So, now that we're in the post-season, lets look at roster decisions.
Boch has already said that all 5 starters are going to be on the roster (4 starting, 1 in the pen), and he's hinting that Aubrey Huff will be on as a bat off the bench.
So, given that the Giants have played with a fairly consistent lineup, we're probably we're looking at:
Left off the roster: Peguero (OF), Whiteside (C), Pill (1b), Burriss (IF), Christian (OF) Loux (R), Machi (R), Mota (R), Otero (R), Penny (R), Petit (R), Runzler (L)
* that bullpen spot is in contention, as Hensley and the left-over relievers are all pretty bad.
2012 NL West Champ SF Giants discussion 9/25: Giants will make the Melky decision in the next few days.
The Giants will announce what Melky's future with the 2012 team will be in the next few days. I suppose they're going to talk now to kill the speculation that folks will have if the Giants make it far enough for the activation of Melky Cabrera to become an option.
While Sergio Romo's all for bringing Melky back with open arms, Bruce Bochy has hinted that Melky's time as a Giant is over.
It's not like Melky was a clubhouse cancer or anything. Dude was well liked by the other players. And Melky Cabrera in any sort of playable shape is a better option than the Gregor Blanco/Xavier Nady platoon they've got going right now.
I would be for bringing Melky back. He won't be back this year but he is a decent outfielder and even without the juice he's still a better solution than the current left field platoon. If anything the suspension is a good thing in the long run. It made him a lot cheaper and less coveted by the competition. Testosterone doesn't affect contact batting ability so he'll still be a good contact hitter.
I suspect the Giants will wait and see if other teams are interested. If he stays reasonably cheap they'll try to bring him back.
What's the contract situation with Scutaro and Pagan? There's talk about re-signing Scutaro for two years. Is Pagan still under team control after this season?
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Lesson learned tonight...Tim Lincecrap is alive and well. 7 ER and a bunch of walks just doesn't cut it.
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<< <i>Testosterone doesn't affect contact batting ability so he'll still be a good contact hitter. >>
If the PEDs helped increase his bat-speed, then his contact ability may take a hit. Not counting his KC season, when he likely started juicing, he was the early SF version of Aaron Rowand.
With the juice and an increased dedication to training, Melky turned into a superstar. If Melky can increase his workout time in the gym to compensate for the lack of PEDs, then maybe he'll stay good. It's hard to predict which direction he'll go.
<< <i>I suspect the Giants will wait and see if other teams are interested. If he stays reasonably cheap they'll try to bring him back. >>
I'd rather see the Giants go after someone like Michael Bourn, not a "project."
<< <i>What's the contract situation with Scutaro and Pagan? There's talk about re-signing Scutaro for two years. Is Pagan still under team control after this season? >>
Giants MUST sign Scutaro. They know it, Scutaro knows it, and he wants to come back. With Culberson being shipped off to CO, the Giants have NOTHING to bridge the gap between now and Joe Panik.
Pagan was signed to a 1 year deal (2012), but is up for his last year of arb in 2013. Giants will undoubtedly offer him a few years.
<< <i>Lesson learned tonight...Tim Lincecrap is alive and well. 7 ER and a bunch of walks just doesn't cut it. >>
Lincecum apparently goofed off instead of keeping sharp when he got an unexpected 2 days off. I sure hope the other guys didn't do that.
Word is that Boch is seriously thinking about going with a 3 man rotation for the post-season. Unless they sweep their opponent, they'll have guys in Games 4 and 5 pitching on 3 days rest.
Well, the good news is, the Giants clinched the NL West. The other good news is, the 2012 Dodgers.
Bochy knows how to manage players in playoffs. I'm sure he'll get a feel for what the players want, too. I don't know enough to make a decision. My "armchair" says let him play golf or whatever.
Well on 4-10-2012 I replied to this thread and demonstrated that I do not know math.
I predicted that the Giants would end the regular season with a record of 97 wins and 75 losses (172 games, what was I thinkingisgust.
Today I looked at the standings and saw that the Giants are 91-65 (156 games played with 6 games to go in the regular season).
So if you ignore my math error and change my prediction to 97 wins and 65 losses (162 games, duhhhhhh!!!!) I am still in the game. All that needs to happen is have the Giants win the final 6 games of the regular season. If that happens I will pat myself on the back and change my name to Nostrodamus.
2012 NL West Champ SF Giants discussion 9/28: Voggy's back, Posey takes ball to throat but plays anyway.
Back-to-back Voggy stars with great outcomes. Looks like he's gotten out of that wretched slump he was in.
Behind the dish, Posey took a ball to the throat that bounced in the dirt and up under his neck protection for a direct hit. That was in the 2nd, and he stayed in and finished the game. After the game, Posey wasn't able to talk in anything other than a coarse whisper. Fortunately, MVPosey doesn't need to talk to drive in runs.
