07.02.2009

7/1/09: A Tolerable Loss

Cardinals 2, Giants 1: On another night, in another month, with a different Giant team, this might have been a 6-0 loss. At risk of making my middle name Pollyanna, I thought this wasn't too bad, as losses go. First, the Giants hit a lot of balls hard. Karmic cyclery, perhaps, for the team's "ground attack" of bloops and bleeders and choppers that have won several games this year. Second, Matt Cain didn't have his best stuff but threw a beautiful game, with Romo and Affeldt to follow. Third, I can't blame Bobby Howry for surrendering the game-winning homer to Rasmus in the 10th. He should have had Rasmus on a strike three, then on a foul pop. On 3-2 he had to come with a fastball with Pujols on deck. Howry did his job; Rasmus just did a better job.

What's more, I'm not too steamed about the missed opportunity in the eighth, when the Giants loaded the bases with no outs (thanks in part to a blown call at first base) and only scored one. The key to the inning was the 3-2 curveball Wainwright threw to the Panda for a swinging strike three. That's balls-out pitching. With Wainwright at the top of his game last night, Molina did a great job getting the sac fly to tie the game. A little more toward the alley and it might have been a three-run double.

Best part about the game, though? Hearing Cardinal fans boo when Albert Pujols was intentionally walked. Oh, I'm sorry, did you just drive 200 miles through endless cornfields and a tornado storm with three screaming kids in your minivan to watch Pujols hit? I feel your pain. Wait, it was here somewhere. I must have misplaced it. I'll go look for your pain; meanwhile, Cardinal fans, go suck 688 eggs.
   

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07.01.2009

I'm All Up in Your Grill, Harshing Your Mellow

Once upon a time, a 25–year-old Giants outfielder finally got his chance after he spent what seemed like years punishing triple-A pitching. 

He was under the radar for much of the year, with a .570 OPS in limited at-bats, but on a summer road trip that included a swing through the Midwest, our friend made a nice splash. He got hits (12 for 25 in six games), he hit for power, he showed off his strong arm and his wheels. This is it, Giants fans said. This is the turning point.

Anyone care to guess this young fellow’s name? Here’s a hint.

If you said Nate Schierholtz, I don’t blame you. On the current road trip, which includes a swing through the Midwest, Nate had a six-game, 14–for-29 streak. He cooled off last night with an oh-fer but still hit a couple balls hard.

Is Schierholtz experiencing a Lindenesque flash-in-the-pan? I’m not saying that. I’m just sayin’.

Here’s today’s Bucket Of Cold Water on Your Campfire #2, courtesy of BP’s Kevin Goldstein:

One pitcher with numbers that are impossible to argue with is Giants righty Tim Alderson. After leading the California League in ERA during his full-season debut last year, the 20-year-old has a 2.36 ERA in his first nine Eastern League starts for Double-A Connecticut. Scouts still find it difficult to warm up to Alderson, however. "It's not an insult at all, he's a for-sure, big-league starting pitcher for me," said one scout who saw him recently, "but it's strictly back of the rotation for me," he added, while explaining that Alderson's backwards style of pitching is not one that is usually conducive to major league success. "That plus breaking ball is his calling card, and he's a guy with plus-plus control and average command, but he can't pitch off his fringy fastball, and you don't really see many changeups out of him."

Does this mean the Giants should sell high on Alderson immediately and trade him for a big bat? If the above scout’s opinion is already widespread among other teams, they might not be able to trade him so easily — at least not for the bat they want. And what about Schierholtz? Is there anything about his game that makes you think he’s not for real? Discuss.

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06.30.2009

Back on the Block

I got home late yesterday to find the Giants had just played their best game of the year. It’s only one of 162, but the ten-zip win over St. Louis was a microcosm of all the things we want from the Giants, starting with complete domination from a starting pitcher, one of Tim Lincecum’s best games as a pro, and ending with a post-game radio wrap that featured at least a half-dozen “Big Sadowski” jokes.

Timmah struck out eight, a paltry sum for him, but he knew the Cards were swinging early in the count (a strategy teams are using lately with more frequency but not with more success). So he threw the ball where they could only hit it weakly, except for Albert Pujols, who lined into an out and doubled off the left-field wall. Hence a complete game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches.

