Yet another Giants Quality Start went to waste as the offense turned in yet another pathetic performance, almost beyond belief. The Giants' lone run scored on an RBI groundout by Orlando Cabrera against a starter the Giants gave up on. How embarrassing is THAT? Key Lines:
Ryan Vogelsong- 7.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K's ERA= 2.54. Yeah, the BB's are ugly, but a QS is a QS. That should be enough to win against a guy like Henry Sosa.
Henry Sosa- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.09. OK, maybe Sosa has pretty good stuff. Maybe he pitched pretty well tonight, but I'm also quite sure this line has a lot more to do with the Giants offense than Henry Sosa's pitching ability.
The Loss dropped the Giants 3 games behind the Dangerous D'Backs in the NL West as the D'Backs polished off the Nationals 8-1.
Madison Bumgarner takes the mound tomorrow night against lefty JA Happ.
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doc, past anger and denial...moving into acceptance
ReplyDeleteteam is missing too many parts to get over the hump, and brilliant pitching doesnt change that
too bad that they are gonna stick around till the last week cuz sabean really should shut a bunch of these guys down and bring up as many kids as possible
retool for next season, and hope everyone is and stays healthy
no more pure rental trades
hey...was a fun year till the break...ill give them that
and giants working on becoming the new zoo crew...already got a panda and a giraffe
Drb - I like the Giants players and am grateful for their accomplishment in 2010. I'm concerned about the team after reading Baggs latest notes.. Baggs suggests some players seem more concerned about their playing time then winning, which is differnt from 2010.. The one that disappointed me was Cody Ross fretting about the Carlos Beltran trade because it would take at bats away from him. Although, the players must be shell shocked with all the injuries thinking that this didn't happen in 2010. I blame the injuries for the team's 2nd half swoon. Posey and Sanchez are two of their best hitters. Sosa has good stuff but he looks better suited as a reliever.. It was a disappointing offensive effort. They didn't look like a team fighting for a playoff spot.
ReplyDeleteHuff, the f'n Anti-Christ of 2011. He was being counted on for a LOT this year, and has delivered on none of it. And what Baggs said tonight about how he felt Huff has dealt with his failings (Professional, but a throw-your-hand-up "Whaddya gonna do?" attitude) is dead on from where I sit.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that the Giants offense is failing. It's how they are dealing with it that's killing me.
I've never been a proponent of the kids this year (Ford, Burriss, Crawford) because I was pretty certain that none of them could hit MLB pitching. And I'm right about that. But, I'd much rather see them try than continue to watch the empty, souless efforts of Rowand, Huff, Tejada.
And Beltran. The guy just looks bland, no fire. I'm not sure he cares. I've defended the trade. But, I thought we'd see some drive from him. He's just kinda laying there, waiting for his next contract.
Who is the leader of this team?
Thanks for the comments, guys. I think they are all pretty spot on. Cody Ross needs to remember that HE took playing time away from somebody last year.
ReplyDeleteThere is a noticeable difference in intensity between the young players the Astros are running out there and the veterans on the Giants. There is no statistic to measure that, and it doesn't necessarily make the Astros a better team than the Giants, but it's very noticeable and has been a factor in the Astros' success against the Giants this week.
Falling short this year may be a long term blessing in disguise. There needs to be a major housecleaning this offseason and a changing of the guard. There are a whole bunch of expiring contracts with players who aren't really pulling their weight now and are not part of the future of this team. They helped win this team a championship. We're all grateful. Time to move on. Keep the pitching core intact, but bring in some new blood to the positions. That side of things needs to get younger, faster, more athletic.
We'll talk about details as the season winds down and the offseason gets underway. Not giving up yet, but guys, it's not looking good right now!
We forget that players are human too. Ross is in his free agent year, and losing playing time brings down his chances to show what he can do for the team he signs with next. Unfortunately, his tanking since around that time hasn't helped him either. I don't really blame him for worrying about that, that's human, but if he's sulking and being a negative influence in the clubhouse, then he's not being a professional, and that I would have a problem with.
ReplyDeleteAbout leadership, unfortunately, our leader is grounded: I thought that Posey was our leader last season, even with all the vets around, I felt a palpable aura of leadership that he exuded, concluding with his simple, short, but powerful message at the parade last year.
I agree about Beltran, he talked some of the talk when he first joined the Giants, but his malingering on the DL then hitting a HR right out of the chute showed that he is just not really into the team, the journey.
Not that he can't still help us, in a big way, by getting mega-white-hot for the next month, but I would not look to him for fire, drive, or leadership.
I think it will have to be Kung Fu Panda, if anyone, to lead the way. The way he played despite numerous injuries was very inspiring. I'm thinking he might have influenced Beltran to finally play despite not being at 100%, funny how that worked.
The superstars are the ones who realize that their playing at, say, the 85% that Beltran noted he was at, is better than the 110% that bench players deliver.
I think the Giants want to clean house, but there is only so far you can go without risking a losing season. They have been actively drafting a lot of position players, using valuable picks to find starters, but they need to develop and then contribute. But if they are not ready, you can't just throw out all the vets without any backup who can carry the slack if/when the young player performs poorly.
Unfortunately, most fans don't realize the Black Swan effect with such moves, like Lance Niekro. Fans want young players but he just couldn't hack it, people forget that the Giants gave him a lot of opportunities to hold a starting job, but his failure at it costed the Giants and forced them to trade for Shea Hillenbrand, a trade these fans ridiculed but not realizing that this is the cost of not having a veteran around as backup.
I look at it this way: The Giants should have a minimum of 4 homegrown starting position players out of spring training next year assuming Posey comes back healthy. Posey, Sandoval, Nate and Belt. That's half the starting 8 right there. Then, there is the possibility of two more: Crawford at SS and Brown in CF, or maybe Peguero, if not at the start of the season then maybe by midseason. In addition, there will be several utility openings that can be filled by minor league graduates, EdGone, Pill, Graham, Christian, Burriss, Ford. I just think somewhere in that mix they can fill 6 or 7 or 8 of the 13 non-pitching roster positions and no really lose any productivity while saving their $$$ for maybe 1 or 2 mid-range FA pickups plus paying their pitchers.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to come around to the notion that what this teamed lacked in talent and experience pre-deadline was made up for by enthusiasm and hustle.
OGC,
ReplyDeleteI don't ever see Pablo (who I love, of course) ever taking a leadership role. It's just not his thing. Maybe a little by example. But that's it. Posey, I agree, is a leader. Which doesn't do much for the Giants right now.
It's not a question of whether to clean house, but how much. It's amazing how the chemistry on this team has deteriorated so dramatically. While I'm far from certain that the Giants have good in-house options, you can't just sit there with the likes of Tejada or Rowand and expect good things to happen. I'd rather have a losing season if it puts the Giants in a stronger position later. I hope (against hope) that Sabean has learned from signing Zito and Rowand and, to a lesser extent, Renteria and Tejada.
Doc,
Yeah, I'm with the enthusiasm and hustle thing too. If nothing else, that would be MUCH more entertaining to watch.
I'm starting to come around to the notion that what this teamed lacked in talent and experience pre-deadline was made up for by enthusiasm and hustle.
ReplyDeletethank you...i accept your apology
Bacci,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure the hustle and enthusiasm would have been enough going forward. The pre-trade offensive side of the team was severely talent challenged. I still think the current roster has a better chance of coming back. A lot will depend on Beltran getting hot. I wish he showed a bit more enthusiasm out there, but he shoes he can be a difference maker and this team doesn't need a big difference.