Giants Extra
An inside look at the San Francisco Giants
About Andrew Baggarly
UPDATED: Buster Posey finds his clutch swing as Giants win fourth consecutive
Posted on May 14, 2016 by Andrew Baggarly
Updated from version sent at the final out. -AB
PHOENIX – The Giants are approaching the quarter pole of their season and Buster Posey was hitting .143 with runners in scoring position.
Sometimes you do not trust a growing data sample. Sometimes you trust the player.
Posey stepped into a clutch moment and delivered Saturday night. His two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning snapped a tie and sent the Giants to a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Hunter Pence hit a two-run home run, Denard Span reached base five times and a flu-ridden Jake Peavy held Arizona to a run in six promising innings as the Giants extended their winning streak to a season-high four games.
But they required one more big hit after Derek Law and Hunter Strickland allowed runs in the seventh and eighth. Posey came through with the bases loaded, hitting Daniel Hudson's 1-1 changeup over the wall on a bounce. It nearly splashed into the swimming pool in right field.
Hudson hadn't given up a hit to a right-handed batter all season. They were 0 for 27 against him.
"I didn't know that," Posey said. "It's probably a good thing, not knowing that."
The Giants knew it was a matter of time for Posey, who entered in a 3 for 32 slump and ranked seventh on the club with just 12 RBIs.
"They usually get back to who they are," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "The numbers balance out. That was a huge hit off a tough pitcher."
Posey said the ideal is to focus on the moment at hand, which can be a challenge at times – but not when you're facing a pitcher who "is slinging 97 (mph). You're just trying to pick the ball up."
It is so easy to take for granted that Posey remains his poised, confident self at all times. He acknowledged that isn't always the case.
"It's human nature to have your moments when there's frustration here and there," he said. "For the most part, good and bad, you have to ride it out and trust the work and preparation you put in will pay off."
Three weeks after the Diamondbacks swept a four-game series at AT&T Park, the Giants have a chance to return the favor.
With closer Santiago Casilla unavailable after pitching in the previous three games, Cory Gearrin pitched the ninth and retired Jake Lamb with a runner on base to record his second career save. His first one came in 2013 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Span ignited the Giants before most of the fans had settled into their seats, ripping a leadoff triple to center field against left-hander Patrick Corbin and scoring on Joe Panik's single.
It was the first of four hits for Span, one away from matching his career high, although Panik wiped him out with double-play grounders in the third and fifth.
The Diamondbacks tied it in the third, but the inning might have represented a huge turning point for the Giants. Peavy walked Chris Herrmann, third baseman Matt Duffy made a fielding error on Brandon Drury's ground ball and Chris Owings followed with an RBI double.
It was the kind of inning that the Giants have had trouble containing this season, even escalating as high as a 12-run rally in New York and a 13-run inning at home against the Colorado Rockies.
This time, Peavy snuffed it out. He struck out Nick Ahmed on an 88-mph fastball, then leapt off the mound to make a diving catch of Corbin's bunt attempt before it could hit the turf. Jean Segura followed with a hard grounder up the middle but Peavy redirected it with his cleat, leaving first baseman Brandon Belt with the simple task of scooping it up and stepping on the bag to end the inning.
"I felt that was the game," Peavy said. "You start to think, `That was a double play ball,' and you get caught up in thinking that. So I felt that was a huge turning point."
Pence gave the Giants a 3-1 lead in the fourth, lunging at a low and outside pitch from Corbin and sending his two-run shot into the left field seats for his sixth home run of the season and the 200th of his career.
"It's cool," said Pence, who was able to retrieve the baseball. "It's best served in a winning effort with a pretty good ballgame all the way around. … Earlier in my career, I wouldn't keep much stuff. Now I'll hold onto it because, I mean, it's pretty neat. It can be a gift down the road to someone. You never know."
The Diamondbacks had opened the retractable roof in the top of the fourth, an act that several Giants credited with putting a little extra air underneath Pence's blast.
"I didn't think that ball had a chance to go out, and it flew," Bochy said.
Over the next four innings, Peavy faced two more than the minimum and didn't allow a runner to reach third base.
"He did a nice job throwing fastballs to both sides of the plate," Posey said of Peavy, who yielded a run on three hits. "It's as good as I've seen him this year, locating in and out."
