This blog is dedicated first and foremost to the San Francisco Giants. Secondly it is devoted to the smearing and ripping of the most disgusting franchise in professional sports: The Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yes, yes, I know it's "Puh-GAHN" versus "Pay-GINN" but his name has always bothered me. I can't help but associate his name with a bunch of weirdos worshiping false gods and casting spells outdoors.
The funny name aside, I'm just kinda 'ehhh' on this trade.
I loved what Andres Torres brought to our team in 2010. His clutch hitting and inspiring play warmed even the frostiest heart of the most cynical Giants fan. It was simply a great story-- a story of perseverance and heart by a fringe major leaguer who overcame ADHD and marginal big league opportunities to become a late-blooming World Series contributor. I also enjoyed his sleazy walkup music that was obviously borrowed from the soundtrack of a Puerto Rican porno. Yes, the ladies loved Andres...
But, alas, Andres regressed in 2011. He missed some time, and he just lost his stroke. It got to the point where he should no longer have been hitting right handed at all, and his lack of contact was maddening.
Regardless, his upbeat presence will be missed by teammates and fans alike.
As for Ramon Ramirez-- well he didn't have much of a presence off the field. By all accounts, he was the quietest guy on the team. But on the mound, he was pretty damned solid. He's the type that keeps his mouth shut and carries a big stick. Although he was due a raise via arbitration, I will be sorry to see Ramirez go. He was a lot better than anyone will remember. He stepped up last year with 4 saves, had a great K/BB ratio, and was just great arm to have down in the bullpen.
I know we technically didn't need him, but going into the season with Guillermo Mota makes me a little uneasy, simply because of his age.
With Torres appearing to be in decline, the trade worked out about as evenly as it could have for both teams-- barring some horrible or amazing performances by those involved. As for Pagan, the move confused me a little.
He arrives as another starting caliber OF onto a roster that already had Schierholtz, Huff, and Cabrera penciled in as starters.
Okay, well Pagan is thought of highly as a potential leadoff hitter. And, of course, since we need one of those, where does that leave Brandon Belt's playing time-- especially because Bochy has already confirmed that Buster will play a decent amount of first base?
I don't know what's going to happen. I think Schierholtz and Cabrera are pretty much set as starters, but between 1B and LF there is Huff, Belt, Pagan, and occasionally Posey to get time.
I think the guy who ends up suffering the most here is Brandon Belt, who still needs seasoning, but can only gain that through playing time. With all of these guys clogging up two positions, I'm almost inclined to support starting Belt in Fresno while keeping Brett Pill up with the team.
It's just kind of a weird situation.
As for Pagan-- I think we will be pleasantly surprised by the pop in his bat. He is also very streaky in that his hits seem to come in quick bunches. Couple here, three the next day, and then boom-- nothing for three games. That part concerns me, as well as his defense.
I'm just glad he has experience playing CF in the cavernous OF of Citi Field, so he will feel comfortable at AT&T.
We'll see how this whole thing shakes out, but I don't expect Pagan to be a real game-changer.
Firstly, apologies for not writing much in the last couple weeks. This whole "job" thing is really putting a cramp in my evening sports watching/writing.
Secondly, the last post was about the "Dynamite" video with Keenan Cahill, Weez, and Boss Ross. I'd like to clarify:
Before that video, I'd never heard of Keenan Cahill. Secondly, I didn't watch the video all the way through to see the fundraiser thing at the end. I honestly thought he was a funny little 10 year old kid. Swear to God. So, if anyone was offended by me calling him a "chubby nerd", I hope you understand that I had no clue the kid had a disease or that he was an internet sensation. Obviously I should do more research on amusing internet videos. Now that that's out of the way...
The Giants, are well... still the Giants.
As the title says, we've seen all of this before:
-- Our proven veteran SS sucks major ass (Tejada instead of Renteria)
-- DeRosa's wrist is hurt (although he's in Tuesday night's lineup)
-- Pablo's contributions are missing (this time due to injury, rather than retardation)
-- Highly paid players struggling to start the year (Huff)
-- Zito contributing absolutely nothing in exchange for the Gross Domestic Product of Micronesia
-- Unexpected contributions from players expected to do nothing (Rowand, Fontenot)
-- A total random career minor leaguer making a major impact (Vogelsong instead of Torres)
-- Timmy is Timmy
-- A bunch of improbable comeback wins out of nowhere
It honestly goes on and on, and frickin on.
But hey, this is why we watch, and why we love these guys.
With a sweep of Colorads this past weekend, I really think things are starting to get better... at least I feel like consistency is setting in.
The early injuries to Brian Wilson, Sandoval, DeRosa, Ross, and Torres have really thrown a crazy ass monkey wrench into the unpredictable, yet well-oiled machine that is the San Francisco Giants.
Ross's Sunday offensive outburst and Wilson's rediscovered groove only lend credence to my theory.
Throw in Bumgarner and his last three starts (5 ER in past 3 starts after 16 ER in his first 4), and I think this team is trending in the right direction.
Huff is still struggling, Buster hasn't hit his stride, and Burrell is still a massive question mark, but overall, this team is making me feel more comfortable about life.
The emergence of Mike Fontenot as a serviceable SS and bizzarely-- as a decent 3rd place hitter, means the totally washed up Miguel Tejada can now join Mark DeRosa on the bench as one half of the righty-righty, sub-par backup-infielding $12.5MM combo known as DeJada.
Suddenly this whole Jose Reyes for Zach Wheeler nonsense sounds better.
Speaking of which...
Myke Urban single-handedly blew the Reyes "interest" and "internal discussion" thing totally out of frickin proportion.
I have had internal discussions about marrying Scarlett Johansson and taking Taylor Swift out to dinner too.
The point being...
OF COURSE THE GIANTS BRASS HAS TALKED ABOUT JOSE REYES. HE'S IN THE LAST YEAR OF AN EFFING CONTRACT AND HE'S A TOP 30 PLAYER. HE'S A WELL-DOCUMENTED TRADE PIECE OF A BANKRUPT, USELESS TEAM.
That being said, excellent job getting your name out there Myke. And I really do like him as a Bay Area sports personality... but look...
Jose Reyes is an injury-prone, money-hungry luxury item. Not only does he run on premium fuel, but when you buy him, his warranty only lasts 12,000 miles, you pay a $6,000 gas guzzler tax, his floormats run $600 apeice, and they nail you with a bogus California emissions fee.
It's like yeah, I'd love to buy a 500hp, $200K Aston Martin DBS convertible, but if I have to give up my high speed internet, and DVR service (Zach Wheeler) and have no guarantee of keeping the car long-term, I'm gonna opt for a $43k Dodger Challenger with 470hp.
