19 Saturday Jul 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
What a delight to see the team working on all cylinders – even without Angel Pagan.
A badass homer from Crawford who worked an 11-pitch count and then owned it. Madison Bumgarner handling business, and Posey and Pablo getting RBIs galore.
Nice win for the Giants to start the second half. Here’s hoping Huddy feels primed from his rest to make it two tonight.
30 Friday May 2014
Posted in Commentary, Post Game Blasts
Tags
baseball.st., Cardinals, commentary, Francisco, gia nts, Karthik, League, Louis, mlb, mtk, nl, one, San, series, sf, win
This was the game where I began to wonder if we might have this. We might have the division because we are a real team … built from good guys.
I was worried because St. Louis is a baseball town and they’ve won the most titles in the National League, and their … culture, their actual baseball culture is so much better than ours – I don’t mean our best versus their best, I mean our current fans versus their perennial ones.
[I am not DONE complaining about this, you people need to CHANGE].
But this team shows a flexibility and a stick-to-it-iveness that is quite impressive. Giants came from behind twice with power from Morse (doing what we hired him to do) and Pablo Sandoval – wow, the cowboy boots shift is turning crazy now – who hit for an RBI for the 9th consecutive time, with a homer, which has brought comparison to Barry Bonds from everyone.
It is interesting to remember that Bonds arrived in SF from Pittsburgh at the age of 28. Pablo Sandoval will be 28 this August. What if Pablo’s “Barry Years” lie ahead?
(Just tweeted the shit out of that line)
Vogelsong pitched well, the ‘pen continues to impress and Romo continues to be a little shaky. He gave up a run in the ninth and had runners on who, crossing the plate, could cost the game. He wrestled his way out, inducing a pop up to end the game and I tweeted:
TWEET by @giantsbaseballcorner : “I don’t mind Romo struggling a bit against a decent team on the road and fighting his way out of it. #ElMechon #sfgiants 17th save. Builds.”
Moments later Ray Woodson tweeted he would spend the post game show trying to calm down the Romo Angst. My reply was:
TWEET by @giantsbaseballcorner : “Romo angst is typical of the non-baseball playing bandwagonning dumbasses who now occupy our park claiming to feel “tortured”
and I still feel that way this morning.
But it did lead to a discussion for me about the word “torture” and why it offended me when taken on as a badge after Krukow said it. It was true when Kruk said it about 2010.
It was “Torture” for the fans who have watched for five decades as the G-men kept getting close and failed to win the World Series in San Francisco. It was torture for anyone who watched ’02 …. ’93 …. ’89 … ’62.
But after we finally won, the word for the first win in SF was “RELIEF”
See, it can’t really be “TORTURE” again until 2068.
If we don’t win the World Series until 2068, that summer would be torture. Use of the term before then is insulting to long time fans – well at least to me.
22 Thursday May 2014
Posted in pitchers, Post Game Blasts
Tags
cain, Casilla, colorado, double, Francisco, giants, hammy, hamstring, matt, rockies, San, santiago, sf, strain, whammy, win
Even when the Giants win lately there’s some weird issue – an HBP directly on the thumb sidelines Brandon Belt, plays that should be routine for a first baseman in little league bungled by Michael Morse, nutty throwing errors by Pablo or, an injury by someone trying too hard, like Angel Pagan’s shoulder strain diving for a pop fly against the Marlins on Sunday.
The latter category still reminds me of how we lost Freddy Sanchez, in May, on a routine play when we had the lead in a game that “didn’t really matter.” He flew high and hard to snag that ball, landed on his shoulder and never played in a Giants uniform again. Or how about Pagan last year, legs out the only ever walkoff inside-the-park homer in history and we lose him, and the season,the next day. Again … in May.
Of course, we love effort and those plays are exciting … how about just a little caution in the early months, guys? Not telling you to take it easy, but … what happened last night was completely unnecessary.
Yet they continue to win. The team experiences these careening moments even as they slug and claw their way into come-from behind victories; doing it with all home runs one game, and sudden inspired situational hitting, and no home runs in the next.
The only consistency has been that the Giants are inconsistent, yet somehow pull it together in the later innings behind a great bullpen to get wins. It isn’t confidence inspiring with regard to a long season, and the anhedonia has resulted in at least one blogger, Grant Brisbee of McCovey Cove Chronicles, losing his mind to the duality.
Yesterday, in Colorado, things were going along just fine – the game plan was in place and the Giants and Matt Cain were holding the Rockies offense down, when all of a sudden Cain came up gimpy. He had to be pulled from the game in the third inning with a strained hamstring, forcing Yusmeiro Petit into yet another emergency start. Worrisome.
Still, the plan was working. The Giants bullpen, with Petit working long, held the Rockies scoreless through seven innings. On the offensive side meanwhile, they used the altitude to their advantage and Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Crawford all homered, while Hector Sanchez had a deep double for another RBI. They had an early lead and held on.
Petit threw three scoreless and Bochy once again was masterful with the ‘pen; using four more guys to seal the win. Juan Gutierrez, Javier Lopez (LOOGY), and Santiago Casilla took it to the ninth.
In the top of the ninth, with a four-run lead and Sergio Romo resting after having been rocked the night before, Bochy decided to leave Casilla in the game at the plate, with the intention of letting him close the game.
Casilla was given specific instruction when he went to the plate, alternatingly described as, ‘to just stand like a statue,’ and ‘not to get hurt.’ Bochy says he told him just to jog up the line if he made contact.