The game also featured a key three-run homer from Travis Ishikawa in a spot that screamed for a power hitter to take control of the situation. Mediocre fastball down the middle — Ishikawa planted it in the bleachers. Nate Schierholtz continued to hit the ball hard with two hits and coulda shoulda had at least another. Great pitching, nice defense, and young guys hitting the ball hard. Sounds like a plan.

Sunday, I missed the debut of Ryan Sadowski, who threw so well he’ll get another chance Friday. Good on ya, mate. No one saw his promotion coming. Here is the only mention of him I can find from my archives:

5/29/09: Who will fill the rotation if Sanchez goes away between now and July? Sadowski is in AAA for the first time as a 26–year-old [and] unlikely…

He was so unlikely, I didn’t even bother to relay his minor league record, which goes to show you how baseball moves often fall out of the sky.

Take for example all the trade rumors regarding the Giants’ pursuit of a hitter: for all the talk of Jermaine Dye, Nick Johnson, Matt Holliday, and other usual suspects, there’s one name that came up today that no one had previously floated: Victor Martinez. For those who don’t know him, he splits time for the Indians between first base (36 starts in 2009) and catcher (38 starts), he’s a switch hitter, and except for an injury-plagued 2008 has been good for 20 home runs, a good eye at the plate, and 35–40 doubles a year — about five wins better than replacement. That’s real good. (In Jorge Posada’s peak six-year period with the Yanks, he averaged 5.3 WAR.)

Martinez’s power won’t necessarily be blunted by Mays Field, and he gives the Giants more leeway to trade Bengie Molina or let him walk this winter if they don’t want to rush Buster Posey. In hindsight he’s an obvious target for the Giants. But I don’t think he’s come up once until now.

Who knows whether the Indians would trade such a valuable player who’s under contract through 2010 ($7 M club option next year) for a package of players that doesn’t include one of the Giants’ big four prospects. I’d say it’s unlikely. I think discussions would have to start with Tim Alderson and build from there.

SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Sadowski on the roster, Aurilia on bereavement leave, Kelvin Pichardo on the 60–day DL. Interesting decision upcoming when Aurilia returns Friday. Bochy has already said Sadowski gets another start Friday, which means…Richie DFA? Sanchez to the minors?   

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06.24.2009

Three Months, Three Players, Three Questions

I'm headed out of town for a few days for a much-needed escape, so get ready for a major trade. Brian Sabean has a knack of making moves while I'm not looking. Coincidence? You figure it out.

Though we're not quite at the half-way mark (43%, if you must know), I figure it's a good time to take a Rumsfeldian look at this team. There are known knowns, such as Tim Lincecum and Rich Aurilia on either end of the performance spectrum. We don't need to discuss them right now. There are other known knowns on a more cosmic scale, such as the team's woeful offense, prompting Sabean to say this week that he knows what the Giants need (duh), but it might take a while to get it. (So maybe there won't be a big trade while I'm gone.) 

The situations I'm most interested in discussing are the uncertain ones. Travis Ishikawa, for example. He's a whiz in the field, which cuts him some slack on offense. And with that slack, his numbers have recently begun to climb toward respectability. A couple hot weeks, and he could be solidly respectable. Dig this: Say he goes on a 20 for 50 tear, not bloody  likely, but hey, let's amuse ourselves. Let's throw in 4 HRs, 4 2Bs, and 5 walks. He'd come out the other end with this line:

.300 / .358 / .494

The .850-ish OPS would put him spitting distance behind Nick Johnson, Derrek Lee and Lance Berkman.

At his current level (.739 OPS), he's in James Loney and Casey Kotchman territory. Even with recent improvement, I can't get too excited. His four home runs this year have come off the following pitchers and pitches (according to MLB Gameday).

Buddy Carlyle - 82 MPH changeup
Matt Palmer - 87 MPH fastball
Darren O'Day - 85 MPH fastball
Trevor Cahill - 89 MPH fastball

What seems like a nice power burst is Ishikawa hitting low-velocity pitches in location mistakes. He's not turning on 90+ MPH fastballs. This could be significant or not, but he still needs to prove to the league he can hit a good fastball. At least he's hitting crappy pitches over the fence now and then, where respectable first basemen should be hitting them.