You catch my drift?
Anyway, as I said, we've seen this all before, and we can't freak out about anything. This is a slightly different version of the same team we know and love. The frustrations will be there, the illogical struggles and surprising comebacks will continue.
As I said so many times last season: just sit back, and enjoy the ride. It's gonna take a while.
Seriously. Stay hot. Stay in control of your at bats, and stay in control of your eating and everything else.
If exponentially more tail being thrown at him and 4 HR in April aren't enough to keep him on the path to All-Stardom, I don't know what will.
Pretty amazing that we could win a World Series in a year when a guy we counted on so much to contribute consistently frustrated us.
He's hitting now like he did two years ago. He's lining the ball from both sides of the plate, he's nimbler at third base, and those shoestring swing-throughs last year are once again singles and doubles.
I am just so damn proud of him, and it means so much to the Giants on and off the field that Panda is successful.
He sells merchandise, to the tune of millions of dollars annually. He makes Giants fans out of little girls that might ordinarily not care about baseball. Any player that creates lifelong Giants fans is a goddamn golden goose.
So much about his blazing hot start and new physique really depends on Pablo himself.
Teams and pitchers will reevaluate their scouting reports and readjust to him. Will Pablo be able to adjust on the fly? He wasn't able to do that last year when they threw him nothing but junk.
It certainly looks like Pablo is a new man at the plate, as I'm seeing him take pitches he'd have swung at last year, and making contact with pitches he'd have swung through last year.
And it's not so much that he's even seeing a bunch more pitches per plate appearance. With this year's small sample size, he's seeing 3.8 pitches per plate appearance, compared to 3.4 all of last year. It's an increase, but he's still his free-swinging self.
Honestly, the percentages haven't changed much AT ALL. I looked through all the Fangraphs nerd percentage stats, and found that he's actually swinging at 68% of pitches in the strike zone, a full 10% less than he did last year. He's swinging at nearly the exact rate of pitches outside the zone as he did last year. So honestly... how is this success happening?
It's not contact percentage. Nope. He's actually slightly down from last year.
In fact, nearly all his percentages and numbers are exactly the same except for his success at the dish.
I honestly didn't expect to find any of these results. I expected a correlation; something that jumped out. I got nothing.
The only things-- and I mean the ONLY things-- that the stats and percentages show about his behavior is that he's having success. His BABIP (Batting Avg. on Balls in Play) is at .359... and that is very, very good. Last year, he hit .291 with BABIP.
He's striking out at a slightly higher rate, walking at a slightly lower rate. None of it makes sense...
UNLESS...
Camp Panda actually worked, and it really WAS his physical conditioning that prevented him from success in 2010.
Practice, dedication, and a more physically fit Pablo Sandoval are the only differences between this year and last. He lost 40+ lbs. and that really is substantial.
Pick up 5 gallons of milk, or one of those big 45 lb. plate weights at the gymnasium. It's significant. As a fat guy apologist, I didn't believe his weight had as much to do with his struggles as his simple inability to focus and calm down at the plate. I advocated for Adderall, the thing that made Andres Torres into a top 30 outfielder.
I don't know if he's on St. John's Wart or Ginko, or Ritalin, or just chicken breasts, but it's frickin working, and he needs to continue.
If you're one of these skinny jerks with rapid metabolisms, then screw you. But seriously, I know how hard it is to lose 40 lbs and how much self-control is necessary to maintain the a diet like that.
It's really tough, especially when you love to eat. So I definitely understand what Pablo's accomplished and the type of dedication it requires to get it off and keep it off. It's almost harder to keep it off than it was to lose it in the first place.
With gourmet clubhouse spreads of God-knows-what greeting the Panda at every game in every city, there is a danger of regression. It's almost like as if Josh Hamilton was greeted by an alcohol and drug buffet before and after every game. Seriously. That's not a joke. It's not supposed to be funny. It's true and it's the same.
The early success of Pablo Sandoval has been up there with Aaron Rowand's production as the best story of April. And I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. These two guys love the game and want so badly to succeed, and they finally are.
Since there is no statistical evidence as to why Pablo is doing so well, I can come to no other conclusion other than this:
His conditioning and newfound dedication to improvement has led to success. Let that be a lesson to all of us, and STAY HOT PABLO SANDOVAL.
After 2 incredibly frustrating games to begin our title defense, 2011 is fun.
With the 10-0 drubbing of the Blue Bastards on Saturday, we all exhaled an elongated sigh of relief. Like our beloved Gyros, we all needed to get off the schneid too. Just because we sit around and eat and drink alcohol while watching other people exercise on TV doesn't mean we aren't physically involved in these games. I feel better already. It's like a weight off our shoulders. Almost like when you get off the treadmill and then walk around and you feel really light and weird and fast.
Anyway, Saturday's victory did other encouraging things.
It was great to see HurriCAIN Matt still in Postseason form. He was sharp from the beginning, and ended up allowing only 5 measly hits in 6 innings with no walks.
It really is a beautiful thing that we have such good pitching. Even Sanchez on Friday with his walks and bad defense, he was still dealing pretty well.
What I liked about Saturday was the way those 10 runs were produced. It was small ball... but I like to call it "effective ball". Getting on base. Not trying to pull the ball all over the place. Singling in runs. Amazing when that works.
I was shocked to see no Sandoval or Torres in the lineup this morning. I really was. I was like, "Well Torres AND Sandoval got two hits on Friday..."
But once I stop thinking like a fantasy baseball manager and start thinking like Bochy, I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot, Torres hit .226 against lefties last year and Sandoval hit .227.
Makes sense. There are a lot of reasons to sit those two against Ted Lilly, and it's pretty obvious that Bochy wants everyone to get in, shake the excitement off and get back to business. That's why Rowand and DeRosa played (in addition to them being righties). And hey, it worked. "DeRow", all $18MM of them went 4-10 with 3 runs scored. That's what we like to see! That's why Whiteside and Schierholtz replaced Posey and Huff, Torres came in later to force Burrell out, and Panda got a random end of the game at bat.
I can't say that I'm in favor of straight L/R platoons for Torres/Panda, especially because they're both switch hitters. The Giants are very deep this year, and while professionals like Rowand and DeRosa need to get in the game, the starters need a rhythm too.
As much as I railed on Boch last season (and he deserved it), when he finally stopped moving like a slug stuck in molasses with his lineup moves, he made all the right calls. I trust him now. He got it done, and for that we should give him more benefits of the doubt. It's natural to question these things, but we all just need to remain calm.
