Yo Yo Man
Santiago Casilla’s a trip. Have we ever had a pitcher like him? His Giants career is like a book with 40 chapters. He’s been here 7 years which is a long time for a reliever. He’s 31-19 with a 2.27 ERA and 104 saves.
And everyone hates him.
Well, he’s 35 now and when he climbs the hill he’s just an absolute shaky fuck, right?
Bochy already got the ball rolling with the inevitable the other night when he used Casilla and 2 others for the 9th inning. After last night’s bomb given up to the underwhelming Justin Turner I expect Bochy to finally go public with something like “Casilla needs a mental break or some time off from closing” or some shit like that. Bochy’s got that speech down pat. He yanked him from the gig back in 2012 only to give it back to him in 2014. It’s amazing how long Casilla has been around and how many different times he’s been closing/setting up/etc.
But the bottom line is that we need him. Our relief core is, collectively, pretty unreliable. Let’s see him blow some guys away in the 7th and get his confidence back up. And now I finally get to see “my guy” Hunter Strickand take a stab at this job.
lulz, gonna make us put the call out for Casilla.
Again.
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Also, Two Flap Up Happy Birthday to the greatest QB of all time, Joe Montana. He turns 60 today. That, uh, blows my mind……
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Yah the deal is we don’t have anyone doing anything with great consistency in the pen right now. Think it’s gong to be the committee thing until/unless Romo gets rolling. Soon
So the committee consists of Kontos Osich Lopez Strick and Gearrin, plus Suarez. Romo is on the 60 but can be activated as soon as he is ready as he’s already missed more time than that.
Even for Casilla last night was out of the ordinary, as that was first bomb by a RH he’s given up all year.
As much as he struggles vs. LH, that has to be last straw.
Kruk has noticed he often shrugs off Posey, so I guess it was his idea to go slider (maybe his 3rd best pitch).
Giants LH last night sure had tough time with Op as Blade counted up the splits. But there was a definite pattern: Op started them off with laser 93+ on the outside corner which everyone took for a strike. Then he either went back out there or off speed at 75 in the dirt. No one could touch the fastball, usually just above knees, or the off speed which was on the ground. Guy was lights out, tho the RH Duffy and Posey burned him.
I’ll say this again too—yes he has the best team on the planet, but I think Kerr does an excellent job of coaching them night in and night out. Last night he knew this was the biggest game of the series and he played his best guys 40 minutes. Ezeli got 1 minute, Speights and Barbosa none.
He left Barnes in/left Bogut mostly out and the small LU handled the boards and the D. Varejao’s 4 minutes of energy on glass might have been the key and finding the right time to sub him in was genius.
Every game is different. But Cavs unlike Warriors haven’t won on the road yet, and once again the real MVP showed why he owns the hardware and why his team can repeat.
He brought in McAdoo for meaningful minutes. How ballsy was that? He’s a fantastic coach. He’s making Lue look like a simpleton.
Agreed and Lue is clueless. T Thompson had a great first 5 minutes and after that nothing total of 10 points 7 boards 0-5 FTs. Shumpert nothing, Smith 3 hoops in 43 minutes and 1 assist Delly 5 useless minutes. Frye got 10 minutes 1 shot, 0 points. Lue still doesn’t know what to do with Love who sat out crucial time. Jefferson got 3 points in 25 minutes starting–good guy but washed.
It’s LB’s team plus Irving and they are going down with the ship.
It seems like Turner always does well against the Giants but damn that was rough. Casilla has been one of my favorites for a while and I’d still rather see him over Strickland to close a game.
that’s why I posted his stats as a Giants. Just looking at them, he has had an impressive stint here with us.
Giants relief pitchers, heads held high….
I could never hate Casilla.
He’s done too much good…
Hey Flav: Divisidero is running in the million dollar race before the Belmont…
no time for the track today for me. Brody’s Cause still owes me a good run so I’ll take him to win today and he’s bred to run all day. But, probably won’t get any $$$ down on him
Counterintuitive, but despite having the platoon advantage over Belt, Kazmir has been destroyed by Belt . . . He has 3 home runs in his last 10 AB’s against Kazmir. Good mini-stack with Posey. You’d think that Panik would also rake against this lefty, but nope . . . or at least recently he hasn’t been effective against lefties – Panik has a well-hit average of .127 against other above-average lefties (in his last 87 PA’s).
sometimes I think you just really really like saying the word “stack” lqtm
Must be my infatuation with tits. I suspect that Giants wont be used too much this evening. Still trying to figure out a LU with both of them in there, without deleting most of the players I already have identified.
I’m over last night’s loss, but some kind of change at closer needs to happen.
And it is my second daughter’s birthday….14. She is very proud it is also Joe’s. She also says Gene Wilder is today as well..great company.
