Giants 8, Braves 2: Travis Ishikawa had the game of his life today, and the question is whether it's a sign of things to come -- of a young talented player making adjustments and feeling more comfortable -- or a day of false hope. We might not know for a couple years. Ishikawa has nice parts to his game, the most obvious and valuable at the moment being his defense. If the Giants had the 2001 versions of Jeff Kent and Rich Aurilia at second and short, respectively, Bonds in left and Burks in right, they might throw Ishikawa out there every night, banjo bat be damned.
His home run today also showed how he can hit a pitch in just the right spot a long way. Hanging sliders from guys like Buddy Carlyle tend to make struggling hitters look good. Two of his three singles -- never mind the first, an infield pop-up that dropped when two Braves collided -- came on what looked like off-speed pitches that caught too much plate. I don't want to pull the tablecloth out from under Ishikawa's picnic, but the Braves didn't follow the attack plan that opponents have used to silence him: fastballs in and up, hard sliders down and in, soft stuff away. He's had a lot of holes in his swing so far, and I want to see him do more to close them before I pronounce a comeback.
I'll still give Travis player of the game on the hittin' side. Among pitchers, it's gotta be Justin Miller. He inherited a disaster-in-waiting from the ever-frustrating Jonathan Sanchez in the 6th inning: bases loaded, no outs, one run in and the Giants' lead down to 3-1. Miller walked a run in, but he also squeezed in two strikeouts and a groundball force at home and preserved the lead. Beautiful, stellar work from a guy who's been a quiet hero in the pen this year.
I'm a day late with my Player of the Week awards, so let's get to it:
Among position players, it's Aaron Rowand. He moved to leadoff, hit a couple home runs, and went 10 for 24. I give this grudgingly because with Rowand the first-pitch ground outs and three-pitch strikeouts still stick in my craw. Even when he's hitting .400 he doesn't seem to have good at-bats. Tip of the cap to Juan Uribe, as well, for the 3-run double Saturday night that got things loose. Let's call it the Pound of Prunes award.
Among pitchers, it's gotta be Matt Cain. Every starter had a good turn last week, plus Barry Zito had a bad one as well, but Cain's was the best for two reasons: He went all nine in a winning cause, and he didn't walk anyone.
A couple quick notes: Merkin Valdez sat for eight days before pitching Sunday in Seattle, the second time this year he's sat idle for more than a week. Does Bochy have no confidence in him, or are there injury/stamina problems that force the Giants to give him extra rest?....Jesus Guzman has not hit the ball out of the infield in 10 at-bats....Brandon Medders has all kinds of nasty stuff. Fastball anywhere from 90 to 94 with movement, big sharp curve, and slider. He pitched the eighth today, albeit with a six-run lead. More set-up competition for Bob Howry?
