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

05.30.2008
A Rush and a Push and the Desert is Ours

Thanks to Randy Winn’s Chase Field-flavored vitamins and a side helping of largesse from the D-Backs in the 8th inning (walk, error, hit batter, walk = tying run), the Giants fly home with a desert sweep and a 6–3 road trip. Who woulda thunk? Not me, especially after that stinker of a homestand immediately preceding.

El Lefty has a sacred rule for seasons like these: If you can’t finish first, finish ahead of the Dodgers. How sweet would that be? The lowly, awful, pathetic, honor-besmirch’d Giants, banished to purgatory for their Bondsian sins and Zitoesque hubris: Better than the Dodgers. Three and a half games, boys. Go get ‘em.  

I was going to write today about yet another trade candidate, Tyler Walker, who seems to have shaken off the bad spell he endured a few weeks ago. Other than those five games in mid-May, he’s been good or better than good, and with his previous closer experience he should be a valuable commodity as long as he stays effective.

But this thread on the McChronic, spurred by Baggarly’s reporting in this morning’s Merc, does the subject enough justice. To wit: The emergence of Hinshaw, Valdez, and Sadler makes the more veteran bullpenners (Walker, Chulk, Taschner) expendable.

Before we get too excited, please note Sadler hasn’t been that good (15 baserunners, including 2 homers, in eight innings), and Hinshaw and Valdez are health concerns. The promising relievers in double-A whom Baggs cites as examples of depth in the system are doing well in double-A, in an extreme pitchers’ environment, but that’s a long way from Tipperary, mates.

I’m all for trading veteran relievers for promising prospects, and you should be, too, but let’s not be surprised if health problems and sudden lack of depth makes the bullpen ride bumpy the rest of the year. (I am not in favor of trading Brian Wilson, by the way.)

Today’s the day to make a decision on Erick Threets, too, who’s been on a long injury rehab assignment in Fresno. The 40–man roster is full. Threets can’t be optioned back to Fresno because he’s out of options. He must either return to the 25–man roster or be cut (or be traded). I’m putting bets on “cut.” 

Last note for the morning: I joined forces with other blognerds, including kinda famous dude Keith Law, to mock up a draft. You can follow it here. As the Giants’ rep, I chose Justin Smoak with the fifth pick. Shocking. (Buster Posey was unavailable; Law took him #1 for Tampa Bay.)



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[May 30, 2008 1:08 PM]  |  link  |  reply
LivinPhat said

What's the word on Aaron's hand? That was nasty.

[May 30, 2008 1:11 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

reports this morning say he's getting X-rays. His quote was something like, "as long as it's not displaced, I'm fine. I've played with a broken hand before."

That's weak. Gamers play with infected compound fractures.

[May 30, 2008 1:46 PM]  |  link  |  reply
bigO said

"walk, error, hit batter, walk = tying run" BUT then 2-0 on Holm (I didn't see the game) and he's swinging away.

[May 30, 2008 2:50 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Zo said

The SF Chron this morning talks about Hinshaw in terms best described as "the next big thing." Certainly, he looks promising based on limited experience. I, however, am suspicious of next big things, simply because they so often pan out to be the last not-so-big thing. I'm all for letting Hinshaw have a shot, I am less in favor of puking serviceable relievers in the hopes that this young man is a star.