Just a few quick thoughts as we go through these dog-days of August:
1. Belt.
I don't want to say "I told you so," but I will. He's batting .464 so far in ten games in August, up dratiscally from .186 in July. He's raised his overall average to .259, and he's got more hits this month so far (14) than he did in all of April (10), May (13), and July (13). Belt's OBP in August is .531 and he's third on the team in the last month. (Well, technically he's 4th, behind Buster Posey, Melky Cabrera, and, wait for it, Nate Schierholtz. Too soon?) Perhaps his most impressive game of the season was this past Sunday, where he went 4-4 with a run and an RBI. Belt has played 11 of the 13 games in August so far. He's back to consistent playing time, and, surprise surprise, he's killing it at the plate. But just to be safe, everyone go knock on wood that I didn't just jinx him for the rest of the season.
2. Pence.
Yes, Nate Schierholtz was my current favorite Giant. He'd come up through the organiztion, he was from the Bay Area, and he always seemed like a hard worker. Plus, in all honesty, it'll be very hard for anybody to play right field at AT&T park better than Nate Schierholtz. But I think that Hunter Pence was a great pick-up for the Giants. Honestly, I wish Sabean had gone after Pence last July instead of Carlos Beltran. Pence came from the Phillies on July 31 batting .271 with 17 homeruns and 59 RBIs. While he's struggled a bit in a Giants uniform, batting just .145 with one homerun, he does have 11 RBIs in 13 games. Sunday's game against the Rockies was huge for Pence as well, when he made his first homerun as a Giant really count. He crushed a three-run shot over the left-centerfield wall to break a 6-6 tie in the 8th inning. It gave the Giants the 9-6 win that they desperately needed to keep pace with the Dodgers, who had won earlier that day. Perhaps most encouraging, though, was Pence's post-game comments. Even though he had every reason to bask in the glory of his performance, he spent time praising his teammates for their tough at-bats and key hits. Pence is clearly a great teammate and a team player. The Giants are stronger with him.
There's more to come on Posey and the already-intense Giants-Dodgers pennant race. Stay tuned.
I love this time of the year.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Let it Be
So, my boy Belt has taken quite a verbal lashing in the past week. It's been a little tough to listen to. Yes, he's been struggling. Yes, he's had a really slow start to the second half. July has been a tough month for him. But he should still be starting practically every day. Now, before you call me (maybe) crazy, let me explain myself.
Belt has the potential for power that first base needs. So far this season, he has four homeruns. Nobody else has as many at that position. Brett Pill has three on the season and Aubrey Huff has just one. Posey has hit just one homer at first base (yes, he has 12 on the season, but only one has come in the games when he's started at first). Belt has 211 at-bats on the season. While four homeruns in 211 ABs are not the best stats, Belt has shown us that he has the ability to drive the ball. Like I've written about before, he hit his four homers doing the stretch in June where he started 17 games in a row. Since then, he hasn't started more than four games in a row. For a 23-year-old who's expierencing his first full year in the majors, consistent time at the plate is crucial for his development. Brandon has looked lost at the plate in recent at-bats, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and taking called strikes that are seemingly right down the plate. But how is he supposed to work through these issues from the bench?
Defensively, he's also the Giants best option. Posey has committed two errors at first base, the same as Belt. Posey has a .989 fielding percentage behind the plate and has only one passed ball. Hector Sanchez, while solid at the plate, has struggled a little defensively. He's got a .987 fielding percentage with two passed balls in half the innings that Posey has played at catcher. It's not that Sanchez isn't a great prospect with a lot to offer this club, but right now Posey is the best option behind the plate. It's a detriment to the Giants, at least on the defensive end, to have Posey at first base. Looking ahead to a the pennant race in September and, hopefully, any playoff games, Posey behind the plate and Belt at first gives San Francisco it's best defenive team. That's the team that should be on the field in a big game. Why would we not want to see that team as often as possible during the regular season?
