Tim Lincecum lost his first game, due to a couple of bad pitches, several blown opportunities by the hitters, and one egregious umpire error. He still pitched well, certainly well enough to win.
Today, they took the series, beating the Rockies behind a couple of solo home runs, some terrific pitching, and one helluva great play by Fred Lewis, who, by the way, just might be the real deal. Lewis is running out a terrific .337/.419/.533 952 OPS (which is good enough for 15th in the NL).
He’s still having problems defensively, he takes some pretty bad angles. Nonetheless, he’s hitting very well, leading the team in many categories, and is starting to look like a real player.
John Bowker, on the other hand, is not. After his first five games, Bowker had run out an astounding .538/.538/1.154 1.687 OPS, with 2 home runs and 7 RBI. No one thought he could sustain even a facsimile of that level, but, damn, he’s really fallen off the face of the earth. He’s 4 for his last 44 (including going 1 for 26 on this homestand), dropping his overall stats to a Triple AAA bound .193/.217/.404 .621 OPS.
Also on the Triple AAA train, (or worse, really), is Brian Bocock. Emmanuel Burriss‘ numbers, .235/.316/.294 .610 OPS actually represent an improvement over the completely overmatched Bocock, .157/.280/.171 .452 OPS. 60 at bats is enough (too many, really) to see that, since Burriss’ arms don’t fall off when a ball is hit to him, Bocock can resume his efforts at fashioning a major league career at his true level of ability, one that he can actually enjoy some success at, like, say, Double AA.
Nothing against Bocock or Bowker, but, these guys are really, really not major league caliber at this point in their careers.
Meanwhile, Ray Durham and Rich Aurilia are done. Let’s stop talking about what a great guy he is, –I agree. He’s always been one of my favorite players– as a player, he hasn’t been worth a ball of snot in three years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he had what looked like a nice rebound season in Cincinnati in ‘06, but if you look at his year by year stats, that was as big a fluke season as Ray Durham’s was in the same season. And let’s be frank, (Oh, by the way, FUCK YOU, Costas), A GM that would throw the kind of money Sabean threw at these two players should be tarred and feathered. I mean, a couple of 35 year olds having completely fluky rebound seasons could hardly have been more predictably bad these last two years.
Aurilia’s start to the season, .232/.293/.319 .612 OPS, is simply cover-your-eyes bad. Durham is about 4% better, running out a dismal .247/.329/.370 .699 OPS, although in Ray’s defense, he is coming on at the moment. As I said, he’s doing better than our good friend Rich.
But, with 13 wins, and a record above .500 if you subtract the $126 million dollar albatross, the Giants are light years better, and more entertaining than I could have imagined. Snachez, Valdez, Lincecum, Cain, Wilson, Taschner…. I mean, damn, we’ve got some pitching.
More to look forward to than anyone expected, me at the top of the list.
UPDATE: Eliezer Alfonzo failed a drug test, and will be suspended for 50 games. I’m still surprised when anyone fails a test, but I guess we’re still seeing that most of the players who are getting caught are the borderline guys.
11 Backtalkers
I’m sorry, but I still can’t see why Sabean hasn’t let both Durham and Aurilia go, aside from the whole sentimental thing and that it’d be an admission of two huge mistakes. But I mean, Bavasi up in Seattle swallowed his pride and DFA’ed a few guys, so why can’t Sabean man up too?
Who’s he going to replace them with? This train was a-coming down the track for a few years now. What’s amazing to me is that so many dismissed it all because they thought that the Giants were “competing” or “really close to the Wild Card” or…whatever.
Regardless of what they (Durham, Winn, Aurilia, Roberts) make in terms of salary, they are still part of Sabean’s/Magowan’s plan. Whatever that plan is. Whether its just to fill a line up spot, add gritty, savvy veteran presence, or who the hell knows whatever, until their contracts expire and or they believe they have a better alternative those guys are part of “The Plan”. If they were not part of the “plan”, whether short, or long term, they would both be gone by now.
