tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69989458474510812872024-03-15T18:09:51.958-07:00Giants. Giants! GIANTS!Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.comBlogger395125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-31968918977077597222023-12-20T06:59:00.000-08:002023-12-20T06:59:32.817-08:00Gotta Catch 'Em All<p> <span style="font-size: large;">That won't be especially hard this year. Yes, we've updated our "Greatest Players in San Francisco Giants History" page over on the right hand side there, and it didn't take long.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">For the first time since we began this entertaining but pointless exercise, there are no current Giants on the list. Brandon Crawford bows out as the top shortstop in San Francisco history, and as the seventh-greatest San Francisco Giant of all time. Get that big "35" up on the Wall of Fame posthaste.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Of the current Giants, only Logan Webb materially improved his standing in 2023, with 15 Win Shares and leading the league in innings pitched. He now has 60 total points, just ahead of Mike Krukow and Rick Reuschel, and just behind Big Ed Halicki. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Only two of the new Giants, Patrick Bailey and Blake Sabol, even made it to the qualifying list. Between them they put up 25 Win Shares in 2023, and we really hope that the signing of backup catcher Tom Murphy doesn't mean Sabol relegated to the minors. For reasons we're not yet able to explain, the team plays better when he's on it. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">As for Jung-hoo Lee, well, let's see what happens, but are we optimistic? Indeed we are. He's exactly the type of player this team has needed in the lineup and in the field. Now, how about going out and getting at least one starting ace to complement our man Webb?</span></p>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-8488280111352846262023-10-02T10:51:00.008-07:002023-10-02T11:04:37.084-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Final National League West Division Standings</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>W <span> </span>L GB </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Los Angeles<span> </span><span> 100<span> 62 </span></span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span> </span><span> <span> </span><span>Braves are better, but not by much</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span><span> 84<span> 78<span> 16<span> </span></span></span></span></span>Still don't see them as legit contenders</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">San Diego<span> </span><span> </span><span> 82<span> 80<span> 18<span> </span><span>Ended lost season with winning record</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS<span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span><span>79<span> 83<span> <span> 21<span> K</span></span></span></span></span>apler pays the price for collapse</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Colorado 59 103 41<span> </span>Is there any hope here?</span></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We're not going to speculate about the next Giants manager. Maria Guardado has a long list of potential candidates here:<a href=" https://www.mlb.com/giants/news/possible-options-for-giants-manager-position"> https://www.mlb.com/giants/news/possible-options-for-giants-manager-position</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We <i>are</i> going to note that the greatest shortstop in San Francisco Giants history bid farewell to the fans yesterday, in the season finale attended by almost 39,000 people. Brandon Crawford took the field at short to open the game as the cheers rolled across the ballpark. He batted leadoff, a class move by interim manager Kai Correa, and received another ovation in the bottom of the first. In the ninth, Marco Luciano trotted out to relieve Crawford at short, and the Bay Area boy who once dreamed of playing for the Giants one day took his last bow on this, his last day, closing out a memorable career. There's fine video of it all on the team website. In his characteristic low-key, no-BS manner, Crawford thanked the fans, his teammates, and the Giants organization for a career and an indelible style of play that marks him as one of the greats. The Wall of Fame is sure be graced by a "35" not long from now. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Brandon Crawford walks away with class and dignity from a team that is likely to see many more departures this offseason. The only reason there might not be a wholesale exodus of veterans is that curse visited upon the game by the MLBPA, arbitration. More than anything else, arbitration encourages, if not guarantees, friction and animosity between player and team as each assembles dossiers to prove why the other is shortsighted, clueless, and wrong. Many players thus sign early to avoid the process altogether. Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, Thairo Estrada, J.D. Davis, LaMonte Wade, and Tyler Rogers are all arbitration-eligible this year. What does a rebuilding team do in this situation? Some of these guys, we expect, still have team value going forward, but at what cost? None deserve a long-term contract. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The only Giants player whom we are certain has a full-time position in the field for 2024 is Patrick Bailey. Every other position is up for grabs. We could see Casey Schmitt at third, Marco Luciano at short, and Luis Matos, Wade Meckler, and Tyler Fitzgerald in the outfield, with Blake Sabol always around somewhere. Kyle Harrison and Tristan Beck may well join Logan Webb in the starting rotation. Of the veterans, we see Estrada, Wade, Davis, and Wilmer Flores as regulars and semi-regulars, including the DH. Flores and Wade as a platoon at first base might make sense. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Extended contracts the 2024 Giants will carry include those of Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, and Anthony DeSclafani, the last of which the team may have to consider an unrecoverable sunken cost. Conforto will almost certainly exercise his option to stay; nobody will offer him $18 million based on this season. Both he and Haniger have the capability to bring real value if limited to about 100 games each, which will give ample playing time to the youngsters. Speaking of youngsters, the one Giant certain to get a fat raise is Camilo Doval, who led the NL in saves, nailing down his 39th on Saturday. (39 is just about half of the Giants' total wins.) He's currently making $735,000 on a contract that expires in a month. . </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And the Giants certainly will pursue Shohei Ohtani, even given his injury situation, and they will be fighting multiple suitors, especially the Dodgers. Cody Bellinger, after his huge bounce-back season with the Cubs, is only 29 and about to get mega-rich. The Giants will pursue him, too, and may have a better shot than anyone given the focus on Ohtani. Other than these, this year's free-agent market for big bats is pretty thin. Regardless, we believe the Giants' main focus ought to be, indeed must be, on reliable starting pitchers. Yes, Harrison and Beck have promise, and Sean Manaea finished well, but at least one "rotation anchor" is needed, a guy with proven track record of solid pitching and, perhaps most important, durability. And two would be even better. There are a lot of possibilities. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Those include Blake Snell, Mike Clevinger, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Sonny Gray, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Andrew Heaney, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Lorenzen, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Seth Lugo, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Kenta Maeda, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Tyler Mahle, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordan Montgomery, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Aaron Nola, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Martin Perez, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Eduardo Rodriguez, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Marcus Stroman, and </span><span style="font-size: large;">Michael Wacha. Vince Velasquez, James Paxton, and Frankie Montas have shown good stuff but are also dogged by repeated injuries, something the Giants have seen to much of already. And the best of the lot, Julio Urias of the Dodgers, is in legal limbo. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">You'd think at least one or two of those guys would be a good fit. With youth predominating in the field, solid veteran pitching is essential. Successful Giants teams have been built around strong starting pitching, a solid bullpen, and league-average offense. Of those three areas, starting pitching was the biggest issue in 2023; does anyone really think Kapler used "openers" and ran the bullpen to exhaustion because he <i>wanted</i> to? </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZ0jY0_-EkELev2ivGQfUKpD84TKqOGEg7sPAVYPj7_EHSZ0QQcRuRtWztBBbfQwnpEVQTj-COgAMT5BqlQbethpp3P0E71PsmA3F-x6VEoJtm45kfEwgoaQn6IzUfivOH-CAFcjG7YcbfmeKCIWgC8WDRZEw8u7mCZmQEpFy39AtCPHRCajjWzvjoPmb/s640/Crawford%20Panik%20G7%202014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="640" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZ0jY0_-EkELev2ivGQfUKpD84TKqOGEg7sPAVYPj7_EHSZ0QQcRuRtWztBBbfQwnpEVQTj-COgAMT5BqlQbethpp3P0E71PsmA3F-x6VEoJtm45kfEwgoaQn6IzUfivOH-CAFcjG7YcbfmeKCIWgC8WDRZEw8u7mCZmQEpFy39AtCPHRCajjWzvjoPmb/w400-h258/Crawford%20Panik%20G7%202014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Well, the Giants scored more runs in 2023 than did the New York Yankees, and that's about it for the good news. Overall the Giants were 24th in MLB with 674 runs, well below the league average. The top five teams are all playoff teams; only the Cubs and Reds among non-playoff teams cracked the top ten. The Miami Marlins, who got hot in the last two weeks, eliminated the Cubs and Reds, and took the second wild-card away from Arizona, scored only 668, less than the Giants. They and the Diamondbacks are the only teams to enter the postseason with negative run differential. The Cubs, especially, must be wondering what happened. They finished 96 runs to the good, better than the division-winning Brewers-- and seven games off their expected record. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Milwaukee does have the best team ERA in baseball, while the Giants are 11th, better than the Phillies, Dodgers, Braves, and Marlins. You may be wondering why we're on such a rant about improving the pitching if our pitchers are better than most of the big boys. Two things: first, the Giants' pitching was much stronger before the All=Star break than after, and second, eleventh isn't good enough. Until proven otherwise this is a pitching-driven team that needs to be in the top five at least, given the offense will at best come in no better than league average. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Wins Above Average tells a similar story. The Giants were 22nd overall; ninth in pitching and 25th in the field and at bat. Their only positive position was first base; their worst was the outfield, combined. Overall they were 8 wins below average, which suggests Kapler brought them in with a few wins better than they deserved.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The only Giant anywhere near the league lead in any offensive category was LaMonte Wade. His .373 OBP was 13th, just behind Adley Rutschmann and just ahead of Christian Yelich. His .790 OPS tied for 56th (with Bryan Reynolds and just ahead of Randy Arozarena). Wade also led the Giants in runs scored; he really did have a good year and deserves a chance to do it again in 2024. Another favorite is Wilmer Flores, whose .864 OPS would have been 13th if he'd had a few more plate appearances. His 23 homers. best on the club, tied for 62nd. Most of his HR peers had many more ABs, although the Cubs' Patrick Wisdom hit 23 in only 268 ABs. (Wisdom also batted .205 with a .289 OBP.) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">As has been noted elsewhere, Logan Webb led all major-league pitchers with 216 innings pitched. His 1.07 WHIP was sixth in MLB; Gerrit Cole, whose Yankees likewise endured a terribly disappointing season, led with a 0.98 (and also finished 15-4). Webb is also tenth in ERA. And he walked only 31 men in his 216 innings; 158 pitchers walked more in fewer. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Only the Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase saved more games than Doval's 39. Doval's ERA, K/9 and WHIP were right in line with the top closers'. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Roll the Statistical Parade</u></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Ohtani's 1.066 OPS leads the majors, and 44 homers in 497 at-bats is sensational. He will probably win the AL MVP despite finishing the season on the IL. Corey Seager had a huge year for Texas but also missed 40 games. Tampa's Yandy Diaz was great, too, but missed 25 games himself. In the NL, it likely comes down to Freddie Freeman (59 doubles, 131 runs, .410 OBP) and his rival, Atlanta's Ronald Acuna, who was a little better (a MLB-leading 149 runs, .337 average and .416 OBP, 41 homers, 106 RBI). Acuna also plays right field, which may give him the edge. These guys are so good that monsters such as Mookie Betts, Bellinger, Bo Bichette, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and Matt Olson (tops with 54 homers) will likely count as also-rans despite their terrific numbers. Watch out for Milwaukee catcher William Contreras and for the overachieving Miami Marlins' Luis Arraez, whose .354 average led MLB. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Kansas City's Bobby Witt jnr and Arizona's Rookie of the Year shoo-in Corbin Carroll were the only major leaguers to top 10 triples; Ohtani had 8 to go with his 44 homers. And Juan Soto again deserves his own award: 132 walks against 126 strikeouts. Bravo! Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies is the Three-True-Outcome poster boy: 47 homers, 215 strikeouts, 126 walks, a .197 average and .343 OBP. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Although Acuna led MLB with 73 stolen bases, the champion base-stealers are Carroll, with 54 out of 59, and Washington's good young shortstop, C.J. Abrams (47 of 51). And may we present our old friend Trea Turner, of the playoff-bound Phillies, who swiped 30 without being caught once. He also hit 26 homers and scored 102 runs. He needs to walk more; with that lineup he might score 150 if he doubles his 45 walks. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Atlanta's Spencer Strider is the majors' only 20-game winner for 2023; he didn't complete a game but that 13.55 K/9 ratio tells the tale. He faced the Giants twice and won both games, allowing one earned run. The Braves won 104 games and two of his teammates had better ERAs, but he led MLB in strikeouts with 281 and we wouldn't be surprised to see him win the Cy Young Award. This is one time where a gaudy win total just might be the indicator. Blake Snell, whom we dearly want to see in a Giants uniform in 2024, led the MLB with a 2.25 ERA while winning 14. His 11.7 K/W is impressive, though he does walk people (99 in 186 IP). Sonny Gray's another one; 2.79 ERA despite his 8-8 mark and average K ratio, and he doesn't walk people. We'll set time aside to watch him in the playoffs. Gerritt Cole, the Orioles' Kyle Bradish, and the Rays' Zach Eflin are all AL CYA contenders. Justin Verlander quietly had a fine year at age 40, as did Clayton Kershaw at 35, and Toronto's Chris Bassitt, recently freed from the A's and Mets, had a strong year along with our old friend, his teammate Kevin Gausman. Doval and Clase are sure to get some votes, too.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">One of our favorites, Tim Anderson, turned 30 this year and celebrated with his first really poor season: a .245 average for this consistent .300 hitter, and since he doesn't walk his OBP was a gruesome .286. He's a free agent with a team option for 2024; at $5 million per year we have to figure the White Sox will go for it, expecting a bounce-back season. We saw him play this past May at the new Comiskey Park, and we wouldn't mind seeing him play 81 games at Oracle Park-- if 2023 was a career aberration and not a new trend. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Ohtani and Cleveland's perennial stud Jose Ramirez led everyone with 21 and 22 intentional walks. The Reds' Sam Moll, the Angels' Jaime Berria, and our own Camilo Doval issued the most IBBs; the leaders in this category are all relievers. Dylan Cease of the White Sox and the Mets' fine righthander Kodai Senga led everyone with 14 wild pitches; Blake Snell also slung 13 balls to the backstop. Doval had 10 himself, and we remember more than a few of 'em; another reliever with a tendency to wildness was Seattle's Matt Brash. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Snell was, by measure, the wildest pitcher in baseball (highest BB/IP), but he's in good company at the top with Charlie Morton, Senga, Merrill Kelly of Arizona, and the Phillies' 15-game winner Tajuan Walker. On the other side only George Kirby of Seattle and Zach Eflin had better control ratios than our own Logan Webb. Webb also forced 30 ground-ball double plays to lead MLB; he's the top ground-ball pitcher in the game. Houston's Cristian Javier is his opposite number with three fly balls to every grounder. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Oakland's J.P. Sears hit 16 batters, more than anyone. We looked for the familiar name of Anthony Rizzo atop the hit-by-the-pitch leaderboard, but then realized he played only 99 games. Our champion is Seattle's Ty France. Modest numbers everywhere else-- but hit by the pitch 34 times! Runner-up Pete Alonso of the Mets had only 21. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Toronto Blue Jays must know what they're doing. Matt Chapman, in 581 at-bats, grounded into 4 double plays, and Cavan Biggio, son of Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio, batted 289 times without grounding into one. Then in Minnesota we have Carlos Correa, pursued by the Giants in the off-season, who grounded into 30, worst in MLB, in the midst of a truly lousy season. All three of these guys are in the playoffs. