I probably should have posted this earlier, but I didn't for two reasons:
1.) I was busy the whole day running errands before I head down to Los Angeles.
2.) I finally was able to get the loss out of my system after almost ten hours after the game was finished.
This definitely was a tough way to lose. The Giants not only lost, but lost by two solo homers from Laynce "Yep, I'm still here even though I was run out of Texas" Nix, and Drew "Boy, do I know when to hit my first home run" Stubbs. I mean, the Reds mustered nine hits and the Giants mustered 11 and still...the Giants found a way to lose.
How do you lose a game 2-1 to a Cincinnati team that really is falling apart by the day? Well...leaving 10 runners on base and going 2-12 with RISP is a start. Also, when your leadoff hitter and second hitter go 0-9 at the dish as well, you're not going to win that many ball games either.
Let's face it. The Giants really got lucky in this series. Any other team that isn't as incompetent as the Reds, and this could have been a series which the Giants got swept. Thankfully, by the grace of God, the Giants won two out of three and head to Colorado for a pretty crucial series at Coors Field.
This game really was amazing because the Giants got some really key performances from some of their players. Sandoval had three hits, Winn had three hits, Schierholtz had two...when your three-four-five hitters produce like that, you think you would be in good shape, right? Yet unfortunately, as has been the case for the Giants all year, guys in the top of the inning didn't get on, and the big Giants hitters were only able to get punchless hits that ended up having no value at all.
Look, I know Eugenio Velez has been playing well, but the kid needs a day off. His day was as atrocious as it could get. 0-5 at the dish. Couldn't come through twice with runners on (including one piss-poor at-bat where he swung at a crappy first pitch inside and popped out in the infield with a runner on third) and he made a grotesque error where he looked more like Manny Ramirez catching a fly ball rather than a decent second baseman. Sure, Velez has speed, but he doesn't get on base, doesn't steal bases (even though on his attempts Giants hitters are idiots and swing at the pitch, even if it is less than two strikes) and he doesn't really produce runs that great in comparison to anybody else on the team. Velez, in all reality, is better suited as an eight hitter rather than a leadoff. The only problem is the Giants have no options at leadoff this point and they're forced to hit Velez there because every other possibility has been a dud (Lewis, Rowand, Winn, Burriss, etc).
All and all, this game was almost practically like last night's game, only it was the Reds getting the breaks rather than the Giants. Hey, I can live with that. It happens,as much as that pains me as a Giants fan to say that. That being said, it sucks for Matt Cain that in the second half the Giants have gone retro-Matt Cain mode and don't even show up in the big spots at the plate. Seriously, Cain must be having that Michael Corleone moment from "Godfather III" right now. I can see Cain in the dugout after the Giants couldn't come through in the top of the ninth and saying to himself "Just when I thought I was out! They pull me back in!" I seriously hope Cain get win no. 13 this year. As frightening as this sounds, I have this bad, lingering feeling that he might not get it. Forget all the Cy Young talk. I just want the kid to win 13 freaking games this year!
So far, the road trip hasn't been too bad. 4-3 so far isn't a terrible number, especially considering how bad the Giants run generation has been this year. All I can hope is that the run production can turn it around in time for tomorrow against a Colorado team that most likely will have no trouble producing runs.
I have been optimistic before...however, I'm not quite so cheery in this series. It either could be a split, or a Colorado bloodbath. I'm praying for the former, but unfortunately, I'm expecting the latter, as down as the sounds.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Francisco Cordero (2-3) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bob Howry (1-6) 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.
Giants standouts: Pablo Sandoval, 3-for-5, 2B (35). Nate Schierholtz, 2-for-5. Randy Winn, 3-for-5. Eli Whiteside, 2B (3).
Reds standouts: Chris Dickerson, 2-for-4. Laynce Nix, 3-for-4, HR (10). Drew Stubbs, HR (1).
Probable starters for Giants next game against Colorado: Sanchez (5-10) vs. Aaron Cook (10-5).
Probable starters for Reds next game against Atlanta: Owings (6-11) vs. Morton (2-6).
Showing posts with label Cincinnati Reds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cincinnati Reds. Show all posts
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Potent Preview: San Francisco Giants (66-54) at Cincinnati Reds (50-69)
Probable starters:
SFO: Matt Cain (12-4) 2.49 ERA. CIN: Aaron Harang (6-14) 4.35 ERA.
Definitely has been a weird series. First Giants come back from four runs down in the second inning to win. Last night, the Giants win despite getting 10 hits and no runs. You wonder what the Giants will have in store for today's game. You think after those tough performances, they can put one altogether today on both the offensive and defensive end and blow the Reds out of the water.
Whatever happens, this is for sure: Cain needs a win. The guy had a great performance against the Mets, only to have Affeldt, Wilson and the Bullpen blow it. Yeah, I know they won, but still, this sucks for Cain. In the second half, it's been more typical of Cain of old rather than the first half Cain which seemed to be getting the run support he had deserved in his young pitching career.
Either way, I think Cain is due for a win, but that will all depend on the lineup. Hopefully, the Giants come out and hit right away and Cain is able to keep the Reds in check, which shouldn't be too hard considering how bad the Reds offense is looking right now. That being said, Cain needs to keep the ball out of the air to win this game. Balls fly in this ballpark, and with this being a day game, they will be extra lively. He can't allow batters to hit balls would be deep fly outs in San Francisco. They'll be home runs here at the Great American Ballpark (which I think should be around the 13,000 fan mark. I'll set the over/under fan attendance at 13,500).
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
SFO: Matt Cain (12-4) 2.49 ERA. CIN: Aaron Harang (6-14) 4.35 ERA.
Definitely has been a weird series. First Giants come back from four runs down in the second inning to win. Last night, the Giants win despite getting 10 hits and no runs. You wonder what the Giants will have in store for today's game. You think after those tough performances, they can put one altogether today on both the offensive and defensive end and blow the Reds out of the water.
Whatever happens, this is for sure: Cain needs a win. The guy had a great performance against the Mets, only to have Affeldt, Wilson and the Bullpen blow it. Yeah, I know they won, but still, this sucks for Cain. In the second half, it's been more typical of Cain of old rather than the first half Cain which seemed to be getting the run support he had deserved in his young pitching career.
Either way, I think Cain is due for a win, but that will all depend on the lineup. Hopefully, the Giants come out and hit right away and Cain is able to keep the Reds in check, which shouldn't be too hard considering how bad the Reds offense is looking right now. That being said, Cain needs to keep the ball out of the air to win this game. Balls fly in this ballpark, and with this being a day game, they will be extra lively. He can't allow batters to hit balls would be deep fly outs in San Francisco. They'll be home runs here at the Great American Ballpark (which I think should be around the 13,000 fan mark. I'll set the over/under fan attendance at 13,500).
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The PG Beat: Zito and the Giants bullpen deal in win, but offense still impotent
Man, it's times like this you wonder if Barry Zito ever regrets signing with San Francisco. His first two years, he was the poster child of overpaid pitchers in the Major Leagues. He was widely criticized for the massive contract he signed in 2007 and not living up to the hype, even though at his age and at that point in his career, it was really a lose-lose situation (And in my opinion, Aaron Harang has been a far worse overpaid pitcher than Zito in the last two years). If he wins the Cy Young, then well, he should be doing that because he's getting paid $126 million dollars. Anything less, and he's not earning his money and he's a bust.