Lastly, the desparaging remarks from Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean have got to stop. We are all painfully aware when a player is struggling at the plate. And I'm pretty sure that Brandon Belt is aware that he's only batting .150 with zero homeruns and two RBIs in the month of July. However, I can't see how Bochy openly saying that Belt is having a tough time is helpful to Brandon. And the remarks about Huff coming back to help out Belt isn't realistic. Huff is not the future at first base. Prior to his injury on June 13, Huff was batting .155 with no homeruns and five RBIs on the season. He'll turn 36 this December. His contract is up at the end of this season, and it seems unlikely that he'll be back for another season with the Giants. And while Belt is not exactly making the strongest case for himself to start every day, his stats at least show signs of the first baseman he could become. Belt's .348 OBP ties him for seventh in the league among first basemen. This is largely helped by his 37 walks for the season. It's not much, but it does point to Belt's ability to take a pitch and have a patient at-bat.
At some point, the Giants will have to decide who they want to invent in as their first baseman of the future. If it's Brandon Belt, then they need to commit now. If their banking on him to be playing 1B for this franchise, Bochy needs to put him out there every day. Belt will grow at the plate with consistency. It will not only help him work out the kinks in his swing but will show him that his manager and team believe in his ability to get the job done. Right now, the poor guy could use all the confidence boosting that he can get.
Belt has the potential for power that first base needs. So far this season, he has four homeruns. Nobody else has as many at that position. Brett Pill has three on the season and Aubrey Huff has just one. Posey has hit just one homer at first base (yes, he has 12 on the season, but only one has come in the games when he's started at first). Belt has 211 at-bats on the season. While four homeruns in 211 ABs are not the best stats, Belt has shown us that he has the ability to drive the ball. Like I've written about before, he hit his four homers doing the stretch in June where he started 17 games in a row. Since then, he hasn't started more than four games in a row. For a 23-year-old who's expierencing his first full year in the majors, consistent time at the plate is crucial for his development. Brandon has looked lost at the plate in recent at-bats, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and taking called strikes that are seemingly right down the plate. But how is he supposed to work through these issues from the bench?
Defensively, he's also the Giants best option. Posey has committed two errors at first base, the same as Belt. Posey has a .989 fielding percentage behind the plate and has only one passed ball. Hector Sanchez, while solid at the plate, has struggled a little defensively. He's got a .987 fielding percentage with two passed balls in half the innings that Posey has played at catcher. It's not that Sanchez isn't a great prospect with a lot to offer this club, but right now Posey is the best option behind the plate. It's a detriment to the Giants, at least on the defensive end, to have Posey at first base. Looking ahead to a the pennant race in September and, hopefully, any playoff games, Posey behind the plate and Belt at first gives San Francisco it's best defenive team. That's the team that should be on the field in a big game. Why would we not want to see that team as often as possible during the regular season?
Lastly, the desparaging remarks from Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean have got to stop. We are all painfully aware when a player is struggling at the plate. And I'm pretty sure that Brandon Belt is aware that he's only batting .150 with zero homeruns and two RBIs in the month of July. However, I can't see how Bochy openly saying that Belt is having a tough time is helpful to Brandon. And the remarks about Huff coming back to help out Belt isn't realistic. Huff is not the future at first base. Prior to his injury on June 13, Huff was batting .155 with no homeruns and five RBIs on the season. He'll turn 36 this December. His contract is up at the end of this season, and it seems unlikely that he'll be back for another season with the Giants. And while Belt is not exactly making the strongest case for himself to start every day, his stats at least show signs of the first baseman he could become. Belt's .348 OBP ties him for seventh in the league among first basemen. This is largely helped by his 37 walks for the season. It's not much, but it does point to Belt's ability to take a pitch and have a patient at-bat.
At some point, the Giants will have to decide who they want to invent in as their first baseman of the future. If it's Brandon Belt, then they need to commit now. If their banking on him to be playing 1B for this franchise, Bochy needs to put him out there every day. Belt will grow at the plate with consistency. It will not only help him work out the kinks in his swing but will show him that his manager and team believe in his ability to get the job done. Right now, the poor guy could use all the confidence boosting that he can get.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Here We Go Again
So, the second half of the baseball season starts tomorrow. I can't wait. The Giants finished the first half at 46-40, just a half game behind the Dodgers (and zero games back in the loss column) for first place in the National League West. San Francisco had some great moments in the first half: Cain's perfect game and sweeping the Dodgers in three games with three shutouts. It was all capped off by the Giants making their fans look smart (and Mets fans look bitter) when they dominated the All-Star game in Kansas City. Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, and Melky Cabrera went 3-7 with one walk, zero strikeouts, and five RBIs. Matt Cain pitched two shut-out innings, setting the tone for the rest of the National League pitching staff to pitch seven more. Cabrera was named MVP. The night literally couldn't have gone any better for the Giants or their fans.
