We Might Need to Know Giants

[Frayed Knot]

Quickie KTE:

The good news is that we'll miss Bumgarner, getting Chris Heston today ('Get your hands off our bats you damn dirty ape'), the soon-to-be 40 y/o Tim Hudson [3-5, 4.29] tomorrow, and the somewhat rejuvenated [6-3, 3.29] Tim Lincecum on Thursday

Lineup:
Posey catching is really damn good.
1B - Brandon Belt has been slow to match his promise in recent years in large part because of injuries, but he's healthy now and he's pretty damn good.
2B - Last season's out of nowhere rookie Joe Panik (at the disco) is pretty damn good again this year.
SS - Brandon Crawford doesn't seem to get the attention of other top SSs but he's pretty damn good anyway.
3B - This has been their one sore spot since Panda left and Casey McGehee flopping. Matt Duffy getting most of the playing time now.
CF - Angel Pagan's power is down this year but he's still OK
RF - Hunter Pence is really damn good but, after missing the first month-plus, he's now sat out the last few games with 'wrist tendinitis' and is questionable for tonight at least.
LF - A combo of Nori Aoki (who's been pretty damn good) and Justin Maxwell who filled in on the other side when Pence was out.

This lineup can catch the ball too. Boy that would be nice to see on our side once in a while.

Closer Santiago Casilla has a bunch of saves and decent ERA although a higher WHiP than you'd like to see with a closer (1.40), mainly he's been walking a lot (4+ per/9)

[Gwreck]

I recall that Justin Maxwell is one of those guys who always does well against the Mets (looks like a 1.059 OPS in 50 PAs). Seems to me there was a walk-off grand slam somewhere in there, when he was with the Nationals.

[A Boy Named Seo]

So Giants = pretty damn good. All true. LGM

[Frayed Knot]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: So Giants = pretty damn good. All true. LGM

Yeah, although unlike previous SFG teams, they're not as pitching dominant as we've come to expect. Cain is out, Peavy is out, Hudson as mentioned is nearly 40, Ryan Freakin' Vogelsong is somehow 37 (I would have missed that guess by a half-decade or more) and very average-ish at best, and while Lincecum is better than in recent years, he'll almost certainly never be what he was when he first came up. And even Maddy Bummy has been merely good so far this season.

All of which is good for us because, as we showed in Arizona, we have enough trouble hitting mediocre pitching while in hitting friendly stadiums.

[A Boy Named Seo]

They're always hanging around, though. Always pretty damn good.

[Frayed Knot]

And to think, we're seeing these guys and missing both Pence & Bumgarner. So, like I said, pretty damn good.
Of course I also said, one no-hitter from a fill-in fifth starter ago, that their pitching was nothing special.

Of special note, Sydergaard and Harvey faced a combined 55 hitters and struck out a grand total of four of them. Shyeeeeet, the Mets had two separate three-K innings. And while this could partially be explained (as Ronnie did during one of the games) that the Gints are a cut down on the swing and put the bat on the ball kind of team (as opposed to the Padres where Syndergaard K'd 10 and got bombed anyway) SF also managed to eke out five HRs among their 27 hits over two games, several of them on 2-strike counts.

Now all we have to do is get to Lincecum while praying that Niese doesn't shit the bed.
Nats head to Milwaukee for a four game series starting tonight. Braves have a noon-er vs the Pads which they may try to rush through on account of being overly anxious to get on a plane and get a crack at our suddenly generous pitching staff.

[Edgy MD]

You don't win three championships in five years by being lucky.

But shit, they look better than the Mets all over the diamond.

[dgwphotography]

Frayed Knot wrote: And to think, we're seeing these guys and missing both Pence & Bumgarner. So, like I said, pretty damn good. Of course I also said, one no-hitter from a fill-in fifth starter ago, that their pitching was nothing special. Of special note, Sydergaard and Harvey faced a combined 55 hitters and struck out a grand total of four of them. Shyeeeeet, the Mets had two separate three-K innings. And while this could partially be explained (as Ronnie did during one of the games) that the Gints are a cut down on the swing and put the bat on the ball kind of team (as opposed to the Padres where Syndergaard K'd 10 and got bombed anyway) SF also managed to eke out five HRs among their 27 hits over two games, several of them on 2-strike counts. Now all we have to do is get to Lincecum while praying that Niese doesn't shit the bed. Nats head to Milwaukee for a four game series starting tonight. Braves have a noon-er vs the Pads which they may try to rush through on account of being overly anxious to get on a plane and get a crack at our suddenly generous pitching staff.

I'll be shocked if we're not in 3rd place by Monday.

[dgwphotography]

Edgy MD wrote: You don't win three championships in five years by being lucky. But shit, they look better than the Mets all over the diamond.

Maybe because they are.

It's going to be like the NL in the 70's. The successful teams will have pitching, athleticism and overall team speed. The Mets are 1 for 3 there.

[Frayed Knot]

Doing it with an entirely home-grown infield
Buster Posey - 5th overall draft pick by the Giants in 2008, behind Tim Beckham (TBR), Pedro Alvarez (Pitt), Eric Hosmer (KCR), and Brian Matusz (Balt)
Brandon Belt - 5th round draft pick 2009
Joe Panik - 1st round (29th overall) in 2011 (one selection after Sean Gilmartin by the Braves)
Brandon Crawford - 4th round 2008
Matt Duffy - 18th round 2012

and selected OFs who went through several other teams before blossoming by in the city by the bay
Aoki - FA from Milwaukee and Japan who has suddenly upped his BA. OBA, and SLG 50 points each in a pitchers' park.
Pagan - Mets and Cubs
and of course Hunter Pence. [u:jbiqug51]HE[/u:jbiqug51] was the guy the Phils opted NOT to sign and keep?!?!? What, not old enough for them?!? Originally w/Houston

All the starters except for Hudson and the DL'd Peavy are SFG drafts, as is closer/set-up Sergio Romo and the currently DL'd Matt Cain
And when they have had clunker seasons in the last decade or so that resulted in Top-10 draft picks, they didn't miss on them: Lincecum (10th in 2006), Bumgarner (10th 2007), Posey (5th - 2008) and the only one they let get away, Zack Wheeler (6th in 2009)

Edited June 11, 2015 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

Maybe because they are.

Maybe they are, but YNAGAYLWYW/YNABAYLWYL and stuff. I don't see them dealing Crawford to the Mets, certainly.

[Frayed Knot]

Career to date WAR of the top 5 draft picks in 2008: 0.0 + 4.9 + 7.1 + 2.4 = 14.4 < Posey's 25.4

[dgwphotography]

Edgy MD wrote: Maybe because they are. Maybe they are, but YNAGAYLWYW/YNABAYLWYL and stuff. I don't see them dealing Crawford to the Mets, certainly.

Minus the pitching staff, I think the Marlins look a lot more promising all over the field than the Mets do.

[Edgy MD]

They may be, but that's a big minus.

[Edgy MD]

dgwphotography wrote: I'll be shocked if we're not in 3rd place by Monday.

Well, sit down, because that's off the table.

Yep, Friday night and they've clinched at least second place for Monday.

[dgwphotography]

Edgy MD wrote: dgwphotography wrote: I'll be shocked if we're not in 3rd place by Monday. Well, sit down, because that's off the table. Yep, Friday night and they've clinched at least second place for Monday.

Color me SHOCKED! ;-)