POSTGAME WRAP: Colon Cleanse

Tim Lincecum gave up four runs to the A’s. That’s like giving up a 3-pointer to Ronny Turiaf. He’s broken folks.

Sure, some of those hits were on good pitches and just found holes, but hitters used to struggle to make contact on Timmy’s pitches. Missing bats is what won him two Cy Young awards and got him to four consecutive All-Star games. Oh, and the hair. The hair helps.

And the worst part about Lincecum’s struggles is that he is still missing bats. Another five strikeouts in four innings today. Three previous outings: 7 IP/7 K, 5 IP/8 K, 5 IP/4 K. Looks like a dead ringer for vintage Lincecum. Except for the whole, you know, not getting into the late innings thing.

Let’s find some silver lining. You know the best part of every Tim Lincecum start? Melky Cabrera. A 4-hit day puts him on pace for 1 quintillion hits this season while batting Cecil Fielder’s weight. When Pablo Sandoval returns from the disabled list, the Giants will have a 2-3-4 that all will hit .300. It’s like they have an offense or something.

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I don’t mind losing to the A’s. It’s sort of like losing to your little brother at ping pong. It stings a little, but you can still pop him one if he mouths off.

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Brandon Watch: Belt has now come to the plate four times with the bases loaded this season. The result? One walk, three strikeouts. While there is no way in hell I think this is enough of a sample size to judge Belt’s progress as a major leaguer, these are the at-bats that frustrate fans and Bruce Bochy alike. Hits with the bases loaded are also how you get those mythical RBIs. You know, the ones that win you MVPs and Gold Gloves. With reports that Aubrey Huff is “emotionally ready” to start at first base again, Belt will be challenged to not look overmatched in key at-bats.

Crawford: Settling in nicely in the 2-hole. Yes, it’s with a sub-.300 OBP but that’s just one of those “milestones” that nerds use to make athletes feel bad about themselves.

Krukow Quote of the Day:

Kuip: I’ve never done a game from the White Sox ballpark…what’s it called?

Kruk: Comiskey?

Kuip: U.S. Cellular

Kruk: I can’t get over Comiskey, too good of a name for a park

Stats of the Day:

1: Quality starts for Tim Lincecum this year

Postgame Wrap: I’ll Have Another

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.

Postgame Wrap: The Enemy’s Plate is Down

I hate the Bay Bridge Series. I really do. I’ve been very consistent with this opinion. It has nothing to do with my like or dislike of interleague play, or the fact that the Giants tend to play poorly, or the fact that Oakland Coliseum is a sad, forgotten hellhole of a stadium.

No, I hate the Bay Bridge Series because I actually really like the A’s. Those of you who listen to our podcast have heard Thomas berate me for my affection toward the Green and Gold. I grew up watching and rooting for both teams, in equal measure. When I went to college I started hanging out with Giants fans, and that’s when I really started following them more than the A’s. But I still feel for them.

First of all, I have a lot of respect for the organization. If you’ll indulge my nerdiness for just a moment, the 2012 A’s remind me of Ender’s Game. Ender gets stuck with the Dragon Army, a group of young launchies, all of them inexperienced, inept spazzes, and is told to make them into a winning team. But to read Ender’s Shadow, you find out that Bean actually figured out the market inefficiency of Battle School, and designed the Dragon Army to fit exactly to Ender’s strengths.

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