But the veteran Casilla did none of these. Apparently inspired by the play of Juan Machi a few weeks ago, who legged out a bunt to drive in the winning run in a 13-inning game, Santiago Casilla tried to get on base. He was perhaps goaded by the dugout, as the guys teased him about doing what Machi did. For whatever reason, Casilla hit a ball hard to the infield and in, a totally loony moment, tried to leg out the single!
Casilla hit the bag and fell to the grass immediately, thrown out and flailing in the grass, pounding his fist on the ground in obvious pain. First base coach Hensley Meulens had no idea what to make of it.
It turns out that like Matt Cain earlier in the game, Casilla had strained his right hamstring. It was the same pointless injury that sent reliever David Huff to the DL two weeks ago – a pitcher trying to leg out a single.
Jeremy Affeldt came in and pitched a scoreless ninth with a strikeout to end the game, a non-save situation. But the mood was severely depressed in the wake of losing not one, but two pitchers to hamstring strains in the same game.
The win kept the Giants in first place in the NL West by three games going into tonight’s rubber match, which will feature the two teams’ best pitchers. The Giants’ aging ace, Tim Hudson (4-2, 2.09) returns from resting his back on the DL, to face Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 4.14), a longtime nemesis of the G-men.
Both Casilla and Cain will undergo MRI’s today to determine the severity of their injuries, but it seems likely that Cain will miss at least one start and that Casilla may not be available for a few weeks; frustrating to say the least. [UPDATE: looks like Casilla’s was a strain and not a tear, so that’s good]
Hopefully the Giants can come away with one more win in Colorado before the upcoming home stand which could be an easier ride. The Twins are up first and the Giants seem to play Interleague well at home, having swept the Indians in April. The Twins will be followed at AT&T by a visit from the last place Cubs.
21 Wednesday May 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts, walkoffs
This game was going according to plan. Madison Bumgarner and the Giants defense quieted the red hot Rockies lineup, holding them to three runs. In fact, it marked a milestone for Bumgarner who set the Giants team record for most consecutive road starts holding opponents to three runs or less (18), when he walked off the mound in the 6th.
The Rockies sprayed nine hits across eight innings but couldn’t get more than three men home, leaving 21 on base (Team LOB 10). It was a taut, well played game of strategy between very competitive teams. The teams traded HBP’s and when Bumgarner was plunked in the 7th he jawed at the Rockies’ dugout all the way down the line as he took his base. They gave it right back. This could be going all the way down to 162.
The tense affair remained a 3-3 tie until the top of the ninth, when Brandon Hicks hit a one-out single, and former Rockie Tyler Colvin drove him in with his second double of the night.
Sergio Romo entered with a one run lead but was immediately in trouble, issuing a walk to Justin Morneau and a sac fly to Michael Cuddyer that advanced him to scoring position. Troy Tulowitzki grounded to force out Morneau, but was safe at first because Brandon Crawford had no play. That might have been a game ending double play if Brandon Hicks’ throw had been tighter. Crawford had no play because the relay was just a bit off.
Romo then gave up a single to Carlos Gonzalez, who hit it straight up the middle and just over the outreached glove of Crawford. When Nolan Arenado stepped up to the plate with two out and two on, he was was 0-4 career against Sergio Romo. Sometimes a guy is just due.
It was an ill fated two-out, two-strike, hanging slider that ended up the game winning walkoff double for Arenado. Rockies win 5-4. Other than that pitch, though Romo wasn’t bad. The hits were tight. The double play was doable. He could have had them. Tough loss. Tough for Romo and for the Giants. Emotions were running high. This isn’t going to be easy.
The Rockies use their home field advantage to stack the deck in their favor offensively. If the Giants want to avoid a sweep and giving up the division lead, they will need to play even more crisp defense and be ready to respond to the inevitable onslaught of runs.
That’s why this one hurts: it was within reach. Everything was going according to plan. And just one pitch … just one relay throw … just one play … made the difference. Game two promises to be equally competitive as Matt Cain (1-3, 3.92ERA) faces Jhoulys Chacin (0-2, 4.76).
Go Giants!
16 Friday May 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
Buster, cain, Francisco, marlins, matt, miami, michael, morse, necklace, pagan, pence, Posey, San, sf, the, win
When the Miami Marlins came to town last year with Matt Cain on the mound, my son and I took his grandmother visiting from India. Here they are after the game, and you can see the Marlins crushed us 7-2:
In fact, Miami historically score a lot of runs at AT&T and have forced the Giants to do the same to get their wins. So yesterday, after Matt Cain fell behind early 1-4, it looked like the same old script: Cain gets behind early, gets no run support, but settles in and quiets the opponent, scattering a few more hits, only to lose because the Giants can’t plate any runners.
BUT WAIT!
Not this time. Even with Belt out, the Giants lineup looked daunting and filled with guys who have been hitting this year: Pence, Morse, Colvin, Posey … and even Sandoval, who entered the game with a slump-breaking six game hitting streak. It looked on paper like a lineup that could, possibly, maybe, finally produce run support for Cain.
Flashback for Perspective
Five years ago, in 2009, when the Giants at (79-66) were chasing the Rockies (82-64) and a shot at the Wild Card for the playoffs, we were within a game and a half with a three game series at AT&T on tap. A sweep would put the Giants in first, my favorite Giant, Matt Cain was on the mound, and it was as close as we had been all year. So I took my son (that little cute guy in the photo there) for his first night game.