Another question the first three months has brought up: Andres Torres, keeper? Who knew this guy could do so many things well: Steal a bag. Run like hell, as he showed last night going first-to-home on Panda's double. Hit the ball hard. Bunt. Take a walk. Chase down tough fly balls. I likes! Is good! Where does he fit into the Giants' plans beyond this year? Is he a fourth outfielder, at best, or could he make someone like Fred Lewis expendable? Gripe about Sabes & Co. all you want, but their scrap-heap work this winter was superb. Torres, Brandon Medders, Justin Miller, and Juan Uribe have all been valuable contributors. 

In three months, Jonathan Sanchez has backslid from breakout-year candidate to thanks-but-no-thanks. The question whether to let him make his next scheduled start looms large, but the bigger question is whether the Giants should even bother trying to trade him. It would be a ridiculously low sell. Is it better at this point to wait for him to regain confidence and trade value? Part of that equation is whether Sanchez is ultimately better suited for the bullpen. Tempermentally, I think not. The thought of him coming in late with the game close and runners on base....yeesh. But if he never masters the changeup, he's just a two-pitch pitcher, and very few of those become successful starters without at least one of their pitches named "Mr. Snappy." 

Next...oh, wait. You want an answer to the Sanchez problem? What do you think this is, Premium Insider Malo? Alright, this time you don't have to pay. The first thing to do is dial back the hand-waving. No more ominous quotes in the press from Darth Sabes or Stern Uncle Boch. Give the kid a short breather, a few extra days between starts, which the upcoming schedule affords. Put him back on the mound, give long man Justin Miller an extra cup of coffee in the third inning, and take it from there. The bullpen is solid enough and rested enough, thanks to Cain, Lincecum and Zito going deep consistently, to absorb a few more early exits from Sanchez. If a nice trade offer comes over the wire, take it seriously.
  
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06.23.2009

The June Rotation

My starting five have been rock-solid of late, a great mix of grizzled veterans, quiet performers, and young up-and-comers. Rain delays, short rest, long road trips -- nothing fazes them.

M. Ward, Hold Time: M. (for Matt) Ward has been around a decade as an indy folk-rock mainstay -- some would say godhead -- which doesn't quite make him an up-and-comer. But he's just now getting national spotlight, often for being an old-fashioned guy. And his new album shows it: "Never Had Nobody Like You" is built on a softened but reverential version of Gary Glitter's glam-rock stomp. "To Save Me" has the percussive piano and castanet roll of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" plus some very ELO-ish swirls. And the title track feels filtered through the gauze of John Lennon's "#9 Dream." Not to mention that he covers Buddy Holly's "Rave On." I've gone through it top to bottom a few times, and nothing so far has the impact of his classic "Chinese Translation," but seeing how many decades run through the album, I'm willing to give it plenty of time.

Fanfarlo, Reservoir: If they're good enough for Sigur Ros, they're good enough for me, especially when they offer their first full-length album for a $1 download (limited time offer, must act now!). If you're completely confused, Sigur Ros is a very eccentric, very talented group from Iceland, and I'm on their mailing list. They gave Fanfarlo a shout-out, and for good reason: They play a warm, communal, propulsive rock with lots of fun instruments -- think Arcade Fire without the grating manic edge.

Sonic Youth, Washing Machine: Eagerly awaiting SY's latest, "The Eternal," and the bits I've heard so far are promising. There's not much middle ground with the band, which tends to provoke cultish loyalty or a lot of wincing, but if you've never heard them, Washing Machine (1995) is a good place to start. It's got the lean, muscular cool-thing sound they do so well, as well as the noise-feedback freakouts, but there's a dreamy element to it, too, with two meandering songs. The title track also has one of my favorite Youth moments, Kim Gordon's shaggy-dog tale of a dream in which a woman appears in the sky, throws her a quarter, and says, "Honey, here's a quarter. Go put it in a washing machine." It's the downtown version of Flava Flav's classic admonition, "Wash yo' butt!" 

Spoon, "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case": Other art forms have their masterful minimalist moments. Rock and roll does, too, and one of my favorites is this song, which has four lines that repeat and repeat, with various layers of percussion, background vocals, and riffs (is that a harpsichord solo?) added and subtracted without ever losing the song's chugging momentum.

