Cain VS Strasburg
I gotta admit, I did NOT see us sweeping the Brewers. I don’t think anyone did. They are BAD aren’t they? Oh well, you have to beat the bad teams if you want to make the playoffs….
Tonight we get our 2nd best pitching match up of the year. Cain vs S-squared. Hey, we swept the Brewers, we’re obviously hitting well. We scored 7 off Mr Invincible (Ubaldo), why the hell can’t we knock this young chump around a little? He’s hardly been perfect since that 14 SO masterpiece….
I’m traveling for a few days. I promise not to *Schulman* the blog but my participation will be spotty. I will DEFINITELY find a spot to watch this game tonight in Reno……
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
As if there was any doubt who was winning the World Series before, you can remove what doubt might have been left: Cliff Lee to the Yankees. Thanks for playing and we’ll see ya next year.
Though its way early to stake any claims, a dominant performance by Cain tonight could put the Giants in a nice position in the Washington series. It would be a matter of momentum. Strasburg is their ace. If the Giants beat him the Nats might roll over and play dead in the next two. The Brewers played tough until the Giants got to Wolf medium late in that first game. After that they played like a rag-doll missing half its stuffing. Shock doctrine.
Way Torres, Huff, Posey and Ishikawa are hitting right now. the Giants finally have achieved that multi-barreled offensive pop. Last year the team primarily counted on Sandoval and Molina for their attack, with occasional bop-ins by others. When half the position players can hurt you on a fairly regular basis, a team can be said to be offensively potent. Could be that the Milwaukee series was an outrider, but i don’t think so. This series struck me as the one in which the offense finally jelled.
No improvement in the standings yesterdays as all four top NLW teams won. But five out one series before the Break is not a serious deficit,. This evening we will find out if that newly discovered offensive prowess is for real against the most highly touted rookie pitcher in the game. So if the team can get to this kid and give Matt the Horse a leg up, Giants could dominate the Nats in the current series.
The Lee news is disheartening to say the least. Why bother with the rest of the season? It’s astonishing how these teams — especially in the AL — continue to give top players to the Yanks.
But we must soldier on, and it’s Strasburg tonite. I saw some of his last game vs. the Mets, and while the Mets got to him a little — 2 runs in 5 innings, with a couple good hits on the hanging breaking ball — they were very patient, especially in the 1st. As someone put it, a 100 mph fastball out of the zone is still a ball. By the end of the 5th, Strasburg had thrown almost 100 pitches and he was done for the day.
Of course the Mets lost anyway when K-Rod blew yet another save.
Just curious: If the Giants do get Hart within the next couple days, does this affect the All-Star Game contest?
Well, I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but, everything I have read about this kid is he is legit. I wonder how many fans of other teams thought the same thing during Tim’s first Cy Young year. Tim dominated some pretty good offensive teams. I want the Giants to win, but I think this is going to be a 1-0, 2-1 game not a lot of offense. IMO
Gotta love the NY tabloids. Daily News: LeCon. NY Post: LeBum. And both: SON OF A BEACH.
Being a NorCal sports fan is disappointing to say the least. Miami gets Lebron/Wade/Bosh. Yankees might get Lee. It’s pretty sad to think that your teams might not even stand a chance when the season begins. I need to get outside more and stop paying attention to this shit.
Yeah Swick, and the Warriors get David Lee Ralph . . .
Oh happy day.
Just another reason to HATE the Yankees.They probably just picked up Lee so they wouldn’t have to face him tonight.
At least in the NFL teams can vault from worst to first and back again quickly. Outside of all the thugs and the burgeoning problem of increasing awareness of brain trauma issues, the NFL seems to be the best run league.
My only hope is Jimmy-hat Raye can come up with a decent offensive scheme this year, and stop shooting his own team in the feet to start every motherfucking football game.
A Smith will be fine given the chance to run an offense not based on John Robinson’s Fred Flintstone offense of the 1970’s.
Please.
