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M.T. Karthik

~ midcareer archive, 1977 – 2017 plus 2022

M.T. Karthik

Tag Archives: colorado

Consensus Opinion Among Giants Fans? Screw Coors Field! Giants Lose Series 1-2

15 Friday Apr 2016

Posted by mtk in Series Recaps

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baseball, Brandon, cain, colorado, Francisco, giants, Jake, loss, mlb, Peavy, rockies, San, series, sf

Game One

It is easy to forget the lone victory in our three games in Colorado, but it is important not to do so. Jeff Samardzija looked as good as he has yet looked in a Giants uniform and the Giants took Game One of this series 7-2, behind a stellar performance by The Shark.

Samardzija went seven strong innings, gave up just two runs and six hits, striking out four. He had two walks, but managed the game well and was in control of a tough Rockies lineup throughout.

The Giants continued their Home Run hit streak throughout the series and rookie C Trevor Brown had two in that first game, bringing his total to three for the year – his first three hits in the majors are all home runs! Hunter Pence added another two-out, two-run homer in support and the Giants were looking good.

Then the wheels fell off …

Game Two

Jake Peavy is going to be a problem unless he can right himself quickly. His opening day start at the yard in which he put us in a 0-5 hole in the first four innings, was calamitous and in Colorado his second start was worse. He was shellacked by the Rockies early and often.

Jake Peavy gave up a NY/SF Giants franchise-high 10 Extra Base Hits in this one – the most allowed by a pitcher since Curt Schilling gave up 10 for Boston on Aug. 10, 2006, against Kansas City. It was seriously ugly.

Arenado homered twice, Peavy was a total meltdown. The Rockies ended the day with 12 XBH and a blowout, defeating the Giants 10-6. Brandon Belt did homer in this one to keep the Giants Home Run streak alive at nine games.

Game Three

Matt Cain came into the rubber match as a question mark, as usual. Which Matt Cain would we see? Well, for four innings the answer was AWESOME MATT CAIN.

Cain was precise, throwing 92- and 93-mph fast balls to great success. It was a thing of beauty long-forgotten since we hadn’t seen him this sharp in a while. It was pretty exciting for a few innings there.

Then all of a sudden in the fifth, Cain gave up a dinger, then a double and then found himself in a chippy battle with Craig Wolters, who finally just barely got the best of Matty with a bloop flare over the head of Matt Duffy. That was the beginning of a collapse that ended in embarrassment as the Giants gave up 9 runs in the 5th inning.

In this one, Matty had struck out Arenado twice and was to face him in the fifth with the bases loaded, but Boch decided Matt was done after a 35+pitch inning that had him on the hook for those three base-runners. He brought in Chris Heston who was pitching on consecutive days for the first time in his young career. Hesto gave up a double to Arenado and the run-parade began.

Meanwhile, Jorge de La Rosa pitched a great game and managed the Giants bats well. This was a tough loss. Belt managed to homer again though – a bright spot is our ten game homer streak.

But at  the end of the day, the Giants gave up 31 hits in the last two games to these Rockies at altitude, prompting a lot of fans on twitter to express their hatred for Coors Field once again.

Some injury news, Romo is out temporarily with an elbow thing. Brandon Crawford had to leave with a flexor flare, and Posey who was held out a couple of games to help heal his toe, came back and caught well for Cain during his comeback 4 innings.

Glad to be out of Colorado and on to face the Nemesis in Chavez Ravine with MadBum v. Kershaw II tonight at 7:10pm.

Suspended By Hail and Rain, Giants and Rockies Rubber Match Ends Deadlocked 2-2 in Sixth

22 Thursday May 2014

Posted by mtk in Mid Series Reports, midgame posts

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baseball, called, colorado, Francisco, game, giants, hail, mlb, play, rain, rockies, San, stopped, suspended, suspension, weather

The game has just been called due to the weather. Hail stones and rolling electrified thunderstorms suspended this one, tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, with David Huff on the mound for the Giants, a runner on for the Rockies. The game will be resumed at that point during one of the first three days of September when the Giants visit Colorado again. whew!

TWEET: Suspension of #Rockies #SFGiants series by hail and rain, has something poetic about it. Like two teams too equally matched to conclude.

This has been a tense couple of days and the road trip ends, fittingly, without conclusion, suspended, in limbo and somehow still tense.

This year the Rockies and Giants seem fated to do battle down to the wire. One wonders what the records will be like in that first week of September, in the home stretch of the season. Are these three and a half remaining innings going to be incredibly significant?

