Wow! On a day that may someday become known as the August 31 Massacre, Madison Bumgarner took matters into his own hands and dominated the Chicago Cubs for 8 innings and the offense contributed some runs to help out. The game, though, was really the secondary story as the Giants designated Miguel Tejada for assignment. That one was really a no-brainer as Miggy had become somewhat of a distraction in the clubhouse and is not under contract for next year. He wasn't coming back anyway. A bit more surprising was the DFA of Aaron Rowand. He is under contract for next year and at a large price. Didn't matter. He had become increasingly vocal about his dissatisfaction at being a bench player and had become a distraction also. His on-field performances have had a steady downhill trend over the last 3 seasons. There was no indication they would ever rebound. His contract was a sunk cost and the Giants apparently accepted that reality. The replacements for these two moves are Pat Burrell coming off the DL and Brett Pill being added to the 40 man roster and called up. It's still a bit unclear how Burrell and Pill will help. Pill plays only 1B and Burrell only plays LF, and not very well. If nothing else, the moves sent a strong message that the housecleaning has begun and if you don't want to get swept out, you better produce and possibly more importantly, you better put the needs of the team first. Key Lines:
Jeff Keppinger- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(6). BA= .303. Kepp has been a very nice addition. Too bad the rest of the team fell apart around him.
Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 4, HR(16). BA= .301. Sandoval has been great playing with a bad left shoulder but continuing to be one of the few hitters in the lineup you look forward to their AB's.
Chris Stewart- 2 for 4. BA= .195. I really like CStew, who has played his heart out, but games like this have been way too few and far between. We'll give him credit for calling a great game too.
Madison Bumgarner- 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K's. ERA= 3.43. I like it that Bum has bounced back from bad starts with several good-great ones. A short memory is a big asset for a MLB pitcher. Bum looks like a great one for years to come.
Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.60. This wasn't a Save situation, but it was a lead that absolutely had to be preserved. Put Romo in the closer mix until Wilson returns.
We won't know if this win enables the Giants to gain a game on the D'Backs in the NL West, but it was definitely a mood elevator coming into a big weekend series against the Dangerous Ones.
After a much needed day off, Matt Cain takes the mound for the first game Friday Night against the Joe Saunders which should be a winnable game for the lads.
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Just cathartic!
ReplyDeleteAddition by subtraction. Have to wonder how bad those guys were in the locker room. To cut them loose the day before rosters expand? Serious problems. (Rowand still has value. Solid defender, good pinch hitting numbers. He must have been a very, very big problem.)
Bringing Pill in, just watching him show up in the dugout was worth it. I'm really glad he's here. I'm hoping he starts 1B against lefties.
Burrell, that's good too. Guy gave Sabean a blank contract, said, "You fill in the numbers. I just want to be a Giant." And, look at his numbers. They really aren't that bad. I know he's got a bum foot. But at least I know the guy wants to be here.
Season is probably lost (I'm not thinking Pill is going to come in a be any kind of a savior) but this was the right thing to do. This isn't just placating the pitchfork and torches mob. This what needed to happen.
I would think Friday night's game against LHP Joe Saunders would be a good place to give Pill a start at 1B.
ReplyDeleteAs much as that makes some sense, I think DeRosa deserves the start, he has been hitting very well, like he wants to be good,unlike Gamer, who will ride his mountain bike to the bank.
ReplyDeleteJust watched the finale of The Franchise and it was interesting that they went the entire season with hardly a mention of Rowand. I am probably seeing windmills here, but they focussed a lot on Zito, but no mention of RoRo tells me he wanted nothing to do with the show. Goes with the general theme of him not wanting anything to do with the Giants in general.
ReplyDeleteDeRosa, who I love, can start in left.
ReplyDeleteIts good that the front office showed again that they are not afraid to make difficult choices to better the team. It can't be easy eating $15 mil in salaries and they had the guts to make the Beltran trade. Today was a good day for Giants fans. The Giants probably won't catch the DBACKS but I'm optimistic again that they can finish strong this season and contend again in 2012.