Lombardi as well…
Grant Brisbee got philosophical after last night’s game:
“My grandpappy used to sit me down decades ago and say, “Now, listen, boy. Sometimes the seagulls just aren’t fartin’ your way. You hear me? The seagulls can’t fart in the right direction all the time. You gotta remember that” and then they would sedate him and I would eat the Jello cup. But now it makes sense. He was trying to warn us. Some coordinated seagull toots, and the Giants would have made this a much more exciting game. He saw this coming.
I’m so sorry, Grampy.”
I disagree with Grant just a little. Technically, last night’s game WAS really exciting, overall.
Maybe I should keep my fucking mouth shut when Casilla enters a game. When he got the call last night, I said “Fuck, I cringe of late when Casilla gets in the game. I suppose I am probably not alone in that regards…”
And then Casilla commences to give it up. I am SO DONE with that motherfucker.
But Flav is right, he has put up relatively good nummbers for us for a long time, and our bullpen isn’t exactly the strength of the team, so yes, we need Casilla. I can see putting him back in a set-up role in the 7th or 8th and let him get his head straight.
And I am with you, Flav, I have been a big Strickland guy since day one. I still think that if he can develop a couple of other good pitches that he can consistently throw for strikes (curve and a change, etc.) that he will be deadly.
At least the Warriors held-up their end of the deal. Man, that stretch in the 4th when Golden State put on the lock-down D, and held the Cavs to no points for almost seven minutes…that was the game, IMO. Well, that and a finals record-setting number of threes, and converting on all those free throws to close it out.
And James is a fucking thug. I used to have some respect for the dude purely on his talent, but after the past couple of games, and especially last night…FUCK THAT ASSHAT. What? You want me to REALLY tell ya how I feel?!
Okay, let’s get back on the good foot with Shark today. Fucking Dodgers. I hate those cocksuckers.
You are not the only one Chi, I usually leave the room when he comes in, and that is because I am afraid I might throw som thing at my TV. Casilla and Lopez are done IMO. 35 is old for a pitcher. I am not on the Strickland band wagon, never have never will.
And yes, I am past ready to see the team handle the closing by committee, and think Strickland should get some fair shots at it to see if he has what it takes. I would even give Gearrin a shot. Kontos has been a yo-yo, much like Casilla, so not sure I want to see him close.
If there is one guy on the planet who can patch this bullpen back together, it’s Bochy. He’ll figure something out, and yes, Casilla will be relegated to a lesser role for a bit, I’m sure.
And I actually think Justin Turner is a pretty good player, and giving up a wall scraper solo shot to him is not a mortal sin in my book, but yes, let’s give Strick and Kubrick a shot at the next couple of saves. Should be interesting! And I agree with Zum, last nights game was fun to watch and I enjoyed both Bosox games too. Tough results, but good competitive games.
This is to mrsprtsdude’s post in the last thread. The two “color” commentators in the NBA Finals (color of shit, that is) have been a burr under my saddle since last year, but dude pointed out a particularly egregious example of it from last night, when Anderson Varejao was pushed to the floor by Kevin Love, a clear and obvious foul as shown by the replay.
Fucking Van Gundy goes on and on about how much of a flopper Varejao is and how that play was a perfect example of it. and the league needs to clamp down on this horrible trend, blah, blah, blah.
You can see from multiple angles that he was pushed down, you could see Love’s triceps flex with the effort, but that’s of no consequence to King Tool Van Gundy. On and on he goes.
“As a ref, you gotta know a flop when you see one, you gotta know who’s trying to trick you.” FUCK YOU.
Then they bring in the expert ref guy and he tells Van Gundy straight out that he was wrong about that play. This is a guy who officiated in some 20 finals, TWENTY of them, and that’s what it took to shut that fucker Van Shithead up. He’s a SCHMUCK.
He and Jackson are a joke who have huge, misplaced egos about their basketball knowledge. I loathe them both. One of you guys mentioned a while back that it’d be nice to have Marv Albert back doing the games and I agree wholeheartedly. No agenda, no ego, just a fan’s enthusiasm calling the game. A lot of people forget that Marv called Knick’s games on radio for years and was always considered one of the best, along with Chick Hearn and the great Bill King.
Both those turds need to be flushed before next season.
/rant
I heard that whole “flop” diatribe. I was like WTF? Are you shitting me?! What a fucking idiot, and Van Gundy gets paid handsomely to spew that trash.
Again from me, major props to Harrison Barnes for having a huge series doing the dirty work and hitting timely buckets. So far, maybe the W’s Finals MVP. Ferocious on the glass, great D, playing hard and selling out to make a play. Really proud of how he’s stepped up. This is all he needs, IMO, to take his game to the next level, be more aggressive in all facets. He has the physical talent, he just needs to shelve the timidity and go for it.
And GREAT minutes from Anderson Varejao, who was everywhere in limited time and had a great impact on the game. Good job big guy.
