Conversations With The Enemy-Hated Rivals Edition

With the Dodgers and Giants set to begin their first series of the season, I figured it would be as good a time as ever to virtually sit down and discuss the upcoming series with the guys from Around the Foghorn.

So for this, I reached out to Around the Foghorn editor Matt Connolly. He asked me a series of questions as well, and you can check out my answers over there at this link here.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

We discussed the Giant’s poor start, losing Pablo Sandoval, and the Clayton Kershaw versus Madison Bumgarner matchup on Wednesday night. We may hate each other, but there is still a lot of mutual respect between both clubs, and between both of our sites. Read on, and enjoy the series!

LL:How did Giants fans feel about losing their favorite Pablo Sandoval to free agency? How do you think his replacement Casey McGehee will do at third?

ATF: There’s no denying that losing Sandoval was a huge loss for our lineup, particularly given our current struggles. Pablo’s clutch hitting and Kung-Fu Panda caricature did well to endear him to the Giants fan base over the years, but his persistent weight issues and salty comments after he departed did not. All things considered, I’d say Buster Posey and/or Madison Bumgarner claimed that “favorite” title long ago. 

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Casey McGehee has looked a step slow all year, and a strained knee suffered very early in his inaugural season in San Francisco did him no favors. The optimist in me says he’ll rebound and produce at the plate and in the field. It’s going to be a process, though.

LL: What do you think is the biggest reason for the Giant’s poor start this year?

ATF: One word: offense. Well, lack thereof.

The starting pitching has kept them in games, and the bullpen is still pretty strong top-to-bottom, but the lineup has plated less than three runs per game, good for third worst in the MLB. Injuries have played a role, to be sure, but our hitting has been anemic.

LL:Where do you think the Giants will end up this year?

ATF: Odd year conspiracy theories aside, the National League West is simply too stacked for the Giants to make the postseason as currently constructed. The Dodgers and Padres are both more talent-filled than ever, the Rockies have a dynamic collection of young talent, and the Diamondbacks are no longer terrible.

I see our management making a move or two before the deadline to remain relevant down the stretch, but I’m still not sure that would put us above L.A. or San Diego. Though a playoff berth is obviously the goal, I see San Francisco falling short and finishing third in the division.

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

LL: Why do you think the Giants win championships every other year? What’s the reason for the poor performances in the odd numbered seasons?

ATF: I really have no good answer for those questions, as I touched on above.

We’ve kept a lot of the same core together throughout our runs to the top, putting a premium on chemistry—something our Barry Bonds-era teams severely lacked—and quality pitching.

But why we choose to fluctuate between amazing and mediocre on a year-to-year basis? You got me.

LL: Kershaw? Or Bumgarner? Who has the edge tomorrow night?

ATF: That’s a tough one with neither looking particularly good in the early going.

Lots of pundits have been speculating that Bumgarner’s innings total last year would lead to some issues this year, which is a reasonable assessment on paper. One thing they’re forgetting: Bumgarner is country strong. His smooth mechanics work in his favor, too.

I’ve always thought Kershaw had the better pure stuff, something MadBum himself agrees with me on, but I’ll give the Giants ace the edge tomorrow simply because he’s due and San Francisco desperately needs this series.