April 13, 2017

At least this week can't last forever (can it?)

(Best "30 For 30" Voice)

What if I told you Madison Bumgarner gave the Giants get another quality start and Colorado starter Jon Gray didn't get out of the fourth inning? Would you think the Giants chalked up a win?

Ha! Good one, Simba.

Bumgarner gave up six innings of work, Gray had to depart in the fourth due to an injury, and the Giants offense was nonexistent. As has become typical in Bumgarner starts, the San Francisco ace pitched just well enough to make it really frustrating when the sticks took a holiday; this time in a 3-1 setback versus the Rockies.

It has seemed like a cursed week for the Giants and the team's extended family; cursed enough that Monday's beaning of Buster Posey feels like small potatoes. There were losses in the Cepeda and Feeney families earlier this week, and last night the Crawfords dealt with the passing of BCraw's' sister-in-law in Southern California. A cloud seems to hang over this team, and the 4-7 start to the season certainly doesn't help.

Bumgarner certainly wasn't perfect, surrendering a two-run homer to Trevor Story in the fourth and a two-our RBI single to Mark Reynolds in the sixth. Unfortunately there was a bigger story being written: the Giants' totally punchless offense.

Mister Hard Luck got shafted again. (AP)
Denard Span opened up the game with a base hit but was quickly erased on a double play. The Giants didn't get another hit until Brandon Belt lined a single off Story's glove at short to lead off the seventh. San Francisco would eventually break through in that frame, scoring a run on Eduardo Nunez's sacrifice fly, but it never really felt like they were in the game.

There still was that glorious moment of exquisite angst. A ball that hit Colorado closer Greg Holland in the leg, full swinging bunt, and a base on balls loaded the bases with one out in the  ninth.

Set the stage: tying run in scoring position, winning run on base, and (wait for it)  Nunez promptly hit into a 4-6-3 double play because that's just how this Eli-Roth-meets-Wes-Craven-with-a-bad-case-of-gas season has gone.

This one swing told the tale. (AP)
The team is lifeless in it makes the casual observer start to question some of the moves. Buster Posey is hurt, Crawford was unavailable (although he pinch hit late), there's no offense coming from left field, and the one bright spot from the previous game (Nick Hundley) was told to take a seat. Granted, the Giants are in a Fellowship of the Ring-type march with no days off in the first 19 games, but you gotta get some offense somewhere. The Giants occasionally tap into the source but sometime seem to get amnesia regarding the location.

Does it seem right that Matt Cain has a victory before Bumgarner does? Thursday was actually his worst of three starts: the others an Opening Day outing in which he handed the bullpen a lead and a complete-game 2-1 loss. all told, the Giants have scored just five runs while Bumgarner has been the pitcher of record -- and he homered for two of them.

With friends like these ...

It's still a young season but not too soon to start watching the standings. San Francisco is three games behind an Arizona team that built its lead lead largely by beating up on the G-Men. It's early, but as Yogi Berra noted, it gets late early out there.


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