This weekend had to have been the toughest weekend of the young season. From the opening day loss to the Dodgers until yesterday's punchless loss to the Nationals the whole season has been a disappointment. It is still early, so hopefully the Giants get all of the disappointment out of the way early this season, but it is hard to get the nagging feeling of seeing it all fall apart out of your head.
The list of disappointment is long. The entire Giant offense, Madison Bumgarner's rough start, Brandon Belt showing he isn't quite ready for the show, Miguel Tejada, Pat Burrell's BA, and the long list of injuries.
I think that the biggest key to this season turning around is just getting everyone healthy. Obviously Pablo Sandoval's injury hasn't been the main contributor to the Giants' struggles but it is symbolic of them. Ever since opening day, more than one key piece of the Giants offense, bullpen, rotation, or defense has been on the disabled list.
The Giants opened the season with Cody Ross and Brian Wilson on the DL. Since they have come back, both have struggled. Wilson has had more success than Ross has had, but neither of them has really contributed in the way that the Giants hoped they would coming in to the season. Since that time, Andres Torres, Barry Zito, Mark DeRosa, Santiago Casilla, and Pablo Sandoval have all gone on the DL. All of these guys are major pieces to the puzzle and having one or 2 of these guys on the DL puts the Giants at a disadvantage. Having all 5 of them on the DL at once makes the Giants a completely different team than what they thought they were going to have when they left Arizona last month.
If the Giants can get healthy and get all of these guys back on the field, I think that they will be a much better team than they have shown to this point. Really, considering all the injuries and how many games the Giants have played on the road to start the season, the Giants aren't in too bad of a place being 1 game under .500. One good stretch can make everyone forget these early games and, as guys get healthy, I think we will see the Giants return to their winning ways.
Showing posts with label Madison Bumgarner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madison Bumgarner. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Is The Magic Gone Already?
23 games into the 2011 season and the Giants are a mediocre 11-12.
They look mediocre too.
The hitting is mediocre, the defense is mediocre, and even the pitching is mediocre. Is this really the same team that had the majors best record over the last 50 games or so last season?
The naysayers are probably having a field day with the Giants record right now. There were some prognosticators who were predicting that the Giants would finish in fourth place this season.
Fourth Place!
I have been mostly upbeat about the Giants so far this season despite their early season struggles. I keep comparing them to last season when they had a rough start to the season.
But this isn't last season.
Are we going to keep living in last season? Is every development from the 2011 season going to be looked upon in context to last season? The simple answer is yes. We are going to be hearing comparisons to the Giants of last season until this team does something that makes us believe that last season was not a fluke. We can't help it.
It is really tough to separate the two seasons from one another. Even though last season has nothing to do with this season, there is nothing else for us to really compare what is happening with the Giants to. Later in the season, we can look back at this stretch of the season and compare things but that probably won't start until around the all-star break or so.
This and that;
They look mediocre too.
The hitting is mediocre, the defense is mediocre, and even the pitching is mediocre. Is this really the same team that had the majors best record over the last 50 games or so last season?
The naysayers are probably having a field day with the Giants record right now. There were some prognosticators who were predicting that the Giants would finish in fourth place this season.
Fourth Place!
I have been mostly upbeat about the Giants so far this season despite their early season struggles. I keep comparing them to last season when they had a rough start to the season.
But this isn't last season.
Are we going to keep living in last season? Is every development from the 2011 season going to be looked upon in context to last season? The simple answer is yes. We are going to be hearing comparisons to the Giants of last season until this team does something that makes us believe that last season was not a fluke. We can't help it.
It is really tough to separate the two seasons from one another. Even though last season has nothing to do with this season, there is nothing else for us to really compare what is happening with the Giants to. Later in the season, we can look back at this stretch of the season and compare things but that probably won't start until around the all-star break or so.
This and that;
- Looks like Mark DeRosa is going back on the disabled list. I'm not surprised about this development. I am somewhat surprised about the timing of it. I thought that he would go on the DL when Torres got back. But we will get a little glimpse of Emmanuel Burris. It's either going to be Burriss or Ford who go down when Torres is healthy.
- Madison Bumgarner pitched like the guy we were all hoping that he would be against the Pirates yesterday. But he got Matt Cained as the Giants failed to score a single run on the day which dropped his record to 0-4. Hopefully he can string together 2 good starts in a row and get that first win next time around.
- Ryan Vogelsong gets the start tomorrow against his old team. The Giants have been really high on this guy and he is really set up to succeed. Really, all the guy has to be is a serviceable #5 starter until Zito is healthy. Hopefully he can make the decision to activate Zito a tough one.
I'm reading "A Band of MiSFits" by the San Jose Mercry News' Andrew Baggerly. I'm only into the third chapter right now, but I will do a review of the book when I get finished with it. (no promises on how soon that will be) It's interesting looking at some more of the background on the storylines that we followed as the season progressed last year. For example, the reasons that Buster Posey was brought up when he was are explored a little more in depth than was possible during the season.
It's a good read so far. I got it from Amazon.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Rolling Giants set for NLDS rematch
After their terrible first series to open the season, the San Francisco Giants have met every challenge that has been thrown at them. They split a two game series in San Diego and they have taken two out of every three games since then. I know a lot of fans are disappointed that they haven't swept any teams (they should have swept the D-backs) but if they keep winning 2 out of every 3 games, then they are on pace for a 108 win season.
The series against the Rockies was absolutely as big of a series as you can get this early in the season. The Rockies were rolling over the competition and had a nice lead over the Giants coming into the series. To take 2 out of those 3 games, in Colorado no less, reminds the baseball world that the path to the World Series still runs through San Francisco.
That brings us to the series starting today.
The Giants and Braves meet for the first time since their NLDS series last October. Atlanta is struggling a little bit with a 4-6 record over their last 10 games and an 8-12 record overall. I wouldn't put all that much stock in their record because I still think this team is at least as good as last season and I doubt that they will finish the season below .500.
The Giants, as I mentioned before, are rolling right now. Despite this stupid schedule that had them in Colorado Wednesday, home for 3 games starting today, and then in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. I think they are set up to have a good series with Bumgarner going today and then Timmy, and Dirty going on Saturday and Sunday.
I also think that today's start is going to be the one where we see the Madbum of last season. Remember, he had a rough beginning to last season and it ended with him twirling a shutout in the World Series. Plus, I think his last start against, Arizona was a big deal. He gave up the four early runs and then stayed in to shut the Dbacks down. I really am glad that Boch left him in there to clean up his own mess.
I want to just say one last thing about Brandon Belt. I think that the Giants handled the situation about as good as they could have handled it. His season last year, plus his spring this year earned him a shot at sticking with the big club. Whether it was because of Ross' injury or not. The bottom line is he didn't hit well enough to stick, small sample size or not. If he had been hitting .280 or had 3 or 4 HRs, then Darren Ford would be in Fresno right now. Also, if Aaron Rowand hadn't got off to such a hot start, then Belt may still be around. The bottom line is, the only way to know for sure if a guy is ready for the bigs is to let him play in the bigs. Sure, in a perfect world, you want to get the guy 100 or so ABs. But this world isn't perfect and the Giants gave him all the opportunity that they could. They can't afford to let the guy hit .180 for much longer and it really would be mishandling him to have him sit on the bench. Now, he goes to Fresno where he can work out the kinks in his swing and he already has all the lessons he learned from the big boys. It's all just a part of a young player's development. This kid isn't Buster Posey. Those kind of guys are once in a generation type players. He is gonna have to take a little more time to develop like 90% of big leaguers.
The series against the Rockies was absolutely as big of a series as you can get this early in the season. The Rockies were rolling over the competition and had a nice lead over the Giants coming into the series. To take 2 out of those 3 games, in Colorado no less, reminds the baseball world that the path to the World Series still runs through San Francisco.
That brings us to the series starting today.
The Giants and Braves meet for the first time since their NLDS series last October. Atlanta is struggling a little bit with a 4-6 record over their last 10 games and an 8-12 record overall. I wouldn't put all that much stock in their record because I still think this team is at least as good as last season and I doubt that they will finish the season below .500.
The Giants, as I mentioned before, are rolling right now. Despite this stupid schedule that had them in Colorado Wednesday, home for 3 games starting today, and then in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. I think they are set up to have a good series with Bumgarner going today and then Timmy, and Dirty going on Saturday and Sunday.
I also think that today's start is going to be the one where we see the Madbum of last season. Remember, he had a rough beginning to last season and it ended with him twirling a shutout in the World Series. Plus, I think his last start against, Arizona was a big deal. He gave up the four early runs and then stayed in to shut the Dbacks down. I really am glad that Boch left him in there to clean up his own mess.
I want to just say one last thing about Brandon Belt. I think that the Giants handled the situation about as good as they could have handled it. His season last year, plus his spring this year earned him a shot at sticking with the big club. Whether it was because of Ross' injury or not. The bottom line is he didn't hit well enough to stick, small sample size or not. If he had been hitting .280 or had 3 or 4 HRs, then Darren Ford would be in Fresno right now. Also, if Aaron Rowand hadn't got off to such a hot start, then Belt may still be around. The bottom line is, the only way to know for sure if a guy is ready for the bigs is to let him play in the bigs. Sure, in a perfect world, you want to get the guy 100 or so ABs. But this world isn't perfect and the Giants gave him all the opportunity that they could. They can't afford to let the guy hit .180 for much longer and it really would be mishandling him to have him sit on the bench. Now, he goes to Fresno where he can work out the kinks in his swing and he already has all the lessons he learned from the big boys. It's all just a part of a young player's development. This kid isn't Buster Posey. Those kind of guys are once in a generation type players. He is gonna have to take a little more time to develop like 90% of big leaguers.
