Jordan Hicks gave up a couple of solo shots and then corrected until the 6th.
Randy Rodriguez came in for the starter in trouble and saved him from a loss. Again. This guy is a wall. He and Hayden Birdsong look good for eating an inning plus in relief.
Ty Rogers and Erik Miller held theirs to set up Camilo Doval for the Save attempt. Sadly, it was blown, thus:
[MY NOTES, an hour earlier]
Camilo just gave up the two-out base hit to Arozarena that tied this game, 4-4, in the top of the 9th. Sigh.
and now he walked the bases loaded.
J. P. Martinez is making a mound visit … and … whew. Doval got the last out. Poor Camilo Doval. sigh.
[BACK TO AFTER THE GAME]
I had to rewrite this game in the top of the 9th, because I started early thinking Camilo Doval, with two down in the top of the 9th and a one-run lead, was going to get the save, and Jordan Hicks his second win.
Instead, he gave up the RBI-single that tied the game.
Again.
It’s a nightmare. Camilo Doval just can’t get it to come together.
When I was a young man, I would be angry at a guy in this situation, or wish to trade him, but now I see that’s an immature emotional response that’s definitively erroneous.
This is between his ears. The arm is capable of dominance. We need to continue to invest in the mental health of this young man, not to give up on him when he needs us most.
Last September I went out to the East coast where I caught games at Fenway and Citi Field. The Mets had a situation like this with Jose Quintana, who struggled to start the season.
Fans were emotional about him, but didn’t have the words for what he needed. “Get rid of him!” was knee-jerk in May, and became common, before the trade deadline. They learned the emotional intelligence to support him.
The turnaround for Quintana happened in late August and September, when it was needed most. They believed in him, and he ended up getting the job done under pressure to get the Mets into the post-season.
This is where we stand with Camilo Doval.
Giants Baseball Corner supports helping Camilo to get over this temporary mental blockage to find the rhythm of the game again,
to find what our greatest LOOGY ever, Javier Lopez called,
“the relentless flow of the positive river.”
(which is one of GBC’s masthead taglines).
The bulk of the Giants runs last night came on one swing: a go-ahead, opposite field, three-run home run by Mike Yasztremski in the 4th.
It was inside-out to the left field bleachers for the lefty-batting Yasztremski, hence an “oppo taco.”
The injury to Victor Robles in the bottom of the 9th was a sad ending to this one and indeed to a series that had been well-played, hard-fought baseball.
It was an incredible catch by the Mariners’ right fielder, who got trapped in the netting and had his whole body bent backward.
The literal sacrifice on the sacrifice fly, put the Giants in position to win the game on a base hit by Wilmer Flores.
Giants 5, Mariners 4.
The Giants won this fair and square, but the blown save and injury to Robles made it bittersweet.
Jung Hoo Lee was 4 for 10, with three runs in two games against Seattle. He had two doubles, including the Giants first run today when he was scored by Heliot Ramos, who singled again to increase his hit streak to nine games – every game this season so far.
Yaz Oppo Taco!
Giants sweep the Mariners!
I will rewrite this later tonight.
Way to go Giants!
Giants Baseball Corner 