The Giants put up a fight but Chris Taylor's walk-off hit in the 10'th inning killed their chances of splitting the 4 game series. Key Lines:
Lamonte Wade Jr. 1B- 1 for 4, HR(17), BB. BA= .262. LMWJ's 2-run shot in the 5'th tied the game up. He is a rare bright spot as the season winds down batting .364 over his last 15 games with 4 HR.
Thairo Estrada 2B- 2 for 5. BA= .275. Two hits for Estrada but he mystifyingly tried to bunt with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the third inning, popped it up, Lance Lynn made the catch, inning over. ESPN announcers said he bunted on his own. If so, mental mistake.
Tyler Fitzgerald CF- 2 for 4. BA= .333. SSS but Fitz is stating his case to be in the mix for a roster spot next season.
Tristan Beck RHP- 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.14. Beck was the Featured Pitcher entering the game in the 2'nd inning after Ryan Walker RHP opened. He gave up a 2-run HR in his first inning but settle down to pitch 3.1 more scoreless frames. Beck could either be a candidate for next season's rotation or trade bait for a hitter. Performances like this raise his stock either way. BTW, his usage this season has been a bit of a head-scratcher and he has been mentioned as a likely trade candidate.
The Giants return home to face the Padres in the season's penultimate series. Logan Webb RHP gets the start tomorrow evening facing Blake Snell LHP.
A few articles from beat and even national writers like Rosenthal came out. Kapler seems to be a players manager. There seems to be a lack of accountability among the players. Maybe it's no accident the Giants have been an average team since Buster retired players listened when he had something to say. I'm wondering now if players need to hear a different voice then Kaplers,. FZ has done a lot of good things .and this season hasn't been a total failure, 12 rookies made their MLB debuts this season. Baggs wrote that they plan to use their minor league pitching depth to trade for a couple of hitters. That's a good idea , didn't Sabes do that too since FA hitters didn't want to sign with the Giants. My main questions about this team is what happened to their hitting after the all star break and losing 32 out of last 38 road games , mind boggling! I'm ok with bringing FZ back, but he along with their decision makers need to figure why their offense and road record tanked and bring in a couple of good hitters otherwise 2024 might be his last .. I agree with part of Rosenthals article that FZ needs to seize the moment with the chance he was given. Can't wait for off-season
ReplyDeleteNot too sure the players are buying the "get the best match up now" philosophy when they get pulled on their 2nd AB. Or 3rd.
ReplyDeleteEspecially when there's no one behind them.
The Athletic SF site is chock full of naysayers - it's brutal.
Betcha Johnson doesn't read it!
Giants are tied with SD for the 13th pick in the draft but Padres have a softer finish with 3 @ the White Sox.
Still could move up quite a bit by tanking.
i've like what i've seen from beck, it comes down to manaea coming back and possibly mason black nailing down a rotation spot in spring training next year. to me the rotation could be some sort of webb, cobb, harrison, manaea, and either winn or black. carson whisenhunt may be the best trade piece the giants have and they may have no room for him. if they decide to IL alexander, i wouldn't mind seeing randy rodriguez get a cup of coffee in the final week.
ReplyDeleteManaea is G-O-N-E – more sure than Conforto but you can bet on both.
Delete2024 is a players market.
$33M off the books plus Pederson, Crawford, and Woods for another $48M+ equals $81M+.
SF can buy Ohtani (if he's willing) or Bellinger (if they go high enough).
Plus trade some young pitching prospects for another true middle-of-the-line-up player.
Mix with Flores, YtY, Estrada, Slater, Wade, Davis (with less pressure), a healthy Haniger (fingers crossed), Bailey and 5 other youngsters, and there's a team with potential.
The key is a couple of RBI guys.
Agree Manaea has no reason to not opt out, unless he really, really wants to bet on himself putting together a career year next year. With Conforto, depends on whether he values total payout over AAV. All the beats say he's opting out so maybe there is some inside info there, but I don't see how he comes close to $18 M in AAV.
Delete...and $81 M is a lot to spend for sure but is there anyone to spend it on if Ohtani and Bellinger prefer to go somewhere else?
DeleteThere's still a chance:
ReplyDeleteIf the Giants win their final six games, they need the following to happen: the Cincinnati Reds must lose at least two of their last five games; the Miami Marlins must lose at least four of their last six; and either the Chicago Cubs must lose all six remaining games or the Arizona Diamondbacks must lose all seven remaining games.
Credit to Extra Baggs