Week Three: 4/17-4/24
4/17: STL 8 @ SF 1 - LP: Zito (2-1, 3.76 ERA)
In spite of the loss, Barry Zito hit his first major league double off Reyes in the 3rd. Although the Cardinals scored eight off our pitchers, only three were off of Zito. He managed to hold runners as St. Louis stranded six of their eight with Zito on the mound. It was David Cortes who gave up four and then Kline gave up one more. Pujols and Spezio both went yard off Cortes to drive in four runs.
4/18: STL 0 @ SF 3 - WP: Benitez (3-1, 4.32 ERA), SV: Valverde (3); HR: Aurilia (6)
Noah Lowry fell to the ground in the middle of the third inning after throwing a changeup to Kennedy. Scared the crap out of Bochy, because he ran out to the mound with the trainer and the infield came in. Molina called time, fortunately, because no one else had the presence of mind to do so. He had to be pulled due to back spasms. Boch was faced with a tough decision because most of the bullpen was exhausted, but Armando Benitez stepped up and said he would take the ball. He went two and third scoreless, with one HA and one K. The interesting thing of it was, everyone in the bullpen stepped up. Cortes took it next and in spite of having pitched yesterday, went one and a third with two strikeouts, then Hennessey for three outs, then Kline pitched and K'ed Preston Wilson while Eckstein was on first. But that was about the limit of his gas tank, and he let Correia close out the eighth with no runs scored. Valverde closed it down and it was a beautiful thing, seeing all those tired arms come together to help Noah out. Benitez got the win, but I think it was his willingness to do what needed to be done that inspired everyone else to start playing like a team.
4/19: STL 6 @ SF 5 - LP: Morris (1-3, 3.09 ERA); HR: Bonds (4) [738]
Morris gave up five earned runs and one unearned off of an Omar Vizquel error. He seemed in good spirits after the game, because it was really a matter of batting after both starters turned the ball over to the bullpen. Once again, Benitez shut down the eighth and Hennessey took the ninth. Bonds hit a 2-run shot off Claussen in the fourth for his 738th career home run.
4/20: OFF DAY
4/21: ARI 2 @ SF 6 - WP: Cain (2-2, 6.39 ERA); HR: Durham (3)
Fred Lewis and Ray Durham combined with baserunning and a key home run to break the 2-2 tie that lasted from the third all the way to the seventh in a pitching duel between Randy Johnson and Matt Cain. Both gave up two runs in the first innings, but they both settled down and did not allow much more until Ray Durham broke Randy Johnson's concentration and hit a two-run bomb after Johnson walked Lewis with two out. Cain pitched eight and struck out six.
TRADE: Traded 29-year old minor league catcher Y. Haad and 29-year old reliever J. Taschner to the Arizona Diamondbacks, getting 23-year old minor league starting pitcher D. Eveland, 28-year old minor league starting pitcher S. Smith and 22-year old minor league starting pitcher M. Torra in return.
I liked Eveland's numbers and Torra has potential under the right pitching coach at the rookie level. Haad was behind Knoedler and Alfonzo and Molina for the catcher spot and he is needed more by the Diamondbacks.
4/22: ARI 3 @ SF 4 - WP: Lincecum (1-1, 5.29 ERA), SV: Benitez (2); HR: Molina 2 (4)
Seabiscuit went eight innings and gave up a mere two runs while striking out seven batters. Armando Benitez earned himself another save and struck out two of three batters, but he gave up a home run to DaVanon in true drama whore fashion, giving every Giant fan in the place a heart attack. Bengie Molina went yard twice and he accounted for all four RBIs in the game.
4/23: ARI 7 @ SF 5 - LP: Zito (2-2, 4.94 ERA); HR: Bonds (5) [739], Durham (4)
Bonds likes to homer in games where we lose. Of his last five, three were hit in games lost by the Giants. Zito looked more than just a little shaky out on the mound and I'm wondering if Bochy has noticed it too. I checked his pitching rotation and he bumped Zito to the three spot to give him two more days' rest and brought up Pedro Liriano from Fresno to help fill the hole left by Noah Lowry. Even though we lost the game, there were a lot of great plays made and hits by the lineup. They just outhit us by two.
End of the Week Thoughts: Well, I'm worried about Zito and I think that Sabean's decision to pay him that much money was a little on the dumb side. I'm sure we could have gotten by with a one or two year contract to see how he does. Historically, Zito performs better in the later months of the season and honestly, that's probably when we're going to need him most. April's just the first month and no one's knocked out of the hunt for a playoff spot in the first month. What concerns me most is Lowry's back. I'm hoping that with Bochy giving him an extra week to rest, he can bounce back and get back into the rotation. I'm curious to see how Liriano does, too.
