Giants vs. Dodgers, Game 2

Top of the 2nd inning:

• I wondering when a sabermetrician will figure out a way to track just how much statistical value a pitcher/catcher battery that holds down opposing basestealers has. Kirk Rueter is quick to 1st base, and very tricky as well.
  
  
• Giants get robbed of an out on a short flare to right field that held Jeff Kent at first almost until the ball hit the grass. Deivi Cruz' throw looked to have beat Kent, but apparently having a great angle to call the play didn't help the 2nd base umpire. There was one out at the time.
  
  

• Of course, the bad call ends up turning into 2 runs on a double immediately afterwards. When he's up in the zone, Woody gets hammered -- just not enough velocity there to get it past a hitter unless he's fooled, which is harder for Woody to do because he doesn't have enough velocity in the first place.
  
• It isn't very hard to fool Jose Valentin. Rueter could challenge the single-season strikeout record if he faced a lineup of Jose Valentins every start.
  
• 'Nother strikeout for Rueter ends the inning.

Bottom of the 2nd:

• Nice going by Edgardo Alfonzo to stay solid down in the count and go back up the middle for an infield hit.
  
• Of course, that was instantly ruined by The Marquis of Grissom, Lord of the Double Play.
  
• J.T. Snow gets a good hack for what would've been a double for about 95% of the league, but for him is only a long single. Snow is as slow as molasses going uphill in January, I tell ya. Out at 2nd trying to stretch.
  
• That inning...should've been different. Frustrating goose egg. Inning over.

Top of the 3rd:

• Cesar Izturis with a bouncer that Fonzie just wouldn't be rushed on. Got him by a step.
  
• Repko with the lazy fly out...Rueter at his best, keeping hitters off balance.
  
• J.D. Drew making Rueter come to the plate so he can smack one somewhere. Reuter'll do it, but on his terms. Sneaky. Ends up getting another strikeout on a 3-2 count. Nice.

Bottom of the 3rd:

• Matheny hacks at the plate like he might actually be a threat or something. And then goes down looking.
  
• Woody at-bats are just...fun for some reason. He's tricky on the mound, and he's tricky at the plate, too. But mostly not very good. Out on a typical Rueter slow bouncer.
  
• Hm. Didn't-have-to-be-a-strike to Vizquel for a 3-2 count, and it changes the at-bat and puts Vizquel on the defensive. Odalis Perez ends up throwing some junk at Vizquel's feet for some odd reason (it isn't like Vizquel has a power zone or anything...come to the plate, Perez), and gives up a walk.
  
• Vizquel screws up (to his credit, runners at 1st are much more apt to get picked off by lefties), but then gets out of it, taking 2nd.
  
• Deivi Cruz hardly needs to see any pitches to make an out. Nice season last year, but I see him being an out machine this year. Inning over.

Top of the 4th:

• It's always nice to get a guy out on one pitch, especially when it's Jeff Kent. Pop out, get out Kent.
  
• Fonzie with a nice pick on a high bounce that he dove for. Showed pretty quick feet to get into position to make a play on the ball, then showed some quickness in getting up to make a throw. 2 outs.
  
• Woody gives up a walk to Olmedo Saenz, which, when down 3-1 in the count, isn't always the worst thing. Saenz can park one in the seats if you give him a BP fastball on a 3-1 pitch, plus Jason Phillips, Professional out-maker, is up next.
  
• The goggled-one, Jason Phillips, is up next. You know, when you're not a very good hitter, and you wear goggles, shouldn't you consider not wearing them anymore? Sure enough, harmless fly out to Grissom.

Bottom of the 4th:

• PEDRO FELIZ WALKS! THE END IS NEAR!
  
• Moises Alou is so still at the plate...takes it oppo very nicely, but right at Jerk Dude Drew. Crappy. One out.
  
• Alfonzo starting off the season en fuego, works the count in his favor right out of the gate, takes an oppo-field type of swing but fouls it back. Nice approach...Perez has a very nice move to 1st as well. The best moves to 1st base are usually the closest to being balks, because the best moves to 1st are sneaky...and therefore almost illegal.
  
• Yeah, again, Fonzie en fuego. Stays with his original approach, and goes opposite field for a single. Feliz wiiiiiisely stays at 2nd, not testing Drew's rail-gun arm in right.
  
