Holm is Where the Bench Is
The last week has got to be frustrating to Steve Holm. You get recalled because Bochy wants to have flexibility behind the plate in the late innings, and then you ride the pine with not so much as a pinch hit opportunity.
Wednesday would have been the perfect opportunity for Holm to work his way into the game in the late innings, but Pablo had to leave the game in the fifth with a tight groin. With Pablo unavailable if something was to happen to Holmes, Bochy couldn’t send the third string backup out there even to catch the ninth. Even with a six run lead, sending in Holm would deplete his bench of anyone with catching experience and Bochy doesn’t ever want to have to call on a position player to play catcher again (remember the crazy night of Feliz catching, Winn at 3rd, and Lowry in the outfield).
It is not new information that at bats and innings caught are going to be scarce for Steve, but in a game like Wednesday night, I’m sure it hurt a little more to not be able to go out there and get just one inning in with the guys. To shake hands with his gear on at the end of the game and feel like he was a part of it.
Hopefully Steve will get a chance to hit this weekend against the Rockies, and if his does, I hope the hometown faithful will greet him with cheers as it will be his first playing time at the Major League level this season.
Lefting this Ship
While the Giants sit on their day off at 10-10 (a .500 record), they also have one record above .500; wins against left handed starting pitching. While the Giants started the season 1-3 in games started by lefties, they have won their last three making them 4-3 on the season.
It’s not just the fact that the Giants are winning against lefties, it’s the fact they are beating pitchers who they had already seen and been beating by this season. Eric Stultz and Doug Davis handled the Giants in their first match-ups of the year with Davis going 8 innings without giving up a run, and Stultz going 5 innings giving up only 2 runs.
However, in the second match-ups between the Giants and these starting pitchers, the Giants scored 5 runs off of Davis in 6 innings and tallied 5 runs off of Stultz in just 2.2 innings. The biggest difference? Patience. Carney Lansford has been preaching patience to his young hitters, and from the looks of it, they have started to understand how to wait for their pitches.
Pablo Sandoval is the most obvious of the group as he has started to take pitches out of the strike zone and in doing so has worked himself into hitters counts. His batting average over the past seven days is a monstrous .455 and most importantly, he has struck out zero times in those 22 at bats.
The biggest reason for the Giants success against lefties has been the hitting of switch hitter Emmanual Burriss. While his stats at a glance have been awful through the first month of the year, his numbers against lefties are remarkable. Burriss is hitting .421 (.450 OBP) against lefties in 19 at bats from the right side of the plate and .085 from the left side.
The reason Burriss’ batting average against lefties may be so important to the team is that more often then not, pitching is getting a chance to bunt or hit with two outs, therefore leading off innings less and making their at bats productive ones.
Hats off to Carney Lansford as he rights the ship against lefties, therefore lefting this Ship!
Zito to Sandoval; Zito Thriving with Mr. Aggressive
If your Barry Zito, it seems like every time you take the mound the word disappointment shows up the next day in the paper. $127 million dollars will put an expectation on a player, and Barry Zito has yet to meet those expectation.
However, yesterday Barry Zito delivered on his contract and had the kind of outing the Giants expected regularly from the left hander when they signed him going 7 innings giving up 0 runs and walking none.
So what was different? Zito was locating his pitches, he rarely went to a full count with any hitter, AND he had a different catcher.
Pablo Sandoval made his first start of 2009 behind the dish and his six career start as Barry Zito’s catcher. The great outing for which Zito earned a no decision brought his ERA to a 2.66 when Sandoval catches him with a 2-0 record in those six starts.
While it’s hard to credit Sandoval entirely due to the fact that you could see the dugout was calling the game, there were a few things I think he did differently then Bengie Molina. First and most importantly, he treated 2-2 counts like they were 3-2. You could see the difference in his glove placement when the count got to 2-2.
Sandoval also saved the game in the seventh when Chris Young tried to bunt a runner over with no outs. Sandoval came out of his crouch quickly getting to the ball and threw a strike to Edgar Renteria getting the lead runner. It is just my speculation, but Molina doesn’t make this play. The next hitter singled to left which would have meant a run if the sacrifice had worked, and a 1-0 loss for Barry Zito.
To compare, in Barry Zito’s last six starts with Bengie Molina catching he is 1-5 with a 6.95 ERA. While I’m not arguing that Sandoval is a better catcher then Molina, I do think Sandoval and Zito are on the same page. With numbers like this, I think Zito will have confidence when Sandoval is behind the plate and that is something he has seemed to be lacking over the past couple years.