While these moments have been great and have provided some great first-half memories, there are definitely things that the Giants need to work in the second half if they want to make a push for the postseason.
1. Lincecum. The Giantts are 46-40 on the season and are 4-14 in Tim Lincecum's starts. That means they are 42-26 when he's not on the mound. He's shown flashes of brilliance (April 23 against the Mets, April 28 against the Padres, June 27 against the Dodgers) but has mostly been erratic and inconsistent. His velocity has been up and down, and he's been leaving a lot of pitches up. Hitters are making him pay, and his ERA is a league-worst among starters at 6.42. There's not much I can say that the stats don't. Timmy just needs to rebound in the second half. Let's just leave it at that.
2. Belt. Brandon began to show his offensive abilities in the last month with more consistent playing time. From June 7 to June 26 he started a season-high 17 games in a row. During that time, he raised his batting average from .236 to .261. He hit four homeruns with 14 RBIs. However, to end the first half, Belt only started six of the last 11 games. During this inconsistent playing time, he hasn't hit any homeruns and has only one RBI. Brandon Belt is 23 and needs consistent playing time to become the kind of high-caliber first baseman that we all know (or hope/pray) that he can be. I'm hoping and praying that Bochy realizes this as well.
3. The Closer. Santiago Casilla did a great job for the most part in the first half of the season. He converted 21 of 25 save opportunities. He has a 2.84 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched. However, he's also given up 31 hits in those innings. He's blown three of the last four save opportunities. His opponent's average is the highest that it's been since 2009 with the A's at .228. In the most devastating blown save of the season last week against the Nationals, Casilla was seen shaking off Buster Posey repeatedly. I know that Casilla is just a temporary fix until Brian Wilson hopefully returns next season, but it might be nice to give someone else a shot at closing in the second half. Sergio Romo's slight frame makes him seem a bit fragile for the role full-time, but his stuff is wicked. Brad Penny is also back and strong and healthy. I mean, after the past couple weeks, what've they got to lose?
Like I said, overall, the Giants have had a great first season. They've all been pretty healthy (knock on wood), and Sabean's off-season pick-ups have been great. Plus, it really doesn't hurt that one of them was just named the All-Star game MVP. As fans, we've had some great stories. Let's hope they keep on coming in the second half.
While these moments have been great and have provided some great first-half memories, there are definitely things that the Giants need to work in the second half if they want to make a push for the postseason.
1. Lincecum. The Giantts are 46-40 on the season and are 4-14 in Tim Lincecum's starts. That means they are 42-26 when he's not on the mound. He's shown flashes of brilliance (April 23 against the Mets, April 28 against the Padres, June 27 against the Dodgers) but has mostly been erratic and inconsistent. His velocity has been up and down, and he's been leaving a lot of pitches up. Hitters are making him pay, and his ERA is a league-worst among starters at 6.42. There's not much I can say that the stats don't. Timmy just needs to rebound in the second half. Let's just leave it at that.
2. Belt. Brandon began to show his offensive abilities in the last month with more consistent playing time. From June 7 to June 26 he started a season-high 17 games in a row. During that time, he raised his batting average from .236 to .261. He hit four homeruns with 14 RBIs. However, to end the first half, Belt only started six of the last 11 games. During this inconsistent playing time, he hasn't hit any homeruns and has only one RBI. Brandon Belt is 23 and needs consistent playing time to become the kind of high-caliber first baseman that we all know (or hope/pray) that he can be. I'm hoping and praying that Bochy realizes this as well.
