Considering the number of players that have been injured this season already in baseball, I thought that I would tell you about some of the more stranger ways that baseball players are getting injured.
Matt Cain: Earlier this season Giants right hander had to be scratched from his scheduled start less than 2 hours before the game because he accidentally cut open his right index finger while making himself and sandwich in the Giants clubhouse.
A. J. Ellis: The Dodger catcher was placed on the 15-day DL today because of an ankle sprain he sustained while celebrating Josh Beckett's no-hitter yesterday. The team ran on the field and were jumping up and down and he landed awkwardly on his ankle. He was not even catching that game.
Michael Wacha: Cardinals right handed pitcher was removed from the game on Wednesday because he was hit by a line drive while he was sitting in the dugout. The Cardinals were batting and a foul ball came and hit him directly in his pitching elbow. Of all the pitchers sitting in the dugout, it hit him.
Santiago Casilla: The Giants reliever was told by manager Bruce Bochy not to swing in his meaningless at-bat in the 9th inning in Colorado, he swong at a 3-2 pitch and grounded out to shortstop, he then proceeded to go all out running to first base and is now on the DL with a hamstring strain. The Giants were winning 5-1.
Carlos Gonzalez: The Rockies star right fielder had to leave the game earlier this year because he felt dizzy after he swallowed his chewing tobacco. Wow.
Bryce Harper: The Nationals young phenom was criticized by manager Matt Williams for not running out a ground ball, and was taken out of the game for lack of hustle. A couple days later Harper tried to show his hustle by trying to go to third and dove head first and hurt his thumb (torn ligament in thumb). He was placed on the DL after. He is out for 10-12 weeks.
Micheal Pineda: Yankee right hander was suspended earlier this season for 10 games after he was caught having a strip of pine-tar on his nevk to aid him while pitching with is illegal. He made it so obvious to get caught by having it on his neck, you have to be very dumb to do that. While making a minor league start getting ready to come back from suspension, Pineda injured his back and had to come out of the game. He has been on the DL since May 6th. Karma will bite you.
WARNING: Tommy John Surgery Outbreak
This season there have been an unbelievable amount of pitcher that have needed to undergo one of baseballs top reconstructive elbow surgeries for pitchers, Tommy John. There have been 40 cases of TJ already this season, which is the cause for the sudden outcry and fearfulness running throughout baseball. Even the commisioner Bud Selig said that he is afraid of how far this outbreak might go, considering it has started to hit some of the top pitchers in the game today.
What is Tommy John Surgery?
When a pitcher has a tear in his ligament in the elbow (UCL tear) he will have to undergo surgery to replace the torn part and have a new ligament placed into the elbow. The surgery does not take long, but the recovery period for a pitcher is 10-12 month which is about a year before he can take a game mound. The reason for the lengthy recovery time is the elbow needs time to recover and restart the pitching motion and with the amount of stress that is placed on an arm for a pitcher, it takes a while to become adjusted.
Big name pitchers bitten by the TJ surgery this year:
Arizona: Patrick Corbin (ace)
Miami: Jose Fernandez (ace)
Atlanta: Kris Medlen (#2), Brandon Beachy
New York M: Matt Harvey (ace)
New York Y: Ivan Nova
Oakland: Jarrod Parker (ace), AJ Griffin
What is causing the sudden outbreak?
Nobody really knows for sure, they are trying to figure out the source of all the tears but no answer is in sight. What boggles my mind is MLB teams spend so much money each season on their pitching staff, why don't they spend some of their money instead on researching a cure or reason for all of these TJ surgeries to help protect their pitchers so that they will be worth the gigantic contracts that have been handed out. This injury is changing the world of baseball in a hurry.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Quarter season recap: 1st place San Francisco Giants
As we have seen through the first quarter of the season (41 games) this is a new brand of Giants baseball, they are no longer the anemic offense, with just enough pitching to win close games. No, the Giants pitchers are no longer afraid that if they get down 3-0 that automatically means they will lose. The Giants have shown this season that the bats have woken up and it has given extra confidence to the pitching staff that allows them to just worry about doing their job and not the score.
As a pitcher myself I find it so much easier to pitch when I know that if i make a mistake or give up a few runs that the offense on my team will pick me up and we still have a chance to win the ball game. The biggest joke last year was people saying that Madison Bumgarner just needs to throw a shutout and hit a home run, that is the only way the Giants can win. That is no longer the case. At this point last year the starting staff had a record of 11-11. This year they are 17-14. One of their biggest helps in the rotation this year has been Tim Hudson, he has been an absolute workhorse and has seperated himself as the ace of this Giants team with a record of 4-2, with a 2.09 ERA, and only 4 walks in 60.1 innings pitched.
