GAMEBALL and JOKER--> PADRES at GIANTS 9/9

You know what, screw it….I don't want to watch the replay and you can't make me…..maybe this offseason when I want to relive the pain that has been the putrid performance down the stretch, I will pop in the DVD I burned of this game….Fucking Padres….sans Hairston, Loretta, and Khalil …heck even without Young and Peavy they still find a way to stick a thorn in our side…..The Padres are 9-6 against the Giants this year and 15-25 versus the rest of the division including 4-8 v the Dodgers and 6-10 versus the Rockies…..If the Giants were to play the Padres in a similar fashion as the Rockies and Dodgers, lets say….9-6… they would be just 1game back of the Rockies….but that’s just it….the Rockies have been able to stomp on the lesser teams (as I type they are win in a walk off against the Reds to win their 6th straight)…where the Giants play down to the lesser teams level……yes, the Rockies are coming into town next week but with the Giants now 4 games back

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> PADRES at GIANTS 9/9

GAMEBALL

TORRES

The rarely used spare part got the start against the lefthanded soft tossing Frenchy….and accounted for both of the Giants run's with booming shot to center…..this kid has played well almost every chance he has gotten….too bad he hasn't had many chances…..

TIP OF THE CAP :
MOLINA
A couple hits in a day game after a night game…..man that Posey kid must REALLY suck…..

WILSON
A clean ninth inning for the ….umm….non-save…..

RUNZLER
Looks like he was a bit wild, with 2 walks and a HBP in 1 1/3…but got 3 K's on swing thoroughs ….nasty….

JOKER

BOCHY

OK, no Posey…we get it…..but how many times have you seen a hitter come up with a big hit only to be pulled for a pinch hitter later in the game….Sure Torres has bad numbers versus Righties….but you don't have to be a slave to the matchup….your platooning, double switching , pinch hitting day after fucking day isn’t working….the Giants offense still sucks and Christ, how in the hell can ANYONE get comfortable at the plate…….I swear you could replace Bochy with a blindfolded Chimpanzee with Tourettes and he would win at least 5 more games….of course the Chimpanzee wouldn't cater to the vets…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
SANCHEZ
Was supposed to be a shot in the arm…..more like a kick to the groin…..Mr "Professional Hitter" took a big fat O fer and popped up to end the Giants "Threat" in the 8th….

FRANNY
Wow, I don't even want to watch this…..Giants get 2 runners on with 0 out down by 2 and YOU BUNT???? Thought Bochy didn't believe in bunting….apparently neither did Frandsen with a pop foul bunt for the 1st out of the innings

FINAL THOUGHTS
Fuck this, sure it ain't over….but its getting close…..Why not us why not now???? Because our veteran hitters suck donkey balls, and the Rockies never lose…..time is short, if the Giants don't bring their A Game over the next 6 games you can write that epitaph…..and hey, maybe you can even shut Tim and Matt down….might be the best situation for the long run……

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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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> PADRES at GIANTS 09/08

Since the home sweep of the Rockies, the Giants haven't exactly lit the world on fire… just holding their own on the road before coming home and splitting the first 2 with the Pads….. …..unfortunately, after the Rockies got swept in SF and sent to a season high 5 game losing streak, THEY went back home and put together a "Giantsesque" run of 7-1 with 2 still to play…..this has pushed the Giants back from a tie for the wild card to a 3 game deficit, MAGNIFYING the NEED for a DOMINANT home stand of our own…. well the Giants got off on the right foot with a win in the 1st game versus the Padres, but with the news of Tim being skipped and now the 1 run loss, and despite Bumgarner valiant stand in performance……. things don't look as cheery as they did just 24 hours ago… but its really far from over, as those Head to Head matchups still LOOM LARGE and anything is possible……but time is short and they need to get hot QUICK…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> PADRES at GIANTS 09/08

GAMEBALL

BUM

Ladies and Gentlemen, we present to you Madison Bumgarner…..and "He's no Tim Lincecum"…..I have been repeating this phrase to anyone that asks me about Madison….as Giants fans we have been a bit spoiled with the success of Tim, Matt and even to a lesser extent Jonathan Sanchez Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson…..The Giants have been fortunate to have such bounty of pitching come from the minors in the last few years….Add this track record if success with the sky high scouting reports, and you would expect that this kid would be the second coming of Lincecum…..but this kid is no Lincecum, in fact he is the Anti-Lincecum….. Throws Left, Bats Right, Stands tall, and doesn’t' throw as hard as you would expect from his frame….. short strider, cross over step….not a bit of drop and drive in him…..he is a pitch to contact guy, coming from a low 3/4ers angle….with a curve with a ton of lateral movement, compared to Timmy's 12-6 oclock bender….He did a solid job in his much anticipated Major League Debut…showing poise and the ability to throw strikes despite bouts of wildness…..time will tell what kind of pitcher he is, but so far so good…..if he can tighten up and get some horizontal movement on the Curve, there is not reason he can't have a long career......Personally, I think he could use at least another year on the farm getting his offspeed stuff worked out…..and I debate whether or not he should try to get rid of that crossover and get some more stride in his delivery…..I think he might gain some velocity and maybe have longer term arm health….but then again, he would loose some deception…..The Giants probably figured they would just leave well enough alone…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
VELEZ
1 hit ….2 walks……that’s 26 pitches in 5 PA……and I still say he was safe…..

