The most respect I've ever received in this area for being a Giant fan was from a guy named Thomas. Thomas works at Lids, the all-encompassing hat store. They've been good to me; got me the matching "Hall of Fame" stretch caps for my best friend, my boy and myself.
Thomas is a die-hard Tigers fan. I think I may have won his respect (which of course I think is important to do, especially with fellow out-of-town fans) when I told him that Detroit would be making a comeback in the AL Central -- before they did so. They're now just five games out, and Thomas apparently remembered that because he called me a "legend" and acted surprised that his co-workers didn't recognize me. It also helped to bring up the Pudge trade; he was a little surprised at it, but I reassured him that Inge can at least play, and his OPS is honestly more solid.
Anyway, props to Thomas at Lids in Arcadia, CA. If you're in the area, go there and buy from him - and tell him the San Francisco Fanatic sent you.
-MSH
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Joys and Sorrows
For talking trash about ESPN, now I get to talk trash about Manny Ramirez on a regular basis. Welcome to the rivalry, Manny. This is going to be FUN...
Unfortunately, L.A. didn't have to give up anything, and they probably won't waste the money on Ramirez's option next year, either. [Mild language here - not really.]
In other news, the Giants did nothing. [Really, mild language here.]
-MSH
Unfortunately, L.A. didn't have to give up anything, and they probably won't waste the money on Ramirez's option next year, either. [Mild language here - not really.]
In other news, the Giants did nothing. [Really, mild language here.]
-MSH
The Manny Paparazzi
Since we have the day off today, and it is the trading deadline, I thought I would take this opportunity to show y'all just how biased ESPN really is towards Eastern teams, particularly the Red Sox and Yanks. Notice I did not say "against Western teams". Here's a prime example why:
You remember all the trading rumors I (and other Giants' bloggers) have been telling you about? Winn to the Mets? Molina to the Yanks, or the Marlins? Aurilia to the Twins? Other than that last one, ESPN has covered none of it. The MLB has mentioned them in passing, but no major network wasted time on them. Now, this is actually normal; you see, trading rumors go in and out all the time, even with the most direct of evidences (for example, Mike Jacobs' own quote about Molina). That's because trades get hung up in details, far more than those that succeed, and such is what makes a possibility a bad story.
Enter ESPN, female-dog pet of the AL East. The purse they've been carried around in this time is the Manny Ramirez trade debacle. Certain rumors start like this, and they catch like wildfire, but they don't get covered by national press because it's all speculation. But now that ESPN covered this, the "blockbuster fizzling" is the new story instead. Hmm.
Welcome to "OK! Celebrity Magazine".
-MSH
You remember all the trading rumors I (and other Giants' bloggers) have been telling you about? Winn to the Mets? Molina to the Yanks, or the Marlins? Aurilia to the Twins? Other than that last one, ESPN has covered none of it. The MLB has mentioned them in passing, but no major network wasted time on them. Now, this is actually normal; you see, trading rumors go in and out all the time, even with the most direct of evidences (for example, Mike Jacobs' own quote about Molina). That's because trades get hung up in details, far more than those that succeed, and such is what makes a possibility a bad story.
Enter ESPN, female-dog pet of the AL East. The purse they've been carried around in this time is the Manny Ramirez trade debacle. Certain rumors start like this, and they catch like wildfire, but they don't get covered by national press because it's all speculation. But now that ESPN covered this, the "blockbuster fizzling" is the new story instead. Hmm.
Welcome to "OK! Celebrity Magazine".
-MSH
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The First-Inning Rule
If there existed a kind of "Hall of Fame" for game records, and you listened to it's echoing halls, you would from time to time hear a faint whispered truth: the first inning foretells the future.
It certainly seemed that way last night, as the top of the first for S.F. was, as I like to say now, "Straight Up? Straight Down." - down, down in order easily.
And Sanchez gave a leadoff walk to the Dodgers' hottest hitter (16 straight games with a hit - to be exact), Matt Kemp. Kemp stole second easily after the ball flew out of Molina's hand. Dramatic Irony: the pitch struck out the series' most visible Dodger, Casey Blake. Sanchez also went to a 3-ball count with each of the first three batters. Predictably, Martin got a fastball middle-in and singled home Kemp. He also didn't get a first-pitch strike until the sixth batter - who came up to start the second inning. Given Sanchez's previous outing (though I did give him the benefit of the doubt), I was seriously wondering if it would be repeated. And I still did, although Molina did make up for his first slip and threw out Martin on a steal attempt, albeit closely.
Once again, Castillo's presence at 2B was highly questionable. In addition to moving to the bag on a pitch that wasn't a pick-off idea when Kemp was at second, leaving the left side WIDE OPEN, he also ran out on a Kent popper farther than he should have and dropped a ball that Rowand could have easily caught instead, one that hit his glove square in the heel. How we got out of that inning down only 1-0 was like getting picked up by your mom at school just as the bully walks out onto the front lawn.
Henceforth lay proof that the First-Inning Rule be true:
Top of the second inning? "Straight Up? Straight Down."
Top of the third? "Straight Up? Straight Down."
Bottom of the third? Sanchez finally gets a talking-to from Righetti after two batters reach in a row - Blake being walked. A base-hit to Martin gives the Dodgers 2-0, runners at the corners, 1 out, and three batters reaching in a row. Kent doubles easily in the gap, 3-0. Sac fly next, and a clever move by Sanchez to get the realistic tag-out at third, but the run scores anyway (once again because of a rule I don't understand - a force-out for the last out of the inning won't allow a run, but a tag-out for the last out will?): 4-0.
Top of the fourth? "Straight Up? Straight Down."
The only comforting sign through the first four innings was Sanchez getting Ethier in a double play in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to Castillo. But then of course, Castillo was playing too close to 2B, and Berroa was allowed to slap a single easily in the right infield gap.
(I don't mean to be negative by the way, just realistic in showing the truth of a first-inning assessment. It's not, as some may think, a book-cover judgment.)
Top of the fifth? Molina got a hit! Too bad Rowand double-played his AB that followed.
Even so, Sanchez was removed for Osiris Matos in the bottom of the fifth, whose name was humorously alluded to as "Greek" by Vin Scully here, though of course the explanation was for Egyptian culture. Matos managed to get runners at the corners with no one out. Aurilia, by far my favorite veteran on the team, made another fantastic defensive play at third from a hot liner to save a run and make the next outs at least forceable. A fly out would do, and Osiris escaped with no ERA damage. Looks like the First-Inning Rule is technically "out of play" when the first SP leaves; but of course with the pattern already established by that time, very little changes historically.
Let me say to you that I like Gino Espineli a lot. He's a young, wild lefty, a Filipino (probably the second of such a background to make it to the bigs as a pitcher), and his windout is beautifully unconventional, stepping mostly to first than to home. As I may have mentioned before, he was named to the Olympic team but was replaced indirectly in the hands of fate by Nate [Scheirholtz] as a representative after being called up. His stirrups are old school. The only one on the team who wears them that way regularly is, you guessed it, good ol' Richie. He retired the side in the bottom sixth easily.
Winn got a hit in the top of the seventh, but Rowand - again - couldn't produce.
What I will say about Espineli is that his wacky delivery isn't all that great to hitters that know how to go with the direction of most of his pitches and slap it to RF. Blake did just that. Unfortunately for Gino, that hit also lost him his momentum and he walked Martin before being replaced by Romo. (A note: Bochy is getting quicker on replacements lately. This is something I like.) Romo is slowly warming up the likability factor; he struck out Kent on a nasty but precise curveball, and he's actually been effective in this series for limiting pre-existent danger.
Top of the eighth? "Straight Up? Straight down."
I don't have to mention the top of the ninth, except that Velez got the brunt of a close call and Castillo continued the ironic punishment of his existence and hit a double off the wall (too late, my friend); Flannery even sent him to home plater irrationally off a bloop single by Winn. Flannery is another story entirely; I once heard him interviewed saying he sends most of his runners because more often than not the throw to home was offline. I'm sorry, sir, but shouldn't you be thinking about particular circumstances more than gambling procedures?
There's really nothing to say about the Giants' offense; it doesn't exist. I don't know what's more pitiable: (A) the fact that the Giants went through 23 scoreless innings against L.A., or (B) that Vin Scully thought that was exceptional for us. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he was just biased towards making Billingsley look good, probably better than he really is. Looks like S.F. ought to pay me to go to games, since apparently they score multiple runs and win even when they don't deserve to.
Moral of the story? Stay honest; at least watch the first inning. And for those who run fantasy-league teams, I would suggest looking at the probable pitcher lineups against the Giants and Padres, and pick them up if they're available. Chad Billingsley, who is now just 11-9, had a CG shutout. Final: 4-0, Dodgers.
All that's left to say is that still, once again the Dodgers are not in first place ;). And that I feel horrible for the boys in the radio studio who have to do postgame right now. KNBR knows; they've cut the postgame short.
-MSH
It certainly seemed that way last night, as the top of the first for S.F. was, as I like to say now, "Straight Up? Straight Down." - down, down in order easily.