The bullpen to this point has been lights out, they are posting the best numbers in the league as far as bullpens go, lead by Jean Machi who is 5-0 with a 0.42 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched. When you are a starting pitcher and you know you have a bullpen that can put up numbers like that, it allows you to ease yourself into the game and know that you do not need to go the distance. You leave with a lead, it will get protected. Sergio Romo is 15/16 in save opportunities this season.
The offense has been the biggest surprise of the 2014 season, the Giants are putting up fantastic offensive numbers thanks to newcomer Michael Morse who has fit in nicely into the Giants everyday lineup. Morse so far this season is hitting .278 with 10 HRs and 28 RBIs. Brandon Belt was starting to show signs of becoming an elite offensive force that the Giants have been waiting for before he got hit in the finger and will be out for some time. Brandon Hicks has been a pleasent surprise, and under the radar signing that they made to take place of the injured Marco Scutaro, although he does not hit for average, he has amazing pop and has hit 7 home runs. Hector Sanchez is developing into a nice backup catcher both offensively and defensively, which allows Bochy to be happier with putting Posey at first base more often. The Giants as a team have scored 188 runs this season and have hit 50 home runs, that's right, 50 home runs. This is shocking considering they finished last year with 107 total home runs. The Giants have hit 3 splash hits in the past week.
The Giants welcomed the Miami Marlins into town for a 4 game weekend series by the bay. The Marlins have held their own at AT&T Park and have done well against the Giants the past few years. San Francisco ended up splitting the series with the Marlins, got grat pitching performances by Matt Cain and especially Ryan Vogelsong who is starting to look like the guy he did a few years ago. Pablo Sandoval is starting to heat up at the right time with Belt on the shelf, he extended his 9-game hit streak on Sunday with an opposite field home run. A split is a plus for the team considering their bad history against the Marlins and will now head out to Colorado to take on the Rockies starting Tuesday night. Madison Bumgarner will be on the hill. Side note: Tim Hudson was scratched from his last start on Friday with back tightness, he is on track though to make hist next start on Thursday.
As a pitcher myself I find it so much easier to pitch when I know that if i make a mistake or give up a few runs that the offense on my team will pick me up and we still have a chance to win the ball game. The biggest joke last year was people saying that Madison Bumgarner just needs to throw a shutout and hit a home run, that is the only way the Giants can win. That is no longer the case. At this point last year the starting staff had a record of 11-11. This year they are 17-14. One of their biggest helps in the rotation this year has been Tim Hudson, he has been an absolute workhorse and has seperated himself as the ace of this Giants team with a record of 4-2, with a 2.09 ERA, and only 4 walks in 60.1 innings pitched.
The bullpen to this point has been lights out, they are posting the best numbers in the league as far as bullpens go, lead by Jean Machi who is 5-0 with a 0.42 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched. When you are a starting pitcher and you know you have a bullpen that can put up numbers like that, it allows you to ease yourself into the game and know that you do not need to go the distance. You leave with a lead, it will get protected. Sergio Romo is 15/16 in save opportunities this season.
The offense has been the biggest surprise of the 2014 season, the Giants are putting up fantastic offensive numbers thanks to newcomer Michael Morse who has fit in nicely into the Giants everyday lineup. Morse so far this season is hitting .278 with 10 HRs and 28 RBIs. Brandon Belt was starting to show signs of becoming an elite offensive force that the Giants have been waiting for before he got hit in the finger and will be out for some time. Brandon Hicks has been a pleasent surprise, and under the radar signing that they made to take place of the injured Marco Scutaro, although he does not hit for average, he has amazing pop and has hit 7 home runs. Hector Sanchez is developing into a nice backup catcher both offensively and defensively, which allows Bochy to be happier with putting Posey at first base more often. The Giants as a team have scored 188 runs this season and have hit 50 home runs, that's right, 50 home runs. This is shocking considering they finished last year with 107 total home runs. The Giants have hit 3 splash hits in the past week.
