by
Greek Giant
This has officially become a lost season. Matt Cain, we love you but your time is over. The bullpen needs to be blown up. We are here, at game 76 focusing on the triumphs of individual players. Buster is having an awesome year. Joey Baseball is back and before you know it he will have All Star numbers by season’s end. BB9 might hit 25 homers. Austin Slater is looking more and more like a legitimate run producer whose biggest weakness is letting go of the bat after he hits.
The Giants just went 1-7 on a road trip where they scored a gazillion runs. In the Atlanta series the team scored 20 runs after getting shut out in game 1. The problem is they gave up 27 runs to the Braves.
Kyle Crick made his Major League debut and pitched well despite giving up the hit that would score the game-winning run.
I think the most difficult part of this season for me personally has been watching the bullpen blow leads, give up add-on runs that prove to be the difference in so many games, and fail to put up zeroes in shutdown innings.
I am going to take advantage of this season and get creative with my headlines.
Comment Gold
The Box
Hi everyone from the Big Island of Hawaii. We arrived yesterday afternoon, and it was six hours earlier than where the Giants were in Atlanta, so the whole game had transpired before we even went to dinner.
Not that I expect to be watching much baseball on this trip, but I was surprised and pleased to see that I could watch the game on my NBCS live app, the same one I can see games streamed on when I’m home (just have to log into my cable provider). This was a surprise because the Giants are blacked out in Hawaii. MLB.TV doesn’t work. I’m not sure why this app is working, but I’m happy about it.
Regarding the Giants, the last two games have just made me sad. Did you see the dugout when Pence hit that homer in the ninth on Wednesday? They were so excited. And it just meant that they played extras and lost. Same with last night–plenty of fight and some offensive production, but just fell short with another comeback. And have to fly all night and play again tonight. I’ve moved beyond being frustrated and angry to just feeling bad for them.
Congrats to Kyle Crick on his major league debut, and it’s too bad it didn’t happen about four batters sooner. But still a big day for him.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/31632c44413a7d1097544031b7100d1655ee8ee2a71b2afa9d7c1382f87e224d.jpg
I expect an Alvise-level scenery shot as a follow up once the ladies start filling up the beach
Fantastic photo. Thanks Lefty. Have fun and send more photos. The Giants are cooked this season and they simply should start planning for the future now. They should also be honest to the fans and press about it.
Glad you made it to Hawaii safe. I’m with you on being beyond frustrated and angry and just feeling bad for them.
The flight was lovely and we did fine, despite screaming babies in stereo, and a crazy woman behind us demanding medical attention because she believed she was breathing recycled air and that she was allergic to people’s cell phones. Not a whole hell of lot to do about that when you’re halfway over the Paciifc. We all had to sit and wait to deplane so that EMTs could come attend to her.
As for the babies, we both have high-end noise-cancelling headphones for exactly this purpose.
So many reasons not to fly anywhere!
and ps – aloha and mahalo.
Can’t feel bad for guaranteed-contract failure and a refusal to change in most cases
They’ve got to be encouraged by their 9th-inning comebacks (after TWO YEARS of none), and by the fact that Joe P., Pence, and Slater (and even the Gorks) have found their hitting shoes. At least they’re competitive. Wait ’til 2018!
“And it just meant that they played extras and lost.”
I think it meant much more to them as a Team and a Band of Brothers.
I love great stories like this:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/pedro-martinez-david-ortiz-number-retirement/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=June%2022%20AM&utm_content=June%2022%20AM+CID_fdd89b3861126a38b99c6c9f911402bd&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=For%20My%20Compadre%20Big%20Papi
That was a fantastic piece Matthew. Thanks for sending it. Everyone should read it. I remember thinking sitting in the stands at Fenway last July during the second game of the Giants-Red Sox series that when Big Papi hit is monster three-run homer off Smarge, though it was against my team, I was thrilled to be witnessing history.
I don’t think it was Samardzija. Those two games were started by Cain and Peavy. I remember because we were all horrified that they were rushing Cain back from a rehab start in which he’d been roughed up in A ball to start in Fenway and that they did a special tribute to Peavy and Javi Lopez, who’d been on their 2013 and 2007 World Series teams, respectively.
Right, I think it was Cain’s start, the second game, where we met beforehand.
You should have learned by now: “When in doubt, default to Cain”
I think it was Peavy, but it was a wild game in any case: down 8-0 by the third, rallied back to 8-7 after Mac started it with a three-run homer.
Hanley Ramirez hit three home runs in that game, too.
My other memory is of rookie Derek Law coming in, around the seventh inning, to face Papi and Hanley. The Fenway crowd was going nuts, hoping Hanley would hit a fourth. IIRC, Law got an infield grounder from Papi and struck out Hanley. Just nails.
It’s easy to forget with the hard times Law’s fallen on this year, but he was great last year. I hope they can fix him.
That was also the game where Mac hit a three run bomb to bring the Giants closer then they rallied to make it 8-7 after being down 8-0, with the bases load, nobody out, Mac due up and Bochy, in a classic case of over-managing and killing a rookie’s confidence, decides to pinch hit Blanco, who promptly hits into a double play, no run scores, the next batter strikes out, game over, season over.
Ooops, Just checked, you are right Lefty, it was Cain’s start. Here is the recap: http://www.espn.com/mlb/scoreboard/_/date/20160720
Big Papi hit the homer I wrote about above in the previous game off Peavy. Funny how time plays tricks with memories.
Yep. Having witnessed that trip in person is one reason I still hold out hope for Mac. Two nights later he made Andrew Miller blow a save in Yankee Stadium, and the next day, he drove in the winning run in extras for their only win on that whole road trip.
The Mac situation is a curious phenomenon. It seems Bochy and the brass have something against him. It could be something not public like a work ethic or an injury. I remember meeting his parents on the subway ride up to Yankee stadium for the Friday night game you alluded to. They were very nice.
You’re right–it was Cain. Peavy was the first night.
No Heath Hembree?
That was terrific. Makes me want to check out his well received memoir ‘Pedro’.
Years down the road, Bumgarner exclaims…
“Buster, dude, this is your effing city!”
Gracias, guess I should have dusted before I read that.
Oh! I love me some Pedro Martinez. As great a pitcher as he was, and he was seriously damn great when you consider he pitched in the teeth of the steroids era, he’s just as good an analyst and a communicator.
As a writer I appreciate great writing, and that was just beautifully written.
“I swear it was God whispering to me, “Lobster, Pedro. Go to the lobster.”
Steroid guy Big Papi is beloved, while steroid guys McGwire, Sosa and Bonds are reviled. Not right.
Awe.
You’re in awe of me? Thanks, but I think that’s a little much.
And he was a DH … Half a player even on steroids
I have always seen Ortiz as the result of roids, and thought the media fawned too much, but it doesn’t preclude me from reading stories about the “human being” and find new appreciation
Rings help
They shouldn’t? The act is the same.
I wouldn’t say I love Big Papi at all, but Pedro’s article was fantastic.
I know – I bet you’ve dabbled in some vitamins for the gym. Our guy JR Gamez is fairly gym bound as is some of your buds who use to work ‘Jose’ https://www.redwoodcity.org/home/showdocument?id=7599 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0ed8fca3c86ff8396de70318bde67779d8ced3ac18c3efcd8325e1fcfc345ddf.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/140b70912237ac5ede90826f8eedf631cbc974a503371924c5fb93c95bd533a1.jpg
Are you aware of how creepy you are?
I just think your first job – attorney – into the C.O.P. has tightened your sphincter too much. COPS do talk about other COPS. Remember Bob Scott from San Mateo. His kid played for me for six yrs. Kid got mixed up with girl friend and dad wore UNI down to Mountain View. End of San Mateo job. Barbara Hammerman. Passed away in 2007. I was an honorary pall bearer. You actually may not know who you’re dealing with Peter, but I mean that in the best of ways. I poster texted me yesterday about you: “Does he not know of which how little he knows on baseball” ? I just said “I’ve been telling him that for a long time”.
Can’t believe it’s been ten years since we heard this awful news. RIP Shooter Beck.
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Resilient-closer-used-guts-guile-38-year-old-2584552.php
Rod Beck was one of my favorite Giants. I bookmarked this article way back when:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3060456
Me too. That Brian Johnson HR game in 1997 was a classic, and Beck’s escape artist act (bases loaded, none out) set that walk-off up.
Thanks for posting this, Dr. L. Beck was such a cool guy and a great closer. Here’s a line that jumped out at me, a quote from Peter McGowan: “. . .When we reached our dream of the playoffs in 1997, it was only fitting that Rod was on the mound for the final out that clinched the National League West.” It made me think back to the time when it was a dream to make the playoffs. It wasn’t that long ago when it seemed like the Giants would NEVER make the playoffs and certainly never win the WS.
Dude couldn’t beat his demons.
I remember him celebrating after he got Greg Vaughn to strike out, and the Giants won the NL West in 97. After all of the crap he got and losing his job to Roberto Hernandez, I was happy that he was able to help save the game to clinch a playoff spot after those terrible ’95 and ’96 seasons. He was the only one I supported wearing a Fu Manchu.
