Cain for sure and Vogelsong deserves it. Cain might even be the starter for the NL. MadBum also but he might get overshadowed by some others.
Setup and specialist guys never get any respect. Romo anyone?
The other dark horse all-star is the closer pro-tem Casilla. He has 18 saves out of 19 chances with an ERA under 2. His appearances are a lot less dramatic than the Beard's.
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Dodgers keep winning and Giants keep sucking when they play weak teams like Seattle. Now watch them get swept in Anaheim while scoring Cain one whole run in support.
Every time Lincecum and Zito pitch it's a guaranteed loss so they need every win they can get to stay in contention. And Javier Lopez seems to be getting a lot better at cashing in runs these days.
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Monday: Matt Cain (8-2, 2.18 era, 0.85 whip), vs Jerome Williams (6-4, 4.20 era, 1.31 whip) Tuesday: Barry Zito (5-4, 3.61, 1.32 whip) vs CJ Wilson (7-4, 2.30 era, 1.10 whip) Wednesday: Ryan Vogelsong (6-2, 2.29 era, 1.16 whip) vs Jered Weaver (6-1, 2.61 era, 0.928 whip)
Hah, Jerome Williams was one of our guys once upon a time! Unfortunately, back in the evil dark days of 2005, he got packed up with 2003 1st round pick David Aardsma and shipped to the Cubs in exchange for middle-reliever LaTroy Hawkins (who's also an Angel this year!).
Last night Cain wasn't his normal self and labored through all five innings but the offense did their part and he got the win. Tonight it's Wilson vs. Zito. My instinct is tonight is going to be an Angels blowout with Pujols turning into vintage Pujols at least for one night.
Looks like there will be two starters and one or two reserves. Giants fans did their part. I know I did. Any info on the pitchers in all-star contention?
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<< <i>Any info on the pitchers in all-star contention? >>
Pitchers chosen based on payer vote, though the ultimate decision goes to the manager (Tony LaRussa).
Last year, the players voted for Lincecum, Cain, and Wilson, while Boch picked Vogelsong (and Panda).
R.A. Dickey's a virtual lock for the starting job, since he's leading the NL in the 3 pitching Triple Crown categories. Cain will likely go due to his numbers and the perfect game. There are quite a few pitchers posting fantastic numbers this year. Enough to ensure that someone's going to get left out.
<< <i>Tonight it's Wilson vs. Zito. My instinct is tonight is going to be an Angels blowout with Pujols turning into vintage Pujols at least for one night. >>
4 runs on Zito with a 3 run Pujols homer in the first inning.
<< <i>Zito: 3.1 innings, 8 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks. >>
In other words it's Barry Zero in his element.
Remember when early in the season he had a few good starts and some people started calling this season his redemption season? Boy has that sentiment taken a dump.
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<< <i>Remember when early in the season he had a few good starts and some people started calling this season his redemption season? Boy has that sentiment taken a dump. >>
Just about every season, Zito has a 5 or so start stretch where it looks like things are coming together, then he implodes again.
Wilson's given up 3 runs in the 35 innings prior to tonight's start, and the Giants offence has stuck him with 3 in the first 5 innings today.
Giants can score runs these days, but it doesn't help when the Giants starter is throwing BP.
<< <i>Remember when early in the season he had a few good starts and some people started calling this season his redemption season? Boy has that sentiment taken a dump. >>
Just about every season, Zito has a 5 or so start stretch where it looks like things are coming together, then he implodes again.
Wilson's given up 3 runs in the 35 innings prior to tonight's start, and the Giants offence has stuck him with 3 in the first 5 innings today.
Giants can score runs these days, but it doesn't help when the Giants starter is throwing BP. >>
I recall last year when Zito came off the DL he had about two great starts then he imploded like he has this year. Even if he was in the Texas Rangers rotation he wouldn't have enough run support to erase those trainwreck outings.
On the bright side this year's team can score a few runs although the RISP batting could be a lot better. Still too many runners left on base game after game. It's still a lot better than last year. Last year when the opposing team scored two runs it was game over.
