by
Greek Giant
Tonight’s Game: Padres Vs Giants at Willie Mays Field, 7:15 PM
Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 4.33) Vs. Madison Bumgarner (0-3, 3.18)
It’s time for MadBum to win a game.
Five Questions
- Will Madbum regain his velocity tonight?
- How soon before Pablo joins the Giants on the field?
- Will the Panda signing affect the team’s chemistry adversely?
- Who will lead the N.L. in batting average this season?
- Is “Jhoylys” a unique name in Major League Baseball history?
Breckeroni says, “Good luck Bumgarner!”
Let’s win another series.
1. No. It will take several starts.
2. Never. We don’t need yet another backup of Nunez … please.
3. Who knows?
4. How can anyone catch Turner assuming he doesn’t go back on the DL again.
5. It’s “Jhoulys”, Greek. Yeah, it’s unique alright. Looks like random letters thrown against a wall.
I like “Never” for #2. A whole lot.
Thanks! I just hope the FO doesn’t take him back in a goofy fit of nostalgia.
Eleuthero, have you read what Carl Steward has to say? Carl just posted his take on his twitter feed. His headline: “Giants reunion with Sandoval: lame and laughable at any price” is followed by his expert analysis of the stupidity of bringing Pablo back:
“Most Giants fans just don’t want to play this hunch at all, because they understand all the old headaches are more likely to resurface than the old magic. And they’re right to think that. But beyond just that, it’s just an embarrassing move for the club. It looks bad. Horrible, in fact…
Sandoval turns 31 on Aug. 11. But it’s an ancient 31, exacerbated by excessive eating and nightlife. Moreover, it’s been a long time since he was any good. He hit .237 in 2 1/2 seasons with the Red Sox, playing in a hitter’s yard. He hit 14 home runs total, and drove in just 59 runs. Fifty-nine! He suffered a major shoulder injury in 2016 that required surgery. He still had the issues with fluctuating weight. He was so bad hitting right-handed, he gave it up for a time. This year, he went back to it and was batting .150 at the time of his release. Defensively, he made five errors in just 29 games at third base. His WAR was in the red — tough to do, even when you stink.”
Yeah, I read the article and agreed with all of its sentiments. I don’t like the idea of Pablo taking AB’s away from Ryder Jones at Sacto.
1. Probably not yet. I just hope to see less avoidance of throwing fastballs in his second game back.
2 & 3: I can’t answer any questions on Sandoval because it’s too depressing to think about.
I sure agree with your 2/3. We’re flooded with guys at 3B and don’t need Pablo even though he’d be min wage for us. Let the past stay the past.
He could take the field in an old-timers’ game years from now.
1) No.
2) Never
3) Yes. I’m thinking it already has. I can almost read Buster’s mind…”what are they thinking!?”
4) Harper or Murphy. I think not Buster, because catching takes a lot out of the legs.
5) I think so. I’ve never seen it before.
Reading material. Get my Twitter count up.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/20/giants-reunion-with-sandoval-ill-timed-lame-and-laughable-at-any-price/
Well said. The only thing I disagree about is that Sandoval would have to prove anything in Sacramento. If they sign him, he’ll be up soon.
The article title says it all but I loved the very last line the most i.e., “Disney wouldn’t even buy into it”.
Are you really Carl Steward? Your avatar says no.
I had the same question.
Bugs me actually. Someone on here pretending to be Carl who was always wonderful to interact with all of us on Giants Extra.
It’s really Carl Steward and not someone pretending to be Carl!
Look at the profile and prior posts. I think it’s really him.
Really, TO? I did look at his profile and decided no, not really. I’ll check again. Thanks!
OMG. I think you’re right! I didn’t look at the prior posts before.
Yes! That’s my Facebook avatar.
Oh my. It’s really you! I’m not on Facebook. I check your twitter feed and read your articles. Thanks for this analysis especially, Carl, and for posting it here. All the best to you and yours!
And here’s a song to go with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT8oGa3XTTw
“I’m against it” fits with “Road to Ruin.”
Well said. Even if he were welcomed back with open arms by his former teammates, this is not the team he left. And his “I have options” comment won’t win him any friends.
I’m glad the current team has bonded enough to want to stay together. Given the revolving door of players this season, it’s a good sign.
A Carl Steward sighting! Yea!
Nice goin’ Carl.
My favorite line.
