March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010
August 2010
September 2010 October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September 2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 December 2015 January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 September 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021 November 2021 December 2021 January 2022 February 2022 March 2022 April 2022 May 2022 June 2022 July 2022 August 2022 September 2022 October 2022 November 2022 December 2022 January 2023 February 2023 March 2023 April 2023 May 2023 June 2023 July 2023 August 2023 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023 January 2024 February 2024 March 2024
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
31
News Every Day |

Surprised by SF Giants pinch-hitting for Brandon Belt? Expect more of it

Surprised by SF Giants pinch-hitting for Brandon Belt? Expect more of it

LOS ANGELES — Answering the umpteenth question about his decision to pinch-hit for Brandon Belt late in Friday night’s loss here at Dodger Stadium, Giants manager Gabe Kapler described the type of player that wouldn’t have been lifted.

“Who doesn’t want to be Mookie Betts? Everybody wants that,” Kapler said. “To be completely frank, when Brandon Belt is at his best, we want no part of having somebody else go up in the batter’s box. When Brandon Crawford is at his best, I want no part of having anybody else go up in the batter’s box. Evan Longoria, Wilmer Flores – we have these dudes who when they’re rolling, they’re the guys for us.”

Those, however, aren’t not the circumstances Kapler and the Giants are working with this season. So, with two outs in the eighth inning, the game tied at 1 and tough left-hander Alex Vesia on the mound, Kapler called on a rookie right-handed bat to pinch-hit for the veteran lefty. Playing his 14th MLB game and making his first appearance in this heated rivalry, David Villar was caught off guard by a Vesia fastball and tapped a meager groundout to second base.

Cody Bellinger’s tie-breaking grand slam came in the bottom half of the inning, sending the Giants to a 5-1 loss.

Belt was left to watch from the bench, before bolting for the exits to beat the postgame fireworks-night traffic. Less than 24 hours later, Belt was back in the lineup against another left-hander, Julio Urías, and reflected on the unsuccessful substitution from the visitor’s dugout.

“Listen, we all have egos,” Belt said. “But at some point, you just have to shed your ego a little bit. … I think that I’m capable of getting the job done right there. I wouldn’t be much of a ballplayer if I didn’t think that I could. I want to stay in every single time. There’s no doubt about that. Every time. It doesn’t matter what the situation is.

“I do understand the reasoning behind it. If I’d been crushing the ball, it wouldn’t have happened. And I’m going to have a lot of opportunities to show that I will crush the ball. That’s kind of how I look at it moving forward.”

It’s no secret that Belt hasn’t been the same masher he was last season. Neither has Crawford. Both players — aged 34 and 35, respectively — have also struggled to stay on the field with various ailments.

And both players are just as aware as you, reader, of their numbers this season. Crawford’s OPS (.629) has fallen more than 200 points from last season (.895); Belt’s is down to .759, from .975 last season, even after a torrid stretch leading in to the All-Star break.

That is why Kapler has had conversations recently with both Crawford and Belt to expect more late, matchup-based substitutions until they turn it around.

“Obviously I haven’t hit my best this year, so I’m a little more understanding,” Crawford said.

“It all comes back to me knowing that I will be who I am by the end of the season,” Belt said. “I will be.”

The loss dropped the Giants 14.5 games back of the Dodgers, the largest gap between the two teams since Kapler took over. Those substitutions certainly stung less when seemingly every button the manager pushed was the right one while battling those Dodgers all the way to the finish line last season, never separated by more than four games.

Kapler has an open-door policy and encourages players to voice their concerns, but he said those conversations haven’t come any more frequently this season. He saw Belt’s comments and appreciated them.

“What a total pro. … Who doesn’t want a player who wants the biggest moment and the biggest opportunity? I just have nothing but respect for how he handled it,” Kapler said. “It’s always going to be fluid. The trust levels are always going to be higher when we have Darin Ruf go out and hit a grand slam. It’s always going to be a little bit lower when you have a young player pinch-hit for a veteran player and he check-swings and hits a ground ball to second base. … During those periods, there is very naturally going to be less trust. And you know what, that’s OK.”

Through those conversations since he arrived before the 2020 season, Kapler has earned the buy-in of veterans who were maybe a bit skeptical. Their historic pinch-hitting success while winning 107 games last season didn’t hurt, either.

“Look at what we did last year,” Crawford said. “I think we’re at a little different point than we were at the start of the season in 2020, where I felt like I had earned a chance to prove myself. … I felt stronger about it then, I guess, than I do now. … I think there are times where it’s smarter and there are times where it doesn’t make as much sense. But (Kapler) has done a great job with it.”

