On a sweltering night in Los Angeles, home runs were jumping out of Dodger Stadium. The Giants hit 5 of the 7 total with newcomer Lewis Brinson CF leading the way with two.
Lewis Brinson CF- 2 for 5, 2 HR(2). BA= .364. From Kap's comments after the game, it seems the Giants see Brinson as a RH platoon bat and think he can harness his prodigious physical talent against LHP's. So far that seems to be the case. There may not be room on the roster for both him and Austin Slater?
David Villar 1B- 2 for 2, HR(2). BA= .181. Villar left the game for a better defensive alignment after his HR. Hopefully he will get more opportunities to showcase his RH power as the season winds down.
J.D. Davis DH(9, .243) and Thairo Estrada SS(12, .264) added solo HR's to the Giants barrage. All of the Giants HR's were by RH batters against LHP's.
Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 6/2. ERA= 2.89. Solid QS by Webb. After Freddie Freeman's 2-run blast in the first inning after a throwing error by Evan Longoria 1B put a runner on, Webb settled down and kept the ball on the ground and in the ballpark which on this night was essential.
Scott Alexander LHP- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 1.69. Alexander and Alex Young LHP have stabilized the left side of the Giants bullpen.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(20). ERA= 2.68. Despite the heat, Doval didn't break a sweat with a 3-run lead. BTW, when did he cut his hair? The blonde dreadlocks are gone.
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Churn Watch:
Slater has slumped but he's still probably the most consistent one in the outfield. He would be a easy choice to keep on any other roster. It only becomes a question because we need every day players and he would be a platoon options like every other option on the roster. That said, Brinson has had hot months before, there's no way I'm moving in from slater for him, no matter how he finishes the season. Best case scenario you are forced to keep both.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if Brinson finishes hot, his value rises enough to bring back something in a trade?
DeleteEven if the Giants have to pay them goodbye, they should think seriously about the 31 yo and over crew taking 40-man roster spots.
ReplyDeleteEven with the best of them .500 is a want and wish and far from a certainty.
Protect the future.
Pitching could keep them close and make games interesting even the many they lose 1-0 & 2-1.
Is this the time to play for .500 and lose a half dozen in the Rule 5 draft?
Does anyone, any fan, like platoon baseball?
ReplyDeleteGiants overwhelmingly lead in pinchhitting attempts but only achieve .250 BA while a number of teams are over .300 but PH less.
Even the leverage usage of pinchhitters by the Giants is low - they use PH's early but not necessarily with RISP.
Note to SF: it's not working...