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As long as we are on the topic of catchers, I would like to acknowledge Bruce Bochy’s decision to bring up Steve Holms before he gave Molina the day off Wednesday. Knowing that he may need Molina as a pinch hitter, Bochy kept himself out of a situation similar to that which he ran into in 2007 when Pedro Feliz had to catch an inning because they didn’t have another catcher.
It is a great idea to have three catchers, especially when your starter is slower than Molasses in January (sorry for the old folks term). If Bengie reaches base late in a close or tie game, it is nice to know the Giants can pinch run for him without worrying about not having a catcher on the bench. Yesterday’s heroics may have never happened if Bochy hadn’t had made that move, and while I don’t get many chances to say it……..that was great managing!
It’s The Little Things…..And Manny Burriss Is Doing Them
With no hits through four innings many would say the Giants are having another sub par offensive day. While it would be hard to argue that they are having a good day, there is one thing that is worth highlighting.
When you are facing a pitcher that has had your number like Chris Young, it is important to make him work for outs, and that is exactly what Emmanual Burriss has done today.
In his first at bat of the day, he saw eight pitches, finishing the at bat with a one hopper right at the third baseman. In his second at bat he saw eight more pitches finishing his at bat with a walk and immediately stole second. In his third at bat, he saw five pitches swinging at none of them, and drawing a walk.
While Emmanual Burriss may be lacking offensive skills so far this year, he has started to look like a seasoned leadoff hitter in his recent at bats. If this guy can get his offense going, there is a great chance that he will soon be a leadoff hitter for the young and quick San Francisco Giants.
Welcome to San Francisco E-Rent!!!!!
While Matt Cain delivered another great outing beating the San Diego Padres and Jake Peavy Tuesday night, the player that had fans dancing in the isles was Edgar Renteria. With his three hits in Tuesdays’ night game including a monstrous 4th inning grand slam, E-Rent finally showed the offensive ability that the Giants paid him for last off-season.
With his big night, E-Rent moved his batting average up to .250. Now it’s time to have the youngsters follow suit as the right side off the infield needs to get on track offensively. Ishikawa’s 2 hit night may be a start as he lifted his average over the .200 mark. His hits were not bloopers either as he squared up both balls and sent them into right field with some authority.
The only player that has yet to really show any signs of life offensively has been Manny Burriss at second base, with a batting average of .171. Hitting in the two hole, Manny has continued to struggle leaving a small window of opportunity for Enginio Velez, the backup second baseman. However, Velez has a lot of work to do defensively and could be considered a liability still at second. Velez’s only start of the year came in center field where he didn’t look spectacular.
All in all it’s tough to get down on a team that scored more than six runs since the first series of the season. The Giants are now 5-2 at home with a 0-6 record on the road, a number they will try and approve on this weekend in Arizona.
The Kung Fu Panda?
For those of you that don’t follow the Giants very closely, you may have never heard of the new fan favorite in San Francisco, Pablo Sandoval. It’s not often I buy a jersey of someone so young and unproven, but this kid is just my favorite up and comer since Will Clark. However, it’s time to discuss his nickname.
The T.V. announcers and now fans alike are referring to this kid as “The Kung Fu Panda.” I hate it! It just doesn’t fit this guy. He is all attitude and plays everyday like it’s his first game in the majors.
So here I am calling all Giants fan to come up with a new nickname for Pablo. The Big Round Mound of Pound was fun for a season, but we need something catchy and short. A fellow Giants fan I know has started calling him “The Pablo” while I have taken to “The Caveman.”
He looks like a caveman to me the way he swings his bat at everything whether it’s in the dirt, or a foot over his head and now the addition of the mouthpiece just makes him look like a caveman to me.
What do you guys think? Lets come up with something before “The Kung Fu Panda” sticks.
Applying for Sabean’s Job
As a recent college graduate I have been scouring the internet for an application to be the Giants next General Manager. Unfortunately for Giants fans, I haven’t found one yet.
As the Giants return from what I can only describe as one of the most painful road trips ever, it is clear that something has to be done. I would like to use this blog as a chance to interview for the position that most believe will soon be vacated.
My GM’s To Do’s List
1. Fire Bruce Bochy!
I want to be clear that firing Bruce has nothing to do with the recent road trip or the fact that we are losing, it’s because the team and him are a terrible fit. The truth is…… he got a raw deal with having to endure the last year of Barry Bonds, and then forced to rebuild with nothing but young pitching and no formidable free agent position players except Aaron Rowand. None the less, he isn’t the type of manager we (The Giants) need.
