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
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
