Evened up

LA 9  SF 2

It was not a good night for the Giants. A taut 2-1 contest came apart at the seams in the 6th. The relief corps has been a huge part of the team's success this season but they got whacked around this time. Both Dominic Leone and Zack Littell got hit hard. Things went the Dodgers way early in the game and it just steamrolled after that. No sense going over the details--experiencing them once was enough.

The next game is Monday night in LA at 6:37 PT. The Giants need a big road win. They played .654 ball on the road (53-28) this year including 6-4 at Dodger Stadium so I think they will get the job done.

GO GIANTS!!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Young guys pitch, old guys hit

SF 4  LA 0

The Giants shut out the Dodgers in Game One of the LDS behind a sensational start by Logan Webb. He dominated the toughest lineup in baseball for 7-2/3 innings, whiffing ten without a walk and yielding only five hits. The Dodgers were shut out just five times in 2021. Webb got eleven ground balls, defusing LA's power, and got some help in key spots from the infield. Tommy La Stella and Brandon Crawford turned a ridiculous double play in the 4th, La Stella glove-flipping the ball to Craw who had to stutter-step to the bag before getting off the throw. It was beautiful, man. Just a great night all around for the team.

And speaking of La Stella, he walked to open the game against Walker Buehler. Despite his name, he's not known for walks. With two outs Buster Posey launched a homer to right field that bounced into the water and suddenly it felt like this would be the Giants night. Of course it was Buster who got things going! Webb took care of the rest. Both Kris Bryant and Brandon Crawford chipped in solo shots to pound home the win and the bullpen closed it out. Trevor Rogers finished the 8th and Camilo Doval had nine-pitch 9th.

Kevin Gausman gets the ball tomorrow night (6:07 PT) against Julio Urias. I hope everyone is stoked after the fabulous victory tonight! What a great start to the post-season! Let's see some more of that!

GO GIANTS!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

Best in the West

NLDS Game One, Friday 6:37 PT, Oracle Park San Francisco

In a surprise move Logan Webb will get the start in the first game tomorrow night and Kevin Gausman will get the ball for Game Two (Saturday 6:07 PT). Walker Buehler is listed for LA. Webb certainly earned the honor with a terrific performance in Game 162, leading the team to the win that clinched the NL West title. The last eight titles (2013-2020) were taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The last time another team finished on top was in 2012--that San Francisco Giants team, I'm sure you remember, won the World Series that season.

Speaking of the World Series, the Dodgers are the defending MLB champions. The Giants, however, topped their 106-56 record with a franchise-best 107-55 mark and thus beat the champs by one game. The Dodgers won their 107th game last night, holding off the Cardinals in the Wild Card match and advancing to the League Division Series.

The Giants (.660) and the Dodgers (.654) are the two best teams in baseball. Only the defending AL champs and current AL East winners Tampa Bay Rays (100-62, .617) are in the same ballpark. The two West Coast teams are good on both sides of the ball. LA scored the fifth-most runs (830) and SF the sixth-most (804). LA's pitchers allowed the fewest runs (561) and SF's the second-fewest (594). The Giants hit 241 homers, the Dodgers 237. FanGraphs rates the Giants hitters at 30 WAR (third-best) and the Dodgers at 29.5 (fifth-best), and rates SF pitching 21.9 WAR (fifth-best) and LA 26.9 (second-best).

The Giants went 54-27 at home and 53-28 on the road. The Dodgers were 58-23 at home and 48-33 on the road. The teams played 19 games, the Giants taking ten. SF scored 78 runs in those games and LA scored 80. Talk about close!

The Dodgers come in as favorites. I've seen an open -136 money line (bet $136 to win $100) with the Giants at +116 (bet $100 to win $116). The Dodgers are obviously a very popular team and they've been almost every pundit's pre-season pick to repeat as champs. No one picked the Giants and yet they exceeded every projection by two dozen or more wins, so maybe it's time for people take some notice!

It should be an epic battle. The Giants get the home-field edge and maybe that will be enough to push them over the top. Cancel all your other plans and enjoy the games.

GO GIANTS!!

BEAT LA!!

--M.C.

 

p.s. here's the roster:

 

Webb leads Giants to West title

SF 11  SD 4

The San Francisco Giants won their 107th game in this magnificent, improbable season and seized the Western Division title from their long-time rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. I had a feeling that the Dodgers would "win out" and that the Giants would have to take care of business on their own. They did, in epic fashion, winning eight of their final nine games to clinch it.

After today The Big Book of Giants Lore will have a new entry under Webb, Logan. It will say "Game 162, October 3rd, 2021." It was an outstanding performance by the 24-year old. He not only dominated the Padres for seven innings, he led the offense with two hits, two RBI, and three runs scored. He got it going in the 2nd inning and led the way from then on. I thought all along the veterans would have to step up today, and they did, but it was the youngster who provided the inspiration. What a performance! Another thing I kept expecting was a big homer, and I was sure we'd get one from a veteran hitter. But it turned out that the pitcher carried the Big Stick and got that cathartic blast. What a finish to the season!

