If you're a Giants fan, I don't have to tell you what this home-stand meant for the season.
I don't have to tell you that, following a loss today and a 1-5 stretch at home, the Giants are now just 3 games above .500. With today's loss, they're now 6 games behind the 1st place Padres, 2.5 games behind the ailing Dodgers, and .5 games back of the Rockies. Good thing the Diamondbacks are in this division, or I'd be really depressed.
The Giants are 8-17 against their own division, hardly playoff-worth numbers. They're 15-20 on the road, heading into an 11-game road trip to finish out the 1st half of the season. That's a scary thought, considering their season could be over by then.
Where does the blame fall? Who's responsible for this level of play?
It starts at the top.
The last few weeks, the line-up has consisted mostly of: Torres - CF, F. Sanchez - 2B, Sandoval - 1B, Huff - RF, Burrell - LF, Uribe - 3B, Renteria - SS, and Molina - C. Pablo is the only person in this line-up under 30. At some point, this should have been expected. These players will go into slumps, they will break down. But, then, why didn't Bochy plan for this? There are plenty of capable young players who would've loved a few more starts, if for no other reason than to give the veterans some rest. Aubrey Huff has clearly earned a starting spot at 1B, but he's slowed down quite a bit in the last couple weeks due, in part, to a lack of rest. Travis Ishikawa is batting .314 and, yet, has only had 35 at-bats. 35. In 3 months. That is not good utilization of your utility player. As the summer wears on, Huff will need to miss a few more games (He's only missed 3 so far). It's not a slight to Huff, it's a way to preserve him.
The catching situation is also confusing. Molina was re-signed this off-season, supposedly, to start the season out until Buster Posey could prove he was ready. Posey has shown he is. After a month in the big leagues, he's batting .289, but he's had just 2 starts behind the plate. His starts have also become more erratic and inconsistent. He's having to learn a new position and has had inconsistency, and it has affected his hitting lately. To succeed, Bochy needs to make the executive decision to go with his catcher of the future, sit Molina, and let Posey claim that position. Molina is bringing nothing to the table. He's batting .257 with 3 homeruns (1 less than back-up catcher Eli Whiteside. Why isn't Molina the bench guy with Whiteside starting?). It's time for Big Money to become the back-up he was signed to be. It's almost the halfway point - time to pull the trigger.
The biggest factor in this team's lack-luster performances? The Manager and General Manager, Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean. There almost seems to be a lack of effort on their part, and that trickles down to the players. If the manager doesn't try (as seen when the line-up barely changes this home-stand, despite awful baserunning, a lack of clutch hits, and ugly at-bats), why should the players go all out? Bochy clearly can't manager all 25 guys, as we see the same guys over and over again, and he seems to forget about the younger guys (Ishikawa, Nate Schierholtz), who HAVE to be developed. This old line-up is not your future, and if you don't have a manager that can develop anyone younger, maybe it's time for Bochy to go.
However, it's easy to see where Bochy gets this attitude. In an article written on Wednesday, prior to another loss to the Dodgers, Brian Sabean is quoted as saying, "it's a good group. they know what's at stake. They know the sense of urgency." Really? Does that come across in the way Renteria, Rowand, Molina, Uribe, and Sandoval have been playing lately? Sabean goes on to say that there is no reason to panic, no reason to be upset. Isn't this the very problem with the team? They have become painful to watch, not because they're losing, but because there's a lack of fire and passion and energy. On Saturday, against the Red Sox, the Giants lost; but the game was great to watch because of the show Madisen Bumgarner put on throwing to Buster Posey. They brought an energy and an excitement to the field that hadn't been out there for awhile. The Giants need more of this. Without it, they will continue to fail, continue to look lack-luster.
If Sabean doesn't care, Bochy doesn't care, why should the players care? And why should we, as fans, care?
Jen
P.S. - this is "part 1" because my dad will be guest-blogging with me this week. Get ready.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
It's been awhile
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Life's been a little hectic (in a good way). But I feel it's definitely time for another blog and more Giants discussions.
Let's first look at the positives:
A few weeks ago, I said that, in order to remain competitive this season, Jonathon Sanchez would have to keep pitching the way we know he can and Aubrey Huff would need to keep hitting the way he was. Well, those 2 things are in-tact so far. Jonathon is currently 4-4 (a record that is deceiving, considering he has yet to give up more than 4 runs in any start and took the loss in a 1-hitter) with a 2.63 era and 68 strikeouts. He's also 2nd in the MLB with opponents batting .183 against him. With Timmy struggling a little bit this season and Cain and Zito being a little inconsistent, it's great to see Sanchez have such a nice 2 months of baseball. We can expect great things from this pitcher in the years to come.