Say with Runzler going down.Doesn’t it make sense for the Giants to add another lefty for the bullpen?Problem is the only other lefty on the 40 man roster is Alex Hinshaw,and he sucks with a 5.18 ERA with 24 walks in 33 innings.
As for the Lee thing, the Evil Empire strikes again. Baseball is deeply corrupted without an effective salary cap and perhaps also a salary minimum. No team should EVER be able to field a payroll more than twice that of any other team.
Of course, in an America totally dominated by the Rothschild and Rockefeller central banksters, the whole Yankee thing simply becomes metaphorical for the top-down pyramid scheme which has become the fate of the place we all were once proud to call the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. No adult possessed of any integrity whatsoever should support the damn Yankees ~ except maybe when they play the LaBumbos.
But, but a rising tide raises all boats….
Pro sports are one the best examples of the free market in action. Funny how the best run league (NFL) is “regulated” with a salary cap. Must be closet socialists or something.
Don’t blame the Yankees, they’re doing nothing wrong within the confines of the MLB rules and regulations. Blame baseball for affording them the opportunity to buy another championship, not them for taking advantage of it. I applaud them for reinvesting all the damn money they make into trying win again. Don’t kid yourself, if our Giants were raking in that kind of dough and didn’t spend it we’d be crying bloody murder. Like it or not, the Yankees are good for baseball in this instance. It’s baseball that’s bad for baseball.
The numbers for tonight’s hurlers:
Cain:
17 starts, 6-7, 2.98 ERA, 1.160 WHIP
Strasburg:
6 starts, 2-2, 2.45 ERA, 1.064 WHIP.
Looks like a shoot-out at the OK Corral. Hoping Matt shows with his sawed-off double-barrel, loaded with double ought buck.
Would be great to see the Gigantes knock this kid around like they did with Jimenez.
Orange and Black Forever…Go Giants!
Interesting (and probably accurate) synopsis, Del Mar.
I’m definitely conflicted to say the least. I don’t blame the Yankees for doing everything they can to win under MLB guidelines. I’m all for the free market in theory. In actual practice, when my team hasn’t won in more than 50 years and I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me they wouldn’t win in my lifetime, it seriously sucks.
While what Dennis says is true, Swick…I agree with you whole-heartedly.
Swick: The whole concept of free market is strictly theoretical. When 16 trillionaire families control all the world’s central banks they axiomatically also control all governments and political parties beholden to those banks; also the corporations needful of their credit; also the media and communications industry and even entertainment venues such as baseball. Within a financial hierarchical system such as we endure, the Golden Rule is what prevails: that is, them that holds the gold make the rules.
Free enterprise and capitalism are essentially total opposites, much to the chagrin of Marxists and similar economic theorizers. The old middle class in America was destroyed between the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and the insider Goldman Sachs engineered stock market crash of 1929. Since that time finance capital has been in the drivers seat and becomes more pervasive by the year.
Those of us who are idealistic baseball fans would love to see some fairness and equitability in the game. But besides the big money teams like the Yankees there are also the skimmers and scammers such as the Marlin’s owner who care little about whether their team wins or loses. What matters to them is how much revenue-sharing cash they can scoop up from the teams with the big payrolls. So the corruption in baseball runs deep, both at the top where imperial greed rules and at the bottom where corrupt owners milk the system.
Nick Swisher and Joey Votto win final vote for A/S game.Should have never come down to that for Votto.Stupid chump Manuel,obviously goes for his boy Howard even though Votto smoked his numbers across the boards.
I was amazed when the Phillies traded for lee
I was amazed when the Phillies let lee go
I am even more amazed now; but not as much as when they got CC
The Yankees are a black hole of amazement.
Giants fans are happy the team is hitting again, I am amazed it is not Panda leading the way. We swept the Brewers.
Colorado swept the Cards.
Tampa Bay is the little engine that could and SD keeps on winning.
botch derails Zito’s win; I trust he knew something I don’t.
Someone said strong offense rules the first half, strong pitching the second.
