first pitch: 7:15 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Adam Eaton (2-1, 2.91 ERA) vs Jason Schmidt (2-1, 3.24 ERA)
game previews: ESPN | CBS SportsLine | SI
Featuring two righthanders who throw gas, this has the potential to be an exciting matchup.
AB BA OBP SLG
Eaton vs current Giants 142 .246 .318 .465
Schmidt vs current Padres 269 .238 .321 .372
For Eaton, it looks worse than it is; most of the damage has been done by Barry Bonds (.316/.435/.842, 19 AB) and Moises Alou (.462/.500/1.000, 13 AB). Bonds is on the DL and Alou just came off it, so with luck he’s still a little rusty. Ray Durham (.214/.353/.643, 14 AB) and Edgardo Alfonzo (.278/.350/.556, 18 AB) have also had success against Eaton; Marquis Grissom (.120/.185/.120, 25 AB) not so much.
On the flip side, Ramon Hernandez (.417/.533/.750, 12 AB) and Mark Sweeney (.294/.429/.588, 17 AB) have had success against Schmidt, as has Mark Loretta (.308/.326/.538, 39 AB). The heart of the order – Ryan Klesko (.158/.267/.289, 38 AB), Brian Giles (.040/.273/.160, 25 AB), and Phil Nevin (.200/.261/.250, 20 AB) – has struggled miserably against Schmidt. This might be a good time for Sweeney’s first spot start of the year. (Just checked, he’s spelling Nevin and batting #7.)
I hope it needs to be amputated.
The umpire put Blum & Hernandez in lousy counts with lousy umpiring.
I’m mad at the plate umpire, I’m mad at our defense, I’m mad at J.T. Snow. We can’t give away games like that. There is no way the Giants should have won this one.
The Giants tried to lose, but the Padres and the home plate umpire would have none of it.
WP: Benitez, LP: Otsuka.
Otsuka deserved to lose, but Benitez sure as hell didn’t deserve to win.
Did anyone else notice how Hernandez was back behind the plate as the throw was coming in on Feliz’s single? We know he isn’t the good plate blocker like ESPN.com says but why is he all the way back? Snow slides inside and is safe. Not to mention if you give him the inside and the ball is bouncing, can’t the ball hit the runner easier? Also, if you aren’t going to get the guy, don’t you want to be out in front to cut off the ball and make a play somewhere else? Hernandez is just brutal when it comes to blocking the plate. Not that the throw necesarily gets Snow if he does it right there but man its frustrating to watch.
I propose some small contract modification to Bochy’s contract. “If you ever, I mean ever, pull your best hitter in 1 run game with 6 or more outs left in the game for a defensive replacement we smack you with a clay bust of Cito Gaston (in honor of pulling Olerud for a pinch runner in the Jays World Series game).”
Oddly, Huzdu did get his first hit and stole second, but still, that move is inexcusable. I have been watching Bochy do this move many, many times last year, and I think I saw one ball caught by the new defender that Klesko may not have gotten, but I saw many, many weak, crucial at bats by the replacement. That is my single most hated, consistent move that Bochy does, over and over.
Hey, at least he substituted with a guy who is actually better at defense than Klesko. Last year it was Kerry Robinson, who can run faster but otherwise is probably a worse fielder.