by
GreekGiant
Well… That was something! Where do I begin? Ty Blach, in only his second Major League start, out-dueled Clayton Kershaw in pitching 8 innings and allowing no runs on 3 hits, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts on 99 pitches. That gem of a performance in a critical game will likely go down in Giants lore. To top it all off the rookie recorded two hits off Kershaw, who pitched very well but was out-done by a wall-scraper home run off the bat of Angel Pagan, a throwing error by Justin Turner and a sacrifice fly by Gordon Beckham.
The game lasted all of two hours and sixteen minutes. It was easily the shortest contest of the year. The pace of the game was a direct result of a few factors, including the Giants’ strategy to attack Clayton Kershaw early in the count and the ability of Ty Blach to get ahead in the count and induce weak outs when he wasn’t striking out the Dodgers.
Bruce Bochy and the Giants Coaching Staff Come Through Again
I was very unsure, if not downright critical of the decision to start Blach in a game of this magnitude. I would have accepted a Jake Peavy or Matt Cain start though I would have preferred to see Albert Suarez on the hill. It goes to show you that we fans know next-to-nothing sometimes about a team we are crazy about, no matter how much we follow them throughout the  year. It is impossible to gauge the true worth of a player and the psychological condition of a team from afar. This game was another tip of the cap to Bruce Bochy and the coaching staff who had to make a very difficult decision. Ultimately they looked like geniuses but a wise person and a serious baseball fan must take into account the inside knowledge of the team and their pitching options. It is likely Rags and Co. coached Blach both mechanically and emotionally to succeed in this game in many ways, away from the view of the fans and the press.
Angel Pagan and the Art of Hitting Against Kershaw
Angel Pagan produced the biggest at-bat of the game when he homered on the first pitch off Clayton Kershaw leading off the 5th inning. The at-bat was a special one for many reasons. First, the pitcher’s duel between the Dodger ace and Ty Blach felt like it was going to last forever. Second, the Giants’ strategy of swinging at first and second pitches was an abject failure until that point. The idea behind the strategy is that Kershaw will likely throw his most hittable pitches early on in an at-bat and it is best to take advantage of the strike-throwers propensity for attacking the plate. As the Giants flailed away, meekly popping up or grounding out, Kershaw was in control. By the 5th inning he had thrown less than 60 pitches, an astounding level of efficiency.
But then Angel came up. Hitting from the right side, arguably his most powerful side of the plate, he homered on a 1-1 pitch, a fastball about belly high and on the inside corner. It was not a bad pitch by any means. Generally, most right handers foul that pitch off or pop it up. But Pagan was sitting on it, looking to pull and pull it he did. If you look carefully at some of Angel’s at-bats he will guess fastball and position his body to attack the inside pitch with authority. He will position his hands inside and begin his turn and step a tad earlier than is usually warranted. He turned on the fateful Kershaw pitch and got just enough of it to clear the wall and send Willie Mays Field into a love-fest that rivaled the scene at Haight-Ashbury in 1967. That homer was bigger than just a run. It gave Blach and the Giants the momentum and the belief that they could win a game when all odds favored Kershaw the legend over Ty the unknown…
We have all groaned occasionally at Pagan’s defense and injury-riddled career with the Giants but I have always viewed him as a special player who more than makes up for his defensive liabilities with his energy and dynamic baseballing. He can hit for power, steal a base and wreak general havoc on the opposition (Remember that amazing bunt for a base hit against the Rockies Thursday night?). Not many players possess the skill set and passion one sees in Pagan.
I will miss him if this is his last year as a Giant.
Joe Panik: That’s Sir Joseph Baseball Esquire to You!
Joe Panik made one of the most important plays of the game at a critical juncture in the top of the 7th inning when he scooped a bad throw from Gordon Beckham to get the second out of the inning with a runner on first. If that throw gets by him the Dodgers have runners on second and third with one out in a 1-0 game and we all get stick to our collective stomachs. Panik would make another fine play when he ranged far to his right on a ball up the middle in the top of the 9th and throw out Josh Reddick. For my money Joey Baseball is a player much greater than the sum of his parts. Forget his hitting stats this year. His defense, his presence in the game and his baseball knowledge are second-to-none. In no way should he ever be platooned…
This was, needless to say, another epic, rewarding and joyous victory in a season seemingly suffused with an excess of disappointment and failure. Perhaps the Giants are getting hot at the right time. With the Mets and Cardinals both winning, the Giants are still one game ahead of St. Louis and have guaranteed themselves at least a 163rd game to contest the Wild Card. Tomorrow they have their playoff destiny in their own hands with Matt Moore starting against Kenta Maeda. I can’t wait.
Babysitting my grand-daughter this PM, but had to sneak a peek at the day’s results — a shutout by Black?? Unbelievable I love it
It was amazing. Three hits, eight innings, AND got two hits off Kershaw. Very, very special performance.
Lineup card, uni and ball to be framed, mounted and hoisted behind the wet bar for all time….
Great post, GG! Sir Joseph Baseball Esquire, indeed!
BOOM sauce, filo mou
Congrats on an epic Saturday, TF!!!!!
