1 horrible pitch in an otherwise excellent pitching peformance by Barry Zito, along with some atrocious fielding by an overmatched Aubrey Huff in right field cost the Giants a winnable game and a chance to leave LA with a split in the opening four game series. Key LInes:
Freddy Sanchez- 2 for 4. Freddy continues his hot hitting.
Aubrey Huff- 2 for 5, 2B. OK, the Giants have a problem. Aubrey Huff cannot play RF! Not his fault, but if either Nate Schierholtz or Cody Ross were playing RF tonight, the Giants just might have shut out the Dodgers. After Furcal led off the game with a single, Jamey Carroll hit a blooper to RF that either Nate or Ross would have undoubtedly easily caught. Huff made a diving attempt and the ball rolled past him to the warning track for a run scoring triple. Kemp followed with a 2 run HR off an 84 MPH fastball thrown down the middle of the strike zone. Then in the 7'th with the score tied 3-3, Loney led off with a single. Marcus Thames hit a drive directly over Huff's head. It was a tough play, but Huff got turned around twice and had the ball clang off his glove for another run scoring triple that opened the floodgates for a 4 run rally to up the score to 7-3. Again, I have to believe either Nate or Cody Ross would have had it easily. It was painful to watch and almost reminiscent of Vladimir Guerrero trying to play RF in the World Series. Huff has been so disastrous on defense in RF this series that I don't see how the Giants can continue to put him out there, even temporarily until Ross gets back.
Pablo Sandoval- 1 for 4, HR(1). Pablo finally took some pitches, got Kuroda into a favorable count and just crushed a pitch into the upper rows of the RF Pavilion.
Pat Burrell- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB. BA- .143. Pat the Bat tied the score with a solo shot in the 7'th inning. That's why he's on the team. Here's the other part of the Giants problem: If Huff moves to LF now, or when Ross gets back, Burrell has to sit. Burrell can be frustrating at times, but if you need a quick HR in a key situation, there is almost nobody on the team you'd rather have up there.
Brandon Belt- 0 for 3, BB. BA= .154. Belt has impressed in many ways, but does he really make the Giants better if he forces Huff to the OF and Burrell to the bench? Tough question and some tough decisions coming up.
Barry Zito- 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. Maybe he was temporarily rattled by the horrible play in RF that resulted in Jamey Carroll standing on 3B with a run in and nobody out, but he then threw a simple awful pitch to Matt Kemp, 84 MPH fastball, belt high, down the middle and Kemp blasted it on a line into the LF bleachers. 3 batters faced, 3 run deficit! To Zito's credit, he settled down and allowed no hits and 2 walks the rest of the way through the 6'th inning ending up with a quality start and left the game with it tied 3-3. Gotta be concerned about his velocity though as 85 was the highest he reached according to the TV gun. Zito is noticeably more effective when he can get the FB up to 87-88 MPH. He was nowhere near that tonight.
Dan Runzler- 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 1 K. He didn't walk anybody, but did not have good command and was putting pitches where they could be hit. The fielding in RF did not help him though. An example of how bad OF defense can easily cost more runs than a good offensive player can produce.
The loss dropped the Giants record to 1-3. They now go to San Diego where a 2 game series is sandwiched between 2 off days before the Home Opener on Friday April 8. Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum are the scheduled pitchers in San Diego, so you have to feel good about the Giants chances down there, but Aubrey Huff cannot play RF!
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They need to swap Belt and Huff. Belt played OF in college, moves well, and can't be any worse.
ReplyDeleteI believe the thinking is they want to foster Belt's D at 1st for the longrun, but Huff is here for 2 years. I don't think the team can endure that many balls dropping in RF.
They were willing to move Buster to 1st temporarily, so moving Belt to the OF shouldn't be a huge deal.
Yeah, I think Huff can't play RF much longer either. Perhaps they should platoon them, with Burrell and Rowand against LHP and Huff and Schierholtz against RHP for a while.
ReplyDeleteAnd if Belt should continue to be cold for a while, that would be the answer, move Huff back to 1B when Ross returns, then mix and max again in the outfield.
Runzler's bad outing doesn't help his cause either, of staying when Wilson returns.
Though i'm hoping the Giants talk about making the best baseball decision was made because they read the comments being put out there by the Chicken Littles running about right now. I would prefer them to keep a balanced view towards the future as well as the present.
Because the more I think about losing Nate Schierholtz, the more upset I'm getting, but right now he's the one who's probably gone when Belt is up here permanently, when when Ross returns or, should he go down then, when he returns for good.
