Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Last Wong Way Post
The Wong Way is now turning into China Basin Baseball, which will be a more Giants centered blog. Same dumb jokes, only more about the Giants. Thanks for reading! Here's the link to the site http://chinabasinbaseball.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 18, 2012
Tim Lincecum Should Be Taller
 |
| Picture is the actual size of Tim Lincecum |
This is where I analyze Tim Lincecum, and make no sense:
In the 5th inning of Saturday night's game against the Mariners , Tim Lincecum was in a jam, with the Giants leading 4-2. Mariner runners were on 2nd and 3rd with one out, and Ichiro was at the plate. Then this happened.
The runner from third came into score, and Ryan Theriot had no play anywhere. Side note: despite his declining age, Ichiro could probably beat me in a race with his legs tied together and then cut off, which renders the first part of the analogy completely useless. That's not the point. This is the point:
The white thing above Lincecum's glove is what the common folk call, a "baseball". It is 3 or 4 inches above his glove. Come with me to Imaginary World for a sec, and pretend Lincecum was Mr. Fantastic and caught the silly white baseball. The runner holds at third and Lincecum records the out at 1st. He is left unscathed and everybody is like "omg like Tim is totes back, i luv u Timmy <3, ur hair is awesome, super kewl necklace ;) "
In reality, he was left with runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out in the inning. He then threw a wild pitch to the next batter, allowing a 2nd run to score from third in the inning, totaling his ERs for the game to 4. That would be Lincecum's final run tally on the day, 5 IP and 4 ER. If he caught that baseball, perhaps he would have settled down, pitched to the next batter differently because there were 2 outs and not have thrown a wild pitch.
Now that we know how the entire inning unfolded, this is how the inning went officially up until the wild pitch:
- Dustin Ackley hit a bouncing ball in the hole between first and second into right field for a single.
- John Jaso walked.
- Brendan Ryan bunted the runners over.
- Ichiro bounced the ball up the middle for an infield single. Mariners score.
- Lincecum threw a wild pitch to Chris Wells. Mariners score.
Translated into what the Mariner hitters actually did:
- Dustin Ackley hit a weenie bouncer that barely got by Brandon Belt, who was sleeping.
- John Jaso didn't do anything and reached base.
- Brendan Ryan hit the ball 4 feet.
- Ichiro used dark magic to get the ball an inch over Lincecum, then laughed. Mariners score.
- Chris Wells stands. Mariners score.
With a tad of hyperbole mixed in, that was the Mariner 2 run rally, and what changed a Lincecum start from giving up 2 ER in 5 in. to giving up 4 ER in 5 in. The first two runs given up by Lincecum came via 2 home runs in the 1st innings. That's not concerning, because home runs were never the problem, they haven't plagued him like his command in the stretch has. After the 2 run 1st inning, Lincecum was lights out from the 2nd to 4th innings, with most of those pitches coming out of the wind up.
The killer inning was the one above, and the Mariners hit one ball out of the infield, which was a seeing eye ground ball. I could have done what some of the Mariners did, and looked handsome while doing it.The problem wasn't how the Mariners hit Lincecum, but how Lincecum located pitches against them out of the stretch. The Jaso walk, along with multiple 3 ball counts throughout the inning was the concerning part. He lost the dominant feel of the strike zone he had during innings 2 3 and 4.
All that said, any one of those balls hit in play could have been outs. Ackley pulls his ball a little more, it's right to Belt. I think I've covered Ichiro's hit, which Madison Bumgarner could have caught while buying a cow for his wife. The inning very well could have gone the other way. Plus, Lincecum did things like this yesterday.
He still has work to do out of the stretch motion. But he's not as far as some people think he is. However, I said the same thing in May, which proves I have no clue what I'm typing and in reality I'm just glad to be typing coherent sentences with words. Small victories are what's life is all about.
Disclaimer: If Tim Lincecum is bad next start, an evil demon wrote this post.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Pablo Sandoval is Swinging Again
Pablo Sandoval has struggled since coming off the DL. How does a sharp and cunning man like myself discover this? Here is a how a sharp and cunning man like myself discovers this.
First here's the graphic Comcast showed at the beginning of his at bat in the 3rd inning.
This is where that pitch was
Yes, Pablo Sandoval swung at a pitch close to China, which is also near the pitcher's head.
That pitch looks worse than it might be because the Montero has to reach away from his body to catch it. Still, the pitcher Charlie Furbush was probably trying to throw the rare 'pitchout with nobody on base'. And low and behold, it worked.
