Official 2014 GT!!! Pennant Bound and Down...

[Quake Griffin]

conssidering the come back in game 3 of this series, we should have swept.

but oh well. we live CO up a half game.
Giants look like they found their offense in San Diego with Belt back.

could be a photo finish.

[Neddy]

can't wait for tomorrow to resume the regular season....

don't trust Haren but he is due for a lights out game.

[Quake Griffin]

very annoying team to watch.

feels like 2012 offense again wile the Giants eat.

[Quake Griffin]

I think we've waited long enough. The delusion that we have 4 good outfielders is ridiculous.

We need to call up Young Joc. This organization is stupid to do anything less. I don't see this season ending well if we don't.

[Neddy]

We need to call up Young Joc.

i agree. we need to dump crawford and ethier now even if he have to eat some salary and get nothing in return, and have joc play the CF.

but i am afraid that Ned Colletti is thinking to package Joc along with a couple of our pitching prospects, say Urias and Lee, for David Price. don't get me wrong, I would love to have David price Join our rotation, but what we need isn't another pitcher. we are leading the entire baseball in starting pitcher's ERA for god's sake. what we need is better bullpen, consolidate the outfield to bring up Joc, and have a goddamn plan for the infield and our everyday lineup.

If Dee is now our forever 2nd baseman, and Seager is a lock at 3rd, where do we keep Erisbel and Guerrero with the pending contract of Hanley? do we move our all-star 2nd baseman to CF and move hanley to 2nd, bring up Corey to 3rd, and EA and AG rotate the SS?

just what the **** is the plan for Ned?

[Neddy]

top of the 9th, 3-3 tied, Hanley hit again, **** this game. aim for the head for evert single **** cardinal players in the bottom of the 9th, i don't care about losing, I don't care about every pitcher and the manger/coaches being thrown out of the game, we need to protect our players, hanley is now been hit 3 times by the cards within last 10 months.

hit em and hit em in the head!!!!!!!

[Neddy]

man I was hopping mad, but timely hit by Gonzo, and we are up by 1. still infuriated with the cheap shot Cards but with Hanley most likely having a broken hand, we probably should do everything we can to win this game for the future difficulties closing +/- against the gnats.

but the goddamn Cards have not only hit Hanley twice in this game, but Puig is out because of being hit yesterday. there has to be a retaliation the next time we meet each other, and I say it clear, aim for the **** heads of the Cardinal players, Matt Holiday, especially needs to be given a half a dozen concussion the way he tried to take out Hanley on that slide that had nothing to do with the play.

[Kilroy]

Yeah, that was pretty ****... I don't think the second hit was intentional but still...

After Puig, and the first hit, I think it should have been an ejection.

Thank you Jansen.

[Quake Griffin]

Glad Kershaw beamed Holliday.

**** the Cardinals for their shrewd operations hitting Hanley (Puig too) and for being above reproach because they're the model franchise.

Anywho. Winning this game gave us the season series. Let's just hope Donnie doesn't give games away at the end of the season again because we can win on the road (only to throw Kershaw on 3 days rest to avoid going back to ATL)

[Quake Griffin]

Another good win last night.

Beckett is going to pitch tonight with a torn labrum in his hip. I have one in my shoulder. Dunno how much it's going to affect him though given the movement and torque on his body.


Anybody wanna travel with me BACK to Sunday night. 9th inning.

AJ Ellis doubles. No outs. Donnie puts in Rojas as a pinch runner.

Then he doesn't bunt.
Can someone explain?

[Neddy]

Another good win last night.

Beckett is going to pitch tonight with a torn labrum in his hip. I have one in my shoulder. Dunno how much it's going to affect him though given the movement and torque on his body.


Anybody wanna travel with me BACK to Sunday night. 9th inning.

AJ Ellis doubles. No outs. Donnie puts in Rojas as a pinch runner.

Then he doesn't bunt.
Can someone explain?

I highly doubt it's because Donny knew anything about math, but consider this. with at least an average speed runner on second with nobody out, if the following batters can hit a solid single to the outfield, the runner would probably score the winning run. if the following hitters, for the sake of argument, say hits .250, .286, and .300. the
probability of getting that hit, in the most simplest form (since the ground ball vs flyball rate, infield single rate which wouldn't score, here are not accounted for) would be ( 1/4) +(2/7) + (3/10) = (70/280) + (80/280) + (84/280) = 234/280 = 83.6%

if we but him over, and it's one out with a runner on third, the same lineup behind will provide (70/280) + (80/280) = 150/280 = 53.6%.

again, this is a very simple rudimentary calculation with no regard for more detailed factors, but you get the idea.

with nobody out and a runner on second (not on first, which takes away the probability of GIDP) the chances are better if you don't give away an out with a sacrifice bunt, unless that runner on second is adrian gonzalez and the hitter in the box is juan pierre.

[Quake Griffin]

I thought yesterday could have been a huge turning point for us.

Our team doesn't have an emotional come back win this season. I would have loved to put that together with Sunday's win.

In sort of a big spot for us this season...we threw out Paul Maholm, Jamey Wright and Chris Perez. It's about time to go after a bullpen arm.

I think Donnie managed that game like he didn't give a damn. Like we could get it back. Smh.

[Neddy]

I thought yesterday could have been a huge turning point for us.

Our team doesn't have an emotional come back win this season. I would have loved to put that together with Sunday's win.

In sort of a big spot for us this season...we threw out Paul Maholm, Jamey Wright and Chris Perez. It's about time to go after a bullpen arm.

