When Reality Finally Finds You
How stupid were we last year? Just a bunch of giggling dunderheads agreeing with everything Farhan and Kap did. “I don’t get it but these guys are geniuses man! Everything they touch turns to gold! Bat paths! Woo Hoo!”
Reality has hit hard this season. It turns out you can’t just plug a bunch of shitty castoffs into your line up and win games. Huh, who knew?
Honestly, in a way I’m glad this happened. Hopefully Z hasn’t gotten so big for his britches that he can’t admit there isn’t just one single way to build a winning team. I’m worried though that he’s so stuck in “A’s Mode” that he can’t do it any other way. And ownership probably loves it. Spend no money every year, that’s great for them.
Anyway, this is who we thought they’d be last year.
Travis, you’re a year too late….
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
I was surprised as anyone last season when they won 107 games, particularly so with the “bore core” leading the way. That being said, I absolutely thought this was an anomaly and they wouldn’t come anywhere close to that record this season (with or without Buster).
Consequently, I have no angst with this .506 record. I mean come on – on November 6, 2018, Zaidi accepted an offer to join the San Francisco Giants to become President of Baseball Operations and fast forward to last year, he was voted the Sporting News Executive of the Year and the MLB Executive of the Year Award becoming the first person of South Asian descent to win either awards. Thus far, I like most things he has done in the front office, minor league system, and on the field (with Kapler and the players he has provided him). I can’t prove this, but I think he is hamstrung by ownership in regard to signing free agents, until the “Longos of the world” are off the roster, i.e., perhaps next season he signs a big free agent or two. I don’t know . . . I tip my hat to anyone who is an MIT graduate, including his wife, who is one too. lol
One last note. I do not expect another World Series appearance or win from this regime, although it would be nice. Why? Sheesh, I had to wait almost 60 years for my first one. I know how hard it is to win ONLY one and we have 3. Basking still in Pollock Pines . . .
Yesterday you asked who is going to spark the team? Shouldn’t the manager have a role in firing up the team? I know our manager thinks his job description is just to follow Zaidi’s suggested stats and spot the guys in the weight room. but maybe a manager needs to, I don’t know, manage? It sure seems like the staff really misses Posey. Bullpen games are a joke, how come other teams can bring a guy up to give them 5 innings but we can’t? When other teams bring up a young pitcher it sure screws up our hitters, maybe that would also work for us. We sure can’t blame the loss of Posey on the lack of basic fundamentals in fielding and base running, if you ask me the quality assurance coach really needs to up his game.
I was wrong about Joc, he has been a great pick up so far this year. Gonzalez has been a nice surprise. Wade was a huge spark last year, so he’s been missed. Bart has been a disappointment, hopefully he does a Matt Williams and turns it around going forward. Crawford and Ruf have regressed offensively, but with Crawford we sure missed his glove when he was hurt. Really, the bench has sucked so far, maybe Villar can help change that some. Hoped for more from Belt and Longo but we are getting about what we should have expected from those two, at best they are streaky when you can get em upright and on the field.
Just a thought, but maybe the problem is that we have way too many bearded guys.
Yesterday Xoot mentioned that you can’t run a team with interchangeable parts if the parts are no good. I’d amend that to the obvious “if some of the parts are no good.” Picking most of them out doesn’t require a look at the stat sheet:
Belt
Craw
Disco
Longoria
Wade
LaStella
Wood
Bart
Through a combination of poor play and/or injury, all of the above have contributed far less than anticipated. Note that these aren’t really castoffs and I’d even hesitate to label some as fully interchangeable. I haven’t included the likes of true platoon players Ruf and Slater because they are doing their jobs, which is to hit lefties.
As I’ve pointed out a couple of times, the real opportunity to spend big money that would have shifted the team in a different direction was to reject Crawford and Belt. Sure, and sign Gausman with Rodon.
If we keep playing like this we should at least get a pretty good draft slot. We have a Jekyll and Hyde franchise and there is plenty of blame to go around but it usually starts at the top.
Send Yaz to the Yanks for disgruntled 3B-LF Miguel Andujar (age 27).
Send Mr. Ed home to the Mets along with Jarlin Garcia for 1B-LF Dominic Smith (age 27) and buried behind Pete Alonso for eternity.