About 120 people in the sports bar, six of us rooting for the Vols. You can imagine the emotional swing and the primal shouts around those last two TDs.
Epic indeed.
What a great post, Greek!
OK, I was being a wise ass with my last comment on the previous post- what’s new? But seriously- only two words are needed to describe Blach’s outing- above average
Great job by the rookie in an obvious important weekend.
I would have loved to have been in the booth to witness this:
http://www.sfgate.com/giants/shea/article/Hanging-with-Willie-Mays-and-Vin-Scully-it-s-9524274.php
Thanks for this, E.
Wow
I almost feel bad for eavesdropping.
Just got home from maybe my best sports bar afternoon ever. My Tennessee Volunteers with a *seriously* unbelievable comeback win, and I’m following the Giants on my phone. WIN-WIN. If you didn’t see the last three minutes of the Vols/Bulldogs game, make sure you do.
Dr. Lefty started the “why not Ty Blach” thread early, and a few others jumped on quick. I think I hung Reuter 2.0 on him, and it seems to fit. In maybe the biggest game of the year–onions, kid.
Welcome to Aggieland next weekend…. Fortress Kyle makes the Swamp look like Christmas…..
My favorite tidbit from the beat writers’ postgame articles: Ty Blach, after finishing his day, watching the end of the game next to Jake Peavy, who was pouring the love into the rookie’s ear: So proud of you. Think of all the hard work you did to get to this day.
Jake Peavy is an amazing guy. It’s been a rough year for him in a lot of different ways, the days and hours of being a Giant (and maybe a baseball player) are ticking down for him. Yet he’s pumping up a young guy and being an encourager.
We didn’t have him for long, but like Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy’s been a GREAT Giant. Wherever life takes him next, I hope it goes well for him. He deserves it.
Sniffle, l love these guys.
Well said, Dr.
A Warrior.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbRX8CZO0zA
Is that SOB intense, or what?
I was cool with Blach, as I wrote earlier because he was a “wild card” as I described it. Cain and Peavy are good dudes, but not currently viable pitchers. Suarez is a “keep it reasonably close” guy.
Blach, however, did exactly what Bochy thought he could…and Buster guided him through EVERY at bat like the certain Hall of Fame catcher he is…and, as GG so eloquently put: Angel is a money player. Baller. Battler. Stubbornly competitive and confident.
That was the most enjoyable game of the year for many reasons.
You nailed it this morning: Bochy knew what he’d get from Suarez, and he knew it wouldn’t be enough. But with Blach there was a chance–a chance!–for more, and by gum, he GOT it!
I’ve enjoyed these last two games more than any since July. I almost forgot what it was like to be inspired by Giants baseball and not just frustrated. But seeing Bummy–and he’s so special–win his 100th last night and Blach, less than 24 hours later, win his first and in such spectacular fashion and against such an opponent–well, it’s one of those Giants memories we’re going to hold onto for awhile.
I also loved hearing the other players gush about their rookie AND hearing the conversations about what Buster did to help his pitcher succeed – what a great way to end the regular season — now let’s sweep those southlanders !!!
He said he never shook off Buster once.
Who would?
Should I make a list? SMH
Thought I’d tee one up for you!
the man previously known as the closer : (
Samardzija even learned that, albeit the hard way.
I still remember young Bumgarner, after that World Series gem. He pointed to (almost as young) Buster and said “I just done what he told me.”
55 also had his battles with the buster for reasons i never did get
Timmy was stubborn due to Father Chris
And don’t forget we still are enjoying those 9th innings and not taking them for granted!
My goodness, how great has Romo been? He’s getting lefties out and looking nasty. Party like it’s 2012. He’s helping his walk year case, for sure.
Pagan sort of is too. I wasn’t in the thread much yesterday, but I had this great line about the on-field protesters that I’m not sure anyone else used: Did you see the approach that Pagan took to that protester! 😉
It was a great approach.
I think it’s tremendously important that he isn’t having to work too hard to get these closes. Too much hard work day after day takes its toll on him.
I have to wonder if Bochys plan all along was to go to Romo but he needed to make sure Romo was ready after the injury, and there wasn’t much time left to make sure he (Romo) would make it to the parade without his elbow exploding….
I honestly think the fact that he is a LHP had more to do with it than WHO it was. He sure was on fire though.
Make no mistake- Bochy would have been pleased as punch with a “keep it reasonably close” outing from TY. But as you said- it was not likely to be enough.The decision was not without risk.An untested rookie could give up a 3 spot in the 1st and we’d be playing catch up to Opie and relying on the pen for 8 innings. But the gamble pretty much paid off.
It absolutely was risky–and it totally paid off. If Bochy ever takes up gambling I want to tag along and make some money.
October loves Bruce.
Given the way Blach has pitched versus the other options of Suarez, Peavy and Cain there wasn’t as much downside, especially considering the Dodgers difficulty against LH pitching. It was the right call and I’m really glad Bochy made it. And with that effort it looks like the Giants found their #5 SP next year.
Exactly, K…all those factors made this the right choice.
The Cain thing is the most interesting for next year. We shall see how that plays out.
What a day for this performance-you don’t get famous for being Mr. September. Hey, if the kid didn’t care about money he’d retire now. Why be just a baseball pitcher when you can be a legend?