Cain followed his incredibly consistent modus operandi: scattering five hits and four runs (via two homers) across six innings. The Giants had runners in scoring position in the 9th down 4-3 and Nate Schierholtz struck out to end the game. This was close as we would get to the playoffs … until the next year when we won it all. : )
But as we all know that game was not only typical of what happened to Matt Cain all that year long, it has continued to this day. The poor guy hasn’t had a win all season because the Giants sometimes can’t score even one bloody run for him.
I want to be honest … it physically hurts when I think what we have done to Matt Cain’s win-loss record. This guy should be HoF bound and may not make it on any ballot because of that win-loss record. That is why he is my favorite Giant … because I know I’m going to be spending the rest of my days arguing for his election to Cooperstown.
But unless you’re the New York Yankees, or now, the Dodgers or Angels, help for the batting order requires an incremental build up of bats over a few off-seasons. To his great credit, Giants GM Brian Sabean has worked at it: Fontenot and Ross during the season of 2010; Melky, Pagan and Blanco in the offseason and Scutaro and Pence during the season of 2012; and now Michael Morse – the biggest bat of all – in 2014.
Cost Effective? Shoot “Mr. CE” should be Sabean’s nickname. With two rings in four years, he has out-Moneyballed Billy Beane.
So last night, when the Giants bats fought back from a 1-4 deficit to take a 6-4 lead for Matt Cain, I almost wept … years in the making.
Hunter Pence was 3 for 5 and scored three runs. Michael Morse crushed an opposite field home run to right and Buster Posey drilled the go-ahead two-run double to give the Giants the lead they would never relinquish. Way to go Gerald! The increasingly impressive ‘pen did the rest.
And though he wasn’t as much of a factor, Pablo did extend his streak with a hit that advanced Hunter Pence to third and later in the game moved Posey there on a deep sac fly. Posey would score on a Morse single.
This was a significant come from behind win for the Giants.
I really should make mention of Pagan’s at-bat that may have saved this game … but instead I will let El Lefty Malo do it.
There were some negatives: Pablo had another errant throw. We got lucky a ball that hit Pence on the foot (which would have been an automatic out) went unobserved by the refs (and that there is as yet no replay). But all those fall under Category 4: Take Advantage of Others’ Mistakes.
As you must have read by now, staff ace Tim Hudson has been scratched tonight for a minor injury that is basically a “rest scratch” for the oldest guy on staff. Yusmeirio Petit will get his second emergency start of the season. He has been up and down and we are starting to develop a really team-oriented approach to the early season, so I LOVE this: keeping Petit from getting cold and resting the old guy with potential to get injured. It’s just like spelling Pagan and letting Blanco develop in case it has to happen more often. These are all moves that create a 25-man roster that can win any game, with any lineup.
I am starting to get really good feelings about this season. Yesterday, when Cain was down 1-4, for the first time this season, I broke out:
The Necklace.
After I put it on, we swarmed back to win.
We have never lost the season or the World Series when either my son or I wear The Necklace every game day.
15 Thursday May 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
What a day for baseball at AT&T Park. Temperatures crossed 80 degrees and the bats responded as they have in the past. The two ace starters, Julio Teheran for the Braves and Madison Bumgarner for the Giants, were forced into a combined 61 pitches in a first inning that ended 2-2. Teheran threw 41 pitches … in the first inning!
The continuing shifting of position players in response to the absence of 1B Brandon Belt (out with a broken thumb for anywhere from 6-8 weeks) had Gregor Blanco playing center field and Michael Morse at 1st. Blanco had a problem with a fly ball in the first that found the wall and gave the Braves an early 2-run lead, but “the white shark,” el Tiburon Blanco more than made up for it the rest of the game with patient at-bats and inspired base running.
Starting as the lead off hitter for the first time this season in order to spell Angel Pagan, Gregor Blanco did something yesterday that Willie Mays never did: he stole three bases in a game and scored three runs. It was a display of speed not seen around here since The Bullet, Darren Ford. It helped the struggling Blanco to perform at the plate as well, as he showed more patience, drew a walk and even drove in an RBI with a single.
Blanco responding to the absence of Pagan was just what the Giants needed. I refused to see resting Pagan as a problem or an issue yesterday, but rather as an early-season opportunity to develop alternatives to Pagan in the lead off position. Blanco performed exceptionally well. Tyler Colvin looks like an option, too. If we want Angel Pagan to last the entire season without injury, spelling him for games is the way – another great decision by skipper Bruce Bochy.
Blanco’s speed was accompanied by an awesome display of power on a hot, hot day at the yard – Hunter Pence, Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford all went yard. Brandon Crawford’s homer found the water of McCovey Cove , his second splash hit of this season and his career, to bring the total hit by Giants to 67. Pablo Sandoval extended his slump-breaking hitting streak to six games but had to leave the game after five innings with an injury to his big toe.
Pablo is listed day-to-day, but it adds to the shifting and substituting in the infield and means we’ll be seeing Arias throwing to Morse or Posey or Sanchez on different days. The shifting of players in reaction to injury is an example of the team philosophy from top to bottom in this organization. It seems to be a shared effort every game. Truly 25 Guys with One Common Goal … to win today!
Madison Bumgarner had a frustrating, hot afternoon, allowing four runs and five hits in five, striking out five and giving up a walk. But MadBum still managed to get the win, secured by a bullpen that, increasingly, must be considered one of the best in baseball – both at the skill level and with regard to managerial decision making about their use. Bochy has become masterful at bullpen management.
The Giants had 15 hits and six walks and chased Teheran from the game in the 4th. Teheran is 3-2 on the young season, but both those losses have come at the hands of the Giants, once at home and once on the road.
