by
Greek Giant
Tonight’s Game: Giants (26-46) Vs Braves (32-37) at Henry Aaron Stadium, 7:15 PM
Matt Moore (2-2, 6.00) Vs Julio Teheran (6-4, 4.86)
Surf Maui is joining me here for this preview. We are laughing, mostly out of sadness… The Braves!, That’s right the Braves, are 7.5 games better than the Giants so far!
Five Questions
- Can Matt Moore keep his ERA under 7?
- Who is more likely to be the long-term Giants left fielder: Parker, Williamson, Slater, Upton or Gorkys?
- How many homers will Hunter Pence end up with this season?
- Who will have more regular season wins this year: The Warriors or The Giants?
- Is there a trade market for Mark Melancon?
Breckeroni says “How much torture can Surf Maui endure?”
As much as they give him.
Breckeroni should know by now that Surf Maui is one tough Giants fan.
Braves just announced that Bartolo Colon will not be activated nor pitch tomorrow. He had a bad side session, experienced back stiffness and they decided to leave him on DL. Too bad, as I doubt that he’s fully recovered from isuckitis and we had a chance to put up some runs.
Their young lefty Newcomb, who was scheduled to pitch Thursday will now pitch tomorrow. Don’t know who will pitch Thursday.
Good to see Kelby and Austin in the lineup tonight. Teheran is their best pitcher; hope he doesn’t put them–or anyone else–into a slump.
1) Moore will have good outings that keep his ERA well under 7, 2) Slater, 3) 16, 4) The Warriors by one game and, 5) Not right now.
1) Moore will pitch well, but Teheran will be better. Definitely under 7.00
2) Slater
3) 16
4) Giants
5) No. Not unless we trade him just to move salary, meaning we get MiLB prospects vs. established MLB players.
1) yes, but you set a pretty aggressive bar
2) Slater out of that list, but more likely “none of the above”
3) 13
4) Giants by 2
5) yes, but he won’t be traded
Well, we made the pitcher sweat through 9 pitches!! Good start!
Braves announcers are such smug and smarmy homers. Chip Caray is like nails on the chalkboard for me.
Perhaps he and Fallon could have a debate.
ERA now under 6. Woo hoo!
A 1-2-3 first? What gives?
He might have a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 4th inning
And 2nd.
1. Yes
2. Slater
3. 11
4. Dubs had 67 wins and Giants have 26 so far. Need to win 42 more out of 110 games and that would put them at 68 wins. Bum comes back and wins 7 times, Blach wins 6 more games, Cueto wins 7 more, Cain wins 4 home games, Moore wins 5 times, Samardzija wins 8 more. That’s a total of 37 wins. Would need a few more.
5. Nats, maybe Tigers? (K-rod demoted)
Belt is putting up much better ABs the last 2-3 games. That was a battle, and he scalded that ball. Unfortunately it was to dead CF, and–since Span doesn’t play for them–it was caught.
Now THAT’S funny
Belt is so unlucky…or at least thats what I’ve been told
Streaky. A few of those fall in, it does wonders for any player’s confidence.
No way he suddenly goes from consistently sitting at a .340 babip to .260, these numbers will jump back up.
1. Yes
2. Slater
3. 8
4.Giants
5. Marginal unless Giants pay large part of future salary.
Moore 29 pitches through first two innings. Good sign.
Slater’ bat throw will be a problem at some point in the future…he’s gonna bean someone
Posey does it all the time, but you are all right with that , interesting .
Peter, lets have John Myhill stat this baby…Slater’s bat throws are about 5x as far. Check it out. And…relax
Good Kelby, make it tough for Bochy to take you out of the lineup
Great Headline.
We’re getting a lot of rain this week, and there’s rain all around the ballpark until after midnight, per Weather Channel app.
Underperforming is the new standard. I may have to resort to some mild sarcasm to cope with the supreme underachievers. Not the league minimum guys, but the big dollar guys.
Gorkys makes that catch.
Bartolo Colon makes that catch
Had him at third if Kelby catches that. Argh.
That missed play cost us a run we couldn’t afford to give away. Moore leaves a change-up cookie for the #8 hitter, but he came back to hold them to nothing more.
Inciarte made a great play on the same exact flyball earlier.
Belt’s liner
Span is just beyond worthless out there. Absolutely no clue.
The guy must still have hip issues. He’s moving like a Grandpa. This road trip hasn’t been a stark reminder that he cannot field
As a Grandpa I resent that
Span playing the role of Grady from “Sanford and Son”.
The lack of hunger on this team is alarming.
Rizzo hit another leadoff HR.
He’s batting 1.000 leading off games*
Closing in on 7.00
I thought you were a Giants fan, sound like a Rich spoiled brat to me !
Except for the rich part
WTF, Peter!? Adult behavior or get off the blog!
Picks on Moore, a Giant player, Span should have caught the Ball , but it is Moore who he picks on, STFU !!
Except for the 83 mph changeup right down the middle of the plate
What Giants players do you like !
Better question is which TWG poster’s opinions do I respect?
Yeah, OK Peter.
And you think Span should have caught the triple? Delusional.
Just freaking great. Sure looks like the Lakers are going to take Ball. SMH
He is better than Fultz. Dad is crazy though obviously
I am not sold on that at all.
I think he is the most skilled player in the draft and highest ceiling. Not sure if he turns out that way, but he can do stuff that no other player can and also is very athletic. You will enjoy watching him. Made to play for the LakeShow
He’s going to have a LOT of targets on his back. His daddy has been saying a lot of stuff through the media.
what does that even mean? What? Players are going to play hard against him every game? I would hope so. Similar how players around the league know when they play Curry they have to play hard against him.
