10% of the Season in the Books
The Giants are 10-6 and they’ve played 7 one-run games in a row. That means they could just as easily be 6-10. Just sayin’.
Sixteen games into the season, these have been the surprises (to me):
1) A rock solid bullpen
2) Voggy seemingly righting his wayward ship
3) Timmy having 17k’s and a measly one walk (an outrageous SO/bb ratio) and yet he’s 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA
4) Panda hitting .175 and swinging (and missing) repeatedly at balls OVER his head
5) Crawford hitting lefties
6) MadBum hitting a grand slam
Did I miss anything?
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I really like this early part of the season when Bochy is fitting players, especially the BP arms, into roles. I don’t always agree with his moves but it’s fun to watch the gears turn.
Ditto
I’d like to defend Giants bench guys.
Hector got the GWRBI the other night vs. LA, in recovering from an awful AB where the ump gave the pitcher two wide strikes.
Arias had a base knock as a PH one night and then the next has a hit and a walk and scores the deciding run.
He was moved along by Adrianza sac bunt, and Ehire had 3 hits yesterday including Giants lone rbi off Jansen.
Blanco crushed the triple that almost became the inside the park HR and if I’m not mistaken was the guy that crushed the ball where Puig made the lucky over his head grab in deep RF yesterday.
Hey, these guys are mostly good glove/speed guys who aren’t going to have high slugging pcts. Arias is capable back up at number of positions and Hector is steadily improving behind the plate. None of them are going to be in the LU regularly, so they are only getting occasional ABs.
While I can understand people being down on them and Sabes for what bench is, these guys have made contributions to Giants Ws wen Bochy has thrown them in there. And because Sabes signed Morse and the team brought up Hicks (to pick up Scuts) out of ST it allows Perez Blanco Adrianza to be on bench in first place.
Ditto II
Nice take. Like the bullpen, the bench has somewhat surprisingly been a strength for the team during the first ten percent of the schedule. Bochy fell in love with Hicks early on so Adrianza dined on perpetual pine-meat till that breakout yesterday. Still thinking he has it in him to become a regular. Needs more consistent starting time, like how bout a pair of consecutive games per week for starters.
My suspicion is that Morse is beginning to feel the ATT-effect and that as the season rolls along he will get somewhat fewer home starts and that they will go to Blanco, and when he returns, Perez. On the road, particularly in bandboxes, Morse should be a big threat for the three-run bomb.
Also was nice to see Affeldt revert to form immediately upon return. Some highly competitive sweating it gotta be going on amongst the bullies now, what with a cumbersome eight of them. First middle reliever to slip a bit may get shunted to the Fresnobus. Longmen should be pretty safe unless say, four of the five starters begin consistently racking up 7 inning stints.
Agree with you on Adrianza but I think Morse is going to start every game possible, home or away, provided he stays healthy. Maybe Bochy switches in Blanco earlier in the game if the Giants have the lead but I don’t think Blanco or Perez are going to be starting in his place if he’s available.
Agree with Dirt. Outside of a regular day off for a breather, or if he is nursing an injury, I think Morse is the regular, with Blanco (and Perez when he returns) spelling him late in games.
Good list and I agree with WillieD re: the bench. But it would be nice to have a guy off the bench who has some pop. But overall…yeah, I am happy with the bench.
I am surprised the Giants are 10-6 with Pence and Pablo struggling the way they have.
Timmy has the great K/BB ratio, but he has only gone 15 innings in 3 starts, and has given up 20 hits (1.400 WHIP). It harkens to a thought many have shared…he needs to figure out how to get guys out more efficiently (fewer pitches, etc.).
Vogey – I was impressed with his last start. I have been one of the naysayers who have said I thought he was done. String together a couple more quality starts like the last and then we’ll talk.
One last overall observation…this team just GRINDS. There seems to be no quit. Yesterday’s game was a prime example…they battled until the very end…facing their last strike a number of times before finally succumbing.
With all things considered, I am happy as hell with a 10-6 start. But the starters will have to become more consistent and go deeper in the games on a more regular basis for the success to continue, IMO.
Michael Morse has been a god send compared to what we got out of LF last year! Already 4 doubles, 2 bombs, 10 RBI’s .306 avg .382 OBP,
If he stays healthy all year, he will big a huge presence in this LU, and crap about defense in LF is overrated to me.
