Image by Getty Images via @daylifeTimes are changing for the Giants.
Over the last 3 years the Giants Couldn't beat the Dodgers. Hell, earlier in the season they couldn't beat the Dodgers.
All that is changing.
Last week the Giants took 2 out of 3 from the Bums and yesterday they clinched the series win with their 2nd win in a row over the Dodgers. This team is almost a completely different team than the one that played the Dodgers earlier in the season. That team didn't have Torres starting, Freddy Sanchez was on the DL, Buster Posey was playing in AAA, and Pat Burrell was DHing for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Burrell and Posey were the big contributers offensively. Barry Zito and Denny Bautista, and Guillermo Mota had combined for 8 innings of one run ball. But it was looking like one of those early season Giants games. Where the starter would give up 1 run and the anemic Giants offense wouldn't be able to muster any runs.
Then Hong Chih Kuo hit Buster Posey.
Buster was the third batter the Dodgers hit yesterday. The Giants reacted calmly. Instead of getting their pitcher and manager ejected from the game they sent Pat the bat Burrell up to the plate to face Jonathan Broxton who had come in to relieve Kuo. After a pretty good battle Burrell deposited a 3-2 pitch into the left field seats for a 2-1 lead that Mota was able to protect in the 9th.
Turnaround complete.
As for the trade deadline:
The Giants failed to acquire a bat of any kind. Around the 7th inning of yesterday's game people were questioning that since it appeared the Giants were preparing to be shut out again. We all know what happened but it was almost like fate slapping Brian Sabean in the face for not getting a hitter. The Giants think they can win as constructed and they have shown over the last month that their is no reason to doubt them.
What the Giants did do was get two middle relievers. Javier Lopez from the Pirates and Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox.
The Giants might overpaid a little bit for Lopez giving up both Joe Martinez and John Bowker. Then again they might not have not have because despite stellar minor league numbers neither have been very successful at the major league level.
The Giants gave up AA pitching prospect Daniel Turpin for Ramirez. I don't know too much about Turpin other than he was 5-5 with a 4.09 ERA this season.
The bullpen has been a concern for this team and appears to be the weakest link right now. Lopez seems to be a lefty specialist and Ramirez seems to be more of a rightly guy. So it seems like we picked up a couple of situational guys and will be overflowing with lefties once Runzler and Affeldt get back.
At this point it seems like the trade deadline ranks as about a C-. The Giants filled a need with a couple of marginal guys and they may have overpaid while doing it. As a matter of fact the only way they don't overpay for this deal is if Bowker turns into Armando Rios instead of Garrett Jones.
No comments:
Post a Comment