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It seems to us the Giants scored a lot of runs on the sacrifice fly this season, and if they sign Cody Bellinger there may be a lot more. He tied with the Dodgers' Will Smith for the lead with 12. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>The Postseason</u></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It all kicks off tomorrow with Game One of the four wild-card series. Milwaukee hosts the Arizona Diamondbacks for three, while the red-hot Marlins are at Philadelphia. In the American League, the Houston Astros took the AL West division away from Bruce Bochy's Texas Rangers on the last day of the season, and thus earned a first-round bye. The Rangers now go Tampa Bay to face the Rays, who lost a spirited battle with the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East title but still finished with the second-best record in the league. The other AL series has Minnesota hosting the Toronto Blue Jays for three. Starting pitchers for all the games have not been announced as of this hour.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">All these games will be played on consecutive days, Tuesday through Thursday, with no travel days, as all the series are played exclusively on the higher-seeded team's home field. We visited Target Field and American Family Field this year and enjoyed both ballparks, particularly Milwaukee's. Of course some of that may be due to the Giants winning three of four in that ballpark during our visit! </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-64404093891783159342023-09-30T06:30:00.013-07:002023-09-30T06:34:21.067-07:00Shockwave<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, we didn't see that coming. The "Fire Kapler!"chorus that swelled on social media over the last month evidently reached a crescendo among those whom Farhan Zaidi and the Giants' ownership actually listen to, and so the move was made yesterday. Susan Slusser of the <i>Chronicle</i> opines that the peculiar timing-- three games left to play on the road in a lost season-- may be intended to spare Gabe Kapler from endless speculation and combative press conferences over this weekend. Whatever. It's done.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Kapler can claim he kept a team in contention until the final two weeks while undergoing a rebuild, and there's some truth to that, and it's impressive in its own way. But his overall managerial track record in September, we must say, is not strong, and was the chief point of contention when he was hired. "They booed him out of Philly!" was the complaint. "They boo everybody in and out of Philly," seemed a fair response at the time. But consider: in his two seasons at the helm of the Phillies, both teams blew potential playoff position down the stretch in a manner eerily similar to the Giants' big fade this year. In 2018 the Phils were 74-66 early in the month; they went 6-16 the rest of the way, losing 9 in a row in the final two weeks. The 2019 cave-in wasn't as dramatic, as the team was only three or four games above the waterline most of the year, but again they lost six in a row and 11 of 16 as the season closed out.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />What makes this pill hard to swallow is, of course, 2021. It wasn't just that the Giants won a franchise-record 107 games and beat out what may have been the most powerful of the LA Dodgers' teams this decade. It was also the uncanny way Kapler won matchup after matchup in tight games-- his amazing success with pinch-hitters, the best in baseball, his ability to get the most out of journeyman relievers and to find the hot hand out of the bullpen. Of course he got MVP-quality seasons out of Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt (in 97 games), and Kevin Gausman, and fine seasons out of Evan Longoria, Kris Bryant (in a short stretch) and his remaining four starting pitchers. His trademark shuttling of players between multiple positions was evident that year, but limited to only a few spots (mostly in the outfield) because his starters were playing so well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />He had none of that this year. No solid rotation. No MVP-quality season by anyone. And a plethora of injuries. Just about everyone was asked to play multiple positions, especially in the infield, and many, especially the young players, were overmatched by that demand, with way too many errors in the field as a result. And day after day Kapler kept doing it, because it's what he does. When it works, he looks like a genius. When it doesn't... well, he gets fired.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">If there's a positive takeaway at the end, it's all the rookies and youngsters who got real action for the first time this year; we expect a few will become solid starters for whoever takes over in 2024. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">And that leads us to the next question. Not only who will Kapler's successor be, but, do the Giants already have a bead on him? There's talk that Bob Melvin and the San Diego GM don't see eye to eye, and despite their late surge the Padres rank among the most disappointing teams in baseball this year. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Speculation for another day. We wish nothing but the best for Gabe Kapler going forward. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-13913182739567801812023-09-29T13:11:00.000-07:002023-09-29T13:11:02.122-07:00<p> <span style="font-size: large;">Random blasts from social media as the season winds down in disappointing fashion...</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One indication of team fielding is the percentage of runs allowed that are unearned runs. I am sure it will surprise few of you to know that 11% of the Giants' runs allowed this year were unearned. Only the Angels were worse. Perhaps it will surprise even fewer of you to know that Bruce Bochy's Texas Rangers had the lowest-- 4%. How much all of this affects the standings may be debated. The Cubs, Phillies, and Astros, all playoff-bound, have high numbers, right behind the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Giants, while the 105-loss Royals and the Nationals are commendably low, just above Texas.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There's nothing wrong with criticizing the team, the offseason signings, the trade deadline inaction, "analytics" (though all teams including the Braves, Astros, Rays, and Dodgers use them), Zaidi, Kapler, or calling for them to be fired. That's all understandable and a fan's prerogative when the team is losing, and blowing what looked like a sure shot at the postseason.</div><div style="color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What's sickening and inexcusable is: calling the players "quitters" and claiming that ownership wants to lose. "Spoiled babies" is far too mild a term for those who post that bullshit.</div><div style="color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Responding to Tom Verducci's comment about the Giants on SI.com: "If this is the future of baseball, I want no part of it"</i></div><div style="color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hyperbole. Teams that finish out of the running rarely become examples of the "future of baseball." The continuing tension in baseball is between the strategies and tactics that managers and coaches and players believe will give their team the best chance of winning, and the style(s) of baseball that fans find entertaining.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Responding to the familiar complaint that the Giants haven't had a player with a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds, and that Oracle Park is to blame... </i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #050505;"><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In 2021, Brandon Belt hit 29 in 97 games. He might've hit 40 over a full season. (Of course, "full season" and "Brandon Belt" don't really go together.) In 2021 he hit 13 (in 189 PA's) at home, 16 on the road.</div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It's not the park, it's the players. Judge or Ohtani, if healthy over a full year, would hit 30+ or 40+ playing at Oracle.</div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>In response to an unhinged and uninformed rant about fans who resell tickets:</i></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's a true story about reselling tickets. Saturday, July 1, 2000, Giants playing the LA Dodgers, our first visit to the brand-new Pacific Bell Park. Season tickets were sold out, so my 8-year-old son and I went down and got in line for the small amount of day-of-game tickets available. I was looking at the number of people ahead of us, and I began to realize the tickets would almost certainly be gone by the time we got to the window. I was wondering how I was going to tell my son that I'd screwed the pooch and would have to go back on my promise. Right about that time a taxicab pulled up to the curb and a guy got out. Remember, there were a couple of hundred people, at least, in line. Without looking either left or right, this man walked straight up to us and said, "I've got two good tickets here, first base line, but I have to go to a wedding. I'll sell you these for face value if you have cash." I did, and we made the deal as everyone around us stared in disbelief. "I wanted to find a father and son who are Giants fans," he continued, indicating our SF hats and shirts, "and I'm damned if I'll let these go to some @#$%&*! Dodger fan!" We went in, and the Giants beat the Dodgers 4-1. A day I will never forget, and neither will my son.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
To this day we call it "The Miracle of the Tickets." So you all have your opinions about resellers, I'm sure. And I have mine.</span></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div><i style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Responses to "W</i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>e knew after last year that the Giants were one of the worst fielding teams and also one of the slower teams, " and </i></span><i style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">"</i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>On the broadcast tonight they said the Giants are one of the better teams in zone range (or something). So while they've made a lot of errors, they've gotten to more balls to make errors on (or something). I don't really know how that stat works"</i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Range (or zone) is just a fancy word for total chances. And the Giants do lead the MLB in total chances, so their fielders have excellent range. They cover a lot of ground and get to balls that others would miss. It's a fair question to ask how many of those 107 errors would be base hits for most teams. No one has yet come up with a stat to accurately determine it. Errors are supposed to be called only on plays that would normally be made, which ought to filter out such uncertainties, but errors depend on the official scorers and their biases.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
Baseball-Reference has a stat, "Fielding Runs Above Average," and the Giants are at minus-30, down there near the bottom with some bad teams. I don't know whether or not this stat incorporates range as a compensating factor. Milwaukee ranks #1 in this stat, and the teams at the top are all good teams.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
So it may be that the Giants are getting to the tough ones and fumbling too many of the easier ones. We've all certainly seen that this year.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Regarding speed. The Giants have more total fielding chances than any team in MLB. They get to more batted balls than anyone. Slow teams do not do that. Stolen base totals can be deceptive since strategy and tactics affect those numbers as much as player speed, and maybe more. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I agree, the Giants generally tend to shy away from the "disruptive" approach to baserunning that works for more aggressive teams. And I do think stolen base totals can be more indicative of run potential now than in the past, because most teams have figured out that if you're not successful stealing at least 80% of the time, you're better off staying put. The MLB average is 81% success and no teams are below 74%. The Giants are at 79%. Not that long ago I used to see teams at like 55%, they were costing themselves games and runs even when they stole a lot of bases.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">\</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Both Kapler and the system need to go! (The terms "philosophy" and "style" were also thrown around)</i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I do not know what you mean by "system" or "process." I think you're conjuring up mythology. It's baseball. Our players have not been playing well over the last six weeks. That has nothing to do with strategy or tactics, but with execution.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Giants aren't the only team doing this, or emphasizing this. It is a direct result of 12- and 13- and 14-man pitching staffs. You cannot have a strong bench with that many pitchers on the team. So the situation demands flexible multi-position players. It's a situational response, not a designed "system." And by no means is it unique to the Giants.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It's common. The Giants don't have the players that teams such as the Orioles, Rays, and Brewers do. Those teams also routinely juggle the lineup based on matchups. Once again, if you are carrying 13 or more pitchers, you more or less have to play this way because you have no bench.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Keep in mind, "Platooning" does not mean having players play multiple positions. "Platooning" means having two guys alternate at one position.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kapler's style, if you will, hasn't changed since 2021.What's changed is, he had better players in 2021, and his better players played full time. He had 5 good starting pitchers in 2021, and he used them all in a normal rotation with no "openers." (Dave Roberts, whose Dodgers beat the Giants in the division series, used "openers" that year-- including Game 5 of that series!)</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">He had multi-position players in 2021. Look at LF, 2B, CF, RF. But he had Crawford, Posey, Longoria, Belt, and (briefly) Bryant starting every day because they were good enough to start every day and he knew it. Nobody this year was that good, except perhaps for Flores when healthy.</span></div></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
All this idiotic talk about Kapler's "system" and "philosophy" reminds me of an old NFL story. Back in 1978, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the Super Bowl champions, and the 49ers were the worst team in the league. A popular fad of the day was "biorhythms," with some suggesting that teams played better when their "biorhythm" charts were trending positive. One of my favorite people, Tony Dungy, summed it up like this: "I think your biorhythms are going to be better against San Francisco than they are against Pittsburgh."</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div></span></div></span></span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-63043952903198079112023-09-20T06:34:00.003-07:002023-09-20T11:21:23.068-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W L GB </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia 82<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Coasting toward home field series</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>80<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Just knocked out Giants</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Stopped freefall just in time?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cubs are a better team, but... </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>74 0.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No head-to-head left with Cubs</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> 7</span>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Turn out the lights; the party's over</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants lost at Arizona, 8-4. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago waited out a rain delay and crushed Pittsburgh, 14-1, to snap their five-game losing streak.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami defeated New York, 4-3, after losing Monday, and Cincinnati was shut out by Minnesota, 7-0, after winning Monday.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia lost at Atlanta, 9-3.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants finish up at Arizona; 12:35 local time. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami and Cincinnati complete their home series against New York and Minnesota, respectively; both daytime starts. Chicago hosts Pittsburgh tonight and tomorrow.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Last Night's Game</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Ask not for whom the bell tolls..." That bell tolled, for the first time, in the bottom of the second inning. The Giants had jumped out early, LaMonte Wade leading off the game with a triple and Joc Pederson following with a two-run homer. But it all fell apart in the bottom of the second as Alex Cobb, determined but clearly hobbled, couldn't get enough on his pitches and the Giants, as has been their wont too often this year, added to the pain with some uncertain fielding. Four runs came across, a lead Zac Gallen wouldn't lose, though he was hardly at his best. And that implacable bell tolled for the last time in the top of the fifth. Trailing 7-2, the Giants had rallied, pushing across two runs as a struggling Gallen issued back-to-back walks, the second with the bases loaded to Wilmer Flores and forcing in a run. Now it was 7-4. Pederson stepped in as the go-ahead run, bases full, one hit away from a brand-new ballgame-- and Joc took three straight called strikes. Inning, game, season-- over. