San Francisco’s Calling Us, the Giants and Jays will Play
The Jays took two of three from the Giants this week, dropping the last game in extras on the single most irritating play in pro-sports: the walk-off walk.
Game one was Peavy vs Sanchez.
Jays won 3-1.
Jake Peavy has been pretty terrible to start the season for the Giants. While Peavy took the loss, he was not as terrible as he had been. Edwin Encarnacion hit a bomb which decided the game.
John Gibbons had this to say:
“It was a great ballgame tonight. Sanchy led the way. His command was off a little bit but he showed what he can do even when it’s a little bit off. ... Big homer by Eddie, that always helps.”
Unequivocally, the best part of playing the Giants is having Grant Brisbee write about your team.
Why?
“More than that, it was a Jake Peavy start against the Blue Jays, a team designed in a lab to break pitchers like him in half and feast on the marrow. The Blue Jays loaded the bases within five seconds of the game starting, Edwin Encarnacion hit a moonshot into the bleachers, and the Giants still allowed just three runs. It was a gift from the god of lowered expectations, and they had a reasonable chance to win.”
It's just a nifty piece of writing. And also hilarious. His recaps are the gold standard combination of humour and analysis.
And yes, this team is designed in a lab to break Peavy-like pitchers in half and feast on the marrow, but there has been an alarming lack of marrow feasting this season.
Where is the marrow feasting? Why can't Troy Tulowitzki consume marrow consistently?
Game 2 was Cain vs Happ.
Jays won 4-0.
Jays won that riding the wave of Happ pitching and Tulowitzki offense.
That's right, Troy Tulowitzki.
“There’s a long ways to go. It’s not like I’m happy with where I’m at and I know there’s a whole bunch of games left to prove myself. So it’s not like I’m going to sit here and [say,] ‘OK, now I’m good to go.’ I still have to come out here, work hard and not take anything for granted.”
For one so often taciturn, Tulo talked a lot:
“I’ve done everything, trust me. You guys know how much I love this game. I’ve been in the cage grinding, I’ve been watching video. I’ve been doing anything I possibly can to figure things out. I definitely won’t stop doing that. I’ll get it. It’s definitely a tough game at times, but I’ve been here before.”
John Gibbons was a little more to the point:
JA Happ has pitched like a boss so far this season. I feel a little bad I have called him a whinger in the past. (Well, to excuse myself, he was whinging about being in the bullpen.)
He pitched 8 2/3 innings of four hit baseball on Tuesday. Of the 111 pitches he threw, he threw 75 strikes and allowed just three Giants past first base until the ninth inning.
It helps a little that the Giants can't hit.
“We don’t watch baseball games for offense or pitching or defense. We watch for personalities and memorabilia and novelty food items and the views of the San Francisco bay. It’s not offense that’s the commodity, it’s fun. Did you have fun just knowing that your favorite players are wearing your favorite uniform and playing in your favorite stadium in your favorite city? That’s all that matters. Not the offense, not the win-loss record. Just the fun of existing. Of being.
So, as long as the Giants simply exist, you’ve won. They’ve won. They’ve won the NL West in our hearts and the World Series of going through the motions. Let us never forget that the Giants played 27 outs.”
Gibby talks about this season's frustrations, last season's fun times and showing emotion in baseball.
Tulo talks about his early frustrations and pushing forward through struggle. Back to basics, adjustments to Toronto.
Final game was Bumgarner vs Stroman.
Giants took it 5-4.
The Jays lost that one in extras, on a bases loaded four pitch walk in the 13th. If you are going to lose in irritating and pointless ways, all I asked is for it to be within nine innings. Do not stretch it out to 13.
“We missed some opportunities but our guys battled to even come back. To come back and tie that thing, it was just one of those games, you burn through everybody to get to that point. But, yeah, you never want to lose a game on a walk.”
I have chosen to focus on the positive. Positives like the Jays climbing back into the game culminating with Michael Saunders hitting the homer to tie it of off Giants' closer Santiago Casilla.
“He ended up leaving a fastball up. I was trying to stay in the big part of the field and try to stay through it. I fouled some good pitches off; he threw me some good sliders, a curveball that I was fooled on but was able to make contact with it, foul it off, and get a pitch I could handle.”
The game felt endless and I was reminded several times how much I prefer the AL game. The peak of that might've been when R.A. Dickey was asked to bunt a runner over. I mean, come on.
To remain positive, I will avoid mention of the defensive miscues and the lack of hitting in extras, but I will say I'm not mad at the bullpen as a whole. 6.1 innings of quality pitching, especially without the use of Osuna, will not be erased by shrimp.
This group of guys, as a whole, have been roughed up. This was a positive turn.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Music? Sure. I love this track.
So moody. Good for an off day after shrimp.