Category: MLB (Page 67 of 448)

      It wouldn’t be a Giants World Series without one of their players being accused of taking steroids

      October 29, 2010 /
      April 12, 2010: Kansas City Royals' Jose Guillen (6) during the MLB baseball game between the Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.

      The last time the Giants played in the Fall Classic was 2002, when Barry Bonds was at the height of his game and his name couldn’t be brought up without it being synonymous to steroids.

      Now the G-Men are back in the World Series and things wouldn’t feel right if one of their players weren’t being accused of juicing. That’s where outfielder Jose Guillen (who isn’t even on their postseason roster) steps in.

      From ESPN.com:

      San Francisco Giants outfielder Jose Guillen, left off the team’s postseason roster, is linked to a federal investigation into shipments of performance-enhancing drugs, The New York Times reported on its website Thursday night.

      The story, citing several unidentified lawyers, said federal authorities told Major League Baseball they were looking into shipments of human growth hormone, allegedly sent to Guillen’s wife in the Bay Area.

      That was just before the postseason began, The Times said. Guillen was left off the Giants’ roster for all three rounds because of a nagging neck injury, according to manager Bruce Bochy. According to The Times, the Giants were told to leave Guillen off the roster by Major League Baseball.

      The conspiracy theorist will be quick to say that the Giants left Guillen off their postseason roster because they knew he would eventually be caught with steroids. But Guillen was also dealing with a neck injury weeks before the playoffs began and the Giants were deep in the outfield so they went with healthier options (i.e. Cody Ross, who was the NLCS MVP).

      Or maybe they did know and if that’s the case, they were smart to tell him to go home. They obviously don’t need the distraction and it’s not like he was hitting before the playoffs started anyway. If he’s going to be busted for HGH, then it’s better that he’s caught when he’s not affiliated with the team.

      Nevertheless, this isn’t good for Guillen’s career. The Giants picked him up off waivers from the Royals and even before this news broke, the emergence of Ross has made Guillen expendable next season. He won’t be in a Giants uniform next season and if he’s suspended, he may not be in any uniform in 2011. It’s not like the guy has a good track record of being a team player and at his age, he’s not an attractive option right now. It says something when the Royals don’t even want you.

      External Sports, MLB

      Somebody notify the Rangers that the World Series has started

      October 28, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants Edgar Renteria (R) watches his solo home run in front of Texas Rangers catcher Matt Treanor (L) and umpire Sam Holbrook (C) in the fifth inning during Game 2 of Major League Baseball's World Series in San Francisco, October 28, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Here’s a six pack of observations following the Giants’ dominating 9-0 win over the Rangers in Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night. San Fran is now up 2-0 in the series.

      1. America, meet Matt Cain.
      Because the Giants play on the West Coast, there’s a good chance that the majority of the country hasn’t seen Matt Cain pitch. If you caught Game 2 of the World Series, then you realized what Giants fans have known for years: He can be every bit as good as ace Tim Lincecum. If baseball had a stat for hard-luck losers, Cain would be No. 1 on the list. He’s been a victim of horrendous run support for most of his career, but he’s stayed patient and is finally getting his due. Cain hasn’t allowed a run in three postseason starts this year and completely shut down the Rangers on Thursday night. He pitched 7.2 innings of shutout ball while allowing just four hits and striking out two. These weren’t the Mariners or Pirates he was facing; the Rangers led the league in batting average this season and finished fifth in runs scored. They’ve only been shutout six times this year (including Thursday night) and can beat you 1 through 8. But they couldn’t hit Cain tonight if they were notified what the pitch and location were going to be. He was brilliant.

      2. What an embarrassing performance by the Rangers’ bullpen.
      With his team only down 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Darren O’Day struck out Andres Torres and Freddy Sanchez to start the inning. But then rookie catcher Buster Posey singled to shallow center and O’Day was pulled for Derek Holland, who proceeded to walk Nate Schierholtz and Cody Ross on eight straight pitches, then walked Aubrey Huff to score Posey. Despite the first two walks, Rangers’ skipper Ron Washington failed to get another pitcher warmed up and by the time Mark Lowe came in, the Giants already had a 3-0 lead and the bases still loaded. Lowe then walked Uribe to score Schierholtz and gave up a single to Edgar Renteria (more on him next) to score Ross and Huff. Michael Kirkman, who was the fourth pitcher used in the inning, then relieved Lowe and promptly gave up a bases-clearing triple to Aaron Rowand and a double to Torres. By the time Sanchez came back around to strike out, the damage was done and the Giants had built a 9-0 lead. It was an inexcusable performance by the Rangers’ bullpen, which has looked horrendous two nights in a row now.