The wonderful thing bout Blach is that there aren’t any meaningful statistics on hm.
….until nowwwwwwww
Have to go now But the best thing- We’re all happy today!
Enjoy it while you can, Pal.
Tomorrow brings an entirely different set of challenges. But I’m optimistic, and hopeful.
BBQ tomorrow?
One of the national story layouts of today’s victory.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/10/01/giants-rookie-pitcher-ty-blach-outduels-clayton-kershaw-clinch-wild-card-tie/91416296/
Nice article.
Greek Giant
What about Paniks play on Reddick leading off the Top of 9th?
Yoooooge
Can anybody answer?
Where was Blach ranked when all eyes were seemingly fixed on. Clayton Blackburn? Was Blacburn ranked above Blach at one point?
Where is Blackburn now?
Yes , Blackburn had a great year in the PCL last year , lowest ERA, but was never called up like Blach was this year, even Stanton had nice year in the PCL this year, these guys are playing for the wrong organization. Sabean and Bochy both have a history of not trusting young players and preferring veterans , only turning to young players when veterans have failed to do the job over a long period of time . The Giants Minor league system has never been graded high by the prospect hounds like Scout, but most of the time when Giant minor league prospects get a shot in MLB they do way better then expected, it is just that the Giants front office is reluctant to give them a chance .
The only exception to this rule, is top draft picks, like, Timmy, Mad Bum and Buster, and Cain, Beede is also in that cattagory, I listened to a Sabean interview, and when asked about the next Giants starting Pitching prospect, he did not even mention Blach, Blackburn or Stranton, only Beede .
it’s all about pedigree dude, do you not understand that? It’s called “upside”.
Are there surprises, sure. But top prospects all have a certain pedigree.
Blach looked good today, but so did Heston no hitting the Mets last year. And you know where Heston played most of this season.
So your a prospect snob too .
Oh, he’s clearly that…huge. Reads random reports and decides who must be great based on it, never having seen them play.
oh and tell me your secret? At least I’m not some ultra biased pollyanna who thinks every Giants farmhand is the next big thing guaranteed stardom and refuses to see the farm for what it is currently.
While sure no one here has the time to watch video on all top prospects, there are reasons professional who get paid to write such reports exist, even individuals who work for teams in the big leagues don;t have that time on their hand to see players in person.
Why don’t you tell me who you think are the next big stars in the system that will help soon? The infield seems fine for a few years (all home grown) but what happens in a couple of year when the entire OF has to be made over? Pence is not the Pence from 2014, Span is aging quick, no more Pagan. Who is Posey’s clear cut back up? Brown? If Cueto leaves next season and in fact Cain is done, then who are the clear cut starters after Bum Moore, Shark? Who is on the bench?
I’ll give you Tomlinson is a gamer, good kid, not a super star. I even warmed up to Duffy before he was traded, another decent player but absolutely not a player in the Seager mold. So since Panik (NL AS, GG caliber 2B) who I love bit is having a down year, what have the Giants produced from the system? A few back end relievers? A couple of spot starters? Brown? Mac and Parker? Mind you its been three years since Panik, who I use as the cutoff before the Crawford/Belt/Sandoval/Bum/Posey era of producing everyday type caliber players.
Adam Duvall, Tommy Francis, the reliever Toronto that the Gants lost in the rule 5 draft, just this year, players that got a chance to play on other MLB teams, the Giants prefer veterans, so rarely give young players a fair chance to succeed at the MLB level .
Relax, Turbo. I don’t know more than you. Never said it. You just make it common practice to trash the farm based on lazy journalists and dumb GM’s.
One thing matters: win at the MLB level. The Giants do that. How they get there shouldn’t drive you so damn crazy
Good stuff
It’s not ALL about pedigree. If you go back to the top 10 draft picks over the last 5-10 years, you’ll recognize some of the names: they are stars. There will be plenty of others where you’ll say “Who?” Or “Really? That underperforming schmoe was a top-10 draft pick? Boy, did someone get THAT wrong.”
There was one example of this in the Giants’ lineup just yesterday. Gordon Beckham was the #8 pick in 2008, three picks behind Buster Posey. And he’s a mediocre journeyman who got picked up for nothing this week. In fact, of the four guys drafted before Posey in 2008, only one, Eric Hosmer, has been an All-Star.
This is to say that draft position is a good indication for some people but certainly not for everyone. The Giants haven’t had a top-10 pick since 2009 (Zack Wheeler, #6), but they hit pretty well on the ones the three years before–Lincecum (#10), Bumgarner (#10), and Posey (#5).
And Sandoval and Duffy and Crawford and Panik and Belt. This horrible “rule” has kept them from accomplishing anything! They’ll NEVER do anything. NEVER!!
Crawford and Belt were losing playing time to ineffective veterans, Panik was last resort , after Ugla failed, Sandoval hit like .400 in 2008-2009, Duffy had to be Spring training MVP, to get roster spot, and only got starting job at 3rd base when McGehee, failed.
Excuses, PJ. Nothing but excuses.
I think it’s as simple a Blackburn had a good year last year and Blach didn’t. Blach a terrific year this year and Blackburn didn’t.
