Patrick Bailey's grand slam home run in the 8'th inning fueled the Giants third consecutive come-from-behind win from deficits of 4 runs or more, which is a franchise record and has been done only 3 other times in MLB history. Key Lines:
Thairo Estrada 2B- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .244. Estrada's double drove in the first run of the 8'th inning rally. He later scored on Bailey's slam.
Matt Chapman 3B- 0 for 3, BB. BA= .245. Chapman drew a walk to load the bases ahead of Bailey, but it was his defensive play which saved a run and ended the game that was the big news for him. The Mets loaded the bases in the 9'th with the Giants leading by 1, 2 outs, a run in. Chapman barehanded a dribbler down the line and made an off-balance throw to nail the runner and end the game so the runner crossing home plate did not count. Assist to LMWJ for a nice stretch, fielding the one-hop throw and keeping his foot on the bag.
Patrick Bailey C- 2 for 4, HR(4), SB(2). BA= .301. Not much to add but oh, the wonder of it all! Bailey is exceeding my expectations. I am happy Joey Bart is doing well with the Pirates but if the choice was Bailey or Bart, I think Bailey is the right call.
Jorge Soler DH- 1 for 4, HR(6). BA= .215. Soler's HR drove in the Giants first run in the second inning. Hey! If you win by one run, they are all just as important.
Mike Yastrzemski RF- 2 for 4, HR(5). BA= .225. YtY added an insurance run in the 9'th inning with the HR. It turned out to be the game winner.
Marco Luciano SS- 3 for 4, 3B. BA= .409. Luciano scored after the triple in the 3'rd inning. He also committed two more errors in the game. Something to watch going forward.
Kyle Harrison LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.90. Harrison made it through 5 rocky innings but this game was won by the lineup.
With the Win, the Giants close the deficit to the Dodgers to 6.5 games in the NL West and are tied with the Padres in the race for the final Wild Card playoff spot.
The Giants try for their 4'th win in a row and 8'th win in 9 games today with Jordan Hicks RHP facing Luis Severino RHP.
Churn Watch:
The Giants signed Drew Pomeranz LHP to a major league deal after he exercised an opt out clause with the Dodgers. Mason Black RHP was optioned to AAA Sacramento and Jakson Reetz was designated for assignment.
Been away from this forum for a while. I was waiting to see the Giants in person and correlate my observations with the last 6 weeks of Giants baseball. I was at the game in NY last night – the Game of the Year, so far, BTW – and I will now share my thoughts with my friends on this forum. Pretty good seats (first row, behind Visitor’s dugout). Here is what I saw of note, in no particular order…
ReplyDeleteKyle Harrison. The Mets have several guys who can definitely hit. Alonso. Lindor. Martinez. Marte. I thought, early on, Harrison handled them well. He was around the strike zone all night. Mostly 4-seamers. 92-94 range. A few sliders mixed in, to good effect. Then came the long ball, which hurt him. He just left 2 pitches (a 92 mph 4-seamer to J.D. Marinez and an 85 mph slider to Mark Vientos) out over the plate. They both made him pay. Other than that, he kept the Giants in the game. I can see why the Giants like him.
ReplyDeleteNick Avila. Except for 1 mistake (94 mph 4-seamer that he left up) to Alonso, Avila pitched well also. He was challenging Met hitters consistently. And he can really throw (94-96, for the most part). I can see why the Giants like him, too.
Luis Matos. The Giants (read: Farhan Zaidi) thought this guy was a corner OF? This guy is a human highlight reel in CF. He took an EBH away from Lindor with a leaping catch (right before crashing into the CF wall) in the 4th, saving a run as well. He has been making catches like that since he took over for Jung Ho Lee. I know Zaidi is obsessed with spreadsheets but if he had the time, or the inclination, to consider the human element, he would see what the rest of us see – Luis Matos is a great athlete, who can hit and run and catch. And he is still only 22 years of age. They should have given him the CF job last year and saved the $100M+ they gave to Jung Ho Lee. Lee is a fine player, but Matos is showing us all that he should be the Giants CF of the future.
