- 7 weeks ago
The San Francisco Giants are off to a rocky 3-8 start, and Steiny and Guru aren't holding back. From a struggling bullpen to a silent offense, the guys break down what’s going wrong in the early stages of the 2026 season. Plus, they react to Chris Rose’s "Mark DeRosa Syndrome" critique of manager Tony Vitello and ask the question: Did Buster Posey make a mistake with this hire?
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00:00This is from my man Pete Lawrence, got drafted, James Logan, Texas Rangers, signing 88.
00:05The Giants pulled bullpen over the last four games, 13 innings pitched, 13 earned runs, 20 hits, 10 base on
00:13balls, and he says this, and I want your thoughts.
00:16This time last year, the bullpen was a major strength, and now it's horrible.
00:20This is what happens when you don't address this area during the offseason, fair or foul?
00:26No, because we haven't talked much bullpen. We talked about they can't, they're impotent at the plate, but Doval is
00:33in a Yankee uniform, and nobody saw Rodriguez getting hurt.
00:38That happened seven months ago.
00:40I'm just, right.
00:41Well, I get what you're saying. So you're saying they could have replaced him.
00:45I'm saying, why do you think this team's going to win 90 games if it doesn't hit, pitch, or field?
00:53Well, this is not going to continue.
00:55No, but it could.
00:56You have to believe it. I got major chicken.
00:57This would project to a 30-80 record after 110 games.
01:02We don't want this. Throw that out.
01:04Let's go, what did I want to play?
01:09Oh, Chris Rose, John Boy Media, had this to say about Tony Vitello and the Giants and where the Giants
01:17are,
01:18and I'll tell you what, I will say this for Tony Vitello.
01:22The guy gets picked apart.
01:25Well, that was coming with the territory.
01:27Absolutely. The guy is getting scrutinized right and left, and this is Chris Rose doing it.
01:32I think he's got a little bit of Mark DeRosa syndrome, and what I mean by that is D. Rowe,
01:39who's a buddy of mine,
01:40I worked with him for a decade at Major League Baseball Network.
01:45To me, his biggest issue with Team USA was that he kind of let us in a little too much,
01:51and I know that's fun for us as people who are consuming and talking about content,
01:58but when D. Rowe goes, yeah, the players, they invited all the coaches in to have a beer,
02:06and then the next day, some guys were hurting a little bit.
02:11That's okay to do.
02:13It's okay for the coaches to have a beer with their players and tell stories,
02:16and it's okay for players to be hurting a little bit the next day.
02:20Don't let everybody know.
02:21So you can't tell everything that's on your brain and have it come out of your mouth,
02:27and I would say if there's one word of advice, like when Tony had that really interesting diatribe
02:32during spring training when he sat down right next to Susan Slusser, and he goes,
02:37so when did you all find out that I was taking this job?
02:41Nobody had asked a question.
02:42It came out of nowhere, and our day would have been just fine.
02:45If he really wanted the answer to that,
02:48he could have pulled Susan or other well-respected media members who were on the Giants' beat his side
02:53and said, hey, off the record, when did you guys find out about this?
02:58You know, because it's something I just want to handle behind the scenes.
03:00You don't have to make everything a story, I would say.
03:04But I find him fascinating, and I'm on board with him.
03:08Well, that part, what Chris just said, and I love Chris.
03:12I know we both do.
03:14He did what the Giants aren't doing.
03:15He hit that out the park, and that's what I kind of told you, like,
03:19Tony V, sometimes it's TMI, too much information,
03:22but you are under the eight ball and going to be scrutinized like you play or throw
03:27just because of, you know, your history and where you've come from,
03:30but sometimes you can be your own worst enemy in regard to, you know, sharing too much.
03:36I mean, you ready?
03:41Yeah.
03:41Give me a break.
03:43Nell Carter, give me a break.
03:45So what if he shares too much?
03:48Well, people will throw it back in your face when you start off.
03:51You know what I mean?
03:52Okay.
03:54Like, this is – what was he just saying?
03:57They were having some beers and some guys might have been hurting.
04:00Well, that was DeRosa.
04:00He was using DeRosa.
04:02Right, but if DeRosa shares – like, that could come back to bite you.
04:05How?
04:05How could it come back to bite you?
04:07Hey, we had some beers with some players, and we had some fun,
04:10but guys were feeling in the morning.
04:15I mean, like, this is what I mean.
04:19I mean, we have no idea who this guy is, Tony Vitello,
04:24and we're finding out now we want him to do this less and that more.
04:29And –
04:30He's the least of my problems with this team early through 11.
04:34I'll say that.
04:35I don't know where you stand, but I wish he was the issue.
04:39I think they've got issues up and down.
04:41Right now they've got –
04:42But some that weren't going to be on the list.
04:45Right now they've got doubts about the front office.
04:47They have doubts about the manager.
04:48They're not hitting.
04:49They're not pitching.
04:50Like, they have – to my – and listen, it is early, and I'm not panicking,
04:56but I'm just saying that this 3-8 start has been kind of pervasive.
