Apr 8, 2009

vs Giants, another ugly inning; then Johnson makes a mistake

... but the error on Kendall should have been charged to Hardy. The throw, like all throws to 2nd from home, was on a bounce, and Hardy just misplayed it. In any case, no one scored.

Then Johnson got Fielder to swing and miss/foul at three sliders (among other pitches); he threw the same pitch at Cameron but it was hanging, and Cameron bats from the other side: HR. The key to beating a 45-year-old former superstar is to wait for his mistakes.

I'm guessing we see a few more gopher balls before the Giants reach the bullpen.*

Incidentally, Johnson is THE Giant -- at 6'10", he's the tallest Giant in the history of the franchise.

*EDIT: Well, I got THAT one right ... but I never expected it would be Gallardo who would hit the high heat, which was neither high nor hot enough and looked like BP. I guess Johnson didn't expect it either: "The Milwaukee Brewers are a really good hitting team. So you need to think about what you're throwing before you throw it, and then execute the pitch." Except you don't have to think much when the pitcher's up ...

Villenueva's stuff looked gorgeous -- he didn't make a bad pitch. With luck, he can do that for longer than an inning against better clubs.