Seriously, the guy has gotten so much grief (from me included, even though I'm not proud of it) that you just feel the guy has had enough. He isn't the one that offered that crazy contract, so all those baseball fans should be criticizing Sabean for that ludicrous amount and not Zito. Still though...people, some Giants fans included, have failed to get that memo and continue to bash Zito even though it is a ridiculously dumb argument.
And if things couldn't get any worse for Barry Zito, even when he pitches perhaps one of his best games of the year, not only does he get pulled out at the end of the sixth, but his team gives him zero run support. And literally, ZERO run support. They didn't score a freaking run off Bronson Arroyo until the eighth, freaking inning, two innings after Zito was forced to take off his batting helmet for Fred Lewis.
What do the Giants need to do to get some run support for Zito? Do they need to kill a live chicken before the game? Does Zito need to treat his lineup out on to dinner like Steve Young would for his offensive line after a big win? Does he need to pay for a prostitute for every player in the lineup that night whenever they are on a road trip?
This really is getting depressing for the guy. Zito has, in my mind, been our most consistent pitcher this second half. Yep, I said it. Not Lincecum, not Cain, certainly not Sanchez, but Zito. And yet, you would never know it because the guy can't get a decisison to save his life from his lineup.
Granted, it could have been worse. If anything, the Giants were in position to lose this game more than anything. No Panda in the lineup. No Sanchez either. Bengie and Eugenio go 0-for-8 combined (though Velez hit some pretty good balls), and Renteria is in the two spot (never a good sign ever). Yet the Giants caught a break when Reds first baseman Joey Votto had to leave the game due to blurred vision, so all we had to worry about was Brandon Phillips and Wladimir Balentein in the lineup.
The funny thing though about this 1-0 win over the Reds was that the Giants hitting wasn't all that bad, but they couldn't drive in any runs...again. I mean, this Giants offense is as potent as Hank Hill is with his narrow urethra. They get a lot of hits, but they just shoot blanks time and time again.
Look at the stat line for chrissake! 10 hits, five guys with multi-hit performances (Renteria, Schierholtz, Garko, Rowand and Uribe all had two hits) and still...one run. And not until the eighth inning either. Man, I don't know what the Giants have to do. I don't know if it's bad baserunning, or lack of execution with ducks on the pond or what, but seriously...you should have more runs than one when you get 10 hits in a ball game. It just doesn't statistically make sense.
Nevertheless, despite my never-ending frustration with this Giants offense, I am happy that at the very least, we took the series from the Reds in Cincy. The Giants needed this one. Colorado is on kill-pace against the Nationals and the G-men simply couldn't afford to drop another series to the Reds out of all teams. On another note, the bullpen really is looking great. They have absolutely dialed in on the mound in their past three performances. Wilson is looking really confident on the hill, and Romo is starting to look like his first-half self, rather than a second-half, Tyler Walker look-alike. Even though we have one game to go, and I want the Giants to go for the kill and get the sweep (and get win no. 13 for Cain. Jeez, has he waited long enough for it?), I am feeling really confident for Colorado. The Giants have a different kind of mojo going into Colorado now that they didn't have when they went into Colorado the first time or against Los Angeles last week (due to the fact they were coming off losing the previous series before each of those three-game sets against the Rockies and Dodgers).
I'm telling you, even though the offense has been inconsistent, and you really can't judge the Giants too concretely by this recent series alone (The Reds are simply awful), Colorado better be ready. I know they're riding high after beating us the last time around, but this will be a different Giants team that I think will be confident and rejuvenated the second time around.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Sergio Romo (4-2) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bronson Arroyo (11-12) 8 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO.
Giants standouts: Edgar Renteria, 2-for-4. Nate Schierholtz, 2-for-4, 2 2B (15). Ryan Garko, 2-for-4. Aaron Rowand, 2-for-4. Juan Uribe, 2-for-3, 2B (19).
Reds standouts: Daniel Stubbs, 2B (1). Great American Ballpark's empty seats.
Probable starters for next game: Cain (12-4) vs. Harang (6-14).
Seriously, the guy has gotten so much grief (from me included, even though I'm not proud of it) that you just feel the guy has had enough. He isn't the one that offered that crazy contract, so all those baseball fans should be criticizing Sabean for that ludicrous amount and not Zito. Still though...people, some Giants fans included, have failed to get that memo and continue to bash Zito even though it is a ridiculously dumb argument.
And if things couldn't get any worse for Barry Zito, even when he pitches perhaps one of his best games of the year, not only does he get pulled out at the end of the sixth, but his team gives him zero run support. And literally, ZERO run support. They didn't score a freaking run off Bronson Arroyo until the eighth, freaking inning, two innings after Zito was forced to take off his batting helmet for Fred Lewis.
What do the Giants need to do to get some run support for Zito? Do they need to kill a live chicken before the game? Does Zito need to treat his lineup out on to dinner like Steve Young would for his offensive line after a big win? Does he need to pay for a prostitute for every player in the lineup that night whenever they are on a road trip?
This really is getting depressing for the guy. Zito has, in my mind, been our most consistent pitcher this second half. Yep, I said it. Not Lincecum, not Cain, certainly not Sanchez, but Zito. And yet, you would never know it because the guy can't get a decisison to save his life from his lineup.
Granted, it could have been worse. If anything, the Giants were in position to lose this game more than anything. No Panda in the lineup. No Sanchez either. Bengie and Eugenio go 0-for-8 combined (though Velez hit some pretty good balls), and Renteria is in the two spot (never a good sign ever). Yet the Giants caught a break when Reds first baseman Joey Votto had to leave the game due to blurred vision, so all we had to worry about was Brandon Phillips and Wladimir Balentein in the lineup.
The funny thing though about this 1-0 win over the Reds was that the Giants hitting wasn't all that bad, but they couldn't drive in any runs...again. I mean, this Giants offense is as potent as Hank Hill is with his narrow urethra. They get a lot of hits, but they just shoot blanks time and time again.
Look at the stat line for chrissake! 10 hits, five guys with multi-hit performances (Renteria, Schierholtz, Garko, Rowand and Uribe all had two hits) and still...one run. And not until the eighth inning either. Man, I don't know what the Giants have to do. I don't know if it's bad baserunning, or lack of execution with ducks on the pond or what, but seriously...you should have more runs than one when you get 10 hits in a ball game. It just doesn't statistically make sense.
Nevertheless, despite my never-ending frustration with this Giants offense, I am happy that at the very least, we took the series from the Reds in Cincy. The Giants needed this one. Colorado is on kill-pace against the Nationals and the G-men simply couldn't afford to drop another series to the Reds out of all teams. On another note, the bullpen really is looking great. They have absolutely dialed in on the mound in their past three performances. Wilson is looking really confident on the hill, and Romo is starting to look like his first-half self, rather than a second-half, Tyler Walker look-alike. Even though we have one game to go, and I want the Giants to go for the kill and get the sweep (and get win no. 13 for Cain. Jeez, has he waited long enough for it?), I am feeling really confident for Colorado. The Giants have a different kind of mojo going into Colorado now that they didn't have when they went into Colorado the first time or against Los Angeles last week (due to the fact they were coming off losing the previous series before each of those three-game sets against the Rockies and Dodgers).
I'm telling you, even though the offense has been inconsistent, and you really can't judge the Giants too concretely by this recent series alone (The Reds are simply awful), Colorado better be ready. I know they're riding high after beating us the last time around, but this will be a different Giants team that I think will be confident and rejuvenated the second time around.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Sergio Romo (4-2) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bronson Arroyo (11-12) 8 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO.
