It was as tough day for the Giants as they had two starting pitchers knocked around. They managed to outhit the Mariners in the early game, but were dominated by the A's in game 2. Key lines:
Game 1
Hector Sanchez- 2 for 4. BA= .250. I don't think reserve catcher is an open position. It's Hectors.
Brandon Hicks- 2 for 4, 2B, SF, SB. BA= .370. Brandon Hicks is stating his case to be the dark horse that wins the reserve middle IF roster spot.
Juan Perez- 3 for 5, 2B, HR, SB. BA= .316. If the 5'th OF spot is open to competition, then Juan Perez is winning it.
Edwin Escobar- 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K's ERA= 5.19. Escobar faltered a bit in this one, but it seemed like a tough day for pitchers all around in Arizona.
Game 2
Hunter Pence- 2 for 3, HR(4). BA= .313.
Ehire Adrianza- 0 for 3. BA= .222. Adrianza has had some big hits, but his BA is sinking into Mendoza Line territory. Abreu is hitting just .188. Are they leaving the door cracked open for Brandon Hicks? Can the Giants handle 3 Brandons on one team?
Matt Cain- 2.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 3 K. ERA= 5.91. Maybe Matt Cain should not have any more perfect starts! Come to think of it, maybe the Giants don't need any more perfect games or no-hitters for awhile! Apparently the wind was blowing out in Scottsdale and in some other ballparks in Arizona. That, combined with the high sky made it a tough day for pitchers and OF's.
Mike Kickham- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. Nice job by Kickham in this one. I suspect he just needs to get a few more of these under his belt and get some confidence out there and he'll be just fine.
Casilla, Romo, Cordier- 1 scoreless IP each. Derek Law gave up a run in the 9'th.
Around the League: Clayton Kershaw got knocked around yet again in his final tuneup for the season opener in Australia.
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Also hearing around the league about tight forearms and sore elbows. The A's have two of those. Great point about Kickham: confidence.
ReplyDeleteGood pickup re. forearm strains to Griffin and Parker. The next headline you often see after reading about a forearm strain is a visit to Dr Andrews. Parker is already a TJ survivor and we're seeing more and more redos on that.
DeleteNow word that Patrick Corbin of the D'Backs has structural damage to his UCL.
DeleteWhich makes it more likely that we'll see Archie Bradley pitching in the majors sooner rather than later.
DeleteHicks is making some kind of statement, but I don't envision him earning a roster spot just yet. I don't know if I've ever seen a player with such a high K% in the upper levels of the minors/MLB before. He's got some pop however, and a decent eye with a semi-palatable AAA record the past few years, so he could keep surging for a spot or another AAA assignment. The FO has been incredibly open to giving any player with reclamation potential the opportunity to win some time in a SF uniform, so it'll be interesting to see what Sabean decides to do about the MI situation come Opening Day.
ReplyDeleteThe K rate is probably the reason why Hicks has not been able to hang onto a MLB gig. He does give you strong walk rates and some IsoP with that, so those are mitigating factors.
DeleteSad news about this rash of UCL injuries. When the bell tolls, it tolls for all pitchers. AZ takes a significant hit. Imagine if Cain went down. The SS Gigantes would take on water. Health is the best member of a rotation.
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