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Oracle Park is now open for baseball (no restrictions for the vaccinated) but bring a mask if anti-vaccine idiots sneak into the stadium.
The Bottom Line – The Giants are going to the playoffs – the question is in what position
This has been a year of baseball joy.
The G-Men go into the upcoming home series (starting today against the Padres – 2 tickets are available for tonight’s night game) with the best record in baseball (93 wins and 50 losses), up 3 games on the team from LA (who are nipping at their heels) and fighting for their preferred spot in the playoffs. If the Giants win on Monday, they will assure themselves of a spot in the playoffs (the earliest ever) as at least the second wild card. The Gigantes do not intend to be the wild card – they want the division title and all that comes with it, including home field throughout the playoffs. 100 wins would also be nice.
The next home series, four against the Padres (3rd place in the NL West and fighting for a wild card) and three against the Braves (in 1st place in the NL East and fighting for a division title) will be tests of strength and will.
The Padres know the Giants and will pull out the stops to win even if that will help the common nemesis – the blue team. The Braves are trailed by the Phillies (4 games on Sunday) so they are under pressure to win. The Braves will (unless they tank) win their division so the Giants series could mean home field advantage to them should they get through the playoffs to the NL Championship game.
This is September baseball, so fasten your seat belts and don’t miss a pitch at Oracle where the Giants play 10 of their last 16 games.
The Hitting
Buster Posey at .300, and Brandon Crawford at .297, are leading the pack of dangerous Giants hitters. Kris Bryant, La Monte Wade, Jr., Donovan Solano, Brandon Belt, Wilmer Flores, Darin Ruf, Tommy La Stella, Longoria, Slater, Dugger and Yaz are in a pack right behind them. The entire team is hitting at a .247 clip and scoring runs in bunches. The Giants lead MLB in Home Runs, total bases, slugging percentage, and OPS. This team is a confident offense ready to bust loose at any time and is never out of any game.
Blog post # 7 discussed the Giants continuing MLB lead in Beane count (HR’s plus walks, less walks allowed and HR’s allowed). Offense is half the reason the Giants are perched where they are (in 1st place 2.5 games in front of LA) coming into the home stretch.
Let’s put it this way: on September 12, 1927, the NY Yankees (of murders row fame against whom all great offensive teams are measured) were 96 and 41 on the way to a 110-game winning season. The G-Men are 93 and 50 right now with a legitimate shot at winning 100 or more games.
People, you are watching modern offensive history being made right now.
The Pitching
Starting pitching is the concern going down the stretch. Pitcher after pitcher has gone down (which resulted in a lot of bullpen games over the last month) until it looked like only two healthy starters (Gausman and Webb) remained. However, Cueto may be back for September (he is on the IL with Alex Wood), De Scalafini looked healthy in his last start and Logan Webb (is he really 24 years old? I have Giants gear older than that) has been a godsend (and can hit). Right now Webb may be the best young pitcher in the NL (no joke, 10 and 3 with a 2.80 ERA).
There is a mixed blessing with the pitching struggles – more bullpen games mean more seasoning of the bullpen pitchers. That is good for when they are really needed down the stretch, especially Leone, Littell, Alvarez and Garcia (the long guys). Picking up Tony Watson was perfect for the late innings, Tyler Rogers in the 8th inning is nails with his sidearm magic and Jake McGee has been getting it done but is giving us all heart attacks in the process (but since when has a Giants closer not given us heart attacks?).
At some point in September we will see Camilo Doval (he of the 100 mile per hour fastball and the great dreadlocks) and Jose Quintara (perhaps as a spot starter) in important games where they will have to produce.
The consensus right now is the pitching staff, though not with the notoriety of the starting arms of the LA team, is well balanced and capable of carrying the Giants through to the end, especially when balanced by a great offense.
In the next post we will look at probable pitching match-ups for the play offs.
Kapler and the Coaching Staff
Does anyone remember Bruce Bochy? We all loved Boch but Gabe Kapler has done a terrific job of moving us on to the new era of baseball. He uses the entire 40-man roster, is not afraid to pitch hit for any player in the right spot, matches up righties and lefties with opposing pitchers seemingly by magic, understands modern baseball analytics like he invented them and is a leader. I don’t know what happened in Philadelphia when he managed there but we have all watched a no-panic, no bullshit, approach to baseball at 2nd and King this year. Now let’s see how he manages a playoff game. (No knocks on Farhan BTW – he put this group together).
The rest of the coaching staff has the team prepared to play. This is 3rd base coach Ron Wotus’s last season (and he will be missed) but maybe that means the first female base coach next year in Alison Nygard. She is clearly preparing for the opportunity. Meanwhile Ron wants that ring.
The Opposition
The Padres, Braves, Rockies and Snakes on the field, and the Dodgers in the division.
On the board ready to be picked up are:
MON: 9/13 [6:45] Padres – 2
WED: 9/15 [6:45] Padres – 4
SAT: 9/18 [6:05] Braves – 2 [I’m going to this game]
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 17 foul balls myself over 19 years, am looking for more and caught my latest ball at the Cards game on July 5th [film available!]. 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.