Holliday Cries About Getting Hit

In a recent interview, Matt Holliday was quoted saying that he "wasn't thrilled about getting hit" in game 7 of the NLCS. It is quite funny to hear that, I am pretty sure that I don't care Matt but I will send you some tissue if your feelings are really hurt. He also said that "if he wanted to hit me, I wish he would've done it on the first pitch of the next game." Yeah because retribution is all about when you want to receive it.

Look dude, you gotta man up! A few years back, Holliday got off of twitter for nearly a year because fans were making fun of him for working out to Creed. Clearly, this dude is very sensitive. I was quite upset when he slid into Scutaro during game two of the NLCS and I said some unfavorable things. I would like to take this chance to apologize..............On second thought, man up and stop being a bitch Holliday. You took it upon yourself to try to take a guy out. Then, when the time was right, you wore one for it. That is baseball! In the interview, you referred to the take out slide as "just playing hard." Well, Matt Cain was just playin hard too. Grow a set and man up if you don't like it!

World Series Review

Well, it may have lacked drama but I certainly enjoyed the end result of this year's world series. It was the lowest rated in history but I see that more as a baseball problem than a Giants/Tigers problem. There was a story that you could have sold to America but you would have had to do it outside of New York and that is not something that Bud Selig understands. So, much of America missed this year's fall classic because it did not feature the Yankees, Red Sox or, to a lesser extent, the Phillies. The east coast was absent and baseball doesn't sell beyond that very well.

They could have sold the best pitcher in the majors and the best hitter in the majors against a team that refuses to die. They could have sold the pugnacious play of the Giants against the old school American League style of the Detroit Tigers. They could have sold the comeback stories that were all over the Giants, from Posey to Zito to Sandoval and so on. However, they didn't sell any of that. Well, actually they did but the ratings reflected the major problem, they didn't sell it early enough. The reason nobody outside of Detroit and San Francisco cared is because you didn't pay attention to the Giants this year and you forgot about the Tigers. Baseball should have reminded you but they gamble ratings by selling certain teams in certain markets.

So, for those who may have missed it, you missed some good games and great stories. In game one, you had Pablo Sandoval humbling the most feared pitcher in the game and the Giants knocked Verlander out before the 5th inning. That capped a string of 10 games in which the Giants had knocked 7 starting pitchers out before the 5th inning. However, it was the only time in this series as the final three games were mostly pitching dominant. In game two, you had the gritty Doug Fister surviving an early line drive off his head while pitching into the 7th and not allowing a run to score through six against the mechanically improved MadBum who delivered another 7 shutout innings in the world series. The Giants used small ball and took advantage of the weak Tigers bullpen to win 2-0 and head to Detroit leading the series by that same count.

In Detroit, the pitchers continued to outshine the hitters. In game 3, Ryan Vogelsong and Anibal Sanchez battled early mechanical flaws to combine for just under 13 innings of pitching and just 2 runs allowed.  Both runs came in the top of the second before Sanchez could settle in. Despite chances all night long, Volgelsong and the Giants bullpen continually turned them aside. The 2 runs held up and the Giants took a commanding 3-0 lead. Then, game four, when it seemed like you could jump on the Tigers early and rip their hearts out instead you got the best game of the series. The two teams traded punches all night until the Giants played small ball in the top of the tenth to put the series away.

There was a lot to like about this series, if you wanted to give it a chance. Tim Lincecum was a huge story heading into it because you weren't sure how much of a factor he would be. As it turned out, he came up big in getting out of potential threats in the 6th inning of games one and three. Both times, he went on to pitch two more innings of dominant baseball. The freak was a huge factor in the series despite not getting a win or a save. He was the X factor that the Tigers had no answer for. Maybe America didn't see it but we all did and we won't soon forget it.

MVPanda

Congratulations to Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval for a historic postseason culminating in a historic world series MVP performance. Sandoval and NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro dominated the Giants offensive headlines this postseason and were extremely impressive over the past 4 weeks. In the World Series, the Panda started with 3 home runs in game one and was followed by 5 hits over the final three games. He was incredibly impressive and, for a guy who barely played in the last world series run, this is one of the best comeback stories in postseason history.

Along with his power tear of six home runs in sixteen playoff games, the Panda also had a Giants team record 24 hits this postseason. He surpassed J.T. Snow's 2002 playoff total of 22. Along with the huge hits, Sandoval surprised much of America with his excellent defense throughout the entire playoff run. There was not much Sandoval did wrong this month and there aren't many Giants you can be happier for tonight.

Thank you Sandoval for showing us all the endless desire that you have to be the best in the world.

