You can read the box score yourself. Hits: Giants 9, Braves 3. Team left on base: Giants 8, Braves 1. Runs: Giants 2, Braves 3. Throw in the fact that Giants players drew two walks and failed to give one out makes this one of the more frustrating games of the season. Tables were set, little shrimp forks were placed just to the left of the salad forks, and the centerpiece was gaudy and extravagant, something like this. The big hit- hell, even the medium ones- continue to elude the Giants.

Staring at the numbers, the prime example of the clutch-hitting inequality is Pablo Sandoval. While Panda is batting .303 on the season, his average drops to .284 when there are any runners on base, and .246 w/RISP. Blimey, the Giants’ stud third basemen becomes a league-average hitter (100 wRC+) when a hit would likely score a run. Considering Sandoval hits after Cabrera and Posey, who each get on base at a nice clip, this creates a black hole in the Giants lineup. Tell me how many times we’ve seen this scenario in the second inning: Continue reading →

Tonight was a good way to start the second-half, both for the Giants and for yours truly. Thomas and I took an extended All-Star break, beginning early and ending late. But we’re back, and we’re going to be delivering a good amount of content in the months to come. Check out our episode today with Scott Willis, and look for some more great guests on the podcast in the weeks to come.

But the Giants looked good too. The pitching was great, the Giants hit for power and showed good speed, and even without Crawford the defense looked good. I love seeing the speed and aggressiveness that we were promised, from the steals, hit and runs, and more.

One such example came in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Pablo Sandoval blew up catcher Chris Snyder on a sacrifice fly to shallow left field. Now, I understand in many calm, objective ways how this play differed dramatically from the Scott Cousins Incident; the play was to left field, not right, so Snyder could see the play in front of him. Also, Snyder did block the plate, and it looked like Sandoval didn’t have a route to the plate for a slide. Okay, fine. Still, those plays scare the crap out of me. Tonight’s turned out basically as well as it could have, with the run scoring and both players seemingly fine afterward, but still. Still.

Also, Madison Bumgarner is very, very good. See previous statements.

Brandon Watch 2012

Belt: 1 for 3 with a walk and some good baserunning. Keep it up.

Stats of the Game

9: Total hits by Giants

3: Hits by Giants All-Stars

5: Triples by Nate Schierholtz in 150 PAs, putting his full-season projection (650 PAs) at 22. That’s how it works, right?

2: Hits given up by Madison Bumgarner. He good.

Bonus Stat of the Day

13: Days since our last non-episode post.

As a Padre, Mat Latos infuriated Giants fans with his attitude, his aptitude, and his frustrating lack of a second “T” in his name. Coming into today’s game, Latos had a career ERA of 3.61. His ERA against the Giants? 2.35, including a 1-hitter in 2010.

What makes him so effective against the Giants? It’s not like this is the same lineup as 2010, when Latos by himself nearly prevented the Giants from winning the NL West. The Three Amigos didn’t exist yet. Buster Posey hadn’t played a full season. Pablo Sandoval was playing like Pedro Feliz. So despite the improvement in the lineup, Mat Latos can still come out and put the Giants to sleep with wicked movement and corner pitches. It’s like when Taco Bell introduces a new item. Fresh new ingredients, same diarrhea.

Speaking of corner pitches, I am not part of the contingent that is making excuses for Barry Zito’s walks. Zito’s breaking pitches were Vintage Barry, but he tried to get cute deep in counts on both sides of the plate and the Reds weren’t biting. Zito walked six. Six. In two innings. “But one of them was intentional,” says some person I made up who in no way resembles Bip Roberts. Sure, Bochy is the one who called for the intentional pass to Brandon Phillips. But the guys on second and third didn’t get there because Bruce Bochy wrote them there. Zito walked them. So I’m taking the “I” out of the “IBB” and taking away his quality start.

Buuuuuuut, every Barry Zito start that ends with 6 IP and 1 ER chips away at the sunk cost that is the remainder of his contract. Fine, Peter Magowan can eat today. I’ll allow it.

Brandon Watch 2012:

This was the most Brandon-y game ever. No one not named Brandon influenced any part of the outcome. The Giants got two hits. A protect-the-count double down the line by Crawford and a pinch-hit triple by Belt in the 9^th. The latter leads to the lone run and makes me hate Scott Cousins for the kid gloves the Giants are forced to use with Buster Posey. Belt should start every day, but the Cousins Corollary makes that impossible. Ugh.

Stats of the Day:

9: The inning the Giants have scraped together their only runs in the last two games

3: Where Pablo Sandoval should be hitting in the lineup (Melky 2, Theriot 7)

1.85: Latos’ ERA at AT&T Park

1: Giants players who look like me in a uniform. Thanks Brad Penny.