Brewers@Giants July 17/19

[Giants666]

Monday, July 17 AT&T Park | 7:15 PM PT

Zach Jackson, LHP (1-2, 5.94)VS.Jason Schmidt, RHP (6-5, 2.78)

Scouting Report:
Jackson surrendered three Cubs runs in 5 1/3 innings in his final first-half start, throwing first-pitch balls to 10 batters, including five of the last six he faced. Jackson has struggled to get deep into games, only completing six innings twice in six starts. But he has fared relatively well considering he is in his second professional season.
Schmidt returns after not competing in his third All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. Has logged club-best 13 quality starts and has yielded two earned runs or less in 11 of his last 13 starts. Hard-luck pitcher, Schmidt has fifth-worst run support in the league at 3.92 runs per game.

Tuesday, July 18 AT&T Park | 7:15 PM PT

Tomo Ohka, RHP (2-1, 3.18)VS.Jamey Wright, RHP (5-8, 5.06)

Scouting Report:
Ohka felt strong after another Minor League rehabilitation stint on Thursday and is lined up to return to the rotation in San Francisco. He has not pitched in the Majors since April 25 because of a subsurface rotator cuff tear. Manager Ned Yost has yet to formally announce his plans, and left-hander Dana Eveland or right-hander Carlos Villanueva (who would have to be recalled from Triple-A) are other options.
Wright had a mix of rough and smooth first half. After good start he's riding a career-long five-game losing streak, going 0-5 with a 6.70 ERA. He's fourth among NL starters with at 74.1 percent for grounders and is tied for lead with 18 double plays. During his skid, Giants have averaged only 1.8 runs in hist last eight contests.

Wednesday, July 19 AT&T Park | 12:35 PM PT

Doug Davis, LHP (5-6, 4.77)VS.Matt Morris, RHP (8-7, 4.23)

Scouting Report:
Walks continue to be a problem for Davis, who issued two free passes in his first second-half start, and helped Arizona score a first-inning run. But Davis settled in after that early hiccup and worked six innings, allowing just one more run and exiting with a lead. He grew up in Northern California and is 2-2 with a 3.62 ERA in five career appearances against the Giants, including a win this season at Miller Park.
The real Morris has resurfaced. The right-hander was in a funk for 11 games, winning only once with seven losses and three no-decisions, but has roared back with five straight victories, posting a 3.03 ERA. In his latest outing, he had his eighth quality start in his past nine games in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia last Friday night. Morris is getting ahead of batters now with consistency.

[love_that_reefer]

I like Schmidt and Morris pitching in this series. Morris has been great and Schmidt is one fo the best. A sweep would be very nice.

[Giants666]

We could use a sweep.

[Giants666]

Rested Schmidt takes on Brewers

Milwaukee (45-48) at San Francisco (46-46), 7:15 p.m. PT

Giants right-hander Jason Schmidt has had a decent season so far, but he's hoping the second half will make it a great one.
He's 6-3 with a 2.08 ERA over his last 14 starts, but hasn't won since June 6 and is 0-3 with a 3.38 ERA in six outings. He's coming off his fifth loss of the year last Sunday in Los Angeles, going six innings in a 3-1 loss.

Schmidt admits his celebrated "stuff" is still there, but despite not blaming the offense for lack of runs, he said the All-Star break came at a perfect time, as he felt something was missing. Maybe there was a touch of tiredness.

This start was pushed back from Sunday after Schmidt was weary from cross-country, early-morning flights to and from Pittsburgh's Midsummer Classic on Tuesday.

The Giants also thought it advisable the right-hander throw against Milwaukee, as he posted his ninth career shutout vs. the Brew Crew on May 3 at Miller Park.

"I told them I could pitch Sunday, but if it would help the team, I'd do it," said Schmidt of waiting the extra day.

Schmidt is 6-3 lifetime vs. Milwaukee with a 2.82 ERA over 12 starts.

Pitching matchup

SF: RHP Jason Schmidt (6-5, 2.78 ERA)Schmidt returns after not competing in his third All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. He has logged a club-best 13 quality starts and has yielded two earned runs or less in 11 of his last 13 starts. A hard-luck pitcher, Schmidt has the fifth-worst run support in the league at 3.92 runs per game.

MIL: LHP Zach Jackson (1-2, 5.94 ERA)Jackson surrendered three Cubs runs in 5 1/3 innings in his final first-half start, throwing first-pitch balls to 10 batters, including five of the last six he faced. Jackson has struggled to get deep into games, only completing six innings twice in six starts. But he has fared relatively well considering he is in his second professional season.

Player to watch
Giants second baseman Ray Durham hit a solo homer Sunday, his fourth in his last six games, but he left the contest with a jammed right shoulder.

[love_that_reefer]

1-0 Giants in the top of the 5th. Giants had the bases loaded with one out. Feliz did not hit into a DP but got a sac fly. Alfonzo then struck out on three straight pitches.

[love_that_reefer]

Brewers tie it up as Schmidt threw an 0-2 pitch right down the middle with a man on second and two outs. Richie Weeks with the RBI single.

[love_that_reefer]

It took me a while but I just realized Alou has Vizcaino leading off! WTF is he thinking?

[love_that_reefer]

Its now 2-1 with RISP and no outs. Not looking good in the 6th.

[love_that_reefer]

Goddamnit!!!! Bill Hall hits a three run shot to make it 5-1! Schmidt's not looking good tonight! Nine hits through 5 innings.