And Sanchez gave a leadoff walk to the Dodgers' hottest hitter (16 straight games with a hit - to be exact), Matt Kemp. Kemp stole second easily after the ball flew out of Molina's hand. Dramatic Irony: the pitch struck out the series' most visible Dodger, Casey Blake. Sanchez also went to a 3-ball count with each of the first three batters. Predictably, Martin got a fastball middle-in and singled home Kemp. He also didn't get a first-pitch strike until the sixth batter - who came up to start the second inning. Given Sanchez's previous outing (though I did give him the benefit of the doubt), I was seriously wondering if it would be repeated. And I still did, although Molina did make up for his first slip and threw out Martin on a steal attempt, albeit closely.
Once again, Castillo's presence at 2B was highly questionable. In addition to moving to the bag on a pitch that wasn't a pick-off idea when Kemp was at second, leaving the left side WIDE OPEN, he also ran out on a Kent popper farther than he should have and dropped a ball that Rowand could have easily caught instead, one that hit his glove square in the heel. How we got out of that inning down only 1-0 was like getting picked up by your mom at school just as the bully walks out onto the front lawn.
Henceforth lay proof that the First-Inning Rule be true:
Top of the second inning? "Straight Up? Straight Down."
Top of the third? "Straight Up? Straight Down."
Bottom of the third? Sanchez finally gets a talking-to from Righetti after two batters reach in a row - Blake being walked. A base-hit to Martin gives the Dodgers 2-0, runners at the corners, 1 out, and three batters reaching in a row. Kent doubles easily in the gap, 3-0. Sac fly next, and a clever move by Sanchez to get the realistic tag-out at third, but the run scores anyway (once again because of a rule I don't understand - a force-out for the last out of the inning won't allow a run, but a tag-out for the last out will?): 4-0.
Top of the fourth? "Straight Up? Straight Down."
The only comforting sign through the first four innings was Sanchez getting Ethier in a double play in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to Castillo. But then of course, Castillo was playing too close to 2B, and Berroa was allowed to slap a single easily in the right infield gap.
(I don't mean to be negative by the way, just realistic in showing the truth of a first-inning assessment. It's not, as some may think, a book-cover judgment.)
Top of the fifth? Molina got a hit! Too bad Rowand double-played his AB that followed.
Even so, Sanchez was removed for Osiris Matos in the bottom of the fifth, whose name was humorously alluded to as "Greek" by Vin Scully here, though of course the explanation was for Egyptian culture. Matos managed to get runners at the corners with no one out. Aurilia, by far my favorite veteran on the team, made another fantastic defensive play at third from a hot liner to save a run and make the next outs at least forceable. A fly out would do, and Osiris escaped with no ERA damage. Looks like the First-Inning Rule is technically "out of play" when the first SP leaves; but of course with the pattern already established by that time, very little changes historically.
Let me say to you that I like Gino Espineli a lot. He's a young, wild lefty, a Filipino (probably the second of such a background to make it to the bigs as a pitcher), and his windout is beautifully unconventional, stepping mostly to first than to home. As I may have mentioned before, he was named to the Olympic team but was replaced indirectly in the hands of fate by Nate [Scheirholtz] as a representative after being called up. His stirrups are old school. The only one on the team who wears them that way regularly is, you guessed it, good ol' Richie. He retired the side in the bottom sixth easily.
Winn got a hit in the top of the seventh, but Rowand - again - couldn't produce.
What I will say about Espineli is that his wacky delivery isn't all that great to hitters that know how to go with the direction of most of his pitches and slap it to RF. Blake did just that. Unfortunately for Gino, that hit also lost him his momentum and he walked Martin before being replaced by Romo. (A note: Bochy is getting quicker on replacements lately. This is something I like.) Romo is slowly warming up the likability factor; he struck out Kent on a nasty but precise curveball, and he's actually been effective in this series for limiting pre-existent danger.
Top of the eighth? "Straight Up? Straight down."
I don't have to mention the top of the ninth, except that Velez got the brunt of a close call and Castillo continued the ironic punishment of his existence and hit a double off the wall (too late, my friend); Flannery even sent him to home plater irrationally off a bloop single by Winn. Flannery is another story entirely; I once heard him interviewed saying he sends most of his runners because more often than not the throw to home was offline. I'm sorry, sir, but shouldn't you be thinking about particular circumstances more than gambling procedures?
There's really nothing to say about the Giants' offense; it doesn't exist. I don't know what's more pitiable: (A) the fact that the Giants went through 23 scoreless innings against L.A., or (B) that Vin Scully thought that was exceptional for us. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he was just biased towards making Billingsley look good, probably better than he really is. Looks like S.F. ought to pay me to go to games, since apparently they score multiple runs and win even when they don't deserve to.
Moral of the story? Stay honest; at least watch the first inning. And for those who run fantasy-league teams, I would suggest looking at the probable pitcher lineups against the Giants and Padres, and pick them up if they're available. Chad Billingsley, who is now just 11-9, had a CG shutout. Final: 4-0, Dodgers.
All that's left to say is that still, once again the Dodgers are not in first place ;). And that I feel horrible for the boys in the radio studio who have to do postgame right now. KNBR knows; they've cut the postgame short.
-MSH
Aurilia Does Rhyme
With Minnesota. It's possible, but so was Winn to the Mets and Molina to the Yanks.
That idea for a blogging tribute to Richie feels more important with time, though.
And then there's the new rumor, from one of the players involved no less, that Mike Jacobs from Florida and Bengie are being swapped... *sigh*. Stop teasing me.
-MSH
That idea for a blogging tribute to Richie feels more important with time, though.
And then there's the new rumor, from one of the players involved no less, that Mike Jacobs from Florida and Bengie are being swapped... *sigh*. Stop teasing me.
-MSH
The Strangeness Continues
The title is a bit misleading, I'll grant that. But the game was full of potentiality that was robbed by a mixture of odd play, and our good ol' fashioned tom-foolery. There were a few bright spots in the 2-0 loss, including Matt Cain's strong and gutsy performance - as usual. Here's a quick run-down by notable inning:
Top 1st: Castillo is robbed of a hit by Blake with the kind of play at 3B that I am certain the Dodgers were finally hoping to see again. Given the rest of that inning's half, that may have prevented a run.
Bottom 2nd: Aurilia makes an error at 3B, to contrast Blake's play, though to be fair he was at least in the process of diving to get it. Thankfully, Matt is always in the mood to save himself from bad situations, and got out of the inning alive.
Top 4th: Classic Giants' veteran baserunning naivete; Winn had an easy steal of 2B, but on a poor throw decided to go around to 3B immediately. That's right, without checking to see if the backup player had the ball. Berroa did indeed, and Winn was caught a mile out from 3B, missing his helmet for comedic flair. Again, because of the deep fly to RF next, and Rowand's single, Winn would've scored. That makes the potential score 2-0 Giants, not Dodgers.
Bottom 6th: Richie had a brilliant stab at a line drive to make up for his error. The problem is that it led to another by Lewis. This because after Loney singled in a run - off a hanger that Cain hated himself for - and the Dodgers had been effectively forcing Cain into deep counts (without working 3-ball counts, mind you), Lewis' fielding error on a Blake bloop single moved the ball: from fair territory, onto, and then over the foul-ground wall. Lewis had to "reach over" the wall to get it, so the "ground-rule double" call was put into effect, allowing Kemp to score and Blake to go to 3B untouched.
(I would like a bit of explanation about this "out of play" deal, because I'm confused why it was ruled that way when it was clear that Lewis could still play it easily. Bochy's smart -- apparently he told the umps that OFs make catches over walls for outs all the time when they said the ball had gone "out of play", and that caused the second conference. The result of the second conference? "Two umpires saw it go out of play." Still no explanation of "out of play", and gang-up tactics to boot.)
This play from Lewis is solely responsible for the post title. This also means that the score was now 2-0 Dodgers, not Giants. And by the end of the inning, Matt had thrown 36 pitches thanks to 15 foul-offs, and still he only allowed 1 ER. Cain had also toughed out a ball hit off his right shin earlier, without so much as rubbing it.
Top 7th: Rowand (already 1-1 that night), was HBP for the second time in the evening. Intriguing, given his AVG against L.A.
Bottom 7th: Cain still threw in the 90s, but because he still has the 3rd-worst run support in the NL, and his pitch count a season-high 118, he had to come out after this scoreless inning. He finished with 8 Ks. And also my personal title of "The Player to Be Pitied".
Top 8th: Vizquel ended his night with being very good defensively, but grounding into two double plays and striking out once - the expected. Lewis did reach - but on an error. I'm a little confused on this ruling as well, because the error was given to Berroa even though Loney's glove clearly had the ball and the ball simply dropped as he was raising it off the ground, meaning Loney had a good chance and controlling the ball but could not.
Bottom 8th: Ozuma was caught on a pick-off from first, but in the relay process Bowker dropped the ball. I'm beginning to get worried about this from Bowker, as it's become more "commonplace" than "rookie mistake"; however, Hinshaw was able to strike out two and maintain his ERA.