SANDOVAL
Couple hits, and didn't miss any scooped throws….of course he didn't HAVE to scoop any throws…..

ROWAND
2 Hits 2 runs including a Homer to straight away center…..

JOKER

MOLINA

Was a bit torn on this one….the bonehead play of the game belonged to Rowand, but a homer a single and 2 runs scored saves him from the outright Joker……Molina had positives as well…..handling Bum, and an early RBI Single….but in late innings with the game on the line, Bengie was anything but clutch…..on a curveball that literally would have bounced in front of the plate he lunged out and Popped up with a man on 1st and 1 out in the 5th…And then on a belt high curve down the pipe, he popped up to end the 7th with 2 men on….but the clincher was the play at the plate in the 8th to give the Padres the lead…..Nate made a decent throw about 5 feet up the line and about 6 inches off the ground, but in PLENTY of time to get a lumbering Gonzales…..Bengie turned and tagged before the ball was in the mitt……sure it wasn’t a good throw, and it wasn't an easy play to make, but at that point in the game Bengie needed to clutch up and make a play……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
WINN
0 for 3 with 2 K's…..congrats on the Baby….Family is more important than baseball, you should really go spend some time with them… 4-5 weeks should do it…..

URIBE
Tough Play(s)…the one hopper to lead off the 8th was a SEED, but a makeable play …the second shit past you to your left, I am not so sure about…..but I bet Pablo makes the first play at leat

PUCETAS
Bumgarner eh??? …..well I guess someone has to pitch for the Grizzlies in the playoffs….no? Seasons over? Your on Full Rest???....well maybe it has something to do with giving up at least 5 runs in 5 of your last 7 starts…..including 16 runs in your last 2 2/3…..not exactly the way to get a September callup….

ROWAND
Hacking at the 3rd strike pass ball…..PAY ATTENTION, YOU RUN……Don't wait for the appeal you dummy!!!....you WANT them to call it a swing……you run to first and if the umpire calls it "no swing"….you get to argue with the umpire "I DID TOO STRIKE OUT!!!"

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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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at MILWAUKEE 09/06

Well, that was ugly…..but not really unexpected….the Giants have gone to extra innings with the score 1-1 six times this year, and they have lost 6 of those 7 including the 14 inning heart wrenching loss in Colorado less than 2 weeks ago….that loss felt like the end of the season as the Rockies have just passed and appeared to be ready to lap the Giants…..but a little home cooking, some perspective and a 3-3 road trip later and this situation feels much better…..When the Giants went on the road, you knew whatever happened they would have a 9 game home stand and another crack at the Rockies coming down the line…..and when you think about it they have playing.500 (9-9) on the road the last three trips out…..so how bad was today's\ loss??? Frustrating, maddening, yes…..Gutwrenching, no……and now for the real test, the Giants come back to Fog City for homestand they NEED to DOMINATE……imperative to beat the Rockies, cause they never seem to lose anywhere else…..and if the Giants are to have the faintest prayer of catching the Doggies, then need to AT LEAST take 2, if not sweep…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at MILWAUKEE 09/06

GAMEBALL

SANCHEZ

This kid really seems to have found it, pitching with poise and not letting the situation get to him…..Nasty swing through stuff that allowed him to K 9 in 6 innings….unfortunately his stuff is so good that he may not get everything that's in the zone…. I count 7 balls in the zone based on Pitchfx, and only 3 strikes out of the zone…..a 4 pitch difference may not seem like much, but consider one of those balls was Ball 4 to Lopez to lead off the 6th, where he came around to score the only Brewers run in regulation…….Anyways, this kid has overcome the incosisitency of the early season to come on strong down the stretch…..keep it up Sanchez….and maybe you will bring a big bat this coming offseason……

TIP OF THE CAP :
WINN
Sucker gets 2 hits and a walk….seems like everytime his average falls to about .260 he hits just enough to stay in the lineup….game after game after game

RENTERIA
actually looks like he had some life in his bat…..man, can you imagine if Winn and Renteria were anywhere close to their career norms???? Shit, we would have a 4 game lead on the Rockies…..

SANDOVAL
The lone RBI, but made the play of the game using every bit of his fall down range to snare a missle off the bat of Kendall with the bases juiced and 2 out in the 10th

VELEZ
Doubled and scored in the top of the 1st….made a sensational diving play in the top of the 1st…

GREENWALD KID
Broke his cherry…..caught a little on the radio, sounded like his dad…..and that’s a good thing…..

