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 Game 14 - Jackie Robinson Day

First off, the Giants always do excellent pregame ceremonies. We are so lucky that our announcers, including Renel, do such a great job with baseball festivities. Hall of Famers Jon Miller and Vin Scully announcing the starting line-ups was so cool! I may despise the Dodgers, but Vin Scully deserves so much respect, even if he makes me a little sleepy :) 

Seeing our players wearing 42 gives me a sense of pride for the game I love and obsess over. Most importantly, It's wonderful that Jackie Robinson is honored like this once a year throughout the MLB. His story will always be a highlight in the history of our beloved national pastime.

I was nervous for Timmy Lincecum and his hideous porn stache, but he has historically pitched well against the Dodgers, so I was hopeful that he would have a great start. I haven't been able to record my thoughts as I watch the game in a while, so this should be fun.

HERE WE GO...

- Lincecum started the game with a strike. Good omen! The only downside was that it took him 20 pitches to get out of the first. After giving up a home run to former Giant Juan Uribe in the 2nd, Timmy was already up to 38 pitches.
-Stupid bastard Josh Beckett hit Michael Morse in the elbow during his AB in the bottom of the 2nd. Beckett then threw the ball away on a pick-off attempt, allowing Morse and his long legs to saunter over to 3rd. Unfortunately, Brandon Crawford struck out and stranded Morse and his sore elbow at third base. 
- Beckett, Dee Gordon, and Carl Crawford all struck out in the 3rd. Great inning by Lincecum. GRAB SOME PINE, MEAT! Times three. 

- In the 4th, Timmy loaded the bases with Adrian Gonzalez, Yasshole Puig, and Andre Ethier with one out. I held my breath as he struck out Uribe and Tim Federowicz. Crisis averted.
- Unfortunately for the Giants, the same thing happened to them in their half of the 4th inning. Brandon Belt got the first hit of the game, Buster Posey was unintentionally walked, and Hunter Pence singled to load the bases. There was only one out, but Morse struck out and Crawford grounded out. Dodgers still leading 1-0 :(
- Beckett is one of the most annoying pitchers to watch. He's so fucking slow. It's painful. 
- The Giants had another good chance in the 5th with the bases loaded (Brandon Hicks, Belt, and Sandoval were all walked) with two outs. Posey hit a shallow fly ball to center and yet again, more missed opportunities for our guys.
- With Beckett out of the game, the Giants finally tied it. Pence started the 6th off with a single and Morse reached on an error by Hanley Ramirez. Pence was safe on a close call at third following a wild pitch and BCraw sacrificed him in to tie it up. 

Look at this gem after Pence hustled home. 

- Javier Lopez came in to pitch in the 7th. Let's take a moment to enjoy him, shall we?

Unfortunately, he gave up an RBI single to put the Dodgers back in the lead. Stupid Uribe led off the inning with a double and scored when Justin Turner got a hit off Lopez. That is two games in a row now that Lopez has inherited a runner and gave up an RBI. Not happy about this. 
- My patience with Sandoval dimishes with each game. I think I'd be a lot more supportive of him if his agent weren't such a dumb ass. 
- I'm sick of repeating this, but the Giants wasted another great opportunity to score. In the 8th, Pence collected his 3rd hit of the game and then promptly stole second while Gregor Blanco was at bat. He eventually walked. BCraw struck out on a filthy pitch that made his swing look absolutely dreadful. Hicks then grounded into a pitiful double play. And just like that, the 1,000,000th runner was stranded by the Giants. Have fun in Fresno, dude! You and Jean Machi (Macheeeee) will have fun there. Please give us Hembree. Or Kontos. And a position player. Maybe Minicozzi?
- In the 9th, with my blood pressure rising, Hector Sanchez struck out. Angel Pagan singled, followed by a Belt double that scored the speedy Pagan to tie the game! (Photo credit to my twitter follower @SanDiegoGiants. In fact, the majority of photos in this post are likely all his, copied from his TL. Thank you for screenshots of great moments throughout the game.)