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2012 SF Giants discussion: 6/20 - Melky the Hitman
Such a pleasant surprise. I half expected Melky to fall from his 2011 numbers back to his career averages, but he seems to be trying to post another career year.
In the last two series if it isn't one thing it's another. The lineup scores a few runs and the pitching blows. The pitching holds the Angels to a few runs and the offense can barely get a hit.
After watching the last few games I've learned this about Anaheim: whenever Trout or Trumbo are up they're virtually guaranteed a hit. I don't know if it's the Giants pitching but the Angels look a lot better than 38-win team.
The only saving grace from making this road trip look like a disaster is how the A's are surprisingly containing L.A.
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I can't imagine the Giants releasing or trading Lincecum (given his exhibited potential), so Zito's the guy I'd imagine would be at risk for loosing his job.
Of course, to get Wandy, the Giants would need to take on his contract (deal $13m in 2013 plus a player option of $13m for 2014), and they'd need to deal a prospect. I wouldn't expect the Giants to deal an arm (again), and guys like Gary Brown and Joe Panik are having bad seasons. If the Giants went after Wandy, they would have to overpay, and considering Zito's money, you'd have a single pitcher representing about $34m of payroll in 2012 and 2013, plus $21m in 2014.
Lincecum isn't going anywhere this season. Too many people still believe in him and he is a fan favorite. Next year all bets are off.
Giants don't have too many prospects to give up and Wandy's 13 million/ year probably puts him out of price range. So far it looks like the Yankees are the favorites for landing him. I can't imagine Boston not interested.
There's talk they're scouting Brandon McCarthy from the A's. He seems okay.
Another rumor is that Zack Greinke is also being shopped around although unlike Wandy he hits free agency at the end of the year. Would chasing him be worthwhile?
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The Angels sure like their fish, don't they? Tim Salmon was their key player in the 90s. Now it looks like Mike Trout is going to be their guy of the 2010s.
Trout is amazing. Haven't seen such a dynamic rookie in awhile. I know there's a lot of craz going on about Bryce Harper, but I think Trout is much more exciting to watch! It will be interesting to see who gets AL ROY - Darvish or Trout?
Sorry about hijacking your thread for Angels talk.
Day off for the team today so they could get their ducks in order for the series across the bay. A's just swept the Dodgers and they're playing great ball right now so Lincecum and company have their work cut out for them this weekend.
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After watching Lincecum tonight he baffles me even more if that's possible. In the first inning he was the biggest turkey in California and I thought he wouldn't make it out of the inning. Then he strikes out the side and in all subsequent innings he looks like a Cy Young contender.
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2012 SF Giants discussion: 6/23 - Belt keeps rolling.
I've been a big Belt supporter for a while. This kid's gonna be a star, and with consistant playing time, he's R A K I N G.
Anyways, whew. I've never seen a 9-4 game, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, turn into a 9-8, nail biter!
That inning! UGH! It took about 30 min for the Giants to close the door after getting 2 outs.
Makes me wonder.... in the pros, does a spirited comeback attempt that falls short have any sort of intangible effect on the teams and how they go into their next game?
Is a win just a win, or did almost having victory snatched from their grasp leave a sour taste?
Is a loss just a loss, or does almost snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat breed confidence?
If anyone thought Casilla was a dark-horse candidate for the All Star game, his last 2 games pretty much wiped those chances clean out.
Almost blew a save yesterday, blew one today.
Pff, was down stairs playing with my kids, then stepped up stairs to check the status of the game. "Ohh, live look in for the 9th, 2 outs, 2 on, lets see what happens." The streaming video loaded, just in time for me to see Norris hit his 3 run jack to end the game. Should have just stayed down stairs.
Good thing I've been out of the country this weekend so I missed the last 2 games but I imagine if I wasn't I would have some choice adjectives to describe Santiago "Señor BS" Casilla. I thought he had a very good shot at making all-star but I guess the last few appearances answered that question.
