I agree, but good ol' Will Clark recently said something I've been thinking for a while now, that hitters are IDIOTS for not easily beating the shift, which is being used constantly now. I get that players want to hit HRs, but when teams are giving you automatic hits it drives me crazy that they ignore it and stubbornly, mindlessly continue to blast right into the shift.
THAT is not good baseball, and Clark is dead-on right.
As for the Giants, they're hanging in there, but they're being carried by unreal starting pitching, which almost certainly won't last at the level it's been so far, and the hitting of an unsustainable amount of home runs in general and the overall excellent hitting of three old-timers in particular, Posey, Crawford & Longoria.
The reality is that the hitting from Crawford & Posey will likely fade as the summer drags on. Crawford is hitting better than he ever has, and unless he's doing something naughty (which being 34 and on a contract year isn't out of the question, but I still doubt it) he will at some point revert to his mean, and Posey is catching, and we've all seen what catching always does to hitting.
Their real hope is that four guys they counted on to rake this year will start raking (Yastrzemski, Dickerson, Solano & Flores). All of those guys are struggling big-time, but they can all hit, so it's not a pipe dream, but they need to start DOING it, and right soon too, otherwise they're going to start losing a lot of 3-1, 2-0 games.
And as hard as it is for many to accept, much of the Giants success is because they're well coached. The players have really bought into the staff's philosophy of patience & plan at the plate, which even when making outs has generally forced apposing starters to throw tons of pitches, which gets the Giants into the opposition bullpen early & often, which helps them in multiple ways. The staff has also done a really good job of getting the most out of their pitchers, especially their veteran starters.
Still, as the summer wears on the Giants will almost certainly be passed by the much more talented Dodgers & Padres, but they've built a nice first-half record and IMO, other than some of the players they have now getting back to their normal levels, they really only need to add one player they don't have now for them to continue to compete for a playoff spot - a quality closer.
That's is a TOUGH add for sure, but if they can find one then their bullpen is immediately deeper, and with that, if they can get healthy & stay healthy and have most of their guys play to their natural ability they'll have a good shot at getting one of the wild card slots.
And then things could get fun, because their particular skill-set, which while limited is built to do well in a post-season short series.
That's a long way from now, but that's also something we've seen around here before.
Have a blast tonight Tom! I pretty much agree with all you said above. I have my eye on Rodriguez(only 21) with the Pirates. But I really don't want to give up prospect talent. Think they might take Longo and his contract? Yeah, me neither.
Who goes in the Bronx,, Boone ? Voit ? Stanton ? Sanchez ? Which starter ? Tough to say, they can't hit anybody, can't run the bases, leave risp at an embarrassing clip, and can't get anyone out. They are the epitome of ineptitude. I'm watching a lot more hoops and soccer these days. They brought that one dude back from the dead who had collapsed in cardiac arrest , intense stuff.
Completely agree with Lance and Will Clark on the shift. Effectively bunt to the open side 3 times and they'll never shift again. It is a learnable skill.
Last two Yankees games I turned on they were losing 4-0 and 7-0. Six and a half games back is a long pull. Lots of games against Boston left, but the whole team (minus Judge) is under 200 in batting average..
Gerrit Cole says he needs to cheat because it's hard to grip the ball. Between the cheating and the little league rules, I cannot understand why people still watch the MLB.
Every team has pitchers using shit to grip the ball better. That's why no one's got busted. The league batting average is already ascending since they announced the crackdown and it'll continue to go up. Along with walks, wild pitches and guys getting beaned.
I'm a Cubs fan and if you look at their bullpen, outside of Kimbrel, it's filled with journeymen and no-names and they've been absolutely lights out this year. Spin rates off the charts. No doubt in my mind they're using some type of glue. Trevor Bauer makes no bones about gunking up the ball and all of a sudden, he's looking like an average MLB pitcher now that a crackdown is looming. Spin rates and velocity league-wide is at a crazy number right now.
It's going to be really interesting to see how this plays out with 10-game bans being announced. You might not see many bans since team's won't want to narc on other players when they've got guys doing the same thing. There's even been some batters say they don't mind it because it makes them feel safer in the batter's box knowing a pitcher has better control of the 95 mph rock he's throwing at them.
Wow. The Giants win their 50th game tonight, continuing with the best record in the league.
Such a major drag they had to do it tonight using those completely childish, t-ball extra innings rules.
But at least they scored a REAL run to win the game.
As it should be.
This isn't really a Giants post, it's to say that of all the things in the running of professional sports that have ever pissed me off or disappointed me, these extra innings & double-header rules are easily the worst things ever, the extra-innings rules especially.
I find that I simply can't watch these extra-innings games, I turn the TV off. Which sucks because I want to see who wins, but I just can't stomach it. The rules are idiotic and insulting.
After I heard that the Giants had won tonight I went back and watched the recording. The Giants got the A's out one-two-three in the 10th, and the A's score a run??? There's not way to make sense of that, it's just stupid. Again, at least the Giants scored a run they EARNED to win, but still, it's the worst thing ever.
I'm very glad the Giants won a big game tonight, but what had been a brilliant, top level big league game between two great teams was ruined by the ending.
The Giants organization & fans are all pretty crushed by his passing as well.
He worked for the Giants for over 27 years, running their scouting department, minor league personnel & drafts for 24 years. He was a central figure in building four World Series teams and three winners, uncovering & drafting players such as Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Sergio Romo, Pablo Sandoval, and Buster Posey, as well as many others, often against prevailing opinion and advice.
Without him we Giants fans would still not know the great thrill of following a team all the way to the final win.
The Giants opened the second half in St. Louis yesterday, and it was very classy of the Cardinals organization to have a moment of silence for him. I'm glad I'm going to Friday's game in SF, I'm sure the Giants will honor him well that night.
Good job Dick. Thanks for the memories and fare thee well.
They blow a huge game against the Dodgers yesterday, are lined up to lose again today, and BAM!!!
ANOTHER GIANTS VICTORY!!!!!
DUCK THE FODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's a funny thing about relief pitchers. They can be great for long stretches, and then they're bad one night and everyone HATES them.
They're like cornerbacks in football.
No respect.
Tonight the Giants beat Kenley Jansen in the 9th. Jansen has saved 21 out of 24 games for the Dodgers this year - 21-3 - and he was BOOED off the field.
Last night Tyler Rogers, who has been GREAT for the Giants this year, was bad yesterday and he blew the game in the 9th, and Giants social media was ON FIRE against him today (he saved the game tonight).
Tough gig, being a relief pitcher.
Meanwhile, somehow the Giants, just a bunch of nuts & bolts, keep winning.
Damn.
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rogers is a superb setup guy. A very good relief pitcher. But he is not a closer(he has blown over half his save opportunities). It's about the adrenaline. He cannot handle it. McGee thrives on it. He is a closer. He does not pitch well when the save is not there. It is an interesting dynamic that somehow eludes Kapler.
But WTF? Who are these guys? After blowing the game Tuesday night, to come back and return the favor last night was unbelievable. Something about this team. Best record in baseball, most homeruns in at least the NL maybe all of Baseball. They hit in the low 200's, but seem to get the hits when needed. They remind me alot of the 2010 team that nobody expected to win.
>>> It's about the adrenaline. He cannot handle it. McGee thrives on it<<<
Yeah Mark, I think that's a bit of a swing & miss. Rogers isn't best suited to be a closer because he's not really a strikeout guy, and that HAS to be in a true closer's arsenal. And he's 11-5 with saves this year. Not great, but not "more than half" either.
And despite McGee's success this year IMO he isn't a true closer either (and throughout almost his entire 11-year career he hasn't been one) because he only throws one pitch, same thing every time, and if he's not perfect he's slammed. I think he's better in the role than Rogers because he is a SO guy, and is why Kapler HAS used him far more in that role than Rogers, but the team would be way better off if both were late-inning guys, neither closing.
Still, Rogers has been great this year, and Kapler & his staff clearly know what they're doing; I don't think much of anything is "eluding" him/them.
I didn't understand why he used Rogers the other night instead of McGee, and as a fan Kapler & his staff bug me at times about how they use players, the same way Bochy did, but he's proving to be at least as good as Bochy at keeping all 26 guys positive, ready to play and ready to face any situation, which is why I think he uses Rogers in the 9th at times, and is a big reason why they've been winning so much since he took over.
In my personal opinion, there is no more important trait for a good leader to have than being able to maximize the self-confidence of those they're leading. That's what Bochy was great at, and it's pretty clear that Kapler is good at that as well.
The Kapler haters are really scratching at crumbs these days for something to complain about. He's proving the be exactly what Zaidi advertised him to be - experienced, intelligent, a communicator, a leader, and like most actual human beings and not video game/fantasy subjects, he's learned from the mistakes he made his first time around.
The post-season will be the final litmus test, as even really good managers make small mistakes in pressure-packed short series, but until we see how that goes, pretty much everything Kapler has done since he showed up is working.
Same with Zaidi, who clearly knows what he's doing as well. It's going to be interesting to see what he does with any trades, things long-term and short being very tricky with the Giants at the moment, but unlike Sabean I'm not worried he'll do something stupid.
And I will go one further. I loved Boch but I think we would not be here with him at the helm. Kap deserves much accolades. I am glad he is our mgr. But he still pulls starters too soon and makes other questionable pitching moves. I knew we were toast when he put Rogers in the other night.
And I don't think McGee is as good a pitcher any where but closing. He needs that adrenaline.
I was born in Cleveland, but my folks moved when I was 9 months old, so I don't have the memories or connections my older siblings do, and I wound up an Orioles fan. For my oldest brothers, the name change to the Guardians is a big deal. My oldest brother thinks it's a prelude to a corporate tie-in with Guardian Life Insurance. I'm working on getting him down to New Orleans for the Stones and Jazzfest, where they still have Mardi Gras Indians and Professor Longhair's "Big Chief" is a staple.
Some big trades going down before the deadline tomorrow. The biggest impact may be Mad Scherzer and Trea Turner going to the Dodgers. That sure looks like a sign that Trevor Bauer isn't coming back.
I love how the Giants just keep winning anyway. Nice 5-0 smackdown of the Dodgers today with Johnny Cueto and the bullpen dealing. Have to dig that the Giants have a reliever listed as J. Garcia showing up in the boxscores. They are a lot of fun to follow, and the best story in MLB this year.
Yeah, I was pretty disappointed when I saw the Dodgers got Turner. Scherzer is fine & all, but Turner is a DAMN good player, and offense has been the Dodgers problem this season. Turner's going to help them, especially when Betts is back.
Fuckers.
They did pay a pretty heavy price (the word was Scherzer & Turner were going to the Padres, and apparently the Giants also got in the middle of it at the last minute - maybe just to gouge up the price on the Dodgers or Padres? Ha! Well played Giants!) and both of those guys are rentals for the Fodgers. I imagine they'll decide after the season if they want to try to resign Turner or Seager.
The Giants did remarkably well this past week to take 5 of 7 huge games from LA. The Giants went into those games wobbling & with injuries, and this was the Dodgers chance to make a statement and take control of the division. Almost every game was close, and crazy tense. The Giants were really lucky that Betts was out for all of them, but then the dirty blue were lucky that Crawford was out for (almost) all as well. Craw got the big hit today in his first AB back, and he's been by far the most important hitter for the Gmen this season.
The Giants will almost certainly make a deal or two today as well, but I hope they're careful not to give up the farm. Fortunately, the guy/s running the Giants really seem to have a good handle on what they're doing.
Now the Orange & Black immediately go into a three-game series against the excellent Astros. Once they get past that they'll have run the big gauntlet of the past few weeks and the schedule lightens up for a while, only to get crazy again late in August.
What a great season it's been for us Giants fans. I was at the game the other night when Bellinger remarkably threw the game away. It's been quite a while since I've felt that level of energy in the park.
It's been great to have a crowd again, but I'll never forget what it was like in April, when the Giants were winning games that mattered and I was almost literally the only fan in the park, enjoying those games with MAYbe 3,000 other people.
That will never happen again, and I made sure I made the most of the opportunity.
The Giants continue to win with nuts & bolts. That's been working, but it sure would be nice to add a power tool or two into the mix for the next two (or three!) months.
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I'm a bit confused. Earlier I saw one article that said Turner is a FA after this season, but just now I saw an article that says Turner is a free agent after 2022.
If he's signed through next year then I have to just start really hating him now.
OK, at the very last minute the Giants add Kris Bryant, who will fit in beautifully on this team, able to play 3rd until Longoria is back or stay there if Longoria stays messed up, and then move to LF if Longo is able to return.
And they didn't give up the bigger names being mentioned. Mark, you follow that type of thing better than I do, these two minor leaguers the Giants gave up, are either of them big losses? The deal was made with five minutes to go on the deadline, it sure looks like Zaidi stared the Cubs down and made the deal on his terms.
Bryant is a FA at the end of the year, and while he doesn't seem to be the superstar he was at the beginning of his career he's still a very good player and is only 29; if he plays well I could see the Giants re-sign him to take over 3rd for a number of years, which sounds good to me.
Any Cubs fans out there? Any take on Bryant? Where's felina when he's needed?
I would have liked to see the Giants add an arm or two, but deals can still be made and Zaidi continues to look like he knows what he's doing in the executive chair.
The next two months are shaping up to be crazy here on the west coast.
Keep it rolling Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah Turtle, he's a big gain for your boys, fitting in nicely next to that fucker Buehler, and he's got lots of big-game experience for the stretch drive, but that guy Turner is really good.
He really stood out the times the Giants played the Nats this year. He drilled line drives all over the field, hit with power and ran like the wind. I was thinking, "Who the hell IS this guy?!!?"
Yeah. Wow. Bad day for sure. Turner is in last yr of arbitration, so he will be there next yr too. AND Sherzer? Damn. Glad we only have to play them 3 more times and I hope we miss them in the playoffs, but WOW.
And we did...... well we gave a future OF that can play and a very good pitcher(6-2, 2.13 era, 15 starts, 96 Ks in 85 innings) that might be GREAT. All for a rental of 2 months. They must not think Longo can make it all the way back. If Bryant breaks his recent mold and actually helps us win the pennant and beyond, then only time will tell. But I am not really happy about any of it.
At least they did not trade Bart.
Really proud of the way these guys are playing. Mostly old guys and discards. Like Craw said, they are playing damn well with the team they have. Not sure that move was needed.
Sarah 4 Winds would have been saddened to see her Cubbies get sold off for parts. First Rizzo, and now Bryant and Baez. The Championship memories are fading fast for Cubs fans. Their arch-enemies on the South Side did well picking up Craig Kimbrel today. Might be the White Sox year.
Well Mark, the two prospects could develop, or not (it sounds like the pitcher is the better prospect, but still both are young) but you have to pay to play.
I don't look at this trade as the same as the McCutchen or Beltran deals that were made in desperation by Giants teams not for real, made to create a pretense of contention to keep the fans happy & coming to the games, and coughing up their top prospects.
This team has played themselves into position at having a real shot to do something, but they had a real need for more offense in general and a real answer at 3rd in the likely case that Longoria is fucked, and with the Dodgers still right on their tail and seriously upgrading themselves, the Giants HAD to make this deal.
Longoria has been out a LONG time, and given his injury I always had serious doubts about how he'd play if he came back. They couldn't keep putting Flores & Vosler at 3rd every day, that was already starting to wear out quickly, and it's pretty clear after four months that neither Yastrzemski or Dickerson, or even Slater or Solano are going to be what the team was wanting/needing them to be. They needed to add a versatile, quality offensive & defensive player, and Bryant checks the boxes.
>>>If Bryant breaks his recent mold<<<
I'm not sure what that means. He wasn't good offensively last year, but last season was a WEIRD and short season and is the only season he wasn't at least a very good quality player. This year Bryant's stats are excellent and better than any Giant expect Crawford, and they're close to his. He'll be a complete upgrade at 3rd and he'll be better than Ruff platooning in LF & 1st, and even Slater in CF.
If Longoria doesn't come back this trade improves & deepens the team, gives them another quality middle-of-the-order hitter (especially important now that Buster is again routinely missing games) and improves the bench. And if Longoria CAN come back and hit, then they're looking REALLY good. Versatility is the name of this team's game, and this deal makes them much more versatile.
I'm not usually a fan of trading prospects, especially for rentals, but again, this team is for real and needed the upgrade. Plus, they're going to need a 3rd baseman next year & beyond, and I think Bryant was already on their radar as a FA signing anyway. Now they get a head start on that and get his services now for a serious stretch run.
And they didn't give up any of their best prospects, including Bart. They are almost certainly going to re-sign Buster in the off-season, which keeps Bart as a top quality trade piece for next year.
Zaidi is doing a really good job of putting together a truly competitive team this year while still building for the future. All two years after taking over a floundering last-place team that had very, very little to work with at every level of the organization.
This deal may not work, Gausman, DeSclafani and others may all fall apart, but given how they've played this season, the position they've put themselves in and the moves their competition has made, they HAD to make this deal.
I agree with much of what you said, Tom. I am softening to this deal as the day goes on. He started out really hot this yr but has cooled off considerably though. Probably drop Vosler to make room for him and that just makes us that much more righthanded.
And I am a huge Farhan fan. He will surely win exec of the yr as will Kapler win Mgr OTY. I do trust in him and their super-human coaching staff. He has turned the entire organization around.
Very puzzled though by the trade for Watson. Old guy with over 5 era. Gave away Selmon and 2 others. Who is he better than(on the current roster)? Who do they drop to make room for him?
What I am worried about is the Rotation. Gausman looks to have reverted to his old self and nobody(except the oft injured Webb) is looking that strong right now. I was kinda hoping for Sherzer. Though I probably would have complained about that package also.
I still think Bart is the future and I hope they do resign Buster to mentor him. And I would hate to see Crawford in another uniform. The future at SS is not ready yet. When he is, would be nice to have a mentor like Craw. Belt, if he ever stays healthy will hit a lot of HRs somewhere else.
Actually, thinking it might be Ruf that goes down. Bryant will be playing in OF against leftys, mostly 3b against righties and will be there to spell Wade at 1st base when needed.
>>>they have a lot of hard roster decisions coming<<<
Yeah they do Mark, but almost all of them are pretty much the same, nuts here or bolts there.
