Tag Archives: Pittsburgh Pirates

Episode #320: Trade Deadline Review: Was it Worth it?

Mike Yastrzemski homers in his first at bat with the Kansas City Royals after he was traded from the Giants. Photo by AP.

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

We last recorded in between trades, but we break down the Yaz and Doval trades from last week. All in all, the Giants received eight players for the three they traded away, and with Yaz and Rogers being free agents of the end of the year, it made sense to exchange rentals for potential future talent. But, it is weird seeing Yaz in Royal Blue, Rogers in the throwback Mets unis, and Doval in Yankee grey. Posey also played with all three, and he admitted it was tough making that phone call to his former teammates. 

As far as their performance on the field, they followed up a horrible 0-6 homestand with a 4-2 road record against the same Mets and Pirates. With the focus on the future seasons, no one is holding their breath that the Giants will make a run at the wildcard, a position they solidly held for the entire season until a few weeks ago. That said, it will be a good opportunity to showcase new blood in the majors and minors. Bryce Eldridge is HOT in Sacramento, blasting four bombs in his last three games, but Posey said they aren’t rushing him up. And…the first female umpire in MLB history will be working the plate during the second game of a double header this Sunday in Atlanta. It’s crazy that this hasn’t happened sooner, especially with female officials in the NBA and NFL. We also ponder what happened to LaMonte Wade Jr’s ability to hit a baseball, as he was released by the Angels over the weekend. Late night LaMonte might have had his last day in the majors.

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Episode #319: Coming Apart at the Seams

The Pirates celebrate their sweep over the Giants after a 2-1 victory in 10 innings on Wednesday, July 30. Photo by AP.

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After the Giants defeated the Dodgers on June 13, they were tied for first place in the NL West with LA and held the 4th best record in baseball. Since that time, they have been the worst team in baseball (yes, even worse than the Colorado Rockies), going 13-26 and plummeting out of the playoff race. They had an 0-6 homestand, something the Giants haven’t done since 1898! They’ve lost 12 of 14. They are nine games out of the west and six behind in the wild card. They also have the worst record since the Devers trade. So, what went wrong? How did one of the best teams in baseball in mid-June suddenly implode? You can certainly point to situational hitting. The Giants went 0-22 with runners in scoring position during the Mets sweep at home. Untimely bullpen moves seems to be Melvin’s calling card, yet he was signed to a one year extension in the middle of this slump. Pitching has gotten worse with a 4.35 team ERA during this stretch, and they’ve been outscored 4.9 to 3.7 on average. 

The silver lining to this is that the collapse happened so quickly, that Buster Posey could pivot from being buyers to sellers. They started the sale by trading fan-favorite Tyler Rogers to the Mets for three players. It’s a two-month rental for the Mets and there’s a good chance that the Giants re-sign Rogers for 2026. The deadline is this evening, so we’ll see if the Giants can fleece another desperate team for an arm and maybe this season won’t be a complete waste. The three of us break it down in this eulogy of the 2025 season.

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Episode #301: Judged

Camilo Doval gets pulled after giving up four runs in the 9th to the Yankees. The game went from a 5-3 Giants’ lead to a 7-5 loss. Photo by Brandon Vallance/GettyImages

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

The Giants had a good two weeks going, winning 10 of 12 games and getting 2 games north of .500. Until they faced the Yankees. Aaron Judge went off at Oracle, something Giants fans dreamt of a couple of years ago. Except, he did it in Yankee road grey going 6-10 with 3 bombs and even 2 stolen bases. It didn’t help that Camilo Doval blew a 2 run lead in the 9th to complete the Yankee sweep. We look into some of Doval’s metrics, and let’s just say his barrel and hard hit percentage are near the bottom of the league, where it’s traditionally near the top. Perhaps his stuff isn’t moving as much, because the velocity is there. After recording, the Giants went out and lost another heartbreaker to Arizona in walk-off fashion. They have lost 5 in a row and are 3 games below water. Not great, but still within 1.5 games of the wild card. 

Chad, Eric, and Willie are actually pretty positive about this team. They ran into the Yankee buzzsaw, but also took 2 of 3 from the best team in the NL, so there’s that. Still, it’s going to be an uphill climb with the piling injuries (Lee out for the year, Wade out for 4 weeks, etc.) and young guys trying to find their place. 

No video stream this week.

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Episode #285: Giants Pound the Booty

The Giants were represented at the All Star Game in Seattle by Alex Cobb and Camilo Doval. Each pitched a scoreless inning, and Doval got the win, the NL’s first since Matt Cain was the winning pitcher in 2014.

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

Ok, we’re borrowing this title from our friends over at Giants Chatter, sue us! The Giants are riding a 5-game winning streak after a sweep of Pittsburgh, and they’ll continue their road trip into Cincinnati, DC, and Detroit. During this streak, the Giants have come within 1 1/2 games of the first place Dodgers and have passed the Diamondbacks into second place, while leading the wild card race. This team surprisingly has the second-best record in the majors since May 1. Yeah, April was that bad. Eric and Chad talk about this, the All Star game and break, the MLB draft (Giants had a good one!) and some rumors flying around that Ohtani could land in San Francisco. Oh please, don’t get our hope up.

No video stream this week.

