windwalker wrote:

Nice to see that Mitchell Boggs doesnt mind showing us his arse one more time...

Boggs has been really, really good this year, Wind.

Freese needs to spend the next five months learning how to hit a slider.

Someone tweeted that Lohse was biting his tongue in the postgame, but I'm not sure if that's about the Giants' BS antics or him grousing about the defense. If it's the latter, Lohse can go back and review the tape and see all the piss poor pitches he left up.

Good-bye forever, Kyle Lohse.

"I'm not sure if that's about the Giants' BS antics or him grousing about the defense."

In the one quote from Lohse I read in the PD, he blames himself for a poor performance. The best thing that happened last night was the rain. The Giants didn't deserve a celebration after that display. It's one thing to turn your back to the infield and raise your hands after you make a routine play, or take extra bases and swing at 3-0 pitches when you've got a comfortable lead, but it's another to throw up and in to a guy because you're still pissed about a hard slide a week ago. The Giants got their pound of flesh when Cain plunked Jay to start Game 3. He doesn't get carte blanche to keep throwing at people.
Of course, this franchise has covered itself in garbage for 110 years, from John McGraw to Hal Chase to stealing signals at the Polo Grounds to Juan Marichal to Prison Face to Barry Bonds. Why should anything else be expected?

Last edited by artie_fufkin (10/23/2012 8:54 am)

windwalker wrote:

The game after Albert almost ended Brad Lidge's career. Huge momentum swing, elimination game... exactly the situation that you acquire a former Cy Young award winner for for... and he choked.

Wow, yeah, I forgot all about that one. Definitely not good.

"So, maybe the defense is just a bit subpar, or at least was for these past three games."

Defense was an issue at every position except centerfield and catcher, Max. Every other position would probably be classified as below average (shortstop, first base, second base [Descalso slightly above average; Skippy well below]); deficient (third base, right field) or awful (left field).

Thanks, Artie.  That has to hurt when you have a pitching staff that had been built and trained for pitch to contact. 

And for the record, give credit where credit is due, Matt "catch a fly with your scrotum" Holliday snagged a nifty running over-the-shoulder catch.  I forget which game.  It might have been just me, but he seemed a bit worried as he tracked it down, but he got it.

"Thanks, Artie.  That has to hurt when you have a pitching staff that had been built and trained for pitch to contact."

In all fairness, they sort of learned their lesson after the Ryan Theriot debacle when they traded for Furcal.  Furcal was a significant defensive upgrade, but the position became a defensive liability after his injury.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect the defense to be much improved in 2013.  I was serious in the other thread when I stated I think Matt Carpenter gets the first crack at second base next year.  That will be a downgrade defensively from Descalso.  Furcal is a huge question mark because of his health, and I don't think there will be changes in any of the other positions.

APIAD wrote:

I dont think in a years time I would be more confident in a 2013 roation of Wainwright, Carp, Garcia, Westbrook and Lynn.  Those guys will win you regular season games but this wasnt the regular season.

Just out of curiosity, what is the rotation projected for 2013?  I recall a post on this board saying Westbrook might be out of the picture.

Max wrote:

windwalker wrote:

alz wrote:

I'll miss Lohse, he was a great pitcher for us this season, and was good enough over his time here that I don't consider it a bad pickup.

He was worth it just for the Bill & Ted take with Khalil Greene.

I don't remember that, but I recall his La Russa impression to deliver the bating order, and I thought that was well done.  The rest of the club house seemed to enjoy it, too.

There was one other time I recall him making the news, but the memory is very vague.  He spoke up in defense for someone or something a year or two back, which at first struck me as odd.  I didn't think of him as a team leader, and I think he was even injured at the time.  But in hindsight I thought it showed some leadership.  Damn if I can't remember what it was all about though.

I think you're thinking of comments Lohse made about Brendan Ryan

forsberg_us wrote:

"Thanks, Artie.  That has to hurt when you have a pitching staff that had been built and trained for pitch to contact."

In all fairness, they sort of learned their lesson after the Ryan Theriot debacle when they traded for Furcal.  Furcal was a significant defensive upgrade, but the position became a defensive liability after his injury.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect the defense to be much improved in 2013.  I was serious in the other thread when I stated I think Matt Carpenter gets the first crack at second base next year.  That will be a downgrade defensively from Descalso.  Furcal is a huge question mark because of his health, and I don't think there will be changes in any of the other positions.

I think Furcal's skills started eroding long before he was lost for the season. His defensive metrics were all down from last year. I don't know how much his arm injury impacted his defense before he went on the DL, but I think we can assume a 35-year-old shortstop's range isn't going to get better.
I've also heard that the plan calls for Carpenter to try second base next season. It's one thing to try to jam a square peg into a round hole if the peg already has four years of major league experience. Expecting a guy who has less than 400 career at bats to make the same transition strikes me as being somewhere between overly optimistic and foolish.

forsberg_us wrote:

Max wrote:

windwalker wrote:

He was worth it just for the Bill & Ted take with Khalil Greene.

I don't remember that, but I recall his La Russa impression to deliver the bating order, and I thought that was well done.  The rest of the club house seemed to enjoy it, too.

There was one other time I recall him making the news, but the memory is very vague.  He spoke up in defense for someone or something a year or two back, which at first struck me as odd.  I didn't think of him as a team leader, and I think he was even injured at the time.  But in hindsight I thought it showed some leadership.  Damn if I can't remember what it was all about though.

I think you're thinking of comments Lohse made about Brendan Ryan

I think you're right.  Did he stand up and support the decision that Ryan had to go, while being fairly kind to Ryan in the process?

forsberg_us wrote:

alz wrote:

I'll miss Lohse, he was a great pitcher for us this season, and was good enough over his time here that I don't consider it a bad pickup.

I still think the Cardinals overpaid when they signed him to the four year deal, but I will concede that Lohse, when healthy, pitched worthy of or better than what he was paid.

I think it's fair to view that either way.  I choose the other side.  I applauded Moz at the time, and still think it was the right call, if viewed within the context of the times.  The confounding problem was that the economic crisis hit and contracts plummeted shortly after Lohse was signed.  But Moz had money to spend and year after year we languished for middle of the rotation pitchers.