The Giants are not built to win slugfests in bandboxes and that's what this game turned into. Key Lines:
Lamonte Wade Jr. 1B- 1 for 4, HR(13). BA= .259. LMWJ missed a game with after leaving Saturday's game with what was described as a leg cramp. He led off the third inning with a solo HR.
Joc Pederson DH- 2 for 2, HR(12), BB. BA= .238. Pederson hit a solo HR in the first inning to get the Giants on the scoreboard first. The lead did not last long. He was lifted for Austin Slater PH/DH who is in a severe slump in the second half.
Wade Meckler CF- 0 for 4, 2 K, E. BA= .143. When the headline on the team website says "Meckler 'battling in every capacity' as miscues sting Giants" it's not a good sign for the rook. Look for him to get optioned when Kyle Harrison comes up tomorrow. He was charged with 1 E but made several other miscues including 3 on Bryce Harper's inside-the-park HR. Oh! And free Heliot!
Sean Hjelle RHP- 4.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/1. ERA= 8.59. It might be time to declare an end to the Sean Hjelle Era. But you know, the peripherals in this line are actually quite good. Well, except for the 2 HR's but we'll blame that on the bandbox ballpark.
The Loss dropped the Giants a half game behind the Cubs for second place in the Wild Card Race. They lead 3'rd place by 0.5 games over the D'Backs.
Kyle Harrison LHP makes his MLB much anticipated MLB debut tomorrow against Taijuan Walker RHP. Harrison is not completely stretched out from a stint on the IL so this move has more than a whiff of desperation to it.
Churn Watch waits with bated breath for the DFA to make room for Harrison on the 40-man roster. More likely someone will get moved to the 60-day IL.
I'm excited for Harrison making his MLB debut. They have a need with Stripling on the IL again. Not surprised by it. The beat writers were saying the Giants would have called him up Sooner if he didn't go on the injured list in July and showed that he can throw consistent strikes. He walked 0 batters his last 2 AAA starts. As far as being completely stretched out, it seems like the Giants have been careful limiting their minor league starting pitchers to 3-5 innings a start depending on the # of pitches they throw. Correct me if I'm wrong. maybe the Giants feel now is the right time for Harrisons MLB debut. This brings back memories of Timmys MLB debut against the Phillies at pacbell park at the time, which didn't go well. But he showed his stuff. Hope Harrison will show his stuff.
ReplyDelete...and "stretched out" for the Giants is like 3-4 innings so maybe he's close in their book.
DeleteYesterday's game struck a familiar note: bases empty HR followed by 3 consecutive singles, the first hit by Flores clogged the bases, so no one could score with just one out, and then the dregs of the SF lineup, inning over, and, as we were to see, game over by the 3rd inning.
ReplyDeleteHard to watch.
Afternoon matinee movie was better.
I'm wondering if the Giants hitting coaches will take the fall for their offensive struggles. The pitchers have no room for error. Ben Kaspick on lockdown Giants podcast gave stats on how the Giants offense struggle s ever since Donnie Eckler left to become the Texas bench coach after the 2021 season.
DeleteBottom of the lineup left 9 runners on base.
ReplyDeleteFREE Heliot Ramos INDEED!!! I get that Meckler is an awesome story but he needs to go back to AAA to refind himself
ReplyDeletewith the year hjelle has had, i would consider sending him down to richmond and get his confidence back. he should play in japan next season.
ReplyDeleteOur starting pitching is beyond abysmal. Can we please try re-signing MadBum, already? He can be had for the league minimum. And I guarantee he'll return better results than any of our myriad openers. And FZ can even pretend that he discovered him. Just a thought.
ReplyDelete