Might the Belt conversion to a serious power hitter be at the expense of his batting average and his doubles average? He has more HR than doubles. If so, it might not be worth it in terms of run production and his RBI kind of corroborates that.
His RBI total is 31 so on pace for about 65-70, just about where he always is, 68 was his career high before his 82 last year. I do not think he is doing anything different at the plate, HRs are up league wide, the ball might be juiced, and he is streaky , so he might not hit 1 in a month you never know with him .
Even Belt’s HR numbers only rank him in the lower middle of that power position. With 25 rated 1B, 10 have hit 17 or more and 4 have hit 20 or more. Thus, for his position, even with a “breakout” power year, Belt’s power numbers (esp. combined with his very low doubles rate this year) aren’t even quite mediocre for his position. His 31 RBI rank him 4th from the bottom in that category but, in fairness, all the Giants are hitting with far fewer runners on base this year.
I do not get what you are trying to say ,at first I thought you were saying he was sacrificing his batting average and doubles, because he is trying to hit more Homeruns, I already know he is in lower half of power production in MLB among 1st baseman, that’s why trading him is not likely with 70 Million dollars left on his contract .
also a good summary
Good summary.
Two interesting numbers about Crick’s outing last night: 0 strikeouts and 6/7 outs via the air. Were the Braves “just missing” or hitting weak pop flies due to his movement? I ask because I did not see the game.
The results were good, but he certainly wasn’t overpowering anyone and there were very few swings and misses.
Maybe few swings and misses but 26/33 pitches were strikes. That’s encouraging given his long term problem of the base-on-balls.
I liked what I saw. We need to see more of him, and less of Morris, Gearrin, Kontos, and *maybe* Dyson. To be fair, I think we might have scored big with Dyson.
If we got a steal it is Dyson who has badly deteriorated but only recently. Long term his numbers look good. Let’s hope “long term” becomes the new now.
I looked up Dyson’s game logs. He’s appeared in five games with the Giants. In his first outing he gave up 3 runs, 2 earned. Since then, zero runs, and 5 Ks/1 BB in 4.1 innings. Small sample, but I thought he looked great on Wednesday.
I appreciate that as well. Then I recall that Morris’ intro followed a similar trajectory.
I REALLY liked that he tossed a couple of off-speed strikes. Not just pure adrenaline. Read Brisbee’s take:
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2017/6/22/15858630/sf-giants-braves-loss-welp
“BUT KYLE CRICK DEBUTED AND DID GREAT. Listen, this was going to be the theme of the recap if the Giants didn’t show life in the eighth and ninth innings, and it’s still probably the most important development of the game. Heck, it’s one of the more important developments of the season. I’m not sure if the Giants could have traded Crick for Mikie Mahtook this offseason. And here he is, reinvented, throwing hard, throwing strikes.”
That was encouraging, but he’s going to need to be able to miss some bats if he’s going to be successful.
He missed a lot of bats at Sacto so maybe this 0 SO outing was an aberration.
The beat writers said he was sitting at 94-95 and hit 97 at least once.
Considering his big problem as a pro has been walks and control, I’d say 2.1 innings in his big league debut, as amped-up as he had to have been, with no walks at all is absolutely fantastic. Sure we’d like 5 strikeouts to go with that, but otherwise, I don’t think it could have been more encouraging.
I say keep him in the middle innings since he can go multiple innings and let him settle in. He could be a big part of the future of this bullpen.
Could he be a long reliever or a one inning reliever in the future?
Indeed. Let’s give him some run and see what develops.
I think he had on D Law’s uniform. Was kind of big. Pitchers hate that.
I saw 94’s. Didn’t look incredibly electric and slide piece didn’t seem to have much bite. Hey, at least he was pounding the zone.
He can hump up to 97 but if it’s at the expense of control then I’m glad he toned it down a little. He WAS “pounding the zone”.
I didn’t see it either, but weak flies in the opposite direction are good things too. They aren’t on it
I guess it figures that in this horrible 2017 season my one Giants/Braves game would be fraught with circumstance. The Atlanta region has been pounded with rain all week, and all four games were delayed by rain (kudos to Braves ground crew–great job of tarp on/tarp off and field management).
In our Wednesday night game, a cloudburst with strong wind right before game time sorta set the mood. Extra-inning walk off loss. Of course.
We did meet these two Giants fans before entering the stadium, then saw them again during the rain delay. They’re from San Jose, in the southeast USA on business, and attended two of the games in Atlanta. They know our Giants like everyone here knows our Giants. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f7aafb68321afe9982269c2b7b99f60c9017c4a2bfd70e1f26fefd16332e4429.jpg I have NONE of that here in the ATL, so I really enjoyed a half hour of talking Giants baseball with these great fans. (That’s me in the middle). There’s always something good at a ball game!
I should add that the first thing I noticed was the #18 jersey. “Is that a Kuiper jersey!?” “Yes, it is”…and we were off and running!
That’s awesome that you met two new Giants friends!
that smile on your face says it all, my friend. you’re a first ballot HOFer for great giants’ fans!!
Thank you, steve!
And what a contagious smile!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5371e254a478b5c61b988b5d59fa11918a28dabddec1802b49ec274fc5b0ac9.jpg Adjusted
Thanks, bro.
Bob can you get TF some coffee with cream as well?
Maybe a fresh Danish
Waffle?
Let the ticket price plunge begin! Spotted on TravelZoo:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d5699d5676ae2a09167ea5ba75e560af3cc5e2cdde9be8f96871c1934205be2c.png
Gotta give incentives to watch a team that’s completely out of it with 88 games left to play!!
Yup! A $7 ticket gets you in so you can purchase a $10 Coke! LOL
I bring in my own concessions, needing only ice for my soda and water!
How about the 40 dollars for parking.
Over/under on the sellout streak officially ending Tue 9/19 vs Rox
I’m debating on whether to go to the game tomorrow. Hopefully the prices for club level drop on Stubhub as well. I can’t stand sitting in the bleachers anymore.
My wife and I are going Sunday. We will be way up in 304. She likes to see the cove, the bay, the bridge, and oh yeah, the game too.
You can generally get cheaper club level seats if you don’t mind waiting last minute and it’s not a game with a super cool giveaway
I’m not sure why there is a 4:15 start tomorrow, but I will be there. Let me know if your going to the game. And if anyone is close to Stanford on Sunday night I will be attending the DCI show. We’re not playing this year.
We’re on Fox because of the Mets!
Thanks.
I hesitant to go and spend lots of money on a bad Giants team but I would like the old school bobblehead.
I’ll be at the Sunday and Monday games. Because I’m a glutton for punishment. Also I just really wanted the summer of love blanket giveaway on Sunday
My wife wanted to take me there for my 40th but I politely declined. What has the world come to? SMH
Monday night a number of my friends are playing the National Anthem which is kind a cool thing for them.
That is cool!
THE Giant N U T
More Muskiness today. Watch live.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/23/15820488/spacex-bulgariasat-rocket-launch-landing-livestream
http://www.spacex.com/webcast
Alex’s 5 takeaways analysis (tweet to the right) is very amusing (the “Freeze”). And his article on the J.C. opt-out crystal-clear:
http://www.csnbayarea.com/giants/why-you-shouldnt-freak-out-june-about-cuetos-opt-out
How many player only, closed meetings have the Giants had this season?
76
Didn’t Austin Slater look respectable in CF last night? That would be nice if he could platoon with Span in the final year of his contract. But 2018, barring a FA signing, shaping up to be.
Span, Pence, Slater, Parker, Gorkys – and waiting for Shaw et al to rise and be ready. Assuming Mac is elsewhere by next spring.
Ryder Jones in the mix too .
Not sure he’s made of OF cloth. But moving Belt could certainly open up PT for him. Maybe sees time at 3B as well .
His draft partner Arroyo and him fighting for that 3rd base spot, how is Jones with the glove at 3rd .
i remember he’s made a lot of errors in the past. Probably improved but probably the lesser defender by a good amount. I believe he has a good strong arm though.
I think he could give us decent LF play. If the bay works, we find a place for him.
Shaw looked great in LF when we were out there last week.
It would really be something if Gorkys still has a job next season; maybe one of the most amazing things in baseball history.
He’s earning his stripes. Like Matthew has said, he’s a perfectly respectable 5th OF/25th man.
Poor defense, an average close to .200 and an OPS below .600? How is that perfectly respectable? If you keep a player like that on your roster, particularly an outfielder, it’s a sure sign that you have a very bad team.
I have to trust Sr. Scout Matthew that Gorkys is a better defender than Span.
That’s not saying much.
Fangraphs disagrees.
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=cf&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=180&type=1&season=2017&month=0&season1=2017&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&page=1_30
I’m going with Scout Matthew’s unbiased eyeballs.
Well, he’s a pothead. Everything’s beautiful in its own way.
What game are you watching.?
He’s probably not as bad as Oracle portrays him to be but I agree with his call out that there is no point to having Hernandez on the team. He does not help them win and he doesn’t appear to have any upside. If he’s on the team it is an indication that it’s a bad team (or at least a bad outfield).
