by
Greek Giant
It’s kind of an aesthetic thing: Would you rather win the rubber game of the series or the second game if you take two of three? For the Giants yesterday it was one of those not funny laughers, losing 11-1 to the Padres who eeked out a bit of vengeance after the Giants won the first two games of the series. It was Johnny Cueto’s return from the IL after a three-week absence. It did not go well. Actually, Johnny Beisbol’s stuff looked quite good. His velocity hit 94 mph and his change-up was mostly very effective. The problem was this: Location, Location, Location.
The top of the second inning was the decisive frame of the game. It saw the Padres hit two two-run homers. The first one, from Jake Cronenwoth was a moon-shot that nearly killed a kayaker in McCovey cove. It came off an off-speed pitch that was about thigh high on the inside half of the plate. For the lefty Conenworth it was like a BP fastball since the pitch did not move much. Even as a Giant fan I was impressed with that long ball. It was just obliterated. Fernando Tatis Jr. would add a second homer in the inning, also with a man on, also a moonshot. The combined distance of those two homers was at least 499 million feet by my precise calculations.
For the Giants, the bright spot was Yaz’s two hits and that’s about it….
Darin Ruf pitched the top of the ninth, allowing two runs. It was that kind of game. There were murmurs of worry about Ruf pitching since he is not a Major League pitcher. Personally, I don’t like seeing position players pitch in games because of the obvious risk of injury. It’s just not dignified either. Darin Ruff is no Pablo Sandoval, who, you will remember shutout the Dodgers in an inning of work way back when. You may also recall that a few weeks later The Panda had surgery on his throwing arm…
The Box
Tonight’s Game
Tonight the Giants host the Rangers. It’s Kyle Gibson against Alex Wood. First pitch is at 6;45 PM, Willie Mays Field time.