Giants Sweep in Extras

Well, credit the Detroit Tigers for not laying down tonight. They came to fight and put up a good one. Max Scherzer pitcher really well, their bullpen pitched well, Miguel Cabrera flexed some MVP muscle but in the end, all of that was not enough to prevent the San Francisco Giants from celebrating their second world series title in three years. I will keep this recap short, I am guessing you saw the game and give you my thoughts.

This game was all about our best showing their stuff. Cain once again delivered a strong start with the chance to eliminate an opponent. He was not on top of his game but as we all know, he can compete even when he is a little off. He held the Tigers offense in check for seven solid innings and turned it over to a quality bullpen. Affeldt was impressive, striking out the three best hitters in their lineup, in the 8th and Casilla got it through the 9th. Romo came in and got the save.

The offense was handled by Pence, Belt, Posey and Scutaro. Aside from Belt, those are the guys we typically count on. Pence and Belt had back to back extra base hits to put the Giants on top first. Posey answered the Cabrera homer with his own two run shot. Then, in the 10th, small ball paid off again as the Giants got a leadoff hit, sac bunt and clutch 2 out rbi single from the clutch hitting Marco Scutaro.

This was the perfect example of the 2012 Giants tonight and an epic way to cap off what had been a World Series that lacked drama despite two of the first three games being very low scoring and close. This Giants team delivered every thing we asked for the past four months and I hope you all celebrate safely. We will have a parade at some time this week so get ready!

Just Close it Out-Matt Cain Time

Well, here we are just one win away from a second championship in three years. This team has been dominant for the past week and I am going to keep this preview simple. The message is the same and the result should be as well. The Tigers, at this point, seem uninterested and the Giants are on a mission for another parade. Matt Cain, fittingly, gets the ball in a few hours to try and get us there.

After the Giants final home game of the regular season, it was Matt Cain that said the goal was to play for another month and then have a parade. Expect him to be focused and ready for tonight's game, with the chance to finish on a high note. Let's not forget, he has been here before. After the epic comeback in Cincinnati, it was Matt who took the ball in game five and shutdown the Reds until the bats busted it open off of Latos. After another comeback against the Cardinals, the Giants turned to Matt again in game seven. Despite not having his best stuff that night, he battled through it and shut out the Cardinals for 5 and two thirds. Well, we ask him to do it one more time tonight. He has become the guy we turn to when it is time for the kill.

The Tigers are ready, their fans have given up and their players look shell shocked. Now, it is just a matter of finishing the job. There maybe no pitcher better qualified for the job. Cain will go to the hill tonight with a strong postseason resume. When he starts the game he will have just a 4-2 career postseason record but he will also bring in an amazing era of 1.83 in 44 and a third career postseason innings. Matt has been our guy for years, often in the shadow of Tim Lincecum, and this game is all about him and his moment in the spotlight. The drama of this series is over, we know the end result already, so now it is all about cementing the legacy of the great Matt Cain.

Game 3, Rip Their Hearts Out

I know, I am late writing this recap, I wanted to sleep on how I would really word this. As a Giant fan, I am really excited right now because we are about to win our second title in the past three years and this team is really young too. So, it is likely that this team will be a factor in the postseason for the foreseeable future. However, as a baseball fan, I am a bit disappointed in the Tigers and their fans. As good as the Giants have played, by the end of last night's game, it felt like the Tigers and their fans were just there to watch.

This is the world series, if your team is here, you need to make some noise and show some heart. The Tigers are being dominated in this world series and I expected the motor city fan base to make some noise and provide some energy to a beaten and bruised team. Instead, Pablo Sandoval gets cheered for a first inning single just as loudly as the first strike of the game off the bat of Anibal Sanchez. For a fan base that I thought was pretty passionate, I am embarrassed. Baseball needs better from it's fans. Even if your team gets dominated and swept in the world series, you should be their celebrating and appreciating the fact that they still got further than 28 other teams. Show us some heart tonight Detroit.

So, back to the game, Vogey and Sanchez battled control problems early but both starters did really well at getting by with less than their best stuff or control. Vogey got by with the assist of two double plays and stellar pitching in the 5th to get out of a bases loaded one out jam. Sanchez battled erratic control most of the night but gave his team a very solid start by allowing just two runs over seven innings. The Giants were pleased to see Hunter Pence build upon the good finish he had to game two of the world series by walking to start the second to start the games only rally. Gregor Blanco then got into one of the early mistakes by Sanchez and made him pay with an rbi single. Then after Hector Sanchez struck out, Brandon Crawford picked him up by delivering a two out single to score Blanco with the games second and final run.

