Lincecum has righted his ship, after last night's stellar effort against the hated Dodgers got him his

second win, and landed the Giants back at .500.

If Matt Cain can continue his excellent start, the Giants can count on having two stoppers in their rotation, something most teams cannot.

7 Responses to “…. Cy of relief”

1. +mia says:

   May 2, 2009 at 4:15 pm

   I think its real nice that the Giants are hovering around the .500 mark. Swell. They are still the same type of team to watch as they have been. Lousy hitting, crappy bullpen (except for Wilson who will be worn to a nub by August at the current rate) and a manager who is fixated on “book” moves.

   Lansford appears to have made some headway with the younger guys in the way they approach their at bats–not hacking at slop repeatedly just for openers. Nevertheless, no team is worse than the Giants in wasting outs and plate appearances.

   To wit. Through today’s game with the Colorado the Giants have split 22 games. They have scored a grand total of 81 runs…on a pace to score even fewer runs this year (594) than last year’s 640. They are at the bottom of the League in OPS sporting a pathos ridden .696 compared to last years league worst .703. If you look at them with runners in scoring position their hitting is even more pathetic… .616 OPS with a .218 Batting Average in 188 At Bats. And what is worse, they trail the world in opportunities with a Major League trailing total plate appearances of 772, about 35 plate appearances per game. That is fewer than 4 plate appearances per inning! An opposing pitchers WHIP of under 1.00. Eight over the minimum of 27 Plate appearances per game For context, the Dodgers lead the National League with 957 Plate Appearances. 40 per game. It is no accident that the Dodgers have the best record so far in this the first month of the season.

   And not only do they not get on base and waste outs, but the absence of power is embarrassing. The Giants average 1 homerun per 58 at bats. A little better than 3 homeruns per week. League Worst. And a little more than half of the National League average.

   Nothing is definitive of course, but this is exactly the kind of continuing trend John, I and others predicted for the Giants this year absent a significant trade or free agent acquisition.

   A temporary perch at .500 by playing ball the same way you played for the last 4 years is not an accomplishment. It is a streak of .500 in the front of, instead of in the middle of, a long season. Unless the Dodgers, Padres, Rockies and Dbacks all have their best hitters and pitchers succumb to terminal swine flu, the Giants are no better off than they were in 2005,06,07 and 08.

   All you have to do is look at them when they are at the plate. Taking strikes, swinging at balls, falling behind in the count early and often and making ham n’ eggers like Jason Marquis look like Cy Young award winners.

   Something those stats above bear out. They are scoring even fewer runs. A bullpen with Bobby Howry and Jeremy Afeldt doing fine imitations of Jack Taschner and Randy Messenger, I don’t see much hope over the long haul.
   • scott s says:

     May 3, 2009 at 10:50 am

     +mia,

     No disagreement with any of your points. Your statistics back up your statements. I watch more MLB Extra’s than the Gigantes…and I can tell you there are a lot of bad teams out there. Much worse than the Gigantes. The Gigantes are a powerless, weak hitting, poor fundamental team with a great starting rotation. As Uncle Joe says “Howry is a joke”…and I totally concur. A team w/o power should be fundamentally sound…and excel at “small ball”….none of which the Gigantes do.

     If you want to check out some unbelievable stats….check out the bull-pen era’s for the Angels,Tigers,Indians,Mets, and a host of others. K-Rods is 127.00…so my point is…there are plenty of overpaid underachieving players in MLB. It’s some of the worst baseball I have watched in years. There are a pack of teams hitting like the Gigantes…and the play in the field is flat out pathetic. The Gigantes are actually in more games than most teams in the league. Check out some of the blow out stats around the league.

     With a good supporting cast, and a couple of tweaks to the roster…the wild card is possible this year. Whether it be parity…or just many teams with poor pitching…85-90 wins will get the wild card. Like you, I find the Gigantes a boring team to watch…unless you a student of pitching. But….there are many teams far worse to watch than the Gigantes….something I thought I’d never say this year.

     I still think Rowand,Uribe, and Howry need to go. Sooner the better. Winn needs to pick it up…he is the team leader in stranding runners on third with less than two outs…and just average hitting from him would account for a couple more wins.

     Like I said in a previous post…I’m eating crow big time on Renteria…who I still think will hit below .230. But, we’re stuck with him for two years…so might as well live with it. Bashing will solve nothing at this point.

     I still want to see the “kids” play…and that also counts for the bull pen.

     Winning ugly…is still a win.
     • +mia says:

       May 3, 2009 at 11:36 am

       Thanks for bringing this up. I tend to present a highly focused point of view on the Giants and not contrast and compare them to other teams.
2. Uncle Joe Mccarthy says:

   May 1, 2009 at 1:17 pm

   yes, the pitching is looking much better….as long as the brain trust doesnt play around with sanchez anymore and allows him to keep his rhythm

   yet there are chages that still need to be made

   either winn or rowand must be dealt….i like them both, but nate is too talented to be a 4th of, and its killing the team to keep him out of the lineup

   ti must be allowed to face lefties on a regular basis…at least till june…only then will we know if he is truly a major leaguer

   howry is a joke and should not be in the setup position with matos back on the squad

   i agree about burriss….he cannot bat as a lefty

   pablo must always catch zito….even after posey gets called up

   however, despite the team looking better, i still want both sabean and bochy gone at seasons end…i have enough of the two of them
   • scott s says:

     May 2, 2009 at 8:59 am

     Howry’s been getting hit hard all year…his era which is horrible @ 5.60…could actually be worse. There are a couple better alternatives in the pen. Hopefully after last night…his day are numbered.

     I agree that Rowand should be dealt…most likely no takers at this juncture. The Gigantes whould definitley be a better outfield defensively w/o Rowand. Schierholz is third fastest on team…and covers a ton of ground in the alleys.

     TI needs to play everyday…until he proves he cannot hit lefties. Not gaining enough sitting him…and giving up too much in the field.

     The outcome of the season will determine Sabeans fate…and Bochy most likely is already gone.

     Above .500 in May…who would of thunk it.

     Baseball is a strange game.
3. scott s says:

   May 1, 2009 at 6:41 am

   Don’t forget about Sanchez. We might be the only team in baseball with three stoppers in the rotation…which I feel is the premier rotation in all of baseball.

   Eating a full plate of crow on Renteria. Hope he continues to prove me wrong.

   Molina continues to amaze…and Schierholz needs to get more ab’s. Kid can flat out hit…and has a cannon for an arm.

   Sandoval is the real deal…and he’s learning to adjust to the book on him. He’s becoming more selective.

   Burriss needs to abandon the left side…since it seems to have abandoned him. Cannot afford to play him against righties if he doesn’t.

   Did not think this club could play .500 ball, or win four series in a row. I still think the Gigantes need to make a couple moves…because with their pitching…they could dominate the NL West with a better supporting cast.

   I hope crow becomes a steady diet.
4. Mark O'Connor says:

   April 30, 2009 at 10:10 am

   I’m really quite pleasantly surprised by the .500 record! Before the season started I thought this team would lose more than they’d win. I know it’s only April, and the long season will take its toll, but I’m stoked so far.