Anyway. It was nice to see the following things:
Tejada getting two hits, knocking in two dudes, and scoring twice
He was not exactly beloved by Giants fans in the first two games at Chavez Latrine. And it's pretty easy to see why. He looked a step slow at short, and looked like a GIDP waiting to happen. The defensive lapses were ugly, but we have to remember who this guy is.
He's not the MVP he used to be. He's old balls now, but he's still a serviceable SS and a veteran bat. He hit 15 HR last year. He's not Juan Uribe, but Boo-Ribe is now dead to us, so what does that matter? You can't compare Tejada to a dead ghost.
Saturday's game gave us hope that he will be an okay short-term player for us. The range at short is a concern, but if he's horrendous and costs us games, Sabean will take care of it. It's easy to find a light-hitting SS that won't hurt you on D.
He also looks really good in a Giants uni. Come on. You know you agree.
Brandon Belt could be our second ROY in a row...
It's been a series of firsts for Brandon Belt. First hit, first walk, first stolen base, first RBIs... but most impressively, his first home run. Wow. That was just awesome on Friday night wasn't it? I don't know about you, but it gave me chills. In only three games, Belt has answered the question I asked a couple days ago. He's not going anywhere. I know you hear the Front Office say things about their intentions with Belt, but once you see all this for yourself in meaningful games, you're like... "Whoa. This guy IS for real. And he's goodNOW!"
He's so patient; so poised. His swing is beautiful. I see a little Palmeiro in that swing. Maybe a touch of Will Clark. I think I've nailed down what he looks most like.
Belt, to me anyway, really looks like John Olerud. @JohnnyUtah530 suggested that to me on Twitter Friday and he was right on. We forget how good of a pure hitter Olerud was. The helmet in the field is his real legacy unfortunately.
And I know this seems like a lazy comparison, but Belt has a similar swing to Buster Posey. While Olerud's front foot is quiet and he takes a short stride toward the pitcher, Belt's is more like "stepping in the bucket" like Posey's. And yes, you can compare the lefty Belt to the righty Posey.
And here's Buster:
I'd say Belt's mechanics are combination of Olerud/Buster and he's got a beautiful damn swing.
Anyway, there's a ton to be excited about, and to get that first W, and to do it in 10-0 style with HurriCAIN Matt pitching like an ace, well that was just Cholula on the omelet (or icing on the cake to you weirdos that eat cake a lot).
Beat LA!
Random Thoughts
-- I feel teased by the fact we only got Kruk & Kuip for the game on Friday. I love being on National TV, but no one comes close to our collection of broadcasters. They're the best.
-- Orel Hershiser, being the Dodger that he is, said on Thursday's ESPN game that Brandon Belt has "...a slow minor league bat...with only gap power."
How'd that dong to deep center look to you on Friday Orel? Or should I say ORAL. Because you suck big time. Belt rules.
-- I love how Huff made two dives in RF on Saturday and caught the second one. Karros was right to point out that he hit his face both times on the turf.
Aubrey Huff? Gamer. -- I'm scared about Zito starting on Sunday. The guy was in a neck brace two days ago... I mean, he wasn't very good when he was healthy, what makes us all think he can be okay with a sore body/neck?
-- Zeets has the sleaziest mustache ever. Cain says it's called "The Stache". I'm down. It's heinous, but aren't all mustaches? It's entertaining to me.
-- I will write a separate article regarding our fellow fans who were assaulted by felons in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. I have to really cool down about it because I don't want to be part of an FBI investigation because of something I said in blind rage.
*Deep breaths*
BEAT LA!
I think I'm going to continue running the "Live Blogging" thing on here. I may do it every game, or I may permanently incorporate it into the site so that it's always picking up fan takes and thoughts on the Giants from Twitter or from you directly on the site.
I for one am thrilled to have Aubrey Huff returning to our WORLD CHAMPION SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (I love saying that, so I did it in caps).
As you've probably already read, it is a 2 year deal for a guaranteed $22MM complete with a club option for a third year. There is a $2MM buyout for the 2013 year, so it is essentially a 2yr/$22MM deal that could be worth as much as $30MM (3yr/$30MM).
So, back to reality here... 11 mil, huh? Ooooh... I don't know about that.
Look, we all love Aubrey Huff to death. He's all that's right about the game of baseball and humanity. He doesn't bring a single negative to the table. He hits, he plays multiple positions well, his teammates love him, and his love for the game is infectious. His contributions to the 2010 World Series team will never be forgotten, and I hope one day his unwashed rally thong sits behind a plexiglass case in Cooperstown.
That being said, this contract is not a good one for the Giants. Despite the fact that they won it all, they cannot and will not have deep enough pockets to put a $120MM team on the field.
With an $8MM per year raise to Huff, this basically wipes out all the money freed up by the end of Edgar Renteria's deal. Which is fine and good, but don't you think it would be nice to maybe use a little bit of that to kick over to Juan Uribe, or another free agent?
With arbitration raises due to guys like Jonathan Sanchez, Andres Torres, Cody Ross, etc., Huff's contract essentially eats up much of the money available to possibly add an everyday hitter to play LF or 3B. Because... even if the Giants were able to swing some sort of trade for a player, most or all the players available in that situation would likely constitute a salary increase over whomever was traded.
Huff, was one of the only significant available 1B's on the market (Adam Dunn and Adam LaRoche being the other two), and had himself a fine season in 2010:
.290 AVG., .385 OBP%, .506 SLG%, 100 runs, 26 HR, 86 RBI, 35 2B, 5 3B. On top of that, he made only 3 errors all season! His 12.4 BB% and 16.0 K% were excellent. I don't buy into a lot of what Fangraphs and Saberjerks have to say, but I always enjoy the little "Value" stat they put together to say what a player was worth monetarily in a given season. It makes no sense and it has no bearing on the real world, but for what it's worth, it put Huff's 2010 value at $22.8MM.
Interesting... haha.
And I still don't know what the hell WAR is, but Huff's stands at +5.7, good for 17th in all of baseball. FYI, Andres Torres's was +6.0, good enough for 14th overall.
The only reason I bring up these stats is because for once, there's a player out there that both nerds AND real fans can agree on as being valuable on the stat page, in the clubhouse, and on the field.
Glad to have Huff back, but I hope this contract doesn't restrict our ability to defend our World Series crown.
That was fairly amazing. I wish I could've been at the yard, but it doesn't matter. It didn't matter if you were with a group of friends, listening on the radio at work, or getting blind drunk with strangers at a bar... We won a World Series game, and we need to win three more. That right there is an absolute rush. I said in my last post that if the Giants wanted to beat Cliff Lee, it was up to Tim Lincecum. No one could've predicted that Lee would've had such poor command with his fastball and that his offspeed pitches would've been non-existent. The Giants capitalized on Lee's lack of high quality stuff, as good teams do, and that was really the difference.
