August 13th, 2009
Whether it’s been Ryan Sadowski or Joe Martinez, the Giants are 1-5 in the last six games started by their fifth starter. Considering the Giants have four off-days left, counting today, shouldn’t Bruce Bochy make sure that Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain pitch as much as possible and also limit the number of starts made by whoever is in the fifth spot? If he does take advantage of these remaining off days, Cain will make 11 starts, Lincecum and Barry Zito will pitch in 10 games each, while Jonathan Sanchez will make 9 starts, and the fifth starter spot will come up in 8 games.
What is concerning me, however, is that Bochy doesn’t plan on pitching Lincecum in New York when Lincecum should pitch Monday if he receives his normal four days rest. Even worse, by pitching Cain Saturday instead of tomorrow, Cain will miss the four games in Coors Field against the Giants greatest wild-card competitor. The Giants are 2-3 in the Rockies home park this year, and both wins were games started by Cain. He is 2-0 in Colorado and has allowed just one run in 13 innings. Bochy should make sure that Cain pitches in that series, and all he would have to do is push Zito back a day.
Zito has been pitching very well, but if Bochy is worried about hurting Zito’s feelings, then he’s missing the boat. He’s also missing the boat if he is worried about Lincecum or Cain’s right arms. There is no harm to Cain and Lincecum because they would be pitching on their normal four days rest. Bochy needs to give his team the best possible opportunity to reach the postseason.
(more…)
Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Barry Zito, Brian Wilson, Cal, Giants, Guillermo Mota, Joe Martinez, Jonathan Sanchez, Juan Uribe, Kerri Walsh, Matt Cain, Michael Crabtree, Nate Davis, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Rich Aurilia, Ryan Sadowski, Stanford, Tim Lincecum, Vin Scully | No Comments
August 7th, 2009
As I watched Livan Hernandez get lit up in San Diego by the worst offense in the league last night, I couldn’t help but think about Omar Minaya and his incompetence as Mets general manager. No matter what your feelings are toward Billy Beane and Brian Sabean, I think it’s safe to say they certainly aren’t among the worst ten general managers in the game (I think they are, at least, in the top fifteen). The thing I can respect about Beane and Sabean is that they have stayed away from old, veteran has-been’s holding down starting rotation spots these last couple of seasons.
There may have been a time when Beane and Sabean turned to retreads, but not anymore (no, Randy Johnson doesn’t qualify considering his sub-4 ERA last season). In today’s game, general managers need to be smart with their payroll and it makes no sense to pay a veteran like Hernandez $2 million (with incentives) or Tim Redding ($2.25 million!!! Is Minaya in bed with Redding’s agent?), when you can easily find a minor leaguer who can do a better job at the minimum salary.
That’s why it’s always better to turn to the Vin Mazzaro’s of the world, or even lesser prospects such as Joe Martinez and Ryan Sadowski. It’s better than the 5.08 and 6.61 ERA’s that the Mets have received from Hernandez and Redding this season. If the Giants and A’s were throwing out these types this season, we’d all have pitchforks.
Omar Minaya sucks, and we didn’t even have to bring up the awful Oliver Perez contract.
(more…)
Categories: Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Adam Snyder, Alex Smith, Barry Zito, Billy Beane, Bobby Convey, Brandon Jones, Brian Sabean, Cal, Derrick Burgess, Donte Stallworth, Freddy Sanchez, Giants, Jay Richardson, Jeremy Roenick, Joe Martinez, Jonathan Sanchez, Kenny Stabler, Kevin Riley, Kyle McLaren, Livan Hernandez, Madison Bumgarner, Michael Crabtree, Omar Minaya, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Ray Guy, Ryan Sadowski, Sharks, Shaun Hill, Stanford, Tim Redding, Trevor Cahill, Vin Mazzaro, Warriors | 1 Comment
July 22nd, 2009
Okay, maybe not, but you have to think the A’s would be reluctant to make any deal that helps the Giants considering the teams’ fight over the San Jose territory. I mention it because the A’s do have some players the Giants should be interested in, even outside of Matt Holliday.
