Another game, another loss to the Hated Ones. Jakob Junis RHP reached his pitch count limit with 2 outs and 2 runners on base in the fourth inning. John Brebbia RHP came in a promptly gave up a 3-run HR to Mookie Betts OF. No shame in giving up a HR to Mookie Betts but Junis was charged with 3 runs allowed instead of one.
New Giant J.D. Davis 3B hit an oppo-field HR to drive in 2 runs in the second inning. That takes a pretty good poke from a RH batter. Davis underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand over the offseason. FZ may be calculating he'll be fully healed and ready to break out by next season?
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The Giants can stay home while on the road as they start a weekend series against crossbay rivals, the A's. Carlos Rodon LHP faces Adam Oller RHP in game 1 tomorrow evening.
Thursday's loss to was #55 for the Giants, the same as the total number of 2021 regular season losses.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, their 51 wins is 56 short of 2021.
Is the team that different?
2B loss of Solano is roughly filled by Estrada.
OF loss of Dickerson and Duggar is filled with Pederson and Gonzalez.
SP loss of Gausman is filled somewhat by Rodón.
Closer failure of McGee is filled somewhat by Doval.
Loss of Posey is inadequately filled. 5 wins? 10 wins?
Loss of Bryant is unfilled. 1/3 season, 5 wins?
That could be 15 more losses, not the more likely 25-30 losses the Giants will likely see. Where are the extra 10-15 coming from?
Belt, Crawford, Longoria, Wade, LaStella, YtY (power), Ruf, Rogers, (BABIP?), DeSclafani - all overperformers in 2021, regressed in 2022.
Farhan Zaidi?
He didn't replace Posey - was that possible?
He didn't replace Bryant at the deadline - too late?
He put too much faith in aging veterans - did he have a choice? Should he have spent more on FA's in the off-season - like Bryant? Story? Semien? There were winners and losers, and, what was Ownership's position?
Truth is the team over-performed in 2021 and has under-performed in 2022 and Buster is gone.
That about sums it up. In retrospect, I think the biggest miscalculation was the bullpen. At the very least, FZ should have acquired a veteran Closer in the offseason who could take the heat off Doval. I know! Armando Benitez and Mark Melancon. Given the situation I think he still had to do it. Maybe trade for year of Willson Contreras to give Bart another year of salt? Unclear what RH bats would have signed as FA's but that was self-identified need that FZ failed to fill.
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