I think they'll keep Ruff. Vosler goes for Bryant and Dickerson & Estrada go when La Stella & Belt come back. Estrada is playing well and pushing for a roster spot, but they won't drop Solano for him. More right-handed? Maybe, but Vosler is a minor leaguer and Dickerson has sadly just been a fail this year; good right-handed hitters are better than bad lefties. And when/if Longoria comes back? Well Slater, Sacramento's not as boring a town as it used to be.
And I agree about the starters, but it's those guys (and the bullpen) who have gotten them where they are. Scherzer definitely would have helped, but if the starters keep doing well they wouldn't have really NEEDED him, and if the others start failing I'm not sure he would have made enough difference, and he would have cost the team so much more. It would have been nice to have kept him away from the stinky blue though.
Gausman just seems to have lost the feel for his splitter, which has been his money pitch. Again tonight he didn't have it, but for the first time in three games it did start to come back, and that situation is really more feel/mechanical than physical or mental, so there's hope with him, and without him the Giants really have no hope of holding off the Dodgers.
I didn't even notice the Watson deal until later today. I cautiously like it, if only because he's a veteran pitcher with a lot of high-level success in his career, including with the Giants, and I love veterans in the bullpen. Selman is OK but he's 30 years old. If he was going to be something he would be by now. I don't know about the other guys, and maybe they paid a lot for Watson, and maybe he hasn't done well this year, but he's been a great reliever in the past and maybe a pennant race gets him back to that. If it does he'll be a BIG addition. If not, they took a shot.
As for Bart, if they resign Posey, and I believe they almost certainly will, that's going to be for three more years. Where's Bart going to play? They've already said they aren't moving him to 1st. If they're willing to do that then great because Belt is very likely gone, or god forbid they move Buster to 1st, but if not then Bart is a very nice trade piece to build on.
And after the year Crawford has had I'm thinking they may now look to keep him as well. He'll ultimately be cheaper than Seager, Story, Baez or Correa.
If I were a bit more cynical I'd say Crawford might be dipping into the forbidden waters this year. Because of his situation, with all those younger star shortstops also free agents next year, he's suddenly having the best year he's ever had at 34? That can't help but make me wonder, but I hope not, because if they do choose to resign him he'll almost certainly stop doing the "bad thing".
Still, the dude is a winner, and I'll be happy to see him at SS even if he's back to hitting.240 again.
Anyway, it sounds like the young kid Luciano is probably more suited for 3rd, so they really don't have anyone ready to take over at SS in-house, so they either pay BIG for one of the younger guys or keep Crawford. It's hard not to root for the later on that one.
Rough loss tonight (I almost went, glad I didn't) but the Dodgers lost to the Dbacks, and the Padres lost too.
Hangin' by threads!
Orange & Black threads!!
All a fan can hope for is a chance heading into August, and the Giants have a chance!
LETS GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday the 10th. Maybe. Lotta driving both ways and then there's parking. But I sure am craving me some crazycrab sandwiches. And yeah, JG night is always a blast.
And he's doing really well as a closer this year, but in ten full seasons this is only the third time he's had more than six save opportunities, so I'm not sure about "I don't think McGee is as good a pitcher any where but closing".
McGee has pretty much always been a setup guy in his long, successful career, probably because he only has one pitch and everyone knows what it is, but he's doing well as a closer this year.... which is why he continues to be the Giants closer.
And Rodgers was excellent again today. He has been undeniably one of the best relievers in the league this year. He may not be a "closer", but I imagine there's just a little adrenalin in the 8th inning too.
And Mark, Kapler/his coaching staff have worked this pitching staff to the best record in the league, better in four months than almost any SF Giants team ever, and they're not working with Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, Vogelsong, Castilla, Lopez, Affeldt, Romo, Wilson (i.e. all superstars). This year they're working with a bunch of reclamation projects, hacks, nuts and bolts.
Yet they have the best record in the league, and their pitching staff is one of the best in the league. Which means that despite yours or mine or others frustrations & doubts, almost every decision Kapler/his staff have made this year has actually worked, and worked well. And continues to.
Despite our doubts there comes a time with a winning organization when us fans have to understand why we're sitting on the couch or in the 3rd deck having paid $40 to park, and Kapler/his staff are in the dugout, having parked right next to the door paying nothing at all.
Because he & they know what they're doing.
Zaidi, Kapler, his staff, this organization have a plan, they're sticking to it, the players clearly have bought into it, it's been working since they started last year and and it's continuing to work.
Tyler Glasnow appears to be headed for Tommy John surgery, which will severely curtail the Rays chances. Red Sox, White Sox and Astros look to be the class of the AL. The wildcard battle should be interesting, with Tampa, Oakland, Seattle, Toronto, Cleveland and New York all close. Let's see if the Mariners can break the longest active playoff drought in MLB.
In futures news, it looks like the Orioles have turned the corner in their rebuild. They're 9-4 sinvlce the All-Star break. John Means pitched a beauty last night, Matt Harvey seems to have rediscovered his mojo, and all of their big bats (Mullins, Hays,Mancini, Mountcastle and Santander) are healthy and clicking. Glad they kept their core together and avoided any splashy deals at the trade deadline. They sent Freddy Galvis back to the Phillies, but he's been hurt and Richard Urias has been a quality substitute. With all the young kids coming in their farm system, next year is almost now.
Hey Tom, looks like Jerry tribute tix are sold out. Bummer. I could still make the haul up there though. I imagine there will be lots of good seats available. Do you know if Roger is doing his pregame party? Where does everyone park now days? I park across the street,but that dungeon gives me the creeps. And it takes forever to get out. But it is handy. How much does it cost to park over in Oakland and take the ferry? Always looks fun, but you are on their schedule.
I haven't specifically heard anything about Moonalice or a live band, I've just been assuming they'll be there because they've always been there (but then assuming is often not a good way to go).
And yeah, tons of tickets are available for all their games. Since they opened up the park to full capacity they've been doing well, but nowhere near full, which has surprised me a little since you figure most BA Giants fans would be vaxxed and the team is having such a good year. But that's OK with me... more room for me!
Parking's a bitch now that larger numbers of fans are coming. They've taken out the front 2/3s of A lot for their newest Shangri-La they're building, so what's left in there is now filling up fast. They're also still using the pier next to A lot, but I agree about parking in there, I never do if I can avoid it at all.
They keep a large area in the front of what's left of A lot for ADA, and for most games that hasn't been filling up, so if you have a placard you can get in there pretty easy, but it's still a bit of a hike (they do have shuttles). They're gouging $40 for all parking for weeknight games ($50 for weekends).
I've heard that most of the cheaper downtown street lots north of the stadium are not filling up, but it's a serious hike from most of those, and since there still aren't as many people in general in downtown these days I've heard that it's pretty easy to find free street parking if you troll around a bit, but I always hate to worry that my windows will be smashed when I get back; I almost never park on the streets in SF.
I have no idea about the ferry. Even if I was coming from the east bay that would still be a no-go for me.
They sure don't make it easy to go to a game, especially for folks coming from a distance. I'd imagine coming from where you do it would be better to stay over with a friend or at a hotel and take in two or three games. It's a lot of trouble, but this team is entertaining and they're playing meaningful games these days.
And who knows when that will happen again?
A nice win today after yesterday's stinker, and more importantly Gausman looked much better today. I was getting really worried about him. And they put DeSclafani on10-day IR today, tired arm they say. Him missing one start won't kill them, but that could end up being a larger issue. No matter how well everyone else does, if their starters start slipping so will the team.
LaStella back and looking good today, Belt coming back by next week, just about everyone playing well right now, who are they going to drop for Belt? Maybe another "injury"?
With Belt back and Dickerson heating up that makes Wade a bit redundant, but he's still playing really well and he's been a spark plug for them, I'd hate to see him demoted again. They won't drop the kid Estrada because he's playing well too and he's the only guy who can play SS if Crawford is out, so I'm thinking it will be Wade or Slater looking to rent a place in Sacramento soon, and both are helping this team.
It's a good problem to have. On this team it's really going to be all about the starting pitchers.
The Dodgers aren't going anywhere, so the Giants have to keep winning.
SO KEEP WINNING GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Belt up today. Gausman to paternity list for now. An abundance of talent is good I guess, but I would not mind if neither Belt nor LaStella nor Longo were on the active roster. We've been playing really well without them and we risk screwing up the chemistry.
The thing about the Giants talent is that other than Buster they have no real superstars, and for four months almost everyone (including Buster) has played above or right at the top of their ability, but the final two months are the grinding equalizer.
Some of these guys are absolutely due to slump, so IMO having more & fresh options is a good thing, especially when they're veteran players.
As for who goes after Gausman comes back in three days, Wade is the logical choice as he's now a bit redundant, but I'd rather see Slater renting an apartment in Sacramento. He's hit some big bombs this year, but not nearly enough overall, and Bryant can play CF against lefties.
And I'm not sure we're going to see Longoria back. I think the team acquiring Bryant was a bit of a tell on that. We'll see.
They had NOTHING going. The hitters were asleep and the snakes starter was dominating. But then down 4-0 going to the 9th after the entire team doing nothing all day, Kris Bryant leads off with a ringing double, Crawford smashes one, Belt gets a super clutch hit, Wade even a BIGGER clutch hit to tie the game on the last strike of the game (they have to keep that guy) and they go on to win in (stupid) extra innings, with Bryant ripping another double to drive in the winning run. He's helping.
I'm no fan of the extra innings rule, but the Giants have done pretty well with it.
Figures: Mets get one of the most exciting players in the game (Baez). He K'd 5X today. What do you even call that? Platinum Sombrero?
Last night they won, but still disappointed me. If the the 5th batter in the 5th inning had hit a Grand Slam, I'd have won $5K (plus another 5K to charity).
Yeah Mark, I just saw that they think he'll be ready soon. It sounds like Dugger is next to go, although he may the one to go when Gausman comes back on Tuesday (he's scheduled to pitch the Jerry game). In that case I'd expect it to be Slater, because Bryant can play CF (how well he plays it I don't know, probably not that great). Hate to see the speed & defense of Dugger & Slater go, but the talent has gotten pretty deep on this team, and somebody has to go.
If Longoria is healthy and can hit close to what he was doing early, the Giants are going to have a pretty deep offensive club. (And as I'm writing this Belt just blasted one off this damned Brewer who's been dominating us to tie the game! He's looking good right now!)
As for what they do next year, they'll have options. If they love Bryant they could resign him and trade Longoria, eating some of his salary to make it palatible. Or they could resign Bryant and put him in LF every day, and keep Longo at 3rd next year. Whatever they do, Zaidi sure seems to know how to play this game, and it's nice to have faith in the front office.
I heard the Giants have floated the idea of Longoria playing 2nd once in a while, which sounds odd to me. He's a better 3rd baseman than Bryant, and Bryant is at least as athletic as Longo, so if that's an option why not Bryant there and leave Longoria where he plays best? I'm not sure I get the point of that, as Solano is really heating up, and it's not about defense because they don't have anyone who plays 2nd well defensively. I guess as always with Kapler it will be about matchups.
It's going to be really interesting to watch this team mix & match their lineups the next two months. With all the changeable parts and in-game moves they make I'm glad I don't keep score when I go to games.
4+ months of improbable, amazing wins, but tonight may well have taken the lead in that regard.
A GREAT, if unbelievable win!
Everything all game was going against them, and once again I was thinking, "Tonight is just not our night."
Until they FINALLY got one break, and it was a big one, with two outs in the 9th that would have lost the game.
After that they took control of the game in the 10th, scoring 33 but then they blow a 3-run lead... but then they then stay with it and win going away in the 11th!
These guys may or not keep this up, but they're one hell of a team.
And Bryant is HELPING! And so is Belt. Wow. Just when I forget how big that guy can be.
Damn.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Watched the first 6 innings when I got home last night/ this morning. Could not finish. Just watched the 2nd half. WOW. I did know not to open this thread till the game ended.
And I am all in on Kris Bryant now. I think he will resign.
Crazy ass record setting 8-6 win for NY vs KC last nite. Just wild,,, nobody's ever seen no shit like that before. What a great game baseball is. Not closing it out in the 9th hurt my buzz.
The game marked the first time in MLB history that both teams scored in the seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings. The Royals are the first team since 1900 to tie the game up consecutively in those first four innings, and the Yankees are the first team to blow four saves in a game in the modern era.
Another crazy win for the Giants over the Dbacks. The Diamondbacks blow games is an amazing array of ways.
A fun night at the yard. I got in too late for Moonalice and whatever whooha & Parrish yammering they did before the game, and there really wasn't anything Jerry-specific during the game, but man it was an exciting game, with lots of great defensive plays, big hits and back & forth action.
Still, the best part of the game was the cheer Madison Bumgarner got. I wasn't expecting it, they just showed him in the dugout on the big screen and the stadium announcer welcomed him back, and the crowd rose as one and the roar just grew & grew, eventually drawing him out of the dugout to wave. One of the best extended cheers I've ever seen for an ex-Giant, and he deserved every part of it.
It choked me up a bit.
And yeah, Bryant the Giant. He was smacking balls all over the park tonight, and he made a great play at 3rd. Dude is making a difference.
I don't think the Dodgers are ever going to lose again, so...
How's your teams doing on covid cases ? The yankees are getting hit with another wave after playing Tampa Bay + the Marlins in Florida recently (Mattingly just retured to the dugout yesterday after his covid bout).
Cancer survivor Anthony Rizzo joins catcher Gary Sanchez and starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery as Yankees players to recently test positive for the virus.
In addition to the four most recent positive tests, outfielder Aaron Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela, catcher Kyle Higashioka and relievers Wandy Peralta and Jonathan Loaisiga also have tested positive for COVID-19 since the All-Star break.
I have no idea how they've managed to win games with this going on.
I'm more curious how the Rays keep winning. They lose their ace, Tyler Glasnow to Tommy John surgery, yet are now 5 games up in the East.
The White Sox have a good team Matt, they just might get there, though they are lacking in playoff experience, unlike their main competition, the Rays and the Astros.
It will be interesting to see if the Yankees can keep surging. With Chapman out and Britton ineffective, they have question marks at the end of their bullpen for the first time in a long while.
Another team to keep an eye on is the Cincinnati Reds, who are poised to knock the Padres out of the second wild card spot, especially if Tatis can't stay healthy.
The Giants and Rays are both having amazing seasons. I thought the Rays were cooked when Glasnow went down, but they keep on winning.
Damn, that guy from the A's sure took a bad one to the face today.
Obviously, all hopes are that he's OK, but even then, after something like that happens it's got to be REAL tough to go back out on the mound, whether it's weeks, months or a year; how do you get that out of your head?
It must have been tough for the guy who had to replace him, with blood all over the mound.
It's just a game, and they all get paid shitloads of money, but sometimes it gets really real.
Looks like the Oakland kid didn't sustain any damage to his vision, but the ball shattered his cheekbone. That was pretty brutal. Definitely pulling for him to make a full recovery.
My folks were at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on May 7, 1957 to see the Indians play the Yankees when Cleveland ace Herb Score got hit by a come-backer. It basically ended his career.
How long have umps been checking pitchers gloves for FM,, foreign matter ? Is it done in every game ? After every half inning ? Or just when a pitchers shutting down the opponent ? Last night when the umps checked our starter Heaney's glove after the 6th was the 1st time I've seen it done,, he was torching the red sox. What TF is going on in baseball these days ? I believe that shit is against the 1st Ammendment. If not the 1st, definitely the 4th.
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that "[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Yeah Mark, that was crazy. I had to go to work when the Giants were down 5-2 and looking bad again.
When I got home after midnight I checked the score, and given the bumbling way they were playing I assumed they lost again, and was shocked to see what happened.
I guess I shouldn't be shocked though, as the Giants have been nails all year and never give up, and those HRs just keep coming, which can clean up a lot of messes. But still, what a win in front of a raucous 50/50 A's-Giants crowd, and what a difference Wade has made for this team.
They're due for a slump, for losing streak, which they've avoided all season, but their schedule the next couple of weeks is brutal and that slump could be coming. Even then, with the great record they've built through four months a losing streak wouldn't be the end of the world, except it seems that the Dodgers are never going to lose again.
I don't think there's any way they can hold off the damned Dodgers, they're really coming on strong now, but as long as the Giants don't completely fall apart they'll be certain for a wild card, which is a crap shoot. The next two weeks could really tell the tale for the Giants, culminating with that final three-game series with the Dodgers at home.
It would REALLY help if Gausman can find that damned splitter again. If he doesn't things are going to be tough, but Wood is still pitching good, Webb is really looking like he's arrived, DeSclafani can still throw a good game and Cueto may be in the twilight of his career, but he's a pro and I like to think that in some big pressure late season games he is still a guy that can rise to that occasion.
They just don't have guys who can go deep into games, so they need that bullpen to keep pitching as great as they have most of the season, and they need to keep hitting home runs.
But DAMN, what a win today. Lamont Wade is a KEEPER!!!
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so fucking sick of incompetent/corrupt/extorted umpires ruining baseball games from behind the plate. This whole series with Oakland has been shameful.
I don't think the umpires are corrupt or incompetent, I think they're just way too comfortable and mostly too arrogant.
I also think they're seriously over-paid & over-rated, which is what leads to their comfort level & arrogance.
The average salary for an experienced ML umpire is between $250,000 & $350,000.... for seven months of work.
Plus, all their flights are first-class and paid by the league. They stay at five star hotels, paid by the league. They get four weeks of vacation during their seven months of actual work, and if they work an eighth month of playoffs/world series, they make WAY more. And still get four months off, plenty of time to spend lots of that money.
They're generally very good at what they do, but comparatively it's not that hard to be a major league umpire, it's just really fucking hard to GET the job.
The electronic strike zone is definitely coming, and coming soon, which is odd, since no one really wants it.
But because the umps are over-paid & over-rated it is coming, and coming soon.
Personally I think they should expand replay, add the electronic zone, fire all the umpires and re-hire them at $90,000, and have them stay at Holiday Inn's.
Except Angel Hernandez.
THAT guy should just be fired. And then fired again.
>>>>I am so fucking sick of incompetent/corrupt/extorted umpires ruining baseball games from behind the plate.