• Grip, just don't hit another DP, 'kay? He should know that Perez, with only one out, should feel pressed to not walk another hitter, but then, this is Marquis Grissom, who don't need no stinking base on balls. Grissom does work the count in his favor at 2-1...but fouls one off, again low in the zone. Isn't it obvious Perez is going for the DP, Grip? Make him come up in the zone, dude! Nothing in this at-bat has been above Grissom's knees, yet Grip keeps taking those arms-only hacks at pitches low in the zone. At 38, I'd expect the guy to know better.
  
• Pitcher/catcher conference. I bet they know they can get Grissom to swing rather than walk...they go high in the zone to get Grip crossed up, but it doesn't work. Nice, nice changeup on 3-2, but nicer foul-back by Grip to stay alive on a pitch that would've been a strike.
  
• OH YEAH! Usually don't say this, but great, great patience by Grissom to show patience to get his pitch in his zone, and lines it into left-center field. Only scores one run, but with only one out, I can understand holding Fonzie at 3rd.
  
• Sometimes patience isn't the way to go. Perez goes right after Snow, who seemed to be in a take mode. Down 0-2 quickly, and almost 0-3 after some Perez filthiness is barely fouled off. Just a grounder to the 1st base side is all that's needed...Snow barely fouls another one, looking horrible. Perez is controlling this at-bat...and gets Snow fishing. Ouch.
  
• Alright, here we go. Mike Matheny with the chance for some heroics....oops. Forgot. Woody's up next, so they walk Matheny intentionally. Here's where Woody gets one of his funky flare hits to ruin the Dodgers strategy, right?
  
• Rueter trying to work the count, but Perez isn't going to dance around him much. One ball, then two challenge fastballs for a 1-2 count...'nother Rueter slow bouncer, and inning over. Shucks. Hindsight. Should've sent Fonzie after all.

Top of the 5th:

• Moises left the game, and they don't know why. Perhaps due to oldness?
  
• This is the inning for Woody to get through, because everything after that starts becoming gravy. No sooner than I type it, Valentin singles to right.
  
• Silly, silly throw to 2nd by Rueter to try and get the lead runner on a decent bunt by Perez. I don't think you try and stop that unless the game is in danger of slipping away...down one run in the 5th inning doesn't strike me as imminent danger. Go for the sure out, Woody! Everybody's safe now, Dodgers are going to be looking for a big inning.
  
• Okay, aggressiveness again by Woody on another bunt by Izturis, but this time Woody nails the lead runner at 3rd. I suppose Jim Tracy feels runs are going to be at a premium in this game, but I think that was a pretty stupid idea in the 5th inning only up by one run. Sac bunts in the 5th inning are for the pitcher only. And after it doesn't work, how stupid must Tracy feel?
  
• Nice paint on the corner (I think) from Woody...either that or Repko went around (I think)...either way, strikeout, and now there's 2 away.
  
• Drew with a soft liner to right that Michael Tucker makes a probably unnecessary basket catch on. Again, whatever, 3 outs. Yay!

Bottom of the 5th:

• Single to center by Vizquel. Move along, nothing to see here.
  
• The ump hesitates a skoche on a strike call, Eric Gagne, from the Dodgers bench said something, and gets thrown out for his trouble. Too bad Gagne's on the DL, otherwise I'd be a bit more stoked by this.
  
• Deivi's messin' around and working a count. If he and Feliz walks in the same game, I'm going to name my first child after a random Indian rope-maker (who'd probably be named Singh anyway)
  
• Heh, so much for that. Ground out, Vizquel moves to 2nd.
  
• Feliz ground out, and it's up to Michael Tucker. He'll come through. I just know it.
  
• Tucker and Feliz should go to the Boys Correctional School for Breaking Balls. I swear, anything that bends or curves is a nemesis for these two.
  
• Crappy. Tucker does end up putting good wood on the ball, but right to the 2nd baseman. End of the inning.

Top of the 6th:

• Tyler Walker comes in for Woody. Probably not too bad of a move, unless it doesn't work, at which point I'll be calling for the resignation of Felipe Alou.
  
• Kent aboard on some...nevermind, because as I'm typing this, Bradley smokes one past Grissom, scoring Kent. Bradley slides into 3rd, and with no outs, the Dodgers are likely to get at least one more run. Bradley's a punk, born and bred, but the boy can haul booty.
  
