As I type this is what's hapenning:
Two seconds ago, Uribe lost the ball, but still managed to throw out Castro at 3rd. Tonight, we have both Freddy and Fontenot. Fontenot playing out at 3rd instead of the usual Sandoval. Madison Bumgarner is on the mound for the Giants.
Tonight's line up:
as you can see, I might be getting just a little bit lazy.
This as-it-happens talk is quite difficult. Jose Guillen came up to bat and was hit by a pitch landing him at third. Juan Uribe, originally 0-2 count managed to hit one out of the park scoring himself and Guillen giving the Giants a 3-run lead in the 2nd inning.
Cody Ross struck out, with one down. Bumgarner came up to bat, the ivy wall at Wrigley field just barely preventing Bumgarner from getting a home run. Fukudome, having a very strong arm threw the ball straight to second, holding the pitcher at first base.
Okay.
Talk about a fast paced game, PAUSE, let me breathe.
Alright. I'm alright.
Fontenot doubles into deep left field sending Bumgarner to third base.
Freddy Sanchez hits a ball out to right field, sending Bumgarner home. Score:
Aubrey Huff was caught looking, 2 outs, and Buster Posey came out to bat. Posey gains himself an RBI as the ball that he hit brushed the glove of Castro and Fontenot came home and Freddy Sanchez went to 3rd. During Burrell's at-bat, Dempster throws a wild-pitch and Sanchez comes home on that wild pitch.
Burrell walks and Guillen gets hit by a pitch -- again.
The bases are loaded again as the Cubs, in the second inning, put in a new pitcher, Thomas Diamond. Uribe gets ANOTHER at bat in the 2nd inning.
This has been a CRAZY 2nd inning.
It's odd because I remember seeing Dempster pitch for the Cubs when they were in San Francisco. When the Cubs were in town
URIBE HITS ANOTHER HOMER A GRAND SLAM. HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT. 6 RBI's in ONE INNING. TWO HOME RUNS IN ONE INNING HOLY CRAP.
SOMEONE PINCH ME
Ross singles, and Bumgarner singles.
The inning ends FINALLY as Fontenot flies out, leaving two men stranded.
Breathe time.
Alright. Time to reflect on one of the most EPIC innings every played by the San Francisco Giants. They sent home 9 runs. Alright, quite honestly I didn't turn on the game hoping for much. I was a little nervous after last nights loss and our sleepy offense, but OBVIOUSLY, our offense woke up, and apparently, our defense has too. Both Guillen and Ross made some nice catches out in the ivy today. My faith in Uribe was something like...none. Tonight's line up was rather surprising to me, but not in a bad way. I just saw that it was a bit unusual, Bochy changing things up a little. I'm okay with that...considering I like to see both Fontenot and Freddy in the line-up. Unfortunately, Huff isn't 100% today, as it seems that his leg is bruised.
WELL HELLO THERE BUSTER POSEY...
HOME RUN IN THE 3rd?! YES!
Soriano basically just said...I'm not even gonna bother with that one.
Due to a hefty amount of reading I had to do for econ (yay price ceilings), I didn't actually turn on the game until pretty late. Fukudome had hit his home run centuries ago, and Chris Ray was pitching. Speaking of our bullpen, I'm pleasantly surprised that I no longer have to close my eyes every time Bochy calls upon the bullpen. There was a short while, the month of August when the bullpen was not dependable. Unfortunately, neither was our pitching rotation in August. In short, when we needed to turn to the bullpen early on in the game, they essentially weren't there to support us; our back up, couldn't back us up. We gave out runs like Santa gives out presents.
Thank goodness both our bullpen and our pitching rotation are back on their feet. Bumgarner tonight is pitching phenomenally. As I write this, he's busy striking out two Cubs in a row. Huff sits, and they will send Travis Ishikawa out to play first. While I'm a HUGE Aubrey Huff fan, I think that sitting him would be a good idea. Just for tonight though. It's hard to say I've seen the Giants play like this EVER; not on the road and not at home. This is more than the team just 'hanging in there,' this is a game that basically SCREAMS "DON'T FUCK WITH US."
I'm still not comfortable with the consistency.
All teams "have their days," but I feel like the Giants are beyond that...it's more like...spazz. We'll do really, really well...then we'll just die out, flat. Not that I'm saying anything, knock on wood.