Trouble is – he is one of their Band of Brothers and none of are around three hours before first pitch to see how hard the guy is working …
Well this MLB is kind of a results driven business (I guess unless you are on a fat contract or have some winning history in the past).
As a player you do know that a hitter can control how good of a swing he puts on a good pitch but with 8 defenders standing in front of him and one odd looking guy squatting behind him – the literal results are out of the hitters domain 🙂
NO, NO, NO.
Please excuse me for shouting, but NO.
There’s a always a place for Matthew’s guy on this roster. At least Gorkys is an easy guy to DFA when Jebavy/Duggar are ready.
Dodgers Julio Urias may have serious shoulder problems that could require surgery. That’s the thing about those uber pitching prospects. Have to imagine they make a big trade for front line starter to pair with Kershaw. Otherwise its’ Big K, Wood, Hill, Maeda, McCarthy, and Ryu. Really? Would they really roll with the 5 and divers behind Kershaw in the playoffs? Suppose they could, but then they better add some some help to the pen or it will be another early exit for Kershaw and the gang – especially if their slugging bunch can’t play the requisite smaller ball.
The big difference in Kershaw this season is 17 HRs allowed in 103 innings. 17 HRs and 17 BBs…I bet that hasn’t happened too often.
Samardzija has 16 HR and 13 BB this year. What a weird and kind of awesome season he’s having.
If it’s even happened before, I’d bet two players haven’t done it in the same season.
Where is Philip Fabiano when we need some odd stats tracked down!
A blast from the past! Good one, 610.
Josh Tomlin last year gave up an absurd 36 HR vs. a very impressive 20 BB. Year before Bartolo gave up 25 HR vs. 24 BB. But Tomlin has done it in FIVE different seasons, and in fact has 131 career HR allowed vs. 113 BB. That’s weird.
It seems babying Urias didn’t help!
I hate the Dodgers, but that’s too bad. I never like hearing about a young pitcher with arm trouble. He looks like he’s going to be pretty good, too.
At this point, they’d be better off with Ty Blach than Julio. Who knew?
Blach’s doing a great job. Takes the ball. Eats innings. You need guys like that.
As compared to a few who are taking innings and eating balls. You don’t need guys like that.
Put a legit MLB offense and defense behind guys like Blach and you can win games!
Just a thought, Giants should have sent their bleary eyed team to a quiet hotel to sleep until report time.
Interesting thought. Come home late/early with family demands and travel. I agree.
Maybe they need to speak with Kelby’s optometrist and see what’s wrong with their ability to see the ball.
I think it’s Mrs Kelby.
They saw it OK last night–they scored 11 runs!
I know nada about the NBA – but this is pretty amusing:
http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/taibbi-the-nba-draft-decoded-w489212?utm_source=rsnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=062217_16
Plus a great link to Blazing Saddles.
I’m so out of the loop with baseball these days I didn’t know Addison Russell was involved with domestic violence. And now approaching a divorce. Interesting that his wife is refusing to talk with MLB investigators.
… and out of the TMZ loop!!
I don’t follow the hot mess that is TMZ. I get mine from Yahoo! and Passan reminds me of Harvey Levin.
He’s married and already having marital problems? Isn’t he only like 22 years old?
Sounds like infidelity and domestic abuse were involved. Addison was reported to have a history of having a wondering eye while his wife was involved with taking too many selfies.
It’s really no ones business, that’s the answer
Just heard some of Hank the Tank. If, indeed, he does have his pulse on the plans of the front office, don’t expect a rebuild. Expect a dismissal of the past year’s events as flukish and that with the right tweaks and players bouncing back they will be in the thick of the division with the Dodgers/Rockies/DBacks next season.
Could be a positive…multiple years of very high draft picks.
Do you predict a stable/civil society in which we can leisurely attend ball games in 2025? Not saying I don’t, it’s just that you never know these days, an era of unpredictability.
Things will be fine, but with all the Trump hysteria, the one thing that’s happened in the last few years that’s the biggest threat to the world’s stability had nothing to do with him. It was Obama’s decision to allow Iran a path to a nuclear bomb.
Thank you for the assurance and the insight. I trust that you read the stakes of the treaty correctly. You are The Oracle. Whoever let N.K. get nuclear material is in similar deep doo-doo.
That would be Pakistan, a US ally
What a complicated web! And whose watch was that on? And who let Pak and India get nukes?
Who let? Pakistan and India both developed their own nuclear weapons. India tested it’s first nuclear weapon in the 70s. Pakistan is the biggest fomenter of terrorism in the world with Saudi Arabia coming in second. Trump for all of his idiocy is actually trying to reign these guys in.
I’m not sure he’s doing much of anything other than tweeting and monitoring his business interests. But yes, there are generals and geo-strategical minds that would like to reign in a whole lot of people which is easier said than done.
He’s doing a lot more than monitoring his business and tweeting. You have seen how well done he keeps his hair, right?
Agreed
Mattis seems to feel otherwise, but then he’s not the oracle.
I’d rather they win every year and buy themselves into the 2nd round.
They would have zero World Series wins without Lincecum, Bumgarner and Posey…all top 11 picks.
That doesn’t have to be the formula but unfortunately, that’s been the Giants’ way.
It was the Cubs’ formula. It was the Astros’ formula.
Yep, but you don’t have to necessarily be at rock bottom like them. That’s fine if you feel that’s the way to go. And of course, the Cubs took 100+ years and the Astros have never won a WS and only been once.
And the Giants took 56.
Shows the high impact of impact players except Lincecum’s 2012 was awful at ERA 5.18. He was most impactful in 2008-2011 when he went 62-34 with a roughly 2.7 ERA. Lincecum’s inspirational power to the team was vividly illustrated in 2014 when he went 12-9 despite a 4.74 ERA. They backed him.
He didn’t have as much to do with 2012 and 2014, but he was one of the biggest reasons they won the first one.
Absolutely!
Not exactly, in 2014 when the Giants had the June swoon Timmy was the only pitcher winning, had the No- hitter and 2 other shutouts in that period, and in 2012 he was lights out in the bullpen in the play offs .
1993 may have been the best overall
But them kept him 2 years and 40M too long. Think of what they could have invested that money in? That alone may have helped beat the Cubs last year.
I’m guessing most dynasties end when the higher performing members age (the bullpen is gone), get more frequently injured, and don’t live up to their first 4-5 years (like Timmy). Backloaded huge salaries for mediocres assumes a financial largesse that outperforms the players and is predicated on overoptimism. Fat really does lead to dumb and happy.
That would be funny if the Giants traded for Jay Bruce. Because that’s the kind WTF move they just might do.
Did you ever play much outfield? I was thinking about Slater playing there last night and how reticent Bochy has been to play anyone there who is not a real center fielder. I’ve played a lot of the three outfield positions and frankly I find that CF is easier than the other two. If you can judge a fly ball and you can run then you should be able to play any of the three. Before he sucked wind this season Pence certainly could have tracked down balls just fine in CF. I know we’ve only played amateur ball but what’s your thought on that? I’m perfectly fine not having Hernandez or Span in the line up and having a Slater or Mac or Parker out there.
I played OF when not burning my arm out on the hill. Trying to gun out advancing runners was a blast, but was really fun was trying to get the best read possible and to rob a hit from somebody – usually by playing in and coming in hard. I found that left field was the easiest read. Center can be tricky, and it really is ideal to have a guy that can cover the gaps. Other teams get away with minus CFers from time to time. Maybe the Giants can do. At least it will get a bat in the lineup that they are trying to develop and someday a real centerfielder will come along.
Would not totally disagree. Coors gap dimensions are criminal. Left Field – 347 feet
Left-Center – 390 feet Center Field – 415 feet Right-Center – 375 feet Right Field – 350 feet
Elway needs to buy the team and build a new stadium closer to the earth and have a humidor in each dugout.
You saved the best wish for last … the humidor.
From what I’ve seen of Slater i think he can handle it. Parker could fake it. Mac not so much. Pence never not ever a few years ago. Pence in his Astros days sure.
Mac is definitely a better fielder than Parker, though I don’t know if either could fake CF.
This reads like a spaghetti post you get to pull out later if, by chance.
I like spaghetti with either meatballs or a nice meat sauce. But my go to is a fettuccine alfredo. You?
I, too, prefer the cheesier sauces to the tomato-ier sauces because I’m a cheesy guy.
Less acid, less Maalox.
It’s my litmus test for good Italian.
My theory for the greater hot temper of the south Italians is that they eat too many acidic, tomato-based sauces and it puts them in a foul mood. Sicily didn’t come by that ultimate expression of bad temper (murder) by accident. They eat too much acid.
Carbonara
Ya just can’t go wrong with bacon.
and some nice dry Chianti, hanging out with Monica Belucci
I didn’t know you were such a complicated guy. Me? I just want that bacon ‘n cream swaddling the noodles.
He sees himself in a cover corner position,maybe.
Funny as just yesterday I was talking to a coworker and predicted they would do something stupid like trade for Jay Bruce. He was slightly apoplectic, “Why the hell would they do that? That makes no sense!” And I told him that it’s because they always think “they’re in this thing!” and want to put up that image at all costs. This is before Schulman’s news that the team thinks their poor play is just a fluke. Ugggh.