The Giants welcomed the Miami Marlins into town for a 4 game weekend series by the bay. The Marlins have held their own at AT&T Park and have done well against the Giants the past few years. San Francisco ended up splitting the series with the Marlins, got grat pitching performances by Matt Cain and especially Ryan Vogelsong who is starting to look like the guy he did a few years ago. Pablo Sandoval is starting to heat up at the right time with Belt on the shelf, he extended his 9-game hit streak on Sunday with an opposite field home run. A split is a plus for the team considering their bad history against the Marlins and will now head out to Colorado to take on the Rockies starting Tuesday night. Madison Bumgarner will be on the hill. Side note: Tim Hudson was scratched from his last start on Friday with back tightness, he is on track though to make hist next start on Thursday.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Series Recap: Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants
Sorry readers for not having posted anything the past week plus since i was really sick. Anyways, the Giants closed up their road trip nicely going 7-3 against the Braves, Pirates and Dodgers. They now welcome the Braves to their home for a 3 game series.
Game 1 the Giants handed the ball to Tim Lincecum who struggled big time against Pirates last time out, leaving most of his pitches up and not having any command. In his history however, he owns the Atlanta Braves. We talk so often about which teams and players have owned Lincecum and how he has struggled in places and so on, but we forget that their is a team that he has just flat dominated. He continued that on Monday. Everything was working and the strikeouts were the theme of the night. It always helps Timmy to pitch against a team that is prone to strikeout and the Braves strike out a whole lot. After walking the first batter of the game it was all sharp command for Lincecum as he was able to spot up his fastball and get the Braves free swingers to wave at all of his off-speed pitches. He got offensive help in the 2nd inning when new comer Tyler Colvin hit his first homer of the season off of a high fastball from Gavin Floyd, intk the bay. Timmy took a no hitter into the 5th inning until he made a mistake against BJ Upton who hit a homer into the bleachers. That was the only blemish on the night for Timmy as he went 7.2 innings, only 2 hits, and 11 strikeouts. He looked like the old Lincecum that we all loved. Colvin continued to help out with a 2 RBI triple down the line which led to the win.
San Francisco 4, Atlanta 2
Mr. Red hot Ryan Vogelsong took the hill for the Giants in game 2, Vogey had only given up 2 runs in his last 20.1 innings. He continued his pace in the first couple innings and he brought out the strikeout stuff to this outing against the Braves. He was able to get ahead of hitters and put them to sleep with his breaking balls. He made a mistake to Evan Gattis in the 4th which led to an RBI triple which gave the Braves the lead. On the other side Mike Minor for the Braves was dealing, he has the Giants hitters guessing all night long and they kept walking back to the dugout frustrated. The game for Vogelsong hit a wall in the 6th inning when Freddy Freeman hit a single to right and Hunter Pence threw a bullet to Buster Posey but Posey just somehow missed Jason Heyward who made a crazy outside slide to score. The inning just got out of control after that and the Giants were quickly down 4-0. Minor only went 6.2 innings but the bullpen for the Braves shut down the Giants offense and preserved the shutout.
Atlanta 5, San Francisco 0
Game 3 was set up to be a pitchers duel, Giants Madison Bumgarner against Braves Julio Tehran. That of course did not happen. Out of the gate Bumgarner struggled in the first inning, he got hit around by the Braves and gave up 2 runs. In the bottom of the first however, the Giants answered, Tehran who coming into this game was third in the league in ERA (1.71). The Giant hitters did not care as Hunter Pence tee'd off of him with a two run homer on an 0-2 high fastball to the deepest part of the park, they later took the lead and the were ahead 3-2. In the bottom of the second Gregor Blanco led off with a walk, stole second, then stole third and the throw sailed into left field to allow him to score. Despite being up 4-2, Bumgarner was unable to hold the lead when he gave up a double and then a triple to Chris Johnson and Andrelton Simmons respectively to tie the game 4-4. The Giants came right back in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Both starters were out of the game by the middle of the 5th inning, but the Giants offense was not finished. Mike Morse in the bottom of 6th took a 1-1 fastball inside from Alex Wood and was able to get his bat inside the ball tha pulled it for a home run. His power is amazing. In the 8th they kept pouring it on as Brandon Crawford took a first pitch 95 MPH fastball and planted it into the SF bay for a two run homer.
San Francisco 10, Atlanta 4
The Giants continue to stay hot as they have won 5 of their last 7 games. They continue their homestand tomorrow as they welcome the Miami Marlins into town for the first game of a 4 game series. Matt Cain will toe the slab for the Giants, still searching for his first win of the season.