Lincecum on the other hand, has to be a cause for concern. Since his first start against the Braves in the NLDS, he's been pretty good, but certainly not great. He's been bailed out a couple times, including tonight. As I alluded to on Tuesday, if Cliff Lee is right, Lincecum giving up 4 runs is a near death sentence.
Obviously, you can never rule out these Giants-- we all know that. But without those 7 earned runs of Lee's and that monstrous dong by Uribe allowed by O'Day, the Rangers probably have the lead into the late innings.
I won't say we got lucky, but this is the first time that Cliff Lee has shown any semblance of humanity/mortality, and it was a rather big showing of vulnerability.
This does two things:
1) The Rangers, who have grown accustomed to Lee shutting down teams automatically, have had their noggins shaken up a bit. Their world has not been turned upside down, but it means something. I wouldn't expect Lee to do this again.
2) It gives the Giants a HUGE shot of confidence heading into Game 2 and beyond
Notes & Observations:
-- I said on Tuesday that one of the keys to success was Andres Torres and Freddy Sanchez doing a better job of getting on base and setting the table for the rest of the lineup. They did just that, especially Sanchez, who went 4-5 with 3 doubles.
-- Andres Torres & Freddy Sanchez went a combined 5-9 with 4 runs, 3 RBI, and one big HBP. These two did what I told them, and it was huge. -- Another key I mentioned was Pat Burrell needing to get hot. He is on the ball... and by on the ball, I mean he is just off the ball. He is very close to getting a hold of a couple pitches and I believe big things should happening shortly. He still has a good eye and drew a huge walk off of Cliff Lee to prolong that big inning.
-- Good to see Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo doing well. A 7 run lead is a great time to get your struggling relievers into the game. While Romo and Casilla came out of the game with a confidence boost, the same cannot be said for the totally lost Ramon Ramirez and the up and down Jeremy Affeldt.
-- Everyone knows about Vladimir Guerrero's declining mobility in the field; everyone but Ron Washington apparently. Guerrero is a future hall of famer and has always been one of the most unorthodox, exciting players in the league since he began with Montreal all those years ago.
Personally, I would not have played Guerrero in perhaps the most difficult right field in all of baseball. Vlad's arm is still stronger than hell, but he just can't move anymore. Those years of torment by playing on carpet-covered concrete in Montreal absolutely devastated this man's knees and he has no business playing out there anymore.
What happened out there in Game 1 was beneficial to the Giants, but to see Vlad struggle with routine plays and fumble the ball around was hard to watch. It is most difficult because he has been so good for so long, and his skills are eroding in front of the whole world. The man can still hit the hell out of the ball, but he shouldn't be out in the field. You know it. I know it. He knows it.
David Murphy should play in RF in Game 2. Murphy is an offensive downgrade, but not by a huge margin. He is a decent hitter that adds an element of speed and defense that is more conducive to the National League style of play. He hit .291/.358/.449 this season with 14 steals. You make the call.
-- Great to see Ishikawa and Nate Schierholtz getting big hits and making good plays on defense (other than Ishi's ugly throw).
-- Stay hot Cody Ross. He had a rather pedestrian game for his standards, but it was still 1-5 with a run and RBI. He will never have to buy a drink in this town again. -- How huge is Juan Uribe? That guy is an amazing, funny little man and I love him. If he's not re-signed to a two year deal this offseason I will fill a mason jar with an unpleasant substance and FedEx it to Brian Sabean.
-- Nice little tidbits here:
-- Heading into the World Series, the Giants have the lowest team ERA since the '01 Cardinals and '01 Diamondbacks.
-- The team that wins Game 1 of the Series wins 61% of the time
-- 6 of the last 7 and 11 of the last 13 Game 1 winners have won the series.
-- Cain against Wilson coming up Thursday night. I would expect our lineup to be the same, going against another lefty. For the Rangers, I would expect lefty David Murphy to play in place of Vlad and hit 7th. -- It's gonna rain tomorrow. If you're lucky enough to go to the game, bring a poncho with a funny slogan on it. Hopefully that doesn't screw up our game.
You guys like my rally beard? I applied a second coat of Walt Frazier Just For Men. Looks delicious. ---->
You can't win them all. This fact of life we know far too well. Most of us are also fans of the 49ers... and Warriors... so yeah. We know that we're not going to win them all. That being said, our Giants are still in good shape and headed back to their homeland. A homeland that is a very far cry from the puking, whistling masses of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware urban trash that represents Philadelphia sports.
If you run into any Phillies fans at Games 3-5 at AT&T, tell them to "GO BACK TO JERSEY!". They absolutely hate it, because even if it's not true, New Jersey is like across the river from Philly. It's like if we all got accused of being from the East Bay.
Observations:
-- Sanchez wasn't horrible, but he wasn't great either. He kept the game close enough, but we all know we aren't winning any slugfests against the Phillies, especially with Oswalt's A-Game going full force. -- Mike Fontenot is not doing well at 3B or at the plate. Bad defense and retarded plate appearances notwithstanding, Pablo Sandoval needs to start against Hamels, even if he's turned around to hit righty. You never know...
-- Andres Torres either needs to ride the pine for a game, or hit 8th. He took home a Golden Sombrero from The Bank on Broad last night, and for a leadoff hitter, that is totally unacceptable.
-- Dan Iassogna was horrendous behind the plate, a night after his homie Derryl Cousins stank up the joint. He was not the reason for the loss, but come on Major League Baseball! I saw two of the worst umpiring performances in the playoffs back to back in my lifetime. This is the NLCS, not the Mexican league, not the Arizona league, not AA Connecticut, and not Mill Valley Senior Minors. I'm against machines calling baseball games, but the more I see these ruh-tards screwing up calls left and right, the more the idea of artificial intelligence intrigues me.
-- With Uribe's jammed wrist a potential problem heading into Tuesday's Game 3 against the lefty Cole Hamels, here's MY lineup, assuming Juan can't go:
Renteria SS (R) Sanchez 2B (R) Huff 1B (L) Posey C (R) Ross RF (R) Burrell LF (R) Sandoval 3B (S) Torres CF (S)
Renteria has above average speed (contrary to popular belief). He is a veteran clutch hitter whose nerves are not affected by the playoffs and has a decent eye. He is a smart player whose physical skills have eroded, but is still capable of a single, a bunt, and a walk.
Torres has only 3 hits in 6 playoff games thus far, and he would get a day off if this wasn't the NLCS. Unfortunately, I have no faith in Aaron Rowand being any kind of an upgrade over Andres, either at the plate, on the basepaths, or in CF.