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What now? Cobb has likely pitched his last game of the season, and at 35 with a bad hip, his career may be in jeopardy. There's no reason any longer to hold back the rookies-- Kyle Harrison, Casey Schmitt, Luis Matos, Marco Luciano, Wade Meckler, and the rest all deserve their chance to lead this ballclub to s strong finish. The Padres have won six straight and are only two and a half games behind the Giants. It will take six wins over the final eleven games to secure a winning season and, probably, third place in the division. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We'll be taking a few days off from this blog, and will return with our usual missive at the end of the regular season. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-48896779933840978702023-09-18T07:25:00.001-07:002023-09-18T07:25:05.704-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W L GB </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia 81<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Some breathing room at top spot</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Swept Cubs to move up</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Swept Braves to move up </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5 straight losses; season in jeopardy</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73 0.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gotta win to keep up</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> 7</span>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>On the outside looking in</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday</span></u></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants defeated Colorado, 11-10, to save one game out of what should have been a "gimme" series. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona finished up a three game sweep of the Cubs, and Miami did the same with Atlanta. Cincinnati lost at New York. Philadelphia lost at St Louis.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">The Weekend</span></u></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants were swept in horrific fashion on Saturday, looking about as bad as a team can look, especially against an opponent with 92 losses.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Diamondbacks and Marlins were the big winners, both sweeping good teams at home and moving up. The Reds split with New York. The Cubs, like the Giants, are in big trouble; they've lost five straight and their wild-card position. Philadelphia, more or less unfazed by all this, split with St Louis. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Today</span></u></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants have the day off; they open the big two-game series at Arizona tomorrow night. They'll have their two best starters, Logan Webb and Alex Cobb, ready to go. The question is, will they be able to hit Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, two good righthanders with winning records and ERA below 3.5?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami hosts the Mets; Marlins are 43-32 at home this year. Cincinnati gets Minnesota at home. Chicago is idle; they'll get the Pirates at Wrigley starting tomorrow.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia is at Atlanta in a matchup of two (OK, we'll call it) playoff teams. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>The Weekend Series</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">How quickly the Giants have fallen, from the favored position Friday night to two games behind everyone else this morning. That disastrous ninth inning from the Colorado series opener seemed to haunt the Giants all day Saturday as they lost both games, grounding into five double plays and stranding 15 runners. The early game saw the Giants seemingly shake off the previous night's loss by jumping out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. But it all fell apart for rookie Keaton Winn in the bottom of the third: two walks sandwiched around a single, followed by a bases-clearing triple from Ezequiel Tovar, who had the game-winning RBI Friday night. Winn, to his credit, recovered and pitched a scoreless fourth, and probably should have been left in for the fifth. Instead, Ryan Walker got into immediate trouble, walking three, the last with the bases loaded. Ross Stripling then came in to issue another bases-loaded walk, and stuck around to give up three more runs in the sixth and seventh. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Giants never led in the second game. Paul DeJong, in there for defense, booted a ground ball in the first inning, and two unearned runs followed. The inevitable Charlie Blackmon, who sat out the first game, led off the third with a triple and led off the seventh with a double, scoring both times, while two Giants rallies were killed by double-play balls. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, with this once-promising series in ashes and a humiliating sweep at the hands of a last-place team they've owned all year staring them down, the Giants finally got off the mat and dealt out the kind of beating we've all been expecting. Taking an early 1-0 lead, the Giants exploded for eight runs in the top of the sixth: six straight hits, a three-run homer from Brandon Crawford, then two more hits to make it 9-0. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It wasn't enough. Sean Manaea pitched five strong shutout innings, but after he gave up a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, Gabe Kapler pulled him for John Brebbia-- who immediately committed a bonehead error and then gave up a three-run blast to Brenton Doyle. That made it 9-5, and amazon.com reported a sudden spike in worry-bead sales. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Not to worry? The Giants answered smartly back in the seventh as Austin Slater and J.D. Davis quickly got on and Patrick Bailey drove them both in with a double. Colorado answered back with a run in the seventh off Tyler Rogers on a bizarre play at second base, but Luke Jackson pitched a scoreless eighth and with a five-run lead, Kapler evidently figured it was time for a nice low-risk show-of-confidence outing for the beleaguered Camilo Doval. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's how <i>that</i> went: double, single, sacrifice fly, hit batsman, wild pitch to load the bases with one run already in. Then a gruesome error as Doval failed to field a ground ball toward first, a run scoring. Then a two-run single and a 11-10 game, and Taylor Rogers coming in to face who else? Charlie Blackmon, the series MVP, representing the winning run. With a sense of dread hanging over every pitch, the lefthander got him on a line drive hit right to Thairo Estrada in short right field, and it was finally over, after three hours and seventeen minutes, a marathon under the new game-timing standards. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>The Road Ahead</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just a week ago, we figured this Arizona series would pit two teams with more-or-less the same record fighting for the same spot. But now Arizona has leaped ahead of everyone into the second wild-card position (albeit by half a game), while Chicago is down in the pit brawling with the rest of us. This doesn't change the Giants' perspective at all: they have to win both games because Miami doesn't seem to be able to lose to anyone, let alone a bad team like the Mets, at home, and the Cubs are also at home facing 70-80 Pittsburgh. What's changed about all this is that the Giants could sweep Arizona and still not improve their standing much. They'd still trail the cursed Snakes by half a game, and while they might pass the Reds (who host first-place and ready-to-clinch Minnesota), there's no certainty they'd gain any ground at all on Miami or Chicago. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But it doesn't matter. there's no choice. "Just win, baby." After this it's four games at Dodger Stadium before the final homestand against San Diego and LA. We recently posited that a good Colorado series would keep the Giants in good shape even with a .500 finish in those last ten games. Now a sweep in Arizona and 7-5 finish leaves them at 83-79, and that will not do it. The only thing that can be decided in this desert series is whether the Giants will still even be in the race when it's over.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Notes</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Was Crawford's home run yesterday the last of his storied career? It could be... Logan Webb leads all of MLB in innings pitched. Zac Gallen, whom the Giants face tomorrow night, is second... Webb is also fifth in WHIP and 9th in ERA... Doval is still third in saves with 37 despite having blown 8. The leader, Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase, has blown 11-- and the Guardians have a 72-78 record... The only Giant anywhere near the league lead in batting categories is LaMonte Wade, 12th in OBP and 18th in walks... Wilmer Flores would be tied for 10th in OPS if he had enough PAs to qualify; he's about 100 short... Carlos Correa, whom the Giants attempted to sign over the off-season, leads the world with 30 GIDP. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-81456457029302343882023-09-16T06:15:00.000-07:002023-09-16T06:15:48.507-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W L GB </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia 80<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now over .500 in road games</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lost third straight to West teams</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>77<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Took early lead and held on </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>77<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><i>Their</i> closer got the save</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Eight wins above projected</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">GIANTS </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> 7</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">72</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> 1</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Everything right is wrong again</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;">Giants lost at Colorado, 3-2, as Camilo Doval blew his eighth save.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;">Arizona defeated Chicago, Cincinnati defeated New York, and Miami defeated Atlanta, all of them gaining a full game on the Giants. Philadelphia extended their lead over Chicago by defeating the Cardinals in St Louis.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;">Giants try to pick up the pieces at Colorado, and the good news (good news?) is they have two games to do it. A daytime start (noon local, 3 EDT) for the makeup game from Thursday, with rookie Keaton Winn starting. Sean Manaea is slated to start the evening game (5 PM local, 8 PM EDT). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;">Arizona hosts the Cubs, Cincinnati is at New York, and Miami has the Braves at home. Philadelphia is at St Louis. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Last Night's Game</u></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;">You know that Violent Femmes song, "Nightmares?" That was the bottom of the ninth at Coors Field, all right. Not that the rest of the game was some kind of "sunshine daydream." It was just plain weird, with the Giants being no-hit through eight innings by Chase Anderson, the same guy they wasted just a week ago at Oracle, yet leading 1-0 by virtue of five walks and a couple of those old-fashioned "productive outs." Logan Webb was masterful through seven, working with no margin for error, allowing just two hits while striking out six. But in the eighth he surrendered a leadoff double and, one out later, the tying run on Ezequiel Tovar's RBI single. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;">With "No-Hit Anderson" finally out of there, the Giants pounced on Nick Mears in the top of the ninth. J.D. Davis hit his own leadoff double to break up the no-hit business, LaMonte Wade walked with one out, Patrick Bailey singled through second to load the bases, and Wilmer Flores came in to pinch-hit. "Old Reliable" worked a bases-loaded walk to bring in Davis, untie it, and chase Mears from the game. That set it all up for Doval and his 38th save... attempt, that is. It fell apart with shocking suddenness. Charlie Blackmon, this decade's answer to Steve Finley, opened with the game's third straight leadoff double. Doval got Kris Bryant on a grounder that held Blackmon at second, but then walked Nolen Jones to put the winning run on base. It also set up a potential game-ending double play, but Elehuris Montero wasn't playing. He singled to left and Mike Yastrzemski's throw, intended to cut down Blackmon at the plate, went wild and ricocheted away as Jones, who never stopped running, came all the way around to score. The Giants appealed Blackmon's slide at the plate, hoping to uncover a rules violation, but no dice. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;">Doval has blown eight saves. Recall that when Santiago Casilla blew his sixth save back in 2016, fans were ready to burn him in effigy and Bruce Bochy himself lost confidence in his closer, to which anyone who remembers that gruesome Game Four of the NLDS will attest. Will Gabe Kapler similarly flinch the next time a critical (and they're all critical now) save situation looms? We think not, for better or for worse. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-41933179678442335012023-09-15T06:02:00.000-07:002023-09-15T06:02:37.473-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W L GB </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia 79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lead Cubs by a game and a half</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lead Giants by two and a half</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> 7</span>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Providential rain delay?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Have lost three straight</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Failed to sweep Tigers</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Braves arriving in town</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giants were rained out in Colorado; doubleheader Saturday.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arizona, Cincinnati, and Miami all lost and fell behind the Giants.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Philadelphia and Chicago were idle. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giants at Colorado; 6:40 local time, 8:40 EDT. Logan Webb v. Chase Anderson.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arizona hosts the Cubs in the first of three. Cincinnati plays the Mets in New York. Miami gets the division-winning Braves at home.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Philadelphia is off to St Louis and the last-place Cardinals. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Catchin' Up</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over in the American League, Baltimore and Tampa are locked in a death-battle for the AL East with the Orioles leading by one slim game. The Rays are hot again and they beat the O's last night in Baltimore. Three more games follow this weekend, and this series will probably determine the division winner and the first-round bye that goes with it. They won't meet again (unless it's in the playoffs). Meanwhile, both the Yankees and Red Sox have been eliminated, and Toronto is hanging on in the wild-card race. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Minnesota has the AL Central sewed up, thanks in part to the Giants. No wild-cards there.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two months ago, Bruce Bochy's Texas Rangers were the talk of baseball as they threatened to run away with the AL West. Two weeks ago, everyone was wondering what happened and how they could fall so far so fast. Well, <i>not </i>so fast. Texas has won six straight and are now within a half-game of the perennial Houston Astros and their own former Giants manager, Dusty Baker. Seattle, who took over the division lead from Texas and then lost it, are the third-wild card at the moment; their only competition is Toronto. Ah, the simplicity!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-37830837236833949982023-09-14T07:04:00.002-07:002023-09-14T07:04:47.817-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W L GB </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia 79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Braves clinch at their expense </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now they start running cold</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cubs will be coming to town</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Race tighter than ever</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> 7</span>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Big comeback keeps them in it</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One more in Milwaukee</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants defeated Cleveland, 6-5, in ten innings, to win the three-game series.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona lost at New York and Cincinnati defeated Detroit to pull into a tie for the third wild-card spot.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami defeated Milwaukee to keep pace.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia lost to Atlanta and Chicago lost at Colorado. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So all three front-running teams lost, and all the following teams won, and now six teams are within four games of each other, and four teams are separated by half a game. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants move on to Colorado to open a four-game set through the weekend. Logan Webb starts tonight against Chase Anderson. 6:40 PM local time; 8:40 EDT.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona has another chance to lose in New York, Cincinnati's at Detroit, and Miami wraps it up at Milwaukee. