Diamondbacks 4, Giants 8: Arizona endures Panda-monium in San Francisco

by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2009 2:15 AM EDT in Game Reports Comment 16 comments

Miggy suggests to Doug, that he might pitch better if he wasn't covering up one eye.

Record: 68-89. Pace. 70-92. Change on last season: -11.

A chilly night at the end of September by the bay. Not the kind of night where the ball carries at Twitter Park, the heavy sea-air holding it in like the blanket sported by many in the crowd. Well, the ball didn't seem to get the message: the teams combined to leave the yard six times - and there's a good case to be argued that it was actually seven. Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks only managed four hits that didn't lead to trotting round the basepaths. The Giants felt no such limitation, their last in the league offense pounding Doug Davis into an early departure, and knocking out a total of 22 baserunners.

SF #3/4: 8-for-10, six runs, six RBI
AZ #3/4: 1-for-7, two runs, one RBI
Any questions?

Never a good sign when the bullpen is warming up in the first inning. But that's what happened tonight, Yusmeiro Petit sent jogging to the mound after Davis walked three consecutive batters - that and a wild pitch helped to give the Giants a 2-0 lead. Fortunately, former Diamondback-killer Randy Winn - a mantle now completey pwned, as the kids say, by Pablo 'Ninja Turtle' Sandoval - helped Doug out, swinging at the first pitch he saw, Doug's 38th, and flew out harmlessly to Justin Upton in right. Things didn't get much better for Davis in the second, as he hit the pitcher (hitting 2-for-38 with 26 Ks) and after a total of 60 pitches, had only got four outs. Fortunately, Michelangelo hit #61 into a double-play. Davis loaded the bases again in the third, and escape damage.

The Diamondbacks, however, tied things up at two in the fourth...then they didn't. Miguel Montero made it a one-run game with his 15th home-run of the year, and it looked like Ryan Roberts had gone back-to-back. Torres, in LF made a leaping grab, and lost his glove, but the ball somehow - the details remain vague even on multiple viewings - bounced back into play and into the grasp of a now-horizontal outfielder. Roberts, meanwhile, continued around the base-paths and crossed home. On video review - the fourth such in, what, barely a week for AZ - the official ruling was a ground-rule double. Note: not a double. And that doesn't make sense to me: if it didn't leave the park, then Roberts touched all four bases and scored on an inside-the-park homer, while Torres waved the ball about in the outfield.

Judging by the way the Gameday Thread completely imploded, from roughly that point on, I think the ruling was taken as proof that the baseball gods had abandoned us. We had rampant image posting, a discussion of Windows Vista, far too many bears and even a meta-discussion of off-topic discussions. Doug Davis chipped in by letting the Giants take a 4-1 lead, allowing another home-run, and then leaving, haven taken 107 pitches to get through four innings, on seven hits and five walks. A WHIP of 3.000 is not exactly what we had hoped for - the Giants will be sorry to see the back of Davis, with a 5.11 ERA in his six starts against them this year.

Meanwhile, Montero was doing to the Giants what Raphael had done to us all season [his 7th-inning homer meant he is hitting .509 against the D-backs in 2009, 27-for-53. I blame, completely, all the bear talk in the thread. You know who you are]. Having narrowly missed a McCovey Cove homer in the fourth, he made no mistake in the sixth, getting the third multi-homer game of his career, giving him 16 on the season [I was stunned to see former D-backs catcher Rod Barajas has hit 19 homers for Toronto? In five years here, his high was three] Augie Ojeda was the only other Arizona hitter to reach more than once, though Justin Upton launched his 26th long ball baywards in the eighth.

Stephen Drew continues to be a Gurgling Vortex of Suck when facing left-handed pitching. He was 0-for-4 tonight, making him 3-for-43 with a walk against LHP since August 17th. Batting .178 against them this year, it's proving a flaw in his game that's a lot harder to overlook when he's no longer hitting .300 off right-handed pitchers, like he did last season. If he's going to play next season, then we may need to find a platoon partner who can take some of the LHP AB's at shortstop. He's hardly alone in having had a poor September though: offensively, it's been the team's worst since April, and if we don't score three times tomorrow, our runs/game figure for the month will be the lowest of the year.