Monday, April 18, 2011
2 out of Three isn't so bad
The Giants took 2 out of 3 games from the Arizona Diamondbacks in Arizona. While a sweep would have been nice, a series win is almost as good.
There were still a lot of positives to take from this series.
There were still a lot of positives to take from this series.
- Pablo Sandoval. The guy is absolutely on fire. He hit two more homeruns in this series and is still batting a robust .340. I now understand how his weight was holding him back last season. A lot of people said that his weight was not keeping him from being able to swing the bat. I actually agreed with those people. But we were wrong. Pablo's weight was tiring him out. He wasn't able to last an entire game without getting gassed. It's no wonder that his struggles worsened as the season went on. This season, he has energy, a bounce in his step, and he just looks ready to go in the later innings. I think we are going to have to start another push for the all-star game for Pablo.
- Madison Bumgarner. I really think yesterday's game was a turning point for him. Sure, giving up 4 runs wasn't a great outing, but the fact that he was able to settle down and keep the D-backs at bay for a few more innings proved to him that he can still get guys out. I think he will start to right the ship even more in his next start.
- Buster Posey. The guy is raking now and Huff hit his first homer so now the Giants have a 3-4-5 of Huff, Posey, and Sandoval. If these guys are all hot at the same time they are up there with some of the best 3-4-5 combos in the league. Add Freddy Sanchez in the mix at #2 and that is a lot of offense.
- Aaron Rowand. I am a little more tepid on this guy because he has been so tremendously bad for the Giants up until now, but maybe getting angry over being replaced in centerfield by Torres is a good thing. He is going to have some more time to keep it up.
This series did have it's share of negatives though.
- Barry Zito. His injury is big considering that the best guy that they could find to fill his spot in the rotation is Ryan Vogelsong. Sure Zito has looked pretty weak to begin the season, but I think he has what it takes to turn it around and to be an effective #4 starter for the rest of the season. Hopefully the ankle doesn't become more of an issue than his 15 day stint on the DL. Remember, he has never been injured before and he may not know what it takes to come back from an injury. This could be a recurring thing with him this season.
- Brandon Belt. It seems like it was just yesterday that this guy was hitting a homerun in his second big league game. Since then, it hasn't been too good for the big first baseman. He has more strikeouts than he has hits and with 12 strikeouts in 50 ABs, he is on pace to strikeout 144 times over the course of a 600 AB season. Sure, we all like the kid and want him to succeed in the bigs, but the fact of the matter is, he just may not be ready for the show. I understand that the sample size is small but this is the big leagues. 80-100 PAs is about all you are going to get in order to show what you can do unless you are playing for a team that is on fire, or a team that has no pennant hopes that season. He probably has about a week to start hitting or he will be on the bus back to Fresno. Although he may already be on his way back to Fresno when Ross gets reactivated. It's either gonna be Belt of Ford going to Fresno when Ross comes back.
I finally watched the 30 minute preview of "The Franchise" last night. This looks show looks like it's going to be great. I can't wait until July! We all know these guys from the interviews and what not that they give but this show really goes into much more than that. The part at the end when they Marc Kroon going down and Brandon Belt making the club is something that you just don't see every day. I know that we already love these Giants but I think that we will all come away feeling even closer to this bunch of misfits.
Off to Colorado! Tomorrow is Timmy day!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Giants fall to Kershaw again
The San Francisco Giants have no answer for Clayton Kershaw. He has a 23 2/3 scoreless inning streak against them and they just looked clueless against him tonight.
It's tough to be positive when your team is sitting at 4-6. But Lincecum and Cain are pitching great, Sanchez is throwing solid, The bullpen (aside from Wilson) is pitching okl, Burrell has 4 homers, and Pablo Sandoval is hitting well.
However more seems to be going bad. The aforementioned Wilson, ZIto and Bumgarner, the Giants' defense, and just about everybody on the Giants' offense.
The fact of the matter is that it's early, If there was one thing that last season taught us is that there are going to be rough stretches to the season. The season is long and the rough spots don't mean that they won't make the playoffs. The defense will come around, the offense will come around, and Zito and Bumgarner will even get some wins.
All of these struggles are magnified because they are at the beginning of the season. But every team goes through stretches like this. We just need to keep watching the games, cheering on our team, and basking in our World Series championship glory!
And cheer up! Timmy is pitching tomorrow!
It's tough to be positive when your team is sitting at 4-6. But Lincecum and Cain are pitching great, Sanchez is throwing solid, The bullpen (aside from Wilson) is pitching okl, Burrell has 4 homers, and Pablo Sandoval is hitting well.
However more seems to be going bad. The aforementioned Wilson, ZIto and Bumgarner, the Giants' defense, and just about everybody on the Giants' offense.
The fact of the matter is that it's early, If there was one thing that last season taught us is that there are going to be rough stretches to the season. The season is long and the rough spots don't mean that they won't make the playoffs. The defense will come around, the offense will come around, and Zito and Bumgarner will even get some wins.
All of these struggles are magnified because they are at the beginning of the season. But every team goes through stretches like this. We just need to keep watching the games, cheering on our team, and basking in our World Series championship glory!
And cheer up! Timmy is pitching tomorrow!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Spring training has officially started!
The Giants start off spring the right way..... With a win!
Sure it means absolutely nothing but it's still baseball!
Tim Lincecum came out and stunk up the place, but everybody was raving about him!?! For those of you who don't know, the hitters are typically ahead of the pitchers at the beginning of spring. They don't have as many moving parts to pull together I guess. Usually, and from what I have heard is the case with Lincecum yesterday, they are getting a feel for their pitches and maybe even trying out a new thing or two. The most encouraging news I think we got on Timmy yesterday was the fact that he appeared to be in much better shape than he was at the start of spring last season. His conditioning was blamed for his inconsistency last season and if he has tackled that issue then watch out National League!
Buster Posey had two hits, Pablo Sandoval looked good in two ABs, and Madison Bumgarner (another guy who was accused of poor conditioning last season) looked like he was in good shape as well.
The only negatives were that Brandon Belt looked bad and Pablo Sandoval made an error. But hey, it's only one game and it's spring training so who cares right?
This offseason was a little flat for me. The Giants lack of activity kinda bummed me out. The most important move they made was keeping their starting pitching in tact. I know that a lot of noise is being made about those hired guns in Philly, but remember, the Giants staff did something last season that NO staff has done since the deadball ERA when they put together a streak of 18 consecutive games of giving up no more than 3 runs. That tells you how good this staff is even though only two of these guys have won Cy Young awards.
Anyway back to the point I was making. After the dull offseason, just hearing about spring training games is getting me fired up. I really can't wait to see the Giants defend their title. All of the "experts" are saying things like don't be surprised if the Giants finish an uncompetitive fourth in their division (Rob Neyer ESPN I'm talking about you!) and they say the Rockies and Dodgers are the team to beat in the West. It's getting me fired up and I can't wait to see how things unfold when the games start to count!
Go Giants!
Sure it means absolutely nothing but it's still baseball!
Tim Lincecum came out and stunk up the place, but everybody was raving about him!?! For those of you who don't know, the hitters are typically ahead of the pitchers at the beginning of spring. They don't have as many moving parts to pull together I guess. Usually, and from what I have heard is the case with Lincecum yesterday, they are getting a feel for their pitches and maybe even trying out a new thing or two. The most encouraging news I think we got on Timmy yesterday was the fact that he appeared to be in much better shape than he was at the start of spring last season. His conditioning was blamed for his inconsistency last season and if he has tackled that issue then watch out National League!
Buster Posey had two hits, Pablo Sandoval looked good in two ABs, and Madison Bumgarner (another guy who was accused of poor conditioning last season) looked like he was in good shape as well.
The only negatives were that Brandon Belt looked bad and Pablo Sandoval made an error. But hey, it's only one game and it's spring training so who cares right?
This offseason was a little flat for me. The Giants lack of activity kinda bummed me out. The most important move they made was keeping their starting pitching in tact. I know that a lot of noise is being made about those hired guns in Philly, but remember, the Giants staff did something last season that NO staff has done since the deadball ERA when they put together a streak of 18 consecutive games of giving up no more than 3 runs. That tells you how good this staff is even though only two of these guys have won Cy Young awards.
Anyway back to the point I was making. After the dull offseason, just hearing about spring training games is getting me fired up. I really can't wait to see the Giants defend their title. All of the "experts" are saying things like don't be surprised if the Giants finish an uncompetitive fourth in their division (Rob Neyer ESPN I'm talking about you!) and they say the Rockies and Dodgers are the team to beat in the West. It's getting me fired up and I can't wait to see how things unfold when the games start to count!
Go Giants!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Madbum pitches the Giants to within one one of a World Series title!
