Panda Pinkomonium

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Hey, the Giants are in first, the Dodgers in last. What else is there to be happy about?!

Talking Points

• Giants have second best record in NL, in first place, Dodgers in last, took 3/4 from 1st place Braves
• Giants rotation getting better, but still 12th in NL for starters (4.25 ERA)
• Zito (3-1, 2.75 ERA) and Bumgarner (4-1, 2.18 ERA) have remained mostly issue-free, but Lincecum (3-2, 4.07 ERA) hasn’t achieved true consistency and Vogelsong (1-3, 7.78 ERA) has one quality start in seven appearances.
• Cain won his first two May starts, yielding three runs over 15 1/3 innings. That’s a 1.76 ERA.

The Week in Review

• Lost 2/3 vs Philly, won 3/4 from ATL
• Giants now have the BEST BA in the NL at .266, 3rd in runs, 3rd in RBI

The Big Question

• Can Lincecum perform like this again? 7 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits. Vintage.
• Giants ASG dark horse, go!

Armchair Manager

• Should Gaudin move up in depth? 21 IP, 1.27 ERA, 21K, 15H, .195 BAA

Tweet At Me, Bruh

• Willie: kyleconaway: Hey @Williedills, I love you and all, but your #Giants can go straight to hell. #GoBraves #TomahawkChop4Life
• Chad: “Thomas Todd ‏@HammerheadT @chadk21 @williedills @friedduck @TortureCast Damn, why didn’t we think of that?” That’s right, we’re on YOUTUBE!

Our New Favorite Guy

• Panda and his pink fingernails and homeruns
• Scutaro finding his groove again

We Should Hate This Guy

• Chad: Matt Kemp…BUT IT’S SO HARD (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/07/matt-kemp-gives-fan-hat-shoes-jersey_n_3231485.html)
• Willie: Melky Cabrera of course, wish we could boo the hell out him but oh well.

Why We Will Win It All

• Chad: Giants will make a deadline deal to solidify their rotation if Vogey doesn’t come around
• We have bullets in the chamber besides who we have right now. If we need a move to solidify, wherever that may be, it will happen

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We’ve decided to expand access to our podcasts by putting them on YouTube! They’ll normally be posted a little after they go up on iTunes, Podomatic, Stitcher, and our website, but if you can’t find us now, you might be a Dodger fan…

RIP Shooter. You were a good one. We tip our glass.

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WTF GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS!!!!!

Willie and Chad kept this podcast much shorter than usual, mostly because Willie wanted to throw himself out of his apartment window after that crushing, epic, utterly pathetic choke-job the Warriors pulled in San Antonio. They blow a 16 point lead with less than 4 minutes left!! Then leave Ginobli THAT WIDE OPEN for a 3 pointer with 3 seconds left in double OT!!!!??

But, we digress and get back to talking Giants baseball and their tonic that was a 6 game winning streak.

Talking Points

• Giants have now swept every other team in the NL west, mental edge from here on out?
• 0.5 ahead of COL, 3rd best record in NL after tonight’s loss
• After 32 games last year, they were 15-17 and 6 GB of LA

The Week in Review

• Cain won his first start!
• Panda caught fire, Scutero hitting again, Posey getting back to normal Posey

The Big Question

• Vogelsong: 7.20 ERA after 6 starts. Can he work through this?
• You can review Chad’s article about Vogelsong’s struggles.

Armchair Manager

• Do they do anything about Vogelsong right now? No, we agree to wait until the All Star Break, then they may need outside help.

Tweet At Me, Bruh

• Chad: Wendy Thurm @hangingsliders: Well, at least the #Dodgers will be in last place in a few minutes. So there’s that.
• Willie: KingEyeballKing: @TortureCast Walk off HR in the bottom of the 10th, or as the Giants call it: just another day at the yard.

Our New Favorite Guy

• Willie: Guillermo Quiroz
• Chad: Hunter Pence…on fiare

We Should Hate This Guy

• Chad: Spurs and refs and who was assigned to cover Ginobli
• Willie: God, if he wins us games like Mark Jackson says, then this one is on him

Why We Will Win It All

• Chad: When the starting pitching turns it around
• Willie: Offense never goes quietly and we’re in every game no matter what.

