Fish Don’t Fry in The Kitchen, Beans Don’t Burn on the Grill….
Nine starts into the season, the Blach/Bum tandem finally got their first W. Well done boys. Belt led the way and we need more of that unless you think a heaping scoop of Parmesan Cheese is what this salad needs. If Kruk’s got the morning show today I’m looking forward to hearing about all of the high fastballs Belt missed last night.
Here’s a partial list of the things I was wrong about this year:
- Buster Posey is done
- Matt Cain is done
- The Giants are done…..
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
“unless you think a heaping scoop of Parmesan Cheese is what this salad needs”…LMAO.
Right now, well, for the past five games, the salad has kicked-ass! Not sure what they are putting on it, but keep putting it on it!
Posey – I have never thought Posey was done. I thought maybe we were seeing a permanent drop in power. Not any more…goes to show how a tweak to a player’s approach at the plate can make a difference. Still want to see him hit some bombs with men on, but that is not on him.
Cain – yep…I was one of many who had the same prognosis. Dirt called this one…he “stood by his man.”
Giants – I have not thought they were done this year. I threatened to quit watching until they ran off three or four wins in a row, but have all along thought they had the ability to play much better ball than what we saw across April. Now, my early season prediction of 92 wins and a NL West title may have taken a big shit, but I still think this team can make some noise.
Humm Baby!
And we (especially Dirt and me) have had our fun on the back-and-forth on Parker over MacW. IMO, I still do not think either will blossom into a decent everyday OFer, but hope like hell Mac proves me wrong. He looks pretty damned good in the field (and the one area in which I thought Parker had the edge was in playing the OF), so let’s see the stick come around. I would love to see some thunder off his lumber.
Sweep the Bums!
There’s 120 some games to go still. Marathon, not a sprint.
As for Mac vs. Parker I don’t think you can rule out either of them without more ABs. Realize this is Pence’s 5 the trip to the DL in 3 yrs; Bochy said publicly that he can’t listen to Pence because he always thinks he feels good enough to play.
During recent stretch of good ball pitching has been (mostly) good combined with D. As some of the bats start to come around they can be a force in division which is pretty evenly matched imo. Really like to see them cut ties with some of the dead weight tho.
Like to see Belt pick up avg from .229 to help make up for when Posey’s drops from .379.
Agree on all points. Dead weight to me = Hill and Gorkys.
Pitching has overall been good, but Gearrin and Osich still concern. And I like Osich…he has great stuff…just wondering when (if) he will be able to harness it and pitch effectively.
And absolutely agree on Belt. I want to see Crawford pick it up at the plate, too. He did have that key knock last night, but want to see more consistency.
IMO, these last 5 games have shown all the facets of what could be a contending team… defense.. check….Starters going deep… check….pen generally check with Law filling in very well…. clutch hitting.. check…… team having fun and believing in themselves….. a big check……….
Seems like the ‘worm might be turning’…….
Long way to go to show this is a sticking to the ribs performance….But , again IMO, if they can stay close till August till Bum gets back, the psychological effect with him back could be the thing that puts them into the Post…so till then….. hold the freakin line boys!
Great post, Dennis. Very grounded in reality, IMO. Hold the line, and BEAT LA!
Chi, I post facetious Trade Belt shit all the time too.
But given the alleged untouchables on current roster, I do think that if they had a chance to make a big deal for a young everyday OF, say for someone like Marcel Ozuna, Belt would be the guy Giants could likely replace easiest without giving up young pitching.
I think he would rake in a hitters yard like Yankees and Phils or Stros (to name just a few) have and put up 20+ bombs easily with high OB and excellent D.
And you have to give Dodgers credit for being able to come up with kids like Pederson Seager and the two new ones Bellinger and Taylor. Giants OF still a big issue if Nunez is a starter.
Absolutely agree with you WillieD on Belt. He would be the easiest of the “untouchables” to deal, and could bring a nice return in the right situation.
Was talking with a friend here at work the other day (he is a big Dodger fan and we have a ton of fun giving each other shit), and I told him “Yes, you guys have kicked ass on drafting some really great young talent, but I would not trade the lot of them for one of the Giants World Series titles!” He just melted into a sad face with slumped shoulders on that one, said it was a “low blow.” 😉
Looking at current standings Dodgers would be in 4 way tie for last WC spot with Reds Brewers Cubs all at .500
I was thinking how fun it would be if LA had to go play AZ, Opie vs. Greinke 1 game winner take all to advance, and Op loses another postseason game and drought continues. Dodger world would implode and self destruct.
