Buster Posey hit a game tying HR in the top of the 9'th inning, Brandon Crawford hit a 3 run double to break the game open in the top of the 14'th and Tim Lincecum earned his first Save in the bottom of the 14'th to give the Giants a very satisfying win in front of a handful of loudly booing fans in Philadelphia. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence- 3 for 8, HR(13). BA= .305. Pence's dinger went over 450 ft and he is one of 4 players this year with more than 1 longer than 450. The others are Giancarlo, Justin Upton and Michael Morse. Oh, and he also beat out an grounder to SS in the 14'th inning when the Giants already had a 4 run lead.
Ehire Adrianza- 2 for 7, 2B. BA= .236. Adrianza entered the game in the second inning after Joe Panik twisted his ankle. Can we please see more of this kid, especially if Panik is out for awhile?
Buster Posey- 4 for 7, 2 2B, HR(11). BA= .286. Posey is on a tear and it's on a tough road trip to boot. Maybe he read those comments a few days ago criticizing his position in the lineup?
Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 6, 2B, BB. BA= .279. Prior to this game, Pabs was hitting .335/.370/.533 since May 13.
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 5, 2 BB, SB(9). BA= .233. Blanco scored 2 runs in this game. He is thriving down in the lineup and is hitting .303 over his last 10 games.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 6, 2B, BB. BA= .239. Crawford has had some big hits in his career and he and another one in this game with a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double to break open the game in the top of the 14'th inning. He also came home with an extra insurance run on Hector's single.
Hector Sanchez- 2 for 6, BB. BA= .198. Hector has been struggling at the plate. Kruk and Kuip were saying he's developed a severe uppercut swing. Just sparing Posey the 14 innings behind the plate in this one was well worth his roster spot, though. Hector's legs were cramping up after every pitch in the 14'th.
Yusmeiro Petit- 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.24. This was not due to BABIP luck as Petit walked 2 and gave up a 2-run dinger.
Bullpen- 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 7 BB's, 5 K's. The bullpen has now pitched 15 innings in the last 2 games allowing just 1 run. That K/BB sure is ugly, though. Kontos gave 2.1 IP the night after going 2 innings. Tim Lincecum got the first Save of his career. Bummy is going to have to go deep tonight, though.
The Win coupled with the Dodgers 12-7 loss to the Pirates enabled the Giants to increase their NL West lead to 1 game.
Madison Bumgarner tries to clinch a 4 game series win tonight facing AJ Burnett.
Mike Krukow told the Chronicle that he has Inclusion Body Myositis, a progressive muscle weakening disorder. I have had a couple of patients with this disease and it can become extremely disabling. Kruk is a warrior, but he needs to do whatever he needs to do to avoid falls which can be deadly, especially when you are as tall as Kruk!
Around the League:
The Padres traded Chase Headley out of the NL to the Yankees. They got a nice return in prospects, but probably could have gotten more a year or two ago.
Tulo is back on the DL.
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I know he is doing a good job at leadoff but it still pains me to see Pence hitting there. I think of all the damage he could do in the middle of the order when everyone is healthy. I also think Bochy over managed the pen a bit yesterday. When you only get 5 innings from the starter, you know you are going to have to get extended innings from a reliever even in a 9 inning game. I'll give him a pass though because he normally does a good job with the pen and we did win.
ReplyDeleteOne benefit to having Pence lead off is he gets more PA's there.
DeleteBochy and Gardner decided to hold off Lincecum's normal in-between starts pitching prior to the game last night and it worked out pretty well.
DeleteThat's thinking.
What a great game to watch! I will blame the teams previous struggles due to the crud. Looks like the whole team is healthy again. Please, no more talk about Crawford's great defense. He made up for it with the double breaking the game open, but he has to make the routine plays.
ReplyDeleteCrawford has never been a great defender, but he is still in positive UZR territory and ranks #16 among MLB SS's in UZR so far this year.
DeleteI wonder how we would fare if we play Crawford at 2B and Adrianza at SS, on days that they both play?
DeleteCrawford makes GREAT plays, has a GREAT arm, and a GREAT attitude. But I think his error #s will always prevent him from being a great defender over an entire season.
DeleteA few thoughts:
ReplyDelete1. Holding off on Lincecum's between-starts throwing was just one of those minor details that makes Bochy and this staff excellent.
2. It might be just me, but since Panik was called up, it seems like Adrianza is a bit more dialed in - might be a great case of competition = focus and discipline
3. Bumgarner is a fierce competitor. I think he'll flourish tonight knowing that he can get extra slaps on the back if he can spare the bullpen. I think he's up for it 100%
Great points. The Giants have always favored a bit of competition here and there.
DeleteBumgarner and Posey are the Giants blue chip prime time players. Its very nice to see them playing this way. Pence as well.
And with Sandoval, if he plays to his potential, the Giants are very formidable. I think that's my biggest frustration with the athletic cat like reflexed lad. He has so much potential, he needs to assume the mantle and go win ballgames.
.335/.379/.533 isn't good enough? That's what Sandoval is hitting since May 13.
DeleteIf Sandoval stops the shoe from dropping, and adds extra base hits, the Giants will be good. He was a big part of their failure last year. He can be a big part of their success this year. He has 6 extra base hits this month, he had 6 extra base hits last month. The Giants will need that stat line from May 13 to continue, and to hopefully grow.
Deletegiants beating a team they must beat in order to stay in the race
ReplyDeletehuge weekend ahead
who wants to join me in the "take a shot every time monday says something really stupid" drinking game
bet im smashed before the 3rd inning
winning is so much better than losing
i knew the bucs were underperforming during the first half ...they are gonna be scary down the stretch if they can pull a trade for a bat and a number 4 arm
bacci
A number 4 arm to pair off with Charlie Morton and Edinson Volquez? That's a dyno-mite rotation there bacci, Sabean should hang his head in shame.
Delete