For those who missed the glorious broadcast debut of El Lefty Malo, click here, download and fast-forward through the first 25 minutes. Don’t get up to piss or you’ll miss me. (I could turn that into a country song.)
Nats 3, Giants 1: Before I comment, I have to say thank you to Mark Sweeney. He was traded to the Dodgers tonight. I’ll cheer you when you come back to Mays Field, Mark, even wearing the blue. I wish you were my teammate.
It’s the first Giant-Dodger trade in 22 years, so my guess is this is a reward to Sweeney for being such a stand-up guy during his Giants tenure. And quietly, he’s put together a nice year after a slow start. Give him the taste of a pennant race instead of the Mordur of 13 back in mid-August. The Giants only get a player to be named; perhaps the Nedster will take pity and send ol’ Sabes someone promising. I doubt it.
Back to today’s game: An orgy of waste on both sides. Both teams had ample opportunity to score, and both teams flailed. Especially the Giants. First inning, men on first and third with no outs: Winn pops up, then a a botched double steal. Fourth inning, man on third with one out: nothing. Fifth inning, man on second with one out: nothing. Sixth inning, first and third with one out: Frandsen hits into a double play. Eighth inning, first and third with no out: Giants can’t even hit a fly ball or ground ball up the middle. And yes, this includes you, Barry “You Even Love Me When I Pinch-Hit!” Bonds. Ninth inning, Vizquel on second with two outs: game over.
Pat Misch: the early verdict is “hittable.” After two starts here’s my early kneejerk assessment. He throws a lot of strikes, which is both good and bad. It’s good when he throws deceptive strikes. It’s bad when he gives up a lot of smashes, like he did today. He’s going to need a spry defense, and a wide strike zone won’t hurt.
Note: on the stadium gun, Kevin Correia didn’t crack 90 MPH in his two innings. I couldn’t tell if he was throwing all off-speed stuff, or if his fastball has lost a few ticks.
PLODAG: Rajai Davis. Three hits, two stolen bases, a little extra excitement every time he comes to bat. If I were Bat-Girl (oh, please come back to us!), Davis would be my B.O.D.
SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Sweeney gone, Ortmeier up. Why no Schierholz or Lewis? I can only speculate that Ortmeier is a switch-hitter who does better from the right side, which the Giants sorely need at this point.
