Austin Slater hit a 2-run HR and Kevin Pillar added a solo shot, but that only kept pace with 3 solo dingers allowed by SP Tyler Beede. The Cubs added two runs against a hapless bullpen and the Giant started what is probably the linchpin series of the season with a loss. Key Lines:
Kevin Pillar CF- 1 for 4, HR(18). BA= .261. From now until the end of the season, each time Kevin Pillar hits a HR, he sets a new personal best for HR's in a season.
Austin Slater RF- 1 for 3, HR(4). BA= .295. Slater is 4 for 9 over his last 3 games and 9 for 19 over his last 7.
Tyler Beede RHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, 3 HR. ERA= 5.82. Perhaps the most remarkable part of this line is that he gave up 3 walks, yet all 3 HR's were solo shots. Michael Morse commented after the game that his mistakes tend to be right down the middle of the strike zone and MLB hitters are going to punish that.
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The Loss dropped the Giants to 4.5 games behind the Cubs for the second Wild Card playoff spot. Had they won, they would be just 2.5 games behind so there is a 2 game swing to each game of this critical series.
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The Giants likely have to win tonight to realistically stay in the Wild Card race. Dereck Rodriguez gets the critical start facing Yu Darvish.
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Blogger's Note: I will not allow this blog to be used as a forum for Bochy Bashing or Belt Bashing or any other type of bashing. Bruce Bochy is not perfect and is not above criticism, but he is deservedly a HOF manager who is one of only 10 managers in the entire history of MLB to win 3 WS championship. I sometimes critique decisions he makes and you can too. You cannot come in here and make unfair, demonstrably false, statements like "the Giants won those championship in spite of him" or "he refuses play younger players." There are just too many examples of players who broke in and established successful MLB careers under Bruce Bochy to make that caricature of him true. If that is type of thing you are coming here to write in the comments, save you precious time. It's not going to get published!
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Clearly Belt and Crawford are being phased out. They have been bench or placed in the 7 and 8 slots.
ReplyDeletePanik was cut and starts for Belt and Craw are numbered.
Jaylin Davis likely gets called up soon. If he has the goods, next year we could see Davis, Yaz, and Pillar
in the OF, Slater at 1B, Dubon and Donovan :Hurdy Gurdy Man" Solano in the infield.
Slater has had some laying time at 2B - maybe he spends more time learning it?
Seems team has more than enough OF depth. Slater's bat is proven (wish he would pull more
but I bet he works on that).
Giants' TV commentators say Slater's power is to right center.
DeleteBochy has to work with what he has.
That Zaidi close to compete and not trade his 2 most valuable trade chips that will be lost at years' end, Bumgarner and Smith, makes you question his sincerity because there was no way the Giants would play >> .500 ball with only 2 proven starters and a denuded bull pen.
OTOH, maybe he knows something about Bum we don't know -- an extension in the works?
a well-earned extension... hope it happens, expect it to happen, let's see what happens
DeleteEven if Bum doesn't get the extension, he gets a QO and the Giants walk away with a top-of-the-2nd round pick, which is a fine consolation prize for having the guy be an unstoppable force for the team over a, what?, 7 year time frame? All for WAY below reasonable value in $USD.
DeleteExtension should only be at a home town discount - Zaidi should not hamstring himself into a $35M perannum for a guy who's very likely to decline beyond his 32nd BDay. Just statistically, and we've already got Belt & Posey & Crawford weighing the cap down a ton.
Beede left with the score tied, and there were no HRs from either side after the top of the 4th -- a change in conditions to a live Wrigley?
ReplyDeleteAbad and Suarez made you wish for the good ole Gott-Melancon-Dyson-Watson-Smith days. Boch doesn't have a lot to work his magic with.
Beede labored for 91 pitches so when Bumgarner "hit" for him in the 5th, maybe it was time. Score tied? Other than walking the pitcher, Beede had a pretty good 4th. Given the state of the Giants' post-trade 'pen and hindsight, didn't work out well.
SF did get runners into scoring position but the old guard left them with 2 outs.
What a brutal 9th: Kimbrel threw 14 pitches (10 strikes) to dispatch Vogt, Belt, and Crawford without a whimper.
Winnable game, lost. Not a good start in Chicago.
my silver lining on game is that Slater had a HR - I want him to start next year in OF, 2B, or 1B. I think based on his prep performance and minor league stats he is a legit .280 / 15 HR hitter - maybe better than that - so to my mnd he is one step closer to getting a starting slot next year - has had a VG week.
DeleteThe way Dubon and Davis are performing in AAA I like the deadline trades. None of the traded arms has been "lights out" for new team.
Slater has played 1B, 2B, 3B, and all 3 OF positions in the minor leagues.
DeleteMuch fewer at third.
Isn't he the prototype Zaidi player or does he need more power, especially to play 1B or the OF corners?