<< <i>Wilson can pout all he wants in the dugout but the fact is he's useless on the mound.
The only ones now fearing the beard is the Giants starting rotation. Time to shave that crap off. >>
Strangely, I'm not really concerned about Wilson. He always ends up pulling it together. Same with the rest of the bullpen. As with MadBum a few days ago, getting lit up will probably help Wilson. As evidenced by his tantrum, he cares about what's going on. (and, if he was just sitting in the dugout eating seeds, I'd be far more concerned).
Burriss won't be around for much longer. Even if Fontenot goes 0-fer his whole rehab assignment, Burris is getting sent down when Fontenot returns... unless they decide to release Hall. He's been useless.
Panda's flashing power again. Not sure how much of an impact that's gonna make with the rest of the offense going in the opposite direction.
<< <i>2011 SF Giants Thread: 6/29 - Giants suck, lose.
Burriss.... !!! >>
one wonders what goes through the mind of a professional athlete, if anything when that situation occurs. i will never understand "little league brain locks" that happen at this level.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/2 - Giants score 15 runs IN ONE GAME, win.
I'm shocked. 15 - 3. I expected that it'd be the Giants on the loosing end of something like that with Zito on the mound, but it was not to be.
Short rest, pitches 2 shutout innings before a 3 hour rain delay, then comes back and tacks on another 4 shutout innings on the other side.
Sandoval with a 2 run homer, Crawford with a 3 run homer, and Tejada with a grand slam. All they needed to do was hit a solo shot for the Home Run Cycle, but oh well.
I'm sure Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner (21.1 ip combined, 2 runs, 3 no decisions) stood up together in the dugout, pointed at the score board and yelled to their teammates "What the hell is this?"
Well, the offense goes AWOL in Chicago then all of the sudden shows up on Saturday in Detroit at the same time as a thunderstorm. Better late than never I guess.
Panda looks like he's hitting well. Since coming back he's been getting hits and it looks like the power's coming back and just in the nick of time.
Tejada earned his paycheck tonight. At least for tonight we can't call him "Miguel TeNADA".
Is Zito back? We know he's better now but is he back for good? Time will tell.
I thought Wilson should've pitched the 9th. It wasn't a save situation but with the blowout lead it could've been a rehab session to allow him to gain his mojo back.
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2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/3 - Giants get quality start from Vogelsong, but stink it up everywhere else.
Yeah, there's still 2 innings left, and the Giants are only down by 1, but each run they scored was a gift, and they've been taking blind hacks all day long.
I'm calling it in the 8th. No way they'll do any damage in the 9th the way they've been swinging their toothpicks.
The Giants did a lot better than I thought they would. I fully expected the Giants to get destroyed in Detroit. Game 1 was a gift from the Tigers. Game 2 was a fluke. Game 3 was as it should have been, close game with Vogelsong getting shafted by his own team.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/4 - Enter the 2011 Padres
Last year the Giants were 6-12 vs the Padres, but still managed to win the West.
This year the Giants have only played 2 games, and are 1-1. It'll be interesting to see what happens here. The Padres team is a mess, but their pitching is still strong. They're 4th in the league in fewest runs allowed, and edge the Giants for last in the NL in offense.
Adrian Gonzalez, their best player, wasn't necessarly a Giant killer, posting a modest .254/.346/.433 against SF last year. So, the fact that he's not in the lineup isn't assurance that the Pads will fall.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/4 - Giants not good enough to beat last place Padres.
Sloppy pitching, sloppy defense, bad hitting (except for Pablo) make the Giants fail to measure up to the last place Padres. The ownage continues from last year.
Pablo continued his surge, blasting a HR into the bay. Too bad the rest of the lineup has fallen into disaray. Cody Ross leaving early with a leg injury? Come on! WTF!
The Padres are always pesky against the Giants. Reminds me a lot of how the Nationals are with the Braves. They can have a multi-game losing streak going and come in Atlanta and win a 3 game series and most of the time it's dumb mistakes. It happens. You're still 10 games over 500!
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/5 - once again owned by the wretched Padres.
The tour-de-farce continues as the Giants flail and fail against the Padres.
The Giants All Stars are looking like chumps.
Friday: Wilson: blown save. Sunday: Vogelsong: no-decision (loss). Monday: Lincecum: Loss. Not only that, couldn't last 6 innings against the NL's worst offense. Tuesday: Cain: Loss. Got lit-up by the NL's worst offense.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/6 - Starting pitching can't stop the Padre onslaught... but the Padre bullpen falters
Lincecum, Cain, and now Bumgarner have gotten hammered for 13 runs in the past 3 games, by the PADRES, the worst offense in the NL. However, clutch hitting by Panda and Nate-the-Great (2 hr, including walk-off shot) and 8 innings of 2 hit, 0 run ball by the Pen got the win for the Giants.
Asside from Nate and Pablo (both with 3 RBI), the Giants were looking horrid with runners on base. In fact, a lot of called strikes made it obvious that the other Giants weren't practicing good pitch recognition, taking strikes right down the middle and swinging at pitches up in their faces.
Nate had his first 2 HR game, at home no less, and Pablo extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/7 - Zito dominates. Huh??
During his time on the DL, he spent a lot of time with a yoga master... or was it a Jedi master, I'm not sure.
