Ramblings: Part IV

[klaiggeb]

1-Belt's concussion symptoms seem to be getting worse, not better.

This is not, repeat NOT good.

Ruiz of the Phils missed 22 days with his concussion, and if Belt has to miss 22... we're up a creek!

2-Pagan, though he may be back in August... I"m predicting LATE August and that IF he returns, he'll be maybe 30%-40% of what he was before. And we need more than that from a lead off guy.

3-As Mark said, Scutaro is a wasted line up spot. He needs to go back to AAA on a long, long rehab until rosters expand.

But with the money he's making...the deal he signed... wanna bet he stays on the active roster?

4-I have REAL concerns about Matty's arm. I know they've said he's had the bone chips for a while... but look at his numbers last year and this year; Not good. Not even close to Matt's form.

I said before, and I'll say it again; it's worse than they're letting on. So much so, I'm betting on surgery at the end of the year. And we need more than he's been giving us.

5-I'm EXTREMELY concerned about whomever, if anyone, that Sabean trades for.

Seriously. I know he has a great, mid-season record... but I see him getting someone like Rios, whom we DON'T need, but is cheap, in lieu of someone we DO need, like a leadoff guy or a legit 2Bman or a really good bullpen addition.

That's why I say Uggla will be starting at 2B for us in the first or 2nd week of August.

And if you've been watching him play defense these last couple of years... and I have... be concerned. Be VERY concerned!

This guy makes Jeff Kent look like he had not good, but GREAT range!

I say again; we can have 1 hole in the line up; not 2.


6-IF...IF we can't find that CF leadoff guy, then I'm pulling for Daniel Murphy of the Mets. He can hit one hole, or 2 hole behind Pence.

He can run, has some pop, and is above average on defense.



7-So I'm holding my breath, even more so because of all the controversy I hear down here about the Dodgers.

Now, Puig is going to be playing CF, and that means Kemp is going to be throwing a hissy fit, or will be traded. Either way, Puig makes too many mistakes out there to be "the guy" in charge of the outfield.

8-I look for the Dodgers to trade Kemp, and pick up someone the likes of Price; if not Price himself.

If that happens...we're screwed if the best we can do is Uggla or Rios.

Because without a healthy Pagan.

Without a healthy, producing Belt... our line up is short, and our starters just arne't top flight anymore. They're just above average to slightly less than good.

boly

[Rog]

Boly -- As Mark said, Scutaro is a wasted line up spot. He needs to go back to AAA on a long, long rehab until rosters expand.

Rog -- I think there is a limit to how long a minor league rehab assignment can be. But maybe a combination DL and rehab would work.

[Rog]

The Giants have a good team, but its weakness is its lack of depth.

At the beginning of the season we knew there was little depth in the rotation. We knew there was just as little depth on the field. We knew there were question marks with the defense. What perhaps wasn't quite as evident on the surface was the injury history of Pagan and Morse.

Now the dike is leaking in several areas, and the Giants need to make a decision about which area or areas to address. I personally like the versatility of Ben Zobrist, but he's not really a center fielder. He could fill in just about anywhere, but the Giants would likely need to move Pence to center until Pagan returns. Zobrist could then play nearly anywhere on the infield or outfield.

The Giants' winning seems to have been tied more to their run-scoring than the quality of their starting pitching, so perhaps they should add a bat or bats. On the other hand, they will be very vulnerable in the rotation if Cain isn't able to return productively.

Cain likely will need surgery, but sometimes cortisone shots can get a hurler through in the short run.

Here's a piece of irony. With Cain suffering injuries this season, Tim Lincecum has become the most durable Giants hurler. Madison Bumgarner might catch him, but of course Bumgarner has three years' less experience. The irony comes because it was because of durability questions that Tim fell to the Giants at #10 in the 2007 draft.

The deadline is a week from today, so we shouldn't have long to wait. Given the variety of their needs, I suspect the Giants may be continuing to look after the deadline as well. They've picked up a few good players that way over the years.

[Rog]

It's hard to imagine the Giants without Scutaro, Pagan, Belt and Cain. I don't think Marco will ever be the same, and who knows with the other three? I'll bet Brian is working really hard to have plans in each of those areas. That's why I think they might add a player such as Ben Zobrist or Martin Prado to give them added versatility. Who knows WHERE they may need a new player most?

[rxmeister]

Brian was on KNBR and wasn't optimistic about a trade. He said there's too many teams that are buyers, and the sellers know that and are asking for too much. He said he refuses to make a bad trade. As for the injuries, I really think he's downplaying the severity so other teams don't think he's desperate. I think Belt will be out as long as a month and Cain is done for the year. Too much money invested in Cain to bring him back too soon. I think Duvall can do the job, so I look for him to add a starter, maybe someone like Bartolo Colon or Jake Peavy, who the Giants have been watching.