How many times does he really get challenged in a game overall 2-3? Right now he’s done a good job and his bat makes up for any lapses in the field.
Boch is doing it right,get him his 4 AB ,then pull him if they have the lead, to keep him alittle fresher for the next battle the next day,
Ditto III
Good points, Kat. I would not say I am surprised at Morse, but that I am happy that he is, so far, meeting my hopes and expectations. It was apparent from his time in Washington (just a few years ago) that the guy can mash. And agree…he hasn’t really embarrased himself in the field. Very nice addition by Sabes, Tidrow and Evans…
The bench and position player “defense” are a little like special teams in football in their relative importance. The Niners used to win with indifferent special teams. If you have good pitching and regulars who can hit, the rest isn’t as important. OTOH, if the hitting of the regulars or the pitching is below par, you’ve got a tough road to achieving a winning season.
Another way to put some of this is that the pitcher has an outsized role in preventing other teams from scoring. He is the biggest part of the defense. We separate out pitching and defense when we talk about the game, yet at times conceive of the latter as if it somehow had equal weight to the offense in determining outcomes, because, well, you have your offense and your defense. It is the combination of pitching and “defense” — the overall defense — that has equivalent weight to the offense. This also another reason why the idea that pitching is more important than hitting is nonsense.
The bench represents about 2 regular players in terms of playing time, but because these are not front line players, the difference in quality between teams is generally not going to be as great as with the regulars. (Ok I made this last bit up without comparing any stats, but like the previous assertions, it stands to reason :-))
Maybe if a pitcher is dropped from the 25 Sf could have one more guy with pop but most teams just don’t do that any more. The days of a Jerry Lynch Gates Brown or Manny Mota as PH seem to have gone the way of the 4 man rotation. Last guy I remember like that here was Spilman.
I’m just relieved not to have to watch likes of Pill, Kiesch, Culbs Noonan or the Prez and Velez or arguing over whether Nate is getting enough ABs.
I think Chi is right in his 7:51 about SF grinding and playing hard–this team looks a lot different than last year in a very good way.
A pitcher WILL be dropped…the question is WHEN. Bochy has said they will go back to a 12 man staff…but only after the starters calm down and he is not having to rely on the bullpen as much. When that happens, it WILL be Perez who comes back up (unless someone is just absolutely tearing the cover off the ball and they feel they need to give that person a look). But I will be VERY surprised if it is not Perez who is eventually brought back onto the 25.
Surprises so far? Pablo with 8 walks, Bum with twice the Ks as Cain and even though the team has only made 12 errors, the Cubs have only made 8. That’s just wrong.
Pagan isn’t really a surprise more than a joy to watch. he’s been flying around both offensively and defensively. He really is the firestarter on this team. Crawdad getting comfy up there vs lefties, Belt’s hot start (although he’s cooled some). The questionable 3 (Timmy, Cain, and Vogie) putting together a few nice outings. The bullpen is the big hero at this point.
While the grind-’em-out wins are great and all, they are a grind to watch as well! Seeing 16 LOB vs the Dogs was excruciating.
I’ve been liking Pagan more and more too. Dude is fiery and seems to inspire the club. I’m just hoping he doesn’t end up getting tossed in an important situation late in the season.
Excruciating? You mean like the “tortuous” 2010 campaign? Or, the torture of facing an elimination game every time they turned around in the 2012 post-season? Yeah…it’s early, but with so many one run decisions, it has been a bit excruciating at times. As long as they end up on the right end of the equation, it is all good…I’ll just add to my growing number of gray hairs!
Predictably, the offense cooled down, both because they had their first home series and things even out. LOB and BA/RISP remain incidental red herring stats that tell you nothing about the offense. Right now, they are on pace to score about 730 runs. That seems achievable. They’ll need to maintain an OPS+ in the neighborhood of 108. It was 106 in 2012, when they scored 718. This team seems like it has that kind of firepower.
730 is 4.5 rpg. Seems high to me with this lineup, but a good goal, especially compared to last year at 629. Maybe doable, but Panda and Pence have to get warm. 100 more runs than last year? If they do, I’d almost guarantee a playoff spot of some sort, maybe the division win. I’m hoping along the lines of 700 or so (4.3 rpg), and think that would be good enough for a WC spot, assuming the pitching improves a bit from last year’s 4.00 ERA (and it should)…
Well, I think it is partially a cool-off/evening out of things, and also the fact they faced some good pitching. The Sherpa’s pitching was overall, suprisingly good in the series against them, and the Bums staff as we all know is one of the best. So yes…a balancing out of sorts, combined with facing some good pitching.