Well, he comes off the DL and has gone 3-0 in 3 games, while looking good in the process.
Still, he got off to a great start last year, going 5-0 in his first 6 games with a 1.49 era. He then went 4-14 with a 4.87 era in his next 28.
2nd base is apparently cursed this year. We've lost:
1) Freddy Sanchez, starting 2nd baseman: dislocated shoulder, out until August 2) Mike Fontenot, backup 2nd baseman: groin strain, still rehabing 3) Mark DeRosa, super utility guy: torn tendon in wrist, no timetable for return and now 4) Bill Hall, emergency free-agent 2nd baseman: bone-deep leg wound
We've got Manny Burriss who can play there, and apparently Miguel Tejada has found new life as a 2nd baseman.
The Giants might just decide to stand pat with Burriss and Tejada as 2nd base options, especially since Tejada's started to hit (.276/.330/.414 since June 1st) and the Giants are in love with Brandon Crawford's amazing defense at SS and want to keep him there.
Maybe Brandon Belt will get another look now that he's off the DL?
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/9 - Nate and Panda drive in runs, Giants win. 2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/10 - Nate and Panda drive in runs, Giants win.
I've always been a Schierholtz fan. The dude is a sniper wielding ninja in right field and a feel for the clutch.
Pablo's (just added to the All Star team today) got a 21 game hitting streak going on right now, and is a force at the plate.
A pair of high pitch-count games for Lincecum (114) and Cain (118). Both only went 6 innings too, with Timmy giving up 1 run and Cain giving up 0. They're usually a little more efficient than that. Still, they stymied the Mets, and that's what mattered.
After the break, the rotation's getting reworked to: Bumgarner, Lincecum, Zito, Cain, Vogelsong. Lefty - Righty - Lefty - Righty - Righty
No real statement being made with that rotation, except that Jonathan Sanchez's name isn't there. ???
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/15 - Giants call up raw rookie catcher Hector Sanchez. !?!??!?!
A total "WTF?" move. Just a few weeks ago, AAA manager Steve Decker said that Sanchez's work behind the plate was in no way close to being ready for the majors, yet here he comes. He's got a little pop, but a poor bb/so ratio (14/54). He's got a good arm behind the plate, and has gunned down 33% of attempted basestealers in the minors this year. His hitting is iffy. He posted a .301/.321/.511 slash in 184 PA's in (A) San Jose this year, but .305/.370/.366 in 92 PA at (AAA) Fresno. More walks, less thump.
Sanchez has never been considered to be any sort of "prospect" in the Giants organization.
Pat Burrell was put on the DL to make room for him on the 25 man roster, but they still need to remove someone from the 40 man roster. My guess is that Bill Hall is going to be shown the door.
So, we've got 3 catchers now. I don't know why they didn't just call up Brandon Belt and put him in LF. He's been rocking AAA since coming off the DL.
Still, the day's not over yet. Switching an OF for a C seems weird, so it's possible that there will be another move, with either Stewart or Whiteside being dumped.
They won the first two against a team they've been owned by so tonight was due. After weeks of speculation at the least we know the real Barry Zito never went away but rather is still around and kicking.
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<< <i>They won the first two against a team they've been owned by so tonight was due. After weeks of speculation at the least we know the real Barry Zito never went away but rather is still around and kicking. >>
Zito coughing up 8 runs in less than 4 innings isn't "Padre ownage", it's "Zito Suckage."
Giants scratched out 3 runs against the Padres, and if any of the other starters were pitching, those 3 runs would have been enough. I think the spell the Padres have on the Giants is starting to fade.
Ryan Vogelsong continued his amazing comeback season with 6.2 scoreless innings, and the bullpen nailed down the other 2.1 innings to complete the shutout of the Dodgers.
Panda blasted a homer to the deepest part of the yard to get the Giants on the board and continues to be the MVP for the Giants.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/19 - Dawn of the Brandon Belt era!! (take 2)
His first callup didn't work out so well, so he got demoted. Then he got brought back up in an emergency situation, and broke his wrist. After rehab and a brief stint at destroying the minors once again, Brandon Belt's been called up, and this time, I think it's for good.
Aubrey Huff has been sucking lately, and Bochey says he has a "tight back" or whatever, so he's gonna sit, and Belt's starting.
The Giants also traded 2 minor league non-prospect pitchers to the Astros and got Jeff Kepplinger (2b) in return. Keppinger's a career .284/.337/.395 hitter who's been playing slightly above average 2nd base for the 'stros this year. He basically looks like another Mike Fontenot to me.
This was an emergency move that was made because Miguel Tejada went down with the abdominal strain last night. Tejada's a useless lump with the glove, but has been hitting .283/.331/.425 since June.
Heh, I posted the above post before the game, and Belt indeed ushered in the Brandon Belt era with a bang: a solo shot in his first plate apperance, then a 2 run double in the 7th to break a 3-3 tie. Awesome!
Panda got pinch-ran for in the 7th after an IBB, and they reported that he had a tight quad, so hopefully that's nothing.
MadBum pitched a heck of a game. 7 of his 8 innings pitched were perfect, with only the 3rd inning being an ugly 3 run inning.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/20 - Nate and Panda sit, replacements go 0-6 in Giants 1-0 loss.
