Tagged: Barry Zito
How Sweep It Is
I
saw a naked guy in San Francisco yesterday. Now before jumping to conclusions
about any proclivities I may or may not have, let me explain. As I was driving
down Oak Street, I looked across the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park at the
runners in the Bay to Breakers Race. About a hundred yards away, I thought I
saw a naked guy running in the opposite direction. I looked again and confirmed
that the tall gentleman was sans a stitch because his carpet did indeed match
his drapes: ecru. I thought it might be an omen of an odd ballgame to come and
I was correct.
(Above pictures: Crowds line up for free bobbleheads and
then flood the bleachers for free baseballs during batting practice. Below:
Flags at the beginning of the game and Mill Valley school kids singing the
National Anthem.)
I
got to AT&T Park early to get my bobblehead doll of Willie Mays making his
iconic “Catch” during the 1954 World Series. I’m all about the free bobbleheads
and so are a lot of other Giants fans. Ergo, the early birds get the dolls (or
“action figures” as we masculine types prefer to refer to our baubles) and I
was very early this day. Barry Zito was going up against Brett Myers
of the Astros and the Giants were going for another possible sweep at home, a
sweep that eluded them against the Cardinals, Phillies, and Rockies during a previous
home stand. A win today would split this current home stand and practically
wash away the bitter taste in our collective mouths left by the Padres sweeping
us… but not quite.
(Below: Barry Zito throwing his customary long toss
warming up before the game and the crowd in the bleachers waiting for the game
to begin.)
Barry
Zito
started the game shakily giving up three hits in the first inning but allowed
only one run to score. Brett Myers started the game even shakier giving
up two runs in the first inning on a two run homer by Andres Torres
before an out was even recorded. Barry Zito got through the next two
innings facing only six batters and Brett Myers got through the next
two innings facing only six batters. Barry Zito threw 25-10-8 successive
pitch counts through the first three innings and Brett Myers threw
24-10-8 successive pitch counts through the first three innings. This game was
already becoming weird. (Below: Bleacher crowds.)
The
Astros tied up the game 2-2 in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Carlos
Lee; the first round-tripper given up by Barry this season. It stayed tied
until the bottom of the sixth when Aaron Rowand led off with a home run
over the centerfield wall. Andres Torres hit the next pitch for a
double, went to third base three pitches (and one out) later on a single by Benji
Molina, and scored the Giants’ fourth run on the following pitch that was
wild to the backstop. However, Barry Zito gave up a run in the next
inning on a one-out single by ex-Giant Pedro Feliz who went to second on
the next pitch when Tommy Manzella grounded out and scored on the next
pitch with a double by catcher Kevin Cash. But with a runner in scoring
position and two outs trailing by one run, the Astros inexplicably sent up
their pitcher Brett Myers to bat for himself. And the Giants almost
squandered that gift when rookie Matt Downs barely smothered a grounder
to his left and, on a panic throw from his knees, was baled out by Aubrey
Huff who somehow kept his foot on the bag while diving up the line as he
caught the throw thereby preserving our one run lead. Weird game.
(Below: Brian Wilson pitching for the final out as Giants fans wait and hope.)
And
then in the ninth inning after two were out, Brian Wilson gave up
successive singles to pinch hitters Geoff Blum and Cory Sullivan.
With speedy pinch runner Michael Bourn at third base, pinch hitter Kazuo
Matsui came up to the plate. Reminiscent of yesterday’s game when Kazuo
Matsui battled Brian Wilson for about fifteen pitches before he made the
third out with the bases loaded in a one run game, Kazuo Matsui again
battled Brian Wilson to a full count on six pitches with the game on the
line. As I whispered to myself “Throw a slider… Throw a slider…” because Kaz
kept fouling off fastballs, Brian Wilson threw that slider and Mr.
Matsui swung through it for the final out of a 4-3 victory. Last Friday, the
Giants were 3.5 games behind the Padres in the standings and now today the
Giants were just a half game behind the Padres with a two game series at Petco
Park coming up tomorrow. This young season has already become weird but we Giants fans wouldn’t have it any other way and that’s the naked
truth. Go Giants!
(Below: The Giants and their fans celebrate the sweep.)
Walk, Don’t Run
It
was a picture perfect day on the bay, like Mother Nature was celebrating the
return of our San Francisco Giants back home to AT&T Park again. Tonight,
the San Diego Padres would try to spoil this cheery party as they sought to
keep their half-game grasp on first place in the National League West division.
