SFGiants, Games 20-22 Rockies Series

Hi there! It's been a while...miss me? I've missed you. I've also missed the Giants. I hate Thursday off days. The only positive is that it gives me a chance to catch up on the shows I wanted to watch (Survivor & The Mindy Project). A little about me - it's been a very busy week at work. Like, crazy busy. I've also gone bridesmaid dress shopping, had sushi twice, went on a hike at Bishop Ranch, and spent a lot of time at the gym. My trip to Peru is coming up, so I'll be busy working out. That means few chances to live tweet the game and even less time to write :( I'm going to keep up with my blog though because it's become a source of relaxation for me. 

Anyway...I'm excited to be back at AT&T Park tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday. Yes, I'm doing another three-game series. I love it. Also, my friend Chris is in town visiting and I'll be meeting up with my favorite Giants friends/fans, so this weekend will be a blast!

Aren't you glad I'm done writing about myself? ;) Let's relieve that stressful and demoralizing series with a happy ending, shall we? 

Game 20 - Vogelsong
This game sucked. Vogelsong was not effective at all, and even admitted post game that he was embarrassed by his performance. I feel bad for him. This picture says it all. 

Here are some lowlights from the 8-2 loss:
- Vogey lasted only 1 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on three home runs.
- Charlie Blackmon hit two of the five total home runs for the Rockies. All eight of their runs were scored via home run.
- The Rockies sent nine men to the plate in the first inning. It was just awful from the beginning. Nolan Arenado and Wilin Rosario both hit home runs in the 1st, giving the Rockies a 4-0 lead. Blackmon led off the 2nd inning with a home run.
- From Owen Perkins at mlb.com: It was Vogelsong's shortest outing in 82 starts as a Giant and the shortest start by any National League pitcher this season.
- David Huff came in to relieve Vogey and promptly got a double play to end the 2nd inning. He also had his first AB in the majors and made it safely to first, beating out the throw. Unfortunately, he hurt himself in the process. He stayed on base and scored his first run when Buster Posey GIDP but didn't pitch in the bottom of the 3rd. More suckage.
- Yusmeiro Petit replaced Huff in the 3rd. After Rosario singled, Corey Dickerson hit a two-run home run. DJ LeMahieu doubled, but the Petit settled down and got the next three batters out. He also led of the 5th inning and it was funny to watch.
- In the 5th, Hunter Pence had a ground rule double that potentially kept Angel Pagan from scoring. With Pence and Pagan on 2nd and 3rd, both Posey and Michael Morse couldn't get them home.
- In the 7th, Pagan struck out on a called strike and argued with the ump. According to Bruce Bochy, he was going to be pulled for Gregor Blanco to rest anyway, so he let Pagan argue longer and "get his money's worth." Gotta love Boch! 

- Jean Machi replaced Petit in the 7th. Juan Gutierrez came in to pitch in the 8th and Blackmon hit his 2nd home run off him.
- Brandon Belt singled in the 9th, and following a wild pitch and a passed ball, Belt was on third with no outs. Brandon Hicks/Crawford both made outs, and Belt eventually scored. On a error. Oy vey.
- The Giants were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Game 21 - Bumgarner
Ugh, this game. Madison Bumgarner deserved so much better than this, but his teammates failed him. The Giants lost 2-1, despite Bumgarner going the distance against Franklin Morales in this great pitchers duel. All three runs were scored via solo home runs. Notable details and tidbits on this game:
- MadBum had an eight inning complete game. He struck out six, only allowed two runs, and only threw 97 pitches. He's also the 2nd pitcher in the history of Coors Field who has pitched a complete game, allowed two or less runs, and got the loss.
- In his last two starts, Bumgarner has gotten one run from his teammates. ONE.
- Troy Tulowitski hit a solo home run in the 4th, breaking the scoreless tie. Rosario and Justin Morneau both singled. Drew Stubbs GIDP and then MadBum intentionally walked LeMahieu. Belt committed an error, but no other runs were scored.
- Pence hit his own solo homer in the 5th with two outs to tie the game. It's only his 2nd HR of the season. 