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia and Chicago are both idle.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday's Game</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Giants came back, came way back, came back from a 5-1 early hole to pull it out in yet another walk-off tenth inning. Rookie Kyle Harrison started off about as bad as could be-- a leadoff walk (which always seems to spell doom) and a two-run homer by Cleveland's answer to Superman, Jose Ramirez. Harrison then allowed two singles while getting two outs before Casey Schmitt threw the inning-ending ground ball away and two more runs scored. Shades of last night! It was 4-0 before the Giants came to bat.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They answered back with three singles, leadoff man Austin Slater scoring and rookie Luis Matos with the RBI, and loaded the bases after Patrick Bailey-- welcome back., young man!-- walked with two out. But J.D. Davis grounded out and it stayed 4-1. Harrison allowed a less dramatic fifth run in the second: single, stolen base, single.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">And there it stayed for five innings. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let's give some props to Alex Wood, so horrid his last time out. He pitched four scoreless three-hit innings to keep things under control and give the Giants time to mount a rally. Which started modestly enough in the bottom of the seventh when LaMonte Wade opened with a single and was immediately erased on pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski's double-play ball. But Thairo Estrada doubled down the left-field line and Mr Reliable, Wilmer Flores, singled him in for a 5-2 game.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in 2021 a regular Giants theme when trailing late was to pounce on the first sign of vulnerability from an opponent's relief pitcher. And guess what happened in the eighth after Eli Morgan plunked Joc Pederson to lead it off. Yep, it was our man Bailey with a single, and our man Davis with the three-run homer. A tie game, and Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval kept it that way through the top of the tenth, Doval stranding that "ghost runner" without an advance.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;">The Giants wasted no time in their half. With Bailey opening on second, Davis walked as </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Xzavion Curry lost control of his pitches on a 0-2 count. Curry then walked pinch-hitter </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;">Brandon Crawford on a 3-1 count to load 'em up. And LaMonte Wade became "Late Inning La Monte" for a change, with a fly ball deep enough to score Bailey with the game-winner, though the Guardians challenged the call to no avail.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;">These are the kind of games that make a pennant-- that is, wild-card-- race worthwhile. We get the feeling there's bound to be a few more. In the meantime, there are four games coming up in Colorado, and this is the time for the Giants to seize the moment. Arizona will be facing the Cubs this weekend, Miami gets the Braves, and Cincinnati goes to New York. That traffic jam at the third wild-card spot might look a lot different come Monday. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-70087178499034633162023-09-13T06:46:00.010-07:002023-09-14T07:06:23.912-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> <span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W L GB </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia 79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>66<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Braves boss in this division </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Pythagoras has 'em at 82-64</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Same record at home and on road</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Took advantage, moved up</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> 7</span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Couldn't take advantage</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Can Brewers complete sweep?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants lost to Cleveland , 3-1, ending their 4-game winning streak.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati defeated Detroit and moved up.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona and Miami both lost (and they need to lose again today).</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia and the Cubs also lost.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants finish up with Cleveland; 12:45 PDT getaway day start. Kyle Harrison for the Giants, lefty L.T. Allen for the Tribe. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona, Miami, and Cincinnati continue at New York, Milwaukee, and Detroit, respectively. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cubs face our old friend Ty Blach in Colorado and Philadelphia hosts Atlanta.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Last Night's Game</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If anything positive can be taken from such an unnecessary loss, it's that the Giants possibly, just possibly, may have the semblance of a five-mam pitching rotation at long last. Sean Manaea put up five and two-thirds innings of two-hit five-K ball and left with the game tied 1-1. But his last pitch of the night, with two on and two out, saw an inning-ending ground ball bounce right off LaMonte Wade's glove at first, loading the bases. Ryan Walker then came in to face Tyler Freeman-- who ripped a clean single to center, scoring the two unearned runs that decided it. Meanwhile, the Giants reverted, mostly, to their "Hitless Wonders" persona against Cal Quantrill and three relievers. The one exception was Blake Sabol, who hit a gigantic home run into McCovey Cove in the fifth, and sent center fielder Myles Straw to the center-field wall in the ninth to haul in another blast.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Regardless, perhaps, Manaea may have earned a regular starting turn as the season winds down, and rookie Keaton Winn may have done the same. We'll see if this continues, or if the "opener" scheme returns. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We were informed yesterday that after head-to-head record, the second postseason tiebreaker is intradivision record. The Giants are way ahead of Miami in that regard. And so the tiebreakers are all going our way, assuming we need them.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fair warning! Our sister site, Niner Boogie (ninerboogie.blogspot.com) may be showing signs of life after her late dormancy. If you crave useless information about the San Francisco 49ers, then by all means hustle on over, or not. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-5501985355397348402023-09-12T08:14:00.003-07:002023-09-12T08:14:28.506-07:00<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">W<span> </span>L<span> G</span>B </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia<span> <span> </span></span>79<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>65<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tough stretch against good teams </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Three games out of first place</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Estimated record 71-74 </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span>7</span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Fourth straight win</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span><span> <span> <span> </span> </span></span></span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Kryptonite in Milwaukee?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> <span> </span> </span></span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Have allowed 723 runs</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants defeated Cleveland, 5-4, in ten innings.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona came from behind to defeat the Mets, 4-3.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami was crushed at Milwaukee, 12-0. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia and Atlanta split a doubleheader, Chicago defeated Colorado, and Cincinnati was idle.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Today</span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants host Cleveland again at 6:45 PDT. Sean Manaea gets another chance, with righty Cal Quantrill and his 5.70 ERA opposing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona is at New York, Miami at Milwaukee and Cincinnati at Detroit. Can we see some home-field advantages here, people? Please?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia hosts the Braves, Cubs are at Colorado again.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Last Night's Game</span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Alex Cobb evidently will be pitching the rest of the year with a "hip impingement," which sounds both incomprehensible and painful. The cortisone shot he took a few days ago didn't seem to help much last night, as he pitched in visible discomfort after a visit by the trainer and manager Gabe Kapler early on. Despite it, he did well, and deserved a shutout for his five strong innings. Cleveland's two runs off him in the third were unearned, after Brandon Crawford booted a two-out nobody-on grounder and Josh Naylor followed with a homer, one of only three hits allowed by the Giants' starter. That 2-1 lead didn't last long. Mike Yastrzemski, red-hot of late, had led off the Giants' first with a homer, and after Naylor's shot, the Giants quickly took the lead back on a RBI single by Joc Pederson, who's also come alive at the plate recently, and RBI groundout by J.D. Davis. Then in the seventh, John Brebbia inherited a man on first with one out and gave up a stolen base and a game-tying RBI single, the run charged to Taylor Rogers. Taylor's twin Tyler and Camilo Doval then negotiated their way into extra innings.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Luke Jackson, the Giants' sixth pitcher, looked like the hero when he threw out that gawdawful ghost runner at third to open the tenth, but he swiftly gave it back after another stolen base (the Guardians' third of the game) and a RBI single. Jackson continued his high-wire act by issuing two walks, but a close call overturned by replay helped him get out of the frame without further damage. And the putative loser became the winner thanks to Blake Sabol, who drove in the Giants' own gawdawful ghost runner to open the bottom of the tenth and tie the game. Sabol then stole second, advanced to third on a balk, and came in to score the game-winner as LaMonte Wade finally lived up to his "Late Night LaMonte" nickname from 2021 with a line-drive base hit to center field. Whew!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Quite a night for young Mr Sabol, the Giants' catcher-in-training. He came in to pinch-hit in the seventh and took over for Joey Bart behind the plate. In four innings he allowed two stolen bases and had two passed balls, but he turned it all around with his spirited play in the tenth. Blake Sabol may be the archetypal 2023 San Francisco Giant, because this whole season has been about digging holes and then climbing out of them. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Tiebreaker Tomfoolery</span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The days of one-game tacked-on-to-the-end-of-the-regular-season "playoff" games, such as the Giants had back in 1998, are over. MLB now uses "tiebreakers" in a manner similar to that of the NFL. So, there's no chance of a three-way or four-way tie for the last wild-card spot with multiple convoluted playoff and travel scenarios. With that in mind, the Giants hold a 6-5 tiebreaker advantage over Arizona at the moment, which will be tested next week with those two big games in Phoenix. They also have a settled 4-3 edge over Cincinnati. As for Miami, the season series is tied 3-3, and why these guys allow even-numbered series when playoff tiebreakers are in use is a mystery to us. Less urgent are the Giants' execrable 1-5 record against the Cubs and their 4-2 edge over Philly; there's just too much traffic between here and there unless one or both of those teams does a complete floperoo. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-11729292770768192272023-09-11T06:04:00.018-07:002023-09-11T12:55:48.145-07:00<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">W</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">L</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">GB</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>78<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>64<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lost 2 of 3 to Marlins </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>77<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Saved series, helped Giants</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Still waiting for the collapse</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hottest team in baseball</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It's too late to stop now </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Race is tighter than ever</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants defeated Colorado, 6-3, to sweep the three-game series.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago defeated Arizona after losing the first two.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami defeated Philadelphia, taking 2 of 3, and Cincinnati defeated St Louis. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants at home against Cleveland, their last AL opponent of the year. Alex Cobb starts the first game of another must-win series against a team with a losing record. Young righthander Gavin Williams opposes. 6:45 PDT.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona is off to New York to play the Mets, who are slowly sinking toward the NL East cellar. It's been a painful season for New York baseball fans all around. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami get on the road to face division-leading Milwaukee. Go Blue!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Cincinnati has the day off; they're going to Detroit. </span><span> </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philly hosts the Braves, and the Cubs are in Colorado. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday's Game</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"It's only the Rockies." And yes, it's true this is the one team the Giants beat regularly (16 of 17 at last count). But when you're coming off a six-game losing streak and a month-long 9-21 skid that boasts the game's worst team OPS, this is precisely the tonic the Giants needed. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rookie Keaton Winn, a 2018 draft pick, gave up three early runs, but his teammates swiftly answered back with five, and Winn completed six innings without giving up another run, striking out 9, and won his first major-league game. Doctor Longball continued his residency in the Giants' dugout as Thairo Estrada, Mitch Haniger, and Joc Pederson all homered to provide the necessary cushion and Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers, and Camino Doval were bulletproof over the last three, Doval earning his 37th save. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Remember... and God bless America.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEkzER6_ES5l-hvZY1HkUyq8WnOb5XphALApV8Gjz-3k08tw7JHE0lVsxNMSl4Ffn-YAlpivEe6p05GiLzZkxLENsIbbsA-qGqs5tZU0lT-Lx50H9QioFjW7CZcNHsGCz0MR5y8pMDCEKlP8XLnTcXDC0Zx7muSHfs_qVq1Y3fMOgiy9R_TL9_PHSgHXU5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="787" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEkzER6_ES5l-hvZY1HkUyq8WnOb5XphALApV8Gjz-3k08tw7JHE0lVsxNMSl4Ffn-YAlpivEe6p05GiLzZkxLENsIbbsA-qGqs5tZU0lT-Lx50H9QioFjW7CZcNHsGCz0MR5y8pMDCEKlP8XLnTcXDC0Zx7muSHfs_qVq1Y3fMOgiy9R_TL9_PHSgHXU5=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-70850221091180358542023-09-10T06:38:00.001-07:002023-09-10T06:38:15.135-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">W</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">L</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">GB<span> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Philadelphia</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">78</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">63</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Now lead by 3 for top spot</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Swept at home? Say it ain't so</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Can sweep with a win today</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>7-3 over last ten games</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Scored 9 runs <i>again</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Have lost three in a row</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants bombarded Colorado, 9-1.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona defeated the Cubs again, Philly knocked Miami back a game, and Cincinnati lost to St Louis again.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants finish up with Colorado, a rare Sunday evening start at Oracle Park: 5:10 PDT. Too bad the Rockies can't hang around for awhile, huh?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The rivals finish up their respective series: Marlins at Phillies, Diamondbacks at Cubs, Reds hosting the Cardinals. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday's Game</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Once again, the Giants scored early and often, and this time they rode a fine pitching effort from Logan Webb to that rarest of rare things, a blowout win. Mike Yastrzemski, in the leadoff spot, was 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, two RBI. Thairo Estrada hit his 11th homer in the first for a 2-0 lead, then they piled it on against Chase Anderson in the fourth with four hits, a walk, a wild pitch, and some smart baserunning. Chased, Anderson yielded to rookie Victor Vodnik, who surrendered three more in the sixth, and the only question was how deep into the game Webb would go. He left after six shutout innings, allowing only three singles, and improved his record to 10-12 and his ERA to 3.40. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-68456861672251884532023-09-09T06:04:00.002-07:002023-09-09T06:04:23.159-07:00<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">W</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">L</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">GB</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>77<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>63<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Two-game lead holds</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>66<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cooling off at a bad time</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cubs haven't been any trouble</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Win streak ends; starting another?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cardinals playing spoiler here?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Don't bury me 'cause I'm not dead yet</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants defeated Colorado, 9-8, rallying twice to snap their six-game losing streak.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami defeated Philadelphia, and Arizona won their second straight at Chicago. Cincinnati lost at home to St. Louis. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants host Colorado, 6:05 PDT, 9:05 EDT. Logan Webb starts against Chase Anderson. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona is at Chicago again; perhaps the Cubs can earn a split this weekend and help us out. Miami's at Philadelphia and Cincinnati hosts St Louis. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Last Night's Game</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was looking bad. Kyle Harrison, who is learning how to pitch to major-league hitters while also trying to shore up a depleted rotation in the middle of a playoff race, gave up four runs (three earned) over five innings, and we dozed off withscore 4-0 and the radio on, convinced the Giants would never hit anyone again in 2023. When we woke back up it was 7-6 in the seventh. The Giants had erupted with back-to-back-to-back homers by Wilmer Flores, Mitch Haniger, and J.D. Davis off our old friend Ty Blach in the sixth to tie it, and after Taylor Rogers returned the favor in the top of the seventh by surrendering a three-run shot to Elias Diaz, Blake Sabol launched a two-run homer, the Giants' fourth of the game, to deepest center field. Luis Matos then doubled to put the tying run at second with nobody out, but the Rockies brought in Jake Bird and he retired the side without further damage. That set up the thrilling eighth and the shaky ninth. John Brebbia kept it quiet in the top of the eighth, and Bird opened the bottom by hitting pinch-hitter Brandon Crawford with a pitch. Singles by Paul DeJong and Mike Yastrzemski tied it, then Evan Justice replaced Bird and he hit Sabol with a pitch, loading the bases. Wilmer Flores and LaMonte Wade then forced in two lead runs with walks, and Justin Lawrence was obliged to come in and belatedly close the barn door. In the ninth, Camilo Doval gave up one hit while getting the first two outs. Nolan Jones, who had homered earlier, then doubled in a run, but Doval got Brendan Rogers to end it on a comebacker. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Notes</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Alex Cobb, whose rotation turn is today, was pushed back two days after taking a cortisone shot in his hip... Going against a lefthander, Gabe Kapler had Austin Slater and Thairo Estrada in the 1-2 spots, but both were late scratches due to minor illness. In came Matos and Flores, who went a combined 6-for-8... Patrick Bailey is not expected back until late next week... Matos was thrown out at the plate in the third trying to score from second on Flores' single... Brebbia was the only one of five Giants pitchers who didn't allow a run. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-20484660262794171012023-09-07T06:39:00.006-07:002023-09-07T06:58:33.380-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">W</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">L</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">GB</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Philadelphia</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">77</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">62</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Red-hot Marlins arrive Friday</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>64<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span><span> </span></span>Closing in on first place, too</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Have won 6 in a row</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Win one, lose one pattern</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>0.5 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mariners staying in AL West race</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2.5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>9-21 record since August 3</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><u>Yesterday</u></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Giants lost at Chicago again as Cubs completed the three-game sweep, 8-2.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Philadelphia, Miami, and Arizona won while Cincinnati lost. </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><u>Today</u></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Giants have the day off; they fly home and will host Colorado beginning Friday.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Philadelphia and Cincinnati are likewise idle. </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Miami finishes up with the Dodgers.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Chicago hosts Arizona at Wrigley; can the Cubs sweep them too, and clear them out of the way? </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><u>Yesterday's Game</u></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Discouragement set in before the first pitch was thrown as Patrick Bailey went on the 7-day concussion IL as a precaution. Further discouragement prevailed while Alex Wood's 52 pitches were thrown. Clearly still not ready to start, or perhaps to pitch at all, Wood traded seven outs for five earned runs and was gone in the third inning. The only bright spot here is that all the Giants' runs and RBIs were produced by youngsters: Casey Schmitt, Luis Matos (each of whom went 2-for-4) and the forgotten man, Joey Bart, called up in wake of Bailey's injury, who drove in a run with a sac fly. Overall, the Giants did get ten hits, which is good, but drew no walks. John Brebbia, activated off the 60-day IL, pitched the fourth and gave up a solo homer. </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">The Giants now trail their closest rivals, the Diamondbacks and Reds, by two full games. The Marlins, meanwhile, gained six games on the Giants this past week, and a few games on everyone else, too. They're the hottest team in baseball, and how many of you can name their starting lineup-- or even their manager? </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Not that Miami's recent surge hurt the Dodgers at all, despite these last two losses. LA is thirteen games up in the division and will join the 90-game-winning Braves in the first-round-bye club come October. In the Central, the Cubs gained two games on first-place Milwaukee during the sweep of the Giants, and are only a game and half out. As for the American League, Bruce Bochy's once-mighty Texas Rangers are now in third place and trailing in the wild-card race, having lost 7 of 10 and three in a row-- an ominous parallel with the Giants? Houston, predictably, has the lead there with Seattle a game behind. In the East, Baltimore has put a little distance between themselves and Tampa, who began the season looking unbeatable-- remember? The Rays are still a lock for the top wild-card spot, with Toronto currently in third position behind Seattle. Nobody in the Central will challenge for that spot, and Minnesota has a 6-game lead over Cleveland, who, like the rest of that division, owns a losing record. Sheesh, the Giants would only be three games out of first place if they played over there. </div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-15832271793179880862023-09-06T06:33:00.000-07:002023-09-06T06:33:23.386-07:00<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">W</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">L</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">GB</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>62<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>41-26 record on home field</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>64<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Look out Philly, here they come</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati</span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">73</span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">68</span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Knocked Seattle out of first</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami</span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">71</span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">67</span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> 0.5</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Still 41 runs to the bad</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div>Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rockies proved no pushovers</div><div>GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>C<span style="white-space: pre;">an't win even when they do score</span></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago defeated the Giants, 11-8.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati defeated Seattle and Miami defeated LA, while Philadelphia lost at San Diego and Arizona lost at home to Colorado.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants finish up at Wrigley Field; 1:20 PM start local time, 2:20 EDT. Alex Wood gets his first start since July 21. Rookie Lefthander Jordan Wicks starts for the Cubs.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The other wild-card rivals continue with their respective series.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Last Night's Game</u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There's a term for this-- "snakebit." Yes, the Giants opened up their offense, with early homers from LaMonte Wade and Mike Yastrzemski, and what a relief it was to drop in on the sixth inning and see they'd already put up four runs-- even if they were tied 4-4 at that point. J.D. Davis then launched a two-run shot that seemed for all the world like it would carry the day-- but it didn't. Joc Pederson, quiet of late, had a big day at the plate (3-for 4 with a walk, a run scored, and a RBI) but he was in left field in the seventh, and that wasn't good. Tyler Rogers had already surrendered a game-tying homer, and with one out Joc misplayed a routine fly ball into a double. The deluge immediately commenced, and by the time it was over pinch-hitter Christopher Morel's three-run homer off Luke Jackson had capped a six-run seventh, and it was goodbye, Charlie. Wilmer Flores' 21st homer, the Giants' fourth of the night, was too little and too late in the ninth. And so it's five straight losses, and the bullpen we bragged about just yesterday has taken the Giants one more step toward irrelevancy. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-44546309420822202932023-09-05T07:01:00.015-07:002023-09-05T07:04:42.776-07:00<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>W<span> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>L<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>GB<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>76<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>61<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Handled Padres while Giants couldn't</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span><span> <span> </span></span></span>74<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>64<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Run differential best in division </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span><span> <span> </span></span></span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Get Rockies at home; gimme a break</span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>72<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hosting first-place Seattle</span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> 0.5</span><span> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dodgers arriving in town</span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span>GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span></span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> 1 You can't win if you don't score</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u> <span> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>G</span><span>iants lost at Chicago, 5-0; that's two straight shutouts.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia won at San Diego, Arizona defeated Colorado, Cincinnati beat AL West-leading Seattle, and Miami was idle.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><u>Today</u><span><span> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants at Chicago; 6:40 local time, 7:40 EDT. Veteran Kyle Hendricks starts for the Cubs. For the Giants, it's Ryan Walker in the "opener" role.<span><span> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia's at San Diego, Arizona hosts Colorado, Cincinnati hosts Seattle, and Miami has LA at home. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday's Game</u> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If this business doesn't straighten up right quick, we'll be taking the rest of the month off before you can say, "Jack Robinson!" Two singles was all the Giants could muster against the Cubs' fine young lefty Justin Steele, who is compiling a Cy Young Award-worthy season (16-3, 2.55, 153 K). The REAL issue is, the Giants right now are making everybody look like Cy Young. They've lost four in a row and five of six since Alex Cobb's near-no-hitter a week ago. Except for a six-run third-inning outburst last Thursday, the Giants have scored 1, 1, 3, 1, 0, and 0 runs since then. The starting pitching, except for Tristan Beck on Friday, has been decent, and Logan Webb was better than decent yesterday. But even when the Giants don't get shut out, they tend to score their few runs late in games when they're well behind. This just can't continue. A point of irony is that the Giants' run differential (-10) is better than that of all three teams directly ahead of them. But trends don't win games-- just ask the Padres-- and there are only 24 games left. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-90029161903540534682023-09-04T08:45:00.000-07:002023-09-04T08:45:28.183-07:00A Fine Mess<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre;"> </span>Well, we may have arrived at the starting gate of our
pennant-- er, wild-card-- race a few days too late. The Giants, who entered August
at 61-49 and leading the wild-card race, have gone 9-18 since then and are now
mired in a four-way tie for the last wild-card spot, well behind the
Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, who both heated up just as the Giants
got cold. There are 25 games left to play; 19 of those are division games,
including all of the final 16. There’s a stretch of ten games starting this
coming Friday, against the Colorado Rockies and the Cleveland Guardians, who
are a combined .425 this year. The Giants are 5-1 so far against the Rockies,
and 3-0 at Coors Field, if that helps. They have two remaining at Arizona against
the Diamondbacks, one of the teams with whom they’re currently tied. They have
seven against the division-leading Dodgers, four of those in LA, and three at
home against San Diego to kick off the season’s final week.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First it’s the Cubs at Wrigley Field, starting tonight. Chicago
still has a chance to pass Philadelphia and lock up the home-field wild-card
advantage, and they’re also only three and a half games out of first place in
the NL Central. The Cubs spent the first half of the season mired deep in their
division despite a strongly positive run differential, and we kept waiting for
them to play up to it. They’re doing that now, even having shed some talent at
the trade deadline. Kudos to manager David Ross, who was behind the plate when
the Cubs broke their 108-year old jinx and won the World Series seven years
ago. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kudos for Gabe Kapler, upon whom they were lavished from
this quarter a month ago, will have to wait a while. We believe “Kap” has generally
done a fine job with his patchwork pitching staff; the Giants are 12<sup>th</sup>
in MLB in ERA despite a cascade of injuries to such as Anthony DeSclafani, Alex
Wood, John Brebbia, and Ross Stripling, all of whom the team was counting on as
the season began. The constant use of “openers” and reliance on “bullpen games”
has been wearying to many fans, but Kapler really has had no choice in the matter.
At the moment the starting rotation looks like Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, rookie
Kyle Harrison, and either Jakob Junis or Tristan Beck, with the fifth spot
reserved for the beloved and benighted “opener.” While Webb and Cobb have made many
outstanding starts this year, they’ve also lately put up some clunkers, and at
the moment we don’t know what we’ll get. Cobb, asked to help nail down a
critical series split at San Diego yesterday, instead lasted only three
innings. What’s kept this staff stable
is a fine bullpen, with the Rogers twins, Taylor and Tyler, taking lead roles
in advance of closer Camilo Doval.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kapler’s fine touch has not been evident in the lineup, and
it may be, simply, that he doesn’t yet have the people he needs to score enough
runs to make this team anything more than a pretender. The offseason
acquisitions, Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger, have largely disappointed.