To battle these overachieving upstarts from the south, the Giants sent out the
re-born Barry Zito with his spotless 5-0 win-loss record. To defeat this
former Cy Young winner’s intentions, the Padres tabbed fellow southpaw Wade
LeBlanc with his spotless, if less stellar, 2-0 record.
From
the first inning, I could tell Barry Zito would be severely challenged
tonight when notorious Giant-killer Scott Hairston battled him for
eleven pitches before flying out to Aaron Rowand to open the game. And
then that other little Giant-killer, David Eckstein, hit Barry’s second
pitch to Aaron Rowand for a single. And then Barry Zito issued
the first of his seven walks he would issue this evening to Adrian Gonzalez.
Although Barry escaped scoring damage that inning, he didn’t the next inning. Oscar
Salazar beat out an infield single to Juan Uribe and Jerry Hairston
hit an 0-2 pitch over the head of Aaron Rowand for a double. After Barry
walked Scott Hairston on a full count, David Eckstein hit another
single to Aaron Rowand for a couple of runs before Aaron threw out Scott
at third base on the play to end the inning. By then, Barry had already thrown
48 pitches.
Like
the Padres, the Giants put at least one runner on base in eight of the nine
innings they batted. Like the Padres, the Giants eventually scored two runs
themselves on a single by Aubrey Huff in the third inning (driving in Pablo
Sandoval who had hit a triple) and on a triple by Juan Uribe in the
fifth inning (driving in Aubrey Huff who had doubled). But unlike the
Padres, the Giants could not score a third run in this game. And unlike the
Padres, Giant pitchers issued total of twelve walks in this game compared to
the five allowed to the Giant batters. And one of those twelve walks was issued
to Kyle Blanks in the fifth inning who promptly stole second base on the
next pitch and scored the Padres’ winning run three pitches later on a single
by former Giant catcher Yorvit Torrealba. And although Barry Zito
suffered his first loss this season after throwing 108 pitches in five innings,
Wade LeBlanc would not earn his third win because Padres pitcher Bud
Black lifted Wade in the fifth inning with two outs and Juan Uribe
standing on third base. It turned out to be a wise decision when reliever Ryan
Webb induced rookie Matt Downs to ground into an out and end the
threat. And although the Giants did get a runner to second base with only one
out twice more in this game, they failed to get that elusive timely hit and run
and so they lost 3-2. But they fought and battled this game as they will
tonight when Matt Cain takes the mound. So… Go Giants!
The Mark of Zito
April
30. Friday nights are always rowdy affairs at AT&T Park, especially
when the Dodgers are in town. But this night was reserved for the Colorado
Rockies to visit and that was not too bad because the Giants and Rockies have
been playing some very competitive games against each other for the past few
seasons and many professional baseball wags have picked the Rockies to finish
ahead of the Giants in the National League West Division this year. The Rockies
were sending out righty Aaron Cook to face the enigmatic Barry Zito
who has been pitching superbly so far this season. The skies were clear and the
wind was brisk as the National Anthem was sung. But the Rockies soon brewed
baseball trouble when Eric Young, Jr. led off the game with a single on
a 3-0 pitch and scored five pitches later on Carlos Gonzalez‘s single to
right field. (Above left; Todd Wellemeyer and Matt Cain trading
pitching tips before the game. Above right; the Rockies relievers doing
pre-game wind sprints. Below left; Barry Zito warming up with some long
toss. Below right; pre-game tribute to the late Rockies President, Keli McGregor.)
Aaron
Cook
preserved the Rockies’ single run lead until the fourth inning when Benji
Molina fought off a two-out two-strike pitch for a single to rightfield. Aubrey
Huff followed suit two pitches later. And then Mark DeRosa accepted
a four-pitch walk and the Giants were in business. It was then when some yahoo
decided it would be a good idea to jump onto the field. After San Francisco’s
finest frog marched the yelling yokel to his just rewards under the bleachers, Jose
Uribe promptly herded home a couple of ducks on the pond for a 2-1 lead
with a single. However, the Rockies tied it up the next inning with consecutive
leftfield singles by Melvin Mora and Clint Barmes. Melvin Mora
came in to score the Rockies’ second, and ultimately last, run of the game on a
passed ball to Dexter Fowler. But the Giants answered immediately in the
bottom of the fifth when Andres Torres walked, John Bowker
singled, and Pablo Sandoval beat out an infield single to score Andres
Torres with the go-ahead run. And then the Giants scored their next, and
ultimately last, two runs of the game on an opposite field double to the
left-centerfield wall by Aubrey Huff. Aubrey Huff, where have you
been and welcome back! (Below left; the flags flying during the National
Anthem. Below right; the Petaluma combined orchestras and choirs performing a
rousing version of the National Anthem.)
