Todd Linden heads back to the dugout after yet another out. Linden went 0 for 2 with a walk, a strikeout and a run scored.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Giants vs Angels - March 22nd, 2006
Another ugly day (night) for the Giants in an 11-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Giants were out hit 17-5 and just played generally slow sluggish baseball for the entire game. I am not worried at all about the pitching or even about the offense, but in the 2 games that the Giants finally started playing their regulars, the intensity is just gone……the energy sapped. It might have been the rain the day before or the chilly night air last night, but whatever it is, the vets need to learn a little something from the kids and show some fight.
Defensively, the Giants had only one error, but it wasn’t pretty. Jason Ellison went to field an easy groundball in the outfield and just ran right by it for a 2 base error. No reason for it, Ellison just didn’t bend down far enough and the ball went under his glove. Pedro Feliz had about 4 groundballs hit toward him and he didn’t even attempt to move. Not hard hit smashes…..but medium hard hit grounders and bouncing balls hit to both his right and left where he didn’t even lean in the direction of the ball. Omar Vizquel missed another couple of grounders that were out of his “range”……at least for this game. And Mark Sweeney had an easy double play hit right at him that he fielded cleanly but couldn’t get a grip on the ball to throw to 2B. He had to settle for getting the one out at 1B. Just an ugly sluggish game. I think the team wanted to be out to dinner or at a bar someplace……..anyplace but at the ballpark.
The Giants got their first 2 runs on Barry Bonds’ first swing of the game. He hit a rocket shot that was over the RF fence by a good 100+ feet. The ball was still on it’s way up as it left the park and I am not sure it was hit high enough to make it over the wall at AT&T Park. It might have drilled a hole in the wall, but I don’t think it would have made it over. After that, the Giants offense went into hibernation. They only had 2 more hits until the 9th inning mini-rally, both were singles from Feliz and Mike Matheny. In the 9th, Tyler Von Schell walked and Kevin Frandsen and Eliezer Alfonzo strung back-to-back doubles together for the Giants other 2 runs of the game. That was it for the offense…..5 hits.
Matt Cain got clubbed, but that doesn’t bother me much. It was bound to happen. He got most of his pitches up in the zone and I think he fell in love with his fastball. The Angels were just sitting in the batters box waiting. Hopefully, the kid learned something and this experience will teach him a little humility. The rest of the pitching wasn’t much better. The lone exception being Jeremy Accardo. Accardo went 2 scoreless innings giving up only 1 hit and recording 2 strikeouts. Accardo lowered his spring ERA to 1.50. There are going to be some tough choices in the bullpen this spring. Lots and lots of good arms. What a change from the last 2 years.
Another very poor game for the Giants veterans. They need to take a lesson from the kids and bring some intensity to the game. Talk about a terrible game to televise back to the Bay Area! I didn’t post many photos because most of them were very blurry from the dark conditions.
Today will be the Giants at the Brewers at the Maryvale Sports Complex. After 2 days of playing the regulars, I don’t anticipate too many of them playing today. Maybe we will get to see some action today……after the last two snooze fests……I am ready.
Defensively, the Giants had only one error, but it wasn’t pretty. Jason Ellison went to field an easy groundball in the outfield and just ran right by it for a 2 base error. No reason for it, Ellison just didn’t bend down far enough and the ball went under his glove. Pedro Feliz had about 4 groundballs hit toward him and he didn’t even attempt to move. Not hard hit smashes…..but medium hard hit grounders and bouncing balls hit to both his right and left where he didn’t even lean in the direction of the ball. Omar Vizquel missed another couple of grounders that were out of his “range”……at least for this game. And Mark Sweeney had an easy double play hit right at him that he fielded cleanly but couldn’t get a grip on the ball to throw to 2B. He had to settle for getting the one out at 1B. Just an ugly sluggish game. I think the team wanted to be out to dinner or at a bar someplace……..anyplace but at the ballpark.
The Giants got their first 2 runs on Barry Bonds’ first swing of the game. He hit a rocket shot that was over the RF fence by a good 100+ feet. The ball was still on it’s way up as it left the park and I am not sure it was hit high enough to make it over the wall at AT&T Park. It might have drilled a hole in the wall, but I don’t think it would have made it over. After that, the Giants offense went into hibernation. They only had 2 more hits until the 9th inning mini-rally, both were singles from Feliz and Mike Matheny. In the 9th, Tyler Von Schell walked and Kevin Frandsen and Eliezer Alfonzo strung back-to-back doubles together for the Giants other 2 runs of the game. That was it for the offense…..5 hits.
Matt Cain got clubbed, but that doesn’t bother me much. It was bound to happen. He got most of his pitches up in the zone and I think he fell in love with his fastball. The Angels were just sitting in the batters box waiting. Hopefully, the kid learned something and this experience will teach him a little humility. The rest of the pitching wasn’t much better. The lone exception being Jeremy Accardo. Accardo went 2 scoreless innings giving up only 1 hit and recording 2 strikeouts. Accardo lowered his spring ERA to 1.50. There are going to be some tough choices in the bullpen this spring. Lots and lots of good arms. What a change from the last 2 years.
Another very poor game for the Giants veterans. They need to take a lesson from the kids and bring some intensity to the game. Talk about a terrible game to televise back to the Bay Area! I didn’t post many photos because most of them were very blurry from the dark conditions.