What is also puzzling, is not just the signing of Cal State Pizza Alumnus, Aaron Rowand, the 21st century version of Bobby Murcer, but to sign him to a five-year contract on the heels of the Zito contract. Not as egregious, but still overpaying, and over committing exorbitant resources to ordinary people.
The propensity of this franchise to emulate the White House-Department of Defense/State, in its decision making is astounding. Peter Magowan and Brian Sabean are LBJ and Robert McNamara, Richard Nixon-Henry Kissinger, George Bush-Donald Rumsfeld. Stupidty, arrogance, waste, ignorance, and contrariness, manage to find their way down to America’s pastime as well. The consequences are just not as severe or widespread.
I don’t think the Rowand signing is all that bad… in fact, I’m fine with it. The truth is, this Giants team has enough solid pitching that if they can just add some solid bats in the upcoming off season they could actually be somewhat competitive in 2009. Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially for someone like Sabean…
I’m curious as to why you’ve a favorable outlook on the Rowand signing. I agree with you to an extent on the pitching staff. So-far, so-good. Time will tell there. Good health is a given for this prognostication to play out of course.
I’m not enamored of the Rowand deal for a variety of reasons. Not in any neccessary order.
1. It really does remind me of Stoneham’s signing of Bobby Murcer to replace the another controversial
Bonds 33 years earlier, who was a “disappointment” at the time.
2. Its not the money per se. As a matter of fact I advocate spending lavishly and foolishly, its not my money so to speak. Its the “commitment” to a rather pedestrian type of player. Rowand to my minds eye, is another Ray Durham, when first signed here. A little above average, and useful to a team trying to contend. But making a guy like Rowand the centerpiece of your lineup makes little sense. If they had made a 5 year commitment to a Miguel Cabrera or genuine impact player, I would be supportive or at least understand the move. Rowand to me, is just another Bobby Murcer, and I would have been just as happy to see a Nate Shierholtz, Dan Ortmeir or any other number of potential prospects running around in the outfield in this season of the “Open Tryouts”.
3. His batting stance is so fucking typical of kids who came up in the 90s with the affectated squat to overcompensate for hunching. Its indicative of somebody who is not a natural hitter but a carefully schooled and over-practiced swinger. Don’t believe me? Just compare his swing with Bonds or even Fred Lewis. A minor thing, but irritating nonetheless. I see him as kind of guy who will fade relatively quickly over the next couple of years. Also, he needs to lose the necklace. If I want chip n dales in the outfield, I’ll be sure to ask for them in advance.
impressive comparison of the giants’ front office to the Nixon administration…I couldn’t have said it stranger myself.
in no particular order, I like Rowand – it’s nice to have someone up there who has the facade of being an actual “good hitter”. On the other hand, the idiocy of signing a free agent outfielder when that’s what they have 20 extra of is worth the split inifitive. I would bet a gazillion dollars that when Roberts comes back, Lewis is in a platoon (well, you know what I mean). Maybe Durham’s the same deal, veteran blindness, I just keep hoping that he’s out there so he can hit .400 in May and be instantly traded. Aurilia’s just done, sad as it is.
They ARE better than I would have thought. I don’t care if he hits .199, Velez is fun to watch. Lewis is fun to watch. Bengie Molina, slowest runner in the world, is cool. And the pitching – yes, Zito is worse than awful, but by god, there’s actually someone to trot out there that’s better! This is all good.
Poor Bocock though – I guess maybe a couple months in the bigs will seem worth it when he’s old and gray, but he just isn’t ready. He’ll probably go to AAA for his troubles, but he won’t hit there either, and so it goes. It astounds that a seeming journeyman AA guy is the best shortstop they could find. Same with Castillo – he’s not any worse or better than you might have expected from the waiver wire, but geez. There’s the glowing farm system in those two guys – the best options.
When Bochy benches Lewis, I will personally rend my garments and gnash my teeth. Isn’t there something like a coup, eminent domain or somesuch? Really should be looked into…
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