3. The Closer. Santiago Casilla did a great job for the most part in the first half of the season. He converted 21 of 25 save opportunities. He has a 2.84 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched. However, he's also given up 31 hits in those innings. He's blown three of the last four save opportunities. His opponent's average is the highest that it's been since 2009 with the A's at .228. In the most devastating blown save of the season last week against the Nationals, Casilla was seen shaking off Buster Posey repeatedly. I know that Casilla is just a temporary fix until Brian Wilson hopefully returns next season, but it might be nice to give someone else a shot at closing in the second half. Sergio Romo's slight frame makes him seem a bit fragile for the role full-time, but his stuff is wicked. Brad Penny is also back and strong and healthy. I mean, after the past couple weeks, what've they got to lose?
Like I said, overall, the Giants have had a great first season. They've all been pretty healthy (knock on wood), and Sabean's off-season pick-ups have been great. Plus, it really doesn't hurt that one of them was just named the All-Star game MVP. As fans, we've had some great stories. Let's hope they keep on coming in the second half.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Second to none
With the Giants having a day off today, it's given me some time to think about a position that's maybe flown under the radar a bit in the past couple years: second base.
Not that I don't love me some Freddy Sanchez (apparently all Giants fans feel the same, voting for him enough for him to finish 4th in the All-Star voting this year...without him having played a game. Yeah.), but, let's be honest, he hasn't been the most reliable second baseman during his Giants tenure. In June 2011, Sanchez went down with a shoulder injury that he just couldn't seem to recover from and that sidelined him for the rest of the season. This could've been totally devastating for the Giants - Mike Fontenot was on the disabled list when Sanchez went down, and Bill Hall was signed to replace Sanchez before Hall also went on the DL. Finally, Sabean had had enough. On July 20, he traded for Jeff Keppinger from the Astros. Keppinger went on to bat .255 with 17 RBIs and two homeruns in 56 games for the Giants. He stepped in and filled a void in a huge way for the 2011 Giants, who finished 2nd in the National League West.
When this season started out, Freddy Sanchez was once again leaving a void in the number four position. Sanchez managed to appear in five games during spring training this year but has since struggled to come back from his shoulder injury from 2011. With Keppinger signing with Tampa Bay in the off-season, second base for the Giants was once again a black hole. Luckily, Sabean signed Ryan Theriot in the off-season to back up, well, whoever was playing second base that day for the Giants. But when Sanchez started the year on the DL and Emmanuel Burriss started to flounder, Theriot stepped up. Even though he's struggled a little bit with staying healthy (is this position cursed for the Giants?), Theriot has come back and been a huge contributor to the Giants push for first place in the NL West lately. He's currently batting .272 in just 53 games this season. He's only got 22 strikeouts on the season and already has 16 RBIs. He's also only got two errors on the season so far. And, let's face it, that's pretty dang impressive in this line-up.
It may seem like a small thing, this whole "having-a-healthy-second-baseman thing," but these guys have helped give the Giants winning seasons the past two years. Without Keppinger, I don't know if the Giants finished over .500 in 2011 (they finished 86-76, ten games over). Theriot has been clutch and has filled the huge whole left by Freddy Sanchez. And while I don't know how the Giants will finish off this season, I know that Theriot has helped them get to where they currently are...which, by the way, is first place.
Not that I don't love me some Freddy Sanchez (apparently all Giants fans feel the same, voting for him enough for him to finish 4th in the All-Star voting this year...without him having played a game. Yeah.), but, let's be honest, he hasn't been the most reliable second baseman during his Giants tenure. In June 2011, Sanchez went down with a shoulder injury that he just couldn't seem to recover from and that sidelined him for the rest of the season. This could've been totally devastating for the Giants - Mike Fontenot was on the disabled list when Sanchez went down, and Bill Hall was signed to replace Sanchez before Hall also went on the DL. Finally, Sabean had had enough. On July 20, he traded for Jeff Keppinger from the Astros. Keppinger went on to bat .255 with 17 RBIs and two homeruns in 56 games for the Giants. He stepped in and filled a void in a huge way for the 2011 Giants, who finished 2nd in the National League West.