Aubrey Huff has also very pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't the biggest Huff fan when they signed him in the off-season, but he has gone out and, unlike many of the veterans on the team, has earned his starting spot every day. He plays hard, his defense has surpassed expectations, and he's almost always in the middle of a scoring rally. He's currently batting .298, and is 3rd among the starters (behind Posey and Freddy Sanchez) with an OBP of .389. This is exactly the kind of production the Giants should be getting from a big free agent signing and Huff has certainly not disappointed.
It's also been great having a healthy Freddy Sanchez back. While he's only been back for 17 games (going into tonights), he's leading the team in batting avg. at .381 and he's 2nd on the team with a .438 OBP. Let's cross our fingers and hope Freddy can stay healthy, cause this struggling offense could really use him.
Lastly, (and probably my favorite positive of the season so far) is Buster Posey. Several people didn't think Posey was ready to be brought up to the big leagues so soon, but he has proved them all very wrong. 8 games in, Posey owns a .433 avg and a .452 OBP. (as I'm typing this, he just got another single, bringing his avg to .469) Tonight he is finally getting a start behind the plate, where he belongs. Seeing Posey thrive up here in the majors should be a huge wake-up call to Sabean and Bochy on who to play the rest of the season.
The Negatives:
Starting with the most obvious, Aaron Rowand. While he may be a likable guy and a good teammate in the clubhouse, there is literally no excuse for him starting everyday. He can make some great catches, but his arm is not nearly as good as Schierholtz (Rowand has 3 assists this season to Schierholtz' 6 in more games than Schierholtz). Rowand is also basically an automatic out at the plate. His .222 batting avg (and falling) and .254 OBP put him dead last on the team in both categories, and it's not even close. Some say to give the guy a chance, he'll find his swing again. But Rowand's avg has dropped consistently every year since 2007 (coincidentally, every year he's been a Giant). A guy who plays as hard as Rowand and who's been in the big leagues for 10 years already does not provide hope for a breakout future. Rowand is on a downward spiral. While he'll get some hits the rest of the season (obviously, he won't bat .000), don't expect him to do much to help this team win. And, if Bochy is smart and can get past the money, Schierholtz will get a chance to solidify his role as starting right fielder.
Another problem for the Giants is shaping up to be Pablo Sandoval. While slumping at a respectable .281, he's .40 points lower than his career avg. of .322. He's only got 4 HRs this season (on-pace to hit about 12 this season, compared to 25 in 2009) and his .333 OBP puts him behind every starter except Rowand and Molina. Whether it's a case of needing a couple days off or being on a stricter diet-and-exercise plan, the Giants need to figure out what is happening to the Panda. At 23, the odds are in his favor. He's still learning, he's open to new ideas, he's capable of growing as a player, but he needs to be willing to, and this coaching staff needs to be willing to help him.
And lastly (for now), is the problem of Bengie Molina as everyday catcher. Now that Posey has proven that he can hit at a major league level, the next step is to assimilate him into being the catcher everyday. They didn't draft him to play 1B (and they signed a big free agent in the off-season to play there, so sticking Huff in LF isn't a good long-term solution). The Giants drafted Posey to be the catcher of the future, a solid guy behind the plate for the next several years. Now that he's up here, why delay the inevitable? Molina's .248 avg and .313 OBP aren't impressive numbers offensively and his 18% for throwing out guys stealing is not impressive. Like Rowand, he is more of a hindrance out there than a help. And that's a scary thought.
Overall, the Giants need to finally learn to let go. Let go of Rowand in the outfield and put in Schierholtz. Let go of Molina behind the plate and let Posey have his spot. Posey and Schierholtz have done nothing this year but earn a spot, only to have it taken from them and given to an older, slower, weaker player. If the Giants want to compete this year (remember, they're still in 3rd in their division), they need to get younger and give the young guys a chance. And Panda could stand to lose some weight. Just sayin'.