Holliday, of course, would be a major help as a big bat, and as someone who is much more comfortable with major league pitching, but Orlando Cabrera, Adam Kennedy, Mark Ellis, and Justin Duchscherer would also help the Giants. While Cabrera is a shortstop, you’d think that he could do just fine at a lesser position, such as second base, and is someone with world championship experience. Plus, he’s grossly underachieved and could be had for cheap. Of course, Ellis and Kennedy are the “true” second basemen, but Ellis has the bigger deal and a no-trade clause (huh?.. why?). As for Duchscherer, Buster Olney mentioned him yesterday as a cheap Roy Halladay-alternative. Even though he hasn’t pitched a game this year, he could be a worthwhile gamble. This is a guy who led the league in ERA for the first half of last season. Considering Sadowski’s struggles, the Giants may be in the market for a starting pitcher by next week. (more…)
Categories: Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Adam Kennedy, Andrew Bailey, Angel Villalona, Anthony Randolph, Billy Beane, C.J. Watson, Cal, Dennis Green, Giants, Gio Gonzalez, Jeremy Newberry, Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Frandsen, Lew Wolff, Mark Ellis, Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera, Raiders, Rich Aurilia, Rickey Henderson, Ryan Sadowski, Santa Clara, Stanford, Warriors, Zach Follett | No Comments
July 21st, 2009
I love Rich Aurilia and what he’s done for the Giants organization. I loved his unexplainable 37-homer season in 2001. I enjoy his team-first attitude and the fact that being a Giant means something to him. At some point, however, that only goes so far. The Giants have to let go of Aurilia. He’s not a major leaguer anymore.
Most of the season, the 37-year old Aurilia has stolen at bats from younger players who are more deserving. In his 116 plate appearances, Aurilia has struck out 22 times and he’s produced an awful .544 OPS and a .240 wOBA (.340 wOBA is average, so .240 is terrible). Aurilia is barely hanging on to a job, so I can somewhat understand him blaming his poor performance on limited at bats. But, that’s not the case. Aurilia is old, and he is just a bad hitter. I don’t expect him to admit it, but the Giants are the ones who have to admit these shortcomings.
Defensively, Aurilia does a pretty good job. He hasn’t played enough to really analyze it, but the UZR numbers on FanGraphs say that Aurilia has been slightly above average at first and third base. However, I think we’ve seen enough of John Bowker to suggest that he can be okay at first base. He certainly looks a lot more comfortable there than he did a year ago. Bowker would be a downgrade defensively from Aurilia, but he is obviously more capable of bigger things offensively.
Still, Bowker will probably be the one to go, when the Giants bring up Ryan Sadowski for today’s start. It’s a shame because I think the 2009 Giants should have been about getting as much at bats possible for the unknowns such as Bowker, Travis Ishikawa, Kevin Frandsen, and Nate Schierholtz. The team has already failed to give Frandsen many opportunities. Now, I worry, that the 2009 handling of Bowker will be go down as a missed opportunity. When this season is over, we likely won’t know much more about Bowker’s major-league potential than we did when the season began. And, it will mostly because of the team’s loyalty to an old, unproductive hitter like Aurilia.
(more…)
Categories: Uncategorized |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Aaron Rowand, Buster Posey, Giants, Jason Giambi, John Bowker, Kevin Frandsen, Matt Holliday, Michael Crabtree, Michael Vick, Nate Schierholtz, Raiders, Rich Aurilia, Rod Woodson, Ronny Turiaf, Ryan Sadowski, Sergio Romo, Tim Lincecum, Tom Watson, Travis Ishikawa, Warriors | No Comments
July 11th, 2009
Not only is he a Cy Young winner, but Tim Lincecum apparently is also Nostradamus. His quote on Chronicle Live last night before Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter:
Someone is going to throw a no-hitter and it might not be the ace of the squad. It could be an unsung hero kind of guy.
“Unlikely”, as Henry Schulman and Andrew Baggarly write, is the word that has been used most frequently to describe Sanchez’s no-hitter. While no one expected this piece of brilliance from a pitcher who has struggled so much this year, we can expect brilliance from pitching coach, Dave Righetti.
Sure, the Giants are fortunate to have a lot of pitchers with great stuff, but they still need a coach to help harness that stuff. And, great stuff doesn’t always mean great results. Righetti obviously worked hard with Sanchez since his demotion to the bullpen. Just as he did when Barry Zito has demoted last year, and came back a better pitcher. From Jeremy Affeldt to Sergio Romo to Ryan Sadowski to Justin Miller to Brandon Medders, and even Lincecum and Matt Cain, can you honestly say that Righetti can get any more production from their pitching staff than they have received to his point? Sanchez has been the one underachiever, and the Giants pitching coach may have righted that ship.
