Whew! A loss like this is tough to take and tough to write about. The Giants offense failed to mount so much as a threat against junkballer Jason Vargas. A moment's hesitation by Madison Bumgarner breaking to cover 1B on a hot grounder that bounced away from Brandon Belt may have been the difference in this game. At least you knew the game was over when that miscue plated the go-ahead run for the Royals because it was pretty clear by then the Giants were not going to score a run in this one. Key Lines:
Aaron Hill LF- 0 for 3, BB. BA= .130. When Aaron Hill and Gorkys Hernandez start in LF and CF respectively and bat 1'st and 9'th in the lineup, you know your team is in a lot of trouble. And if you can't just send Chris Marrero out there everyday, especially against a LHP, why is he on the team?
Gorkys Hernandez CF- 0 for 2, 2 K. BA= .067. See Aaron Hill above. It probably requires a bit of bad luck to hit .067, but make no mistake, Hernandez is overmatched at the plate. The Giants are going to have to address their OF situation and soon.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K, GO/AO= 8/2. ERA= 3.00. Bumgarner wasn't at his best all night, as Jeremy Affeldt kept reminding us, and the 1 run scored when he was late breaking for 1B on a grounder to Belt, but remember when Matt Cain used to get "Cained?" I think Bumgarner is getting "Bummed." You can't win if your team fails to score any runs.
Jason Vargas LHP(Royals)- The FB averaged 86.6 MPH but he moved it around the edges of the strike zone and paired that up with a terrific changeup that kept Giants hitters off balance all evening. The delivery is awkward looking but seems to hide the ball well and 86 MPH FB's looked a lot faster. Vargas is currently a hot commodity in fantasy baseball leagues.
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The Dodgers topped the Rockies 4-2 behind Clayton Kershaw and Jhoulys Chacin and the Padres shutout the D'Backs 1-0. The current standings in he NL West are symmetrical with the D'Backs and Rockies tied at the top at 10-6. The Dodgers are 2 games back at 8-8 while the Giants and Padres bring up the rear, 4 games back, at 6-10.
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The Giants get a travel day they probably don't want and start a 3 game series in Denver against the Rockies on Friday with Johnny Cueto facing Giants killer, Tyler Chatwood.
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why aren't giants going for braun.....bring up arroyo...goodbye gorkys and hill........when are upton and morse gonna be ready..........panic back in 2 slot.......belt to left posey to first...hundley 6 doubles to catcher..............we need offense.........bum gets Kershaw next....0-4 to start season.......who was last giant pitcher to do this.............roger craig.................what a boring team........wheres our hitting coach bambam...........kielbasa kid............giants fan since 1950.................
ReplyDeleteIt's funny. When you just look at the performance, they're doing fine, but everyone prefers to freak out. Changes are coming.
DeleteSpan - injured and getting his body back underneath him.
Gorkeys, Morerro, Hill - Are placeholders, had a purpose - but these are not centerpieces of the team. They'll be gone soon, a la Casey McGhee: Replaced early for nill performance.
Pitching: Has been FINE! Actually, excellent. Over the total of a season, if Posey stays healthy & the giants promote performers from within, they'll begin to see the wins fall into place.
Panik, Crawford, Posey, Nunez, Hundley, Cain, Law, Strickland, Bumgarner, Cueto ...on and on and on...
They'll all playing at a well above average level. This team will compete this year and has a good shot to pull for the playoffs with some additions and with help from the minors. Hopefully that help will include but may not be limited to: Mac Williamson, Christian Arroyo, Juan Gregorio (bullpen), Okert (already here), Reyes Moronta, Jay Hwang (3B replacing Gillaspie), Upton (CF-reserve), Tomlinson (IF-reserve replacing Hill).
Let's all enjoy the good stuff - there's plenty of it.
Bumgarner's 3.00 ERA with a 2.36 FIP and is 0-3... It just boggles the mind...
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