The Giants cruised to victory today on the back of a strong, 1 run, 2 hit pitching gem from Madison Bumgarner, with plenty of run support. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. No. The Giants Don't Do That. 1 - 0, another loss.
In fact, even when they had a chance, they wanted nothing to do with it. 4th inning, 2 outs and Posey standing at 2nd after his lead-off double. Panik singles to center to the weak-armed Ben Revere. Posey was held at 3rd to give Gregor (5 for 38 since the ASB) a shot. Of course that was an out. Why do I even bother to type it? Brandon Belt hit one over Revere's head in the 7th with Span at 3rd and Pagan at 2nd. But Revere ran it down and caught it with his back to the infield. Yes, that was also the 3rd out of that inning. Giants were 1 for 9 with RISP, and that 1 did not, of course, result in a run.
Madison Bumgarner went 8 strong. Wilson Ramos seemed to hit the right part of the yard (he didn't think so, he flipped his bat in disgust as he left the box) for a home run, and that was 50% of the total hits that Washington got. He struck out 7 and walked 2. And for that effort, he picks up a "L." The Giants have lost 8 of the last 10 games in which he has pitched. And of those, this was probably the best effort on his part.
It was great to see Matt Cain get some run support yesterday in the Giants 7 - 1 effort. He deserves it, having been at the bottom of the league in run support for a good part of his career. How many players get their names made into a verb because of the rest of their team? But his recent success aside, I am shocked that the Giants are still in 1st place. I don't expect it to last long. As Mark said yesterday, "You can have all the baserunners you want but if you can't push them across no one gives a damn." The Giants need to figure out how to push some of them across the plate, and fast.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Cain, Giants Even Up Series
7-1 win in DC
Since the All-Star Break the Giants have won only six games--three of those wins have come the last three times Matt Cain has been the starting pitcher. Just another nutty circumstance in this increasingly nutty season. Today Matty had to match up with Stephen Strasburg. The first-pick phenom was not his usual dominant self: he could not get out of the 5th inning, surrendering eight hits and four runs to the Giants. Cain didn't overwhelm the Nationals, yielding five hits, three walks, and hitting two batters in his five-plus frames, but they couldn't score a run against him. And runs, of course, are what matter in this game. You can have all the baserunners you want but if you can't push them across no one gives a damn. The Giants found some life in their bats with Eduardo Nunez, Brandon Belt, and Buster Posey delivering the bulk of the big hits. Six relievers got the final 12 outs--well, five relievers got the final 12 outs as Jake Peavy, on to get the final out of the 8th, gave up three straight hits before being yanked. That was really the only blemish on the day. Unless you count the face blemish Hunter Pence applied to himself by fouling a ball off the plate into his cheek. He toughed it out and stayed in, managing a hit and run scored as well as a great catch in right to end the game.
This drought of winning baseball makes every win seem like manna from heaven. The team is still wandering in the desert, but a 4-3 record in the last seven games is something to celebrate, don't you think? String a bunch of those 4-and-3s together and you have a winning month. Or two.
Rubber match tomorrow (10:35 am PDT), Madison Bumgarner gets the call.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Since the All-Star Break the Giants have won only six games--three of those wins have come the last three times Matt Cain has been the starting pitcher. Just another nutty circumstance in this increasingly nutty season. Today Matty had to match up with Stephen Strasburg. The first-pick phenom was not his usual dominant self: he could not get out of the 5th inning, surrendering eight hits and four runs to the Giants. Cain didn't overwhelm the Nationals, yielding five hits, three walks, and hitting two batters in his five-plus frames, but they couldn't score a run against him. And runs, of course, are what matter in this game. You can have all the baserunners you want but if you can't push them across no one gives a damn. The Giants found some life in their bats with Eduardo Nunez, Brandon Belt, and Buster Posey delivering the bulk of the big hits. Six relievers got the final 12 outs--well, five relievers got the final 12 outs as Jake Peavy, on to get the final out of the 8th, gave up three straight hits before being yanked. That was really the only blemish on the day. Unless you count the face blemish Hunter Pence applied to himself by fouling a ball off the plate into his cheek. He toughed it out and stayed in, managing a hit and run scored as well as a great catch in right to end the game.