- Arenado put the Rockies ahead in the 6th with a solo home run. He has a 13 game hitting streak.
- Bumgarner was strong in the 7th and 8th, quickly getting out of both of those innings. He also doubled with two outs in the 7th, but then Pagan struck out.
- In the 8th, Pence singled, Posey struck out, and then Morse singled. Useless Pablo Sandoval then GIDP. Like I said in a previous post, my patience for his struggles is at an all-time low. 
- Last chance in the 9th for the Giants to at least tie it up for MadBum. After Belt ground out, Crawford walked, followed by a single from Blanco. Hector Sanchez struck out, and then Pagan grounded out. Game over :(
- The Giants are now 3-for-40 with RISP. It's getting really sad, you guys.

Game 22 - Cain
This game was pure bipolar baseball, down to the last outs. I couldn't watch live because I was at work, but listening to the radio broadcast and following along on mlb.com was so very stressful. My heart was racing at various points in the game, and the only reason why the Giants didn't send me into the pit of depression is because they somehow avoided the sweep and managed to win this game despite all the shenanigans that occurred. Watching the replay was fun though. Let's take it from the top!

1st inning highlights
Blackmon singled, and then scored on Tulowitski's home run. Rockies lead 2-0.

2nd inning highlights
Morse led off the inning with a home run. Sandoval walked, but then Sanchez GIDP. Crawford lined out to end the inning. In the Rockies half of the inning, Brandon Barnes, LeMahieu, and Tyler Chatwood (the starting pitcher) all singled to load the bases. Blackmon grounded out to score Barnes and then an error by Belt on a pick-off attempt allowed LeMahieu to score. Blackmon later scored on a single by Tulowitski.

3rd inning highlights
Hicks led off the inning and hit a home run. Matt Cain singled, Blanco struck out, Pence singled, and Belt flied out. With two outs, Morse hit a three run home run, his second of the game, to tie it up at 5-5. Because he cleared the bases, it was overlooked that Sandoval struck out. AGAIN.

4th inning highlights
When Hicks was called out on strikes, Bochy argued with the umpire briefly and was subsequently tossed from the game. LAME. Meanwhile, the Rockies took the lead when Blackmon hit a solo home run. I'm getting sick of that guy - he had an excellent series against our pitching. 

5th inning highlights
The Giants had a great opportunity to take the lead when Cain singled, followed by Blanco and Pence walking to load the bases. But this is the 2014 Giants, so of course they didn't get any runs with the bases loaded with no outs. Belt, Morse, and Sandoval all failed to get an RBI.

6th inning highlights
Nada.

7th inning highlights
Belt hit a two run home run (Pence had walked) off relief pitcher Rex Brothers. Cain was left in the game - bad decision - and walked Blackmon. Arenado doubled him home and the Rockies tied it up. AGAIN.

8th inning highlights
Sanchez led off the inning with a home run off relief pitcher Matt Belisle. Unfortunately, the Rockies tied it up once more in their half of the inning against Santiago Casilla when Blackmon drove LeMahieu home. 

9th inning highlights
Pence led off the inning with a double, but Belt, Juan Carlos Perez, and Joaquin Arias could not get him home.

10th inning highlights
The only thing of note is that Posey came in as a pinch hitter and was intentionally walked. I feel like that will continue to happen throughout the season.

11th inning highlights
Pence singled, then Belt walked. Perez sacrificed them over and then the Rockies intentionally walked Arias to load the bases. After a long and intense 10-pitch battle, Sanchez made our baseball dreams come true and hit a GRAND SLAM. Whooooo hooooo, Giants lead 12-8. 

Sergio Romo was in to pitch the bottom of the 11th even though it wasn't a save situation and of course, the Rockies did not go quietly. Tulowitski singled and subsequently scored on Morneau's two run home run, to bring the Rockies within two. After Rosario grounded out, Stubbs singled, but then Romo got Barnes to GIDP to finally, and mercifully, end this rollercoaster of a game.

Fun facts:
- There were a total of nine home runs, six for the Giants and three for the Rockies.
- It was Sanchez's first career grand slam. He had two home runs in the game (also a first), as did Morse. Two Giants players last hit two homers in the same game on May 25, 2005 (my birthday, just FYI) - Moises Alou and Pedro Feliz against the Dodgers. Sanchez also had a career high five RBIs.

