Big Fish for Little Fish

It's been a bit since I posted.  This experiment to comment on every game seems to have gone awry thanks to the birth of my daughter, but I'll stillt ry and keep up witht eh broad strokes.

Yesterday, the Giants traded Zack Wheeler (AA pitcher) for Carlos Beltran, pretty much straight up.  And for the first time in Brian Sabean's tenure, youth was traded for immediate need/want.


Because Posey got hurt, the Giants have no middle-of-the-line-up protection for Panda Bear.  Beltran will put a bat, and a greater chance of a runner on base, in front of Panda Bear.  And Panda Bear will draw more fastballs for Beltran.  And if you skip those two guys, Huffy can come up with 2 on. 

Oh, and by the way, the Giants, behind Cainer, beat the Phils last ngiht to even the series in Philly at 1.

Timmy's had the flu, he'll probably go tonight, but he might be subpar (weakened), and more than likely won't go past 6.  If we can take 2 out of 3 in Philly, maybe we can get the Phanatics to admit that we beat them in the NLCS. 

(but probably not)

Game 55: Timely hitting gets Timmy out of a jam, Giants in 7-5

I like it when Timmy has tough luck and the boys get him out of a jam.

Despite an 0 for 6 from their back up 3rd baseman Miggy, the Giants answered all 5 runs that the Cardinals put up with a 9th inning, 2 out, game tying Nate Schierholtz single after Manny Burriss stole second to put himself in scoring position.

Then, Nate the Great knocks in Fred with an 11th inning single to put the Giants up for good.

Timmy looked pretty good, he had a few tough innings and coughed up a lead int he 7th, but he deserves an off night.  The Giants made it a point to pull him out of the fire, and got to the Cards' perfect closer in the 9th.

When Sandoval comes back, and hoping that Nate can pull off a .270 avg with 15 ding dongs this year, the Giants might have a shot.

The boys have at least a split in a big series and keep pace with the first place WTF D-Backs.

Mark DeRosa BLAH!

I just posted this as a comment on Extra Baggs, liked it so much I thought I'd share it here:

You know what a "band joke" is?  It'sa joke that a comedian tells that only thre band laughs at.

Mark DeRosa is the band joke of baseball.

"He's so good.  Oh my God, he's great on the bench and the guys really like him and when he's on he's on."

Pffft....I have yet to see it.  Only 4 years in 15 with more than 500 ABs -- chronically injured -- last night 0 for 3 with a GDP and 5 LOB.  If he's so good on the bench, make him a coach.

That being said, he's better than Miggy -- but when Panda Bear comes back, I'd rather keep Ford than DeRo.

One Month Review: Infielders

The giants currently have the 13th most errors on the season with 17 and 18th best fielding percentage at .982. 
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Miguel Tejada is the glaring offender in the infield, as he sports 4 errors and a .954 fielding percentage.  That places him 20th and 21st for those stats respectively amongst regular MLB shortstops currently.  It's not just the errors, though.  Miguel Tejada is not playing crisply.  Playing in the wrong position on stolen bases, shifted in properly and not getting to balls.  All messed up.

Unfortunately, Panda  Bear will miss all of May, and it looks like Miggy's going to have to stay in the lineup as the closest thing to a back up 3rd baseman.  Not promising.

Fontenot, Whiteside, and Huffy are the only regular infielders that haven't commited an error yet this seaosn (including the Burriss and Belt).  Of course, Fontenot was util in April, Whiteside is off the bench and Huffy's only been playing first for like 10 games.

The weak spot right now is the infield and that's going to be an issue.  Since Burriss is up, hopefully he can offer a little late inning support.

Belt's hitting was a disappointment.  Thinking that it's best to bring rookies up midseason rather than from opening day.  Hopefully Belt's tough enough to mature and be a force at game 60 or 70-ish.  It could be like Matt Williams.

Of course he could be like Todd Linden.

Huffy's another story.  Ugh, .202 with only 2 homers, 18 K's in 90-something at bats..  Woof.  We've finished month one, now's the time to worry.

Fred has been pulling his weight,  I'd like to see him get really hot for about 2 or 3 weeks, but he's been pretty good so far, which makes me think he's going to slump soon.

Fontenot's been playing a very good defense, and when he starts, he hits like .300.  But he's o'fer 10 as a pinch hitter.  I'd like to see him get a little more time at SS.  After all, Miggy's not hitting, and I remember that Fontenot was a regular on the Cubs.


