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We all know that feel, sadcat with an orange soccer ball.

Tim Lincecum struck out two in the first inning. Sounds like good ol’ Timmy, sure. But he also gave up two home runs in that inning.

Then he had some decent innings.

Then the wheels fell off completely.

And then the Giants lost.

Good grief, that is basically the whole game in a nutshell.

Now the overanalysis of what-is-wrong-with-Timmy-itis is happening. I hear Greg Papa talking and it sounds like the adults in the Peanuts cartoons talking. That’s a perfectly acceptable analogy for Greg Papa’s analysis.

I don’t know about you, but when Jonathan Sanchez was traded away, I would’ve expected only Barry Zito to throw below average or have frustrating starts. » Continue reading “Giants Recap: That Was Just Sad”

(Photo: rocor/flickr)

Another day, another very good Ryan Vogelsong start. If he keeps this up, I’m going to run out of things to say. It’s weird, considering how different they come across, but something in Vogelsong’s approach reminds me of Jonathan Sanchez. You never saw Sanchez say “hell with it, try and hit this”; he’d stubbornly nibble and nibble, trying to hit the corners and get the batter to miss breaking balls. It was kind of commendable, that refusal to give in, but of course he couldn’t find the strike zone so it never really worked out.

Vogeltron does the same thing, but he has the strike zone’s home phone number. He outperformed his FIP last year by nearly a full run and he may well do it again, throwing pitch after pitch that’s just crap to hit. The Texas Rangers lineup is essentially a bunch of Game of Thrones characters armed with baseball bats instead of bastard swords, and then they produced an assortment of dribblers, pop-ups, and a handful of loud outs. I don’t know if it’s sustainable, but holy crap is it fun to watch while it is. » Continue reading “Giants Recap: Nothing Brings ‘Em Out Like A Vogey Quality Start”

(SD Dirk/flickr)

Tonight, the Giants are facing the Phillies at AT&T Park. Tim Lincecum faces Roy Halladay, which is going to be the EPSN pitching duel of the day.

Tomorrow, Joe Blanton faces Madison Bumgarner. This one is going to be a matchup for the cupcakes and for the cows.

On Wednesday, Cliff Lee goes up against Matthew Thomas Cain. That might be another ESPN pitching duel of the day right there, too.

The recent rivalry between the two teams has been one for the blogosphere as of late. However, Jonathan Sanchez is now with the Royals and Eli Whiteside is hopping in Fresno.

And then the Phillies are 4-5 and Chase Utley is on the DL. But they have that centerfielder that no one outside Philly really likes to like. So who knows what’s gonna happen? It doesn’t seem like it’s gonna be an outcome without turmoil or anything.

Of course, it’d be nice if the Giants sweep the series, but at this point, a win is good. Setting the bar low so anything more exceeds expectations.

Today’s Giants lineup after the jump. » Continue reading “Series Preview: Giants Face Phillies, No Hopping Around Now”

The 2011 Giants were plagued by injuries, as many fans know. These injuries range from the absurd, to the ludicrous, to the OHPLEASENODONOTLETTHISBEHAPPENING. Here, we rank the injuries from the LOL to the NOOOOOO.

Hamburger patties led to the injury of reliever Jeremy Affeldt.

LOL: Jeremy Affeldt’s hamburger injury

Let’s face it: the news of Affeldt’s injury was shocking. It was unexpected — a key reliever slicing his hand open in September? Can this not happen, please? Even better was the fact that this injury happened when he tried to slice frozen hamburger patties apart. And by “better,” that means “how about we just throw all ridiculousness possible into one injury.”

The injury raised a lot of questions, such as, “Who would even let a pitcher slice frozen hamburger patties?” or “What is a baseball player doing buying frozen hamburger patties in the first place?” These are questions that may not have any answers to — or at least, answers that the public will know.

» Continue reading “2011 Injuries From LOL To NOOOOOOO!”

In a move that screams “SABEAN, WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY DOING RIGHT NOW,” the San Francisco Giants have traded pitchers Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Verdugo for Royals outfielder Melky Cabrera.

In 2011, Sanchez had been plagued by injuries in the revolving-door saga that went Sanchez-DL, Barry Zito-DL, Sanchez-DL. Verdugo had spent the season in Double-A Richmond, posting a 4.35/4.10 ERA/FIP line.

Cabrera, expected to be the Giants’ leadoff man, finished the 2011 season with a .305/.339/.470 BA/OBP/SLG line and a.164 ISO.

The skies are starting to take on a familiar gray tinge as a constant, spitting drizzle falls on and off here in the Bay, pumpkin spice lattes fill many a Starbucks cup, and my ophthalmologist’s office reeks of apple cinnamon potpourri, which can only mean two things. One, that I should find a new ophthalmologist and two, that the long, baseball-less months of the off-season are upon us. Dreary as this time of year can seem at first, the one thing I secretly love about this part of baseball season is that the upcoming season spreads out like a vast expanse of uncharted territory where, at least for a little while, we can all let our imaginations run wild with hopes for the next year — especially when it comes to imaging who we might see in orange and black come 2012.

