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Is this Season Going Downhill, or is this a Glitch in the Fabric of Time?
It sure would have been nice had the G-Men picked up a couple of wins in Miami against the Marlins this week, but it was not to be. So far on this road trip, the Giants have dropped 2 to Detroit and 2 to Miami, with one road game left to play. Thank God for the rain out against the Tigers. Not a good week.
The good news is that the lineup is second in the NL in home runs hit. The corresponding bad news is the team overall is 13th in hits, last in doubles, last — or first, depending on how you want to look at it — in strikeouts, and 9th or 10th in batting average, walks, and on-base percentage. The Giants are about to play six games in a row, so it means the bullpen will get tested once again – hopefully this time without trashing gloves (like Taylor Rodgers did) when exiting the field. At least he didn’t kick the mascot.
It's so early that to get down on the 5-11 Giants (one game up on the struggling Rockies and way behind the LA and San Diego teams) right now seems just cruel but the boys in Orange and Black must pick up the pace or find themselves on the outside of the NL West looking in before the end of the first month of the season. Baseball is a game of small moves – a player injury, a hit, a timely catch, a steal – that come together in a dance that plays out over a season. We are still warming up but the dance has begun.
We feel the pain of the 5-11 start. and a lot of folks are saying “told you so.” No farm system worth a damn, a complete failure to sign an impact player, a rash of injuries, a meltdown-worthy bullpen, and starters going on the DL in droves.
But wait. It’s still the middle of April. The season opened two weeks ago. Isn’t it a tad bit early to throw in the towel, and fire the coach, the manager, and the GM?
What Will It Take to Get the Boys Back on Track?
The first step is cleaning up the DL. Pederson, Wisely, and Bryce Johnson (Austin Slater is scheduled to return tomorrow). The second is letting the kids play. Otherwise, we need to see consistent solid defense in the field (for the love of Willie Mays, even Crawford had an error this week), good baserunning, and no bonehead plays. A week of good solid baseball at home will do wonders for this group. Right now, the players to watch are JD Davis (hitting the cover off the ball, Yaz, Estrada, Bart (yes, Joey is finally looking like the solid player he should be), and David Villar (great glove, solid hitting, and tremendous base running skills). Logan Webb was signed to a huge new contract so it’s time for him to earn it.
We will be having this conversation all season long. Comments and observations (especially from those who have been to home games) are welcome!
Coming up next, The Mets and the Cards.
The Mets are 11 and 7, second in the NL East after the Braves (who are on a tear) behind Brandon Nimmo (that’s a name for sure) and Tyler Magill (3.32 ERA). After the Mets, the 7-11 Cards (last in the NL Central) come into town looking to get healthy against the G-Men. That should be a good series and a good test.
On the board ready to be picked up are:
THUR 4/20 - METS [6:45] -4 – UC Berkeley Night
FRI 4/21 - METS [7:15] – 2 - San Jose State Night
SAT 4/22 – METS [1:05] – 4 – Superman Socks Day
SUN 4/23 – METS [4:10] 3 - I’m Going to This Game
MON 4/24 – CARDS [6:45] – 4
TUES 4/25 – CARDS [6:45] – 4 - Santa Clara University Night
WED 4/26 – CARDS [6:45]- 3 – I’m Going to this Game.
THUR 4/27 – CARDS [6:45] - 4
Let the torture continue!
Ciao, and GO GIANTS!
The Czar
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THE PROTOCOL: The firm has four seats in Section 118 (Premium Lower Boxes), Rows 25 and 26. These are awesome seats directly below the press box and 25 rows behind home plate on the left side behind the screen. It is foul ball territory for left-handed batters so bring your glove – I have collected 22 foul balls myself over 23 years and am looking for more. If we don’t use all the tickets ourselves (or clients and friends of the firm don't claim them by calling me and reserving a game), then my next step is to give the tickets TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO GETS BACK TO ME PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS. If you ask for the tickets and don't use them, you will be taken off the list unless there is a seriously good reason. There will be a wait list.
When there are four seats available (we split up a lot of games) we will allocate the tickets two and two if the first people back just want two tickets. You can also go for four and might get them. I'm the Czar, my call.
Oh, and BTW, The Czar found the original Hinman & Carmichael brick from 2000 (after looking for it every year since 2000) and found H&C’s Gotham Club Founders Bat! If you are on the patio, or in the Club, look for the symbols of baseball!
