The Giants washed off the stench from last night's game with a much crisper game behind some unlikely pitchers. Key Lines:
Rafael Devers DH- 1 for 4, HR(34), BB, R, RBI. BA= .251. Devers is batting just .188 for the month of September but he got his first splash hit in the 3'rd inning off Sonny Gray to tie the score at 2 after the Cardinals took the lead in the top of the inning.
Bryce Eldridge 1B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .125. Eldridge has had good AB's so it seemed like a matter of time before some hits started falling. He hit a rocket for a double in the third inning and added an oppo-field groundball single in the 7'th. Neither hit factored in the run scoring.
Casey Schmitt 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, R. BA= .240. Schmitt and Lee hit B2B doubles in the second inning to get the Giants on the scoreboard first.
Christian Koss 2B- 1 for 3, BB, 2 R. BA= .269. Does Buster need to go out and get a second baseman this offseason or can he go with Schmitt and Koss and count on upward career trajectories? Ideally I think you upgrade 2B but there are other, bigger priorities, mainly pitching.
Andrew Knizner C- 1 for 2, 3B, SF, BB. BA= .227. I was a little surprised Melvin let Knizner bat with one out and a runner on 2B and the game tied in the bottom of the 8'th inning, but he did and Knizner hit what probably should have been a single that bounced past the CF for a triple. He was then lifted for a pinch runner, Grant McCray who was left stranded.
J. T. Brubaker RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, 5/2 GO/AO. ERA= 3.77. IMO, among other needs, Buster must sign a solid #3 or better SP this offseason and then at least 2 inexpensive veterans like Brubaker who can compete for a #5 SP role and/or a Jake Junis type swingman role. Brubaker is putting himself in a position to be one of those guys.
Carson Seymour RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, 4/0 GO/AO. ERA= 4.75. The sinker was sinking tonight. Nice 3 innings of work from Seymour.
Tristan Beck RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 2/0 GO/AO, Save(2). ERA= 4.77. Interesting choice to close out tonight's game. Beck looked comfortable out there getting 3 groundballs. One for a leadoff hit but then a GIDP and GO to end the game.
The Giants get the day off tomorrow before starting their final series of the season against the Rockies on Friday evening. Trevor McDonald RHP gets another chance to impress the brass. He'll be facing TBD.
Giants need to sweep the Rockies to get to a .500 winning percentage. With SPs Trevor McDonald, Verlander and Webby going, I would hope that they play hard to the end and win at least 2 out of 3. Not a very important nor thrilling end of the season, but I will watch til the end. It has been a hard season to follow as I have been excited and dismayed off and on all year.. As Katy Perry sings:
ReplyDeleteYou're hot, then you're cold
You're yes, then you're no
You're in, then you're out
You're up, then you're down
I hope Webb and the Giants think better of him starting the final game, but after the Blake Snell fiasco last season there may be some pressure for him to go out there. He looks exhausted to my eye.
DeleteIs baseball unique with its rule changing a parameter (the strike zone) during a game depending on a player's size?
ReplyDeleteGiven that there is a minimum, wouldn't it be fair if there were a maximum?
Schmitt, IMO, has a lot of upside we've yet to see...kinda wish they'd gone rebuild in '24 and given him 3B, where he is stellar...i fear we are going to see him as an all-star in a different uni.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Pity that Chapman can’t be traded.
DeleteMatt Chapman is a far better player than Casey Schmitt in all phases of the game.
DeleteBetter, certainly. Better in the field, though only marginally. More power. Not better in terms of batting average, with no signs of improving. He's a .230 hitter. Most troubling to me, his slumps go on so long -- not mere weeks but sometimes months -- so as not to make up for his streaks, which consistently seem to terminate with injury. The slumps are team killers. So while I like Chapman, he shouldn't be anywhere near the 3-4-5 spots, and I'd rather devote the financial resources elsewhere. That is, I'd likely be happier with 3B manned by Schmitt at his price and the considerable money paid to Chapman devoted to impact elsewhere. But we'll never know because he can't be traded.
DeleteYes, Chapman is much better, this year, last year, and maybe for several more years, but time will even that out, eventually.
DeleteChapman most likely peaked in 2024 which was an exceptional year matching some of his early years with the A's.
OTOH, if Devers can take some pressure off him, and he can be dropped a slot or 2 in the lineup, with some luck he'll be a Giant strength for years.
The Giants need another reliable bat that's not so streaky as their Big 3 are now.
Can Eldridge at 21 yo be that guy?
Can Ramos step up a bit?
Can Lee become a solid 2++ WAR player?
Can Bailey carry his September push (.308/.343/.538) into next year?
The Giants are going to be streaky, but they need pitching that will keep them in the game: they need to win more 1-run games (not meaning games when they score 1 run, those are nearly always losers).
I would say it's a major long shot whether Schmitt ever comes close to being the player Chapman is.
DeleteYou're right: Schmitt won't be "the player Chapman is" but Chappie won't be the offensive player he is now for very much longer 'tho his D will stick around.
DeleteI am sure Buster is happy to worry about that when the time comes.
DeleteI don't think Posey will pursue simple upgrades for position players, but he can pursue a real difference maker, or wait for the market to come to him.
ReplyDeleteNow that he has his core in place for the next 5 years, I think Posey needs to pursue depth rather than another single rainmaker.
DeleteThe Giants did something unique for them this year on Tuesday: They scored 8 (or more) runs but lost the game, losing to the Cardinals 9-8 in a 9th inning meltdown, breaking a streak of 23 wins, in a game they coulda, shoulda won.
ReplyDelete