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Woody being Woody

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We welcome Eric Nathanson to the show. The man behind 2outhits.com and a Giants fan out of…ahem, Chicago?! We start out the show trying to understand how such a die-hard Giants fan developed this way WITHOUT EVER HAVING BEEN TO SAN FRANCISCO! Willie also tests both Eric and Chad’s knowledge with a little Giants trivia.

Talking Points

• What the hell is going on?! The sky is falling!! 5 losses in a row!

The Week in Review

• Lost 2/3 to AZ, swept by SD. 4 out of those 5 could’ve easily been wins, have only been outscored by 7 runs over the 5 game losing streak (3 went extra innings)

The Big Question

• Vogelsong and Cain? Can they right the ship quickly?
• You can review Chad’s article about Vogelsong’s struggles.

Armchair Manager

• Is it time to send Hector down? Could we use some bullpen depth?
• Should Marco be moved down in the lineup?

Tweet At Me, Bruh

• Chad: Jason Collins ‏@jasoncollins344hAll the support I have received today is truly inspirational. I knew that I was choosing the road less traveled but I’m not walking it alone
• Willie: MLB: “Everybody knows somebody who’s gay. If you can’t deal with it in 2013, you need to go somewhere and hide in a cave.” – @LaTroyHawkins32
• Eric: @pourmecoffee: Gay people play sports. You can deal with this America. I believe in you.

Our New Favorite Guy

• Willie: Timmy: getting back into his stride perhaps? Lotsa Ks, less wild and finally accepting of Posey perhaps?
• Chad: Bumgarner: 1.87 ERA, 3-0 sub 1 WHIP, country bumpkin can PITCH!
• Ben: Brandon Crawford: Seriously, Matt Kemp WISHES he was as gifted a hitter as Brandon Crawford.
• Eric: Hunter Pence: That guy plays every play like it’s his last. And how can you not love the stilted motions?
• Honorary Mention: Jason Collins and Robbie Rogers: Look, we’re all San Franciscans here (well, some honorary). This should be pretty obvious.

We Should Hate This Guy

• Chad: I’m abstaining for positive energy and kharma for the team
• Willie: Chris Broussard – slamming Jason Collins on the air as not a christian because he’s gay. Nice job being a bigot, homey. Good luck with that.
• Ben: Almost anybody who writes in the comments section.
• Eric: I have the same hate for Broussard, but love for Giants

Why We Will Win It All

• Chad: If we stop playing like shit
• Willie: We are getting the slump out of the way early. After 5 straight losses we’re only 2 GB and still above the Dodgers. Suck on that.
• Ben: Depth depth depth.  Also, Nick Noonan.
  
• Eric: Bruce Bochy is the best in the biz in a short series.

We want to thank Eric Nathanson for joining us on this extra-long, but thought-provoking episode of Torturecast! Don’t forget to follow him @2outhits on Twitter!

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We also have a new TortureCast Mug for sale on Zazzle!

Vogelsong is struggling to return to 2011-2012 form. And he hates cereal bowls a lot. (photo: dailyrepublic.com)

We love the game face. We love the bull-dog determination. We love the playoff performances last year that helped them win it all.

But everything has gone south for Ryan Vogelsong so far this year. The question is, why?

I’m not going to pretend that I know, and I’m going to guess he would just called it an unlucky slump, and there is certainly some truth to that. I’m not trying to single Vogey out in this article, as Cain is worth of one as well (so that may be coming soon). However, Vogelsong is that guy we all pull for, the underdog, and I want to at least consider why this may be happening.

In a stunning turn of events for the first 25 games of the season, the Giants are second to LAST in starting staff ERA at 4.27 and only ahead of the team that just swept them (SD at 5.33). This is abhorrent, Twilight zonish, perplexing. This staff is supposed to be part of the NL-elite, not within the neighborhood of the Padres or Rockies. Of course Cain and Vogey are the two main culprits, with ERAs of 6.59 and 6.23, respectively. Only Bumgarner is keeping the Giants from the cellar of this statistic, with a sparkling 1.87 ERA.