With the Giants leading, the Tigers continued to threaten by getting at least one runner per inning from the 3rd through the 8th. However they were continually put away by the combination of Vogey and Tim Lincecum, who came in to get the final out of the 6th and delivered another strong 2 and a third innings of shutout baseball. By the 9th inning, with a dead crowd, when Romo came out to close the door the game had the feeling of a blowout instead of a two run difference. Romo got the Tigers in order, assisted by a great catch by Blanco and the Giants all but finished off the Tigers in the world series.

Now, this afternoon, the Giants will have a 3-0 lead and their ace on the mound. The sweep seems to be the humane thing to do now. Let's put them out of their misery. When the series concludes, the MVP will be given to Pablo Sandoval who has had two hits in each of the last two games after his huge 3 homer and 4 hit game one. There is no drama in this world series and now it is just a matter of when we celebrate. Then it comes down to when we have the parade. Orangetober is almost over, get ready to celebrate with your boys.

Game 3 Preview

With a 2-0 lead in the World Series, Giant fans are feeling very confident. The Giants have dominated the Tigers bullpen, knocked out their ace and silenced their bats. However, the enthusiasm should be tempered slightly. In any series, their is never a real advantage until one team loses at home. That has yet to happen here but tonight is the Giants first opportunity to change that in Detroit against Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers.

Sanchez is a guy that should concern Giants fans because of his career numbers against them, in 5 starts he has an  E.R.A. of under 2 and has shut them out in 2 of those. That is some own-age and it certainly grabs your attention. If his slider is sharp and he settles into a rhythm then it could really be a tough test for the Giants hot lineup. The Giants will need to get after him early and make sure he doesn't settle in.

Meanwhile the Giants will hand the ball to the steady Ryan Vogelsong who has allowed one run over seven innings in all three of his starts this postseason. Vogelsong has been the most reliable arm for the Giants this postseason. He pitches with a chip on his shoulder and I am sure he will go out there thinking about all the people who never thought that he would get to this spot in his career. It will be interesting to see how the Tiger hitters do against Vogelsong because they have been much better all year against right handed starters.

This is easily the biggest game of the series and I expect it to look much more like game two than game one. Both pitchers should be able to contain the offenses and the game would then come down to execution and maximizing opportunities. The Giants are in for a dog fight, I don't like the prospects of facing Sanchez at all but the Giants have shown that they can turn around numbers all year long. Here are my keys to a Giants victory.

1) Don't Allow Sanchez to Settle in
If Sanchez gets his slider working and has success early, it will be a very tough test for the Giants hitters. They really need to find a way to get to him in the first couple of innings.

2) Rally Vogey
If Sanchez does what I think we should expect him to, it would be essential for Vogelsong to deliver another stellar start. Just keep pace and keep the Giants in the game.

3) Get into and Feed on Their Bullpen
Even if the Giants can't score much off of Sanchez, they can get him out of the game by running up the pitch count, much like they did against Fister in game two. If they can get that done, they will get much better pitches to hit against the Tigers pen. 

That is what I think the Giants need to do to try to get this series to 3-0 but I must emphasize that this is the toughest matchup the Giants have had in this series and it should be a great test for the best team in baseball.


 



 

The Weather Factor

News flash, Detroit tends to be cold this time of year. Right now it is 50 degrees and it is expected to be 46 by the time the game starts. Tomorrows forecast is similar and Monday it will be about 5 degrees less. So, that will certainly impact play this weekend but it will impact both teams. I don't really see it as a big advantage for either side. A lot will be made of it by the media but it is something that none of these players are particularly used to. It is cold and baseball is more of a summer game.

From the pitching side of things, the thing they will worry about the most is their grip. The cold, dry temperature could make it difficult for both sides and that will impact breaking balls much more than fastballs. Anibal Sanchez, the Tigers starter, relies heavily on his slider so this will be a point of emphasis for him. While Ryan Vogelsong relies much more on his fastball than his offspead stuff. From an offensive stand point, the cold temperatures could impact the carry of the baseball and take away some power from the teams.

The weather is what it is and at this level you just have to play through whatever the conditions are. I don't expect the players to worry about the cold at all. They all know what is at stake this weekend and that will be their focus. While the media will want to remind you how cold they are, the heat of whats at stake should be more than enough to warm the players. At least it will be dry the entire time the series is there. At this time of year, that is all you really hope for.

Property of Pablo

So, this is an old story that is making some noise again. A fake picture of Justin Verlander is making it's way around the internet again. A fan, who bears a resemblance to the Tiger ace, posted this pic of himself wearing a property of Pablo Sandoval t-shirt in Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field this past summer. Obviously, after game one of the world series, it is garnering much more attention than this young man ever anticipated. Somebody should copyright this immediately and market it because it could take off. Oh, crap, I should do it but I am too busy sharing it with the rest of you.