Burrell hit the ball hard in Game 1, but Ross has been a monster. He is no longer a surprise to the Phillies after homering thrice in two games. He officially needs some protection in the form of Pat Burrell. Will Bochy do this? No. He can't think that fast.
And despite the fact that hitting right-handed are both Torres and Sandoval's weaker side, there are no real better options on the bench. I expect both to play.
Hamels vs. Cain -- In two starts against the Giants in 2010 (home/home split), Hamels was 0-1. Check the stats, brochachos. We hit .348 off the guy and he had an ERA above 7. Dig the matchup.
Hamels also has a career 4.67 ERA against the Giants in 54 career innings.
As for HurriCAIN Matt, he was a tough luck loser against the Phils this year in one start. He lasted 6 innings and gave up 2 earnies.
PS: Guess who figured out how to delay KNBR and listen to it while watching the FOX feed? THIS GUY. Stay tuned for a post on how to improve your quality of life.
As if there was any doubt, the Giants once again pulled out a close game. And once again, Cody Ross and Tim Lincecum showed up in a HUGE way.
You know I don't write recaps, I write observations and analyze the hell out of stuff. You all watched the game anyway. So here goes:
-- Lincecum looked a little out of sorts early and didn't have the command he showed in his shutout 14K performance against Atlanta. Much of this can probably be attributed to a blister problem on his pitching hand. Despite Giants management downplaying the issue, it was obviously bothering him.
As solidly as Roy Halladay pitched, Lincecum was better. Most impressive about that is that he basically did this with two pitches behind his back. His curve and slider were not there, so he was basically going at the most fearsome lineup in the NL with a fastball and changeup... -- I couldn't believe Bochy trotted Lincey out there to pitch the 7th inning after he was "leaking oil" (Krukowism) in the 6th. Again, the guy proves everyone wrong by perhaps establishing his best rhythm of the entire game, going 1-2-3, and even mixing in a couple soft-breaking sliders. To me, that is the epitome of guts and "leaving it all out on the field". Throwing sliders hurt his finger, he was over 100 pitches, he had 45,000 sleazebags whistling at him, and he pulled out that 7th inning like a stud.
The guy never ceases to amaze and surprise me.
-- If you didn't get the whole whistling at Lincecum thing, Philly fans were catcalling at Lincecum due to his magnificent, lustrous hair. It was if they were drunken, union construction workers sexually harassing an attractive woman walking by during their 2 hour lunch break. Obviously Phillie fans have a thing for guys with long hair. Haha.
-- Tim Lincecum on the whistles from Phillies fans: "I was thinkin I must have a really nice butt, because I sure heard a lot of em."
-- Cody Ross was an absolute gem of a pickup (as if we didn't already know that). It is truly remarkable how a guy Sabean picked up simply to prevent the Padres from improving has now carried the offense through the NLDS and now onto the NLCS.
He was meant to be a 4th outfielder, a free pickup meant to replace Jose Guillen in the 6th inning as a defensive replacement. Now look at him. Ripping the Braves, killing the Phils. -- Cody Ross became the first 8th place hitter to hit two dongs from the 8th spot in the playoffs since Chad Curtis did it in 1999.
-- Ross joins Garrett Anderson, Marlon Anderson, Luke Scott, and Corey Hart as the only guys to ever hit two dongs off of Halladay in the same game... regular season or playoffs. (Thanks to Cam Inman for that one) -- Yes. It's true. Cody Ross, "The Pride of New Mexico" wanted to be a rodeo clown as a kid.
-- The Giants once again failed to bring home a runner from 3rd base with less than 2 outs. Not only that, but Andres Torres struck out in Panda-like fashion against the erratic Brad Lidge.
-- Speaking of Torres. He got one to fall, but the man ain't right. I don't know if he's tired, his appendectomy is bothering him, or if he's just too nervous. Perhaps the playoffs are really meshing with his ADHD to create a perfect storm of ineffectiveness. Regardless, I am worried about him.
-- Andres Torres is now 5-21 in the postseason, with 1 stolen base, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. He's been a catalyst all season. This is killing our mojo. Thank God for Cody Ross.
-- Javier Lopez is an absolute monster to lefties. He made Ryan Howard look like an medicated old schoolmarm. This particular deal by Sabean, perhaps the least heralded, ranks just behind Burrell and Ross in importance to the team.
Since Lopez's arrival to San Francisco for Joe Martinez and John Bowker, he has thrown 19.2 innings of 1.40 ERA ball, with a 19 K's and an opposing batting average below .160
-- There are a lot of horrendous home plate umpires out there, namely Crawford, Bucknor, and West, but Darryl Cousins is up there with the worst of the worst.
It's as if the man has zero peripheral vision, cannot bend his neck to look down, and believes all strikes are around the letters. There were no corners or strikes around the knees and he was just plain all over the place. He was screwing both sides all night, and guys like him should not be affecting playoff games. There simply needs to be more accountability for lousy home plate umpires.
-- Raul Ibanez is a liability for the Phils in LF. He's like a statue out there missed a catchable ball by Burrell to "blow the game open"
-- Nice to see Juan Uribe finally get a clutch hit and drive in a run
-- Check out this video of a Phillies fan puking onto the field during a Freddy Sanchez foul ball. At least he didn't puke on an off-duty cop and his children like the last time.
Probably not safe for work... Good thing it's the weekend.
-- If you were complaining about Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly, well, you're still complaining about the announcing.
My quote is "Joe Buck and Tim McCarver: Ruining baseball since 1996".
Buck sounds like a depressed, blase, out of work actor with a trust fund and McCarver sounds like a senile old drunk. Fox is the worst. It wouldn't be so bad, but the KNBR feed is even further off live TV for Fox than it was for TBS. I'm talking 12 or 13 seconds ahead. I find myself only watching the TV for replays. It's truly unbelievable that in today's society with all this technology, we have to deal with this kind of mind-numbing and frustrating commentary. I swear to God I would do a better job sitting at home in my underwear doing play by play with my dog Rosie as the color commentator.
Does anyone have a way of "DVR'ing" the radio to slow it down??
Looking forward to game 2 and Oswalt versus Sanchez:
-- Oswalt has a career 3.61 ERA against the Giants. Interesting that in teams in which Roy has 15 or more starts starts against, he has surrenders the second highest ERA against San Francisco.
In 2010, Oswalt is 1-3 in 4 starts against the Giants, and he has a 3.33 ERA. His last start, a win, came as a member of the Phillies. Also of note is that King Roy has a 1.76 ERA at Citizen's Bank Park in 2010.
As for Jonathan Sanchez, his road ERA is noticeably lower than his home ERA (2.86/3.26).