Go Giants
Yeah, he knew Zits was stinking it up and had thrown 113 fucking pitches to get through 4 2/3 innings. Jerking him was a good move.
Yeah, free reign isn’t exactly the greatest concept when you look at what the wonks at Wall St. were able to come up with unfettered by regs. “Hey! Let’s package up large piles of shit, sell them as gold, and short the banks that buy them! When they fail, the blowback is the collapse of the world-wide free market economy? The worst depression in decades? Fuck it. We’ll get ours . . . We’re too big to fail.
Rozelle back in ’63 set the wheels in motion for his ‘socialist’ revenue-sharing deal with the teams in the NFL. Good, bad, or indifferent, it sure levels the playing field a hell of a lot more than what baseball has to offer.
Teams like Green Bay, KC, Minnesota, and San Diego would likely have gone the way of the dodo bird without it.
Shit, if Sel(out)ig had gotten his way, the A’s, Twins, and Mariners would be long gone.
Swisher is a total joke. Votto eminently deserves it. But then, so does one Aubrey Huff. . .
Oh well. Last year it was Panda. I thought Manuel might toss teh Giants a bone due to last year’s snub, but no such luck.
I don’t blame the Yankees either. Old George has shown he’ll do whatever it takes to win icluding opening the vaults. He’s just working withing the parameters MLB sets up.
My problem with the Giants spending is that they should spend more (and smarter). They’re making money hand over fist in a big market. Don’t give me this crying poor BS. Up the payroll. SF fans deserve top shelf effort on all fronts.
And I think the fans would reward the owners at the turnstiles should the Giants do that, dirt.
agree ed, winning brings the fans in! a prime example is the Sacramento Kings when Webber and company were in their prime. Sold out every game. I know Giants fans would too!! another better example is the Niners of the 80’s!! sell out every game.
Yes, a winning product (and specifically, a team that truly would challenge for the WS) would certainly increase attendance. The charm of the new yard has worn off.
In 2001 (first season for Pac Bell), SF was 2nd in attendance (40.8 K per game avg).
By ’04 and ’05, they had slipped to 5th (39/40 K).
In 2008 they were 11th (35.3).
Last year – 10th @ 35.3 K/game.
Current – 9th @ 36.2 per game.
So, assume the team ups payroll say 20 mil to get near 120 mil/year for at least 3 consecutive years.
So, if the team could entice 4 K more fans/game, 4,000 x 81 games = 324,000 paying customers per year. 324,000 x 3 years = about a million more paying fans over the three years.
Do those million extra paying fans offset the 60 mil additional spent on payroll over the three years?
I don’t know…but I do know, and to use WSW’s moniker…I want to see a “World Series Win Before I Go!”
could you stop that
maths makes my head spin
And if you want to see the other side of not putting together a winner, look at the Raiders, Blacked out every sunday at home. well almost anyway.
The thing about the Raiders (and the A’s for that matter), even when they were WINNERS they managed to piss off their fan base, and alienate them. The A’s regularly didn’t sell out playoff or WS games back in the day, and the Raiders brought the team back and promptly came up with the seat licensing idea to charge fans for the right to buy tickets.
Fielding a dogshit team certainly hasn’t helped dirty Al, but look at the Warriors. They regularly sell out, but haven’t done shit in the past 17 seasons. The A’s have done fairly well with what they have, but they consistently rank in the bottom of attendance numbers. They get outdrawn by their AAA Rivercats team. Mainly because their owner has crapped on his fans, and has been begging to go anywhere but there for 7 years running. Shit, they moved to Sac, they’d quadruple their attendance numbers in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, they wouldn’t have much in the way of corporate sponsorship. I’d love to see the A’s here in Sactown.
Unca, the other thing with the A’s is that they are in Oakland. San Francisco has always been one of the top 10 tourist attractions in the world. Oakland??? I have always thought the the A’s should move. Sacramento would still be a small market team, but the attendence would go through the roof!!
Dan Runzler to DL, Joe Martinez called up.
