Slightly Better Than The Worst
When I was a kid I checked the standings every morning. There were only 4 divisions back then but I had every team’s record memorized and their place in the standings. These days, I don’t check too often. Maybe once a week. I don’t know why, maybe they just gotten diluted with the wild card races. They just aren’t as interesting, or straight forward, as back in the day…..
Anyway, this morning I was surprised to see that the Giants have a better record than only four teams in the ENTIRE National League: Mets, Marlins, Reds and Padres—the absolute dregs of the NL. And that’s funny to me because KNBR spends nearly all of their SF coverage talking about the Giants post season chances and that they’re still in this, they just have to go on a run, thank God they won Sunday’s game, etc….
The Giants would have to leapfrog seven (7!) teams to win the second wild card spot.
S-E-V-E-N.
We should send McCutchen to Pittsburgh for future considerations and then send Longoria and Shaw to the Yankees (maybe they bite if we throw in Shaw and they really do need a 3rd baseman. Possibly give them Watson, too)……And we should do all of this TODAY.
Chances are slim (FG I think has them at 2%) and none but they are still in it. Magic number for elimination is 45…long way to go.
It’s actually very cool that none of the preseason overwhelming favorites in any NL division have run away from pack by now.
i know Pitt would take ‘Cutch back for 2 months but if the Yankees took the bait would you trade Longo, Shaw and Watson to them today? For nothing, just to get rid of Longo’s deal.
No. Watson by himself has value and would bring player/prospect back imo. Yanks are trying to save $$ too so as Loo said Giants would have to take bad contract guy back.
Not Shaw, it doesn’t make sense to trade your franchise’s top HR hitter.
The Rays pay two million of Longoria’s salary. If the Giants kicked in, say another three, the Yankees would only be on the hook for less than fifty. He’d be a good fit for them.
I follow along on cbs gametracker and they show tweets from locals like Hank Baggs Pavs etc. Usually there aren’t more than couple comments from those following, ever.
Contrast that with Yanks/Boston from last night’s game where there is an entire thread full of comments, throughout the game and after. Lot of them from Sox fans poking fun at earlier tweets with grinning Stanton’s pic from dugout in them that said 4 should be enough for the W.
Do we have @SanDawg42 in action yet?
I definitely see them putting Cutch on waivers. Hope they can swing that, as the salary relief will help our boys down the stretch in regards to bumping up against the damned tax limit.
I would definitely pull the trigger on that Longo, Shaw and Watson deal, and worry about 3rd base later. Just to get rid of Longoria’s salary would be huge.
lot of teams waive guys this time of year but I doubt Watson would make it through.
One of game time tweets said Chapman ERA vs. Boston before the meltdown was 5.65 and WHIP was 1.74.
Ouch
I hadn’t thought about Watson needing to make it thru waivers. I’m assuming the same would apply to Shaw even though he’s not on the 25. Anyone know the answer to that?
Problem for Yanks would also be I think that a guy SF waives has to clear NL first. Teams with crummier record get first shot so lot of team would have to pass for them to be in play.
Thought it was kinda odd Pads didn’t bother to try and take anything for Ross and Lyles.
I’d do a Longoria/Watson deal with NY but no to throwing in Shaw. He’s the only prospect with any power that can play. McCutchen back to Pittsburgh? Via con dios as far as I’m concerned. I’m waiting until September to throw in the towel but it’s not looking good. Its not like a historic pitching run is on the horizon.
A Dinah-Moe Humm Baby kinda morning, ehh? Buns-up kneelin’, wheelin’ and dealin’?
Getting rid of Longo’s contract would give the team salary flexibility going forward so I’m OK with trading him. Android’s contract ends at the end of the year so unless a team is willing to give up a good prospect for a rental I’m not sure I see the point in trading him (getting rid of him now would only save the team about $4 mil). Although, the Giants do have 4 games with the Pirates this week so you might be right about that.
4 mil is a shitload of money in regards to keeping under the tax threshold. That would give them the ability to bring a kid up, who isn’t on the 40, and not worry about how paying said kid the ML minimum would pit them over the limit. Love the Dinah-Moe Humm reference, John.
I believe a team can put a player on waviers once, pull him back if they want, but if they put him on waviers a second time , the claiming team gets that player no matter what..
Correct. The team can only pull the player back on revocable waivers, once.