Game 1 the Giants handed the ball to Tim Lincecum who struggled big time against Pirates last time out, leaving most of his pitches up and not having any command. In his history however, he owns the Atlanta Braves. We talk so often about which teams and players have owned Lincecum and how he has struggled in places and so on, but we forget that their is a team that he has just flat dominated. He continued that on Monday. Everything was working and the strikeouts were the theme of the night. It always helps Timmy to pitch against a team that is prone to strikeout and the Braves strike out a whole lot. After walking the first batter of the game it was all sharp command for Lincecum as he was able to spot up his fastball and get the Braves free swingers to wave at all of his off-speed pitches. He got offensive help in the 2nd inning when new comer Tyler Colvin hit his first homer of the season off of a high fastball from Gavin Floyd, intk the bay. Timmy took a no hitter into the 5th inning until he made a mistake against BJ Upton who hit a homer into the bleachers. That was the only blemish on the night for Timmy as he went 7.2 innings, only 2 hits, and 11 strikeouts. He looked like the old Lincecum that we all loved. Colvin continued to help out with a 2 RBI triple down the line which led to the win.
San Francisco 4, Atlanta 2
Mr. Red hot Ryan Vogelsong took the hill for the Giants in game 2, Vogey had only given up 2 runs in his last 20.1 innings. He continued his pace in the first couple innings and he brought out the strikeout stuff to this outing against the Braves. He was able to get ahead of hitters and put them to sleep with his breaking balls. He made a mistake to Evan Gattis in the 4th which led to an RBI triple which gave the Braves the lead. On the other side Mike Minor for the Braves was dealing, he has the Giants hitters guessing all night long and they kept walking back to the dugout frustrated. The game for Vogelsong hit a wall in the 6th inning when Freddy Freeman hit a single to right and Hunter Pence threw a bullet to Buster Posey but Posey just somehow missed Jason Heyward who made a crazy outside slide to score. The inning just got out of control after that and the Giants were quickly down 4-0. Minor only went 6.2 innings but the bullpen for the Braves shut down the Giants offense and preserved the shutout.
Atlanta 5, San Francisco 0
Game 3 was set up to be a pitchers duel, Giants Madison Bumgarner against Braves Julio Tehran. That of course did not happen. Out of the gate Bumgarner struggled in the first inning, he got hit around by the Braves and gave up 2 runs. In the bottom of the first however, the Giants answered, Tehran who coming into this game was third in the league in ERA (1.71). The Giant hitters did not care as Hunter Pence tee'd off of him with a two run homer on an 0-2 high fastball to the deepest part of the park, they later took the lead and the were ahead 3-2. In the bottom of the second Gregor Blanco led off with a walk, stole second, then stole third and the throw sailed into left field to allow him to score. Despite being up 4-2, Bumgarner was unable to hold the lead when he gave up a double and then a triple to Chris Johnson and Andrelton Simmons respectively to tie the game 4-4. The Giants came right back in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Both starters were out of the game by the middle of the 5th inning, but the Giants offense was not finished. Mike Morse in the bottom of 6th took a 1-1 fastball inside from Alex Wood and was able to get his bat inside the ball tha pulled it for a home run. His power is amazing. In the 8th they kept pouring it on as Brandon Crawford took a first pitch 95 MPH fastball and planted it into the SF bay for a two run homer.
San Francisco 10, Atlanta 4
The Giants continue to stay hot as they have won 5 of their last 7 games. They continue their homestand tomorrow as they welcome the Miami Marlins into town for the first game of a 4 game series. Matt Cain will toe the slab for the Giants, still searching for his first win of the season.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Series Recap: San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves
The Giants take their two game win streak on the road for a meeting with the Atlanta Braves, the first place team in the NL East.
The ball was given to Tim Lincecum to take on Mike Minor who was making his first start of the season coming off of injury. The Giants got off to another fast start in the first inning when Angel Pagan took Minor deep on a high fastball. Lincecum also got off to a rocky start, scattering baserunner in the first couple innings, but he was able to pitch out of the jams and keep the Braves off the scoreboard. Both pitchers then settled in and were able to command the strikezone well and use their off speed pitches effectively. In the 5th inning Lincecum got into a pickle, when he gave up an RBI single to Freddy Freeman with two outs. The Giants offense responded in the top of the 6th when Michael Morse hit an opposite field home run on a 0-1 fastball away that he muscled out of the yard. The Giants stellar bullpen then took over and made the one run lead stand with the good work from Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo.