Today will be the Giants at the Brewers at the Maryvale Sports Complex. After 2 days of playing the regulars, I don’t anticipate too many of them playing today. Maybe we will get to see some action today……after the last two snooze fests……I am ready.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Giants vs A's - March 21st, 2006
The Giants lost to the A’s 6-4 yesterday (as they always seem to do in Spring Training) on a day where the weather started out nice and ended up dark and dreary. For the Giants it was a slow, sluggish day where they left another 11 men on base and where 3 of their 4 runs were unearned because of 2 A’s errors. The A’s were almost as lackluster as the Giants. They had 12 hits, yet half of their runs were unearned because of 2 errors by the Giants. The Giants played all of their projected starters with the exception of Barry Bonds and Lance Niekro. They certainly didn’t play with much energy. All and all an ugly game on a mostly ugly day.
Noah Lowry had what I thought was a terrible outing, although I read in the paper that he was happy with his day. His pitches were mostly high and mostly very hittable. Somehow the A’s needed an error by Mark Sweeney, to score more than 2 runs off of Lowry, even though he gave them 10 hits and a walk in only 4 2/3 innings. Sweeney fielded a groundball at 1B, tagged the bag for one out and then threw to home for what should have been an easy double play. Sweeney rushed the throw and bounced it about 2/3 of the way to Matheny at home. The ball got by Matheny and the A's baserunners were off to the races. It’s not a good thing to only throw the ball 60 feet when your target is 90 feet away. Just one of many mediocre to bad plays on the day.
Even though he was not charged with any errors, Omar Vizquel had a terrible day in the field. He just seemed to be a step slower than normal the entire day. Four of the A’s hits came on groundballs to SS that Omar just missed by a foot or less. He just wasn’t getting that quick first step to the ball that we have all come to expect from him. Add to that a 0 for 3 day at the plate and Omar’s day, like most of the game, was very forgettable.
After the starters left the game, the Giants kids came on and didn’t play any better than the veterans. Todd Linden was 0 for 2 and left 4 men on base. Kevin Frandsen was 0 for 2 and also left 4 men on base. Daniel Ortmeier was 0 for 1 with 2 left on. Jason Ellison was a little better going 0 for 1 with a walk and a stolen base. The only Giants replacements to get hits were Abraham Nunez, who went 1 for 2 with a walk and Todd Greene who had a single to show for his 2 ABs, although Jose Vizcaino (playing 1B for the first time this spring) did have 2 walks in 2 plate appearances.
The pitchers who followed Lowry did pretty well. Kevin Correia came on to relieve Lowry and pitched 2 1/3 very good innings, giving up no runs on no hits and no walks while recording 3 strikeouts. Correia had the A’s totally under control while reducing his spring ERA to 2.70. I thought he was out of the competition for the #5 starter spot a week or so ago. Now I am not so sure. Tyler Walker had his usual bad inning, giving up 1 run on 2 hits and a walk while registering 1 strikeout. Merkin Valdez finished the game with a perfect 9th inning, striking out 1. Merkin is another player who may be forcing the Giants to think about him for the 2006 season. Other than one outing, Merkin has REALLY looked good…….and that fastball is just smoking!
As an aside, the Giants’ pitchers were saved from further damage because they continue to be very stingy with the bases on balls. The Giants’ pitchers gave up only 2 walks on the day. In a real change from past years……the pitchers are not giving up the free pass like they usually do. Let’s all hope that trend continues into the regular season. Make the batters EARN their way on base.
Not a very memorable day, but there were a few bright spots. Correia and Valdez on the mound…….Finley, Durham and Winn at the plate. Like most spring games, some good…..some bad….although it was mostly bad.
Tonight is the Giants vs the Angels at Scottsdale for a 7PM game. I hate night games in the spring, but this game is particularly poorly timed. The weather is just starting to take a real turn for the better here, but the temperature is only supposed to get up to around 70 degrees today; whereas tomorrow we are supposed to get up close to 80. I hope you folks back in the Bay Area appreciate that I will have to endue another chilly game, just so you can watch the game on Fox Sports!! ;-)
Noah Lowry had what I thought was a terrible outing, although I read in the paper that he was happy with his day. His pitches were mostly high and mostly very hittable. Somehow the A’s needed an error by Mark Sweeney, to score more than 2 runs off of Lowry, even though he gave them 10 hits and a walk in only 4 2/3 innings. Sweeney fielded a groundball at 1B, tagged the bag for one out and then threw to home for what should have been an easy double play. Sweeney rushed the throw and bounced it about 2/3 of the way to Matheny at home. The ball got by Matheny and the A's baserunners were off to the races. It’s not a good thing to only throw the ball 60 feet when your target is 90 feet away. Just one of many mediocre to bad plays on the day.
Even though he was not charged with any errors, Omar Vizquel had a terrible day in the field. He just seemed to be a step slower than normal the entire day. Four of the A’s hits came on groundballs to SS that Omar just missed by a foot or less. He just wasn’t getting that quick first step to the ball that we have all come to expect from him. Add to that a 0 for 3 day at the plate and Omar’s day, like most of the game, was very forgettable.
After the starters left the game, the Giants kids came on and didn’t play any better than the veterans. Todd Linden was 0 for 2 and left 4 men on base. Kevin Frandsen was 0 for 2 and also left 4 men on base. Daniel Ortmeier was 0 for 1 with 2 left on. Jason Ellison was a little better going 0 for 1 with a walk and a stolen base. The only Giants replacements to get hits were Abraham Nunez, who went 1 for 2 with a walk and Todd Greene who had a single to show for his 2 ABs, although Jose Vizcaino (playing 1B for the first time this spring) did have 2 walks in 2 plate appearances.
