I want to get excited about Jason Schmidt's and the Giants performance yesterday in their 6-1 win over the Cubs.
I am excited, really -- can't help it. Lance Niekro went oppo field with a blast, which is 10 times more exciting than it should be (showing that kind of power to right field for him is something I didn't quite knew he had in him). Mike Matheny is heating up, getting to the point where at least he can be justified to hold a spot in the batting order.
Steve Finley seems to have found a sweet spot in Triples Alley, and quite honestly is looking like the best pickup of the offseason. The man is running a .900 OPS, and speaking of running, doesn't look like he's slowed down (what the heck is he eating?). While I like Jason Ellison, there just isn't any reason for him to play much beyond pinch-running unless there is an injury...which there is right now, of course, but after Moises Alou comes back, any and all extra plate appearances should go to Finley.
And then there's Schmidt. I wrote a week ago about Schmidt's performance against the Brewers on the road, wondering whether the Giants have gotten their ace back...and I still don't quite know. Yes, he was dominant against the Cubs, and that reinforces the start against Milwaukee, but the Cubs have lost eight games in a row and are quite wounded right now -- their offense is on the...ahem, south side of effective. So gimme one more pearl and call me a Believer.
Despite my misgivings about Kevin Frandsen's start, it's got to be becoming more and more difficult for Father Alou to play Jose Vizcaino. Hitting a buck-fifty is just unacceptable -- having a position player who can't hit as well as about four pitchers on the roster cannot be had...tell me, does anyone pinch hit Vizcaino over Brad Hennessey, Noah Lowry, Jamey Wright, or even Matt Cain at this point? I certainly don't, and thus I'm feeling the desire to see him not play anymore.
Yes, Brian Sabean, he is old. Not old as in "veteran", but old as in...er, old. Old like Jeff Fassero. I would rather have Joe McEwing, and if you knew how much that pains me to say, you'd realize how much I'm down on Vizcaino right now.
2 comments:
Frandsen is a fill-in rook. You need to cut the boy a little slack.
I wouldn't mind seeing Frandsen stay and Vizcaino go when Ray "bum wheel" Durham returns. Anyone know if Frandsen has ability to back-up at SS/3B?
I'd cut Frandsen slack two different ways: 1) if the Giants had no chance of winning the division, and 2) if the Giants were going to run away with the division.
The slack I'm not cutting isn't actually Frandsen, it's Brian Sabean. What I'm harping on isn't that it doesn't look like Frandsen's going to be any good, it's that I don't think he'll be able to help the team enough this year to warrant him playing a great deal.
Next year, heh, he can develop all he wants. This year, it might be costing the Giants and Bonds their last chance at making a run.
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