14 games above .500, and 3 wins so far on a 6 game trip…. seems like the Giants are getting the breaks this time out on the road and the pitching and defense has been nearly flawless…have a chance at a series sweep in Milwaukee, which would be a real coup for a Giants team that has struggled all year on the road and struggled for years in Milwaukee (only the Giants 6th win in their last 22 games in Milwaukee)….and you say the Giants have made you bite your nails down to the nubs??? Well, I don't know what nubs are, but when you have a crappy offense and a stellar pitching staff, fewer runs are going to be scored and every play gets magnified……The Giants are 2nd to last in the National League in runs scored and First in fewest runs allowed….and teams score an average of 3.85 runs in Giants games, lowest in the league…..all of that is fairly obvious, but what is slightly interesting is no other team is below 4 with the Cardinals games with the second fewest runs averaging 4.24 runs per game…that means that Giants games have 0.8 runs less than the team with the 2nd fewest runs per game…..Thats quite a difference……
GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at MILWAUKEE 09/05
GAMEBALL
VELEZ
When you saw his name penciled in the lineup and 2nd, images of defensive flubs and failures flashed before your eyes……Not so fast…..Eugenio of the cast iron infield mitt was the difference today, making at least 3 slick plays, including a nice play in the 7th with Cain in trouble and then in the play of the game, Eugenio ranged so far up the middle that The Fox announcer proclaimed "It's Through" before correcting his call on Eugenio's sterling snag and shuffle to 2nd for the out….add a single and a steal in the 7th and a leadoff triple to score the 3rd run of the game and Eugenio gets today's gameball……
TIP OF THE CAP :
CAIN
Wasn't his best today, but was still pretty damn good…..good enough to finally break through for his 13th win on his 8th try….and also exorcised the demons of Miller Park where he had a 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA going and beating a Brewers team that had him at 1-3 with a 4.67 ERA……and also managed to avoid serious brain damage from a Gallardo fastball…..hey, I woulda struck out too……
URIBE
Got a 2nd chance on a full count off speed pitch and was able to straighten it out for his 6th homer since the beginning of August…..might not sound like much, but that ties him for the team lead since the beginning of August with…..get this….. your cleanup hitter…..Bengie Molina……Sandoval only has 5 since August 1st……
MOLINA
Horrible day at the plate with 2 K's and 2 lazy fly outs, but with 2 out and 1st and 3rd made a throw absolutely on the screws to nail Gerut trying to steal second and get Cain out of the 7th without another pitch…..
WILSON
Came in and bailed Affeldt out with a little help from Velez for the 1+ inning save, and gave up a little line drive single and nothing else hit remotely hard…..
ROWAND
Not blessed with great speed, but has good instincts and will give up the body in a moments notice…..More of a season Tip of the Cap for playing solid, albeit unspectacular D in Center….and for being strong enough to have Winn bounce off you when you hold onto the last out…..
JOKER
FOX
Sure, Giants getting some network exposure might sound like a good thing, but when you sit down and realize that you not only don’t get Kruk and Kuip, but you get a pair of jackasses instead…Its enough to make you wish they would go back to being Yankees/ Red Sox channel…….Many people feel that Karros let his Dodger blood tweak his broadcast…..I listened and think he did a fairly decent job of keeping his allegiances under wraps, with compliments for the Giants pitching staff and maybe 1 hitter, mixed in with his bashing of our hitters……nonetheless, both Stockton and Karros suck…..Stockton needs to stick to NFL, as he gave a haphazard, dry, play by play….if you listened to his tone of voice on Uribe's shot 10 rows deep, you would think it was a lazy fly ball….and am pretty sure that Stockton THOUGHT it WAS a lazy fly ball, even after they put the run up on the board……and then his call in the dramatic 8th of "its Through, NO!" is still cracking me up…..Dude, its TV, just relax and call it when you are sure……
SMACK OF THE STICK :
WINN
Rowand's ball……back off……
AFFELDT/ URIBE
On the play in the 8th where Affeldt throws the ball into center, I have to give part of the blame to Uribe…ball is hit the left field side of 3rd……Uribe charges, realized that Affeldt has it, then Uribe stops, and heads to cover 2nd…….Velez is already a couple steps from 2nd and now Affedlt has 2 targets…..he picks up Uribe and throws it behind him as Uribe is moving to second…..That's Velez's cover at 2nd and now you got 2 guys in one spot……and don't tell me Uribe was heading to back up 2nd, he was heading RIGHT TO 2ND…..
SANDOVAL
0 for 4 with 2 K's an nothing hit hard…….and the play in the 8th when he charges the ball…..he has GOT TO LEARN…..Hitter with some speed, when you charge it you try to barehand it…..if you get it great, if you don't well then you don't….if you go after it with your glove you got NO SHOT, which you realized AFTER you ate the ball…don't get me wrong I know he is hurting and he has played BEYOND expectations at 2rd…...but this is not the first time he has done this, and that's a mental error that has to be fixed.…..
FINAL THOUGHTS
Got to sneak in a little radio today, and after watching these Fox guys on Tivo, it just makes me appreciate these guys all the more…and yes, they still make me laugh….and this piece here from Friday about Krukow's Banjo (right click to download) had me chuckling
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(The fine print: There will be cussing and bad taste. This is written with the heat of the moment feel you may have during the game, with rational though sprinkled in now and then. This is entertainment folks, sure there is a lot of truth and I am a genius, but this is all about having a laugh and enjoying the ride…….now lets go heckle Jeff Kent in when he gets inducted to Cooperstown..)
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