Saturday, August 11, 2018

Game Wrap 8/102018: Giants 13 Pirates 10

Andrew McCutchen led off the bottom of the first inning with a HR to RF, rare for a RHB, and the Giants kept hitting and hitting and hitting.   It was a good thing because so did the Pirates.  Key Lines:

Andrew McCutchen RF- 1 for 2, 4 BB.  BA= .260.  The BA is .260 but the OBP is .360, .407 over his last 30 games.  Forget SB's.  The most important leadoff skill is getting on base and Cutch is performing at elite levels in that role.

Buster Posey C- 4 for 5.  BA= .295.  Buster had hits in 4 consecutive innings.  The last Giants player to do that?  Fan favorite Marvin Benard!  Buster's BA is inching toward .300 again.

Austin Slater 1B- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .307.  Austin Slater is hitting .307 on the season and .293 for his career which now spans 236 PA's.  As long as he stays healthy, he should be in the lineup every day into next season.

Alen Hanson LF- 3 for 6, 2B, SB(6).  BA= .282.  Hanson has been hitting for average but does not draw walks, which makes him not an ideal leadoff hitter.  The speed still plays down in the lineup, though so he provides value in the 6-8 spots.  How about an OF of Hanson, Duggar and Slater next season?  A bit short on power but they would keep the line moving and all 3 can provide some speed on the basepaths.

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .238.  If the Giants are going to make a stretch run, they need Joe Panik to hit.  He is 4 for 12 in his last 3 games.

Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .258.  Steven Duggar is hitting .269 over his last 7 games, .275 over his last 15 and .258 over his last 24 which is how many he has played since his call up.  Hey!  If he did that out of the 8-hole over the course of a full season with his D in CF, now that is a valuable player!

Derek Holland LHP- 6.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.97.  Holland pitched better than this line looks as he left the game with 1 out and runners on first and second.  Normally, Bochy would bring in Reyes Moronta in that situation who would finish off the next 2 batters without further damage.  With the big lead, Bochy brought in Pierce Johnson who brought his gas can with him and promptly gave up a walk and slam.   So, Holland's line should have been 3 R and 2 ER, which is a much better look.

We won't talk about the rest of the bullpen.

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The D'Backs and Dodgers both lost so the Giants gained a game on the co-leaders in the NL West to a 6 game deficit.  The 3'rd place Rockies topped the Dodgers to get to 2.5 games behind.

The Rockies may have done more than beat the Dodgers.  Kenley Jansen has this thing where he gets a heart arrhythmia at high elevations.  It struck again and he is expected to miss a month undergoing heart tests and possibly procedures.  Giants have a 3-gamer coming up in LA and the Dodgers are vulnerable.  Maybe last night was the start of that 10 game winning streak?

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Casey Kelly was added to the 25 man active roster and the 40 man roster with Johnny Cueto moving to the 60 day DL, but Ty Blach will get the Start today facing Trevor Williams.  Casey Kelly is someone who should get a look or two as the season winds down looking forward to next season.

6 comments:

  1. Holland: Pitched really well.

    Duggar: Continues his ++ CFer ways. And I'll take .250 out of him because he takes away hits and bases and those add up. And he's an outstanding baserunner.

    Bullpen: I went to bed at 10-2... I'm figuring this is an easy win... I wake up to a 1310 victory... Apparently not...

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  2. Injury report:
    (Evan) Longoria is dealing with a back contusion after getting struck by a Kyle Crick fastball during Friday's contest, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
    This incident occurred in the bottom of the seventh inning, and though Longoria remained in the game and scored on an Alen Hanson double, he was removed prior to the top of the eighth. Manager Bruce Bochy said that Longoria "should be okay" so consider him day-to-day ahead of Saturday's tilt. Longoria added that he's "confident there's nothing seriously wrong" but he will test the back out during a pre-game workout Saturday, per Shea.
    https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/giants-evan-longoria-leaves-with-back-contusion/

    Kyle Crick: 1 IP 1 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 1 HBP 1 K

    Steve Duggar: (BaseballReference.com) bWAR 0.9 oWAR 0.6 dWAR 0.4

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  3. MLBTR has a list of their top SP minor league signings up. Giants have the #1 and #3 in Dereck Rodriguez and Derek Holland. Giants do a great job of scouting the bargain bin. They might want to look for some more for next season.

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    Replies
    1. They did strike gold with those two signings.

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    2. Holland was paid $10MM in his last year with Texas (2016), signed by ChiSox for $6 then bought out. From star to bust to a very credible 2018.
      What's his future?
      As "good" as he's been for the Giants this year, BR only gives him 0.1 WAR.
      Given the state of the SP corps, SF will need someone like him for 2-3 years but he has a significant injury record -- should they try to sign him for a couple years before he reaches free agency? They could do worse -- they do have some $$ space in 2019 (no McCutchen, no Pence), but they're still a SP short w/o JC.
      Surely, he'll look for a longer contract (4? 5?) but given his history, he's a risk.
      The upcoming auditions will be interesting.

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    3. Holland's fWAR is 1.5 which seems to me a lot closer to his true value. His ERA, FIP and xFIP essentially equal which means there isn't some secondary stat like BABIP or HR Allowed that make his performance fluky.

      Shawn Estes discussed him a bit on the pregame show and attributed some of his improvement to a mechanical adjustment and where he stands on the rubber which gives him better angles on his pitches. Estes said he spoke with Holland and asked him about pitching successfully out of both the bullpen and rotation. Holland replied that he is just doing what he is asked to the best of his ability. Estes take is he really really likes the team and organization and really wants to be here. While I am sure he won't get taken advantage of, he may be very reasonable about an extension just because he loves it here.

      If the Giants can sign him for 3 years at a reasonable AAV, they should do it.

      They should also be looking to trade him if the fall further behind in the pennant race.

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