Giants make statement against Houston Astros

Published by on August 29, 2011 | 16 Responses

The statement: phbbbbbttttghhhhttt

Baseball is a game where anything can happen. The games — on a one by one basis — are little tiny pockets of chaos, but generally, over the long haul of the regular season, things balance out. The Giants losing a season series to the Astros isn’t impossible. After all, the thing is, it happened, but when it happens in late August as the team is trying, trying, trying to find, push, and wiggle it’s way into the playoffs, it becomes entirely frustrating.

So, while I’m not as pessimistic — I’m not even sure that’s the right word — as fellow blogmate, Rory Paap, I am hugely sympathetic to his pain. The Giants are a bad team right now, and yet, they are only four games out of first place. Do I think the Giants will make the postseason? I don’t know, but with the way things are headed, that proposition looks more remote each passing day that the offense struggles.

On the topic of offense:

When the Giants have needed it the most, the offense just hasn’t been there. Injuries have decimated this team, but the veterans that are here (Torres, Huff, Cabrera, Tejada, Rowand) have ranged from below average to below replacement-level. On most nights, scoring three runs with this offense constitutes “breaking out”. The Giants can win with an above-average pitching staff and a solid bullpen. It’s totally doable for this team. But, the offense that ranks worst in the game is the anchor that is dragging down top flight starts from Cain, Lincecum, Bumgarner, and Vogelsong. The pressure on the pitching, right now, has to be unbelievable — and I feel for those guys.

The glass half full people will say: “We’re just four games out, we can still make the playoffs.” and the glass half empty people will say: “ORLANDO CABRERA HOLY CRAP!” and the truth is, the reality is somewhere in between. This isn’t a good team right now. This isn’t a team that looks like it’s ready for the playoffs. This team hits Orlando Cabrera multiple times a game and expects him to grit his way onto the base paths by sheer grit alone and then grit some more, and when he runs the bases he’ll grit-grit-grit-grit all the way home.

It’s probably not going to happen, but hey, it could! And that’s baseball. I’ll be rooting till the end, like everyone else here at BCB, but this team has tested our wills so thoroughly, that I’m not sure I can handle much more. Saying that doesn’t make me, or anyone else, a fair weather fan.

So, save those comments for yourself. As for you my favorite baseball team, for the love of the baseball gods, score some runs, please.

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phil sa
phil sa

as a sf giants fan since 1961, i can only say that last years championship run was a delirious culmination to all the hopes and dreams of a fan that watched so many years of just missed chances...62-68, 89, 2002, 2003. not to mention 86, and mike scotts no hitter that ended our chance that year. that one still hurts. i feel badly that this team has faded since the all star break....they were 52-40, i predicted a 40- 32 finish, oh well. i think a healthy posey and f sanchez would have added 6 or more wins easily. love to the pitchers tim, matt, madison, ryan, brian, sergio, barry, jeremy, et al... stay strong. and thanks to you aubrey, cody, nate, mike, panda, andres, pat, brandon, and eli and chris. but its ony aug 31, and its not over yet. go for it guys... we are rooting for you....time to win out. GO giants

yogiberra
yogiberra

An investigation revealed that someone has been putting Melatonin in the Giants watercooler, and until recently, the Pitchers had separate coolers....

Cali Kid in Boston
Cali Kid in Boston

The only silver lining in all of this is really just how baseball is such a powerful metaphor for the human condition informed by unabandoned joy and disullusioned funk, and everything in between. Last year a bunch of nobodys put it all together and played at a higher level than anyone thought they could. And they knocked out everything in their way. No great Brave or Phillie or Ranger pitcher could stop them. And this year with some injuries balanced by some great additions: Vogelsong, Beltran, Belt, Sandoval (who was benched for the pennant run), the team has jelled for a collective depression. It's amazing to watch. Excruciating of course, but depression this is. And it looks like they're as dead as dead can be until they either wake up because a couple of guys get hot and carry them which we've been waiting for for the past month and it's just not happening, or they wake up and it's next season and it all starts over again with great anticipation and hope. That's why I love this game. The Red Sox, Yankees, they can buy consistency and even theni it might not work out. But the Giants or the Diamondbacks, it's all about what's in their heads, and it's pretty clear who needs some counseling.

Tad
Tad

I think Rowan's main problem is his weird, hitchy swing, but I've thought that since he first arrived. He has too much to do just to start the bat toward the ball -- the exact opposite of someone like Rod Carew, who smoothed his swing into the simplest possible set of actions. As far as Lincecum and Cain -- yeah, they should be pissed. Probably are, but they're pros and they keep their mouths shut. And they did get to play on a World Championship team last year and show the world how good they are, so it's not all bad.

SF in NYC
SF in NYC

I have to agree with you on the Rowand issue. The only stance that is anywhere near as weird in MLB would have to be Kevin Youkilis's but Youk's actually just has to move his hands down onto the ball whereas Rowand has to pop his up before swinging through the zone. Even when Rowand gets his hands back, it seems like his elbows are hugged into his body which can't give him a lot of momentum. I've long said that if I could pick a Gyro to fall out of the charter plane, it would certainly be Rowand.