No it means he’s going to be guarded by players that wouldn’t normally guard him. i.e. LeBron
I don’t think you understand what it means lol.
First of all no team with a set defense and serious about any given game will play their D straight up. Meaning Lebron will be playing the opposing teams best scorer (not Ball, a pass first type guard). If Lebron guarded Ball all game that means someone bigger will be able to take advantage of a mismatch.
Geesh why am I explaining this.
It’s not similar to how players around the league would show up against Curry because Ball hasn’t proven anything at the NBA level. His dad’s been talking all this junk about how he himself is better than MJ, how LeBron’s kids won’t live up to expectations, how Warriors would be better with Ball and UCLA would be worse with Curry….
Those kinds of things create a target on your back. Those kinds of comments create expectations. The kid is drawing comparisons to JKidd, top 5 PG in NBA history, and top 5 in assits in NBA history. All of this stuff is being said without him playing a SINGLE game in the NBA. Of course it’s going to stir up the pot more because his dad made it personal for LeBron and Steph.
Why am I explaining this
you didn’t need to but seeing your response tells me how little you know.
Why are you explaining it. Have you ever even seen a Ball game to see what he may offer?
I highly doubt it. All you have regurgitated are the dumb stories the press keep drumming up.
You have the freedom to turn the channel or not read these stories if they offend you.
Obviously you read them all since you were able to tell me.
First, I’ve seen my share of basketball games so I know what I’m talking about.
Second, Lonzo’s a good player, I’m not disputing that and no I’m not offended by the stories at all.
Lastly, all I’m doing is simply pointing out the heavy expectations the kid carries with him, because some people refuse to believe they’re there. And those could work against him so he has some bust potential.
That’s it. Chill
Yea, I don’t get why he doesn’t tone it down. Let his kid be himself.
I predict Fultz has a solid career. 8-10 years, all-star teams, solid NBA player.
I predict Ball plays 5-6 unproductive years, gets traded and retires early in no small part because he’s tired of all the BS.
What this dad is doing to his kids? I’m speechless.
stick to baseball.
Yeah, his Dad is out of control. Don’t see how he could be helping. Lonzo actually has a good head on his shoulders surprisingly. Quiet and unassuming
I am not that impressed with Fultz. Think there are a few players I would take over him.
agree, specially since his W team had a pretty bad losing record. If a kid was that good, it would result in more team wins.
I went to UCla and followed the team very closely this year. You never really heard of Ball senior much during the season and Alford and people around the team have said elder Ball was not as active as some are lead to believe and never got involved with the coaching staff.
Either way he’ll be a better PG than that ball hog Russell who only had 4.7 assists per game.
Ball will have that in the first Qtr.
First pitch swinging is not a friendly approach for the G-men.
This gets old, by you, they should bunt too right !
Nobody catches that triple. Nobody.
Agree. That was smoked.
Chip Caray just said that Buster Posey won the MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2012. Wow.
Especially dumb since when Buster won ROY in 2010, Braves nation went nuts thinking that Justin Heyward should have won.
You’d think they would look it up vs. shooting from the hip.
I want Bartolo Colon’s nickname “Big Sexy” for me– though many might disagree
“Grandpa Sexy” isn’t good enough, huh?
Definitely not– though any nickname with “sexy” as part of its good, except maybe “He’s Not Sexy”
Get on the board, Giants.
14 straight scoreless innings against the Braves
You and me, bud. Unless we’ve been Disqus’d
Hit refresh, TF…
Joe West umpires his 5,000th game tonight (AZ at Colorado). Only two other umpires have 5,000 games: Bill Klem and Bruce Froemming.
That’s about 4,998 games too many.
Unbelievable. Smarmy Joe Maddon defends Rizzo the Thug by attacking Buster Posey because six years ago a violent criminal who should have gone to jail nearly ended Buster’s career.
May the Baseball Gods smite Rizzo, the Cubs, and especially Maddon. Filthy scum.
http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Giants-Bochy-reacts-to-Maddon-s-comments-on-11234564.php?cmpid=twitter-tablet
Oh, and wherever you are, Scott Cousins, I hope you’re miserable and that your life sucks.
Whoa. Pump the brakes, professor.
That Cousins-Posey collision was the most upsetting thing I’ve ever watched as a sports fan. The second was what Chase Utley did to Ruben Tejada in the playoffs. I have no use for players who recklessly endanger other athletes, human beings, just to gain an advantage for themselves.
Cousins never expressed regret or apologized for what he did. Utley refused to accept the consequences of his actions. Cousins cost Posey most of a season and the Giants a chance to defend their title. Utley cost Tejada likely his only chance to play in the World Series. No remorse, no responsibility.
Buster comes back to win the MVP and be the face of MLB. Cousins washes out. Baseball karma.
“Hope you’re miserable and your life sucks”? Over the top, IMHO.
Just because time has passed doesn’t make it less wrong. He did it on purpose, he never said he was wrong, and Buster’s lucky he didn’t end up in a wheelchair, the way Cousins hit his neck and shoulders.
If Cousins had ever admitted that he did the wrong thing and said he was sorry, I’d feel differently, like he was a decent person who made a terrible mistake in the heat of the moment. But he didn’t. Instead, he made it all about himself, whining that people hated him and that Buster wouldn’t call him back. Really? Buster had three surgeries and couldn’t walk for months. His pregnant wife had to care for him while in her final trimester with twins. And it’s Buster’s job to make Cousins feel OK about what he did? I don’t think so.
So let it go. I’m sure Buster has.
Moving on.
You and John Myhill should tour as The Angry Linguists!
It makes me really angry that, six years later, Maddon is blaming the victim of that horrendous act of violence to try to make his own sleazeball look less guilty than he is.