Conforto started out strong but has been invisible, and injured, lately;
Haniger’s just been mostly injured. Brandon Crawford is an empty shell of 2021’s
MVP candidate as he plays out the final year of his contract. LaMonte Wade (who
has discovered the power of the base on balls as well as the home run), Thairo
Estrada (who at one point led the league in batting average), Wilmer Flores (20
homers), Austin Slater, Mike Yastrzemski (lots of time on the IL), J.D. Davis
(who’s also tailed off after a fine start), and the disappointing Joc Pederson make
up the core of this offense, such as it is. There isn’t a “stud” hitter in the
bunch-- and the rest are mostly rookies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yes, rookies. Lots of rookies. And standing tall above all
the rookies is perhaps the team’s best player this year, rookie catcher Patrick
Bailey. Called up to take over for slumping Joey Bart in May, Bailey started
like a house afire, and the team responded with a ten-game winning streak and a
18-8 June. While his offensive numbers since have settled into normality, his
defensive skill and his aptitude behind the plate have been a revelation. He’s
the standard by which the other young players--
his catching mate Blake Sabol, Luis Matos, Casey Schmitt, Marco Luciano,
Wade Meckler—have been measured. Sabol, Schmitt and Meckler remain on the
current roster; Matos and Luciano both had their first taste of major-league
ball over the late spring and summer and are currently in Sacramento while the
Giants try to squeeze something from veterans such as Paul DeJong. Expect the young guys to return this week. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So… perspective. It appears at this point that what’s really
happening here is the Giants are trying to field a contender while simultaneously
rebuilding the team. To paraphrase an old saying, it’s not that it’s done especially
well, it’s that it’s done at all. They’re
70-67 as we write, and tied for a post-season berth with 25 games to play, with
a team composed largely of part-timers and rookies. Whether they make the postseason or not, has
this team the mettle to stay in the race until the last out is made?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? So open the gate and let
the nags run!<o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><div><p></p></div><div><div> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">W<span> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>L<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>GB<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>75<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>61<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>16 games behind first-place Braves</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicago<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span><span> <span> </span></span></span>73<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>64<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Saw this coming 2 months ago</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span>GIANTS <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span></span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hold tiebreaker over Arizona</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Arizona<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span><span> <span> </span></span></span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Still think they're a year away</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Cincinnati<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>71<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>68<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Six and a half out of first place</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Miami<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>70<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>67<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6 games above expected record</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday</u></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants lost at San Diego, 4-0, losing three our of four in a critical series. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia, Chicago, and Miami won; Arizona and Cincinnati lost. Four teams are now tied for the third wild-card spot. . </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Today</u></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Giants at Chicago to face the surging Cubs at Wrigley Field. Logan Webb tries to turn the tide against lefthander Justin Steele, who is having an outstanding year (15-3, 2.69). Surprisingly or not, the Giants are 24-15 against opposing southpaws this season. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Yesterday's Game</u></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">No way does this team survive September scoring four runs over three games, or even 11 runs over 4 games, as the Giants did against San Diego this weekend. They were shut out on four hits yesterday by veteran Seth Lugo, who is having a good year but is hardly a Cy Young candidate like his teammate Blake Snell. San Diego's season, which began with such promise, is in ruins, and they did a fine job playing spoiler. The Giants will see them again September 25-27 at Oracle Park, and the question here is whether there'll be anything left for the Padres to spoil by then. </span></div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-53140523989083190272023-06-05T09:24:00.000-07:002023-06-05T09:24:54.198-07:00Bye-bye, Humm-Baby, Goodbye<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fLtftNDkEfw75w2kgHc4jJsNfjxbRN5-6NdNon31gczU8AzWkV6YG8DXZoDRBTPZe2sLJDsVNdoP3MMay1DbrdGAepO1-MS-NvryhSVEN5rDgI1uQmXhSVnstTJn-FzsZIrIL9jRchyR9VS_WhE8D8nweMTuz1AGN0SgKvXuGWf3AL7ORAtWjH584A/s1173/Roger%20Craig%20Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="796" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fLtftNDkEfw75w2kgHc4jJsNfjxbRN5-6NdNon31gczU8AzWkV6YG8DXZoDRBTPZe2sLJDsVNdoP3MMay1DbrdGAepO1-MS-NvryhSVEN5rDgI1uQmXhSVnstTJn-FzsZIrIL9jRchyR9VS_WhE8D8nweMTuz1AGN0SgKvXuGWf3AL7ORAtWjH584A/s320/Roger%20Craig%20Card.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If you weren't around at the time, it's probably hard to understand just how suddenly surprising and exciting the San Francisco Giants were in 1986. This was a team that had lost 100 games the previous season, the only time in franchise history that has happened. Over 14 years the Giants had managed only three winning seasons, none of them consecutive. They'd nearly been sold and moved to Toronto, and the owner who'd kept that from happening was famous for complaining about Candlestick Park, not for building a good team. "We're the worst in organized baseball," lamented their best player in 1980, and the increasingly few fans tended to agree. The Giants weren't just bad, they were <i>boring</i> bad. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Roger Craig, who passed away yesterday at the age of 93, changed all that. His team was-- seemingly all of a sudden-- young, quick, eager, daring, and resourceful. He swapped out the worst infield in baseball for the youngest, transformed veteran pitchers and encouraged rookie pitchers, forbid any complaints about the ballpark-- and then he let go and let his players play. Fans were startled: <i>are you sure these are the same guys? </i>Quickly the verdict came in-- no, they're not; there's something about them. Something that began filling the stands. And our hearts. And now our memories.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We called it, and still call it, "The Giants Renaissance." And Roger Craig, bless his generous heart, was its leader, the wise and genial face of the franchise at its pivot point.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Those 1986 Giants surged to the division lead at midseason, and brother, were they fun to watch. Roger became known for his small-ball tactics-- the suicide squeeze, the hit and run, the extra base-- but his real gift was using the entire roster and focusing on what his players could do, rather than what they couldn't. The Giants didn't win that year-- injuries to key players down the stretch saw to that-- but they were a blast. They were fun. And, unlike earlier seasons, they didn't fall back in 1987. Instead, they won the division for the first time in 16 years. And two years later they went to their first World Series in 27 years. And ultimately they posted five straight winning seasons, which we fans hadn't seen since the 1960s.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, it was <i>the</i> renaissance. Those five years permanently changed San Francisco Giants baseball. Had Roger Craig, and GM Al Rosen, not come aboard and transformed the Giants in 1986, we wonder whether the league would have had the moxie to stall the threatened move to Florida in 1993, and whether there'd have been enough local motivation to step up and save the Giants for San Francisco, and to keep them in the City, in the ballpark many said couldn't be built.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Our only up-close encounter with Roger Craig was in his last season, 1992. We were fairly serious about running in those days, competing in the Bay to Breakers race every year and several 10K events. That June the Giants sponsored a pre-game 5K "Run to Home Plate", where we ran around Candlestick Point, into the parking lot, through the tunnel, down the left-field line, and touched home plate to complete the course. As we turned left past the first-base dugout, there was Roger, on the steps, watching all the fitness freaks with an amused look on his face. What to say?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Who you got starting today, Roger?" we called.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Left-hander," he replied with a wink, tapping his left arm. "Good stuff today."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Bud Black won that game with seven solid innings. The Giants were flirting with .500 at the time but already seven and a half games out of first. It didn't get any better, and Roger was fired that December after the ownership transfer. It was inevitable, and it was sad. His last game, in October, was a win over Cincinnati that kept the Giants nine games ahead of the last-place Dodgers, which may cheer some of you. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Roger Craig pitched, and pitched well, for three World Series champions. He coached another World Series champion. He was a teammate of Bob Uecker on the 1964 Cardinals. (We imagine they got along well.) His tenure with the 1962 New York Mets is still the stuff of legend-- did he really get caught in a stalled elevator on the way to start the first game in Mets history? Did he really balk home the first run?-- and Casey Stengel himself said Roger had to be a damned good pitcher to go 10-24 for that team in '62. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But Roger Craig has a home in the heart of every Giants fan who remembers what he did, and how he did it, for the only team that matters. Godspeed to a baseball original, a fine manager, and a good man. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidSi7hdRMapgGVmunU0e1U5U1YfMcqJQa3wRrynF7GdzOY8J1J9cIhea3HmbNfIBHjxxBr--lNV0x6N50AUvs2XBSzqVPqoVFhW7JU7aZEfvMfd2l1p1HmwD43LIQaIcaZooLme0VShWklhsjvgKPWfOGlTssixcdY0QFqkuTzHYq_yOuFBHUPEvXUHQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1704" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidSi7hdRMapgGVmunU0e1U5U1YfMcqJQa3wRrynF7GdzOY8J1J9cIhea3HmbNfIBHjxxBr--lNV0x6N50AUvs2XBSzqVPqoVFhW7JU7aZEfvMfd2l1p1HmwD43LIQaIcaZooLme0VShWklhsjvgKPWfOGlTssixcdY0QFqkuTzHYq_yOuFBHUPEvXUHQ" width="200" /></a></p>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-28702058211130136132023-03-30T06:36:00.016-07:002023-04-01T06:23:22.054-07:00The San Francisco Giants Open the 2023 Season!<div style="text-align: left;"> <u><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pitchers</span></span></u></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Logan
Webb, R, 26</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Will this be his first
All-Star season?</span><br /></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sean Manaea,
L, 31<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Had rough 2022 in San Diego after
solid A’s tenure<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alex
Wood, L, 32<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Contract year; needs a season
more like ’21 than ‘22<br /> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ross
Stripling, R, 33<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arrives after a sparkling 10-4, 3.01 season in Toronto <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anthony
DeSclafani, R, 33 <br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Make-or-break contract season after IL last
year<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alex
Cobb, R, 35<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">With six starters, somebody’ll
be looking for more work<br /> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Camilo
Doval, R, 25<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">80 strikeouts in 68 innings, but also 30 walks<br /> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jakob
Junis, R, 30<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did well in swingman role
a year ago<br /> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tyler
Rogers, R, 32<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">We were ready to give up
on him last year<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Taylor
Rogers, L, 32<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tyler’s identical twin is mirror-image lefty<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">John
Brebbia, R, 33<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Had fourth-best ERA on the team in 2022<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Scott
Alexander, L, 33<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gotta keep two lefties in the ‘pen… don’t we?<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><u><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Position
Players<br /></span></span></u><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Joc
Pederson, dh-of, 31<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Team MVP in 2022 returns
on one-year deal <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thairo
Estrada, 2b, 27<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Earned himself the starting
job with a fine 2022<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Michael
Conforto, rf, 30<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Can lefty-swinging
former Met slugger thrive here?<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brandon
Crawford, ss, 36<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Does attempted Correa trade mean thin ice for fan fave? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">David Villar,
3b, 26<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Third on the team in 2022 WAR-- in only 181 PAs<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">LaMonte
Wade jr, 1b, 29<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Must make it this year
after a wasted 2022 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wilmer
Flores, 1b-dh, 31<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Might Giants be positioning
him for trade?<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mike
Yastrzemski, cf, 32<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Awful spring
numbers; can he hold platoon role?<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Joey
Bart, c, 26<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once-touted star of future
may be running out of time<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Roberto
Perez, c, 34<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Can’t hit a lick but the
pitchers love him<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">J.D. Davis,
if, 30<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crawford’s performance may affect how much he plays<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blake
Sabol, lf-c, 25<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kapler’s dream— a versatile
youngster with a bat<br /> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Matt Beaty, of, 30<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Played 240 games in three years with the Dodgers</span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brett Wisely, cf, 23<br /></span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">Only active Giant with no MLB experience</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span><br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>On the IL<br /></u></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mitch
Hanigar, of, 32<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Free-agent signee battles
the dreaded oblique strain<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Austin
Slater, of-dh, 30<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Starts his 7<sup>th</sup>
year by nursing a tender hamstring<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Luis
Gonzalez, of, 27<br /></span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back surgery ensures he’ll
