The Giants turned a much anticipated pitching duel into a route in a game that was not as close as the final score would indicate. Key Lines:
Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .324. Pagan continued to pepper the field with basehits in all directions. His leadoff double down the LF line really set the tone for the game.
Hunter Pence- 2 for 5, HR(7). BA= .287. Pence's 3 run HR broke open the game in the second inning, a blast that reached the 3'rd deck of Busch Stadium, a truly prodigious shot that brought back memories of Mark McGwire.
Michael Morse- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .296. Morse continued his all-purpose hitting.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 5. BA= .233. The Giants were patiently aggressive at the plate as exemplified by Blanco's 8 pitch AB that helped run up Wainwright's pitch count and appeared to wear him down.
Brandon Hicks- 0 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .185. Hicks' line may not look impressive, but he started the second inning 4-run rally with a 10 pitch PA that ended in a walk. Bumgarner followed with a single, Pagan singled and Pence ended the scoring outburst with his 3 run dinger. A huge PA for Hicks!
Madison Bumgarner- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K's ERA= 2.85. It was a laugher, but Bumgarner was ready to hold his own and more if Waino had been dominant too.
Juan Gutierrez- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.24. Things started to get a bit uneasy in the Giants dugout after Huff gave up 3 runs after 2 quick outs. Gutierrez gave up a double down the RF line to Craig to drive in the 4'th run but then settled down to get the next 4 outs in dominant fashion to close out the game.
With the Win, the NL West leading Giants improved their record to 36-19. They have won 8 of their last 10 and 7 out of their last 8. They lead the second place Dodgers by 7 games pending the outcome of the Dodgers-Pirates game which the Pirates currently lead 2-1 in the 8'th inning. The Rockies lost to the Cleveland Indians 5-2 to drop 7.5 games behind the Giants. The Padres defeated the White Sox 4-1 to remain 11 games behind in 4'th place while the D'Backs lost to the Reds 6-4 to fall 14 games off the pace.
Matt Cain's hammy is not quite ready and the Giants are in a position to be cautious. Yusmeiro Petit will take the mound tomorrow facing Michael Wacha in a day game.
And the train kept a rolllin'!
PS: Jason Grilli closed it out for the Pirates so the Giants lead in the NL West is now 7.5 games over the Dodgers and Rockies.
The Cardinals announced that they are calling up uber-prospect Oscar Tavares and he will be in the lineup for tomorrow's game.
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7 out 9 runs scored with 2 outs!
ReplyDeleteLove the 2 out thing, but you have to wonder if that is sustainable. Of course if their 2-out average falls, they might just start scoring more with less than 2 outs!
DeleteYou don't want to set up shop and make your living on 2 out rib-eyes. Tasty, yes. Sustainable, not so much. Maybe over a season, as the Giants certainly have had their "torture years" of winning with poor RISP hitting. Maybe this year is an aberration the other way or simply good karma.
DeleteCertainly the lineup is longer with more power depth and I think we are seeing the effects of that in that they can strike for runs at any time. I think that is the real story here - a better lineup. Conversely, it must be very deflating to opposing pitchers to get the first two outs and then cough up the runs.
One thing we've seen this year more than others is Giants hitters grinding out AB's. There are more ways to grind out an AB than simply taking pitches. There seems to be an art to fouling off pitches that are not to your liking until you either get enough easy takes or get one to hit. Hicks had that 10 pitch PA last night. Blanco an 8 pitch AB and I think Sanchez had an 11 pitch AB. A pitcher like Wainwright is not used to working with high pitch counts and the Giants appeared to grind him down last night.
DeleteOh yeah, I was going to say the 2 out hits may not be sustainable, but the grind it out mentality is.
DeleteGood point - we like our rib-eyes bloody with plenty of gristle.
DeleteThey look way more relaxed with two outs this year compared to years past.
DeleteHuff walked 3 straight batters in the 8th with the score 9-0.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if it's a command issue or a case of nibbling. Wonder if he's hurt? Bochy Jr. time?
Can they retro date Cain's DL and bring someone up?
Yes, Cain's DL stint is retro dated. He will most likely come off in time for his next scheduled start. In the meantime, they are bringing up Juan Perez.
DeleteHuff went walk, HBP, Walk. I'm thinking he lacked some control. K&K (or was it Miller and Flemming) said Wong "might" have swung at the pitch that hit him on the arms, and in a closer game Boch/Giants might have challenged.
DeleteGood guys workman effort at the plate is awesome. Could it be that the free-swinging days of playing into the opposing pitcher's hands are on the wane? Great observation about Blanco & Hicks wearing down the Cards' ace! Wacha wil be tough today, but keep scrappin' lads!
ReplyDeleteCards must be ruminating over the old Latin (or pseudo-Latin) motto:
"Illegitimati Non Carborundum!" (Don't let the Bastards Grind You Down!)
Well. it is nice to see the shoe is own the other foot! Enough clichés.
Gigantes win!!! Cards & Doyers lose! What a great day!
NWGiantsFan
DtF!!!
differences from last season
ReplyDeletepagan is healthy
hector is not a newlywed and is totally focused on the game and showing everyone that he can be a starting catcher...if susac can stay healthy, and with ongoing back issues, i cant see buster staying in the catching position beyond the next two seasons
giants find two diamonds in the ruff with morse and hicks
best pen in the majors
and hudson has had more impact on the entire rotation then i have ever seen one fa pitcher ever have
its a long season....can they keep up this pace for the remainder? who knows? but its been a fun first third
bacci
Great point about Pagan. As Pagan goes, so go the Giants ever since they acquired him.
DeleteJust for fun. Compare 2012 rotation with 2014 rotation.
DeleteBumgarner (2014) slightly > 2012
Cain (2014) right now < 2012 but hope to rectify that
Hudson (2014) > Lincecum (2012)
Vogelsong (2014) slightly < 2012 (but if he can maintain the current pace, will be key to rotation)
Licecum (2014) > Zito (2012).
With better offense and bullpen (and bench) just as good, if not better, it's looking good if we keep this up.