Torres CF, Sanchez 2b, Huff RF, Burrell LF, Posey C, Sandoval 3b, Ishikawa 1b, Renteria SS, Cain P
Dennis: Looks like a LU we can live with. Not precisely the one i would prefer, but do like the notion that Bochy is showing the grace to bat Travis before RentMan.
Upon the first meeting:
Strasburg will throw a fastball
Buster will recognize the pitch immediately
Buster will swing the bat
The ball will hang in space as the bat collides with it
A flash of light
A hole in the sound barrier
Flash by Queen begins to play
Suddenly Buster and Strasburg find themselves all alone on a platform,surrounded by fire
An orb of energy bursts from the point of contact.Both the ball and bat are obliterated
Strasburg: I see your Schwartz is as big as mine.
Buster: Fuck You
Buster picks up a led pipe
Strasburg picks up a hand grenade and hurls it,115 mph
Buster swings,making perfect contact at his back hip.Sending the pitch directly at Strasburg
The grenade narrowly misses him,and explodes a mere 3 ft from his right arm
Strasburg hits the ground,badly wounded
Buster slowly walks toward him,a solemn look on his face
Strasburg rolls over: “You were always the chosen one….”
Buster looks down,smirks,and says:”This isn’t about you are me.”
He sticks out his right hand,Strasburg is confused,dying slowly of his injuries
Buster: “Take my hand you fool!”
The firestorm narrows and begins to consume the platform
Strasburg:”What’s going to happen? I don’t trust you!”
Buster:”You don’t have a goddamn choice!”
Strasburg waits a second,considers,then reaches out and takes Buster’s hand
The platform falls away.Buster and Strasburg fly high into the air,another burst of energy then blackness
Upon their return to the earth: Strasburg is traded to the Giants for Rowand and Renteria,along with a 5 yr extension.
I’m not seeing Lee as a done deal to the Yankees, where are you seeiing that?
And good news, if true:
“Rosenthal says the Giants aren’t ready to act on a trade for Hart (Twitter link). They would prefer a left-handed bat and would rather give up prospects than a major league arm like Jonathan Sanchez.”
Saw that on MLBTR. Good news. Don’t fuck with this team unless you KNOW you’re making it better, Sabes! Good boy.
Fun stuff, Kat. Maybe Hollywood could use another script writer. Just checked with MLBTR and the latest as of about an hour ago is that the Lee to the Evil Empire thing is NOT a done deal; that Seattle refused the offer and that the Yanks are backing off some AND that now the deRangers are putting on a full court press. Picture Bengie keeping the script for Cliff’s Notes behind his DDs.
That sounds right. Trading Sanchez now doesn’t make sense. I wonder if Ishi’s play will change their thinking. Any good LH hitting catchers avail?
If the Giants are going after a lefthanded slugging outfielder, it better be one who pulls it right down the line or who has Bonds-splash power. Not many of them around. Personally i’d prefer a righty swinger with dead-pull smash. My main inclination now remains a slick-fielding SS with plenty of speed. With the injury to Brandon Crawford that leaves only Manny Burriss, still nursing the foot a bit, on the depth chart. Was it GH who was suggesting Reid Brignac some weeks back?
Of course if the team could get both a smooth SS and a slugging OF without trading off much more than prospects i’d be one happy camper. Not highly likely, though.
From the Seattle PI, about 30 minutes ago:
“The all-but-confirmed trade that would have sent Mariners lefty Cliff Lee to the Yankees for a top catching prospect, among others, appears to have hit a snag, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported Friday afternoon.
“To repeat the Yankees aren’t getting Cliff Lee, Mariners concerned about David Adams ankle plus apparently another team has jumped in hard,” Sherman said on his Twitter feed.
Sherman reported that the Texas Rangers are that other team.
ESPN’s Buster Olney, citing sources, said the talks stalled over the second player in the deal, previously reported to be Adams, a second baseman. Olney indicated that the Mariners might have been pushing for a player other than Adams.