• I'm thinking the Giants are going to be like this all year, scratching and clawing for runs. They can't afford...another base hit, which Saenz just delivered. 4 to 1 Dodgers, and Walker must buckle down and not allow another run.
  
• Another base hit, and Felipe had better call somebody...oh boy, he calls for Jason Christiansen. This...can't be good.
• Christiansen decides to get himself into a hitter's count against a power hitter at 3-1. Real smart there...and boy, call me Nostradamus, because Valentin smokes one into right field for a round-tripper. 7 to 1 Dodgers, and there goes the vast majority of my hope for the evening.
  
• Not to beat a dead horse, but Jason Christiansen really is quite useless.
• After getting a fly out, Christiansen gets out #2 on a grounder from Izturis, only to have Fonzie fumble it.
• Yeah, now even Repko is getting into it with a double off Useless Christiansen. (sigh)
• LOL! Apparently, Cesar Izturis somehow missed 3rd on the way around, and the Giants threw over to record the out that was waiting for them. Repko's got his first major league hit, but now, not his first major league RBI. That's too bad for his-self.
• Hey, get the 3rd freaking out already, wouldja?
• Hm, he must've been listening. Strikeout. Mercy.

Bottom of the 6th:

• Wow, am I really going to do this for 3 more innings?
  
• Alfonzo with the fly out to right field. Guess that oppo approach is here to stay.
  
• GRISSOM WALKS! THE END IS...FAR!
  
• Okay, nevermind, the end was, in reality, very near. Matheny gets to the plate, and does something else that doesn't reap him a base hit. Yep, down 7 to 1, Matheny's defensive prowess ought to really help the Giants.

Top of the 7th:

• Matt Herges in. Get your water hoses out and ready.
  
• Kent with another infield hit. He must've patterned his game after Ichiro!.
  
• Alright, the wisecrack I made about water hoses? Well, I guess I'm Nostradamus again, because Bradley doubles.
  
• Hm. Yeah. Saenz doubles in Kent and Bradley, and it's 9 to 1, and all of a sudden I'm very worried about the Giants bullpen this year. Herges can now be allowed to suck as badly all this year as he did last year. If he does this crap for a month, they'd better be ready to replace him. Same goes for Christiansen, and as much as I don't like it, same goes for Walker. The Giants can't afford to see if these guys can "figure it out". They've got the horses in Fresno to replace replacement-level bullpen pitchers.
  
• Jason Phillips, the Out-Maker, does his job. One away.
  
• Valentin goes for a triple that shouldn't have been. Didn't I write something about the Giants falling victim to the right field wall, and how stupid that is? Yep, Tony Torcato, replacing Tucker in right field, watching the carom get 'im and turn a possible single into a no doubt triple. 10 to 1 Dodgers with a man on 3rd and still only one out.
  
• Is it too late to call Al Levine back?
  
• Sanchez grounds out, as does Izturis. Thank you, Jesus.

Bottom of the 7th:

• Tony Torcato doesn't mess around, quickly grounding out to 2nd.
  
• Vizquel strikes out.
  
• Deivi tried to speed the game up by grounding out on the 2nd pitch of his at-bat, but the Dodgers didn't oblige. Safe!
  
• Okay, Feliz picks up where Deivi left off, and sees all of two pitches before grounding out to Kent.

Top of the 8th:

• Repko singles.
  
• J.D. Drew hits a double play ball, and looks to have beat out the throw to first, but was called out anyway. The 1st base ump has got a hot date waiting for him, I'm sure. Two outs.
  
• Uh-oh...alright, nevermind. Deep-ish flyout by Kent. Herges' hemorrhaging seems to be over.

Bottom of the 8th:

• Uh, out, um, and another out. Jason Ellison gets his first at-bat of this season...and flies out to right. Yep, gettin' lazy on you all.

Top of the 9th:

• Nice, nice, NICE catch by Torcato next to the wall. Snowcone!
  
• Somthing else happened, too, it's just that I have no idea what it was.
  

Bottom of the 9th:

• J.T. Snow pad the stats a bit with a single.
  
• Heh, figures. There's Matheny with a 2 run squeaker over the wall in right. Squeaker or not, it stills counts, and Matheny now has a batting average. Yay.
  
• ...um, sorry, I was talking to an important friend of mine. Um, more meaningless runs were scored, but a loss was gained. Shame 'bout that. End of the inning, end of the game.
  

Final score, 10 to 4, the Dodgers over the Giants.