The Giants have the best record in all of baseball again and among the leaders in home runs, having tacked on three more yesterday. They also lead the league in series victories, with nine.
The surprising Miami Marlins are in town today and through the weekend. They arrive having destroyed Los Angeles yesterday. The Dodgers wholly imploded and failed at every aspect of the game, losing 13-3. Brian Wilson got crushed and the lowly nemesis had to turn to position players to pitch – ridiculous.
12 Monday May 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Now that was a great road trip.
On what was meant to be the Giants longest and most difficult road trip of the season – ten consecutive nights facing the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves, the Pirates in Pittsburgh and four vs. the Dodgers in LA, the Giants emerged with a 7-3 record and showed flexibility, poise and power.
They swept the Braves in Atlanta for the first time since 1988, using power – a parade of home runs – and pitching. They lost two of three in Pittsburgh, but the one game they took was a wild one that went 13 innings and in which 21 runs were scored. Bizarrely, after being unable to score with RISP in Atlanta, the Giants flipped the script and won that one with situational hitting; moving runners over with bunts and sacs, getting timely hits with RISP. It ended with Jean Machi’s bunt RBI and not a single homer.
Despite losing Brandon Belt to a broken thumb and having Sergio Romo blow a save in the ninth in LA, the team managed to chip away and fight for wins to stay on top of the NL West by two games over Colorado and four and a half over LA.
Back at the friendly confines of AT&T this week, it doesn’t get much easier, as the top two teams of the NL East are in town. The Braves are certain to have vengeance on their minds after the Giants swept them last week in their park. Then next up, it’s the Miami Marlins, a surprisingly good team this year, just two back of the Braves out East. After the homestand, it’s back on the road to face the Rockies in Colorado – who will be looking to seize the division lead. It’s going to be a tough stretch the rest of May.
Tim Lincecum is on the mound tonight. He will face the Braves’ Gavin Floyd.
04 Sunday May 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
atlanta, Brandon, braves, Bumgarner, chop, Crawford, field, giants, Madison, sweep, swept, turner
The Giants swept the Braves with good pitching and home runs, a LOT of home runs.
In today’s final game of the series, Madison Bumgarner was dominant, striking out the side twice and ending with 9Ks. Brandon Crawford had his first ever multi-homerun game with two dingers that provided all the runs.
Giants win 4-1.
04 Sunday May 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts, PreGame GBCs
Tags
atlanta, baseball, belt, Brandon, braves, Bumgarner, Crawford, Francisco, giants, Madison, mlb, morse, Posey, Ryan, San, seek, sweep, vogelsong
In Game Two, the Giants held the Braves to just one run on the strength of pitching under pressure by Ryan Vogelsong, home runs by Michael Morse, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey and good defense – in particular once again by Brandon Crawford – who made a 270 degree spin and threw out his counterpart Andrelton Simmons to end the game. Giants win 3-1.
Vogelsong had a good game. Vogey went six innings and had as many strikeouts. He was stable and pitched particularly well under pressure. He gave up five hits, four walks and a run. He looked in command, much like the Vogelsong of old – I hope he has turned the corner.
Brandon Belt has now homered in every single baseball park he has played in this year. Michael Morse continues to impress. The three homers were against the Braves’ ace Julio Teheran – a good sign. But once again the runs were all solo shots. So the five runs in two games that have won this series have all come from homers with no one on base.
Today Madison Bumgarner takes the mound in the state he was born and raised in, where he grew up cheering the Braves. He will likely have a lot of friends and family in the stands. Good. Because Madison has not been pitching well. He looked utterly befuddled in his last start and was touched up for it. He has lost three straight starts.
Bumgarner faces Alex Wood, whose 2.93 ERA helps the Braves have the lowest team ERA in the league, but he has endured four straight losses. One of these guys should break that streak today.
Here’s your Giants lineup for today’s game:
01 Thursday May 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
ace, AT&T, baseball, Brian, busch, championship, diego, fontenot, Francisco, giants, Grandal, hit, Hudson, inning, mark, match, mlb, padres, pagan, pitcher, pitches, ring, Ross, rubber, sabean, San, scutaro, sf, splash, ten, theriot, Tim
Tim Hudson was incredible. He averaged only ten pitches an inning over eight innings during which he allowed one run amongst five hits. It was a stunning display of command over himself and control of an opponent’s lineup.
Thus, in the top of the 9th, with a 3-1 lead, Hudson faced the possibility of averaging ten pitches or less in a complete game. With the pitch count so low, Bruce Bochy left him in.
As Dave Flemming put it, on the radio, live: “Why not? He’s only thrown 80 pitches.”
Hudson quickly sat down the first two batters of the 9th on six pitches. Then he had a two strike count on the Padres Yasmani Grandal when he sent an 87mph cutter down the gut that Grandal timed perfectly, connected on wholly and sent into McCovey Cove – a solo shot. Hudson’s 89th pitch ended his night, one out shy of a CG.
That condemnable 30th Splash Hit by an Opponent was retrieved by kayaker Mark Busch:
I hope Mark’s dog rips that thing to shreds.
Because, as Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News tweeted it best:
“If Grandal swings through that last one, Hudson has himself an 89-pitch complete game.”
Sergio Romo came in to get the one-out save, his seventh, and this one was in the books as another outstanding performance by the SP who must be considered the Giants’ ace of 2014 thus far, Tim Hudson.