ReplyDeletei have less prob seeing derosa get at bats than i ever did with rowand...or huff
ReplyDeletederosa has been brutally honest about how the fans view him...and i appreciate that
and its not his fault that sabean threw money at him, despite his injury
i just want to see the kids play now...lets have some fun
the skills are still there...its the bod that quit on him
http://www.mercurynews.com/mark-purdy/ci_18800986?source=rss
purdy somes up what happened after the deadline pretty well....sabean and bochy really seemed somewhat clueless as to what it was that put the team over the top last season...and in the first half...and that is troubling
Bochy on the post game stated that Burrell will probably be in the line up Friday and DeRosa was going to get more action. Now Pill is here, do they let him rot on the bench with maybe a PH attempt now and then? Did Pill play any OF in the minors? Maybe he can learn-on-the-run like Belt if Brett's bat happens to be better than the AAAA he is tabbed to be.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good beginning but there is more mold on the bench. I would like to scrape some of that off the 40 man, and get more in-house so they would have a better idea going into the off season. Might save money enough to cover this DFA clearouts.
I just don't see Ariz taking a complete powder now. I think the advantage is to the Giants now because I have this weird feeling that the D'Backs have peaked and are due for a lull. Like the Padres last year? NO way! It is up to the Giants to take away the Ariz momentum. The hill might be just a tad too steep to climb now unless someone turns into the ghost of Mays.
Bacci,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, Derosa was definitely in play, and a coup for Sabean in the off-season 2009. No one, at the time, was talking about him being overpaid. I agree, Sabean should have been much more knowledgeable about Derosa's injury. But I didn't read anything about the signing except that the Giants did well to land him.
Secondly, while Purdy is pretty accurate about the personalities of the acquisitions (Kepp, Cabrera and Beltran) he gives the Giants players a HUGE pass on their reception. Injuries and UNDERPERFORMANCE made their signings necessary. Not Sabean's want to foul team chemistry. If this team had been capable of stepping up and replacing the production of Posey, Sanchez, Sandoval, things would have been different. But they didn't. So, if the players want to get all prideful, and think 2011 is actually, somehow, 2010, then they are deluded. Completely. The players failures and injuries made those acquisitions necessary. Not Sabean.
That being said, Beltran seems like a f'n stuffed shirt. He needs to be a hell of a lot less "professional" and a hell of lot more passionate before I waste the effort to root for him.
I guess if you think there is still a chance the Giants can catch the D'Backs then DeRosa is a better choice for 1B. In that case, they probably need to lose one game against the D'Backs before they start the auditions for next year. Beyond that, DeRosa is not going to be on this team next year while there is a need to find out if Brett Pill can handle MLB pitching. Playing him at 1B against a mediocre LHP would be a good place to start.
ReplyDeleteTeam chemistry will only get you so far. While it undeniably played a role in the success of 2010, that team also had Buster Posey at catcher and several other guys who could give you the longball in key situations. This team was riddled with injuries and underperformers. The talent level just wasn't there to sustain the pitching.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with Sabean's trade deadline deals. Kepp has been terrific. Beltran's biggest problem has been an injury, not his personality. OCab has been meh, but given the SS options I think he was a slight upgrade.
DeRosa, if he was hitting like he hit before was a bargain at $6M per.
ReplyDeleteI blame DeRosa at least partly for two missed years, because he chose to go to a doctor who was local for the operation, instead of going to the acknowledged specialist, who did the fix up job. At minimum, even if he did have additional problems, this season would have been last season, and since he is semi-healthy and productive now, so his second year of the contract at least might have had some production.
This way, two years of nothing, unless, like Renteria, he can make up for everything in a short period of time.
But I love his attitude and if he continues to hit, I hope the Giants sign him up to be our utility guy for 2012 for $1M, since he can hit still and can field at a plus level at a number of positions.
I would hope that Pill get some ABs, but I just don't see him getting handed the starting job so quickly. In any case, it would be overwhelming I think, for him emotionally. He would be totally amped up. Bochy noted he would get PH duty, so his first start, at minimum, is probably after this weekend series.
Sabean and Bochy are not clueless about what put them on top, it is the general Giants fans who are clueless: it's the pitching!
I believe DeRosa's versatility was a big factor. Giants had multiple players who could step up and prove to be big league players. When you have that you don't want to put a lid on anyone. Yet at the same time, you cannot count on each one of them to step up. You know some will be good, some will fail.
ReplyDeleteUnder such circumstances, DeRosa was a great catch. You have a proven MLB player. You can create competition without blocking anyone.