Back to Mr. Game Face’s statistical breakdown:

Vogelsong has a .303 batting average against and has allowed 10 BB and 7 HR in 30.1 IP, while his WHIP is almost as high as my cholesterol at 1.55.  He gave up 17 HR ALL SEASON last year in 189.2 IP and only 8 HR by the all star break when he had 110.2 IP.

Why so many big flys?

Clearly when batters start hitting the ball out of the park with more frequency than a Kardashian getting fat, they are not being fooled. Hitters are making contact more often with pitches in the strike zone, and more alarming, is the BABIP has skyrocketed into 2012 Timmy territory from .284 to .330. Homeruns per nine IP is a video-game like 2.08, almost triple what he allowed last year, and approximately 1 out of 5 fly balls have traveled over the fence, just a bewildering statistic. Most of the other metrics (K%, BB% and pitch selection) have not changed dramatically, and the problem seems to be isolated in not being able to fool opposing hitters as often with balls in the strike zone. This may be correlated with a drop in the timing differential between his fastball and changeup, two pitches that make up 60% of his pitches delivered. His fastball is 1.4 MPH slower this year (89.4 vs 90.8),  and the change up, ironically, is slightly faster by 0.4 MPH, which makes the timing differential an average 1.8 MPH smaller, which is a sizeable 23% difference. The lowered chance of throwing opposing hitters’ timing off will only serve to hurt Vogelsong in the long run.

I’m not hitting the panic button yet, and neither should Giants fans; it’s only 5 starts, for crying out loud. He did tail off for the last 2 months of the regular season last year, but we can’t say it’s the start of his decline connected to this year, as he had a stellar playoff run. If tossing bowls of cereal across his kitchen gets him motivated, then lets all hope he has stock in Crate and Barrel and a good maid service.

- Chad

Stats that will alleviate your panic:

• Giants are only 2 games back of AZ/COL
• After 25 games last year, the Giants were 2 games worse at 12-13 and 5 GB of LAD.
• The Giants have lost all 5 of Cain’s starts; surely that will turnaround (right?)
• Giants are second in batting average in the NL at .267
• Giants are second in batting average in the NL with runners in scoring position
• Torres won’t EVER do that again
• Scutaro won’t EVER do that again
• Ok, those last 2 aren’t stats

Stretch

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It’s been a while, but the boys are back with the first podcast of the 2013 regular season.

Talking Points

• Giants return with 21 of 25 members from the 2012 WS team
• Surprise guys who made the team, Nick Noonan and Guillermo Quiroz
• We talk a bit about our amazing experience at Media Day in February, and the opportunity to interview many of the Giants players. (if you missed it, go to our YouTube channel for the treasure trove of video interviews with Posey, Lincecum, Belt, Crawford, Zito, Romo, Bochy)

The Week in Review

• Giants first week of the 2013 season and they go 4-3, taking 2 of 3 from LA and losing the last 2 to StL, and winning the first one from Colorado.
• Pence is HAWT: 3 HRs in the first 7 games, .292
• Lots of cold hitters: Scutaro, Posey, Belt, Torres all under .200  

The Big Question

• Any concern about Cain or Vogelsong or Lincecum? Nahhhh

Armchair Manager

• Would you have pulled Cain earlier on Sunday?

Tweet At Me, Bruh

• Chad: “Bay Area Sports Guy @BASportsGuy Get me some shots of sad cheerleaders, stat! AND Wendy Thurm @hangingsliders: Obligatory sad cheerleader photo dot tumblr”
• Willie: @Nicolevolgelsong is now following us, we win

Our New Favorite Guy

• Willie: Chad Gaudin – great pickup, really good stuff and looks like he’ll be a fixture in the pen this year
• Chad: NICK NOONAN! first hit and fun name
• Ben: Brandon Crawford, Honorary Mention: Aubrey Huff

We Should Hate This Guy

• Chad: The designer for the Giants WS Gold jerseys…SF logo on a HOME jersey?
• Willie: Clayton Kershaw
• Ben: Jose Castillo

Why We Will Win It All

• Chad: Because they have home gold jerseys with the SF on the chest
• Willie: This team should be better with no Huff, Torres back and Lincecum should at least be better than last year, full season of Pence and Zito having a resurgence
• Ben: SMALL SAMPLE SIZE

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I think Kershaw closed his eyes on this swing

So today didn’t go quite as we all would have liked, and no, it was not an April Fools’ joke. Take solace in the fact that Clayton Kershaw beat the Giants, with his masterful pitching, and of course, his first career MLB home run off of Kontos in the bottom of the eighth to break a scoreless tie. Entering today’s game, Kershaw owned a 1.37 career ERA versus the Giants, and obviously lowered it by pitching a complete game shutout today.

