Tagged: Padres
Giants 1st 1/2 – Surprised!?!?!
With the first half of the season over. No one including myself expected the Giants to have a record like they have. We knew they would have a chance to win games cause they had a good starting staff on paper. Well they starters came out and pitched just as well as advertised!
I did expect Lincecum to go out and pitch like he did last year. He’s been
doing that and has been on fire as of late. He’s even starting the All Star Game for the National League. Everyone kept saying Randy Johnson would just try for 5 wins and then shut down. Randy Johnson is an intense pitcher when he’s on the mound. There is no way this guy doesn’t try to go out there and go balls out every time he takes the mound. I did expect Matt Cain to have a good year, but 10 wins by the All Star break. Wow – that’s above and beyond what anyone could have asked for by this point of the season. We have two guys (Lincecum & Cain) that can be in it for the Cy Young Award. Zito has shown some good games and some bad games, but still better than last year. Sanchez was finally going to show up what he has this year and then ended up losing his starting spot in the rotation. Then he came back to the rotation because of a Randy Johnson injury. Sanchez then tosses a “No-Hitter”!
doing that and has been on fire as of late. He’s even starting the All Star Game for the National League. Everyone kept saying Randy Johnson would just try for 5 wins and then shut down. Randy Johnson is an intense pitcher when he’s on the mound. There is no way this guy doesn’t try to go out there and go balls out every time he takes the mound. I did expect Matt Cain to have a good year, but 10 wins by the All Star break. Wow – that’s above and beyond what anyone could have asked for by this point of the season. We have two guys (Lincecum & Cain) that can be in it for the Cy Young Award. Zito has shown some good games and some bad games, but still better than last year. Sanchez was finally going to show up what he has this year and then ended up losing his starting spot in the rotation. Then he came back to the rotation because of a Randy Johnson injury. Sanchez then tosses a “No-Hitter”!The Giants have the 2nd best home record in the National League. I know nobody seen that coming with this young unproven team. The NL West was said to be the weakest division in the NL this year. I guess all the experts were way wrong, cause the Giants have the Wild Card lead right now too. With that said the Giants still have a lot of upgrades they can do to help their batting order. They have been linked to a few different trade rumors. I know some fans think they should stay as is and roll the dice with these kids. I would make a deal if there is one to be made without giving up the farm. If they can’t get a big bat. I would at least make a trade to bring in a decent bat. Just someone to help spark the lineup. Many names have been linked – Uggla, Holliday, F-Sanchez, Dunn, Johnson, Dye, V-Mart and others. I wouldn’t make any trades that would include Bumgarner or Posey, but we do have guys in the minors that we can trade that have some value.
It would nice to see a big bat behind Pablo Sandoval. This guy can flat out hit. He’s hitting .333 with 15 home runs at the All Star Break. Sandoval is a guy that I try to see every AB. The last Giants player I needed to see every AB was Barry Bonds. Pablo is turning into a fan favorite very quickly. Giants fans should be proud of him since he came up through our system and is only 22 years old. We still have a lot more Sandoval ahead of us.
Even though the Giants are playing good ball right now. The are 10 games over .500 and still 7 games back of the Dodgers. They still have a long road ahead of them. If they can stay focused on trying to catch the Dodgers that might help them stay at top of the Wild Card Race. It’s very doubtful that they will catch the Dodgers but anything can happen with half of a season still left.
~King of Cali
Last Homestand before the All Start Break
The Giants were able to take 2 out of 3 from the Astros. Giants were laying the “Smacketh Down” on the Astros in the firs two games. Then in game 3 they sent Randy Johnson to the mound. I know I was expecting a sweep with the way they were hitting and Johnson pitching. Well it didn’t happen like that. Giants end up losing and Johnson hurt his throwing shoulder and were still waiting a MRI to see how serious the injury is.
The next 3 games are against the Florida Marlins. I’m expecting the Giants to take 2 out of 3 from the Marlins. Matt Cain starts tonight’s game. Then Zito tomorrow and Sadowski on Wed. Once that series is over the Giants have the Padres coming to town for a 4 game series. The Giants should at least split that series, but I would have for a series win against the Padres. They should close out the first 1/2 of the season on a high note.
Congrats to Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain for making the All Star team. Don’t forget to go to MLB.com and vote for Pablo Sandoval to make the All Star Team!
~King of Cali
Trading Deadline Is Near…
With the trading deadline getting closer and closer. It seems like all you hear now is about different trade rumors that are swirling around. The early rumors was the Giants were interested in Dan Uggla and Nick Johnson. That’s still one that is still going around. The Giants are also linked to Jermaine Dye, Victor Martinez and Mark Teahen. The Giants really do have a lot of options when it comes to making a move. Our offense has a lot of holes that need to be filled.
