Blake Snell was roughed up for the second consecutive time to start the season as the Giants dropped another series to the Rays. Key Lines:
Jorge Soler DH- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .228. Soler's bat seems to be coming to life which is sorely needed.
Michael Conforto LF- 1 for 4, HR(4). BA= .298. Conforto continues to lead the team in OPS among Qualified Batters but Lamonte Wade Jr and Tyler Fitzgerald are ahead of among all players.
Tyler Fitzgerald SS- 2 for 4, 2B, 3B. BA= .417. Fitz seems to be moving up the depth charts and getting more opportunities.
Blake Snell LHP- 4 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA 12.86. Snell wasn't wild like in his first start but he still struggled with command within the zone. 2-run and 3-run dingers were his undoing. I didn't see what he threw on the back-breaker 3-run job but he hung a changeup on the 2-run shot that capped off a 3-run first inning. Still the equivalent of a spring start for him so have to believe he'll be better and stronger next start.
The Giants move on to Miami for a series against the Marlins with Kyle Harrison LHP facing A. J. Puk LHP tomorrow at 3:40 PM PDT.
Spring Training under fire! Fortunately, he should be strong when he needs to be at the end. Giants will be lucky to get 28 "good" starts out of him for $32,000,000.
ReplyDeleteBut, then there is the Post Season!
Bodes ill for Cobb to be back and ready, too, before June. And Robbie Ray in, what, August? Good luck.
Unfortunately, when you look at Snell's career, it's 8 seasons, plus this year. 2 Cy Young years surrounded by 6 of mediocrity. This appears to be shaping up to be a mediocre year. Nothing that the team can depend upon. Hope that he turns it around.
ReplyDeleteThe two numbers which stand out in his pitching line are a LOB% of 29.4 and a HR/FB 40.0%. Those should dramatically regress to means of at least 75% and 15% respectively. Meanwhile his K/9, BB/9 are right at career averages(yes, BB/9 has never been great) and his GB% is higher than career average. So his secondary stat profile would indicate he is very likely to dramatically improve his results once he gets acclimated to the new season.
Delete"This appears to be shaping up to be a mediocre year."
DeleteMaybe.
Interesting thought experiment - Given the state of the rotation being Webb and 4 uncertainties, does the FO sign him if (somehow) guaranteed this:
April 2023
5 GS 0-4 23 IP 5.48 ERA .917 OPS 1.87 WHIP
May - Sept
Cy Young
with snell in spring training mode, maybe they should consider opening with ryan walker until snell is able to 5-6 innings and reduce some of the pressure
ReplyDeleteThey have to pitch him, he has to get ST now. They cannot hold him back. They can only get him ready by pitching him against the competition.
DeleteIt's not that the Giants are winning for anyone on a regular basis, Winn is 0-3 and pitching reasonably well.
The Giants need to score runs, you will never win consistently scoring less than 4. At 1 & 2 runs scored you will mostly lose.
The problem is the offense.
The Giants knew what they were getting: you have to live with him.