Thursday, July 7, 2011

Marathon

The Padres tagged a five-spot on Madison Bumgarner, got a solid start from Dustin Moseley, got another triple from Cameron Maybin, ran wild on the bases, had three relievers strike out eight Giants in five shutout innings, and lost the game. The Giants bullpen threw eight scoreless innings, racking up 13 strikeouts while allowing only two hits and two walks. The Padres went 1-2-3 in the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th innings which FINALLY allowed the Giants to score a run and go home winners. Nate Schierholtz was the hero with a walk-off blast, his second home run of the night. He's rolling out a cool .278/.330/.440 line these days (115 OPS+) which makes him a lefty version of Cody Ross. Check it out (NS/CR): TB 92/94, 2B 14/16, HR 6/6, R 28/27, RBI 27/25. Ross strikes out more (57 to 31) but walks more (28 to 15) and is a better base stealer (4 of 5 to 5 of 9). Schierholtz gets the edge on defense (but Ross is certainly no slouch) with his great range and especially his rocket arm. That's a nice pair of corner outfielders. Neither of them has to be world-beaters, just above average with the stick and superior with the glove. Andres Torres was a man possessed, getting three hits, scoring twice, and making another sensational no-look grab in center. He needs to find his stroke. Like the other two, he only has to be a little above average offensively to complement his superior defense. A .226/.322/.368 line (92 OPS+) ain't gonna cut it. Aubrey Huff is the other offensive villain, currently sporting a .296 OBP which even Aaron Rowand (.302) can top. They were a combined 2-11 last night.

The Giants should probably have pushed the go-ahead run across in the 8th after Pablo Sandoval's dramatic game-tying double. He was on second base with only one out, but execution is those situations is still a big team problem, and neither Huff nor Miguel Tejada could bring him home. The Giants had the winning run on second with no outs in the 12th (and on third with one out) but failed to score. They had the winning run on second in the 13th with one out but failed to score. For a team with a poor offense you'd think they'd be a little better when they have scoring chances, but they aren't and it is agonizing to watch. Thankfully the bullpen saved the day and gave the Giants chance after chance to get a big hit. The Padres give the Giants fits and they will have to figure out how to beat them since they have 13 more games with them this season including four in San Diego next week. That 6-12 record from last season still galls me. The two teams will play six times in September. Barry Zito goes today as the team shoots for their 50th win.

--M.C.

4 comments:

Ron said...

I'd like to say that, after seeing Jon & Robyn at the Black Sheep, we jumped in our lear jet & arrived in time to see the Giants blow another potential 5-3 loss & turn it into a dramatic extra inning win. I'd like to say that, but, alas, no. However, it was a thrill to see Jon & Robyn (Susana & the Kids hadn't met them yet) - they enjoyed meeting them & got a kick out of Jon's funny jibes, mostly about me.

So, there you have it - 'explanation' intact. From now on, I'll send my Family into the ballpark & wait for them to emerge smiling after the Giants' wins.

Brother Bob said...

Much is made about how the Puds owned us early last year, but we kicked their butts when it counted in the second half.
It's great to see that Torres has come out of his funk. He's a crucial part of our offense.

M.C. O'Connor said...

Ross 251 PA
Schierholtz 227 PA

(just for proper comparison)

JC Parsons said...

It was WONDERFUL to finally meet Susana, Leon and Santiago. Oh yeah, it was good to see Ron, too (just kidding, love ya dude). I happen to be a bit of an expert on teenagers (occupational hazard) and I can tell you unequivocally that those two young men are HIGH QUALITY. Gives one hope for the future. I sure hope we see all of you guys again soon.

This game just cries out for cliches. The one that pops into mind is "gut check." Once again, it came down to pitching carrying us...congrats to Nate, but the real story is domination by the bullpen.