The bullpen didn't exactly help, matching Davis by allowing four runs over four innings of work, on a total of eight hits and two walks. Leo Rosales and Daniel Cabrera were the better half, each producing scoreless frames: Yusmeiro Petit managed that in the fifth, but then gave up a run without recording an out in the sixth. Most of the damage, however, was done in a three-run seventh against Clay Zavada, which included two home-runs. His ERA on the year is now a season-high 3.42, and his second-half number is a not-so impressive 4.81. The league seems to be adjusting better to Zavada, then Zavada is to the league.

[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Master of his domain: Miguel Montero, +24.1%
God-emperor of suck: Doug Davis, -22.2%
Dishonorable mention: Yusmeiro Petit, -10.2%

There was a Gameday Thread. That's all I want to say: it was like a bad day at GLB. Tomorrow, we send Kevin Mulvey to the mound against Brad Penny. Yeah: I'm really looking forward to that one. In one of the less-impressive scheduling decisions by Fox Sports Arizona, that game will be televised, but Thursday afternoon's contest between Tim Lincecum and Dan Haren is not going to be screened at all in Arizona, not even on delay. I know these things are arranged in advance - but I also know they can be changed. Shame they weren't, and so we won't get to see our ace's last start of the season.

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I went to the Mercury game tonight. (Thank you , Steve Kerr!)

I’ve never seen so much sloppy basketball or so many unbeautiful women in one place in my life.

I kinda regret missing this meaningless game for some maddeningly unfathomable reason…

Ya know...ignorance really IS bliss.
Well - I do , anyway.

by victor frankenstein on Sep 30, 2009 2:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

well i'll get to see it ;)

It’ll be on tv up here but even then I’m thinking of going to it! Tempting but 3 games in 3 days is a lot..we’ll see.

Pics after I get home! On train now.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2009 2:54 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

No TV

Maybe Steve Kerr will buy me one of those!

I’ll say this without reservation – compared to some other sports , baseball fandom has attractive Flora and Fauna.

So let’s just nip any women’s integration into baseball in the bud , so to speak – and preserve the sanctity of the gamer.

Ya know...ignorance really IS bliss.
Well - I do , anyway.

by victor frankenstein on Sep 30, 2009 3:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

By 'here' I meant

San Francisco, where it will be on CSNBA. Hahahaha.

But the reasons to go to Thursday’s game increased tonight with something somebody told me which I will try to verify tomorrow and can tell you about on Thursday unless one of the mainstream guys reports it first. /cryptic

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2009 4:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since I'm up having a late-night snack...

Here’s some tidbits.

I had awesome seats. I’ve sat there before, but it never gets old. Prime view of the dropped pop fly by Montero in the bermuda triangle because he thought he was being called off by the pitcher.

Miggy may be defensively sub-standard, but he is improving, and he is an awesome person. I Heart Miggy. He is super nice, and he smiled at me from the on-deck circle. Not really supposed to do that, but he did. ;)

Chip Hale loves to talk with the fans before going out to coach in the field. And during the replay, he was over at the Giants dugout talking to them about it.

I hate to say it but they got the call right on the replay. It wasn’t an out because it hit the wall, it wasn’t a home run because it never went over the wall – much like something that happened at Chase Field earlier in the season in right field. Remember that controversy about the ball bouncing straight up, never going over? Same thing here. The reason it’s a “ground rule” double is because that’s how instant replay rules are set up. If they reverse a call where the original call interfered with the flow of the game (in this case, calling a home run caused Roberts to trot and the ball not to get thrown in), the ‘correct’ call is then a ground-rule double. But the umpire’s interference is similar to a player’s interference – the natural flow of the game changes.

My dad totally called Miggy’s second home run. He came back from getting a hot dog and said “Maybe he’ll hit another one!” The very next pitch, it’s outta here!

