Kuzul

Fans haven’t been hesitant to point to the player or the plan that keeps the San Francisco Giants from soaring to the top of the NL West and well past the field in the wild-card race.

As it turns out, though, most things that fans insisted the Giants do to get things going have been done and things haven’t gone very well at all in the last month. The club is on the verge of falling out of the division race and has to keep pace with the Philadelphia Phillies, a tall order, to win the Wild Card.

It almost seems as though fans are…grasping at straws and calling for change for the sake of change. No!

Here’s a quick look at the most common complaints fans had, how the Giants addressed them and their impact on club that had gone 12-14 entering the final two games of August.

“Call up Buster Posey… now!”

The fear was that the organization was going to play it cheap and not recall Posey until June. Remember all that talk about the arbitration clock? Well, the club called on the phenom in May. Then, a deal that sent Bengie Molina to Texas made Posey the everyday catcher. Posey has had a magnificent season.

Calling Posey up sooner than later didn’t prevent the August meltdown.

“Don’t break up the starting rotation.”

Fans who believed the Milwaukee Brewers would trade Prince Fielder for Jonathan Sanchez notwithstanding, it was generally considered key that the Giants not trade a member of the starting rotation to get a full-time, run-producer. Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner stayed put.

Fans who insisted that the starting rotation would save the Giants have noted that it has been the club’s biggest problem over the last month.

“It’s Barry Zito’s fault!”

That’s not really a fan request, but most fans mumbled it when the Giants had a lineup without a big league hitter. In fact, now isn’t a bad time to mumble, “It’s Zito’s fault that … ” and add “the Giants couldn’t sign a big-time slugger” or “trade for Roy Oswalt and his big contract.” Right?

Mainly, though, Zito was outstanding early and then just OK. Now, he’s fallen on hard times yet hasn’t been any worse than his peers in the rotation were in August.

“They have to bench Aaron Rowand!”

Duly noted, obviously, because Rowand is buried deep on the Giants bench.

Getting Rowand out of the lineup didn’t exactly ignite a hot streak in August, did it?

“Add a big ‘bat’ right now!”

The Giants rescued left fielder Pat Burrell from the scrap heap and he has returned to somewhere near the form he showed when he was one of the NL’s top home run hitters with Philadelphia.

Burrell filled a spot in the middle of the order and delivered the goods but…

“Man, go get another ‘bat’ to help the pitching!”

Now, it’s easy to grumble, “I meant Adam Dunn or Manny Ramirez,” but the fact remains that Jose Guillen came over from Kansas City and has hit the devil out of the ball. He hasn’t ignited a series of personality conflicts and ruined the clubhouse chemistry either.

Two ‘big bats’ and… the August slump still hit hard.

“The pen stinks! Get some relievers.”

Veterans Javier Lopez and Ramiro Ramirez were acquired in trades. Jeremy Affeldt returned to health.

Apparently, the club needed to acquire Mariano Rivera because faces changed in the pen, but the results remained much the same.

“Shorten the leash on Jonathan Sanchez and yank him when he starts to unravel.”

If only the Giants would give the left-hander the hook sooner than later, right? Well, manager Bruce Bochy routinely replaces Sanchez in the fourth or fifth, even with a lead, if he starts to struggle.

An abundance of faith in Sanchez wasn’t the problem.

“Put John  Bowker in the lineup and let him hit home runs!”

Bowker was hitting .207 with the big club when he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The woeful Pirates have yet to recall Bowker from the minor leagues. So, fans who thought Bowker was the answer have to explain how wrong two organizations are about him.

“What’s Dave Righetti doing? Find a new pitching coach.”

Looking back, it turns out that Righetti was the pitching coach during both of Lincecum’s Cy Young Award seasons. Righetti also presided over the staff in July when the Giants played so well they appeared poised to soar past the NL West-leading San Diego Padres.

Since none of the other things fans have insisted would save the Giants have saved the Giants, guess who becomes a fall guy? The rotation has fallen apart because Righetti’s not doing his job, apparently?

“Just put Andres Torres in the lead-off spot and the whole lineup gets better.”

Done.

His club MVP type season might have help keep the club from sinking from sight completely in August.

“Do something about Pablo Sandoval.”