This drought of winning baseball makes every win seem like manna from heaven. The team is still wandering in the desert, but a 4-3 record in the last seven games is something to celebrate, don't you think? String a bunch of those 4-and-3s together and you have a winning month. Or two.
Rubber match tomorrow (10:35 am PDT), Madison Bumgarner gets the call.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
6th inning: 5-13
3-2 win (10) in Philly
The Giants have won FIVE games in the last three weeks. At the All-Star Break they were the best team in baseball. Over the last 18 games they've been, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the worst. On the bright side the Giants are still in first place. The margin is a wee bit closer, but to play .278 ball and not lose the top spot is a miracle of sorts, perhaps the baseball gods decided our suffering would only go so far. They stuck the pin in the doll and gave it a good twist but didn't apply the killer blow.
Matt Moore had his Giants debut and he delivered six quality innings. That's eleven straight starts for the new lefty in which he has recorded at least 18 outs. Keep that up, bro! That's just the kind of steady consistency the club needs. Denard Span hit a homer in the 10th to break the deadlock--that's right, a Giants player hit a homer. That's pretty rare. Close games often get decided late with a big fly, especially in a bandbox like Citizens Bank Park. This time the Giants got what was needed. A resurgent Santiago Casilla, lashing out like a cornered beast, nailed down the save with a brisk 11-pitch 1-2-3 "see ya" after an equally clutch effort the previous night. It's been hard times and increased scrutiny for the embattled closer, it's nice to see him respond with the kind of performances we know he's capable of. Maybe a little F.O. and fan base doubt was just what he needed to get fired up. Whatever works! In fact the entire beleaguered 'pen showed up this afternoon and got it done. Tip o' the cap to Derek Law for a particularly stout 10-pitch 1-2-3 8th frame.
Here's the tale of the season at the 2/3 mark:
1st inning: 8-10
2nd inning: 10-8
3rd inning: 15-3
4th inning: 12-6
5th inning: 12-6
6th inning: 5-13
That's 62-46 (.574) and a two game lead over LA in the West. Only the Cubs and the Nationals have more wins. If the Giants play .574 for the season they will finish with 93 wins. That means 31 more wins over the final three innings. It's a trip to Washington, D.C. next with the mercurial Jeff Samardzija getting the call. You have to think his run of poor starts since his May surge convinced the club they needed another starter. Say it ain't so, Jeffy-boy. Take it as a challenge and show 'em you still have the stuff for a championship run.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
The Giants have won FIVE games in the last three weeks. At the All-Star Break they were the best team in baseball. Over the last 18 games they've been, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the worst. On the bright side the Giants are still in first place. The margin is a wee bit closer, but to play .278 ball and not lose the top spot is a miracle of sorts, perhaps the baseball gods decided our suffering would only go so far. They stuck the pin in the doll and gave it a good twist but didn't apply the killer blow.
Matt Moore had his Giants debut and he delivered six quality innings. That's eleven straight starts for the new lefty in which he has recorded at least 18 outs. Keep that up, bro! That's just the kind of steady consistency the club needs. Denard Span hit a homer in the 10th to break the deadlock--that's right, a Giants player hit a homer. That's pretty rare. Close games often get decided late with a big fly, especially in a bandbox like Citizens Bank Park. This time the Giants got what was needed. A resurgent Santiago Casilla, lashing out like a cornered beast, nailed down the save with a brisk 11-pitch 1-2-3 "see ya" after an equally clutch effort the previous night. It's been hard times and increased scrutiny for the embattled closer, it's nice to see him respond with the kind of performances we know he's capable of. Maybe a little F.O. and fan base doubt was just what he needed to get fired up. Whatever works! In fact the entire beleaguered 'pen showed up this afternoon and got it done. Tip o' the cap to Derek Law for a particularly stout 10-pitch 1-2-3 8th frame.
