Swept in San Francisco
Who would have thought we’d be in first place after the first nine games? A 2.84 team ERA sure does help. Man, I’d like to have a team full of Victor Robles’. He’s my new favorite player in the American League. What an effort. I hope he’s ok. They need to do something about that webbing down there. I mean goddamn, why does it have to go all the way down anyway?
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Carstie Clausen
Sun, Apr 6, 9:16 PM (8 hours ago)
…that they done did doodit? MLB.com features all that parade of superstars and hyperstars donning dodger blew. Their business model, I guess. So guess what? as of today they are not only # too in MLB…they’re even number two in the NLW…the toughest division visible.
Whether or not those blasts of fresh air actually last is not necessarily the issue. It’s like some kinda flat-tire on the bandwagon loaded down with more stars than Hollywood Boulevard itself. I mean, even Grumman’s Chinese is blushing blue this evening.
Wha hoppen?
WEll. it’s like this: Sir-Prize, but that assiduously avoided bunch at the Bay have something to say. It’s pretty simple. That bunch of ’24-model also-rans have run up some street cred in the serious about baseball world. Thing is, they can be described in one word: TEAM.
Yeah, some of those thirty something whippersnappers have forgotten one basic lesson: Baseball is a TEAM sport. Real baseball is NOT all the bluniformed egotists being the name of the game. It’s a bit early in the game, but all those pundits, poobahs and prognosticators are merely following a script…probably one concocted by the bean-counters and promoters who inevitably get swamped in a swirl of anal-itix.
Ten games into the 162, you take a look at the individual stats and Los Gigantes sure do look like they’re also-ran appearances. Then take you a look at TEAM stats and…woopsie…those SF dudes just keep on a-rising. That includes both hitters and pitchers. The guys with lottsa dingers, along with the kings of “K’s” get all the attention on that board. But consider those devastating doubles and RiBeyes and the message clarifies.
And the pitching? Those double plays sure have a way of stifling rallies. Well, of course, the left side of the infield are sure a pair of tightwads when it comes to balls in or out of reach. The #2 starter is not much looking like the Cy Young special…but a kid named Birdsong is hovering in the branches. Guess what? Whisenhunt is on the prowl in Sacktown. Depth like none of recent history. If Verlander continues to slip a bit, with that salary he could be transformed into a traveling tutor for the hurlers in the pipeline. Be nice to keep him around one way or another.
Webb and Greene will face off for the second time in just a while. Giants hitters have this way of extending the at-bats. They don’t draw a lotta walks, but they sure can foul off those 4-seamers.
Walkoff following Matos getting on base, steals the next one, takes third as Robles gets hung up making a helluva catch in the R.F. corner…and then with two down and the game tied at 4-4; the Secret Weapon, Whilllmer, busts the tie and Oracle explodes. Maybe he’s not so secret anymore.
Uh-huh…that’s what that revivified Halloween Machine from the ought-tens are being under the wings of Buster himself, with Ol’ Bob calling the shots on the field. History may not repeat, but sometimes it rhymes.
Opposing pitchers and managers could be tearing their hair out, wondering which one of the nine bats is gonna strike…like in his jump year, YazMaTaz is acting like some hot to trot teenager stealing bases and such and then blasting the big three for one deal.
Then there’s our Korean Krackerjack and his daily doubles and walks galore. On the defensive side, how bout that leaping catch by our shortstop. Ahh, the core principle is balance on every part of the spectrum. Hellcat Ramos is on his way to a passel of taters and plenty of RiBeyes to keep up his stamina.
Now how does Doval blow the save…and then that offensive bunch pulls the chestnuts outta the fire and Camilo pulls down a pair of walk-off wins.
I mean, this team is coming on like Dumas’ Three Musketeers: “All for One and One for All”…or do I have that bass-ackwards?
Okay, so we’re all on a high right now and maybe #1 in MLB and even in the much feared NLW is just a flash in the pan. But guess what…the Jints are not likely to be ignored much longer. And quite the breeze being whomped up by all those happy fans.
regarding the Farhan stuff: I don’t think he was terrible at eyeing talent. He proved many times that he could find a diamond in the rough. But there’s no chance this same team would be 8-1 to start the season with him running the show. One word: consistency. This line up and this roster has FINALLY gotten to gel together. No way does that happen with him jimmy jacking around with the roster every day like he always did.