“While the Dodgers continue to get younger, deeper, stronger and better, the Giants are doing … this? “
Amazing headline. What do you think about the point that the Giants’ players reportedly do NOT want him back? Is it a terrible idea to ignore that, or is the front office really telling Buster Posey, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, etc. “Shut up and deal with it, losers”? That’s the part that’s really hard to understand.
Alex and Carl and Grant are doing everything they can to alert the Giants FO about how “lame and laughable” it is to bring Pablo back. I especially like how Carl credits smart Giants fans who “don’t want to play this hunch at all, because they understand all the old headaches are more likely to resurface than the old magic.”
The power of the press!
Fifth column?
No. Fourth estate.
That’s the one. Thanks 🙂
You’re very welcome. We’re very lucky in this country to have the dogged persistent courageous press we have. I’m rereading All the President’s Men. Bernstein and Woodward were relentless in their pursuit of uncovering the truth. It’s happening now all over again. But it will take time.
FYI,
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/north-america/main-enemy-russian-active-measures-united-states-1090
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/exclusive/clapper-trump-jr-emails-only-one-anecdote-much-larger-story-1091
One of my sources of fun and amusing reads. They have an interesting library of nifty analyses. Not all are this interesting.
“democracy dies in darkness”
That’s the one.
Good to see you here Montana. I am not always around but I knew you were back but had not noticed you lately. I can fit you right between Crawnik and doobieibood if you want to make a MyGuy™ mid-season entry. It has been a good year to think of our prospects in the farm system instead of our prospects in October.
Panda? It fits under, “You have to forgive people, but you do not have to trust them.”
Good to see you too Haak. Are you sure? When was the actual deadline?
“Deadline” is so “Letter of the Law”. I am much more a “Spirit of the Law” guy.
As MyGuyKing™ I say you are allowed even if we put and * by your name.
I’ll have to think about this Haak. I’m big on fairness. My guesses now would be with knowledge others didn’t have at the deadline. Perhaps an asterisk would solve the problem of fairness, like auditing a course, where the credit doesn’t count.
I tried to say that with many many more words this afternoon. Brevity is concise.
#4 Justin Turner is at .372 and is now qualified. Harper and Murphy are .035 behind. Posey and Blackmon trail by .043.
Where did this come from?
ROY batting behind you?
Confidence of a team that wins 70% of the time?
Baseballs as hard and smooth as billiard balls?
He can really hit. Walks more than he strikes out this year. Late bloomer. Some speculate other stuff. Regardless, he can hit. Bellinger may win MVP, but Turner is the MVP in that lineup.
And to think the Mets let Turner go just a couple years back. He was non-tendered after the 2013 season.
Bellinger can’t actually be in MVP talks, can he? He’s the slam dunk ROY so far, but there have to be a dozen+ guys ahead of him for potential MVP. Even on the Dodgers there’s Kershaw, Seager, Turner…
Roy? Hobbs?
That Spanish Pirate El Roy Face.
Only guy with a better winning percentage than the dogger from Texas.
Good God, is he gonna hit .400?
1) Only important if he can regain his velocity by the start of next season.
2) Give it a month, by end August, by then hopefully Belt is gone
3) a team 2nd to to the Phillies as far as losses has no chemistry, so really no one cares
4) Harper or Murphy, will come down to last week of the season
5) Thats a unique name by any standards
I like that name a lot better than Jhonny Peralta. On the same topic, try to Google the name Gorkys – it may be unique?
this is a funny take on Dominican names by a Latin blog:
http://remezcla.com/features/culture/yahaira-junot-unraveling-history-behind-weird-dominican-names/
interesting!
Alex Pavlovic 5min ago:
Giants lineup tonight (no Panda): Span CF, Nuñez 3B, Belt 1B, Posey C, Crawford SS, Pence RF, Panik 2B, Hernandez RF, Bumgarner LHP
2 RF’s tonight? So if San Diego hits a ball to LF, it’s an out? I like it : )
It’s been a long season for Alex.
Hell, it’s been a long season for all of us.
Hell yeah.
Baggs has the same thing. Where’s that lineup card?
Yeah, it’s pretty clear they both got the lineup off the same card–posted online or in the clubhouse? It’s funny.
I love your avatar, Sgbssfg. It always cheers me up!
Carl (and most likely Baggs) appear chafed that they took the NO line on ‘Bring_Back_Pablito’
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/20/giants-reunion-with-sandoval-ill-timed-lame-and-laughable-at-any-price/
Carl’s right.
Alex Pavlovic 3min ago:
The Dodgers announced that they DFA’d Sergio Romo.