Here's the tale of the season at the 2/3 mark:
1st inning: 8-10
2nd inning: 10-8
3rd inning: 15-3
4th inning: 12-6
5th inning: 12-6
6th inning: 5-13
That's 62-46 (.574) and a two game lead over LA in the West. Only the Cubs and the Nationals have more wins. If the Giants play .574 for the season they will finish with 93 wins. That means 31 more wins over the final three innings. It's a trip to Washington, D.C. next with the mercurial Jeff Samardzija getting the call. You have to think his run of poor starts since his May surge convinced the club they needed another starter. Say it ain't so, Jeffy-boy. Take it as a challenge and show 'em you still have the stuff for a championship run.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
Rocky Road Johnny
As I type this, we are zipping through Willows, CA on our way home. Robyn is obviously steering our vessel and the darkness has stolen the all too familiar view. Seemed like a good time to post about that shitty loss. I probably could Vlog in the front seat here but the game isn't worthy. So it's hunt and peck for me!
The fecking Phillies did not get the memo about being shitty. Even though JohnnyC had a three hit shutout going into the seventh AND a four run lead, two things that used to produce wins 95% of the time, our beloved boys found a way to blow it in extra innings. FNG Nuñez will probably get the goat label for a brain dead error but once again a ridiculously feeble offense was largely to blame. I believe 19 straight Giants went down after the fourth and we never really threatened. We hung tough until Peavy's bullpen debut, the aforementioned error and then a game winning hit.
Once again I feel like we are all waiting for Buster Posey to be anything more than adequate. Until he does that, our offense will be nothing more than average. Unless he rips off a big month, which he really hasn't got close to, this is a completely unremarkable offensive season. It feels rather snarky to complain about such a great player. Also, it's not like anyone will suggest an improvement or even a reason. It will just be "He will turn it around. It's just a matter of time."
And you know what, that's probably true.
Let's get these dicks tomorrow! I can't wait to see our FNG lefty, Matt Moore. He may be just the ticket! Go Giants!
P.S. I couldn't post until I got home. Sorry for the delay.
The fecking Phillies did not get the memo about being shitty. Even though JohnnyC had a three hit shutout going into the seventh AND a four run lead, two things that used to produce wins 95% of the time, our beloved boys found a way to blow it in extra innings. FNG Nuñez will probably get the goat label for a brain dead error but once again a ridiculously feeble offense was largely to blame. I believe 19 straight Giants went down after the fourth and we never really threatened. We hung tough until Peavy's bullpen debut, the aforementioned error and then a game winning hit.
Once again I feel like we are all waiting for Buster Posey to be anything more than adequate. Until he does that, our offense will be nothing more than average. Unless he rips off a big month, which he really hasn't got close to, this is a completely unremarkable offensive season. It feels rather snarky to complain about such a great player. Also, it's not like anyone will suggest an improvement or even a reason. It will just be "He will turn it around. It's just a matter of time."
And you know what, that's probably true.
Let's get these dicks tomorrow! I can't wait to see our FNG lefty, Matt Moore. He may be just the ticket! Go Giants!
P.S. I couldn't post until I got home. Sorry for the delay.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Chow Blown
Here's the thing - if the Giants want to be relevant by the time September rolls around, they have to stop losing to shitty teams. Padres, Reds, and now the Phillies. After a stirring 5 run rally in the 5th inning to tie the score at 6 each, the Giants allowed a run, scored 2, allowed 1 more and then vomited 5 in the 8th for a 13 - 8 loss in Philadelphia. Boo.
Madison Bumgarner started, he allowed about as many baserunners in 5 as he normally does in 3 games. 10 hits, 2 walked, 4 earned runs and 4 K in 94 pitches. He pitched to the first batter in the 6th, and walked him. He gave up 2 home runs, to Aaron Altherr, who has played 4 games this year, and to Maikel Franco. Altherr had 5 rbi on the night, Franco 4 and Cameron Rupp, their catcher, had 3. The first batter of each inning reached 1st base in every inning Madison pitched but the 3rd. There was a Nunez throwing error in the 2nd before a Altherr rbi single and a Franco home run. That was why Madison "earned" 4 runs when 8 crossed the plate under his tenure.