Check out Pagan's helmet. I love that it flops around like that when he's racing home. Useless Sandoval struck out and the Dodgers intentionally walked Posey. Scared much? Unfortunately, that strategy worked and Pence flied out to Puig.That ended the ninth, bringing us to extras.
- Adrian Gonzalez hit a sharp liner and Hicks made a great defensive play, robbing him of a hit. I forgave Hicks about 10% for that double play earlier. Puig walked, but was left there whining as Andre Ethier popped out to BCraw. Note: Sergio Romo was hyped up facing the big boys, but he had a score free inning, and that's all we could hope for.
- In the Giants half of the 10th, Gregor Blanco slid into first on a close play at first base and was called out. Blanco did a double finger shake at the ump - NOT TODAY. Ha. I wish I found a good picture of the actual play, because it was epic. 

Bruce Bochy challenged the call, and it was successfully overturned. It still makes me laugh thinking about how unsuccessful Jim Harbaugh is at challenges as the 49ers coach. Glad Boch doesn't have the same losing percentage as him. Anyway, BCraw singled, followed by a beautiful bunt from Hicks to move both runners over. Another 10% forgiven, Hicks! Sanchez walked to load the bases. What could possibly go wrong? The Dodgers put five infielders out on defense and that was interesting to see.

Pagan flied out to HanRam. My guess is that the Dodgers defense freaked him out. Belt also flied out, and another opportunity with the bases loaded and one out was wasted. How many batters left on base at this point? A GAJILLION.

- The Giants offensive woes had Boch and Giants fans everywhere doing a Bochy facepalm.

Santiago Casilla replaced Romo, and our former friend, now foe Uribe singled. The Giants were lucky when Dodgers catcher Federowicz laid down the worst bunt ever. I don't remember the last time I saw a bunt double play. I screamed pretty loud with happiness when that happened. Matt Kemp got a double, but Justin Turner grounded out and we fans rejoiced at the chance for another walk off. 
- Useless Sandoval grounded out to start the bottom of the 11th. Joaquin Arias came in as a PH for Casilla. I was really hoping we'd see another awesome Casilla at bat, but alas, it didn't happen. I wish this could've happened again. Why so serious, Jairo? 

Arias singled to center but unfortunately my baseball crush Pence grounded into a double play to send us to the 12th. Womp womp.
- Yusmeiro Petit came in to pitch the 12th, leaving Bochy with no bullpen and no reserves, just starting pitchers left. HanRam doubled and Gonzo was intentionally walked, but thankfully Petit got Puig to fly out. Worth mentioning that King of Douches thought he hit a three run home run, douched it up at the plate, and Pence caught the ball with MILES of room left. Wasn't even close. Puig also gave up on the ball and was barely out of the batters box. He didn't even fake run. What a dick. How do you root for that idiot? I hope he's benched again for his shitty attitude. Ethier grounded out and it was the Giants turn.
 -Team Brandon gained another member as Brandon League came in to pitch for the Dodgers. Blanco flied out and then BCraw singled. Hicks' ground out moved BCraw to 2nd.  A wild pitch sent him to third with two outs. Sanchez then singled past Turner's outstretched glove and BCraw scored to FINALLY end this nearly 5-hour long rollercoaster. 
- Sanchez's post game interview was hilarious. He was hungry and wanted to go home because it was almost time to drop his daughter off at school ;) Gotta love the humor of our guys. The post game dog pile on Sanchez was so adorable and it was great to see our guys happy and celebrating. It was also officially April 16th, Bochy's birthday. They won for the skipper!

Other random observations:
- Former hottie and Giants closer Brian Wilson and his disgusting beard and hobo looks warmed up a couple times, but never got into the game. He was booed lustily by Giants fans, as expected.
- Jeremy Affeldt is close to coming back and while I like to talk shit about him, the bullpen needs him! Can't wait to welcome him back. 
- Posey and Morse were taken out of the game and I missed them both in extras. 
- The Giants left 16 runners on base. Pretty pathetic, but I think they'll fix that problem.
- The game that would never end lasted 4 hours, 54 minutes.
- Forgotten in all this is that Lincecum had a decent game and lasted five innings. 

I'm going to pray that Ryan Vogelsong has a good start and lasts at least six innings. Pretty please? The bullpen is tired. Time to step up Vogey!

I was too excited to sleep, so I had to finish writing this before I went to bed. Long day at work in store for me in the morning, but it's worth it because our guys won. 

Beat LA. Fuck the Dodgers. Good night, faithful and loyal fans.

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

SF Giants Game 11

Hi again. Guess who's back? Back again. JC's back. Tell a friend. Feel free to laugh at me, I'm fully aware of how goofy I can be. 