A couple times during the latter half of September I’ve posted a lament that I stole fron Grant Brisbee. The quote goes like this: “There is no hope. There is only decay.” Those few words summed up the entire 2nd half for me as this season spiraled to an end I didn’t want to face.
Today… I witnessed Ty Blach.
Damn the decay of the last 3 months!
There is hope!!
Never give up! Never give in!
Flip off the Baseball Gods and drive on, full effing speed ahead. To victory!!! And even year magic! Giants! GO!!!
lol@ “There is no hope. There is only decay.”
I totally get the vibe behind it. Though I’m not sure if would have worked in for Steven King in Shawshank Redeption: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things”
8 – 0 in must win playoff games. 6 of those on the road…… If you include must wins to get in…. 10 – 0. Since 2010……
Sabean has called them cockroaches for a reason…
A’s steal from the Dodgers pitcher Cotton is throwing well
How refreshing that it’s the Giants’ turn to have a young, no-name pitcher shut down the opposing team. Not sure if that’s happened since Bum. Let’s do this! (And hopefully Blach has earned a loooong look next spring)
I would still expect some ups and downs with him until he gets a little more hardened under fire.
Agreed. I don’t think he ever really projected to be anything more than a back of the rotation starter at best, so we’ll have to take this with a grain of salt. Still exciting to see this though 🙂
It’s a hell of a nice piece to go on his resume.
means nothing if he can’t continue to improve next season and perhaps take the 5 spot in the rotation.
You think today’s win guarantees him anything?
It’s a great game for a rookie, celebrate it for what it is.
Even beating Opie and the Tools one time in this situation counts for something even if he quit baseball tomorrow.
I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet – not me anyways – it was Shocking.
That was a mighty fine effort today. The team looked good, especially the kid. He thanked Buster for directing his performance. He’s smart too.
kid does look like he needs a workout regiment tho. He is not part of the Bumgarner off season “swing an ax” workout.
He’s pitched pretty well for a whole season, so far, but I’m sure there’s some conditioning ahead is his “hardening” regimen.
His interview reminded me of Joe. P. a couple years ago – calm and poised, like he knows he belongs.
The only downside for me after today’s win is that CSN is not showing a repeat of this afternoon’s game this evening. Now there are three channels that I receive here that are CSN affiliates — on one of them is the A’s-Seattle game, and on the other 2 channels is the San Jose MLS soccer game. If CSN has a CSN California channel and a CSN + channel why show the same thing on both channels, when you could show this exciting baseball game on one of these channels — it’s just plain stupid.
Might be on at midnight
Past my bedtime — especially after babysitting all afternoon and into the evening. Pooped!
I hear you. Bummer
12:30 AM CSNBA
Pull up MLVTV on your conputer. The games were free today so you might get a replay of the game for the same price.
Plus it’s better to just get the innings and nothing else. No breaks or commercials like CSNBA
I just watched it on MLB-TV (archive). I believe you are correct–it should be a free watch.
Thanks for the tip. I just watched the highlights of today’s game and that was great fun. Thanks again
Question for the masses. Why do the Mets have the top wildcard slot clinched? A tie with the Giants is still possible isn’t it?
They won the season’s series between the two teams. They beat us two of three in NY in late April, we split a four game series August 18-21 at AT&T. That Sunday 8/21 game, Shark vs. Thor, Shark had a no-hitter after six. Blanco took a bad route on a Granderson (I think) fly ball, it fell for a double, and Cespedes homered. With Thor pitching–ballgame and season series win.
OK so season series does make a difference then. That’s what I thought originally, but then I thought someone said it doesn’t matter. But I guess it does. Thanks.
Some people on tv and radio, were saying that since the Giants lost the season series to the Mets and the Cardinals, they would not get to play in a tie breaker game if they tied for the 2nd wild card spot, , but it only means they would play a tie breaker game on the road .
Watching Pagans HR, I would NOT classify it as a Wall Scraper. I’ve seen some that that are but not todays HR.
clutch, you are the one guy i hate to question, since you forgot more about baseball than i could ever hope to know, but the ball hit the top of the wall (scraped), and then went into the crowd. are you saying it’s not a WS because it was to left center, and wasn’t pulled? just curious
Hey Steve
IMO wall scrapers usually come straight down and land in that area right behind the fence and stay there but no biggie.
I think there may be a person under all that beer 😉
https://instagram.com/p/BLCjrXPAD8v/
That’s pretty funny. I think we forget how young most of these guys are.
They put him in a SHOPPING CART?!? LOL.
Just rolled in from a day at the game. The great beating the Doyers and Kershaw. I wonder if Blach said, “Clayton who?”. The good taking the ferry to the game. Very cool ride and drop at Jack London Square for dinner. The funny someone came up to me and told me I look exactly like John Miller. My wife got a kick out of that and she may make a little mileage out of that one. At least they did not say Vin Scully.
Vogey is going to do us a solid and make sure theres no stops on the flight to LaGuardia….
Hard to fathom, the Giants have now tied their longest winning streak in the second half and if they have their longest winning streak of the second half at 4, they will be in the WC game.
This is it, one game left to ensure the Giants are in NYC on Wednesday!