- Pence and Hicks both had three hits. I'm hoping Pence is starting to get hot.  
- Jeremy Affeldt was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the 7th inning. He's doing well and I'm so glad he's back. 
- Machi got the win and is now 4-0. Lmfao.
- Speaking of funny things, my friend Brooke called the Rockies "Rocktards" and I haven't stopped laughing about it since. Well done.
- Wednesday's game was just the second win for the Giants in the last seven games :( They also finished the series going 3-for-31 with RISP.
- Happy flight and some momentum going into their off day. 

See you at the ballpark! GO GIANTS!!!

xoxo, 
JC

SF Giants Games 16 & 17

I'm bummed that I've been so busy because that means there is little time for baseball. When I can't watch the games, it gives me anxiety.

On Thursday, I had back to back meetings, so I didn't get to watch or listen to the game much. I did follow along on the MLB app while I was in training, so you can't say I didn't try ;)

Quick tidbits from Game 16 
- I'm sure you're aware of this, but let's start from the beginning: the Giants lost 2-1 versus the Dodgers, but secured the series win with their victory the day before.
- Pablo Sandoval's batting average continues to plummet. 
- "Trader" (lol, Twitter folks that can't spell) Brian Wilson came in to pitch in the 8th inning. I heard the loud boos on the radio broadcast. Ehire Adrianza doubled to lead off the inning and then Hunter Pence walked. Unfortunately, Wilson got Sandoval and Buster Posey out to end the threat.
- This was the 7th consecutive one-run game the Giants have played in.
- Madison Bumgarner only lasted 4 1/3 innings due to high pitch count. 
- Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched so well against the cold Giants bats and shut them down until he exited the game. 
- The lone run the Giants scored was in the 9th inning. Michael Morse struck out, but reached base due to Kenley Jansen's wild pitch. Brandon Belt grounded into a force out and later advanced to 2nd on defensive interference. Hector Sanchez struck out, followed by a walk from Gregor Blanco. Adrianza singled to left, scoring Belt. He was 3 for 3 after coming in to replace Brandon Hicks. The rally was on and I was excited for the possibility of our boys tying it up, but then Brandon Crawford struck out to end the game. 

Friday night, I was busy making penis shaped cakes and blowing up penis shaped balloons. No, I'm not a weirdo (well, actually I am, but let's not get into that)...it was for a bachelorette party. By the time the game started, I was seated at Mas Sake in San Francisco with five of my girlfriends drinking many, many sake bombs. But of course, the TV showing the game still had some of my attention.
 
Quick tidbits from Game 17
- This was the 8th consecutive one-run game for the Giants. Their record in these games is 4-4.
- The Giants have only scored two runs in the last 19 innings, and four runs in the last 26 innings. Pitiful. 
- Angel Pagan led the game off with a ground rule double, but Blanco, Belt, and Sandoval were unable to get him home. In the Padres half of the 1st, Chris Denorfia tripled to center. With two outs and Jedd Gyorko at the plate, a passed ball by Hector Sanchez allowed Donorfia to score. I was so frustrated at this.   
- Posey and Morse had the day off, but were both put in as pinch hitters in the 8th inning. Neither got a hit. The Padres' Yasmani Grandal, pinch hitting for Tyson Ross, hit a home run off Juan Gutierrez to bring the score to 2-0.

- Belt hit his 6th home run of the season against Huston Street in the 9th, cutting the lead to 2-1. Pence walked with two outs and then stole second base. Sanchez then ended the game with a silly strikeout.

- The Giants had three stolen bases in this game.   
- Matt Cain pitched really well but got Cained by his teammates once again. 

I'm hoping the rest of the San Diego series goes better and our guys get hot at the plate again. It's not just one player, it's so many of them. I'm most concerned about Sandoval though. He needs to find his groove...and quickly because I'm getting really frustrated with him. However, the Giants offense as a whole needs to get hot. Losing these one-run games sucks :(

GO GIANTS!

xoxo,
JC
 

SF Giants Games 12 & 13

Well, hi there. It's funny how an off day like today, early in the season, feels like absolute torture. So, to feed my baseball addiction, let's recap the weekend games! 

