Brandon Belt- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .291. Can Brandon Belt get to .300 by the end of the season?
Buster Posey- 0 for 4. BA= .297. Whether his finger is bothering him or if he he worn down from long season, Buster has clearly hit a wall. He caught way too many games in the first half. I personally favor moving him out from behind the dish completely next year, but at the very least, he needs to catch fewer games, somewhere in the 100-120 range at most.
Hunter Pence- 0 for 4. BA= .288. Is the Rev's hot streak over? He is a streaky guy.
Ryan Vogelsong- 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= .5.90. $6+ M is not much to risk, but Giants need to decide if Vogey has anything left in the tank for next year. The lack of regained velocity after the layoff is concerning.
Mike Kickham- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 9.22. Kickham's line since being recalled Sept 1: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. Still seems to have good stuff. Could be a candidate for a lefty job out of the pen. I would probably put him back in Fresno for more polishing and insurance as a starter.
The Loss leaves the Giants sitting at #11 in the race for the #1 overall draft pick in 2014, with several games left tonight by teams in the hunt.
Yusmeiro Petit goes against Andy Pettitte in Andy's farewell start at Yankee Stadium tomorrow.
PS: Toronto won yesterday to put the Giants back in 10'th place in the draft race.
PS: Toronto won yesterday to put the Giants back in 10'th place in the draft race.
how many times has pettite retired?
ReplyDeletethey are also honoring the save king tomorrow
so the yanks are gonna have the emotional edge
in regards vogey, not sure what the giants are gonna do, but wont be surprised if they choose not to take the option
if he goes fa, they can still chat with him, but i can easily see him taking a one year with the bucs...they have a lot of young arms and he would do well mentoring them....and both he and the wife would be very comfortable, being at home during the season
vogey has been pretty honest about what is going on and today said that he just didnt have the focus. he isnt a strike out pitcher...and to be successful, he has to be on the same page as his catcher and hit his spots....i still believe the loss of velocity is a combination of exhaustion and mechanics and a full off season, will do him good
doc. as it seems gaudin is now battling carpal tunnel...how effective do you think he can be in the future?
after the yank series, i really think the org should just shut down most of the regulars
bacci
In my experience, and I believe studies support it, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a chronic, persistent condition that usually does not resolve without surgery.
DeleteI guess the Giants have to gauge how much of Vogey's loss of velocity is due fatigue and how much is reversible with a normal length offseason.
An alarming issue with Vogelsong is that he has K 7 batters out of the last 122 he has faced. Vogelsong can say whatever he wants to about not going out there to strikeout hitters but the fact is that his stuff isn't fooling anyone, even if he wanted to K he still wouldn't be able to.
ReplyDeleteLets also not forget that Vogelsong's struggles aren't from this year, if am not wrong since July or August last year he really began to stinking it up and only came back strong in the playoffs, so its possible that Vogelsong is done rather than being fatigue or bad year because of WBC combined with spring training, injuries and the long playoffs from 2012.
If I were the GM of the Giants, I would not pick up his option, at age 37 I do not expect any player at any sport to return to the level they were before. With $6.5m you could sign Scott Baker, Colby Lewis or Tim Hudson?
That is a fair position to take on Vogelsong, but your alternatives are curious to say the least. Scott Baker has pitched a total of 16 innings in the last 2 seasons due to injury. Colby Lewis the second half of last year and all of this year and underwent a surgical procedure called Hip Resurfacing in August. Tim Hudson is out with a severe leg fracture and is 38 himself. For the $6.5 M, I think I'd take my chances with Vogey!
DeleteI'd take my chances with Vogey. One problem is you need variety in the rotation. So I'd go with either Petit or Vogey but not both, as they are sort of similar pitchers now. The problem with having the new Timmy of the past 2-3 years is you have a pretty similar pitcher in Zito - very cerebral, overthinks things, game action isn't quite up to his warmup session...
DeleteSort of like not having Pence and Panda back to back, you get in trouble when the hitters have similar profiles. (Damn hackers). OK if you can space them out, but back to back when they're out of sink, you've got issues.
Same with the pen - one reason Casilla got the big contract was the Giants had lost Wilson and the big heat. Not that many guys in the pen that bring serious heat, so he was a necessary component. I'd say they overpaid some, but then again, you just can't go snag a major league proven guy easy. Bird in the hand.
That bird in the hand, having the option for Vogey, I bet that wins out over the unknown. But I sure hope he's the 5th starter. Way too many question marks, and not enough depth this year. Giants need a plan to cut out the non-performers next year, and that is one point that's hard for them as prove-out let the vets play guys.
I think it is a no brainer that they exercise that option on Vogelsong. He was hitting 93-94 in the NLCS and WS last year. I honestly think the super short off season, the WBC and then the injury just did him in this year. Plus they really like him and vice versa. I don't think they soil that relationship over a few million dollars. I could see him working with the Giants in a assistant to the GM type position after all is said and done.
DeleteFor what it's worth, Vogey is a very replaceable pitcher right now. At $6 mil (even if somewhat cheap by modern standards), there's no reason to pick up his option. Sure, if he's open to a much smaller salary, then it should be entertained. In my opinion, though, getting the back end of the rotation solidified is lower on my priority list than finding that #3 pitcher.
ReplyDeleteWho's taking the mound after Cain and Bumgarner? Not Vogey. Not Gaudin. Hopefully not Timmy.
With money saved on Zito ($11 mil), Timmy (even if he accepts a QO, it'll be less than his current salary) and Vogey ($6 mil minus his buyout), the FO should be able to pickup someone more solid to round out the top 3. Who that is becomes tough, as FA market isn't the greatest. With that being said, there are better options than what's currently on the roster.
Once #3 is found, then I say get Gaudin signed. He can fill in as back-end starter or go back to 'pen. He's insurance for either role. Then see if Timmy wants to come back on QO. If not, then entertain Vogey and let he and Surkamp battle it out...with Escobar pushing for playing time later in the season.
Lucky
The problem with Gaudin as outlined above, the fact he isn't taking the field right now to prove out into a contract is a huge red flag. I wouldn't want him anywhere near the 3-5 spots, he might be a plan C 6th man like this year, but if he isn't healthy now...
DeleteVogelsong's stats are miserable this year. even depending on him as the #5 is a big risk.
Totally agree that getting a solid #3 is the priority. I'd move that to #1 on the list of offseason needs actually.
With the emergence of Belt, a more-rested Posey, a (cross fingers) healthy Pablo, Pagan for a whole year, and a re-signed Pence, our offense does not need a major upgrade. As you said, pitching should be priority #1. That's what ultimately wins us games. Getting that #3 pitcher will be the key to our success next year. And in the same vein, I'll even say that solidifying the bullpen is priority #2.
DeleteOnce that's taken care of, then let's get the LF upgrade.
Lucky
I saw Vogey have negative body language for the first time yesterday. Normally he looks like he's ready for a fight but when they started to hit him he hung his head a couple of times . looked like a guy that was beat. I would not do option but sign him at lower price. Its 50/50 that at this point he can get back to it.
ReplyDelete