(07-30-2021, 08:54 AM)teejers1 Wrote: (07-30-2021, 01:12 AM)BostonCard Wrote: Slater is 13/41 (.317) with 2 HR, 5 RBI, and 5 runs scored in 19 games in July. He’s 4/8 in the last two games against the Dodgers and had an RBI and a run scored tonight.
BC
Also, he had 2 ABs in yesterday's game that were rips - one to 3B, one to LF - that could easily have been hits. Instead, a FC and a lineout to LF. The vagaries of baseball make stats a bit hit or miss; still, I agree that Slater is playing much better recently. And Slater had a clutch 2 out single to knock in run #4 - helll, the Giants were crazy good in 2-out hitting yesterday (not so good in one-out-hitting with runner on 3rd - Solano caught looking on strike 3 . . . doh!). And I agree Johnny's best game.
Part of me wants the Giants to hold tight and see if this rag tag bunch can hold off the Dodgers and Padres the rest of the way.
But a bigger part of me wants them to win the division, and I suspect that will take one more arm (closer or starter), and possibly one more big stick.
If I could only take one - it probably would be a no-doubt-about-it closer. But McGee has been good last few outings, and Garcia has been terrific.
Fun team to watch and root for.
Agreed on all points. During the Giants' 12th shutout of the season, Slater could easily have been 4 for 4, sometimes he's really fun to watch, and he had a nice stolen base. I actually don't mind a stand-pat strategy, although I'd far prefer to have both Kimbrel and Bryant and one more starter, especially as both Gausman and Desclefani have had post-all star break issues. Gausman says it's a mechanical issue for him. Hope so. I heard Krukow once opine that all pitchers have mechanical issues from time to time, but some pitching motions required A LOT of mechanical work to really be effective, and he used Vogelsong as the example.
Tyler Rogers has a lower ERA (1.88) than Melancon, and his combination of holds and saves exceeds Melancon (current MLB saves leader). McGee looks better, of late. If we didn't get Kimbrel I could live with it -- thought I'd still prefer to have him.
Giants are 64-38, which projects to 102 wins. 25 games ago, they were pointing to 100+ wins, and people said that's ridiculous, the Giants won't win 100+. Well, maybe. But with 60 games to go, the Giants are MLB's leading team, 1.5 games ahead of Houston, 3 games ahead of the Dodgers (against whom they're 5-2 in their last 7 games). As a team, the Giants are 4th in MLB in OPS, T2 for HRs, and 9th in runs scored. They're 1st in WHIP and 3rd in ERA and tied for 2nd in fielding percentage and overall fielding efficiency.
I really, really like this team and its future. Think of it this way...the Giants have six brobdingnagian contracts (Posey, Cueto, Gausman, Belt, Longoria, Crawford) and five of the six come off the books at the end of this season (everyone except Longoria). Right now, today, the Giants are $48 mms. under the luxury tax threshold of $210 million for 2021 and that's
with the brobdingnagian salaries. Downside is that most player contracts are up after this year, so unless they're going to promote all their minor leaguers, the Giants will have to take on
some free agents. But most of the deadwood contracts will be gone by next year, though the Giants may pick up the $22 mms. Posey option...but should they, for a 60% player? there are team options on Cueto, Posey, Flores and Alvarez. Longoria, La Stella and McGee are the only ones under contract next year. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have $154 million committed to 11 players next year and are $66 million over the luxury tax threshold
this year, not including the addition of Scherzer or any others.
