The San Francicso Giants and Cincinnati Reds starter Mat Latos just don't get along. Like oil takes to vinegar, so does Latos to the Black and Orange, and he certainly loves to express himself in this regard:
Per the San Francisco Chronicles' Henry Schulman:
You might remember that when he pitched for San Diego, Latos expressed his hatred for the Giants in many ways. He actually signed some baseballs with the inscription, "I hate S.F."
When asked about that after then win, Latos chided reporters, saying, "That's old news. I've moved on. People have moved on. The Giants have moved on. Now we'll see if the media moves on."
Which is funny, because before the game Latos handed a ball to the Reds broadcasters that he inscribed, "I hate the Giants."
Obviously he hasn't moved on, though Latos' sophomoric ball tactics are more or less harmless. It just shows how important this hatred is to his success, fueling his scoreless seven innings pitched Tuesday evening after entering the game wit a 8.22 ERA. It doesn't have much affect on the Giants as Latos now has a 3-3 record against them all time in 10 career starts, knocking 17 earned runs and four homers against him.
It must pain Latos that he doesn't get as many opportunities to face his arch-nemesis now that he is out of the NL West, and will assuredly relish his opportunities to face them even more now, seeing that they are one of the few teams we does OK against.
Maybe next time the Giants should just blind him on the mound from the glare from their large Tiffany World Championship rings.
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
