Andrew Baggarly - MercuryNews
So many unexpected things have happened to the Giants in this first month of the season, something unforeseen was bound to take place Wednesday afternoon.
Enter Jose Castillo, whose solo home run snapped a tie in the seventh inning and sent the Giants into May with a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park.
Castillo hadn't homered since Aug. 14, 2006, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. His streak stood at 450 at-bats before he launched a first-pitch fastball from right-hander Ryan Speier into the left field bleachers.
His shot helped the Giants take two of three from Colorado, split a six-game homestand and finish April with a 13-16 record.
Three under .500 won't win pennants or cupie dolls, but it might have surprised those who saw this team trudge through spring training.
It was just the third losing April in the 12-year tenure of Giants General Manager Brian Sabean. But the club isn't buried in the standings despite rotating two Class-A shortstops, turning John Bowker into a starting first baseman overnight and dealing with inconsistent play from youngsters.
Oh, and sending 0-6 ace Barry Zito to the bullpen, too.
"Coming out of spring, there were a lot of naysayers and I think the club is developing some confidence," Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. "And you know what? I think we're a better club than we're given credit for, and I think we match up against anybody. If we go out there and put together a good game, we expect to win."
The Giants have put together plenty of bad games, too, including a disheartening loss Tuesday that was full of young baserunning blunders.
"There's room for improvement on every front with this team," said Aaron Rowand, who hit his first home run as a Giant at AT&T Park. "Being as young as we are, I think this month was a good month. Guys are finding themselves, finding their strides. We're coming together as a team. A lot of us haven't played with each other.
"It's a good period of time to come together and find out what kind of team we're going to be. I think we know what kind of team we'll be now."
Until the last week of the spring, nobody could have known Castillo would be the Giants' everyday third baseman, or even on the roster. A last-minute waiver claim, Castillo showed he hadn't forgotten how to trot around the bases.
"Sometimes I have a little bit of power," Castillo said. "I'll hit more this year."
It also couldn't be foreseen that the Giants bullpen would coalesce so quickly. Relievers combined to allow four hits in nine scoreless innings over the Colorado series, and Brian Wilson nailed down his ninth save in 10 chances. It's the most saves by a Giants closer in April since Robb Nen saved nine in 1999.
Wilson saved Merkin Valdez's first major league victory. Valdez, who missed all of last year following elbow reconstruction surgery, stranded Jonathan Sanchez's runner in the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh.
"It's so special for me," said Valdez, who received a game ball and lineup card. "It took so long to come back."
The bullpen needed a major assist, though. With a runner at second base, Fred Lewis made a diving catch in left field to help Tyler Walker preserve the lead in the eighth inning. Bochy had the outfielders play a few steps in once Walker got to two strikes on Willy Taveras. Lewis did the rest, making a headfirst dive on a ball that was sinking in front of him.
"Oh man, go get it. That was the first thing in my mind," said Lewis, who pumped fists simultaneously with Walker. "Go get it and don't let it get past you. I was so excited for the team."
What did Walker say to Lewis in the dugout?
"He told me I'm on his Christmas list," Lewis said, laughing. "I said, 'Oh, I wasn't before?' "
No comments:
Post a Comment