After
that mid-game uprising, Barry Zito took matters into his own left arm
and carved up the Rockies’ line up like a German chef serving up slabs of
weiner schnitzel for a beer hall full of fat, suds guzzling Visigoths. Although
Barry walked Todd Helton in the sixth inning, he quickly ended the
inning on a double play grounder off the bat of Miguel Olivo. Barry
Zito ended his evening in fine fashion when, after Dexter Fowler
doubled in the eighth inning, Barry had clean up hitter Troy Tulowitski
struck out except for the non-call by home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez
that was roundly booed by the sold out AT&T Park crowd. However,
undeterred, Barry Zito cowboyed up and got Troy to slap at his full
count offering and Juan Uribe sealed the deal with a pretty catch
near the leftfield camera well. And when Sergio Romo and Jeremy
Affeldt shared the honors of dispatching the Rockies in the ninth inning, Barry
Zito had his fourth victory of this April without a loss. Who is this
masked man anyway? (Below left; bleacher crowd before the game. Below right;
bleacher crown after the game.)
On
a final note, I happened to be surrounded by some of the rowdiest, leather-lunged
fans I’ve heard in a long time. Maybe because it was college night but these
kids reminded me of me when I was a lot younger and a little more foolish. But
they had a lot of heckle because they were on centerfielder Dexter Fowler
from the first pitch to almost the last. A lot of their jeers were just so
inane; it was hilarious. “Hey Fowler! Your shoelaces are tied.” “Hey Fowler! I
hate you personally! “Hey Fowler! Look up!” etc. It was just a good thing the
Giants won this game because their girlfriends would have been miserable having
to deal with their collective bitter disappointments had the Giants lost. But
the loudest guy was right behind me and he not only heckled Dexter Fowler,
he heckled the home plate ump even before Benji Molina caught the pitch
he demanded to be called a strike. His nice, observant blonde girlfriend
reminded me of the girlfriend in “The Big Bang Theory” who hangs around science
geeks amused by their odd behavior. But it’s all good in the neighborhood
because it’s the bleachers so everyone has a right to act as crazy as they want
to be as long as they are not profane. Go Giants! (Below left; the crazy guy
with the blonde girlfriend celebrating the Giants victory. Below right; a
fishing rod rigged up to a box to pick up baseballs off the field during
batting practice. If anyone knows the owner of this contraption, please leave
me a comment below.)
Pandamonium At The Park!
April
24. Whatever pre-game demand there was for a free wearable blanket last night;
double that for a Pablo “Panda” Sandoval bobblehead doll tonight.
The lines were about a quarter-mile long at all three major gates one hour
before AT&T Park even opened up. This bobblehead phenomenon began last
season and has continued unabated to this season. As long as there are only
20,000 items to be given away to 40,000+ fans, people will line up extra early
to assure their possession of any souvenir trinket. And the big winners are the
concessionaires in the park who get to ply their wares to practically a full
house hours before the game even starts. But it was all good in San Francisco’s
South Beach neighborhood as we fans dutifully lined up, ate, drank, and
socialized before the game as we eventually marched slowly towards the open
gates and to our just rewards. Once inside, it was one big busy party as
attendees mingled about watching batting practice and chasing down home run
balls before the game began. But once the game began, the best was yet to come. (Below left: Barry Zito warming up throwing pre-game long toss.)
The
Cardinals threw out last season’s Cy Young runner up Adam Wainwright to
face the Giants’ Cy Young winner of several seasons past, lefty Barry Zito.
This was a game to remember. The Giants seemed to be at a disadvantage due
solely to the Cardinals’ superior batting averages. The Giants have been
struggling mightily lately to score runs of any kind. (They had only one RBI
last night.) Tonight proved no different due mainly to the mastery of Adam
Wainwright. Although Adam allowed at least one base runner in all but one of
the first six innings, the only inning he allowed two base runners (the second)
came to naught when he struck out rightfielder Nate Schierholtz and Barry
Zito. He threw only about 83 pitches when he entered the eighth inning
during a scoreless game. (Below: The National Anthem.)
