2010 NLDS: Braves vs. Giants

Gm 1	ATL @ SF	Thu	Oct. 7	9:30 PM	TBS
Gm 2	ATL @ SF	Fri	Oct. 8	9:30 PM	TBS
Gm 3	SF @ ATL	Sun	Oct. 10	TBD	TBS
Gm 4*	SF @ ATL	Mon	Oct. 11	TBD	TBS
Gm 5*	ATL @ SF	Wed	Oct. 13	TBD	TBS

Predicting Giants, rooting Braves.

Barry Zito was fantastic early on this season, going 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA through six starts, and he had an ERA under 3.50 as recently as mid-August, but the veteran left-hander went 1-8 with a 6.66 ERA in his final 11 starts and now the Giants have decided to bump him from the playoff rotation.

Tim Lincecum will start Game 1, followed by Matt Cain in Game 2 and Jonathan Sanchez in Game 3. Bruce Bochy said today that he's undecided about who would get the Game 4 call, but the options don't include Zito. Instead, it'll either be rookie Madison Bumgarner or Lincecum coming back on short rest.

Normally that would mean a trip to the bullpen for Zito, but with Jeremy Affeldt, Dan Runzler, and Javier Lopez the Giants aren't exactly short on left-handed relief options. In other words, the $126 million man could be left off the postseason roster entirely for the first round.

SF in 5 low scoring games

I'm fairly certain that SF can do it but nervous.

Lowe vs. Timmeh is an exciting matchup. If the Braves had any teeth in its batting order, I'd be a little more confident, but they're not going to go anywhere trying to gum SF to death.

San Francisco should take this in five.

hope they leave Zito off the rotation and put him in the bullpen.

Hope they leave Zito on a curb during garbage pickup.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/04/SP5R1FO5DT.DTL

in other words, the Barry Zito question.

The Giants need only four starters for the best-of-five series. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez are locks. The decision comes down to Zito and Madison Bumgarner for Game 4 at Atlanta. Often, the starter left out of the rotation goes to the bullpen for long relief, but the Giants' bullpen is stuffed with quality arms.

Do they drop a Chris Ray or Dan Runzler to add a starter to the bullpen? Do they bite the bullet and drop one of the five starters? That could be risky if another starter gets shelled early, because the Giants do not have a true long man. If Zito is the odd man out of the rotation, do the Giants have the guts to leave a $126 million player off their roster?

Even though Zito struggled in Saturday's game against San Diego, he has playoff experience and pitched one of his best games of the season at Atlanta, holding the Braves to two runs in seven innings on Aug. 6. The Giants won 3-2...

The long man can be Bumgarner, with Lincecum pitching on short rest. Anyway, the starter most likely to be shelled early is Zito, no?

Zito would be a terrible long man. He was terrible in relief when he lost his starter's spot last year.

Zito is an average pitcher with an extremely above average salary.
Don't blame Zito for Sabean's idiocy.

Don't hate a yoga man.

I just can't see a way SF could lose this. Though I really, really hope they do.

sf is the better team here probably but the braves offense is sneaky good

Predicting Giants, rooting Braves.

― In "Bob" There Is No East or West (WmC), Tuesday, 5 October 2010 19:58 (Yesterday)

The amazing thing about the SF's success is that they seem to be doing it without the aid of their clueless GM/executive management.

When their three highest salaried players are left off the playoff roster, that has to be a huge hint that the GM is a complete idiot when it comes to allocating resources, right?

Zito + Rowand + Renteria = $43M in 2010, more than 1/3 of their payroll will go to bench cheerleaders in the playoffs. Good stuff.

Hes done a good job with the scrap heap tho - Uribe and Huff. And obviously has had success with the draft in Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Posey. I guess you get decent talent like that when your team is in the shitter for like 5 years in a row because of said shitty FA contracts.

I guess what I mean to be asking is: has there ever been a playoff team where the 3 highest salaried players (who are also healthy) have been left off the playoff roster? That has to be some kind of record right, esp on a bigger budget team!

Been a pretty dull round so far (unless you fetishize no-hitters over wins). Save us, Jints and Braves!

