Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Bad Times
That game freaking sucked. Tim Lincecum didn't have it from pitch one, and after he coughed up four runs in the first, the Giants had to chase the Cubs from the bottom of the hill the entire game. To make matters worse, the Cubbies tried to hand the Giants tonight's contest several times, only to have the Giants hand it right back. In a display of some of the worst fielding you'll ever see in a major league game, the Cubs helped the Giants repeatedly climb back and make it close. Even fighting until the final inning, though, and even with the Cubs resembling a dancing clown act more than a major league team, the Giants still fell 8-6.
Lincecum's struggles tonight were bothersome, especially since he was all over the map in the first inning, with seemingly little clue where the ball was going. Even more bothersome is the fact that Lincecum has now surpassed his career high in home runs allowed, with two months still to go. Decreased velocity, declining strikeout rate, increased home run rate, and increased walk rate? It's not time to panic, but these are unsettling trends.
So I'm going to whistle my way past this game and assume the Giants can wring out three wins from this series. I suggest you do the same.
-While you're dealing with your depression from tonight's loss, here's something to terrify you. Why would anyone in their right mind think acquiring Jose Guillen would be a good idea? How many different ways are there to say no to this rumor? I can think of a few that involve the F word. Let's see...he's a notorious clubhouse cancer and he sucks. Oh, and Troy Percival famously called him an asshole in the book Fantasyland. Yeah, that's not exactly a guy who you want on your team down the stretch drive.
-From the Files of: You're a Big, Gigantic Pussy comes this hilarious highlight from last night's Astro game. At one point in the game, an Astros player hit a foul ball that headed right toward some guy sitting with his girlfriend in the stands. As the ball rocketed towards his girl, the poor loser lunged out of the way like a frightened chicken, and the ball nailed his girlfriend in the arm. The girl looked understandably pissed, while the guy claimed to have lost the ball in the lights. Yeah, dude, I used to use that excuse in Little League. Epic chivalry fail.
Lincecum's struggles tonight were bothersome, especially since he was all over the map in the first inning, with seemingly little clue where the ball was going. Even more bothersome is the fact that Lincecum has now surpassed his career high in home runs allowed, with two months still to go. Decreased velocity, declining strikeout rate, increased home run rate, and increased walk rate? It's not time to panic, but these are unsettling trends.
So I'm going to whistle my way past this game and assume the Giants can wring out three wins from this series. I suggest you do the same.
-While you're dealing with your depression from tonight's loss, here's something to terrify you. Why would anyone in their right mind think acquiring Jose Guillen would be a good idea? How many different ways are there to say no to this rumor? I can think of a few that involve the F word. Let's see...he's a notorious clubhouse cancer and he sucks. Oh, and Troy Percival famously called him an asshole in the book Fantasyland. Yeah, that's not exactly a guy who you want on your team down the stretch drive.
-From the Files of: You're a Big, Gigantic Pussy comes this hilarious highlight from last night's Astro game. At one point in the game, an Astros player hit a foul ball that headed right toward some guy sitting with his girlfriend in the stands. As the ball rocketed towards his girl, the poor loser lunged out of the way like a frightened chicken, and the ball nailed his girlfriend in the arm. The girl looked understandably pissed, while the guy claimed to have lost the ball in the lights. Yeah, dude, I used to use that excuse in Little League. Epic chivalry fail.