I don't think I could've physically gone to the game again tonight. I'm still tired from the last three days. Six Bart rides, six Muni rides, and countless indulgences the last three days really tired me out. Of course, even before the game started, I was already missing AT&T Park. Seriously, how do you not love this place?

I meant to take note of the things I wanted to write about tonight, but I had work I needed to do this evening (yes, on a Friday night) and then I bonked my head SUPER hard on my cupboard, so I'm a little "special" right now. Bear, or should I say Baer, with me.

First of all, if you haven't read Hunter Pence's blog filling in for the Brandons, you definitely need to. He is so damn funny. It also explains why Giants fans on twitter are going Brandon crazy. Enjoy this gem, because Together, We Are Brandon: http://brandon.mlblogs.com/2014/04/10/another-pinch-blogger-hunter-pence/. 

I was confident in Madison Bumgarner tonight. I thought he'd pitch well and stop the bleeding from the last couple nights. He wasn't at his best, but hitting a GRAND SLAM and ending your night with FIVE RBIs as the starting pitcher is pretty fan-fucking-tastic. 

We didn't get off to the best start, and that weird freebie run the Colorado Rockies scored when Josh Rutledge got caught stealing irritated me. Plus, the Rox got a lot of pitches out of MadBum in the first inning. It didn't take Jorge De La Rosa nearly as long to get out the Giants hitters, and before we knew it, MadBum was back on the mound. 

After an uneventful 2nd inning, Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run home run to increase their lead to 3-0 in the 3rd. Admittedly, a small part of me was feeling negative and thought - great, here we go again! Thankfully, Brandon Crawford hit a triple to right field, and then the Game 11 MVP MadBum barely missed a home run in his first at bat but instead drove in the Giants first run of the game with a very long and well hit sac fly to CarGo.

His hair may always look wet, but we love him nonetheless.
 
The Giants half of the 4th inning was where all the magic happened. Pablo Sandoval singled, followed by Michael Morse's walk. Hector Sanchez flied out and Brandon Belt struck out before Brandon Hicks was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. BCraw was walked on four straight pitches, bringing the score to 3-2. With MadBum walking up to bat, I tweeted this. I was kidding, mostly, but also partially hopeful that my wish would come true. https://twitter.com/JCSaturday/status/454826464068644864

On the first pitch he saw, our MadBum crushed a fast ball from De La Rosa over the left field wall. No doubt about it at all. The best part was there was no conceited strut around the bases, no show boating whatsoever, just a cool, calm and collected snot rocket on the way to the dugout as his teammates celebrated him. I could watch it over and over again. ICYMI, here you go:
http://m.mlb.com/video/v32004859/colsf-bumgarner-launches-a-grand-slam-to-left-field.

Side note: the last Giants pitcher to hit a grand slam was Shawn Estes in 2000. I distinctly remember that game because it was the day before my birthday and I like to think it was a birthday present for me. Ha. I LOVE HIM, in case you were unaware.

The Giants didn't score again, but there were some fun moments:
- Hunter Pence legging out a double and challenging CarGo's arm was hilarious. He swung so hard at the pitch that he fell over, got up, and still made it to second easily. He also tagged up on Sandoval's fly ball out, and showed off his speed once again. He was stranded on 3rd base though and looked pissed that he didn't score.
- Worth mentioning that former Giants prospect and hottie Charlie Culberson got a double and RBI off MadBum. Remember him? YUM.

- Glad to see Brandon Belt double in the 6th. He seemed frustrated during his previous at bats. Side note: I love that tonight's batting order featured Brandon Cubed - Belt, Hicks, Crawford.
- MadBum lasted six innings and was lifted for a pinch hitter in bottom of the 6th. Not his best pitching effort since he quickly hit 100+ pitches, but he definitely carried the team tonight. 
- There were many great defensive plays that helped keep the Rockies from scoring. After last night's awful errors that lead to defeat, it was nice to see a change tonight. Having said that though, the defense also had some very sloppy moments that the coaching staff needs to address and fix right away. 
- I was worried about our offense without both Buster Posey and Angel Pagan in the lineup, but MadBum more than made up for their absence. Worth mentioning that Bumgarner now has more RBIs than Pence and Sandoval. P.S. This photo cracks me up every time. Baby Brandon is so sassy. 