Top of the 5th right now, Travis Ishikawa batting with Freddy Sanchez out at 2nd with a ball that just got lost in the ivy. Ishikawa walks. While he isn't a considerably solid starter, I do like seeing him in the line-up every once in awhile. He is a very good pinch-hitter, and when Aubrey Huff needs an off day (a serious off day, not a 'let's put Huff out in right field' day), Ishikawa fits nicely right into the line up. He seems to take a lot of pitches, has a good eye for sure. Rowand is also in the game, replacing Pat Burrell. Rowand hasn't been in the starting line up for quite awhile now. Since Rowand is...coughpickycough, he moved out to play center field, sending Ross to left field. Nate Schierholtz also in to replace Jose Guillen in right field. Basically, we replaced our outfield except for Cody Ross.
I never really had an opinion on Nate Schierholtz...or Jonathan Sanchez, but that's not the point. I see why he isn't in the starting line up, but there's no doubt that he makes a good pinch-hitter and his defense isn't bad either. The last time I talked about Schierholtz was probably the game against the Diamondbacks in Arizona that was scoreless until the 11th inning when Schierholtz tripled to knock in the tie-breaking run. At that moment, I'm pretty sure he was my best friend.
Update:
(my best friend whom I cheer obscenely loud for,)
Cody Ross hits an out of the park homer, his first as a Giant.
That's weird, individually are they Giants...I mean..."a Giant?" It's like the Red Sox. Individually are they...'a Red Sock?' So confusing. Yankees is an easy one. Yankees...a Yankee...Cubs, a cub, Marlins, Marlin...
ANYWAY,
Eli Whiteside comes in to play catcher in place of Buster Posey. Buster Posey gets the rest of the night off...a real night off, not playing at first. Bumgarner is still pitching well, putting away a usually threatening part of the line up (not so threatening tonight) away, 1-2-3.
The Padres game has not started yet, but just like this is a crucial game for the Giants, the Padres will play a crucial game tonight -- the fight for NL Division continues. Freddy takes a break, replaced by Burriss who comes out usually as a pinch runner. We need pinch runners out there since Torres is out. Ford is also a good pinch runner and I expect that we will be seeing more of him in the last several games of the season -- at least until before Torres is back. The Giants are warming up the bullpen, it is currently the 7th inning. Our defense may be spacing out a little bit, coughFontenotcough, and the umps might be spacing out a little bit too.
Well, I just learned that no 'Giant' has been hit by a pitch twice in the same inning, well isn't that a fun fact.
Well, well. I stepped away for a little while and missed hit number 19 of the game. Pablo Sandoval pinch hitting for Juan Uribe gets an RBI by lining a ball out over the head of the 2nd baseman and sending Eli Whiteside home.
Valez comes in to pinch hit for Madison Bumgarner, with Schierholtz on third and Ross at first. Schierholtz could be considered an asset of speed for the team, but he's not Jacoby Ellsbury, so he's not likely to steal home anytime soon, though that would be some crazy game. Anyway, Mota will come out to replace Bumgarner in the end of the 8th as Valez grounds out leaving 2 men stranded. I mentioned the bullpen being more reliable these days. We'll let their pitching do the talking.
Some more defensive changes. Valez taking Cody Ross' place in left field. Sandoval also remains in the game to play third. Basically, they just changed everyone except for Fontenot. Though he's no longer play 3rd, and instead moved to shortstop.
I'd really love for this game to be a shut out, since the Cubs shut us out last night 2-0.
We can shut them out 13-0...taking some SERIOUS revenge.
Dan Runzler comes out from the bullpen to replace Mota. The last time I saw Dan Runzler play he did a backwards somersault (unintentionally of course) and then required knee surgery.
The Padres and the Dodgers are warming up to play their game. As a Giants fan, I am forbidden to say anything that sounds like "Go Dodgers," unless I'm quoting someone. In this case however, I won't be saying the actual words, but I'll just say...I hope the Padres lose and something along the lines of, but not, "go Dodgers." For the record, I'll never say those words ever again, or type them or anything. I swear.
this is when fans feel like a part of something bigger.
With a strike out from Dan Runzler to Micah Hoffpauir the Giants end on helluva game the final score, 13-0.
this is how the Giants get revenge on the Cubs for shutting us out last night.
Like I've previously said, in tonight's game there was certainly some history making, but it doesn't stop here -- tonight was only the beginning.
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