The Staple Singers, Best of The Staple Singers: There's something a little stiff about the studio work of world's warmest, fuzziest gospel-singing family. Perhaps "square" is more like it. They often served as a counterweight to droogy freak shows of the late sixties (on a bill with Love and Rahsaan Roland Kirk -- dig!), and their best-of collection is relentlessly uplifting. I can only take so much of it. Catch old recordings of them live for maximum effect. They provide perhaps the highlight of The Last Waltz with a cover of the Band's "The Weight," filmed separately from the concert itself. Live or not, I can listen a million times to their 1972 #1 hit "I'll Take You There," car ad be damned. (Yes, it was made into an ad. Please don't go looking for it unless you want images of mid-size American crap permanently associated with the song.)
   

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06.22.2009

Afternoon Video Fun

Pshaw. Do it in a game and I’ll be impressed.

 

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06.21.2009

6/21/09: Schizophrenia

Giants 3, Rangers 2: Happy Father's Day for thirty more seconds. It was the best of homestands, it was the worst of homestands. Then it was the best of homestands, leading most observers to shrug and say, Welcome to the Giants. Except when faced with the ridiculously hottest of hot teams, they stay close, they pitch well, they hope a few batters get hot and the rest of the team at least plays fundamentally sound. It leaves us clamoring for more, for a new player or two whose bat will improve the team by a win, maybe two, maybe enough to eke out a wild card berth in the playoffs. Wouldn't that be something?

For those who say this is not a team built to go deep in the playoffs, and there it's not worth making trades to get to the playoffs, step back a minute and think about that. This team could make the playoffs. Wouldn't that be something? Not if they mortgage the future for a short-term Madness-of-King-George type of romp through the hedgerows, but I think we've heard enough recently from the powers that be to trust them that they won't toss the rebuild out the window. (Cross your fingers just in case.)

Even the most calloused cynics, with whom I agree less frequently these days, will admit that a trade of non-blue-chip talent for a decent hitter, if possible, would be welcome. What still divides us -- and by us I mean the two sides of my feverish Libra brain -- is whether a trade of the veteran starters by the trade deadline is worth it. I'm talking mostly about Randy Winn and Bengie Molina. Get something useful for them before they walk as free agents? (There's a good argument whether to keep them and collect draft picks when they sign elsewhere, but that scenario opens the possibility of them accepting arbitration, which would guarantee them a one-year deal with the Giants and probably a raise, to boot.)

If the Giants collapse in the next four weeks, then yes, by all means. But it's not as simple as it looks. Trading Molina by July 31 raises more complications: Does Sandoval become the full-time catcher? He would have to take more days off, and the last thing the Giants need is a lineup without his bat. And what about his ouchy elbow? What if he's forced to play first base again for a stretch?

Unless Winn and Molina get hot and stay hot through July, I can't imagine a team trading bright prospects for either one. OK, perhaps a contending team that suddenly loses a starting catcher would hand over a decent haul for Bengie. But Winn with his negligible power and middling on base skills isn't going to be top-five on any GM's must-have outfield list unless they want Winn's glove in center and the O is all gravy. And that leads to this question: If the Giants are still wild-card contenders a month from now, and the deals for Winn and Molina on the table are for marginal prospects, would you pull the trigger? 

What of the other two veteran starters? First, forget about anyone taking Edgar Renteria. We don't need to get into the details. Second, even with his determined climb back to relevance Aaron Rowand is still likely untradeable thanks to his contract. From the Giants' perspective, he's probably untradeable because of his hot bat. To which I reply: On June 12, 2008, Aaron Rowand's triple slash line was .320 / .385 / .507. After today's game, he's at .303 / .364 / .496. That's darn good, and I'll be singing frabjous day if that's his line at the end of the year.

But please heed: He had an OPS more than 30 points higher at roughly the same time last year, and it went downhill from there faster than Picabo Street wearing aerodynamic underwear. Most people feel his overall 2008 was a huge disappointment. And by "most," I mean "all." I'm not saying 2009 will follow the same flight path, I'm just trying to put the giddiness in context.

Now, as for Pablo Sandoval: Context? We don't need no stinkin' context. We are drinking mezcal and laughing until we cough up a lung and pass out with our boots in the campfire. Ha! That's what giddy fanboy worship does to a rational child-rearing man.