Giants standouts: Edgar Renteria, 2-for-4. Nate Schierholtz, 2-for-4, 2 2B (15). Ryan Garko, 2-for-4. Aaron Rowand, 2-for-4. Juan Uribe, 2-for-3, 2B (19).
Reds standouts: Daniel Stubbs, 2B (1). Great American Ballpark's empty seats.
Probable starters for next game: Cain (12-4) vs. Harang (6-14).
Potent Preview: San Francisco Giants (65-54) at Cincinnati Reds (50-68)
Probable starters:
SFO: Barry Zito (8-11) 4.44 ERA, CIN: Bronson Arroyo (11-11) 4.74 ERA
The Giants are coming off a pretty darn good win last night. Everything was in the books for the Giants to get killed: Lincecum's control was off, the Reds were up 4-0 in the second inning, Homer freaking Bailey was absolutely dealing for five innings, Sandoval had struck out three times in his first four at-bats. Believe me, I was almost giving up on this one by the fourth inning. That's how bleak last night's game was.
But...we...frickin...WON! What a game. Garko breaks out, and for the second straight game, the bullpen absolutely deals. I don't know about you, but after the crappy bullpen performance in the last homestand, I was very skeptical about how this bullpen would perform. However, they stepped it up and proved that they are indeed the tough relief staff they have been all year. I was actually open to getting John Smoltz as a reliever to shore up our late-innings relief. Yet after the last two games, I'm encouraged the bullpen has started to get it back together to where they were in June.
As for today, Barry Zito is going on the hill and got the better of Bronson Arroyo the last time around. Zito has really been killing on the mound. Even in the loss against the Mets, he pitched pretty well. It's just that the offense forgot they had a game after their walk-off win against the Dodgers. That being said, I'm a little worried that Zito is due for a bad start, much like Lincecum was last night. This really isn't a great ballpark for Zito. Small park, ball carries and if he can't locate his curve down, this game has the possibility of getting very ugly for the Giants. The offense though is starting to turn it around, so I guess you feel encouraged that Zito will get some run support, unlike his last start.
Big guy to watch this game is Ryan Garko, who is coming off a great 4-RBI game. It'll be interesting to see if he can build on this clutch performance, especially with Sandoval, who is on a bit of a slide after last night's three-K performance at the dish. If Garko tears it up again, I will feel very encouraged that my article was nothing but a fan's account of a classic overreaction.
Then again, it's only one game. And still... Garko has no home runs. Let's hope he can change that tonight against Arroyo, who is prone to give up the big fly.
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
SFO: Barry Zito (8-11) 4.44 ERA, CIN: Bronson Arroyo (11-11) 4.74 ERA
The Giants are coming off a pretty darn good win last night. Everything was in the books for the Giants to get killed: Lincecum's control was off, the Reds were up 4-0 in the second inning, Homer freaking Bailey was absolutely dealing for five innings, Sandoval had struck out three times in his first four at-bats. Believe me, I was almost giving up on this one by the fourth inning. That's how bleak last night's game was.
But...we...frickin...WON! What a game. Garko breaks out, and for the second straight game, the bullpen absolutely deals. I don't know about you, but after the crappy bullpen performance in the last homestand, I was very skeptical about how this bullpen would perform. However, they stepped it up and proved that they are indeed the tough relief staff they have been all year. I was actually open to getting John Smoltz as a reliever to shore up our late-innings relief. Yet after the last two games, I'm encouraged the bullpen has started to get it back together to where they were in June.
As for today, Barry Zito is going on the hill and got the better of Bronson Arroyo the last time around. Zito has really been killing on the mound. Even in the loss against the Mets, he pitched pretty well. It's just that the offense forgot they had a game after their walk-off win against the Dodgers. That being said, I'm a little worried that Zito is due for a bad start, much like Lincecum was last night. This really isn't a great ballpark for Zito. Small park, ball carries and if he can't locate his curve down, this game has the possibility of getting very ugly for the Giants. The offense though is starting to turn it around, so I guess you feel encouraged that Zito will get some run support, unlike his last start.
Big guy to watch this game is Ryan Garko, who is coming off a great 4-RBI game. It'll be interesting to see if he can build on this clutch performance, especially with Sandoval, who is on a bit of a slide after last night's three-K performance at the dish. If Garko tears it up again, I will feel very encouraged that my article was nothing but a fan's account of a classic overreaction.
Then again, it's only one game. And still... Garko has no home runs. Let's hope he can change that tonight against Arroyo, who is prone to give up the big fly.
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The PG Beat: Giants win with rare, uncharacteristic comeback, reverse jinx in action
What a freaking game! Just when you think you know this Giants team through and through, a weird, out-of-the-blue, what the hell kind of day like this comes along.
After the second inning of this game, I was ready to give up on the Giants and was prepared to put another one in the L column. Down 4-0 to the freaking Reds, Lincecum wasn't looking very good, we couldn't score runs as usual, and bad breaks were seeming to haunt the Giants once again. Even after Bochy got ejected in the second inning after arguing that foul ball hit by the Reds pitcher (which ended up being a hit and cost Lincecum and the Giants two runs), I was thinking "Why is he doing that? Is he just trying to hit the showers early to avoid watching another crushing lose to a lousy Reds team?"
However, something was different about this Giants team tonight. After Uribe's homer, I had this strange lingering feeling the Giants had something in the tank that was going to prevent this from getting out of hand like the Matt Cain game against Cincy in San Francisco. In many ways, it was the kind of game Giants fans were used to seeing, only flip-flopped. In the past month, it was us striking first blood early and then getting content and losing the lead because our offense kind of just went in the tank thinking the game was done. That was the case tonight for the Reds, not the Giants. It was the Giants, not the opponent, that slowly chipped away and tied the game in the sixth. It was the Giants coming through with opportunistic hits off of the opponents closer, and not the other team mashing Wilson when the game was on the line.
To be perfectly honest, this was one of the most satisfying wins for the Giants this year. It was very atypical of Giants wins we have seen this year as Giants fans. Usually, it is the pitching holding the team together in a close one, or the Giants simply out powering the opposing team from the get-go.
But a comeback win? When down four runs? When Lincecum is pitching poorly? You think the Giants would have deflated and this game would have ended 8-0 or 9-1 in favor of the Reds.
Yet, the Giants beat the Reds 8-5 in extras. I still can't believe it myself. It really doesn't make much sense if you've watched this team all season.
On another note, I've been experience a very uncanny occurrence lately. The last couple of articles I have written for Bleacher Report have really had a "reverse jinx" effect on the Giants. On Sunday night, I published an article about how the Giants need the struggling Winn or Rowand to start improving so the Giants would have some stability in Centerfield. On Monday, Winn and Rowand both rake with a combined seven hits in the Giants' 10-1 win over the Mets.
Today, I published an article about how Ryan Garko has been a Trade Deadline bust so far for the Giants. What does he do today? He goes 2-for-5 with four RBI, and hits a double that ends up driving in the winning runs in the top of the 10th against Reds closer and All-Star Francisco Cordero.
After the game, I got this tweet from the Bleacher Report-Giants profile:
"Hey can you write a story on Molina being a bust? Hehehe just playin' :)"
Seriously, I'm thinking about it. This is bordering on supernatural in my opinion. The only problem is that I don't know who to reverse jinx next. Molina was bound to have an off day after hitting so well as of late, so I'd feel wrong trying to reverse jinx him since he really doesn't need it (after all, he got two walks today! That's probably as many as he had in the past three weeks combined).