Last but not least, Sergio Romo was still fighting off a nasty flu bug. Regardless of his ailment, the umpires gifted him with a generous strike zone and he struck out the side looking. Troy Tulowitski was especially annoyed at his game ending caught looking strikeout. Neener neeer, Tulo. That's what's up!

I'm going to sleep cuddling stuffed Posey and my Pence bobble head. JK ;)  Good night!

xoxo,
JC

SFGiants Games 9 & 10

Now that the 2-game losing streak is over, let's relive the two losses I watched in person, shall we? Ha.

Game 9 - Hunter Pence Bobblehead Night
My 2nd game in person was off to a good start - a Hunter Pence bobblehead in my possession and a double pour of wine in my hand is how my evening started.

Sat with my friends, Denise and Aura, so it was a good time, but I could probably sum this game up with the following two words: Fucking Goldshit. 

I was nervous about this Tim Lincecum start, more so than usual. Turns out, that negative feeling turned into the suckfest I witnessed. Lincecum gave up SEVEN runs in FOUR innings, including a 3-run home run by Paul Goldschmidt in the 1st inning. It was all downhill from there. Worth mentioning, however painful it is, that Goldshit has a .542 batting average against Timmy. Seven of his 13 hits are home runs and he has 17 RBIs. UGH, pure and total OWNAGE. I know I talk a lot of crap about him, but at least he's not an arrogant douche bag (ahem, looking at you Yasiel Puig). Goldy seems like a nice, humble guy, I just happen to dislike him, a lot.

Time to get rid of the 'stache, Timmy. PLEASE?

Random side note: I was pretty sad to see how quickly the ballpark emptied out. I've never left a game early, regardless of the score. Just saying.

Highlights of the game: Seeing Michael Morse's super far home run in the 2nd and Buster Posey's 3rd HR of the season in the 5th.     

Personal highlights of the game: Hanging out with two really awesome ladies, meeting a new twitter friend (hi @micko04), pulled pork nachos for dinner, and last but definitely not least...finding a wine kiosk close to my seats. 

Game 10 - Farewell to the Stick Scarf Night
I got to the ballpark early because I really wanted to get that scarf. It's so cute too, so I'm glad I got one. Furthermore, it's just mean to only give away 20,000 of any giveaway, given the absolutely rabid passion we Giants fans have for our team and the ridiculous giveaways.

The pregame ceremony was wonderfully done, as usual. Seeing 49ers players, current and from the past was fun. I wish they would've gotten some bigger names, but I'm glad Brent Jones was there. He was one of my favorites during the Steve Young era. I was nearly in tears when the Giants honorary guests were introduced - where do I even begin? Dave Dravecky was my childhood hero. I was madly in love with JT Snow for many years and he will always be one of my favorites. Humm baby Roger Craig was there too!

 

Finally, I get chills anytime I see Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. They are legends and we are so blessed that they are still a big part of the Giants organization.This is one of my favorite photos from the last game at Candlestick. 

I was hoping that Ryan Vogelsong wouldn't implode like Timmy did last night. He didn't have a great game, but he lasted longer than I thought he would after a rough first couple innings. Just *thinking* about this game still pisses me off. Pablo Sandoval, you're on my list. THE GIANTS SHOULD HAVE WON. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE INTO EXTRAS. IT'S PABLO'S FAULT. His error caused the D'Backs to tie the game, and he had a chance to fix his fuck up with the bases loaded but he screwed the pooch on that too. Ok, I'm done yelling. Just needed to vent for a little bit. 

Onto the game! 

- I love seeing Brandon Hicks contributing. He had an RBI single in the bottom of the 2nd. 

- I wanted to knee Goldschmidt in the nuts when he took Posey out. That was rough to watch. Don't hurt my Posey!!! ;)

- Angel Pagan has a hit in every game this season. He also has the best hair. Coincidence? I think not. 

- Michael Morse is definitely starting to feel at home at AT&T. He doubled and then scored when Brandon 2nd Best Hair Crawford also doubled in the 4th inning. Later, in the 5th inning, Morse hit a rocket to right off the bricks to send Sandoval and Posey home. That gave the Giants the lead until that fucking error in the 8th. 

- I was in the SRO in section 123. That is the best spot. I was totally fangirling and drooling over how close Pence and Posey were. Definitely check out the SRO sections when you get a chance. Awesome views from there!