The Giants’ offense did score twice early. A Michael Morse double was plated by a Posey RBI in the first. Then in the second, The Giants made it 2-0 on a solo shot by the increasingly impressive Brandon Hicks.
Hicks’ homer was hit right handed, inside-out to deep RF – only Bonds ever did that kind of stuff at AT&T. It blew minds. But afterward, the Giants struggled to support Hudson at the plate.
Padres lefty Robbie Erlin settled down and he found a groove. Pitchers love our park and often play to our level of pitching competition. It’s an issue. It means we have to fight, scrap and hustle – with knowledge of our park they don’t have – to produce runs.
The Giants had RISP on three occasions and blew them all. The worst was a leadoff triple by Brandon Crawford in the 4th, when he was left stranded by a clunky, sputtering Giant offense. But in the previous inning the Giants had Morse and Belt on 2nd and 3rd with two out and could do nothing.
Luckily, Buster Posey singled in Arias (who had doubled in the 7th) to provide an insurance run that would prove to be necessary. Had Buster not hit that RBI late in the game, Grandal’s massive splash hit would’ve tied it up!
The Padres’ bullpen is decent and will fight in extra innings to steal wins. We could have easily been involved in a dog fight again on a night when Tim Hudson was throwing like Greg Maddux.
Point being, the Giants need to be more consistent about situational hitting with runners in scoring position. After Buster’s RBI single, with runners in the corners, Morse struck out, failing to get Pence home from third.
Team RISP: 3-for-11.
Team LOB: 7
ugh. Mark my words: whichever team – Dodgers, Giants or Colorado – plays smart, crisp baseball and hustles most for 50/50 games, will take the NL West. The SF Giants shot at being that team will depend on sacs, bunts, steals and hits with runners in scoring position.
On the bright side, as May begins, the Giants (17-11) lead the division by one and a half games over the Dodgers. On the road for our first two weeks of this month we face the Braves, Pirates and Dodgers next.
It’s time to tighten up the hitting in these batter-friendly parks and to continue hitting well against the nemesis in LA. I’d love to see us take 6 out of 9. Go Giants!
TWEET: #kudos to Brian Sabean, GM of #SFGiants for @Mcode38 and #TimHudson; excellent calculated expenditures in face of $235million #Dodger budget
After Cody Ross and Fontenot in 2010 and Scutaro and Theriot in 2012, this looks like a pattern: Morse and Hudson in 2014. Hmm. “World Series Champions 2014,” has a nice ring to it.
(photo by McCovey Cove Dave @mccoveycovedave – whose sign they use for Opponents Splash Hits)
28 Monday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts, walkoffs
yeah. great way to start the Interleague action.
Three run homer for Brandon Hicks with two out in the bottom of the ninth.
Ryan Vogelsong had a major bounce-back game, throwing seven shutout innings, his longest start of the season. Vogey gave up two hits, both to Michael Bourn, walked two and struck out six.
The Indians SP Salazar was brilliant in this one. But Brandon Hicks ended it with his first major league walkoff.
Giants 4, Indians 1
28 Monday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
The Giants won this one on the strength of Ryan Vogelsong’s arm – much needed. Vogelsong threw a shutout through seven, his longest start of the season. He gave up only two hits, both to Michael Bourn, and he walked two and struck out six. It was a dominant quality start.
Pablo Sandoval’s bat woke up and he got on board twice with base hits, but the day belonged to Brandon Hicks who hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians, completing a three-game sweep.
The first interleague series was a good one for the Giants who produced runs when necessary and pitched and played defense to suit their park.
Just enough runs.
The bats worked.
The Dodgers lost in Colorado 6-1, so the Giants now have a full game lead over the division.
27 Sunday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
AT&T, baseball, blanco, cleveland, Francisco, giants, gutierrez, Indians, Lincecum, machi, mlb, morse, park, pence, runs, San, sf, Tim
Tim Lincecum struggled from the beginning of this one, giving up 9 hits and 3 runs in 4 and 2/3 and leaving the bases juiced with two outs for Juan Gutierrez, who struck out one batter and left the game.
The Giants put together a four run 5th after and the bullpen secured the victory. Jean Machi, Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo all did their jobs, so Gutierrez got the win, though he pitched only one third of an inning, the 4th. Romo collected his 6th save.
The four-run 5th was the result of timely hits and a sacrifice as the Giants moved runners along. Gregor Blanco singled, scoring Michael Morse. A sacrifice fly by Angel Pagan scored Brandon Crawford and advanced Brandon Hicks and Blanco. Then Hunter Pence drove Blanco and Hicks in with a shallow single. Just like that the Giants who were down 3-0 with the bases loaded full of Indians, found themselves up 4-3.
Buster Posey tacked on a solo home run in the 6th inning to make it 5-3.
26 Saturday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
5-1, Al, american, angel, baseball, cleveland, Francisco, game, giants, Hudson, Indians, interleague, League, mlb, National, one, pagan, San, series, Tim
I didn’t see this game, but I’m trying to make at least a placeholder on the blog for every Giants game this season.
From the papers I gather that Angel Pagan had a great game at the plate and running the base paths, with two singles, a steal and two runs scored.
Tim Hudson continues his steady, consistent pitching for the Giants. He went 7+ and allowed only one run. Huddy is averaging 5Ks a game!
The Giants won in their first Interleague game, 5-1, and the Dodgers lost in 11 last night so we are back in first place by half a game.
Go Giants!