What do the Giants do when facing an elite pitcher? They sit their best hitters. Schierholtz and Sandoval took the day off (except for late inning pinch hitting) and the Giants lost 0-1.
I was at the game on Friday and to sum it up...that sucked.
This is the start of a tough schedule stretch when they play the Brewers, Phillies and the Pirates. If they don't improve things can go bad ala the 2010 Padres in a heartbeat.
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2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/24 - Amazing pitching continues to cover for anemic hitting
Vogelsong on Saturday, Madbum on Sunday, and a lights-out bullpen kept the score low, and the Giants hitters managed to scrape out enough runs to win.
Jeff Keppinger is looking like a pretty good player. Good defense, a few key hits. Giants want him starting at 2nd, so that'll probably mean that Burriss is getting demoted when either Hall, DeRosa, Tejada, or F. Sanchez come off the DL.
The test will be in the coming weeks. They play in Philly next, then to Cincy after that. Philly will face Lincecum, Zito, and Cain. Cincy will face Vogelsong, Bumgarner, and Lincecum.
I'm still not sure what the Giants are going to do with Jonathan Sanchez once he's ready to come off the DL. They said that he's gonna do one more rehab start, but he says he's ready. There's NO ROOM on the 25 man roster for him unless they invent an injury and DL Zito again or someone in the bullpen.
4 out of 6 Giants pitchers have shown that they can handle good hitting, but Zito's one of the 2 who hasn't proven anything, and he pitches tomorrow.
Lincecum lost a duel with LA's Kershaw, in his last outing, getting beaten 0-1 in 7 innings of work..
Zito got shelled for 8 runs in 3.2 innings vs the worst offense in the NL in his last outing (and lost).
Cain's coming off an outing where he coughed up 3 earned runs in 6 innings to the Brewers and lost.
Conversley...
Worley is coming off of a strong 8 ip, 1 earned run win over the Cubs. Hamels is coming off of a strong 8 ip, 1 earned run win over the Padres. Kendrick is coming off of a 5.2 ip, 3 earned run no-decision vs the Padres.
So there you go: Giants pitchers, coming into this series, are 0-3 with 12 earned runs in 16.2 ip Phillies pitchers, coming into this series, are 3-0, with 5 earned runs in 21.2 ip
Edit: Lincecum's been scratched with the flu. Fun. A flu ran through the clubhouse in the early part of the year and everyone got sick. Yeah, way to start a nasty road trip.
So, if they're skipping Lincecum's turn in the rotation, that means Barry Zito gets to pitch in Philly and Cincy.
Yep...Barry Zito still sucks. Against a team with a supposed weak offense he's been getting lit up like a Christmas tree.
Yeah he's had a few good outings scattered here and there but still I trust Jonathan Sanchez on a bad day than I do Zito on any day. Quite frankly a part of me wishes the only ties he would have with the Giants organization is if he were the team chef. Of course we'd be afraid that if he were to toss a salad somebody would smack it for a 3-run bomb.
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2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/26 - Giants immediately trip and face-plant on return to Philly
Timmy got sick before the game, so Zito had to start today, instead of tomorrow. Still, Zito being Zito, he got lit up anyways. Pitching to the upper middle half of the strike zone is no place for a major league pitcher to be, and Zito lives there. He built a little house, dug a swimming pool, even planted an orchard of suck trees, so he'll never run out of suck.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/27 - Huge upgrade: Giants acquire Carlos Beltran!
The deal awaiting league approval is for Beltran to come to SF along with a suitcase of cash in exchange for Giants top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler's a 21 year old righty who the Giants drafted #6 in the 2009 draft. In 2 seasons with A and A+ teams, he's got a 3.99 era, 1.405 whip, 10.3 so/9 ratio, and 1.98 so/bb ratio. He was rated as the #55 prospect in baseball at the start of this season. He doesn't project to be a major leaguer for another few seasons.
Carlos Beltran batting a robust .289/.391/.513, and leads the league in doubles. He'd be an instant upgrade anywhere in the outfield for the Giants.
Giants will need to clear room on both the 25 man and the 40 man to accommodate the addition of Beltran to the 25 man. My guess is that Manny Burris gets optioned and Bill Hall gets released.
Beltran's been a center-fielder for most of his career, but has played right field for the Mets this year due to injuries sapping away his range.
I'm not sure who will get benched when Beltran suits up. I guess it depends on where Beltran can play. Hopefully he can play some LF. If not, I hope Nate can.
I'm glad the Giants got a good middle-of-the-order bat. I still wonder what kind of pitcher Wheeler will turn into. The last time the Giants traded a top pitching prospect, they sent Tim Alderson (#45 prospect in 2009) to Pittsburgh for Freddy Sanchez. The Giants didn't see an immediate ROI with that trade, as Sanchez spent most of 2009 on the DL, then after getting healthy, helped the Giants win the World Series the next year. Tim Alderson has been horrid for the Pirates, and is now a reliever on their AA squad.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/27 - With reinforcements inbound, Cain holds the line
Matt Cain knows how to pitch with poor run support, AND poor defense. A solid outing for the longest tenured SF Giant.
