Baseball Lifer

The Padres beat the Giants 2-1 this afternoon, and they have taken the series.

The Giants’ offense was dead against Joe Musgrove, who pitched seven shutout innings, while allowing just four hits. Carlos Rodon was also solid for the Giants, as he went six innings, allowing two runs. Rodon’s blemishes were a two-run home run off the bat of Manny Machado in the top of the third, and a perfectly-executed safety squeeze by Trent Grisham in the sixth.

Wilmer Flores put the Giants on the board with a home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 2-1, and the Padres brought in their closer, Taylor Rogers—Tyler’s twin brother—in the bottom of the ninth. Austin Slater led off the inning with a base-hit up the middle, but after Brandon Crawford lined out to Wil Myers out in right on a ball hit off the screws, Rogers settled down. Thairo Estrada barely beat out what would’ve been a game-ending 6-3 double play, and Rogers got Luis Gonzalez looking on a filthy slider to end the game.

GAMEBALL:

Bob Melvin

Hey, I have to give it to the man who was the difference maker; and today, that man was Bob Melvin. With runners at the corners with one out in the top of the sixth inning, Melvin set up a safety squeeze. Trent Grisham laid down a perfect bunt to the right side of the mound, which completely caught the Giants off guard, and knocked in what ended up being the game-winning run.

In the age of nothing but home runs, strikeouts, walks, “launch angles” and “spin rates,” we’ve seen very little small ball, and barely any conventional baseball at all. The end of last season was the beginning of a slow, but very refreshing change back towards old-school baseball. I believe that had to do with Brian Snitker and Dusty Baker managing their teams to the World Series last year, as well as the Braves’ really good situational hitting—shortening their swings with two strikes, and in big RBI situations—last postseason. It has made some teams realize that the old-school approach is the better one.

We’ve seen it with Melvin and the Padres, as well as Buck Showalter and the Mets, who the Giants are about to see. When the Giants were in New York last month, the Mets were constantly just getting on base, and manufacturing runs. They were going the opposite way quite a bit, too, and it showed just why a ban on shifts would be useless and stupid.

As much as today’s loss sucked, having it come as a result of the game being played the right way took a bit of the sting off.

TIP OF THE CAP:

Carlos Rodon: Rodon allowed a baserunner in every inning, but he went six innings, allowing the bullpen not to be overtaxed.

Joc: The lone Giant with two hits today. Would be nice if he could get hot again.

Wilmer: Put the Giants on the board with his solo shot in the eighth.

Dominic Leone: Kinda got unnoticed, but Leone struck out the side in the eighth.

Padres: As a whole. They are a much different team than the one that collapsed at the end of last season. As much as these losses hurt, the Giants have been up against a great team that’s capable of going all the way. Just a win against them tomorrow would be awesome.

Michaek Papierski: The guy the Giants got from the Astros in the Mauricio Dubon trade was called up as a result of Curt Casali going on the Concussion IL. Papierski made his major league debut, and got to make the start behind the plate to catch an all-star. Not a bad way to break in. Also, he has a connection to the 2012 Giants with his close friendship with Ryan Theriot, and any remainder of the glowing smile the riot had on his face as he glided across the plate with what proved to be the World Series-winning run is always appreciated.

Joe Panik: Speaking of blasts from the past, Joe Panik decided to hang em up this week. I will admit all these years later that I thought he wouldn’t amount to anything when he first came up. Man, was I proved wrong in a hurry, and the Giants would not have gotten anywhere close to winning it all in 2014 without him. He said it best, he got to live a dream. Congratulations to a great career, kid!

JOKER:

The Offense

Our offense sucks; I’m not going to deny it. There is very much a 2009 feel to this offense—and really this team as a whole, but that’s for another day—and as fun as 2009 was as a Giants fan, our offense wasn’t one of our bright spots. Our offense that year gave us a lot of torture and heartbreak, and that’s what this year’s offense is preparing to give us as the season plays out.

The similarity this season is that the offense is consistently slumping as a whole, but when that alarm goes off, and someone gets that big hit, they look like a juggernaut. I hate to say it, but the Giants are not a championship-caliber ball club right now. If they want to be, then the offense is either going to need. to step it up; or Farhan is going to be need to bring in a bat or two at the Deadline.

SMACK OF THE STICK:

Phillies: Thanks for the help, assholes.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

With this loss, the Giants have now dropped three straight, as they fall to 22-17, and are now five games out in the West. Even though it’s only the middle of May, they really need a win tomorrow, as you don’t want to get swept by a team that you’re preparing to battle against for a playoff spot, and you really don’t want to fall further behind the Trolley Dodgers.

I know, a lot of people won’t be as worried, because 12 teams get into the playoffs now, but I want to win it all. That’s the expectation I came into this season with. I predicted us to win it all, and I still am, because we have it in us. We showed that last season. However, if the offense continues to sputter the way it is, it’s not going to happen.

Also, I still want to win the West. I don’t want to have to play a short best-of-three, especially if every game’s at Petco Park, or whatever they call Miller Park now. The Dodgers are probably going to keep pounding the shit out of the rest of the league, so we need to start winning, and FAST.

Stephen