Results tagged ‘ Brad Penny ’
Pandamonium At The Park!
April
24. Whatever pre-game demand there was for a free wearable blanket last night;
double that for a Pablo “Panda” Sandoval bobblehead doll tonight.
The lines were about a quarter-mile long at all three major gates one hour
before AT&T Park even opened up. This bobblehead phenomenon began last
season and has continued unabated to this season. As long as there are only
20,000 items to be given away to 40,000+ fans, people will line up extra early
to assure their possession of any souvenir trinket. And the big winners are the
concessionaires in the park who get to ply their wares to practically a full
house hours before the game even starts. But it was all good in San Francisco’s
South Beach neighborhood as we fans dutifully lined up, ate, drank, and
socialized before the game as we eventually marched slowly towards the open
gates and to our just rewards. Once inside, it was one big busy party as
attendees mingled about watching batting practice and chasing down home run
balls before the game began. But once the game began, the best was yet to come. (Below left: Barry Zito warming up throwing pre-game long toss.)
The
Cardinals threw out last season’s Cy Young runner up Adam Wainwright to
face the Giants’ Cy Young winner of several seasons past, lefty Barry Zito.
This was a game to remember. The Giants seemed to be at a disadvantage due
solely to the Cardinals’ superior batting averages. The Giants have been
struggling mightily lately to score runs of any kind. (They had only one RBI
last night.) Tonight proved no different due mainly to the mastery of Adam
Wainwright. Although Adam allowed at least one base runner in all but one of
the first six innings, the only inning he allowed two base runners (the second)
came to naught when he struck out rightfielder Nate Schierholtz and Barry
Zito. He threw only about 83 pitches when he entered the eighth inning
during a scoreless game. (Below: The National Anthem.)
But
Barry Zito pitched even that much better as he started the game out with
two strike outs, ended the eighth inning with three strike outs, and threw a
total of ten strike outs after he threw about 112 pitches in eight innings
while keeping the Cardinals off the board. This game reminded me of a night
game my parents took me to at Candlestick Park watching Juan Marichal
dueling Sandy Koufax in a quick 2-1 game. This game was crisp, it was
efficient, and it was an equally awesome display of two pitchers dominating the
game. I could go on about how Barry Zito threw strike outs when he
needed them (like the called third strike to Albert Pujols in the sixth
inning) or got a double play when he needed one (like the one Albert Pujols
hit in the fourth inning after the first two batters got on base) but words
fail to do him justice. It was just awesome how well Barry Zito pitched.
It was just ridiculous!
So
it was fitting that the Giants got Barry Zito the victory after he left
the game in the eighth winning when Nate Schierholtz led off with a
double down the rightfield line and came around to score on Andres Torres‘
two-strike pinch hit single up the middle. Even Aubrey Huff got into the
act getting an insurance run on a bases loaded sacrifice fly to leftfield.
These last two games against the Cardinals were the best two consecutive
baseball games I’ve ever had the privilege to witness. It was just great. I
wonder if the Giants can keep it going against big bad Brad Penny today?
Can it get any better than this? I don’t know but I sure hope so. Go Giants!
Snuggling With The Giants
April
23. All right, what headline would you come up with if you witnessed hundreds
of Giants fans queuing up hours before the gates opened for a night game in
order to receive a free wearable orange blanket commonly referred to as a
“snuggie”? It was guaranteed that the first 20,000 arriving to the park this
Friday night would get a very warm and fuzzy feeling inside (if not outside).
Oh, and we would also get to watch the two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum
pitch a gem against the formidable Cardinals and their young pitching phenom, Jaime
Garcia.
The
Giants got out of the gates quickly this brisk early evening when centerfielder
Andres Torres punched a double down the rightfield line and came around
to score four pitches later when leftfielder Mark DeRosa beat out a
grounder to shortstop Brendan Ryan who, in turn, threw the ball past
first baseman Albert Pujols for an error. But none of the other Giants
batters could hit the ball out of the infield that inning so the Giants led the
game 1-0 after one.
