Hunter Pence- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .297. Pence's 2 run single with 2 outs in the 4'th inning capped a 3 run rally that was the difference in the game.
Pablo Sandoval- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .280. Sandoval started both rallies with leadoff hits. Pabs is hitting .405 over his last 10 games, .362 for the month of July and .320 since April. The Giants are in first place in the NL West. Anyone out there still want to trade him?
Brandon Belt- 1 for 1, 2B. BA= .242. Belt was hit in the face with a ball during fielding practice when a miscommunication resulted in 2 balls being thrown his way at the same time. He was evaluated before the start of the game. He started and doubled in Pabs in the 2'nd inning, then scored on a passed ball and throwing error by Jarrod Saltalamaccia. He almost got hit by that errant throw! Belt then complained of dizziness and came out of the game. He was reportedly not doing so hot on the concussion tests in the clubhouse and is expected to miss some games. It's been a tough season physically for The Baby Giraffe.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .230. Blanco has a game hit streak in which he is hitting .368. For some reason, he just seems to do better down in the lineup where getting on base often goes for naught. He has scored just 1 run in those 6 games with 0 RBI's.
Tim Hudson- 7.1 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 11/2. ERA= 2.78. Huddy threw just 81 pitches in the game. Bochy seems to be trying to save his starters for the Dog Days ahead so he is pulling them in the 80+ pitch range if they are deep in the game.
Sergio Romo- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 5.26. Romo gave up a 2 run bomb to Giancarlo. Bochy went and got him for Casilla. As Romo was leaving the mound, Bochy called him back and said something. Bochy's explanation is he called him back to tell him he would have left him but Casilla needed work. I'm going to assume Bochy is telling the truth here, but his actions spoke much louder than his words. The game was now in a Save situation and the Closer gets the Save Opportunities. Bochy was telling both Romo and Casilla that Casilla is THE Closer.
Santiago Casilla- 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(5). ERA= 1.01. Giving up a leadoff hit in your Save Opportunity is not how it's drawn up, but Casilla got the Save.
The Win allowed the Giants to extend their lead in the NL West to 1 game over the Dodgers as the Hated Ones lost to the Cardinals 4-2 in St Louis.
Tim Lincecum tries for a series sweep facing lefty Brad Hand.
i believe it was a solo bomb to stanton and then he gave up a triple and casilla allowed that inherited runner to score....but in any case, romo should under no condition pitch the 9th with less then a 6 run lead
ReplyDeletethey shouldve kicked the tires on scoots just a bit more before bringing him back....this team cannot go with a short bench
schulman initially reported that belt was removed due to a ailing back...which ticked me off, because at his age, that has to do with conditioning.....but now knowing that it was a concussion makes me ponder a couple of things
one...why was he allowed to play....its very dangerous
two...the baseball gods dont seem to want belt to succeed as a giant.....trade him
nobody is gonna run away with the west...bums have more issues than just the need of another front line pitcher...so at this moment, dont see either the giants or bums running away with the division
the atl dfa'd popeye....wonder if anyone is gonna pick him up on waivers
bacci
One more time: Dan Uggla is DONE!
DeleteIt was a solo bomb. Bochy pulled Hudson not because he was gassed, but because he wanted those lefties handled before Stanton got up. Good to see Bochy going into playoff mode.
DeleteHe also is doing some nice PR stuff with Romo, who continues to get hit and hit hard. Bochy is a great players manager, and a very effective manager of bullpens. I'd love to get one more piece.
Uggla is DONE! Apparently the Gints are kicking tires on Asdrubal Cabrera and Aviles, Indians scouts were in AAA scopin' on Duvall, Kickham, maybe dreaming on Susac. I could dig Cabrera, he hasn't busted out into a star but he's a solid type and he's only 28 right now.
Trading Sandoval: the better he's hitting,the more we should get for him before the season ends and we get nothing for him except either a mediocre draft pick or a hefty salary bill. So, does anyone still want to trade Sandoval, asks DrB; and the answer is, yes, if we get the right package for him, and that we get the right package for him is well within the realm of possibility.
DeleteIf you want to make a run for it this year, you keep Sandoval and let next year and the year after and the year after that take care of themselves.
DeleteYou and I both want to make a run for it this year. We differ as to strategy. If we can get Zobrist, we will have a player comparable to Sandoval this year so far, and we will retain his services next year. We may be able to parlay a trade for Sandoval to, say, the Yankees (Shankbone's suggestion) into players who will make bidding for Zobrist from being unacceptably costly, and also strengthen our bench for this year's run and 2015's run also. My sense is that years that are left to take care of themselves don't feel a strong pull of duty to do that, and that Sandovals who are left to take care of themselves run the risk of turning into high-tonnage albatrosses.
DeleteI disagree that Zobrist is comparable to Pablo ROS. When Pablo is rolling, there are few batters that are more dangerous. I'd be OK with acquiring Zobrist to play 2B this year and move to 3B next year in case the Giants don't re-sign Pablo, but I would NOT want to replace Pablo with Zobrist this season. That would be a downgrade, IMO.
DeleteFor this season, we probably agree; I was also looking to the future. My saying that Z was S's equal was based on their current fWARs, 2.5 for S and 2.8 for Z, their Zips/Steamer predicted WARs, 3.9-4.2 for S and 4.6-4.8 for Z, and their weighted OBAs, .335 for Z and .330 for S. S. Is better at slugging (.438 to .404); Z is more versatile as to position, when players at various spots get hurt, wear out, or slump. If we could have both this year, and deal with issues of pay (or FA recompense) and conditioning that arise with Sandoval as of 2015, you and I would be in full agreement. But I remain skeptical about how the team can deal w those issues.
ReplyDeleteYou have to remember that Zobrist's fWAR score would take a hit if he exclusively played 3B, unless his D there was a lot better than Pablo's and I'm not sure it would be. Pablo is a statistically plus defender at the position when he's in shape. Not only would Zobrist not be an equal replacement for Pablo at 3B this year, he would not be in future years either. The only way replacing Pablo with Zobrist makes sense is if the Giants decide they are no longer willing or able to take on the financial risk of Pablo's much larger projected future contract.
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