Ummm...how about Barry Zito?
Here it goes:
Barry Zito gets no run support ever. He should sue the Giants offense for every outing he has for the rest of the year. How the Giants hit a Cy Young winner in Johan Santana, but can't score a measley run off a former reliever who's on a 75 pitch count is absolutely atrocious.
The television show "The Contender" has been more successful with television audiences than the Giants offense has in terms of giving Zito run support this season. I don't know. I just think that Zito is cursed and won't ever get more than three runs of support in a game this season, and perhaps for the remainder of his career in San Francisco. If Barry ever wants to think about getting a .500 record this year, he better pray St. Louis is stupid and designates Albert Pujols for assignment, because this Giants offense sure as heck isn't going to give him a decent enough amount of runs in a game he pitches.
Let's see how that one works.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Bob Howry (1-5) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.
Losing pitcher: Francisco Cordero (1-3) 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.
Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5. Randy Winn, 2-for-4, 2B (29). Ryan Garko, 2-for-5, 2B (1), 4 RBI. Juan Uribe, HR (6). Fred Lewis, 2B (19).
Reds standouts: Laynce Nix, 2B (24). Joey Votto, HR (18). The First-Base Umpire, 2 RBI.
Probable starters for next game: Zito (8-11) vs. Arroyo (11-11).
After the second inning of this game, I was ready to give up on the Giants and was prepared to put another one in the L column. Down 4-0 to the freaking Reds, Lincecum wasn't looking very good, we couldn't score runs as usual, and bad breaks were seeming to haunt the Giants once again. Even after Bochy got ejected in the second inning after arguing that foul ball hit by the Reds pitcher (which ended up being a hit and cost Lincecum and the Giants two runs), I was thinking "Why is he doing that? Is he just trying to hit the showers early to avoid watching another crushing lose to a lousy Reds team?"
However, something was different about this Giants team tonight. After Uribe's homer, I had this strange lingering feeling the Giants had something in the tank that was going to prevent this from getting out of hand like the Matt Cain game against Cincy in San Francisco. In many ways, it was the kind of game Giants fans were used to seeing, only flip-flopped. In the past month, it was us striking first blood early and then getting content and losing the lead because our offense kind of just went in the tank thinking the game was done. That was the case tonight for the Reds, not the Giants. It was the Giants, not the opponent, that slowly chipped away and tied the game in the sixth. It was the Giants coming through with opportunistic hits off of the opponents closer, and not the other team mashing Wilson when the game was on the line.
To be perfectly honest, this was one of the most satisfying wins for the Giants this year. It was very atypical of Giants wins we have seen this year as Giants fans. Usually, it is the pitching holding the team together in a close one, or the Giants simply out powering the opposing team from the get-go.
But a comeback win? When down four runs? When Lincecum is pitching poorly? You think the Giants would have deflated and this game would have ended 8-0 or 9-1 in favor of the Reds.
Yet, the Giants beat the Reds 8-5 in extras. I still can't believe it myself. It really doesn't make much sense if you've watched this team all season.
On another note, I've been experience a very uncanny occurrence lately. The last couple of articles I have written for Bleacher Report have really had a "reverse jinx" effect on the Giants. On Sunday night, I published an article about how the Giants need the struggling Winn or Rowand to start improving so the Giants would have some stability in Centerfield. On Monday, Winn and Rowand both rake with a combined seven hits in the Giants' 10-1 win over the Mets.
Today, I published an article about how Ryan Garko has been a Trade Deadline bust so far for the Giants. What does he do today? He goes 2-for-5 with four RBI, and hits a double that ends up driving in the winning runs in the top of the 10th against Reds closer and All-Star Francisco Cordero.
After the game, I got this tweet from the Bleacher Report-Giants profile:
"Hey can you write a story on Molina being a bust? Hehehe just playin' :)"
Seriously, I'm thinking about it. This is bordering on supernatural in my opinion. The only problem is that I don't know who to reverse jinx next. Molina was bound to have an off day after hitting so well as of late, so I'd feel wrong trying to reverse jinx him since he really doesn't need it (after all, he got two walks today! That's probably as many as he had in the past three weeks combined).
Ummm...how about Barry Zito?
Here it goes:
Barry Zito gets no run support ever. He should sue the Giants offense for every outing he has for the rest of the year. How the Giants hit a Cy Young winner in Johan Santana, but can't score a measley run off a former reliever who's on a 75 pitch count is absolutely atrocious.
The television show "The Contender" has been more successful with television audiences than the Giants offense has in terms of giving Zito run support this season. I don't know. I just think that Zito is cursed and won't ever get more than three runs of support in a game this season, and perhaps for the remainder of his career in San Francisco. If Barry ever wants to think about getting a .500 record this year, he better pray St. Louis is stupid and designates Albert Pujols for assignment, because this Giants offense sure as heck isn't going to give him a decent enough amount of runs in a game he pitches.
Let's see how that one works.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Bob Howry (1-5) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.
Losing pitcher: Francisco Cordero (1-3) 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.
Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5. Randy Winn, 2-for-4, 2B (29). Ryan Garko, 2-for-5, 2B (1), 4 RBI. Juan Uribe, HR (6). Fred Lewis, 2B (19).
Reds standouts: Laynce Nix, 2B (24). Joey Votto, HR (18). The First-Base Umpire, 2 RBI.
Probable starters for next game: Zito (8-11) vs. Arroyo (11-11).
Potent Preview: San Francisco Giants (64-54) at Cincinnati Reds (50-67)
Probable starters:
SFO: Tim Lincecum (12-3) 2.19 ERA. CIN: Homer Bailey (2-4) 7.48 ERA.
I'm pretty pumped about this series after the Giants thoroughly smashed former Giants-eliminator (e.g. 1997), then Giants-stud (e.g. 1999-2000), then Giants-ailer (e.g. 2001-2002) and finally Giants-property (2003-present) Livan Hernandez last night in New York. If the Giants hadn't split that series, and lost to Hernandez, man...I would have no hope for this road trip, even with Lincecum and Cain both pitching in this warm-up series before we head to Denver to take on Colorado.
However, we won, and not only won, but killed the Mets. All those Mets pundits who were talking ill about the Giants' Triple-A-caliber lineup seriously ate their words hard last night (even though I don't know how Mets fans could talk badly considering their lineup seriously is a Triple-A lineup itself). Rowand and Winn both had breakout games, and Velez and Sanchez shook off shaky performances in the first three games and really had solid at-bats, as evidenced by their multi-hit games in the final game in New York.
Now, the Giants are riding some momentum and have extra motivation going into Cincy as they look to avenge the embarrassment they received at the hands of the Reds last week. I mean, they dropped two out of three to the freaking Reds, who would be in last place had the Pirates not went on fire sale in June and July. Wladimir Balentein, who sucked the last two years with Seattle, suddenly looked like Raul Mondesi of old against the Giants at AT&T. And to put salt in the wound, Aaron Harang looked like an All-Star when he faced Cain, who didn't look so much like an All-Star against the Reds' meager lineup.
So, it goes without saying, the Giants should be focused in this one. I think they looked ahead of the Reds back in San Francisco simply because they had a series with the Dodgers looming. They won't make the same mistake again, even with another crucial series coming up against Colorado.
