There's nothing much to say but the usual for the pitching: Lincecum was dominant (the L.A. announcers called him "as advertised", with emphasis), and no-names competing for BP spots blew a 2-0 lead against the Angels today. A walk-off HR given by Sadler did not surprise me in the slightest. But I will say that I get a nice little twisted joy hearing the Angels' announcers acting like it was their batter's positive action.
But there's nothing different about the offense, either, particularly. The 2-0 lead was a surprise, but the biggest surprise of all today was Andres Torres. This kid and Guzman, even without team support, are hitting up a storm. (The problem here happens to be that I cannot tell if this is normal for them, if they're finally coming into their own, or if they're just spending all they have to get that 5th roster spot now that Roberts is a free agent.) We even made a comeback to take the lead in the bottom of the 9th, a two-run shot by Ryan Rohlinger.
Who ARE these kids, hmm? And are they for real? You can never be too sure, given last year, but then because of last year's constant rotation some people are picking us to be the surprise of '09.
Oh, you want the final? Sorry, I was giddy from realizing that I really did love my team enough to pay attention to them last year.
FINAL
S.F. - 4
L.A.A. - 5
The Boys Who Showed Up: Torres, Rohlinger, Lincecum
P.S. -> My son and I finally got him his first glove today! Yeah, OK; he's only 2 and the glove is for 3-5 years of age. But the first time he put it on, he did so perfectly, and I already knew he had a rocket of an arm!
Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Fruit of Youth
When Pat Misch has to rescue your SP, you get disappointed. Zito did well at first, but nullified a stunning teamwork-built 3-1 lead with a WP and then a 2-R HR to Ethier. Thank goodness Richie got a taste for his swing and gave us the lead back. And then Sandoval chipped in with one of his own. The addition of yet two more runs still couldn't keep the bullpen from allowing trouble once again, walks loading the bases after the Dodgers closed it to 7-5. Sadler removed, we barely escaped the inning 7-6.
The comforting bliss after that storm came through Roberts; a vet who is deliberately taking the fifth OF slot in the depth chart produced two more RBI. But once again teamwork was key: the bases had to be loaded in order to score two with a single. Bowker scored from Posey's second hit of the day: 10-6. The Dodgers kept threatening, per the usual, but in the end what matters not in spring is the score...
While the pitching situation is still very much unclear, even with Howry and Affeldt, what is obviously positive is how well the offense is gel-ing. We had nine hits by the fourth inning, and the only people without a hit were vets. We have not been this young and interdependent in a while, and it's refreshing. Burriss, Lewis, Sandoval (3-3, HR; spring average of .471 now), Velez and Kawa (2-2, 2B) are all doing well together, and it's definitely because of the time spent with the team last year. I won't make predictions, but I am not expecting last place again. Hallelujah.
FINAL
L.A. - 8
S.F. - 10
The Boys Who Showed Up: Sandoval, Aurilia, Roberts, Posey
The comforting bliss after that storm came through Roberts; a vet who is deliberately taking the fifth OF slot in the depth chart produced two more RBI. But once again teamwork was key: the bases had to be loaded in order to score two with a single. Bowker scored from Posey's second hit of the day: 10-6. The Dodgers kept threatening, per the usual, but in the end what matters not in spring is the score...
While the pitching situation is still very much unclear, even with Howry and Affeldt, what is obviously positive is how well the offense is gel-ing. We had nine hits by the fourth inning, and the only people without a hit were vets. We have not been this young and interdependent in a while, and it's refreshing. Burriss, Lewis, Sandoval (3-3, HR; spring average of .471 now), Velez and Kawa (2-2, 2B) are all doing well together, and it's definitely because of the time spent with the team last year. I won't make predictions, but I am not expecting last place again. Hallelujah.
FINAL
L.A. - 8
S.F. - 10
The Boys Who Showed Up: Sandoval, Aurilia, Roberts, Posey
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Puttin' The Brew on The Bar-B-Q.
It's called winning. We did it. Lincecum's 9 ABs were strikeouts. That's right: in a row.
A note on this: Bowker hit a 3-run shot, just when it looked like we were going to tank this one to the Brew crew. It was well-appreciated... but this is exactly what I've come to expect from John: show up hugely once in a while, show up not-so-much for long stretches.
