Confused as to what's wrong

[klaiggeb]

Brandon Belt is not a catcher, and since he is not, he DOESN'T get hit in the face very often.

He got hit once; Once.

And though I DO understand the concussion... I really need help understanding what in the world the problem continues to be?

And for me, what's worse NO ONE from the Giants, not the medical staff, not ownership, not the managers are having much to say about what's wrong.

He's gone to specialists. Fine.

What did they say?

What are his continuing problems?

At least for Sanchez, they continue to keep us updated, saying his still dizzy and has headaches.

But for Belt?

Zip.

Anyone catch what I've missed?

temporarily fat

boly

[Rog]

Boly -- And though I DO understand the concussion... I really need help understanding what in the world the problem continues to be?

Rog -- I see two possibilities. Possibility something else has developed that we don't know about. The more likely possibility though seems to me to be that the concussion was worse than anyone thought, and Brandon aggravated it by returning too quickly.

I think the problem continues to be the concussion. A fair number of players in a fair number of sports have had to retire due to concussions, with Mike Matheny being the most memorable baseball player. I believe Brandon got hit in the side of the head, which might have made him more vulnerable.

More than anything else, I hope the problem isn't long-term.

One of the most visible athletes to be forced into retirement was hockey's Eric Lindros, once considered the likely successor to Wayne Gretzky as hockey's greatest player. What many have forgotten is that Eric's brother had previously retired due to concussions. Perhaps some are more vulnerable than others.

I'm assuming in Brandon's case his sitting out is a medical necessity, and I have no problem with it.

Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2426/confused-wrong#ixzz3BuLz0Ac0

[klaiggeb]

Thing is, Rog, Brandon only got plunked once.

Lindros and Matheny got plunked in the head a LOT.

that's why, to me, this situation is so strange.

boly

[rxmeister]

I guess it's the severity of the concussion combined with the probability that some people react worse to them than others. Let's not forget that although catchers are hit far more frequently, their head has some level of protection against the concussion. The mask shields much of the impact. Belt got hit directly with nothing to protect him. I would think that's why it worse. Last report though is that he's improving and they expect him back in September.

[klaiggeb]

Thanks, Mark.

No sooner did I post the question, then there was info in SFGate and other places.

But if he's not due back for a couple of weeks, will he be eligible for post season Rosters?

boly

[Rog]

Boly -- But if he's not due back for a couple of weeks, will he be eligible for post season Rosters?

Rog -- Yes. Do you like a batting order of:

Pagan

Panik

Posey

Sandoval

Pence

Belt

Morse

Crawford?

With the two switch hitters in the lineup, there are never two straight right-handed hitters or lefty swingers.

Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2426/confused-wrong#ixzz3BzpjL4SH

[klaiggeb]

Actually, Rog, I don't. For me, Posey hits 4th, Sandoval 5th.

My line up when/if Belt returns this year.

Pagan
Panik
Pence
Posey
Pablo
Morse
Belt
Crawford.

I want speed in the 3 hole, and guys who can run some, 1-2-3.

With Pence there, you've got what I'm looking for.

My line up puts guys on base for Posey, and protects him with Sandoval, Morse and Belt.

You saw Hunter 3 hole today, and he validated my point.

boly

[rxmeister]

Flip Belt and Morse and I like your lineup, Boly. Against righties I would be awfully tempted to use Blanco instead of Morse at this point. Morse's defense can kill you in a short playoff series or a key game.

[klaiggeb]

Mark: IF... IF Belt had been playing for the last couple of months and NOT out with an injury, I would totall agree.

But honestly, I do NOT want a guy trying to re find his swing, hitting higher in the lineup than Morse.

But you are so right about MOrse and his defense.


Then again, remember, though now is NOT the time to do it, I wanted Belt in LF.



As to Blanco over Morse vs RHP... I'm thinking, no. Yeah, Gregor has been hot... but over the weekend, we saw him cooling off.

And Morse has been swinging the bat better and better the last couple of weeks.

Morse for 5 or 6, and then Blanco. I would rather have the offense early, and the defense late.

boly

[Rog]

Another way to make defense/offense switches would be to start out with the defensive player and then pinch hit with the offensive guy if the team falls behind. At home against right-handers, it might make sense to start Blanco and then look at the possibilitity of pinch hitting later if necessary.

Blanco didn't cool off over the weekend. He went 3 for 9 with a homer and five walks. That's not cooling off.

The reality is that Morse and Blanco have formed a nice combination over the course of the season. Morse was hot early, then Blanco came on. Recently both have been performing well.

The problem the Giants have had both this year and last is that when Pagan went down, the Giants have had to overplay the combination of Blanco/Torres and Blanco/Morse. Blanco complemented both Torres and Morse. Pagan's injuries exposed each of pair to extended play, diluting the complementary values in each case.

If we look at what the complementary pairing of Morse and Blanco was designed to do, the pairing has been reasonably effective. It is the dilution caused by injuries that has been problematic.

The Giants are paying something like $9 million to Morse and Blanco combined. They have gotten their money's worth. The player they haven't gotten their money's worth from is Pagan -- not because Angel hasn't played well, but because he hasn't played often enough. Morse and Blanco have pretty much played to plan. Pagan is the guy who, due to injury, hasn't.

The Giants should have been better prepared for the likely injuries to Pagan and Morse. They were unfortunate with regard to Joaquin Arias' ability to take over for Marco Scutaro, but they were fortunate to have Joe Panik grow into that job.

The Giants have withstood a mound of injuries. They should have been a bit better prepared, but there was no way to fully anticipate all the injuries they incurred. Still, they have survived. Disappointing and uncharacteristic loss today, but they're still hanging in nicely.

The Giants finished August 16-12, which was right in between their 18-11 record in 2012 and their 13-15 in 2010. In September of those two seasons, they went 19-10 (2010) and 20-10 (2012).