He’s a self promoting pain in the ass…and this was way over the line.
As soon as Rizzo or Bryant is catastrophically hurt, Maddon will whine and complain like no one has ever whined and complained!
The real Joe Maddon on display
Oh woe is that first pitch swinging out.
Seven pitch inning for Teheran. Six innings, 72 pitches. We have three hits. We have three meaningless hits.
Moore pitching a good game. Hitters are sleepwalking.
Panik to Belt. Big league play. Beauty.
the play is all Panik. Any big league 1B not named Morse can easily make that play.
Trade Belt, Trade Belt, Trade Belt.
Start the rally Joe
Start the rally BCraw
Jugger Not
Together Ennui
Pablo on the Red Sox DL with an ear infection. AKA isuckitis. Red Sox searching for help at 3B while paying Pablo $20MM. Baseball karma.
Who do we want from them for Nunez?
Bradley, Betts and Sale.
There’s the pot of gold. You know they have prospects we could use.
Giants get credit for not signing Pablo
I mean, they got outbid. Do they get credit for offering him an absurd amount of money, but slightly less money than one other team?
If these games go into a time capsule, those who open it and watch will think we had extremely boring entertainment methods
Someone please tell me what the hell happened to Pence this year. He’s turned into that fake-human cockroach in Men In Black
Sad to see but Pence has been horrible in the field lately
Matt Moore is pitching the back side of his ass off. He deserves a little run support. Absolutely brutal.
Dave Fleming on the Giants Outfield defense very ragged
Span bails out Pence
Atta babe Moore. Way to come out of that inning unscathed and without meltdown.
Congrats to Matt Moore. Nice job. He deserves some runs
3+, for sure.
Absolutely. He was brilliant.
NOT an out. Never had full control.
I also credit Punter Hence for always hustling, making the play at second tough! 🙂
It’s 2017… New York will say “out”
Happy to be wrong
Now get a hit!
YES!!!
Atta babe Austin.
Wait…..what?!?!?!?
Slayer!!!
SLAYER! 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ZqFlw6hYg
Oppo field strength. Nice.
Melancon needs an effin save.
Beauty. Gorgeous swing. Login’ this kid. Foothills! Your Guy!
Nobody out.
My Guy!
OUR guy, Lady!!
Whose guy was Law?
NotMy
Yep, you were on him too.
That was a tremendous AB. Looked like Buster.
Peter or TO in 5…4…3…2..1
funny
Agree
Hit it out on the first pitch!
Crawford Joe says that’s not good .
Slater gets a pass.
Only if it works , you are funny, 1st Pitch is always best pitch to hit, you know get it in fast ball on 1st pitch .
Yes. Yes he did.
Yep, our MyGuy did it again!!
Have bullpen ready, Bloch.
Keep it up guys. This is cathartic. Get as many hits as we can.
That’s a hit.
Cool all of a sudden not so boring.
For 12.4,seconds….
Ground attack!
Atta babe Joe Pan.
…and so it began
woohoo
Flashback to 2014 NLCS
2010 too.
RTIs are beautiful! 🙂
Brooks Conrad must be in the house!
Braves pulling a Bob Brenly.
I credit this inning to Hunter Pence. His non costly error in the B7 absolutely put the Braves to sleep. Atta babe Hunter.
What do we need, about 4 more runs to feel safeish?
Who is the closer tonight? Wouldn’t throw Crick out there so soon?
It is going to be interesting to see what happens. Moore probably takes the hill in B8?
Hopefully he takes it in B9 too.
Have bullpen ready. Kontos, I presume.
Moore at 100 pitches.
Whoa, they called up Crick today?
Law to AAA.
First pitch anyone?
Left runs on the table. Another DP, Buster?
All right, lock this down. We need this W!
Get Moore this W.
Have you watched the Giants Bullpen this year?
Prescient…
Don’t mess this up bullpen
Time to bust out the rosary beads.
If Melancon cant pitch why isnt he on the DL? If he is healthy does anyone really want to see him?
Melancon’s not available today?
Dont know?
No, can anyone please explain nicely?
They first have to get to the 9th with a lead.
The opposing teams want to see him come into a game!
Righetti is only going out there to tell Kontos that he’s pissing off Bochy.
…and Lefty
and me. Kontis leads the world in inherited runners scoring
EDIT: Second in the world to Cory Gearrin
You are correct but coming into tonight before he let in anothee inherited runner and dodged a bullet he was 45th among relief putchers in worst stranding runners
Kontos looks like a nervous wreck.
You should see me
I have very little confidence in Kontos.
Nice.
Big pitch, George
Small pitch, George
Jesus Christ
Make Kontos go away. PLEASE.
We need Gregorio.
Oh dear…. who’s the patron Saint of baseball? We need Divine intervention. I will pray.
I have a defeatist attitude…gotta admit
Rank the Giants’ suckitude, 1 is the least sucky, 4 is the worst.
Starting pitching
Outfield defense
Offense
Bullpen
2
3
4
5
1
3.5
3
10+
4
4
4
4
2
4
4
4
Add Kontos to the “must go” list. Too many crushing hits allowed. Why not Dyson? Morris? He threw one pitch last night. Awful.
Atta babe Osich.
Make me like you, Dyson
Go through 4 pitchers to get 3 outs. Yup, the Bochy way
I’ll take 27 pitchers to get 27 outs…at this point, WGAF?
He’s finding his rhythm. Let Dyson pitch the 9th.
Set up off the plate Buster. 0-2 count leverage
Get the out, you ginger POS…I’m out of nerves, guts and patience
this inning is agonizingly long.
Bochy used 4 pitches. Yikes.