That said, I'm pleased that even in spring we manage to pull anything but a horrendous record. That's saying something for a team that was once projected to finish in the bottom tiers of baseball hell. It's also saying something for keeping the best of our farm talent in a "reward cycle". Sandoval is at 3B, Burriss, Velez and Frandsen will likely all make the 40-man roster, and Ishikawa... well, you already know my opinion there. Posey, Downs and Gillaspie are all getting ABs immediately; things look good, despite the big "throw-money-at-it" signings. (Note: this is a complaint about the philosophy, not about the players themselves.)
It wasn't against Sabathia, or even a complete Brewers roster, but it will do, boys. It will definitely do.
FINAL
MIL - 2
S.F. - 5
The Boys Who Showed Up: Lincecum, Affeldt, Posey, Bowker.
A note on this: Bowker hit a 3-run shot, just when it looked like we were going to tank this one to the Brew crew. It was well-appreciated... but this is exactly what I've come to expect from John: show up hugely once in a while, show up not-so-much for long stretches.
That said, I'm pleased that even in spring we manage to pull anything but a horrendous record. That's saying something for a team that was once projected to finish in the bottom tiers of baseball hell. It's also saying something for keeping the best of our farm talent in a "reward cycle". Sandoval is at 3B, Burriss, Velez and Frandsen will likely all make the 40-man roster, and Ishikawa... well, you already know my opinion there. Posey, Downs and Gillaspie are all getting ABs immediately; things look good, despite the big "throw-money-at-it" signings. (Note: this is a complaint about the philosophy, not about the players themselves.)
It wasn't against Sabathia, or even a complete Brewers roster, but it will do, boys. It will definitely do.
FINAL
MIL - 2
S.F. - 5
The Boys Who Showed Up: Lincecum, Affeldt, Posey, Bowker.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Gifts and Gaffs
That's how I'd describe tonight's game in a phrase. Here's why:
Fred Lewis was given 2B in the 1st, which Molina turned into a run with a single. Dave Roberts' steal of 2B in the 3rd was more work, but Jurrjens' WP gave Roberts 3B. Winn sac flied; Roberts scored easily. 2-0, S.F. Roberts got the brunt of a close call later in the game, which would've widened the margin more.
Kotsay was given 3B on a WP from Cain as well, who otherwise pitched very well - solid as usual. Kotsay scored off of Jones' single, however. 2-1, S.F.
When Jurrjens was replaced, things fell apart for the Braves. Ohman gave up a solo shot to Winn - 3-1, S.F. Ohman was replaced, but that didn't help either - Lewis scored again off of a single by newcomer (who can really play, by the way) Travis Ishikawa. 4-1, S.F. Runners advanced on the LF error (another gift), and hen the Braves loaded the bases with a BB.
This is biggest gaff of the rundown: we had the bases loaded with no one out, and couldn't score anymore.
We made up for that, however, when Mr. Winn got another hit, this a near triple that bounced over the wall. Lewis got a gift BB; Molina singled. Lewis was thrown out at 3B, but Winn scored easily. 5-1, S.F. Lewis would have scored on the subsequent double by Ishikawa, but Burriss struck out to end the inning.
All I really have to say about this game is: "Yay For Youth!" Ishikawa is now 3-8 in his first two Major League games, playing unbelievable 1B defense; he credits God (as Lewis does) and relaxes. I like him - a lot. His enthused but stoic approach is a lot like the 23-year-old Cain, who was solid again - and this time he got a W. Ochoa's defense is still incredible, and reliable. Burriss adds a work ethic to position playing I have rarely seen in this team for the last few years, apart from Winn (who was 4-4, again). Wilson closed the game impeccably with the exception of a walk, again. I can't remember the last time we won this handly, although I'm sure we've done it a few times this year. All I'm going to say is that it is obviously easier when you have excited, young talent instead.
Magic number to avoid the second 100-loss season in team history: just 12.
FINAL: 5-1, S.F.