Breaking: Giants’ FO all abuzz with this news.
Five Questions
1. Will Madbum regain his velocity tonight?
*** No – it will still sit at 92 and maybe touch 94
2. How soon before Pablo joins the Giants on the field?
*** 10 days to two weeks
3. Will the Panda signing affect the team’s chemistry adversely?
*** No
4. Who will lead the N.L. in batting average this season?
Daniel Murphy
5. Is “Jhoylys” a unique name in Major League Baseball history?
*** Yes, just this side of Three Fingers Mordecai Brown
http://baseballhall.org/hof/brown-mordecai
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a70565c67a364d03f7f047552197f82df78007a75ab95381fb902e6d64b7ee0f.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ee7a1331f226825ec4c7781434dbbced1c8b6b770736d8c7d25da73dcf559fdb.jpg
92-94? So you meant yes, not no.
YOU continue to sadly disappoint me. My answer was not yes it was NO. When some pitcher touches or nicks a higher mph it is disregarded after it is made note of.
Last week he could not reach either higher plateau. Try to follow along.
Giants most likely (wink wink) to pickup Snergio from LAD’s (DFA’d)
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e08920a2dd6b46ab690cc7503a9c73d687c5d68612fffbb2bad9e690b36b3406.jpg
all it does is show how bad the Giants pen regressed last season.
Snergio was DFA’d?
Yes
Didn’t they sign him for two years and appx $10-12MM? Wow. I think we all knew there wasn’t much left in the tank.
The Dodgers and Red Sox are jettisoning their deadweight.
Maybe there really are going to be two RF’s in tonight’s game!
Andrew Baggarly 4min ago:
Can we agree Bumgarner coming back was a good thing? Span CF, Nuñez 3B, Belt 1B, Posey C, Crawford SS, Pence RF, Panik 2B, Gorkys RF, Bum P
What could it hurt? Do you think it might keep us out of the post-season?
Well, it could provide a comedy of errors.
Pauli exclusion rule.
If pitchers are spin one-half particles obeying Fermi statistics, is Cueto a Boson? For extra credit, is that S=1 or S=2?
Cueto is turning out to be a Pion sort guy. I just wish he’d stop Meson’ around.
BTW, cool website. http://www.particleadventure.org/standard-model.html
OK, I see there’s a little time to squeeze in some physics before the main event headlined by Bumgarner:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/science/mixed-axial-gravitational-anomaly-weyl-semimetals-ibm.html
I read this twice today, without actually getting it. But it has two pretty shocking things in it, in that the experiment appears to be related to the mystery of how gravity is related to quantum mechanics, and that string theory has a possible experimental verification.
1. No
2. Never in SF
3. No doubt already has.
4. Harper
5. Yes
In his first game back, Bumgarner’s velocity topped out at 90, right? And he wasn’t throwing many fastballs, right again?
If I’m not right, just tell me.
He had maybe 1-2 FB at 90. The rest, 86-89.
Thanks cc!
I suspect he just threw his cutter, and avoided the 4 seam FB,
Baggarly interviewed players and has a new report out. Hunter Pence is bubbling over with enthusiasm about the possibility of Pablo returning to the Giants. He talked about Pablo’s glory days. Brandon Belt said, “I hope he comes and rakes and we win another World Series. That is not a lie.”
Buster Posey’s on board too. Here’s what Posey said: “If you help the team win, that’s what this is about. It doesn’t matter what’s been said in the past. If you can contribute and help the team win, whether it’s Pablo or anyone else, that’s what it’s about.”
I don’t get it.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/20/pence-posey-weigh-in-would-giants-welcome-back-pablo-sandoval/
They are presenting the company line. That is all.
Why do they (especially them) have to present the company line?
They don’t. I think they are tired of this retched season and hope for the best
I know. It’s truly disappointing. They can say how they really feel off the record, but on the record? Apparently not.
Posey is more reserved and speaking in if’s, but I have a hard time believing he believes bringing Pablo back is what the team needs.
He doesn’t. His last line speaks volumes imo
Can he play at a high energy level and help this team win a World Series this year? I’m confused.
Pablo’s known many of these guys for years through thick and thin, I would not be surprised if many of the players from that era still kept in touch with him even if minimally.
The players are going to move on. Their actions don’t need to constantly please fans or follow fans wishes.
I’m thinking they’re thinking (a little bit anyway) deep down that he no longer has what it takes.
Just being good soldiers.