[the comment below is the comment below]
mtk
I happened to be at the game last night. The buzz where I was sitting centered around the Mike Morse homer in the 421 area of the park. A big blast! Hudson’s steady pitching–I believe he had a 5 pitch, 3 up, 3 down inning. Very cool to watch. Last but not least, Pablo legging out a triple with a thunderous belly flop into third base and no throw from the defense.
The Kuiper home run video, bobble head and interviews were fun too. Check out the Kuiper video —csnbayarea.com. Cheers
Andre Reynier
23 Wednesday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
11th, affeldt, balk, baseball, belt, blackmon, Bob, Brandon, Casilla, charlie, coors, davidson, derby, eleventh, field, Francisco, game, giants, grand, Hector, home, homers, jeremy, justin, long, michael, mlb, morneau, morse, rockies, run, runs, San, sanchez, santiago, sf, slam, towering, tulowitzki
Giants 12, Colorado 10 at Coors Field
The wind and altitude collaborated to help the ball out of the yard at Coors Field, but most of the nine homers in this one were towers of power that traveled 420+ feet. Troy Tulowitzki started it with a two-run blast in the first. Michael Morse answered with a 455′ solo shot in the top of the second.
The day turned into a Home Run Derby between the Rockies and Giants. In total nine balls left the yard. In a burst of offense that’s been missing for days, the G-men hit six of them.
Giants LF Michael Morse smashed two, for his 7th multi-home-run game. Later, Hector Sanchez would join that club for the first time in his career in dramatic fashion. Sanchez went yard twice late in the game, both times to give the Giants the lead, the second time, a grand slam in the 11th to put the Giants ahead for good. It was a clutch performance by Hector who has been ridden by fans, broadcasters and some press recently; made the whipping boy and scapegoat for losses. Redemption.
This was a wild one.
The Giants fell behind early to the long ball, 5-1, and then fought back with homers of their own. Brandon Hicks’ solo big fly in the top of the 3rd made it 5-2 Rockies. Then Pence and Cain both singled and Morse’s second homer in as many at-bats, a deep shot 450′ to center, brought them home to tie it 5-5. ESPN and Alex Pavlovic have it that Morse is “just the third player since 2006 to hit multiple 450-foot homers in one game.”
The Giants were looking for more when Manager Bruce Bochy was ejected from the game in the top of the 4th for arguing a called third strike that resulted in a strike ’em out, throw ’em out inning-ending double play. With one out and Brandon Crawford on, Brandon Hicks had a full count and Rockies SP Tyler Chatwood looked shaky.
The call was very questionable. From Crawford’s view, running, having taken off from first, Chatwood’s 3-2 pitch to Hicks was so clearly a ball that he slowed up on the base path thinking Hicks had drawn the walk. By the time he realized it was a called strike, catcher Wilin Rosario was up making the throw. Crawford was easily out at second. Hicks confronted the ump angrily. Bochy raced out to argue to prevent the enraged Brandon Hicks from being ejected, and was ejected himself.
Blackmon homered in the bottom of the 4th and the Giants fell behind 6-5, but Matt Cain found a groove. Throwing 93mph darts, Cain held serve in the 5th and 6th. He looked in control.
With Hunter Pence on in the top of the seventh by virtue of a walk, Brandon Belt launched his league-leading 7th home run into the Colorado evening and gave Cain and the San Francisco Giants the lead 7-6.
Acting Manager Ron Wotus then did his best Bruce Bochy imitation and loyally left Cain in for the bottom of the 7th. The bullpen was fully rested having not worked at all the night before (Bumgarner CG), yet Wotus left Cain in. While it was true, Cain had looked strong in the previous two innings, they had been long innings and his pitch count was high. Leaving Cain in destroyed poor Matt’s chance to leave the game leading, in line to get his first win of the season.
In the bottom of the 7th with the one run lead, Cain gave up a walk, a steal, a liner that tied the game 7-7, and another walk, before being pulled for Jeremy Affeldt; another no decision for Matt Cain, but this time with seven runs on the board. It just slipped away.
It must be said, Affeldt was very good again. Affeldt’s first start Sunday against the Padres was excellent – three up, three down – and today in Colorado his command was evident. Jeremy looks better than he has in a long time. Stable, secure, strong.
The Giants once again grabbed the lead with the long ball, going up 8-7 on Hector Sanchez’s first homer, a solo shot in the 8th, only to see the Rockies tie it up 8-8 because of a balk.
Balkin’ Bob Davidson was the ump at 3rd in the 8th. He called Santiago Casilla for a balk when, twice in a row, Casilla made the same small move with LeMahieu on 2nd. The balk sent DJ LeMahieu to third with one out from where he scored on a Charlie Blackmon ground out against Casilla. It was an acceptable balk call. Casilla was doing some kind of shoulder shimmy thing. But it cost us the lead.
The contest was slow, long and nerve-wracking as neither team could put the other away. But the Giants ‘pen handled the extra frames well. Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez and Jean Machi kept the Rockies off the board in the 7th, 9th and 10th.
Even after Sanchez’s grand slam, which made it 12 – 8, victory was unsure. Sergio Romo gave up a single to Tulowitzki and a two-run homer to Justin Morneau in the bottom half of the 11th frame and subsequently let Drew Stubbs single making it 12 – 10 with the tying run at the plate. Romo managed to force a ground out and a game-ending double play to get the Giants out of Colorado with at least one win.
Hunter Pence was 3 for 4 and crossed the plate three times. Matt Cain singled twice and scored a run, helping his own cause, but he wouldn’t get the win. That would land in the hands of the Giants’ fourth reliever, Jean Machi, who is now 4-0 and leads the majors in victories.