Panda Bear has been a truly bright sot for the Giants so far this year.  He's hustling, he's hitting, he's making plays he couldn't have last year.  2011 should be the year of the Panda Bear -- I really like a .300 Pablo with appropriate power and a bit of base stealing ability.  Today it was revealed that Panda's going to be out 4-6 weeks with wrist surgery.  Wrist surgery makes me think about DeRo, and DeRo was out a whole year.

Posey
My calls: No sophomore jinx ; .295/20/90, 140 games (batting 3rd)
Actuals at 4/30: .261/4/17 ; 24 games out of 26 ; primarily batting 4th ; back-up Whiteside is 3 for 14 with a GIDP

Belt
My calls: send him to Fresno if he struggles out the gate ; .285/15/70, 500 ABs (batting 8th)
Actuals at 4/30: .192/1/4, 52 ABs ; Fresno



Fred Sanchez
My call: .290/8/60, 80 R, 160 games, 6 errors (batting 2nd)
Actuals at 4/30: .273/2/9, 25 out of 26 (none missed due to injury), 1 error ; primarily batting 2nd ; back ups are Burriss and Fontenot

Sandoval
My calls: .310/25/90-95 ; 60 BB, 8 errors (batting 6th)
Actuals at 4/30:  .313/5/14 ; 8 BB ; 1 errors ; primarily batting 5th ; no real back-up ; DL



Tejada
My call: hope for .270 w/ 15 HRs ; .260/15/65, 12 errors (batting 7th)
Actuals at 4/30: .216/1/9, 4 errors ; primarily batting 7th or 8th ; back up is Fontenot .233/1/2 w/ 30 ABs and 0 errors in 18 games out of 26

DeRosa
My call: .270 <15 HRs
Actuals at 4/30: .333/0/3, 18 ABs, DL

Game 25: Frustration mounting as Giants drop a quality Lincecum start 3-0

5 hits off the bats of 4 guys.  Cody Ross hit into a double play.  Miggy played a shoddy shortstop.  Not a game goes by lately that Giants don't disappoint.  0 for 3 with RISP.

Panda Bear beat out another double play with some quick digging down to first base.

Jason Marquis looked like a damn all-star.

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Game 24: A long time coming -- Vogelsong wins his first MLB game in 6 years, 5-2

Despite hitting .083 with RISP, despite grounding into 5 double plays, despite leaving 18 on base, The Giants get out of Pittsburgh with 2 out of 3 (they should've swept dammit)

Watched the dots on MLB.com today because the building I work in has super secret Cobra Commander FM signal blockers in the ceiling.  Vogelsong pitched well, 8 ks in 5.2 is Lincecumian.  He only gave up a couple runs too. 

Lopez pitched another scoreless inning.  He's got a 1 ERA after 9 IP this year, and Ramirez pitched a scoreless 7th, he's also sitting at 1 and a quarter.

Weez brought his ERA down to 7.71 with 3 Ks in an uneventful 9thank god) 7th save of the year.  That puts him near the top in the NL. 

Offensively, though the boys had 10 hits, Rowand had both hits of the game (and series) with RISP, a 2 run double in the 3rd and an RBI single in the 7th. 

Panda Bear got an RBI shoudla been DP that he beat to turn into a fielder's choice.  Thank God for Camp Panda.

Upcoming: 3 @ Pittsburgh

The Giants need to get off of the hump.

Sounds like the perfect time for 3 games against Pittsburgh.

Of course, SF is notorious for dropping series in Pittsburgh.  Pittsburgh can finish a season 2-160, those 2 wins would be against the Giants in Pittsburgh.

Timmy and Cainer are pitching games 1 and 3 and are going up against the Pirates best pitchers, Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens repetitively.  These are Pitt's only 2-game winners and they both have ERAs under 4.  Morton's got a lifetime ERA close to 6, so he's due to start climbing upwards.  And Karstens has a lifetime around 5, so the same can be said for him.

The key will be to get them out early.  If Huffy can start hitting, then some of Panda Bear's, Buster's, and PAt the Bat's ding dongs might be worth more than one run.


Maddy's pitching in the 2nd game.  There's no better person ffor him to face in his funk than James McDonald, who is 0-2 with an ERA somewhere around Pluto.  Maddy needs to pitch with the lead, it seems to be where he finds strength.  Hopefully the Giants can give him a big first inning and let him cruise. 

Because Vogelsong is now in the ro-ro, he's probably not available to go relief.  This series will be important to keep the bullpen fresh.  Hopefully Bumgarner can go 6 with very little drama.

