Thurs. stats:

Sheffield: 2/4, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Aurilia: 0/1, 2 LOB

I’ll be keep tracking of their series numbers as the games go on…

By: rcottengim on May 15th, 2009
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First off, sorry to all my 2 fans out there. I’ve been busy laying on the couch.

Now on to the Giants – Pablo Sandoval hit his 1st career walk-off HR and it was enough to give the Giants a dramatic win against the Nationals last night. He also fell flat on his face as he tried stretching a double in to a triple but was tagged out after he got back to his feet. All was forgiven though as he took 4 pitches from Josh Beimel before sending the 5th over the fences. It was his third HR of the season and gave the Giants their 15th win in the last 21, sending them 4 games over .500.

One point of concern is the fact the the Giants were up 5-1 in the 6th inning, before giving up 3 runs in the 7th, and another 3 in the 8th. The bullpen has been looking shaky lately and last night Howry gave up the 3 earned in the 8th and got a blown save. He hasn’t looked like a great set up guy for most of the year (he did a decent job the 2 games before) but maybe Affeldt needs to be given more chances, and not just against lefties.

By: rcottengim on May 13th, 2009
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Lincecum is looking to get win #1 tonight vs. Arizona, in a rematch from last week against Doug Davies. He didn’t get the win last Saturday but looked to be in Cy Young form as he allowed 5 hits over 8 innings and striking out a career-tying 13 K’s. Davis responded with 8 hits over 8 innings and getting the win.

The Giants visit Arizona on a 3 game win streak and should feel good as they took 2 of 3 from the D-backs last week. However they have lost 15 of their last 20 in AZ, and got swept last time they were there. AZ is also starting to feel a little better about themselves, as they just took 2 of 3 from Colorado.

Renteria is probably the hottest bat in the lineup right now. He’s 6 for his last 15, with 2 runs, 1 HR, and 5 RBIs. He has a really good history against Davis too. Edgar has 5 hits including 1 HR, and 2 walks in 11 career at bats against the D-backs starting pitcher. Molina has been swinging the stick pretty well as of late too. He’s 7 for his last 17, with 3 runs and 2 RBIs.

6:40 first pitch at Chase Field

By: rcottengim on Apr 24th, 2009
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The Giants will look to build off of last nights 8-3 win over San Diego this afternoon. There will be a new face behind the plate as Pablo Sandoval is set to catch his first game this season. Sandoval will be replaced at third base by Juan Uribe. Rich Aurilia will start at first base as well today.

The starting pitchers for this afternoons match up will be ………

Padres: Chris Young (2-0) 4.86 ERA

Giants: Barry Zito (0-2) 10.00 ERA

Barry Zito has either got to come around or this is just really who he is going to be as a pitcher. I am all for comebacks but this is getting to be hard to watch. If today’s performance from Zito does not have any upside then wave the white flag and send him down for a month. This guy is never going to get “IT” back when he has to throw for a team that can not produce runs consistently. It really sounds like he needs to throw a few games in San Jose.

Pablo Sandoval was out at the San Jose Giants game on Monday night. It was a little hard for him to catch the action as he was hounded by autograph seekers. If some of you who got autographs notice his signature to be a little off of its norm, it is probably due to his writing hand getting tangled up in his Louis Vuitton man purse he was packing around with him, which also could have something to do with his woeful .245 BA.

It is looking like a beautiful day for an afternoon game so get out to the ballpark if you can and catch the action.

By: mfreitas on Apr 22nd, 2009
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By: rcottengim on Apr 17th, 2009
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Good thing the Masters was on yesterday because it was an ugly end to the weekend as SF got swept by a team that many experts picked to finish dead last in the West.  They have now lost 4 of the last 5, and watching Phil fall apart on the back 9 was more entertaining than anything I’ve seen from the team lately. Yes it’s super early in the season. Yes Timmy will get things worked out eventually. Hopefully, for both of my fantasy team’s sake, Sandoval starts hitting like he is capable of. But with a lot of hope of putting something together this year, I’m sure lots of Giants fans have got to be disappointed so far.

Lincecum looked bad again as he gave up a career high 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings, just after he had the shortest outing of his career on opening day. The Franchise who had previously been dominant against SD (3-1, .95 ERA in 8 starts), didn’t have control over his fastball and gave up a HR to Headley in the 3rd that would put the Padres ahead to stay.

The offense didn’t look any better as they managed 1 unearned run on 6 hits. Chris Young, the Friars starting pitcher, was pretty dominant as he retired the first 12 he faced; striking out 7 and not allowing a walk. The only run came on a error by Headley who mishandled a ball by Valez, allowing Bengie to come home.

