Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Game Wrap 4/9/2014: D'Backs 7 Giants 3

I took the dog for a quick walk before the game.  While on the walk, I mused to myself about how Timmy needed to make sure Paul Goldschmidt did not beat him.   I got back at 7:20, just in time to see the replay of Paul Goldschmidt's 3 run shot into the RF arcade.  There you have it!  Timmy does the one thing he could not do and the game was practically over before many of the fans were in their seats!  Key Lines:

Angel Pagan- 3 for 5, SB(2).  BA= .462.  Once again, Pagan set the table, but the Giants failed to bring him around to score.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .344.  Buster looks like he is already on his way to a terrific season.

Michael Morse- 1 for 3, HR(2).  BA= .385.  Morse has been a huge shot in the arm for the offense in the early going with minimal downside on defense.

Tim Lincecum- 4 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 9.90.  There is no way Timmy's contract can be as bad as Barry Zito's because it is only for 2 seasons, but year for year, it could end up worse.  This was certainly a very Zitoesque performance.  He was still able to fool some hitters with the dirt balls, but the FB had nothing on it and he had no clue where it was going.  I don't know when I've seen him more lost on the mound than he was tonight.  I'm not so sure there is a fix.  If you don't have a fastball in this league, you are pretty much done.  The highest velocity I saw on the TV gun was 89.

The Loss dropped the Giants record to 6-3.  The Dodgers are losing to the Tigers, but mounting a comeback against Joe Nathan in the bottom of the 9'th.  The Giants will either remain in first place in the NL West by 0.5 games or fall 0.5 games into 2'nd place depending on the outcome.

Ryan Vogelsong tries to right his ship tomorrow evening facing Randal Delgado.

21 comments:

  1. I feel that Timmy's shaky command is a bigger issue than his diminishing velocity. Perhaps he should take a page from Jered Weaver's book and learn how to dominate hitters still even if his velocity is gone.

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    1. Timmy has never been a command pitcher. Just my opinion, but the only way Timmy is going to get better command is to got to a more compact delivery, which is where he gets his velocity from. We can talk about him learning to get better command and emulate Tim Hudson and on and on, but the only way to get there is to further sacrifice what little velocity he has left.

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  2. its the arrogance that gets me

    bums did score 3 in the bottom of the 9th to take the lead...but tigers just took lead in top of the 10th

    little confused how beckett, who had a terrible one outing in the cal league, got activated for the game tonite

    giants pitching may not be as great as it has...but its def deeper than what the bums and their insane payroll, has

    bacci

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    1. Not sure about that last sentence, Bacci. Right now, the Giants have 2 reliable starters with Cain a decent bet to right his ship. #4 and #5 are looking very bleak right now.

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    2. Hoping it will change and get better, but right now, our rotation is not much better than our 2013 rotation.

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  3. Hear it in his own words, Timmy's Dad on Timmy's problems...

    http://www.stationcaster.com/player_skinned.php?s=851&c=4811&f=2654633

    KNBR Interview is a great listen, recorded before the game yesterday. Very prophetic.

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    1. Oh my! That was interesting to say the least, in so many ways! I….I'm not sure what to say! That is the first time I have heard Chris Lincecum speak. Let's just say it was a bit different than I was expecting. I'll just leave it at that.

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    2. Love this take on Timmy from Alex's blog...

      pacman68 •
      "Fot the love of God Timmy. Will you please throw at Goldies head. Please. Grow a pair and put down the skull bong. I love you.. Don't let that big doofus pound you around the yard. Come on dude!!!"

      Tim's Dad referrers to this very issue, interesting.

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    3. wish you guys could transcribe some of the meaty stuff - Timmy still cheeching it up???

      Throwing at a hitter that owns you is chicken shit. Great, bean a guy with 88 then they come at Buster Posey with somebody out of the pen throwing 93 (obviously not Collmenter).

      For all the good moves Sabean has made, you've certainly got to admit he's sitting on some humdingers and potential humdingers.
      So it goes...

      Vogelsong vs. Delgado? Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. Should be fun at the yard tonight.

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    4. Ryan, listen to the interview. Timmy's Dad talks about how Timmy is afraid to hit/hurt batters and goes on to point out how batters have no problem hitting him. He uses a boxing analogy to describe how Timmy needs to attack more. So not headhunting, but certainly Dad is calling for some chin music.

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    5. Maybe it's just me, but at times I felt like Timmy's Dad was more interested in talking about himself than Timmy.

      You don't have to throw at a guy's head to back him off the plate and "get his feet moving." Not sure that is the answer with Goldy anyway.

