Neifi-tism

Here's a great bit from Lee Sinin's ATM Report from yesterday:

Giants 2B Ray Durham left yesterday's game, due to a mildly strained right groin.

Durham's off to a .821 OPS/3 RCAA start in 11 games and has a .782 OPS/44 RCAA in 1211 games. He was replaced yesterday by Neifi Perez, who will also take his spot if Durham misses any time.

Perez is off to a very impressive start. While it's only a 7 game sample size, how can you not be impressed by how difficult it to have a SLG 152 points below average, an OBA 123 points below average, an OPS 274 points below average? And those aren't the league averages, those are the averages for pitchers' hitting so far!!!

The "very impressive Neifi Perez" is the player about whom manager Felipe Alou said getting enough at-bats was his number one concern at the start of the season. Alou had considered negotiating with the starting infielders in order to get Neifi some at-bats. Now, he should get those ABs.

The Giants have looked great so far, but I have a sneaking feeling that Alou will find a way to screw it up. One sure way to hurt the team is to give a great deal of at-bats to a man (Perez) who has been one of the worst offensive players in the game since leaving the comfy confines of Coors. And for now it may not be up to Alou whether not to get Perez those at-bats.

By the way, Perez was 0-for-4 yesterday and stranded two runners.

- He grounded out to second on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the third.
- He lined out to the pitcher on a 1-2 count (plus one foul) with one out and none on in the fifth.
- He grounded out to second on an 0-2 count with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth after four Giants had been walked consecutively. The runner at first was forced out and he got an RBI on the runner from third who scored (score SF 4-1).
- He grounded into a double play to the second baseman on the first pitch offered with Snow on and none out in the eighth.

That's four at-bats and not one ball out of the infield. The best hit ball was perhaps the liner to the pitcher (I didn't see the play). His RBI at-bat is deplorable. He did take the first pitch, but he was facing a pitcher that had not thrown a strike until that point in the ballgame. I'm sure that Alou is happy with that RBI.