Comcast baseball analyst Mycheal Urban suggested that, perhaps, Sandoval should be sent to the minors in June. Others felt he should bat second, fifth, seventh, eighth, etc. They also said his defense isn’t a problem, but that he needed to hit.

Sandoval’s hitting. His defense is a problem. Ouch!

“Bochy’s gotta go!”

Oddly, when an entire list of sure-fire fixes fail to prevent a tailspin, the manager is the guy who usually gets the blame. Even Bochy’s most ardent critics must have trouble believing the skipper is to blame for Lincecum, Zito, Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner all getting beat like drums at the same time in the same month. And, he likely hasn’t done anything that makes it more difficult for Sandoval to catch the ball then throw it straight.

It’s easy to blame the manager if Guillen can’t get to a fly ball. “Why wasn’t Cody Ross in there?” And, it’s easy to blame the manager if Ross strikes. “Nate Schierholtz should have pinch-hit!”

It’s hard to figure how putting any other manager in Bochy’s spot would’ve helped in August, though.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Contact Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

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With the the final game of the weekend’s Giants-Padres series now played, and Giants find themselves 3.5 games out of first place in the NL West with 43 games left to play.

All season long, people have doubted whether the Padres would be able to hold onto their lead in the division, and with the Padres taking two-of-three from in the most recent match-up, the Giants now have some work to do if they hope to be playing in October.

What follows are the five things that must happen if the Giants hope to catch to Padres in the coming weeks and take home the NL West crown in what is shaping up as the most interesting division race in all of baseball.

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by shlepcar

Burly is on vacation for a few weeks.  When he goes on vacation, he tends to go all out.  He’s likely in some jungle somewhere, hacking his way through very tall, razorblade-leafed undergrowth.  So, until he gets back, I’ll be sitting in for a few posts.

I’ve been a friend of Burly’s for going on 20 years now and have always turned to him for his take on all things baseball related.  I am a big Twins fan, and so I suppose I’m one of the reasons that there is so much Twins content on this site.  I am actually in Minnesota right now for the sole purpose of attending a game at the new stadium this coming Sunday, which I plan to write about. 

I know about one-tenth as much about baseball as Burly does, but hopefully if I stick with what I know, I might present a few things that will be of interest.   And blah blah blah, I’ll get on with it.

In a move that Burly dreaded, the Giants did indeed acquire Jose Guillen today for cash considerations and a player to be named later.  Guillen had been designated for assignment by the Royals after they could find no takers by the trade deadline.

After a hot June, he’d been on an 0-for-21 skid, hitting just .207 in July.  The 34-year-old is in the final year of a three-year, $36 million contract, and the Royals are on the hook for three million of the remaining $3.75 million owed to him this year.  So, the good news is that Guillen isn’t coming at too high of a price.  I know that isn’t exactly great news, but it beats a repeat of the Shea Hillenbrand deal a few years ago.

There is always a chance that Guillen could go on a Randy Winn-like tear for a few months and make Sabean seem like a genius, but until that happens, I’m not thrilled with the deal.  Bochy has already said that he plans on starting him in right field. 

That means that Huff will be the primary first baseman and Ishikawa will have to go back to proving himself again as a pinch-hitter.  Of course, it is likely that everyone in the outfield will see fewer at-bats.  The Giants have been playing pretty well lately, and Burrell has been doing really well. 

It’d be easier to damn Sabean for messing with the chemistry of a team that is beginning to gel if it weren’t for the fact that the Giants lost tonight to the first-place Padres (so, what, does Sanchez have to eat his hat?  What happens with that guarantee stuff?  I guess I’m not taking any stock tips from him).  Guillen wasn’t in uniform yet, but he will be starting tomorrow. 

I don’t like it.  I don’t like Guillen.  In the article posted by the Giants San Francisco Chronicle writers, Guillen is quoted as saying that he didn’t even want to come to San Francisco: “I talked to Sabean for an hour. (San Francisco) was not my favorite choice, but he convinced me. In the AL, I knew I’d be able to DH more, but now I’m totally healthy.” 

Great, Mr. 0-for-21 has decided to grace us with his presence.  The Giants are the 11th team to take a chance on him (Colorado signed him but he never played a game for them…smart). 

I don’t get Sabean.  Guillen is 34, he’s been linked to the Mitchell report, he’s got a reputation for hustling only when he feels like it, and when he was offered the job, he didn’t want it!  Sabean had to talk him into it!  I feel like Charlie Brown when he missed the football—“AUGH!”

