Zito, Giants beat Cards, close NLCS deficit to 3-2 (Yahoo! Sports)

19 Oct
2012

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito throws during the first inning of Game 5 of baseball's National League championship series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Elsa, Pool)

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The big curveball was back, and Barry Zito mixed in some well-placed fastballs, too.


Tags: , , curveball, deficit, , Giants beat Cards, , NLCS, ,
No Comments Share Read More

Zito dazzles in NLCS Game 5 win vs. Cardinals – Barry Zito | SF

19 Oct
2012
Barry Zito was dazzling in his victory over the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLCS on Friday, scattering six hits and a walk over 7 2/3 scoreless innings.
No Comments Share Read More

Zito gets Game 5, pushing Bumgarner to pen – Barry Zito | SF

17 Oct
2012
Giants manager Bruce Bochy has named Barry Zito his NLCS Game 5 starter.
Tags: , Bumgarner, , SF Giants
No Comments Share Read More

NLDS Game 4: Giants tie series behind arrival of offense, Tim Lincecum’s relief effort

10 Oct
2012

Score and situation: The San Francisco Giants forced a decisive Game 5 with an 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday afternoon.

Leading lads: After managing a total of just four runs in their first three games, the Giants offense broke out in a big way during Game 4. Angel Pagan hit the first leadoff home run in the franchise's long postseason history while Gregor Blanco and Pablo Sandoval each hit a two-run homer. Starter Barry Zito didn't have his best stuff and was yanked after allowing two runs and four walks over 2 2/3 innings of work. But manager Bruce Bochy went to the ace up his sleeve, bringing Tim Lincecum in from the bullpen with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Lincecum struck out Ryan Ludwick to end a Reds scoring threat and he'd go on to strike out six Reds batters while allowing just one run over 4 1/3 innings of work. Head hangers: Reds starter Mike Leake performed poorly after being called into the postseason roster to replace the injured Johnny Cueto. The righthander came into the game with a good track record against the Giants, giving up just three runs over his last three starts (23  1/3 total IP). He wilted on Wednesday, though giving up three runs in his first two innings and five over 4 1/3.

Key play:  Zito didn't last long, but his strikeout of Dioner Navarro with the bases loaded in the first inning was huge. Zito had walked two batters in the frame, but limiting the Reds to just one run in the first set the tone for the day.

Interesting stat: The Giants have won the last 12 starts by Barry Zito.

What they'll be talking about: It's amazing how quickly the momentum of a series can change. Twenty-four hours ago, the Giants offense was flailing and it looked like it'd be swept out of the postseason. One Scott Rolen error on Tuesday and a good team win on Wednesday later, the Giants are walking into Game 5 on Thursday with a swagger. They hold the upper hand with Matt Cain starting against Mat Latos, which is now part of the reason that Dusty Baker will be forced to answer questions on why he didn't try to end it early by starting Latos against Zito in Game 4.

What's next: A Game 5 at Great American Ballpark on Thursday for the right to advance to the NLCS. First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. ET with Matt Cain and Mat Latos listed as the expected starters. The game will be televised on TBS.

Make sure your bases are covered this postseason ...
Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!

No Comments Share Read More

Barry Zito chosen as Giants’ Game 4 starter – Barry Zito | SF

08 Oct
2012
Barry Zito has been named the Giants' NLDS Game 4 starter.
No Comments Share Read More

Stream Police: Can Jeremy Guthrie tame the Tigers?

01 Oct
2012
by in General

Two more streaming days and then we're all done. Here's the Tuesday card. As always, consider everyone to be tentative and double check anything you can.

Bloc Party
Hisashi Iwakuma vs. LAA
Miguel Gonzalez at TB
Jeremy Guthrie vs. DET

Guthrie's run in Kansas City (3.18 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 16 walks, 53 strikeouts) has been too good to ignore, even with this matchup. And perhaps the Tigers will enter the game with little incentive. Guthrie does have to face Doug Fister, however; he's been very good, too.

Party Out of Bounds
Chris Carpenter vs. CIN
Barry Zito at LAD
Jacob Turner vs. NYM
Chris Capuano vs. SF
Bud Norris at CHC

The Capuano story has run out of steam in the second half (3-7, 4.71/1.29) but with the Chavez Ravine backdrop and Zito on the other side, there's only so low I can rank him. Zito has actually been strong over the last month (four wins, 3.03/1.38), which sets up a Charlie Brown/football opportunity. Tread carefully.

Pity Party
Kevin Correia vs. ATL
David Phelps vs. BOS
Tyler Thornburg vs. SD
Jhoulys Chacin at ARI
Justin Masterson vs. CHW
Travis Blackley vs. TEX
Chris Volstad vs. HOU

Phelps takes over for Ivan Nova, who's been a mess down the stretch. How many innings can Phelps be expected to go?

