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A Road trip from Hell, but it ended today with a W against the Reds
Today, the boys bounced back from a rough week with a win over the Cincinnati Reds. Before today’s win, the G-Men dropped four straight and owned one of MLB’s worst records. The W today improved the record to 7 and 12, a small boost for a team struggling to find consistency early in the season against the tough NL West, with both the team from LA and the Padres surging. It’s been a painful road trip, and it’s not helped by hanging out at the bottom of the standings, even this early in the season.
What needs to happen on the field and in the locker room?
The first priority is to stabilize the pitching. The second is to start hitting like they can hit.
The offense showed some life in the Reds series after ranking last in MLB scoring earlier in the week. Daniel Susac, whom I watched get his first six hits at Oracle earlier this month (we were sitting in front of his parents and a huge contingent from Sacramento), continues to play strong (.583 AVG) and is pushing Patrick Bailey (that’s a good thing). Key regulars like Willy Adames (.273 AVG, .869 OPS), Matt Chapman (.270 and 8 RBI’s), Casey Schmitt (.306, 6 RBI’s), and Luis Arraez (.333 AVG) are providing steady production. However, the big bats, Rafael Devers (.212) and Jung Hoo Lee (.207), have been underperforming, limiting run support. That must change, and soon. There is room for improvement up and down the lineup – the batters are making contact, which is good, but they need to hit the ball harder – there are too many easy outs, which is one reason why the team record is so dismal (as pointed out in his own way by Tony V).
Still, today’s win featured better situational hitting—something the G-Men sorely lacked during the four-game skid. If the team can sustain contact hitting and reduce strikeouts (128 through 17 games), they may start converting opportunities before Tony V comes off the bench to tackle more umpires (today the fire was there).
What happened to the vaunted early-season pitching roster?
Landen Roupp (today’s starter) has emerged as one of the few bright spots in the rotation. Entering the game, he held a 2–1 record with a 3.24 ERA and solid command metrics. Contrast that with Tyler Mahle, who was tagged for four homers and eight runs on April 15; his ERA ballooned to 7.23 after that outing. Both victories I’ve been to this year were Robbie Ray games, and Robbie has been the steadiest of the group (2–2, 2.42 ERA), while Logan Webb has had mixed results (5.25 ERA). According to the experts, the Giants’ rotation has potential (don’t you hate that word?), but a worrying walk rate and inconsistency in the middle innings don’t help matters one bit.
A work in progress?
Consider:
The rotation has elite strikeout potential but poor efficiency.
The lineup can’t yet string together sustained offense despite flashes from role players.
The clubhouse vibe has been strained amid a losing stretch but is stabilizing with signs of competitiveness and improved energy. Getting booted out of games now and again helps. Tony V needs to come off the bench more.
If their young hitters (Susac, Ramos) keep contributing and veterans like Devers and Adames heat up, a turnaround is plausible. But today’s win felt more like a temporary reprieve than a turning point—it’ll take a consistent 10–15 game run to prove the slump is over.
The Dodgers and the Marlins
The Dodgers are coming into Oracle 12 and 4 and leading the NL West with swagger, hubris, and that god-awful LA attitude. All you hear about is Otani and the rest of the movie star team. Can they be had? Perhaps if the G-Men play with a chip on their shoulder and let the team from LA self-destruct (after all, they are from LA and can’t stand the SF weather – maybe we will get a late-season fog out).
Following that is the Marlins (the Fighting Fish) at 9 and 10, tied with the Nats for 2nd place in the NL East. We will see strong hitters like Liam Hicks, Conor Norby, and Xavier Edwards, and their stud pitcher Sandy Alcantara. They should be a good test, especially after coming off the Dodgers series.
Friday 4/24: Marlins[7:15 – 3] The Czar is going and is looking for company.
Saturday 4/25: Marlins [1:05 – 4] – Brandon Belt Day – Aloha Shirt for the Czar!
Sunday 4/26: Marlins [1:05 -4]
Let the torture commence.
Ciao, and GO GIANTS!
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THE PROTOCOL: The firm has four seats in Section 118 (Premium Lower Boxes), Rows 25 and 26. These are awesome seats directly below the press box and 25 rows behind the home plate on the left side behind the screen. It is foul ball territory for left-handed batters, so bring your glove – I have collected 22 foul balls myself over 23 years and am looking for more. If we don’t use all the tickets ourselves (or clients and friends of the firm don't claim them by calling me and reserving a game), then my next step is to give the tickets TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO GETS BACK TO ME PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS. If you ask for the tickets and don't use them, you will be taken off the list unless there is a seriously good reason. There will be a waitlist.
When there are four seats available (we split up a lot of games) we will allocate the tickets two and two if the first people back just want two tickets. You can also go for four and might get them. I'm the Czar, my call.
Oh, and BTW, The Czar found the original Hinman & Carmichael brick from 2000 (after looking for it every year since 2000) and found H&C’s Gotham Club Founders Bat! If you are on the patio or in the Club, look for the symbols of baseball!
