Andrew McCutchen gets walk-off hit vs. D-backs

Exciting game. Again, heroics by McCutchen, set-up by Strickland teeing up a 95 MPH fastball to Paul Goldschmidt, which he wasted, in the top of the ninth.

from mlb.com
Andrew McCutchen gets walk-off hit vs. D-backs:

By Chris Haft MLB.com @sfgiantsbeat 3:39 AM ET 

SAN FRANCISCO -- Andrew McCutchen got that feeling again shortly before the Giants edged the D-backs, 5-4. That winning feeling.

He watched the Giants' half of the ninth inning against Arizona unfold Tuesday night, with the score tied, teammates reaching base and his spot in the batting order coming closer and closer. McCutchen's mind flashed on last Saturday, when San Francisco's 14th-inning rally against the Dodgers culminated in his three-run walk-off homer.

"I was in the dugout, and there was one walk, another," McCutchen said, "and I was just sitting there, like, 'This is about to happen again.'"

It did -- maybe not quite as dramatically for McCutchen and the Giants, but still successfully. He ended the Giants' ninth-inning uprising with another game-winning hit, lining a bases-loaded single to lift the Giants over the D-backs.

'via Blog this'

The park had a playoff vibe in spots. Good to see and hear.

Really shitty move by Giants fans, who are normally classy, towards Strickland. One pitch before, they are on their feet cheering him on. After Goldschmidt does what he does, they boo him. They have disdain for Strickland still, over the Bryce Harper thing. Get over it!! Bryce Harper isn't bringing his flow to SF.

Strickland isn't a red-neck from Georgia any more than Buster Posey (also from Georgia) is.

Get over that too. You're better than that. Or at least that's what you tell everybody.

Royals put the crown on a little early, pay the price

(USA Today)

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/63106348/v36860095

Vargas thinks he took ball four

 10/25/14 | 00:36

10/25/14: Pitcher Jason Vargas thinks he took ball four and makes his way toward first base as his teammates share a laugh

To me, this was the turning point of the game. They Royals start clowning, vision of sugar plums dancing in their heads. The sugar plum being a 3-1 World Series lead, which means we're playing with house money against Bumgarner and go back home no worse than up 3-2 with two games at home to close it out. The Giants are imploding, Vogelsong knocked out, Machi looking knocked up. Why not? 

Only problem is, it's only the third inning and your playing against a former champ. Vargas goes out to the mound all loosey-gooey'd up and begins puking it up, slowly but surely. When you're in a tug of war against an equal opponent and you let up on the pull for even an instant, you can get pulled over the line yourself. IMO, that's what happened to the Royals. They lost the focus that got them in front and it cost them, big time. You can't start your touchdown dance on the 5-yard line and that's what they did. 

Leon Lett Super Bowl XXVII

Of course, Dallas still went on to win 52-17, but Leon Lett still looked like a horse's ass. Speaking of which, it reminded me of another similar moment, that being one Dusty Baker handing the World Series trophy ball to Russ Ortiz, right before the Angels rallied right to the 2002 World Series championship, blowing the doors off the Giants. 

This game was a microcosm of the Giants roller coaster season, within a two or three inning span. They started out looking like a 100-win team, they were on that pace, then the injuries and they begin looking like a 100-loss team and they played at that pace and worse. Within this game, the Giants started out looking like a playoff team, by the fourth inning they had morphed into a 100-loss plus team on the verge of imploding, and then right before our eyes went back to looking like world-beaters. 

I can't recall seeing anything quite like it. The closest parallels I could come with was ironically, the Cardinals sudden implosion against the Royals in their last World Series trip in 1985 and perhaps the 1969 Amazing Mets, in that people perceived them to still be a 100-loss team while they had morphed into a no nonsense 100-win team that just crushed their so-called "better" competitors throughout the playoffs. 

I have to admit, I was having 1985 Cardinals flash-back memories the way the Giants looked in the third inning. Fortunate they turned things around, and hopefully the hitting not only continues, but adds a heaping helping of Buster Posey. I'm sorry, his bat replaces Hunter Pence's on the milk carton. He is not hitting where he is is to turn in productive OUTS!! He is there to provide productive, RBI-filled AB's. Period!! Time to step up. 