To The Clown’s 10:56…
“She looked over at me with a glazed eye
And some bovine perspiration on her upper lip area
And she said, And I quote:
Just get Me wasted and you’re half-way there
‘Cause if my mind’s tore up, then my body don’t care
A’s just picked up Mike Fiers from Detroit to add more pitching depth.. for 2 ptbnl or cash 💵 considerations …
Just don’t see the Yanks taking Longo off are hands.They have a young 3B Andujar ? who’s hitting .290 with 14 bombs , yeah his defense is shaky to say the least,10 errors?but so is Longoria’s even more errors.
Yanks really need OF help more then anything right now..
It’s not just baseball going through some identity angst. Football has some more new rules this year to try to make the sport safer, and lots of folks are wondering where it’s all going. With football, you have a sport that is incredibly dangerous to the human body, but at what point do rule changes lose a lot of fans? There’s not going to be an easy answer to that question.
I have to admit I chickened out from playing high school football. I was very thin in high school. I visualized myself getting snapped like a twig.
and that was back when regular sized people were playing. Nowadays the guys playing are just straight up Terminator machines. If you let them hit people with the old rules their brains would get scrambled even quicker than they used to get scrambled.
This new helmet rule though, it’s going to ruin the game IMO
Longoria to the Yankees is completely impossible…
It it was a damned good fantasy while it lasted….
Larry Krueger, KNBR with Radnich, was making a case for it today on his show
I don’t know how he did that.
He makes no sense for them…
it was a poorly constructed case.
Loo and Mac – we are all still waiting to see that video of Loo dancing in the restaurant…
Sorry, no video from me. It just all happened so fast.
Some things are better left to the imagination…
1. Andrew McCutchen (R) RF
2. Buster Posey (R) C
3. Evan Longoria (R) 3B
4. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
5. Austin Slater (R) 1B
6. Joe Panik (L) 2B
7. Steven Duggar (L) CF
8. Gorkys Hernandez (R) LF
9. Dereck Rodriguez (R) P
It’s hard to get worked up one way or the other about a Giants lineup these days. It is what it is. A kind of lineup ennui.
This column succinctly describes the “dead money” predicament the Giants find themselves in this season and beyond.
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2018/8/5/17654820/a-quick-review-of-the-giants-dead-money-jeff-samardzija-johnny-cueto-mark-melancon-2019-mlb-cbt
Ironic (I laughed anyway) that the author used the metaphor, “chickens coming home to roost” and I immediately thought of 🐓 Rooster laughing at our expense. Regardless, we may be in to the midst of our “wilderness seasons,” but dollars to donuts, we will have the last laugh when the Bums face plant in the playoffs. That will make this money/contract shit storm worthwhile in my opinion.
Doghairs might want to try and lock down Machado long term now.
Corey Seager to have arthroscopic surgery on his left hip now to go along with his TJ surgery he’s recovering from.Not good for a kid of only 24..
there is as much chance LA will be able to sign Machado to a long term deal as there is the Yankees will trade for Longo. Never happening. He’s a complete and total rental.
Why so sure?
I didn’t know the White Sox stadium is called Guaranteed Rate Field. It should be called Guaranteed Loss Field.
I appreciate your curation of the best of these for the Flap.
yes, they aren’t all winners. But what can I ask for? It’s twitter, it’s free, I’ll take what they give me
that’s a beautiful shot of Hank Aaron
Shit, anyone who takes photography seriously knows this isn’t true. We still get down and dirty for the shot. Any photog does.
McCutchen is easily the Giants’ best leadoff hitter. Charlie Morton is a successful Smarge.
As with just about every Giants offensive stat, it’s always a low bar to begin with.
Not really, in this case. His OBP has been very good all season.
Panik can barely hit his weight, but he is light years better defensively than Hanson and man are he and Crawford slick up the middle. You will not see a smoother, snappier double play turned than that one right there. That was not routine and they made it look easy.
Kruk and Kuip talking about how Rodriguez throws what Buster calls for. You know where that came from. His old man said, “Throw what Buster puts down.” When a HoF catcher who also happens to be your dad gives you that advice, you listen. lulz
Just asked Mrs James “Why are we not at this game?” WS champs and SF’s best 2018 story . . . .
much love and respect for the WS Champion Houston Astros
The team that ended the Dodgers season…always something to look forward to.
yes, they pulled my ass out of the fire after I guaranteed like 40 times that the Dodgers wouldn’t win the World series last year.
First guy to ever lose a pop-up in Venus…
Things even out, sometimes within a matter of a few pitches.
This kid continues to impress. He can pitch. Seems savvy beyond his years.
Beyond his experience at least, he’s 26.