-MSH
Fred Lewis was given 2B in the 1st, which Molina turned into a run with a single. Dave Roberts' steal of 2B in the 3rd was more work, but Jurrjens' WP gave Roberts 3B. Winn sac flied; Roberts scored easily. 2-0, S.F. Roberts got the brunt of a close call later in the game, which would've widened the margin more.
Kotsay was given 3B on a WP from Cain as well, who otherwise pitched very well - solid as usual. Kotsay scored off of Jones' single, however. 2-1, S.F.
When Jurrjens was replaced, things fell apart for the Braves. Ohman gave up a solo shot to Winn - 3-1, S.F. Ohman was replaced, but that didn't help either - Lewis scored again off of a single by newcomer (who can really play, by the way) Travis Ishikawa. 4-1, S.F. Runners advanced on the LF error (another gift), and hen the Braves loaded the bases with a BB.
This is biggest gaff of the rundown: we had the bases loaded with no one out, and couldn't score anymore.
We made up for that, however, when Mr. Winn got another hit, this a near triple that bounced over the wall. Lewis got a gift BB; Molina singled. Lewis was thrown out at 3B, but Winn scored easily. 5-1, S.F. Lewis would have scored on the subsequent double by Ishikawa, but Burriss struck out to end the inning.
All I really have to say about this game is: "Yay For Youth!" Ishikawa is now 3-8 in his first two Major League games, playing unbelievable 1B defense; he credits God (as Lewis does) and relaxes. I like him - a lot. His enthused but stoic approach is a lot like the 23-year-old Cain, who was solid again - and this time he got a W. Ochoa's defense is still incredible, and reliable. Burriss adds a work ethic to position playing I have rarely seen in this team for the last few years, apart from Winn (who was 4-4, again). Wilson closed the game impeccably with the exception of a walk, again. I can't remember the last time we won this handly, although I'm sure we've done it a few times this year. All I'm going to say is that it is obviously easier when you have excited, young talent instead.
Magic number to avoid the second 100-loss season in team history: just 12.
FINAL: 5-1, S.F.
-MSH
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Hurricaning Youth
For the first time this season, and that I can remember, the Giants had six out of nine starters under the age of 29, thanks to the Giants sending up three new Fresno sensations. The starters' ages for today are as follows:
Velez: 26
Ochoa: 26
Rohlinger: 25
Ishikawa: 25
Sandoval: 22
Correia: 28
Lewis got in during the 2nd inning as well, for Rowand. Notice please from the list above that the oldest is the starting pitcher; all the rest are position players. If you count Burriss who was on the bench today, this means that we have six position players aged 26 or under. This lineup shocks, is far overdue, and therefore worth the majority of the post itself. The possibility of winning is not worth even a good portion, since you've seen what we're doing in Houston already, and apparently the Astros had won 7 in a row, and were 17-8 since the All-Star Break.
What else can I say when the Giants got two runs in the top of the 1st? Velez-Ochoa-Ishikawa also turned a DP in the bottom of the 1st. Velez himself got two 2-out singles, that eventually led to runs. Even Sandoval, who didn't have a notable game offensively, was great for sacrifice contact. Ochoa and Rohlinger hit hard as well, and were simply robbed by great defense out of the Houston 2B.
The problem, since there naturally has to be one, was Correia's lack of control; it's mostly mental. So, in my mind I sense that he pitches like Zito: the minute the other team gets any kind of momentum at all, he relies completely on the defense and his pitches get all kinds of off-center. We had a 2-0 and 3-1 leads, but Correia blew that by the 3rd inning. In the 4th, Ochoa made a "fantabulous" DP by running to the bag and then throwing to Ishikawa while rolling to the ground. Proof of this Zito Effect for Correia: after that play, he struck a batter out.
In the 6th, Lewis (replacing Rowand earlier in the game) hit a HR and then Ishikawa finally settled the nerves and had a standup double, although he did keep from advancing easily. I'm not really sure what to say about Correia, except that he usually has trouble in the middle of his starts, but does quite well after the first troubling inning. He retired eight batters in a row, and had only 79 pitches through six full innings.
