh Osich allowed an unearned run in the 8th.
Although I have argued and will still argue that the Giants biggest pressing need is relief pitching, this road trip highlights their second biggest need, one that is harder to fix, offense. Buster Posey has been out a couple games, and was clearly injured before that, and Brandon Belt has been out, but: 1 for 10 yesterday with runners in scoring position. The Giants got 6 hits and 6 walks. Ty Blach got 2 of those hits. No one scored. 3 for 21 on the series, and 4 for 33 on the road trip. 4 for 33. That's not good. The Giants got shut out 3 times in 6 games. They scored only 10 runs in 6 games.
Buster Posey and Brandon Belt notwithstanding, the Giants have to do better than that to compete in the major leagues. Plenty of time to discuss particulars once the blessed offseason finally gets here. At this point, I don't even know why it upsets me so much to have this kind of performance out of this team. I should expect it, or at least be numb to it by now.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Ty Tired, Bum Bummed
Ty and Madison on the mound to start our season-concluding push against the western division. That is where titles, and playoff spots are often won and lost. Neither will be the case this year for the Giants, but there is something on the line. That is: pride. If they are going to compete next year, they are going to have to win against the Western Division. There is no way around that inevitable truth. And, if the Giants are going to compete next year, they are going to do it with much the same cast that they have today. Not entirely, that can't happen, but probably most of them. And among those guys, 2 of the ones you want on the list to actually be here next year are Ty Blach and Madison Bumgarner.
Ty Blach threw his third game in a row where he was not effective. You could say that he was better than his previous 2 starts - 6 earned runs against both Miami and Philadelphia is 6 and 5 1/3 innings, respectively. And in fact, he pitched pretty well, with one exception. That was to Paul Goldschmidt in the 3rd inning with 1 run in and 2 runners on base. That made the score 4 - 1 in favor of the dbacks. After that, the Giants chipped away. Chip, chip, chip. But the best they could come up with was 3 for their 78th loss of the year and a final score of 4 - 3. The thing is, in Arizona, you have to be able to put runs on the board. Like in Colorado. Dink-ball doesn't do it when one mistake to Goldschmidt can ruin your shit. Brandon Crawford, was good though, getting 3 hits and scoring twice. It is time to ask whether Ty is pooping out on the season. That would be understandable, he has given us 144 1/3 innings, is not quite 27 and this is his first season in the major leagues (except for his most auspicious debut last year). Still, as much as I am sure Bochy & Co. would like to see him get a full season in, but with Matt Cain available and Johnny Cueto rehabbing, his starts may be numbered.
Saturday: Put your ace on the mound and chalk up your 79th loss of the season. I wouldn't put any money on the Giants NOT losing 100 games this season. The 3 runs the Giants scored yesterday would have been plenty, but today they couldn't muster that. In Arizona. They lost, 2 -1. To some guy named Tai-Wheezy. Christ. The player nickname promotion stinks of a MLB marketing guy who hasn't done anything but bullshit around the water cooler since he was hired 3 years ago until his manager finally caught on and was told to come up with something or lose his job. Half the players don't even have nicknames, so they have to make them up for this shit. It's terrible, as was the Giants offense. Madbum went 7, struck out 7, gave up 5 hits and walked 1. 2 of those hits were home runs, with no baserunners. That happens in Arizona. It used to happen more when the Giants batted. Jarrett Parker hit one, too, with no one on, and that, of course, was the extent of the Giants' offense. Buster Posey is 0 for Arizona, and frankly, has looked bad doing it. In fact, the top 4 hitters in the Giants line-up have 3 hits. For 2 games. Parker had 2 of them today and the other one came last night. Crawford had a hit, now that he finally seems to have figured out his swing, Posey can't see the ball.
Taijuan Walker is new on the dbacks this year, so of course he befuddled the Giants. If I were another team in the western division, I would just call up some minor leaguers the Giants have never seen before for September to face us. It probably doesn't even matter if they are really pitchers or not. I am so sick of getting beat by new/minor league/mediocre pitchers. We do better against Greinke than against Tai-fucking-Wheezy. The Giants washed out creamsickle-colored orange jerseys look. Like. Shit. I'll give Joe Panik some credit, the nickname he put on his jersey is Panik. Why would you want to mess with a name like that? Ty actually is already a nickname. So is Buster. As much as I want to see someone, anyone, knock the cubs out of the NL Central lead, let's just can the season now, shall we?
Ty Blach threw his third game in a row where he was not effective. You could say that he was better than his previous 2 starts - 6 earned runs against both Miami and Philadelphia is 6 and 5 1/3 innings, respectively. And in fact, he pitched pretty well, with one exception. That was to Paul Goldschmidt in the 3rd inning with 1 run in and 2 runners on base. That made the score 4 - 1 in favor of the dbacks. After that, the Giants chipped away. Chip, chip, chip. But the best they could come up with was 3 for their 78th loss of the year and a final score of 4 - 3. The thing is, in Arizona, you have to be able to put runs on the board. Like in Colorado. Dink-ball doesn't do it when one mistake to Goldschmidt can ruin your shit. Brandon Crawford, was good though, getting 3 hits and scoring twice. It is time to ask whether Ty is pooping out on the season. That would be understandable, he has given us 144 1/3 innings, is not quite 27 and this is his first season in the major leagues (except for his most auspicious debut last year). Still, as much as I am sure Bochy & Co. would like to see him get a full season in, but with Matt Cain available and Johnny Cueto rehabbing, his starts may be numbered.
Saturday: Put your ace on the mound and chalk up your 79th loss of the season. I wouldn't put any money on the Giants NOT losing 100 games this season. The 3 runs the Giants scored yesterday would have been plenty, but today they couldn't muster that. In Arizona. They lost, 2 -1. To some guy named Tai-Wheezy. Christ. The player nickname promotion stinks of a MLB marketing guy who hasn't done anything but bullshit around the water cooler since he was hired 3 years ago until his manager finally caught on and was told to come up with something or lose his job. Half the players don't even have nicknames, so they have to make them up for this shit. It's terrible, as was the Giants offense. Madbum went 7, struck out 7, gave up 5 hits and walked 1. 2 of those hits were home runs, with no baserunners. That happens in Arizona. It used to happen more when the Giants batted. Jarrett Parker hit one, too, with no one on, and that, of course, was the extent of the Giants' offense. Buster Posey is 0 for Arizona, and frankly, has looked bad doing it. In fact, the top 4 hitters in the Giants line-up have 3 hits. For 2 games. Parker had 2 of them today and the other one came last night. Crawford had a hit, now that he finally seems to have figured out his swing, Posey can't see the ball.
Taijuan Walker is new on the dbacks this year, so of course he befuddled the Giants. If I were another team in the western division, I would just call up some minor leaguers the Giants have never seen before for September to face us. It probably doesn't even matter if they are really pitchers or not. I am so sick of getting beat by new/minor league/mediocre pitchers. We do better against Greinke than against Tai-fucking-Wheezy. The Giants washed out creamsickle-colored orange jerseys look. Like. Shit. I'll give Joe Panik some credit, the nickname he put on his jersey is Panik. Why would you want to mess with a name like that? Ty actually is already a nickname. So is Buster. As much as I want to see someone, anyone, knock the cubs out of the NL Central lead, let's just can the season now, shall we?
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