Code:
American League Standings
East
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
New York (A) Yankees 14 6 .700 - 13-7 1 9-4 5-2 2-0 5-3 141 W1 8-2
Boston Red Sox 9 8 .529 3.5 9-8 0 8-3 1-5 3-0 5-3 L1 5-5
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9 10 .474 4.5 10-9 -1 3-4 6-6 0-3 2-5 W2 6-4
Toronto Blue Jays 8 9 .471 4.5 7-10 1 3-3 5-6 0-2 2-2 L1 4-6
Baltimore Orioles 8 11 .421 5.5 10-9 -2 4-6 4-5 0-1 3-4 W1 3-7
Central
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Minnesota Twins 11 7 .611 - 10-8 1 9-3 2-4 2-0 6-2 144 W2 7-3
Cleveland Indians 11 8 .579 .5 12-7 -1 4-3 7-5 0-1 1-2 L1 6-4
Detroit Tigers 9 10 .474 2.5 10-9 -1 4-2 5-8 1-0 4-5 W2 4-6
Kansas City Royals 8 9 .471 2.5 8-9 0 5-3 3-6 0-1 3-2 L2 3-7
Chicago (A) White Sox 6 12 .333 5.0 7-11 -1 3-6 3-6 0-2 1-5 L2 3-7
West
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Oakland Athletics 13 6 .684 - 10-9 3 8-4 5-2 2-0 4-1 140 W3 8-2
Texas Rangers 10 10 .500 3.5 9-11 1 6-7 4-3 0-0 4-4 W1 6-4
Los Angeles (A) Angels 7 12 .368 6.0 9-10 -2 3-3 4-9 0-0 0-3 L3 3-7
Seattle Mariners 7 12 .368 6.0 7-12 0 4-6 3-6 1-1 3-2 L2 2-8
AL Wild Card
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Cleveland Indians 11 8 .579 - 12-7 -1 4-3 7-5 0-1 1-2 144 L1 6-4
Boston Red Sox 9 8 .529 1.0 9-8 0 8-3 1-5 3-0 5-3 L1 5-5
Texas Rangers 10 10 .500 1.5 9-11 1 6-7 4-3 0-0 4-4 W1 6-4
Detroit Tigers 9 10 .474 2.0 10-9 -1 4-2 5-8 1-0 4-5 W2 4-6
Kansas City Royals 8 9 .471 2.0 8-9 0 5-3 3-6 0-1 3-2 L2 3-7
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9 10 .474 2.0 10-9 -1 3-4 6-6 0-3 2-5 W2 6-4
Toronto Blue Jays 8 9 .471 2.0 7-10 1 3-3 5-6 0-2 2-2 L1 4-6
Baltimore Orioles 8 11 .421 3.0 10-9 -2 4-6 4-5 0-1 3-4 W1 3-7
Los Angeles (A) Angels 7 12 .368 4.0 9-10 -2 3-3 4-9 0-0 0-3 L3 3-7
Seattle Mariners 7 12 .368 4.0 7-12 0 4-6 3-6 1-1 3-2 L2 2-8
Chicago (A) White Sox 6 12 .333 4.5 7-11 -1 3-6 3-6 0-2 1-5 L2 3-7
National League Standings
East
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Atlanta Braves 10 9 .526 - 9-10 1 4-2 6-7 0-0 4-1 144 W1 5-5
Florida Marlins 10 9 .526 - 10-9 0 4-2 6-7 0-0 0-2 144 L1 6-4
New York (N) Mets 10 9 .526 - 10-9 0 9-3 1-6 1-0 3-4 144 L2 5-5
Philadelphia Phillies 9 9 .500 .5 8-10 1 6-6 3-3 0-0 3-0 L2 4-6
Washington Nationals 8 10 .444 1.5 9-9 -1 4-2 4-8 0-1 3-5 W2 7-3
Central
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Houston Astros 13 6 .684 - 12-7 1 9-4 4-2 1-0 3-2 141 W2 6-4
Milwaukee Brewers 10 9 .526 3.0 8-11 2 7-3 3-6 1-1 5-3 W3 5-5
St. Louis Cardinals 9 8 .529 3.0 10-7 -1 2-4 7-4 0-1 1-5 L1 5-5
Cincinnati Reds 9 9 .500 3.5 8-10 1 5-4 4-5 0-0 4-0 W1 5-5
Pittsburgh Pirates 8 11 .421 5.0 10-9 -2 2-7 6-4 0-0 1-3 L3 4-6
Chicago (N) Cubs 8 12 .400 5.5 8-12 0 3-7 5-5 1-1 2-1 L2 3-7
West
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
San Diego Padres 11 8 .579 - 11-8 0 7-3 4-5 0-0 5-2 143 W2 6-4
Arizona Diamondbacks 10 9 .526 1.0 9-10 1 6-4 4-5 1-2 2-3 W1 6-4
San Francisco Giants 9 10 .474 2.0 9-10 0 5-7 4-3 1-0 2-1 L1 5-5
Los Angeles (N) Dodgers 8 10 .444 2.5 10-8 -2 5-7 3-3 2-0 3-6 W1 4-6
Colorado Rockies 8 12 .400 3.5 10-10 -2 3-4 5-8 0-2 1-4 L1 4-6
NL Wild Card
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Arizona Diamondbacks 10 9 .526 - 9-10 1 6-4 4-5 1-2 2-3 144 W1 6-4
Atlanta Braves 10 9 .526 - 9-10 1 4-2 6-7 0-0 4-1 144 W1 5-5
Florida Marlins 10 9 .526 - 10-9 0 4-2 6-7 0-0 0-2 144 L1 6-4
Milwaukee Brewers 10 9 .526 - 8-11 2 7-3 3-6 1-1 5-3 144 W3 5-5
New York (N) Mets 10 9 .526 - 10-9 0 9-3 1-6 1-0 3-4 144 L2 5-5
St. Louis Cardinals 9 8 .529 - 10-7 -1 2-4 7-4 0-1 1-5 145 L1 5-5
