If you are a struggling MLB pitcher, facing the Giants is like finding Salvation. No matter how bad you've been...... Emmett Sheehan RHP came into this one with a 4.79 ERA and shut down the Giants on 2 hits giving up runs only because of a fluke inside-the-park home run by Jung-Hoo Lee. Key Lines:
Jung Hoo Lee RF- 1 for 3, HR(3), HBP, R, 2 RBI. BA= .267. This went down in the 5'th inning: Drew Gilbert challenged a strike call which was overturned giving him a walk, Eric Haase C popped into a force out, then Lee hit a spinner down the LF line that caromed away from Teoscar Hernandez LF long enough to allow him to circle the bases. The Giants managed just one other hit in the game.
Landen Roupp RHP- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 7 K's, 7/1 GO/AO. ERA= 3.49. You don't have to look any further than this line to see the yawning talent gap between the Giants and Dodgers. Roupp has been the Giants best pitcher, he pitched well, at least by advanced metrics, and still gave up too many runs to win against an opposing pitcher who came in with a more than 1 run higher.
So the Giants end up with a split of the 4-game series in LA which is a positive but the way the lineup laid down and died over the last two games is disappointing.
The Giants come north to Sacramento to play the A's over the weekend with Tyler Mahle RHP getting the start tonight facing Aaron Civale RHP who comes in with a 2.59 ERA.
Get Drew Gilbert out of the lineup. Talk about needing more seasoning at AAA. IMHO he is not ready for MLB.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest jump in professional baseball is from AAA to the majors. Very, very few players who eventually become league average or better MLB players come out of the gate from AAA playing like that. If you want to keep new blood coming in and if you don't want to build an entire team on free agents, you have to be willing to give rookies a chance to learn at the MLB level.
DeleteBet the under
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of Drew Gilbert...I think he is a AAAA player but one who could also help as a 5th OF. If he's getting too many ABs..that's all on Buster and the OF he has put together.
ReplyDeleteAnd how can I lay into GILBERT when there is no power in the OF and Chapman and Adames continues to sink this team?
SteveVA
Ownership has to change their business model this offseason. I think replacing Larry Baer has to be on the table this offseason.
ReplyDeleteJust my opinion, FWIW, but I do not see a problem with the Giants business model. If you are talking about how much they spend on payroll, it's more than enough with good baseball decisions. On top of that, you can wish for a change in business model all you want. It's not going to happen. Now, if you want to criticize who they choose to hire on the baseball management side, we have some common ground.
DeleteJust an opinion, if Giants can improve their scouting and player development, that will help them make good baseball decisions. I had a feeling that the Brewers would be the team that can get something out of Kyle Harrison.
DeleteI have been very open in wanting the Giants to spend more, because I don’t see how they can have a consistent winning team and maintain a middling payroll.
DeleteTeams which make good baseball decision with low payrolls (Rays, Gaurdians etc.) are unafraid to make deals that make them worse in the medium term and better in the long term.
The giants very very rarely make their MLB roster worse. And when they do it its to make them worse in the short term and better in the medium term.
The other way you can stay good is run a top payroll. And use money to make up for the slack of not making long term oriented trades.
It’s nigh impossible to thread the needle and run a middling payroll and have an annual contender. Hence why I think the giants should just use their financial muscle or be more unafraid to make long term moves.
- Fan
Again, you can wish all you want but the Giants are not going to change their business model nor sell the team. I do not agree they have to spend above the CBT threshold to win. They do need to make better baseball decisions.
DeleteI don't see how they can justify keeping Buster another season. The Giants need an experienced and proven director to take over and do a complete rebuild of the front office.
ReplyDeleteAnd manager?
DeleteHeard interesting story on foul territory podcast that former Giants catcher Eric Kratz told. When FZ was here , apparently Buster and FZ butted heads since FZ wanted to sign Eric Kratz since he was a good defensive catcher, below average hitter, Buster wanted to re-sign Todd Hundley since he was a better all around catcher. FZ won out and signed Kratz. Bailey trade was understandable since they want to go with Rodriguez and Susac. Maybe Buster doesn't value the receiving Stat as much as we think. Can't argue with him being a future hall of fame catcher
ReplyDeleteThe culture is rotten, we have have to learn to develop talent. I'm worried about Eldridge being the next Duvall. There will be no quick fix on changing the culture.
ReplyDeleteThe lineup is out for Game 1 with the A's.
ReplyDeleteSusac, with a gaudy 1.152 OPS is back and will lead the way.
The next highest OPS is .732 (Ramos) and seven players are below .710, with a couple in the .400's.
.710 is generally considered league average, only Susac and Ramos are above that.
Yes, bet the Under!
Wasn't Adames, Chapman and Gilbert supposed to change the culture? That and a dependence on mediocre but gritty role players and pitchers...I really don't think it's the culture but more the level of players---across the board-- that Buster and the ineffective GMZM have brought in. The problem with Eldridge is two fold--1) He is not ready yet and belong in AAA; 2) The giants have a screwed up logjam of a roster that will pose problems when he is ready!
ReplyDeleteSteveVA.
I didn't like ownership coming out and saying they don't want to spend on high end pitching.
DeleteSpending money on high end pitching is a fool's errand. They have plenty of good hitting prospects in the system. They need to concentrate on pitching this draft.
DeleteSteveVA: Eldridge is not ready but sending him back to AAA is not going to get him ready. He will have a learning curve whether it's now or 2 months from now or next season. I agree your point #2.
DeleteDoc, it might be fools gold in some cases, but it makes me cringe when they say that in public, fans don't want to hear that. My concern about the Giants drafting pitchers is they have a poor track record of developing starting pitchers, hope that changes with new pitching coaches. Eldridge should be playing maybe 2 games out of every 3 game series, only way to learn is to give him a chance to play. It takes some prospects 2 to 3 years to establish themselves in MLB. Look at Casey Schmidts gradual improvement. I didn't understand all the trade rumors for 2nd baseman involving the Giants. In the off season. What about Casey Schmidt? But don't get me wrong, I like Luis Arreaz.
DeleteThe whole reason I started this blog in the first place is because fans on a couple of other sites hated what I wrote there. The day I avoid saying things other fans don't want to hear, I will shut down the blog.
DeleteSorry Doc, my bad I think you misunderstood my last reply.. I was trying to point our when Greg Johnson said in public that they don't want to spend on high end pitching it gives me and probably other fans the impression that they don't want to spend , bad public relations in my opinion. Another example is his break even quote, I get what he's saying but that caused a lot comments from the media and fans who don't want to hear that.
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