A pattern is starting to emerge.
For the past two seasons, The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics exchanged series sweeps against each other. The Bay Area team who played at home was the club who brought out the broom.
The two teams play each other six times per year, three in San Francisco and three in Oakland.
History appears to be repeating itself.
Game 1 and Game 2 of the Bay Bridge Series were like night and day. Offense erupted in Game 1, where the Giants held on to beat the A's 8-6.
Game 2, however, was more of the light offensive game you would expect from these two clubs.
The Giants and A's took a scoreless tie into the seventh inning. Ryan Vogelsong would outlast Tyson Ross in a classic pitcher's duel.
Ross escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, he induced an infield popout from Angel Pagan, followed by a strikeout from Brandon Belt.
In the second inning, the Giants left another runner in scoring position, as Brandon Crawford struck out swinging.
San Francisco broke through in seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Melky Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly into deep right-center field, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead.
The Giants tacked on three more runs in the inning. Buster Posey's RBI ground-rule double knocked in Vogelsong from third base to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.
The next batter, Pagan, delivered the big blow in the game. With Blanco at third and Posey at second, Pagan blooped a single to center field, which scored both runs and made the score 4-0.
This would be more than enough for the Giants.
Vogelsong gave up just one hit and no runs in seven innings, with five strikeouts and one walk. Ross was the hard-luck loser, pitching six innings of two-run ball.
Javier Lopez and Clay Hensley pitched a scoreless inning each to preserve the shutout against the A's. The Giants now have won eleven games in a row against the Athletics at AT&T Park.
Brandon Crawford continued his hot-hitting from the two-spot in the order. On Saturday, he went 2-for-4, and since being inserted into the two-hole, Crawford is 5-for-14 (.357)
The Giants will look for their fourth straight home series sweep against the A's Sunday. Tim Lincecum (2-3, 5.77 ERA) will take on Bartolo Colon (3-4, 4.13 ERA).
...
My respect for Bruce Bochy and the Giants just went up. The fact that this team is 21-19 is simply a borderline miracle.
The Giants have 2011 Fresno Grizzlies or minor leaguers at the following positions in today's lineup: first base (Belt), second base (Emmanuel Burriss), shortstop (Crawford), and third base (Joaquin Arias).
Notice anything? That is the entire Giants' infield.
San Francisco is also 21st in the league in runs scored with 153.
Even more remarkable is the Giants lead all of baseball in errors with 42. Usually, this spells disaster for any ball club, but they are third in the National League in ERA with a 3.36 clip.
More often than not, the pitching bails out the Giants' errors.
It will be interesting to see the moves the Giants make to improve their club.
Showing posts with label ATT Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ATT Park. Show all posts
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies Weather Report
By Vince Cestone (with help from Christina Loren)
Twitter @vintalkingiants
Unlike the benign conditions at the Arizona Diamondbacks' roofed stadium, San Francisco's AT&T Park will be howling with winds that could give the baseball a push towards center field.
The game-time temperature will be a cool, clear 52 degrees. The 11-mph winds will be blowing from the west-northwest, which will give the ball a push out to slightly right of center field.
Rain will not even be a factor in tonight's game, so brace yourself for a wonderful summer night in the city by the bay.
...
Tonight, Ryan Vogelsong (1-2, 2.94 ERA) will take on Christian Friedrich (1-0, 1.50 ERA).
Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants
For more spot-on weather forecasts, tune into Today in the Bay every morning at 4:30 a.m. on NBC Bay Area. Or, follow Christina Loren on Twitter @Christina_Loren.
Be sure to subscribe to my blog (subscribe button is on the left side of the web site)
Information from Daily Baseball Data contributed to this article.
Photo Attribution:
By Bspangenberg (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Twitter @vintalkingiants
Unlike the benign conditions at the Arizona Diamondbacks' roofed stadium, San Francisco's AT&T Park will be howling with winds that could give the baseball a push towards center field.
The game-time temperature will be a cool, clear 52 degrees. The 11-mph winds will be blowing from the west-northwest, which will give the ball a push out to slightly right of center field.
Rain will not even be a factor in tonight's game, so brace yourself for a wonderful summer night in the city by the bay.
Tonight, Ryan Vogelsong (1-2, 2.94 ERA) will take on Christian Friedrich (1-0, 1.50 ERA).
Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants
For more spot-on weather forecasts, tune into Today in the Bay every morning at 4:30 a.m. on NBC Bay Area. Or, follow Christina Loren on Twitter @Christina_Loren.
Be sure to subscribe to my blog (subscribe button is on the left side of the web site)
Information from Daily Baseball Data contributed to this article.
Photo Attribution:
By Bspangenberg (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Source - NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit/Tony Kovaleski: Has Fan Violence Plagued Sporting Events?
By Vince Cestone
It sickens me to have to pose this question, but unfortunately, recent events have shown going to a sporting event is no longer a safe thing to do.
I know because I helped compile the data illustrated in the investigative report shown below (click on the video to play it). Tony Kovaleski, with the help of Liz Wagner and Felipe Escamilla, reported on this very unfortunate issue in the package, which aired on NBC Bay Area last Friday.
Here are some key statistics/information reported by Kovaleski in this article (with contribution from yours truly).
“What normally leads to trouble is someone who has too much alcohol because it inhibits their ability to make proper decisions,” Lt. Bill Roualdes of the San Francisco Police Department told NBC Bay Area. He monitors incident reports at the Giants games.
...
I hate to say it, but when you're at any sporting event, you need to be on your best behavior. If you do anything to upset another fan, you could be a victim just like Manuel Austin Jr. (even if it seems like harmless bickering, just ask Bryan Stowe).
Anybody who has the audacity to repeatedly hit a 66-year-old elderly man should be locked up for a long time. Interestingly, the men who beat up Austin only received misdemeanor citations, NBC Bay Area reported.
If you're feeling anxiety about going to see your favorite team, relax. Most likely, nothing is going to happen if you mind your manners and don't provoke other fans.
You can also diminish your chances of getting hurt at a stadium by going to the game on a Sunday or Saturday day game (from my experience).
I can only speak for Giants games, but the bottom line is this. If you want to decrease fan violence or rowdiness, limit the amount of alcohol a fan can consume. This means banning alcohol on CalTrain at all times, or sigh, banning alcohol at all sporting events.
Otherwise, I believe, fan violence is inevitable. Alcohol is powerful, and once it gets into a fan's system, there's little anyone can do to stop fans from acting out.
Still, AT&T Park is generally a safe place to go. Just be careful on a Friday night versus the Dodgers. Beat LA!
Here's the package from the NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit. Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski reports. Watch first, then I will pose some questions. Then, you can comment.
Has stadium violence gone too far? Are you afraid to go to a sporting event? Are you afraid to go to certain sporting events as opposed to others (an NFL game versus a MLB game)?
Were Manual Austin Jr.'s attackers punished enough for what they did?
What should stadium security do to take corrective action? Is there anything they can do, is violence inevitable at stadium?
Lastly, on the flip side, does anyone think these statistics are overblown or misrepresented? Should stadium security be more lax like it was 25 years ago where fans could run on the field after their team wins a big game? Will stadium violence be the same or good down even with looser stadium security?
We may never know the answers to some of these questions, but we can always talk about them.
Have a story idea NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit should take a look at? E-mail my blog mailbag at vince.cestone@yahoo.com or contact the unit at theunit@nbcbayarea.com
It sickens me to have to pose this question, but unfortunately, recent events have shown going to a sporting event is no longer a safe thing to do.
I know because I helped compile the data illustrated in the investigative report shown below (click on the video to play it). Tony Kovaleski, with the help of Liz Wagner and Felipe Escamilla, reported on this very unfortunate issue in the package, which aired on NBC Bay Area last Friday.
Here are some key statistics/information reported by Kovaleski in this article (with contribution from yours truly).
- "I was punched repeatedly by three distinct individuals," said 66-year-old Los Gatos resident Manuel Austin Jr. He was at Candlestick Park for the 49ers/Steelers game in December (his first game in seven years).
- "According to data from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, at the Oakland Coliseum last season fans at Raiders games received 87 police citations. There were 144 arrests and 448 ejections."
- The most violent game at Candlestick Park last season was that Steelers game mentioned above. There were 38 fights and 57 ejections.
- Police records show in 2011, there were three assaults, 124 fans booked, and 559 ejections at AT&T Park (don't interfere with the balls that come down the line!)
