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103 pitches, 29 batters, 10 groundouts, 5 flyouts. One bad inning, the third, 1B, 2B, 3B, 2B, 3 runs scored. Of course, he earned another ND. The mean Matt Cain start (74 IP, 36 ER) this year has been 6 IP and 3 ER, the so-called "quality start," yet M.C. has achieved that only 5 times in 12 chances. Inconsistency and a lack of control have plagued our boy all season. A simple look at his first 11 starts shows how he's pitched relative to the last two seasons.

11 starts, 11 HRs allowed, 34 BB, 59 K (multiply by 3)

33 starts, 33 HRs allowed, 102 BB, 177 K (projected full season)

The numbers for 2006: 31, 18, 87, 179 (GS, HR, BB, K).
The numbers for 2007: 32, 14, 79, 163

I like to think he is underperforming over this 1/3 of the season and that he will go through a similar stretch on the "other side of the line." Teams are slugging .421 vs. M.C. in '08, fifty points higher than his career mark. Teams are putting the ball in the air more. A quick glance at the GO/FO ratio for 2007 shows 0.93 (230 GO to 247 FO). After 12 starts in 2008 it is 66/99 or 0.67. It was 0.60 (56/94) before tonight's strong effort.

How about that triple play? One pitch! Three outs!

Extra innings. Yikes. I'm going to bed.

A Tale of Two Sixths

We are one-third of the way through the season. Our first sextile showed a spunky 12-15 (.444). Number two clocks in at 11-16 (.407). After 54 games we are 23-31 (.426), projecting at 69-93 for the season. I've felt all along we were a 100-loss team, so this has to be considered "playing above our heads."

Three stirring wins against the division leader in their yard was gripping stuff. Highlight of the season so far. Unfortunately, I think our brain trust will believe such events are the result of their roster-building brilliance. We know better. We all know a hot bad team can beat a cold good team. Memo to Neukom: we're the bad team, and p.s., what does "rebuilding" mean to you?

Here's an easy way to see it. Take The Enchanter, Timothy LeRoy Lincecum. Remove him from the team. He's 7-1. (We are 1-2 in his 3 ND). The 2008 SFGs are 15-30 without Tim. (And they say pitchers shouldn't be MVPs.) When you lose 11 of your 13 previous road series against a team, you are bound to win eventually. Great series, but a pyrrhic victory if we get excited about Randy Winn, Ray Durham, Bengie Molina, and Aaron Rowand. Sanchez was impressive in his start, and Wilson had two huge saves. Those are the kind of highlights we need to keep 2008 interesting.

Another highlight for me is Freddie Lew's .818 OPS, good for THIRD on the team. I know he is only 41st in the league, but I'm getting tired of Bonehead not letting him play against lefties. How the hell will he ever learn how to hit these guys? ZiPS projects Lewis at .722, admittedly with a limited sample size. I'd like to see if he can finish over .800. He'll have to keep up an OBA of .350 and slug at .450. He's got 20 XBH (11 2b, 5 3B, 4 HR) in 48 hits so far. Even if he slugs only .400, that .750 OPS is serviceable. Randy Winn has 10 years in the bigs with a .344/.424/.768 line. The average OPS in the NL is .743! As a team we are 9th in the league at .727, just ahead of the Mets. Molina's sizzling .903 (19th) and Rowand's gaudy .946 (13th) belie their career numbers, .729 and .814 respectively.

First 1/3, what's your highlight?

Too Much Tim

The Link has pitched 7 innings or more in only 4 of his starts including tonight. With over 100 pitches thrown, I was surprised to see him start the 8th to face his 29th batter. But Tim, true to form, got the strikeout. Batters 30 and 31, the 3-4 hitters Hudson and Jackson, rapped singles and his night was done. A little better relief work by Tyler Walker and Tim gets charged with only one run, but that is nit-picking with six runs on the board. That's right, our gang tagged Dan Haren with the big fly twice, so Walker had some breathing room. In all, it was Too Much Tim. Bonehead tried to get too much out of him, but who can blame him? Tim was much too much for the best team in the division. The D-backs were at home in their cozy hitters' paradise with studly young Dan on the mound and they got whipped by our whippersnapper. They got whiffed, they hit pop-ups and short-of-the-warning-track flyballs, and they broke their bats grounding out. I loved that sequence in the 7th: leadoff double after a six-pitch battle, then 3 outs on 4 pitches. That "slam the door" routine probably convinced Bonehead to let the Arm They Call The Franchise throw a few more probably unnecessary pitches. Tonight, he simply outpitched an established ace, dominated one of the best lineups in the game, and snapped our losing streak. Lincecum's consistency is most impressive, especially considering he's only got 34 major league games under his belt--a year's worth of starts. You just expect him to do well and by golly he does. 10 starts: 1, 2, 0, 0, 3, 0, 2, 3, 3, 3 ER allowed.