Peavy had trouble keeping anything down Friday night, and Bochy theorized that the right-hander's lack of energy might have played in his favor. His hardest fastball was 89.6 mph.
"It was the polar opposite from the last one," Peavy said. "I don't know if I threw one pitch where I let it all hang out."
Peavy had thrown 94 pitches through six solid innings, and Bochy did not delay a trip to the cash window. Bochy let Peavy hit in the seventh inning, but only to attempt a sacrifice after Kelby Tomlinson had reached on an infield single.
Bochy went with his uncertain setup staff for an extra inning, and the bullpen blew the 3-1 lead. Law allowed a run in the seventh on two singles and an RBI ground out from Segura, who beat the feed from Panik when the second baseman tried to compete a tag-and-throw double play.
Then Strickland allowed a run on two hits and a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
The Giants started their rally in the ninth when Conor Gillaspie lined a pinch single with one out. Span reached when a pitch clipped his cleat and Panik walked to load the bases. Duffy grounded into a forceout at the plate, setting the stage for Posey to shine.
Andrew Baggarly
Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer. ​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly's other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.
Giants notes/lineups: Johnny Cueto receives his World Series ring, etc.
Giants notes: Matt Duffy and Buster Posey rest, plus updates on Ehire Adrianza, Andrew Susac, Derek Law and others
catch - 22
Brekeroni loves brooms
When the Giants are away the Spartans will play. Today at AT&T park.
Bapah
All I have to say is that if this blown win keeps Jake from winning 20, Strickland owes him a really nice car.
SurfCity
Did you add an extra zero? 😉
Very nice. Signs of life from Peavy. Too bad he didn't get the win but I bet he still feels good about it. Nice job Giants!
Don't get cocky
Matt has shown some signs of life too, so Hoo nose?
The whole pace of game time posts drives me sort of nutty. I'm not sure all that needs to be said. Myself included.
DrLefty
I still think you're looking at this the wrong way. Imagine you're in a sports bar having a couple pops. The game's on, and people are commenting in real time. That's what it is.
If it's not your cup of tea, fine. But that's what it is. For me, since baseball is slow-paced, it works. Can't do it while watching an NBA game, though.
Here's a nice stat: Since that Cinco de Mayo meltdown (17 runs), the team ERA is 2.22, and they haven't allowed more than 4 runs in any game (9 games).
Knox Harrington
Poo Holes with a 3 run blast to put the Halos up by 2 in the 9th. Cishek blows another one.
12xu
It's stress relief! Or anger management! Or celebrating with friends!
totalfan62
Vin Scully is on the cover of SI this week, and he is featured in an outstanding piece by Tom Verducci. It's a must read–I'll find and post link a bit later. Beautiful, well-written, and much deserving.
I like pretty much everything you say, so please keep saying it.
Lefty says it well below.
This was one of those 50/50 games, and we got the W. Wonder if Bochy starts Brown, Blanco and Gillaspie tomorrow. With a day off Monday, lets go with our best and get the sweep.
Law is a very nice young man. Vin saved Derek's job, now Derek might have saved Blackburn's job 😉
Miller nailed it- the kid needs to challenge hitters. Until he does that, he won't close in the bigs.
Yes-hitters who hit the ball hard and have average or below average speed are going to hit into lot of DPs. Got to live with it
Was Phil doing play-by-play tonight?
So Strickland gets a blown save and a win. And Law gets a hold. Cody gets the save .Baseball can be a crazy game .
I felt the Cinco de Mayo happened because of the bad karma since they were celebrating it at ATT on May 6.
Strickland didn't exactly blow up. Both singles were ground balls that found holes and then you throw in the sac fly and there's your run. Unfortunately, it cost Peavy a win.
Moooooooooose
Scanning through Facebook tonight and seeing a ton of bird photos. A ton.
Thinking of avwh 🙁
Spartans are meant for mud and barbed wire…not a well groomed infield
paul in p.v.
Lackadaisical.
Agree. I'm all alone down in old Mexico, but it feels like I'm watching the game with amigos. Who understand the game.
earlytimes
Heston not a good night … 4 in 5 hits 4 bb 4 runs…
I ain't too fond of Law. Not much fortitude.
PicoJim
Did something happen to him?
Most of those GIDPs are swings on outer edge strikes or off the plate outside. Not all strikes are hitter strikes. Duffy talked about it last year in learning to wait for his pitch. Need to get BamBam to work on being more selective.
