Giants 10, Mets 2: The G's made short work of Oliver Perez tonight, a pitcher who bears some resemblance to his mound opponent Jonathan Sanchez: tall skinny lefties with whip-like fastballs and sliders. Has Sanchez surpassed Perez? Note that Perez, blessed with a world of talent, didn't put it together until 2004, with Pittsburgh, then went in the tank again until last year with the Mets. (Is he still only 26? Indeed he is.) Enter Sanchez, who after two long years of rocky bullpen apprenticeship, seems to be getting better start by start. Tonight wasn't his best effort of the year, but as Krukow pointed out in the post-game, Sanchez no longer folds under pressure. The Mets, who crush left-handed pitching, had plenty of base runners in the early innings, but Sanchez kept them at bay and managed to go seven. After the first two or three innings, I thought he'd be lucky to finish five.
PLODAG: Sanchez.
The Upside: Brian Horwitz. Remember that thing I wrote yesterday about him not having much power? Yeah, I don't remember it either. That must have been someone else's blog. Can a 25-year-old with 16 home runs in 1,766 minor league at-bats come to the big leagues and hit with power? Tonight he can.
A quick note before bedtime: The Merc's Baggarly noted on his blog that the Giants held a low-profile workout the other day at Mays Field for a few unheralded prospects. Baggarly ID'ed a few of them, including Cal catcher-turned-outfielder Charlie Cutler. He happens to share a high school alma mater with Giants president Larry Baer among other semi-famous and infamous characters around these parts. Go get 'em, Charlie.