The Giants were great in April (16-10), May (18-10), June (16-9), July (15-10), August (19-9), September (21-6), and, as it turned out the most important month of all, in October (2-1). The Giants go 13-5 in their final 18 games, the 9th-inning of the season. If you've forgotten how awesome this team has been here's a reminder:

1st inning: 11-7

2nd inning: 11-7

3rd inning: 12-6

4th inning: 12-6

5th inning:  12-6

6th inning: 10-8

7th inning: 14-4

8th inning: 12-6

and they finish 13-5 for a final 107-55 (.660), the greatest season in Giants history.

I want to send a 'thank you' to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are the defending champions and they played magnificently, especially down the stretch, and finished with 106 wins, tied for the most in their long history. They inspired the Giants to new heights.

This 2021 Giants team is the most interesting team I have ever followed. This division championship is the most satisfying ever. The Dodgers have had a stranglehold on the West for much too long--the last time another team won was in 2012 (the Giants, of course)! Taking the title and forcing the Dodgers to play a Wild Card game is the best outcome possible.

This has been a terrible summer what with drought conditions, wildfires, and extreme heat, but the Giants have pulled off a miracle, and it is a wonderful, beautiful thing. I hope you are enjoying the moment!!

The next Giants game will be Friday, October 8th. They will play either the St. Louis Cardinals or the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-game series, hosting the first two at Oracle Park.

The best thing we fans can do is savor this remarkable and memorable season. I can't think of a Giants club that so embodied the notion of "team" than this group. EVERY SINGLE PLAYER MATTERED!!

Congratulations to the 2021 San Francisco Giants, champions of the NL West.

--M.C.

Streak snapped at seven

SD 3  SF 2 (10)

The Giants could not extend the streak to eight and lost in extras to a scrappy Padres team. San Diego hit in the clutch and pitched superbly, coming from behind in the late innings and beating the Giants bullpen. Joe Musgrove and five relievers limited the home team to five hits. Kevin Gausman was great (7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K) but the lineup could not give him the run support for a win.

The magic number is one. Game 162 is tomorrow at 12:05 PT--Logan Webb gets the start.

GO GIANTS!!

WIN THE WEST!!

 --M.C.

One Step Closer

SF 3  SD 0

The Giants throw another shutout--their 18th--and beat the Padres to reduce their magic number to one. That's seven wins in a row. One more and they are NL West champs. Anthony DeSclafani strung together five zeros and they rewarded him with a quick hook (71 pitches). But that's OK, the bullpen got it done. The 'pen racked up more IP in September than the starters and the Giants went 21-6! Jose Alvarez, Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval finished it. Doval got another critical save and seems immune to the pennant-chase pressure. Rogers pitched two innings yesterday and still another scoreless inning today. That was his 80th appearance.

Darin Ruf hit a homer in the 1st, and Mike Yastrzemski got an excuse-me RBI single to make it 2-0. LaMonte Wade (who else?) hit a sac fly in the 6th to drive in Donovan Solano (he led off with a double) and that was the third run.

The Giants need one more win. Kevin Gausman gets the start tomorrow afternoon, 1:05 Pacific.

GO GIANTS!!

WIN THE WEST!!

--M.C.

p.s. Wade was also presented with the Willie Mac Award. He certainly deserves it. What a season he's had!

Walk-off Wade

SF 5  AZ 4

Late Inning LaMonte struck again, driving in the winner in the 9th to finish off the pesky Diamondbacks. Giants sweep the series and notch their sixth straight win. The magic number to take the West title is now down to two. Madison Bumgarner got to bat in the 1st--it was an ugly outing for Scott Kazmir--and of course was treated to a huge ovation. He struck out. The Giants eventually tagged him for four runs in his five frames, three of them the work of Austin Slater, Darin Ruf, and Buster Posey. Brandon Crawford, the only lefty in the lineup, hit a solo shot in the 4th. Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th to notch the win. Zack Littell struck out four in 1-2/3, and Johnny Cueto chipped in 2-1/3 to help out. Both Ruf and Cueto were just off the IL.

Kazmir walked two and gave up three hits and got only one out. He twisted his ankle on a play at first base and had to leave the game. Kervin Castro came in and the Giants wriggled out of the mess only three runs behind. It could have been a disaster but they hung on and hung around and finally got a chance to win. Wilmer Flores doubled with one out in the 9th and they walked Donovan Solano intentionally. Pinch-hitter Curt Casali then worked a walk to load the bases for Wade. It was the Giants fifth walk-off win.

It all comes down to the final weekend. We knew it would. The Giants have three games to play with the Padres and two wins will get things done. Anthony DeSclafani gets the ball tonight at 6:45 PT.

GO GIANTS!!

WIN THE WEST!!

--M.C.