Sorry to say, Pico, but Allen passed away suddenly in December and Dr. Lefty discovered the sad news a month or 2 ago. Allen was definitely one of the good guys and is missed greatly.
pacman68
Peavy saved himself for a couple more starts.
Why hasn't anyone signed Lincecum yet?
Because Giants' FO has plenty of common sense.
It's like the 1930s, before AC and TV, when everyone in Baggsville sat on their front porch with the radio on. Big whoops heard up and down the street when the home team scores, or gets out of a jam.
Foothills Ryan
Minor League Report
Augusta 5, Greenville 0
Cory Taylor 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K – 2.36 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 31:9 K:BB in 26.2 IP
(Cory is 22 y.o., 8th round pick out of Dallas Baptist U., listed at 6-2, 255)
Jake McCasland 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K – 0.69 ERA
Jalen Miller 1-3, 2B, K – .239 avg
Seth Harrison 3-4, 2B (8), 3B (2), – .250 avg
Dillon Dobson 1-3, RBI (19), K – .284
Matt Winn 1-4, 2 RBI, K -.306
San Jose 11, Modesto 7
Jordan Johnson 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, BB, 2 K, HR – 3.09 ERA
Rodolfo Martinez IP, 2 H, ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 1.17 ERA
Chris Shaw 2-4, 2B (12), HR (7) – .985 OPS
Jonah Arenado 3-4, 2 2B (4), HR (6) – .755 OPS (still just 21 y.o.)
Jose Vizcaino Jr 3-4 – .243 avg
Altoona 7, Richmond 6
Matt Gage 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 7 K – 4.50 ERA
Tyler Rogers IP, Klean – unscored upon in 16.2 IP
Christian Arroyo 0-2, BB, K – .250/.291/.347
Austin Slater 3-4, BB, K, SB (4) – .292/.388/.438
Ryder Jones 1-4, 2B (8), BB – .248/.278/.364
Hunter Cole 1-2, 2B (6), 2 BB – .250/.318/.319
Memphis 10, Sacramento 3
Chris Heston 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K – 4.94 ERA
Ramiro Pena 2-3, BB – .346 avg
Jarrett Parker 1-3, HR (10), BB, K – .219/.317/.552
This has been your minor league report.
Catching up on Tommy Joseph who was promoted to the Bigs…
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/5/14/11675916/mlb-rookie-report-tommy-joseph-1b-c-philadelphia-phillies
Thanks for the info on Cory Taylor.
Here's the video of Fargas scoring from second on a sac fly!
http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=697833983&sid=t476
Uhhh, Mr. Centerfielder, that's two outs! Nice hustle though.
That's a good eye, good speed and great thinking.
If I could only remember whether I picked him or not.
winebaroness27
Is Gustavo Cabrera back on the DL for Augusta??
Wondering what might be the problem
Really rooting for him to overcome that horrible accident…
Skweezplay55
Nice night for Span.
HaakAway
Fargas … 610nmn, Bapah, CC, Foots, Moooose
Nice to see an apparent come-back in the making. It was a derby, of sorts between Susac and him, at the time. He sure did bring a nice piece, though.
Me too. My Guy. He played a few games within the first 2 weeks of season and that's been it. His status is now listed as "Active", so maybe he is just coming off DL. Don't know. Hoping for best.
Dude, you're better than actually having a memory.
BTW, that's a fantastic group to be a part of.
His rehab was never going to be a walk-in-the-park, so some regression and a lot of work was in his forecast.
Kelby's hitting .340?!? Only 50 ABs, but he might stick:
http://stats.csnbayarea.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=26&report=stats
How humble is Hunterpence?
I didn't recall Cory had that many runs. I still like his act even with an ERA above 3.
I haven't forgotten Bochy's remark a couple years ago to the effect that Hunter Pence was the easiest player he'd ever managed. This was the season HP spent considerable time as leadoff, and other slots in the batting order, as needed. He's a treasure, so congrats on #200. Basically it won the game, along with a little help from his good friend.
I liked KT from the beginning; I didn't feel that way with Gearrin. I thought it was just another vet that Boch wanted to take a flyer on. I feel much different now in that there's something to his skill AND to his persona. He's a good guy, it seems. KT, like Arroyo, will present a problem on what to do with these kid's future. None of us will be really able to be authoritative here; we don't really know these kids, just the public part. I like what this team has done with personnel. It seems most of these guys are really likable. I haven't been on, or coached, many teams like that.
