A Necessary Win Keeps Everyone off the Ledge
Yesterday, Murph and Idiot were quizzing Kuip about the state of the team, how much to worry or not to worry, is it not our year, etc….On May 8th, this is what they were hand wringing about. May Freaking 8th….Kuip countered with a weird answer that included a reference to “hanging around till Pablo gets back” and that fans should be optimistic because of the extra playoff spot to shoot for this year. Huh? We’re already ratcheting down our goals this year to raising The Wild Card #2 Flag? What the hell is that?
Last night’s win should go a long way to keeping the dream alive of winning the division. With such a long season I don’t understand how anyone could be so pessimistic as to even have thoughts about conceding the division to the Dodgers. And what if we had lost last night’s game? What if Pill hadn’t hit the bomb or Casilla had given up one? Would it be “wait till next year” on KNBR this morning?
Today I expect to hear lots of people excited and talking about what a big win tonight would be–the *message* it would send. The only message getting sent and received should be to not freak out over single game results in the beginning of freaking May.
Last year, when all the injuries hit, it was harder to be optimistic about the team. We had a bunch of aging vets who were clearly done or near done—Tejada, Burrell, Rowand, DeRosa, etc. This year we have a bunch of young guys who are still finding their production ceiling. I don’t cringe when Arias or Blanco (or even Crawford or Belt) come up to bat—Last year, even the sight of Miggy or Rowand sitting quietly in the dugout would erase my *knowing dude head nod* and be replaced by a furrowed brow and a crooked frown……..
So I’m glad we won last night but it was hardly * must win*. Tonight would be a great win, too, but if Timmy comes out and lays another first inning egg and we lose 5-1 I’m not gonna trip on it. Arias, Casilla, Belt, Crawford, Blanco, Pagan, Melky, Posey, Pill…..all these guys have an upside and there’s more reason to believe they’ll succeed then to worry that they’ll fail. Throw in a rock solid pitching staff and the impeding return of The Great Panda, and I’m very confident that we’ll win the division this year………
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Well said flav! Have been some ugly games thus far…really enjoyed last night’s game, as it showed that these guys can come up big in tight games. really enjoying arias, he has that look! I new vogey was Gina be solid last night, just didn’t know he’d be that good, he’s pitching like last year. And for the record, I’m not worried about the dodgers, better them up top than the snakes.
Rrevvritt!
Great post, Craig. Yes…anyone who thinks this was a must win has their head up their ass (sorry if anyone falls into that category…if you do, go see the doc for an extraction…you’ll feel much better).
But it was a big win. It sets them up to win the series, and I don’t care what you say…if you win series consistently, good chance you are in the dance come year’s-end.
Vogey was dealing last night, and he got some great D (for a change) behind him (what, four DPs).
Today – Time for Big Time Timmy Jim to be, well, Big Time Timmy Jim, to put the beat-down on Barbara Billingsly and the Bums, and to win the series.
vogs continues to surprise me–he threw some pitches in the middle of the plate that got whacked, but got the Ks and ground balls when he needed, mark of a good smart effort, and plenty of help from the D. And of course, mattingly who must have been the only guy on the planet who didn’t see IBB/Lopez coming, and who thought asking Uribe to bunt earlier was a good idea.
I just don’t get usefullness of Theriot, who almost f-ed up the DP that belt saved, and the runner wasn’t even near him. His offensive numbers are worse than crawford. May he is 2 for 24; vs. LHP which has been his strength over his career, he is 4 for 27 with one double. For the season his OPS is .413–.217/.196. He has the one double and three walks, all season. Even font could not have been this bad.
Belt’s near bomb off K hopefully shows bochy he can hit LHP and needs to be in there every day. Even if he is not a middle order power guy yet, his patience and OB plus stellar D so far have to seal that spot for him.
Yeah Willie – I’m with you (as many here are) in wanting to see Belt at 1B regularly.
And I am with you on Theriot…I would even rather see Burriss in there more frequently. Lifetime stats, Theriot holds the edge, but this year, they have almost identical numbers of games/plate appearances. The numbers are not even close. I would rather have Burriss’s speed in there, and have Theriot as an option off the bench.
Dodger Giants games always carry a bit more weight. But there was a sense of urgency with LA up 5 games already. Just May, but you don’t want to be looking up and seeing them 8-10 games in front. That can create a sense of panic among the young troops and they start pressing. Beating LA is always sweet but beating their best made it even sweeter. And they did it with their hallmarks; pitching and defense. With a 20 game stretch ahead, tonight’s game would be nice to win behind Lincecum. More important is for Tim to get his confidence going. Without Pablo, they are going to need all 5 starters to be at their best.
The starters have been doing their job. They have held opponents to three earned runs or fewer in 19 of their last 20 games. Tighten up the D and score some runs, and everything else will take care of itself.
No secret Tim has struggled.
No doubt…but he is coming around.
