A few thoughts from the thread:
Panda is basically skinny this season. This is pretty much as good as it gets for him. He was thinner when he came into the year (he always gains weight during the season), but even now he's looking fairly good for him. He loses a lot of skills when he's too big, but he's probably 10-15 pounds under that point right now. He's a remarkable fielder (today's miscue notwithstanding), and extra weight really affects that. So far, he's been great. He's a lot quicker on the field than you'd imagine. However, his speed drops considerably as his weight increases. He's a slow panda at the moment, and that is frustrating. Oh, as for the strikezone? Pablo will anger and amaze fans. But, he came into the season promising to be more patient at the plate and it was an experiment that did not work. After a while, he went back to his free-swinging ways and it was far more successful. It drives you nuts until he hits a double on a ball four inches off the ground or at his eyeballs. It's just part of the Panda mystique.
Hunter Pence is the weirdest ballplayer I've ever watched. Basically he does nothing conventionally. His throws look painful, he runs strangely, his routes to the ball are awkward sometimes, he tends to bug his eyes out or have his tongue hanging out while he fields, he wears his pants bunched practically up to his thigh and his swing is weird. For the person who said here that he "didn't realize" Pence was odd: have you ever watched him play? It's painful, but deliciously effective. I adore Hunter Pence. He's awesome.
Bruce Bochy is a good manager. He's even a great manager. This series has been ridiculous, particularly in how he's handling the pitching staff. Leaving Hudson in there today was odd. His use of Strickland has not been nearly as judicious as I would personally have hoped. Hopefully he regains his senses by tomorrow's game.
(Side note: Strickland deserves a spot on the roster, but it's going to be feast or famine when he's used. He's struck out five and given up four home runs and one hit. So when he's in, it's likely to be a strikeout or a home run, nothing in between. That's terrifying, but possibly effective.)
The Giants' outfield situation is... difficult. Pagan really holds the Giants' offense together, and over the last couple of seasons when he's been missing, the Giants offense has a tendency to go missing, too. Blanco isn't doing a fantastic job as the leadoff guy, but it's been looking more promising in the last couple of days. Plus, he's a fantastic fielder (he saved Cain's perfect game!). I very highly doubt Bochy will take him out of the leadoff spot for now, primarily because there really isn't anybody else who would work there. Maybe Panik, but then you're probably pulling Crawford up to hit second, meaning it's just a black hole at the bottom of the lineup. Crawford is actually pretty adept at driving in runs (he had 60-something RBI from the eight slot), he's better suited for a spot farther down the order. Especially since he's not exactly tearing up the offense right now either.
Ishikawa has done a great job, though, and I think Bochy has actually done well in how he's being used. You can't start Perez, he's just not a good enough hitter. But you are also courting disaster if you leave Ishi out there too long: he has about 30 innings of outfield experience in his major league career, about 170 if you include the minors (and four errors in 46 chances between the majors and minors). I'm guessing whomever said earlier that they thought Ishikawa would be the heir apparent to Barry Bonds was joking. Morse was hurt for so long that it's difficult to argue that he'd be any better offensively than Perez and he might be a worse fielder than any other option. It's too bad, because Morse was critical to the Giants' early-season success. Then again, so was Brandon Hicks.
I have no problem with Panik's bat disappearing a bit in this series. I think it'll wake up again. I think Pence's is starting to wake up, and he's a streaky hitter so it can get hot pretty quickly. Posey will return to form, too. The Giants absolutely cannot keep relying on runs scored through wild pitches, errant throws and bloop hits, as incredible as that is to watch.
So, later today it's Vogelsong vs. Miller in a game that the Cardinals have to be considering a must-win. If they lose, they are facing Bumgarner at home, and other than his own ridiculous throw on a sacrifice bunt, he's been spectacular in the post-season. But, so too, has Vogey. It's always a bit dicey with Vogelsong over the last couple of years, but he's better at home and he's almost unhittable in the post-season. I will say this: Whenever he's faltered over the last few seasons, he often says afterward that he just needs to remain focused and execute the pitches he wants to make. That might just be excuses, but it's possible he has a tendency to get a little too comfortable. When he unravels, it happens very quickly. In the playoffs, maybe the mix of adrenaline and pressure locks him into focus? Who knows? Whatever it is, I hope it continues tonight.
GO GIANTS!