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Sanchez gets pounded in Giants laugher
By Jeremy Harness September 24, 2008 |
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SAN FRANCISCO - The Giants are expecting big things from Jonathan Sanchez in the coming years, as he is an integral part of a young starting pitching nucleus that, at the very least, has the potential to keep the team competitive. Sanchez was far from that on Wednesday night, as he followed an out-of-character bad performance by Cy Young candidate Tim Lincecum with a downright-lousy outing at the dismay of 31,942 people at AT&T Park. He gave up seven runs on seven hits and was run out of the game after only 3 1/3 innings, and it was clear very early on that his command was way off. He walked only one batter and struck out three, but in the process, he left pitches out over the plate and the Rockies pounded them en route to a 15-6 rout that was one of the worst pummeling the Giants have taken all season. His first big mistake came in the first inning, when Chris Iannetta parked a belt-high fastball from Sanchez into the gap in left-center to score Clint Barmes and Matt Holliday and give Colorado a 2-0 lead. "Sanchez is having trouble getting the ball where he wants at times," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's just not consistent with his location, and that's not going to work up here. "I think the frustration gets to him, and he has trouble making his pitches. In this game, you have to battle through the rough times, (and) that's what he has got to deal with a little bit better." Barmes, by the way, had a ball at Sanchez's expense, hitting him hard in each of his three at-bats against him on his way to a 4-for-4 night. He led off the game with a single and added a solo homer in the second inning before putting the finishing touches on Sanchez's night with a double that brought in another two runs. "I didn't want to finish the season like that," Sanchez (9-12) said. "I just wanted to get the win - get double-digits wins - and it went the other way." As the final score indicated, Wednesday's disaster wasn't all Sanchez's fault. Kevin Correia, for instance, showed why he's no longer a starter when he pitched the fifth inning. The Rockies batted all the way through their lineup while ripping him for six runs and five hits, including a three-run homer by Garrett Atkins. The last time former Giant Livan Hernandez (13-11) pitched at Willie Mays Plaza, he was steady but faded late in taking a loss Aug. 27. On Wednesday, to say the very least, he didn't have to worry about having to match zeroes with Lincecum, like he did nearly a month ago. Colorado's offensive barrage allowed him to cruise through a seven-inning, five-run outing to nab his second straight win. On the bright side for the Giants, second baseman Eugenio Velez had a fabulous night at the plate. He used his exceptional speed to leg out a pair of doubles and score two runs while his once-miniscule batting average climbed to .259. Meanwhile, John Bowker, another young gun whom the Giants think very highly of, went 3-for-5 with a double and a solo homer. |
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