GIANTS 4 - RANGERS 0
The San Franciso Giants shutout the Texas Rangers for the second time in four games. The club with all the offensive weapons at it's disposal, you know: Elvis Andrus, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Josh "Superman" Hamilton, and Nelson Cruz, have only mustered a grand total of four runs in the last 3 games against this Giants staff if you take away game 1. This is the team that set an ALCS record with 39 runs against the Yankees. The team that 49 out of the 50 states thought was gonna manhandle the Giants.
Instead, a 21 year old rookie southpaw from North Carolina held those bats to three hits in eight innings.
Good pitching beats good hitting. Sure the Rangers have some nice starters, but really, after Cliff Lee their starters aren't Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner. If one of the Rangers starters is suffering from fatigue due to a career high number of innings pitched as Sanchez is for the Giants then they have nobody to step into the void and replace him.
The Giants do. His name is Madison Bumgarner.
It's time for the Giants to bring a World Series title to San Francisco. They need to do it so the kids have something to celebrate since they won't be able to get toys in their Happy Meals anymore.
Tonight is game 5 with Cliff Lee Vs. Tim Lincecum.
Instead, a 21 year old rookie southpaw from North Carolina held those bats to three hits in eight innings.
Good pitching beats good hitting. Sure the Rangers have some nice starters, but really, after Cliff Lee their starters aren't Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner. If one of the Rangers starters is suffering from fatigue due to a career high number of innings pitched as Sanchez is for the Giants then they have nobody to step into the void and replace him.
The Giants do. His name is Madison Bumgarner.
It's time for the Giants to bring a World Series title to San Francisco. They need to do it so the kids have something to celebrate since they won't be able to get toys in their Happy Meals anymore.
Tonight is game 5 with Cliff Lee Vs. Tim Lincecum.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Giants drop game 3 in Texas
RANGERS 4 - GIANTS 2
Nobody expected a sweep.
At least that's what I keep telling myself.
Thoughts of a sweep were dancing through Giants fans minds after they manhandled the Rangers in the first two world series games in San Francisco. But these Texas Rangers are actually a pretty good team.
I know a lot of people were upset about the strike zone last night and they have a legitimate gripe. Colby Lewis' strike zone was almost as big as the one Livan Hernandez was getting with the Marlins. Jonathan Sanchez could have taken advantage of that strike zone too but he was so wild his pitches weren't even close. He did battle last night and held the damage to 4 runs against a very potent Rangers offense.
There are some good reasons to worry that Sanchez has hit a wall. After his dominant performance against the Braves, he has turned in 3 stinkers in a row. The two games against the Phillies were surprising because he has dominated the Phils in his career. The game last night was surprising because he gave up 2 homeruns to left handed batters. Something he had only done 5 times in the regular season. Sure, Josh Hamilton hit one of those but the real killer to Mitch Moreland was the real killer and wound up being the difference in the game.
Sanchez's wildness might be a hint that he has reached his limit in terms of innings pitched. He is at 213.1 IP this season. His previous high was 163.1 IP last season. So he is 50 over his previous high. His extreme wildness would be an indicator that he is tired. But the Giants have no other choice than to hope he has one more good start in him in game 7. The only other option would be to start rookie Madison Bumgarner on 3 days rest but he is in a similar situation as far as an increase in innings even though he hasn't shown the same signs of fatigue. But since I predicted the Giants to win in 6 games we shouldn't have to worry about what kind of Sanchez we will be getting in game 7.
The offense was mediocre again last night. Besides the usual Cody Ross homerun and a homerun by Andres Torres, the Giants were only able to muster 3 hits off of Rangers starter Colby Lewis. Thus they continued their season long tradition of making mediocre starters look like Cy Young award candidates.
Tonight Madison Bumgarner, one of the heroes of game 6 against the Phillies, will be going against Tommy Hunter who is sporting a 6.14 ERA in the postseason. The matchup favors the Giants and that's good given the importance of game 4 in the World Series. This is a pivotal game given the history behind who wins game 4 and it's relation to the eventual series winner.
Some other random thoughts.
Pat Burrell is enough of a professional to work his way out of his slump at the plate. As with Sanchez, there just aren't many alternatives at this point. But he is still a force in the lineup and his presence is a factor in how the Rangers approach Buster Posey. I love Nate Schierholtz but there is no way he is as valuable to the team as a hitter as Pat Burrell and he definitely does not have the lineup presence.
Keep Pablo as the DH. Sure he didn't look that great last night but he hasn't played in over a week. Now that he has had 4 ABs to get his stroke and to work out the nerves of playing in the World Series, he should be much better. He is the Giants best option at DH anyway.
Despite all the gloom and doom of last night's loss, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the series. The Giants don't have to win any games in Arlington. They can go home and still maintain home field advantage. That's the worst case scenario. Also, they still have Lincecum and Cain looming in games 5 and 6 so things don't look so bad after all!
It just wouldn't be fitting to not have some torture in the World Series after having it in just about every other aspect of 2010!
Go Giants!
 |
| Cody Ross hits postseason homer number 6 |
At least that's what I keep telling myself.
Thoughts of a sweep were dancing through Giants fans minds after they manhandled the Rangers in the first two world series games in San Francisco. But these Texas Rangers are actually a pretty good team.
I know a lot of people were upset about the strike zone last night and they have a legitimate gripe. Colby Lewis' strike zone was almost as big as the one Livan Hernandez was getting with the Marlins. Jonathan Sanchez could have taken advantage of that strike zone too but he was so wild his pitches weren't even close. He did battle last night and held the damage to 4 runs against a very potent Rangers offense.
There are some good reasons to worry that Sanchez has hit a wall. After his dominant performance against the Braves, he has turned in 3 stinkers in a row. The two games against the Phillies were surprising because he has dominated the Phils in his career. The game last night was surprising because he gave up 2 homeruns to left handed batters. Something he had only done 5 times in the regular season. Sure, Josh Hamilton hit one of those but the real killer to Mitch Moreland was the real killer and wound up being the difference in the game.
Sanchez's wildness might be a hint that he has reached his limit in terms of innings pitched. He is at 213.1 IP this season. His previous high was 163.1 IP last season. So he is 50 over his previous high. His extreme wildness would be an indicator that he is tired. But the Giants have no other choice than to hope he has one more good start in him in game 7. The only other option would be to start rookie Madison Bumgarner on 3 days rest but he is in a similar situation as far as an increase in innings even though he hasn't shown the same signs of fatigue. But since I predicted the Giants to win in 6 games we shouldn't have to worry about what kind of Sanchez we will be getting in game 7.
The offense was mediocre again last night. Besides the usual Cody Ross homerun and a homerun by Andres Torres, the Giants were only able to muster 3 hits off of Rangers starter Colby Lewis. Thus they continued their season long tradition of making mediocre starters look like Cy Young award candidates.
Tonight Madison Bumgarner, one of the heroes of game 6 against the Phillies, will be going against Tommy Hunter who is sporting a 6.14 ERA in the postseason. The matchup favors the Giants and that's good given the importance of game 4 in the World Series. This is a pivotal game given the history behind who wins game 4 and it's relation to the eventual series winner.
Some other random thoughts.
Pat Burrell is enough of a professional to work his way out of his slump at the plate. As with Sanchez, there just aren't many alternatives at this point. But he is still a force in the lineup and his presence is a factor in how the Rangers approach Buster Posey. I love Nate Schierholtz but there is no way he is as valuable to the team as a hitter as Pat Burrell and he definitely does not have the lineup presence.
Keep Pablo as the DH. Sure he didn't look that great last night but he hasn't played in over a week. Now that he has had 4 ABs to get his stroke and to work out the nerves of playing in the World Series, he should be much better. He is the Giants best option at DH anyway.
Despite all the gloom and doom of last night's loss, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the series. The Giants don't have to win any games in Arlington. They can go home and still maintain home field advantage. That's the worst case scenario. Also, they still have Lincecum and Cain looming in games 5 and 6 so things don't look so bad after all!It just wouldn't be fitting to not have some torture in the World Series after having it in just about every other aspect of 2010!
Go Giants!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Giants snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
GIANTS 3 - BRAVES 2
As Giants fans sat completely shocked after Sergio Romo gave up the go-ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th inning something happened to the Giants offense.
They figured out how to string some hits together.
The ninth inning was a thing that will go down in Giants' lore as a game to remember. The Giants' backs were to the wall. They were about to go down 2 games to 1 to the Atlanta Braves with one more game left to play in Atlanta. Not a good recipe for winning s best of 5 series.
The ninth inning started with Cody Ross popping out. Travis Ishikawa worked a 6 pitch walk. Then Andres Torres struck out and Freddy Sanchez was down to his last strike and the Braves were just waiting to celebrate. Then it happened. Sanchez hit a seeing-eye single up the middle which got Ishikawa into scoring position. Next came Aubrey Huff, who had two hits in the series so far, he stroked a single to right field which scored Ishikawa. Huff was followed by Buster Posey who poked a grounder to Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad. Conrad strengthened his case for the Giants' MVP of the series by totally whiffing on the grounder and letting it go into rightfield which allowed Freddy Sanchez to score the third and final run of the game.
It was quite a turn around and it showed the never-say-die attitude that these same Giants had shown so many times during the season. All day long it appeared that the only run the Giants, or the Braves for that matter, would score would be the unearned run the Giants scored in the second inning when Brooks Conrad (more evidence he should be the Giants' MVP) dropped a medium deep popup to rightfield which allowed Fontenot to score from third after his leadoff triple. The Giants apparently need their backs against the wall to put runs on the board when Pat Burrell isn't driving everybody in with homeruns I guess.