Blanket Party
Patrick Corbin vs. COL
Casey Kelley at MIL
Carlos Villanueva vs. MIN
Anthony Swarzak at TOR

Hey, there are games Wednesday. Don't risk anything on these guys.

Possible Streams for Wednesday (in no particular order): Travis Wood, A.J. Griffin, Ryan Vogelsong, Gavin Floyd. There's a lot of trickiness to this slate, as some playoff-secure teams might want to go easy on their starters (or their primary players). Early in the Tuesday AM, I'll be back to analyze the final fiesta of the fantasy year.

And while you're adding pitchers for your baseball trophy, you might want to add Rashard Mendenhall, too. I hear he's the new closer for the Steelers. Andy Behrens has more, below, in the Yahoo! Fantasy Minute.

Tags: , Bloc, Bloc Party Hisashi Iwakuma, , , Doug Fister, , Hisashi, , LAA, Miguel Gonzalez, ,
No Comments Share Read More

Zito delivers again as Giants beat D-backs 7-3 (Yahoo! Sports)

27 Sep
2012

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito throws to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Midseason acquisitions Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro each hit two-run homers in the second inning to back Barry Zito, and the NL West champion San Francisco Giants beat Arizona 7-3 Thursday in their regular-season home finale.


Tags: , , , , , Hunter, Hunter Pence, Marco Scutaro, , , ,
No Comments Share Read More

Stream Police: Correia tops weak Thursday card

26 Sep
2012
by in General

It's okay to eat fish, cause they don't have any feelings. Time to look at some streaming options.

The Thursday slate doesn't offer much quality freely available, but there are some good Friday picks waiting for you. Don't be afraid to pass on this group altogether; let the game come to you.

Plays for a certain context

Kevin Correia at NYM — Handy in September (2.52/1.04, six strikeouts, 18 Ks) but up against Dickey.
Hisashi Iwakuma at LAA — Numbers collapse on road, though he's worked 10 solid innings here.
Ivan Nova at TOR — Hard to trust on regular basis but Blue Jays are in tank mode.

Plays if you're chasing innings
Tyler Cloyd vs. WAS — He's been steady, but up against Gio Gonzalez.
Wily Peralta at CIN — Lefties hitting .286 against him.
Jacob Turner at ATL — Walked five in first appearance; just six free passes since (against 24 Ks).
Patrick Corbin at SF — Only full-on mess came at Colorado.

Plays if you're already desperate
Casey Kelly vs. LAD — Three useful turns, two bad ones. Decent strikeout numbers, anyway.
Barry Zito vs. ARI — No matter the day or assignment, I'm not interested.
Travis Blackley at TEX — Arlington is not to be trifled with.

Point-shaving mode
Luis Mendoza at DET — Wrong place, wrong time, wrong spot below Mendoza line.
Chris Volstad at COL — Last party of the year at Coors.
Jhoulys Chacin vs. CHC — Won't go deep, none of them do.

Here are some considerable plays for Friday (in no particular order): Mark Buehrle, Tim Hudson, Jon Niese, Scott Diamond, Edwin Jackson, Travis Wood, Blake Beavan, A.J. Griffin, Ryan Vogelsong, Andrew Werner. I'm also curious who the Orioles throw against Boston — right now that's listed as TBD.

I've designated Friday as my "surge past the innings cap" day in the Yahoo! Friends & Family League. It probably won't mean much given my placement in the pitching categories (not to mention my mediocre slot in the standings), but you want to play the game right until the end.

Tags: , , , , , Kevin Correia, mode, Patrick Corbin, Plays, Ryan Vogelsong, , Travis Blackley, Tyler Cloyd
No Comments Share Read More

Barry Zito will find himself in an unfamiliar spot come October: The Giants postseason roster

24 Sep
2012

Good news for Barry Zito: If the San Francisco Giants are in position to stage another party for winning a postseason series next month, Zito will be able to spray champagne as a contributor instead of as a somewhat awkward bystander.

That, of course, would be in direct opposition to the role that the left-hander played during the team's run to the 2010 World Series title. Left off the roster for all three postseason series, Zito played the part of someone who was rewarded handsomely to sit in a nice seat for the franchise's first title on the West Coast. Two years later, he'll be on the team's NLDS roster as Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced on Sunday that he'll be taking all five of his starters into the first round of the postseason.

As someone who felt bad for Zito when I saw him hanging on the outside of a fun run to the 2010 title, it's nice that he's getting this opportunity. No matter how you feel about his $126 million contract, it can't be a good feeling to sit on the sidelines when your paycheck says you should be out there pitching on the field.