Scutaro got pulled in the middle of the game with a bad cold. Heh. I guess that's one of the luxuries of having the division locked up.
News was saying that Posey had a cold today as well. With Scutaro and Posey both sick you can expect others to catch it over the weekend. Hopefully it'll all pass by postseason time.
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Hopefully no one will touch Guillermo Mota's supply of cold medicine.
On a funny note, usually when a guy hits a double, his team sends a batboy attendant to run out and get his gloves and shinguard. When Pablo Sandoval hit his 2 run double, Padres 1st baseman Yonder Alonso collected Panda's gear and ran it over.
Along his stat line, his numbers are pretty consistent with previous years, except for in one area, home runs. He gave up 23 homers this year, which is as many homers as he's given up in his previous 2 seasons! Other than that massive problem, he lowered his WHIP, his ERA went up a bit (all those homers). He did hit a couple of homers though.
His season hasn't trended well though.
April = 2.53 era, 1.094 whip May = 3.71 era, 1.118 whip June = 2.42 era, 0.985 whip July = 3.94 era, 1.031 whip August = 2.97 era, 0.992 whip September = 5.47 era, 1.633 whip
He's kinda bounced around, but a 5.47 era in September looks kinda scary going into October. Either he'll pull it together and have a good time, or he'll be another failing engine on the Giants post-season plane.
2012 NL West Champ SF Giants discussion 9/30: Padres rock Giants starters, hit 6 homers off Bumgarner and Lincecum.
Oddly enough, the team with the best record in the NL will have to face one of two deadly wild card teams. Team with the 2nd best record gets a bye week (aka, faces the dead-armed SF Giants).
Well, the Giants managed to win in a totally uncharacteristic fashion, taking an elite closer nearing the end of a perfect season as a closer, and ripping him apart, rocking him for 3 runs (2 homers) and turning the game into a win.
Anyways, the book closed on Tim Lincecum's wretched 2012 regular season.
The whole season was a mess. Some folks say it's lost velocity, some folks say it's lack of conditioning. Who knows. The only thing that is known is that after his 2011 campaign, he complained that he fealt heavy and fat, so he embarked on an ill-advised diet during the off-season and showed up to camp 20+ lbs lighter.
He's still not right. Boch has named him as a member of the 4 man rotation, so now he's taking his not-rightness into October with him.
I'm not sure how a guy who's totally out of wack physically will pull it together in high-pressure games against offense-heavy teams.
2012 NL West Champ SF Giants discussion 10/1: @ the Dodgers.
Last month I expected this to be some sort of epic show-down, with both teams battling for playoff spots. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to LA....
Giants rolled in September, clinching the division last week. Dodgers are struggling for air, with the 2nd wild-card spot being the only possible option for them. Even then, their outright elimination number is sitting at 2.
Deliciously, the Giants are in a great position to extinguish the Dodgers post-season hopes.
2012 NL West Champ SF Giants discussion 10/1: fail to kill the 2012 Dodgers.
First off, Buster Posey left the game late with back spasms. Not good.
Looked to me like Scutaro should have caught that ball, the one that glanced off his glove and into center field to end the game. However, I'm convinced that Santiago Casilla should never pitch in the 9th inning, ever again. He's fine any other time in the game, just not the 9th.
Anyways, Cards won and lowered their magic number to 1. Giants may get another shot at finishing them off tomorrow, unless the Cards win and do it themselves.
Matt Cain's 2012 regular season is now in the books:
Dude signed a fat 7 year deal worth $136m at the end of spring training and rewards the Giants with a fantastic season:
16-5, 2.79 era, 1.04 whip. 193 so, 51 bb (3.78 so/bb), all career bests. Not to mention his perfect game and starting the All Star game and earning the win.
He'll lead the charge in the NLDS as the Giants #1 starter.
His final start was short due to it being a "tune up" and was only allowed to go 5 innings (giving up 4 hits and 2 runs (off a 2 run homer)).
Cain giving up a 2 run homer doesn't bother me as much as the Giants offense getting snuffed out does.
Deliciously, the Giants are in a great position to extinguish the Dodgers post-season hopes.
One of my co-workers told me that yesterday. That is such a Nor Cal view. What about the fact that the Dodgers have lost at least 20 of their last 30 games!? Or the fact that Cardinals keep winning!? Yes the Giants will put the final nail in the coffin but they have been dead for about 2 months. However, to those who celebrate division titles I suppose it's exciting.
There are a countless places in No. Cal. (isn't No. Cal. everything north of the Tejon Pass continuing up to the Oregon Border and on the coast everything north of Santa Barbara/Goleta continuing up to the Oregon border) where bullets are flying constantly and where most people would never, ever, ever go to.