I hope it works out, but I ain’t holdin’ my breath.

Eugenio Velez came off the DL—he had taken a foul ball to the face off the bat of Burrell.  As a warm welcome back, they optioned him to Fresno. 

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The San Francisco Giants couldn’t have had better timing. They completed a trade for Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals, just in time for the first game of a three-game set against the NL West-leading San Diego Padres.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports broke the news via Twitter this morning, confirming a report from ESPNDeportes.

It’s not known whether Guillen will be in the lineup for the Giants tonight, but I imagine we’ll find out in the next few hours.

The Giants had been looking for a “big bat” before the trade deadline and chased the likes of Milwaukee‘s Prince Fielder and Corey Hart, along with Washington‘s Adam Dunn, but were unable to get deals done for any of the three.

The Royals have been wanting to move Guillen for some time, even offering to pick up most of his contract to get a deal done. There was talk out of Kansas City that the outfielder was a “bad influence” on the younger players.

There are plenty of veterans on the Giants, but there are plenty of young players as well. There are always those saying a “change of scenery” does wonders for a player, so I imagine that’s what’s being said on the San Francisco airwaves this morning.

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As all the teams approach the middle of August, there are still teams looking for that final push for the playoffs. The Dodgers are one of these teams; they were buyers at the trade deadline with the acquisition of Ted Lilly and they are five-and-a-half games out of first place.

ESPN’s Enrique Rojas has reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the hunt for Jose Guillen. Apparently, his role will not be a starter’s role, but he will be splitting time here and there for the Dodgers.

Jose Guillen is available as the Kansas City Royals designated him for assignment last week. There are several teams that have expressed their interest in the power hitter. Guillen could be a valuable asset to a team looking for one more bat with some pop to their lineup. 

He has been playing the designated hitter’s role with the Royals. Injuries may be a key reason why he has been slotted in that role. He plays the outfield very well with a string arm. There has been very little criticism about the manner in which he patrols the outfield.

Some teams have backed off Jose Guillen because of some red flags thrown in the air about his clubhouse persona. The Yankees were some of the big players in the Guillen sweepstakes at first before acquiring Austin Kearns. The reason could, in fact, be Guillen’s personality. 

Jon Heyman warned that contenders should keep their distance from Guillen, but it looks like the Dodgers are willing to take the risk. After all, they do have Joe Torre at the helm and he has been able to keep Manny Ramirez on the down-low recently. 

It is the Dodgers’ call in the end. They could take a risk on a person that is claimed to be worse than Milton Bradley and hope he provides good numbers or wait and see where the Adam Dunn sweepstakes go. 

The cards are on the table for Los Angeles.

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Although the July 31st trade deadline has passed, teams can still try to pass players through waivers in hopes to make an August trade.

Here are five players that might be changing teams in the next few weeks.

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Much to my (and I’d imagine just about every other Royals blogger’s) delight, Scott Podsednik has been shipped to the Dodgers in exchange for catcher Lucas May and right-handed pitcher Elisaul Pimentel.

With a hopeful trade of Jose Guillen right behind it, this could mean that it might finally be Kila Ka’aihue’s time to shine (or at least play) in the Majors.

The prospects the Royals got are by most reports fringe prospects, with Lucas May putting up what appear to be solid numbers for the Albuquerque Isotopes and Elisaul Pimentel pitching quite well as a 22-year-old in low-A ball.

Now I say that May has put up numbers that appear to be solid because his .296/.352/.496 triple-slash is actually slightly below average, as the entire team is hitting .303/.356/.485.

Yes, it’s nice that he is a catcher that can hit, but the extremely hitter-friendly confines that he has called home for much of this season certainly contribute to his ratios.

May is also a catcher after having been converted from short. As he has not always been a catcher, some of the reviews are mixed on his defensive game.

As for Pimentel, he is exactly the same age as Keaton Hayenga, but unlike the disappointing Hayenga, he has compiled a 9.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 2.77 K/BB, and 1.173 WHIP in the Midwest League.

On his career between two-and-a-half rookie ball seasons and this season in low-A, Pimentel has thrown together an 8.1 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 2.85 K/BB, and 1.228 WHIP. While he may seem slightly old for the level, he has certainly been solid thus far.

