Tyed Down, Left For Dead

I was away for a bit, but am now back.

I have been highly amused by Sergio Romo and the reaction to the fact that he was used to start a game rather than relieve a starter.  He pitched an inning twice against the Angels recently because the Angels start with 3 right handed hitters in a row and Sergio has been effective against those kind of guys lately.  So the idea being that they get past the first, the starter doesn’t start off with the lead off hitters, and maybe goes an inning longer and the lead off hitters don’t get to see him a third time.  But because there is more Sports News than there are sports these days, the media is all over this.  When he did it twice (he has now done so 3 times, and was not as successful on the third time) the media was already asking if it was the new trend.  Of course, as soon as they were, Officious Baseball Commentator Types were all over it as an abomination.  I can see Bruce Jenkin’s column now: Analytical Types, Who Have Never Seen A Game And Live In Their Mother’s Basements (he still thinks this is funny) Are Idiots And If They Would Watch A Game Like I Do They Would Know That This Is Fundamentally Wrong-Headed And Will Lead To The Downfall Of The Noble Game.  So what happens next is that once everyone piles on about how detrimental the practice is, no one will notice that it is not a practice at all – just a team trying to use some of their limited resources to win a couple games.  Unless the Rays win the World Series, of course, then every team will be trotting out 1 inning starters.

What to do about Hunter Pence?  Apparently, he has been scalding the ball in Sacramento, but the Giants really want Mac Williamson on the team.  And Gorkys Hernandez isn’t going anywhere, he is the team’s best hitter, or nearly so, lately.  And Gregor Blanco hasn’t done poorly enough to release.  And McCutcheon is McCutcheon.  And Austin Jackson hasn’t done much lately, but he is supposed to be pretty good.  So Hunter Pence racks up at-bats in Sac.  Maybe the Giants management doesn’t trust that he is actually good again.  Maybe they are waiting for the day when they need fewer relievers.  I’m not sure.  But eventually they will have to figure something out.  But, good news!  Madison Bumgarner is probably about to rejoin the team.

The game tonight was a fucking mess.  The Giants scored 3 in the 1st inning off of former Rockie Tyler Chatwood.  Then Ty Blach was just as bad, giving the runs back.  The Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the 2nd, but did not score.  They loaded the bases in the 3rd and did not score.  Ty walked the first 3 Cubs in the 3rd, but got out of it unscathed.  In the 4th, Ty walked Randy Rosario, who had replaced Chatwood.  Rosario was in the AL and minors, he never has had a hit.   A 3 run homer followed, then some more scoring as the Giants slowly faded in the rear view mirror.  The final was 8 – 3.  The Giants have won 1 game so far on this road trip out of 5.  They go into Colorado for tomorrow’s game.  The Giants have had serious trouble with Colorado for years, and are 2 – 2 against them so far this year in one series at ATT.  Colorado is now in first in the NL West.