be out ‘til summer</span></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span></span></p>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-16115370795723614562022-10-07T11:44:00.004-07:002022-10-07T13:16:19.592-07:00End of the Regular Season<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhRDiFPL1-gh3ojIuF-xnhbs_AUBYBXNPkLHWc8Nh3kuCVquW8TpRBqBcBHDIqFyNLPJ85173_oyBfKbnKGVqrbwyxjyY47qcOayyUhrpTmvPGDRVrsKIxaH0Q_g5cifmf5e-VsOUvbfJA5fsw-eLVTcYHCTY5jup_w2bFs19UspbnDUbBzNvQmn2tkQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="979" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhRDiFPL1-gh3ojIuF-xnhbs_AUBYBXNPkLHWc8Nh3kuCVquW8TpRBqBcBHDIqFyNLPJ85173_oyBfKbnKGVqrbwyxjyY47qcOayyUhrpTmvPGDRVrsKIxaH0Q_g5cifmf5e-VsOUvbfJA5fsw-eLVTcYHCTY5jup_w2bFs19UspbnDUbBzNvQmn2tkQ" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><p></p><div>The Giants finished 12-4 and 20-13, which is generally a positive sign for the upcoming season. In this case, though, it's really hard to tell, because perhaps no more than half this team may return in 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div>What happened, anyway? How did a team that won 107 games last year fall 26 off the mark this year, instead of the 13 or so most of us expected? Given that the Giants, admittedly losing one essential player, basically stood pat, exchanging one ace (Kevin Gausman) for another (Carlos Rodon), how did things go so bad so soon? Can a team built around a core of versatile Gabe Kapler-type players really win, or was 2021 a complete fluke? </div><div> </div><div>It wasn't a fluke at all. It was a team composed of the same kind of guys (mostly the <i>same</i> guys) we had this year, but also with three All-Stars having All-Star seasons-- Buster Posey (20 Win Shares), Brandon Crawford (31), and Brandon Belt (17). That's a total of 68, or about 23 wins. This year? No Posey, of course, and Crawford dropped to 11 and Belt to 4 in limited duty. That's 15 total, 5 wins. So eighteen wins contributed by the big boys in 2021 disappeared this season. And then we have a beleaguered bullpen that went from 4 wins above average in 2021 to negative-2 this year. That's 22 wins. (We can also note that Kris Bryant, in 51 games last year, contributed about 7 Win Shares, a rate of 21 over a full season.) The ripple effect of all this saw the Giants below average (WAA) at every position this year except starting pitching. </div><div><br /></div><div>We saw it in 2010, 2012, and 2014: a team of "jabronis", as one fan remarked, can win if that team is supported by two or three big bats and a solid pitching staff. The Giants' failure to contend, to win the 90 or so games we all expected, can be attributed to the belief, or the hope, that Crawford, Belt, and the bullpen would do it again. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's human nature to stand pat when surrounded by success. It's a deadly mistake in baseball. One thing the consistently strong teams-- Dodgers, Astros, Braves-- do is use a successful season as motivation to improve. </div><div><br /></div><div>What must the Giants do to improve? First is to prune the roster, perhaps ruthlessly. We can expect Logan Webb, Joey Bart, Thairo Estrada, J.D. Davis, LaMonte Wade, Wilmer Flores, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, and Camilo Doval to return. Anthony DeSclafani will be back, presuming he's fully recovered, but will he be effective? Austin Slater and Luis Gonzalez should return, and both Kapler and Farhan Zaidi have indicated Mike Yastrzemski will have one more year. Brandon Crawford, still the "face of the franchise," will be in his last contract year. September callup David Villar (4 WS, 9 HR in 52 games) definitely deserves a chance to start.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone else has to be on the margin. Likely some of the relievers who came up late in the year will get a chance. Looking down the list of players, our focus, and, we hope, the Giants' focus, is on players 26 years old or younger. Heliot Ramos, Sean Hjelle, Kyle Harrison... it's their time. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for signing "big" free agents, well, one top-quality starter will be needed to replace Rodon, who is likely to opt out (not that he himself couldn't be that top guy, for considerably more money). And with the infield and outfield up for grabs everywhere, finding one guy who can hit, one guy who can strike fear into the opposition, is a necessity. Each year the Giants have done exceptionally well, they've had that one guy, even if he's come in under the radar (Aubrey Huff in 2010, Crawford last year). Aaron Judge, coming off his historic season, is that kind of player. Just an example... right?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Logan Webb won 15 games this year, and Rodon 14. The team was 18-14 in Webb's starts, 16-15 with Rodon, 10-18 with Cobb, 12-14 with Wood, and 10-7 with Jakob Junis. They were also 8-4 with "openers," which seems surprising. Quality starts: Rodon 25 (out of 31 starts), Webb 21, Wood 16, Cobb 14, Junis 10. The best start of the year was Rodon on July 9 at San Diego, game score 87. The worst was also Rodon, back on May 15 in St Louis, a game score of 11. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cheap wins: Cobb 2, Wood 2, Junis, and Webb. Tough losses: Rodon 4, Wood 4, Cobb 2, Webb, Junis. The toughest loss was Cobb's on July 29 at home against the Cubs: game score 72 in a 4-2 loss. He pitched a three-hitter over six innings but the Giants, who stranded 13 runners, didn't score until the bottom of the ninth after the bullpen had surrendered three more runs. The Giants' season in microcosm? Cobb also had the cheapest win, just last week over Arizona at home in a 10-4 romp (game score 37). </div><div><br /></div><div>The Giants averaged 4.42 runs per game in 2022, seventh in the league, not nearly as bad as we might have guessed. Though Alex Cobb appeared to pitch in tough luck all year, he got team-average run support in his 28 starts. Junis (5 runs per game in 17 starts) and Webb (4.8 in 32 starts) also got good support, Wood, in 26, was just below average, but Carlos Rodon received slightly less than 4, well below league average. Given his 14 wins, 2.88 ERA, 237 strikeouts,, and 1.02 WHIP, he really had a terrific season. If he leaves, it's imperative the Giants sign a successor of similar quality. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Giants were 10-9 in Blowouts this year, and 22-27 in one-run games. They were 14-19 in Pitchers' Duels, and 7-1 in their few Slugfests. In eleven extra-inning games they were 6-5. </div><div><br /></div><div>The stat sheets show that the Giants were 44-37 at home, and the inverse on the road. In 70 day games they were 37-33 (44-48 at night). They were 21-15 in day games at home, 23-22 in home night games. </div><div>The Giants' best days were Sundays, when they went 17-9. They were 14-12 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10-9 on Mondays, but 12-13 on Fridays, and 11-14 on Wednesdays. Thursdays were their kryptonite-- an execrable 3-12 including a doubleheader sweep. Take Thursday off and they're 78-69, .530, a 86-win pace. Yikes!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Roll the Statistical Parade</u></div><div><br /></div><div>Joc Pederson is the only Giant among the league's top 20 in OPS (.874, 16th). Of the other five Giants with more than 300 AB, only two (Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada) were over .700. Then we have Austin Slater (.774 in 277 AB) and Evan Longoria (.766 in 266). J.D. Davis was a robust .857 in 137 AB, Jason Vosler is at .811 in 98, and Villar .786 in 156. Joc is tied for 24th in the NL with his team-leading 23 homers. Flores led the Giants with 72 RBI and Yaz was tops in runs scored with 73, despite a .305 OBP. He also struck out 141 times, by far the most on the team, and tied for 17th in the league with some major studs (Paul Goldschmidt, Max Muncy, Bryan Reynolds). To be fair, Yaz also led the team in walks with 61. The Giants overall were fourth in the NL in walks, but 12th in batting average. </div><div>Estrada, Gonzales, and Yaz together were an excellent 43-for-52 in stolen bases. The whole team was a solid 80% (64 for 80) in steals, better than a lot of teams who stole more and also had more caught. </div><div> </div><div>Giants pitchers were 13th in the league in ERA, with modest totals in strikeouts and walks. They were fourth in hits allowed. Webb was tied for fifth, and Rodon for ninth, in wins, and they were seventh and sixth in ERA, respectively. Rodon was second, behind Milwaukee's Corbin Burnes, in strikeouts with 237, and ninth with a 1.03 WHIP. Webb's 192.1 innings pitched were seventh. Camilo Doval was sixth in saves with 27 in 30 opportunities to go with his fine 2.53 ERA. </div><div><br /></div><div>Will this be the year Paul Goldschmidt finally wins the MVP award? A triple crown candidate all year long, he finished third in average, fifth in homers, second in RBI, and tops in the league with a .982 OPS. Teammate Nolen Arenado, the Braves' Austin Riley and Matt Olson, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor of the Mets, and the Dodgers' Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman provide stiff competition. "Goldy" has been among the league's best players for a full decade, he's never won it, and we think it's time... Aaron Judge, with 62 homers, will win the AL award in a breeze... Rodon and Webb will get Cy Young Award votes, but it's likely to be Sandy Alacantara of the Marlins, our nemesis Julio Urias of LA, or the Braves' Max Fried who gets it... What do you make of ex-Giant lefthander Tyler Anderson and his 15-5, 2.57 campaign with LA?... There is a host of AL candidates, but Justin Verlander, back to being unhittable after TJS as if nothing happened, and Shohei Ohtani are the big names. We think Ohtani, truly one of a kind, is always a MVP candidate but figure he's unlikely ever to get the CYA... By the way, Ohtani was second in MLB with 14 wild pitches... Three guys who may be important in the playoffs, Houston's Framber Valdez, Atlanta's Kyle Wright, and the Cardinals' Dakota Hudson, induced 25 ground-ball double plays, best in the business... Valdez gets more ground balls than anybody, and our own Logan Webb is second... Rodon's on the other side, the second-most fly-ball-heavy pitcher in MLB behind only Cleveland's Triston McKenzie, who despite his 11-11 record is another Cy Young candidate... The Braves' Riley was second only to Judge in extra-base hits; among those tied for third are Mookie Betts and the inevitable Jose Ramirez. We're glad to see him back in form and we're glad to see his team in the postseason... Young Vladimir Guerrero grounded into 26 double plays and, like his dad, he rarely walks. But 35 doubles and 32 homers will do very nicely. Oddly, he didn't hit a triple this year, and if he would walk a little more he'd score more than 90 runs... Speaking of triples, the Indians' -- whoops, Guardians'-- shortstop, Amed Rosario, led the MLB with only nine... The top two base stealers are both Orioles: Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullens, a combined 69-for 88. Best of the lot is St Louis' Tommy Edman, third in baseball with 32 and caught only 3 times... We finally found a flaw in Ohtani's game! He's 11-for-20 in stolen bases. Just stay put, big fella... Ramirez and Arenado put the ball in the air more frequently than anyone else. Oddly, Judge is not in the top 30 despite all the home runs. He's a complete hitter, not a one-dimensional guy... Christian "What Happened?" Yelich has the highest ground-ball rate, and he slugged only .383... Anthony Rizzo, now with the Yankees, still leans into pitches at an alarming rate, but the Met's Mark Canha led everyone with 28 hit-by-pitch... Pay attention if Canha bats against the Braves' Charlie Morton later in the postseason. Morton hit 18 batters this year, second to the Reds' Nick Lodolo (19)... No less than <i>six</i> major-leaguers qualified for our favorite stat this year-- more walks than strikeouts. Juan Soto led 'em all with 135 walks against 96 K. The other qualifiers are the Rays' Yandy Diaz, Minnesota's Luis Arraez, Houston's Alex Bregman, Alejandro Kirk of Toronto, and Cleveland's Steve Kwan. All but one of those guys are going to the playoffs. </div>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-79506242557494046772022-08-11T09:53:00.000-07:002022-08-11T09:53:11.734-07:00Vin Scully 1927-2022<p>We posted our tribute to "The Voice of America" upon his retirement a few years ago, so we've little to add here. But pause a moment to consider the remarkable life of this man, born the year Babe Ruth hit sixty home runs, a man who saw Ruth play and also saw Shohei Ohtani play, a man whose professional career spanned the terms of eleven American presidents, and a man who never once seemed all that impressed with himself, but whose impressions of many of our most memorable moments became part of the national landscape. Prayers for his family, and honor to one who was a true man of the people. </p>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-74690310567497506662022-08-11T09:31:00.026-07:002022-08-11T10:00:23.600-07:00Trouble In Mind<p>Two weeks? How about five? Not that it matters. Things have not improved. They've gotten worse.</p><p>The Giants made one move at the deadline, unloading Darin Ruf in exchange for J.D. Davis, and Davis has played well since his arrival. Thing is, few other Giants have. Since our last post the Giants have sunk below the .500 waterline, and after losing two of three at San Diego this week they are 7 1/2 games out of the wild-card race and slouching toward irrelevance well ahead of September. Relief pitching continues to be a serious problem for the Giants; witness yesterday's debacle where, after taking a 7-6 lead in the top of the sixth, Yunior Marte and Jarlin Garcia surrendered <i>seven straight two-out base hits </i>and watched the game go down the drain.<i>. </i>The Padres themselves were struggling mightily when the Giants came to town; they're in better shape now, though still far from where they want to be, or were a month ago.</p><p>No, nothing has really changed around here. Starting pitchers-- Rodon and Webb, primarily-- are still the only above-average Giants. Alex Cobb, whom we really like most of the time, continues to pitch in tough luck. And Alex Wood had a gem of a start, his best of the year, to open the San Diego series, seems like ages ago already. John Brebbia has been the best of the relievers, with a 2.40 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. The above-mentioned Davis has a 1.093 OPS in 7 games; Joc Pederson is the only regular over .800. Austin Slater and Wilmer Flores are playing generally well, Thairo Estrada's been strong defensively (as has Davis) and Joey Bart is now hitting the ball with some authority and plays his position very well (witness that perfect tag on the relay play in Monday's game that saved Wood's shutout). All of this would look a whole lot better-- a lot more like last year, in fact-- if the Giants had one or two guys really tearing it up offensively. They don't. </p><p>The National League has three legitimate boss teams, led by the Dodgers, who are hot again, having won 10 in a row. They are now are at .700, 16 games ahead of San Diego. Call that one. Then there are the Mets and the Braves. New York shook off a shaky month and have now won six in a row to move seven games ahead of Atlanta, who are still an almost-certain wild-card team. The Phillies, meanwhile, are riding a 9-1 surge, with seven wins in a row, and have moved into second position. Then there's San Diego. Yes, they took two of three from the Giants, but since making those monumental trade-deadline deals they've been floundering-- losing, not gaining, ground. Juan Soto has been great, Josh Bell has been good, but Josh Hader-- well, the Giants chased him right off the mound on Saturday, before blowing the game themselves. If the Padres fade so badly that they miss the playoffs, or are quickly excused in the opening round, there's gonna be a whole tsunami of disappointment come crashing down around that team. Again. </p><p>It's beginning to look as through the NL Central division race will be win-or-go-home. Neither the Brewers nor the Cardinals have really caught fire or looked especially impressive for long this season; currently St Louis is hot and in the lead. Milwaukee is the team immediately ahead of the Giants in the wild-card standings, as they trail San Diego by one game. A wild-card team <i>could</i> come from the Central; it just doesn't look too likely.