The Giants failed to put up much of a fight for the second game in a row guaranteeing a losing series against the Phillies. Key Lines:
Marco Scutaro- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .268. Scutaro's hit parade continues.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .252. Crawford's BA has been slipping, but he came up with 2 hits tonight.
Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 4.75. Timmy looked great for one batter. Then, Chase Utley hit a sharp grounder up the middle that plunked Timmy in the backside. It rolled away from him and he made a hurried throw past Belt which allowed Utley to take 2B. That seemed to knock Timmy off stride and he did not gain it back until later in the game.
Kyle Kendrick(Phillies)- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.45. Kendrick has quietly made himself into one of the better starters in MLB. Check out his stat line from last year and now this year. He is not a fluke. He's got a nice moving 2 seam FB and a tremendous changeup.
The Loss drops the Giants 0.5 games behind the Rockies who defeated the Yankees 2-0. The 3'rd place D'Backs and 4'th place Dodgers are still playing in a game that is tied at 3. The last place Padres won to move 5.5 games behind the leaders.
Barry Zito tries to salvage a win in the series tomorrow afternoon facing Joe Pettibone.
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Its been a fun roller coaster ride following this team since April 16. Since then, they've lost 3 games in a row, won 4 games in a row, lost 5 games in a row, won 6 games in a row, and currently on a 2 game losing streak.. The only good thing about the last 2 nights is their front line bullpen arms got a much needed 2 day break..As always, this team will go as far as their starting pitching takes them.. Once that settles down, this team will be tough to beat. Its time for Zito to end this mini skid tomorrow.
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Giants pitching has been shaky so far. Hope they can get their act together soon. Anybody has any theory as to why Lincecum has fallen off so bad the last couple of seasons? Sometimes he's lights out and other times he looks like a guy who doesn't belong in the bigs as a starter. I know his stuff has diminished but at least he should be an above average pitcher and right now he isn't.
ReplyDeleteThe prevailing theory on Lincecum is the root of his problems is loss of velocity. Well, last night his velocity was fine and he still struggled with his command. I think velocity is part of it, but deeper yet is the complexity of his delivery and the flexibility it requires. Think of him as performing a gymnastic stunt out there 100 times per game. Then think about what age gymnasts start to lose their flexibility.
DeleteI'm not saying he can't have stretches of success going forward. The velocity last night was encouraging, and when he was off, he wasn't very far off. The ump had a very tight strike zone. I just question whether he can maintain long stretches of dominance with that delivery as his body continues to mature.
That is precisely my view of Lincecum's struggles as well. Gymnasts don't age well, sadly.
DeleteAnd the Bums lose! Nice to see that Paul Goldschmidt killing somebody besides us. He might just be legit. My view on Timmy is pretty similar - I have to say my faith in him is getting sorely tested at this point. He has to learn new ways to go after batters. And he has to toughen up mentally. And that gymnast body thing, that's good too. I don't think I'm in favor of re-signing him for more than the qualifying offer at this point and that pains me considerably.
ReplyDeleteThis has to be the expectation with Timmy going forward. He is basically Jonathon Sanchez from the right side. The velocity issue is ligit but only because when he threw harder he could afford to be less accurate but now that he is sitting in the low 90's, his accuracy is under much more scrutiny. His offspeed pitches are also much easier to adjust to and that is where he has been getting hurt most of all. Chase Utley destroyed the hanging splitty last night and most batters look for his offspeed because they know he has trouble throwing the fastball for a strike and even when he does it is hitable. I liked the idea the announcers had last night of trading for Cliff Lee. If we are going to win another WS this year we may need another stud starter and put Timmy back in the pen for short outings when he can use adrenaline to compensate for his recent short comings. What would it take to acquire Cliff Lee? I don't even want to know and my guess is everyone on this website would be against giving up any of our young talent to get him!
ReplyDeleteI'd have a tough time adjusting to seeing Cliff Lee and his hatchet face in a Giant uniform. He is still a good pitcher though. If Sabean made such trade, I would not be against it, but I don't expect it to happen. Too many machinations with contract issues that could have a ripple effect. Besides, what team has Cliff Lee pitched for that won the World Series?
DeleteI wonder if they would demand Crick, Agostino and Hembree for Lee...
DeleteIf the Giants feel they can afford Lee's contract, which I doubt, they should make that trade.
DeletePato that done got discussed yesterday, The Cliff Lee...
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Johnny Sanchez, he just got released and cleared waivers. If only the rabid Sabean haters were still posting on their blogs I could go post some I told you so's... but it isn't worth the effort. I loved the one who called Sanchez a 95 MPH throwing ace. That's the guy who is convinced that Dusty Baker was the key to building an offense. He don't post no more on his blog. Sabean 2, Far out there Lunatic Fringe 0.
Looks like Honey Fitz is getting the bump to Fresno to join his mates Kickham Where It Hurts and Average Joe Heston. Good stuff, he dominated Richmond.
How much longer can the Gmen wait for Brandon Belt? So far - .214 with 14 RBIs in over 100 ABs. The SJ Mercury Blog noted that the last two nights looked like 2007 (yikes!). That is a position where you have to expect some offensive production. When does waiting for him to develop turn into - he's not going to change? I'm not writing him off, but he's had many opportunities.
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