JOKER

BOCHY

Now, I think there are many things people that can complain about…..some I would debate, some maybe not…..but a few things are really bugging me that I have to mention……first of all in the 10th inning …I could see the argument to use Howry vs Braun…..but letting him finish the inning was asking for death…sure he got Fielder, but that game was over right there without a big piece of luck….Howry proceeded to loss command load the bases and take Kendall to a 3-0 count, before he throttled back on the fastball and throw 3 straight cookies down the pipe…..Kendal jumped on the last cookie to hit the aforementioned missle….yes, Affeldt had worked on back to back nights, but he had gone 3 in a row 3 previous times this year…and I don't think any of those previous 3rd games was a critical as a tie game in extras in a September post season chase…….second is the jimmy jacking of both Ishkawa and Garko……Yes, I understand they hit from opposite sides of the plate, but neither show a significant split and both could you the day to day comfort and routine of being in the lineup…..Just like you do with your "famous bullpen handling" pick a role for these guys and let them play….I would say that Ishi is your man with the glove and pop, and use Garko as a bat off the bench…..but either way, just make up your goddamn mind already……and lastly, Whiteside???? Yes, I know he has been great behind the dish, but Posey has a GUN and MAYBE just MAYBE you might jump start the offense…..we know if Whiteside is as likely as a pitcher to run into one….you are never going to get a low pressure spot to break him in this year, so just get it over with and get it done……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
LEWIS
Going public with your "plight" ain't going to help anything….won't get you more playing time, won't help your public image…..and in the midst of a pennant race, won't win you many friends in the clubhouse……..so take a page from Nate's book, get your work in and take your cuts when called upon….the Giants have a roster crunch coming next year anyway, so it is likely you will either play or get shipped out…until then, shut the fuck up……

ROWAND
It takes a special kind of suck to hit into a triple play…..

CELEBRATION
What the fuck was THAT…. A Explosion??? A Blooming Fielder???? Whatever it was, it looked like something out of a synchronized swimming routine, get that premeditated shit out of here and back to the NFL where it belongs……and by the way, you just narrowly avoided a sweep and are still below .500…..

VALDEZ
Can't get too upset, as he actually did about as well as he could……he was pumping BB's in the zone, and looked unhittable…..until he dropped a slurvy looking thing onto the barrel of Fielders Bat….we wanted him to throw more offspeed…..well, we should be more careful what we ask for……

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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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at MILWAUKEE 09/05

Long day, lots of driving……lets get this thing written and get some rest……
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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at MILWAUKEE 09/04

Happy Memorial Day Weekend… what….Labor Day??? Kids are back in school and the Giants are only 1 game back after a squeaking out a win in Milwaukee???....and Milwaukee of all places, where just over 2 months ago we watched Cain and Wilson get smacked around the park pretty badly only to salvage the last game with a now DFA'ed Ryan Sadowski debut……man I got to tell you that this Brewers Lineup is scary….sure the Phillies knock the cover off the ball, but Fielder and Braun are both complete hitters….perhaps the most fearsome duo of players in the National League…well, I mean besides Lincecum and Cain……

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at MILWAUKEE 09/04

GAMEBALL

BENGIE

Tell you what, he may not hit a bunch but he seems to pick some opportune times to come up with a big hit…..he is about 1 week removed from his Gibsonesque hobble around the bases and that’s his 2nd late game go ahead homer in his last 11 at bats…..Bengie had the proverbial fire lite under his ass by the expedited callup of Posey…..and I want to see Posey play as much as anyone, but we need to temper expectations…..of all the active catchers in the Majors right now, Posey is by far the most inexperienced with 115 minor league games….the only other catcher with less than 200 minor league games before their callup is the other super prospect Matt Wieters who caught 169 games before his callup….and Posey was only converted to catcher his last year of college….Wieters was a catcher since High School, and then all 3 years in College…….so the bottom line, Posey's bat may be ready and he still may play a pivotal role in the playoff chase, but we are going to need Molina ……lets just hope he doesn't have to hit cleanup every night

TIP OF THE CAP :
BOCHY
Unorthodox, and risky…..but Bochy was able to get 3 2/3rds from the back end of the bullpen and keep the Giants in this….wasnt pretty and I am not really sure HOW it happened, but Medders, Miller, Runzler, and Howry actually kept the Brewers off the board…..

RUNZLER
Welcome to the show……hard 3/4ers fastball had Gerut looking foolish….. and no, don't expect 3 pitch strikeouts every time out kid

THE BACK OF THE BULLPEN
Say what you will, but 0 runs is 0 runs…..

ROWAND
Hard hit ball the other way plated the tying run…ok, he is only 97% suck…..