It was a straaaange strike zone all night. Balls were strikes and strikes were balls. Very weird. Doug would’ve been ineffective even it were a normal strike zone, but that certainly didn’t help.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2009 4:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Damn, I need that edit button!

~~But~~ Umpire’s interference such as getting the call wrong is similar to fan interference because the natural flow of the game changes.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2009 4:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ll keep an eye out for the pitch f/x data when it’s posted, and see what it has to say about Davis’s outing. The pop-up that dropped in the middle was a very strange play, but much credit to Rusty Ryal for being smart and quick enough to through to second and get the force.

Ah, I see how it works… Smile at ‘charmer, and no criticism is permitted thereafter. :-) I still reckon Miggy’s defense requires more work – there was a steal of third where he should have nailed the runner, but he bobbled the ball.

Still not convinced on Roberts’ home-run – it’s different from the ones at Chase, because it was clear that it never went over the wall. I don’t know what angle the umpires had though – believe it’s different from the TV? But I would certainly have said that if it hadn’t been called a home-run, Roberts would have been at least on third, given the fielder was flat on his back at the wall. Sadly, it was rapidly rendered irrelevant by Molina and the Ninja Turtle. :-(

"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil

by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep that's pretty much how it works :D

Oh I totally agree he needs to improve his defense. Bobbles, throwing, balls in the dirt, all that absolutely needs to be better. But he has improved and he’ll continue to, particularly going into the off-season and spring training pretty much having a lock on the starting catcher’s job.

Yeah the pop fly didn’t end up mattering because they would’ve still had 1 out and a runner on 1st anyway. The pitcher (Cabrera?) was right behind him and Miggy thought he was going to catch it, because he gave way and turned around to look behind him at the pitcher. No biggie but still a mistake.

I don’t think this ball ever went over the fence either. No fan interference, and it never did anything to go “over” the wall. It was brought back by his glove and the wall. Yes, Roberts would’ve been at 3rd, but it’s similar to a ground rule double where the runner from 1st would’ve scored but is forced to stay at 3rd.

Too much bullpen implosion to really matter though. :/ I had JUST SAID “Zavada’s having a great inning”… suddenly, 3 2-out runs. Blaarggh.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And the game he calls.

Don’t remember the inning, but the 2 strike high fastball he called to the Panda was “not well thought out” (to be charitable). DD would’ve hit the glove, but the Panda lashed it into left. The very next pitch, different pitch (slow curve)/different location(in to a right handed batter), same result. DD hit the glove and the ball was crushed.

DD should’ve shook off the pitches, but still.

Miggy likes to call the high fastball too much. That only works in youth leagues. And a slow curve from a lefty IN on a right handed batter? That pitch is asking to be KILLED.

Maybe Miggy went to the ARod school of pitch tipping?

by older fart on Sep 30, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That was a pretty strange GDT

Seemed a little bi-polar.

"I can't accept and won't concede that this is who we are..."

by kishi on Sep 30, 2009 2:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If Jim doesn't even do roll call

I really don’t want to know… LOL.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2009 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It

wasn’t even that bad. I doubt it even cracks Top 10 worst.

You know how you get to Carnegie Hall, doncha? Practice.

by soco on Sep 30, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah it could have been worse

HOWEVER, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Indianapolis Colts, taking focus away from my DBacks every Sunday.

by AJforAZ on Sep 30, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You see

It’s funny because I just got it. Nice effurt.

Warning: the above represents the thoughts and opinions of a 15-year-old.

by Wailord on Sep 30, 2009 4:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

The strikezone

Here’s the pitch f/X plot – note, it’s shown from the umpire’s point of view:

Basically, red is a called strike, green a called ball. Triangles are Arizona, squares are SF. Doesn’t seem to look too bad.

"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil

by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2009 2:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That little red triangle waaay up there

That was Strike 3 to Rowand. Sooooooo not a strike, obviously. LOL. That thing was up at his shoulders!

True, doesn’t look too bad. I guess it just seemed like the close calls were at all the wrong times. Some of that was Doug being Doug and he wasn’t going to get the corner calls that he normally gets.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs