Game 2

Let’s not jump off any bridges, it has been only two games!   Our opponent won’t continue to get two out and RISP hits at an absurd rate.  Our pitching will not be so poor (baseball should not be played in windchill’s below freezing) either.  

Some positives are the quick bat of Vernon Wells (although it does seem he is “yanking” everything and I wonder what he will do with a steady diet of outside pitches, especially breaking balls.  If he drives the ball the other way, he might be get back to his old self.  Again, it is only two games so can’t make too many conclusions with any accuracy, but I do like the bat speed at least.  Other positives are Travis Hafner, in that if he is healthy he does give us a solid stick from the left side.  

On the downside, while Nunez kept his streak alive of making an error every other game, I was more disappointed in a play he made on a ripped line drive off the RF wall that Suzuki played well and fired into 2^nd to try and nab the hitter before he got to 2^nd.  Nunez took the good throw on the infield side of the bag and then reached toward CF to tag the runner as the runner went by.  I feel if he would have fielded the ball on the OF side of the baseline and “sweep tagged” the runner, the runner would have been out because the ball beat the runner, but Nunez let the ball travel beyond the runner and then had to reach toward center.  Things like that just show a poor feel of the situation.  It would be similar to a close play at home where a catcher stood where the umpire is to tag a player out at home…not a good idea.   Our catching situation against righties is awful…I do think if Cervelli’s defense is back to his normal defense prior to last year, he will be fine against lefties.  BTW, don’t get down on Stewart’s throw yesterday, he does throw very well normally; it was a breaking ball and the runner got a huge jump and Stewart rushed it (he had no chance).  BTW, disregard most of the announcers when they talk about the jumps of base stealers, it seems like they always say a guy got a good jump, regardless of what really happened.

The most important outcome of the game will be if Kuroda is OK after sticking his hand up to try and field the ball up the middle...I know it was just a reaction, but that was not smart, especially in frigid conditions.