San Francisco 2, Atlanta 1
In game 2 Ryan Vogelsong was taking on young Atlanta ace Julio Tehran who has been brilliant this season with a microscopic ERA in his past 3 starts. The Giants on the other hand did not care. In the second inning Brandon Belt joined the Giants weekend home run assult of the Braves with a solo home run on a 1-0 fastball down the middle. Vogelsong on the other hand was working hard in first few innings, working out of a jam in the second inning thanks to some timely defense. In the 3rd the Braves got to him with an RBI double by BJ Upton. After a single by Freeman, Vogey was in a first and third nobody out jam, but he kept his composure and made his pitches. He struck out Justin Upton and then Evan Gattis, with Buster Posey throwing out Freeman to complete the strike em out, throw em out double play. In the next inning the Giants did exactly what they did the night before, get the lead back. Buster Posey hit a solo home run off of Tehran on a 1-1 slider that he planted in the seats. Vogelsong continued as he settled down and went 6 strong only giving up the one run. In the top of the 7th the Giants padded their lead with their 5th solo home run of the series, this time by Morse on a first pitch mistake by Tehran. He wanted to sneak a slider in to steal a first pitch strike but he had to pay the price. The bullpen for the Giants shut the door again with Affeldt, Jean Machi and Romo doing their jobs.
San Francisco 3, Atlanta 1
Game 3 had a great pitching matchup between two great leftys, Madison Bumgarner against Alex Wood. Wood has been ridden with bad luck this season, having to face other teams aces every time he goes out on the mound. The Giants got off to yet another fast start with a run in the first inning with an RBI ground out by Buster Posey. It was the first run that the Giants had scored this series that was not a solo home run. Bumgarner looked sharp early with 4 strikeouts through the first 2 innings. He was touched up in the 3rd after a sacrifice fly by Jason Heyward scored Bryan Pena. An unearned run for Bumgarner. The Giants offense continued for the third straight day to comeback in the next inning to take the lead with their 6th solo home run of the series by Brandon Crawford. Bumgarner then went into shutdown mode and mowed down the Braves hitters while racking up strikeouts along the way. He took full advantage off the aggresive Brave hitters by getting them to chase pitches that were not strikes. They were frustrated and guessing all day. He finished by going 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. The bullpen did what they always do and kept the Braves hitters guessing for the final 3 innings. Brandon Crawford added another home run in the 8th inning, this one a 2-run shot on a 96 mph fastball by Jordan Walden that he left over the middle.
San Francisco 4, Atlanta 1
The Giants completed the 3 game sweep of the Braves on the road, something they haven't done since 1988. They have won 5 in a row and 9 of their last 10 as they reach the 20 win mark only 31 games into the season. They now head out to Pittsburgh to start a 3 game series with the Bucs tomorrow.
The ball was given to Tim Lincecum to take on Mike Minor who was making his first start of the season coming off of injury. The Giants got off to another fast start in the first inning when Angel Pagan took Minor deep on a high fastball. Lincecum also got off to a rocky start, scattering baserunner in the first couple innings, but he was able to pitch out of the jams and keep the Braves off the scoreboard. Both pitchers then settled in and were able to command the strikezone well and use their off speed pitches effectively. In the 5th inning Lincecum got into a pickle, when he gave up an RBI single to Freddy Freeman with two outs. The Giants offense responded in the top of the 6th when Michael Morse hit an opposite field home run on a 0-1 fastball away that he muscled out of the yard. The Giants stellar bullpen then took over and made the one run lead stand with the good work from Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo.
San Francisco 2, Atlanta 1
In game 2 Ryan Vogelsong was taking on young Atlanta ace Julio Tehran who has been brilliant this season with a microscopic ERA in his past 3 starts. The Giants on the other hand did not care. In the second inning Brandon Belt joined the Giants weekend home run assult of the Braves with a solo home run on a 1-0 fastball down the middle. Vogelsong on the other hand was working hard in first few innings, working out of a jam in the second inning thanks to some timely defense. In the 3rd the Braves got to him with an RBI double by BJ Upton. After a single by Freeman, Vogey was in a first and third nobody out jam, but he kept his composure and made his pitches. He struck out Justin Upton and then Evan Gattis, with Buster Posey throwing out Freeman to complete the strike em out, throw em out double play. In the next inning the Giants did exactly what they did the night before, get the lead back. Buster Posey hit a solo home run off of Tehran on a 1-1 slider that he planted in the seats. Vogelsong continued as he settled down and went 6 strong only giving up the one run. In the top of the 7th the Giants padded their lead with their 5th solo home run of the series, this time by Morse on a first pitch mistake by Tehran. He wanted to sneak a slider in to steal a first pitch strike but he had to pay the price. The bullpen for the Giants shut the door again with Affeldt, Jean Machi and Romo doing their jobs.
