Weekend Wrap: Rockies Are the Cure for What Ailed the Giants

Sep 11, 2023 | 2023 Offseason, Latest Post, Weekend Wrap | 0 comments

by
Johnny Black

With 16 wins in their last 17 games against the Colorado Rockies, and a three-game sweep this weekend that followed a six-game losing streak, the Giants will need to send a nice gift to Bud Black if they make the postseason. That kind of domination ain’t supposed to happen at the Big League level. But it is. Maybe its’ revenge for 1993, the year the Giants finished one game behind the Dodgers for the NL West Division championship in large part because the Los Angeles team beat Colorado in every one of their 15 games!

Yesterday’s Game

It’s kind of funny. Since yesterday was the start of the NFL season (I’m not counting the fake Thursday night game) the ESPN chose to broadcast the Giants and Rockies prime time, thinking nobody would watch it. Well the Giants played a good game. By my count that makes three straight ESPN Sunday Night Baseball wins. Mitch Haniger figured big and Keaton Winn made an important start in a game the Giants won 6-3 thanks to home runs by Haniger, Joc Pederson and Thairo Estrada.

Haniger Goes Yard:

Thairo hit his to the deepest part of the park and did not even get all of it!

Keaton Winn earned the victory and looked pretty good doing it. It’s a real head-shaker as to why the Giants brass did not put Winn into the starting rotation muuuuuuuuch earlier in the season. I get the impression Farhan Zaidi hates to admit he’s wrong about things. But that’s a discuss for another day.

The Giants fell behind 3-0 when the Rox put up a trio of runs off Keaton Winn in the top of the second inning. Winn gave up the damage after being hit by a very hard-charging ground ball off a Rocky bat. He was down for the count for a few seconds, tossed some warm-ups and went back to work. He recovered and would pitch a very good game after that inning. He pitched six innings in all and allowed only those three runs on five hits and struck out nine while allowing ZERO walks. His splitter was exceptional, especially early on when the sun was in the face of the batters and the pitcher was in the shadows. Winn’s win was his first in the Major Leagues and I expect many more. If he can develop a third pitching I see a potential Ryan Vogelsong path to pitching success for him. He could be that solid number three or four starter the Giants have been dreaming of ever since,…. well since Vogey retired.

Camilo Doval earned his first save in a dog’s age. Just like that the Giants won their third game in a row.

Thank you Rockies!

Saurday’s Game

On Saturday the Giants vanquished Colorado 9-1 behind a great performance from Logan Webb, who won his tenth game of the year. He pitched six innings allowing only three hits and recording four strikeouts. He did not allow a run. The Giant runs came from big hits by Estrada, a two-run home run, Yaz, who had three hits, J. D. Davis, Pederson, Craw and Matos.
Here is the homer by Thairo on Saturday:

Speaking of Matos, he had a good weekend. Saturday’s game was notable also because it was Joey Bart’s second start since being called up after Patrick Bailey’s concussion. Blake Sabol caught Sunday’s game.

The Black Monday© Weekend Wrap

Today, we are celebrating a Giants sweep that keeps things interesting with only 19 games left in the regular season and the Giants 1.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card Spot. That there are a few teams fighting for that spot is another problem for our boys. They have to beat out the Reds, the Marlins, and the Diamond Backs and it will not be easy. The Giants are now 73-70 and probably need to win 12 of their remaining 19 games for a realistic chance at October baseball.

There are other reasons to watch the Giants beyond the postseason race. They have some exciting young players in Winn, Matos, Bailey, Meckler and Schmitt. I would like to see a real starting pitcher every game the rest of the way. I would like to see as much youth in the every day line up as possible. I would like to see the Giants management show some faith in their young players and let them hit against the matchup computers. I would like to see each player play ONE position in the field for an entire game so he can get better at defense without having to play out of his natural position. I know, I am not likely to see my wishes fulfilled but you cannot blame a guy for trying. Otherwise I would spend this post tearing apart the Giants GM and Manager, pointing out that those three wins were against a Rockies team with essentially a AAA pitching staff and position players who seem to be phoning it in.

JB out!