- Giants/Dodgers games show 26 arrests and 113 ejections, more than any other opposing team (no surprise)
- Friday nights produce more fan-related problems than any other day of the week (maybe CalTrain's allowance of alcohol has something to do with this?)
“What normally leads to trouble is someone who has too much alcohol because it inhibits their ability to make proper decisions,” Lt. Bill Roualdes of the San Francisco Police Department told NBC Bay Area. He monitors incident reports at the Giants games.
...
I hate to say it, but when you're at any sporting event, you need to be on your best behavior. If you do anything to upset another fan, you could be a victim just like Manuel Austin Jr. (even if it seems like harmless bickering, just ask Bryan Stowe).
Anybody who has the audacity to repeatedly hit a 66-year-old elderly man should be locked up for a long time. Interestingly, the men who beat up Austin only received misdemeanor citations, NBC Bay Area reported.
If you're feeling anxiety about going to see your favorite team, relax. Most likely, nothing is going to happen if you mind your manners and don't provoke other fans.
You can also diminish your chances of getting hurt at a stadium by going to the game on a Sunday or Saturday day game (from my experience).
I can only speak for Giants games, but the bottom line is this. If you want to decrease fan violence or rowdiness, limit the amount of alcohol a fan can consume. This means banning alcohol on CalTrain at all times, or sigh, banning alcohol at all sporting events.
Otherwise, I believe, fan violence is inevitable. Alcohol is powerful, and once it gets into a fan's system, there's little anyone can do to stop fans from acting out.
Still, AT&T Park is generally a safe place to go. Just be careful on a Friday night versus the Dodgers. Beat LA!
Here's the package from the NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit. Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski reports. Watch first, then I will pose some questions. Then, you can comment.
View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.
Has stadium violence gone too far? Are you afraid to go to a sporting event? Are you afraid to go to certain sporting events as opposed to others (an NFL game versus a MLB game)?
Were Manual Austin Jr.'s attackers punished enough for what they did?
What should stadium security do to take corrective action? Is there anything they can do, is violence inevitable at stadium?
Lastly, on the flip side, does anyone think these statistics are overblown or misrepresented? Should stadium security be more lax like it was 25 years ago where fans could run on the field after their team wins a big game? Will stadium violence be the same or good down even with looser stadium security?
We may never know the answers to some of these questions, but we can always talk about them.
Have a story idea NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit should take a look at? E-mail my blog mailbag at vince.cestone@yahoo.com or contact the unit at theunit@nbcbayarea.com
Follow me on twitter @vintalkingiants. Be sure to use the #talkinggiants tag when referring to my article on twitter.
Questions or comments? E-mail my blog mailbag at vc4re@yahoo.com. Your questions may be answered on my blog for my mailbag segment.
Add me on Facebook. Click here
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A Blog Post Dedicated to Buster Posey, Express your thoughts and get-well wishes
As all of you may know, Buster Posey was injured in a collision at home plate Wednesday night in a game against the Florida Marlins. He has a broken ankle and torn ligaments. He could be out anywhere between six-to-eight weeks and the rest of the season. Truly, this is a big loss in the lineup for the Giants. Let's hope he will be back before the season is over.
The collision was a clean hit according to the rules of baseball. The runner at third, Scott Cousins, was trying to score the lead run in extra innings. As Giants' right fielder Nate Schierholtz fired the ball home as Cousins tagged up and came towards the plate, Cousins railroaded Posey to try to knock the ball loose -- but Posey never had the ball and had his body was turned away from home plate. The result was very unfortunate.
This is where fans can chime in. Give Posey some get-well wishes in a comment below. I hope to get this comment chain growing. If it grows enough, maybe Posey will see it. Your support for the Giants' star catcher is much appreciated.
So, let's start leaving those comments and get-well wishes.
Getty Images
Get well soon Buster! We will miss you!
The collision was a clean hit according to the rules of baseball. The runner at third, Scott Cousins, was trying to score the lead run in extra innings. As Giants' right fielder Nate Schierholtz fired the ball home as Cousins tagged up and came towards the plate, Cousins railroaded Posey to try to knock the ball loose -- but Posey never had the ball and had his body was turned away from home plate. The result was very unfortunate.
This is where fans can chime in. Give Posey some get-well wishes in a comment below. I hope to get this comment chain growing. If it grows enough, maybe Posey will see it. Your support for the Giants' star catcher is much appreciated.
