Saturday, September 16, 2017

Game Wrap 9/15/2017: D'Backs 3 Giants 2

Jeff Samardzija threw another Quality Start but also lost again as the Giants offense could not get over the hump.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .287.  Panik is hitting .438 through the first 15 days of September.

Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .260.  Pence is showing he may have something left in the bat, but he had a rough night in the OF.  In fairness, those were tough balls to catch, but it seemed like Gorkys Hernandez had no trouble getting to one that looked similar.  Pence took a stumble on a close play at 1B and came up holding his right hand or wrist.  He later exited the game but reportedly with back spasms from a tumble in the OF.

Gorkys Hernandez RF- 0 for 0.  BA= .251.  Hernandez entered the game to replace Pence minutes after Amy G reported that he was unavailable.  After the game, Bochy clarified that he was not available to hit, but could play D and pinch run.  Jarrett Parker PH for Hernandez when his turn to hit arrived.  Which raises the question:  How deep is Mac Williamson in Bochy's doghouse if he didn't even get the call when Pence was injured?

Which raises another question:  Who are the two players who squawked to the press about feeling like they can't do anything to please Bochy?  When Bochy was asked why he put Gorkys out there with a sore wrist, his response is he wanted to keep a couple of guys on the bench- to give him options.  Who were the guys still on the bench?  Did Boch add the "options" phrase as an afterthought when he realized how the keeping a couple of guys on the bench might be interpreted?  Are we parsing words a bit too much here?

Jeff Samardzija RHP- 8 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 4.42.  That's an 8 inning QS that went for naught.

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Madison Bumgarner tries to bounce back from his last start this evening facing Zack Greinke.

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With the Loss, the Giants remain in first place in the race for the #1 draft pick leading the Phillies by 1 game(2 on the loss column), the ChiSox by 3 games and the Tigers by 5.

12 comments:

  1. What do you think about that Florida pitcher - Brady Singer? And is there a hitter worth taking in the Top-5?

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    1. I like what I've seen of Singer. Keith Law thinks he's a future reliever though, so I'll have to do some more digging. An ace college pitcher would solve a lot of organizational problems with 1 pick, so all things being equal that would be my first choice for the Giants. There are definitely HS hitters worth taking in the top 5. Not so sure about college hitters. Seth Beer seems to be the best college hitter, but is limited defensively.

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    2. I like Singer's stuff a lot but his mound presence and body language raise some red flags for me. He reminds me of a preppy kid in high school, kind of full of himself; he also has kind of a mopey demeanor in the interviews I saw. These are just my impressions of him but I'm a big believer in the intangibles being a great clue to whether a player succeeds or not, and Singer definitely caught my eye negatively in that department. I will say though his stuff and mechanics look incredible.

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    3. Singer performed very well in the College WS which is college baseball's biggest stage.

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    4. I should clarify, I think intangibles are a great clue to whether a player succeeds in the pros, particularly at the major league level. I could be mistaken but I believe Beede also pitched very well in the college World Series and he's greatly underperformed for a first rounder with flashes of dominance. I could be completely wrong about Singer but to me there are some Beede-like concerns when I watch his body language and mound presence, albeit they are subtle, in my opinion. I'm sure others would disagree but I'd be curious if anyone else sees what I'm seeing or if I'm crazy.

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    5. Hmm....maybe Beede is not a great comparison there. Here's his record in the 2014 College Playoffs and World Series.

      Game 1 of Regionals vs Xavier- 14 K's. OK, so far, so good.

      vs Stanford in Super Regionals- 4.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 3 HBP.

      6/16 CWS vs UCI- 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 HBP.

      6/24 CWS Finals vs Virginia- 10 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.

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    6. That was in Beede's Junior season. Contrast that with Singer's sophomore campaign in which he struck out 11 Batters agains Louisville in the CWS and 12 against LSU in Game 1 of the CWS finals.

      "That's what studs do!" Florida Closer Michael Byrne.

      "....maybe the best pitcher I've seen in the SEC for an opponent since I've been a coach at LSU." Paul Mainieri.

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    7. Yes I see Beede was a bad comparison now, I think I was mistaking his team's success for his own. Singer's performance in the CWS definitely gives him more helium in my eyes since I wasn't aware of those stats. I still think there's a little something there that I can't put my finger on, but learning about his CWS starts does loosen me up on him a bit for sure.

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    8. Looked up a few videos of Brady Singer. I can see why Keith Law thinks he's a reliever. Very quick, jerky actions on the mound with a low release point and a lot of effort. I am concerned about the long term health of his arm.

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  2. 1, 2, & 3 in starting L/U went 5-11
    Posey, Hundley, and Crawford went ZERO-10.
    Nothing new here.
    Another ZERO is Calixte -- the wet dream of someone in the FO.
    Caliste is NTSH -- his nothing-burger in the majors followed nothing in AAA.
    Is someone rubbing a rosary somewhere in hopes that a light will flash for this wasted 40-man roster slot?
    Calixte makes Adrianza look good!
    Meanwhile, a couple promising prospects linger in no-man's land. Say Shaw and Heathcott who might be able to show something.
    Are the Giants so firmly committed to a lousy season, they want nothing to say, well, lookee here?
    Seriously, a .383 season should roll someone's over-inflated head!

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  3. Giants announced they're picking up Matt Moore's option according to an article in the LA Times...

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    1. As bad as Moore has been this season, it's almost a no-brainer to pick up the relatively cheap option, especially since there is another relatively cheap option for 2019 too. He probably actually has one of the higher trade values on the roster, so the Giants can either hang onto him and hope for improvement or trade him to a team that is willing to gamble on his upside.

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