Results tagged ‘ Travis Ishikawa ’
Say It IS So, Mark!
Robert
DeNiro’s face was in my living room late Monday night appearing on a television
movie about an emotionally troubled Giants fan entitled, oddly enough, “The
Fan”. And though I nostalgically watched a scene of a Giants game shot at
Candlestick Park (with the late, great Rod Beck pitching), I had to turn
it off soon thereafter because the dark character portrayed by Robert
DeNiro was disturbed me. While the character’s problems were not
primarily a product of his endemic frustrations over being a Giants fan in
general, I suspect they significantly contributed to his overall internal
turmoil based upon my personal experiences as one (a Giants fan, not a disturbed person).
This
is all by way of contrasting the interview I heard Mark McGwire give to Bob
Costas on mlb.tv earlier in the day. There were similarities in the two
personalities that left me personally troubled. Over the radio, I could almost
hear Mark’s internal demons wrestling with his conscience over an issue that
has haunted fans of American baseball lo this past decade. That dirty little
secret is: performance enhancing drugs (or “PEDs” for short). Mark made himself
the poster child of that widespread affliction when he testified before
Congress some five years ago and said, well, nothing at all about his
incredible home run records and whether or not they were related to his use of
PEDs. In his defense, Mark McGwire certainly cannot be accused of lying
to Congress that day but neither did he choose to tell the truth What
frustrated the congress people and Americans the most was that his adamant and
repeated refusals to address any questions about the use of PEDs came to
symbolize major league baseball’s refusal to address the overall problems of
PEDs that had taken over the American past time.
So
fast forward to 2010 and Mark McGwire is now finally prepared to come
clean on the issue of PEDs so that he can return to work for the St. Louis
Cardinals as a hitting coach this season. So when it is his time to come up to
the plate and answer the questions posed by Bob Costas, what does Mark
say? Essentially, the slugger said his
usage of PEDs did not affect his home run totals one iota. Say what? “Not even
a little bit?” asked Bob Costas. “Nope! It was all my natural God-given
abilities, parental-given DNA structure, and shortening my bat swing,” replied
Mark (paraphrased). “So, why did you take PEDs?” asked Bob. “To get back on the
field quicker after my injuries. I didn’t want to let my teammates down,
y’know,” was Mark’s excuse. Incredible!
This
exchange brings up a host of other questions and issues such as; Why did he
feel the need to apologize to Roger Maris‘s widow if he didn’t
cheat to break the 1961 single-season home run record? If his home runs were
unaffected by his use of PEDs, why didn’t he tell this to the grand jury and
Congress when they asked about it in the first place? Why should PEDs even be
banned if they cannot affect a person’s God-given abilities? And on… and on…
and on, etc. But what astounded me the most was upon learning the next day that
Mark McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals had hired President George W.
Bush’s former press secretary, Ari Fleischer, over a month ago to prepare Mark
McGwire for this first public interview. Really? And this was the best they
could all come up with? PEDs have nothing whatsoever to do with a player’s
baseball statistics?
Okay,
I do not intend to bash the Bash Brother here. Like Robert DeNiro, we all have
our own personal demons we must wrestle with on a daily (if not hourly) basis.
None of us are perfect. And perhaps, over time, Mark will reflect further upon
this matter and come to modify his positions closer toward the realm of reality
as we know it. But if this is the height of the bar that is set that one must
jump over before he gets rehabilitated back into baseball’s good graces, then I
must say that the muscled-bound Barry Bonds has nothing to fear in the
future (besides, perhaps, a tainted jury pool). Sayyyy, when is Barry’s trial
going to get started anyway? And wasn’t Barry indicted some five years ago… by
George W. Bush’s attorney general, Alberto Gonzales… who was the same man that
refused to give Mark McGwire immunity… that would have allowed Mark to
more truthfully testify before Congress in the first place? Hmmmm.
On
a brighter note: The Giants did sign first baseman, Aubrey Huff, to a
one-year contract last week. I am hopeful because Aubrey has put up some
impressive offensive numbers in the past and his signing does not severely
impact the eventual development of fellow first baseman Travis Ishikawa whom I
believe has a ton of future upside. Also, this signing puts Mark DeRosa
in leftfield thereby leaving Nate Schierholtz alone in right.