Melvin and Buster are a great team together.
Every day players playing every day, stealing bases, hitting a fair share of bombs but providing timely hitting too to all fields, combined with excellent D and solid pitching top to bottom, all charging hard every inning with no quit–what an approach. Kapler is a distant memory. It feels almost like a spiritual revolution yet it’s not that deep. It’s just good, contemporary baseball. Lot of fun, too.
Hey stix- “history might not repeat, but sometimes it rhymes” good stuff.
there’s always a gold nugget or two in a Stix post
power rankings are stupid.
https://x.com/Coach_Yac/status/1909268451987710274
The league & media. usually treat the Giants like the red headed step-child. If we can keep it going for awhile they will have to acknoledge eventually.
Great start to season. Giants actually look like they’re having fun. Agree with general sentiment that rolling out consistent lineup each day key to success. Players no longer worried about being pulled from lineup if they go 0-8 (see Lamonte Wade).
Situational and timely hitting, especially with two outs. Good but not great starting pitching. But solid and deep relief pitching notwithstanding Doval failure to close out game yesterday.
Speaking of Doval, his slow delivery to home plate will plague him all year if not corrected. Opposition will continue to steal bases. Given Doval’s propensity to walk batters, it essentially amounts to surrendering a double.
another view of this start. Amazing.
Records So Far By Division:
NL WEST 32-17
AL EAST 25-23
AL WEST 25-23
NL EAST 22-23
NL CENTRAL 22-29
AL CENTRAL 17-28
courtesy codify baseball @ Bluesky.
also:
Losses By Starting Pitchers So Far:
0 SF
1 NYY LAD TEX
2 STL SD WSH CHC LAA PHI
3 DET NYM MIA KC COL TB CWS TOR
4 MIN BOS ATL PIT
5 CLE MIL ARI SEA HOU ATH
6 BAL CIN
those are interesting stats.
Best decision by the team may simply be letting Ramos play every day. They platooned him a lot last season.
Stay healthy and they look to be in the mix.
Ramos didn’t come up last year until early May, but he didn’t platoon thereafter, except in the AS game. Only Chapman had more PAs total on the team for the season.
Adames is such a great addition even if he doesn’t hit 32 bombs like last year. solidifies IF D, and his wonderful personality is infectious. Brisbee in TA had 3 highlight clips of him from M’s series, messing with them around being gunned down trying to stretch single. You notice him chatting up Chapman and Fitz around IF.
Combine that with leadership from Chapman and healthy Flores and it’s totally different vibe.
Adames probably my favorite Latin Am IF since Juan Uribe.
btw, anyone remember who nicknamed Freddy Sanchez “Glass”?
Yaz said it himself yesterday. He said he’s fine with the team being considered underdogs.
Said there’s no pressure on the team and they are just out there playing and having fun.
I didn’t think the Posey effect would be this profound, but the defense is worlds better, and everyone isn’t simply swinging for the fences. Ramos and Adames especially really seem to just go with pitches instead of trying to pull everything. Does Adames have anything to do with that?
Fricking Yaz going oppo home run shocked the hell out of me.
Something is radically different with their approach. And it’s still Hot Tub Pat the Bat as the hitting coach, right?
I had the same reaction of delight and surprise to that no doubt Yaz oppo hr. Great swing.
Heard In postgame show Yaz’s daughter asked him to hit a HR.
What is Yaz going to do promise her a HR like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for little Johnny which would be great but not sustainable hmm 🤔
When hasn’t the Giants ever been a favorite Chuck?
Even in 3 W/S championship they were underdogs in all of them!
And the baseball media world never gives them props expecting their collapse and of course it’s only about the Dogpile &Yankee empire they jizz over everyday..
Giants get less Respect then Rodney Dangerfield!!
The key so far is great pitching,solid defense,and especially their running the bases well and stealing them at a great clip.Took last years pathetic team 13 freaking games starting the season to get their 1st!!Also they have been clutch in RISP ranking second at .353 that’s the stat they need to keep up!