JOKER

CAMERON

I Love Defense!!..... my favorite part of the game….a great play of defense is the most exciting play in the game….and when I think of great defensive center fielders I have seen in my life, only a few names come to mind….Eric Davis is the first….Devon White is the second…..and Mike Cameron is the 3rd……and when it all is said and done you could argue that Cameron has had the best career of the 3…..more longevity than Davis…..and a better hitter than White……but none of that mattered tonight as the solid defensive Cameron had a horrible night in the field…misplaying the Giants first hit of the night in the 5th, stutter stepping and letting a ball fall getting caught between a shoe string catch and a dive……and then the big one with two down and two men on, he let the ball clank off his glove for the Giants 1st run and set up the Giants 2nd run to tie……and with the Giants lineup only recent experience with Runs coming after a 2 AM run to Taco Bell, Cameron gave the Giants a much needed assist….


SMACK OF THE STICK :
ISHIKAWA
Ugly night at the dish with 1 hit but 3 strikeouts..including a K to end the Giants rally in the 6th

PIERRE
Guy still has some game, and would be a welcome player in center in place of the Rowand contract…..but turned down the Giants…..we settled for Roberts……he settled for riding the pine……that’s what we call a lose lose deal…….

ROCKIES
LOSE DAMN YOU WHY WON'T YOU LOSE

FINAL THOUGHTS
The Giants already have 2 wins on the road trip that looked like it could be a 6 game nightmare….with Cain and Sanchez slated to go in the next two, the Giants might just end this road trip at .500 headed back home for a HUGE homestand versus resurgent Padres team (18-14 since Aug 1st), and the two teams ahead of the Giants in the standings….Rockies and Dodgers……The Rockies will be out for revenge and Fowler is slated to return this week, and Morales has looked pretty damn good so far in place of an injured Street…..the Dodgers, well you remember what they did to us last time in ATT…..but if the Giants can finish up strong on the road and keep rolling at home they have a strong chance at the Wild Card….and if they can beat the Doggies, you might hear a few people whisper about possibly winning the division…….

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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at PHILLIES 09/03

Wow, Timmy is short, Pedro is short, OK we get it already….if you put Tim in black face and gave him an Afro they would be twins…. Man, that got old as fast as the Penny jokes…. and you can forgive me for being in foul mood as the Giants ONCE AGAIN squander a strong performance from Lincecum…..the Giants have allowed exactly 2 runs 22 times…..the Giants are an AMAZING 12-10 when allowing 2 runs, that’s so screwed up I had to go back and check the stats twice….. and get this 4 of those losses the 2nd run allowed came in extra innings….how the FUCK do you go 12-10 when allowing 2 runs???? Unfortunately if you have been watching the 2009 San Francisco Giants you know all too well…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at PHILLIES 09/03

GAMEBALL

TIM

Well, Tim as just about as good as you can expect a human to be, all his pitches were working and he just made a few location errors and that all the Phillies would need. What can I say that hasn't already been said…..I will say this, I picked up a month old Baseball America that was sitting in my library (My W.C. Fields Memorial Library) It was the issue that ranks the best Tools in the Game…..Tim was rated best pitcher and Tim has the 3rd best Fastball in the National League, and the best amongst starters…no surprise really… but the part that got my jaw to drop was Timmy had the best Curveball in the National League….WOW…..just WOW, that's his 3rd best pitch and it’s #1 in the league??? When I think about it, I can see it as Tim has quite the yacker…in fact the yacker is what impressed me and the scouts the most when he was coming up to the Majors….but my god when your 3rd best pitch is THAT good, you know you got something special….and because you are curious….Best Fastball was Broxton followed by Brian Wilson and then Timmy….. Best Changeup? Santana, Hoffman, then Hammels…..I think you could put Timmy's change right in the mix with those three and have a good argument…….

TIP OF THE CAP :
VELEZ
DAMMIT….. hacking paid off for Velez with a leadoff Homer that made this feel like it was gonna be our game…..followed up with a leadoff Double in the 6th that JUST MISSED going out to Left Center and Eugenio had a big day……

MISCH
Finally got his first big league win for the Giants…..ok well technically FOR the Mets, but really helped the Giants out…..and at least Misch got run support……

ROMO
Clean inning in the 8th against the top of the Phillies order set up the disappointment of the 9th…..

JOKER

BATS

Cliff Lee was his dominant self again tonight, shutting down the Giants with 7 strong innings….wait, who's that???? Isn't that the guy that threw Zimmer to the ground a few years back??? I thought he retired! Dammit, it IS Pedro off the scrap heap with a fastball that could barely make a bowl of Jello Jiggle……
When Velez hit that Double off the top of the wall with Left Field my first reaction was DAMMIT just missed, but when I saw the speedy Velez on 2nd with the meat of the order coming up my reaction was, that's ok we will bring him in……and they when I realized the meat of our order was as rancid as horse meat left in the sun for 8 days, I realized my first reaction was the correct one…..Pedro was able to soft toss his way through the Giants lineup with 9 K's in 7 innings, but the Giants were not without their chances…..they had 9 plate appearances with a runner in scoring position…..they K's 3 times, walked 1 times, and only got the ball out of the infield one time…..which was a Deep but Easy Fly Ball was hit 10 feet short of the track to the deepest part of the ballpark…….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
MOLINA
Hate to pile on, but Poesy on the bench and suddenly Bengie is not only healthy enough to catch 9 innings, but also bat cleanup again….