It was good to see Hunter Strickland get back on the horse and show not just a 95+ MPH fastball, but the slider, a splitter and a change-up. Where have those pitches been hiding?

And where would this team be without Yusmeiro Petit? Sitting home watching, probably. 

The speed at which Vogelsong lost command and control of the game worries me and he was perhaps pitching for his life in SF which is too bad. I worry the same, unfortunately about Jake Peavy and to a lesser extent Tim Hudson. Adrenaline only takes you so far, usually an inning or two, than ability takes over. That leaves 3-4 inning of trouble to get to our own, over-shadowed shut down bullpen. Could see more of Petit and perhaps Timmy Lincecum. 

It's where we like the ball to be, Madison Bumgarner's hands. I don't want to under estimate the odds of Big Game James Shields pitching two sub-par games in a row, so this could be a battle of the bullpens again, perhaps going into extra frames. As is often the case in World Series games, a player you least expect to have an impact has to step forward. Where have you gone Al Weis? Or Denny Doyle. 

Delay the Giants coronations - What a difference a day makes

San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland watches as Kansas City Royals Omar Infante runs around the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Back on the roller coaster, I guess. What a difference a day makes. This is your 2014 Giants season.

Not second guessing one little bit, I had mentioned previously that Bochy was over-exposing Strickland based on some faded memory of him coming in and blowing three fastballs by notoriously big fastball hitting Ian Desmond, while simultaneously ignoring the subsequent BIG BOMBS he has given up?

Phew!! That was  a mouthful.

from Yahoo Sports:
Hunter Strickland's meltdown, on the mound and off, has Giants looking for help - Yahoo Sports:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hunter Strickland, the 26-year-old right-hander from Georgia who could throw a fastball through a barn door, found himself in his catcher's arms, in the World Series, which, by itself, sounds pretty good. But, and, well, here's the thing, the folks around him were not jubilant, unless you count the crowd at Kauffman Stadium, which by then technically was a mix of thrilled to be pounding the heck out of Strickland and ticked that their guy was being yelled at by Strickland. Who stared at whom first, and who said what, and why any of that really mattered would be detailed (and shaded blue or orange) later.

'via Blog this'

So can we PLEASE put a hold on marching Bochy into the Hall of Fame for just a moment and concentrate on winning a Series please?

Strickland's fastball is plenty fast. That passes the eyeball test and the radar gun test. However, it is plenty straight and generally poorly located. He hasn't been able to establish his breaking ball as a second pitch worthy of respect, so guys are just sitting on the A-Train and pounding it. It's that simple. I don't think he's tipping anything except that he can't throw anything for strikes except the fastball and he can't paint with that pitch. So sit back, wait for him to put 97 or 98 on a tee and let it rip!!!

In the minors, as Strickland's strikeout rates ballooned (post TJ-surgery BTW), his walk rates also seemed to drop. This is where scouts come in handy. The stats alone would woo you into thinking, "WOW!! The light-bulb has turned on for this guy!!!" The scouts and development guys should have been able to step in and say "Not so fast boys!! He's throwing stuff right down Broadway against guys ill-equipped to handle it. When he gets to The Show, guys are able to turn that stuff around."

Where were those guys back then in this organization and where are they now? Maybe the future closer title for Strickland needs to be dialed back a little bit.

So let's review:

• Delay Bochy's HOF coronation
• Delay Strickland's role as closer of the future
• Delay order on the even-year Giants 2014 World Championship rings, pennants and other assorted paraphernalia

Giants rookie reliever Hunter Strickland stays confident amid rough postseason | Yahoo Sports

(USA TODAY Sports)

This observation is what had me screaming. The pitch selection was horrible, the guy didn't even offer, didn't even flinch at the breaking balls offered. He couldn't have screamed his intentions any better if he had a sign around his neck that said "looking fastball". And yet, they threw the fastball anyway. Yes, the location sucked. But the catalyst was the pitch selection, which sucked even more.