My expectation is a sweep.  But I'll settle for 2 out of 3, with one of those 2 being a Maddy Bumgarnny winny.

Games19/20/21: Giants overmatched by Braves in 3 game home series; swept

Easter weekend, didn't get a chance to check in very often.

Friday's game, Maddy let it get out of hand early and once again the Giants had no ideas against Tommy Hanson.  Bumgarner gives up 4 in less than 3, walks 2 in the process.  The Giants mounted no ressure against the back end of the Braves' bullpen.  Giants lost 4-1.

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Saturday's game, I only heard the first few innings on the radio, but Timmy went 3-1 to maybe every batter I heard him face.  Sometimes, either because of some umps or because of his stuff, Timmy's pitches don't hit their mark.  I think the book on him is take pitches and hope that he doesn't get the calls.  Still, he went 6.1 and left with only 3 runs on the board (Lopez let a couple other score).

Huddy was as good as he always is, pitched 8.2 strong and it only took him 113 pitches to get that far.  Cody Ross got a batting average with a 2 for 4 day and an RBI.  Pat the Bat went 3 for 4 and scored both runs that the Boys posted.  Giants lost 5-2

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Sunday's game was a good one until the Giants lost.  Sanchie gave up 2 early, but Buster tied it up with a ding dong in 4th.  Then it got weird.

In the top of the 7th, Affeltd gave a 3 run jerk to Heyward (who woke up this series going 7 for 12), but the Giants rallied for 4 (the go ahead 2 off of a Rowand double) to go up 6-5.

In the top of 8, Romo threw a snapper that didn't snap to Uggla and the Braves tied it up with one swing.

Weezy came in for the 9th to hold the tie, but in the 10th, loaded the bases quickly.  Still, he got through 2 guys, and, though throwing 3 straight balls to Nate McClouth, got him to 3-2.  but McClouth punched a fast ball up the middle and that's all she wrote.

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Postivies: only 2 double plays, both vs Huddy (which you'd expect), also Panda Bear's still hitting well and Pat the Bat seems to be climbing out of the Bingo batting average territory (in fact, he's at .270).

The Giants are 0-4 without Brandon Belt

Upcoming: 3 vs Atlanta

The 2010 NLDS's first rematch will happen in San Francisco as the Braves head west for a 3 game weekend series.

Last year, the Braves were the team I afeared going into October.  For good reason.  Aside from the help of a subpar defenseman in the middle of the diamond, that series could have been vastly different than what we ended up with.

The Braves haven't been exactly setting the world on fire out of the gate, which I sort of expected considering that Bobby Cox is not at the helm.  Cox was outstanding at not only evaluating talent, but figuring out how it fit in to whatever he was doing.  His lineups and his in-game management probably gave the Braves an extra 10-15 wins every year.

This year, so far, they're 8-11, 4-6 away from home.  Their catcher, McCann, is still their best hitter: which means they are having issues.  But their best pitcher just got off the DL and he's going tonight, which means the Giants won't have to face him this weekend.

Game 1, the Giants skip over DL'd pitcher Z's spot in the ro-ro and go right to Bumgarner against Tommy Hanson.  Hanson hasn't given up more than 3 runs in any start, but he still will come in with a 1-3 record: and that one win was his last start.  Historically, against the Giants, he's been very good. 

Conversely, Maddy has been scuffling a bit lately.  However, in his last start, the D-Backs tuched him up early, but when the Giants came back and took the lead, Maddy suddlenly pitched very good.  PErhaps he's shaking the April butterflies.  Either way, the Giants will have to score early and give Maddy a bit of breath.  I'd like to see Code-Man get a batting average (he's 0 for 4) and I hope Panda Bear's back.

Game 2 may have the makings of a very good game.  Lincecum vs Tim Hudson.  Hudson has always pitched well against the Giants, but Timmy is -- well you know.  The key will be to make Huddy throw a lot of pitches, work the count, get as much as you can, and se eif you can get him out by the 5th or 6th.  Timmy will just have to pitch well.  Considering that the Braves are hitting in the .230's as a team: that shouldn't be difficult.

This should be the game that Bochy rests some guys in lieu of a fella or two who can work a count.  Schierholtz would be a good option, and Fontenot always gives good at bats, even if they don't always end well.

Game 3 will be Brandon Beachy against Jonathan Sanchez, this week coined as the moody artists of the Giants by Brian Murphy.