The
Giants padded their lead to three runs in the third inning when Mark DeRosa
led off the inning with a single to right field and moved to second base on
third baseman Pablo Sandoval‘s single to centerfield. Then, first
baseman Aubrey Huff swung through two Jaime Garcia pitches before
rolling a double play grounder to second baseman Skip Schumaker who
booted the ball and allowed Mark DeRosa to score. Aubrey Huff
scored the second run of the inning on right fielder Nate Schierholtz‘s
hustling single to Albert Pujols. Everything was rolling the Giants’ way
this starry evening. (Below left: Brian Wilson hanging out with his BFF Barry Zito. Below right: Relievers doing pre-game wind sprints.)
In
fact, Aubrey Huff scored the Giants’ fourth and last run of the game
when opened the fifth inning with a walk. Catcher Benji Molina moved him
to second base on a single to centerfield. Aubrey then moved over to third base
when second baseman Juan Uribe hit a completed double play ground ball
and came around to score on the next pitch to rookie second baseman Matt
Downs that was wide and wild past the glove of catcher Yadier Molina.
After that, the Giants had only one more base runner in the entire game when Juan
Uribe hit a one out single to rightfield off of right-handed reliever Mitchell
Boggs in the eighth inning. (Below left: Brad Penny responding to hecklers during batting practice.)
Meanwhile,
Tim Lincecum dealt not only the baseball but also with his pitching
problems tonight. He threw only one 1-2-3 inning the entire game in the fourth
inning. Albert Pujols hit a double in the first inning. Centerfielder Colby
Rasmus and Yadier Molina led off the second inning with a walk and
single, respectively, but failed to score as Lincecum struck out both Brendan
Ryan and Jaime Garcia on 84 mph pitches. A walk here and a single
there and Tim Lincecum was enjoying a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning when
he finally gave up a run to leftfielder Matt Holliday on an infield
single, stole second base and scored on Yadier Molina‘s single to
leftfield. (Below left: The Orange Men Crew marching through the bleachers.)
All-in-all,
it was one heck of a game. Timmy had poor control but got outs when he needed
them. The Friday night crowd was loud and boisterous and everyone was as snug
as a bug in a rug when reliever Brian Wilson earned his third save of
the season by striking out the side in the ninth inning despite allowing a two
out single by pinch hitter Nick Stavinoha. After a 1-5 road trip to
Southern California last week, this was just the kind of game the good doctor
ordered. Go Giants! (Below right: Insane Clown Posse in da hizzy… WTF???:-)
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas…
…and at AT&T
Park… not a free agent was calling… not even as a lark….
So Nick Johnson preferred the Big Apple and Brad
Penny the Big Arch. And no seasoned catcher worth his salt is willing to sign a
contract for just one year. In a way, that suits me just fine. I much prefer
the Giants’ “wait-and-see” attitude this year over their customary
“willy-nilly” signing of the first free agent coming down the turnpike that
gave us the likes of Edgardo Elfonzo, Ray Durham, Randy Winn, Barry Zito, Aaron
Rowand just to name a few who achieved mixed results here before. I’m willing to wait
this off-season and see what develops in the free agent market if the Giants are.
Common wisdom dictates that the Giants must acquire a
power bat or two to protect Pablo Sandoval in the middle of the batting order.
I dispute that notion for two reasons: (1) The Panda does not need protection
because he is a notoriously bad ball hitter. Many times last year, he took
pitches a foot outside and slapped them into the opposite field for hits. He is
not at all like Barry Bonds who would not offer at pitches even a few inches
off the plate and thereby broke the major league record for walks in the process. (2)
Without a primary power hitter, the Giants can still thrive as a singles
hitting team in much the way the St. Louis Cardinals were
successfully constructed in the 1980′s. If Bam Bam Meulens convinces the Giants
to become much more patient and selective at the plate next year, AT&T Park
is conducive to an offensive strategy of small ball. Adding a strong defense
and a superlative pitching staff, just averaging four runs per game for the
Giants will achieve excellent results next year.