Now, what Scott Podsednik’s departure means at the Major League level is that Alex Gordon will slide over to left, where the Royals apparently prefer him to play. This should mean he will get to settle into the daily lineup.

Bob Dutton tweeted that it appears as though RHP Greg Holland will get the call to fill the open roster spot on the 25-man roster.

Why they would go back to a 13-man pitching staff is beyond me, but even with the recent return of Rick Ankiel, one would have to think this move could crack the door open just a little more for Kila Ka’aihue.

If Guillen is shipped to San Francisco, as the smoke is hopefully indicating, then The Kila Monster shouldn’t just get the call, he should get to start nearly every day.

Even if Guillen isn’t shipped out, the Royals willingness to throw Guillen out in right regularly should slam that door open for Ka’aihue, although logic does not seem to factor in to what the Royals have done with him thus far in his career.

As for Podsednik, he got hot at the right time, and this time Dayton Moore pulled the trigger, having possibly learned his lesson from the Ron Mahay Hesitation of 2008.

Podsednik wasn’t nearly as awful as I thought he’d be, but his place on this roster blocked younger players that should have been getting their shot.

The thing that will be most missed about Scott Podsednik will of course be his Playmate wife. They’ve surely ordered up their PODS and have a crew packing their shit as a I type this. We’ll miss you, Lisa.

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Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since my last post, I’ve gone out of town twice, bought a new car, worked nearly every day in between (pulling doubles three days a week), and have begun to prepare for a move to a new apartment.

This has left little time for blogging and little time for the Royals. Under new manager Ned Yost, the Royals are playing roughly .500 ball. This has been more a curse than a blessing, as the perception of success has led to hesitation in getting involved as sellers on the trade market.

Closing the gap to fewer than nine games out* gave the Royals what many perceived as a false sense of competitiveness. After the sweep and the subsequent middling play on the field, the Royals have been hovering around a dozen games out with the Indians jockeying for fourth place in the Central.

*I’ve been distracted, obviously, but it was either 7.5 or 8.5 games before the White Sox series heading into the break.

With reality having set in, the Royals have waded into the trade market as sellers, trading Alberto Callaspo to the Angels for Sean O’Sullivan—the most Irish player since Troy O’Leary—and Will Smith.

O’Sullivan is probably about as good as any of the mediocre starters currently in the Royals’ rotation not named Donald Zachary Greinke, which doesn’t exactly say much. Both he and Smith have uninspiring minor league track records that would seem to be a better fit for the Twins than the Royals. Neither have impressive K-rates, but both have had BB/9 under 2.5 in their minor league careers.

Drawing too much from their minor league numbers is not especially useful, as both had the misfortune of pitching for the Salt Lake Bees.

The then-highly-touted Nick Adenhart put up an ugly 5.76 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP in Salt Lake the season before he made the opening day rotation, and Smith skipped Double-A when he was promoted to AAA-Salt Lake this year, so these things should be taken into account when evaluating what the Royals have gotten.

Smith found himself back in AA-Arkansas before the trade, but he definitely hasn’t been impressive since the initial promotion this season.

So for Alberto Callaspo, Dayton Moore netted two prototypical Twins pitchers. I can’t say that is particularly exciting. Then again, neither is Bert Calypso.

Now, since the Royals were initially so reticent to get into the trading game, their most enticing piece to trade is now out for the year. Timing is everything, and David DeJesus suffered a complete ligament tear in his right thumb while running into the wall at Yankee Stadium.

Now, one could certainly argue that the time to trade DeJesus and maximize the return was when there was still the perception that he could play center, but he is having a career year and is still signed to a club-friendly contract. The return could have been nice.

Oh well.

At least this means the Royals had to call up Alex Gordon. Maybe he’ll even get to play…

As sellers, the Royals do still appear to be looking to ship off their high-dollar guys. According to Ken Rosenthal , they are in talks with the Mets. Obviously (and unfortunately), Jeff Francoeur has been bandied about. Apparently, so have Gil Meche, Jose Guillen, Kyle Farnsworth, Oliver Perez, and Luis Castillo.

If you had a hard time getting excited about Sean O’Sullivan and Will Smith, how about that mountain of crap the Royals could be picking from?

When Kyle Farnsworth is the player you’d most want out of this list (I’ve always had an irrational disdain for Luis Castillo), you are dealing with some undesirable pieces.

