Tales from 3rd and King

The Giants have signed veteran infielder Bill Hall as a reaction to yet another injury. Hall was released by the Houston Astros earlier this week while batting just .224/.272/.340. Hall hit 18 homeruns in just 382 plate appearances last season for the Boston Red Sox. The Giants will hope he can maintain some of that power as he will probably make quite a few starts at both second base and third base.

Bruce Bochy has just announced in a post-game interview that Freddy Sanchez has a dislocated shoulder. He does not know how severe it is but he does know the Giants' trainers popped it back in.

The pending return of both Pablo Sandoval and Barry Zito has created a number of questions.  Will Miguel Tejada continue to start at shortstop over Brandon Crawford when Sandoval returns? How will Barry Zito be incorporated into the pitching staff now that Vogelsong has proved he can be an extremely solid number five starter?  Who will be sent back down to make room on the roster for Sandoval and Zito? 

Lets first take a look at Barry Zito.  Zito made his first rehab start with the Class A San Jose Giants on Monday night in Stockton.  Barry pitched very well as he went 6 and 2/3 innings while only allowing two hits and one run.  Zito also struck out six in his 82-pitch effort (I believe he was on a pitch count of 85).  Zito looks to be back in form and he will look to prove that he deserves a spot on the staff.  However, no matter what Zito does, he may have to rely on a meltdown by Vogelsong to get back in the starting rotation.  Bruce Bochy has said that when Zito is ready to come back, Vogelsong “isn’t going anywhere.”  Bochy was also quoted in saying that the Giants “might have to get creative.”  Now when I first heard that, I thought that Bochy might consider a six-man rotation.  This would make sense due to the fact that the Giants’ arms are a bit tired from going so far into the postseason last year.  However, after a bit of thought, I don’t believe the Giants will do that, as they probably want to keep everyone on regular rest.  What I think the Giants will do is move Zito into a long-reliever role until they need him in the starting rotation.  Remember, the Giants have thirty days until Zito has to come back into the majors, and I believe they will use all of those thirty days to make an informed decision. 

Next up is Pablo Sandoval.  Sandoval’s situation is a bit different because the Giants need Sandoval back in the lineup.  Sandoval was arguably the Giants’ best hitter before he was injured and the Giants’ offense has struggled with him out of the lineup.  Miguel Tejada is currently occupying Sandoval’s position, but I do not see that continuing when Sandoval returns.  Tejada has performed below average both at the plate and on the field while Brandon Crawford has been solid in both of those aspects.  I think Crawford has earned the starting job at short and it’s likely that when Sandoval returns, Tejada will be on the bench. 

When Sandoval and Zito return, I believe Manny Burriss and Conor Gillaspie will be sent back down, with Gillaspie going first when Sandoval returns.

     Brandon Crawford has done nothing wrong since being called up to the majors.  I mean, c’mon, the kid hit a grand slam in his major league debut to help his team get a win.  He has been great on both sides of the ball, as he has played solid defense while posting great at-bats.  In his short time here in the majors, Crawford has posted a .467 On-Base Percentage.  In other words, Crawford gets on base about half of the time he comes up to the plate.  For someone who has just come up from the minors, that is outstanding.  Now, the great play of Crawford has stirred a controversy about who should be the starting shortstop when Pablo Sandoval returns (Crawford or Tejada).  I’ll throw some numbers out that may help you decide who should start:

      In the 5 games he has played in, Crawford has posted up 3 walks.  That is almost half of what Tejada has done (7) in ten times as many games (50).

      Tejada’s batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage stand at .217, .240, and .280 respectively on the season.  Although Brandon has played in fewer games, his line stands at .333/.467/.667, which are amazing numbers.

      Crawford, I believe, is a superior fielder and he is also 13 years younger than Tejada.

      Crawford is faster and provides the Giants’ offense with a greater spark than Tejada.

I know that these statistics come from a very small sample size, but Crawford has just flat out played better than Tejada since being called up.  I just don’t believe Tejada, with the numbers he has posted, should be starting at all.  Although Tejada has had his moments and has hit the ball hard at times, the bottom line is that he is getting out and not getting on base.  Crawford is doing exactly the opposite, as he has been getting on base in many different ways (hits, fielder’s choice and walks).  Crawford has made a strong case for himself and I think when Sandoval comes back, there should be no question to whether he should be the starting shortstop.