Mark, did you see the Little League Championship game? That home plate ump was absolutely terrible. Strikes almost a foot off the plate. Numerous bad calls. Too bad the players are affected by the incompetence and powerless to do something about it during the game that decided the national title for these kids.
Just "touchin' base" from here in Champa Bay... best record in the AL you wonder? Da' Ray's. 70M payroll and the worst attendance in the history of the planet.
Last nights game was like a treadmill test. I almost didn't make it. Great ending but holy fuck getting there. Huge win. Maybe biggest of the season so far. And I am sure that will change. We still have 6 at Coors and the Rockies have an excellent record at home. We still have 10 games against the Padres and they always play us tough. these next 2 against the fodgers. And 3 against the Braves. That's 21 of the remaining 27 games to go. Hold on pholks. But WOW. Just fucking WOW last night.
And Tom, you know every closer has bad games. Nobody is perfect. He's had a few since we last discussed him, but I still think he is the guy for us.
Slick, I watched part or all of almost every game going back to the regionals. That last game (ump wise) was horrible but it was not much better before that either. I enjoy these games every yr. Love to see great defensive plays by the kids. .
Yeah, I was just messin' with you Mark. Both Rogers & McGee have been outstanding in their roles this year.
Funny thing about last night's game, I guess Buster could have gotten both runners out on the run-back to 3rd base in the 9th inning, which would have ended the game, but Buster didn't know the rule and tagged the wrong guy.
I'm not sure anyone else knew the rule either, but you'd think a smart veteran like Buster would/should know all the rules. It was a crazy intense game though, so since the Giants won I give him a pass..... this time.
And I fucking hate Trea Turner. He's GREAT, and they already have Mookie Betts and all those other guys. It's just not fair that the Dodgers were able to get him along with Scherzer. That deal really puts them in a different galaxy.
DeSclafani really came up big last night, which was great to see, but with all the injuries & COVID shit hitting them right now it's really hard to see the Giants holding off the Dodgers.
That one-game playoff at Oracle is going to be intense.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well alright for the Giants, another big win in their amazing season, even though they are messing with their mojo by screwing over their stadium concessions employees so badly that they went on strike. Not a good look for San Francisco.
So to keep this thread from lapsing into an incessant riff on the Giants, let's talk about MLB's other feel good hit of the summer...the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners won their fifth game in a row tonight, scoring seven runs in the top of the tenth to finish off a sweep of the Diamondbacks. Every team above or tied with them in the AL standings lost today, the Rays, Astros, White Sox, Yankees, Red Sox, and the A's (who now fall a game back of the Mariners). This leaves the M's three games behind the Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot and 4 1/2 back of the Astros for the AL West lead.
Tonight they fly to Houston to start a three game series with the Astros tomorrow. After a quick road trip, they return to Seattle next week to host the Red Sox for a three game set. We're about to see just what this team is made of, but it sure has been fun watching them fly under the so-called experts' radar.
They have momentum going at the right time of the season. With their last playoff appearance in 2001, they have the longest playoff drought in MLB. I've lived here 16 years now, and they've never gotten to the big dance. Will this finally be the year? Stay tuned, but it's a lot of fun to be playing meaningful games in September, and gives me a pleasant diversion as the Orioles rebuild plays on.
>>>screwing over their stadium concessions employees so badly<<<
I don't know everything about that, but what I believe they're upset about is that a number of workers have lately tested positive for the plague.
I'm not sure what exactly they want the Giants to do about that. The Bay Area is one of the most vaccinated regions in the country, the venue has not been full (except for the Green Day show last week and the games last night & today) and there continues to be no direct contact with the workers and the patrons, i.e. no money changing hands, social distancing, masks worn, etc.
Like everyone else, concession workers have to factor in everything that is going on in our world, and decide if they want to work with risk or stay home. I'm not really sure what they expect the Giants organization to do for them that isn't being done.
COVID is all around us all, all the time. Deal with that or don't.
And.........
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow. They beat the fodgers and that POS ump. How fucking bad does it need to get before something is done? That fuck was worse than the LLWS umps. Blatantly, consistently, wrong. We actually got 2 or three in our favor in the latter innings, but 80% of his crap was against the Giants.
Now on to Coors.
Go Giants!
And yeah, those surprising Mariners are playing well right now. Hope to see them in the WS.
My response was mainly to Dave's "screwing over their stadium concessions employees so badly" statement.
I'm not sure that the Giants not providing health care to part-time workers who put cheese gloop on nachos and hand over hot dogs & popcorn (slowly) constitutes "screwing over so badly".
It would be grand if all people received comprehensive health care for whatever job they do, but from the multiple stories we've heard this year about the horrible treatment of minor league players, I'd say the team/s should focus on taking care of their full-time/future assets better before taking care of concessions workers.
But then maybe I'm a Republican at heart.
Another amazing last-minute win by the Orange & Black today. Sixteen grueling late-season games in a row, culminating with three games at one of the toughest places to play for any away team, and they sweep the damned Rockies in their house of horrors and pick up a game on the evil Dodgers.
These guys keep confounding expectations.
And damn, we like LaMonte Wade.
Who are these guys?
First team to 90.
Keep it rolling boys, the Evil Blue won't fade!
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another impressive series win for the Giants on their charmed roll. Starting to have serious doubts about the health of their starters and the wear and tear on their bullpen. They are looking like a team that may win the race but lose the war, while the Dodgers stellar trio of Buehler, Scherzer and Urias are about to be joined by a healthy Clayton Kershaw. Y'all better rub your Croix De Candlesticks and have Father Guido Sarducci say a few Hail Willies because that's going to be one helluva steep hill to climb.
The Mariners did a great job of salvaging the series finale with the Astros after a brutally tough loss on Tuesday night. They need to remain focused and step on the D'backe throats this weekend before next week's key showdown with the Red Sox.
How about those Orioles? They scored 9 runs in the 8th inning to come back from a 5-0 deficit and won 9-8 against the Royals. 32 year old Manny Bareda picked up the win in relief in his first MLB appearance, one day after prized rookie Michael Baumann did the same. The consecutive wins in relief by players making their MLB debuts was a MLB first in the modern era. Austin Hays singled in that wild 8th to extend his career best 15 game hitting streak. Rookie Of The Year candidate Ryan Mountcastle mashed his 26th home run, a two-run shot to finish off that 8th inning explosion, which proved decisive when Andrew Benitendi hit a three run homer in the top of the 9th for KC. Matt Harvey made his 27th and possibly final start of the season. He's thrown a lot of innings and the Orioles want to see what their young arms have got in September, so they may shut Harvey down, but he has reclaimed his status as a legit MLB starter, and left a big impression on ace John Means about how to stay healthy and pitch every 5 days. Too bad another record low crowd o 4965 in attendance witnessed all of this, but there are positive signs budding for 2022 in a Birdland.
Wow, that was good stuff! Great at bat by Gausman and dash home and slide by Crawford. The Giants are having a charmed run. 2 games up with 14 games left in the regular season. Want to avoid the Wild-Card play-in one shot deal.
Made it to the Mariners/Red Sox game Tuesday night. I treated my nephew Nico and his fiancé to some nice seats. The Mariners bullpen fell apart, and it looks like another year of raised expectations that won't be delivered here in Seattle. Nico has started using Mariner as a verb, as in "they are starting to Mariner again." It was still fun to be at the ballpark, and it just happened to be Bring Your Dog To The Park night, which was a hoot.
Hope the Giants keep rolling, meanwhile the faithful are waiting for a miracle in the PNW.
He had to face four of the toughest hitters in the league, and it sure wasn't easy (Tatis just missing two fatties sure helped) but Rogers pitched through the error, he made the pitches when he had to and he made a great play at the end.
And what a double-play it was to end it.
Somehow, they keep pulling these things out.
(And just a little sweeter beating that piece of shit Melan-con tonight)
The Padres are looking doubtful to make the post-season. Tatis' meltdown in yesterday's game was classic. The Giants pulled another one out of the hat tonight. I like how they put Kris Bryant in left to keep his and Longoria's bats in the line-up. They must be getting worried about Gausman, who looks like he's hit the wall.
For the first three months of the season, other than that freak on the Mets Gausman was the best pitcher in the NL, dominating every game, including the final game before the break.
Because he pitched that game he wasn't going to pitch in the all-star game, which was played in his home town, so he chilled out with his pregnant wife at home, and then he had to take another week or so off because she was having complications.
He missed one or two starts at the most, but from the moment he came back he's not been able to control his split-finger changeup at all, which has been his kill pitch. He's been mediocre at best since the all-star break, with no sign of getting it together with a little over a week to go.
If the Giants somehow make it past the wildcard and into a short series, they've got two starters they can count on for playoff quality starting pitching, with a third possible, coming back from an injury right now. If Gausman doesn't get it together in the next week or so he could be coming in from the bullpen in the playoffs.
The Mariners can finish off a 4 game sweep of the A's today in Oakland. They're ahead of Oakland in the standings, and just 21/2 games back of the Yankmees for the last spot (2 down in the loss column). ESPN continues to snub the M's, having them below Oakland in today's latest power rankings, and not even mentioned in their lead article about the playoff races. Lots of grist for motivation there. Kyle Seager has been on fire recently, and Jared Kelenic is starting to hit like the top rated prospect he was advertised as. The Mariners have owned the A's all year. It might be tough to finish off the sweep, as Yusei Kikuchi has faltered lately, and the A's get their pitcher who got his face broke by the liner back today, but I wouldn't count the Mariners out. They have two more series with the Angels sandwiched around one home series with the A's.
The Mariners overcame another weak start from Kikuchi, and finished off the four game sweep in Oakland. The A's are toast, and depending on if Oakland comes up with the funds for a new stadium, may soon be joining the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, the Mariners, now 2 games behind the Yankees and 1 behind the Blue Jays, are still in the thick of it. They'll be in Anaheim this weekend to finish off their last road trip of the regular season (they're 6-1 on it so far), while the Red Sox and Yankees beat up on each other and Toronto plays the Twins.
Will this be the year the longest playoff drought in the major sports ends? Stay tuned.
The final week of the regular season is upon us, and it should be a doozy, with lots still left on the table and up for grabs.
The Giants have a 2 game lead on the Dodgers. A couple of 100 win teams trying to avoid a winner-take-all Wild Card Game against the suddenly unbeatable Cardinals.
In the NL East, the Braves and Phillies face off in a 3 game series starting Tuesday that will more or less device the NL East.
The Yankees head to Toronto, before finishing at home against Tampa, no easy task.
The Mariners host the A's in a 3 game set starting Monday, with one team probably needing to sweep the other to have a shot at leapfrogging two of the Yankees, Red Sox, Bluejays trio.
On the flipside, the Orioles and Diamondbacks are neck and neck for the worst record and it's reward, the #1 pick in next year's draft.
There are also lots of individual titles and awards that will be decided.
I'll be at the Giants games Tuesday & Thursday night (and maybe Wednesday too) and I'm in for the wild-card and/or first round of the playoffs as well.
What a season it's been.
What more could transpire?
The Giants have been so entertaining this year that I'm happy with whatever occurs now. As a fan I couldn't have asked for much more this year.
But oh boy, let's get MORE!!!!!!
LET'S GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bummer about Belt, his defense will be missed, but at least they have some solid hitters who can step in. And hopefully Gausman truly has found his splitter (and that his last start was an aberration).
It seems unlikely at this point that the Dodgers could make up 3 games to take the outright lead, but 2 games doesn't seem like an impossibility, which would mean the Giants and Dodgers would have to play a one game playoff with the loser having to play another one game playoff against the Cards. I can't imagine a more torturous scenario, but hey, this is the Giants we're talking about, so it wouldn't exactly surprise me.
Great win tonight for the Giants. They tied the franchise record with their 105th win, and their magic number is now 1. It seems like every night it's a different hero. Hope to get down there for a playoff game.
The Orioles showed some character and stepped on the Red Sox instead of phoning it in to try to get the #1 pick. The Red Sox appear to be in full choke mode, and now the Mariners have tied them for the last wild Card spot, and control their own destiny.
Somehow, these guys just keep grinding out the wins.
(It helps to play the putrid Dbacks, but still)
What a game. They played bumbling, foolish ball early and fell behind, but they hung around thanks to another brilliant performance by their no-name bullpen, a few clutch hits, and another SUPER-clutch hit by Late Night Lamont in the 9th.
Jeez. They're so close now.
I have a ticket to see the Joshua Redman Trio tomorrow in SF. Josh Redman is amazing and I love him but I bought a cheap ticket to the ballgame just now. The show will be over by 9:00, and with some subtle checking of scores during the show, if the game is going OK and if the Dodgers might be losing I will split the show early and head over to the ballpark to catch the back half of the game.
If the Giants win tomorrow and the Dodgers lose (the Giants "magic number" is 2, BTW) the Giants take the division. The Dodgers game starts about a half-hour after the Giants, and I'm sure if the Giants win they'll show the end of the Dodgers game on the big screen, especially if there's a chance the dirty blue might lose.
There could be a celebration in SF tomorrow night.
Or not, since this Giants team, despite winning 105 games, seems to revel in making things as difficult as possible.
And let's face it, the Dodgers are fucking great and they're not going to make it easy.
Damn.
GO GIANTS GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought the Giwnts.magic number was 2 as well, but my brother in Mill Valley told me it is 1 since the Giants won the season series against the Dodgers, so one more Giants win or Dodgers loss, and the Giants clinch.
Just did some more research, and you got it right, Lance, the Giants magic number is 2. They did win the season series with the Dodgers, but they still will play a 163rd game (in S.F.) if they finish with the same record.
>>>>>
The Giants and Dodgers could wind up tied in the National League West, but that's a straightforward scenario: If it happens, they would play a tiebreaker game Monday in San Francisco (by virtue of the Giants' 10-9 head-to-head record). Winner is the division champ and No. 1 seed in the NL, loser is the host of the NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday.
Hello Turtle, I see the Dodgers as being the heavy favorites again, so you should get to see a good amount of playoff games on the network channels. I am curious how you feel about the Dodgers having a +/-100 million higher payroll than the Giants? And since I haven't been around here much, how do you feel about the Lakers buying their super team? It was something you were always vocal about with regards to the Warriors, even though the 'only' real superstar they brought in was Durant (and they had won previously without him). Not trying to stir up too much trouble (well, maybe I am haha). Hope you're well and getting in lots of surfing.
The Dodgers are most likely headed to a Wild Card one and done game against the red hot Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Their season could be over on Wednesday.
If the Good Guys do win the division, I believe they'll have to face either the powerhouse Dodgers or the red-hot Cardinals (with the dreaded Giants killers Arenado & Goldschmidt) in a five-game series.
And if they have to play either of the one-off games, it will be against one or both of those same teams.
IMO none of those options are favorable.
But then I suppose they're better than being in last place and thinking about next year already.
At the moment virtually every Giants hitter is either slumping or hurt, their starters are worn down and the relievers are mostly journeymen or kids who have all been used WAY more than optimal.
So they're right where they want to be.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BTW Hall, If I remember correctly, Turtle's issues with the Warriors were more about Durant (as good or better than any player in the league at the time) choosing to leave his terminally flawed organization that failed to support him properly to join the best organization at the time, one that always beat his flawed team, which in fan-speak isn't such a good look, but in the real world is a pretty basic move any of us would likely take.
Believe me, if my career was tied to the bumbling Live Nation and I had a chance to jump to Another Planet, who always outsmarts & beats LN to the punch (and who actually walks their "customer service" talk, as apposed to LN) or if I worked for a cheap, dysfunctional school district and could jump to an organized, fully funded district, I wouldn't hesitate.
Especially if a person is highly skilled/tops in their field, they usually want to be surrounded with equals and be able to maximize their skills and results. In any field, who wouldn't want to go from bad to great?
And I think he also has issues with his perceived image of the Warriors as just a "jack-a-three" team, which of course is completely incorrect.
As for the Dodgers, after many years of dysfunctional management they got their act together, and the juggernaut team they have now has been built in the best way - through scouting, training, development, shrewd trades and smart purchases when available. Since the Giants lured one of the main architects of that Dodgers rise to come & run their team, we're seeing the same things starting to happen here in the BA.
IMO there's nothing wrong with greatness seeking greatness, or an organization willing to spend money to win, especially when it's smart spending and used to augment an otherwise mostly home-grown base (Mookie Betts, Keven Durant, etc.) as apposed to just throwing money around to try to cover a weak overall organization.
Those blue fuckers are really good from top to bottom, and they're likely going to stay that way for a while. Hopefully the Giants can continue to keep pace and confound the bastards for a long time to come.
For me, the torture pretty much stops after the next few games(and possibly tonight). Any playoff berth will be a huge win for a team that was picked to come in last in the division or close to it.
But again, for me, it is all about the division. If we can unseat the blue(after 8 straight yrs), then the season is an unbounded success(winning 104 + games). Winning the division is everything. Like you said Tom, the team is hurting in many ways. But we keep on winning. The fodgers may be the best constructed team in the history of the game, and for us to stay ahead of them pretty much all season has been amazing.
And you are right, the path to the WS is a very tough one for us. It's all about the division. And blue may not lose again in the regular season. Our best hope is Saturday as the Brewers will start Burnes even if he does not go deep into the game.
Losing Williams will hurt the Brewers. That will be an interesting matchup with Atlanta. Hoping that Seattle can hang on and break their post season drought.
Hi Hall, wow lots to unpack here. have had a lot going on personally, surfing not so much at the moment...
As far as $$ in sports, ESPECIALLY baseball, its been fucked for a long time. I do not feel good about the disparity in payrolls.
I DO like the home-grown players and cast offs that have flourished with the Dodgers. Being the 2nd largest media market in the nation, they have the ability to pay cashola...
what really grinds my fucking gears is the television coverage/rights. i pay a good amount for tv and all the shit, and to some years get it, some years not sucks. makes it hard to be a fan. NOT to mention, there is absolutely NO way to see teams on local stations. its all pay. i think it sucks for fans, as not every fan can pay $100+++ for sports packages and shit. grr.
if i was a small market fan, yeah, i'd also hate all the big $$ teams and love to see them fail. i get it. i just happen to live in those large markets, and what, am i going to be a clipper fan? lol no.
jack-a-three. modern nba. rules changed. i find it completely boring to watch players shoot 50 footers. yeah, they're good, amazing. bad basketball. of course the warriors were a great team and did more than jack 3's but C'mon man....they steph/klay, helped force the direction that way. ymmv....
ps, love westbrook. i like my players interested in the game. hopefully he whips davis into shape....
