Madison Bumgarner pitched a complete game 1 hit shutout of a very good hitting Reds team. In the process he set a record for blowing snot rockets.....oh yeah, helped the Giants pitching staff set a couple of other records too: 1. First time in franchise history to pitch 4 consecutive shutouts. 2. Most consecutive scoreless innings in SF Giants history, 36. This Giants team might just set a record for setting records! Oh, and the Dodgers lost so the Giants take over sole possession of first place in the NL West! Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 3, 3B, HBP. BA= .259. Blanco raises the shark fin holding his open hand up on top of his helmet and how soon before we start seeing helmets with shark fins on top for sale in the Giants Dugout Store?
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .355. Not much more to say about Melky that hasn't already been said. He's hit machine and he even drew a couple of walks tonight. Oh, and BTW, haters. As Kruk and Kuip mentioned in the TV broadcast, this team has become very patient at the plate. They drew a total of 6 BB's tonight.
Madison Bumgarner- 9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 2.85. Masterful job by Bumgarner dominating a very good Reds lineup. The lone hit was not a fluke, it was a solid bouncer up the middle, but nothing else even hinted of being a hit. I'm not sure Bumgarner's performance wasn't more dominating than Cain's perfecto. Cain had the 14 K's, that's true, but he also had a ball get miraculously blown back into the park by an invisible wind and a sensational catch on the warning track in CF to save a triple. Nothing like that was required to preserve the shutout in this one.
As above, the Giants take over sole possession of first place in the NL West, 1 game up on the Dodgers who lost to the Mets 3-2. The D'Backs topped the Braves 3-2 to remain 5 games off the pace.
Matt Cain has a chance to really stretch out this historic scoreless streak tomorrow facing Mike Leake.
Is it a great time to be a Giants fan or what? Go Giants!!
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Sorry for reviving yesterdays conversation but I thought of this and wondered to know if anybody else noticed it or if I'm crazy.
ReplyDeleteThis may be just be me and anybody call me out if they think i'm wrong but it seems as if the way Buster calls a game it is heavily dependent on the fastball thats why with pitchers such as Cain, Bumgardner, and Voggy are so successful when he calls a game because they are all so dependent on the fastball and usually use mostly one specialty pitch, Cain- change up, Bumgardner- slider, Voggy- curve. But Hector seems to do a lot more mixing and matching that is more suited to Zito and Lincecum now that he has lost his fastball velocity. Lincecum yesterday was using all of his specialty pitches constantly and keeping the hitters of balance. I think Hector should be catching Lincecum at least temporally
I think that's very possible.
DeleteI think it was Kruk last night saying that catchers really make a difference in these kind of dominate pitching runs. Both the Giants with Posey/Sanchez and the Birds with Molina always seem to be able to muster dominate pitching runs when they need it most - again with superior catching acting as guidance.
DeleteMaybe some of the difference between 2010, 2011 and 2012 is great catching guiding great pitching. I think we may underestimate the impact that Posey/Sanchez have on the staff.
Thoughts?
The Sabers will tell you there is no evidence that catchers make pitchers better or worse. It's a very tough thing to prove or disprove statistically though because there is really no comparable control group.
DeleteI do think there is some evidence that Buster works better with pitchers who can establish the fastball and Sanchez works better with pitchers who need to mix it up more.
Hector certainly seems to be very bright young man who understands the nuances of handling pitchers way beyond his years.
Anyone else feeling invincible?
ReplyDeleteI've been on top of the world lately. Believe me, the feeling carries over into your my work and everything else.
DeleteWill we still be buying this year?
DeleteWhat is on the shopping list?
At least 1 relief pitcher and possibly a RH hitting first baseman.
Deleteforever giant andres torres is the man who knocked in the go ahead run against the bums
ReplyDeletemaddy looked pissed tonite
as voting is over...although giants have 3 starters and one rp who should all go to the asg, im guessing that both posey and melky are going on votes, so only one arm will go...probably be cain
come on guys...you made donnie baseball cry...its the doofus ones turn
ps...cueto is very good, i just hate his nuke lalouche delivery
I like Cueto's delivery. He's going all Luis Tiant there. Very good way to break up the hitter's timing mechanisms and hide the ball until the last millisecond. It's same principle as a lot of asian pitchers who come to a complete stop in their delivery. I'm convinced part of Casilla's success comes from that hesitation at the top of his delivery. The hitter isn't able to exactly time the the release.
DeleteThese Reds are tough, only 2nd shutout of the year for them. 20 innings to the all-time team scoreless inning streak is tough, tough bidness.
ReplyDeleteWhat stands out to me is the following: great defense, much improved since the early keystone cop days, and a consistent lineup. Theriot and Belt have helped immensely with that. I like Bochy's extend the order strategy, and it stops him from tinkering. Crawford will hit in little streaks like monday, but he's here to make the routine and the range. What I love about Blanco is he gives a good AB, even when he's struggling. All 3 OFs look to wack that ball into the alleys. Love that, it was fun to see Maddy in his jacket powering home.
Tennessee Stud time. Bumgarner's "no pressure" dig was great, almost as good as saying Zito was his power hitting competition. He likes to needle Cainer.
Yeah you may have pitched a perfecto, but let's see you continue our shutout streak...no pressure Cainer.
DeleteA little added pressure: going for win #5, we've got 4 in a row twice now (Cubs sweep the other one)...
Delete