Giants power past Brewers 15-5 for 3-game sweep : Sports

What a difference a week makes. The roller coaster season that is the 2014 Giants continues and I have to say, I have nothing to complain about after a game/series like this one. Quite the turnaround. I guess Timmy could have debuted better in his first relief stint. And maybe Brandon Crawford could be hitting better, but.....other than that.....if this club can make some hay in Colorado and Detroit....maybe four or five out of six and then the fun with the Dodgers can really begin coming down the home stretch.

from StLToday.com:
Giants power past Brewers 15-5 for 3-game sweep : Sports:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After an extended slump they would rather forget, the San Francisco Giants are gaining ground and back in the thick of the playoff chase as September begins.

Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer among his three RBIs, powering the San Francisco Giants past the Milwaukee Brewers 15-5 on Sunday to match a season high with their sixth straight win.

'via Blog this'

Roster Note:

The Giants called up five players for now from the minor leagues for the Sept. 1 roster expansion. Outfielder Juan Perez and pitcher Mike Kickham were recalled from Triple-A Fresno and pitcher Hunter Strickland was recalled from Double-A Richmond. Infielder Chris Dominguez and catcher Guillermo Quiroz had their contracts purchased from Triple-A, with Ehire Adrianza and Hector Sanchez being transferred to the 60-day DL to make room for both of those guys. The Fresno Grizzlies still play one more game Monday, so expect a few more call-ups after their season is complete. *

Hunter Strickland could really be one to watch out of the bullpen. His K/BB stat is eye popping at 48:4 and 12:1 ratio and he K/9's at over 10/9 innings. That's almost toying with professional hitters. If he can stay anywhere near those numbers, he's a solid contributor.  

Giants win fifth straight, down Brewers, 3-1 - Yahoo Sports

Peavy is pitching as if he has found the fountain of youth. From 1-9 4.72 ERA with the Sox to 3-4 2.66 ERA with the Giants, plus flirting with both a perfect game and now a no-hitter in his brief time with the Giants.



from Yahoo Sports:

Giants win fifth straight, down Brewers, 3-1 - Yahoo Sports:

Obviously Jake Peavy gets the bulk of the credit for the win, considering how he pitched, but I didn't come away from this game thinking, "Goodness, Jake Peavy just minced the Brewers." I came away with it thinking, "That looks like a team with confidence for the first time in months." Peavy was a huge part, the biggest part. The story is the entire team, though. The Pablo Sandoval play isn't on MLB.com yet, but it was another fine example.

'via Blog this'



I love how he deflects to his teammate and their contributions, that's what a leader does, but in the case of Brandon Crawford, as far as I'm concerned,  Peavy was preaching to the choir. Exactly my thoughts.

from Giants Extra:
http://blog.sfgate.com/giants/2014/08/30/jake-peavy-7-13-hitless-innings-sf-giants-beat-brewers-3-1/

“Both of those plays were tremendous – kept us in the game,” Peavy said. “That’s who we need to be as a team. For (Crawford) to be going through a little struggle at the plate and come up with a big hit and make those plays, hopefully it’ll give him some good momentum, and it’s awesome for him to be a crucial part of today’s win.”

Crawford said, “It feels like playoff baseball. It’s nice to play well in that atmosphere against a good team.”

Here are the Brandon Crawford highlights, and the second one was deep into the no-no and I swear in real time I thought the ball was by him. As soon as he snagged it though, I just kept yelling "Two-two-two.." and sure enough Brandon's acrobatics came through as usual.

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/51231442/v35815321/milsf-crawford-shows-off-arm-to-retire-aramis




http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/51231442/v35818845/milsf-crawford-saves-nohit-bid-with-diving-stop



I hear coaches say all the time, "This kid would be in the lineup if he hit .230 or .220" or whatever. Brandon Crawford epitomizes that. I wish he would hit better because I'm sure he is better than .225 but just so glad he's in there at times like this.