Obviously, its been 22 at bats for Sandoval since coming back from the DL, which is a microscopic sample. He needs time to readjust to Major League pitching and get his rhythm at the plate. He'll bounce out of this, and a lot of the time he can hit pitches that aren't close to the zone. Sometimes you just have to marvel at how bad Sandoval can look at the plate sometimes and how ultra-mega-super-very aggressive he can be. Right now, if pitchers are smart they'll only throw pick off throws to first when Sandoval bats and hope that he swings. Because he will. For now, I'm not worried. I just hope it ends soon.
Related: Furbush is an unfortunate name.
First here's the graphic Comcast showed at the beginning of his at bat in the 3rd inning.
.583 seems pretty good. This is misleading. Here's why.
In the 3rd inning, Pablo Sandoval came up with runners at the corners and 2 outs. Sandoval is aggressive. This is not a secret. But in 2012 he is becoming somewhat of a disciplined hitters by Vladimir Guerrero standards. Sandoval is swinging at the fewest number of pitches in his career. However, this was before the hammate injury he suffered in early May. Since coming off the DL, he is swinging at throw overs to first base and has reverted back to fat lard Panda that has no idea what he's doing. It's 22 at bats, so its not the end of the world. But, this happened.
It's never good when the catcher has to get out of his crouch to catch the baseball. I like how Jesus Montero kind of looks around after the swing like "... so yeah are we like...are we counting that one? What just happened." Here where Pablo swung:
Here's how MLB game day displayed the pitch, which is number 3:
He had a similar lack of judgement in the 8th inning:
This is where that pitch was
That pitch looks worse than it might be because the Montero has to reach away from his body to catch it. Still, the pitcher Charlie Furbush was probably trying to throw the rare 'pitchout with nobody on base'. And low and behold, it worked.
Obviously, its been 22 at bats for Sandoval since coming back from the DL, which is a microscopic sample. He needs time to readjust to Major League pitching and get his rhythm at the plate. He'll bounce out of this, and a lot of the time he can hit pitches that aren't close to the zone. Sometimes you just have to marvel at how bad Sandoval can look at the plate sometimes and how ultra-mega-super-very aggressive he can be. Right now, if pitchers are smart they'll only throw pick off throws to first when Sandoval bats and hope that he swings. Because he will. For now, I'm not worried. I just hope it ends soon.
Related: Furbush is an unfortunate name.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Matt Cain, Jordan Schafer and How Gregor Blanco Saved Perfection
Matt Cain had pitched 6 perfect innings. Jordan
Schafer led off the top of the 7th inning, right as the finger
nail biting began. What transpired will forever be remembered in
Giants lore. Here’s what happened, in the eyes of the television viewer:
Just made out with Houston's line score. 9 more outs and who knows what will happen.
Brandon Crawford is nervous. Been there.
Matt Cain vs Jordan Shafer. Round 1: First pitch strike right down the middle. Your move Jordan.
Lower right corner: Astros manager Brad Mills talking to a coach.
Beau Mills: Let me look at you so I don't have to look at Jordan Schafer's butt
Coach: Kiss me.
After a ball outside, Buster Posey looks at Schafer and tries to distract him by asking him who he thinks would win in a fight: Mermaids or Velociraptors. Schafer does not respond. Now Posey is angry.
After fouling a ball into the left field stands, Jordan Schafer gives up. Matt Cain records rare 2 strike strike out. Perfection lives on. Buster Posey with a victory grab.
He's back. Schafer rethought it, and has returned to the baseball match. Something is wrong with his face. Perhaps possessed by a Sith lord. Or he's looking at his offensive numbers graphic.
Count goes to 2-2 as the pitch is in the dirt. Buster Posey takes the opportunity to look at Schafer's butt. He plans to talk to Brad Mills about it later. Can't tell his opinion yet.
Brandon Belt (right) is so nervous, he forgets where home plate is, and takes a wild guess that it's in center field. He is wrong. Matt Cain is too focused to correct him. This just got interesting.
Schafer takes a ball high and stares it down, giving it the stank eye during the throw back to Cain. Jordan Schafer: Master of inanimate objects.
The count is full 3-2. There is nothing left to be done. Matt Cain vs. Jordan Schafer. Only won can win.
Matt Cain: The Face of Determination.
This fan is playing doodle jump during the biggest pitch of a possible perfect game. Kevin Durant will reprimand.
Schafer crushes a 3-2 challenge fastball. A scared Buster Posey gets up quickly. We are all scared. Doodle Jump girl is still playing Doodle Jump.
Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco running a long time, as Jordan Schafer's picture stares them down. Hope is starting to fade. Pagan and Blanco have .000009% of catching the baseball and .000000001% of getting lasered by Schafer's eyes. The Umpire is running too, but he hasn't exercised in 5 years.
Pagan has given up. Blanco is surely close to doing the same. Possible thoughts by Giants fans at this moment:
- It's over. The Astros suck at everything they can't even take a perfect game.
