$2.50 Closer
Diggity and I have a crisp ten dollar bill bet on this series. So I’m looking at each win for me as $2.50 in the bank, each loss as a sad $2.50 out. And there will be no venmo/zelle nonsense. The loser sends the winner a $10 bill in the mail along with an apology for failing so miserably and a promise to do better on the next bet.
The Rays are a good enough hitting team with better overall pitching than the Dodgers. I’ve been hearing for 3 years here at Flap Central that good pitching beats good hitting and will overcome the bombfest that baseball has become.
So, let’s see it.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Rays hitters not named Aroz did finally awaken, with 10 hits, double what LA got, and 4 walks, plus fewer Ks as Dodgers struck out 15 times.
After Snell departed their pen gave up 3 hits 2 runs 0 BBs (!) and 6 Ks in 4 and a third.
LA did out bomb them 3-2, not a good sign. But being able to win a game you get out bombed very good sign.
Last night had to put up troubling sign for Mr. Roberts. Gonsolin gave up bomb in first, third appearance in a row where he has been scored upon. Carrot Top gave up opposite field bomb on hanging slider that ultimately provided the insurance runs that did them in. These are his 2 opener nominal SPs beside Opie and Buehler…so where does he go from here?
All lined up for a perfect Kershaw implosion for a crucial Game 5 that will hopefully swing the tide to the Rays going up 3-2 if not being the championship winner for the Rays…Rays have the far superior bullpen IMO…
fangraphs column on game last night makes some interesting points. while Snell once again couldn’t get out of 5th, walking Kike and then giving up opposite field bomb to Taylor, the 2 guys at bottom of the order, his pen bailed him out by shutting down LA after that except for solo bombs.
Fairbanks of course, has also been vulnerable and has now been scored upon in 5 straight outings.
Meanwhile, Roberts had very quick hook on Gonsolin and his juggling act with May in different roles is kinda odd. If he planned a full on pen game, why take Gonsolin out so soon? Floro is another one Rays scored off in previous outing, and so was Gonzalez. Series might come down to who manages pen better, and right now you’d have to give that edge to Cash, though how he handled 9th was weird too for L/R matchups.
It would have been fun to see Bochy out manage Roberts when the Giants were good…
Rays impressed me last night. I didn’t think they had it in them to even up the series.
Cracks me up that Margot is playing a key role. The Pads gave him every opportunity to win an everyday job and he never made it happen.
Good point. Margot has been better than Renfroe who hit 30 bombs for Pads.
Bit off topic as per last night’s Rays of Hope. Looking ahead to ’21. Noticed on MLBTR’s that Seattle is dumping relievers and they’re not the first team throwing cast-offs to the winds of change. Cue the Z. & H.vacuum cleaners and their assessment teams. Betcha they’re glued to those wires, DFA’s et al. “Specialite’ de Maison” as the Franskers would put it,
With the lockdowns and all and many teams coughing up cash, payrolls are getting slashed and trade-winds likely to pick up even before the GM and Winter meetings. Opportunities are staring SF in the orbs. Zaidi looks to pick up a solid LH bat. A reliable starter and two veteran relievers are high on the agenda, as well. With money going off the books and the payroll relatively modest for a team looking at being somewhat competitive next season, the SF Vultures should be ready to swoop in and pounce.
Trade moves–mostly predicated on picking up better than average players with maybe a year or two to go before major salary hikes to be anticipated. Giants can afford that more than most other teams. Also, because we’re still relatively down and out, competitive blockers may not be terribly motivated.
Suspicion is that Z & H will target more than a few of the cast-off relievers—mosty on minor league offerings. Expect a lot of creative bargaining over the next few months—perhaps several of which will be more calculated to hit The Show in ’22 than next season. Minor leaguers may get moved and possibly as many as two or three vets who some teams could envision as wearing their colors next year. My anticipation is that the Flap will have more to talk about this go-round than coming into 2020.