I would not be doing the game justice however if I failed to mention the pitching duel that led to all the theatrics in the 8th and 9th innings. Jonathan Sanchez did his best to outdo Tim Lincecum's game 1 performance and darn near did it to. He held the Braves hitless into the sixth inning and his 11 strikeouts broke the Giants postseason single game strikeout record that was held by Carl Hubbell in 1933!
I will admit that I thought that the Giants made a mistake by not trading Sanchez for Adam Dunn at the trade deadline. Although I believe the Nationals wanted a little more than just Sanchez for Dunn. But now I am glad they didn't trade him away. This guy has been showing a lot of signs of maturity this season and he has been the Giants most consistent starter since the beginning of September with a 1.08 ERA in his last 8 starts. Hell, he even was the team ERA leader this season with his 3.07 ERA! (technically Madison Bumgarner's 3.00 ERA was lower but he didn't throw enough innings in the bigs to qualify as the leader.)
This puts the Giants in the best possible scenario. Tomorrow's game is kind of a luxury. The Braves backs are now to the wall and the Giants don't have to throw Lincecum on short rest. The Braves will face the rookie Madison Bumgarner who pitches well on the road and the Giants don't have to get the win. Obviously you want to close it out if at all possible but it sure feels good knowing that the Giants will return to San Francisco with Mr. 14k's waiting to see how many more strikeouts he can add to his total. Derek Lowe will be going on 3 days rest because, well, the Braves don't really have anybody else who they trust to start tomorrow.
Go Giants!
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| Freddy Sanchez scoring the winning run in the 9th |
They figured out how to string some hits together.
The ninth inning was a thing that will go down in Giants' lore as a game to remember. The Giants' backs were to the wall. They were about to go down 2 games to 1 to the Atlanta Braves with one more game left to play in Atlanta. Not a good recipe for winning s best of 5 series.
The ninth inning started with Cody Ross popping out. Travis Ishikawa worked a 6 pitch walk. Then Andres Torres struck out and Freddy Sanchez was down to his last strike and the Braves were just waiting to celebrate. Then it happened. Sanchez hit a seeing-eye single up the middle which got Ishikawa into scoring position. Next came Aubrey Huff, who had two hits in the series so far, he stroked a single to right field which scored Ishikawa. Huff was followed by Buster Posey who poked a grounder to Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad. Conrad strengthened his case for the Giants' MVP of the series by totally whiffing on the grounder and letting it go into rightfield which allowed Freddy Sanchez to score the third and final run of the game.
It was quite a turn around and it showed the never-say-die attitude that these same Giants had shown so many times during the season. All day long it appeared that the only run the Giants, or the Braves for that matter, would score would be the unearned run the Giants scored in the second inning when Brooks Conrad (more evidence he should be the Giants' MVP) dropped a medium deep popup to rightfield which allowed Fontenot to score from third after his leadoff triple. The Giants apparently need their backs against the wall to put runs on the board when Pat Burrell isn't driving everybody in with homeruns I guess.
I would not be doing the game justice however if I failed to mention the pitching duel that led to all the theatrics in the 8th and 9th innings. Jonathan Sanchez did his best to outdo Tim Lincecum's game 1 performance and darn near did it to. He held the Braves hitless into the sixth inning and his 11 strikeouts broke the Giants postseason single game strikeout record that was held by Carl Hubbell in 1933!
I will admit that I thought that the Giants made a mistake by not trading Sanchez for Adam Dunn at the trade deadline. Although I believe the Nationals wanted a little more than just Sanchez for Dunn. But now I am glad they didn't trade him away. This guy has been showing a lot of signs of maturity this season and he has been the Giants most consistent starter since the beginning of September with a 1.08 ERA in his last 8 starts. Hell, he even was the team ERA leader this season with his 3.07 ERA! (technically Madison Bumgarner's 3.00 ERA was lower but he didn't throw enough innings in the bigs to qualify as the leader.)
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| Bobby Cox: I knew I should have retired last season |
Go Giants!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Giants Historic run comes to an end
ROCKIES 10 - GIANTS 9
I don't think that anybody is surprised that the Giants historic run of allowing 3 runs or less finally came to an end in Coors Field of all places. It was bound to happen somewhere and at sometime. You just hoped that the offense would step up and carry the team to victory.
The offense did step up in a big way. They pounded out 15 hits, Hit four homers, and scored 9 runs.
Unfortunately, the pitching regressed towards the mean in a big way tonight.
The Rockies hammered the Giants for 17 hits and 10 runs. They were led by Troy Tulowitski who has been an absolute beast in September. Tulo pounded out 4 hits and 5 RBIs including the Rockies lone homerun. I know a lot of people are criticizing Bochy for pitching to Tulo in the 8th and the 10th but the way this game was going it was hard to give away free baserunners no matter who was in the box. If there is anything I would be critical of would be pitching to Tulo in the 10th since his run would have been worthless anyway. I'm not sure what Boch was thinking there but it would be interesting to hear.
It was one of those Coors field games. Maybe the Rockies just decided to put all of their juiced balls in play figuring they could outhit the Giants anyway.
I want to end this blog by congratulating the Giants pitching staff. Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Chris Ray, Javier Lopez, Guillermo Mota, Ramon Ramirez, Dan Runzler, Jeremy Affeldt, and Brian Wilson. You guys were a part of the most dominant stretch of pitching in Major League history. 18 straight games with three runs or less allowed. Only the 1917 Chicago White Sox had a longer streak, 20 games, but that was during the dead ball era, it wasn't during a pennant race, and they never played a single game in Coors Field.
Congratulations guys!
Now go win the West!
I don't think that anybody is surprised that the Giants historic run of allowing 3 runs or less finally came to an end in Coors Field of all places. It was bound to happen somewhere and at sometime. You just hoped that the offense would step up and carry the team to victory.
The offense did step up in a big way. They pounded out 15 hits, Hit four homers, and scored 9 runs.
Unfortunately, the pitching regressed towards the mean in a big way tonight.
The Rockies hammered the Giants for 17 hits and 10 runs. They were led by Troy Tulowitski who has been an absolute beast in September. Tulo pounded out 4 hits and 5 RBIs including the Rockies lone homerun. I know a lot of people are criticizing Bochy for pitching to Tulo in the 8th and the 10th but the way this game was going it was hard to give away free baserunners no matter who was in the box. If there is anything I would be critical of would be pitching to Tulo in the 10th since his run would have been worthless anyway. I'm not sure what Boch was thinking there but it would be interesting to hear.
It was one of those Coors field games. Maybe the Rockies just decided to put all of their juiced balls in play figuring they could outhit the Giants anyway.
I want to end this blog by congratulating the Giants pitching staff. Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Chris Ray, Javier Lopez, Guillermo Mota, Ramon Ramirez, Dan Runzler, Jeremy Affeldt, and Brian Wilson. You guys were a part of the most dominant stretch of pitching in Major League history. 18 straight games with three runs or less allowed. Only the 1917 Chicago White Sox had a longer streak, 20 games, but that was during the dead ball era, it wasn't during a pennant race, and they never played a single game in Coors Field.
Congratulations guys!
Now go win the West!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Giants hammer Cubs to retake NL west lead but it's really all about the pitching
GIANTS 13 - CUBS 0
The San Francisco Giants took over first place for what seems like the one hundredth time in the last two weeks.
They did it in their usual Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fashion. After scoring 1 run over the last 2 games, the Giants offense erupted for a season high 13 runs. They broke through with 9 runs in the second inning for the first tie since 2008. They also pounded out 19 hits, also a season high.
Juan Uribe had a standoutgame inning. In the second inning he hit two homeruns, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. All in the second inning! For some historical perspective on Uribe's inning click here. Buster Posey contributed a homerun and Cody Ross hit his first homerun as a Giant to help power the attack.
But the Giants could have scored one run and won the game.
The luxury of having a rookie number 5 starter come in and throw 7 shutout innings at a red-hot team during a pennant race is something that can not be understated. It's something that is almost unheard of.
But that's exactly what Madison Bumgarner did last night. He didn't just shut the Cubs down, he dominated them, striking out seven Cubbies over his 7 innings of work. He only gave up one walk while scattering 7 hits over those 7 innings of work.
The Giants rotation has assumed their position as the best rotation in baseball. They lead all of baseball in team ERA with a 3.39 mark. They lead in strikeouts, BA against, K/9, and H/9. Quite simply, the 2010 Giants are all about pitching.
Not to shabby for a team that started the season with Todd Wellemeyer in the starting rotation.
Bumgarner's gem continued a streak that places the 2010 Giants staff amongst the best pitching staffs in all of history. The Giants pitchers have now gone 17 consecutive games where they have allowed 3 runs or less and 22 straight of 4 or less. The Giants are only the second team ever to go that many games only allowing 3 runs or less. You have to go all the way back to the dead ball era and the 1917 Chicago White Sox (who won the world series that year) for a team that has had that kind of a streak. The Sox' streak went from May 20th through June 12th so it wasn't even in the middle of the pennant race!
Think about that for a second. The Giants pitching staff, in the modern game of baseball with it's homeruns, high powered offenses,bandbox stadiums, and chicks who dig the longball, have sustained a streak of pitching excellence that is unmatched in the ENTIRE LIVE BALL ERA!