My post today is very short. As you all may know, Buster Posey is officially out until next season.  He will be missed, but I believe the Giants will pull through even in his absence.  My final thoughts on the play (after many replays) are this:

- Scott Cousins clearly intended to hit Posey and not touch the plate.

- Posey left a lane open for Cousins to slide and he refused to use it.

- The play was dirty, period. And I would feel the same if it was not Buster Posey.

I wish Posey a successful and speedy recovery and I know he will come back with a chip on his shoulder.  As for the Giants, they need to find ways to score runs without him.

The Giants had arguably their best offensive half-inning on Wednesday night against the Marlins as they scored four runs on six hits to tie the game at six in the bottom of the ninth.  The Giants would go on to lose both the game (7-6 in the twelfth inning) and their star catcher, Buster Posey.  Marlins’ outfielder Scott Cousins collided with Posey on a play at home plate.  After watching the replay a number of times, I just cannot say if the play was clean or not.  Cousins did have the right to hit Posey, as he thought Posey had controlled the ball, but Posey was never directly over the plate ready to take a hit.  Buster was on the ground for quite a while and eventually had to be helped off the field by the Giants’ trainers. For now all we know is that it looks like a left ankle injury.  Posey underwent X-rays and will get an MRI.  As soon as I know what happened, I will relay the information through this blog.  For now, all we can do is hope for the best.

This means Eli Whiteside will have to come in to replace Posey for the time being.  Eli has always been a solid back up and will now take over a starting role.  My only concern is that Eli might think he has to feel Buster Posey’s shoes.  Eli just needs to step into the starting lineup and play his game.  I don’t expect him to be Buster Posey and no Giants fan should think that he has to be either.  All the Giants need is for Whiteside to step in and make solid contributions until Posey is healthy; that is all they can ask him to do.  I am confident that Eli will do a good enough job in replacing Posey for now.

Injuries are no strangers to the Giants this season as their players have sustained a number of them.  Santiago Casilla and Barry Zito highlight the injured pitchers while Pablo Sandoval, Mark DeRosa, Darren Ford, Mike Fontenot and now Buster Posey highlight the injured position players.  Casilla looks to be rehabbing fine and will look to return by the end of this month.  Meanwhile, Zito looked good in a simulated game on Wednesday and looks to be back within the next couple of weeks.  Fontenot suffered a mild groin strain and will be out 4-5 days.  Sandoval also looks to be back by the end of June while the statuses of DeRosa and Ford and are unknown.

The Giants’ 5-4 win on Sunday to complete the sweep of the Oakland Athletics brought more than just the Giants’ 7th walk-off victory at home this year.  The win brought up the question of who really deserves to be in the starting line-up.  I believe there are two players who are on the bench that should actually be regular starters.  These two players I think, if given the chance, would make the Giants a better team both defensively and offensively:

  1.     Nate Schierholtz – Nate “The Great” Schierholtz has been part of the Giants organization for quite a while now, but has never really found a consistent spot in the line-up.  Flashier and more familiar players have always shadowed him.  In 2011, Nate is seeing the most playing time he has probably seen in his entire career and I believe he is making the most of it.  Schierholtz biggest strength, as you all know, is his arm in the outfield.  He has thrown countless runners out trying to take an extra bag and has thrown many runners out at home as well.  Schierholtz possess, arguably, the strongest throwing arm on the entire team and his arm is one of the key reasons the Giants have chosen to keep him over the years.  If Schierholtz was to gain the starting spot, that would likely mean that Pat Burrell would lose his starting job (which he barely has anyway).  The argument for Burrell is that he has power, but let me throw some numbers at you that may be surprising.  Now, Burrell is supposed to be much more powerful than Nate, however, he only has one more home run than Schierholtz this year.  In 36 more at-bats, Burrell (116 AB), has only drove in 11 RBIs to Schirholtz’s (80 AB) 13.  Although Pat Burrell has two more doubles than Schierholtz, it is probably due to the fact that he has had a bit more playing time.  Also, note that Burrell is putting up these numbers while batting fourth and fifth in the line-up, spots that usually allow hitters to inflate their numbers.  Schierholtz, on the other hand, usually hits sixth or seventh in the line-up.  Schierholtz adds both better defense and a sold bat to the starting line-up.  My point is that Schierholtz is an overall better player and should have more opportunities to start than Pat Burrell.  Does this mean I want to get rid of Burrell? NO! Pat adds a veteran presence in the clubhouse and a big bat to bring up off the bench. 

