Executive Summary
Always good to beat the Dodgers. Hitting continues to flicker, defense continues to frustrate, starting pitchers continue to flub. But after dropping a clunker, the Giants scrapped, clawed and squeezed out two wins to take the series.
Inspiration
The cry on the way to the ballpark: “If we win tonight, we’re back to .500.” Embarrassed, fans keep walking, pretend they don’t hear, too busy trying to stay warm.
Or trying to stay cool. On behalf of GiantsInc, pitcher Jeremy Affeldt chastised fans for the poisoned atmosphere surrounding the Giants-Dodgers rivalry, which contributed to the attack on Bryan Stow in L.A. At first Affeldt seemed to bite his tongue. Backed up with emotion? Or trying to stop himself from shouting, “What’s the matter with you people? Don’t you realize this is a show?” He gave the party line — let’s be rivals but let’s have fun. Right.
Freezing
Official temperature on the field at game time: 54 degrees Farenheit. Believable? My numb hands say no. Keep this up and GiantsInc will have as much credibility as the old Soviet Politburo.
Players from both teams hate the cold. Who can blame them? They come from the Caribbean or places like Leesburg, Georgia. And they have this crazy idea that baseball is a warm-weather game.
Thawing Out?
Aubrey Huff, working his way back to respectability. It’s early, not even at the foreplay stage of things, but Huff should be on the lookout for a new thong. He could probably use a return to first base, also. Not much of a factor this series, he had a couple of singles tonight and an RBI.
Sizzling
Aaron Rowand, giving his best impression of Andres Torres, opens the third game of the series with a double. Starting in place of Torres, who’s out with a pulled Achilles tendon, Rowand was the Giants’ most effective hitter of the series. More than statistics, he’s had timely hits. Tuesday night his single and triple were difference-makers. Tonight his single and double contribute impressively. Rowand has been one of the Giants’ classic free-agent busts over the past couple of years. So what’s changed? Who knows? And who knows if it will last.
Jonathan Sanchez, throwing with speed and purpose. Zip, zap, zap through three. Even his off-speed pitches explode in Buster’s glove, making the Dodgers look foolish. The Dodgers have a hot hitting lineup, which they’ve showed off in the first two games. Not tonight.
Mike Fontenot starts the third game at second, a last-minute replacement for Mark DeRosa, who was replacing Freddy Sanchez. Hitless for the season, Fontenot doubles home rookie Brandon Belt (who can really kick it into high gear running the base paths). In the sixth inning he hits the game-winning, series-winning home run.
Yes, and fans in their multitude were not wearing Panda hats just to keep away the cold. Pablo Sandoval’s home run in the sixth tied the game. He continues to try to make us forget his soap opera season last year. A diva he is not.
Flame Out
With two out in the fourth, Sanchez gives up a single, then with two strikes and no balls, Rod Barajas hits a two-run home run. Is that it for Jonathan? No, he hangs in there, doesn’t seem to dwell on his mistake, but can’t regain his early game dominance. His fade culminates in the Dodgers taking the lead in the sixth.
Defense
Uncharacteristic slop on defense continues to plague the team. Even standouts like Freddy Sanchez have had issues in the field. A function of the cold? Injuries? A flaw in spring preparations? These are the “little things” that good teams emphasize and practice endlessly. Something to worry about? Most definitely.
With four, Pat Burrell has the second most home runs in the National League. But his lack of speed in the outfield presents problems that his bat, not all that potent, can’t cover up. Monday night a single got by him, letting two runs score. Watching him Wednesday night trying to push himself into a higher gear was painful, as another ball got past him (another run).
On the other hand, Tim Lincecum’s awesome defensive play in Game Two. Given the ongoing problems, this is our Play of the Series.
Pitching
The starters, Madison Bumgarner, Lincecum and Sanchez, gave up a combined total of 11 runs and 22 hits. Mediocre would be a kind assessment. The bullpen, led by the Return of Brian Wilson, began showing signs of shining, allowing just two runs over three games. A key moment of the third game, and the series, came in the seventh inning, with a Dodger in scoring position and hot-hitting Matt Kemp at the plate. Manager Bruce Bochy brought in his third pitcher of the inning, Sergio Romo. With the calm dispatch of a medical records clerk, Romo struck out Kemp on five straight sliders.
On the Horizon
Atlanta’s Braves.