Quick entry here, as I will be off to the game in a few minutes. I will be heading out early to watch some batting practice and prepare for tonight's entry. Tonight's pitching match up is going to be very interesting to watch. Hopefully Lincecum could once again be Lincecum and Ubaldo Jimenez could be that wild flamethrower like he was last year in September vs. the Giants (where the Giants roughed him up). I believe that if the Giants could just score 4 runs or more (they're record is something like 49-10 when they do), they will win tonight's game. It also would not hurt for Lincecum to put up a 0 in the first and for the Giants to jump out to an early lead to calm the nerves.
Another thing I am looking forward to tonight is that reinforcements are coming! It's September 1st and that means major league rosters will expand to 40. We will certainly see the likes of Eugenio Velez and Dan Runzler, but for the first time in his career, Edgar Renteria will be a September call up. Look for him to possibly be in the lineup tonight to give Uribe a break, who has been struggling mightily (boy it was painful to watch his 8th inning at-bat with a runner at 3rd and less than 2 outs). Also, Brandon Belt anyone? It would be nice to see what the hype is all about first hand. Can his outrageous minor league numbers continue up here? I just hope he's not another John Bowker, but let's see.
Lastly, I'll record myself doing play-by-play for a few innings. Let me know your opinion on that and tonight's game. Does this team have enough to win the West and/or Wild Card? I like to hope so, but the Jekyll and Hyde persona of this team makes me wonder. F.P. Santangelo said it best, Giants baseball IS a roller coaster ride.
My Predicted Score: Rockies 3 Giants 5
Important Scores: Phillies 2 Dodgers 0 Top 7, STL 3 HOU 5 F
ESPN's Win Probabilities: Rockies 44% Giants 56% Vegas is on our side!
Tonight was the definition of a grind-out win. The Giants came up against a quality pitcher in Ubaldo Jimenez and found a way to grind-out a win 2-1. Tim Lincecum found a way to stop the bleeding he's had and got a very well-deserved win. It is this Giants team that is capable of beating anyone in the National League. They can be a bit Jekyll and Hide but if they gain the consistency that has carried then into the NL Pennant Race, then they will find themselves playing the Braves or Reds in the NLDS come next month. The Hunt for October has begun. Go Giants!
ReplyDeleteNice Game tonight guys!!
ReplyDeleteI thought Bochy made a bad call by not having Lincecum safety bunt with 1st 3rd one out.
BTW Vince nice website. I like the background graphic of the glove. It reminds me of the one above CF at A.T & T.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your quest it will come true some day!!
Thanks so much for your support RCraig89. Keep commenting and spread the word about the blog. I always enjoy hearing fans' opinion. Feel free to say whatever you all want (I think the guidelines that mlb.com has for posting is ridiculous. Come on, it's baseball, let fans say what they want!)I totally agree with you about the safety bunt with 1st and 3rd. You got Tim Lincecum vs. one of the best pitchers in the game. Lincecum has no chance! He looked very foolish on his first at-bat vs. Jimenez, so I was thinking strikeout for sure, but as he beat the 1/100 odds and actually made fair contact, it was a Giants' special...DOUBLE PLAY!!! I wanted to pull my hair out. Safety bunt would have been good enough, but if Bochy really wanted to be gutsy, he would have safety squeezed (Torres, the next batter, didn't have much of a chance against Jimenez either, striking out 3 times against him). when it's pennant race time against a premier pitcher, those bold, aggressive calls are what win games down the stretch. How far has being conservative got the Giants the last few years?
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