Great comeback by the Mariners to keep their season alive. Mitch Haniger's 2 out 2 RBI single in the 8th was clutch, and finished off a 5 RBI game for him.
The Mariners and Blue Jays both have to win tomorrow and hope the Yankees and/or Red Sox lose, but the possibility of a 3-way or 4-way tie exists.
It's a lot easier for the Giants, who stubbed their toe today. Win tomorrow, and they win the division and get to rest up until Wednesday, regardless if the Dodgers win or lose.
Turtle, as much as you may want to categorize/downplay the Warriors, if you're a basketball/team sports fan that actually watches the games you have to acknowledge that the Ws play a total "team" game; all five players running, moving, PASSING, everyone working for the open shot, and playing strong hustling defense to create fast breaks and run the other team off the court.
THAT is great, beautiful sport.
(Think the movie Hoosiers. Hickory, that's the Warriors)
Besides, again, I don't understand the glory of the "good old days" when everyone stood around while the ball was tossed into the big man who shouldered his way to the basket for a layup or sky hook. IMO a long three-pointer after four fast passes is more entertaining & impressive than a three foot layup, unless the layup comes after a fifth pass whipped inside from beyond the 3-line.
Warriors = team, moving, passing, creating open shots, defense.
That's great team sport, and there's just nothing wrong with that.
As for the Giants, for 160 games I have had no serious issues with anything Kapler has done, until today, when he pulled Gausman at 84 pitches with a one-run lead going into the 8th, to hand it over to an over-worked, under-skilled bullpen.
And then he compounded it by playing theatrics ala Dusty Baker in '02, when he let Gausman take the mound, and then he went and took him out so he could get the applause from the crowd.
That type of fluff is fine with a large lead, but it was a one-run game, Gausman had been pitching great and the gun was to their head. Kapler was thinking about pitch-counts & ovations when he should have been thinking about winning the most important game of the year, and I bet that business of taking Gausman out from the field irked the Padres.
NOW the gun is really at their heads, and with the Dodgers absolutely rolling the Giants are going to HAVE to win tomorrow.
And I won't be able to watch the game because I'll be at the 49ers/Seahawks game.
Given all that, earlier this evening I bought a ticket for the almost inevitable 163rd game between the Giants & Dodgers on Monday night in SF to decide the division.
I guess that would be pretty epic, but I was really, really hoping it wouldn't come to that.
And Tom, where you been? He's been taking starting pitching out too soon all yr. Really the only area where he has not done well. And, a football game over this game???????? Shit dude, I thought you were a Giants fan.
As a lifelong Dodger fan and Bay Area resident, big congrats to our Giants zoner base... everyone know the history, no team w/so many wins hasn't won a division. Dodgers are like 45-16 since the break and they only gained two games?!?!
Crazy story with the giants and they had to break their own record of regular season wins (over 50+ years and won NL West by ONE game!) to break the trend of eight straight NL West titles by the guys in blue.
Unbelievable story, biggest of the season by a landslide. Here's hoping for a first time EVER Dodgers/Giants playoff series next weekend! Woot!
>>>And Tom, where you been? He's been taking starting pitching out too soon all yr. Really the only area where he has not done well. And, a football game over this game???????? Shit dude, I thought you were a Giants fan<<<
Kapler has been managing his team & his starting staff through a long season, doing EXTREMELY well, making the correct call the vast majority of the time based on short AND long term considerations, including the fact that from day one they have had almost nothing behind their older, injury-prone starting five. I have had no issues with the way he's managed his staff this year, and the results absolutely, unquestionably speak for themselves. 107 times, to be exact.
But yesterday wasn't a regular season game with long-term considerations. Playoff circumstances demand a different way of managing a game.
That's where I've been. We'll see where Kapler goes from here.
And you're damn right I was at a football game. I pay big for them, I have a really good seat for them, and in person NFL football is amazing, one-of-a-kind human theater. On TV you just see the results.... junk.
The 49ers lost today, they didn't play very well and it was still fucking GREAT to be there watching it unfold.
After being at Oracle twice this past week my final personal regular season Giants record is 17-8 (a great season for me). I had a ticket for the tie-breaker game tomorrow and the wild card game on Wednesday. Instead, I get my money back on those and I'll be at the games Friday & Saturday, and if they get past that series I'll be at every other home game they play this year. No matter how all that unfolds it will also be glorious, one-of-a-kind theater. On TV? It's watching results... junk.
GTTG!
(And actual playoff baseball in person wins over regular season football games)
The Dodgers are smoking hot right now, and after they likely smack the Cards out of the way on Wednesday they will be looking to prove something in a short series against the Giants.
It could be over fast, but it will definitely be intense.
Phew.
But no matter what happens, 107 wins and holding off the mighty Dodgers, never letting them take back 1st after the Giants took it and having to win the division on the final day... damn.
What an amazing way to end the regular season. It was great having all the games playing synchronicitously.
We end up with what should be a great pair of Wild Card games. The 106 win Dodgers versus the Cardinals, who have won 19 of their last 22 games in the National League, and the Red Sox and Yankees at Fenway in the American League in another chapter in their historic rivalry. Good for MLB, as it bounces back from a second season under the spectre of COVID.
The Yankees showed some grit today, coming back to win after being 1-hit for 8 innings, denying Toronto a play-in game.
The Red Sox also fought back after getting dominated early by a kid making his MLB debut pitching for the Nationals.
The Mariners went from the high of last night's clutch comeback, to the low of never getting a lead and losing the finale at home. Some are questioning Scott Servais' starting Tyler Anderson on short rest over a thoroughly rested Yusei Kikuchi, but ultimately, it didn't matter, with the Yankees and Red Sox both winning. The Mariners exceeded expectations, and the near future is looking rosy for them.
My Orioles wound up losing 110 games (ouch!) and tieing the Diamondbacks for the worst record. That's what happens when the other four teams in your division all win 90 games or more. Hopefully, they win the coin flip for the #1 pick, and all that talent in their farm system starts to change the fortunes of the Major League team next year.
Hoping to make it down to SF for one of the playoff games. I'll know more about that tomorrow.
Wouldn't ya know? Today he left Webb in too long. I was yelling take him out after the 7th. What a great game(pitched by Webb) for 7 innings!
Tom, you know I was just funnin ya. But today WAS a playoff game. At least in importance and intensity.
Dodgers(I'm pretty sure it will be them) lost Muncie today for an unknown time and Kershaw is likely done for the season. We have 4 strong healthy SPs and will have an excellent well rested bullpen. And if today's offensive breakout of the mini slump is indicative of what is to come, then we have a shot at beating them and that huge chip that will undoubtedly be on their shoulders. After them, we can beat anybody. And you know the team will expect to win every game. One at a time. That's what they do.
But I am satisfied. I have not been this relaxed in several days. We unseated the dodgers! After 8 Seasons. We won the most games in Giants history. Something like 132 yrs. (Of course they were not playing 162 games for most of that time.) I am so proud of our band of unwanted misfits, over the hill veterans, and young talent.
And yeah, my hat is off to Kapler and his staff. Manager Of The Year for sure. And Farhan has been elevated to God status. I remember wondering what the hell he saw in that Wade kid. And why he kept bringing him up.
And it looks like we have our closer for the next 10 yrs or so. Damn I like his stuff.
But I digress. Everything from here on out(in the playoffs) is pure gravy. I would surely love another world series win, but even if we aren't the last team standing, I won't be disappointed. ......very much.
All the history between these two teams, all the similarities, connections & battles over the decades/the generations, from east to west, and this is the first time they've ever met in a playoff series.
Far out.
It's really too bad it's not a seven game series, just so it could last a little longer.
Hopefully it will be as epic as the hype naturally makes it.
Earlier this season I had been on a winning streak for games I'd been to, and then I went to two Dodgers games in a row and they smacked the Giants around both nights. I thought to myself after the second game that I wouldn't go anymore when they play the good teams, because it's so much more fun when the Giants win.
Well, there's no choice now. They're playing a GOOD team this weekend, and I'll be there on Friday & Saturday night, hanging at the splash cam, hoping for the best.
In April it never once occurred to me that I may be going to any post-season games this year, so I'm going to make sure I enjoy Friday & Saturday no matter what happens.
But I'll enjoy it more if the Giants win!
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last night's game was tough to just watch, not because it was a bad game, but because both teams have dominated the Giants at different points over the decades. Of course I wanted the stupid birds to pull off the upset since they seemed to be less of a threat, but this was the way I thought it would play out.
Now the REAL torture begins. My wife asked if I was planning to go to a game and I said 'no, I hate being there when they lose'. And because of that logic, I missed being in the ballpark for SF's greatest baseball era to date. Some fan I am lol. But I'm also superstitious, so I will continue to wear my pre-2000's cap and watch from my couch. Our 30th anniversary lands on the same day as game 7 of the WS and I booked a room in the City for a long weekend some time back, so if by some miracle there is a game being played there that night, I wll be nearby if not inside (and we'll be there over the weekend if there's a parade).
BTW Turtle, I appreciate your open and honest response. I hope you enjoy being able to see all the games now, even if the announcers are pretty bad.
MarkD, I hope you are not as myopic about everything as you are your sports and music... there's more to life than Baseball and Dead related music, my friend. ;0
Lance, I look forward to meeting up at the Phish shows... hopefully the Giants will still be alive. Enjoy the Games!
Thanks, T! Hope you guys are well as well. Weird time to be alive, but we're navigating it OK... one side effect is that I'm less emotional about stuff like sports rivalries and drugband configurations, but this should be fun to watch.
Just the irony that "San Francisco Giants principal owner Charles B. Johnson [Ever heard of this guy?] has once again broken his pledge to avoid donating to political candidates who engaged in the “destructive efforts to interrupt the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election.” In December 2021, Johnson and his wife Ann each donated $5,800 (the maximum allowed amount of $2,900 for the 2022 primary and general elections) to Adam Laxalt, a Donald Trump-endorsed conservative and former Nevada attorney general who’s running for a U.S. Senate seat in the state."
Not that politics and professional sports have anything to do with each other.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: donster
That was a great finish last
That was a great finish last night. Maybe they can remember how to hit soon. Most of the team batting under 200!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
NY Mendozas
NY Mendozas
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Barry
Sorry. Red Sox fan.
Sorry. Red Sox fan.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Screw these popup ads in the
Screw these popup ads in the middle of innings. Bullshit.
Sanchez has little experience running the bases.....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Pinch me, did the yankees
Pinch me, did the yankees finally win a game ?
Who'd they play, Saint Mary's School Of The Blind ?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mr. Sunshine State
The defending AL Champs just
The defending AL Champs just keep winning, baby... an amazing group of no-names with about the same total payroll as Judge and Stanton.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: donster
Some good baseball being
Some good baseball being played this year ... and some very bad spurts (Yankees)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird
Hooked my 8 year old nephew
Hooked my 8 year old nephew up with some Spider Tack and his spin rate has increased 120 percent. This shit could hold a concrete block to a wall.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Pipe Slingin'
RAYS!!
RAYS!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
GIANTS!!
GIANTS!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ...
Yankees got swept this
Yankees got swept this weekend
PHILLIES!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>Some good baseball being
>>>Some good baseball being played this year<<<
I agree, but good ol' Will Clark recently said something I've been thinking for a while now, that hitters are IDIOTS for not easily beating the shift, which is being used constantly now. I get that players want to hit HRs, but when teams are giving you automatic hits it drives me crazy that they ignore it and stubbornly, mindlessly continue to blast right into the shift.
THAT is not good baseball, and Clark is dead-on right.
As for the Giants, they're hanging in there, but they're being carried by unreal starting pitching, which almost certainly won't last at the level it's been so far, and the hitting of an unsustainable amount of home runs in general and the overall excellent hitting of three old-timers in particular, Posey, Crawford & Longoria.
The reality is that the hitting from Crawford & Posey will likely fade as the summer drags on. Crawford is hitting better than he ever has, and unless he's doing something naughty (which being 34 and on a contract year isn't out of the question, but I still doubt it) he will at some point revert to his mean, and Posey is catching, and we've all seen what catching always does to hitting.
Their real hope is that four guys they counted on to rake this year will start raking (Yastrzemski, Dickerson, Solano & Flores). All of those guys are struggling big-time, but they can all hit, so it's not a pipe dream, but they need to start DOING it, and right soon too, otherwise they're going to start losing a lot of 3-1, 2-0 games.
And as hard as it is for many to accept, much of the Giants success is because they're well coached. The players have really bought into the staff's philosophy of patience & plan at the plate, which even when making outs has generally forced apposing starters to throw tons of pitches, which gets the Giants into the opposition bullpen early & often, which helps them in multiple ways. The staff has also done a really good job of getting the most out of their pitchers, especially their veteran starters.
Still, as the summer wears on the Giants will almost certainly be passed by the much more talented Dodgers & Padres, but they've built a nice first-half record and IMO, other than some of the players they have now getting back to their normal levels, they really only need to add one player they don't have now for them to continue to compete for a playoff spot - a quality closer.
That's is a TOUGH add for sure, but if they can find one then their bullpen is immediately deeper, and with that, if they can get healthy & stay healthy and have most of their guys play to their natural ability they'll have a good shot at getting one of the wild card slots.
And then things could get fun, because their particular skill-set, which while limited is built to do well in a post-season short series.
That's a long way from now, but that's also something we've seen around here before.
All one can ask for as a fan is a chance.
I'll be up at the park tonight...
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Have a blast tonight Tom! I
Have a blast tonight Tom! I pretty much agree with all you said above. I have my eye on Rodriguez(only 21) with the Pirates. But I really don't want to give up prospect talent. Think they might take Longo and his contract? Yeah, me neither.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Who goes in the Bronx,, Boone
Who goes in the Bronx,, Boone ? Voit ? Stanton ? Sanchez ? Which starter ? Tough to say, they can't hit anybody, can't run the bases, leave risp at an embarrassing clip, and can't get anyone out. They are the epitome of ineptitude. I'm watching a lot more hoops and soccer these days. They brought that one dude back from the dead who had collapsed in cardiac arrest , intense stuff.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: donster
Completely agree with Lance
Completely agree with Lance and Will Clark on the shift. Effectively bunt to the open side 3 times and they'll never shift again. It is a learnable skill.
Last two Yankees games I turned on they were losing 4-0 and 7-0. Six and a half games back is a long pull. Lots of games against Boston left, but the whole team (minus Judge) is under 200 in batting average..
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
YAZ!!!
YAZ!!!
(I did a spit-take on that slam tonight)
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Jacob MF deGrom
Jacob MF deGrom
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly
Gerrit Cole says he needs to cheat because it's hard to grip the ball. Between the cheating and the little league rules, I cannot understand why people still watch the MLB.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/06/17/yankees-gerrit-cole...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird
Every team has pitchers using
Every team has pitchers using shit to grip the ball better. That's why no one's got busted. The league batting average is already ascending since they announced the crackdown and it'll continue to go up. Along with walks, wild pitches and guys getting beaned.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly
^So the best cheater wins?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
^ Usually
^ Usually
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird
I'm a Cubs fan and if you
I'm a Cubs fan and if you look at their bullpen, outside of Kimbrel, it's filled with journeymen and no-names and they've been absolutely lights out this year. Spin rates off the charts. No doubt in my mind they're using some type of glue. Trevor Bauer makes no bones about gunking up the ball and all of a sudden, he's looking like an average MLB pitcher now that a crackdown is looming. Spin rates and velocity league-wide is at a crazy number right now.
It's going to be really interesting to see how this plays out with 10-game bans being announced. You might not see many bans since team's won't want to narc on other players when they've got guys doing the same thing. There's even been some batters say they don't mind it because it makes them feel safer in the batter's box knowing a pitcher has better control of the 95 mph rock he's throwing at them.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mtndog
Go White Sox!
Go White Sox!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Good grief, these Giants.
Good grief, these Giants.
It took the effort to win three games to win the game today.
But they won the game. Somehow. Again.
How can this last?
They just keep grinding.
Grinding is good.
Best record in the league.
Keep grinding!!!!!!
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Wow. The Giants win their
Wow. The Giants win their 50th game tonight, continuing with the best record in the league.
Such a major drag they had to do it tonight using those completely childish, t-ball extra innings rules.
But at least they scored a REAL run to win the game.
As it should be.
This isn't really a Giants post, it's to say that of all the things in the running of professional sports that have ever pissed me off or disappointed me, these extra innings & double-header rules are easily the worst things ever, the extra-innings rules especially.
I find that I simply can't watch these extra-innings games, I turn the TV off. Which sucks because I want to see who wins, but I just can't stomach it. The rules are idiotic and insulting.
After I heard that the Giants had won tonight I went back and watched the recording. The Giants got the A's out one-two-three in the 10th, and the A's score a run??? There's not way to make sense of that, it's just stupid. Again, at least the Giants scored a run they EARNED to win, but still, it's the worst thing ever.
I'm very glad the Giants won a big game tonight, but what had been a brilliant, top level big league game between two great teams was ruined by the ending.
A shame.
Anyway...
HOW 'BOUT THOSE GIANTS??!!!!??
GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
RIP Dick Tidrow, his stuff
RIP Dick Tidrow, his stuff was filthy. You'll always be in Yankee fans hearts forever.
Dick Tidrow dies at 74
https://www.mlb.com/news/dick-tidrow-dies-at-74
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz
RIP. I remember him well as a
RIP. I remember him well as a Yankee in the 70s.....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
The Giants organization &
The Giants organization & fans are all pretty crushed by his passing as well.
He worked for the Giants for over 27 years, running their scouting department, minor league personnel & drafts for 24 years. He was a central figure in building four World Series teams and three winners, uncovering & drafting players such as Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Sergio Romo, Pablo Sandoval, and Buster Posey, as well as many others, often against prevailing opinion and advice.
Without him we Giants fans would still not know the great thrill of following a team all the way to the final win.
The Giants opened the second half in St. Louis yesterday, and it was very classy of the Cardinals organization to have a moment of silence for him. I'm glad I'm going to Friday's game in SF, I'm sure the Giants will honor him well that night.
