Weekend Wrap: Historically Bummed

Sep 19, 2022 | 2022 Season, Latest Post

by
Johnny  Black

I should have stayed in Mexico.

This was not a good weekend for the Giants. In fact, it was horrible, as in historically horrible! Why, you ask? Allow me to elaborate.

The Giants got swept by the Dodgers in San Francisco! Enough said.

Want more?

Here you go: The Giants finished the season against the Dodgers 4-15, yes, that’s correct, the boys won four games out of 19 for the worst record in one season against their rivals EVER!

To make matters even worse the Dodgers have won 13 of the last 14 games and seven in a row in the City by the Bay! That should never happen. What in the name of Willie Mays is going on here?

I Blame it on Analytics.

Or maybe the Giants just stink and the team from the Southland is mighty good. What the hell happened since last year? How did the team that 107 games sink so low, so fast? I’m at a loss.

Are you starting to get it? The rivalry goes back to 1884 before there were smartphones and bell bottoms. We’re talking about a lot baseball and a lot of baseball seasons where even the worst Giants teams put up better numbers against the Bums than this sad sack 2022 squad, yeah, the one that won the division last year.

If you cannot recall a worse season against the Dodgers that’s because there wasn’t one. On those grounds alone ownership needs to re-examine the positions of Manager and whatever Zaidi calls his. It’s just despicable, from a Giants fandom point of view. I’m kind of at a loss for words.

I actually went into this weekend’ series with a semi-positive frame of mind thinking the Dodgers would be ripe for an ass-kicking after they already won the Division earlier in the week.

How wrong Johnny Black was!

Last Night’s Game

Last night, on Sunday Night Baseball the Dodgers topped the Giants 4-3 in extra innings. The Bums scored two in the top of the tenth to take a 4-2 lead and the Giants counted with one run in the bottom of the inning to fall a run short and complete the horrible sweep in front of the hometown fans and a TON of visiting Los Angelinos who were in town to rub it in. This reminds me of 2018, the final weekend of the season when the exact same thing happened.

There was a rare September storm that meant a rain delay. There were kind words by Dave Roberts and terse ones by Gabe Kapler:

“They definitely outplayed us all year. We have to play better if we’re going to beat that team. There’s nothing more to it.”

Add it all up and the Dodgers were just too much for the Giants last night, and Saturday and Friday.

Saturday’s Game

The Giants lost to the Dodgers, 7-2.

That’s all you need to know.

Hunter Pence on the Wall of Fame

The only bright side to Saturday’s game was that before the contest Hunter Pence arrived on a scooter was inducted into the Giants Wall of Fame.

“This is where I belong. I wasn’t the best player but I was all heart. Put your heart into it. “If I had a lesson it would be, don’t be afraid to fail,”

-Hunter Pence

Highlights of Pence’s nearly eight years and two World Series championships with the Giants were shown on the big video screen.

Johnny Black approves of this decision.

Alex Wood’s Season Is Over

The Giants, as Greek Giant intimated earlier in the week, decided to shelve Alex Wood for the remainder of the season rather than bring him back. He was recovering from a shoulder impingement and there is no upside to his return so the San Francisco Giants Baseball Club LTD did the smart thing and let the Lefty have the rest of the month and season off.

Black Monday© Weekend Wrap

Enough ink has been spilled about the Giants fall from grace we call the 2022 catastrophe. Make no mistake, this season is a catastrophe and this weekend proves it. Not only does the team that won 107 and the Division last season fail to make the postseason. They also fail to be a force against the Dodgers and suffer the worse season record against their rivals in,, oh yeah EVER!

Since that span the Dodgers keep on rolling and the Padres have also improved. The Mets are a force and the Braves may win the World Series again this season. Where does that leave the Giants? Well, frankly, nowhere. It’s hard to imagine this team challenging for a postseason spot next year or in 2024.

Maybe things are not as bleak as they seem (read Dr. Lefty’s column from Saturday if you want to feel better. She points out that among other things, the Eugene Emeralds won their championship and many players in High A ball are on their way to the big club as soon as next year (maybe)) it’s just that I am not cool with losing to the Dodgers, Ever. To lose 15 of 19 in the season series leaves me with the feeling that I should open that bottle of tequila I smuggled from Baja and drink it till I see orange and black stars as I reminisce about MadBum and Buster and Timmy.