So far best SP out of 4 has been…Opie, who shut down Rays on 1 solo bomb for 6. Neither Glasnow nor Snell could finish 5 and left with runners on via walks.
Rays pen has had their share of issues too–in Game 1 Yarbs (prospected game 4 starter) was in there for Glasnow and got Bellinger to pop out with 2 on. After that gave up consecutive singles and allowed 2 more runs charged to Glasnow to score. Fleming later gave up bomb to Betts, and Turner doubled in another run to help put game further out of reach.
Yesterday both Anderson and Fairbanks gave up homeruns in late innings, not recipe for success..
As bad as the HRs are, the walks hurt more. Solo shots didn’t hurt the Rays too too bad, but all the walks usually and up biting them both in the ass.
“Oh, those bases on balls!”
Bill King doing A’s games in early ’80s when Billy Martin was there with his pitching coach guru Art Fowler, used to imitate Fowler’s South Carolina drawl and say, “You can’t catch a walk.”
I think Pete Rose got his nickname (Charlie Hustle) by running to first base on walks.
I always though that was absurd.
Does anyone remember if he was still doing that later on in his career or if he abandoned that nonsense?
I think Whitey Ford coined the phrase first seeing him sprint to first and then sprint to The centerfield wall, climbing over it practically on a ball long gone.As he came back in Whitey turned to Mantle and said here comes Charlie Hustle.. He did like Loo said turned off some fans and players for what they perceived as a show off, but I believe there has never been a more harder worker in the game than Pete Rose was..
The only other guy that I got to actually see at the Stick and I told my buddies watch this guy come into the game was reliever Craig Lefferts,he would do an all-out sprint to the pitching mound which really got the fans into it. Lefferts like Rose were entertaining when baseball could become stagnant at times, so I always appreciated they’re efforts..
How bout Craig Lefferts sprinting in from the bullpen like a lunatic?
…and sprinting back to the dugout when he blew it.
LOL! Motherfucker just sprinted his ass all over the globe.
You didn’t exactly say what team u had BF are Diggtydog ,Tampa are LA?
Plus are we talking a super crisp $10 bucks from a bank teller cause ATM’s usually only spit out crisp $20’s..
the other day SD said LA in 5 and Flav said Tampa in 6. We’ll see. Game 3 is big, each team going with top line SP. Morton, pitching vs. LA team he eliminated in game 7 of 2017, is still effective at age 36 and still gets fastball up to 96 even though vulnerable to hard contact.
Morton may do okay—so long as he doesn’t walk anyone.
Walks hurt, no doubt. But if you go into Samarzidja mode and bite off big chunks of the plate, it will be home run derby all night long for the Dodgers. It is a tough deal.
Morton impresses the hell out of me. He was a journeyman pitcher who bounced around and reinvented himself in I think his early 30’s copying Roy Halladay’s delivery. Turned himself into a solid pitcher who finally had some success, then he became a bonofide top of the rotation guy. Now, he’s damn near knocking on the door of legend status for this string of amazing post season performances. And he seems like a great dude too.
Yeah your so right about “Ground Chuck Morton” Sandog!
He has turned into a playoff monster pitcher and the ultimate big game pitcher the last few year’s between Stros and now Tampa Bay, he has certainly turned his career around late into it.I rally respect what he has accomplished and seems like a great guy as well..Go Rays!
To get this far you have to be good, and catch some breaks. Either team could win. 2 best teams in MLB this year. My heart sya Rays, my wallet says LA in 7
I’m wondering if a guy like Glasnow would be better served to throw a little softer but with better control. The way the shifts work the D can do all that work for you anyway. These guys throwing 100 seem like they might like looking down at their big dongs more than they like getting actual outs.
Maybe throwing softer wouldn’t work. I’ll say this, I hit a golf ball a long way. Sometimes not always straight down the middle. Haha. But honestly I can’t swing more controlled, the only way I can hit it square is to swing about as hard as I can swing.