It’s pleasing to be able to visualize this team making the playoffs. The division title is possible, but if not accomplished, a wild card spot is highly attainable. Win that cheesy one-game playoff, and you’re right there in the hunt.
Biggest surprises for me? Probably how quickly Scutaro became an after-thought. Hicks has an OBP over .400, gives a solid AB just about every time. His defense is OK, overall. I’m not an Adrianza guy, sorry. The production of Morris has picked up the line-up. The starting pitching rotation, overall, is not as scary as we thought it might be. I’m not as worried about them as I thought I might be.
The way Scutaro was booting the ball around last year I don’t see much difference between him and Hicks from a fielding perspective. How much of that can be attributed to his back? Who knows? I hope he makes it back. Having him in the 2 hole will lengthen and improve the LU.
I’ve like what Hicks has done at the plate but I think he’ll be exposed with too much PT.
It’s early yet! But yeah, the trend is going in the right direction.
I agree. Playoffs? Add the standard caveats…team stays healthy, and everyone pretty much plays to their potential. Those things happen, and I think they punch their ticket.
In the category of “things I didn’t know”: Krukow has a son who’s a professional dancer. Great article about him in today’s Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/ostler/article/Youngest-of-Krukow-clan-a-big-time-ballet-talent-5411672.php#photo-6180802
I read that earlier this morn…good read. Herniated discs and his old man hooks him up with the right sports doc, and the kid goes on to landing a gig with one of SF’s best dance troupes.
I think overall the RPG is a decent indicator, but you gotta be aware that scoring a boatload of runs does not always translate into the post-season. Sherpas scored 706 lat year, and…well, nuff said.
But I do think if the Giants score in the neighborhood of 700, they make the dance.
I’d take 706 with the Giants pitching this year and almost bank a playoff spot, but not with the Rocks’ pitching and their 81 games at the Coors launching pad…
Agree. Point being that all “runs scored” stats are not alike…you have to consider the team, and as you pointed out, their pitching staff and ballpark, etc.
An extra bonus from the outstanding work of the BP is having both Petit and Macha and even Huff& Gutierez can go 3 to 4 innings or longer if need be.If the games go extra’s, so that an advantage over other teams BP, IMO
Something that someone mentioned the other day (cannot recall who) was the idea of moving Hudson to the 4 slot between Tim and Vogey. I like that idea, basically because Tim L. and Vogey have shown the most propensity for short starts. Putting Hudson between them could minimize the wear on the bullpen.
With the rotation stacked as it is, you have Cain pitching in Colorado on the 23rd. The 24th is an off day, and that presents a perfect spot to flip the Tims, without drastically screwing with their number of days between starts.
Good point Chi,
Though baseball can always be surprising as the Dog pile found out.
They were probably licking their chops facing Timmeh and Vogs back to back and yet we beat them in their starts only to lose with our Ace Snots..
That was me with the break up idea between Voggy and Timmy. Although Voggy went 7 the other day, surprised the heck outta me…
Yes. Vogey went 7, but to date, it was his only quality start. I think the odds are, that if anyone is more likely to not go 6+, it would be Timmy and Vogey. So again…as you suggested originally, it makes sense to me to put Hudson between the two.
Chi, scoring 700 runs in Colorado is way different from doing the same in SF. The pitching would have to be even more god awful than it was last year for 730 runs not to make the Giants contenders.
Speaking of the starting pitching, their collective ERA is 4. That sucks. They are still by far the likeliest reason the Giants miss the playoffs, based on these first 16 games.
Yep, that has to head down into 3.75 territory or thereabouts, or better, by end of season to be in it. The 2010 year they were at 3.36 (1st in NL) with 583 runs (15th in NL), 2011 at 3.20 (2nd) with 578 (15th) runs, 2012 at 3.68 (5th) with 649 (11th) runs. So, around a 3.75 staff ERA and 700 runs would almost, IMO, guarantee a post season appearance…
Agreed…I just made a similar point before seeing your post (about having to consider the team, their pitching staff, and home ballpark). And I agree…the biggest concern for me with the Giants at this point is the starting rotation.
