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by TortureCast | April 17, 2017 · 11:05 PM

Episode #119: Jarrett Parker’s Collarbone is the Giants

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Jarrett Parker broke his collarbone catching a fly ball against the fence on Saturday. Let’s hope the Giants have already hit their fence and come back over the next few weeks to turn this season around. (photo: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)

You can download the episode here, or stream it below!

We thought they’d turn it around this week.

They didn’t.

After a 2-4 week, the Giants sit in last place at 5-9, but we look at two seasons since 2000 when the Giants were worse (4-10) and both seasons they finished above .500. In 2000 they won 97 games and the west after starting 4-10.

Ok, so we’re looking for silver linings here.

Eric and Chad discuss MadBum’s winless start to the season, Cueto’s 3-0 start, the bad luck, who’s hot and who’s not, if Cain should be skipped, Marrero’s first MLB HR, Strickland and Gearrin haven’t allowed a run, and well, anything else positive we can point towards.

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Who Should Start the Wild Card Game?

Do the Giants start Bumgarner or Peavy in the wild card game? Does it matter if they are at home or in Pittsburgh? (photo: AP)

Now, before you yell at us, “BUMGARNER, YOU DIPSHIT!!” Just take a moment to ponder this:

It may sound crazy, and I’m not actually a proponent of this strategy, but I can see the logic in it…a little bit.

If the point of making the playoffs is to win the World Series, then you need to give your team the best chance to win each series. And, this is where it gets fuzzy. Some argue that Bochy should save Bumgarner for two starts in an NLDS by NOT starting him in the wild card one-game playoff. Insanity?

Well, if you throw Bum for the wild card game, and you win, you will only have Bum for one game on the NLDS. Does the thought of having Peavy throw 2 games in the NLDS sound ok? Maybe. By the same token, if you throw Peavy in the wild card game, and you win, Bum would start games 1 and 5.

Although this sounds like a plausible strategy, and Peavy has been incredibly hot down the stretch, being one of the best trades at the deadline, he has given up 24 earned runs in 23 career playoff innings, including a disastrous 2013 postseason with the Red Sox, despite the fact they won it all.

To further complicate this question, the Giants may be faced with the prospect of playing in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates are a striking 51-30, and under .500 on the road. However, to combat that, Bumgarner is 11-4 with a 2.22 ERA on the road this year (7-6, 4.03 ERA at home). So perhaps if he starts, those forces cancel each other out?

So, Giants fans, do you push in all your chips in the wild card game, or do you gamble by saving him for a potential 2-start NLDS? List your comments below!

Let’s hope the Giants can stave off Kershaw and the Doyers from clinching tonight, but to be honest, it looks bleak. However, it doesn’t mean the Giants can’t back into the playoffs and make it all the way. The beginning of the playoff journey is just getting there, and as we all know, the Giants had their back against the wall for 6 elimination games in 2012 and won every single one of them en route to their second trophy in three years.

Anything is possible, keep the faith.

Chad

What’s Does “Pivotal” Really Mean Anymore?

Where’s the pivot?

Listening to the talking heads on radio, TV, and print can be quite amusing. The word “pivotal” is a cliche thrown around for every game and series against the Dodgers….and the third game of the last Padres series.

Was it pivotal that the Giants set the tone with an opening game victory? Well of course. However, after seeing many tweets out there proclaiming the Giants had won the west, not so fast. I would actually say that today’s loss versus the Dodgers was the pivotal game in the series. Okay, yes it’s the middle game, where pivots tend to be placed, but hear me out. If the Giants had locked down today’s game, which they should have considering Cain was going against Capuano, Kemp was out, they were leading in the 8th, etc., they would have been 6.5 games up heading into what most people would bet is a loss tomorrow with Zito versus Kershaw. Now that Affeldt slumped again in the 9th allowing a triple and double in succession, the Giants find themselves up 4.5, but with the likelihood that they will only be 3.5 ahead after tomorrow. Taking the last two games of this series will give the Dodgers confidence, and as long as they are within 3 games going into the last series against the Giants in LA, they have a chance.

Also, for those of you making fun of the LA trades this year, two of those acquisitions were responsible for the go-ahead run in the 9th. Well, a few million bucks just bought them a 2 game positive swing in the standings. If the Giants are not careful, the trades could still pay off for the Dodgers.

Here are my keys to the rest of the season:

– win tomorrow, win tomorrow, win tomorrow
– deliver the home cookin’!! The Giants are 8-15 in the last 23 at home, yet 19-6 in their last 25 on the road.
– if they split the last 4 games against LA, all they have to do is go somewhere around 11-8 against the rest of the west (19 games), and most likely the Dodgers wouldn’t make up 5 games in the loss column unless they played at an unGodly clip (15-3 or better).
– the Giants have a favorable schedule (SD, AZ, COL), the Dodgers still have 9 games vs the Cardinals, Nats, and Reds.
– take it easy on my liver

Chad
@chadk21

Tag Archives: home

Episode #119: Jarrett Parker’s Collarbone is the Giants

Who Should Start the Wild Card Game?

What’s Does “Pivotal” Really Mean Anymore?

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