Up and down the state there are areas where the conditions are such that you would think you are in a third world, war torn country where even walking out of your front door is high risk for injury or death. Local residents, government officials and law enforcement know of these areas and stay away.
These areas are located in, among others, major metropolitan areas (i.e SF Bay Area and Sacramento), in various locations up and down the central valley, in various locations in the Sierra foothills (including secluded areas in river gorges where the people living function as a group along the similar to the bad guys living in the desolate, post nuclear, wasteland portrayed the "Mad Max" movies) and in countless rural areas where illegal drug operations grow and harvest their crops on public and private land.
So. Cal is not the only place in the state where one may have to dodge bullets.
It's official...the Smurfs can start packing for that vacation in Cabo.
What's even more shocking for me to comprehend is Barry Zito ends the season with 15 wins. That's about 12 more wins than I thought he would have.
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2012 NL West Champ SF Giants discussion 10/2: Zito finishes off the 2012 Dodgers.
And just like that, the Dodgers are gone.
Glad the Giants were the ones to stick it to them. Kemp's reaction to striking out vs Kontos was priceless.
And, Barry Zito! His first start of the season, he throws a shutout at Coors Field and gets the Giants their first win of the year. Last start of the season, he's putting the Dodgers to bed.
It was his first winning season in his 6 years in SF. His numbers still look fairly stinky, but the Giants have figured out how to win behind him this year.
Behind their starters, the Giants went:
Zito: 21-11 Cain: 21-11 Bumgarner: 19-13 Lincecum: 14-19 Vogelsong: 19-11 (with 1 start to go) Other guys: 0-2
Now there's a head-scratcher. Giants had the same record behind Barry Zito this year as they did behind Matt Cain. Wow.
I used to understand the inferiority complex as So Cal was dominant in basically all sports (except pro football) over No Cal. During my college years, in the 80's, the Laker's were dominant, the Dodgers won the world series, UCLA had been beating Cal and Stanford in hoops and football for 25 years without a loss, etc.... However, that's changed drastically and No Cal teams are better than So Cal teams... except our lowly Kings of course. The 49ers are dominant, the Giant's won the series a couple years ago, the A's and Giants are in the playoffs, Cal and Stanford at least put respectable teams out now, but still the one way hatred toward So Cal teams.
So, why still the inferiority complex? Why the need to talk about the Dodgers losing? How about be happy for YOUR TEAM? I don't get it. I find that many No Cals are equally as happy when the Dodgers lose as when their team wins. I know of nobody in So Cal that cares if the No Cal team loses. Why the hatred?
BTW, and unrelated, I have only lived up here for 26 years so not ready to root for the Giants... but I am very excited about the A's. That's a team a sports fan can get behind! If they win the division that would be truly amazing!
"Hatred" implies some sort of bigotry. It's sports rivalry, regardless of how you personally perceive it. There's no persecution here. Can't you have some fun with it?
There is no inferiority complex. The difference is NorCal fans are passionate about their teams, care about their success and enjoy watching their historic, division and geographic rivals go down in defeat. SoCal fans, with a few exceptions, are largely split between the bandwagon riders and people who attend games not to watch the actual game itself but are there just to say they were there down in front and to be seen. Ever take a look at the shots of L.A. fans? Most sit there indifferent to the game and spend most of their time on their iPhones posting pictures on Instagram of themselves in the stands.
Then there's the other smaller faction, the gangbangers who troll the parking lots "representin' their hood" looking to cause trouble. Don't have those in NorCal (not even at Raiders games) but are plenty common at Dodgers games.
On the subject of football, it comes down to this: 2 teams + no fan support + indifference = 2 teams leaving town, 0 teams remaining. Any team stupid enough to be lured to L.A. by the promise of a new stadium will learn the hard way in four years time.
As for the L.A. Kings, most of SoCal had never watched a hockey game in their lives then last season all of the sudden everybody's a fan. Good news is they'll forget all about hockey two months from now.
Bottom line is this: NorCal fans appear on the surface to be more ambivalent because they care. SoCal fans would be the same way if they actually did.
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I moved to California after college in 1978 and have lived in California ever since.
I lived in Sacramento for 3 years, So. Cal. (Orange county) for 5 years and the SF Bay Area for 26 years. I know people throughout the state and travel extensively throughout the state.
I have seen residents of No. Cal. who have a negative attitude towards So. Cal. and who make negative comments about So. Cal whenever So. Cal. is mentioned. I have also seen So. Cal. residents who rarely if ever give any thought to No. Cal. They seem to be content living and existing in So. Cal. Not only do they rarely think about No. Cal. they think even less about the other 49 states or other parts of the world.
Some of the people I have met in parts of So. Cal. were born in a coastal town (i.e. south Orange County), grew up there, live there and have never in their 50 plus years of life even been to downtown LA or even Santa Ana.