Headed out to the SJ Giants game tonight, there should be a little more action and entertainment out there than what we’ve been seeing from the big leaguers lately…

By: rcottengim on Apr 13th, 2009
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Ryan and I will be heading out to Municipal Stadium tonight to catch the the San Jose giants take on the Bakersfield Blaze. Game time is at 7:00 pm tonight and should be a good night to take in a ball game.

So come on out and enjoy a refreshing beverage and watch a ball game.

Also….. Congrats to our San Jose Sharks on a heck of a regular season. Good luck in the playoffs boys!

By: mfreitas on Apr 13th, 2009
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So yesterday’s game was a complete opposite of what I (along with 99% of the population) expected. The Giants pitching looked shaky while the offense was solid. Lincecum, the reigning Cy Young winner, only lasted three innings, giving up 3 runs, 3 walks, and 4 hits. He did manage 5 K’s out of his nine outs, but the outing was shorter than any from last year. Joe Martinez who got the win, didn’t look to good either. He allowed 3 hits and 2 runs in just 2 innings. The new editions of Affeldt and Howry did decent jobs in their Giants debuts. They pitched 1 inning each, both allowing a hit and a walk, but didn’t give up any runs. I think the best part of watching the staff work last night was checking out the mullet Wilson is now sporting.

The offense sprang up out of nowhere to put 10 runs on the board. Everyone, including me, has been saying the Giants are lacking any real power in their lineup. Well they managed to rack up 12 hits, including 3 HRs. Winn hit a booming shot to center for his first hit of the season and is on pace to hit 162 dingers for the year. So are Rowand and Molina. I bet the Giants were glad to see Rowand get off with 2 hits since he had a terrible spring and has been struggling at the plate since the last couple months of last season. He may be the key to this offense being productive on a consistent basis. Ishikawa also came up huge with a 3 run triple in the first and finishing 2 for 5.

By: rcottengim on Apr 8th, 2009
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Hell, why not? Sheffield is clearing waivers today which means the Tigers will be eating up the remaining $14 million on his contract. That means he’ll likely sign with a team for $400k, the league minimum. We all know the Giants lack pop in their lineup, pretty apparent with Molina batting cleanup, so why not give it a shot at such a cheap price? Obviously Shef is getting old and wouldn’t be an everyday player, but he could pinch-hit in key situations and be a nice bench player for the days Lewis or Rowand need off.  He’s a career .311 with runners in scoring position and let’s not forget that he has 499 career homeruns. He’ll probably end up as a DH in the AL, but he could still contribute and would be a fun addition to a weak offensive Giants club.

By: rcottengim on Apr 3rd, 2009
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1.Dodgers

Sorry guys, but gotta go with the boys in blue here. They’d probably have a shot at winning the division without Manny, but since they signed him I think it’s almost a given that they should be projected to finish first. Manny makes everyone else in the lineup so much better, and with Ethier and Kemp sharing the outfield with him, the Dodgers should have a solid middle part of the lineup. Add 2-time all-star catcher Russell Martin and Blake Dewitt and 2^nd, and the Dodgers look pretty nice. They did lose their ace Derek Lowe who they replaced with Chad Billingsley, but we’ll see if Billingsley can handle the #1 spot in the rotation. Clayton Kershaw has unlimited potential but showed great inconsistency last year. Jason Schmidt is still trying to get healthy. I can’t believe it’s been 3 years since he signed with the Dodgers and he’s only made 6 starts. $47 million for 1 win. I can do that.

2.Diamondbacks

AZ is loaded with pitching again. Dan Haren and Brandon Webb lead the way, with Doug Davis and newcomer Jon Garland filling out the 3^rd and 4^th spots.  The last spot in the rotation will probably go to Max Scherzer, who was 0-4 last year in his MLB debut, but throws a heater around 98 mph. The D-backs let their closer Brandon Lyon go to free agency, and look like they’ll let Chad Qualls take over the role, and they signed 97 yr old Tom Gordon for added support. Their lineup will be full of young hopefuls, just like last year. Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Stephen Drew, and Chris Young all show lots of promise. AZ will definitely make it interesting if these guys can just play to part of their potential.

3.Giants

The Giants has the fewest HRs in the NL last year and did absolutely nothing to change that. The outfield of Rowand, Lewis, and Winn had a combined 32 HRs last yr. 32! I had 4 guys on my fantasy team last year that had higher totals. SF also spent $18.5 million over 2 seasons on replacing Vizquel with the 33 yr old Edgar Renteria who hit .270 with 10 HRs and 55 RBIs with the Tigers. I’m still confused why they didn’t go after Orlando Cabrera who signed with the A’s for $4 million for 1 yr. The bright spot in the lineup is Pablo Sandoval. In 145 at bats last year, he hit .345 with 3 HRs and 24 RBIs. Pablo has been tearing up pitchers this spring too, hitting .442 with 3 HRs. The pitching rotation looks pretty solid with Cy-Young winner Lincecum being the ace on the staff. Matt Cain is solid in the #2 spot and should have better numbers this year if the Giants can give him any kind of run support. Randy Johnson was a nice pickup and should fit nicely in the 3 spot. I  think Zito would probably fare better in the 5 slot, but that will more than likely go to Sanchez or Lowry. All-Star closer Brian Wilson will return, bringing back his 98 mph heat. I don’t know where the hell he came from, only 7 saves in the previous 2 years, but he got the job done last year with 41 saves. If the Giants can get any kind of run production going they might be able to shake things up in the West as the pitching will keep them competitive throughout the year.

