Starting Rotation

[sfgdood]

1. Blach (head slap!)

2. Johnny

3. Holland (4 straight months of a 9+ ERA)

4. Stratton (decent 2017 but not altogether proven yet)

5. Beede (No big league experience...4.79 ERA in AAA)

These are the guys we are relying on to hold us over until Jeff (who Boly and Boagie tell us stinks!) returns in mid May and Bum returns sometime around mid June or after--and who knows how long after that it will take him to be the MadBum we all know? I suppose we could pick up someone marginally better off the scrap heap...but finding a genie in that bottle is a long shot.

I can think of only one word to describe the outlook...grim! And I haven't even touched on the bullpen which will get a lot more work with Bum and Shark on the shelf...oy!

[sfgdood]

AND...this just in...Melancon is likely to start the year on the DL.

Time to rebuild.

[rog]

It may be time to rebuild by the trade deadline. Right now is too soon to start.

I guess we thought the Giants' four most impactful pitchers this season would be Bumgarner, Cueto, Samardzija and Melancon. Well, at least Johnny is still healthy.

Where is George now that we need him?

[garyd4sf]

More news....Samardzja says he is feeling good and starting to "play catch" tomorrow. His stint on the DL may be short. And he could be added to that starting list shortly.

RP P Johnson and R Gomez are kept since they both can fling several innings during this Bum "gone" period.

[klaiggeb]

I watched Pierce throw last night, and wow! That kid has some great stuff!

Sharp, SHARP breaking ball, and high velocity fast ball.

Command? I'd like to see it get better, but with that velocity, in short bursts, it can be effective.

boly

[rog]

Johnson has had a hard time getting the ball over the plate, but he struck out 74 in 54 innings in AAA for the Cubs last season. Problem was he walked 27.

He was a starter until 2016, when he both started and relieved. Last season he started once and relieved 42 times. ERA over four, but the strikeouts were encouraging. Based on the strikeouts, it appears he is more suited to relief.