Just when you thought "Voggy's getting it back together!" BAM. Out 4-6 weeks with broken pinky finger on the pitching hand. Voggy said it's the best finger to break on the pitching hand since "It doesn't really do much on the baseball. It just kind of goes along for the ride."
Dude looked like the "good" Voggy we've come to know, and now he's gone.
Some names that have been tossed around as potential rotation replacements are Gaudin (though he's valuable in the bullpen), a familiar face in Fresno (e.g. Petit or Loux), or tapping some rookies like Chris Heston, Justin Fitzgerald, or Mike Kickham who seems to have settled in with Fresno over the last few weeks. Andy Baggarly likes the idea of promoting Kickham.
Giants could eye a trade, but with an obviously downed starter, every team will demand the moon.
Coming into tonight's game it was two struggling pitchers facing two slumping offenses. Either one pitcher or both pitchers was going to break an offense out of a slump or it was going to be "turn into Sandy Koufax for a night against an anemic offense" night. Good thing the Giants were the team to break out of their offensive funk at least for a night although the RISP hitting was still awful. Normally when a team puts up 17 hits they score more than 8 runs.
Just when Voge looked like he was turning the corner the unfortunate happens. Nicole Vogelsong, Ryan's wife, tweeted that Ryan has "a dislocated joint in the pinky finger...broken above and below finger" and that he has surgery tomorrow and will be out 6 weeks. For replacement, the name thrown around the ballpark the most was Mike Kickham.
Follow me on Twitter @wtcgroup Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
Vogelsong (broken finger) and Casilla (knee issues) to the DL, Pill and Rosario recalled to SF.
Pill's killing it in AAA, while Rosario's been a generic relief pitcher.
The Giants don't need to call up Vogelsong's replacement ASAP. His next start would have been Sunday, so adding another arm to the pen until then is a fine move. I suspect that Sunday's starter will be heavly dependent on whether or not they have to use Gaudin in the next 4 games. If the staff pulls it together and gives the bullpen a rest, then we'll probably see Gaudin. If the rotation continues to suck and Gaudin has to pitch, then we'll see someone get called up.
I'm keeping an eye on Fresno's rotation. If there's a pitching scratch, that might tell us what the Giants are thinking.
The schedule for the next few days:
Tuesday = Heston Wednesday = Loux Thursday = Kickham Friday = Bonser @ CO Saturday = Lively @ CO
Heston's going today, so he'd be on schedule to make his next start on Sunday.
Petit was put on the DL a few weeks ago for an oblique strain, so unless the Giants give him a rehab start in SF, we wont' see him.
With the off-day on Thursday, they've decided to slide Cain and Bum back a start so they push Voggy's old spot over to next Tuesday.
So, as already scheduled vs the Nats: Tuesday = Cain Wednesday = Bum Thursday = off Friday = Timmy (5 days rest) Saturday = Zito (5 days rest) Sunday = Cain (normal rest) Monday = Bum (normal rest) Tuesday = ????
With the return time table being 6-8 weeks before he can resume baseball activity (e.g. start rehab), that'll put his return at sometime in the weeks following the AS Break. That'll mean the Giants are going to need 9 - 11 starts out of his spot in the rotation until he gets back.
Grizzlies manager Bob Mariano said on the radio that he thought the Giants would go with experience over youth for Voggy's replacement. That would rule out Kickham and put Loux or Gaudin in the mix. But, he obviously doesn't have the final say. Just interesting to get some insight from the guys who help develop the talent.
Ex-A's pitchers always seem to feast on SF uniforms, doesn't even matter who's wearing them!
I guess Harper had to redeem himself to his teammates for failing to catch what turned into a game tying triple last night, and scored both of the Nats' runs today.
Tough outing for all four starting pitchers in the last two games. All four pitched well and besides for the club's namesake the other three all earned membership into Club Cain'd.
Follow me on Twitter @wtcgroup 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>Grizzlies manager Bob Mariano said on the radio that he thought the Giants would go with experience over youth for Voggy's replacement. That would rule out Kickham and put Loux or Gaudin in the mix. But, he obviously doesn't have the final say. Just interesting to get some insight from the guys who help develop the talent. >>
Loux got blown up for 7 runs in 5 innings today in Fresno. Kickham goes Thursday.
If they decide Kickham isn't ready, we may see them move Gaudin into the rotation and bring Loux back up to be the new long-man.
I'm not saying that this is related, but I remember back in 2011 when we were all freaking out about the rotation and Giants fans were calling for Eric Surkamp to come up. Dude got called up and after a nice MLB first appearance, he sort of went "thud." He had TJ surgery last June and is still on the shelf.