Hunter Strickland relieved Bumgarner in the 6th. He allowed a run. Derek Law had a clean 7th. The Will Smith made his Giants debut in the 8th and promptly put the "F" in "FNG." 2 hits brought in Sergio Romo, and by the time he was done, it was 13 - 8. So the Giants have now lost 7 of Madison's last 9 starts. Again, not the way to ensure you are not an afterthought by September. Giants hit a couple home runs. Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Angel Pagan. Brandon Belt not slumping would be big. As I publish this, Colorado is ahead of LA by a score of 7 - 0. Go Rox!
Madison Bumgarner started, he allowed about as many baserunners in 5 as he normally does in 3 games. 10 hits, 2 walked, 4 earned runs and 4 K in 94 pitches. He pitched to the first batter in the 6th, and walked him. He gave up 2 home runs, to Aaron Altherr, who has played 4 games this year, and to Maikel Franco. Altherr had 5 rbi on the night, Franco 4 and Cameron Rupp, their catcher, had 3. The first batter of each inning reached 1st base in every inning Madison pitched but the 3rd. There was a Nunez throwing error in the 2nd before a Altherr rbi single and a Franco home run. That was why Madison "earned" 4 runs when 8 crossed the plate under his tenure.
Hunter Strickland relieved Bumgarner in the 6th. He allowed a run. Derek Law had a clean 7th. The Will Smith made his Giants debut in the 8th and promptly put the "F" in "FNG." 2 hits brought in Sergio Romo, and by the time he was done, it was 13 - 8. So the Giants have now lost 7 of Madison's last 9 starts. Again, not the way to ensure you are not an afterthought by September. Giants hit a couple home runs. Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Angel Pagan. Brandon Belt not slumping would be big. As I publish this, Colorado is ahead of LA by a score of 7 - 0. Go Rox!
Monday, August 1, 2016
Ch-ch-ch-changes
In the cold sober light of analysis it seems the Giants made out pretty well at the deadline. Lefty reliever and lefty starter, both young, talented, and cost-controlled, it's easy to say that's a good haul. Sure, they were expensive, but it's a sellers market. The teams out of the race know they have players the pennant-chasers want and they aren't going to give them up without extracting their pound of flesh. I don't worry about pitching prospects. The Madison Bumgarners of the world are rare beasts--projecting a twenty year-old as a future star is tough stuff. Most of them don't make it, and the Giants have had good luck swapping potential talent for proven talent. We all remember Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano, but that's because they were the exception, not the rule.
In this game you have to have the cojones to pull the trigger. Risk is inherent. I give Bobby Evans and the the Brian Trust a lot of credit for identifying the team's needs and finding the guys they thought could help. They pursued their targets with gusto and made the moves. It would have been a lot less painful if they had stuck with minor-leaguers but that wasn't going to get it done. Change is hard. Always. Everywhere, not just in baseball. But BobbyE & Co. are big boys and they made big boy decisions.
I'm happy for Andrew Susac. He deserves a chance to play and he'll get one in Milwaukee with Jonathan Lucroy's departure. Trevor Brown's work this season really did make Susac expendable. On the other hand, I'm gutted about Matt Duffy. He played with such verve and aplomb last season and had to fill the void left when a very popular and accomplished player (Pablo Sandoval, in case you forgot!) departed for (presumably) greener pastures. Duff-ster was one of the best rookies in the game. He had a rough start this season, and a big injury setback, but I had faith he would return to form. Alas, he'll have to do it in Tampa Bay. But I'm not upset at the Giants, just the situation. You have to give up talent to get talent. Duffy was the odd man out. He'll be missed, but the Giants have ably filled that spot with Eduardo Nunez, clearly planning ahead with that acquisition.