In his last three starts he is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA (four ERs in 18 innings) with 17 strikeouts. The bad – he has also dealt 13 BB in those three starts.
Chi, I’m just thinking they can ill afford another 3 run first.
I agree…need a couple of goose eggs to start this game.
Weatherproof games: Reds-Brewers, Marlins-Astros, Cardinals-Diamondbacks, Tigers-Mariners, and of course, your Giants-Dodgers game. 🙂
Rays-Yankees, White Sox-Indians and Mets-Phillies will all likely be interrupted by a brief period of rain in the late innings. However, none of these games are in great danger of being postponed.
I wouldnt mind seeing the Giants offer up a prospect to the Astros for 3b Chris Johnson.
Johnny: [in a creepy voice] They’re coming to get you, Barbara!
Barbara: Stop it! You’re ignorant!
Johnny: They’re coming for you, Barbara!
Barbara: Stop it! You’re acting like a child!
Johnny: They’re coming for you!
[points to the cemetery zombie]
Johnny: Look, there comes one of them now!
Barbara: He’ll hear you!
Johnny: Here he comes now! I’m getting out of here!
dude. meds wearing off 🙂 ?
No shit! What you been smoking, Steve?
Ewisco, I need more, lots more . . . By the by, you’ve never heard of Night of the Living Dead? Barbara —-> Chad Billingsley. Umm . . . forget it. 🙂
Ted would have gotten the connection.
Loved that movie but don’t remember bab’s in it. my brother and i watched it on creature features when we were like 11. scared the shit out of me. I’ve been a raving paranoid since 🙂
I got it Blade…just wanted to mess with you. I too did not recall BB being in the movie.
Taking showers is my weak point after seeing Psycho. I keep thinking that Huff will show up . . . never mind.
guess i mis-remembered vogs K’s, since the only one he got last night was kershaw. But, I do think a guy like that out dueling Kerhsaw in his own back yard is a big thing. Might be a torturous season, but strength of PS is tremendous ad over all other teams in division. If SPs can continue to go deep in games it should save wear and tear on the pen. Speaking of which cards go off on an AZ starter for the second night in a row–DBs have lost 4 in a row.
I almost choked when I saw in the Chron a note about FS as possible replacement at 3b. “He told the org the throws from third are easier on the shoulder than the more awkward throws across the body that a 2b makes on balls up the middle or on DP relays.” Huh?
Further, “Sanchez played 3b for Pit when he won the NL batting title 06. The Pirates moved him to 2b the next season when they made 3b Jose Bautista the everyday player.” The Pirates had that JB, the one on Toronto?
and what about the throws on bunts? no cross body motion there? not going to happen.
or starting around the horn DP/throw to 2b for force. if he can’t handle IF practice from 2b, this is mind boggling.
That has been what I have been saying the past two weeks!! This is the second freaking week in May!! Doomers were ruling the universe for some reason. for me I like Crawford, I think the pressure to produce was effecting him. With this pitching staff the Giants still need to put the best Defensive team on the field. Bochy needs to quit messing with the line up to “hopefully” produce some offense. Lets go Giants and Timmy will do great tonight!!!
Doomers should be boiled in oil.
Doubters should be stripped naked and run through the streets!
“Or even Crawford or Belt”…you really won’t quit, will you? Lumping Belt in with Mario Crawford is a fucking joke.We should all thank the Lord that Bochy has come to his senses on Belt, even if it took some misfortune for it to happen. Crawford? He almost blew it with his ole on a ground ball, fortunately the brilliant DP from Posey,Arias, Belt saved his ass.
Anyway, tonight IS a big game, another poor performance from Lincecum should raise serious concerns, although even a good one shouldn’t be taken as an end to them- he’s transitioning into a totally different picther than the one who won a couple CYs and he’s going to have more rough stretches.
As far as Burriss/Theriot, I expect to see Culberson before long, with Manny staying on as a utility guy. They still have third base to address, as Arias is going to need to play SS.
The pen hasn’t been as bad as that BAA stat showed. They’re 8th in the NL in ERA, and one of the reasons the BA is high is because they rarely walk people. Actually, considering the turnover, the pen has been very good, a tribute to the depth there.
I’ll finish with a Pavlovic quote on Belt, who had as much to do winning last night’s game as anyone:
“Brandon Belt had a seven-pitch walk in his first at-bat against Kershaw and just missed a homer later in the game. He has more than earned the right to keep getting tested against left-handers. But you all knew that already.”
Funny htough, I’ve yet to hear any of the talking heads mention his .348 average against LHers in 47 AB last year. OF COURSE he should start against them. Frankly, they now do have to figure out a way to keep him and Pill in the LU as much as possible. BTW, Pill has actually looked pretty good in LF- certainly as good as Huff and way better than Burrell did.