Kickham's line from tonight: 6.1 ip, 4 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 run.
The run scored after he was pulled from the game.
Tuesday would be his next scheduled start, either with the Giants (in Oakland) or with the Grizzlies (in Tucson, AZ).
Sabean said on KNBR that they're anticipating that Casilla will need knee surgery. That means Machi will be here to stay. I suppose it could also mean that Brian Wilson will have a spot if he wants to come back in a lesser capacity. However, I just don't see Wilson doing that.
Boch announced that Mike Kickham would make his MLB debut vs the A's in Oakland on Tuesday. For now, Kickham is going to take Voggy's spot in the rotation.
I'm not sure what to expect from Kickham. Some consider him a legit prospect. Baseball America rates him as the Giants #5 prospect, behind Crick, Panik, Stratton, and Brown.
His minor league numbers aren't amazing. 3.70 era, 1.346 whip, 8.3 h/9, 3.8 bb/9, 8.4 so/9
The thing going for Kickham is that he's been dominant over his last 5 starts. 1.72 era, 1.053 whip, 2.0 go/ao
Just for contrast, here's Surkamp's minor league numbers 2.85 era, 1.146 whip, 7.8 h/9, 2.5 bb/9, 10.6 so/9
To make room on the 40 man roster for him, they'll probably move Surkamp to the 60-day DL (he's already missed almost 60 days already), and to make room on the 25-man, they'll probably send Rosario back down (unless someone's going to the DL).
<< <i>To make room on the 40 man roster for him, they'll probably move Surkamp to the 60-day DL (he's already missed almost 60 days already), and to make room on the 25-man, they'll probably send Rosario back down (unless someone's going to the DL). >>
Just as I thought, Surkamp to the 60-day, Rosario back to Fresno to make room for Kickham.
Giants left their offense on the other side of the Bay in their pathetic loss today. Bum was good, but the bullpen let him down and cashed in both the runners he left on base. Sigh.
I hope they put a little more effort behind Kickham.
Digi: Dbacks have better record at end of the 162 than the Giants. Bet: I send you a Randy Johnson PSA 10 if not, or you send me a Barry Bonds PSA 10 if so. Bet ? (can be a 2 dollar psa 10 either way)
<< <i>Digi: Dbacks have better record at end of the 162 than the Giants. Bet: I send you a Randy Johnson PSA 10 if not, or you send me a Barry Bonds PSA 10 if so. Bet ? (can be a 2 dollar psa 10 either way)
On ? >>
No, I really can't do that. Watching the Giants lose is bad enough. Risking the loss of money/possessions over it would be even worse.
same here on the Dbacks! Arizona teams historically have bit the big one when, by chance, we actually made a playoff or whatever. Man, it's bad here. Only thing we have here is the conquering of the Spanks in 2001. That was funny.
You should have taken this wager though, you're not a real Giants fan. This bet was wimpy.
Well, crap. Kickham's debut ends with 1 out in the 3rd and the bases loaded (all stranded).
Kickham's line: 2.1 ip, 4 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, 3 so. He's in line for the loss if the Giants don't do something about it.
I had hoped to see something a little more special tonight. Oh well. It's not necessarily indicative of how he's going to continue to look though. Timmy got roughed up in his first outing. The next two years he was the best pitcher in the league.
The A's aren't known for having a particularly powerful offense but they lit up Kickham. So the question now is, five games from now do they start Kickham again, start Gaudin or trade for another pitcher?
Also is Kickham the considered team's best prospect pitcher, or are there other guys who might be ready by next year?
Follow me on Twitter @wtcgroup 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>The A's aren't known for having a particularly powerful offense but they lit up Kickham. So the question now is, five games from now do they start Kickham again, start Gaudin or trade for another pitcher? >>
Considering how they pretty much torched Gaudin and Mijares for the next few games with long-relief, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they demoted Kickham to bring up another relief pitcher and had Gaudin start in 5 days. They can't bring Rosario back (10 day rule, unless a DL move is also involved), so the only relief help that's on the 40 man roster would be Runzler (LHP) or Jake Dunning (RHP). Runzler looks ok, but Dunning's pitching well in the PCL (1.53 era in 29.1 ip, 1.227 whip).
The only other reliever on the 40 man roster is Hunter Strickland, who's dominating down in A+ San Jose.
Still, if Lincecum and Zito can pitch well at home over the next few games, that will give the pen some well needed rest and they might give Kickham another shot. However, that shot will be on the road in St Louis.
<< <i>Also is Kickham the considered team's best prospect pitcher, or are there other guys who might be ready by next year? >>
Kyle Crick is considered the Giants best prospect pitcher, and he's in San Jose. Looking at the Giants top 20 prospects, all the pitchers except Heston and Kickham are in one of the Giants A level teams.