I keep telling Mrs. TheSlav that the Giants are "can't miss, must see baseball" and just recently this season we've witnessed Peavy and Bumgarner flirt with both no-no's and perfecto's, Timmy pitch his second no-no, Petit pitch 46 consecutive outs ( a perfect game and a half)  almost under the radar plus a couple of Buster Posey 5 hit games, Panik's recent and almost meteoric development to .300 and more memories I'm probably leaving out.



Hopefully, the magic continues as this is an even year and follows next in the sequence after 2010 and 2012. If you are a numerologist, you gotta believe that 2014 is due to become The Year of the Gigantes.



If nothing else Peavy is showing what an improved state of mind can do to performance, wherever the impetus for the attitude adjustment comes from. Here is to hoping for continued attitude adjustments and mind-set changes up and down the Giants lineup and training room. September should be an interesting month for those in pennant contention, so gentlemen start your engines.

Japanese high school game spans four days and 50 innings | Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKSQ-SbvZr0

第59回軟式高校野球 中京vs崇徳の準決勝“50回”決着の瞬間

Extra Innings is a sign of bad umpiring - said every umpire who has ever umpired

今までumpiredたすべての審判 - 延長戦は悪いumpiringのサインです

That means this game had really, really really bad umpiring.

from Yahoo Sports:

Japanese high school game spans four days and 50 innings | Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports:

In a pitching duel to end all pitching duels, Chukyo High School and Sotoku High School were held scoreless for days — literally — during a semifinal matchup at the 59th National High School Rubber Baseball Tournament in Japan. It wasn't until the 50th inning — which took place on Sunday morning, four days after the game had started — that Chukyo finally broke through for three runs. Fortunately for them, and pretty much everyone involved, that would hold up, allowing them to advance to the finals later on Sunday. 

Amazingly and ridiculously, both starting pitchers went the distance during the marathon. Chukyo starting pitcher Taiga Matsui threw 709 pitches and allowed 26 hits over his 50 innings.  “This game was the physically hardest ever for me," Matsui said after the semifinal game. "But I showed my (fighting) spirit. As my teammates scored three runs (in the 50th inning), I was able to throw in a relaxed manner in the bottom of the inning. Ishioka was a good rival for me.” 

His counterpart, Jukiya Ishioka of Sotoku, totaled 689 pitches and allowed 22 hits. Ishioka said, “Though I was beaten in the end, it was a good experience for me to pitch until the last. I had fatigue not only today (Aug. 31) but also yesterday and the day before yesterday. But I asked our coach to use me as a starter today.”

'via Blog this'

I don't even know what this says about the American fixation with pitch counts. We say that we have a warrior mentality but in the Japanese culture, they live it. These guys were literally willing to "Come back with your shield - or on it".

私も、これはピッチカウントを持つアメリカの固定について言うのか分からない。私たちは、戦士の精神を持っていますが、日本文化に、彼らはそれを生きると言う。これらの人は、文字通り" - またはそれを盾に戻ってきて」に喜んでいた。

Perhaps some residual to the samurai warrior mentality detailed here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/japan_no_surrender_01.shtml

the end of hostilities

When Emperor Hirohito made his first ever broadcast to the Japanese people on 15 August 1945, and enjoined his subjects 'to endure the unendurable and bear the unbearable', he brought to an end a state of war - both declared and undeclared - that had wracked his country for 14 years.

......

 Japan's samurai heritage and the samurai code of ethics known as 'bushido' have a seductive appeal when searching for explanations for the wartime image of no surrender. The great classic of Bushido - 'Hagakure' written in the early 18th century - begins with the words, 'Bushido is a way of dying'. Its basic thesis is that only a samurai prepared and willing to die at any moment can devote himself fully to his lord.