By age 26, Bum already had the 3 titles, about 100 wins and some 1,300 IP on his resume…
i still can’t get over the fact that this fucker had never thrown a pitch as a pitcher until the year AFTER we won Beauty #2. Think about that, was that really that long ago? And here he is today possibly our best starting pitcher….
The Twins are just so fucking stupid….
Beautiful pitch calling and execution by Stros there . . . .
Crawwww yeah!
Bombs Away Crawford!!
Craw-Bomb! ‘Bout fucking time. BOOM!
maybe planets align this week…Stros are missing 3 super players in Correa Altuve and Springer.
Giants have 4 more home games after they leave.
dodgers are across town playing hottest team in baseball Oakland.
DBax hosting Phils who have won 5 in a row and trying to fight off Braves.
may the Great Karmatic Equalitzer smile upon our form.
I’m with Craig. If the Yankees take Longo and most if not all his deal OF COURSE we give them Shaw. Longo’s deal is awful it defies explanation why we took it on in the 1st place. Shaw in the top 100 of MLB prospects? That contract is a HUGE anchor. Longo’s defense terrible, hitting fair, and we have his bloated deal for..wait for it..
FOUR more years, plus the $5 Mil option to get out of the 13M we owe in TWENTYTWENTYTHREE!!
As I write that I’m blown away that we even gave them a prospect:(
Rodriguez throws like a seasoned vet!
He mixes his stuff beautifully, and I even like it when he goes in tight are overthrows a pitch high, he’s changing the players sight lines and then hits the knees on the outside that they just flail at..
Most of the time he throws what Posey puts down, but the kid fucking executes beautifully. He is definitely a keeper. I think he could be a future top of the rotation guy.
He’s at the top of this rotation now
I know we’ve all said it a bazillion times, but damn, I sure like that Rodriguez kid! What a revelation for this year’s team.
This sorta reminds me of a Montefusco game in the Super 70s, say against the Reds, one that I knew we’d inevitably lose 2-1 or 3-2 . . . . but that was then, right?
Yep. That was then…
Good to see ya, James…
careful here…this guy destroyed the A’s when he was there last trip.
Moronta not locating right now.
Moranta gettin’ it done. There’s another guy I like a lot.
I don’t sweat contracts. Giants have money growing everywhere including their newest developments.
they are owned by a billionaire and every year owners take bigger piece of the pie home with them.
The yard is dang near full 81 times a year.
Longo is average to above hitter and fielder who now that he is healthy is hitting .350 with couple bombs.
Unless Giants have someone to replace beyond some skinny no pop gomez/specs guy, he can stay.
Arroyo looked like a good fielder but he might not hit 12 HRs in his ML career…which is currently stalled again.
I agree.
Bregman is a good player and I like him, but he’s a cocky little fucker. Every called strike tonight and he stares at where the pitch went like he doesn’t like the call. Hate that shit.
Torture, 2018…
Guy can’t throw strikes tonight.
No breaking pitch tonight.
FUCK!
Choke city. Your 2018 Giants.
Walks are important to any good offense. They only look like the pussy way out when you don’t have a good offense.
Way to go, James…
Sorry . . . .
Fuck this shit!!
The kid gets fucked out of another win!
Fuccckkkkkkkk
Mother Fucker!
So fucking annoying that you fuck around and walk 2 guys. Throw strikes..GRRR
The pen is better this year but we don’t have a closer
Goddammit, I hate fucking relief pitchers
Too many Right handers Smith had to face and he was struggling, but fuck all they had up was Dyson so wtf I guess..
So, in addition to a big bopping OFer next year, add closer to the shopping list. Thing that really sucks there is fucking Melatonin was supposed to be THAT guy. Fuck!
Gotta get the bat off the fucking shoulder on anything close…
Pfffttt…same shit, different game. Pathetic shit right there.
Fucking wasted a great start by D-Rod!
Smith most nights has his great slider; but when he doesn’t have it, he’s naked out there.
Yeah that swing by Gonzalez sure made Smith “Butt Naked” after he launched that bomb!!
That was the first HR Smith has given up this year in 35 innings. He was overdue.
He pitched yesterday and didn’t seem at full strength tonight. He came back from Tj surgery just a couple of months ago.
Smith also had the best BB to IP ratio on the staff entering tonight’s game.
The great closers nowadays are power pitchers. The Giants were going against the tide when they signed Melancon.
I think the Melancon we signed WAS a power pitcher who threw 95. Since “The Scar” he has become a guy who needs to hit his spots and mix in the curve a lot.
Back to .500.
Of course MINAJ is on fuckin’ fire 🔥 for the Mets…