Showing posts with label Eugenio Velez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eugenio Velez. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2010
Eugenio Velez Signs with Dodgers
Well it appears we must bid him and his .256/.300/.388 career slash line good-bye. It's tough to lose a Giants great like Eugenio Velez to the Dodgers, but the reality is that baseball is a sport dominated by money. I guess Velez just couldn't refuse the Dodgers' lucrative minor league contract.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Non-Tenders: Velez and Ray; Fontenot Signed to a One-Year Deal
Eugenio Velez and Chris Ray have not been offered contracts. Mike Fontenot was signed to a one-year deal worth just over $1MM, and all the other arbitration-eligible Giants (Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Santiago Casilla, Ramon Ramirez, Javier Lopez, and Jonathan Sanchez) have been tendered contracts. It's all here.
Fontenot's deal will not have incentives, and I can't really see it hurting the Giants at all. He'll provide them with a veteran middle-infield bat, and the fact that he's left-handed obviously presents value -- keep in mind that Freddy Sanchez has had some trouble against right-handed pitching...Fontenot doesn't particularly shine in any categories -- not a top defender, doesn't have great speed, not much power, doesn't hit for a high average -- but as a backup middle infielder, he'll be fine.
With the Giants in 2010, he produced -0.3 WAR, played mediocre defense, and didn't hit for much power at all (.282/.329/.310). I've always been bothered by hitters whose SLG is higher than their OBP, and Fontenot was one of those guys with the Giants. It's not like his .329 OBP is dazzling either, so it doesn't really justify the fact that it's higher than his SLG. Anyway, I'm sure he's a better player than this. He's not an impact bat, but he'll play average defense, and he'll give the Giants a back-up left-handed middle-infield bat -- useful, if you consider that the Giants' starting middle infielders will be right-handed hitters Miguel Tejada and Freddy Sanchez.
Ray and Velez could potentially be signed to minor-league deals, but we'll see. Their time as San Francisco Giants is likely over.
Fontenot's deal will not have incentives, and I can't really see it hurting the Giants at all. He'll provide them with a veteran middle-infield bat, and the fact that he's left-handed obviously presents value -- keep in mind that Freddy Sanchez has had some trouble against right-handed pitching...Fontenot doesn't particularly shine in any categories -- not a top defender, doesn't have great speed, not much power, doesn't hit for a high average -- but as a backup middle infielder, he'll be fine.
With the Giants in 2010, he produced -0.3 WAR, played mediocre defense, and didn't hit for much power at all (.282/.329/.310). I've always been bothered by hitters whose SLG is higher than their OBP, and Fontenot was one of those guys with the Giants. It's not like his .329 OBP is dazzling either, so it doesn't really justify the fact that it's higher than his SLG. Anyway, I'm sure he's a better player than this. He's not an impact bat, but he'll play average defense, and he'll give the Giants a back-up left-handed middle-infield bat -- useful, if you consider that the Giants' starting middle infielders will be right-handed hitters Miguel Tejada and Freddy Sanchez.
Ray and Velez could potentially be signed to minor-league deals, but we'll see. Their time as San Francisco Giants is likely over.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Pedro
Lincecum's start on Wednesday evoked memories of Pedro Martinez. Not the Pedro that was nearly unhittable in 1999 and 2000. The 38-year-old Pedro that dominated the Giants one night in Philadelphia, a little over a year ago.
On September 4, 2009, Pedro dueled against Tim Lincecum, and won the battle. After allowing a leadoff home run to Eugenio Velez, Pedro settled down soon after, retiring 13 in a row at one point, and 20 of the last 23 batters he faced. His final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 9 K. Lincecum pitched almost equally well in that game, allowing two earned runs in seven innings.
On Wednesday, Lincecum had a similar fate to Pedro, allowing a leadoff home run to Stephen Drew. He, too, settled down, though, producing a final line of: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 11 K.
After they faced each other on September 4, 2009, Martinez had said, "He reminds me a lot of me, only twice as better at the same time in the big leagues."
The similarities between the two pitchers are quite noticeable -- most notably their similar 5'11 frames, and their dominance as pitchers. Over the years, Pedro Martinez had lost quite a lot of velocity on his fastball, and his "stuff" was not as overpowering. Yet he was able to mature as a pitcher, and learn to locate pitches and make adjustments in order to succeed.
Lincecum appears headed down the same promising pathway.