05:02It's –
05:03Looks like last year to me.
05:04And it's impacted everybody.
05:07It's impacted Buster Posey because now, you know, I hear,
05:11well, if you're really going to be mad at somebody, be upset with Buster Posey
05:14because he hired a manager who didn't, you know, didn't have any experience.
05:19And he's the guy who went out and got Devers.
05:22Do I think Vitello's the biggest problem?
05:25No.
05:25But I think they could have some problems this year.
05:31Let's go to John in Sausalito.
05:35Hey, John.
05:36How you doing, man?
05:38Hey, I'm doing well.
05:39How are you?
05:40Hey, hey.
05:42Love your guys' show.
05:43So, being a 40- or 50-year Yankee fan,
05:4930-year Giants fan,
05:50I'm wondering, like, I love Buster as a GM,
05:55and I put him up there with Derek Jeter,
05:57one of the most admired players ever.
05:59But why do we hire a college coach
06:02when you've got guys like Joe Girardi and Don Mattingly sitting on the bench?
06:06That's my question.
06:08Does Buster really need to take that risk?
06:11Nothing he's in Vitello.
06:12I'm an Italian.
06:15But why?
06:16What's the purpose?
06:18I mean, risk-reward?
06:22I don't know.
06:23Why do you think, John?
06:25Well, I mean, I was out at the final regional game with my buddy from Arkansas
06:31who follows, you know, the baseball teams down in the southeast.
06:36I mean, that guy's an intense guy.
06:39How's he going to deal with the pro players if they're not 3-8?
06:43Let's say they're 6-20.
06:45I know.
06:46I mean, why would Buster go this way when Girardi, who I love,
06:51and Mattingly, who I love?
06:53So, I'm kind of asking you guys, what's the logic there?
06:56Well, thanks, John, for the call.
06:58Appreciate it.
06:58I mean, go ahead, Stoddy, because only Buster, and he's done it,
07:02could answer those questions.
07:03I mean, to me, it's now becoming obvious,
07:06and that is for all the people last year that said, you know,
07:10they seem a little listless,
07:12I have no doubt in my mind that one of the reasons Vitello was hired
07:18was to try to keep these guys on their toes more,
07:24you know, try to keep them engaged when they're not winning,
07:29but that, to me, had to be the number one reason
07:32that he wanted a fiery coach,
07:35and that's what happens in a lot of pro sports.
07:37You hire a players manager, it doesn't work out,
07:40then you hire a red ass and see if that works out.
07:44But, to me, Kapler, Melvin, Vitello so far,
07:49it kind of all looks the same to me.
07:51Yeah, and that's a problem.
07:53And right now, you look at every metric,
07:55the Giants' offense as a collective are at the bottom.
07:58They're damn near close to it.
08:00So, you know, again, musical chairs at the leadoff position.
08:04I know, Goo, it's a new era of baseball.
08:05I get that.
08:06What happened Thursday, I believe?
08:08Susack had, what, three hits and didn't play, you know,
08:11the next night or wasn't in the lineup?
08:13I'm not saying that's why.
08:15I'm just thinking would Bochy or Morris' season manager
08:18would erode the hot hand when you got an offense
08:21that collectively can't, you know, hit their way out of a barn?
08:24I just got to believe Devers is going to turn into Devers,
08:28the good Devers.
08:29Same with Adamus.
08:31We've seen this movie before where he got off to a slow start,
08:34and it was a slow start.
08:35We talked about it.
08:36Then he got hot.
08:37But they, as a team, didn't reach their goal.
08:40And my fear is if they're, you know, fiddle-faddling with the bullpen
08:44or don't have the necessary arms in the rotation,
08:47and now your guys aren't hitting, when they do get going,
08:51how far are you going to be off from your goal?
08:55That's a good point.
08:56I mean, you know, if Adamus' season mirrors last year,
09:01that's not good enough.
09:03It's just not good enough.
09:05Ditto with Devers' time here.
09:07And, you know, Chapman's been very consistent over the course of his career,
09:11so I'm going to expect that, you know, he's going to hit his 20 to 25 homers
09:15with some extra base hits mixed in.
09:18But, I mean, again, a lot of holes, and I don't know what we want Vitello to do
09:29knowing that we knew nothing about him, but we want to kind of, I don't know,
09:34craft him in a crazy kind of way.
09:37You're listening to 95.7 The Game, KGMZ-FM and HD1 San Francisco
09:42on Odyssey Sports Station, always live on the free Odyssey app,
09:45now broadcasting from the Laughing Monk Studios.
09:49Let's go out to Brett.
09:51Brett's in Clayton.
09:52Hey, Brett, what's going on, man?
09:54We have Vitello San Francisco on Odyssey Sports Station.
09:57Brett, let's go.
10:00See you later.
10:01Yeah.
10:01That's a rookie mistake.
10:02No, it happens.
10:04That's a kind of a rookie mistake.
10:05Sounded like he was on the Odyssey app.
