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

05.08.2008
5/8/08: Jolly Well Rogered

Pirates 5, Giants 4: Our fair team’s dastardly run against the Pirates continues. Matt Cain gave up just enough to lose, with two sequences doing him in. In the third, he walked the pitcher to lead off. Two runs followed. In the decisive seventh, Cain threw one too many curves to Jason Bay, and Bay drilled it into the corner for a double and the tying run. He had Bay down two strikes, threw him two curves, and on the radio Dave Flemming, astute lad that he is, said Bay might be looking for the curve after seeing it twice. “I’d be shocked if Cain threw another right here,” Flemm said. Bam.

On the other side of the ball, the Pirate D could well have saved the game. Giants were up 4–2 in the top of the seventh, Cain on second with one out, and Eugenio Velez creamed one to deep center. A sure RBI triple, but McLouth ran it down. Instead of a 5–2 game with Velez on third, it was two outs, then quickly three as Castillo was retired. Play of the game right there.

PLODAG: Aaron Rowand, two walks and a hit, and some spectacular D of his own.

The Upside: Dan Ortmeier, two days in a row! Two more hits, both to right field, plus a ball to the warning track in right-center. He’s hitting the ball hard the opposite way. I like Ortmeier in the lineup against lefties, but dammit, Boch, not at Fred Lewis’s expense. How about Ort in right tomorrow night against Cole Hamels instead of Winn? Or at first, with Aurilia moving to third?  







[May 9, 2008 12:30 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Mike New said

I totally agree with the Ortmeier comments. I love watching the kid out there and the playing time looks like it's making him more comfortable out there. But don't take out Lewis to put him in! He's the best player on our team for crying out loud!

[May 9, 2008 1:24 PM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive said

I've been advocating giving Ortmeier playing time to see what he can do since last season ended, so I hope the Giants play him more.

But yes, not at expense of F-Lew!

It's not like Castillo is great at 3B, I don't see why they don't just play Ort at 1B, Richie at 3B, F-Lew in LF. Particularly since Castillo don't even hit LHP particularly well, heck, doesn't hit either particularly well. His offense would be poor for a SS, let alone a 3B.

Given the choice of Castillo vs. Lewis, small samples, but Lewis has hit better than Castillo against LHP, .744 OPS for Fred, .690 OPS for Castillo.