Lincecum giving up three hits on three pitches with a 1-0 lead in the ninth, on his way to his first career shut-out. Worst. Loss. Of. The. Year.

21 Responses to “…. That is the worst loss of the year”

1. Kent says:

   August 24, 2007 at 7:20 pm

   So yeah, Lowry’s mediocre and tonight at least (as I noted) the hits caught up to him. Nice to see Rags come out AFTER it’s 6-6 w/2 men on. I wore 19 in high school for him…but he should be fired for some new blood.

   Reply
   • +mia says:

     August 25, 2007 at 12:18 pm

     The first rule of Giants On-Field Game Management: Never ever under any circumstances interrupt a previously scheduled nap. It helps build veteran savvy in young pitchers.

     Reply
2. gregory says:

   August 24, 2007 at 9:39 am

   Half the bloggers want Fransden, half dont. The reason its split is cause the guy has never gotten a real chance to show us if he is for real. And this year… WHY THE F NOT? This year has truly shown just how screwed up this franchise really is. There is no direction. There is no leadership. There is no plan. Management has truly betrayed it fanbase.

   We have lip service and and under the table hand jobs.

   The season is lost and has been lost sense July. And still the kids, who yes are most likely not good, are still not given a chance. This is the season to do that and instead we are seeing some of the worst baseball ever from a bunch of has beens. Not to mention how demeaning it must be to all the young guys in the farm system to know even when a player sucks at the MLB level you still wont get a chance. The silver lining of this season would be to see if we have a jewel in the farm system that we dont know about. But instead the Giants are embarrassing themselves by demonstrating just how ignorant this franchise is of its own futility.

   If ever a team deserved relegation it is the Giants.

   Reply
3. uncle joe mccarthy says:

   August 24, 2007 at 8:45 am

   no mia

   im talking about kids like nate and velez….both who are tearing up their respective leagues and are under 25

   your cynicism is understandable….but unless they play, how will we ever know what they can do (well nate was hitting over 300 when he was sent back down)

   Reply
   • +mia says:

     August 25, 2007 at 12:16 pm

     Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for playing the exact players you mention. Really. The problem is that like the guys you cite, they have been preceded by sixteen years worth of similar AAA-dominating Lance-Niekros, Mike Benjamins, and Damon Minors without a single impact player. That in fact, playing “The Kids” who are coming out of a farm system with the brutal track record of the Giants’ is preferable to most of the veterans on the 25 man roster is evidence of McManagement’s incompetence in matters other than ticket sales and politically- correct public relations.

     Reply
4. Kent says:

   August 23, 2007 at 1:34 pm

   I don’t know how my anything will lead to Sabean trading him. He hasn’t listened to my rumbling and ranting about how the franchise was putting itself in quite a spot for…oh…about four years. Well, now were in that “spot.” Lowry is a mediocre MLB pitcher and writing that is not implying that he doesn’t have value. In fact, mediocre MLB pitchers DO have value and, to me at least, Lowry’s one of them. Unless we want to move Lincecum or Cain, Lowry IS the player to be traded for some youth this off-season. Why? The franchise is such a mess that we don’t have anyone else of any value.

   If I were the owner, I’d clean out our coaches from A ball to MLB. The franchise needs pitchers and hitters with different approaches (and talent levels) to succeed in today’s MLB. And our collective excitement about Angel Villalona (as great as he may be) who’s three years or so away from MLB is rather telling to me that the Giants aren’t that serious about winning right now.

   Reply
   • +mia says:

     August 23, 2007 at 6:18 pm

     Mediocre – lacking exceptional quality or ability; “a novel of average merit”; “only a fair performance”; “in fair health”; “the performance was middling at best”

     Thats pretty much what I’ve seen with Lowry. I am neither impressed nor unimpressed. I would be hard-pressed to describe his career as anything other than mediocre within that construct. Completely average. Pitches good some days. Not so good on others. Never exceptionally good. Never exceptionally bad. A little like Rueter, with a better fastball and better change up. He could get better. Or not.

     On a related note, many are calling for “play the kids”. My only question is “What kids?” There are no kids there. A bunch of future Kevin Frandsen’s Ortmeir’s G-Rods, Notgardos, Lindens, Ellisons, Minors?

     Yeah. Right. I suspect Magowan and Sabaen will make a lot of noise about Arod who will eventually either re-sign with the Yankees, or go to the Red Sox or Angels. And then they’ll sign another redundant outfielder anyway. And some other baseball card to draw in the tourists. They’re trapped with some bad players like Roberts, Winn, Molina, Durham, Zito, and Durham through next year.

     The Farm System is a mess. The next couple of years are going to be like having an enema in the town square. Gross, unsightly, noxious plus expensive.