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It's always fun to see the Giants stomp on the Dodgers.
Zito racking up 7 scoreless is a totally unexpected gift. It's so unexpected that I wondered how often Zito's done it since coming to the Giants.
Here's the number of times Zito's walked off the mound after putting 7 or more 0's up on the scoreboard:
2007: 3 2008: 2 2009: 3 (by the AS break) 2010: 2 2011: 0 2012: 3
Poor Brandon Belt was the only guy who didn't come to the hit party that the rest of the team was at. Well, the Dodgers can rest assured that they've got a starting pitcher who can shut down Brandon Belt. He just can't stop the other 7 position players.
2012 SF Giants discussion: 6/26 - Vogelsong beats Kershaw, again.
How bada$$ is it that Vogelsong has beaten Clayton Kershaw twice this year, 2-1 and 2-0? Awesome.
That Kershaw curve is nasty though. Blanco almost hit the deck on a called strike 3. The ball started towards his head, then snapped like a humming bird back into the strikezone. Wow.
Yesterday was a travel day so I missed yesterday's game. When I read the recaps I thought the 8-0 was a typo. I couldn't picture Zito winning another game this season much less a shutout.
Two Dodgers shutouts in two games. It can't get better than that. With L.A. struggling, tomorrow's game with Lincecum pitching could be the watershed moment for him this season. Tomorrow he either turns it around for the better or if he lays an egg again this could be icing on a lost season. My instinct is he'll have a quality start.
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2012 SF Giants discussion: 6/27 - Lincecum brings back the Freak Show, Giants hold Dodgers to 0 runs in 3 game series.
First things first, Lincecum was dominant today. 7 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts. He was kinda wild, but that could have been due to the fact that Sanchez isn't as good of a catcher as Posey is and some balls in the dirt got away. However...
Billingsly vs Lincecum = double. Lincecum wild pitch = Billingsly to 3rd. Lincecum wild pitch = Billingsly thrown out at home.
Wild by design. They wanted to wear out Billingsly and make him run around in the sun.
Anyways, the defining moment in the game was in the 7th when Lincecum, after walking a guy, was facing a 2 on, 1 out situation, Boch came out to the mound, and Tim said "I've got this." Boch left him in there, and then: Fly out, Strike out.
I think we're going to see a lot more of this Lincecum/Sanchez battery now. I don't know, maybe Lincecum likes calling his own pitches or something. Bum, Vogey, and Cain all just do what Buster says, and it works great for them.
Now on to the sweep. This is the first time that the Giants have shutout an opposing team in a whole series since 1950. It's the first time that the Dodgers as an organization has been shut out in a series EVER. Glad the Giants got to stick them with it.
2012 SF Giants discussion: 6/28 - Madbum extends SF's run suppression streak to 36 consecutive innings.
Madbum's 1st career shutout (a 1 hitter!) extended the Giants' run of scoreless innings to 36, a franchise high, and with LA loosing, moved the Giants into sole possession of 1st place in the West.
Giants actually got the offense going against one of the NL's elite pitchers, Johnny Cueto, who entered the game 9-3 with a 2.21 era.
This is a pretty fun ride! I hope Cain can keep it rolling tomorrow!
I'm not sure what the record is for scoreless innings by starting pitchers is, but the last time a Giants starter gave up a run was in the 1st inning of Sunday's game vs the A's.
After that, Giants starters have racked up 36 consecutive scoreless innings Cain: 6 scoreless. Zito: 7 scoreless. Vogelsong: 7 scoreless. Lincecum: 7 scoreless. Bumgarner: 9 scoreless.
Righty pitcher Brad Penny had his contract purchased from Fresno and was put in the bullpen. Shane Loux was moved to the 15 day dl with a neck strain, and Eric Surkamp was moved to the 60-day DL.
Penny being back means that the Giants were hunting for suitable long-relief/spot-start guy and think that Penny provides that. We'll see.
