Let's not kid ourselves, Compadres. With Manny out, we are not better on offense. The ceiling for run production per game stands at three or four, which is really what it was while Manny was playing. Having an all-around great player like Manny helps and will at least make the pitchers and catchers allot more time to their meetings. The pitchers now prefer not to face Manny (with the exception of Madison Bumgarner, today's tarter for the snakes), but it would be folly to underestimate the lineup we have.
It seems we need to win games on a hero-by-committee basis. Cron and Grish two days ago. Hos hit an important dinger last night. We are not going to blow out teams, we are squeezing out wins. Like I said, I already dread playing the Phillies, who will have plenty of fans at these games. But in the meantime, I'm happy we didn't look past the Diamondbacks. We are snake-bitten, but it's by the Rockies, not Arizona. Mission accomplished, though. We won this series. Think there will be an encore against Bum? We'll see. Strangely enough, Bum has always looked rather average against us, which I am grateful for.
One thing I don't understand is how Hosmer is just getting hammered by the fans on social media. Some fans are merciless with him. Has he underachieved since signing that big contract? Perhaps, but I still find him to a be a reliable veteran who helps us win ball games. He and Manny carried this team during the first two months of the season. Hos is a bit of a streaky hitter, lacks consistency at times, I know. But for now, he is an integral part of this team. We will need guys like him in a pennant race. He pulled off the nigh impossible with a 2015 Royals team, who might be the last small market team on earth to win a World Series...until we hopefully win it. A great underdog story. As for Hos, we still have him signed until 2026, and he is only 32. Let's get the most out of it. We need positive veteran leadership, and we can do a lot worse than him and Manny at the corners.
As for Clevinger, I was ecstatic when we acquired him a few years ago and devastated when he was injured. What will we get out of him every six days? As with Hos, what value can we get out of this relationship? I can't wait to find out.
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