Vogelsong Sung Blue -- Giants @ Mets IGT for Aug 1, 2014

[Frayed Knot]

I just remembered that I'm on IGT duty as I believe Wednesday's game was my first IGT-win of the season.

btw, Subject headings considered but rejected for this thread included: I'm Singing this Vogelsong for You; You Can Tell Everybody This is Your Vogelsong; and Ride of the Vogelsong Boatmen


Ryan Vogelsong: 5-8; 3.94; 1.35 in 22 starts - faces off against Niese

The 58-50 Giants are the current leaders in the NL WC chase 1/2 game ahead of Atlanta & St Louis but 3.5 games behind LA. Much of their success however is due to their hot start which saw them reach the end of May with a 36-20 record. In fact the high point of the season came following the June 6-8 sweep of the Mets and a 9.5 game lead in the NL West.
But not too much has gone right for them since. Their combined June-July mark is 22-30 (16-29 since that June 8th game) ending with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers in a 1st place showdown last weekend and then losing 2-of-3 to the Pirates.

C - Buster Posey, although he's playing almost as much 1B lately as catcher
1B - Posey and/or Michael Morse, and/or the re-acquired and recently promoted bowl of suck that is Travis Ishikawa
2B - The just picked-up Dan Uggla is now the just re-released Dan Uggla. Which means I don't know who Joe Panik is (23 y/o, June 2014 debut, Hopewell Junction NY via St Johns Univ) but he's probably going to be the starting 2B this weekend.
SS - Brandon Crawford has played nearly every day this season
3B - Ditto for Pablo Sandoval
OF - Lately it's been Morse in LF (which does horrible things to your defense), Gregor Blanco in CF, and Hunter Pence in RF


NOT appearing lately in starting lineups:
Brandon Belt (1B) 7-day DL although could return this weekend
Angel Pagan (CF) DL (back injury) about to start playing rehab games in Arizona
Matt Cain (P) off to see Dr. James Andrews


Series continues Saturday night: Jake Peavy v deGrom, Sunday afternoon (1:10): Madison Bumgarner v Colon; and again on Monday afternoon (12:10): Tim Hudson vs Gee

Edited August 1, 2014 by Guest

[Benjamin Grimm]

Interesting that the Mets have a four-game series coming up against a team currently holding a wild card spot that's six games ahead of them. A sweep, as improbable as it is, would leave them only two games behind the Giants. Of course, if that were to happen, the Giants would very likely no longer have the wild card spot. Either way, it does seem like the Mets are a four-game sweep away from moving away from the fringe and closer to the heart of the group of contenders.

Now all they have to do is win four games in a row against the San Francisco Giants. Improbable, perhaps, but not impossible. Let's make it happen!

[Edgy MD]

When Brandon Hicks has been removed from the mix and Dan Uggla has played his way off a second team in as many weeks (0-11 as a Giant, and unlikely to be voted any potential post-season shares), it's time to hit the Panik Button.

Second tenure with the Giants for Ishikawa, making brief stops in Milwaukee, Baltimore, the Bronx, and Pittsburgh in between. Less than 20 games each at those last three junctions.

[Frayed Knot]

That would be Dan Uggla, 0-11 [u:3b9614kb]and 3 errors[/u:3b9614kb] in his brief SFG tenure.

[Edgy MD]

Got to be any number of Justin Turners out there that Giants could be playing at second --- guys they could get for a song, and I don't mean a Vogelsong.

With the team soft at first and second and a little in the outfield and rotation, this may be an opportunity for the Mets they don't want to waste.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Utley on the team by the end of the year.

[Centerfield]

It would be great if teams could keep cutting and signing Dan Uggla so the Mets face him as many time as possible.

(I know I am tempting fate here. If Uggla kills the Mets this series it's all on me.)

[Frayed Knot]

The Mets may well face Uggla again sometime in the future, but it won't be this weekend.
After picking Dan Uggla up off waivers and then sampling him for less than a week (3 games, 3 errors, no hits) the Giants came to the same conclusion that the Braves came to and re-released him.

[Guest d'Kong76]

San Francisco at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Friday, August 1, 2014
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

The San Francisco Giants look to build off the momentum of a skid-breaking victory over Pittsburgh as they begin a 10-game road trip with the opener of a four-game series against the New York Mets on Friday. San Francisco posted a 7-5 triumph over the Pirates on Wednesday, salvaging the finale of its six-game homestand by halting a six-game losing streak. Gregor Blanco went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Joe Panik scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning for the Giants, who enter Friday with a hold on a wild-card spot in the National League.

New York continues to hold on to postseason aspirations after taking two of three from NL East-rival Philadelphia following a 5-5 road trip. The Mets still are within reach of the top of the division and a wild-card berth but have five teams to overtake for the bonus spot. Neither team made a move as Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline passed, electing to stand pat as they pursue the postseason.

TV:
7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Giants RH Ryan Vogelsong (5-8, 3.94 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jon Niese (5-6, 3.23)

Vogelsong's losing streak reached five games Saturday as he yielded four runs - two earned - and eight hits over six innings against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The 37-year-old has won only one of his last nine starts but has allowed more than three runs just four times in that span. Vogelsong, who owns a 5.44 ERA in nine road outings this season, won his only career decision in six games (four starts) versus the Mets.