And he’s got Morris, Melancon, Gearrin, and Crick to work the 9th.
And that is wrong because?
There you go
Breathe.
I’m OK…I found my RedGorkys!!!!
It would be a fun little silver lining if the Giants just plucked a stud reliever for nothing. As I said, I’ll take my bright spots where I can find them.
You too, Matty Moe. Way to bounce back.
Atta babe Dyson.
Whew!
Have Crick close out the 9th.
I think we need 3 more runs just to be safe.
Man, Ender Imnotspan can run shit down
Perfect. Bah dum bum.
Ender Inciarte plays a nice CF…
My guess is Malancon is going to pitch the bottom of the ninth, unless we score 7-8 runs. But if Bochy doesn’t run Malancon out there, it’ll be a vote of no confidence and the front office won’t have any of that. I really hate to see pitchers having to work thru issues in the most intense inning.
sgbssfg may have the right idea about keeping Dyson on the hill.
Yup…he’ll be there. As he should
If he blows the save, I predict he strips naked, drops a deuce and quits
Bochy a self parody … 3-pitchers to get 3 outs in a meaningless game. It’s questionable strategy in a meaningful game, given the names. Not exactly shutdown platoon guys. Given this situation, it’s comedy
Nope. We need this win. Six game losing streak should end here. They’re ready, use them.
It was nice, but ultimately meaningless. Not needed.
Ended a seven game losing streak. Not meaningless.
Please. Save it.
Bochy constantly changing pitchers serves 2 important purposes: (1) he conveys the impression to fans that each individual change actually has a purpose, so the fans will generally assume that he is actively making good decisions, and (2) he conveys the metamessage that he does not have enough talent to work with, further enhancing his reputation with the fans and putting pressure on the front office to but him more relievers. The fact that constant switching completely disrupts the relievers concentration is a matter of no concern to him.
I think it’s a lot simpler than that; he just likes doing pitching changes. Aside from doing the lineup it’s the area where he can have the biggest imprint on the game. Bunting, hit and runs, squeeze plays, all that stuff he is light on. If you are Bochy lineup tinkering and pitching changes are where it’s at.
Belt-ed!
Get out!!!!!!!
Well done, indeed.
Attababe, BB9. All those great ABs built to that!
Belt: “Bunt, schmunt.”
I hate having ex Pitchers and slap hitters as announcers, asking big 1st baseman to bunt, because they could not hit with power, Kuiper was asking for bunt to start game, Belt was 7 for 12 off Teharan with 2 HRs in a double, laughable !
Good AB, Austin.
Did I just hear Javy Lopez say “Sparky let out some shaft” in regards to Belt’s HR?
Yes, you did!
Love it.
Wow.
It’s Lopez s nickname he anointed on BB9 when he first came up
I thought he stole a phrase from Krukow.
Nice to hear Lopez on the radio.
Gird your loins, folks.
If a Brave reaches, I’m likely to melt down.
We’re going to melt down anyway. It was 105 here today. It’s 7:30 and still 100 degrees.
88 high, 71 now, should be a nice sleeping night here especially after the big win.
The Slater tater:
http://m.mlb.com/video/v1519859783/sfatl-slater-hammers-a-goahead-threerun-homer/?mlbtax=home_run
There’s nothing as inspiring as the “PG&E Really Fucked Up” ad
The “we are so sincere” cracking voice.
“We killed eight people and we are sooooo, soooooo sorry.”
That part reminds me of the voice of this lady in this horrible marriage proposal. “I would like you to marry meee”
https://youtu.be/GYliM2ANQP0?t=4m10s
Thank you, Dansby.
Melancholy looks poised for a shutdown performance
If the Giants lose this game, I am shaving my head and donating my hair to “Locks of Hate.”
That would feel more dramatic if I said it instead.
I should have given it to you then, then you could’ve donated the likes you would’ve inevitably received back to me.
Well I’m glad you at least specified you were shaving your head.
Whew. You didn’t have to go full Stipe
Well I used to rock a buzz cut…
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fb77543198ee2f2e98574c01469a1dccb698b83b88e514f2c463168ade7fbc8a.jpg
Sweeeeeet
( I used to have Full Timmy… which was The Rundgren at the time)
Yeah the shirt makes me hot.
Buzz Cut Kelby!
Wow you too, huh? I can see a slight resemblance, I suppose…
Are you related to Kelby?
Hahaha think so, huh? I wish I was. It’s weird. I do think someone did tell me once that I resembled KT just a little.
TWS….together we’re studly
Hahaha that’s right, boy, that’s right!
Did this photo get a lot of swipe rights or swipe lefts?
LOL I have no idea. Never been on Tinder. But I might actually wear something jussst a little nicer if I ever resort to such means. But I love being single. So many years being this way, and I’ve settled in. Not sure I could ever be in anything serious ever again. Unless I get another dog.
WE WIN!!!!!!
I love my Giants. Have a great night everyone.
Atta babe Melancon.
Saved
Showed some admirable balls he did.
I take it all back. And thank you because I didn’t want to see or hear that stinking tomahawk chop again.
OMG, a 1-2-3 save from Melancon. I swear, it must be his first this season. Atta-babe!
Melancon needs to be used to be effective. He needs work to get, be, and stay sharp.
A WIN! YES!
Great job, Marty Moore. Just when we needed it.
Braves announcers whining about their poor defense. We executed, you didn’t.
Shark tomorrow. TF will be in the house! I’ll share my thoughts on their new stadium.
Man, this win feels good.
Have a great time! Which Championship shirt??
The original. 2010. Nothing like the first one.
Bellinger with his 22 HR. Why can’t we find someone like him?
Giants don’t trade for prospects and they don’t draft power.