Oh, yeah, and Andre Iguodala is a pretty good basketball player. I don’t care if he is 33 next year, the dude can still bring it and he has to be brought back by the Warriors. Huge part of the team.
I’m guessing the writers are leaning toward Green for MVP of the series.
That’s just my take, zum, and I want HB to get credit. My pick would be Iggy over Green, just because of his lock-down D alone, not to mention timely baskets and great passes (the offensive rebound, kick-out to HB for the triple).
Point being, HB is grinding it out and showing his true worth to the team. He IS an important part of these championship runs, and I’ve been, at times, critical of him. I happily eat crow in this instance.
Great post, but I agree with Zume…Green might get the nod as series MVP. I think that will all depend on how they re-eval the scuffle with James, and whether or not he misses a game or two due to a flagrant being given to him after the fact. It that happens, that is such horse shit.
I wish the NBA would bring back the John Tesh instrumental theme song from the old NBA on NBC days. I think I remember reading where he offered to sell the rights to ABC when they took over broadcasting rights but they decided on using their own.
Need a link to that one. I don’t remember it. John Tesh, a blast from the past.
Look at the results. To date Gearrin has been the most effective arm outta the pen, with Strickland a somewhat distant second. Does Cody have the moxie to close? Only one way to find out. If Strickland can become something more than a one-pitch wonder he’d become a shut-down closer, so long as he has the right mental makeup for the job.
May take till next season, but i see Strickland ultimately developing into the 9th inning man while Gearrin has somewhat of a swing role, particularly if Bochy reaches back and rediscovers the value of a killer fireman.
Rock, Loo, BF, yep, Casilla has had a vital stint with the Giants and had huge moments in the three title runs. He’ll always be a Giant’s Ring of Honor member because of it. But right now he’s driving us nuts with his inconsistency, which is the source of the criticism. I’m sure he’ll contribute as the season goes on.
The state of Alec Baldwin’s career: he’s the host of the new “Match Game.” Oh, how the mighty have fallen. For Alec Baldwin, it has come to this. lol
Bochy loves him some versatility and so does the front office. How does a guy with a current .332, .357 (does not draw many walks, apparently), .531 who can play SS, 2B, 3B and LF strike you? He is described on MLBTR as the one bright star in an otherwise totally dismal season fro the Twinkies. Due to be eligible for free agency after next season, Edwardo Nunez would bring in a haul. Spose the Giants would care to mortgage a chunk for the farm for this guy?
audio interview with PK about his trip to Iceland
http://tinyurl.com/zlt76xz
Congrats PK! Is that NPR?
Some guy in England emailed me out of the blue and recorded me a few months ago. Harry Carray? Hmmmm. I guess I may’ve been trying to hard to enunciate. We spoke about 15-2-0 minutes. Ah, the cutting-room floor.
Paul sounds like he could pull off a killer Harry Carey impersonation.
Cheslor Cuthbert hit a pair of solo home runs today and immensely improved my chances of making money in FD. He only cost $2000, the minimum on FD too. Love the name . . . I googled him and would have sworn beforehand, that this guy was a bloke from England and/or a character out a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Nope, he’s from Nicaragua.
Giants just took a pitcher — Andrew DiPiazza — who went to my daughter’s high school, in 39th round.
cool; how many rounds are there??!
Looks like 40.
Happy birthday, Joe Montana. When he started with the Niners, I jumped on the bandwagon. I figured, maybe one of my teams will really win. They did.
I’ve been a Casilla supporter. But he looks lost. Needs some confidence. I remember Bruce Bochy diplomatically saying “we need to lighten his load” when Romo was moved to setup. What bothers me is either his ego or stubbornness. A few weeks ago, Krukow provided a tutorial on the dangers of pitching backwards, relying on the curveball, which gets weaker. I doubt Buster is calling for those. Learn the scroogie!
Jethro Tull fans will be interested to hear that the Braves drafted Ian Anderson in the 3rd round…
Hopefully he won’t be spitting out pieces of his broken luck.
lulz!
Braves are hoping to benefit from that pick.
Nice interview, Pawlie. Very cool.
I never lost faith in Duffy. 🙂
CONGA TIME!
yep
Hopefully Smardj gets the shutdown inning. His pitches seemed up in the strikezone in the 1st inning.
He’s torture.
He did K Utley, fast becoming MAD—most annoying Dodger.
Klay Thompson is a monster player with total game face/saying right things in interviews, but I hope we don’t see too much more of that hat.
Trayce might be a steal for Dodgers. That was a heads up play to tag and take 2B.
Dodger broadcasters are commenting about a stadium cam that captured him wearing the hat . . . He got booed, which he deserved. lulz
I’m always saying a couple of padre domini’s and other prayers when a ball is hit to Mac now.
