Bumgarner keeps it rolling

Joaquin Arias saved me from nightmares about the Giants hitting with runners in scoring position. It is a weird thing, this utter lack of RISPness. I figured that it was more a statistical anomaly than anything else, that they couldn't possibly be that bad two seasons in a row. Here's Baggs:

Joaquin Arias hit a two-out, two-run triple in the sixth inning Sunday. And that gave them a little bit of a lift. They ended the month 17 for 98 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

That’s good for … a .173 average.

It’s .173469, to be more precise. Last year, it was .172920.

Ugh. The Giants won 86 games last season despite having the worst batting average EVER with runners in scoring position and two outs. Just goes to show what good pitching can do for you. Now imagine good pitching and the ability to RISPify. That would be something. And speaking of something, that Madison Bumgarner is. Something, I mean. As in "he's really something." Wow, another great start, another win. Remember last season he started off 0-6? I think I like this version better.The only run Bumgarner allowed was on a misplay by CF Angel Pagan. Balls in the air seemed to fool all the outfielders yesterday--I thought Will Venable would catch Arias' blast, he seemed to move too slowly going back on it, like he thought it wouldn't carry that far. Same deal with Pagan, it was "oh, this is routine" suddenly turning into "oh shit, it is over my head." Must be the famous "high sky" they always talked about at Candlestick. The only thing high at the 'Stick in those days were the bleacher bums so I never did grasp that concept.

Statistically, the Giants are right in the middle of the NL pack in RS (90, 7th) and RA (86, 8th) and have the 6th best record (12-10, .545). I can live with that for April. I figure the pitching will continue to improve and as long as Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval stay healthy the lineup will work. The fielding lapses are a little troublesome (only the Padres have more errors), but I think that may also work itself out as the guys play together a little more. I'm glad Arias has stepped up to spell Brandon Crawford. I think BCraw is fabulous but it is nice to know the Giants have a way to ease the burden on the rook just a bit.

The Miami Marlins (a much better name, I hate teams named for states) come to town tomorrow and Matt Cain matches up with Ricky Nolasco who has ownage on the Giants. Of course, so did Clayton Richard.

--M.C.

Battlin' Tim

Start #5:   Win !  (2-2)  8 innings  1 unearned run   3 hits (all infield!)  4 walks  5 K's

Acting as if he was a grizzled veteran from a few decades ago, our beloved Freak, Tim Lincecum (2-2), pitched a gritty gem (game score 75) as the Giants came back to beat the Padres, 2-1.  Timmeh used every thing he had (particularly beautiful  curveball tonight) to keep us in a close one against the pesky Anthony Bass.  Tim's fastball velocity continues to underwhelm (88-91 mph) but the location was generally good. He finished off the eighth with some of his best pitches, which is classic Tim.  I have a very good feeling about next month.

Lots of GOOD:  Tim's first hit of the year actually broke up a perfect game after Bass had dumbfounded the first 17 batters. It was of the infield variety but Tim showed some impressive speed down the line.  Melky continues to steal my heart; this time with a three slick putout inning and a clutch double to get us started.  But the true non-Tim star of the game was Brandon Belt. I was literally telling the monitor that "This is it.  This is your moment. You will be the Giants 1B for years." 
Sure enough, he heard me and stroked one into the gap. SWEEEEEEET.

Little BAD:  The errors continue to mount; two more tonight (should have been three but they inexplicably reversed one on Burriss). That makes 25 in 21 games.  Oh yeah, Pablo didn't come close to extending his hit streak. He will just have to start another one.

FNG party

Angel Pagan, Ryan Theriot, and Joaquin Arias all came up big today and the Giants pulled off a win and avoided the sweep. Does anyone else hate these goddamn bandbox pop-fly stadiums? I can't wait to see the team back home playing proper baseball.

The Giants still have not made an official move in naming a starter for Friday night's series opener against San Diego, manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday prior to the series finale against the Reds.(link)

That ought to be interesting. You need real pitchers against team like the Reds in their silly ballparks (they hit five homers in the series, four off starters), but you can throw AAA guys at the Padres because they can't hit for shit.