The bite on Gearrin's two-seamer to right handers sure makes it look unhittable
You Humbugger. He might just prove you wrong. To me he is just younger than most or just acts like it. Following his twits is painful for an old guy like me. I like his arm, though.
It's early yet, but I was saying to the Mr. last night that Samardzija may be the pitching equivalent of Pence–raised elsewhere but never really found a home and very much wanted to become a Giant. I like the Shark a lot–he's intense and fiery and competitive and likable and he wants to learn and get better–he'll work with Buster and the coaches to be the best he can be, and it's already paying off, it looks like.
I love Cueto, too, but I'm trying not to get too attached. He may be two years and gone here. Shark will be here for five years.
He's like Romo – fearless – an assassin with the baseball.
That's not a bad comp. Maybe some of that nutty personality too. Not in the same way, maybe, but some of the same comic relief.
Kelby and Gillaspie are doing a nice job off the bench. Yesterday was the second time in a week that Gillaspie's started a rally pinch-hitting and scored the winning run late in a game.
I wanted him the year the A's got him. That would have been a nice year to pick him up. I'll still settle for now. I'm a Settler too.
At the beginning of the season I thought KT was coming back to earth, and headed back to Sacramento – deer-in-the-headlights plays and ABs. Guess he was just nervous, bcs. now he's raking every time up.
I felt the same as you about Gearrin before I saw him – wanted the young flamethrowers to go north – but man he is a perfect fit in the 8th (and 9th!) – he has totally compensated for the loss of Romo.
ayup
Don't get me wrong, I'm hoping he does well. His curve is hawesome – but he doesn't seem to close down hitters. Maybe just youth.
Gillaspie's starting to look like the kind of bench guy that plays 15 years for about 10 teams.
Have your patience quotient turned up a tad when you see Ray Black, too. I think some big steps are in store for this kid too.
I hate to point this out…, but… there's a couple of misspellings there Haakster.
One more thing: he hit that HR off his shoe-tops, on a low outside pitch. Posey's single was an identical pitch. Corbin must've wanted to spit after that.
Ok, one more thing – did you see Hudson sharing choice words with his baseball mitt after Posey's 2-out double in the 9th?
Pure schadenfreude!
Ah, patience. What's that?
I know. What was I thinking?
When you step back and take a view of current Bay Area sports stars: Hunter Pence, Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Joe Thornton…
It's why my local guy Colin Kaepernick isn't fitting. ( Dray has a mouth, but does at least seem humbled in his success…). His persona trumped his humility…and he WAS very polite until he wasn't.
We are fortunate to see a community of young stars who happen to have a very humble, appreciative perspective. Some fans think character doesn't matter, and only winning does. Well, both is best.
The A's gave up two first-round draft picks for Samardzija, one of whom (Addison Russell) is now the Cubs' SS. The Giants just gave up money. OK, and a draft pick this June, but whatever.
Gracias! I forgot how much fun it is to go out and watch los pequenos Gigantes in San Jose.
Appears to be a great investment.
I blame Jim Harbaugh at least somewhat for the persona. First because he modeled that surly, churlish public behavior was OK and enabled Kap's doing that. It was hard not to notice the difference between Kap's postgame press conferences and those of Alex Smith before him. Second because Harbaugh hand-picked and elevated Kap, demoting Smith and thrusting Kap into the spotlight. I don't know the young man, but it all may have been too much, too fast to handle graciously.
Now I know The Oracle is going to squawk about how Harbaugh did the right thing and now he's a great coach at Michigan and OK–stipulated. I'm bored with arguing about Harbaugh. I'm just commenting that if Kap turned from a respectful, polite young man to what he became, JH may have been complicit in that, at least indirectly. At the end of the day, Kap's an adult and responsible for himself.
Well see, but perhaps Span just needed more playing time after an injury shortened season last yr and a recovery that had him being brought along slowly in ST. Maybe he'll be in fine all-around form soon.
Thus all Giants off-season acquisitions are looking good. Even bringing back Gillaspie is paying dividends.
And the decision to carry 13 P to and keep Gearrin is turning out to be one of their best. With Kontos and Romo going down, and the kids shaky, he's saved their arse. One of the MVP's.