Thankfully, the Giants have the right guy to start this series on the right foot in Tim Lincecum. Granted, Lincecum killed against the Reds as well until the bullpen completely unraveled, but with the bullpen coming off a sold outing against the Mets last game, I think Giants fans shouldn't be worried. Add that in with a small ballpark that could play to the Giants' advantage (the Houston series showed that), and I really believe the Giants should at the very least take two out of three in this series, which would be fine with me.
Then again, you never know. Homer Bailey, whose line is awful this season, pitched pretty darn good against the Giants last time. Hopefully, the Giants learned a thing about the Reds' pitching and won't let the Reds meager staff look like All-Stars again (though with this Giants team, you can't say for sure).
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
SFO: Tim Lincecum (12-3) 2.19 ERA. CIN: Homer Bailey (2-4) 7.48 ERA.
I'm pretty pumped about this series after the Giants thoroughly smashed former Giants-eliminator (e.g. 1997), then Giants-stud (e.g. 1999-2000), then Giants-ailer (e.g. 2001-2002) and finally Giants-property (2003-present) Livan Hernandez last night in New York. If the Giants hadn't split that series, and lost to Hernandez, man...I would have no hope for this road trip, even with Lincecum and Cain both pitching in this warm-up series before we head to Denver to take on Colorado.
However, we won, and not only won, but killed the Mets. All those Mets pundits who were talking ill about the Giants' Triple-A-caliber lineup seriously ate their words hard last night (even though I don't know how Mets fans could talk badly considering their lineup seriously is a Triple-A lineup itself). Rowand and Winn both had breakout games, and Velez and Sanchez shook off shaky performances in the first three games and really had solid at-bats, as evidenced by their multi-hit games in the final game in New York.
Now, the Giants are riding some momentum and have extra motivation going into Cincy as they look to avenge the embarrassment they received at the hands of the Reds last week. I mean, they dropped two out of three to the freaking Reds, who would be in last place had the Pirates not went on fire sale in June and July. Wladimir Balentein, who sucked the last two years with Seattle, suddenly looked like Raul Mondesi of old against the Giants at AT&T. And to put salt in the wound, Aaron Harang looked like an All-Star when he faced Cain, who didn't look so much like an All-Star against the Reds' meager lineup.
So, it goes without saying, the Giants should be focused in this one. I think they looked ahead of the Reds back in San Francisco simply because they had a series with the Dodgers looming. They won't make the same mistake again, even with another crucial series coming up against Colorado.
Thankfully, the Giants have the right guy to start this series on the right foot in Tim Lincecum. Granted, Lincecum killed against the Reds as well until the bullpen completely unraveled, but with the bullpen coming off a sold outing against the Mets last game, I think Giants fans shouldn't be worried. Add that in with a small ballpark that could play to the Giants' advantage (the Houston series showed that), and I really believe the Giants should at the very least take two out of three in this series, which would be fine with me.
Then again, you never know. Homer Bailey, whose line is awful this season, pitched pretty darn good against the Giants last time. Hopefully, the Giants learned a thing about the Reds' pitching and won't let the Reds meager staff look like All-Stars again (though with this Giants team, you can't say for sure).
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The PG Beat: Reds take series, Cain handed second straight loss, Dodgers series much scarier now
Ooh boy. It's bad enough we have a crucial series with the rival Dodgers starting tomorrow. I mean, the Dodgers are slumping right now (they were swept at home by the Braves this week) and the Giants were in a prime position going into Friday to pad their NL Wild Card lead as well with the Rockies playing the Cubs, and the Giants taking on the Reds, a team that had been struggling mightily since the All-Star break.
Well...we didn't get swept, I guess. However, other than that though, this series pretty much was a disaster, compounded by the Giants losing 5-2 today to Aaron Harang, a pitcher that hadn't won a game since May. I really don't know what got into the Reds this weekend. I don't know how Wladimir Balentein started to not suck anymore. I don't know how Brandon Phillips looked like the stud he was two years ago when he first arrived to Cincinnati. I don't know how Dusty Baker out managed Bruce Bochy despite having sub. 300 OBP hitter in Willy Tavares batting leadoff.
A lot of things don't make sense. The Reds shouldn't have taken two out of three from a team that had the best home record in the Major Leagues going into the series on Friday. Yet, baseball hardly makes sense at times, and this was one of those moments, much to our chagrin as Giants fans.
Today, you couldn't blame anyone for the loss, maybe other than Matt Cain, which isn't easy to do because I love the guy. The Reds came in, took care of business, and had a big inning in the fourth, compounded by a two-run homer by Andrew Rosales (Yes, I still don't know who that is). Let's face it Giants fans. As a fan, I'm worried about Cain. I know the guy is going to have a bad start every now and then, but two straight? Against two mediocre teams? That definitely leaves me worried. Now, I'm not saying Cain is going to fall off the wagon completely, but I'm definitely worried that he may be out of gas, not to mention luck, from the marvelous All-Star first half he had this year.
A lot of tough moments to stomach overall during this game. The "Panda" was in prime opportunity to really hammer in big innings and he hit into double plays...twice. That's not what Sandoval does in big spots like that. However, instead of the usual-clutch self, he looked more like Bengie Molina, unable to come up with the big hits the Giants needed in big spots. I think he'll be able to rebound from this game in time for the Dodgers series (which starts tomorrow...so he better rebound quickly), but it was just a disappointing development that we usually don't see from the "Panda," especially at AT&T Park.
Were there any bright spots in this series? Yes. We didn't get swept (as I mentioned before) and Eugenio Velez continues to earn his spot as our new leadoff hitter. Seriously, this guy is good. I could harp and harp on this kid until my face turns blue, and I still wouldn't be finished singing his praises. This is exactly the guy I thought we would get a year ago when he was tearing it up in Spring Training. He's just such a spark plug out there, and he's an infinitely better upgrade than Randy Winn or Fred Lewis in centerfield. Once Nate Schierholtz comes back, I am looking forward to an outfield that consists of Velez in left, Rowand in center and Schierholtz in right. That in my mind, will give the Giants the best shot to win down the stretch.
Oh well...we had a chance to really capitalize and we didn't. It doesn't matter though. All what matters is this Dodgers series starting tomorrow. If we sweep the Dodgers, it won't matter what happened in the Reds series this weekend. All will be forgiven in my mind. Nothing would beat a Dodgers sweep, or at the very least, a series win over the bums from Chavez Ravine.
Come on Giants. Let's beat LA!
(I don't sound too desperate now, do I?)
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Aaron Harang (6-13) 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO.
Losing pitcher: Matt Cain (12-4) 7 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO.
Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-4, 2B (5). Fred Lewis, 2B (16). Freddy Sanchez, 2-for-4.
Reds standouts: Brandon Phillips, HR (17). Wladimir Balentein, 2-for-3. Andrew Rosales, 3-for-4, HR (4).
Giants probable starters for next game against Los Angeles: Kuroda (4-5) vs. Sanchez (5-9).
Reds probable starters for next game against St. Louis: Cueto (8-9) vs. Lohse (4-7).
Well...we didn't get swept, I guess. However, other than that though, this series pretty much was a disaster, compounded by the Giants losing 5-2 today to Aaron Harang, a pitcher that hadn't won a game since May. I really don't know what got into the Reds this weekend. I don't know how Wladimir Balentein started to not suck anymore. I don't know how Brandon Phillips looked like the stud he was two years ago when he first arrived to Cincinnati. I don't know how Dusty Baker out managed Bruce Bochy despite having sub. 300 OBP hitter in Willy Tavares batting leadoff.