Four games without giving up a run after beating two elite pitchers in three games. This is a great time to be a Giants fan.
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Amazing how one turd of a game makes you completely forget about the four previous ones. Tonight Cain pitched himself right out of the all-star starting pitcher consideration.
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More sucking. Only time until they pull of a Dodger style slide whie Arizona keeps winning.
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Señor B.S. showed up again today and the RISP batting was dreadful but a win is a win with the final play a perfect fodder for a Southwest Airlines "wanna get away?" commercial.
As for the all-star picks, Melky and Posey (top NL vote getter) were givens. I was surprised about Panda. I thought he was going to make it as a backup so that was unexpected. Mets fans are ticked off that Wright lost in the voting.
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<< <i>As for the all-star picks, Melky and Posey (top NL vote getter) were givens. I was surprised about Panda. I thought he was going to make it as a backup so that was unexpected. Mets fans are ticked off that Wright lost in the voting. >>
The whole voting process is a joke. It's more of a "which team has more fans willing to spend time on this" contest, and the Giants fans did well.
Heck, Freddy Sanchez finished 4th among 2nd baseman. Brandon Crawford finished a close 2nd for SS.
So, to be added to the SF Giants "Wall of Fame" outside AT&T Park, a player must meet one of the following conditions: a) played 9 years in SF or b) played 5 years and made 1 AS team as a Giant.
Bonds meets both, but since he never "officially" retired, the Giants are stonewalling his plaque for some reason.
A few active guys who, if they retired today, would fit one of these conditions:
Brian Wilson (b) Matt Cain (b) Tim Lincecum (b) Pablo Sandoval (b)
A few are close: Ryan Vogelsong (if he plays for the Giants in 2013, he'll meet (b). Buster Posey (if he playes for the Giants in 2013, he'll meet (b).
A few have only a few years to go meet (a): Barry Zito (3 years) Nate Schierholtz (3 years)
While the Giants completed a 17-11 month of June and took over 1st place, you may not have noticed that....
Brandon Belt lead the team in OBP (.400),SLG (.563), RBI (15), and HRs (4, tied with Posey). Ryan Theriot lead the team in AVG (.307), and hits (35). Buster Posey leads the team with 5 double play grounders.
Hector Sanchez hit .222/.216/.250 Gregor Blanco hit .218/.277/.355
Rich, apologies for the rant, but I can't keep it in any longer.
So let me get this straight - Pablo Sandoval is starting over David Wright at 3B. The same Pablo Sandoval that has 25 RBIs to Wright's 50? The same Pablo that has almost half as many plate appearances? The same Pablo that is batting .309 to Wright's .355? That same Pablo? Really?
Mr. Selig, thanks for a voting system that lets uneducated homer fans vote for their favorite undeserving player up to 25 times per email address. This wonderful system damn near got Brandon Crawford the nod at SS (he finished 2nd), Brandon Belt at 1B (he also finished 2nd), Freddy Sanchez at 2B (who the heck voted for Sanchez with the straight face???) and allowed Angel Pagan to finish 5th... among ALL National League outfielders.
The rule to allow fans to vote for the team has always resulted in a popularity contest, but 25 times per bloody email address is too much. Can you imagine all the slack-jawed unemployed Giants fans that stayed up for days in their mom's basement eating Doritos and chugging Mountain Dew while mindlessly clicking Brandon Crawford's name on each of their 12 free gmail accounts?
Melky Cabrera - absolutely deserves to start. Even Buster Posey I don't have a huge problem with, although Carlos Ruiz is batting .356 to Posey's .303. Ruiz should have gotten the nod there as well.
And for those that don't know... yes, I'm a Dodgers fan. And yes, my rant is slightly colored by my Dodger homer-ness. So in the interest of being fair, no, Matt Kemp does not belong in the starting lineup as voted by the fans. He's a fantastic player, but having spent half the season on the DL should not have resulted in a spot on the team.
Comments
Setup and specialist guys never get any respect. Romo anyone?