It’s been a long season and while this team may never have been the best team in baseball as it was deemed in the first half, it’s better than the team that took that horrific nose dive in the 2nd half. It’s a team with a solid veteran core that has it’s obvious flaws, but can be carried very far by the starting pitching (as in 2014).
It’s a very resilient team that we know can do some damage in the PO, all it needs is to get into the WC game Wednesday. After that it’s a roll of the dice.
24 teams that go home today would love be in that situation.
Well said. Avoiding a Cardinal play in game is key, especially for Posey who needs a breather. The team needs the effective Matt Moore today – bible tjme.
isn’t it 20 teams going home today?
Ah yes you are right. 3 division winners in each league and the 4 WC teams.
It’s early, before coffee.
THX
did you notice how i didn’t call you a moron, or a jackass for making a mistake. it’s very easy. it’s called being civil to one another. you should try it.
You are a civil engineer, I can tell.
Today is Joe Panik heroics day. I can feel it in the air.
There’s a JP12 t-shirt in Iowa to prove it!
Good choice. A shirt that may not get laundered for some time of you catch my drift.
Actually, I’m running a load of laundry this morning to prep for an extended post season run.
Efrain has never called me a moron or a jackass. Ignorant, stupid, worthless, dipshit, loser yes, but never a moron or jackass.
You’re screaming into an egomaniacal vortex, Steve. But I applaud your effort.
There you go trolling for likes again.
I like his articulate side. Loose Canon side fun too 😃
He made that comment to me yesterday in one of his more hubris packed posts. He’s one of a kind, I tell ya.
I’m sorta glad I un-blocked him a while back.
Yeah. It’d be like blocking Peter. They’re inmates but they’re our inmates.
He has a faulty camera?
And a minuscule tripod.
Certainly don’t want to inject negativism in the afterglow of a stirring Giant win, but one can’t help but ask what has to be a most embarrassing question to the team’s Unholy ”Braintrust” Trinity of Bruce Bochy, Bobby (Knucklehead) Evans and Brian Sabean: Why was Ty Blach kept in the minors throughout the summer when two veritable batting practice pitchers, Messrs. Matt Cain and Jake Peavy, were allowed too long to pollute the Giants with their lame albeit well-paid antics? Perhaps it’s the same reason this ”Braintrust”’ kept Joe Panick in the minors too long in the summer of 2014 before the horrifying likes of Dan Uggla and others forced this sterling trio to reluctantly bring up Panick–absolute stupidity!
It’s still a head scratcher even after all these years of when in doubt go with the vet regardless of the promise of the rookie or the futility of the highly paid yet way over the hill vet. It’s a difficult concept for a relative peasant such as myself to comprehend; they pass the money out like it’s Monopoly money when doing contracts yet when the player obviously can’t be effective any longer (i.E. Cain and Peavey) they can’t bear not trying for seemingly forever to milk some value from the deals regardless of how it affects the teams results or the development of the younger players.
The only thing dumber than the Giants’ ”Braintrust” propping up Cain and Peavy for too long the past summer was its ungodly faith in propping up one Santiago Casilla until Casilla made that genius Bruce Bochy look like a village idiot.
I get the frustration. And that was a great performance.
But, calling the brain trust that runs an organization that has the track record of this one “dumb” is dumb.
We can disagree, and we can’t want different decisions sooner. They made commitments to certain players that brought glory, and (like ALL organizations ) dipped into free agency. The overall results are unmatched across the sport in these 7 seasons.
This has been a tough road to get here. They got here. Looking back is easy. It’s always right, too.
There is a very simple answer for the braintrust, $$$. It has basically always been that way when it comes to vets, Bochy, and the FO. If they have a high priced player, they are going to run him out there each day until it is 100% evident they can’t contribute.
Also it’s Panik* for future.
“There is a very simple answer for the braintrust, $$$.”
This has been proven time and time again, as most recently as yesterday, to be completely absurd.
Read what he wrote, he asked why it took so long to get to Blach, and the reason was because they stuck with their high priced pitchers (peavy and cain) until they were finally deemed too horrible to keep throwing them out there.
Same could be said for Span but his ride has been more up and down than anything and no real replacement has shown itself.
“Certainly don’t want to inject negativism”
Uh, yes you do, duckweed. BTW, get your facts straight on Panik in 2014 and our 5th starter situation this year.
Blach had a so-so 2015 season in AAA and didn’t get off to an amazing start this year, either. He started kicking it in gear around May and was stellar over his last two months in Sacramento. So it’s not surprising they didn’t bring him up sooner. The timing was right for him, he earned the call-up, and he’s shown he deserved it.
The one fifth starter thing this year that is still puzzling to me is why they rushed Cain back in July. Cain made one rehab start, in A ball, and got pounded–something like 9 runs in four innings–and the Giants said “OK, he’s ready to face the best offense in MLB at Fenway”–even though Suarez had been doing a capable job replacing Cain and had pitched well against the Red Sox in SF in June. The results were predictable–Cain got shelled. I just never understood what the rush was.
It was one of those moments….a guy of Cain’s pedigree will get the benefit in a July game like that. It was wrong, looked wrong before, and had predictable results. I would guess that Cain saud he was ready, and they chose to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I’m anxious to see how he comes back after the long re-hab he’s had this year. Most likely he’s toast, but he could surprise everyone.