Velez was robbed of another up-the-middle hit because the ball hit the pitcher and bounced perfectly to the 2B. Otherwise, we didn't have much to speak of on the Astro bullpen. But I'll tell you this: these kids must feel for each other, because Ochoa made a diving catch to save the tying run on 3B in the bottom of the 7th. He was barely there, too; just as so many of our batters had been robbed. The defense for our team is stellar, whether young or old. Without question. Except for Sandoval. I'm glad he's in, but I wonder why Holm was sent down, because although Sandoval had a few sacrifice hits, the unfortunate thing about him is that he had two passed balls. Both of those PBs made things very difficult. Bochy has told the players that he doesn't mind them making mistakes after just coming up, which I think is a good attitude; relaxed players do better anyway. Of course, you know that relaxing only does so much. Like when Taschner came in to face a lefty, instead of leaving Correia in, and ended up with a one-pitch single - giving up the lead. Correia wouldn't get the win. Taschner threw just the one pitch. Yabu got out of the inning.
In the 8th, Ishi walked. That was it. When Yabu gave up a leadoff single, he was replaced by Hinshaw. In two pitches, Hinshaw gave up a HR to Berkman. Granted that the pitch wasn't bad, such an outing isn't normal for Alex, Berkman is strong, and this park favors Berkman's strength... but the game was pretty much up at that point. It was clear that the management thought so at least, because they put Walker in, who of course gave up yet another run. Ochoa made a nice play to Velez to finish the inning, but Jon and Dave had to joke about Michael Bourn's Class-A hitting performance by calling him "The Bourn Out" to make this inning an honest laugher. Which leaves the primary positive for the game the same as it should have been all year: "Yay For Youth."
FINAL: 7-4, Houston.
We were swept.
Hope B.S. wept.
-MSH
Velez: 26
Ochoa: 26
Rohlinger: 25
Ishikawa: 25
Sandoval: 22
Correia: 28
Lewis got in during the 2nd inning as well, for Rowand. Notice please from the list above that the oldest is the starting pitcher; all the rest are position players. If you count Burriss who was on the bench today, this means that we have six position players aged 26 or under. This lineup shocks, is far overdue, and therefore worth the majority of the post itself. The possibility of winning is not worth even a good portion, since you've seen what we're doing in Houston already, and apparently the Astros had won 7 in a row, and were 17-8 since the All-Star Break.
What else can I say when the Giants got two runs in the top of the 1st? Velez-Ochoa-Ishikawa also turned a DP in the bottom of the 1st. Velez himself got two 2-out singles, that eventually led to runs. Even Sandoval, who didn't have a notable game offensively, was great for sacrifice contact. Ochoa and Rohlinger hit hard as well, and were simply robbed by great defense out of the Houston 2B.
The problem, since there naturally has to be one, was Correia's lack of control; it's mostly mental. So, in my mind I sense that he pitches like Zito: the minute the other team gets any kind of momentum at all, he relies completely on the defense and his pitches get all kinds of off-center. We had a 2-0 and 3-1 leads, but Correia blew that by the 3rd inning. In the 4th, Ochoa made a "fantabulous" DP by running to the bag and then throwing to Ishikawa while rolling to the ground. Proof of this Zito Effect for Correia: after that play, he struck a batter out.
In the 6th, Lewis (replacing Rowand earlier in the game) hit a HR and then Ishikawa finally settled the nerves and had a standup double, although he did keep from advancing easily. I'm not really sure what to say about Correia, except that he usually has trouble in the middle of his starts, but does quite well after the first troubling inning. He retired eight batters in a row, and had only 79 pitches through six full innings.
Velez was robbed of another up-the-middle hit because the ball hit the pitcher and bounced perfectly to the 2B. Otherwise, we didn't have much to speak of on the Astro bullpen. But I'll tell you this: these kids must feel for each other, because Ochoa made a diving catch to save the tying run on 3B in the bottom of the 7th. He was barely there, too; just as so many of our batters had been robbed. The defense for our team is stellar, whether young or old. Without question. Except for Sandoval. I'm glad he's in, but I wonder why Holm was sent down, because although Sandoval had a few sacrifice hits, the unfortunate thing about him is that he had two passed balls. Both of those PBs made things very difficult. Bochy has told the players that he doesn't mind them making mistakes after just coming up, which I think is a good attitude; relaxed players do better anyway. Of course, you know that relaxing only does so much. Like when Taschner came in to face a lefty, instead of leaving Correia in, and ended up with a one-pitch single - giving up the lead. Correia wouldn't get the win. Taschner threw just the one pitch. Yabu got out of the inning.