<< <i>However, I don't understand the moves the Giants have made to make room for Beltran. >>
Ok, edit this all away. CSN Bay Area reported that Burrell was getting released and Belt was getting demoted. Brian Sabean later denied the report outright, calling it absolutely wrong.
So, I'm back to my original guesses: Bill Hall released, and Manny Burriss demoted.
As SteveK once stated, Beltran is nothing more than a mercenary...great talent but no guts or grit...his legacy as a Met (other than being injured) will be watching that 3-2 pitch drop in for a called strike 3 in the 9th inning with the bases loaded in the 2006 NLCS..
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<< <i>As SteveK once stated, Beltran is nothing more than a mercenary...great talent but no guts or grit...his legacy as a Met (other than being injured) will be watching that 3-2 pitch drop in for a called strike 3 in the 9th inning with the bases loaded in the 2006 NLCS.. >>
We'll see. Bad game when it counted, yeah, it looks bad, but that was a while ago. He'll have a shot at redeeming himself.
What is it with the Giants offense? Belt tears up AAA but can't hit in the majors. He's got potential but it's still not happening.
Yep, Beltran with his 1-for-whatever since joining the team and multiple strikeouts shows us he's now really a part of the Giants. It won't surprise me if by late August he's hitting .245 or worse.
FonteNOT with his offensive potency makes Tejada look like Jose Reyes. Miss Miggy yet? I'm beginning to.
Could not understand the decision to use Wilson in a tie situation when Affeldt was still available.
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<< <i>Belt tears up AAA but can't hit in the majors. He's got potential but it's still not happening. >>
I don't blame Belt. I don't expect a rookie to be a good pinch hitter, coming in cold off the bench. In the 3 games he's started since coming back, he's gone 2-4, 0-4, and 2-2 (with a walk).
I'm also not that concerned about Beltran yet.
<< <i>FonteNOT with his offensive potency makes Tejada look like Jose Reyes. Miss Miggy yet? I'm beginning to. >>
I don't know what's going on with Font. In his first 7 games off the DL, he went 10-28. In the last 7 he's gone 0-21 with 1 walk. I don't know if it makes a difference, but he immediately stopped hitting once Keppinger took over 2nd base and Font shifted to SS (his weaker position).
While Miggy sucked for his first few months, look at how his season progressed:
April - May (200 pa): .207/.240/.280 June (77 pa): .254/.303/.366 July (45 pa): .333/.378/.524
When Tejada comes off the DL, watch Crawford get optioned and Font get returned to his "off the bench" role. I love Crawford's defense, but the Giants don't have the kind of team right now that can consistently tolerate multiple dudes batting < .200
Brett Pill's tearing up the minors and plays 1st and 2nd. In AAA, he's batting .316/.348/.551 with 20 hr and 87 RBI. He's also not a one sided whiff machine, taking 20 walks with his 43 strikeouts. I wonder why the Giants are ignoring him.
<< <i>Could not understand the decision to use Wilson in a tie situation when Affeldt was still available. >>
I think Bochey was thinking righty/lefty matchups there. Reds had LRR due up. Wilson's harder on righties than Affeldt is. Statistically, Wilson was the best choice at the time.
Apparently tonight is maximum suckage night. Three errors so far and no coherent offense = losing.
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2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/30 - Giants suck, lose, then trade for O. Cabrera and concede season.
WTF????!?!?!??!
Giants just traded AAA outfielder Thomas Neal for 2nd baseman Orlando Cabrera (who they plan to make the everyday shortstop). Cabrera represents a DOWNGRADE from Miguel Tejada at short.
Their last 2 months: Cabrera: .225/.265/.312 Tejada: .283/.331/.425
This trade makes no sense. No sense at all.
Neal is a 23 year old outfielder who's hitting .296/.372/.467 after 6 seasons in the Giants farm system. I guess they don't figure Neal will ever amount to anything, but trading for someone like Cabrera makes no sense.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/31 - After conceeding season, Giants bend over and take a 9-0 loss.
Still a few minutes left today, Giants might still make a deal... like sending Lincecum, Cain, Vogelsong, and Bumgarner somewhere for a bucket of A level prospects and future draft picks.
<< <i>2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/31 - After conceeding season, Giants bend over and take a 9-0 loss.
Still a few minutes left today, Giants might still make a deal... like sending Lincecum, Cain, Vogelsong, and Bumgarner somewhere for a bucket of A level prospects and future draft picks. >>
That didn't happen, especially not for prospects given Sabean's fetish for over-the-hill players. The Giants aren't the Oakland A's. Speaking of the A's, are they anything else than a farm team for the rest of Major League Baseball?
I only caught a few minutes of today's game. Good thing I wasn't around to watch the awful rest. I wouldn't say the season's over but they have to get a lot better fast if they want to stay in first place.
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Weird series. In all 3 games, the Giants pitchers struggled in the first inning, then settled down (except Zito). I don't know if it was the weather, or the environment, or if all Vogelsong and Bumgarner accidently drank some of Zito's Suck Water before the game and coudn't induce vomiting fast enough to avoid digesting it.
Well, the Giants have a HUGE series with the D-backs coming into SF. 3 games.
If the Giants sweep, the D-Backs leave 5 games back. If the Giants take 2, the D-Backs leave 3 games back. If the D-backs sweep, the D-Backs take 1st place and push the Giants 1 game back.