Who knows what would have happened if Bochy had brought in Affeldt in the 8th instead of sticking with Kontos (Affeldt was warming up in the 7th, and the Dodgers had 2 lefties to lead off the eighth). I bring this up because I saw some buzz on Twitter (clearly full of even-tempered Giants fans) already chastising Bochy’s first non-move of the season. Kontos was solid in the 7th, and hey, shit happens. Yeah, Kershaw ain’t Don Robinson, Matt Cain, or Babe Ruth with the lumber, but every dog has his day, even at the plate.

The bullpen effort was a bit of a comedy show in the eighth, with a wild pitch, a walk, a botched bunt coverage, a hit batsman, extra base hits, and of course, the Kershaw home run, all leading to 4 runs, but they’ll be fine. There’s always more focus on the results of the first day of the season. It’s like a new toy you unwrapped as a kid at Christmas. You love it, caress it, play the hell out of it for the first hour or two before it usually ends up lost or in the toy bin to only get a little attention from time-to-time.

I mean, both the Astros and Dodgers are in first place right now. That won’t last long, right?

How to comfort the black and orange faithful out there:

• The first game of the season is the equivalent to the first 18 SECONDS of an NBA game
• The D’backs swept the Giants to open the 2012 season (and look what happened)
• The Giants lost their first game against the Dodgers in 2012 (9-1) and lost 2 of 3 in that first series (and look what happened)
• Panda went 2-4 and played good defense today (elbow, elbow, elbow)
• Posey cut down a speedy Crawford attempting to steal third
• Pence hit one to the left field wall
• Posey lined out hard to third base that would have set up second and third with one out
• Despite a tough first inning (29 pitches), Matt Cain looked solid out there, delivering 6 innings of shut out ball
• I nice stiff rum and coke (or three)

Let’s hope the G-men can get back on track tomorrow.

Chad

Posey can buy lots of jerseys for us, probably every fan to walk through the gates of AT&T.

Yesterday the Giants made sure that my Buster Posey jersey will not go out of date until the year 2021. Who cares about the money? It’s financially the equivalent to me as earning the Nobel Peace Prize; it’s out of the realm of possibility and into fantasy.

(view our interview with Buster Posey in February below)

Inevitably people will know the value of this deal, but I’ve had a completely opposite visceral reaction that I had to the Zito signing in 2006. At that time, I assumed Zito was on the downtrend of his career, and the Giants were overpaying for a “former” Cy Young award winner. However, even though Posey’s contract is bigger that Zito’s, I completely approve of it, as do many Giants fans and national baseball writers. How can you say no to the reigning MVP, batting title winner, Comeback Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. This often used stat really rings true, the SF Giants are 2 for 2 in World Series championship years with Posey and 0 for 53 without him.

I’m sure that later in his tenure with the Giants, he’ll be playing first base and DH in interleague games, and perhaps he won’t be today’s Posey in year 9 of this deal. However, even if the Giants don’t win another World Series while Posey is here, and even if he performs under our expectations in the second half of his deal, it’s still a worthy payment to a man who has helped bring 2 championships to the great city of San Francisco. That’s worth something, isn’t it?

Chad

Chad and Willie talk to San Francisco Giants first baseman, Brandon Belt at Giants’ “Media Day” about the Olive Garden, his nickname “Sparky,” the sight of all the baby giraffe hats in the stands, staying consistently calm, and the influence of Will Clark and JT Snow in the clubhouse.

Willie asks San Francisco Giants’ Pitcher Barry Zito about his awareness of #RallyZito, the fan support during the playoffs (Twitter is still not for Zito), and how the hell he got a hit off of Justin Verlander in the World Series.