We don’t look
Matt Moore pitched awesome. League minimum salary Slater came up big time in a pressure at bat.
A win A Win Wholey makeral
You shut your pie2hole.
You can’t get exited over a win?
I can’t get excited either.
I get excited when 2hole exits.
Watching Mets at Dodgers for a few minutes. Jon (Boog) Schiambi calling the game, did a puff piece with Cody Bellinger. Boog has gained significant weight in the last couple years. From one fat guy to another, not good buddy. You’re too young for that, sir.
It’s scary how fast Schiambi has gained weight…
Exactly. More than scary. Life threatening. Gotta get that under control.
Hope he isn’t following the Jon Miller/John Kruk diet.
The Pitcher Belt Homered off of today, he also homered off in a famous game , what game was it ?
The 9-0 game 7 over StL, right?
Yep, Game 7 of 2012 NLCS, it was the 9th run in 9-0 win .
He also gave up the Morse HR didn’t he?
Nope…that was Neshek
Ah got it mixed up oops
They look similar to me for some reason
They do…I hear ya. Motte’s had a few more beignets
He use to have a long beard, and was an ex catcher .
Motte used to throw gas, 98-100, Belt’s HR in 2012 was off a 98 mph fastball .
No, wrong year , and that was Neschick, something like that .
Parker and Williamson are hitting 3-4 in the River Cats lineup tonight, and Slater and Gorkys are on the Giants.
Life is weird.
Tough to say whether we will see the formers before Sept. 1st.
Parker doesn’t have options, so they’ll have to activate him–I think it’s after 20 days(?) in minor league rehab. Activate or DFA. I’m sure they’ll give him another chance on the big club–he was injured in the line of duty, after all.
They are all garbage. It doesn’t matter who you put in the outfield. Get somebody in a trade. Parker was terrible before he hurt his shoulder. Does anyone not remember this?
Let’s give Slater a chance. He’s young and he’s hit at every level. Agree on the rest.
He had about 25 at bats , you and Surf Maui, he was platooned to so at bats were spread out Williamson too, players getting jerked around by the great Bochy.
They are junk Pete’s. But I do agree I would rather see an outfield of Slater, Parker and Williamson for the rest of the year just to see what we have. Pence can sit and get healthy and relax.
It’s worth noting that Belt leads the team with 35.2% hard contact, even ahead of Bum/Morse who ONLY swing for the fences. IN MLB that leaves him tied with Nelson Cruz and Evan Longoria. This babip luck will swing back the other way.
Sometimes his swings and AB’s that are so bad they really stick, I would have guessed his hard contact rate was much lower.
He’s so freakin’ streaky. He’s MyGuy, and I watch his every AB closely. Last 8-10 plate appearances much better. Long ABs, hitting the hall squarely producing those line drives. Tonight two more hard hit balls on which good defensive plays cost him knocks.
Two correctable things: reduce Ks by 25%, and stay inside the ball and drive it
oppo. That will produce runs no matter where he hits. To that, he looks less “walkish” in the six hole. I’d leave him there for awhile.
Radnich just said “when the Giants win a game, Happy New Year” and topped it off with “Mark Melancon, $60 million of not very good.” Ouch.
Did he also mention the make of his car again?
Nope, but it’s apparent he still digs Pam Moore.
Angry Old Man of Insignificance. Used to be decent, but is just sad. At least Ratto knows he is shtick. Gary thinks he’s real. .
Right about this time, I’d just like to say that I love slow sipping Bulleit Rye bourbon very much. If I was any more relaxed, I’d be a Xanax on an Alaskan cruise. With Capt. Merrill Steubing, Julie, your cruise director, Doc, Isaac and Gopher ensuring good times.
I have that too but tonight we had a red blend. Not that good, it was the five cent bottle from BevMo. I’m hoping its twin will be better since it was $15.
Unruly Red; we don’t recommend it.
Duly noted, PS35.
Artesa chardonnay here. Too damn hot for anything red.
Sorry about that unruly heat. There’s not much I hate more than hot weather. It was 88 degrees with humidity here on Sunday and I had a gig. SUCKED. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through with those numbers.
Pinole Valley not nearly as hot today and it cools down nicely regardless. Actually, about three miles from the Bay we have an ideal micro-climate. Doesn’t get too hot very often. Years ago The Chronicle did a best places to live feature and Pinole scored number one for weather.
If I was to describe my ultimate perfect weather area, it would be SF. I hate extremes in weather, and SF always seems to fluctuate between 40 and 70. With variance in conditions like rain, fog, etc. Mark Twain had no idea what he was talking about with regards to SF weather. It’s heaven for me.
I forget; what part of the country do you reside? PA?
Yes indeed. Our springs, autumns were perfect. Classic change of seasons conditions. Our summers used to be so pleasant. Mid, high 70s almost all summer. Occasional 80s in the “dog days.” I remember correctly, bc when I was a kid, you’d have to stay in the pool, or it would get a bit chilly. That speaks to a lack of humidity. But, gradually over the years, we’ve gotten ridiculous humidity and temps. No climate change, my freaking ASS.
San Luis Obispo is better…SF too cold in the summer…
See, if you dealt with PA humid summers like I do, you would be on my knees praising the creator for 60s in the summer with no humidity. So crisp, lovely. Makes me feel alive. Anything above 75 gives me anxiety. Even the air in SF seems cleaner, crisper.
Santa Barbara is tough to beat. Went down there one January to see the school and the girls in the dorm were lounging outside in their bikinis. I was sold; a Gaucho ever since.
I should have “normal” heat (94) where I am by the time I visit SF for the game on the 28th, and it’ll be a true breath of fresh air!
