ROCKIES 6 - GIANTS 3
The Giants have lost their 7th game in a row. They are now in 4th place, 6.5 games back of the first place Padres. They have not scored more than 3 runs in 7 straight games.
Will a bat really help this team or should they be going for prospects?
I have heard some folks out there say that this season is lost and that the Giants should just blow it up and get prospects for their bigger pieces. Namely Huff, Uribe, and Burrell. This sounds good in theory because you would have to believe that the Giants are not going to win another game this season.
Well the fact is they are going to win another game this season. They have played pretty good baseball and despite losing 7 in a row they are still a game over .500.
If you trade for prospects that means that you don't think that the Giants will be able to win next year. Which also happens to be the last season that the Giants rotation will probably have Cain, Lincecum, Sanchez, and Bumgarner all together. With pay raises and pending salary arbitration the Giants starting 5 alone has the potential to command contracts approaching $100 million alone in 2012.
If you think the Giants can afford that, then you are crazy.
They would be lucky to get some prospects that are going to be ready next season no matter how good they ultimately turn out to be. While Huff and Uribe are good players they will still not garner a whole lot of major league ready talent. So you trade away two of your potential team leader for next season (potential because neither of them are signed past this season) and decide that you are shooting for 2012.
A trade for a bat, Prince Fielder for instance, would instantly give this lineup some sort of presence. The batters in front of him would all get more pitches to hit and the guys behind him would be batting with runners on more often. the team would be a totally different animal. They would be able to take advantage of the current group of young pitchers that they have and Fielder has a contract that is valid through next season.
Plus McDonald's in the bay area would start to do a ton more business:
Nate, Bowker watch:
Nate came in to run for Burrell in the 6th. He had an assist in the outfield and went 0 for 1.
Nate pinch running for Burrell in the 6th makes you wonder about Bochy. At that point it's only 4-3 and you decide that you are going to pinch run for your cleanup hitter? So either Bochy has no sense as a manager, He has little faith in Pat Burrell, Burrell is hurt, or he suddenly has a lot of faith in Nate Schierholtz. I'll let you decide.
John Bowker went 0 for 5 in a Grizzlies 4-3 loss to Sacramento. The Grizzlies are in a bit of a slump themselves having lost 4 games in a row.
Showing posts with label Prince Fielder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prince Fielder. Show all posts
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
At least they scored 3 runs
ROCKIES 7 - GIANTS 3
About 2 weeks ago, this team was looking promising. They were scoring runs, pitching well, and winning games.
Then they went to Toronto.
The Giants haven't won a series since they played the Orioles back on June 14-16. Since that time they are 3 - 10 and they have now lost 3 in a row. The offense scored 3 runs for the first time in 6 games but the pitching staff gave up 7 runs.
The result was another loss.
The only real positive from this game is that the Giants future was on display and performed well. Buster Posey was the only Giant to get more than one hit, including his second homer, and Madison Bumgarner threw 7 decent innings. They seemed to be the only 2 Giants who decided to show up to play.
More fallout from the Molina trade.
The PTBNL turns out to be minor league pitcher Michael Main. He is a mid level pitcher who has had a few issues recently but throws hard and possibly projects to the bullpen. It really makes this a good deal for the Giants. It was actually a good deal for both teams since that Rangers had almost zero production from their catchers and the Giants lineup couldn't afford the non-production from Molina.
Molina was a good Giant. Up until this season, he was solid offensively and really shaped and molded our excellent staff. He will be missed.
What is wrong with the pitchers?
A lot of what is wrong with the starters can be boiled down to a slump.
I think a lot of what ails them is actually related to the offensive struggles.
You always hear baseball pitchers say that it's not necessarily pitch count that matters but how many high stress pitches a pitcher throws. Usually high stress pitches come from situations where the game is close and every pitch the pitcher makes can lose the game so a pitcher has got to be almost perfect with each pitch.
Almost every pitch a Giants starter has thrown can classify as a high stress pitch.
The Giants staff is usually pitching with one or two runs of support and each pitch they throw has the potential to lose the game for them. They are constantly under pressure to be perfect or lose. The Giants haven't even scored more than 3 runs since June 25th so there hasn't been one instance where a pitcher has had a 2 or 3 run lead since at least then.
With all the stress on the staff, slumps like this are inevitable. They are inevitable anyway, but when the offense can't score enough runs to pick up Barry Zito who battles and battles and only gives up 2 runs, it is disastrous for a team and that starter.