Top 9th: Straight up, straight down.
It was a decent game, and certainly fit the rivalry with its odd occurrences. I would say that of anyone, Cain was the man to watch. Toughness, precision, and perseverance. Other than that, typical average-quality play from S.F.
-MSH
Top 1st: Castillo is robbed of a hit by Blake with the kind of play at 3B that I am certain the Dodgers were finally hoping to see again. Given the rest of that inning's half, that may have prevented a run.
Bottom 2nd: Aurilia makes an error at 3B, to contrast Blake's play, though to be fair he was at least in the process of diving to get it. Thankfully, Matt is always in the mood to save himself from bad situations, and got out of the inning alive.
Top 4th: Classic Giants' veteran baserunning naivete; Winn had an easy steal of 2B, but on a poor throw decided to go around to 3B immediately. That's right, without checking to see if the backup player had the ball. Berroa did indeed, and Winn was caught a mile out from 3B, missing his helmet for comedic flair. Again, because of the deep fly to RF next, and Rowand's single, Winn would've scored. That makes the potential score 2-0 Giants, not Dodgers.
Bottom 6th: Richie had a brilliant stab at a line drive to make up for his error. The problem is that it led to another by Lewis. This because after Loney singled in a run - off a hanger that Cain hated himself for - and the Dodgers had been effectively forcing Cain into deep counts (without working 3-ball counts, mind you), Lewis' fielding error on a Blake bloop single moved the ball: from fair territory, onto, and then over the foul-ground wall. Lewis had to "reach over" the wall to get it, so the "ground-rule double" call was put into effect, allowing Kemp to score and Blake to go to 3B untouched.
(I would like a bit of explanation about this "out of play" deal, because I'm confused why it was ruled that way when it was clear that Lewis could still play it easily. Bochy's smart -- apparently he told the umps that OFs make catches over walls for outs all the time when they said the ball had gone "out of play", and that caused the second conference. The result of the second conference? "Two umpires saw it go out of play." Still no explanation of "out of play", and gang-up tactics to boot.)
This play from Lewis is solely responsible for the post title. This also means that the score was now 2-0 Dodgers, not Giants. And by the end of the inning, Matt had thrown 36 pitches thanks to 15 foul-offs, and still he only allowed 1 ER. Cain had also toughed out a ball hit off his right shin earlier, without so much as rubbing it.
Top 7th: Rowand (already 1-1 that night), was HBP for the second time in the evening. Intriguing, given his AVG against L.A.
Bottom 7th: Cain still threw in the 90s, but because he still has the 3rd-worst run support in the NL, and his pitch count a season-high 118, he had to come out after this scoreless inning. He finished with 8 Ks. And also my personal title of "The Player to Be Pitied".
Top 8th: Vizquel ended his night with being very good defensively, but grounding into two double plays and striking out once - the expected. Lewis did reach - but on an error. I'm a little confused on this ruling as well, because the error was given to Berroa even though Loney's glove clearly had the ball and the ball simply dropped as he was raising it off the ground, meaning Loney had a good chance and controlling the ball but could not.
Bottom 8th: Ozuma was caught on a pick-off from first, but in the relay process Bowker dropped the ball. I'm beginning to get worried about this from Bowker, as it's become more "commonplace" than "rookie mistake"; however, Hinshaw was able to strike out two and maintain his ERA.
Top 9th: Straight up, straight down.
It was a decent game, and certainly fit the rivalry with its odd occurrences. I would say that of anyone, Cain was the man to watch. Toughness, precision, and perseverance. Other than that, typical average-quality play from S.F.
-MSH
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
How (And How Not) To Get It Done
S.F. is now 1 for 1 when I am at Dodger Stadium. For those who like it straight-up, here's the box and wrap. Thank you; I am quite proud of them, myself. Hence the title.
But the title also implies how not to get things done. And what I was not proud of, visibly and vocally (in an explanative, not expletive, fashion), was further proof of my "(mis)management conspiracy" theory to throw this team into the Bay with player rotation. In addition to Ralph Barbieri's fantastic tirade this afternoon which furthered my post on Lincecum's removal Saturday, I got to witness first-hand what Bochy's idiocy means for this team. More on that later.
We can allow a little indulgence into the good of the game itself, but it was honestly a weird game. Strange. Had a humid "feel" to it's weirdness. First of all, we scored seven runs without first allowing the Dodgers a hit. I was feeling proud of Kevin Correia. Especially since our own run seemed to start when he got a two-run single himself with two outs, after Vizquel struck out chasing (bad) sliders.
I was also feeling proud of the umpires from a biased point of view, because there were three consecutive, very close calls in a row that kept our run-streak alive in the fourth: a plate tag (couldn't see it), Lewis beating a throw at first (did see it and it looked a tie, which means I functionally didn't see it), and Ethier's "catch" in RF hitting the ground before his glove (which I couldn't see for other people in the way). After those were done, we played a contact-hitting game. This is really the only way we score, and it explains why we score in bunches. Think of it like the baseball equivalent to bopping squirrels on the head at an arcade. It's frenzied, and it's erratic, but you get on a roll.
However after the run amazement, and the umpiring amazement (which was not done for the night), came the necessary growing pains of our youth. In the fourth, we almost gave up a run. Bochy left Correia in. OK, maybe. Then in the fifth, the Dodgers actually scored five runs, with no one out. Righetti talks to Correia after the second run comes in. Nice talk. Lewis misfielded what should have been a single, making it a two run double.
Then on a bunt, Bowker starts towards the ball. Too bad the ball had only gone six inches - an easy play for Molina. Except Bowker wasn't at first, and because he was moving back while Molina had the ball, Castillo didn't know whether to stand at first or not. Bowker decided that for him by backing off but too late, and Molina threw it. Why? Who knows. But Castillo, who should have been there to back Bowker up anyway, was not in place for it and lost it entirely. Did I mention that earlier in the inning, Castillo had made an erroneous throw to let Loney on base in the first place? Let me say this: You shouldn't be surprised.
Given that Correia was still in at this point, the following is the second piece of evidence for the mismanagement theory: Castillo at 2B. Excuse me, but you already have Bowker to play 1B, and Rich Aurilia to play at 3B, and sometimes 1B. Castillo can split time at 3B, though everyone in their right mind prefers Richie, which they should. (He was one of the only consistent areas of hope on both sides of the ball tonight - he hit when he had to and fielded where it would be necessary to make the best play. And of course he still has the right spirit about him on the field: gritty, versatile, calculating, and unsung.) The point here is that you've just freed Durham so that Burriss and Velez can grow out of their youth. Castillo has no place at 2B, ever.
The third piece of evidence, and the rest of it actually, is pitching. After giving up five runs in the fifth, Bochy left Correia in to bat, and then in to get one out in the sixth. This was insane; when Correia left, a runner was on second and it was 7-6. Bochy gained nothing by leaving Correia in, except another way to self-destruct his team.
Fourth piece of evidence: bringing in Hinshaw, who has the best ERA in the 'pen, to face one batter. Yes, Hinshaw walked him; yes, lefty-to-lefty is a good matchup; but this was the bottom of the sixth. Let the man finish it out. Romo did that instead, and awkwardly. Romo did not return.
Instead (the fifth piece), Walker was given the ball in the seventh. Yes, Mr.-Blow-It. Did we have luck? Fortunately, yes. But the first out was a mistaken swing at a bad pitch in the dirt, the second out was a fly out, and the third out was Rowand at the track. Kent's hit for that out looked gone to me immediately. Toward any other place in that park except dead-center, it would be. Walker did not do that smoothly, at all.
Then came the fun (no more evidence for this game). Taschner is now the setup man, apparently, and so got the ball in the eighth. (By now, of course, the Giant offense had committed to its default attitude of forcing the pitching to win the game - I believe it possible that we were hitless for the last 5 1/3 innings.) The best out was the second one, because newcomer Casey Blake was called out on a check swing. Now, I don't have a problem with Dodger fans wanting to see it as a bad call; I understand it. But Blake both crossed the plate with his bat, and had his bat angled towards the pitcher - even if just for a split-second, either of those things counts. Blake had done both. I won't argue it, but I was looking right at it, from the first base side, perpendicular to the right face of the plate. Blake argued it, because it was appealed to the 1B umpire, and after going into the dugout was then thrown out for God-knows-what by the home plate umpire. Blake ran from the dugout to the 1B umpire, for a moment as if it were an impending brawl. Welcome to the rivalry, Mr. Casey-At-The-Bat.
Then Torre was there with him; soon - and also inevitably - Torre was thrown out. I understand that you need to stand up for your players, and argue, but getting thrown out when you still have a (very) realistic chance at winning apart from a possible (but not actual) bad call is a huge mistake. The Dodgers never recovered from it, though Torre left to a standing ovation.