There are no top flight prospect starting pitchers in the Giants org that are projected to contribute this year or next year. Anyone they bring up will be rushed and used as emergency injury fill-ins. No one's forcing the question like Lincecum and Bumgarner did when they got called up.
Interesting aside: the Kickhams were my next door neighbors growing up. I used to play basketball with them all the time. Mike is a nice dude. Hope he gets some more chances as it. -John
Confirmed, Kickham sent back down, Ramon Ramirez coming up. 40-man move pending.
edit to add: Abreu moved to the 60 day DL. He's been on the DL all season, but is in the middle of rehab in Fresno. His rehab assignment will end on June 8th, and the Giants will need to figure out what to do with him.
If the Giants still want him, he may take Noonan's job. Noonan has options, Abreu doesn't.
WOW. After having one of the best staffs in the league last year, it seemed like a safe bet that with Cain, Lincecum, and Bumgarner entering their prime years, Zito with refound confidence, and Vogelsong pitching his dream, we'd be competitive again.
Heck, Cain was picked as a pre-season favorite to win the NL Cy Young award.
Instead, it's a big giant mess. Starting pitching can't get past the 5th inning and the bullpen is having to get slagged.
Maybe those extra innings in the post-season last year burned these guys out or something.
Giants are tied for LAST in the NL in quality starts. They rank 13th out of 16 in terms of runs allowed per game (lower rank being higher runs allowed).
Offence is 5th in the NL, but the pitching gives up more runs on average than the offence can generate.
It's bad. If this sort of thing continues, you might see the Giants hit this trade deadline with an eye on next season.
Just curious, is there a stat out there for which ballpark has the most incidents of fan interference? I'm thinking AT&T Park has to be in the top five. Fan interference at AT&T seems to happen all the time and tonight is no exception. It's the byproduct of a championship team spliced with a strong economy: yuppies and rich novice bandwagoners who know nothing about ballpark protocol (or baseball even) taking up the first few rows. They were annoying in the early 2000's and they're annoying now.
Follow me on Twitter @wtcgroup 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>Just curious, is there a stat out there for which ballpark has the most incidents of fan interference? I'm thinking AT&T Park has to be in the top five. Fan interference seems to happen all the time and tonight is no exception. It's the byproduct of a championship team spliced with a strong economy: yuppies and rich novice bandwagoners who know nothing about ballpark protocol taking up the first few rows. They were annoying in the early 2000's and they're annoying now. >>
Have you ever been to a game? You ever actually cheer for your team? Or does your entire existence center around being a grumpy old man whining and complaining and being the worst kind of fan ever? You never have anything positive to say about your so-called teams. Your twitter feed is filled with negative and hateful posts. Your entire premise of anything other than a championship season being a waste is the worst kind of entitled behavior there is, and yes, even when the Giants won the world series (and two of the last three), not a SINGLE tweet about it, just more negativity.
For the love of all that's holy either find some joy in the sports you claim to follow or go find another hobby.
<< <i>Just curious, is there a stat out there for which ballpark has the most incidents of fan interference? I'm thinking AT&T Park has to be in the top five. >>
Heh, watching tonight's game, my wife and I noticed that there's been a lot more interference going on.
Just off the top of my head, there have been 4...
A fan reaching down and picking up a fair ball that took a bounce into foul territory on the 1st base side. The Dawg reaching over the fence in left field and swatting the fly ball away from Justin Upton. Santiago Casilla not paying attention in the bullpen and picking up a live ball while he was warming up Tonight when the fans on the 3rd base side got their hands on the ball.
3 @ St Louis (1st in NL Central) off day 2 vs Blue Jays (humiliated the Giants @ Toronto) off day 3 @ D-Backs (1st in NL West) off day 3 @ Pirates (2nd in NL Central) 3 @ Braves (1st in NL East)
The Giants are a shocking 9-15 on the road this year so far this year (3-7 in their last 10 road games).
A struggling pitching staff vs power-house offenses. If the Giants manage to go 7-7 on that stretch of games, it'd be a victory.
ERA @ home = 1.40 (7 starts) ERA on Road = 10.19 (4 starts)
Baseball's crazy like that!
Of course, Zito's defining moment as a Giant happened on the road during the NLCS, when he broke the entire Cardinal offense at Busch Stadium (they scored 1 time in the final 3 games of the NLCS).
ERA @ home = 1.40 (7 starts) ERA on Road = 10.19 (4 starts)
Baseball's crazy like that!