There was concern about Bum’s velocity last April. His response: So what?
http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Giants-Bumgarner-on-his-declining-velocity-So-7377387.php
Ratto who I despise is actually right in his thinking that they are not signing Flablo to play in Sac. He’ll be up in SF by August. Absolutely disgusting
Yup, it’ll be between him and Hwang imo. They’ll definitely be giving him a look in the big leagues at some point this season
Hwang needs to be everyday so he’s able to come right out of the gate ready to go next season.
I guess everyone has given up on Hwang because they say that there’s no one who can play 3rd anymore. He played some sterling defense there. How many ABs has he had at 3rd so far?
Slater succeeded at the plate because he knew LF was a issue so he just relaxed at the plate and hit. Hwang knew Nuñez was coming back so he put a little more pressure on himself at the plate. He just wanted to prove he can play, but his small window of opportunity got in the way. Same with Mac. Give these guys time to work out some skills and they’ll be fine.
Really. Just let the guy have a legit shot. Otherwise, why did you sign him? He gave up A LOT to take his shot. We’re going nowhere this season. Let’s find out if Hwang can play.
They may as well go all in for the trifecta with Pablo, Sergio and Angel. All available and in positions of need.
New debate topic? Of those three, who has the most left in the tank?
Maybe Pagan. He’s well rested by now but I don’t really care
Pagan by a flowing mane
1. No. He will get to 91
2. Next weekend
3. No. The chemistry looked bad all year. It will improve
4. Murph
5. Spellcheck
“Spellcheck” is quite funny.
If Sandoval returns by “next weekend,” I’m done watching the Giants this season.
It’s a beautiful night for baseball! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/172f3d314de86b25ee1addec86e7126afaf955dec829a3adb92055fb290b4f66.jpg
Wow! Get me #12’s autograph?
He threw a ball in my direction but of course the kid next to me got it 🙄 I swear I think a couple of those kids got a couple of balls each. And some floozy who came late and wasn’t even wearing any Giants gear got a ball from the ball dude. Forgot to let my tits hang out. 🙄
You can’t remember everything!
Here’s Bum warming up https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5efbcdb67d884d0c61b9b2544d2e07b35ff3a815261b44a184bc19b142e68fd8.jpg
And here’s the bobblehead https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6bce9343bda1d1da2566a00b8de8d293b6b2c885dff7d07ef5db2598ac04a1f0.jpg
At the game too! Up in the nosebleeds. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/03d288d02b47f8ff176a6b6e9630b53ec3629a685aae0fcfd5c7a3766c5f5e75.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b47a44393a5e9c53088fa7f6e5bbf23cba3d901cbba8b0fdc34d8586c854a908.jpg
This will be my view tomorrow night. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/271d594924f71ce08f6ba61a9e08e42c0b7e18c7fc50b1ba418e1892d4cbea6f.jpg
This is my favorite place to sit. Maybe towards 3rd a hair more.
So great to hear “Fire on the Mountain” again.
I know I should still be mad…but I love him.
How can we lose, with Bumgarner on the hill, and Peachy and 12xu in the house?
Best memory of the year, being in Petco to welcome him back last week.
Matty is right on the 91 so far.
You mean Bum, right?
Yup, Matty said he’d be up to 91
so happy bum’s homecoming is on the reg broadcast to be able to see the big guy’s lovely syrupy delivery — over the top ?? well i missed him : ) happy bumgarner day everyone !
I hate when Span leads off with a 4-3. Gives me a weird vibe.
You’ve had a 2season vibe-a-thon
Yep.
.290 or bust?
I’d like a snotrocket jersey for the hell of it.
I met that guy at the park last year. He went to every single one of Bumgarner’s starts, home and away. He called it the Snotrocket Tour.
That really needs to be a book or a movie.
Interesting hacking story. http://www.thedailybeast.com/microsoft-pushes-to-take-over-russian-spies-network
Bum has been a HR machine including the minors
This Padres lineup qualifies as minor league as well. Hats off to San Diego, they should have the worst record in baseball for having the least major league talent, but they don’t.
Think how good we’d be if we brought up all the young inexperienced prospects.
Find some guys on the interstate with some muscle and watch our win total climb.
what logic are you using? When the Padres farm system over the past few years has been ranked in the 6-9 range.
The Giants? about 25.
Green is a players manager.
Apologies in advance….
Krukow: “…Pablo will *always* be welcome in the Bay Area.” No fucking way, Kruk.
Krukow has lost his fng mind this season. Then again has he ever been on TV during a season like this?
wait till you see how loudly he’s cheered the first time he gets announced at the stadium.