This year, I am going to be Nate Schierholtz‘s biggest fan. I like
Nate’s God-given abilities, his shortened bat swing, and the fact that he has
the face and attitude of a hockey player. Hmmmm baby!
Go
Giants!
‘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!
The Last Hurrah
I got to the ballpark early Sunday morning (Sept. 27)
not because the Giants were giving away a freebie but because I wanted to
wander the stadium one last time this season and take pictures. (And also
because I wanted to get a good parking place.) This game was going to be the
last one I attended this season because I was going up to the Sierra mountains
in a couple of days.
The dear lovable Cubbies had all but knocked my
Giants out of the wildcard race with three straight wins this penultimate home
series. But on this beautiful day, the Giants were being afforded a fourth
chance at redemption in avoiding a sweep at the hands of the National League
central Division runner-ups however Pyrrhic such a victory may be.
Shortstop Ryan Theriot opened the game opened
the game with a line drive down the rightfield line off of Matt Cain‘s
first pitch that John Bowker dove for and caught just beyond the
visitor’s warm up mound. That was a good omen so it didn’t bother me much when
rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome fought through eight pitches to get a
double into centerfield because Matt Cain retired the next two batters on just
three pitches. Obversely, second baseman Eugenio Velez led off the
bottom of the first with a single into rightfield also on Randy Wells‘
first pitch of the inning, advanced to second base on the next pitch that
leftfielder Fred Lewis singles to leftfield and eventually scored on
shortstop Juan Uribe‘s ground out to third baseman Aramis Ramirez.
Then, leading off the bottom of the second, first
baseman Travis Ishikawa singled off of randy Wells after taking a ball
and then immediately scored on a double by catcher Eli Whiteside who had
a 0-1 count. After Matt Cain looked at a ball, he then sacrifice Eli
Whiteside to third base. But do you know what is really spooky? Leading off
the bottom of the sixth, first baseman Travis Ishikawa singled off of Randy
Wells after taking a ball and then immediately scored on a double by
catcher Eli Whiteside who had a 0-1 count. After Matt Cain looked
at a ball, he then sacrifice Eli Whiteside to third base. The only
difference is changing “second” inning to “sixth” inning. The two innings began
the exact same way down to the pitches! However, Eli Whiteside wasn’t
left stranded in the sixth inning. He scored the Giants’ fourth run of the game
when Eugenio Velez singled to leftfield. Eugenio Velez went to
second base when centerfielder Randy Winn singled to leftfield and
scored on third baseman Pablo Sandoval‘s single to make the score 5-0.
This day belonged to Matt Cain. Besides Kosuke
Fukudome‘s double in the first inning, Randy Wells hit a double in
the third inning and catcher Koyie Hill hit a single in the fifth
inning. Other than that, no other Cub reached base in the first seven innings.
And even after Matt Cain walked two cubs in the eighth inning, re
retired Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome on a fly ball and strike
out, respectively, to finish his day scoreless with 112 pitches thrown.
The Giants might have shut out the cubs this day but
reliever Sergio Romo gave up a two-out double to second baseman Jeff
Baker followed by a triple by leftfielder Bobby Scales. Even the
usually reliable lefty, Jeremy Affeldt, couldn’t get the third out of
the ninth inning when he walked Koyie Hill with a full count. Enter Brian
Wilson. Six pitches. Strikeout. Giants win 5-1.
It was a beautifully satisfying way to end my season
this year. The Giants performed up to my expectations. They even got me to
believe I should be expecting more. Well, maybe next year, they’ll deliver.
We’ll see. Go Giants!
It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again
Same teams. (Giants and Cubs) Same game times. (7:15
p.m., maybe a little later) Same playoff situation. (Four games behind the Rockies) And even the same
weather patterns. (A cool fog bank streaming through the Golden Gate on a warm,
early Autumn afternoon) Tonight, the Giants team presented their annual Willie
Mac Award to their most inspirational teammate this season. It’s a neat
award because it’s voted on by the players, coaches, and trainer themselves and
they bring back ol’ Willie “Stretch” McCovey himself to present the winner. This year,
young Matt Cain earned the accolades which was mildly surprising to me but a
good choice. Matt Cain is a true gamer.