The pitchers who followed Lowry did pretty well. Kevin Correia came on to relieve Lowry and pitched 2 1/3 very good innings, giving up no runs on no hits and no walks while recording 3 strikeouts. Correia had the A’s totally under control while reducing his spring ERA to 2.70. I thought he was out of the competition for the #5 starter spot a week or so ago. Now I am not so sure. Tyler Walker had his usual bad inning, giving up 1 run on 2 hits and a walk while registering 1 strikeout. Merkin Valdez finished the game with a perfect 9th inning, striking out 1. Merkin is another player who may be forcing the Giants to think about him for the 2006 season. Other than one outing, Merkin has REALLY looked good…….and that fastball is just smoking!
As an aside, the Giants’ pitchers were saved from further damage because they continue to be very stingy with the bases on balls. The Giants’ pitchers gave up only 2 walks on the day. In a real change from past years……the pitchers are not giving up the free pass like they usually do. Let’s all hope that trend continues into the regular season. Make the batters EARN their way on base.
Not a very memorable day, but there were a few bright spots. Correia and Valdez on the mound…….Finley, Durham and Winn at the plate. Like most spring games, some good…..some bad….although it was mostly bad.
Tonight is the Giants vs the Angels at Scottsdale for a 7PM game. I hate night games in the spring, but this game is particularly poorly timed. The weather is just starting to take a real turn for the better here, but the temperature is only supposed to get up to around 70 degrees today; whereas tomorrow we are supposed to get up close to 80. I hope you folks back in the Bay Area appreciate that I will have to endue another chilly game, just so you can watch the game on Fox Sports!! ;-)
Monday, March 20, 2006
Giants vs Brewers - March 19th, 2006
When I looked out of my window at about 8:00 am, I never thought the game today would happen. As long as I have been coming to Scottsdale, I have never seen it hail here before. It was cold and windy, but the rain stopped and they got the game in, with nary a drop of rain falling once the game began. The Giants, in a split squad game, lost to the Brewers 4-2.
Matt Morris started the game and got a good workout in. He didn’t look particularly sharp. His breaking ball in particular seemed to do a lot of hanging about waist high, making it very hittable. Morris did become the first Giants pitcher to go 6 full innings on the spring. He gave up 8 hits, including 2 doubles, a triple and a HR; a walk, 4 earned runs and recorded 5 strikeouts. I was a little surprised the Giants let Morris throw 93 pitches this early, but he seemed to handle it well, even looking a little stronger in his last 2 innings than he did in the first 4.
Steve Kline and Matt Kinney finished up the game with 3 scoreless innings. Kline looked a little rough, giving up 2 hits before getting out of his only inning with a strikeout. Kinney gave up only 1 hit in his 2 innings of work, but walked 2 to go along with his 2 strikeouts.
Offensively, the Giants continued their usual inability to get the timely hit. They had as many hits as the Brewers, 11. In addition they had 3 walks and a Brewer error and still managed only 2 runs while stranding 11 men on base, hitting into 1 double play and having one runner (Tyler Von Shell) thrown out on the bases trying to stretch a double into a triple.
Today marked the return of Randy Winn and Omar Vizquel from WBC play. Winn looked very rusty going 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Omar looked like he was in midseason form going 1 for 3 at the plate with a walk and 1 run scored. Omar was in the middle of a 4-6-3 DP and fielded several groundballs with his usual ease.
The remainder of the Giants hit well……but not when it mattered. The Giants only runs were knocked in by a RBI single by pitcher Matt Morris and a SAC fly from Todd Linden.
Because of the threatened rain, I did not bring my camera to the game…..so no photos again today. Today is the Giants only off-day of the spring. Next game will be the Giants vs the A’s at Scottsdale on Tuesday.
Matt Morris started the game and got a good workout in. He didn’t look particularly sharp. His breaking ball in particular seemed to do a lot of hanging about waist high, making it very hittable. Morris did become the first Giants pitcher to go 6 full innings on the spring. He gave up 8 hits, including 2 doubles, a triple and a HR; a walk, 4 earned runs and recorded 5 strikeouts. I was a little surprised the Giants let Morris throw 93 pitches this early, but he seemed to handle it well, even looking a little stronger in his last 2 innings than he did in the first 4.
Steve Kline and Matt Kinney finished up the game with 3 scoreless innings. Kline looked a little rough, giving up 2 hits before getting out of his only inning with a strikeout. Kinney gave up only 1 hit in his 2 innings of work, but walked 2 to go along with his 2 strikeouts.
Offensively, the Giants continued their usual inability to get the timely hit. They had as many hits as the Brewers, 11. In addition they had 3 walks and a Brewer error and still managed only 2 runs while stranding 11 men on base, hitting into 1 double play and having one runner (Tyler Von Shell) thrown out on the bases trying to stretch a double into a triple.
Today marked the return of Randy Winn and Omar Vizquel from WBC play. Winn looked very rusty going 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Omar looked like he was in midseason form going 1 for 3 at the plate with a walk and 1 run scored. Omar was in the middle of a 4-6-3 DP and fielded several groundballs with his usual ease.
The remainder of the Giants hit well……but not when it mattered. The Giants only runs were knocked in by a RBI single by pitcher Matt Morris and a SAC fly from Todd Linden.
Because of the threatened rain, I did not bring my camera to the game…..so no photos again today. Today is the Giants only off-day of the spring. Next game will be the Giants vs the A’s at Scottsdale on Tuesday.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Giants vs Mariners
This was just a great game to watch as a Giants fan. The Giants started hitting early and just kept hitting the entire game. The Giants tallied 19 hits on the day and scored 14 runs. The offensive outburst was fueled by both the veterans and the kids. The pitching was also excellent and limited the Mariners to 3 runs, 2 of which were given up in the 9th by 22 year old Anthony Moreno who was brought over from the Minor League camp to mop up.
