If you knew that Johnny Cueto struck out 10 batters and walked just 1 in 7 IP with Scott Feldman the opposing starter, you would say he almost certainly won the game, right? That would be in any other season. In this season, Feldman pitches a CG 4-hit shutout while Cueto give up 2 dingers and 2 unearned runs and the Giants lose 4-0. The loss completes a humiliating series sweep at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds and leaves the Giants in complete disarray as a team. Key Lines:
Christian Arroyo SS- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .255. Arroyo's bat has been a source of extra-base power in a power-starved lineup, but his throwing error allowed leadoff hitter Billy Hamilton to reach base which led to 2 unearned runs and the Giants starting yet another game in a hole.
Johnny Cueto RHP- 7 iP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 4.50. The Giants are down to 1 pitcher they can count on to pitch a great game, and even that was not enough today. Now they have to wait 4 games for his turn to come around again.
Scott Feldman RHP- 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.76. Feldman, like many other MLB pitchers can pitch a good game....once in awhile. It's just that all of those once-in-awhiles seem to come against the Giants, which raises the question, did he pitch a great game or did the Giants lineup lie down and die for him?
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The Loss dropped the Giants farther into last place in the NL West, 9 games behind the division leading Rockies.
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The Giants now proceed to New York to take on a team that seems to be just as out of sync, the Mets with Matt Moore trying to rebound from his disastrous start against the Dodgers facing the Mets ace, Jake DeGrom.
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In this series, the Giants were simply not competitive in any facet of the game. That's what makes their situation so dire. It isn't just this series, either. Yes, they somehow managed to take 2 of 3 from the Dodgers in LA, but there have been way too many games this season where they just did not compete. Yes, they need a better LF situation and a better CF situation and they got a terrible break with Bumgarner's misadventure, but it's not at all clear that they would be a contending team with everybody healthy. Right now, this is not a team that can be fixed with 1 or even 2 acquisitions. The Giants need to get a lot more competitive with the players they have before giving any consideration to bolstering the roster with mid-season trades.
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To add insult to injury, the Giants team bus broke down on the way to the airport out of Cincinnati.
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I won a 6 pack of Grapefruit Sculpin based on that dodgers series. I guess if they were going to win one, it's nice they won the one that helps me drink my way through other games.
ReplyDeleteSomeone was ranting at ESPN last night about the Giants being 'too old.' The Nationals and Giants are both 29.4 average age. One is the best team in the NL. One is definitely not. The Cubs, all of two months younger, are in 3rd in their division at 16-15. And the youngest team in baseball -- the Padres -- aren't exactly tearing it up right now.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm concerned, age really isn't the problem because it effects fielding before hitting and most of them are still close enough to peak that their defense is still be there. The problem is only Posey & Panik are hitting well which means we're not getting hits or scoring.
And coupled with nobody else hitting well the pitching as been, at best, seriously erratic. Right now we don't have a starter with an ERA under 4.50.
Fact is, you're not getting very far in baseball when all but two of your starters are routinely scuffling. So we'll see what happens. It's still early enough that things could click. But it's also bad enough that the mental/emotional side of it could keep them down for the rest of the year.
Yeah, when I read an article last night about the team bus I started laughing. My past career in the Army gave me an appreciation for dark humor. I don't think this is a playoff team either. MLB Network reported this series is the worst shellacking the Giants had since the 1890's. Wow! I would really be surprised if the front office didn't blow up the team ( Please not Posey, Crawford or MadBum, but they may have too.), and even shakeup the coaching staff. Especially the hitting coaches, and whoever scouts the opposing teams. I don't know. But something has got to change.
ReplyDeleteI am tempted to compare stats between your current San Francisco Giants and the Expansion Mets team. We all know this Giants team stinks. But why? And what is management going to do about it?
ReplyDeleteWe'll know the answer July 9th.
ReplyDeleteIt's not all age: Posey and Belt are fine, Crawford is OK, and the pitchers aren't "old" but Pence and Span have their best years behind them. Giants rolled the dice with Denard, an oldish guy coming off an injury and is as close to toast as a piece of bread under the broiler.
ReplyDeleteHaving a complete bust in the OF this year with inconsistency in the 'pen' has made it a year of lunacy.
Because of Span and Pence, it could be blamed on age, but the failure to develop, trade, or sign outfield supplements has made 2017 forgettable. Blanco and Pagan are beginning to look like good options!
With the 2nd debacle in NY today, no matter what happens tomorrow, the Giants should retire the OF and bring up fresh faces and see what happens. It can't be worse, and if it is bad in the short run, it could well pay back in the future.
With a probable loss Saturday, the Giants have to play BETTER THAN .600 to reach .500 by the All Star Break.
Yes, it's a long season, but the math catches up: you have to start playing better to get well and nothing SF is doing suggests that will happen suddenly.
Losing Melancon is the icing on this distasteful cake..
Keep the "core" and get what you can for EVERYONE else.
2018 IS AN EVEN YEAR!
Plan for it.