A lot of things don't make sense. The Reds shouldn't have taken two out of three from a team that had the best home record in the Major Leagues going into the series on Friday. Yet, baseball hardly makes sense at times, and this was one of those moments, much to our chagrin as Giants fans.
Today, you couldn't blame anyone for the loss, maybe other than Matt Cain, which isn't easy to do because I love the guy. The Reds came in, took care of business, and had a big inning in the fourth, compounded by a two-run homer by Andrew Rosales (Yes, I still don't know who that is). Let's face it Giants fans. As a fan, I'm worried about Cain. I know the guy is going to have a bad start every now and then, but two straight? Against two mediocre teams? That definitely leaves me worried. Now, I'm not saying Cain is going to fall off the wagon completely, but I'm definitely worried that he may be out of gas, not to mention luck, from the marvelous All-Star first half he had this year.
A lot of tough moments to stomach overall during this game. The "Panda" was in prime opportunity to really hammer in big innings and he hit into double plays...twice. That's not what Sandoval does in big spots like that. However, instead of the usual-clutch self, he looked more like Bengie Molina, unable to come up with the big hits the Giants needed in big spots. I think he'll be able to rebound from this game in time for the Dodgers series (which starts tomorrow...so he better rebound quickly), but it was just a disappointing development that we usually don't see from the "Panda," especially at AT&T Park.
Were there any bright spots in this series? Yes. We didn't get swept (as I mentioned before) and Eugenio Velez continues to earn his spot as our new leadoff hitter. Seriously, this guy is good. I could harp and harp on this kid until my face turns blue, and I still wouldn't be finished singing his praises. This is exactly the guy I thought we would get a year ago when he was tearing it up in Spring Training. He's just such a spark plug out there, and he's an infinitely better upgrade than Randy Winn or Fred Lewis in centerfield. Once Nate Schierholtz comes back, I am looking forward to an outfield that consists of Velez in left, Rowand in center and Schierholtz in right. That in my mind, will give the Giants the best shot to win down the stretch.
Oh well...we had a chance to really capitalize and we didn't. It doesn't matter though. All what matters is this Dodgers series starting tomorrow. If we sweep the Dodgers, it won't matter what happened in the Reds series this weekend. All will be forgiven in my mind. Nothing would beat a Dodgers sweep, or at the very least, a series win over the bums from Chavez Ravine.
Come on Giants. Let's beat LA!
(I don't sound too desperate now, do I?)
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Aaron Harang (6-13) 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO.
Losing pitcher: Matt Cain (12-4) 7 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO.
Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-4, 2B (5). Fred Lewis, 2B (16). Freddy Sanchez, 2-for-4.
Reds standouts: Brandon Phillips, HR (17). Wladimir Balentein, 2-for-3. Andrew Rosales, 3-for-4, HR (4).
Giants probable starters for next game against Los Angeles: Kuroda (4-5) vs. Sanchez (5-9).
Reds probable starters for next game against St. Louis: Cueto (8-9) vs. Lohse (4-7).
Potent Preview: Cincinnati Reds (47-62) at San Francisco Giants (61-49)
Probable starting pitchers:
CIN: Aaron Harang (5-13) 4.52 ERA. SFO: Matt Cain (12-2) 2.25 ERA.
Things did not look so good after Friday night, and I was just praying that the Giants weren't going to get swept in this series against Dusty Baker and his boys (I have a feeling that Baker has his guys extra motivated simply because he hasn't dropped his grudge against former owner Peter Magowan, which caused him to leave to Chicago after 2002, even though we have Bill Nuekom running the team now). That being said, the Giants gained some much needed momentum on Saturday by beating the Reds' ace (Bronson Arroyo) with the Giants' third-best pitcher (Barry Zito).
Now, with Cain on the hill, and a Giants defense and bullpen (great outing by Howry by the way) that showed yesterday's performances was uncharacteristic of them (they had zero errors in comparison the Reds' three), the Giants look prime to take two out of three today. I won't say it's in the bag. With Wladimir Balentein and Brandon Phillips hitting as well as they are, the Reds certainly are capable of surprising the Giants in terms of taking the rubber game of this series.
I know a lot of people are concerned about Cain, especially after his less-than-stellar performance in Houston, but I believe Cain is due for a really good outing today against the Reds. Lincecum had his bad game on Friday (bad for his standards is actually very good for Ian Snell) and Cain had his last week, so I think both those guys got those bad outings out of their systems, something I would rather have against the Reds and Astros than the Dodgers and Mets.
A lot of questions about this game. Can Molina continue his hot-hitting ways? Has Velez played himself into the lineup on a more consistent basis? Who will Nate Schierholtz bounce out of the outfield? Will Rich Aurilia ever get released? Can the bullpen lay the hammer again or are they starting to get overworked, ala 1993?
Yet the most important question of the day? Can Cain nail the coffin in the Reds in game three of this series and get win number 13 after getting denied his last two chances? The Giants offense certainly needs to do their part, but I have a feeling they will with a guy like Harang on the hill who is a classic good year, bad year guy (for the record, this is a bad year).
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
CIN: Aaron Harang (5-13) 4.52 ERA. SFO: Matt Cain (12-2) 2.25 ERA.
Things did not look so good after Friday night, and I was just praying that the Giants weren't going to get swept in this series against Dusty Baker and his boys (I have a feeling that Baker has his guys extra motivated simply because he hasn't dropped his grudge against former owner Peter Magowan, which caused him to leave to Chicago after 2002, even though we have Bill Nuekom running the team now). That being said, the Giants gained some much needed momentum on Saturday by beating the Reds' ace (Bronson Arroyo) with the Giants' third-best pitcher (Barry Zito).
Now, with Cain on the hill, and a Giants defense and bullpen (great outing by Howry by the way) that showed yesterday's performances was uncharacteristic of them (they had zero errors in comparison the Reds' three), the Giants look prime to take two out of three today. I won't say it's in the bag. With Wladimir Balentein and Brandon Phillips hitting as well as they are, the Reds certainly are capable of surprising the Giants in terms of taking the rubber game of this series.
I know a lot of people are concerned about Cain, especially after his less-than-stellar performance in Houston, but I believe Cain is due for a really good outing today against the Reds. Lincecum had his bad game on Friday (bad for his standards is actually very good for Ian Snell) and Cain had his last week, so I think both those guys got those bad outings out of their systems, something I would rather have against the Reds and Astros than the Dodgers and Mets.
A lot of questions about this game. Can Molina continue his hot-hitting ways? Has Velez played himself into the lineup on a more consistent basis? Who will Nate Schierholtz bounce out of the outfield? Will Rich Aurilia ever get released? Can the bullpen lay the hammer again or are they starting to get overworked, ala 1993?
Yet the most important question of the day? Can Cain nail the coffin in the Reds in game three of this series and get win number 13 after getting denied his last two chances? The Giants offense certainly needs to do their part, but I have a feeling they will with a guy like Harang on the hill who is a classic good year, bad year guy (for the record, this is a bad year).
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
The PG Beat: Giants recover from Friday's humiliation, Molina breaks out, Velez still hot
The good news after today? At least we aren't going to get swept by the Reds. Believe me, after Friday's loss that heinous thought certainly crossed my mind. Those kind of losses like the won we had on Friday at AT&T can certainly stick with a team simply because they are so devastating. The Giants had the game won, were on the verge of getting another leg up on the Dodgers before their crucial series on Monday, and everything fell off the wagon just like that. Watching that game was like watching a friend who had been through AA and sober for four years, only to go on a drunk rampage one night out of the blue. It simply was unfathomable because while Friday's performance may have been characteristic of the Giants perhaps the last couple of years, it certainly was the story of this year's Giants squad.