Earlier Friday, Sherman reported that the Mariners and Yankees had agreed in principle to a deal that would send Lee to New York for catcher Jesus Montero. Later reports said Adams and right-hander Zach McAllister would be included in the deal.
With the deal apparently hitting a snag, it’s possible that one or more teams have approached Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik with alternatives to the Yankees offer.
Lee will be a free agent after the season and will command a large contract, which the Yankees seemed well suited to offer.
On Thursday, Lee said the Mariners passed on a chance to sign him to a new contract before the season started.
“It’s their prerogative to do what they want,” Lee said Thursday. “They don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do. You can’t force them to do anything, so, that’s it.”
Better hope that deal goes through and grants the Yankees their wish. They could get pissed off if they don’t get Lee. Last thing we need is the Yankees to be pissed off. Next thing we know Timmy will be wearing pinstripes in a week.
Is that SpaceBalls, AK?
“May the Schwartz be with you! ! !”
I see your Schwartz is bigger than mine is from Space Balls. Some of the other lines I think come from the Star Wars series of films.
Don’t even kid, Dennis.
timmy for an aging ss (jeter) and a fifth pitcher to be named later (lee)
it could happen……
Sabes signed Jeter, I think. “Sabrmetrics — who needs that shit?! I signed Derek Fuckin’ Jeter!”
Yes it was Unca.
Lone star: What the hell was that noise?
Dot Matrix:That was my virgin-alarm.It’s programmed to go off before you do!
somebody on the splash:
what GETS me (and probably Zito as well) is that Botch has so much faith in everybody else (Panda, Row, Mo, Rent, Curly, Larry, et al) pulling through tough spells, WHY NOT give Zeet the benefit of the doubt, as well?
I am amazed at that move.
bases loaded, grand slam ties it; anything else Zito gets the win. In God we trust
Gonna be w/o Runzler for awhile. From Henry S. “Runzler MRI shows cartilage damage. No surgery needed. Out 6-8 weeks.”
JSanchez gets the same treatment. In this case, it was both peevish and justified.
Zito’s ass deserved to be pulled. If he had thrown fucking strikes when he needed, his pitch count would not have been at 113 for 4 and 2/3 of an inning. Jackass.
I remember a comment by Krukow a few months back. He was describing a time when the team was getting on the bus (they were in NY playing the Mets). A fan cries to Timmy as he is boarding something to the effect…don’t worry, you’ll be wearing Yankee pinstripes before too long. Timmy hears the guy, continues onto the bus, sits down, and say “No way, never.” Of course, any player would say that, expecially in front of their teammates. I just don’t see Tim going that direction. That would kill me to see him in the Yank-me stripes.
“No way, never.” Watch out if he ever cuts his hair.
I’m a little surprised with Martinez getting the call. Why another pitcher so close to the break? Bochy is playing with a thin enough bench as is, could have used another position player. If the pen needs to be used extra this weekend, so be it. They got next week to rest.
Zito has done nothing in his time here to justify trust. Who gives a fuck if he gets a “W”? Total bullshit….
Giants don’t need a “slugger”. They’re top 3 in the NL in HRs the last 6 weeks, 40 since June 1… I like Corey Hart, he’s a good player, as I said- a big upgrade on Nate/Aaron. As long as they leave Huff in LF and just ( in effect) platoon Burrell/Ishikawa, it would be a good trade, if they can get it done for something like Iron Joe, Nate, and Tanner…
Agree, Twin. I can’t see giving up a starter the likes of Sanchez when Zito continues with his usual fucking antics. Also agree they do not need a “slugger – 30-40/120” hitter. Someone like DeJesus, etc. that hits consistently, has some wheels, and plays a good OF is more what I would like to see (and someone they can get for Nate and a few prospects).
Missed yesterdays win, but saw late highlights. I’m totally cool with Bonehead pulling Zitoid. He’d thrown a ton of pitches, was primed to throw a gopher ball for a grand salami. And I liked Zito’s getting PO’d about it. Shows he wanted it — so throw strikes next time when you have a big lead, doofus. Bochy’s been showing some cojones lately, pulling Zito early, getting in Dirrty’s grill on the mound. Finally, he’s managing like he actually wants to win games…
MSBC reports….The Mariners getting Justin Smoak,RHP Blake Beavan,RHP Josh Lueke,2B Matt Lawson from the Rangers for Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe.
