And then Aubrey Huff played second base.
It seems like that clause needs to be after every sentence of this post-game thread. Ryan Vogelsong pitched his brains out, and then Aubrey Huff played second base. The Giants scored three late runs because of horrific Mets defense, and then Aubrey Huff played second base. Aubrey Huff didn't cover second base on an inning-ending double play, and then Aubrey Huff played second base.
Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base Aubrey Huff playing second base. I mean, that's really fun to type.
It's not fair to blame the entire loss on one player. Not hitting worth a damn is something of a team effort, and the Giants banded together heroically for this one until the ninth, and even then they were ridiculously lucky. There weren't a lot of hitters doing good things today. Singling out one player is unfair.
But I'm going to do it anyway. Welcome to the Internet! Don't touch anything.
Yeah, Aubrey Huff might have had his worst all-around game as a Giant. It had everything even before he played second base. An 0-for-4. A double play. A grounder to second. One of those really high pop-ups to third base. A missed fall-down grounder. An error in a crucial spot. He's now hitting .200. But the at-bats are good, right? Two out of ten times, he gets a hit every time.
And then he played second base! Not because of injury. Not because of an ejection. Because Bruce Bochy didn't want a right-handed hitter to hit against a right-handed pitcher.
It seems silly to complain about after the Giants came back. Because he put Belt in place of Brett Pill, the Giants tied the game. If he left Pill in to face Rauch, there's a great chance that the game ends right there. So if you're keen on post-hoc, results-driven analysis, Bochy made a fantastic decision. Kind of.
But the difference between Pill against Jon Rauch and Belt against Rauch isn't great enough to risk Huff playing second base. And then Aubrey Huff played second base. And when a ground ball was hit to Emmanuel Burriss that could have been a double play, Huff broke toward first. Because he's a first baseman. He actually started the game at first base. And then Aubrey Huff played second base.
I mean, try typing it a few times.
Lessons learned: It's not worth it. There are good times to pay attention to a platoon-splits fetish. There are bad times to pay attention to a platoon-splits fetish. This was a very, very bad time. Did you ever think you'd read something on here complaining that Brandon Belt pinch-hit for Brett Pill? I thought it was a bad idea at the time. And then it worked out! And then Aubrey Huff played second base.
That wasn't a loss to fear; that was a loss to gape at in amazement. Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you. And sometimes the bear puts on a leotard and drowns you in a vat of cottage cheese. You're terrified, but you can't help wondering how amazing the whole situation is. And then Aubrey Huff played second base.
I had other notes, and I wanted to write about Vogelsong's fantastic and ill-fated start. And then Aubrey Huff played second base.
The play at home to end the game was ugly, but totally legal. If you're honest with yourself, you'd probably admit that you'd praise the ingenuity and hard play of a Giant who did the same thing. But I'm still expecting Scott Hairston to get a baseball to the back at the next opportunity. Tears will not be shed. That's Buster's ankle, ass snake. Why is it always Hairston?