My biggest concern is whether Aaron Rowand can dial it
down and retool his approach at the plate next year. Many times last year, I
saw him take mighty swings with spotty results. But he had his best stretch of
the season last year while batting lead off and just taking the ball up the
middle for singles and doubles. Also remember that Fred Lewis started
off the season last year red hot while batting low in the order. It was only
when Bruce Bochy promoted him to lead off that Fred’s production waned
precipitously and he never fully recovered. Perhaps he will rebound next year by
batting lower in the order. Also, Travis Ishikawa batted .349 at AT&T Park
last year while only .162 on the road. If he can improve his consistency, he would be
a valuable contributor next year.
I just heard a radio report that the Giants were
closing in on signing Juan Uribe for next year. If true, that would keep most of
last year’s team intact. I would construct the lineup in this order: Velez
(Torres); Sanchez (Burriss); Schierholz (Bowker); Sandoval (Uribe); Ishikawa
(Bowker/Guzman); Rowand (Lewis); Posey/Whitesides; Renteria (Burriss). This
presumes that Emmanuel Burriss will beat out Kevin Frandsen again next year for
a spot on the team. Of course the Giants will buy a free agent this off-season.
They cannot afford not to or risk a general uprising by its fan base. And I
expect they will wait until spring training before acquiring a short-term catcher on
the cheap. I noticed ex-Giant Eliezer Alfonzo is available. That would be a
nice reunion.
Well, the Winter Solstice has passed and now the days
are getting longer. I won’t be long until pitchers and catchers report to spring
training and it all begins anew. So until that time, stay warm and let the
visions of sugar plums dance in your heads. Merry Christmas to all and… Go Giants!
Code Blue, Doctor
We traveled through a fog bank on the bay to get to
the ballpark today. It was eerie voyaging through the brief dewy density and
emerging into bright sunlight bathing the bayside cityscape on the other side. But the afternoon air was bracingly chilly and by the time the game against the Chicago
Cubs began in Thursday’s dying twilight, the fog was swirling into AT&T
Park reminiscent of night games at Candlestick Park played in the last millennium. And
dying, too, have been the Giants chances lately on reaching the playoffs this season. But
with ten games to go, the Giants are still just four games behind the Colorado
Rockies in the National league Wildcard Race.
Rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome smacked Brad Penny‘s
first offering up the middle for a solid single. But eight pitches later, shortstop
Andres Blanco hit into a routine 6-4-3 double play and first baseman Derek Lee
also grounded to shortstop Juan Uribe seven pitches after that to end the
inning. It was a good start to this ballgame. And in the bottom of the first,
the Giants got two hits. Unfortunately, Cubs manager Lou Pinella correctly
called a pitchout when leadoff hitter Eugenio Velez unsuccessfully attempted to
steal second base. Oh well. At least we’re hitting tonight. That’s a good sign.
Brad Penny got through the second inning with just a
two-out double but Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster got through the second inning
with just a two-out walk. Brad Penny got through the third inning giving up
just a single and a walk. The Giants went through the third three up, three
down.
Cubs leftfielder Micah Hoffpauir led off the fourth
inning with a double over the head of Aaron Rowand in centerfield and went to
third base on Mike Fontenot‘s single to John Bowker in leftfield. (Do the
Chicago Cubs own a French-Canadian pipeline to the Montreal baseball league or
something?) Micah Hoffpauir came into score the first run of the game on Jeff
Baker 4-6-3 double play ground ball.
The Giants answered in the fourth inning with a
two-out single by Juan Uribe followed by a screaming line drive double over the
head of Micah Hoffpauir in leftfield tying the score at one all. That was a
good sign as was the updated score on the rightfield wall showing the Padres
had tied the Rockies 3-3 in their game tonight.
From then on, Brad Penny bore down and got the next
twelve Cubs out in order (aided by a double play ending the eighth inning. In
contrast, John Bowker led off the seventh inning with a big home run into the rightfield Arcade. The Giants led 2-1 and the Padres were beating the Rockies
5-4 tonight. Everything seemed right tonight. The stars were aligning. All
things seemed possible.