The other dark horse all-star is the closer pro-tem Casilla. He has 18 saves out of 19 chances with an ERA under 2. His appearances are a lot less dramatic than the Beard's.
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BTW: Cubby=Cub Fan
Every time Lincecum and Zito pitch it's a guaranteed loss so they need every win they can get to stay in contention. And Javier Lopez seems to be getting a lot better at cashing in runs these days.
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Justin
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Monday: Matt Cain (8-2, 2.18 era, 0.85 whip), vs Jerome Williams (6-4, 4.20 era, 1.31 whip)
Tuesday: Barry Zito (5-4, 3.61, 1.32 whip) vs CJ Wilson (7-4, 2.30 era, 1.10 whip)
Wednesday: Ryan Vogelsong (6-2, 2.29 era, 1.16 whip) vs Jered Weaver (6-1, 2.61 era, 0.928 whip)
Hah, Jerome Williams was one of our guys once upon a time! Unfortunately, back in the evil dark days of 2005, he got packed up with 2003 1st round pick David Aardsma and shipped to the Cubs in exchange for middle-reliever LaTroy Hawkins (who's also an Angel this year!).
2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premiers AU
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Catcher: Posey #1
1st base: Belt #4
2nd base: 0
3rd base: Panda #2
Shortstop: Crawford #5
OF: Melky #3
Pagan #9
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<< <i>Latest NL voting tallies are out, and it looks like Giants fans are out there doing their job with stuffing the ballot boxes!
Catcher: Posey #1
1st base: Belt #4
2nd base: 0
3rd base: Panda #2
Shortstop: Crawford #5
OF: Melky #3
Pagan #9 >>
Last night Cain wasn't his normal self and labored through all five innings but the offense did their part and he got the win. Tonight it's Wilson vs. Zito. My instinct is tonight is going to be an Angels blowout with Pujols turning into vintage Pujols at least for one night.
Looks like there will be two starters and one or two reserves. Giants fans did their part. I know I did. Any info on the pitchers in all-star contention?
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<< <i>Any info on the pitchers in all-star contention? >>
Pitchers chosen based on payer vote, though the ultimate decision goes to the manager (Tony LaRussa).
Last year, the players voted for Lincecum, Cain, and Wilson, while Boch picked Vogelsong (and Panda).
R.A. Dickey's a virtual lock for the starting job, since he's leading the NL in the 3 pitching Triple Crown categories. Cain will likely go due to his numbers and the perfect game. There are quite a few pitchers posting fantastic numbers this year. Enough to ensure that someone's going to get left out.
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<< <i>Tonight it's Wilson vs. Zito. My instinct is tonight is going to be an Angels blowout with Pujols turning into vintage Pujols at least for one night. >>
4 runs on Zito with a 3 run Pujols homer in the first inning.
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<< <i>Zito: 3.1 innings, 8 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks. >>
In other words it's Barry Zero in his element.
Remember when early in the season he had a few good starts and some people started calling this season his redemption season? Boy has that sentiment taken a dump.
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<< <i>Remember when early in the season he had a few good starts and some people started calling this season his redemption season? Boy has that sentiment taken a dump. >>
Just about every season, Zito has a 5 or so start stretch where it looks like things are coming together, then he implodes again.
Wilson's given up 3 runs in the 35 innings prior to tonight's start, and the Giants offence has stuck him with 3 in the first 5 innings today.
Giants can score runs these days, but it doesn't help when the Giants starter is throwing BP.
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<< <i>
<< <i>Remember when early in the season he had a few good starts and some people started calling this season his redemption season? Boy has that sentiment taken a dump. >>
Just about every season, Zito has a 5 or so start stretch where it looks like things are coming together, then he implodes again.
Wilson's given up 3 runs in the 35 innings prior to tonight's start, and the Giants offence has stuck him with 3 in the first 5 innings today.