So, let's start leaving those comments and get-well wishes.
Getty Images
Get well soon Buster! We will miss you!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Wacky World of Giants Baseball: Giants' sweet torture continues in extra-inning affair
Aaron Rowand hits game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th inning and goes 2-for-3 in Giants' 5-4 win.
Looks like things have not changed much since last year.
The San Francisco Giants continued their victorious but torturous ways, as a sellout crowd at AT&T Park witnessed one of the greatest, yet weirdest games baseball fans will ever see.
The game featured two dramatic ninth-inning rallies with two outs and nobody on, a strike zone the size of a golf ball at one time and an SUV at another, an unlikely hero two home openers in a row, and an extra-inning dogfight where the Giants stranded a runner at third with nobody out in the bottom of the 11th inning. If you thought that was weird, the St. Louis Cardinals moved their left fielder and put five men in the infield in that bottom of the 11th inning -- and it worked when Aaron Rowand lined a smash right to third base, which was manned by left fielder Allen Craig.
The Giants achieved their 5-4 victory and broke the 4-4 tie in the bottom of the 12th inning when Rowand roped a game-winning single off the left-center-field wall with the bases loaded. Coincidentally, it was just last year on the Giants' 2010 home opener when Rowand hit an RBI infield hit in the 13th inning to beat the Braves also 5-4.
"This one was a lot easier than the last one trying to leg it out," Rowand said.
The 12th inning rally began off Cardinals lefty Brian Tallet (0-1) when Miguel Tejada hit a one-out single to left. With two outs, Andres Torres reached on a catching error by first baseman Albert Pujols.
Cardinals manger Tony La Russa elected to walk Freddy Sanchez to load the bases for an unlikely hero. Rowand promptly silenced the naysayers by coming through in the clutch for the second home opener in a row.
"It was a lefty in that situation, so I hope they got to me," Rowand said.
The ecstasy at AT&T Park by the end of the 12th inning was nothing of the sort back in the top of the ninth inning. With the Giants up 3-2 and Brian Wilson looking for his first save of the year, Wilson lost the 12-pitch marathon battle with Ryan Theriot, as he singled in the tying and lead runs with the bases loaded. The inning started with two quick outs.
Wilson was angry, as he walked off the mound in the top of the ninth inning. He seemed to disagree with home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman's strike zone and began shouting at him while he was leaving the field.
"I was a little pissed," Wilson said. "Emotions are flying. It's opening day. Ow well, that's what happens."
It appeared that the Giants' opening day party, which included their championship flag being hoisted and set atop a pole forever at AT&T Park, was ruined by the Cardinals' ninth-inning rally. However, the Giants returned the favor and started a two-out rally of their own, which concluded with a game-tying single to right by Pablo Sandoval.
It appeared the first baseman Pujols was out of position when Sandoval hit his hard ground ball to the right side, as he broke toward the bag as the pitch was being thrown by closer Ryan Franklin. Nonetheless, the Giants enjoyed every minute of it.
"The game was an emotional roller coaster, a great game," said Bruce Bochy, Giants manager. "These guys fought hard. It was quite a ball game for a home opener."
Lost in all the hoopla was a fine starting pitching performance by Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez. Although he threw a lot of pitches early, he battled through a first-inning jam and allowed just one run, while striking out seven, in five innings of work.
The Cardinals scored first on a Tyler Greene single in the top of the second inning. The Giants would tie the game on a third-inning home run by Miguel Tejada, his first as a Giant.
The Giants grabbed the lead on a Freddy Sanchez double in the second inning. They would tack on another run in the sixth inning on Pat Burrell's third home run of the year, making the score 3-1.
For the most part, the Giants kept Pujols in check. The Cardinals' slugger went just 1-for-6, with an RBI single in the eighth inning that cut the Giants' lead to 3-2. Pujols' average fell to .179 for the year.
Dan Runzler (1-0) pitched a perfect 12th inning to earn the win in relief. He was one of eight pitchers used by the Giants in the game.
Although the torture called Giants baseball continued, like last year, torture still never felt so good.
My Thoughts
This was just a great baseball game.
The Giants did something that all good teams need to do to be successful. That is to not quit, even when all seems lost.