Ok, so, why does the lead for this thread say “Necessary win…”… if everyone is saying that it wasn’t a “must win”… Necessary and must are pretty damned close. I think it was a must win, or at least what was “must” was someone stepping up. I use that little phrase a lot here, but that’s what we need in situations like the team’s current state. And we got that in that game, from a bunch of players, finally. A hopeful sign and confidence booster for the team. And, it was “must” because ya’ll would be pretty grouchy here if they’d lost…
Just a bunch of old grouches!
If Sanchez says he can play and 3b is a viable option for him then put him in there and move Arias to SS or 2b if the Crawford must continue.
Arias actually has more history at 2B…his FP is only slighly better at SS as opposed to 2B. Sanchez at 3B…I’ll believe it when I see it…
Yeah, I hear that but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened. The plays to really worry about are the bunt and turning two from 3rd baseman to 2nd to 1st.
Sandoval can’t come back soon enough.
If, and you always must begin any conversation about Freddy with “if”… he was healthy, sure, I’ve always been a Freddy fan, would love to have him back today. But I’m not sure I’d bet that he’ll be back before Pablo is, so it’s probably moot.
Must win? No, but a loss would have been a pisser and a half. Winning this series after the debacle of game one would be great. Also, getting Timmy through a 1st inning clean would be enormous.
The concern for me is defense. I didn’t think it would be, but here we are. The hope is Bochy settles down the lie up a little. Crawfiord has been a butcher out there, and Pill in LF should be abandoned. Pagan is the reincarnation of Dr Strangeglove AND Rueben Sierra on the basepaths. Belt HAS to stay in all the time. I dont think Posey digs out the throw in the DP in the 8th since it was to Belt’s glove side. Arias was a welcome relief at 3rd. So, Lobsterboy plays at SS and hopefully settles in better. Burriss over The Riot should be as much a no-brainer as Belt over Huff (or Posey, or Sanchez, or Gehrig). They may not be legit full time major leaguers, but the old in-out in-out of the line up doesn’t help anyone.
Pretty big stretch there, Blade. Saw NOTLD on Creature features as well. When I was 9 they showed it uncut at midnight (1970?). Bob Wilkins was beside himself with giddiness. My brother wouldn’t let me go to sleep. It scared the crap out of me. Loved it though.
Pill has been completely adequate in LF and he and Huff should handle that and both back up Belt as well. Until/if he takes over for Pagan, Blanco is just fine being used as he is. I was against Pill in LF originally too, but one has to adjust their thinking when it’s warranted- he’s looked more comfortable everyday. But there is not going to be an everyday LU, you guys need to give it up. Posey, Melky, and now Arias and Belt should be in everyday ( with Belt getting some days off to get ABs for Pill and Huff beyond what they get in LF). The rest of the LU should definitely be mix and match.
Dude you are showing your age if you know who Bob cigar smoking Wilkens is!! He was great!!
BW was the MAN! I forgot to mention that my parents were gone which is why we were up late watching. on the ol’ black and white (not that it mattered for this movie).
So, I’ll take credit for inspiring Pill to prove me wrong. (GRIN)
Hey, if Romney can try to take credit for saving the auto industry…..
—-
I saw the SJ Giants defeat Modesto 7-6 last night. The star of the night was the SJ Giants’ firstbaseman Oropesa, with a towering homer to rightfield, and a double to the gap in rightcenter. Panik had a single, and a grounder to move a runner to third with no out. Susak had 3 walks, and threw out a runner trying to steal second.
What has Pill done in LF that is so horrible? They need his RH bat against Lhp with Pablo out, Hector not hitting much from the right side and Theriot hitting .190.
Pill has been fine.
Pill is fine? Well, I think he’s a disaster in the making. Whatever. Huff can show him the ropes.
Freddy can’t throw to first from 2nd base. There’s no way on God’s green earth they put him at 3rd. His arm would fall off after 2 games. Arias is there for the immediate future.
You may not think so, Mike, but I think a lot of the defensive problems stem from moving guys all over the place and not getting consistent playing time at any spot.
Or are they now working out Hector at 3rd, DNR?
According to F. Sanchez, the throw to third is easier on his arm than some of the across-the-body throws of secondbase. It does seem like dubious logic, though. Thirdbase has some difficult throws, too, obviously.
I meant the throw FROM third.
I’ve posted on the defensive problems well before this. The biggest issue is Buster playing first base, which I was gainst sine berfore ST. And he’s in more danger for injury there than catching because he doesn’t knopw how to take off target throws properly- he’s going to break his arm. But the biggest defensive liabilites have been Crawfodand Pagan, who do not move around.
Tell you what, pal- worry about Hector playing first or third when it actually, you know: HAPPENS..
Both of those were for Chuckles.
As for Pill, he has to bring some pizzazz to the offense to justify playing leftfield on a platoon basis. And kudos to him- he hit the biggest Giants homerun since 2010.
Pill is now hitting .270 OBP .340+, OPS .855
Counting last year, in 87 AB, he has 4 HR, .287 BA .330 OBP .870 OPS. He’s more than justified regular time.
