When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

05.29.2007
Fearful Symmetry

Never so fast have fortunes turned. I thought entering the weekend the Giants could start this upcoming road swing with a seven-game win streak. Instead, they flew to New York today on the business end of the Rockies’ broom, looking shabby and shoddy in three losses, a perfect mirror image of the team they swept earlier in the week.

The mortal eye of home plate ump Wally Bell didn’t help, with his egregious blown call in the 10th inning Sunday. Troy Tulowitzki should have been called out on strikes, but the non-call let the at-bat continue. I realize he got thwacked in the mask with a foul ball just previously, but that call, o! that call — Wally, in what furnace was thy brain!

I pulled my hair out at the result — a game-winning RBI single — not just because of Bell’s mistake but for the pitches that followed: all fastballs toward the outside, even though Tulowitzki was leaning that way and Hennessey was having trouble planting the ball on the corner. Not one pitch came back in; not one breaking ball to keep Tulowitzki honest. Terrible pitch selection.

The dread hand of Fred Lewis compounded the deficit with his misreading of the next batter’s line drive. On the TV side Krukow said it was a tough error to hang on the kid. Bullshit, I say. The ball should have been caught. The Fred Lewis Paradigm is beginning to emerge: at least once a series, Lewis will butcher a play in the outfield. The trick is to ensure the mistake isn’t costly. And he’s not such an offensive force that the Giants can overlook his Dr. Strangeglove tendencies.

But Lewis can’t be scapegoated for Sunday’s loss. Indeed, the defense let the Giants down in all three Rockies games with errors physical and mental. And with Ray Durham likely to hit the DL, Rich Aurilia showing no sign of the 23–homer guy from last year, and upcoming sets in two of the unfriendliest places for visitors this side of the Hindu Kush, the Giants have their work cut out for them. They’re about to find out how deep their starting rotation can carry them, or else dare twist the sinews of our hearts.

 
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[May 29, 2007 1:48 AM]  |  link  |  reply
BawLa said

Tomorrow should be fun. I'd like to see Timmeh get revenge.

- Aurilia has no business at the top of the lineup anymore. Vizquel seems to be coming around. Hopefully he kicks it in gear.

- Should Molina bat 5th? He's clutch, but having consecutive slow guys on the basepads could kill us.

- I think it is time for Freddie to get a couple days off. Ortmeier should see some starts before Roberts comes back.

[May 29, 2007 10:00 AM]  |  link  |  reply
Lyle said

Yes, please, more Ortmeier. And let Frandsen bat 2nd - that's his ultimate position, let him get some experience there. Molina has to bat 5th now; I just don't see any alternative. Here's an idea:
CF-Winn
2B-Frandsen
RF-Ortmeier
LF-Bonds
C-Molina
1B-Klekso
3B-Feliz
SS-Vizquel

Maybe hitting in front of Bonds is just what Ortmeier needs. And I realize Klesko's OBP argues for a higher spot, but I hate to put him and Bonds back-to-back; I'm still a sucker for L-R-L-R lineups.

[May 29, 2007 10:39 AM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

IF Durham can't play, and

IF Bonds plays tonight (the Chron's Schulman wrote in today's paper that he might not),

THEN I predict this lineup against lefty Oliver Perez:

CF Winn
RF Ortmeier
1B Aurilia
LF Bonds
C Molina
3B Feliz
SS Vizquel
2B Frandsen
P Lincecum

[May 29, 2007 1:49 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Reeky said

Lefty, you called it in the pre-season...all those Advantage-Opponent marks, a few Neutrals, and the one or two Advantage-Giants. It's just grim, and we gotta look towards the future. On Sunday on the pre-game Fleming said it would take 90 wins to take the NL West, and to make it there the Giants have to be 20 games over .500 the rest of the way...yeah, right! Thank God for the Lincecum and the rest of the younguns'!