Saturday, June 3, 2017

Game Wrap 6/32017: Phillies 5 Giants 3

If you are a young pitcher making your MLB debut, the Giants are the team you want to face.  Ben Lively shut down the Giants allowing 1 run in 7 innings while stricking out…..0!?  Key Lines:

Giants Lineup:  No point in discussing individual performances here.  8 different Giants hitters had 1 hit each.  Obviously they did not all come in 1 inning.  Brandon Belt's double was the only XBH.

Johnny Cueto RHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 4.38.  Tommy Joseph broke up Cueto's shutout in the 6'th inning.  Cueto then allowed the first two batters to reach on groundball singles to open the 7'th.  They both scored after Hunter Strickland was brought in to relieve.

Nick Cafardo does not think the Giants are going to be big sellers at the trade deadline, although he does say that a Cueto trade could be explored if they think he is likely to opt out.  I don't know about you, but from his recent comments about the Giants clubhouse culture, I think Cueto can't wait to get out of SF.  Are games like this good enough to give him some serious cache on the trade market?

Hunter Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.29.  This line does not include the 2 inherited runners he allowed to score.  Maybe Strick's mind was on his upcoming suspension appeal?  Maybe he should just start serving it and get it behind him?

*********************************************************************************

Matt Moore tries for a series win tomorrow facing Jeremy Hellickson.

13 comments:

  1. I believe that C made the comments in April. If they are being publicized now, I'm guessing that they are being used as advertising, to invite potentially interested teams to explore mutually profitable trades with the Giants--for a would-be contender looking for extra rotation strength, Cueto's being a rental mightn't be of major importance, and his being perhaps available to a team with whom they're directly competing would be of considerable importance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are correct. Something I missed in the Yahoo Sports story by Craig Calcaterra yesterday. He was quoting from a comment Baggs got back in April.

      Delete
  2. Cueto started the 7th on 108 pitches. What's the upside there?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't been paying close attention - what have Cueto's comments been about the clubhouse culture.

    Could be bad news if the Giants become known as a lame clubhouse team - which I would bet is the case. Here's been an issue of mine for a while: When the Giants walk off and have a little jumping celebration in the middle of the field, it REGULARLY looks totally contrived. Lame jumping, minimal actual energy.

    When you watch a number of other teams in big moments like that, they're ecstatic and they really relish the moment. All this game IS is great moments, and then the in-between. The Giants seems to have lost that spark that Timmy & Aubrey & Wilson & Romo & Ross & Andres Torres brought to the team so long ago when they had to claw and fight for every little thing they had.

    I want to get back to those kinds of players. Those kinds of games....this clubhouse feels.....bored.

    ReplyDelete
  4. They have looked pretty lifeless this season - Cueto's comments about a lifeless clubhouse adds to my depression :(

    To reach 88 wins they have to play .619 ball and that seems out of reach at the moment. Still, miracles happen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If Bochy & Co. don't conjure up someone to bat behind Posey, things will, if possible, get even worse. Not sure it's so much that Buster has lost the knack of driving in runs, but he is aware that, if he doesn't get it done, it won't be done. Thus he has pressed, expanded his strike zone, and become very unPosey.
    Can Pence become the enforcer so that Posey might be walked less or get some better pitches to hit?
    Right, just as you (Doc) suggested after Strickland plunked Harper, there's real estate to be unloaded to anyone who believes that. Hunter challenges Núñez for free-swinger top spot, that ain't gonna change. The decision to not address LF in the off-season has yet more fall-out, although, in retrospect, who might that have been? Matt Kemp? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  6. Doc, I must have been out of town!
    What comments did Cueto make about the Giants club house culture?

    Richard in Winnipeg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See Campanari's comment above. The comment was actually made back in April and published by Baggs in the Mercury News. The gist of of it was that Latin players like loud clubhouses and most of the Giants players quietly sit around their lockers and are very into themselves(I did not take this to meant they are selfish players, just not outgoing personalities).

      Delete
  7. I know there have been discussions about Cueto and I've also seen articles about Shark being traded. Blach has been a super nice development, and I think we can pencil him in for a while (so a rotation of Bumgarner, Moore and Blach is pretty nice). Cueto is gone next year, so I think selling him high makes sense. Then we have to hope Gregorio or Beede can step up. Problem is, I'm not sure who the next guy is. Gagne and Suarez appear to be close to ready, but those guys presumably step in for Moore, so where are finding the other righty?

    Also, I wonder if Belt might be on the block. Not sure how much you get for him, but with Shaw able to play first, I could see them doing that. I guess it depends on whether you believe Shaw can really step in for Pence.

    PiLamBear

    ReplyDelete
  8. Philadelphia wants to give the Giants a BIG BUSTER HUG!
    On April 27 they were: 11-9
    They lost the next 10 series and were, going into yesterday's game: 17-35
    6-26 before the game Saturday.
    They were swept in 5 of the 10 consecutive series they lost.
    If ever there was a time to start turning the ship, this weekend was it!
    Well, Hunter's back, that should make a difference!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This team is done. Put a fork in them. THE question is the current management capable of remaking this team? I don't believe so. Evans and Barr are under performers. Bad trades and FA signing as well as horrible drafting has led to the current state of the Giants.

    The Giants are trending down and the current management is steering this ship. The big question is how long will this go on?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree they are done for this season. I don't agree with your assessment of current management. A big part of this is the normal cycle of successful teams in the age of Competitive Balance taxes and bonus pools. I do think they need to do some judicious selling at the trade deadline and that is uncharted territory for this team. They also need to make some adjustments in their draft strategy starting in 8 days. Not that their picks in the past have not worked out, but organizational needs have changed.

      Delete
  10. I'm good with the job John Barr has done drafting players without many top 15 picks, and the Giants have made good trades which included their minor leaguers that have helped them win multiple world series. I'm on the fence with Bobby Evans ever since he failed to acquire a good closer last season. Hope to see them get back to developing their young pitching. TY Blach is,a nice start. It's been expensive signing 2 big free agent starting pitchers, free agent closer, and trading good prospects away for another lefthanded starting pitcher and lefthanded setup man. I wonder if this left them with less flexibility to improve the rest of their roster.

    LG

    ReplyDelete