There are a couple of good opening narratives for this game. The Giants good alter-ego showed up for this game. They also finally found a team that is more of a hot mess. In either case, a couple of players boosted their trade value in this one and a couple more may have made the Giants less likely to dump them. Key Lines:
Luis Arraez 2B- 2 or 4, 2 R, RBI. BA= .326. More multi-hit goodness for Arraez who is almost certain to be traded in the next week. Fortunately for the Giants his trade value is on the rise.
Rafael Devers 1B- 3 for 4, 2B(27), HR(22), 2 R, 4 RBI. BA= .249. There are rumors out there that teams have inquired about Devers. If the Giants were inclined to listen, they might be less so now as Devers is red hot and has been very good since a disastrous April. He did hit just .214 in June but that came with 8 HR's and a .500+ SLG%. If his season started on May 1, his line is .268/.344/.591. He currently leads MLB in doubles with 27(fun fact: Willy Adames is #2 at 23). He is tied for #14 in HR's at 22. Personally if I could unload the rest of his contract I would jump at it but I might not be so eager to pay off a significant part of it.
Jung Hoo Lee RF- 2 for 3, 2B, HR(6), R, 3 RBI. BA= .302. Lee was slumping a bit but he broke out bigly with a 3-run HR with a double that did not figure into the scoring for good measure.
Robbie Ray LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.16. Ray came out after 80 pitches. That seems to be an acknowledgement that he is going to be traded and the Giants do not want to risk injury. He may make another start on the road before the deadline but probably pitched his last game in a Giants uniform at Oracle Park. This performance should help him fetch a nice return.
Carson Whisenhunt LHP gets the start against a tougher Angels pitcher, Jose Soriano RHP, who comes in with a 3.43 ERA.
As difficult as this season has been for us Giants fans we at least have some hope for the near future with our farm system and the trade deadline looming…but imagine what it’s like being an Angels fan- what a hopeless situation down there in Anaheim! And in honor of Jeff Kent’s induction into the HOF let’s hope Buster can pull off some franchise altering trades, even if those moves initially cause fans to question his basic intelligence.
ReplyDeleteDoc, on a different topic, where is the best section in the RC stadium to view the game? Moving a kid into the med school in LL next week and hoping to find time to catch a game and see Gonzalez and Hernandez play. Thanks!
If you want to get a good close up look at the players, try to get a seat on the first two rows just on the home plate side of the first base dugout. Otherwise anything between the dugouts is a great view. If you want to get a good look at pitch movement and type sit directly behind home plate. If you don't want the ump blocking your view sit to the side. If you sit in the second deck you still feel quite close to the action and the screen netting is less intrusive. But they are all great seats and much closer to the action than a MLB stadium.
DeleteCongratulations to Jeff Kent! Love the quote associated with him. " the money lies in the rbis". No wonder he was such a productive hitter.
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