There really wasn't much action in Wednesday's game, other than Lincecum's outing, and the hit that scored the Giants' three runs...
In the fourth inning, Pat Burrell elevated a sinkerball, powering it into the left field bleachers for what would be the only Giants runs -- and all they really needed. The Giants went on to win the game by a score of 3-1, and Brian Wilson secured his 47th save of the season -- just one shy of Rod Beck for the Giants franchise record.
The Giants' fans are really into it. Pat Burrell lit the crowd up with his three-run homer, and they were easily the loudest they've been since the days of Barry Bonds
That's the one thing the Giants have that some other playoff contenders are lacking: fan support.
Evan Longoria and David Price recently complained about the lack of fan support the Rays have been receiving.
And the Padres have suffered from the same problem. The San Diego mayor was basically begging city residents to show more support for the Padres in their playoff chase.
In tight games, a crowd can really make all the difference. In the seventh inning with two outs, when Lincecum had two strikes on Chris Young, the crowd got fired up. And Lincecum responded, striking him out to end the inning. Moments like that are fueled entirely by the crowd.
In other news... Mat Latos, who has a 6.21 ERA this month, had some comments about the Giants...
Well...the magic number's down to three. If the Giants win their next two games, they clinch the NL West. It's as simple as that.
I don't know if it's official yet, but Bumgarner's listed as tomorrow's starter. Let's see if that extra day of rest can work some magic and get the kid his first home win...ever.
On September 4, 2009, Pedro dueled against Tim Lincecum, and won the battle. After allowing a leadoff home run to Eugenio Velez, Pedro settled down soon after, retiring 13 in a row at one point, and 20 of the last 23 batters he faced. His final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 9 K. Lincecum pitched almost equally well in that game, allowing two earned runs in seven innings.
On Wednesday, Lincecum had a similar fate to Pedro, allowing a leadoff home run to Stephen Drew. He, too, settled down, though, producing a final line of: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 11 K.
After they faced each other on September 4, 2009, Martinez had said, "He reminds me a lot of me, only twice as better at the same time in the big leagues."
The similarities between the two pitchers are quite noticeable -- most notably their similar 5'11 frames, and their dominance as pitchers. Over the years, Pedro Martinez had lost quite a lot of velocity on his fastball, and his "stuff" was not as overpowering. Yet he was able to mature as a pitcher, and learn to locate pitches and make adjustments in order to succeed.
Lincecum appears headed down the same promising pathway.
There really wasn't much action in Wednesday's game, other than Lincecum's outing, and the hit that scored the Giants' three runs...
In the fourth inning, Pat Burrell elevated a sinkerball, powering it into the left field bleachers for what would be the only Giants runs -- and all they really needed. The Giants went on to win the game by a score of 3-1, and Brian Wilson secured his 47th save of the season -- just one shy of Rod Beck for the Giants franchise record.
The Giants' fans are really into it. Pat Burrell lit the crowd up with his three-run homer, and they were easily the loudest they've been since the days of Barry Bonds
That's the one thing the Giants have that some other playoff contenders are lacking: fan support.
Evan Longoria and David Price recently complained about the lack of fan support the Rays have been receiving.
And the Padres have suffered from the same problem. The San Diego mayor was basically begging city residents to show more support for the Padres in their playoff chase.
In tight games, a crowd can really make all the difference. In the seventh inning with two outs, when Lincecum had two strikes on Chris Young, the crowd got fired up. And Lincecum responded, striking him out to end the inning. Moments like that are fueled entirely by the crowd.
In other news... Mat Latos, who has a 6.21 ERA this month, had some comments about the Giants...
"Baseball works in funny ways. The only way I could honestly put it is, we could be like the Giants and go and change our whole lineup, put guys with 'San Francisco Giants' across their jerseys. We didn't. "We added two guys (Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick) We've been the same team all year. We haven't just gone and grabbed guys from other teams."Sounds like somebody's a little upset that they've driven their team out of first place in the NL West (and possibly out of the playoffs)...
Well...the magic number's down to three. If the Giants win their next two games, they clinch the NL West. It's as simple as that.