ReplyDeleteMike Yazstremski. Yes, he had a big HR in the 8th. But he was shaky in RF. He booted one in the 4th for an error and should have been charged with another on the ‘double’ by DJ Stewart – a fly ball that should have been caught. That let the Mets back in the game. I mean, if we are going to look a Luciano at SS, we must look at Yazstremski in the OF as well. I mean, if Conforto or Slater comes back soon – are the Giants really going to send Ramos and/or Matos down, so they can keep Conforto in LF and Slater or Yazstremski in CF?
To be fair, Luis Matos has struggled in CF as recently as in the LA series when he looked completely lost out there.
DeleteHeliot Ramos. Another guy who can hit and run and catch. He plays OF like a CF. He can really cover ground. And at the plate, he is not the same guy we saw 2 years ago – much more patient. He will now work out a walk. He had 2 Ks, but both were on challenge FB. He is another young Giant who needs MLB AB’s.
ReplyDeleteLamont Wade Jr. He has sacrificed power production for OBP. Yes, he is still a tough out. But he is not exactly scaring anyone either. If the idea is to wait for Bryce Eldridge to force the issue and stay with Wade until then, I suppose there are worse ways to go. However, this must be said: He has become an excellent defensive 1B. He made 2 plays in the 9th – both with the game on the line, to handle tough throws and stay on the bag. The last one with Chapman is the one everyone saw. But the play earlier with Estrada was just as important. Without those great plays, the Giants lose.
Marco Luciano. Yes, he made 2 errors. Both were makable plays. But he is too good an athlete to not improve with more playing time at SS. And Luciano is still only 22 years old. And man, can this guy hit. He hit a line drive that traveled almost 400 feet to CF (Harrison Bader, an excellent CF) that did not go more than 2 feet off the ground. It bounced about 2 feet in front of Bader, and he almost misplayed it. How many SS can hit like this? If he is replaced by Nick Ahmed (or some other future scrap heap signing by Zaidi), we will know that Zaidi is still in a position of influence. If Luciano stays at SS – really, if he stays in the majors - this season, we will know that Pete Putila is being phased in and Zaidi is being phased out.
ReplyDeletePatrick Bailey. He hadn’t really done much the entire game, but when he came up in the 8th, with the bases loaded, my mind flashed back to last year, the last time the Giants were in NY to play the Mets, and Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo famously posted on X: ‘Someone named Patrick Bailey just hit a go-ahead three-run homer off Dave Robertson’. No sooner had that thought come to me than Bailey hits a grand slam on the next pitch. I guess Mike Krukow is right: Ownage is ownage.
Anon: I appreciated the work you put into all these comments. I deleted a couple which I felt included gratuitous criticisms of FZ. If you want to edit those to reflect a less strident approach to that issue, I will consider posting them.
ReplyDeleteIn SF, Matos is a corner OF. It is one of the hardest fields to play. I don’t see signing Lee as keeping Matos down. When Lee comes back, we will have the best OF in the League. As for Z, I’m in the minority—the farm was barren, he did what he could in the interim and now we are seeing positives. We have 2/3 homegrown Of, and farm products at C and SS. Our homegrown talent dominates the pitching staff. We are at a point where we have starters and guys coming up to push em, and now one guy makes a difference. Z has largely stayed away from bad long term contracts (got some stinkers but short term) and future looks bright.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to that great game last night had to check out you tube highlights of the great defensive play that ended the game . That was an outstanding play by Chapman and scoop by Wade at 1st base to end that game. Chapman bringing back memories of my favorite all time Giants 3rd baseman Matt Williams. Both have won 4 gold gloves in their careers. As for Luciano I think he'll get over the defensive issues he's having but Maybe Melvin should consider using Ahmad as a defensive replacement in the late innings when Ahmad comes back.
ReplyDeleteSo, it seems concerns of Matos ability to play CF center on reads not ability, correct? Can't that be improved/learned with good coaching/tutoring..EIther way, he should be in the Giants lineup most nights..
ReplyDeleteIndividual analysis was awsomes but what a great team victory nd comeback..AGAIN...Team has character and doesn't quit!! And what a pair of plays by Chapman and Wade to end the game!! And great the hitting shoes were still on..but doesnt look like it against SEVERINO!!
SteveVA
I watched in an LA-area sports bar … as the Dodgers were losing to the Reds. Sweet!!!!
ReplyDelete