Oddly, since Oliver Perez and Gil Meche are both due $12 million next year, it might be useful to look at who could have the most upside in 2011. Sadly, that is probably Oliver Perez, as his left-handedness could at the very least mean that Dayton Moore won’t waste his energy turning over every rock on earth to find such southpawed garbage as Horacio Ramirez and Sidney Ponson.

Oh, right, and there’s also the fact that Gil Meche’s arm might actually fall off of his body the next time he steps on the mound. Given the ticking time bomb that Meche and his contract have been since Trey Hillman got his hands on him, Oliver Perez almost has to have a better shot of success than Meche does going forward.

If acquiring Castillo meant that Mike Aviles would be manning short with Yuniesky Betancourt being exiled to Cuba, then the addition of Castillo to the Royals would be palatable. Sadly, common sense is not something the Royals are blessed with, and Aviles would likely be riding the pine while the Yunicorn continued to infuriate the fanbase.

Frenchy for Farnsworth (their contracts match up)—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—would actually hurt the Royals. Farnsworth has been decent this year. He isn’t far from projecting as a Type B Free Agent according to the Elias Rankings at MLB Trade Rumors . Francoeur is abysmal. Furthermore, his presence would likely hinder other Royals who should be playing, namely Alex Gordon and Mitch Maier.

Apparently, it would take Guillen getting traded for the Royals to want to take on Francoeur, but this would just seem create the same problem that currently exists as a result of having Guillen on the roster: The Royals can’t find out what they’ve got in Kila Ka’aihue with Guillen taking all of the playing time.

There are conflicting reports that indicate that the Royals are not interested in Perez or Francoeur at all, but if last year’s acquisition of Yuniesky Betancourt has proven anything, it is that Dayton Moore always gets his man, no matter how crappy that man may be.

Now, in addition to Jose Guillen being on the block, it also appears as though Scott Podsednik’s recent hot streak has raised eyebrows, especially in the NL West. Both Guillen and Podsednik seem like perfect fits for San Francisco, what with Brian Sabean’s penchant for taking on over-the-hill veterans with little-to-no upside. If either of these guys can go anywhere, I’m for it. Hell, the Royals should pay someone else to take them.

If neither gets traded, then this is reminiscent of two years ago, when Ron Mahay’s value was at its peak on July 31, and he promptly injured himself in his first August game. It was all downhill from there, but it seemed like everyone and their sister needed a left-handed reliever that year, yet Mahay was a Royal come 2009.

Players like Mahay, Guillen, and Podsednik have little value on a team like the Royals. Amongst the two current Royals in that trio, each has been blocking younger players for the greater part of the season. It took a season-ending injury to David DeJesus for Alex Gordon to finally get another shot again. This is unacceptable.

With Kila waiting in the wings, Jose Guillen needs to be dealt. 

Now while we would all love to see Jason Kendall, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Rick Ankiel go, too, those three have zero value to other teams.  That is sad because they also have no value to the Royals. 

Given that teams actually appear to be interested in Guillen and Podsednik, and that Dayton Moore reportedly turned down a trade proposal from the Yankees that included Jesus Montero, I might actually be excited to see what happens come the weekend.  If Guillen and Podsednik are suiting up elsewhere, I’ll be pretty happy. 

I would like to thank the fellas over at MLB Trade Rumors.  Their hard work makes following all this possible.

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It was a big night for the Yankees, who sat through about an hour and a half wait through a rain delay to beat the Royals 7-1 last night.

Here are some notes:

AJ Burnett looked sharp as he evened his record to 8-8. He left after five innings though because of the rain delay.

Jorge Posada picked up the 1,000th and 1,001st RBI of his career.

Robinson Cano is now two hits away from 1,000 for his career.

Alex Rodriguez is still one away from 600 home runs.

Jonathan Albaladejo was very impressive in his performance as he picked up a pair of strikeouts.

Nick Swisher was scratched with a sore Achilles’ tendon .

The Yankees are said to have “at least passing interest” in the Royals outfielder Jose Guillen .

“At least passing interest” sounds pretty vague and I have the feeling that Rosenthal wrote it that way to include the Yankees in a rumor just to draw interest. Anything can happen, but at this point, I’m skeptical the Yankees are genuinely interested in Guillen.

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