That’s how you replace Longoria and Belt. These deals fill the needs of both teams and money won’t be an issue.
Also, spend some $ and lock up Joc.
#loohanzaidi
Wondered if they would make Joc an offer he can’t refuse. He’s been breath of fresh air and he can hit LHs too Gotta find couple more bats somewhere besides the Krizans and Voslers of world. Villar might work out but he’s already flubbed a couple in IF. Have to acquire something if farm system not giving Kap enough to compete.
In #loohanzaidi we trust.
Yes to Andujar, no to Smith.
Why not Mac?
Smith is an excellent defensive 1B and hit pretty well prior to this season.
Also supposed to be a real good guy. Definitely needs to get out of there.
And don’t you think the Mets and their fans would welcome the return of Mr. Ed
with Davis and Escobar floundering? Plus I’m throwing in the lefty reliever that they
desperately need. I bet your Met fan pals would jump on this offer.
Plus I have serious doubts Wilmet is re-signed anyway…
Loo, I’ve no doubt my Mets pals would like this trade, and sending Wilmer back here would actually be pretty cool. I’m just not crazy about Smith, he was so bad this year they sent him to the minors and there was even talk earlier they would DFA him until they rightly dumped Cano. But I’ve certainly been wrong about these things before, like Pagan, who you pushed for well before the Giants got him.
Teams ahead of SF in WC race lost (Cards Padres Brewers) but Marlins only game behind Giants now.
Pads are in free fall themselves, so upcoming 4 game SD-SF series will be meaningful.
Got into SFO last night late and last people with fam getting a car at Hertz before they were shutting down and the guy behind the counter turns out to be the grandson of Vida Blue. I reply he is a legend and ask was it having him as a grandfather. His reply…”He was a total drunk!” Wow! A bit eye opening and never had heard that. Gigantes are in big trouble.
Yeah, it’s pretty well known out here that Vida’s had some substance abuse issues in his life.
He’s no stranger to DUIs.
He was on KNBR off/on doing a post-game or pre-game gig with Laskey. They’re both terrible, but Vida basically said nothing but trite baseball crap and didn’t even bother to try to fake knowing what was going on in baseball. He’s not doing that anymore, I guess his welcome wore out. Laskey is still on KNBR pre and post on weekends, IDK why — he’s awful. If they are trying to get younger people to get interested in baseball, he’s not the way to do it. Who cares what one of his buddies was doing in AA ball in 1983 — in a 20 minute interview?. He speaks English like it’s ESL. At least he did have the balls to rip the Giants last Sunday post-game. He’s definitely not into Kapler’s style…
Laskey really is terrible. And you’re right, Vida was the worst. No pride at all, just showed up with his name and nothing to say
And this does not fall on Farhan’s shoulders yet but in terms of developing hitters, how weak is our farm system??? One disappointment after the next. What is going wrong with our talent drafting??? Loo I am all for getting Andujar asap.
Another ?: Since Rodon able to opt out deal after this season as long as hits 110 innings (91 now), would Z/H make contract offer to keep him? Current deal 2yrs/$44 mil so what would it take–5 yrs/$100? He’ll be 30 in December. Giants certainly have the money if they felt he was right fit.
Well, Farhan didn’t do it this way with the Dodgers. But then again, their upper management was willing to throw the big bucks around.
Ownership is sure willing to fund all manner of Seditionists and white supremacists…
Yep.
After letting Gausman walk not even making him an offer, doubt they do the same with Rodon.Just trade him at the deadline and get something for him instead of him walking and get nothing when they let Gausman hit F/A( (instead of trying to make a deal before the season ended)
No way they offer Rodon 5/100 especially after he ripped everyone but himself for lack of energy and playing thru the motions right now..
Are Giants pitchers alone in MLB in usually looking like they have no clue how to field tappers or what to do when a ball is hit to the R side of the field? It seems in those cases, the outcome on defense is often very challenged or downright disastrous. If I were a pitcher, it seems to me I would be totally into keeping my defensive skills up to snuff and my head into situational ball since it only helps me get people out…
I heard on KNBR this morning that home game attendance is down to at or near the lowest levels since the “Pac Bell” ballpark opened…
Thing about Dodgers though is that they did go out and spend $$ to replace what they didn’t have. Seager was leaving so they got Trea Turner and rented Scherzer. They paid handsomely for Betts and Freeman, and re upped Chris Taylor Muncy and J Turner. Lux and Will Smith are only homegrown regular position players beside Bellinger. They also extended Kershaw, who is still going.