Righetti appeared to be in tears last night as he embraced Sanchez after the final out. It confirmed how close Righetti is to these Giant pitchers and got me thinking about a great baseball book I read from Roger Kahn called The Head Game.
In the book, Kahn spoke at length with former pitching stud, Johnny Sain. Many baseball fans are unaware that Sain was, not only an excellent pitcher, but a very good pitching coach. Jim Bouton once said of Sain, the coach:
Johnny Sain didn’t try to make you pitch like he did. He put himself in your shoes. He had allegiance to you. He made you think. He was the best pitching coach in baseball.
Sain had a number of principles he lived by as a pitching coach, but two have stood out. One, a coach “owes his primary loyalty to his pitchers”. Sain explained that loyalty took precedence over other important loyalties to the boss and to the field manager. Whether you agree with it or not, it helped Sain become closer with his pitching staff and develop trust. One of Sain’s other quotes was, “It’s better for a pitching coach to be unemployed than to be dishonest”.
I don’t know if Righetti follows these same principles or the exact relationship between Rags and the members of the Giants staff, but those tears confirmed that there is a bond that us fans may not completely grasp. A bond that may be developed through loyalty and honesty. Whatever his methods, Righetti is getting great results. It’s time we give him his just due.
(more…)
Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Aaron Rowand, Anthony Randolph, Barry Zito, Bengie Molina, Brandon Medders, Buster Posey, Charlie Manuel, Dave Righetti, Eli Whiteside, Giants, Greg Ellis, Jeremy Affeldt, Jim Bouton, Joey Devine, John Montefusco, Johnny Sain, Jon Bryant, Jonathan Sanchez, Juan Uribe, Justin Miller, Kevin Frandsen, Matt Cain, Mike Krukow, Pablo Sandoval, Patty Mills, Raiders, Roger Kahn, Ryan Sadowski, Sergio Romo, Stefan Frei, Stephen Curry, Tim Lincecum, Warriors | No Comments
July 9th, 2009
If it happens, I’ll lead the parade, but I’m not going to start rejoicing yet. Chris Cohan is likely going to be stingy as hell, and will probably wait until he receives a bid over market value, which may take awhile. Plus, it also takes some time, after a price is agreed upon, for the sale to go final.
On to the Thursday links:
The sale won’t be at a discount, as Marcus Thompson writes. He also blogs about it here.
Tim Kawakami says that Cohan knows its time to go… and TK blogged about it in Talking Points.
The new owner needs to hire savvy basketball experts, writes Cam Inman.
This could be Christmas in July, writes Monte Poole.
Warriors fans don’t know black or white, but they know bad, as Ray Ratto notes.
And, by the way, Stephen Curry signed his first Warrior contract.
As for the reduced salary cap, Rusty Simmons and Kawakami address the effect on the Warriors.
Giants
A John Bowker callup may be coming soon.
(more…)
Categories: Golden State Warriors, Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Andrew Bailey, Angel Villalona, Buster Posey, Chris Cohan, Claude Lemieux, David Duval, Freddy Sanchez, Giants, John Bowker, Kurt Suzuki, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Holliday, Max Zhang, Pablo Sandoval, Ray Wersching, Ryan Sadowski, Shane Victorino, Sharks, Stephen Curry, Tim Alderson, Tim Wakefield, Warriors | No Comments
July 8th, 2009
Maybe I’m not your typical spectator. When I go to games, I want to do everything I can, short of running on the field and stabbing Matt Kemp, to help my team win the game. I like starting or getting involved in the “Let’s Go Giants!” chants, and heckling opposing players… and playfully giving opposing fans a hard time as well. (It’s all fair game as long as your not using foul language.) Anyway, true fans like myself can’t fathom these other “fans” (there’s a reason I use the quotations) who go to games and think it’s a good idea to interfere with Randy Winn or balls in play that may cost the Giants run(s).\
In each of the last two Giants games, a stupid fan has interfered with a ball in play. Fortunately, for the Giants, the umpires intervened and made the right call in each instance, in the Giants favor. Still, what’s to stop these idiots, or idiots like them, to interfere with a ball in play that may cost the Giants in a future game this season. The umpires aren’t always going to make the right judgment call, as they have the last two nights.
