Another game of poor pitching and poor hitting leading to another lopsided loss. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence- 2 for 4. BA= .304. Pence is gamely doing his job at the top of the lineup. Alas, it doesn't do a lot good go get on base if the rest of the guys don't drive you in.
Brandon Crawford- 0 for 4, 2 K's. BA= .241. Bochy must have been thinking the same way as Kuip last night that Crawford's bunt hit and followup hit meant he as over his slump. Probably not the best time to move him up to the 2 hole. The Giants think Crawford is holding his bat too high. Not sure I'm buying that. In the past, he's struggled with getting the bat up in time. Crawford may just need a day or two off?
Ehire Adrianza- 1 for 1. BA= .224. Adrianza is a guy to watch over the next 3 weeks. Bochy has said he's going to get some time at SS to give Crawford a breather. Is that another way of saying he's going to be showcased? The Nationals are reportedly specifically looking for a young SS to trade for because extension talks with Ian Desmond are not going anywhere. What could the Giants get in return? If Adrianza looks really good, could he switch places with Crawford on the trading block?
Tim Hudson- 5.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.87. Talk about a guy who needs a day off! Huddy looks gassed the last few games. He may need a turn or two in the rotation skipped.
Jean Machi= 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 1.66. Machi needed a good outing and got one here.
Yusmeiro Petit- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.92. Petit seems to be rested and raring to go. Maybe they need to work him in as a 6'th starter to spell the regular guys for 1 turn each? Huddy in particular looks like he needs a breather.
Chase Headley broke Clayton Kershaw's scoreless streak at 41 innings with a dinger, but the Dodgers went on to win 2-1 to retake a 1 game lead on the Giants in the NL West.
The Giants now open a weekend series against the D'Backs with Tim Lincecum facing Mike Bolsinger.
Around the league:
Masahiro Tanaka, remember him? He has a partial UCL tear and will try rehab first.
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While I'm absolutely not suggesting we trade Crawford, I wonder if Duffy changes the equation there more than EA. If Duffy has good defense, and we know he can hit, maybe a trade for someone really good (OF, closer?) makes us a bit more willing to make a tough decision on Crawford knowing Duffy is probably 1-2 years away. Also, Panik was a SS, and you have EA as a back up.
ReplyDeleteI really like Crawford but I highly doubt he would net anything that would change this team drastically. His defense is worth keeping him. I would rather package Ehire in a trade. To be perfectly honest with the way we are playing we should just roll the dice. Make a few under the radar trades to bolster the pen without giving up much. Maybe make some waiver claims. No sense giving up any real talent if we are going to play like we are playing. If the right opportunity arises where we can get a great player that is controllable for a few years then I say go for it. But, rental players should really be out of the question.
ReplyDeleteRoger, you have a point - under the radar moves, a few waiver claims, have worked out pretty well before.
DeleteLike you, I'd avoid rental players, if possible.
As bad as it has been lately, we are only one game out. The A's are playing well, for now. Are they peaking too early? Who knows. For us, it's good we look forward. We have to tune out the bad mental energy from the recent month or so. Focus on one game at a time and use the All-Star break to regroup.
If you are making the case to keep Crawford because of his glove, then that may not be a big reason to keep him as Ehire's is probably just as good and could even be better. I am starting to see Crawford as being a .240is hiter with low double digit power, again something that Ehire could probably be but at much less money as Crawford goes into arbritation years later. If you can save some salary by trading Crawford, get a reasonable return for him and not have much of a drop off with perhaps more upside in Ehire, then a trade of Crawford makes a lot of sense. I think he is probably one of the most disposable pieces we do have that coudl ge us something actually.
ReplyDeleteI respectively disagree. Ehire has shown me nothing to think he could be a better hitter. I think it is a flip of a coin with him. He could end up being a .270 hitter or he could end up being a Mendoza line hitter. We don't know. He has such a small sample size to predict anything. You do not get rid of an everyday started for such a small sample size. Now Matt Duffy on the other hand is someone I expect to hit well. If he can stick at shortstop then we are in for a treat. The numbers he is putting up in a pitcher league are fantastic. I was expecting him to progress to Fresno this year but they are trying to take it slow with him apparently. I would bet the farm that he will be a much better hitter than both of them.
DeleteSo, I do not think we can trade Crawford until Ehire has a larger sample to judge his hitting. He may have to play at 2B to get those ABs. I also think Crawford has much more power than Ehire. I think eventually Crawford could turn out to hit 15-18 HR/year guy. He just goes into these power shortages. He clearly can hit the ball but the consistency is not there. The 8 triples is very impressive though.
I actually think Adrianza actually has a higher power ceiling than Crawford.
DeleteUnfortunately, there isn't enough information to reasonably conclude that being aggressive is worthwhile. I wouldn't mortgage the future on any of the hurt guys or the rookies turning in good performances this year. Not that the farm is full of good stuff, so if someone wants to give us an average 2nd/ 3rd base at a reasonable salary for a minor leaguer or 2, they should do it. This is a 88 win team, max, so it is time to build for the future. Finish evaluating Ehire and Panik, see what Pablo can bring on the trade market,. Preserve the starters arms at the cost of relievers (bring up and showcase/evaluate some milb relief guys). Do what it takes to find better back up players (esp guys who can lead off) and bull pen guys and pay them (or pay for them).
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but if this team is still sitting in or anywhere near 1st place by the last week of the month, I will be very upset if the front office doesn't make some kind of move at the deadline. You don't just throw seasons away when you've got a shot at the playoffs. As Giants fans, we should know that better than anyone. Winning the division in Game 162 in 2010, falling to the brink of elimination against Cincy in 2012... if this team has a chance, you best believe they'll go for it. To do otherwise would be foolish, in my humble opinion.
DeleteTotally agree with Covechatter on this one.
DeleteI don't think trading Crawford is mortgaging the future. I also think that he appears to be what he is and his uspide is limited. Ehire just has to match his performance or come close to it which I really do not think is that much of a leap even with the small sample side. I like Crawford but would be comfortable trading him for an area of need. I don't think we would miss a beat with our options.
ReplyDeleteIf you give Crawford and Adrianza equal playing time over the next 3 seasons, who emerges as the better player? Personally, I would put my money on Adrianza and that is not necessarily a putdown of Crawford. It just that every time Crawford looks like he's about to break out, he drifts back into bad mechanics at the plate and a prolonged slump. When I look at Adrianza, I see a player with a lot higher ceiling than Crawford from a scouting/tools standpoint. Again, that's with Crawford being a top 15 MLB SS slumps and all.
ReplyDeleteI am sort of torn, I agree with Dr B that I think Adrianza has a higher upside, but to trade Crawford when we still have a solid playoff shot seems like it could backfire. What effect would it have on the rest of the guys in the clubhouse. I also hate to see Crawford, the life long Giants fan that he is, get traded. However, if I had to choose one, I'm taking Adrianza. I would be taking offers to see if I could snag something descent for Pablo, as much as I love his happy nature, he has been a big let-down this season and he is going to cost too much to sign when there are so many question marks attached. I expected 25 HRs and a .300 average, not what we are getting and how long until he blows up again.
ReplyDelete