The Giant broke out the longball while Chris Heston allowed just a broken bat single, 2 BB's and an HBP over 7.1 IP and the Giants crushed the Pathetic Padres at AT&T Park South. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence- 2 for 4, HR(5). BA= .295. Pence started the scoring with an extra long ball that went well beyond the deepest part of the ballpark in left-CF. I've watched a lot of Petco games and I don't remember seeing a HR to that area before, let alone one that went way beyond the fence. This one never got very high off the ground either. Baggs reported that exit velocity was l13 MPH. Pence has always been able to put a charge into the ball, but he has added a considerable amount of upper body muscle this year.
Brandon Crawford- 3 for 4, HR(13). BA= .266. The Giants have hit 6 grand slams this year, but I think this was just the second 3-run dinger of the season for the entire team. It put the Giants up 5-0 and with the way Heston was pitching, you had to be feeling pretty good about the outcome at that point. This one would not have been out of the park in it's original configuration.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 4, HR(1). BA= .194. The Padres intentionally walked Gregor Blanco to load the bases for Hector Sanchez, so if he admired this mammoth shot for just a second or two, you really can't blame him. Dale Thayer took exception and met Hector in front of first base flinging his gum at Hector close enough that some spittle might have sprayed him. Later in the game, after he grounded out to first base, another Padres pitcher started jawing at Hector and both benches ended up emptying. No punches thrown, just a bunch of dancing and standing around.
I've always thought Hector should be more of a power hitter, but he's been in protect mode from the beginning of every AB for a couple of years now. Maybe this is a sign that he's going to take some harder swings earlier in the count? That would be a good thing, IMO.
Chris Heston- 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.18. Hesto Presto's stuff was working in this game. He took a perfecto into the 5'th inning when he hit Matt Kemp with a pitch. The only hit was a broken bat bloop single by Melvin Upton, Jr. Heston lowered his ERA below Madison Bumgarner's on the season and he's looking mighty comfortable out there on the mound.
The Win cut the Dodgers lead in the NL West to 2.5 games. The Giants remain 1 game behind the Cubs in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot.
Matt Cain tries to finish off a series win this afternoon facing James Shields.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
i usually am of the opinion that its wrong to show up the pitcher and do the bat flip....but not in this case
ReplyDeletei was really bothered by the friars announcers, both on tv and radio, pretty much calling for hector to get one in the ribs
stay classy san diego
heston should get a few roy votes
bacci
I'm a San Francisco transplant living in San Diego for over 15 years now...so I guess I more of a San Diegan now, although I'm still a Giants fan :D Anyways, I can't stand Ted Leitner...never could...and I am with you bacci on his casting on that take last night. I will admit though, he did give the Giants offense a lot of kudos (overall) last night, so that made listening to him a bit more tolerable.
DeleteQuestion and I am sure it is going to not be well received but would we sell high on Heston in the off-season? Appears the guy is going to end up with a good rookie season but if we really that the Giants have more "legitimate" prospects in the minors do we try to maximize his value or do we think that this is the level he will be able to perform at going forward and keep him? While I would probably lean on keeping him myself, I don't think it is that cut and dry.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I am not sure that Heston's trade value is all that high right now. Yes, there would be plenty of teams willing to take him, but not for a high price. Secondly, why would you want to trade a player with 5 years of control on his contract? Thirdly, What other SP prospects are a lock to be ready to step into the rotation on Opening Day 2016? Personally, I don't see them.
Delete