Good job Dick. Thanks for the memories and fare thee well.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Holy cow.
Holy cow.
Who are these Giants?
They blow a huge game against the Dodgers yesterday, are lined up to lose again today, and BAM!!!
ANOTHER GIANTS VICTORY!!!!!
DUCK THE FODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's a funny thing about relief pitchers. They can be great for long stretches, and then they're bad one night and everyone HATES them.
They're like cornerbacks in football.
No respect.
Tonight the Giants beat Kenley Jansen in the 9th. Jansen has saved 21 out of 24 games for the Dodgers this year - 21-3 - and he was BOOED off the field.
Last night Tyler Rogers, who has been GREAT for the Giants this year, was bad yesterday and he blew the game in the 9th, and Giants social media was ON FIRE against him today (he saved the game tonight).
Tough gig, being a relief pitcher.
Meanwhile, somehow the Giants, just a bunch of nuts & bolts, keep winning.
Damn.
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Walk off after a shorthanded
Walk off after a shorthanded series ass kicking of the Phillies.
Who are these Yankees ? The next 7 games should give us a good idea.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Rogers is a superb setup guy.
Rogers is a superb setup guy. A very good relief pitcher. But he is not a closer(he has blown over half his save opportunities). It's about the adrenaline. He cannot handle it. McGee thrives on it. He is a closer. He does not pitch well when the save is not there. It is an interesting dynamic that somehow eludes Kapler.
But WTF? Who are these guys? After blowing the game Tuesday night, to come back and return the favor last night was unbelievable. Something about this team. Best record in baseball, most homeruns in at least the NL maybe all of Baseball. They hit in the low 200's, but seem to get the hits when needed. They remind me alot of the 2010 team that nobody expected to win.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>> It's about the adrenaline
>>> It's about the adrenaline. He cannot handle it. McGee thrives on it<<<
Yeah Mark, I think that's a bit of a swing & miss. Rogers isn't best suited to be a closer because he's not really a strikeout guy, and that HAS to be in a true closer's arsenal. And he's 11-5 with saves this year. Not great, but not "more than half" either.
And despite McGee's success this year IMO he isn't a true closer either (and throughout almost his entire 11-year career he hasn't been one) because he only throws one pitch, same thing every time, and if he's not perfect he's slammed. I think he's better in the role than Rogers because he is a SO guy, and is why Kapler HAS used him far more in that role than Rogers, but the team would be way better off if both were late-inning guys, neither closing.
Still, Rogers has been great this year, and Kapler & his staff clearly know what they're doing; I don't think much of anything is "eluding" him/them.
I didn't understand why he used Rogers the other night instead of McGee, and as a fan Kapler & his staff bug me at times about how they use players, the same way Bochy did, but he's proving to be at least as good as Bochy at keeping all 26 guys positive, ready to play and ready to face any situation, which is why I think he uses Rogers in the 9th at times, and is a big reason why they've been winning so much since he took over.
In my personal opinion, there is no more important trait for a good leader to have than being able to maximize the self-confidence of those they're leading. That's what Bochy was great at, and it's pretty clear that Kapler is good at that as well.
The Kapler haters are really scratching at crumbs these days for something to complain about. He's proving the be exactly what Zaidi advertised him to be - experienced, intelligent, a communicator, a leader, and like most actual human beings and not video game/fantasy subjects, he's learned from the mistakes he made his first time around.
The post-season will be the final litmus test, as even really good managers make small mistakes in pressure-packed short series, but until we see how that goes, pretty much everything Kapler has done since he showed up is working.
Same with Zaidi, who clearly knows what he's doing as well. It's going to be interesting to see what he does with any trades, things long-term and short being very tricky with the Giants at the moment, but unlike Sabean I'm not worried he'll do something stupid.
In Farhan we trust!
GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
To be fair, he is currently
To be fair, he is currently 11 of 16 save ops. He is blowing 1/3 of his save ops. And that is not acceptable on a contending team.
I posted this before reading your reply Tom.
And yeah. Farhan is god. And Gabe will get(and deserve)manager of the yr. I just wish he would wise up on in game pitching decisions.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
And I will go one further. I
And I will go one further. I loved Boch but I think we would not be here with him at the helm. Kap deserves much accolades. I am glad he is our mgr. But he still pulls starters too soon and makes other questionable pitching moves. I knew we were toast when he put Rogers in the other night.
And I don't think McGee is as good a pitcher any where but closing. He needs that adrenaline.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Yankee bullpen weak and
Yankee bullpen weak and worthless, could use a real stopper.
Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay, nice move for them, he's a bopper.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
https://www.espn.com/mlb
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31868331/cleveland-changing-name-ind...
Fare thee well Tribe.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
I was born in Cleveland, but
I was born in Cleveland, but my folks moved when I was 9 months old, so I don't have the memories or connections my older siblings do, and I wound up an Orioles fan. For my oldest brothers, the name change to the Guardians is a big deal. My oldest brother thinks it's a prelude to a corporate tie-in with Guardian Life Insurance. I'm working on getting him down to New Orleans for the Stones and Jazzfest, where they still have Mardi Gras Indians and Professor Longhair's "Big Chief" is a staple.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Some big trades going down
Some big trades going down before the deadline tomorrow. The biggest impact may be Mad Scherzer and Trea Turner going to the Dodgers. That sure looks like a sign that Trevor Bauer isn't coming back.
I love how the Giants just keep winning anyway. Nice 5-0 smackdown of the Dodgers today with Johnny Cueto and the bullpen dealing. Have to dig that the Giants have a reliever listed as J. Garcia showing up in the boxscores. They are a lot of fun to follow, and the best story in MLB this year.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Mad Scherzer, lol. I doubt
Mad Scherzer, lol. I doubt Max is too mad about winding up back in a pennant race.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Yeah, I was pretty
Yeah, I was pretty disappointed when I saw the Dodgers got Turner. Scherzer is fine & all, but Turner is a DAMN good player, and offense has been the Dodgers problem this season. Turner's going to help them, especially when Betts is back.
Fuckers.
They did pay a pretty heavy price (the word was Scherzer & Turner were going to the Padres, and apparently the Giants also got in the middle of it at the last minute - maybe just to gouge up the price on the Dodgers or Padres? Ha! Well played Giants!) and both of those guys are rentals for the Fodgers. I imagine they'll decide after the season if they want to try to resign Turner or Seager.
The Giants did remarkably well this past week to take 5 of 7 huge games from LA. The Giants went into those games wobbling & with injuries, and this was the Dodgers chance to make a statement and take control of the division. Almost every game was close, and crazy tense. The Giants were really lucky that Betts was out for all of them, but then the dirty blue were lucky that Crawford was out for (almost) all as well. Craw got the big hit today in his first AB back, and he's been by far the most important hitter for the Gmen this season.
The Giants will almost certainly make a deal or two today as well, but I hope they're careful not to give up the farm. Fortunately, the guy/s running the Giants really seem to have a good handle on what they're doing.
Now the Orange & Black immediately go into a three-game series against the excellent Astros. Once they get past that they'll have run the big gauntlet of the past few weeks and the schedule lightens up for a while, only to get crazy again late in August.
What a great season it's been for us Giants fans. I was at the game the other night when Bellinger remarkably threw the game away. It's been quite a while since I've felt that level of energy in the park.
It's been great to have a crowd again, but I'll never forget what it was like in April, when the Giants were winning games that mattered and I was almost literally the only fan in the park, enjoying those games with MAYbe 3,000 other people.
That will never happen again, and I made sure I made the most of the opportunity.
The Giants continue to win with nuts & bolts. That's been working, but it sure would be nice to add a power tool or two into the mix for the next two (or three!) months.
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>both of those guys are
>>>both of those guys are rentals<<<
Now I'm a bit confused. Earlier I saw one article that said Turner is a FA after this season, but just now I saw an article that says Turner is a free agent after 2022.
If he's signed through next year then I have to just start really hating him now.
Sigh.
GG!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
OK, at the very last minute
OK, at the very last minute the Giants add Kris Bryant, who will fit in beautifully on this team, able to play 3rd until Longoria is back or stay there if Longoria stays messed up, and then move to LF if Longo is able to return.
And they didn't give up the bigger names being mentioned. Mark, you follow that type of thing better than I do, these two minor leaguers the Giants gave up, are either of them big losses? The deal was made with five minutes to go on the deadline, it sure looks like Zaidi stared the Cubs down and made the deal on his terms.
Bryant is a FA at the end of the year, and while he doesn't seem to be the superstar he was at the beginning of his career he's still a very good player and is only 29; if he plays well I could see the Giants re-sign him to take over 3rd for a number of years, which sounds good to me.
Any Cubs fans out there? Any take on Bryant? Where's felina when he's needed?
I would have liked to see the Giants add an arm or two, but deals can still be made and Zaidi continues to look like he knows what he's doing in the executive chair.
The next two months are shaping up to be crazy here on the west coast.
Keep it rolling Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
we need max, we lost the
we need max, we lost the rough sex guy.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Yeah Turtle, he's a big gain
Yeah Turtle, he's a big gain for your boys, fitting in nicely next to that fucker Buehler, and he's got lots of big-game experience for the stretch drive, but that guy Turner is really good.
He really stood out the times the Giants played the Nats this year. He drilled line drives all over the field, hit with power and ran like the wind. I was thinking, "Who the hell IS this guy?!!?"
Now I'll get to know well who he is.
Damn it.
GG!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Yeah. Wow. Bad day for sure.
Yeah. Wow. Bad day for sure. Turner is in last yr of arbitration, so he will be there next yr too. AND Sherzer? Damn. Glad we only have to play them 3 more times and I hope we miss them in the playoffs, but WOW.
And we did...... well we gave a future OF that can play and a very good pitcher(6-2, 2.13 era, 15 starts, 96 Ks in 85 innings) that might be GREAT. All for a rental of 2 months. They must not think Longo can make it all the way back. If Bryant breaks his recent mold and actually helps us win the pennant and beyond, then only time will tell. But I am not really happy about any of it.
At least they did not trade Bart.
Really proud of the way these guys are playing. Mostly old guys and discards. Like Craw said, they are playing damn well with the team they have. Not sure that move was needed.
But, GO Giants!
Glad I am not a Nats fan though....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Sarah 4 Winds would have been
Sarah 4 Winds would have been saddened to see her Cubbies get sold off for parts. First Rizzo, and now Bryant and Baez. The Championship memories are fading fast for Cubs fans. Their arch-enemies on the South Side did well picking up Craig Kimbrel today. Might be the White Sox year.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ImusDeadCo
Yes, it has definitely been a
Yes, it has definitely been a traumatic couple days for the Cub fans. The end of an era basically.
My White Sox are in it to win it! It's all about pitching and the Sox are loaded.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
On the other hand, maybe the
On the other hand, maybe the Giants super coaches can fix Bryant and turn him into what he was supposed to be. We can only hope.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Well Mark, the two prospects
Well Mark, the two prospects could develop, or not (it sounds like the pitcher is the better prospect, but still both are young) but you have to pay to play.
I don't look at this trade as the same as the McCutchen or Beltran deals that were made in desperation by Giants teams not for real, made to create a pretense of contention to keep the fans happy & coming to the games, and coughing up their top prospects.
This team has played themselves into position at having a real shot to do something, but they had a real need for more offense in general and a real answer at 3rd in the likely case that Longoria is fucked, and with the Dodgers still right on their tail and seriously upgrading themselves, the Giants HAD to make this deal.
Longoria has been out a LONG time, and given his injury I always had serious doubts about how he'd play if he came back. They couldn't keep putting Flores & Vosler at 3rd every day, that was already starting to wear out quickly, and it's pretty clear after four months that neither Yastrzemski or Dickerson, or even Slater or Solano are going to be what the team was wanting/needing them to be. They needed to add a versatile, quality offensive & defensive player, and Bryant checks the boxes.
>>>If Bryant breaks his recent mold<<<
I'm not sure what that means. He wasn't good offensively last year, but last season was a WEIRD and short season and is the only season he wasn't at least a very good quality player. This year Bryant's stats are excellent and better than any Giant expect Crawford, and they're close to his. He'll be a complete upgrade at 3rd and he'll be better than Ruff platooning in LF & 1st, and even Slater in CF.
If Longoria doesn't come back this trade improves & deepens the team, gives them another quality middle-of-the-order hitter (especially important now that Buster is again routinely missing games) and improves the bench. And if Longoria CAN come back and hit, then they're looking REALLY good. Versatility is the name of this team's game, and this deal makes them much more versatile.
I'm not usually a fan of trading prospects, especially for rentals, but again, this team is for real and needed the upgrade. Plus, they're going to need a 3rd baseman next year & beyond, and I think Bryant was already on their radar as a FA signing anyway. Now they get a head start on that and get his services now for a serious stretch run.
And they didn't give up any of their best prospects, including Bart. They are almost certainly going to re-sign Buster in the off-season, which keeps Bart as a top quality trade piece for next year.
Zaidi is doing a really good job of putting together a truly competitive team this year while still building for the future. All two years after taking over a floundering last-place team that had very, very little to work with at every level of the organization.
This deal may not work, Gausman, DeSclafani and others may all fall apart, but given how they've played this season, the position they've put themselves in and the moves their competition has made, they HAD to make this deal.
GGG!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
I agree with much of what you
I agree with much of what you said, Tom. I am softening to this deal as the day goes on. He started out really hot this yr but has cooled off considerably though. Probably drop Vosler to make room for him and that just makes us that much more righthanded.
And I am a huge Farhan fan. He will surely win exec of the yr as will Kapler win Mgr OTY. I do trust in him and their super-human coaching staff. He has turned the entire organization around.
Very puzzled though by the trade for Watson. Old guy with over 5 era. Gave away Selmon and 2 others. Who is he better than(on the current roster)? Who do they drop to make room for him?
What I am worried about is the Rotation. Gausman looks to have reverted to his old self and nobody(except the oft injured Webb) is looking that strong right now. I was kinda hoping for Sherzer. Though I probably would have complained about that package also.
I still think Bart is the future and I hope they do resign Buster to mentor him. And I would hate to see Crawford in another uniform. The future at SS is not ready yet. When he is, would be nice to have a mentor like Craw. Belt, if he ever stays healthy will hit a lot of HRs somewhere else.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
well we sure got a lotta good
well we sure got a lotta good players. still have to win though...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Right on both counts Turts.
Right on both counts Turts.
Actually, thinking it might be Ruf that goes down. Bryant will be playing in OF against leftys, mostly 3b against righties and will be there to spell Wade at 1st base when needed.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
OK, so they will send down
OK, so they will send down Sam Long to make room for Watson. Probably.
But they have a lot of hard roster decisions coming as folks get healthy.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>they have a lot of hard
>>>they have a lot of hard roster decisions coming<<<
Yeah they do Mark, but almost all of them are pretty much the same, nuts here or bolts there.
I think they'll keep Ruff. Vosler goes for Bryant and Dickerson & Estrada go when La Stella & Belt come back. Estrada is playing well and pushing for a roster spot, but they won't drop Solano for him. More right-handed? Maybe, but Vosler is a minor leaguer and Dickerson has sadly just been a fail this year; good right-handed hitters are better than bad lefties. And when/if Longoria comes back? Well Slater, Sacramento's not as boring a town as it used to be.
And I agree about the starters, but it's those guys (and the bullpen) who have gotten them where they are. Scherzer definitely would have helped, but if the starters keep doing well they wouldn't have really NEEDED him, and if the others start failing I'm not sure he would have made enough difference, and he would have cost the team so much more. It would have been nice to have kept him away from the stinky blue though.
Gausman just seems to have lost the feel for his splitter, which has been his money pitch. Again tonight he didn't have it, but for the first time in three games it did start to come back, and that situation is really more feel/mechanical than physical or mental, so there's hope with him, and without him the Giants really have no hope of holding off the Dodgers.
I didn't even notice the Watson deal until later today. I cautiously like it, if only because he's a veteran pitcher with a lot of high-level success in his career, including with the Giants, and I love veterans in the bullpen. Selman is OK but he's 30 years old. If he was going to be something he would be by now. I don't know about the other guys, and maybe they paid a lot for Watson, and maybe he hasn't done well this year, but he's been a great reliever in the past and maybe a pennant race gets him back to that. If it does he'll be a BIG addition. If not, they took a shot.
As for Bart, if they resign Posey, and I believe they almost certainly will, that's going to be for three more years. Where's Bart going to play? They've already said they aren't moving him to 1st. If they're willing to do that then great because Belt is very likely gone, or god forbid they move Buster to 1st, but if not then Bart is a very nice trade piece to build on.
And after the year Crawford has had I'm thinking they may now look to keep him as well. He'll ultimately be cheaper than Seager, Story, Baez or Correa.
If I were a bit more cynical I'd say Crawford might be dipping into the forbidden waters this year. Because of his situation, with all those younger star shortstops also free agents next year, he's suddenly having the best year he's ever had at 34? That can't help but make me wonder, but I hope not, because if they do choose to resign him he'll almost certainly stop doing the "bad thing".
Still, the dude is a winner, and I'll be happy to see him at SS even if he's back to hitting.240 again.
Anyway, it sounds like the young kid Luciano is probably more suited for 3rd, so they really don't have anyone ready to take over at SS in-house, so they either pay BIG for one of the younger guys or keep Crawford. It's hard not to root for the later on that one.
Rough loss tonight (I almost went, glad I didn't) but the Dodgers lost to the Dbacks, and the Padres lost too.
Hangin' by threads!
Orange & Black threads!!
All a fan can hope for is a chance heading into August, and the Giants have a chance!
LETS GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
BTW Mark, all that Newberry
BTW Mark, all that Newberry pontificating and I didn't ask if you're going to be at the game on Tuesday.
I haven't heard what the "festivities" will be, but you have to figure it'll be Moonalice doing their GD/Jerry thing again.
Jerry night at the ballpark is always fun, and it's nice to have that different aroma in the place, one night a year.
GO JERRYIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Tuesday the 10th. Maybe.
Tuesday the 10th. Maybe. Lotta driving both ways and then there's parking. But I sure am craving me some crazycrab sandwiches. And yeah, JG night is always a blast.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Let's see. 22/24 save ops.