Cincinnati Reds 9 9 .500 .5 8-10 1 5-4 4-5 0-0 4-0 W1 5-5
Philadelphia Phillies 9 9 .500 .5 8-10 1 6-6 3-3 0-0 3-0 L2 4-6
San Francisco Giants 9 10 .474 1.0 9-10 0 5-7 4-3 1-0 2-1 L1 5-5
Los Angeles (N) Dodgers 8 10 .444 1.5 10-8 -2 5-7 3-3 2-0 3-6 W1 4-6
Washington Nationals 8 10 .444 1.5 9-9 -1 4-2 4-8 0-1 3-5 W2 7-3
Pittsburgh Pirates 8 11 .421 2.0 10-9 -2 2-7 6-4 0-0 1-3 L3 4-6
Chicago (N) Cubs 8 12 .400 2.5 8-12 0 3-7 5-5 1-1 2-1 L2 3-7
Colorado Rockies 8 12 .400 2.5 10-10 -2 3-4 5-8 0-2 1-4 L1 4-6
Transactions of Note:
- The San Francisco Giants traded 29-year old minor league catcher Y. Haad and 29-year old reliever J. Taschner to the Arizona Diamondbacks, getting 23-year old minor league starting pitcher D. Eveland, 28-year old minor league starting pitcher S. Smith and 22-year old minor league starting pitcher M. Torra in return. (April 21st)
Weekly Awards:
- RF B. Abreu of the New York (A) Yankees honored: Wins the MLB AL Player of the Week Award.
- 3B M. Ensberg of the Houston Astros honored: Wins the MLB NL Player of the Week Award.
Injuries:
Monday, April 23rd, 2007
- New York (A) Yankees: D. Jeter was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: inguinal hernia. He's expected to miss about 6 weeks.
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007
- St. Louis Cardinals: A. Reyes was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: back spasms. He's expected to miss about 2 weeks.
Saturday, April 21st, 2007
- Los Angeles (A) Angels: D. Oliver is ill. The Diagnosis: bronchitis. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 4 days.
- Pittsburgh Pirates: C. Duffy was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: strained calf muscle. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last one week.
Friday, April 20th, 2007
- New York (N) Mets: E. Chavez was injured on a defensive play. The Diagnosis: fractured hand. He's expected to miss about 5 weeks.
Thursday, April 19th, 2007
- St. Louis Cardinals: J. Edmonds is ill. The Diagnosis: cold. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 3 days.
Toronto Blue Jays: A. Rios was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: concussion. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 5 days.
- Los Angeles (A) Angels: M. Izturis was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: damaged meniscus (knee). He's expected to miss about 2 weeks.
Florida Marlins: J. Hermida was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: bruised ankle. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last one week.
- San Diego Padres: G. Maddux was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: back spasms. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 1-2 weeks.
Wednesday, April 18th, 2007
- San Francisco Giants: N. Lowry was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: back spasms. He's expected to miss about 1-2 weeks.
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007
- Cleveland Indians: G. Sizemore was injured while throwing the ball. The Diagnosis: strained back muscle. He's expected to miss about 6 weeks.
- Cincinnati Reds: J. Wood was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: strained anterior cruciate ligament. He's expected to miss about 5-6 weeks.
- Colorado Rockies: M. Holliday was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: strained thigh muscle. He's expected to miss about 2 weeks.
What's on TAP for the Giants in Week 4?:
4/24 - 4/25: Houston hosts a 3 game series.
4/26: OFF
4/27 - 4/30: We're in San Diego, enjoying the sun... and to beat the Pads.
-- ZC