Game Wrap 9/24/2022: D'Backs 5 Giants 2

See if this all sounds familiar.  Alex Cobb was BABIP'd for 5 runs in the 4'th inning and Merrill Kelly shut down the Giants lineup.

Alex Cobb RHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 10/1.  ERA= 3.67.  Generally speaking groundballs are a good thing for pitchers mainly because groundballs have zero probability of leaving the playing field.  The downside is a certain percentage will get through the infield or become infield hits.  If those groundball hits are bunched together, it can result in a very bad inning.  All that occurs mostly at random.  That's exactly what has happened to Alex Cobb too frequently this season and it happened again last night.  Here is the sequence that produced the 5-run inning for the D'Backs:  GB single, GB single, GB single, line out, walk, reached on fielders's choice, SF, LD single, GO.  

Merrill Kelly RHP(D'Backs)- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 10/3.  ERA= 3.13.  The Giants have faced Merrill Kelly 5 times this season.  Here is his composite line for those games:  3-0, 1.53, 35.3 IP, 8 BB's, 30 K's, GO/AO= 31/23, 1 HR.  As you can see, there is nothing special about the secondary stats.  What stands out is the the extreme suppression of HR's on flyballs.  xFIP would say that is not sustainable but he's done it for 5 games and 35 IP. Some of that is almost certainly a lack of power by the Giants lineup.  

In fact, per Fangraphs, Kelly's HR/FB is 9.0% this season a full 3.6% lower than any previous season. His xFIP is 3.83 which is very close to his career ERA of 3.89.  BTW, I don't have the time or inclination to do the math but his drop in HR/FB may be entirely due to the Giants lack of power in those 5 games against him.

Mike Yastrzemski RF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(15).  BA= .213.  YtY is 8 for 21 with 3 HR's over his last 5 games in a late push to be in the mix for next season.

Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4.  BA= .228.  Crawford did Crawford things on the field including a barehand grab and laser beam throw on a ball that ricocheted high in the air off Jason Vosler 3B's glove.

Thomas Szapucki LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 9.00.  The Giants have rebuilt the lefhanded side of their bullpen on the fly.  Szapucki has the stuff and has had strong appearances but has struggled with inconsistency.  At this point, Scott Alexander LHP, Alex Young LHP and Jarlin Garcia LHP would seem to be ahead of him on the depth chart.

Jharel Cotton RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.56.  Jharel Cotton would seem to have an inside track to next year's roster. He is arbitration eligible.  Look for the Giants to resign him before he gets to arbitration.  BTW, Shelby Miller RHP is a free agent, unless the Giants signed him to one of those late season deals that extend to the following season as they have done with several other players in the FZ era.

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Churn Watch:  

The Giants placed Luis Gonzalez OF on the IL with a bad back which effectively ends his season.  They recalled Ford Proctor C/IF from AAA Sacramento(he was on the 40-man roster).  The thing Proctor has going for him is the ability to play multiple positions including C.  Oh, and he bats LH.  He made his MLB debut playing 2B and went 0 for 3 with his family watching from the stands.

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Scott Alexander is listed as the Opener for a bullpen game as the Giants try for a series win this afternoon against Drey Jameson RHP who has been sensational in 2 MLB starts.

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Down on the Farm:

Salt Lake City Bees stung the Sacramento River Cats 3-1.  Really nothing of interest to report from this game.