Giants notes: Panik's future in two-spot, Belt becomes father | CSN Bay Area

In my opinion as well, the future is now. What's not to like? You would have Pagan and Panik, two .300 average types setting the table for Posey, Pablo, Pence and Morse. Pence drops to an RBI producing slot rather than the top of the order spot he was misplaced in due to Pagan and Scutaro's injuries. Blanco is adding some pop in the seven hole and if Susac stays in the .230 - .250 range he has value.

from CSN Bay Area:
Giants notes: Panik's future in two-spot, Belt becomes father | CSN Bay Area:

Joe Panik, who's looked very comfortable hitting at the bottom of the order in recent weeks, will bat second. "I think that could eventually be a spot for him, sooner than later," Bochy said. "I think he could be a good two-hole hitter." Bochy later said that he's more interested in putting his best hitters at the top of the lineup than worrying about putting a specific type of hitter – like one who's known for bat control, for instance. Lately, Panik has been one of the team's best and hottest hitters, raising his average from .203 on Aug. 2 to .297 going into today's game. 

'via Blog this'

The biggest project for now is to get Brandon Crawford turned around at the dish. He looks dazed and confused up there lately, swinging through hitters pitches and flailing at pitchers pitches. He is too good a hitter to be struggling at .225 and yet he continues to look more and more like Adrianza with occasional power. Something has to give there and it's getting so bad, you wonder if Brandon isn't hiding an injury.

The next decision happens when / if Belt comes back in September. At that point, you're taking AB's from a rejuvenated Gregor Blanco and Michael Morse.

The lineup is showing signs of life even to the point of providing Vogelsong with run support. Here's to hoping it continues for a September stretch run.


More good stuff from this story: Panik about Posey and Posey about Panik
http://www.csnbayarea.com/giants/rewind-panik-posey-form-solid-2-3-punch-giants-victory

Confidence is the operative word, isn’t it? Posey was batting a lukewarm .278 just nine games ago before a 20-for-40 scorcher lifted him to .297. But he has an NL MVP trophy to assuage any doubts. Panik has … what? An MVP trophy from the short-season Northwest League, when he hit .341 for Salem-Keizer three years ago?

It’s infinitely harder for a rookie to carry himself the same way through a slow start. Even when Panik was hitting .203 through 24 games, though, he said he didn’t lose hope.

But did he really believe he could walk into the big leagues and hit .300?

“Honestly, yeah,” he said, still sounding self-aware. “Wherever I’ve gone, I’ve always believed I can be a good hitter and nothing has changed since I got here. I got off to a slow start but I’ve always believed in myself. There’s a month left in the season but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made.”

 Said Posey: “You talk about confidence. It seems the last three or four weeks, every time he comes to bat he gets a hit. It’s just a real nice, simple approach and a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. If you can do that, you’ll have success.”

Panik said while in the minor leagues, he would watch Posey whenever he could. He’d get excited if San Jose or Fresno were playing a night game and the Giants had a businessman’s special. It meant a chance to turn on the TV and try to learn something.

[RELATED: Morse left hanging by Giants teammates]

“I mean, whoa,” Panik said. “It’s impressive. He’s such an impressive hitter. You can learn a lot from him and right now he’s hot and he’s one of the best hitters in baseball for a reason.”

Panik hits from the left side. Posey has a smooth right-handed stroke. But in terms of approach and confidence, there are similarities – even in what they choose to admire about each other.

“Just how simple he keeps it,” Posey said. “He doesn’t have a lot of movement. He’s in a good position to hit.”

Said Panik: “Just approach, how he uses the whole field. How many hits went the other way? Three or four? That’s why he’s a .300 hitter. He’s comfortable up there. He’s an MVP.”

Petit's accomplishment no small feat

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Yusmeiro Petit set the MLB single-season record by retiring 46 straight batters, breaking Mark Buehrle's mark of 45 set in 2009.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he will weigh his options but admitted it will be hard to take Petit out of the rotation.

"What a roll to get on to have that kind of record," Bochy said. "As long as this game's been going on, now he's got it."

from ESPN:

Yusmeiro Petit's awesome MLB record - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN:



Here's the play-by-play of all 46 outs:

 July 22 versus Phillies

 1. Grady Sizemore grounded out to the mound.



 July 26 versus Dodgers

 2. A.J. Ellis flied out to center.

 3. Clayton Kershaw grounded out to shortstop.

 4. Dee Gordon struck out swinging.

 5. Yasiel Puig struck out swinging.

 6. Adrian Gonzalez grounded out to second.

 7. Miguel Rojas struck out looking.



July 28 versus Pirates

 8. Andrew McCutchen flied out to right.

 9. Gaby Sanchez struck out swinging.

 10. Neil Walker lined out to center.

 11. Russell Martin grounded out to second.

 12. Gregory Polanco popped out to third.

 13. Brent Morel grounded out to shortstop.



 Aug. 7 versus Brewers

 14. Khris Davis flied out to deep center.

 15. Rickie Weeks struck out swinging.

 16. Mark Reynolds flied out to deep center.



 Aug. 10 versus Royals

 17. Omar Infante popped out to first.

 18. Salvador Perez struck out swinging.

 19. Billy Butler lined out to center.



 Aug. 19 versus Cubs

 20. Kyle Hendricks struck out swinging.

 21. Chris Coghlan struck out swinging.

 22. Javier Baez struck out swinging.

 23. Anthony Rizzo struck out swinging.

 24. Chris Valaika struck out swinging.

 25. Luis Valbuena grounded out back to the mound.



 Aug. 23 versus Nationals

 26. Denard Span flied out to left field.

 27. Anthony Rendon struck out looking.

 28. Jayson Werth popped out to second.

 29. Adam LaRoche flied out to left field.

 30. Ian Desmond struck out swinging.

 31. Bryce Harper popped out to shortstop.

 32. Wilson Ramos lined out to right field.

 33. Asdrubal Cabrera grounded out to first.

 34. Jordan Zimmermann struck out swinging.

 35. Denard Span struck out swinging.

 36. Anthony Rendon flied out to deep right field.

 37. Jayson Werth struck out looking.

 38. Adam LaRoche grounded out to shortstop.



 Aug. 28 versus Rockies

 39. Charlie Blackmon lined out to right.

 40. DJ LeMahieu struck out swinging.

 41. Justin Morneau flied out to center.

 42. Nolan Arenado flied out to center.

 43. Corey Dickerson struck out swinging.

 44. Brandon Barnes struck out looking.

 45. Jackson Williams struck out swinging.

 46. Charlie Culberson struck out swinging.



 The streak ended when opposing pitcher Jordan Lyles doubled down the left-field line.



'via Blog this'

Buster wanted to go home, hits a walk-off HR

Dude is clutch, I don't care if the SABR-cats can't find it, can't define it, can't quantify it, whatever.

The best HR call in baseball from Kuip BTW.

http://m.mlb.com/video/?topic_id=28898650&content_id=35736917?topic_id=28898650

BUSTER POSEY IS CLUTCH!!! Figure it out !!! He's been doing it for quite some time now.

Madison with a masterpiece

When last we left the Giants, they seemed like a cramped swimmer going down for the third time. Last night, Madison Bumgarner threw the team a much-needed life preserver.

Later in the evening, just when the good fans of the city of Metropolis and the artist known as Bummer needed him most, Buster Posey found a phone booth and changed from old reliable Clark Kent into the Man of Steel providing run support just in the nick of time to save the artists prized work.

from CSN Bay Area:

Rewind: Bumgarner gets everything but 'Buster Hug' in win | CSN Bay Area:

Bumgarner had a 5.17 ERA at AT&T Park and nobody could understand it. Buster Posey was hitting .239 with an out-of-character .278 on-base percentage at AT&T Park and nobody could understand it. The Giants had lost their edge at home for more than two months and … well, maybe the shortcomings of their best all-around pitcher and hitter might explain some of it, right?

But this time, Bumgarner took charge and Posey provided all the offense with a pair of home runs. The two-run shot came in the sixth inning. The solo shot followed in the eighth.

'via Blog this'

To put what Bummer did into historical perspective, only three left-handed pitchers in the last 50 years have twirled a game with 13K's, 0 BB's while allowing 1 hit or less:

1. Sandy Koufax
2. Randy Johnson
3. Clayton Kershaw

Twenty-four first pitch strikes led to fifteen 0-2 counts. Anyone who knows anything about the importance of the count to the equilibrium of the pitcher - hitter confrontation will realize that this is a recipe for a low batting average for the opposition hitters. 