  2.     Emmanuel Burriss – With the losses of Pablo Sandoval and Mark DeRosa, the Giants do not have a true third baseman.  Although Burriss is not a third baseman, I feel he could fill the role better than Miguel Tejada, at least until Sandoval returns.  However, it is hard to compare these two statistically because Tejada has seen much more playing time than Burriss.  But, from what I know, Burriss is a much faster player both on the bases and on defense.  Emmanuel usually plays second base and therefore is used to covering a lot of gound.  I say, stick him at third base and the Giants’ would be a lot better defensively.  Burriss can definitely cover more ground than Tejada and I believe that he has a better glove than him too.  Too add, Burriss could not do much worse than Tejada at the plate and if he gets on base, he is a far greater speed threat than Tejada. 

With these changes, my starting line-up would look like this:

1.     Torres CF

2.     Sanchez 2B

3.     Huff 1B

4.     Posey C

5.     Ross RF

6.     Schierholtz LF

7.     Fontenot SS

8.     Burriss 3B

9.     [Pitcher’s Spot]

In my opinion, this line-up is more defensive-minded, but it will give you a solid stream of runs as well.

I can't help but feel bad for Mark DeRosa.  Mark went on the 15-Day Disabled List for the second time this season after partially tearing his ECU tendon in his left wrist.  Note that this is a different injury than the one that required a couple of surgeries last year.  Due to his injuries, DeRosa has failed to have many at-bats as a San Francisco Giant, and the at-bats he has had have not been good.  He understands that fans are frustrated, but no one can be as frustrated as he is.  DeRosa wants to be part of this team and he wants to contribute, it was clear when he slammed his helmet after sustaining the injury against the Dodgers on Wednesday.  Bochy said that DeRosa will be "out for a while" and he does not want to to make an absolute judgement until DeRosa is fully examined.

On a brighter side, it looks like Pablo Sandoval is making a solid recovery as he is expected to come back in about two to three weeks.  Sandoval has played catch with Bochy and ran the bases during batting practice on Friday.  He is close to being able to grip a bat and the Giants will force him to take it slow.  They want Sandoval to be one hundred percent when he is able to come back.  The Giants need Sandoval's big bat in the lineup as they have had trouble scoring runs while he has been injured.

The Giants put up eight runs against the Dodgers on a night in which Clayton Kershaw was the starting pitcher.  Yes, you read that correctly, eight runs.  Now, all of those eight runs were not off Kershaw.  In fact, only half of the runs came off Kershaw.  However, that is a huge improvement because in the last few starts against Kershaw, the Giants could do absolutely nothing.  Kershaw was removed from the game after a rare shaky start in which he only pitched 5 innings.  The Giants were seeing Kershaw well as he had 85 pitches during the five innings he pitched.  Cain, on the other hand, had another magnificent start against the Dodgers.  Although his scoreless inning streak was broken up by a Matt Kemp homerun in the fifth, Cain still managed to pitch a great game.  He pitched 7.1 innings and gave up 3 runs on only 3 hits.  He struck out 7 but the number that stuck out was the 3 walks Cain issued.  When Cain came out during the eighth, the Giants were holding on to a 5-3 lead.  It was up to the bullpen to hold the lead until the end of the game.  But, for some weird reason, the Giants’ bullpen was not able to preserve the lead in the eighth inning.  Bochy used three different pitchers in the bottom of the eighth besides Cain (Lopez, Romo, and Wilson.  Wilson would eventually give up the game tying double to none other than former Giants, Juan Uribe.  Cain’s beautiful start was erased and he received a no decision and Wilson was handed a Blown Save.   It was up to the Giants’ offense to pull the bullpen out of the mess.  Freddy Sanchez and Buster Posey lead hit back-to-back singles and Nate Schierholtz came up.  Schierholtz grounded a ball to third and thanks to his speed and a great slide by Buster Posey, the Dodgers were only able to get one.  Cody Ross then came up and blasted a three-run home run into the seats near the left field seats.  Brian Wilson would go on to finish the job in the ninth and the Giants would win the game by a final of 8-5.  Brian Wilson now has the most wins of any pitcher on the Giants’ staff.