BOCHY
Players Manager…Don't know if that is such a good thing….sure the vets are happy, but what does that mean for the kids…and winning…..and you got Posey up and chomping at the bit, get him in there…remember what happened the last time a Golden Spike Award Winner made his debut for the Giants…no not Timmy, I mean position player….Will Clark for Christ sakes…Yeah, I know he ain't Will, but they don't hand out those awards to just any dumbass…well except for Kip Bouknight... and I bet that Posey has a better chance to get on base that Molina…..hell, Michael Jackson has a better chance at having another hit then Bengie had tonight……(ok, didn't QUITE work, but too good not to use)

FINAL THOUGHTS
Hard to get too down after leaving Philly, our pitching staff was stellar and the hitting basically non-existent…..your 2009 Giants…..if the pitching was out there getting blown of the water I would be worried, but you actually come away from a 1-2 series loss feeling you could play these guys toe to toe in the Playoffs….if you can score more than 1 run a game and actually GET there FIRST…..

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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at PHILLIES 09/02

What the hell was THAT…. early September and Giants baseball is alive and well, hell I think they even scored a run or two, but I could be mistaken….on a day buzzing with the news of the callup of Posey the wunderkind, Penny drew the attention back to his acquisition with a stellar debut in Philly, holding the powerful Phils in check for 8 scoreless…….not much to say so lets just jump right into it…..

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at PHILLIES 09/02

GAMEBALL

PENNY

Big, ugly, and throws hard…..Big? Well, lets say that you could fit Lincecum in one of Penny's pant legs put Eugenio in the other…..and still have room to squeeze Alyssa Milano between them….who I hear is very familiar with the inside of Penny's pants…..Ugly?? Well lets just say that Cain is feeling less self conscious about his neck size….and Velez's facial hair is looking downright stylish in comparison to Penny…..Throws hard??? Averaging 94 MPH and maxing out at 97 MPH Penny is the hardest throwing member of arguably the best starting rotation in the big leagues….and that velocity is a big key to Penny's effectiveness as he leans on the fastball more than any of his rotation mates…
Penny was stellar tonight, mixing in his unimpressive curveball with an occasional slider and changeup..keeping his slow stuff down in the zone where it couldn't be whacked around…..but it was all about the fastball as Phillies hitters seem to struggle to catch up with it no matter how many times they saw it…..Penny was really only in trouble once tonight right after the Giants scored their lone run in the 5th….. Howard singled off a 1st pitch changeup, then Werth worked a walk….Ibanez was up with 2 men on and no outs before he flipped a 3-2 fastball to the track in left…..Penny then got a 1st pitch curveball called strike on Feliz, before he hit an easy grounder to Sandoval…. and then Penny got Ruiz on a 2-2 Slider on the outerhalf that he rolled over for an easy grounder to short……
But perhaps the highlight of Penny's night was his 9 pitch at bat in the 5th…which immediately preceeded Torress 9 pitch RBI Single….combined those two at bats took a chunk out of Happ's stamina and likely contributed to the 3 spot in the very next inning…..Good job you ugly fat fuck, welcome to the Giants…..

TIP OF THE CAP :
TORRES
Came through with the Giants first RBI of the road trip after a long 9 pitch battle with a stressed Happ…..

URIBE
3 hit night, and the BIG fly 15 rows back in the 6th gave the Giants what seemed like a comfortable lead with this pitching staff….and his swing still cracks me up….if you told him it was legal to get a running start ala Happy Gilmore he might just have a 50 homer year….

ROWAND
Wasted no time with a first pitch JACK to go back to back with Uribe….

AFFELDT
Worked the 9th making Victorino, Utley, and Howard look like tee ballers

RUNZLER
Dan uses his power lefthanded fastball to climb all the way from Low A to the Bigs in one whirlwind year….strike out stuff to be sure with 77 K's in 54 innings, not horribly wild but not exactly a control artist with 22 walks, temper your expectations, as those lights are bright in the big leagues, especially when you have logged less than 7 innings above A Ball and that San Jose Stadium that seats only 4,200 ppl……

JOKER

MOLINA

I guess that student at Skyline shot in the ass wasn't the only guy who was butt hurt today (rimshot)…. after being asked if the Giants were sending a message with the Posey callup Molina replied “You know what, probably” (click to read the whole thing if you haven't already) “This might mean I’m not coming back next year. Who knows?" Now I will be the first to say that his hacktastic ways aside, Molina has been a very good Giants and filled a void on the team with his defense, his bat, and nurturing the younger players….but come on bro, don't be like that…. You have be out 8 games in a row and Whiteside ain't exactly lighting it up….. its not like Molina has been running out there everyday hitting the cover off the ball….. and this is a pennant race, and its all hands on deck…..Molina knows the deal, but he better also know that with or without Posey the Giants are going to move on eventually…. and with Posey hitting the cover off the ball and DRAWING WALKS that eventually might come sooner rather than later….so suck it up Bengie, and you might get a taste of postseason once more…..and when you look for that multiyear contract this offseason you might just get it from some guilble GM looking for "veteran leadership"…..