The above is a generalization that clearly does not apply to everyone who lives in Cal., but this dynamic is clearly present. Maybe some people In No. Cal. just do not like the idea that So. Cal. wants to get its hands on the water in No. Cal. Maybe also some people in No. Cal. are a little bit jealous of the great weather/climate in the So. Cal. coastal areas year round.
<< <i>There is no inferiority complex. The difference is NorCal fans are passionate about their teams, care about their success and enjoy watching their historic, division and geographic rivals go down in defeat. SoCal fans, with a few exceptions, are largely split between the bandwagon riders and people who attend games not to watch the actual game itself but are there just to say they were there down in front and to be seen. Ever take a look at the shots of L.A. fans? Most sit there indifferent to the game and spend most of their time on their iPhones posting pictures on Instagram of themselves in the stands.
Then there's the other smaller faction, the gangbangers who troll the parking lots "representin' their hood" looking to cause trouble. Don't have those in NorCal (not even at Raiders games) but are plenty common at Dodgers games.
On the subject of football, it comes down to this: 2 teams + no fan support + indifference = 2 teams leaving town, 0 teams remaining. Any team stupid enough to be lured to L.A. by the promise of a new stadium will learn the hard way in four years time.
As for the L.A. Kings, most of SoCal had never watched a hockey game in their lives then last season all of the sudden everybody's a fan. Good news is they'll forget all about hockey two months from now.
Bottom line is this: NorCal fans appear on the surface to be more ambivalent because they care. SoCal fans would be the same way if they actually did. >>
You are not too far off base with most of your statements except it was spring of 1993 when the LA fans discovered they had another team in town. In fact the bandwagon that year for the Kings was epic and bigger than last season from what I have been told. Going to a game, when Gretzky was there, was really incredible. Plus that was the one season, in the last 100 or so, that the Lakers didn't make the playoffs I believe... or at least they weren't good. The Kings got a ton of attention that year. Also, I will continue to call it an inferiority complex but to each his own.
<< <i>I moved to California after college in 1978 and have lived in California ever since.
I lived in Sacramento for 3 years, So. Cal. (Orange county) for 5 years and the SF Bay Area for 26 years. I know people throughout the state and travel extensively throughout the state.
I have seen residents of No. Cal. who have a negative attitude towards So. Cal. and who make negative comments about So. Cal whenever So. Cal. is mentioned. I have also seen So. Cal. residents who rarely if ever give any thought to No. Cal. They seem to be content living and existing in So. Cal. Not only do they rarely think about No. Cal. they think even less about the other 49 states or other parts of the world.
Some of the people I have met in parts of So. Cal. were born in a coastal town (i.e. south Orange County), grew up there, live there and have never in their 50 plus years of life even been to downtown LA or even Santa Ana.
The above is a generalization that clearly does not apply to everyone who lives in Cal., but this dynamic is clearly present. Maybe some people In No. Cal. just do not like the idea that So. Cal. wants to get its hands on the water in No. Cal. Maybe also some people in No. Cal. are a little bit jealous of the great weather/climate in the So. Cal. coastal areas year round.
2012 NL West Champ SF Giants discussion 10/3: Voggy sharp, Buster wins batting title.
Well, there you have it. Kershaw owns the Giants backups and bench players.
Voggy looked sharp today, and had a no-no going for 4 2/3 innings before Scutaro made an error with 2 outs and the next guy got a base hit.
Final line of the night for Vogelsong: 5 ip, 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, 71 pitches.
It looks like he snapped out of the funk he was in. He's given up only 1 earned run in his past 3 outtings (6 ip, 6 ip, and today's 5 ip). A sharp Vogelsong would be an excellent #2 pitcher.
Would be great for nocal to have Bay Bridge Series. Would be a lot of fun. If the A's get that far the A's will probably be favored based on pure momentum! Those are really the AMAZING A's!
I would also love to see a Bay Bridge World Series.
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Forgot about Texas and the game they play against Baltimore tomorrow
Even though I am a pro football and a basketball fan, I always enjoy seeing the Giants and A's playing in the post season. I too would like to see a repeat of the Bay Bridge Series, only this time we should skip the earthquake.
Comments
Boch has already said that all 5 starters are going to be on the roster (4 starting, 1 in the pen), and he's hinting that Aubrey Huff will be on as a bat off the bench.