When the Giants blew their 3-2 lead in the ninth inning, many teams might have felt so deflated and just rolled over -- not the Giants. They roared back with a two-out rally. Rowand (2-for-3) got things started with a two-out single, and would eventually come in to score on Sandoval's game-tying single.
Another instance where the Giants showed resiliency was after the bottom of the 11th inning. After Torres doubled and advanced on a wild pitch with nobody out, the Giants suffered a crushing blow. Victory was within reach, but the Giants stumbled.
Freddy Sanchez struck out, and then, Aaron Rowand hit a hard, low liner that the left fielder dove for and trapped at third base. Tony La Russa moved the left fielder to third base, and it actually worked, as Torres was nailed in a rundown on the play. Mark DeRosa then struck out on some questionable pitches for the third out of the inning.
Again, the Giants could have rolled over and let the failure get into their heads. Fortunately for the Giants, this did not happen, as Runzler came out and pitched a scoreless top of the 12th, setting up the Giants' walk-off win at the bottom of the inning.
Another thing to note. Bruce Dreckman's strike zone was awful today. The one thing players ask for in a home plate umpire is consistency, no matter if his strike zone is high, low, or wide. It seemed that early in the game, Dreckman's zone was very tight when Sanchez was on the mound. Later on in the game, his strike zone widened, especially during DeRosa's 11th-inning at bat.
If the Giants are going to do this torture bit on their fans again, it should be another fun season in the wacky world of San Francisco Giants baseball.
Tidbits
The Giants are now 3-4 and have won three home openers in a row. With home runs from Burrell and Tejada, they now lead the National League in home runs with 9 (tied with the Reds and Brewers). Rowand got his second-straight, walk-off hit in a Giants home opener. Cardinals' outfielder Matt Holliday says he may play this weekend after having his appendix removed just five days ago. Pujols has hit into five double plays in seven games so far this year. Tomorrow, Matt Cain will look for his second win of the year against the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia. The game will start at 7:05 p.m. to accommodate the Giants' ring ceremony.
Vinnie Cestone is a Baseball/San Francisco Giants Featured Columnist for The Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials from Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
Stats and other information came from ESPN.com and MLB.com.
Follow me on twitter @vintalkingiants
Questions or comments? E-mail my blog mailbag at vc4re@yahoo.com. Your questions may be answered on my blog.
Looks like things have not changed much since last year.
The San Francisco Giants continued their victorious but torturous ways, as a sellout crowd at AT&T Park witnessed one of the greatest, yet weirdest games baseball fans will ever see.
The game featured two dramatic ninth-inning rallies with two outs and nobody on, a strike zone the size of a golf ball at one time and an SUV at another, an unlikely hero two home openers in a row, and an extra-inning dogfight where the Giants stranded a runner at third with nobody out in the bottom of the 11th inning. If you thought that was weird, the St. Louis Cardinals moved their left fielder and put five men in the infield in that bottom of the 11th inning -- and it worked when Aaron Rowand lined a smash right to third base, which was manned by left fielder Allen Craig.
The Giants achieved their 5-4 victory and broke the 4-4 tie in the bottom of the 12th inning when Rowand roped a game-winning single off the left-center-field wall with the bases loaded. Coincidentally, it was just last year on the Giants' 2010 home opener when Rowand hit an RBI infield hit in the 13th inning to beat the Braves also 5-4.
"This one was a lot easier than the last one trying to leg it out," Rowand said.
The 12th inning rally began off Cardinals lefty Brian Tallet (0-1) when Miguel Tejada hit a one-out single to left. With two outs, Andres Torres reached on a catching error by first baseman Albert Pujols.
Cardinals manger Tony La Russa elected to walk Freddy Sanchez to load the bases for an unlikely hero. Rowand promptly silenced the naysayers by coming through in the clutch for the second home opener in a row.
"It was a lefty in that situation, so I hope they got to me," Rowand said.
The ecstasy at AT&T Park by the end of the 12th inning was nothing of the sort back in the top of the ninth inning. With the Giants up 3-2 and Brian Wilson looking for his first save of the year, Wilson lost the 12-pitch marathon battle with Ryan Theriot, as he singled in the tying and lead runs with the bases loaded. The inning started with two quick outs.
Wilson was angry, as he walked off the mound in the top of the ninth inning. He seemed to disagree with home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman's strike zone and began shouting at him while he was leaving the field.