GayForGerald
GayForGerald

2nd in ERA, 1st in Quality Starts, 3rd in WHIP, and 1st in BAA. Last in Runs Scored, Next-to-Last in BA, Next-to-Last in OBP, and Third-to-Last in Slugging. It's not difficult to see which areas are marked: "Needs Improvement"

Peter_Papa
Peter_Papa

Why isn't anyone questioning/attacking the batting coach? After all, they HAVE scored the least runs of anyone in baseball. The hitters are either ignoring what he says, or he's saying the wrong things; either one, especially both, calls for a change. Look at the Padres: with less talent, they're scoring runs like crazy since the All-Star break, suggesting they're getting good coaching and listening to it. The Giants seem to go up to the plate with no approach and no discipline, swinging repeatedly at the "pitcher's pitch." The pitchers and catchers have a plan of attack on the Giants hitters, who don't seem to have a plan of their own. Their poor OBP is a reflection of their reluctance to take a walk, and it's "catching": look at how low Beltran's walk ratio is since the trade for him.

Curtis
Curtis

I definitely don't think you can put this on Bam Bam. But then again, what's the point of having him? Donate his salary to charity or disperse it among the vendors at the stadium - cause quite frankly, they contribute more. It may not be his fault, but what exactly is his doing to earn a paycheck? On his job performance evaluation, what categories are getting high marks? Is he adding more grit to the veteran hitters? If a hitting coach can't take at least a small amount of blame for the worst offense in baseball and maybe franchise history, then what's the point of having a hitting coach in the first place?

Liem
Liem

A hitting coach's responsibilities are much like those of golf swing coach's; the hitting coach helps players develop and fine tune their swings. An example of a player who needs a hitting coach's guidance would Sandoval who, because of his natural ability to make contact with just about any pitch, has tendency to get himself into bad hitting positions. Another player who greatly benefited from hitting coaches is Brandon Belt who, since coming up from college, has a much shorter swing and uses his hands much more. Of course, much of Belt's work has been done with coaches at the minor league levels, but it's hard to imagine that BamBam is emphasizing anything too different from from the company line. As for getting hitters to swing less at bad pitches, the consensus is that no one is really able to coach or uncoach that habit. Remember, Tejada came up with the Moneyball Oakland A's, who tried in vain for years to rein in the young free swinging SS. Recognizing pitches and being disciplined is as much a gift as is being fast--it can be improved and refined but only to a very limited extent. The Giants' hitting problems are, therefore, not really BamBam's fault, or any other hitting instructor's, but simply the product of assembling a lot of old hackers, so feel free to blame Sabes. One hitter with whom I feel BamBam is being really ineffective is Huff, though. Huff appears to be opening up his front side way too soon in his swing and not letting his hands go directly to the ball. I think this is responsible for his weak grounders to 2nd, as he cannot keep his hands, and therefore barrel, back on outside pitches, leaving him roll his wrist over while reaching. Not taking his hands directly to ball is also preventing Huff from keeping inside pitches fair. On many inside Huff has either fouled off inside pitchers or draw his hands closer to his body, robbing himself of his power and causing him to pop-up pitches; however, seeing as Huff has had off-years his entire career, I can't imagine BamBam is too blame.

oldjacket
oldjacket

we've had a few comments crying out for the hammer to come down on Bam-bam. To me it smacks of scapegoating. We've had one year where guys performed well above their career levels and one year where they've fallen short of them. To me, that's just baseball and probably has nothing to do with whoever the batting coach is.

Chris Quick
Chris Quick

Yeah, and plus, I don't think Ted Williams could teach Aaron Rowand to not swing at sliders in the dirt. Some guys are finished products by this point.

Peter_Papa
Peter_Papa

One point I didn't get into because I don't have the stats to back it up (and you probably do, or could come up with it fairly easily) is that subjectively is seems that 90+% of the pitches thrown to the Giants' Rowans that start at the knees are breaking balls or something offspeed, but Rowan expects them to be fastballs 90+% of the time and swings at them, instead of laying off of them, especially up to two strikes because he can't hit them. Lincecum and Oswalt are two of the few pitchers that I can think of off the top of my head that will often throw fastballs at the knees. Conversely, most pitches that start off shoulder height are fastballs and likewise shouldn't be chased outside the strike zone.

Curtis
Curtis

Found this on MLB. Sad, just sooooo sad. You probably shouldn't have 1 loss, let alone 3. Most starts by NL pitchers this season of seven-plus innings and one or zero runs allowed, plus records in those starts. Pitcher Starts Record Tim Lincecum 13 8-3 Cliff Lee 12 10-0 Yovani Gallardo 11 9-0 Cole Hamels 10 9-0 Ian Kennedy 10 7-0 Clayton Kershaw 9 8-0

Don
Don

WOW, 5 no decisions and only pitcher with any loss, 3. Very telling stat.

Tad
Tad

It was an overachieving team with a great pitching staff last year. This year it's achieving at about average. I'm kind of surprised that anyone thought Huff, Ross, Torres, and others were all as good as they looked last year, mostly during one month. They're a veteran team that doesn't freak out in close games, which is a useful advantage, but the sheer weight of mediocrity is catching up with them. That said, I'm pretty excited for the future. I think Posey, Belt, Sandoval, and Sanchez are a pretty good core to build around and the pitching staff (if we hang onto it) is going to stay good for years. Time soon to give up on the 2010 lightning-in-a-bottle and start thinking long-term, and that means letting the Tejadas, Cabreras, and others go asap and letting the youngsters play.

Robert Haymond
Robert Haymond

If I were Mat Cain or Tim Lincecum, I would beg the Giants GM to trade me to a team which would give me some kind of reasonable hit and run support. You may be excited about the future, Tad, but I wouldn't bet on keeping such an elite pitching staff.