2 unearned runs in the 6'th inning by the Rockies after a 2 out fielding error by Pablo Sandoval as the difference in this game. Key Lines:
Angel Pagan- 3 for 5, 2B, BA= .290. Pagan is gonna get paid this offseason!
Marco Scutaro- 2 for 5. BA= .289. Scutaro hit a sharp grounder to the right side with runners on 2'nd and 3'rd with 1 out in the 8'th. Unfortunately, it was right at the first baseman and the runners had to hold.
Pablo Sandoval- 0 for 5. BA= .280. No way to sugarcoat it. A few days ago, I was convinced Pablo was coming out of his slump. Now he's in it deeper than ever. With the 2 hitters in front of him and the 3 hitters behind him all getting on base multiple times, Pablo was the black hole in the lineup stranding 6 runners in the process. Add in the error and you can pretty much hang this loss on The Panda. Might be time to let him sit a day or two and let Arias play 3B.
Buster Posey- 3 for 5, HR(21). BA= .330. MVP!!
Hunter Pence- 1 for 4, HR(20), BB. BA= .259. Pence answered the 2 runs the Rockies scored in the first inning with a rifle shot HR to LF.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 5. BA= .271. It's gotten to the point where I look forward to Belt's AB's thinking something good is likely to happen.
Aubrey Huff- 1 for 1. BA= .169. I"m not advocating for him to be in any other role, but Huff has reached base in 3 of 5 PH appearances since coming off the DL.
Ryan Vogelsong- 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 10/1. ERA= 3.40. Vogey's struggles continued tonight. He did settle down a bit after giving up 3 runs in the first 2 innings. I know it's starting to sound like excuses, but the ball appeared to be carrying extraordinarily well in the early innings at Coors. Still, you can't give up a dinger to the opposing pitcher.
The Dodgers were idle so the Giants lead in the NL West slipped to 5 games.
Madison Bumgarner goes tomorrow night facing Jhoulys Chacin.
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PS: I went back and responded to some late comments to other posts, if anyone is interested.
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ReplyDeleteGiving Pablo a day off may or may not help, but I cannot understand why Bochy - he of the many and varied lineups - refuses to acknowledge that Sandoval is not a good choice for a #3 hitter. Belt would be a better choice (and you'd have a nice S-R-L-R top of the lineup). Or even Hunter Pence would be a better choice. Why the stubborn refusal to make this change?
ReplyDeleteI'd probably go with Pence. Moving Belt to #3 might be too much pressure for a kid who has only recently found himself at the plate, but I agree, time to move Pablo down a bit in the lineup.
DeleteWhat's up with Pablo? When he was in SJ and then came to SF, I was sure he would be a 25hr guy. I know the broken bones in each hand have not helped, but 8hrs? Don't move Belt to the 3 spot. He's just finding his confidence and putting him there in the thick of a pennant race with the Dodgers could be too much. If Belt is hitting, having him at 6 or 7 stretches our line up out nicely. Pence has been scuffling too, though he has been driving in runs, so I like leaving him at the 5.
DeleteAt the moment, I think the best lineup they could put out with Sandoval is a 3-6 of Pence-Posey-Belt-Sandoval. I think Belt could handle being in the 5 spot, and he's been producing in RBI situations lately. Also, it might get Pence more fastballs with Posey behind him.
DeleteI think Pablo is overly anxious at the plate. When he goes bad, he tends to lunge at everything. When he's going good, he stays back and lets the ball travel to him. It's not just that he's first pitch swining. He's swinging at terrible pitches that even he would never swing at when he is going good.
DeleteI did see Pablo shake his hand after a hard check swing a few games back, so I wouldn't be shocked if his wrist is still bothering him. That could be part of his problems on D too.
Hey Pablo didn't produce, but Voggie and the Giants got 5 runs to work with - more than enough. The Giants starters simply can't give up early runs and expect their hunt-n-peck offense to overcome the deficit. The starters have to be more stout ala Good Zito on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIf the Giants can consistently get some shut down innings from their starters, then the improved offense can scratch out 3+ runs almost every day.
I tend to believe this was a Coors Field game where you really have to expect a higher scoring game and you have to score when the opportunities present themselves.
DeleteI usually give starters a gimme for whatever happens in Coors because the balls just act differently there. He has had good starts recently, so I would give him another start in a more regular park before I start to get worried about him. He had a similar down period last season and then ended the season with a flourish. I am expecting the same this season.
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