I don't know if it's official yet, but Bumgarner's listed as tomorrow's starter. Let's see if that extra day of rest can work some magic and get the kid his first home win...ever.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
San Francisco Giants Take Second Game in LA Series, 2-1
Matt Cain pitched a great game. What's new? He dueled with Billingsley for seven innings for a line of: 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K. The game was scoreless until the 7th inning: Ishikawa doubled with one out, Burriss pinch ran for him and advanced to third on a wild pitch, and after a Velez groundout, Fontenot stepped to the plate in a two-out RISP position (runner on third). He battled and blooped an inside pitch into the outfield for an RBI single. With a 1-0 lead, Sergio Romo, who has been a fantastic setup man for the Giants, came into the game and retired the side in order. The Giants were not done scoring yet, though. In the 8th, Huff led off with a double, followed by an intentional walk to Buster Posey. After Juan Uribe flied out to shallow centerfield, Pablo Sandoval, whose biggest weakness has been his high amount GIDP (grounded into double plays), stepped to the plate. The Giants caught a break when Jansen, the Dodgers' reliever, threw a wild pitch, which allowed Posey and Huff to each advance. This eliminated the double play possibility for the Giants, which was key, as Sandoval promptly hit a groundball to second base. The throw came home and Huff sped home, taking a hard slide into the plate and scoring a second run for the Giants. He clearly took a hard hit to the shins with the slide, but nevertheless slid with all of his force, exemplifying his eagerness for a ticket to the postseason. The run would be important, as Wilson gave up a two-out opposite-field solo home run to Ethier in the bottom of the 9th. Wilson fell behind quickly to the next batter, Jay Gibbons, but worked a 2-0 count into a full count and threw 98 mph gas to strike him out swinging, bringing the Giants to a half-game deficit in both the NL West and the NL Wild Card.
The Giants' little guys -- their supplemental players -- are making the difference in these games. Ishikawa hit a pinch-hit double, Emmanuel Burriss pinch ran for him, and Fontenot knocked in the run. These contributions from bench players are the things that will win these close ballgames for the Giants - and they really have a great collection of bench players. Their speed is good in Ford, Burriss, and Velez, and they have competent left-handed hitters and defensive replacements in Ishikawa and Schierholtz. Also, Fontenot's left-handed bat is a perfect complement for Freddy Sanchez's bat (Sanchez is a much better against lefties: .348 against lefties, but just .270 against rightys.) These players become especially key in the wake of Andres Torres' appendectomy.
Notes:
The Giants' little guys -- their supplemental players -- are making the difference in these games. Ishikawa hit a pinch-hit double, Emmanuel Burriss pinch ran for him, and Fontenot knocked in the run. These contributions from bench players are the things that will win these close ballgames for the Giants - and they really have a great collection of bench players. Their speed is good in Ford, Burriss, and Velez, and they have competent left-handed hitters and defensive replacements in Ishikawa and Schierholtz. Also, Fontenot's left-handed bat is a perfect complement for Freddy Sanchez's bat (Sanchez is a much better against lefties: .348 against lefties, but just .270 against rightys.) These players become especially key in the wake of Andres Torres' appendectomy.
Notes:
- The Giants have now won 10 of Matt Cain's last 12 starts.
- The Giants' 1.63 team ERA this month is the best mark in the majors.
- Over the last 16 games, the Giants pitchers have been on fire with a 2.04 ERA. 12 of their last 16 outings have been quality starts.
- The Andre Ethier home run was just the second earned run allowed by Brian Wilson in 20.0 innings since August 1.
- Brian Wilson recorded his 43rd save...this number ranks 1st in the National League, and is tied for 1st in the majors with Rafael Soriano....Wilson now stands just five saves away from Rod Beck's SF record of 48 saves in a single season. He has nine 4+ out saves this year, an indication of his stamina as a closer.
- Congratulations to Aubrey Huff on his newborn child!
Tomorrow: Battle of the Southpaws - Jonathan Sanchez will square off against Ted Lilly. The Giants bat a collective .229 (35 for 153) against Lilly in their careers. Believe it or not, the Giant that owns the best career numbers against Lilly is Rowand, who is 8 for 22 (.364) with a home run. Sanchez has been incredible to watch lately. He's allowed just one earned run over his last three starts (20 innings), despite walking seven in his last start. Hopefully, he'll continue to pitch well - consistency isn't his strong suit...
If the Rockies and the Giants both win tomorrow, the Giants will claim sole possession of first place in the NL West. It's not out of the question: Ubaldo Jimenez will be on the mound for the Rockies.
Bruce Bochy - "Right now, we can't count on Andres. He just had the surgery. We have to move on. We have some good players here. I hope they respond well to some playing time."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)