Giants can score runs these days, but it doesn't help when the Giants starter is throwing BP. >>
I recall last year when Zito came off the DL he had about two great starts then he imploded like he has this year. Even if he was in the Texas Rangers rotation he wouldn't have enough run support to erase those trainwreck outings.
On the bright side this year's team can score a few runs although the RISP batting could be a lot better. Still too many runners left on base game after game. It's still a lot better than last year. Last year when the opposing team scored two runs it was game over.
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Such a pleasant surprise. I half expected Melky to fall from his 2011 numbers back to his career averages, but he seems to be trying to post another career year.
April: .300/.366/.422
May: .429/.457/.647
June: .354/.364/.508
His walks are down and his strikeouts are up in June though, hence the close AVG and OBP numbers. Still, he's raking.
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After watching the last few games I've learned this about Anaheim: whenever Trout or Trumbo are up they're virtually guaranteed a hit. I don't know if it's the Giants pitching but the Angels look a lot better than 38-win team.
The only saving grace from making this road trip look like a disaster is how the A's are surprisingly containing L.A.
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In the past 5 seasons, he's posted a 3.38 era with a 1.283 whip. He's played in Houston for his whole career, which can be a bandbox at times.
He's averaged around 8.6 hits and 2.9 walks per 9 ip. In the past 2 years, enemy batters have hit him with a .256/.315/.428 slash.
In comparison (last 2 years):
Zito: .254/.333/.452
Cain: .212/.269/.323
Bum: .251/.294/.363
Vog: .235/.306/.343
Lincecum: ugh.
I can't imagine the Giants releasing or trading Lincecum (given his exhibited potential), so Zito's the guy I'd imagine would be at risk for loosing his job.
Of course, to get Wandy, the Giants would need to take on his contract (deal $13m in 2013 plus a player option of $13m for 2014), and they'd need to deal a prospect. I wouldn't expect the Giants to deal an arm (again), and guys like Gary Brown and Joe Panik are having bad seasons. If the Giants went after Wandy, they would have to overpay, and considering Zito's money, you'd have a single pitcher representing about $34m of payroll in 2012 and 2013, plus $21m in 2014.
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Giants don't have too many prospects to give up and Wandy's 13 million/ year probably puts him out of price range. So far it looks like the Yankees are the favorites for landing him. I can't imagine Boston not interested.
There's talk they're scouting Brandon McCarthy from the A's. He seems okay.
Another rumor is that Zack Greinke is also being shopped around although unlike Wandy he hits free agency at the end of the year. Would chasing him be worthwhile?
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Good luck in your race to tackle the NL West. We'll try to help by defeating the Dodgers next for you!
Justin
Retired - Eddie Mathews Master Registry Set (96.36%) Rank 1
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Sorry about hijacking your thread for Angels talk.
Justin
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I don't know.
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Belt with the big hit of the night. Good stuff!
First 6 batters for Timmy:
infield single (and 2 steals)
base hit (run)
base hit.
walk.
botched fielders choice, everyone safe (run)
walk (run).
From that point on...
6 ip, 0 hits, 0 runs, 8 so, 2 walks
7 ground outs
1 line out, pop out, and fly out.
edit to add: An interesting article about Timmy: The Anti-Sandoval.
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I've been a big Belt supporter for a while. This kid's gonna be a star, and with consistant playing time, he's R A K I N G.
Anyways, whew. I've never seen a 9-4 game, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, turn into a 9-8, nail biter!
That inning! UGH! It took about 30 min for the Giants to close the door after getting 2 outs.
Makes me wonder.... in the pros, does a spirited comeback attempt that falls short have any sort of intangible effect on the teams and how they go into their next game?
Is a win just a win, or did almost having victory snatched from their grasp leave a sour taste?
Is a loss just a loss, or does almost snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat breed confidence?
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Almost blew a save yesterday, blew one today.