In addition to that, Sanchez is 2-0 against Philadelphia in 2010 with an incredible 1.38 ERA (2 ER in 13 IP) and a .114 BAA.
Looks like a great matchup to me!
And BTW, I predicted on Facebook/Twitter before the game that the Giants would win Game 1 3-1, beat Oswalt in Game 2, and lose to Hamels in Game 3. Giants in 6. Proof below.
Let's tip our hats, and raise our glasses of cold, cold beer. They say we're fading, but we're still waving that flag around here...
I had to paraphrase a little Eric Church there to help express how we should be feeling both about the Giants and the job Brian Sabean has done to improve this roster.
It was not long ago that Sabes could do no right in the eyes of many-- seen as a has been, a hack, or a never was.
I'll say this. The man has swung and missed on a number of big contracts over the years. Edgardo Alfonzo, Armando Benitez, Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand, Mark DeRosa, and possibly Jeremy Affeldt's 2010 off-season extension. Although these type of contracts have hamstrung the payroll, it's the little pieces that seem to even things out.
Despite Sabean's high-dollar mistakes, he has managed to outsmart and out-gamble the entire league in respect to shrewd pickups and "Aw, what the hell? Why not?" moves. What I am most impressed by, especially this season, has been the organizational ability to resurrect careers and launch others simply by giving guys a shot. In the fluidity of the interminably long baseball season, we forget the changes that have taken place, and just accept them as normal... as if they'd been there all along. It's difficult not to. For God's sake, April was what? Five months ago? Just to refresh our collective memory, let's look at the 2010 San Francisco Giants Opening Day Roster (*Renel voice*)!
Position Players:
Aubrey Huff, Travis Ishikawa, Edgar Renteria, Pablo Sandoval, Juan Uribe, John Bowker, Mark DeRosa, Aaron Rowand, Nate Schierholtz, Eugenio Velez, Andres Torres, Bengie Molina, Eli Whiteside
Disabled List:
Freddy Sanchez, Fred Lewis, Manny Burriss
Bullpen:
Jeremy Affeldt, Waldis Joaquin, Brandon Medders, Sergio Romo, Guillermo Mota, Dan Runzler, Brian Wilson
Starting Rotation:
Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Todd Wellemeyer
By my count, that is 4 guys either with another organization or out of baseball, 1 guy on the DL for the season, and 4 guys in the minors with no reason to be brought back up.
Then of course there was Denny Bautista, a righty out of the pen trying to make it back, whose stint with the Giants was highlighted by an asinine performance in Colorado, and a next day release.
And, look! How gross was this opening day lineup?
CF Rowand SS Renteria 3B Sandoval 1B Huff LF DeRosa C Molina RF Bowker SS Uribe
The mere sight of Aaron Rowand makes us sick these days, and Renteria isn't far behind. With these two at the top of the lineup, we were guaranteed a championship! Man...
So many things have happened since then! Bear with me! It's worth it!
-- Fred Lewis was traded to the Blue Jays -- 2B Freddy Sanchez returns from injury -- DeRosa underwent surgery, out for season -- Bowker never got to play, even though he won the job -- Bowker sent down to Fresno -- Andres Torres steals starts in CF from Rowand -- Todd Wellemeyer draws the ire of Giants fans -- Wellemeyer begins receiving threats -- Torres takes over full time for Rowand in CF and leading off -- Guillermo Mota, signed for nearly nothing, becomes important bullpen arm -- Juan Uribe and Aubrey Huff carry the team -- Santiago Casilla, who signed for nothing, is called up -- Wellemeyer is injured in Cincinnati -- Joe Martinez, not Madison Bumgarner is brought up to start -- Posey is called up after feasting in Fresno -- Joe Martinez is not very good -- Pat Burrell is signed for the veteran's minimum after being released -- Madison Bumgarner is called up -- Wellemeyer is released -- Bengie Molina is traded to Texas for Chris Ray -- Pat Burrell becomes full-time LF -- Denny Bautista is brought up to the bullpen -- Bautista sucked -- Bautista is released -- Dontrelle Willis picked up off scrap heap and assigned to minors -- Brian Wilson debuts his orange shoes -- Posey is an absolute monster -- Torres rules -- Burrell is a beast -- Runzler and Affeldt get hurt -- Bowker and Martinez traded for Javier Lopez -- Daniel Turpen traded to Red Sox for Ramon Ramirez -- Evan Crawford traded to Cubs for Mike Fontenot -- Jose Guillen acquired from Kansas City -- Guillen trade finalized. Giants get slab of ribs. Royals get a fungo bat. -- Cody Ross acquired
Pretty incredible transformation, I would say... and for what? Next to nothing!
Not only that, but geez, look at our bench now! (excluding Sept. callups)
Is it perfect? No. But it's as deep and defensive as anyone else's. Guys like Cody Ross and Mike Fontenot are luxury items off the bench... while Rowand is more of a $60MM lemon whose warranty just expired. I don't want to ramble here, but we need to give credit where it's due. Sabean acquired/signed Santiago Casilla, Guillermo Mota, Pat Burrell, Chris Ray, Jose Guillen, Javier Lopez, Ramon Ramirez, Mike Fontenot, and Cody Ross for nearly nothing, and he deserves some plaudits.
Throw in the callups of Posey and Bumgarner, and that's like an entirely new team, all within the framework of 3 months. Despite Sabean's shortcomings in doling out big contracts to old losers, I don't know too many GM's that can remake nearly half a roster in 3 months for next to nothing in blood and treasure, and get that new team into first place by September 21st. Not only that, but Sabean also managed to somehow IMPROVE clubhouse chemistry. It truly is unbelievable.
So cheers to Brian Sabean. You did good buddy. You did real good.
This is a quick late night post-- something I never do.
But this is not a recap, this is just an exuberant exaltation of a Giants fan that had to consume a couple rally cocktails to push his team over the top for the victory.
In typical Giants style, this opening match against the dysfunctional Cubs was neither enjoyable or smooth for most of the game. It began with all kinds of weirdness and ended with weirdness.
Firstly there was the unknown factor of "Jerry Garcia Night", obviously a first in the history of mankind-- let alone professional baseball. Perhaps all the burned out communists in the stands got just high enough on dope to convey just enough good vibes onto the field for the win.
To add even more weirdness to the start of the game, there was Carlos Zambrano, the human powder keg. A guy who doesn't need drugs to act like a raving psycho. It was his first start since his historically bizarre and verbally violent dugout eruption in June.
And surprisingly, he pitched fairly well. To be fair, the Gyros haven't swung the bats well since their 10-0 dismantling of Colorado last week. That's neither here nor there though. We expected the same old mantra to ring true: Giants Baseball... TORTURE!