Ha! Great minds think alike and know the Giants all to well. Yeah that Schulman news was a killer.
Frankly, they won a title or two too many for their own good. Their heads got too big. Their sense of reality skewed.
It was pretty obvious that as they kept winning WS that it was going to affect how they build a team for years to come. BUT it was a completely lousy complaint to have during the winning. Nothing worse than winning a WS and then turning around and whinging that their future teams were going to stink due to strict adherence to this team building policy. But that news certainly does confirm that to be the case.
Hall of Fame at ‘peace with the Steroid Era’ (well, Lon, they have to be because Bud is going into the HOF)
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/susan-slusser-hall-of-fame-voting-barry-bonds-roger-clemens-steroids-peds/f6r64i2skmt61u8uif1kcm5r7
I would never have thought the strike zone varied by team, pitcher or hitter maybe, but not team. It apparently does.
https://i.imgur.com/yqZrYL3.png
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-dodgers-have-played-with-the-friendliest-strike-zone/
Only Colorado and Milwaukee among the bottom 9 teams has a winning record. That is if I’m interpreting the graph correctly as swings out of the zone.
Will the Giants sign an OFer this offseason? Which strand of spaghetti would you like to throw against the wall? You make the call…
Left Fielders
Michael Brantley (31) — $11MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Melky Cabrera (33)
Rajai Davis (37)
Jarrod Dyson (33)
Curtis Granderson (37)
Chris Heisey (33)
Matt Holliday (38)
Hyun Soo Kim (30)
Jon Jay (33)
J.D. Martinez (30)
Cameron Maybin (31)
Daniel Nava (35)
Colby Rasmus (31)
Michael Saunders (31) — $11MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Justin Upton (30) — Can opt out of the remaining four years, $88MM on his contract
Jayson Werth (39)
Chris B. Young (34)
Eric Young Jr. (33)
Center Fielders
Lorenzo Cain (32)
Rajai Davis (37)
Jarrod Dyson (33)
Craig Gentry (34)
Carlos Gomez (32)
Austin Jackson (31)
Jon Jay (33)
Andrew McCutchen (31) — $14.75MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Colby Rasmus (31)
Ben Revere (30)
Melvin Upton Jr. (33)
Eric Young Jr. (33)
Right Fielders
Jose Bautista (37) — $17MM mutual option with a $500K buyout
Carlos Beltran (40)
Jay Bruce (31)
Melky Cabrera (33)
Jarrod Dyson (33)
Andre Ethier (36) — $17.5MM club option with a $2.5MM buyout
Carlos Gonzalez (32)
Curtis Granderson (37)
Franklin Gutierrez (35)
Chris Heisey (33)
J.D. Martinez (30)
Andrew McCutchen (31) — $14.75MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Daniel Nava (35)
Michael Saunders (31) — $11MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Seth Smith (35)
Justin Upton (30) — Can opt out of the remaining four years, $88MM on his contract
Jayson Werth (39)
Chris B. Young (34)
Couldn’t help but notice that not one of these hombres is under 30.
Are you trolling us?
LOL r u mad, bro?
Sounds like you’re with me. Let the utes play in 2018. Unload Pence and Span sometime during the process when the time is right. #lookingahead
Nah – we park our cars in the same garage, Foots.
p.s. (1) In retrospect – perhaps Brisbee was correct in lusting after J.D. Martinez last offseason.
(2) Beltran? At 40?!?
Good thing thy little kitty in heaven is not hear to witness this season.
Lordy, Clutch – even the late great Snorkel couldn’t do anything about this bunch.
Martinez will assuredly sing elsewhere this winter. Unless the Giants can break the bank to have him come to a non hitters yard.
AT&T the worse possible park for Martinez, his power is to Right center are straight away Right, as a right handed hitter, not good for his career .
Preacher to the choir, Brother Peter.
My back to the future shoulda, coulda, woulda.
Should have signed or traded for Khris Davis when the Brewers did not want him. End of story. OMG the A’s got him for one rosin bag and two jock straps.
Brewers traded Davis to the Oakland Athletics for Jacob Nottingham and Bubba Derby.
It is all about BAT SPEED. Sung to the song. “All About the Bat Speed”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RMIEr7NqMI
Nottingham a better prospect than Susac at the time. Both are in the tank nowadays.
Thus, Buster’s prospects for a 3rd Giant catcher to rest him are slim.
Grrrrr. Buster’s gonna catch til he gets ground to a wan hitting pulp.
Krush is plummeting back to earth. His defense is waiting for him several feet under the earth.
None of the above.
THIS guy is a Warrior and great team leader. Hope he catches on with somebody. http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-sad-to-part-ways-with-popular-Stephen-Vogt-11240750.php
No kidding. I had not realized how far he had fallen, pretty darn good hitter a while back.
Man, I think we have a handful of vets who have fallen farther…
BBeane has no heart. BBochy may have too much.
Has the whining and self pity declined, or TO still stirring the pot? I don’t think he’ll be happy until a few of you climb up on the GG Bridge railing, then of course, you’re subject to arrest.
So you think because people are lamenting a season in which the Giants were expected to make the playoffs, and are now on a 100+ loss pace, people should not be upset? What are they supposed to say? “It’s great watching my favorite team lose with incredible regularity as they fade into irrelevancy.” This is a GIANTS blog in which people (mostly) talk about the GIANTS. And if people are talking about the Giants it’s impossible for it to be anything but predominantly negative. What you call whining and self pity most people call more along the lines of group therapy. Although, you can be the outlier who just enjoys watching the Giants play horrendously $hitty baseball in which guys like Aaron Hill, Gorkys Hernandez, Bryan Morris, George Kontos and Cory Gearrin regularly make appearances.
No, I think if you haven’t accommodated to the reality and calmed down, you probably have forgotten this is a game to be enjoyed, not tormented by. In the end, it’s about Baseball, and not just the Giants. In truth, there is a lot to learn about the Giants as a team and how they respond to adversity. This whinatopia has been in progress for several months, and one should get tired of it sooner or later. Maybe a firing squad would satisfy your thirst, but it won’t make the Giants any better.
Seems like daily complaining is valid to the extent that failures happen daily. If not, not.
That’s exactly how I look at it, so I guess the main difference between us is that I don’t send a card to Bochy on Valentine’s Day.
ROTD
I say let TO stir. I love his rants. I mean who has TO’s personality on this board? Really nobody so there’d be a loss if he left. He’s a true fan which is why he’s unduly upset with the 2017 Giants. He won’t let it go! He cares!
Who wants TO’s personality. Guys like him, in one form or another are everywhere. He’s made his point, but he seems to enjoy the unhappiness of fellow fans and does what he can to exacerbate it. If his schtick gets you off, try ‘bumfights’ on Utube. TO cares about TO.
I think you have this wrong. Fans who care, and who are not sort of fair-weather like me, often get quite emotional especially on the many guy wrenching losses of late. Caring can be a sign of a team lover in great distress. He’s just trying to tell you WHY he’s distressed. He’s a better fan than me. I miss many games.
We’ve had our disagreements – I often think he’s a funny guy – but he loves to argue. I think law school did that, but maybe guys like him go to law school. I try not to get personal, and respect him for not doing so.
There are others who need to be designated for assignment: ‘this user is blocked.’
That’s how look at it, Paul. There are only a couple of people here I wouldn’t want to meet. But if I met RobDeer, I’d make sure stay on my toes and watch his hands.
I think you care about me, since you brought me up. I’m touched.
I like all different personalities even when I don’t agree with them. It makes me uncomfortable when a group of commenters gangs up on a poster whose opinions or style they don’t like.
Actually, I’m fine with the losing. It was inevitable and will give them a better chance to be good again.
“Giants player rep Matt Cain on the schedule: “It’s terrible. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s just bad.”
This just in – so were you, Matt. Can’t blame the schedule.
Yup, he couldn’t even say that he has been awful. What a guy
I don’t think Matty has ever had the reputation as the most self-effacing Giant.
He has down right been contemptuous at times
I think he was responding to a question about the schedule. I don’t think he required to add an “I suck” at the end.
I read it as an excuse for a sh**ty game. I may have overreacted.
I think that he was deflecting responsibility. He has contributed to Giants “suckage”
I think they were talking specifically about having to play a night game in the eastern time zone when they were scheduled to play at home the next day.
As the stadium sell out comes to an end, Larry Baer’s worker Bees continue to come up with dynamic pricing.
* In July Father Guido Sarducci will say Mass after a sleep over of singles in the outfield. Wedding services will be half price after Mass.
* Sherry Davis former Giants female announcer will race Renel on the warning track.
* Melkys Melk Maids will appear with Greg Papa at the Patio House.
* Chris Lincecum will attempt to strike out Chris Domingues – David Ortmeier and Ricky Oropesa but Oropesa hits one into McCovey Cove that lands on a Cargo Ship. Chris flips off the crowd with both middle fingers.
* Crazy Crab – Lou Seal and Amy G all climb the flag pole in honor of Jonathan Winters
* Lastly George Kontos catches the ceremonial first pitch from Choi Seol Hwa – after the game Kontos announces that he and Choi Seol Hwa are tying the knot and moving to Thailand, moving into B Wheezy’s and Pat Burrell’s former Condominium named The Machine. Marty Lurie will conduct the services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NLkW0ETfSA
Is anyone supervising the meds you’re on?