At the same time, it should be noted that Ryan Vogelsong's second half stumble — he's 6-5 with a 5.56 ERA in 13 starts since the All-Star break — has a lot to do with Bochy's decision to carry five starters. Zito has been good since the calendar flipped to September, going 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA, but has been up and down the rest of the season. The fourth and final starter spot will likely come down to a decision between Zito and Vogelsong, a proposition that might not inspire much confidence among the Giants fan base if Zito is the choice.

Count Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles among that cautious crew:

The newfound confidence in Zito reminds me about the parable of the scorpion and the turtle ... A scorpion asks a turtle to carry him across a river. The turtle says, "No way! You'll sting me!" The scorpion points out that if he stings the turtle, they'll both drown. The turtle agrees, and as he's crossing the river, the scorpion stings him. "Why would you do that?", says the turtle with his last breath. And the scorpion says, "Because I'm a scorpion, you idiot."

Barry Zito is the scorpion. Maybe I should have updated the parable to have the scorpion walk two hitters and give up a double. But you get the idea.

Indeed we do.  Maybe Zito does well in a postseason start, but it's more than likely that he doesn't. While starting off a postseason series with Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and a rebounding Tim Lincecum is a problem most playoff teams would like to have, the fourth position does pose a big question mark. Especially since the Giants' bullpen hasn't been as stout as the 2010 edition.

Nevertheless, if the Giants are to win their second World Series title in three years, they'll again have to rely on a formula of strong starting efforts mixed with some unexpected contributions on offense. For better or worse, it looks like Zito might get a chance to help pull on the first part of that rope.

Want more baseball fun all season long?
Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!

Tags: , , , , , , postseason series, , Ryan Vogelsong, , scorpion
No Comments Share Read More
by in General

The Thursday slate should be a rich and entertaining one. Thirteen games are on the docket, with a 12-hour spread in starting times. Something for everybody.

Easy Street
Phil Hughes vs. TOR
Wandy Rodriguez vs. MIL
Anibal Sanchez vs. OAK

Rodriguez and Sanchez are long gone in most formats, but it's possible their resurgences were ignored in your pool. Every league is different. Hughes had his turn pushed back a day after Tuesday's rainout.

Fascination Street
Jaime Garcia vs. HOU
Jeremy Guthrie vs. CWS
Barry Zito vs. COL
Ross Detwiler vs. LAD

When Garcia is on his game, the opponent and park hardly matter. When he's out of sorts, he gets knocked around in Petco Park (witness the Sept. 10 appearance). This ideal matchup against Houston breaks the tie; use him. … Sometimes you watch Zito and wonder how he gets anyone out. But at home and against that awful Colorado road offense, maybe he can coax out a quality turn. … I wonder if the Orioles regret landing Joe Saunders rather than Guthrie, their old righty. The Colorado escapee has been terrific in seven of his last eight turns, allowing just five runs over those specific outings. The White Sox haven't figured him out yet: 23.2 IP, 13 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 15 K. Through the quirks of the schedule, they're facing him for the fourth time in six weeks. … The Dodgers have been the worst offensive club in the majors this month, a selling point for Detwiler.

Mean Street
Clayton Richard at ARI
Mike Fiers at PIT
Bud Norris at STL
Tyler Cloyd at NYM
Tommy Milone at DET

Norris has turned the corner nicely over the last month (3.38/1.17), but how much help will he get from the Houston offense? … The Milone story is well-documented: smooth sailing at home (2.68/1.01) and jagged edges on the road (5.13/1.50). He handled Detroit easily back in May, but that was an Oakland turn.

Shakedown Street
Francisco Liriano at KC
Jeremy Hefner vs. PHI
Corey Kluber vs. MIN
Jorge De La Rosa at SF

If you want Mr. Liriano's Wild Ride to determine your championship fate, that's your business. None for me, thanks.

No Comments Share Read More
1 2 Next »

Recent Posts

  • Report: Redskins set to re-sign Chris Cooley – Chris Cooley | WAS
    Report: Redskins set to re-sign Chris Co...
    October 22, 2012No Comments
  • 1-5 Panthers can general manager Marty Hurney – Panthers Offense | CAR
    1-5 Panthers can general manager Marty H...
    October 22, 2012No Comments
  • Redskins sign Cooley in wake of Davis injury – Chris Cooley | WAS
    Redskins sign Cooley in wake of Davis in...
    October 22, 2012No Comments
  • (Yahoo! Sports)
    (Yahoo! Sports)...
    October 22, 2012No Comments
  • Golf-Dubai ticket would make a world of difference to Howell (Reuters)
    Golf-Dubai ticket would make a world of ...
    October 22, 2012No Comments