The Giants offense actually has been coming around, but they can still use
another solid bat or two in their lineup. Dye is a decent bat with some good pop to add, but I wouldn’t give up any top prospects for him. Victor Martinez would be a decent pick up as well. They would have to play him at 1st base when Molina is catching. I’m not to big on making a trade for Teahen. He has a decent bat and can play multiple positions but I would only get him if everything else didn’t go through and I pretty much got him for nothing. I keep going back and forth with Uggla but he does have some pop. His avg is just way down right now, but that could make him a lot easier to trade for. I’m sure the Giants are wishing they made the trade Jonathan Sanchez for Jorge Cantu when the Marlins wanted to make that move.
another solid bat or two in their lineup. Dye is a decent bat with some good pop to add, but I wouldn’t give up any top prospects for him. Victor Martinez would be a decent pick up as well. They would have to play him at 1st base when Molina is catching. I’m not to big on making a trade for Teahen. He has a decent bat and can play multiple positions but I would only get him if everything else didn’t go through and I pretty much got him for nothing. I keep going back and forth with Uggla but he does have some pop. His avg is just way down right now, but that could make him a lot easier to trade for. I’m sure the Giants are wishing they made the trade Jonathan Sanchez for Jorge Cantu when the Marlins wanted to make that move.I would love to see Holliday in a Giants uniform, but I wouldn’t make the trade since the Giants would have to part with some decent players and Holliday’s contract ends after this year, so there is no guarantee that he would sign with the Giants. I hear a lot of fans scared to make a trade cause they don’t want to give up the players that are up and coming. Don’t worry Giants fans they are not going to trade Posey or Bumgarner, but you do have to give up players to get players. That’s why some of these players are in our minors. They can help us with trade bait and then we have some that are untouchable.
~King of Cali
Let’s Go Giants – Clap Clap!
The Giants are coming off series at home that they got swept by the Angels. Does this just mean the Giants are not as good as the better teams out there? They start a series at home tonight with the Rangers. Randy Johnson takes the mound tonight. Giants fans are hoping he can stop this little losing streak. There is also talks of the Giants skipping Jonathan Sanchez next start since he hasn’t seem to come around this season.
Okay now I don’t know why Bochy continues to bat Sandoval after Molina. I do like Bengie but he’s a very slowwwww runner! That’s not a knock on him. It’s just the reality. Everyone knows Pablo Sandoval can swing it. He’s got some pop and can flat out hit. I think it’s time the Giants move him to the third or fourth spot in the lineup. Keep him ahead of Molina so he can drive some runs in. Molina can be on 2nd base and Sandoval will get a hit and Molina won’t score. If they want Molina at the 4 spot then put Sandoval 3rd. I mean it’s not like we have a set solid middle of the lineup so why are they so stuck on batting Molina 4th and Sandoval 5th?
I’m starting to ramble on and on, so I will cut this blog short. =) Go Giants!
~King of Cali
Random Giants Thoughts
I know Pablo Sandoval is no Barry Bonds, but man is this guy fun to watch or what? He had 2 home runs in last night’s game against the Angels. This guy has a .332 AVG and is near the top in the NL. I know he could have more RBI’s if he wasn’t hitting behind Bengie, but hey he can just control what he does at the plate.
The Giants were getting spanked last night until they decided to make their come back. It was a little to late, but at least they didn’t just throw in the towel and wait to try till the next game. The final score was 9-7 Angels. It was looking like it was going to be a 8-0 score till the Giants started to get some stuff together.
I think the Giants are open to anyone that is available in a trade. I mean if a 1st baseman comes available. The Sandoval can go back to 3rd base. If they find a 3rd baseman then Pablo can go to 1st base. Even Fred Lewis hasn’t played well enough to keep his job, so we can take a corner infielder or an outfielder.
I’m getting people asking me what I think about Dan Uggla and other players. I don’t think Uggla is the big bat that we do need, but I do think we need more than one bat. Which means I wouldn’t mind adding that bat. Burriss is playing 2nd and is like in an 0-24 slump right now. Uggla can’t do much worse than that and has home run pop. I would be fine with adding Uggla and try to add another decent bat. I doubt were going to be able to snag a superstar through trades this year, cause the Giants do not want to part with their top prospects.