[love_that_reefer]

Mother ****ing goddmamnit shit balls and ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We get the ****ing bases loaded with nbo outs right after we give up four in the top of the inning. Alou pops on the infield, Feliz swings at the first pitches he sees and flies out to short center and Alfonzo ****ing strikes out AGAIN with the bases loaded!!!!!!!!!!! Perfect opportunity ****ed up by the Giants!!!

[Giants666]

and back below .500

[Giants666]

Brewers at Giants, Game 1

Jason Schmidt was called upon to stop the San Francisco Giants’ losing ways. Staked to a one-run lead after four innings at home against the Milwaukee Brewers, Giants fans had to like their team’s chances.

Think again.

The Brewers scored ten times in three innings, and a woeful Giants offense had no answers other than four hits in a dreadful 10-1 loss at AT&T Park.

The Giants certainly had their chances early, but squandered them. In the bottom of the first, a leadoff walk by Jose Vizcaino followed by a double by Omar Vizquel put runners on second and third with no outs. Neither of the Viz boys made it home, however, as Winn’s fly ball wasn’t deep enough to score Vizcaino, who was thrown out at the plate by Brewers center fielder Gabe Gross.

The weirdness continued in the bottom of the third, when a leadoff single by rookie first baseman Chad Santos was erased when Schmidt’s bunt attempt was too strong, and turned into a double play by the Brewers infield.

The Giants actually led in this game, pushing a run across in the bottom of the fourth inning after loading the bases. With one out, Winn doubled, and Brewers starter Zach Jackson (2-2) then proceeded to walk both Barry Bonds and Moises Alou. Pedro Feliz followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Winn; however the one run was all the Giants got, as the next batter, catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, struck out to end the threat.

For a while, the one run looked like all Schmidt (6-6) would need. The tall righthander struck out the side in the third inning, and had retired seven straight batters leading up to the top of the fifth inning. But then the wheels began to fall off the Giants express. After Bill Hall reached on a throwing error by Pedro Feliz, he was then thrown out trying to steal second. Milwaukee catcher Mike Rivera then coaxed a walk, and pitcher Johnson sacrificed him to second. Rickie Weeks then tied the game by singling up the middle, but after allowing a single by Jeff Cirillo to put runners on the corners, Schmidt escaped further incident by getting Geoff Jenkins to ground out to end the inning.

As invincible as Schmidt looked in the third, he was exactly the opposite in the sixth. The Brewers teed off on Schmidt with four straight loud hits to start off the inning – a double by Carlos Lee, a single by Prince Fielder, an RBI double by Gross, and a no-doubt-about-it 3-run home run by Hall that took the life out of the stadium and gave Milwaukee a 5-1 lead.

Things only got worse for the Giants in the abysmal seventh, where two Brewers hits led to five runs. Suffice to say, a leadoff walk and an error put two runners on, and a double by Lee scored Cirillo and chased Schmidt. Kevin Correia then promptly allowed two sacrifice flies and a 2-run homer by Rivera that capped the scoring at 10-1.

If the Giants were overlooking the Brewers before this series began, this author thinks the Brew Crew got their attention tonight. How the Giants respond to such a game should go a long way in forecasting the rest of their season.

SFDugout’s Player of the Game: Vizquel. Probably the sole bright spot for the Giants in the game, the veteran shortstop had two hits of the Giants’ four hits, and stole a base. Now about the rest of the team…

[Giants666]

Wright, Giants hoping for turnaround

Milwaukee (46-48) at San Francisco (46-47), 7:15 p.m. PT

Giants right-hander Jamey Wright could easily find fault with the offense as he struggles to snap an eight-game winless streak. But no. He prefers to look inward, expecting to pitch better.
Entering Tuesday night's contest against the Brewers, Wright is 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA and hasn't won since May 22, yet the San Francisco hitters have averaged only 1.75 runs per game during his troubled stretch.

Wright did have a hard-luck game at New York when he took a no-decision after allowing only two runs over eight frames and suffered a loss at Arizona despite another quality start -- two runs over seven innings.

Against Milwaukee, Wright is 2-4 with a 5.89 ERA lifetime over six outings.

The 31-year-old pitcher had a decent outing July 5 in Denver, but the Giants lost, 5-3. Still, that game showed promise that things might turn Wright's way.

"That's the best I've felt, best I've thrown in a long time," said Wright. "I had good stuff and I made a lot of pitches I wanted to make."

Pitching matchup

SF: RHP Jamey Wright (5-8, 5.06 ERA)
Wright had a mix of rough and smooth in the first half. After a good start, he's riding a career-long losing streak. Still, he's fourth among National League starters with a 74.1 percent for grounders and is tied for the lead with 18 double plays.

MIL: RHP Tomo Ohka (2-1, 3.18 ERA)
Ohka felt strong after another Minor League rehabilitation stint Thursday and is lined up to return to the rotation in San Francisco. He has not pitched in the Majors since May 1 because of a subsurface rotator cuff tear.

Player to watch
Randy Winn has hit safely in 18 of his last last 24 games.

Well we need Jamey to have a good game and end this god dam losing streak.

[brewersfan19]

I completely understand where you are coming from. If it were not for the Brewers, the Giants are probably my 2nd favorite team... I jumped on their band wagon when Will Clark played there. I loved his nastiness or tenacidy (spelling there, yikes).

The Brewers are Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde team also. They get a good pitching performance and horrible hitting, or vise versa.

I say the Giants need to just cut all ties with Bonds (not a huge fan of his) and move on. Rebuild, do something. Maybe the can trade Bonds to an AL team.

Good Luck to ya the rest of the year.

[brewersfan19]

Alou just got a pinch hit double and 2 RBI's. Giants lead 4-3 now. damn Brewers.. Rest my case from previous post.