Warning, your Twitter account will once again produce a bit of smoke this evening as Willie, Ben and Chad will be in the press box for Rockies vs. Giants tonight. It’s strange, but this will be the third game this year, out of 5, that we’ve seen Lincecum pitch. Not trying to line it up that way…just happens.
This could be Lincecum’s second-to-last start in a Giants uniform at AT&T. Strange to ponder that possibility, but looking at the schedule, he’ll have 4 more starts; tonight, in LA, in NY, then back at home for a final start against the hated Dodgers. Wait…holy weed, Batman…I just realized that if the rotation keeps that way, our next game in the box will be that Lincecum start, and potentially his final for the Giants.
Tonight was a special night. Not only was it Fedora night, but the National Anthem was fantastic. Oh, and we welcomed Eric Nathanson (@2outhits) of Around the Foghorn to his very first game at AT&T Park. You may remember that he covered his first Giants game earlier this month when they visited the Tropicana Dome. The Giants were kind enough to further extend the press privilege to him here in San Francisco.
He apparently met up with “tweeps” at the @SFGiantsCafe. Do we have tweeps?
After Timmy warmed up on the mound to “Blurred Lines” (he’s been using that for weeks now), he used his inner-Thicke to face the minimum through three innings before a little speed bump in the fourth when he walked the first two batters. However, a little conference on the mound, perhaps something about trying to acquire naked ladies to dance around him later tonight, and he induced McCutchen to fly out to right before striking out Alvarez and Jones.
Oh, and of course, he was doing this all with the courtesy of a 4-run lead, established in the very first inning. That’s not only a big inning for the Giants, that’s a big GAME for the black and orange. They sent 9 men to the plate and racked up 5 hits and a couple of cheap RBIs.
The left field ball dude got a work out tonight. One of these days, one of these elderly gentlemen will die on the field, I assure you. Blanco almost died tonight as well with two near HBP and a seed off of Pill’s bat that made Blanco leap into the arms of the batboy.
The fifth greeted Lincecum with a ball deposited deep into the LF bleachers as Tony Sanchez hit his first career homerun. So, a nice moment for the young man. Heck, Giants fans were even nice enough to throw the ball back on the field in a clear gesture of kindness so that he would have that nice fireplace momento. No matter, the Giants matched that run with one of their own in the home half to take a 5-1 lead when a wild pitch by Hughes, who had just come into the game for Liriano, plated a hobbling Hector, who had earlier been hit by a pitch. A nice sac bunt by Timmy pushed him to third to even be in position to score. Small ball at its best.
Lincecum started to run out of gas in the top of the 6th, however. With one out, he walked McCutchen and allowed a 2-strike double down the right field line to Pedro Alvarez, necessitating his replacement with Mijares. The hit parade continued with an RBI single by Sanchez (the Gabby variety), then Machi came in to give up another line drive over the second base bag by Sanchez (the Tony variety) to put the Pirates within two runs. After a controversial strikeout, Panda made a nice back-handed play down the line and fired to Posey at first. However, there was much discussion in the press box, including Andrew Baggarly, on why he didn’t simply run to the bag for the force play.
The Giants got one back in the sixth via the free pass to Pence. He moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a ground out. Panda came through with a big two-out, two-strike single to right.
It looked like the wheels were starting to loosen up in the seventh; with one out and a runner on first, Scutaro received a perfect double-play grounder, but muffed it in the exchange and couldn’t even muster one out, setting up McCutchen as the tying run at the plate, but he flied out to right. Javier Lopez came in to close out the inning without harm.
Casilla pitched a perfect eighth, Posey ended his bid for a 4-hit night, and Romo’s entry music made the fans dance in funny ways before he closed things down (uneventfully) in the ninth for the 6-3 victory.
In the post-game presser, Bochy acknowledged these keys to the game: the 4 run first, the ability to score after Pittsburgh scored, Timmy settling down in the fourth, Lopez’s confrontation with Alvarez, Panda’s 2 out, 2 strike RBI single, and the incredible fan support that they still receive, despite the rough year.
