Barry Zito struggled with his control, but kept his team close for 5 innings only to see them lose on a walkoff HR by D'Backs prospect AJ Pollock. Key Lines:
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 4. BA= .410.
Buster Posey- 1 for 2, SF. BA= .231. Buster needs AB's, IMO.
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 3, BB, 2 SB(9). BA= .436. Looks like Blanco has all but won himself a roster spot.
Ryan Theriot- 1 for 2, 2B, BB. BA= .219. Theriot's RH bat off the bench may win him a roster spot despite a lackluster spring.
Barry Zito- 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.50. Fairly ugly line from Zito, but came wihin 1 inning of a QS and kept his team in the game. I wouldn't count on him stranding this many runners very often though.
Jeremy Affeldt and Heath Hembree each pitched a perfect inning with no K's.
Trevor Bauer(D'Backs)- 3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.60. I think a lot of Giants fans think Bauer is going to be great because he is so much like Timmy. He may be, eventually, but looks like he still has some learning to do.
Nate Schierholtz was a late scratch due to forearm stiffness. That's a phrase that seems to often lead to TJ surgery in pitchers. Nate's seems minor though as the word is he is going to play tomorrow. Nate does seem to keep getting nicked up, though.
Eric Surkamp takes the mound for possibly his last start of the spring with Vogey coming back against the Cleveland Indians tomorrow.
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Got to stick up for Pagan (and The Riot a little too)... This is spring training. Everybody is excited about Blanco, who doesn't like a great hustle story. BUT... The Giants will play the guys they brought to the dance. And a lousy spring is not always indicative of what will happen when the games count. I'm a big Pagan fan, the silly sniping at him is just that, silly.
ReplyDeleteNate's inability to stay not-knicked-up is a big red flag for me. Bochy is consistently inconsistent on this one. I would not be surprised by anything - with Belt or Hector Sanchez. They could be on the starting 8 or in Fresno, who knows.
The next 2 weeks will bring a little clarity but I expect some good ol' roster games from the Giants - I predict a Freddy DL/Burriss starting and one of Fontenot/Schierholtz starts on the DL as well to make room for Blanco. No idea about Belt and anybody who says they know is lying. Bochy and Sabean don't even know.
Hembree - had a great camp. That guy is going to make an impact for us. Good, good stuff. They optioned him after the game.
ReplyDeleteI'm losing confidence the Giants will keep Hector Sanchez up. It looks like Posey will be healthy enough to start 5-6 out of 7. I think this is a mistake of the first magnitude, the Giants desperately need his bat and to rest Posey.
Shank, don't think Posey can make 5-6 out of 7 yet. More like 3-4 out of 7 with a lot of planking on the training table. Maybe by July/August he can step it up, but I think 100 games is around Posey's max for 2012. I also think the inconsistent starts will make maintaining his batting stroke and timing difficult. This will be a challenging year for Posey when he also being counted upon as the clean-up hitter - and a lot of juggling when he is not in the line-up.
ReplyDeleteLove me some Hembree, brings the nasty.
Blanco makes the team not for his hot Spring hitting, but for what he does when he gets on. He manufactures runs with his speed and base running, a talent which no other Giant player has showcased in years. I believe he leads MLB Spring training in runs scored - and that's all that counts for the Giants. And his defense is plus.
Sanchez will start on the DL and not be a factor until June/July, if at all. This opens the door for Burriss/The Riot/Fontenot to all make the roster. Not good if Crawford and the 2B tag team hit .220.
Shark - Baggs just chatted that Sanchez might stay up for a week if Vogelsong is DL'd to start, give Posey a couple days off. The Giants haven't been very forthcoming about Posey and the 100-130 games he might catch. I think you're right, there is no way he's going over 100, and they need Sanchez for those other games. Sure he's not as polished as you like. His bat is head and shoulders above the wonder twins.
DeleteI think both Hector and Blanco have been killing it not only in the VWL as well as spring training, and I think Blanco deserves to get a spot on the 25. I just wouldn't discount Pagan or The Riot, vets approach spring training different than the prove yourself guys. And there have been plenty of spring training legends pass through. Still, Blanco is a great skill set to have - a Ford who can actually get on base.
DrB - Baggs seems to think Burriss is more of a utility lock than a starting 2B lock, he favored The Riot, although Fontenot makes sense against Kennedy opening day.
But Whitey n Stewy represent veteran grit at the position most known to value veteran grit by Bochy. So I would be stunned if Hector Sanchez is called up before mid-July. Maybe having three .220 hitters (SS, 2B, C) when Posey is out will force Bochy's hand.
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