23 Wednesday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Angel Pagan went 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts. Franklin Morales outdueled Madison Bumgarner and a solo shot from Hunter Pence was all the scoring the G-men could come up with.
They gave up two homers, which was just enough to suffer another loss despite another excellent pitching performance.
Giant bats are fast asleep and the team has sunk in the standings to third behind Colorado
22 Tuesday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Vogelsong yanked after 1 and a third – giving up three homers and five runs. Huff gets out of 2nd with a DP but then gets injured legging out his first major league hit. Petit saves the day with long relief, but the Giants give up two more homers.
Pagan thrown out for arguing a called third strike.
ugh.
19 Saturday Apr 2014
Posted in Post Game Blasts
… this thing on?
man, haven’t written anything here since last year.
all right well
it’s 2014 and the Giants started with massive hitting and have now slumped hard into a drought of epic proportions.
Matt Cain and Tim Hudson and Madison Bumgarner all gave great performances this week and the G-men could do nothing with the bats to get the wins. sigh.
Gotta wake up the bats so I am waking up the blog.
12 Sunday May 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Sandoval homer, triples by Blanco and Scutaro and another strong outing for Bumgarner. Chad Gaudin may have been the only issue. I’ve got nothing original to say this time – this mostly a placeholder. I’m watching a lot of NBA. Giants looking good and starting pitching looking better this week.
great game. blow out. 10 runs and Gregor Blanco El Tiburon coming in to pinch hit with the bases loaded and getting 2rbi with a double and then getting another 2rbi later in the game. 2 for 2 with 4 rbi and 9 for 19 with runners in scoring position, Blanco’s side of the platoon with Torres is cool.
10 Friday May 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
The Giants won 8-2 against the HIGHLY TOUTED Braves in a game that was played exactly the way we wanted to play.
Matt Cain went eight innings and turned in his second straight stellar outing after going winless over his first six starts. Cain also drove in a run on a single
Cain helping himself!!!! woo hoo
laugh in the face laugh in the face giants laugh in the face.
10 Friday May 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Mechanics.
Ryan Vogelson struck out seven, but then imploded in the fifth inning giving up two triples to stack more runs onto the home run he had already yielded to McCann.
Everybody’s talking about it, so there’s not much more to add. Relievers added seven strikeouts and defense wasn’t terrible.
I think I might stop doing the daily reports on games and just focus on the series recaps with a few posts in between.
08 Wednesday May 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
50saves, AT&T, baseball, blown, corner, giants, goal, mlb, park, philadelphia, Romo, said, Sergio, sf, win
Giants Beat Philly, Avoid Sweep, but this was a ‘blown save’ – words Jon Miller never uses.
The Giants beat the Phillies in the bottom of the 10th on a game-ending line drive by Andres Torres, to make the final score 4- 3, but the story of this one has to be the blown save. Giants were up 3-1 in the top of the tenth when Romo came in for the save and yielded the tying runs that sent it to extra innings.
Romo allowed Jimmy Rollins’ leadoff double, an RBI single to Chase Utley and Delmon Young’s tying sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth. Those are tough batters to face – Rollins was a guy I wanted the Giants to get before I began believing in Brandon Crawford. I argued for it on twitter some time back.
Zito was great, His first pitch was a strike and he never looked back, He saw the box well and had great command. He pitched 7 innings and gave up just one run – a solo homer. It was a shame he couldn’t pick up the win.
Also, the Barry Zito hits keep comin! This time it was an RBI single in the 6th. Hunter Pence continues to impress at the plate, great again against his former team. Blanco was frustrated, Torres came off the bench to get the winning hit. Sandoval and Scutaro damaged the Phils with situational hits.
Bruce Bochy is throwing a crazy number of combinations out every night now. I used to find it maddening, but this is what Bochy does well. The losses are immaterial early in the season and he uses them to tweak the hell out of lineups and to see what players can do.
I approve.
Giants Win 4 – 3.
07 Tuesday May 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
AT&T, baseball, Cliff, Francisco, giants, hunter, Lee, mlb, park, pence, philadelphia, phillies, San, sf
I didn’t watch or listen to much of this one because it was on at the same time as the Warriors vs. Spurs Game One of NBA Playoffs second round.
Cliff Lee was workmanlike and manhandled our line up – except for Hunter Pence, who had a homer, double and a single and scored the Giants’ only two runs.
Was pleased to see Hunter Pence getting hits – it’s important to have at least one guy who can reliably rattle the cage of a pitcher who is successful against us. We need a guy like that versus Kershaw, Latos, others.
Bumgarner pitched well and left with three too many earned runs. If you didn’t see it or haven’t heard, there was an early-season Marco Scutaro brain-seize-type error that was recorded by the scorer as a hit. The Giants have petitioned to have it scored an error which would remove the runs from MadBum’s ERA.
From what I understand, Scutaro scooped up a potential double-play ball, thought about flipping it to Brandon Crawford for one, then, before he could change his mind and throw out the runner at first, dropped the ball to the infield, so everybody was safe. That’s an error, not a single.
Well, I’ll have more next time.
Go Giants!
04 Saturday May 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
04 Saturday May 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
angeles, AT&T, baseball, belisario, Buster, corner, dodgers, ever, first, Francisco, giants, home, hr, LA, los, mlb, MVP, Posey, ronald, run, San, sf, walkoff
Wow.
There were a lot of people calling for it on twitter, asking Buster to hit the walkoff homer like it’s just that easy. The trend is to do it so you can retweet later that you “called it” … which is idiotic. I think maybe we called for ’em just as often in the past – I begged Renteria to hit ’em – but now our boys are coming through when it counts way more often.