Game 12: April 12th

Saturday was family day with my mom, cousins, and goddaughters. We did a chocolate making class in the morning from 10-12 and then had lunch after. I'm catholic and gave up chocolate for Lent so it was crazy ridiculous of me to do that, but I survived anyway.

I didn't get to watch most of this game, but here are a couple tidbits:

- Rockies starting pitcher Brett Anderson left the game with a bruised finger in the 3rd. The bullpen saved the day for him and completed the shut out of the Giants :( 

- The red hot offense we have been seeing this season was stone cold today and only managed three hits: Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval, and Brandon Crawford.

- I feel bad for Matt Cain. His entire career has consisted of starts like this - strong outings with ZERO run support.

- Cain went seven innings and only allowed four hits. The one run scored to win the game was small ball at it's finest. Charlie Blackmon walked, Brandon Barnes singled, and they completed a double steal. Troy Tulowitski then sacrificed Blackmon home and that was it all day.

- Angel Pagan's hitting streak ended at 10. Michael Morse's nine game hitting streak was halted as well.

- Sandoval struck out in the 8th inning with the bases loaded, continuing his suckfest of a season thus far. Second time that's happened in three games.

Game 13: April 13th

I was invited to go to the game, but respectfully declined. That was so fucking stupid of me! Ha. I needed to relax and have a day at home. Plus, I spent HOURS at the Verizon store after the game yesterday, buying a new phone and tablet, so I was awake past 3am because I'm obviously a huge nerd. I was surrounded by technology and I loved it. Old phone to new phone transfer, work laptop, personal netbook, work iPad, and new LG tablet were all in effect and syncing up. Good times. Anyway, from the top...

- Wilin Rosario hit a home run off of a location mistake by Tim Hudson in the 2nd, Rockies led 1-0.

- Aside from Pagan hitting into a double in the 3rd, there was no action until the bottom of the 5th. Birthday boy Pence was hit by a pitch, boo. Also, this is my new favorite picture of him. So dreamy!

Morse followed with a single that sent speedy Pence to third base. BCraw then sacrificed Pence home to tie the game. Brandon Hicks singled, and after a wild pitch during Hudson's at bat, Hicks and Morse were on 2nd and 3rd, respectively. With two outs, Mr. Beautiful Hair singled to right field, clearing the bases. That put the Giants up 3-1. Pagan is 10 for 20 with 10 RBIs with two outs this season.

- In the bottom of the 6th, Sandoval led off the inning with a home run to right field. It was good to see him smiling and a little more carefree, but I still want more from him. Hope he can start to get hot. 

- The Rockies responded with a Justin Morneau home run in the 7th. DJ LeMahieu had an RBI double, and the Giants lead was down to one run. Javier Lopez came to face one batter, and Drew Stubbs singled to score LeMahieu (the run was charged to Huddy) and tie the game. 

- The Giants had a chance in the bottom of the 9th when Gregor Blanco hit a ball deep to Triples Alley and was waived home. I can't believe we were *that* close to seeing another inside the park home run. Unfortunately, Blanco was tagged out on the nuts. OUCH.

Hope his family jewels are okay! With that, the Giants and Rockies stayed tied and it was time for free baseball. 

- Sergio Romo pitched the 10th. With one out, LeMahieu singled. The next batter, Josh Rutledge struck out and LeMahieu was gunned out at second by Posey for the double play. AIN'T HAVIN' IT.

- BCraw led off the 10th inning, and on the 2nd pitch he saw from Rex Brothers, he absolutely smashed it over the brick wall and into McCovey Cove. Walk off splash hit! A thing of beauty. Let's relive it in photos, shall we? Check out his sweet sweet swing.

What followed was an awesome, yet not Puig douchey, bat-flip.

The ball hit the water in beautiful fashion as BCraw rounded the bases to greet his teammates.

Look at all of that hair - BCraw and Pagan! It was awesome when Pagan gave Crawford a gatorade shower. Even better that he got Amy G pretty good too :D

- That home run was Crawford's first splash hit, the 64th splash hit by a Giants player. The last extra inning splash hit was by the Home Run King Barry Bonds in 2003.