Yeah, watching history being made is really fucking boring. I hope nobody does anything special in this series.

how can it be history when it's the SECOND postseason no-hitter [sic]?

It was the first of other things.

love that something that happens once every 50 years is just boring to morbz. he really is old!

I agree with Morbs that a no-hitter in the wild card round isn't the same thing as a perfect game in the world series.

Panda hitting 7th? he really had a shitty 2nd half, huh.

(I am transitioning to the game at hand as you guys transition out of the lameass age jokes)

Yeah, Panda has been brutal. He hasn't been starting lately.

Cal Ripken: "This game is going to be boring."

actually, he was splendid in April and August and awful the rest of the time!

xp

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=29212

Stockton is letting his fro grow out! That's a good look on him.

Yeah I meant September. Especially in the field. Lots of bad plays.

oh hey robin williams awesome!

Why is Walter Huston on my television.

I thought it was Wavy Gravy

but yes, he seemed toothless.

ready, i think

lead off double, than strikes out the side. though he is way too amped right now.

I saw Lincecum lose in Atlanta in August, 3-2, on HRs by Hinske and Gonzalez.

Timmy looks like he is now on his game.

so is Lowe. looks like another 1-0 game.

Conrad is such a butcher.

why the hell do they walk Sandoval?

who knows

maybe they're gonna pitch around ross too?

http://blahblahblahscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/rawse.jpg

Almost pitched around Timmy too.

lol

there is that 1-0 lead

Infante not exactly Brooks Robinson over at 3B.

It's amazing to me that the announcers didn't mention that Posey should've been out at second. He was CLEARLY out, I thought. But they didn't even mention it or take a closer look or anything.

29% of the Giants' position players are Tiger castoffs/washouts/disappointments/Randy Smith-era punchlines.

And now they are all in the game.

lol

Neither of these teams deserves to have nice things.

"I don't practice," Reneria. "I can't catch no slick ground ball"

"If I made a $1M, I would... sit on the bench"

"no shit"

really, it's time to send these racist chanters and wife-beating manager home

Would a rookie get benched the next game for dogging it that hard on a ground ball like Gonzalez did?

why you really ARE kind of shrill and very self-righteous

I know my brand

Free Brooks Conard

is this what u do with yr freedom

racist chanters

B*** W**** I'm just playin witcha, G, it's fine to use this shit re anything with an arrest rate like the NFL's. THUG LIFE

^^B**** W***** is the worst.^^

(not Billy Wagner btw)

now is not the time to debate my right to mock wiggers, CS.

DM, fuck you, asshole.

Ball Walker

(learn to spell btw)

corny indie beard in a corny indie sport

Brian Wilson knows how to John Franco this shit up

wait, tim hudson is pinch running?

time for Sergiohttp://images.chron.com/blogs/askacat/hatcat.JPG

what a poor at bat from an nfl all star

Blowin Wilson

er, nl

This is some Rod Beck (RIP) level shit, bring onhttp://images.chron.com/blogs/askacat/hatcat.JPG

holy shit

HAHAHAHA MELKY CABRERA

THIS IS WHAT BOBBY COX GETS FOR BATTING HEWAYRD SIXTH

an All-Star K f'shaw

look at this herb in the background to the right

sweet hell

Brauxhawk Wilgetsonned

that herb is probably going to get laid tonite, so wdik

TRUE YANKEE

nnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

i'm happy for cody ross

Short rest or not, Lincecum has to start Games 1, 4 and 7 vs PHI, yes?

yes

seriously, i really hope that bobby cox is happy to go out on a melky cabrera grounder cuz he decided to demote the second best hitter on his team to sixth batter

"Like A Rock" -Bob Seger playing on the stadium PR

lol

nowai Braves fans singing "Like a Cox"

no fucking way

okay then 10seconds of darude seguing into "Georgia On My Mind"

noooooo luv u Melky :(((((((((

that is why u fail

don't turn the TV off yet they're about to present Posey with NL ROY in ten minutes.. after the Cox interview.

happy happy joy joy

i said Giants in four and it came true :)

that was a lot of fun but boy those Giants better start cashing in some runs.

Love the giants, hahaha
next round gets really interesting