Jen
Let's first look at the positives:
A few weeks ago, I said that, in order to remain competitive this season, Jonathon Sanchez would have to keep pitching the way we know he can and Aubrey Huff would need to keep hitting the way he was. Well, those 2 things are in-tact so far. Jonathon is currently 4-4 (a record that is deceiving, considering he has yet to give up more than 4 runs in any start and took the loss in a 1-hitter) with a 2.63 era and 68 strikeouts. He's also 2nd in the MLB with opponents batting .183 against him. With Timmy struggling a little bit this season and Cain and Zito being a little inconsistent, it's great to see Sanchez have such a nice 2 months of baseball. We can expect great things from this pitcher in the years to come.
Aubrey Huff has also very pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't the biggest Huff fan when they signed him in the off-season, but he has gone out and, unlike many of the veterans on the team, has earned his starting spot every day. He plays hard, his defense has surpassed expectations, and he's almost always in the middle of a scoring rally. He's currently batting .298, and is 3rd among the starters (behind Posey and Freddy Sanchez) with an OBP of .389. This is exactly the kind of production the Giants should be getting from a big free agent signing and Huff has certainly not disappointed.
It's also been great having a healthy Freddy Sanchez back. While he's only been back for 17 games (going into tonights), he's leading the team in batting avg. at .381 and he's 2nd on the team with a .438 OBP. Let's cross our fingers and hope Freddy can stay healthy, cause this struggling offense could really use him.
Lastly, (and probably my favorite positive of the season so far) is Buster Posey. Several people didn't think Posey was ready to be brought up to the big leagues so soon, but he has proved them all very wrong. 8 games in, Posey owns a .433 avg and a .452 OBP. (as I'm typing this, he just got another single, bringing his avg to .469) Tonight he is finally getting a start behind the plate, where he belongs. Seeing Posey thrive up here in the majors should be a huge wake-up call to Sabean and Bochy on who to play the rest of the season.
The Negatives:
Starting with the most obvious, Aaron Rowand. While he may be a likable guy and a good teammate in the clubhouse, there is literally no excuse for him starting everyday. He can make some great catches, but his arm is not nearly as good as Schierholtz (Rowand has 3 assists this season to Schierholtz' 6 in more games than Schierholtz). Rowand is also basically an automatic out at the plate. His .222 batting avg (and falling) and .254 OBP put him dead last on the team in both categories, and it's not even close. Some say to give the guy a chance, he'll find his swing again. But Rowand's avg has dropped consistently every year since 2007 (coincidentally, every year he's been a Giant). A guy who plays as hard as Rowand and who's been in the big leagues for 10 years already does not provide hope for a breakout future. Rowand is on a downward spiral. While he'll get some hits the rest of the season (obviously, he won't bat .000), don't expect him to do much to help this team win. And, if Bochy is smart and can get past the money, Schierholtz will get a chance to solidify his role as starting right fielder.
Another problem for the Giants is shaping up to be Pablo Sandoval. While slumping at a respectable .281, he's .40 points lower than his career avg. of .322. He's only got 4 HRs this season (on-pace to hit about 12 this season, compared to 25 in 2009) and his .333 OBP puts him behind every starter except Rowand and Molina. Whether it's a case of needing a couple days off or being on a stricter diet-and-exercise plan, the Giants need to figure out what is happening to the Panda. At 23, the odds are in his favor. He's still learning, he's open to new ideas, he's capable of growing as a player, but he needs to be willing to, and this coaching staff needs to be willing to help him.
And lastly (for now), is the problem of Bengie Molina as everyday catcher. Now that Posey has proven that he can hit at a major league level, the next step is to assimilate him into being the catcher everyday. They didn't draft him to play 1B (and they signed a big free agent in the off-season to play there, so sticking Huff in LF isn't a good long-term solution). The Giants drafted Posey to be the catcher of the future, a solid guy behind the plate for the next several years. Now that he's up here, why delay the inevitable? Molina's .248 avg and .313 OBP aren't impressive numbers offensively and his 18% for throwing out guys stealing is not impressive. Like Rowand, he is more of a hindrance out there than a help. And that's a scary thought.
Overall, the Giants need to finally learn to let go. Let go of Rowand in the outfield and put in Schierholtz. Let go of Molina behind the plate and let Posey have his spot. Posey and Schierholtz have done nothing this year but earn a spot, only to have it taken from them and given to an older, slower, weaker player. If the Giants want to compete this year (remember, they're still in 3rd in their division), they need to get younger and give the young guys a chance. And Panda could stand to lose some weight. Just sayin'.
Jen
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