If the Giants don't make the playoffs this season then they will have wasted one of the most impressive pitching feats ever. That will be a crime to these pitchers who have stepped it up in a way no other pitching staff has ever done.
There are just nine games left. These are going to be the 9 games that make or break this team. The Giants enter these final nine games by facing the third place Rockies who have stumbled to 3.5 games back and they end with three games in San Francisco with the second place San Diego Padres. The season will be decided over these next 9 games and anything can happen. But one thing will be for sure. The Giants' pitching staff will be leading the way.
The San Francisco Giants took over first place for what seems like the one hundredth time in the last two weeks.
They did it in their usual Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fashion. After scoring 1 run over the last 2 games, the Giants offense erupted for a season high 13 runs. They broke through with 9 runs in the second inning for the first tie since 2008. They also pounded out 19 hits, also a season high.
Juan Uribe had a standout
But the Giants could have scored one run and won the game.
The luxury of having a rookie number 5 starter come in and throw 7 shutout innings at a red-hot team during a pennant race is something that can not be understated. It's something that is almost unheard of.
But that's exactly what Madison Bumgarner did last night. He didn't just shut the Cubs down, he dominated them, striking out seven Cubbies over his 7 innings of work. He only gave up one walk while scattering 7 hits over those 7 innings of work.
The Giants rotation has assumed their position as the best rotation in baseball. They lead all of baseball in team ERA with a 3.39 mark. They lead in strikeouts, BA against, K/9, and H/9. Quite simply, the 2010 Giants are all about pitching.
Not to shabby for a team that started the season with Todd Wellemeyer in the starting rotation.
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| 1917 World Champion White Sox |
Bumgarner's gem continued a streak that places the 2010 Giants staff amongst the best pitching staffs in all of history. The Giants pitchers have now gone 17 consecutive games where they have allowed 3 runs or less and 22 straight of 4 or less. The Giants are only the second team ever to go that many games only allowing 3 runs or less. You have to go all the way back to the dead ball era and the 1917 Chicago White Sox (who won the world series that year) for a team that has had that kind of a streak. The Sox' streak went from May 20th through June 12th so it wasn't even in the middle of the pennant race!
Think about that for a second. The Giants pitching staff, in the modern game of baseball with it's homeruns, high powered offenses,bandbox stadiums, and chicks who dig the longball, have sustained a streak of pitching excellence that is unmatched in the ENTIRE LIVE BALL ERA!
If the Giants don't make the playoffs this season then they will have wasted one of the most impressive pitching feats ever. That will be a crime to these pitchers who have stepped it up in a way no other pitching staff has ever done.
There are just nine games left. These are going to be the 9 games that make or break this team. The Giants enter these final nine games by facing the third place Rockies who have stumbled to 3.5 games back and they end with three games in San Francisco with the second place San Diego Padres. The season will be decided over these next 9 games and anything can happen. But one thing will be for sure. The Giants' pitching staff will be leading the way.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Giants squander opportunity to extend NL West lead
BREWERS 3 - GIANTS 0
The Giants offense went MIA last night. Again.
They were shut out for the third time in the last 7 games. In 2 other games they scored one and two runs respectively. Apparently Bruce Bochy's genius only extends for one day as Edgar Renteria went 0 -4 while the Giants defense looked old and decrepit. I guess they were too tired from running around the bases last night.
Juan Uribe has been terrible at third lately and good old sleepyhead hasn't promised that Pablo Sandoval will play at all this weekend against the Brewers. Now I understand the kid is struggling, but I am mystified at the sudden decision to stop supporting and playing him. Especially at home where he has practically been a mirror image of the guy he was last season.
After the Giants made another bad pitcher look like Cy Young, Wolf's last shutout came back in 2008, Bochy said that he and the staff would get together and discuss lineup possibilities. I just don't see a lineup combination that can make this team magically find their hitting shoes. They have scored a grand total of 47 runs in 15 games in September. They have scored more than 3 runs 5 times out of those 15. The numbers were even worse before they put up a 10 spot on the Dodgers but they are scoring just slightly over 3 runs a game.
At this point in the season there is no quick fix. Anybody can should be able to get a chance. Whether it be Darren Ford, Ryan Rohlinger, Euginio Velez, Nate Schierholtz, or Travis Ishikawa. I mean seriously, how many less runs could they put up?
The Giants can take heart in the fact that they knocked Joe Torre out of LA the night before. After seeing the Giants hang 10 on his Dodgers, Torre decided to hang em up. Don Mattingly took over as manager and Giants fans can take some comfort in knowing they must have had some small part in his decision to call it quits. After all, he had just watched his team give up 10 runs to a team that got shut out by Randy Wolf the next night.
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| I know how you feel guys |
They were shut out for the third time in the last 7 games. In 2 other games they scored one and two runs respectively. Apparently Bruce Bochy's genius only extends for one day as Edgar Renteria went 0 -4 while the Giants defense looked old and decrepit. I guess they were too tired from running around the bases last night.
Juan Uribe has been terrible at third lately and good old sleepyhead hasn't promised that Pablo Sandoval will play at all this weekend against the Brewers. Now I understand the kid is struggling, but I am mystified at the sudden decision to stop supporting and playing him. Especially at home where he has practically been a mirror image of the guy he was last season.
After the Giants made another bad pitcher look like Cy Young, Wolf's last shutout came back in 2008, Bochy said that he and the staff would get together and discuss lineup possibilities. I just don't see a lineup combination that can make this team magically find their hitting shoes. They have scored a grand total of 47 runs in 15 games in September. They have scored more than 3 runs 5 times out of those 15. The numbers were even worse before they put up a 10 spot on the Dodgers but they are scoring just slightly over 3 runs a game.
At this point in the season there is no quick fix. Anybody can should be able to get a chance. Whether it be Darren Ford, Ryan Rohlinger, Euginio Velez, Nate Schierholtz, or Travis Ishikawa. I mean seriously, how many less runs could they put up?
The Giants can take heart in the fact that they knocked Joe Torre out of LA the night before. After seeing the Giants hang 10 on his Dodgers, Torre decided to hang em up. Don Mattingly took over as manager and Giants fans can take some comfort in knowing they must have had some small part in his decision to call it quits. After all, he had just watched his team give up 10 runs to a team that got shut out by Randy Wolf the next night.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Aubrey Huff wills the Giants into first place
GIANTS 1 - PADRES 0
From the moment Jonathan Sanchez took the mound and rubbed out the "SD" logo that the grounds crew puts on the back of the mound, you knew it was going to be a tense game.
For the second time this season a Giants - Padres game has ended 1-0 with the deciding run having been scored without the benefit of a hit. After what has to be the worst 5 inning 1 hit shutout pitching performance I have ever seen the Giants were able to be the ones to score the run that decided the game.
The game was a statement game. It told the Padres that you can't just come out and beat us whenever you want. It also secured at least a series tie with the Pads which seems to be a minor miracle given the way the Padres have owned the Giants to date this season.
Leading off the 7th inning Aubrey Huff got hit by a pitch in the back of the right arm. He looked like he was in tremendous pain, but when the trainer came out to look at it Huff ran away from him and took first base while trying to work the pain out of his arm. “Funny bone. Tingling and numbness,” Huff said. “Just suck it up. I didn’t want to Roger Dorn it too much out there.”
With Pat Burrell batting, huff decided that he would steal second base. He barely made it to second kicking the ball out of David Eckstein's glove when Burrell swung trough the pitch for strike three.
The next batter was Jose Guillen and Huff violated the cardinal rule of not running to third on a groundball hit in front of you but he wound up being safe. “It was actually a dumb play on my part,” he said. “I thought it’d be in the hole. Once you go, you can’t stop. Good call there, I was safe. It’s not how you draw it up, not a smart play, but it worked out.”
Huff scored when Juan Uribe beat out the tail end of a double play thanks to Nate Schierholtz's takeout of every Giants' fan's least favorite second baseman. “I had it in my mind at first base,” Schierholtz said. “I knew on a ground ball, I had to go into second hard. I was able to slide late and he was right on top of the bag. I was able to get a piece of him."
Back to Jonathan Sanchez's strange outing. As I said earlier it was the worst 5 inning one hit shutout performance ever. It may not have been the worst shutout performance I have seen from a Giants pitcher. On Sept. 4, 1999 Russ Ortiz went 6 innings, walked 7 batters, allowed 2 hits, and struck out 8 Pirates. Now his outing could be classified as better since he lasted 6 innings and struck out 8. But he gave up 2 hits as opposed to Sanchez's one so I think Sanchez did a better job.
Brian Wilson had two great quotes to sum up the game and to talk about Sanchez's performance:
On Sanchez's brief night: "He knows we've got a lot of arms in the bullpen, He went 100 percent on every single pitch. You can't ask for anything better than that. And then our sixth-inning guy throws 100 mph. That's not bad, either."
On the game and his 5th 5 out save of the season: "This is what you prepare for. If you need a breather or a day off, go to bed early. You'll have to suck it up and play to win from here on out."
Bumgarner Vs. Stauffer this afternoon
For the second time this season a Giants - Padres game has ended 1-0 with the deciding run having been scored without the benefit of a hit. After what has to be the worst 5 inning 1 hit shutout pitching performance I have ever seen the Giants were able to be the ones to score the run that decided the game.