10:08Yeah.
10:09So he gets credit for that.
10:10He definitely gets credit for that.
10:12And so, yeah, people are asking, you know, what, Tony Vitello, you know,
10:19coaching, managing 100 more games.
10:23How does it feel to be three and eight?
10:25I would say it's painful just to lose.
10:27So how it happens really is just a matter of what questions we talked before the game.
10:33Replaying the game in your mind and anything you got going on just depends on how it goes down.
10:39But it doesn't matter to me.
10:40Maybe it matters to them.
10:41I'll take a win any way we can get it.
10:43And a loss is going to be a loss to me.
10:45I don't like it being as painful of baseball as it was a couple nights ago.
10:49But it all ends up kind of being the same for me.
10:52All right.
10:53I mean, I don't have a problem with anything you said there.
11:00And again, this is where I'm going to defend him.
11:03And, yeah, I know he feels better.
11:05Goose defending him.
11:05But the bottom line is, Stony, he's not throwing a pitch.
11:09He's not attempting to catch a ball.
11:11And he damn sure has not gone up to an at-bat.
11:14So, you know, normally I'm like flip of spread.
11:18I would never do that after 11 games.
11:20We just got to play this thing out.
11:22And they got to get off their keister and do something.
11:26Because you're in a division with the Dodgers, the Padres, the Diamondbacks.
11:32So, you know, the show don't wait for anybody.
11:34But I am stunned on how futile they look as a team through 11 games.
11:40Like, is there any – what good have we seen through 11?
11:44Like, what fan could call?
11:47Who's been the best giant so far?
11:49The rise?
11:50Yeah, there's no doubt.
11:52Or, Evan, you have a different answer?
11:54Mine is a rise.
11:56Is there anybody you would throw in there?
11:58Among the position players?
12:00Sure.
12:01But that's the point.
12:03That's the point.
12:05Congrats.
12:07At the plate, it's probably Chapman.
12:09I know.
12:11Well, he had a triple last night, so that puts him in the front.
12:14If anybody gets two hits tonight, they're having the best season.
12:18It's like the first lap of a Mario Kart game.
12:20There's going to be 17 guys jockeying for position.
12:24This is from the 707, Gu.
12:26What do you think of this?
12:27Vitello makes sense if you were leaning into the young guys and player development.
12:31Wow.
12:32I would have kept Bob if I was leaning into the veteran team like this.
12:36Yeah.
12:37A lot of people weren't happy with Melvin, though, last year, in fairness.
12:40And even you, like, you don't even know you were supporting them, but you were doing that to the average,
12:46you know, guy.
12:48You were like, hold on.
12:49And then I think you saw stuff to where the team just looked like they took on his personality, which
12:54was not, you know, a lot of bravado and fire.
12:57And if Buster wanted that fire, okay, you got it.
13:02But now you need the fire from the guys that are on the field.
13:05Yeah.
13:06Maybe.
13:08And if you're telling me.
13:09And the guys don't respond to that.
13:10If you're telling me.
13:11You got me thinking real quick here.
13:13If you're telling me we've seen the best of Devers, and that would have been in Boston, and the same
13:18with Adamas in Milwaukee, then you got major, major problems.
13:23You hit your wagon, you're paying, like, this payroll is expensive to be 3-8 and impotent again.
13:30That's my word.
13:31That's what the bats are.
13:32Like, man, snap out of it.
13:34And then 1-7 at home.
13:36That's straight up nasty.
13:38I don't care.
13:39Yeah.
13:40Like, I guess what I'm saying to you, and I've never played an inning of Major League Baseball.
13:45I thought Tony would get the benefit of, you know, when the season first starts and everybody's just getting acclimated
13:51to, okay, it's 162.
13:53Maybe they're 8-3 and not 3-8, and you're wondering.
13:57We're having the conversation.
13:58Goose, slow down.
13:59This sports.
14:00And I know that happens.
14:02But for this to be the, you know, the title on the marquee, it kind of stinks.
14:07And now we're listening to Vitello just hope he doesn't say, you know, something that people will, you know, go
14:15put under the microscope and, like, what's he talking about?
14:18Yeah, well, Buster Posey knows that's coming.
14:20Man, he should have known that was coming, that when you hire Tony Vitello, you're inviting the national media to
14:30scrutinize what he's doing and dissect every single thing that he says.
14:35And whether it's good, bad, or indifferent, different people are going to think it's good, bad, or indifferent.
14:42And people are going to talk about it, and then it's going to create that word narrative.
14:48And right now, I'm not saying Vitello's the reason they're 3-8, but right now it's easy for people to
14:56make the connection between Vitello and a team that's 3-8.
14:59But I've got to include Buster Posey in that situation.
15:04Yeah.
15:04And I see enough veteran players on this team that I, the players aren't living up to their end of
15:12the bargain.
15:12So I think this is something that, you know, if it keeps going like this, everybody's going to pay the
15:19price.
15:20The players, Vitello, Posey, the entire organization.
15:23Vitello out.
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