Gearrin's a keeper. I think he stays all year. When Kontos is activated, I assume Blackburn goes back to the rotation in AAA, which is where he should be. Suarez stays for now as the long man, and either he or Law goes when Romo gets back, depending how the next few weeks go for both of them.
channelclemente
When it's over, it's over, I'd say. Did he actually think he was going to deny RHB's hits all season?
Daniel Murphy
Shaw was prominently featured in Baseball America writeup after yesterday's action.
He's on the fast track.
Urias was the lead story. They're comparing his imminent promotion in LA to Fernandomania.
No pressure though.
They rolled the dice on the high-upside, higher-risk play–Samardzija for $90 mil–vs. the safe, known commodity play, Leake for $80 mil. I'm really glad they took the chance.
And did anyone really think Buster Posey would never ever come through in the clutch again?
I like that Kelby's using his speed to make things happen. A lot of that batting average is infield hits he legged out. And once he's on, he can create some havoc.
Oh god yes. Leakey's a bum.
Apparently, the White Sox pitching coach came clean in private, even before the ESPN admission, that he was responsible for screwing up Samardzija by tinkering with his delivery. So, the Giants may have had some significant insight to what Samardzija's potential was, regardless of his 2015 performance. Lucky us, I'd say.
Good point. What a rabbit!
I wish everyone could have seen him here, and then at Nevada…every time he spoke it was "Sir" and "Ma'am" and " Thank you", and it was about hard work, faith, teammates….he kept some of that, but lost most of it, and most importantly became aloof amongst teammates ( from my view).
Against the deep held beliefs of people like Efrain, I think star athletes who begin seeing accomplishments selfishly lose their shine. Bautista , Tulowitzki, Arenado, Hanley, and so on. So, bat flips and such are just "sign of the times"? Well, the Giants stars don't. I like them more because of it…how often do we have to cringe?
Kap works incredibly hard. Somewhere along the line he thought that was all it took, but QB's also must be community leaders, especially in the locker room. Pence is. Posey is. Steph is. When a teams leader is not, that team is easy to dislike. Too general, perhaps…but I'm proud to be a Giants fan these days.
IMO, it'll be like a dam breaking. Last time this happened he hit almost .400 for 5-6 weeks in a really sweet groove.
Sgbssfg
Under his current persona, is still a nice young man from Turlock who does caring and charitable work behind the scenes. Kap just needs to throw off the gangster crap and return to his true self.
Well said, Mateo.
Sure hope so (re Span)!
Or,… the All-Knowing Tidrow.
DAY GAME catch!
RobDeer
Considering we need a long man and Law's struggles, wouldn't surprise me to see Suarez stay up.
The part about being isolated in the locker room is really sad, I think. He probably needs a fresh start elsewhere. I'm not a Chip Kelly fan and don't really believe he's the guy to turn anyone around.
I'm convinced that the Giants already had studied film and listened to their scouts and knew how they were going to fix him before they even signed him. It might even have been part of their pitch to him.
Really impressed with Shaw. Think the Giants struck gold with that pick.
Probably, but I don't know that… I do know that the White Sox pitching coach publicly fessed up to screwing Samardzija by idiotic tinkering.
Me either, but we'll see. Very limited opportunity to observe Suarez so far, and he's a journeyman. He may just be this week's version of Vin Mazzaro. Law has been a highly regarded prospect in the organization for several years. They have a few weeks to see how they both come along.
And a bandbox ballpark (can't imagine Lincecum thriving there) and weak infield defense didn't help, either. Look at Friday night's game. Shark went 8 innings with only three Ks. One ground ball to the infield after another. He looked like a happy guy with all that great defense he was getting behind him.
Cubs have Addison Russell now and he looks like a good one.
I still don't understand why Beane blew that team up. Donaldson, Cespedes, Shark, can't even remember some of the other guys but I remember that team being loaded. Just because they lost some freakish 1 game wild card….bad thinking
He is a very well regarded pitching coach which makes Shark's struggles even more confusing last year. White Sox playing good ball this year.
It really seems like Beane just kind of lost it there–the mad scientist just became, well, mad.
So who had the Phils ahead of the Mets in the standings on May 15?!