[klaiggeb]

Mark--Brian was on KNBR and wasn't optimistic about a trade. He said there's too many teams that are buyers, and the sellers know that and are asking for too much. He said he refuses to make a bad trade. As for the injuries, I really think he's downplaying the severity so other teams don't think he's desperate. I think Belt will be out as long as a month and Cain is done for the year. Too much money invested in Cain to bring him back too soon. I think Duvall can do the job, so I look for him to add a starter, maybe someone like Bartolo Colon or Jake Peavy, who the Giants have been watching.

---boly says---

Thanks, Mark. I never get to hear Sabean. How do you pick up KNBR?

You're echoing all of my thoughts.

1-Cain is done for the year, likely

2-Duvall does look like he can do the job

3-Sabean will not sell the farm, but will come up with some old used has been, like Peavey.


It makes no sense to trade the farm system away for a guy who's in his walk year, just to win.

It doesn't.

The signs, which I'll cover in another post, are pointing in a different direction.

boly

[rxmeister]

KNBR has an app you can download to your smart phone or tablet, Boly. You can also listen on your computer.

[klaiggeb]

Mark:

I don't have an iphone, don't want one, and I don't have, or want a tablet.

Where/how do I listen on my computer?

boly

[Rog]

Mark -- I think Duvall can do the job

Rog -- I thought that Duvall was worth taking a chance on, but I don't believe he can do the job as a starting first baseman. I see him as a possible right-handed, power-hitting pinch hitter.

I wonder if Andrew Susac will be called up if Hector Sanchez has to go on the DL. I don't think Andrew is ready, but I do think he will hit -- and possibly it can even be now. I like him better than Duvall, although he doesn't have nearly the power Adam has.

The Giants don't have much depth anywhere, but if we consider Hector to be Tim Lincecum's personal catcher, the Giants could potentially have three catchers with roles.

[rxmeister]

KNBR.com, Boly.

[klaiggeb]

Mark-KNBR.com, Boly.

---boly says....That's what I did last night, Mark, and it kept telling me the station was loaded... but no sound at all.

Blacked out because of the Dodger broadcast?


I also wonder about tonights game.

Direct TV is carrying it on the MLB network. Will the morons black that one out for us, too?

boly

[klaiggeb]

Mark; On the website, there is no "listen" or any similar link to click on.

What do you do to tune in?

boly

[rxmeister]

You won't be able to listen during the game, because they black all games out. You have to pay at the mlb site to hear the actual game. About ten minutes after the game ends they go back on live with the post game show. They usually rerun some old shows when the game is on. In the upper right hand corner there's a red box that says "listen live." Click on it and it will ask you which KNBR station you want to listen to. The Giants station is 680.

[klaiggeb]

Mark--You won't be able to listen during the game, because they black all games out. You have to pay at the mlb site to hear the actual game. About ten minutes after the game ends they go back on live with the post game show. They usually rerun some old shows when the game is on. In the upper right hand corner there's a red box that says "listen live." Click on it and it will ask you which KNBR station you want to listen to. The Giants station is 680.

---boly says---

Thanks, Mark.

I don't think I can take on another "sports" bill. Not with the baseball and football packages I already have on DirecTV.

My wife loves me having those things... but to ask for another, that I wouldn't use that often, wouldn't be fair.

boly

[rxmeister]

Want to save money, Boly? How much is the Direct TV package? Two hundred? Buy the mlb package next year for 139 instead and you get everything on your computer, plus if you have a smart TV you probably have the app for Major League Baseball and you can watch it with your mlb subscription. If you don't, you can buy an Apple TV or a Roku device for 99 dollars and watch it with their app. It will cost a little more the first year with the 99 dollar expenditure, but will pay for itself by next year. The mlb package is superior to the Direct TV package because you get all the games home and away and can choose your own feed.

[klaiggeb]

Mark-Want to save money, Boly? How much is the Direct TV package? Two hundred? Buy the mlb package next year for 139 instead and you get everything on your computer, plus if you have a smart TV you probably have the app for Major League Baseball and you can watch it with your mlb subscription. If you don't, you can buy an Apple TV or a Roku device for 99 dollars and watch it with their app. It will cost a little more the first year with the 99 dollar expenditure, but will pay for itself by next year. The mlb package is superior to the Direct TV package because you get all the games home and away and can choose your own feed.

--boly says---

Mark, you've got my interest.

What is a "smart TV?"

I have 2 HD flat screens which are both less than 3 years old.

I'm assuming that's not what you mean.


With DirectTV I can choose the feed I get.

I'm just not high on watching the game on my 12 x 17 computer screen as opposed to my much, much larger TV screen.

But you've got my attention.

Anything else you can provide would be most appreciated.

boly

[rxmeister]

A smart TV has apps you can access much like a smart phone. I'm guessing you don't have that or you would probably know it. But like I said a device like Apple or Roku turns any TV into a smart tv and it's a one time payment of 99 dollars.

[klaiggeb]

Thanks, Mark.

I'll look into it.

For $99.00, and then $139.00 in lieu of the $200.00+, this may be a really good deal for me to consider.

boly