Something to further the weirdness was the arrest and manhandling of an errant and surprising fan by four or five security officers, who had to follow the man into the Giants' dugout. It was actually a bit frightening. We were on the 1B side, as I mentioned, and it was an absolute treat to see the boys in orange that close again (the first time in years, actually, because of the proximity to the dugout itself). But it also gave a great view for the man getting cuffed and carried out like a hot dog, being held face-down and parallel to the ground. I have no clue what he wanted, but he had a black jacket on and if he was a S.F. fan, that's completely uncalled for. I can understand if a Dodger fan gets in there because, hey, it's rivalry. But don't do that to your own team when they're losing a huge lead and just barely hanging onto it.
There was also the incident with Vizquel tossing his hat from the dugout to a lucky guy in the premiere box. This poor man then had it taken from him by a security guard so that Vizquel, obviously a little confused, had to give the man a ball instead. What, a player's hat is illegal to give out? Why? "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that could encourage a fan to keep being devoted to the game; I'll make sure not to do that ever again." What's next, no baseballs tossed to fans? I already miss the old-school gray on the under-bill of the cap, for autographing. Idiocy, everywhere. I don't get it.
But all is well that ends well. Brian Wilson is the workhorse of this team right now, without question. At least in his attitude. Aurilia has the attitude, and Lincecum and Cain have it by-default, but Wilson has it every day: the stonefire eyes, the chiseled stance, the passion, tenacity, and hardcore intensity that we've not seen since Nen, and perhaps Beck. For God's sake, the man threw one inning, struck out two, threw over 80% of his pitches for strikes, and hit 100mph or more on the radar at least five times. The man's a human animal.
I love it. I may even adopt his facial hair pattern.
-MSH
But the title also implies how not to get things done. And what I was not proud of, visibly and vocally (in an explanative, not expletive, fashion), was further proof of my "(mis)management conspiracy" theory to throw this team into the Bay with player rotation. In addition to Ralph Barbieri's fantastic tirade this afternoon which furthered my post on Lincecum's removal Saturday, I got to witness first-hand what Bochy's idiocy means for this team. More on that later.
We can allow a little indulgence into the good of the game itself, but it was honestly a weird game. Strange. Had a humid "feel" to it's weirdness. First of all, we scored seven runs without first allowing the Dodgers a hit. I was feeling proud of Kevin Correia. Especially since our own run seemed to start when he got a two-run single himself with two outs, after Vizquel struck out chasing (bad) sliders.
I was also feeling proud of the umpires from a biased point of view, because there were three consecutive, very close calls in a row that kept our run-streak alive in the fourth: a plate tag (couldn't see it), Lewis beating a throw at first (did see it and it looked a tie, which means I functionally didn't see it), and Ethier's "catch" in RF hitting the ground before his glove (which I couldn't see for other people in the way). After those were done, we played a contact-hitting game. This is really the only way we score, and it explains why we score in bunches. Think of it like the baseball equivalent to bopping squirrels on the head at an arcade. It's frenzied, and it's erratic, but you get on a roll.
However after the run amazement, and the umpiring amazement (which was not done for the night), came the necessary growing pains of our youth. In the fourth, we almost gave up a run. Bochy left Correia in. OK, maybe. Then in the fifth, the Dodgers actually scored five runs, with no one out. Righetti talks to Correia after the second run comes in. Nice talk. Lewis misfielded what should have been a single, making it a two run double.
Then on a bunt, Bowker starts towards the ball. Too bad the ball had only gone six inches - an easy play for Molina. Except Bowker wasn't at first, and because he was moving back while Molina had the ball, Castillo didn't know whether to stand at first or not. Bowker decided that for him by backing off but too late, and Molina threw it. Why? Who knows. But Castillo, who should have been there to back Bowker up anyway, was not in place for it and lost it entirely. Did I mention that earlier in the inning, Castillo had made an erroneous throw to let Loney on base in the first place? Let me say this: You shouldn't be surprised.
Given that Correia was still in at this point, the following is the second piece of evidence for the mismanagement theory: Castillo at 2B. Excuse me, but you already have Bowker to play 1B, and Rich Aurilia to play at 3B, and sometimes 1B. Castillo can split time at 3B, though everyone in their right mind prefers Richie, which they should. (He was one of the only consistent areas of hope on both sides of the ball tonight - he hit when he had to and fielded where it would be necessary to make the best play. And of course he still has the right spirit about him on the field: gritty, versatile, calculating, and unsung.) The point here is that you've just freed Durham so that Burriss and Velez can grow out of their youth. Castillo has no place at 2B, ever.
The third piece of evidence, and the rest of it actually, is pitching. After giving up five runs in the fifth, Bochy left Correia in to bat, and then in to get one out in the sixth. This was insane; when Correia left, a runner was on second and it was 7-6. Bochy gained nothing by leaving Correia in, except another way to self-destruct his team.
Fourth piece of evidence: bringing in Hinshaw, who has the best ERA in the 'pen, to face one batter. Yes, Hinshaw walked him; yes, lefty-to-lefty is a good matchup; but this was the bottom of the sixth. Let the man finish it out. Romo did that instead, and awkwardly. Romo did not return.
Instead (the fifth piece), Walker was given the ball in the seventh. Yes, Mr.-Blow-It. Did we have luck? Fortunately, yes. But the first out was a mistaken swing at a bad pitch in the dirt, the second out was a fly out, and the third out was Rowand at the track. Kent's hit for that out looked gone to me immediately. Toward any other place in that park except dead-center, it would be. Walker did not do that smoothly, at all.
Then came the fun (no more evidence for this game). Taschner is now the setup man, apparently, and so got the ball in the eighth. (By now, of course, the Giant offense had committed to its default attitude of forcing the pitching to win the game - I believe it possible that we were hitless for the last 5 1/3 innings.) The best out was the second one, because newcomer Casey Blake was called out on a check swing. Now, I don't have a problem with Dodger fans wanting to see it as a bad call; I understand it. But Blake both crossed the plate with his bat, and had his bat angled towards the pitcher - even if just for a split-second, either of those things counts. Blake had done both. I won't argue it, but I was looking right at it, from the first base side, perpendicular to the right face of the plate. Blake argued it, because it was appealed to the 1B umpire, and after going into the dugout was then thrown out for God-knows-what by the home plate umpire. Blake ran from the dugout to the 1B umpire, for a moment as if it were an impending brawl. Welcome to the rivalry, Mr. Casey-At-The-Bat.
Then Torre was there with him; soon - and also inevitably - Torre was thrown out. I understand that you need to stand up for your players, and argue, but getting thrown out when you still have a (very) realistic chance at winning apart from a possible (but not actual) bad call is a huge mistake. The Dodgers never recovered from it, though Torre left to a standing ovation.
Something to further the weirdness was the arrest and manhandling of an errant and surprising fan by four or five security officers, who had to follow the man into the Giants' dugout. It was actually a bit frightening. We were on the 1B side, as I mentioned, and it was an absolute treat to see the boys in orange that close again (the first time in years, actually, because of the proximity to the dugout itself). But it also gave a great view for the man getting cuffed and carried out like a hot dog, being held face-down and parallel to the ground. I have no clue what he wanted, but he had a black jacket on and if he was a S.F. fan, that's completely uncalled for. I can understand if a Dodger fan gets in there because, hey, it's rivalry. But don't do that to your own team when they're losing a huge lead and just barely hanging onto it.
There was also the incident with Vizquel tossing his hat from the dugout to a lucky guy in the premiere box. This poor man then had it taken from him by a security guard so that Vizquel, obviously a little confused, had to give the man a ball instead. What, a player's hat is illegal to give out? Why? "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that could encourage a fan to keep being devoted to the game; I'll make sure not to do that ever again." What's next, no baseballs tossed to fans? I already miss the old-school gray on the under-bill of the cap, for autographing. Idiocy, everywhere. I don't get it.
But all is well that ends well. Brian Wilson is the workhorse of this team right now, without question. At least in his attitude. Aurilia has the attitude, and Lincecum and Cain have it by-default, but Wilson has it every day: the stonefire eyes, the chiseled stance, the passion, tenacity, and hardcore intensity that we've not seen since Nen, and perhaps Beck. For God's sake, the man threw one inning, struck out two, threw over 80% of his pitches for strikes, and hit 100mph or more on the radar at least five times. The man's a human animal.
I love it. I may even adopt his facial hair pattern.
-MSH
Monday, July 28, 2008
Reality & Promise: Team vs. Player
Zito lost again, badly, and Lewis had four hits with two steals. If this isn't the best possible microcosm for how to view our team for this year, and what we should be focusing on for next, then we may as well liquidate the franchise immediately.
In other trade news, holding my breath because of a previous post I made about the Mets and Randy Winn, the other team in N.Y. is also talking for him, and lo and behold, Bengie Molina.
I think it's reasonable, given the Yanks' problems at the catcher spot. And frankly, if they're willing to deal decently, I wouldn't mind. Molina is older, we can't expect to build around him because he probably won't last more than a few years, and Steve Holm was the one who caught Cain's CG shutout - going an amazing 2-3 as well.