Giants Name Posey Game 3 DH

As most expected, Bruce Bochy has named Hector Sanchez as the game 3 starting catcher and Buster Bosey will get a day off from the field as the teams designated hitter. Other candidates for the DH spot could have included Aubrey Huff, Xavier Nady or Joaquin Arias playing third and Pablo Sandoval serving as the DH. However, Huff has chronically bad knees and Arias has hit much better off of lefties than righties. With Anibal Sanchez, another right hander starting for the Tigers, this looks to be another rather easy and smart choice for the Giants skipper who has not had many mistakes this postseason.

Road Warriors-World Series Edition

Well, each series the Giants have started at home and each round they have gotten a little better. Against the Reds, they lost the first two, then they split with the Cardinals and now they head to Detroit with a 2-0 lead. Momentum is clearly on the Giants side and, with the next 3 games in Detroit, they need to capitalize on it. While the numbers suggest that the Giants are in firm control, only 11 out of 52 teams has overcome an 0-2 hole to win the world series, the Giants should know how quickly that can all change.

The Giants have dominated the Tigers hitters thus far in the series but the Tigers have played much better at home all year including these playoffs. They are yet to lose a game at home and that is the test that the Giants face. Detroit is now 54-31 at home for the year and 41-46 on the road. Clearly they are looking forward to turning the tide of this series in their own ballpark. So, we won't see anymore embarrassing outfield throws by Delmon Young for a while and we will have to find a DH for up to the next three games.

As impressive as the Tigers are at home, the Giants may be more impressive on the road. They finished the regular season winning 26 out of their last 37. In the postseason, they became the first team all year to sweep three games in Cincinatti (who had the same home record as these Tigers) and took just one out of three in St. Louis. So, they head into this winning 30 out of their last 43 away from AT&T park and that is something they can take a lot of confidence in. Detroit is not a friendly place for visitors to play but the Giants don't really seem to mind hostile environments.

The goal is to win two games and not worry about coming back home for anything more than a parade. However, if they fail to do so, they do have homefield on their side again for game 6 and 7 if necessary. The Tigers are the ones who have to make a statement now. At this point, they know what the Giants are all about and they should come out ready to make a statement tomorrow night. Tomorrow nights game is huge for this series, if the Tigers lose they would face a near impossible 3-0 deficit with Matt Cain due to throw the clincher. If the Tigers win tomorrow, no matter what, they get Verlander back on the hill for game five in front of the home crowd. While the Giants want to end this series in Detroit, the Tigers just want to extend it back to San Francisco. It should be fun to watch the Giants momentum battling a raucous Tiger fan base and a rejuvenated Tiger team.

Not Just Lucky

This happens every year and it is rather humorous. A team catches some breaks and makes others and you end up getting the fans who call the team lucky. Nobody ever wants to give credit, especially when their team had a strong year and didn't win the championship. There is always going to be something you can point at and say, "if that didn't happen, it would be a lot different." This Giants team is no different and if you look enough, you will hear it all.

They are lucky the Dodgers fell apart because the Dodgers were a better team. Yeah, I will give you this one. The Dodgers were a lot better, in April and May. After the first 32 games, they were 7 games ahead of these Giants. From that point on, they were 14 games worse and essentially a 500 team. There really was not much of a race this year. The Giants were the better team and once the NL MVP, Buster Posey, got confidence in his leg holding up the Giants took off and the Dodgers had no chance.

Well, fine but they are lucky they got a run off Bailey before he even gave up a hit in game three of the Division series and even luckier that Cueto got hurt and Rolen made an error to extend the series. Yeah, Bailey hit a quick runner, then walked the next guy and the Giants took advantage. There is nothing wrong with that at all, it is manufactured baseball. As for Cueto, he had a terrific season but last I checked, he is not Roy Halladay. He is a good pitcher and the series may have gone differently had he not gone down but injuries happen. Rolen's error was not an unforced error either. Joaquin Arias was hustling down the line and put a lot of pressure on Rolen. Luck did not beat the Reds, the Giants did.

There are a lot more examples I could bring up; the Lynn error in the NLCS, the ball hitting the bag in game one of this series, etc. People are always going to try to bring you down or discount what your team accomplishes, especially if they feel like their team had a good shot at winning it all. Just smirk and move on. This isn't a video game, this is a real game played by real men and things don't always go the way you would expect. If they did, why the hell would you watch?