Game Thread: 5.21.16 Lester vs. Cainer

[SFGRTB]

Are you ready for this lineup? I don't think you are. Here it is:

Span-8
Panik-4
Tomlinson-7!!
Posey-3
Duffy-5
Brown-2
Crawford-6
Blanco-9
Cain-1

Here is Jon Lester's numbers versus the Giants' batters: Jon Lester vs. Batters | Baseball-Reference.com

Span (.874 OPS) and Posey (.818 OPS) stand out. Not much else there.

Okay, obviously though, Kelby in LF is very interesting. And he's batting 3rd. Giants have the speed lineup in there, and Lester is TERRIBLE versus the running game (and bunting game). Runners stole 44 bases against him last year! To put that into perspective, the 10th most steals allowed was 18. Tim Lincecum (renown for being easy to steal off of) allowed 27 in 2010 for his worst season. Expect the Giants to attempt some steals and bunts.

Game time: 4:00pm Pacific on FOX

 

[Mays-Fan]

I like it. Shake things up, give 'em a different look. KT must have been practicing LF under wraps somewhere.

Would prefer Crawford 5th and Duffy 7th, but you can't have everything.

 

[tzill]

so the bench is:

Oxy, Herk, BB9, and Goner?

 

[SFGRTB]

Not bad. 2 runners got on, but nothing was hit particularly well, except the Zobrist liner that Cain caught.

 

[SFGRTB]

so the bench is:

Oxy, Herk, BB9, and Goner?

Pence and Pagan have sore hammys, but are available to hit and can probably play tomorrow.

 

[SFGRTB]

Right on cue, Kelby shows bunt. I think that was planned.

 

[SFGRTB]

This is going to be a shitty strike-zone. You can already tell that there are inconsistencies.

 

[tzill]

a couple of GREAT ABS bottom of the first by KT and Spanny

 

[SFGRTB]

Matt Cain!! Hell yes!

 

[SFGRTB]

a couple of GREAT ABS bottom of the first by KT and Spanny

Span, Kelby, Blanco and Cain with 3-2 counts the first time through. Fantastic.

 

[tzill]

Lester on pace to go four.

Problem is, Cainer only on pace to go five.

 

[SFGRTB]

Yup. Shitty, inconsistent strike-zone

 

[SFGRTB]

Yikes, that was scary. Kelby's first PO in LF is clean though.

 

[calsnowskier]

Lester on pace to go four.

Problem is, Cainer only on pace to go five.

I am OK with that he keeps the game close. He is our #4/#5, after all.

 

[calsnowskier]

And just like that...

 

[SFGRTB]

That was not a good pitch.

 

[SFGRTB]

Every time Eric Karros tries to call a pitch, he is completely wrong. I think he's about 0-6 right now.

 

[tzill]

I am OK with that he keeps the game close. He is our #4/#5, after all.

agreed, he's a 4. We still need our 4 to go six innings though, especially since our 5 can't go 2.

 

[SFGRTB]

IDK how much I like that play. We have Lester on the ropes, throwing a ton of pitches. Then you give him a free 1-pitch out? The bunt should at least go to Lester, force him to make the play.

 

[SFGRTB]

DOESN'T MATTER!! MVPosey!!


(I can feel AB lurking)