Krukow always tows the company line, even if it sounds stupid.
I’m blacked out. MLB.TV is screwed up. I just discovered a shit load of ants in my kitchen. Bum gave up tonight’s first Padre’s home run. I give up. I’m oughta here.
Nunez is a bonafide MLB everyday player. Someone can use him. Make a good trade, Bobby.
Our sleepwalking Giants continue to make Chacin look like an all-star. Three perfect innings, and we’re down 2-0.
I’ve watched that Donnie Two Trips game about 10 times, and I’m sure I’ll watch it again. Great archival game from that 2010 season.
7 years ago today!
Yep. A classic. Kershaw vs. Timmy. Beanballs and clutch hits. After DTT, Andres Torres got the huge RBI double. Posey add on. Bottom ninth, it’s Affeldt not Wilson. Tying runs on base, he Ks Ethier for the W.
And…that’s your Giants replay!
Kershaw was suspended five games for hitting Rowand on purpose in that game. That’s why Mattingly, and not Torre, was managing in the ninth ining.
Yep. Kemp got all red-ass over nothing and got all that sheet started.
Absolutely my favorite 2010 regular season game (excluding the division clincher!), for obvious reasons! 🙂
was that an exciting baseball season or what ?? i loved all of it including whatever particles kept the magic going
Pablo would’ve not got up on the play Nunez just made.
Buster is a stud. Aybar is out!
Has Krukow said, “Momentum just swung into the Giants dugout. “?
I’m afraid so.
Really? I was joking. On a replay review that was overturned in the Giants favor? LOL.
Sorry. I didn’t know you were joking.
noonie has a great smile. it’s infectious
saw dunkirk earlier. good flick..
Good. Wanna see it.
see it at an IMAX theater. worth the extra few bux..
We saw the Spider-Man movie in the IMAX in SF a couple weeks ago. That was fun.
renfroe..damn
That’s what a 1st round RF looks like.
Beede, Shaw, Arroyo should all be here by now. We’re not good at development of current assets.
I see all 3 of them on the 25 man roster either in 2018 or 2019.
Really? A lusty low 700 OPS and a ton of strikeouts? Now, you may be right … those are the first rounders of the future, and if so, MLB is in trouble
Renfroe is a really weird guy to make this kind of statement about. He’s not very good.
Well, he’s better than any RF we have currently.
This would be a good time for RBI #45
With a hit.
…
Awful AB by Belt!!
Come on BB9. You gotta fight that off.
Like sabean said, these f***** guys have f***** forgot how to win.
Can’t give up too early on those back door pitches. Belt does that a lot.
I watched MLB in the morning yesterday and they were talking about teams with great line-up clusters. Part of the reason for this awful season is that the Giants have no such animal — not with Belt and Pence so awful.
hey greek, i was just reading about the earthquake that hit kos today. i hope you don’t have any family that was in harms way, and prayers go out to your fellow countrymen..
Thanks for the good wishes Steve. I don’t have family there but I appreciate your concern.
Not digging the Gorkys casual move. Don’t drop one, dude.
Do the Giants look like they have fun anymore? Or do they look more like their just going thru the motions.
For about 7 baseball months, the latter
None and Flabo won’t help either
1 hit, must be facing Cy Young.
The junk throwers love the Giants
Nice play Noonie
Just hit 92MPH. Velocity isn’t the issue tonight
Fast game. Not much excitement.
neither pitcher messing around – this could be over by 9:15 if the Gs can’t mount any offense
Gorked! Let’s go!
Chacin previous best start: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
Atta babe Gorkys.
One last chance here guys: either score or it’s lights out here in the ATL.
ditto LI, NY
Thank you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lULLx_DN0_E
There we go, now we’re back in it.
Span the man.
Will the Cubs take Span off our hands?
THey’ve found their groove again. I don’t think so
I want to keep Span. I do not want Span as lead off hitter nor starting in CF.
Span can still hit and is a smart veteran player but does not have the physical tools because of age and injuries. Signing Span for what was expected at LO and CF was a mistake but Span is still a good hitter and MLB player which is better than some of the other vet clowns used in 2017.
Depends what another team offers in talent if a midseason trade is to be made.
His defense is atrocious. I have always been a fan of him but that’s a no no to me. Get rid of his contract
Span would make someone an interesting leadoff DH. Any forward thinking managers in the AL? Nevermind.
