SF Giant Austin Slater rips a 3 run double against the A’s on July 20, 2020. Photo by SJ Mercury News.
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Honestly, we can’t believe it. We are having a season preview episode. In July. Whatever. We’ll take it. Joining Chad and Eric are long standing podcast veterans including a founder of TortureCast, Willie “Dills” Gregory and a woman who has joined us for numerous season previews and drunken “bonusodes,” Jennifer (formerly Cosgriff) Kent.
The four of us discuss the new rule changes, the potential roster, guess on the number of wins for the Giants, the World Series champs and even discuss the importance of Gabe Kapler and several Giants that took a knee during the National Anthem before the exhibition game against the A’s.
Eric and Chad met each other for the first time in 7 years in Las Vegas last week…masks and all! We talked a lot of shop, drank, and caught up.
You can download the episode here, or stream it below!
After months of frustrating negotiations…the owners and players failed to come to an agreement. But alas, MLB Commish Rob Manfred instituted a 60 game season, players agreed to the health protocols, and voila! We officially have a 2020 baseball season!
Here are the main points:
60 game season (40 against NL West, 20 against AL West)
Universal DH
In every extra inning, a runner starts the inning on second base
60 player pool; camp opens today, July 1
Season starts July 23 or 24
Trade deadline is Aug 31
30 man roster the first 2 weeks of the season, 28 the next 2 weeks, 26 the rest of the way
Playoffs remain the same (3 division winners, 2 wild cards in each league)
Separate COVID-19 injured list. A player has to test negative twice to resume play
Players and personnel not in game must be in stands, 6 feet apart
Eric and I talk about the ramifications these new rules have on the Giants, including who’s going to be DH most of the time, the Giants actually have a shot at a playoff spot with so few games, how do they handle stats of runners scoring in extra innings, and much, much more.
We are so excited to actually discuss real baseball, but we hope that the season not only starts, but can come to a conclusion. There is serious worry about what the virus may do to halt the season. But, in the meantime, we’re moving forward and will be back with an episode in mid-July and our annual season preview around July 22.
As noted in the photo above, Eric and I met up in Las Vegas last week, the first time we’ve seen each other in 7 years! We talked shop, drank, and caught up. We highly recommend “BEER PARK” at the Paris Hotel, a great outdoor venue. Next time, we’ll make a podcast out of it.
New Giants manager Gabe Kapler positing on the the field at Oracle Park on the day he was introduced to the press on November 13, 2019. Photo by Eric Risberg, The Associated Press. All rights reserved
You can download the episode here, or stream it below!
We told you we would be back when the manager was hired. What we didn’t foresee is the hiring of a controversial manager, a new GM, the loss of two HUGE Giants, the 2019 season awards, and a cheating scandal that is rocking the baseball world ALL THIS WEEK! Boy, did we have a lot to talk about in this meaty episode!
We dive into the controversial hiring of Gabe Kapler, the hiring of Scott Harris as the GM, Will Smith signed a three year, $40 million deal with Atlanta, Bumgarner officially declined his qualifying offer from the Giants, all of the season awards, and the Astros sign-stealing scandal that is likely to alter the course of Astros history going forward.
You may disagree with some of our opinions about Kapler. Let us know your thoughts on this topic, we’d love to dissect them in the next show!
Clayton Kershaw contemplates what happened after another postseason implosion. Kershaw gave up back to back homeruns on consecutive pitches in the 8th inning, tying the game at 3. The Dodgers later lost the game 7-3 in 10 innings. (Credit:Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
You can download the episode here, or stream it below!
Schadenfreude (/ˈʃɑːdənfrɔɪdə/; German: [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔʏ̯də](listen); lit. ‘harm-joy’) is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another.
This is what us Giants fans experienced on Wednesday night. Despite seven consecutive NL West titles, despite a club-record 106 wins, despite setting a record for homeruns, the LA Dodgers somehow did NOT win the World Series. Clayton Kershaw, the anti-Bumgarner of the playoffs, entered with a 3-1 lead in the 8th inning of game 5 versus the Nationals and promptly gave up back to back homeruns on consecutive pitches, the second time he has done that in the playoffs. He’s never done that in all of his years of the regular season.