When this season started out, Freddy Sanchez was once again leaving a void in the number four position. Sanchez managed to appear in five games during spring training this year but has since struggled to come back from his shoulder injury from 2011. With Keppinger signing with Tampa Bay in the off-season, second base for the Giants was once again a black hole. Luckily, Sabean signed Ryan Theriot in the off-season to back up, well, whoever was playing second base that day for the Giants. But when Sanchez started the year on the DL and Emmanuel Burriss started to flounder, Theriot stepped up. Even though he's struggled a little bit with staying healthy (is this position cursed for the Giants?), Theriot has come back and been a huge contributor to the Giants push for first place in the NL West lately. He's currently batting .272 in just 53 games this season. He's only got 22 strikeouts on the season and already has 16 RBIs. He's also only got two errors on the season so far. And, let's face it, that's pretty dang impressive in this line-up.
It may seem like a small thing, this whole "having-a-healthy-second-baseman thing," but these guys have helped give the Giants winning seasons the past two years. Without Keppinger, I don't know if the Giants finished over .500 in 2011 (they finished 86-76, ten games over). Theriot has been clutch and has filled the huge whole left by Freddy Sanchez. And while I don't know how the Giants will finish off this season, I know that Theriot has helped them get to where they currently are...which, by the way, is first place.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Swagger
When we last discussed Tim Lincecum's season, it was on the upswing. His start against the A's was a quality one, and it seemed like, the longer he went in that game, the more he became like the old Timmy. The Timmy who buckled down with runners in scoring position; the Timmy who got the big strikeout when he needed one; the Timmy who knew he was better than the guy at the plate. I wrote that I couldn't wait to see him pitch next against the Dodgers.
It was well worth the wait.
Today marked just the first time all season that Lincecum didn't give up any runs in a start (On April 28th he gave up one run, but it was unearned, in a 2-1 win over San Diego). This game could have gone the way of the last few starts for Lincecum. A double play ball got him out of a jam in the first inning, and pitcher Chad Billingsly ended up on third base with only one out in the top of the third. Lincecum threw a wild pitch and, instead of looking weak and lost like he did in a similar play against Colin Cowhill of the A's a month ago, Timmy became the old Timmy. He rushed to cover homeplate, took a hit from Billingsly (who's got a few pounds on him), and held onto the ball. Billingsly was out, and not another Dodgers player would make it past second base for the rest of the game. Lincecum went seven innings, struck out eight, walked only two, allowed four hits, and lowered his ERA to 5.60, which is the lowest it's been all season.
While his performance during the game showed that the old Lincecum remains, it was his response post-game that proves that he has his swagger back.
"Enough was enough, and it was time to turn it around," he said today after the Giants complete their first-ever three-game sweep of the Dodgers by shutting them out in all three games (first-ever, as in, in franchise history; not a bad way to move into a tie for first place). And when Bruce Bochy came out to talk to Lincecum with two men on and only one out in the top of the 7th, Tim knew he wanted to stay in. And he let Bochy know it.
"He was asking me, 'You got this?' And I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'What?' And I said, 'Yes sir!'"
This week was a week that the Giants had to take advantage of the Kemp-less, slumping Dodgers. They needed to kick LA while they were down, and they did that in a ridiculously dominant way. The Giants have made up 7.5 games in the standings in just a month. Zito, Vogelsong, and Lincecum were brilliant exactly when they needed, completing this three-game, shut-out sweep of the Dodgers, just giving us fans one more thing that we've never seen before in this franchise. Add that to Matt Cain's perfect game, and I'd seriously consider taking Posey's advice after that perfect game: stay up late and watch this pitching staff whenever you can.
It was well worth the wait.
Today marked just the first time all season that Lincecum didn't give up any runs in a start (On April 28th he gave up one run, but it was unearned, in a 2-1 win over San Diego). This game could have gone the way of the last few starts for Lincecum. A double play ball got him out of a jam in the first inning, and pitcher Chad Billingsly ended up on third base with only one out in the top of the third. Lincecum threw a wild pitch and, instead of looking weak and lost like he did in a similar play against Colin Cowhill of the A's a month ago, Timmy became the old Timmy. He rushed to cover homeplate, took a hit from Billingsly (who's got a few pounds on him), and held onto the ball. Billingsly was out, and not another Dodgers player would make it past second base for the rest of the game. Lincecum went seven innings, struck out eight, walked only two, allowed four hits, and lowered his ERA to 5.60, which is the lowest it's been all season.
While his performance during the game showed that the old Lincecum remains, it was his response post-game that proves that he has his swagger back.