Of course, Zito's defining moment as a Giant happened on the road during the NLCS, when he broke the entire Cardinal offense at Busch Stadium (they scored 1 time in the final 3 games of the NLCS). >>
I am sure I wasn't alone in Zito getting a world series ring last year after gracefully accepting his role off the roster in 2010. The fact that he played an integral role to boot was amazing as well. Has he earned his contract? Hell no. But you never hear anything negative about him, by all accounts the team loves him, and I suspect he'll be back (albeit for a much cheaper rate) and retire as a Giant.
Zito's popularity started to rise near the end of the 2012 regular season, and then hit "hero" status after game 1 of the World Series.
Before that he was frequently savaged on local sports-talk radio and he shut down his Twitter account due to not being able to handle the flood of abusive comments he was getting.
Baggs brought up an interesting "alternate universe" move: DL Pagan immediately after he hurt his hammy and call up the hot hitting outfielder Roger Kieschnick who's mashing the ball in Fresno.
Blanco's got a .207 OBP since starting in Pagan's place. Kieschnick doesn't take walks, but he's a power-hitter and has good D. Giants are 2-5 in the 7 games that Pagan's missed so far, and he's not in the lineup tonight.
However, it's too late now. Pagan's probably going to be good to go for Tuesday's game. If we DL'ed him now he'd be out until after the Arizona series (5 more games after today's).
<< <i>I wouldn't put too much stock into a random 6 game stretch in the middle of the year. >>
The thing is, the Giants pitching has been bad. Really bad. From 2009 - 2012, the SF Giants had one of the top 5 pitching staffs in all baseball of the whole season. Right now they're in the bottom 5.
Ironically, Chad Gaudin, the Giants long-man, gave the team a heck of a spot-start, holding the Cards to 2 runs over 6 innings.
The thing is...he was mad at himself, not the call. This isn't the minor leagues; that rookie ump needs to realize that 40,000 people didn't come to see HIM do his thing. That said, Yadi could have waited till he got back to the dugout to abuse his helmet. I obviously can't prove it changed the outcome but it most certainly didn't help. His replacement Cruz went 0-for 2, both strikeouts.
<< <i>The thing is...he was mad at himself, not the call. This isn't the minor leagues; that rookie ump needs to realize that 40,000 people didn't come to see HIM do his thing. That said, Yadi could have waited till he got back to the dugout to abuse his helmet. I obviously can't prove it changed the outcome but it most certainly didn't help. His replacement Cruz went 0-for 2, both strikeouts. >>
Yeah. That's why I called him the "trigger happy rookie ump."
Think Molina will get fined or suspended for making contact with the umpire during his flip-out?
Edit to add: Molina got a 1 game suspension for making contact with the umpire.
Good thing it's just one game. He's appealing it- but even in a worst case scenario, he can pick what game to sit out. Catchers sometimes take a day off anyway so this isn't a biggie. The ump even said the contact was incidental so I feel that getting ejected was punishment enough.
Hey, I noticed your WTB sigline. Maybe you already saw it, but HERE is a listing for that Damaso Blanco card at $40. I can't get the image to come up though. FYI
Draft time! Giants have the 25th pick this year. Lets look back at the Giants past 1st round picks during the Sabean era:
2012 #20 = Chris Stratton, RHP. Currently in A ball. He might be a prospect, who knows. 2011 #29 = Joe Panik, SS. Currently holding his own in AA ball. He's played mostly 2nd base this year. 2010 #24 = Gary Brown, OF. He's in AAA and struggling BAD. This one may be a total bust. 2009 #6 = Zack Wheeler, RHP. He's one of the top prospects in the nation... and he's on the Mets now. 2008 #5 = Buster Posey, C. All Star, MVP, team leader. Giants won 2 World Series in 3 years because of him. 2007 #10 = Madison Bumgarner, LHP. Stud young pitcher who'll be a cornerstone of the rotation for years to come. 2006 #10 = Tim Lincecum, RHP. Won 2 straight Cy Young Awards, staff ace in the 2010 post season run, and the invincible relief pitcher in the 2012 run. 2005 #22 = no one. Giants gave up this pick as compensation for signing FA Armando Benitez. 2004 #29 = no one. Giants gave up this pick as compensation for signing FA Michael Tucker. 2003 #22 = David Aardsma, RHP. Drafted as a relief pitcher, but was flipped 2 years later for a veteran reliever. Currently looking for work. 2002 #25 = Matt Cain, RHP. Stud pitcher, current staff ace, though he's struggling with everyone else right now. 2001 #21 = Brad Hennessey, RHP. Struggled in the rotation, struggled out of the pen. Last played pro ball in 2011. 2000 #21 = Boof Bonser, RHP. Part of the wretched A.J. Pierzynski deal. He's bounced around and is now back with AAA Fresno. He's never actually played for the SF Giants. 1999 #24 = Kurt Ainsworth, RHP. Had some struggles early in his career and was dealt as part of the ugly Sidney Ponson deal. Ugh. Out of baseball since 2004. 1998 #19 = Tony Torcato, 3b. Local nor-cal kid, did OK in the minors, never really given much of a shot in the majors. Out of baseball since 2008. 1997 #4 = Jason Grilli, RHP. College phenom who struggled in the minors and was traded 2 years later in the deal for Livan Hernandez. Grilli's currently an elite closer for the Pirates. 1996 #7 = Matt White, RHP. due to a loophole in the draft rules, he was able to declare free agency immediately after he was drafted and signed with the Rays. He never made it to the majors.
