Two more thoughts from last afternoon's game:
- Jason Ellison came in on a double-switch, replacing Michael Tucker. Fair enough, but when the top of the inning came around, Marquis Grissom was still in center. Does Felipe Alou not really know Grissom isn't the defender he once was, is Alou not familiar with Ellison, or is Alou just trying to not crush Grissom's confidence? Ellison, by all accounts, is a fantastic defender. Grissom, by most accounts, is still functional as a centerfielder, but not optimal.
Dusty Baker played scratch-the-veteran-behind-the-ears in the 2002 World Series, sending Kenny Lofton out to centerfield and DHing Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Shinjo's one positive attribute was his defense, and Lofton's one serious negative attribute was his declining defense. Still, Baker was scared either Lofton was going to go Norma Desmond on him, or that Lofton's hitting would suffer as a DH. Both scenarios were not worth the risk of putting a vastly inferior fielder in an important fielding position. If the Giants aren't going to sub Ellison in for Grissom at any point during the season, they should have just stuck with Dustan Mohr instead of reliving that Dustyism. It was just one game with Ellison in right, though, and it was probably just a fluke.
- Is it just me, or does Scott Eyre have the biggest noticable difference on the Giants relief staff between his "on" games, and his "off" games? Some days, he's throwing 93 with good control, and able to consistently fool lefties with a sharp slider. Other days, he's, well, a Giants reliever with spotty control and ugly results.