Sanchez has been great, and last year was wonderful against the Braves.  And while Beachy is another one of those high-losses vs low-ERA guys, the Giants have a knack for turning those guys' ERAs inside out (see D-Backs series). 

So, for this upcoming series, and mini-homestand, the Giants should get 2 out of 3.  I'd expect Sanchie to win his game, and more than likely Timmy.  That makes Maddy's game (game 1) the gravy game.

Game 17: Panda Bear in streaking, Giants win game/series 6-3

Only listened to the 1st inning, but heard Panda Bear go yard to put the Boys up 4-0.

Later Huffy went deep.

Somehow the Giants are on a roll.  4 out of 5 with a chance to sweep the invincible Rockies.

Sanchie pitched 2 hit ball w/ 4 BB over 6.1, Lopez pitched a perfect inning and Weezy got his 5th save.

The Boys are clicking early.  What's more, Cainer's going tomorrow and they've got a legit shot at knocking those silly Rock Hoppers off their high perch early on.  A series win is grand, a three game sweep is the start of streak for one team and a flop for the other team.

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Upcoming: 3 @ Colorado

This is going to be the Giants first true test on the season, by which I mean that they are going up against a team not only expected to be their competition in the division, but also a team that could very easily dethrone them as National League and World champs.

The Rockies will host the Giants and flaunt a MLB-best 12-3 record.

Of course, they haven't had what I'd call stiff competition thusfar into the season.  A couple vs the Dodgers, a couple vs the D-Backs and Pittsburgh, New York, and Chicago.  They lead the league in saves, which suggests that the games have been close, but they're 22nd in runs allowed, which suggests that they've been outscoring opponents rather than holding them down.

Still, 1 out of 3 might be the most we can expect, however, Timmy goes in Game 1 and Cainer goes in game 3 of the series, I'd hope for two.

The Keys:

Game 3 is going to be the rubber match.  Cainer is nails versus the Rocks.  They're going to put Jhoulys Chacin, a man who is pitching out of his mind and is due for one rough go of it.  Buster's been hitting well, and Panda Bear has been stroking like a fluffer (oooh nasty).  Chacin is not much of a strike out pitcher, and that bodes well for the Giants.  But they HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE DOUBLE PLAYS!

Game 1 should belong to Timmy.  The Rocks are floating their fifth starter out there, but, like everyone in their ro ro, he's been pitching out of his mind too.  I'd be very surprised ifay of their guys will get off a hit versus Timmy.

Game 2 will see Sanchie go up against Ubaldo Jimenez, fresh off of the DL.  I don't hold out much hope.  A well rested Ubaldo seems to be a bad mark for the Giants.

But stranger things have happened.

I'd say this series is Brandon Belt's last shot to stay with the big club.  And even now it may be too late. The problem is that he's not driving the ball.  Short of 12 balls hit on line drives to the gap, Belt's got little chance to keep his roster spot when Ross gets back.  Too bad too, but even his base hits are dribblers and squirters.  I think he's got to get some training on hitting a nasty curve and slider before he comes back.

Also, I hope the Giants will start checking the Waiver Wires or Trading Blocks for decent SS.  It'd be one thing if Miggy could hit regularly, but a .224 avg from a guy that leads the team in at bats shows that A) you got a dud and B) he's the only one you got there.  3 errors, and at least another 4 or 5 "suspect" plays in 15 games is not boding well for Miggy.

He seems like a nice guy though.

Game 15: Poor defense coughs up lead, cool Giants' bats give D-Backs win in extras; 6-5

It's tough to win when you can only get 6 hits in 12 innings, and your starting pitcher gives up 8 hits and 4 runs in less than 7, but a Buster Posey game-tying blast and a Panda Bear following him directly with the go ahead gave the Giants ample opportunity to win.

Unfortunately, Miguel Tejada's spotty defense led to an extended 8th inning, and the D-Backs tied it up and then won in 12.

Miggy is not impressing me.  The guy's got a decent cluthc potential, but a lot of times that clutch is making up for runs or baserunners that he gives up.  Even in cases where defense extends the inning but doesn't lead to runs-scored: the extra pitches that a pitcher has to throw gives the other team that much more exposure to the pitcher.

Giants finish with 2 out of 3 from the D-Backs, their 3rd series win in a row.  Tonight they head into Denver to play 3 vs the Rocks.  This'll be where mettle is tested.

In other news: Zito'son the DL.  Vogelsong will take his place in the ro-ro.

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Game 13: Cainer pitches 6 strong, Panda goes yard, Giants win 5-2

Didn't watch the game tonight, checked in a bit on MLB.com and listened to the bottom of the 6th on the radio.