We’ll be heading over to Zeke’s now to record another bonusode. Who knows who will show up.
Willie, Ben and Chad sauntered over to Zeke’s following last night’s 4-2 victory over the Brewers at AT&T Park to record yet another “bonusode!” Joining us again were Jen and Ally as we once again lose any sense of decorum and control as we descend into the depths of despair of the Giants’ mediocrity. But, damn, it was fun.
Also, at about the same time the first pitch of last night’s game was being delivered, I sat down with Marty Lurie for a 20 minute interview. It was thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining, and you do not need to be a Giants fan to enjoy his dulcet tones and vast baseball knowledge.
@itsallyduhh mesmerized us with this fantastic photo of Andres Torres last night when we recorded at Zeke’s. It’s burned into the back of our skulls, and now yours, too.
All three of us watched the Reds dismantle the Giants man-parts on Monday night from the press box. Thank god we didn’t pay to watch this travesty of a game.
We did take a trip to Zeke’s afterwards with Ally Williams (@itsallyduhh) and Jen Cosgriff (@jencosgriff) to record our thoughts on the game, the second half, fans running on the field and Bud Norris?
We’ll be back in the press box on August 5 when the Giants take on the Braun-less Brewers.
While Posey hits in the cage, Panda, Scutaro, and Pence talk about their next Vegas road trip
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
Phoenix, the old ball-player returning to glory, my 10 year old dog learning new tricks. However you want to label it, Timmy’s first start since his no-hitter in San Diego certainly elevated him, if even ever so slightly, back to a level of semi-excellence that Giants fans hungered for, rooted for. We relived his glory days as he threw all 148 pitches at Petco Park. Maybe he was back? Or, maybe it was dumb luck, or the Padres, or a little of the old Timmy, or a little bit of everything. Ok, so no-hitters always involve one or two great plays or close calls, but obviously luck is only a small part of it. He induced 28 swing-throughs by Padres batters. That was an indication that his stuff was electric and mystifying.
So, here we were today. Willie and I watching Posey, Pence and Panda absolutely murder balls in batting practice. It really is something to witness from 20 feet away. It reminds me of the one time I followed Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach and was in absolute awe of his club speed. It’s something that doesn’t translate over TV.
Oh right, Lincecum. Anyway, the park was electric tonight, the press box was full as my belly was from the press dining room grub. Everyone was ready to tweet, “Lincecum now has 11 consecutive no-hit innings..” or something to that account. Well, the tension was released when Shin-Shoo Choo sliced a double down the left field line that we were all sure Blanco was going to catch (it was in his glove, afterall). Robinson, a last second replacement in left field, followed with a bunt single, and it looked like the inning was going to explode. However, Timmy settled down and struck out Joey Votto and when Tony Phillips nubbed a comebacker to Lincecum, he alertly ran Choo back to third and tagged him out. After an 0-2 count on Jay Bruce, Lincecum lost him on 4 straight balls, some of them tantalizingly close to strikes. Then Todd Frazier loudly opened the floodgates with a rocket over the head of Torres in dead center, clearing the bases for a 3-0 Reds lead.
Timmy never regained his composure after that. He might as well have been wearing a Reds batting practice jersey, because he started giving up gopher balls. One to Devin Mesoraco (who?), another one to Choo, then the third of the night to Jay Bruce. All of them hit hard, loud, and long.
Although many fans were calling for his early exit, Bochy still had him lead off the bottom of the third. Perhaps facing a 6-0 deficit, Bochy wanted to preserve the bullpen by having Lincecum absorb an extra inning or two with the game almost out of hand. Timmy did retire the first two hitters in the fourth before yielding to George Kontos after back-to-back hits given up to Robinson and Votto. Of course, Kontos didn’t do Timmy any favors, allowing a double to Phillips that scored 2 to close the books on Timmy: 3 2/3 innings pitched, 8 earned runs, 9 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 3 homeruns given up….all after a no-hitter. Many will point to the 148 pitch effort as taxing his arm, but I can point to numerous occasions when he yielded comparable hits after shorter preceding starts. Maybe it did tax his arm, but he did have extra rest with the All-Star break. A sample size of one won’t convince me. In fact, Bronson Arroyo, tonight’s Reds starter, gave up 10 hits in his start following his no-hitter. So, there’s that…
At this point, I generally leave my WordPress browser window open and type the story as the game develops. Except this time, aside from a monumental comeback or an incredible or notable personal achievement, I fear I’ll have nothing else to report after the bottom of the fourth.