Let's see. 22/24 save ops. 47 Ks 7 bb in 43.1 innings. Under 2.3 ERA.
Looks like a closer to me.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Well yeah Mark, that's why
Well yeah Mark, that's why McGee is their closer.
And he's doing really well as a closer this year, but in ten full seasons this is only the third time he's had more than six save opportunities, so I'm not sure about "I don't think McGee is as good a pitcher any where but closing".
McGee has pretty much always been a setup guy in his long, successful career, probably because he only has one pitch and everyone knows what it is, but he's doing well as a closer this year.... which is why he continues to be the Giants closer.
And Rodgers was excellent again today. He has been undeniably one of the best relievers in the league this year. He may not be a "closer", but I imagine there's just a little adrenalin in the 8th inning too.
And Mark, Kapler/his coaching staff have worked this pitching staff to the best record in the league, better in four months than almost any SF Giants team ever, and they're not working with Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, Vogelsong, Castilla, Lopez, Affeldt, Romo, Wilson (i.e. all superstars). This year they're working with a bunch of reclamation projects, hacks, nuts and bolts.
Yet they have the best record in the league, and their pitching staff is one of the best in the league. Which means that despite yours or mine or others frustrations & doubts, almost every decision Kapler/his staff have made this year has actually worked, and worked well. And continues to.
Despite our doubts there comes a time with a winning organization when us fans have to understand why we're sitting on the couch or in the 3rd deck having paid $40 to park, and Kapler/his staff are in the dugout, having parked right next to the door paying nothing at all.
Because he & they know what they're doing.
Zaidi, Kapler, his staff, this organization have a plan, they're sticking to it, the players clearly have bought into it, it's been working since they started last year and and it's continuing to work.
Far out.
And how cool is this...
https://twitter.com/i/status/1421584957814624261
LaMonte Wade's mom was roaming the park and he blasted one directly over her head, into the bay.
That's a HUMM BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(And damn the Astros are good. I'm sure glad the Giants don't have to play them again after Sunday.......... unless????)
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz
I was at the Giants game
I was at the Giants game yesterday, that was super exciting!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Tyler Glasnow appears to be
Tyler Glasnow appears to be headed for Tommy John surgery, which will severely curtail the Rays chances. Red Sox, White Sox and Astros look to be the class of the AL. The wildcard battle should be interesting, with Tampa, Oakland, Seattle, Toronto, Cleveland and New York all close. Let's see if the Mariners can break the longest active playoff drought in MLB.
In futures news, it looks like the Orioles have turned the corner in their rebuild. They're 9-4 sinvlce the All-Star break. John Means pitched a beauty last night, Matt Harvey seems to have rediscovered his mojo, and all of their big bats (Mullins, Hays,Mancini, Mountcastle and Santander) are healthy and clicking. Glad they kept their core together and avoided any splashy deals at the trade deadline. They sent Freddy Galvis back to the Phillies, but he's been hurt and Richard Urias has been a quality substitute. With all the young kids coming in their farm system, next year is almost now.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Hey Tom, looks like Jerry
Hey Tom, looks like Jerry tribute tix are sold out. Bummer. I could still make the haul up there though. I imagine there will be lots of good seats available. Do you know if Roger is doing his pregame party? Where does everyone park now days? I park across the street,but that dungeon gives me the creeps. And it takes forever to get out. But it is handy. How much does it cost to park over in Oakland and take the ferry? Always looks fun, but you are on their schedule.
Wally, you going this yr?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Hey Mark.
Hey Mark.
I haven't specifically heard anything about Moonalice or a live band, I've just been assuming they'll be there because they've always been there (but then assuming is often not a good way to go).
And yeah, tons of tickets are available for all their games. Since they opened up the park to full capacity they've been doing well, but nowhere near full, which has surprised me a little since you figure most BA Giants fans would be vaxxed and the team is having such a good year. But that's OK with me... more room for me!
Parking's a bitch now that larger numbers of fans are coming. They've taken out the front 2/3s of A lot for their newest Shangri-La they're building, so what's left in there is now filling up fast. They're also still using the pier next to A lot, but I agree about parking in there, I never do if I can avoid it at all.
They keep a large area in the front of what's left of A lot for ADA, and for most games that hasn't been filling up, so if you have a placard you can get in there pretty easy, but it's still a bit of a hike (they do have shuttles). They're gouging $40 for all parking for weeknight games ($50 for weekends).
I've heard that most of the cheaper downtown street lots north of the stadium are not filling up, but it's a serious hike from most of those, and since there still aren't as many people in general in downtown these days I've heard that it's pretty easy to find free street parking if you troll around a bit, but I always hate to worry that my windows will be smashed when I get back; I almost never park on the streets in SF.
I have no idea about the ferry. Even if I was coming from the east bay that would still be a no-go for me.
They sure don't make it easy to go to a game, especially for folks coming from a distance. I'd imagine coming from where you do it would be better to stay over with a friend or at a hotel and take in two or three games. It's a lot of trouble, but this team is entertaining and they're playing meaningful games these days.
And who knows when that will happen again?
A nice win today after yesterday's stinker, and more importantly Gausman looked much better today. I was getting really worried about him. And they put DeSclafani on10-day IR today, tired arm they say. Him missing one start won't kill them, but that could end up being a larger issue. No matter how well everyone else does, if their starters start slipping so will the team.
LaStella back and looking good today, Belt coming back by next week, just about everyone playing well right now, who are they going to drop for Belt? Maybe another "injury"?
With Belt back and Dickerson heating up that makes Wade a bit redundant, but he's still playing really well and he's been a spark plug for them, I'd hate to see him demoted again. They won't drop the kid Estrada because he's playing well too and he's the only guy who can play SS if Crawford is out, so I'm thinking it will be Wade or Slater looking to rent a place in Sacramento soon, and both are helping this team.
It's a good problem to have. On this team it's really going to be all about the starting pitchers.
The Dodgers aren't going anywhere, so the Giants have to keep winning.
SO KEEP WINNING GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
At first I thought why bother
At first I thought why bother, too little too late.
But it looks like the Yankees made some good moves snagging Rizzo + Gallo.
All of a sudden things are a bit more interesting in the AL East.
TB overtaking a strong Boston team was sumthin, them boys be hot, even after going 5-5 in their last 10.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Belt up today. Gausman to
Belt up today. Gausman to paternity list for now. An abundance of talent is good I guess, but I would not mind if neither Belt nor LaStella nor Longo were on the active roster. We've been playing really well without them and we risk screwing up the chemistry.
And I too am worried a little about the SPs.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Good is good, better is
Good is good, better is better.
The thing about the Giants talent is that other than Buster they have no real superstars, and for four months almost everyone (including Buster) has played above or right at the top of their ability, but the final two months are the grinding equalizer.
Some of these guys are absolutely due to slump, so IMO having more & fresh options is a good thing, especially when they're veteran players.
As for who goes after Gausman comes back in three days, Wade is the logical choice as he's now a bit redundant, but I'd rather see Slater renting an apartment in Sacramento. He's hit some big bombs this year, but not nearly enough overall, and Bryant can play CF against lefties.
And I'm not sure we're going to see Longoria back. I think the team acquiring Bryant was a bit of a tell on that. We'll see.
GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
And holy cow, what a win
And holy cow, what a win today.
They had NOTHING going. The hitters were asleep and the snakes starter was dominating. But then down 4-0 going to the 9th after the entire team doing nothing all day, Kris Bryant leads off with a ringing double, Crawford smashes one, Belt gets a super clutch hit, Wade even a BIGGER clutch hit to tie the game on the last strike of the game (they have to keep that guy) and they go on to win in (stupid) extra innings, with Bryant ripping another double to drive in the winning run. He's helping.
I'm no fan of the extra innings rule, but the Giants have done pretty well with it.
And Mark, your boy McGee comes through again!
Man, I had this one written off an hour ago.
Whoop!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
and meanwhile - the Dodgers
and meanwhile - the Dodgers keep throwing massive piles of money into their pitching to win the division.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Faye Dunaway
joey
joey
motherfucking
GALLO
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Figures: Mets get one of the
Figures: Mets get one of the most exciting players in the game (Baez). He K'd 5X today.
What do you even call that? Platinum Sombrero?
Last night they won, but still disappointed me. If the the 5th batter in the 5th inning had hit a Grand Slam, I'd have won $5K (plus another 5K to charity).
NERP!
Cool hearing my name on the radio, tho.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Tom, what do you think they
Tom, what do you think they will do with Longo? He is playing at Sac right now and has a contract through next yr.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Yeah Mark, I just saw that
Yeah Mark, I just saw that they think he'll be ready soon. It sounds like Dugger is next to go, although he may the one to go when Gausman comes back on Tuesday (he's scheduled to pitch the Jerry game). In that case I'd expect it to be Slater, because Bryant can play CF (how well he plays it I don't know, probably not that great). Hate to see the speed & defense of Dugger & Slater go, but the talent has gotten pretty deep on this team, and somebody has to go.
If Longoria is healthy and can hit close to what he was doing early, the Giants are going to have a pretty deep offensive club. (And as I'm writing this Belt just blasted one off this damned Brewer who's been dominating us to tie the game! He's looking good right now!)
As for what they do next year, they'll have options. If they love Bryant they could resign him and trade Longoria, eating some of his salary to make it palatible. Or they could resign Bryant and put him in LF every day, and keep Longo at 3rd next year. Whatever they do, Zaidi sure seems to know how to play this game, and it's nice to have faith in the front office.
I heard the Giants have floated the idea of Longoria playing 2nd once in a while, which sounds odd to me. He's a better 3rd baseman than Bryant, and Bryant is at least as athletic as Longo, so if that's an option why not Bryant there and leave Longoria where he plays best? I'm not sure I get the point of that, as Solano is really heating up, and it's not about defense because they don't have anyone who plays 2nd well defensively. I guess as always with Kapler it will be about matchups.
It's going to be really interesting to watch this team mix & match their lineups the next two months. With all the changeable parts and in-game moves they make I'm glad I don't keep score when I go to games.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Damn. 4+ months of amazing,
Damn.
4+ months of improbable, amazing wins, but tonight may well have taken the lead in that regard.
A GREAT, if unbelievable win!
Everything all game was going against them, and once again I was thinking, "Tonight is just not our night."
Until they FINALLY got one break, and it was a big one, with two outs in the 9th that would have lost the game.
After that they took control of the game in the 10th, scoring 33 but then they blow a 3-run lead... but then they then stay with it and win going away in the 11th!
These guys may or not keep this up, but they're one hell of a team.
And Bryant is HELPING! And so is Belt. Wow. Just when I forget how big that guy can be.
Damn.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
33???
33???
Sorry, too late to edit.
They scored 3 in the 10th.
And then blew that.
But they still pulled it out.
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Another come from behind win
Another come from behind win for the boys in pinstripes.
Yanks are winning games now like Boston was in the seasons 1st half, and the sox are losing em like the yanks were in the 1st half.
Funny ol world idint it ?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Watched the first 6 innings
Watched the first 6 innings when I got home last night/ this morning. Could not finish. Just watched the 2nd half. WOW. I did know not to open this thread till the game ended.
And I am all in on Kris Bryant now. I think he will resign.
Now to watch todays game.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Crazy ass record setting win
Crazy ass record setting 8-6 win for NY vs KC last nite. Just wild,,, nobody's ever seen no shit like that before. What a great game baseball is. Not closing it out in the 9th hurt my buzz.
The game marked the first time in MLB history that both teams scored in the seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings. The Royals are the first team since 1900 to tie the game up consecutively in those first four innings, and the Yankees are the first team to blow four saves in a game in the modern era.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Another crazy win for the
Another crazy win for the Giants over the Dbacks. The Diamondbacks blow games is an amazing array of ways.
A fun night at the yard. I got in too late for Moonalice and whatever whooha & Parrish yammering they did before the game, and there really wasn't anything Jerry-specific during the game, but man it was an exciting game, with lots of great defensive plays, big hits and back & forth action.
Still, the best part of the game was the cheer Madison Bumgarner got. I wasn't expecting it, they just showed him in the dugout on the big screen and the stadium announcer welcomed him back, and the crowd rose as one and the roar just grew & grew, eventually drawing him out of the dugout to wave. One of the best extended cheers I've ever seen for an ex-Giant, and he deserved every part of it.
It choked me up a bit.
And yeah, Bryant the Giant. He was smacking balls all over the park tonight, and he made a great play at 3rd. Dude is making a difference.
I don't think the Dodgers are ever going to lose again, so...
KEEP WINNING GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
How's your teams doing on
How's your teams doing on covid cases ? The yankees are getting hit with another wave after playing Tampa Bay + the Marlins in Florida recently (Mattingly just retured to the dugout yesterday after his covid bout).
Cancer survivor Anthony Rizzo joins catcher Gary Sanchez and starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery as Yankees players to recently test positive for the virus.
In addition to the four most recent positive tests, outfielder Aaron Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela, catcher Kyle Higashioka and relievers Wandy Peralta and Jonathan Loaisiga also have tested positive for COVID-19 since the All-Star break.
I have no idea how they've managed to win games with this going on.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
How's your teams doing on
Double post
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mtndog
Go White Sox!
Go White Sox!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
I'm more curious how the Rays
I'm more curious how the Rays keep winning. They lose their ace, Tyler Glasnow to Tommy John surgery, yet are now 5 games up in the East.
The White Sox have a good team Matt, they just might get there, though they are lacking in playoff experience, unlike their main competition, the Rays and the Astros.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
I'm more curious how the Rays
....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
I'm more curious how the Rays
....
The rare triple play...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Field Of Dreams game tonight,
Field Of Dreams game tonight,, Yankees + Black Sox. Should be fun
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Yanks Sox still in the
Yanks Sox still in the playoff hunt are at it again, doubleheader today.
NY brushed aside them AL Central leading white sox going 5-1 in the season series.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
It will be interesting to see
It will be interesting to see if the Yankees can keep surging. With Chapman out and Britton ineffective, they have question marks at the end of their bullpen for the first time in a long while.
Another team to keep an eye on is the Cincinnati Reds, who are poised to knock the Padres out of the second wild card spot, especially if Tatis can't stay healthy.
The Giants and Rays are both having amazing seasons. I thought the Rays were cooked when Glasnow went down, but they keep on winning.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Damn, that guy from the A's
Damn, that guy from the A's sure took a bad one to the face today.
Obviously, all hopes are that he's OK, but even then, after something like that happens it's got to be REAL tough to go back out on the mound, whether it's weeks, months or a year; how do you get that out of your head?
It must have been tough for the guy who had to replace him, with blood all over the mound.
It's just a game, and they all get paid shitloads of money, but sometimes it gets really real.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Yanks sweep Sox, take the
Yanks sweep Sox, take the lead in the wild card,, how about that.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Looks like the Oakland kid
Looks like the Oakland kid didn't sustain any damage to his vision, but the ball shattered his cheekbone. That was pretty brutal. Definitely pulling for him to make a full recovery.
My folks were at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on May 7, 1957 to see the Indians play the Yankees when Cleveland ace Herb Score got hit by a come-backer. It basically ended his career.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
How long have umps been
How long have umps been checking pitchers gloves for FM,, foreign matter ? Is it done in every game ? After every half inning ? Or just when a pitchers shutting down the opponent ? Last night when the umps checked our starter Heaney's glove after the 6th was the 1st time I've seen it done,, he was torching the red sox. What TF is going on in baseball these days ? I believe that shit is against the 1st Ammendment. If not the 1st, definitely the 4th.
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that "[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Webb can only start 1 of 5
Webb can only start 1 of 5 games. I think we might be in trouble.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Wow. We really needed that
Wow. We really needed that win.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Yeah, that was crazy. I had
Yeah Mark, that was crazy. I had to go to work when the Giants were down 5-2 and looking bad again.
When I got home after midnight I checked the score, and given the bumbling way they were playing I assumed they lost again, and was shocked to see what happened.
I guess I shouldn't be shocked though, as the Giants have been nails all year and never give up, and those HRs just keep coming, which can clean up a lot of messes. But still, what a win in front of a raucous 50/50 A's-Giants crowd, and what a difference Wade has made for this team.
They're due for a slump, for losing streak, which they've avoided all season, but their schedule the next couple of weeks is brutal and that slump could be coming. Even then, with the great record they've built through four months a losing streak wouldn't be the end of the world, except it seems that the Dodgers are never going to lose again.
I don't think there's any way they can hold off the damned Dodgers, they're really coming on strong now, but as long as the Giants don't completely fall apart they'll be certain for a wild card, which is a crap shoot. The next two weeks could really tell the tale for the Giants, culminating with that final three-game series with the Dodgers at home.
It would REALLY help if Gausman can find that damned splitter again. If he doesn't things are going to be tough, but Wood is still pitching good, Webb is really looking like he's arrived, DeSclafani can still throw a good game and Cueto may be in the twilight of his career, but he's a pro and I like to think that in some big pressure late season games he is still a guy that can rise to that occasion.
They just don't have guys who can go deep into games, so they need that bullpen to keep pitching as great as they have most of the season, and they need to keep hitting home runs.
But DAMN, what a win today. Lamont Wade is a KEEPER!!!
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Another day another Yankee
Another day another Yankee win. Tampa Bay fans gettin worried.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
I am so fucking sick of
I am so fucking sick of incompetent/corrupt/extorted umpires ruining baseball games from behind the plate. This whole series with Oakland has been shameful.
Bring on the electronic strike zone please.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
I don't think the umpires are
I don't think the umpires are corrupt or incompetent, I think they're just way too comfortable and mostly too arrogant.
I also think they're seriously over-paid & over-rated, which is what leads to their comfort level & arrogance.
The average salary for an experienced ML umpire is between $250,000 & $350,000.... for seven months of work.
Plus, all their flights are first-class and paid by the league. They stay at five star hotels, paid by the league. They get four weeks of vacation during their seven months of actual work, and if they work an eighth month of playoffs/world series, they make WAY more. And still get four months off, plenty of time to spend lots of that money.
They're generally very good at what they do, but comparatively it's not that hard to be a major league umpire, it's just really fucking hard to GET the job.
The electronic strike zone is definitely coming, and coming soon, which is odd, since no one really wants it.
But because the umps are over-paid & over-rated it is coming, and coming soon.