The Giants need a manager that is going to call for accountability of his players. Someone who’ll require all players to bunt, take pitches, hit and run, and play solid defense. Someone who understands small ball without running yourself out of games. Bochy isn’t this manager, and why there are many teams that could benefit from having a manager like Bochy, the Giants aren’t one of them.
2. Start Talking about Bengie Molina
While Molina may be one of the better hitting catchers in the game, his time in San Francisco is coming to an end. However, many teams would love the presence of a catcher of this magnitude as they gear up for a push for a title. If the Giants are where most are anticipating they will be at the All Star Break, it will be time to heat up trade talks for Bengie Molina.
A Team like the New York Mets will be drooling on themselves to have a catch that can do it both at and behind the plate. Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro are no where near the players Bengie is. It is time to rebuild and play small ball and Molina is not a guy that you can have plugging up the lineup with his god awful speed.
Bring Posey up after the trade and let the kid get his feet wet at the major league level, and if at the beginning of 2010 he isn’t ready, sign a decent catcher to a one year deal while you wait for the kid to develop………or just move Sandoval back there for a year.
3. Start Shopping Jonathon Sanchez
Here’s a guy that people are talking about, and upon close inspection, Giants fans aren’t really sure what to expect. However, he is a good young pitcher and the only trade bait we have without shipping out Cain or Lincecum. The Giants have many young pitchers coming up, and no room for them. Trading Sanchez and a young position player for a bat like Hank Blalock would bring the Giants one power bat they could infuse into their lineup.
These are just a few of a things I would do right off the bat, and while I doubt it will be me that gets the job as the next GM of the San Francisco Giants, I hope they do hire a new one, and before the off season. There are so many moves that could effect next year that need to be done this season.
Renteria Struggling; Whole infield hitting under .220
While the Giants outfield stays hot ( .375, .389, and .450 from right to left) the infield continues stink! After a spring that saw three infielders hitting over .300, there were high hopes for the youngsters plus Renteria. Burriss has only got two hits both coming in the same game and now is hitting .100. Sandoval and Ishikawa have gone cold since their opening series against the Brewers both flirting with the Mendoza line and Edgar Renteria is lining up to become the third bust in as many years of Brian Sabean’s big off season moves.
Meanwhile Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle against the Giants by the sixth inning pushing his average to the .344 mark and proving what a bad decision Renteria was as Hudson signed for almost half of the money Renteria did, and is proving to be in the prime of his baseball career instead of well past it.
While it’s early in the season, and averages can change in only a couple games, Renteria’s swing looks awful, just as it did all through Spring Training. His inside out swing has lifted pop ups to right field and inside pitches has been rolled over on repeatedly. While Burriss average is worst, he has at least continued to hit the ball hard, with little to show for it.
Burriss Not Willing to Wait for First Hit
While the Giants celebrate the series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers tonight, one man’s smile will be to cover up the nervousness that has started to creep into his mind. Emmanuel Burriss is the only Giants starter without a hit in the regular season.
Burriss won the starting job in spring with an average just shy of the .400 mark and played so well defensively that the Giants sent Kevin Frandsen (the favorite for the 2 bag job entering spring) to AAA Fresno leaving little to competition for Burriss at second base.
The problem isn’t that he doesn’t have a hit, but rather that he is thinking about not having a hit. In the fourth inning of last night’s game, with a runner on first and two outs, Burriss attempted to bunt for a base hit instead of swinging the bat. It was obvious that he was worried about having a .000 batting average at this point as there was is no logical explanation why you would bunt with Matt Cain on deck and two outs.
In his next at bat, Burriss jumped at a first pitch fastball up around the letters, a pitch he usually would take. The worst thing Burriss could do right now is expand his zone and go fishing for base hits. My prediction is he will get his first hit tonight off Shawn Hill and plenty more will follow, as long as he makes Hill bring the pitches into his hitting zone and doesn’t expand his strike zone chasing his first hit of 2009.
As I have noted before, Burriss is just as valuable to the team just finding a way to get on base. As his on base percentage goes up (which it will) so will the number that will tell the story of the Giants season. That number is the total number of sacrifice bunts. With a pitching staff of this magnitude, small ball can and will win games, and Burriss will be a huge factor in that style of play.
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