And speaking of gamers, Tim Lincecum was facing
Carlos Zambrano tonight. And true to form, Tim Lincecum struck out two Cubs in
the first inning. But then again, Carlos Zambrano struck out two Giants in the
first inning. Juan Uribe (whom I suspected was going to win the Willie Mac
Award this year) got the first hit of the night leading off the second inning.
But John Bowker and Travis Ishikawa both flew out to the outfield and Carlos
Zambrano snuffed out the threat by striking out Gerald “Buster” Posey who was
his first big league start of the season.
Centerfielder Sam Fuld got the Cubs their first hit
leading off the third inning. Carlos Zambrano sacrificed him to second base.
Sam Fuld (I love that name) went to third on Kosuke Fukudome‘s ground out to
Travis Ishikawa playing at first base and died there when shortstop Brian
Theriot grounded the next pitch to Pablo Sandoval down at third base.
This was turning into a good pitcher’s duel when
Carlos Zambano struck out Aarond Rowand and Tim Lincecum leading off their
third inning. And, although he walked Randy Winn leading off the fourth inning
and Pablo Sandoval advanced to second base when Brian Theriot threw the ball
into the dugout trying to complete a double play, both Juan Uribe and John
Bowker couldn’t get the ball out of the infield and the score remained nil
apiece.
Tim Lincecum struck out the Cubs’ battery mates
(Koyie Hill and Carlos Zambrano) in the fifth inning. But the worm began to
turn when Kosuke Fukudome banged a double into the rightfield corner leading
off the sixth inning and Brian Theriot followed with a single driving in the
first run of the evening. And although Tim Lincecum led off the bottom of the
sixth with a single, he remained anchored at first base as Eugenio Velez, Randy
Winn, and made three quiet outs looking at total of six pitches from Carlos
Zambrano and haven’t we seen that oh too many times before this season.
Leftfielder Bobby Scales (another good baseball name)
greeted Tim Lincecum with a single leading off the seventh inning and
eventually came around to score on Carlos Zambrano‘s grounder to shortstop Juan
Uribe for a two run lead. And if I haven’t mentioned Carlos Zambrano‘s name too
many times already, just let me say he retired the last twelve Giants he faced
in order including three more strikeouts. He pitched a two-hit, complete game
shutout under a hundred pitches. At least we didn’t have to suffer too long
tonight because the game ended in less than two hours after it began.
The Cubs scored another run in the top of the ninth
inning off of future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson (pitching to a
hopefully future Hall of Fame catcher named Buster Posey) when Carlos Zambrano
(there, I said his name again for the ninth time) drove in Sam Fuld with a double off the outfield
wall to make the final score 3-0. Who knows if this was the final game Randy
Johnson pitched this season or even in his career. I doubt it but if it was, he
was a good Giant.
And because the Cardinals lost to the Rockies 2-1
tonight, the Giants slipped further behind both them and the Braves now. The
sun is slowly slipping below the horizon for the Giants this season. But when
it begins to rise again in the spring of next year, it may shine brighter and
longer than it did this year if they can make even further improvements to
their ball club during the off season. 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!
Make Mine A Pastrami On Rye
Monday
the 14th. The Giants are 4.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies for
the NL Wild Card playoff position and the Rockies are coming into town today.
Hoo boy! Now is the time the Giants’ A-Team to break out their “A” game. Enter
Tim Lincecum.
Although
Tim walked lead off hitter Eric Young, Jr., he struck out centerfielder Carlos
Gonzalez and induced successive ground outs from the power bats of first
baseman Todd Helton and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to end the inning. However,
Rockies pitcher Josh Hammel threw two strike outs sandwiched around a Randy
Winn double to keep the game scoreless after an inning.