Personally I think they should expand replay, add the electronic zone, fire all the umpires and re-hire them at $90,000, and have them stay at Holiday Inn's.
Except Angel Hernandez.
THAT guy should just be fired. And then fired again.
Another amazing win by the Giants today.
And the Dodgers actually lost a game.
Far out.
GGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Lance you could be a
Lance you could be a successful sports writer with your local paper or S I.
Miguel Cabrera welcome to the 500 club. 1st Tiger to do it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Wow.
Wow.
What a win.
Better lucky than good.
Mark, what about that "adrenalin" for McGee?
Not so much tonight.
None of the Giants are perfect, and the Dodgers are just better than the Giants, but in baseball, that doesn't ALWAYS matter.
NICE win over the hated Dodgers tonight!!!!!!!
One game up baby!!!!
(At least for tonight)
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
>>>>I am so fucking sick of
>>>>I am so fucking sick of incompetent/corrupt/extorted umpires ruining baseball games from behind the plate.
Mark, did you see the Little League Championship game? That home plate ump was absolutely terrible. Strikes almost a foot off the plate. Numerous bad calls. Too bad the players are affected by the incompetence and powerless to do something about it during the game that decided the national title for these kids.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
The Mariners continue to hang
The Mariners continue to hang around. Just a game back of the A's now with a big home series with the Red Sox just around the corner.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
Go Giants!
Go Giants!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
Teach your children well.
Teach your children well.
We like the Giants, the A's, and any team that beats the Dodgers.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: krab
The Mariners continue to hang
The Mariners continue to hang around>>>
One of my favorite stories of the season, the deadline deals were supposed to kill the team's chances.
Fan Graphs projects the Mariners to finish with a record of 74-88 for the 2021 season, 73 wins already.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
That was a hell of an ending
That was a hell of an ending last night.
Crush LA!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mr. Sunshine State
Just "touchin' base" from
Just "touchin' base" from here in Champa Bay... best record in the AL you wonder? Da' Ray's. 70M payroll and the worst attendance in the history of the planet.
Carry on.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Last nights game was like a
Last nights game was like a treadmill test. I almost didn't make it. Great ending but holy fuck getting there. Huge win. Maybe biggest of the season so far. And I am sure that will change. We still have 6 at Coors and the Rockies have an excellent record at home. We still have 10 games against the Padres and they always play us tough. these next 2 against the fodgers. And 3 against the Braves. That's 21 of the remaining 27 games to go. Hold on pholks. But WOW. Just fucking WOW last night.
And Tom, you know every closer has bad games. Nobody is perfect. He's had a few since we last discussed him, but I still think he is the guy for us.
Slick, I watched part or all of almost every game going back to the regionals. That last game (ump wise) was horrible but it was not much better before that either. I enjoy these games every yr. Love to see great defensive plays by the kids. .
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Yeah, I was just messin' with
Yeah, I was just messin' with you Mark. Both Rogers & McGee have been outstanding in their roles this year.
Funny thing about last night's game, I guess Buster could have gotten both runners out on the run-back to 3rd base in the 9th inning, which would have ended the game, but Buster didn't know the rule and tagged the wrong guy.
I'm not sure anyone else knew the rule either, but you'd think a smart veteran like Buster would/should know all the rules. It was a crazy intense game though, so since the Giants won I give him a pass..... this time.
And I fucking hate Trea Turner. He's GREAT, and they already have Mookie Betts and all those other guys. It's just not fair that the Dodgers were able to get him along with Scherzer. That deal really puts them in a different galaxy.
DeSclafani really came up big last night, which was great to see, but with all the injuries & COVID shit hitting them right now it's really hard to see the Giants holding off the Dodgers.
That one-game playoff at Oracle is going to be intense.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
STUNNING victory over the
STUNNING victory over the hated Dodgers on national TV tonight.
Against fucking Buehler, the bastard!
It was Buehler's day off!!!
FUCK THE DODGERS!!!!!
HUUUUGE win for the Orange & Black!!!
Damn.
These bums keep surprising us, keep confounding us.
Who has the best record in baseball? Who's in first place?
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Well alright for the Giants,
Well alright for the Giants, another big win in their amazing season, even though they are messing with their mojo by screwing over their stadium concessions employees so badly that they went on strike. Not a good look for San Francisco.
So to keep this thread from lapsing into an incessant riff on the Giants, let's talk about MLB's other feel good hit of the summer...the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners won their fifth game in a row tonight, scoring seven runs in the top of the tenth to finish off a sweep of the Diamondbacks. Every team above or tied with them in the AL standings lost today, the Rays, Astros, White Sox, Yankees, Red Sox, and the A's (who now fall a game back of the Mariners). This leaves the M's three games behind the Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot and 4 1/2 back of the Astros for the AL West lead.
Tonight they fly to Houston to start a three game series with the Astros tomorrow. After a quick road trip, they return to Seattle next week to host the Red Sox for a three game set. We're about to see just what this team is made of, but it sure has been fun watching them fly under the so-called experts' radar.
They have momentum going at the right time of the season. With their last playoff appearance in 2001, they have the longest playoff drought in MLB. I've lived here 16 years now, and they've never gotten to the big dance. Will this finally be the year? Stay tuned, but it's a lot of fun to be playing meaningful games in September, and gives me a pleasant diversion as the Orioles rebuild plays on.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>screwing over their
>>>screwing over their stadium concessions employees so badly<<<
I don't know everything about that, but what I believe they're upset about is that a number of workers have lately tested positive for the plague.
I'm not sure what exactly they want the Giants to do about that. The Bay Area is one of the most vaccinated regions in the country, the venue has not been full (except for the Green Day show last week and the games last night & today) and there continues to be no direct contact with the workers and the patrons, i.e. no money changing hands, social distancing, masks worn, etc.
Like everyone else, concession workers have to factor in everything that is going on in our world, and decide if they want to work with risk or stay home. I'm not really sure what they expect the Giants organization to do for them that isn't being done.
COVID is all around us all, all the time. Deal with that or don't.
And.........
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
i don't think la hates sf as
i don't think la hates sf as much as y'all hate us.
see ya in the playoffs.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
I think they want better
I think they want better healthcare, Tom.
Wow. They beat the fodgers and that POS ump. How fucking bad does it need to get before something is done? That fuck was worse than the LLWS umps. Blatantly, consistently, wrong. We actually got 2 or three in our favor in the latter innings, but 80% of his crap was against the Giants.
Now on to Coors.
Go Giants!
And yeah, those surprising Mariners are playing well right now. Hope to see them in the WS.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>I think they want better
>>>I think they want better healthcare<<<
Don't we all?
My response was mainly to Dave's "screwing over their stadium concessions employees so badly" statement.
I'm not sure that the Giants not providing health care to part-time workers who put cheese gloop on nachos and hand over hot dogs & popcorn (slowly) constitutes "screwing over so badly".
It would be grand if all people received comprehensive health care for whatever job they do, but from the multiple stories we've heard this year about the horrible treatment of minor league players, I'd say the team/s should focus on taking care of their full-time/future assets better before taking care of concessions workers.
But then maybe I'm a Republican at heart.
Another amazing last-minute win by the Orange & Black today. Sixteen grueling late-season games in a row, culminating with three games at one of the toughest places to play for any away team, and they sweep the damned Rockies in their house of horrors and pick up a game on the evil Dodgers.
These guys keep confounding expectations.
And damn, we like LaMonte Wade.
Who are these guys?
First team to 90.
Keep it rolling boys, the Evil Blue won't fade!
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Another impressive series win
Another impressive series win for the Giants on their charmed roll. Starting to have serious doubts about the health of their starters and the wear and tear on their bullpen. They are looking like a team that may win the race but lose the war, while the Dodgers stellar trio of Buehler, Scherzer and Urias are about to be joined by a healthy Clayton Kershaw. Y'all better rub your Croix De Candlesticks and have Father Guido Sarducci say a few Hail Willies because that's going to be one helluva steep hill to climb.
The Mariners did a great job of salvaging the series finale with the Astros after a brutally tough loss on Tuesday night. They need to remain focused and step on the D'backe throats this weekend before next week's key showdown with the Red Sox.
How about those Orioles? They scored 9 runs in the 8th inning to come back from a 5-0 deficit and won 9-8 against the Royals. 32 year old Manny Bareda picked up the win in relief in his first MLB appearance, one day after prized rookie Michael Baumann did the same. The consecutive wins in relief by players making their MLB debuts was a MLB first in the modern era. Austin Hays singled in that wild 8th to extend his career best 15 game hitting streak. Rookie Of The Year candidate Ryan Mountcastle mashed his 26th home run, a two-run shot to finish off that 8th inning explosion, which proved decisive when Andrew Benitendi hit a three run homer in the top of the 9th for KC. Matt Harvey made his 27th and possibly final start of the season. He's thrown a lot of innings and the Orioles want to see what their young arms have got in September, so they may shut Harvey down, but he has reclaimed his status as a legit MLB starter, and left a big impression on ace John Means about how to stay healthy and pitch every 5 days. Too bad another record low crowd o 4965 in attendance witnessed all of this, but there are positive signs budding for 2022 in a Birdland.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Yanks are toast
Yanks are toast
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Way to go BSS!
Way to go BSS!
Wow. Huge win.
13
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
I was at a show tonight and
I was at a show tonight and learned there that the G's had won in 11, but no details.
I got home and sped through the game on "tape" and even though I knew they won the game I leaped out of chair when I saw how.
Good lord.
These guys.
That vein of magic they've found this year just keeps producing. I hope it goes deeper still.
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Wow, that was good stuff!
Wow, that was good stuff! Great at bat by Gausman and dash home and slide by Crawford. The Giants are having a charmed run. 2 games up with 14 games left in the regular season. Want to avoid the Wild-Card play-in one shot deal.
Made it to the Mariners/Red Sox game Tuesday night. I treated my nephew Nico and his fiancé to some nice seats. The Mariners bullpen fell apart, and it looks like another year of raised expectations that won't be delivered here in Seattle. Nico has started using Mariner as a verb, as in "they are starting to Mariner again." It was still fun to be at the ballpark, and it just happened to be Bring Your Dog To The Park night, which was a hoot.
Hope the Giants keep rolling, meanwhile the faithful are waiting for a miracle in the PNW.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Well Mark, Rogers got the
Well Mark, Rogers got the save this time.
He had to face four of the toughest hitters in the league, and it sure wasn't easy (Tatis just missing two fatties sure helped) but Rogers pitched through the error, he made the pitches when he had to and he made a great play at the end.
And what a double-play it was to end it.
Somehow, they keep pulling these things out.
(And just a little sweeter beating that piece of shit Melan-con tonight)
go giants.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
The Padres are looking
The Padres are looking doubtful to make the post-season. Tatis' meltdown in yesterday's game was classic. The Giants pulled another one out of the hat tonight. I like how they put Kris Bryant in left to keep his and Longoria's bats in the line-up. They must be getting worried about Gausman, who looks like he's hit the wall.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Gausman hit the wall three
Gausman hit the wall three months ago.
For the first three months of the season, other than that freak on the Mets Gausman was the best pitcher in the NL, dominating every game, including the final game before the break.
Because he pitched that game he wasn't going to pitch in the all-star game, which was played in his home town, so he chilled out with his pregnant wife at home, and then he had to take another week or so off because she was having complications.
He missed one or two starts at the most, but from the moment he came back he's not been able to control his split-finger changeup at all, which has been his kill pitch. He's been mediocre at best since the all-star break, with no sign of getting it together with a little over a week to go.
If the Giants somehow make it past the wildcard and into a short series, they've got two starters they can count on for playoff quality starting pitching, with a third possible, coming back from an injury right now. If Gausman doesn't get it together in the next week or so he could be coming in from the bullpen in the playoffs.
Fucker.
gg
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Where Does The Time Go?
>>>>> The Padres are looking
>>>>> The Padres are looking doubtful to make the post-season.
they're going to finish the season with a losing record.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
Let's Go Oakland!
Let's Go Oakland!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
The Mariners can finish off a
The Mariners can finish off a 4 game sweep of the A's today in Oakland. They're ahead of Oakland in the standings, and just 21/2 games back of the Yankmees for the last spot (2 down in the loss column). ESPN continues to snub the M's, having them below Oakland in today's latest power rankings, and not even mentioned in their lead article about the playoff races. Lots of grist for motivation there. Kyle Seager has been on fire recently, and Jared Kelenic is starting to hit like the top rated prospect he was advertised as. The Mariners have owned the A's all year. It might be tough to finish off the sweep, as Yusei Kikuchi has faltered lately, and the A's get their pitcher who got his face broke by the liner back today, but I wouldn't count the Mariners out. They have two more series with the Angels sandwiched around one home series with the A's.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
The Mariners overcame another
The Mariners overcame another weak start from Kikuchi, and finished off the four game sweep in Oakland. The A's are toast, and depending on if Oakland comes up with the funds for a new stadium, may soon be joining the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, the Mariners, now 2 games behind the Yankees and 1 behind the Blue Jays, are still in the thick of it. They'll be in Anaheim this weekend to finish off their last road trip of the regular season (they're 6-1 on it so far), while the Red Sox and Yankees beat up on each other and Toronto plays the Twins.
Will this be the year the longest playoff drought in the major sports ends? Stay tuned.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
A decent SI piece on the
A decent SI piece on the Mariners rebuild and their GM, Jerry Dipoto:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/.amp/mlb/2021/09/21/are-the-mari...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
The final week of the regular
The final week of the regular season is upon us, and it should be a doozy, with lots still left on the table and up for grabs.
The Giants have a 2 game lead on the Dodgers. A couple of 100 win teams trying to avoid a winner-take-all Wild Card Game against the suddenly unbeatable Cardinals.
In the NL East, the Braves and Phillies face off in a 3 game series starting Tuesday that will more or less device the NL East.
The Yankees head to Toronto, before finishing at home against Tampa, no easy task.
The Mariners host the A's in a 3 game set starting Monday, with one team probably needing to sweep the other to have a shot at leapfrogging two of the Yankees, Red Sox, Bluejays trio.
On the flipside, the Orioles and Diamondbacks are neck and neck for the worst record and it's reward, the #1 pick in next year's draft.
There are also lots of individual titles and awards that will be decided.
A great week for MLB fans.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
I'll be at the Giants games
I'll be at the Giants games Tuesday & Thursday night (and maybe Wednesday too) and I'm in for the wild-card and/or first round of the playoffs as well.
What a season it's been.
What more could transpire?
The Giants have been so entertaining this year that I'm happy with whatever occurs now. As a fan I couldn't have asked for much more this year.
But oh boy, let's get MORE!!!!!!
LET'S GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Could not have said it better
Could not have said it better Tom.
However, every game is still torture. How sweet to unseat the 8 yr champs. (And avoid a one and out game against St Louis.)
But whatever happens we have had an unbelievably good yr. And I too am very grateful.
Go Gigantes!
And an excellent rundown on the current races there Herbal.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Poop on the Cardinals!
Poop on the Cardinals!
And runny poop on the Dodgers!!
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: |-|/-\|_|_
Bummer about Belt, his
Bummer about Belt, his defense will be missed, but at least they have some solid hitters who can step in. And hopefully Gausman truly has found his splitter (and that his last start was an aberration).
It seems unlikely at this point that the Dodgers could make up 3 games to take the outright lead, but 2 games doesn't seem like an impossibility, which would mean the Giants and Dodgers would have to play a one game playoff with the loser having to play another one game playoff against the Cards. I can't imagine a more torturous scenario, but hey, this is the Giants we're talking about, so it wouldn't exactly surprise me.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Mariners just got the sweep
Mariners just got the sweep on the A's, who they basically own at this point, having beat them 12 straight times.
1/2 game back of the Red Sox, 1 1/2 back of the Yankees, and 3 1/2 back of the Astros, who still haven't clinched the division title.
Right in the thick of it.
Day off tomorrow, while everyone else plays, and then they finish with three games at home against the Angels.
Keep on dancing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
Go Giants!
Go Giants!
The A's had better be back in Oakland next year.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
The A's lease runs through
The A's lease runs through 2023. They'll be in Oakland next year, but if they don't get a new park, they're going to join the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Heading up to my final
Heading up to my final regular season game tonight. It's so fun when the games matter as much as these do.
It will be bitter-sweet even if the Giants win, as they're facing Madison Bumgarner tonight.
I hate to see him lose, but tonight I'll hate it way more if he wins.
BTW, fuck the fuckin' useless Padres.
104 wins and the Giants still have to win a few more.
On it goes.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Great win tonight for the
Great win tonight for the Giants. They tied the franchise record with their 105th win, and their magic number is now 1. It seems like every night it's a different hero. Hope to get down there for a playoff game.
The Orioles showed some character and stepped on the Red Sox instead of phoning it in to try to get the #1 pick. The Red Sox appear to be in full choke mode, and now the Mariners have tied them for the last wild Card spot, and control their own destiny.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Oh man.
Oh man.
Somehow, these guys just keep grinding out the wins.
(It helps to play the putrid Dbacks, but still)
What a game. They played bumbling, foolish ball early and fell behind, but they hung around thanks to another brilliant performance by their no-name bullpen, a few clutch hits, and another SUPER-clutch hit by Late Night Lamont in the 9th.
Jeez. They're so close now.
I have a ticket to see the Joshua Redman Trio tomorrow in SF. Josh Redman is amazing and I love him but I bought a cheap ticket to the ballgame just now. The show will be over by 9:00, and with some subtle checking of scores during the show, if the game is going OK and if the Dodgers might be losing I will split the show early and head over to the ballpark to catch the back half of the game.
If the Giants win tomorrow and the Dodgers lose (the Giants "magic number" is 2, BTW) the Giants take the division. The Dodgers game starts about a half-hour after the Giants, and I'm sure if the Giants win they'll show the end of the Dodgers game on the big screen, especially if there's a chance the dirty blue might lose.
There could be a celebration in SF tomorrow night.
Or not, since this Giants team, despite winning 105 games, seems to revel in making things as difficult as possible.
And let's face it, the Dodgers are fucking great and they're not going to make it easy.
Damn.