Beating Kershaw just has to be a huge psychological lift for the team.
I wouldnt mind seeing the Giants go after AStros 3b Chris Johnson….They could do a lot worse.
Pablo will be back, you know. Johnson only plays 3rd base. Makes zero sense.
Wilco . . . No idea if the Giants would be able to score Johnson. Regardless, good eye with regard to Johnson – I have been observing him for the last couple of weeks, insofar as adding him to another FL league I am in. He has been hot recently, in three games (last week), Johnson hit three home runs, including a grand slam Saturday, to go along with 10 RBI as the Astros won each of those games.
it would be ridiculous to trade for a third baseman..what do you propose they do with him in 5 weeks?
As to Pill and those still ragging on him-look on the bright side- he could very well mean the end for the hated Huff if Aubrey doesn’t hit right away..
Read my first sentence . . . I could give a rat’s ass if they try to deal for him. I was referring to him being a good player and possibly a good FL pickup.
Your sentence just says you don’t know if they could get him. It’s a stupid idea for the reason I gave.
Unless they try Huff or Pill at third, we’re probably stuck with a lot of Crawford at SS until Pablo gets back. Barring a miracle with his hitting,that should spell the end for Mario-if not before.
You won’t get Johnson for the crap they have to offer. but it does make sense to try to upgrade the position and get some overall depth. You can lose a lot of ground in 5 weeks, and who’s to say Panda won’t have a setback or go down again with some other injury…
He’s a starting third baseman, and you don’t trade for a second starting third baseman “just in case” there’s another injury to the other. Duimb dumb dumb unless they know Panda won’t be back.
Don’t call me dumb, you big idiot. I said “upgrade the position and get some overall depth”. I didn’t say go out and get Mike Fuckin’ Schmidt…
I said it was a dumb idea, not that you’re dumb. But you sure don’t know baseball. In 5 weeks what would you do with him? He’s not coming here to back up Pablo and he’s sure as heck no fucking upgrade on Pablo.
If he played any other position ( in the minors he played a grand total of 37 games at first and SS five years ago) it could make some sense. But as exclusively a third baseman for 5 years? OK, not a dumb idea. Idiotic.
I didn’t suggest Johnson, and I’m only looking to upgrade Pablo’s fill-ins, not Pablo….
But you don’t upgrade the fill ins with anybody who would cost them what a starter would fetch. As I said- if a trade were made it would have be for either a utility player or a starter who can play a different position when Pablo returns. The is Baseball 101. Anyway, so who?
Mike, DNR had mentioned Sanchez playing 3rd. I, somewhat jokingly said “do you mean Hector?”
I guess when you have to explain the jokes . . .
Hey, if Pill keeps hitting, great. I mean he can’t be any worse than Pagan out there . . .
Someone else had wanted us to trade for a shortstop just in case the two we had got hurt. This wasn’t instead of the other two (Uribe and Renteria), it was in addition. Brignac I think it was. These are all great ideas once MLB increases the active rosters to 40 guys.
The other day there was some interesting stuff posted about the relationship between Mays and Aaron. It got me wondering about the realtionship between Mays and McCovey. Never heard or read much about it. Two guys from Alabama – long time teammates – still prominent with the organization. Anybody have any insights?
McCovey was one of the many people Mays resented, at least back then.
Was there anybody he didn’t resent besides Hal Lanier?
Probably not.
I wasn’t calling anyone here dumb, just that trading for a starting third baseman was just not a well thought out idea. There are a lot of dead wrongo ideas here, you boys should be ragging on those, not my entirely 100 percent correct one.
Dirrrrrrrrrty hits the DL with left biceps tendinitis.
He’s what they refer to nowadays as “a hot mess”.
Hardly surprising. There are those who choose to ignore that he was actually pitching at close to 2010 level through May of last year, then he blew up. I doubt he’s been sound since then.
R i i i i i i i i i i i i ght . . .
I knew you’d be on that. Actually, you have no grounds to dispute it , just your usual basket case crap. But no one can explore the numbers have a different conclusion than mine.
Maybe he just got hurt, skippy. Just because you say it was a lingering injury doesn’t make it so.
I knew you would spout your grassy knoll theory as well . . .
I use statistical evidence that supports that he’s not been the same since early June of last year. You have your basket case bullshit. I’d spell out the numbers for you but we all know what you think of those.
And I know what you think of everyone’s opinion but your own.
11 starts through May of 2011- 64 IP 47 H 34 BB 71 K 3.38 ERA
Since: 14 games 62.2 IP 58 H 53 BB 49 K, ERA over 6.
No unbiased ( and I don’t mean bias by race or ethic, just an unfounded “Dirty Bias”) , can look at those numbers and not see that something happened. Since he did end up on the DL last year and now again, the injury theory has a lot more credence than the head case slander.