San Francisco 3, Atlanta 1
Game 3 had a great pitching matchup between two great leftys, Madison Bumgarner against Alex Wood. Wood has been ridden with bad luck this season, having to face other teams aces every time he goes out on the mound. The Giants got off to yet another fast start with a run in the first inning with an RBI ground out by Buster Posey. It was the first run that the Giants had scored this series that was not a solo home run. Bumgarner looked sharp early with 4 strikeouts through the first 2 innings. He was touched up in the 3rd after a sacrifice fly by Jason Heyward scored Bryan Pena. An unearned run for Bumgarner. The Giants offense continued for the third straight day to comeback in the next inning to take the lead with their 6th solo home run of the series by Brandon Crawford. Bumgarner then went into shutdown mode and mowed down the Braves hitters while racking up strikeouts along the way. He took full advantage off the aggresive Brave hitters by getting them to chase pitches that were not strikes. They were frustrated and guessing all day. He finished by going 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. The bullpen did what they always do and kept the Braves hitters guessing for the final 3 innings. Brandon Crawford added another home run in the 8th inning, this one a 2-run shot on a 96 mph fastball by Jordan Walden that he left over the middle.
San Francisco 4, Atlanta 1
The Giants completed the 3 game sweep of the Braves on the road, something they haven't done since 1988. They have won 5 in a row and 9 of their last 10 as they reach the 20 win mark only 31 games into the season. They now head out to Pittsburgh to start a 3 game series with the Bucs tomorrow.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Series Recap: San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants
The Padres make a trip up to San Francisco for the second time this season to take on the Giants. The final 3 games in the month of April.
The Giants had Madison Bumgarner on the hill for game 1, looking to continue where he left off in Colorado with a 2 run complete game. He did not. His problem was commanding his off speed pitches because he was not able to throw them for strikes. He fell behind the Padres hitters often and had to throw too many fastballs. With a pitcher like Bumgarner, his curve and cutter are key in keeping opposing hitters off balance and guessing. He got through the first 3 innings without giving up a run but scattered baserunners everywhere. Rene Rivera had himself a day for the Padres, he came into the game with 0 RBIs on the season and ended up going 2-5, HR, 5RBIs. He saw the ball well off Bumgarner who gave up a two run double to Rivera in the 4th on a cutter that he left up in the zone. The Giants offense was able to come back in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. That lead we erased quickly as Bumgarner gave up a 3-run homer to Rivera in the 5th on a slider that he left right over the middle of the plate. As a pitcher myself that also throws a slider, he threw it in the worst spot, I have done the same thing and have been burned badly. The Giants were put in a hole but got a solo home run by Brandon Hicks on a hanging curveball right down the middle that he hit over the center field wall. That was it for the offense for the Giants.
San Diego 6, San Francisco 4
Matt Cain was scheduled to start game 2 but before the game cut his index finger with a knive in the team kitchen when he was making a sandwhich. Yusimero Petit got the spot start for the G-men. He was fantastic. He looked like the pitcher he was at the end of the season last year with pin point control of his fastballs inside and outside. He made it easy on the plate umpire to call strikes because he hit the glove everytime. He got help from the Giants hitters in the bottom of the 1st as Angel Pagan hit a leadoff home run on a high fastball that he hit down the line. Padre starter Eric Stults had trouble keeping the ball down which led to giving up another homer to Buster Posey in the first. Petit was on cruise control for the Giants, inning after inning just mowing down the Padre hitters, who had trouble squaring up anything he was throwing. He went 6 shutout innings, striking out 4 and only giving up 3 baserunners. The offense scored more runs throughout the game and the bullpen completed the shutout.