I got to hang out with my friend Erin, caught up with my Giants buddy Michael, and met another tweep (sup @Barritz). I drank a lot, I ate very little, and had a lot of fun despite the loss. The Bart ride home was depressing, until I talked to two of my favorite people. They cheered me up and kept me laughing all the way home. 

I'm still mad at Pablo, but he did ok tonight, so I dislike him 10% less today. Going to recap Game 11 now, so be sure to read that as well. 

Have a great weekend and GO GIANTS!!!

xoxo, 

JC

SFGiants Game 4

My truck is at the auto repair shop, so I'm working from home today. I generally get a lot of work done while I'm at home but it is a bonus to be able to watch the game on my TV while doing conference calls and sending e-mails. 

Game 4 Summary
- In the pre-game, Bill Laskey, Vida Blue, and Greg Papa were talking about which player has the most swag. It was pretty hilarious. It's like when older people talk about selfies or twerking. Please stop. Stop please.
- Brandon Belt his his 3rd home run in four games. Happy for him. People give him so much shit, so I hope he can stay hot at the plate.
- Paul fucking Goldshit. Why don't they just intentionally walk that guy? Every time. Especially if he's facing Lincecum. How unreal is it that he has SIX home runs in TWENTY ONE at bats? As our favorite commentators say, that is pure OWNAGE. Goldschmidt is 11-26 against Timmy with 13 RBIs. That needs to stop. It's painful just thinking about it. 
- Lincecum needs to shave that monstrosity from his face. It was cute in the "aww, baby face is trying to grow a manly mustache" way for a little bit, but it's got to go. It's worse than Barry Zito's weird porn stache from a couple seasons ago. 

Speaking of, I miss Zito...#RallyZito forever <3

- If I played the "take a drink every time Kruk & Kuip say 'shadows'", I would have been drunk by the 3rd inning.
- In the bottom of the 3rd, Timmy didn't get Goldshit out, but in trying to stretch a single into a double, Goldschmidt was out by a mile. That counts for something, right?
- At the top of the 4th with Pablo Sandoval on 2nd, Hunter Pence finally got his first hit of the season. Hooray! I like to think that's the face he wanted to make when it happened, but he's too cool to celebrate that hard over a single.

- Side note: One of the other reasons why I love baseball so much is because you can have it on in the background while multi-tasking, or in my case concentrating pretty hard on work, and it's like a nice throw blanket comforting you even if you're not paying attention 100%. 
- I was not pleased when Mark Trumbo hit a 2-run home run off of Timmy in the bottom of the 6th. Secretly, my first thought was "yay, fantasy points" and then I was pissed. This is why fantasy sports suck sometimes. You feel bipolar about things like that because it's good for fantasy, but bad for life. 100% of the time, the Giants are far more important that fantasy baseball. At least for me.
- Nice to see Brandon Hicks come in the game as a pinch hitter, and then hit a home run at the top of the 7th! Proud of him.
- I'm sometimes mean to Hacktor, err Hector Sanchez, but that *almost* home run in the top of the 8th was pretty awesome. It was also fun to see Pence running with reckless abandon. I love him so much. Michael Morse came through with a two out RBI single to tie the game after Buster Posey came in as a pinch hitter and was intentionally walked. Then our Angel with the heavenly hair hit a 3-run home run. It was Pagan's first home run of the season. FIVE RUNS in the 8th. It's still early, but I like what I'm seeing from our offense. And their hair.

So excited they won this series, great way to start the season! Pagan is sexy. Sorry, couldn't help myself. Work phone calls, phone calls from the auto repair shop, and all kinds of emails stressed me out. Signing off to meet up with friends for a Captain America 1 and 2 double feature.

Go Giants!!!

xoxo,
JC

SFGiants Game 3

I didn't get to watch the game because of personal bullshit, but I feel like I cheated on the Giants! Regardless, I'm happy they won. 7 2/3 scoreless from Tim Hudson cheered me up quite a bit because when you're having a shitty day, it's nice when your one true love can cheer you up. Mine just happens to be the San Francisco Giants. We've been in an abusive relationship since birth ;)

Hudson was a true veteran and pitched a great game after a couple shaky starts from Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain, as well as uneven and disappointing outings by the relief pitchers. Another positive was seeing that Michael Morse contributing offensively with an RBI double. Shocked that Brandon Belt didn't hit another home run (sarcasm). How cool would it have been to start the season with three home runs in three games though?

