Wow! OK, team. I'm not gonna lie. When the Giants went down 4-1 in the 3'rd inning I did not see this coming! With their backs to the wall after a BABIP fueled Royals rally put the visiting team up 4-1 in the top of the 3'rd inning, Yusmeiro Petit did his usual shutdown thing and the Giants offense came to life with sustained rallies in multiple innings to bury the Royals and even the Series at 2 games each. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 5, BB, SB(1). BA= .267. Blanco led off the game with a walk. Advanced to 2B on groundout by Panik then stole 3B to set up a score when Hunter Pence beat the relay throw in a potential DP grounder. Blanco walked a tightrope as the grounder went Moustakas at 3B. He initially held his ground and only headed for home once the relay throw at 2B was released to 1B. Blanco had 2 more hits in the game, I have to admit I lost track of when, but yeah, he's having a strong series and strong postseason with terrific D in CF.
Joe Panik- 2 for 4, 2 2B, Sac. BA= .235. Panik was BABIP'd terribly in games 1 and 2, but finally came through big time tonight. Even the sacrifice bunt was huge as it moved up 2 runners and led to 2 big runs. His leadoff double in the 5'th started the game tying rally. The second double drove in 2 runs in the 7'th inning rally that broke the game wide open. Just a great game for the Rook.
Hunter Pence- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .467. Well, Pence's bat is alive and came through with several key hits.
Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 5. BA= .333. I was thinking of writing a comment that Arias might be a better option against LHP's before Pabs came through with 2 big singles batting from the right side. I will say this though, Pabs is not thin!
Matt Duffy- 1 for 1. BA= 1.000. If the Giants should go on to win this Series, in my mind, Matt Duffy will be the guy who started the turnaround. After they fell behind 4-1, he led off the bottom of the 3'rd inning with a PH single, then scored from 2B on a single to LF where the fearsome Alex Gordon was patrolling. Matt Duffy!
Ryan Vogelsong- 2.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 13.50. Vogey started out looking strong through the first 2 innings. It looked like he should get out of the 3'rd inning easily enough, but a series of infield dribblers and his own misplay on an admittedly very difficult cover play at 1B opened the floodgate and he was not able to get out of the inning. The game really had the feel of being over after the Giants 1-0 lead flipped to a 4-1 deficit.
Yusmeiro Petit- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00. Yusmeiro to the rescue again! Is this guy magical or what? I have to confess to wondering if Bochy might be wasting Petit on a lost cause and might be better off saving him to fight another day, maybe even start a Game 6 if Bummy won game 5. But what to I know? Petit slammed the door on the Royals while the Giants offense went to work and he ends up with another Win in relief.
The Giants have their own bullpen troika in Affeldt, Romo and Casilla. They shut it down over the final 3 except Strickland subbed for Casilla in the 9'th due to the non-save blowout situation.
The Win evens the best of 7 Series at 2 games apiece.
Madison Bumgarner takes the mound facing his fellow Game 1 starter James Shields in Game 5 tomorrow evening.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
the problem in the third started with the blown dp by belt
ReplyDeletefollowed by a couple of if hits...that i think frustrated vogey
the blown cover at first put him over the edge
i understand bochy sticking with him, as he wasnt getting hit hard and had good command of all his pitches, but someone shouldve come out to chat with him before he gave up the single
and i didnt get yost leaving his rook out there to to implode...oh maybe i do...cuz i just dont think yost is all that good a skipper
this series is playing out much like the 02 series
giants finally got to the kc pen....thats a good thing
another good thing is that they were able to overcome the early inning mistakes
i wonder if bochy will go again with perez in left tomorrow.....gotta keep the best d out there and just scratch and claw for runs
bacci
The TV dudes were braying about how Morse shoulda started then wanted him to pinch hit for Perez when the Giants were down. Then Perez got a key hit and made a couple of catches that would have been XBH's with Morse out there. I agree, go with the best D at every position.
DeleteI'm not sure about the psychological effects of the beating on Finnegan, but Yost did not want to use his bullpen troika before the 7'th, especially Herrera, and by then the game was out of reach. I think Yost's bullpen management in this one was defensible.
DeleteUgh! The TV guys continued to gush incessantly over the Royals' exploits...just as they did for the Pirates, Nats and Cards. Hey, Dyson made a great play on Perez's bloop swing, but Juan did get a sac fly. Given his batting average, I thought that it deserved SOME mention.