I wish Timmy had listened to me. Who knows where that would have ended?
[I am now prepared to be bombarded]
My gut tells me Cain had more to overcome than we know. He will have first rights to the 5, but had better show healthy in March, or else.
As for Lincecum, don’t feel slighted. Between Tim and Chris, they listened to no one else and paid the price.
I’m afraid that Lincecum’s number was/is up, no matter how he’d chosen to play things this year. Do we really believe he’d have been successful as a bullpen pitcher for the Giants this season? I think that gymnast’s body took him as far as it could, but the clock struck midnight. He still had more accomplishments and great moments than most baseball players ever dream of.
As for Cain–well, Blach’s performance yesterday makes that interesting, doesn’t it? If you give Cain “first rights to the 5,” what does that say to Blach, who’s already spent two years in AAA? (Heston’s not really a good comp to Blach. Heston got his shot because Peavy and Cain came up injured at the beginning of 2015 and surprised everyone by how well he did. He wasn’t some highly regarded prospect–on the contrary, the Giants DFA’d him in 2013. He was more like Petit or Suarez, really.) Blach came up through the system, did his work, got better, and waited his turn. He earned the opportunity. How do you tell him he has to wait some more? It will be interesting, I think.
Tim defied rehab suggestions, then rushed himself back to his showcase. He needed to take a year, in my opinion. It’s over now, but it may be over in part because of his and his fathers hubris and impatience. I love the kid. Love. He’s an icon forever. I think he messed up through this
As for Blach/Cain: what do you tell Blach?
“We are the SF Giants, and this is how we do things. You are fortunate enough to work for an organization with unrivaled success, which we think is built on our unmatched loyalty and togetherness. We think you will be part of that. You are certainly in the mix….after the guy who helped lead us to 3 World Championships. He earned the right since he built so much of who we are today. ”
Cain gets his shot. Blach is next man up.
Loyalty to Cain on this blog after 4 mostly ineffective years, compared to the loyalty Timmy got on this blog is stunning, Cain deserves nothing, he was and is handsomely paid, and that money is his regardless if he throws another pitch for the Giants, sunk cost, so the Giants need to give the better pitcher the ball, Blach should not need to wait .
Peter…I don’t have the same loyalty as the organization. Your inability to comprehend what is written and from what perspective is beyond annoying.
And if Blach throws as much as one bad pitch – DFA!
We’ll see. They went with Blach, not Cain, in a huge must-win game. They could have gone with the experience and the loyalty.
That speech wouldn’t do much for me if I were Blach. He’s almost 26. He’s spent four full years in the minors including two in AAA. Being told “Lucky you, you get to wait until you’re 27 because you work for such a great organization” would not make me feel lucky. It would make me pray to be traded.
So..missing my point. Of COURSE they went with Blach with good reason. I’m talking next spring. I know we want new. Blach may well win the spot. The Giants are built on what I point to…and I’m sure that speech will sit better with players than it would with fans who think the way the Giants do it is wrong.
For whatever we have witnessed, Cain gets dibs. And, I repeat, it’s a short leash, but last chance that he earned through the years…not this year.
Cain ‘gets dibs’ to prove he can pitch in Spring Training. That’s all he’s due.
Yeah – Presto was ‘in the mix’ – then he was in the dumpster…
You turn on players fast, Heston has only pitched with the Giants system in his professional Baseball career, but since the Giants once gambled after he had a tough year that he would clear waivers, and he did, Petit and Suarez came from other organizations in trade, Heston is a Home grown Giant that did wait his turn and earned his opportunity, and had a great rookie year including a No-Hitter vs Thor and the Mets !
I love Heston and I feel bad about how things went for him this year. I’m just saying that, like Petit and Suarez, he got an opportunity in an emergency, not because he’d necessarily proved he was “ready.” Blach, on the other hand, got the call-up and the start yesterday because he earned it.
Heston had a great 2014 season, and Spring training in 2015, he did prove he was ready, that’s why he was given his opportunity when Cain and Peavy were hurt , and he pitched Great at the start of 2015 won his 1st start .
Why bombarded, that sounds pretty sane to me, except for the part where you’ve got Timmy’s phone number. I am quite curious about what Cain will be like next year, and hope sincerely it turns out positively.
They clearly were eager to get Cain back in the mix to see if he could help them. I get that. I just don’t see why they couldn’t have let him have another rehab start or two (that hopefully went better) and then start him at home against a less formidable opponent. He’d been out almost two months and it was understandable that he’d be rusty.
I can’t imagine they really believed that Fenway start was going to turn out well. I think it’s an example of the attitude “Well, maybe we lose a game now, but it’s for long-term benefit.” Same attitude that’s stuck with Casilla during and after blown saves both last year and this year to “build his confidence.”
So here we are, game 162, and the Giants have clinched nothing but a possible tiebreaker tomorrow. Those “one” games they chose to punt for long-term gain look pretty meaningful about now.
Yes to all that.And while Ty was developing in the PCL, Suarez became the 5th starter.Our “collapse” after the ASB had little to do with Cain or Peavy.