Interesting the other night how Miller kept calling it ‘good news’ that Hanley’s hand wasn’t broken. Miller has to know that most Giants fans didn’t consider that ‘good news,’ but he chose to ride a moral high-horse there. It just seemed a little tone-deaf to me, and he’s usually so spot-on. I think the better choice would have been to say “The Dodgers got some good news: Ramirez’s x-ray was negative,” that type of thing. It’s not a big deal, but it was just kind of a weird moment in the broadcast, to me. It’s almost like Miller was throwing down a gauntlet- if you wished for a broken hand, you were behaving in an ethically-challenged way. Which is probably true, but it seemed strange to have that moral quandary highlighted in such a seemingly oblivious way by Miller. But it’s doubtful that Miller would be that oblivious. So he was probably trying to ratchet up the moral behavior of Giants fans at that moment, I guess. Making the world a better place, in that small way.
You’re right it was a forced, weird moment, but I think Miller may have just been feeling the same way I did.
I’ll be honest, I felt sorry for Ramirez. His hand was trembling with the pain, and he was thinking the worst about his season. He’s a very talented player who has spent a fair amount of time on the DL. He wants to compete. I want him to compete. And I want him to know at the end of the season that he and his team are second best.
“And I want him to know at the end of the season that he and his team are second best.” That’s awesome….
Back in Krukow’s playing days, before political correctness, I bet he’d be getting an earful from opposing dugouts about his ballet dancing son.
My favorite line in the story:
“It’s opened my eyes not just to dance, but to many things.”
Kruk strikes me as a guy who’d be yukkin’ it up if it was someone else’s kid…
Huge disco hit:
With all the music talk that’s gone on around here, I find it disingenuous that not one of you over 50 characters has ever confessed to spending one second in a disco in the 1970’s.
YOU’RE ALL FULL OF CRAP!!!
Well, I cannot speak for others, but I NEVER sat foot in a disco. You could not DRAG MY ASS into one.
Poor millionaire wives sitting in the Suds-O-Mat watching the dryers spin…
[…] The rest of the article can be found here: THE San Francisco Giants Blog […]
Belt’s wife wrote a blog post. Not bad. Seems like a cool chick. They’ve been together since 8th grade? So, are we to believe that they’ve only had sex with each other? That’s almost impossible to believe.
http://brandon.mlblogs.com/2014/04/17/haylees-turn/
Hey, those blog posts from the wives were pretty cool. Thanks for posting those links. I tend to forget to check the Brandon and Brandon blog, and it’s kind of a nice fun look from their side of things.
C’mon dudes. This shit is written for the 12-18 yr olds girls.
Well, I guess I hope I never get that cynical.
Poor millionaire wives sitting in the Suds-O-Mat watching the dryers spin…
She don’t like salami, she don’t want pastrami
She don’t want a chicken, she don’t want a roast
She just wants her double dose of my
Beef, beef, beef, beef balogna
Beef, beef, beef, beef balogna
Beef, beef, beef, beef balogna
I’ve never been to a disco, but I liked some of the disco music of the ’70s. I’ve always been a fan of pop music through its many incarnations. Although I hate what passes for pop music these days.
In the ’70s, I was mainly into rock music; and later in life I grew to like folk and americana music, too. Country music that’s cool, like Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Buddy and Julie Miller, etc.
I have this 45. It is one of my favorite songs of all time. Written by Sylvia of Mickey and Sylvia and “Pillow Talk” fame, and record executive. I still have much great R&B on her re-issue label, All Platinum. The totally awesome anti-Tina Turner: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Robinson
Always liked it. Very 1974. You got guts, James.
Other than Pagan, giants hitters have looked pathetic.
Wasting opportunities once again. Never went to a disco, Huge 70;s funk fan, Ne’er the twain shall meet.
Why does it seem like every time we play in SD our team seems flat? For some time I’ve wondered if Boch and Flan took the guys out and just got em loaded as all hell.
Sorry Loo, I’ve been into many types of music over the years, disco didn’t happen to be one, so I can’t say I have an opinion on it. If you think I’m full of crap on that, I’d just have to say I don’t give a fuck what you think about my musical taste.
I didn’t say anything about anyone’s musical taste.
OK, in the 70’s I wasn’t in any disco clubs. in the early and mid 80s, dance clubs in SF had different themed nights so I guess I was in a disco club on a punk night, or was it a punk club on a disco night?