(more…)
Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Amare Stoudemire, Barry Zito, Bengie Molina, Brian Wilson, Buster Posey, Cal, Chris Cohan, Dana Eveland, Fred Biletnikoff, Giants, JaMarcus Russell, Jeremy Affeldt, Matt Holliday, Nate Schierholtz, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Randy Johnson, Randy Winn, Ryan Sadowski, Scott Hairston, Sharks, Stanford, Steve McNair, Tom Cable, Venus Williams, Warriors, Willie McCovey | No Comments
July 7th, 2009
I’m not mad at Bruce Bochy and I don’t blame him solely for Randy Johnson’s shoulder strain, but I can’t figure out why he sent the Big Unit out for the fourth inning on Sunday. It was obvious to everyone in the ballpark, and particularly the Giants dugout, that Johnson hurt himself swinging the bat in the bottom of the third inning. A number of us watching the game on television were thinking that he wouldn’t pitch the rest of the game
There are a number of reasons he shouldn’t have been out there for the fourth inning. First of all, he’s 45! Why take any chances with a guy who’s obviously pitching on his last legs? Second, the bullpen was well rested considering Ryan Sadowski and Tim Lincecum were coming off consecutive seven-inning outings. If you factor in the long man, Jonathan Sanchez, had a day off Saturday and could have pitched 2-3 innings on Sunday, Bochy had more reasons to go to somebody other than Johnson. Finally, not only is the bullpen well-rested, but it’s an eight person bullpen. If you’re going to carry 13 pitchers (which you usually shouldn’t), than you have more reasons to go to the pen earlier than you would normally want to. Bochy clearly made a mistake considering Johnson’s velocity and command were way off in that fourth inning. (Not to mention the throwing error that ultimately sealed his fate.)
(more…)
Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Alex Rios, Armando Benitez, Bengie Molina, Bob Titchenal, Brett Anderson, Brian Sabean, Brian Wilson, Buster Posey, Emmanuel Burriss, Giants, Jed York, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, Max Zhang, Nomar Garciaparra, Pablo Sandoval, Randy Johnson, Ryan Sadowski, Ryane Clowe, Scott Hairston, Sharks, Steve McNair, Tim Lincecum, Warriors | 1 Comment
July 3rd, 2009
The Giants have been fortunate this season to have one of the best bullpens in baseball. Considering they have six full-time relievers with ERA’s of 3.50 or lower, you won’t find a pen with greater depth. Whether it’s baseball or business, you need to play your cards right when it comes to supply and demand. There are enough contending teams who are desperate for relief help, and the Giants not only have a lot of options, they have a number of low-cost options.
The three best and most untouchable relievers are obviously funnyman Brian Wilson (he may drive you nuts but he can’t go anywhere this season), Jeremy Affeldt, and Sergio Romo. Most teams would kill to have that triumvirate leading their bullpen. That’s the Giants bullpen core, and the team should make sure that these three are surrounded by at least two remaining solid pieces. Out of the group of Brandon Medders (3.03 ERA), Bobby Howry (3.86), Merkin Valdez (3.38), and Justin Miller (2.16), Sabean should trade one or two arms. This group doesn’t have tremendous value but they do have decent value when you factor in contending teams such as the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers, Rockies, and Angels all have bullpen ERA’s of 4.20 or higher. These are also teams that are looking for multiple relievers, not just one arm. And, the five teams listed above aren’t the only teams looking for bullpen help.
Let’s explore the potential bullpen trade chips:
(more…)
Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Al Davis, Andrew Bailey, Barry Zito, Bobby Howry, Brad Ziegler, Brandon Medders, Brian Wilson, C.J. Watson, Earthquakes, Edgardo Alfonzo, Fred Lewis, Giants, Greg Papa, Jeremy Affeldt, Joe Cannon, Justin Miller, Kent Huskins, Lance Armstrong, Manny Ramirez, Merkin Valdez, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Ron Artest, Ryan Sadowski, Ryane Clowe, Sabercats, Sergio Romo, Sharks, Warriors | No Comments