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    6. My dad pitched at some very high levels around southern california and then through college, 5'10" shutdown closer but knew he never had a chance for the majors. However, he knows pitching.

      One thing he's always told me about the mental game that the pitcher plays with the batter - When you come in high and tight to a guy, it does two things: 1) It sets off something in the brain of the batter that remembers the heater flying towards their head (basically a human instinct for protection thing), and 2) It sets the better's eye, meaning when you go low and outside now, the batter is "set up" and the ball appears further low and outside than it actually is. My dad said he lived off of this set-up ("It was too easy..."): High-inside set-up pitch (didn't hit guys, but just to establish the zone), then on the next pitch he'd throw a curveball right at them. The batter's reaction is to peel out, and as soon as they bend, the breaking ball snaps right into the strike zone and you're done.

      The guys who knew how to pitch played these games all day - Fastball at the hands, slider on the inside that breaks into the dirt. We saw Schierholtz and Belt struggle with that for the first two years of their respective careers. Point is, you have to be able to own the inner-half of the plate and use that space to stay in control of the game between you and the batter. If Timmy is afraid to hit guys or really come tight, he's not ever going to reinvent himself.

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    7. DocB, well whatever Timmy has served up do far sure has been to Goldie's liking. So, maybe making the AB more uncomfortable is the answer. Sure in hell Gibson or Ryan would not put up with Goldie's assault.

      Yeah, Chris is an interesting mix of ego and creative thinking, an original for sure.

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    8. Mr. Lincecum is a very sharp man, but he sounds like he loves to hear his own voice.

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  4. I'm guessing Lincecum feels like the 2 seamer gets away from him when he tries to go in. Maybe he really is frightened of beaning a guy.

    RainBall, great anecdotes. Pitching is fun. I just had a big strikeout day last Sunday. I'm still pitching in an MABL league. I'm in my mid-upper 30's but am playing in the 18+ division. I mostly try to keep the ball away from the big hitters (who can be fringe minor leaguers). I use that to set up the inside pitches. But since we're out there playing for fun, I don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. I don't want to hurt anybody (with my 75-80 fastball ;-) and I wouldn't want my teammates getting drilled by a young buck throwing harder. My main set up is pitching backwards. I'll throw the changeups and curves down and elevate the fastball later in the count. Change the sight lines. In out up down. Huddy knows what it's all about. Sometimes so does Cain.

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    1. You old hound you. Better not be bringing too much heat inside on those 18 year olds, they might come out and pay you a visit on the mound! That's pretty cool that you're still out there cranking it up. Did you play college ball?

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    2. I wish. I went to UCLA at a time when they had a stacked squad and made it to Omaha. I probably could have gotten it up mid 80's with the right conditioning and maybe that would have been good for middle relief. I've though that if I went to Davis maybe I could have walked on there, but they were pretty strong for DII. Oh well. Regrets for sure. Having my fun and competing while I still can.

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  5. Timmy looked beat in the dugout. When he pitches like he did last night it is so hard to believe that he pitched that no hitter last year. Not even close to the pitcher he was when he first came up and I think he is going to be very challenged to change into the type of one he needs to be with the stuff he now has. Before at least the pen might have been an option but now, I am not sure what the future holds for the kid. I don't think we will ever get what we have into him in terms of his contract for the next couple of years but I hope he is at least servicable otherwise we are going to have a gaping hole in our rotation with him and Voggy.

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  6. Can't add much...He looked dazed and confused out there with little velocity and little command. Basically continuing to be one of the worst SPs in the game like he has been for the past 2+ years.

    Hate to be negative, but can't see him turning it around...I'm a Sabean supporter but did not understand one iota the re-signings of Timmy and Vogie.....To me, the question will be, when do the Giants convert Lince to a 15 mill per reliever to try and get some value out of him...It's already time to really start keeping tabs big time on the starters in Fresno and Richmond and who might be ready in a month........

    SteveVA

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  7. Per Baggs, Goldschmidt on Lincecum: 'It's never a comfortable at-bat'

    What a bunch of hooey. When you're hitting a HR every time it's Timmy Day, then you're feeling pretty damn comfortable. Like Lazy-Boy recliner comfortable. Goldie is THE focal point for Timmy. Solve him and maybe you become a good pitcher again or submit to endless humiliation. Tough place for sure.

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    1. Funny thing, Rodger Craig, Hmmmm Baby himself, just suggested Timmy think about pitching inside to Goldie. Got to break the 'Ownage".

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