There's no point chronicling the latest in a growing list of second half failures. The Giants got beat, again. They looked horrible, again. Why? Because this team sucks. They fooled us. Through 90 games they played so far over their heads that altitude sickness was a risk. Since, they're the worst team in baseball and number two isn't close.
Management blew this one, plain and simple. They took a mediocre team from 2015, threw a bunch of money at the wrong guys, then patted themselves on the back while getting all the breaks. Then when things got tough, they made cosmetic changes that did nothing to help the team -- all while murmuring that they'd be "all right".
Mid-season trade grade: a solid "F". That's being polite. Why they don't use other letters for grades is s mystery, because we could use a few right now. We'd be somewhere around "U" or "V" right now. And that's before we look at the off-season moves.
Johnny Cueto: aces. Great move. Too bad it won't last because he's got an opt-out clause after the 2017 season and there's no way he wastes prime years on a team that is this dysfunctional. Sure, that'll free up salary but if they use it to throw $90 million at the next Jeff Samardzija or waste it on three years of another Denard Span, what's the benefit?
What just kills us here at Serious San Francisco Giants Fans is that we've seen this before. Tell us this doesn't smack of the mid 2000s when the Giants had maybe the greatest offensive force the game has ever seen and surrounded him with garbage. Barry Bonds had a supporting cast that included Phil Nevin, Ryan Klesko, Dustan Mohr; the touted prospects were Brian Dallimore, Lance Neikro, Todd Linden -- remember those guys? Neither does anyone else. They were bug splatter on the windshield of Giants history, and now it's happening again.
Look at the current roster. Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Hunter Pence: these guys are studs. The jury is still out on Brandon Belt, while Joe Panik and Derek Law have a chance to join that class. The rest range from extremely average to "Who gave that guy a uniform?". You could take 15 players off the current 25-man roster and replace then with call-ups from Double A and few would notice the difference.
Yes, the standings say the Giants are currently a playoff team. They aren't. They aren't even competitive. That unrealistic first half propped them up like a boxer who thumped a roster of ham-and-eggers then found himself out of his league when Vladamir Klitchko came calling.
When the building collapses, the first place you look when finding fault is the architect. Evans is in his second year at the Giants helm, and he's proving to be in over his head. Brian Sabean, whom Billy Beane described as the "master of the dry hump" for his reticence to pull the trigger on a big deal, looks like a riverboat gambler next to this guy. Last year could be blamed on injuries. Not 2016. This is a team with glaring holes, and Evans couldn't even bother to bail water. Time for a change.
Former USC Athletic Director Pat Haden was considered to be especially cruel when his fired Lane Kiffin on the airport tarmac following a humiliating loss. We think he had the right idea. BTW, Haden got canned a year later and we're okay with that, too, although Evans departure shouldn't take that long.
What do these names have in common: Casilla, Peavy, Nunez, Angel Pagan, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez,, Will Smith, George Kontos. Mark Reynolds, Conor Gillaspie? Their contracts are up at season's end. It's time to make some tough choices and cut the chord now.
If this organization can make the decision to jettison a team stalwart like Kirk Rueter a month early because he just couldn't cut the mustard any longer, telling today's non-contributors to hit the bricks should be a no-brainer. The shouldn't be in uniform on Friday. Let the Willaimsons, Parkers, Blachs and such get a taste of MLB life, and find out if they can play. If they can't move on.
The pre-Trent Balke 49ers stayed relevant for so long because they weren't sentimental. They'd rather deal a guy a year early that a year late. Joe Montana had to make room for Steve Young. Jerry Rice gave way to Terrell Owens. Ronnie Lott had to go. The Giants need to take notice.
It a tough time to be a Giants fan. We look at them like our children; we'll always love them but there are time where we really don;t like them. This is one of those times. Changes, big changes are in order, and they need to start Friday in Arizona.
They aren't, and the lame reassurances amounted to nothing more than fiddling while Rome was ablaze.
Wednesday's heartbreaking 6-5 loss in Colorado was emblematic of the season. A bullpen that has been suspect all year again couldn't hold a two-run lead in the ninth, and the unmitigated disaster that is Santiago Casilla was so bad a 41-year-old who was pitching in Double A was asked to save the day. He couldn't.
This was the Giants "Old Yeller" moment. The loyal and faithful dog has given us great joy, but now he's sick and needs to be put down. He's not lovable anymore; he's dangerous. The Giants need to be taken out by the woodshed and put our of his (and our) misery.
The numbers don't lie. The Giants have blown six games when leading in the ninth inning simply because they don't have a ninth-inning option that doesn't send people running for the one of those AED units stationed around AT&T Park. The pen has blown 25 games, 10 more than it did all of last season. The refusal to address this glaring weakness after a season and a half of ineptitude leads us to believe the front office is in need of shock treatment.
Other teams can rally. Other teams can hold leads. Case in point: the Giants have entered 55 games trailing in the ninth. They've lost every damn one.
Casilla is the subject of our derision, and it galls us to think the Giants could have next him walk. This was an option season, and the chose to bring him back. Get it? They ASKED for this.
The Giants bullpen is a collection of has-beens and not ready for prime time players. None of them can be depended upon, which is a shame because it seems part of the plan is to throw as many pitchers as possible each game until they find the loaded chamber. And GM Bobby Evans's solution at the trade deadline was to add a starter suited to the third of fourth slot in the rotation and a lefty reliever who was pretty much one more version of what they had. Both have underperformed.
Wednesday's heartbreaking 6-5 loss in Colorado was emblematic of the season. A bullpen that has been suspect all year again couldn't hold a two-run lead in the ninth, and the unmitigated disaster that is Santiago Casilla was so bad a 41-year-old who was pitching in Double A was asked to save the day. He couldn't.