Mac “Skates” Williamson with the catch. 🙂
Righetti was talking about Smardj eating innings, but that hasn’t been happening lately.
WTF is going on with Samardzija. The dude is going to hit 90 pitches thru 4 innings. He looks terrible with no idea where his pitches are going.
Dodged (excuse the pun) a bullet with the imbecile, Pederson, attempting to steal 3rd. Sheesh, I thought I was watching a Rockies game.
Samaria is lucky he’s not down by 5
Everything is up.
Smardz sure leaves a lot of pitches up. last pitch to Kendrick posey’s glove was about ankle high.
SamWhatAm pitching more like SamWhatBeen so far this evening. He’s at over 80 pitches through four. Can he go five without further damage? Is the pen up to a long evening? Time for the hitters to pick it up.
he’s probably just got his interview game face on but Kershaw seems like a very cool dude
Did I ever tell the story of buddy of mine in DC went to high school with Kershaw and of course Lions QB Stafford. He has nothing but nice things to say about Kershaw…unfortunately…
sounds about right.
Highland Park High School in Dallas is big money. Dubya lives down the road in Preston Hollow. I had a friend from UT that went there as well. Defineltly the home to the ultra rich and privileged.
Definitely that wilco…buddy’s father was General Counsel at Belo. He was high school golfer and he just said the pressure got to him and his game fell apart. I’ve played with him a bunch and natural talent but he cannot hit a driver off a tee. Something got into his head during high school tourneys and could not shake it…
Don’t mind the steal attempt of 2nd, but did Duffy wear his wing tips? Sheesh, thrown out by a mile.
It wasn’t a straight steal.
Kazmir is total nibbler. I hate those guys because soft as he throws hitters help him out like Craw did there.
If he throws you a strike it’s probably hittable.
Why not give Law a shot at closer at some point. Bochy is going to stick with Casilla for the time being, but the kid has 3 pitches and a lot of movement. He’s young, but so what?
That run was a Houdini trick.
Bochy giggling on that play. Also, Duff took off the wing tips. 🙂
Oh-sh…..
Bring in Bummie
Lopez doesn’t pitch with as much courage as he used to. He doesn’t trust his stuff as much anymore.
He’s become a major nibbler.
I think that’s exactly what his problem is. Goes 0-1 on AG then 4 straight not even close,
wow it’s only 7th who is gonna finish this if SF stays ahead?
Thought he could have walked A Gon and left Strick in there.
He gets out of it he could go another inning.
Alex droogie goes the rest of the way.
Unless……..
Second game in less than a week that “Bobby Fischer” Bochy has used 5 relief pitchers in an inning.
Bring in Murph . . .
Jesus.
or Jesus
This team just can’t hold onto a lead anymore.
Bunch of nibblers.
This bullpen stinks.
Not certain that they stink as much as they are worn out.
I’m more pissed off at crawfish for swinging at ball 4 about a foot outside where Duff got thrown out
Well, and now this.
Miserable pitching effort in the 7th.
A total gift run.
Time for a belt bomb.
Smardj’s “5 and dive” act tonight was a major problem. 3 sub-par performances in a row for him.
No way I could watch this guy close.
His pitches are all over everywhere and that hesitation shit where he holds the ball is annoying.
Yeah, all that stuff I said, I’m recanting.
About Gearrin closing.
Bochy looks really angry.
Im sorry guys, I know most will not like me saying it … again … this is a fuckin kibble & bits offense .. nibblin worse than the pitching .. come on, 3 hits/runs in 8 innings off a guy giving us 5 BB?
This offense sucks right now, even worse since Pence went down. There’s no other way to describe it.
Sure, they will run into something occasionally but for the most part it is totally inept and has been for quite some time .. the “big boys” aint doin shit.
Posey had some pitches to hit in that AB, and couldn’t make something happen.
all those fouls off Blanton and his so called fastball.
Meanwhile, hair of the dog.
Woo, woo. Is Bochy slipping? Uses up most of the pen in one inning after SamWhatever throws a million and fifteen pitches to get halfway through the game and here we are in the ninth with a powderpuff offense and guess who’s on the mound.
Casilla did an excellent job.
He did … for ONCE in a very long time!
Had it with Duff mcgehee.
Tonight classic ex that as bad as Casilla has been, he’s still better than the rest of these guys. Romo might help.
Beautiful pitch. Peavy tomorrow and a three game sweep is looking good for la
Sorry to say, but Bochy is panicking. You can’t burn 5 pitchers in one inning. Then you have a green rookie Stratton pitching later under big pressure, and he gives it up. The Pen is a gas can right now and Bochy knows it. This is serious bidness right now, and there is no EZ fix. Plus, the offense has cratered…
Well, at least its a good thing that our park is so difficult to hit the long ball in .. oops .. difficult for us only, I guess?
Not over yet.