Williamson, in his second game of the season, now has the same amount of hits as Parker. That’s nice to see but the 3 LOB isn’t.
For all the shit he gets, Belt with 2 runs scored and an RBI was the reason the team won last night. Kuiper even gave him some props on the post game show.
There isn’t enough between the two of them to make any comparisons that mean a shit, IMO. Look, I am rooting HARD for Mac, even though I lean a bit to Parker between the two. I really hope he starts ripping it up at the plate, as I like what I am seeing in the OF.
Belt was a PART of the reason they won last night, and I gave him his props last night (and almost always do). Ya have to give Craw props, too, as he is the one who drove in Belt (the winning run).
I am with WillieD…Belt needs to up his average…otherwise I have no issues with him (except his inability to hit the high heat). 😉
I’m just repeating what Kuiper said about Belt. My point isn’t that Williamson is an all-star. Just better for this club than Parker. If Parker gets healthy they’ll probably send Williamson down though so it won’t matter.
And you and I beg to differ on who is better for the club. I think it is almost a wash, but if you want to look at the limited ML stats:
Williamson:
3 seasons – 65 games, 148 AB, .230, .303, .385, .688, 6 HR, 17 RBI
Parker
3 seasons – 93 games, 197 AB, .254, .355, .467, .822, 11 HR, 30 RBI
I am pulling for both of them…again, just lean a bit towards Parker between the two. Again…I would love to see Mac start just ripping it up!
if Parker gets healthy I hope Mac keeps the job. He’s probably a better hitter than Parker and deserves a shot to keep the job.
Flav—I give you props for pointing out a few bad calls you made. Happens to the best of us!
As for Mac and Parker, I agree they are not legit top prospects, but sadly, they are the 3rd and 4th best outfielders on our 40 man roster, and they need to play and hopefully give us decent production.
I feel awful for Parker. That may have been his last and only legit chance to make it as a big leaguer and to see it go down the drain playing all out and making a great play like that bums me out. I hope he recovers and gets another decent shot to show he belongs, but I’m not super optimistic about that happening.
If Mac plays decently, I don’t think there is any way they bring Parker back and put him in front of Mac.
Agree SanD. And I hope that if Mac is playing well, and Parker heals, that they leave Mac up to see what he can do. He should NOT lose his position just because Parker get healthy, IMO.
Not sure I can make it happen this year, but I really want to get down to Dago for a Giants game. When that happens, it would be cool if we could meet up for the game.
That would be cool! They are down here in mid July.
Good point, sandog. Hate to see a guy get injured.
I want to have faith in Osich but he’s too inconsistent with his stuff. He started the 9th the other night Giants up big and boom hit&swallow and Boch went to get him, which I totally agree.He gave him some leash and he choked on it. He could easily turn into Dan Runzler. Both great stuff but no command..
Swallow??
meant walk
Although Osich is pitching like he swallows lately, and get rid of your porn mustache as well!!!
BTW, fans on Twitter are saying that with that ‘stache his nickname should be noseitch.
I think it works even if he shaved.
1. Eduardo Nunez (R) 3B
2. Justin Ruggiano (R) LF
3. Christian Arroyo (R) SS
4. Buster Posey (R) C
5. Michael Morse (R) 1B
6. Mac Williamson (R) RF
7. Joe Panik (L) 2B
8. Gorkys Hernandez (R) CF
9. Johnny Cueto (R) P
BEAT LA!
at least 5 of those 8 hitters could be out of a job or playing in Sac right now.
Yep: Rugg, Morse, Williamson, and Gorkys, IMO.
I don’t put Arroyo there, as I am firm (like a few other Flappers) that he needs to stay up and play, regardless if his BA continues to dive.
He is 5th in the team in RBIs (only one behind Panik and Posey) and two behind Craw and Nunez. He is tied with Pence for 3rd in HRs with 3.
I just think it would be more detrimental to him to send him down as opposed to keeping him up and allowing him all the chances in the world to play through the tough spells.
But I would love to see both the BA and OBP go up, no doubt.