But
Barry Zito pitched even that much better as he started the game out with
two strike outs, ended the eighth inning with three strike outs, and threw a
total of ten strike outs after he threw about 112 pitches in eight innings
while keeping the Cardinals off the board. This game reminded me of a night
game my parents took me to at Candlestick Park watching Juan Marichal
dueling Sandy Koufax in a quick 2-1 game. This game was crisp, it was
efficient, and it was an equally awesome display of two pitchers dominating the
game. I could go on about how Barry Zito threw strike outs when he
needed them (like the called third strike to Albert Pujols in the sixth
inning) or got a double play when he needed one (like the one Albert Pujols
hit in the fourth inning after the first two batters got on base) but words
fail to do him justice. It was just awesome how well Barry Zito pitched.
It was just ridiculous!
So
it was fitting that the Giants got Barry Zito the victory after he left
the game in the eighth winning when Nate Schierholtz led off with a
double down the rightfield line and came around to score on Andres Torres‘
two-strike pinch hit single up the middle. Even Aubrey Huff got into the
act getting an insurance run on a bases loaded sacrifice fly to leftfield.
These last two games against the Cardinals were the best two consecutive
baseball games I’ve ever had the privilege to witness. It was just great. I
wonder if the Giants can keep it going against big bad Brad Penny today?
Can it get any better than this? I don’t know but I sure hope so. Go Giants!
Snuggling With The Giants
April
23. All right, what headline would you come up with if you witnessed hundreds
of Giants fans queuing up hours before the gates opened for a night game in
order to receive a free wearable orange blanket commonly referred to as a
“snuggie”? It was guaranteed that the first 20,000 arriving to the park this
Friday night would get a very warm and fuzzy feeling inside (if not outside).
Oh, and we would also get to watch the two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum
pitch a gem against the formidable Cardinals and their young pitching phenom, Jaime
Garcia.
The
Giants got out of the gates quickly this brisk early evening when centerfielder
Andres Torres punched a double down the rightfield line and came around
to score four pitches later when leftfielder Mark DeRosa beat out a
grounder to shortstop Brendan Ryan who, in turn, threw the ball past
first baseman Albert Pujols for an error. But none of the other Giants
batters could hit the ball out of the infield that inning so the Giants led the
game 1-0 after one.
The
Giants padded their lead to three runs in the third inning when Mark DeRosa
led off the inning with a single to right field and moved to second base on
third baseman Pablo Sandoval‘s single to centerfield. Then, first
baseman Aubrey Huff swung through two Jaime Garcia pitches before
rolling a double play grounder to second baseman Skip Schumaker who
booted the ball and allowed Mark DeRosa to score. Aubrey Huff
scored the second run of the inning on right fielder Nate Schierholtz‘s
hustling single to Albert Pujols. Everything was rolling the Giants’ way
this starry evening. (Below left: Brian Wilson hanging out with his BFF Barry Zito. Below right: Relievers doing pre-game wind sprints.)
In
fact, Aubrey Huff scored the Giants’ fourth and last run of the game
when opened the fifth inning with a walk. Catcher Benji Molina moved him
to second base on a single to centerfield. Aubrey then moved over to third base
when second baseman Juan Uribe hit a completed double play ground ball
and came around to score on the next pitch to rookie second baseman Matt
Downs that was wide and wild past the glove of catcher Yadier Molina.
After that, the Giants had only one more base runner in the entire game when Juan
Uribe hit a one out single to rightfield off of right-handed reliever Mitchell
Boggs in the eighth inning. (Below left: Brad Penny responding to hecklers during batting practice.)
Meanwhile,
Tim Lincecum dealt not only the baseball but also with his pitching
problems tonight. He threw only one 1-2-3 inning the entire game in the fourth
inning. Albert Pujols hit a double in the first inning. Centerfielder Colby
Rasmus and Yadier Molina led off the second inning with a walk and
single, respectively, but failed to score as Lincecum struck out both Brendan
Ryan and Jaime Garcia on 84 mph pitches. A walk here and a single
there and Tim Lincecum was enjoying a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning when
he finally gave up a run to leftfielder Matt Holliday on an infield
single, stole second base and scored on Yadier Molina‘s single to
leftfield. (Below left: The Orange Men Crew marching through the bleachers.)