So, given that the Giants have played with a fairly consistent lineup, we're probably we're looking at:
(5) Starting Pitchers: Bumgarner, Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Vogelsong
(5) Infield: Posey (C), Belt (1b), Scutaro (2b), Crawford (SS), Sandoval (3b)
(3) Outfield: Nady (LF), Pagan (CF), Pence (RF)
(5) The Bench: Arias (IF), Sanchez (C), Huff (1b), Blanco (OF), Theriot (IF)
(7) The Bullpen: Affeldt (L), Casilla (R), Kontos (R), Hensley* (R), Lopez (L), Mijares (L), Romo (R)
Left off the roster:
Peguero (OF), Whiteside (C), Pill (1b), Burriss (IF), Christian (OF)
Loux (R), Machi (R), Mota (R), Otero (R), Penny (R), Petit (R), Runzler (L)
* that bullpen spot is in contention, as Hensley and the left-over relievers are all pretty bad.
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The Giants will announce what Melky's future with the 2012 team will be in the next few days. I suppose they're going to talk now to kill the speculation that folks will have if the Giants make it far enough for the activation of Melky Cabrera to become an option.
While Sergio Romo's all for bringing Melky back with open arms, Bruce Bochy has hinted that Melky's time as a Giant is over.
It's not like Melky was a clubhouse cancer or anything. Dude was well liked by the other players. And Melky Cabrera in any sort of playable shape is a better option than the Gregor Blanco/Xavier Nady platoon they've got going right now.
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I suspect the Giants will wait and see if other teams are interested. If he stays reasonably cheap they'll try to bring him back.
What's the contract situation with Scutaro and Pagan? There's talk about re-signing Scutaro for two years. Is Pagan still under team control after this season?
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<< <i>Testosterone doesn't affect contact batting ability so he'll still be a good contact hitter. >>
If the PEDs helped increase his bat-speed, then his contact ability may take a hit. Not counting his KC season, when he likely started juicing, he was the early SF version of Aaron Rowand.
With the juice and an increased dedication to training, Melky turned into a superstar. If Melky can increase his workout time in the gym to compensate for the lack of PEDs, then maybe he'll stay good. It's hard to predict which direction he'll go.
<< <i>I suspect the Giants will wait and see if other teams are interested. If he stays reasonably cheap they'll try to bring him back. >>
I'd rather see the Giants go after someone like Michael Bourn, not a "project."
<< <i>What's the contract situation with Scutaro and Pagan? There's talk about re-signing Scutaro for two years. Is Pagan still under team control after this season? >>
Giants MUST sign Scutaro. They know it, Scutaro knows it, and he wants to come back. With Culberson being shipped off to CO, the Giants have NOTHING to bridge the gap between now and Joe Panik.
Pagan was signed to a 1 year deal (2012), but is up for his last year of arb in 2013. Giants will undoubtedly offer him a few years.
<< <i>Lesson learned tonight...Tim Lincecrap is alive and well. 7 ER and a bunch of walks just doesn't cut it. >>
Lincecum apparently goofed off instead of keeping sharp when he got an unexpected 2 days off. I sure hope the other guys didn't do that.
Word is that Boch is seriously thinking about going with a 3 man rotation for the post-season. Unless they sweep their opponent, they'll have guys in Games 4 and 5 pitching on 3 days rest.
Well, the good news is, the Giants clinched the NL West. The other good news is, the 2012 Dodgers.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Dominant performance by the Giants ace, both on the mound (7 scoreless) and at the plate (2-2 with an RBI and a run).
Crawford's two errors were weird though. I didn't see replays of the errors, but I really hope he's not reverting to his early season form.
Buster collected his 100th RBI, making him the first Giant since Barry Bonds in 2004 to get to 100 RBI.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
The team officially announced that they're not going to bring Melky back for the post season.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
I predicted that the Giants would end the regular season with a record of 97 wins and 75 losses (172 games, what was I thinking
Today I looked at the standings and saw that the Giants are 91-65 (156 games played with 6 games to go in the regular season).
So if you ignore my math error and change my prediction to 97 wins and 65 losses (162 games, duhhhhhh!!!!) I am still in the game. All that needs to happen is have the Giants win the final 6 games of the regular season. If that happens I will pat myself on the back and change my name to Nostrodamus.
Go Giants.
Back-to-back Voggy stars with great outcomes. Looks like he's gotten out of that wretched slump he was in.
Behind the dish, Posey took a ball to the throat that bounced in the dirt and up under his neck protection for a direct hit. That was in the 2nd, and he stayed in and finished the game. After the game, Posey wasn't able to talk in anything other than a coarse whisper. Fortunately, MVPosey doesn't need to talk to drive in runs.
Scutaro got pulled in the middle of the game with a bad cold. Heh. I guess that's one of the luxuries of having the division locked up.
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On a funny note, usually when a guy hits a double, his team sends a batboy attendant to run out and get his gloves and shinguard. When Pablo Sandoval hit his 2 run double, Padres 1st baseman Yonder Alonso collected Panda's gear and ran it over.
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So, the book has closed on Madison Bumgarner's 2012 regular season.