 Injury Update: During the game yesterday, the Giants did suffer quite a bit of injuries.  Mark DeRosa re-injured his wrist while trying to check his swing.  According to a few sources, he will be out for a while.  Aaron Rowand injured his back in a similar accident to one that happened to him a few weeks ago.  Rowand missed no time after that injury and probably won’t miss any time here.  Brian Wilson injured his ankle on a pitch during the ninth inning.  He denies being hurt and says he can play anytime, but expect the Giants to be very cautious with him.

When you play an away series, the goal is to take one or two away from your opponent and if you can take the entire series that is great.  The Giants were in Colorado for a two game series on Monday and Tuesday and had a 1.5 game lead on them for first place in the N.L. West.  If they split the series, the Giants would have had the same hold on the Rockies and if they won the series, they would be 3.5 games up on Colorado.  However, the Giants could not get either of the two games in Colorado and they are now a 0.5 game back of the Rockies. 

The problem in Colorado was not the Giants’ offense nor was it their defense.  Two majors errors by their starting pitchers killed the Giants.  Although, the way the two pitchers pitched was night and day.  Tim Lincecum, who is usually has very strong outings, did not have control of his stuff throughout the game.  Lincecum gave up the lead in the bottom of the sixth, right after a two-run homerun by Nate Schierholtz had put the Giants on top.  Lincecum would let five runs score, including a three run homerun by Carlos Gonzalez.  Gonzalez’s homer would eventually prove to be the difference in the game as the Giants would go on to lose the game 7-4.

The second game of the short series was quite different than the first.  Jonathan Sanchez pitched a gem up until the bottom of the eighth inning.  Sanchez started off the inning by giving up two single.  Alfredo Amezega came up as a pinch hitter and attempted to lay down a bunt to move the runners over.  Jonathan Sanchez hurled the throw wide of first base and it sailed into right field.  The error would push a run across making it 3-2 in favor of the Giants.  Dexter Fowler then tied the game with a ground rule double.  Carlos Gonzalez came up again with an opportunity to give the Rockies the lead.  Gonzalez came up big again with a two run single that would, yet again, prove to be the difference in the game as the Giants would lose 5-3.  The loss on Tuesday marked the first time the Giants have lost a series to the Rockies this season.

The Giants have now lost their hold on the N.L. West and will look to sweep the Dodgers in another short two game series starting Wednesday night.  The Giants will have to beat the top two pitchers in the Dodgers rotation, Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley.  The G-men will look to continue their success against the West and push the Dodgers father down in the standings.

After getting blown-out by the Cubs on Friday, the Giants bounced back against Chicago on Saturday night.  The weather made it seem like they were playing in San Francisco more than Chicago.  It was raining throughout the entire game and the umps decided to call the game in the middle of the seventh inning.  By major league regulations, the Giants and Cubbies played an official game and therefore, since the Giants were leading 3-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, they won the game.  Ryan Vogelsong pitched great as he picked up the first shutout of his career.  He pitched all of the Giants six innings and scattered seven hits over those six innings.  He also struck out seven and only walked one.  Doug Davis was not too bad in his start for the Cubbies, but he did have a little bad luck go his way.  David pitched five innings and gave up three runs on four hits.  However, only one of the runs Davis gave up was earned which was an indicator that the bad weather did not help Davis out at all.  So, although the weather was horrible and the Giants did not play their best baseball, they managed to get the win and that is all that matters.

The Giants looked to take two out of three from the Cubs early Sunday morning, but the weather did not allow them.  The game was postponed about three hours before game time and will be made up in a double-header on June 28th when the Giants go back to Wrigley Field.  The Giants now head to Colorado for a two game series against the Rockies and then go to Los Angeles for another two game series against the Dodgers before coming back home for a six game home stand.  Because the game was postponed, Lincecum will get to start against the Rockies.  Timmy is exactly the guy the Giants want on the mound in yet another series against the Colorado Rockies.  The Rockies have lost their last two against the Padres, putting them 1.5 games behind the Giants for first place in the N.L. West.  Lincecum and the Giants will look to push the Colorado even father back on Monday night. 