All-in-all,
it was one heck of a game. Timmy had poor control but got outs when he needed
them. The Friday night crowd was loud and boisterous and everyone was as snug
as a bug in a rug when reliever Brian Wilson earned his third save of
the season by striking out the side in the ninth inning despite allowing a two
out single by pinch hitter Nick Stavinoha. After a 1-5 road trip to
Southern California last week, this was just the kind of game the good doctor
ordered. Go Giants! (Below right: Insane Clown Posse in da hizzy… WTF???:-)
ARRRRR (Be Eyes), Me Mateys!
April
12th and we had a birthday party hangover this Monday morning,
AT&T Park and I. But life is short so I got right back on that horse called
the Golden Gate Ferry and rode it across the bay to San Francisco and a
sumptuous lunch out on the South Beach Pier watching the fluffy clouds march
across the newly rain-scrubbed spring blue skies.
I
always liked the Pirates. They’re much like the Giants and I’m not just talking
about their color scheme of black and gold. They are a storied franchise that
has always had the underdog tag on them. They have traditionally developed
great players, both outfield sluggers (like Roberto Clemente, Willie
Stargell, Dave Parker, and Barry Bonds) and pitchers (like Bob
Friend, Elroy Face, Dock Ellis, and John Candelaria).
We also have shared significant player trades (e.g. Bill Madlock, Jason
Schmidt, and [hopefully] Freddy Sanchez).
Tonight’s
game matched the former Giants draft pick from Oregon, Brian Burres,
against the crafty Cy Young lefty Barry Zito. Barry began the game
predictably by pitching out of trouble leaving two Pirates on bases but the
Giants jumped on Brian early scoring three runs in the first inning powered by
the RBI singles of leftfielder Mark DeRosa and catcher Benji Molina.
Barry gave a run back in the second inning by giving up a one out walk to third
baseman Adam LaRoche and driven in with a single by shortstop Ronny
Cedeno.
Barry
Zito
admirably got through the next two innings in order until he gave up a pinch
hit single to John Raynor in the fifth inning who was brought in by
second baseman Akinori Iwamura on a double. But by then the game was all
but decided by two more runs in the third inning by first baseman Aubrey
Huff and Benji Molina thanks to the clutch two out double by second
baseman Juan Uribe. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval scored the
Giants’ sixth run in the fourth inning on a triple by Aubrey Huff into
Triples Alley (of course).
This
game happened over a week ago so the exact details of the game are somewhat fuzzy
to me now. I remember that my sister came out to the bleachers in the seventh
inning to talk to me about family matters and brought me back to her seats just
a dozen or so rows directly behind home plate. It is indeed rarified atmosphere
there because you can see the actual features of the players’ faces as they
stride past you towards home plate. Me, I prefer the anonymity of the distant
bleachers where you can shout as many crazy things as you want to the players
without a care. Here, in the box seats, one must watch one’s p’s and q’s lest
one receives reproachful stares from one’s disapproving seasonal neighbors
(heavens forbid).
But
I do remember Benji Molina capping the evening in the eighth inning with
a two run homer down the leftfield line. All in all, it was a nice and easy win
in this early 2010 season. We could only hope that all the Giants games would
be as efficiently played (especially down in Los Angeles and San Diego as of
late). The Giants will need to revert back to this form for their next home
stand against the formidable Cardinals and Phillies. Go Giants!
APRIL FOOLS!!!
It
was the first baseball game of the year at AT&T Park last Thursday and I
was there! Of course, it was just a meaningless spring exposition game between
the Giants and Athletics but, hey, we fans need our spring training games, too!
I need to get my lungs in shape. So I arrived at the park when I usually do;
during batting practice just after the gates were opened to the public. There,
I saw this guy (below) sitting in the bleachers wearing a Giants Hawaiian shirt
shooting a monologue with his video crew. I don’t know who he was or what his
schtick is but I’ll keep an eye out for him in the future. Maybe he’s filming a
videography of the Giants’ 2010 season?
This
chilly day turned even colder as evening fell but I was well prepared with my
long underwear and gloves. I also got a chance to try out my new long range
“ultra-zoom” Olympus camera though I later found out that I need to keep the
camera very still when clicking long distances at night. But I did take a
couple good shots crowd close-ups and such. I’ll be able to bring intimate pics
of the bleacher creatures to you, my blog fans, throughout this season. I can
here your twitters of acute anticipation as I type this. Here are my two best
Olympus shots:
As
for the game itself, it was entirely forgettable. Barry Zito set down
the first two A’s in the first inning but then walked rightfielder Ryan
Sweeney on a full count and, after falling behind third baseman Kevin
Kouzmanoff on a 2-0 count, Barry grooved a pitch that Kevin sent far over Nate
Schierholtz and careening off the rightfield wall for a run-scoring double.
