Saturday, August 5, 2017

Game Wrap 8/4/2017: D'Backs 2 Giants 1

The Giants followed up another big win with another....faceplant.  This time they got a solid start from Madison Bumgarner but the offense managed just 3 infield hits in a game that was not as close as the score.  Key Lines:

Denard Span CF- 0 for 3, BB.  BA= .273.  So much for Jarrett Parker playing somewhere every day.  I get that the Giants lineup is very left heavy with Parker playing LF and Jones at 3B, but Span hits LH too, looks like he needs a breather and the Giants have said they want to get Parker some time in CF.  I just don't get it.

Brandon Belt 1B- 0 for 2, HBP.  BA= .241.  The day after equalling his career high in HR's, Belt takes a curveball off the helmet and did not look good as he was helped off the field.  It is hard to imagine he is not going to miss some time on the concussion DL/protocol. Early speculation is that Ryder Jones will play a lot of 1B with perhaps Jae-Gyun Hwang coming back to play 3B or maybe Miguel Gomez gets an extended look there, or maybe at 1B with Jones playing 3B?  Can they re-sign Conor Gillaspie?  Just kidding!

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 2.88.  Bumgarner seems to have inherited Matt Cain's penchant for not getting run support.  Per Kruk and Kuip, he 's gotten less than 2 runs of support in 5 of his 9 starts this season.

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Chris Stratton gets the first of a promised string of at least 2-3 starts today facing Taijuan Walker.

16 comments:

  1. I would love to see Gomez getting a chance to play everyday. He swings the bat with authority and seems to have an approach at the plate. My first thought when it happened was that they will call up Panda.

    Coach B

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    1. Hmm...I guess I'm in deep denial about Sandoval coming back. I didn't even think of it!

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  2. Sorry, hit a wrong button. A commenter opined that that they could not see how Melancon avoids surgery and he should just get it over with and salvage some of his contract.

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    1. Although it seems suspicious, we don't know that this is a UCL tear issue. I do agree with the notion that he and the Giants should be thinking about next season and not necessarily trying to get back for this season, which is lost anyway.

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  3. Run Support according to Fox:

    Cueto - 4.8
    Blach - 4.5
    Samardzija - 4.1
    Moore - 3.5
    Bumgarner - 3.3

    Actually, after last night it's 6 games where he got two or less. But, in someways even worse for Bumgarner, as the Giants have given him 26 runs in his 9 starts. However, the 3.3 mean is massively skewed as Bumgarner had one start with 11 runs. So that's 15 runs in the other 8 (5 of which came in one game...).

    So, basically, except for one game, he's been averaging just under 2 runs/game in run support. And in 7 of his 9 starts, he's gotten just 10 runs of run support which is under 1.5/game.

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  4. Panda is coming back, as planned all along, though probably sooner than planned. Sadly, Gs have purchased his minor league contract. This nastalgia stuff is getting old! Sandavol has not proven anything good in Sac and will only steal playing time from younger, better players who really are the future in SF. Pablo is the past. SMH.

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    1. Nothing we have seen from Pablo from his stint in Sacramento would lead us to believe he is ready and able to help the Giants either in the short or long term. I hope I am pleasantly surprised.

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  5. Pence's line drive up the middle would have made the outfield if not near miraculously tipped by the pitcher. Operative: would have. Like so much else this year.

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  6. Kontos gone -- not sure he was the bottom of the deck.

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    1. Kontos has been a warrior. He strikes me as overworked and exhausted and in need of a 10-14 day R&R stay on the DL. I can think of other 40 players on the 40 man who I would have preferred to let go.

      For starters, if Matt Cain is worth keeping around in the bullpen at all, he and Suarez are redundant and long relievers are pretty much completely fungible.

      Not sure how many more chances Okert should get.

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    2. Yeah, I can think of a number of players that should have been gone off the 40-man before him. Cain being the most obvious, but I'd also move Hwang who has just two months left as a Giant and hasn't shown so much that the Giants are likely to continue to invest in him. And, of course, Okert who has flailed about. And maybe even Osich and Stratton as neither looks to be part of a robust future.

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    3. Then there is Trevor Brown and Orlando Calixte who seem to be less valuable to the organization than George Kontos.

      On the other hand, maybe the Giants are planning a complete bullpen overhaul next year?

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  7. So the Giants release George Kontos and to call up Stratton. I have to admit I hate this move. Kontos's performance dropped this season, but over the last few season was the best bullpen arm the Giants had. Why not cut Cain instead?

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    1. The Giants have enough invested in Stratton that I think they need to give him 3 or 4 starts to prove he's not up to it. Some pitchers actually perform better in the majors than the PCL. Buy yeah, there are several players I would have DFA's before Kontos, although bullpen arms are close to fungible commodities.

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    2. Perhaps Kontos was the only waivers bite they got. Although the Pirates wouldn't shell out 2¢, they are picking up hundreds of thousands prorated on his contract, and he apparently is not part of "PLAN2018" (if there is one). He is the highest priced Giant (except maybe Hundley) that anyone would want that the Giants feel is expendable for 2018.
      NO ONE is picking up Cain (and salary), and, truly, it would be VERY VERY BAD KARMA to DFA Matt. There are other 40-man spots available -- if the Giants run out, then Matt. He is the longest continuously serving Giant and he literally gave his arm for the team. He had the highest Giant WAR in 2007, higher than Barry. He was second to Jason Schmidt in 2006 WAR for pitchers, and that was just his second year, 31 starts at 20 yo.
      Give Matt the start in the season finale October 1st at home against San Diego.
      Nuff of this dump Cain BS!

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    3. Agree it would be very bad form to DFA Matt Cain midseason. If the plan is to not bring him back next year, give him a final ceremonial start a la Huddy and Zito and write him a final check for $7.5 M.

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