In other news, there have been trade rumors surrounding Madison Bumgarner for the past few days.  It is funny how quickly fans forget.  Remember, this is the same kid who clinched the Division series for the Giants and pitched a beautiful Game 4 in the World Series against a very potent offense.  Bumgarner has been a victim of some very bad luck lately and his 0-6 record does not reflect his recent performances.  Madison has really good stuff and it is too early to think that he was just lucky in his first year.  Fans have to remember that Madison increased his innings pitched by about 70 last year and he is probably feeling that increase in the early part of this season.  The Giants just have to be both careful and patient with him.  The wins will come in time, this kid is too good to have bad luck forever.

Wrigley Field sure did not treat the San Francisco Giants with much love on Friday afternoon.  The Giants went into Chicago feeling pretty good about themselves after sweeping both the Rockies and Diamondbacks at home.  However, the Cubs seemed determined to break the Giants six game-winning streak.  They did.  The Cubbies slaughtered the Giants, 11-4.  Madison Bumgarner took the loss yet again.  He pitched decent, but he sure did not have his best outing as he pitched six innings and gave up three runs on five hits.  MadBum also walked two and struck out six.  The real problem was the Giants’ bullpen, who over three innings, gave up eight runs on eight hits.  The bullpen combination of Affeldt, Mota, and Runzler walked two and only struck out two.  After giving up virtually nothing over their last home stand, the Giants’ bullpen absolutely collapsed in the first game of a seven game road trip.  To add insult to injury, the Giants also looked extremely sloppy on defense and they just were not the same team that had been on the field at AT&T Park. 

Now, I must give credit where credit is due and I believe that there were two Cubbies that really stood out on Thursday:

 Ryan Dempster was pretty dominant in his start on Thursday.  Ryan only walked one batter in his six innings of work.  He also gave up two runs on six hits.  The indicator of his great start was his eleven strikeouts in just six innings.  The Giants’ hitters were obviously not seeing Dempster (they would probably say the fog made it harder to see Ryan’s pitches).  In all seriousness, Dempster did his job on the mound and the Cubs offense helped him out tremendously.  Hats off to Ryan Dempster, who was both brilliant and dominant.

  Reed Johnson was the star on offense and defense.  Johnson drove in four runs (the most any Cub drove in on Thursday).  He blasted a three run triple and recorded a slugging percentage of .649.  However, he also made a pretty impressive play on defense.  Early in the game, Mike Fontenot drove what looked to be a sure homerun into right field.  However, Johnson kept running back and caught in in the pocket of right field that is just a little bit farther than center.  Johnson looked surprised to find the ball in his glove and he robbed Fontenot of extra bases.  Johnson sure was the X-factor on Thursday as he hurt the Giants with both his offense and defense.

Hopefully the Giants can bounce back tomorrow as they send Ryan Vogelsong to the mound.  The Cubs will hope to make it two out of three as they give the ball to Doug Davis, who has not started a game this season.  Look for three Giants to do well against Davis tomorrow.  Cody Ross, Freddy Sanchez, and Miguel Tejada all have MAJOR ownage on Davis:

 Cody Ross is 12-30 against Davis with two homeruns and ten walks

Freddy Sanchez is 34-74 against Davis with two homeruns and eight walks

Miguel Tejada is 8-32 against Davis with two homeruns and six walks

Injury Update:  Barry Zito threw of a mound the other day.  He is nowhere near ready to go as he does no yet have the maximum velocity on his pitches.  He will start his rehab assignment soon and it should be 3-4 weeks before he returns. 