Tim Lincecum struck out the first two Rockies he
faced in the second inning to render the next walk and single he surrendered
meaningless when Josh Hammel popped up to shortstop Juan Uribe to end that
inning. And Josh Hammel did not fare so well in the bottom of the second
inning because Bengie Molina, Juan
Uribe, Travis Ishikawa, and Aaron Rowand began the festivities with consecutive
singles before lead off hitter Eugenio Velez drove in the third run with a
sacrifice fly to rightfielder Brad Hawpe.
Tim Lincecum escaped the third inning by again
sandwiching a walk and a single between two strikeouts. Bengie Molina then
answered that futile Rockies threat with a solo two out home run in the bottom
of the third. In the fourth inning, Tim Lincecum sandwiched a fly out to centerfielder Aaron Rowand between two strikeouts. And again in the fifth inning, Eric Young‘s single was also sandwiched between two strikeouts.
However, in both the sixth and seventh innings, Tim Lincecum served only allegorical open-faced sandwiches consisting of runners stranded due to two, identically nasty 84 mph strikeout pitches. All in all, it was a 117-serving of eleven total strikeouts by Tim Lincecum marred only by a Rockies run scoring on a pass ball that caused Todd Helton‘s two out walk in the seventh and last inning Tim Lincecum worked tonight.
n the meantime, it was fiesta time in the bleachers.
A delightful lady sitting behind me was constantly giving Carlos Gonzalez
coquettish “Carrrrrr-Loooooooos!” catcalls as he was stationed out in
centerfield followed by appropriate jeers of derision from fans all around us.
I even managed a well-timed, “Hey, que paso Carloscito?” Of course it helps to a secure lead when the
caterwauling begins.
And a secure 4-1 lead was locked up in the eighth
inning then the Giants earned three walks and three hits capped off by Eugenio
Velez‘s bases clearing triple for a 9-1 lead. By the ninth inning, it was all
over but the trip home. Fifteen of the Rockies’ 27 outs tonight came via the
strike out. Very impressive! The Giants are only 3.5 games out now. 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!
Just Another Night At The Zoo
Take
one part Los Angeles Dodgers, throw in a good measure of pennant race fever,
add a warm Friday night, and mix it all together within an AT&T Park filled
with Giants fans and you’ve got yourself a potent potable (if not an outright
explosive substance). Enjoy! And I certainly intended to as I arrived to the
park at 4:30 to watch both teams take batting practice.
Matt
Cain did not start the game sharp. Although he got lead off hitter shortstop
Rafael Furcal out on a spectacular diving catch by Nate Schierholtz in
rightfield, rightfielder Andre Ethier hit a single to leftfielder Eugenio Velez
on a full count. And although the doubly hated and feared leftfielder Manny
Ramierez struck out looking at an 87 mph slider on a full count, centerfielder
Matt Kemp hit another single to left field. And then, when two out in the
inning, James Loney nailed a double over Nate Schierholtz‘s head and into
Triple’s Alley for a stand-up double and a two run Dodgers lead.
Tonight,
the Giants could not answer the Dodgers until the second inning when catcher
Bengie Molina led off with a single to leftfield followed on the next pitch
with a double into the right field corner by third baseman Juan Uribe sending
Bengie to third with no outs. Nate Schierholtz moved the runners over and the
first run on the board with a ground out Rafael Belliard at second base. But
Juan Uribe died at third when centerfielder Aaron Rowand impatiently swung at
two inside pitches from Hiroki Kuroda finally grounding out to Hiroki Kuroda at
third base and shortstop Edgar Renteria grounding out to his counterpart for
the last out. 2-1 would be as close the Giants would get to the Dodgers
tonight.
After
Matt Cain threw 31 pitches in the first inning, he threw 54 more from the
second through fifth innings giving up just two walks and a single to catcher
Casey Martin. During that span (from the third through the fifth innings) the
Giants went three-up, three down on just 29 pitches from crafty Hiroki Kuroda.
And
then the sixth inning happened. After getting the first two Dodgers out, James
Loney hit a home run for his third RBI of the game. That was as bad as Casey
Blake‘s home run just three pitches later for a 4-1 Dodgers lead. It’s
interesting to note that Matt Cain‘s second pitch to Casey Blake seemed to
catch much of the outer plate, thigh high; especially considering the strike
calls Hiroki had been enjoying.