I think Donnie managed that game like he didn't give a damn. Like we could get it back. Smh.

agree 100%.

we need bullpen aces, Perez and the Beard have no business coming out from the pen unless it is a mop up duty.

[Neddy]

we are sucking some big balls.

Dan Haren doesn't deserve his spot in rotation considering his last ten starts. it is unlikely that we can get a everyday regular through trades to upgrade our lineup, then we must address our bullpen along with the back end of the rotation.

[Quake Griffin]

We're skipping Haren because we have a day off after this series.

He's a 5th starter. He's been ok to me outside of a few shaky starts....his starts are more pronounced when they're in situations where we feel like we have to win... Like game 3 in Pitt.

But hey. These first 2 wins in SF make Donnie look good and have everyone happy

[Neddy]

how about bringing Zach Lee up and rest Beckett on 15 day DL? Zach will be coming up for the sept call up anyway but it would be nice to save some of the mojo beckett had going earlier this year to recharge for the playoffs. we can use the first 10 games beckett to be our 4th starter comes october.

[Quake Griffin]

yea. I'd be willing to do something like that.
Haren an Beckett both stand the chance of not making it back to form so I'd do it.

I'm about as confident as I've been all year man.
Our top guys are pitching well.
we're hitting.
Puig in CF has seemingly made everyone comfortable and from the eye test, hasn't stunk it up.

time to bury the Giants now seeing as they have a 9 game road trip and are banged up an we're starting a series with the Cubs tonight.

Haren...a quaity start....please.

[Neddy]

yea. I'd be willing to do something like that.
Haren an Beckett both stand the chance of not making it back to form so I'd do it.

I'm about as confident as I've been all year man.
Our top guys are pitching well.
we're hitting.
Puig in CF has seemingly made everyone comfortable and from the eye test, hasn't stunk it up.

time to bury the Giants now seeing as they have a 9 game road trip and are banged up an we're starting a series with the Cubs tonight.

Haren...a quaity start....please.

I like Puig in center, except that we now don't have a place to put Joc in if and when we can get rid of a couple of OFers as of now. if Kemp makes his comeback, and Puig stays a 320 batting, 20 HR hitting, 5 tool player, how will Ned or Donny ask him to take a corner for a rookie coming up from the AAA club?

never the less, we need to find a way to dump both Crawford and Ethier this off season.

[Neddy]

I really didn't see this coming.... I thought Kemp was a product of PED and just didn't get caught like Braun.
after all the trial and tribulations, here he is, 5 home runs in last 6 games, batting around .350 since the all-star, and we are only into the bottom of the 6th. he will get another at bat before this rubber match with the Cubs is over.

I think I was wrong about him. we just maybe witnessing the return of a MVP caliber Kemp.

man, this is one exciting stuff. if we get that 2011-2012 matt kemp, we are going to have no problem with our offense comes october.

1. L 2B Dee : an all star, with 50 stolen bases already, will probably go past 70 before the season is over.
2. R CF Puig : the next biggest thing. enough said
3. R RF kemp : if he is back, he is a 5 tool player. would love to see him finish .900+ OPS since all star to the end.
4. L 1B Gonzo : declined since his prime, but still trusty
5. R SS Hanley : not having a bad season, but if kemp is back to his old form, somebody has to hit the 5th hole
6. L LF Carl/Andre : two underachieving big contracts we must get rid of this off season.
7. R 3B Uribe : batting .300 still, I am impressed
8. R C AJ : disappointing offensive season, but he is a catcher, after all.

i like having the loser of the LF platoon plus Van Slyke on the bench.
Justin Turner can be plugged into anywhere in IF in case of an injury
Rojas and his defense can be very useful in games we have a decent lead and need more defense to close games
I personally think Butera is the better defensive catcher who calls superior games.

I like our make up. I like our chances come playoffs.

Kershaw - Greinke - Ryu will be a tough trio to begin with. all we need is an occasional excellence out of Haren/Beckett combo. i think for the 4th starter in playoffs, we should ride whichever is hotter going into the playoffs between the two, and the other becomes the long man for the 4th starter's game in case he blows it early. I wouldn't put the loser of the two in other situations where our workhorse trio is pitching. in other words, come playoffs, Haren and Beckett will be a married couple for their start. that way, if the game is out of hand early, we don't waste any other valuable pitchers for that lost cause of a game. if we are winning or tie, whichever got the start must go all out at every pitch, knowing that he doesn't need to conserve his energy and try to save pitch count since there is another starter who can go the distance, right behind him.

[Quake Griffin]

I'm in agreeance with ur post....particularly on Kemp and the Beckett-Haren dual start thingamajig.

We've been shown our fatal flaw twice since the ASB. Bullpen pitching. I'm afraid if we don't fix it, it's going to be our Achilles heel.

Luckily Maholms injury = a Paco call up. I think we need one more right handed arm. Papelbon or Benoit.

The 4th n 5th starter scares me down the stretch of the regular season. During the postseason, not as much. I expect us to be able to hit a teams 4th starter well enough for those games to go to the pen....which is why I think adding another arm is important because we could win the 4th starter's game with a good bullpen. But the games a lost cause if you're gonna throw League in there with Perez.

Neither of which I want in this post season roster.

Donnie and or Ned built this bullpen on the closers. I think that's stupid because they essentially viewed each closer as having a Mariano level longevity. Most closers burn out after 2-3 years. Who is there picking up the pieces thinking Rick Honeycutt can save them? Ned/Donnie.