Saturday though, the Giants really made up for it by garnering the 4-2 win over Cincinnati and pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Believe me, this one wasn't very pretty or didn't come easily either. Alex Gonzalez, Brandon Phillips and Wladimir Balentein continue to befuddle the Giants at the plate and in the field, and Pablo Sandoval went 0-for-4 (even though he hit the ball hard on occasion). Those are recipes for disaster, right? Well, not if Bengie Molina, who's been ripped all year for being in the cleanup spot despite his lousy OBP and sub par power number, goes 3-for-4 with a double, home run and three of the Giants' four RBI. And it also helps if Eugenio Velez continues his hot streak and adds a home run for the second straight game.
Seriously, this whole Eugenio Velez really is tough for the Giants organization, just because the Giants will have to make a very gutsy decision when it comes to the future of one of their outfielders. Velez has no place in the infield, simply because Freddy Sanchez is the mainstay at second, and Juan Uribe is most likely going to be the guy rotating with Edgar Renteria at the shortstop position. So, if Velez continue to hit well, and the Giants find a need to keep him in the lineup, that means when Nate Schierholtz comes back from injury either Winn or Lewis is going to get seriously bounced from playing time. The worst part of this is that you have the feeling it's going to be Lewis, even though lately Fred has been hitting much better than Winn at the plate. Lewis isn't as good a defender as Winn, but Winn has a duck arm in the outfield too. Either way, it'll be interesting with this crowded outfield of Lewis, Winn, Rowand, Velez, Torres, and Schierholtz on the roster, all guys who certainly deserve playing time for one reason or the other.
Lastly, another great outing from Zito. This guy really has had an underrated year on the mound. He is really having a lot of quality outings and he's keeping the Giants in a lot of games, something we necessarily couldn't say about him the last couple of years. That being said, the one thing I don't like is the fact that Bochy has little faith in him in comparison to Lincecum and Cain. Look, I know Zito has been struggling the past couple of years, but he has been pitching good to a point where I think he deserves to keep the ball even if he's in a situation that may lead to trouble. I think Zito has developed as a pitcher in San Francisco where he can get out of those jams, and should get the opportunity to do so as well, even if it would be more convenient to go to the bullpen.
By the way, sorry I did not get to this until today. I was gone all day Saturday, and even though I listened to the game on KNBR, I did not have the energy or the concentration to write the PG Beat last night. I'll have today's PP and PG Beat up today though.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Barry Zito (8-10) 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bronson Arroyo (10-11) 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.
Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-4, HR (3). Bengie Molina, 3-for-4, 2B (21), HR (13). Fred Lewis, 2-for-3.
Reds standouts: Brandon Phillips, 2B (19). Wladimir Balentein, 2-for-3, 2B (1).
Probable starters for next game: Harang (5-13) vs. Cain (12-3).
Saturday though, the Giants really made up for it by garnering the 4-2 win over Cincinnati and pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Believe me, this one wasn't very pretty or didn't come easily either. Alex Gonzalez, Brandon Phillips and Wladimir Balentein continue to befuddle the Giants at the plate and in the field, and Pablo Sandoval went 0-for-4 (even though he hit the ball hard on occasion). Those are recipes for disaster, right? Well, not if Bengie Molina, who's been ripped all year for being in the cleanup spot despite his lousy OBP and sub par power number, goes 3-for-4 with a double, home run and three of the Giants' four RBI. And it also helps if Eugenio Velez continues his hot streak and adds a home run for the second straight game.
Seriously, this whole Eugenio Velez really is tough for the Giants organization, just because the Giants will have to make a very gutsy decision when it comes to the future of one of their outfielders. Velez has no place in the infield, simply because Freddy Sanchez is the mainstay at second, and Juan Uribe is most likely going to be the guy rotating with Edgar Renteria at the shortstop position. So, if Velez continue to hit well, and the Giants find a need to keep him in the lineup, that means when Nate Schierholtz comes back from injury either Winn or Lewis is going to get seriously bounced from playing time. The worst part of this is that you have the feeling it's going to be Lewis, even though lately Fred has been hitting much better than Winn at the plate. Lewis isn't as good a defender as Winn, but Winn has a duck arm in the outfield too. Either way, it'll be interesting with this crowded outfield of Lewis, Winn, Rowand, Velez, Torres, and Schierholtz on the roster, all guys who certainly deserve playing time for one reason or the other.
Lastly, another great outing from Zito. This guy really has had an underrated year on the mound. He is really having a lot of quality outings and he's keeping the Giants in a lot of games, something we necessarily couldn't say about him the last couple of years. That being said, the one thing I don't like is the fact that Bochy has little faith in him in comparison to Lincecum and Cain. Look, I know Zito has been struggling the past couple of years, but he has been pitching good to a point where I think he deserves to keep the ball even if he's in a situation that may lead to trouble. I think Zito has developed as a pitcher in San Francisco where he can get out of those jams, and should get the opportunity to do so as well, even if it would be more convenient to go to the bullpen.
By the way, sorry I did not get to this until today. I was gone all day Saturday, and even though I listened to the game on KNBR, I did not have the energy or the concentration to write the PG Beat last night. I'll have today's PP and PG Beat up today though.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Barry Zito (8-10) 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO.
Losing pitcher: Bronson Arroyo (10-11) 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.
Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-4, HR (3). Bengie Molina, 3-for-4, 2B (21), HR (13). Fred Lewis, 2-for-3.
Reds standouts: Brandon Phillips, 2B (19). Wladimir Balentein, 2-for-3, 2B (1).
Probable starters for next game: Harang (5-13) vs. Cain (12-3).
Friday, August 7, 2009
The PG Beat: Bullpen, defense collapse; Giants give gift to the Reds.
Joey Votto (right) scores as Bengie Molina looks for an errant throw by Pablo Sandoval. At this point, it goes without saying that Giants' chances of winning this game were lost.Yet when it came to two categories that really mattered, the Reds clearly outmatched them: errors and the final score.
It's tough to describe how agonizing that game was tonight. In no way, shape, or form did the Reds deserve to win that game. We outhit them, and even though Lincecum didn't have his best stuff tonight, he certainly was better on the hill than Bailey. Yet two things that have been our strong points this year (defense and the bullpen) totally laid ducks tonight. I mean, five errors! Are you freaking kidding me? What an absolute joke. I seriously wish now Travis Ishikawa could solve whatever hitting funk he is in, mainly because Garko is a sub par glove at first base to put it kindly. Furthermore, Renteria is becoming more and more exposed without Ishikawa bailing him out on his consistently errant throws. Seriously, whatever you have to do to hit the ball Ishi, do it! We need your freaking glove out there!
Now, I normally don't like to blame Bochy or the managers for losses, but I'm seriously angry over this blunder: why the hell do you take out Jeremey Affeldt for Sergio Romo? Why are managers so enamored with this righty-lefty thing? And seriously, why did Bochy pull the trigger on Affeldt so fast? He only faced one freaking batter, and do you seriously think Romo is going to shut the door on the four-six holes any better than Affeldt? Man, I just can't understand Bochy's reasoning. I understand Affeldt's control is off, I understand he walked the leadoff hitter, and I understand most of the lineup was right-handed, but why would you put in Affeldt to just face one batter? He's your best reliever Bochy! Come on. Even the bleacher bums in left field knew that decision was idiotic.