      3. Edgar Renteria still has some postseason magic in him.
      Renteria has certainly frustrated Giants fans over the last two years with his minimal range at short, his weak at-bats and his stints on the disabled list. But for at least one night, nobody is going to complain about how much money GM Brian Sabean foolishly gave the aging veteran two offseasons ago. Renteria hit an absolute bomb off Texas starter C.J. Wilson in the fifth to break a scoreless tie and then added a two-run single in the eighth, which essentially put the nail in the coffin. He’s also played tremendous defense thus far and has given the Giants’ professional at bats every time he walks to the plate (which is something they haven’t been getting out of more heralded hitters like Pat Burrell). Renteria won the World Series as a rookie back in 1997 and if he decides to retire at the end of the year, winning another championship would certainly be a sweet way to go out. He’s a class act and while his game has deteriorated over the years, he proved tonight that he’s clutch when it matters most.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, MLB

      Barry Bonds as the Giants’ hitting coach? Pass.

      October 28, 2010 /

      Barry Bonds clearly does not want to be outdone by Mark McGwire. Not on the field while hitting home runs and not off it by imparting his wisdom on younger hitters.

      While attending Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night, Bonds was asked if he wanted to be a coach someday. In classic Bonds fashion, he reminded everyone that he has a gift that needs to be shared.

      When asked if he’d like to do more than just cheer on his former team in the future, Bonds said he would be interested in becoming a hitting coach in the future.

      “I have a gift and sooner or later I have to give it away,” Bonds said. “I have to share it. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity here.”

      First and foremost, the Giants already have a hitting coach in Hensely “Bam-Bam” Meulens, who speaks five languages and oversaw a club that is now in the World Series. (I mention the language part because the Giants’ roster is chockfull of players from all over the country, including Juan Uribe (Dominican Republic), Edgar Renteria (Colombia), Pablo Sandoval (Venezuela) and Andres Torres (Puerto Rico), thus, it’s a nice skill to have if you have to communicate with foreign-born players.)

      That said, the thought of Bonds joining the Giants as a hitting coach is intriguing. Steroids or no steroids, Bonds was one of the best pure hitters the game of baseball has ever seen. His pitch recognition was outstanding and as the story goes, he used to be able to sit in the dugout and tell his teammates which pitch would be thrown next based on who was on the mound, the count and the situation. He was that good.

      The problem is that he’s also Barry Bonds. When the Giants finally moved on from him in 2008, there was a sense of relief in a clubhouse that was once dominated by their ego-driven left fielder. He commanded his own part of the clubhouse, which included multiple lockers, a personal reclining chair and a big screen TV, and he was consistently salty to the media, team personal and even teammates. With the Giants new team-first mentality, that kind of environment would never fly nowadays.

      Oh, and let’s not forget the guy will be going to trial next March for perjury charges after he allegedly lied to congress about his involvement with steroids. That alone should have the Giants saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

      Bonds doesn’t do low-key. Whether he’s the left fielder or an usher, he draws attention to himself and I don’t think the Giants would welcome that back. So as intriguing as it would sound to have him instruct their hitters, it wouldn’t behoove an organization that is succeeding without all that hoopla.

      The Giants are doing just fine without him.

      External Sports, MLB

      Rangers need to stay the course – there’s no time to panic

      October 28, 2010 /
      Members of the Texas Rangers stand in the dugout in the ninth inning in Game 1 of Major League Baseball's World Series against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, October 27, 2010. The Giants beat the Rangers 11-7. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Was it surprising that Cliff Lee got rocked in Game 1 of the World Series? Surprising doesn’t even begin to cover it. Shocking would be a start, but even then the word would be selling the situation short.

      But nothing changes here. The game plan remains the same.

      Teams that don’t have home field advantage know that they have to split the first two games on the road, then take two-of-three at home before splitting again on the road in order to come out victorious. That’s the same recipe the Giants used against the Phillies in the NLCS and it seemed to work out well for them.

      C.J. Wilson needs to best Matt Cain in Game 2 Thursday night. That’s no small feat considering that Cain hasn’t allowed a run in two postseason starts, but the Rangers’ offense has a way of making even the best pitchers look mortal (just ask Tim Lincecum, who lasted only 5.2 innings and gave up four runs in Game 1).

      Texas has already shown its mettle twice this postseason. After beating the Rays twice on the road in the ALDS, they dropped two games at home and then had to play at Tampa in Game 5. Thanks to Lee, they won and they moved on to face the Yankees, who came from behind to shock the Rangers in Game 1 in what could have been a backbreaker.

      But it wasn’t. The Rangers took Game 2 to even the series and then went on to beat the Bombers in six games. They’ve shown their resiliency before and if they can do it again, they’ll essentially have home field advantage in what would turn into a five game series. That’s why splitting on the road in the first two games is vital.

      And that’s what they’ll need to do tonight. For once, the Rangers need to let Lee off the hook.

      External Sports, MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