I'm gonna rip on these guys more often.
In my last post I blasted the Giants for blowing three straight opportunities to sweep -- a 6-3 homestand that should have ended in glorious celebration instead leaving me feeling like the guy who got to third base with his date only to have her father come bounding down the stairs. Oh, what might have been.
But the boys sealed the deal down in Miami. At times it wasn't pretty, but Joe Robbie Pro Player Dolphins Land Shark Sun Life Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Giants in recent years so I'll take wins there any way I can get them. By the way, has JT Snow rounded third yet?
Now I'm not egomaniacal enough to take credit for the turnaround. I simply point to the Giants' performance before an after the post and will allow the record to speak for itself.
Giants 9, Marlins 6 (F/12)
It occurs to me that the biggest obstacle standing between Tim Lincecum and his third consective Cy Young Award isn't enemy hitters, mediocre offense, threat of injury, or a bite from a radioactive spider (although that would be kinda cool). If Timmy fails to three-peat, he'll probably have the pen to blame.
For the second straight start, Lincecum left a game with a lead. And once again, it was bullpen meltdown time. The culprit: Sergio Romo, yep the same guy who robbed Zito of a win in LA with that same lousy pitch, a slider that didn't slide. If the bullpen had protected Lincecum's decisions in his past two starts, he would have been the first Giants pitcher to win his first six starts since Juan Marichal did the trick 1966. Instead he's 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA and 56Ks (walking just eight) in 42 1/3 innings, and we get to listen to the talking heads at the Everything Sox and Pinstripes Network fawning over Ubaldo Jimenez.
Kudos to the much-maligned Aaron Rowand. His heroics, both with the bat and the glove, were enough to grant him temporary amnesty from persecution should he show up in the clubhouse wearing tights and a cape. Honorable mention to Aubrey Huff, whose two-RBI hit in the 12th was as much mental as physical according to the Mercury News. Once in awhile Sabean's "veteran presence" crapola pays off, and I've now met my Sabean compliment quota for the season.
Of course, I can't just let that Sabean comment lie. When you lob one up to the net like that, expect it to get spiked. Can we talk about the vets that aren't paying dividends? Edgar Renteria can't get on the field, DeRosa shouldn't be allowed near the field, and Freddy Sanchez doesn't remember where the field is. Nice signings, eh?
Giants 3, Marlins 2
Okay, I'm a convert. Zito is back. Zito is good. Hearts and flowers, peace on earth, macaroni and cheese. Dorothy is back in Kansas and all is right with the world. Yes, he came close to meltdown in the eighth and given the inconsistency of the Giants pen I can see why Bochy stuck with him as long as he did. But having Zito, who in his first three years in Orange and Black was basically a 5-inning, 4.50 ERA pitcher, consitently pitching into the eighth inning is something that has to make Giants fans absolutely giddy.
What has made the difference? Is it the slider? Is he throwing his curve for strikes? Is it attitude? Personally, I think it's the socks. Really. I had a pair of lucky jockey shorts once and they still...nevermind.
Through his first three seasons Zito acted as though he'd be more comforrtable strumming his guitar at a coffehouse in Caimbridge than standing on the hill of thrills at AT&T Park. Okay, he's still goofy looking. But he's also takien on this kind of serial killer sneer that just screams "I'm bad, and you're going down."
I haven't decided if it's guts or lunacy that Bochy went back to Romo with the Marlins rallying. With more successful rocket launches under his belt than NASA this year, Romo's frisbee slider is starting to scare me more than a little. His reputation as a strike thrower means hitters are going up to the plate swinging -- and connecting when that slider flattens out. I've said it before, gimmick pitchers are a two-edged sword. When people stop falling for the deke, get ready to back up third because that relay might get away. Romo needs two things to go from "good' to "Oh, God, not that guy again:" consistent break on the slider, and another pitch to go with it.
Giants 6, Marlins 3
Highlight of the night was Nate Schierholtz launching one into the stratosphere. Finally, a Giants farmhand not nicknamed after an animated character who is threatening to become a contributing fixture on the ML roster. Any blast that has Jon Miller howling in semi-orgasmic glee is all right in my book.