Could Jacoby Ellsbury end up in orange and black? Image courtesy Keith Allison via Flickr

Looking at the free agent crop for next year, the one thing that’s striking, though this has certainly been mentioned elsewhere before, is the lack of top tier starting pitching available. This is especially interesting given that the offense rich AL East powerhouse Red Sox and Yankees are both in pretty serious need of pitching and, frankly, there is only one C.J. Wilson to go around. See where I’m going with this? Trade a pitcher, and trade him to a team that can cough up something big in return.

The Giants could go blockbuster, huge, out of character, make or break sort of trade, or they could go measured, reasonable, but still productive. It all comes down to the risk/reward balance. Matt Cain, the Giants’ beloved horse and second ace, is the type of pitcher that could draw a huge return from a team like the Red Sox or Yankees, and he would have to to make it worth it. Giving up an arm like Cain’s, even for a team as desperate for offense as the Giants, is a huge risk and had better come with a blockbuster of a deal.

» Continue reading “Trade A Pitcher? Why Not?”

The last meeting between the two teams in Houston did not go the way the Giants had hoped for. They had dropped the series, losing in ugly fashions.

Now, following a two game series with the Padres (where they split the series), the Giants face the Astros again. This time, it’s a four game series at home.

Many players who were injured are now healed or recovering. One very noticeable player is Carlos Beltran, whose offensive skills the Giants sorely missed during injury Armageddon. Pat Burrell is rehabbing with the San Jose Giants and went 2-for-4 last night as their designated hitter. Andres Torres is also rehabbing, but with the Fresno Grizzlies.

However, that doesn’t mean that they are now exempt from the injury problem. Jonathan Sanchez is now on the disabled list and Nate Schierholtz is playing with a hairline fracture in his right foot. That might be a bit problematic. Or just worthy of many palms to the face.

And then there’s also the fact that Orlando Cabrera suggested that he hit in the leadoff position:

Well, Cabrera let us in on a little secret after the game. Leading off wasn’t Bochy’s idea. It was his.

“That was kind of my request,” he said. “I want to be there. I want to get a lot of at-bats.”

Wait a second. It was his idea?

“A suggestion,” Cabrera said, with a lilt in his voice. “You know, I’ve gotta do what I need to do to win this division.”

That it’s possible Cabrera may be hitting leadoff again and many more times is just a frightening thought.

What the Giants will presumably do now is try their best not to lose another series to a team that has already been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race. It’s August, by the way.

Probable pitchers for this series:
Thursday: Ryan Vogelsong (10-3, 2.47) vs. Henry Sosa (0-2, 6.35)
Friday: Madison Bumgarner (7-12, 3.68) vs. J.A. Happ (4-14, 6.26)
Saturday: TBA vs. Brett Meyers (3-13, 4.95)
Sunday: Matt Cain (10-9, 2.90) vs. Bud Norris (6-8, 3.73)

The Giants have (finally) placed Jonathan Sanchez on the disabled list.

Carlos Beltran has been activated from the disabled list.

Nate Schierholtz is injured with a hairline fracture in his right foot. From Andrew Baggarly’s Postgame Notes:

Nate Schierholtz is likely to avoid the disabled list, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. Bochy plans for the right fielder to contribute off the bench despite a hairline fracture in his right foot.

The calender is a major factor here. If the Giants believe Schierholtz can play in the near term, there’s little reason to put him on the DL when rosters expand in nine days.

Pat Burrell is going to begin rehab, tweets Joe Ritzo.

Pat Burrell batting third and starting at DH tonight for the SJ Giants … Plan is to get him four at-bats.

Tonight’s starting lineup:

Cabrera SS
Keppinger 2B
Beltran RF
Sandoval 3B
Huff 1B
Ross CF
Belt LF
Stewart C
Lincecum P

Yes, that’s Orlando Cabrera leading off. Yes, that’s the collective tears of Giants fans everywhere that you see.

This time last year, the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants certainly didn’t like each other. More or less because of the standings. The former atop, the latter trying to catch up. Then, the only thing to be seen was the former’s demise into second place. A free fall, if you will.

And … oh, wait. Now it looks like the Padres are wanting to add insult to injury, aren’t they?

There’s not much you can add insult to when you can just throw the entire team onto the disabled list at this point.

The injury bug is still hovering around the Giants’ clubhouse. Orlando Cabrera, Jeff Keppinger, and Jonathan Sanchez are all still day-to-day at this point. At which you wonder how long it’ll take for them to just place Sanchez on the DL all together.

The other guys still haven’t healed completely — Carlos Beltran, Pat Burrell, Andres Torres. And, hey, just when is Barry Zito returning, anyhow?

In the face of adversity — and adversity’s name is the Padres and/or Mat Latos — the Giants look like they don’t stand a chance. Even if they’re up against a team as terrible as the Padres.

After all, they did just lose a series to the Houston Astros, a team that was mathematically eliminated in August. August.

For the next two games, they Giants will do all that they can to avoid waving that white flag that’s been stored with the Crazy Crab.

Probable pitchers for the series:

Tuesday: Matt Cain (10-9, 2.86) vs. Mat Latos (6-12, 3.83)
Wednesday: Tim Lincecum (11-10, 2.53) vs. Tim Stauffer (8-9, 3.43)