"I was a little pissed," Wilson said. "Emotions are flying. It's opening day. Ow well, that's what happens."
It appeared that the Giants' opening day party, which included their championship flag being hoisted and set atop a pole forever at AT&T Park, was ruined by the Cardinals' ninth-inning rally. However, the Giants returned the favor and started a two-out rally of their own, which concluded with a game-tying single to right by Pablo Sandoval.
It appeared the first baseman Pujols was out of position when Sandoval hit his hard ground ball to the right side, as he broke toward the bag as the pitch was being thrown by closer Ryan Franklin. Nonetheless, the Giants enjoyed every minute of it.
"The game was an emotional roller coaster, a great game," said Bruce Bochy, Giants manager. "These guys fought hard. It was quite a ball game for a home opener."
Lost in all the hoopla was a fine starting pitching performance by Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez. Although he threw a lot of pitches early, he battled through a first-inning jam and allowed just one run, while striking out seven, in five innings of work.
The Cardinals scored first on a Tyler Greene single in the top of the second inning. The Giants would tie the game on a third-inning home run by Miguel Tejada, his first as a Giant.
The Giants grabbed the lead on a Freddy Sanchez double in the second inning. They would tack on another run in the sixth inning on Pat Burrell's third home run of the year, making the score 3-1.
For the most part, the Giants kept Pujols in check. The Cardinals' slugger went just 1-for-6, with an RBI single in the eighth inning that cut the Giants' lead to 3-2. Pujols' average fell to .179 for the year.
Dan Runzler (1-0) pitched a perfect 12th inning to earn the win in relief. He was one of eight pitchers used by the Giants in the game.
Although the torture called Giants baseball continued, like last year, torture still never felt so good.
My Thoughts
This was just a great baseball game.
The Giants did something that all good teams need to do to be successful. That is to not quit, even when all seems lost.
When the Giants blew their 3-2 lead in the ninth inning, many teams might have felt so deflated and just rolled over -- not the Giants. They roared back with a two-out rally. Rowand (2-for-3) got things started with a two-out single, and would eventually come in to score on Sandoval's game-tying single.
Another instance where the Giants showed resiliency was after the bottom of the 11th inning. After Torres doubled and advanced on a wild pitch with nobody out, the Giants suffered a crushing blow. Victory was within reach, but the Giants stumbled.
Freddy Sanchez struck out, and then, Aaron Rowand hit a hard, low liner that the left fielder dove for and trapped at third base. Tony La Russa moved the left fielder to third base, and it actually worked, as Torres was nailed in a rundown on the play. Mark DeRosa then struck out on some questionable pitches for the third out of the inning.
Again, the Giants could have rolled over and let the failure get into their heads. Fortunately for the Giants, this did not happen, as Runzler came out and pitched a scoreless top of the 12th, setting up the Giants' walk-off win at the bottom of the inning.
Another thing to note. Bruce Dreckman's strike zone was awful today. The one thing players ask for in a home plate umpire is consistency, no matter if his strike zone is high, low, or wide. It seemed that early in the game, Dreckman's zone was very tight when Sanchez was on the mound. Later on in the game, his strike zone widened, especially during DeRosa's 11th-inning at bat.
If the Giants are going to do this torture bit on their fans again, it should be another fun season in the wacky world of San Francisco Giants baseball.
Tidbits
The Giants are now 3-4 and have won three home openers in a row. With home runs from Burrell and Tejada, they now lead the National League in home runs with 9 (tied with the Reds and Brewers). Rowand got his second-straight, walk-off hit in a Giants home opener. Cardinals' outfielder Matt Holliday says he may play this weekend after having his appendix removed just five days ago. Pujols has hit into five double plays in seven games so far this year. Tomorrow, Matt Cain will look for his second win of the year against the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia. The game will start at 7:05 p.m. to accommodate the Giants' ring ceremony.
| 1 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | R | H | E | |
| STL | 0 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
| SF | 0 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 1 |
W: D. Runzler (1-1)
L: B. Tallet (0-1)
L: B. Tallet (0-1)
Vinnie Cestone is a Baseball/San Francisco Giants Featured Columnist for The Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials from Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
Stats and other information came from ESPN.com and MLB.com.
Follow me on twitter @vintalkingiants
Questions or comments? E-mail my blog mailbag at vc4re@yahoo.com. Your questions may be answered on my blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)