The Giants got long balls from Brandon Crawford and Nate Schierholtz and a nice start from Yusmeiero Petit to win the first game of the Dodgers' Showtime Era. Key Lines:
Angel Pagan- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .186. Pagan's second double in two days. Progress!
Nate Schierholtz- 1 for 4, HR(1), Assist(Bard at 3B). BA= .220. Nate's arm is one of his biggest arguments for a starting RF gig. He showed that today as well as the dinger. Is it enough?
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 3, HR(2). Just when I think Crawford is going to go into a prolonged slump, he breaks back out of it. Very encouraging to see a game like this from him this late into the preseason.
Yusmeiro Petit- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00. Petit's second impressive appearance this spring. Is it possible he is a post-hype sleeper? I'm trying to remember the old scouting reports on him. I believe it was fringy FB velocity with great command and an excellent changeup. Hey, stranger things have happened. He's still only 27 yo.
Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.00. Gotta believe something ain't quite right with Romo.
Casilla(0.96), Hensley(2.89), Machi(2.00) all pitched one scoreless inning each. I think Hensley is a lock for the roster. Machi has impressed and is getting a lot of work this spring.
Matt Cain takes on the Texas Rangers in Surprise tomorrow evening.
Madison Bumgarner was held out of the Dodgers game to prevent the division rivals from getting a look at him. He went 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's in a minor league game.
Around the League:
Latest reports I read say the Magic Johnson group buying the Dodgers are paying cash. I had read earlier this morning that they were borrowing a large portion of it and wanted to use the future TV revenue to service the debt. The Guggenheim Group let by Mark Walters, who is the deep pockets for this deal, is reportedly worth $125 Billion. Yeah, you read that right.
Zach Greinke- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K's.
Jordan Zimmerman- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.
Jeff Samardzija- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. Nice recovery from the shelling in his last start. Still in the running for Cubs #5 starter. Fantasy sleeper if he wins it.
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Crawford (and Schierholtz) are semi-prolonged slump kinda guys, but I think if you stick with them they are also the sort to stumble into a power patch and blast a few dingers. I think you have to hope Crawford gets off to a hot start so that his average doesn't sink to .120 and a demotion. You have to accept a low average, some walks, and some occasional pop. I hope management and the fans are prepared, because (as I think Baggs noted in today's notes), Crawford will give you more than many other 8-hole hitters.
ReplyDeleteWhen a player has earned a spot, the Giants typically gave him a month or so to figure things out during regular season.
DeleteBelt, FYI, did not earn the spot, he got in because Cody was injured.
"he's still only 27 yo" :) this made me laugh out loud
ReplyDeleteCraw is here to stay this year. We may be watching him blossom before our eyes. Way better than watching Tejnada/OCab.
ReplyDeletePetit really impressed - that's what I call a 5th starter keeping you in the game. Keep his cell number on file for Zito relief.
With Blanco making the team I worry less about Nate or Pagan slumps - we got four guys to mix and match in the OF.
I think Romo will be okay once the season hits - we have real BP depth if he needs to be backed off.
Boy am I a fan of Nate's arm. I love watching the runner's face when the throw is waiting for them. Bet the Giants pitchers love it too.
an nl west coach gave a green light to run on nate? someone gonna get a kangaroo court fine
ReplyDeletewhat is petit's contract? does he have an out clause?
so the org went from no depth to surkamp, petit, burress, kown, loux? wanna hear again why the giants cant eat zito's contract
what i see is a much improved d and an O that should be able to come up with 4 runs....
if the d will allow the pitchers to pitch to contact, that will take some of the strain away from them....help them deep into the season
cant believe the bums deal is cash....the debt service thing may worry the mlb a bit...but magic is gonna sell that franchise....and damn...now i gotta hate magic, and i so much loved watching him play
Because Zito is better than all those pitchers, that is why.
Deleteforgot to take your meds again i see
DeletePersonal attack bacci? That is weak sauce.
DeleteBacci, I am sure OGC is referring to Zito's drop in velocity - yes that is better than any other pitcher, except Jamie Moyer (49 yr old).
DeleteThere is certainly no reason to believe that any of the pitchers listed would be better than Barry Zito, except maybe Surkamp. He's unproven at the MLB level and has a sore arm. It is perfectly reasonable for the Giants to start the season with Zito and see what happens. I do not have high expectations, but there's little or no harm in finding out.
DeleteThe first casualty is apparently already happening - they're bringing an extra pitcher in preparation for Zito getting shelled at Coors on game 4. The second casualty will be determined by how long they play PR games and try to get him right before jerking him out of the lineup. The Giants decision not to cut bait with Zito is the biggest risk they are taking this season. I don't think the baseball guys will tolerate it, but its pretty obvious now they have huge pressure to play him to get the RDF's money's worth. And I guess that should be the way you play, but like you said in your last post, every season is an opportunity (Branch Rickey) it seems a shame to waste it on mediocre soft tossing sad sacks.
DeleteOnly way he turns it around is if he stops caring and throws. Based on spring training it doesn't look good. Paul Maholm is going to look mighty good in May. Oh well, lets hope like hell. Its not looking good now, with the velocity and his general demeanor.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/03/minor-league-transactions-march-20-26/
ReplyDeletedid you see that the giants released some guys including some of your honorable mentions like Ryan Bean and Leonardo Ochoa?
I was really excited to follow Ryan Bean this year, oh well.
They have quite a lot of guys coming in. I'm sort of surprised Kaohi Downing got cut. I wonder if they're moving Tomlinson to 2B in Augusta. I can see him either there or in SJ.
DeleteDrb, looks like Samardzija has made the starting rotation.
ReplyDeleteSide note, looks like Rowand was released.
I"m not too surprised by the releases. It was clear there just wasn't enough room for everybody. That's how deep the Giants farm system is right now. I would think some of those guys will hook on with other organizations. I"m most surprised about Bean because there always seems to be a bullpen spot somewhere you could put him.
ReplyDelete