Giants Comeback to Defeat Astros In Front Of Electric Houston Crowd

I don't know where Brandon Belt's head ends up, but lets hope Jason Castro doesn't bend lower.

It’s probably a little unfair to label Bud Norris by his 5.01 ERA this season. As recently as 2009, he was the 2^nd best prospect in the Astros system. He’s always had talent and brilliant strike out stuff. Last season he sported a nifty 3.77 ERA, which normalized for Astros comes out to 0.00001. This season he has a better K/9 than Chris Sale. Bud Norris has the talent to toss more than a few gems, and be at least a middle of the rotation type starter. This season however, he’s been diagnosed with a severe, and traumatic disorder known as the Houston Astros.

So I suppose it’s not a complete surprise when the Giants are held to 1 run in 6.2 innings against Bud Norris. Dude can pitch.

This is me trying to justify the Giants inability to cope with Bud Norris. Because tonight’s game was just about the worst thing ever for the first 8 innings. There are some pains that humans who have never experienced can’t even fathom the feeling. Losing in a game to the Astros is one of those pains. It’s a feeling of failure, of demise, of Fernando Martinez hitting a home run. In the 8^th inning the Giants gave up the lead on a passed ball that Buster Posey always blocks except not always. Not only were the Giants losing to the Astros, but Buster Posey had exposed a vivid image of mortality. Like what. The next thing you're going to tell me is that he has a ridiculous neck beard. I mean please.

Then the 9^th inning!  My favorite part about getting into the Astros bullpen is that they are a part of the Houston Astros. Wilton Lopez may be the most un-Astros thing about the Astros, (2.45 ERA). But Joaquin Arias is still in the middle phases of the effects of being bitten by a wild Robinson Cano, and drove Belt in with an RBI double. It was probably the wrong move to send Belt, especially with no outs in the inning and a good throw from Fernando Martinez would have nailed Belt by about 20 feet.  Unfortunately, Fernando Martinez plays for the Houston Astros. There are residual effects from that. Then Hector Sanchez finished off the comeback and the Giants did not have to do the walk of shame from losing to the Astros. Then some guy named Hector Ambriz recorded the final out of the inning. That last sentence is insignificant, but that's kind of the Astros in a nutshell.

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Joaquin Arias.

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This is what happens to the Astros:

This is what happens against the Astros:

The Astros should probably look at pictures of puppies on the internet to reassure themselves there is beauty in the world.

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I think we knew Hunter Pence was a free swinger when the Giants traded for him. But I had no idea that he's a Giants-farm-hand-lesque free swinger. He swings at about the same percentage of pitches outside the strike zone as noted PCL monster Brett Pill. But it's not just the amount of swings. It's the way he swings. I hear analyst arguing that he's pressing, trying to hit a home run every time because there's all this pressure on him coming to a new team. I would argue that these swings aren't an anomaly. That's just Hunter Pence. That's what he does. When he swings at a pitch, he's trying to hit a baseball somewhere near Tatooine. Curiously enough, that's also his hometown. His brother.

Pence is one of those Sandoval-like hitters that drives the living crap out of you. Because crap is alive. One minute he's crushing a double against the wall and the next he's striking out on the 3 straight pitches, all swinging strikes. I mean:

Hunter Pence was not good at patterns as a schoolboy. Safe to say Hunter Pence was looking for something else. He'll still snap out of it, maybe not in such a Beltran type way like last season, but only because he's not that good of a hitter. He'll definitely be much better and be the good version of Hunter Pence. But right now, his at bats are frustrating. This was the at bat after he crushed a ball off the left center field wall. There is contrast and then there is that. I prefer doubles to strike outs. That is my own opinion. Check back for updates.

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The Giants are 3.5 games up in the West over the Dodgers. Those are more desirable than 1 game leads. 

*gifs via sbnation