Saturday, August 6, 2011

Game Wrap 8/6/2011: Phillies 2 Giants 1

Well, THAT was frustrating! Might as well get this one out of the way early today. Oh, and pox on Fox for showing Yankees-BoSox on the west coast. I hate Fox Game of the Week! Anyway, Matt Cain pitched about as well as anyone can pitch and still, you know, not win the game. Pablo Sandoval is still the offense, and it's still not enough. Key lines:

Jeff Keppinger- 2 for 4. BA= .295. I think Kepp and Pablo should be 2,3 in the lineup so they can at least have a ghost of a chance of stringing 2 hits together in the same inning.

Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 4, HR(12). BA= .313. How frustrating is it that neither Kepp nor Beltran could get on in front of Pablo in the ninth. You knew it was an empty HR as soon as you looked down the list on gameday and saw Cabrera's name next in the lineup.

Matt Cain- 8 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.00. Pretty much a microcosm of Cainer's career in this one game. Tough first inning made worse by an error. Game over!

Dodgers are playing the Dangerous ones again. Maybe they can help hold them off until the Giants can snap out of this funk. Oh, they've been in this funk all year? Maybe not!

It's not a great lineup but if everyone hit to their career average, it should be scoring close to 4 runs per game which would be more than enough on most nights for this pitching staff. Gotta get some BABIP going their way sometime, right?

Timmy takes the mound tomorrow against Kyle Kendrick in a game the Giants should win, but that's not saying the will. Pretty much any pitcher in a major league uniform is capable of shutting them out right now.

4 comments:

  1. Kind of weird that Beltran joins the team and we hope that he will motivate the Giants, but instead the Giants de-motivated Beltran. Maybe they can classify it as a virus.

    Huff and Ross, I give up on. I can't look at them and NOT think the are not trying. Rowand has gotten better but Nate has got to get back on the wagon.

    I wonder if Huff has reverted to his old ways of being an outsider in the club house. Something is not right and it is more than aslump. The dugout all year has resembled a morgue as compared to last year. Is one enough for some of these veterans??? Cain and Timmy have the hearts of lions and that bullpen belongs right next to the rotation - they are that good. But how long can a pitcher be so stressed that he has to be perfect. This pitching staff wants to get back to the wunderland.

    I am like bacci, get Nate in RF and let Beltran have it easier so he can concentrate on offense. No one is going to tell me that Belt can't do better than Huff this year

    Well, if this continues maybe we will see the youngsters occupying more positions. Work on the future and get rid of Huff this off season.

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  2. I'll say that if the Giants fall short this year, and maybe even if they don't, they need to get on with the youth movement post haste. Concentrated payroll on keeping the pitching together and maybe invest in one impact offensive player. Everybody else goes: Ross, Torres, Tejada, Cabrera, Fonty, DeRosa. Dump Huff if they can. Keep Rowand for the last year of his contract as a reserve. Maybe keep Kepp. Belt needs to be up next year from the get go. If Huff has to play 1B then make Belt the LF.

    Huff has had a recent pattern of running hot and cold every other year so maybe he's good next year? I think he got the season off on the wrong foot when he was move to the OF to make room for Belt.

    As for the intensity factor. I think it's hard for a team to maintain it after winning it all unless they are talented enough to win without intensity. I think the pitchers fall into that category. The hitters, obviously don't.

    I doubt the Beltran's problem is one of motivation. I think he's just in a slump and probably trying too hard to be a difference maker. I expect him to go on a hot streak any time. Hopefully before Pablo cools off.

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  3. i like keppinger, he has a nice approach at the plate and should be kept in case freddie goes down again

    i think huff's prob is that he spent the offseason....off....came into camp out of shape and resting on laurels

    cabrera is not an upgrade over miggs or crawford...bad trade

    as for carlos....he is turning into el fatso 2.0

    no more trades with the mets

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  4. Agreed, the problem is several players are hitting below their career averages.. Maybe Bochy needs to do something drastic like pulling a lineup out of a hat.. As for Huff, I'm hopeful he turns it around.. He's hitting .290 over the last 10 games and .275 since the all star break.. Cody Ross is hitting only .138 since the all star break! I've given up on him.. Why is he still getting playing time? Belt - I'd like to see him, but the only way that happens if Huff gets injured and goes on the DL. Don't wish that on anybody. If the Giants weren't in the pennent race, Belt would be in there.. The two occurances that may have messed up Belt's development were making the team out of spring training and that broken wrist injury in June. Belt clearly wasn't ready at the beginning of the year, and when he was ready for more playing time in June he gets seriously injured.. Thats how the Giants season has been going I guess..

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