But that seems to be the theme of the season. Giants: split personality of happy pitching face / sad batting face. Fans: Go for it / Stand pat / Trade the vets. Randy Winn: Left side, Tony Gwynn-ish / Right side, Brian Bocockesque.

Let's move on to the players of the week. Sandoval does it again with the bat, 10 for 22 with two doubles, two stunning home runs, and four walks, all while returning to third base. No one comes close to his excellent week except Rowand. Hat tip to Matt Downs, who had four hits and four walks in his debut. I especially liked his opposite field double Friday night. Pitcher of the week was Matt Cain, who beat Barry Zito by a nose by throwing one more inning, giving up one fewer run, and one fewer walk. Brian Wilson was also in the mix for his four perfect innings this week, two to save wins and two to preserve Saturday's tie.


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06.19.2009

Bench Winn Now

Randy Winn is often cited as a valuable, underrated player. For one, he’s the best defensive right fielder that East Coasters have never heard of, and he puts up unspectacular but solid and consistent numbers from either side of the plate.

But the rationale for playing Winn is diminishing by the game. For one, he’s been a fright from the right side. In 56 PA against left-handed pitching, here’s his line:

.109 / .123 / .145

Small sample size and all that, tut tut, but at this point in the year, in this lineup that needs every boost it can get, there’s no reason to start Winn against lefties.

His defense, you say? His glove is so good in right, it makes up for the deficiencies? If so, why has Bruce Bochy shifted Winn to left field to let Nate Schierholtz play right? We don’t know yet if Nate will prove as adept at tracking down balls in the treacherous winds and odd angles of our hometown right field, but, ahem, have you seen the kid’s arm?

So if Winn’s defense isn’t crucial, and his bat from the right side isn’t helping, at least he should play LF and hit third against right-handers, yes?

Indeed, he is hitting well against righties:

.322 / .382 / .475

That’s production. That’s better than Matt Holliday’s totals in Oakland this year. But here’s another glaring split:

Home .227 / .297 / .336
Away .313 / .353 / .453

Is this because the Giants have faced an unusual amount of lefties at home this year? Nope. With roughly the same number of home and away games, the Giants have faced 11 lefty starters on the road and 7 at home. Winn is simply hitting better on the road.

A quick look at his hitting chart tells us most of his fly-ball outs at home are to medium left and center. In other words, he’s not hit into a ton of rotten luck with 410–foot outs to Death Valley. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is lower at home, but it’s hard to tell if it’s a function of luck — ie, hard hit balls right at people — or a lot of weak swings producing lazy flies to left and grounders.

It’s possible there’s a reason for all this we could unlock with more perusal of the stats. Perhaps his hot and cold streaks have simply coincided with homestands and road trips. Perhaps it’s all ridiculous small sample sizes. But for a team that needs every hit, every walk, and every run it can muster, it wouldn’t hurt to bench Randy Winn right now except for road games against left right-handed starters.

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06.16.2009

6/16/09: Move Somethin'

Angels 8, Giants 1: Hats off to reader Dave Jr., who told us several hours before game time in this comment thread that the Giants would make a big roster move today. The lucky winner is Matt Downs, an unheralded 25-year-old prospect who quietly has hit well all the way up the ladder, though his numbers this year in Fresno weren't anything to write home about. But here he is, and there goes Manny Burriss, as we've speculated the last couple days. (To make room for Downs, catcher Steve Holm was removed from the 40-man roster.)

Downs hit two balls very hard tonight, but both landed in Angels' gloves for outs. The same can't be said for most of Jonathan Sanchez's pitches, who seemed determined to reinforce the recent buzz that opposing teams aren't interested in him. As his short outing tonight went deeper into debacle, you could imagine the last few curious scouts putting down their radar guns, shaking their heads and making ominous little scribbles in their notebooks.

So what to do? Downs (and perhaps a few days from now, Frandsen) for Burriss is the right first step. In the next couple weeks, any incremental improvement the team can make without risky trades is worth doing. Sitting Randy Winn against left-handed starters is another step.

