Mauricio Dubón let the Giants have it on the field on Monday, then he let them have it after the game.
In the 7-3 Astros win, Dubón scored their first run, tied it up with an RBI single in the fifth, and gave the Astros the lead with an RBI double in the seventh. He was the most valuable player of the game against his former team. In the locker room postgame, he had some unflattering things to say about his former employer.
“It felt really good, honestly,” Dubón said about playing well against the Giants. “I was not treated the right way over there. … But with Dusty (Baker) here now, I’m in heaven.”
When told the Giants could use a player like him, Dubón said:
“Thank God they don’t. Thank God they don’t,” he said. “I’m good here. I’m good here. It’s been a family and I’m enjoying every moment.”
Duane Kuiper joined Murph & Mac on Tuesday morning and gave his take on Dubón’s comments. He believes the Giants should not respond.
“You gotta wear it,” Kuiper said on KNBR. “He got three hits, he can say what he wants. The Giants traded for him and gave him a chance to play in the big leagues. They gave him a chance to play all over. And they gave him a chance to show other organizations that he can play centerfield, shortstop, he can play second base, so he ought to be thankful that he spent time in the Giants organization. Because it’s got him to where he is right now.”
“If a guy feels like he was mistreated, then he’s going to wait for a good game that he’s had against that team, and if he wants to get it off his chest, then he can do it, and that’s what he did.”
Dubón was traded to the Astros last season in the midst of mediocre performances for catcher Michael Papierski. Papierski lasted just five games with the Giants. Dubón’s playing time was inconsistent during his tenure which lasted about three years.
“I don’t think anybody on the Giants cares one way or the other,” Kuiper said about the comments. “They just don’t want him to beat them, that’s all.
“It’s not like football where you’ve got a week to chew on it. You’ve got a game today. Baseball’s funny. You can let two ground balls go through your legs and strike out two times and all of the sudden what you said yesterday, people forgot.”
Kuiper did have some strong words when recounting one of Dubón’s most controversial moments with the Giants, when he bunted vs. the Padres with the team up nine in the sixth inning. The play pissed off San Diego and Padres skipper Bob Melvin, but the Giants defended him.
“What Dubón forgets is this organization protected him,” Kuiper said. “Each and every guy publicly said well we’re trying to win and the game doesn’t stop if you’ve got a 10-run lead. While the rest of the league is thinking what the heck is this guy doing. So he should not forget that. They could’ve easily thrown his tired little butt under the bus, but they didn’t.”
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