How's THAT for a depressing picture?
Not that this is going to get Garner into the Hall of Fame or anything, but I'm always impressed by how he's able to keep the mood upbeat during the blowouts. A grumpier manager certainly would not have pinch-hit with Pettitte, and probably wouldn't have had Ausmus at second, either.
Interesting, I guess, how once the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt, Garner was able to shift things so that it was no longer the main focus.
Keeping a team loose, or whatever you want to call it, isn't going to be the difference between a pennant and finishing second. And of course if you have too many games where Andy Pettitte is pinch-hitting in the ninth because the cause is so hopeless, your season is probably crocked anyway.
But in the aftermath of a blowout like the one that the frankly very mediocre Giants ballclub put on Houston yesterday, it's important to savor your small victories: 1) Barry Balco doesn't homer and 2) everyone had a good time after the ballgame was decided.