And with the 25th pick of the 2013 draft, the SF Giants pick: Christian Arroyo, a high school shortstop who's already signed a letter of intent to go to University of Florida.
Odd pick. His Baseball America rating was #102, and the Giants used the 25th pick to get him. Giants scouting dept says they're confident he'll sign.
Comments
Dude looked like the "good" Voggy we've come to know, and now he's gone.
Some names that have been tossed around as potential rotation replacements are Gaudin (though he's valuable in the bullpen), a familiar face in Fresno (e.g. Petit or Loux), or tapping some rookies like Chris Heston, Justin Fitzgerald, or Mike Kickham who seems to have settled in with Fresno over the last few weeks. Andy Baggarly likes the idea of promoting Kickham.
Giants could eye a trade, but with an obviously downed starter, every team will demand the moon.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Just when Voge looked like he was turning the corner the unfortunate happens. Nicole Vogelsong, Ryan's wife, tweeted that Ryan has "a dislocated joint in the pinky finger...broken above and below finger" and that he has surgery tomorrow and will be out 6 weeks. For replacement, the name thrown around the ballpark the most was Mike Kickham.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
Vogelsong (broken finger) and Casilla (knee issues) to the DL, Pill and Rosario recalled to SF.
Pill's killing it in AAA, while Rosario's been a generic relief pitcher.
The Giants don't need to call up Vogelsong's replacement ASAP. His next start would have been Sunday, so adding another arm to the pen until then is a fine move. I suspect that Sunday's starter will be heavly dependent on whether or not they have to use Gaudin in the next 4 games. If the staff pulls it together and gives the bullpen a rest, then we'll probably see Gaudin. If the rotation continues to suck and Gaudin has to pitch, then we'll see someone get called up.
I'm keeping an eye on Fresno's rotation. If there's a pitching scratch, that might tell us what the Giants are thinking.
The schedule for the next few days:
Tuesday = Heston
Wednesday = Loux
Thursday = Kickham
Friday = Bonser @ CO
Saturday = Lively @ CO
Heston's going today, so he'd be on schedule to make his next start on Sunday.
Petit was put on the DL a few weeks ago for an oblique strain, so unless the Giants give him a rehab start in SF, we wont' see him.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
So, as already scheduled vs the Nats:
Tuesday = Cain
Wednesday = Bum
Thursday = off
Friday = Timmy (5 days rest)
Saturday = Zito (5 days rest)
Sunday = Cain (normal rest)
Monday = Bum (normal rest)
Tuesday = ????
With the return time table being 6-8 weeks before he can resume baseball activity (e.g. start rehab), that'll put his return at sometime in the weeks following the AS Break. That'll mean the Giants are going to need 9 - 11 starts out of his spot in the rotation until he gets back.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Nats had a runner at 3rd with 1 out twice, and were stuffed both times. Sounds kinda like the Giants sometimes!
But, in the end, a rewarding walk off Panda bomb!
The only other time Pablo hit a walk-off homer was May 15, 2009, vs the Nats as well. Cain started that game too!
"little Panda"
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Expand that to all of MLB and they're 2nd in batting average, hits and OPS+.
On the pitching side, they're 10th in ERA and 2nd to last in ERA+.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
I guess Harper had to redeem himself to his teammates for failing to catch what turned into a game tying triple last night, and scored both of the Nats' runs today.
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>Grizzlies manager Bob Mariano said on the radio that he thought the Giants would go with experience over youth for Voggy's replacement. That would rule out Kickham and put Loux or Gaudin in the mix. But, he obviously doesn't have the final say. Just interesting to get some insight from the guys who help develop the talent. >>
Loux got blown up for 7 runs in 5 innings today in Fresno. Kickham goes Thursday.
If they decide Kickham isn't ready, we may see them move Gaudin into the rotation and bring Loux back up to be the new long-man.