I’m
not one to carp gratuitously on umpire’s calls but when a pattern of bias
appears to be established, I’m not shy about calling that fact out to the
responsible party. I asked home plate ump Brian Gorman where he was from.
Pacoima? Toluca Lake? When he did finally call a strike, I agreed that Matt’s
pitch was “right down El Segundo!” I know it’s obscure but if Brian was from
the Southland, he knew of which I spoke.
So
once Matt Cain was able to struggle through the rest of the Dodgers lines and
finally get the final out with a strike out against Hiroki Kuroda, he was
lifted in the bottom of the inning for Fred Lewis who could only manage to
ground out five feet to the catcher for the first out. The next two batters
were also dispatched on five pitches and the Dodgers lead stayed 4-1.
And
then the seventh inning happened. The first three Dodgers in the line up all
singled against reliever Merkin Valdez for a 5-1 lead. When Merkin walked Matt
Kemp to load the bases, he was lifted for Bob Howry. No “Neuvo Roberto” this
night. After a sacrifice fly by James Loney for a 6-1 lead, Casey Blake hit a
single and Russell Martin hit a double for a 9-1 lead by the time Hiroki Kuroda
struck out again to end the inning again.
At
this point, the only thing to do is to have fun… or fight. And, although there
were plenty of rumbles in the bleachers in the late inning causing security
personnel and uniformed policepersons scurrying all around the premises, my
section stayed relatively calm. There were a couple of elder “vato-ish” sitting
to my left but the just laughed off some of the comments directed at them. And
when the slaughter was in full flower, I shushed at them while they laughed and
celebrated at us warning then, “Those are the last runs you’re going to score
this weekend! You’d better enjoy them!” And there was another big, large
Dodgers fan with a 99 Ramirez jersey on who would stand up and taunt us at not
so crucial moments to which the funny, drunk young man would retort, “When are
you due, Manny?” Sit down before your baby drops!” “You shouldn’t be drinking
beer while you’re pregnant, Manny!”
In
the top of the eighth, Bruce Bochy finally treated us to a glimpse of the
future. He started the inning with this substituted lineup: Eugenio Velez LF;
Rich Aurilia 3B; Travis Ishikawa 1B; Kevin Frandsen 2B; Joe Martinez P; Nate
Schierholtz RF; John Bowker 1B; Ryan Rohlinger SS; and… Buster Posey catching!
This is what I had been waiting all season long to see. And although Joe
Martinez gave up the 10th Dodgers run with a walk to Manny Ramirez
and a double to Matt Kemp (all with two out), the young Giants answered with
their second run of the night when John Bowker triples into Triples Alley and
scored on Ryan Rohlinger‘s ground out.
But
Buster Posey struck out looking at a 94 mph fastball from Hiroki Kuroda to end
the inning and end his maiden at bat in the big leagues. And the Dodgers scored
their tenth run in the top of the ninth inning to lead 10-2 which is only
notable to mention because, in the bottom of the ninth with the crowd clearly
things, a gaggle of pre-teen girls gathered behind me to jump, yell, scream,
dance, and chant to their hearts’ delight. They call out to now centerfielder
Eugenio Velez if they could meet Aaron Rowand. And in the bottom of the ninth,
they invented the chant, “NINE IN THE NINTH!!! … NINE IN THE NINTH!!! … NINE IN THE
NINTH!!!” It was not only humorous, it even worked to the extent the Giants got yet another run on a two out rally no less via a single by Travis ishikawa followed by a double by Kevin Frandsen off of reliever Ramon Troncoso to make the final score of the night 10-3.
Those young ladies also represent the future of the Giants franchise insofar as if their enthusiasm in this dynamic product can be sustained for another two or more years with exciting playoff-caliber baseball, they and their fellow youthful “demographic” will imprint a fertile, growing fan base that will sustain the ball club throughout the next generation to come.
