It's All About the BB (Part Two)

A couple weeks back I said, "I have three words that will be the key to the Giants' success in 2009 - base on balls. If Giants hitters can coax a few of these each game, they will put themselves in a position to score runs and win games." Last night, the Giants took that statement and ran - I mean - walked with it. The Giants pulled off an 11-7 victory against the Washington Nationals. There were three home runs in this game - all off Nationals' bats. How did the Giants win this thing? By capitalizing on mistakes and drawing walks. The Giants' lack of base on balls has been frustrating me all season, but last night, I got what I was hoping for...

Bottom of the fifth, Willingham makes an error on what should be the last out of the inning. Travis Ishikawa is intentionally walked to bring up Randy Johnson. Johnson draws a walk to load the bases. Emmanuel Burris walks to bring in a run. Then, Edgar Renteria walks to bring in a run. After a pitching change, the free swinging Pablo Sandoval walks to bring in a run. Seriously, the Giants may launch an extra base hit every now and then, but these wins they've been bringing home lately have often been courtesy of walks and sacrifices, ie "small ball." So, I have to wonder, is this moneyball in action or an example of a team doing the little things. All I know is the Giants are 16-14 with one of the least threatening lineups in baseball.

But, hey, it's not all about walks...

-Travis Ishikawa needed to get something going, and he did, with three hits, including a double and 2 RBIs. He credits this to a fresh approach.
-Osiris Matos is the best hitter on the Giants - dude is batting 1.000 and had a key ninth inning RBI single. Unfortunately, he couldn't seal the deal on the mound in the ninth and was promptly sent to Fresno. Pitching struggles aside, the Giants could use that kind of offense.
-Some dude called the Big Unit notched win number 298, but that is not a big deal.

-W.B.

Some Positives Despite Sloppy Loss

I know I should be really frustrated about last night's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers. The Giants committed two costly errors, threw three wild pitches, walked nine hitters, made mistakes on the bases, and struggled to get clutch hits despite numerous opportunities. However, I will admit that I thoroughly enjoyed last night's game before the Dodgers finally pulled away with two runs off Bob Howry in the ninth. Perhaps that's because I wasn't really expecting to win this game, with Dodger ace and Giant-killer Chad Billingsley on the mound. I feel like the fact that the Giants were able to at least get Billingsley, as well as Jonathan Broxton, on the ropes several times is a positive. Here are some other observations:

- Jonathan Sanchez worked harder than he needed to because of a dropped fly ball by Fred Lewis and a throwing error by Juan Uribe, which led to two Dodger runs. As a result, Sanchez was close to 100 pitches after five innings.
- Lewis strikes out a lot. He leads the National League with 26, and it seems like they have all come in the last week.
- For all the talk about what a clutch hitter Bengie Molina is, it seems like he's popped up a lot of first pitches in big situations.
- Pablo Sandoval is hitting the ball with authority, and Travis Ishikawa is taking better at-bats as well.

Renteria Slams San Diego

With one swing of the bat against Jake Peavy on Tuesday, Edgar Renteria put as many runs on the board as the Giants scored in the entire series against the Diamondbacks, and then did one better with an RBI single the following inning. After an unspectacular first two weeks, Renteria has gone 6-13 over his past five games. Travis Ishikawa also had a much needed good game, driving in two insurance runs and working a walk in front of Renteria's grand slam. Matt Cain pitched his third straight quality starts, allowing two runs in six innings. Cain allowed nine hits, but only one for extra bases, and he didn't walk a batter.

A minor roster move was made after the game. Alex Hinshaw, who recorded the final out, was sent down to Triple-A Fresno, and catcher Steve Holm was recalled. Holm gives the Giants a legitimate backup catcher, though I have a feeling Pablo Sandoval will still probably spell Molina most of the time. Holm was 0-18 with eight strikeouts to start the year in Fresno, but at the very least, he provides the team with some insurance in case of emergency. Hinshaw was clearly the weak link in the bullpen with five walks and just one strikeout in 5.1 innings. It will be interesting to see what happens when Sergio Romo comes off the DL. Emmanuel Burriss had another 0-4, including a double play with the bases loaded and nobody out. Burriss has barely gotten the ball out of the infield and has made numerous mental mistakes, and I think we may see Kevin Frandsen sooner rather than later. All in all, however, a very good day.