And speaking of torture, Duane Kuiper was mysteriously absent for the entire top of the 1st inning, and part of the bottom of the inning as well (if my memory serves me right at this late hour). So instead of an emergency deployment of Dave Flemming over to the Comcast side, Mike Krukow, who we all love as a color guy, was left by himself to cover the play by play while Kuip was either puking hardcore or hitting the dumper down the hall. Crude but true, and later on, Krook so tactfully put it:
"Kuip is suffering from a little bit of the 'Southern Crud'."
The awkwardness of Krukow alone in the booth was just the beginning of a night that transitioned into a familiarly frustrating game of groundouts and Twitter outbursts by yours truly about Pablo Sandoval being a retard.
We all know how the game ended, and what happened in order for us to win... that's not what I'm here for. I'm here to accentuate the the manner in which we won. This is a team that has fought back all year, overcoming late inning deficits in a way we're simply not used to. This team is prone to slumps and groundouts, as we all know. Interestingly enough though, they are also prone to magical comebacks complete with a seemingly new hero each time.
As they say: It's magic inside.
As I wrote in my last article, "Adversity breeds character, and character wins games in September and October."
Now I'm no Vince Lombardi or Al Michaels or anything, and I'm not much for cheesy motivational quotes, but I have to hand it to myself on that one. It's pretty damn good.
Look at what these guys did. They got their asses handed to them in Atlanta in 3 out of 4 games, then got on a 5.5 hour plane ride from Hartsfield-Jackson airport on Sunday night, only to show up huge in the 11th inning. If you don't think those guys were dog tired and came out flat because of that brutal scheduling, you're kidding yourselves.
The character that these Giants continue to show me is impressive. It was impressive when they beat Billy Wagner and the Braves the other day, and it was impressive last night when they overcame the bizarre dysfunction of the Northside Baby Bears, in addition to a foolish wave-in of Travis Ishikawa by 3rd base coach Tim Flannery.
It's as if this team is training like Rocky Balboa for a bout with Ivan Drago. They may not have a cool gym or a bunch of high tech equipment or shiny names on their roster, but they've got the will. This part of the season is like the part of the training montage in Rocky IV when they're working out in the barn and running up the snow hill in Russia.
Yes. I love Rocky IV, and will refer to it any chance I get.
Also. Do you see how much these guys like each other? Do you see the chemistry? Guys like Andy Torres, Aubrey Huff, and Pat Burrell are flat out gamers, and each has their own interesting storyline.
I swore last article that I wouldn't gush like a schoolgirl... but ah, screw it, I'm doing it anyway. What a cool win for a great group of guys. It's exciting boys and girls. Get used to it.
Sorry for the delay in getting a post up guys. Every now and then it just seems like too much of a pain. I hope you suffered in the absence of my wisdom. That would make me feel pretty cool. Now, on to important things: The State of Stuff.
There is so much stuff to talk about, and so much has changed since my last post, that I feel like we're dealing with another season or something. I'm going to segment this up, so here we go:
Andres Torres Finally, we can say that we have a legitimate leadoff man in a Giants uni. It has been a long time in coming, and I pray that Andy doesn't flame out or begin struggling any time soon. In many ways, Torres has been a gift from the baseball gods, and he's doing his damndest to take full advantage of his first exclusive starting gig in his long meandering career.
There is so much to like about him as a player, especially his speed. As they say, speed is something you can't teach. In addition to utilizing his blazing talents, the man is flat out hitting, and running the bases like a champ. I've even picked him up in a couple fantasy leagues, and he's currently starting over Carlos Lee in one of them. It's truly an amazing development.
In the last month, Torres is hitting .302 with an astoundingly high .922 OPS-- much of which is augmented by a great on base percentage. The man is simply a catalyst, and has been involved the "offensive resurgence" that we've seen over the past two weeks. The second man involved in the resurgence is...
Freddy Sanchez
Wow, a legitimate leadoff man AND a textbook #2 hitter? In a row? And Bochy figured this out on his own?
Like Torres, Sanchez does everything you can ask of a second place hitter. He has excellent bat control, he goes the other way in a excellent manner, and he's smart in situational situations. Situational situations. You heard me.
Plus, he's on a 9 game hitting streak, where he's hitting .500 (16 for 32). You know what Krook would say...
"Stay hot Freddy Sanchez."
Huff & Uribe: The Dike Pluggers
Look, I know they're not exactly A-Rod/Teixeira or Braun/Fielder but...
...All of the sudden, I feel wave of something that almost feels like some strange combination of relief and confidence. I'm not used to this, so I don't know if I'm even describing it properly. I never was one for sharing feelings. I can't say enough about Uribe and Huff. They are the definition of "Gamers"-- not Aaron Rowand or Bengie Molina. Gamers are the ones who play hurt, listen to coaches, and don't complain about playing multiple positions-- all while actually hitting the goddamn ball. Hitting the ball is something that supposed "gamers" Rowand and Molina are currently incapable of, and basically have been for awhile.
Huff & Uribe or "Hurrribe!" have basically kept this team afloat, and seem to be thriving as dike pluggers. Hey man, get your head out of the gutter. Dike plugging is a serious issue in Holland!
Buster & Burrell: Killer B's?
Buster Posey was called up too late. It is a fact. I understand the "Super 2" issue. I understand the idea that he needs reps behind the plate and at 1B in Fresno--- believe, me, I get all of that. However, it just shows that the front office really just doesn't know what it's doing half the time. What I've been saying, what you've been saying, what this guy, and that guy, and this other guy have been saying is:
CALL UP POSEY NOW. WE CANNOT HIT. HE CAN. WTF ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
I can't complain as much now that he's up, but it was obviously three weeks (or more) too late. As we've seen in his 30 or so AB's, is that not only can he play a decent 1B and learn on the fly, but that yes, he really can hit. I doubt he will ever be a 30 HR hitter, and the power will come at some point, but he's just a flat out smart hitter. He takes pitches, he has a good eye, and he doesn't swing at garbage. He's the antithesis of the type of player who has embodied Giants baseball for the past two seasons.
As for Pat Burrell, I absolutely must praise the move. This is a guy who just two years ago hit 33 dongs in a Philadelphia uniform. I know that he's not that guy anymore, but hey, this worked with Aubrey Huff didn't it? Remember the season he had two years ago? Then he sucked? Now he's good again? Remember?
If nothing else, Pat the Bat is a solid right-handed bat off the bench that is a little scarier than Eli Whiteside or Matt Downs.