the org will not move belt to right...he played that position 11 times in the past year...not once during st
ReplyDeletelet us not forget that posey split time in the minors between first and catching
it was very short sighted of the org to think that huff could just pick up and play right again after the offseason
the rush to get belt into the majors was also short sighted, as a stint in fresno could have seen him get some time in right
putting added pressure on the kid is not the way to go
fact is, had bochy managed this game the way he managed the back end of last season, we never wouldve seen the debacle in right
in the 7th, nate wouldve moved to right, huff to left...burrell to the bench....not a great decreases in offense...but a huge improvement in defense
for some reason, probably because of the tie, bochy made no change
defense does matter
we saw that in the playoffs...we are seeing that now
the one game where the giants defense was solid...they creamed the bums
the dodgers do not have a good team...take away kemp and ethier, and its a second division team
that pen is going to totally implode by midseason
the fat guy impersonating a closer is one dinger away from going to the looney bin
giants handed them the series...its as simple as that
kuroda did school belt...i lay odds the kid will be watching tape of his at bats over tomorrow's off day
really hope that baggs had a chance to talk to bochy about the non defensive move, and to miggs about the swinging away thing
i did get one bad vibe today...not putting in nate made me think that he is definitely back on the bubble...which is sad, because i put no stock in that dinger hit by rowand...nate couldve hit it too
it was an 88 mph slider that was up...cuz the fat man didnt trust his fast ball
finally...i have decided that espn doesnt want its baseball contract anymore
thursday was bad...today was the worst
not only were we forced to look at fat tommy for a full inning and listen to his inane stories, but the idiots in the booth prattled on so much, that they missed whole plays...including a balk (which wasnt even captured on camera)
oh...and if i were miller and morgan, i would be ticked about whatever my previous salary was, because now, not only do they have 3 in the booth...but they have 3 anchors in the parking lot and two roving reporters
and despite all that man and 1 woman power...the giants local broadcast is far more entertainging
never thought i would say this...but i prefer the fox broadast from saturday
The first question I asked when the ball went over Huff's head was why isn't Nate out there, then I realized the game was tied and Bochy usually makes that switch only when they have the lead. Can't really argue with that.
ReplyDeleteLots of good suggestions here, but the lack of obvious answers is why this whole Brandon Belt chain of dominoes is such a vexing problem. Only gets worse when Ross gets back, although I think we all agree Ross plays RF once he gets back.
I thought the Ross injury was supposed to be convenient for sorting out the Rowand/Ishi/Nate situation while seasoning Belt in AAA.
ReplyDeleteNow, it turns out things are more complicated. Belt is already one of the team's best hitters, and sending him down goes against the whole best 25 mantra. Burrell is still hitting, but Huff's DH rep has finally shown up. Will be interesting to see how Sabes and Boch work it out.
Regardless, Belt is much faster than Huff - swap them around.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed over the past couple of years that errors tend to mess with the Giants' pitchers head. Cain comes to the mind the most.
Keep Belt in SF.
Rowand is doing his share to add to more controversey.
I can see Runzler packing up for Fresno VERY soon or not letting something like yesterday happen again soon.
I have never seen a baseball player run so straight up. Huff has NO lean forward in his running. He needs help from a track coach.
I still see the WS Champions in the Giants. Can't win every game. They still are going to get out fast. It happens real soon.
Doc, they forcast rain for Thursday at The Diamond. Press Enterprise says rain, not chance of rain.
Thanks Doc, for all the hard work you put into this site.
I don't think Belt was schooled; I think the home plate ump was inconsistent AND calling that off the plate pitch (inside to LH hitters) a strike on several Giants hitters
ReplyDeleteallfrank
ReplyDeletehe was schooled
that pitch starts outside then tails in...hard to see
the kid has a great eye, and he was right to not swing at it...cuz it takes time to develop an inside out swing
miggs hit the exact same pitch...albeit from the right side
for some reason, marty lurie made a comment about the kid not hitting...the point of the game is to get on base...i dont care that the kid is hitting below 200 right now...he is getting on base, and also making each pitcher work to get him out...he is the real deal and will be for a very long time
Doc, any idea what the pitching matchups are for this week at The Diamond? I am thinking of heading up to see the baby Giants play, and I would like to see Wheeler, if possible.
ReplyDeleteHey everybody, thanks for all the comments! Keep em coming! No word on pitching matchups for the SJ/LE series. Probably won't get them before Wednesday. Turns out I'm on call Friday Night and Saturday until 6:30 PM so that leaves Thursday night and Sunday. If Thursday is rained out, then it will have to be Sunday, no matter who is pitching.
ReplyDeleteThe pitch Kuroda got belt on is what is known in Japan as a Shuto. Basically and 2 seam fastball with a tail. A RHP starts it out headed inside and the pitch then tails to catch the corner of the plate while hitter either flinches or takes it. Great pitch when it's working. Valentine and Hershiser commented that Belt probably didn't see too many of those in college or the minors. Might have been their best commentary of the two games I saw them broadcast, which isn't saying much.
I really thought it would be best to have Belt start the season in Fresno. However (regardless of his early BA) it'looks like he can hit major league pitching. I see why the Giants have him here. But, after only 4 games, there is pressure pushing him to Fresno. I don't think Huff, overall, is as bad as he looked in LA. But it's pretty clear that the Giants were getting lucky playing Burrell and Huff in the OF last year. It may be balancing out. Still, even with what happened Sunday, I'd stick with things as they are, at least for the short SD series.
ReplyDeleteI'm more concerned with Tejada anyway. Guy doesn't seem to have much hop in his step.
And Pablo...the guy is AB to AB. Patience early and he goes yard. And then he's just hacking by his last AB. I don't know what to make of him right now.
Seems to me both Huff and Burrell have significant trade value. If the Giants are absolutely committed to Belt at 1B, I could see one or the other of Burrell or Huff getting traded.
ReplyDeleteKeep Burrell. The dead body outline in the outfield was really funny. Burrell earns his keep in the locker room. He is decent at HR's. Burrell is going to have a awesome year. I can tell by the coffee grounds in the bottom of my cup.
ReplyDeleteI think Burrell would retire before he gets traded. He signed a "free" contract because he wanted to stay with the Giants. I don't see him getting traded.
ReplyDeleteHuff is a trade possibility, but I also do not see that happening. He seems to be the veteran leader and I would be worried about the locker room without his sense of humor.