A little justification for my thoughts there:
It always pays to realize that allegiance to players should never be as strong as allegiance to a team. Players come and go all the time; even the best go to other places at the end of their careers as a matter of business, and if they really benefited from the organization then they will return to be honored (like Clark and Thompson at memorial days at the park last year, or this year). This is why we honor players who refuse to go to another team, because as good as they are, they know that the team is bigger or more important than their individual performances.
But if you hang onto players as if they are the franchise themselves, then I can guarantee that you will (A) lose interest when they go, (B) won't be able to have the best interests of the team in mind while they stay, and (C) won't be "responsible" for the team's progress if the team does what is best for itself.
In other words: Future's now, boys.
Future's now.
-MSH
In other trade news, holding my breath because of a previous post I made about the Mets and Randy Winn, the other team in N.Y. is also talking for him, and lo and behold, Bengie Molina.
I think it's reasonable, given the Yanks' problems at the catcher spot. And frankly, if they're willing to deal decently, I wouldn't mind. Molina is older, we can't expect to build around him because he probably won't last more than a few years, and Steve Holm was the one who caught Cain's CG shutout - going an amazing 2-3 as well.
A little justification for my thoughts there:
It always pays to realize that allegiance to players should never be as strong as allegiance to a team. Players come and go all the time; even the best go to other places at the end of their careers as a matter of business, and if they really benefited from the organization then they will return to be honored (like Clark and Thompson at memorial days at the park last year, or this year). This is why we honor players who refuse to go to another team, because as good as they are, they know that the team is bigger or more important than their individual performances.
But if you hang onto players as if they are the franchise themselves, then I can guarantee that you will (A) lose interest when they go, (B) won't be able to have the best interests of the team in mind while they stay, and (C) won't be "responsible" for the team's progress if the team does what is best for itself.
In other words: Future's now, boys.
Future's now.
-MSH
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Out At The Plate
Let's go over this in detail, shall we?
Lincecum started the game striking out the side. Gaining a support-run in part thanks to Roberts (leadoff walk), Velez (throwing error - sending Roberts to 3B), and a sac fly (CF) by Winn. It looked for a while like he wouldn't give up a hit, but then a Romero hit a triple in the gap. Then a lucky break: Lincecum gets a roller to himself, checks Romero, and throws to Bowker at 1B. Then Romero tries to trick John the rook and goes towards home. Bowker makes a throw that allows Molina to make Romero look a fool. Inning saved.
Lincecum used the changeup to an enormous advantage. This is not something that the majority of the baseball country knows. In addition to having at least one of the most devastating two-seam fastballs, this has lent itself to an equally devastating change. He also has a curve and slider, each of which he throws with the same type of motion. The changeup tonight got him at least three Ks directly (as the last pitch).
Velez was certainly notable. Forcing an error in his first AB, and then stealing second from a pitchout, he succeeded in a base hit to left-center in his second AB. If it weren't for a questionable foul-call down the line for Winn, Velez would have scored because of his speed. For the record, that's two potential runs for his first two plate appearances. It's unfortunate that he struck out in the 6th with Roberts on base, but he did what he could.
Rowand unfortunately continued his woes against Webb: he was 0-8 through the 4th with 6 Ks. The same was not true for Snyder, who hit a two-run double. But the problem was the infield hit by Jackson to start the rally. Already, they were adapting to Lincecum's patterns. But Rowand did make a key throw to Molina in the fifth to keep the damage minimal.
At this point it's notable that our title, "out at the plate", applies not just to the Diamondbacks being out at the plate running but our being "out at the plate" swinging. And unfortunately, the fielding started to worsen as well. Lincecum allowed a two-out single, and then committed an error to Bowker to allow that single to get to 2B. He was, however, able to end the inning and that threat by striking out his tenth batter to end 5 1/2 innings.
Winn did his job after Velez's strikeout in the 6th, and grounded a base hit up the middle off of Drew's glove to put Roberts at 3rd with one out. So, Molina up. Causes D-Back talking on the mound. Threats of a double-steal. Webb, obviously keen on this, called Winn's bluff immediately when Winn isn't that dumb. Winn stole on the second pitch, and Roberts didn't go to ensure an easy steal. D-Backs pull the infield in, which is a bit strange for such an RBI-hitting batter.
Molina tried his best; he kept fouling the ball away, getting pieces. Worked to gain a few pitches in the dirt. But he swung at one of those pitches in the dirt. A bad, bad pitch in the dirt. And Rowand, Mr. I've-Never-Hit-Brandon-Webb, had to get a two-out hit for us to score.
Rowand lined a sinker lower than his knees, and did so impressively. Roberts scored, Winn came behind him easily, and S.F. finally had the lead back. Webb was near 100 pitches in the 6th. Bowker almost hit an easy multi-bagger to score Rowand, as well.
Notice, please, that both of our scoring opportunities were started by Dave Roberts working a walk. Dave Roberts was also responsible for the RBI that won the last game against Washington, and a stellar catch that saved at least a run then.
Lincecum struck out three in row in the top of the 7th giving him a new career-high 13 Ks, the last one on that unhittable changeup. NB: he was still throwing 96mph then, after throwing 102 pitches. People stood for him. Montefusco was right.
(For those who didn't want to read the whole thing, the actual "meat" of this post follows, here.)
Bochy, however, was an idiot. Sometimes I think he may be drunk. He pulled Lincecum for an Ochoa pinch-hit, when there were two outs, no one on base, and Lincecum was on fire as described above. Ochoa bounced out to SS, and the Giants now had to rely on the at-times horrendous bullpen.
Nervousness is natural in such situations. Bochy insists that Tyler Walker is a legitimate, reliable setup man. I'm not sure what sport-authority agrees with him, though absolutely none come to mind and none would dare show themselves after Walker gave up a leadoff double by a middle-in, belt-high pitch. An error by Bowker continued the mess, and Walker proceeded to nearly walk the bases loaded with no one out. (Side note: Why is Walker the "go-to guy"? He had no consistency to credit, and we have kids just called up that are more so.) Ojeda scored the tying run off of a sac-fly, and Lincecum's career night was robbed of its rightful "W" glory. The D-Backs then proceeded to have two more hits, and take the lead with a run. Then again. It went instantaneously from a kid throwing 13 Ks and gaining a 3-2 win, to an old man getting only one out and giving up three runs to make it 5-3 loss.
Then Bochy came out.
Sorry, coach. You're too late.
I've noted this for a while about Bruce in his pregame interviews. He attempts to be a "player's coach" and maintain the paradoxical fantasy in his head that somehow that means he'll be listened to, and the guys will play as he wants. He was challenged by Kuip today for how he handles the bullpen, especially last night, and Bochy was obviously (though indirectly) defensive. He's not interested in being accountable anymore, and I can't say for sure that he was ever accountable period. I agree with Jon at Giants Win; boycotts and t-shirts that call for both Bochy and Sabean's firing is more than called for.
I don't want to hear anything about Bowker's error. It can be at-fault for one of the runs, yes; it shouldn't have happened. But hello, one run is not three; he's a kid, a rookie; he'll make mistakes. And though Walker did allow all the damage done, his being in the game in the first place was probably a shock to everyone else on the field, including Bowker. So really no matter how one observes the game tonight, the person who shouldn't be making mistakes, and definitely not ones that deliberately cease momentum, is he who manages. You'd think that Bochy would at least be sensitive to showing positive support for a young kid like Timmy that's on an obvious roll. I guarantee you that even if Timmy is a good kid, that lack of trust to ride his momentum is damaging Bochy's relationship with him. So much for being a "player's coach", huh Bruce?
Why does our team manage to sign people for big contracts years after their most success? Yes, I'm thinking Zito and Bochy. And no, I don't want to be thinking about Sabean. Ever.
Rowand did manage to get on base in the bottom of the ninth, and continue to spur the offense in an unfortunately rare show of plate-discipline. Bowker had a chance to make up for the error when he came up next after Aaron. He struck out to a great two-strike curveball that broke down and out of the strike zone. Castillo, in his youthful optimism, tried to tie the game with a HR. He succeeded... in flying out to RF. Game over.
But not for the management. Woe is S.F.
In other news, Durham just went 2-3 with a 2B and 3R in the leadoff spot for Milwaukee.
-MSH
Lincecum started the game striking out the side. Gaining a support-run in part thanks to Roberts (leadoff walk), Velez (throwing error - sending Roberts to 3B), and a sac fly (CF) by Winn. It looked for a while like he wouldn't give up a hit, but then a Romero hit a triple in the gap. Then a lucky break: Lincecum gets a roller to himself, checks Romero, and throws to Bowker at 1B. Then Romero tries to trick John the rook and goes towards home. Bowker makes a throw that allows Molina to make Romero look a fool. Inning saved.
Lincecum used the changeup to an enormous advantage. This is not something that the majority of the baseball country knows. In addition to having at least one of the most devastating two-seam fastballs, this has lent itself to an equally devastating change. He also has a curve and slider, each of which he throws with the same type of motion. The changeup tonight got him at least three Ks directly (as the last pitch).