Pff, was down stairs playing with my kids, then stepped up stairs to check the status of the game. "Ohh, live look in for the 9th, 2 outs, 2 on, lets see what happens." The streaming video loaded, just in time for me to see Norris hit his 3 run jack to end the game. Should have just stayed down stairs.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
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WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Zito racking up 7 scoreless is a totally unexpected gift. It's so unexpected that I wondered how often Zito's done it since coming to the Giants.
Here's the number of times Zito's walked off the mound after putting 7 or more 0's up on the scoreboard:
2007: 3
2008: 2
2009: 3 (by the AS break)
2010: 2
2011: 0
2012: 3
Poor Brandon Belt was the only guy who didn't come to the hit party that the rest of the team was at. Well, the Dodgers can rest assured that they've got a starting pitcher who can shut down Brandon Belt. He just can't stop the other 7 position players.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
How bada$$ is it that Vogelsong has beaten Clayton Kershaw twice this year, 2-1 and 2-0? Awesome.
That Kershaw curve is nasty though. Blanco almost hit the deck on a called strike 3. The ball started towards his head, then snapped like a humming bird back into the strikezone. Wow.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Two Dodgers shutouts in two games. It can't get better than that. With L.A. struggling, tomorrow's game with Lincecum pitching could be the watershed moment for him this season. Tomorrow he either turns it around for the better or if he lays an egg again this could be icing on a lost season. My instinct is he'll have a quality start.
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WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
First things first, Lincecum was dominant today. 7 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts. He was kinda wild, but that could have been due to the fact that Sanchez isn't as good of a catcher as Posey is and some balls in the dirt got away. However...
Billingsly vs Lincecum = double.
Lincecum wild pitch = Billingsly to 3rd.
Lincecum wild pitch = Billingsly thrown out at home.
Wild by design. They wanted to wear out Billingsly and make him run around in the sun.
Anyways, the defining moment in the game was in the 7th when Lincecum, after walking a guy, was facing a 2 on, 1 out situation, Boch came out to the mound, and Tim said "I've got this." Boch left him in there, and then: Fly out, Strike out.
I think we're going to see a lot more of this Lincecum/Sanchez battery now. I don't know, maybe Lincecum likes calling his own pitches or something. Bum, Vogey, and Cain all just do what Buster says, and it works great for them.
Now on to the sweep. This is the first time that the Giants have shutout an opposing team in a whole series since 1950. It's the first time that the Dodgers as an organization has been shut out in a series EVER. Glad the Giants got to stick them with it.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Madbum's 1st career shutout (a 1 hitter!) extended the Giants' run of scoreless innings to 36, a franchise high, and with LA loosing, moved the Giants into sole possession of 1st place in the West.
Giants actually got the offense going against one of the NL's elite pitchers, Johnny Cueto, who entered the game 9-3 with a 2.21 era.
This is a pretty fun ride! I hope Cain can keep it rolling tomorrow!
I'm not sure what the record is for scoreless innings by starting pitchers is, but the last time a Giants starter gave up a run was in the 1st inning of Sunday's game vs the A's.
After that, Giants starters have racked up 36 consecutive scoreless innings
Cain: 6 scoreless.
Zito: 7 scoreless.
Vogelsong: 7 scoreless.
Lincecum: 7 scoreless.
Bumgarner: 9 scoreless.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Righty pitcher Brad Penny had his contract purchased from Fresno and was put in the bullpen. Shane Loux was moved to the 15 day dl with a neck strain, and Eric Surkamp was moved to the 60-day DL.
Penny being back means that the Giants were hunting for suitable long-relief/spot-start guy and think that Penny provides that. We'll see.
1997 Bowman International
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"
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>Amazing how one turd of a game makes you completely forget about the four previous ones. >>
Ain't that the truth!
<< <i>Tonight Cain pitched himself right out of the all-star starting pitcher consideration. >>
Dickey threw another 8 scoreless tonight, so there's no way Cain was going to catch him. Cain's still an all-star though.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Another feeble effort from the Giants result in the 2nd CG from an enemy pitcher in a row. At least it wasn't a shutout, but still.