Matt Sosnick, the agent for Eric Hacker, announced on Twitter on Wednesday night that the Giants would be purchasing the contract of his client to fill that spot in the rotation. Bochy would not confirm that announcement.(link)

Hacker is 29 and has only 8-1/3 IP of ML experience but has been in pro ball since he was 19. He was taken in the 23rd round of the 2002 draft by the Yankees and has 152 minor league starts. If today is any indication, I say bring on the FNGs!

--M.C.

Bullpen woes and beyond

Giants throw one away in Cincinnati to end the first inning (18/162 = 1/9) of the season. The team stands at .500 despite a good start by an apparently rejuvenated Barry Zito. Relievers Clay Hensley and Jeremy Affeldt couldn't hold a 2-1 lead as both threw a lot of ugly looking shit at the Reds and they capitalized. The Giants should have had a bigger lead as they managed 10 baserunners (9 hits and a walk) against Bronson Arroyo but could not get the big hit. Of course, that's the usual lament with this club regarding run scoring. Damn, it was an ugly effort in the 7th! You could argue with Bochy's decision to let Zito start the inning. I was surprised, but as I've said before, I like the attitude. BZ was dealing and had as good a chance as the overworked and struggling 'pen did to get some outs. Immediately, though, he fell behind Scott Rolen and grooved a 3-2 pitch for a huge bomb to break the shutout. Then the defensive lapses, a bad call, some crappy pitching and it was all over. The Giants did manage to put a brief scare into Aroldis Chapman but Joaquin Arias' smoking hot liner was snagged by the big flamethrower and it was done.

Speaking of Arias, he was called up to take Aubrey Huff's spot on the roster. Huff was DL'd for "anxiety issues" and is expected to rejoin the team at some point. When I posted my thoughts on Huff after that weird game in New York, I had no idea there were deeper, personal things involved. (The story broke the next day.) It is easy to forget that ballplayers (entertainers, really) are human beings with real lives and real problems. Any job, no matter how lucrative, with the kind of intense public scrutiny that these guys face daily, has a dark side. (I'm a public schoolteacher in a small town, rather bucolic compared to most, but I'm here to tell you it takes a psychic toll. And nobody writes blog posts or newspaper articles about me.) It has to be difficult to balance fame with family, and glory with ignominy. My observations about Aubrey Huff were entirely baseball related, viewing him only as another player on the team and not as a whole person. I certainly hope he gets things figured out. I remember when Mike Ivie (who else remembers Mr. Pinch-hit Grand Slam?) had a similar problem back in the late 70's in the Joe Altobelli/Dave Bristol Era. (Ivie was the #1 pick in 1970.) I was a college kid at the time. Bruce Bochy is five years older than me and here's what he had to say:

I'm sure it was there when I played, but you probably weren't as likely to talk about it openly . . .

No doubt. I like to think that we are a little more enlightened about things like anxiety, depression, and other mental struggles. These are just as real as torn ligaments, only harder to pin down and come up with treatments. My dad was a Korean War vet--he fought at Chosin with the 5th Marines when he was 19 years old. He suffered horribly from post-traumatic stress, yet was from a generation of men unable or unwilling to accept mental illness as a legitimate problem. Fortunately even Major League Baseball can manage to limp into the 21st century now and then.

The Giants have limped along like the .500 team they are. They show flashes of brilliance and then put on some rather wretched displays. The parts are there but they are not all clicking together. It's April, and despite the Dodgers fast start they are still close enough. But .500 innings are not what champs are made of, and it is time for this team to quit screwing around. I expect to see a steady improvement and better well be reporting on a 10-8 or 11-7 second inning 18 games from now.

--M.C.


p.s. I can't get the goddamn B-R Linker tool to work!! Normally I'd make all the player names hyperlinks, but the "bookmarklet" (java script app) that B-R supplies isn't functioning. Even RMC isn't firing on all cylinders this early in the season!