SF Chronicle wrote: The bullpen is out of kilter. Roles? What roles? Six nights ago, Jim Brower saved a 9-8 victory in Arizona. On Saturday, instead of preparing to protect an 8-7 lead in the ninth he stood guard to make sure no foul balls hit bullpen catcher Bill Hayes while rookie Jeremy Accardo (major-league experience: one inning) warmed up for the save try.
The grand experiment did not work, at least for one day. Accardo walked leadoff hitter Jeffrey Hammonds, who scored the tying run on a Brad Wilkerson sacrifice fly.
Later in the inning, Brower relieved Accardo with two on, two out and Vinny Castilla at the plate, admittedly a tough situation. Brower walked Castilla -- remarkably, the 11th issued by the Giants in the game -- before Ryan Church slapped a three-run double down the left-field line to ensure the Giants' fourth straight loss.
"We are starving for strikes. The kid I brought in, Accardo, is a kid who doesn't walk anybody. All of a sudden he walked the leadoff guy and another guy. It's something we have to eradicate quickly from our program, and quick."
OK, one might expect a 23-year-old in his second big-league game to walk the leadoff guy, even if he said he was less nervous than he was Wednesday when he made his major-league debut in Arizona
Gee, maybe now the Giants are realizing that it is nice to have more than one “power pitcher” in the pen.
The pitching staff is a mess. It’s in shambles. I frankly do not know what they’re going to do. If they want to compete this year, go out and trade for some help. If not, start trading some of the older guys away and net some prospects. Hell, it’s gotten to the point where I think the Giants may have to consider trading Bonds to an AL team. I don’t think he’ll be able to play the OF anymore.
But, back on the pitching. If it were up to me, I’d call up Aarsdma, Cain, Valdez, and Munter. Simply because they can’t do any worse than what the current guys are doing now. Valdez has a power arm that the pen lacks. Aardsma has been stellar this year. Cain has another power arm that the starting staff is lacking. They’re not working deep into games, which is hurting the pen even more. And with Schmidt obviously hiding an injury, I think it’s time for Cain to get the call up.
It’s just extremely frustrating. This was a team in which I thought would go pretty far this year. The lineup has been hitting, but the pitching staff has been abysmal. And we fans really do not know what they’re going to do about it.
I think there's probably 0 chance they trade Bonds though. While a lot of people don't like him, he's a huge fan favorite in San Fran and the publicity and notoriety that the organization is going to get if/when he passes Ruth and then Aaron is priceless. Would you want to be the team that traded the all time home run leader right before he got the record?
But yeah, maybe a young prospect for Julio (if the O's drop out of the race) or Urbina at the deadline. Could easily see that happening.
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
-Isaac Newton
I doubt they’ll trade him either, but I’d consider it.
He wasn’t that good defensively in the OF to begin with. But three surgeries now on the same knee? I just can’t see him being able to go out there anymore. I think now, he needs to be a DH.
But you’re right, the backlash it would cause from the fans will scare the organization away. They don’t have to gonads to pull off something like that anyways
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by beltrans_boy » Sat May 07, 2005 10:56 pm 
