4.05.2006
You Got Lucky, Babe
First win of the year: nothing to sneeze at. Achoo. But there's a disreputable saying that goes something like, "I'd rather be lucky than good" -- Mae West, perhaps? -- and tonight that's exactly what the Giants were.
Not that they aren't good. We just don't know. We haven't seen them enough to really say for sure one way or another. Matt Morris threw a lot of strikes, but he also walked his opposing number and generally pitched deep into counts while not surrendering much damage. "Effective," I think the word is. "Dominating," I think the word isn't.
Not that I'm not complaining: 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball? I'll take that every time, by Zeus's beard!
But the rest of the Giants got lucky, it needs saying. Steve Kline came in to relieve Morris in the seventh and looked lost until Steve Finley streaked across the greensward to snag a line drive.
Then Scott Munter struck out Mark Bellhorn...talk about irresistible force meeting immovable object (roll over Beethoven, and tell Ella Fitzgerald the news). Munter never strikes anyone out, and Bellhorn never met a strikeout he didn't like. So of course he whiffs on a 90-MPH sinker that doesn't sink, unless you consider "right across the bellybutton and practically on a frickin' tee" a downward movement.
Sheesh.
Then Munter walks Brian Giles to start the eighth, as if to say, "Say, let's just see how much luck we have running in our favor tonight," but he finally gets out of the jam when Adrian Gonzalez, who seems to hit lots of balls hard the opposite way, smacks a bullet that short-hops Peter Happy almost in his happies -- hello, stranger! -- and he starts an inning-ending double play.
Get the drift?
Then Tim Worrell gets atrocious defensive non-help in the ninth -- that blown infield pop-up looked like something my 25-and-over team would pull on any given Sunday -- and ends up making things interesting. That is, until Eric Young hits a "grounder" -- three feet to the left and it's a solid basehit to left, but it's right at Omar Vizquel to end the game with a little 6-4-3.
Luck-ee. Luhhhhhhh.....keeeeeeeee. Lucky.
And I haven't even gotten started about the offense.
Best moment of the game:
Tie: 1) Worrell strikes out Spicoli with a 88-MPH fastball in the ninth; 2) Lance Niekro draws a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.
Worst moment of the game:
With bases loaded, no outs, and the previous hitter walking on four pitches (see above), Pedro grounds out on the first pitch into a double play.
See y'all tomorrow at the real Opening Day.
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Not that they aren't good. We just don't know. We haven't seen them enough to really say for sure one way or another. Matt Morris threw a lot of strikes, but he also walked his opposing number and generally pitched deep into counts while not surrendering much damage. "Effective," I think the word is. "Dominating," I think the word isn't.
Not that I'm not complaining: 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball? I'll take that every time, by Zeus's beard!
But the rest of the Giants got lucky, it needs saying. Steve Kline came in to relieve Morris in the seventh and looked lost until Steve Finley streaked across the greensward to snag a line drive.
Then Scott Munter struck out Mark Bellhorn...talk about irresistible force meeting immovable object (roll over Beethoven, and tell Ella Fitzgerald the news). Munter never strikes anyone out, and Bellhorn never met a strikeout he didn't like. So of course he whiffs on a 90-MPH sinker that doesn't sink, unless you consider "right across the bellybutton and practically on a frickin' tee" a downward movement.
Sheesh.
Then Munter walks Brian Giles to start the eighth, as if to say, "Say, let's just see how much luck we have running in our favor tonight," but he finally gets out of the jam when Adrian Gonzalez, who seems to hit lots of balls hard the opposite way, smacks a bullet that short-hops Peter Happy almost in his happies -- hello, stranger! -- and he starts an inning-ending double play.
Get the drift?
Then Tim Worrell gets atrocious defensive non-help in the ninth -- that blown infield pop-up looked like something my 25-and-over team would pull on any given Sunday -- and ends up making things interesting. That is, until Eric Young hits a "grounder" -- three feet to the left and it's a solid basehit to left, but it's right at Omar Vizquel to end the game with a little 6-4-3.
Luck-ee. Luhhhhhhh.....keeeeeeeee. Lucky.
And I haven't even gotten started about the offense.
Best moment of the game:
Tie: 1) Worrell strikes out Spicoli with a 88-MPH fastball in the ninth; 2) Lance Niekro draws a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.
Worst moment of the game:
With bases loaded, no outs, and the previous hitter walking on four pitches (see above), Pedro grounds out on the first pitch into a double play.
See y'all tomorrow at the real Opening Day.
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