Physical problems are a far more likely cause for a decline in performance than bullshit “head case” scenarios, which are few and far between. The dramatic decline in velocity over the first few innings we saw also point to the biceps tendinitis.
So, how many doctors missed the tendinitis between last year, the trade, and now? 2, 4, 6, 8?
Dirt, Sent ya a trade request . . .
I’ll take a look tonight and get back to you.
hope you got some thick skin Chuck, Dirt doesn’t hold back if he thinks you’re trying to take him for a ride! 🙂
Dirrrrty had to pass a physical when he was traded, if he’d been injured since last year you would think that the Royals would have noticed it and bailed on the trade……
Just lookin for fair value my man!
No one can possibly look at the numbers I gave you and not see that something went wrong, and that it happened suddenly. The theories put out by Chuckles and other basket case afficionados don’t work. As far as the doctors, maybe they’re just as bad the ours, the ones trashed constantly here.
the point is, you don’t fucking know either. Guessing that KC’s doctors suck and that they missed an injury is certainly a possibility but it is far more likely that they DIDN’T miss an arm injury because he didn’t have one until now. Assuming that it’s been a lingering injury for a year is just a complete reach especially when the player has been involved in a trade where a team of doctors gave him a physical and passed him to ok the trade……..
And I really don’t care one way or the other. Sabean schooled KC on that trade and that’s all that really matters…..
No, the point is not that I don’t know- the point is that you and the other guys who have trashed him have no plausible theory on how his numbers went downhill so quickly.As pointed oiut, a couple stays on the DL lend credence to the injury scenario, you have never offered anything to explain the why of the June 2011 blow up.
I don’t think I care enough to try to explain it.
Heard it, so thanks.
Nothing wrong with Pill in LF.If you can with a liability with Burrell out their then its easy putting Pill out their.He is so much better then Burrell,and I hope Boch keeps playing him,cause he can drive the ball with power.They need his stick in there right now especially with Panda out.
I think we’ll see Pill more because there is not other oprion but Burrell was 3x the hitter that Pill is or will be so the trade off was easier to accept. Pill deserves credit for improving out there though.
Maybe that’s what you think will be about them as hitters, but it’s not supported by what Pill has done- in limited (87 AB) action he’s been at least Pat’s equal. This can be verified at Baseball Reference.
Pill has to jack the occasional homerun to make it worth it, as a leftfielder, which he did last night, of course. Last night’s homerun was Burrell-esque.
Did you miss seeing his numbers? The only discussion should be how to get him more at bats.
Yeah, and I saw some of the horrible ABs he had in some important situations this season.
All of the players have had those. Fact is- he has the highest OPS of all active players. And he has not hurt on defense. As I’ve said, I think I was as skeptical as anyone, but one shouldn’t cling to preconceived notions. He’s been one of the very pleasant surprises.
Pill wil be getting plenty of time in LF, as he should. He may still show why he wasn’t highly thought of, but until/if that happens, he should get all the playing time they can give him. There is no counter argument.
We know there will be mixing and matching no LUs…has to be.
Given that, I would like to see the following getting “most of the starts:”
OF – Pill, Pagan, Cabrerra
3B – Arias
SS – Crawford
2B – Burriss
1B – Belt
C – Buster
Not saying this is the EVERY DAY line-up, just this is who I would like to see get most of the starts.
meant to say mixing and matching “on” LUs…
I agree.
Theriot’s batting stats the last few games, hell, the season so far, are pretty bad. If he keeps this up, along with less than stellar range and glove/throw work, Sabes may have to get a rent a player for second at the deadline. Burriss is not the answer. I can’t imagine him starting in a string of playoff games, or a one-game WC playoff. Freddy looks like he’s not coming back, or not coming back in any kind of playable shape. There’s got to be a decent, veteran 2nd baseman somewhere out there that won’t cost an arm and a leg. If not, maybe it’s Arias after Panda gets back….
I was speaking of LU in the short-term until Pablo returns and we know more about Glass. Until then..I think Burriss should get the most starts at 2nd.
Twin mentioned the possibility of Culberson…who knows if that happens or when.
I feel pretty confident that they’d go with Culberson before trading for a veteran. As they should.
I’m a little surprised by the Pill negativity. I’m still pretty skeptical he’ll keep up his current numbers, because he’s yet another Giants hacker, but there’s no gainsaying that OPS. The HR off of Kershaw was on a pitch way up and in . . . you could read that as a sign of more good things to come.
It’s related to how much Belt starts at first. I’d like to see Belt getting most of the starts at first, so that leaves Pill having to compete for starts in leftfield, which puts him directly against Blanco. Blanco brings better defense, but Pill provides more power on offense. If Blanco played more regularly, then maybe his offense would be more consistent. I don’t think Pagan is going to sit much, regardless of his problems on defense. Admittedly, I’m not much of a stat person. I was at the game where Blanco batted lead-off and got on base 4 times. He’s an intriguing player.
