The Giants scored two runs in the 8'th inning to cut the Padres lead to 3-2, but the Padres answered with a 3-spot in the 9'th to put the game away. Key Lines:
Mike Yastrzemski RF- 2 for 4. BA= .289. YtY won the Willie Mac Award earlier in the evening and did his part with 2 hits at the top of the lineup.
Brandon Belt 1B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .315. Belt continued his hot hitting and had the Giants only XBH on the evening.
Mauricio Dubon CF- 1 for 4. BA= .275. Remember when we all thought Dubon had a high baseball IQ? So much for that! Although he has improved as a player in many ways, Dubon continues to make mental mistakes like trying to steal 3B on his own with 1 out and YtY at the plate and Alex Dickerson on deck. Tragic!
Johnny Cueto RHP- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 5.40. Overall, Cueto was much more effective than in his last start with better velocity(I saw one pitch the TV gun called 94 MPH and there were multiple 93's). Cueto has given up more than his share of crooked numbers this season. It wasn't Fernando Tatis Jr's solo HR to lead off the inning that hurt so much, it was the 3 singles and sac fly that followed that seemed like an ace pitcher should not have given up. Is it just me or has Cueto seemed to lose his composure out there a bit too often this season? Oh, and maybe the Giants will get a player like Fernando Tatis Jr someday?
Tony Watson LHP- 0.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 2.50. Watson seems to be gassed giving up 3 rockets to the 3 batters he faced in the 9'th inning which put this one out of reach.
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This one wasn't as winnable as Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader, but it was a tough loss. The Giants are back to 1 game under .500 at 29-30 with 1 to play. They are tied with the Brewers for 8'th place in the NL but the Brewers hold the tiebreaker advantage so if they remain tied, the Giants are out.
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Drew Smyly gets the ball for the finale today in a must-win game. The Giants also need the Cardinals to beat the Brewers for the Giants to get the final playoff spot. If the Giants win and the Cardinals lose, the Cardinals would have to play a makeup doubleheader agains the Tigers and would have to lose both games for the Giants to sneak in. Got all that?
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I didn't quite see the Giants DFA'ing Jeff Samardzija one day before the season ended. He was the 29'th man for the doubleheader and would not have been available out of the bullpen after starting on Friday. The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster but not on the 28 man active roster. Kinda sad that we all feel a sense of relief to have his contract coming off the books this winter. He had his moments but overall his Giants tenure was a disappointment highlighted by injuries and way too many gofer balls.
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Hunter Pence announced his retirement from baseball. Pence is not a hall-of-famer by any stretch, but was a very good player for a long time. He did things his way with an extremely awkward looking, unorthodox batting stance and swing, but made up for it with size and extreme athleticism. He was also a good natured but emotional leader in the clubhouse whose exhortations almost certainly helped the Giants win 2 more championships than they maybe should have on talent alone. Hunter Pence will be missed as a player and personality on the field and in the dugout and clubhouse.
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One day after blowing a 2-run 9'th inning lead, Sam Coonrod RHP hit the IL with a right shoulder strain. Still not Camilo Doval RHP as Rico Garcia RHP got the call to replace Coonrod.
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I will be away from my computer for most of next week so my next post may well come after the Giants season has ended.
I'm disappointed that the Giants missed the playoffs by such a small margin but the team made a lot of progress this season, can't wait for 2021.. look forward to see the upgrades Zaidi and Harris make. I like what Baggs said about despite coming up a win short, it was a victory in itself that the Giants and MLB were able to play the entire regular season.. let's not forget. Also I'm hoping Marco Luciano will be the stud player in a couple of years we all hope for.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to following Joey Bart's development in 2021. Longoria made an interesting comment that Bart really needed Posey here during a season where clubhouses were not as close knit due to the virus. Bart had to figure out stuff on his own, tough when he has only limited experience above AA. Longo talked to Posey about it already, it was the right decision for Buster, family has to come 1st. How about Yaz becoming a team leader! Interesting stuff this year. Wonder what young prospects will break thru next season..
ReplyDeleteThis was a very entertaining year. Too bad our Giants fell short.
ReplyDeleteThe offense was great to see, pitching still needs a lot of tweaking, especially the bullpen.
Kapler, needs to learn how to win, his decision making was just awful. They should make Ron Wotus the manager.