The game was a statement game. It told the Padres that you can't just come out and beat us whenever you want. It also secured at least a series tie with the Pads which seems to be a minor miracle given the way the Padres have owned the Giants to date this season.
Leading off the 7th inning Aubrey Huff got hit by a pitch in the back of the right arm. He looked like he was in tremendous pain, but when the trainer came out to look at it Huff ran away from him and took first base while trying to work the pain out of his arm. “Funny bone. Tingling and numbness,” Huff said. “Just suck it up. I didn’t want to Roger Dorn it too much out there.”
With Pat Burrell batting, huff decided that he would steal second base. He barely made it to second kicking the ball out of David Eckstein's glove when Burrell swung trough the pitch for strike three.
The next batter was Jose Guillen and Huff violated the cardinal rule of not running to third on a groundball hit in front of you but he wound up being safe. “It was actually a dumb play on my part,” he said. “I thought it’d be in the hole. Once you go, you can’t stop. Good call there, I was safe. It’s not how you draw it up, not a smart play, but it worked out.”
Huff scored when Juan Uribe beat out the tail end of a double play thanks to Nate Schierholtz's takeout of every Giants' fan's least favorite second baseman. “I had it in my mind at first base,” Schierholtz said. “I knew on a ground ball, I had to go into second hard. I was able to slide late and he was right on top of the bag. I was able to get a piece of him."
Back to Jonathan Sanchez's strange outing. As I said earlier it was the worst 5 inning one hit shutout performance ever. It may not have been the worst shutout performance I have seen from a Giants pitcher. On Sept. 4, 1999 Russ Ortiz went 6 innings, walked 7 batters, allowed 2 hits, and struck out 8 Pirates. Now his outing could be classified as better since he lasted 6 innings and struck out 8. But he gave up 2 hits as opposed to Sanchez's one so I think Sanchez did a better job.
Brian Wilson had two great quotes to sum up the game and to talk about Sanchez's performance:
On Sanchez's brief night: "He knows we've got a lot of arms in the bullpen, He went 100 percent on every single pitch. You can't ask for anything better than that. And then our sixth-inning guy throws 100 mph. That's not bad, either."
On the game and his 5th 5 out save of the season: "This is what you prepare for. If you need a breather or a day off, go to bed early. You'll have to suck it up and play to win from here on out."
Bumgarner Vs. Stauffer this afternoon
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hey Remember me?
GIANTS 2 - DBACKS 0
His name is Nate Schierholtz for those of you who forgot and he has been up with the Giants since opening day. He wasn't some mid season acquisition or September call-up. He is a guy who has been there for every one of the team's wins and losses. He hasn't been given a whole lot of opportunity, he has only had 3 ABs in a game once since July 23, and to be fair he hasn't really taken advantage of the few opportunities he has been given.
But he took advantage of this one.
It sure didn't look like he would at first. When he was called upon in the 7th inning to pinch run for Pat Burrell Nate was picked off and the inning was over. At a point in the game where the team was desperate for runs they could ill afford to have a runner picked off. But he did get picked off and, in making one of the few good decisions he has made all season, Bochy actually left him in to play the outfield.
In the 11th inning after the Giants got runners on first and second with two outs Nate got his second AB of the game, he lined out in the 10th inning, and delivered. He fouled off the first pitch he saw from Dbacks reliever Aaron Heilman and then smoked the next pitch into the right-centerfield gap to score Buster Posey and Aubrey Huff.
Ballgame.
So does this mean that Nate will get more PT as the season winds down? Doubtful. But hopefully he will continue to make the most out of any opportunities that he happens to get from here on out.
Did you know that the Giants' pitchers are working on a 25 consecutive scoreless inning streak? It started in the 5th inning of Saturday's game against the Dodgers and has continued through tonight's 11 inning affair. I think it's safe to say that the starting rotation's slump is over.
Lincecum vs. Enright tonight. Seems as though Enright has not failed to go at least 5 innings in each of his 12 starts this season or give up more than 3 runs. Tonight would be a good time to put an end to one of those streaks.
But he took advantage of this one.
It sure didn't look like he would at first. When he was called upon in the 7th inning to pinch run for Pat Burrell Nate was picked off and the inning was over. At a point in the game where the team was desperate for runs they could ill afford to have a runner picked off. But he did get picked off and, in making one of the few good decisions he has made all season, Bochy actually left him in to play the outfield.
In the 11th inning after the Giants got runners on first and second with two outs Nate got his second AB of the game, he lined out in the 10th inning, and delivered. He fouled off the first pitch he saw from Dbacks reliever Aaron Heilman and then smoked the next pitch into the right-centerfield gap to score Buster Posey and Aubrey Huff.
Ballgame.
So does this mean that Nate will get more PT as the season winds down? Doubtful. But hopefully he will continue to make the most out of any opportunities that he happens to get from here on out.
Did you know that the Giants' pitchers are working on a 25 consecutive scoreless inning streak? It started in the 5th inning of Saturday's game against the Dodgers and has continued through tonight's 11 inning affair. I think it's safe to say that the starting rotation's slump is over.
Lincecum vs. Enright tonight. Seems as though Enright has not failed to go at least 5 innings in each of his 12 starts this season or give up more than 3 runs. Tonight would be a good time to put an end to one of those streaks.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Torres, Posey, and Bumgarner lead Giants to victory
So the Giants continued two of their trends last night.
First, they kept pace with last season and won to bring their record to 73-60 which matches lastseason's record after 133 games. Although they were 5.5 games back as opposed to 4 back like they are now!
Second they continued their trend of making bad pitchers, last night it was Esmil Rogers who was sporting an ERA of 5.66 coming in, look like Cy Young.
Things were looking grim. The Giants managed 4 frickin hits and 2 runs off of Rogers over 6 innings. Melvin Mora tied the game in the 8th with an opposite field homerun to right field off of Jeremy Affeldt, who continued his streak of allowing a run every time he makes an appearance, spoiling a great effort from Madison Bumgarner.
As I was sitting in my nutrition class and learning about how Lipids contribute to heart disease, I was checking my phone and wondering how much the 2010 San Francisco Giants have contributed to heart disease in the Bay Area. I was seriously getting angry and I wasn't even watching the game!
Then Andres Torres hit his 310 foot homerun into the rightfield stands and the Giants were on their way to victory! Buster Posey capped off the scoring with a 2 run opposite field double later in the inning to make sure that no broken bat triples coupled with a throwing error would send the Giants fans home with frowns on their faces.
Tonight's game features Ubaldo Jimenez throwing for the Rockies against our Timmy boy. It would seem that the schedule from last year is a scary thing to go by since the Giants dropped game 134 with Timmy on the mound. But don't fret Giants faithful because the Rockies have failed to win a series on the road since June 28-30!
Belt watch:
Brandon Belt was 1 for 2 last night with a 3 run homer and 3 walks for Fresno in their 7-6 loss to Salt Lake City.
Since a quick check of the calender reveals that it is September 1st, please allow me to be the first to welcome Mr. Belt to the Big Leagues!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
IT's Madbum's world and we are all just living in it
GIANTS 6 - CARDINALS 3
Madison Bumgarner has delivered on his promise.
Sure, his 5-4 record does not blow you away, but how many kids come up in the middle of a pennant race and throw quality starts back to back the way that he has? At 21 years old no less?
Not many that's for sure. Aubrey Huff summed him up pretty good tonight: “He’s country redneck, man, He’s got great stuff, he pounds the zone. You’re looking at a kid on the mound … He’s a veteran guy in a 21-year-old body.”
Nothing seems to rattle Bumgarner. He gives up a few hits, and then he settles down, gets out of the jam, and comes out the next inning or so and gets an RBI hit himself. He has already exceeded his career high for innings pitched but if he is getting weary then he sure isn't showing it. He only walked one batter last night and that was the Great Albert Pujols. Which is understandable since you are trying to walk him and hoping that he gets himself out.
I'm also going to declare right now that Pablo Sandoval is back. First he hits a homerun right handed in Philadelphia, then he hits another homerun last night and a booming double for good measure. Did you know that this marks the first time since August of LAST YEAR that Pablo has homered in back to back games? It is yet another encouraging sign that the Giants third baseman is returning to form. At this point in the season it is going to be pretty much impossible to get his average to .325 no matter how he hits, but I would be excited to see him finish the season somewhere in the high .280s.
Oh and some guy named Buster Posey had 2 doubles last night for the second night in a row. It gets easy to forget that Buster is still out there doing his thing because now he is doing it so often it is old news. Really, did you know that he is working on another 7 game hitting streak? Coming in to last night's game he had hit in 6 straight and was batting a robust .440 in those 6 games. All I can say to that is Rookie of The Year.
Lastly:
The Giants put in a waiver wire claim on the Marlins' Cody Ross. It sounds more like a blocking claim from what is being reported everywhere but the Giants could conceiveably wind up with him since the Marlins are really hot to move him. Although with Juan Uribe's latest injury the Giants seem to be in need of infield help more than anything. But still it's better for the Giatns to be stuck with this guy rather than the Padres get him!
Madison Bumgarner has delivered on his promise.
Sure, his 5-4 record does not blow you away, but how many kids come up in the middle of a pennant race and throw quality starts back to back the way that he has? At 21 years old no less?