Fifth inning: 1 run for the Reds
Sixth inning: 1 run for the Reds
Seventh inning: 1 run for the Reds
For the love of all baseball gods, can they not stop the Reds from scoring in one freaking inning?!
Eighth inning: Tanaka just entered the game on a double-switch and suddenly all of the Japanese press came to life, flipping open books, sheets, and typing wildly in unrecognizable characters on their laptops. Oh, and the Reds didn’t score.
Ninth inning: With 2 out, Francoeur hit a would-be homerun, but alas, Robinson snatched it from beyond the wall to end the game. Sufficient salt poured in wounds.
The post game presser by Bochy was a brief 3 questions punctuated by awkward silence.
We’re off to Zeke’s or somewhere….(edit): You can listen to our post-game bonus-sode podcast, recorded at Zeke’, by pressing the play button below:
“Extra Baggs: The Giants would turn Lincecum into a late-inning reliever “in a
heartbeat,” according to one club source, if they had another starting
pitcher in the system ready to take his place in the rotation.
How would he feel about that?
“I’m always open. It’s just, right now I don’t want to be open to
it,” said Lincecum, adding he is committed to remaining a starter for
the rest of this season. “I’m sure if my career takes that turn, I’m
definitely open to changes, especially if it’s beneficial to the team
I’m playing for.””
Armchair Manager
Do you keep Gaudin in the rotation?
How do you set up the coming weeks?
More rest for starters or skip the 5th spot when possible.
Skip Lincecum in AZ?
On Deck
Quick 2 games at home vs. Toronto, then a 9 game road trip through AZ, Pit and ATL, all winning teams
June is going to be rough: 18 of 27 games are on the road
Tweet At Me, Bruh
Willie: @TortureCast: I’ll keep on this juice fast as long as Lincecum remains a starter. #mightlose30pounds
Chad: Tom Tolbert – @byronjr23: Halos 6 outs from being swept by the Astros..It would be a 4 game sweep no less..Fun fact: Astros payroll 17 mill..Hamilton salary 17.5 mill”
Coming into AT&T Park today, there was an ominous feeling in the air. I was certain in my bones that it was going to be another heart-wrenching defeat at the hands of their cross-bay rivals. One that would end with a bloom of green and gold-clad fans waving miniature brooms. No basis for this, except for the fact that the A’s are hot, Giants are Arctic-cold, and I’m human.
Zito was walking the high-wire all day, getting out of self-made jams (not the fruit variety) after dishing out almost enough walks for the entire A’s lineup, including one to pitcher, A.J. Griffin, which put a runner in scoring position with two outs and enabled the production of the first A’s runs. However, he ended up no-hitting the A’s through 6…except for Coco Crisp, who was 3 for 3 off Zito with a double and an RBI.
However, Rip Van Winkle, dressed in black and orange, awoke in the 6th, erupting for 4 runs on key hits by Sandoval and Belt, giving Zito the unique position to actually WIN the game. But, no sooner did the A’s fans put their brooms away, than reliever Ramon Ramirez issued the dreaded momentum-killing leadoff walk in the top of the 7th. After an out an a seeing-eye single to right, George Kontos came in to face Cespedes, who promptly cue-balled a floater to right to score the A’s second run and put runners at the corners. But, Affeldt came in with 2 outs to face Brandon Moss and ended the threat with a full-count strikeout.