Kudos to Matt Cain, who is finally getting some run support and has cancelled the standing reservation for his call to the suicide hotline. I swear this guy was one step away from razor blades and cycnide capsules after the Cardinals series. Am I the only person who is convinced his contract extension was a prememptive strike against an early "these clowns will forever screw me with my pants on so I might as well get out while I'm young" free agent diatribe?
I have to admit that I enjoy listening to the other team's announcers when they lose. After Rowand made yet another sliding catch, the Marlins play-by-play man was almost whining when he said "Does he do that every night?" Classic. As much as people, including myself, have banged on this guy, this was his series. He's the anti-Freddy Sanchez. This guy wants to play with three broken bones in his face, and Sanchez (who is fast turing into Ray Durham) keeps talking about how his rehab is ahead of schedule while maintaining a pace to play the same number of innings as Angelina Jolie.
I realize it's a small sample size, but with Downs playing as well as he has (and showing some power), Freddy better start looking over his shoulder. If he's healthy, he looks like trade bait to me.
Funniest moment of the night served to once again establish Bengie Molina as the slowst man in baseball, if not the slowest man on the planet. Molina's bouncer up the middle was backhanded by Dan Uggla, who noticably relaxed as he realized Bengie was, at that point, just beginning to consider whether it would be a good idea to think about taking off for an area somewhere in the general direction of first base. Uggla squared his shoulders, did a few stretching exercises, posed for photos, signed autographs, made at least two cell phone calls and finshed off a hot dog before lobbing a throw to first that beat Molina by 14 and a half feet.
Bengie, I have two words for you: "Jenny Craig." Seriously, give Valerie Bertinelli a call and you might see the end of this year. I'm not expecting him to tun into Ussein Bolt, but I also didn't expect him to show up for the season needing to have his uniform custom made by Ringling Bros. This guy has to do something or I've got two more words that should scare the bejeezus out of him: "Buster Posey." He's hitting .343 with a .436 OBP through 26 games at Fresno.
But the Giants ae winning so we can laugh (sort of) at Bengie. The record stands at 17-10 (and should be 20-7). Now it's off to New York, where the Giants will try to avoid that mean old Katie Kouric (hey, look what she did to Sarah Palin) and keep the streak going.
In my last post I blasted the Giants for blowing three straight opportunities to sweep -- a 6-3 homestand that should have ended in glorious celebration instead leaving me feeling like the guy who got to third base with his date only to have her father come bounding down the stairs. Oh, what might have been.
But the boys sealed the deal down in Miami. At times it wasn't pretty, but Joe Robbie Pro Player Dolphins Land Shark Sun Life Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Giants in recent years so I'll take wins there any way I can get them. By the way, has JT Snow rounded third yet?
Now I'm not egomaniacal enough to take credit for the turnaround. I simply point to the Giants' performance before an after the post and will allow the record to speak for itself.
Giants 9, Marlins 6 (F/12)
It occurs to me that the biggest obstacle standing between Tim Lincecum and his third consective Cy Young Award isn't enemy hitters, mediocre offense, threat of injury, or a bite from a radioactive spider (although that would be kinda cool). If Timmy fails to three-peat, he'll probably have the pen to blame.
For the second straight start, Lincecum left a game with a lead. And once again, it was bullpen meltdown time. The culprit: Sergio Romo, yep the same guy who robbed Zito of a win in LA with that same lousy pitch, a slider that didn't slide. If the bullpen had protected Lincecum's decisions in his past two starts, he would have been the first Giants pitcher to win his first six starts since Juan Marichal did the trick 1966. Instead he's 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA and 56Ks (walking just eight) in 42 1/3 innings, and we get to listen to the talking heads at the Everything Sox and Pinstripes Network fawning over Ubaldo Jimenez.
Kudos to the much-maligned Aaron Rowand. His heroics, both with the bat and the glove, were enough to grant him temporary amnesty from persecution should he show up in the clubhouse wearing tights and a cape. Honorable mention to Aubrey Huff, whose two-RBI hit in the 12th was as much mental as physical according to the Mercury News. Once in awhile Sabean's "veteran presence" crapola pays off, and I've now met my Sabean compliment quota for the season.