GO GIANTS GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
I thought the Giwnts.magic
I thought the Giwnts.magic number was 2 as well, but my brother in Mill Valley told me it is 1 since the Giants won the season series against the Dodgers, so one more Giants win or Dodgers loss, and the Giants clinch.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Just did some more research,
Just did some more research, and you got it right, Lance, the Giants magic number is 2. They did win the season series with the Dodgers, but they still will play a 163rd game (in S.F.) if they finish with the same record.
>>>>>
The Giants and Dodgers could wind up tied in the National League West, but that's a straightforward scenario: If it happens, they would play a tiebreaker game Monday in San Francisco (by virtue of the Giants' 10-9 head-to-head record). Winner is the division champ and No. 1 seed in the NL, loser is the host of the NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
dodgers television rights are
dodgers television rights are so fucking annoying.
i guess you need to be rich to watch baseball here.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: |-|/-\|_|_
Hello Turtle, I see the
Hello Turtle, I see the Dodgers as being the heavy favorites again, so you should get to see a good amount of playoff games on the network channels. I am curious how you feel about the Dodgers having a +/-100 million higher payroll than the Giants? And since I haven't been around here much, how do you feel about the Lakers buying their super team? It was something you were always vocal about with regards to the Warriors, even though the 'only' real superstar they brought in was Durant (and they had won previously without him). Not trying to stir up too much trouble (well, maybe I am haha). Hope you're well and getting in lots of surfing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
The Dodgers are most likely
The Dodgers are most likely headed to a Wild Card one and done game against the red hot Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Their season could be over on Wednesday.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: |-|/-\|_|_
I hope you're right, Dave,
I hope you're right, Dave, but I don't think so.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
If the Good Guys do win the
If the Good Guys do win the division, I believe they'll have to face either the powerhouse Dodgers or the red-hot Cardinals (with the dreaded Giants killers Arenado & Goldschmidt) in a five-game series.
And if they have to play either of the one-off games, it will be against one or both of those same teams.
IMO none of those options are favorable.
But then I suppose they're better than being in last place and thinking about next year already.
At the moment virtually every Giants hitter is either slumping or hurt, their starters are worn down and the relievers are mostly journeymen or kids who have all been used WAY more than optimal.
So they're right where they want to be.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
BTW Hall, If I remember
BTW Hall, If I remember correctly, Turtle's issues with the Warriors were more about Durant (as good or better than any player in the league at the time) choosing to leave his terminally flawed organization that failed to support him properly to join the best organization at the time, one that always beat his flawed team, which in fan-speak isn't such a good look, but in the real world is a pretty basic move any of us would likely take.
Believe me, if my career was tied to the bumbling Live Nation and I had a chance to jump to Another Planet, who always outsmarts & beats LN to the punch (and who actually walks their "customer service" talk, as apposed to LN) or if I worked for a cheap, dysfunctional school district and could jump to an organized, fully funded district, I wouldn't hesitate.
Especially if a person is highly skilled/tops in their field, they usually want to be surrounded with equals and be able to maximize their skills and results. In any field, who wouldn't want to go from bad to great?
And I think he also has issues with his perceived image of the Warriors as just a "jack-a-three" team, which of course is completely incorrect.
As for the Dodgers, after many years of dysfunctional management they got their act together, and the juggernaut team they have now has been built in the best way - through scouting, training, development, shrewd trades and smart purchases when available. Since the Giants lured one of the main architects of that Dodgers rise to come & run their team, we're seeing the same things starting to happen here in the BA.
IMO there's nothing wrong with greatness seeking greatness, or an organization willing to spend money to win, especially when it's smart spending and used to augment an otherwise mostly home-grown base (Mookie Betts, Keven Durant, etc.) as apposed to just throwing money around to try to cover a weak overall organization.
Those blue fuckers are really good from top to bottom, and they're likely going to stay that way for a while. Hopefully the Giants can continue to keep pace and confound the bastards for a long time to come.
Or at least for another week or two.
GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
For me, the torture pretty
For me, the torture pretty much stops after the next few games(and possibly tonight). Any playoff berth will be a huge win for a team that was picked to come in last in the division or close to it.
But again, for me, it is all about the division. If we can unseat the blue(after 8 straight yrs), then the season is an unbounded success(winning 104 + games). Winning the division is everything. Like you said Tom, the team is hurting in many ways. But we keep on winning. The fodgers may be the best constructed team in the history of the game, and for us to stay ahead of them pretty much all season has been amazing.
And you are right, the path to the WS is a very tough one for us. It's all about the division. And blue may not lose again in the regular season. Our best hope is Saturday as the Brewers will start Burnes even if he does not go deep into the game.
Losing Williams will hurt the Brewers. That will be an interesting matchup with Atlanta. Hoping that Seattle can hang on and break their post season drought.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
I absolutely love this Doval
I absolutely love this Doval kid.
One more. Go Giants!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
Hi Hall, wow lots to unpack
Hi Hall, wow lots to unpack here. have had a lot going on personally, surfing not so much at the moment...
As far as $$ in sports, ESPECIALLY baseball, its been fucked for a long time. I do not feel good about the disparity in payrolls.
I DO like the home-grown players and cast offs that have flourished with the Dodgers. Being the 2nd largest media market in the nation, they have the ability to pay cashola...
what really grinds my fucking gears is the television coverage/rights. i pay a good amount for tv and all the shit, and to some years get it, some years not sucks. makes it hard to be a fan. NOT to mention, there is absolutely NO way to see teams on local stations. its all pay. i think it sucks for fans, as not every fan can pay $100+++ for sports packages and shit. grr.
if i was a small market fan, yeah, i'd also hate all the big $$ teams and love to see them fail. i get it. i just happen to live in those large markets, and what, am i going to be a clipper fan? lol no.
jack-a-three. modern nba. rules changed. i find it completely boring to watch players shoot 50 footers. yeah, they're good, amazing. bad basketball. of course the warriors were a great team and did more than jack 3's but C'mon man....they steph/klay, helped force the direction that way. ymmv....
ps, love westbrook. i like my players interested in the game. hopefully he whips davis into shape....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
I had to go back up and make
I had to go back up and make sure I was in the baseball thread.....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Great comeback by the
Great comeback by the Mariners to keep their season alive. Mitch Haniger's 2 out 2 RBI single in the 8th was clutch, and finished off a 5 RBI game for him.
The Mariners and Blue Jays both have to win tomorrow and hope the Yankees and/or Red Sox lose, but the possibility of a 3-way or 4-way tie exists.
It's a lot easier for the Giants, who stubbed their toe today. Win tomorrow, and they win the division and get to rest up until Wednesday, regardless if the Dodgers win or lose.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Turtle, as much as you may
Turtle, as much as you may want to categorize/downplay the Warriors, if you're a basketball/team sports fan that actually watches the games you have to acknowledge that the Ws play a total "team" game; all five players running, moving, PASSING, everyone working for the open shot, and playing strong hustling defense to create fast breaks and run the other team off the court.
THAT is great, beautiful sport.
(Think the movie Hoosiers. Hickory, that's the Warriors)
Besides, again, I don't understand the glory of the "good old days" when everyone stood around while the ball was tossed into the big man who shouldered his way to the basket for a layup or sky hook. IMO a long three-pointer after four fast passes is more entertaining & impressive than a three foot layup, unless the layup comes after a fifth pass whipped inside from beyond the 3-line.
Warriors = team, moving, passing, creating open shots, defense.
That's great team sport, and there's just nothing wrong with that.
As for the Giants, for 160 games I have had no serious issues with anything Kapler has done, until today, when he pulled Gausman at 84 pitches with a one-run lead going into the 8th, to hand it over to an over-worked, under-skilled bullpen.
And then he compounded it by playing theatrics ala Dusty Baker in '02, when he let Gausman take the mound, and then he went and took him out so he could get the applause from the crowd.
That type of fluff is fine with a large lead, but it was a one-run game, Gausman had been pitching great and the gun was to their head. Kapler was thinking about pitch-counts & ovations when he should have been thinking about winning the most important game of the year, and I bet that business of taking Gausman out from the field irked the Padres.
NOW the gun is really at their heads, and with the Dodgers absolutely rolling the Giants are going to HAVE to win tomorrow.
And I won't be able to watch the game because I'll be at the 49ers/Seahawks game.
Given all that, earlier this evening I bought a ticket for the almost inevitable 163rd game between the Giants & Dodgers on Monday night in SF to decide the division.
I guess that would be pretty epic, but I was really, really hoping it wouldn't come to that.
Sigh.
oh, go giants.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
SF Giants 2021
SF Giants 2021
The Torture NEVER Stops...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
i already said they were a
i already said they were a great team lance....yes they can move and pass, usually to jack 3's. basically have eliminated centers.
anyways....this place is full of giants fans so.... GO DODGERS!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Fuck The dodgers!!!
Fuck The dodgers!!!
And Tom, where you been? He's been taking starting pitching out too soon all yr. Really the only area where he has not done well. And, a football game over this game???????? Shit dude, I thought you were a Giants fan.
Go Giants!!!!! Please?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
SF Giants...
SF Giants...
The 2021 NL West Champions
Sounds good
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rando
As a lifelong Dodger fan and
As a lifelong Dodger fan and Bay Area resident, big congrats to our Giants zoner base... everyone know the history, no team w/so many wins hasn't won a division. Dodgers are like 45-16 since the break and they only gained two games?!?!
Crazy story with the giants and they had to break their own record of regular season wins (over 50+ years and won NL West by ONE game!) to break the trend of eight straight NL West titles by the guys in blue.
Unbelievable story, biggest of the season by a landslide. Here's hoping for a first time EVER Dodgers/Giants playoff series next weekend! Woot!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>And Tom, where you been?
>>>And Tom, where you been? He's been taking starting pitching out too soon all yr. Really the only area where he has not done well. And, a football game over this game???????? Shit dude, I thought you were a Giants fan<<<
Kapler has been managing his team & his starting staff through a long season, doing EXTREMELY well, making the correct call the vast majority of the time based on short AND long term considerations, including the fact that from day one they have had almost nothing behind their older, injury-prone starting five. I have had no issues with the way he's managed his staff this year, and the results absolutely, unquestionably speak for themselves. 107 times, to be exact.
But yesterday wasn't a regular season game with long-term considerations. Playoff circumstances demand a different way of managing a game.
That's where I've been. We'll see where Kapler goes from here.
And you're damn right I was at a football game. I pay big for them, I have a really good seat for them, and in person NFL football is amazing, one-of-a-kind human theater. On TV you just see the results.... junk.
The 49ers lost today, they didn't play very well and it was still fucking GREAT to be there watching it unfold.
After being at Oracle twice this past week my final personal regular season Giants record is 17-8 (a great season for me). I had a ticket for the tie-breaker game tomorrow and the wild card game on Wednesday. Instead, I get my money back on those and I'll be at the games Friday & Saturday, and if they get past that series I'll be at every other home game they play this year. No matter how all that unfolds it will also be glorious, one-of-a-kind theater. On TV? It's watching results... junk.
GTTG!
(And actual playoff baseball in person wins over regular season football games)
The Dodgers are smoking hot right now, and after they likely smack the Cards out of the way on Wednesday they will be looking to prove something in a short series against the Giants.
It could be over fast, but it will definitely be intense.
Phew.
But no matter what happens, 107 wins and holding off the mighty Dodgers, never letting them take back 1st after the Giants took it and having to win the division on the final day... damn.
What a great, great season.
Way to go Giants.
And...
On it goes.
Far out.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
Beautiful way to cap off a
Beautiful way to cap off a great season; it's been a pleasure to watch.
Here's hoping they can keep it rolling.
I'm thinking positive and believe they will.
Go Giants!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
What an amazing way to end
What an amazing way to end the regular season. It was great having all the games playing synchronicitously.
We end up with what should be a great pair of Wild Card games. The 106 win Dodgers versus the Cardinals, who have won 19 of their last 22 games in the National League, and the Red Sox and Yankees at Fenway in the American League in another chapter in their historic rivalry. Good for MLB, as it bounces back from a second season under the spectre of COVID.
The Yankees showed some grit today, coming back to win after being 1-hit for 8 innings, denying Toronto a play-in game.
The Red Sox also fought back after getting dominated early by a kid making his MLB debut pitching for the Nationals.
The Mariners went from the high of last night's clutch comeback, to the low of never getting a lead and losing the finale at home. Some are questioning Scott Servais' starting Tyler Anderson on short rest over a thoroughly rested Yusei Kikuchi, but ultimately, it didn't matter, with the Yankees and Red Sox both winning. The Mariners exceeded expectations, and the near future is looking rosy for them.
My Orioles wound up losing 110 games (ouch!) and tieing the Diamondbacks for the worst record. That's what happens when the other four teams in your division all win 90 games or more. Hopefully, they win the coin flip for the #1 pick, and all that talent in their farm system starts to change the fortunes of the Major League team next year.
Hoping to make it down to SF for one of the playoff games. I'll know more about that tomorrow.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Wouldn't ya know? Today he
Wouldn't ya know? Today he left Webb in too long. I was yelling take him out after the 7th. What a great game(pitched by Webb) for 7 innings!
Tom, you know I was just funnin ya. But today WAS a playoff game. At least in importance and intensity.
Dodgers(I'm pretty sure it will be them) lost Muncie today for an unknown time and Kershaw is likely done for the season. We have 4 strong healthy SPs and will have an excellent well rested bullpen. And if today's offensive breakout of the mini slump is indicative of what is to come, then we have a shot at beating them and that huge chip that will undoubtedly be on their shoulders. After them, we can beat anybody. And you know the team will expect to win every game. One at a time. That's what they do.
But I am satisfied. I have not been this relaxed in several days. We unseated the dodgers! After 8 Seasons. We won the most games in Giants history. Something like 132 yrs. (Of course they were not playing 162 games for most of that time.) I am so proud of our band of unwanted misfits, over the hill veterans, and young talent.
And yeah, my hat is off to Kapler and his staff. Manager Of The Year for sure. And Farhan has been elevated to God status. I remember wondering what the hell he saw in that Wade kid. And why he kept bringing him up.
And it looks like we have our closer for the next 10 yrs or so. Damn I like his stuff.
But I digress. Everything from here on out(in the playoffs) is pure gravy. I would surely love another world series win, but even if we aren't the last team standing, I won't be disappointed. ......very much.
Go Giants!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Right on Dave. I was pulling
Right on Dave. I was pulling strong for Seattle too. Almost busted that post season drought and I agree their outlook is good.
I am looking at tix behind Tom for Saturday. 150.00. We'll see.
Go Giants!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: long live the dead
GG
GG
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
(No subject)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
No baseball today or tonight,
No baseball today or tonight,, feels strange after so many meaningful games in a row
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Hear that.
Hear that.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
The Giants vs. the Dodgers.
So it's the Giants vs. the Dodgers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4emcNAf5lY
Almost biblical.
(gg)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
It was destined to be so.
It was destined to be so.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
All the history between these
All the history between these two teams, all the similarities, connections & battles over the decades/the generations, from east to west, and this is the first time they've ever met in a playoff series.
Far out.
It's really too bad it's not a seven game series, just so it could last a little longer.
Hopefully it will be as epic as the hype naturally makes it.
Earlier this season I had been on a winning streak for games I'd been to, and then I went to two Dodgers games in a row and they smacked the Giants around both nights. I thought to myself after the second game that I wouldn't go anymore when they play the good teams, because it's so much more fun when the Giants win.
Well, there's no choice now. They're playing a GOOD team this weekend, and I'll be there on Friday & Saturday night, hanging at the splash cam, hoping for the best.
In April it never once occurred to me that I may be going to any post-season games this year, so I'm going to make sure I enjoy Friday & Saturday no matter what happens.
But I'll enjoy it more if the Giants win!
GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
WALK OFF
WALK OFF
stressful game. jeezus. i told taylor he was still my boy right before he hit that...
yeah that's really hard to believe not met in playoffs? far out indeed.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: |-|/-\|_|_
Last night's game was tough
Last night's game was tough to just watch, not because it was a bad game, but because both teams have dominated the Giants at different points over the decades. Of course I wanted the stupid birds to pull off the upset since they seemed to be less of a threat, but this was the way I thought it would play out.
Now the REAL torture begins. My wife asked if I was planning to go to a game and I said 'no, I hate being there when they lose'. And because of that logic, I missed being in the ballpark for SF's greatest baseball era to date. Some fan I am lol. But I'm also superstitious, so I will continue to wear my pre-2000's cap and watch from my couch. Our 30th anniversary lands on the same day as game 7 of the WS and I booked a room in the City for a long weekend some time back, so if by some miracle there is a game being played there that night, I wll be nearby if not inside (and we'll be there over the weekend if there's a parade).
BTW Turtle, I appreciate your open and honest response. I hope you enjoy being able to see all the games now, even if the announcers are pretty bad.
MarkD, I hope you are not as myopic about everything as you are your sports and music... there's more to life than Baseball and Dead related music, my friend. ;0
Lance, I look forward to meeting up at the Phish shows... hopefully the Giants will still be alive. Enjoy the Games!
GO GIANTS!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mtndog
Go White Sox!
Go White Sox!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
the announcers are terrible.
the announcers are terrible.
hope alls well with you kids hall!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: |-|/-\|_|_
Thanks, T! Hope you guys are
Thanks, T! Hope you guys are well as well. Weird time to be alive, but we're navigating it OK... one side effect is that I'm less emotional about stuff like sports rivalries and drugband configurations, but this should be fun to watch.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
Giants owner Charles B.
Giants owner Charles B. Johnson donates to Adam Laxalt, Nevada Senate candidate who falsely says 2020 election was rigged
https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Giants-owner-donates-to-Adam-Laxalt-16826771.php
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
The 2020 election was rigged.
The 2020 election was rigged.
But the Republicans couldn't pull it off. They're working hard now to also rig the next one/s.
But what's that got to do with 2021 baseball?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
Just the irony that "San
Just the irony that "San Francisco Giants principal owner Charles B. Johnson [Ever heard of this guy?] has once again broken his pledge to avoid donating to political candidates who engaged in the “destructive efforts to interrupt the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election.” In December 2021, Johnson and his wife Ann each donated $5,800 (the maximum allowed amount of $2,900 for the 2022 primary and general elections) to Adam Laxalt, a Donald Trump-endorsed conservative and former Nevada attorney general who’s running for a U.S. Senate seat in the state."
Not that politics and professional sports have anything to do with each other.