Bumgarner stood out there and defended the motherland with a toxic mixture of high velocity snot rockets and fastballs rendering the Rockies bats impotent under the withering barrage. Just what the doctor ordered for a team that had been withering in the dogs days of August. We shall see if this performance provides an adrenaline shot to a moribund group of rag tag fighters or if it is just a one-off distraction. 

For one night, Bumgarner was both magnificent and masterful. Buster Posey once again came to the rescue just in the nick of time like a good hero should. The Giants will need all of this and more to get their mojo back, but you have to start somewhere. 

These two sounded a clarion call for the rest of the team last night. All aboard, the train is about to leave the station. We'll see how many of their teammates board the train. 

Bummer has been nails for the Giants since he was a precocious twenty-one year old staring down playoff and World Series pressures to win games. Buster Posey has been the hero more times than I can count. It's good to see both returning to form. 

Another Giants loss, another daily affirmation

"I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, people like me."

After the Giants - Rockies game last night, you can only conclude:

• The Giants are not a playoff team
• The Giants are not a .500 team
• And doggone it, they are a team playing for next year

It's the only way to describe their recent play. This team is done, done, done. Their play mirrors that. Excuses, excuses, excuses. 

• We get great pitching, the bats don't come through
• We get a quality start, the bullpen folds like a cheap tent
• We get a couple of runs, the defense give it right back
• A guy comes off the DL, a guy goes on the DL

We just lost to a team that has half of it's Opening Day roster on the DL including it's top two signature everyday players. 

We just lost to a team that hasn't been able to beat ANYBODY (3-23 last 26 games) on the road of late. ANYBODY except the Giants in their yard. 

We just lost to a team by gift-wrapping three runs with a bow of four errors. 

The brain trust signaled to this team that they were not making a push to win this year at the trade deadline. The Peavy deal was a patch for Cain's loss. Anyone who thinks they may not be with the team next year is in shut down mode. Why not, management doesn't care? This team doesn't have squat right now. 

The ball is not running away from the Giants lately as much as the Giants aren't running as hard to the ball. This team gives off the appearance that it is shrouded by malaise. That is only because athletes are very reticent to use a certain four letter word that begins with Q. 

What is quince, Alex? 

When the September roster expands bring the rookies up and play them. At least then you can make some intelligent decisions on the composition of the roster moving forward instead of playing poke and hope. And at least the fans will see a team that plays hard again. And gosh darn it, people will like that. 

They also need to take a long hard look in the mirror and figure out what kind of team they are. 

OBTW: Looks like Mrs. TheSlav has better eyes than I do, I thought the pitch was low and away. She said "No, just low". She wins. Doug Eddings does suck at his job though. In fairness, he sucks both ways in that he called out a Rockies batter on an equally bad (maybe worse) punch out in the next half inning, which just proves that he may be willing to double down on stupid in order to "even things up". 

from Yahoo Sports:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/stupid-giants-lose-stupid-game-060354833.html

Buster Posey was called out on a 2-2 pitch that made him throw up his hands like Leslie Nielsen was behind the plate. It was an instant, honest reaction. And, lookie here, it wasn't that close:

View gallery

.

Nats rally for 14-6 win, take series from Giants

When the Levee Breaks

This after building a 6-2 lead in the sixth inning. Twelve straight runs scored, eleven of them against the previously vaunted, now seemingly exhausted bullpen.

We actually had visions of beating a plus .500 team dancing in our heads. Something this team has seemingly not accomplished since the Carter Administration.

Now this team once again appears to be a team that will struggle to stay above .500 for the season. I know, let's blame Timmy, he won't mind, he likes it.

Sheesh, this team is ridiculous right now and bordering on free-falling.

from ESPN:

San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals - Recap - August 24, 2014 - ESPN:

SKIPPING LINCECUM?
Bochy said he will consult with pitching coach Dave Righetti before deciding whether to skip struggling starter Tim Lincecum's next start, tentatively scheduled for Thursday.
The two-time Cy Young winner has failed to pitch through the fifth inning in four of his last six starts, going 1/3 with a 9.49 ERA in that stretch.
"We're at a point now where you have to do what you can to win every game," Bochy said. "When you are talking about that game it's who gives us our best chance to win. That is call-up time, too."