4.Rockies

The Rockies lost their best player Matt Holliday and I’m not sure how they’re going to fill that void. Atkins needs to return to his ’06 self, Tulo needs to stay healthy, Helton needs to get healthy, and Hawpe needs to find more consistency. Jeff Francis, their #1 pitcher is already done for the year and they don’t have much depth in the rotation. The Rockies picked up Huston Street and Greg Smith, neither are starters. Aaron Cook may have to step into the lead role but he’s definitely not #1 quality. Good luck, should be another crummy year, just 2 years removed from the World Series.

5. Padres

They suck. At least they have Adrian Gonzalez and it looks like Jake Peavy is staying,

By: rcottengim on Mar 26th, 2009
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Before I begin to cover some of the individual players on the team, I thought I’d write a little something about my favorite member of the Giants organization – Jon Miller.

The Hall of Fame broadcaster is going into his 12^th season broadcasting for the Giants and I couldn’t be happier. I love listening to Miller call those afternoon games while I sit at my desk, wishing I was out at AT&T with a polish and beer in hand. His sense of humor and calming voice make listening to a game on the radio actually enjoyable. I’ve been listening to various spring training games on the MLB network and there are some absolutely terrible broadcasters out there. I think most Giants fans realize what a gem they have in the booth; and the baseball world is also able to enjoy Jon once a week, as he’s entering his 19^th year with ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball .  

As part of the ESPN team he’s been nominated twice for an Emmy, and six times for an Ace award, winning twice. USA Today recently ran a poll of the best baseball broadcasters, and the Giants crew placed 2^ndin the NL. It’s pretty funny that they finished second to their SoCal rivals, led by the legendary Vin Scully.

I look forward to the upcoming season and if it’s as dismal as the previous five, Miller will make it a little less painful for Giants fans.

By: rcottengim on Mar 13th, 2009
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The Giants missed having to make an early decision on who would win the second base position yesterday when Emmanuel Burris was hit by a pitch. Burris was hit on the inside of his left ankle in the 5^th inning of yesterday’s game against the Los Angeles Angles. The pitch missed possibly taking him out for the season by fractions of an inch.

“Half an inch lower and I probably would have been out for the whole season,” Burris said, as he showed reporters where he was hit.

Burris and Kevin Frandsen have been battling it out over the second base spot throughout spring training with either gaining a big edge over the other. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said this would probably continue the rest of the way through training camp. Burris did not sustain any serious injury and is being listed as day to day.

For my buck I would say this battle continues into the regular season. Both players have performed very well thus far and deserve a shot during the regular season. Without either player really outplaying the other it is hard to say who should win the job over the other.

Randy Johnson will miss his next start with a sore biceps muscle. There is no serious injury or anything to worry about for that matter. The move is simply precautionary. Johnson was due to start Wed. against the Chicago Cubs but will skip the start and Tim Lincecum will go in his place.

By: mfreitas on Mar 17th, 2009
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The switch-hitting Jesus Guzman led a late surge by the Giants to beat the Brew Crew yesterday 7-5. Guzman, who is auditioning for a reserve spot on the roster, bolstered his case by hitting a 2 run shot with one out in the 9^th to seal the deal for the Giants.  So far this spring, the non-roster invitee is hitting .400 with 3 HRs and 10 RBIs. Not too shabby.  

After being roughed up most of this spring, Pat Misch finally had a solid outing. He threw 3 scoreless innings, striking out 4 and allowing 3 hits with no runs. Misch got the nod in place of Lincecum who was out due to the flu, and Johnson has a strained bicep.  

Ryan Rohlinger has also been a nice surprise this spring. Rohlinger tied the game in the 8^th with a 2 run inside the park homerun.  Rohlinger is competing for some at bats at 3^rd, and has shown some power.  He has 4 HRs and 10 RBIs in only 16 at bats and is hitting .313.  

By: rcottengim on Mar 18th, 2009
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Sorry for the inconvenience but the servers at Twitter are overloaded at the moment. Live game updates for this game are no longer available. A postgame wrap will be posted later this afternoon.

By: mfreitas on Mar 19th, 2009
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