Chris Stratton shut down the Padres on 1 hit through 7 innings and the offense came to life with some help from Padres fielders. Key Lines:
Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 5, BB. BA= .295. Panik gets on base twice, scores twice out of the leadoff spot.
Andrew McCutchen RF- 1 for 4, BB. BA= .220. Here's where the Padres helped out. With the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 6'th inning, Cutch hit a bouncer behind 3B which Christian Villanueva skipped past Eric Hosmer allowing 2 runners to score with runners ending up at 2'nd and 3'rd to set up Buster Posey.
Buster Posey C- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .375. Posey put the game away with a 2-out double down the LF line that drove in 2 runs in the breakthrough 6'th inning.
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 5. BA= .163. In addition to the 2 hits, Longoria was able to extend the first inning by beating out a DP grounder at 1B to drive in 1 run and keep the inning alive for a 2-run single by Hunter Pence.
Hunter Pence LF- 2 for 5. BA= .220. Pence contributed to both rallies with a 2-run single to cap off the first inning and led off the 4-run rally in the 6'th with a patented safe call on the replay on a bouncer to SS.
Gregor Blanco CF- 2 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .368. Blanco seems to be working his way into the dominant side of a L-R platoon in CF with Austin Jackson.
Chris Stratton RHP- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.60. The big story of this game was Stratton's dominance. He used FB command and a dominant curveball to keep Padres hitters off balance all night. He gave the bullpen a rest in the process.
Derek Law RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00. Law got called up to replace Andrew Suarez who will likely not be needed again before Johnny Cueto returns. It was mop up time but Law did a great job of mopping up with 2 perfect innings.
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The Giants got back to .500 and cut the idle D'backs lead in the NL West to 3 games. The Rockies topped the Nationals 5-1 to also get back to .500. They have played 2 more games than the Giants. The 4'th place Dodgers were idle and remain 4.5 games behind the D'Backs. The Padres slipped to 6 games off the pace.
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Ty Blach tries to get the Giants above .500 tonight facing RHP Tyson Ross.
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The bad news on Mark Melancon is he made a trip to see Dr. Andrews. The good news is his UCL is reportedly A-OK. The bad news is he got a stem cell injection in the pronator muscle of his right arm. He does not seem to have a timetable for a return at this point.
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I saw part of the game. Stratton's curveball has a very Kershaw look to it in how steeply it breaks down. And is other stuff is pretty decent as well. And, better yet, in the 12 starts since becoming a starter last August, he has a 2.47 ERA.
ReplyDeleteAnd just a few years ago, a lot of us, myself included, really just thought he wasn't going to make it. MLB.com dropped him to #26 on the prospect list in 2016 and called him a 'two-pitch' pitcher whose slider had regressed and possessing a 'fringy' change-up & curve.
And now look at him. I'd have never thought I'd see this out of him as he struggled through the minors. I just hope it lasts. It'd really nice to have some of the pitching prospects come through.
My favorite games are Stratton starts. I hope last night's game is a "confidence builder" as they say. And if Derek Law turns himself around and becomes a reliable late inning set up man - what a 1, 2, 3 punch of Law, Watson, and Strickland...
DeleteI defniitely wrote Stratton off as recently as early last season when he got sent back down to AAA then pitched poorly his first couple of starts after that.
DeleteI have no idea where the current version of Chris Stratton was hiding all those years, but he looks like a first round draft pick now.
Yeah, I've been wondering where this version has been hiding. But I've been keeping the flame alive because Baggarly noted that nobody knows how affected he was by getting hit in the head soon after signing with the Giants.
DeleteMaybe he's been working on his curveball and finally had it figured out last season? But it should last, as long as he knows exactly how he's gripping his curveball and getting the elite spin rate he gets on it and his other pitches. As well as knowing how to sequence his pitches so that hitters can't learn how to hit that curve.
melancon could cost the giants quite a bit of dead money in the next two years
ReplyDeleteSTEM cell therapy is fairly effective in regrowing muscle & tendon. So there is hope. I'm not sure how long it will take, but there is hope. Though I wouldn't go so far to think it'll be soon. I'm hoping, at this point, late in the season at best and probably next year.
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