The hitting star of the game was hard to select, because so many players had great offensive games. If I had to pick, I would have to say Mike Matheny was the guy. Mike went 2 for 4 with a 3 run HR and a 2 run double. Not a bad day for a light hitting defensive catcher. Jason Ellison was not far behind with his 5 for 5 day with 3 runs and 1 RBI. Steve Finley continued to hit like he was 10 years younger; going 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI.
Todd Linden had his first hits in about a week going 3 for 6 with 4 runs and 1 RBI. On the down side Todd struck out twice and only a Fernando Vina error kept him from hitting into his 3rd double play in the last 3 days. Lance Niekro, Ray Durham and starting third baseman Angel Chavez each went 1 for 3 with Durham and Niekro each getting an RBI and Chavez adding a walk. Tomas De La Rosa started again at SS and went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Every Giants starter got at least 1 hit and the starting lineup as a whole was 17 for 31 (.548). Even with 14 runs scored, the Giants still left 10 men on base.
The Giants again had Tyler Von Schell replace Niekro as the backup first baseman. Von Schell was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts. What happened to Travis Ishikawa? Is he injured? Simon Klink was also brought over from the Minor League camp to replace Chavez at 3B. Klink was 0 for 1. Abraham Nunez replaced Finley in CF and went 1 for 1 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Jake Wald was 1 for 1 as the replacement SS. Kevin Frandsen continued to be the only Giant to play every spring game, when he replaced Durham at 2B. Frandsen pinch ran for Durham and was hitless, but had a walk and a SAC fly in 2 plate appearances, netting him 2 runs and 1 RBI. Like I said…….a fun game if you like offense.
The pitching was almost as good as the offense. Jason Schmidt started the game and other than a solo HR by Richie Sexon, was in complete command of the game. Schmidt threw 5 complete innings, giving up only 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run while recording 3 strikeouts. Schmidt’s fastball had a lot of zip and most of the hitters seemed to be tardy on their swings. When the batters started catching up to the fastball, Schmidt had his changeup working and still managed to handle the Mariners with relative ease. Tyler Walker relieved Schmidt and had one of his better spring appearances, with a perfect inning.
After Walker, the Giants paraded out a trio of Minor Leaguers to finish off the game. Pedro Liriano pitched a perfect 7th inning as did Michael Tejera in the 8th. Anthony Moreno pitched the 9th inning and did not fare so well. Moreno was brought over from the Minor League camp and I believe this was his first Major League appearance EVER. He gave up 4 hits, including a HR and 2 runs. He also recorded 1 strikeout. I personally had never heard of Moreno. The Media Guide says that he was the Giants #39 selection in the 2002 First Year Players Draft. He has been a professional since 2002 and spent about half of last year in low A Augusta and half in AA Norwich. His is 20-8 in his Minor League career with a 4.20 ERA. He has given up 197 hits in 201.2 innings and has registered 173 strikeouts vs 71 walks.
That’s about it for today. I did not take any photos today, but a good friend of mine is supposed to e-mail me some that she took. If she does, I will post them. I also have a few photos from yesterday’s game that I will post soon. Tomorrow’s game is Giants vs Brewers, again at Scottsdale.
The hitting star of the game was hard to select, because so many players had great offensive games. If I had to pick, I would have to say Mike Matheny was the guy. Mike went 2 for 4 with a 3 run HR and a 2 run double. Not a bad day for a light hitting defensive catcher. Jason Ellison was not far behind with his 5 for 5 day with 3 runs and 1 RBI. Steve Finley continued to hit like he was 10 years younger; going 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI.
Todd Linden had his first hits in about a week going 3 for 6 with 4 runs and 1 RBI. On the down side Todd struck out twice and only a Fernando Vina error kept him from hitting into his 3rd double play in the last 3 days. Lance Niekro, Ray Durham and starting third baseman Angel Chavez each went 1 for 3 with Durham and Niekro each getting an RBI and Chavez adding a walk. Tomas De La Rosa started again at SS and went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Every Giants starter got at least 1 hit and the starting lineup as a whole was 17 for 31 (.548). Even with 14 runs scored, the Giants still left 10 men on base.
The Giants again had Tyler Von Schell replace Niekro as the backup first baseman. Von Schell was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts. What happened to Travis Ishikawa? Is he injured? Simon Klink was also brought over from the Minor League camp to replace Chavez at 3B. Klink was 0 for 1. Abraham Nunez replaced Finley in CF and went 1 for 1 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Jake Wald was 1 for 1 as the replacement SS. Kevin Frandsen continued to be the only Giant to play every spring game, when he replaced Durham at 2B. Frandsen pinch ran for Durham and was hitless, but had a walk and a SAC fly in 2 plate appearances, netting him 2 runs and 1 RBI. Like I said…….a fun game if you like offense.
The pitching was almost as good as the offense. Jason Schmidt started the game and other than a solo HR by Richie Sexon, was in complete command of the game. Schmidt threw 5 complete innings, giving up only 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run while recording 3 strikeouts. Schmidt’s fastball had a lot of zip and most of the hitters seemed to be tardy on their swings. When the batters started catching up to the fastball, Schmidt had his changeup working and still managed to handle the Mariners with relative ease. Tyler Walker relieved Schmidt and had one of his better spring appearances, with a perfect inning.
After Walker, the Giants paraded out a trio of Minor Leaguers to finish off the game. Pedro Liriano pitched a perfect 7th inning as did Michael Tejera in the 8th. Anthony Moreno pitched the 9th inning and did not fare so well. Moreno was brought over from the Minor League camp and I believe this was his first Major League appearance EVER. He gave up 4 hits, including a HR and 2 runs. He also recorded 1 strikeout. I personally had never heard of Moreno. The Media Guide says that he was the Giants #39 selection in the 2002 First Year Players Draft. He has been a professional since 2002 and spent about half of last year in low A Augusta and half in AA Norwich. His is 20-8 in his Minor League career with a 4.20 ERA. He has given up 197 hits in 201.2 innings and has registered 173 strikeouts vs 71 walks.