</p><p>If there's any comfort here for Giants fans, it's that the club is underperforming its expectation by three games, while the Padres are two games above their Pythagorean number. Cold comfort indeed. Also, there are no teams closing the gap behind us any more. Six teams will make it, and if you count the Giants, eight remain in it. <br /></p><p>Over in the American League the Yankees have cooled off from their ridiculous early-season pace, but still hold a ten-game lead in the East. Houston has an identical record, and lead, in the West. Seattle, who have not made the postseason since 2001, are currently neck-and-neck with Toronto for the boss wild-card team; they've been red-hot since the break, and it remains to be seen whether they'll do another fade-out as they did last year. The AL Central, like the NL Central, is a back-and-forth battle between teams who face daunting odds in the wild-card race; here it's three teams, with Cleveland, Minnesota, and the White Sox all tangled up just north of .500. But the big American League story is, of course, the oft-ridiculed Baltimore Orioles, who have come out of nowhere and are tied with Tampa for the third wild-card spot at the moment. </p><p>Yes, Baltimore. It's been a long time coming, and we wish them the best. After all, there has to be <i>one</i> orange-and-black team represented in the newly-expanded postseason this year. </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-91935145252647121582022-07-05T11:05:00.000-07:002022-07-05T11:05:46.009-07:00The View From Here<p>It ain't pretty, sports fans. Less than three weeks ago the Giants were at 37-27 and solidly in place as the NL's second wild-card candidates. Since then they've hit a 3-11 tailspin and they're trailing not only San Diego but Atlanta, St Louis and Philadelphia, with Miami coming up on the outside. A storyline a few days ago raised the question of whether the Giants, coming off a 107-win season, might be <i>sellers</i> at the upcoming trade deadline, perish the thought.</p><p>That's unlikely to happen. Even slouching along barely above .500, or at or slightly below .500, the Giants will remain in contention for a wild-card spot. As long as that's the case, they won't sell. And another reason is, who, exactly, would they sell, or could they sell?</p><p>It maybe don't look like it, but the Giants' strong suit so far this year has been starting pitching. Their top three players at any position, by WAR, are Carlos Rodon, Logan Webb, and IL denizen Jakob Junis. Alex Wood and Alex Cobb have been less effective, working at about league average, but overall the Giants' starters rank fifth in the league in Wins Above Average (+3), ahead of the Mets, Cardinals, Padres, and Brewers. That the rotation hasn't <i>looked</i> especially effective for much of the year is due more to a terribly inconsistent offense than it is to the starters' performance. </p><p>It's hard not to draw the conclusion that five veterans-- Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Darin Ruf, Evan Longoria, and Tommy LaStella-- are dragging the Giants down. The club is in the bottom five in WAA at first base, shortstop, and third base, and both offensive and defensive metrics are down at those positions. Way down. The Giants invested 108 at-bats on Joey Bart's .596 OPS and Curt Casali, a career backup, is the starting catcher, though he is doing reasonably well. </p><p>There just really isn't a lot going on with this offense; Mike Yastrzemski remains the most valuable Giant in the lineup, with Casali second. They're the only ones with positive numbers on both sides of the ball. Joc Pederson is the team's best hitter, but he doesn't play full time. Austin Slater and Luis Gonzalez have been generally solid as role players, and would be a lot more so in a balanced offense that wasn't carrying two or three automatic outs. Note that rookie David Villar, in one game, has already posted more runs above average than six Giants regulars. Overall the Giants' position players rank 12th in the 15-team league, 4 wins below average.</p><p>The bullpen numbers are equally depressing. Using the adjusted pitching WAA which favors relievers, the Giants' two best out of the 'pen are Kervin Castro and Yunior Marte-- both currently pitching at Sacramento. Camilo Doval, the one for-sure keeper, has posted a 0.8 WAR already despite some late-inning struggles. But get this-- three Giants <i>position players</i> rank higher on this chart than everyone else in the bullpen. At the bottom are Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers, who have been genuinely awful and can't be trusted with late-inning leads any more. Thanks mostly to Doval, the Giants' relievers rank ninth, out of fifteen, in WAA. A few good pitchers are keeping San Francisco on the fringes of contention.</p><p>Brandon Belt, 34, hit 29 homers last year, his career high. He's at .687 OPS with an anemic .352 SLG. His contract is up this year. Brandon Crawford, 35, had 31 Win Shares last year and could have been the MVP. He's at .663 OPS, .350 SLG, and he has one year left on his contract. Evan Longoria, 36, to his credit has been walking more and hitting for decent power of late, boosting his OPS over .800, but he too will be gone after this year. It's the first week of July, the halfway point. The All-Star break is late this year, two weeks away, but it's already past time to face facts and realize how unlikely it is that these guys are going to suddenly "turn it around" in 2022.</p><p>So what do Gabe Kapler, Scott Harris, and Farhan Zaidi do about all this? There has been talk regarding Juan Soto, the Washington Nationals' brilliant young-- young! 23 years old!-- outfielder, who may be the best player in the game, on a last-place team. There's been talk about the Cubs' catcher Willson Contreras, who is not young but who's having a terrific season on another team going nowhere. This is his pre--free-agency year and the Giants have a crying need at the position. Would they trade, say, Heliot Ramos or Sean Hjelle for Contreras? Probably not unless they were convinced they could sign him for 2023 and beyond... but they might trade Bart even for a possible rental.</p><p>None of this is what we wanted to write today, or any day. In our more reflective moments we've noted that the Giants, this year, are about where we expected them to be <i>last</i> year. But 107 wins has a way of skewing the expectations, and the last two weeks have had a way of <i>skewering </i>those expectations. The Giants will be going to San Diego, and hosting Milwaukee, before the break. Let's see what this team looks like two weeks from today.</p>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6998945847451081287.post-20622509818579788232022-05-31T12:22:00.002-07:002022-05-31T12:22:52.138-07:00Walking With the Queen (City, that is)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTynnY3Zs355JBO1eZ3-3wv-wZDJ18V2EAGmMLu1jRdbG1Q10NpSIu_TXyn-Egb_UtzteZM9P3rh_yk8BNOUguJvhS_rgWegAHq5K3lPXjPtHj3VDoeR_7EWArDQ-y8Q6puou7e-6xLjiepeBZVKMDnZfCuA_u7Yg5_af_nFXRRtEuNxf1BiYTgbccg/s900/aerial-view-of-cincinnatis-great-american-ballpark-mountain-dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTynnY3Zs355JBO1eZ3-3wv-wZDJ18V2EAGmMLu1jRdbG1Q10NpSIu_TXyn-Egb_UtzteZM9P3rh_yk8BNOUguJvhS_rgWegAHq5K3lPXjPtHj3VDoeR_7EWArDQ-y8Q6puou7e-6xLjiepeBZVKMDnZfCuA_u7Yg5_af_nFXRRtEuNxf1BiYTgbccg/w400-h266/aerial-view-of-cincinnatis-great-american-ballpark-mountain-dreams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Notes from a Memorial Day weekend in Cincinnati...</p><p>It's maybe not everyone's idea of a vacation destination, but the Queen City's downtown and waterfront are pleasant and scenic. Both the Great American Ballpark and Paul Brown Stadium sit along "The Banks," a stretch of parkland abutted by freeways along the Ohio River, with Kentucky just across the water. A nice walk on a nice day. And on game nights, the two-block-long "DORA" (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) next to the ballpark is replete with restaurants, sidewalk cafes, clubs, and plenty of foot traffic. We were made to feel most welcome despite wearing enemy colors, and while we're at it, here's a shout-out to the numerous Giants fans we met over those three days. We'll also add props to the Reds' house DJ, who treated us to a lot of Motown and Stax over the weekend. </p><p>The weather swung from a chilly, rain-soaked evening on Friday to a sweltering, humid, sun-splashed Sunday morning, and the baseball action seemed to follow suit. They may be a last-place club, but the Reds are playing much better than they did a month ago. After that horrendous 3-19 start they'd gone 11-11 as we and the Giants arrived in town, and they were within sight of fourth place as Friday's game began. </p><p>It began late, following a two-hour rain delay. After waiting for the game to start, we waited, and waited, and waited some more for the Giants to snap out of what amounted to a nine-inning torpor. Cincy sent out rookie Graham Ashcraft, with four major-league innings on his resume, against Carlos Rodon that evening, and the resulting pitching lines, while not quite a mismatch, were mostly one-sided-- the wrong way. Rodon clearly did not enjoy pitching in a steady drizzle that occasionally amplified into a steady downpour, and the Reds punched through three runs in his five innings as most of us scrambled to the safety of the overhang. It let up eventually, and Ashcraft held his unlikely shutout into the seventh. </p><p>The Giants got their only real chance against reliever Alexis Diaz in the eighth, loading the bases with one out as Art Warren took over against Joc Pederson. A group near us in section 112 had begun an impromptu Pederson "fan club" that evening, perhaps energized by the pregame dustup Joc had with the Reds' Tommy Pham. The catcalling subsided when Warren hit Pederson with the pitch, forcing in the Giants' only run, but it worked out nicely for them as Brandon Crawford then grounded into a double play that settled the issue. We'd rather have seen Pederson get a chance to swing the bat.</p><p>Saturday, from our perch in the upper boxes, was an excruciating test of character, or something like that. Tommy LaStella opened the game with a double down the right-field line, went to third on Mike Yastrzemski's sac fly, and died there, an outcome that we would see repeated again and again that day. In the Reds' first, Alex Wood allowed a hit, a walk, and a three-run homer to Kyle Farmer. Then, having got that out of his system, Wood settled down and worked steadily into the sixth, allowing just two more hits and nothing close to a run. For his part, Reds starter Vladimir Gutierrez, 0-6 with a ERA north of 8 coming in, held his own in what turned into a pitchers' duel with Wood. And Gutierrez earned his first win of the year, because that squandered first-inning chance became a whole series of blown chances. The Giants rapped out twelve hits, drew two walks, put sixteen men into scoring position-- and brought <i>one</i> of them home, Yaz scoring on Pederson's double in the third.</p><p>Cincinnati, meanwhile, left no one on base at all until the sixth. By then it was a one-run game, thanks to Evan Longoria's solo homer in the top of the frame. And the <i>denouement,</i> the final indignity, awaited us in the top of the ninth. Curt Casali opened with an encouraging single, and Joey Bart went in to run. Yaz, 2-for-4 on the day, drew a walk, moving the tying run to second. With two down and the tension high, Wilmer Flores drilled a base hit directly to rookie right fielder Aristides Aquino on one bounce. Known informally among Reds faithful as "The Automatic Out" for his struggles at the plate, Aquino has a fine throwing arm, and he proved it right then and there. His throw home was on the money and Bart was easily tagged out to end the game. As we shuffled dispiritedly toward the exits, we wondered aloud whether third-base coach Mark Hallberg had let a moment of quiet desperation override his common sense as he waved Bart to his doom. </p><p>11:35 on a Sunday morning is the earliest we've ever attended a major-league ballgame, and it was bright and sunny from the start. But the continuing sense of desperation slowly settled in as Alex Cobb worked his finest start of the season, and got no help. Cobb struck out 8 and allowed only two runs over six innings, the last on Joey Votto's ringing double, the 2,044th hit of his fine career. But across the way, Tyler Mahle was pitching-- well, he was pitching a no-hitter, and somehow that seemed totally fitting given the way the weekend had gone. All but resigned to personally witnessing our guys being swept by a last-place team, we had the stirrings of baseball history in the air as Mahle got the 19th and 20th outs opening the seventh. Then, on his 104th pitch, Thairo Estrada crushed a double off the wall in right-center. History, and brother Mahle, made a quick exit-- and so did the Giants again. We endured yet another indignity as our old friend Hunter Strickland came in, struck out Luis Gonzalez, and walked off with just a hint of the old swag. </p><p>Years ago on the Giants usenet discussion board, some fans came up with the concept of "Earnest Ragging," the practice of chastising or ridiculing a favorite player with the fervent hope that it'd help him snap out of whatever slump or funk was plaguing him. One of our party was deeply into this with Evan Longoria on Sunday. In the eighth, "Longo" came up with runners on first and second and two out. Pederson had just broken the shutout and made it a one-run game with a seeing-eye single, and the whole scene had the feeling of The Last Opportunity for the Giants. Our companion kicked the ragging into high gear. "He's already <i>made</i> his quota for the week!" was the claim, referring to Longoria's too-little too-late homer Saturday. "Now he can go back to striking out!" </p><p>It had already been a tough day for Longoria; he was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. On the last K, a 3-2 pitch, "Longo" had taken what he thought was ball four. Umpire Shane Livensparger had waited until Longoria bent down to to unsnap his shin guard before calling a rather ostentatious strike three, earning a long staredown from the player. </p><p>Now, on a close 3-1 pitch, recent history repeated itself. Longoria reached for his shinguard clasp; Livensparger barked out a strike-two call. Straightening up, Longoria faced one nemesis, then turned and faced the other, pitcher Art Warren. In came the pitch, and out it went, a no-doubt-about-it opposite-field blast, and Lord have mercy, it was as though a dam had broken. The Giants' dugout, directly in front of us, erupted with whoops and hollers we could hear above our own noise. Flores and Pederson came in and waited for the big guy to finish his round, with high-fives everywhere. And the runs came thick and fast after that. Crawford walked, Estrada beat out a base hit, and Gonzalez ripped an opposite-field shot into the corner in left as they both came around to score. It ended with Darin Ruf, who had opened the inning as a pinch-hitter and taken a called third strike, batting for the second time in the inning and striking out <i>again.</i> You can bet his teammates showered a little "earnest ragging" on <i>him </i>after the game!</p><p>Tyler Rogers got a double-play ball to finish the Reds' eighth, and Camilo Doval made it a little too "interesting" in the ninth. As we sat in anticipation, maybe just this side of anxiety, the young fireballer surrendered a two-out two-run homer to Albert Almora jr, making it 6-4. Alejo Lopez then batted for former Giant Aramis Garcia and softly lifted a 1-2 pitch to Gonzalez in left, and we walked out winners at last.</p><p><br /></p><p>Props to Wilmer Flores, who made a terrific unassisted double play at first base to end the fifth, one of three Giants double plays in Sunday's game. And major props to Cobb, whose fine start gave his team the chance to win. He also made a nifty fielding play, taking an awkward overhand throw from Flores and showing some fancy footwork to beat Garcia to the bag at first. Called safe initially, the call was reversed on replay, and there was no question about it.</p><p>The aforementioned Aquino not only can throw, he can run like the wind and field his position. He made the catch of the weekend on a drive hit by LaStella opening the seventh on Saturday. Looking at the replay now, it's still hard to tell whose ball it was, but Aquino, running full speed, snagged what might have been a sure triple out of the air before crashing into center fielder Nick Senzel. Both went tumbling, Aquino held the ball, and they sat there stunned and looking at each other for a few minutes afterward. We may be thankful neither was hurt. Aquino also doubled up Yaz at first base after making a catch in right on Friday: our first indication that the young man has a fine arm. </p><p>Joey Bart's struggles continue. Mike Papierski, since reassigned to Sacramento, started behind the plate Friday. Bart replaced him in the eighth and was called for catcher's interference in his one inning. Curt Casali, back from the IL, started Saturday as Bart was limited to (unsuccessful) pinch-running. On Sunday, Bart did get the start, went 0-for-2, and was taken out for a pinch-hitter. He's at .160 right now and offensively his only real contribution is 13 walks in 97 appearances, which boosts is OBP to .299. But then there's the 43 strikeouts. </p><p>On a positive note, Yaz, who was hitting in the .220s last time we checked, is back up at .300 and playing full-time after finishing 2021 in a platoon role. Also, both Brandon Belt and Austin Slater are expected back before this week is out, and we hope LaMonte Wade and Steven Duggar can be back before this month is out. </p><p>And finally-- finally!-- we got to see the hitherto-invisible Stuart Fairchild in action yesterday. He took over center field in the ninth, with Yaz moving to right and Gonzalez to left, and he made the first putout of the inning. Way to go, young man!</p><p><br /></p><br /><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">The above photograph is published by mountain-dreams and is posted without permission. It will be removed upon notice from the copyright holder. </span></p>Malbuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03621888124290063027noreply@blogger.com0