Not to repeat that mistake, Barry then started catcher Kurt Suzuki off
with two quick strikes before hanging a belt-high slider that Kurt turned
around in a hurry for a two run homer. And that right there, boys and girls,
was pretty much the ballgame in a nutshell.
That’s
because Justin Duchscherer set down 15 out of the first 17 Giants he
faced. Catcher Benji Molina worked a four-pitch walk with two outs in
the second inning. And Justin’s potential no-hitter finally went by the boards
in the fourth inning when third baseman Pablo Sandoval punched a single
into leftfield but then he was picked off five pitches later when Kurt
Suzuki threw behind him with first baseman Daric Barton applying the
tag. First baseman Aubrey Huff promptly ended the inning on the next
pitch with a ground out to second base.
The
Giants’ only real threat of the game arose in the sixth inning when John
Bowker pinch hit a one-out double off of Justin Duchscherer followed
by a two-out single by shortstop Edgar Renteria and a walk to Pablo
Sandoval. But it all went for naught when Aubrey Huff grounded out
to Mark Ellis at second base again. Meanwhile, the A’s scored two more
runs off of Barry Zito in the third inning when centerfielder Coco
Crisp and leftfielder Rajai Davis led off the inning with a double
and single, respectively, and came around to score two batters latter. Nor did
rookie Kevin Pucetas help matters when he allowed three more A’s runs in
the fifth inning with a one-out hit by Kurt Suzuki, a four-pitch walk to
Daric Barton, an eight-pitch single by Mark Ellis, and capped by
a two-out single by Coco Crisp that drove Kevin Pucetas to the
showers to wash the stench of an 8-0 lopsided score all happening before
most of the Giants batters even had their second turns at bat. Yech!
After
that, the game was properly punctuated by the invasion of a ravenous flock of
seagulls circling around the stadium against the night sky and landing en masse
in the bleachers to feed. These birds waited all winter for the return of their
summer-long human leftover food buffet and I swear I could almost see them
smiling! So with the Giants losing 9-0 on a cold spring night by the bay, this
game truly belonged to the birds. It was April Fools on us Giants fans this
night. But I am eagerly looking forward for this season to finally begin. Go
Giants!
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas…
…and at AT&T
Park… not a free agent was calling… not even as a lark….
So Nick Johnson preferred the Big Apple and Brad
Penny the Big Arch. And no seasoned catcher worth his salt is willing to sign a
contract for just one year. In a way, that suits me just fine. I much prefer
the Giants’ “wait-and-see” attitude this year over their customary
“willy-nilly” signing of the first free agent coming down the turnpike that
gave us the likes of Edgardo Elfonzo, Ray Durham, Randy Winn, Barry Zito, Aaron
Rowand just to name a few who achieved mixed results here before. I’m willing to wait
this off-season and see what develops in the free agent market if the Giants are.
Common wisdom dictates that the Giants must acquire a
power bat or two to protect Pablo Sandoval in the middle of the batting order.
I dispute that notion for two reasons: (1) The Panda does not need protection
because he is a notoriously bad ball hitter. Many times last year, he took
pitches a foot outside and slapped them into the opposite field for hits. He is
not at all like Barry Bonds who would not offer at pitches even a few inches
off the plate and thereby broke the major league record for walks in the process. (2)
Without a primary power hitter, the Giants can still thrive as a singles
hitting team in much the way the St. Louis Cardinals were
successfully constructed in the 1980’s. If Bam Bam Meulens convinces the Giants
to become much more patient and selective at the plate next year, AT&T Park
is conducive to an offensive strategy of small ball. Adding a strong defense
and a superlative pitching staff, just averaging four runs per game for the
Giants will achieve excellent results next year.
My biggest concern is whether Aaron Rowand can dial it
down and retool his approach at the plate next year. Many times last year, I
saw him take mighty swings with spotty results. But he had his best stretch of
the season last year while batting lead off and just taking the ball up the
middle for singles and doubles. Also remember that Fred Lewis started
off the season last year red hot while batting low in the order. It was only
when Bruce Bochy promoted him to lead off that Fred’s production waned
precipitously and he never fully recovered. Perhaps he will rebound next year by
batting lower in the order. Also, Travis Ishikawa batted .349 at AT&T Park
last year while only .162 on the road. If he can improve his consistency, he would be
a valuable contributor next year.