It's only game three, so there's no need to panic or get irrational (ha, if only) but I'm bummed that Hunter Pence remains hitless. Aside from Buster Posey, he's my favorite Giants player and I want to see him succeed. His bat will get hot soon enough because as we all know, he's crazy and won't let this last for too long.

Random tidbits:
- Tonight was Huddy's 206th win and is back in the lead for most wins for the active starters. I'll admit, I used to watch him in Oakland and I loved him back then too. Not as much as Barty Zito though :)
- Sergio Romo got his second save...that's what's up!
- Working from home tomorrow, so yay for live tweeting the game.

Okay, I need to cheer myself up now. Wine and last night's episode ought to do it. Good night and go Giants!

xoxo,
JC

SFGiants Game 1

Random musings from tonight's game:

- Day 1 and I'm already annoyed with our in game reporter that shall remain nameless [insert horse neighing noises].

- Brandon McCarthy is one of my favorite non-Giants. Any player that survives that awful hit to the head AND tweets crotch pictures is a winner in my book.

- My dinner of mahi mahi with cous cous and mashed vegetables was so good...good. Too bad I didn't take a picture to post on Instagram. Just kidding, I don't do that shit! 

- Brandon Belt's pop-up dance in the 1st cracked me up. I'll definitely be watching that gif a few times.

- The Giants have some pretty glorious hair. Angel Pagan, Brandon Crawford, Michael Morse...they make long hair sexy. And I don't even like long hair. Anymore. I did go through that weird phase at UCSC though. Good times.

- Furthermore, from a female's perspective, how lucky are we to have so many handsome ballplayers to root for? Seriously, there are so many attractive men on the team. BONUS! Excuse me, I need a cold shower...

- Hunter Pence's kale fueled throw in the 3rd inning to gun out Mark Trumbo at third made me so happy. I love Pence so much, have I mentioned that yet?

- The back to back errors in the 4th were pretty rough. I suggested that MadBum aim his snotrockets at Belt and Pablo Sandoval when that inning was over. The Giants defense overall in this game was awful. I know it's game 1, but they need to work out those kinks ASAP.

- It was great to see the offense step up late in the game. HR from Belt and Pagan getting some RBIs was nice to see. Even seeing Pence's patience at the plate with the bases loaded to walk in the tying run was a ray of light for this often frustrating offense.

- I was so annoyed when I kept seeing Belt bumbling around on defense. Truth is, I'll forgive that if he can be consistent at the plate. He shouldn't have made those errors, but I think he'll be just fine. I'm more worried about his offense.

- Forgot about Shawn Estes when making My Favorite Giants list earlier. My dad was a little concerned about how much I loved him in high school. He bought me an Estes shirt nonetheless. Awesome dad. Estes was my favorite lefty back then. 

Not gonna lie, I think he's still pretty attractive. Speaking of sexy lefties of yesteryear...

- Noah Lowry <3 That is all. Excuse me, I need another cold shower.

- I LOVED seeing Buster Posey throw out Cliff Pennington in the 7th. The joy of tweeting "Ain't havin' it" when that happens is lost on people that aren't on twitter. Plus, seeing it from 10 different people in a row on my timeline warms my baseball loving heart.

- I will always think "Goldshit" whenever I hear or see Goldschmidt. Mostly because I'm as mature as a 5-year old when it comes to things like that. Also because he's a Giants killer and I will never like him.

- I took a break mid-game to watch the finale of HIMYM. Didn't miss too much of the game because I was following along on the MLB app and the Giants were in the midst of their shit show. Tuned back in an hour later to see them rally back. That episode of How I Met Your Mother though </3 Not at all what I expected and still unsure how I feel about it. I'll probably watch it again tomorrow.

- Posey's 2-run home run with two outs in the 9th off of Addison Reed was a thing of beauty, wasn't it? I changed into one of my Posey shirts midway through the 7th. I like to think that it brought him some good vibes. That's how baseball works, right? 

- Learned my lesson when I lost a shit ton of typed out bullet points that I should save more often. Rookie mistake. DERP. 

I like seeing Randy Winn on the post-game show. I have his bobble head! Glad he's still part of the Giants family. Last but not least, it was fun live tweeting with the best fans in baseball. So clever, so sarcastic, and so wonderful. 161 more games, friends and fans. I'll probably overreact and swear about 1,000,000 more times by the end of the season.

Good night & GO GIANTS!!!

xoxo,

JC