Yeah, he overthought it or something. There was a buzz in the bay about the A's. They were starting to gain serious fan support (they were all of a sudden the cool team). That is the kind of thing that can make ownership a lot of money. Seems silly to blow it all up. I am surprised Wolff let him. Unless he wanted it that way in a bid to get a new park
Thx, Footy.
My evil conspiracy theory
Not at all. I think almost everything they do is about a new ballpark.
It's Law's upside that makes me want him to go down and pitch regularly. I know his stuff is there but considering his TJ surgery, he needs to still be on a more regimented program. Fact is, he'd be behind Romo, Gearrin, Strick and Kontos in the pecking order. How much work can he get?
It totally went against everything he said when they were getting 30k turning up for games all of a sudden. He was claiming that no matter how well they did people wouldn't show up in Oakland.
But Oakland isn't the same as it was 20 years ago. More people are moving out of the city and into the east bay. They could do well if they just signed some of their home grown players instead of trading them.
Don't get me wrong, a new park would help in a big way but they still aren't doing things honorably.
Yep. I'd agree that's probably how it plays out unless Suarez is awful between now and when Romo's ready. Or they might go back to a 12-man pitching staff. Adrianza should be back at some point, too.
Unfortunately, Bochy's preference for vets has really held Kelby back. Oh, wait . . .
Nailing a high draft pick sets up a lot of options for later.
All the other GMs know about Shaw from his college career.
As he progresses, you know Evans will field a lot of calls.
If Belt has the kind of career they are literally banking on, Shaw won't see first base @ AT&T. They will move him to a corner outfield post or he'll be good trade bait.
Nice options to have.
The converse: No. 1 pick Gary Brown's decline. As he got worse, the options evaporated. He got DFA'd in the end, the worst case scenario.
I agree. Plus Samardzija has always been a momentum/touchy/feely guy since he came up in 2007-8. I remember his stint as a reliever. The crowd would get into it, and suddenly that radar gun wasn't 96-97, but a 100-101. And that set to last year, between the Sox and Royals that Ventura provoke. He's got a streak of viking berserker in him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9GKrn8UFxI
Ha! I saw Conor Gillaspie in there, too. That Ventura kid is a punk.
Yeah, its nice to have that chip just in case. Power is a premium these days too. You knew when a contact oriented team like the Giants saw something they liked in a power hitter enough to take him with the comp pick they probably had a good reason for it.
I really like Arroyo too and I want the Giants to hang onto him. Nowhere to put him as of now though.
GSDUbs
Jarryd Hayne…we hardly knew ye
Excellent rumble in the jumble. What did Ventura do to provoke this? He's a punk.
Suarez has been moved up the ladder. I could easily see Blackburn staying as the swing man and Law going down. We should know later today,
Not me. They have some nice young pitching. They can pitch, they can catch and they have speed. Nice to see them compete instead of being a doormat
Journeymen have served us well over the years. The term is not a pejorative, after all.
Remember. Where would this country be without insurance… and undertakers? I like having an Arroyo-policy plan.
[Well, for one banks wouldn't have anywhere to get their money]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Aq12OwA31g
Span was of the best signings of the off season. And they signed him to play CF and lead off- and that's where he should stay.
https://i.imgur.com/ZZ0lfDr.png
Andres The Forever Giant
I immensely enjoyed the 'ol cowboy Nolie beating up on Ventura back in the day! 🙂
Ham and Eggin it on a Sunday
steve k
damn son, you made the hair on my arms stand up. i'm ready to ride into the valley of death with the other 599 after reading that. is the anti bat flip thinking because we're getting older, or because we're white, or are we just respectful of the other guy's feelings, and of the game?
Is Angel the ham and Cain the egg?
I don't have a problem being predictable. Your last sentence was the most accurate. Kaepernick made his own choices. Somehow, Harbaugh's terrible example didn't seem to rub off on Andrew Luck, or the rest of his players at Stanford, Michigan, or with the 49ers.
Or the Giants?
Western omelet.
I think it's more his ego got the best of his brain…"they're making a movie about how I brilliantly modernized the way baseball teams are built"…. He truly thinks he's the smartest guy in every room, and that's a very dangerous way to go about ones business
I was pleasantly surprised by Peavy in yesterday's game, not only with his pitching. Alex Pavlovic, in post-game blog:
"Even in the down times, Peavy has helped himself quite a bit defensively. He's probably the quickest Giants starter when it comes to fielding bunts, and he made a diving catch of Corbin's attempt in second. It was a reminder that in a past life (2012) Peavy won a Gold Glove."