That’s about it for today. I did not take any photos today, but a good friend of mine is supposed to e-mail me some that she took. If she does, I will post them. I also have a few photos from yesterday’s game that I will post soon. Tomorrow’s game is Giants vs Brewers, again at Scottsdale.
Giants vs Cubs - March 17th, 2006
Yesterday, the Giants lost to the Cubs 7-5 at Scottsdale Stadium. It was not at all a well played game for the Giants. The Giants out hit the Cubs 15-5…that’s right FIFTEEN to 5. The difference in the game as that the Giants committed 5, that’s right FIVE errors and the Giants left 10 men on base while Cubs only stranded 6.
Noah Lowry started the game and gave up 5 runs (2 earned). Lowry was not sharp, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks and reaching his pitch count after only 3 innings. It looked like he had no idea where his fastball was going. Still, he would have done alright, had it not been for a groundball in the 2nd. Ray Durham made a nice stop of a groundball to his right, but made a poor feed to SS Tomas De La Rosa. I thought Ray put the ball in a position where De La Rosa had to field it with his bare hand in order to make the play. De La Rosa couldn’t make the barehanded play and it was ruled an error on the SS. I would have scored the error on Durham for the poor feed, but the scorekeeper disagreed. Not only should this have been an out…….it should have been a double play.
De La Rosa would commit another error later, this one indisputable as he failed to field a simple groundball hit right at him. The normally sure handed Angel Chavez committed 2 errors in the same inning allowing an unearned run off of Scott Munter. Both errors were on easy groundballs that hit Angel’s glove and bounce away. Jake Wald committed the 5th error when he fielded a groundball at SS and then threw the ball into the Cubs’ dugout. Not a good defensive day for the young Giants’ infield.
Jeremy Accardo followed Lowry and gave up 2 earned runs on a HR to Aramis Ramirez. Accardo went 2 innings giving up 1 additional hit, walking none and striking out 1 Cub. Tim Worrell, Steve Kline, Scott Munter and Jack Taschner pitched no-hit ball for the final 4 innings. Kline walked 1 and Munter gave up the unearned run on Chavez’ 2 error inning. Between the 4 pitchers, Taschner was the only one to register a strikeout.
Offensively, Barry Bonds started and went 1 for 2 with a single to the right side, beating the Cubs’ shift. Also very encouraging was the fact that Bonds scored from 1B on a Mark Sweeney double. He ran as fast as I have seen in 2 years and showed no signs of a limp after he crossed home plate. He also made a couple of plays in the outfield that required him to run.
Kevin Frandsen remained hot, going 1 for 2 with a 2 RBI triple. After a very slow start, Kevin is now batting over .320 for the spring. Todd Linden remained cold as he had yet another 0fer day. This time going 0 for 3 with a double play. Seems like it has been forever since Linden got a hit, after starting the spring at 5 for 5 or something like that. Jason Ellison, Ray Durham, Mike Matheny and Tyler Von Schell all had 2 hits on the day to help add to the LOB totals.
Just an overall bad day at the park, if there is such a thing. The Giants got lots and lots of hits……..but just couldn’t get the big hit when it counted. The defense was as bad as it has been this spring. The pitching, excluding Lowry’s wildness was the bright spot of the day. If this team has Worrell, Kline, Munter and Taschner do what they did today on a regular basis, good things will happen.
Today it will be the Giants vs the Mariners at Scottsdale. Rain is supposed to return to the valley tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully all of the games will go on as scheduled.
Noah Lowry started the game and gave up 5 runs (2 earned). Lowry was not sharp, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks and reaching his pitch count after only 3 innings. It looked like he had no idea where his fastball was going. Still, he would have done alright, had it not been for a groundball in the 2nd. Ray Durham made a nice stop of a groundball to his right, but made a poor feed to SS Tomas De La Rosa. I thought Ray put the ball in a position where De La Rosa had to field it with his bare hand in order to make the play. De La Rosa couldn’t make the barehanded play and it was ruled an error on the SS. I would have scored the error on Durham for the poor feed, but the scorekeeper disagreed. Not only should this have been an out…….it should have been a double play.
De La Rosa would commit another error later, this one indisputable as he failed to field a simple groundball hit right at him. The normally sure handed Angel Chavez committed 2 errors in the same inning allowing an unearned run off of Scott Munter. Both errors were on easy groundballs that hit Angel’s glove and bounce away. Jake Wald committed the 5th error when he fielded a groundball at SS and then threw the ball into the Cubs’ dugout. Not a good defensive day for the young Giants’ infield.
Jeremy Accardo followed Lowry and gave up 2 earned runs on a HR to Aramis Ramirez. Accardo went 2 innings giving up 1 additional hit, walking none and striking out 1 Cub. Tim Worrell, Steve Kline, Scott Munter and Jack Taschner pitched no-hit ball for the final 4 innings. Kline walked 1 and Munter gave up the unearned run on Chavez’ 2 error inning. Between the 4 pitchers, Taschner was the only one to register a strikeout.
Offensively, Barry Bonds started and went 1 for 2 with a single to the right side, beating the Cubs’ shift. Also very encouraging was the fact that Bonds scored from 1B on a Mark Sweeney double. He ran as fast as I have seen in 2 years and showed no signs of a limp after he crossed home plate. He also made a couple of plays in the outfield that required him to run.