I am hoping that Gorkys in CF is just Bochy giving Span a day to keep fresh. I really like the way Span has played since coming back. Having him healthy and contributing as he has of late will be one of the keys to the Giants continued success.
Ruggiano in the two hole?
Oh, and speaking of dead weight…Morse fits that category for me.
Bochy probably trying to load-up the line-up with RH hitters against Opie.
Whenever we throw a scrubini lineup at Kershaw I worry a little about getting no-hit. Sure, I want to win the game and I want us to be competitive in the game. But first things first: get that first hit.
I’m calling this a scrubini lineup today only because of the outfield.
This is one of those days we’d rather have The Outfield playing out there.
Maybe I’ll be pleasantly shocked by our outfield today. I hope so.
Belt of course is roping and shown the bench . . .
Guessing it is a lefty on lefty thing, and maybe his numbers against Kershaw.
From Baseball Reference: Belt vs. Kershaw 3 for 51 (55 PA), 27 Ks.
There ya go…thanks for the research. This was my suspicion, Mac.
Pav: Giants optioned Kelby Tomlinson to Triple-A to clear roster spot for Melancon.
FUCK! Tomlinson should have stayed, and they should have jettisoned Hill, IMO.
I agree, keep Specs, get rid of Morse. That said, obviously I hope Morse tees off on Opie.
Is it ok to say?
SWEEP
This rivalry could use a little spark…
I think Pence and Puig are both FA after next season.
Sounds like a perfect set-up to me…
Yep…both FAs after 2018. Personally, I would prefer someone other than Puig…someone with similar pop (and arm), but without the drama…(I know…it’s not like guys I described grow on trees)…
The Giants would need a Cuban whisperer for Puig. Juan Uribe’s probably looking for a job.
I think he was Puig’s only friend in the bums’ clubhouse.
“Cuban whisperer”…that’s hilarious…
Wow… a fucking Giant hit. I was starting to fear Zume’s possible prognosis of a no-no.
This would be a very unlikely game to pull out. Too bad they had to waste Cueto against Kershaw with their usual mail-it-in series finale lineup…
Cueto pitched like he took a look at that white flag lineup and didn’t give a shit.
Odd that this was the only game of the series the Dodgers had Seager and Turner in the same lineup.
I am listening – internet radio feed, so I did not see it, but fuck, Morse sucks. Time to cut bait…
I like Morse (more than Parker) but he’s a disaster in the field today
how bout Parker over Mac? I think I’m leaning Mac.
Mac all the way. He’s just a better player all around.
You’re opinion Dirt. We all have ’em. I like Parker better. Parker has better ML numbers, and they are very similar on minor league numbers. And I would take a healthy Parker over Morse. Morse is done, IMO
Nunie…..
I just saw an unbelievable statistic on ESPN. They listed the all time top 3 lowest ERAs for a pitcher who made at least 10 starts at a specific stadium. Kershaw (1.29) at ATT was #3. An old-timer named Whitlow Wyatt was #2 with a 1.16 ERA at Braves Field. Any guesses who’s #1 with a 1.10 ERA at the Astrodome?
Mike Scott? It seemed like he always shut the Giants down.
Good guess, but no.
First Hint: A visiting pitcher – not an Astro…
Marichal
Was it Krukow?
Nope. But it was a Giant…
That can’t be right. Krukow had a great record in NY, not sure about Houston.
GREAT question. Ron Bryant?
Remember this?
I bet its Hammaker
I’m stuck choosing between 2 guys from the early nineties and while I’m not feeling strong on either one I can’t seem to pull the trigger on guessing one of them. Wanna guess both. Cast a wide net.
I’ll wait to see if Diggity is correct before throwing out guess.
They built that piece of shit ballpark in Minneapolis and didn’t put a god damn roof on it? My DraftKings lineups are shot for the night.
dude, you gotta get hooked up with Kevin Roth on twitter. He could have steered you away from this game.
@kevinrothWx
Follow him. Super comprehensive with an am report and a pm update complete with radar shots and everything you need to know to make an informed decision about a game. He’s almost never wrong
He was before Hammaker. He was definitely in Flavor’s recent name that Giant photo contest.
The answer is a bit of a shocker…
Halicki
Scroll down to see it…
http://tinyurl.com/lku82b3
holy shit he pitched 90 inn and had a 1.10 ERA? That’s incredible. I was gonna guess Billy Swift. I’m gonna go check now and see what his ERA in the Astrodome was.