Blanco CF, Burriss 2B, Cabrera LF, Posey C, Belt 1B, Schierholtz RF, Arias 3B, Crawford SS, (Lincecum P)
Good line-up
Ah, I forgot Pagan pulled something in his leg.
Mild hamstring pull…Bochy said he was going to sit him tonight even before the injury. Pagan wanted to stay in the game. Bochy doesn’t expect him to be out for long. And I agree on your earlier post…I don’t see Pagan sitting much, even with the shoddy D.
Probably the best defensive LU, they could go with….I still think Nate’s more valuable off the bench and as a late defensive replacement though….Bochy sticking with his M.O. of not rewarding the guy with the big hit.
Despite the sound bites about winning NOW, Bochy’s M.O. has always been getting all of his guys their ABs. He knows it’s a 162 game season and he’ll need all of them. I’m sure a big part of the reason Nate is starting is because he’s 8-19 with 4 extra base hits against Babs. The only HR by our current group against the Lady is by Belt, BTW.
Anyone still drinking the Nate kool-aid? This is my fool-proof anti-jinx. (grin)
I know I trashed the Minor League system last night and I still don’t trust ANY position player in the system, but I would be interested in seeing what Roger Kieshnick could bring to the table…His college numbers in the Big 12 were very similar to Belt’s…In fact they played against each other quite a bit…Roger’s uncle Brooks was one of the great Longhorns during Roger Clemen’s era at UT…Would likely take a trip to the DL by one of the current OF’s for that to happen.
You’re right Joe…I don’t see him getting a look anytime soon.
If he weren’t LHed, he’d probably be here now. He’ll certainly be up in September or before if Pill fulfills his detractor’s wishes or Huff is DFAed (very possible)_
It’s not a “wish.” That’s baloney.
When you can actually pick out the guy with the highest OPS on the team to rag on about poor ABs, it does make one wonder.
If he’s so awesome, why doesn’t Bochy start him more?
He is starting more than earlier. He’s started 3 games this month, 6 all of April. Who said
“awesome”? I gave you facts about his hitting performance.
Who said “wished”?
I did. Seems accurate.
And typical of your passive-aggressive approach.
Passive? Funny.
With all the praise that gets heaped on Josh Hamilton for his baseball exploits (and deservedly so), he kind of gets a pass from the media on World Series performance. He’s basically laid an egg in both World Series so far. 2 for 21 against the Giants, and 7 for 29 against the Cardinals, with a homerun in each Series.
Well Zumie,I will agree that Hamilton shouldn’t. get a pass in the W/S against the Giants, he stunk with just about every other Ranger against are dominating pitching.
But against the Cards ,he would have been the W/S MVP after blasting his HR in extra innings to give them the lead only to see the bullpen “Choke” away the game and the series in the bottom of the inning.
The Surly Prick wasn’t much in WS play either….
Cepeda was also a huge WS flop…
I don’t how much of a pass Hamilton gets, I don’t read the Texas newspapers and blogs, maybe he does, maybe not.
Late to the blog today. Good stuff. They’re coming to get you, Barbara
Finally, someone that follows popular culture and gets it. Thank you Ted.
Well, that could be the Beaver or Night of the Living Dead..
Most people who know the game are surprised by Pill’s performance, he wasn’t considered a prospect. But he’s exceeded all expectations and has not given any reason to warrant the criticism- at the plate or in the field.
I agree with this. Byrnes had an interesting take on hitting in the big leagues. He said that lots of guys in AAA could hit consistently at the big league level if they got a chance to play consistently. Of course, we know all about the Linden’s, Ort-Rod’s, Bowker’s etc but it’s interesting to wonder how many other “Pill’s” or “Guzman’s” are down there. He said just about anyone can hit a major league fastball in the minor leagues, it’s the off speed/breaking stuff that makes or breaks a player. I know I’m not telling you guys anything you don’t know, but I like hearing this shit from a guy who played the game. Byrnes has a little bit of *idiot* in him but he gets the game, obviously.
I’ve decided I really like Tolbert and him together—two guys who take turns being the *experts* on their respective sports but both know enough to comment intelligently about either. It’s so refreshing to hear this new show vs Tolbert and Raspy
“Most people who know the game are surprised by Pill’s performance”
Is that a fact? What did you do, take a survey?
It’s not in doubt..if you know the game, that is..
I’m willing to believe that Pill is getting better and better at playing defense in left field. He didn’t hurt the team defensively to start the year and if he’s getting better, which can be assumed with all the reps he’s taking out there, then I would be fine with him playing more often in LF.
But if you’re a young player on the team right now it has to be a little frustrating that Bochy doesn’t reward you with a start after a big game. Belt won the game for them the other day, sitting the next day. Pill essentially wins it for them last night, sitting today. I get that Bochy is all about match ups but there is something to be said for rewarding a young player with a start after a big game. It likely would improve their confidence. What does sitting the day following a big game do to their confidence? And if it’s just to get Nate into the line up, well, fuck that……..