'via Blog this'

If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break, [X2]When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay. 

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, [X2]Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home, Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well. 

Don't it make you feel bad When you're tryin' to find your way home, You don't know which way to go? If you're goin' down South They go no work to do, If you don't know about Chicago. 

Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good, Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good, When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move. 

All last night sat on the levee and moaned, [X2]Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home. Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... Sorry but I can't take you... Going down... going down now... going down....

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ledzeppelin/whentheleveebreaks.html

So, what does Bochy think of moving Posey to another position down the road? - Giants Extra

The numbers below don't lie. Small sample size is a given for the simple reason that they don't give him that many nights off from behind the dish, but the overall numbers are still very revealing. I didn't realize there was this much of a differential between the C Buster Posey and the 1B Buster Posey as a hitter. It just speaks to how stressful catching is on a hitter and how much it saps  his overall offensive potential.

from Giants Extra:
So, what does Bochy think of moving Posey to another position down the road? - Giants Extra:

What if Posey didn’t have to catch? What if he didn’t have to take time off — three games this year, Bochy said — to deal with the hip tightness, or the occasionally sore back, or the other dings and dents that come with being an MLB catcher. Manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged Friday that Posey can be a different hitter when he gets to play first base, something the numbers back up. 

Posey is hitting .265 with a .425 slugging percentage in 332 at-bats as a catcher this season. He is hitting .385 and slugging .526 in 78 at-bats as a first baseman. It’s a small sample size, but Posey has had similar splits in past years.

“It does affect him,” Bochy said. “You can tell with the way he swings the bat. I do think it’s easier on the body playing first base. It takes you away from the mental grind of catching every day. It’s a a little bit easier and it does make sense if a guy is comfortable at first and has no stress at first, that he should hit a little bit more.”

 Bochy said that if Posey does eventually move, it would be to first base, not third. He thinks Posey has the arm and hands to handle the hot corner, but there are plays that are much more difficult on that side of the diamond. It would take “a lot of work” to get Posey comfortable with slow rollers and other such plays at third base, Bochy said.

'via Blog this'

To me, you lose the guy at least 10% of the time just in terms of lost AB's (the numbers below reveal that) from giving him the entire day off. If you lose another 10% of the guy just due to the cumulative stresses of catching, your basically getting 80% out of your best hitting asset on a daily basis. Unless Posey is significantly more valuable behind the dish than your next best option, I think you have to make the move ASAP.

Buster Posey	116	427	52	122	22	1	15	61	40	57	0	1	.286	.345	.447	.793
Pablo Sandoval	124	464	57	132	24	2	14	59	31	67	0	0	.284	.328	.435	.763
Michael Morse	122	410	46	116	29	2	16	57	28	113	0	0	.283	.339	.480	.819
Hunter Pence	128	525	86	148	26	9	17	55	38	100	11	5	.282	.333	.463	.796
Madison Bumgarner	26	55	9	15	2	0	3	13	2	23	0	0	.273	.305	.473	.778

With Susac developing into a guy who could handle the grind 120-130 times a year, who knows? He looks like he might be OK behind the dish, better if he stops stabbing at balls in the dirt and starts blocking more often. Offensively, he looks like he handle the bat well enough to give you a .250 average +/- 20 points. That would be fine with the occasional pop that comes with it.

Interesting to see they have made up their minds that it will be 1B rather than 3B. Good news for Pablo, maybe worse news for Michael Morse and / or Brandon Belt.

Now, if the brain trust can only figure out why Brandon Crawford, who should be hitting .275 continues to languish as .225, we may have something to cheer about.

Giants lose Belt and Sanchez to concussion

Posey to 3B in 2015. You cannot play Russian Roulette with the face of the franchise.



Period!!!



Warning shot one was the whole Cousins - Poset Rule debacle. Hector Sanchez concussion symptoms is now warning shot number two. How many more warning shots do you need?



Sorry Panda.