Gorkys is fast. Pablo doesn’t score on that.
ry’s guy..heads up too
Nunez the man.
New ball game!
run noonie
And that’s what happens. He is not a smart ball player. He has the tools though
he makes things happen, which is a good thing. sometimes he fails, usually, he succeeds. i wouldn’t say he’s dumb, though. he’s going to be a great rental for some team.
Nothing wrong with that effort. He made the immortal Luis Torres make a play in a lost season. So what?
Bonehead Nuney.
Wow, just wow!!
At least tonight someone hitting above 200 hit one. Never did find one if that last game was a first ever … 3 HRs by the only 3 guys in the lineup hitting under 200. Gotta try hard to make that happen
Great. Good night y’all.
Be pretty funny if Bum doesn’t win a game all year, considering there’s no real good reason that he’s pitching now in the first place.
Funny, no. Some bad Karma, possibly. I’d really like to think he’ll work enough to regain his strength, then scale back, let some of the kids pitch, and be healthy for next season. But I would like to see him win a few.
There’s no good reason to sit him down.
He ought to take next year off, too. Just in case the Giants aren’t any better. Would hate to waste him.
I’m curious. I just got back from dinner. How was Bum’s velocity tonight?
90-92.
That’s a good thing. I would have been very concerned if he was stuck at 88-89. He was plagued by dingers again I see. Oh well. As long as he’s coming along.
Honestly, why does it matter? Nothing he does now, in terms of conditioning or anything else, will matter in March. If anything, it will be a negative as opposed to taking the time off.
I look at the rest of his starts this year as just fine tuning his recovery. I don’t believe taking the whole year off would help him in this regard. It’s too much time.
I agree. Pitching is also a lot about the feel and doing repetitive motions. Too big unknown taking off the rest of the year. If he gets his stuff back together and has more decent starts than not for the rest of the year I would feel more confident about next year.
I totally agree.
Agree 100%.
And Bum will feel a lot more confident too knowing he can still pitch well after his accident and go with that confidence into the next season. All upsides.
Breezed through the Pads lineup the first two times through the order but Pads figured him out the 3rd time thru. Velocity is there but it feels like his stuff isn’t quite as deceptive.
Crick is better than Kontos.
Yup. Way better.
Shhhh!!! Bruce will hear you and send him back down. Him and Lefty love Kontos.
If Lefty ever actually said she loved Kontos I’d know that she’d gone daft.
SO good to see him doing well.
Duggar has 8 RBI’s in his last two games.
Grandslam this evening as SJG went from down 0-4 to 12-7.
Kyle Crick has some serious gas but his gas moves. Keep Crick up for the rest of the season and shop Meathead around to other teams.
I really love how our bullpen is shaping up. I’m worried about Bum. He might not win another game all year.
You might be right if we keep sending somnambulists up to home plate.
Belt Posey Pence Crawford Panik — BA 3-4-5-6-7 — have zero hits this evening (so far)
Well, Pence just got one but I catch your drift.
yep. there goes that negative perfection thing
That is the core that needs to carry this team at the plate. Has been all season long.
The core has not performed. If they had, the pitching would have not spent the season so stressed.
The pitching has been by and large horrendous. You cannot blame one and not the other.
He can’t win another game.
Today is July 21. I think we should put Bum on the 10-day DL, which means skipping one start, maybe two (if Cueto is ready to go, exchange positions). On September 1 the rosters expand, we bring up Beede and Suarez and begin a preview of what next year’s rotation might be. Maybe a six-man rotation for the last six weeks. Think out of the box and determine what assets we have as we look toward next year.
Top 3 pick next year. Pick wisely Giants.
Gorkys gets the tying run to the plate. Atta babe.
I wonder where Belt is going to get traded?
He won’t be traded, at least not until the offseason. Is he worth $17MM per year–for four years? Not based on this year’s production. That being said, he’s a talented everyday player. If we trade him, make certain we get quality in return.
Well that’s a shame. This loss really hurts. Why can’t we just once latch onto some momentum, 2 wins in a row vs Cleveland, and do something with it!!! We have a talented team. But the problem is I believe they are soft.
Had Pablo been at 3B tonight the Giants would have lost 10-2, and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt that he gets a knock and an RBI in the 6th inning like Nunez did.
Puhleeze
It’s hard to get serious about what the Giants have when they’ve lost 3 of the last 4 to the freaking Padres. Bum wasn’t stellar tonight but when 3-4-5-6-7 go 1 for 18 what in hell can you do?
Solarte-less Padres to boot.