Kevin Frandsen remained hot, going 1 for 2 with a 2 RBI triple. After a very slow start, Kevin is now batting over .320 for the spring. Todd Linden remained cold as he had yet another 0fer day. This time going 0 for 3 with a double play. Seems like it has been forever since Linden got a hit, after starting the spring at 5 for 5 or something like that. Jason Ellison, Ray Durham, Mike Matheny and Tyler Von Schell all had 2 hits on the day to help add to the LOB totals.
Just an overall bad day at the park, if there is such a thing. The Giants got lots and lots of hits……..but just couldn’t get the big hit when it counted. The defense was as bad as it has been this spring. The pitching, excluding Lowry’s wildness was the bright spot of the day. If this team has Worrell, Kline, Munter and Taschner do what they did today on a regular basis, good things will happen.
Today it will be the Giants vs the Mariners at Scottsdale. Rain is supposed to return to the valley tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully all of the games will go on as scheduled.
Giants @ Rangers - March 16th, 2006
I am a couple of days late on this game review so I will make it short. The Giants lost to the Rangers 4-3, but once again, because of who was playing the game; this was a “good” loss for the Giants.
The Giants only brought one starter to Surprise, Lance Niekro, and only Todd Linden or Jason Ellison realistically even have a chance to make the 25 man roster. The remainder of the players in this game were the Giants Minor Leaguers. Those loveable youngsters who have been playing so well this spring. I really enjoy watching these kids play. I know some fans only want to see wins, even in Spring Training, but having young players perform well and gain confidence in these games, means MUCH more to the organization that 1,000 spring wins.
The Rangers played mostly starters and played many of them late into the game. Merkin Valdez gave up a HR in the 7th to Kevin Mench to allow the first runs scored by Texas to tie the game 2-2. Mench is a 4 year Major Leaguer with almost 1500 ML at bats and he was still in the game in the 7th inning. Meanwhile, the Giants were playing Tyler Von Schell and some kid named Bowers or Powers in the 7th inning. Neither of these guys are even in the Major League camp and I have never even heard of Bowers/Powers who played SS and isn’t even listed in the Giants Media Guide Minor League roster. Can anyone help me out here?
After the Rangers tied the game in the 7th, the baby Giants came right back in the 8th and took the lead once again on Von Schell’s double and Kevin Frandsen’s RBI single. Unfortunately Merken gave it right back again in the bottom of the 8th and Matt Anderson gave up the winning run in the 9th. The winning run was unearned because of Anderson’s own error on a pick-off throw. Surprise is the only stadium in the league that has a radar reading posted on the scoreboard. Merkin was throwing 97-98 MPH consistently, but even though he only registered 1 walk, he was not locating his pitches at all and fell behind most batters. Merkin hopefully learned a valuable lesson. You can throw 98 all day long, but if you put a 3-1 fastball right down the middle to a Major League batter……he can/will hit it out of the park.
Kevin Correia pitched a great game, throwing a 4 inning, 1 hitter with 2 strikeouts. He was in full command the entire outing and just may have popped himself back into the competition for the 5th starter.
Considering the mostly veteran Rangers took until the 9th inning to beat the mostly VERY young Giants, it was a very encouraging game. Hopefully these kids will continue to develop and we might actually see some homegrown position players on the Giants in the next couple of years.
The Giants only brought one starter to Surprise, Lance Niekro, and only Todd Linden or Jason Ellison realistically even have a chance to make the 25 man roster. The remainder of the players in this game were the Giants Minor Leaguers. Those loveable youngsters who have been playing so well this spring. I really enjoy watching these kids play. I know some fans only want to see wins, even in Spring Training, but having young players perform well and gain confidence in these games, means MUCH more to the organization that 1,000 spring wins.
The Rangers played mostly starters and played many of them late into the game. Merkin Valdez gave up a HR in the 7th to Kevin Mench to allow the first runs scored by Texas to tie the game 2-2. Mench is a 4 year Major Leaguer with almost 1500 ML at bats and he was still in the game in the 7th inning. Meanwhile, the Giants were playing Tyler Von Schell and some kid named Bowers or Powers in the 7th inning. Neither of these guys are even in the Major League camp and I have never even heard of Bowers/Powers who played SS and isn’t even listed in the Giants Media Guide Minor League roster. Can anyone help me out here?
After the Rangers tied the game in the 7th, the baby Giants came right back in the 8th and took the lead once again on Von Schell’s double and Kevin Frandsen’s RBI single. Unfortunately Merken gave it right back again in the bottom of the 8th and Matt Anderson gave up the winning run in the 9th. The winning run was unearned because of Anderson’s own error on a pick-off throw. Surprise is the only stadium in the league that has a radar reading posted on the scoreboard. Merkin was throwing 97-98 MPH consistently, but even though he only registered 1 walk, he was not locating his pitches at all and fell behind most batters. Merkin hopefully learned a valuable lesson. You can throw 98 all day long, but if you put a 3-1 fastball right down the middle to a Major League batter……he can/will hit it out of the park.
Kevin Correia pitched a great game, throwing a 4 inning, 1 hitter with 2 strikeouts. He was in full command the entire outing and just may have popped himself back into the competition for the 5th starter.
Considering the mostly veteran Rangers took until the 9th inning to beat the mostly VERY young Giants, it was a very encouraging game. Hopefully these kids will continue to develop and we might actually see some homegrown position players on the Giants in the next couple of years.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Nate Schierholtz replaced Abraham Nunez at the DH position. He had 2 walks to show for his 2 plate appearances. I love the way he tracks the ball. I have photos of players looking at the pitcher while they swing and miss. I even have photos of players swinging with their eyes closed. But Nate's head is ALWAYS on the ball.
