Sunday, May 31, 2015

Game Wrap 5/31/2015: Braves 7 Giants 5

Not all losses are created equal.  There are losses you don't expect to win.  There are losses where you get blown out and seemed to have no chance at any point in the game.  Then there are the ones that hurt.  I've always believed 1-0 losses are devastating because you wasted a great pitching performance and you won't always get those.  Then there are come from ahead losses which your ace pitcher started. Those hurt pretty bad too.  If you had told any of us or any of the Giants that they would get 3 HR's in a game Bumgarner started, the overwhelming consensus would be to project an easy win.  Well, all those things happened, and Bumgarner even had a Quality Start and the Giants found a way to lose it.   Key Lines:

Joe Panik- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .300.  Remember when folks were stressing out over Panik's BABIP last year?  My response was that, yes, the BABIP was not sustainable, but as he settled in, Panik was likely to increase his walk rate and his SLG%.  I used his Cal League numbers as a reference for something I though was sustainable.  Well, that's exactly what is happening this year as his walk rate is up from 5+% to around 10% and his ISO is up from a meager .063 to a respectable .131.  

Brandon Belt- 2 for 3, HR(7), BB.  ERA- .306.  Belt continues to be one of the hottest hitters in baseball, now for well over a month.

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .299.  Crawford continued his power breakout, but an error on a potential DP ball in which no outs were recorded, proved costly as it opened the door for the wining Braves rally.  

Matt Duffy- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .286.  Duffy refuses to go into a slump.

Madison Bumgarner- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.12.  Wouldn't you know that Juan Uribe would be the guy with the key HR that set up the winning rally.  

Jose Casilla- 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, BS(3).  ERA= 2.82.  Casilla had already given up his second 9'th inning HR to Freddie Freeman in 2 Save Opps in 3 days, so you know he wasn't at his best.  The Crawford error sank his ship, but it was taking on water fast anyway.  Casilla may need a few days off to collect himself.

The Loss kept the Giants 0.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers who lost to the Cardinals 3-1.  The Giants have a 1.5 game lead on the first Wild Card playoff spot.  

Ryan Vogelsong starts the first game of a series against the Bucs from Pittsburgh facing a hot starter in Gerrit Cole.

5 comments:

  1. Definitely left a bad taste in the mouth. Crawford will make that play 9/10 times tho. Hope he shakes it off. Casilla's been worked a lot and can benefit from some rest.

    Uribe had another good game. What are your thoughts on the speculation the Giants try and trade for him? What do you think it'll cost? He'll bring a steady glove, power, and good clubhouse presence to the team. Duffys done well, but in the late innings, I'd feel more confident with Uribe on defense. JA

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    1. I don't think they would trade for Uribe until/unless McGehee is completely out of the organization and unless Duffy seriously falters. To me, trading for Uribe feels like a step backwards, although I'm sure it would be a short term acquisition for a stretch run.

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    2. Seriously JA what are you thinking; I don't have the comparison numbers thus far into this season. However, I say - stick with Duffy. He has earned it, and proven that in a very short time he can handle the hot corner. And clubhouse presence, hum - and old over weight tobacco chewing washed up vet or a young energetic Charlie hustle get-er-done kid ......... not to hard to pick for me.

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    3. Anon- Dont get me wrong. Love the Duffman. This isn't an either/or. Why can't we have both? Uribe has had a great rep of being a good teammate and he added to the chemistry on the way to our first championship. Just my opinion. I think the experience at the hot corner will be valuable. JA

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  2. I felt the wind coming out of the Giants sails the last couple of games. They had a great May, just hope they don't take their June Swoon. They are going to be facing some good Pirates pitching but let's hope they capture some of that mojo they had. Bochy was right to be concerned about the pen, at some point they are going to have to bring up another fresh arm or two. Luckily they seem to have some real options is they decide to.

    Billy Baseball

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