Tonight we conclude our experiment here at RMC: henceforth the good Doctor, JCP, will return as The Linkman, and yer man here, MC, will be back on the MC wagon.

Special image (from a February 2007 Salem-Keizer Volcanoes newsletter):

Does that face say gamer? Does that sneer strike fear in your heart?

Or does it look like he should be in a tux for a prom photo?

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( The usual "Matt Freak," M. C. O'Connor, is off enjoying an adventure with his lovely wife. Yes, everyone is surprised that he has a lovely wife. Standing in for MOC is the usual "Tim Freak," JC Parsons. I guess that's a warning. )

Well, crap.

No, I'm not "crapping" due to a pair of tough losses to a team for which every Giants fan has a special "distaste." I'm not "crapping" because we wasted a spectacular offensive day by Molina ( 4 doubles! ). I'm not "crapping" because Omar played like a retiree ( 0 for 7 with an error ) on his special day. I'm not even "crapping" ( does it sound like I have a digestive problem? ) because golden boy, Matt Cain, pitched well enough to win AGAIN and came away with a no decision. I'm "crapping" because I have to write about it.

Thanks to RMC "behind-the-scenes" type, newlywed Ron (congrats!!), we decided to alter the pitching rotation, as it were. I would do the next Cain start and MOC would take Lincecum coverage. Everybody, but me, loved the idea. Come on, Tim has been a machine-God! Good things happen when the Kid takes the mound. Matt is truly a stud, but it is somehow different. I enjoy his pitching and expect great things from him, however, right now it is hard not to expect a loss. Hell, it is tough not to expect EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED SUNDAY. What good does it do anyone to analyze another Cain heartbreak? I can't bring myself to think about it, let alone write about it. Go back and read this one. So, now you see...crap.

However, ( quick mood change ), I have devised a way to be useful to my patient readers. There is a rumor that a big mid year analysis is coming here at RMC. Exciting, eh? To get you all tuned up, I thought a little 2008 Giants baseball trivia quiz would be in order. I'll post the answers as a "heckler" below so be sure to let us know how you did. No looking up stuff, this is just to see if you have been paying attention. (BTW all stats are from before the double header) Here we go!

1. Since his debut, Matt Cain has the third lowest BA% against, .223. Who are the 2 lower?

2. Matt has taken a no-hitter into the seventh inning ____ times in his career.

3. The Giants lead the majors in one run games in their first 49 games with _____.

4. We have had two walk off wins this year. Who did them?

5. Who leads the team in runs (25) and walks(18)?

6. Which Giant leads the league in road avg (.390)?

7. Which Giants minor league team are called the "Defenders"?

8. Which minor league team is leading their division?

9. What is the only day of the week that we have a winning record on?

10. How many times has Bochy been ejected this year?

Winners will receive a guided tour inside Bruce Bochy's head! Doesn't everyone want to know what 's going on in there? Tour size limited to 12 adults.

Down and Dirty Tim

There are some pitchers that are really tough on catchers. Every other pitch is in the dirt or bounced on the plate. Lots of wild pitches, or passed balls, depending on the mood of the scorer and mobility of the catcher. Tim Lincecum has joined the ranks of these pitchers in the last few outings. Just ask Bengie.

Tim did not always pitch like this. Well, of course, he has almost always been this effective. That was his 11th straight quality start, dating back to last year. In fact, that would be his 13th of last 14 starts, and his 25th out of 32 career starts. Impressive consistency. However, if you witnessed last night, consistent is probably not the word that comes to mind. Tim was all over the place; walking four and throwing two wild pitches. And, oh those balls in the dirt! Now that Tim uses his slider and changeup so much, especially with two strikes, he was regularly bouncing balls on the plate and, sometimes, many inches in front of the plate. I will leave the detailed analysis to experts like Bay City Ball, but I am sure that last year Tim was higher in the strike zone. Much like Cain, fly balls and strikeouts were the main course. This year we are seeing more grounders and, THIS IS HUGE, fewer homers and extra basehits. I see this as another sign of Tim's maturity. Bengie sees it as a reason for a pay raise.