Merkin Valdez was the 3rd pitcher of the game and showed why having a 98 MPH fastball does you no good if you can't control where it is going. His line; 3 hits including a HR, plus a walk, 1 strikeout 3 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. He gave up the lead twice when the Giants were ahead 2-0 and when they retook the lead 3-2. Merkin was behind in the count to every batter.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Giants vs Milwaukee
The Giants beat the Brewers today, in Scottsdale, 10-6. The Giants started mostly regulars for a change with Jose Vizcaino playing SS, Steve Finley in CF, Barry Bonds in LF, Lance Niekro at 1B, Ray Durham at 2B. Rounding out the lineup were Abraham Nunez in RF, Angel Chavez at 3B and Yamid Haad at C. This lineup responded nicely with 7 runs in the first 2 inning.
That Bonds guy continued to make a mockery of Spring Training pitching by going 2 for 2 with a double, a HR, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. He also had his first defensive chance of the season on a popup hit right to him. He almost lost the ball in the sun, but managed to make the catch while falling to the ground. Steve Finley continued to prove that rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated. He went 1 for 3 with a 3 run HR in the first inning. I’m not sure but I believe that is Finley’s 3rd HR of the spring……not bad until you realize that Bonds also has 3…….in about 1/4th of the at bats.
Everyone had their hitting shoes on early with Jose Vizcaino going 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Ray Durham was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Lance Niekro was 1 for 2 but didn’t manage to get an RBI for it seems like the first time this spring. Abraham Nunez was 1 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Even Yamid Haad was 1 for 2. Of the starting lineup, only Angel Chavez was hitless, in 2 ABs, but he still managed to get on base twice with bases on balls.
Of the replacements, Mark Sweeney continues to hit very well, going 2 for 3 with a couple of runs scored and 1 RBI. Kevin Frandsen was 1 for 2. Dan Ortmeier while going 0 for 2 managed a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. Justin Knoedler had no hits in 2 plate appearances, but also helped the cause by getting 2 RBI on 2 SAC flies. The Giants had a total of 12 hits, 7 walks and an error. Even though they scored 10 runs, they still left more men on base than the Brewers with 8 LOB.
Brad Hennessey started the game and although he allowed only 2 runs in his 3 2/3 innings, he was not on at all. He gave up 4 hits and 3 walks and seemed to fall behind a every batter. In the second inning he was either 0-2 or 1-2 on every batter, loading the bases on 2 walks and a hit. No runs scored in that inning, but he had a full count on almost everyone, even though he was way ahead of the count early in the ABs. I hate it when a pitcher throws strike 1, strike 2 and then starts to nibble and loses the batter. Hennessey hit his pitch count after 2 outs in the 4th. Steve Kline came in with 2 out and 2 men on and got the only man he faced out, ending the inning with no runs allowed.
Old Man, Jeff Fassero, came on and pitched the 5th, 6th and 7th innings. He did a very creditable job; giving up 1 run on 2 hits and a walk while recording 1 strikeout. Fassero gave up his only run on a solo HR by Prince Fielder (Cecil’s little boy). Worrell had a really bad inning giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and a walk, including a HR. Worrell just wasn’t sharp. He was not hitting his spots and his breaking stuff….wasn’t. The final inning was pitched by Tyler Walker who had his best inning of the spring allowing no base runners and getting out of the inning on less than 10 pitches.
It was good to see a game won by the veterans for a change. I was becoming so used to the kids winning the game, that I wasn’t sure what the vets could do when given the chance. As much as I like the kids….it was nice to see the vets perform.
Tomorrow will be the Giants vs the Rangers in Surprise. My guess is that since Surprise is an hour ride or so from Scottsdale AND since so many veterans played today…..we will see mostly the kids again tomorrow. Alou just doesn’t play regulars in back-to-back games until the last week or so of the spring. We shall see.
That Bonds guy continued to make a mockery of Spring Training pitching by going 2 for 2 with a double, a HR, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. He also had his first defensive chance of the season on a popup hit right to him. He almost lost the ball in the sun, but managed to make the catch while falling to the ground. Steve Finley continued to prove that rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated. He went 1 for 3 with a 3 run HR in the first inning. I’m not sure but I believe that is Finley’s 3rd HR of the spring……not bad until you realize that Bonds also has 3…….in about 1/4th of the at bats.
Everyone had their hitting shoes on early with Jose Vizcaino going 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Ray Durham was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Lance Niekro was 1 for 2 but didn’t manage to get an RBI for it seems like the first time this spring. Abraham Nunez was 1 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Even Yamid Haad was 1 for 2. Of the starting lineup, only Angel Chavez was hitless, in 2 ABs, but he still managed to get on base twice with bases on balls.
Of the replacements, Mark Sweeney continues to hit very well, going 2 for 3 with a couple of runs scored and 1 RBI. Kevin Frandsen was 1 for 2. Dan Ortmeier while going 0 for 2 managed a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. Justin Knoedler had no hits in 2 plate appearances, but also helped the cause by getting 2 RBI on 2 SAC flies. The Giants had a total of 12 hits, 7 walks and an error. Even though they scored 10 runs, they still left more men on base than the Brewers with 8 LOB.
Brad Hennessey started the game and although he allowed only 2 runs in his 3 2/3 innings, he was not on at all. He gave up 4 hits and 3 walks and seemed to fall behind a every batter. In the second inning he was either 0-2 or 1-2 on every batter, loading the bases on 2 walks and a hit. No runs scored in that inning, but he had a full count on almost everyone, even though he was way ahead of the count early in the ABs. I hate it when a pitcher throws strike 1, strike 2 and then starts to nibble and loses the batter. Hennessey hit his pitch count after 2 outs in the 4th. Steve Kline came in with 2 out and 2 men on and got the only man he faced out, ending the inning with no runs allowed.