So how about these FNGs? Matt Moore was the costliest, and obviously the centerpiece, and he'll be the key going forward. I suppose this means Jake Peavy will get the bump. He's pitched, overall, better than Matt Cain, but Cain is signed for 2017 and Peavy is not. This is Jake's last go-round, and he'll have to do it in the 'pen. Matty is still expected to be a part of the rotation, and perhaps he's healthy now and can be a positive contributor the rest of the way. At the five-spot that should be do-able. Jeff Samardzija has been disappointing after a great stretch earlier, he'll be bumped down one notch as well. Perhaps the lowered expectations will help him regain his touch. Moore was one of the brightest stars in the game not long ago, but got bit by the injury bug and has yet to produce like that again. But he is healthy now (21 starts so far) and has serious fastball/change-up whiff-inducing stuff. He should be able to deliver quality innings in the three-spot behind Johnny Cueto and MadBum. He's only 27, as is reliever Will Smith. He also has a quality arm and clearly will step into the setup role as he's got good splits. He ain't no LOOGY. This means Javier Lopez can get back to that and Josh Osich can be spared some of the high-leverage situations while he matures as a player.
These moves may not pay off. But they are intelligent moves. They are good gambles. Both pitchers will be around for a few years, neither are "rentals," and Nunez is also signed for 2017. So that mitigates the high cost. These guys are investments--they will be a big part of the pennant chase, not bench pieces or role players.
I think, once the dust clears, we should feel good. The pitching staff needed a boost and they got it. The infield needed help and they got it. We'll miss the guys we grew fond of, and we may read about some young stud in a few years who "once was a promising prospect in San Francisco" but those things won't stick. What will stick is a winning ballclub. The Giants have too much at stake RIGHT NOW not to go for it. The Dodgers went "all-in" with their moves and the Giants had to counter as the race has tightened and looks to be the dogfight we expected when the season opened.
Time for the guys to strap it on and stop the slide and get back to winning ways. Let's hope the FNGs bring it!
--M.C.
In this game you have to have the cojones to pull the trigger. Risk is inherent. I give Bobby Evans and the the Brian Trust a lot of credit for identifying the team's needs and finding the guys they thought could help. They pursued their targets with gusto and made the moves. It would have been a lot less painful if they had stuck with minor-leaguers but that wasn't going to get it done. Change is hard. Always. Everywhere, not just in baseball. But BobbyE & Co. are big boys and they made big boy decisions.
I'm happy for Andrew Susac. He deserves a chance to play and he'll get one in Milwaukee with Jonathan Lucroy's departure. Trevor Brown's work this season really did make Susac expendable. On the other hand, I'm gutted about Matt Duffy. He played with such verve and aplomb last season and had to fill the void left when a very popular and accomplished player (Pablo Sandoval, in case you forgot!) departed for (presumably) greener pastures. Duff-ster was one of the best rookies in the game. He had a rough start this season, and a big injury setback, but I had faith he would return to form. Alas, he'll have to do it in Tampa Bay. But I'm not upset at the Giants, just the situation. You have to give up talent to get talent. Duffy was the odd man out. He'll be missed, but the Giants have ably filled that spot with Eduardo Nunez, clearly planning ahead with that acquisition.
So how about these FNGs? Matt Moore was the costliest, and obviously the centerpiece, and he'll be the key going forward. I suppose this means Jake Peavy will get the bump. He's pitched, overall, better than Matt Cain, but Cain is signed for 2017 and Peavy is not. This is Jake's last go-round, and he'll have to do it in the 'pen. Matty is still expected to be a part of the rotation, and perhaps he's healthy now and can be a positive contributor the rest of the way. At the five-spot that should be do-able. Jeff Samardzija has been disappointing after a great stretch earlier, he'll be bumped down one notch as well. Perhaps the lowered expectations will help him regain his touch. Moore was one of the brightest stars in the game not long ago, but got bit by the injury bug and has yet to produce like that again. But he is healthy now (21 starts so far) and has serious fastball/change-up whiff-inducing stuff. He should be able to deliver quality innings in the three-spot behind Johnny Cueto and MadBum. He's only 27, as is reliever Will Smith. He also has a quality arm and clearly will step into the setup role as he's got good splits. He ain't no LOOGY. This means Javier Lopez can get back to that and Josh Osich can be spared some of the high-leverage situations while he matures as a player.