What about Sanchez? Baggs suggests in his game report tonight that upcoming off-days make a four-man rotation possible through the end of June. (Though according to my calculations, a couple guys would have to go on three days' rest at least once.) A more radical thought: If Sanchez has options, perhaps he should head back to Fresno to get things together, with his replacement anyone who can consistently go five or six innings every fifth day. Is Fresno pitcher Kevin Pucetas ready for prime time? I don't know. Can Justin Miller or Brandon Medders stretch out and become a fifth starter? Miller was a starter earlier in his career, and he's certainly earned a promotion with his excellent long relief work. You can bet the Giant front office has mulled over every option -- under the assumption that he'd be traded. 
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06.16.2009

Burriss v. Frandsen

Manny Burriss’s latest cold streak has re-heated talk of a switch. Now that the Giants have proved they can compete, not just by climbing to the top of the wild card standings but by playing close games night after night, win or lose, it makes less sense to let Burriss develop at the major league level when Kevin Frandsen can give the Giants similar defense and, unless cruel fate strikes him again, better offense.

How much better? We can guesstimate. As a major leaguer Burriss has been exactly replacement level. His decent showing last year (.357 OBP) has been cancelled out by this year’s faceplant, according to Wins Above Replacement (WAR), which factors both offense and defense.

So all Frandsen has to do is be better than a generic replacement. That shouldn’t be a problem, despite the 2–for-28 in the bigs this year. His major-league WAR over parts of three seasons is 0.2, barely better than Burriss, but his minor-league track record tells us Frandsen should perform better.

Frandsen’s career AAA numbers are .326 / .382 / .572. That translates to .281 / .327 / .396 in the majors, practically the same he produced in 2007, his only extended look in the bigs. I think it’s safe to say that Frandsen playing every day could put up an OPS in the low .700s. Could Burriss (2009 OPS: .560) be that type of hitter? Someday, perhaps. Between now and September 30? I seriously doubt it.

Then again, I’d rather have Dustin Pedroia, but a quick swap of Frandsen for Burriss is a cheap way to squeeze another win, maybe two from the lineup without trading valuable prospects.

Combine that with a more significant upgrade at another position, and it’s possible the Giants can improve themselves by 3 or 4 wins, which could make all the difference down the stretch.

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06.15.2009

6/15/09: No Blowout!

Angels 9, Giants 7: The Giants' streak of not getting blown out continues, thanks to late inning fireworks from Pablo Sandoval (two HRs, 4 RBI) and Andres Torres (2-run homer). Barry Zito pitched two mediocre games before this one, and let's hope tonight (3 2/3 IP, 7 R) doesn't foretell a slide into the Old Giant Zitoness. The Angels didn't dink and doink Barry -- two balls left the yard against him, and he hung a couple crucial 0-2 pitches that turned into line drive base hits. I thought the microcosm of the game came when he got two strikes on opposing pitcher John Lackey (0 for 26 lifetime at the plate), threw several pitches that Lackey fouled off or took off the plate, then threw a fat fastball that Lackey lined into center for an RBI single. If you can't put away a guy who's 0 for 26 career, it's not your night.

My man Broc, chilling with me in the 1-3-8 tonight, said after Manny Burriss's third overmatched AB that Burriss was going to find someone waiting for him in the dugout to say, "Um, Manny, Skip wants to see you in his office. Now."

Translation: Burriss is this close to punching his Greyhound ticket back to Fresno. Unfortunately Kevin Frandsen can't come back for 10 days because he just went down. I'll betcha Frandsen would be back up tomorrow otherwise.


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06.15.2009

Come Back to 24 Willie Mays Plaza, Omar V., Omar V.

Baseball Prospectus has posted a fun interview with Omar Vizquel in which he says he wants to be a big-league manager. What better place for a free-thinking, painting-and-sculpting, Spanish-speaking shortstop/dancer to manage a team than in San Francisco? Can you think of any other Giant who had such a relatively short tenure with the team and became so beloved?

The interview is subscription-only, and yes, you should subscribe, but I’ll excerpt a wee bit:  

DL: You've obviously won a lot of Gold Gloves. What is your opinion on how they are awarded?

OV: I think the criterion is kind of weird. The guy who makes the least amount of errors... that doesn't necessarily mean that he deserves a Gold Glove, because it doesn't show the types of plays he makes in the field…

DL: What are your thoughts on the recent advances in defensive metrics?

OV: I was reading something about that last year, about chances that you get around your position—your range and how many balls you can get to. It was really interesting for me to see, because it also shows you the location of the player. So, if you locate yourself a little better than others, you have a better chance to get to other balls.

