Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Game Wrap 4/22/2014: Rockies 2 Giants 1

The Giants wasted another strong pitching effort as they failed to get the timely hits.  Key Lines:

Hunter Pence- 2 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .213.  Hopefully this is a starting point to Pence to break out of his early season slump.  It wasn't enough in this one.

Madison Bumgarner- 8 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.14.  That's about as good as you can pitch in Coors Field.  You hold the Rockies to 2 solo HR's and you should win.

The Loss dropped the Giants into 3'rd place behind the Rockies pending the outcome of the Phils-Dodgers game which the Phils are leading 2-1 in the 5'th at this writing.

Matt Cain tries to salvage a win in the series tomorrow afternoon facing Tyler Chatwood.

Around the League:  Albert Pujols hit career HR's #499 and 500 tonight.

12 comments:

  1. please stop pointing to the pitchers as possible stoppers until this team starts hitting again, sometime around august

    ty

    bacci

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    1. Huh? I'll give you some leash on this one, Bacci, because you are a good guy. Just remember the rule: Have a take, don't $&#%!

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    2. come on doc....you gotta laff

      i think they should let pablo lead off...that will take lots of pressure off of him to drive in runs

      whats your take

      bacci

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    3. I think Pablo and Pence will both come around. Not sure how soon. Pence might be heating up now. Pablo has a ways to go. He hit the ball hard into a lot of gloves early then started pressing.

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    4. Pablo's agent is sweating bullets that he outkicked his coverage.

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  2. You really cannot ask for more of these Giants. Last year they won 80 something games, left the same roster, hoping for a bounce back year from almost every single guy (pitchers & hitters) is not gonna happen.

    Only thing that will keep the Giants in contention is the fact that its a very weak division or may I say inconsistent teams (yes, including the overrated Dodgers).

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    1. Pitching? Yes, I agree. I don't think they needed bounceback years from the hitters to score enough. They needed a couple of people to stay healthy which they have so far. I don't expect Pence and Sandoval to hit .213 and under .200 for the full season. They might need to make a trade for a second baseman who can hit.

      In the long run, it's going to come down to the pitching. I've been cautiously encouraged so far with Vogey being the only guy who might have to be replaced.

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    2. Hitters are not the same as last year: Morse, a healthy (or just more healthy) Pagan, and expected improvements from Belt, Crawford, and Sanchez can make a huge difference.

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  3. This stretch reminds me of the Houston games in 2011 and the Mets/Marlins sweeps in 2013. The team just turns off sometimes. But getting this kind of pitching this early... that's somewhere to build on. And we're still at .500, and in the hunt for the West. Big time hiccup though.

    I'd bat Belt 3rd, put Panda back at 6 or 7 to take the pressure off of him. That first pitch swing double play was classic impatience trying to be the hero. And Hector Sanchez swung at some balls he had no business swinging at to boot.

    They need to find a way to get The Captain the win today.

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    1. "The team turns off sometimes." Pretty succinct assessment. There is absolutely no reason this team should go through stretches like this at the plate. At every position, with the exception of 2B, is a quality hitter, at the very least. Yet they continue to underachieve for stretches at a time. Makes one wonder at the clubhouse chemistry, or lack thereof. Many of these guys have been together a long time, and sometimes familiarity can breed contempt.

      TheSincere

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    2. Also Scratchin my head as to why they are collectively hitting so bad..And it's not like they have run into a stretch of top pitchers...

      I wonder how many of these stretches coincide with a slumping Posey....Maybe the team sees their leader struggling/flailing and instead of fighting to pick up for him...they all fall back and/or lose focus/concentration?? Just grasping at straws....

      SteveVA

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    3. Ah!!! The ever elusive and undefinable Clubhouse Chemistry!

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