Brandon Belt saved the Giants from a crushing loss when he hit a 2-run HR in the top of the 10'th inning and the Giants hung on for the desperately needed Win. Key Lines:
Andrew McCutchen RF- 2 for 5, SB(3). BA= .209. Maybe Cutch's bat is coming to life? His hits were both solid LD's.
Evan Longoria 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(3), BB. BA= .241. Longoria has been the Giants hottest hitter over the last 10 games.
Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 4, HR(2), HBP. BA= .255. Belt hadn't done much before the 10'th inning, but his drive off D'Backs Closer Brad Boxberger was the game winner giving the Giants a 2-run cushion they needed to hold off the Snakes.
Chris Stratton RHP- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 2.22. Let's not overlook Chris Stratton who looked like he might pitch a CG shutout before giving up a double and triple to start the 8'th inning. Stratton is pitching like an ace right now.
Tony Watson LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 1.04. Watson inherited a tough situation with a runner on 3B and 0 outs. He got Chris Owings to pop out. David Peralta got an IF single but Dyson failed to score from 3B for some reason. Ketel Marte then grounded one back to Watson who started a difficult DP with Crawford making his usual magical moves on the relay to 1B.
Hunter Strickland RHP- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.25. I guess there is no shame in giving up B2B doubles to Goldschmidt and AJ Pollack, but it's still disappointing that Strick blew the Save here. I'll give him credit for pitching his way out of it without giving up another run and giving Belt a chance to win it.
*********************************************************************************
The Win narrowed the gap between the 4'th place Giants and the NL West leading D'backs to 5 games. The Rockies are 2.5 games behind after a loss to the Pirates. And here come the Dodgers who pounded the Padres and are 4 games behind in 3'rd place. The Padres bring up the rear at 6.5 games off the pace.
*********************************************************************************
Ty Blach tries for a series win tomorrow facing Zack Greinke.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Gearrin: You would have thought Gearrin was Usain Bolt the way he sprinted to first base on that final out. Belt probably could have beaten the runner, but Gearrin was damn sure he was going to get that game-saving out and that the play wasn't going to be even slightly close.
ReplyDeleteStratton: Hard luck for Stratton. He pitched a winning effort yet comes up with no-decision. He has certain, since his August call-up, exceeded expectations.
Watson: I thought he was going to blow it at one point. But he held the runner on third and got a DP to end the inning. But I thought for sure the Giants were going to blow it just before that point.
Belt: Struck out with bases loaded. It was a ball. Had he taken it, he'd have walked in a run. I wonder how many are going to scream at him for that? Because fan (hypocritical) inconsistency is, and always has been, the name of the game. Belt was right when he said that no matter what he does, it's 'going to be wrong.'
Stratton probably should have been done after 7. He was already over 90 pitches. Just give the fresh inning to Watson and get the kid a win.
ReplyDeleteI can see why Bochy left him in, but yeah, with modern metrics showing what happens the 3'rd and 4'th times through a lineup and approaching 100 pitches this early in the season, I would have sent Watson out to start the 8'th inning.
DeleteI had the same thoughts on that lead-off double. OTOH, I see the other side and don't criticize because Stratton still had his velocity and control during the bottom of the 7th and was looking like he might pitch a complete-game shut-out. So it was a risk, but I think it was a reasonably calculated risk vs letting a dead-arm pitcher try to extend one more inning.
DeleteIs pence done? He can’t be having fun out there.
ReplyDeletePence is a conundrum. He's always been a guy who depended on a full season's sample size to post remarkably consistent overall numbers. As recently as the second half of last season, he had an extended run where he performed at essentially his career average. On the other hand, he's a guy whose unorthodox approach always depended on superior athleticism for success, so it would not be surprising if, as his athleticism wanes with age, his performance could drop off a cliff. He probably deserves at least 1 more month to see if he can get it in gear, but at the same time, the Giants could be out of playoff contention in another month. He has been a gaping hole in the lineup so far.
Deletepence may need a mental break for a couple of days. maybe go with gorkys/blanco in left and give pence a break
DeleteGiants pulled plug on C. Arroyo after 125 AB's and .548 OPS. They pulled plug on Duval after 73 AB's and a .576 OPS. Marrero 38 AB's and .382 OPS. I would rather have Parker, Slater, let alone Mac, playing Giants OF right now.
ReplyDeleteArroyo is young (23) and is coming off an injury that took most of his 2017 season. But at this very early point, he is scuffling at AAA. It's unlikely he could provide much value at the MLB level at least until the All-Star break, at best. Giants were pushing solutions for this year. I don't like giving up on Arroyo so soon either, and I do believe he will have an MLB career. But I can easily see him not ever being a regular. (I'm hoping for the best for him.) I see why the G's traded him for Longoria. Short-term solution.
DeleteDuvall. Well, he definitely passed my eyeball test while with the Giants. The guy could hit. The ball jumped off his bat. The disappointing thing is that the Giants couldn't figure out to give him a try in the outfield. He's been an above average LFer the past couple of years. So, obviously the Giants were not thinking very far outside the box on him. But the guy K's a LOT. And offensively, while the HRs are nice, he only rates just a bit above average. Giants were really trying to make a playoff push in 2015, so I understand sacrificing him (and Mella) for Leake.
Marrero doesn't really merit any consideration here. He didn't come up through the org, was much older (28). He hadn't had any success at the MLB level in the past 6 years and never had another MLB AB after the Giants cut him loose. Heck, he never had another minor league AB even.
Parker. WHERE is Parker? Anyone know where he landed?
Slater I'd like to see more of, but he shouldn't be up right now. Let's see what at least a half a year in AAA shows.
Mac...man I want to buy into that adjusted swing. But I think everyone agrees: He has to play every day. If he's not going to start, he needs to stay in Sac. Pence does look awful. It's hard to watch him. But, just based on his finish last year, he's earned more time. And we've seen him go cold, even in the productive years.
Giants have been kicking the can down the road for a while now, and it sucks feeling like we're out of options. But I doubt that anyone the Giants have traded or are currently in the minors are a solid bet significantly outperform anyone who is currently on the field.
The Chronicle just published an article on Stratton - very complimentary. It closed on roster size. A quote:
ReplyDelete"Move coming? Friday could be an interesting day roster-wise.
Jeff Samardzija will be activated from the disabled list to make his 2018 debut against the Angels in Anaheim. On Wednesday, Bochy said the Giants plan to keep 13 pitchers. Samardzija would be the 13th, which means a position player has to go.
The way the roster is constructed, that means an outfielder has to go, and none has minor-league options.
Hunter Pence has picked a bad time to go through a 1-for-20, 12-strikeout jag. At some point this season the Giants are going to have to make a tough decision on Pence if he cannot find a way to start hitting.
The guess here is that someone, perhaps Pence, will go on the disabled list if the Giants indeed decide to trim a position rather than reduce the pitching staff to 12."
To my recollection, the Giants have been extremely considerate to their players who have contributed and are not causing problems.
ReplyDeleteMost everyone agrees that Pence is not contributing currently, at least with his statistics, and can anyone explain how he is THE problem?
I don't see it, but if he's not moping and whining in the club house, if he shows up ready to play with hustle and a smile, I don't think the Giants should or will embarrass him.
There are enough holes in the lineup that one happy but ill-fitting plug won't condemn the Giants between now and June, or July. Although I'd rather see Willaimson, Slater, Duggar, or maybe Shaw ou there, I can't believe it would have, at best, provided more than a win or 2, IF THAT.
There are no automatic guaranteed 2-3 WARs in Sacramento.