Another bullpen failure ruined an outstanding start by Anthony DeSclafani and squandered an early lead built by the Giants offense as the Giants lost to the Tigers in an extra-inning walk-off for the second straight game. Key Lines:
Lamonte Wade Jr RF- 0 for 3, 2 BB. BA= .242. LMWJ started in RF due to Michael Conforto's sore calf. He continues to reach base from the leadoff spot in the lineup. His leadoff walk to start the game started the Giants first inning 2-run rally.
Thairo Estrada 2B/LF- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .365. Reportedly the key to Estrada's hot start is he hit the weight room in the offseason.
J. D. Davis 3B- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .341. Davis seems to be solidifying the starting 3B job and is looking for a breakout season.
Joey Bart C- 2 for 5. BA= .375. Bart seems to be building confidence at the plate and seems to be ranking pretty high in pitch framing. On the other hand he let a blockable ball get past him in the 11'th that was ruled a WP on Taylor Rogers. That advanced the "ghost runner" to 3B forcing the infield to play in which may have contributed to Miggy Cabrera's walk-off single up the middle.
Blake Sabol LF- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .194. Sabol homered in the second inning to make the score 4-1 and Giants fans were feeling pretty confident at that point.
Brandon Crawford SS- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .186. Crawford made back-to-back errors in the 5'th inning which contributed to an unearned run which was ultimately the difference in the game. We've seen an uptick in inexplicable errors by Crawford over the past 2-3 seasons. Maybe 36 yo reflexes are a picosecond slower than 24 yo?
Anthony Desclafani RHP- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.42. Tony D was dealing again and it should have been good enough for the W.
John Brebbia RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K. ERA= 7.94. Brebbia was overused last season which concerning for his performance this year but it appeared he had more support in the bullpen and would not be needed as much. So far he's appeared in 8 of the Giants 14 games which is a pace for about 90 appearances on the season.
Logan Webb RHP tries to salvage one game out of the series tomorrow against former Giant Matt Boyd LHP.
Churn Watch:
Aside from Boyd's start tomorrow, Joc Pederson DH hit the IL with wrist inflammation and Matt Beaty DH/1B/OF was called up from AAA Sacramento and was the starting DH today.
It hurts when the bullpen blows another 3 run lead in the late innings and loses the game. Disco pitched well and should have won that game. My fantasy team lost a sure win that was badly needed, lol. The Giants need a reliever to step up and hold leads in the 8th inning to give the ball to Doval in the 9th inning. It's still too early in the season, I think 40 games played should give good takes on where this team is at. Their bullpen on paper is better then this.
ReplyDeleteThis is a test for the Giants pitching coaches who have successfully helped several pitchers turn around their careers. But does it work for everybody? Is a lot of that "success" due to short term statistical spikes that are bound to regress over time?
DeleteBad defense is still bad.
ReplyDelete4 of the 9 loses were winnable games and the Giants had the lead in one of the ugly losses – rather than 5-9, they could easily be 7-7, or even better.
ReplyDeleteBack when FZ was being chastised for hiring a new SS without notifying the old SS, who would have thought 2023's weakest link would end up being at the SS position leading to multiple defensive failures.
And then, while ignoring red flags, add a former All-Star LH relief pitcher for $33M who would have the worst bWAR on the team.
However, the season is young and success is still possible. There are a few obvious areas that need addressing, including managerial decision making – rigid adherence to anything is not always the best path.
There is no point I feel 'comfortable' with a lead. This bullpen is a disaster.
ReplyDeleteThis bullpen needs more pitchers who can throw mid 90s-100 mph and strike batters out. They only have Doval who fits that profile. They need young relievers like Cole Waites and RJ Davovich to develop into big leaguers
ReplyDelete