I'm not saying that this is related, but I remember back in 2011 when we were all freaking out about the rotation and Giants fans were calling for Eric Surkamp to come up. Dude got called up and after a nice MLB first appearance, he sort of went "thud." He had TJ surgery last June and is still on the shelf.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
The run scored after he was pulled from the game.
Tuesday would be his next scheduled start, either with the Giants (in Oakland) or with the Grizzlies (in Tucson, AZ).
Sabean said on KNBR that they're anticipating that Casilla will need knee surgery. That means Machi will be here to stay. I suppose it could also mean that Brian Wilson will have a spot if he wants to come back in a lesser capacity. However, I just don't see Wilson doing that.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
I'm not sure what to expect from Kickham. Some consider him a legit prospect. Baseball America rates him as the Giants #5 prospect, behind Crick, Panik, Stratton, and Brown.
His minor league numbers aren't amazing.
3.70 era, 1.346 whip, 8.3 h/9, 3.8 bb/9, 8.4 so/9
The thing going for Kickham is that he's been dominant over his last 5 starts.
1.72 era, 1.053 whip, 2.0 go/ao
Just for contrast, here's Surkamp's minor league numbers
2.85 era, 1.146 whip, 7.8 h/9, 2.5 bb/9, 10.6 so/9
And here's MadBum's
2.00 era, 1.057 whip, 7.6 h/9, 1.9 bb/9, 8 so/9
To make room on the 40 man roster for him, they'll probably move Surkamp to the 60-day DL (he's already missed almost 60 days already), and to make room on the 25-man, they'll probably send Rosario back down (unless someone's going to the DL).
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
<< <i>To make room on the 40 man roster for him, they'll probably move Surkamp to the 60-day DL (he's already missed almost 60 days already), and to make room on the 25-man, they'll probably send Rosario back down (unless someone's going to the DL). >>
Just as I thought, Surkamp to the 60-day, Rosario back to Fresno to make room for Kickham.
Giants left their offense on the other side of the Bay in their pathetic loss today. Bum was good, but the bullpen let him down and cashed in both the runners he left on base. Sigh.
I hope they put a little more effort behind Kickham.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
On ?
<< <i>Digi: Dbacks have better record at end of the 162 than the Giants. Bet: I send you a Randy Johnson PSA 10 if not, or you send me a Barry Bonds PSA 10 if so. Bet ? (can be a 2 dollar psa 10 either way)
On ? >>
No, I really can't do that. Watching the Giants lose is bad enough. Risking the loss of money/possessions over it would be even worse.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
You should have taken this wager though, you're not a real Giants fan. This bet was wimpy.
<< <i>you're not a real Giants fan. >>
Whatever.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
An interesting walk down memory lane.
8/27/11 = Eric Surkamp = 6 ip, 6 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 4 so, no decision (Giants won)
9/8/09 = Madison Bumgarner = 5.1 ip, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 4 so, no decision (Giants lost)
6/28/09 = Ryan Sadowski = 6 ip, 4 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 2 so, WON
8/16/08 = Matt Palmer = 2.1 ip, 7 hits, 6 runs, 4 walks, 0 so, LOSS
5/6/07 = Tim Lincecum = 4.1 ip, 5 hits, 5 runs, 5 walks, 2 so, no decision (Giants lost)
8/29/05 = Matt Cain = 5 ip, 3 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, 2 so, LOSS
8/7/04 = Brad Hennessey = 4.2 ip, 7 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 5 so, LOSS
4/26/03 = Jerome Williams = 4.0 ip, 5 hits, 5 runs, 5 walks, 3 so, LOSS
5/19/01 = Ryan Jensen = 5.2 ip, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2 so, no decision (Giants won)
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Kickham's line: 2.1 ip, 4 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, 3 so. He's in line for the loss if the Giants don't do something about it.
I had hoped to see something a little more special tonight. Oh well. It's not necessarily indicative of how he's going to continue to look though. Timmy got roughed up in his first outing. The next two years he was the best pitcher in the league.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Also is Kickham the considered team's best prospect pitcher, or are there other guys who might be ready by next year?
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>The A's aren't known for having a particularly powerful offense but they lit up Kickham. So the question now is, five games from now do they start Kickham again, start Gaudin or trade for another pitcher? >>
Considering how they pretty much torched Gaudin and Mijares for the next few games with long-relief, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they demoted Kickham to bring up another relief pitcher and had Gaudin start in 5 days. They can't bring Rosario back (10 day rule, unless a DL move is also involved), so the only relief help that's on the 40 man roster would be Runzler (LHP) or Jake Dunning (RHP). Runzler looks ok, but Dunning's pitching well in the PCL (1.53 era in 29.1 ip, 1.227 whip).
The only other reliever on the 40 man roster is Hunter Strickland, who's dominating down in A+ San Jose.
Still, if Lincecum and Zito can pitch well at home over the next few games, that will give the pen some well needed rest and they might give Kickham another shot. However, that shot will be on the road in St Louis.
<< <i>Also is Kickham the considered team's best prospect pitcher, or are there other guys who might be ready by next year? >>
Kyle Crick is considered the Giants best prospect pitcher, and he's in San Jose. Looking at the Giants top 20 prospects, all the pitchers except Heston and Kickham are in one of the Giants A level teams.
There are no top flight prospect starting pitchers in the Giants org that are projected to contribute this year or next year. Anyone they bring up will be rushed and used as emergency injury fill-ins. No one's forcing the question like Lincecum and Bumgarner did when they got called up.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
-John
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
Such a move would require:
1) a move to make room on the 40-man roster
2) a move to make room on the 25-man roster
Vogelsong and Casilla could be potential 60-day DL candidates, since they will be out for a while.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
edit to add: Abreu moved to the 60 day DL. He's been on the DL all season, but is in the middle of rehab in Fresno. His rehab assignment will end on June 8th, and the Giants will need to figure out what to do with him.
If the Giants still want him, he may take Noonan's job. Noonan has options, Abreu doesn't.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Heck, Cain was picked as a pre-season favorite to win the NL Cy Young award.
Instead, it's a big giant mess. Starting pitching can't get past the 5th inning and the bullpen is having to get slagged.
Maybe those extra innings in the post-season last year burned these guys out or something.
Giants are tied for LAST in the NL in quality starts. They rank 13th out of 16 in terms of runs allowed per game (lower rank being higher runs allowed).
Offence is 5th in the NL, but the pitching gives up more runs on average than the offence can generate.
It's bad. If this sort of thing continues, you might see the Giants hit this trade deadline with an eye on next season.
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>Just curious, is there a stat out there for which ballpark has the most incidents of fan interference? I'm thinking AT&T Park has to be in the top five. Fan interference seems to happen all the time and tonight is no exception. It's the byproduct of a championship team spliced with a strong economy: yuppies and rich novice bandwagoners who know nothing about ballpark protocol taking up the first few rows. They were annoying in the early 2000's and they're annoying now. >>
Have you ever been to a game? You ever actually cheer for your team? Or does your entire existence center around being a grumpy old man whining and complaining and being the worst kind of fan ever? You never have anything positive to say about your so-called teams. Your twitter feed is filled with negative and hateful posts. Your entire premise of anything other than a championship season being a waste is the worst kind of entitled behavior there is, and yes, even when the Giants won the world series (and two of the last three), not a SINGLE tweet about it, just more negativity.
For the love of all that's holy either find some joy in the sports you claim to follow or go find another hobby.
<< <i>Just curious, is there a stat out there for which ballpark has the most incidents of fan interference? I'm thinking AT&T Park has to be in the top five. >>
Heh, watching tonight's game, my wife and I noticed that there's been a lot more interference going on.
Just off the top of my head, there have been 4...
A fan reaching down and picking up a fair ball that took a bounce into foul territory on the 1st base side.
The Dawg reaching over the fence in left field and swatting the fly ball away from Justin Upton.
Santiago Casilla not paying attention in the bullpen and picking up a live ball while he was warming up
Tonight when the fans on the 3rd base side got their hands on the ball.
I don't remember any from last year.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
3 @ St Louis (1st in NL Central)
off day
2 vs Blue Jays (humiliated the Giants @ Toronto)
off day
3 @ D-Backs (1st in NL West)
off day
3 @ Pirates (2nd in NL Central)
3 @ Braves (1st in NL East)
The Giants are a shocking 9-15 on the road this year so far this year (3-7 in their last 10 road games).
A struggling pitching staff vs power-house offenses. If the Giants manage to go 7-7 on that stretch of games, it'd be a victory.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
ERA @ home = 1.40 (7 starts)
ERA on Road = 10.19 (4 starts)
Baseball's crazy like that!
Of course, Zito's defining moment as a Giant happened on the road during the NLCS, when he broke the entire Cardinal offense at Busch Stadium (they scored 1 time in the final 3 games of the NLCS).
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
<< <i>Wild Zito = win? Only at AT&T!
ERA @ home = 1.40 (7 starts)
ERA on Road = 10.19 (4 starts)
Baseball's crazy like that!