Back in the day, me and my buddies used to borrow my mom’s car and drive down to San Jo to a place called “Mothers”. Pretty much every chick in there was looking to get fucked. I think it was a disco but I don’t remember.
Pence is looking like shit. Hector needs to atone for his fuckupo.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd another fail with RISP. This is why this team gets so hard to watch, 4 fails in 4 innings? 5?
If it wasn’t the 70s, it wasn’t a disco.
Another one run game. The Giants gotta break this thing open.
Too many scrubinees in the lineup tonight.
yup. Ross is good and it’s a pitchers park, we got fucked big with no Posey and no Morse.
although shit it’s baseball, they coulda gone 0-8 tonight
Got around Pence anyway.
Fuck. Matt eats another 1-0 game? Fuck this Ross is good shit. Everyone’s good at this level. This is shades of 2008 where they batted .280 as a team but couldn’t drive in shit.
They were only hitting 247 coming into this game.
It’s like that guy in Jack London’s “To Build A Fire” trying to build a fire.
Spoiler alert: he doesn’t get the fire built, and freezes to death.
It’s like they used up a month’s worth of 2 out hits in the first week.
Mrs. James: “Fucking Sanchez, that was fucking ball 3!”
Mrs. Zumiee….currently reading a book. Her team, the Braves, having already won their game tonight.
good move. I might have to go back re read some of Garcia Marquez. Love in the time of Cholera one of his best but I liked the darker stuff (No one Writes to the Colonel) better.
Braves took it right to everyone’s preseason fav Nats too.
I haven’t read any Garcia Marquez yet, I have to admit. So much stuff on my reading list to get to; but I really should read some of his work.
The guy was a Castro supporter. If you support a dictator who throws political opponents in prison, there’s something not quite right with you…
Snarkk, lot of good writers were f-ed up people with strange politics. And Colombia has always had pretty strange (and brutal) politics.
I like your wife, James.
That had to hurt somewhere. Bet Panda sits tomorrow, unless it’s a pitcher he owns…
Nevermind, he’s 12 for 22 vs. Stults…
And Pence 8 for 25 with 3 homers…
I don’t think Jason Verlander is pitching tomorrow . . .
The little kid didn’t seem that fazed that a major leaguer almost landed on him.
Did Dick Enberg just say “That’s how you play it, you gotta get to the wall first to make that play”?
Wow. Got to do it yourself Pagan.
Win or lose it’s good to see Cain pitch like that.
Bozo’s right too, Pads seem give SF a rough ride in SD no matter what their W-L might be even without a Hairston.
Time to give Street an ERA.
Good to see him pitch like that but it sucks to se hm lose like that. The guy should be 30 games over .500.
Nice call there. Fuck.
Damn!
Yes, that’s one.
Ball3 and ball 4, Panda,
A bigger era would be cool.
I spent some time in 1979 in Germany and hit some very cool discos at that time in the middle to back end of the Disco craze. There were some very cool frauleins there. My German improved tremendously. This stoopid song was big, as I remember. I flashback on a place in Munich, my buddy and I met some windsurfer dudes from Hawaii, and they knew a guy that owned two discos in Munich. We went to one, got comped on drinks all night, then moved to the guy’s other place. When we got to the second place at about 2 am, I said I wanted a rum and coke, so the guy gave me a bottle of Jamaican rum and a liter of Coca Cola. We all sat on the floor of the closed down disco till 4 am just getting blasted and having a high old time…
http://tinyurl.com/lnwyb3y
Did I interrupt anything?… 😉
Hanley is playing SS and batting 3rd in the order as LA gets to play AZ again. 1-1 in the 8th…Golds 0-3 with 3 Ks the last vs. Chris Withrow (who?).
Giants making Street strain…never did like this guy.
Amazing how Cain has an entire career highlighted by what has to be a majority of starts with little to no run support…
Well that sucked. Get em tomorrow, Giants.
Hacktor, dang. Strikes are tough enough to hit. Only needed a single.
Ross did pitch well not a lot of balls hit very hard off him, and he made a lot of guys look bad.
Might as well rerun James’ POTD from 4:02 p.m. April 12.
Well Cain appears to be back, and the offense seems to have reverted to 2009 when Cain would pitch a gem like this with no run support. Sad, really sad.
Just saw highlights of Sanchez missing Cain’s pitch — inexplicable for a major league catcher. Hard to understand that — just basically missed catching the ball. Just looms inordinately large when the team can’t score a lick in this game…