We can go back and forth all day long on the injury that Marco Scutaro suffered when Matt Holliday slid into second base. The slide was dirty! No it wasn't! Yes it was! Etc.
The one thing you couldn't possibly say, though, is that the injury was Scutaro's fault. Unless you're current Survivor cast member and former Giants second baseman Jeff Kent anyway.
Kent, speaking to CBSSports.com's Matt Snyder, blamed Scutaro for the injury.
"Holliday did take an extra step too far to slide into Scutaro, but you gotta understand that in the playoffs players are going to take their game to the next level," Kent said. "Scutaro should have known that and made a better effort to clear the bag so he wouldn't get hurt."
WHAT? I mean, watch the GIF below, which is from an outfield perspective and tell me how in the hell Scutaro was supposed to get out of the way, please:
Scutaro catches the ball, turns to throw and then finds himself getting steamrolled by a guy who decided to "slide" well after actually crossing the bag. It hurts to watch.
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We've discussed the possibility of retribution from the Giants against Holliday as a result of this slide. Kent doesn't think that will happen because of the playoffs.
"Not in the playoffs, no. In the playoffs there is too much at stake," Kent told Snyder. "In the regular season, maybe so. In the playoffs there is no time for retaliation. There is no room for error, so if you are going to retaliate that could potentially cost you a run, and in the playoffs you can't afford to give up a run."
Kent sure sounds correct on that count. Of course, Kent also thinks SlideGate (sorry) was Scutaro's fault. So it's possible that he's never right. Or that he's just spent too much time on a deserted island.