I just heard a radio report that the Giants were
closing in on signing Juan Uribe for next year. If true, that would keep most of
last year’s team intact. I would construct the lineup in this order: Velez
(Torres); Sanchez (Burriss); Schierholz (Bowker); Sandoval (Uribe); Ishikawa
(Bowker/Guzman); Rowand (Lewis); Posey/Whitesides; Renteria (Burriss). This
presumes that Emmanuel Burriss will beat out Kevin Frandsen again next year for
a spot on the team. Of course the Giants will buy a free agent this off-season.
They cannot afford not to or risk a general uprising by its fan base. And I
expect they will wait until spring training before acquiring a short-term catcher on
the cheap. I noticed ex-Giant Eliezer Alfonzo is available. That would be a
nice reunion.
Well, the Winter Solstice has passed and now the days
are getting longer. I won’t be long until pitchers and catchers report to spring
training and it all begins anew. So until that time, stay warm and let the
visions of sugar plums dance in your heads. Merry Christmas to all and… Go Giants!
It Was The Worst Of Times…
…
and even the worster of times. It was a day game after a night game and we were
still playing the lowly Padres who haven’t played so lowly lately, and
especially against the Giants this season. The crowd was sparse this Wednesday
afternoon giving me (and the rest of the bleacher fans) the chance to spread
out like we used to do at Candlestick Park and soak in the sunshine. Barry Zito
was throwing the longest long toss I’ve ever seen him throw warming up and I
shouted to him that the date was 9-9-9 and anything could happen hoping to give
him visions of great possibilities.
But,
alas it was not meant to be. The first batter of the game, shortstop Everth
Cabrera grounded down the right field line but after Pablo Sandoval speared the
ball running into foul ground, he turned to throw it to Barry covering first
but Barry was nowhere close to the bag and Pablo had to eat the ball. So it was
only natural that first baseman Adrian Gonzalez later banged out a single thereby driving in
the first run of the game.
And
Everth Cabrera later walked to lead off the third inning (after having an 0-2
count) and came into score the Padres’ second run just ahead of Adrian
Gonzalez‘ third run (and third RBI) via a home run blast into the leftfield bleachers
for a 3-0 lead.
Valiantly,
the Giants immediately answered the Padres in the bottom of the third inning with
rightfielder Nate Schierholtz‘s one-out single to the opposite (left) field off
of soft tossing rookie pitcher Wade LeBlanc followed by lead off hitter Andres
Torres‘ home run over the centerfield wall to make it 3-2.
But
the Giants could not get any closer. A no out, two on situation in the fourth
inning died when Edgar Renteria hit a routine 6-4-3 double play to close out
the inning.
The
Giants couldn’t get another runner on base until the eighth inning which, by
that time, they trailed 4-2 on the strength of Oscar Salazar‘s solo home run
leading off the sixth inning.
Beginning
the eighth inning, both Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz drew walks off of
Wade LeBlanc which kicked him out of the game and brought in reliever Luke
Gregerson. Manager Bruce Bochy then sent up the seemingly star-crossed rookie Kevin
Frandsen (just brought up again from AAA Fresno) to bunt the batters over. But with a 3-1 count, Kevin inexplicably flicked a bunt attempt at Luke Gregerson‘s inside pitch while simultaneously running
towards first as if he was going to try and beat it out for a base hit. But all he did was pop the the ball
up high to third baseman Chase Headley for the first out of the inning.
The
crowd booed lustily as well they should. Part of it was for Frandsen’s
inability to execute a simple sacrifice bunt but I also think part of it was directed to manager Bruce
Bochy‘s decision to send the relatively inexperienced Kevin Frandsen up in a
crucial situation when he had many more experienced players on the expanded
bench to choose from. Heck, I would’ve liked to have seen Buster Posey up there to swing away
instead.
The
air was well out of the crowd by the time Eugenio Velez (pinch hitting for
Andres Torres who had already hit a home run today, fergoshdarnsakes) struck
out on a slider at his back foot. And Freddy Sanchez‘s popup to the shortstop
to end the eighth inning did nothing to calm down the crowd.
However,
to their credit, the Giants battled back again in the ninth inning off of Padres
closer Heath Bell when Pablo Sandoval lead off the inning with a line drive up the middle.
But at first base he stayed while Bengie Molina flied out to deep rightfield, Juan
Uribe struck out, and Edgar Renteria forced Panda out a second with a routine
grounder to shortstop.