The Rockies won last night. The Giants’ prospects are slipping. But through it all, the Giants fans are remaining true and loyal. We fans like this team. It has character we can identify with and believe in. And if it is not meant to happen in 2009, it will get better in 2010. Go Giants!
A Crisis Of Faith
Reality
slapped me hard in the face this week. It was the Reality of the eventual fate
of our Giants’ hard-fought 2009 season. Specifically, it ruthlessly slapped my
metaphorical jowls last Friday when the Giants’ bullpen could not protect a 5-3
lead for Tim Lincecum‘s win. The Giants lost 10-5 after giving up five runs on
only one hit. Ouch! And that harsh realization was strongly reinforced last
Sunday when I watched Tim Cain‘s lackluster 5-2 loss to the comparatively
lowly, injured-riddled Cincinnati Reds from the plush comfort from my living
room couch rather that dragging my old, battered, sagging and sore body out to
cook in the blazing afternoon aluminum bleachers-reflected sun as I originally
had intended to before logic and reason was unmercifully imparted
intra-epidermally into the nether reaches of my until-then stubborn and hopeful
gray (and orange) matter that makes up a significant part of my unseen nervous
oblongata. And what (un)prodded me not to utilize my sole season ticket to
venture forth and claim my Giants Trading Cards Day prize was that I had come
to the personal realization that the Giants’ most improbable 2009 run had final
run its due course this year.
Let
me back, back, back track (with due apology to ESPN’s Chris Berman) to my youth
and state that based upon my personal experience as a Giants fan since I first
saw them over fifty years ago in Seals Stadium, I’ve seen this scene many times
before. Many seemingly strong and healthy Giants teams have faded on me late in
the summer as the other National League teams are making the home turn and
start sprinting for the October finish line. A stumble here, a falter there,
and the Giants slip back in the pack inexorably hobbled eventually to limp
nobly into Fan Appreciation Day.
Make
no mistake. I am not bitter. Nor am I particularly disappointed. In Spring, the
Giants were not expected to be doing this well this far into the season but I
bought a single season ticket nonetheless expecting something Tim Cain‘s lackluster 5-2 loss to the comparatively lowly, injured-riddled Cincinnati Reds
extraordinary might happen and something extraordinary did: Tim Lincecum, Matt
Cain, Pablo Sandoval, Jonathan Sanchez, and Nate Schierholtz to name a few. But
the tell tale signs of cracks in the engine are beginning to show. Randy Winn
is finishing his Giants career both weakly and inconsistently unfortunately.
Bengie Molina is still swinging hard but is either missing or pooping up (until
recently!). And ersatz rookie Pablo Sandoval is hitting only singles now
intermittently. And the temporary lift that the new additions Ryan Garko and
Freddy Sanchez provided the club when they first arrived this month were short
lived and mostly gone now.
So
it has come to this. Jonathan Sanchez pitched a very fine game last night if
you don’t count the fourth inning. His no hitting-vaunted arm slot inexplicably
slid down into an arm “slop” that one inning as he walked two batters before
allowing rightfielder Matt Kemp to clear the bases on a double that leftfielder
Fred Lewis all-too-typically had trouble digging out of the corner. Oh, the
Giants did hold their heads up high as first baseman Travis Ishikawa and
catcher Bengie Molina hit solo home runs both early and late in the game for a
4-2 loss. But it was too little too early and too late. No one was on. Nor was
I sitting in the bleachers. It was fun being a spectator listening to the
chatter of female Dodgers fans sitting behind me all night long. And there was
the spectacle of Giants-Dodgers fights always in play as the Dodgers protect
their lead in these home night games. But in my heart-of-Giants-fan-hearts, I
know this season is over for all practicable purposes.
I
hope I am wrong. I’d like to be surprised. But barring some miraculous
September turn around caused by the call up of rookies like catcher Buster
Posey and pitcher Tim Bumgarner and perhaps others, we will be watching the
collective behinds of the Rockies, Cubs, Cardinals, Marlins, and (baseball-gods-forbid)
Brewers finishing the season ahead of us. Ah, Cassandra cries and Giants fans
cry. But I will keep my dauber up and support my Giants as I continue to enjoy
this most improbable of seasons here. Go Giants!