"Enough was enough, and it was time to turn it around," he said today after the Giants complete their first-ever three-game sweep of the Dodgers by shutting them out in all three games (first-ever, as in, in franchise history; not a bad way to move into a tie for first place). And when Bruce Bochy came out to talk to Lincecum with two men on and only one out in the top of the 7th, Tim knew he wanted to stay in. And he let Bochy know it.
"He was asking me, 'You got this?' And I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'What?' And I said, 'Yes sir!'"
This week was a week that the Giants had to take advantage of the Kemp-less, slumping Dodgers. They needed to kick LA while they were down, and they did that in a ridiculously dominant way. The Giants have made up 7.5 games in the standings in just a month. Zito, Vogelsong, and Lincecum were brilliant exactly when they needed, completing this three-game, shut-out sweep of the Dodgers, just giving us fans one more thing that we've never seen before in this franchise. Add that to Matt Cain's perfect game, and I'd seriously consider taking Posey's advice after that perfect game: stay up late and watch this pitching staff whenever you can.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Then again...
The Giants just shut out the Dodgers in back-to-back games at home since 1987.
The defense has been great and all of the potential all-stars are busy making their various cases for why they should be voted in. Buster Posey is hitting .307 in June, with four homeruns and 13 RBIs. Over his last ten starts, Ryan Vogelsong has gone 6-1 and owns a 1.79 ERA. Tonight gave him his 13th quality start of the year, which ties him for the Major League lead with R.A. Dickey and Yovani Gallardo. Matt Cain...well, tonight he got the keys to San Francisco and had June 13th declared Matt Cain day. So, there's really not much more to be said about why he should, not only be an all-star, but start in Kansas City this July.
However, tonight, the biggest impact was made by Melky Cabrera. The Melk Man is batting .352 on the season, which is 4th in the Majors. He's added three more homeruns in June, bringing his season total to seven, which is 2nd on the Giants. He leads the Giants in on-base percentage by far (he's at .352, Sandoval is 2nd at .314). And tonight, Cabrera gave Vogelsong the only run that he'd need. He's been clutch all season, providing a spark at the plate and some great defense in the field. Plus, he deserves, perhaps more than anyone, to be an all-start on that field in Kansas City. He hit .305 in 2011, with 18 homeruns and 87 RBIs. He also had 201 hits last season. He currently has seven homeruns and 37 RBIs for the Giants. More impressively, less than halfway through this season, he already has 105 hits. If anyone deserves to return to the place that traded him, it's Melky Cabrera. He's currently in 4th place to be an all-star outfielder, which wouldn't make him a starter. At least, let's be honest, Matt Kemp (who's currently in 1st place in NL outfielter voting) probably won't be making that start.
Speaking of Giants outfielders, I've got to say really quick that Gregor Blanco could use a break. Not that Blanco hasn't been a great right fielder and lead-off man for the Giants (and they have spent lots of time searching for a solid lead-off guy), but now might be a good time to put Schierholtz in for a game or two. On the season, Gregor is batting .258 with four homeruns and 17 RBIs on the season. He saved Matt Cain's perfect game with an unbelievable catch in the 7th inning of that game. He's got a decent OBP of .350 and his 29 walks are second on the team (second to Belt's 31, look who's OBP is quietly on the rise...).
However,
Over the last month, Blanco is batting .221 with seven RBIs and seven walks. His on-base percentage in June is much lower at .282. And over the last ten games, Gregor is 6-40. He's batting a measley .150, and 11 of his 51 strikeouts on the season have come over this stretch.
For the season, Nate Schierholtz is batting a mere .244. He's got three homeruns to Blanco's four. He hasn't been impressive at the plate. But Schierholtz is always a solid defensive guy in right field at AT&T park. Maybe he shouldn't be starting every day, but it's pretty apparent that Gregor Blanco could use a break. And I just happen to know a guy who could use a day in right field.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Big Time Timmy Jim
Tonight was a big night for the Giants
They finally won in Oakland, after failing to win a game there since June of 2009. The Giants offense, which had been meager in the last few games, rallied to score four runs in the top of the ninth inning. Brandon Belt extended his hitting streak to ten games with his 2-RBI double to tie the game in the top of the ninth, Hector Sanchez went 2-4 with the go-ahead RBI in the ninth, and Gregor Blanco also went 2-4 with two RBIs.