When one sees a great performance like Ty’s yesterday it’s easy to wonder why he wasn’t up sooner. Well, without that extra seasoning we might not have seen yesterday’s excellence. Ty was MLB-ready in large part because he got better and better as he blew away hitters in a very tough league for pitchers. He was ready to contribute up here and WOW, he sure did.
Schulman had some great quotes last week from the Sacramento pitching coach. It emphasized how hard Blach worked to up his game this year and how coachable he was/is–unusually so, according to the coach. I agree that those last couple months in the PCL, which included some great starts at hitter-friendly parks like Albuquerque, built Blach’s confidence and poise.
Peavy hasn’t started for the Giants since the Moore trade on Aug. 1, and Cain hasn’t started since mid-August. So while we can regret some of the early-season blowouts, we can’t blame August and September on either of those guys.
Blackburn last year never got a chance after a great 2015 PCL season , he might have been able to help the Giants as Blach did in 2016 .
I know. That bugs me, too. Blackburn even got called up earlier this year but never got to pitch. I feel bad for him.
He has got to feel like he just missed a very important train…
Where to begin? Panik was on the team long before Uggla, and Uggla was only brought up because Panik and Adrianza and someone else were hurt. Before being hurt, Panik was DFA’d by the GE regulars for dropping at least 2 double play throws, prompting Sabean’s infamous remark. It is worth noting that the Giants did not release Panik even though he had been DFA’d here.
Speaking of being DFA’d, while we as a group also DFA’d Cain and Peavy, The Giants had either the best or nearly the best record in baseball while they were “allowed too long to pollute the Giants with their lame albeit well-paid antics” and, interestingly, of the Giants first 6 wins after the All Star break, Cain started 3 of them and was taken out of the rotation after just 2 more starts. Even then, he had 3 of the Giants 9 wins after the break.
Heavy hitters: Obesity rate soars among professional baseball players
“Major League Baseball players have become overwhelmingly overweight and obese during the last quarter century, say health researchers. They found that the athletes’ weight held steady for over 100 years, with the majority of them weighing in at what is considered “normal,” — i.e., with a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9. However, around 1991 the average player’s BMI began to rise, and over the last 25 years nearly 80 percent of players fall into the overweight or obese category with a BMI above 25.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160930085937.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29
I feel these data ought to segregated by team and past record or by longevity and success (and injury history) of the player.
Is Captain Obvious the lead researcher? 😉💪💉
What’s the last character? emogi?
[I thought teenyboppers were the only ones that used those.]
A needle and the damage done, Neil.
Don’t be knockin’ Neil.
My my….
Footy will never die.
The body may die, but the spirit will live.
…under the Harvest moon?
And with my cinnamon girl
Look at Mother Nature on the run, in the 21st century.
She started running in the 18th,imo
How in crowds just a trace of his face could seem so pleasin’…
A most beautiful song.
A needle? or a syringe?
The latter, batter.
Every 3 months I do blood tests and since I am fasting for those a body composition test at Max Muscle. These are not the most accurate but better then those hand held things. The last test showed a loss of fat and a gain of muscle over the last test. Body fat went down and BMI when up. Not really possible but I think there is some issues with BMI as a measurement.
Obviously. It is a terribly flawed and cursory look at what is at the heart of the modern athleticism. BMI is still not a very valuable indication of much more than metabolic rate which is, itself, not indicative a much and pretty outdated.
After experiences 6 years of rebuilding my body I can write a blog on the amount of bad tests, and advice out there. And much of it from the medical community. But my voice would be lost in the sea of blogs ect. on the same subject.
All I know is according to the BMI, I’m about 6 inches too short!
80%! Fascinating. Gotten so used to it, the Billy Butlers look normal…
I wish I could sleep.
I have an old Louisville Slugger you could try.
Thanks for looking out.
Length and weight? BMI?
Does anyone remember the old Ted Kluszewski model? Really thin handle? I used a 32/33
Yup – broke really easily.
Night shift, Bob?
No, crashed about 2 and woke up about 90 minutes ago with a head full of worms and a belly full of snakes.
In case anyone missed my last avatar. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1ef996ad57ab61d6d50eef74d1d6f1c22525099f8cadb01130f20d850d2d6b04.jpg
You know the joke about the hiker that gets bit by a rattlesnake taking a whiz?
“He said you’re gonna die”
Seriously!
I didn’t know rattlesnakes could bite while taking a whiz.
Check out the grammar police. Hands up don’t shoot. Footy lives matter…
Not funny at all and im surprised at you! Look I like having fun just like the next guy but not that kind of fun come on now buddy
Sorry. It’s crazy out of control! So. Central, El Cajon, Pasadena. Every day a new incident. An absolute epidemic!
That’s why I’m surprised you would say that that’s not like you
I say inappropriate things too often.
I don’t understand why police force has to be lethal. Why is the kill instinct so great? It’s beyond me. It’s what the world has come to in inner cities and certain suburban areas.
You’re still my man
You’re one guy I do not worry about when it comes to racism
I’m a reverse racist at times. I’m a cracker with a little bit of salsa. I fit right in most places and don’t have to deal with looks. Lucky me.