     Reply
   • DonK says:

     August 25, 2007 at 8:26 pm

     Lowry is not “mediocre.” He’s a competent, mid-rotation (3/4) pitcher who has the added benefit of being left-handed. He will win 15+ games this season for a last-place team. He’ll drive you crazy some nights make you happy on others. Pitchers like this have a lot of value – remember, you’ve got to put a starter out there 162 times a year, and getting 32 starts from Lowry as a mid-rotation guy isn’t a bad thing. At .290, his BABIP isn’t outrageously low, and if you accept that Lincecum and Cain can be 1-2 in a rotation and Zito is No. 3, Lowry as a No. 4 starter is a pretty good position (you might want to juggle the order, but that’s now they would set up for me). Lowry has some potential for improvement (Aside: I agree — Rags has to go, now! Maybe someone can help Lowry get over his nibbling fetish).

     A good young lefty who’s also under your control for a few years is a BIG trading chip, especially with this winter’s free-agent market largely barren of impact pitchers. I’d have to get a really good, young position player to give him up.

     Right now, starting pitching and a 43-year-old left fielder are about all this team has going for it. The catching is fair, the infield is a mess and the outfield (aside from that old guy) is mediocre old guys and unproven/marginal young ones. Lowry is the least of the Giants’ problems.

     Reply
     • Kent says:

       August 25, 2007 at 8:47 pm

       I think that we agree more than we disagree. I claimed that Lowry was “mediocre,” yes, that’s right, “mediocre.” I also added throughout my subsequent posts that “mediocre” was not w/o value and that Lowry DOES have value. I’m referring to TRADE value and I’d be in favor of trading him if, IF, the right deal came around where we could get, say, two good prospects that are, say, two years away from ever playing in MLB. Or, say, a blocked prospect and a 25 man roster player about to lose his job…not because he’s bad, per se, but because someone’s coming up to take his spot. I think that there are a lot of examples of each and even more in need of an established lefty.

       I think that we also have potential (and untapped) value in Misch and Correa and that gambling on their improvement lets us dangle Lowry. I don’t dislike him as a player and don’t know him as a person, but, I still contend that Lowry is really our only bargaining chip to further restock our infield, catching corps, or gasp, improve our already veteran-laden outfield. Unless we want to part with Cain or Lincecum.

       More than Lowry’s status, we really need to find coaches with new and fresh and fucking effective approaches to hitting and pitching. The Giants need to be run more like a business and less like a fraternity. Other than Bonds and Cain and Lincecum, this franchise should be humiliated and incensed that it is where it is…by it’s own decisions…yeah, I know.

       2008, end the Rags and bow to Mt. Bonds to please, please, please resign for a smaller salary. Now, if they go and sign Torii Hunter to a 7-year contract, I’m going to burn one of my Giants hats.

       …ugh, time for some more w(h)ine, eh? Really, seriously, I am drinking wine and watching the Gunners play The Citizens.

       Reply
5. uncle joe mccarthy says:

   August 23, 2007 at 10:53 am

   kent,

   I think you are wrong in your assertion that noah is mediocre…its talk like that, that will lead sabean to trading him for some one year, worthless, rental.

   As for Sanchez, this org has done a total number on him. Hes a starter…. hes an rp….hes a starter…..hes an rp….this type of yo-yoing has set him back at least 2 years in development…..I mean, the kid goes back down to fresno, and gets 10ks in 6….there’s tremendous potential there that can be harnessed with the right coaching and keeping him as the starter that he was always meant to be.

   As for the pen, all (except for kline) deserve a pass on this season….first, because alou did a total number on them the past 2 seasons; second, because the offense has so infrequently given them large leads to protect, that even when they do have such a lead, they pitch with timmidity, fearing that any runs given up will cause a loss.

   Reply
6. Kent says:

   August 23, 2007 at 9:17 am

   Lowry is mediocre, without a doubt in my mind, he’s a mediocre MLB-pitcher.

   Cain and Lincecum are young and look pretty damn great. They’re the two exceptions. I’m still not convinced with Cain…in the sense that he’s Nolan Ryan reborn. Lincecum, on the other hand, is a treat to watch.

   Everyone else is up-and-down year-in-and-year-out and that = mediocre in my book. Remember how great we all thought Scott Eyre was? Yeah, not really. Jonathan Sanchez? We’ll see. Right now he’s mediocre (or worse). Taschner? Not very good. Hennessey? Mediocre. Kline? Mediocre, always has been always will be. Ortiz? Stinks. Morris? Mediocre, thankfully gone, but traded once his pumpkin appeared, an opportunity missed. Shall I go on?

   Reply
   • Iain says:

     August 23, 2007 at 3:04 pm

     Yeah…he sure is mediocre…4 years of solid pitching is pretty bad. Usually you speak intelligently but that is the stupidest thing I’ve read from you. Perhaps you don’t think he is as good as good as the numbers say (wins and era) but mediocre? C’mon. Tomko was mediocre. Lowry is a solid young left hander who is now in his 4th season of contributing to the team and being better than average.

     Reply
     • Kent says:

       August 23, 2007 at 9:25 pm

       Thanks for the partially nice comment. Really though, I don’t have anything against Lowry and I find him useful as a SP. However, I still contend that he’s mediocre, not bad certainly, but not really good either. And, as I wrote, he does have value in the sense that he’s young(er) and that he’ll have good seasons. But, I think (and I may be wrong here) that we’ll see years where his BABIP will rise and so will his numbers. His WHIP and the straight out hits allowed are going to bit him in the ass at some point here.