Of course, I can't just let that Sabean comment lie. When you lob one up to the net like that, expect it to get spiked. Can we talk about the vets that aren't paying dividends? Edgar Renteria can't get on the field, DeRosa shouldn't be allowed near the field, and Freddy Sanchez doesn't remember where the field is. Nice signings, eh?
Giants 3, Marlins 2
Okay, I'm a convert. Zito is back. Zito is good. Hearts and flowers, peace on earth, macaroni and cheese. Dorothy is back in Kansas and all is right with the world. Yes, he came close to meltdown in the eighth and given the inconsistency of the Giants pen I can see why Bochy stuck with him as long as he did. But having Zito, who in his first three years in Orange and Black was basically a 5-inning, 4.50 ERA pitcher, consitently pitching into the eighth inning is something that has to make Giants fans absolutely giddy.
What has made the difference? Is it the slider? Is he throwing his curve for strikes? Is it attitude? Personally, I think it's the socks. Really. I had a pair of lucky jockey shorts once and they still...nevermind.
Through his first three seasons Zito acted as though he'd be more comforrtable strumming his guitar at a coffehouse in Caimbridge than standing on the hill of thrills at AT&T Park. Okay, he's still goofy looking. But he's also takien on this kind of serial killer sneer that just screams "I'm bad, and you're going down."
I haven't decided if it's guts or lunacy that Bochy went back to Romo with the Marlins rallying. With more successful rocket launches under his belt than NASA this year, Romo's frisbee slider is starting to scare me more than a little. His reputation as a strike thrower means hitters are going up to the plate swinging -- and connecting when that slider flattens out. I've said it before, gimmick pitchers are a two-edged sword. When people stop falling for the deke, get ready to back up third because that relay might get away. Romo needs two things to go from "good' to "Oh, God, not that guy again:" consistent break on the slider, and another pitch to go with it.
Giants 6, Marlins 3
Highlight of the night was Nate Schierholtz launching one into the stratosphere. Finally, a Giants farmhand not nicknamed after an animated character who is threatening to become a contributing fixture on the ML roster. Any blast that has Jon Miller howling in semi-orgasmic glee is all right in my book.
Kudos to Matt Cain, who is finally getting some run support and has cancelled the standing reservation for his call to the suicide hotline. I swear this guy was one step away from razor blades and cycnide capsules after the Cardinals series. Am I the only person who is convinced his contract extension was a prememptive strike against an early "these clowns will forever screw me with my pants on so I might as well get out while I'm young" free agent diatribe?
I have to admit that I enjoy listening to the other team's announcers when they lose. After Rowand made yet another sliding catch, the Marlins play-by-play man was almost whining when he said "Does he do that every night?" Classic. As much as people, including myself, have banged on this guy, this was his series. He's the anti-Freddy Sanchez. This guy wants to play with three broken bones in his face, and Sanchez (who is fast turing into Ray Durham) keeps talking about how his rehab is ahead of schedule while maintaining a pace to play the same number of innings as Angelina Jolie.
I realize it's a small sample size, but with Downs playing as well as he has (and showing some power), Freddy better start looking over his shoulder. If he's healthy, he looks like trade bait to me.
Funniest moment of the night served to once again establish Bengie Molina as the slowst man in baseball, if not the slowest man on the planet. Molina's bouncer up the middle was backhanded by Dan Uggla, who noticably relaxed as he realized Bengie was, at that point, just beginning to consider whether it would be a good idea to think about taking off for an area somewhere in the general direction of first base. Uggla squared his shoulders, did a few stretching exercises, posed for photos, signed autographs, made at least two cell phone calls and finshed off a hot dog before lobbing a throw to first that beat Molina by 14 and a half feet.
Bengie, I have two words for you: "Jenny Craig." Seriously, give Valerie Bertinelli a call and you might see the end of this year. I'm not expecting him to tun into Ussein Bolt, but I also didn't expect him to show up for the season needing to have his uniform custom made by Ringling Bros. This guy has to do something or I've got two more words that should scare the bejeezus out of him: "Buster Posey." He's hitting .343 with a .436 OBP through 26 games at Fresno.
But the Giants ae winning so we can laugh (sort of) at Bengie. The record stands at 17-10 (and should be 20-7). Now it's off to New York, where the Giants will try to avoid that mean old Katie Kouric (hey, look what she did to Sarah Palin) and keep the streak going.
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