My original point was more-so in regards to Pill playing leftfield. That his value would be in providing power to the lineup, to justify the loss in range in the outfield. He had 1 homerun in whatever many ABs before that. Now he has two, obviously. It was an awesome homerun. Turning on a high-inside pitch, bringing his arms in, the whole deal. It’s amazing that players can homer on high inside pitches, and not just foul it off.
So in keeping with the “on pace for” crap, Belt is on pace for 0 HRs in 500 AB, Pill is now on pace for 27 if he got 500 ABs..
I think 8 for 19 against Babs is very good reason.
Actually that might be the reason to sit him. I’m serious, and I’ve been doing this a lot with the Beat the Streak contest. The players with the best percentages against a pitcher are always the top picked guys in that thing. But when you’re hitting ..600 off someone it’s unusual that your average would go up and the most popular hitters picked based off % vs pitcher are often going 0-3, seeing their ba drop vs that particular pitcher, and eliminating players in the BTS contest. If all you had to do was find a hitter who was 8 for 19 off a pitcher every day to assure advancing there would be guys breaking that 56 game hitting streak all the time. But no one’;s ever done it in 12 years of playing.
I don’t subscribe to that “ownage is ownage” thing. Maybe if you’re 18 for 41 or something. That’s a lot of at bats against one guy. But sometimes a hitter is just in a great groove and happens to get the same pitcher while in the groove. If you’re 6 for 10 against someone or 1-8, I’m sorry, but that just isn’t a big enough sample to start handing starts out just based off that……….
8 for 19 is a bit more than 6-10. It’s enough to be noteworthy, IMO. Now I’m sure he’ll go 0-4 but it’s a real reach to suggest the start isn’t warranted.
Yes, it’s more significant than 6-10. I don’t have a major prob with him playing. I was just making an observation that Bochy doesn’t seem to look for opportunities to reward young players who have big games with a start the next day
I’ve spent the frigging afternoon defending Pill so obviously I like how he’s playing. But these are big boys. His “reward” is helping his team win a big game and putting himself in a position for more starts. More interesting, IMO, is that Huff is out with the RHer going.
Yeah, I don’t really understand the point of activating Huff if all he’s going to do is PH. The Mota thing created a spot but Bochy seemed to indicate Huff was getting activated regardless.
I’m cool with your “big boy” comment but you aren’t consistent. You have indicated many times that you think Bochy is fucking with Belt’s confidence with his comment about him and by not playing him consistently. Shouldn’t they all have to be big boys at this level?
Interesting that Theriot is 7/19 against Billsy. Nate could be coming around…3 straight hits I believe after that 1-25 or something stretch.
Huff 4-27, 8 K’s. Might be why he’s sitting.
If there’s shit about Nate starting, imagine Huff…
I don’t see any inconsistency at all. I’ve posted often that I think Pill should get some first base starts instead of Posey. Having a guy sit once in awhile is hardly the same as making him the only guy whose swing “hole” is national news. The pub they’ve generated on that is ridiculous.
Especially since it’s the same hole about every tall LH hitter has. If it was so easy to get rid of, maybye Ryan Howard would have gotten rid of it by now..
Well when Belt hits his first home run of the year, maybe the criticism will begin to wane……
I was talking specifically about Belt. You have said you think Bochy is messing with his confidence with his public comments about him and by not playing him regularly. But above you talked about these players being “big boys” your reward is “helping the team win”– I’m just asking if Belt is excluded by you when you’re assigning big-boy status to everyone else. Serious question, not being a dick
I answered it. Read it again.I’ve posted that Pill should get first base starts. OPbviously that’s at the expense of Belt. And the rest was answered also “Having a guy sit once in awhile is hardly the same as making him the only guy whose swing “hole” is national news. The pub they’ve generated on that is ridiculous.” If Bochy and Sabean made the same comments about anyone else, I would object to that as well. Asked and answered…
I’m going to discontinue the Belt discussion with you again. Since almost everyone except Loo disagrees with you about him, you should have no problem drumming up a conversation.
I was just asking you about your *big boy* comment. I read your answer and it still sounds 2-sided to me. You think everyone should be a big boy at the MLB level except Belt—otherwise, you’d wouldn’t be saying that Bochy is messing with Belt’s confidence with his public comments about him. Big boys don’t give a shit about what someone says about their swing, do they?
and by the way, there isn’t any *national news* going on with Belt’s hole. Most of the nation probably doesn’t even know who he is and they damn sure aren’t reading about Bochy’s harmless comments about his swing…….
People who know the game know about Belt’s hole………………and his fat wife.