Added Belt: “I’ve talked to him so much, I know he believes in me. I have no doubt that he’s going to give me plenty of chances moving forward. That puts me at ease a little bit knowing that I’m going to be able to show him that I can get the job done. … I know that I’m going to have a lot of opportunities to show that I can do it, and I will do it.”

Rookie under the bright lights

Overlooked by the attention on Belt being pinch-hit for was who entered to do the pinch-hitting.

David Villar’s introduction to the Giants-Dodgers rivalry — and his first experience playing in front of 50,000-plus fans — didn’t go as he would have liked. But he said the opportunity itself was enough to provide a confidence boost.

“That was probably my biggest pinch-hit situation,” Villar said. “It means a lot to me to have that confidence in me as a baseball player to come through and help the team win in that situation, to try to put the team ahead. … I felt like I got a good pitch to hit and I just didn’t put my ‘A’ swing on it.”

That was part of Kapler’s thinking Friday night, too.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that’s at least a tiny, tiny part of the strategy,” Kapler said. “He’s got a chance to be an everyday player for us for a long time.”

As Villar jogged back to the dugout after grounding out, he got a true welcome to the rivalry.

“Someone said, ‘Go back to the minors!'” Villar said. “But hey, it’s just part of the job. I’m up here for a reason. I’m here to try to help the Giants win games. It is what it is. Just try to come through the next time.”

Game News

Cyberpunk 2077 станет временно бесплатной для PlayStation и Xbox

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!

I was diagnosed with cancer aged 39… you are never too rich, too famous or too young, says Dr Philippa Kaye

Top 10 Love Affair Movies of the 2000s and 2010s

Top 10 Emmanuelle Seigner Movies

Ria.city






Read also

Golf fans pile on Chris DiMarco amid greedy, ludicrous PGA Tour Champions take

Emmerdale’s Jai Sharma takes bombshell revenge on dad Rishi’s killer Amit

Guardians vs Athletics Free Live Stream: Time, TV Channel, How to Watch, Odds

News, articles, comments, with a minute-by-minute update, now on Today24.pro

News Every Day

Top 10 Emmanuelle Seigner Movies

Today24.pro — latest news 24/7. You can add your news instantly now — here


News Every Day

Top 10 Emmanuelle Seigner Movies



Sports today


Новости тенниса
Даниил Медведев

Битые корты: Медведев и Александрова вышли в четвертьфинал Miami Open



Спорт в России и мире
Москва

Блиц-матч по шахматам между двумя командами провели в павильоне «Спорт для каждого»



All sports news today





Sports in Russia today

Москва

«Радио Зенит» – информационный партнер форума «Мы вместе. Спорт»


Новости России

Game News

Cyberpunk 2077 станет временно бесплатной для PlayStation и Xbox


Russian.city


Мода

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)


Губернаторы России
ЦСКА

В хоккейном ЦСКА сменился главный тренер


Заказать недорогой ремонт кухонной мебели в районе в Москве и Московской области

«Моментально деморализует»: названо самое эффективное средство самообороны

Движение временно ограничат на двух улицах Нижегородского и Гагаринского районов

Заказать недорогой ремонт шкафов купе в Москве и Московской области


EMIN, Баста, Полина Гагарина, Валерия и другие артисты исполнили песни Муслима Магомаева

Певица Диана Арбенина опубликовала редкое фото сына

Музыкант Устьянцев: Сергей Шнуров — профессионал, а Жуков — «балалаечка»

Скульптура Сергея Рахманинова украсит музыкальную школу в Кисловодске


Теннисистка Касаткина отреагировала на высказывания Винер о россиянах

Янник Синнер поделился впечатлениями от общения с игроками сборной Италии по футболу

Александрова впервые войдет в топ-15 мирового рейтинга

Теннисист Медведев вышел в полуфинал турнира в Майами, обыграв Харри



Перенос дат II этапа культурного проекта «Классика: история и современность» в Дмитрове

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)

Архитектурные доминанты округов Москвы

«Радио Зенит» – информационный партнер форума «Мы вместе. Спорт»


Федеральный девелопер: ЦФА позволят легко и просто накопить квадратные метры и "обернуть" их в квартиру

Сын Светличной рассказал, что не знает подробностей о состоянии матери

Продвижение Песен и Музыки в Плей-листах Яндекс.Музыка.

США включили ряд российских блокчейн-платформ в список SDN


В столице изменились условия получения карты москвича

МИД прокомментировал предупреждение США и Британии о возможном теракте в России

Генштаб: в России не станут привлекать к участию в СВО весенних призывников

Глава Минэкономразвития назвал главную задачу при строительстве трассы от Санкт-Петербурга до Екатеринбурга



Путин в России и мире






Персональные новости Russian.city
Певица

Певица Mia Boyka призналась, что в детстве ходила в церковь почти каждый день



News Every Day

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!




Friends of Today24

Музыкальные новости

Персональные новости