In the 8th, Ishi walked. That was it. When Yabu gave up a leadoff single, he was replaced by Hinshaw. In two pitches, Hinshaw gave up a HR to Berkman. Granted that the pitch wasn't bad, such an outing isn't normal for Alex, Berkman is strong, and this park favors Berkman's strength... but the game was pretty much up at that point. It was clear that the management thought so at least, because they put Walker in, who of course gave up yet another run. Ochoa made a nice play to Velez to finish the inning, but Jon and Dave had to joke about Michael Bourn's Class-A hitting performance by calling him "The Bourn Out" to make this inning an honest laugher. Which leaves the primary positive for the game the same as it should have been all year: "Yay For Youth."
FINAL: 7-4, Houston.
We were swept.
Hope B.S. wept.
-MSH
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The Pitchers To Be Pitied
Last night in San Diego, we had a bit of a formidable opponent: the umpire.
His strike-zone was erratic; Jon Miller even had the guts to bring it up, multiple times, and Dave Flemming corroborated (naturally). Lincecum wasn't getting anything at the knees to speak of. (Hoffman got something at the knees in the tenth, which gave a very amusing reaction from Burriss. Good boy.) But because of that, he had to rely on that changeup again to strikeout people; he relied on it as late as the seventh. Which, he did. In the bottom of the first, he struck out the side. Of course, he struck out the last two after four reached in a row, and the Padres scored a run.
But fortunately for us, this tied the game instead of gaining a lead. That's right, the scoreless inning streak was over from the beginning. Thanks to the youth (big surprise), we hit the ball hard all night. Lewis sac-flied to allow Winn to score the first run. Then, he went 2-2; his base hit led off the sixth, Molina followed up with a single of his own, and even though Rowand double-played his AB, Lewis scored off a passed ball to take the lead. (This is the last time for the post that I will mention Rowand offensively, mind you: he did nothing.)
At this point, I'd like to bring up a few other immediate positives that made me happy about the team regardless of the outcome:
1) We FINALLY had youth at 2B and SS - at the same time! That's right; thank God, Burriss started at 2B and Ochoa started at SS. Ochoa started the game with a hit, and Burriss is solid defensively; he's finding 2B a warm home, I think, more so than SS.
2) The youth FINALLY had a game where they could show their stuff as a team. Everyone performed well, even though the stats didn't show it completely. Almost all the youth hit the ball hard at least once, and all of our scoring was because of at least one key contact-hit by a youngster or two.
3) Bowker was particularly interesting this time, because although Bowker made a baserunning error by advancing at a precarious fly ball, he hit the ball deep every time and led the seventh off with a double up the wall. I believe he's coming into his own, slowly, because surprise-surprise: he's being played every day.
However, naturally because of that last point being good, the management shocked me again and pulled Bowker after his baserunning naivete. They replaced him with Aurilia in the bottom of the seventh, defensively. I agree that Aurilia is better defensively with a slim lead, so I really don't have a problem with it. But I won't say I expected the switch. I would expect more of a double-switch from Bochy, actually. But so be it. Aurilia made the first out of the seventh himself, and I'm sorry, but I like Richie. He's the only vet I want to see playing for my team at this point (sorry Aaron). I mean, dude, look at how lame the rest of the players' walk-up music is, compared to Richie's that's given last.
For his own piece, Timmy The Kid still had 9 Ks through six innings himself. He would finish with 11, over seven full innings, with 114 total pitches. He didn't even allow a runner to reach scoring position since the first inning run. His being pulled out after seven innings and striking out most of the last two innings at least brought shades of his last start, I will admit. But an excellent showing nevertheless by Tim.
Bochy may have finally gotten the hint about Walker, using him for only a one-pitch groundout to start the eighth and then bringing in Jack [Taschner]; I know that Giles was next and it was lefty-lefty matchup. But, since Jack obviously didn't get traded, I have a feeling that Walker was being put on show to see, if he could hold well, what prospects we might have obtained for him. Shrewd, if it weren't for the fact that Walker wasn't viewed as desirable by others in the first place.
