Giants 5, Cubs 1: Sunshine everywhere in the bleachers, nine innings of rambling baseball talk with El Papa Malo on my right, and Matt Cain on the mound throwing 94-MPH fastballs. For two and a half hours, all was right with 2009.
Even the crummy moves paid off. Just as I launched into a tirade about Buster Posey not starting, Eli Whiteside belted an RBI double to the center field wall for the Giants' second run. He doubled again later for another RBI. In the dugout Bruce Bochy was flipping me the bird, or so it felt. It's odd watching a game or contemplating it after the final out without feeling the weight of the game's effect on the season. With the Giants effectively (if not mathematically) out of the wild card race, today had no import. I feel a bit lost, like a machine full of spinning gears that don't turn any cranks. Other than adding a few more check marks to my Bruce Bochy accounting ledger (getting Andres Torres into the game: Good. Not letting Cain start the ninth to try for three quick outs and a complete game: Bad) my mind has no purchase.
Funny how winning rearranges your synapses so quickly. For four years I had plenty of thoughts about non-essential games, the games within the games, the ripples and repercussions they created. But after 150-odd games that held the promise, no matter how far-fetched, of the big next step, that promise is basically gone, and I'm scratching my head at the void.
I'm happy to report, though, that my fellow bleacherites were still quick on the draw. Late in the game a drunken Cub fan mocked our classic bleacher taunt when John Bowker moved from right to left field: "What's the matter with Bowker? He's a bum!"
The Cub fan was pelted with boos, and a guy in my row with a Sanchez 53 jersey stood up, turned around, and immediately pointed back: "What's the matter with that guy?" And the entire section responded correctly. Strong work, friends.
Pablo Sandoval's at-bat in the sixth was a prime example of two paradoxical notions. He got behind 0-2, and it was obvious the Cubs would try to put him away with high fastballs. First one, he took. Second one, he took. "See, Dad," I said. "If he can lay off pitches clearly out of the zone, no telling how well he would hit." Next pitch was a well-thrown curve nearly in the dirt. Sandoval swung and got enough to sneak it past Ramirez at third for an RBI single.The paradox: Pablo is great because he can put the bat on nearly any pitch, but he would be better if he took more balls and got into better hitter's counts. How good can he be? I can't wait until April to find out.
Players of the week: On the batsman side, it's Juan Uribe (.414/.433/.655), who continued to audition for a shiny new contract one year after his scrap-heap acquisition. Is 2009 a fluke? He has hit this well before, albeit in the hitters' haven of New Comiskey Park. Beware the multi-year contract, but getting him on board soon for 2010 would give the front office more flexibility in the dealin' days of winter. On the pitching side, I choose Brad Penny for his stellar work Thursday night; Matt Cain was arguably better today, but Penny was doing it with more on the line. Too bad it went for naught.