Kershaw gonna start the ASG…
Because the game is at Dodger stadium, and to give him recognition for his career.
Some revisionist history going on here abot Z’s time with the Dodgers. Justin Turner, Muncy, and Taylor were dumpster-dive pickups. And the Dodgers hit on an outrageous amount of successful draft picks. Bellinger, Will Smith, Beuhler, and a bunch of others. Their draft picks were coveted by other teams. They drafted Verdugo and traded him for Betts. They drafted a catcher Ruiz, who ended up being the key piece in the trade for Trea Turner and Scherzer.
I fully agree the Giants seem to have a limited budget lately, but that’s probably coming from the owners, who seem to be more focused on their real estate developments and other things.
The fairest thing to judge Z on, IMO, would be his draft picks, and I think it’s still a year or two to see how those are panning out.
Development in system even for sabe/evans picks under Barr seems to be an issue. The guy Z has running draft hasn’t hit on anything yet. The $13 mil deal to acquire Wilson deal hasn’t panned out either, though he is hurt after being promoted to AAA. High picks Bishop and Bailey are still struggling in High A ball. Other than Webb and maybe Doval, haven’t seen someone come up through the system and hit big. yet anyway.
Z’s signing of La Stella was a flop. I think a lot of us didn’t like the signing at the time. It never really made sense. There were some good analytics in La Stella’s favor, but he never really passed the eyeball test.
I mean signing him for three years. A lot of us raised eyebrows at that.
Anyone else feel that baseball reporters, fans, broadcasters, and managers have all lowered their standards? For example, I read where the McCovey Chronicles reporter wrote, “Alex Wood gave the Giants five excellent innings, but the bullpen and offense were unable to do enough to end their losing streak.” He also writes, “The Giants were unable to end their five-game losing streak on Tuesday, falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 despite a great start from Alex Wood.”
Great start? Five excellent innings? Okay, but damn, that doesn’t even meet the consensus “quality start” definition of “a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs.” Or, even an Ultra Quality Start (UQS) is defined as a game when the starting pitcher pitches at least 7 innings and gives up at most 2 earned runs.*
Sheesh, Warren Spahn, Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, etc., must be turning over in their graves.
*Correct me if I am wrong, but this UQS used to be just a quality start until recently, right????
no the QS has always been the QS. To be honest I’ve never heard of UQS until you mentioned it today.
There’s a lot of the “diminished standards” thing happening in baseball. I think part of it is that broadcasters nowadays are more over-the-top than they used to be. Probably because of the nightly highlights shows, like on ESPN and on the MLB Network. Everyone wants to make the super excited call nowadays, so plays that are good are GREAT now and OUTSTANDING. There’s often a few legitimately great plays in a game, but even those get treated like they won the 7th game of the World Series. The worst is the Cleveland broadcaster who just screams like crazy. Very annoying.
One thing I appreciate a lot about Jon Miller is he is free to criticize, it seems.
He criticized the two wild pitches yesterday as not really that, they should have been caught by the catcher.
And, he’s definitely called out the bad defense…
yeah those were bad, though both Leone and Wynns took blame. Good for Miller and I appreciate what you mentioned about convo with him and Kap on pregame. Still, if you are going to call for slider in dirt knowing Leone has good one, then you have to stop it with RISP. Doval, Idk what to say.
Fleming does too at times. Frankly I’m losing interest in this team fast. it just isn’t compelling to watch AAA rejects du jour stumble all over the field while the sore core hot-tubs it all game. Webb and rodon are the only players that do anything above mediocre at this point. They finally brought up Villar anyway.
Watched Book of Eli (Denzel Washington) instead of the game. Kind of a dumb movie about the apocalypse, the Bible, society in general, and how religion is a tool.
It’s hard to remain interested in this Giants version.
Yep, your “Sore Core” basically fading into oblivion along with “today’s latest addition to the roster” are making for a totally boring ass team — unless you like bad defense blooper reels. Farhan needs to do an Atlanta style 2021 All Star break re-tool to get this team back on track. The 107 wins of last season seems a very distant memory…
Was it after the ’93 strike that they lowered the inning pitched to be a win from 6 to 5? It was supposed to be temporary (iirc) but they left it in place.