This was the Giants "Old Yeller" moment. The loyal and faithful dog has given us great joy, but now he's sick and needs to be put down. He's not lovable anymore; he's dangerous. The Giants need to be taken out by the woodshed and put our of his (and our) misery.
The numbers don't lie. The Giants have blown six games when leading in the ninth inning simply because they don't have a ninth-inning option that doesn't send people running for the one of those AED units stationed around AT&T Park. The pen has blown 25 games, 10 more than it did all of last season. The refusal to address this glaring weakness after a season and a half of ineptitude leads us to believe the front office is in need of shock treatment.
Other teams can rally. Other teams can hold leads. Case in point: the Giants have entered 55 games trailing in the ninth. They've lost every damn one.
Casilla is the subject of our derision, and it galls us to think the Giants could have next him walk. This was an option season, and the chose to bring him back. Get it? They ASKED for this.
The Giants bullpen is a collection of has-beens and not ready for prime time players. None of them can be depended upon, which is a shame because it seems part of the plan is to throw as many pitchers as possible each game until they find the loaded chamber. And GM Bobby Evans's solution at the trade deadline was to add a starter suited to the third of fourth slot in the rotation and a lefty reliever who was pretty much one more version of what they had. Both have underperformed.
Matt Moore was supposed to be a key addition to the rotation but throws too few strikes, and those he does throw get abused like a taco vendor at a Donald Trump rally. Nowhere was this more evident than in his outing in Chicago: six runs in 2 2/3, and all of the runs scored in a disastrous third frame in which Moore gave up a grand slam, a solo shot, and walked three including a four-pitch walk of a pitcher who was TRYING TO BUNT!
Yep, that's the Matt Moore we're supposed to make us forget the Giants traded fan favorite Matt Duffy to get. There was a series of stunned and heartfelt tweets from the Duff-man and his family after the deal. It was clear he wanted to stay. Today he may be the happiest man involved. He doesn't have to endure this debacle.
Keep in mind Moore was "needed" because fully 40 percent of the starting rotation lost jobs. Jake Peavy was done two years ago and it's clear that injuries have ended Matt Cain's ability to be Matt Cain. They depended on the wrong people.
Keep in mind Moore was "needed" because fully 40 percent of the starting rotation lost jobs. Jake Peavy was done two years ago and it's clear that injuries have ended Matt Cain's ability to be Matt Cain. They depended on the wrong people.
The Giants also parted with some quality pitching prospects to get Will Smith and Eduardo Nunez. Why?
Smith didn't bolster the pen. He proved to be more of the same of what they had. and what they had wasn't good. Nunez was an all-star in Minnesota but hasn't been close to that level as a Giant: inconsistent both with the bat and glove. He was having a solid year but did anyone ever put "Eduardo Nunez" and "impact player" in a sentence?
Johnny Cueto: aces. Great move. Too bad it won't last because he's got an opt-out clause after the 2017 season and there's no way he wastes prime years on a team that is this dysfunctional. Sure, that'll free up salary but if they use it to throw $90 million at the next Jeff Samardzija or waste it on three years of another Denard Span, what's the benefit?
What just kills us here at Serious San Francisco Giants Fans is that we've seen this before. Tell us this doesn't smack of the mid 2000s when the Giants had maybe the greatest offensive force the game has ever seen and surrounded him with garbage. Barry Bonds had a supporting cast that included Phil Nevin, Ryan Klesko, Dustan Mohr; the touted prospects were Brian Dallimore, Lance Neikro, Todd Linden -- remember those guys? Neither does anyone else. They were bug splatter on the windshield of Giants history, and now it's happening again.
Look at the current roster. Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Hunter Pence: these guys are studs. The jury is still out on Brandon Belt, while Joe Panik and Derek Law have a chance to join that class. The rest range from extremely average to "Who gave that guy a uniform?". You could take 15 players off the current 25-man roster and replace then with call-ups from Double A and few would notice the difference.
Yes, the standings say the Giants are currently a playoff team. They aren't. They aren't even competitive. That unrealistic first half propped them up like a boxer who thumped a roster of ham-and-eggers then found himself out of his league when Vladamir Klitchko came calling.
When the building collapses, the first place you look when finding fault is the architect. Evans is in his second year at the Giants helm, and he's proving to be in over his head. Brian Sabean, whom Billy Beane described as the "master of the dry hump" for his reticence to pull the trigger on a big deal, looks like a riverboat gambler next to this guy. Last year could be blamed on injuries. Not 2016. This is a team with glaring holes, and Evans couldn't even bother to bail water. Time for a change.
What do these names have in common: Casilla, Peavy, Nunez, Angel Pagan, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez,, Will Smith, George Kontos. Mark Reynolds, Conor Gillaspie? Their contracts are up at season's end. It's time to make some tough choices and cut the chord now.
If this organization can make the decision to jettison a team stalwart like Kirk Rueter a month early because he just couldn't cut the mustard any longer, telling today's non-contributors to hit the bricks should be a no-brainer. The shouldn't be in uniform on Friday. Let the Willaimsons, Parkers, Blachs and such get a taste of MLB life, and find out if they can play. If they can't move on.
The pre-Trent Balke 49ers stayed relevant for so long because they weren't sentimental. They'd rather deal a guy a year early that a year late. Joe Montana had to make room for Steve Young. Jerry Rice gave way to Terrell Owens. Ronnie Lott had to go. The Giants need to take notice.
It a tough time to be a Giants fan. We look at them like our children; we'll always love them but there are time where we really don;t like them. This is one of those times. Changes, big changes are in order, and they need to start Friday in Arizona.
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