Who Let The Dogs In??? … (Woof! Woof!)
I
got to the ballpark early but there was no batting practice as I had expected
because it was The Dog Days of Summer promotion where hundreds and hundreds of
dog owners bring their four footed dependents to parade around on the field
before the game and have their costume judged. It is a highly amusing affair
and I’m basically a cat person. The looks of the first-time visiting Phillies
fans walking around the stadium were also very amusing. I’m sure they thought
this might have been an everyday occurrence in a city as consistently weird as
San Francisco.
And
to accentuate the weird was The Freak who is more formally known as Tim
Lincecum pitching for the Giants this Saturday night. Opposing him could be
nicknamed The Hulk because Joe Blanton is one big landmass of a man. I have
never seen any pitcher throw a longer long toss warming up before the game than
Joe Blanton. In comparison, Tim Lincecum wasn’t even on the field by the time
Joe Blanton had finished long tossing with his catcher Paul Bako.
During
the first half of the game, Joe Blanton pitched more like the reigning Cy Young
pitcher going just one batter over the minimum in the first four innings while
throwing 46 pitches. Meanwhile, Tim Lincecum threw 18 pitches in the first
inning because centerfielder Jason Werth hit a single; threw 16 pitches in the
second inning, threw 14 pitches in the third inning because Jimmy Rollins hit a
two out single and stole a couple bases as Jason Werth was being walked; threw
12 pitches in the fourth inning despite giving up two singles; and 24 pitches
in the fifth inning while giving up three singles including one to opposing
pitcher Joe Blanton.
But
Tim Lincecum gave up no runs while he played rope-a-dope with the Phillies
through the first five innings. And in the bottom of the fifth inning,
now-backup first baseman rookie Travis Ishikawa led off with a single but was
thrown out barely (if that) at second base trying to steal the pitch before our
centerfielder Aaron Rowand hit a double into right field. Aaron moved to third
on left fielder Fred Lewis‘ infield single off of Joe Blanton. And then
shortstop Jose Uribe hit a high fly ball into shallow right field that Matt
Stairs made a basket catch on while running in and then momentarily bobbled
before throwing home just a split second too late stop Aaron Rowand from
sliding around the tag for the first run of the game.
And
it was déjà vu all over again in the seventh inning when Travis Ishikawa led
off with an infielder squibber for a single again. But before he had a chance
to duplicate his double as before, Joe Blanton drilled Aaron Rowand on his left
forearm. That got everyone in the stands (and maybe in the dugout) riled up
because Ryan Garko was drilled high up his left shoulder near his head with a
Tyler Walker fastball. That was not cool. So Travis Ishikawa advanced to third
base on Fred Lewis‘ fly ball to centerfield and scored the Giants’ second run
on another fly ball by Juan Uribe to left field.
In
response to getting a run in the fifth inning, Tim Lincecum muscled up and set
down the next nine Phillies batters in the sixth through eighth innings. But
with 117 pitches thrown, Giants manager took out his starter in the ninth
inning for his closer. Enter Brian Wilson. I was expecting a little drama from
the World Champion Phillies. They had gone hitless for their last ten batters.
But Brian Wilson got Matt Stairs to fly out to Fred Lewis on four pitches; got
former Giants third baseman Pedro Feliz to ground out to new shortstop Edgar Renteria (because Aaron Rowand had to be taken out of the game); and finally ended the game on two more pitches when pinch hitter All
Star Shane Victorino grounded out to the game hero, Juan Uribe, to end the
game. Unleash the Dogs of Victory!
It
was a gutty win by Tim Lincecum, whose record rose to 12-3, because he was not
sharp to begin the game but found a way to battle through it without giving up
a run and close out his performance strong. And it was nice to see Brian Wilson
come in and take care of business against a good hitting team. So it will be up
to Barry Zito to see if the Giants can close out the home stand with a victory
over the World Champs. And as I yelled to Jason Werth after Aaron Rowand walked
to first base in the seventh inning, “Watch out tomorrow, Jason! Barry Zito’s
going to plant a 75 mile an hour fastball under your ribs!” Go Giants!
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