After visiting with specialist, Belt's season could be over | CSN Bay Area: 4

CHICAGO – The Giants haven’t received a complete report following Brandon Belt’s examination in Pitsburgh, but they know it will be a minimum of two to three weeks before he is cleared to resume any physical activity. 

And looking at the calendar, it’s possible that both Belt and catcher Hector Sanchez could be out for the remainder of the season.

'via Blog this'

Giants post a Baseball America Pitcher of the Day!!!

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Clayton Blackburn, rhp — Double-A Richmond (Giants)
Blackburn, who ranked ninth on the Giants' Midseason Prospect Update, set a career high with 11 strikeouts and gave up only three hits over eight innings, although he got a no-decision as Portland ended up beating Richmond 1-0 in 10 innings. In a season that's gone sideways for several Giants prospects, especially pitchers, Blackburn's has a solid season (3-5, 2.87 at Richmond). He's not striking out as many batters as previous seasons, but his control has been better. With a relative lack of velocity—he can touch 93, but sits 87-90—Blackburn needs command to succeed.

'via Blog this'

"Experimental" rule key to unlock Giants offensive high

The Giants find the secret to offensive success!! 

• Find a loophole in a rule, like MLB Rule 7.13 perhaps...
• Delay game due to replay 10 minutes
• Listen to Hawk Harrelson slippery slope snap analysis about players wearing skirts
• Watch opponent fall apart at seams 

Maybe the WSox shouldn't have walked a .196 hitter on four pitches, or turned Pagan around to the left side where he's a much better hitter and maybe you get out of the inning with AT WORST, a tie game. From there you force the Giants to score another whole run by their own selves, which they have struggled to do lately in case you haven't noticed.

The way this game was going the Gigantes wouldn't have scored on the Sox lefty if they extended the game until Sunday.

BWDIK?? 

MERCY!!!!

POSTGAME NOTES: Giants, White Sox react to play at the plate; Peavy gets first win as a Giant - Giants Extra

				POSTGAME NOTES: Giants, White Sox react to play at th... Bruce Bochy pushed hard for this rule, but this isn’t exactly what he had in mind. Bochy, a former catcher, wanted to keep catchers from getting blown up a...
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Bruce Bochy pushed hard for this rule, but this isn’t exactly what he had in mind. Bochy, a former catcher, wanted to keep catchers from getting blown up at the plate. Major League Baseball did the right thing, presenting a rule that’s supposed to protect guys who have little chance on bang-bang plays. But it’s vague, and there are loopholes, and we saw one of them today.

By the letter of the law, Gregor Blanco was safe. But Blanco didn’t think he was safe. He slid across the plate and then walked slowly back to the dugout, squinting as he looked back at the scoreboard. He didn’t know the plate had been blocked until he went back to the clubhouse to watch the replay. Bochy didn’t think Blanco was safe. He dropped his head and looked down at the seeds at his feet. And then …

It's nicknamed "The Buster Posey Rule" but it should be more aptly named "The Eliminate Egregious Collisions at Home Plate Rule". That just doesn't roll off the tongue as well, so I see why they they named it after Buster.

This is what the rule change was supposed to take out of the game. 

 

It shouldn't have necessitated an "experimental" rule change, which allowed a committee to go to work and make decisions. A committee of one should have decided this and "experimental" should only refer to drug use. 

Somebody must have been smoking weed before they introduced this rule change on Major League Baseball

So a backup OF for the Marlins is still deciding the outcome of games and the fortunes of teams seasons many years down the road. Way to go Scott Cousins!!!

As for Hawk Harrelson's analysis, if the Hawk thinks putting a skirt on players is going to dampen interest then perhaps he hasn't watched A League of their Own. Mercy!!!

Giants post a Baseball America Hitter of the Day!!

HITTER OF THE DAY: Christian Arroyo, ss, short-season Salem-Keizer (Giants)

The 2013 first-rounder reached low Class A Augusta after a strong pro debut, but struggled to the point of being sent back to short-season ball. A thumb injury sidelined him for a time, but the Giants felt as though the demotion would help him rebuild his confidence and it has shown, at least at bat. Arroyo doubled and homered Monday night and with Salem-Keizer he's slashing .323/.371/.452. His bat will have to carry as one evaluator said Arroyo's defense is shaky, even at second base.

