The Giants hitting production consisted of a solo home run by Rafael Devers and 4 scattered singles. Logan Webb tried to hold the line but reinforcements never came and he ran out of gas in a 3-run 7'th inning. Key Lines:
Rafael Devers DH- 1 for 4, HR(23). BA= .256. Devers is hitting just .217 over his last 7 games but 3 of his 5 hits in that span are home runs for a SLG% of .609 and he's walked 7 times for an OBP of .419. So right now, at this point in time, Devers is not the problem.
Drew Gilbert RF- 1 for 3, SB(1). BA= .077. Gilbert finally gets his first MLB hit. May he have many more. It appears the newbie was not quite ready for the speed of the MLB game. If Buster is convinced that contact skills trump power in Oracle Park, Gilbert deserves some time to see if he can slow the game down. How that helps the rest of this lineup is a little hard to see at the moment.
Logan Webb RHP- 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, 14/1 GO/AO. ERA= 3.34. Webb had a classic Webb Gem going until he ran out of gas in the 7'th right after Devers tied the score with his HR. The sequence was LD double, GB single, HR. That made the score 4-1 and that's where it stayed.
This team is as dead in the water as at any time I can remember and that includes the last two seasons. I don't know why and I certainly don't know how they are going to break out of it but there needs to be some soul searching at every level of the organization. What kind of a team does Buster have right now and how does that compare to what kind of team he wants? Unfortunately it's a little late for that assessment because he is committed to 4 big, long term contracts. Bob Melvin has now managed 3 grossly underperforming teams in a row. Is it time for a new voice in the clubhouse and different strategies in the dugout? For the umpteenth time, I am no batting coach but it sure looks to me like Adames is letting his front shoulder fly open again. If it's not that, something is clearly off as he is in another deep slump. If I am right, can the batting coaches see it and if they do are they communicating that to him? If they are communicating it, is he receiving it and acting on it? I'm just asking questions here.
Tomorrow is a new day and Robbie Ray LHP tries to even the series facing Nestor Cortes LHP who comes in with a 7.11 ERA.
The Melvin estension was a big mistake...I guess they can afford to release him anyway. Not so with the other mistake, Devers (due to redundancy with Eldridge). So folks, it looks like it wasn't Farhan.
ReplyDeleteI think it's still too early to pass judgment on Buster's tenure as POBO. Right now, Devers is not the problem and there is room for both him and Bryce Eldridge on the team when and if Eldridge is ready for promotion to MLB level(he is looking very promising). I don't think it's too early to have concerns about the cumulative weight of the "big four" contracts: Lee, Chapman, Adames and Devers and whether those four are the team core you really want that kind of a commitment too.
DeleteAren't the Giants stuck with those 4?
DeleteWith their contracts and performance, they cannot even be given away without either picking up part of the money owed to them or giving some prospects to sweeten the deal that the Giants need.
They are ludicrous: the only one that has a fair chance of paying off is Lee's because (1) it is the shortest and (2) he has shown some progress from his wishful homer ways earlier.
The worst is either Deven's because of the length or Chapman's because he's 32 yo and on the decline. By 2030, @ 37 yo, he'll still get $25,000,000.
Can't win in this League with the weak and inconsistent middle of the ordrer the Giants keep throwing out there game after game. For next year, they need two bats that they don't have on the team right now to push Adames/Chapman down the lineup. Maybe Devers should be hitting 3rd but you got me who hits second (For now why not move Lee baack up to 1st or 2nd??).I want ELDRIDGE to be one of those bats and am super pumped about him and his HR spree but he still needs some work on those K's. Still all in all, better bats are needed for next year. Maybe after last night move Gilbert up!
ReplyDeleteSteveVA
Melvin's option needs to be eaten at this point. I think the Giants need to hire an outsider at manager and I think the roster in Sacramento is going to look much different next year as there needs to be a purge of the Farhan holdovers.
ReplyDeleteBuster will do whatever is best for the team, even if it means eating Melvin's contract. I think Mark Hallberg will be one of the next managerial candidates (has solid background and was a teammate of Buster's in FSU).
DeleteHallberg can stay as bench coach but, i feel the rest of the coaching staff has to be nuked.
DeleteI hope Buster can take a critical look at both the roster and his front office staff. Both are going to need a lot of re-shuffling, I'm afraid. And how wise is it to aggressively move Eldridge up when his strikeouts are so high? Isn't that what sank so many other Giants prospects, an inability to consistently hit (make contact) at the big league level? Stop forcing things ... let the minor leagues fully develop talent and show some discipline at the major league level by requiring Posey & co. do their jobs without constantly looking to be bailed out of insufficiently planned and executed MLB rosters. Just my two cents ...
ReplyDeletethe manager isn't on the field striking out with RISP, or making base running errors or giving up a late home run. and yet there is a difference between responsibility and accountability and the sad fact is Melvin is at the helm during another late season struggle and possible full on collapse. i still think the Giants have the bones of a playoff caliber team, just not this year. oh my, just jump ahead 7 months to hear that Devers and Adames are in the best shape ever and fully acclimated to their new team and all the other hopeful bromides - but it's gotta happen on the field. c'mon, Giants, relax and play winning ball! -es
ReplyDeleteGotta place the blame at the vet if the hitting coach. Pat Burrell, and I love him dearly for 2010, has got to go. The sooner the better. Preferably before the season ends.
ReplyDeleteBailey is a perfect example of player getting absolutely zero help from the hitting coaches. nd there are others. Been obvious for a long time that they re not in tune with the players and gotta go.
DeleteSteveVA
Fire someone!
DeleteSomebody's got to pay!
You can't fire the players, so who's available?
The hitting coach! He's taught the players how not to hit!
Robbie Ray, with a good outing against Nestor Cortes, a better pitcher than is record shows, is up for a battle because the struggling SF offense has not fared well against LHP.
ReplyDeleteOf course Devers isn’t the problem. He’s never been the problem. He’s basically a better hitting version of Chapman but a weaker fielding version too. He’s been a walking on bass machine for us just like he has been with the Red Sox. Obviously we would like him to have more home runs but he’s always been a streaky hitter for the Red Sox. First hundred at bats he could have 4 home runs and then hit 10 home runs the next hundred at bats. That’s just who he is. He’s never hit 40 home runs before but he’s always been a lock to hit anywhere from 28-38 while getting a ton of walks. Give him a full sample size of at bats and he will do what he does.
ReplyDelete