No, I broke into the cabinet when Nurse Ratchett went to lunch.
In Duffy news, he underwent a procedure to remove a calcium deposit from his heel.
http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/rays-matt-duffy-undergoes-procedure-on-heel/
Godspeed, Duffman.
Snorks and his large kitty will nurse him back to health
He could use some peaches too.
everyone can benefit from some peaches on occasion, and a belated happy b’day to you..
Thank you!
Poor guy.
I have a friend in San Jose going through the same surgery. Tough recovery with a long recovery time, hence 60-day DL.
Sounds painful
According to my friend, exceedingly.
Reacquire him. Should be cheap at this point
I still have his bobble head!
Save it.Giants really may try to go after him.
Sniffles
In a startling bit of news – my wife – noticed we had a reservation for a futures tour. The party signed in as
‘PuigRomoRonaldoDirk’. Zimmer and Davvy showed him around and asked him why leave the here and now so soon. Mumbled something about his work being done on earth (for now). Said he endured much grief from Giants fans, some bandwagon, some not and that this year all he has to do is sit back and watch. Zim and Davvy called for Lon and Nate the Great for some muscle to possibly ‘keep him’ with us until his reservation ran out. Allen called it the PuigRomoRonaldoDirk – shot clock and typical Allen asked him if he needed a calculator to subtract 1988 from 2017? As he left Allen handed him a card with this on it.
World Series Winners
2016 Chicago Cubs
2015 Kansas City Royals
2014 San Francisco Giants
2013 Boston Red Sox
2012 San Francisco Giants
2011 St. Louis Cardinals Texas Rangers
2010 San Francisco Giants
Speaking of Futures, who you got this year?
Astros? Rox? Indians? Dodgers? Yankees? Nationals? DBacks? Red Sox?
I think you might have a fever.
This is very funny. I have been missing PRDR (2017-vintage 2HH is of poor quality) but now I see that he has shuffled off this mortal coil. Completely without rings.
The Old Boy Network
Six years after trading for Doug Fister in a deal that helped propel the Detroit Tigers to a division title, Dave Dombrowski has reacquired him for the Red Sox. Fister, a 33-year-old right-hander, will represent starting rotation depth for Boston. He recently opted out of a minor-league contract with the Angels after three Triple-A starts.
Dombrowksi once dealt Robbie Ray and Ian Krol to the Nationals for Doug Fister…
wait, I got that backwards. Dombroski acquired Robbie Ray et al for Fister in exchange for Fister. Ray wound up in Arizona in a 3 team trade with Yankees that involved Didi Gregorious.
Ray is a stud.
In a controversial move the Giants acquired the rights to Wladimir Balentien and Marlon Byrd. The Giants only had to give up their bat rack and on deck circle. A Giants spokesperson speaking anonymously since the deal is pending a physical for the on deck circle – said the bat rack and on deck circle had no comment and were heart broken that they will be dug up and unbolted after tonight’s game when the crowd has left. Bat racks and on deck circles have their own union and there will be a protest on Saturday at the Public House including banners reading Bat Racks Matter hand outs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVZ21x0j8yk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di7tc9r3Hhg
#SFGiants have DFA’d reliever Bryan Morris and recalled lefty Steven Okert. A bit surprising. Morris ate innings and was good most games.
He ate Innings cake with Earned Runs icing
Too bad – he looked like nails at first – then just imploded.
He was always just a fringe guy.
Check out yesterdays post. Predicted by Surf Maui during the Morris “performance” that he would not be on the team tonight.
If he’s not on the team today, he shouldn’t have been in the game last night
Julio Urias will have left anterior capsule surgery next week. That is a major operation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Cfrl7hMoQ
This should be a fun series. The Mets suck too and they had high hopes when spring was doing that eternal thing.
On the undercard, the Dodgers and Rockies will meet at the Ravine. Meanwhile the DBacks look to pheast on the Phils and perchance to phinish the weekend in phirst.
Phabulous.
Gillaspie is starting at 3B for the Giants tonight. I’m assuming that means Nunez to the DL? Couldn’t be something logical like Hill DFA’d.
I could be wrong but isn’t this Nunez’ second day off in the last week. I smell a nondisclosure rat.
He re-tweaked his hammy on Monday and hasn’t played since.
So it WAS announced and it’s been all week. I haven’t been following all the games but was sure Nunez’ absences were multiple. What’s with the Giants and hammys?
Nunez has a history of this since the Yankees, some players are just blessed with bodies that can take the pounding and some are not.
It seems to be in the nature of hammys that guys try to come back too soon and have start/stop/start recoveries.
There was supposed to be a MRI on Nunez today to decide on a DL stay or not. I had expectations at day’s start of TWO new 3B’s tonight.
Hill’s time is coming, Doc.
.146
.134
Evans.
It’s not personal. He’s symbolizes all the bad decisions. Marrero and Ramirez and Gorkys and Stubbs and Ruggiano and…fill in your favorites here.
Hernandez hitting over 350 the last month
And dreadful in CF. He’s not a major leaguer. He’s just not. But he’s not at the top of the list right now. Hill is.
Not dreadful. He’s made several really nice plays lately. Span? Pretty dreadful. Gorkys is decent
They’re both awful, but Span’s metrics on Fangraphs are way better.
Schmetrics. Span is geriatric out there.
lol i was just going to say metrics schmetrics..gorkys is a much better center fielder. the eye tests plays on this one.. i know paulito, great minds…
Wonder if they need to real estate Span for defense after 3 at bats, like they did with Morse.
Fangrsphs, schmangraphs… you’ve been watching, right? Some things can’t be properly measured. Span is a much worse disaster out there
Oh, I know it’s not. I still think Hwang will be here next week and Hill is out
Gillaspie is going to become the next Hill OR he’s going to be a minor trade piece for somebody looking for lh pinch hitter.
Interchangeable mediocrity–or maybe that’s too kind.
Gillaspie > Hill.
https://i.imgur.com/cLNiroV.png
Just did some checking and the Giants have been shut out 8 times this season and held to 1 run on 10 other games, all losses. On the other hand they’ve only won 4 games while giving up 1 or 0 runs (thank you, Ty Blach). That’s a 14-game differential in severe hitting futility. On the other hand, they’ve been shut out 8 times while throwing precisely 1 (Ty Blach). So when their pitching is good it’s just okay, virtually never masterly.
Nunez to DL, per HH.
Bummer. Sure hope he can get healthy and look like nice bat for playoff team.
This is long but interesting. It shows the difference between how Bochy used Trevor Hoffman on a bad Padres team in 1997 and how he’s used Melancon.
http://www.sfgiantpotential.net/home/2017/6/22/analyzing-bruce-bochys-use-of-trevor-hoffman-in-1997
Seems like one big factor: Melanc on stinks, and doesn’t look like his old self. MAYBE Bruce has known that all year? Or … He’s just more of a push button manager than ever
Surf Maui’s trivia question of the day: Aaron Judge became the third Yankee rookie to have 25 HR in a season. Who are the other two?
Mickey Mantle?
no
Roger Maris?
i believe they traded for him from KC
Tom Tresh and ……
Heck I was wrong. Tresh hit 20 and was ROY and hit 25 in 2nd season per baseball-reference.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/treshto01.shtml
Joe DiMaggio!
yes
Bobby Murcer?
just checked, nope.
there was a kid in the 70’s that was hot as a pistol when he came up. can’t think of his name. started with an M. short name. or how about balboni?
Mass from Cal, in 80s
Joe Gordon and DiMaggio.
But I cheated and used baseball-reference.
Joe Gordon was the 2nd baseman I liked to use for my team in a Strato-matic game back in the early 60s.
Joe Gordon was the Jeff Kent of his era
If the ballpark looks emptier than usual when the game starts, it’s because there is a maaajor delay on BART, which I am currently stuck on.
Or, it just might be because our team utterly sucks. Hard to tell.
Morse is still dealing with bad concussion symptoms and has almost no memory of the incident with Strickland or colliding with Samardzija.
Morse wasn’t setting the world on fire, and it was sentimentalism rather than good baseball to bring him back this year. But he’s a good Giant and was so happy to get that one last chance. And Strickland ruined it. You could even argue he indirectly cost Morris his job.
Toxic jerk. I wish he could stay suspended forever.
Ditto, Dr.
Where do you put Harper in this? I see there’s no mention of him once.
I expect Morse will rest and hopefully recuperate for the next few months, come back in September and retire a Giant. Strickland is a meathead. I can’t help but wonder what damage he did to Mac, Pence and Kontos as they tried to get him off the field.
Well, I get the anger…but if we judge people that harshly for effects of incidents on the field, you should be as harsh at Johnny Cueto, since he kicked Jason LaRue in the head and the guy never ever recovered.
Now, am I telling you to be as angry at Johnny? He started that brawl by throwing at someone…or am I saying that this ongoing Strickland anger may not be necessary?