Jonny Gomes says something interesting about chemistry | HardballTalk

And Jonny Gomes would know. He is after all, Mr. Chemistry.

from Hardball Talk:
Jonny Gomes says something interesting about chemistry | HardballTalk:

Jonny Gomes is a guy many have pointed to as a “CHEMISTRY guy.” Someone who people point to as being greater than the sum of his parts. Maybe that’s true — intangibles are, by definition, intangible — but Gomes said something today about his leaving the Red Sox for the A’s suggesting that, while some may say his chemistry-adding goodness means everything, he knows better:

OF COURSE, if he plays on a regular basis for the A’s and they win the World Series, I have this feeling people will credit the icing he brings more than the cake Jon Lester and the rest of the talented A’s roster does, but we’ll deal with THAT when it happens.

'via Blog this'

Giants KO'd in KC

The Giants are 5-22 in their last 27 games against teams OVER .500. (AP) 

This statistic explains the Giants in a nutshell. They tease you and struggle to beat the bad teams, the good teams expose them. This has all the makings of a team that will struggle to finish plus .500 rather than a competitive playoff team. 

The revolving door that is the trainers room / DL is not a good sign either. On good teams, players find the lineup and avoid the trainers room. On bad teams, players find the trainers room and avoid the lineup. The trainers room has turned into an oasis for this team, which explains the mirage that is the Giants current record and playoff hopes. 

from CSN Bay Area:

Rewind: Giants a cascade of disappointments in KC | CSN Bay Area:

In this dire hour, when the Giants’ deficit in the NL West is at a season-high 4 ½ games, when they have played two whole months without capturing a series or even looking remotely competitive against a team with a winning record, when they limp HOME after a 7-4 loss to the Royals to complete a three-game brooming in Kansas City as well as a disappointing a 4-6 road trip only to be reminded that, with Chris Sale awaiting them on Tuesday, they are 7-21 at home since June 9, and when it’s become clear that, no, Angel Pagan is not the second coming of Rickey Henderson …

'via Blog this'

Baseball America Prospect Report

A good day for Giants prospects after the big club lost the series to the Brew crew. Ty Blach continues his march to the big league rotation, Tyler Beede continues showing his stuff which should vault him to the tippy top of future Giants top prospect lists. Sam Coonrod is going to be an interesting prospect to watch, seemingly made for the Giants organizational pitcher fixer uppers.

Among the hitters, Joe Panik solidifies his hold on 2B. Andrew Susac is probably not ready as a hitter, but we knew that going in. He is showing a solid presence behind the plate handling the pitchers. The Christian Arroyo / Ryder Jones rehab continues. 

Baseball America Prospect Report

SF		AA		Blach, Ty		7		5		0		0		4		5		3.25
SF		LoA		Johnson, Chase		5.2		8		8		6		3		6		4.93
SF		R		Beede, Tyler		2		1		0		0		1		3		0.00
SF		R		Coonrod, Sam		3		4		1		1		0		4		3.38		W (1-0)
SF		SS		Mella, Keury		1		0		0		0		0		1		0.00

SF		AAA		Brown, Gary CF		6		4		4		1		.270		2B (18), HR (9), 2 SB (30)
SF		MAJ		Panik, Joe 2B		4		0		1		0		.261
SF		MAJ		Susac, Andrew C		4		0		1		0		.125
SF		SS		Arroyo, Christian SS		5		2		2		2		.310		2 2B (6), SB (5)
SF		SS		Jones, Ryder 3B		5		1		2		2		.194		HR (1)

If nothing else the Milwaukee series shows that the Giants are fortunate to be in the NL West as opposed to the NL Central after getting pasted by both the Pirates and the Brewers recently.

Washington, Milwaukee and the Dodgers are establishing themselves as divisional leaders. 

The Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, Braves and perhaps the Reds will battle down the stretch for wild-card supremacy.