Not many that's for sure. Aubrey Huff summed him up pretty good tonight: “He’s country redneck, man, He’s got great stuff, he pounds the zone. You’re looking at a kid on the mound … He’s a veteran guy in a 21-year-old body.”
Nothing seems to rattle Bumgarner. He gives up a few hits, and then he settles down, gets out of the jam, and comes out the next inning or so and gets an RBI hit himself. He has already exceeded his career high for innings pitched but if he is getting weary then he sure isn't showing it. He only walked one batter last night and that was the Great Albert Pujols. Which is understandable since you are trying to walk him and hoping that he gets himself out.
I'm also going to declare right now that Pablo Sandoval is back. First he hits a homerun right handed in Philadelphia, then he hits another homerun last night and a booming double for good measure. Did you know that this marks the first time since August of LAST YEAR that Pablo has homered in back to back games? It is yet another encouraging sign that the Giants third baseman is returning to form. At this point in the season it is going to be pretty much impossible to get his average to .325 no matter how he hits, but I would be excited to see him finish the season somewhere in the high .280s.
Oh and some guy named Buster Posey had 2 doubles last night for the second night in a row. It gets easy to forget that Buster is still out there doing his thing because now he is doing it so often it is old news. Really, did you know that he is working on another 7 game hitting streak? Coming in to last night's game he had hit in 6 straight and was batting a robust .440 in those 6 games. All I can say to that is Rookie of The Year. Lastly:
The Giants put in a waiver wire claim on the Marlins' Cody Ross. It sounds more like a blocking claim from what is being reported everywhere but the Giants could conceiveably wind up with him since the Marlins are really hot to move him. Although with Juan Uribe's latest injury the Giants seem to be in need of infield help more than anything. But still it's better for the Giatns to be stuck with this guy rather than the Padres get him!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Jonathan Sanchez dominates the Phillies!
GIANTS 5 - PHILLIES 2
This team is so Jekyll & Hyde. One day they can't score runs, get good pitching, and look nothing like pennant contenders (actually it was for the better part of 2 weeks). But then they have a great all-around performance against the National League's world series representative for the past 2 seasons.
Jonathan Sanchez turned in what was easily his most dominating performance of the season. Even though he did have one start against the Padres earlier this season where he only gave up one hit and one run and still lost the game. This one was better.
On the face of it, that game back in April was more dominating since he struck out more and he allowed two hits last night as opposed to one. But you need to consider that the Giants starters have been reeling. They haven't been credited with a win in their last 14 starts. The Giants as a whole have just looked incredibly flat since their amazing 11 inning victory over the Padres on Saturday.
But Jonathan Sanchez came out last night, Put the Giants on his shoulders, and made us all wonder why we were so hot to trade him in the first place. There is no #4 starter in all of baseball who pitches as well as Sanchez and is capable of the performances that he puts in. We all get frustrated with Sanchez because he has Ace quality stuff, and he tantalizes us every so often with a gem like last night, but he never is consistent enough to attain that Ace status.
However as the guys over at Raising Matt Cain point out, Sanchez is getting better every season. Think back to the first half of last season and remember that the guy was giving up six or seven runs every other start, he was demoted to the bullpen, and he only made the start when he threw the no-hitter because of an injury to Randy Johnson.
One thing to keep in mind is that Sanchez improved tremendously after throwing his no hitter last season and that, hopefully, he uses this start as a springboard to better success over the last month and a half of the season.
Another huge development on the offensive side of the ball. Pablo Sandoval hit his first homerun of the season right handed! the fact that it came off of Cole Hamels who is one of the better pitchers in the league makes it all that much more impressive. Pablo has had his ups and downs this season but he is showing signs of taking off on an extended streak of good hitting this month and we all know the Giants could use that boost.
Tonight, the Giants travel to St; Louis to face Jake Westbrook and the Cardinals. Madison Bumgarner faces one of the biggest tests of his young career as he faces the dangerous Albert Pujols and Co.
Oh and by the way, the guys who say the Giants can't consistently beat good teams should realize that the Giants split the season series with the Phillies 3-3.
Lastly, for those of you who saw yesterday's post on Yardbarker, I have no idea why they posted a picture of a fat Dodger pitcher with my story. Rest assured you will never see one of those on this site. Unless it's funny!
This team is so Jekyll & Hyde. One day they can't score runs, get good pitching, and look nothing like pennant contenders (actually it was for the better part of 2 weeks). But then they have a great all-around performance against the National League's world series representative for the past 2 seasons.
Jonathan Sanchez turned in what was easily his most dominating performance of the season. Even though he did have one start against the Padres earlier this season where he only gave up one hit and one run and still lost the game. This one was better.
On the face of it, that game back in April was more dominating since he struck out more and he allowed two hits last night as opposed to one. But you need to consider that the Giants starters have been reeling. They haven't been credited with a win in their last 14 starts. The Giants as a whole have just looked incredibly flat since their amazing 11 inning victory over the Padres on Saturday.
But Jonathan Sanchez came out last night, Put the Giants on his shoulders, and made us all wonder why we were so hot to trade him in the first place. There is no #4 starter in all of baseball who pitches as well as Sanchez and is capable of the performances that he puts in. We all get frustrated with Sanchez because he has Ace quality stuff, and he tantalizes us every so often with a gem like last night, but he never is consistent enough to attain that Ace status.
However as the guys over at Raising Matt Cain point out, Sanchez is getting better every season. Think back to the first half of last season and remember that the guy was giving up six or seven runs every other start, he was demoted to the bullpen, and he only made the start when he threw the no-hitter because of an injury to Randy Johnson.
One thing to keep in mind is that Sanchez improved tremendously after throwing his no hitter last season and that, hopefully, he uses this start as a springboard to better success over the last month and a half of the season.
Another huge development on the offensive side of the ball. Pablo Sandoval hit his first homerun of the season right handed! the fact that it came off of Cole Hamels who is one of the better pitchers in the league makes it all that much more impressive. Pablo has had his ups and downs this season but he is showing signs of taking off on an extended streak of good hitting this month and we all know the Giants could use that boost.
Tonight, the Giants travel to St; Louis to face Jake Westbrook and the Cardinals. Madison Bumgarner faces one of the biggest tests of his young career as he faces the dangerous Albert Pujols and Co.
Oh and by the way, the guys who say the Giants can't consistently beat good teams should realize that the Giants split the season series with the Phillies 3-3.
Lastly, for those of you who saw yesterday's post on Yardbarker, I have no idea why they posted a picture of a fat Dodger pitcher with my story. Rest assured you will never see one of those on this site. Unless it's funny!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Giants win one of the best games of the season!
Wow, what a game!
The Giants finished off the Padres in 11 innings. This was easily one of the best games of the season given the history between these two teams this season and the fact that the race to the NL west crown is going to basically come down to these two teams.
This game ran the full emotional spectrum for me. From anger over the Giants inability to score runs, to excitement over Pablo's homerun, to stress over the Padres loading the bases against Romo, back to excitement when Pat "The Bat" tied the score with a heads up RBI groundout, back to anger when Mike Adams mowed the Giants down, to pure excitement when Posey stretched his single into two bags, and to jumping for joy when Juan Uribe hurt somebody's feelings (thanks Kevin Millar) by driving in Buster Posey in the bottom of the 11th to end the Torture!
Hopefully this is the turning point in the Padres - Giants saga for this season. This is the kind of scratching, clawing, who wants to win it more kind of game that can break a team and propel the other team. The Padres had to think they had this game won when Luke Greggerson took the mound with a one run lead since the Giants had never scored a run off him in 14 games. But the Giants got a sacrifice fly from Pat The Bat to tie the game in the 8th inning.
Then it was Posey time.
After scoreless 9th and 10th innings, including a 10th inning in which Santiago Casilla tried to hand the game to the Padres by throwing 2 wild pitches to put the winning run on 3rd base with only one out, Buster Posey led off the 11th inning with a base hit up the middle that bounced off of second baseman Jerry Hairston's glove and rolled into short centerfield. When an alert Posey saw the deflection he utilized those catchers legs, which had just caught 11 innings BTW, and stretched that single into a double. The Giants gave Pablo Sandoval the Barry Bonds treatment by giving him his second intentional walk of the game to bring up Juan Uribe.
Uribe floated a soft single to shallow right field and the suddenly fleet footed Buster Posey scored from second base.
Ballgame.
There are so many performances in this game that are remarkable. Obviously Buster's baserunning heroics were huge, Pablo's continued power surge was the spark that erased the Goose Egg the Giants had put on the board up until that point, and Pat Burrell realizing the defense was conceding the tying run when he had two strikes on him and shooting a ball to the right side to score Mike Fontenot.
However, I think the biggest clutch performance of the night belonged to Madison Bumgarner. He wasn't lights out. He gave up 8 hits in his seven innings of work. But this game could have easily gotten out of hand and he battled and battled to keep the Padres at two runs. Unfortunately, he became an official member of the Giants rotation tonight when he got a no-decision thanks to a lack of run support, but without him this game could have been very different.
This puts the Giants in a position to win their first series of the season against the Padres tomorrow. Lincecum is on the mound and despite his "struggles" this season he is still the team leader in wins. The 6-10 Wade LeBlanc is throwing tomorrow so this game is ripe for the Giants to make a statement!
The Giants finished off the Padres in 11 innings. This was easily one of the best games of the season given the history between these two teams this season and the fact that the race to the NL west crown is going to basically come down to these two teams.