~King of Cali
Let’s Sweep The D-Backs! – Random Giants Thoughts
If you would have asked any Giants fan at the start of the road trip if you would be happy with a 6-4 road trip. Everyone would have said yesss! I would have too, but now I’m getting greedy and want the 7-3 road trip. We can get that today if the Giants can close out the sweep of the D-Backs. Jonathan Sanchez gets the start (12:40pm Pacific) today to see if he can end this road trip on a positive note.
Is it just me or does it seem like Pablo Sandoval makes this Giants team fun? I’m always checking to see what this guy is doing. Seems like he always has a smile on his face. He’s just out there playing hard and having fun. This guy can flat out hit too. Giants fans got to love him. The good thing is he’s only 22 years old. He’s only going to get better and I’m sure he will be a Giant for a long time. Sandoval is the only guy since Bonds left that gets me excited to see his every AB. He’s not blasting balls out of the park like Bonds, but he is getting hits. I’m sure he would have more RBI’s if he didn’t bat behind Molina. The Giants signed Sandoval as an undrafted free agent in 2002.
Incase you guys don’t know but the Giants are in the Wild Card hunt. They are currently 1/2 a game back right now. The trading deadline is 50 days away, so wouldn’t it make sense for the Giants to make a trade now and be part of the Wild Card chase. Why wait 50 more days and give yourself a chance to fall out because of a lacking offense. We have plenty of holes to fill in this lineup, so lets do something now. Ever since the Giants have moved Sandoval to 1st and Uribe to 3rd. They have been scoring. Uribe isn’t anything sexy to talk about but he’s a decent hitter. This also took Ishikawa’s slumping bat out of the lineup.
Kevin Frandsen is more than likely going to start today at short stop. This is so Frandsen can get another game under his belt and Burriss can go back to 2nd base. I really think Frandsen is the better player right now over Burriss. Giants staff thinks really highly of Burriss. He’s got a good glove and a lot of speed. He just needs to get more consistent with the bat. He also has a lot of speed so he needs to work on his bunting for a hit. That could help his AVG in a hurry if he can get down decent bunts and beat them out. Frandsen can’t move like that but has worked on his “D”. He’s not bad with the glove, and he’s a good hitter. He hasn’t really showed that since he’s been brought up and down a few times this season. He’s pressing a little to much. This guy has shown it with his minor league stats that he can hit. If I were the Giants I would find a spot for him. I would even consider releasing Rich Aurilia but before that I would just send down Ishikawa. He’s not pulling his weight in the pro’s, so let him go down and get his swing going again.
~ King of Cali
The Giants Take Game One From D-Backs – Trades?
Matt Cain took the mound and didn’t look as good as he’s looked all season, but it was good enough to get the win last night. Cain is now sitting with an 8-1 record. I’m sure some people might start to consider him as a possible Cy Young candidate for this season. He’s got an 8-1 record, 2.55 ERA and 59 K’s. Since all the draft talk is going around. Matt Cain was drafted in the 2002 draft at the #25 pick from Houston High School (TN).
Pablo Sandoval hit a monster shot last night that probably still hasn’t landed. It was like a Barry Bonds blast. This guy is my favorite everyday player. He just plays the game at a 100%, and has fun out there. I guess before the game Sandoval told the team that no one will give high-fives to the guy that hits the first home run. Well Juan Uribe hit one and walked into the dugout pumped up and no one even looked at him. You can see Bengie Molina trying to hold back his smile/laugh. Uribe finally just started high-fiving everyone till they gave in and reacted with excitement like him. It was funny to watch. They kept replaying it after the game.
The Giants send Zito to the mound tonight. Hoping he can secure the series win with the D-Backs tonight. We all know the Giants will more than likely make a trade soon, but no new names have surfaced in the trade rumors. I’m pretty much done with Fred Lewis. I want him to do good and I think he’s athletic. He’s just not able to put it all together. He strikes out half the time he’s batting. I’m willing to part with him in a trade and get a corner outfielder. We have a lot of holes, so we pretty much can get any decent player out there and plug him in somewhere. This teams needs to make more than one move to fill some holes. I’m just hoping they at least make a move soon to get the train moving in the right direction.
~ King of Cali
Probably Not Going To Win The West…Wild Card?
The Giants are on a big road trip right now. They aren’t playing great teams, but they do need to prove that they can win on the road. The Giants swept the Braves at home. Then took 2 out of 3 from the Cardinals. Now on this road trip they have took 2 out of 3 from the
Nationals. Where Randy Johnson also got his 300 win. They are now finishing up a 4 game series against the Marlins in Florida. The Giants have taken 2 out of the first 3 games. Johnson is pitching on short rest today to try to get the series win for the Giants. The Giants are currently 4-2 on this road trip. After the game tonight. The Giants will be flying back to the West Coast to Arizona to play a 3 game series with the D-Backs.