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"
<< <i>More sucking. Only time until they pull of a Dodger style slide whie Arizona keeps winning. >>
Fortunately, the Dodgers got shutout again and the D-Backs got shelled. Looks like San Diego may gain ground, but they're 15 back, so LOL.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
I didn't expect to see Sandoval on the team, let alone START the game. I just hope this doesn't cost Vogelsong a spot.
I doubt any other Giants will get on the team via reserves though. Vogelsong and Bumgarner were both worthy IMHO.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
You got a spare room for me out there if the Rangers play the Giants in the Series this year?
Mike
<< <i>Hey Digicat, You got a spare room for me out there if the Rangers play the Giants in the Series this year? >>
Sorry man, Baby #3's coming in September, we're going to have a crowed house by the time the post-season hits!
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
As for the all-star picks, Melky and Posey (top NL vote getter) were givens. I was surprised about Panda. I thought he was going to make it as a backup so that was unexpected. Mets fans are ticked off that Wright lost in the voting.
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<< <i>As for the all-star picks, Melky and Posey (top NL vote getter) were givens. I was surprised about Panda. I thought he was going to make it as a backup so that was unexpected. Mets fans are ticked off that Wright lost in the voting. >>
The whole voting process is a joke. It's more of a "which team has more fans willing to spend time on this" contest, and the Giants fans did well.
Heck, Freddy Sanchez finished 4th among 2nd baseman. Brandon Crawford finished a close 2nd for SS.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
a) played 9 years in SF
or
b) played 5 years and made 1 AS team as a Giant.
Bonds meets both, but since he never "officially" retired, the Giants are stonewalling his plaque for some reason.
A few active guys who, if they retired today, would fit one of these conditions:
Brian Wilson (b)
Matt Cain (b)
Tim Lincecum (b)
Pablo Sandoval (b)
A few are close:
Ryan Vogelsong (if he plays for the Giants in 2013, he'll meet (b).
Buster Posey (if he playes for the Giants in 2013, he'll meet (b).
A few have only a few years to go meet (a):
Barry Zito (3 years)
Nate Schierholtz (3 years)
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Brandon Belt lead the team in OBP (.400),SLG (.563), RBI (15), and HRs (4, tied with Posey).
Ryan Theriot lead the team in AVG (.307), and hits (35).
Buster Posey leads the team with 5 double play grounders.
Hector Sanchez hit .222/.216/.250
Gregor Blanco hit .218/.277/.355
Brandon Crawford hit .260/.313/.377
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
So let me get this straight - Pablo Sandoval is starting over David Wright at 3B. The same Pablo Sandoval that has 25 RBIs to Wright's 50? The same Pablo that has almost half as many plate appearances? The same Pablo that is batting .309 to Wright's .355? That same Pablo? Really?
Mr. Selig, thanks for a voting system that lets uneducated homer fans vote for their favorite undeserving player up to 25 times per email address. This wonderful system damn near got Brandon Crawford the nod at SS (he finished 2nd), Brandon Belt at 1B (he also finished 2nd), Freddy Sanchez at 2B (who the heck voted for Sanchez with the straight face???) and allowed Angel Pagan to finish 5th... among ALL National League outfielders.
The rule to allow fans to vote for the team has always resulted in a popularity contest, but 25 times per bloody email address is too much. Can you imagine all the slack-jawed unemployed Giants fans that stayed up for days in their mom's basement eating Doritos and chugging Mountain Dew while mindlessly clicking Brandon Crawford's name on each of their 12 free gmail accounts?
Melky Cabrera - absolutely deserves to start. Even Buster Posey I don't have a huge problem with, although Carlos Ruiz is batting .356 to Posey's .303. Ruiz should have gotten the nod there as well.
And for those that don't know... yes, I'm a Dodgers fan. And yes, my rant is slightly colored by my Dodger homer-ness. So in the interest of being fair, no, Matt Kemp does not belong in the starting lineup as voted by the fans. He's a fantastic player, but having spent half the season on the DL should not have resulted in a spot on the team.
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