More Losing
No, I didn’t watch the game last night. And I had really nothing else to do. I did watch a couple episodes of AfterLife (a show I finished earlier in the Summer). It’s so good.
I personally don’t get all the anger from fans getting directed to Farhan and Kap. I don’t think they’re anything special but a big part of this embarrassing season needs to fall on the lap of ownership. We don’t have very good players. Kap can shuffle them around all he wants. We have no power and no speed. We are slow AND weak. It’s like a team full of Matt Duffy and Joe Panik’s. Today’s game demands you have strength (bombs) and speed (SBs).
At least we have the NFL today! I have lots and lots of teams at draftkings to keep me interested.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
All around mediocre effort from ownership and management and talent. I think ownership has given Farhan and Kapler free rein and bought into their moneyball analytic openers baseball strategy and philosophy and that just isn’t working. The lack of a consistent rotation that is allowed to pitch deep has strained the bullpen and just not consistent effective.
Ownership didn’t develop and sign a slow and older team that is at the bottom of baseball in team speed and youth and a strategy of mid-tier retread starters trying to find a resurrection to their careers ala Gausman. Farhan and Kapler fielded this team and think they are honestly both mediocre overall.
I agree GH.
Misguided at best. There’s a reason platoons have been part of baseball for 100 years–given right set of circumstances, they work even for old school managers like Earl Weaver. remember Bochy the Beloved sitting Craw and Belt vs. Opie, who effing owned them? Data has shown a hitter vs. same handed pitcher suffers, and for some reason LHs do it to worse numbers (-.50 points off OPS) than RHs.
Max Muncy stats 2023:
vs. LHP .160/.270/.389 11 HRs
vs. RHP .238/.362/.539 25 HRs
Roberts sat him vs. Manaea Friday(using RHs Amed Rosario and Kike Hernandez at 2b.SS) after 0-4 night before when Harrison started
My fav Giant this season is LaMonte Wade Jr. He’s making 1.6 million and is in top 10 NL for OB with .375. Guys he is behind are multi million $$ superstars like Betts Freeman etc. Imo an everyday 1b who is improving defensively. But I get using Flores, Giants best hitter over there.
Here’s his splits from breakout 2021 season:
OB vs. LHP was .200 slugging .189 with 0 HR
OB vs. RHP was .341 slugging .518 with all 18 HRs
So Kapler rarely ever played him vs. LHP and iirc he ended that season on 0-35 streak vs. them. All he is trying to do is gain competitive advantage, score more runs and win ballgames.
Does he overdo it? Yes and it comes back to bite him when he does it early and opposition changes relievers later in games.
But again, Bochy was doing it too in 2019 and told his bench guys to be ready when pitcher changed cause he was gonna need them to PH.
Kapler rarely goes off script so other teams can predict what he is doing often. A manager that goes from the gut is less predictable. Does it always work? No, but at least the player sees leadership and not just a data sheet. Not sure what you have against Bochy, who took a lot of flak even during the championship years. Boch, Dusty and Roger Craig got us to the WS so I’ll be grateful for those guys. Granted, I haven’t liked Kapler as a manager from the get-go, as a condition coach, sure.
Nothing against Bochy at all. I’m saying he platooned guys too because he knew it was right move. Same thing Kap gets vilified for.
Platooning is a basic, effective tactic, true. The theory proves itself in practice. Constant mixing based on a supercharged version of the theory, however, yields the liquified mediocrity we’ve endured for two years now.
2021, the Giants used 23 position players (including ephemera like Chadwick Tromo and Skye Bolt). Success. 2022, 37. Mediocrity. This year, 32. Mediocrity. And the use of openers for a huge percentage of games is just another variety of doomed over-platooning.
Z’s theory might work spectacularly with a squad of stars and a deep bench. It obviously doesn’t work worth a shit on a stingy budget and a still disappointing farm system.
Deep bench, very good point. 2021 Belt only played 90 some games, but Kap had Ruf and his .900 OPS and 16 bombs for43 games at 1b and bunch more in LF. Ruf vs. LHP was 1.000 OPS guy. Bryant was everyday starter acquired off deadline who wound up with .788 OPS for Giants. Not as wow as he had been with Cubs but played 3b and OF as replacement for Longoria (another bore core guy who also got hurt) and part of OF platoon with Dickerson vs. LHP.
Always strikes me as funny that Giants fans that complain about constant movement of players in and out of lineup today could not wait for old everyday vets like Posey Craw Belt and Longoria to finally go away.
And even in Bochy 3/5 years, it was NOT a superstar laden team other than Posey. One offs from Huff Freddy Sanchez Juan Uribe Andres Torres Scutaro Brian Wilson, all soon replaced by others.
Posey never hit more than 24 HRs and no one ever hit 30. Pence had 27 in 2013, 20 while playing every game again in 2014
Well, the great homegrown SPs and the well paid Core Four. We have Webb and we have a few promising youngsters in the pen now.
I am glad we don’t play the Dodgers 18 times a year anymore.
Not sure what happened, but my automatic posting recognition/ability is back (I don’t have to log in for every post), and so is my editing capability. I didn’t do a damn thing that I know of to make that come back…
This is interesting. Relates to the pitching discussion (Blade esp.) yesterday. Just recall that Manfred introduced (perhaps by accident, by changing the yarn material for the seams) the first version of a new juiced ball in mid-2015. Launch of the launch angle era.
https://x.com/codifybaseball/status/1706023559129444791?s=46&t=k0FDC_rVBvlG86Y-OHTiNQ
That’s an amazing stat xoot. Just me, but it speaks to MLB ownership wanting to pay slave wages for starting pitchers (or at least significantly cut down on those big contracts).
And analytics that show what happens when SP goes through lineup 3rd time. So managers stopped doing it, so pitching staffs have to include more and more relievers. No one goes 300 innings any more. Webb leads league, right?
And the pitch count.
Saturday’s 5-2 loss against the Cards in 11 innings moved the Padres to an unbelievable 0-12 in extra innings this year, tying the 1969 Expos for the worst mark in MLB history. So much for “name players.” Pfffttt!
Wade Jr. ties this one up with bomb off home run Lynn
Lynn has given up 43 HRs this season.
Criminy…
Yes, Willie – at 207 I think, with Cole at 200.
God i hate game cast. Not deep enough to score Ramos?
That strike two call on Haniger was bullshit.
The Giants are just lameass when it comes to scoring.
The Doghairs would score in that situation while sleepwalking…
24 other teams as well.
Situation set up now for the patented bottom 9th walkoff…
Frustrating right to the bitter end.
Giants scoring.
Nothing like it…
LA scores like breathing…
SF 6-28 in their last string of road games, when they count the most.
That should get somebody fired …
Good thing its a short flight back home for em. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Damn.
JImmyG just threw a stupid pick to kill the Raiduhs…
Unca Chuck–thank you.
Just heard this score: wow
Miami 70
Denver 20