At least they didn’t lead you on this time.
San Francisco changed things up Wednesday, blowing the game in the first inning instead of the ninth in a 9-3 loss at Dodger Stadium. Adding insult to injury, the Giants failed to gain ground in the NL Wild Card on a day where both the Cardinals and Mets also lost.
The defeat all but ends the Giants’ bid for an improbable late season takeover of the NL West crown, now trailing the Dodgers by 6 games with 11 remaining. San Francisco went 3-5 in important back-to-back series against the Dodgers and Cardinals that many thought would determine their playoff fate. The three way tie in the NL Wild Card means that fate still hangs in the balance, but the outlook remains an unencouraging one.
Rookie left-hander Ty Blach was the only encouraging sign for the Giants on Wednesday. Blach was dominant in three innings of relief, using only 26 pitches to take care of nine Dodgers hitters. Compare that with rough outings from Matt Cain and Jake Peavy who gave up a combined three runs in their respective inning of relief, and the Giants may have found their answer to the question of who will make a spot start on Sunday in place of the injured Johnny Cueto.
Blach has been incredible since his call up on September 1st, allowing only a single hit in six innings of work, and more impressively needing only 66 pitches to get the job done. Last night Blach need just 10 pitches to get through Kyle Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez.
Blach was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the amateur draft in 2012, and is coming off a nice season with the Giants’ AAA affiliate Sacramento Rivercats, posting a 3.43 ERA and an impressive WHIP of 1.13.
Blach is clearly one of the Giants’ arms of the future, but if yesterday’s game was an audition for who will take Cueto’s place, Blach may be in line to make a huge start on Sunday. That start is huge, because every game is from here on out of the Giants, who’s margin of error has never been lower as they continue their stumble towards the finish line.
The Giants don’t have much to lose by trotting out the rookie on Sunday. Not unlike the thinking behind giving fellow rookie Derek Law a shot at the closer, the alternatives aren’t any more reliable, and young pitchers always have the advantage of facing hitters for the first time.
It still isn’t a certainty that Cueto will be unavailable Sunday, though it remains a strong possibility. If he does, Blach as much as anyone else has earned the right to make his first major league start. The youngster could provide a shot in the arm for a team who desperately needs one.