Buster Posey had a big night at the plate and Tim Hudson became the latest Giants pitcher to step up and get the best of a pitching duel. Key Lines:
Joe Panik- 1 for 3, BB, SB(2). BA= .297. Panik scored ahead of Posey's HR in the first inning then again ahead of Buster's ground rule double in the 8'th inning to tack on one of two insurance runs.
Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(8). BA= .301. For awhile it looked like Buster's 2-run dinger in the first inning might be the only scoring in the game. He added a 3'rd RBI in the 8'th for an insurance run that was critical to winning the game.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, SB(13). BA= .301. I've said it before, Crawford looks like he's swinging a tennis racket up there and serving the ball just about wherever he wants.
Tim Hudson- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 13/2. ERA= 4.62. Huddy had the sinker working tonight. With the way the Giants infielders are playing, that is a recipe for success.
Hunter Strickland- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. Strickland was lights out again. Tough to see him going down after the 4'th of June or whenever the Giants have their next day off.
Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, Save(15). ERA= 1.66. Casilla gave up a bomb to dead CF by Freddie Freeman and walked two other batters. Good thing the Giants tacked on those 3 insurance runs in the 8'th inning!
The Win puts the Giants in first place in the NL West by 0.5 games over the Dodgers who lost to the Cardinals 3-0. The Giants lead the Padres and D'Backs by 6.5 games and the Rockies by 8 games. The Dodgers are 2 games ahead in the race for the first Wild Card playoff spot.
Tim Lincecum tries to extend the Giants current win streak to 6 games facing rookie Williams Perez, a sinker ball specialist tomorrow evening.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hard to second guess a Hall of Fame caliber manager like Bochy but I was hoping he would have used Machi in the 9th instead of Casilla. There was an article the other day about how much the bullpen has been used so far and it seems like last night might have been a good night to give Casilla the night off even though it was technically a save situation. Like I said though, hard to argue with a guy who has 3 WS rings in the last 5 years.
ReplyDeleteBilly Baseball
I agree that Strickland probably stays up. A bullpen guy has been among the walking dead from the start of the season, enabled by the injuries to the position players to stay on the 25-man roster, and at some point, Peavy or Cain, one of them would need to be DFAed, either Machi or Kontos. George has been doing great, Machi not so much, so perhaps they stop delaying that decision and drop Machi at the point they need to add another hitter back on the roster.
ReplyDeleteMachi take the 9th? Have you been watching what he has been doing this season?
I have been watching Machi and actually have been a proponent of him being the odd man out going back to the pre-season and still believe he should go when one of the others are activated. That said, he's on the roster, he was warmed up (so Bochy at least considered it too), ready to go in the ninth and the Giants had a 3 run lead, enough of a cushion, IMO, to throw Machi out there to get the last 3 outs or pull him if he falters. Affeldt has pitched in some higher leverage situations lately and he's had some issues too but Bochy still brings him out. If the Giants don't think Machi can protect a 3 run lead, regardless of the inning, then that supports my thought that he probably shouldn't be in the pen in the first place.
DeleteI do believe Bochy knows best but IMO, in this situation, it might have been a good opportunity to rest the closer on a bullpen that has been used a lot this year.
Billy Baseball
The Closer is going to get the ball in all Save situations in games he is available to pitch. Casilla was not used on Thursday, so was available to pitch. Agree or not, that's the way Bochy has always played it.
DeleteHey doc, you're probably aware, but Alex Torres was wearing a protective cap while pitching for the Mets today. I know you're a big proponent of that safety gear. Looked like a plush horseshoe wrap-around, covering the front and side of the actual baseball cap. First time I've seen that.
ReplyDeleteI think Alex pitched for San Diego last year. Yes, he is one of the few pitchers who have been proactive in wearing and promoting a hard cap when on the mound. It is certainly a start. IMO, it still leaves the two areas that are the most vulnerable unprotected: The temple areas and the orbits. The optimal protective gear I would envision would be a helmet with ear flaps that cover the temples and a cage mask to protect the face, maybe something like a lacrosse helmet? I know we are a long way from acceptance of anything close to that. Without it, though, it is my belief that it is a question of when, not if, someone gets killed on the mound from a batted ball.
Delete