Giants are 7-2 vs the D-Backs this season. Both teams are 15-11 in July.
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7 months until spring training!
2011 Giants lay as a lifeless corpse on AT&T Park's green grass as the D-Backs take their hacks.
I wonder what 2012 will look like? Maybe that Zack Wheeler kid will, oh wait, nevermind. He got traded for a Starbucks gift card with $0.15 left on it.
Comments
<< <i>Wilson can pout all he wants in the dugout but the fact is he's useless on the mound.
The only ones now fearing the beard is the Giants starting rotation. Time to shave that crap off. >>
Strangely, I'm not really concerned about Wilson. He always ends up pulling it together. Same with the rest of the bullpen. As with MadBum a few days ago, getting lit up will probably help Wilson. As evidenced by his tantrum, he cares about what's going on. (and, if he was just sitting in the dugout eating seeds, I'd be far more concerned).
Burriss won't be around for much longer. Even if Fontenot goes 0-fer his whole rehab assignment, Burris is getting sent down when Fontenot returns... unless they decide to release Hall. He's been useless.
Panda's flashing power again. Not sure how much of an impact that's gonna make with the rest of the offense going in the opposite direction.
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<< <i>2011 SF Giants Thread: 6/29 - Giants suck, lose.
Burriss....
one wonders what goes through the mind of a professional athlete, if anything when that situation occurs. i will never understand "little league brain locks" that happen at this level.
6-0 with no outs in the top of the 3rd, 2 on, 3-1 count to Crawford.... then rain delay.
95 degrees plus heavy rain, YUCK!!!
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I'm shocked. 15 - 3. I expected that it'd be the Giants on the loosing end of something like that with Zito on the mound, but it was not to be.
Short rest, pitches 2 shutout innings before a 3 hour rain delay, then comes back and tacks on another 4 shutout innings on the other side.
Sandoval with a 2 run homer, Crawford with a 3 run homer, and Tejada with a grand slam. All they needed to do was hit a solo shot for the Home Run Cycle, but oh well.
I'm sure Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner (21.1 ip combined, 2 runs, 3 no decisions) stood up together in the dugout, pointed at the score board and yelled to their teammates "What the hell is this?"
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Panda looks like he's hitting well. Since coming back he's been getting hits and it looks like the power's coming back and just in the nick of time.
Tejada earned his paycheck tonight. At least for tonight we can't call him "Miguel TeNADA".
Is Zito back? We know he's better now but is he back for good? Time will tell.
I thought Wilson should've pitched the 9th. It wasn't a save situation but with the blowout lead it could've been a rehab session to allow him to gain his mojo back.
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Yeah, there's still 2 innings left, and the Giants are only down by 1, but each run they scored was a gift, and they've been taking blind hacks all day long.
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I'm calling it in the 8th. No way they'll do any damage in the 9th the way they've been swinging their toothpicks.
The Giants did a lot better than I thought they would. I fully expected the Giants to get destroyed in Detroit. Game 1 was a gift from the Tigers. Game 2 was a fluke. Game 3 was as it should have been, close game with Vogelsong getting shafted by his own team.
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<< <i>2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/3 - Giants suck, loose.
>>
What's wrong with being loose?
<< <i>What's wrong with being loose? >>
Depends on what it is that's loose.
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Last year the Giants were 6-12 vs the Padres, but still managed to win the West.
This year the Giants have only played 2 games, and are 1-1. It'll be interesting to see what happens here. The Padres team is a mess, but their pitching is still strong. They're 4th in the league in fewest runs allowed, and edge the Giants for last in the NL in offense.
Adrian Gonzalez, their best player, wasn't necessarly a Giant killer, posting a modest .254/.346/.433 against SF last year. So, the fact that he's not in the lineup isn't assurance that the Pads will fall.
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Sloppy pitching, sloppy defense, bad hitting (except for Pablo) make the Giants fail to measure up to the last place Padres. The ownage continues from last year.
Pablo continued his surge, blasting a HR into the bay. Too bad the rest of the lineup has fallen into disaray. Cody Ross leaving early with a leg injury? Come on! WTF!
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<< <i>You're still 10 games over 500! >>
Amazing but true, for now.
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The tour-de-farce continues as the Giants flail and fail against the Padres.
The Giants All Stars are looking like chumps.
Friday: Wilson: blown save.
Sunday: Vogelsong: no-decision (loss).
Monday: Lincecum: Loss. Not only that, couldn't last 6 innings against the NL's worst offense.
Tuesday: Cain: Loss. Got lit-up by the NL's worst offense.
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Lincecum, Cain, and now Bumgarner have gotten hammered for 13 runs in the past 3 games, by the PADRES, the worst offense in the NL. However, clutch hitting by Panda and Nate-the-Great (2 hr, including walk-off shot) and 8 innings of 2 hit, 0 run ball by the Pen got the win for the Giants.
Asside from Nate and Pablo (both with 3 RBI), the Giants were looking horrid with runners on base. In fact, a lot of called strikes made it obvious that the other Giants weren't practicing good pitch recognition, taking strikes right down the middle and swinging at pitches up in their faces.
Nate had his first 2 HR game, at home no less, and Pablo extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
During his time on the DL, he spent a lot of time with a yoga master... or was it a Jedi master, I'm not sure.