Belt knows about his hole and, presumably, the physical dimensions of his well nourished wife. Bochy discussing the hole with the press didn’t send the guy into a weakened state of mind. That is, unless he’s a pussy and there’s no reason to think he’s a pussy. Look, Belt IS a big boy. He’s made it this far, he knows the deal, I just don’t like some guys having to be *big boys* and some guys getting excuses made for them because the manager commented on their fucking swing to the press. As I said, hit a home run and maybe you get a little more slack. You simply cannot be a first basemen and bat in the 5 hole and not hit for power. At some point, Belt has to start doing that. THere is no debate about this, it HAS to happen or he can continue to sharpen his tools in the minors………
Hey Ive been on record saying Pill should be in there.Belt and Pill are 2 key guys to this season if Boch will only play them.
Pill is are new version of Dave Kingman,not the power# but who really knows cause they won’t. start him often enough to find out.But he’s no butcher in the field that Kingman was.
Alley, I don’t really get the Pill/Kingman comparison. Elaborate if you’d like.If not, don’t sweat it. I didn’t really understand your post…….
To me Pill and Kingman was are both tall lanky guys,although Kingman is taller then Pill who was 6’6 they both have/had that bad ass attitude that their not gonna get cheated at the plate.I like that approach.Sure Pill will be like Kong and K alot but he will still drive the ball hard and hit some Bombs that still haven’t landed like Kingman.
Maybe their is still hope for Pill to play more.When Kingman played for the Giants they had him everywhere ….1B,LF,RF,3B and even found time to pitch 4 innings. IN Bochy’s revolving carousel anything is possible.
If Pill doesn’t implode in the field and he keeps hitting he will get plenty of starts. I still don’t see the king kong comparison– he was known for his monster HR’s and his propensity to strikeout-// pill doesn’t do either in a noticeable way
Mets 9, Phillies 4 in the 8th. World has turned upside down. Film at 11.
It’s about time that Ike Davis did something. I thought he’d hit 30 bombs this year. Torres with a triple and a run scored, continuing his nice run since he got back from the DL. My decision to pick him up off the waiver wire (in 2 leagues) and start him has been rewarding……..
Conversely, I am canning Lucas Duda (or doo doo) as I call him . . . Somehow, amazingly, Eric Hosmer was waived and I claimed him. He is down too this year, but he is hitting the ball (unfortunately, it is always landing in someone’s glove) and has waaaaaaaay more upside than doo doo.
Hosmer got waived in the flap league? By who?
Vungo just hit a bomb. He’s happy, I’m happy …
No Flav, another league I am in. Guy is an idiot.
Good. I was hoping a flapper wouldn’t make a mistake like that. But whatever, score for you. Nice. If Hosmer got waived in an nfbc league every owner would empty his free agent bank account to secure him
By the way Paul (Asian, not the fibrous one seeded drupe), I used the word *necessary* in the title of the thread to connect to the *hand wringers*. It was *necessary* to keep them off the ledge. My headline writing skills leave a lot to be desired, I know……….
Sure long for the days when your 3 Outfielders along with your 1B and 3B all hit 20-25 Bombs a year.Never gonna see that happen again.Maybe in the AL but no way in the NL.
What yr Did that happen?
Bochy made it sound like that if and when Freddy returns, he’s going to play 3B. The throw is easier on his shoulder and what not. Doesn’t have to pivot and all. Good luck with that.
Yeah, good luck. But as I’ve said for months, he’s never playing up here again unless he plays as a DH or a 1b
3B for Glass…Who are the Giants kidding.He couldn’t make the freaking toss back to the pitcher after an out in the infield when they toss it around.
Was Brett Pill wearing an orange Swatch watch? I thought those died in the ’80’s.
The top of the first, why not have Blanco try to steal second, THEN Burriss bunt to get him to third with one out. Burris was already down 2 strikes before they sent Blanco. IF Burriss can bunt, that is. Bochy did that consistently in ST. So far in the season, he’s reluctant to turn Blanco loose early. Blanco should be playing more and more…
Good FB for Tim tonight. Might be the best he’s had all year. Velocity wise at least…
Must be that haircut Dennis (grin) adding more velocity with less resistance through his dreads.
That might be the most encouraging innning of the year for the Giants…Their ace is hitting 94 with a late break on the slider/curve…Don’t want to jinx anything but that was good to see.
Timmeh looking sharp punching out the side.Hopefully a good omen getting out of the 1st inning. unscathed.
Tim’s looking better … 2009 Tim, is he back?
Now Scully weighs in on Belt, “He’s from Texas and he’s a big boy.”
Vin’s always had that strong penetrating insight.
Oooops/
Shit Nate take those leg irons off and you might steal a bag…
Ran out of that inning
Timmy!
Another ribbie for Timmy!
TIMMY GREAT AB Great Hustle!!!
Barbra’s throwing a lot of pitches anyway.
Wilco I was going to ask about that…kuip said his fastball was 94 and the slider at 87 to kemp. Really? Or is the gun just f-ed up?
Gameday had him topping out at 93.
Chuck, nothing came to my email.
Goddammit Nate!
Nate you fucking neanderthal!