ReplyDeleteI'm in Tampa this week for work, so I missed the first couple of innings unfortunately. Thanks for the recap on Matt Duffy! Jon Miller mentioned on the post-game wrap that Panda was ill - glad he came through for us. As did Arias later (barely made it back to 2B, but he made it). I love that the light-hitting scrappers (Blanco, Perez,Petit!) and the Rooks have come through (Joe Cool, Matt Duffy! even Susac on the first pitch).
Petit is our MVP so far. Shields will be tough tonight. I hope Maddy is equal to the task. Let's Go Giants!
NWGiantsFan
DtF!!!
KC makes a better narrative for the TV guys, or at least one that is simpler to explain.
DeleteI get that...and in fact I have liked the Royals and there fans since the 1970s. I would much rather beat the Angels, Baltimore or NYY.
DeleteThat being said, Joe Buck is an atrocious homer for the media darlings, both in basubaru (see Cards, Nats, Pirates,Tigers, Royals, etc.) and futbol americano (Aaron Rodgers & GB, Rams, Cowboys, Patriots). Watched the last 6 innings with a BoSox fan - he couldn't believe how over the top this crew was last night either! Just wish I was back in NorCal so I could simply turn up Flemming, Miller, Kruk & Kuip!
Speaking of the best broadcast team in MLB, according to the KNBR post-game wrap, all the celebratory antics in both the Royals clubhouse early last night and the apparent forgone conclusion of a KC win did not go unnoticed by the Giants players. Looks like they responded appropriately. Let's see if they can keep it up for the next 2 or 3 games.
And kudos for Strickland to man up and apologize for his outbursts. Win with class.
Let's win two of three for Ring #3!!!
NWGiantsFan
DtF!!!
This series is a microcosm of the Giants season - world beaters one day, the walking dead the next, and still standing at the end. Can't kill 'em. The cockroach rollercoaster ride! If don't have the stomach for it, step off.
ReplyDeleteThat's twice now, Game 1 and Game 4, where Yost has waved the white flag with his relievers. I think it's a mistake to save his big three solely for when you have a lead after the 6th. Sometimes the game can be won with a shut down inning earlier allowing your team to come back. I think it sends the wrong message to his team. But what do I know it's worked for him all year.
Matt Duffy! And yes, Juan Perez!
I have harped on Affeldt all year, but, mea culpa, this guy is a postseason stud.
I expect Shields to be better today, but I expect MadBum to be better too.
Anyone see the karma of Hudson pitching the 7th game, it could be.
Ned rode Herrera hard in games 2 and 3. I don't think he was available any earlier than the 7'th inning if at all, and he definitely should not burn Davis and Holland in a game he is unlikely to win. If the tables were turned and the Royals were going to go down 3-1 or if it was an elimination game, then that's a different story. I think Ned has played it right so far.
DeleteDocB, Herrera had a day off between games 2 and 3, in the playoffs that's not overuse, that's your job.
DeleteIn the playoffs games are often won and lost in the 3rd - 6th inning when the starter has to go thru the lineup a second and third time because the hitters are all battling on every pitch. So risking a well rested closer type to shutdown a pivotal early point of the game can be the difference maker. Yost has been allergic to doing this and given his team no chance to come back. He has waived the white flag very early in two games.
Bochy on the other hand has had Machi, Gutiérrez and Petit as early inning shutdown guys during the season. Unfortunately, Machi has lost his splitter in the playoffs. Petit has been called upon multiple times and delivered an MVP performance. I'm with Bochy, you're in the WS use your guys and ride them very hard. Baseball players can sleep in the off season.
Herrera threw 32 pitches in Game 2, had a day off then threw 27 pitches in Game 3. I don't care of you are Bochy or Tommy Lasorda, OK, maybe Tommy Lasorda, but you are not going to throw Herrera out there for another 30 pitches again in Game 4. You just aren't! You cannot go to the well with your bullpen every single game of the postseason unless you want to end up like the Giants in 2002. Meanwhile, the last time Petit pitched was in the NLCS. Bochy isn't riding anybody hard except maybe Jeremy Affeldt. Ned made the right moves. His players didn't execute, just like Bochy made the right moves in Games 2 and 3 but his players didn't execute. Managers are not the difference in every single game. Players have to execute.
