(Source: lincecumownsmyheart)
So Aubrey Huff played second base in the ninth inning today. A routine ground ball went to Burriss, and this happened.
In other non-perfecto baseball-related news, a bunch of fun stuff like this happened during the top and bottom of the 9th at Citi Field.
San Francisco Giants 2011 Walk-off Wins, #7 — May 22, Emmanuel Burriss
Duane Kuiper: “LINE DRIVE, BASE HIT! RIGHT FIELD! HERE COMES FORD! HERE’S THE THROW HOME. IT IS… NOT IN TIME! THE GIANTS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! It truly is the only way they know how to win. ”
(Source: catindigamajig)
“Bochy likes his team as-is”
According to Baggs and Hank Schulman:
C: Buster Posey (possibly Hector Sanchez as backup)
1B: Brandon Belt/Aubrey Huff/Buster Posey (against LHP on days off from catching)
2B: Freddy Sanchez
3B: Pablo Sandoval
SS: Brandon Crawford (possibly Emmanuel Burriss as a RH compliment)
LF: Aubrey Huff
CF: Melky Cabrera
RF: Nate Schierholtz
Before anyone freaks the hell out, there’s still a lot of off-season decisions to go through. This is only Bruce Bochy’s opinion of what he has now.
Post-game Recap: Giants @ Rockies — September 16, 2011
I haven’t done one of these in awhile, but this game was so odd, it felt like I had to.
Madison Bumgarner’s final line: 7IP, 6H, 1R, 0ER, 1BB, 3K. He reduces his ERA to 3.21, and he is now finally a .500 pitcher for the season (12-12). I should also add that he went on the offensive and went 2-for-4 with 2RBI. Anything else I say about Bumgarner would be redundant (see this post from earlier today). He is incredible.
This game was incredibly interesting. For now, let’s summarize the offense through bullet-points…
- Brandon Belt earns another first. First time he goes back-to-back games with a homer, as he hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning.
- Cody Ross adds on with a solo dinger of his own in the 5th.
- Madison Bumgarner contributes to his own cause by hitting a two-run double in the 6th. That ball was so close to being out; and if it was I would have needed a change of shorts. Jizz everywhere.
- Ross brings home Bumgarner in that inning on what would have been a double, but the injury bug bites another one as he suffers a right hamstring strain after passing first base.
- Brandon Crawford singles home Justin Christian.
- Finally, Chris Stewart hits a two-run blast for his second MLB home run in the 7th.
The Giants are now 10-5 in the post-Rowand+Tejada era. In their six-game win streak, four of those games they’ve scored 8+ runs. Unbelievable.
But the weirdness doesn’t end there. Check out this defense in the bottom of the 7th. Outfield - Torres, Christian, Ford; Infield - Belt, Burriss, Crawford, Sandoval; Battery - Bumgarner, Stewart… NEW GUYS. YOUTH. OUT OF ALL OF THEM, ONLY CHRISTIAN AND TORRES ARE OVER 30.
IT DOESN’T END THERE EITHER. Conner Gillaspie pinch hits. Waldis Joaquin pitches in the 8th. MORE NEW GUYS. ALL THE ROOKIES.
THE WEIRDNESS STILL DOESN’T END THERE. Barry Zito finally makes his appearance after his injury as he pitches and shuts the door in the 9th.
This game was so weirdly entertaining. Can’t really comprehend much of it.
(Source: Yahoo!)
Explicit rant incoming:
One: Why the fuck wasn’t Bill Hall released before Burrell? There are other players cluttering up our 40-man that should be even more suitable to be released than Burrell. ALEX HINSHAW, ANYONE?
Two: Are we just gonna keep calling Belt back up whenever Huff needs a break to “get himself going”? Because seriously, it’s been over half a mother fuckin’ season already. Huff is not going to pick himself up. Okay, maybe I’m overreacting, because all his grounders, infield hits, useless clean-up hitting, and 4-3 put-outs are an absolute joy to watch him do. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brandon is all middle fingers to Sabean, because this is a really bad breakout season for a guy to go through.
Three: Do we honestly fucking need Burriss over Belt? He has ONE extra-base hit this whole season. He bunts for singles. His defense may have improved from the past years, but that’s an improvement from mediocre to average. We haven’t had much of a need for his versatility lately since we’ve acquired Keppinger.
Four: Carlos Beltran is three steps forward, but sending down Belt and cutting down the productivity of Nate Schierholtz hot defense AND offense by platooning him to LF is four fucking steps back. I love the trade for him, but the options around it isn’t too well thought out.
Haven’t made a gif in awhile, so here’s one of Burriss’ identical plays in the 6th and 11th innings. Pretty great to see how he’s progressed, considering the fumbles in fielding and below-average defense he’s made the past few years. Like Krukow said, he’s starting to feel like he belongs out there.
The 5-6-4 LOL play in the 6th inning
Ball bounced off of Tejada’s leg for Crawford to pick it up and make the play.
Bonus: Tejada’s reaction
I like relying on articles to express the concerns in my head. Might just be my laziness to type and think (especially since classes are done for the semester), but reading and sharing these things is just as good as a frustrated, mind-clearing rant.
Why are you so fixated on righty/lefty matchups?
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How about giving Manny Burriss some starts at third base and letting Brandon Crawford play every day? Could that conceivably be worse than continuing to put Tejada out there?
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Why was Brandon Belt promoted if he’s not going to play?
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Why do you favor veterans, even if they’re not producing?
…here Crawford is, and after grand-slamming in his debut, he sits the next day. Randy Wolf is a tough lefty, but Crawford would seem to have earned another start.
You did the same with Schierholtz, sitting him in Colorodo a day after he hit a tape-measure job into the third deck at Coors Field. It made no sense then, either.
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What’s up with some of your bullpen moves?
I just wish Bochy’s moves didn’t baffle me so much. It frustrates me, especially the whole Brandon Belt and non-producing veterans situations. I’m glad that both Brandons are possibly getting a start tomorrow, but come on. Boch said himself that they need Belt’s bat since our veterans are slumping and both Pablo and Buster are down. Headache like no other…