Clutch-Fu Panda, Beltdemption and Hustle Pence were joined in the season’s late-inning heroics last night by Buster Posey, who hit a solo home run to win the game 2-1 over the Dodgers. Though its only May, that may have been Buster’s signature Dodger moment thus far in his early career.
It was a classic outing for Clayton Kershaw, pitching for the first time since the passing of his father. The Dodgers’ lefty ace held serve for 7 innings until Buster doubled in Marco Scutaro to tie the game 1-1, but it was Ronald Belisario, the Dodger reliever, who lost it to Buster on a 3-2 pitch, the sixth pitch of the bottom of the ninth.
Posey connected for his first career game-winning RBI of any kind off of Belisario (2-3), who hadn’t allowed a run in his previous four appearances over six innings.
great win.
30 Tuesday Apr 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
Arizona, baseball, clutch, corner, diamondbacks, Francisco, fu, giants, homer, kung, mlb, pablo, panda, San, Sandoval, sf
Great game. Bumgarner made it a taut chess match til the late innings, and Pablo Sandoval took advantage of J.J. Putz.
Here’s the game winning, two-run homer by Clutch-Fu Panda
29 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
The Giants five game losing streak ended with Matt Cain on the mound in Arizona, but sadly, The Big Horse got tagged for three home runs and gave up four runs and so has yet to earn his first win of the season.
Nick Noonan continues to show poise and ability at the plate. He pinch-hit lead off in the 8th and got aboard before two walks loaded the bases for Brandon Belt’s game-winning two-run single to bring him home. Belt also homered in the 2nd inning when the Giants got to their longtime nemesis Ian Kennedy, scoring three runs off him in the first two innings.
The Giants got another outstanding inning from Jean Machi in relief, who ended up getting his first win of the season. Sergio Romo picked up his 9th save.
22 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts, walkoffs
Tonight Ryan Vogelsong got touched for two home runs that put the Giants behind twice and twice the Giants responded with just enough runs. The second time, the Giants tied the game on a two-run homer by Posey in the 8th. Then, they won it in the bottom of the 9th on a Brandon Belt walk-off base hit.
Victory felt inevitable. It was almost as though the game was following the Giants’ plan and the Diamondbacks only thought they were in the drivers seat. It’s a direct response by the team in the other dugout to react to the Giants pitching-powered, defensively-oriented play.
Often teams play – or at least try to play – to the Giants level of defense for five or six innings. Notice how many pitchers have their best games against the Giants? This results in copycat innings and tight ballgames and last night was a great example.
But it’s chess – the opening and the midgame may have very little to do with the endgame. The Giants are playing white and starting first, their opponents are playing black and playing keep-up.
They try to play our game as long as they can while we plow forward playing our game for 27 outs: just enough hits, just enough runs; keeping the score low on defense and looking for the chink in their armor – usually it’s the pen.
This requires us to stick to the game plan and execute while looking for the mistake we’ll take advantage of. Tonight, it came together ideally.
This morning Brandon Belt woke up having received tremendous criticism for his lack of hitting, and found himself benched, replaced once again at first base by Joaquin Arias. Before the game Belt was asked to take special batting practice, attended by Bruce Bochy, who actively engaged in coaching him. This made press.
Down 4 – 2 in the 8th and with Scutaro on first, Buster Posey blasted a home run to dead center, the deepest part of the park, to tie it up.
The newest member of the Giants’ bullpen Jean Machi started the 9th, then passed it off to Jose Mijares who handed it to Sergio Romo for the last out to prevent the Snakes from scoring again.
Then, as though Bochy had drawn it up, Andres Torres lead off the 9th with a first pitch single, Brandon Crawford advanced him on a perfect bunt, and Bochy put Belt in with a double switch – which put him in the batter’s box with a chance to win the game.
Belt’s one-out, game-winning, walk-off base hit was an epic smile-bringer.
Sergio Romo pitched one ball in the ninth and got the last D’back out. With that one pitch, thanks to Brandon Belt, he also got the win, his first of the season.
A great game for the Giants and a special night for Buster Posey and Brandon Belt.
21 Sunday Apr 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
Tags
baseball, corner, diego, formula, Francisco, giants, Lincecum, mlb, padres, San, sf, system, Tim
Tim Lincecum mowed down the Padres through six and 2/3, striking out eight, looking very much like the Cy Young Award winning Timmy. Bochy was crisp with his leash in a 2-0 ballgame, pulling Tim with two out and two on in the sixth. Mijares got the last out on a deep pop fly to left, and he and Santiago Casilla set up Sergio Romo, who picked up his Major-League leading eighth save (8-1).
The only runs in the game were the result of a 2-run homer by Pablo Sandoval that just got out of the park.
The formula is simple and when applied effectively, beautiful.
1. quality starting and stable relief pitching
2. sharp defense
3. situational hits for “just enough” runs
4. take advantage of opponents mistakes
Tonight the formula was executed to perfection.
Way to go Giants!
19 Friday Apr 2013
Posted in Post Game Blasts
An excellent game in which everything came together to end in a walkoff double by Angel Pagan and the Giants win 3-2. Buster Posey had a deep double, which hopefully will help him up out of his slump.
Bochy pulled Bumgarner in the 6th, middle and late relief did their job, and Santiago Casilla got the win.
Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Crawford, sadly, had their 11-game hit streaks ended, but this one was Giants Baseball all the way.
Way to go Giants!
