For now, Giants on par with Dodgers
If recent developments told us anything about the GiantsDodgers dynamic, it’s that you’d take Michael Tauchman over Mookie Betts as your leadoff hitter. Absurdities abound in the statistical comparisons, certain to collide headon with reality as the season goes on, but a couple of things are clear.
The Dodgers have some serious problems. And the Giants have the capacity to hang with the world champions for — who knows how long?
As much as local fans have enjoyed the Giants’ flirtation with first place in the National League West in the early going, this has become a national story. ESPN ran a piece ranking all 30 teams based on April performance against preseason expectations, and the Giants topped the list with an Aplus ranking. Jeff Passan called San Francisco “a burgeoning monster” with its “phenomenally deep farm system,” pitcherfriendly ballpark and “excellent management, development and a boatload of money to spend.”
The Dodgers? “They stink,” wrote the L.A. Times’ Bill Plaschke, who before Opening Day had predicted they’d finish as “the greatest team in the history of the game.”
They’ve been pretty awful, losing 14 of 18 games heading into Friday night’s play. Stars are slumping, the defense has been erratic, a rudderless bullpen has 12 blown saves, the depth looks shaky with Kiké Hernandez and Joc Pederson now wearing different uniforms, and the injuries are piling up — most notably Cody Bellinger (hairline leg fracture) and electricstuff starter Dustin May, who is headed for seasonending Tommy John surgery.
You wouldn’t know it from their current numbers, but Betts, Cory Seager, Justin Turner and Max Muncy are going to hit. Spare no pity for a rotation featuring Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Trevor Bauer and Julio Urias. That bullpen could hinder any chance for the Dodgers to get any separation if a couple of relievers don’t step forward to handle the eighth and ninth innings.
The Giants’ compelling season is partly characterized by intangibles: belief, spirit, a sense that a really nice story is in progress. All of those things matter, in the clubhouse and on the field. For all the concerns about lineups, strategy or performance, this is a team that
makes every game a suspenseful adventure — and happens to own one of the deepest, most consistent (so far) rotations in baseball.
The beauty of a 162game season is that the basic truths about a team’s talent seem to sort themselves out. We’re likely to see the Dodgers flip a few scripts before long. It’s worth asking, though: Why couldn’t the Giants sustain the intrigue into midsummer, also staying close to the formidable Padres? Somehow it doesn’t sound all that ridiculous.
An old friend’s revival
Great to see exGiant Matt Duffy score the Cubs’ winning run in a thrilling 11inning victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night. Released by Texas last June and granted free agency by the Yankees after languishing in the vacant minor leagues, he appears to have found stability in the Cubs’ lineup, playing third base and batting .296 in 54 atbats . ... When Arizona manager Torey Lovullo pulled Madison Bumgarner on Thursday night after his brilliant six innings (one run, two hits, 85 pitches), it seemed like another case of removing an effective starter too soon; within moments of his departure, Miami scored twice for a 31 lead that held up. But this was all about caution. Batting in the second inning, Bumgarner took a 93mph pitch on his right wrist. He stayed in the game but was in pain, and the Diamondbacks needed to see some Xrays. (They came back negative.)
Wonderful moment between the Astros’ Jose Altuve and manager Dusty Baker, after Altuve’s threerun homer clinched a 74 win Thursday night before a relentlessly hostile Yankee Stadium crowd. Baker knows that for any of his players involved in the 2017 signstealing scandal, anger and retaliation should be expected. He also feels that, at some point, “That has to stop. I think that sometimes we need to look at ourselves before you spew hate on somebody else. It’s sad to me. People make mistakes. We paid for ours, and I wish they’d leave it alone.” Altuve felt the sting of public outrage throughout that series, and as he returned to the dugout after whacking a headhigh pitch into the leftfield seats, Baker grabbed both of his shoulders in a warm embrace.
The great Albert Pujols was cut loose Thursday by the Angels, his 10year contract due to expire at season’s end, and it’s difficult to recall a career quite like his. During an 11year run with the Cardinals, he won three MVP awards and belted .328 with 445 home runs, finding himself linked with the greatest first basemen and righthanded hitters of alltime. Firstballot Hall of Famer, no question. Often hobbled by injuries, he never had a .300 season with the Angels. They never won a single postseason game during his time with the team. He was always firstclass and a presence, yet out on the margins somewhere. Rightly so, the Angels’ DH job now belongs to Shohei Ohtani, who — when he’s not throwing 101mph fastballs and unhittable splitters on the mound — has racked up 10 homers (tied for the league lead), six stolen bases and two triples. As for Pujols, there seems to be no obvious destination, but let’s hope he winds up somewhere.