       IP H HR BB K ERA+ WHIP
       2005 204+ 193 21 76 172 110 1.31
       2006 159+ 166 21 56 84 95 1.39
       2007 148 136 8 82 82 131 1.47

       BABIP is around .290 in each year
       GB% is around 40% in each year

       Lowry’s been a useful addition to the SF pitching staff to be sure. He was hurt for part of 2006, so that year really wasn’t that solid overall, or at least incomplete. He’s really only been a SF regular for three seasons.

       What’s more, Lowry is just about our only trading commodity. I don’t think that him staying in SF is a bad thing. But I do think that trading him to, say, Seattle for Jeff Clement and “that OF with the name that I’m not going to look up now (not Jones, the other guy)” or Anaheim for two of their like 60 prospect studs.

       Reply
7. uncle joe mccarthy says:

   August 23, 2007 at 12:25 am

   Kent

   you cant seriously call cain, lincecum and lowry…..mediocre

   can you??

   as for tonite…hill had his curve working, causing all the batters to become inpatient and swing at shit

   but lefevbre has gotta go….3 years of this shit is enuf

   Reply
8. Kent says:

   August 22, 2007 at 9:01 pm

   Our hitters aren’t great players (we all know that), but they can’t even make contact AND, aside from Bonds, have no patience at all. Add to that our pitchers… They’re a mediocre bunch with some potential, but they nibble and don’t put hitters away. Yeah, we have coaches (and I think some/most of them should be fired), but the Giants entire system is rotten.

   Fifteen Ks! Fifteen!!! Jesus, I could send up a Legion team to do that.

   Reply
9. shawonometer says:

   August 22, 2007 at 4:51 pm

   A bad game, but I’d go with disappointing more than worst. Watch some Cub games, they’re the worst!

   Reply
10. Kent says:

    August 22, 2007 at 6:30 am

    I would have been shaking my head in disgust, but I was shocked at what I was seeing. I don’t recall the shake-offs as such a factor, but I do recall Rags (once again) sitting on the bench after the first hit (a double w/ no outs), and then after the second hit. Lincecum (under 100 pitches) didn’t “have it” in the 9th. The Theriot ab didn’t look good and, once he was on second, Lincecum’s body language sunk for the tv audience to see.

    -Rags needs to go. He’s been given a pass for too long…we hardly even discuss him here.
    -How many leads have our bullpen squandered?
    -”That” (the Giants) was an MLB offense?
    -Kruk and Kuip are the best in the game and, at least, give me something.
    -This team is bottom of the NL West for the next 3 years at least.

    Reply
    • Hobbes2d says:

      August 22, 2007 at 10:21 am

      So true. I can’t stand Rags. He always just sits on his fucking ass and does NOTHING while his young pitchers are getting murdered and you can see their confidence shatter even further with every pitch. Only after a guy gives up like 4 runs does he run out there to calm them down. Great coaching there Rags! Fucking bum. He’s even worse then Joe Lefabre.

      And I remember in Atlanta seeing Lincecum shake off a few times, its possible he did it last night (I didnt watch the game). I can’t stand pitchers who get fastball happy. You have other pitches USE THEM. This was a problem with Schmidt too, he’d only use his fastball and changeup even though he had a pretty good curve and slider. Unless your Mariano Rivera, you have no business not using all your pitches even if your not feeling them that night. At least use it once in a while so the batter’s don’t know that you have nothing too.

      Reply
11. uncle joe mccarthy says:

    August 21, 2007 at 11:26 pm

    i missed the game….timmy was shaking off molina??? hard to believe

    and i dont place this loss on timmy….it falls squarely at the feet of sabean and bochy

    not one spark of youth on the squad tonite…save for timmy

    and ray batting in the 2 spot??? you must be joking

    sabean will not rebuild this team…and bochy should not be in this team’s future

    its time to cut and run

    i dont care what it costs….i dont care if peter m is embarressed by doing it

    everyone of the sabean cabal must be gone at season’s end

    its time for a total house cleaning

    Reply
12. giantsrainman says:

    August 21, 2007 at 11:15 pm

    I didn’t like the pitch selection. Don’t know if the problem was Lincecum brushing off Molina or the problem was Molina. Afther the first hit (and certainly after the second) it should have been obvious that Chicago had changed their approach from taking the first pitch to attacking the first pitch. Lincecum throw nothing but fastballs to the three batters he faced in the 9th and the all lined then into the outfield for hits. Some change ups (they had been nasty all day) needed to be mixed in and they were not.

    I suspect that Molina tried to get Lincecum to make this adjustment but Lincecum decided (incorrectly) that he knew better and went with the approach he had used all game of throwing all fastballs early in the count. Hopefully, Lincecum will learn an imprortant lesson from this mistake and will go with more off speed stuff early in the count in the forth time thru the lineup in the future.

    Reply
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      August 22, 2007 at 1:13 pm

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