Apparently the giants have about as much chance of beating Kershaw in two straight starts as Drumpf has of finishing this term in office…
They already have twice:
5/08/12 & 6/26/12
4/28/15 & 5/21/15
I’m in heavy research mode lately…
So about a 10% chance…
The NBA playoffs have been an absolute snooze fest. Can we just get to the Finals already?
left you a note up above
Fuck…thank goodness for busy days at work…I missed most of the train wreck. I did hear the call on Morse’s butcher job in The OF. Hitting .185…he’s gotta go.
Halicki and Montefusco both crossed my mind. Figured it had to come from the era when the Astros were a division opponent. Funny to think Braves, Astros, and Reds were in our division for a long time.
i didn’t go that far back but in hindsight that was stupid of me. Lower ERAs were more common back then
Don’t beat yourself up. I wonder if Halicki even knows he holds this distinction (I wouldn’t call it a “record”)…
i like how this trivia game went down because I truly believe all the contestants did not google anything before guessing. That is how it should be.
I do remember watching a Marichal start in the AstroDome where the Giants hit into 6 DPs.
7………..
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU196905040.shtml
Turned on A’s game at Seattle…hard to tell it’s a road game. 13,955 reported attendance there last night, doesn’t look like too many more tonite either. Ms 18-22 10 behind Stros half game ahead of the A’s which I guess isn’t a very good place to be.
Yes Loo, I remember Bear Bryant!
…in fact, I have a poster of the ’74 Giants on the wall of my man cave as we speak and Bear is in Bryant’s lap in the picture.
Triva: What do Ron Bryant and Brian Jones have in common?
Swimming pool issues.
DING DING DING DING! (and very well worded too) I thought no one would get that, but you were the one guy I thought might. I knew you would know the Jones part, but had my doubts if you would know the Bryant part.
Nicely Done.
Unfortunate swimming pool experiences…
Ever read Jim Morrison’s “Ode To Brian Jones”?
If none of that makes any sense…Ron Bryant had I think a diving board accident that ruined his career and ex Rolling Stones member Brian Jones drowned in a swimming pool something like a week after getting kicked out of the band.
Zumie probably knows way more about this than I do, but my brother has told me how originally Brian Jones was the glamour boy and centerpiece of the Stones and not Mick Jagger—which I have always found interesting.
I got zoomed…
Props to you as well. There are probably about 7 people on the planet who would know the answer to that question and you and Zum are 2 of them.
…and no, never read that book, but I’m intrigued.
Yeah, somehow those freak accidents by athletes stick in my memory. Didn’t Randy Cross lose a season when he broke his ankle on a children’s slide?
Of course, we have a cornucopia of Affeldt freak injuries in our memories.
https://beatpatrol.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/jim-morrison-ode-to-la-while-thinking-of-brian-jones-deceased/
That’s interesting. It’s almost like Morrison is contemplating his own early demise, or I’m reading that into it. So many super talented folks lost to the excesses and heartache of the era. I was recently reading about Badfinger. Great band, with a depressing story. Churned up and destroyed by the industry they had so eagerly sought.
I don’t know lots about The Rolling Stones, just a few quirky facts like how Jones died. I’ve never owned any of their albums, but have seen them in concert twice. Both times they put on very entertaining shows. Sometimes the crowd was as entertaining as the band.
A couple of fun facts about this Brian Jones article:
It was written in 1969 and Bob Dylan IS still alive and the picture of Jones was taken on the day John Burkett and I were born.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/obituary-brian-jones-19690809
Great article; but wow, Marcus had no way of knowing what was coming next- Morrison, Joplin, Hendrix, Moon, and on and on. I was just listening to Elliot Smith’s “Eight Ball” album. Great album, but he was gone way too soon.
The album is “Figure 8,” I mean.
I will leave you with this, sports fans. A Rolling Stone album cover with Brian Jones front and center. A random, organic photo?? Maybe. But I think there are several examples like that out there from the early Stones days.
Long Live the Diving Board!
I know several folks who are at the U2 concert at the 49er’s stadium tonight. Color me green with envy. 🙂
Speaking of rock and mortality, the Soundgarden lead singer has died.
Terrible news…