The Giants just can’t seem to do anything wrong on their current home stand.  Yesterday, down 3-0 in the 4th, the Giants scored in three straight innings to take a 4-3 lead.  Armando Galarraga was quite dominant early, but when the Giants pressured him in the 4th inning, he folded.  Aubrey Huff hit his fourth homerun of the year as he kept up his ownage of Galarraga (hate to say I told you so).  Miguel Tejada also had a great game as he had three hits, an RBI and a run.  Jonathan Sanchez did not have his best stuff throughout the entire game (what’s new?) but still managed to get the win thanks to the Giants’ offense and bullpen.  Brian Wilson picked up his twelfth save of the season in typical dramatic fashion and the Giants finished with their fifth win on this six game home stand.  There is not much to say about the game yesterday besides the fact that the Giants did an awesome job coming back.  While watching this team for the past few days, I can tell that they have a certain drive that was not present earlier in the season.  I think the crowd at AT&T Park has a lot to do with it.  All of the Giants feed off the energy at the park and it obvious in their play on the field. 

 There was a small scare yesterday as Buster Posey was not able to catch the ninth inning.  Posey took two back-to-back foul balls to the face and he could not seem to shake them off.  Posey will not be in the starting lineup today for the final game against the Diamondbacks.  Bochy says he is fine and they are just being very cautious with him. 

 The Giants will look for their second straight sweep as they send Matt Cain to the mound.  Arizona hopes that Daniel Hudson can help them salvage one game out of this series.  The Giants as a whole have not faired too well against Hudson in the past.  However, Freddy Sanchez has had success against Hudson, going 3-9 off of him with a homerun.  Hopefully Freddy can keep up his dominance of Hudson as the Giants look for their sixth straight win.  By the way, with the win yesterday, the Giants are 20-16 and they now are tied for first place in the N.L. West.

On a night where two of the best pitchers in baseball were going head-to-head on the east coast (Roy Halladay v Josh Johnson), I doubt anyone was watching the amazing pitching matchup in San Francisco.  Tim Lincecum and Ian Kennedy were both lights out on Tuesday night. Their numbers were so identical, it was scary.  They both pitched eight shutout innings while only allowing fours hits each.  Kennedy walked three batters whereas Lincecum walked two and Lincecum struck out nine as Kennedy struck out eight.  This was truly the best pitching match-up I have throughout the entire season.  The Freak had a no-hitter going through six and Kennedy seemed to keep all the Giants hitters off balance.  As a baseball fan, these are the kind of the games I enjoy the most.  I applaud both Kennedy and Lincecum on their outstanding outings.

As well as the two starters pitched late last night, someone had to win the game.  When the Giants could not score in the bottom of the eighth, every Giants fan was hoping for yet another walk-off win.  Their wish would come true.  Bruce Bochy brought Brian Wilson out in another non-save situation in the top of the ninth and he took care of the Arizona hitters he faced.  The Diamondbacks trusted David Hernandez to get them into extra innings.  Buster Posey took a four-pitch walk to start the inning.  Darren Ford was then used as a pinch runner.  Ford used his absolutely blazing speed to take second.  However, Aubrey Huff was not able to advance Ford as he struck out swinging.  The next batter, Cody Ross, singled on a line drive to left field to drive in Ford and the Giants won in dramatic fashion yet again.  The Giants have played four games on this current home stand and they have won all four, with three of those wins coming in the ninth inning.  The Giants are finding ways to win and it is clear they are glad to be back home after a tough east coast road trip. 

Eclipsed by the Giants’ win was the return of Andres Torres and Mark DeRosa.  Torres and DeRosa chose a great time to come off the disabled list because DeRosa can now take over for a struggling Tejada, who should not see playing time until Fontenot cools off and Torres adds speed to the lineup both on the base paths and in the outfield.  Torres faired better offensively in his first game back as he went one for three with a single and a walk.  On the other hand, DeRosa went hitless, struck out once and left five runners on base.  I would give DeRosa a little bit more time before putting Tejada back because DeRosa has been out for a while dating back to last year.  The return of Torres also creates more depth in the outfield as Bochy can use both Rowand and Burrell in left field. 

The Giants will look to make it two out of three against Arizona tomorrow as Jonathan Sanchez goes up against Armando Galarraga.  Hopefully Sanchez can gather himself enough to have a good outing and keep his team in the game.  Look for Aubrey Huff to have a good day against Galarraga.  In the few at-bats Huff has against Galarraga, he has gone three for four with a long ball and a walk.