DeleteAgree with you there, Doc.
DeleteIt wasn't must win for the Royals. They'd have liked it, sure. But not must win.
Now with a best of three, Ned could conceivably run the big three out there every game. By saving them last night, he has the option of running them out there every game from here on in.
KC's pitching is set up. We're going to have to beat the studs from here on out.
Ummm, you got a two run lead in the 5th, a faltering starter and a chance to go up 3-1. You take it. Bring a shutdown reliever at the first sign of trouble. Instead Yost waived the white flag with Frasor, Duffy, Finnegan and Collins.
DeleteSure he saved his pen for what? The off chance that MadBum has a bad game 5 and Shields pitches deep with a lead. Odds are we aren't seeing the KC troika in game 5, because they won't be needed. And then they earn a travel day. So yes, they will have three days off before game 6, that's nice. I'd like that work schedule.
Meanwhile Yost lost a chance to win game 4. Thanks Yost for not putting your best on the line when it mattered in game 4.
MS, we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. IMO, Ned played it right.
DeleteAs it happened, Ned harnessed up two thirds of the troika in Game 5, and the Giants sent them back to their stalls badly beaten up: two runs charged to Herrera, from two runners that Davis couldn't manage to strand, and then another one (unearned) charged to Davis himself. Ned has now lost Game 4 without them and Game 5 with them.
DeleteWhen the Giants can get Yost out of his comfort zone is when good things happen. His whole game plan is getting the ball to those three guys with the lead. Take them out of the equation and he has no idea what to do. That three headed monster they have looming in the 7th, 8th, and 9th is Good, but if we can get to their starters early and get a lead he wont use them. It's the only decision he knows how to make and is incapable of doing it unless he has a lead.
ReplyDeleteWe play our game we win.
They play their game they win.
Simple as that.
Well, the Giants have just 2 guys who are off the table in games where they are trailing whereas the Royals have 3. That shortens the rest of their bullpen. It helps to have a guy like Petit who can shut it down for 3 innings if a starter gets blown out, but you can't use him every day either. As I said in the Keys to a Giants Series Win, the Royals don't really have a counter to Petit. I think they were hoping Duffy and/or Finnegan could play that role, but they didn't get it done last night.
DeleteIn short, I think Yost is managing correctly with what he has to work with. He has shown some flexibility with Herrera, but he can't call on him early every game. Bottom line is the starters need to get deeper into the game, at least some of the time. That is where Bummy gives the Giants another huge advantage.
…er my comment about Petit was in the Pitching Matchups post.
DeleteBesides giving his relievers rest Yost always takes away looks that the Giants would get on them in perhaps a meaningless game. You pitch them too much and it breeds familarity with the Giants hitters. Not going to blame Yost on this.
ReplyDeleteQuestion is, if it goes to game 7 do you start Petit? He is argueably neck and eck with Madbum as the Giants best pitcher. With the series on the line, right now I'd feel most comfortable with him on the mound other than Madbum.
Personally, I would start Petit in a Game 7, but Huddy pitched pretty well in Game 3 and has been a postseason competitor so it's not a slam dunk. I would prefer to see Petit start instead of Peavy in Game 6, but that might be too soon for Petit to go more than 2-3 innings.
DeleteI agree. Situation will dictate whether Petit is needed game 6. (I agree, too much to ask him to go 6 innings+ in Game 6). If he's not used in Game 6, I think he's by far the best choice to start game 7 if it comes to that.
DeletePetit home ERA 2.74; away ERA 5.07. Petit has been at his best at ATT. But KC's park has a big outfield, so maybe he can pitch effectively there too.
DeleteI think Bochy stays with proven vet competitors Peavy and Huddy in their turns, but have Petit ready from inning 1. Petit could go games 6 and 7 if needed.
First let's go win today with MadBum!!!
I think Huddy "redeems" himself for his Alcides AB. Keep Petit in his role so Bochy can leverage it if necessary. In Melonhead I trust...
DeleteSomeone above pointed out "familiarity" with fireballing RPs...IIRC, didn't we have a similar construct vs both the Reds & Cards highly rated pens in 2012? Maybe something to it...
Let's Go Giants! Win 2 of 3 for Ring #3!
NWGiantsFan
DtF!!!