These moves may not pay off. But they are intelligent moves. They are good gambles. Both pitchers will be around for a few years, neither are "rentals," and Nunez is also signed for 2017. So that mitigates the high cost. These guys are investments--they will be a big part of the pennant chase, not bench pieces or role players.
I think, once the dust clears, we should feel good. The pitching staff needed a boost and they got it. The infield needed help and they got it. We'll miss the guys we grew fond of, and we may read about some young stud in a few years who "once was a promising prospect in San Francisco" but those things won't stick. What will stick is a winning ballclub. The Giants have too much at stake RIGHT NOW not to go for it. The Dodgers went "all-in" with their moves and the Giants had to counter as the race has tightened and looks to be the dogfight we expected when the season opened.
Time for the guys to strap it on and stop the slide and get back to winning ways. Let's hope the FNGs bring it!
--M.C.
100
3-1 win at home
Watching Matt Cain pitch for the last twelve seasons has convinced me that the pitcher-win is a pretty damn silly notion. You may have noticed I rarely if ever use W-L numbers in looking at pitchers' performances--those things are just too team-dependent. Teams win, not players. But baseball likes its narratives simple and free of contextual complexity. Matt Cain has 100 wins in orange-and-black and that's more than Jim Barr and less than Kirk Rueter. Woody, by the way, was a fine Giants player and deservedly beloved, but he was half the pitcher Cain is. You'd never know it from wins-and-losses, but it's the truth. (Barr is a much better comp.)
But the important thing is that the Giants won the game. That's two in a row! Perhaps our Zo-meister was on to something when he said the club had reached its nadir. We all hope so. Eduardo Nunez was a good pickup but it tells me that Matt Duffy is farther from the 25-man than I'd thought. I also thought there would be a pitching move but that has yet to transpire.
MadBum gets the nodtonight tomorrow night in Philly.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
****UPDATE****
Trade alert: Giants acquire lefty reliever Will Smith from the Brewers for Andrew Susac and Phil Bickford. Certainly a bullpen southpaw was high on the list, this fits that bill. Susac has obviously been supplanted by Trevor Brown as the backup to Buster and while I'm sorry to see him go I am not surprised. He's looked like a likely trading chip for some time now. Adding Bickford seems like an overpay, but the Giants are buyers and everyone costs A LOT as the sellers know how eager the buyers are. He was last year's 1st-round pick and has impressive rookie-ball and A-league numbers. He's only 20 years old!
Watching Matt Cain pitch for the last twelve seasons has convinced me that the pitcher-win is a pretty damn silly notion. You may have noticed I rarely if ever use W-L numbers in looking at pitchers' performances--those things are just too team-dependent. Teams win, not players. But baseball likes its narratives simple and free of contextual complexity. Matt Cain has 100 wins in orange-and-black and that's more than Jim Barr and less than Kirk Rueter. Woody, by the way, was a fine Giants player and deservedly beloved, but he was half the pitcher Cain is. You'd never know it from wins-and-losses, but it's the truth. (Barr is a much better comp.)
But the important thing is that the Giants won the game. That's two in a row! Perhaps our Zo-meister was on to something when he said the club had reached its nadir. We all hope so. Eduardo Nunez was a good pickup but it tells me that Matt Duffy is farther from the 25-man than I'd thought. I also thought there would be a pitching move but that has yet to transpire.
MadBum gets the nod
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
****UPDATE****
Trade alert: Giants acquire lefty reliever Will Smith from the Brewers for Andrew Susac and Phil Bickford. Certainly a bullpen southpaw was high on the list, this fits that bill. Susac has obviously been supplanted by Trevor Brown as the backup to Buster and while I'm sorry to see him go I am not surprised. He's looked like a likely trading chip for some time now. Adding Bickford seems like an overpay, but the Giants are buyers and everyone costs A LOT as the sellers know how eager the buyers are. He was last year's 1st-round pick and has impressive rookie-ball and A-league numbers. He's only 20 years old!
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