The euphoria from last night's excellent win didn't last long as the offense went back to sputtering and Ross Stripling RHP had a relapse of goferitis.
Unfortunately the highlight of the game was an inside-the-park HR by someone named Luke Raley who plays for the Rays. The ball made a huge carom off the brick wall above Triples Alley and skittered along the top of the CF wall then rolled in the dirt of the warning track all the way to LF with Giants OF's chasing after it like kids on a playground. Crazy stuff. Too bad it was for the wrong team.
After the Loss the Giants trail the Phillies by 2 games for the top Wild Card playoff spot while leading 3 teams by 1.5 games for the second spot.
The Giants have a travel day tomorrow before starting a weekend series against the team with the best record in all of MLB, the Braves.
Oh, and Alex Wood LHP pitched the 9'th inning in mop up duty. Think Kap is sending him a message?
Rough patch for the good guys. I am not too jazzed by the constant juggling of the lineup and pitching duties. Players seem to need a comfort zone for the sum to be greater than it's parts, but that seems to be in short supply with a lot of churning and flipping of the lineup. Could the players be looking behind their shoulder wondering if they'll be pinch hit for or subbed out because of some Sabermetric reason?
ReplyDeleteIt's sure a far cry from the Tommy Lasorda era Dodgers when Tommy started the same 8 guys in the same positions and the same spot in the lineup every game of spring training and every game of the 162 game schedule. When reporters noticed the same lineup every day in spring training which was pretty extreme even for that era, Tommy said he didn't need to evaluate players. Those were his guys, he knew where he wanted them and he wanted them to be as comfortable in their roles and as ready for the season as he could get them. I have no idea how he thought he could get through the season without any extended major injuries but he did and ultimately lost to Reggie Jackson and the Yankees in the World Series.
DeleteI don't remember the exact order of their lineup but I can recite the position players:
Steve Yeager C
Steve Garvey 1B
Davey Lopes 2B
Ron Cey 3B
Bill Russell SS
Bill Buckner LF
Dusty Baker CF
Reggie Smith RF.
The SP's were Don Sutton, Tommy John, Rich Rhoden, Doug Rau and Burt Hooten. Every one of them made over 30 starts. The Closer was Mike Marshall who often went 2-3 innings per appearance.
Different game back then, but man, did the fans ever bond with the players! I'm a lifelong Dodger hater and that roster is still burned into my brain.
I mean if I had a lineup like that I would use the same one every day 😂
Delete- Fan
it would be for the best to DFA wood, i feel like he will be replaced by harrison by september.
ReplyDeleteMost Games over .500 was 13 on Tuesday, Jul 18, 1½ games out of 1st in the West, 3rd best record in NL.
ReplyDelete10-16 since that date, 10 games behind LA, but still in the hunt for a Playoff spot, but 4 teams, all above .500, are close behind for 2 spots.
There's nothing soft in the next 19 games.
If the guns don't start shooting soon, Playoffs will be a wish.
The season will have some success with a lot of looks at a lot of rookies.
The Conforto Conundrum may play into the Giants hands: this year may be lost for him but next year he'll have this "comeback" year behind him, and he and many veterans will be playing for new 2025 contracts.
10 Free Agents after 2024:
DeSclafani, Conforto, Hanniger*, Manea, Stripling, Cobb, Flores*, Jackson*, Davis, and Slater
* have team options
Good trivia question (especially if you are a Dodger fan, which I am not), is what four Dodgers hit 30+ HRs in 1977? Answer: Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Reggie Smith and Dusty Baker.
ReplyDeleteMan, I hated Tommy Lasorda and those Dodger teams so much. Even now, when I root against the Dodgers I am not only rooting against the current Dodgers but also their insufferable arrogance of that era.
DeleteThink the deal was for Stripling, Manaea along with Haniger and Comforto to contribute at least in a big way to Giants success .
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. As disappointing as all 4 of those have been it's amazing the Giants are still in contention for anything but the #1 overall draft pick. Credit the kids and some great managing by Gabe Kapler, especially of the pitching staff.
DeleteIs Analytics the answer?
ReplyDeleteHere's a "no" vote:
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/ex-yankees-prospect-slams-organization-for-overreliance-on-analytics-says-no-baseball-being-taught/
"Analytics" has become a buzzword that by itself has no meaning. "Analytics" so far advanced from Moneyball days when every internet jockey who could calculate OPS thought they could be a GM. IDK what the Yankees are doing but my understanding of how the Giants are using "Analytics" is now fully integrated with teaching baseball. For instance, they measure spin rates and pitch movement and correlate them with pitch grips and arm angles. How is that not teaching baseball? They measure release times by catchers and correlate it with positioning behind the plate as well as arm angles. How is that not teaching baseball? They measure ball and strike calls against pitch location and and correlate it with not just who is catching but now they are positioned. How is that not teaching baseball?
DeleteTo just slam "analytics" without describing what it is and how it is being applied is just ignorance. "Analytics" alone will probably not win you many baseball games but teams absolutely cannot win without it anymore and it is rarely applied without fully integrating it into player development and teaching skills.
How about teaching or just letting righties face righties every once in a while and lefties face lefties? That is the most frustrating thing about it when some scrub who belongs in the minors takes an at bat away from someone who belongs simply because they bat from the other side of the plate. That is managing using analytics instead of your gut or brain.
DeleteI challenge you to name one player on the current Giants roster who should absolutely never be PH for.
DeleteIt’s not so much who they are pinch hitting for but who they pinch hit with but Thairo is one I wouldn’t want to see pulled for someone like Wisely…. Right hand batters especially shouldn’t get the auto PH since it’s pretty common for a rightie to face a rightie.
DeleteWhen did Wisely PH for Thairo?
DeleteYou challenged me to name one Giant and I did. Whether Wisely has ever pinch hit for Thairo wasn’t the question and the point is that guys like Wisely are pinch hitting at all when they should be in the minors not taking up a roster spot in the majors which thank goodness he isn’t anymore.
DeleteSo why did you use Wisely PH for Thairo as your example of analytics running amok when it never happened? Over the course of his managing tenure, Kap has used PH effectively to get favorable matchups in high leverage situations. Your strident complaints about "analytics" in general and pinch-hitting in particular reveal your ignorance of what modern analytics are and how they are employed. Every organization in MLB now uses analytics in some form. In general, the ones who use them more are more successful. Analytics do not overcome lack of talent but they do maximize the use of what talent a team has.
DeleteThe folks who are railing against "analytics" are right in line with the science denial trend we see in other areas of society. It's OK to look at analytics critically to see what is working and what is not and how they can be improved but to just rail against "analytics" and dismiss it as not teaching "baseball" is ignorance.
Since it is my blog, I have the last word in this thread. Don't bother to try to post any additional responses.