I’m not sure what I’m saying. Just, perhaps, that baseball isn’t as totally clean as Good Guys/Bad Guys
I suppose we see it differently because he wasn’t representing the Giants at the time.
Cueto didn’t start the brawl. He was just in it. Yadier Molina started it when he took exception to Brandon Phillips (the hitter) tapping his shin guards as a friendly greeting. As I recall the story, Cueto was backed up against the screen behind home plate in an ugly brawl, panicked, and started kicking at anyone coming at him.
https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Cardinals-Reds-fight-after-Molina-rejects-Phill?urn=mlb,261606
It was wrong. You don’t kick at people with spikes on. He got a 7-day suspension. LaRue considered suing him. Cardinals fans still hate him to this day.
I don’t love that it happened, but there was context, and he wasn’t the instigator. And he was on another team and it was years before he became a Giant (that happened in 2010). If Strickland gets traded, I don’t think the fans of his new team are morally obligated to feel about it like I do.
There are no extenuating circumstances for Strickland. None. It was a selfish and stupid act that has hurt the team in several concrete ways since it happened. I’m ashamed that he’s on the team I root for, I want him gone, and I doubt I will ever feel differently about him.
Strickland was wrong. I get it. He hit a guy in the hip and stuff happened.
I just think it’s a very slippery slope when one pitcher is branded a jerk for throwing at an opponent, yet others aren’t. In the history if this great game, there are many, many pitchers who have thrown at guys hips for dumb reasons. You might not be left with many YourGuysbif they all got the Strickland treatment. I just can’t always figure out how you pick the ones you like and don’t like…no biggee.
I’m surprised you’re minimizing what he did. He didn’t just hit a guy. He dug up a three-year-old grudge–and a stupid grudge at that. He was butthurt because Harper took him deep twice in the 2014 NLDS. So pitch better next time. He put his whole team at risk for injuries and suspensions just for the sake of his own ego. Morse ended up seriously hurt. Pence or Mac or Kontos could have been hurt, the way he was fighting them. Posey had to deal with the discomfort of having his behavior scrutinized and criticized by pundits and other players coast-to-coast. That’s ALL on Strickland. All of it.
It was a stupid, selfish act and it had serious consequences for his team. Several of the games this week and last have gone south either because he was suspended and the bullpen had to be shorthanded or because they were waiting to hear about his suspension.
For some reason, you want to make this about me. Whatever. But I’m not wrong about this. Strickland’s a selfish jerk with a 10-cent brain and anger-management problems. It’s not like he was a perfect citizen before the Memorial Day brawl that he instigated. He was an embarrassment on a national stage during the 2014 postseason, too.
It was right that they gave him a second chance after 2014; most people deserve that much. But I have a motto that has served me pretty well in most cases: “When someone shows you their true colors, believe them.”
I’m saying get over it. It isn’t as rare as you’re making it. He’s serving his time. What’s about you is the hysterics. Sorry, but you are the one constantly bringing it up and going full Linguistics on Steroids. We get it. You hate the guy. Can’t wait until he gets back on the mound so you can go adjective crazy again.
Except that it’s relevant THIS week. His suspension clearly hurt them in Atlanta and tonight. Schulman had an article before the game about what a rough time Morse is still having. That’s all on Strickland. If I were still hammering on it in August, maybe you have a point. But this is current news about the team and this is a Giants blog. If you don’t like me relaying current news and having an opinion about it, I’m not really sure what you think a blog is for.
You are so protective and defensive of these guys, like they’re your kids or something. Anyone says anything critical about one of them, and you attack–you make it personal. I was talking about Michael Morse and Hunter Strickland, members of the Giants, on a Giants fan blog. I wasn’t saying anything about you. But for some reason you want to make it about me.
Because of your words. Pretty simple. It’s not about “you”. It’s about the over the top hatred used in your descriptions of human beings who are as imperfect as all of us. “Ashamed” was last nights. “Disgusted” “losers”. My God…it’s just baseball, not their souls. I know how upset you get when CU uses the ” you’ve never played” theme, but I must say that the guys in the clubhouse certainly get over these things better than Blog screamers
It has ALWAYS been for me that Lefty uses the most vile descriptive adjectives to describe what is sometimes a one time suckage by a player who is playing baseball not a video game. Her writing skills are intoxicating and at the top of the chart but rather by using words or phrases like “so and so are scuffling” – “he had a bad outing” – “he got lit up like a fire cracker” – it then allows that person to save the worst for the worst possible fuck up that a player can possibly make on the field.
BY the way, and i know you don’t care, but the words you use to disparage guys is so crazy over the top. There’s things in life to be ashamed of, but to be ashamed a guy is on the team you root for over this is silly to me.
I’m fine that you don’t like him. Truly. No issue there. But I imaging you’ll blame him for Blach pitching like shit somehow pretty soon
Gosh. That certainly didn’t look like a soft collision, but I’m shocked that Morse came out of it so badly. I sure hope there’s no long term damage to Morse, who was a memorable Giant.
When the Giants go back to 25 players, Sunday methinks, I hope none of them are Strickland.
Schulman says he has to go to Stanford daily for therapy and treatment.
I support your ire, Lefty. Once a meathead, always a meathead. He started his career as a meathead in the WS of 2014 when he gave up dinger after dinger. It has changed form from a toxic effect on the mound to a toxic performance in the clubhouse. Sourness in the clubhouse can metastasize like a tumor. I think there’s evidence it has already metatastasized.
At the least, a trade outta here.
Plus he hunts animals
Amazing to think that when most preseason forecast came out, these two teams were seen as serious WC contenders in the NL.
Yeah, I remember our friendly chat!
Just when I complain about Belt’s doubles drought he ties the score with one. Baseball is there to defeat one’s expectations over and over again. Maybe we’re masochists.
He had another double in Atlanta taken away, when the ump said he over ran the base for a micro second.
Belts going to do big things after he’s traded.
Prospects that come back are likewise going to do big things. Win win.
Wow. Span is in the 280s. That seems high for this team. Like third.
He crept up on all of us but Buster, who’s on a BA tear, only has 28 RBI … behind the maligned Belt by 4!! Dare I criticize the face of the franchise? Now THAT would be stirring the pot!
Panik is at .275, Slater over .300, Belt getting hot, only Crawford is slumping, they scored lots of runs on that road trip .
Marked improvement from last yr leading off the game
Welcome home, boys.
Theres my left fielder I’ve been screaming for taking his time around the bases. Oh what could have been.
Great when he is healthy, which is less than half the time, paying a lot of Money for a guy not playing much, Mets are in almost as bad as the Giants with him .
The only problem is Cespedes never wanted to come here!
Phillies have a lead in their game. The Giants may possibly have the worst record in the league by this weekend.
Well this is not good. Just got home from a beautiful day the the NW, turn on the game, Mets broadcast unfortunately, and this big piece of ugly going on just is amazing. Of all the players on the team, Blach should be the least tired or fatigued. He looks like he’s pitching on two days rest. WTF. Another hole to climb out of. Holes are not our friend.
I thought Blach flew in earlier than the rest of the team.
I guess his arms are tired.
Tired? They’re utterly shot!!
But seriously, did he fly in ahead of the team? It would have been the wise thing to do but I didn’t hear any mention of it the past couple of games.
Yes he did, apparently he arrived at 8 last night.
Thanks for the answer. And just imagine how poorly he would have pitched tonight if he didn’t fly in early.
…and departed at 8 tonight
This is getting a little like Groundhog Day.
I sad the same thing -Groundhog Day- several days ago.
If there is such a thing as Flyhog Day….
Geez I went to work on dinner and the Mets got 6 runs and 6 XBH.
It’s really hard to score 6 or more runs in an inning. It’s hard to allow that many as often as the Giants do if you’re trying.
A HR and a week’s worth of 2B (for the Giants).
Someone needs to take this team behind the old wood shed and bury it.
You wouldn’t know the Mets have lost 7 of their last 8 just like the Giants. Would you.
Time to send Blaaach back to AAA.
Ain’t no thang. Arroyo did. Take a breath. Get better.
Margin for error with his stuff is slim and the league is figuring him out. I predict it’s only going to get worse.
Yikes. That could happen. Improving the changeup could prevent that
We’ll see..,
Thanks Bruce, you can not trust those youngsters right .
I cannot watch the rest of this game. My apologies to the truer fans who volunteer to watch this kind of wretchedness. I have better things to do … like reading.
Are we the worst team in baseball yet. I’m scared to look at the standings.
Looks like another 1 run loss
How many left fielders have played since Melky?
from ESPM website stats:
Spin: Cabrera’s seven homers, 40 RBI, 37 runs and .280 batting average are solid virtual numbers, and considering his days of stealing bases are long gone, it’s been an excellent start for the veteran. He’s locked into the two-hole of the lineup and has started 61 of 66 games this season, so his consistent at-bats also help prop up his fantasy floor.
While not earth shattering his numbers have always been good. Imagine this team would not have had to worry about LF for at least 5-8 years, possible a decade.
Idiots.
Melky got busted for PED use while he was with the Giants. I wish he was still with us though
so he’s the only player in MLB history to do so? Of course not right.
But at the same time the Giants have had players like Huff abusing narcotics.