In contrast, Tasch struck Giles out with a 93mph fastball on the outside corner. Confident, and excellent. It's hard not to like the guy - except when he blows it. So of course, Tasch immediately gave up a one-pitch, bleachers-in-LCF HR to Adrian Gonzalez. Immediately, Romo was warmed up. That was the second HR Gonzalez hit against Jack this year. One should know that the one guy on SD who's having a good year, and is a real threat to Jack in particular, should have been walked - immediately. Instead, immediately Tim was robbed of another win.
It doesn't really matter what the outcome of the game was, or that at one point S.F. had doubled S.D.'s hit count. Although, a win is always nice and the game going into extras made putting Richie at 1B a prophetic move.
The thing that mattered primarily is that, I'm sure, Lincecum and Cain have a lot to talk about lately. Maybe my award can become "The Pitchers To Be Pitied" now. I suppose in a certain way, we can include the bullpen entire in that as well, though obviously they are pitiable because they keep ruining things for the starters - not because they earn something that they lose because of something other than their own doing. So maybe not. Just Tim and Matt will do, for that honor.
Come to think of it, there's at least one good young guy per game that deserves to be pitied. So perhaps that makes it a new "per-game award". Necessity is the mother of invention. And recognition.
-MSH
PS
OK, how we won does matter. Burriss knocked a hit off Hoffman in the tenth after reacting humorously to a bad call, and Velez came in as a PH (youth, I'm telling you, really, what did I say?). Velez doubled off the scoreboard to score Burriss (because youth is quick). Winn was intentionally walked. Ochoa's first swing at a strike was a foul-off. Unforunately, he lined out; but it looked solid.
Brian "The Animal" Wilson came on to get a ball - at the knees. Aurilia got the first out with a great backhander. Did I mention that I like Richie? I have no idea why, except for his usual precision and his attitude. Brian hit 97mph easily, multiple times in fact. He unfortunately gave up a liner single up the middle next, because the slider hung. He then gave up another single to Giles. Thank goodness Edgar Gonzalez had a horrible jump when his elder brother got the third straight hit.
I held my breath for the final outs; but I'll give you one reason why I was ecstatic about the double-play when it looked like Wilson was falling off the wagon: Ochoa, a youth, touched 2B and turned the double-play to Aurilia. The youth were responsible for every major game-saving pitch or double-play, and every single run in some direct way; Lincecum, Lewis, Wilson, Velez, Burriss, Ochoa: the youth.
Thank God.
His strike-zone was erratic; Jon Miller even had the guts to bring it up, multiple times, and Dave Flemming corroborated (naturally). Lincecum wasn't getting anything at the knees to speak of. (Hoffman got something at the knees in the tenth, which gave a very amusing reaction from Burriss. Good boy.) But because of that, he had to rely on that changeup again to strikeout people; he relied on it as late as the seventh. Which, he did. In the bottom of the first, he struck out the side. Of course, he struck out the last two after four reached in a row, and the Padres scored a run.
But fortunately for us, this tied the game instead of gaining a lead. That's right, the scoreless inning streak was over from the beginning. Thanks to the youth (big surprise), we hit the ball hard all night. Lewis sac-flied to allow Winn to score the first run. Then, he went 2-2; his base hit led off the sixth, Molina followed up with a single of his own, and even though Rowand double-played his AB, Lewis scored off a passed ball to take the lead. (This is the last time for the post that I will mention Rowand offensively, mind you: he did nothing.)
At this point, I'd like to bring up a few other immediate positives that made me happy about the team regardless of the outcome:
1) We FINALLY had youth at 2B and SS - at the same time! That's right; thank God, Burriss started at 2B and Ochoa started at SS. Ochoa started the game with a hit, and Burriss is solid defensively; he's finding 2B a warm home, I think, more so than SS.
2) The youth FINALLY had a game where they could show their stuff as a team. Everyone performed well, even though the stats didn't show it completely. Almost all the youth hit the ball hard at least once, and all of our scoring was because of at least one key contact-hit by a youngster or two.