I believe the reasoning to bumping the staff back to 13 is that they used 5 pitchers to bail Zito’s ass out yesterday. They’ve been running okay with the thin bench (Uribe is out for his fourth consecutive start tonight). I think it’s a good call for the next three games, then sort it out during the break.
Yep. Sounds like the Lee trade is done.
http://tinyurl.com/29m2ydb
Commence operation “Vacu-Suck”!
One of my favorite Space Ball lines: “I’m a Mog. Half man, half dog. I’m my own best friend.”
Twin, I’m down with that kind of exchange for Hart. Sanchez. No way.
Amazing number with Strasburg: even with the 14 and 10 strike out outings, he’s yet to throw 100 pitches in a game. A lotta 1-2-3 see ya… I’d think the “get him early in the count” is the approach.
What’s that old song, “I’m my own grandpa”?
Swing early and often….its the Giants Way.
Chi . . . I mentioned DeJesus a couple of weeks ago (qualified it by saying that we have plenty of time for trades and nothing rash needs to be done.
I like DeJesus because he does a lot of things well, but not one particular thing outstanding. Perhaps, it is because he is under the radar in Kansas City and doesn’t get noticed (like the rest of the Royals, except Grienke). However, this is what I like about him:
DeJesus has 103 hits already and is batting .331, with 5 homeruns and 35 RBIs. He is a contact hitter and will give you about a dozen HRs, 7 triples, and 25-30 doubles each year. DeJesus’ 232 consecutive games without an error is the longest active streak in the majors for an outfielder. DeJesus ranked third on that list until Tuesday. Mets LF Jason Bay’s 263 straight games without an error ended when he dropped a pop fly in the ninth inning Tuesday. Cardinals OF Randy Winn’s 253-game errorless streak was halted when he bobbled a ball against the Rockies, also in the ninth inning.
I think his contract is for $6 million this year and next.
Ishikwawa said exactly what I’ve been saying: the key to his success right now is not getting in the counts where he’s going to get that backfoot breaker. What he and Bowker and Nate had been doing is being passive early in the count and taking fastballs. One of you had Joe Morgan’s funny line about that “Whaddya waiting for, a CURVE?”… there’s been so much emphasis on not being a hacker, some of the “kids” were taking good “hit mes” early, guaranteeing they’d get the unhittable 2 strike pitches …
One of the best scenes in Spaceballs…”Comb the desert” and there out there with a large comb.Fucking hilarious!
“Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn’t happen.”
— Steven Wright
Win or lose against Strasburg, whatever. It will be fun watching. Who knows, they pounded Jimenez, why not this guy? Anyway, just take at least one outta 3, and this trip would be a very successful 6-5 heading into the break, take 2 of 3, and it would be far beyond reasonable expectation at 7-4. I had them at 4-7, I didn’t figure on a Brewer team that rolled over. Geez, that is a bad team. There is no way Sabean should give them pitching, which they need desperately, without a huge bat in return. They are crying for pitching, the Brewers are in a position of weakness if they are trading for pitchers…
Steven Wright, an unrecognized comedy genius. He also said: “Posey can’t hit for power. Until he does…”
SpaceBalls. I forgot about that flick. That one is up ther with Johny Dangeruosly.
You farging iceholes!
I used to work in a fire hydrant factory.
You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.
— Steven Wright
I have not watched this kid pitch, are batters more likely to hit fly balls or grounders when they do get hits off of him. If it is grounders it could be a long night. Fly balls or line drives and I think the Giants have a chance
I agree with Snarkk, go for the jugular. I.E. Braun…
Giants’ speed begins and ends with Torres. If he can get on, it would be the key I think.
OVER RATED!
Torres!
Or that…
Merry “Strasmas” that motherfucker.