16-11, 3.37 era, 1.11 whip. 191 so, 49 bb (3.90 so/bb)
Along his stat line, his numbers are pretty consistent with previous years, except for in one area, home runs. He gave up 23 homers this year, which is as many homers as he's given up in his previous 2 seasons! Other than that massive problem, he lowered his WHIP, his ERA went up a bit (all those homers). He did hit a couple of homers though.
His season hasn't trended well though.
April = 2.53 era, 1.094 whip
May = 3.71 era, 1.118 whip
June = 2.42 era, 0.985 whip
July = 3.94 era, 1.031 whip
August = 2.97 era, 0.992 whip
September = 5.47 era, 1.633 whip
He's kinda bounced around, but a 5.47 era in September looks kinda scary going into October. Either he'll pull it together and have a good time, or he'll be another failing engine on the Giants post-season plane.
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Oddly enough, the team with the best record in the NL will have to face one of two deadly wild card teams.
Team with the 2nd best record gets a bye week (aka, faces the dead-armed SF Giants).
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Anyways, the book closed on Tim Lincecum's wretched 2012 regular season.
10-15, 5.18 era, 1.47 whip, 190 so, 90 bb (2.11 so/bb)
The whole season was a mess. Some folks say it's lost velocity, some folks say it's lack of conditioning. Who knows. The only thing that is known is that after his 2011 campaign, he complained that he fealt heavy and fat, so he embarked on an ill-advised diet during the off-season and showed up to camp 20+ lbs lighter.
He's still not right. Boch has named him as a member of the 4 man rotation, so now he's taking his not-rightness into October with him.
I'm not sure how a guy who's totally out of wack physically will pull it together in high-pressure games against offense-heavy teams.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Last month I expected this to be some sort of epic show-down, with both teams battling for playoff spots. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to LA....
Giants rolled in September, clinching the division last week. Dodgers are struggling for air, with the 2nd wild-card spot being the only possible option for them. Even then, their outright elimination number is sitting at 2.
Deliciously, the Giants are in a great position to extinguish the Dodgers post-season hopes.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
First off, Buster Posey left the game late with back spasms. Not good.
Looked to me like Scutaro should have caught that ball, the one that glanced off his glove and into center field to end the game. However, I'm convinced that Santiago Casilla should never pitch in the 9th inning, ever again. He's fine any other time in the game, just not the 9th.
Anyways, Cards won and lowered their magic number to 1. Giants may get another shot at finishing them off tomorrow, unless the Cards win and do it themselves.
Matt Cain's 2012 regular season is now in the books:
Dude signed a fat 7 year deal worth $136m at the end of spring training and rewards the Giants with a fantastic season:
16-5, 2.79 era, 1.04 whip. 193 so, 51 bb (3.78 so/bb), all career bests. Not to mention his perfect game and starting the All Star game and earning the win.
He'll lead the charge in the NLDS as the Giants #1 starter.
His final start was short due to it being a "tune up" and was only allowed to go 5 innings (giving up 4 hits and 2 runs (off a 2 run homer)).
Cain giving up a 2 run homer doesn't bother me as much as the Giants offense getting snuffed out does.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
One of my co-workers told me that yesterday. That is such a Nor Cal view. What about the fact that the Dodgers have lost at least 20 of their last 30 games!? Or the fact that Cardinals keep winning!? Yes the Giants will put the final nail in the coffin but they have been dead for about 2 months. However, to those who celebrate division titles I suppose it's exciting.
<< <i>One of my co-workers told me that yesterday. That is such a Nor Cal view. >>
Well, I'm in Nor Cal, so I have that view.
It's not my problem that LA folks are too busy being stuck in traffic or dodging bullets to care about their sports teams.
<< <i>However, to those who celebrate division titles I suppose it's exciting. >>
The division got locked up weeks ago. I just like the Giants beating the Dodgers, period, even when nothing is on the line.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Up and down the state there are areas where the conditions are such that you would think you are in a third world, war torn country where even walking out of your front door is high risk for injury or death. Local residents, government officials and law enforcement know of these areas and stay away.
These areas are located in, among others, major metropolitan areas (i.e SF Bay Area and Sacramento), in various locations up and down the central valley, in various locations in the Sierra foothills (including secluded areas in river gorges where the people living function as a group along the similar to the bad guys living in the desolate, post nuclear, wasteland portrayed the "Mad Max" movies) and in countless rural areas where illegal drug operations grow and harvest their crops on public and private land.
So. Cal is not the only place in the state where one may have to dodge bullets.
<< <i>So. Cal is not the only place in the state where one may have to dodge bullets. >>
Note the "
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
What's even more shocking for me to comprehend is Barry Zito ends the season with 15 wins. That's about 12 more wins than I thought he would have.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
And just like that, the Dodgers are gone.
Glad the Giants were the ones to stick it to them.
