I'm getting too old for this. For those of you who didn't see the game, the Giants had a 6-2 lead entering the ninth but didn't have Brian Wilson available because of back spasms. A parade of relievers gave up three before Chris Ray, who was a closer with Baltimore a few years ago, got Casey Blake to ground to short to end the game.
Aubrey Huff (single, double, HR, three RBI, a great throw and great catch on separate plays in right field, then left field) and Tim Lincecum (seven innings, 9 Ks, on a night he didn't have his best stuff) will get most of the headlines for the win, and rightly so, but I want to mention three other moments:
1) In the third, with a run already in, shortstop Juan Uribe threw out Andre Ethier at the plate on a ground ball. Uribe was playing back, conceding the run, but Ethier must have gotten a bad jump from third, or perhaps he didn't run his hardest, not expecting a play at the plate. After a double clutch, Uribe's strong throw still nailed Ethier by plenty, and the Dodgers failed to build on a 2-1 lead.
2) In the sixth, with two out after a deflating double play, Pat Burrell lined a Jeff Weaver sinker past third base for a huge RBI double, boosting the lead to 4-2. Burrell's gone ice cold in July, so it's easy to overlook what he's done for the Giants. Whether he stays with the team after the trade deadline or goes down as a two-month footnote, he's been a big part of the team's resurgence. Thank you, Pat.
3) In the torturous ninth inning, Bochy called in Jonathan Sanchez to face Andre Ethier, the tying run with one out and runners at the corners. Even Ethier looked puzzled. Apparently, the Giants do have a lefty in the bullpen. All Sanchez did in his first relief appearance since his short banishment to the bullpen last year -- remember, right before his no-hitter? -- was strike out Ethier on a 2-2 slider. Stick that up your Chavez Ravine, pal. OK, so Sanchez also wild-pitched in a run just before the K, and then he hit James Loney to put the tying run on base, but the strikeout was an amazing moment -- something you usually don't see outside the playoffs.
Honorable mention for secret heroes goes to Chris Ray, who threw very well to get the save, even the hit he allowed, Matt Kemp's RBI single, was on a 3-2 slider at the knees on the outside corner; and to Sergio Romo, who could have finished the game with better luck from his defense -- a double play nearly turned, then a deep drive to center that Torres nearly (and probably should have) caught.
The other big discussion point for me was Tim Lincecum's new windup. He decided to start with his hands over his head, a more old-fashioned kind of motion, which I don't remember seeing him do before. I'm not sure why. Andy Baggarly suggested in his game story it perhaps was Lincecum's way of "sacrificing velocity for precision," as his fastball was mainly in the 89 to 91 MPH range. It's possible the hands-over-head is Lincecum's way of slowing his body down instead of rushing into the kick and push home with his hands already in the set position.
Aubrey Huff (single, double, HR, three RBI, a great throw and great catch on separate plays in right field, then left field) and Tim Lincecum (seven innings, 9 Ks, on a night he didn't have his best stuff) will get most of the headlines for the win, and rightly so, but I want to mention three other moments:
1) In the third, with a run already in, shortstop Juan Uribe threw out Andre Ethier at the plate on a ground ball. Uribe was playing back, conceding the run, but Ethier must have gotten a bad jump from third, or perhaps he didn't run his hardest, not expecting a play at the plate. After a double clutch, Uribe's strong throw still nailed Ethier by plenty, and the Dodgers failed to build on a 2-1 lead.
2) In the sixth, with two out after a deflating double play, Pat Burrell lined a Jeff Weaver sinker past third base for a huge RBI double, boosting the lead to 4-2. Burrell's gone ice cold in July, so it's easy to overlook what he's done for the Giants. Whether he stays with the team after the trade deadline or goes down as a two-month footnote, he's been a big part of the team's resurgence. Thank you, Pat.
3) In the torturous ninth inning, Bochy called in Jonathan Sanchez to face Andre Ethier, the tying run with one out and runners at the corners. Even Ethier looked puzzled. Apparently, the Giants do have a lefty in the bullpen. All Sanchez did in his first relief appearance since his short banishment to the bullpen last year -- remember, right before his no-hitter? -- was strike out Ethier on a 2-2 slider. Stick that up your Chavez Ravine, pal. OK, so Sanchez also wild-pitched in a run just before the K, and then he hit James Loney to put the tying run on base, but the strikeout was an amazing moment -- something you usually don't see outside the playoffs.
Honorable mention for secret heroes goes to Chris Ray, who threw very well to get the save, even the hit he allowed, Matt Kemp's RBI single, was on a 3-2 slider at the knees on the outside corner; and to Sergio Romo, who could have finished the game with better luck from his defense -- a double play nearly turned, then a deep drive to center that Torres nearly (and probably should have) caught.
The other big discussion point for me was Tim Lincecum's new windup. He decided to start with his hands over his head, a more old-fashioned kind of motion, which I don't remember seeing him do before. I'm not sure why. Andy Baggarly suggested in his game story it perhaps was Lincecum's way of "sacrificing velocity for precision," as his fastball was mainly in the 89 to 91 MPH range. It's possible the hands-over-head is Lincecum's way of slowing his body down instead of rushing into the kick and push home with his hands already in the set position.