The bottom line is the Giants need more offense.
The only rumor on the search for more offense is that the Giants want Jonathan Sanchez and Thomas Neal for Prince Fielder. The Giants are balking at that deal and I can understand why. Who are they going to replace Sanchez in the rotation with? If they can figure out the answer to that question then I am all for the deal. right now the Giants can't afford to replace anybody in the starting rotation. Although a little offensive firepower makes the starters all look a little better. They also probably don't want to part with Neal.
Nate watch, Bowker watch, and prospect watch:
Nate got a start and went 1 for 4. Hopefully with some regular playing time he can start to hit with some authority. John Bowker went 0 for 2 for Fresno and lowered his average to a paltry .323. Lastly Brandon Belt the San Jose Giants first baseman was promoted to AA Richmond. Belt was batting a respectable .383 with 10 homeruns for San Jose so hopefully he can continue that success in Richmond.
About 2 weeks ago, this team was looking promising. They were scoring runs, pitching well, and winning games.
Then they went to Toronto.
The Giants haven't won a series since they played the Orioles back on June 14-16. Since that time they are 3 - 10 and they have now lost 3 in a row. The offense scored 3 runs for the first time in 6 games but the pitching staff gave up 7 runs.
The result was another loss.
The only real positive from this game is that the Giants future was on display and performed well. Buster Posey was the only Giant to get more than one hit, including his second homer, and Madison Bumgarner threw 7 decent innings. They seemed to be the only 2 Giants who decided to show up to play.
More fallout from the Molina trade.
The PTBNL turns out to be minor league pitcher Michael Main. He is a mid level pitcher who has had a few issues recently but throws hard and possibly projects to the bullpen. It really makes this a good deal for the Giants. It was actually a good deal for both teams since that Rangers had almost zero production from their catchers and the Giants lineup couldn't afford the non-production from Molina.
Molina was a good Giant. Up until this season, he was solid offensively and really shaped and molded our excellent staff. He will be missed.
What is wrong with the pitchers?
A lot of what is wrong with the starters can be boiled down to a slump.
I think a lot of what ails them is actually related to the offensive struggles.
You always hear baseball pitchers say that it's not necessarily pitch count that matters but how many high stress pitches a pitcher throws. Usually high stress pitches come from situations where the game is close and every pitch the pitcher makes can lose the game so a pitcher has got to be almost perfect with each pitch.
Almost every pitch a Giants starter has thrown can classify as a high stress pitch.
The Giants staff is usually pitching with one or two runs of support and each pitch they throw has the potential to lose the game for them. They are constantly under pressure to be perfect or lose. The Giants haven't even scored more than 3 runs since June 25th so there hasn't been one instance where a pitcher has had a 2 or 3 run lead since at least then.
With all the stress on the staff, slumps like this are inevitable. They are inevitable anyway, but when the offense can't score enough runs to pick up Barry Zito who battles and battles and only gives up 2 runs, it is disastrous for a team and that starter.
The bottom line is the Giants need more offense.
The only rumor on the search for more offense is that the Giants want Jonathan Sanchez and Thomas Neal for Prince Fielder. The Giants are balking at that deal and I can understand why. Who are they going to replace Sanchez in the rotation with? If they can figure out the answer to that question then I am all for the deal. right now the Giants can't afford to replace anybody in the starting rotation. Although a little offensive firepower makes the starters all look a little better. They also probably don't want to part with Neal.
Nate watch, Bowker watch, and prospect watch:
Nate got a start and went 1 for 4. Hopefully with some regular playing time he can start to hit with some authority. John Bowker went 0 for 2 for Fresno and lowered his average to a paltry .323. Lastly Brandon Belt the San Jose Giants first baseman was promoted to AA Richmond. Belt was batting a respectable .383 with 10 homeruns for San Jose so hopefully he can continue that success in Richmond.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Not the same old Sanchez
I have to admit I was a little worried when the Giants were down 4-0. Lately 4 runs has been a pipe dream for this Giants team. However, they came through with the power. Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe, and Eli Whiteside all busted out their woopin sticks and went long. Even Aaron Rowand got into the action by grounding into yet another double play. This time though Buster Posey was on third base and he scored on the play. Even though he didn't get credit for an RBI, Aaron Rowand did get to add another GIDP to his total!
It also looked like Jonathan Sanchez had reverted to his 1st half 2009 pre-no-hitter form. During that time Dirty would absolutely fall apart after an error and wind up giving up 5 or 6 runs. While he did give up 4 unearned runs, the error by Buster Posey didn't really contribute to the scoring. But, he managed to get everything under control and retire the next 13 batters in a row en route to his 4th win of the season.