Well, he comes off the DL and has gone 3-0 in 3 games, while looking good in the process.
Still, he got off to a great start last year, going 5-0 in his first 6 games with a 1.49 era. He then went 4-14 with a 4.87 era in his next 28.
2nd base is apparently cursed this year. We've lost:
1) Freddy Sanchez, starting 2nd baseman: dislocated shoulder, out until August
2) Mike Fontenot, backup 2nd baseman: groin strain, still rehabing
3) Mark DeRosa, super utility guy: torn tendon in wrist, no timetable for return
and now
4) Bill Hall, emergency free-agent 2nd baseman: bone-deep leg wound
We've got Manny Burriss who can play there, and apparently Miguel Tejada has found new life as a 2nd baseman.
The Giants might just decide to stand pat with Burriss and Tejada as 2nd base options, especially since Tejada's started to hit (.276/.330/.414 since June 1st) and the Giants are in love with Brandon Crawford's amazing defense at SS and want to keep him there.
Maybe Brandon Belt will get another look now that he's off the DL?
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Same old story, Giants don't hit, bullpen gets hit.
Wilson seems to have a bad case of Jonathan Sanchez disease right now. He'd better snap out of it soon.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/10 - Nate and Panda drive in runs, Giants win.
I've always been a Schierholtz fan. The dude is a sniper wielding ninja in right field and a feel for the clutch.
Pablo's (just added to the All Star team today) got a 21 game hitting streak going on right now, and is a force at the plate.
A pair of high pitch-count games for Lincecum (114) and Cain (118). Both only went 6 innings too, with Timmy giving up 1 run and Cain giving up 0. They're usually a little more efficient than that. Still, they stymied the Mets, and that's what mattered.
After the break, the rotation's getting reworked to: Bumgarner, Lincecum, Zito, Cain, Vogelsong. Lefty - Righty - Lefty - Righty - Righty
No real statement being made with that rotation, except that Jonathan Sanchez's name isn't there. ???
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Glad to see Brian Wilson putting an end to a potential rally, instead of sparking one.
Pablo!
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
A total "WTF?" move. Just a few weeks ago, AAA manager Steve Decker said that Sanchez's work behind the plate was in no way close to being ready for the majors, yet here he comes. He's got a little pop, but a poor bb/so ratio (14/54). He's got a good arm behind the plate, and has gunned down 33% of attempted basestealers in the minors this year. His hitting is iffy. He posted a .301/.321/.511 slash in 184 PA's in (A) San Jose this year, but .305/.370/.366 in 92 PA at (AAA) Fresno. More walks, less thump.
Sanchez has never been considered to be any sort of "prospect" in the Giants organization.
Pat Burrell was put on the DL to make room for him on the 25 man roster, but they still need to remove someone from the 40 man roster. My guess is that Bill Hall is going to be shown the door.
So, we've got 3 catchers now. I don't know why they didn't just call up Brandon Belt and put him in LF. He's been rocking AAA since coming off the DL.
Still, the day's not over yet. Switching an OF for a C seems weird, so it's possible that there will be another move, with either Stewart or Whiteside being dumped.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
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<< <i>They won the first two against a team they've been owned by so tonight was due. After weeks of speculation at the least we know the real Barry Zito never went away but rather is still around and kicking. >>
Zito coughing up 8 runs in less than 4 innings isn't "Padre ownage", it's "Zito Suckage."
Giants scratched out 3 runs against the Padres, and if any of the other starters were pitching, those 3 runs would have been enough. I think the spell the Padres have on the Giants is starting to fade.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
6 steals and a game-winning suicide squeeze. Awesome.
Wilson's scary 11th:
walk
walk
failed sacrifice bunt attempt (catcher-3b-1b double play)
walk
ground-out force at 2nd
SAVE
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Ryan Vogelsong continued his amazing comeback season with 6.2 scoreless innings, and the bullpen nailed down the other 2.1 innings to complete the shutout of the Dodgers.
Panda blasted a homer to the deepest part of the yard to get the Giants on the board and continues to be the MVP for the Giants.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
His first callup didn't work out so well, so he got demoted. Then he got brought back up in an emergency situation, and broke his wrist. After rehab and a brief stint at destroying the minors once again, Brandon Belt's been called up, and this time, I think it's for good.
Aubrey Huff has been sucking lately, and Bochey says he has a "tight back" or whatever, so he's gonna sit, and Belt's starting.
The Giants also traded 2 minor league non-prospect pitchers to the Astros and got Jeff Kepplinger (2b) in return. Keppinger's a career .284/.337/.395 hitter who's been playing slightly above average 2nd base for the 'stros this year. He basically looks like another Mike Fontenot to me.
This was an emergency move that was made because Miguel Tejada went down with the abdominal strain last night. Tejada's a useless lump with the glove, but has been hitting .283/.331/.425 since June.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Panda got pinch-ran for in the 7th after an IBB, and they reported that he had a tight quad, so hopefully that's nothing.
MadBum pitched a heck of a game. 7 of his 8 innings pitched were perfect, with only the 3rd inning being an ugly 3 run inning.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
What do the Giants do when facing an elite pitcher? They sit their best hitters. Schierholtz and Sandoval took the day off (except for late inning pinch hitting) and the Giants lost 0-1.