Don’t think so, Chuck.
It’s been 5 innings as far back as I can remember…
And the Browns traded Baker Mayfield to the Panthers for a 5th round pick! A fair pittance. Jimmy may be the next guy traded for the proverbial bag of footballs and a jug of Gatorade.
Last stop for Jimmy G may be the Browns if DeShaun (handjob) Watson gets a year suspension. Knowing the league, they’ll fuck the Niners by giving him 4 games off. The Browns did Watson a solid by paying him the minimum his first season, seeing that he’s such an upstanding guy. When not on his back.
I still think Seattle’s gonna end up with him.
I have no doubt that Handjob Watson is a lowlife.
Also no doubt that a healthy percentage of these lawsuits are or were bogus…
Dominic Smith doubles and scores!
Ha, I missed that.
Less than an hour before game time and no line up posted.
Maybe Bart is stuck in traffic…
1. LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) RF
2. Joc Pederson (L) LF
3. Yermin Mercedes (R) DH
4. Brandon Belt (L) 1B
5. Mike Yastrzemski (L) CF
6. David Villar (R) 3B
7. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
8. Tommy La Stella (L) 2B
9. Joey Bart (R) C
P: Alex Cobb (R)
Watching my first game in about a week. Is that Pence in the booth?
yes. He’s not bad.
Is Shorto hurt?
Yes back on IL.
Wow. Not a good 0-2 pitch there.
Since Z came on board, I have generally “trusted his process” for putting a winning team on the field, and they did that last year. But as I’ve said before, my biggest … what, gripe? concern?… is not that this team is who we thought they’d be last year, but rather that next year’s team will *look like* 3 years ago: very little sense of progress building a sustainable, championship caliber team over the next handful of years based on talented players that come on board and claim their positions as their own and man those positions successfully for years, a la Pablo, Posey, the Brandons, hell, even Pence Pagan and Blanco. Can’t just root for the laundry anymore, need *good* consistent sustainable players at the starting positions. This team very soon is going to need a new 3Bman, new SS, new 2Bman (unless Villar works out), new 1bman, new catcher (position is a mess right now), and, something I wanted to see for this year, new CFer. At least those. That’s a lot of “building” that I wish had truly started a few years ago. Maybe it did start, and the results just haven’t come in yet or came in less than optimally, I don’t know. FO has a lot of work to do; unless this is just the new way. In which case, ugh.
Cobb is so weird. He wipes out the first 2 hitters and then the next 3 rake with 2 outs. I don’t get this dude.
One bad pitch and he’s fucked up in the head.
God. We suck. Jeopardy is starting.
Took me awhile to get Final Jeopardy.
it’s almost all GMO now–those beans are bred to survive roundup fog, which puts the carcinogen into the food, no doubt. Edamame, indeed. Stix told me that potatoes are harvested these days by spraying roundup all over the field to kill the leaves & vines etc. before the tuber harvest.
Huh. Someone plays defense.
Dom Smith doubles home lead run in 10th.
That’s our guy!
Free Dom!
Dead team walking the sequel to Sean Penn.
The most energy the Giants supply is when they’re strapped to the chair before being excuted..
Hey Kat. Did you ever see Paul’s question to you about hip replacement?
No I must of missed it, When did Paul post that?
Few days ago…
PaulinAsia Banh Bao said, on July 1, 2022 at 8:01 pm (Edit)
Hate to interrupt game-day convos, but quick thing to Kat: I need to schedule hip replacement surgery for next month. Trying to figure out timing for recovery, ability to get around, etc. Kat, you had a somewhat gruesome story about yours. Do you mind briefly recapping what I might expect for the first few weeks, month, etc.? Or anyone else having had hip replacement. Yep, I’m a glutton for punishment, with this thing nearly immediately following the inguinal hernia thing…. thanks in advance!
this is just outrageous
DBax batting .500 tonight, 6 hits 6 outs in 2 innings.
They’ve lit up Giants pen 2 nights in a row now they’re on starter. Beat Rodon too.
Good God. We’re gonna go from winning 107 to losing 107.