Niese lost both of his starts since returning from the disabled list, surrendering a total of seven runs and 16 hits over 11 innings at Seattle and Milwaukee. The 27-year-old has won only one of his last 10 outings but has given up more than three earned runs just once in that span. Niese's career record against the Giants remained at 1-2 after he settled for a no-decision at San Francisco on June 6, when he allowed two runs and five hits in seven frames.

WALK-OFFS:
1. The Giants are likely to release 2B Dan Uggla soon as the veteran has gone 0-for-11 with six strikeouts in four games since joining the club and did not accompany the team to New York.
2. The Mets scored 18 runs in their three-game series against Philadelphia after totaling only 22 on their 10-game road trip.
3. San Francisco could regain the services of OF Angel Pagan (back), 1B Brandon Belt (concussion) and C Hector Sanchez (concussion) during its road trip.

[seawolf17]

1. The Giants are likely to release 2B Dan Uggla soon as the veteran has gone 0-for-11 with six strikeouts in four games since joining the club and did not accompany the team to New York.

SCENE: Dan Uggla walks out of the bathroom into an empty clubhouse.

DAN: "Guys? Hey, guys? Where'd everybody go? I hope the bus to the airport didn't leave yet."

Exit.

[Edgy MD]

He may be Dan Uggla, but that's really sad.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I saw this headline on Google News: John Jay's Panik, a Giants infielder, to face Mets in NYC and thought that the Giants had signed a racehorse to play in their infield.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Curtis Granderson � RF
Daniel Murphy � 2B
David Wright � 3B
Lucas Duda � 1B
Chris Young � LF
Travis d�Arnaud � C
Juan Lagares � CF
Ruben Tejada � SS
Jonathon Niese � LHP

[Gwreck]

Edgy MD wrote: He may be Dan Uggla, but that's really sad.

I have nothing personal against the guy* but the dude's due $13 million next year. Sorry that your career's fizzled out but that's not too bad for severance pay.


* Those three errors in the all-star game notwithstanding.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Pence, RF
Duffy, 2B
Posey, C
Sandoval, 3B
Morse, 1B
Perez, LF
Blanco, CF
Crawford, SS
Vogelsong, P

[Frayed Knot]

This will be Matt Duffy's ML debut for the San Franz. 18th round draft pick 2012 out of Cal St Long Beach, was hitting .332/.398/.444 in AA Richmond
Already sounds better than Dan Uggla

Juan Perez was just recalled from AAA Fresno. Was the opening day LF but hitting .152 tends to get you benched and/or demoted.
But, hey, it gets Michael Morse's glove out of the outfield.

[ashie62]

Edgy MD wrote: He may be Dan Uggla, but that's really sad.

What is not sad is that Uggla has earned over 62 million playing baseball thus far.....

[Edgy MD]

Sheesh, anybody watching this game?

Sandy in the booth. Just shared a subtle inside joke with Ron Darling.

[Frayed Knot]

Half the game gone in under an hour.
Helps to speed things along when one side doesn't clog up the game with any of those hit things.


Tonight's poll will deal with where the Yanx/Sawx game will be when this one ends. The over/under is bottom 6th

[Edgy MD]

Duda just ripped a grounder right into the shift. This Duffy guy looks about 15.

[Edgy MD]

Hitless through five. I'm calling on Laggy to lead off the next inning with a bunt attempt.

[Zvon]

I tuned in to the game when Sandy was talking about the blocking the plate rule, and I missed most of that. Just got the very tail end. I'll have to replay that later- that sounded interesting.

Everything else he said was in line with all anonymous sources who ask not to be named.

[Frayed Knot]

Zvon wrote: I tuned in to the game when Sandy was talking about the blocking the plate rule, and I missed most of that. Just got the very tail end. I'll have to replay that later- that sounded interesting. Everything else he said was in line with all anonymous sources who ask not to be named.

See the 'Miami Marlins' thread on the front page here for a discussion/rant (OK, I'm the only one ranting) on the blocking rule and that play specifically.

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Zvon wrote: I tuned in to the game when Sandy was talking about the blocking the plate rule, and I missed most of that. Just got the very tail end. I'll have to replay that later- that sounded interesting. Everything else he said was in line with all anonymous sources who ask not to be named. See the 'Miami Marlins' thread on the front page here for a discussion/rant (OK, I'm the only one ranting) on the blocking rule and that play specifically.

k,thnx. Hit-less thru 6? Yikes.

I don't think I'm going to pay total attention to the game until they get a hit.

WOOT! Okay game, ya got me 100%--for a half an inning.

[Guest themetfairy]

Thank goodness for Obi Juan Lagares!

[Frayed Knot]

themetfairy wrote: Thank goodness for Obi Juan Lagares!

Until he became a base running idiot.

[Zvon]

Deep Doodoo!

[Zvon]

I want to see how this looks:

Lucas Duda: Mets Slugger

I like

We have been very patient fans because we have wanted to see that for a long time.

20 homers!

[Zvon]

Nice Duda--NICE. Doodoo doo in the field too.

[Guest d'Kong76]

2:06 .... yeesh!

[Zvon]

Whoa. I looked up and the game is over. It's not even 9:30. That was a pretty shitty show of it by the Mets offense.

5-1...2 hits!!??

But don't worry. We are gonna lose some so who cares about the how of it, and Duda is still doing this slugging thing.