I, and probably many other Giants fans, have been cautiously optimistic with Sanchez. We keep waiting for him to revert back to that mess of a pitcher that he was. This season, apart from a few rough starts, Sanchez has been excellent. He has a 2.63 ERA, he is averaging 9.0 K/9 IP, and his WHIP is down to 1.098. In short, he has arrived.
I don't know why we should be all that surprised that he finally figured it out. This guy threw 4 no-hitters in college!, in the Minors he had an astonishing 333 k's in 252.2 Innings Pitched, and his WHIP was 1.187. Based on his college and minor league numbers, you could make an argument that his struggles the last few seasons were the exception and that the Jonathan Sanchez we are seeing now is the true Jonathan Sanchez.
Just think. All the amateur GMs among the Giants fanbase were screaming for Sabean to get rid of this guy about this time last season.
Down on the farm:
Joe Martinez pitched a complete game, gave up only one run, and struck out 7. This brings his record to 5-3 with a 3.07 ERA on the season. Considering he pitches in the PCL, I'd say he deserves another shot at the majors. Although it's highly unlikely that he would crack the bigs with the Giants, he could maybe be a part of a package deal to bring a big bat to the Giants Prince Fielder anyone? Also, Mark DeRosa was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. His dramatic turnaround from injury is astounding. But it will help in the Giants never ending quest to have the oldest team in baseball as some young guy will surely get sent down when he returns.
Nate watch.
Well Boch has managed to get Nate into two straight games now. Both as 9th inning defensive replacements. Baseballreference.com lists him as one of the top defensive right fielders in the NL. He is also tied for the league lead in assists which is incredible considering he hardly ever plays. In fact, the guy in second place, Jeff Francoeur, has played in 9 more games than Nate. Oh and all of those were as a starter. Not one inning Defensive replacements as Nate has been for the last two of those games played. But Aaron Rowand got a run home while grounding into a double play last night and he only struck out once so I have to imagine Bochy is pretty happy with his swings.
It also looked like Jonathan Sanchez had reverted to his 1st half 2009 pre-no-hitter form. During that time Dirty would absolutely fall apart after an error and wind up giving up 5 or 6 runs. While he did give up 4 unearned runs, the error by Buster Posey didn't really contribute to the scoring. But, he managed to get everything under control and retire the next 13 batters in a row en route to his 4th win of the season.
I, and probably many other Giants fans, have been cautiously optimistic with Sanchez. We keep waiting for him to revert back to that mess of a pitcher that he was. This season, apart from a few rough starts, Sanchez has been excellent. He has a 2.63 ERA, he is averaging 9.0 K/9 IP, and his WHIP is down to 1.098. In short, he has arrived.
I don't know why we should be all that surprised that he finally figured it out. This guy threw 4 no-hitters in college!, in the Minors he had an astonishing 333 k's in 252.2 Innings Pitched, and his WHIP was 1.187. Based on his college and minor league numbers, you could make an argument that his struggles the last few seasons were the exception and that the Jonathan Sanchez we are seeing now is the true Jonathan Sanchez.
Just think. All the amateur GMs among the Giants fanbase were screaming for Sabean to get rid of this guy about this time last season.
Down on the farm:
Joe Martinez pitched a complete game, gave up only one run, and struck out 7. This brings his record to 5-3 with a 3.07 ERA on the season. Considering he pitches in the PCL, I'd say he deserves another shot at the majors. Although it's highly unlikely that he would crack the bigs with the Giants, he could maybe be a part of a package deal to bring a big bat to the Giants Prince Fielder anyone? Also, Mark DeRosa was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. His dramatic turnaround from injury is astounding. But it will help in the Giants never ending quest to have the oldest team in baseball as some young guy will surely get sent down when he returns.
Nate watch.
Well Boch has managed to get Nate into two straight games now. Both as 9th inning defensive replacements. Baseballreference.com lists him as one of the top defensive right fielders in the NL. He is also tied for the league lead in assists which is incredible considering he hardly ever plays. In fact, the guy in second place, Jeff Francoeur, has played in 9 more games than Nate. Oh and all of those were as a starter. Not one inning Defensive replacements as Nate has been for the last two of those games played. But Aaron Rowand got a run home while grounding into a double play last night and he only struck out once so I have to imagine Bochy is pretty happy with his swings.
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