This game ran the full emotional spectrum for me. From anger over the Giants inability to score runs, to excitement over Pablo's homerun, to stress over the Padres loading the bases against Romo, back to excitement when Pat "The Bat" tied the score with a heads up RBI groundout, back to anger when Mike Adams mowed the Giants down, to pure excitement when Posey stretched his single into two bags, and to jumping for joy when Juan Uribe hurt somebody's feelings (thanks Kevin Millar) by driving in Buster Posey in the bottom of the 11th to end the Torture!
Hopefully this is the turning point in the Padres - Giants saga for this season. This is the kind of scratching, clawing, who wants to win it more kind of game that can break a team and propel the other team. The Padres had to think they had this game won when Luke Greggerson took the mound with a one run lead since the Giants had never scored a run off him in 14 games. But the Giants got a sacrifice fly from Pat The Bat to tie the game in the 8th inning.
Then it was Posey time.
After scoreless 9th and 10th innings, including a 10th inning in which Santiago Casilla tried to hand the game to the Padres by throwing 2 wild pitches to put the winning run on 3rd base with only one out, Buster Posey led off the 11th inning with a base hit up the middle that bounced off of second baseman Jerry Hairston's glove and rolled into short centerfield. When an alert Posey saw the deflection he utilized those catchers legs, which had just caught 11 innings BTW, and stretched that single into a double. The Giants gave Pablo Sandoval the Barry Bonds treatment by giving him his second intentional walk of the game to bring up Juan Uribe.Uribe floated a soft single to shallow right field and the suddenly fleet footed Buster Posey scored from second base.
Ballgame.
However, I think the biggest clutch performance of the night belonged to Madison Bumgarner. He wasn't lights out. He gave up 8 hits in his seven innings of work. But this game could have easily gotten out of hand and he battled and battled to keep the Padres at two runs. Unfortunately, he became an official member of the Giants rotation tonight when he got a no-decision thanks to a lack of run support, but without him this game could have been very different.
This puts the Giants in a position to win their first series of the season against the Padres tomorrow. Lincecum is on the mound and despite his "struggles" this season he is still the team leader in wins. The 6-10 Wade LeBlanc is throwing tomorrow so this game is ripe for the Giants to make a statement!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
You win some you lose some
ROCKIES 6 - GIANTS 1
The game looked like it was a game that the Giants were destined to lose. Everyone who looked at this series and saw that Ubaldo Jimenez was pitching chalked the game up as a loss for the men in orange and black. Most were predicting a split of the series and it looked like the Giants believed them.
The Giants managed 4 hits, one run, and 9 strikeouts against the former NL Cy Young frontrunner. Not an impressive line at all. Well not if you are a Giants fan that is.
But at the end of the day it just seemed like the Giants were flat which I guess they are allowed to be every 2 out of 10 games or so.
The only really disappointing development today was Madison Bumgarner's performance. Not that he was especially terrible today but he looked pretty hittable. The Rockies got 9 hits off him in 4 innings but he worked himself out of a jam or two to limit the damage to only four runs. The reason why this is disappointing is that Bumgarner may be on the verge of becoming fatigued. He is about 10 innings away from equaling his career high of 141 2/3 IP.
But it could have just been another flat performance on a day full of flat performances by the Giants. But it is worth keeping an eye on.
I kinda feel flat writing this post today....
Links of the day:
Congratulations to Buster Posey for winning both the NL Rookie of the month and NL Player of the month awards. It kinda seems redundant to give both awards to the same guy but since it's a Giant and not some other loser I'm not complaining!
The game looked like it was a game that the Giants were destined to lose. Everyone who looked at this series and saw that Ubaldo Jimenez was pitching chalked the game up as a loss for the men in orange and black. Most were predicting a split of the series and it looked like the Giants believed them.The Giants managed 4 hits, one run, and 9 strikeouts against the former NL Cy Young frontrunner. Not an impressive line at all. Well not if you are a Giants fan that is.
But at the end of the day it just seemed like the Giants were flat which I guess they are allowed to be every 2 out of 10 games or so.
The only really disappointing development today was Madison Bumgarner's performance. Not that he was especially terrible today but he looked pretty hittable. The Rockies got 9 hits off him in 4 innings but he worked himself out of a jam or two to limit the damage to only four runs. The reason why this is disappointing is that Bumgarner may be on the verge of becoming fatigued. He is about 10 innings away from equaling his career high of 141 2/3 IP.
But it could have just been another flat performance on a day full of flat performances by the Giants. But it is worth keeping an eye on.
I kinda feel flat writing this post today....
Links of the day:
Congratulations to Buster Posey for winning both the NL Rookie of the month and NL Player of the month awards. It kinda seems redundant to give both awards to the same guy but since it's a Giant and not some other loser I'm not complaining!
The G-men break out the Whoopin Sticks!
GIANTS 10 - ROCKIES 0
A 10-0 shutout in Colorado? Where do we begin?
There were so many contributors last night. 7 Giants had multi-hit games, Juan Uribe came off the bench to get an RBI, and the Giants clubbed 3 homeruns!
But for me the player of the game is Jonathan Sanchez.
Coming off a series against the Cubs in which they scored 31 runs, had a record 11 straight hits in one inning, and ran their win streak to 4 in a row. It would have been an understatement to say that the Rockies offense was hot.
Jonathan Sanchez woke up at 2PM Tuesday afternoon after sleeping off the effects of a fever he suffered from on Monday If he showed up and pitched say 6 innings it would be understandable.
Well pitch 6 innings he did. Through those 6 innings he struck out 9, allowed only 3 hits, and it wouldn't be a Jonathan Sanchez start if he didn't allow the 4 walks that he did.
7 of Sanchez's strikeouts all came in a row. Which is pretty amazing in and of itself but it becomes even more impressive when you realize that 7 Ks in a row is a franchise record held by the Hall of Famer Juan Marichal set 46 years ago!
I know a lot of people were clamoring for the Giants to pick up a bat at the deadline at the expense of Dirty Sanchez. Give credit to Sanchez, he responded by showing the Giants exactly what they would be missing if they gave him up. This is the second time that the lefty has placed himself in the Giants record books in the last 2 years. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jason Schmidt, John Burkett, Bill Swift, Shawn Estes, Mike Krukow, and countless other Giants pitchers have pitched for the team in the last 46 years and they haven't done the things that Sanchez has done.
Another thing to consider about Sanchez. He is our 4th starter. 4th starters are usually inconsistent. They usually can win or lose on any given day. They usually aren't capable of dominance the way that Sanchez is capable of.
Sanchez's record is 8-6, his ERA is good for 18th in the NL, His 136 strikeouts are good for 10th in the NL, and his 9.56 K/9 is good for 2nd in the NL.
How do you replace that in the rotation? Not only that, how do you replace anybody in the Giants rotation when you consider the next best option after the guys that they have in their currently is Todd Wellemeyer.
Also, what do the Giants do when they have to limit the amount of innings that Madison Bumgarner throws later this season if Sanchez is gone? Bring up another minor leaguer? I'm sorry but this is one move that the Giants didn't make that made sense.
A 10-0 shutout in Colorado? Where do we begin?
There were so many contributors last night. 7 Giants had multi-hit games, Juan Uribe came off the bench to get an RBI, and the Giants clubbed 3 homeruns!
But for me the player of the game is Jonathan Sanchez.
Coming off a series against the Cubs in which they scored 31 runs, had a record 11 straight hits in one inning, and ran their win streak to 4 in a row. It would have been an understatement to say that the Rockies offense was hot.
Jonathan Sanchez woke up at 2PM Tuesday afternoon after sleeping off the effects of a fever he suffered from on Monday If he showed up and pitched say 6 innings it would be understandable.
Well pitch 6 innings he did. Through those 6 innings he struck out 9, allowed only 3 hits, and it wouldn't be a Jonathan Sanchez start if he didn't allow the 4 walks that he did.
7 of Sanchez's strikeouts all came in a row. Which is pretty amazing in and of itself but it becomes even more impressive when you realize that 7 Ks in a row is a franchise record held by the Hall of Famer Juan Marichal set 46 years ago!
I know a lot of people were clamoring for the Giants to pick up a bat at the deadline at the expense of Dirty Sanchez. Give credit to Sanchez, he responded by showing the Giants exactly what they would be missing if they gave him up. This is the second time that the lefty has placed himself in the Giants record books in the last 2 years. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jason Schmidt, John Burkett, Bill Swift, Shawn Estes, Mike Krukow, and countless other Giants pitchers have pitched for the team in the last 46 years and they haven't done the things that Sanchez has done.
Another thing to consider about Sanchez. He is our 4th starter. 4th starters are usually inconsistent. They usually can win or lose on any given day. They usually aren't capable of dominance the way that Sanchez is capable of.
Sanchez's record is 8-6, his ERA is good for 18th in the NL, His 136 strikeouts are good for 10th in the NL, and his 9.56 K/9 is good for 2nd in the NL.
How do you replace that in the rotation? Not only that, how do you replace anybody in the Giants rotation when you consider the next best option after the guys that they have in their currently is Todd Wellemeyer.
Also, what do the Giants do when they have to limit the amount of innings that Madison Bumgarner throws later this season if Sanchez is gone? Bring up another minor leaguer? I'm sorry but this is one move that the Giants didn't make that made sense.
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