It’s time to be serious no more. Survival instincts starting to kick in.
Great point. 1-for-18 is ridiculous. Can’t anyone hit? Losing to the Padres is a disgrace, and over the past year SFG is 5-15 vs SD. That’s reality. Our team just stinks. Posey, Crawford, Bum, Belt, Pence — these are the core guys. Hope they can somehow someday play better baseball again.
Belt has turned into a K machine. Pence and Crawford have a lower BA than Gorkys. Our core is all doing a face plant at the same time.
His Ks are up in July, but so is everything else. His K rate at 30% (usually around 24%) but his BB rate up at 17.5% (usually around 14%). Slash line for the month .283/.411/.478. Compared to the other guys this month:
Pence: .153/.194/.237
Posey: .240/.333/.380
Crawford: .200/.241/.400
Panik: .231/.245/.404
It’s not surprising Belt is being brought up as a total failure, or that one element of his game is being criticized (people still haven’t gotten used to the fact that he strikes out more than the rest of the team), but the numbers rarely bear out the actual criticisms.
Those slash lines for the month sure tell a sad tale. Note that I didn’t pick on Belt alone and according to Belt’s slash line he’s the least of our worries right now. Pence and Crawford are just flat in the tank.
Tonight’s Giants player stock report:
Span – up 3 points
Nuñez – up 7 points
Belt – no change
Posey – down 2 points for bases loaded K
Pence – down 2 points
Crawford – down 3 points
Panik – no change
Gorkys – up 12 points
Bum – plummeted
Tomlinson – no change
Hundley – down 6 points for last out
Kontos – down 2 points
Crick – up 5 points
Points can reflect a players value, performance and lack of performance, and expectations.
Posey down more than that; and I only saw his last AB. On the radio earlier one of the guys said the Giants posted the umpire scouting report at their batting cage and the players knew the ump has a more liberal strike zone. Posey put himself in the 0-2 hole letting two lazy rolling get it in there back door breaking balls go by. Sure, they were above the belt and many umps would have called them balls and I guess he’s conditioned to take them but they were right in the hit me hard zone. He could have crushed either pitch.
Love it.
The core is what the FO doesn’t want to blow up and the players keep saying they can win with this core but I don’t see it happening and if they truly could they should be winning by now. When are they going to turn this around like they have all been telling us, in September?! And I really hope they don’t turn it around because if they do the FO will say “we had a fantastic last week of September!! What is everyone complaining about!?” and then they will only get one mediocre OUt Fielder and we’ll be back in last place.
I’ve come to reconcile that the core is soft.
This entire team is a study in softness, not just the core. Where do we have real strength?
Where do we have real strength? That’s a tough question. And where does leadership hide? Who stands out as a team leader. Maybe someone in the clubhouse but it’s not present on the field or in the dugout.
If there was a leader I don’t think they would be this bad. Yes they have declined because of age or injury but there is no source of energy, fun, or “swag” that a leader can bring.
The only real energy that I see, and it won’t be popular, is Gorkys and Slater. Both play with hunger and honesty. Nuñez plays with energy but offsets it with his boneheaded play at times. Definitely no swag. No bounce to their step.
This morning on the radio they had a discussion about it. They mentioned that in 2014 they had Panda and Pence who always could hit any pitch out and were dangerous at any time, in addition to great defense. They never replaced Panda in hitting power and Pence is no longer that thread. What is left is not enough, plus an entire outfield that is not up to par neither for the hitting nor the fielding. There you have it.
Not talking about the bull pen and inconsistent starting pitching. Lots of holes to fix there.
Alex P telling it like it is.
Could this Pablo thing be a smokescreen of sorts? Wouldn’t the Giants be better served by getting the youth playing time at the MLB level? It reeks of FO desperatism.
What youth – right now – are being held down by this move?
Hasn’t happened yet. But the likelihood that it could as it has been discussed is disturbing.
Disturbing? Please, this Pablo hysteria has reached peak levels. He IS going to get called up, he will NOT hold anybody down. It would be one thing if Arroyo were perfectly healthy, or anybody else was looking worthy of playing time. At this point I’d rather them just not start anyone’s arb clock in a total garbage season.
He could hold them down if he sat on them.
I agree that Pablo’s not going to block Arroyo or anyone else. At best, I’d say he’d be a nice left-handed bench bat for cheap (less than $1.5 mil through 2019 if it goes that long). At best.
