A pinch-hit, 2-run double by Wilmer Flores in the 7'th inning saved another scintillating pitching performance by Logan Webb from waste. Key Lines:
Wilmer Flores PH- 1 for 1, 2B, 2 RBI. BA= .256. This time bunting two runners over with no outs worked exactly like Melvin drew it up because he had Wilmer on the bench who PH for Christian Koss, who BTW had one of the Giants 4 other hits on the day. Wilmer got to two strikes but finally found a pitch he could handle and sent it down the 3B line into the corner to drive in the runners from 3'rd and 2'nd. That was the difference in the game.
Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K's, 6/1 GO/AO. ERA= 2.49. This is the 8'th start for Webb in which he went at least 7 innings and allowed 2 runs or less. He has 4 other Quality Starts. He's on track for what could be his career season and he's already had some very good ones.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(11). ERA= 1.59. No torture today as Randy Rodriguez RHP and Doval shut it down over the final two innings.
Wilmer's heroics notwithstanding, this lineup looks completely lost. To my eye, they take hittable pitches, swing at unhittable ones, consistently foul off fat pitches. Whatever hitting disease it is, rather than Rafael Devers fixing it, it's spread to him! Not sure what the answer is. I will bring up Willy Adames again. I'm no hitting coach but it looks to me like his front shoulder flies open on every swing. I remember once upon a time the Giants had a young slugger names Matt Williams who had not completely performed up to his potential. They got a first base coach named Bobby Bonds who made a motion of tucking his chin into his front shoulder before every pitch when Williams was batting to remind him to keep his shoulder tucked. And it worked! Williams turned into an absolute monster at the plate.
The Boston Red Sox are coming to town for what should be an inneresting series. Hayden Birdsong RHP faces Hunter Dobbins RHP in the opener tomorrow evening.
Perhaps it's again time for Kruk and Kuip to comment about hitting to the opposite field as a cure for hitting woes.
ReplyDeleteHappy 75th to Kuip. He is still on one home run.
DeleteTop of the lineup:
ReplyDeleteYtY, Adames, Devers, Ramos, Smith: 1-16
Bottom of the line up:
Schmitt, Lee, Bailey, Koss: 3-9
Pinch hitter:
Flores: 1-1
To his credit, Devers did get the only hit by the first 5 batters in the lineup. He also got a walk.
Forever Giant Jakob Junis got 3 outs on 4 pitches to 2 batters.
Things will improve when Devers starts playing 1B. Flores can go back to being the regular DH and Smith can take a depth role. And there was a report that Luciano’s bat is showing signs of life … maybe try him as a platoon partner for Yaz? It couldn’t hurt at this point …
ReplyDeleteLuciano has about 300 PAs and is hitting .217 with 12 homers. He has played about 60 games in LF.
ReplyDeleteYour comments about the batting are spot on. Remarkable and obvious to the veteran ball fan. I tend to agree that off-field swings may provide an offramp if they will try it.
ReplyDeleteLots of excitement in So Cal last night beginning mundanely with Padres knocking Yamamoto (6-6) out in the 7th who was relieved by (not) Forever Giant Lou Trivino (who has pitched very much better for "them" than he did for SF). Trivino hit the first battsmith's pinch hitter from the previous inning, er he faced which played out later spectacularly.
ReplyDeleteDown 5-0, after Ohtani flew out in the 8th, manager Dave Roberts pinch hit for Betts, Smith, and Freeman, either giving up or protecting them, but they didn't score.
In the 9th Tatis was HBP followed by Roberts and Padres manager Mike Shildt both being ejected.
Then the bad guys had a bottom of the 9th rally until Ohtani was HPB. Padres pitcher and acting manager were ejected. The final out, with the tying runs in scoring position, Smith's pinchhitter from the previous inning, struck out.
Wouldn't it have been better to have Smith up there? He leads the league in BA and OBP, slashing .328/.423/.530/.953...
What's with the pinch-hitting for the heart of his batting order? That's bizarre!
DeleteMaybe the 2018 Manager of the Year didn't think his horses could overcome a 5-run lead?
DeleteYesterday was kind of weird all around with the shenanigans at Chavez Ravine. Roberts seems to want to fire up the opposition and it might backfire on him. This goes against the Bill Walsh rule of being low key and never giving the opponent anything to get mad about.
DeleteDrB, you voiced perfectly my frustration and bewilderment with this team's batting and offensive futility. when the Giants sprinted to like a 14-4 record, i think they hit a lot of home runs. feel like now everyone is looking for a pitch to hit out of the park and they are both guessing wrong and opening up and over swinging. it's bizarre and annoying! that is just me theorizing but something is going on and whatever it is, it ain't good. -es
ReplyDeleteThings will get a lot better when Chapman is in the lineup. Someone not named Smith will go back to Sacramento, Koss?
ReplyDeleteWhy is Johnson holding on to the #4 OFer?
Is it because the Giants don't want to sit one of their young guys on the bench instead of playing them everyday in Sac?
The River Cats have a near glut of OFers and can't play them all!