3) Bowker was particularly interesting this time, because although Bowker made a baserunning error by advancing at a precarious fly ball, he hit the ball deep every time and led the seventh off with a double up the wall. I believe he's coming into his own, slowly, because surprise-surprise: he's being played every day.
However, naturally because of that last point being good, the management shocked me again and pulled Bowker after his baserunning naivete. They replaced him with Aurilia in the bottom of the seventh, defensively. I agree that Aurilia is better defensively with a slim lead, so I really don't have a problem with it. But I won't say I expected the switch. I would expect more of a double-switch from Bochy, actually. But so be it. Aurilia made the first out of the seventh himself, and I'm sorry, but I like Richie. He's the only vet I want to see playing for my team at this point (sorry Aaron). I mean, dude, look at how lame the rest of the players' walk-up music is, compared to Richie's that's given last.
For his own piece, Timmy The Kid still had 9 Ks through six innings himself. He would finish with 11, over seven full innings, with 114 total pitches. He didn't even allow a runner to reach scoring position since the first inning run. His being pulled out after seven innings and striking out most of the last two innings at least brought shades of his last start, I will admit. But an excellent showing nevertheless by Tim.
Bochy may have finally gotten the hint about Walker, using him for only a one-pitch groundout to start the eighth and then bringing in Jack [Taschner]; I know that Giles was next and it was lefty-lefty matchup. But, since Jack obviously didn't get traded, I have a feeling that Walker was being put on show to see, if he could hold well, what prospects we might have obtained for him. Shrewd, if it weren't for the fact that Walker wasn't viewed as desirable by others in the first place.
In contrast, Tasch struck Giles out with a 93mph fastball on the outside corner. Confident, and excellent. It's hard not to like the guy - except when he blows it. So of course, Tasch immediately gave up a one-pitch, bleachers-in-LCF HR to Adrian Gonzalez. Immediately, Romo was warmed up. That was the second HR Gonzalez hit against Jack this year. One should know that the one guy on SD who's having a good year, and is a real threat to Jack in particular, should have been walked - immediately. Instead, immediately Tim was robbed of another win.
It doesn't really matter what the outcome of the game was, or that at one point S.F. had doubled S.D.'s hit count. Although, a win is always nice and the game going into extras made putting Richie at 1B a prophetic move.
The thing that mattered primarily is that, I'm sure, Lincecum and Cain have a lot to talk about lately. Maybe my award can become "The Pitchers To Be Pitied" now. I suppose in a certain way, we can include the bullpen entire in that as well, though obviously they are pitiable because they keep ruining things for the starters - not because they earn something that they lose because of something other than their own doing. So maybe not. Just Tim and Matt will do, for that honor.
Come to think of it, there's at least one good young guy per game that deserves to be pitied. So perhaps that makes it a new "per-game award". Necessity is the mother of invention. And recognition.
-MSH
PS
OK, how we won does matter. Burriss knocked a hit off Hoffman in the tenth after reacting humorously to a bad call, and Velez came in as a PH (youth, I'm telling you, really, what did I say?). Velez doubled off the scoreboard to score Burriss (because youth is quick). Winn was intentionally walked. Ochoa's first swing at a strike was a foul-off. Unforunately, he lined out; but it looked solid.
Brian "The Animal" Wilson came on to get a ball - at the knees. Aurilia got the first out with a great backhander. Did I mention that I like Richie? I have no idea why, except for his usual precision and his attitude. Brian hit 97mph easily, multiple times in fact. He unfortunately gave up a liner single up the middle next, because the slider hung. He then gave up another single to Giles. Thank goodness Edgar Gonzalez had a horrible jump when his elder brother got the third straight hit.
I held my breath for the final outs; but I'll give you one reason why I was ecstatic about the double-play when it looked like Wilson was falling off the wagon: Ochoa, a youth, touched 2B and turned the double-play to Aurilia. The youth were responsible for every major game-saving pitch or double-play, and every single run in some direct way; Lincecum, Lewis, Wilson, Velez, Burriss, Ochoa: the youth.
Thank God.
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
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
Monday, July 21, 2008
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
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