San Francisco 6, San Diego 0
In game 3 the Giants sent their new ace to the hill, Tim Hudson. He has been masterful to start the season and continued to impress Giants fans on this night. He was dealing. His command was on as usual and his sinker especially helped him keep his pitch count down. He got ground ball after ground ball and the Padres could do nothing. He kept working at a good pace as he usually does which helps keep the defense on their toes and ready to go. In the bottom of the first the offense got off to another fast start with new Giant Mike Morse getting his 20th RBI of the season on a double. In the 2nd Brandon Hicks hit an opposite field bomb for his 5th of the year. Tim Hudson continued to cruise, his only blemish was a run he gave up in the 8th on a ground out. He entered the 9th with only 80 pitches thrown in 8 innings which in the Giants history the past years in a new sight that is rare. Giants fans are so used to high pitch counts and their starters usually going maybe 6 or 7. After 2 outs, Hudson made his only mistake of the night, on a 1-2 pitch to Yasmani Grandal he left a sinker right down the middle and Grandal parked it into the bay. Romo came in and locked down his 7th save of the season.
San Francisco 3, San Diego 2
The Giants now head out of town and to the east coast to start a 3 game weekend series with the Atlanta Braves, then the Pirates and finally the Dodgers before heading back home. San Francisco has now won 5 of their last 6 games and are clicking on all phases of the baseball.
The Giants had Madison Bumgarner on the hill for game 1, looking to continue where he left off in Colorado with a 2 run complete game. He did not. His problem was commanding his off speed pitches because he was not able to throw them for strikes. He fell behind the Padres hitters often and had to throw too many fastballs. With a pitcher like Bumgarner, his curve and cutter are key in keeping opposing hitters off balance and guessing. He got through the first 3 innings without giving up a run but scattered baserunners everywhere. Rene Rivera had himself a day for the Padres, he came into the game with 0 RBIs on the season and ended up going 2-5, HR, 5RBIs. He saw the ball well off Bumgarner who gave up a two run double to Rivera in the 4th on a cutter that he left up in the zone. The Giants offense was able to come back in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. That lead we erased quickly as Bumgarner gave up a 3-run homer to Rivera in the 5th on a slider that he left right over the middle of the plate. As a pitcher myself that also throws a slider, he threw it in the worst spot, I have done the same thing and have been burned badly. The Giants were put in a hole but got a solo home run by Brandon Hicks on a hanging curveball right down the middle that he hit over the center field wall. That was it for the offense for the Giants.
San Diego 6, San Francisco 4
Matt Cain was scheduled to start game 2 but before the game cut his index finger with a knive in the team kitchen when he was making a sandwhich. Yusimero Petit got the spot start for the G-men. He was fantastic. He looked like the pitcher he was at the end of the season last year with pin point control of his fastballs inside and outside. He made it easy on the plate umpire to call strikes because he hit the glove everytime. He got help from the Giants hitters in the bottom of the 1st as Angel Pagan hit a leadoff home run on a high fastball that he hit down the line. Padre starter Eric Stults had trouble keeping the ball down which led to giving up another homer to Buster Posey in the first. Petit was on cruise control for the Giants, inning after inning just mowing down the Padre hitters, who had trouble squaring up anything he was throwing. He went 6 shutout innings, striking out 4 and only giving up 3 baserunners. The offense scored more runs throughout the game and the bullpen completed the shutout.
San Francisco 6, San Diego 0
In game 3 the Giants sent their new ace to the hill, Tim Hudson. He has been masterful to start the season and continued to impress Giants fans on this night. He was dealing. His command was on as usual and his sinker especially helped him keep his pitch count down. He got ground ball after ground ball and the Padres could do nothing. He kept working at a good pace as he usually does which helps keep the defense on their toes and ready to go. In the bottom of the first the offense got off to another fast start with new Giant Mike Morse getting his 20th RBI of the season on a double. In the 2nd Brandon Hicks hit an opposite field bomb for his 5th of the year. Tim Hudson continued to cruise, his only blemish was a run he gave up in the 8th on a ground out. He entered the 9th with only 80 pitches thrown in 8 innings which in the Giants history the past years in a new sight that is rare. Giants fans are so used to high pitch counts and their starters usually going maybe 6 or 7. After 2 outs, Hudson made his only mistake of the night, on a 1-2 pitch to Yasmani Grandal he left a sinker right down the middle and Grandal parked it into the bay. Romo came in and locked down his 7th save of the season.
San Francisco 3, San Diego 2
The Giants now head out of town and to the east coast to start a 3 game weekend series with the Atlanta Braves, then the Pirates and finally the Dodgers before heading back home. San Francisco has now won 5 of their last 6 games and are clicking on all phases of the baseball.
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