Velez was certainly notable. Forcing an error in his first AB, and then stealing second from a pitchout, he succeeded in a base hit to left-center in his second AB. If it weren't for a questionable foul-call down the line for Winn, Velez would have scored because of his speed. For the record, that's two potential runs for his first two plate appearances. It's unfortunate that he struck out in the 6th with Roberts on base, but he did what he could.
Rowand unfortunately continued his woes against Webb: he was 0-8 through the 4th with 6 Ks. The same was not true for Snyder, who hit a two-run double. But the problem was the infield hit by Jackson to start the rally. Already, they were adapting to Lincecum's patterns. But Rowand did make a key throw to Molina in the fifth to keep the damage minimal.
At this point it's notable that our title, "out at the plate", applies not just to the Diamondbacks being out at the plate running but our being "out at the plate" swinging. And unfortunately, the fielding started to worsen as well. Lincecum allowed a two-out single, and then committed an error to Bowker to allow that single to get to 2B. He was, however, able to end the inning and that threat by striking out his tenth batter to end 5 1/2 innings.
Winn did his job after Velez's strikeout in the 6th, and grounded a base hit up the middle off of Drew's glove to put Roberts at 3rd with one out. So, Molina up. Causes D-Back talking on the mound. Threats of a double-steal. Webb, obviously keen on this, called Winn's bluff immediately when Winn isn't that dumb. Winn stole on the second pitch, and Roberts didn't go to ensure an easy steal. D-Backs pull the infield in, which is a bit strange for such an RBI-hitting batter.
Molina tried his best; he kept fouling the ball away, getting pieces. Worked to gain a few pitches in the dirt. But he swung at one of those pitches in the dirt. A bad, bad pitch in the dirt. And Rowand, Mr. I've-Never-Hit-Brandon-Webb, had to get a two-out hit for us to score.
Rowand lined a sinker lower than his knees, and did so impressively. Roberts scored, Winn came behind him easily, and S.F. finally had the lead back. Webb was near 100 pitches in the 6th. Bowker almost hit an easy multi-bagger to score Rowand, as well.
Notice, please, that both of our scoring opportunities were started by Dave Roberts working a walk. Dave Roberts was also responsible for the RBI that won the last game against Washington, and a stellar catch that saved at least a run then.
Lincecum struck out three in row in the top of the 7th giving him a new career-high 13 Ks, the last one on that unhittable changeup. NB: he was still throwing 96mph then, after throwing 102 pitches. People stood for him. Montefusco was right.
(For those who didn't want to read the whole thing, the actual "meat" of this post follows, here.)
Bochy, however, was an idiot. Sometimes I think he may be drunk. He pulled Lincecum for an Ochoa pinch-hit, when there were two outs, no one on base, and Lincecum was on fire as described above. Ochoa bounced out to SS, and the Giants now had to rely on the at-times horrendous bullpen.
Nervousness is natural in such situations. Bochy insists that Tyler Walker is a legitimate, reliable setup man. I'm not sure what sport-authority agrees with him, though absolutely none come to mind and none would dare show themselves after Walker gave up a leadoff double by a middle-in, belt-high pitch. An error by Bowker continued the mess, and Walker proceeded to nearly walk the bases loaded with no one out. (Side note: Why is Walker the "go-to guy"? He had no consistency to credit, and we have kids just called up that are more so.) Ojeda scored the tying run off of a sac-fly, and Lincecum's career night was robbed of its rightful "W" glory. The D-Backs then proceeded to have two more hits, and take the lead with a run. Then again. It went instantaneously from a kid throwing 13 Ks and gaining a 3-2 win, to an old man getting only one out and giving up three runs to make it 5-3 loss.
Then Bochy came out.
Sorry, coach. You're too late.
I've noted this for a while about Bruce in his pregame interviews. He attempts to be a "player's coach" and maintain the paradoxical fantasy in his head that somehow that means he'll be listened to, and the guys will play as he wants. He was challenged by Kuip today for how he handles the bullpen, especially last night, and Bochy was obviously (though indirectly) defensive. He's not interested in being accountable anymore, and I can't say for sure that he was ever accountable period. I agree with Jon at Giants Win; boycotts and t-shirts that call for both Bochy and Sabean's firing is more than called for.
I don't want to hear anything about Bowker's error. It can be at-fault for one of the runs, yes; it shouldn't have happened. But hello, one run is not three; he's a kid, a rookie; he'll make mistakes. And though Walker did allow all the damage done, his being in the game in the first place was probably a shock to everyone else on the field, including Bowker. So really no matter how one observes the game tonight, the person who shouldn't be making mistakes, and definitely not ones that deliberately cease momentum, is he who manages. You'd think that Bochy would at least be sensitive to showing positive support for a young kid like Timmy that's on an obvious roll. I guarantee you that even if Timmy is a good kid, that lack of trust to ride his momentum is damaging Bochy's relationship with him. So much for being a "player's coach", huh Bruce?
Why does our team manage to sign people for big contracts years after their most success? Yes, I'm thinking Zito and Bochy. And no, I don't want to be thinking about Sabean. Ever.
Rowand did manage to get on base in the bottom of the ninth, and continue to spur the offense in an unfortunately rare show of plate-discipline. Bowker had a chance to make up for the error when he came up next after Aaron. He struck out to a great two-strike curveball that broke down and out of the strike zone. Castillo, in his youthful optimism, tried to tie the game with a HR. He succeeded... in flying out to RF. Game over.
But not for the management. Woe is S.F.
In other news, Durham just went 2-3 with a 2B and 3R in the leadoff spot for Milwaukee.
-MSH
True To Form
Sanchez gets smacked through three innings of work. I expected a loss, honestly, but that was because Haren was pitching oppposite; not because Sanchez is as horrible as appeared last night, or because the Diamondback offense does this very often.
But it does beg the question as to why Sanchez is second in the rotation. Oh that's right: we have Zito and Correia. But why not Timmy the Kid instead? Probably because this would happen no matter when Sanchez would pitch, because everyone has bad days. And I don't want to hear about the meager Giant offense... no one can reasonably expect any team to allow 10 runs and still win.
Some bright spots: Lewis went 2-5, while Castillo was a surprising 2-4; S.F. left the same amount of people on base as AZ, 15, meaning that theoretically we're just as effective offensively as the team that thrashed us last night.
That's all for now.
-MSH
But it does beg the question as to why Sanchez is second in the rotation. Oh that's right: we have Zito and Correia. But why not Timmy the Kid instead? Probably because this would happen no matter when Sanchez would pitch, because everyone has bad days. And I don't want to hear about the meager Giant offense... no one can reasonably expect any team to allow 10 runs and still win.
Some bright spots: Lewis went 2-5, while Castillo was a surprising 2-4; S.F. left the same amount of people on base as AZ, 15, meaning that theoretically we're just as effective offensively as the team that thrashed us last night.
That's all for now.
-MSH
Friday, July 25, 2008
Orange Friday
Today is Orange Friday, so if you can get to the park, you should :). Game starts at 7:15p., sharp. If you wear an orange polo like me, or other somewhat-bigger orange shirt, make sure you wear a white t-shirt underneath. Then you can feel like a creamsicle.
(PS, National Creamsicle Day is just days away: August 14th.)
And after all, Sanchez is good, but crowd support is always best when you're facing Dan Haren.
-MSH
(PS, National Creamsicle Day is just days away: August 14th.)And after all, Sanchez is good, but crowd support is always best when you're facing Dan Haren.
-MSH
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The [Nearly] Impossible Sweep
On the same infamous day that holds George Brett's pinetar-bat incident, and Barry Bonds' birthday, behold, something positive:
S.F. has a sweep at home. Yes, it's against the Nats; we've gone over this. This is still crazy, because we had by far the worst record from home until this series. OK, we still do. But at least now we're tied with Seattle and Washington on that, and it's no reason to take this 1-0 victory as anything but positive.
Steve Holm was great. I like Bengie, and even have him on my fantasy squad, but Steve Holm came in one day out from Fresno, and caught Matt's CG shutout. Excellent calling, that's all there is to it. He also went 2-3. Hello? First game back since June, catching Cain; goes 2-3. Cain admitted readily that he and Holm were on-page from the beginning.
Matt was likewise fantastic. It was his first CG of the year, and therefore by-default his first CG shutout. But it was also the first CG shutout for the entire starting staff. Way to go, Matthew. We love you. Hope they save you your own bobblehead on Saturday. Honestly, I'm starting to get a little upset that we don't score any runs for him, and I may even suspect personal dugout issues that other players have with him, because last year was the same. The guy pitched this way today, and he almost lost because, horror of horrors, an error (that's obviously not his fault) and one double almost lost the win for him.
Dave Roberts was another first-game(-back) star. 2-4; an amazing catch early on where he collapsed against the wall and saved runner-advancement.
Randy Winn, God bless him, though I knock him I do primarily like the guy. And his defense is why. It's true that he went 0-3 with 2 Ks. It's true that the game looked out of hand with runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the 9th. It's also true that the ball he caught for the second out was shallow RF. But the wind was a little wild, and when he caught it he still had no running start to beat the speedy guy on third. He was so on target to Holm that the runner had to stop midway and go back.