Old Man, Jeff Fassero, came on and pitched the 5th, 6th and 7th innings. He did a very creditable job; giving up 1 run on 2 hits and a walk while recording 1 strikeout. Fassero gave up his only run on a solo HR by Prince Fielder (Cecil’s little boy). Worrell had a really bad inning giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and a walk, including a HR. Worrell just wasn’t sharp. He was not hitting his spots and his breaking stuff….wasn’t. The final inning was pitched by Tyler Walker who had his best inning of the spring allowing no base runners and getting out of the inning on less than 10 pitches.
It was good to see a game won by the veterans for a change. I was becoming so used to the kids winning the game, that I wasn’t sure what the vets could do when given the chance. As much as I like the kids….it was nice to see the vets perform.
Tomorrow will be the Giants vs the Rangers in Surprise. My guess is that since Surprise is an hour ride or so from Scottsdale AND since so many veterans played today…..we will see mostly the kids again tomorrow. Alou just doesn’t play regulars in back-to-back games until the last week or so of the spring. We shall see.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Giants vs Rangers
The Giants defeated the Rangers 3-2 today in one of the fastest games yet this spring. Game time was about 2 hours & 15 minutes. Since I expanded the comments on the photos I will try to keep this review down to a minimum. Although, when I start talking baseball, it’s pretty hard for me to keep it short.
The Giants didn’t play a lot of regulars, but the regulars accounted for all of the runs in one form or another. Barry Bonds went 3 for 3 with a HR, 2 singles and a sacrifice bunt……yep, that’s right………Barry laid down a SAC bunt that moved pinch runner Jason Ellison over from 2B to 3B from where he scored the third & winning run. Lance Niekro got another couple of RBIs and would have had a third, except that Barry held up waiting to see if the ball would be caught and then couldn’t score from 1B on a double that Lance hit off the wall at the 430 foot mark. Lance and Barry had a good laugh about it. This team continues to be as loose as I have seen them in years. They seem to really enjoy each other.
Morris only gave up 2 runs in 5 innings but he was really hit hard. Even the outs were just smashed. He struck out 1 and walked 1. Without some good defense and a couple of “atom balls” Morris could have easily given up 8 or more runs. He wasn’t fooling anyone.
Jamey Wright pitched the 6th, 7th and 8th innings, giving up no runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Jamey also struck out 2. The way they are using him; it looks like they are grooming him for long relief. I don’t know…..he looks like the leading candidate for the #5 spot in the rotation to me. Jack Tashner got the save, pitching a scoreless 9th inning. After issuing a walk to the first batter, Jack struck out the next 3 batters to end the game. He looked very sharp and had a nice fastball today. I really like this kid.
Todd Linden went 0 for 3 again with a walk. It appears his early hitting streak is over. Angel Chavez went hitless for the first time in awhile. Frandsen, Schierholtz, Wald, Buscher and Tyler Von Schell went a combined 0 for 11….so the kids didn’t hit the ball. But they played some good defense to bail Morris out……so all was good.
Like all spring games, some good, some bad. Considering the Giants again played few regulars, I was happy with the game. As I have said many times, I really like these kids. Even when they don’t hit, they help the regulars win the game. Good stuff.
The Giants didn’t play a lot of regulars, but the regulars accounted for all of the runs in one form or another. Barry Bonds went 3 for 3 with a HR, 2 singles and a sacrifice bunt……yep, that’s right………Barry laid down a SAC bunt that moved pinch runner Jason Ellison over from 2B to 3B from where he scored the third & winning run. Lance Niekro got another couple of RBIs and would have had a third, except that Barry held up waiting to see if the ball would be caught and then couldn’t score from 1B on a double that Lance hit off the wall at the 430 foot mark. Lance and Barry had a good laugh about it. This team continues to be as loose as I have seen them in years. They seem to really enjoy each other.
Morris only gave up 2 runs in 5 innings but he was really hit hard. Even the outs were just smashed. He struck out 1 and walked 1. Without some good defense and a couple of “atom balls” Morris could have easily given up 8 or more runs. He wasn’t fooling anyone.
Jamey Wright pitched the 6th, 7th and 8th innings, giving up no runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Jamey also struck out 2. The way they are using him; it looks like they are grooming him for long relief. I don’t know…..he looks like the leading candidate for the #5 spot in the rotation to me. Jack Tashner got the save, pitching a scoreless 9th inning. After issuing a walk to the first batter, Jack struck out the next 3 batters to end the game. He looked very sharp and had a nice fastball today. I really like this kid.
Todd Linden went 0 for 3 again with a walk. It appears his early hitting streak is over. Angel Chavez went hitless for the first time in awhile. Frandsen, Schierholtz, Wald, Buscher and Tyler Von Schell went a combined 0 for 11….so the kids didn’t hit the ball. But they played some good defense to bail Morris out……so all was good.
Like all spring games, some good, some bad. Considering the Giants again played few regulars, I was happy with the game. As I have said many times, I really like these kids. Even when they don’t hit, they help the regulars win the game. Good stuff.
Starting pitcher Matt Morris. He was the first Giant pitcher to go 5 innings this spring. It looks good that he gave up only 2 runs in his 5 innings, but he was hit hard. 6 hits, including a HR allowed, a walk, plus FOUR line drives caught by infielders (including Lance Niekro's unassisted doubleplay) plus the 2 great catches by Schierholtz and Finley. He could have easily given up 7 or 8 runs or more. It helps to have the good "D" behind you.
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