That’s the type of FO and fan mentality that has held this team back.
I wish the Giants gave him a second opportunity too. It is what it is.
Giants still won the WS that year I think and another after that.
Again, how many LF have played since then?
Do you not think they would have been better served time and money wise to concentrate on other needs?
It’s a fair question to ask since LF is looking like our biggest need this season.
But in all honesty, the OF problems didn’t become apparent until the second half of last season and LF was not really an immediate position of need after Melky’s suspension.
Efrain: Melky? Please, child.
Preach!
541
Held us back? We won three WS rings in five years. We’ve been perennial contenders for the last eight seasons prior to this year. Think we’re doing OK, Efrain.
He’s a liar and a crook and an embarrassment to the game every day he’s allowed to play
You’re an embarrasment to trollers.
You think he’s the first player that didn’t tell the truth? If all were banned, half the players in the league would be gone.
LOL at Efrain calling someone else a troller. Pot, meet kettle!
Of course, that’s right, Lon. Though many will never see it.
People need to invest in those new, high tone translucent blinders. They can then see the truth and make up their own minds whether to admit it.
Or not.
He goofed and then everybody turned the page cept you
Where Melky Cabrera magnified his PED infraction was in how he immediately tried to cover the issue and he was gone from the team.
I agree that the issue could have been reacted to in a calmer fashion and Melky could have remained a Giant (and maybe still a solid LF).
I don’t like how the PED issue has been treated in general, especially how some players have been more demonized as others.
It was an aspect of that period of time in baseball, like greenie in the 70s and racism for decades.
IMO Barry Bonds has not been treated in a fair manner. Then look at David Ortez and others.
If you’ve watched Melky at all the last 3 years you wouldn’t be jealous. He’s been a league average bat with the speed of Bengie Molina. Watching him in the OF or on the bases is hilarious.
Good luck to everyone in here, I’m going to the beach.
I really like Blach. I think he’s going to be a solid rotation piece. But he needs to avoid having too many blow up starts. This is now 5 ER or more in three of his last four starts and 7 ER or more in two of his last three. Gotta keep the team in the game more often.
4.94 for the season.
In other words, those lifelong platoon stats are doing him in?
I’m nervous in that he’s supposedly is a rotation piece when Cain/Cueto leave. I for one am not sure. Hell, not even sure about Beede, the supposed Sf Giants “#1 prospect”.
Can’t fall in love with unproven guys just because they are Giants draft picks and Giants farmhands.
The days of young Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez. Bum, Posey are long gone.
In today’s game, I’m not sure all these dukey guys will have much of a career….give me Samardzija any day over Reuter-Lite
Blach will be an acceptable back of the rotation pitcher for the short term at the very least. He pitched over 600 innings in MiLB and has had some very good starts for us this year.
Bochy should NOT leave a pitcher get his brains beat out to the tune of 11 hits in 2 innings. He should have at least fetched him before inning 2 was done.
oh you mean he should instead burn out the pen with a long week ahead? That’s real smart.
Happier with the Knicks draft yesterday than you were with Porzingis?
I don’t follow the Knicks or any NY teams really other than mild interest in the Mets because 1) the stadium and food and 2) NL team.
Even diehard Knicks fans are over it right now.
And starting Blach for the 3rd is just sadism.
Starters know the deal. Especially after the Atlanta trip…sometimes you wear it for the team.
So innings eater Blach?
Short straw…whoever drew tonight’s start was faced with that. His turn came up. It’s a Shit Happens Season From Hell, so let it slide tonight.
I know their staff was burnt after Atlanta but I don’t see the need for sacrificial lambs … ever. Is Okert up? Or give Crick one inning. Put Dyson in for a couple. A pitcher’s confidence is NOT enhanced by leaving him out there with 11 hits in 1.2 innings. Especially a young pitcher’s confidence.
That sounds Bochy-ish…Blach’s been here now for a bit, and if he deserves to be here, he should be able to wear it. Just my opinion…any rotation guy can handle this on occasion, and I’m sure he’s gone through it at every level. The dude threw 600 minor league innings.
I hear you. It’s not crazy to say at all…I just don’t think those other names need to be wasted on game 1 of a home stand either ( and Brucevwent with Cory anyway!)
They’re still short-handed because of Strickland, and the bullpen had to eat innings the last two nights–extras on Wednesday and a short night for Cain on Thursday. Blach had to wear it, just like Morris did last night.
Wearing it should not effect a pitchers location
That says scouts are picking up his tendencies and/or he’s tipping pitches. He has pitched much better than that in other starts. He has to rediscover that groove.
I am so impressed with this Giants team. I mean, it is not easy to come up with different, creative ways to lose night after night. Any team can go out and lose 1-0, 2-1, but this team is seriously creative. So thoughtful of them to be so entertaining.
Someone should replace the seagulls with vultures.
Blach on pace to throw 240 pitches.
…and 33 hits?
Did everyone notice how, as soon as all the Postivie Giants Fidget Spinners were propping up SFG starters having the 2nd most quality starts right before the Cain Blach bookends? Timing.
As I have stated over and over, Quality starts metric suggesting a 4.5 ERA is quality is flat out wrong. It is below average since leage average is below 4.5 runs. It is a sign of arguing for mediocrity as being something good.
That is the bottom end of a QS — the vast majority of QS’s as measured by the start are below a 4.5 ERA.
And yet it is an accepted standard within MLB. What you can’t seem to grasp is that not every quality start is only six innings nor did the pitcher allow “all” three runs.
In the previous thread you went off on any pitcher with a 4.00+ ERA. I looked up qualifying NL starting pitchers (minimum one inning per team game played). Of the top 30, the median ERA was 3.86. So appx 12-14 of the top 30 were 4.00+ ERA. In that top 30 were three Giants, two Cubs: Lester and Arrieta. Do they suck too?
A quality start should be 2 runs in 6 innings or 3 in 7 or more.
They call it a quality-plus start if it’s seven innings and two runs. I agree that should be the quality start metric. The current standard is more “keep your team in the game” start.
I guess you are happy and fine with the Giants starting pitchers and your best pitcher ranked 25th of qualified pitchers at a 4.42ERA. You must be delighted the Giants with that stellar pitching is 22 games under .500 well before the all star break.
Well Hills night appears to be done.
Glad to see Hill out of the game early and not an option for later should the unexpected occur.
I hope he is cut and Hwang brought up soon. It will be stupid if Hwang opts out and goes to another team.
Span! 290 or bust!
Hats off to everyone who can tolerate sitting through this shit, but I’m bowing out tonight. Finally got home from one of the most hellish commutes ever. Time for a cold shower and extra cold beer. And ice cream.
We just opened a bottle of MacMurray Pinot and gonna stream YouTube music and kick it in the pool. Cuz Giants
You take your pad to the pool’s edge?
nect to the lounge chair with the Bluetooth cranking. Can see the TV thru the back window.
Palatial Mo-town Estate?
I turned the sound down earlier and watched a portion of the second inning while listening to “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot on my iPad. Eerie.
Thank you. Tolerating this shit show may seem puzzling to some, but look at it as therapeutic in a way. It helps to get through this toilet bowl season by witnessing that this is really real.
Yay cold showers and cold beer 🍻
House is 90 as we don’t have ac
This is really weird. Blach should have been the most rested player on the team, and he looked tired. The rest of the team actually looks like they have a little bounce.
Pence made the coffee?
Slater can hit. He’s really emerged as a starter of late.
Everyday left fielder.
Dodgers have nasty habit of jumping ahead early and giving their pitchers a cushion. 5-1 in the fifth. Bellinger in middle of it.
Dbacks trail phils 1-0 in the 7th
DRS!
Was Blach tipping his pitches? That was a lot of hits and extra base hits as if they new what was coming
Tired arm.
some teams have things called scouts
To whomever suggested that all the runs the Giants gave up on Colorado and Atlanta was due to a live park, neenerneenerneener. They just suck
Any word on what all the banging in the clubhouse last night was all about?
simulating the sounds that were coming off the bats today again
Phillies are up 2-0 in the 8th. This could turn into a classic reverse pennant race.
we are only 2 games ahead(behind?) of the Phillies in the reverse standings.
The Diamondbacks scored one in the 8th…Phillies up 2-1 heading into the 9th.
Phillies win 6-1.
My old HS coach used to tell us the reason we stunk like shit was because we played like shit. I’m beginning to understand his frustration with losing after all these years.
Too many married and comfortable dads in the clubhouse that need to stop planning group outings and start planning how to burn to win like they used to. Need to shake up the clubhouse and toss the spread…
Annie Savoy would agree. Lefty would not.
Just got home from an evening out…are you shittin’ me!? I’d ask what happened, but a quick look at the box score tells the story. Wow…
Same old thing … Pitcher shows up completely unprepared to pitch a major league game. Back up catcher calls pitches to strength
If you’re blaming the catcher, then is Posey responsible for the high scoring games when he’s behind the plate?
It is clear that Buster adds no value behind the dish in helping the Giants win games. They can lose just as many with Hundley behind the dish and Buster at first. Or if the stats are true, they win more games when Buster is at first and Belt is not starting. Hmmmmmmm
Belt is the gift that keeps on giving. Could you move him to a short porch hitter friendly yard for a piece? I dunno….