Literally! The two times I have been to SF I have felt such vibrancy and crispness in the air as soon as I got off the plane. Walking the Embarcadero on a clear blue sky 60s day is absolute heaven. One of my fave things about SF. Starting at the Ferry Building and walking all the way to AT&T and back is one of my best memories as a human.
I did the walk one way (with my walker) in 2013 from Fisherman’s Wharf to the FB, but because I was in a hurry to catch the last Amtrak bus, then train back to Merced, I didn’t have as much fun as you did! However, I arrived home in time to witness Pence (and many others) demolish the Bums 19-3, so I felt much better after my long ride home and tired back aches and pains getting there! 🙂
Good for you, my man.
If you’ve never lived there, you need to know there are many disparate micro-climates around The City that are consistent year to year. One would think it wouldn’t matter where you live in the City, but it really does.
I am aware. One day in Pac Heights, it was mid 60s, sunny, beautiful. I looked across to Golden Gate, and it was completely enshrouded in fog. Couldn’t even SEE the bridge. At all. It was surreal, incredible. Never saw anything that unique. I thought that summed up the mystical diversity of the city weather-wise in a beautiful way. What other place on the planet has so many micro climates so close to one another? It’s one of the most unique places on the planet, and I would move there in a heartbeat if I could afford it.
Start looking for a house for us. This is freakin’ brutal. I’m so over it that I think I’ll go to Hawaii on Thursday.
There’s one for sale on the next court (unless recently sold) but it’s Pinole so you could probably fit it in your Davis garage.
I live In Phoenix. It’s hell right now. Think Mad Max Fury Road.
yes it was a little warm on the golf course yesterday cabbie.
where did you play, and how did you shoot?
Grand Canyon University golf course, the old Maryvale, and I shot a 91. 20 over par and I was 6 over after the 1st 2 holes.
i used to play a lot. usually kept in the high 80’s to low 90’s. not great, but didn’t embarrass myself. sounds like we would have fun rounds together.
Gosh, you are so spontaneous.
I am currently in Hawaii. It’s awesome. Arrived yesterday! Come on over!
Big Island on Thursday and then to Maui on Monday. Aloha!
Nice. We are on Kauai.
I don’t wanna toot my horn but I’d wipe the floor with you in shuffleboard on the Lido deck. Then I’d have a pina colada and recap how I wiped the floor with you.
This is true. Bc I’d be too busy sweeping Julie, Your Cruise Director, off her feet.
Here’s some reading for you all: https://www.si.com/mlb/2016/09/16/bad-news-bees-san-jose-mike-norris-steve-howe
About the San Jose Bees. Wouldn’t recommend it for PJ, though.
I went to San Jose Bees games before you became a 1 liner jerk , and 13 years to 15 years before the 1986 team, early 70s Bees, George Brett era .
I was a 1 liner jerk way before you went to Bees games. Wait, that didn’t come out right. Anyway, I didn’t think you’d like reading about a bunch of loser druggies.
I started and noticed it was about former A’s and stopped, I followed when they were a Royals farm team .
So you could have taken my well intentioned advice and saved some trouble, couldn’t you?
People that decide to use drugs get no love from me, I do not feel sorry for dumb selfish people, they deserve all the bad stuff that happens to them .
Not everyone is as perfect as you, PJ.
I had two siblings that got involved in that stuff, they are both dead now .
One would think that would give you a little empathy, but no.
Did your siblings “deserve all the bad stuff that happened to them?” Wow.
I was a 1 liner jerk before you were knee high to a fire hydrant.
Pot, meet Kettle.
Thanks, 1 liner 10 o’s jerk! Great read
I love pence but one of the best things that could happen to the team would be if he missed the rest of the season with injuries so that bochy would be have no choice but to give some young outfielders a serious shot.
Are you still convinced Bochy is gonna sit Slater and delay his progress or are you starting to let that fixation go?
We’ll see. In june and july last year it looked like williamson had secured a spot on the team, and bochy not only figured out a way to get rid of him but people like you have even forgotten that that was the situation. The same could easily happen with slater now and you’ll forget it happened in a few months.
He was injured, John. Bochy didn’t “figure out a way to get rid of him.”That’s what took him out of the lineup.
I agree that when he came back he was glued to the bench and Bochy went with Pagan-Span-Pence (after Hunter returned from hammy surgery). We were fighting for a postseason berth and Bochy went with the players he thought would get us there.
Bochy never thinks young outfielders will get us there, that’s exactly the point
NEVER FORGET!!!
Brit Floyd is pretty darn awesome!
Played fabulous justice to every note of the real deal. Great gig in the sky too, she was awesome, sax solos, astronomy domine, one of these days, animals, dsotm, encore with numb, not now John, and run like hell!
Awesome. Check em out if you love the Floyd.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2666f402e4db64ea733c68d2126eeba423bcca651399c82c19d7d7821cdbfc59.jpg
Where’d ya see ’em?
Saroyan theater Fresno, yo. Nice acoustics.
Phillies DFA’d OF Michael Saunders. Was an all-star and hit 24 HRs last year. Giants should pick him up and give him a look. Good Hunter Pence insurance.
Should also give Neftali Feliz and Jeanmar Gomez a look. Both are former closers and can be valuable bullpen pieces playing lesser roles for the G’s. Get scrappy on the waivers Sabean, that’s your forte
: )
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2ff93228bb23de700612da9c56c5aaed39b736f095d025bd0f744db5790f3119.jpg
It’s what we do. 😀
Those guys had great numbers last year. Change of scenery would serve them well.
Absolutely. Saunders is 30 years old and would give bochy a great excuse to get slater out of the starting lineup. You can never have enough insurance against being forced to let young outfielders have a serious shot at the major leagues. Getting dfad by the worst team in the major leagues is a great a recommendation as bochy could want. Go for it.