We have a sweep. We have a bit of hope. Once again, I'm shocked to a tizzy. That's good.
-MSH
S.F. has a sweep at home. Yes, it's against the Nats; we've gone over this. This is still crazy, because we had by far the worst record from home until this series. OK, we still do. But at least now we're tied with Seattle and Washington on that, and it's no reason to take this 1-0 victory as anything but positive.
Steve Holm was great. I like Bengie, and even have him on my fantasy squad, but Steve Holm came in one day out from Fresno, and caught Matt's CG shutout. Excellent calling, that's all there is to it. He also went 2-3. Hello? First game back since June, catching Cain; goes 2-3. Cain admitted readily that he and Holm were on-page from the beginning.
Matt was likewise fantastic. It was his first CG of the year, and therefore by-default his first CG shutout. But it was also the first CG shutout for the entire starting staff. Way to go, Matthew. We love you. Hope they save you your own bobblehead on Saturday. Honestly, I'm starting to get a little upset that we don't score any runs for him, and I may even suspect personal dugout issues that other players have with him, because last year was the same. The guy pitched this way today, and he almost lost because, horror of horrors, an error (that's obviously not his fault) and one double almost lost the win for him.
Dave Roberts was another first-game(-back) star. 2-4; an amazing catch early on where he collapsed against the wall and saved runner-advancement.
Randy Winn, God bless him, though I knock him I do primarily like the guy. And his defense is why. It's true that he went 0-3 with 2 Ks. It's true that the game looked out of hand with runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the 9th. It's also true that the ball he caught for the second out was shallow RF. But the wind was a little wild, and when he caught it he still had no running start to beat the speedy guy on third. He was so on target to Holm that the runner had to stop midway and go back.
We have a sweep. We have a bit of hope. Once again, I'm shocked to a tizzy. That's good.
-MSH
Winning A Series At Home
... is something the Giants seemed to have a phobia against. Until last night. Thanks to Bengie Molina (who went 3-4 with 2 doubles), Vizquel (who apparently got Bochy's hint and has finally starting heating up - he had 3 hits), and Aurilia showing his old form with a well-placed 2-run gapper in the 8th inning, S.F. came from behind to win 6-4 last night.
Granted, it was against the Nationals. But I ain't picky, this season. The last time they won back to back at home it was, I believe, April. What can I say, the kid was wearing his gear yesterday:
Wilson is single-handedly and quite literally saving our season. The man has 27 saves in 29 attempts. His ERA, once a concern, has been steadily dropping for the past [playing] month. I will say it again: Hit the deck; it's the ghost of Rod Beck.
I'm feeling a tribute-to-Richie post.
-MSH
Granted, it was against the Nationals. But I ain't picky, this season. The last time they won back to back at home it was, I believe, April. What can I say, the kid was wearing his gear yesterday:
Wilson is single-handedly and quite literally saving our season. The man has 27 saves in 29 attempts. His ERA, once a concern, has been steadily dropping for the past [playing] month. I will say it again: Hit the deck; it's the ghost of Rod Beck.
I'm feeling a tribute-to-Richie post.
-MSH
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Turnaround? [NB: The Game After Durham]
Some thoughts on last night's win as a potential turn-around, by person. Again, please note this is the first game of the first series without Sugar Ray's "I'm entitled to everything" attitude on the team:
Lewis: Went 1-4 with a leadoff HR in the first inning. He hit one of the Levi's poles in RF, preventing a splash. Kruk, Kuip, myself, and probably half the rest of the fans believe that he deserves a free pair of jeans for this.
Molina: 2 HR evening; the last time this kind of night happened for him, it was only April. Fantastic.
Zito: The crowd likes him again, and there's good reason why. He went a full six innings again, and while he allowed 3 runs he still got himself out of a few tough situations, holding on to get his fifth win of the season. Zito is now 2-0 at home, after starting the season 0-8 at home. A typical (and welcome) "second-half comeback" start for him.
Winn: Randy scored the sixth run of the game, after stealing a base and getting his first hit of the night in the eighth. However, he wasn't really what I would call a "factor" in this game. Why? Here's what the youth did prior to Winn's hit off of Washington middle relief: Ochoa 1-1 (PH); Velez 1-3 (R); Lewis 1-3 (HR). So, clearly, because Randy can still be productive without us really needing him to be, it's perfectly logical to trade him for prospects so that Nate [Schierholtz] can play.
Taschner: This is more Bochy's fault than anything. In the sixth, Bochy had Hinshaw and Espineli warming up. Taschner was put in in the seventh - without being warmed up. Taschner proceeded to get one out, then walk the next two batters after full counts before being pulled for Romo, who barely got out of the inning alive. Maybe Bochy might get the hint this time, just like the injury to Yabu has allowed him to call up Espineli. Normally, Bochy would appear perfectly calm to leave Taschner in - maybe send out Righetti. But no, Bochy went out himself, immediately.
Burriss: Put in at 2B in the ninth inning for his defense, it was clear why immediately. The first out was a sharp grounder hit to him; the second out was a Gold-Glove-caliber diving stop to catch a line out. This was done after sitting on the bench all night after warmup; he didn't even have a chance to hit. This kid is amazing.
Wilson: Got screwed on the strike zone for both of the first two hitters, so he just threw three heaters in a row to get the last out. That's called determined. That's Rod Beck. Wilson is now on pace for at least 40 saves. Hello? 40 saves.
Visquel: Sorry, pal. I love your defense, and your a historic, Hall of Fame SS; but when we're in a horrible slump, you can't be traded because you're hitting .161, and we have two fine young defensive middle IFs now, you get pulled next game.
Hooray!
-MSH
Lewis: Went 1-4 with a leadoff HR in the first inning. He hit one of the Levi's poles in RF, preventing a splash. Kruk, Kuip, myself, and probably half the rest of the fans believe that he deserves a free pair of jeans for this.
Molina: 2 HR evening; the last time this kind of night happened for him, it was only April. Fantastic.
Zito: The crowd likes him again, and there's good reason why. He went a full six innings again, and while he allowed 3 runs he still got himself out of a few tough situations, holding on to get his fifth win of the season. Zito is now 2-0 at home, after starting the season 0-8 at home. A typical (and welcome) "second-half comeback" start for him.
Winn: Randy scored the sixth run of the game, after stealing a base and getting his first hit of the night in the eighth. However, he wasn't really what I would call a "factor" in this game. Why? Here's what the youth did prior to Winn's hit off of Washington middle relief: Ochoa 1-1 (PH); Velez 1-3 (R); Lewis 1-3 (HR). So, clearly, because Randy can still be productive without us really needing him to be, it's perfectly logical to trade him for prospects so that Nate [Schierholtz] can play.
Taschner: This is more Bochy's fault than anything. In the sixth, Bochy had Hinshaw and Espineli warming up. Taschner was put in in the seventh - without being warmed up. Taschner proceeded to get one out, then walk the next two batters after full counts before being pulled for Romo, who barely got out of the inning alive. Maybe Bochy might get the hint this time, just like the injury to Yabu has allowed him to call up Espineli. Normally, Bochy would appear perfectly calm to leave Taschner in - maybe send out Righetti. But no, Bochy went out himself, immediately.
Burriss: Put in at 2B in the ninth inning for his defense, it was clear why immediately. The first out was a sharp grounder hit to him; the second out was a Gold-Glove-caliber diving stop to catch a line out. This was done after sitting on the bench all night after warmup; he didn't even have a chance to hit. This kid is amazing.
Wilson: Got screwed on the strike zone for both of the first two hitters, so he just threw three heaters in a row to get the last out. That's called determined. That's Rod Beck. Wilson is now on pace for at least 40 saves. Hello? 40 saves.
Visquel: Sorry, pal. I love your defense, and your a historic, Hall of Fame SS; but when we're in a horrible slump, you can't be traded because you're hitting .161, and we have two fine young defensive middle IFs now, you get pulled next game.
Hooray!
-MSH
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
#30
Good ol' Cepe's getting a statue.
The Giants have announced that in September, they will reveal a statue of Orlando Cepeda, our phenomenal historic 1B. Frankly, I think it's about time. Juan Marichal's statue is deserved, as is McCovey's. We don't have one of Mays, but the underground diehards call the park "Mays Field". It seems rather natural that Cepeda would be next, and here's a little bit about why:
In 1961, he led the NL in HR, RBI and bats-per-HR; 2nd in MVP voting. In '62, he helped take us to the World Series. In 1967 (although he was traded to the Cardinals), he finally won the NL MVP. He was a 10-time All-Star for S.F. from 1959-64, when they still played two a year; only Mays and Bonds have had more appearances as Giants. In 1999, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Roberto Clemente as the only other Puerto Rican to have such an honor.
There are more stats as well, which you can read about here. And in addition to this, he was a forerunner for major latino stars of the game, encouraging many of them to play by his example.