Blegh.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Wow, what a crappy game. Matt Cain was off, but 3 defensive blunders pretty much cost the Giants the game.
Panda and Nate went a combined 0-7, though Sandoval did drive in a run with a groundout.
Suckage all around.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
This is the start of a tough schedule stretch when they play the Brewers, Phillies and the Pirates. If they don't improve things can go bad ala the 2010 Padres in a heartbeat.
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Vogelsong on Saturday, Madbum on Sunday, and a lights-out bullpen kept the score low, and the Giants hitters managed to scrape out enough runs to win.
Jeff Keppinger is looking like a pretty good player. Good defense, a few key hits. Giants want him starting at 2nd, so that'll probably mean that Burriss is getting demoted when either Hall, DeRosa, Tejada, or F. Sanchez come off the DL.
The test will be in the coming weeks. They play in Philly next, then to Cincy after that. Philly will face Lincecum, Zito, and Cain. Cincy will face Vogelsong, Bumgarner, and Lincecum.
I'm still not sure what the Giants are going to do with Jonathan Sanchez once he's ready to come off the DL. They said that he's gonna do one more rehab start, but he says he's ready. There's NO ROOM on the 25 man roster for him unless they invent an injury and DL Zito again or someone in the bullpen.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
4 out of 6 Giants pitchers have shown that they can handle good hitting, but Zito's one of the 2 who hasn't proven anything, and he pitches tomorrow.
Lincecum lost a duel with LA's Kershaw, in his last outing, getting beaten 0-1 in 7 innings of work..
Zito got shelled for 8 runs in 3.2 innings vs the worst offense in the NL in his last outing (and lost).
Cain's coming off an outing where he coughed up 3 earned runs in 6 innings to the Brewers and lost.
Conversley...
Worley is coming off of a strong 8 ip, 1 earned run win over the Cubs.
Hamels is coming off of a strong 8 ip, 1 earned run win over the Padres.
Kendrick is coming off of a 5.2 ip, 3 earned run no-decision vs the Padres.
So there you go:
Giants pitchers, coming into this series, are 0-3 with 12 earned runs in 16.2 ip
Phillies pitchers, coming into this series, are 3-0, with 5 earned runs in 21.2 ip
Edit: Lincecum's been scratched with the flu. Fun. A flu ran through the clubhouse in the early part of the year and everyone got sick. Yeah, way to start a nasty road trip.
So, if they're skipping Lincecum's turn in the rotation, that means Barry Zito gets to pitch in Philly and Cincy.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Yeah he's had a few good outings scattered here and there but still I trust Jonathan Sanchez on a bad day than I do Zito on any day. Quite frankly a part of me wishes the only ties he would have with the Giants organization is if he were the team chef. Of course we'd be afraid that if he were to toss a salad somebody would smack it for a 3-run bomb.
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Timmy got sick before the game, so Zito had to start today, instead of tomorrow. Still, Zito being Zito, he got lit up anyways. Pitching to the upper middle half of the strike zone is no place for a major league pitcher to be, and Zito lives there. He built a little house, dug a swimming pool, even planted an orchard of suck trees, so he'll never run out of suck.
Zito's coughed up 5 HR in his last 10.2 ip.
I'm ready to see Jonathan Sanchez come back.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
The deal awaiting league approval is for Beltran to come to SF along with a suitcase of cash in exchange for Giants top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler's a 21 year old righty who the Giants drafted #6 in the 2009 draft. In 2 seasons with A and A+ teams, he's got a 3.99 era, 1.405 whip, 10.3 so/9 ratio, and 1.98 so/bb ratio. He was rated as the #55 prospect in baseball at the start of this season. He doesn't project to be a major leaguer for another few seasons.
Carlos Beltran batting a robust .289/.391/.513, and leads the league in doubles. He'd be an instant upgrade anywhere in the outfield for the Giants.
Giants will need to clear room on both the 25 man and the 40 man to accommodate the addition of Beltran to the 25 man. My guess is that Manny Burris gets optioned and Bill Hall gets released.
Beltran's been a center-fielder for most of his career, but has played right field for the Mets this year due to injuries sapping away his range.
Giants OF:
Nate Schierholtz (RF): .283/.326/.438, OPS+ 114
Andres Torres (CF): .236/.325/.368, OPS+ 96
Cody Ross (LF): .255/.342/.404, OPS+ 110
Aaron Rowand (OF): .244/.294/.368, OPS+ 86
Carlos Beltran (OF): .289/.391/.513, OPS+ 151
I'm not sure who will get benched when Beltran suits up. I guess it depends on where Beltran can play. Hopefully he can play some LF. If not, I hope Nate can.
I'm glad the Giants got a good middle-of-the-order bat. I still wonder what kind of pitcher Wheeler will turn into. The last time the Giants traded a top pitching prospect, they sent Tim Alderson (#45 prospect in 2009) to Pittsburgh for Freddy Sanchez. The Giants didn't see an immediate ROI with that trade, as Sanchez spent most of 2009 on the DL, then after getting healthy, helped the Giants win the World Series the next year. Tim Alderson has been horrid for the Pirates, and is now a reliever on their AA squad.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Matt Cain knows how to pitch with poor run support, AND poor defense.