Honestly, based on the kind of shape he's in, and the handful of AB's he's had in the orange & black, I say give the guy an every day shot. Seriously. Rowand is simply horrendous in every way, and I will sacrifice a little D in order to have a functioning Pat Burrell in our lineup hitting 6th or 7th and playing LF.
I know many of you were down on the signing, citing his poor defense and steep offensive decline. The defense aside, some hitters just have an incredibly difficult time adjusting to another league (See: Holliday, Matt; 2009).
Burrell is not meant to be a life-saver or the "big bat" that we need, but he's a good player, he's cheap, and if he sucks, we're not hamstrung by the loss of top prospects or an extreme salary. Trust me, he will help us.
Pablo Sandoval
Let me preface this rant by saying that I love Pablo and I want nothing more for him than to succeed and be a perennial all-star. With that said, allow me to rip him mercilessly.
Pablo Sandoval is not smart. He has the mind of an 8 year-old child in a large man's body. He doesn't listen to coaches, he doesn't use his brain, and he hacks at slop nightly. If I were Larry Krueger, I'd have been fired for these comments.
In addition, Pablo has zero power, and is not a third place hitter. He is incapable of using his body to drive the ball, and hits off his front foot because he needs ritalin, and no one has taken the time to give him a psychological exam.
I'm serious. He has ADHD, and he needs medication. I'm not laughing. Anyone who is incapable of waiting .005 seconds more for a pitch to reach the plate has some sort of issue.
Now-- judging by his 2 hit day against the Pirates Sunday (a day after being demoted to the 8th slot by our resident genius Bruce Bochy), it's possible that he may begin to understand this whole "pitch-taking" and "pitch-waiting" thing-- much like an infant realizes that if they cry, their mother comes to hold them.
If he calms down at the plate at some point, it's possible that he could hit 25 HR a season. Until then, I'd much rather that his singles and doubles power be utilized in the 5th spot in the order, a spot where he has the potential to knock in a run or two. His penchant for grounding into double plays has killed 14 potential rallies already this season, and that enough is reason to move him the eff down in the order.
On that note, time for the...
Dream Lineup
Torres CF Sanchez 2B Posey C Huff 1B Sandoval 3B Uribe SS Burrell LF Schierholtz RF
Notice who's missing? (Other than the injured DeRosa)
Yeah, our resident "gamers" Rowand, Molina, and Renteria. They simply don't belong in the starting lineup any more and this type of thing is exactly what drives us Giants fans absolutely crazy about Bochy. The past three weeks has really lead me to believe that his brain, much like Felipe Alou's did, has turned into Cream of Wheat.
Bochy's bizarre use of Buster Posey and Bengie Molina in the lineups, as well as the "Sandoval hitting 8th" thing leads me to believe that this man is no longer fit to lead. Take the pinch running incident that took place Sunday in Pittsburgh. You know the one. The one where Bochy pinch-runs for Posey, one of the guys who can hit, in the 7th inning of a tie game.
Memo to Bruce: Posey is not slow. Just because you and Bengie and Whiteside are slow, doesn't make Buster slow too. Leave him in the game. Aggghhhh! Exasperating.
And how about Bengie Molina hitting 4th and Posey hitting 7th? Huh? Are you high?
I'm sorry. I'm officially on the "Fire Bruce Bochy" bandwagon. He has to go. This is ridiculous. He's acting like Tom Cable taking orders from the ghost of Al Davis. Nothing makes sense.
This next thing makes even less sense...
Mark DeRosa
The DeRosa DeLemma is officially pissing me off.
What we need to do right now is forget about the wasted $6MM we paid this dude this year. I like DeRosa, and he's a very good complementary player when healthy.
Unfortunately, he was never healthy, and the Giants made a mistake. I won't say they made a mistake with Freddy Sanchez, because he's currently worth his weight in a metal worth less than gold, but more than silver. Maybe copper? Anyway...
DeRosa needs to stop trying to be a "gamer" and just get the goddamn tendon sheath repaired, and he needs to do it two weeks ago.
This is an injury, that as he knows, takes 3 months to recover from, and 5 months to be normal again. Every day that management has wasted by trying to save face by putting him in Fresno, is a day that he's unavailable for the stretch run.
This man should have been under the knife the day he was put on the DL and not a day later. With that timetable, he could've returned, potentially healthy by mid-September. Now? Maybe 2011.
Again, it's just incredibly frustrating that we, the fans, know better than management with lineups, DeRosa, Posey, Wellemeyer, etc.
Isn't that crazy?
Lincecum
Lincecum has a combination of issues going on. Firstly, he absolutely HAS a blister problem. Someone close to the situation told someone else, who told me. That's good enough for a fan blogger like me. The reason that they've all downplayed it is because Timmy also has mechanical problems, mainly out of his windup. Something is amiss, and since his father is the only one who can fix it, we need to get Chris Lincecum to SF immediately, an idea that this dude had last week.
Lincey is walking too many dudes, his control has been off, and he's been average at best. Unfortunately teams have begun to adjust, and have been taking a ton of pitches, rather than be overly aggressive-- the previous approach to taking on the Timster.
My question is, why exactly, if Timmy has a blister problem, didn't he get one of his starts skipped? Food for thought.
The Wellemeyer Experiment is over I won't get into any of the stats. We all know they're bad. Wellemeyer cannot be relied upon to be a 5th starter. He's okay at home, but basically throws like Chet Steadman in the last Rookie of the Year scene without the theatrical shoulder grabbing by Gary Busey.
The question is not whether Wellemeyer needs to leave the rotation, but whether we cut ties with him completely, put him in the bullpen, or send him down to Fresno. The secondary question is, who do we call up in his place?
Knowing the team we're dealing with, it's safe to say that Madison Bumgarner will not get the call. Although he's been dealing pretty solidly against PCL competition and hasn't allowed more than three earnies in his last 9 starts (and did that only once), I have a feeling the 'tards up in the front office will be too gun-shy to promote the 21 year-old after his ridiculously poor Spring Training.
My opinion? Bring the kid up. Seems like he's gotten it together.
Unfortunately for Hacker, his window may have passed. Until his last three starts, he'd had an ERA under 3 and a K/9 of nearly 9. His last 3 starts have yielded 18 earned runs. Soooo.... yeah, he's out.
J-Mart is sporting a 3.32 ERA and threw a complete game 9 hitter against the Las Vegas Bastards a couple days ago (Dodgers AAA team), and looks like he's ready for the big club again.
Either of these dudes should get the call, if not both, should a bullpen injury occur.
Obviously, there are a million more things I could talk about, but that's about as many words as I can string together without losing all of you. I hope you enjoyed the State of Stuff and remember to follow on Twitter @TheDodgerhater.