Adames is a baller always smiling and plays with grit and a clubhouse presence I’m sure is a big influence on Ramos,Matos along with Wilmer.Ramos no doubt in for a big year and an A/S again.. And let’s not forget about a healthy Lee he’s money with great AB’s I like him in that 3rd spot getting on ,moving runners over, setting up Chapman &Ramos to do major damage!
Yeah I’m not going to totally rip Farhan, it’s mostly his players but they were still green last year (Fitzgerald &Ramos) but now with a full year together it only helps in their development, hopefully Matos as well..
Vladimir Guerrero signs a 14 year 500M contract with Toronto.
No deferrals,No trade contract
Hope this isn’t a hex but column in fangraphs about how awful Reds hitting has been. Per B/R team BA of .210, 4 steals all season and 0 triples. Iirc they were very high NL for both those stats last year, though they didn’t hit well then either and traded away Jonathan India.
Rematch of Webb vs. Hunter Greene tonight. Greene was pretty tough on them but Ramos hit 2 run shot to RF off him before Flores capped off game winning rally with 3 run bomb in 9th.
Ramos was drafted in 2017, the year before Zaidi took over, and I’d argue that Zaidi and company badly mishandled his development. Only the complete failure of the ZKapler approach to the OF combined with the injury to Lee gave Heliot a fair shot last year.
found column by Baggs in TA 3/5/25 where he talks about Damon Minor who has been Sac hitting coach for 9 years before Melvin promoted him to take Viele’s spot as Burrell’s assistant in SF. Fitz is guy who said Minor really helped him, especially after he got sent down last year. “Ramos…worked most intently with Viele over the two previous offseasons” is direct quote from Baggs column.
I thought originally that was what Ramos said, that Minor had helped him a lot. Ramos minor league stats above A ball (after Covid wiped out 2020) didn’t explode til 2023 (year before he hit .227 there), but SF experience as call up wasn’t good under Kap. Overall in about 1000 ABs in parts of 4 years at Sac (including 115 last year) he hit 35 HRs.
Additional Baggs column in TA from 12/5/24 about hiring of Minor: “Ramos credited several coaches with helping him refine his swing and approach; he worked intently with Viele over the previous two winters but also spent plenty of time with Minor over parts of four seasons with Sacramento.”
bringing Burrell in, first at San Jose, then up, and giving minor a shot, were good moves in the Zaidi era but I have no idea if Z was involved. Ramos bounced around for years as an apparently disfavored holdover Sabean era first round pick. He certainly got himself ready to take advantage of his good opportunity when it finally came.
Nice catch Jung Hoo.
The D is about 100% improved from last year. Great play by Wade there.
Agreed.
This ump’s strike zone is the size of Montana.
Great play by Bailey that wasn’t easy,Lee flashing the leather too as the defense continues to stay strong..Game is flying by going to the bottom of the 6th already at a 6:45 start?
Another angry text coming for Flav.
Yeah welcome to a night game cold weather scenario Mr,Hooligan.
That ball was seriously “Crushed “ but at the 415 no chance to go out, Day game it’s gone..
I think even Gavin Lux’s mom doesn’t like him.
Let’s go Giants, get some runs for Webb.
Oh man, Houston can’t get a shot off down 2 in final seconds and Florida wins the title.
Doval’s three batters will load the bases? Almost. Fuck him.
Webb’s dominance undone by Doval’s incompetence.
Fucking Doval continues to be the whipping boy with his shit control! And now Miller doing the same! He can’t walk that first lefty, then a 2 run double yikes..
The Doval experience is gonna be a thing of the past soon. He’s just a flat mess.
Get those runs back, Giants.
On pitch #100 Greene is still throwing 100 mph.
Great AB from Lee, chapman too.
Damn, at least they made it interesting.
Greene was great until he lost command in the ninth. Then just not quite enough from the Giants. At least Heliot hit the final pitch hard.
Tonight, the bullpen let us down,
and our bats just never came around.
We can still beat the Reds while they’re in town,
but tonight, the bullpen let us down.
is that you, Merle?
Nice one from the former clown.