And what about the idiotic way in which clowning around by the dugout and Santiago Casilla led to four weeks on the DL for Casilla and the Giants having to call up George Kontos? This was a weird week. Three HBP’s in game one, and after his retaliation plunking (for hitting Tulo) Bumgarner got into it verbally with the Rockies as he ran up the line. Romo getting tagged.

Still, the Giants have to be happy with the trip. They got the Rockies to play by the Giants’ tempo. It still really feels like the Giants won both of these … just one hanging slider away from four up on the Rockies.

Giants pitching tamed the hard hitting Rockies in their park, at altitude. The game plan was intact and the Giants had a shot at taking both and indeed all three of these games.

Looking forward to the Giants coming home this weekend for some Inter-league ball – so we get to make fun of their pitchers swinging the bats – followed by a visit from our historic rivals, dating back to the 1800’s, everybody’s second favorite team (’cause they’re never a threat to anybody’s first) the Chicago Cubs.

Double Hammy Whammy – Giants Win, Lose Cain, Casilla to DL

22 Thursday May 2014

Posted by mtk in pitchers, Post Game Blasts

≈ 2 Comments

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.

Romo Can’t Lock It Down, Giants Lose Opener in Colorado

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by mtk in Post Game Blasts, walkoffs

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Tags

baseball, blown, colorado, Francisco, giants, mlb, rockies, Romo, San, save, sf, walkoff, win

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!

The Battle for First Begins a Mile High

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by mtk in PreGame GBCs

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Tags

Bumgarner, catcher, colorado, Francisco, giants, Hudson, Madison, pablo, rockies, rosario, San, Sandoval, sf, Tim, troy, tulowitzki, wilin

After beating the Marlins 4-1 Sunday the Giants flew directly to Denver and checked into their hotels so as to enjoy as much of their day off yesterday as possible. Ryan Vogelsong’s strong outing made the home stand a winning one and kept the Giants three ahead of Colorado in the NL West standings. The rest was much needed.

The Giants are ready to get back to baseball tonight against the red hot Rockies who boast three of the top five best hitters for average in Justin Morneau, Charlie Blackmon and Troy Tulowitski. Tulo leads the league in average (.393) and Home Runs (13) and is third in RBIs.

Tulowitski’s line is staggering: .494 OBS/.764 SLG/1.259 OPS and he leads in every category by a wide margin including Wins Against Replacement. His 4.5 (WAR) is way beyond. The Denver Post has a nice article about Tulo today.

The Rockies have tasted first place in the NL West already this year and could tie for the lead with a sweep. They’ve been blasting the ball and have hit 62 homers as a team. They beat the Giants in Colorado on April 22 of this year on the strength of five homers and they smashed five in Cincy on the 10th to beat the Reds.

The Rockies clubhouse was struck by a viral infection which sent Catcher Wilin Rosario to the DL, but he has been reactivated from the injury list.

Madison Bumgarner pitches for the Giants tonight, followed by Matt Cain tomorrow night. Tim Hudson will likely be returning to the starting lineup for Thursday’s day game. Hudson missed his last start and was sent to the DL to rest a sore right hip, but has been throwing on flat ground since Saturday and will throw bullpen today.

Angel Pagan is listed day-to-day for the series because of his left shoulder, which he sprained diving for a ball in the last Marlins game.

Pablo Sandoval has begun hitting, stepping up in the absence of Brandon Belt. His solo homer yesterday was nice to see. His nine game hitting streak could include more long balls in the altitude of Coors Field. Let’s hope so.

Go Giants!

Giants Incapable of Scoring 2 Runs in Colorado, Lose 2-1

23 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by mtk in Post Game Blasts

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Tags

2-1, colorado, giants, loss, mlb, rockies, sf

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

Series Recap Rox Roll, Score 31 Runs on Giants (1-3)

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by mtk in Series Recaps

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Tags

colorado, Francisco, giants, mlb, rockies, San, sf

after stealing

Game 1:  Giants 8, Rockies 6

the Giants made numerous errors and endured horrible pitching that made the end of the road trip miserable.

Game 2:  Giants 9, Rockies 10

this one was painful as the Giants almost came back but fell short.

Game 3: Giants 2, Rockies 10

a blowout

Game 4: Giants 0, Rockies 5

a shutout.

ugh.

M.T. Karthik

This blog archives early work of M.T. Karthik, who took every photograph and shot all the video here unless otherwise credited.

Performances and installations are posted by date of execution.

Writing appears in whatever form it was originally or, as in the case of poems or journal entries, retyped faithfully from print.

all of it is © M.T. Karthik

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