And, Barry Zito! His first start of the season, he throws a shutout at Coors Field and gets the Giants their first win of the year. Last start of the season, he's putting the Dodgers to bed.
Zito's 2012 season is in the books.
15-8, 4.15 era, 1.39 whip, 114 so, 70 bb (1.63 so/bb)
It was his first winning season in his 6 years in SF. His numbers still look fairly stinky, but the Giants have figured out how to win behind him this year.
Behind their starters, the Giants went:
Zito: 21-11
Cain: 21-11
Bumgarner: 19-13
Lincecum: 14-19
Vogelsong: 19-11 (with 1 start to go)
Other guys: 0-2
Now there's a head-scratcher. Giants had the same record behind Barry Zito this year as they did behind Matt Cain. Wow.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
I used to understand the inferiority complex as So Cal was dominant in basically all sports (except pro football) over No Cal. During my college years, in the 80's, the Laker's were dominant, the Dodgers won the world series, UCLA had been beating Cal and Stanford in hoops and football for 25 years without a loss, etc.... However, that's changed drastically and No Cal teams are better than So Cal teams... except our lowly Kings of course. The 49ers are dominant, the Giant's won the series a couple years ago, the A's and Giants are in the playoffs, Cal and Stanford at least put respectable teams out now, but still the one way hatred toward So Cal teams.
So, why still the inferiority complex? Why the need to talk about the Dodgers losing? How about be happy for YOUR TEAM? I don't get it. I find that many No Cals are equally as happy when the Dodgers lose as when their team wins. I know of nobody in So Cal that cares if the No Cal team loses. Why the hatred?
BTW, and unrelated, I have only lived up here for 26 years so not ready to root for the Giants... but I am very excited about the A's. That's a team a sports fan can get behind! If they win the division that would be truly amazing!
digicat: Yes yes, that's all fine and dandy, but the Giants beat the Dodgers.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
digicat: Yes yes, that's all fine and dandy, but the Giants beat the Dodgers.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
<< <i>Why the hatred? >>
"Hatred" implies some sort of bigotry. It's sports rivalry, regardless of how you personally perceive it. There's no persecution here. Can't you have some fun with it?
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Then there's the other smaller faction, the gangbangers who troll the parking lots "representin' their hood" looking to cause trouble. Don't have those in NorCal (not even at Raiders games) but are plenty common at Dodgers games.
On the subject of football, it comes down to this: 2 teams + no fan support + indifference = 2 teams leaving town, 0 teams remaining. Any team stupid enough to be lured to L.A. by the promise of a new stadium will learn the hard way in four years time.
As for the L.A. Kings, most of SoCal had never watched a hockey game in their lives then last season all of the sudden everybody's a fan. Good news is they'll forget all about hockey two months from now.
Bottom line is this: NorCal fans appear on the surface to be more ambivalent because they care. SoCal fans would be the same way if they actually did.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
I lived in Sacramento for 3 years, So. Cal. (Orange county) for 5 years and the SF Bay Area for 26 years. I know people throughout the state and travel extensively throughout the state.
I have seen residents of No. Cal. who have a negative attitude towards So. Cal. and who make negative comments about So. Cal whenever So. Cal. is mentioned. I have also seen So. Cal. residents who rarely if ever give any thought to No. Cal. They seem to be content living and existing in So. Cal. Not only do they rarely think about No. Cal. they think even less about the other 49 states or other parts of the world.
Some of the people I have met in parts of So. Cal. were born in a coastal town (i.e. south Orange County), grew up there, live there and have never in their 50 plus years of life even been to downtown LA or even Santa Ana.
The above is a generalization that clearly does not apply to everyone who lives in Cal., but this dynamic is clearly present. Maybe some people In No. Cal. just do not like the idea that So. Cal. wants to get its hands on the water in No. Cal. Maybe also some people in No. Cal. are a little bit jealous of the great weather/climate in the So. Cal. coastal areas year round.
Go Giants.
Go A's.
Boo Dodgers
Go 49rs.
Boo Raiders.
Go Lakers.
Go Warriors.
Go Sacto Kings.
Go Sharks.
Go LA Kings.
Go Clippers.
Go Ducks.
Go Padres.
Go Chargers.
<< <i>larryallen73: blah blah blah. Nor-Cal inferior fans. blah blah blah. So Cal doesn't care. Blah blah blah.
digicat: Yes yes, that's all fine and dandy, but the Giants beat the Dodgers. >>
I LOL'd at that. Good one.
<< <i>There is no inferiority complex. The difference is NorCal fans are passionate about their teams, care about their success and enjoy watching their historic, division and geographic rivals go down in defeat. SoCal fans, with a few exceptions, are largely split between the bandwagon riders and people who attend games not to watch the actual game itself but are there just to say they were there down in front and to be seen. Ever take a look at the shots of L.A. fans? Most sit there indifferent to the game and spend most of their time on their iPhones posting pictures on Instagram of themselves in the stands.
