Sunday, July 29, 2018

Game Wrap 7/29/2018: Giants 8 Brewers 5

Buster Posey led a 13-hit Giants attack with 4 of his own to lead them to a Win to close out an otherwise disastrous 4-game series with the BrewCrew.  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 4 for 5, 2B.  BA= .290.  Buster had his inside-out swing working to perfection as he peppered the field with basehits.  The biggest was a bases-loaded double in the 3'rd inning that drove in 3 runs.  Buster has been scuffling with a .222 BA over his previous 7 games, but the 4 knocks in this one makes him 7 for 12 over his last 3 games, .321 over his last 7 .290 over his last 15 and .297 over his last 30.  Fun with baseball stats!

Pablo Sandoval 1B- 1 for 3, 3B.  BA= .248.  Pabs had a great AB in the 5'th inning after flailing at 2 Junior Guerra changeups.  Pabs made the adjustment, shortened up his swing, fought off some nasty pitches and eventually pulled one down the line into he corner for a 2-run triple.  Pabs eventually scored but came out holding a spot just under his left cheek and was diagnosed with a hammy.  Pabs leads the Giants in RBI's since June 1 with 25 so there's another tough injury to deal with.

Gorkys Hernandez LF/RF- 1 for 3, HR(12), BB.  BA= .269.  Gorkys' numbers have been slipping but he drove one out to straightaway CF in the 4'th innings to increase the Giants lead to 5-2.

Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/2.  ERA= 4.11.  This would not have been such a good Start with less run support, but he managed to keep the BrewCrew bombers at bay for 6 innings and the W.  Fatigue could become a factor for the Giants young SP's as we head into the dog days of August.

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Hey!  The Dodgers lost, so the Giants gained a game in the NL West Standing to put them 6.5 games out of the lead and 6 out in the Wild Card race.

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The Giants start a 6 game road trip tomorrow evening with 2 in San Diego with Derek Holland taking game 1 agains fellow lefty Eric Lauer.

11 comments:

  1. Bags put out a stat that Slater has 3 starts over the last 22 days. I'm sure he will get some now with injuries, but I don't know how anyone defends the way kids are brought along. Hunter Pence has that many starts this week (credit to him he was good). So much for him being the "starting LFer"

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    1. OF management has been a mess - Blanco and Jackson signed and essentially released before the AS Break. It is maddening when I see Slater get yo-yoed around, esp after seeing Arroyo (weaker OPS) last year get over 100 AB's in one go.

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    2. "mess"... When I was in the military we had an expression for things like ths - FUBAR or sometimes SNAFU or sometimes both! Right now:

      Hernandez: Wouldn't have been good enough to be the 5th OFer in 2014. Third worst team defensive metrics.
      Pence: No longer the 4+ WAR Ironman, now more like an iron anchor with his -0.6 fWAR.
      McCutchen: He's fallen way off his former 'elite player' skill set. We're more than halfway through the season and he has 0.9 fWAR. The only player with worse defensive metrics is Jackson.

      Meanwhile, Duggar, Williamson and Slater all have positive defensive metrics. Duggar is hitting well enough, as is Slater, though neither will be ever a 20+ HR guy on a regular basis. Williamson struggled mightily after the concussion and probably hasn't fully recovered, but I'd still brink him up because there's at least some chance he'll do something worthwhile and, frankly, We Need To Know. And if you project out their current stats to 600ABs:

      Slater - 3.7 fWAR
      Williamson - 1.7 fWAR (and that's assuming he keeps hitting just .213!)
      Duggar - 2.9 fWAR

      We're not talking All-Star. But they're projecting out to be as all as good, or better (even as a scuffler in Williamson's case) than what we're starting. And they'd raise our OF to at least average...

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  2. Hernandez: "May have slipped" is a bit of an understatement as he's hitting .214 in July and .158 since the Break. But it's better than McCutchen who is hitting .203, though at least he walks. Even Pence is out-playing those two right now.

    Yet Slater (.302) hardly gets into games beyond pinch-hitting and spot starting while Williamson labors (3 HR (.270) in his last 10 games) in Sacramento.

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    1. Hitting .302 while PH and getting spot starts is impressive. Also have seen decent D from the guy in left. Brutal that Slater can't get any love.

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  3. Giants have made it clear that Mad Bum is off the trading block, but appear to be in talks with the Indians about McCutchen.

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  4. Maybe it's the chance that someone someplace might notice and want someone.
    FO: "Take my team ... please."

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  5. Wrenzie tweeted:

    "Morosi: Giants are willing to entertain offers for at least some of their veteran players, namely Andrew McCutchen. There has been activity on him this morning. Cleveland or Philadelphia are possible teams interested in him. "

    Oh, please. Please. Please!

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  6. The organization clings to the belief that lightning might just strike again. Not likely, and demonstrates delusional thinking. We have been blessed. The fan base is loyal enough, and AT&T Park is such a great ballpark to vist, that attendance won't fall off a cliff.

    Earth to Larry, be bold. Otherwise, we are looking at multiple years in purgatory.

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  7. With Cueto now heading to TJ purgatory, it's time.

    I'm not sure who the Giants need to hold on for fan-service. Posey for sure. Crawford probably too. Everyone else should be available, including Bum. (Amazing, isn't it? Considering everything he's done.) Everyone who is moveable (not many) should be moved.

    It's reality. Dodgers are going to own the West for a long, long time. If the Giants are going to have anything to say about that, they gotta start to making short-term, painful sacrifices for the long-term good.

    They did the best they could building the team this year, and I don't fault their strategy. But they gotta pull the ripcord.

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  8. Reports that we are looking to "add an outfielder". What?!? Just send Slater down and leave him there until we have a new coach/GM. This team drives me crazy

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