Keep the faith!!
Andrew Baggarly 2min ago:
Andrew Susac caught a camp game, is close to returning to AAA. Adrianza had scans that showed fractured foot is healing slower than expected.
I've been having a hard time with that when it comes to Peavy.
Not surprised to see Duffy sit, and Gillaspie get the start. Duffman needs a day. Planned day off for Buster, but–as Dr. Lefty pointed out earlier–it's likely more about not catching Cain. Let's get to Rubby, and know we have two good bats on the bench.
if he didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. feel bad for EA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1FcKoSc6Eg
bochy also seems to like giving buster a day off before an off day. he comes back more refreshed after a 2 day vaca..
Philip Fabiani
Gillaspie playing 3B in Chase Field seems like a bad idea.
Yeah, but I read they have the 2nd worst run differential. Their offense looks horrible.
BALDHEADSLIKK
Damn good point
Stadium field match ups…interesting concept
Thats what you got
Hard to stay hot that way.
Hope all is well Michael
Dray is 1 smart sob!! Momma raised that boy well.
how good was teddy's voice? smooth as a babies behind, and as cool as the other side of the pillow…
I didn't mean it as a pejorative. But when you have a guy that was plucked out of the dumpst– oh, that sounds pejorative, too–vs. a guy that's come up through your system, gone through TJ surgery on your watch, and who almost made your team two years ago…that guy (Law) might just be a bit higher on the pecking order. But at this level, it's more about performance.
You can always tell the wannabe gangsters, they're usually the ones that act tough.
Yes, that's a fair point. I thought you were going to tell me that Oracles don't "squawk," though. 🙂
Certainly not ahead of Cueto or Samardzija.
Span's defense has not been as advertised.
Yeah…3rd best out of 3.
Oh man wasnt it, dont get me going!! My all time fav voice is The Temptations David Ruffin
I can see his injuries affecting his speed. But his arm is still going to be weak. Let's see if he continues to be productive against lefties — he hasn't been for years.
Hell his voice made me want to marry him lol.
i'd have played him again today, after that big hit yesterday. he may be finding his groove..
My point exactly but BP seems to enjoy his off days. Your best bat is out of the line up quite often
Law's velocity decline is concerning. He maxed out at 92 mph yesterday. He was averaging 94-95 when he first came up.
DS in that order
i'm listening to sam cook, live at the copa, as we "speak". talk about smooth. my favorite though might be mr. excitement, the late, great jackie wilson..
My all time fav cf was Omar Moreno and Span is nowhere near that cat. Caesar Cedeno was another.
Imagine the $$$ Cedeno would be pulling in these days!
All great voices. Im a huge fan of Pandora radios classic soul cuts from the 60s era. The Traniers The Ronettes Archie Bell and the Drells etc…
i don't know why they stopped putting belt in left, and giving buster sort of a rest,at first base, once in a while.
A whopping amount.
me and you would get along just fine, my friend..
You chillin' today, Slikk?
Beauty is making paella for our Uncle George…dude is fighting through chemo and radiation, smiling and chatting through the whole ordeal. And I thought I was tough? We're gonna have the TPC golf on for him, so I'll sneak into the back of the house for the boys.
Jake and Matt are starting to make Bochy look like a genius -again.
Im not a bad guy until you really get to know me. I agree.
Because Pagan is an inspiration to Casilla
Here's Peav's deal; he has the knowledge and the tools. He isn't the same guy anymore and has trouble remembering that until he gets bashed on the head with the reality for a while. He now has to use different tools differently, but sometimes the same tools differently.
He also has to think differently and he's stubborn and it takes time sometimes for him to come to his senses, or yell at himself to listen. Bochy knows all this; he had him for quite a while and he knows his character and skills. He's a believer even though Jake may forget why sometimes. Jake came around a bit last year and Boch thinks he can again, maybe more so. I'm not sure I could do what Bochy's doing, I'm a bit more of a pessimist.
There's nothing anybody's going to do that will change the Skip's mind until it does. If there's anything we can all count on it's Jake having the inner fire and Boch having the patience to guide the prodigal son a bit further. Yesterday was a fine example of, "listen to the boss". He knows…, for now.