Bitter much? Slater is steadily improving and showing us that he’s a legit candidate for a starting OF spot this season and beyond. Huge HR last night won him a lot of rope. Hopefully that will allow you to relax your “Bochy Hayes Slater” rants.
The giants haven’t developed an outfielder in 30 years and you think they’re just going to go ahead and leave slater a clear path? Seriously? Before you know it there’ll be some rationalization for taking him out of the starting lineup and you won’t even remember that there was once a reason for him being there, like happened with williamson last year
He’s being sarcastic, and yeah, it’s over the top, but he has a point. I’ve started wondering what happens to Slater when Parker’s back, which won’t be long. Because you can bet Bochy’s not going to bench Pence or Span.
No he’s not.
Maybe he could meet us halfway; platoon Pence and Span in RF and open one spot for one of the rookies. Probably any of them could catch more balls in CF than Span.
Yes, except the spot I’d have shared is LF.
I agree with you but Span should be benched. The problem is the Giants don’t have a real, true center fielder to replace Span. Parker is not a center fielder and personally, I would rather see Span in there every day than Gorkys.
Pass on both washed up relievers, thank you. I’d rather see what Crick and Gregorio can do.
They’re proabably going to send Crick down when Strickland comes back. Don’t know about Gomez but Feliz is still 29 and can turn the corner. I feel he’s a better option than Kontos or Morris
Don’t have to send him back for Strickland, playing with 24. May need to recall Gillaspie, however.
During this past off-season, I was hoping for the Giants to sign either J.D. Martinez or Michael Saunders to play LF.
Same, Saunders was on my radar too. He woukd be a fine 4th OF for us. I could see him being a good mentor for Slater, give Span a few days off in CF, and step in for the starters when one of them inevitably gets injured
The Giants are going to the playoffs this year so why start adding a bunch of scrap heap players? Tehy need to get younger and more athletic, not older and broken down, they already have Span and Pence.
The players added this season need to be pieces for the future not band aid types.
Does it really matter in the end if they win 95 games instead of 100? Not really in the big picture, plus they would drop in the draft order.
Feliz is 29 and Saunders is 30.
They add quality depth, something that this team hasn’t had in a long time.
Yeah, these guys would put them over the top and help the Giants catch the Rockies, Dbacks and Dodgers and it will be a 4-way race for the division.
Saunders will go bonkers and hit 40 HRs for us. He’s a fine 4th outfielder on most teams and I could definitely see him match Gorkys’ output this year in a month. I know Gork has been better recently but is he a part of our future?
Are you serious or joking? I really can’t tell.
I’m obviously joking about Saunders hitting 40 HRs, and pulling the Giants back into the NL west race but he’s still a great 4th OF option ANY team.
He hit 24 HRs and was an All-star last year and he’s a bigger threat offensively than any of the Giants’ reserves.
Neftali Feliz. He was the set-up man for the Pirates last year in the 2nd half and posted 3.52 ERA with 1.14 WHIP. He has ample closing experience with Rangers and was the Brewers closer to start this season. He’s also still 29 so I like him as an addition to our bullpen.
We saw last night how essential is a CF with speed and range. Inciarte caught at least two balls that I thought would drop and that I know Span would not have caught. In our yard we need “that guy”, someone who plays the entire position and not just the part he can get to. I’d like to see Slater get time in both CF and RF before the end of the year.
It’s just amazing to me that Giants’ management hasn’t prioritized that in all these years. The only really great defensive CF they’ve had in the past decade was Torres in 2010, and he was an accident–that was supposed to be pricey Aaron Rowand (who I recall as a decent CF but no Inciarte). Since then, they’ve installed Angel Pagan and then Denard Span.
what makes it even more perplexing is the fact they have preached defense all those years. And one constant in many good teams is the defense up the middle, which the Giants have as goodas anyone with Posey/Panik/Craw. But then it all falls apart and the holes in the OF and in CF put strain on the entire team D.
Signing Span was a desperate move after not properly planning for CF, and started a worse OF tailspin than prior. Evans was so excited that Span could jump over tiny hurdles, but didn’t seem concerned that he lost many steps and couldn’t throw.
Of all the questionable decisions over the last couple of seasons, that one stands out to me.
exactly, that is why I can’t understand when people back Evans for his job. He has really done very little to help the team get younger and more athletic, tow things it sorely needs.
yes
Why do you always insist on leaving Sabean out? Evans doesn’t get to make a decision like that without Sabean’s approval.
Gee, sorry.
I think you put to much emphasis on the infield defense. In 2010, they had an aging shortstop in Renteria and Uribe and an out of shape Pablo and Uribe filling in then along with a hole at second base until a week kneed Freddy Sanchez arrived. First base was manned by no stellar D in Aubrey. That infield was not spectacular but reliable and was good hitting with some power.
In 2012, yeah they had Crawford, but Pablo at third was not a gold glover but in better shape. They still pulled him for a D replacement in Arias. Second base was manned by Theriot , Scutero and Burris. None of them were GG caliber or had great range.
In 2014, Again Pablo at third with Arias as a D backup. Second base was a black hole with an injured Scutaro, Dan Ugla and Ehire Adrianza until Panik won the spot.
What won those series and championships was batting, and power. Yes the fielding was solid and Panik and Crawford made some fantastic plays but it was not Great infield. It was solid infield with good hitting.
I would really like to see how the Giants outfield would look like with any combo of Slater, Parker, Jones or Shaw. Obviously, Jones can play 1B and 3B and Shaw can play 1B too. Plenty of options there.
