Series Thread: San Francisco (58-47) at Houston (52-53)

Originally posted by Giantjohn:
Actually... I DO know a lot about baseball and it completely depends on the situation, the pitcher, the batter, and your bullpen. You seem to think its an absolute that the manager should pull the SP there. You are completely wrong.

I promise you that every manager in the majors goes farther with their ace pitchers. If this has been Zito or Sanchez in this situation Bochy would have pulled them. Why? Because their track record is such that it makes sense to pull them. Do you think a Halladay would be pulled in this situation for their setup up BP reliever? Hell No.

Cain is an all star and one of the top 5 pitchers in the NL this year. He pitched great, still was throwing well, and was one of out getting out of the inning. He had a RH hitter to face as well. It made all the sense in the world to leave him in as his pitch count was not over the top and Bochy wanted to not only win the game but give his star pitcher a chance to get the win as well. Now.. if the Giants had a 1 run lead I'm sure that Bochy would have brought a fresh Wilson in to get the out. But.. thats totally different.

You can say I would be wrong all you want. Having played the game for many years, coached, umpired, and followed it at every level I'm guessing I have a bit more knowledge about the game than someone who acknowledges that he doesnt know much about baseball. . However, I do know that I know less than Bochy and Righetti who were at the game and could see Cain's stuff first hand. They obviously thought that Cain still had good stuff and could get Lee out. I am not going to play the second guesser after the fact that you choose to play.

Im just being real, not a second guesser. You dont think he should have been pulled. I think cain is one of the best pitchers in the majors but I still feel he should have been pulled.

But Molina's failures stand out because he is a cleanup hitter with a .268 on-base percentage for the season and one homer and eight RBIs since July 1.

After the Giants dropped a Cain-versus-Hampton matchup they should have won, manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged he and general manager Brian Sabean have discussed moving Molina out of the fourth spot until he rediscovers his stroke.

"Brian and I talked about the lineup today, different things we can do," Bochy said. "Sure, we discussed it quite a bit."

Molina is a proud man, but he told The Chronicle weeks ago that he would not mind being dropped in the order if management thought it would help. Bochy said Molina's stature would not play into the decision.

"We're going to do what we think is best for the team," Bochy said. "We're not concerned with feelings. We've got to do what's right. His history is that he's one of the best clutch hitters in the game. Whether we keep him there or move him, he'll get it together. He'll hit."

Problem is, Molina is not hitting many balls hard these days.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SPGV1939P3.DTL


FINALLY!!!!

I wonder what the lineup will be like today. Either way I really hope we can get a win, we really need it. That and a Colorado loss

How about this lineup:

1) Winn lf
2) Velez 2b
3) Pablo 3b
4) Victor Martinez 1b
5) Schierholtz rf
6) Molina c
7) Rowand cf
8) Renteria ss

Oh Brian.. what could have been... LOL. Victor was there for the taking. He could have given you the flexibility at 1b and C and the clean up hitter that this team needs. This would have been a deal that REALLY could have put the Giants over the top and the favorites to win the WC. I think we could have done just fine at 2b without Freddy or even used a couple of other prospects if needed to get him too.

Moving forward.. honestly I hope the Giants can win 1 of the next 2 in Houston. The only thing that will kill them is being swept. Win 1 and come home isnt all that bad.

Rentaria is a black hole on this team. That guy cannot hit or play defense.

BTW, Timmy is now second in the NL in ERA. Carpenter has been pitching very well and i think Haren is falling out with Capenter taking his place. What are the chances carpenter wins a CY over Timmy.

Originally posted by Thizz415:
Rentaria is a black hole on this team. That guy cannot hit or play defense.

BTW, Timmy is now second in the NL in ERA. Carpenter has been pitching very well and i think Haren is falling out with Capenter taking his place. What are the chances carpenter wins a CY over Timmy.

Yes..Renteria is horrible and I was a huge critic of his signing from Day 1. I was concerned about his decline at the plate and his lack of range at SS. To think that he got $18 million dollars for 2 years is mind boggling.
If Sabean had been patient and not panicked he could have gotten somone like Orlando Cabrera MUCH cheaper. Just another example of Sabean's lack of judgement as a GM.

As far as the CY race goes.. its just too early to tell. If Carpenter is lights out and the Cards win the division or the WC race then he can certainly win the award.

I think it is a 3 or 4 man race and I would put it in this order at this point. The one thing that Cain has going against him in my opinion is that he isnt even the ace of his own staff and doesnt have the recognition nationally that Timmy does.

Lincecum
Carpenter
Haren
Cain

That dropped soft liner aside, I thought Renteria has been playing good defense lately.

Manager Bruce Bochy said right-hander Joe Martinez will be activated from the 60-day disabled list prior to Wednesday’s game and take the mound as the club’s new No.5 starter. Corresponding moves TBA, but not hard to figure out.

This is a heartwarming story for the Giants. Martinez was a surprise addition to the opening day roster, but in his second appearance April 9, a line drive fractured his skull. He has made a complete recovery and isn’t pitching in fear. His arm strength has returned and he’s coming off seven shutout innings for Fresno.

“He’s back throwing the ball the way he was when he made the club,” Bochy said.

Bochy said he’d like nothing better than for Martinez to establish himself as the No.5 starter for the long term. With Randy Johnson out at least until Sept. 4, and probably longer, it’s an area where the Giants need someone to step up.

In other news, Buster Posey hit his first Triple-A homer today. He also had a double and drove in four.

Martinez is in transit to Houston today.


http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extraba...art-wednesday/

Tonight's lineup:

Velez LF
F. Sanchez 2B
Sandoval 3B
Molina C
Garko 1B
Winn RF
Rowand CF
Renteria SS
J. Sanchez P


Molina hitting cleanup again? I really hope he snaps out of his slump today. I'd rather see Garko-Rowand-Winn-Molina, but that's just me.

Can you guys update me on the game please..I'm on my way on bart again..thanks =)

Hope molina comes through today because he has been slumping real bad lately.

Molina driving in a run! That's a good start. 1-0 bottom of the first.

Who scored?

Thanks for the update. ill probably be able to watch the final innings but I'm busy right now.

Molina drove in Sandoval