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OV: Art, to me, is like an escape from all the pressure that happens in baseball. Maybe I reflect a lot of sadness and a dark side of me when I do art, because sometimes you can be a little frustrated or you are not having a good time when you paint. That's a comment I get from a lot of people who have seen my art. But, to me, I like the figurative kind of work. I like a lot of bodies. I like the contour of the shapes, the round shapes, and maybe I try to express something about the particular body that I'm painting… sometimes you find yourself creating stuff that you don't even think about while you're doing it. But when you actually finish the piece, you can sit back and kind of have a conversation with your painting about the things that you did.

***

A couple other Monday thoughts:

* Jake Peavy’s bum ankle takes him off the trade market. So if you can’t have Peavy, and guys like Pedro Martinez and Paul Byrd don’t float your boat, and the Mariners don’t want to trade Erik Bedard, how much more valuable has Jonathan Sanchez become? Perhaps not so much. Sanchez’s recent efforts won’t inspire a contending team to grab him as a key contributor to a pennant run. But for a team that’s having trouble filling the back of the rotation now and wants a possible top starter for the next few years, Sanchez should be high on the list.

* Nate Schierholtz: I’m glad Bruce Bochy has all but promised him more playing time. I’m glad Nate’s gotten a chance to show off his power, speed, and arm. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves with the Nate > Fred talk. Lewis has hit a bad patch recently, that’s for sure, but a few short months ago everyone was talking up his ability to be a middle-of-the-order guy. Nate has shown no ability to take a walk in his big-league career, which might be significant, might not. How long until we starting bitching and moaning about his hacktastic tendencies? (Two walks in more than 80 PAs so far this year.) Give him some playing time, by all means. But let’s not forget that the guy he’s bumping from the lineup has some valuable skills, too.  

The odd thing about the current OF situation is how lefty-heavy the Giants are. Lewis and Schierholtz are pure lefties, and Winn is mired in a horrible (and uncharacteristic) slump from the right side. Schierholtz has hit lefties incredibly well in his brief big-league work, but the .478 BABIP (batting average on balls he puts in play) reveals an insanely lucky streak. Still, why not ride the streak while it lasts? Against lefties the next week or two, Bochy should put Torres in left, Rowand in center, and Schierholtz in right. (Even when the luck wears off, Schierholtz might prove at least competitive; his career minor-league splits against lefties are .283 / .339 / .479.) Against righties, Boch can play Winn, Rowand, Schierholtz, or give Rowand a day off and let FreddieLoo! out of the doghouse.  

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06.14.2009

6/14/09: The Giants' Perfect Weekend

Giants 7, A's 1: How could it get any better? The weather was great, the pitching was off the hook, The Kung Fu Panda went deep, Nate Schierholtz had one of the most exciting plays ever witnessed in this blessed ballpark, and the team on the ugly end of the whoopin' stick was the A's.

Right -- it could've been better. It could've been the Dodgers. In fact, it could've been either of the next two teams to visit, the Angels or Rangers, and the sweep would have been more significant. Oakland is a flawed team and, not to take anything away from the last three nights of spectacular mound work, a bit wheezy once you get past the budding young rotation. Jack Hanahan, sixth place hitter? Raj Davis pressed into a starting role? Jason Giambi, old and unenhanced?

Jack Cust showed why he really should be a DH as he clanked around right field all weekend, which leads me to ask: Why in the hell would an opposing manager put his worst outfielder in right at Mays Field? Bob Melvin did it late last year with Adam Dunn, and it cost them crucial runs.

While you ponder that, let's get to our players of the week:

On offense, Pablo Sandoval takes the honor not only for his power -- two crucial homers and a double -- but for his smaller ball. His bunt single started the rally Friday night against the otherwise flawless Vin Mazzaro, and he walked three times this week, twice coming around to score. My runner-up isn't Nate Schierholtz, though huzzahs for his nice series this weekend with the inside-the-parker, two fine throws his pinch-hit RBI single. No, it's Andres Torres, who came up 14 times, got on base seven times, hit two triples, a double, and walked twice. Show me a better fifth outfielder in baseball right now.

Among pitchers, Matt Cain had one trophy-case start and one grind-it-out win. It's hard to pick anyone else.

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