But the most promising part of tonight's game? By far, Tim Lincecum.
Coming into tonight's game, Lincecum was 2-8 with a league-worst 6.19 ERA. The Giants last won a Lincecum start on April 28th against the Padres (Timmy was brilliant in that start, by the way, going eight innings and giving up no earned runs). Tonight wasn't quite as great as that start, but after going 0-6 since that start, Timmy will take all the positives he can get. He gave up three runs in six innings. Lincecum has given up three runs or less in just five starts all season (including tonight). He was also pretty dang perfect after those first three batters of the game reached base. After those three, Timmy no-hit the Athletics through the next six innings. He did walk four but managed to strike out eight in his third quality start of the season. He lowered his ERA to 6.07. And while he didn't earn a win, he definitely didn't deserve a loss. And Brandon Belt made sure he didn't take one.
There's been lots of talk today about Lincecum's father, Chris, and his comments to USA Today. While maybe it wasn't the most productive way of getting his point across, Chris made some decent points. As a Giants fan, it's been really tough for me to hear over and over about how Timmy should be traded or sent to triple A or have a start skipped. If he would've floundered tonight, skipping his next start would've possibly made sense. But demoting him to Fresno? Or talking about trading him so early in his struggles? What kind of fans have we become. As Chris Lincecum said, this is a pitcher who brought us back-to-back Cy Young Awards (the first ever to do so in his first two complete seasons), four All-Star game appearances, and a World Series in which he was completely lights out (even winning the Babe Ruth Award for his efforts). He is still a starter that people want to pay to see (whether it's to see a great start or to see if he breaks out of a slump). He is still Tim Lincecum. And while his father may have spoken a little out of context, it's true that (some) fans are quick to forget what he's meant to the Giants. He is still The Franchise. He is still Big Time Timmy Jim.
And tonight he took a very positive step in the right direction. I can hardly wait until next Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
They finally won in Oakland, after failing to win a game there since June of 2009. The Giants offense, which had been meager in the last few games, rallied to score four runs in the top of the ninth inning. Brandon Belt extended his hitting streak to ten games with his 2-RBI double to tie the game in the top of the ninth, Hector Sanchez went 2-4 with the go-ahead RBI in the ninth, and Gregor Blanco also went 2-4 with two RBIs.
But the most promising part of tonight's game? By far, Tim Lincecum.
Coming into tonight's game, Lincecum was 2-8 with a league-worst 6.19 ERA. The Giants last won a Lincecum start on April 28th against the Padres (Timmy was brilliant in that start, by the way, going eight innings and giving up no earned runs). Tonight wasn't quite as great as that start, but after going 0-6 since that start, Timmy will take all the positives he can get. He gave up three runs in six innings. Lincecum has given up three runs or less in just five starts all season (including tonight). He was also pretty dang perfect after those first three batters of the game reached base. After those three, Timmy no-hit the Athletics through the next six innings. He did walk four but managed to strike out eight in his third quality start of the season. He lowered his ERA to 6.07. And while he didn't earn a win, he definitely didn't deserve a loss. And Brandon Belt made sure he didn't take one.
There's been lots of talk today about Lincecum's father, Chris, and his comments to USA Today. While maybe it wasn't the most productive way of getting his point across, Chris made some decent points. As a Giants fan, it's been really tough for me to hear over and over about how Timmy should be traded or sent to triple A or have a start skipped. If he would've floundered tonight, skipping his next start would've possibly made sense. But demoting him to Fresno? Or talking about trading him so early in his struggles? What kind of fans have we become. As Chris Lincecum said, this is a pitcher who brought us back-to-back Cy Young Awards (the first ever to do so in his first two complete seasons), four All-Star game appearances, and a World Series in which he was completely lights out (even winning the Babe Ruth Award for his efforts). He is still a starter that people want to pay to see (whether it's to see a great start or to see if he breaks out of a slump). He is still Tim Lincecum. And while his father may have spoken a little out of context, it's true that (some) fans are quick to forget what he's meant to the Giants. He is still The Franchise. He is still Big Time Timmy Jim.
And tonight he took a very positive step in the right direction. I can hardly wait until next Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
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