Yes, correct on all counts. In Willie Mays Field, Center Field is arguably the second most important position on the field, after catcher. It is truly amazing the Giants have not valued defense in CF higher. Span was not a good signing for the simple fact that he is far below par defensively. Though with all due respect, I don’t think anyone catches the triple last night.
Flemming’s description on radio left me thinking Span should have caught it. He said he ran back and was at the correct depth but was still several feet away. So, it sounded like he had time to get to the right spot but somehow got himself to an altogether wrong spot. Did you see it differently?
I did see it differently. The ball was a rocket and I don’t think any human playing at standard cf depth catches it. I think Fleming is over-reacting to recent terrible outfield play in general.
Seems like he is on high alert for poor outfield play. Mentioned it a lot. It’s really bad when even the broadcasters get fed up.
I don’t blame Fleming at all. He is right. Pence has had a rough week in right field as well.
On the other hand, not many teams have GGs at C, SS, 2b and a near GG at 1b.
Can’t stand the Yankees and can’t stand Belt. Should be a marriage made in heaven.
http://espn.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/96542/pitching-becoming-a-serious-issue-as-yankees-skid-continues
http://es.pn/2sOxgAl
Yankees should also take a look at Cueto, Shark and Moore.
I’m amazed that the Trout-less Angels are .500.
You are dreaming; the Giants signed Belt for too much money and too many years, tough one to trade.
you do know who the Yankees are don’t you? Money is not an object and while I’m not saying it’s a no brainer, it is possible. The Yankees just lost 7 straight and really are desperate to win now. I’ve seen two games recent that Carter has made simple errors that led to losses.
Therefore not really a dream. Not lock, but it is possible.
And on top of that the Yankees have a top 2 farm system so they have players trade.
That way you can have drinks at Finnerty’s with the Baby Giraffe!
Never!
This was clearly E’s plan from the start. Psssh…trying to make us think he couldn’t stand Belt. Wanted him all for himself in the Big Crabapple.
“Brandon, play Misty for me”
“Bartender…martini for the piano player…extra dirty.”
Belt and cueto are just not yankees type players
Rumors are that if the Tigers are sellers at the break they might move Justin Verlander. He has two years on his contract, $28MM each year.
Cueto could be a viable option for some of those teams as well. Should the Giants be aggressive in marketing Cueto? A lot to consider there.
Chris Archer on MLB Central. What a SMART and FUNNY guy. I love players like this. Articulate and clever. Mom’s gotta be proud.
He and Duffy need to become roomies on the road. I am really pulling for Duffy to come back strong and show that he was worth the trade. The Giants may need to trade with TB again.
If you want an indication of how badly the Giants are faring and how it is affecting fans look no further than this post. Our game threads used to get at least 700-1000 posts each. Now we cannot break .500. Either you are all bored with my work or it has something to do with the Giants terrible season. In all seriousness, I am sure the Giants are seeing this year hurt them financially already.
I had to resort to posting about the Dodgers.. and that was after a Giants win! LOL
I must admit to deciding to dissociating a bit during the Colorado series. I’m still following the team and the awesome TWG, but trying not to let it get to me so much. Last night’s game suddenly turned pleasurable, with a 3 run homer for PJ, nice work by Dyson to save us from Kontos, and even a “take that” homer by Belt to restore a 3run lead for Melancon to convert. Some more games like that, and I’ll risk SFG fanatacism again.
It is nice to think that TF62 is going to be in the stands tonight, representing us.
The Curse Of The Broken Bobbleheads
I think they will feel it more next year. Most tickets for the year are sold early on. I’m going to a game next month that I bought tickets for back in February. I wish now that I had waited and let the “dynamic pricing” save me some bucks. Season ticket sales for next year will slump for sure unless they can pull a marketable free agent or three out of their hat during the winter.
You’re doing a great job, which I’m sure we all very much appreciate. But if it would make you feel better, I’ll say something which isn’t fawning about Buster Posey, which should pump the numbers. I’d been holding back on that topic after a call I received from Matthew’s doctor, but this seems like a good cause.
I was thinking a little bit about this yesterday. It’s been a good long time for all of us since we had a season unfold like this one. I remember 1985 but I don’t think any of us really thought the Giants were going to be good that year. This year, there were hopes that the closer issue — not the only one but the most glaring problem of last season — was solved. That the team has fallen down without any ability to get up and that the front office has responded weakly at best has just been other worldly. Really, it’s a little surreal to watch these ballplayers — some of the them proven and battle-tested — fail to generate winning baseball and then fail to turn around the consistent losing. YOU, Greek, are doing an excellent job, and I am very grateful. If comments are down, I attribute it to the quality of baseball we are being subjected to day in and day out.
The TWG blog is great but the Giants suck so folks aren’t paying as much attention.
Thank you for the blog, I would not be able to participate otherwise as my isp/pc was allergic to the MercuryNews site.
Lots of great Giants fans and otherwise nice and interesting people at TWG
Wow… Dodgers were 9-11 to start the season, called up Bellinger, and have gone 37-15 since. Kid is the only rookie to hit 10 bombs in a 10-game span. Oh, and Seager hit 3 bombs of his own last night. That’s an impressive future core if they can sustain those performances over the long haul.
It’s all very impressive but the Bums are going to have issues in starting pitching.
Would you rather have shaky starting pitching with an explosive lineup, or great starting pitching that loses 0-2 every night due to an anemic offense?
I want both excellent pitching and some bashers in the line up. The Dodgers still have some issues and until they win a ring count me in as a skeptic.
…but they own the division until further notice. For the foreseeable future for the Giants, it’s wild card (if that) or bust.
Which team’s future looks brighter, the Giants’ or the Dodgers’?
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