As we dance on the graves of the 2019 Dodgers’ season, Eric and I also review the first round of the playoffs and check it against our predictions. One thing to note, including the two wildcard games, 5 of the 6 contests (4 LDS) came down to ONE GAME. So, that said, I ended up getting 4 of 6 correct, Eric 3 of 6. We also preview the LCSs and we’ll be back to record episode 185 right before the World Series.
Go Nats?
Chad
P.S. I will be leading a scientific expedition to explore the deep sea off the coast of California next week. You can watch live video from the depths from our remotely operated vehicle at www.nautiluslive.org. We should be in the water from Monday through Thursday night. I will be audible on the coms between 8-12 both in the AM and PM (2 shifts).
San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey hits a grand slam during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Friday, July 12, 2019, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
You can download the episode here, or stream it below!
The Giants have won 9 of 11 and lead MLB in homeruns for the month of July with 22. You read that right. They lead the league in homeruns this month. Did this team find their true identity, or is this just a phase like a cranky teenager going through a growth spurt? Eric and Chad talk about the series win in Milwaukee and recorded this during the Giants’ 19-2 demolition of the Rockies in the first game of their day-night doubleheader today.
To the surprise of everyone, the Giants are one of the hottest teams in the league. All the more surprising is the fact that they are winning on the strength of their offense. The team is 9-2 in its last 11 while averaging 8.5 runs per game. Suddenly, they’re just 4 games back of a playoff spot. At 750/1 to win the NL Pennant, there would be value betting on the Giants to squeak into the playoffs and make a run. However, Farhan Zaidi is still likely to sell at the deadline, so bettors wouldn’t actually be wagering on this Giants team; they’d be wagering on a team that may be without the likes of Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith. The guys at Sports Betting Dime think there is value betting on the Giants to squeak into the playoffs and make a run.
Rookie starting pitcher Shaun Anderson picked up his first MLB win against the Orioles at Camden Yards on June 1. (Photo by San Jose Mercury News)
You can download the episode here, or stream it below!
The Giants went 3-3 since our last podcast, but after losing the first two in Miami, I think most Giants fans will be quite pleased with winning 3 of 4 since then. But, let’s be honest: going 3-3 against two of the worst teams in the league is disappointing, but also a barometer of where this Giants team is amongst the 30 clubs. We talk about the great performances of Shaun Anderson, Tyler Beede, and Jeff Samardzija, Crawford’s 2 homer game, two easy wins in Baltimore, scoring 5 in the first inning just to give up 6 to the Orioles in the bottom half of the first, we review May’s atrocious stats (spoiler: the starting pitching stats are the worst in SF history for ANY month), we preview the MLB draft (Giants have the 10th overall pick), who’s hot and not, and much more!
Hunter Pence watches a mammoth homerun sail to the warehouse at Petco Park. It may have been his last in a Giants uniform, but he certainly played his last road game with the Giants in St. Louis over the weekend. Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images
You can download the episode here, or stream it below!
The Giants finished their abysmal road record at 31-50 after losing their final four roadies (1 in SD, 3 in StL). It marks only the 6th time the Giants have lost 50 or more games on the road and the first time they’ve done that in consecutive seasons since 1984-85. At least they’re guaranteed of a winning home record (they are standing at 41 wins).
Eric and Chad review the week on the road, a monumental bomb off the bat of Hunter Pence, the possibility that GM Bobby Evans might be replaced and what a new GM might do (trade Bumgarner?), Melancon’s struggles, our picks for the Willie Mac award, review the current playoff situation and pray and hope that the Giants can knock LA out of the playoffs this coming weekend as both teams close out the regular season.
We’ll be back next week to wrap up the season and preview the playoffs. Until then, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us @TortureCast.
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…
2 outs, no one on.
-Weak slap hit that beats the shift
-Jam shot with 2 strikes that floats over third
-3 run HR o… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…1 day ago
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