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| Matt Cain sees a flying rhinoceros |
Heading into the All Star break, the Giants were coming off
a tulmultous east coast road trip, that was by far the low point of the season.
The team had lost 5 of 6 games on the East Coast, in around 100 degree
temperatures. There are many theories as to why the Giants struggled during
that trip:
- Too much time spent trying to find Brandon Belt’s razor
- Tim Lincecum too focused on creating new language in
Google Translator called “Madison Bumgarner.”
- Ryan Theriot wasn't scrappy enough.
- Bruce Bochy was boring.
- Bruce Bochy was boring.
- Emmanuel Burris.
It was bad, but then again you knew it wasn’t as bad as it
appeared. The Giants pitchers were too good for that road performance, yet it was still the worst part of the season thus far. What made it even
more memorable was that the crap the Giants put on the field marinated in
our minds for 4 days. So it’s that much sweeter when the Giants all of the
sudden win 7 of 8 since the break, and capture two series on the road against difficult
teams in Atlanta and Philadelphia. That sounds familiar! When do we play the
Rangers? I hope Aubrey Huff pulls a thong out of his pants! That is my dream!
*****
You live with Matt Cain games like this. Nobody is perfect.
Except Matt Cain against the Astros! But over the course of a season, even the
best are going to have terrible games. And it’s not like this game was all that
terrible for Cain. 8 baserunners in 8 innings and a cool 97 pitches is nothing
to cry about. Matt Cain has never cried, so why would I write that? Scrap away
one mammoth 2 strike mistake to Ryan Howard, and it’s a much different Cain
outing. His home run rate however has more than doubled since last season, but
he’s had great season’s with his current rate (85%) which is more towards his
career average (75%). Anyways, in other news, Matt Cain homered. 2 more to
catch Eugenio Velez! Let the countdown begin!
*****
The other day I talked about how average this offense was
becoming. They’re 11th in the NL in runs scored on the season and 10th
in wOBA, which is park adjusted. But wow, when Melky Cabrera and Buster Posey
hit like they’re hitting right now, it’s a treat to watch, especially when
they’re in a band box of a ballpark. The Giants are 3rd in OPS+ in the NL, and as Grant Brisbee points out, those numbers are probably a
little skewed because AT&T park is playing a more extreme than usual.
Still, the difference between AT&T and Citizen’s Bank is substantial, and
you can see why the Giants offense is ranked higher in OPS+ than you would
think based on the raw numbers. The ball flies out of Philadelphia. Joaquin Arias almost hit a home run today! More to
the point though, Melky Cabrera and Buster Posey are really good hitters, and I
like to watch them play baseball and when they hit homeruns I feel like a chick
because I dig them so.
*****
Brandon Belt looks awful at the plate, and today might have
been his worst day. To make it worst, and unfairly so, he’s going to get
criticized more because it was in crucial moments AKA at bats with runners in
scoring position. But if you don’t play him, he’s never going to snap out of
this and what other alternatives are there. He still has the 7th
best WAR in NL first baseman and none of the better first baseman are on the
trade market, and if they were to be, they command a hefty sum of talent. The
in house alternatives are Joaquin Arias and Hector Sanchez, and haha the Giants
wouldn’t make that switch right?
Belt still has loads of potential and I link this post a
lot, but it still holds a ton of value and reason.
*****
A few brief notes on last night’s game, because I was out last night talking to other human beings for the third time in my life:
- Tim Lincecum made some mistakes, but I think the FIP fairy
came by and sprinkled BABIP dust on him as a belated gift from his first dozen or so outings. Lincecum could not buy a break during his horrific first half, so
there’s no reason to limit the excitement during a start where Lincecum’s gets
lucky. This was by far the best lineup in Lincecum’s “good” starts this season,
even with Victorino having a down year and Howard and Utley not 100%. Obviously
it’s too early to make any assumptions, but it’s more than encouraging.
- Brandon Crawford is still only 25, which is to say there’s
plenty of room for development and swings like he took last night just make
your heart flutter. The defense will be there, but if he could just be
competent with the stick, he could be a Major League shortstop. I’m probably
overreacting to two games, but it’s so fun! Lincecum’s back! Casilla is good
again! Start Whiteside for Belt!
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