Tim's opinion: "one of my worst outings ever" and " I just had a hard time finding any rhythm at all," Lincecum said. "I was trying to find it from pitch to pitch, as opposed to just having it."

But for the Giants, a much needed win. Only the fifth this month!

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You call this a lineup? Winn, Castillo, Durham? Not to worry, Bengie's pickin' up the 4-hole. Boy howdy! Captain Gamer--our best hitter--hits 5th. 'Splain, please. Shouldn't your best hitter hit 3rd? So, Bruce, where's our youth? Next guy. Er, Aurilia. Isn't he dead? Really. Retired, at least. No? Uh, OK, Richie hits 6th. Daniel Ortmeier is hitting 7th and playing LF!! I have something to live for! Emmanuel Burriss hits 8th and plays--gasp--shortstop. Old Man Omar gets the day off, eh? (Fred Lewis, even against lefties, should be in LF, Ort at 1B, Aurilia DFA'd.) So, you're Matt Cain and yer thinkin' you better pitch a gol-durned shutout or you ain't gonna win nothin' with this crew. The only three guys I have anything invested in are batting in the last three spots. Life mocks us here at RMC. We embrace rebuilding, and we get these stiffs:

photo by Joel Friesen, CC 2.5

UPDATE: Richie Rises! SOLO HR in the 2nd to make it 1-0 Giants! It's alive! It's alive! I can feel the Holy Spirit today, brothers and sisters. Only the Hand of God could Resurrect Rich. Ort walks. That's right, a Giant earned a "base on balls." Burriss grounds out, but at least it took 5 pitches. Matt Cain manages a 6-pitch swinging K. (M.C. on the hill so far: six up six down on 26 pitches including 2 K's on 96 mph heat.)

UP-UPDATE: Matt gives up a loooong fly ball to Alexei Ramirez. JT Snow (on the radio with Phlegm) compliments our boy for challenging guys with his smoke. He calls him "old school." High praise. AAAArrrrrggghh. Matt WALKS THE PITCHER! An AL guy who never hits (John Danks). But he gets Cabrera. 41 pitches, 10 batters, 9 outs.

UPPITY UPDATE: Ort hits one off the end of the bat to the warning track for the 2nd out in the 4th. Burriss hacks randomly but gets an infield hit with his blazing speed. Excitement plus! Cain K's again to end the "threat."

OH, I HATE TO UPDATE: Almost-Giant Joe Crede hits a solo HR off Matt to tie it up, ruin the no-hitter and the shutout. Looked like a fat pitch--out over the plate. Through five: 18 batters, 68 pitches, 2 hits, 1 run.

OH, I LOVE TO UPDATE THE UPDATE: The stiffs make a run. 2-1 Giants.

OH, JAYSUS, MARY, AND FOOKIN' JOSEPH UPDATE: Matt gives up a solo HR to Cabrera, and AJ Pureshitski gets a damn hit, and now Carlos Quentin brings the hammer down. 4-2 Sox. Here comes Righetti. Now my day is ruined. I'm officially blaming Bengie for "calling a crappy game." On the plus side, Captain Gamer and The Ort-ster make a run, so it is 4-3 bad guys after six. Matt has thrown 95 pitches so I expect he'll get a chance to finish the 7th and that's it.

ORLANDO CABRERA IS A BLEEDIN' GOBSHITE UPDATE: The wheels come off the M.C. wagon. A walk to Thome and another goddamned homerun to the 5'9" 185-lb. leadoff hitter with a.720 lifetime OPS. 6-3 Sox.

In San Francisco on Trinity Sunday: 30 batters faced, 21 outs. 115 pitches. 6 hits. 6 runs. 6 strikeouts. 3 walks. FOUR HOMERUNS. A tale of two Matts: twice through the lineup, total dominance. Third and fourth time: batting practice.

The good news? The stiffs are fighting back! BENGIE ties it up! M.C. is "off the hook." Thank you, Satan. Wow, am I the ballgame prognosticator? Did I make the right lineup call, or what? You wanna go, Bruce? Eh? You wanna go?

Barry

Yeah, he pitches today. But that's not who I mean. The other Barry, remember him? John Brattain has another excellent piece about The Greatest Player Of Them All in The Hardball Times. Mr. Brattain has a refreshing, consistently contrarian voice in his work about BLB.