Game Wrap 8/15/2015: Giants 12 Nationals 6

For the third game in a row, the Giants faced a pitching matchup that heavily favored the opposing pitcher.  For the third game in a row, the Giants offense blew up that heavily favored opposing pitcher. This time it was Gio Gonzalez who gave up rocket after rocket up the alleys and down the lines as the Giants pounded out 6 hits for extra bases out of 13 total.  Key Lines:

Gregor Blanco- 3 for 5, SB(11).  BA= .300.  No XBH's for Blanco, but continued his hot hitting at the top of the order setting the table for the rockets that followed.

Matt Duffy- 2 for 5, 2 2B.  BA= .310.  Duffy cleared the bases in the 6-run 6'th inning with a 3 run double down the line.  He later hit another double up the alley in left-CF.  He's also hit his share to the right side, so there is no one way to pitch to him and certainly no defensive shift.

Brandon Belt- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .278.  Baggs seems to think the Nationals thought the Giants in general, but Belt in particular, knew what pitches were coming from Gio.  Of course that does not explain what happened to Strasburg and Scherzer in the previous 2 games.

Buster Posey- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .330.  Buster played 1B in this one with Belt moving to LF and Hector Sanchez behind the plate.  Giants are hoping Susac gets back soon so they can do this more often and are really looking forward to Sept 1 when they can have 3 catchers on the active roster.

Kelby Tomlinson- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B.  BA= .333.  Kelby!  Oh man!  Kelby is doing his best impersonation of his friend, Matt Duffy, and I'm thinking Kelby is the starting 2B until the Giants get Joe Panik back.  Maybe there is no need to make a trade for Chase Utley either!  The Giants seem to have an veritable assembly line of skinny, light-hitting college shortstops who catch fire in AA and just keep going in the majors.  Wow!  Nice job, Kelby!

Jake Peavy- 5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.18.  Peavy seemed a bit off in this one.  Of course, the ball was carrying well at AT&T Park and that place is a bandbox in warm weather.  Good thing the Giants offense took it to Gio then kept adding on.

George Kontos- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K's.  ERA= 1.88.  Kontos came in and put out the fire in the 6'th inning relieving Peavy.  Then in the 7'th, he faced Bryce Harper leading off the inning.  He threw Harper a nasty slider down and in that Harper fouled off his back leg.  The slow mo looked like the leg bent sideways and you had to wonder if it was broken.  Harper appeared to be in severe pain, but nobody came out to check on him from the Nats dugout.  He then hit a liner to Blanco in CF that might have gone a lot farther if he had a back leg.  He limped off the field and into the clubhouse after Blanco caught the ball.  X-rays were reportedly negative.

The Win kept the Giants 2.5 games behind the Dodgers, who pounded the Reds 8-3.  The Cubs won again, so the Giants trail in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot by 4.5 games.  The Nationals are now at .500 and trail the Mets in the NL East by 4.5 games and trail the Cubs by 9.5 games.  Gotta think Matt Williams job is on the line if Washington, which has the best team on paper in the NL, fails to make the playoffs.

Madison Bumgarner goes for the 4 game sweep today facing Joe Ross, Tyson's bro.