So
the Giants drifted further back from the Rockies in the Wild Card Race today. But at
least there were pretty girls in the stands to brighten my mood a smidge and we now have the Dodgers and Rockies coming in next. So just when you think the
2009 Giants are out of it, they seem to have the knack to pick themselves off of the
ground and crawl back into contention. We shall see….
It should be very interesting weekend. Go Giants!
Who Let The Dogs In??? … (Woof! Woof!)
I
got to the ballpark early but there was no batting practice as I had expected
because it was The Dog Days of Summer promotion where hundreds and hundreds of
dog owners bring their four footed dependents to parade around on the field
before the game and have their costume judged. It is a highly amusing affair
and I’m basically a cat person. The looks of the first-time visiting Phillies
fans walking around the stadium were also very amusing. I’m sure they thought
this might have been an everyday occurrence in a city as consistently weird as
San Francisco.
And
to accentuate the weird was The Freak who is more formally known as Tim
Lincecum pitching for the Giants this Saturday night. Opposing him could be
nicknamed The Hulk because Joe Blanton is one big landmass of a man. I have
never seen any pitcher throw a longer long toss warming up before the game than
Joe Blanton. In comparison, Tim Lincecum wasn’t even on the field by the time
Joe Blanton had finished long tossing with his catcher Paul Bako.
During
the first half of the game, Joe Blanton pitched more like the reigning Cy Young
pitcher going just one batter over the minimum in the first four innings while
throwing 46 pitches. Meanwhile, Tim Lincecum threw 18 pitches in the first
inning because centerfielder Jason Werth hit a single; threw 16 pitches in the
second inning, threw 14 pitches in the third inning because Jimmy Rollins hit a
two out single and stole a couple bases as Jason Werth was being walked; threw
12 pitches in the fourth inning despite giving up two singles; and 24 pitches
in the fifth inning while giving up three singles including one to opposing
pitcher Joe Blanton.
But
Tim Lincecum gave up no runs while he played rope-a-dope with the Phillies
through the first five innings. And in the bottom of the fifth inning,
now-backup first baseman rookie Travis Ishikawa led off with a single but was
thrown out barely (if that) at second base trying to steal the pitch before our
centerfielder Aaron Rowand hit a double into right field. Aaron moved to third
on left fielder Fred Lewis‘ infield single off of Joe Blanton. And then
shortstop Jose Uribe hit a high fly ball into shallow right field that Matt
Stairs made a basket catch on while running in and then momentarily bobbled
before throwing home just a split second too late stop Aaron Rowand from
sliding around the tag for the first run of the game.
And
it was déjà vu all over again in the seventh inning when Travis Ishikawa led
off with an infielder squibber for a single again. But before he had a chance
to duplicate his double as before, Joe Blanton drilled Aaron Rowand on his left
forearm. That got everyone in the stands (and maybe in the dugout) riled up
because Ryan Garko was drilled high up his left shoulder near his head with a
Tyler Walker fastball. That was not cool. So Travis Ishikawa advanced to third
base on Fred Lewis‘ fly ball to centerfield and scored the Giants’ second run
on another fly ball by Juan Uribe to left field.
In
response to getting a run in the fifth inning, Tim Lincecum muscled up and set
down the next nine Phillies batters in the sixth through eighth innings. But
with 117 pitches thrown, Giants manager took out his starter in the ninth
inning for his closer. Enter Brian Wilson. I was expecting a little drama from
the World Champion Phillies. They had gone hitless for their last ten batters.
But Brian Wilson got Matt Stairs to fly out to Fred Lewis on four pitches; got
former Giants third baseman Pedro Feliz to ground out to new shortstop Edgar Renteria (because Aaron Rowand had to be taken out of the game); and finally ended the game on two more pitches when pinch hitter All
Star Shane Victorino grounded out to the game hero, Juan Uribe, to end the
game. Unleash the Dogs of Victory!
It
was a gutty win by Tim Lincecum, whose record rose to 12-3, because he was not
sharp to begin the game but found a way to battle through it without giving up
a run and close out his performance strong. And it was nice to see Brian Wilson
come in and take care of business against a good hitting team. So it will be up
to Barry Zito to see if the Giants can close out the home stand with a victory
over the World Champs. And as I yelled to Jason Werth after Aaron Rowand walked
to first base in the seventh inning, “Watch out tomorrow, Jason! Barry Zito’s
going to plant a 75 mile an hour fastball under your ribs!” Go Giants!
At AT&T Park 