The Giants promptly got that run back in the bottom of the 7th. Noonan lead off the inning with a bunt single between the mound and second, past the mound. The rotation play was on, so the second baseman was already heading to cover first. He redirected to the ball, but couldn’t throw out Noonan in time. Brett Pill hit a rocket to left for the first out, then Gregor Blanco flipped his bat and dropped his head after hitting one up to shallow left center field. However, Rosales lost the ball in the sun for a mother-nature-aided single. Brandon Crawford hit a ground ball to Moss right, where he speared it on a dive, threw to second for one out, and Rosales air-mailed it into the A’s dugout, allowing Noonan to score, increasing the Giants’ lead to 5-2.
A quiet 8th and a Romo 1-2-3 9th ended the bleeding for the Giants.
In Bochy’s post-game presser, he stressed the need for the starters to pitch well, and he seemed to have a little something extra in his voice that seemed to indicate the desperate need they have for solid performances from those five. He also used the word “Houdini” regarding Zito’s escape act all game (I tweeted that earlier!!!). Scutaro is still feeling the “funk,” referring to whatever sickness he has, and Pagan will certainly miss the first game in St. Louis. He also acknowledged Pill’s contributions, and the bullpen’s ability to shut the game down in the end.
A suggestion to the Giants: take the TortureCast crew with you to St. Louis, you’re 2-0 when we wear the press hat.
Just your standard Willie-Chad lineup in the Giants dugout
Click above, right here, that little arrow, to play our “Bonusode” 38.5 from 9/20/12.
The article below, written by Chad King, summarizes his thoughts about the TortureCast’s trip to the Giants’ press box during the Rockies/Giants game on September 20, 2012, 2 days before the Giants clinched the NL West. Excuse the USA Today writing style, but it was written and submitted to a local newspaper.
The podcast embedded above was recorded by Willie and Chad right after the game.
Enjoy!
Confessions of a Press Box Rookie
Chad King
So why was a marine biologist suddenly thrust into the world of sports journalism? Much like George Costanza followed his lust for a woman who was worried about a beached whale in “Seinfeld,” I was coerced by my love for writing, podcasting, and the Giants.
Podcasting is a relatively new form of media. Anyone with a recording device and an internet connection can record and upload spoken words for the potential of millions to listen to. Many are trying and become the next Walter Cronkite or Ryan Seacrest (laugh track). I aspire to become neither. I follow my passion for parenting, gaming and the San Francisco Giants through podcasting. A trained sports journalist or radio DJ, I am not. Neither are most of those who occupy those professions, however.
As a co-host of “The TortureCast,” we’ve always had a passion for the Giants. A passion that has taken me and my two co-hosts to commit hours of pre-show research and preparation, hour long recordings, and hours of audio and website editing. There’s something to be said about the passion of the knowledgeable fan.
The San Francisco Giants recognized something within this passion and granted media credentials to the three of us to cover the Giants-Rockies game on September 20. Typically, Major League Baseball teams only grant media passes to “legitimate” media. We were officially legitimate media, if only for a day. With copious notes from hours of research, we hit the press room like kindergartners on the first day of school. We didn’t ask questions of manager Bruce Bochy in the pregame conference in the dugout nor the postgame conference, and pretty much relegated ourselves to scoring the game, tweeting satirical updates while consuming massive amounts of free caffeine. We gawked at KNBR broadcasters taking seconds in the media dining room, and tried to take “illegal” photos with our smart phones in the press box while skirting Major League Baseball’s official media dress code.
And yet, this was more of a service to the fans than what I saw around me as nine innings of baseball unfolded within the confines of the press box. First, I saw some journalists playing solitaire over several innings, many seasoned professionals reporting incorrect statistics, and found the “TortureCast” crew answering questions rhetorically asked by 30 year veterans such as, “how many homeruns did Buster Posey have coming into today?”
Although this day will be one of the most memorable in the “sports” section of my gray matter, one of the reporters left me with this little nugget: “The only thing that separates the sports writer from a truly knowledgeable fan is the credentials.”
Maybe George Costanza was more qualified that we give him credit for.
The TortureCast 