SMACK OF THE STICK :
FREDDY SANCHEZ
With Uribe playing solid defense and hitting the cover off the ball (3rd multi hit game in last 5)….you might not have a spot until you are 110% healthy…..you can forget that vesting option that looked so sure just a month ago…..in fact if Sabes has a brain, he will offer you a 3 year $20 Million dollar deal like you offered the Pirates

WALKER/TASCHNER
Good to see you both still have work….. man that bullpen is in shambles……when your closer, your best pitcher in the pen has an 7 ERA in September, you know things are bleak for your pen…..


FINAL THOUGHTS
So the Giants go into the rubber match in Philly with a very interesting pitching matchup….. Lincecum v Pedro Martinez…. the one pitcher Timmy is most often compared to due to his small stature and devastating changeup no longer has that Mid 90's heat and Bugs Bunny changeup…..these days he is just trying to get by with a high 80's fastball and a high 70's change…..but don't underestimate Pedro's guile, as no matter what he was throwing he brings that competitive fire and knack for pitching……Timmy also has to face a far superior offense than Pedro will face……so lets hope Tim is on top of his game and sends us to Milwaukee on a up note…..


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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at PHILLIES 09/01

Hey that Renteria Grandslam really was pretty fucking cool, wasn't it…. ok so that was over 48 hours ago, and I feel a little like that 8 year old kid about 1 hour after finishing my cotton candy…… no longer running around riding my high…. it has worn off and I am slipping into a post sugar rush coma which accompanies 2009 San Francisco Giants Road Trips….and the Giants road record is horrid, especially when considering what they have done at home… but really this road record is so horrid because of 3 nightmare trips where the Giants went a combined for 4-18…..of course these games count too, but the point is the Giants don't always go in the tank on the road…..The three trips in question are the season opening trip, the trip through San Diego and Seattle where they lost the 1st 4 games by 1 run, and the trip right after the All Star Break…..and the amazing thing is each of these trips were followed by 1 loss homestands……so heading into Phila and Milwaukee before coming home, the Giants are still in it basically no matter what happens…..cause if they tank you know they will make it up at home…….of course I might have jumped off a bridge by the time the Giants go 8-1 versus the Dodgers, Rockies and Padres…….

Here are home stands and the following road trips in chronological order…….
Home 2-1 then Road 0-6
Home 4-1 then Road 2-1
Home 4-2 then Road 4-2
Home 3-4 then Road 1-5
Home 5-1 then Road 6-4
Home 6-3 then Road 5-5
Home 7-3 then Road 3-7
Home 6-1 then Road 2-1
Home 2-4 then Road 5-6
Home 5-1 then Road 0-1

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> GIANTS at PHILLIES 09/01

GAMEBALL

SANCHEZ

Well there is nothing wrong with that pitching….. freaking impressive….. going into Philadelphia, facing a MASHING lineup in a BANDBOX of a stadium, the Phillies needed a bloop and a hot shot grounder to score their only run of the night…. If I am Jonathan Sanchez I am feeling pretty fucking good about myself, despite the loss….. forget the No Hitter versus the Padres, going 6 solid with 8 K's versus this lineup on the road is a feather in the cap…. surely he would have loved the win, but that would require the Giants offense ACTUALLY SCORING at least 1 run…..but I don't want to bore you with the details…….tonight Sanchez was the man…..

TIP OF THE CAP :
PENNY
A easy man to hate ever since he was part of that 2003 Marlins team…. fat, ugly and slept with Alyssa Milano….she has money and fame already…..so either it was a pity fuck, or he is hung like a horse……I really don't want to think about that, so lets guess it was a pity fuck….. hey, good for him…. you work any angle you got…… but back to baseball…. as reported his fastball velocity is still there…..so what gives??? well since I don't make it a habit to watch Red Sox games, I will go by the data…..despite his heater, he has never been much of a strike out pitcher….. and since his sterling 2007, his K rates have been falling…..comparing data from 2007 to 2009, looks like he has a 85 MPH pitch with changeup/ splitter movement……looks like he has backed off usage of this pitch quite a bit down from 15% of the time to about 7% of the time…. and looks like he has been throwing something with slider movement (according to Pitchfx AND Baseball Info Solutions) that he is throwing about 4% of the time…..this coupled with 5% more curveballs and he has been a different pitcher in 2009…..maybe he has lost the feel of his changeup….maybe he thinks arm trouble is associated with his changeup, whatever it is he has changed…….all that being said, he is still young and throwing hard, so he could flash that All Star form again at anytime…..and if he ends up a wash out as a pitcher, he is at least a valuable expendable big body with a good fast ball who hates the Dodgers, all valuable attributes if a fresh beanball war breaks out……and I would love to see a Padilla v Penny matchup in September……ouch…….