The Giants aren't doing this kid any favors, which is too bad.

from Yahoo Sports:
Giants rookie reliever Hunter Strickland stays confident amid rough postseason | Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports:

Strickland threw three off-speed pitches to Matt Adams in the eighth inning with the score tied 3-3. Adams didn't raise his bat off his shoulder. Then Strickland came with a fastball — a 97 mph heater he didn't locate like he'd hoped — and Adams crushed it into the right-field stands to give the Cardinals another lead.

"He didn't even offer at the sliders or anything," Strickland said 18 hours later. "He was waiting on a fastball. He got it. He got the best of it."

'via Blog this'

Cordier and Strickland continue to show well as Giants lose

The best thing to come out of the opening loss with the D-Backs, as well as the slaughter game versus the Dodgers, is getting a feel for some of the minor league prospects perform at the major league level. Small sample size aside, Hunter Strickland and Erik Cordier may be developing into the Joe Panik and Andrew Susac of the pitching staff. 

	G	GS	W	L	SV	BS	HLD	CG	K	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Jake Dunning	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0.00	1.50	.000
Hunter Strickland	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	4.1	5	0	0	0	0	0.00	1.15	.294
Chris Heston	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00	1.00	.000
Erik Cordier	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3.0	2	0	0	0	1	0.00	1.00	.182

So who is Erik Cordier? 

According to Baseball Reference:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=cordie001eri

Erik Michael Cordier Position: Pitcher Bats: Right, Throws: Right Height: 6' 4", Weight: 250 lb.

Born: February 25, 1986 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, US (Age 28.203) 
High School: Southern Door HS (Brussels, WI)

Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 2nd round of the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft from Southern Door HS (Brussels, WI).

Cordier struggled with the Royals and the Braves, has some history of injury, but interestingly his K/9 rate has gone up as he has moved up the minor league ladder. Unfortunately, so has his BB/9 rate, which is high. 

He opened some eyes last year at Indianapolis (AAA-Pirates) with an impressive ( 11.0 K/9, 4.8 BB/9 2.32 K/BB ) stat line a year after posting ( 5.5 K/9, 7.7 BB/9 0.71 K/BB ) numbers with Gwinnett (AAA-Braves)  in limited action.

I would not mind seeing Cordier break the mold of my mantra that the Braves don't give up on prospects with any value. I like Strickland better as a prospect on the basis of his superior command/control numbers, less strikeouts combined with less walks makes him more trustworthy in late inning / closer type situations. 

Giants - Dodgers Weekend Series in AT&T Park

A sweep would be nice, putting the Giants back in their rightful spot atop the division, but I would be happy with two out of three here as well. One game out with thirteen left and another series down in LA will make the stretch run in the NL West loaded with drama. 

Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Away	Streak	RS	RA	Diff	L10
LA Dodgers (15)	83	63	.568	--	40-35	43-28	W-1	605	533	72	7-3
San Francisco	81	65	.555	2.0	41-33	40-32	W-3	612	537	75	7-3

The Giants seem to have righted the ship recently, although the bullpen is giving me a case of the jitters lately. What's the saying about QB's "If you say you have two, in reality you don't even have one." That's how I feel about the Romo - Casilla, Casilla - Romo closer situation. One of the two has to grab the job by the throat rolling into the playoffs. 

With the trade of "Closer of the Future" Heath Hembree to the Red Sox, TheSlav has been on the prowl for a new "Closer of the Future" and perhaps Hunter Strickland is beginning to step forward. He has an easy 98-99 MPH fastball that looks like he could dial it up to 108-109 MPH without a problem. He looks like he's just tossing the ball at the company picnic. It's a bit straight -- like a dart -- so that could be a concern. His slider seems OK at times. He's kind of like how you used to view that hot chick that says she's "available" and you start asking yourself  "Why is she available?" I find myself searching for reasons why the Pirates gave up on him. We need to see more innings, more situations out of Hunter II to see what we really have, but for now, he may be at the head of the class for the much-coveted "Closer of the Future" title.