Horrific story from Sacramento (WaPo) – cops tried to run down a mental guy twice, then shot him 14 times. No bueno.
He was giving me a hard time for making a joke about his wording. it wasn’t a statement in regards to race at all. But I understand if you don’t want that toyed with.
I totally understand I just thought his choice of words were pretty bad given what the country is going through right now with black men getting shot by police seemingly for nothing at all.
Obviously you’re referring to the black men getting shot by police you think that’s funny to say that!
The majority of the police out there today are probably decent folks but there’s a handful that are little punk butts that are afraid of their own shadow and would shoot their own shadow
I think someone didn’t get the “grammar police” part.
I overstand the reaction
In case anyone misssed my response to Efrain yesterday: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/95f6512178b8864db470132ceac078d64b9c805c5caae5da427c72ee3c543b6c.png
Love it! Saved it.
Yeah, it’s a keeper.
Geez, am I up early or was I to bed late? Or is that same thing? Just hope that Moore isn’t asking himself that question.
That was my only concern after yesterday’s start by Blach. What are the chances of Moore being able to follow up? Then I tried telling myself there’s no corrallary between the two and he had a near perfect start against them before his last LA hiccup. Too much time to think, Chef.
The only lefty the Dodgers can hit is Bumgarner for some reason.
And Moore in his last start.
Except that time a couple weeks ago when Bum pitched 7 1-hit scoreless innings at Dodger Stadium.
From Buster Olney’s blog on ESPN Insider:
MLB roundup: Giants’ Blach comes up big; Tigers on brink of elimination
The best historical comparison for what Giants left-hander Ty Blach pulled off Saturday would be Floyd Giebell of the 1940 Detroit Tigers. Near the very end of the ’40 season, the Tigers were set to face the team chasing them in the standings, the Cleveland Indians, and their ace (and future Hall of Famer) Bob Feller. With the Tigers’ magic number at one, Detroit manager Del Baker decided to gamble and give the ball to the 30-year-old Giebell, for the second of four starts he would make in his career. Baker wanted to save Bobo Newsom and Schoolboy Rowe, two of his best starters, for other games, if needed.
Giebell outdueled Feller at Cleveland Stadium, shutting out the Indians to clinch the pennant.
Blach’s start against future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw on Saturday was the second of his career, and he, like Giebell, controlled the game, walking only one and allowing only three hits, and moving the Giants to within one win — or a Cardinals loss — of clinching a spot in the playoffs that must’ve felt miles away in recent
weeks.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy had picked Blach over Matt Cain and other veterans. From Henry Schulman’s story:
[Buster] Posey was asked if he could think of another young pitcher who came up that huge in such a critical game.
Without even thinking, Posey said, “Yeah. Bumgarner.”
Madison Bumgarner, who won Game 4 of the 2010 World Series at 20, marveled at what he saw in front of a wild home crowd.
“Getting to watch that was pretty incredible,” Bumgarner said. “He was lights out the whole day going against one of the best pitchers in baseball. It was definitely something he will never forget.”
Yup. Fine comp. Just hope his career is more than 4 starts.
He’ll definitely get his shot. At worst a serviceable lefty, maybe a Woody/glavine-lite at best.
Glavine-like is not a bad thing.
New Post: http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/guest-posts/per-speier-guest-post-chris-speier-jack-clark-and-my-life-as-a-giants-fan-in-the-1970s/
Over #RallyEnchiladas at Tres Hermanas last night, Mr. Lefty and I worked out a postseason roster if the Giants make it into the Division Series. See what you think:
Lineup (the obvious eight guys, with *Nunez a question mark)
Rotation: (the obvious four guys)
Bench: Brown, Gorkys, Gillaspie, Kelby, Blanco
Bullpen (the really tough one): Romo, Casilla, Smith, Lopez, Strickland, Law, Gearrin, Blach
Left off: Adrianza (unless Nunez can’t play), Parker (unless they pick him over Blanco), Kontos, Osich, Okert, Suarez, Nathan, Cain, Peavy
The bullpen calls are tough. Do they need a long man, and if so, would they pick Suarez over Blach? Blach’s been terrific in (limited) middle relief opportunities. Or do they go with a third lefty short reliever, like Okert? And what about Kontos–he got left off in 2014, largely because of the courtesy pick of Lincecum; does that happen to him again?
Would sure hate to lose Okert and Suarez, and not sure they will leave Kontos off any PS roster.
Kontos has had an interesting year. His HRs are way down from last year (that’s good), but his WHIP and walks are way up (that’s bad). He has 20 fewer innings than last year–some of that is from being out with an injury, but some of that is from Gearrin and Law getting the opportunities instead.
I’d say it’s between Gearrin and Kontos, and the way they’ve been used suggests Bochy trusts Gearrin a bit more. But I think it’s close.
Let’s not forget that Bochy hates Kelby.
Lol at hates
Edit: I’m stupid…
Smith’s in there on Lefty’s list. Blach/Suarez might depend on whether they feel they need a lefty or righty. I’m pretty sure they would go with Kontos over Gearrin.
Same numerical blueprint as the WC game vs the Pirates
Angel did not homer off Opie on pitch one of the 5th inning.
It was a one and one count