Of course, Zito's defining moment as a Giant happened on the road during the NLCS, when he broke the entire Cardinal offense at Busch Stadium (they scored 1 time in the final 3 games of the NLCS). >>
I am sure I wasn't alone in Zito getting a world series ring last year after gracefully accepting his role off the roster in 2010. The fact that he played an integral role to boot was amazing as well. Has he earned his contract? Hell no. But you never hear anything negative about him, by all accounts the team loves him, and I suspect he'll be back (albeit for a much cheaper rate) and retire as a Giant.
Before that he was frequently savaged on local sports-talk radio and he shut down his Twitter account due to not being able to handle the flood of abusive comments he was getting.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Scoot is still sick, but he's in the lineup today.
That could hurt this weekend. We're replacing a #3 hitter with a new #8 hitter (Arias) and pushing everyone up. Pagan's still out.
Here's the matchups for this weekend.
Friday: Cain (5.00 era, 1.19 whip) vs Miller (2.02 era, 0.98 whip)
Saturday: Bumgarner (3.13 era, 1.04 whip) vs Wainwright (2.48 era, 1.03 whip)
Sunday: Gaudin (2.05 era, 1.24 whip, as reliever) vs Lyons (1.29 era, 0.57 whip, 3rd career start)
With the Giants missing their leadoff and #3 hitters (Pagan and Panda), this could be a very painful weekend.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
There's going to be a double-header tomorrow if the weather permits.
This should give the guys another night to sleep off whatever bug is going around the clubhouse.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Marco Scutaro hit .420 and committed 6 errors in the month of May.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th innings were perfect innings pitched by Matt Cain. The 3rd inning.. not so much. 9 hits, 7 runs.
Giants got blanked. And that's vs a Cardinals lineup where Beltran, Freise, and Molina are sitting.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Games 1-10 = 7-3
Games 11-20 = 6-4
Games 21-30 = 5-5
Games 31-40 = 5-5
Games 41-50 = 5-5
Games 51-56 = 1-5
The offense has been counter-balancing the bad pitching, but not by much.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Blanco's got a .207 OBP since starting in Pagan's place. Kieschnick doesn't take walks, but he's a power-hitter and has good D. Giants are 2-5 in the 7 games that Pagan's missed so far, and he's not in the lineup tonight.
However, it's too late now. Pagan's probably going to be good to go for Tuesday's game. If we DL'ed him now he'd be out until after the Arizona series (5 more games after today's).
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
<< <i>Seems like the wheels are falling off...
Games 1-10 = 7-3
Games 11-20 = 6-4
Games 21-30 = 5-5
Games 31-40 = 5-5
Games 41-50 = 5-5
Games 51-56 = 1-5
The offense has been counter-balancing the bad pitching, but not by much. >>
I wouldn't put too much stock into a random 6 game stretch in the middle of the year.
<< <i>I wouldn't put too much stock into a random 6 game stretch in the middle of the year. >>
The thing is, the Giants pitching has been bad. Really bad. From 2009 - 2012, the SF Giants had one of the top 5 pitching staffs in all baseball of the whole season. Right now they're in the bottom 5.
Ironically, Chad Gaudin, the Giants long-man, gave the team a heck of a spot-start, holding the Cards to 2 runs over 6 innings.
But, it could all change. Who knows?
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
That said, Yadi could have waited till he got back to the dugout to abuse his helmet.
I obviously can't prove it changed the outcome but it most certainly didn't help. His replacement Cruz went 0-for 2, both strikeouts.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
<< <i>The thing is...he was mad at himself, not the call. This isn't the minor leagues; that rookie ump needs to realize that 40,000 people didn't come to see HIM do his thing. That said, Yadi could have waited till he got back to the dugout to abuse his helmet. I obviously can't prove it changed the outcome but it most certainly didn't help. His replacement Cruz went 0-for 2, both strikeouts. >>
Yeah. That's why I called him the "trigger happy rookie ump."
Think Molina will get fined or suspended for making contact with the umpire during his flip-out?
Edit to add: Molina got a 1 game suspension for making contact with the umpire.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Hey, I noticed your WTB sigline. Maybe you already saw it, but HERE is a listing for that Damaso Blanco card at $40. I can't get the image to come up though. FYI
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Giants record per 10 game spans...
Games 1-10 = 7-3
Games 11-20 = 6-4
Games 21-30 = 5-5
Games 31-40 = 5-5
Games 41-50 = 5-5
Games 51-59 = 3-6
This scuffling team is taking their lousy 10-17 road record with them to visit some of the strongest teams in the league:
3 @ D-Backs
3 @ Pirates
3 @ Braves
Taking 4 or 5 out of those 9 games would be a good outcome.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Odd pick. His Baseball America rating was #102, and the Giants used the 25th pick to get him. Giants scouting dept says they're confident he'll sign.
He's a shortstop with power. I guess we'll see.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25