And my point which I didn’t finish was, maybe it’s the same way with these dudes who throw 💯 regularly
That’s how Koufax got his career on track…
“Norm Sherry would go on to assist two Hall of Famers, one of whom is considered the greatest left-handed hurler in history: “The world will little note nor long remember Norm Sherry,” reported The Sporting News in 1971. “[B]ut [on March 23, 1961] Norm played a part in [Hall of Famer Sandy] Koufax’s conversion from a marginal liability to a major asset. ‘Why not have some fun out here, Sandy?’ said Sherry [after the flamethrower walked the bases loaded on 12 pitches in a “B” squad exhibition in Orlando, Florida]. ‘Don’t try to throw so hard’ . . . [In 1961] Sherry [was] the right man with the right way to phrase the right thought at the right time.”2 Seventeen years later he took a young Gary Carter under his wing and helped him develop into a Hall of Fame catcher.”
I wonder if today’s athlete would listen to that. 100 is pretty impressive to be able to throw nearly any time you want to throw it. Some of those pitches from Glasnow though, they just weren’t competitive.
Is May really thinking about changing his number from 85 to 86?
Asking for a friend.
Until that dope cuts his mop I’m not worrying about what number he wants
86 as in 86ed.
OK not a good joke.
terrible. You’re better than this.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside was one of the best WR’s I’ve ever seen play at Stanford. I thought he’d do more in the pros but understand why he hasn’t. He gets another opp tonight. Will Wentz give him some looks?
yeah just did. He was awesome in those end zone grabs.
No one will mistake Wentz for Montana. Touch doesn’t seem to be his strong suit.
I think Devonta is my new fav name. I suggested to godson’s younger bro, Japanese on Dad’s side and married to filipina gal, to name first born son Akira Devonta, or A. D. Another option would be Devonta Junichi, D. J.
I was just gonna say Jones looks like such a better passer than Wentz and then he blasts one in there the receiver can’t handle and it’s picked off on deflection.
it’s amazing the me how bad pro kickers are. But also how great they are. It’s this incredibly weirdo dichotomy that I don’t understand either side of.
And the poor holder gets so little credit.
Think about the pressure he’s under…
Yeah the pressure of turning the laces away for the field goal kicker is insurmountable..
No way did I think the baseball season would make it to the WS, but a football season? I’m still having troubles believing they are playing games.
As a friend of mine texted: Wish there was an NFL game on tonight.
y’al just scored n took lead. wasn’t easy, but this is winnable game for NYG
Even the big play had a comical moment.
oh yeah that will be on highlights and twitter for a while. Even his own linemen on sideline were cracking up.
Niners are responsible for Philly’s only W so far too.
Yeah pretty embarrassing to lose to both Eagles and Fins at home no less..
90 yd drive for Giants.
See, here’s how you tackle, even if you stutter:
https://images.app.goo.gl/HUpGrwhWjwRkyabs6
make that 98 and 6 to top it off.
Imagine reaction from Philly fans if the yard had been full
Man I had not paid any attention to the nfc least before tonight. But wtf?
That’s 2 weeks in a row where the Eagles have tried to rush it in with Wentz on a 2pt conversion both have failed miserably.U would think the Eagles would learn from that and try something else?
Maybe that’s why there 1-4-1..
Was that “illegal hands to the face” where the guy grabbed a face mask and tore off a helmet? Still, eaglets bounce back.
Yes…Typically if your hands go and rip off a guys helmet that will be called.If his head is ripped off too that’s a double penalty..
Ah. Double. Long blood letting clean up delay, too.
that’s too bad Wentz makes his best throw of night in last minute.
Unreal throw by Wentz to Scott for the TD!
U might say Peppers 🌶 got peppered by Scott for the TD..
True dat, Kat. Hellofa throw and catch.
Dude is 5’6″. Great play and great catch.
Story on Yahoo says DH only for AL in upcoming season . Since players are in favor of it according to Heyman, likely to be universal once next contract is settled for seasons after 2021.