I feel like I can’t go a day without describing that day’s Giants game as “weird.” But this game was weird.
For the first 6 innings, this game was vintage 2011, except for the whole getting-on-base part. Tyson Ross looked bad, but the Giants couldn’t do anything with it. By the beginning of the 7th, it looked like Tyson Ross had had a good day, when one well-timed hit by the Giants would’ve made it look bad. The Giants grounded into four double plays, and generally acted like there was a giant spider sitting on home plate that nobody wanted to go near.
But then the floodgates opened in the 7th. Manny Burriss legged out an infield hit, which is his M.O. at this point, and Ryan Vogelsong Jeter’d was hit by a pitch. Then Grant Balfour came in threw FourBals to Gregor Blanco, to load the bases. Free rally! The red-hot Brandon Crawford came up and promptly struck out, and it seemed like one of those innings. It was GIDP time.
But wait, a sac fly! A ground-rule double! An RBI single! What is this madness? Suddenly it was 4-0, and Javier Lopez was even more ridiculously unhittable than usual.
But really, Ryan Vogelsong. In a game where the 1-5 hitters went 8-for-16, and the San Francisco Giants drew 5 walks, the story was Ryan Vogelsong. His command and control were as good as I’ve seen them, and the game never looked out of control. Melky Cabrera made an amazing catch to start of the game, the kind of play that an outfielder will make when they’re trying to preserve a no-hitter. Maybe he knew something we didn’t. Nice job, Vogey.
Also, I’m convinced that losing his hitting streak is the best thing that could have happened to Angel Pagan. Before today’s game, in the nine games since then, he’s hit .455/.561/.545, plus today’s 2-for-4. By the end of his streak, it seemed like he was reaching, just trying to poke a single. Now, he’s walking and slugging.
Brandon Watch 2012:
Crawford: Another multi-hit game, making him 9-for-27 in the last week, with three walks. I’m not sure if having him in the 2-hole is actually affecting his hitting, but it sure isn’t hurting. Keep it up.
Belt: 0-for-3 with a walk and 2 strikeouts in key RBI spots. As impressed as I am in general by Brandon Belt, he certainly does have at-bats that make him look pretty bad.
Stats of the Game:
223: Melky Cabrera’s on-pace number for hits this year
7.8: Jonathan Sanchez’s BB/9 this year
6.75: Jonathan Sanchez’s ERA this year
4: Number of games in which Angel Pagan has not reached base
2: The number of times Vida Blue referred to Tyson Ross as “Cody Ross” in the postgamer
1.855: Jonathan Sanchez’s WHIP this year
Bonus of the Day:
Imagine if the Giants had Jemile Weeks.