Ohhhhkay now I’m looking at the Dodgers as a baseball fan and not just a Giants fan. My Giants heart wants to tell me that the Dodgers are going to fall flat on their face and we will catch them. Now my baseball heart tells me the Dodgers my stumble here and there but they will not fall off the mountain all the way back to ground zero. Plus they should have Manny back in a month. That’s only going to help them. The Giants only shot this season is more than likely going to be the Wild Card. They will have to battle with some good teams, but it can be done with the pitching that the Giants have. We are all still waiting for Sabean to get that bat or two that we need to help us score more runs.
Giants Starting Lineup Tonight Vs. Marlins
CF – Rowand
SS – Renteria
RF – Winn
C – Molina
1B – Sandoval
3B – Uribe
LF – Torres
2B – Burriss
P – Johnson ( Randy Johnson is pitching on short rest)
~ King of Cali
Randy Johnson Gets Win #300!!!!!!
Mother Nature was messing with the Giants again today. Game one of the double header didn’t start at 1:30pm pacific time like they planned. It did however start at 2:10pm. Johnson was ready for the start. He was perfect for the first 3 innings. He walked Nick Johnson but then didn’t allow the first Nationals hit until the bottom of the 5th inning. Johnson pitched 6 innings and allowed only 2 hits and 1 run. The 1 run was not a earned run either. Johnson couldn’t have asked to pitch any better than he did today.
The game was very close. It was a 2-1 game and the Nationals had bases loaded with Adam Dunn up in the bottom of the 8th inning. Brian Wilson was had a full count on Dunn and struck him out to end the 8th inning. Nationals fans were cheering for the Giants all game long. It sounded like a home game for the Giants. I’m sure it was just everyone wanting to see some history.
The Giants did add 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to give them a 5-1 lead. Aaron Rowand got a hit and then Edgar Renteria followed him up with a double to set up 2nd and 3rd for Randy Winn. Win then hit a 2 run double scoring Rowand and Renteria. Even the slumping Bengie Molina got in on the hitting action. He got a single up the middle to set up first and 3rd for pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly to score Randy Winn.
Brian Wilson starts the bottom of the 9th off by striking out Elijah Dukes with a 96 MPH fastball. Austin Kearns then strikes out for the 2nd out. Nationals fans cheer loud after Kearns strikes out. Ron Belliard has a 2 strike count and the fans are chanting “Randy”. Belliard hit a hard ground ball to Burriss and 2nd base and beat out the throw at first to delay the Giants win. The game goes on…. Nieves is the batter and has a 2 strike count. Wilson strikes him out to win the game. Randy Johnson gets #300!!!!
~King of Cali
Double Header With Nats – Giants/Braves Trigger Finger
Good news Giants fans. The Giants didn’t lose on the road last night. Well they actually didn’t even play. They waited over 3 hrs at the field to see if they can get the game in, but Mother Nature had other plans. Which means Randy Johnson has to wait another day to go for win #300. Johnson will take the mound today if the rain clears up. He will be pitching game 1 of the double header. Game 1 will be at 1:30pm pacific time. Game 2 will follow that with Matt Cain on the mound.
The Giants have been pretty much hopeless on the road. They have the 2nd best home record in the National League, but can’t seem to win on the road to save their lives. We probably have had the easiest road games possible to win so far this year, and we can’t even take advantage of that. I’m sure a lot of people don’t know this, but the Giants actually have the 2nd best home record in the National League. We are 2nd to the hated Dodgers!
Thoughts about Glavine/Braves and Giants non moves.
In recent news I’m sure that everyone has heard about Glavine getting released by the Braves. This is a guy that will be in the Hall of Fame for sure. This guy has had so many big games for the Braves. Do you think it was right that they released him? Well that all depends on how you look at the situation. The Braves look at it like a business. They want to win and will release a player like Glavine if they think they have someone better to fill his spot. They even went out and made a trade to get Nate McLouth. Now lets step back and look at the Giants. The Giants have a tough time in even thinking about releasing Rich Aurilia. He’s still on the team with a .200 Avg. He did actually get hot to get his Avg. up to .200 and he did hit his first home run last week. Giants can’t even release a fallen star when the Braves can release a future Hall of Famer. The Giants are just dangling Jonathan Sanchez and the Braves are out there making trades. Just shows you which team wants to win and pull the trigger on moves and which team just wants to dangle a player.
~ King of Cali