<< <i>However, I don't understand the moves the Giants have made to make room for Beltran. >>
Ok, edit this all away. CSN Bay Area reported that Burrell was getting released and Belt was getting demoted. Brian Sabean later denied the report outright, calling it absolutely wrong.
So, I'm back to my original guesses: Bill Hall released, and Manny Burriss demoted.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
<< <i>As SteveK once stated, Beltran is nothing more than a mercenary...great talent but no guts or grit...his legacy as a Met (other than being injured) will be watching that 3-2 pitch drop in for a called strike 3 in the 9th inning with the bases loaded in the 2006 NLCS.. >>
We'll see. Bad game when it counted, yeah, it looks bad, but that was a while ago. He'll have a shot at redeeming himself.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Timmy, 1 hit, 6 scoreless innings
Beltran, 0-4, vandalizes Citizens Bank Park's outfield grass
Panda + Nate = RBIs = Win
Whew. 2 out of 3 in Philly. Just like old times.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Wasted defense, wasted recovery by Vogelsong after horrible first 2 innings, wasted bullpen effort. It's one of those "F
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Yep, Beltran with his 1-for-whatever since joining the team and multiple strikeouts shows us he's now really a part of the Giants. It won't surprise me if by late August he's hitting .245 or worse.
FonteNOT with his offensive potency makes Tejada look like Jose Reyes. Miss Miggy yet? I'm beginning to.
Could not understand the decision to use Wilson in a tie situation when Affeldt was still available.
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<< <i>Belt tears up AAA but can't hit in the majors. He's got potential but it's still not happening. >>
I don't blame Belt. I don't expect a rookie to be a good pinch hitter, coming in cold off the bench. In the 3 games he's started since coming back, he's gone 2-4, 0-4, and 2-2 (with a walk).
I'm also not that concerned about Beltran yet.
<< <i>FonteNOT with his offensive potency makes Tejada look like Jose Reyes. Miss Miggy yet? I'm beginning to. >>
I don't know what's going on with Font. In his first 7 games off the DL, he went 10-28. In the last 7 he's gone 0-21 with 1 walk. I don't know if it makes a difference, but he immediately stopped hitting once Keppinger took over 2nd base and Font shifted to SS (his weaker position).
While Miggy sucked for his first few months, look at how his season progressed:
April - May (200 pa): .207/.240/.280
June (77 pa): .254/.303/.366
July (45 pa): .333/.378/.524
When Tejada comes off the DL, watch Crawford get optioned and Font get returned to his "off the bench" role. I love Crawford's defense, but the Giants don't have the kind of team right now that can consistently tolerate multiple dudes batting < .200
Brett Pill's tearing up the minors and plays 1st and 2nd. In AAA, he's batting .316/.348/.551 with 20 hr and 87 RBI. He's also not a one sided whiff machine, taking 20 walks with his 43 strikeouts. I wonder why the Giants are ignoring him.
<< <i>Could not understand the decision to use Wilson in a tie situation when Affeldt was still available. >>
I think Bochey was thinking righty/lefty matchups there. Reds had LRR due up. Wilson's harder on righties than Affeldt is. Statistically, Wilson was the best choice at the time.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Same title, different day.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
WTF????!?!?!??!
Giants just traded AAA outfielder Thomas Neal for 2nd baseman Orlando Cabrera (who they plan to make the everyday shortstop). Cabrera represents a DOWNGRADE from Miguel Tejada at short.
Their last 2 months:
Cabrera: .225/.265/.312
Tejada: .283/.331/.425
This trade makes no sense. No sense at all.
Neal is a 23 year old outfielder who's hitting .296/.372/.467 after 6 seasons in the Giants farm system. I guess they don't figure Neal will ever amount to anything, but trading for someone like Cabrera makes no sense.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Still a few minutes left today, Giants might still make a deal... like sending Lincecum, Cain, Vogelsong, and Bumgarner somewhere for a bucket of A level prospects and future draft picks.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
<< <i>2011 SF Giants Thread: 7/31 - After conceeding season, Giants bend over and take a 9-0 loss.
Still a few minutes left today, Giants might still make a deal... like sending Lincecum, Cain, Vogelsong, and Bumgarner somewhere for a bucket of A level prospects and future draft picks. >>
That didn't happen, especially not for prospects given Sabean's fetish for over-the-hill players. The Giants aren't the Oakland A's. Speaking of the A's, are they anything else than a farm team for the rest of Major League Baseball?
I only caught a few minutes of today's game. Good thing I wasn't around to watch the awful rest. I wouldn't say the season's over but they have to get a lot better fast if they want to stay in first place.
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Well, the Giants have a HUGE series with the D-backs coming into SF. 3 games.
If the Giants sweep, the D-Backs leave 5 games back.
If the Giants take 2, the D-Backs leave 3 games back.
If the D-backs sweep, the D-Backs take 1st place and push the Giants 1 game back.
Giants are 7-2 vs the D-Backs this season. Both teams are 15-11 in July.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
2011 Giants lay as a lifeless corpse on AT&T Park's green grass as the D-Backs take their hacks.
I wonder what 2012 will look like? Maybe that Zack Wheeler kid will, oh wait, nevermind. He got traded for a Starbucks gift card with $0.15 left on it.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25