The Giants used a bullpen game to shut down the Brewers and the lineup broke open a 1-0 game in the 8'th inning. Key Lines:
Lamonte Wade Jr 1B- 3 for 5, SB(2). BA= .277. As the leadoff batter in the lineup with 3 hits, LMWJ drove in a run but did not score. What is the metaphor for table setting fail? Wade Jr is setting the table but no food is being served?
Michael Conforto RF- 4 for 4, HR(11), BB, SB(2). BA= .239. Much like LMWJ, Conforto reached base 5 times but the only scoring he was involved in was his solo HR in the 8'th inning. He is hitting .364 with 7 HR over his last 15 games. Fun Fact: Did you know that Michael Conforto's mother won a gold medal in synchronized swimming in the 1984 Olympics in LA?
Casey Schmitt SS- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(2). Slash Line = .339/.339/.516. "I hit the bad pitches so good, why wait for a good one". Yogi Berra(maybe), paraphrased by Shawn Estes on the broadcast.
I am not going to post all 6 pitching lines but all 6 were terrific. I thought Taylor Rogers(1.1 IP, 3 K's), Jake Junis(2.1 IP, 4 K's) and Sean Manaea(1.1 IP, 3 K's) were particularly impressive.
The Giants get back to .500 one game after falling off.
Alex Wood LHP tries to get the Giants above .500 for the first time this season tomorrow evening against Freddy Peralta RHP.
I’m not aware that they’re related, but Patrick Bailey reminds me of a former Giants catcher, Ed Bailey, who shared the position with Tom Haller.
ReplyDeleteIt’s early, but wonder if Bailey has already made inroads into usurping Bart’s claim to be the starter. Bailey seems to play with a calmness and ease that belies his relative inexperience, which is also likely to instill confidence in the pitching staff, especially as he continues to season and learn the league. He hasn’t shown that he’s overwhelmed at the plate. For those who questioned why Farhan drafted him first when Bart was already in the he system, Bailey might be beginning to supply the answer by his precociousness.
Tough to say.
DeleteBart is tied for 7th in framing runs saved in the majors according to the pitch framing stats, despite missing a lot of time. Bart's caught just 656 pitches. Guys he's behind have 750 to 1050 pitches received. And Sabol is not bad either. He tied for 12th with just 540 pitches. Sabol's problem is (was I hope) catcher interference errors.
Bailey's framing rates are distressingly bad and he's 66th of the 70 catchers who have received 100+ pitches. In short, he fails to convert close-balls to strikes at an average MLB rate (47%), unlike Sabol (49.1%) & Bart (54.1%) who both gain them in excess of the MLB 'conversion rate' of 47%. Bart is second in the majors at this. Sabol is 16th. That's why they're among the run-saving leaders, and Bailey isn't a threat to take their jobs unless he can consistently out-hit them.
In short, not even close. He's a much poorer receiver and he can't hit any better than Bart who isn't exactly tearing it up. The real question is who becomes #1 between Bart & Sabol. My preference is Bart because he's better than Sabol at receiving while Sabol is more versitile player who can help in many places.
Hmm, I think you're reading waaay too much into 100 pitches when even year by year these things are sometimes inconsistent.
DeleteFraming will be a non-issue as soon as ABS comes in.
DeleteBesides, umps are supposed to call the pitch where it crossed the plate - not where it was caught.
I get that we have to live in the world as we find it, but if the HP umps can't call B/S without being influenced/cheating by the catcher, bring on the fix.
It's nice when your only actual complaint in the game is when Schmitt is batting 8th. He should be no lower than 5th. RISP was solid at 3-for-9. No errors. The bullpen dealt and it gives me some hope the bullpen will, eventually, be solid. Though I have to admit, that was one hell of generous strike zone last night.
ReplyDeleteOn an observational note, Wade, after the second-half melt-down in 2021 and terrible 2022, has been a very pleasant surprise and I'm beginning to have confidence in him as a first baseman. He has hit well for two months solid and has tightened his defense to MLB average, plus at 1.7 bWAR, he's more than doubled his career bWAR and is well on the way to a 5+ bWAR season and a potential All-Star berth. The only downside he's shown this year is his chronic 'vs LHP' problems which, after a hot start, has begun to regress.
Yaz, robbing Ruf of the HR, showed his strengths as an OF. He got a great jump, took a perfect route and therefore was able to arrive on-time and in-position. And it was like that all night. Every ball that came into his range was perfectly played by Yaz. And can you see how much better Yaz was at the jump and his routes than the Brewers CF (Weimer) who, from what I saw, clearly has to rely on speed more than skill. For example, Wiemer misplayed Schmitt's first hit as a good jump and route coupled with his speed would have resulted in a catch. Instead, his jump was late, he misread the ball and took a circular route and Schmitt ultimately scored. Yaz would have had a good chance of catching that ball as, despite is range limitations, it was in Yaz's wheelhouse due to his superior jumps and routes.