Panda Bear went yard in the 1st, which was nice because they had a couple runners on with 2 outs.  It's nice to see the Boys clean up on a rally.

Cainer ran out of steam in the 6th, like right on top of his 100th pitch.  Got a little harry there.  Lopez and Wilson got a little drama going in the 9th too.

Looking at the box score: Tejada hit his 4th double on the year, knocked in Sandoval in the 3rd.  Posey was 2 for 4.  Cainer had another great outing.  6 IP, 4 hits 2 walks and only 1 run.  He's 2-0 with an ERA under 1.5 and he is looking good. 

Weez got save 3.

Tomorrow is the gravy game, if the Giants can pull a win, I'd expect them to sweep the series.  If not, they should still pull out the last game and take momentum in Colorado.

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EDIT 10:43 p.m.

Just realized that Daniel Hudson had 10ks in 6 innings.  Sheesh, talk about major whiffage.

Upcoming: 3 @ Arizona

The Giants first non-Opening Day-related road trip will whisk them away to the magical land that they occupied not 3 weeks ago: Phoenix, Arizona.

The Giants will send Cain, Zito, and Bumgarner agaist Daniel Hudson, Joe Saunders, and Barry Enright.  Combined those 3 D-Back pitchers are 0-4, but Hudson is sporting an ERA just above 3 (the other 2 are at an eRA of 6)

Cainer should be able to handle the Zonas, even with their "best" pitcher on the mound. 

I worry about guys that have high ERAs after 2 starts because you know that they're due for a reaosnable start.

Saunders gives up baserunners, whereas Enright is a bit more stingy in that department.  I see another bullpen game in Z's future, but I see Maddy pitching a little more comfortably against a sub-par team.

Saunders will let the Giants hit, and I hope that it'll wake up Belt in that game in particular.  The Giants are going to have at least one 6, 7, or 8-run game, and I think that middle game will be the horse race.  It should also be the gravy game.

Game 3 moight be lower scoring, but I'd like to see Maddy take a 4-1 win in his pocket and go 7.

The way Panda Bear and Fred have been hitting, and with the hopes of an andres Torres return by Saturday, plus the Giants on an upswing, nothing would be better than taking a 3 game sweep into Colorado next week.  That would also put them 3 games over .500.

Game 12: Giants take 2 of 3 from Dodgers, .500 on the season, win 4-3

What a fun game. Buster got plunked twice, Bochy came out barking.

So nice to see the rivalry in mid-season form this early in the season.

Panda Bear hit the game-tying ding dong from the right side on a pitch at his hands that he would've never gotten around on a year and fifty pounds ago.

Fontenot hits the game winner.

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Game 11: Long night for Lincecum, a spark from Buster and Belt, and the Giants even the series with a 5-4 comeback win

"And tonight the Giants got their closer back."

Kruk

The Dodgers'  book on Lincecum is to take pitches and work him deep into counts.  Lincecum was not crisp today, but he was effective most of the way.  Still he was at 50 pitches before the 3rd inning, labored through one of those annoying innings where everybody seemed to get a base hit.  (Belt had an error)  And the Dodgers scored three.

But the Boys battled back.  Timmy bonked Uribe and a nice little game showed up on CSN Bay Area.

Buster was 3 for 4 with a couple RBI's, Panda Bear doubled in a run, Belt got a hit, a walk, and scored a run.

Plus Brian Wilson closed out a uneventful 9th inning!

This actually looked like a sane, and well-groomed baseball team.  The first non-Opening Day-with-ceremony win.  Props.

On a lighter note, they found a new way to hit into a double play: Belt strikes out as Miggy gets thrown out trying to "steal" 2nd.

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Upcoming: 3 vs LA @ SF

Goal: 2 out of 3

Game 2 of the series is Timmy vs Billingsley which should slide in Lincecum's favor.  That means the other 2 are the rubber matches.

Game 1 offers Maddy a chance to get back on the horse after a less-than-stellar 1st start vs the Padres.  He's going against Giant-killer Clayton Kershaw, though, so Maddy's got to pitch for a 2-1 win.  I'd call this one the gravy game (meaning if they can take game 1, so much the better, but if they drop it, games 2 and 3 are easier to win anyway).

Game 3 will be Sanchez vs Lilly.  Considering that the home team tends to have a major advantage in the rivalry, and Sanchez is nails at home: this should be the Giants' game to win.

If they can score the runs.

