Croix De Candlestick

Brief History: The Croix De Candlestick pin was handed out to only the best and most diehard of Giants fans. After an extra inning game at Candlestick, any fan who braved the elements and stayed for the whole game was given the coveted pin. Candlestick Park's conditions past 10 o clock and the 9th inning at night were harsh and unforgiving. To own a Croix De Candlestick pin is a badge of honor that tells the world, "I love my Giants"

Friday, July 22, 2005

D-Train Roughed Up...Again

What is wrong with Dontrelle Willis? From the start of the season up till July 8th, he's been quite possibly the most dominating pitcher this year. Then, he gets tagged for a few runs in the All-Star game and suddenly he's human again. Following a 3 hit shutout of the Mets on July 3rd, he's given up a total 23 runs, and 25 hits in just 12 innings of work. His longest outting has been 5.2 innings in which he gave up 10 hits and 8 runs. In those last 12 innings, he's given up 3 home runs, which is 1 home every 4 innings; nearly 2 per start. The scouting report on Willis goes as follows:
Part of the problem was Willis' difficulties in improving his average changeup. He still relied almost exclusively on an 89-92 MPH fastball that he must locate to have success. His slider is a plus pitch, but he must get to two strikes for it to be most effective. He rarely throws the slider for strikes.
So basically, the D-Train's problems lie in his inability to locate his fastball and his unwillingness to develop his secondary pitches. If he's not locating his fastball, he doesn't have another pitch to turn to in the clutch. In tonights game against the Giants, Willis gave up 7 runs in 3 innings, walked 2, and struck out 2.


One bat that has begun to heat up for the Giants is that of Pedro Feliz. In his last 3 games, he's batting an even .500 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI's. The last time he was hitting this well was when the season began. For a good month, he carried the Giant's Bonds-less offense right around the time Alou went down with an injury. Then Alou came back, and Feliz returned to Earth and has been there until very recently.

Let's hope that Feliz' performance is an omen of things to come. Amazingly, the Giants are still very much in the hunt for a division title so knock on wood.


The Trade Deadline is Almost Upon Us

Ok with "The Deadline" approaching, comes quasi rumors that could or could not be true, most of which are spurred by speculation to who should be traded, not who will be. ESPN Insider recently put up an article of the top 10 most likely candidates to be switching uniforms by the end of July. Most of the players on the list are said that although teams have interest, they won't be traded. They throw out a name to draw in the reader, and then they admit that in all likeliness they won't be moved. An example is Jason Schmidt, who is number 3 on the list. It is stated that:
an official of one club monitoring Schmidt said again Friday that unless the Giants are lying to him, the Schmidt rumors are nothing but media talk.
With the trade market devoid of any huge names about to be dealt, the media needs franchise players and staff aces to keep fans interested. Whether or not any block buster deals are going to made remains to be seen.

The official big catch of the deadline this season is A.J. Burnett, even though in my opinion he's no ace pitcher. He's more of a middle-of-the-road number 3 starter, who has the potential to be sporadically dominant on a good day. Teams are willing to trade an arm and a leg for a pitcher who's 6-6 this season with a 3.68 ERA. Nothing particularly sensational, but not terrible. He would help out a team like the Red Sox that has been without ace Curt Schilling in the rotation for most of the season, or the injury plagued rotation of the Yankees, although the pressure of playing in New York might prove to be too much for the delicate psyche of a young pitcher.

Outside of Burnett, the market is seeminly scant talent-wise. It's currently peppered with average players who likely would have about as much impact as Adam Hyzdu on the Red Sox. (If you don't know who Adam Hyzdu is, then I've proved my point.) One name I've seen brought up a few time is Mark Teixeira, although odds are it won't happen. The Rangers are not going to trade the future of their franchise for a middle of the road player to be named later with cash and minor leaguers.

Who know's what the trading deadline is going to bring? Outside of self-proclaimed insider Tim Kurkijian, no one does. We're likely to see all the action happening in the 2 hour period before the deadline ends. I'll write an analysis of all the major trades when the time comes so now you have something to look forward to. Oh and by the way, the Giants are now 7 games out of first and winning. A smart trade might be the final piece of the puzzle for them this season if they want to make a run for the division. The Giants have Brad Hennessey pitching tomorrow going up against Josh Beckett. I'll leave you with a scouting report of the matchup.
Beckett looks to make a successful return from the strained oblique that landed him on the disabled list in early July. On June 30, Beckett came off the DL from a blister injury and threw six shutout innings in a win over Atlanta. It was in his next outing, against Milwaukee, that he left after two innings with the oblique injury.

Hennessey has come on strong in his last two outings, going 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA. He blanked St. Louis over seven innings on July 9, then allowed only a run over 6 2/3 frames against Los Angeles last Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

posted by Go Orange and Black @ 7/22/2005 11:27:00 PM  

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