Saturday, August 1, 2015

Game Wrap 7/31/2015: Rangers 6 Giants 3

It was a hot night in Texas in more ways than one as the Rangers jumped on Madison Bumgarner for 6 runs in the first 2 innings and the Giants were never able to mount a comeback after a promising start to the game.  Key Lines:

Nori Aoki- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .312.  Aoki looked like he was back to pre-injury form rapping out 2 hits including a double he pulled into RF.  He batted 9'th in a DH lineup, but I have to think he should be leading off if he is all the way back.

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, HR(16).  BA= .268.  This one just made the score a little closer, but Crawford is have quite a season, isn't he?

Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 3.39.  I couldn't tell from watching on TV is Bummy's idea at the beginning of the game was to elevate the FB, or if he just had poor command early.  Either way, that is not a recipe for success on a hot night in a bandbox stadium.  There was one double by Andrus in the first inning that took off on Aoki and a dinger that landed on the top of the LF wall that both probably would have been caught on most nights at AT&T.  Bummy's frustration boiled over in the 4'th inning after Delino Deshields dramatically flung his bat after popping up.  Bummy seems to think that when a hitter does that, he is saying he should have crushed the pitch and Bummy does not like that.  The two teams gathered in the middle of the infield for a screaming session, mostly between Bummy and Beltre.  Those are alway fun in the middle of the Dog Days!

Kruk and Kuip- OK I think this is interesting.  I watch a lot of Giants TV broadcasts and I rarely hear Kruk and Kuip disagree and even more rarely get short with each other.  Also in the 4'th inning, Rougned Odor took a late slide into Joe Panik on a hit-and-run force out at 2B which appeared to come this close to buckling Panik's knees sideways, which is not a good thing.  Kuip was over in the radio booth and Kruk was doing color with Dave Flemming.  Kruk was all over Odor, calling it a dirty play as well as criticizing Panik for being willing to take too much contact at 2B thus endangering his health.  Kruk then started to put words in Kuip's mouth by saying that the old 2B was going crazy over the play in the radio booth.  The camera panned over to Kuip who was looking as cool as a cucumber.  Flem commented that Kuip didn't look too upset over there and Kruk laughed it off by saying they should have shown him immediately after the play.

When Kuip got back to the TV booth in the 7'th, there had obviously been some discussion between innings.  When they came back on air, Kuip rather vehemently said he really didn't see what the big deal was.  He did not think Odor made a dirty slide and he did not think Panik had any choice but to stand in there on.  His point was that with Odor running on the hit-and-run, there is almost certainly going to be contact at 2B and it is just one of those things.  Maybe it's just me, but I thought Kuip sounded more than just a bit annoyed by the whole discussion and I wonder if he reacted to Kruk trying to speak for him earlier while he was in he radio booth?  Anyway, it was an interesting exchange and of the type I don't hear between them very often if ever.

The Loss left the Giants 1.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West as the Bad Guys topped the Angels in a freeway series game.  The Giants are 1.5 games ahead of the Cubs for the final Wild Card Playoff spot.

Chris Heston goes against newly acquired Cole Hamels tonight.  The Giants jumped on Hamels in Philly earlier this year, but Hamels is coming off a no-hitter in his last Philly start.

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