Double plays kill rallies and the Giants have been shooting their rallies in the head regularly.  Torres still out indefinitely, but Posey and Burrell should be back in.  These guys are due.

Fred Sanchez, Miggy, and Panda Bear have been lighting it up.  Hopefully they can get a bit more help throughout.

Game 7: That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, Giants win in extras 5-4

Dude, 4:28 I thought the last batter was coming to the plate.  I thought I'd be able to leave work as soon as this last guy gets out and Giants would win 3-2.

Of course, Brian Wilson was pitching.  And he really tries to make things exciting.

2 runs scored, Cards primed to win 4-3.  2 quick outs in the bottom of the ninth and defensive sub Aaron Rowand (playing left field!) coming up.

Rowand singles, gets to second on a wild pitch, and Panda Bear knocks him in with a base hit.

PANDA freeeeking BEAR!

Larussa pulled some tricky crap in the 11th: 5 infielders.  And a lead off Torres double turned into a really weird inning.  Torres got out in a rundown, Larussa walked bases loaded, and DeRosa gets called out on what seemed to be a suspact call.

Meanwhile the bullpen is seriously shutting down Pujols and them.  Javi Lopez did a very decent job shutting down these guys.

Bottom 12, Giants load the bases (Pujols error started it) and Rowand smacks a ball off the fence to finish the game.

Extra innings are the best, aren't they?  They totally wash away the sins of the regulation period.  After all, we forget that Sanchie had some decent stuff, but walked too many early on and was at 94 pitches after 5 innings.

Burrell and Buster hit into double plays, but at least Burrell went yard.

I hate double plays.  They kill like three innings.  Even a home run doesn't wipe away a double play (maybe a 3 run homer, but Pat the Bat only hit a solo shot).  Burrell made a *ahem* nice play (tumbling over like a water buffalo) on the warning track.

SEVENTEEN RUNNERS LEFT ON BASE!  4 for 18 WITH RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION.

You have got to do better than that.  They should've been up by 7.  So, once again they come close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.  And this time, it's the B-team that keeps them in line (that's 2 out of their 3 wins that belong to the B-team).

I like it; it's exciting baseball.  Not particularly good baseball, but exciting baseball.

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Game 2: Giants now 0-2 with a 4-3 loss

Jonathan Sanchez pitched well.  Even his bad inning was nothing more than a couple legit hit and 2 screw ball choppers + a throwing error, and a beach ball that Guillermo Mota threw to Furcal.

Belt went yard for his first ever.  Big thumbs up to the kid.

Posey got a hit, scored on Belt's dinger.  But, he struck out with the bases loaded and a 3-2 count (in fact he threw a bat and hit some Dodger fan in the head (the guy was probably one of the dudes that beat up those Giants fans the night earlier).  Grannies should come with 2 outs and bases loaded.

Posey's got this wierd steadiness about him.  He's not quite clutch -- He's not unclutch: he's just as likely to get a hit in a clutch situation as he is to get a hit in an unclutch situation.

Cain goes tomorrow vs Lilly.  This should be about where the rotation depth surpasses the other pitching staffs.  Anyone can throw out a couple of really decent guys (and let's not forget Sanchez should be a #3 at best), but when your #3 guy has to go up against Matt Cain: the Giants should win.

Of course, 2 more errors tonight (J. Sanchez and Panda Bear) -- 5 in 2 games.  Put that in perspective: that's like 6% of the total errors in 162 games last year.

Still even keel.  Win 2 in a row and leave LA on a high note.

Game 1: Giants Lose Opener to Dodgers 2-1,

Lincecum pitched 7, allowed 0 earned runs, 5 k's but loses due to walks and shady defense.

Burell goes yard.  Dodgers' Kershaw looks good.  Not scary good, but way decent good.  Latos-good.

I listened to the first 3 on the radio in the car, on my way to buy a new ukulele.  Then sort of followed the game on my phone and peeking around the corner into the bar at Noriega Pizza. 

aside from what looked like butterflies, thought they looked good.  Belt looked good, 1 for 3 with a walk, worked a couple counts.  Sandoval seemed to be playing light on his feet at 3rd.

All in all, a positive loss.  2-1 is just a pitchers' duel and Timmy was a little less perfect than Kershaw.  Dammit.

Time to get ready for a long season.  Oh, BTW, we got Jonathan Sanchez tomorrow, it'd be nice to take 3 out of 4, I'll settle for 2 on the road though (Z's pitching Sunday and he got a bonked head).