- Hudson said in his post game interview that he wished he had pitched better. Perhaps he should've been pulled earlier, but I think he's been an excellent pick up and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Worth noting is that he's gone 23 innings (his first three starts as a Giant) without yielding a walk. Fucking STUD.
- Read Crawford's take on his splash hit extra innings walk off here: http://brandon.mlblogs.com/2014/04/13/another-day-at-the-office-brandon-crawford/. 

All in all, a great game and a great series win. Plus, the Giants had good momentum going into their off day today and will be rested and ready to take on the Dodgers tomorrow. Hope Timmy figured out what was wrong with him and is ready to BEAT LA. 

Excited for the game tomorrow! FUCK THE DODGERS. 

xoxo,

JC

SFGiants Games 6 & 7

Sup. I felt blogger's withdrawal yesterday since I didn't have time to recap the game. One of the things I love about baseball is the highs and lows. And because they play so much, it's generally easier to pull yourself out of your baseball depression. Clearly, I've wiped last season from my memory! (Not really.)

Recap of Saturday's game? Don't mind if I do...
- Celebrated my friend's birthday all day yesterday, so I was trying to be polite and be present, but I couldn't help myself so I turned the game on and talked about clothes, makeup, and gossip while keeping an eye on the game. Had a blast with my girl friends though!
- Madison Bumgarner pitched well and got his 50th career victory. He is 24 years old. I repeat, HE IS TWENTY FOUR YEARS OLD. 

MadBum makes snot rockets sexy. Kinda.
- Bumgarner had a solid outing and struck out 10. I have a good feeling that he's going to have a kick ass year. Additionally, he always pitches well against the Dodgers. A definite plus.
- Michael Morse hit is first home run in a Giants uniform in the top of the 4th. 
-- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .
- The top of the 5th inning was awesome. Madbum started it off with a single, followed by another single from the red hot Angel Pagan. After Hunter Pence flied out, Pablo Sandoval hit a three run home run. Yay, Panda! Batting next, Buster Posey wanted a piece of the action too and followed that with a solo home run. Back-to-back, y'all!
- Admittedly, I was bouncing around on Union St. in San Francisco from the 6th inning on, but even as I had a late boozy lunch with the girls and then cupcakes and champagne for dessert, I discretely keep an eye on my phone until the game was over.

Today's game:
I spent the day in Oakland with my best friend and my favorite boys. I love them all so much despite the fact that they're A's fans. Hey, no one is perfect! We were talking so much shit to each other, it was hilarious. I was so riled up when they jokingly talked about Eric fucking Sogard being the Face of the MLB. Jerks. Ha.

Anyway, I walked into my condo right in time to see Matt Kemp's home run off Matt Cain. Lovely. I was even more annoyed in the bottom of the 4th inning when HanRam hit a solo home run, and then Kemp hit a two run home run. All off Cain. I hate seeing teams, especially the Dodgers, tee off on our Rally Horse. 

I was pretty depressed because I really wanted to see our guys kick more Dodgers ass today. Side note: I HAD to watch the season premiere of Game of Thrones during the East Coast broadcast. I just had to. It's one of my favorite shows that I obsess over. I'm even going to do recaps of this season, just so I can geek out about it some more. 

In the top of the 6th, Brandon Belt homered off of Zack Greinke to finally put the Giants on the board. Three batters later, a cleanly shaven Pence also hit a solo home run. I was so happy I changed the channel in time to see that. I love him. You probably were unaware of that...

Another side note, I'm still so pissed that I forgot to check my fantasy baseball lineups this morning before 10am. I'm so competitive that I hate that I left FOUR, yes FOUR, starting pitchers on my bench. Get it together, Saturday.

In the bottom of the 8th, HanRam went yard again, this time off David Huff. It's so gross that he and Kemp both had two home runs against our pitchers today. Yuck. Even typing that made me feel dirty. And not in the good way!

Alas, the Giants were unable to complete the sweep of the Dodgers. Taking two out of three was pretty awesome though. Unhappy flight home, but our boys have the day off tomorrow before the home opener at the best ballpark in the MLB, our beloved AT&T Park. I can't wait to be back there, cheering our guys on in person with some amazing friends! <3

C U Next Tuesday ;)

xoxo,
JC