Com’on Gorkys.
Atta babe Gorkys.
Dyson and Crick are the two best arms we have in the bull pen.
The only consistent arms we have in the pen.
By comparison scores the Dodgers would beat the Giants by 25
MLB is not a video game
I’m now in the 4th stage of grief… Acceptance. After a nice BBQ and dinner by the pool, I casually looked at the score. As the Mets drove in their 8th run, I silently nodded my head and said to myself, “This too shall come to pass…”
Then I drank a damn good Sauvignon Blanc.
Giants can’t afford to lose any more games.
Or else what’s going to happen?
Wait…why? What is the worst that would happen if they lose more?
You had that backwards, the Giants can’t afford to win any more games
Giants now have the most losses in MLB, 49. They’re 27-49. The Phillies won tonight, they’re now 24-48. The Giants picked up 1 game in the loss column on the Phillies in the race to the bottom! Sorry, I guess humor is the best way to cope with all this suckiness.
20 hits allowed today to a struggling Mets team. Giants just keep finding ways to get worse. Something drastic needs to happen. This isn’t about talent, it’s about the makeup and the mentality of the team right now.
Good thing we’re in a pitcher’s park, or it coulda got ugly!
And imagine if Blach hadn’t flown back ahead of the team so he could get more sleep!
And if they didn’t water down the base paths to slow down the running game!
So it used to be we found ways to lose. Now it’s we find ways to get worse. That’s real.
To me, it seems like the Giants have been getting progressively worse since the Nationals series back in May. Losing games is one thing, but not being competitive is even worse.
It’s mostly about talent.
It’s mostly about starch. Losing takes the starch right outta you. Giants don’t have any.
or lack of
A month ago, having reluctantly come to the conclusion that this was “not our year,” we were at least secure in the knowledge that Ty Blach was the real deal andeould be a rotation fixture going forward. Now– not so much
Can’t go by a couple of starts
More than a couple of starts–its a month albeit with a good (perhaps great) effort in Colorado. He has declined. Hope you are correct but see e.g Chris Heston
League has a book. Knows what to look for. If he regains his form, he’s a keeper. If not, they get a new LH BP coach.
You took my comment in reverse. It was meant to suggest that like Chris Heston, you fan not get to exited over a few games. There needs to be a body of work. Maybe he can correct what is wrong.
Got it– you are correct– few starts or few at bats– difficult to assess. See e.g. John Bowker or Jarrett Parker’s 2015 September.
Bobby gets an “F” and the door if he can’t get pieces for Cueto, Nunez et al.
I would graciously give Bochy an advisory role and then go get a new voice and staff. You cannot go with thevsame leader and same core after this dumpster fire. Cain and Pence riding off after a Cueto opt out is not enough. A new voice is needed just to change the feel. Bruce deserves to be let go with class, but it is time to move on. Bthe contracts mean you cannot completely flip the core so the manager has to get more. Maybe let Wo or Auggie give it a shot if you can’t find who you want.
The hard part is…. I don’t know who that is. Last season it was easy to want Black as Bochy lost his touch with the pen. I don’t know who I would want for next season. Maybe Williams from the set? A year or too of ass kicking maybe what’s needed, but the way he lost the clubhouse in Washington would have me concerned. Suggestions?
The pitching staff has been a dumpster fire. It is well known that I am a Bochy supporter. It is interesting to me that he gets blamed for, lineups, in game moves etc — as if any of that would have made a difference with the combination of poor play, mental errors, injuries, and bad breaks. And Meulens gets regularly criticized for poor offensive performance– perhaps justifiably, I really dont know. But despite the abysmal pitching — especially from the bullpen– Righetti’s deserved reputation as a pitching genius remains in tact. Again to make it clear I’m not saying that any of this is his fault since there is not much talent in the bullpen and losing Will Smith was a big deal with a bunch of ramifications. But there are plenty of questions to be asked and his name never comes up in the discussion. Just wondering why
It all starts with the money. The Giants have put so much money into starting pitching they had nothing left for the other 1/3rd of the game. Correction 1/2 the game.
In years past relievers were paid equal to starters if you looked at the innings logged vs salary as a whole. Now they are paid closer to 50 cents on the dollar even with the Melancon contract.
But why the steep decline — basically from everyone?
Who has Righetti fixed are made great, genius my ass, same as Bochy with the bullpen, the last 2 years have shown he is no genius with the bullpen, when they have great pitchers they look great , other wise not so much .
Isn’t that the case for most managers and coaches?
Yes, but reputation says they were better than reality, Timmy was great out of college, when he went bad , they could not fix him, Cain was good when he came up, as soon as he went bad, he was done, Righetti did not fix him, Bochy had Trevor Hoffman in San Diego and the core 4 with the Giants, made him look good, without them , not so much .
For once we may agree
Cain threw thousands of losses losing 2-1 in his first three yrs.
That’s the point
Not saying Raggs can be defended on this [other factors; we are being too simplistic] but if you look for pitchers that were bad on other teams and became better on the Giants:
Three come to mind: Vogelsong. Peavy, Affeldt
Conversely you could look for pitchers that were bad on the Giants and became good for someone else. Hembree could be but with Prospects I think you have a bigger factor of simple development. Veterans that had “topped out” might be the category for determining what a Pitching Coach actually did.
His biggest turn around was Jason Schmidt, then Vogey ,Peavy was great with other teams, unlucky mostly in 2014 with the Red Sox before the Giants got him, Petit had some good years and moments before he was a Giant . Adfeldt had great years with the Reds and Rockies in the bullpen before he was a Free Agent , that’s why the Giants signed him to a big money contract .
Jason Schmidt is an interesting one to bring up. His ERA certainly dropped with San Fran but how much of that was Righetti? I mean his ERA dropped from 4.6 with Pit to 3.4 with the Giants the same season. His WHIP actually increased with the Giants while his ERA plumeted. His HR total dropped significantly. You might really be looking at a Park effect impact with Schmidt more than anything. Schmidt did indicate that he changed to be mostly a fastball pitcher using the changeup more.
JOE NATHAN !!, Mike Leake,, Jason Grillli, Dan Oterro , off the top of my head, sure a lot more exist .
Mike Leake?!?!?! Dan Otero?!?!?!?! You need to step away from the abyss
You know shit about baseball, Dan Oterro with the A’s and Indians has been a great reliever the last 4 or 5 years, Leake Great with the Reds, and is having a great year with the Cards, not much with the Giants .
“Great”.
I don’t know shit. I defer to the expertise of PJ.
There are obviously players who leave teams and become better. To say that’s because Rags doesn’t develop pitchers is silly.
And that’s coming from a guy -me -who thinks the staff needs an overhaul
You ran track at Oak Grove HS. Don’t remember you ever playing ball or taking classes that would help you know ACTUAL baseball. Why don’t you step back off the ledge and smoke one for medicinal purposes. It keeps people alive,
You missed my qualifier of “veterans that had topped out”.
Mike Leake comes close but IIRC he had an injury with the Giants.
Giants usually use veterans until the are dead on arrival, so can not think of any off the top of my head , without doing some home work on it .
You never question Righetti and Posey’s ability to develop, manage, massage, and whisper to pitchers. You just don’t.
Bs, Posey’s ability to call 2 strike fastballs and give up gut punching HRs are legendary .
Got to get your “/S” on the end of such posts so everyone gets the sarcasm.
Did you look at the prospects work last night?
DLaw had a nightmare in Sac.
YourGuy™ CJHinojosa had a three hit night.
4 walks for Law, a pitcher that had great control in his early years in Minors .
So he becomes a case in point on Raggs (and his staff) … “What is Law doing wrong that they have to spot and change?”
No way this is on Righetti. The pitchers just didn’t stop being good all of a sudden. The only two starters with successful track records going into this season are Cueto and Bum and Bum is hurt. The others were all question marks. The bullpen had only one reliever, maybe two with a track record of success: Melancon and Strick. The others were all question marks.
Question marks, turning into good makes a good coach good, Players that have great track records do not need great coaching, if a coach screws that up he needs to be fired .
It wasnt a criticism Righetti, merely an observation that with all the blaming going in, he seems immune from it
Didn’t watch the entire game, but it seemed like BCrawford was looking more like his normal self last night. Perhaps he was getting too much rest on the road trip and thrives on the interrupted sleep of a Dad with young children.
New Post: http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/2017-season/this-is-just-so-sad-mets-thwack-giants-11-4-ty-blach-roughed-up/
D Law not feeling so swell. Demoted, now blowing saves for Sacramento.
0.2 IP, H, 2 ER, 4 BB!, K
Ryder Jones keeps on bangin’ for the Rivercats, playing 3B. 2 for 4, 2B, BB – .299/.390/.553, 10 HRs, 5 SB.
He really is a new man this year. He’s never had an OBP > .400 in his minor league career in A ball and above.
CJ Hinojosa was 3 for 4 for Richmond, batting a cool .395 over the last 10 games. Should seem him in Sac in the not too distant future. Giants do infielders, yes they do.
That, folks, is your minor league briefs for the morning.