And then the ninth inning happened. Enter Brian
Wilson. Derek Lee took a 2-2 slider leading off the ninth that looked like it
caught the outside corner. Umpire Brian Gorman called it ball three. Derek Lee walked
on the next pitch. But Brian got the Frenchies on a pair of pop ups so there
were two outs. Derek Lee stole second on the first pitch to third baseman Jeff
Baker spilling Eugenio Velez to the ground as he leaped to catch Bengie
Molina‘s high throw. After a second strike, Brian Wilson threw two balls. And
then, with the crowd cheering for once last strike, Jeff Baker sent the next
pitch deep in the leftfield bleachers for a 3-2 lead.
Everybody was dumbfounded. It was not supposed to
happen this way. And though Randy Winn and Travis Ishikawa were both able to
reach base in the bottom of the inning, Aaron Rowand and Freddy Lewis both
struck out on hard sliders ending our hopes tonight. But the patient is not
dead yet. The Giant is just flat lining a little bit. Maybe we can jump start
his heart tonight and get him back in the running to the finish line. Tony La
Russa and the St. Louis Cardinals will just have to help themselves (and us) by
winning the National League Championship on their own against the Rockies
tonight. Go Giants!
A Bright And Shiny New Penny
I
was one of those conspiracy nuts who thought Tim Lincecum‘s “injury” was just
meant to push his start back to the Dodgers so the Giants could avoid Brad
Penny‘s start against his former team and avoid an escalation of the boisterous
behavior he exhibited against the Padres last Monday. But I was wrong. Tim
Lincecum really was hurt. And I listened to the radio commentators who
predicted Brad Penny would blow up against the Dodgers in the game he’d pitch
on Sunday instigated in part by his proximity to the always-verbal Larry Bowa in the Dodgers third base coaching box. But they were wrong. Brad Penny kept
his cool on a cool Sunday afternoon.
It
was a cloudy day on Sunday. The forecast even predicted rain later in the day.
I got there early to get my Giants Rivalry Cap which had “Beat L.A.” printed on
back. It was cool so I’m going to make it my game day hat from now on. Mike
Krukow‘s daughter, Tess Krukow, sang a nice, simple, slightly country-swingish version
of the National Anthem which was pretty cool. And to top it all off, our newest
ex-Dodger that we now like to like pitched six straight scoreless innings
against his former team mates to begin the game and that was an extra chilly,
freon-free cool! So the sellout crowd of 40,575 was in a pretty good mood when
shortstop Juan Uribe hit a two run homer that just barely cleared the leftfield
wall in the bottom of the second inning.
IThe
Giants scored another run in the fourth inning when rightfielder Nate
Schierholtz started off with a double followed by Juan Uribe‘s single and first
baseman Travis Ishikawa‘s double all into rightfield for a 3-0 lead.
And although second baseman Freddy Sanchez and leftfielder Randy Winn opened the fifth inning with singles to leftfield, third baseman Pablo Sandoval effectively ended the threat with an odd double play started by second baseman Rafael Belliard‘s throw to shortstop Rafael Furcal to force out Randy Winn before Rafael Furcal then pivoted and threw a strike to catcher Russell Martin who threw out Freddy Sanchez at home by plenty.
But the Giants batted around in the sixth inning when the first three Giants (Juan Uribe, Travis Ishikawa, and catcher Eli Whiteside) all singled off of Dodgers pitcher Jeff Weaver before leadoff hitter Andres Torres walked in a run, new reliever Ronald Bellasario wild pitched in another and then Freddy Sanchez drove in the last with a single to make it a 7-0 lead.
Although the Dodgers scored two runs in the next inning when Russell Martin blasted a two run homer off of his former battery mate, Brad Penny. But the die was cast and the Giants fled past the Dodgers to salvage a game in the series and get ready for the Rockies coming into town. Go Giants!
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