AURILIA
Did his job with a single hooked into left to lead off the 9th……and please kids, don't try that swing at home……Rich is a "professional hitter"…..

MEDDERS
Tired arm meltdowns aside, this kid has been lights out and gives the Giants a 4th arm in the pen that can shut them down……

JOKER

BATS

Bats suck, that is all………..




What…. if they mailed it in, why can't I?.... ok, ok I AM a professional so I will get it done tonight….ok a professional by day, an amateur by night (not talking about my porn career, so get your mind out of the gutter)…..The Giants had their best scoring chance in the 2nd inning with a Garko leadoff double….but that was the last time a Giants would reach 2nd base….so the Giants were 1st pitch hacking right??? well, amazingly enough the Giants only swung at the 1st pitch 9 times in 29 at bats…..and only 5 times in the first 7 innings ….that's a great tactic versus a pitcher with shaky control but unfortunately that wasn't Hammels tonight as in those 20 at bats theGiants took a 1st pitch called strike 12 times…..add that to 23 total swing throughs and it was an ugly night for the Giants offense….I won't keep harping on this, it was a case where the Giants hitters, as shitty as they are actually looked like they had a plan, too bad it was as well conceived as New Coke…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
TORRES
Pinch Runner getting picked off (officially a caught stealing) is the definition of suck….welcome back to the bigs, now go watch some film……

SABEAN
That Sanchez trade looks worse by the day, and Garko ain't exactly been a difference maker either….Rohlinger??? really???? I mean, the kid got a big hit on Sunday but I GOT to believe that Frandsen would be a better piece right now….. are you afraid of poisoning the clubhouse???? hell you brought Penny in, so it CAN'T be that…..just swallow your pride and bring him up already…..

BOCHY
yeah Leftie v Leftie…..but I would have loved to see Nate and/ or Ishikawa in their for defense AT LEAST….and with Hammels best pitch being that Changeup away, a Leftie will actually take that pitch out of his arsenal…..Career OPS v Right = .706 Left .723… you can split the stats a few different ways, or take different stats….but the bottom line is that Lefties on the whole don't have a significant disadvantage to Hammels who lines up on the right side of the rubber, comes over the top, and features a changeup…..about as "Unfunky" as Lawrence Welk (can you believe I felt the need to link Welk's Wiki?

FINAL THOUGHT
Well the Giants have actually stayed relevant into September… and despite the emotional swings of the season they still have an outside chance at the postseason without significant damage to the farm system…. our fate will stay in question at least into our next homestand where we get 9 games, 6 of which are against the teams ahead of us….if we can manage a 2-4 trip, we should still be in position to stay relevant into the final weeks of the season….and of course, the Rockies end the season at the Dodgers in what could be a battle for the division…..the bad news??? The Giants end the season in San Diego, where the Giants have dropped 6 games averaging less than 2 runs scored per game…..

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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(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..)

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/30

I often hear than fans can allow themselves the luxury of having their emotions swing with the outcomes of games, whereas players as professionals can't let those things effect them. Well, that may be true to a certain extent but after Monday nights loss you can't tell me the players didn't have their heads down and their tails between their legs. But when faced with a situation like that in baseball, or in life in general…. you can go two ways…..roll over and die, or get mad get up off your ass and fight….. and dammit if the Giants didn't do just that….. fighting back with 2 late wins versus the DBacks, and then after two dominating performances, coming back from what seemed like a loss in the books to SWEEP the team responsible for the bad feelings in the first place and the teams emotions as so high, they probably didn't need a plane to fly to East Coast tonight

After a game like that, its Fangraphs time



Giants best performers
Renteria +87.4% WPA (that’s more than 1 1/2 wins)
Lewis +15.8%
Affeldt +12.4%

Giants worst performers
Sandoval +17.5%
Whiteside +17.2%
Cain +16.6%

GAMEBALL and JOKER--> ROCKS at GIANTS 8/30

GAMEBALL

EDGAR

In the Bottom of the 6th inning with runners on second and third and no outs, down by two…..Molina and Sandoval both struck out, not even managing a sac fly or a run scoring grounder……and then the pinch hitting Garko hit a easy broken bat grounder to third to squander a chance to tie the game with a simple basehit……Then in the 7th inning the Rockies pushed across another run to extend the lead to 3……the game was over right there…..but in the 7th the Giants would have another chance……the first two runners would reach, and the after a Whiteside K, and a Lewis HBP the Giants had the based juiced and the tying run on base for Velez……Another K with a runner on 3rd and less than two out and up stepped injured Renteria in the midst of his worst season in the majors …..he had hit the ball hard twice in three at bats, so perhaps we might have seen this coming…..but no way, this would not happen…..the Giants would surely squander this chance as well……on a 0-1 fastball location mistake belt high inside edge of the plate, Renteria UNLOADED on the ball hitting a NO DOUBTER over the cars in left, clearing the wall by at least 20-30 feet, and at that one moment everything changed, the park came alive, and with Affeldt warming in the pen you suddenly had the belief that we COULD beat this juggernaut of a team…..not only BEAT this team, but actually dominate and demoralize this Rockies team that has been rolling since May……so who knows how this season will end, or how Renteria will finish the year, but I know one thing…..despite the numbers and the disappointment, Edgar won a lot of fans today……..and by the way, the Rockies have now lost a season high 5 in a row….