To look at this positively, all I can say is the Giants offense looks great. Sans a dumb baserunning error by Fred Lewis, I really thought the Giants lineup came to play today at the plate. They had a lot of good at-bats, Eugenio Velez continues to be a great leadoff guy, and Pablo continues to be Pablo at the dish. Basically, these kind of games are going to happen. You're best pitcher isn't going to have his best stuff, the defense is going to fail you every now and then, your bullpen is going to self-destruct. It happens. The good thing? The offense doesn't seem to be letting up, and I think that bodes well into tomorrow. Sure, this loss was soul-crushing, but the Reds and the Giants knew that Baker's boys got really damn lucky in this game. They know they will be hardpressed to pull off another victory like this.
Even though a sweep would have been nice, we still can take this series. I was not impressed at all with the Reds. They got out-of-the butt performances from an over-the-hill, "How is he still playing" Alex Gonzalez, and a "Seriously he sucks, because I saw him suck on a daily basis in Seattle" Wladimir Balentein, both guys hitting under .200 going into the game. Votto did relatively nothing at the dish, and Phillips had some good hits, but got some lucky sprays as well. This was just a bad-break game. It happens, you move on, as hard as it is.
As long as the offense continues its ways, I think we will be fine and this game should not drive San Francisco fans into panic mode. We did what we could offensively tonight, only we didn't do the other things to win. Hopefully the boys understand that, and are able to put a complete game together on both offense and defense, and not just at the plate tomorrow and Sunday.
Postgame box notes:
Winning pitcher: Dave Weathers (3-3) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.
Losing pitcher: Brian Wilson (3-5) 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO.
Giants standouts: Eugenio Velez, 2-for-5, HR (2). Pablo Sandoval, 2-for-4. Bengie Molina, HR (12). Fred Lewis, 2B (15).
Reds standouts: Alex Gonzalez, 2-for-4. Brandon Phillips, 2-for-4, 2B (18). Scott Rolen, 2B (1). Wladimir Balentien, 2-for-3.
Probable starters for next game: Arroyo (10-10) vs. Zito (7-10).
Potent Preview: Cincinnati Reds (46-61) at San Francisco Giants (60-48)
Probable starters:
CIN: Homer Bailey (2-3) 7.06 ERA. SFO: Tim Lincecum (12-3) 2.18 ERA.
After taking two out of three in Houston, the Giants are riding some serious momentum. They are 12 wins away from matching their total from last year, are one game ahead of Colorado in the Wild Card, and only six-and-a-half back of the Dodgers in the NL West.
Furthermore, with a crucial August series looming next week against the rival Dodgers, the Giants will have a lot of opportunities to shed a lot of those pretender labels they were tagged with after they started the the second half with a 3-7 record. So far, it looks like that poor stretch may have been a fluke rather than a sign of things to come, but in fear of jinxing the Giants' playoff chances, I'm going to refrain from sticking to the statement.
While the Dodgers series is garnering all the attention, it is important for the Giants and Giants fans to not overlook this upcoming series with the Reds. The Reds aren't a good team, and injuries and lackluster player have decimated this team in the second half. After overachieving in the first half of the year, the Reds have been in free-fall mode, as evidenced by them losing 14 out of their last 16 games. Granted, the Reds in my mind have been a mirage all year, with their offense inflated by a ballpark that is just as home-run friendly as Citizens Bank Ballpark and Coors Field. The only decent players on this team are Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce (and he's hurt). Other than those guys, this team is horrible and the Giants should expect no less than a sweep in this series.
The Giants will have a very good opportunity to achieve that with Lincecum, Zito and Cain pitching in this series. I kind of wish we had Sanchez or Martinez pitching in this series so we could have Cain and Lincecum pitching against the Dodgers at home, but it is what it is.
A key guy to watch in this series has to be Pablo Sandoval, who is coming off a monster series in Houston and some very well-deserved love from the press lately (he had a feature in Sports Illustrated this week). I'm hoping that all this recent press loving doesn't effect him on the field, but the "Panda" has been too good and is hitting too well lately (especially with Freddy Sanchez hitting ahead of him) in my mind to falter now. I hope Sandoval has a big series, which gives him some of the necessary confidence he needs to rake in next week's crucial series against the Dodgers. I know people are ready to give the Dodgers the NL West, but if the Giants can sweep the Dodgers next week or at the very least, take two out of three, the NL West will be a very interesting storyline in the last month and a half that may have shades of Mets-Phillies 2007 or dare I say it, the 1951 NL Pennant race.
First things first though, let's hope the Giants welcome Reds manager and former Giants skipper Dusty Baker with a proper homecoming: a round of applause from the fans (he did do a good job as manager in San Francisco) and a proper mashing of Homer Bailey at the plate.
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
CIN: Homer Bailey (2-3) 7.06 ERA. SFO: Tim Lincecum (12-3) 2.18 ERA.
After taking two out of three in Houston, the Giants are riding some serious momentum. They are 12 wins away from matching their total from last year, are one game ahead of Colorado in the Wild Card, and only six-and-a-half back of the Dodgers in the NL West.
Furthermore, with a crucial August series looming next week against the rival Dodgers, the Giants will have a lot of opportunities to shed a lot of those pretender labels they were tagged with after they started the the second half with a 3-7 record. So far, it looks like that poor stretch may have been a fluke rather than a sign of things to come, but in fear of jinxing the Giants' playoff chances, I'm going to refrain from sticking to the statement.
While the Dodgers series is garnering all the attention, it is important for the Giants and Giants fans to not overlook this upcoming series with the Reds. The Reds aren't a good team, and injuries and lackluster player have decimated this team in the second half. After overachieving in the first half of the year, the Reds have been in free-fall mode, as evidenced by them losing 14 out of their last 16 games. Granted, the Reds in my mind have been a mirage all year, with their offense inflated by a ballpark that is just as home-run friendly as Citizens Bank Ballpark and Coors Field. The only decent players on this team are Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce (and he's hurt). Other than those guys, this team is horrible and the Giants should expect no less than a sweep in this series.
The Giants will have a very good opportunity to achieve that with Lincecum, Zito and Cain pitching in this series. I kind of wish we had Sanchez or Martinez pitching in this series so we could have Cain and Lincecum pitching against the Dodgers at home, but it is what it is.
A key guy to watch in this series has to be Pablo Sandoval, who is coming off a monster series in Houston and some very well-deserved love from the press lately (he had a feature in Sports Illustrated this week). I'm hoping that all this recent press loving doesn't effect him on the field, but the "Panda" has been too good and is hitting too well lately (especially with Freddy Sanchez hitting ahead of him) in my mind to falter now. I hope Sandoval has a big series, which gives him some of the necessary confidence he needs to rake in next week's crucial series against the Dodgers. I know people are ready to give the Dodgers the NL West, but if the Giants can sweep the Dodgers next week or at the very least, take two out of three, the NL West will be a very interesting storyline in the last month and a half that may have shades of Mets-Phillies 2007 or dare I say it, the 1951 NL Pennant race.
First things first though, let's hope the Giants welcome Reds manager and former Giants skipper Dusty Baker with a proper homecoming: a round of applause from the fans (he did do a good job as manager in San Francisco) and a proper mashing of Homer Bailey at the plate.
For game updates check out the SJ Mercury's Andrew Baggarly's Giants blog at Extra Baggs. For live game thread and chat, check out the McCovey Chronicles.
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