That said, Carl Steward’s description of the move as “lame and laughable” made some sense–“reeks of desperation,” probably being mocked in LA, etc. I’m guessing the front office thinks of it like they did Sam Dyson–bad year, nothing to lose, if we can pick up a good piece for the future for cheap, why not?–but the optics are different because of Pablo’s history with the Giants.
So since I was at the game I missed the pregame Flan talk. What’d he have to say re: Pabno?
My humble opinion: Sandoval is a thief. He is stealing money right now. The G’s should not hire a thief.
No worse than Eric Byrnes.
How far the Giants have fallen, from WS hero and a confident win every time Bum strode out to the mound to 0-6 and an automatic loss this year for every start the Gdweebs have had from Bumgarner. And this was a game with the A lineup and I do not mean the A ball lineup
the A line-up is a big part of the problem..
Hoo boy. Baggarly turned his attention to Pence–“bile”? “Albatross”? Ouch. Unbelievable that Pence has zero HRs at AT & T this year.
If you’re going to isolate problems in the lineup this year, I’d say
1) Pence’s loss of power
2) Crawford’s loss of everything–average, power
3) The black hole in LF all year long
Posey’s still hitting well over .300. Nunez is hitting .300. Span’s hitting .290. Panik’s up around .270. Belt’s average is down, but his power numbers and OBP are decent. Can’t really point the finger at them. But none of them are enough to carry the team without contributions from Pence and Crawford. Maybe the LF can be a light-hitting position if everything else is working. But it’s not.
Pence is awful. If only he could draw a BB. 5.9% BB rate looks like his lowest. He certainly well past his prime now. One more to go for Pence and Span.
It’s an extremely difficult and traumatic year for Crawford. My hope is that he stays strong enough to finish the year and start fresh next spring. Another piece of the absolute torture of this season.
Nunez looks great out there. What’s the hold up? He’s going to be somebody’s Scutaro in the playoffs; smoking clutch line drives, flying around the bases, making great plays on the infield. He’s really going to be a terrific addition for a team like the Red Sox. I don’t think he’s going to bring back a prospect that gets anyone too excited, but it’s not hard for a prospect to crack the Giants Top 20 or Top 10 prospects.
Too bad the demand for outfielders is so limited. Span would also be a potential clutch playoff performer.
.290 or bust. Dare he go for .300?
What else? Give me Gorkys over Tomlinson on the roster. Gorkys can be fast guy off bench. Swap Tommy for a guy that can ring a double or put the ball over the wall. Brandon Belt up at the plate with a chance for RBIs; look for the K or the BB. I could be wrong but seems to happen almost every time. If pitchers could execute and not throw such easy takes in some of those 2 strike counts, he’d strike out even more. But give credit, that guy can hold up on pitches just barely out of the strike zone. What an eye! What a glove! BB9 ain’t going nowhere. Is his wrist still a problem? Can’t tell, he goes through hitless stretches like this often enough. Can’t spell BB9 without BB.
I’m guessing Parker gets a call up before too long–they’ll have to either activate him or DFA him, and he earned one more chance by running into a wall to help Matt Moore.
Tomlinson has to stay, though. Who’s the backup infielder if he goes, especially once Nunez gets traded? I think it’s Hwang who gets the boot if Parker comes back. He and Gillaspie duplicate each other at this point, except for Gillaspie being a lefty hitter, and Gillaspie and Kelby are proven pinch-hitters, too.
…I forgot about Gomez. The Giants have made so many roster moves this year that I literally forget who’s on the team if I don’t actually look it up.
Anyway, Gomez does not have KT’s positional versatility, and KT’s proven he can be productive off the bench. Gomez should be playing everyday; send him to AAA.
how about Hwang playing all the IF postions? Need to give him an honest run before deciding his fate. Ryder Jones can surface again as well. Return of Calixte?
I don’t think Hwang has it in him to play SS or 2B. He’s barely passable at third, not so good at first, and forget it in LF. Jones can play 3B and 1B, but he’s never been a middle infielder.
Calixte can play SS quite competently from what I’ve seen. But Kelby’s paid his dues and contributed when he’s gotten the chance. He brings zero power, but he takes good ABs, has game-changing speed, and can play a number of positions reasonably well.
In any event, you have to have someone who can backup Crawford if he’s injured or needs a day off. Right now, unless/until Nunez gets traded, that’s Kelby.
New Post: http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/2017-season/superman-madbum-defeated-by-lex-luthors-padres-5-2/
You mean “new time machine”. Can you take us further back, to the age of innocence?