TIP OF THE CAP :
URIBE
A tough AB to draw a lead off walk in the 7th to get the ball rolling for the rally, a single/ triple thing to right to help extend the lead in the 8th…but overlooked at the time and forgotten later, was a SLICK double play in the top of the 7th to hold the lead at 3……with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd and Medders just in the game, he ranged to his left to snare a hard hit 1 hopper, spun and fired a strike to Renteria, who relayed to 1st to just get Hawpe and send the Giants to the bottom of the 7th for the game turning rally….we can forgive the misplay on the popup in the 9th where Renteria and Uribe combined for the drop…..

MEDDERS
Came in 1st and 3rd and 1 out…..let the one run score, but got out of the 7th keeping the damage in check……

AFFELDT
With a fresh 1 run lead, Jeremy gave every one a scare…..a double and a single and there was 1st and 3rd with 1 out……and Jeremy got mad…..and proceeded with Back to Back punch outs and then a full body fist pump celebration to end the inning and send it to the 9th….

ROHLINGER
BIG add on double…..after looking bad twice on two swing and miss sliders, Rohlinger hit a hard line drive to Left Center to drive in 2 and give the Giants some breathing room….

LEWIS
Doubled and scored in the 6th, and then took a 97 MPH fastball in the ribs during the grand slam rally…and no Monkey, I don't think he rubbed it…..

VELEZ
Double plated the 9th run, and when it bounced into the stands he put me on TV….for about 1.7 seconds……..


JOKER

WEIRDO in LEFT

If you were at the game, you saw something ALMOST as stupid as the Kruk & Kuip bobbleheads…between every 1/2 inning…..1st row down the left field line..a Dude with Mickey Mouse Hands and a Fantasia style Wizards Hat…was doing his imitation of Michael J Fox being Electrocuted…..ok, I could understand if he was being paid by Red Bull or GoldenPalace or something like that, but as far as I could tell this was just the biggest attention whore I have seen since Paris Hilton…..lets just hope he doesn't make a sex tape……and yes, I did see something on his shirt, but searching the net I can't figure out what he was promoting…..I am thinking he is one of these court jester guys you hire for parties…..you know the jackass doing magic, trying to do sing alongs and generally acting like the village idiot……whatever he is, he should have been kicked out of the park once he started doing his "dance"….or at least taken out back and maimed…..

SMACK OF THE STICK :
CAIN
Been a horse all year, but dug the Giants an early hole after being hit HARD, allowing 2 Homers and a double that was as close as you can come without going out…..

HINSHAW
3 baserunners vs 1 out does not keep you in the bigs….sure 1 was a nice bunt, but then the one out was a pickoff too…never got a batter out….

UMPIRES
I can understand the missed call on Cain, but do they ALL go against us…..the ratio of getting the short end of a ball call seems to be 2:1 at least …..and why do we have the same umps for the WHOLE HOMESTAND????......but the real reason you are here is the called 3rd strike on Pablo….looked inside, but the Center Field camera is at a slight angle so I went to PitchFX to be sure….the ball was 6 inches off the plate according to Pitchfx…..and that system is pretty damn accurate in regards to inside outside and it is set to judge the strike zone on a plane with the FRONT of the plate….and that ball was moving even MORE inside when it hit the mit…..bad call……rookie umpire…..


FINAL THOUGHTS
After being at the game on Thursday….watching Friday's game on TV and then missing yesterday entirely, I felt I NEEDED a good game today as I took it in from the Left Field Bleachers……and the Giants delivered….a good crowd even when we were down got FUCKING LOUD when that ball left Renteria's bat, and then EXPLODED when the ball went over the wall….after that point, the place just kept BUZZIN with a playoff like atmosphere (an overused but in this case apt analogy*)……this was the BEST game I have been to this year, and actually its been years since a game this good and I go to a lot of games……the only game in recent memory that comes close would be Timmy's 15 K game this year……before that it was May 16th 2006 when the Giants scored 4 in the 9th to beat the Dodgers…..


*Analogy, Simile, what the fuck do I know, I ain't no goddamn fucking English professor….juts read the damn thing and smile….


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GB and JK ARCHIVES AT THE GIANTS BOARD BLOG

(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..)