It may not be a coincidence that the team continues to parade its historic presence given their "performance" this year (even though the sooner we trade more vets, the sooner we can be excited about watching the youngsters grow as a team), but I do not expect any hardcore fan to complain about the deserved honor no matter how it came about.
Charge, "Baby Bull"; charge.
-MSH
The Giants have announced that in September, they will reveal a statue of Orlando Cepeda, our phenomenal historic 1B. Frankly, I think it's about time. Juan Marichal's statue is deserved, as is McCovey's. We don't have one of Mays, but the underground diehards call the park "Mays Field". It seems rather natural that Cepeda would be next, and here's a little bit about why:
In 1961, he led the NL in HR, RBI and bats-per-HR; 2nd in MVP voting. In '62, he helped take us to the World Series. In 1967 (although he was traded to the Cardinals), he finally won the NL MVP. He was a 10-time All-Star for S.F. from 1959-64, when they still played two a year; only Mays and Bonds have had more appearances as Giants. In 1999, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Roberto Clemente as the only other Puerto Rican to have such an honor.
There are more stats as well, which you can read about here. And in addition to this, he was a forerunner for major latino stars of the game, encouraging many of them to play by his example.
It may not be a coincidence that the team continues to parade its historic presence given their "performance" this year (even though the sooner we trade more vets, the sooner we can be excited about watching the youngsters grow as a team), but I do not expect any hardcore fan to complain about the deserved honor no matter how it came about.
Charge, "Baby Bull"; charge.
-MSH
Monday, July 21, 2008
A Winn-Win Situation?
Looks like yours truly might already be gaining an important audience. Kidding. But it's looking very eerily so, because right after saying in the previous post that Winn should be next to go, lookie here: the New York Mets are interested in Mr. Winn.
Oh, lovely, lovely day.
-MSH
Oh, lovely, lovely day.
-MSH
Thoughts on Durham
Oh yeah, baby. Dude's gone.
Our friend at Giants Win relayed the trade of Durham to us over the weekend, though it was being hinted at in the Chronicle a few days prior. While it's great that the Giants are finally trading out veterans, and people like Buster Olney are finally journalistically integrous in stating that the Giants may be trading a lot more now, there's always room for fan feedback.
Here's mine --
Pro #1: It does in fact show that the Giants are no longer under the delusion that being 7 games back in their own division constitutes being anything less than darn near 20 games back in the NL Central, thus playing "competitive" baseball. Thank God for that.
Pro #2: We've recognized that trading vets can actually garner some additional income-recovery from the Zito-contract debacle. I do like Zito as a man, but paying him $126m over almost a decade was insane. We need to recover costs as best we can, and saving $3m on the end of Durham's contract was a good start.
Pro #3: It opens up the position for more youth to take the field and gain experience. While it was always great to have his steady AVG at 2B, his veteran-entitlement attitude was wearing a little thin. He was once quoted in the Chronicle as saying that even though Kevin Frandsen was batting almost .650 in spring, that he would be the starter because it was "my position", regardless of his performance, strictly because he'd been playing longer than Frandsen. Granted, Frandsen got injured, so it wasn't an issue; but Ochoa is finally getting some time, freeing up the SS competition. We've been well-aware about that kind of attitude from Durham since he called out his "entitlement", and it's nice to see that the attitude is out now. Aside from this, it also brings to mind the most glowing "veteran-obstacle" for the team, Randy Winn and Nate Schierholtz. Nathan isn't playing because "there's no room", and though I do like Winn and his attitude is much better than Durham's, we need to be thinking about shopping Winn around as well. We're not going to win the division this season, and even if we did we'd get swept out of the playoffs. What's best to ensure victory in the long-run is to get the youth out on the field and gaining experience when it doesn't matter how bad they will be at first. This trade makes me think that such a hint might be seen by now.
Pro #4: Durham is, and has been, one of the most atrocious fielders for percentage at 2B. Enough said.
Con #1: Who we obtained for Durham. Notice that this is the only such "Con". But, given all of the above positives, there's still a glaring negative: we got very, very little for Durham. Yes, we cleared cap room. Yes, we cleared the way for youth that we've liked for a few years. However, we got a single-A outfielder who isn't that great, and we got a triple-A pitcher who is basically OK. Why is that a problem? Because we don't really need OFs, and we certainly don't need pitching. With Loree, our two out-of-high-school pitcher draft picks, Espineli, and the recent international signings of both Villalona and Rodriguez, we didn't need players at either position. We needed players at the corners, particularly 3B potentials. Hopefully, since it's clear that we might be trading a lot more in the next 1.5 weeks, we're garnering up potential "package prospects" to gain a triple-A 3B by the trading deadline.
All for now,
MSH
Our friend at Giants Win relayed the trade of Durham to us over the weekend, though it was being hinted at in the Chronicle a few days prior. While it's great that the Giants are finally trading out veterans, and people like Buster Olney are finally journalistically integrous in stating that the Giants may be trading a lot more now, there's always room for fan feedback.
Here's mine --
Pro #1: It does in fact show that the Giants are no longer under the delusion that being 7 games back in their own division constitutes being anything less than darn near 20 games back in the NL Central, thus playing "competitive" baseball. Thank God for that.
Pro #2: We've recognized that trading vets can actually garner some additional income-recovery from the Zito-contract debacle. I do like Zito as a man, but paying him $126m over almost a decade was insane. We need to recover costs as best we can, and saving $3m on the end of Durham's contract was a good start.
Pro #3: It opens up the position for more youth to take the field and gain experience. While it was always great to have his steady AVG at 2B, his veteran-entitlement attitude was wearing a little thin. He was once quoted in the Chronicle as saying that even though Kevin Frandsen was batting almost .650 in spring, that he would be the starter because it was "my position", regardless of his performance, strictly because he'd been playing longer than Frandsen. Granted, Frandsen got injured, so it wasn't an issue; but Ochoa is finally getting some time, freeing up the SS competition. We've been well-aware about that kind of attitude from Durham since he called out his "entitlement", and it's nice to see that the attitude is out now. Aside from this, it also brings to mind the most glowing "veteran-obstacle" for the team, Randy Winn and Nate Schierholtz. Nathan isn't playing because "there's no room", and though I do like Winn and his attitude is much better than Durham's, we need to be thinking about shopping Winn around as well. We're not going to win the division this season, and even if we did we'd get swept out of the playoffs. What's best to ensure victory in the long-run is to get the youth out on the field and gaining experience when it doesn't matter how bad they will be at first. This trade makes me think that such a hint might be seen by now.
Pro #4: Durham is, and has been, one of the most atrocious fielders for percentage at 2B. Enough said.
Con #1: Who we obtained for Durham. Notice that this is the only such "Con". But, given all of the above positives, there's still a glaring negative: we got very, very little for Durham. Yes, we cleared cap room. Yes, we cleared the way for youth that we've liked for a few years. However, we got a single-A outfielder who isn't that great, and we got a triple-A pitcher who is basically OK. Why is that a problem? Because we don't really need OFs, and we certainly don't need pitching. With Loree, our two out-of-high-school pitcher draft picks, Espineli, and the recent international signings of both Villalona and Rodriguez, we didn't need players at either position. We needed players at the corners, particularly 3B potentials. Hopefully, since it's clear that we might be trading a lot more in the next 1.5 weeks, we're garnering up potential "package prospects" to gain a triple-A 3B by the trading deadline.
All for now,
MSH
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Necessity of Passion
Our rookies' passion for winning games (even in Wrigley Field) aside, this was an interesting story on the Giants' team website.
Please pay attention to the last thing said, by Alex:
Hinshaw was astounded not by inanimate objects, but by the fans, who have long contributed to Wrigley's colorful atmosphere.
"You go to some parks, and the fans are just there to hang out," Hinshaw said. "Here, they pay attention to every pitch and they're involved in everything. It's like they have 40,000 players on one team. Forty thousand people want to be in the dugout slapping fives. 'Passionate' is an understatement. Fans like that are special."
Any other response necessary here? Vocal, historical, passionate, knowledgeable fans are, and forever will be, good for S.F.
All the best,
MSH
Please pay attention to the last thing said, by Alex:
Hinshaw was astounded not by inanimate objects, but by the fans, who have long contributed to Wrigley's colorful atmosphere.
"You go to some parks, and the fans are just there to hang out," Hinshaw said. "Here, they pay attention to every pitch and they're involved in everything. It's like they have 40,000 players on one team. Forty thousand people want to be in the dugout slapping fives. 'Passionate' is an understatement. Fans like that are special."
Any other response necessary here? Vocal, historical, passionate, knowledgeable fans are, and forever will be, good for S.F.
All the best,
MSH
Monday, July 14, 2008
Mays on Stickball
Awe-inspiring and gentlemanly as always, Mays gets interviewed by Harold Reynolds during a contemporary stickball competition during the All-Star break this week. You can spell Mays: C-L-A-S-S.
Mays on Stickball
Enjoy! :)
-Michael
Mays on Stickball
Enjoy! :)
-Michael
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