- Well, at least I can poop now. I've been holding that in since the 5th
- Crap, time to get a cha cha bowl
- What is a Bogusevic?
Related: Brandon Belt just realizes he's not looking at home plate.
It's kind of funny because it looks like young Gregor is trying to extend his little glove. That's cute... he is just adorable...Wait a sec...
Oh my.
CVVDCVcecCQcqxsaAddacxxe21r39r39890909099191191999
Translated: Gregor Blanco has caught the baseball
Wait is that the baseball or like an oversized golf ball. They make those now. Are you sure that's a baseball?
Gregor Blanco is sure.
Pump your first Gregor. Pump them like you've never pumped them before. I am pumped. You are pumped. Is Matt Cain pumped?
Yes.
Yes Gregor, they are made of steel. I envy you. I envy this.
Brandon Crawford is checking if he's dreaming
He is not.
Perfection lives on. Thank you Gregor.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Coherent Matt Cain Post
Did Matt
Cain throw the greatest game ever? I’m not going to debate the merits of that
question, but I’m not going to stop looking those words. Did Matt Cain throw
the greatest game ever? Professional baseball began in 1875 and yesterday I
found myself looking at an ESPN site that looked like this:
That coming
just hours after Matt Cain was driving golf balls from home plate into McCovey
Cove. That’s a good day.
Matt Cain
joined the Giants in 2005, as 20 year old phenom. Practically during the
Jurassic period. Names that were on that team: J.T. Snow, Mike Matheny, Michael
Tucker, Jason Ellison and Lance Niekro. Barry Bonds was there too. Cain
struggled in 2006 and in 2007, the year he finally started to become Matt Cain,
Tim Lincecum was recalled and shoved 2 Cy Youngs in Giants fans’ face. Giants
fans like Cy Youngs. To the national audience, Matt Cain became the other
starter, that other talented Giant pitcher. During 2010 championship, Matt Cain
didn’t have luxious black hair or a thick grizzly man beard nor was he a baby
faced rookie catcher. He's not a panda. Or a giraffe. Or a Chilean Llama, or whatever the heck else we have.
All Matt
Cain does is pitch. Pitch, pitch, pitch. All Matt Cain does is be Matt Cain.
Every single start. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing sexy about it either. Matt
Cain doesn’t have a ‘thing’. He’s not glamourous. He doesn’t blow snot rockets
out of his nose, that I’m aware of. He doesn’t fist pump that often. He doesn’t
have a catch phrase or crazy
personality. Matt Cain has a Matt Cain. Now, in 2012, he’s the longest tenured
Giants, the first of the great pitching staff that symbolizes the ‘Post-Bonds’
Giants. He’s been one of the best pitcher in baseball the past 5 years and
nobody seems to notice. Which is fine to Matt Cain. But not fine to not-Matt
Cain people. Last night, Matt Cain finally got the recognition he deserves.
He’s toyed
with no-hitters and perfect games. He had this game, where the only base runner
he gave up was James McDonald the Pirates pitcher. We always knew Cain was
bound to finish one eventually. Yesterday was finally that night. Cain couldn’t
have walked up to home plate, and handed Buster Posey baseballs in a better
location as his pitches last night. Every single pitch was right where Posey’s
glove was. When he threw 3-2 pitch to strike out Chris Johnson to end the 8th,
it was like he was playing MLB The Show with cheat codes. A 3-2 changeup in one
of the highest leverage situations one could imagine. It’s safe to say my
cajones are like pebbles to Matt Cain’s boulders. There’s a pleasant thought
for everyone.
A perfect game is not a World Championship. But the feeling is dang close. Every single
pitch, a finger nail was lost at a raucous AT&T Park. I was sure about 35 time that Jose Altuve was going to get a hit. Gregor Blanco caused 30 million respiratory problems. Joaquin Arias' stumble on the last out made the entire city of San Francisco go NOewfewfnweccCDCWEFfwem#!CWFF, all in that one instant. Matt Cain didn’t worry though.
Because Matt Cain is Matt Cain and Matt Cain does Matt Cains better than
anybody else does Matt Cains. What a moment.
Matt Cain Throws Perfect Game
Still trying to compose everything and figure out if this is a dream or not. Pretty much everything that can be said has been said, all I can say is I've never clenched something so tight as I did to my pillow during the last 3 innings of this ball game. Here's a cumulation of every Matt Cain thing I could find on the wonderful place that is, the World Wide Web.
the catch
The reaction 
He's a horse
Huff falls down
This won't happen again
one more time 
That's a wrap 
Most of these gifs courtesy of McCovey Chronicles post game thread
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)