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Oracle Park is now open for baseball (no restrictions) but we all hope that everyone is vaccinated and covid free.
Halfway through 2022 – Where are we?
The Giants reached the official halfway point of the 2022 season on Thursday, recording two hits in a 2-1 walk-off loss to the Padres on Thursday night at Petco Park. It was not pretty and wasted a fine pitching performance from Logan Webb. This weekend was the Padres for divisional games and, behind Carlos Rodan (complete game with 12K’s) and Alex Wood, the G-Men looked like a different team and split the series. Scoring 12 runs in a 12-0 blowout on Sunday did a lot for hitting confidence.
The G-Men have played 84 games as of Sunday. They are two games over .500 and in third place in the NL West. That’s currently good enough to sneak into the new playoff matrix (three wild card teams and the division champions) but getting through the rest of the season will be a slog unless they either make moves or play better. This weekend in San Diego looked like a good start. Next week against the Snakes and the Brewers will be a better test of whether they can start to put it together now that essential offensive players (Luis Gonzales and Wilmer Flores, for just two) are putting up good numbers.
Two of the Giants’ offseason additions -- outfielder Joc Pederson and left-hander Carlos Rodón -- have delivered All-Star caliber campaigns in their first seasons in San Francisco. Pederson, a Palo Alto native who joined his hometown team on a one-year, $6 million deal, has emerged as the club’s best hitter, batting .264 with a team-high 17 home runs, an .882 OPS and 41 RBIs over 72 games. He will also be the Giants sole representative on this year’s All-Star team – he deserves it.
Rodón, who signed a two-year, $44 million deal to replace Kevin Gausman atop the rotation, has also been elite, logging a 2.87 ERA with 112 strikeouts over 91 innings in 16 starts this year. Rodón has helped anchor the pitching staff along with the 25-year-old Webb, who picked up where he left off from his breakout 2021 season by going 7-3 with a 2.98 ERA over 17 starts this year.
The Giants have gotten key contributions from two unheralded pickups in Luis González and Jakob Junis, who had begun to establish themselves as major pieces before landing on the injured list. González, who was acquired from the White Sox and stashed on the 60-day IL after undergoing shoulder surgery last summer, was a breath of fresh air before going down with a back strain, capturing National League Rookie of the Month honors in May and batting a team-high .302 with an .808 OPS over 49 games.
Junis, meanwhile, logged a 2.63 ERA over nine appearances and helped the Giants weather injuries to starters Alex Cobb and Anthony DeSclafani. He hit a setback after suffering a left hamstring strain, but he is expected to rejoin the rotation soon and help fill the void left by DeSclafani, who will undergo season-ending ankle surgery. Junis is expected to be a force in the second half of the season.
What’s wrong?
San Francisco’s defense has been unwatchable at times and ranks 30th in the Majors this year. The Giants haven’t hit enough to overcome those defensive mistakes, as many of the key veterans, including Brandon Belt (.666 OPS), Brandon Crawford (.670 OPS), Darin Ruf (.697 OPS) and Tommy La Stella (.656 OPS), haven’t been carrying the offense as expected. The bullpen hasn’t been as reliable, either, posting a 4.29 ERA in 2022, up from 2.99 -- the lowest in the Majors -- last year.
With one of the oldest rosters in the Majors, the Giants have struggled to stay healthy. In the last week, they placed five players -- DeSclafani, Thairo Estrada (COVID symptoms), Curt Casali (oblique), Evan Longoria (oblique) and José Álvarez (elbow) -- on the IL, significantly thinning their depth. Casali’s injury opened the door for Joey Bart to return to the Majors, but the 25-year-old rookie struggled mightily at the outset of the season, hitting just .156 with 49 strikeouts over 109 plate appearances before being demoted to Triple-A Sacramento. The “is Joey Bart ready for the show” story line will continue through the All-Star break.
Where do we go in the Second half of the season?
Seriously, the Giants must improve. It’s time for the brain trust to make moves to break the lethargy dogging this team. It’s time for some Scott Harris/Farhan magic. A big bat, a stud pitcher. Maybe two. Or maybe a change of atmosphere. Kapler should throw chairs or wipe out Lou Seal (whatever will motivate). Whatever it is, there needs to be a shakeup. I’m reminded of the scene in Major League when Jo Bu is invoked because of the difficulty of hitting a curve ball. We have Jo Bu in our office lobby with his rum intact. There will be ceremonies during the Brewer’s series so get your rum and participate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWdfDsLvm9I.
The Snakes and the Brewers
The Snakes are only 5 games behind the Giants and took the series last week 2-1 in Arizona. If the Snakes have any hope getting into the post-season they will turn it on over the upcoming three game series, which will make it feel like playoff atmosphere at Oracle. The Brewers are leading the NL Central (right in front of the Cardinals). Behind Corbin Burnes and Andrew McCutcheon, the Brew Crew are the quintessential hard scrabble midwestern team that will be in the playoffs. The Giants take the Brew Crew seriously and getting by them before the All-Star break on the 18th of July would give a serious lift before the 2nd half of the season.
On the board ready to be picked up are:
MON 7/11 – [6:45] Snakes – 4 [cop appreciation night]
TUES 7/12 –[6:45] Snakes – 4 [nurses appreciation night]
WED 7/13 – [12:45] Snakes - 4
THUR 7/14 – [6:45] Brewers – 4 [firefighter appreciation night]
FRI 7/15 – [7:15] Brewers – 4
SAT 7/16 – [4:15] Brewers – 4 [aloha shirt night]
SUN 7/17 – [1:05] Brewers -4 [African-American heritage night]
Let the torture continue.
Ciao, and GO GIANTS!
The Czar
We use mail chimp so give permission for the blog to arrive in your mailbox if you want to receive the blog and participate in the fun. Past blogs can be found at www.beveragelaw.com at the Czar’s blog archive.
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 19 foul balls myself over 22 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!