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Episode #281: Humm Baby

photo of Roger Craig in April 2014

TortureCast had a chance to chat with former Giants’ manager Roger Craig on April 10, 2014. Craig passed away this week at the age of 93. We’ll miss him. Photo by Chad King, TortureCast.

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

Two months into the season, and the Giants are hanging around .500, which honestly, is good enough by the time you hit September. They are still relevant in the West, but more so in the NL Wild Card race, where they briefly held the third spot for a couple of days (now 2.5 GB). The rookies Schmitt and Bailey have cooled off, but have earned a lot of respect from the veterans, and they could be here to stay. This begs the question of what to do with Joey Bart? They’re going to kick that can down a long road with his “injuries.” The bullpen is performing more like we thought, and Camilo Doval was named NL Reliever of the Month, converting all 11 saves, which was the most since Brian Wilson had 11 in September 2010. Zaidi said they will be “aggressive” at the trade deadline, we revisit two ex-Giants who are doing well, and we pay tribute to the “Humm Baby” himself, former Giants manager Roger Craig, who died earlier this week at the ripe age of 93. I was 12 years old when he commanded the 1986 club, famously known for “Humm Baby,” and “You Gotta Like These Kids.”

No video stream this week.

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Episode #256: Riding the Rollercoaster

Joc Pederson receives his World Series ring prior to the Giants/Braves game. He also wore his iconic pearl necklace for the first time as a member of the Giants. Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

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The Giants’ hot streak has been muffled by losing 4 of their last 5, all by 1 run and 3 by walk-off. Although they are still in contention, they can’t afford to continue to lose these close games. Eric and Chad talk about the last 2 weeks of Giants baseball, a trade, injuries and more!

You can join us for every episode with our live stream on Facebook. A recording of this episode’s video is embedded below. Our next episode will stream around noon pacific on Monday, July 11. We will be missing one week due to a long research expedition for work!

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Episode #232: They’re All Mediocre

San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores connects for a two-run home run during the ninth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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In episode 232, we review the series in St. Louis, LA and back home vs Pittsburgh and share our trade wish lists. And yes, the Giants still have the best record in baseball.

You can join us live on Facebook every Monday around noon Pacific time. Episode #232 video is posted below:

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Episode #225: #ResilientAF

San Francisco Giants’ Alex Dickerson watches as he hits a three-run home during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

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

Join us for episode #225 as we chat about the 26-16 first-place Giants as they stay hot. Yes, they should be 6-0 on this road trip, but sh$# happens. Despite having the best record in all of baseball, the Giants have still been walked off 6 times on the road. That’s HALF of their 12 road losses. As Eric put it, they aren’t #ResilientSF, they are #ResilientAF. We chat about the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati series, and preview the BIG series against the Dodgers this weekend. (apologies for some audio level problems, they will be fixed for the next episode)

You can join us live on Facebook every Monday around noon Pacific time. Episode #225 video is posted below:

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SportsHosts is the world’s first global community of fans, built by fans for fans. We’re going to be working together with them to create better experiences, better content and better events for passionate fans like you to be part of.

You can check out our page on the SportsHosts platform by signing up for free using this link. Once you’re there you can join our page, the Giants’ page and your other favorite team communities and start sharing your passion with like-minded fans – this will be an experience like no other.

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Episode #180: Yaz’s Mad Dash to Home

Marlins Giants Baseball

Mike Yastremski slides safely into home plate to score the deciding run in the Giants’ 2-1 victory over the Marlins at Oracle Park on Sunday. (AP Photo/John Heft)

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

Yaz’s dash to home in Sunday’s game was an analogy for this year’s Giants’ team. Heart and hustle, but not the highest level of talent. But, heart and hustle will win games, as it is obvious in their 33-15 record in 1-run games, best in MLB. The Giants went 3-4 this week against the Pirates and Marlins at home, securing a losing record at Oracle Park. That said, their road record is above .500, and they can finish that way. A weird juxtaposition that the Giants will contend with next year. If they had a winning home record this year, they would be in contention.

Bruce Bochy only needs 2 more wins to reach 2,000 in his career, with 12 games to go. The Giants find themselves in Boston and Atlanta this week. Eric and Chad talk about the week that was in Giants’ baseball.

From a record-setting number of players on the roster, who’s hot and not, Cueto’s fabulous return, and the bullpen having the best ERA in the NL in September, despite the trades and injuries. All this and more in episode 180 of the TortureCast!

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This Week In San Francisco Giants History: The Comeback

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San Francisco Giants’ Bobby Bonds, right, and Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn pose with the All Star Game Most Valuable Player trophy after it was presented to Bonds at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on July 24, 1973. (AP Photo)

In the year 1973, the San Francisco Giants were facing a brave new world. It was the first season since 1954 in which Willie Mays was not on the roster. He had been traded to New York the prior season and was finishing his career out in a Mets uniform.

With Bobby Bonds in charge of a new outfield. the Giants had a good core of young players mixed with veterans like Willie McCovey to provide leadership and help the team contend. Twenty-three year old Garry Maddox patrolled center field, with 22-year old Rookie of the Year Gary Matthews spending most of his time in left field. A young Chris Speier, himself only 23 years old, was the captain of the infield at shortstop in only his 3rd season. McCovey was the only regular to get playing time who was over the age of 30 as the Giants gambled on young talent to carry them through the 1973 season.

The kids got off to a good start. The Giants entered May at 18-6, the best record in baseball. Continue reading

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