Things are looking up
Sorry for the misdirection in the title. I was scrolling through my feeds and kept reading things such as "Bonds, Giants not ready to panic," "Way to early to say it's over, but ... ," and the like. So here's one, that if even for the briefest of time, might give you hope.
Reasons for Fear
Hitting: The offense is a mess. Right now the Giants are last in the National League in runs (16), XBH (15) and OPS (.615). Last night they wasted a great performance from Matt Cain, losing 1-0 to the Padres. So far five starters -- Bonds, Roberts, Winn, Feliz and Vizquel -- are hitting .208 or below.
Pitching: The team is 13th in ERA (4.35) and K/BB (1.54). The bullpen has an ERA of 4.95, with 1.44 K/BB. So far Barry Zito is 0-2 with a 8.18 ERA.
All Together Now: The team has been outscored 32-14 in seven games. No good can come of that.
Reasons for Hope
Common Opponents: The Giants have faced the two toughest teams in the NL West early in April. Having a bad offensive weak against two of the better staffs in the league does not constitute a crisis.
The Real Aces: Matt Cain and Noah Lowry have pitched well so far in limited innings. Cain has a 2.77 ERA with 0.92 WHIP.
Hitting: These guys have to regress to something resembling their career averages. Right?
Conclusion
As bad as it looks, there is still time for this to be proven an aberration, a tough couple of series against a couple of good teams. Remember, as I said before the Giants have faced TWO teams so far, out of the 16 the NL has to offer. For all the 2-1, 1-0 games against the Dodgers and Padres there will be some exciting 12-10 games against the Rockies and Diamondbacks. Give it time.
Someone at work asked me what the Giants have to do to win. My answer was basically to look at my shoes and mumble a little (I'm surrounded by Dodger fans, in freaking Oregon). What I came up with was that the team will not score a lot of runs but the staff is good enough that they don't have too. This isn't a team that can go out and score three a night and win, but something just below league average could still keep them in the hunt.
The offense has to start being more patient. Last night the team was unable to score after three doubles. The real problem I'm seeing is that no one is on first for those doubles. The key to scoring runs is getting people on base, and that hasn't been happening. The team has an OBP of .294, which is unacceptable for Neifi Perez, let alone an entire major league team.
I think the possibility is there for at least an average team. The start may look horrible. Records may fall, empires may crumble. But in the end I think this is still at least a 75-win team. Though that's not any kind of accomplishment, it keeps the Giants out of last place. Well, last place in the NL at least (Go Nationals!).
Reasons for Fear
Hitting: The offense is a mess. Right now the Giants are last in the National League in runs (16), XBH (15) and OPS (.615). Last night they wasted a great performance from Matt Cain, losing 1-0 to the Padres. So far five starters -- Bonds, Roberts, Winn, Feliz and Vizquel -- are hitting .208 or below.
Pitching: The team is 13th in ERA (4.35) and K/BB (1.54). The bullpen has an ERA of 4.95, with 1.44 K/BB. So far Barry Zito is 0-2 with a 8.18 ERA.
All Together Now: The team has been outscored 32-14 in seven games. No good can come of that.
Reasons for Hope
Common Opponents: The Giants have faced the two toughest teams in the NL West early in April. Having a bad offensive weak against two of the better staffs in the league does not constitute a crisis.
The Real Aces: Matt Cain and Noah Lowry have pitched well so far in limited innings. Cain has a 2.77 ERA with 0.92 WHIP.
Hitting: These guys have to regress to something resembling their career averages. Right?
Conclusion
As bad as it looks, there is still time for this to be proven an aberration, a tough couple of series against a couple of good teams. Remember, as I said before the Giants have faced TWO teams so far, out of the 16 the NL has to offer. For all the 2-1, 1-0 games against the Dodgers and Padres there will be some exciting 12-10 games against the Rockies and Diamondbacks. Give it time.
Someone at work asked me what the Giants have to do to win. My answer was basically to look at my shoes and mumble a little (I'm surrounded by Dodger fans, in freaking Oregon). What I came up with was that the team will not score a lot of runs but the staff is good enough that they don't have too. This isn't a team that can go out and score three a night and win, but something just below league average could still keep them in the hunt.
The offense has to start being more patient. Last night the team was unable to score after three doubles. The real problem I'm seeing is that no one is on first for those doubles. The key to scoring runs is getting people on base, and that hasn't been happening. The team has an OBP of .294, which is unacceptable for Neifi Perez, let alone an entire major league team.
I think the possibility is there for at least an average team. The start may look horrible. Records may fall, empires may crumble. But in the end I think this is still at least a 75-win team. Though that's not any kind of accomplishment, it keeps the Giants out of last place. Well, last place in the NL at least (Go Nationals!).
Labels: Doom, Giants, Matt Cain, Worst Third Baseman in the Major Leagues
posted by Chris at
9:51 AM
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