Then there's the other smaller faction, the gangbangers who troll the parking lots "representin' their hood" looking to cause trouble. Don't have those in NorCal (not even at Raiders games) but are plenty common at Dodgers games.
On the subject of football, it comes down to this: 2 teams + no fan support + indifference = 2 teams leaving town, 0 teams remaining. Any team stupid enough to be lured to L.A. by the promise of a new stadium will learn the hard way in four years time.
As for the L.A. Kings, most of SoCal had never watched a hockey game in their lives then last season all of the sudden everybody's a fan. Good news is they'll forget all about hockey two months from now.
Bottom line is this: NorCal fans appear on the surface to be more ambivalent because they care. SoCal fans would be the same way if they actually did. >>
You are not too far off base with most of your statements except it was spring of 1993 when the LA fans discovered they had another team in town. In fact the bandwagon that year for the Kings was epic and bigger than last season from what I have been told. Going to a game, when Gretzky was there, was really incredible. Plus that was the one season, in the last 100 or so, that the Lakers didn't make the playoffs I believe... or at least they weren't good. The Kings got a ton of attention that year. Also, I will continue to call it an inferiority complex but to each his own.
<< <i>I moved to California after college in 1978 and have lived in California ever since.
I lived in Sacramento for 3 years, So. Cal. (Orange county) for 5 years and the SF Bay Area for 26 years. I know people throughout the state and travel extensively throughout the state.
I have seen residents of No. Cal. who have a negative attitude towards So. Cal. and who make negative comments about So. Cal whenever So. Cal. is mentioned. I have also seen So. Cal. residents who rarely if ever give any thought to No. Cal. They seem to be content living and existing in So. Cal. Not only do they rarely think about No. Cal. they think even less about the other 49 states or other parts of the world.
Some of the people I have met in parts of So. Cal. were born in a coastal town (i.e. south Orange County), grew up there, live there and have never in their 50 plus years of life even been to downtown LA or even Santa Ana.
The above is a generalization that clearly does not apply to everyone who lives in Cal., but this dynamic is clearly present. Maybe some people In No. Cal. just do not like the idea that So. Cal. wants to get its hands on the water in No. Cal. Maybe also some people in No. Cal. are a little bit jealous of the great weather/climate in the So. Cal. coastal areas year round.
Go Giants.
Go A's.
Boo Dodgers
Go 49rs.
Boo Raiders.
Go Lakers.
Go Warriors.
Go Sacto Kings.
Go Sharks.
Go LA Kings.
Go Clippers.
Go Ducks.
Go Padres.
Go Chargers.
That's about dead on.
Well, there you have it. Kershaw owns the Giants backups and bench players.
Voggy looked sharp today, and had a no-no going for 4 2/3 innings before Scutaro made an error with 2 outs and the next guy got a base hit.
Final line of the night for Vogelsong: 5 ip, 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, 71 pitches.
It looks like he snapped out of the funk he was in. He's given up only 1 earned run in his past 3 outtings (6 ip, 6 ip, and today's 5 ip). A sharp Vogelsong would be an excellent #2 pitcher.
Anyways, that's the season.
Voggy's chapter got it's final numbers:
14-9, 3.37 era, 1.23 whip, 62 bb, 158 so (2.55 so/bb).
Voggy's season can be split into 3 distinct blocks:
Voggy the Destroyer (opening day through 8/8, 21 games): 10-5, 2.27 era, 1.11 whip
Voggy the Disapointment (8/13-9/16, 7 games): 2-4, 10.31 era, 1.99 whip
Voggy the Is-he-back? (9/21 - 10/3, 3 games): 2-0, 0.53 era, 0.88 whip
It'll make things interesting when Boch puts together the post-season rotation.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
1. Oakland;
2. Detroit;
3. New York Yankees; or
4. Baltimore
would you like to play against and why?
<< <i>So for all of the Giants fans in forumland, if the Gigantes make it to the World Series what American League team:
1. Oakland;
2. Detroit;
3. New York Yankees; or
4. Baltimore
would you like to play against and why? >>
1) Oakland, well to have a Bay Bridge series w/o an EQ or fire.
2) Detroit (Cabrera vs SF Pitching)
3) NYY because they are the NYY and last time they met was in 1962 when Giants were in SF.
4a) Baltimore? can't think of one
4b) Texas Rangers: to see Bochy school Washington one more 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"
Forgot about Texas and the game they play against Baltimore tomorrow
Even though I am a pro football and a basketball fan, I always enjoy seeing the Giants and A's playing in the post season. I too would like to see a repeat of the Bay Bridge Series, only this time we should skip the earthquake.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25