Just chillin out at Starbucks right now for abt a hour then to Target for some bachelor grub. I hope unc is doing well.
The women in my life always voted for Barry White.
Hey my dad and BW were dead ringers when pop was in his 20s and 30s no lie. He heard it all of the time. Barry could sing.
The Delfonics. La la means I love you. Song #3 on our love songs mix disc.
In case you're wondering, top two are Happy Together (Turtles) and the incomparable Al Green singing "Let's Stay Together."
Your 1 bright dude you know that?
My guess? He was asked to dial it back a tad until he heals a bit more.
I wish you all would stop making all these great points hell im in the mood to argue and complain
…but he is a 3rd baseman
Worth noting that Peavy had a great game with Buster catching him this time. He's had Brown for most of his starts this year.
A very shaky one
After Willie, of course. I'd go with Garry Maddox, smooth #31 ranging far into the gaps. As Richie Ashburn famously said "two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. The other one-third is covered by Garry Maddox".
Hope he's OK. That first year back after TJ can be tough.
I love The Delfonics and The Intruders and The Impressions lol
Whose idea, do you think? I'd guess the skipper.
Kruk intimated yesterday that Righetti/Gardner have encouraged him to throw more fastballs and less specialty pitches.
He was good too
shaky how? maybe he's quick as hell over there but lacks the glove. Then who would care whether he plays 3b or not? He would be shaky anywhere regardless of how hard the infield is…if that's the concern
how about the duprees.."you belong to me" or the crystals.."and then he kissed me"?
That sounds like a good plan too.
Joe Tex!!!
Joe Tex! I Gotcha!
he is shaky, very shaky, anywhere he plays. that's a big reason why he hasn't caught on as a started anywhere. hitting isn't his problem
I've been sitting here for about a minute trying to give you something to complain about and I got nothin'!
I GOTCHA!
Conor has aged pretty drastically- from high school boy to a grizzled vet in just 5 years
BTW, he's had 19 AB- let's back off on the adulation. It will be great if pans out- but, we"ll see,
Brown is another guy who might see his star fade. Susac or even Olivo might take his spot at some point this year. Miguel is ancient but he does have some real power.
I like Trevor but he's been barely off the interstate in the last month.
4 W's in a row will do that!
Ever heard of Jerry "Boogie" McCain? Check him out, more of a rock n roller and blues guy.
new post, lots of injury reports.
He came around more than "a little bit" last year.
He was rated the second worst 3B from 2014-15 by Defensive Runs Saved.
Shaky as in "not real good".
Shake it if you got it, Conor
The Tymes…we're both under the same cloud…if it's rainin' on you, and it's rainin' on me….
I saw Gillaspie in Sac when he was at Fresno. So, he may not be a ML superstar ever, but man has he improved over what he was that day.
I was speaking comparatively.
And a little understatedly.
He inspires me, Slikk…came from nothing, worked his ass off, made it an easy ride for his family…now fighting for his life when he should be chillin' on a beach.
Way better than his predecessor in CF.
I missed a word-I meant " one of the best"– hard to dispute that. But Phil will.
Law has shown that he's not ready. He needs to go down and rediscover his fastball-.Suarez may not work out- SSS, but he has shown that he knows what he's what doing out there and he doesn't get rattled.
The original post referenced playing in Phoenix specifically. I dont see where stadium field matters in the case of Gillaspie. I'm not arguing his defensive prowess.
Up and down, Baldy. You?
What that have to do with playing at Chase?
Life can be so unfair!
Same here but mostly ups Thank God. I wish u good health.
when EA gets back, there will still be plenty of the season left. i'm pretty sure that as long as he looks good in his rehab games, bochy would rather give EA the roster spot for what he can do with the glove, and his much improved hitting approach, than keep conor.
i also agree that susac will be in wilson's spot by the time we hit the clubhouse turn. susac has excellent power when healthy, and his defense isn't abominable..
Hard, fast infield
That's really nuancing it. So his limitation is his range? I thought it was his glove where the field of play doesnt really matter
Uh-HUH, HUH!
i had never heard of him. just listened to "black blues is back". loved it..loved his harp playing. i'm sure he was a sonny boy fan. thanks for that, bud
22'sSweetSwing
If Pence hadn't hit that HR the other day he'd be having a horrible series. DeLa Rosa is flat clowning him.
Urban Spartans like Urban cowboys.
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