Having Villar play his normal position pays off.
Give us some regular OFs and IFs. AI be damned, at least we’ll have players to root for day in day out.
Word….
Pence loves the term “swing path”…
Should be pathetic swing.
Kat, yeah, I’m in planning mode for hip replacement in early August, thought you could briefly share your week by week progress, might help me plan out my August and September and into October, when I’m hoping to be able to do a US trip….
Yeah sure Paul the best I can remember..
I had my right hip surgery in late June 2020 had to wait 3 extra months cause of COVID !!
First, weeks before the Surgery they took pelvic x-rays to show me how jacked up my right hip was( arthritic osteoporosis) and then the surgery 1st one in the morning 8-9 am?which went well( swear my doctor was cranking out 3 are more that day.After waking up in the recovering room my doctor wanted me to move around as soon as you can with a Walker down the hospital aisles loosening up the new hardware I assumed.Anyway all was good and I went home the same day with my meds( oxycodone etc)
You will just need to take things easy in the beginning Paul.You should have someone stay with you in the beginning, prepare meals, showering , even putting clothes on ( stick with sweatpants,slippers,t-shirts) if possible ( geisha girls?) also their excersizes you can do in bed , using a chair for sideway moving legs slowly reps of 5-10 in the beginning, nothing to strenuous you don’t want to aggravate the hip.. Not sure where your getting your surgery in Vietnam are US ? but rehabilitation and booklets are highly advisable the 1st month are 2 along with using a cane that you use on your good hip side on short walks indoor are outdoors! My incision was 9-10 inches long, the stitches will dissolve over time from showering maybe 2 months are longer?, and if you have follow up appointments they can tell u more.Let me know if you have anymore Questions Paul
Thanks, Loo… and agree, Xoot…
Bart says no more busses.
one inning after all the adios pelota stuff, Bark whacks one. See if this counts but that was some loud contact.
Oh man, that sucks.
If that doesn’t sum up the season I don’t know what does.
Brilliant running by Bark there.
Not to worry. LaStella would have hit into a double play anyway.
Fuck. Just saw Shorto is back on the IR. Funny he was talking about retirement. In fucking May.
if he tries to stay we can just buy his dumbass out for 5 million and retire him ourselves……
2 of teams Giants would have to leapfrog for WC also lost today–Cards and Phils. Brewers too.
Padres (another team SF chasing) 2-8 last 10, 6-12 last 18 before 4 at Petco starting tomorrow.
i have zero interest in seeing this team as it’s currently constructed and playing eek into the post season. I hate them enough already, watching them embarrass themselves in front of the nation would just make me hate them even more.
But it’s mostly a moot point. The Giants can’t beat the Reds, Detroit or AZ. This shitty team isn’t making the playoffs, even squeaking in
I’d rather see them sell at deadline myself. But see lot of positive vibe “there’s still 80 games and half season left” stuff out there.
Ruf just tied it up so this could be nice W if they could pull it off.
Give Cobb credit for only allowing 1 hit over last 4 shutout innings. Lot of groundballs successfully converted into outs.
Pence: “Alex Cobb pitched a really good game.” Huh?
I’m still voting Josh Bell over Dom Smith…
The baseloaded Loo?
Prediction?
Wouldn’t have predicted that!
SLATER DELIVERS BIG TIME!!!
Good hitting by Slater after that awful 1st-pitch strike
Austin & Austin!
Insurance runs always good. Nice AB from Wynns.
so who covers bottom 9?
Hunter says the AI has finally turned the laundry around.
It’s all good send us your energy cherries coffee!!!!!!!
Doval vs. LHs, huh. Gonna face couple more.
The organist is driving me nuts…
Not nearly as much as Doval.
Closer pitch count is an underrated stat…
sitting on 32 after foul ball. yikes.
holy crap he smoked that. would have tied game up if fair.
Loo’s 9:39 last night.
lost command. Lost, period.
At least it’s not Tyler Rogers blowing it – take comfort!
Sam Long to close it out? wow
Doval is still imperturbable, even when he sucks. Has he not learned a thing since 2021? Aren’t two dozen coaches coaching him? Fuck.
Yaha. I got your save right here Kap.
On 3 pitches.
Dude, I can open and close.
Still above 500!
Hey, a win!
